They had barely reappeared in Potter Hall before he was moving, wand twisting in the air as he summoned their belongings.

Potter Hall was bustling with activity, the children's belongings gathered in the sitting room as the portraits spoke loudly, Aunt Narcissa handing Teddy the sleeping Maia at the sight of Elia, the woman swiftly making her way over as trunks fell at their feet.

Vaguely, beneath the din of the dragon's roars, he heard the relieved shouts from Rhaenys and Teddy at the sight of their brother, whole and hale and seemingly none the worse for his experience.

"Harry," his father called, voice shouting over the barrage of questions from the other portraits.

"What happened?" Rhaenys demanded.

"You're fine, aren't you?" Teddy asked, Maia half asleep in his arms as he shifted to keep her from waking. "You aren't hurt?"

"They saw me," Aegon said, voice tinged with fear, and Harry once more cursed the bloody damned Department of Mystery and the Ministry for good measure.

His words brought a heavy silence, the air thick with tension as his siblings traded worried glances.

"Egg," Rhaenys began, voice unsure as the fear in his voice made itself known.

"There was an Unspeakable," Aegon told them, causing Teddy to suck in a sharp breath as he turned to face Harry.

"We leave tonight," Harry said, face resolute as he looked at his family. He was no longer taking any chances – had lingered long enough as it is.

"The portraits," Teddy said, trailing off as his eyes drifted to where Harry's father had a gentle smile on his face.

"There's not enough time to take us with you," he told Teddy, hazel eyes bright.

"Herakles," Aunt Narcissa said, a saddened look on her face that he couldn't ignore as he saw her grip tighten on Elia's.

"Go home, Aunt Cissa," he said softly. "They'll come calling on anyone close to us."

There would be no time for proper goodbyes, something they all realized as a sombre mood settled across them.

He focused on the trunks gathered in the room, giving his aunt and wife a quiet moment to say their farewells as he tallied them. There were sixteen trunks, all of them heavily expanded to take as much as they could, plus the three Rhaenys and Teddy had brought home from Hogwarts. Four trunks for each of them to carry, bar one for the person holding Maia.

Elia had –thankfully – marked the trunks, and Harry took hold of four trunks, each containing books, gold, jewellery and clothing, shrinking them before placing them in his pockets. He repeated the process, making sure each of the kids had a trunk of gold with them in addition to their school trunks and the rest of their things, settling Elia's trunks close together before he saw golden hair fill his vision.

"Herak—"

Harry cut her off, wrapping his arms around the last of his mother's family, feeling her arms encircle him as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"You'll be careful," he said, unwilling to think of what could happen to them.

"They'll have a hard time getting through me," she answered, a hint of dark promise present in her tone.

"Are you…" he trailed off, feeling her arms tighten around him and knowing the answer to his question. He blinked back the tears, voice low as he murmured, "I'm sorry it came to this."

She pulled back, familiar grey eyes staring sorrowfully at his face. "You are a Black as much as you are a Potter, Herakles," she told him, voice tinged with grief. "Take care of your family in this new world."

"I will," he promised, hugging her once more as said goodbye to the woman who had taken to being his aunt far more than the one who had raised him. "I love you."

He let her go as he heard her whispered reply, making his way to Elia's side. "I'll get the dragons ready and meet the rest of you outside," he told her, seeing the nod as he quickly squeezed her hand.

Auriga and Iacomus were shifting uneasily when he reached them, seeing their wings stretched as the hissed lowly.

"Where is Egg?" Iacomus demanded. Aegon had likely soothed Iacomus through their bond, but the dragons became anxious when they couldn't see their companions, and Harry forced himself to soothe them.

"Inside," he answered gently, seeing the flare of fury in his quicksilver eyes recede slightly. "We leave now."

Auriga and Iacomus bent forward, knowing what Harry wanted, and he pulled the collars forward, hooking them gently to their necks as they began to glow slightly. The ritual room in the Peverell home would have been the best place to conduct the ritual, but the dragons were too large to fit inside, and so they would have to make do with the large clearing he was hastily preparing.

The wand, he thought, swearing as he quickly spun on his heel, reappearing in the solarium. He nicked his hand, letting the blood flow as the bricks fell apart to reveal the Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone. He pocketed the stone, his blood catching on the grooves of the wand as he apparated back to the small clearing, his holly wand ignored as he carved the runes into the floor with Death's wand.

A low hiss left Auriga, golden eyes swivelling over his shoulder as she glared blankly at the dark forest surrounding them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, hand brushing her snout as he took a deep breath, stretching his magic to see what it was that bothered them. A cold pit grew in his stomach, and Harry forced himself to still, knowing their time was even more limited.

It was only one person so far, their magic irritating him as it poked at his wards, trying to see a way past centuries-old protections, but the rest would follow soon after.

"Say nothing of this to the others," Harry warned them, eyes glowing with suppressed magic. It was crackling just underneath his skin, the thought of a possible fight causing his magic to surge in anticipation as he finished drawing the runes.

He touched the tip of his wand to the runes on their collar, activating them and watching as Auriga and Iacomus disappeared from view for a moment, magic flaring brightly as the runes on the ground glowed faintly in unison.

The wards were buzzing, his magic tingling as he felt the additional help the intruder had, their magic probing for holes to get through.

They were coming outside, their belongings stored in their pockets as they moved swiftly into position, Teddy holding Maia in his arms as he glanced oddly at his father.

The feel of intrusive magic was stronger, his own crying out for blood as the wand he held thrummed in eagerness. It was dangerous, having Death's wand near and so eager for blood, and Harry handed the stone and wand to Teddy, knowing the boy had the invisibility cloak as well and glad it would not fall into their hands.

"Harry," Elia said, cottoning on to what he was planning, dark eyes pleading with him to not do it as she moved closer. "We still have time."

"Not enough," he said, glancing at his children with a small sad smile. It dawned on them, and Harry shook his head before they could protest. "If they get through the wards we go nowhere, and I'd rather not test that."

"Papa," Aegon said, anguish clear in his face and voice.

"I'll see you all soon," he told them, turning to Elia.

How did I get so lucky? He wondered, his hand cupping her cheek as he pulled her into a fierce kiss, pouring all his emotions, all his love and hopes and fear into it.

"So long as there is breath in my body, I will find my way to you," he murmured, ignoring the sharp feel of magic colliding against the wards. "I've no intention of not living a long life with you, Elia."

She took a shuddering breath, opening her eyes and Harry felt his heart ache with love and pride and sorrow. He hated that this was necessary – that he would not be going with them immediately – but Harry knew they would be fine. More than fine, he thought.

There was a hint of steely determination in her dark eyes, this Princess of Dorne embodying her family's motto. Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, he thought, knowing she would see them through this.

"I expect to see you in Dorne, husband," Elia told him.

He smiled, pressing his lips to hers once more before he promised, "As my princess commands."

He took a step back, knowing they were pressed for time. It would take some thirty minutes, and Harry knew he could find ways to make sure the ritual was uninterrupted.

He glanced at them, seeing Rhaenys begin to activate the runes alongside Teddy, his family tucked protectively beneath the wings of Auriga and Iacomus, and Harry committed this last memory of them to his mind.

I'll see them soon, he vowed, holly wand falling into his palm as he made his way to the ward line.


He had let them wear themselves out for a few minutes, knowing the wards were still holding strong underneath their assault.

From what he could tell, there were a dozen of them, grey cloaks blending in with the darkness as they battered at the protections countless generations of Potters had reinforced.

Eleven, now, he thought darkly, seeing the first Unspeakable fall as his spell connected.

He was no longer the boy who had fought to disarm, unwilling to let them walk away with a mild headache. They wanted to harm his family, and Harry would remind them of what happened to those who harmed the family of a Potter and a Black.

He ducked beneath the curse sent his way, chunks of earth lifting to form a shield as he sent a piercing hex at the Unspeakable closest to him. It was only at the sound of pitiful moaning, a bone-crushing curse hitting a third square in the ribs that they turned to him in a small group, the others working to lower the wards.

At the sight of raised wands, Harry felt a feral grin grow on his face as his magic surged forward in glee, no longer tightly held.

He danced around the spells flying his way, a joyous laugh leaving him as he sent his own curses, bits of rock and dirt flying as he sent them into the group of Unspeakables.

Perhaps I've gone mad, he thought faintly, uncaring of the potential dangers lurking in his blood.

He felt the sharp sting of a cutting curse on his arm, ignoring the slight pain as he responded with a shout of "SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Blood sprayed on the floor as the fifth Unspeakable went down, gurgles heard as one of his friends made to help him.

The remaining three shared an uncertain glance, eyes disguised by the cowl they wore as they decided between fighting against him or protecting the ones attempting to destroy the wards.

One of them twirled his wand, a light flaring as Harry recognized the signal for what it was.

No amount of assistance can help you now, he thought darkly, a sharp job of his wand relieving one of them of the bones in their legs, not entirely avoiding the curse that split his arm open.

He felt the growing buildup of magic, smiling at the feeling, as he knew it meant the ritual had worked.

There were cracks in the air, the arrival of an Auror squad that lost one of their own to an organ-liquefying curse Harry managed to avoid.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" their captain yelled, wand raised as his team moved between the Unspeakables and Harry.

"Lord Potter-Black," he said, his eyes wide as he stared at Harry. There was blood on his robes, his eyes glowing faintly with power that crackled in the air around him as a dark look came on his face.

"I'd like to know why the fuck they thought it a good idea to intrude on my property," Harry snapped.