A/N: *Does the disclaimer dance* I have quoted dialogue from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the last bit of this chapter, though I have changed it to fit the story. No copyright infringement is meant, etc, etc.

The return ride to Hogwarts was far more relaxing than the previous one, much to the relief of the three boys and Hermione, who joined them in their compartment once more. Hermione had quite happily shown them the heir's ring on her right hand. The goblins at Gringotts had been more than willing to reopen the Dagworth-Granger vaults. The Dagworth-Granger name had a minor title, making Hermione a Baroness when she came of age, as well as giving her a seat in the Wizengamot, as the House was a Noble one. She'd quickly contacted Harry when she'd found out, asking him to help with finding a voting proxy until she was able to take over once she graduated Hogwarts.

Harry had owled back as soon as he could, suggesting that she name Augusta as her proxy, given how well the elder woman had governed the Longbottom seat and accounts. Augusta had agreed when Harry had asked, saying that she wasn't about to let the stodgy old blowhards in the Wizengamot relax now that she'd stepped down from the Longbottom seat. Sirius had suggested several trustworthy accountants to help go over the long-languishing vaults, as well as saying it would likely be a good idea to have the law firm of Doornehaven, Masters, and Wimbley on retainer as well just in case anyone tried to wrest away control of the seat or accounts from the so-called 'upstart Muggleborn', or worse. Augusta had immediately contracted the firm to look over any and all contracts, marriage and otherwise, associated with the House, as she didn't want Hermione trapped in something she didn't understand or could avoid.

Hermione's parents had been very grateful for that, and had sent a thank you gift via one of the three house elves that had come along with the House and who had quite happily bonded with Hermione. Augusta had been rather surprised at the large fresh fruit basket, but had quite enjoyed it, sharing the unexpected bounty with the others in the house. Harry suspected that Augusta and the elder Grangers would soon be as thick as thieves at the rate they were going.

It took two weeks after they got back to Hogwarts for Harry and Neville to be able to make good on their promise to Lady Hogwarts to cleanse the wardstones for Slytherin and Gryffindor. The ward stones were located under the Headmaster's Tower, with the entrance accessible behind a discrete gargoyle tucked away in a warded hallway. The gargoyle moved swiftly aside when they approached, urged aside both by Lady Hogwarts and their Family Magics. A moving spiral staircase, much like the one that led up to Dumbledore's office, led the way down to the path to the chamber where the wardstones were housed.

The staircase stopped when they were just about the same level as the kitchens, though the path leading away from the stairs sloped gently downwards on a broad spiral. Harry and Neville kept close to one another, wands lit with twin Lumos charms, as the torches had either burnt out long ago and were unable to be relit or had gone missing. Draco had wanted to come along with them, but Lady Hogwarts had advised against it, saying that only the Founders' Heirs or the current Headmaster could access the wardstones and the chamber they were located in.

The path opened up onto a massive chamber that looked to be a natural formation, given the stalactites and stalagmites growing from the ceiling high above and floor deep below. The path continued on over the chamber floor, arching slightly before ending at a free-floating central platform that had four massive statues at each main point of the compass and an even bigger central stone in the middle. Harry and Neville held hands as they passed over the broad bridge, wands clutched in their free hands just in case. When they reached the central platform, the bridge disappeared and a golden shield surrounded the island, encasing it entirely.

Runes covered the statues and stone, seeming to shift and flow as Harry and Neville watched. The four statues were that of the House mascots, each with the element they were associated with at their base. The roaring Gryffindor Lion had Gubraithian fire burning away in a trench around it, while the digging Hufflepuff Badger was surrounded by rich earth that had vibrant plants still thriving around it. Harry wondered if Professor Sprout had ever seen them, or indeed, if any of the Heads of the Houses had. The tightly coiled Slytherin Serpent had a stream of cool and fresh water constantly flowing through the trench around it, while the Ravenclaw Eagle floated freely over its plinth, wings stretched out wide.

"Ready to do this?" Neville asked Harry. Harry nodded, drawing out the ceremonial dagger that Lady Hogwarts had given him. It had once been Salazar Slytherin's; its pommel was shaped like a snake's head with a small emerald grasped in its mouth. Neville had Gryffindor's dagger; its pommel was shaped like a lion's head, a tiny ruby held tight in its jaws. Lady Hogwarts had told them that all the Founders had weapons, ceremonial and practical specially made for them with their House mascots as decoration on them, with each entailed to their various estates. Gryffindor's sword was one such entailed artifact, and, according to Lady Hogwarts, the other Founders also had their preferred weapons stashed around the castle. Harry suspected Slytherin's weapons were somewhere in the Chamber of Secrets, though he hadn't had time to explore it thoroughly with everything that had happened over the first half of the school year.

As he drew closer to the Serpent, Harry frowned when he saw dark gray tendrils covering the stone. It almost reminded him of how mold grew. "Hey, Nev?" he said as he came to a halt.

"Yeah?" Neville replied.

"Is there anything weird on your stone?"

There was a pause before Neville spoke again. "Yeah. There's... I don't know. A fine gray netting over the surface? What is this stuff?"

"No clue, but scan it with your magic," Harry said, who had done just that while Neville was looking over the Lion. "Tell me how it feels."

"What the-" Neville let out a huff. "It feels sticky, and... sweet?"

"Dumbledore," Harry said grimly. "I felt the same magic when I woke up. I think he'd laid magic on me when I was younger. I burned it away, but still."

"Wonderful," Neville said. "I wonder what it does."

"I don't know, but it probably has something to do with the hatred between the two Houses," Harry mused. "Let's get these things cleansed."

He sliced his palm and then pressed his hand against the Serpent's scales, letting the blood soak into it before taking his hand away. The Serpent's eyes, which were made of a deep green stone Harry didn't recognize, flashed as it recognized his rightful claim as Heir of Slytherin. "I, Harry James Potter-Black, do claim and cleanse the wardstone set down by Salazar Slytherin as is my right by conquest. I give this gift of my blood to aid in the cleansing. May Magic see my gift and bless my purpose. So say I, so may it be!"

The blood soaked into the stone, with all the runes turning a deep crimson. The gray tendrils writhed in protest before being burned away and crumbling into ash that floated away into the depths of the chasm below. The runes, which had been moving sluggishly before, now flowed over the stone freely. Harry healed his hand before turning to see how Neville was doing. Neville had just stepped away from the Lion and was healing his hand with his wand.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked as he cleaned off the dagger before storing it once more in his wrist bracer. Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "You?"

"Good. The Slytherin Magics feel more... I don't know, settled? Content?"

"I know what you mean. The Gryffindor Magics feel the same," Neville said, cleaning his dagger before putting it away. "Let's get out of here."

"How? There isn't a bridge any more," Harry pointed out. Neville just shrugged.

"I can't imagine the Founders would make it a one-way trip. That's just foolish."

"That, or they had brooms," Harry said dryly. Neville rolled his eyes.

"Let's just see what we can find." He headed towards the edge of the platform where the bridge had once been. As he approached the edge, the golden shield around the island vanished and the bridge reappeared. Neville gave Harry a pointed look before heading across the bridge. Harry sighed softly and then followed after his bondmate.

"You're going to be smug about this for the rest of the day, aren't you?" he asked as they walked up the path to the stairs.

"Mm, probably," Neville said with a grin. "Maybe even the rest of the weekend."

"Ugh. Draco's going to love this," Harry groaned. "Can we not tell him?"

"Nope!" Neville said cheerfully. He took hold of Harry's hand and squeezed it as they reached the stairs "It's alright. We won't tease you. Much."

"Wonderful." Harry shook his head in resignation. He honestly didn't mind the teasing, so long as it didn't go on for too long. Neither Draco or Neville were that cruel, unlike some people in the castle. It was lunch when Harry and Neville reached the Great Hall, so they joined Draco at the Slytherin table.

"So, how'd it go?" Draco asked as he handed Neville a jug of water. Neville took the jug with a small smile.

"Good. We got everything taken care of," he said, pouring himself some water before setting the jug down. "We'll see how things go from now on."

"Mm." Draco cut into the fish he was eating, the white meat flaking away perfectly as he did so. "Good to hear it."

Harry smiled and then turned to his own plate, loading it with a variety of foods including some of the same baked fish Draco was eating. Life was good for the time being, and he was reveling in the peacefulness.

~/~

Charlie Weasley trudged up the muddy road to the main gates of Hogwarts, a small smile forming when he saw the familiar winged boars standing guard on either side of the gates. It was the Easter break for the Hogwarts students, with quite a few off visiting their families, and the perfect time to see about this supposed dragon egg that Hagrid was caring for. Charlie had a specialized carrying case for the egg, able to fit even the largest of the known breeds. It had heating charms on the padded interior to keep the egg viable during transport, as well as weight-canceling charms to make it easy to carry.

Severus Snape was waiting for him at the gates, looking slightly less dour than he had when Charlie had had him for Potions class. Severus gave Charlie a short nod before opening the gates.

"Mister Weasley," Severus said, stepping back to let Charlie through. "Welcome back to Hogwarts."

"It's good to be back, Professor," Charlie replied. "So, the letters I got weren't very specific about the breed of the dragon egg or when Hagrid acquired it."

"A Hungarian Horntail, as far as I know, and about a week ago," Severus said as they walked, the gates closing behind them. Charlie nodded, grateful that the carrying case would be big enough for the egg.

"Did he say where he got it?"

Severus shook his head. "No, save for the fact that it was won off of a stranger down at the Hog's Head in the village."

"And does the Headmaster know about this?"

Severus smiled wryly. "If he does, he hasn't said one word about it. I suspect he does know but wants to see what might happen. As it stands, I'd much prefer to not let a baby dragon be anywhere on the grounds, even if it still is just an egg."

"Agreed." Charlie fell silent for a while as they picked their way up the muddy road, only speaking up again when the castle itself was in sight. "Who was it that discovered the egg?"

"A group of three first years," Severus said with a sigh. "They'd seen Hagrid looking at books in the library. They were about raising dragons, so their curiosity was piqued. One trip for tea later and they discovered the egg. They told me about it once they were finished with the tea. One of them is a Gryffindor, and so had heard your brothers talking about you and your work, which is why you were contacted."

"I see." Charlie rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the faint rasp of stubble against his palm reminding him that he hadn't had much time to shave recently. "Well, I'm glad we'll be able to take care of it before it hatches. I can't imagine what Hagrid thought he would do after that happened. Dragons grow wickedly fast, and they can produce fire almost from the moment they hatch. Given that his house is wooden, I wouldn't think it'd go unnoticed for too long."

"Undoubtedly not," Severus agreed. "I dread to think what might have happened had those three not noticed Hagrid when they did."

"Definitely." Charlie fell silent until they reached Hagrid's hut. Severus knocked on the door, prompting Fang to let out booming barks from inside. Hagrid opened the door a few moments later, pushing Fang back.

"Professor Snape! And..." Hagrid grinned broadly. "Charlie Weasley! What're yeh doin' here?"

"May we come in, Hagrid?" Charlie asked. Hagrid stepped back and waved them in.

"C'mon in," he said. As the two visitors stepped inside, they immediately noticed that the interior of the cabin was blisteringly hot. Charlie immediately focused on the fireplace, where he expected the dragon egg to be. There, nestled in the heart of the fire under the kettle, was a huge black egg.

"Oh, Hagrid," Charlie said with a sigh. "Where on Earth did you get that?"

"Huh? Oh, I won it in a game o' cards at the Hog's Head," Hagrid said, tugging on his beard nervously, glancing at Severus as he answered. "The chap I won it from seemed ter be glad t' get rid o' it, t'be honest."

"And did you see who it was?" Charlie asked, setting the carry case down in front of the hearth. "Hagrid, you can't keep this egg. This is a Hungarian Horntail. It'll burn down your hut within a week of hatching."

"I dunno who it was," Hagrid admitted. "Didn't see his face. He kept his hood up."

"Who carries around a dragon egg in their pocket?" Severus muttered as Charlie carefully levitated the egg into the carrier. "Why did he even trust you with it? How did he know you'd be alright with it?"

Hagrid just shrugged. "Well, firs' he asked me what I did, an' I told him I worked 'ere as gamekeeper. He asked about what kinda creatures I looked after, so I told him. I said that after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy."

Severus stared at him. "You told him about- Wait, that thing's name is Fluffy? Did he seem interested in it?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, how many three-headed dogs d'you meet, even around Hogwarts?" Hagrid said. "So I tol' him that Fluffy's a piece of cake if y'know how ter calm him down. Play a bit of music an' he's off ter sleep."

Severus bit back a groan. "Wonderful," he said dryly as Charlie closed the carry case, the heating charms activating as soon as the the clasps snapped shut.

"Hagrid, we'll make sure this dragon is well taken care of," Charlie promised. "We'll see about arranging a visit for you if you like."

"Y-yeah," Hagrid said. He shifted nervously. "Yer not gonna tell Dumbledore about this, are yeh?"

"I have no doubt that he already knows, but no, we won't," Severus said. "Nor will we inform the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, even though technically we should."

Hagrid's shoulders slumped in relief. "Thanks," he said, taking a heavy seat on a nearby chair, which creaked under his weight. Charlie slung the carry case's strap over his shoulder, grateful for the weight lightening charms on it, and then headed for the door, Severus right behind him.

"What a way to start the Easter holidays, huh?" Charlie said as they left the hut. Severus just sighed.

"If you say so, Mr. Weasley, if you say so."

~/~

Harry stepped through the gates of the Pottery, the Family Magics allowing him and Sirius entry, though he'd had to hold onto Sirius' hand just in case. He needn't have worried, though, as the trichromatic bond that Sirius had once shared with James and Lily automatically made him part of the Potter family. The Pottery was the oldest property owned by the Potters, with ancient war wards that made Harry wonder why his family hadn't stayed there. He suspected that Dumbledore likely had something to do with it, which made his mood turn sour momentarily.

"Everything okay?" Sirius asked, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezing it gently. Harry nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Just wondering why the Pottery wasn't used during the war."

Sirius sighed. "I don't know, kiddo," he said. "Probably because of Dumbledore."

"Just what I thought," Harry said as they reached the front doors of the grand manor. He opened the doors and stepped inside, leaving the doors open to let the fresh air in. The entrance hall inside was surprisingly clean, which Harry put down to the house elves taking good care of the place. The moment Harry stepped onto the cool, clean tiles covering the floor, the lead house elf popped into being at the top of the staircase wearing a neatly pressed black pillowcase like a toga, with the Potter crest embroidered in one of the corners.

"M-Master Harry?" the elderly elf squeaked, its brown eyes wide. "Mister Sirius?"

Sirius let out a soft noise of surprise. "Domie," he replied. "Huh. I wasn't expecting you to still be alive, to be honest. How're you doing?"

"Very well, Mister Sirius," Domie said. "Thank you. Are yous going to live here now?"

"We're living at Blackmoor Hall right now," Harry said, "but it's likely my bondmates and I will be living here, at least part time, once we're of age. I will be able to support the bonds of all the house elves here. Sirius will be handling the wards until I'm of age."

"Understood." Domie made his way down the stairs before reaching out and taking hold of Harry's hand. The moment contact was made, the bond snapped into place. Harry suddenly knew that there were eight house elves belonging to the House of Potter, with five females and three males. He let out a hum before focusing on Domie.

"Domie, I'm giving all elves bonded to the House of Potter permission to find mates and have children if they so choose," he said, much to the obvious surprise of the house elf before him. "Let me know if there are any problems with any of our properties. If you feel like you don't have enough work for your tastes, let me know and we'll see what we can do for you. Do you like the uniforms you're wearing? Oh, and just call me either sir or Harry. I'd rather not be called 'master', if you don't mind."

Domie nodded hesitantly. "Yes, sir," he said, showing why he was the head elf as he quickly adapted to the new orders. "The uniforms are fine. We replace them when they wears out."

"Good. I want you all to represent our House the best you can. If you need help with that, let me know," Harry said. Domie nodded before summoning the rest of the house elves to his side so they could formally meet Harry. Harry didn't feel taxed by the eight elves he was now supporting, but then again he hadn't expected to. In the previous timeline, he been able to easily support three times that number in theory, and that was without having claimed the Slytherin Family Magics. He figured he'd likely be able to support fifty or so elves without straining his magic. Not that he was planning on doing so, but it was nice to know he could do it regardless. Sirius could likely handle the same number of elves; at the moment, there were thirty elves bound to the House of Black.

Once the introductions were done, the elves took Harry and Sirius on a tour around the Pottery. The manor was entirely self-sufficient, with greenhouses, an orchard, and even livestock. Sirius claimed the wards before they left, making sure the manor was fully secure once more.

~/~

The last few weeks before the end of the year seemed to fly by, and then suddenly the time to take the end-of-year exams had arrived. Thanks to the study group, most of the first years found the exams to be rather easy. Harry, Draco, and a few others were lounging around under one of the trees near the Black Lake. They were waiting for their fellow Gryffindors to finish their History of Magic exam, which was the last of the day. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were nearby, tickling the tentacles of the giant squid, which was sunning itself in the shallows.

Harry was stretched out with his head on Draco's lap as his bondmate idly ran his fingers through Harry's hair. Selina was basking on a rock nearby, soaking up the early summer sun and hissing softly in her pleasure. It seemed a perfect day.

A sudden surge of panic over the bond was followed several minutes later by Neville's shouts as he pelted across the lawn at full speed, book-bag banging against his hip as he went. Harry and Draco were all but ready to draw their wands and attack whatever it was that was threatening their bondmate. Harry scooped up Selina as Neville skidded to a halt nearby, nearly tripping over Su Li's legs.

"Nev?" Draco asked as he got up, Harry following after him. "What's going on?"

"No time," Neville panted. He grabbed Harry and Draco's hands and began pulling them away from the group.

"I'll watch your book-bags for you!" Hermione called after them. Harry managed to tug his hand out of Neville's grasp when they were halfway back to the castle.

"Neville, what the hell is going on?" he insisted, coming to a halt. Neville groaned and then turned to look at him.

"It's Weasley," Neville scowled. "He, Seamus, and Dean are planning on going through the gauntlet. They were on their way after our exam let out, probably thinking that they couldn't get thrown out now that the exams are done."

Harry groaned and then scrubbed his hands over his face. "Right. First things first, we need to find out where they are." He turned and then jogged back towards the lake, heading directly to where Fred and George were. Lee had wandered off, going to flirt with Katie Bell several hundred feet away. "Fred, George, I need to talk to you."

"What can we do-"

"-for you -"

"-little Badger?"

Harry patiently waited out the verbal ping-pong match between the two Gryffindors before answering. "I need the Map."

George gave him an innocent look. "Map? What Map?"

"The Marauders' Map," Harry said simply. He held up a hand to stop the barrage of questions. "Get it out and I'll tell you how I know about it."

Fred and George exchanged a glance before Fred shrugged and pulled the Map out of an inner pocket of his robes and held it out to Harry. Harry took it, bit his thumb until he drew blood, and then let a drop fall onto the center of the parchment, much to the twins' dismay. The blood soaked into the Map before disappearing entirely. Harry idly healed his minor wound before placing his wand against the Map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he intoned softly. Thin lines of ink spidered out across the parchment, forming into words that had Fred and George gasping.

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, with help from the Lady Flora, welcome the blood heir of the latter three to the Marauder's Map. We hope that you will be furthering the undoubtedly glorious heritage left to you, and continue to shake things up at Hogwarts.

"I will," Harry murmured with a small smile. He tapped the Map once more. "Map Mode, please."

The words shimmered out of existence, only to be replaced by the familiar sprawling map of Hogwarts and its grounds. "Locate Ronald Weasley," Harry said before lifting his wand away. The Map shifted views until it focused on Ron's dot, which was moving around occasionally near the dungeons, next to Seamus and Dean's.

"Whoa. I didn't know it could do that," George said, eyes wide. Harry smiled a little.

"That's not all it does, but I'll show you later," he promised.

"Hold on, how do you know about all of this?" Fred asked. "I saw what the Map said, but I want to know more."

"My father was James Potter, also known as Prongs," Harry told him. "My dad, Sirius Black, was Padfoot. Lady Flora was my mum, Lily Potter. She helped them with some of the more complex pranks in their later years here, though she refused to have anything to do with any that would humiliate people. I can introduce you to Sirius if you want, but it's going to have to be over the summer."

"That would be wicked!" George and Fred replied with matching grins. Harry wiped the map and then handed it back to them, but Fred shook his head.

"We don't need it any more," he said. "We've memorized all the secret passages there. You keep it. It's yours, anyways. Out of curiosity, why did you need to find little Ronnikins anyways? I thought you hated him?"

"I dislike him strongly because of how he acts towards me and mine," Harry corrected, "but he's gone and gotten himself and his friends in trouble. Thanks, guys. I'll owl you as soon as I can to set up a meeting with Padfoot."

With that, he pocketed the Map and headed back to Draco and Neville, who were waiting nearby.

"Let's go," he said, making his way towards the castle. He ducked into an empty side chamber before drawing his wand. He took a deep breath, conjured up the memory of reuniting with Sirius after his dad had been released from Azkaban, and then flicked his wand. He paused when he saw what had coalesced from the white mist his wand had produced.

"I thought your Patronus was a stag," Draco said as he and Neville stared at the silvery coatl that was currently soaring around the room, looking for any danger.

"It was," Harry said softly as the coatl came to a stop in front of him, wings beating to keep it aloft. He sighed. "Now's not the time to worry about it. I can guess why it changed, though. After all, we did go through a major change in our lives. I'd be surprised if yours haven't changed as well." He focused on the Patronus, making sure to speak in English rather than Parseltongue. "Take this message to Severus Snape: 'The youngest red-maned Lion has decided to go through the gauntlet set up beyond the forbidden corridor. Bring any and all supplies with you that you think will help. Draco will aid you with bringing them along.' Go."

~/~

Severus looked up from the exam he was grading when he heard the rush of air through feathers. He stared at the ghost-like coatl floating in front of him, not quite sure what to make of it. The coatl opened its mouth and then repeated the message Harry had given it before fading into nothingness. Not long after, there was a quick series of raps on Severus' office door.

"Professor Snape?" Draco called through the thick wood. "May I come in?"

"Enter," Severus replied. Draco did so, not bothering to hide his worried expression, which surprised Severus, given how most of his Slytherins worked hard to keep up their blank masks no matter what.

"Did you get the message?" Draco asked. Severus nodded.

"I did. I take it that was referring to the youngest Weasley and his compatriots?" he asked as he abandoned his grading to collect the nearest emergency kit. He had several stashed around the office and his potions labs just in case. They held antidotes to the most common poisons and potions, as well as bezoars of various sizes.

"Yes, sir," Draco replied. "Harry and Neville are already on their way to stop them."

Severus groaned. "Merlin save me from noble Potters," he muttered as he slung the bag's strap over his shoulder. "Let's go."

He led the way, with Draco following closely behind him. Lady Hogwarts helped clear their path to the third floor corridor, making sure they weren't waylaid by anyone, student, teacher, or otherwise. Harry and Neville had already headed down the long drop under the open trapdoor. Fluffy was snoring away, the harp in the corner serenading him as he slept. Severus dropped down through the trapdoor first, catching Draco before he hit the burned remains of the Devil's Snare that littered the floor.

The two of them headed down the pathway to the key room, moving along at a fast clip. Severus blasted open the door across from them, not bothering to find the correct key. He led Draco around the narrow edge of the giant chessboard, entirely avoiding activating the enchantments on it. They paused when they came across the crumpled form of Seamus, with Dean sitting next to him, tears streaking his face. The young Irish Gryffindor was unconscious but stable, though with a good amount of blood coming from a shallow head wound near his hairline.

Severus checked him over and put a monitoring charm on him before moving on to the next room. He and Draco held their breaths as they hurried through the troll's chamber, with Severus making a note to see if he could harvest its ingredients later. He still had quite a lot of ingredients from the harvest of the previous troll, but it never hurt to have more in storage or to sell. That would have to be dealt with later, however.

When Severus and Draco reached the potions chamber (with Severus performing a Flame-Freezing Charm on the both of them to get through the flames blocking the entrance), they found Harry and Neville crouching next to Ron, who was laying on the floor, several bottles scattered around him. Severus waved Harry and Neville away before kneeling down next to Ron, retrieving a bezoar from the emergency kit and forcing it down Ron's throat. While Severus was busy making sure Ron didn't die from his own idiocy, Harry, Neville, and Draco turned to look at the black flames that blocked the way forward.

"Should we go through?" Neville asked quietly. Harry sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"I'm going to have to go through," he replied just as softly. "No matter how much we change things, some things likely have to remain almost the same. I've got the Cloak, so it should be interesting to see how that affects things."

"You'd best keep under it while you're in there," Draco said firmly. "I don't want you dealing with him for any longer than you have to."

"I will." Harry hugged his two bondmates before casting a Flame-Freezing Charm on himself and the Cloak before wrapping the latter around himself and stepping through the black flames. Quirrell was standing in front of the Mirror of Erised, muttering to himself. Harry moved as quietly as he could, very glad that the Horcrux he'd borne had been purged from his body. He suspected that Voldemort's shade had sensed it in the previous timeline, but he didn't have any solid proof.

Harry watched Quirrell for a long while before sighing softly and ducking behind a pillar near the chamber's entrance. He quietly slipped the Cloak off, folded it up, and put it in his pocket before stepping out from the shelter of the pillar. It took a few seconds for Quirrell to realize Harry was there, but when he did, he quickly bound Harry in tight cords all around his body and then levitated him over to near the Mirror.

"Ah, Mister Potter-Black," Quirrell said as he leaned Harry's bound form against the nearest step. "I was wondering if I would see you here."

"Why?" Harry asked. "I haven't even been near the third-floor corridor the whole year. What sort of idiot would go somewhere that's been labeled as deadly?"

"A Gryffindor," Quirrell said dryly. "You surprised a lot of people when you Sorted into Hufflepuff, you know."

Harry did his best to shrug, even with the cords around him. "Maybe I just don't fit in Gryffindor. I'm happy where I'm at. Hufflepuff is pretty cool."

"If you say so," Quirrell said. He turned to look at the Mirror, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Now, be quiet. Let me examine this interesting mirror."

Harry rolled his eyes when Quirrell looked away. He'd forgotten how self-centered and dull Quirrell was. Of all the DADA teachers he'd had, Quirrell had been one of the most useless. Even Lockhart had been somewhat of a better teacher than Quirrell was, and most of his classes had involved simply reading from his fiction-filled books.

"I don't understand," Quirrell muttered. "How do I get the Stone? Is it inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

"If you do, you'll probably ruin any enchantments on it, or maybe seven years' bad luck," Harry said, figuring he might as well have some fun with the situation. "Then you won't get the... Stone? What Stone?" He pulled a confused look.

Quirrell ignored him, however, and was still talking to himself. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

There was a moment of silence before Voldemort's high-pitched voice curled out from behind Quirrell's turban. "Use the boy... Use the boy..."

Quirrell turned, a manic smile on his face. "Yes, of course." He clapped his hands, making the cords fall away. "Come here, Potter-Black. Stand in front of the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry got to his feet, casually brushing off his robes before approaching the Mirror. He wasn't sure what he'd see when he looked into it, however, so he was prepared to lie his head off. He took in a soft breath when he finally focused on the Mirror. There, surrounding him, was his family. Not just those who were living, but James and Lily as well, looking alive and well with their arms around Sirius in a dual side-embrace, wedding rings glinting on all three of their left hands.

Harry bit his bottom lip, heart clenching. His reflection smiled sadly at him before putting its hand in an inner pocket of its robes and pulling out the blood-red Stone. The reflection winked before putting the Stone back in its pocket, and as it did, Harry felt the real Stone drop into his own pocket. Harry breathed out and closed his eyes, blocking out the tempting image still showing in the Mirror before him.

"Well?" Quirrell said impatiently. "What do you see?"

"I... I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," Harry lied, quickly regaining his composure and forcing himself to open his eyes. "I- I've won the house cup for Hufflepuff."

Quirrell cursed softly before shoving Harry aside. "Get out of the way," he snapped. Harry quickly took advantage of Quirrell's distraction to duck under the Invisibility Cloak, hiding himself from view. He sneaked away, wandlessly performing a Silencing Charm on his feet and clothing so Quirrell couldn't hear him moving. Hopefully it meant that Voldemort wouldn't be able to detect him as well.

Harry settled into a corner, running his fingers over Selina's scales as he calmed both her and himself. He could feel both Neville and Draco nearby due to the bond, and that they were doing alright. He sent reassurance to them that he was fine as well, not taking his eyes off Quirrell all the while.

"Where did he go?" Voldemort asked after several long minutes. "Where did Potter-Black go?"

Quirrell whirled around, turban going askew as he turned. He absently readjusted his headwear as he looked around. With a mischievous grin, Harry drew his wand and quietly caused the turban to come undone, making it unravel as Quirrell hunted around the chamber. Harry stayed still and silent, knowing that while he could be detected via the Homenum Revelio spell, Quirrell didn't know of the Invisibility Cloak, so he doubted the elder wizard would use the spell. Or at least, so he hoped.

As Quirrell moved around the chamber, his turban fell away, revealing Voldemort's snake-like face on the back of his head. Harry wrinkled his nose. Fuck. Voldemort's shade was uglier than he'd remembered, especially while it was embedded in Quirrell's skull. Bored with having to watch Quirrell prowl ineffectually around the chamber, Harry flicked his wand, muttering "Petrificus Totalus!" under his breath. Quirrell's legs snapped together and his arms jammed themselves straight against his sides as he toppled to the ground, stiff as a board.

He landed awkwardly on his face, leaving Voldemort facing upwards. Harry took the Cloak off, folding it up methodically before stowing it in his pocket. He flicked his wand, levitating Quirrell so he was propped up against one of the pillars, Voldemort's face glaring out at him. Harry just grinned at him.

"Hiya," he said, giving Voldemort a bright grin. "It's funny what you can do with first year spells, huh?"

Voldemort just glared at him. "What do you want, Potter-Black?" he snarled.

"Me? Oh, nothing," Harry said, idly tapping his wand against his open palm. "I mean, you've been hanging out on the back of Quirrell's head for the whole year. Can't imagine it was too interesting, being stuck under that stuffy turban for so long."

"You wouldn't understand," Voldemort sneered. "Now, give me that Stone."

"Stone? What Stone?" Harry asked, putting on an innocent expression and ramping his Occulemency shields up to full. "I don't have any Stones. Sorry, snake-face."

Voldemort scowled at him, which was all he could do given the situation. Harry pressed the tip of his wand against his mouth, contemplating what he should do next. He half-suspected Dumbledore was watching the situation, likely from under a strong Disillusionment Charm or invisibility cloak of his own. The urge to cast the Homenum Revelio spell was strong, but if Dumbledore was watching, Harry knew he had to keep the spells he cast to the appropriate age level.

What to do, what to do...

Harry supposed he could just touch Voldemort's forehead and start the chain reaction that would send the shade fleeing, but he half-wanted to see if he couldn't trap the shade. Though to be fair, Death had promised that the shade would join the rest of the Horcruxes beyond the Veil. Harry returned his wand to its holster before reaching out and placing his hand against Voldemort's cheek. Almost immediately, the skin where Harry had touched started to flake away.

Harry stepped away with a soft sigh. §Goodbye, Tom Marvolo Riddle,§ he hissed softly. §May you find peace beyond the Veil.§

He drew the Invisibility Cloak over his body, lingering long enough to see Voldemort's shade stream off through the nearest wall before he cast another Flame-Freezing Charm on himself and went back through the black flames, leaving Quirrell to crumble to ash.

~/~

The remaining few days of the term went by quietly, though the announcement from Dumbledore that Professor Quirrell had decided to take an early retirement and wouldn't be returning the next year sparked a wave of rumors running through the student body as to what had happened. None of them came close to the truth, but Harry wasn't about to tell anyone save his bondmates what had really happened.

Draco had taken Harry to task about playing with Voldemort, giving him the cold shoulder for the whole of breakfast and lunch the next day. Neville hadn't been much better, but at least he had talked to Harry. Ron Weasley had been taken to St. Mungo's, as the medical wing hadn't been well equipped enough to handle the mixture of potions and poisons he'd ingested, even with the bezoar Snape had shoved down his throat. Word was that he would recover, but it was unlikely he'd be back before the end of the year.

Harry had asked Neville to hold onto the Sorcerer's Stone, keeping it in his wrist holster so it couldn't be taken away by anyone who might think to search their trunks or other personal belongings. None of the three boys would put it past Dumbledore to have the Hogwarts elves do his dirty work for him, though Lady Hogwarts had assured them that wouldn't be happening. Still, it never hurt to be extra safe, especially when dealing with Dumbledore.

Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor in the last Quidditch match of the year, absolutely steamrollering them on the pitch due to their superior team and playing skills. Slytherin won the house cup, with the end-of-year feast decorated in green and silver banners. Harry and Neville were quite happily celebrating with Draco and their other Slytherin friends when Dumbledore stood up to make his speech. He held up his hands and waited for the conversations to die away.

"Another year gone!" he said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffling before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully all your heads are a little fuller than they were... You have the whole summer to empty them before the next year starts.

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and then points stand as thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two, Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six; and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

Harry and Neville joined in with the cheers and clapping coming from all around them. Dumbledore held up his hands again to quiet everyone again.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin; well done, Slytherin," he said. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

Harry's stomach dropped at that. "He's not going to-" he began, turning to Neville and Draco as the room went silent.

"Oh, Merlin, I think he is," Draco breathed.

"Ahem. I have a few last-minute points to dish out," Dumbledore continued on. "Let me see... Yes... First... To Mister Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in a great many years, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

There was a surprised storm of applause and cheers from the Gryffindor table after that, with whispers going up and down the seats. When the applause and cheers died down, Dumbledore began speaking again.

"Second, to Dean Thomas, for showing bravery in the face of darkness and the unknown, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

There were even greater cheers at that, with whispers around the hall breaking out when the realization that Gryffindor was now a hundred and twenty points up,

"And finally, to Seamus Finnegan, for pure nerve and unselfish sacrifice in the face of danger, I award Gryffindor House forty points. Which means," Dumbledore said over the storm of applause and cheers coming from the Gryffindor table, "a change of decoration is in order."

He clapped his hands, making the banners change to red and gold, the Gryffindor Lion rearing proudly on the banner behind the head table. Harry, Neville, and Draco were exchanging baffled looks.

"Seriously?" Neville spluttered. "How is that fair? Why is he awarding points for a chess game? That's not an accomplishment at all!"

"I would've thought you'd be happy, Longbottom," Pansy sneered from across the table. "Your House has won, after all."

Neville shook his head. "Not if it's unfairly like this," he retorted. "When has Dumbledore ever given out points like this before?" He looked around at the older students for an answer, but all he got was shaking heads and negative mutterings. "See? Why would I be happy about that?"

The general mood at the Slytherin table for the rest of the feast was rather downtrodden, and that mood continued on for the last few days of the term. Not even the warm sun and the promise of imminent freedom for the summer could break the gloomy mood in the Snakes' Den. The train ride back to London was a little better, though, with the younger students chatting away about what they would be doing for the summer and the newly graduated soaking in the last ride they would take on the Hogwarts Express.

Harry, Draco, and Neville were met at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters by their parents, with the three boys formally introducing Hermione to the adults. Hermione seemed slightly overwhelmed by the whole thing, but she promised to try and visit over the summer. They escorted her out to her parents in the Muggle side of the station, making sure she was off safe before heading off to find a safe place from which to Disapparate. Life seemed good for the moment, and the three boys could only hope that it continued on like that for as long as possible.

If only, if only...