Hi everyone! I was originally going to wait until the new year, but given the vast growing number of those who followed, favorited and review this story. I couldn't resist making this an early gift. That said, I am reluctantly having a hard time with writers' block when it comes to this tale. I have the ending figured out but it's the middle I'm currently struggling with. So I've just decided to tackle this thing one chapter at a time. I'm not setting myself a deadline because it stops being fun. Thank you for your patience and enjoy...

"Harry, Mate. What happened to you? Dumbledore has been acting weird. He's not smiling and joking any more but he did say that you were "safe" at home. I guess he went to get you earlier but – Something happened? Do you know what it was? Listen Harry, I'm sorry I've been a dunderhead lately. I guess it never really hit me until you entered that area with that dragon what was actually happening, it was scary. But HOW can you say that you want to be a ruddy Blood Suc-?" Ron crumpled up his third attempted letter to Harry, unsure of what to say without making it worse as Hermione came over.

"Any Luck?"

"No," he groaned, burying his head in his arms on the table. "Every time I try, I cannot seem to get past his declaration. If that was me? I'd-"

"That's just the Point Ron, Harry is not you. He sees things differently. He always has. He is an Orphan. For twelve or thirteen years, he has had NO family. His Aunt, Uncle and Cousin do not count as far as he's concerned. It takes more than a blood relation to become "family". The child does even have to be biological to be family if you consider adoption, fostering or guardianship, according to my parents. And Harry told you straight that, THAT was why he is considering becoming a Vampire. He would trade away all of his fame and riches just to have what YOU do and is willing to sacrifice in order to get it. The better question is: What are you willing to give up in order to get YOUR Fame and Fortune Ronald? For that is obviously your dream" said Hermione, shocking him into silence. What nobody realized was that across the Great Hall at another table, someone else was thinking of Harry and had a plan in mind to help.

...

Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Freya along with most of the Mikealson siblings were still pouting over Klaus' decision to let Albus Dumbledore remain alive as a human. Only Rebekah and Elijah seemed to be on his side.

"Niklaus may be a poor excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical. What he compelled the old man to do can't be the whole plan-"

"Right you are Sister," answered their brother, coming down the stairs. "What I ordered the "great" Wizard to do was only Plan A, giving him "A fore taste of the feast to come" as it were. If he continues to pursue his goal for our beloved nephew. That's when the extra compulsion I gave kicks in to ensure Plan B is enacted and a fate Albus Dumbledore cannot escape" he concluded with a sinister smile as there was a knock on the door.

"Caroline?" the hybrid raised a surprise eyebrow upon answering before the infamous smirk took over as he gazed at the young vampire with affection in his eyes, despite her disheveled appearance.

"Have you guys seen Harry?" she demanded, not in the mood to play around.

"Sorry love, I have not" he said, his good humor disappearing as his face grew stern.

"Harry's missing?!" shouted Rebekah flashing to the door along with the rest of her siblings.

"Yes, he got up early this morning and left the house without a note or nothing. I thought he and " Grandpa Kol" had something planned" the blond explained, her eyes narrowing at the Original in question. For once, the cocky vampire was completely serious.

"No, we didn't. At least anything he didn't discuss with me"

"Wait a second," said Freya, eyeing the now empty space on the mantelpiece where Harry's "Golden" egg from the First tournament had been resting. "He's gone to figure out the clue!"

...

"Now Pup, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Sirius as he watched Harry pace back and forth about to go out to the dock. He and his godson were at the lake house that Stefan and Elena had recommended.

"No," the teen admitted sighing, his head obviously somewhere else.

"What is it?"

"You mean besides my "natural" fear of the water because I can't swim?"

"Yeah Prongslet, you do know we don't have to do it today." His godfather put in, trying to be helpful.

"It's not that Sirius, at least…not only that." Harry shook his head, "Pads, Snape gave me a journal that was supposedly my Mom's. I've started reading it and it's hard to identify her with the woman that wrote in it. She was heartbroken and unhappy with her marriage to my Dad. He wasn't that bad, was he? And if so, wh did she stay with him? Please tell me the truth. I-! I can handle it, I'm not a kid anymore" he pleaded.

It was Sirius' turn to sigh. "Come sit, beside me Pup," he said, as he got down with his feet dangling over the water. Harry copied him with his eyes glued to the man's face.

"I'm guessing that up until now, you've only heard good things about your parents with the exception of ol' Snivelus constantly putting down James and comparing you to him?" Harry grimaced but nodded.

"Harry…" his godfather broke off trying to find the right words, rubbing the back of his neck before- "Snape should never compare you to your father, you are your own person. That said, he has the right to think- As much as it pains me to say it: what he wants to about your Dad for there is some truth in it."

"What?"

"Notice I didn't say "Say it" but "Think it." Pup… your parents never lived- What do the Muggles call it? A "Fairy-tail" life. They were good people Harry but they were also flawed people. They made mistakes. Your father was practically still a boy when he married your mother. We all were. Seventeen years old just fresh from graduating. Bloody hell, you weren't even born before he was out of his teens, at Nineteen."

Harry's eyes widened at what Sirius was describing. He had never even thought about just how young his parents were. He was currently three years younger than his Dad's age when he had married his mom. And here he had a hard time just thinking about asking Cho out to the ball?!

His godfather took pity on him, "I didn't mean to shock and upset you Pup. Your Dad just had a lot of growing up to do and Lily had already begun maturing with the sudden murder of your grandparents during one of the Death eater Muggle raids in addition to losing your sibling."

"Losing my-?"

Sirius sighed, "That's why they married so early. Both sets of your grandparents on either side were very strict when it came to something like that and your mother was still considered a minor in the Muggle world."

"I had a brother or sister?"

"Yeah, Pup… actually you had many siblings over the years but- they all died while in your Mom's belly except for you.

I remember at your birth; I'd never seen her more terrified or relieved until you came out screaming and hollering but most importantly: breathing. Then, it would have taken more than the Cruciatus Curse to pry you from her arms. Poor Prongs was dealing with a true lioness that day."

"She really loved me"

"More than you know, and your Dad did too. It was not long after you were born that James- As the Americans say it "Got his Shit together?" with a massive wake up call of stopping with the "I want's" and learning to be grateful for what he still had, especially during a time of War. The point is Prongslet, that your Dad became the man you could be proud of and his marriage to Lily got better. They were entirely devoted to you and each other in the end."

Harry looked puzzled, sure he was glad things worked out though it didn't describe what happened.

Padfoot sighed, "It's really hard to talk about this Pup. Now that he's gone, I try to remember the good times, given how close we were. Moony would be better at this." The boy nodded, not wanting to press him any further.

"Now, getting back to the problem at hand. Are you sure you want to do this for the final time?"

"No but, Luna hasn't steered me wrong before. I just hope she's right this time."

"You and her seem to be getting kind a close these days."

"Sirius it's not like that, she's just a friend."

His godfather looked at him, "Right, so why don't you jump in and I'll hand the egg to you."

Reluctantly Harry lowered himself into the cold water and had to keep from crying out at the temperature while still holding on to the dock. Sirius quickly handed him the heavy object which started to slip out of the boy's grasp.

"Don't worry about the egg, just focus on the clue, I'll retrieve it later."

The teen took a deep breath and put his head under. "Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you have to look. To recover what we took…" The message kept repeating over and over until Harry felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him up.

"Did you get it?"

"Yes," he gasped shivering as his godfather helped him out. Taking off his own robe and putting it around Harry. Then Sirius grabbed his brand-new wand "Accio"

"Pads that not going to-" Suddenly the water bubbled and the egg surfaced before spitting itself onto the dock next to them.

"How did you-?"

"Maybe the summoning charm was disabled for in the area, like McGonagall's anti cheating charms she puts on your final exams. Used to drive us nuts that the Marauders couldn't break it."

"You shouldn't cheat in school anyway-!" a new voice interrupted them. They turned around to find Caroline with her hands on her hips standing with the Mikaelsons on the edge of the bank.

"It was the principle of the thing Care. You told me "I couldn't do something" I took that as a challenge"

Kol laughed, "Are you sure you're not my grandson as well?"

Sirius shrugged, "James and I were brothers in all but blood. But you never know, considering the majority of Pureblooded families intermarried in their own circle including the "Blacks" and the "Potters". My grandfather and James' Mum were brother and sister despite the age gap."

"Harry, why did you take off like that? You had us worried" said his cousin.

The boy put his head down, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to get this embarrassing part over with in private vs having an audience like back at Hogwarts. I hate being in the spotlight. This competition has really messed with me, I'm not even the same gender when I go out about my daily routine anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Rebekah, wordlessly Harry changed into Astrid much to the gasps and awe of his family.

"This disguise has become the only way I can live a somewhat normal life without all the press and student crowd watching my every move" she told them.

Klaus growled, "It is going to get better, I promise you…"