A Call to Arms

Harry was leaning against a tree in the middle of an unknown forest. He was watching his godson Teddy toddle around the clearing they were in. Every time he thought about how he had come to have custody of the small boy it made his heart ache.

~~~~flashback~~~~
Harry had been meeting with Remus, Tonks, and Andy for an impromptu birthday party for little Teddy. He was on the run from Voldemort, hunting horcrux. Remus had managed to get a message to Harry asking him to meet with them in a secure location to have a small get-together for Teddy, and so Harry could relax a little. He had been on the run for a year now and knew that Remus could be quite insistent and would hunt him down if he didn't show up and take some time to relax before heading back out.

Harry arrived at Remus' house at the exact time he was supposed to and immediately began to panic. The dark mark hovered over the small cottage. Smoke was beginning to rise from the house telling Harry that someone had only just set it on fire. The smell bothered his sensitive nose.

He had unexpectedly, after a run-in with some snatchers back in January, come into a creature inheritance. Hermione was still with him at the time and had watched over him while he had apparently slept for a week afterward. She had done a lot of research during that time and had a lot of information for Harry when he had finally woken up about what he was and why it was very important that he kept his inheritance a secret.

So he did. He was a Dragel Submissive and he had done a very good job of keeping that fact hidden. He wore scent suppressors and glamor charms to keep his secret even from Remus. Hermione was the only person he ever allowed his wings and other traits out around.

"Remus," Harry yelled as he ran into the house that was rapidly catching fire. He ran into the kitchen to see the bodies of Remus and Tonks lying on the ground. Harry had seen enough dead people to know what a person looked like after their soul had left their bodies. He checked for pulses anyway.

A noise from upstairs had Harry whipping around with his wand at the ready. He rushed up the stairs, he needed to find Teddy and Andy. He knew they had to be here somewhere, Andy had moved in with Remus and Tonks after her husband had been murdered by Death Eaters.

"Andy?" Harry called as he made it upstairs. He heard a cry and knew that it was Teddy. Harry followed the sound to Andy's room and saw the woman sitting in her closet with Teddy wrapped in her arms. She was still holding him and so Harry was hoping that meant that she was alive.

"Andy," He reached out, and before he could touch her she coughed and grabbed his hand.

"Harry, you have to ... to take Teddy." another cough that had Harry reaching out and taking Teddy from the clearly struggle woman.

"I am going to take you both Andy," Harry told her. "The house is on fire, Remus and Tonks are dead, Andy we have to go." Andy smiled faintly and when her next coughing fit hit her, blood dribbled down the side of her mouth.

"I was hit with a bone-breaking curse and something else that I didn't recognize," She paused to take a breath. "I am dying, Harry. You can not save me. But you can save Teddy."

"Andy, that's nonsense. There will be something we can do." Andy grasped his hand harder.

"Harry. There isn't. You have to take Teddy and go quickly," another coughing fit that seemed to cause her a lot of pain. Harry was crying now. "We packed a bag in case of emergencies it has everything in it that you will need for T..Teddy." Andromeda Tonks took another gasping breath and then fell back limply. Harry shook her and felt for her pulse but there was nothing.

Harry then took the indicated bag, a blanket that he cast a water spell on, and covered himself and a crying Teddy in the soaking wet blanket before making his way carefully out of the house. He took one last look at the burning house and then apparated him and Teddy to a clearing in a forest where Hermione had been waiting.

~~~~End Flashback~~~~

Harry had been on the run with Teddy ever since. Hermione had been with them for a few months after the horrible fire and then she had left Harry as well. But not in the same way that Ron had left them. Ron had left of his own accord when things had gotten too rough for him and he had worried too much for his family. Hermione had been captured by snatchers on a supply run.

Harry and Teddy had waited for her at their designated meeting place after getting his own list of supplies. Only she never showed. He had then thrown his invisibility cloak over the two of them and had begun checking all of the places that she had been meant to go. Harry had come across muggle cops and a group of people crowded around something. Harry had carefully moved closer and what he had seen still caused him nightmares.

Hermione had been so mutilated that he only recognized her bushy hair and the 'MUDBLOOD' that had been carved into her arm by Bellatrix when they had been captured and taken to Malfoy Manor. Harry had then quickly left the scene after carefully taking the pouch from her hip. It had supplies in it that they would still need after all.

It had been hard adjusting to life without Hermione these past few months. Harry was going to be eighteen in a few days now and all he was worried about was staying alive and keeping Teddy alive. They were going to be moving soon. He was ready to find a way into Hogwarts. He had gone to the Lestrange vault three days ago and he had gotten the cup.

Griphook had taken the Sword of Gryffindor from them after Malfoy Manor. So, Harry had been struggling to figure out how he was going to get rid of the latest horcrux without the sword. But like everything else, Hermione was ten steps ahead of him. He had been reading in her journal where she kept all of her notes and saw that she had a backup plan in case they lost the sword.

Harry was leaving for Hogwarts first thing in the morning. From the rumors that he had heard, Hogwarts was empty and the wards were holding. Voldemort had tried to get in but had not been able to get around them. Students were not being sent anymore and Harry didn't know what had happened to the professors. He was assuming they had left as well.

His destination was The Chamber of Secrets. Hermione, his brilliant friend, had left in her journal that she believed the Basilisk fangs would still have enough venom in them to destroy the remaining horcrux. So that was where Harry was going. '

"Daddy," Teddy called. Harry turned toward his little godson and smiled brightly. Teddy was holding up a pretty flower that he had picked. Harry took it with a smile and barely managed to ruffle the toddler's bright violet hair before he was toddling off again.

Teddy had started calling Harry, Daddy, sometime after Hermione had been killed. Harry had tried to discourage him, it felt like a betrayal to Remus' memory for him to allow Teddy to call him that. But he had given up when the boy had refused to call him anything else. Harry had realized that it didn't much matter who gave birth to or helped make Teddy, Harry was going to be the one to raise him.

Harry and Hermione had discovered all of the proper paperwork, signed and verified by Remus, Tonks, the Ministry, and the goblins, that Harry was Teddy's legal guardian in every way. They had made sure that it could not be contested. Remus had thought of everything. There was also a note from Tonks and Remus in the bag. Harry was very surprised by what it said.

Teddy was most likely going to inherit as a Dragel when he turned sixteen. Tonks had been a Dragel, she had been sealed by her mother at sixteen after she inherited. This meant that she was Teddy's Bearer, Remus was his Sire, and most surprising of all, Sirius was his Third. That had thrown Harry into a tailspin as well. Sirius was just like Tonks, he had inherited at sixteen and then had promptly been sealed by his parents. The magic had still managed to find a way to Teddy.

The most important part of the letter, to Harry, was that there was a sanctuary realm that had been created for Dragels by Dragels. Tonks had heard of it from her mother and aunt Narcissa. They told Harry to find a way to get there so that Teddy would be safe. Harry and Hermione had found nothing. Nevarah existed in none of the books that they had come across. So Harry was just going to concentrate on finishing his task and maybe afterward he could find a way to get into the Department of Mysteries. Maybe, there would be something about it there.

Harry called Teddy and got him cleaned up and back into the tent. They had dinner and then headed to bed with Harry curled around Teddy with his wings out and covering them both. Just like he had every night since Teddy had joined them on their hunt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry looked up at the imposing figure of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He remembered the first time he had ever seen it, all lit up and breathtaking. He had felt the constant pulse of wonderful magic that it had given off. Hogwarts had been his home. It hadn't been a perfect home but it had been his home nonetheless. It had been infinitely better than the Dursleys.

Now though, there were no lights on in the windows. It was dark and desolate and that lively pulsating magic that always seemed to breathe new life into him after an awful summer was missing. It made Harry sad.

"Well, Teddy, here goes nothing," Harry told the quiet toddler. Teddy was standing on the ground behind Harry just in case the wards reacted badly to Harry trying to pass through them. He pressed his hand through the ward line and nothing happened just a tingle of the magic against his skin. Harry sighed. Thank goodness. He reached back and pulled Teddy to him and into his arms and they crossed the barriers that Voldemort supposedly could not cross.

It was the safest Harry had felt since the run for his life began at Bill and Fleur's wedding two years ago. He felt his shoulders relax and then he placed Teddy on the ground and the two of them were running, well as fast as Teddy's little legs would let him run, toward the castle. No matter how relaxed Harry was, however, he was still paying attention to everything around him. Constant Vigilance was a lesson he would never forget.

Once they got to the castle, the first thing Harry did was secure the front door with his best warding spell that he had Hermione had learned. Then they headed down to the kitchens to see what kind of supplies the castle might still have.

The castle was so silent. The silence in the large, usually full, castle was deafening. Harry hated it. They quickly made their way to the dungeons and Harry found the familiar picture with the bowl of fruit and tickled the pear. Suddenly, the picture swung open and Harry ducked as a pot came flying at his head.

"W..wait stop. I am not hear to hurt anyone please," Harry called out as he ducked around the side of the door and called out. There was a clanging noise and a few hushed whispers.

"Master Harry .... Kreacher thought never to see you again." Harry heard a call from inside the kitchen. He breathed a sigh of relief and entered the kitchen. There was three house elves standing in the middle of the room. Harry smiled at them. He recognized the crabby house elf that he had inherited with the Black estate but did not recognize the other two elves.

"Hello Kreacher," Harry stated. "We came looking for food. Have you been here the whole time?"

"Yes Master Harry. Kreacher has been here since you are sending Kreacher to Hoggy warts to be safe." The old elf explained. "This be Tiply and Lolly. We are being the last souls at Hoggy warts."

"There is being lots of food Master Harry," Tiply told him.

"We will cook something for you and the little master," Lolly added. Harry grinned.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you. I need to ask you three a favor if you don't mind," Harry asked. All three elves nodded eagerly. It was nice to have someone to take care of. "Would you three mind watching little Teddy for me? I need to go down into the chamber to check a few things out. It is very important."

"We will watch the little one. Lolly loves watching little ones. Used to belong to a family and took care of the little ones," Lolly told Harry with a smile.

"Thank you Lolly. Teddy is a good boy. He won't cause any trouble," Harry told the elves. He then sat Teddy down and took his hands to keep his attention.

"Teddy, I have to go do something. I want you to stay here and be very good for the elves Teddy. Do you understand? Be good Teddy." Harry then pressed a kiss to the toddler's head. "I will be back as soon as I can."

Then Harry was striding out of the room and heading up toward the third-floor girl's lavatory. He didn't have to look for the sink with the symbol because every event from that night six years ago was seared into his brain. He didn't think that he would ever forget any piece of it.

open

Harry watched as the sink pulled back to reveal a grate that slid open to a dark pit. Harry didn't much feel like jumping like he had at twelve. Harry remembered the little sidenote that Hermione had put in her journal entry about the Basilisk fang. 'ask for stairs' it had said, so that's just what Harry did.

stairs

He heard the sound of stone grinding against stone and watched in exasperation as honest to Merlin, stairs appeared leading down. Harry was positive that if Hermione had been with them the first time they would have done this then instead of jumping head-first into the abyss. Harry drew his wand and cast a lumos before descending into the tunnel that would lead him to the Chamber of Secrets.

In the Chamber, Harry was shocked and a bit in awe of the fact that the fifty-foot dead snake was still in perfect condition as if it had only been sleeping. Must be something about the magic of the Chamber Harry figured. He approached the snake and slipped on dragonhide gloves on the off chance that he got venom on himself. He used a simple cutting charm that he overpowered just a bit and severed the four remaining fangs.

He made a mental note to write to the goblins and offer them the Basilisk to get back in their good graces for stealing from a vault. There had also been a poor chained-up dragon down there that had really hurt Harry's heart to leave behind. Maybe in another life, he would have freed it, but in this one, he had Teddy to think about and so he left it behind with a hissed promise to find a way to try and free it.

He placed stasis charms on the fangs and wrapped them in plastic before putting them in his bag. It hadn't taken very long at all and so Harry decided to look around the chamber and see if there was anything else to it. This was Salazar Slytherin's private chamber there had to be more hidden down here than just the giant snake or what was the point? Plus, Harry needed a distraction for a little bit.

Harry searched all of the walls and looked for little snakes or hissed at some of the statues. He ended up, to his pleasure finding a few things. The first thing he found was a bedroom suit that seemed to be perfectly preserved. No dust or grime or anything there was a nice large bed done in greens and silvers. Of course, the founder of Slytherin House would have a green and silver-colored room.

There was a wardrobe full of expensive clothes that were very nice even if they were dated. There was also a beautiful large desk made of dark sturdy wood that looked as if it had research of some kind spread across the desk and a teacup on the corner. It was as if Salazar had gotten up in the middle of something and just never returned. Something about it just made Harry kind of sad.

Connected to the room was a very large extravagant bathroom with a large pool-like tub and a walk-in shower. It seemed a little more modern than Harry expected but it was very nice. Then Harry walked out of the bathroom and back through the room and left it exactly how he had found it. He was considering spending the night down here with Teddy. Once he closed the door it would be the safest place he could be unless Voldemort himself came looking.

The second thing Harry found had him the most excited and made him miss Hermione even more. She would have birthed kittens if she could have seen the ancient library. Harry looked through a few of the books and didn't see anything that really caught his eye but he would keep looking around. He figured he and Teddy would be safe here for at least a little while. With all of that in mind, he headed back up and out of the chamber and then back down to the kitchens.

"Daddy," Teddy exclaimed excitedly as Harry stepped back into the room. He toddled over as fast as his little chubby legs would let him and straight into Harry's waiting arms. He loved that little boy so much. He would burn worlds to keep him safe. Harry knew that his feelings about it were amplified by the fact that he was a Submissive Dragel. He also didn't care one bit. Having Teddy to care for and dote on was the only thing, Harry believed, that was keeping him from going crazy as a Submissive without a family circle or a bonded circle to keep himself grounded.

"Hello, Teddy Bear. Let's eat something, yeah," Harry told him as he carried the boy over to the small table in the kitchen and sat down to eat all of the good food that had been made for them. Once they had eaten Harry informed the elves that he and Teddy would be sleeping down in the hidden room in the chamber. He thanked them for the food and for watching Teddy and they headed to the chamber.

Harry and Teddy both bathed in the large tub and then changed into some pajamas that Harry had found in the wardrobe. He had to shrink one pair to fit Teddy and he also had to shrink the pair for himself. Clearly, Salazar Slytherin had been a very large man. Harry tucked Teddy in and then went over to the library to browse through the books again. He found a few books on different types of creatures and he also found quite a few of them in Parseltongue. Those were the ones he was most interested in. He could tell they were not in English but just like when he spoke it he felt like he was reading it that way.

Harry took one of the Parseltongue books that had things in it about creatures and headed back to the room he was sharing with Teddy. He sat on the bed and released all of the concealment spells and charms that he used to keep himself hidden. So with wings spread out wide and relaxing, he leaned back to read. Teddy automatically rolled so that he was pressed against Harry's thigh. Harry slowly ran his fingers through Teddy's hair as he read through the glossary.

"Hell yeah," Harry whispered when he came to a section on Dragels. It was a very large section that had Harry mewling in happiness. There was also mention of Nevarah in it. Though not where it was or how to get there. Harry would just have to keep looking in the library to see what he could find. This book went so much more in-depth than anything he and Hermione had found before.

One exert went into detail about ranks and how they might feel to others. He read about how to identify a Dragel's element by their eye color or their hair color. It was nice to have it undeniably confirmed that he was indeed a Submissive. He could also tell based on the description of his scales that he was not just a regular Submissive, he was a Gheyic Submissive.

But his eyes were green and he had tried working with all of the different elements he could use all of them with a bit of concentration but none stood out above the others. He was also pretty sure that he had the empathy thing that he had read about. He had zero issue feeling other's emotions. Harry and Hermione had both become quite good at using dampening charms so that he wasn't overwhelmed. Which meant he was most likely a Nameless.

Harry finished reading through the entire Dragel section of the book before he finally put it down and curled himself around Teddy like he always did.

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

Three days later, Harry was very well-rested and wandering around the castle while Teddy was being entertained and smothered by Kreacher and the other elves. Yesterday, he had found the wardroom and tied himself to the wards so that he would be alerted if anyone tried to breach the wards. He had also made sure to close down floo access to the entire school. Which is why he knew exactly when someone had tried to floo in. He went straight to the headmaster's office where the intruder had tried to get in. He opened that fireplace for calls only and waited to see if the person would try again.

He was not disappointed. He stood to the side out of the line of sight of whoever tried calling in. He had to hold back a happy chirp when he realized who it was.

" Professor McGonagall!!" Harry exclaimed and stepped up where she could see him.

"Mr. Potter, is that you?" She cried out. Then Harry could hear her exchange words with people behind her. "Mr. Potter, would you please open the floo and let us through? It is very safe I promise. We are very excited to see you after so long." Harry smiled, pressed his hand to the fireplace, and muttered a spell. He stepped out of the way and was shocked at the amount of people that came through. Minerva was the first one through but she wasn't the last by far.

She was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny. Some of them made his instincts a little wonky and he didn't really understand why. He would just figure it out later. People continued to come through. People he didn't know. Minerva and the Weasleys assured him that they were safe and only seeking refuge. They had come to Hogwarts after gathering wixen on the run or in hiding from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They were making Hogwarts what amounted to a refugee camp.

The first group of people was sent to Hufflepuff House in the dungeons it was assumed that in the dungeons they would be the most secure. These were the people who did not want to fight. They were just looking for a safe place to hide. The second group of people were those that were going to fight. Unsurprisingly this group was a lot smaller and made up mostly of people Harry's age or younger. Ron had tried to talk to Harry a few times but Harry didn't speak to him.

Harry was most surprised that in the fighting group were Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott. He didn't say anything though. Theo had always been very carefully neutral when they were in school. Blaise and Draco had not but Draco had not given him and Hermione away in his manor when he had been asked to. He owed Malfoy for that. The three of them also made his instincts act funny. He pushed it aside and ignored it for now.

Then Kreacher popped into the room holding Teddy's hand. The toddler looked around at all of the people in the room and started to look a bit scared.

"Daddy?" The boy called out questioningly. Harry immediately jumped from his corner and dodged around people to get to that questioning little voice.

"It's ok, Loveling, I am here," Harry scooped the boy into his arms and nuzzled him. He trilled quietly at the boy, so only he could hear, to calm him, and was happy to see his bright smile replace his scared look.

"Harry? Who is that? Did he call you Daddy?" Mrs. Weasley asked carefully. Harry smiled sadly.

"This is Teddy Remus Lupin, well I guess technically according to the papers that Remus and Tonks left for me, he is Teddy Remus Potter. Yes, he called me Daddy. He started doing it a few months ago and refused to stop. I guess technically I am his dad now so it's fine. I have had him with me for almost a year now. I have all the proper and legal paperwork. You can't take him away from me. We..." Harry started talking and then just couldn't stop. It was like word vomit. He needed to make sure they knew Teddy was his and let them know that they couldn't take him away. Charlie walked up calmly and placed an arm around his shoulders. He approached him like he would a mother dragon.

Apparently, Harry had unconsciously been backing toward the exit. Harry's instincts were truly attempting to overtake his common sense. He felt Charlie rumble low in his chest. No one in the room probably heard it at all. Harry hadn't even heard it, he had felt it. He let out an almost inaudible trill for help and Charlie gave that deep rumble again. Harry almost melted into his side. If Charlie was at all surprised by the interaction he did not outwardly show it in any way.

"No one is going to take him away from you, Darling Boy," Molly piped up from somewhere near his left. Though she was keeping her distance which, to Harry, was surprising. Harry calmed even more and then panic began to trickle in. He had basically just had a conversation with Charlie and no words were exchanged between them. Charlie knew what he was. How? Was it from being around dragons all the time? Could he talk to dragons the way that Harry could talk to snakes? Or was it something completely different? Harry tried to take a sniff but he didn't smell anything other than a normal wizard. There was something underneath the scent but Harry couldn't work it out to his instincts.

Charlie squeezed his shoulder as if sensing the rising panic and Harry looked up at him and he smiled reassuringly. So, Charlie wasn't worried. Harry was going to trust that. For now, while he was in this room full of people he wasn't totally allowed to trust anymore.

"Harry," Arthur called softly. Harry turned to him after a moment. He smiled kindly at Harry. "What happened to Remus and Tonks? Why do you have custody? They had pulled out of the war efforts for the most part after Teddy was born and we just assumed that their silence was because they had decided to leave or disappear." Harry had to hold back the tears that always wanted to fall when he thought of them.

"They are dead. Andy too. It was on Teddy's birthday. I was supposed to be meeting them to celebrate but when I got there the Dark Mark was over their small cabin and they were both dead. Andy had been hit with some nasty fatal spells, but she managed to get to Teddy and hide them both. I found them and she died soon after and I have had Teddy with me ever since." Harry told them quickly and quietly. There were gasps and sobs around the room and Harry, who hadn't had to use a dampening spell in weeks due to being alone, was completely overwhelmed. Wordlessly and wandlessly he cast a dampening spell as quickly as he could. He could not get overwhelmed around all of these people. It always showed physically with his scales, claws, or fangs.

"Oh Harry, I am so sorry to hear that. We didn't know. We would have offered help," McGonagall offered sincerely.

"Where is Hermione, Harry?" Ron finally asked. He was always so rude and right now was no different. He had Lavender Brown tucked up against him and he was rudely demanding to know where Hermione was.

" As if you of all people have the right to ask me that question," Harry snapped at him. "Please refrain from speaking to me. I have nothing to say to you and no interest in hearing anything that you have to say." There was an almost growl to his voice. Teddy snuggled closer to him and he calmed down instantly and nuzzled the overwhelmed boy. He pushed calm into him. He had learned, with Hermione's help of course, that all of the things that he could feel from others, he could also project to them.

Ron took a step toward him and Fred and George stepped in his way. Their younger brother looked hurt that they were defending Harry over him.

"That's not fair, Harry. You can't be angry because he didn't want to keep himself in a dangerous situation on the run with you when he was needed at home," Lavender defended him.

"Is that what he told you all? That we were just on the run and in hiding?" Harry demanded. He watched Ron flinch. "I see. So he was also too cowardly to tell the truth about what we were doing. Am still doing by the way. In case you were curious how it was going, Ronald."

"What is it you have been doing?" Arthur asked calmly. Harry looked around the room and decided to tell. He and Hermione had a lot of time to think while they were on the run. They had both come to the conclusion that Dumbledore was a manipulative asshole. Always had been. It had started when they had both been trying to figure out exactly when Harry had started feeling different before his inheritance had come in. He realized it was when Dumbledore died. Somehow that old man was responsible for the seal or spell or whatever that was keeping his inheritance from coming in. When he died, so did his magical hold on Harry. That was just the first incident that had made them stop and pay attention to everything that had happened to them all.

"Horcruxs'," Harry stated loudly and calmly to the room. There were a few gasps that let him know at least some people in the room knew what they were. He was pretty sure he heard someone spit.

"That is an awful, illegal, black bit of magic Harry," McGonagall stated. Harry looked at her and nodded.

"Yes, they are. Three have already been destroyed, I have one in my possession now that I plan on destroying today. Then I will have to figure out where the rest are. I will not be staying here. I was just taking a much-needed break. Voldemort can not truly be dead or die until all of them are gone. That is what we were doing. We were not on the run. Ron couldn't handle his share of the responsibility of carrying the horcrux we had found. So he ran and left Hermione and I to carry even more of that evil weight all on our own." Harry spat at the redhead that was now avoiding everyone's eyes. "But I guess not everyone can handle the same pressure as others."

"You have a horcrux on you right now?" Charlie asked concerned. Harry nodded.

"Well not on me. I have it hidden somewhere safe until I destroy it. Holding them or keeping them close for too long is almost poisonous to a person," Harry told him.

"And you plan on leaving after you destroy it to keep looking for the others?" Charlie asked him seriously.

"Yes, I have to find them and destroy them. It was the last task that Dumbledore gave me. I will complete it so that the world can be rid of Voldemort once and for all," Harry replied.

"You won't go alone and you won't be abandoned again. I promise," Charlie assured him. Harry looked up at him with fear.

"No one can come with us. I can't watch anyone else die. I won't," Harry pleaded with him.

"Harry, where is Hermione," This time Molly asked. Though Harry could tell by her tone of voice that she already knew the answer. Harry couldn't answer. He could feel the tears running down his face and pressed his face into Charlie when the older man wrapped his other arm around him as well. Holding him and Teddy close to his body for comfort.

"You got her killed," Ron spat out in a raised accusing voice. "I asked her to leave with me. I told her you would get her killed. I told her. This is your fault." Ron wouldn't stop. Harry just pressed harder into Charlie and cried harder. It was his fault. That is why he wouldn't allow anyone else to go with him.

"I know," Harry whispered into the room. "I know it's my fault." He heard Ron start again and then he heard something hard hit and flesh connect to flesh. He looked up surprised to see that Blaise Zabini, of all of the people in the room, had moved and punched Ron right in his now bleeding nose. Draco looked gleeful and even Theo had a slight smirk on his face.

"I would suggest shutting your filthy mouth, Weasley. Maybe if you hadn't abandoned your friends you could have helped keep her alive," Blaise snarked at him.

"OK, I think maybe we should all settle in and take some time to cool off. I will talk to the elves about dinner. Harry don't do anything with the horcrux until you have backup," McGonagall instructed and Charlie pulled Harry and Teddy, still tucked as close under his arm as he could get him, down the stairs and away from the others.

Harry heard footsteps following them and looked back to see Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Luna and more surprisingly the three Slytherins following them. For some reason this group of people being around settled him quite a bit more. His instincts said, of all of the people that had come today these were the ones that he could trust the most. He had learned to trust his instincts. So when Charlie asked him where his room was so that they could all help him settle a bit more he told them without any hesitation.

"The girl's lavatory?" Draco asked. "Why do you think that would be secure?" Harry smirked and hissed at the sink and then again for the stairs.

"Follow me and you will find out," Harry couldn't help but taunt. Charlie however was not allowing him to go first. Ginny sucked in a breath though and moved a little closer to Theo and Neville who were at the back of their group. She didn't say anything though.

Charlie went down the stairs followed by Fred, Harry, Draco, Blaise, George, Luna, Theo, Ginny, and then Neville. When they got to the bottom Harry led them toward the entrance.

"Oh Merlin, is that a snakeskin?" Draco asked. Harry just nodded. "Where are you taking us?" Draco demanded. Harry just smirked again and continued. He opened the final door with another hiss and stepped inside.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry waved his free arm out to show the room. The elves had been down here two days ago when they realized that Harry was going to be staying down here and cleared the Basilisk out and took it to the goblins with a note from Harry. They then proceeded to turn the main area into a sitting/play area for them to be in. All of the water was magically enclosed so that Teddy could not fall, walk, or crawl into it.

"The Chamber of Secrets? Are you joking?" Draco asked. Harry just grinned and shook his head. "This is where you decided you were safest?"

"Yes, there are only two people in the entirety of Britain that can open those doors. I have the wards queued to me so I will know who comes and goes through the wards. Unless Voldemort himself gets through the wards, no one can get us down here," Harry explained.

"That is very true..." "....and very smart." The twins piped up as they looked around.

"Where do you sleep?" Charlie asked. Harry smiled. He led them to a portion of the wall and hissed a command. It opened to the bedroom suite. He then walked over and hissed at another wall and it opened to reveal the library.

"All right let's all sit and calm down and catch up," Neville offered up. Harry nodded and headed for the sectioned-off sitting room and placed Teddy down in the toys before sitting right next to him on the floor. He didn't want to be too far from him right now so he just wasn't. He watched as Charlie chose a seat closest to him. Draco actually sat on the floor near him and played with Teddy. 'He is my cousin' Draco offered as an explanation. Everyone else just kind of filled up the chairs and Fred and George transfigured a few more.

"So Harry, tell us about Horcruxs," Charlie stated. It was more command than question. Harry didn't mind. He told them everything he knew. It was nice to talk to someone about it again.

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

Later that evening after dinner Harry had left Teddy with the elves down in the chamber. He was standing in the Great Hall with a majority of the order and all of the ones that had been with him in the chamber. Harry was going to destroy the cup. A barrier had been put up to protect the others in the room. Charlie and Blaise had decided to stay with him on his side of the barrier along with Bill, Arthur, and Kingsley. They wanted the best duelists and the ones that would be quickest with their spells if they needed it.

Harry pulled out the Basilisk fang, carefully unwrapped it from the plastic, and removed the stasis spell. As he approached the cup the dark aura in the room grew steadily darker. Finally, Harry reached the cup and did not hesitate to slam the fang down and impale the cup. Immediately, Harry was thrown backward and was seized as a vision filled his mind.

~~

Flashes of three things in his head. The first was a beautiful tiara or circlet with sapphires dripping from it in the form of a Raven. He watched as a young Tom Riddle hid it in a room full of junk. Harry recognized the inside of Hogwarts. The second image was Nagini slithering up and onto Voldemort. The third thing was Harry. Most importantly, the night that his parents were murdered. It showed that when the killing curse rebounded back a Voldemort a piece of his soul split off and imbedded itself in Harry's scar.
~~

Harry came to with a gasp. He was not lying on the floor like he had expected. Harry was cradled in Charlie's arms with Blaise standing over them both watching the room. It sounded like chaos in the room.

" 'M okay Charlie," Harry said quietly. The redhead looked relieved. Blaise physically relaxed. It was strange to see two people who he barely knew watching over and defending him from a threat that they couldn't even see. "There are only two left now. One is in the castle right now and the other is on its way," Harry moved to get up. He hated lying. Charlie just held him tighter.

"Just rest a moment. You were seizing, Harry. Do you know how scary that was to see?" The dragon tamer demanded. Harry just looked up at him.

"It is because of the vision. I won't have another one. But we have to find and destroy the next Horcrux before Voldemort gets here. He is coming. I felt it," Harry had no intention of sharing that he was also a Horcrux. Then they wouldn't let him do what he needed to do. He just hoped that someone would take care of his Teddy when he was gone.

"You can take some time to recover. How about some sugar? And a bit of tea?" Charlie asked him. Harry looked at Charlie to see if maybe he could get away with arguing about it. No, no he wouldn't be getting away with anything.

"Fine, a little rest, some sugar, and tea. But then I am going to find the Horcrux," Harry stated with a stern look that Charlie and Blaise found adorable. A tray was sat in front of him and he ate the chocolate cake and almost purred at the taste of the tea. He had never had anything like it. He sniffed and didn't manage to completely smother the soft trill that escaped him at the scent. "What kind of tea is this?"

"It is a special blend Bill brought from Egypt," Charlie told him casually. Hiding his smile at the sound Harry had made.

"It is amazing," Harry gushed. Charlie stepped away to tell the others what Harry had said about Voldemort coming so that they could prepare for the battle that was coming, and soon if the way Harry was talking was anything to go by. Almost an hour later Charlie finally agreed that he was rested enough. Harry stood and was heading toward the door with a small group of people when Luna, Ginny, Theo, Neville, Fred, and George all came back into the room with smiles and headed straight for Harry. Luna was holding a box.

"The nargles told me where to find it, Harry. We brought it for you so that you didn't have to waste energy hunting for it," Luna spoke in her quietly lilting voice. Harry smiled brightly and took the box from her hands.

"Thank you guys. That is amazing," Harry told her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Then he turned and went back to the same place he had been before and waited until the same barrier was placed again. The same people stayed on his side of the barrier again. Harry set the box on the ground and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diadem it was the legendary Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. It was meant to give the wearer increased wisdom. It had been corrupted by Voldemort like so many other things. Harry swiftly brought the fang down and watched as the diadem hissed and released a black cloud into the air. The cloud was cleared quickly by the men standing in the area with him.

"Well, that is all that we can do until Voldemort shows up. The last Horcrux is Nagini his snake. When she is dead, we can kill the bastard for good. Now we need to prepare," Harry said loudly. And that is exactly what they did. Plan after plan was made to accomplish what they needed. The snake was the priority. This was going to go so badly. He needed to go and talk to the elves and write a letter for the care of Teddy when he was gone. He wasn't going to survive this battle. He was not okay with it. But he also didn't have a choice. He would gladly die to keep his son safe.

So, he made plans for when he did exactly that.

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

It was lunchtime and most everyone in the castle was trickling into the Great Hall to eat. Harry started to feel a slight twinge in his scar. He ignored it for the most part because twinges and pain in his scar were a normal thing the last few years.

As the minutes passed, however, the pain began to worsen until it was a near-constant almost blinding pain. He passed Teddy to whoever was sitting on his left, he couldn't think to remember who it was past the pain and pressed a hand to his head hissing.

"Harry!! What's going on? Are you okay?" Harry heard someone ask anxiously. Harry just shook his head no. There was no way that he was going to be able to find words right now. Then, as if it was never there, the pain stopped and was replaced by a voice. A voice that everyone could hear. It seemed to slither across the mind leaving a sick feeling behind.

I want Harry Potter. If you give him to me and put down your wands, I promise that he will be the only casualty today. No need to die for one selfish boy. A boy who abandoned you to hide in the woods while others fought bravely and lost their lives. Just give me Harry Potter. You have one hour to decide and then you will all die.

When the voice stopped Harry looked around. He knew that he could not go alone because then the snake wouldn't be killed but he didn't want to risk anyone's life either. Then he could hear the whispers start around the room. Whispers that truly hurt.

'just give them the boy' 'He is just one person he should volunteer to go to save us all,' 'We can all live if he just goes' 'It's such a small price to pay' 'Give him Harry Potter,'

They had started out as whispers and then had grown to shouts and demands. Harry stood and took Teddy in his arms. But he did not stand alone.

Before he had time to comprehend what was going on he was surrounded by people with wands, but they weren't facing him they were facing the others. The Weasleys and the order members were expected. The Slytherins' while they had been friendly, Harry had not expected them to stand with him against so many. He was truly touched.

"I THINK THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH OF THAT!!!!!!!" McGonagall used a sonorus charm to be heard over the noise of the room. The room instantly quieted. "No one is handing anyone over to that horrid man and his Death Eaters. I have taught almost every person in this room and I am quite ashamed at the horrible display of cowardice. Now those of you who have chosen to take refuge and not fight need to head down to your rooms. Once everyone is inside close, lock, and ward the exit. Those that are fighting, you know what you need to do. Let us prepare."

With that said everyone began to mumble looking embarrassed. Everyone began to split apart and do as they were told to prepare for the battle that was coming. Harry called for Kreacher and told the elf what was happening. He pressed a kiss to Teddy's head, scented him, and snuggled him close.

"Teddy Bear. You are going to go with Kreacher now. Be a good boy, Love. Remember that I love you so much," Harry would not cry. He wanted to very badly but he wouldn't. He pressed another kiss to the toddler's cheek and then gave him to Kreacher to take care of. Kreacher and the other two elves would be staying in the locked chamber with Teddy until it was all over. Then they would take Teddy to whoever was left on Harry's list of guardians. Starting with Molly Weasley.

"It isn't forever, Harry," Charlie told him with a hand on his shoulder. Harry just nodded, he would agree but he knew they were wrong.

"He isn't wrong. The wrack spurts tell me that should you die, you won't stay that way," Luna told him in that lovely, airy voice. Harry just smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Thanks, guys. Let's go get ready," Harry told them and then they were all headed out to the courtyard just in time to add their magic to reinforce the shield. Neville and a group of others had gone to the bridge walkway to set up explosives to take out the bridge.

At the same time, Voldemort pulled the Elder Wand from his pocket and began to shoot spells at the shields to bring them down. Everyone watched with breath held to see if the shield would hold.

Then with a cry of triumph from the Dark Lord cracks began to appear in the shield and then it was falling around them pretty little bits of magic like falling stars. It was beautiful and terrifying for what it meant for them.

Then the fighting started. It was Chaos. Spells were flying everywhere and screams were torn from tortured bodies that belonged to enemies and allies alike. There was an explosion in the distance which signaled that Neville and his group had succeeded in blowing the bridge pathway. Honestly what difference did the blown bridge mean when the wards were ripped away and now people could apparate on the grounds?

Harry fought with everything that he had, which was quite a bit more than he used to, and never paused to breathe or look around. He had a single-minded focus to fight and take out as many Death Eaters as he could before he followed them into Death.

Cries of anguish could be heard everywhere. He saw Bellatrix fucking Lestrange fall to Molly's wand. Obliterated for trying to kill Ginny. Then he saw what he had been waiting for. Nagini. She was weaving through the crowd tripping people and biting others. Then she was having a stare-off with Neville who, he was extremely surprised to see, was holding the Sword of Gryffindor in his hand.

Nagini hissed at him and then launched herself at him. With a war cry and all the confidence Harry had never seen in him before, Neville took a step forward and swung the sword down. Nagini was severed in two. Her body went up in flame and ash. There was a cry of hatred and then Voldemort was on the field and he was facing off against Harry.

They were trading spells and making a wonderful show of power. Voldemort seemed to grow more and more frustrated when his spells were not as powerful as they should be. He was holding the Elder Wand. He should not be having these kinds of issues from the most powerful wand in existence. Finally, he sneered. Then he was gone in a trail of spiraling columns of black smoke followed by the remaining Death Eaters. After a moment his voice was invading their minds again. Promising them time to tend to their dead before he attacked again. Giving them one last chance to surrender Harry Potter.

Harry and the others took the opportunity for what it was. They gathered all of their dead and injured. There were so many. It was devastating to see and hear the cries of despair. The Weasleys were gathered around a lifeless body. Percy had fallen to protect Fred. Harry looked around the room in growing horror. There was no reason to draw this out. He could leave right now while everyone was distracted and no one would stop him.

As he slipped out of the door unnoticed he was hit with a vision of Voldemort talking to Professor Snape about the wand and how it wasn't loyal to him the way it should be and that it must be his fault since he was the one who disarmed Dumbledore. Then Voldemort murmured two words and a flash of green signaled the end of Severus Snape. Harry shook himself free of the vision.

Voldemort was wrong. If the wand was loyal to the person who disarmed the person who had it before then it never belonged to Snape. It had belonged to Draco. But Harry had disarmed Draco at the manor. That wand wouldn't be loyal to Voldemort until he killed Harry. He reached down and rubbed the stone hanging around his neck.

Before Hermione had been murdered, they had finally figured out what the snitch had meant about opening at the close. They had found the stone inside and of course, done the research. They hadn't discovered anything until one night Harry had spinning the stone in his hand and thinking about his parents. Then suddenly they were in the room with them. That was when Hermione had truly figured it out. It was the Resurrection Stone. Harry was in possession of two of the three Deathly Hallows.

If he allowed Voldemort to kill him now Voldemort would have all three loyal to him. He would be the Master of Death. Harry couldn't let that happen. He would kill Voldemort and worry about him coming back later after he had situated out the Hallows and maybe found a way to get the Horcrux out of him before Voldemort could come back. There had to be ways. He would just need to do the research.

It was with more determination that he came up with a new plan. He would not be going to die. He would be killing Voldemort. Harry turned to head back into the castle he would need help to do this. Living was harder than dying and he could not do it alone. But he never made it that far. A girl that he did not know walked up to him.

"I found this. It looked important. Maybe it belonged to someone who was killed," She looked so young as she held her hand out to Harry. Something cold was pressed into his hand and the girl stepped back. He thought nothing of it until the girl smiled in a very sinister way and whispered a word. Harry felt that pull in his navel and cursed as he was pulled away by the portkey in his hand.

He landed in a heap on the ground to the sound of laughter. He hated wizard travel. He opened his eyes and moved to stand.

"Tsk Tsk. I wouldn't do that if I were you," He heard that awful grating voice. He looked up at Voldemort but stayed where he was. "I have something here that belongs to you," Then Voldemort swung his arm out and a house elf walked forward with Teddy. Harry gasped in horror.

"How," He whispered. Voldemort laughed.

"You should really be more careful about the elves that you trust. Tiply has been mine since I graduated from Hogwarts. He brought your precious child to me when he was called to do so," The Dark Lord then cackled. He had no idea what he was stirring to life inside of Harry.

"I will kill you. Do you understand me, Tom Riddle? I am going to gut you like a fish. You let my son go right now," Harry demanded as he stood. He was not thinking rationally anymore. He would not sit on his knees and watch as his son was used or tortured to hurt him.

"I don't think I will. Maybe I will keep him. I do need an heir after all. I could shape and twist that young mind into something truly vile," Voldemort made his way over to Teddy and Harry snarled. It wasn't even close to human.

"Don't touch him," Harry growled out. Then a barrier sprang up around Teddy, knocking the elf away from him violently and singeing Voldemort's hand as he came into contact with it. He hissed and yanked his hand away. Harry could feel himself slipping into pure instinct. It did not matter that he was outnumbered. He would not fail to protect his young.

He could feel the scream building inside of him. Not one of despair or helplessness or fear. One of fierce determination, a call to arms, to battle. A commander or King calling his men to fight with and for him. When the scream left his lips, it was more of a roar. Armor-plated wings sprung from his back as claws and fangs emerged. His skin was covered in scales far thicker than they had been before. He felt a weight in his hand and looked down to see the Sword of Gryffindor in his hand. With the roar still on his lips and the feel of people appearing around him. He raised his sword and launched himself at a shocked Voldemort.