A/N: Ah yes…the evilness that is called cliffhanger…*chuckles*…and hints to something deeper…*chuckles more*


When others left before
I could bear to turn away
Now that it's come to this
Is there nothing left to say?
I've never known before
Such exquisite suffering
As I watched you walk away
I gave in to panicking

I can't believe that
This is really happening
Have I really lost again?
Desperation drives me insane
I will focus all the pain
Right into your heart

Till it makes you blind
Till the faces of your former world
Have fallen from your sight
Till you're mine
Until the voice of doubt no longer
Dominates your mind
I'm crucified

(Crucified – Disturbed)


Chapter 8: The Truth Unravelled

Her entire face lit up and ignoring anyone else in the room, she launched herself at Harry and embraced him in a tight hug.

"Harry!" she exclaimed.

Harry on the other hand was confused as to who the woman was when an image flittered through his mind, one from when he was just a baby. A woman was holding him and singing soothingly, that woman looked exactly like the one that was hugging him at the moment and so he could come to only one conclusion as to who this woman was. His mother! But instead of happiness that his mother obviously was NOT dead, he only felt sadness and betrayal. Betrayal over how she could have left him with those…monsters for ten years, and sadness that she obviously didn't want him. Maybe the Dursleys had been right and he was just someone no one would ever want which in the end even Lucifer would see and then he would also leave. But then again why would Lucifer stay with him for that long if he wasn't even worth being loved? Right at the moment Harry didn't know what to think and so he went into a defensive mode.

"Why?" he rasped out while he squirmed out of the embrace succeeding only because the woman who obviously was Lily Potter let him go in her surprise. "Why did you abandon me? Why did you leave me with…with them!? Why didn't you come for me? Didn't you want me?" he took a few steps away from the woman he barely knew looking at her accusingly supressing the tears that wanted to fall not wanting to show that kind of weakness in front of someone who obviously didn't want him. That was before his head snapped towards Lucifer. "And you…you knew? Why did you never say anything?"

Lucifer, when he saw that Harry was close to tears and ready to bolt, quickly walked over to him and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist to keep him from running, but mostly to sooth him. Sniffling a bit Harry leaned into the embrace, laying his forehead on Lucifer's shoulder.

"Harry…Harry please look at me," Lucifer said in a soothing tone gently pushing his head up, and when Harry did as he asked he smiled at him. "That's it. Things are not as easy as they seem to be on first glance Harry, but I promise you that everything will be explained when you listen to what we have to tell you. I for my part didn't know that Lily was…is your mother until this very evening when I saw Severus for the first time. Yes, I knew what he did to save her but as I said I didn't know she is your mother so that is why I didn't tell you not because I didn't want to. Harry, I would never lie to you and I certainly wouldn't withhold information like this from you. What do you think why I asked Severus to call her here? If you come with me and listen to what we have to say, I promise you that I won't stop you should you wish to leave afterwards. Can you do that for me?"

Harry sniffed once more but nodded tentatively before he hugged Lucifer close while the archangel looked relieved. Severus and Lily who observed that looked at each other but Severus could only shrug not knowing what to think about it too. To them it seemed that there was more between Lucifer and Harry than just a friendship which in itself was a surprise because Lucifer wasn't known to be friendly to most, and especially not to a human. This was actually also the reason why Severus had been extremely shocked to see the archangel in between the first years. It had been equally shocking though to find that Alistair had become the new History professor after Binns' mysterious disappearance.

"Then let's sit down and we'll tell you how things really are," Lucifer guided them over to the couch but Harry shook his head and pulled him to one of the armchairs where he sat Lucifer down before plopping himself in the other's lap and snuggling against him. Lucifer instantly placed his arms protectively around Harry with a small smile (he could get used to this he thought) before he turned his attention back to the man in black. "I think the best thing will be for you to start from the beginning and I'll add things where they are needed."

Severus who just sat down on the couch with Lily next to him, nodded while Harry looked at him expectantly from where he was comfortably leaning against Lucifer who had started running a hand through his hair.

"Very well, my Lord. It all began about half a year before your birth, Mr. Potter," he started but was interrupted by Harry.

"Please call me Harry, Sir," he told the man.

"And please stop calling me my Lord…it's annoying," Lucifer grumbled rolling his eyes, he was not that idiot Riddle.

Severus nodded before he continued. "Very well, and only in private Harry, in class I'll have to call you by your last name," Harry nodded at that statement. "As I said it was about half a year before you were born that I overheard the first two lines of a prophecy.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...

"At that time I already joined the Dark Lord's ranks after a few…mistakes I made," Severus looked down but smiled tentatively when Lily laid a hand on his knee. Taking a deep breath to centre himself he continued. "You see I was friends with your mother ever since we were children, but shortly before I joined the Dark Lord we had a fallout which was one of the reasons as to why I joined him. Alas, when I heard that prophecy I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to gain his approval and possibly rise in his ranks, so I went to him directly to report to him about what I had heard. Unfortunately, he lost it when he heard that there would be a child able to destroy him and so he ordered his followers to find that child. It took him about half a year but in the end he narrowed it down to two families who were expecting a child at the end of July, the Longbottoms and the Potters."

Harry who up to now listened attentively drew a sharp breath. So, this man was the reason that that madman had attacked him? But no, when he thought about it…he couldn't blame the messenger for the message, somehow he doubted that Voldemort wouldn't have learned about that prophecy anyway. As it was with such things they always came out, and he also didn't doubt that Dumbledore would have used this Prophecy to his advantage letting Voldemort know about it and then use the child that would fit the description as bait to lure the Dark Lord somewhere where he could defeat him. Yes, that sounded like something Dumbledore would do and so it was hardly Severus' fault, even if he was the one to relay the prophecy.

"What happened then?" he asked the man with a small smile showing him that he didn't blame him for what happened.

"The second I heard whom the Dark Lord targeted I first went to the only man I thought would be able to protect them, Dumbledore, but he demanded that I either spy for him on the Dark Lord or he would send me to Azkaban," Severus continued a bit relieved that Harry didn't blame him for what happened and a tenseness that he didn't know he held left him.

"It's the magical prison," Lucifer added when he saw Harry's confused look before motioning for Severus to go on.

And here was the proof, only Dumbledore would blackmail a desperate man who only wanted to protect a friend into doing something like spying.

"Unfortunately, I had to agree to his stipulations or I would have been in a position where I couldn't have helped anyone but after the conversation with Dumbledore I started to doubt the man and that he would help to his best abilities. Sure, he hid the Potters under the Fidelius Charm a charm that hides everything under it unless you're told by the secret keeper where it is but I didn't trust it and especially not Pettigrew who was the secret keeper after Dumbledore oh so conveniently convinced Potter to change it from Black. So I met with Lily to warn her in hopes that we would find a way of protection against the Dark Lord that didn't rely on someone keeping his mouth shut, but even with our combined efforts we couldn't find anything," Severus told him when he was interrupted again, normally it would have irritated the hell out of him but interestingly in this case it did not.

"Wait, I thought you had a fall out?" Harry inquired confused.

"Ah yes, sorry, I forgot to explain. A few months before I heard the prophecy I surprisingly met your mother in Diagon Alley and I asked her if we could talk, wanting to apologize to her for what I did. We went back to my house and talk we did. It was only the elf your worried father sent after her that let us realize that we had talked the entire night," here Lily chuckled as if there was a joke only she understood. "She forgave me for my blunder and after that we stayed in contact. However, where was I? Ah yes, while your father and you hid under the Fidelius Charm, Lily and I met regularly to find a way to protect you, her and Potter in case something went wrong and Pettigrew, the rat betrayed all of you but we found nothing that was powerful enough. On the night before Halloween 1981 I then tried something I never would have even contemplated up to then, I wanted to make a deal with a demon. That morning I performed the needed ritual and actually managed to call a crossroad demon."

Here Lucifer interrupted Severus in his telling. "This is where I should give you a few additional information. You see I learned that Severus wanted to make a deal and was about to get the standard clause contract that gives you ten years before hell sends its hounds after you and drags you down to the racks. But when I learned in what position Severus was, I decided that it was too good an opportunity to give up, intervened and arranged it so that he gets another quite unique contract instead. I sent another crossroad demon to him with the offer that should he agree to spy on Riddle for hell and should he manage to help finding and returning those blasted soul pieces from that idiot I would not only forego that ten years clause but also speed the process up for him to become a demon himself. I also extended that offer to his girlfriend he wanted protected should she agree. The thing was that hell was getting more and more irritated about Riddle wanting him to be where he belonged and let's just say it wouldn't have ended well for everyone involved. Seeing an opportunity there I took it, and the best part is that it keeps hell quiet."

Severus nodded slowly. "I took that offer, knowing that it was an opportunity that I would never get again, though I hadn't anticipated that speeding things up meant instant turning," here he looked accusingly at Lucifer who snickered lowly. "However, as soon as I could stand again which took nearly the entire night, I contacted Lily and told her that I wanted to meet with her as soon as possible. Not much later, in the morning she arrived at my house and I told her about what I did. To say that her answer surprised me would be an understatement," he looked at Lily and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. "She told me that she had been on the verge of doing the very same since she didn't think that there would be another way to keep her and you safe, so she agreed. The very second she agreed she also went through the turning but as soon as she was able to she went back to the cottage where you were hiding."

"That is true," Lily spoke up for the first time since Severus started his story. "I wanted to get you before going back to Sev. You see the thing is that I never really loved James Potter. From day one on I saw in him an imbecile and a bully that liked to pick on people, especially on Sev, but don't think that you were any better, you were also quite cruel from time to time," she said when she saw Severus' smirk.

"I never said that I'm a saint," he retorted. "And I had to defend myself didn't I?"

"Ah yes? Don't think that I don't know about those spells you invented Sev, which goes far over protecting yourself," Lily started to rant but stopped when Harry started to laugh.

Everyone looked at him with how carefree he laughed and him finally being the child he should be.

"You two sound like an old married couple," he finally brought out once he calmed down enough.

Severus and Lily looked at each other when Lily started to chuckle. "Maybe because we are a married couple," she replied earning a strange look from her son. "As I wanted to tell you before I got interrupted I never really liked James but in our seventh year I suddenly went out with him. Then there was my fallout with Severus and I don't know why because it originally never was what I wanted but I married James as soon as we left school. I highly suspect the use of love potions but I'm not sure.

"However, then I reconnected with Severus, became pregnant, and all that mess with Riddle started so I stayed with James because until that day he offered the best protection for you. But when Sev came that Halloween day and showed me a way out I took it, though I would never have left you with James, not with that immature idiot. So as soon as I could after being turned into a demon I went back to the cottage to get you and tell James where he could stuff his marriage.

"Unfortunately, I had just arrived when suddenly the front door was blown apart revealing Riddle. James told me to get you and run. I ran to you to get you out but the problem was I had no way out of the cottage. We had anti-apparition wards up around it and I hadn't been a demon for long enough at that time to know how to use the powers that came with it. That was when James was killed and Riddle came after us," Lily took a deep breath Severus rubbing soothingly over her back. "He demanded that I step aside so that he could kill you, but I didn't, and I told him as much. In my despair because I also didn't have my wand on me, I reached into me and for my new powers begging and praying that they would somehow protect you, and as it seems I managed to erect a shield around you just in time, right before Riddle hit me with the Killing Curse and knocked me out cold."

"How are you alive then?" Harry wondered.

"Demons are technically speaking not alive, so they cannot be killed by what the magicals refer to as the Killing Curse. As you know someone normally has to die and end up in hell before one is able to go through the change but as I am the one who created demon kind in the first place I am able to speed things up," Lucifer explained.

"But weren't you in your cage at that time? How were you able to do that then?" Harry inquired.

"That's true, but over the time I spent in there I found a few holes in it, not big enough for me to escape mind you, but big enough for me to partially interact with the outside. Though it took a lot out of me to turn them." Lucifer admitted. "However, I have to admit that it was worth it…especially now."

Lily smiled and nodded in thanks at Lucifer, knowing what the archangel who currently was a small boy was referring to.

"Yes, that's the reason for why I didn't die that day, though the curse still knocked me out for several hours. That was until Sev who was worried sick that I didn't come back to his house came after me and found me lying on the floor in your nursery. He quickly woke me up but when I asked him where you were he said that he only found Potter dead on the ground floor and me. Right at that moment suddenly the Ministry appeared outside and ran around trying to understand what happened when I heard how one of them said that Dumbledore took guardianship over you and took you somewhere safe and that it was tragic how you became an orphan. I was furious when I heard that because you were never meant to be placed under that old…," she growled in frustration trying not to curse that man in front of her son. Taking a few calming breaths she continued.

"You were meant to either go to Sirius, the Longbottoms or Sev, but neverto that old man. Knowing or at least suspecting what he would do, we instantly left and started to search for you and we found you…with my lovely sister," she spat the last part. "As soon as I saw where he placed you I wanted to get you out of there and burn the place down with my sister and her entire family in it, but I couldn't go anywhere near the house. Severus and I tried days on end to get to you and you out of there but nothing we did ever worked, around the place and around you were wards so strong that we weren't able to go anywhere near you.

"After a year of desperately trying everything that came to our mind – we even tried to send muggle authorities in to get you out but even that didn't work – we decided that it would be better to wait until you would have to visit primary school and wouldn't be under those blasted wards anymore. So three years later we returned but it quickly became clear that the wards were not only on the house but also on you personally though I have no idea how that was possible. We tried and tried…then we read what happened two months ago and we feared the worst," she now sounded depressed and defeated, so much actually that to everyone's surprise Harry peeled himself from the embrace Lucifer had held him in ever since they sat down and walked over to his mother to hug her.

"We never gave up, Harry. Your mother even went to hell most of the time she wasn't with me – or tried a new way to get to you – to gain more time researching ways to get through to you but absolutely nothing worked," Severus sighed deeply.

"And nothing would have ever worked," Lucifer spoke up before he elaborated that statement. "While I stayed with Harry I had the opportunity to have a closer look at the wards around Privet Drive No. 4, they were designed to keep everyone away who came with the intention to take Harry away from there and they were anchored in Harry himself. They were even powerful enough to keep archangels away. It is ingenious actually, anchored within Harry he would always be the centre of the wards so that only the caster would ever have been able to take Harry away from the Dursleys if he desired so."

Everyone stared at Lucifer as if he decided to grow a second head until Harry furrowed his brows.

"But how were you then able to come near me when they could even keep archangels out?" he asked confusedly. "Why did you come after all? I mean, I'm just some random boy…what's so special about me?"

Now it was Lucifer's turn to sigh deeply, he could try to get around answering those questions but somehow he didn't want to. He wanted to be honest with Harry and not jeopardize what he had with him by lying to him. As he said had said time and again, he would never lie to him.

"I don't want to admit it but I never came to take you away from your relatives, in the beginning I actually came…to kill you," there it was out, now he awaited with trepidation Harry's reaction, which would probably be something in between running from him or Harry not wanting to have anything to do with him ever again, he would probably never hear the end of it from Alistair should that happen.

Though Harry's real reaction who currently sat on the armrests of the couch next to his mother left him absolutely speechless, he simply shrugged. However, when Lucifer saw the darkening gaze from Lily he hastened to explain that.

"When I fled my cage and consequently hell, my whole agenda was to find some idiot to possess so that I would be able to convince my real vessel to say yes before I could wreak havoc on this planet. I was somewhere over America when I suddenly felt a tugging at my very soul. Yes it was not my grace. Following that tugging I originally only wanted to kill whoever was so stupid as to try and summon me, but then I found myself in Little Whinging and observing a little boy doing chores no child should ever do, shunned by his family for something he had no control over. Observing him I found myself intrigued, and after a few days I decided to get closer to him so I took the form of a snake, to my surprise he is able to speak the language of said animals; and in the end my curiosity won out, and knowing how the wards worked I decided to accompany Harry for the next few weeks until a certain day…long story short they nearly killed him," Lucifer told them.

Lily and Severus both drew a sharp breath, upon hearing that Lily who was actually holding Harry, held onto him tighter, Harry didn't even complain.

"I had to take him as my vessel in order to heal him, but in the end I succeeded. Subsequent to the attack Harry needed time to heal mentally, even if his body was healed completely, so I stayed. It was about two weeks later that Death suddenly appeared and demanded that I got out of Harry's body, and after I told him what happened we made a deal, he would give me my own body and I would protect Harry and I will," Lucifer exclaimed with fire, no one would ever hurt Harry, he would make sure of it.

"What I don't understand though is how you were able to get him away from there?" Severus confusedly asked.

"As I said, the wards were anchored in Harry and while I possessed him I was able to tweak the wards so that I would be able to take him away as soon as he was healed completely, though in the end it turned out to be a moot point," Lucifer chuckled until he saw Harry cocking his head in confusion. "When you burned down the house and them in it there was nothing the wards could refer to anymore and so they faded and ceased to exist."

"You burned down the house with them inside?" Severus asked Harry pronouncing every word but laying special emphasis on the last one.

"Oi, they treated me like a slave and beat me for no reason at all so yes I tested how good they burned," Harry huffed crossing his arms over his chest, he didn't like to be judged but to his surprise Severus only started to chuckle.

"Nothing less than they deserve," he stated. "Very well done indeed."

"Yes, but the fun didn't end there. We visited them at Alistair's racks and let's say that as of today I finally know from whom Harry got his creativity," Lucifer snickered. "Harry also took quite a liking to Alistair."

"That actually explains why he suddenly showed up, exorcised Binns and took over the History post," Severus mused while Lily started to run her fingers through Harry's hair which he seemed to like since he leaned closer to her. "Though what do you mean with from whom he got his creativity?"

"Oh yes, this is something else we have to discuss. James Potter is not Harry's biological father but I'm certain he knew that because he blood adopted him," Lucifer told them not elaborating what he meant with that wanting them to deduct it themselves, yes sometimes he could be a right bastard and he loved it.

Everyone bar Harry looked at him as if he had lost it, Harry on the other hand looked mildly interested in what the archangel meant with his statement. That was when Severus processed the proclamation and his head snapped towards Lily.

"Could it be?" he asked her, shock the most prominent of emotions.

"It would fit into the timeframe," Lily replied thoughtfully. "It could very well be."

"What? What is it?" Harry not sat up straighter and more alert.

Lily looked at Severus once more before she looked back to her son. "It seems that Severus is your father," she told him.


Dumbledore's office

Dumbledore was furiously pacing in his office. This was never meant to happen, Harry was never meant to meet Lucifer. How had that happened in the first place? Zachariah had promised him that should he place Harry with his relatives he would be meek…mouldable into the martyr he was supposed to be! But no Lucifer had shown up and ruined his plans! What was he doing here anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be playing with his vessel somewhere in America?

Then there was this Loki-Gabriel Laufeyson, he somehow had the distinct feeling that that boy meant problems, and a lot of them.

Somehow somewhere something had gone extremely wrong, and Dumbledore knew that there was only one being that could give him the answers he would need, Zachariah. So he briskly walked over to his desk and sat down before opening the lowest drawer and pulling out a device the angel had given him in case he would ever need to contact him. Pushing some magic into it, Dumbledore could feel the device heating up. Now there was only one thing he could do, wait.


On the Endless Plane

Destiny sat in front of one of those images that showed her what was going on in the world of the mortals. With a nice cup of tea in her hand she observed Dumbledore that fool who thought that only because some low angel promised him something that there were no higher authorities that might deem it necessary to intervene.

Though it was hilarious for her to watch how Dumbledore set off that vicious circle by frantically trying to stop it. Yes, by his actions he would piss of exactly those people that would set him on this path to begin with. It was a nice little self-fulfilling circle, but fun to watch nonetheless, especially if one made sure that it would come to pass.

That was when Death suddenly showed up.

"You have far too much fun messing with him don't you?" he stated dryly.

"Don't tell me that you don't think it a good thing that he gets what he deserves?" she snickered.

Death looked at the image of the pacing Dumbledore before sighing. "Too true, he certainly messed up once too often, but do you really think that the alternative is better? I mean there was a reason for why he did what he did to begin with."

"Believe me, the alternative will be better, our dear sister will take care of it," Destiny replied with a smirk.

"Your word in her ear," Death muttered. "Well, I have to leave because unlike you I don't have the luxury to sit around the entire day, I have work to do."

With that Death leaves a highly amused Destiny behind who just switched her view from Dumbledore to the other archangel currently residing within Hogwarts, oh yes, this would be highly amusing.


When he reached the Gryffindor common room, Gabriel flopped down into the chair nearest the fire that burned merrily in the fireplace. This had truly been an interesting day, he would never have dreamed that he would ever reconnect with his brother. For so long he had feared what would happen when Lucifer finally got out, but now…he didn't know what to think anymore. However, there was one thing he was sure of, and that was that Harry was good for his brother; and he would be damned should he let anyone hurt the boy, because then all hell would break loose, and this time he would choose a side, and that certainly wouldn't be the side of heaven and Michael. This was not because he suddenly was keen on his brothers waging war over this planet, but because should heaven decide to target Harry only because he was close to Lucifer, they would prove that they were bigger idiots than they already were and then they would deserve everything they got.

Gabriel was ripped from his musing when Neville sat down next to him and observed him curiously.

"What has you so deep in thought?" the boy asked him.

"Nothing important…just my family and what happened today," he replied with a smile.

"Ah yes you mentioned that you reconciled with your brother but you never said who he is…or in which house he ended up," Neville said cocking his head.

Gabriel looked at Neville contemplating whether he should tell the boy but on the other hand he liked him and he didn't seem to be the type who blabbed out one's secrets left, right and centre. "He ended up in Slytherin, it's Lucifer," he told Neville closely observing the boy's reaction, to say he found it hilarious would be an understatement.

It didn't even take a second before Neville's eyes went wide and he stared at Gabriel his mouth hanging open. "Your brother is Lucifer? THE Lucifer? Wait…Gabriel…that…," Neville only muttered incoherently in the end, not knowing what to say to that revelation.

"Yes, but I barely go by that name anymore, not since I left home. Now I'm simply Loki," Gabriel shrugged.

That was when suddenly someone came from behind and sat down on the left armrest of the chair Gabriel was currently sitting in and draped an arm over his shoulder.

"So, you're really Loki?" that person whom Gabriel could identify as one of the Weasley twins spoke up.

The next second the other twin came; also from behind, and sat down on the right armrest mirroring the actions of his brother and also draping an arm over Gabriel's shoulder.

"The god of mischief," the twin who just arrived said.

"fire," the first twin continued.

"and absolute awesomeness?" they chorused in the end.

Gabriel looked at the two with not a small amount of surprise and shock, how much did the two hear?

"Don't worry," the first twin whispered.

"your secret is safe with us," the second one added.

"We are Forge and Gred Weasley by the way," the first spoke up again.

"Or Gred and Forge," the second said without a second break.

"Some might even call us Fred and George – the devils of Gryffindor," they told him simultaneously.

"But for you oh master," the first twin leaned forward and whispered into Gabriel's ear.

"We will always be devoted followers," the second again mirroring the actions of his twin brother also leaned forward to whisper in Gabriel's ear.

"sources of information," the first again whispered.

"Or whatever else you want us to be," the second added.

"We are yours to command," they ended.

It was not only Gabriel who looked up at the twins in surprise and a small amount of disbelief. Neville also stared at them as if they just decided to grow second heads. From what he had heard about the so called "Demons of Gryffindor" nothing and no one was ever able to tell them what to do or reign them in, but now it seemed that they voluntarily accepted a subordinate role to Gabriel. Though what Gabriel said next made him blanch.

After a few moments of closely observing the twins Gabriel started to laugh uproariously. "You know twins? I like you," he said while standing up before he turned around, grabbed a hand of each twin, and pulled them up before he dragged them towards the exit of the common room. "We'll get along splendidly, but now we have a lot to do, you know pranks to plan…people to annoy," he laughed before they were finally through the hole that lead to the corridor outside.

Neville stared after them. "Why do I have the feeling that we're all doomed?" he muttered before he hurried after them, hopefully he could prevent them from levelling the castle to the ground.


A/N: As I said in this story nothing is as it seems to be especially when it comes to Dumbledore *grins evilly*. 'til next chapter!