Proper Life

To Guest: Sorry, didn't mean to sound pitiful, just honest. I know my strengths lay in small moments captured, and you'd realize that before the end and so would have exited off if you cared, but looking back I do see how it's redundant to apologize if you made it all the way to the bottom of the chapter and apologize. Sorry. (Doh!)

Betad once more by Beta read by aaquater. I don't know what I'd do without you!

Long into the night, until it was practically the next day again, Harry lay in bed, gazing up at the ceiling, his mind on the quiet house around him, the same way it had been all summer.

He'd never again hear his dad, always the first to rise, and start making breakfast for everyone.

He'd never get to hear his dad smack Sirius for laughing too loudly in the morning, even though it was his own fault for making the joke.

Hickory purred across his chest, stuttering starts and stops as his graying fur twitched in his sleep. Harry stroked the cat absently, a gift from his dad to his mum. The feline was all he had left of them, and he was as old as the now sixteen-year-old. The tomcat would be lucky to make it to his next start of the school year, considering how rarely he even woke up these days, and then all he'd have left were pictures and memories...

Because he'd been listening for it, begging the world to let him rise to the sound of life in the house once more, he at once heard the soft approach of feet entering his house.

He was out of bed in the same moment, wand clutched tightly in his hand, heart racing to understand. The cat flopped on the bed, his lamplit eyes glaring not at the human who'd discarded him, but the door as well. Was it an Order member needing help in the middle of the night? Uncle Remus creeping around downstairs with a fussy Teddy? His dad miraculously fighting his way back from the veil and coming home? Something worse-

"Avada Kedavra!"

Definitely something worse.

He was already in the hallway, charging down the stairs. He heard Leo startling to life in his room, felt more than saw his Uncle Sirius already on his heels. They arrived in the living room just in time to see his dad's bright orange screech owl Click falling from his podium, dead, and Buggle flapping about the two Death Eaters' heads, screeching his displeasure with enough racket to wake the mountains behind them.

"Melofors!" Sirius shouted at once, while Harry shot, "Avifors!" in retribution. His went wild, merely turning a book on the shelf into a live chicken that flapped its wings and fell to the floor. Sirius' hit home, one of them now had his head encased in a pumpkin and shouted something foul rather than a countercurse.

Sirius leapt over the banister to confront the other intruder while Harry ducked low to try and get a better angle, aiming carefully this time. Leo appeared behind him and shot, "Vera Verto," at the same time he shouted, "Locomotor Wibbly!"

The one who'd killed James' beloved owl collapsed, his head now in the shape of a water goblet and the feet unable to support anything.

Remus apparated into the middle of the room then, a ferocious look on his face as he gazed at the chaos. Harry glanced uneasily back up the stairs, unsure if Teddy was now safely hidden away with magic or just hadn't awakened at the noise, but the fact remained the same, he should not have been able to do that. He and Leo stayed where they were, despite their better instincts, as the two raised their wands and said, "Lumos," together.

Light poured onto the Death Eaters at their feet.

One was an unknown man, an intruder they would be more than happy to break a few fingers to find out what he was doing here. The other, once the pumpkin was removed, was revealed to be Stan Shunpike, his face impassive under his Imperiused Curse visage. The lackey who was clearly more aware looked as if he wished he could die upon the floor rather than gaze up at who they'd just confronted.

Remus' bare foot stamped down on the man's chest, causing him to wheeze as his wand was taken away without a fuss, while Sirius began towing the once Knight Bus assistant gently to a couch and sitting him down, but keeping his wand trained in defense for they did not know how to lift the curse.

"Who are you?"

Harry shivered once more, though not nearly as terrified as he'd once been to hear his Uncle Remus using such a cold, menacing voice.

"Scabior!" The whelp began babbling at once. "I, didn't know whose house this was, honest! We were, sent here to rough you up, spread the message the, the Dark Lord- I didn't know this was Harry Potter's house!" He finished in a terrified squeal.

"How did you get in here?" Remus snarled, digging his heel farther into the man's sternum, causing the answer to come out in wheezing gasps.

"Someone in the Ministry, I don't know I swear! They're, lowering defenses around houses for us, dampening charms set in place- I don't know how-" he cut off in a strangled plea. With a bang, thick vines shot out of Remus' wand, entangling the man head to toe, especially around his mouth.

"Good to know our secret home still had one secret," Sirius said quietly in disgust, before adding with mounting worry, "we put these charms up ourselves, the Ministry shouldn't-" Sirius whispered to no one, the two gazing at each other as fear sparked to life in their home. "If this is happening to us, the Order-"

"Tonks!" Remus finished with a gasp, turning on the spot, but freezing just as fast as he gazed up at his child's room.

"Go," Sirius encouraged, "go get her, Ted's in far more danger, we aren't going anywhere."

"Dad, what's going on?" Leo whispered as with one last agonizing look Remus apparated away.

"I think," he kept himself completely focused on the poor man unknowingly being forced to help, but he hadn't so much as flinched at his companion now restrained, so he dared to glance back at them as he answered, "I think the Ministry's fallen."

6

Fallen she entitled on the back before stepping a few paces away to admire her work. Maybell smiled hesitantly before gazing up at the stars for comparison. Her parents would wake in the morning and scold her for being up so late before declaring this her next masterpiece. She wasn't so sure, perhaps she should try again. Despite the details Neville had offered, she wasn't convinced she'd gotten the alignment just right. If her dreams of putting a portrait up in Hogwarts were ever to come true, it had to be perfect.

She sighed and shuffled to a few more angles, before deciding to let it dry and look again in the morning light, going to put her brushes away to soak for the night. She suddenly froze at the lake's edge in surprise to realize she couldn't hear anything. The toads weren't croaking into the night, there were no crickets chirping or the distant sounds of the fish slapping free of the water out in the lake. She turned curiously on the spot to see a shadow flickering in her living room.

She chose to paint outside by their lake so that nothing she did would disturb her house, her parents were well known for being light sleepers though, so it was possible one of them had woken up and found her bed empty again. She sighed as she trudged back, preparing herself for the wrong sort of welcome.

6

"-welcome, of course." A slight pause, neither of them looking up as her father called, "Jean, our three o'clock canceled tomorrow," as Andy came into the kitchen straight to the planning book and crossed that out.

"Wasn't that Mr. Nickles? That's three times now, someone really knows how to avoid a root canal," she laughed as she continued stirring the pot on the stove. "Hermione love, would you mind setting the table."

"Hermione," her dad had to call again, before she glanced up from her favorite book. It was dogeared and so faded you couldn't even read the title anymore, not that either of her parents needed to ask."Oh, yes, sorry." She did so efficiently, but before she could reach for it again dinner was served and she regretfully placed it back down and tried to hurry the meal along.

Her parents still tried, of course, but she'd already spent the first month home telling them all she could of her time at school. All she could do now was worry about her coming OWL grades, or keep her mind off of that, and she'd been choosing the later.

Hermione's yawn cut off her parents trying to involve her in their coming second honeymoon to Australia, and her parents shared an indulgent smile.

"You might want to head off to bed early love," her dad encouraged.

"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione smiled, giving them both a kiss on the cheek, so distracted she nearly tripped over Crookshanks as he twirled around her feet following her.

She eyed her bed for a moment, placing her wand under her pillow securely, but was almost immediately distracted by her Transfiguration essay still sitting on her desk. She should probably give it one last review before she nodded off.

"-home of Bathilda Bagshot. Godric's Hollow has in fact housed many more historical figures, such as-"

Hermione stopped for a moment to rub at her tired eyes, glancing out her window for a moment and surprised to see where the crescent moon was, then at the clock and startling in surprise to see the hour. She'd gotten lost in her homework again.

She was tempted to finish, she only had a dozen feet left before she was done with her latest History of Magic notes, but she supposed she could finish tomorrow. She would have to complete it by this weekend, she wouldn't get a lick of work done at the Burrow-

Crookshanks's nails dug painfully into her lap, she yelped in surprise, a noise only drowned out by his deep hiss of protest echoing through the house.

"Crookshanks, what-" she began in alarm, the enormous furry beast had all hair on end as his lamplike eyes gazed at the door. She turned around to see Antonin Dolohov leaning casually in her doorway, inspecting a picture, and then leering up at her.

She could hear other noises in the house now, the soft muffled sounds of footsteps, then a scream that was abruptly cut off. Her blood turned to ice, as it came from the direction of her parents' room.

"Harry Potter's pet Mudblood," he leered as she stumbled to her feet, the window behind her not at all shadowed enough to hide what had already been seen. Crookshanks was still spitting and hissing in her arms as her eyes flickered to her bed.

6

Beds were all silent, as the Burrow lay sound asleep.

Ron was snoring facedown, Pig hooting lowly in his windowsill unheard.

Percy's room had remained empty, the dust slowly collecting in it even his mother couldn't bear to clean up, it seemed to sparkle in the light.

Bill was snoring loudly in his old room, Fleur's long silver hair cascading down the side of the bed like a waterfall as she nuzzled farther into his neck.

Fred and George had only just nodded off, putting the finishing touches on a few more bits of merchandise they were still developing, the successful launch of their store had not slowed their ideas of new fireproof wand cases.

Ginny was clutching her old stuffed horse Gwenivere tight to her, flashes of light and cries of pain from their fight in the Department of Mysteries still haunting her, whispers of a voice she had not shaken in four years still promising a return.

Charlie was still dreaming of Romania, sprawled out on the couch, waiting for the pleasant surprise he'd give his family in the morning as he worried about Norberta getting enough feeding in his absence, if the new Romanian Longhorn deemed Cannon was settling in alright, if that Peruvian Vipertooth, little Adder, had set anything else on fire yet. He could swear he smelt smoke...

Molly was fidgeting uncomfortably in her sleep, Arthur rolled over, still unconscious, to wrap his arms tight around her, whispering from his dreams their family would stay safe as the fire swept closer.

6

"-closer together now," Madam Pomfrey distractedly instructed yet another student volunteering to learn a spell on the fly. The Entrance Hall was a madhouse. Sirius barreled around wailing kids, Penelope Clearwater helping Madam Pomfrey who still needed a dozen more hands for all the injuries, the Patil twins holding back the Creevey brothers from going back for their parents.

Remus was trying to keep up in his wake, but kept getting distracted, especially by the whispers. "What is that doing here!" A woman gasped, clutching her son who barely looked Hogwarts age tighter to her chest. "How did a monster get in here, he's probably a part of You-Know-Who's-"

"You shut your mouth," Sirius was back before Remus had even spotted him, hand curled protectively around his wand as he stood between her disgusted gaze and Remus, crouched over Terry Boot, who'd splinched himself trying to apparate here. "If it wasn't for Remus's idea to start sending out search parties to collect more families before this happened, I doubt you'd still be holding your own kid."

The woman's skin turned sallow, Remus came up behind him and caught his shoulder to pull him away before he caused an actual scene.

"Thanks for the backup Padfoot, but I don't think threatening more people's going to help."

Sirius ignored that. "Any word on Tonks?"

"No," he whispered, checking again that Teddy was still safely breathing in his arms. "I can't believe, there was so much blood! I don't know who got out, or whose it was, but nobody knows-"

"We'll find her," Sirius held his shoulder tight as he gazed down at the babe. "We'll do everything we can so your son doesn't grow up without a mother Remus."

Remus tried to show he believed that, but as the sun began trickling into the Great Hall above, it was hard to hold onto. What if he hadn't been the one to watch Teddy tonight? He gazed longingly at the doors as more whispers surged around them, the fear growing more restless by the second. Where was Dumbledore?

McGonagall was doing her job well as she maintained control of the situation, Order members were flashing in and out with new families all the time, but this school wasn't equipped to hold the entire wizarding population. They couldn't just stay here until news of what was happening came out, but the more people they found, the less that made sense of why this was happening out of the blue.

"Professor Lupin!" Ernie MacMillan came sprinting up to them, though his eyes were still on the crowd milling around with worry. "I can't find my brother Mikey, have you seen him?"

"No," Remus frowned as he too began looking around. "He and Leo were talking last by the-"

"I know," he gasped. "I think they took off to look for Poppy! She's a Muggleborn sir, and she isn't here!"

6

Hear something, please, wake up! Maybell hadn't cried yet, but she was on the verge of doing so. She'd been trussed up and thrown into the corner without much care, a Death Eater now hovering over her with a trained eye as Bellatrix Lestrange went through the rest of the house.

Her mum lay closest to her, blood leaking from her hair and sprawled in a painful looking position face down. Her dad's eyes were half-lidded, a spell or something else keeping him frozen in an absurd-looking half-crouched position. They hadn't found Neville yet.

She knew every inch of her house, and the Death Eaters would by now as well as the weak sunlight began highlighting the destruction. They would grow bored with their game very soon of looking for wherever her brother was and turn their attention, she had to do something.

With a delicate touch, she'd almost managed to work her hands free, but what good would that do? There were six of them, and if her parents hadn't a chance, was there any for her?

The blood thirstiest of them came back in, her long dark hair a wild fire all its own, the once beautiful face now a shadow as it leered down at her. "Well then, it looks as if the last Longbottom has abandoned you. A pity really, I'd have liked the set, but you'll do fine for now."

Maybell flinched in disgust as Bellatrix leaned farther in, petting her hair. "But where's your wand? I like to play games you know, this won't be any fun without you thinking you have some sort of chance."

The gag was ripped from her mouth, she wished it had taken her tongue with it. She couldn't answer.

The woman's face curled into a new kind of sneer, she stood up straight and carressed her own arm like her lover had just joined. "Ah, but I'm afraid we might have to put our game off just a few moments longer." Then she turned and barked orders, "Mulciber, Goyle, Avery, Rabastan, you stay here and watch them, I'll be sure our Lord knows why you won't be able to join."

One nodded stiffly and the other gave a clumsy sort of bow, while the other two exchanged unimpressed looks but didn't seem to argue the point as she and one other man left.

Something must have happened, she knew instantly. Something new, and very bad, if it had drawn them away. She had to act now, she knew that, but didn't like her odds any better. She would not just sit here and do nothing though. Even with her feet still tied, she lunged with all her might and tackled the man closest to her to the ground, getting lucky as his head snapped painfully against the wall along the way. She grabbed his wand and spun on her back, waving it desperately in all directions and shouting, "Crucio!"

Nothing happened, of course, but that wasn't the point as they all ducked and jumped out of the way, giving her the split second she needed to toss the wand towards her dads feet and using her own to kick out against the sofa, slamming it into two more of them. They merely stumbled though from the soft blow, dazed for mere moments while the fourth was already recovering from the non attack.

Her dad did not move, and she would have been doomed had her brother not come barreling through the front door in that moment along with their Gran. Flashes of light lit their home like a fireworks display, still half bound from the waist down all she could think to do was crawl over to her parents and hunker protectively around them until it all finally stopped.

"Maybell! Mum, Dad!" It took every bit of resolve in her not to punch her brother in the face out of pure adrenaline as he approached them, and instead she fell into his arms in relief as their Gran somehow fixed their Dad, who came to life with a vengeance. Their Mum was still out of it a bit, but that only made their decision to get to Hogwarts for some sort of safety all the more prudent. The news hardly registered to her as she clung to her brother. He kept a tight hold on her as he kept her on her feet and just as tight a hold on his wand.

6

Wand always at the ready, Harry would feel guilty later for sneaking away from school, but he wasn't going to sit around anymore and wait for Dumbledore to appear at the school, his friends needed him now. It killed something inside of him to decide who to go to first, but he knew if Neville and Ron had been there they'd agree Hermione was in the most danger, so it was to her home he had to somehow go. It scared him the Floo connection worked, but not nearly as much as what he found inside.

Emptiness, with a green hue in every corner.

He wanted to shout, scream for her, but instinct won and he merely crept the length of her home. He could no longer convince himself he was seeing things in the emerald shadows when he found her parents' room first, both of them with the same wide staring eyes Warrington still had in his nightmares.

Heart thundering in his throat, caution abandoned, he sprinted to her room and at first was convinced he was gazing upon the same before his eyes adjusted and he saw her empty bed. Taking a painful breath, he forced himself to look upon the rest of the room, and found a broken window the only thing out of place.

His hastily thrown on dragon hide boots were a blessing now as he realized he was standing on shattered glass, the noise as he crossed loud as flash bangs as he waited to be descended upon from all sides, but there was nothing as he held his breath and looked outside.

The simple suburban street looked newly polished in the growing sun, sprinklers just having turned off and giving everything a sheen. On this one innocent house, the last tendrils of smoke from the Dark Mark were just fading out into the pink on the horizon, that looked down upon Hermione's body in the front lawn.

It wasn't like losing his dad, a fiery need overtaking him to go after what was lost. He leapt through the window, not caring if his skin snagged on broken glass, and knelt by her side as a numbness of the inevitable overtook him. Crookshanks lay across her chest, face pressed into his owner's neck and not even looking at him, he could still see his chest moving just slightly, nails still dug into her.

Her face was lax, and while pale, not yet the waxy look of death, eyes closed and arms still wrapped protectively around her cat. He reached out, to do what he didn't know, and his hand fell onto her shoulder. He meant to pull her in, hug life back into her even as a tear began to escape, but then he froze as he realized, she was still warm.

Leaning down until their faces were just inches apart, he finally saw that it was her breathing. Now lifting her upright without abandon to hold her, Crookshanks fell from her arms.

6

Arms full of a protesting George, he had to slam his back instead on the beam that had fallen across the door. Fred shoved him aside, and even amidst the coughing in his every syllable, he managed a blasting curse; a resounding crack echoed in the night as the three stumbled into the yard.

The younger twin was still kicking and screaming, but even though he was taller than Charlie, his elder brother held firm until they were to the muddy little pond where Fleur was having much the same debacle with Ginny.

Dragon taming was easy compared to this, as he threw his singed brother into the water, hardly waiting for him to come up before he spun on the spot to assess the damage.

Bill and their dad came staggering out, their mother between them hardly standing upright and coughing worse than anyone, and still struggling to get back inside.

Even as Charlie sprinted past them back towards the inferno he could imagine it, Ron trapped in the highest peak of the flames. His delay in waking everyone on the way up had already cost the twins' bed to give way, trapping George in the mess, the smoke and heat would continue to rise-

The loudest crack of all reverberated around the entire Burrow, Charlie stumbled and wondered if it wasn't his heart breaking free from his chest as their home began listing dangerously. He didn't care, he had to get Ron out, when he saw him sprawled out on the ground, Percy doubled over him.

If it was a spot of madness from too much smoke, it was a very solid one, as he grabbed both of them and pulled them towards the minute bit of safety. "Had, had to warn," Percy continued to try and babble, as he clung painfully to Ron, looking younger than Charlie had seen his little brother in a long time, "Scrimgeour's dead, You-Know-Who-"

"It's alright Perce, you did good-" Charlie tried to mumble around the swarm of others converging on them.

6

"Them, you're sure?"

"I'm telling you, I saw the little dark-haired one at the Ministry with Potter!"

"So you decided to call the Dark Lord? Here?!"

"If that whelp has anything to do with Potter, he'll want to know."

Leo wouldn't be surprised if he ground his teeth into a powder in his own mouth as he held Poppy tight in his arms, her trembling frame slowly gaining some resolve as her mother's body lay dead behind them. If they didn't get out of this in the next few moments, they were all as good as dead.

They were at a standstill, and the Death Eaters knew it, as they stood blocking the fireplace as their best form of escape. There was no cover if they darted out of the house in the miles of open fields beyond them. The three already had their wands taken away, and the only reason they were left standing was because the two idiots, siblings at least if not twins but so ugly you couldn't tell anyways, bickering in front of them couldn't decide what to do next.

The distinct sound of someone apparating came from all around them, the three friends shrinking farther into each other as they waited for their death to cross the threshold. It was only slightly less worse than that, as Bellatrix Lestrange came sauntering in.

"Wha- where's-"

Bellatrix fixed the Death Eater with a look of complete disgust. "The Dark Lord sent me in his stead, he didn't trust you to have actually found Potter, and he seems to have been right." Her eyes trailed dismissively over them for a moment, "you two will suffer for this-"

Then she froze, and did a double take as her eyes again landed on them, and turned to scrutiny as she eyed Leo.

"Well, well, it seems as if you have found something of use." Her smile turned hungry, the same look she'd given him in the Department of Mysteries. Her dark grey eyes seemed to burn right into Leo as he once again found himself gazing upon a look of pure madness.

"Kill the other two, but leave my son for me."

His vision tunneled, he jerked in disgust for the lie she dared try to distract him with. In desperation he pushed Poppy behind him now, trying to block both of his friends completely and hoping they were coming up with something to get them out of this as he sneered up at her. "Azkaban really did drive you mental! You stay away from us!"

She sauntered forward casually, as if sizing him up. She didn't seem to approve, but it was unmistakable in her features. As unhinged as that place should have driven her, there was no true madness in her face. "I was quite disappointed Venata Zabini didn't raise my son as I'd asked of her, but when she told me there wasn't a child to be found in our old home I'd simply assumed he'd died when Sirius Black blew the place up." She stopped to laugh, a noise of pure hatred echoing off the walls. "I can't say I was really bothered, after all what place did a child have while I devoted myself to the Dark Lord, but Rodolphus was quite disappointed. He'll be pleased now, I suppose. After all, anything can be untaught, even the teachings of that blood traitor-"

Leo was ashamed to admit the floor rocking beneath his feet threw him off, that he'd been hanging on every word she'd spoken. If Mikey and Poppy hadn't grabbed him to the ground with them he may have been rooted to the spot forever, but thanks to them he was out of the line of fire as his family came bursting in.

The powerful magic was already wearing off as Sirius barreled into Bellatrix, the two duelling once more with both set to kill. Tremors rocked the ground, but still Leo kept Mikey and Poppy in front of him as they ducked and stumbled back towards the fireplace. With another bit of the Floo powder they'd managed to grab before they left for Hogwarts, his friends vanished back, but before Leo could join them, a hand grabbed his arm.

He bellowed in pain, but did the last thing any wizard would have expected, and twisted on the spot to deck Rabastan Lestrange in the face. The Death Eater's grip loosened at the last second as he apparated away.

Leo stayed on all fours for a few moments longer, just breathing and trying to force himself to look up. He hadn't quite managed it when Harry was there, dragging him off the floor.

"Come on Leo, it's okay," his cousin was stammering in his ear as he checked him over. "Let's get back to the school-"

"Leo?" He hated himself for flinching in surprise at the sound of his dad's voice, but forced himself to turn and look at him stumbling over. Bellatrix had vanished as well, the ground wasn't shaking anymore, he didn't know what magic they'd managed to do that, but it didn't erase the ringing in his ears as he gazed up at him.

For just a second, he hesitated. He wanted to hold in the disbelief, the question his dad would laugh off and go back to school to check on Poppy, to give her mother the proper respect she deserved in her house that her daughter couldn't return to, but all that faded away when he really looked at his dad.

"What was Bellatrix saying? Who, who are you?" Leo's wide, dark grey eyes pleaded to understand what he already wondered to be true. He'd always looked so much like Sirius, like a true Black...

"Leo, what are you talking about?" Sirius' face faltered, he looked concerned as he leaned closer to inspect him. "Did you get hit-"

Leo jerked out of Harry's grip, away from both of them. He hardly even realized Remus was coming forward as well, he felt surrounded. He tried to tell himself he was being insane, but as if a Dementor were hovering behind him right now he heard it all again, an animal, like a dog growling, the sounds of a duel he only knew now could produce such fierce noises, and an unknown voice, "Get away from my son!"

"Tell me she was lying!" He snapped as he looked up at Sirius, right into his face.

He saw it there, for the briefest second as Sirius scrambled to try one last time to keep his past behind him. "I'm your father-"

"Are you though?" His voice grew quieter with every word, he took a step away from them. "Is it true? You kidnapped me!"

"I saved you," in contrast, his voice was rising with every word. "You would have died there without anyone the wiser knowing if I hadn't stepped in! Leo, listen to me-"

"Don't call me that!" He hissed, eyes looking anywhere but at him, for an escape. "What was my name, huh? Before you-"

Sirius swelled, with anger or something more Harry couldn't grasp from either as his Uncle said without a trace of remorse, "Your name is Leo Regulus Black-"

Then he ran. Before either of them could move, Leo'd lit the fireplace to life, and vanished in a burst of green flame that roared so loud, they didn't even hear what he yelled.

Harry stood there with his mouth hanging open. He almost felt like laughing for a second at the absurdity of it all, how everything had gone so thoroughly insane in his life in the span of a few hours. He'd nearly been killed by his Uncles reappearing with Hermione only to have them tell him his cousin had done the same and gone after his Muggleborn friend, now here they were left gaping at each other again.

One look at his Uncle Sirius showed this was no laughing matter. "Who else knows?" Harry asked, now looking back at the empty grate.

"No one," Remus answered, gazing at Sirius without blinking. "Just, just the three of us." Harry didn't have to ask whom that third person had once been. "When Sirius came home with him, it was his idea to go to Frank and Alice, get Bellatrix sent away to Azkaban. It's not as if she hasn't done far worse than whatever Sirius framed her for doing. It's, one of the many reasons we kept you kids in hiding for so long. Sirius didn't have anyone to claim as the mother, he used Marlene McKinnon because she was dead and lying to say she had an illegitimate child with Sirius seemed better than-"

"Admitting you'd kidnapped a Death Eater's child!"

"Harry, you have to understand-" Remus tried to protest, but fell silent as Sirius intervened.

"I don't care what you think of it." Sirius spoke in a deadly calm voice. "I could have handed him to James, had him raised like your brother and no one would have thought twice! I could have let Remus take him in, he's always wanted kids even if he wouldn't admit it. I could have handed him to a bloody orphanage, but I didn't! I kept him, I don't have to be a part of his parentage to keep the shadows of our family tree from haunting another! He's my son!"

Harry was gaping at him by the end, searching his godfather's face, but all he saw was the fear of a parent.

"Move Harry," he took the first threatening step he ever had in his life towards him. "Don't make me force you."

He did, stepping aside, and following behind as they went after him.

6

More than he'd ever realized must have taken place in these empty halls, Leo finally realized as he walked up and down The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. He found himself in the drawing room once more. He'd been taken with the place their very first visit, staring in at the family tree that swept the whole room, the small little burn mark that had blasted his dad from the wall.

He'd always wondered if magic would keep it updated long after nobody had gazed at it. If perhaps Sirius's name were still there his would be connected to it like it should, but now he was looking in earnest along the bottom branches of another limb. He still saw nothing, no hint of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange's legitimate child, even though Draco Malfoy's was present, but who would have added him?

What was he missing? He sat in front of the tangled mess as shame boiled inside him. He'd always asked his dad about his mum, but unlike Harry, never even had a picture to show for it. He'd always just been told who his family was and never questioned it. Now one deranged statement from a lunatic and he was looking back on his whole life like a stranger? He hated himself for it, but it made too much sense.

The unmistakable sound of the front door opening had him leaping back to his feet on edge, especially as he realized he'd never gotten his wand back from those Death Eater scum.

Whoever it was coming up the stairs knew where they were going. They were cautious passing the portraits, not waking one like him, creeping up the stairs with practiced quiet steps. He distinctly heard the soft tread inspect the bedroom across the hall, giving him time to hunker down beneath the desk in the shadows before the drawing room door was pushed open and Harry stepped in.

He paused for a moment with a look of disappointment, letting his eyes sweep the room before he sighed, and then winced and ran his fingers along his scar. Leo might not have been sure if his scar had hurt or it was merely his usual frustrated gesture, but he couldn't help smiling a bit as he eased out and muttered, "How'd you know to find me here?"

Harry's smile was almost completely at ease as he came towards him, stashing his own wand back away he'd drawn at the movement. "Just a hunch. Uncle Remus went back to school to rescue McGonagall from watching Teddy, and ah, your dad's probably checking every place you've ever been in your life. I, just remember, you were really fascinated with this place last year."

"Guess now we know why," Leo muttered as he sunk to the floor once more. Harry scoffed as he sprawled out next to him.

"I don't know why you think this changes, anything."

"Just, imagine it for a second," Leo pleaded as he caught his eye. "That you, were raised by other people, that you were a completely different person than, who you were going to be."

Harry frowned for a moment, either struggling to picture it or thinking he was crazy. "I've got some Muggle family, did you know?"

Leo shrugged noncommittally. His dad had mentioned it very briefly over the summer, something about Harry's mum having a sister and if they should know what had happened to Uncle James, but the stray thought had never gone anywhere past his dad's mutterings. "Yeah, I mean, they've been mentioned a few times, nobody seems to like them much though even though we've never met them."

"My, my dad," Harry's voice broke painfully, and Leo realized this was the first time Harry had really talked about him all summer. "He told me when I was younger about them, how he'd told them when my mum died and they acted like they didn't even know who he was. He hadn't let me around them since, called them awful people, but I was curious one night and snuck out to go see them on your dad's bike. They really were awful, I could tell from just watching them for one evening."

Harry paused to ruffle his hair, just like his dad used to. "I used to wonder sometimes what they would have been like if my mum had lived, if we'd have another cousin and even more family, but I don't think I'd really be a different person for it."

"Guess we'll just never know," Leo muttered. "It's not like, I want to get to know Bellatrix Lestrange! I'm not, going to just spontaneously turn into a Death Eater or anything because I know now-"

"I know that," Harry was quick to agree. "So does your dad, and Uncle Remus."

"Then why wouldn't he have just told me?" Leo sighed. "Why the lie?"

He was looking at his namesake now, the tiny little circle with Regulus Arcturus Black. His dad didn't talk about him much either, but both boys had always known he was once alive, that Sirius felt guilty for something that had happened. There was more to the story, and now Leo felt he had the right to know the rest.

A few moments of silence lingered as the two gazed around at their past, before Harry interrupted the silence. "My friends are alright, thanks for asking."

Leo flushed with guilt before turning to look at him proper, muttering, "Right, Hermione, is she-"

"Her, parents are dead too," Harry whispered. "She's alive though, I got her back to Hogwarts and Madam Pomfrey brought her around. Neville showed up with his family, I think something was wrong with his mum, but then the Weasleys showed up and Ron and Hermione began snogging right in front of the whole Great Hall to watch. Course, then Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius found me to tell me you'd gone off too."

"How'd you get here though?" Leo finally interrupted to ask.

"Convinced Slughorn to give me a Portkey to come here if I promised to finally attend one of his parties this year." Harry paused to make a face at that. "So, you kind of owe me one."

"So long as that one isn't me attending," Leo muttered.

Harry said nothing to that, but instead got back to his feet, brushing the dust off his pants and offering his hand. Leo didn't even think to hesitate as he accepted it.

6

"It doesn't matter," Leo sighed, finally interrupting his dad trying to babble his way through some kind of speech as he pulled his son into a bone-crushing hug. "I love you, we can ah, talk later about-"

He didn't even think his dad was listening, he just held on for a few moments longer in their tiny space of privacy. Of course then Dumbledore decided to appear at the gates.

His skin was whiter than his beard, his hand a blackened mess, but he was walking with his usual youthful stride now with a purpose as they approached.

To his surprise, his dad stopped him shorter than any proper conversation, and drew his wand protectively between them as he glared at him. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Sirius," Dumbledore acknowledged them with a polite nod of his head, "Leo. I am sorry for my absence, ask me whatever you'd like so that I may address your question to the whole Great Hall who are likely wondering the very same."

Leo glanced at his dad for a moment before asking, "Why did the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin?" Of course, he had no proof the Sorting Hat did tell the Headmaster what he said to every single student, but he'd always suspected...

"I sense your yearning, but you hold right here in your head your family's legacy. Like many before and after, a reputation should not precede the house that's right for you."

Leo nodded to his dad that was in fact the exact quote, but it didn't really unsettle him any less now than all those years ago when the Slytherin house had given surprised claps of approval. At least the first part of that made sense now, but he'd hardly done much but hate every part of being there since.

Sirius uneasily stepped aside, and the two followed in his wake to tumultuous gasps of surprise, many cheers, and even some applause as Dumbledore finally stepped into the Great Hall, giving Leo an even larger sense of deja vu.

He searched out Harry, finding him and Ginny in a semi-secluded corner. Her hair looked singed for some reason, her skin soot-covered and tear tracks on her cheeks that Harry was still rubbing at, both looked as relieved as anyone for this sudden turn of events.

All of his teachers were suddenly there and surrounding him. They conversed for only a few moments in such quiet whispers no one had a hope of hearing before Dumbledore cleared his throat and addressed the Hall, which had remained painfully quiet since his entrance.

"My deepest and sincerest apologies for what has happened this night. The Ministry had indeed fallen under attack from Voldemort, our Minister of Magic dead."

There was a reaction to that, many parents covering their kids' ears as they flinched themselves from such horrible news. He saw Uncle Remus now with Teddy back in his arms sidle up to Sirius, the two now holding hands painfully tight. "I welcome you to stay here until your homes have been resecured, your families recuperated. Madam Pomfrey, Argus Filch, and Rubeus Hagrid will continue to coordinate and provide whatever you need, and I will answer any questions I can upon my return. I must step out for just a moment with our heads of houses," he continued into the whispers now.

He turned to leave then, the heads of house following him. Leo stood rooted to the spot somehow even more ill at ease than before as that hadn't really helped anything, he'd thought Dumbledore would have all the answers.

After scanning the Hall carefully several times, he finally spotted Poppy and Mikey being watched closely by Mr. MacMillan. He rushed over to them, only vaguely noticing Ernie only a few feet away chatting with his own friends, as Poppy saw him coming and launched into his arms. She kissed him fiercely, but briefly, as she pulled back and all but shouted, "We've been worried sick about you!"

"You alright?" Mikey asked quietly as he tried to glance around and make sure no one was listening. "What Bellatrix said, that was mad mate-"

"We'll, ah, talk about that later," he was quick to assure. "I just, wanted to check with you guys too," he hadn't let go of her, and squeezed his arms tighter around her as her eyes began watering again.

"P-Professor Sinestra was, was talking about sending some, some people to houses where the attacks happened, to-"

She couldn't finish, but he understood. It was in that modicum of calm Dumbledore's mere presence back in this school had caused that a scream of pain rent the air.

"Harry? Harry!"

He flat ran, darted around, and cleanly leapt over a few people, while his dad and Uncle Remus still made it there first. Ginny was being gently held back by her parents now, he only just made it to his side as he was coming out of his spell, eyes watching them once more instead of whatever Voldemort was seeing. "He wants to get inside here," he began without prompting. "But knows he can't now, and, and other pl-"

He cut himself off with another hiss of pain, eyes fluttering closed once more as he couldn't fight it off.

6

"-Off and on again, it's going to drive the kid mad! Literally!" Sirius groaned into his shoulder.

"He's going to be fine Padfoot," Remus tried his best to soothe him and his own worries at the same time. "Madam Pomfrey gave him a dreamless sleep potion, hopefully we'll have a better solution soon-"

"Dumbledore's supposed to have one by now," Sirius growled, causing Teddy to whimper in unease in his arms. Sirius quickly stopped and stood up proper to glance down at the babe before meeting Remus' eyes and continuing in only a slightly more sane voice. "He's supposed to have been ruddy working on this for fifteen years! Ever since he told J-James what he thought was in Harry!"

Remus caught him and pulled him back to lean against his shoulder again, Teddy taking the chance to reach out and begin playing with his hair once more.

"I know Padfoot, I miss him too," Remus whispered. "We're not failing him though, we're doing everything we can for Harry-"

"How?" He moaned, his voice rising again despite his best efforts against his shoulder. "I want Voldemort dead, I want this to stop happening to my godson! Now Leo's going to be having a bloody identity crisis, and trust me I haven't forgotten you're here listening to me instead of out looking for Teddy's mother! I'm failing everyone-"

"Ahem," Sirius jerked upright with a scowl already in place, which didn't lessen as he saw Dumbledore.

"Harry's asleep," he snapped. "He would have told you himself what he saw in Voldemort's visions if you'd been around."

"Hagrid has proficiently told me all that I need to know," Dumbledore responded calmly.

Sirius didn't want calm right now as he exploded, "Well I'm glad you know everything then! Why don't you tell us why this is happening then? Voldemort's never done anything like this, attacked so out in the open!"

There was a heavy moment of silence, before Dumbledore softly cleared his throat.

Remus turned slowly on the spot to gaze at him, open mouthed. "You found another one, didn't you?"

"I did," he whispered, running his still intact fingers over the blackened ones, before letting just the tips rest on a ring neither had ever seen before, with a black stone inset. "With no means to destroy it, I attempted to banish it from its casing like I once attempted on the diary. It, awakened, and I'm afraid it fled back to Voldemort's body, again much like the diary before. Voldemort is now very much aware of what is happening to his Horcruxes."

Sirius saw red for a moment, he hadn't even realized he'd moved forward to strangle the old man until Remus caught him and spoke in a deadly calm voice. "And you failed to tell the Order? Us? Anyone you were doing this, to warn us there could be retaliation?"

"A mistake I now grievously regret," Dumbledore agreed, and for just a second they could indeed see the guilt radiating from him amidst their own anger. "I believed Voldemort did not know, or no longer had any connection to what happened to his Horcruxes, but he seems to have found some means to do so. This was my mistake."

"So, you found one," Sirius continued through clenched teeth. "What happened to it? Is it gone? Can you get it out of Harry next?"

"I, believe I may," Dumbledore began cautiously. "I have no proof what becomes of the soul within once I banish it from the object. The diary, and this ring, seem to simply go back to neutral objects of no power, I have been keeping an eye on both since my attempts. The problem, I'm afraid to point out, is that we're not trying to banish Harry's own soul from him as well as Voldemort's-"

"So everything that's happened tonight has been ruddy pointless!" Sirius confirmed in pure disgust.

"I shall continue my quest for others," Dumbledore continued as if Sirius hadn't interrupted. "When I happen upon another, I will endeavor to find another means of disposing it, rather than sending it back to its source. On top of that, I believe it's time we enlighten Harry to all of this as well. James expressed his wish for such-"

"We're well aware what James wanted for his son," Remus said in clipped, flat tones that made his infant squirm in discomfort in his arms once more.

Dumbledore bowed his head before adding, "Then I shall leave you to it."

Sirius still wanted to kick him as he walked away, but now was left with something else to worry about.

6

About the only thing Remus took comfort in over the next month was finally having the excuse to not put is son down for anything.

The school was slowly starting to trickle out its unexpected guests as the school year began swinging back around. He'd spent a little time at the Burrow helping them put their home back together, a few days taking the time to put their own home back together with every protective spell he could manage and then a few more, and whenever he wasn't doing that he was still out trying to find Tonks at every opportunity.

He'd finally gotten a lead on what happened. Many families had not in fact fled to Hogwarts, but tried to go underground into hiding. Most were only just now resurfacing to see the damage that had been done and making contact with others, so he was now spending an inordinate amount of time making himself available to those channels to keep messages flowing in hopes to hear even a snatch of the Tonks family. For some reason, despite being heavily recognized as a recent Azkaban prisoner himself, having his son with him during all of this seemed to help soothe over a few more nervous people.

During this, Dumbledore had approached him about retaking his position as DADA teacher, but he'd declined. Technically speaking, he could simply teach during the day and go home at night to his son, but it didn't feel right, he couldn't simply go back to his life without knowing what had become of Tonks, what Teddy's future would really be. Dumbledore promised he understood and would find yet another temporary teacher in the meantime.

Though, he might have changed his mind, if he'd known at the time who exactly Dumbledore was bringing into their lives. More appropriately, who he was inviting back.

6

"Back? I'm not going back!" Harry's laugh sounded deranged to his own ears. "Do you hear yourself? I'm not going to just sit in a classroom while Voldemort's out there!"

"You don't have a choice," Sirius said pointedly, before he slapped the morning news down in front of him.

Harry scowled at him for a moment, clearly with every intent to still argue back, before his eyes flickered down and he read the headline. "I, don't understand-"

"Attendance is now mandatory," Sirius spelled it out for him, slowly. "It wasn't before, James and I used to joke about pulling you out as much trouble as you got into there! Now, we don't have a choice!"

"Sirius-"

Sirius raised his hand to silence him, pinching the bridge of his nose for several long moments before taking a calming breath and sitting across from him. "It's not going to be easy Harry, but you have to do this more for yourself than just stopping yourself from being arrested for truancy. You're going to want to go, for Dumbledore. He's going to be having, special lessons with you this year."

"About what?" Harry asked softly, eyes back on him in a more familiar, pleading expression just to understand.

Sirius felt like his heart was going to shrivel up in his chest. He should have said this the night James died, but he couldn't do it to Harry, pile more on top of him. Now, Harry deserved to know why this was happening to him. He wouldn't let Dumbledore be the one to do it. "James had this moment all planned out for ages," he whispered aloud, before taking one last painful breath. "Harry, there's something we, something happened, the night Lily died. We weren't sure, but Dumbledore suspected, he told us it was possible-"

He bit his lip to stop himself, and then winced at himself for stalling. He wished Remus were here. "You're going to be learning about Horcruxes Harry, because Voldemort accidentally made you one."

6

One in a million chance, he'd said. It could have latched onto anything in that room, but it had chosen him. He wondered, deep down, if he'd always known it to be true, and still he felt like an alien was living inside him. How could he continue to travel amongst the other students on the platform, sit down beside his friends in a compartment, without the knowledge plaguing his every thought of what he was? Sirius had tried his best, but Harry couldn't stop the sense he was slowly being eaten alive from the inside out.

He wanted to be angry at him, his dad, everyone for hiding even more of this from him, but he couldn't seem to find that anymore. Every time he'd stopped and expected the feeling to come, he'd flash back to that night, James pushing Sirius towards him and Neville in danger, his dad shouting at his Uncle to get them out while he charged towards Bellatrix.

Harry finally understood all his dad had ever wanted for him was to feel safe as long as he could, but that luxury had died with his last parent.

6

"Parents?" Harry spoke aloud what he'd just seen in surprise. The idea boggled his mind, he'd never really considered Voldemort with any such thing, but then he supposed it made more sense than him spontaneously sprouting into what he was today.

"Oh yes, I'm afraid so," Dumbledore agreed as he retook his seat behind the Pensive.

Harry only took a few more moments to digest all he'd just seen, before spotting Marvolo Gaunt's very ring upon Dumbledore's finger. "That's one of them, isn't it sir?"

"It was," Dumbledore agreed.

"If it's not anymore, why are you still wearing it?" Harry asked, unsure if he wanted the answer.

"Things can have more than one purpose," he said simply, letting his fingers rest upon the stone for a moment.

Harry waited for more, but at this point was unsurprised to still be receiving riddles, so he said something else that had been on his mind. "Uncle Sirius isn't happy with you."

Dumbledore merely chuckled at that, so Harry continued, "Said you were mad to have a Death Eater teaching here, err, especially this one. Does, he have more than one purpose too?"

Dumbledore smiled benignly, before telling him, "Goodnight Harry."

6

"Harry Potter and Dumbledore fought off You-Know-Who themselves, I heard that's how Dumbledore's hand got blown off-" An elderly couple was whispering to each other.

Tonks pushed restlessly through the milling crowd at the Ministry as she searched for him.

The place was a travesty. Even the short time it took her to get through the Atrium she gathered what had been happening in the world in far too gruesome a detail than she'd ever wanted, and it only escalated her panic more with every step.

People were still turning up dead, whole families missing, fear the only thing containing the outright mayhem that was soon to spiral if someone didn't catch Voldemort soon.

Finally she made it to the security desk and waited impatiently to get through without her own wand. This boded suspicion, which she'd suspected, but was well worth it when the exact person she'd been hoping to see came over to investigate.

"Kingsley!"

He didn't seem to share the feeling at first, being completely cordial to her as he escorted her into a hastily thrown together private booth that blocked all noise inside and out as he turned to investigate her.

"What was the first thing you ever knocked off my desk?"

She blinked, and then had to hold back the first laugh she'd felt in months now. "Is this a trick question? You swore me to secrecy, so no matter what I say, aren't I technically breaking the secret question by answering?"

She swore he was now fighting back a smile, but he crossed his arms and glared down at her nevertheless. "Answer the question Nymphadora."

The smallest bit of amusement was there, he'd always been able to see through her disguises, but then she flared with anger and scowled at him, automatically snapping at him not to call her that, before answering briskly, "A copy of the Quibbler. You said you wished it had been anything else but that, because you don't like others to know you're a fan."

Without warning her pulled her into a relieved hug. "You're alright! Where have you been?"

She only hugged her partner back for a moment before pulling away, explaining as quickly as possible, "My parents- we had five bloody Death Eaters pop into our home! Vengeance, that bloody werewolf kept laughing, going after the blood traitors. They got mine, and my dad's wand, but my Mum apparated us out into the middle of nowhere! She, she got hit as she was getting us out of there, she, she's-"

Kingsley squeezed her shoulders in sympathy, but she hardly noticed as she stared into his eyes pleadingly for an answer before he could even speak. "My son, Kingsley, please tell me Remus and my baby are alright!"

"They've alive and well," he promised, leading her back out and towards the elevators now as she sighed in relief.

"I've been trying to Apparate to their place but couldn't get in, I wanted to make contact with the school but wasn't sure if it was safe! I've been fearing the worst- where are we going?" She asked in surprise as he pushed level one on the lift.

"There's been a whole new Department set up," Kingsley explained. "Our new Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, approved it himself to put out as much information as possible and help families get back together. Remus has been all but running it, I think he was hoping to come across someone in particular," he added kindly.

She danced impatiently on the spot as the lift stopped and started several times, until finally she was let out on the floor. She hardly waited for Kingsley to keep up, even if she wasn't too familiar with this level. She finally burst into a wide, open space where a dozen witches and wizards sat in rows at small desks not unlike at school, though much more highly polished and free from graffiti. She hardly stopped to acknowledge any of this, as she spotted a baby with bright turquoise hair laughing at a ball hovering just above his head.

"Ted! Oh, my Teddy," her infant was in her arms in the next stride, Remus already smiling at the pair as he watched Kingsley give him a nod before exiting again.

"Dora," he placed his hand carefully on her shoulder, sorry to interrupt the reunion but needing to check on her himself.

"Remus!" She nearly squashed their son between them she began hugging him just as hard next. "Oh, I've been sick with worry, thank goodness you're both alright!"

He gently detached himself, but she couldn't begin to care as she crooned to her giggling boy and smiled up at his father.

6

"Father sending you jewelry now Malfoy?" Leo laughed in surprise to spot him gingerly tucking something into his robes.

He whirled on the spot, glaring at him in pure disgust. "What would you know of it Black? You and that mudblood girlfriend of yours aren't worth a cursed pearl."

Leo gripped his wand and longed to throw a curse at the toerag, but restrained himself at the very last second as he realized whose office he'd almost run into Malfoy in front of.

Professor Snape hadn't made it much of a secret he favored Slytherin house, but even still Leo didn't seem to be getting the same preferential treatment. He and Harry had found themselves subject to his disdain at every opportunity for reasons beyond them, so it would not be a shocking twist if he was given a detention this moment for acting on his curse. Normally he wouldn't care, but he'd promised Poppy he wouldn't be late to their outing in Hogsmeade today as it was technically their anniversary, and he was technically already running a bit late.

So he left without further comment and had to sprint the last few floors to meet up with his girlfriend, who seemed no more phased than ever at his quick apologies.

Past Filch and his beloved Secrecy Sensors was not the most romantic setting, the sleet pelting them harshly, the two holding hands more for security in not losing each other than anything else.

They made a few stops along some of their favorite spots before finally slipping into the Three Broomsticks, where Leo found Harry and his friends clustered in a table by some trolls.

There were several other students packed in here, along with Mikey who'd agreeably left his friends alone for the day and could be spotted in the back talking to Luna and a Ravenclaw boy he didn't know.

Poppy was the one to lead them over to his cousin though, so he didn't protest, and was in fact curious at the put out look upon his face.

"Did you know Mundungus Fletcher was nicking Uncle Sirius's stuff?" He directed before the two had even sat down.

"No," Leo blinked in surprise, before snickering just a bit. "Makes sense though, from the little we've met of him."

"I thought you'd be more angry," Harry's scowl increased. "That's your stuff, by inheritance."

Leo shrugged. "Dad hates the house, I'm surprised he hasn't burned it to the ground yet, and I'm not particularly attached to anything in there." He thought of that family tree again and grimaced with distaste, he'd been trying not to think of the place really. "I don't see what the problem is, better he steal from this place so the Order can keep an eye on him. Though I suppose if he keeps the habit at some other headquarters, that wouldn't be ideal-"

"Well, I'm still writing to tell Uncle Sirius," Harry groused.

"How'd you find out?" Poppy asked politely.

"Just ran into the cad, that old bartender at the Hog's Head was throwing him out," Ron answered.

"Harry nearly blew his head off when he found out," Neville muttered around a suppressed smile. "You lot are seeing his calmer side."

"We ran into Tonks as well," Hermione added. "It was good to see her back on her feet, and this place could always use more security."

Leo made a little face, he wasn't exactly sorry he'd missed her and her one too many hints she still wanted to get back together with Uncle Remus. Not that he wasn't relieved she was okay, but he wasn't sure why that gave her the right to be randomly popping over to their home, as his dad had told him in a few letters now.

Poppy suddenly giggled, gaining all of their attention. "You two make the same face when you're annoyed," she shrugged, gesturing between the cousins, before taking his hand again. "Want to head to the Hog's Head? It's probably less crowded than here."

"Yeah, alright," he easily agreed, waving vaguely behind him as Katie Bell and one of her friends slipped in.

6

"In the advent of full disclosure Harry, I'm afraid there is one more matter we must discuss tonight."

Harry sat back down and looked around Dumbledore's office for another memory, though after finding out Slughorn had been hiding something all this time he couldn't imagine what else there was. "Yes sir?" He prompted as the silence lingered.

"You have been very patient with an old man, indulging me as we sweep through Voldemort's past, and your questions remain refreshingly relevant."

"Honestly sir, after all this time, I just sort of go with it," Harry laughed. "Besides, it's helping, right? That's how you found the ring, by finding out about Voldemort's past. If we keep looking, surely we'll find more."

Dumbledore smiled all the brighter at Harry as he continued, "You have not however, asked our most important question, how to destroy these very Horcruxes."

Harry swallowed uncomfortably as he traced the scar upon his forehead once more. He'd rather been avoiding it, afraid for what the answer would be. While he'd been sharing all of this with his friends and Leo along the way, even the four of them hadn't asked the obvious.

He began tentatively, "Ah, well, how did you destroy the diary and the ring?"

The look on Dumbledore's face was not comforting as he spoke. "I bring this up Harry, to begin another line of discussion for another time. You and your friends have proven resourceful over these many years with great ingenuity, and I admittedly sought your input into this myself."

Harry blinked spastically for a moment as that sunk in. "You, haven't destroyed them? But, the diary, I mean, Ginny's okay now. I mean, you're wearing that ring and you're not-"

"I did, in fact, find a way to part the two, but I fear I merely transported the Horcruxes back to their source." Dumbledore calmed him. "Ginevra Weasley and I remain out of their reach for as long as this, other source holds."

"So, what's the other source?" Harry asked in surprise. "You're saying, they didn't go back into Voldemort?"

His headmaster stapled his fingers together as he inspected Harry over his half-moon spectacles. "Harry, do you recall the physical way in which you described Peter Pettigrew to me, before he and Voldemort parted ways."

"Yeah," Harry muttered, skin twitching in remembered disgust. "It was ghastly, the two were like-" he stopped abruptly as he realized what Dumbledore was saying. "He's dead though, I saw him."

"Remember why Voldemort is doing this," Dumbledore gently schooled. "What is his purpose? To never have to fear death again. He's already defied death once by the spell that blasted him apart and lodged a part of his soul into you, and giving himself a new body. Why not try so again on an unwitting soul?"

Harry thought he was going to be sick. "He, got Pettigrew a new body? How do you know? Why would he?"

"I believe his purpose is to, ah, start from scratch. Replace all of his Horcruxes into one vessel and then begin his self-imposed quest even farther under my radar. He would hope, in my banishing of all known Horcruxes, that he could do so without hindrance. However, he would never dream of placing them back in himself, leaving him vulnerable."

Harry was now convinced he was going to be sick, but he tried to hold it in until he left at least. "So, if we do the same thing to all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, they'll keep going back to Voldemort, err, Wormtail-

"They are one and the same now Harry."

"Right, yeah, so, what happens then?"

"Voldemort's soul will slowly be put back together, piece by piece, but remained anchored to the Horcruxes he created. It will not destroy him, the remorse is felt through Pettigrew's body combined with Voldemort's soul. I believe, the two together will withstand. However, we will then be able to gather the Horcruxes, while they remain weak, and destroy them once and for all."

"And me?" Harry asked quietly.

Dumbledore appraised him for a few moments, before speaking frankly, "Harry, I will no longer lie to you. The vessels the Horcruxes leave behind go, dormant. There is little in fact we know for sure, but pure guesswork the farther we travel into this murky magic. The part of Voldemort lodged inside you, will have to remain there until the last moments. I would not put you in danger for any less, nor have your family suffer anymore."

6

"Anymore?" Ron somehow managed to ask around a mouth full of chocolate cauldron cakes.

"Eh?" Harry hardly heard him, barely glancing up from the Marauders Map Ron had been letting him borrow so increasingly this year he'd just dug it out of his own trunk. "Err, no, don't think so mate."

His frustration grew that he still couldn't find Malfoy anywhere on the map, but did spot Gregory Goyle alone in yet another corridor. He hadn't made the same mistake twice, and had repeatedly asked Leo if he'd seen anything suspicious going on, but his cousin was no more help. All he could say was that Malfoy had been visiting Snape a lot this year, a fact he only knew because he too kept being sent to him for detentions this year, as the teacher seemed to enjoy coming up with punishments for the students. It was a strange phenomenon, as they should be reporting to Slughorn for detentions, but nothing Harry could find to do with his vanishing from the Map at all hours.

He sighed, folded it back up, and put it back in his trunk for now. When Ron wanted it back he knew where to find it. "Come on Ron, Neville's already down at breakfast with Hannah. You know if we don't hurry he'll eat all the-"

He stopped in surprise to realize he'd reached the door and his best mate wasn't following, but instead leaning against his bedframe with a dreamy look in place. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he sighed without really looking at Harry.

"Well, then come on, breakfast," Harry waved vaguely back towards the door when Ron still didn't move.

"I'm not hungry."

Now an alarm bell went off in Harry's head, as he walked back over to asses his friend. He was only half dressed, still wearing his sleeping trousers and a weekend shirt, barefoot. The wrapping from his gifts was strewn threw the entire dorm, and the discarded box of Cauldron Cakes sat innocently on top of his trunk.

"Then, what are you?" he prompted as Ron's face began struggling into something new. He hoped it wasn't vomit.

Ron burst into speech, it looked almost painful. "I, I can't stand it anymore Harry, I can't stop thinking about her!"

This had not been what he was expecting, and his neck felt a bit hot all of a sudden. The four of them hardly sat around having deep in depth discussions about their love-lives, and in fact Ron and Harry didn't really at all considering whom the other was dating. However, if his best mate suddenly declared he was going to be calling Hermione Hermy, or even worse Mione, he may have to intervene.

Harry asked why that would stop him from having breakfast, with the tone of trying to inject a note of common sense into the proceedings.

Ron desperately said he didn't think she knew he existed, and Harry was more bewildered than ever as he reminded she certainly did, she kept snogging him at all hours.

They finally asked each other who the other was talking about, Harry feeling all reason had dropped out of the conversation.

Ron answered Romilda Vane, his whole face seemed to illuminate as he said it, as though hit by a ray of purest sunlight.

Harry swore colorfully as he again looked at the Cauldron Cakes and realized what had happened. Said girl had been jealous of Ginny since they'd been sorted, according to his girlfriend, and had been trying with increasingly underhanded tactics to convince Harry to dump Ginny and have a go with her. His least favorite included her spreading the rumor she'd slept her way onto the Quidditch team.

All that aside, he'd have to figure out how to deal with her later. He left Ron to his mooning about her long dark hair and large eyes as he easily found the Half-Blood Prince's book and began flipping through it to see if there were any suggestions in there for a cure to this, when he heard his dorm door opening.

Sprinting after in a panic, Ron made it all the way out of the common room with Hermione trailing behind him in confusion.

In the quickest words possible he explained what was going on, and she went from gobsmacked, to a small bit of laughter as he stumbled around the corridor calling to where Romilda could be and if a painting was holding her hostage, to livid as she glared back at the Fat Lady.

"We'll deal with her later," Harry promised as he went to grab Ron's arm and pull him along. "I've got an idea though, maybe we can use this to our advantage."

Hermione followed him with a scandalized look. "What advantage is that?"

"Slughorn," Harry patiently reminded her. "He's been avoiding me, even stopped inviting me to those stupid parties of his since I first asked about the Horcruxes. Maybe I can use Ron as an excuse to start talking to him again."

"I'm sure Ron's so happy to be of service," she huffed as he burst into a love ballad, though he could only come up with rhyming Romilda with Brunhilda, so switched to Vane with candy-cane.

He'd created an almost Peeves worthy song, Harry genuinely regretting he hadn't the chance to write it all down by the time they reached the dungeons. All seemed to be going well, until Ron was poisoned.

6

"Poisoned? Is he alright? Did Neville-"

"No! No," Tonks was quick to assure Frank and Alice. "Everyone's fine, I promise. Molly and Arthur are going back home tonight in fact, I just thought you'd like to hear it from me. We're redoubling all of our efforts, some of the staff are even joking about putting a tail on some students," she told them.

The Longbottoms nodded, even if they didn't look particularly reassured. She knew how they felt, her son being associated with all of these dangers just by proximity. Harry did seem to somehow be just missing all of these attacks this year, and Dumbledore was worried about something even if he wouldn't say what.

The two went back to their casework as she left the Auror Headquarters, but upon entering the line to begin disapparating away, she made the snap decision to go check on her son rather than heading back to the school. She was still on her lunch break, this had just been a courteous drop in as she suspected the parents close to Ron would want to know, why not spend the rest of it with her own babe.

She walked in on Remus and Sirius making out on the couch.

She yelped in surprise, backing out of the front door so fast she sprawled in the dirt.

"Tonks! Bloody hell woman," she heard the scuffle inside, trying not to imagine Sirius falling to the floor, and got shakily back to her feet, too red faced already to point out part of Remus' shirt was sticking out of his fly as he stumbled out the front door.

"I, ah," she began lamely, before straightening her shoulders and scowling up at him. "Please tell me you weren't- where's Teddy?"

"Wha- oh, he's upstairs! Asleep," he protested, just as red faced himself, and a slight touch of anger at the insinuation he was somehow slacking off in looking after him.

"Fine, I'll, be over tonight to come get him. I'll knock first," she muttered, going back to disapparating without another word.

"I think we should revoke her privileges," Sirius grumbled as he still sat on the floor, scowling at the door. "Just because she's one of the few people who can Apparate directly here doesn't mean she should do it damn near as much as she does."

Remus didn't answer as he closed the door, hand lingering on it oddly. When he did turn around, he just rolled his eyes at him. "Shut up Sirius."

"I didn't say anything!" He protested.

"You were thinking it," he huffed as he strode past him towards the kitchen.

"Well, you weren't saying anything, and I thought someone should at least be thinking it," Sirius snipped.

Remus had managed to put together two whole sandwiches before he spoke again. "I'm not in love with her," he said with finality.

"Well I'd hope not," Sirius grabbed his and immediately took a bite, spraying bits of bread about as he continued, "because the last thing we need is to be crying over some invisible triangle."

Remus grimaced and merely picked at his own. "I guess I just," he continued despite Sirius muttering they could let this drop now, "I feel guilty. Like I led her on, I think she just wants to be friends and I, sort of well-"

"She's got the whole Order for friends," Sirius tried to cut in, but he stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and finished before answering much more gently, "look Moony, I admitted I might like her myself if she'd stop making such a nuisance of herself, but she'll have to find something to do outside of us once Teddy gets older anyways."

"Yeah," he sighed, but still couldn't seem to settle down enough to eat his own lunch. He didn't voice it aloud, he'd tried before and it only made Sirius angry, understandably so. He'd been around James the most when he went on about the feeling that still reared in him from time to time as he looked at her. The two didn't talk about James's last days much, how worried they'd been what had been wrong with their friend before he'd fallen into that veil. It was like a jinx, if they spoke of it they'd be victim next to the plague of what could have been.

6

"-been one since? If there was a curse on the Defense position, where did it go?"

"There was," Dumbledore agreed camly, "until Voldemort's demise. However, with James's confidence Voldemort would return, I found it paramount to, ah, nip that in the bud. A few documents were dusted off, a few spells set into practice, pieces set into place, I sought out a young man whom I knew had a high resilience and needed a home-"

"Uncle Remus," Harry easily interrupted.

"Indeed, he seemed perfect for the job. I'd thought for sure the problem had been dealt with, but much like our current predicament facing Voldemort once more in a full body, the curse has reared its head once more. I have not been able to go a year without something happening to one of my teachers since his first attempt at resurrection in stealing the Philosopher's Stone. Like all curses Harry, I'm afraid, they will never truly leave us."

"But you, I don't know, you changed it!" Harry was quick to point out. "Uncle Remus was Defense teacher for nearly fourteen years, and Slughorn was Potions teacher long before he went into retirement and you hired Quirrell as his replacement. So, can't we just, find some way to change these Horcruxes?"

"I have been trying this very thing," Dumbledore agreed, gesturing once more to the diary between them. "I have put all of my efforts into finding some way to dispel this Horcrux once and for all, but alas it has returned to its shell now. Why Harry?"

Harry felt like he already knew the answer, but still he spoke carefully, almost wishing he was wrong. "When you banished it the first time, it latched onto Pettigrew. We'll have to kill him now as well, won't we?"

"I believe so," Dumbledore said practically. "We knew this day was coming, no mortal soul could house what was being forced upon that man. Voldemort himself may well do it soon, whether because he believes he can no longer keep Wormtail under his command, or-"

"He finds something else to put the souls in," Harry realized.

"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded, a slight smile just visible behind the beard despite the grim topic.

6

"Topics on why house-elf heads are everywhere won't be on the tour I hope," Poppy mumbled, heeding his advice without even needing to ask of why they were being quiet.

"I've been waiting all year to show you this!" Leo whispered to her excitedly as they crept slowly up the stairs once more. "You'll see why in a moment."

"A dusty old house?" She muttered, nose crinkled in distaste. "I can't believe you convinced Slughorn to give you a portkey to here, it doesn't feel safe at all."

"So long as we're back before curfew no one will notice," he waved off. "It's my birthday, and I wanted to show you my heritage." He finally pushed the door open to the drawing room that had captivated his attention from the beginning, the old tree still sprawled across the wall that hadn't changed a bit.

His girlfriend looked marginally impressed as she began inspecting the walls, letting her fingers trail along to a few different branches before finding the one he knew she would, tracing down to the path he knew by heart now.

He went over to her, kneeling beside her on the ground and covering her hand with his as she tore her gaze away to look at him again. "I was adopted too."

Leo blinked in surprise, the pain on her face seeming to well up in him just as high. He pulled her in for a tight hug as he whispered, "You never mentioned that."

"Never felt important to me," she sighed as she began resting comfortably in his arms. "Mum never wanted kids until she found me alone in a field of poppies. She waited for ages for someone to claim me, but no one ever did, and then she said she couldn't have given me up anyways. She was there for everything, every bad dream and anything I ever needed. She'll always be my mum no matter who gave birth to me."

He nodded slowly to show he'd heard, but that hadn't been why he'd brought her here, he wasn't afraid of that anymore. "I meant what I said, this place, this house is my heritage. Even if my dad, my dad Sirius doesn't like it, these Mugglehaters made him the great man he is because he wouldn't be like them, and I won't either."

He tapped her shoulder so that she'd look at him, so she could see his sly smile. "Honestly, I kind of just got a kick out of the idea what my ol' gran would say if she saw me and you, the pureblood prince and the Muggleborn in here," he finished with a whisper before leaning in to kiss her.

6

Her tears shone like diamonds on her cheeks in the early morning sun. The white tomb sat behind them, as the viewers began saying their last goodbye to the best headmaster Hogwarts would ever know.

Ginny kept a tight grip on his hand through everything, he couldn't imagine how he would have gotten through all of this without her, and hoped he never had to find out.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

I don't blame people for thinking this is too outlandish and true fanfiction crap right here. I know I certainly used to scoff at this before I really started to think about it.

I know the biggest wtf ever is Bellatrix having a baby that Sirius took and no one ever realized, but at some point it occurred to me it was weird Bellatrix never did have kids. She clearly only married Rodolphus for family traditions sake, she was in love with only Voldemort, so why wouldn't they have had a kid to further tradition? And if things had gone on as normal, she would have still been in Azkaban, so if they did have kids, either other Death Eaters would have taken them in, or they would have been left for dead with no one the wiser when they were arrested. In cannon, I always pictured this as Blaise Zabini as their illegitimate kid, and the woman who took him in just did it for the secret glory of raising a Death Eater's kid. So yeah, he's never going to show up in fic because he got renamed Leo Black...

As for the age discrepancy, it just boiled down to the two people who took him in. Venenata Zabini said he was born anytime before September, Sirius claimed his birthday was on Nov. 13th when he found him. I also really loved the idea of nature vs nurture playing out. If this had been a full on series as was originally intended, you would have seen a lot more sneak in's of Leo's more malicious tendencies that were tampered out by his friends and fathers upbringing, but he couldn't totally fight off the 'haughty' nature of his original character from that one scene from the train that I did highlight.

The other big shocker, not really but whatever, is Poppy being adopted as well, and I have a headcanon of which character she's related to as well. Caradoc Dearborn, because, why not? Really, any first Order member will work for this theory. Her name's a bit of an unsubtle nodd to this, poppy's are associated with the death of a solider, and tulips are true love. She was the child of a soldier's true love.

I actually have headcannons for what happened to all of the original Order members, and Cardoc Dearborn was going to desert the Order once things were going bad and took his Muggle wife and daughter into hiding, hence why they vanished and were discovered dead so far away.

Hope this wasn't too insane to swallow?

Only three more chapters now, and I promise that's the craziest thing.