Harry was content; there was a warm brownie sitting on a napkin, one he had nicked from the kitchen (the house-elves had practically shoved it into his hands- they all considered it their personal failure that he was as thinner than them). Madam Sprouts had excused him for the day (there had been a Puffapod war and the most of his classmates were snoozing or being yelled at). His Ancient Runes Professor Babbling had been hinting that he needn't come to the class anymore since the pace of the class might actually dull his brilliance (He had looked constipated rather than gleeful, lest the Professor take his words back). There were finally two people, at least, who had started to treat him as an adult, thank Merlin and Morgana. Scabier had been keeping him regularly updated- or maybe it was Rosalind, the letters were free of panicking yowls.

The softness of blessed piece of the Veil was resting in his breast pocket, right next to his heart.

It was all wonderful. There were minor inconveniences, but Harry brushed them off.

The air sizzled a warning.

Harry took a step to the right, letting the curse only brush by him- his ears blushed at the sheer heat.

"The house of Slytherin has no place for filth like you." There were four of them. Harry didn't recognize the sneering troll in front of him- but a couple of the fidgeting and arrogant faces were his classmates.

One of those minor inconveniences he kept ignoring- although, these looked particularly determined not to be put aside any more. Until now, the Slytherins had tried covert threats and cajoling. Until now, the incidences had been accidental.

Yet, these looked like they had gone out to-

ah, his classmates must have taken up the honour to show the way.

It was easy to evade one wizard or witch- ridiculously easy since students were generally nowhere close to proper spell-casting until they were done with their OWLs. Two might be irksome. Dealing with multiple spell-casting was more a gamble in stupidity. The trick was in maintaining the distance from the fools.

Harry analyzed the situation in a blink and took a bite out of the brownie, "And yet, here you are."

Harry didn't gamble in stupidity.

But it was a fact that higher the odds against him, sharper tended to be his...er... recklessness. The Gryffindor at heart paused to taste the nuts in his brownie- he had always believed those specific traits to have bled out in his young, foolish years... Harry mused drolly.

The girl on the left sneered, "We are purebloods, the pride to our House. Honour to our family." Thank Lord- he had doubted they would understand the sarcasm, what with their inflated egos protecting their self-esteem.

Harry nudged away the whisper of thought that this immature body was bringing back some of his destructive traits- because, to be fair- his recklessness might have just gained another dimension and he simply hadn't realized since,- well, he tended to destroy those odds against his favour.

His eyes danced in mirth as he shrugged, "If you want to spend the evening cursing yourself out, go ahead."

Hm. Even the fidgety boy had started to frown at him. Troch ( that was the name of his grumpy room-mate, yes?), "How dare you?! You are not fit to lick the feet of a pureblood heir- the likes of you are not even worthy to look us in the eye." Harry took another leisurely bite, "You can't be born in a pureblood house- they would have buried their shame if that were true- stomped out their shame to ground and good riddance." The boy smirked in satisfaction.

Harry tsked, "Contrary words. Contrary all the way. Either squibs are not born in a pureblood house or they are and then…ah.. are killed, with explicit government permission.. the way you are talking about infanticide. "He muttered. If Teddy were to write an essay so carelessly- writing out arguments in the hope that one of them would support his thesis.. Quidditch ban would slam down on his head faster than Andromeda's broom. He focused back on the pinched faces, "Such uncouth manners and you wonder why declaring yourself as pureblood is more of a slur to all purebloods?"

The quartet snarled in unison, flushed with incompetent embarrassment and pointed their wands at him. Oh... he might be poking at a doxy nest after all. The results tended to be annoying-

He wiped his mouth and threw his napkin at the first incoming hex. The napkin exhausted the hex's magic- too weak to linger afterwards. He didn't have to move out of the way for the stupidly thrown a jinx for ripping toe-nails; it went rather wide, inept casting. The Bombarda didn't even chip the stone near his shoes- the caster was too self-conscious.

Tch.

He was being too far harsh. It was not fair to expect the same competency from them he had from the Defence Association a.k.a. Dumbledore' Army. There was no war- or rather there was- but they didn't yet have the desperation to survive. There had been no one to teach them how to practice with intent to injure and protect.

Hogwarts had always been just a school. The students were just children. The misery his people had gone through- was not typical.

Despite the fact that these four were just one of the many trying to make him suffer... Harry only saw their childish tantrum.

But the fact remained that with four casters, one of them was bound to get lucky- Harry dodged the spell that ricocheted back from armour- or two or more spells might even interact.

His too-aware consciousness picked out footsteps- multiple ones- coming up behind him.

"Four against one?" The steps came to a casual stop. Someone clicked their tongue beside him, "What do they call it..?.. tyrannical?"

"..Too many syllables.." Corrected another voice coming up behind him, "I think you meant to say... dastardly."

"How is that any better- Hm.. gutless, cowardly.. or oh! Snake like! (See what I did there?)"

"(You are not as funny as you think, Sirius-) what else would one expect from slimy things?"

Harry kept his eyes on the Slytherins. Their faces shining with resentment- his heart was beating too fast.

A quiet voice broke in, "Well, they are a cannibalistic species." They mused.

The fourth member of the marauders cried in disbelief, "They are?!"

"…. Why do you know the most obscure of the facts, Lupin?"

"..I didn't want to know that."

"If you did the research for the potion ingredients Slughorn set for tomorrow, you would-"

"No, Remus."

Harry had relaxed unconsciously at the familiar voices, the pitch different from what he had known, but his shoulders had settled a fraction after the initial shock. His cool gaze stayed on the rest of the seething Slytherin however, watching as froth dripped uselessly down their jowls.

"Hah.. So this is how it is.. is it? You have chosen then... chosen where to go crawl, have you? Ran to find the nearest sanctuary because you knew we would find out sooner or later- you think they would protect you? They might like their newest pet now, but for how long, Silvan?" The girl spat out the words.

Before Harry could answer with the scorn it deserved, Sirius pressed in eagerly, "Pet, really? Can you call me-"

"No. "Harry answered them all, kicking away the gleeful fantasy weaving in Sirius' mind before it could grow. He ignored the boy's sulk as he eyed the glaring green and silver, "But you are not going to believe me anyway."

Troch bit off, "You will regret your stand today, mark my words, Silvan." The girl waved off the rest of his rant, sparing everyone the muck and sneered, "We will see how long they keep you- even fools like these know better to take in the likes of you." She smirked.

He knew she was right. Even the Weasley family had chosen to keep their Squib cousin out of casual conversation. The Magical World- even the broad-minded preferred there to be drops of magic. Muggles were interesting at most and squibs, a public shame.

"Because the door to Slytherin is closed to you." The troll stated, sounding final- intending it to be the parting blow.

"It is not in your hands. You are neither the head of the house nor the headmaster, "Harry lazily corrected.

He watched the strutting departure of the pride of young Slytherin generation, because he knew the marauders were waiting for him.

Sirius Black.

Remus Lupin.

James Potter.

"What did you do that even Slytherins don't want you?" His father's first words- dripping with mistrust.

No.

This was not his father- he knew this.

He had seen James Potter in the flimsy glimpses fraught from Dementor's grasps, in the reflection of the mirror of erased- and in the not-quiet-there summoning of the Resurrection Stone.

This was not his father.

He had seen a million versions of his father, of his mother, of Sirius Black.

He had never seen James Potter so close though- never been so close to appreciate how his jaws moved in irritation.. and how similar those messy hair had been to his...

"Quite a dreadful lot. I am afraid." His cool tone was in contrast with his hammering pulse," Didn't partake in the ritual of drinking Hufflepuff blood in the evenings, petted a mongoose once. I didn't participate in the monthly torture session- my sins are many."

The petite, blonde boy gasped out in horror, "Really? Hufflepuff blood?!"

Harry looked at him with undisguised derision- well, much of that was real considering this was Peter Pettigrew, the boy who might grow up to betray his friends- he might ...he might not.. He looked as innocent as a fourteen year old boy could- the baby fat still clinging to his cheeks and light hair limp over wide eyes- But one time he had-

"Yes- this is how we keep our teeth clean- no, you dolt!"

James Potter stepped in front of him glaring down the cowering Gryffindor, "You don't speak to him like that. Nasty things like that are expected from you lot- it is not his fault."

You lot-

Harry narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth- but Sirius stepped in again, "Oh no. This is not happening. I am in charge of creating chaos, thank you.. And Jamesy, no one is taking your spot as my best friend, all right? Calm your hippogriff hooves."

James Potter did an odd combination of flushing in embarrassment, spluttering in denial and snarling in anger; it was an oddly graceful flail.

Despite himself, Harry snorted.

Sirius Black twirled his in victory, "Aha! I knew you would fall for my charms!"

Harry's lips twitched again, "Well, actually-

A warm palm covered his mouth again- blue eyes widened in surprise and stormy grey gaze held on to him firmly, "Potter is taken, didn't I tell you? And in which universe could he be more charming than me?!

Remus Lupin, quiet so far, piped in, "- Alice Bennet from Hufflepuff did say-"

"Silence, you traitor!" Sirius roared.

This time all of them snickered or in one case timed their awkward laugh to begin and end with the rest. The Black heir pouted, but the sullen boy brightened immediately upon seeing Harry again.

Harry turned his face away- uncomfortable with the way it was making him dizzy.

Sirius was triumphant, "See, you are smiling again. Do you admit I am charming now?!"

The shock of seeing those ghosts of past was gone- gone after a case of emotional goose-bumps.
The Truth had greatly helped him erasing the shadows in his heart- and yet..

Sirius Black still affected him like … even after he had fully accepted and acknowledged that this was not this godfather..

James Potter drawled as Harry inwardly flailed, "I am sure he is laughing at you, but sure if your suffering is charming…"

Harry did suppress a giggle at that- James Potter almost stole the word by word he had in store- huh. "Very charming, "He choked out.

Sirius looked at the both of them, "Oh no... You are not allowed to work together like that."

Harry cocked his head, "If it helps take you down a knut or two.."

James Potter turned to him happily, "You are a blessing." Harry's heart stuttered. "Magic smiled upon our meeting- mayhap it had had enough of Sirius barking mad too. Well met- I am James Potter."

Harry smiled at the mesh of traditional greeting, "Hadrien Silvan. It is a blissful day indeed if company such as you is around to help you torture this one."

"That's it." Sirius broke apart their clasping hands, "You are not allowed to talk to each other anymore." He turned to Harry with a frown, "You didn't introduce yourself to me."

"If I may," Remus Lupin interjected calmly, "We can continue this saga of new friendship on a better place than a corridor?"

Harry smiled at him, ignoring Sirius' offense at being ignored again, "I suppose you are the sensible one?"

The sickly looking boy smiled at him, "The wise one of this group, yes."

Harry mock-frowned, "But you allow them to frolic wildly like this-"he reproved.

"I find it more advantageous to guide them gently- they tend to be rebellious if you come across as authoritative in any way-"

"Remus-what..!"

"James- really, if you don't mind leading is to a more private place?"

"Remy, since when you are so- what did you do Andy?" Sirius growled at Harry.

Harry looked back the Black heir nonplussed, "I am sorry what- are you talking to me?"

Sirius said it most gravely, "I don't know your name- You didn't tell me before you went and told my friends- I can call you whatever I like." He declared as if it was an absolute truth.

Oh dear. Had Andromeda Black already been disowned from the Black tapestry? Harry wondered if he should feel flattered at the obvious sign of favour-"Doesn't mean you could willy-nilly decide for yourself, Sirius. You didn't tell me your name either- see, how mature I am about it?"

"I can be mature too-

Harry flicked a finger at him before he could finish that sentence- "Harry. Just Harry- no other variation." Much as Harry had a bad habit of letting Sirius do whatever he wanted- Andromeda Tonks was a painful memory for him.

Sirius rubbed his arm, "Well- it is not as pretentious as Hadrien. I suppose I could accept it-"

"Why, thank you. Your approval was all that I live for."

"-You started using my name first!-"

"...I suppose you respected my more than I did you. Oh, feel free to call me Harry –"

"Hey,"

"Remus. James will be Potter awhile-"

"Hey!"

The noisy quartet moved slowly down the corridor- their voices overlapping into a harmonious chaos.

Peter Pettigrew sighed to himself, "They forgot me. Again."

Harry had finished his first translation. He looked over it critically. A simple summoning ritual. Well, it would be simple for the magically gifted and mentally stout. Harry personally did not like dragging souls to the Living world- but.. needs be. Harry still had not decided if he wanted to make it commercially available or not… the modified rituals. Like every self-absorbed Necormancers, he was very possessive of his works- The modified ones could be made trivial enough to-

A quill tapped against his parchment-

Harry sighed and slashed the runes that silenced all the sounds in the room. The annoying clicks of the Clocks resumed.

The Ravenclaw winced once before handing over his assignment and looked at him eagerly as he perused it.

How was he here again?

First he had only meant to show the boy some nooks and crooks to read his Blood Magic books without getting caught. Then he had only meant to show him the right books so that the boy wouldn't end up as a mummified wizard in its second year.

Then the boy had asked him to check his progress. Harry had held back from pulling on that reddening ear when the boy said he had wanted to start Bloodletting!

Somehow he had become an impromptu nursemaid- man?

Yet, he couldn't say no. Not to the lessons or the request to check on his charms assignment.

He sighed again. The boy was chattering as he was packing the 'Charmed and Bewitched' and 'Skurge Spellbook'. He had his own assaignmen-

"Wait. What was that?"

The floppy brown hair of the Ravenclaw bounced when he looked up again, "Hm? Oh! I did not meant to say it like- it is not that I don't love sugar quills- I really do! Halloween Feast or no- I couldn't have waited that lon- I mean… I know, it is just a couple days away and mother tells me she won't be sending me sweets anymore… Prob'ly I should save it." He looked at the quill plaintively.

Harry had a tendency to ignore some insignificant things if they were not directly affecting him. It was not that bad- it wasn't! At least his version of selective blindness put him in a couple of binds or two. Ron tended to ignore everything not Quidditch or food. The lax approach to Auror training had his head hit so many times- that there might as well have been a permanent dent. Hermione tended to ignore everything not books- it was her children who had taught her the importance of food.

Harry was simply tad awful with planning. He planned however he liked- without thinking of the probability and then said plans tended to crash and burn upon meeting real life.

So the placid in life but Death-obsessed Necromancer screeched to halt again. It was already time for-

"Halloween feast?!"

The doe-eyed boy perked up when he remembered that- "Ah! This will be your first Halloween in Hogwarts! You will love it!" He assured Harry, "They turn the candle lights all dark and gloomy- I screamed the first time Peeves stuck his head through my plate! But I only screamed that one time- I wasn't scared at all. Just a bit surprised.. Professor Flitwick is the one who does the decorations- his charm work is always so beautiful!- I held up a ladder for him my first year!" He said proudly, "And then my second year-"

The boy continued his eager chatter- But Harry was no longer paying any attention to him. Halloween feast. All Hallows Eve.

Samhain!

His Lord had allowed him one single day to enter the Other Realm- the one day when magic assisted the shadows to be the longest, for the barrier to be at its weakest. The one day he was permitted and he had forgotten?!

"Halloween feast.."He asked with a dry mouth, "How about... Will you be going home?"

The boy looked at him scandalously, "And miss out on the pumpkin lanterns? You get to sometimes carve one too- the groundskeeper would let you do it. Sometime you can stuff it and- "

But it was Samhain! Sure, Harry and his friends had spent all hallows even in Hogwarts. Surely, there must be some who would choose to abide by the old traditions of offering sacrifices to their ancestors and accept their blessing?

Harry remembered the bonfires spent with Andromeda and Teddy...the boy solemnly offering his favourite sweets to his beloved parents. There had been no one to guide Harry through, like Teddy had his grandmother. Besides, Hogwarts and its overwhelming cheer of Halloween had trumped the sober rituals.

It had not mattered to him before. But now that he needed a valid reason to lave Hogwarts-

The second year Ravenclaw couldn't give him answers- the boy was getting increasingly desperate and on his way yodel the charms of Hogwarts on Halloweens, "I heard there was this time- when a horde of headless ghosts had come in and even Bloody Baron couldn't chase them away! And-"

"I-I need to go…you can continue your work here-" He asked the boy distractedly- yeah, he needed to go and maybe slug his own face for not keeping track of the one day he had been preparing for!

"But-"

Harry left the boy in the room of Clocks, he had not even gone down a floor when he was accosted by Peeves, "Young master, there is a very nice pantomime Peeves is thinking of putting together for the Halloween feast-" Harry waved the poltergeist away carelessly, " Do whatever you want."

Harry caught Theon Nott on fourth year's way out of Arithmancy class, "I need to talk to you," He spoke without a preamble.

What did he care if Nott had taken to avoid him lately? It would not have been obvious either- but for how long the boy used to stick to him in library and dorm rooms, claiming Harry needed the protection after poking bout sleeping dragon's nest. (Harry personally thought- if he did poke anything it was merely a bunch pesky pixies, nothing a good distraction wouldn't settle.)

What did he care that the Slytherin's behaviour had come immediately after the Hogsmeade weekend? He had expected nothing less of Regulus' dedication to his task. The gossip that there was a Slytherin's without a magic? The scandal must have reached each and every Slytherin. He expected nothing from the pureblood heir.

(He had somehow expected a bit from the Nott, though.)

Harry swallowed past the itch of disappointment.

He only needed this information and the wily forth-year could go back to being-

Theon Nott didn't cringe away, the way he had expected. He turned unexpectedly and fiercely, "You..That's right, we need to talk." Harry bit back a sound of surprise when a hand grasped his wrist firmly and marched him off to the dungeons. "You are not going anywhere."

Harry wasn't mutinous, he wasn't "I was not the one doing my best to stay away."

Nott glared back at him, as if it had been his fault, "Neither was I, oh no, I had had to defend myself from nosy pests who thought I was getting softer. All because.. I was caught off guard… because someone didn't keep me informed..."

Harry stared at the curly dark hair blankly, "What?"

"It is not an issue. Not anymore." The boy waved it away- the casual gesture a sharp contradiction to the way the words were bit out.

Harry didn't know how he suddenly found himself by the towering windows, murky lake a backdrop and four Slytherins surrounding him expectantly. For anyone else, it might be intimidating. Harry crossed his arms sulkily.

Alright- it wasn't all anticipation; Regulus Black was fidgeting, in a pureblood, dignified manner of course. Evan Rosier was a non-descript addition- one who had slunk out of shadows because he had a valid reason to be visible now (The stalker-ish tendency was yet to be addressed.)

Theon Nott was glowering and then there was Severus Snape.

What was he doing here?

Another face from his past- but it was far easier to shred the past from this one. Even the one of another life-he had respected the man, but from afar. And being separated by life and Death had been a nice distance.

It was odd to see the dark, large eyes sitting on a too pale face, the lanky, damp hair… and to see the similar disdain on it.

Harry shook off the festering cobwebs and looked back at a scowling Nott.

The boy didn't need any prompting.

"Why..why in the name of all that is Magical.. would you go near a werewolf?!"

Harry drew back at the hiss, coiling up for a defense, "What makes you think you have a right to ask?"

Nott didn't heed the warning in the soft words, "Did you get dunked in a bowl of counfounding potion?! You stoked the embers under the Slytherin's feet and I reckoned.. this here might be a dragon in the snake's den. But werewolf?! Tell me, you didn't know it. It was one thing to piss off yapping boys and another to go mingle with Merlin-forsaken monsters! Or, did I take a heap of hippogriff to be a dragon?" He finished bitterly.

Snape smirked.

Harry's ire was stoked more and more as the accusing words poured out, "Don't..don't call them that."

Theon pulled at his hair madly. "Merlin! You knew!? You knew. And went..! Why?!" The shift from incensed to pleading was abrupt, "Why would you put yourself in reckless danger. Don't tell me that your parent's death had addled your brain or something. This is not a passive cry to join them early is it? Is that why you have been going pissing off everyone?"

The words were enough to earn an eviscerating curse or two. But Harry saw the hope clinging to Theon's dark eyes - as if madness was preferable to…

Harry sighed and leaned back against the chaise.

"Really?" He drawled at Regulus Black.