So Holidays are over and I had an interview and received a rejection letter from another job so we will see where that all goes. I'm still tying up some lose ends in the FOLDed camp they are planning, but I think I'm about ready to start writing it. Here I needed to finish last chapter's storylines a bit. I give Hermione's parents a past! wahoo! I also give Luna's father a personality. I'm having so much fun with Severus!

Please review, it gives me energy to write! plus I need to know that I'm understandable here. Some of this is going to get complicated if I don't explain myself right, so please tell me if something is confusing so I can fix it.

Also exciting news! Kirin from chapter 9 inspired a reader and there is now a picture of them up at deviantART that is incredible. I am so flattered and warm inside that I have a reader that so connected to my work that a drawing was produced. I urge you to go and take a look at it. Remove the spaces around the url to work

/#/d4k8ofo

Harry Potter and the FOLD

A Forest is made of Many Trees

Hermione listened to her father with amazement. He had a story to tell of their past.

"As you know your mother and I gained our degrees late, what you don't know is why."

"You said you worked to save up for college." Her father shook his head.

"Not exactly. We did work, and I was at least doing my schooling, but it wasn't with the intention of going into dentistry. Your mother and I were part of British intelligence." Hermione looked at her mother before glancing back to her father. "Its true. During the Vietnam war, I was undercover studying Dentistry. You mother was my contact. Britain never officially entered the war, but on the side we supported the Americans. After the conflict we were pulled back to England. We actually kept working for British Intelligence up through our marriage and your birth." He paused to take a sip of his coffee. Her mother picked up the dialogue.

"We lived in Noughtsburo undercover when I gave birth to you. When you were still a baby, your father was involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan when Russia invaded. That was the first time we considered retiring. With the war with Argentina over the Falkland invasion starting, we decided we were not going to raise a daughter terrified that she might lose one or both of us because of our job. I had my dentistry business up and running by then and both of us had our credentials. We moved here and took up our real names for the first time in a decade and settled down to raise you." Hermione stared at them. How on earth had she missed this?

"We're inactive as of your fifth birthday." Hermione found her voice at this.

"Inactive? Not retired?" She knew the difference for an agent. Her father shook his head.

"No, not retired. We still keep in contact with our comrades and here and there we've been a cover for one of them. That's why you have met so many random cousins only once. Mom and Dad lost contact with three of their siblings so it wouldn't be hard to pass them off as a cousin, should you mention them to the family. We tried to keep them away from you." Hermione looked down. Her mother placed a hand on hers.

"So you see, we understand if this is something you need to do. We even understand that we might need to disappear to protect you. What we want to know is, what do you want from us?" Hermione looked at them. Her parents had always supported her in all her pursuits. Their love had always been unwavering. She smiled and wrapped her mother in a hug. She felt her Father place a hand on her back, rubbing it just like he did when she was a little child.

"Thank you, Mom, Dad." She separated and looked down, a bit embarrassed by the emotional outburst.

"Right now, we are simply trying to prepare for the worst. We're all kids, learning everything we can. We don't know enough." She looked at them. They recognized her thinking look, when she was analyzing a puzzle. "You miss it?" They chuckled.

"Honey, we can't join your war. We don't know enough about magic." Hermione shook her head.

"I wasn't thinking for you to fight, but, before you go into hiding, there is something you could do for us." They nodded to her. "Books on Magic are easy to find. But we are fighting purebloods. People who grew up around magic. Those of us who didn't are at a disadvantage." Her father was frowning.

"I agree. You need to know more, but you have other assets."

"Exactly. It would be silly to fight them only using magic. I don't know why they tried last time!" She looked at them excitedly. This had to be it! "Learning more magic is important, but what we need is to learn things they don't know. Muggle things! We need to learn how to blend in without the use of magic and to fight without magic and we're already looking into that, but we need to understand misdirection and subterfuge. The psychology of not getting caught." Her father was looking more engaged now.

"We could teach you how to make things look like you'd been there for weeks or never been there at all. How to make sure you don't catch someone's eye and to find what they don't want you to find." She nodded. Her mother looked at the two of them in amusement.

"Well, I guess we've been drafted. I'll contact some old informants who would be willing to hide two people with a minimum of questions and dig up the old code lists that are declassified. How long do we have?" Hermione sighed.

"Ten Days. I'm due at Harry's in ten days. You can go where you need to from there." They nodded. They had planning to do. Hermione smiled, knowing what she needed to tell Harry next she saw him. She hoped he found a person to teach fighting.

000

Harry wandered over to Dudley. The triplets and Annabel had asked for a few minutes to talk it over and Andrea and Amelia had started a discussion about family. Harry had had a thought in his mind ever since Dudley had mentioned earlier in the summer that he was a good wrestler.

"Hey." Startled Harry looked up. He hadn't realized he had made it to Dudley.

"Hi." Dudley looked at him.

"Thanks, for all this."

"No problem. I didn't really end up doing anything." Harry shrugged again. This was awkward, he wasn't sure how to start this.

"I'm sorry about the trouble." Harry looked at him in question. "I know you probably want nothing to do with me or my parents right now." Harry frowned, thinking about it. What did he want? He had felt apprehension when he saw Dudley's handwriting, but at the same time, when he had left that note explaining how to contact him, he had felt nervous, like some small part of him was hoping he wasn't about to be let down again. Scared that he would be rebuked for his gesture of friendship, of family. Dudley may not be much, and when they were kids, he was terrible. But he was still Harry's cousin. That was what it was down to, family. Harry had always wanted a family, and though he probably wouldn't ever be able to have that with his Aunt or Uncle, maybe it wasn't too late. Not too late with Dudley.

"I'm glad to you contacted me."

000

Marie placed a worried hand on Dudley's shoulder. He was looking a bit stunned. He and Harry had been talking quietly while she had set up the new living situation with Andrea. Amelia was going to look in on their father with a mediwitch and see if there was some sort of problem magically there. Andrea seemed to have guessed enough about Marie's home life. Her brothers were moving here, generally living at the nearby institute anyway, it wouldn't be a large change except in beds. Annabel was going to visit this Hogwarts place and be tested by their witch for magic. Hopefully they would have something they could do to help her live a normal life. She really needed to remember to thank Harry when he was done talking to Amelia quietly.

"Are you okay, Lee?" Dudley looked at her, a bit dazed still. She sat down on the stool next to him as he seemed to pull his thoughts together.

"He asked for my help." Marie cocked her head in encouragement. "All his life I've been a nightmare, awful and powerful. When I sent him our letters, I wasn't entirely sure he was ready to respond." He swallowed and looked at Marie. "When I told you my parents took exception to him, what I didn't tell you is that they encouraged me to as well. I was a bully." He looked away from her, in his shame, unable to face someone who had gone through that. "Now he's here, with power and knowledge, and instead of making me pay for what I did, he's helping me." A small hand was placed on his arm, its tan fingers tightening in a bid for his attention.

"You've changed, Dudley. When you first came to Andrea, I hid because you were arrogant and mean, and strong enough physically to back it up. But now? I've seen you help Annabel up when she tripped, or grab a falling weight before it hit someone. You're still strong physically, but your more then that now. You're strong as a person now. You know how to be gentle or protective. I can see it in the way you move and the way you watch." She looked over at Harry. A skinny little thing, probably made more so by his home-life, he would have been an easy target for bullies, if they could catch him. The way he had been glancing at Dudley the first little bit, had been both wary and surprised. Growing up reading when it was or wasn't safe to walk near Dudley, he probably had gotten fairly proficient at reading his slightly older cousin and this change was probably not in the repertoire he was used to. "Harry has realized you're different and he's trying. You never stop wanting a family."

"He's probably the only family I have that isn't delusional, or at least slightly out of their mind." Marie hid a smile at the description. Dudley looked at her. "He's in the middle of a coming war. He was born into it, it was how his parents died." Marie nodded as Dudley looked back at his cousin. "He wants my help."

She cocked her head again. "In a magical war?"

Dudley shook his head. "It's complicated he said, but the government refuses to acknowledge it. He wants help training, and he can't ask adults, like Andrea. His friends and him, they want to learn the basics of fighting, just in case." Marie blinked, first trying to read between the lines to understand how someone could ignore a war and then how fist-fighting could help.

"Ah, if they are fighting people who only use this magic of theirs, then they probably wouldn't know what to do if you punched them in the face." Dudley chuckled.

"I guess." He looked pensive a moment before turning to her. "I want to help him."

000

Luna sighed as she placed lunch on the table. Her father was late again. She knew that the Flobberworts were interesting, but so was lunch. She had roasted the galthablers from his trip in April with Honeywater. She thought it smelled good. She also hoped that the properties of the Honeywater would help her father stop his eye blinking problem. Apparently the Galthabler was very irritable and had cursed his eyes as he had glimpsed them.

Eventually she was joined by the man and they ate.

"Luna, I was thinking that a month in India this summer should be spent chasing the Snorkacks. I have information that thinks they move there once every four years for rejuvenation." Luna looked at her father. She hadn't told him what she was up to yet. She wasn't sure she was going to. She didn't know how to tell him. Her father was a brilliant researcher, but a brave and powerful wizard he wasn't. She was drawn from her thoughts when he sighed.

"You are going to fight, aren't you?" She raised her blonde eyebrow in his direction as he chuckled. "I should have seen that coming."

"Father?" He shook his head.

"The Snorkacks will be there in another four years. There's this little village of Seals in Mongolia that I should visit, but I've held off. It'll take at least a year." Luna smiled sadly at her father. She should have known he'd notice on his own. Both of them noticed things others didn't. He leaned forward. "I can't talk you out of it, can I." It wasn't a question. One thing she had inherited from her mother was a stubborn streak and they both knew it.

"No. I consider them my friends. Whether I am a friend of theirs or not, I will stand by them." Her gentle voice seemed to calm Xenophillus. Her voice was so much like her mothers, he had often told her. It could charm the leaves off a tree. He came over to the side of her chair and knelt in front of her.

"As you should." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I have no talent with wand work, that was the main reason your mother and I remained neutral in the last war. Stella helped from the sidelines, and she was good at charms and potions, but we never became too involved." He pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him again. "You are your mother's daughter and loyalty is part of that."

000

Marie smiled at Dudley's quiet announcement. She had guessed at that. She looked over at her brothers, who were chatting excitedly about looking up Sirens. She would have to keep an eye on that.

"We'd like to help too." Dudley looked at her in confusion. "We just found out that our mother was half siren, she wasn't human. We have no idea what that means for the three of us. In fact, I'm certain that once my brothers calm down they'll realize it was probably part of the problem with Mom. We have magic. I'm sure they want to explore it." Dudley winced slightly, Hen and Cal exploring things was always nerve wracking. "I know I want to."

Dudley touched her arm in concern. She looked a bit frazzled.

"I don't know much about Sirens, but I have heard of them. Dudley, a siren's voice can lure men to her against their will." Dudley's eyebrow rose at that.

"I guess your father, or stepfather, didn't stand a chance." He was half joking, trying to lighten her mood, but her face only went darker.

"What about me?" Dudley frowned, trying to follow her question.

"You?" She nodded slightly.

"Can I make any friends without using that magic? Do I use it without realizing it?" Dudley grabbed her hands as she waved them a bit.

"Marie, Marie! Calm down." She shook her head.

"I need to know, Lee. I need to know that my friends are my friends because they want to be, not because they can't help it." Dudley shook his head.

"Of course we can't help it." She looked at him, betrayed. He smiled. "How could we help but be friendly to someone as kind and amazing as you?" She stared at him, purple eyes glassy from unshed tears. Dudley realized that this really scared her. "Hey, you are my friend right now. I don't care how it started. Even when you are not near me, I think of you as my friend. Okay?" She nodded, smiling a bit.

"Okay." He turned a ruddy color at that. He hadn't really meant to get so personal. "So what exactly did Harry want your help with?"

Dudley nodded.

"He asked me to come and help teach them to get in shape and to fight. He wanted to iron out the logistics, but just over a week from now sounded like the plan." Marie nodded.

"They'll be done with theatre and robotics by then. This might explain those odd ingredients they always seem to locate and do weird things with." Dudley nodded.

"Harry once mentioned a potions class. Maybe you three can come along. You could see Annabel, learn about your power, and have some fun." Marie smiled slightly and nodded.

"I'll ask Harry before he vanishes. We should get a bit more information and find a way to contact him." Dudley nodded and they were distracted by Amelia.

000

Xeno led his daughter into the basement. She sat on a stool as he got out an old green and silver box.

"Your mother was in Ravenclaw, but her favorite colors had always been green and black. We met that way, in Ravenclaw. We were only a few years apart." Luna nodded, already aware of this. "Stella was an amazing woman. We were engaged for a decade before we got married and she was nearly forty when you were born. We had almost given up on even having a child." He placed the box on the table.

"Mother always told me I was her miracle from the moon goddess." Xeno chuckled.

"Yes, well, that's because she invoked the moon goddess to conceive you." Luna colored mildly. She hadn't known that. "You know that my parents died shortly before your birth?" Luna nodded. "We always told you that you had no family outside of us. That isn't entirely accurate. Legally, you have no family, but in reality, you might." Luna blinked at her father in confusion as he opened the metal box. Inside were papers, pictures, mostly odds and ends.

"This was your mother's keeper box." Luna nodded. She and her father had one as well. They were boxes that you had most of your life where you placed treasures that you want to keep for no other purpose then to keep them because they were a part of you. Her father's was in the living room next to the fireplace and hers was in her trunk. Xeno reached in a pulled out a small jewelry box.

"I had planned to give the box to you on your seventeenth birthday. However, I think there are a few things in here you would want now." He held up a small journal. "This is your mother's journal. Not her diary, I have that upstairs, but a journal. She said it was for your eyes only. Someday when you needed her, but she was no longer able to talk to you." He sighed sadly as his hand brushed the cover briefly. Luna swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to ease the muscles enough to breathe properly. Ever since her mother's death when she had been eight, they had spoken of her often, but she had never seen her father so sad about it. Stella had loved life and Xeno had remembered that as her brightest quality by loving every moment he shared with their daughter about her. Luna had never seen her father sad about talking about her mother.

"I think it is time you read it." He placed it gently in the box again and opened the jewelry box he held.

"Your grandparents, your mother's parents were...interesting. They were very set in their ways, at least your grandmother was. She disapproved of me heavily, I'm afraid, and your mother wouldn't stand for it." He chuckled mildly, rubbing the back of his head. "Funny thing actually. Stella's older sister was similarly disowned only five years before they disowned Stella." He looked at Luna, smiling wryly.

"I don't know if Stella kept in contact with her sister, but last I heard, she was also dead. I don't know if she ever had any children or where they would be." He held up a small locket on a bracelet. "This is the symbol of her family. I'm told that her sister has the signet ring. It belongs to you now, Luna." Luna gazed at it a moment. The symbol was an original shield coat of arms, the bottom half being a shield with two wands crossed over a cauldron. A knight's helmet sat above the shield, crowned in gold. Vines patterned their way next to the helmet, ending in snake heads. Sitting just above the helmet was a small set of antlers almost as if as an after thought. This crest was mostly green, with the antlers being a bright red. She could feel magic in the piece as she took the bracelet and placed it on her wrist. The bracelet fitted to her wrist, as most magical bracelets did and the locket disappeared, invisible save the thin silver chain on her wrist. It was an heirloom, not to be removed except by another member of the family it represented and not seen unless she willed it to.

"Contact your friends, and set yourself. When you are ready, I'll quietly disappear for you." She looked at her father. He was smiling sadly. She knew what he was thinking. He couldn't defend himself, let alone her. He barely managed the basics as far as wand work goes. He was removing this weakness from the playing field. She knew that Hermione and any other muggleborn was going to have to make a similar choice soon. She stood and wrapped her arms around him. She smiled as she felt his strong hold on her.

"After all this is over, we can go to India to look for the Snorkacks." Xeno squeezed her.

"Its a promise."

"I love you Father."

"I love you, my little Moon Goddess."

000

Harry sighed as he relaxed a bit in the chair in his study. He thought this morning had gone rather well. Dudley had agreed to come for three weeks to help get people in shape and to teach them the basics of defending themselves. He had agreed to let Marie and her two brothers come as well. Henry and Caleb were so much like Fred and George the Harry was wondering if there was a relation back a few generations. He also wondered if his new manor could survive one set of twins let alone two of them. Hopefully Marie would be able to limit the damage two thirds of the triplets could do and Ginny could curtail her brothers when needed so maybe they'd all survive.

Annabel was visiting Madam Pomfrey, who was to be told about his involvement in finding her and they would talk a bit more later. They rather thought the child could visit them while everyone was with Harry. Amelia was visiting the stepfather with a mediwitch from St Mungo's. She'd pass the findings along to Andrea when she knew something. Harry had enough on his plate to be quite happy to not be responsible for that particular bit of knowledge. He was meeting with Andy later today to talk about legal responsibilities, he'd run everything by her then.

He was brought out of his musing by his mirror 'ringing'. It sort of vibrated in his magic a bit. He sighed and walked over to the chair next to it, calling for some lemonade in the process. He rattled off the password and Luna's face appeared.

"Luna, hi!" He smiled slightly. Although they all could read what he wrote to them in the journals, and Luna had written back a bit, he had missed the blonde girl.

"Oh, hello Harry." She always sounded like he was surprising her from her thoughts, even when she approached him. "How has your day been?" Harry's words stopped momentarily as Misty popped his lemonade in, complete with sandwiches and fruit. "I see Misty is still feeding you." Harry smiled nervously.

"Yeah, she's been a bit overboard about it since I got here." Luna smiled gently.

"A mountain is built one boulder at a time. Maybe she's simply building the foundations." Harry raised his eyebrow, before red spread across his cheek and remembering the lack of food he had eaten at his relatives house over the years. It was no wonder he was so skinny.

"I'm glad to no longer be at their house." Luna nodded.

"Yes, this one won't be taken away from you." Harry nodded as he bit into the sandwich before making a face.

"Ham and tomato?"

Luna held in a giggle.

"Honeywater Ham and Boom berry tomatoes, I'd imagine. There might be some spinach in there as well. It's good for the stomach."

"I think Misty is taking my health a bit too seriously." Harry made a face. Tomatoes and ham didn't sound like they went together at all.

Luna's eyes seem to dim a bit as he joked with her. "No one else has." Harry looked at her in curiosity. "With Misty's aid, maybe you won't wince when you're patted on the back during the welcome feast this year."

Harry froze in setting his half eaten sandwich down. "My back?" He swallowed as he looked at Luna.

Luna leaned against the cushion next to her, playing with her hair. "I doubt anyone knows. You're very subtle." She looked down, mumbling. "I was simply keeping an eye on someone I wanted to call a friend."

Harry felt bad at that. Although he had only known Luna a few months, she had been very understanding. Frighteningly so, in fact. She seemed to notice things and draw conclusions more then anyone he knew, even Snape. He had heard rumors that she was teased in Ravenclaw, Neville had even told him he hadn't ever seen her with any friends. She had just wanted to help.

"You are my friend, Luna."

"I did not mean to overstep." Luna's smile was unsure, but she at least looked up.

"You didn't, I just don't really know what to think with people caring about my safety all of a sudden." Harry smiled at that, rubbing the back of his head.

She cocked her head in thought. "Yes, when hidden, care is often seen as apathy."

"I don't think my aunt and uncle were being apathetic."

Luna shook her golden head. "I was not referring to the undesirables on your mother's family tree." She stopped a moment before looking at him in question, "You didn't say your cousin?"

Harry ducked his head, swallowing the last bite of that sandwich. He wasn't sure what to make of Dudley. "My cousin, Dudley, contacted me." Luna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He wondered if those thin eyebrows were a trait from her mother or father. "He had made a friend. A decent one, finally." Harry felt this was a bit vague and decided to side track a minute. "When I was a kid, he had this group of his. They were just a bunch of bullies who all found each other. I happened to be their favorite target." Luna nodded in understanding.

"I imagine your speed made you quite the task." Her voice was airy and neutral as always, Harry felt that it invited him to believe in himself a bit more.

"They called it Harry Hunting." He practically spat the name out. He looked down, realizing that he had fisted his pants as he usually did to distract himself. "This summer, he was different. I was only there two weeks, but he helped out with the chores and asked me questions." Harry frowned as he thought back.

"He was gone a lot of the time, but when he was home he gardened and painted, and he asked me questions. He listened to me. He has never done that before." Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. He stopped, frowning as he felt his hair again. He could have sworn it was getting a bit longer.

"His ears had been fake and now they were real?" Harry looked at Luna, letting her distract him from his perusal of his hair.

"Maybe his brain suddenly appeared. I don't know. I left him a way to contact me. I don't even know why I did that. He hated me. He had never wanted anything to do with me, none of them had." Luna smiled softly as she shook her head.

"Maybe the heart did something for a reason, which reason could not tell?" Harry shook his head.

"Why would I want to stay in contact with them? Any of them?" Luna shrugged slightly.

"Maybe because you love and forgive more then you hate or seek revenge." She smiled. "That's why people like you, Harry." Harry shook his head.

"People like me because I'm going to defeat the 'Greatest Dark Wizard of Our Time', that's why." His sarcasm wasn't lost on Luna, but she didn't react to it. She frowned.

"Your friends don't care about that." Harry sighed.

"I'm still trying to learn to tell the difference between friends that care about me and friends that only care about fame." Luna blinked in thought.

"Friends aren't friends if they care about you for any reason other then who you are." Harry looked at Luna in amusement and clarity. He had been calling those people who liked him for his fame friends, simply ones he didn't trust. They were not friends at all. They were associates, that was the word Draco had once used to describe some of his friends, associates, looking out for themselves only. When that meant looking out for Harry, they would look out for Harry as long as it helped them. He smiled at Luna widely, eyes gleaming of emerald.

"You're right. They aren't mates, they're associates." Luna smiled at his delighted enlightenment. "Thanks Luna!"

"If I have truly touched your heart, then that is all the thanks I need." Harry could have sworn that was a quote, but he couldn't place it. He smiled still.

"I can't wait until you get here. Draco's already here, but no one else will be here for a week. Oh, that was the news I was building up to, Dudley agreed to come and train us in fighting, hand to hand! He's going to help us get in shape and everything." Luna smiled at the excitement Harry was displaying. He generally only displayed it when preparing for Quidditch. She rather though he didn't mind the war so much as was upset by duplicity of the adults in his life. They insisted that he was a child, and therefore be spared the gory details and in the same breath accuse him of being old enough to fight and save the wizarding world. It was probably driving him out of his mind. But now that he was preparing, at least he was doing something to increase his odds, since the adults in charge of him were definitely not.

"He contacted you." Harry nodded.

"I wasn't sure how I felt about it. He had found a friend that had a magical sister, too young for Hogwarts. She needed help." He ducked his head in embarrassment.

"You helped." It was a statement, because it was truth. Harry could no more ignore someone who needed help then he could stop breathing. Harry nodded.

"Her sister is staying with Madam Pomfrey for a while, But Dudley and the triplets are coming here in a week to train us. I'm setting up the closer stables for us. The far ones are for the unicorns when they want." Luna smiled at his excitement again. His eyes had their own spark when he was this focused. "You're coming in six days right?"

"Actually, that was what I was contacting you about." Harry cocked his head, mid-bite, in question. "My father is not a defensive or offensive Wizard. He is no good in wars. Since that makes him a weakness for me, he's removing himself for a while. He's going to disappear until balance returns." She smiled softly as he thought about that in amazement. She had said balance, instead of referring to light or dark. He wondered if it was a coincidence.

"So when will you come? I'll set up a room for you to use long term." He suddenly ducked his head, unsure. He might have misunderstood her. "That is, if you want to stay here." She might have other relatives she would want to stay with. He saw Luna's shoulder relax as she shook her head.

"Father is ready whenever we are. I have yet to unpack from school, so I have only a few more things to do." Harry nodded.

"So tomorrow? or the day after if you want." Luna cocked her head.

"I believe tomorrow will be pleasant. I will be able to meet your new friends." Harry smiled. He had told the six about Eileen, but they all agreed to not tell anyone her last name, or that there were elves here, ignoring Hermione's outrage. He'd let Eileen talk to her. The woman certainly had helped him. He could hardly believe she was sixty. She looked a muggle forty or so. He vaguely wondered about that, but Luna's comment returned his attention to the outside world.

"How is the blonde one?" Harry smiled mischievously at the name.

"He's chosen a codename."

000

Dobby sprang into action. He had been watching the professor for several hours now. Harry had told him to do it when the personal lab was empty but not for long. He wanted the professor to find it quickly. Dobby was happy to help Master Harry. He popped down into the Chamber of Secrets and placed a hand on the trunk and letter and popped back into the dark lab. Leaving the trunk in a noticeable, but not dangerous location, with the letter firmly placed on top, he retreated into the corner and made himself invisible.

Severus strode into his lab a moment later, a quick spell bringing on the lights automatically. He knew every centimeter of his lab even without the lights on. He turned to the bench, ready to begin re-fueling the Infirmary, as was his job every summer when he froze, staring at the trunk in his lab. He backed away from it carefully, tossing a wordless protego around it, preventing it from harming anything in the room.

A few diagnostic spells revealed nothing dangerous on the letter or the trunk, though it was made of well worn and well polished dragon leather. He lifted the letter gently. His name was written on it in block letters, no doubt to disguise the sender. He could tell a bit from the handwriting anyway. Nervous, the writer had paused a few times, usually a messy writer. Messy writers disguise their handwriting by writing neat and neat writer, the opposite. He opened the letter and unfolded it. The opening and closing were written by a different person then the body of the letter, this person was either very amusing or very intriguing, Severus couldn't decide.

Professor Severus Snape,

Presenting you with this trunk upon your Birthday would have been inconvenient. I have enlisted the assistance of Hogwarts elves to drop off this trunk in a convenient location. This skin is now yours, as is the trunk. I was told you would have fun trying to decipher the type of leather used in its creation. Enjoy.

Yours

Severus re-read the letter a moment in thought. Young, but trying to act older, maybe a recently graduated student. The word 'fun' was a bit out of style in the rest of the vernacular. It would have to be a pureblood, someone with elves to think of such a thing. He glanced at the trunk. Perhaps the contents would give him some clues. The letter said skin. Skin of what, exactly? Did the writer know how many different kinds of skin there was?

He opened the trunk to see a long, large pile of snake skin, shed probably in the last few days. Severus reached out and touched the skin gently, not sure how sturdy it would be. It was strong. He levitated it out of the trunk and lay it out around his lab. It went around many times, he lost count at ten. This snake had to be huge. He finally found the head. How many sixty odd foot snakes could there be? He place a standard preservation charm on the skin and locked up his lab. He couldn't do anything with the skin until he knew what kind of snake it was.

He headed to the library, but ran into Hagrid on his way and decided to ask him. He was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, plus he was Severus' usual source for potion ingredients that came from creatures.

000

Luna was giggling by the time Harry finished telling her about the argument, leaving out the abuse, starting from when he called Draco a ferret. Luna was just getting herself back under control when they both heard her name being called.

"That's Father. I shall see you tomorrow night, two hours after sunset." Harry nodded.

"Right, don't forget the password." She smiled.

"Selene out."

"Wyvern out."

Harry sighed happily as he leaned back, drinking the pumpkin juice Misty had brought. The elf popped in, collecting the plate Harry had been eating off of.

"Misty, could you tell Moon and everyone that Luna will need a room in the Haven? She's staying indefinitely." Misty grinned.

"Of course Master. Misty is happy that Mistress Luna is coming. Master eats more with Mistress Luna." Harry grew red, looking at the empty plate that had contains two full sandwiches not an hour ago.

"Hey, I eat everything you put in front of me." His protest was half-hearted and petered out at her flat look.

"Master finishes Master's plate when Master isn't distracted, or upset, or tired, or in a hurry, or-"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Harry waved his hands in defeat. He gave the little creature a wry smile. "I do try." Misty patted his knee.

"Master Harry is a good Master. Misty is thinking that Master Harry wills eat more with Master's friends here. Master is comfortable around Mistress Luna and eats more when Master is comfortable." Harry chuckled, turning a bit red. He sighed and rose. He wanted to talk to Draco about that library he wasn't supposed to be in before dinner. Usually such a thing wouldn't take long, but he and Draco had this habit of getting drawn into discussions about spells and their potential outside of the intended use.

000

Hagrid had been surprised to see Severus calling him. Severus couldn't blame him. Usually the Potions Master didn't call upon him inside the castle, preferring to use the opportunity for a brisk walk and a breath of fresh air.

"How's it goin' Professor? I have some Bouncing Spiders, if you need their venom. I gotta drain them tomorrow." Severus thought, mentally going through his inventory. His Bouncing Spider Venom had been getting a bit low. He nodded curtly to the half-giant.

"I will join you tomorrow after lunch to assist." Hagrid grunted in appreciation as he set down the stone bench he had been carrying. It contained Obsidian and Moss Agate, two powerful stones you did not simply cast charms at, like levitation. The bench was for protection and during the summer it was placed in the Great Hall along with the other outside protection artifacts. Without the students and half the staff, the artifacts could benefit from Hogwart's magic itself and rejuvenate somehow. Severus didn't really understand it, but Artifacts were never his strong suit.

"Are there any snakes that are sixty feet in length?" Hagrid thought a moment. Severus smirked slightly, well aware of the brain behind those bushy eyebrows and hair. Hagrid wasn't the smartest of the bunch, but he retained information very well, especially about something he cared about, and a sixty foot snake probably would qualify.

"Well, you got your Quetzals from Mexico, them'll get sixty if they want, but I ne'er heard a one more 'n twenty feet. Jormanganders will get that long easily, they're in the ocean. Basilisks of course can be up ta eighty feet, they live underground if they can help it. Not sure what else. That's a bit long for most snakes. A sea serpent gets to a hundred or more." Severus felt like a faint breeze would knock him over.

"Thank you, Hagrid." He hurried off. He had figured whatever it was that it would be rare, but the only one that made sense was a Basilisk. Excitement quickened his feet and he practically flew into his dungeon, drawing up the wards and looking in his bookcase. Finding the correct book, he rushed to his lab, opening the book. It was an ingredient testing manual he had picked up as a young man. He used it when brewing for either of his current masters. There was a spell here for Basilisk, now that he knew what to look for.

He read it twice to be sure before letting the string of Latin issue from his mouth. The skin glowed a faint green. It was a Basilisk. Severus was glad a moment later that he had stood where he had. He only had two stools in his lab, and he had just dropped onto one. He just had received a fortune in Basilisk skin, a rare ingredient. The potions he could work with it were amazing. He couldn't even wrap his head around it all. Potions he had only heard of or seen once or twice that could be perfected with this skin.

He picked up the letter again, re-reading it, this time with more than casual interest. He didn't discern any more information then he had initially. Curiously he studied the trunk. It wasn't dragon leather, he figured that out fairly quickly, the scales were wrong. He glanced at the skin surrounding him and compared the two. This trunk was made from the hide of a basilisk. He looked on the inside. There was an inscription and a single piece of paper.

To a True Slytherin

-Salazar

He couldn't breathe a moment. This paper was ancient, so much so that it could have actually been Salazar Slytherin who wrote it. He had been a Slytherin all his life. Death Eaters excepting, he felt at home here, belonging amongst his peers. The mind games they used to play with each other had been a part of his childhood, the part he didn't regret. He cared greatly for this house. Most of his year that didn't join the Dark Lord died quickly, Slytherin loyalty dying with them. Only a few had escaped, some with Severus' help. A few had done as he had, tricked the Dark Lord, but most hadn't survived that. He cradled the paper gently in his hand and read the inscription inside the trunk.

To those who slither in the dark,
To those whose mind is spry
Remember Sunlight makes serpents quick
Warm, and nimble and sly

Breath the air and use the spear
To fight those who lie
To the family, our family
Trust and loyalty comply

Not by blood or skin alone
Shall we ever decry
Live this song within your heart
And never your heart shall die