Authors Note: Thanks again fro the support and one person seemed not sure in a review why the twins were kidnapped and not normally invited as the rest. The explanation is that the twins didn't know anything before hand and since Ron and Hermione had known Voldemort had insisted that Snape get a vow from them to keep their mouth shut about it anyway and since they had vowed they were allowed to come. But Bella really wanted the twins there so Harry could pass on his present and be happy about seeing them happy. After all, that was his wish, seeing his friends happy. So she needed them there as part of her present. That would be hard since they would have to vow and probably not just make an unbreakable vow with her. After Voldy took her first idea when she asked for assistance she worried to have someone else steal that idea if she got someone to make them vow instead. So she couldn't warn them ahead of time and had to kidnap them which, to be honest, was more enjoyable to her then just ask and then get them to vow after a long discussion anyway.

Chapter 10

After his friends left the birthday party, Harry is a little worried since it leaves him alone with only the Lestranges, Severus, Voldemort and Draco. He pretends to be tired and wanting to go to his room and sleep. After being shown the way by his father and all the others, he sees that said room once again a rather big suite with two bedrooms. One being for Draco. Harry thanks his father and the Lestranges who helped decorate it and once they are gone to leave them to rest, Harry looks at Draco and then towards his own room wordlessly.

"If you don't want to be alone tonight." Draco replies, "Why don't you either ask one of your elves to combine the rooms into one big one or make your bed bigger so we can be a little more comfortable while sharing."

"Because if it's enlarged," Harry mumbles with a dark blush, "You might not cuddle up to me as much."

Draco smiles a little and moves his arms around his soulmate before whispering, "Trust me, I will be very cuddly, and I promise you that if we get a bigger bed than the last few nights, I will make damn sure that you're going to love it."

Harry does as asked and the next morning he has to agree that he most certainly loves that bed. He is however worried that it will be even harder for Draco when they return to Hogwarts and have to sleep in different dorm rooms. Hermione had mentioned that kissing would make it worse and only getting Draco pregnant would stop the danger all together. Sadly, they are only 15 years old and way too young for that. Harry is glad they didn't get far enough last night to risk it already being too late to avoid Draco being pregnant but they most certainly got the kissing down, and then some.

He doesn't really want to worry about it and even forgets it with the events that start less than a week later with Hedwig's arrival.

Voldemort had eased the wards enough to let owls through but orders Harry to order the elves to check all mail for curses. Harry doesn't want to at first, worried that either one might get hurt but after Dobby and Winky both tell him that they can do it safely and that nothing bad will happen to either of them, he agrees. Hedwig shows up one morning at the end of breakfast. Most of the people living in the small mansion already left the breakfast table but Voldemort always stays with his son until he leaves the table to make sure he has some time with him and since Harry slept in that morning and Draco had slept in even longer and is currently still in the bathroom, which tends to take ages most mornings, they are alone. The moment Hedwig lands in front of Harry, Dobby is right next to them and snips his fingers. Hedwig hoots upset at having the letter taken from her and while Harry tries to calm her the letter floats in front of Dobby for a moment before the elf explains that the letter is safe and hands it over.

Inside is a list with books the next year students need. "I thought he thinks me dead." Harry wonders, reading over the book list.

"He does." Voldemort agrees, sitting close by and is reading a book to have something to do rather than an awkward silence between short discussions. Currently the man looks still very relaxed much to Harry's surprise after the owl. "But the ministry doesn't and until you're officially pronounced dead he has to send it off. Also having your own owl unable to find you would seen as further proof of your death, since your owl is more likely to find you than any other and only very powerful wards could stop her, so he probably hoped to go to Fudge with the returned letter and tell him that he was unable to send it."

"Should I send it back to let him think that or not?" Harry questions. "After all I do want to return. I really do and I think I have to get a chance to see both sides to trust ever trust either again."

It's quiet for a moment before the older man says, "How about you keep the list and in a few day's time you will go to Diagon and buy your books, making your big comeback?" Voldemort suggests staring straight to the table with a frown and clearly not pleased with this decision. "Severus could accompany you. I happen to know that Dumbledore had insisted that he promised to protect you. It wasn't an unbreakable vow but he did promise and always pretended to be in love with Lily. That's how Dumbledore thought he could get him, pointing out that you're all that he has left of her. Due to that it isn't too far fetched that he'd help you if you'd told him the truth about the Dursleys."

"Sure, why not." Harry replies. "I'm not sure Dumbledore will believe that I told him of all people but still."

"Severus could have overheard you talking to Ron about your fear of returning or maybe a few days before you had to enter that maze he could have heard Ron and Hermione worry that you'd get hurt and you just replying the maze can't be worse than the Dursleys. Or that if you die, you won't have to go back to the Dursleys or something like that and then kept you after your next class and planned this escape from there, saying that if even Dumbledore doesn't know at first no death eater will either until it is too late for you to return to the Dursleys." Voldemort suggests still frowning and still clearly very unhappy.

"Sounds believable." Harry states, "He would have to do a lot to make me believe it but maybe we can pretend that he told me about being in love with Lily under Veritaserum and that he swore to protect me and has every intention to make me safe. That would also make his cover for Dumbledore safer since he'd believe that Severus said it under Verita, according to me anyway."

"Just make sure to talk to Severus to get the story straight with as many details as possible." Voldemort suggests and Harry is surprised to see his hands shake. "And avoid being alone with Dumbledore. You don't know what that monster is capable of and probably won't believe it if I told you but please, make sure that you are not alone with him and that he knows that Severus would always believe you and protect you. He has to know that you are not alone! And if anything happens, just tell Severus that you want to get back here and you will get back I'll make sure of that. You can come back anytime but please, be very careful around him."

The man takes a calming breath before very clearly changing the topic. "By the way, you mentioned that you were worried about your money running out before you finish school." Voldemort says, remembering that information from the day they had talked about possible presents not too long before the boy's birthday. "I doubt that possible, have Severus look into it for you and for once, trust him. Or at least try."

Harry wonders if he'll ever find out why his father seems to really fear that old coot but after a moment he just shrugs for now and mumbles, "Okay. Can I write Hermione to meet me there? And possibly Ron and the twins?"

"I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to do so." The dark Lord replies with a devilish grin. "Especially now that you have your owl back. Might as well pretend that it's your first letter, that way they can show others."

"Just one more thing, you said Severus can pretend that he thought it safer not to even tell Dumbledore about anything to avoid death eaters to know. How will he explain going to Diagon with me then?" Harry wonders.

"Everyone knows that you're with the Weasleys at this time of the summer and he might have been sent from the Order for added protection. Just try and return with him." Voldemort orders. "I fear the Order will try and get you to come with them. And Severus wouldn't be there the whole time to protect you from that man."

"I'll see what I can do." Harry replies with a little smile. "I think I'll manage that though."

"Good. And don't worry too much about it. As long as you don't work against him, I'm sure Severus will be able to make sure you'll return." Voldemort explains to his son, glad that he doesn't seem to plan on running during this chance to leave and hopes that Harry isn't just playing along to do just that. Before returning to read a book as he usually does while waiting for his son to be done, he decides to have as many death eaters as possible in the ally, maybe one of them can kidnap the boy should he try to ditch Severus.

Once Draco is down and done with his breakfast both boys leave to find Severus, who insisted that they spend a few hours every day to work on their potions. Since especially Harry needs the help, if he want's to give Harry a chance to pass his OWL's this year.

"You have to take me to Diagon soon." Harry tells him. "My book list came today."

"Oh right." Draco remembers, "My came as well, while I was still in my room getting ready."

"What does your father say about us going to Diagon?" Severus asks and Harry explains the plan they had and while Severus is ordering Harry to brew a fourth year potion, Draco is ordered to read a book about theory that should help him get a slight head start for the coming year. Severus managed to throw in a few snide remarks and complains about Harry's skill but actually explains the mistakes and how to do it properly and all of that while making sure their story is believable and will be the same for both of them, no matter how many details Dumbledore will ask about the next time he sees either of them.

Once the potion is done and Severus has Harry repeat every mistake and explain the mistake and how he should have made it correctly in his own words, to make sure the boy had understood his mistakes, before Severus hands his brother a book about mind magic. He orders Harry to read it before the end of the week, to make sure that he can learn Occlumency. He explains that it is crucial for Harry to be allowed back to Hogwarts, since otherwise Dumbledore can look into his mind and find out the truth.

Harry and Draco both read their respective books for the rest of the day cuddled against each other on a couch. During the weekend Severus practices Occlumency with Harry and notices that he has a hard time learning it. After the first three attempts noticing that Harry doesn't even seem to try he asks, "You read the book, didn't you?"

"I tried." Harry replies sheepishly, "But I didn't really get it."

"Strange, since Occlumency is a part of defense and you're usually rather good at it." Severus drawls bored, knowing that it's a lie. It's part of mind magic and even though this part of it is defending the mind from invasions, it's no more defensive magic as a levitation spell is. He does hope however that it will encourage the boy and mind magic stands and falls with his own mental standing towards it. If Harry believes himself to fail he will and since he didn't get the admittedly hard to understand book, he probably is certain to fail. "Let me try to explain it in a way even you'll understand. I try to get into your head and you try to either kick me out or show me only what you want. You can do that by..."

"Freeing your mind." Harry sighs, "Yeah I know. I told you I read it but how on earth am I to just stop thinking?"

"You don't." Severus says, "You free it of worry, of fear, of anything other than relaxation or whatever emotion you need to let your mind work best. It is always something positive though and really never something that hinders the mind, like worry. There are emotions and thoughts that can aid our mind to work the way we want and some that block it. Like fear. If you fear something, you're less likely to fight it. Or doubt, if you doubt your own success you can't succeed."

Harry is quiet for a moment, thinking about it and then asks, "Like having a happy thought to cast a patronus? It's way harder with a Dementor there because of the fear they cause. It stops your happy thoughts."

"In a way that is correct." Severus says, "Fear can stop you from having the right emotions for that spell, just like it can stop your mind from protecting itself. That's why it isn't possible for a child your age to master the patronus. No teen can feel that happy in the face of fear."

Harry looks blankly at his half-brother and then asks, "So you still don't know how Siri got out during the end of my third year or who cast that patronus to save Siri and me?"

"No, I don't." Severus grumbles. "I only know that Dumbledore had you locked into the hospital wing."

"We did it before that." Harry grins. "Hermione and me."

"Dumbledore said he was with you." Severus states, "So he lied?"

"Oh now. He was with us." Harry grins. "But Hermione did every course that year and since it wouldn't work in a single timetable, she got a time turner to do it. We used it to free Buckbeak and Sirius and I also cast that patronus to save myself and Siri."

"You?" Severus asks. "You're kidding. There were like a hundred Dementors. How on earth could you have done it?"

"I just knew I could and Sirius has told me that I could live with him and leave the Dursleys before Remus turned into Moony and I just had to think of that." Harry explains. "I don't think I've ever been that happy, still thinking that I could get away from them forever. Should have known it was too good to be true though."

Severus looks deeply into the boy's eyes in the hope to get the massage across, "You ARE away from them forever. You will never go back to them and most of all, you ARE safe now. I will not allow you to be thrown into danger ever again." Severus looks at the boy for a moment longer, noticing the slight blush on the younger man's face and the incredulous look like he still can't believe it but wants to believe it so badly. After a moment Severus moves a little and takes a deep breath, thinking that this was enough deep talking for a lesson about relaxing his mind enough to fight a mental attack. "You did however make a good point for mind magic. You have to believe yourself capable of doing it. The more you doubt yourself, the harder it is. You have to believe yourself able to do this or you won't learn it. But it is defensive, so you should be able to learn it quickly."

Harry nods and tries to think of something that can help him. What emotion and what memory might help him? After a moment Severus says, "Let's try again, just try to fight me different ways until we notice an effect. Anything would be good."

Harry nods and decides that if being certain to succeed helps, maybe the feeling of Adrenalin combined with the rush of victory might help. Still thinking of the Dementors that they just talked about, Harry focuses on that feeling. The feeling of happiness, of knowing that he could and most of all will defeat them all and the happy memory of being free from the Dursleys.

Harry hears his brother say "legilimens" again but this time, Harry just grins remembering his victory. There are no other memories in his mind. Nothing comes forth, just the win against the Dementors, the stag, his stag battling them back with ease. Knowing that Siri will be safe and he won't have to go back to the muggles. He really won't. For a moment Harry remembers Severus promising him safety but that memory seems to suddenly be in the other one. He just hears that promise again, standing by the lake and watching those Dementors run from his stag. The feeling of safety happiness and victory drowning all his doubt and worry that Severus will get into his head.

"Well done." Severus says, looking shocked at his brother who in turn is surprised to see any emotions on tho older man's face.

"Did you see what I saw or did I actually kick you out?" Harry asks curious. He hadn't felt his brother at all.

"Kick me out?" Severus asks, "I didn't even get in! All I saw was a blinding light that pushed me back, like there was something hard, something like. I don't really know, many sticks maybe but with the side most of them not poking and rather like you held them sideways a little with both hands to push me back but I felt them end and they were multiple ones and none of them straight. And some really were pointy."

"Antlers." Harry says grinning. "You felt the antlers of my patronus. I thought of that."

Severus grins and says, "Amazing. The first part is done rather well I must say."

"The first?" Harry asks, disheartened again. He thought he had done it and would be able to go to Hogwarts having learned another piece of tricky defensive magic in no time at all.

"You can do it well when you know what is coming but trust me, you won't always. Dumbledore can do the spell silently and wandlessly. As can your father. I will inform him of your success today and while I'm sure he will be as pleased about it as I am, we will both attack your mind without warning at random when you least expect it for the next few weeks until it becomes second nature to you to defend your mind from sudden intrusion."

"Fine." Harry grumbles.

"You did very well though." Severus points out. "I taught Draco all through last year and it took him much longer to get to the same point and he still can't always defend his mind when I attack at random. So he'll be on the same level as you for now, a little ahead since he does this for longer now but you might very well find this easier than he does and surpass him soon."

Harry smiles happily and during the rest of the weekend and the start of the next week Severus and the dark Lord attack both teen's minds a few times each day and much to Severus surprise he never sees more than a split second of a random picture that hardly helps at all before that light combined with those antlers push him out. The dark Lord, while a little more successful with Draco than Severus is, fails just as miserably at looking into the mind of that cheekily grinning son of his.

Authors Note: Harry will return! But why is Voldemort so worried? Why does he think it necessary that Dumbledore knows that Harry has someone that would believe him anything? Why does someone as Powerful as Voldemort really fear the esteemed Headmaster of the light and why does Dumbledore work so hard to discredit him? Does he know something that no one else does and if yes what is it? Why doesn't he just tell Harry? Why is he so sure that he won't believe him? Will Dumbledore try to get into Harry's mind? And what about a defense teacher? This is going to be their fifth year! And what about Gringotts? Will anything happen there? Voldemort seems to believe that Harry should have plenty of founds from the Potters! So many questions, and only 7 more chapters to go!