Disclaimer: Can you not half-tell I am a broody-bridget who wants to be the mother of Sirius Black's babies? LMAO And clearly, had I owned this, Sirius would have lived... LOL

Updated: Monday June 29 2009, because I am deflecting again and realise that though I should have done the work I brought home tonight, I can't very well escape said work tomorrow, so best make good use of my home time whilst I am home (even if the walls are falling down around me and sucking my bank account into the red... grrr)

Chapter II: A Power They Knew Not

"Lily! It's him! Take Harry and go!" yelled a frantic James Potter, meeting his wife in the hallway as alarms outside heralded the arrival of the Dark Lord. Inwardly, his mind was reeling – 'Peter, what have you done?' - and he couldn't usher his family up the stairs fast enough. "Lily! Run! I'll hold him off!"

"James..." Lily's voice came out as a strangled sob, the infant in her arms feeding off the tension and choosing that moment to start whimpering. Both mother and son seemed to know that it would be the last time they'd set eyes upon their husband and father again; Lily placing the distance between herself and her protector only for the sake of the child in her arms. Spotting Aidan loitering at the foot of the stairs, looking indecisively between his honorary aunt and uncle in turn, she beckoned for the boy to follow, trying not to sound too insistent as she called out to him over her shoulder. "Come along, Aidy... quickly now..."

Aidan's eyes drifted from Lily's retreating form, to the stoic stance of his father's best friend. Reaching the conclusion that his godmother had Harry, whilst his godfather was all alone, he stood firm; little hands clenching into white-knuckled fists as he mirrored James' actions, facing the door.
"Bad man comin' Uncle James," he said quietly, his careful application of James' given name belying his understanding of just how dire circumstances were. "Aidy help."

His guarded, determined eyes tearing away from the door to favour his godson one last time, James could not stop the single tear from falling. The failing wards outside telling him that he had no time to drop to one knee and embrace the terrified, but fiercely loyal and stubborn child that had remained by his side, he regretted that his parting words to the boy he loved as a son would be so necessarily harsh.
"Aidan Sterne Black, get upstairs!" he barked at the boy, wincing with guilt as Aidan flinched at both his tone and use of the boy's full name. Chancing a hand atop the child's head – his other hand keeping his wand firmly trained at the door – he tried to reassure the lad. "Your Aunt Lily needs your help, buddy. She can't protect Harry all on her own, so go!"

Flinching again – this time as a splinter of wood flew from the hinges of the heavy wooden door that stood between man, child and evil itself – Aidan chanced a quick hug to his godfather's legs, loudly declared his love for him, and promptly Disapparated upstairs in a remarkable feat of Accidental Magic. Momentarily stunned by the child's achievement and equal parts relieved and hopeful – relieved that the boy was out of sight and hopeful that the subconscious spell had taken him far, far away – James Potter was aware of only one thing as the Dark Lord burst into the room and threw a line of green light directly into his chest: his godson's parting words, echoing over and over in his mind.

"I love you, Uncle Prongs."


"Aidan, sweet Circe, don't ever do that again!" said Lily shrilly, lowering her wand. The scared little boy had Apparated right in front of Harry's cot when her back had been turned, prompting her to reel around defensively, a not-so-light curse rolling off her lips. It had been a testament to her years of consorting with Quidditch players and pranksters that she had been able to stop herself before any harmful spell could be cast.

Abandoning the search for the mislaid Portkey – never to realise that her family's traitor had filched it, along with all the others, on his most recent visit – Lily placed Harry in his cot and rushed across the room, scooping Aidan up and kicking open the closet with her foot. Setting him down, she readied her wand.
"Hold still," she murmured, tapping the boy on the head with her wand as she cast a Disillusionment Spell, the tell-tale sensation of the spell taking effect causing the child to shudder slightly. Nudging him, then, into the cupboard, she begged for the child's cooperation.
"You have to stay hidden, Aidy, it's the only way," she explained in a panicked whisper. The footsteps were on the stairs now, she could tell. "Promise me you'll stay quiet and in this cupboard until they're all gone. No matter what happens! Promise me, Aidy!"

"I love you, Mama Lily," said Aidan in a quivering voice, wrapping his arms around his beloved godmother's neck and giving her a quick squeeze before letting go and backing into the closet voluntarily. The astute four-year-old may never have been faced with such horrors before, but he didn't seem to be having any trouble identifying them. "Aidy hide. Harry too!"

"Yes, yes, Aidy hide," said Lily, choking back her tears – she would never get to see her own little boy grow to be Aidan's age. When she made no move to fetch Harry from his crib and deposit him at the boy's side, she had to be quick to stop the older boy from helping himself. "No, no, Aidy! He's expecting Harry and I to be here, but he'll not look for you. I'll protect Harry until the bad man goes away... then it's your turn to watch out for him; so I need you to stay hidden. Do you think you can do that for me?"
At Aidan's solemn nod, Lily kissed the boy's forehead, before standing up and heading back towards her son's cot, suddenly overcome with the urge to hold her own son once more. She chanced one last look at the little boy who, whilst now barely visible under her Charm, she could tell had not moved from the closet.
"Promise me, Aidan. Promise me you'll not move until they're gone! Promise me you'll grow up to protect my Harry!"

"I promise," a voice, seemingly from thin air, met Lily's ears a split second before the door to Harry's nursery burst open.

"Stand aside, silly girl!" Lord Voldemort roared at the defiant mother that stood between himself and his goal.

"No! Not my Harry! Take me! Leave my son alone!" pleaded Lily, knowing her pleas would fall on deaf ears, but knowing that they were necessary to ultimately ensure her son's protection.

"Step away, you silly girl, and live!" insisted the Dark Lord in silky tones. "It's the boy I came for!"

"Never!" hissed Lily, her eyes drifting away from the Dark Lord as she turned away from him, placing herself bodily between the son in her arms and any spell the evil wizard might care to cast. Out of sight of Lord Voldemort, she fixed her eyes on the crack in the closet door, where she knew her godson to be hiding. Mouthing the word 'promise' to him as a final reminder of his vow, she fell gracefully as the Dark Lord's Killing Curse struck her from behind, the woman caught blissfully unaware by the attack and remaining forever oblivious to the widening of horrified grey eyes.

Having accurately read the lips of his dying godmother, Aidan obediently stayed hidden even after Harry had fallen into his cot, left to face the Dark Lord alone; Lily's unmoving body lying crumpled on the floor. He could only watch in muted terror, his little hands gripping the hems of his red 'Auror' pyjama cloak around him in fear, as the evil Lord Voldemort attempted to repeat the fatal curse unto Harry.
'Please don't die, Harry! Don't die, Harry... please, please, please, please, please...' Aidan's mind chanted over and over, begging to an unseen force for his little godbrother to be spared. He squeezed his eyes shut as the man's wand swished through the air, the beginnings of green light peeking from its tip; only to scream out in pain and surprise when an explosion rocked the room.


When Aidan Black was next aware of his surroundings, he was lying in the cupboard that had been knocked sideways, his fall cushioned by the clothes and blankets within. He was surrounded by splinters of wood, and his clothes were coated with masonry dust and soot. Chancing a peek around the room, Aidan was relieved to find the mean old man gone; nothing but a wand and pile of robes in their place. Crawling his way out of the pile of once-clean clothes that had fallen with him when the cupboard was knocked over with him inside it, he started to cough and splutter uncontrollably as the shifting material disturbed the particles in the air, earning him a lungful of smoke and dust. The sound prompted an easily overlooked rodent to transform.
"What are you doing here, Aidan?" Peter Pettigrew stared at the four-year-old in surprise. Though no conscious effort had been made to conceal Aidan's extended visit from the Potter's Secret Keeper, Wormtail was hardly what one could call, 'observant'.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he caught the man's furtive glance towards the pile of robes that once resembled the most feared Dark wizard of the modern age, Aidan let his instincts guide him. Backing up until he was standing protectively in front of the quietly whimpering toddler the Dark Lord had come for, he scowled; doing his best impersonation of his gallant Uncle James.
"You bad, Wormtail!" he declared in a childish, but firm, tone. "G'way!"

Affronted by the look of hatred burning in the small boy's eyes, Peter Pettigrew looked from Aidan, to the bloodied face of the simpering Harry, to Lily's body, and then, finally, to what little remained of his master. Realising that it would only be a matter of time before Sirius or the Ministry answered the call of the wards and discovered what was left of the house, the rat Animagus scuttled forwards and, retrieving his master's wand, promptly transformed and disappeared into the rubble.

Eyes glistening with anger, little hands balled into fists on his hips in what was a subconscious homage to the fallen woman on the floor before him, Aidan Black scowled at the fleeing form of his father's good friend. His juvenile ruminations were interrupted, however, by Harry's frantic call.
"Mama!" the green-eyed boy had crawled over towards his mother, blood dripping from his forehead, chubby hands now tugging at the lifeless woman's robes. "Mama! A-idy!"

Realising that his new responsibility was only just beginning, Aidan Black squared his shoulders and rushed towards the little boy he loved like a brother. Biting back his own sobs, he silently pried Lily's wand from her fingers and tugged Harry away from her body; leading him into a corner of the room that seemed less damaged than the rest. The cot had overturned in the explosion, creating a sturdy little alcove from the elements; and most importantly, it shielded them from having to look upon Lily's dead body.
"C'mon Harry. We hide now," he coaxed and soothed the bewildered toddler with gentle pats and nonsense words; distractedly murmuring abstracts of nursery rhymes whilst his own limited mind struggled to come up with the next course of action.

Crawling into the upturned cot behind Harry, he draped the soft fleece of his pyjama cloak over them both and began to rock the boy in his lap to sleep, one hand pressed over the fresh wound on the child's forehead as he shed silent tears of his own. His other hand wrapped firmly around his godmother's wand, brave little Aidan forced himself to stay awake, whilst little Harry fell into uneasy slumber.
"Aidy look after you now. I promise," he vowed sleepily, dulled grey eyes snapping open into attention as the roar of a motorcycle filled the skies.


"Aidan, you and Harry have to go to Hogwarts," explained a distraught Sirius in a weary tone. After tearing through the house to find his best friends dead and the children cowering in what was left of Harry's nursery, he was particularly on edge. "You have to let Hagrid take you!"

"No! Daddy go too!" said Aidan, looking as though he had wanted to grab hold of his father, but not willing to let go of Harry in order to do so. "Please, Daddy don't go!"

Sirius' heart broke. Even when he knew that his mother would not take care of him, and a weekend with his godparents or better yet his father was a better alternative, Aidan had never begged. To see his son in such distress was hardly surprising, under the circumstances, but as painful as it was to separate himself from his son at that moment, he knew that when the boy grew, he'd understand why his father had to go after the man who had betrayed the Potters. It had curdled Sirius' blood to think that James and Lily had been betrayed by one of their own, Aidan's fractured account of the event upon his arrival confirming his worst suspicions. He was subsequently sickened by the thought of the Dark Lord having been so close to his beloved son and godson. Running a shaking hand through his hair, he looked over at the Hogwart's gatekeeper hopelessly.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way," he informed the burly wizard, wrapping his own cloak around both boys like a blanket, until only their heads were showing. "You can take my bike... they'll travel better."

"What a'bou' ye?" the confused half-giant frowned.

"Don't worry about me; I won't be needing the bike," said Sirius grimly, his mind set on revenge.

"No Daddy! Daddy no!" yelled Aidan, his voice hoarse from crying. He tried to untangle himself from the cloak, but it was no use; Sirius having covertly added a few spells in his actions to secure the boys for the journey ahead.

"Hey... hey... don't be all like that, you'll wake Harry!" said Sirius, trying his best to placate the child without having to resort to Stupefying the boy. He reached down and brushed way sweaty locks of hair. "You're working yourself up over nothing... anyone would think you didn't like poor Hagrid! C'mon, Pup... you're always asking for a ride on my bike! I won't be long, really I won't!"

But before he could quickly Disapparate in pursuit of Wormtail, a small hand made its way out of the cloak and grasped at his thumb, hauling him back. Looking down to see his son looking up at him with lost, teary eyes, the grieving Marauder bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"I have to go, Aidy," he said in a strained voice, trying not to let his impatience show. He gently wrestled his hand from his son's grip; a stab of pain piercing through his already crushed heart when the action caused a flicker of betrayal to settle on his beloved boy's face. He shook his head slowly, pleading for Aidan to understand. "I have... I have to go after the bad man..."

"No! Stay!" whined Aidan.

Granted the luxury of not having a Dark Lord banging down his door at that very moment, Sirius took the time James never had, and knelt before his son. Resting a hand on either shoulder – pausing only to ruffle Harry's hair as the sleepy toddler stirred from Aidan's harsh tone – he locked eyes with his little boy.
"No, Pup. I have to go..." he held up a hand as the boy opened his mouth to protest. "Leave it, Aidy-boy. Go with Harry and Hagrid to Hogwarts, your mother will know to fetch you from there. I'll be home by morning, I promise..."

Wide grey eyes looked up at Sirius, full of hope. Little did either of them realise at the time, that the breaking of that promise would drive father and son apart, for years to come.


In the time it had taken Hagrid to make the cross-country journey to Hogwarts on the back of Sirius' flying motorcycle, the bike's vengeful owner had made his attempt at retribution and been framed by his friends' betrayer. Confronted with the realisation that Annie Black was now a single mother, questions were fast being raised about the woman's ability to care for a child on her own.

"I went there, as you said, and found no sign of her," said Minerva McGonagall in a disproving voice; they had been unable to find Annie Black in the hours since her husband's arrest – or indeed a number of hours beforehand. The old woman shook her head. "Albus, the house was a shambles! I cannot in good conscience turn over the fate of two small children to a home like that. The woman is either on the verge of a breakdown, or in the midst of one."

"You can tell all of this, just by the state of her home?" said Albus, disbelievingly. He popped a lemon drop into his mouth and regarded the two sleeping children on the sofa of his office with a sad smile. "Alas, only Aidan will be returning to his mother. Young Harry will have to go to his mother's Muggle sister..."

"But Annie is his guardian, by default!" said McGonagall, aghast at both options.

"I daresay Mrs Black has enough difficulties accepting the presence of her own son in her life, let alone an additional orphaned child," said Albus gravely. "I shall be making arrangements for Mrs Black and young Aidan to reside on school property, so that we may keep an eye on the child's welfare, but I do not think it wise for Harry to grow in an environment where everyone will be awed by his name."

Before the disgruntled witch could protest, the door swung open to reveal Hogwarts' newest Potions Master. The man swept into the room, only to halt mid-step upon seeing whose children were lying prone on the couch. The headmaster stood gracefully, to meet him.
"Ah, Severus!" he said, an unreadable expression on his face. "Could you, perchance, take charge of young Aidan here, whilst Minerva and I see to Harry's safe delivery to his Muggle relatives? Annie seems to be a little waylaid..."

Severus Snape had been about to respond in the negative, but the mention of the former classmate who he had come close to accepting the love he'd realised would never come from Lily caused him to narrow his eyes in consideration. He may have completely dismissed any chance of learning to love the woman in return after she had foolishly tried to save her pride at his initial rejection by sleeping with – and falling pregnant by - Black, but the woman was Lily's friend. And despite the fact she'd married Potter and ultimately gotten herself killed because of it, there wasn't a lot he wouldn't do for the neighbourhood girl who'd once seen past his ungainly smocks and extended the hand of friendship.

Confronted with the news of her husband's incarceration, Severus doubted that Annie would be able to deal with an inquisitive three, no, four year-old just yet. He didn't think he could cope with the undoubtedly precocious progeny of his nemesis any better, but then the small part of him that thrilled with the prospect of staging the ultimate revenge upon Black was willing to overlook the likeness the boy bore to its father if it meant getting the man where it hurt. For there was no doubt Annie would now take advantage of her liberation from Black and pursue him... invite him to be the father she'd wanted for her child.

But could he go that far? To strike at the heart of Black? Or was this an inevitability he was prepared to let happen because it'd be something Lily would have wanted for him... the love of a woman, and a happy family...

But then what of Lily's actual flesh and blood? Had Dumbledore really thought things through when proposing Petunia Evans – or whatever her married name was now – raise the savior of the world that had not accepted her?

As though sensing the younger wizard's hesitation, but misinterpreting the cause, Albus sought to allay the man's fears.
"I placed him under a Sleeping Charm myself, Severus. He will not wake until the morning," Albus assured him, crossing his office and reaching out for the younger of the two dark-haired boys. Following his lead, Severus made to collect Aidan, albeit a little more awkwardly, but both men were caught unaware by the emerald green bubble that encased both children when they tried to separate them.

To further their surprise, a very wide-awake Aidan sat up protectively, scowling at the two wizards; the shield around him appearing to be a rather spectacular demonstration of Accidental Magic. Their attempts to placate the defensive boy were quickly shot down by the determined child.
"No! Aidy promised!" said Aidan, trying his hardest to make the adults trying to separate him from Harry, understand. "Aidy's turn to look after Harry! Mama Lily said so!"

Noticing a green glow outlining Aidan's hands as they hauled the sleeping Harry onto his lap, hugging the younger boy to him with his arms wrapped around the baby's chest, and verifying the contact as the origin of the shield keeping them at bay, Albus Dumbledore began to reconsider.
"Aidan," he said in his most cajoling voice. "May I see your memory of making that promise? Will you show me what happened tonight?"

"Albus! You cannot call upon a child to relive such horrors!" Minerva McGonagall chose that moment to intervene. "I will not allow it!"

Quickly explaining his suspicions with his deputy, outlining just why there was no other choice but to take the reluctant foray into the child's mind for confirmation, Albus sought the woman's approval. The Gryffindor head once again placing her trust in her superior, the venerable headmaster then leveled his wand at the bewildered Aidan. When his efforts to penetrate the boy's mind were met with rudimentary, but restrictive barriers – quite possibly because of the shield that surrounded the children still - he could not hide his surprise; turning to his fellow Occlumens for assistance.

When Minerva McGonagall realised that Albus and Severus both would be attempting Legilimency upon the preschooler's mind, she looked horrified.
"Not two!" she cried out, but it was too late, the men having already wordlessly sent their spells towards the little boy; the little boy who had just happened to look up at them in curiosity, making eye contact.

They were in.

Words could not describe the myriad of emotions that threatened to overcome both seasoned war veteran and reformed Death Eater alike. Though they had become desensitised to death over the years, neither would consider themselves human to remain unaffected by the fact that the scenes they were witnessing were taken from the perspective of a mere child. As it turned out, both James and Lily had, in turn, called upon their godson to watch over their child. Whether they had intended the words to be meaningful or not, they would never know, but the serious way in which Aidan had weighted the couple's dying requests was all it took; a powerful bond had been brokered. Dumbledore realised that it would be very foolhardy indeed to try and separate the two boys without further investigation. Reaching this tentative decision – a final choice could not be made without giving due consideration to the abilities of Aidan's mother and the obstacles that raising the sure to be famous survivors of Voldemort's downfall in the wizarding world would bring – Albus Dumbledore looked over at his youngest member of staff.
"Severus, I am afraid I am going to have to ask you an even bigger favour..." he said slowly, his eyes flicking meaningfully from both children to Severus in silent question. Even though they had just been spared the journey to Surrey for that night at least, neither the headmaster nor his deputy were in any kind of shape to babysit the two small children until their mother and guardian could be located; so much more needed to be done.

Severus' eyes narrowed contemptuously, the fact the Potter boy had just witnessed his mother's death... Lily's death... may have drawn an ounce of sympathy from him, but it wasn't nearly enough to make him agree with what the headmaster was hinting at. Especially not when the Dark Lord would not have come after Lily at all, had the boy not been born.
"No. Absolutely not!" he scowled. Lily's son or not, he couldn't overlook who the child's father was anymore than he could forgive the fact that the toddler was the entire reason his love's killer had sought her out. He would watch over Aidan, if only to rub it in Black's face at some later date, but the Potter brat could stay in the infirmary for all he cared; he was certain it would not be so difficult to assure the older boy that his new shadow would be safe there on his own.

They had gotten as far as the school nurse's office, the journey painfully long and slow with Aidan insisting on walking himself whilst carrying a sleeping toddler only inches shorter than him, when it became apparent that no, Aidan did not trust the hospital wing to keep 'his Harry' safe. When Madam Pomfrey emerged from her quarters, intent upon examining the new arrivals, the lingering green aura around the two children thickened until it almost completely obscured the boys within; anyone who touched the barrier, drawing their hands away, burned.
"Amazing!" said the nurse breathlessly, gasping in awe. She circled the green sphere slowly, smiling reassuringly when the suspicious preschooler within turned with her. Catching Severus' eye, she shook her head in disbelief. "It's not just a myth!"

"What's not a myth?" said Severus, disliking it when he was missing something important. Dumbledore had changed his mind about separating the boys rather quickly, and had not given Severus the benefit of an explanation. "Poppy, do you know what this is?"

"A living sacrifice," murmured Poppy, her eyes wide. Blinking at what that meant, she snapped her head up at the wizard who brought the children and frowned. "Severus, who are these children?"

"Aidan Black and Harry Potter," said Severus with a slight snarl of distaste. "Hagrid brought them direct from Godric's Hollow. The boy is to remain here for treatment, and Aidan's to stay with me until his mother can be located to take them both."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Severus," said Poppy in a bemused voice. "That shield won't go away until the threat of separation is gone. I'm guessing either James or Lily died in front of them, throwing themselves in front of a curse meant for one of the boys."

"Lily – how did you know?" said Severus, unable to hide his surprise. Whilst details of the Potter's death and Voldemort's downfall had filled the WWN bulletins all evening, such specifics were yet to become public knowledge. No one knew of the survival of the Potter heir, and Aidan Black had yet to be placed at the scene at all; his presence considered unlikely in light of his father's apparent betrayal.

"Whoever it was, the power of their sacrifice transferred to Aidan," said Poppy in continued awe. "His love and instinct to protect little Harry was – is – equal to that which Lily felt in her final moments, enabling the transfer. It truly is precious..."

Leaving Aidan where he stood, holding the still sleeping Potter child in his weary arms, Severus swept over to the nearest potions supply cupboard, for lack of anything else better to do.
"They are bound together for as long as the boy continues to feel the same," he stated levelly, his long slender fingers counting the vials of Pepper Up, doing an impromptu inventory as he fought to wrap his mind around this latest revelation. Aidan Black had just moved up on the list of the Dark Lord's enemies, and all for something his Lily had already given her life for. Despite the fact the evil wizard in question was presently incapable of posing a tangible threat, there still remained a great number of his followers who would actively seek to avenge their master by attacking the boy Voldemort had failed to kill. When it became known that the boy was seemingly untouchable because of this bond that had been created between the child and Aidan Black, neither child would ever be completely safe again.

Horrified by the thought of Lily's death being in vain, Severus knew that his options were limited. The only way to give his love's death some meaning would be to keep the children safe... send them as far away from Britain as possible; or give them all new identities and spread the word that Harry Potter had died in the hours following the attack. The latter option would remain the only way in which he personally could maintain a stake in ensuring Lily's legacy was upheld, and if that meant succumbing to Annie's advances, and tolerating the kin of his schoolyard enemies, then perhaps it existed as something he had to do. But he knew he had to act fast, to exert his input in to the situation, else Dumbledore decide otherwise; deny him the ability to demonstrate to Lily – wherever she was now, in the afterlife – just how much he would always be prepared to do for her.

"Severus, where are you going?" the surprised medi-witch called after him.

The departing wizard was unaware of his feet moving across the floor until the woman had called on him to explain. Not bothering to slow his step, he called over his shoulder from the doorway of the ward.
"I have a pressing matter to discuss with Dumbledore," he informed the woman, bound for her Floo connection. If the children were to gain any protection from anonymity, then time was of the essence. "Don't let anyone see the children! Keep them with you; in your office if you must!"

Confused by the Potions Master's sudden departure – the man had even left the door of the supply cupboard wide open – Poppy Pomfrey could only comply with his parting request, setting aside her questions for later. Gesturing for the quietly observing boy to bring Harry along to her office, she left the hospital wing and led her two secret patients into a small side room off her office. Inside, the small day-bed that she kipped on when patients needed round-the-clock care was positioned closest to the door; the rest of the room set aside as a mini Potions Lab and storage area.

Turning down the bedsheets, she coaxed the exhausted four-year-old and his sleeping friend into the bed before busying herself with securing away anything that may harm a small child. The shield, she had not failed to notice, had begun to fade, and would likely disappear altogether once the child's mother had arrived and convinced her son that he and Harry would be kept together. Until then, she could do nothing to treat either child, except to make sure that they got some rest and felt comfortable and safe.

Settling herself down in a cushioned rocking chair at the foot of the bed, she picked up her knitting and began to hum a lullaby. Watching her intently from the bed, Aidan Black must have recognised the tune; the tense guardedness fading from his eyes as he hugged the oblivious Harry closer to him and began to relax; his tired grey eyes drooping closed at last. Fighting the urge to sit beside the children and run her hands through the older boy's hair comfortingly – the shield would likely disallow such contact and only startle the child – Poppy doubled her efforts with the lullaby, her gentle humming soon turning into audible words as the soft click-click of her knitting needles provided their gentle accompaniment.

"...lay your head down
the stars they have whispered
Hear what they say..."

End Chapter

A/N: Next chapter we skip forward in time to the summer before Harry's third year. How do you think Aidan and Harry will turn out? Will they even know each other? Discuss. (Sorry I *have* been formatting high school mid-term examinations for Muggle teachers who are as anti-computer as a Pureblood bigot).