Disclaimer: No money is made of this, that's why I am poor.

Warnings: This story will have slash, violence

Beta: Angelhitomie

Mr Grey,

We have been informed of the change in guardianship of Severus Snape, June the 23th, Spinners End number seven.

As this has not been authorized by a Ministry official from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the guardianship has been returned to Tobias Snape, father of Severus Snape. If you have complains, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement three days after receiving this owl at the latest.

You have exactly 48 hours to deliver Mr Severus Snape back to his rightful guardian, otherwise legitimate consequences will follow.

Sincerely

Johnson Savage, secretary of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

A quick burst of heat rendered the letter to ash. Shaking his hands to free them from the cinders, Harry narrowed his eyes at the Ministry owl that had brought the letter to him. Sensing the danger it was in, the owl squeaked and took off back through the window it had first used to enter through. It might be for the best, because if Harry had to compose a response, the Aurors might have to show up because of the death threats, and possible also for carrying them out.

Unless the Ministry of Magic was different from the one he had known, this was not their doing. Harry hadn't even known that they handled things like where children had to stay, but he could definitely have used that, both as an Auror but also several times before then.

No, it seemed more likely that someone else was pulling the threads, and Harry was quite willing to place his money on Dumbledore. The Ministry didn't care about a halfblood, and Malfoy had seemed happy that Severus was away from his father, so he wouldn't be behind this.

That left Harry with Dumbledore and Flamel, unless someone else had decided to stick their noses where they didn't belong. While Flamel was a power on his own, he didn't exactly strike Harry to be one to pull this kind of stunts. Dumbledore on the other hand seemed to be more than a likely candidate behind this whole plot. With Severus back at Spinner's End, Hogwarts would be his only place of freedom until he filled seventeen. And Dumbledore would have free reins to do whatever he wanted in the time between.

That was something Harry was unwilling to let happen. Severus was his, a part of his family and it would stay that way until the teen no longer desired it, and even then Harry would fight him on that decision.

Glancing at the clock, Harry pursed his lips; it was still early, if he left now he could go to the Ministry before he had to open the shop. "Fenrir, do you mind watching the boys a few hours more than we agreed on?" he called out though there was no one else in the room. Harry knew he could easily take them along, but if things went south, Harry would not be serving Severus on a silver plate to them.

He wasn't surprised when he felt a warm body press against his back. "What has gotten you so angry?" Fenrir asked as he rested his chin on top of Harry's head, using his superior height to his advantage.

Slapping one of the hands away before they could wander too low, Harry turned and stepped away. Just like himself, Fenrir had been up for hours already, though Harry had no idea what the other spent his time with. Since coming back from his trip yesterday, Fenrir had been oddly distant and thoughtful. Harry wanted to know what it was about, worried about whatever seemed to worry Fenrir. But it seemed like there were other things that needed his attention right now.

"The Ministry seems to want to take Severus away." He held his hands up when Fenrir's eyes flickered amber. "Whoa, I'll deal with it. But if you can keep an eye on the boys, perhaps take them out to look for those plants Severus mentioned yesterday, it would be really great," Harry said, half worried that he might have to do something drastically to prevent Fenrir from going with him.

Huffing the man relaxed his muscles while his eyes returned to their original blue shade. "You want me to look after the pups, while you go and make sure that our pack isn't split up?" he asked for clarification and Harry nodded. "Then go and make sure of it, I'll stay here and protect the pups."

Harry opened his mouth to ask exactly what it was they needed protection from, it was not like anyone but the goblins knew they were here. But Fenrir had already disappeared into the back of the house. Shaking his head, Harry decided not to think more about it. Fenrir was probably upset that he couldn't go, because bringing a wanted criminal along to the Ministry was such a good idea, and decided to call babysitting for protection duty.

Yup, that was definitely it, and now Harry would stop worrying about Fenrir's choice of words and instead focussed on the matter on hand.

He used a few minutes to make sure that he looked somewhat respectable; his hair was a hopeless case no matter what he tried. Here, he did not have the favour of being the Boy-Who-Lived or the Man-Who-Conquered. This would hardly be solved by giving an autograph. This was one of the few times he thought his titles might have been of use, and yet they would get him nowhere as they meant nothing to the people here.

And Harry doubted he could find Voldemort's Horcruxes, destroy them, find Voldemort and kill him before the two days limit. "Make sure that Teddy doesn't get too many sweets and don't let Severus worry too much. I'll contact you as soon as I know something." Knowing that Fenrir had heard him, Harry let out another, but smaller, bust of heat.

The next moment Harry found himself standing at the Apparition point near the Ministry building, it would have sucked if he had managed to appear in the middle of a busy Muggle street if the spot had been moved between now and his time. Nodding to the unlucky guy who had been stuck with watch duty in case that something happened, Harry quickly left the area, less he wanted to end up under someone's feet. With how his day had turned out to be so far, Harry wouldn't be surprised if that actually happened.

Since he was no longer an employee of the Ministry, he couldn't take the direct way in. Luckily the telephone box was where it was supposed to be, and since there was no one there, Harry stepped straight in. Being alone in the red telephone box meant that he had plenty of space, unlike when he and his friends had gone off to rescue Sirius, or even when Mr Weasley had been escorting him to his hearing before his fifth year.

Lifting the telephone receiver Harry turned the dial. Six, two, four, four and two again. Really, it wasn't original, but considering that wizards and witches should use this thing, Harry supposed that it made sense that they should spell magic.

This time Harry wasn't startled to hear the woman's voice sounding as if someone was standing right next to him. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Placing the receiver by his head, Harry took a calming breath. He could feel the heat roll below his skin. Even the smallest thing could probably set him off right now, and Harry was starting to wonder of the wisdom of coming here right now. Though he would not turn away. Later, he would allow himself to let out some stream. "Hadrian Grey, I am here regarding the guardianship of Severus Snape."

"Thanks." The rather cold voice replied. "Guest, please take the nameplate and fasten it to your robe." After some noise a small silver emblem appeared in the chute where returning coins usually appeared. Hadrian Grey,child custody. He secured it just above his heart without a protest as the voice started speaking again. "As a guest of the Ministry, you are required to admit yourself to a search and hand over your wand for registration at the security desk at the end of the atrium."

By now Harry was ready to leave, knowing that this could not possible end well. He had one wand, the Holy one, which, as far as Harry knew, was still supposed to be gathering dust in Ollivander's shop. Harry could think of no reasonable explanation to why he was walking around with a wand that was not sold yet.

He floor beneath his feet shock as it moved underground, and Harry used the moment to retie the shoelaces on his sneakers. "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day." The voice spoke one last time before the door opened and Harry stood, burrowing his hands in his pockets and stepped out of the telephone box.

Like it was the case with everything else from their world, the Ministry was not much different from the one Harry had known before the second war against Voldemort had started. There were no statues to honour those of importance in the Ministry's eyes, who had lost their lives in the war. The only reason there had been none of Harry was because he had threatened to blast it to pieces if he ever caught sight of such a thing.

It had been creepy enough to see a life-sized Dumbledore whenever he had had to meet in for work. Whoever had made the statue of the old headmaster had clearly not known a first thing about the old man. Really, Harry had preferred to talk to the portrait in Hogwarts when he had had the time, it had been much closer to the real thing, much better than a glorified stone version Harry was sure that Dumbledore would not have liked if he had lived to see it.

The hall was long with walls of black marble, the floor was of a dark wood that looked newly polished. A line of fireplaces stood along the walls and every few minute green flames would roar to life, allowing a witch or wizard to step through.

In the middle of the halfway was the golden fountain, the same one which Dumbledore had used to protect him when he had been duelling against Voldemort. Nothing had been there to occupy the place since Voldemort's statue that had showed their superiority to everything else. Seeing the way the house-elf, goblin and centaur were looking up at the wizard and witch was frankly disturbing. The Ministry was lucky that the latter two did not come here, or there would be an uproar unlike anything they were prepared to deal with. It was possible that there would be a rebellion or two more for Binns to teach in his History of Magic lessons.

Aware that he couldn't simply turn around without looking suspicious, Harry went to the desk at the other end of the hall with a plague that read Security. The guard had his nose buried in an edition of Witch Weekly, ignoring Harry until the wizard cleared his throat. "What do ya want?" The guard snapped, clearly annoyed that Harry had interrupted his reading time.

"I'm here regarding the guardianship of Severus Snape."

"Step around." Already knowing what was expected Harry dug his wand out from his pocket. It seemed he would just have to hope that this would work, otherwise he would probably not make it out of here unless he took to destructive means.

Just as he rounded the table's corner, someone bumped into Harry hard enough to send him into the corner and falling to the ground. He had his arms up before he hit the floor and several curse words slipped over his lips as something soundly snapped.

"Oh my, are you okay? I am so sorry; normally I am not so clumsy. Are you alright? You are not moving, why are you not moving? Did I kill you? I am so sorry about that:" Harry was aware of the woman who had yet to pause in her stream of words but he could not tear his eyes from the two pieces of now useless wood he was clutching in his hands, a bit of a red feather poking out of one of the ends.

"My wand." He moaned, thankful that the hands on his arm let go. Even though layers of clothes had been between them, they felt icy cold.

"He's alive. You are alive, that's great. I haven't killed you." Having no desire to have her hands on him again, because they were bone chilling where she had touched his arm, Harry got up from the floor.

Once standing, Harry froze momentary upon seeing the woman who had bumped into him, wringing her hands as her eyes didn't stay from his broken wand.

Harry felt like he had gotten the air knocked out of his lungs, and not because of the fall. There, right in front of him, stood a woman who could very well have been Ginny's twin, albeit a few years older than his wife had gotten the chance to be. Red hair was pulled back in a pony tail, leaving her freckled face clear. It was the same petite stature and even those bright brown eyes.

It took Harry a few moments to come over his shock, only to realise that the woman was stall chatting, and still looking worryingly close to break out in tears. Harry was starting to feel guilty just from looking at her. "Hey there, this is hardly the first time a wand is broken, there is really is no reason to cry." He tried, sending the guard a desperate look, but the man looked more than happy with leaving Harry to deal with this.

"You've broken your wand before?" She asked with true horror in her voice, getting more than just a few scandalized looks from bypasses.

"It happens for even the best of us. You didn't get hurt did you?" Harry asked, not answering her question. After all, while he personally hadn't broken his wand before, it had happened to Ron. How the redhead had made it through the school year without accidentally killing someone had been a mystery to most of them. But the broken wand had had its uses when Lockheart had attempted to Oblivate Harry and Ron down in the Chamber of Secrets.

The slightly used, brown robe she was wearing left no hint for Harry if she had taken any damage. "No, but I am so sorry. As I said before, I am not normally this clumsy. Sorry, but I am afraid that I don't know your name." She said with a half embarrassed smile that might just have sent Harry's heart beating a bit faster. Ginny had worn the same kind of smile in some of their private moments.

Shaking himself mentally, Harry steered his thoughts away from the subject. Ginny was dead, and no matter how much this woman reminded him of her, she was not his deceased wife. "Hadrian Grey." He simply offered. Despite how much she looked like Ginny, that was where the similarity ended.

A strange expression passed over the woman's face, but it was gone again before Harry had a chance to analyse it. Her hands fluttered around, much like nervous butterflies. "The name is Gwyneira Storm, though I prefer Gwyn, otherwise it can be a bit of a mouthful. I am an attorney."

Harry allowed himself to return her smile. Even Ginny had preferred the shortened version of her name and damn it he really should stop comparing those two, because that would lead to trouble, Harry just knew it. "You can call me Harry." He offered.

"Are you perhaps flirting with me, Harry?"

The question took him off guard, but her tone of voice was anything but serious, much to his own relief. If she mistook his attempt of politeness for being interested, this could turn out ugly really fast.

Though he had to wonder, what her relation to Ginny might be. With the great likeliness between those two, they either had to be related, however distant it might be, or someone was playing a rather cruel prank on him.

"I don't know where you got that impression from, not that you aren't attractive, but no, I'm not interested." His hand found the ring by its own accord. Trying to start a relationship, build it up to the level of trust and love he had experienced once, seemed pretty much impossible.

"Oh." That sound, not even a word, held more meaning than Harry could figure out. "Listen, I am sorry about the wand, and I promise that I'll pay for a new one."

"No need for that." Harry quickly said. He would not take her money, and neither would he be stepping a foot inside Ollivander's, especially not to buy another wand since he might end getting the one he already had. If his alternative self was born, Harry would hate to rob him of a wand that would match him perfectly.

Probably uncomfortable by his refusal, Gwyn shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, almost as if she was doing some kind of weird dance. It made Harry feel like the bad guy, and he really didn't like that thought. "Listen, I am sure we both have places to be, so why don't we go our separate ways and forget that this happened?" He offered uneasily. It seemed like today was doomed to be one of those he regretted getting out of bed.

Gwyn parted her red painted lips, a difference Harry happily latched onto, because Ginny had rarely, if ever, used makeup. It seemed like Gwyn would agree to his suggestion, when her eyes fell on the emblem he was wearing and her brow furrowed. "Are you here to seek guardianship for an orphan?"

Harry was strongly tempted to tell her to keep her nose out of matters which did not concern her until he remembered her occupation. Attorneys were somewhat a rare thing in their world, despite so man who could benefit of one. He suspected it was because of the crazily high scores one needed in the N.E.W.T exams to get into the program. And those who managed completed the whole thing, did not have an easy time getting a job afterwards. Most purebloods preferred to buy their way out of their mess rather than going through the trouble of having a trial. And common people rarely had the means to afford a lawyer's pay.

Glancing at the guard, Harry was not surprised to see that he had gone back to his paper, paying no obvious attention to them. Then again, he might just be really good at acting, and even if he wasn't someone else might be overhearing them.

As if reading his thoughts, Gwyn casted a privacy ward around them, ensuring that they wouldn't be overheard. "I stumbled over the grave of someone I once knew, and I found her son. His father is an abusive arsehole, but he signed a contract allowing me to be Severus' guardian. The goblins endorsed it, and now someone thinks that he should be sent back to his father despite everything that has happened." Harry ran a hand through his hair, unwilling to show his frustration otherwise.

"Was it physical or psychological abuse?"

"Probably both, but when intervened, he was attacking Severus, kicking him even though he was already down." Harry sucked in a breath, aware that he needed to calm himself before he lost his grip on the heat inside him and rendered something to cinder.

"Will you be willing to provide a memory of the incident for viewing in a Pensieve, as well as one where the father writes over his rights to you, it'll go a long way if we can prove that no violence from your side took place and that he did it willingly." Going over the short time he had spent in Spinner's End, Harry nodded. What little magic he had done back then was nothing that would look suspicious. And it wasn't like he had done any harm to the man, no matter how tempting it had been.

The way Gwyn's face lit up in a smile didn't board well for whoever they would be facing. Harry had a feeling that she could be just as vindictive as Ginny had been. "Great, how about I help you, it'll be free of course, as payment for breaking your wand and, well, I don't really have anything else on my schedule that is remotely interesting today. Do you have an appointment with someone already?" She asked somewhat belatedly.

At Harry shake of his head, she looked positively delighted and let the Silence ward fall, a signal for the guard that their conversation was over. "Wand." The man growled, looking even sourer when Harry held up the two broken pieces for inspection. "Wait a moment."

He ducked behind the desk, and for a moment his hunched back was the only bit visible of the guard before he was back in his seat, a thick, leather bound book between his hands. When he laid it on the desk a cloud of dust flew up, causing him to cough and sneeze.

Another, but thankfully smaller cloud of dust was sent upwards when the book was opened and turned so Harry didn't have to look at it upside down. Despite its old looks, the guard had opened it at one of the first pages, and hardly anything had been written in it. The page he was looking on held a short list of names, all written in different handwritings in red ink. It took him a short moment to recognise the book; after all, he had only seen it twice or so in his time working for the Ministry. Not all who came here had access to a wand, and the Ministry needed to keep track of the people coming and going.

The knowledge of this didn't stop Harry's glare from nearing the level of a Basilisk's stare as he picked up the black and long quill. The heat was rolling under his skin. All he had to do was let a little bit out and no one would have to deal with the abnormal creation anymore. The only problems was, that the Ministry had at least a dozen more ready for use hidden away somewhere, and it would be a little hard to explain how he'd rendered the quill to ash when witnesses had seen his wand break.

Knowing what to expect, Harry grimaced already before he had placed the quill's tip at the page.

Hadrian Grey

He should probably be thankful that Malfoy hadn't given him a longer name. As it was, his hand already stung from writing the two words. But after the hours after hours Umbridge had force him to use the Blood Quill, it was easily written off as nothing. It was nothing but a small sting compared to the throbbing, bloody mess his hand had been after the many detentions he had been through. If he had had his accelerated healing back then, it would have meant nothing but bad memories. Now it was another thing about his body he hid to avoid unwanted questions.

As soon as the last dot had been made, Harry let go of the quill as if it was made of ice and wiped his hand clean in his robe. He would find another solution for the next time he couldn't avoid going to the Ministry. He wouldn't be touching a Blood Quill again, unless it was to destroy it.

Before he could say something, probably a few threats towards the creator of those quills which would bring him the attention of the Aurors, Harry found his sleeve grabbed and himself dragged towards the elevator by Gwyn.

They went to a connected room with at least twenty elevators, each behind a golden grid to stop people from being pushed through by accident, or perhaps stepping when the paperwork seemed to become too much. As they joined up with a group in front of one of the grids, Gwyn had cast the privacy ward anew to stop anyone from overhearing their conversation. Harry knew they would get no raised eyebrows for this since it was common practice by the employees of the Ministry. And as a lawyer, Gwyn had every right to use it when she was talking with a client.

A slight smile twisted her lips. "Am I correct to assume that you have not arranged an appointment?" The grit slid aside, allowing them to move inside the elevator.

"I'm afraid not." He admitted as they managed to secure themselves a corner as the lift started moving downwards. He had not really thought further than getting here and to ensure that Severus would not be taken away. He was more of the type to think on his feet. Hermione, and occasionally Ron too, had formed a plan beforehand.

"Good, I believe it will be to our advantage by going fast forward. By not announcing our presence, we give them less of a chance to prepare their case against you. Honestly, what kind of people want to send a child back to a place that is clearly unfit to house them?" The last bit was whispered, and perhaps Harry was not meant to overhear it, but it made it clear that Gwyn wasn't just doing this because she felt bad about his wand. At least she seemed interested in doing what was best for Severus.

As people got off of the lift and others stepped in to replace them, the duo's subject change from tactic to more casual conversation. Gwyn constant chatter and questions gradually distracted Harry, and by the time they stepped off the lift, he was pleased to discover that the rolling heat inside him had calmed down to a more manageable level. Perhaps he wouldn't risk setting the next person who touched him on fire.

Exiting the lift at Level Two, Harry took four steps towards his workplace before remembering that he did not work here any longer. In fact, he was not supposed to have been here before, so he could hardly go on like he knew where they were supposed to go.

With an embarrassed smile, that was not entirely false, Harry turned to face Gwyn, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just want to get over with this. Do you mind showing where we are going?" He sent a silent thank to whoever might be listening that Gwyn didn't seem to have noticed his slip-up.

"Of course, I know just who we should go to so this will be over as fast as possible." There was an edge in her smile that sent a picture of a shark having smelled blood to the forefront of Harry's mind. Even knowing that she was supposed to be on his side, Harry couldn't help but feel a little concerned. It was with slight fear for his own well-being that Harry willingly stepped aside, allowing Gwyn to take the lead with him right behind her.

They passed series of cubicles; one for each of the Aurors in the Department, thought there was at least two in each. Harry guessed it had something to do with them technically being at war with Voldemort. Though he was ought to find out if they were actually at war, or if Voldemort was still at the terrorist plan. But it seemed to be considered enough of a threat that this department's budget was flowering compared to how it had been when Voldemort had returned. The Aurors' fund had severely suffered in the years of peace, the money instead going to projects that would make the Minister look good in the public's eyes.

The cubicles' walls were far from bare. Clips from the Daily Prophet as well as maps, both Muggle and Magical ones, hung side by side with pictures of known Dark Wizards. Some of those wanted posters had still been there when Harry had started working in the Department. Given how long witches and wizards tended to live, it was no wonder that the pictures were kept around until there was a body to show, preferably a dead one.

Gwyn strode forward with Harry right behind her, no one tried to stop them. Then again, the red head looked like a woman with a mission, and Harry doubted very much that anyone would be stupid enough to try and stop her.

They headed towards a closed office a little away from the cubicles. In Harry's time, it had been used to keeping a resemblance of control over leads to current cases, though he doubted that it was the case right now.

At this point of time, the room was used as an office. And while there still was a mess in there, a superficial look told him, that the papers were connected to finances rather than a case. What a shame, because Harry would love to find out what the Aurors were wasting their time on, because they didn't seem to be doing much to stop Voldemort.

At first glance the small office seemed empty, and Harry raised an eyebrow at Gwyn, silently wondering what they were doing in there. His body shifted slightly to prepare for an attack in case she had led him into an ambush. Considering where they were, it seemed unlikely, but underestimating people's stupidity seemed like a sure way to get oneself killed.

Harry nearly unleashed his flames when the desk jumped and a string of curse-words sounded from under it. Not two seconds later an elderly, rather stout man emerged from underneath the desk, rubbing his head which explained why the desk had suddenly moved. It was only when he had planted himself in the chair and laid the book, probably the reason why he had been under the desk in the first place, that the man realised he was no longer alone in the room.

Pale brown eyes moved from one to the other, probably wondering how they had made it inside without his notice. He smiled, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk. "Good morning, I am Hannes Harris, I handle most of the legal matters in this department, and how may I be of help today?" Well, he was certainly better mannered than the guy at the security desk.

Following Gwyn's lead, Harry took a seat after she had, forcing himself to sit properly rather than on the edge of the chair. It would hardly give a good impression if he looked ready to bolt with a moment's notice, no matter how close to the truth that might be.

"Mr Harris, we are here because my client, Hadrian Grey, received a rather unsettling letter from this department. Hopefully, we will be able to solve this matter to everyone's satisfaction." Gwyn certainly didn't play around. Perhaps she had enough sense to know how tender Harry's hold on his control was right now, or perhaps this was just how she normally worked.

Harris had already started searching through the many stacks of papers littering his desk while Gwyn was speaking. "Can you tell me a little more about the letter sent out? We do that a lot, and it's a downright hazard to keep track of everything." Harris explained, not looking up from his search.

"You're trying to take one of my boys from me." Harry bit out, determined to ignore the look of warning Gwyn sent him. The longer he spent in this place, the more likely it was that he gave in to the temptation to see if the Ministry was fire proofed. Though he was certain that none of that could be heard in his voice.

Apparently, this was enough for Harris to find what he was searching for. "Ah yes, the Snape boy." A thin folder was pulled out from a stack that looked dangerously close to tilting over the desk's edge. He opened it and let his eyes run over the pages quicker than Harry was able to follow. "It seems his mother has recently died, her side of the family has shown no interest in taking the boy in, leaving him with his Muggle father." Harris' voice was carefully neutral, giving no hint of what his thoughts were on the matter.

Gwyn's smile, on the other hand, seemed dangerously sharp in comparison. "I am Mr. Grey's legal representative, Gwyneira Storm, my client took Mr Severus Snape in because he deemed the father unfit to take care of an adolescent, not to speak of a magical one."

"Be as that may be, we can't have civilians doing the Ministry's job. Otherwise, we will waste our time correcting people's mistakes rather than spent our sources on far more important matters." Harris argued back, looking like the conversation was already boring him.

Harry dug his nails into the armrests hard enough to leave marks. "That bastard was attacking Severus. I would have had to be a monster if I had let him stay there." He dug his nails deeper into the cheap wood, trying to stop himself from creating any flames in response to his raising temper.

"Then you should have contacted the Aurors and let them do their job. I am quite sure that a talk with the adult would have been enough to prevent it from going that far again." Harris said, not quite meeting either of theirs gazes.

Gwyn's hand on his arm stopped Harry from snapping out a response, or set the man on fire, both seemed equally likely to happen right now. "Mr Harris, we all know that the Aurors are quite busy with the threat of You-Know-Who and other matters which pose as a danger to our daily lives. I believe that his actions are excusable. If someone had the time to investigate, I am confident that they'd agree that Tobias Snape is in no way fit to take care of a child, especially not a magical one."

"The boy has a Pureblood family on his mother's side; otherwise the Ministry would be fine finding someone to house him until he is off age." No matter how Harry turned it over inside his head, the whole situation seemed unfavourable for Severus. Many of those families who could take him in, would either judge him because of his mixed blood, his Muggle upbringing or for being sorted into Slytherin.

There was a chance that some close family might be interested in taking Severus in, but since no one had stepped forth already Harry doubted that it was the case.

"When they disowned their daughter, the Princes renounced any claims over her only child. And why should the Ministry waste its time and resources when there already is someone willing and perfectly capable to provide a home and a family for a lonely child who has just lost his mother?" She was laying it rather thick, but Harry still found it fascinating to watch them fight with words alone. It was greatly different from what he was used to. If he had had to do this alone, Harry knew he would have lost his temper long ago. The fact that someone was willing to ignore Severus' wellbeing like this had Harry stuffing his hands into his pockets, hoping that the soot marks on the armrests went unnoticed.

Harris was starting to look uncomfortable, the first expression Harry had seen on his face since the man had come out from under that table. "This are all good arguments, but the fact remains that you cannot remove a child from its guardian, it's simply not how things are done."

And yet this Ministry worker was trying to do just that, that irony was not lost on Harry. "Tobias Snape wrote over the guardianship to me. I sent the paperwork to the goblins, and if you would just look at them, you would know that they are perfectly legal." And even if they had been sham the goblins would have been able to make it look like the real deal.

Huffing out a frustrated breath, Harry sunk back in his chair with a smothering glare. It felt like they were running around in circles. By now Severus was probably up and had found out what was going on. While the teenager was no Gryffindor, Harry had no doubt that Severus would do something rash if he thought he was getting sent back to Spinner's End.

Harry hoped that Severus had enough faith in him to not think that Harry would allow it to happen.

"Mr Grey, such practices are not as uncommon as one would think, especially not when one considers the time we are living in. However, if everyone was able to adopt someone into their family without the Ministry's approval, we would have chaos everywhere. Only a lord of a family-"

"Then test him." Gwyn cut in, making both wizards look at her. Seeing confusion in Harry's features, and disbelief on Harris' face, the lawyer started to look slightly annoyed. "As far as I am aware, there is no current Lord Grey, in fact there hasn't been one for quite a few years. Yet you have a Grey sitting right in front of you. Why not test him and see if he is fit for the position as head for the family? If he is Lord Grey, then none of us have to waste more of our time here."

Her suggestion was logical, brilliant, and if Harry had had to deal with a case like this as an Auror, he would have approved of her solution.

However, Harry was very much aware that he was not a real Grey. It was just a name Malfoy had provided him with. As soon as he had gone through whatever test Gwyn was talking about, they would know that he had no claim to Severus. They would split his family up, and send Severus back to the house where his devil of a father would no doubt be ready to continue where he had been forced to stop.

It took everything in him not to fidget as those brown eyes were back on his person. Straightening his back, Harry returned the gaze, hoping that the man hadn't learned Legilimency, or it wouldn't only be Severus Harry would have to worry about.

Harris nodded, standing. "If you will just wait here, I'll go and gather the necessary items." He waddled slightly, more used to sitting behind his desk all day than having to move around.

As the door closed, Harry sagged back in the chair with a sideways glance to Gwyn. What was she playing at? Harry got that she felt bad about breaking his wand, he really did, and he was grateful for it. But this was a whole different thing than providing his memories of the situation, and frankly, Harry had no idea of what he should be prepared for.

Unfortunately, he couldn't very well talk her out of this idea as Harris had already been sent off. Besides, Harry was familiar with the charms used on rooms in the Ministry. Any conversation they might have would be recorded and analysed until those who did it could recite every word in their sleep. The newbies usually got this task, and Harry had found it jaw wrenching boring.

So with no idea how to get out of the possible mess, Harry simply waited for Harris' return.

No more than five minutes passed before Harris returned, looking rather hesitant as he took his seat. Deciding that nothing he did would change this, Harry instead turned his attention to the two objects that had been brought in.

It was a simple quill, looking nothing like a Blood Quill, which was good or Harry might have lost it, and a crisp, white parchment. At first glance, there was nothing special about those two items. Second, third, heck even a seventh look told Harry nothing. Neither looked any different from the stuff one could pick up from a store in Diagon Alley, and Harry still couldn't see what they had to do with the whole test thing. Unless it was supposed to be a written test, but that seemed a tad too strange, even for the Wizarding World.

"I'm all for getting on with this, but it would be easier if I actually knew what to do." He managed to keep his voice much calmer than he actually felt.

"Perhaps you will do us the favour?" Gwyn asked, though Harry doubted Harris really had much of a choice in this matter.

"It's a part of my job anyway." Harris sounded like he was most of all talking to himself as he pushed the quill and parchment so both were right in front of Harry. "It is quite simple, if I may say so. The parchment has been soaked in a Truth Potion. All you have to do is to write your title and full name. If you indeed are the Lord Grey, the parchment will accept the ink, otherwise only your name will appear."

Harry paused where his hand had picked the quill up. This could be a good thing. While Harris had answered his questions, it wasn't enough of an explanation to those questions he could not ask. Would the parchment refuse the ink? After all, he wasn't Hadrian Grey; it was just a name for the identity he had taken to be able to keep his family safe.

But he wasn't Harry Potter either. If history went as it had done before, a boy would be born in some years and given the name, it wasn't who he was.

So who exactly was he? Some nameless being with no place here? That, among a great deal of other things was what the Dursleys had claimed him to be, and Harry wasn't inclined to prove his relatives right. They had been wrong about so much else, so why should he hand them such a victory?

Huffing out a breath, Harry dipped the quill tip in the ink veil. He supposed this was a make it or break it situation. Holding onto that thought, Harry moved the quill over the parchment, not taking his eyes off the words that formed on it.

Lord Hadrian Grey

The real Greys had had no connection to him, other than a surname that wasn't even his. Going by logic, the parchment should have been blank, and yet it was not. But their society thrived on defeating logic each and every day.

Perhaps, it was also a proof that he had to accept that Harry Potter was no more. In fact, he'd no guaranty that he would ever come to exist in this universe. And Harry would steer his mind away from the subject because no one, no matter their age, would be comfortable with the thought of their parents having sex.

The parchment was pulled away as soon as Harry had lifted the quill from it, and Harris held it close to his face that his nose almost touched it. "It seems legit." Harry nearly rolled his eyes. He didn't see how he was supposed to have cheated on this.

"Well, since my client is a Lord, it seems that we are done here. I trust that you can ensure that this kind of mistake will not be repeated." Gwyn was all sharp smiles as she rose, Harry mirroring her action.

Harris nodded, still not taking his eyes off the parchment. "Yes, I will make sure that this goes through the proper channels so there will not be another misunderstanding. Those things have to be handled a certain way, or it would be chaos."

Harry doubted that it would be like Harris described. Really, it would be so much better if someone went through the Ministry and got rid of those who would rather fill their own pockets than do what was written in their job description.

Though it might just be easier to level the whole system and start over. Harry doubted that it was something he had the patience to deal with. "If you have any more questions, the goblins have the contract. I suggest you read it over before doubting my claim to Severus." It might be a little vindictive, but Harry honestly couldn't find it in himself to care. To hint that the goblins couldn't see the difference between a fake contract and a real one probably ranked about attempting to steal from the bank.

Satisfaction oozed from Gwyn as she merely nodded her goodbye to Harris. The man kept his tongue and though there was no visible proof of such, Harry had a feeling that the man was not happy about this result. It only heightened Harry's happiness of being able to keep Severus, legally even, despite the lack of violence he'd thought would be necessary. Now he just needed to deliver the news to those at home.

Outside the office Harry cracked an eyebrow upon seeing Mad-Eye hovering not far from them. The man's back was facing them, but with that eye of his it was not like such a little thing stopped the paranoid man from keeping an eye on them. But Moody was an Auror and had every reason to be in this department. Though he hadn't known that someone could be so interested in posters about lost pets.

Just to be sure Harry stuck his tongue out, smirking at the grip it gave in the other wizard. It was childish to do, yes, but if this was a plot of Dumbledore's, Moody was spying on him for the old man. Harry might as well let them all know that he was aware of this much.

They were back in the lift before Harry spoke, luckily they were the only ones in there this time, and so neither had to worry about being overheard. "Thanks for the help. It would have been much harder without you." And a great deal of fire would have been involved, but he was probably better off not mentioning that part.

"Nonsense, that was the least I could do, I broke your wand, but hopefully this evens us out. It is hardly like I could watch injustice anyway; it's my job after all!"

Her answer had Harry chuckling. It was refreshing to hear such a response. How many years would it take for her opinion to change? Harry was certain that one day she would end up looking the other way for the sake of a bigger pay. "Maybe we could meet up for a drink, or perhaps something to eat?" She was a likeable person, someone whom he could see introducing to the family. Severus would enjoy speaking with her, even if they might not share the same interests. And Fenrir might see her as someone to harass instead of Harry. But with how much Gwyn looked like Ginny, Harry knew that Teddy would see the similarities. And that was a heart ache Harry would not allow to happen.

"Why Lord Grey, are you asking me out?" Her question broke off Harry's train of thoughts. And despite her teasing tone, there was a glint of something in her eyes that would have warned Harry off if he really had been interested in her.

"Sorry, but you look a little too much like my wife." He said as their arrival to Level One was announced by the woman's voice and the grits opened. "But it would make me happy if we could be friends." He offered as he stepped out of the lift.

Her smile convinced that he had made the right decision in how to respond. He had the feeling that she would not have taken it well if he had tried to follow out her line of thoughts.

And Ginny had claimed that he had no understanding of how a woman thought, if she could see him now, Ginny would be eating her words.

"I'll see if there is a clear spot in my calendar. Have a nice day, Hadrian." Before he could correct her way of addressing him, the grits had fallen back in place and the lift was moving on to its next destination.

In remarkable better mood than he had been upon entering, Harry walked down the long hall, wavering to the security guy as he passed his desk. The only thing that could possible make his day better was if he could have a few choice words with Dumbledore. The old man needed to know that he couldn't keep sticking his nose into matters that had nothing to do with him. At some point someone might actually get annoyed enough to take a bite of it, if he wasn't careful.

Far enough from the Ministry building that none of the detector spells would catch onto him, Harry pulled to the side of the busy street and knelt down by a shop window. He pulled the unbound shoelace off his shoe and with a whispered spell, he was once again holding his Holy wand in one hand. The broken pieces of wood had been transformed back to his snapped shoelaces. Lacking other options, Harry had used some basic transfiguration to exchange those two while still in the telephone box. That Gwyn had bumped into him had been unplanned, but it had benefitted him. Having someone knocking him off balance had made it seem more convincing than if he had done it on his own.

Cheerful Harry tucked his wand safely away. It would be just his luck if it actually ended broken after the play he had put on.

A quick glance around proved that none of the Muggles were giving him more than a passing look. But heck, if those people were anything like the Dursleys, they would have convinced themselves that it was a part of their imagination, even if he did an actual magically act in front of them.

It would be a shame to let such an opportunity go by.

The next moment Harry was back in the living room, his eyes sliding closed as he found himself standing in a sunbeam. Feeling the tension bleed out of his body Harry stretched with a satisfied hum. Was there anything better than returning to a home still standing?

Though it was a little on the quiet side. Fenrir had likely taken the boys out in the woods to look for the plants Severus had been talking about. They could probably spend the whole day outside, only returning once it would be too dark to look for the ingredients any longer. With how big those woods were, it would be a wasted effort to go looking for them.

Summoning parchment and ink, Harry dotted down a message for them all. Just to let them know that everything had turned out well, Harry would be going to the shop and he would probably be home for dinner time.

He didn't bother to sign the paper, since no one knew where their house was it was a limited selection who could make it, and left the message at the dinner table. They would probably be hungry upon returning, so that had the biggest chance of the paper being found.

)00(

"I thought, I made it clear that you are not welcome here, old man." He hadn't expected Flamel to show up again after having been thrown out of the shop. There had to be a way to ban him and make sure that he stayed away. The fact that Flamel so far hadn't moved away from the door didn't escape Harry's notice. He probably wanted to be able to make a quick exit should it prove to be necessary.

"Yes, well, I believe that we each made a wrong first impression. It was not my intention to insinuate that you were the one to put marks on that boy. And I should not have gone to Albus with my unfounded suspicions, as dear Penny pointed out to me afterwards."

The rage swelled up in Harry at those words. So he had been right about Flamel tattling to Dumbledore. And Dumbledore had used some of his connections in the Ministry to try and take Severus away. Why was it that those people could not stay out of his business? First Flamel had made Teddy cry, and then he had risked losing his family because of this man.

"You have some nerve showing yourself here again. Because of people like you, I nearly lost one of my boys today." But it hadn't happened, or Harry wouldn't be bothering with keeping the heat inside. "Before you say that you were only doing what you thought was best, you can stick it up where the sun doesn't shine. Someone already tried that excuse when they wanted to take Teddy away from me. If the first time doesn't work, you can bet that any other attempts won't either." As he spoke, Harry moved around the counter, slowly making his way towards Flamel.

Despite facing someone out for vengeance Flamed stood his ground, Harry had to give him that much. He was well aware that he was affecting the room's temperature with all the heat he was leaking. It was all he could do not to produce actual flames and as long as he did not come too close, Flamel shouldn't be able to figure the source of the sudden heat in the room. Still, Harry stared at some point over the man's shoulder rather than looking Flamel into the eyes. With how long Flamel had lived, Flamel had mastered quite a few fields, probably including but not limited to the mind arts. Having his mind read was not a risk Harry was willing to take.

Harry stopped with some distance still between them, giving Flamel plenty of room for when he decided to make his exit. "So, if you are here to be difficult, spare me the trouble, please." At least no one could fault him for not being polite.

"I think you misunderstood me, young lad, I came here to apologise for my actions, as I said before they-"

"Oh, stuff it." Harry cut in. "I am not interested in hearing what you have to say and if you want me happy, you can do so by removing yourself from my shop and staying away from my family." It was tempting to let out enough heat to make Flamel realise that he was not welcome here. It had worked so well last time, though the peace had lasted for a shorter period than Harry would have preferred. But Flamel had not lived this long being stupid. Once could be written off as a coincidence, but a second time might make him suspicious of Harry.

Flamel pursed his lips. "I understand that you are hostile, but don't you think that this is taking it too far?"

With a speed he had been forced to achieve Harry had his wand out and pointed it at Flamel's chest. "I honestly don't care for what you think. What I do care about is whether calling the Aurors or dealing with you myself is easier." He held his wand steady, giving no hint of which way he was inclined to go. But it would be rather too much of a bother to contact and wait for the Aurors to arrive. And after have been at their headquarter once, Harry really didn't feel like dealing with anything Ministry related.

Dealing with Flamel was like trying to get Teddy to bed when the boy was overtired. Sometimes words just didn't cut it, and Harry had to carry his godson to bed. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as easy as simply picking Flamel up and placing him outside the door.

Glowering at the wizard Harry pointed at the door with his free hand. "I suggest that you make yourself sacred. You won't like it when I lose my temper."

Flamel seemed to deflect of the warm air that had kept him going for so long. "Perhaps you need a little more breathing room before I try again. I, personally, have never had any children, so I will not claim to understand your ire. As much as we might have wanted offspring, it is an impossible dream for Penny and me." There was something wishful about Flamel's words, and it made Harry stop the angry retort he had been prepared to lash out with.

He didn't delude himself into believing he understood the pain of not being able to conceive children. Though he had lost a child when Ginny had been murdered. If he hadn't had Teddy and now also Severus, Harry doubted that he wouldn't have followed them to the other side. It brought the question whether it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all to his mind. Frankly, Harry had no answer for that.

Pinching his nose Harry let out a huff of air, further annoyed that the breath felt warmer against his hand than it was supposed. Even if he might feel sorry for the Flamels, now wasn't the best time to think about it. "Just leave."

He was pleasantly surprised when Flamel nodded without a verbal response, though for a moment the old man looked like he really wanted to say something. Instead the man nodded again, accepting Harry's refusal and walked out of the shop with slumped shoulders.

Harry waited a minute, half expecting it to be some kinds of play, letting his wand disappear back into his pocket. But he watched Flamel make his way down Diagon Alley, unnoticed by the others mingling on the street. Running a hand through his hair, Harry shook his head. Flamel wasn't his problem and Harry would prefer it if it stayed that way.

The bell chimed as Harry headed back for the counter, signalling that someone had entered the shop. His hand twisted, Harry half expecting that Flamel had returned already. But instead Harry recognised Jeffrey. "Hey, I know you are young and in love, but even I cannot make another ring so fast. Besides, weren't you planning for a spring wedding?" Harry's chuckles died as soon as he noticed that the other did not share his mirth. In fact the younger man looked like he had watched someone drown his kitten.

"Actually, I would like to hear if it is too late to cancel the ring?" Jeffrey didn't meet his gaze, apparently finding the floor much more interesting to study.

Several thoughts ran through Harry mind upon hearing what Jeffrey had said. He quickly quelled the first impulse to roast the man for cancelling the wedding when he had seen how happy it had made his girlfriend.

"It's not that I do not want her to have a ring, Lucia is the sweetest, most kind hearted girl, and she's the joy of my life. But I just got fired from my job because of cutbacks. As it is right now, I can't afford the wedding, or even the ring, she deserves." To Harry's horror, tears streamed down Jeffrey's cheeks by the end of his small outburst.

Gnawing on his lip, Harry pulled Jeffrey along behind the counter and got him to settle down on the single chair he kept behind there. The younger man offered no protest but merely allowed the manhandling as the perfect picture of a defeated soul. For a moment Harry said nothing, his mind running over what he knew.

Losing a job was a bad thing, even at the best of times. And despite the thing with Voldemort was not as bad as it would get, Harry knew that getting a new job wouldn't be easy. Especially not when there were plenty of young people to choose from. "Why don't you come and work for me?" Now where he had voiced it, it seemed like a pretty good idea. "There aren't many customers yet, so I don't know how much I'll be able to pay you. But it is something while you look for another job. And once there comes a steady flow of customers, I can promise a more decent pay."

In Harry's opinion it was the perfect solution. With someone behind the counter, he'd have more time to spend with the family. Even if it was only part time, Jeffrey would relieve him of some mind numbing work. It was a win-win situation no matter how he looked at it. Though, if he didn't get some customers soon, he might not be able to keep Jeffrey for long.

"So what do you say? Become my minion, and I promise you that by the time of your wedding, you will be able to afford cake, ring and whatever else you believe Lucia deserves." And Harry would do his dammed best to keep that promise.

)00(

"That Grey is a tough little shit." Alastor growled as he sunk into the seat in front of Albus' desk. Somehow the little crap had known that Albus had asked him to keep watch in case that Grey decided to show himself at the Ministry. Or perhaps Grey carried a grudge from when he'd tried to arrest Greyback. Unfortunately, Grey had done nothing so far that warranted an arrest himself. Alastor would have loved to put him behind bars and see whatever dirt he would be able to dig out about him.

Now he was at Hogwarts, delivering the news of what he had observed to the only man who had the power and seemed interested in doing something about the rising problem of Voldemort. "Harris already informed me that the case fell through. Young Severus will be staying with the Greys for now. Perhaps it's for the best. It'll give me the time to find a suitable family for Severus." Albus was not even looking up from his paperwork as he spoke.

Alastor snorted. Clearly the nitwit hadn't given a full report or Albus would not be taking it as easy as he was. "I don't think that the kid will be leaving even if ya find a family willing to take his kind in. I got a glimpse of some papers, Grey has claimed a lordship, it will be virtually impossible to get the boy from him now. How about we focus on more important things? It has been too quiet lately and I really don't like it. Something big is bound to happen, I tell, but I don't know what it'll be."

The fat lady is singing for my computer. Cross my fingers that it'll hold the year out, because I will not be able to buy a new one before January. I'll try and update whenever I can, but school will be my priority.

Can someone please explain to me what NaNoWriMo is? I have seen the word pop up several times, but I don't think I have ever come around to find out what it's about.

Thanks for the reviews, I love you people, in a totally none creepy way. Happy Halloween, Samhain and whatever else it's called.