A/N: I'm happy for every feedback and constructive criticism but I will not respect straight out hate or trolls in the comments.

mizzrazz72: Of course he is ;)

Dixie.f.9: Yeah they do. They saw Harry's memory ;) I'm still thinking on what the Goblins will do to Dumbles ;)

ThePhoenixandtheDragon: It will still take some time but I think it will be earlier than I had originally planned...

JasminSky: I'll make sure they will get far enough away to enjoy some family time :) OH now that will be a lot of fun to write :D (I need an evil grin emoji)

aisa.32: Coming soon!

PhoenixGrifyndor: I already have something planned for that ;)

Vivid Snare: Hmmm... Quidditch... Maybe they can catch a game on their holiday ;) I'm pretty sure that Snape is a secret quidditch fanatic ;)

To the Guest that has commented on a lot of chapters recently: Thank you! Also I just don't like the dark and damp feeling of castles. I like HarryxDraco a lot but I wanted to do something different this time... Maybe next time ;)

Beyond Hope: I love your Gandalf voice ;) Sorry he had to die... I didn't want to kill him either...

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling - I just played a bit in her universe.

Thanks to miu-sama95 for prereading, betaing and helping with the storyline ;)


Chapter 28: Getting Settled

Words: 3303


When Harry woke up the next morning he didn't open his eyes right away but assessed his surroundings. He was confused. Something was different. It took his sleepy mind a bit to supply him with yesterday's memories. He was in his room! His very own room where everything belonged to him - no more filthy hand me downs from Dudley and no more broken furniture.

Harry relished in the feeling of his new sheets on his new bed before another major difference to his summers at the Dursley's registered in his mind. He was completely free of pain! For the first time in years he woke up without sore muscles from doing chores all day and his back was also pain free since he didn't have to sleep on a broken bed anymore.

Although he had been out of Hogwarts for a few days already these facts had not yet registered in his mind. It had been a mix of being ill and staying at the castle. The castle was not home - this was.

With a huge smile on his face Harry decided he was ready to start the day and opened his eyes wide only to shut them again straight away. His room obviously faced southeast and was flooded with sunlight through the big windows he had.

Since the room had yet to be decorated with all the things they had gotten yesterday there was no place to hide from the bright light and it took the teen a few minutes to get used to it. Once he was able to see again he jumped out of bed to explore the huge bathtub he had noticed the night before.

After a very long soak Harry wandered out of his bathroom only clad in a towel pondering on where to get clothes from. Since they had arrived here rather exhausted the clothes had not even been put in their respective rooms.

Before the teen could think of the names of the house elves he noticed a complete outfit laid out for him on the already made bed. Harry smiled and went to get dressed but not before calling out to the elves.

"Thank you!"

Feeling better and happier than ever before he slowly explored the way to the dining room. Explore because he got lost more than once on his way.

Harry vowed to himself to map out their home in his mind until they had to leave for Hogwarts again. He was excited for the prospect of uncovering every little secret this house held. In the end he had to resort to calling Pippy (the first name he could remember) to get to breakfast on time.

Not that he should have worried about that at all since his Dad and Papa were not there yet either.


While he waited for them with a cup of tea he pondered on how Voldemort had turned into Marvolo and now into Papa. Although Harry was not ready to call him Papa aloud, in his mind it started replacing Marvolo and Marv more and more.

All of that had started when he had been so ill and the Potions had not worked. Instead of pushing Harry away to tend to himself like his relatives had always done Marvolo had cared for him like a real parent would.

He was sure that their bond had something to do with it as well but to be honest he liked the man Marvolo was. He loved his mum and James but they had decided for themselves to fight in a war while having a baby which did not automatically mean that Harry should fight in this war as well.

It would be a shame to throw their sacrifice away and only live to fight instead of living his life to its fullest. Harry had spent a lot of time thinking about it and he was sure that his mum would want him to be happy no matter what. At least he would like for her to be. He did not really know her at all since they had died when he was just 15 months old.

That was another thing he had to come to terms with. He had gotten to know his Dad and Papa pretty well over the last weeks and he was sure that they would never chose a war over his safety. At least not like James and Lily had done.

Marvolo was the Dark Lord so he would surely not cease his work but Harry was sure that he would send Severus and him to safety instead of sending his Dad out into the battlefield. His Papa would drop everything if they were in any danger at all and Harry felt that he could rely on Marvolo to be there if need be.

The teen nearly hit his head on the ceiling when someone cleared their throat right next to him and scared him out of his thoughts.


"Good morning, Harry." Marvolo greeted again with a smirk. His son had been so deep in his own mind that he had missed the first two attempts the Dark Lord had made. It pleased him that Harry felt comfortable enough already to forget the world around him quite so thoroughly.

"Good morning, Marv." The teen blushed a little in embarrassment at being so lost in his thoughts. "Where is Dad?"

"in the shower. He will be down in a moment. Why don't we get started on breakfast already?"

"Mimsy!"

"Yes, young Master?"

"We would like to have breakfast now, please."

Mimsy's eyes widened into big orbs at hearing the please but she managed not to fall over herself in her gratitude. Instead she vanished to the kitchens to get them the best breakfast ever and swore to herself to always protect Masters. Masters were great wizards and very nice to house elves so Masters were worth saving.

Marvolo had just taken his seat when the food appeared on the table and Severus in the doorway.

Harry only glanced at his Dad, too deeply engrossed in pouring syrup over his pancakes but quickly forgot his food when his father's appearance registered in his mind and he had to take a second look.


Gone were the black teaching robes he usually wore and instead Severus sported complete muggle attire. Washed out and well worn jeans that hugged his backside perfectly (as Marvolo couldn't help to notice) and a bright midnight blue T-Shirt as well as blue Converse sneakers.

In Harry's and Marvolo's opinion he looked more like a university student than a professor but they also both liked the casual look on him. But the most stunning change was Severus' hair. Instead of greasy hair - because of protection against injury as Marvolo had explained to Harry - his black hair fell down over his shoulders in a mass of beautiful black waves. Much to Harry's astonishment since he had always thought his Dad's hair was naturally straight.

While the already seated wizards tried to get their composure back Severus moved to the seat next to his husband and poured himself a cup of coffee, still completely oblivious to the reactions he had caused. Not that he had not noticed but more like his brain needed more information before it could process anything.

Thankfully Kari rescued Marvolo and Harry from being caught staring by bringing the morning post. There was a Daily Prophet and letters for all of them.

Marvolo quickly checked the letters with detection spells before distributing the envelopes to his husband and son.

Harry was sitting on pins and needles while his Papa scanned the mail. He was hoping for letters from his friends and godfather and was not disappointed. There were letters from Hermione, Luna, Fleur and Viktor. Sirius had gone even a step further and sent him a parcel.

The teen wanted to read them all straight away but one throat clearing and look from his Dad had him putting them aside and turning his attention back to his now soaked pancakes.


A small smile ghosted over the Potions Master's face when his son complied with his unspoken rule of finishing his food first. Before he forgot he pulled a nutrient potion out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.

"What is it?"

"Your daily dose of nutrition potion. Best drink it with some sweet juice."

Harry grimaced but followed his father's directions of downing the brew before quickly washing it down with some pumpkin juice. How he hated to drink potions…

When he looked up again he saw both of his fathers trying to hide their smiles.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Harry but your face just now was priceless." Marvolo apologized. Harry grumbled and went to eating his breakfast much to the other's amusement.

"So what's the plan for today?" The teen asked once he was finished with his pancakes.

"Well we need to get all the rooms sorted out - or at least the more common ones - and then we all need to study a bit." Severus began cautiously, fearing his son's reaction.

"Study?! Why would I study now? The holidays just started!"

"It would not be studying for school and Marv and I have to learn it as well."

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Harry asked curiously.

"Your father is trying to say that we all need to learn about the Wizengamot and it's rules since there will be a meeting this Saturday." Marvolo interrupted his husband's cautious approach. Sometimes he clearly forgot that Harry was in Gryffindor for a reason. "We all have to attend to claim our seats and we should study so we don't embarrass our Houses."

"Oh…" The teen mumbled before switching subjects. "But we finish decorating the house first, right?"

"Yes, Snitch. If you are done we can start with your room if you'd like!"

"Awesome! Come on, Dad!"

Before the adults could reply Harry had dashed out of the dining room and they could hear him running up the stairs.

"Come on, love. Let's get this done." Marvolo chuckled and held his hand out to his husband. They slowly followed their son up to his room, feeling like a real family.


Thanks to magic, setting up a room was not as difficult as one might think. All of their furniture had come shrunk and sorted by rooms so they only had to pick the bag with Harry's name on it and let the teen go wild.

Marvolo spelled the walls as his son wanted them while Severus showed him how to unshrink his new belongings. After they were sure Harry could manage on his own they left him to arrange everything to his liking and turned towards their own room.

"Thank Merlin for the wards that cancel the trace." Severus moaned as he let himself fall onto their bed. " I don't think I could survive setting up the room to a hyper 14 year old's wishes."

Marvolo snickered and joined his husband on the bed, gathering him in his arms.

"So how shall we do this? Splitting up rooms or together?"

"I have no idea. How many do we have to do and how many can we leave to the house elves?"

Both fell silent as they pondered over the sheer amount of rooms they had to fill.

"We should do our bedroom together." Marvolo decided. "I would also like to do my own office and I'm sure you want to do your office and lab on your own."

"Sounds about right. The house elves can do the rest. They will be overly excited to be allowed free reign over the furnishing of the house.."

After another five minutes of cuddling and sharing loving kisses they finally got to work.

"Pippy!" Marvolo called out and a moment later the elf appeared with a soft pop.

"What can Pippy bes doing for Masters?"

"We would like you and the other elves to set up the whole manor any way you wish to except for this bedroom, Harry's room our studies and Severus' laboratory."

"We will love to bes doing so. Anything forbidden, Masters?" The little creature beamed at them.

"No pink or flowers, please. Stick to neutral and earthy colors and there is no rush to get it all done. Just do the main living areas first, please." Severus explained.

"We bes getting started right away!" With another pop the house elf was gone again.

The wizards quickly finished their own bedroom and moved towards their studies on the ground floor. Severus just wanted to take a quick peek at his son's room to see how he was faring so Marvolo kept moving downstairs. That didn't work out as he had planned when he found his son sprawled on the bed while his room still looked like it had done before.


"Harry?" He asked as he stepped into the room fully.

The teen noticeable startled before looking over his shoulder and grinning.

"Oh! Hey, Dad!"

"Why didn't you work on your room? Is there a problem?"

"No! Nothing's wrong!" Harry was quick to squash any worries before explaining. "I wanted to start moving the bed with wingardium leviosa which reminded me of Hermione which in turn reminded me of the letters I received this morning."

"So instead of moving your bed you plonked down on it to read your mail?"

"Yeah. Sirius sent me a present. Look!" The teen excitedly showed his father a small handheld mirror not unlike the ones he and Marvolo used to talk. "He wrote that it is called a communications mirror and that I can call him with it!"

"Yes. Marvolo and I also have a pair. They are unusual since not many have enough power to cast the required spells correctly. Do you want to call him now and explain everything?"

"Yes."

"Then I shall leave you to your call." Severus made to stand up from his perch on the edge of the bed when his son grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"Stay. Please." The teen asked shyly.

"If you want me to."

Harry nodded and quickly faced the small mirror to call for his godfather.


"Sirius!"

The mirror started ringing and it was only on the second ring that the surface of the device rippled and Sirius Black looked at him.

"Pup!" He exclaimed happily. "Are you okay? WHere are you? Who are you with? Are you alright?"

"Padfoot!" The teen interrupted the animagus with a smile. "Slow down! I'm fine. More than fine actually. I'm at home."

"Home?"

"Yes. Home. I finally found a place to call home and I'm so happy!"

Sirius looked taken aback for a moment before deciding that Harry would explain at some point. This was going to be a long call.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, pup? Your letter was very cryptic."

"Sorry about that. I had to write it in a way so only you would understand." Harry apologized and thought for a moment on how to start this explanation.

"Oh, Sirius! This would be so much easier if you were here and we could talk face to face."

"Why don't we? Wherever you are, I can visit,"

"Maybe you should. I actually don't know where exactly in Britain we are but we do have a floo."

"So tell me the address and I'll be over in a moment! I'm bored to pieces hiding in this stupid house!"

Harry glanced at Severus to make sure it would be alright for Sirius to come by and was relieved to see his Dad nod.

"Alright, but I kinda have to drop a bomb on you first. Maybe you should sit down and silence the room."

Sirius frowned but Harry could see him moving and hear him mutter a spell before his attention was back on his godson.


"I'm sitting down now, so please tell me before I go crazy with worry!"

"It's nothing to worry about but you may not like it as much as I did." Harry said carefully and after grabbing his Dad's hand he pressed on. "I wrote to you that something good has happened for once. I found out I still have other blood relatives alive. I found my biological father."

There was a long silence in the room and Severus squeezed his son's hand when he tensed more and more the longer Black was silent. He had a good view of the mirror without being in the picture himself and it was obvious to him that the mutt was simply speechless.

After another minute of fishlike movements Sirius finally found his voice. "How…?"

"We are not yet completely sure. As far as we know James was impotent but they wanted children badly so Lily tricked a friend of hers into having sex and only told James after she was pregnant. Mom's friend had no idea until he got a letter from her shortly after her death but he only read it last summer after pushing it away in his grief." Harry tried to explain as best as he could. "He could tell you more about that."

"Alright, so you are with your … father? Are you sure he is in fact you father? And how can one trick a man into sex?"

"Yes. I'm with him. Actually he had the letter from mum and we already went to Gringotts to have it confirmed. Oh! I also got my Lordships since the tournament emancipated me!"

"You are safe, that's all that matters to me. That's great! You could petition for my trial since you are the official Black heir as well!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?!"

"We are already working on it. We found a lot of things not adding up in my accounts so the goblins launched a full investigation."

"They hate thieves so I'm sure they will get to the bottom of this mess."

"They also… they read James and mum's will." Harry mumbled.

"What did it say? Did they write it before or after they went into hiding?"


Sirius was leaning forward in his seat although he was holding the mirror in his hand. If his friends had written the will only after they hid under the Fidelius there could be evidence of his innocence in those parchments. Then why had nobody done anything until now?

Even with Harry so little it should have been read to determine the correct guardians for the toddler. At the latest it should have been read to Harry when he first came to Gringotts at age 11.

"A lot. It actually named my biological father and his husband as my primary carers before you and the Longbottoms."

"Wait a second! Your father and his husband?!" Sirius interrupted incredulous.

"Erm… Yes. That's why mum tricked him. He was already married back then and she got him drunk and drugged him before having sex with him. Pretty gross."

"Holy crap! Your mum practically raped him! Did she know he was married?"

"Yes. She was a witness at their ceremony."

"Wow. This is… This is really messed up, pup."

"There is more." Harry promised with a sardonic smile that gave his godfather a bad feeling.

"What is it?"

"You still don't know who my Dad is."

"Oh. Right. Crap. That bad? Who is it? I must know him if he was a close friend of Lily's."

"You do know him. Very well even. He's right here."

Instead of saying anything else Harry moved the mirror to show his father sitting next to him.

At first Sirius only spluttered before he turned beet red.

"Snivellus?! He's your Dad?!"

"It's Severus, Black. And yes, I am Harry's Dad." Severus spoke for the first time and was rewarded with his archenemy fainting right on the other side of the mirror.


TBC


IMPORTANT NOTE:

Update scedule will stay at every second week. It gives us more time to work on each chapter and it is a lot less stressful especially with university starting again. I actually have my first exam tomorrow...

What do you want to see the Prince-Slytherin family do this summer?


First posted on: 17. September2017

Next update planned: 01. October 2017