Headquarters was abuzz with panic. Even the genial and calm façade Albus showed didn't do anything to appease the adults sat around the kitchen table for the meeting. One of their own had been killed by Voldemort, the prophecy had been retrieved, and there was still no sign of the traitors in Britain.

Few knew the truth about the Snapes. To most, Harry Potter was an unwanted orphan that had managed to vanquish a Dark Lord at the tender age of fifteen months old. Harry Potter, however, had never existed, for he had always been a Snape and now that Severus had managed to break the seal apposed onto his soul, the Potions Master had taken his son away from his destiny. The boy needed to fight Voldemort, he had to sacrifice his life to the war and be killed by Voldemort as he killed the monster.

Except... Albus had known for a long time that Tom Riddle had the potential to be the Darkest of the Dark Lords, but the young man had sidestepped all plans put forth to make him fall during his schooling. All teachers had liked him, and despite the fact that he was a Slytherin, Albus had never managed to turn the school against him. Oh, the Gryffindors had rallied quickly to his cause, for he had been grooming them to hate the fourth house ever since he had taken up the job of Professor of Transfiguration after his separation from Gellert Grindelwald.

Being an ambitious wizard, Albus had designed a plan to get rid of a Dark Lord to get the Wizarding World to look up to him. With how things had ended with Gellert, the Transfiguration Professor had turned his focus to Tom, planting books with forbidden knowledge near his questing mind. However, even if he planted books and subtle traps, Albus had never been able to check if this planning had ever born fruits before Gellert became a bigger menace and took all his attention.

The German wizard had been easily disposed of, perks of knowing someone's quirks, and put into locks in his own fortress and forever forgotten. Albus had gotten the admiration he had wanted from the sheep of the Wizarding World, and it wasn't long before his focus returned to Tom, especially after the young man came to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor's position. Albus had then worked hard to ban even more of Dark magic, and soon he had gotten what he had wanted. Tom was recruiting and waging a war against the Light side.

Having gotten what he had wanted, the rise of another Dark Lord, at long last, Albus knew he needed a way to defeat him. That was when his attention was brought upon the Marauders, Severus Snape and Lily Evans. The situation between the five boys had been just what he had needed, especially when he had noticed that James Potter was vying for Lily Evans' attention. Thus, he favored the Gryffindor quartet and demeaned the young Slytherin, with hope that James Potter, a talented Light wizard with a knack for Charms and Transfiguration, would marry Lily Evans, the brightest witch of her generation, instead of the Dark Potions Practitioner Severus Snape, so that they could create the ultimate power needed to bring down Tom.

Albus soon discovered that this particular point would need fine tuning as Severus revealed himself to be a particularly Dark Creature. Those tended to have soulmates to balance out their destructive powers. Armed with the Elder Wand, Albus sealed part of Severus Snape's soul, breaking his bond with Lily, in a way. He had been too late as they had already conceived, but the Elder Wand had never failed him into making people comply to his will, and a few love potions had been enough for James Potter and Lily Evans to finally marry.

His plan had then involved getting a prophecy out of a seer, to bring Tom's downfall. Having grown old, Albus knew he couldn't be the one to defeat this new Dark Lord, but he could always be the mentor to the one who would, to this child that would be brought up as a sacrificial lamb.

For all those years, everything had been going according to plan. Tom's visit to the Potters, the orphaning of Harry and the child being sent under the dubious care of the Dursleys thereafter. Sirius had gotten himself imprisoned and there had been nothing that Albus had been willing to do to keep him out of Azkaban. He couldn't have risked the animagus to run to Harry to maul him, after all. The Dursleys had been appropriately abusive, rendering Harry quite submissive, just like he had wanted.

Albus, though, had never noticed Harry getting close to his father despite the hate nurtured between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins all those years before. He had never expected the effect the Triwizard Tournament would have on Severus and the seal upon his soul. With his son in constant danger, the beast inside had clearly revolted against Albus' magic. It had taken time, but when he had seen the dragon nearly swallowing his son, the seal had finally been broken, and Harry and Severus had grown even closer, in secret.

"I knew I should have wrung that little shit's neck when I had the opportunity." Sirius' snarl as his fist slammed against the wood of the table broke Albus from his thoughts. Next to him, Remus hmmed, his eyes shining amber as he thought about the small cub he had thought as his friend's son. The two Maurauders were probably the only ones that had known about Harry Potter's true parentage since the boy's birth, and they had all thought that the truth would have stayed hidden until at least Voldemort's demise.

Still, Remus discreetly kicked Sirius' shin under the table. Fortunately, everyone not in the know thought he was talking about the adult Snape to whom he dedicated a greater deal of his rage and hate. For everyone in the Order, Severus Snape had turned traitor and took Harry Potter with him to Voldemort's side, and they needed to rescue Harry from a dire fate.

Regulus Black fidgeted in his seat. Kreacher was maintaining the illusion that Sirius was his Master, that he was Lord Black, and routinely came back to him for updates on the ongoing situation at the Order's Headquarters. They had discovered that Arthur Weasley had been killed (as planned) and thus were redoubling efforts to try and find Severus and his son.

During his Lord's time away, Regulus had scoured the Earth to find a solution to their old problem. None of them had believed their Lord gone, his magic still in the Dark Mark at their arms. They had lost the Lestranges and Barty to Azkaban, and also many others. Despite their dwindled ranks, none had stayed inactive. Severus was at Hogwarts protecting their children from Dumbledore's manipulations, Lucius was manipulating things at the Ministry. Rookwood was an Unspeakable and his most recent invention was what permitted them to communicate between each other without the Light Side being any the wiser. Muggles had telephones, but none of the latest models, the portable ones, had had any positive reaction to their magic before Rookwood's dabbling.

And while they all acted to secure their places and innocence in order to better help their Lord in the future, Regulus had chosen to dig necessary dirt on Dumbledore. He was their true enemy, after all. Rightful heir to the Black family, chosen by Magic herself instead of the usual 'first-born' rule (not many were aware of that particular clause, and Sirius had left their family before he could learn about it), he had access to all the fortunes and libraries they had amassed since their beginning of their family. With seemingly unlimited resources, he started to search into the old wizard's past. His most recent research had brought him to Nurmengard, Grindelwald's prison.

Regulus had gained access to his cell at the top of the highest tower thanks to his animagus form, and clever use of magic to hide his presence. The old wizard had had a wicked smile on his lips when Regulus had shown himself. Regulus had come with questions, and he left with many of them answered.

Now, he was waiting for an answer from his Lord so that he could make a report. Fifteen years since they'd last seen each other. Most of it because the man had disappeared shortly after Regulus had gone into hiding, and after he was resurrected, Regulus had been out of the country. To say he was nervous was an understatement. Kreacher had done a good job being a spy when Sirius, who had inherited the house at Grimmauld Place, had opened his home to the Order of the Phoenix.

"Master, a package for you."

Kreacher had popped in silently, holding out a folded letter and a package. He thanked the House Elf, taking his mail and not hesitating to open it when he saw his Lord's mark over the seal.

"Regulus,

It pleases me to hear from Kreacher that you are still safe after all this time. The package comes from Rookwood, since nobody knew how to reach you and Kreacher wouldn't listen to just anybody. The contact list on the phone has all our numbers, even Severus', so be sure to call him."

It was more of a note than a letter. Regulus opened the package to find a smartphone, the kind that was all screen and no buttons, and a manual to operate it. He leafed through the manual quickly before turning the phone on. He was a quick learner, so it didn't take too much time to learn how to navigate the menus.

As soon as found the contact list, the phone chimed. He had received a new message. Touching the screen, he opened the new menu and found a photograph. He made a gasp. It was Severus, with their Lord, and his son, Nagini draped over all three, somehow. He didn't know how long he looked at that picture, zooming in and out to get all kind of details in.

When the phone rang, he accepted the call at once.

"M-My Lord."

"It's good to hear your voice, Regulus. They all told me what they've been doing since I've disappeared, but I really want to hear about what you did. You were in hiding, but I'm sure you managed to find many things."

"I met with Grindelwald, recently. He told me that he had the Elder Wand up to the moment he fought against Dumbledore."

"The Elder Wand? So, Dumbledore must have it."

"Yes. It would explain how Severus was restrained all this time. Foxes are resilient to wizard magic, but the Elder Wand is something otherworldly, something above all kind of magic."

"It was gifted by Death, after all. I assume that we'd have to kill the old man to get our hands on the wand."

"Most likely. I..." Regulus trailed off. His Lord made an inquiring sound when Regulus fell silent.

"Is Severus really alright?"

"Yes." His Lord was smiling he could tell. The man proceeded to talk about how Severus was settling in America with Harlow.

Harlow cursed his luck as he saw Isabella Swan talking to Jessica, and catching a few words about him and Edward, just as he was exiting school after his last class. No one seemed to believe they were an actual couple. Yes, they'd been seen hand-holding, but that was all they'd done so far before Edward had to 'leave'.

Well, excuse him for not being a slut who slept with people on a common basis and then talked about it to everyone to get some kind of recognition out of it.

Harlow couldn't even have that kind of relationship, even if he wanted it. Fox biology was peculiar, and until their bond had grown sufficiently, nothing would happen between them. Touches would not excite him and make him quiver with desire. He was pretty much asexual until his eighth tail grew. This was a blessing to both Harlow and his father. Harlow had had enough of being pressured to do things he had no intent of doing, and Severus wasn't ready to think about the more intimate aspect of his baby's life.

With Edward having been born over a hundred years before, Harlow knew they would wait for their wedding night for their first time together. Nothing would force them to act sooner.

Harlow knew what this girl was trying to do, though. Even without Edward's telepathy or his father's Legilimency, he knew that that blood bag had set her sights on his mate, and he'd never forgive her for daring to think their relationship could be broken easily because she was a girl. Harlow couldn't hear her thoughts, but he could smell her stench in each class they shared. Every time he had to contain his growls lest he was discovered by the regular humans they lived amongst.

In the evenings, he was glad to meet with Edward and spend some time with the vampire. It eased the rage that was simmering each time he saw, heard or even smelt Swan. It didn't, however, ease the anxiety that crept up every time Swan talked about his mate as if Harlow didn't exist, as if he would be forgotten easily once she took his place by his mate's sides. He knew how to hide those thoughts, fortunately, as his father had started to teach him Occlumency. His shields were rudimentary still, and that was why he only used them to hide what really mattered. Such as the irrational fear that his mate would leave.

Severus knew he had insecurities, especially after what happened during his fourth year with Diggory. Harlow didn't even understand how it could even have happened. At the time, he had still been ignorant about what he really was, but he had still felt attraction for the older boy. Had what Dumbledore did been enough to warp to how he felt? If his father hadn't broken through the seal on his soul, would Harry's mind been able to cope with the fact he had been in a relationship with someone who was not his mate? Would he have fallen to madness harder, faster?

Harlow shook his head, he didn't need to be burdened with negative thoughts when he was here, away from Dumbledore, with his mate and his father.

"Are we going in the forest, tonight?" he asked his father as he buckled his seat belt.

"We will. It's time I coach you into changing into something else."

"What was the first other form you mastered?"

Severus thought about it for a second. "The deer. Well, the doe to be precise. I wanted to make fun of Potter. When they went gallivanting in the Forbidden Forest to keep company to the coward, I waylaid Potter with the innocent doe act and he ate it all."

"And they never knew it was you?"

"No, I was the perfect doe."

His father seemed to think about something, Harlow could tell from the frown on his face.

"Potter started to be nice to me after a while, however, and it freaked me out."

"Really?"

"Yes, your mother joked that he fell in love with me, subconsciously."

Did he hear that right? It would explain some things if it was the case but...

"Was he?" the words fell from his lips before he could hold them back.

The dawning horror on his father's face would have been funny had he not stomped on the breaks and sent them forward. Fortunately, they were solidly held back by their seat belts. His father turned to him.

"Potter was in love with me..." he whined, pained by the thought.

"Well, at least, he wasn't a werewolf?" Harlow pointed out with a smidge of optimism in his voice.

His father wasn't going to let this go, though, he knew. All of his life, he had thought that James Potter was an arrogant bully, the worst person to have ever crossed his path at Hogwarts, along with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. To realize that James had been in love with Severus and not Lily, and that it was why he had tried to protect Lily and Harlow was shaking Severus' view of the man. It was the type of things he'd do, after all. Give his life to protect Lily's child, as he had first thought, even if for that he had to make it seems like he hated said child because everyone expected that of him, even the Dark Side.

When the car was parked in their alleyway, Severus heaved a sigh, forehead hitting the wheel with a dull thump. A soft melody filled the car and Severus patted his front pocket for his phone. He sighed at seeing the caller ID (though it could only be Tom), and said in guise of greeting:

"Potter was in love with me..."

There was a short silence. Harlow and Severus left the car; there was no sense talking in there. Inside the house was warmer and the wards would fully ensure they had privacy. They may be allied with vampires, but Severus didn't want that kind of discussion to be overheard by anyone.

"What? Where did that come from?" came Tom's question just as they stepped under the porch.

"I was telling Harlow how I liked to annoy Potter by Shifting into a doe and then I remembered some of Lily's words to me when he started to be nice to me."

Tom hmmed, pondering his next words.

"Look at it this way. He protected Lily and Harlow for you. James Potter even named your kit his heir, didn't he? Dumbledore could have done worse to Lily had James Potter not stepped in and took her in when your bond was sealed along with half your soul."

"Any clue about how it was possible? It shouldn't have, we're foxes."

"Are you familiar with the Tale of the Three Brothers? The three Hallows described in the tale are real, and Dumbledore is in possession of the Elder Wand."

"How did you come across that particular information? I didn't think the goat would have told anyone..."

"He didn't. Wait just a moment."

Both foxes heard Tom's phone being shifted.

"Severus? How are you?" came another voice. It was soft but Harlow could hear something familiar from it, though he couldn't actually place it.

"Regulus?" His father gasp, shock painted across his face. He threw out a hand to hold on the backrest of their sofa. "You were safe, all this time...?"

"Yes. I went into hiding a bit after you 'changed'. Since then, I've been trying to dig up information that would help us against Dumbledore among other things. I recently got in touch with Grindelwald who was only too happy at sharing what he knew after I told him we wanted to see the old man dead."

"You were always a great researcher. We are well, to answer your question. Have you met with all the others, or is Tom the first?"

"I couldn't just reappear as if nothing happened when everyone thinks I'm dead. Kreacher's been spying of the Order for us since our Lord's return. I took all the precautions to make the Light Side think I was killed, so I can certainly say that I was safe all this time."

"I'm glad to hear you are well. You should come here one day; I'll introduce you to my son."

"I will. Our Lord forwarded one of Rookwood's phones to me, and it was filled with pictures of you. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Me too."

Harlow listened as the conversation turned a bit more personal than that between Tom and Severus once the phone had gotten back into the Dark Lord's hands. Tom shared their discoveries, and also the plans he had to make. Some allies had to be contacted anew, the Azkaban escapees needed to be treated for long-term exposure to Dementors.

"Oh, can you try and see if you can find the Graves? They live in the USA; I don't think you will have any problem finding them."

"The Graves?"

"Grindelwald impersonated their first born in the middle of the twenties. When the 'Light Side' wasn't even bothered to search for him after Grindelwald was captured, and then had escaped, they switched side with Lady Magic's approval."

"What do you want with them?"

"People who have a grudge against the Light Side, and moreover, against Dumbledore, are always good to have as allies. Percival Graves was at the head of their Auror Department, and they were rumored to be great fighters."

Severus frowned. He would have to step into the MACUSA if he wanted to find them in such a big country. It wouldn't be an easy task.

They said goodbye to each other after Severus agreed, grumbled at Tom's flirtatious tone, and Severus heaved a sigh bigger than the one before. A glance at his son showed him that his kit was doing his homework on the coffee table, sitting on the floor and tails sweeping the floor lazily.

"Who was that other man? Regulus...?"

"Regulus Black. Your Godfather-to-be, before all this mess started."

"Black?"

"The mutt's little brother. Just a year younger than I. I looked after him after his Sorting in Slytherin. Everyone questioned it at first, but when they all learned I was a Fox, they didn't say anything. We are classified as one of the Darkest Creatures on Earth because of our skills. Mind manipulation of all sorts, shapeshifting, pyrokinesis and many other, but we also are nurturers, we take care of the lost ones. He's been in hiding for longer than your own life, I didn't think he was still alive after all this time..."

"You couldn't have known. The spell still has some effects on us, after all."

"I know. Souls are fragile things. Dumbledore will rue the day he thought it was wise to restrain me."

Author Notes:

Several fandom claimed my attention. So I indulged them, writing small bits to one, then to another. Thinking about what direction it's going to go. Thinking of the R-18 passages I can't bring myself to keep because it's filthy and so not what I want to put in my fics. Let's try and tackle the emotional aspect of a relationship first, huh?

And since many of them have Kitsune!Harry in them... There's many things I have to pay attention to if I write one thing in a fic, but contradict myself in another.

I hope you like that Regulus is alive and well because when I first wrote about Kreacher, I had that idea to just add him. And Percival Graves? Poor guy just got forgotten after Grindelwald's capture? Did the MACUSA even bother searching for him?