Hours after everyone else who had attended Lucius's funeral had gone home or gone to bed, Harry and Gus were still awake.

"I don't actually remember the last time I slept," Gus mused, a little drunkenly.

The two men had started with a full hipflask each, and now both were empty – it probably didn't help that Gus had been sharing his 'home brew', which Harry knew from previous experience was a sure-fire way to get drunk fast.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Me either. I passed out for a few hours with the head thing," he motioned to the scar on his head where he had been hit with a cutting curse in the battle, "But I haven't actually slept since the battle, other than the odd nap on a couch or whatever."

"Same," Gus said. He leant back against a tree and sighed, "And it's been what, a week?"

Harry nodded, "One whole shitty week."

Gus sighed, "One week since Jo died. Feels longer."

"Feels like an eternity right now in this shitty limbo," Harry said, kicking a rock then nearly falling over it, "Tom's going to die, in days, if I can't do something about it."

"Why is it your job to do anything about it?" Gus asked.

"Because he's my…" Harry trailed off and shook his head.

Gus gave Harry a half-hearted smile, "Yeah, I get it. He's your Dad, and I'm the cool Uncle that lets you away with shit I shouldn't, right?"

Harry snorted at that, "Well, you were irritated when you found out about the Imbolc ritual. Tom basically gave me a pat on the back, so maybe you're the Dad, and he's the cool Uncle."

"One of us has to be the Uncle; I'm not co-parenting with the lord of darkness," Gus quipped.

And Harry burst out laughing, then the laughing turned to crying, and the tears of mirth were tears of sorrow.

Gus had seen it coming. He put his arm around Harry – as Harry had to Draco in this same clearing earlier on this very same day.

"You're not losing another dad. You've lost enough already, so what are we going to do to fix this?"

Harry looked up at Gus, "I have no idea."

"Well, let's then puzzle it out. You want to be an Unspeakable, here's a crash course into how we solve a problem," Gus said, pocketing his hipflask.

"Do you usually do it drunk?" Harry snorted.

"No," Gus said, shooting Harry a smirk, "But we do keep these on us at all times, and right now, this is going to be useful."

Harry frowned as Gus rummaged in his robes then pulled out a vial of what looked like ice water.

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's a potion, secret recipe, brewed by and for Unspeakables," Gus explained, a little disjointedly.

"Alright, 007," Harry muttered.

Gus gave him an amused look, "I've worked with enough muggle-borns to get that reference, and we're not secret agents. You want to kill people for a living like James Bond? Become a Hit Wizard."

"Nah, I'm done with killing people," Harry said honestly, "It was only ever a means to an end for me. I don't want to kill or hurt people for a living. It's why I don't want to be an Auror or a Hit Wizard."

Gus nodded and knocked back half the potion, then hissed and shook his head, "Fuck, that's never pleasant."

He handed it to Harry, who raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, not going to lie, Gus. You aren't exactly selling it. What does it even do?"

"It clears your head," Gus said, "Good when you've been working at a project for hours and need fresh eyes."

Harry made a face but knocked the potion back. His reaction was similar to Gus's, "Jeez, that's horrible, it's like…"

His eyes widened.

"What?" Gus asked.

"Brainfreeze!" Harry exclaimed.

Gus rolled his eyes, "You're fooling around? I thought you had a genuinely good idea."

"I do, I think I do!" Harry said eagerly, "Brainfreeze is when your brain gets scrambled for a second, almost like it stops working, right?"

"I suppose so?" Gus answered.

"And in effect, that's what that potion does!" Harry said excitedly, "I can help Tom, I can save him, I know I can. I just need to get inside his head first without his walls going up, and I couldn't think of a way to do that because he's the most powerful Legilimens I've ever met."

Gus's eyes widened as he cottoned on, "So you think if we give him this potion, it will scramble his brain for a second, giving you an opening to use Legilimency and get inside."

"Exactly!" Harry said, "And with any luck, he'll be confused, so he won't even know I'm there."

"And you can fix it, from the inside," Gus said with a grin, "Kid, you are a genius!"

Harry grinned back, "I need more of that potion as soon as possible."

"I'll come via Peverell Court with it first thing tomorrow morning," Gus promised, patting Harry on the shoulder as they left the woods together, "You're not losing any more Dads, kiddo."

"Good because I think I already hold the world record for that," Harry joked in response.

He felt lighter than he had since the battle because there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel he had been running through for so long.

"Are you drunk?" Daphne asked sleepily when Harry crawled into bed next to her in his room at Malfoy Manor.

"Moderately," Harry replied.

Daphne opened an eye, "Gus hit you with a sobering up charm or something?"

Harry shook his head, "Brainfreeze potion."

"That's not a thing," Daphne murmured, moving in closer to him.

Harry embraced her and smiled, "Yes, it is. But it's also a secret because it's a Department of Mysteries thing. Gus is going to come via Peverell Court with it tomorrow, and then, I'm going to save Tom."

"Sweet Merlin, you are still drunk," Daphne said.

"A little, I suppose," Harry confessed, "But I'm serious, baby, this is going to work. The potion will disrupt Tom's brainwaves for like a second, opening the door for me to use Legilimency and get inside his head, without him knowing I'm there."

"Then what?" Daphne asked, "You teach him how to feel remorse?"

"I've been teaching him that since last May," Harry pointed out, "I just need to point him in the right direction now."

Daphne opened both eyes to look at him, "You're sure it will work?"

"The only thing I've ever been more sure of is you," Harry answered honestly.

Daphne smiled and leant across to kiss him, then she made a face, "You stink of Rookwood homebrew."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled sheepishly as he felt sleep begin to take over him.

The following morning saw everyone gathered together in the drawing-room of Peverell Court.

Lily was sitting in the armchair closest to the fire with a blanket wrapped around her. She was paler than usual, skinnier than normal and, in general, seemed worn down.

Harry hadn't been exaggerating when he told the Death Eaters that her recovery would be a long one. She would be on blood replenishing potions for weeks, but her cocktail of potions to aid with the recovery relating to her internal bleeding was coming to an end, at least.

Amalthea was lying on the floor in front of the fire (encased in a magical shield charm, of course). Every so often, Lily would twist her hand and flick her wrist to make fireworks go off above the shield charm, and Amalthea would giggle and kick her legs excitedly.

Harry and Daphne were sitting on the sofa while Pollux paced the floor.

They were all eagerly and nervously, awaiting Gus's arrival.

"Do you truly think this will work?" Pollux asked.

"I see no reason why it won't," Lily chipped in, "It was an inspired idea."

"I come up with my best ones while I'm blind drunk," Harry joked weakly.

The joke didn't go down well, but Harry's timing hadn't exactly been ideal.

"That's not funny," Lily said, giving Harry an irritated look.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when the fire roared to life. Harry gave an access code to allow Gus through the wards then he stepped out of the fire.

"Do you have it?" Pollux asked.

Gus nodded, "I do. Do you have a plan?"

"He does," Daphne said, looking at Harry.

"Merlin help us all," Lily muttered.

"Harry knows Tom better than most people in this room," Pollux said sagely, "Perhaps even better than I know my old friend."

"We were a part of each other for a long time," Harry agreed, "He's been in my head, and I've been in his. I know his past, I know how he thinks, and I know what buttons to push. I'm sure I can bring him back from this."

"Then let us not waste any more time," Pollux said with a nod, "We do not know how much of that he has left, after all."

Lily made to get up, but Daphne shook her head, "Stay here, Lily. You're not in a state to witness that, and if the first thing Tom sees when he wakes up is you like this, he's not going to be best pleased."

Lily wanted to object, but she knew that Daphne was right.

"Amalthea will need to sleep soon," Daphne pointed out, "When she does, let me help you bath and get properly cleaned up. Then when he wakes up, at least you will look a little more human."

With a roll of her eyes, Lily said, "Wow, thanks, Daphne."

Harry chuckled and got to his feet, "She's right, Lil. You're my best friend, and I love you, but you look like shit right now."

Lily shook her head and conjured up some butterflies inside Amalthea's magical dome. The little girl giggled and raised her hands to try and catch them.

"At least someone still loves me, right Thea?"

Amalthea's eyes moved from the butterflies to focus on Lily, something they had never done before, and although she tried to hide it, Harry and Daphne both saw the tears that welled in Lily's eyes then.

"Come, Harry," Pollux ordered.

Harry looked over at Gus, "I think you should be present too until we know the potion has worked."

Gus nodded and fell into step with them. The three men made their way up to Tom's bedroom silently, and when Harry walked in, he immediately understood why Pollux was worried.

Tom's skin was not just pale with a blue tinge; it was scaly. Once more, he had slits for nostrils and a lipless mouth, full of sharp teeth.

"We need to act quickly," Harry agreed, "Pollux, does he fight you at all when you touch him?"

"No, he's completely unresponsive on a physical level," Pollux replied.

"In that case, hold his mouth open for Gus to pour the potion down his throat," Harry ordered, "We should see some small sign of discomfort on his face when it begins to take effect, and that is when I will act."

Both men nodded and accepted their orders. Harry pulled his wand out and pointed it at Tom's forehead, waiting for his moment to arise.

Pollux and Gus got the potion down Tom, and as expected, his eyelids moved slightly when the discomfort hit.

That was when Harry yelled, " Legilimens!"

The spell worked, but inside Tom's head was chaos. It was all fog, icy fog, and everything was moving quickly, disjointed.

When the potion wore off and the fog and the ice-cold air left, Harry stepped forward into what appeared to be Tom's quarters at Malfoy Manor.

With a frown, he looked around then saw him – Tom was sitting in a wingbacked chair by the fire, another next to him was free – the chair Harry had occupied for most of their more meaningful conversations.

"I was wondering how long it would take," Tom mused, looking up at Harry with interest, "I also doubted whether you would be able to do it. I was relying on your mental and magical strength, mind you. I did not consider that you would trick me then sneak into my mind. You are a true Slytherin."

Harry sat down in the vacant chair, "And what if I hadn't come? I'll tell you what - you would be dead because you realise that you're dying, right?"

Tom met his eye, "I am the Master of Death. Can I truly die?"

"You can never wake up," Harry said, his eyes narrowing, "Your body can perish. So no, maybe you won't be dead, maybe you will still have some presence, but I class that as dead, Tom."

Tom said nothing, but Harry saw emotion flash in his eyes.

"You need to wake up," Harry said, a little more gently, "You need to see Lily again. You need to raise Amalthea."

"I am sure Amalthea will be just fine without an evil overlord for a father," Tom cut in.

"So now you're pretending that dying is the righteous thing to do?" Harry asked in disbelief, "Because I hate to break it to you, but you brought a child into the world, so you don't get to abandon her now. If you die, maybe she'll turn out okay, or maybe she'll grow up wondering if her father loved her, just like you did."

Tom glared at Harry, "How dare you bring him up?"

"You're going to have to face him at some point," Harry said, his resolve still strong, "You need to feel remorse for every death-"

"I have passed that test," Tom said coolly, "I have shown that I feel remorse for killing my father. I realise now that he and I are more alike than I originally allowed myself to believe. He never asked for a child, just like I never asked for Amalthea, but…"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"We differ," Tom said, looking away from Harry into the fire, "Because once I met my child, I could not truly abandon her as he did me. I named her as my heir for that reason. I want her to inherit everything that I have worked for."

"But your father never met you," Harry pointed out, "He left when your mother was pregnant."

Tom shook his head, "He never enquired after me, not once. He pretended that I never existed, and I could not do that to Amalthea. I could not deny her existence or send her away."

"But you could die and leave her an orphan," Harry said, "Just like you and me."

Tom swallowed.

"You'd let her grow up not knowing how much her father loved her," Harry pressed, "Because you do. Anyone who sees you looking at her knows that you love her."

"I do not feel that emotion - you know that."

"No, you do," Harry argued, "And do you know what, if it saves your life, I'll tell you something that I shouldn't."

Tom looked up with interest.

"It's a myth," Harry said, "Children conceived through love potions can love. And I know that because I'm going to become an Unspeakable, so Gus told me his rawest truth."

Tom frowned and leant forward in his chair.

"Gus and Johanna conceived Reyna under the influence of a love potion. Reyna Rookwood was born to be an experiment, and Reyna Rookwood can love," Harry said pointedly, his eyes meeting Tom's, "I know that because she loved me. I treated her horribly, and I made her feel so many human emotions. She loved me, and she hated me. She longed for me even when she knew I didn't feel the same."

Harry shook his head, "Because that's the thing about love. It's not always a good emotion. Sometimes the word 'love' is tied in with the words 'pain' or 'suffering' because it can cause as much of that as it can happiness."

Tom scoffed and leant back in his chair, "Interesting as that may be, it proves nothing."

"Maybe, but it changes everything," Harry pointed out, "Maybe you couldn't truly love another while your soul was split, but it's all here now, even if it is ripping itself apart because you cannot accept who you truly are."

"I have been changing myself since I was 15 years old," Tom said coldly, "How am I expected to know who I truly am?"

"Because you're all of it," Harry said simply.

He leant forward in his chair and looked at Tom, "You're still the scared boy at the orphanage who wished that someone would come for him but knew deep down that they wouldn't. You can't accept that Lily wants you because you feel like nobody ever has."

Tom didn't deny it.

"And I know that feeling," Harry admitted, "I spent so many years dreaming of a distant relative who would come and take me away from the Dursleys and their abuse. I dreamt of a hero on a motorcycle, a fairy godmother, all kinds of stupid kid things, and every day that went by without rescue hardened my soul."

Tom sighed and shook his head but remained silent.

"You're still Tom Riddle, the smart Head Boy who wanted to change the world," Harry continued, "The boy with all the ideas, the right friends and the political know-how. The boy with the potential to save wizardkind."

Tom tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair, thoughtfully.

"You don't need me to help you get through the 'remorse' aspect of putting your soul together," Harry said knowingly, "You've already done that. It was why you showed great progress initially then went backwards. You did the hard part. You accepted that you and your father were more alike than you initially thought. You admitted that Myrtle Warren was just a girl – out of place and bullied like you were at the orphanage – who got killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You accepted that you feel guilty for that."

Tom made an irritated noise, "I do not like you being inside my head."

Harry ignored him and continued, "You have accepted guilt for all of those deaths, Tom. The reason you won't wake up and the reason you are dying is because you won't accept yourself . You cannot come to terms with your own mortality, and you have spent so long denying your human emotions that you don't know how to embrace them now."

"What use is it?" Tom snapped, losing his temper for the first time since they had begun this talk.

"If I wake up, I am to do what? Live an ordinary life, marry Lilith and raise a brood of children with her?" Tom scoffed, "Then before long, I die, and I am forgotten. Everything I have worked for becoming ancient history."

"No," Harry said firmly, "No, that's not how it works."

He got to his feet and said, " This is how life works. You're born, you grow up, you fall in love, you get married, or you don't, that's a choice at the end of the day. Then you have kids, or you adopt kids, or you find a fucked up 16-year-old boy who nobody has ever loved, and you take him in and teach him magic like he's never known."

Tom looked at Harry in surprise, mainly because of the tears Harry was holding back.

"You show him a whole new world," Harry continued, "You introduce him to a new life, to new people, to the girl he falls in love with and asks to marry him. Then he has kids, and they love you as much as he does."

Harry shook his head and took a step towards the fire, unable to look at Tom, "Then you change the world. You make the necessary changes, and yeah, some people aren't happy about it, but in 50 years, that doesn't matter because the world is thriving because of you!"

Harry turned around and thrust his hand towards the room's back wall, which then lit up with a foggy memory-like scene. It was the atrium of the ministry with a statue of Tom at its centre.

"They put up a statue for the man who saved them," Harry said, his voice cracking, "They name a Ministry department after the greatest Minister for Magic the country has seen in centuries, and that is your legacy. Your grandkids and great - grandkids, running through the halls of a Hogwarts with full classrooms, that is your legacy."

With a flick of his wrist, Harry changed the scene to Hogwarts.

"The stories I tell my kids, and that they tell their kids about you," Harry said, turning to look at Tom eventually, "The stories Amalthea tells her children about her father. Those stories become legend, and that is your legacy."

Harry was surprised to see tears in Tom's eyes.

"Because that's life, Tom," Harry said eventually.

"We fall in love, we have children, we change the world, and we are remembered as a saviour. People don't remember all the terrible things Merlin and Morgana did before they went their separate ways; they don't even care that Merlin was a Slytherin. They remember him as a hero because people don't tell stories about his bad deeds, they tell stories about how good he was, and you are good, Tom."

Tom swallowed and let the tears in his eyes fall.

"You have never seen it," Harry finished, "But I do, and Lily does, and Amalthea will. We are the people who matter – the people who love you, the people who will ensure that even after you die, you are remembered because that is all we can hope to achieve at the end of a long life. A family who loves us and never let us be forgotten."

Tom gave a slight nod but said nothing.

Then a sharp pain shot through Harry's head, and a blinding white light filled the room. He closed his eyes tightly and felt himself get forced out of Tom's head – so violently that he was thrown against the bedroom wall back in the real world.

Pollux grabbed him as Harry blinked away the bright light, still seeing spots in his vision. Something was happening to Tom, and Harry held his breath as he watched – the white light had enveloped the bed, and it was slowly fading. They both averted their gaze enough not to be blinded, then looked to the bed and breathed sighs of relief or awe.

The man on the bed was most definitely Tom Riddle, and without the glamour ring on his finger, he looked much the same as he had with it on.

"You did it," Pollux said, looking at Harry proudly.

Harry smiled and nodded, "Get Lily and Amalthea. They should be here when he wakes up."

Pollux nodded and left the room in a hurry.

Harry took a step forward and surveyed Tom – his eyes were closed, but Harry knew that they would be blue when he opened them. If anything, he seemed a little younger than he had with his glamour – his dark hair was not greying, and there were fewer age lines on his face. Harry would have put him in his mid 30's, not his mid 40's as he had looked under the glamour.

The door opened, and Lily stepped in with Amalthea in a travel basket behind her. She looked at him and breathed an enormous sigh of relief. Harry could almost see the weight leave her chest as she sat down and took his hand.

He smiled but stayed towards the back of the room. Amalthea was awake in her travel basket; she was gurgling away to herself

Tom's hand twitched in Lily's, and slowly, he began to wake up. Harry watched nervously as he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. As the world came into focus, Tom met Harry's gaze before he even looked at Lily.

"Thank you."

Lily looked over at Harry, unsure what had happened between them.

Harry smiled from where he was leaning against the fireplace and just nodded in Lily's direction.

Tom turned his head to look at her, not even trying to pull his hand out of hers.

"It seems I owe you an apology-"

"No," Lily cut in, "Tom, you never have to apologise to me. You know that. I've told you from the beginning that I want you regardless of your flaws and that I expect nothing from you."

Tom shook his head and sighed, "No, Lily. You deserve more than that. I have given you a thousand reasons to abandon me, and yet, you never have."

Lily frowned, surprised by the fact he had called her 'Lily,' which he rarely did.

"I believe I will always struggle with human emotions, and it will take me some time to understand them fully," Tom confessed, "But if love is not knowing how you would live your life without someone. If it means not being able to picture the future if they are not in it, then I love you."

Lily breathed in sharply.

Tom looked from her to Amalthea, he reached into her basket, and she grasped his finger in her tiny hand. Tom smiled weakly and looked up at Harry.

"I love all of you."

Lily's eyes were wide as she looked between Tom and Harry. After a moment, she found her voice, "I don't know what happened, Harry, but thank you for whatever you did when you were inside his head."

Tom rolled his eyes, "You act like he gave me a new personality, Lilith."

"And he's back in the room," Lily said, grinning at Tom.

"I was getting worried for a moment there," Harry joked, "I thought I'd rewired your brain or something."

"No," Tom said thoughtfully, "You just made me realise that human emotions have more value than I initially believed."

"So even the Dark Lord can be wrong, huh?" Harry said with an amused smile.

Tom sat up slightly in his bed. He looked at Amalthea as if he were deep in thought, "I do not think I should be called that anymore."

"Lord Voldemort was someone I had to become to accomplish what was required of me. That person is no longer needed, and I believe I can be content with simply being Tom Peverell, from now on," Tom finished.

Lily smiled proudly.

Harry smiled too, "How about we replace 'my lord' with 'sir' then? And chuck in a new title while we're at it – Minister for Magic."

Tom didn't reply immediately, so Lily tightened her grip on his hand, "After all, someone has to bring us into the next century. Someone has to enact the Marriage Law and ensure that the world repopulates. Someone has to be responsible for taking magical children in and introducing them to our world, and who better than the last of the Peverells?"

"I do not feel that any title is required, but perhaps I should take a more direct approach to implement the required changes," Tom mused, "And while I never thought I would compare myself to Albus Dumbledore. However, right now, seeing what work is ahead of me, I long for the day when I can pass on the torch and teach again."

"You see through what you have started, Tom, and then you can spend the rest of your days at Hogwarts," Harry promised.

Tom leant forward and picked Amalthea up, much to Harry and Lily's surprise. She stopped gurgling and looked up at Tom intently as if she truly recognised her father for the first time.

With the hand that wasn't cradling his daughter, Tom twisted his wrist and conjured a ball of fire.

"As the old saying goes," Tom said, the fire hovering in the palm of his hand.

Amalthea touched the fire, which wasn't real, so it didn't hurt her. Instead, the fire went out, crumbing into ashes in Tom's hand.

"Out of the ashes, we will rise."

The ball of fire rematerialised, larger and brighter than before and Amalthea grabbed it, giggling as she did so.

Lily rolled her eyes and put her hand on the ball, turning it to water and making Amalthea gurn.

"As nice as the sentiment is, can we wait until she's at least ten years old before we teach her to play with fire?" Lily asked, an amused smile playing on her lips.

Harry smiled and stepped forward, "I'll leave you three to reconnect. I'm sure Daphne will want to know that you're okay, anyway. And I've also got an irritated father-in-law questioning me on when I'm going to kill Matthias Jones for him. Not to mention Draco prodding me every five minutes asking if he can kill Snape yet."

Tom smirked at Harry, "It is not easy being in charge, is it?"

"I liked you a whole lot better when you hated everyone," Harry joked, grinning at Tom as he left the room.

The moment the door swung shut behind Harry, Tom looked at Lily and calmly said, "I await your explanation."

Lily frowned, "My explanation of what?"

"Why you look like you are on death's door," Tom remarked dryly.

"Rich coming from you," Lily pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him, "You looked like a snake ten minutes ago, so in comparison, I'm doing okay."

"While I appreciate that humour is your coping mechanism, Lilith, I am…concerned…about you," Tom said slowly.

Lily smiled, "I'm fine. I mean, I'm on a cocktail of potions, I'll need blood replenishing potions for weeks yet, and I did nearly die twice. But I'm fine."

"How did you become injured again?" Tom asked, his eyes scanning hers.

Lily grimaced, "I might have…well, I might have come back to the fight a little…prematurely?"

"Your wounds were still closing, and you duelled someone?" Tom asked in disbelief.

"That…that sums it up, yes."

"What could have possessed you to do something so stupid?" Tom asked irritably.

Lily gave him a pointed look, "I think you already know the answer to that."

"Love," Tom said disdainfully, "I already hate this stupid emotion."

"Yes, well, let's not forget – if it weren't for Harry's love for you, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Lily pointed out, "So don't be so quick to dismiss it."

Tom took the comment seriously, much to Lily's surprise. He nodded, "Yes, I knew there was a bond between us and of course, I realised that I felt responsible for him, but until he said it so plainly, I did not realise how important I had become to him."

"You are the first father figure he's had who accepted him for who he is," Lily said softly, "The good, the bad, all of it. You didn't try and change him. You just honed what was already there. You made him smarter, stronger, better, and you let him live his life. Didn't I tell you when we first met that he would thank you for that someday? I think today was that day."

Tom gave her an amused look, "Do not be so smug, Lilith – it is not becoming. Especially when you look like you may collapse on me at any moment. Have you forgotten what food is in my absence? Or sleep, for that matter? Must I guide you through life like a child?"

"If it weren't for the fact you were nearly dead yesterday, I would punch you," Lily said irritably, her eyes meeting his, "And how come you wake up from the brink of death looking like this while I look like a herd of hippogriff has run over me?"

Tom smirked, "Do you remember when I told you that I hoped to make a deal with Death?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, "Yes."

"I made that deal," Tom said, smiling knowingly at her, "Have you noticed something missing?"

Lily frowned and looked around the room, "I'll be honest; I haven't been at my most aware this last week."

Tom gestured to the bedside table, "Look at my wand."

Lily did, and her frown deepened, "That's your old wand…"

"Yes," Tom agreed, "It turns out that when you return three priceless artefacts to Death, artefacts he has been trying to get back for quite some time, he can be quite amenable to your terms."

"You gave him the Hallows back just to come back looking younger?" Lily asked in disbelief.

Tom shook his head, "Not looking younger, simply younger. While I retain my memories, I have gained several years of my life back."

"Why?" Lily asked in disbelief, "Why would you do that?"

Tom gave her a cynical look, "Do you truly not know? I believed Ravenclaws were perceptive."

Lily looked at him, really looked at him, "You did it for us."

Tom looked from Lily to Amalthea, who had fallen asleep in his arms, "I do not want to be an old man when my daughter goes to Hogwarts, and I felt that you deserved the man you fell in love with, not the monster I had become. Granted, what I wanted to achieve did factor into it as well, but human emotions were certainly involved."

"It would have been more romantic if you had stopped after the bit about me deserving the man I fell in love with," Lily said, an amused smile playing on her lips as she leant forward to kiss him.

Tom returned the kiss then murmured, "I did warn you that it would take some time for me to get a grasp on human emotions."

Lily snorted, and Amalthea awoke with a cry.

"Your brutishness woke her up," Tom remarked coyly.

Lily made a face and took Amalthea from him, "She's hungry, you idiot, and for the record, I think I liked you more when you were evil too."

Tom chuckled as Lily shot him a radiant, truly joyful smile before leaving the room with Amalthea.

Daphne smiled at Harry the moment he walked into the drawing-room, "You did it."

" We did it," Harry said, "Tom and I together. He'd done the hard part himself. He just needed a nudge in the right direction."

"Like you said he would," Gus mused, holding out a cup of coffee.

Harry took it gratefully and sat down on the coffee table, "He told Lily he loved her."

Daphne's eyes widened, "He said those words?"

"He did," Harry said with a proud smile, "I left him holding Amalthea and staring into Lily's eyes…they looked like a normal couple, not a dark lord and his bit on the side."

Gus snorted.

"Man, it's nice to say and think things like that without him being able to hear it," Harry said, grinning at Gus and Daphne.

Daphne chuckled from where she was sitting with her feet up under her, a cup of coffee poised gracefully in her hands. She was tired like they all were, but she looked so elegant, and it made Harry feel prouder than ever to call her his fiancé.

"So," Harry said with a warm smile, "Tom's alive, and he doesn't want to be called the Dark Lord anymore. He's Tom Peverell, and he's going to become Minister for Magic then change this world."

Gus smiled proudly at that.

"And I'll be his second in command in whatever form he needs me," Harry continued, "But I'm going to live the dream that my mother never could. I'm going to become an Unspeakable, and I am going to marry the love of my life, so Daphne, let's set a date."

Daphne chuckled and looked up, "Now?"

"The world feels light for the first time in Merlin knows how long," Harry said brightly, "So yes, now. When do you want to get married?"

Gus leant back in his chair, "Direct and to the point, isn't he?"

Daphne laughed and nodded, "Yes, but I've always liked that about him," she confessed, her eyes meeting Harry's.

"Maybe we should make it the 1st of June, just to piss Draco off," Harry joked.

"No," Daphne mused, "It should be a festival day."

"Hm," Harry nodded, sipping his coffee, "Good idea. Oh, sweet Merlin Gus, this is the best coffee I've ever tasted."

"No, it's not," Daphne said, giving Harry an amused look,

"It's shit," Gus agreed through his laughter, "You're just exhausted, so it tastes like the nectar of the gods."

Harry rolled his eyes and waved him off, "So when were you thinking?"

"Not Ostara," Daphne mused, "It's too soon. Beltane or Midsummer?"

"Well…" Harry said thoughtfully, "That depends, doesn't it?"

"On what?" Daphne asked, frowning over at him.

"Whether you're pregnant," Harry replied calmly.

Daphne's eyes widened, and Gus snorted into his coffee.

"That's not funny!"

"I'm not joking; we had unprotected ritual sex," Harry pointed out.

"Oh man, I do not want to be a part of this conversation," Gus muttered.

Daphne groaned and let her head drop into her hands, "I know."

"So if you are pregnant, it's fine, we'll get married on Beltane, and you'll get away with it," Harry said calmly, "If you're not pregnant, then we'll get married on Midsummer – simple."

Daphne glared at him, "It's not simple. If I am pregnant, my mother will kill me."

"She's more likely to kill him actually," Gus pointed out, nudging his head towards Harry, "Hyperion beat Nico within an inch of his life when he found out he'd knocked your mother up."

Daphne looked at Gus in disbelief, "What did you just say?"

Gus's eyes widened with horror.

"You shouldn't have said that, should you?" Harry asked his mentor.

"No," Gus admitted, "I really shouldn't have."

"Who is Nico, and what do you know?" Daphne demanded.

"I've said too much already-"

Daphne raised her hand, conjuring a small snowstorm. She glared at Gus, her eyes glazing over with an icy blue tinge.

"I'd tell her what she wants to know," Harry remarked, drinking his coffee like his future wife wasn't going full ice queen on his mentor's arse.

Gus put his coffee cup down and nodded, "Okay, fine. Nico is short for Nicomedes. I knew him through his father."

"What?" Harry and Daphne echoed.

Gus nodded, "His father and I were friends because he was one of Tom's first followers, and I was a relatively early, fairly important one."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Gus, "You're talking about Alfred Nott?"

Gus nodded, "Yes."

"Theo had a brother?" Daphne asked in disbelief, "But…he can't have. My Aunt Almina was so young when she had Theo. He couldn't have had a brother my mother's age."

"Remember that Alfred was in his 50's when he had Theo," Gus cut in, "Almina, your aunt, she was his second wife."

"Who was his first wife?" Harry asked.

"And why doesn't anyone know about her?" Daphne added.

"Because there was a scandal, a big one," Gus said darkly, "His first wife, Kyra, was a Burke. He married her in the hope he'd get a big payout out of it because the Burke line was close to dying out."

Harry and Daphne nodded, both listening eagerly.

"Then, when he found out that she had been having an affair, she went missing, and nobody ever found her body," Gus admitted, "After five years, he was able to annul the marriage because she was presumed dead. That left him free to marry Almina Crouch and present a new heir."

"So Nicomedes was the child he had with Kyra?" Harry asked.

Gus nodded, "The only child. Nico was in the same year as your mother at Hogwarts, Daphne. He was a Ravenclaw, and she was a Slytherin."

"And he's Lydia's father," Daphne said – it wasn't a question.

Gus nodded.

"Holy…fuck."

"She's a Nott," Harry said in disbelief.

"She's not just a Nott," Daphne pointed out, "Alfred is dead – she's the last Nott, she's the heir."

"I did not see that coming," Harry said with a frown.

"No…I thought her father was a muggle-born. I figured that was why my parents kept so quiet about it," Daphne mused, her frown deepening, "But if Lydia is a Crouch and a Nott, how on earth is Rhea a squib?"

"It happens, even in powerful bloodlines," Gus reminded her.

"And has anyone seen any actual evidence that she is a squib?" Harry pointed out, "Your Uncle Julian thinks your father faked that."

"A squib grandchild is a perfect scapegoat to remove an illegitimate daughter from the equation," Gus pointed out.

Daphne groaned and shook her head, "I need to go. I have to talk to Lydia about this, and then, I'm dragging her back to Greengrass House to confront my father."

Harry jumped up, "Okay if you're going down that route, I'm going with you."

"I can defend myself, Harry," Daphne reminded him.

"I know, it's your father that I'm worried about," Harry said, shooting Gus a pointed look, "Catch up later?"

"Sure, kid," Gus said, chuckling in amusement as Harry jogged out of the house after his future wife.

** TBC **