A/N: Make sure you've read Chapter 24. The alert system was down last week, so you may not have been notified about it.

Harry Potter: World at War
Chapter 25: Meeting the Parents

"Lay flat damnit." Harry hissed as he ran a comb through his hair for the hundredth time. His hair stubbornly sprang back up, spraying the mirror with droplets of water.

"I told you it was a lost cause twenty minutes ago." The mirror reminded him, sounding affronted.

Harry sighed again and set the comb down, resorting to using his fingers to spike his hair up. He knew he was being silly—Pansy didn't care about his hair—but he wanted to make a good impression on her parents.

Harry picked up the letter that Narcissa had brought to him the week before, and read through the familiar words again.

Lord Black,

It has been brought to my attention that you and my daughter are rather close. In these dangerous times, an alliance between the Houses of Parkinson and Black would prove to be most invaluable. If you are willing to discuss the potential future of our two Houses, my wife Selina and I will be dining in Diagon on 13 October at 12:30. I will instruct the bartender Tom to admit you into our private dining hall.

Cordially yours,

Baron Joel Parkinson

Lord of House Parkinson

Despite the innocuous words, Harry knew that Baron Parkinson was an extremely protective father, and would not be likely to approve of his daughter's boyfriend.

-POP-

"Mr. Harry Potter sir! You's needs to be leaving now!" Dobby shouted. "It is already past noon."

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Harry protested, stepping back from the mirror. He tugged awkwardly at the too-short sleeves of his dress robes and wished once again that he had thought to go shopping before meeting the Baron in Diagon.

"Mistress Cissy is already waiting downstairs," Dobby said, trailing behind as Harry strode out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

Harry nodded shortly, not paying much attention to the elf.

"Perfect, you are already dressed." Narcissa said as Harry walked into the parlor. "Although your robes are . . ."

"Yeah, I know." Harry said, his cheeks flushing under Narcissa's scrutiny. "I bought these for the Yule Ball in fourth year—I guess I've grown since then."

Narcissa nodded, pursing her lips. Without another word, she turned on her heels and marched out of the parlor. Harry stood awkwardly in place, staring down at his hands.

After a moment, Narcissa returned, a set of long black robes draped over one arm. "These belonged to my cousin Regulus," She said, handing them to Harry. "He was the Slytherin seeker, and about your size."

Harry shrugged off his dress robes, and pulled Regulus' robes around his shoulders. As they settled around him, Harry could feel the old charms on the fabric reacting to his magic, and the Black family crest appeared on the breast of the robes, lined in emerald stitching.

Narcissa looked him up and down. "The robes are somewhat outdated, but they are far better than the ones you were wearing before."

"Then let's go," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably under Narcissa's gaze.

Narcissa place one hand on Harry's shoulder, and he closed his eyes in anticipation as they vanished with a CRACK!

*****HP: WAW*****

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Black." Tom said with a slow nod.

"Good afternoon Tom," Narcissa said with a warm smile. "Is Joel in the private dining room?"

"Right you are Ms. Black," Tom agreed, wiping down the bar.

"Then we must be off," Narcissa said, gently nudging Harry toward the far wall.

"I had hoped to get here before the Parkinsons." Narcissa said worriedly. "I guess we will be going in blind."

Harry swallowed nervously.

"The wall over there is just like the portal at King's Cross." Narcissa explained in a hushed voice. "Just walk straight through like it isn't there. The Parkinsons will be on the other side. Make sure that you refer to them as Baron Parkinson and Lady Parkinson. And when Selina offers you her hand, make sure you kiss it."

"You aren't coming?" Harry said, his eyes flicking over to meet Narcissa's gaze.

She shook her head. "No. The invitation was for Lord Black, the only acceptable guest you could bring would be one of your wives. Given the circumstances, it is best you go in alone."

"Wives?" Harry asked in confusion.

Narcissa pushed him toward the wall again. "It's a Pureblood thing. I will explain later, but right now you need to meet with your girlfriend's family."

Harry gulped again, and walked toward the wall. He hesitated for a moment, and then summoned his courage and stepped through.

An ornate dining room greeted him, with soft music floating throughout the room. A small square table was in the center of room, with three people already seated in front of several platters of food.

"Lord Black, I am honored to have you as my guest today." Baron Parkinson said, standing up from the table and striding over toward Harry, his hand outstretched.

Harry suppressed the urge to flinch at Parkinson's imposing figure: the Baron was built like a bull, with a broad chest and stocky arms that were visible even through his heavy dress robes. A goatee outlined his scowl, and his short black hair was only just starting to gray at his temples.

Harry briefly shook Parkinson's hand, trying to match the casual strength of the older man's grip.

"A pleasure to meet you Baron Parkinson," Harry said formally.

"And you as well Lord Black." Parkinson said. "Have you enjoyed your time away from Hogwarts?"

Harry glanced over to Pansy, smiling gently as he met her hazel eyes. "For the most part sir." Harry said. "But it was hard being so isolated from my friends."

"I can imagine," Parkinson said, following Harry's gaze. "I remember what it was like to be young."

Pansy stood up from the table and walked over to Harry, pulling him into a hug. "I missed you." She whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Harry gently returned the embrace, mindful of the Baron's eyes on him. "I missed you too." He said quietly, kissing her forehead.

Parkinson cleared his throat, and Harry stepped away from Pansy, letting his arms drop to his sides. "Please have a seat Lord Black," He said gesturing to the table.

"Of course, Baron Parkinson," Harry said with a nod, sitting down beside Pansy. Under the table, she reached over and squeezed his left hand comfortingly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Lord Black," Pansy's mother said, extending her hand. "I am Lady Selina Parkinson."

"The pleasure is all mine Lady Parkinson," Harry said, accepting her hand and gently kissing her knuckles like Narcissa had told him.

Parkinson took a seat next to his wife. "Feel free to order whatever you would like Lord Black, lunch is on us."

Harry nodded, but didn't move. He wasn't sure who he was supposed to make an order with; the room was empty apart from them.

Pansy seemed to sense his confusion, because she pulled her hand from his and opened her menu. "I'll have the roast duck with a side of the red cabbage slaw, and a glass of red wine."

Her plate and goblet immediately filled, and Pansy grabbed Harry's hand again.

Lady Parkinson frowned, but picked up her own menu. Harry couldn't help but feel that he had failed some kind of test. "I'll have the mutton cutlets with a side of roasted potatoes."

Pansy squeezed his hand under the table. "And a glass of red wine." He tacked on quickly, taking a guess at the meaning.

Lady Parkinson's frown deepened, but she placed her order and set her menu aside. "So, Lord Black, what have you been doing since you left Hogwarts?"

"Primarily, I have been focusing on my studies." Harry said, trying sound as formal as he could. "Despite having left Hogwarts, I still intend to sit my N.E.W.T.s with the current Hogwarts sixth years."

"And what do you intend to do after that?" Lady Parkinson probed. "Play Quidditch perhaps? Or just sit at home with your elves?"

Harry fought to keep his voice level. He wouldn't give the woman the pleasure of breaking him so quickly. "I haven't decided yet. I have considered several fields that would give me an advantage in the fight against Voldemort."

He hid a grin as a shudder ran through both of Pansy's parents when they heard Voldemort's name. "I have a few contacts in Gringotts who may be able to help me secure a curse-breaking position. Aside from that, Cornelius—excuse me, Minister Fudge—has offered me a job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as a Hit-Wizard once I finish my N.E.W.T.s." Harry continued.

He squeezed Pansy's hand under the table. "Of course, with both the Potter and Black family votes, I will likely be involved with politics as well. Unless of course, my wife would prefer to do it instead."

"I wasn't aware you were already married Lord Black." Lady Parkinson said with a triumphant smirk. "This of course changes our views on your relationship with our daughter."

"I'm not." Harry said flatly. "I was speaking hypothetically."

"Honestly Mother," Pansy interjected. "I thought better of you. Harry is a wonderful young man, and there is no reason for you to treat him so."

"Pansy," Her mother said warningly. "It is not your pla—"

"Lord Black, please allow me to apologize on my wife's behalf." Baron Parkinson interrupted. "She has had a stressful few weeks, and has not yet become accustomed to the life of a family in hiding."

Harry took a drink from his glass of wine, resisting the urge to grimace at the taste. "I accept your apology Baron. I understand better than most how stressful it can be."

"I had hoped to eat before we discussed business," Parkinson said with a frown. "But the conversation seems unavoidable."

"My family was already one of the Dark Lord's targets," Parkinson continued. "And I always knew that if he was to openly return, Selina and I would have to stay on the move while Pansy was away at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, we did not expect the security of Hogwarts to be compromised so quickly."

"I don't think anyone did," Harry said softly, Hermione's body flashing in his mind's eye. "It was sudden and unexpected. They still do not know who was responsible for the ritual that killed my friend."

"In all likelihood, it was one of the students." Parkinson said, and Harry nodded in agreement. "And so, it became clear that Hogwarts was no longer safe for my daughter. I would have her stay with us, but my political duties mean that I will not be able to stay under a Fidelius. She would not be safe with me."

"And I will not leave my husband's side." Lady Parkinson added.

"Unfortunately not, no." Parkinson agreed, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Selina and I will not be able to hide as securely as you can. So, we would like to make a formal request for House Black to offer Pansy shelter."

"It would be our honor," Harry said, taken aback.

"Lady Narcissa is a dear friend of mine," Lady Parkinson explained. "And now that she has divorced the late Lucius, she will be the perfect candidate to raise Pansy should something happen to the two of us."

"Of course," Harry said with a nod. "But let us all do our best to make sure it doesn't come to that."

"Indeed." Parkinson agreed. "Selina? Would you like to assist Pansy in gathering her things from the manor? You can have one of the elves deliver it to Lady Narcissa; she will be able to bring them to the Black family ancestral home."

"Lady Narcissa is sitting in the main room," Harry said. "I am sure she would be willing to help you and Miss Parkinson."

"Of course." Selina said, standing up from the table.

Pansy kissed Harry's cheek. "We'll be back in a little bit." She followed her mother out the door and back into the Leaky Cauldron.

Once the girls had stepped through the door, Parkinson sighed heavily. "I have one more request to make Lord Black."

"If it is within my power, I will try to help." Harry agreed.

"Let's drop the politics for a few minutes." Parkinson said, looking Harry in the eye. "I just want to talk to you man to man."

"Okay. . ." Harry said cautiously, confused by Parkinson's request.

"Look Harry—Can I call you Harry?"

"I suppose so," Harry agreed, his confusion growing.

"Look Harry," Parkinson said again, running a hand through his hair. "You may not be able to completely understand the position I am in, but one day you will. I'm sending my daughter to live with her teenage boyfriend, in an ancestral manor that is bonded to you. I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying I expect you two to ignore your relationship the entire time; I was a teenage boy not too long ago, and I remember what it's like."

"We haven't ever—" Harry's voice trailed off, and he blushed crimson.

"I know you haven't." Parkinson said. "But you know how Pansy can be—when she wants something, she will stop at nothing to get it."

Harry smiled. "She does tend to get like that sometimes." He agreed.

"Yes, and I can see how smitten you are with her." Parkinson said. "I'm not sure that you would be able to say 'no' to her if she asked."

"I'm not sure if I could either," Harry admitted. He looked Parkinson in the eye. "But I can promise you Baron: I will not try and pressure her into anything she doesn't want to do."

"Please, call me Joel," Parkinson said. "My wife is the one who cares about the titles; I only use them when I am conducting formal business."

"Okay. . .Joel," Harry said, testing the name out. It felt weird, like if he was going to call Dumbledore Albus or something.

"I didn't think you would," Joel said. "But that's not what I was talking about." He leaned across the table toward Harry. "There is a very high chance that either Selina or myself will perish during this war."

Harry nodded. He wasn't one to argue with facts.

"When and if that time comes, and Pansy turns to you for comfort," Joel said quietly. "You will have to say no. Comfort her of course, but if she wants to try and make things physical, you will need to turn her down. You don't want her memory of your first time together to be tied with her parents dying. Let your relationship develop on its own, and it will truly be stronger for it."

"Let's hope that it never comes to that," Harry said. "I've already lost both of my parents to the Dark Lord, and I would rather not have Pansy lose hers."

Joel nodded in agreement. "If I ask you something, will you answer it honestly?"

"Some things I can't answer," Harry said. "But if I can, I will be honest with you."

Joel hesitated before speaking. "Do you think that you can beat the Dark Lord? We thought he was dead for fifteen years, and now, he's come back stronger than ever. Can he even be killed?"

Harry sighed. "Merlin, you had to pick the hardest question right of the bat, didn't you?"

Joel cracked a smile for the first time, his goatee turning up in a grin. "You have to admit, it is the obvious question."

Harry laughed. "I suppose it is. Voldemort—"

Joel flinched, and Harry rolled his eyes. "It's just a name. It's not even his real name. There is no reason to be afraid of it."

"As I was saying, Voldemort can be killed." Harry said. "He has gone through more Dark rituals than anyone in recent memory, and he is an incredibly skilled wizard. But he is not immortal." Harry considered bringing up the Horcruxes, but held his tongue. It wasn't worth the information getting back to Voldemort.

Joel breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin for small favors. But if he isn't immortal, then how did he survive the reflected Killing curse?"

"That's going to fall under questions I can't answer." Harry said, shaking his head.

"Then you know?" Joel said, looking Harry in the eye.

"I. . .have my suspicions," Harry admitted, feeling like Dumbledore. "Nothing concrete."

"I see. . ." Joel said. "But he isn't immortal?"

"No, he's not." Harry said again. "He may be a homicidal lunatic with a superiority complex and more raw power than anyone else alive. But he can be killed."

Joel glanced down at his watch. "The girls should be back soon, so we should probably put the political masks back on."

"Of course, Baron Parkinson," Harry said with a small smile. "I wouldn't want to cause any strife between yourself and Lady Parkinson."

Joel nodded briskly, his face set like stone. "Selina can be a tad brusque. It is better for all involved if she thinks that you and I do not get along."

"I take it that she does not approve of Pansy's choice in men?" Harry said, trying to match Joel's emotionless expression.

"It is nothing against you Lord Black," Joel said, his eyes on the door. "She doesn't think that anyone would be good enough for Pansy. And she thinks that you have put her in a difficult position once she sits her N.E.W.T.s. People who withdraw from Hogwarts are not always looked favorably upon in our society."

"I understand," Harry said.

Joel sighed again. "Pansy and Selina do not have the greatest relationship, but believe me when I tell you that Pansy would sacrifice her mother's approval in order to stay with you. All summer, she talked about how she had been writing to a boy named Harrison Evans. And then, a few weeks into the school year, she sent me a letter saying that Harrison Evans was really Harry Potter, and that you two were dating. She wrote over three feet about your relationship. I have never seen her so excited."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really? She never mentioned it to me."

"She did," Joel said, his political mask slipping slightly. "She glossed over why you were pretending to be a fifth year Ravenclaw, and spent forever covering every detail of your apology, and your first date, and—" Joel cut himself off as the doorknob started to turn.

"I hope those terms will be acceptable to you Lord Black," He said, the mask back in place.

"I believe we have come to a final agreement Baron Parkinson." Harry said, scrambling to keep up with Joel's sudden shift.

"Did you three enjoy your trip?" Harry asked, nodding toward Pansy, Narcissa and Lady Parkinson.

"Yes, we did." Lady Parkinson said stiffly. "Thank you for your concern Lord Black."

"I had Kreacher move Pansy's things to Regulus' old room." Narcissa said. "I hope that will be suitable."

"That will be fine," Harry said, still trying to sound formal. "If Miss Parkinson would like to move into one of the other unoccupied rooms in the future, Kreacher and Dobby can help her move everything."

"Excellent," Joel said, standing up from the table once more. "I am afraid we will have to cut the remainder of this meeting short. There is a meeting of the Hogwarts Governors this evening, and I need to finish my preparations."

"Lady Narcissa and I will leave you three to say your good-byes," Harry said, also getting to his feet. "We will be in the main room once you have finished."

"Thank you again for your hospitality Lord Black," Joel said, shaking Harry's hand again. "We will be in touch if you need anything else."

Harry nodded. "Has the power of attorney paperwork been filed?"

"It has." Joel confirmed. "You will need to go to Gringotts to sign it at some point in the next few weeks, but Lady Narcissa will be able to act en loco parentis for Pansy until she turns seventeen."

"We will be sure to take of that then." Harry said, as he and Narcissa walked back over to the door. "We can go to Gringotts once you three have finished."

"It will only be a moment Lord Black." Pansy said.

Harry stepped through the door and breathed a sigh of relief as it closed behind him. "That was one hell of a headache." He groaned.

"I was only there for the last few minutes, but you did fine." Narcissa said. "Pureblood customs can certainly be rather demanding at times."

"It was strange," Harry remarked. "Baron Parkinson didn't seem to care about etiquette, he just wanted to make sure I could take care of Pansy."

"Yes, Joel prefers to cut the formalities." Narcissa agreed. "He can follow them if he wants to, but he doesn't see the point most of the time. Selina has always been the one to insist on following the old ways."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Pansy's mother was rather cold."

"I would say that she means well, but I'm not sure if that's true." Narcissa said with a wry smile. "Selina was always a socialite, and I know that she wanted Pansy to be the same. Unfortunately for her, Pansy is easily bored at social functions, and would rather run off and talk politics with her father and his allies."

"I would probably be less bored if they would do something other than gossip," Pansy said, coming up behind them.

"You're already finished?" Harry asked, wrapping an arm around Pansy's waist and kissing her cheek.

Pansy leaned into him. "Yes, Mother was insistent on cutting it as short as possible so she had enough time to get ready for the Governor's meeting."

Harry thought back to the ornate gown that Selina Parkinson had been wearing. "Isn't she already dressed up enough?" He asked, pressing another kiss to the top of Pansy's head.

"No." Pansy said simply, her eyes closed. "She'll spend hours trying to get her hair and makeup perfect, and then she'll spend even longer picking the perfect dress. Believe me, she probably wishes she could have skipped this meeting all together."

Harry didn't miss the pang of bitterness in Pansy's voice, and he pulled her even closer. "Come on, let's go to Gringotts and finish up so we can go home."

"Home." Pansy repeated, her eyes still closed. "I like the sound of that."

"Okay you two lovebirds," Narcissa teased. "You'll need to get this out of your system now, or you will never hear the end of it from Bella."

"Who's Bella?" Pansy asked, looking up at Harry.

"I'll explain later," Harry said removing his arm from around Pansy. "But Narcissa's right. We will need to behave in front of her."

Pansy smacked him lightly on the arm. "You'd better not be cheating on me with this Bella girl!" She joked.

Harry blushed as they walked out the back door of the Leaky Cauldron. "I would never do that!"

"No, but not for lack of Bella trying." Narcissa laughed. "She's been flirting with you ever since you first met."

Harry thought back to their first encounter in the Department of Mysteries. Bellatrix had kissed him, and then she had vanished. At the memory of Bellatrix's kiss, Harry's blush deepened. "I don't care," He insisted. "I only have eyes for Pansy."

"I knew I did a good job training you," Pansy teased, patting Harry on the cheek. "You just say no to that big bad Bella."

"Yes dear." Harry deadpanned, opening the brick entrance with his wand.

Narcissa frowned, but lead them through the entryway and into the Alley. "We need to make sure to speak to Ragnok while we are at Gringotts." She reminded Harry.

Harry nodded. "I know. We need to take care of merging the Potter and Black accounts."

"No, we need to create an appointment so that we can merge the Potter and Black accounts." Narcissa corrected. "You can't just march into Gringotts and set up a lengthy meeting with the King of the Goblin Nation. In all likelihood, we will speak to his assistant, and arrange a meeting for next weekend."

"Ragnok is your account manager?" Pansy asked, looking between Harry and Narcissa incredulously. "How did you manage to get such special treatment?"

Harry shrugged. "From what Ragnok said, the old account manager died of shock once he saw the full value of the Black Estate. Apparently, Orion did a good job of keeping some of his seedier items undocumented."

Pansy shook her head. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the way you live Harry. You don't do anything the normal way, do you?"

"It's not my fault weird things happen around me!" Harry protested. "I want to be normal!"

"You wouldn't know what normal was if it smacked you in the face with a bludger." Pansy teased.

Harry laughed despite himself. "You have a point there. I'm not sure I have ever had anything that could even remotely be considered normal."

"Probably not," Pansy agreed as they walked up the marble steps to Gringotts. "You know, that inscription has always given me the creeps."

"'Enter, stranger but take heed/Of what awaits the sin of greed.'" Harry quoted. "It was one of the first things from the wizarding world I ever saw."

Pansy shivered, running her hands over her arms. "I told you that gives me the creeps." She complained. "I have no difficulty imagining the goblins actually following through on their threats."

Harry grinned. "Well of course not. After all, 'For those who take but do not earn, /Must pay most dearly in their turn.'"

Pansy smacked his arm again. "Stop that!"

Harry stepped back, out of Pansy's reach. "'So, if you seek beneath our floors/A treasure that was never yours, /Thief, you have been warned, beware/Of finding more than treasure there.'"

"Why did you even bother to memorize that?" Pansy asked as they stepped through the second set of doors and into the hall.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I really liked it the first time I read it, and so when we got to Hogwarts I looked it up and then memorized it. It's kind of catchy."

Pansy scoffed and shook her head as Narcissa lead them up to a teller. "Baron Parkinson left some paperwork that we need to get notarized." She told the goblin.

"Key please." The goblin said in a bored voice, holding his hand out.

Narcissa removed a thin chain from around her neck and handed it to goblin, who inspected it closely before handing it back.

"Madam Black," The goblin said with a bow. "I am Naggrot, an official Gringotts notary. Let me go collect the file that Baron Parkinson left for you."

The goblin slid off of his chair, and vanished into a back room.

"That was a sudden personality sh—" Harry said, but was cut off by an elbow from Pansy.

He turned to look at her, and she held a finger to her lips. "The goblins consider it rude to comment on their behavior. It's better just to ignore it."

Harry shook his head, wondering if he would ever understand all the intricacies of wizarding etiquette.

Naggrot reappeared, a large file in his clawed hands. "Here you are Madam Black. The Baron took the liberty of filling everything out for you already. You only need to sign at the bottom."

Narcissa took the file with a cold smile. "Nothing against the Baron, Mr. Naggrot, but I will take a few minutes and read through everything I am signing."

Naggrot smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. "I would expect nothing less from one such as yourself Madam Black."

"You two may as well take a seat." Narcissa said as she started to flip through the file. "This could take some time."

"Let's take a walk around the Alley." Pansy suggested. "I've been cooped up inside ever since I was withdrawn from Hogwarts."

"Keep your wands at the ready." Narcissa said. "The Dark Lord may have spies in Diagon."

Harry activated his watch, allowing the glamour to wash over him and alter his features. "The Dark Lord isn't searching for Harrison Evans. We should be fine."

"I'll cast a glamour once we're outside." Pansy added.

"Shouldn't you do it before?" Harry pointed out. "You don't want someone to recognize you before you cast the spell."

"Drawing a wand in Gringotts might cause a war to break out." Pansy said, looking pointedly at Harry. "I can wait until we're outside."

Harry sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that might be better." He admitted.

Pansy shook her head, and grabbed Harry's hand. "Let's go. Before you cause an international incident."

*****HP: WAW*****

"Let's go into the Apothecary." Pansy said, tugging on Harry's hand. "I need to get some more Sleekeazy's while we're here."

Harry mock-gasped. "Are you trying to tell me that your hair isn't naturally straight? I have never felt so lied to!"

"Now you know how I felt during Potions Harrison." Pansy teased. "It's not a fun feeling, is it?"

Harry dramatically clutched his chest. "You wound me Julianne you know I would never dare tell a lie!"

"Since when have I been Julianne?" Pansy laughed. "I am clearly too much of a Pureblood to have such a common Muggle name."

"Well then you come up with a fake name." Harry said throwing his hands up in fake exasperation.

Pansy lifted her nose snootily. "Clearly, I am Amber Ollivander, daughter of the legendary wand-maker."

"Well then after you Ms. Ollivander." Harry said, pulling the door open and taking a bow.

"How kind of you Mr. Evans." Pansy said regally stepping past him. "Perhaps if you keep this up I will allow you to brush my hair."

"Brush your hair?" Harry laughed. "I don't think that Ollivander would like to hear his daughter acting so pompous."

Pansy shoved his arm. "You better be honored to brush my hair. That's your duty as my boyfriend."

Harry tried to come up with a witty response. "Well then you can. . .uh. . .polish my broomstick!"

An elderly woman in the store glared at them, and Pansy started to laugh. "Do you even know what you just said?"

Harry's ears turned red. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I'm sure you didn't dear," Pansy said, patting him on the arm. "But people are starting to stare, so maybe you should just hold my purse while I shop."

"Do you even have a purse?" Harry asked rhetorically as Pansy picked up a basket.

"Yes." Pansy said simply, starting to fill her basket. "But it didn't match my dress robes, so I left it home."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever understa—"

He cut himself off as he saw a familiar sallow-faced figure standing in front of the register. "Look, it's Snape!"

"What?" Pansy turned around. "I guess he's buying ingredients or something. He is a Potions Master after all."

"I suppose so," Harry said still looking at Snape. It was weird to see the man outside of Hogwarts.

Snape turned, his eyes locking with Harry's.

Harry's breath quickened, and he broke eye contact. He waited until he no longer felt Snape's eyes on him, and he glanced back toward the DADA professor.

Snape's face was locked into his perpetual scowl as he started to load his purchases into a brown paper bag. He paid the teller, and turned to the door.

Harry looked away, pretending to be interested in a display of new thick-bottomed cauldrons as Snape walked past him.

"Meet me outside Potter."

The words were so quiet that Harry wasn't even sure that he had heard them. He stared at Snape's back as the man walked through the door and out into the Alley.

"I think I'm going to go outside and get some air." Harry said to Pansy. "Do you need me in here?"

"Go ahead, I'll be out in just a minute." Pansy said absentmindedly.

"Alright, I'll be right outside," Harry said, kissing her.

Harry pushed open the doors and stepped outside, wincing at the bright sunlight. True to his word, Snape was standing outside, his arms crossed.

"Professor." Harry said as a way of greeting.

"Potter." Snape said with the barest hint of a nod. "Your disguise is . . . adequate. Albus' doing I suppose."

"It was." Harry confirmed. "But how did you know it was me?"

"Three reasons," Snape said counting them off on his long spidery fingers. "First: there are only a handful of children your age who are not enrolled in some school or another. You were the most obvious choice. Second: you used that same guise of "Harrison Evans" at Hogwarts during the early part of the year. Given that you and Miss Parkinson were the only students withdrawn from Hogwarts this term, and the sudden disappearance of Harrison Evans shortly before you left, it seemed likely that you and Harrison Evans were one and the same. Third: I was the one who began your Occlumency training last year. I have spent more time than I care to remember in your mind, and as such I am intimately familiar with the feel of your Occlumency shields."

Harry couldn't hide his surprise, Snape was clearly very good at discovering people under a disguise.

Snape sneered. "Anyone with a pair of eyes and basic Legilimency skills could have done the same."

Harry rolled his eyes, some things never changed.

"I have a message for you." Snape said. "The elder Mr. Weasley has been trying to get in contact with you for the past several days."

"Why would Bill send a message through you?" Harry asked suspiciously. "He could have just sent a letter."

"Mr. Weasley's owls were apparently returned unopened." Snape said, his piercing black eyes boring a hole through Harry. "He made sure every member of the Order would pass the message along if we happened across you."

Harry's mind was racing to figure out why Kreacher had rejected Bill's letter. He had told Kreacher to send back any owls that weren't from the Ministry, Hogwarts, Gringotts or Harry's friends. With a sudden flash of realization, Harry remembered his exact words: 'Kreacher, any of the letters that aren't from the Ministry, Gringotts, Hogwarts, or someone I went to school with, send it back with a note saying that it was unopened.' Bill had already graduated by the time Harry started Hogwarts.

"If you see Bill, tell him that I will be sending him a letter soon." Harry said.

"I do not make a habit of spending time with the Weasley's." Snape sneered. "But, should I see Mr. Weasley, I will give him your message."

"Thank you." Harry said gratefully. "Was there anything else?"

Snape's brow furrowed. "The Dark Lord is. . .antsy. Be careful that you do not make a spectacle of yourself in the near future. His Death Eaters have been waiting to make a move ever since the debacle in the Department of Mysteries last year."

"So, he's healed?" Harry asked, feeling a sudden urge to rub his scar.

"Not fully." Snape said, after a careful glance around the Alley. "But take care not to underestimate him. He is still more powerful than you or I."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said again.

Snape gave a sharp nod and turned on his heels, disappearing down a side alley.

Harry took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall of the Apothecary. Voldemort was back and looking for revenge.

Beside him, the door swung open and Pansy stepped through, holding a small bag. She looked worried as she glanced around the Alley, but her face lit up when she saw Harry.

"Did you enjoy the fresh air?" She asked, taking his hand.

"Yeah," Harry said forcing a smile. "Something about the smell of Potions and seeing Snape. Just bad memories I guess."

"Come on, Narcissa is probably just about done." Pansy said. "We can finally go home and change out of these dress robes."

Harry tugged awkwardly on the collar of his robes. "Yeah, the Glamours make them look like normal clothes, but they aren't the most comfortable in the world."

"I actually just finished." An elderly woman walking by said, her unfamiliar features bleeding away to reveal Narcissa. "We have an appointment with Ragnok next Saturday."

"Brilliant." Harry said. "Let's get out of here. Dobby!"

A/N:

Another update! So, since returning to writing a few weeks ago, I've written several chapters, and I have quite a backlog of unposted chapters built up. For the next month or two, you can expect weekly updates until I've managed to make a dent in my backlog.

I really enjoy this chapter, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the banter between Harry and Pansy, or the chance to meet Joel and Selina Parkinson for the first time. Regardless, I hope you all liked it!

Next week, we get to dive back into the plot of this story, and we see how Pansy reacts to meeting Bella for the first time!

As always, don't forget to check out my Facebook page to keep in touch with me and see my regular updates on the status of the story. The link is in my profile!

I'm also looking for another Beta reader, so if you're interested in getting a sneak peek at all of the unposted chapters, and you're good at catching grammar/spelling/continuity errors, send me a PM or a message on Facebook, and let me know that you're interested.

—BETA OUT!