Severus stepped into the hall at Grimmauld Place and made his way to the kitchen. Moving around the table he sat in his place for the meeting and waited for it to start. This was the first step in the plans they had made and he couldn't wait for it, though no one could tell by his demeanor. Dumbledore arrived in his normal swish of bright colored robes and started the meeting.

"I take it no one has located Harry yet." He commented before he glanced around, "Where's Remus?"

"Following a scent trail." Severus gave the excuse, "He didn't want to lose it so he stayed hoping to catch up to Harry."

"Where is he?" Dumbledore turn his hopeful expression onto Snape.

"Here in London." He answered, "He's been to Diagon Alley. We didn't bother to go in to search for him because his scent was already back out and moving on."

"Good it's best he stay on that trail as long as he can." Dumbledore agreed.

"It's a full moon tonight, if he hasn't found him by sundown he will leave." Severus added.

"Yes fine." Dumbledore agreed but the hope had left his face, "We need to question the shop keepers to see if he got his school books. If not we will have to spend time there closer to school. I assume you've been to seen Tom." He addressed Snape once again.

"Yes he was rather angry he didn't hear about Potter from me." Severus explained, "He has people searching London as well. Their orders are to apprehend Potter but not to engage the Order unless it's to get him from them."

"Portkeys back here should work then." Shacklebolt offered, "Though if he's in London he may be heading here."

"That is true." Dumbledore nodded hope springing to his face again, "Ok everyone its imperative that we find Harry and bring him home safely." He continued with the meeting for another thirty minutes before he rounded it out, "Find Harry. Bring him home. Everything else hinges on this."

Severus went to leave with the rest but was caught by Dumbledore and pulled into the study.

"Severus if you find him while in the presence of other death eaters I want you to take him to Voldemort." He instructed, "Only break cover if he is going to kill Potter."

"You're willing to let them torture him?" Severus asked in shock.

"They won't do much." Dumbledore argued with a 'like you care' tone of voice, "He'll want an audience to actually kill him and he'll want him to look unscathed."

"Of course I shall do as you ask." Severus agreed but had no intention of following through, not that any of the death eaters would find them in Potter Manor. Once he returned to the manor he explained what he had been told, "I can't believe he'd ask that of me."

"I've asked Quickstep to execute the will." Harry grinned, "He'll also inform Skeeter so it will make the paper in the morning. Your letter should be here before breakfast."

Soon enough Harry went off to bed and Severus locked Remus into the fortified room by the potions lab in the basement. He paused debating whether to brew some potions or go to bed. As he stood thinking he yawned before nodding and turning to go off to bed, he'd likely need his sleep to make it through the next day.

As promised the letter was sitting by his plate at breakfast. He read it through once then made copies for Remus and Harry. Harry was rather shocked at what he read. As it turned out it was an apology to Severus for all James had done to him but most especially the incident at the end of their sixth year. James had cooked up a plan to scare him. Sirius was to let him hear enough about Remus to get him interested and James was to be by the tree to warn him to quit listening to their conversations. However he'd gotten sidetracked with Lily and had only gotten to him in time because Sirius had found him and reminded him, rather forcefully, to go. Sirius had taken the blame for the prank because it would have gotten James expelled.

"Wow!" Harry looked wide eyed at the others, "That is not what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Remus asked.

"James had said several times that he wanted to apologize." Harry said with a shrug, "I had thought it was just going to be an 'I'm sorry I pranked you' thing. I had no idea it was his prank that nearly killed you. Please help me not to let my imp curse do that to me."

"We'll do our best." Remus offered.

"If you go that far I'll give you detention for a year and have you scrub the castle down with a tooth brush." Severus stated, "I'll take your broom away and never let you play quiddich for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. Then I'll expel you."

"Doesn't that last bit kind of defeat the reason for taking the broom away?" Harry asked with a bit of confusion.

"No you will be expelled after the castle is clean." Severus actually grinned, "But I'll take your firebolt and give it to Draco right away."

"Evil." Harry hissed at him, "Pure evil."

Remus laughed at their playful banter before he picked up the paper, "Oh look, you're front page news."

"What does it say?" Harry asked not wanting to wait until Remus was finished with the paper, he always took forever to read it.

"Let's head to the study first." Severus interrupted, "Charles may have some input."

They settled in and Remus opened the paper again and began by reading the title of the piece, "Where the Boy Who Lived, Lived."

"That's terrible." Harry huffed.

"Wait it gets better. Last evening the prophet was given a copy of the last will and testament of James and Lily Potter. Gringotts was asked to execute the will by none other than Harry Potter himself. Mr. Potter sent a note that said he was sent by Albus Dumbledore to live with his mother's sister. I didn't think much of his quick note until I read the will. Below is a full copy of the will. I noticed a discrepancy in the will and what happened to young Harry. Can you see it?" Remus read it aloud then looked down and laughed.

He turned the paper and showed them the blinking arrow that pointed at the section that said, "If the choice of guardian is between my sister Petunia Dursley and a death eater only then may she have custody of my child."

"So in conclusion I must say that either Albus Dumbledore didn't follow the Potter's will or he believes Minerva McGonagall is a death eater. What say you Albus Dumbledore? See page two for reference to secret keepers, Sirius Black's confinement in Azkaban and his posthumous acquittal issued by the Ministry." Remus read the end of her article.

"That was… short of amazing." Harry commented, "Way short."

"I almost wish I was at Hogwarts for Breakfast this morning." Remus sighed, "By the way thank you for the potions. I feel almost normal this morning."

"You're welcome." Severs replied looking at his watch, "You know I think I have time to get to Hogwarts to see the fireworks. If I hurry I can just beat the paper."

"Misty." Harry called and the elf arrived with a pop, "Will you take Severus to the gates of Hogwarts?"

"Yes sir." She held her hand out and he took it. They both disappeared with the next pop.

"What should we send Skeeter next?" Harry asked.

"The book list?" Remus asked.

"I don't want to give up the sources of that information yet." Harry disagreed, "How about the list of classes that he's dropped from the curriculum? Anyone could have given them that information."

"Ok." Remus began to dig for the information. He found it in a lilac ribbon with silver stipes, "I can see dropping sword fighting and maybe wandless magic but healing should still be there."

"More people could do wandless magic if they took the class and tried." Harry pointed out, "On the note add that Binns died after Dumbledore became headmaster so it is his fault we aren't learning good historical information. And with the problems between muggleborns and purebloods why in the world would he quit the lessons on being a magical yet leave the class that is supposed to tell us about muggles. Not to mention that it is so out of date that you would be laughed at more for dressing the way she tells you to then to just go in wizard wear. It's a conspiracy I tell you." He teased for a moment, "Wait, it really is. That kills the joke."

"He also added divination and changed runes and arithmancy into electives." Remus added, "We should cause him enough grief with this don't you think."

"As long as nobody finds out that I was the one that got those made mandatory again we'll be fine." Harry shuddered dramatically.

"I won't tell a soul." Remus promised.

By the time they had gathered everything to do with Hogwarts and sent it off Severus had returned. He pulled the memory and dropped it into the pensieve without saying a word. Remus and Harry looked at each other before joining him by the bowl. All three were sucked into the memory.

"Morning Severus, I didn't think I'd see you here this morning." Minerva smiled as she joined him on the teacher's platform in the Great Hall.

"We couldn't find Harry." He replied, "I've not see the wolf since sun down."

"That is disappointing." She sighed, "I wish I knew what was going on in Harry's head."

"I doubt there is much going on in his empty head." Severus snarked, "I can't believe I'm out wasting my summer brewing time looking for that brat."

"Severus?" Albus entered and interrupted Minerva's reply.

"We couldn't find him." Severus answered the question before it was completely asked, "I'm waiting on the wolf to return then we'll start where we left off last evening."

"Keep looking." Albus turned to his breakfast just as the owls arrived with the paper.

Severus poured himself a cup of coffee and added the milk. He was just about to pick it up when Minerva reached the section he'd been waiting on.

"Albus!" she turned a glare on him, "Do you think I'm a death eater?"

"Of course not." Albus was confused about her statement.

"Then why not let me raise Harry?" she hissed.

"What are you talking about?" he asked having yet to pick up his paper.

She grabbed his paper and opened it and pointed out the problem. The man turned white before he went red and right on to purple.

"You had better have a good reason for this." She growled at him.

"The blood wards." He explained, "I already told you about them."

"Nothing would have kept him safer than I would have done." She dabbed at her eyes as she rose to her feet, "I can't believe you would keep this from me. I know you locked their will for his safety, you knew what they had asked of me. You had better stay away from me if you know what's good for you."

Once she left the room Albus turned an angry gaze on Severus who stopped him before he started, "You knew we didn't follow him into the alley. We were trying to catch up to him. We had no way to know he went to Gringotts."

"Find him and stop him from doing anything else." Albus ordered and left the hall without finishing his breakfast.

Once the trio left the pensieve Harry chuckled, "He's getting desperate."

"A desperate Dumbledore may not be a good idea." Severus began, "You know what happens when you corner a wild animal."

"They turn and attack, but we're ready." Harry grinned evilly. "We've sent his Hogwarts adjustments to Skeeter."

"Removed classes?" he asked.

"Everything." Remus answered, "Absolutely everything we could find pertaining to Hogwarts, including eyewitness accounts of a Cerberus, a Basilisk and dementors. Though the basilisk wasn't eye witness per say as the anonymous person was an older one who didn't know why the teachers couldn't figure out what the animal was the first time. We have plenty of dirt on the defense position and lack of teaching."

"Did you include an evil potions master?" Severus asked.

"Of course not." Harry grinned, "Everyone already knows about him. It wouldn't be a surprise at all. However, if we told them he was actually on our side it would give them all a heart attack."

"Even the death eaters." Remus added grinning along.

"You two are impossible." Severus tried to hide his grinned, "Is he going to know this is from you?"

"No." Harry grinned evilly, "The note says they read today's article and thought people may actually listen to some of the other things they knew he had done."

"Some of that only a board member would know." Charles added with glee, "He'll be wondering which of them isn't as far under his thumb as he thought they were."

"Would he suspect Malfoy?" Harry asked Severus.

"Purebloods aren't too worried about classes being cut." Severus shrugged, "They'll teach their children anything that is missed. It's just more magic that the muggleborns won't get to learn."

"Can you imagine what Hermione could so with this knowledge?" Harry asked, "We could be moving ahead in leaps and bounds if they'd just listen to us. Think of all the advancements muggles have made and how much more we could have done? We could be growing potion ingredients in space away from the harmful effects of pollution. We could find a cure for minds broken by the torture curse! There is no end to what we could have done that is lost to us or too late to help because of this!"

"I believe the saying goes something like 'you're preaching to the choir'." Remus offered.

"What?" Harry was a bit confused.

"It means you're talking to those who already believe so you're wasting your time." Severus explained, "You need to give that speech to people who don't understand what's lost."

"I suppose." Harry conceded, "So what subject are we going to reveal next?"

"I'd suggest his masteries." Dorea said from Charles portrait.

"Mum!" Harry turned to her with a smile but it dropped away at the glare she was giving him, "What did I do?"

"How long have you been in this house?" she asked haughtily.

"A couple days." he stated though it sounded like a question.

"And yet you have not made time to visit my portrait." She scolded, "I had to hear from your father that you were in the house. And why in the world are you going by Harry?"

"It a long story." Harry sighed.

"One which I have all the time in the world to hear so start talking." She said sternly, "And don't give me that look. If you would have gotten your father to get me right away you wouldn't need to repeat it all again. I have already spoken to your father for leaving me out."

"Yes mum." Harry gave in and began his story again, although he left out the details to make it quicker.

Even Charles' portrais learned a few things when Severus joined Remus in adding some of the things that Harry left out. Their own anger on the things Harry had revealed last time had prevented them from telling their side of the tail.

"So now I'm going by Harry." He stopped and yawn before continuing on, "Because I don't want to spend quality time with the unspeakables."

"I guess we should thank Merlin that Lily prevailed in naming the baby." She smirked, "James wanted to saddle him with Apollo or that other one. What was it Charles?"

"Wolfgang." He answered, "I think he said in honor of Moony."

"I helped Lily shove sense down his throat." Remus added.

"Thank Merlin she had sense." Harry shook his head, "That famous red-head temper helped he see his way to the common sense he never had on his own."

"Time for bed everyone." Dorea ordered, "With Oliver, I mean Harry getting that curse he needs all the sleep he can get. You two need it to keep up with him. You all have been so busy lately I know you've not been watching out for yourselves enough. Well that stops now. Off to bed."

"Yes mum." Harry obediently shuffled off.

"If only he would do that at school." Severus muttered.