A/N: Hi. I know it's been awhile. I've made edits to the first few chapters. The story plot kinda got away from me so I spent some time writing some things out. I worked on the timeline a bit. I think I am a bit happier with it now.

Severus stepped through the floo and into the guest receiving area of Malfoy Manor. When Lucius became Lord Malfoy, he added Severus, Remus, and a few others to the wards. Knowing that they would notify him of his arrival, Severus walked to the cabinet that contained the fire whiskey. He poured himself a glass and downed it before pouring another one. He was pouring his third glass when the door opened.

"Severus?"

He turned around and if it hadn't been such a dire situation, he would have laughed. The normally perfectly coifed Lucius Malfoy was wearing muggle denim pants and a t-shirt with no shoes. His long white-blond hair was hanging loose around his shoulders.

"If the other pure-bloods ever saw you like this, you'd never be able to show your face in the Wizengamot ever again."

Lucius smiled and shrugged, "Good thing they can't just waltz in here then. What are you doing here?" After a short pause and realization, "Why are you England right now? Is Remus okay?"

Severus nodded and held up his hand, "Remus is fine. My presence was requested at Gringotts. I met a man called Vernon Dursley. He has adopted Harry Potter."

"Dursley? That isn't a pure-blood name. Is he muggle-born?"

"Call Cissa over and let me call Remus. That way I can explain it once and then we can discuss what to do."

Once Remus and Cissa had settled into the room, Severus drew in a deep breath and explained everything. When he was done, he noticed that Remus had tears falling down his face. Severus pulled him closer and place a kiss on the top of this head. He look at Lucius and Cissa.

"I have set a meeting with Vernon and Trighock for a week from today. I would like to tell them everything so that we can help ensure Harry's safety." The other three nodded in agreement. They would protect their best friend's child. It was the least they could do.

NINE YEARS LATER

"Da?"

Vernon wiped his hands on a tea towel and walked toward the sound of his son's voice. He found the boy standing in the entry way, dripping water and mud onto the floor. He probably should be at least mildly angry at the mess but with the wide grin on his face and light in his eyes made it difficult for Vernon to be even a little mad. He tossed the tea towel over to him. It wouldn't do much but at least it would get the mud off his face.

"So, did your team win?"

Harry nodded, "Yup. And I got the winning shot!"

Ever since Vernon had introduced Harry to football when he was five, the boy had been a fiend for the sport. He preferred pick-up games rather than being part of a youth league. He played every chance he got, not even his eleventh birthday (or rain and mud) could stop him from playing.

"Congratulations! Guess I'll excuse the mess then."

Harry looked around him sheepishly, finally noticing the water and mud he a tracked in, "Sorry Da. I'll go shower and change and then clean up."

Vernon nodded and took the tea towel from him. He kissed his son's forehead, "Remove all your dirty items here so you're not tracking throughout the house."

He did as he was told and ran off to his room. Vernon headed back to the kitchen to finish the last touches on the cake. Harry didn't enjoy traditional birthday parties so they had decided on a gathering of family and a few friends. They would make burgers and hotdogs, play in the pool, and then have some cake. As Vernon placed the cake in the fridge, he heard the floo flare up.

Severus and Remus stepped into the living room. All the furniture was pushed towards the walls and a folding table was set up with a few presents already on it. Remus placed their gift next to the others before heading towards the kitchen. Knowing Vernon the way they did, he was probably going above and beyond for Harry's birthday. This meant that there was probably more food then what was actually needed. They also knew that when he was nervous or anxious, he cooked. Harry would be getting his Hogwarts letter today and going there would be the first time the two would be separated for longer than a night.

They found Vernon placing burgers into a container, prepping them for the grill. Hot dogs and fixings had already been set on the kitchen table.

"Are we expecting a small army?"

Vernon stopped and looked around him. He chuckled and looked at Severus and Remus.

"I guess I may have over did it."

Remus, being the more affectionate one, drew Vernon into a hug. Severus rolled his eyes but smiled at his husband and friend.

"Uncle Sev! Uncle Moony!"

The men turned around and looked at Harry, who was standing in the archway to the kitchen. He was wearing basketball shorts and his favorite Arsenal kit. His hair, which he wore short on the sides and back and several inches longer on top, was still slightly damp and he was holding several bath towels.

Severus smiled at him. Harry was slightly taller than the average 11 year old. When they learned that Vernon had a magical core, Severus was quick to suggest a blood adoption. Although Lady Magic had already recognized Vernon as his father, a blood adoption would strengthen the connection. Before the adoption, Harry looked like a miniature version of James Potter but with Lily's eyes. After it was complete, while the changes weren't drastic, if a person didn't know that James was his biological father, they wouldn't be able to tell. The biggest change was a slight dimple on his left cheek. Vernon's added genetics also ensure that Harry had excellent eyesight.

"What are you doing with those towels?"

"I had a match today and got a bit wet and muddy. Made a mess in the entry that I gotta clean up."

Remus stepped forward, "Do you want me to take care of it?"

Harry shook his head, "Nah. I can do it real quick."

The boy hugged his uncles before running off to clean up his mess. Severus turned back to Vernon with a large grin.

"You've raised a good kid, Vernon. Most would jump at the chance to have someone use magic to clean up a mess."

"We've all raised a good kid. I couldn't have done it without you all. He's got a helluva work ethic for an 11 year old. I don't think he'll ever depend on magic to do house work. Honestly, I think he kind of enjoys it getting his hands dirty."

The three men were in the backyard when an owl came flying towards them. Severus recognized it as one from Hogwarts. It landed on the picnic table and Remus used wandless magic to untie the letter from their leg and handed it a treat from his pocket.

"Severus, do you want to check it for any potions or spells?"

He gave a short nod and started casting over the letter. When he was done, parchment came from his wand. Severus looked it over and cursed under his breath. He turned to Remus, "Call Amelia and ask her to come through."

Remus walked back into the house.

"What did you find, Sev?"

The potions master turned to Vernon, "I can see that there are strong compulsions on here. Amelia has spells that can get more details. They are ones that only the DMLE can cast."

Remus walked back out, "Amelia will be here momentarily."

Severus and Remus shared a look as Vernon swallowed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. He looked down at himself and realized that he had flour on him.

"I should change."

Vernon walked off, no longer acknowledging the two other men.

"Do you think he actually believes we don't know about his feelings for Amelia?"

Remus shrugged, "Probably not. Do you think Amelia knows that we know she feels the same way?"

Severus snickered, "We should push them a bit more."

"Push who a bit more?"

Harry stepped onto the patio, eating an apple.

"Your da and Amelia."

The boy grinned, "So you noticed too, huh? Susie, Draco, and I have been trying to figure out how to get them out on a date." He looked at the table, "Is that my letter?"

Most kids would have made a grab for their Hogwarts letter, unable to contain their excitement, but Harry knew some of how he came into Vernon's care. His family was never one to hide important things from him. They wanted him to be able to protect himself from those who wanted to harm him or take advantage.

"It's your letter. Amelia is on her way to look it over. Sev found some suspicious compulsions."

Harry nodded, "We figured he would try it. Da said he was going to take me to Gringotts tomorrow to officially get my heir rings and maybe some other protections."

"Sev? Remy? Vernon?"

"Out here Amelia."

Amelia Bones was a stern witch but a classic beauty. She had a square jaw, high cheekbones, and a straight nose that some may believe was too big but it fit her features quite nicely. Her almond shaped eyes were hazel and she wore her dirty blonde hairy in a chin length bob. She normally wore wizarding robes but today she was in muggle jeans and a loose, long sleeve peasant blouse. Exiting the house behind her was her niece, Susan, and her best friend Hannah Abbot. Amelia smiled at the three of them.

"Happy birthday, Harry!"

He smiled back, "Thank you Amelia. Hi Susie. Hi Hannah. Wanna go to the living room? Everyone else should be here soon."

The three friends left the adults, absently waving as they went inside.

Amelia smiled at the retreating kids and then turned to the envelope. She sighed and pulled her wand from its holster. She began to cast her DMLE spells. Ensuring everything related to Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix was officially documented was important. They knew Dumbledore would stop at nothing to get Harry under his thumb.

The parchment that came from her wand was much longer and more detailed then Severus'. She placed her official seal on the parchment and sent it off to her desk. She flicked her wand to release a copy of the original parchment and looked it over.

She hissed through her teeth as she looked it over.

"What was on it, Amelia?"

"Dumbledore placed very strong compulsions on here. He wants him in Gryffindor. Strong compulsions to hate Slytherin and Severus. Loyalty potions directed at Dumbledore, and get this, the Weasleys. He wants him reckless and impulsive. There is no doubt he's trying to direct him down a certain road. You're also luck you have the wards up. He has a tracking charm on the letter that were neutralized."

She used her wand to remove the letter from the envelope and ran her spell again, "Same things on the letter itself. He's definitely determined. I've got all the information I need so I'll clean it up and Harry can have it."

After neutralizing the compulsions and ensuring they were gone, Amelia put the letter back in its envelope and handed it to Severus. She knew the man would run his own scans. She wasn't the least bit offended. She knew that all the adults in Harry's life were extremely protective of him.

The clearing of a throat caught everyone's attention but Amelia had felt his presence before he made himself known. Her magic always seemed to sing when he was around. Soulmates weren't a "thing" even in the magical world but there were people that were more compatible than others. She had had lovers in the past and men she had gotten along well with but she had never felt so strongly for anyone before she met Vernon Dursley. Now that Harry and Susan would be heading off to Hogwarts, maybe now they could start to focus more on themselves. She squared her shoulders and turned around. Her breath caught when she saw him standing before her. He was slightly taller than her with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. He had told her once that he was fairly overweight in the past but now he was healthy and even slightly muscular. He was broad shouldered and, like Harry, had a slight dimple on his cheek. Today he wore dark blue jeans and a white button down shirt. He really was the most handsome man she had ever met.

"Hello Vernon."

He smiled at her and she saw a light blush reach his cheeks, "Morning, Amelia."

As Vernon walked towards her, the three kids in addition to Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott came barreling out of the house. They weren't paying attention and ran into Vernon, who stumbled into Amelia. She wrapped her arms around him to keep him from falling but it just meant she went down with him. For those few moments, as they lay on the patio, the world seemed to stop. It wasn't until they heard someone laughing did they finally move and stand back up. Vernon stood first and held out his hand to help her. He didn't immediately let go and neither did she.

It was Remus that broke the spell between them. They both let go and stepped away from each other.

"I'm sorry, Remy. What'd you say?"

Remus smiled at Vernon, "I said maybe you two should go inside. I think you may have some things to discuss."

Amelia smiled at Remus, "You know. I think that's a great idea. Come on Vernon. Let's go talk."

She took his hand and led him inside.

Severus turned to the kids, who were suddenly quiet and smiling at the couple. He raised an eyebrow.

"You little imps planned this."

Harry's eyes widened innocently, "Uncle Sev! Do you really think we, such innocent children, would do something like that? "

The adults laughed as the kids grinned and headed towards the pool.