Hello dearies, as we begin this third installment I will say please read the other two (Harry Potter and the Twin/Harry, Severus and the Year the Shouldn't Have Been So Hard). They're a bit helpful in knowing what's shakin like bacon. I don't own HP. I do clownery for fun and for free.

Moving on! I weave a simple tale of magic, friendship and brotherly love. And some violence. And tiny mystery. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it.

We last left the twins feeling themselves and all the good vibes but we also left Albus mucking about and that's never a good thing.

Okay, let's shake a tail feather!

-/+

Draco was not nervous.

He had no reason to be nervous.

It was normal for him to pace outside his father's office and chew on his lip until it was red and puffy. Yes, this was completely normal Draco Malfoy behavior. Because why would he be nervous? It's not like he's bursting through the doors to announce he was eloping with a muggle or that he had a child out of wedlock. Two things his mother told him she would literally scalp him should he ever do.

No, no. He was just asking if his dear cousin, a new and legitimate addition to his family, Severus Potter, could come over for the summer.

See! That wasn't so bad.

Now all he had to do was open the giant double doors and demand an audience. Request an audience.

"Master Draco?" A heavy, calloused hand landed on his shoulder.

"Merlin!" Draco spun around, tripping over his feet and crashing into the doors. One would assume that the doors could handle a rather light twelve year old but one would be wrong. They flew open, sending him careening to the ground, landing as ungracefully and painfully as he could manage because why not? Slowly, he closed his eyes, pale face rapidly turning pink with embarrassment. He couldn't even open them when he felt the soft petticoats of their maid graze his still outstretched hand.

"Ooh I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." Vivid naturally had a very soft, whisper like voice despite the fact that she was taller than his father and built like a muggle muscle maker (the really muscular muggles that posed). In moments of panic the woman's soft voice became shrill and much too loud as it was right now. And how it often was.

As the only human servant they had, she was in a panic quite often, unable to appear at a single snap and capable of big mistakes and disobedience. Frankly, Draco would almost describe her as one of their peacocks. They received her with the promise of showing off their wealth but they kept her for something deeper than that. Unfortunately Vivid might just be the most accident prone woman in the world so it kind of lowered her value and whittled away at that something deeper.

Not that they would get rid of her as far as Draco knew.

"Master Draco, I just wanted to ask if you needed lunch but you didn't answer me so I thought. Oh, Vivid you really messed up now!" She pulled him to his feet with ease, dusting him off with her hands and waving her wand to fix his hair and straighten his clothes. Still, she was better than a House Elf in his opinion. Much less ugly.

"That is enough, Vivid," His father put an end to her panic. He held up a hand when he saw her face twist in confusion. "Lunch in my office in one hour. Yes, I am aware that my meeting with Minister Fudge is in thirty minutes. If he is in my presence longer than thirty minutes expect your pay to be docked." Lucius narrowed his eyes in warning. Vivid let out a tiny squeak but her cheeks puffed out in determination and she practically ran out of the room, hands gripping her dress to reveal the heavy, black boots she wore. Draco always awed at how silently the large woman moved but then she tripped over a slight raise in the carpet and crashed into the wall and his awe was gone. He turned back to see his father pinching his nose, eyes shut against a probable headache at hearing the crash. "Why did I ever agree to hire that woman?"

"Cause Uncle Sev sent her and mother is up on the trends?" Draco shrugged. His mother had been absolutely delighted when the woman appeared on their doorstep with a letter from his recently deceased godfather. She had gone on and on about how eccentric and wealthy it was to pay for labor on a weekly basis. She also cried for two days as the human gift reminded her of a friend she tragically lost.

"Severus, he detested being called 'Sev'," Lucius corrected mostly out of habit, eyes glued on a pile of papers and a quill in his hand. Silence fell between them, actually comfortable for the first time in a long time. Draco didn't even feel nervous when he finally dragged his courage to the front of his mouth.

"I would like to invite Severus Potter over for the summer." Draco watched for any sign of anger, a twitch of a brow, a hand gripping the papers even the slightest bit harder, the thinning of the lips but no. His father simply lowered his papers and their identical silver eyes met.

"You are friends with Severus Potter?" Lucius leaned back in his chair, a tilt to his head. Draco let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His father wasn't a cruel man, he wasn't. Anything Draco or his mother asked for, they got without a single complaint. He could bet his inheritance that his father would let him drop out of school at any time and just lounge around the manor, shopping with mother on the weekends and suntanning on the weekdays. Not that he wanted such a simple, lazy life. But that's besides the point. His father loved him and his mother and did everything but sometimes, just sometimes he could be so cold and closed off. His eyes could cut straight through and his words were worse than slaps. But it seemed that today was a good day, a day to relax and really talk to his father. He sent a silent thanks to Vivid, giving credit to her ice breaking clumsiness.

"Harry, too but Ron—Weasley already planned on asking him," Draco explained, not very upset about it. It wasn't that he didn't like Harry, it was that he was vaguely sure that Harry didn't like him. Never mind the thing he said about being family.

"Will Blaise be joining us as well?"

"No, his parents are touring Asia this summer and he said he wanted to spend time with them," Draco was quite surprised about that. Blaise's parents were old, like Dumbledore old so they didn't have much in common so the boy typically spent his free time with friends, hopping from house to house. Blaise probably knew Pansy's home better than she did with how much time he spent there. He had his own personal room at Goyle's house and had charmed the Greengrass family so well Draco was sure they'd gift wrap Daphne for him if they could.

"Very well, pick a room for him to occupy and have Dobby clean it out. Vivid will accompany you to escort him here as I will be busy."

It was a clear dismissal, one that Draco did not ignore. He was up and leaving, thanking his father over his shoulder. The man didn't even ask when Draco planned for his cousin to come but oh well, that just meant that he could be there as soon as possible.

-/+

Lucius stared down at his papers long after his son had beat a hasty retreat. Severus. Edward. Potter. The blond haired man turned his gaze to the paper he had shoved into his drawer upon his doors suddenly opening. Slowly he pulled it back out, trying to beat back any fury he had.

There, on the very front page, was Harry and Severus Potter. The Chosen One and the Lost Twin. Written by Rita Skeeter it was a simple piece practically gushing over the 'adorable' boys, highlighting their favorite school subjects and how they spent their after hours. It practically fawned over the Chosen One and how very stylish and athletic he was at such a young age while it lauded the Lost Twin for his absolute genius in all his subjects but especially Potions.

Each word burned a hotter hole in his belly, brewed an anger even greater until the paper was up in flames with his barely controlled magic. How dare that mudblood name her unworthy spawn after his dearest friend? How dare he claim to be the godson of the late Severus Snape? His very existence was a taunt to the dead man, he didn't deserve that name or to even think of being anything important to anyone. Severus Snape loved that devil harpy, loved her so much that just losing her friendship had practically broken him. It had taken him years to rebuild Severus but it wasn't enough.

Lucius sighed, no longer feeling the burn of tears as he did first seeing his friend cold and dead. Dead by his own hand and Lucius almost blamed himself. Even though they were adults, Severus was his very best friend, a confidant that was always available and Lucius of all people hadn't seen the signs of depression, of suicide. He never thought Severus was capable of even thinking about escaping permanently much less actually doing it. And the guilt from that had eaten at him these last five years but now…

Lucius rolled his eyes at himself. He had let his emotions control him to the point that he nearly forgot. He would simply kill both boys, he beat back any feelings of hesitation or odd guilt for killing a child. It wasn't like he planned to kill them with his own two hands. He didn't plan to even order a kill, nothing directly obvious… but first, he would have to make sure the boys attended Hogwarts. The article hinted that they were considering elsewhere.

The floo flared.

Lucius waved his wand, ridding any evidence of his temper tantrum.

It was time for his meeting. Lucius kept his disgust off his face, standing to greet the stout, twitchy man. He gave a short bow, making it known long ago that he would never touch palms with such a mongrel. As he took his seat, he cast a glance at the large clock upon his wall.

Vivid had twenty nine minutes.

-/+

Harry wasn't a clean freak, he didn't really care when things were messy but he did have a line. And Spinner's End spat on that line.

Other than the potions lab, the house was a Mess.

An Extreme Mess.

The furniture was old and ugly thus trash, the walls were dirty and stained so Harry was scrubbing them and dust existed on every surface.

"This place is so weird," Surajmukhi commented from her corner alphabetizing the books that had lived on the floors, broken down furniture, hallways and tables. She traced her fingers over the spine of the quivering book causing it to relax and gave a low coo.

"And dirty," Chameli—Aswin groused, cloth over his nose and mouth. Harry reminded himself that his name was now Aswin. Harry hardly recognized the boy because, well, last he saw he was a girl but Harry wasn't one for too many questions and he did remember the potion that Severus continuously sent through their letters. So he put two and two together and that was that.

"I don't know how Sev can survive here. I've ordered new furniture and hopefully it comes before we've got to go to the Dursley's," Harry frowned. He had been rather surprised when it was Surajmukhi's nanni standing there instead of their uncle but Harry also remembered that Severus had sent something back home as well and, there had been a slightly dangerous glint in his eye once he did it. He hoped whatever it was wasn't too bad.

"Are you… why can't you both just stay here?" Surajmukhi sighed. She hated those people so much, wanted nothing more than to burn down that house any time she thought of what Harry and Severus went through in there.

"We're underage and our mum put up protection runes. This place has a powerful notice me not but enough determination can let you get through," Harry explained. He didn't really want to go back to the Dursley's house either. He loved his family despite the Hell they put him through but he didn't like them one bit because of the Hell they put him through. If he could, he wouldn't see the fat man or the horse woman ever again but they just couldn't do that.

"Besides, Severus thinks our friends are planning a kidnapping." Harry dropped his rag to cuddle up to the girl's side, landing a wet kiss on her cheek. She giggled, allowing him to hold her other hand while she organized.

"Gross," Aswin grumbled, waving the broom at them, "I'm trying to get this done before night. You know how our nanni gets."

"Yeah, she'll beat us both with newspapers if we aren't home by the time streetlights come on," Surajmukhi laughed.

"Awww, are you sure? We were going to make shepherd's pie—!" Harry was suddenly leaning into nothing and thus sprawled onto the floor. He looked around in a slight daze to see his girlfriend on the house phone, twirling the cord between her slim fingers.

"Namaste, nanni! Can you pick us up after dinner? Yes, the pie. Nanni!" Whatever the old woman said made the brown girl blush fiercely, her dark eyes meeting his for a second before darting to the wall in embarrassment. She settled once again, nodding and filling in the appropriate responses. "Yes, nanni. Okay. Okay. Yes, I will tell Harry. Thank you, nanni."

Harry grinned. This was going to be the best summer ever!

-/+

Azkaban.

So depressing that the only people who could staff it were dementors. And calling those things people was quite the stretch of the word. Truly they were closer to demons, unable to feel happiness on their own so they were always, unconsciously and on purpose sucking any joy they found. There were only a handful of humans who could stand next to the beasts and not cower in fear or immediately have any sense of self lost to them. Even then they likely had a patronus with them and if they didn't then Sirius would eat his… beard, as he had no hat and no bet was worth eating the dirty cloth he called underwear.

"Hey! Back off!" A voice snapped in the darkness. Sirius groaned, shifting in his own filth. He hadn't realized it but a week must have passed as the nice doctor lady came by once a Monday or so she said. "I cannot examine anyone with you in the way. Move, Heather."

"H-Heather?" Sirius laughed though it was dry and low, his voice raspy from his lack of water. He gazed about his cell and spotted his always full cup of water. The cup itself was made of glass all the way until he tried to break it then it would turn to metal and an alarm would set off. For that reason Sirius kept it in the same spot, not wanting to be swarmed by dementors who wanted nothing more than to suck his joy. If he didn't know any better he would think that they had a crush on him or something. No way was everyone in this place getting assaulted as he was by the damn things.

That's what had him in a daze so long that the days slipped by, he assumed. He couldn't remember but he supposed he must have did something rebellious and the dementors swarmed him until he had no other choice but to retreat inside his mind and build a castle of positivity.

Warm, chocolate eyes and loud laughter kept him sane. James was featured in the majority of his happy fantasies. Three voices, still immature and full of life wrapped around him and reminded him of times before this. Remus, James and even Peter. Hell, he thought of the time his mother would sit down and read to him, all warm and smelling slightly of firewhiskey.

"Good, you're awake. How do you feel, Sirius?" A playful cat made of light came bounding into the room, circling around him and pressing against his side, nearly knocking the water from his grasp.

He looked up at the small woman and managed his best smile, "Much better now that I'm graced with your beauty. You still married, Dr. Chang?"

"Yes and quite happily. Our baby girl is thirteen, starting her third year," Dr. Chang gushed. Sirius nodded, studying the pride on her face with only the smallest jealousy. Naturally being the same age, they went to school together. Also naturally he was a very popular boy so he didn't very much remember her but he vaguely recognized her married name when she first introduced herself. She, herself, was a muggleborn and a smart one at that, able to be a doctor in both worlds.

"I didn't kill my friends," Sirius blurted then frowned. He always did this and always with her. And she responded as she always did, laying a small hand on his knee and giving him the saddest smile he's ever seen. Tears shone in her almond eyes and she opened her mouth to speak, usually this was the part where she'd reassure him that she knew he was innocent but this time she jerked away from him, her face suddenly turning bright with a smile. Sirius reached out to her, already missing the simple human contact but he did not grab her, even his mother taught him better than that. Besides, her patronus never left his side, seeming content to cuddle up to him. It was enough for him.

"Look who made it to the papers!" Dr. Chang presented him with the Daily Prophet. Sirius cautiously reached out, knowing that the doctor would never trick him but still cautious as he unrolled it. Immediately tears popped into his eyes, his heart clenching at seeing James. No, not James. He was a little smaller, not much but Sirius spent so much time with the man when they were boys that it was glaringly obvious in his eyes.

Sirius grunted absentmindedly as he felt the magic inhibitor around his neck loosen and his magic trickled sluggishly through his system. He stared at Harry for a second longer before, finally, dragging his eyes to the other child in the picture. At first Sirius was sure that the other was a girl, hair long and silky and everything about him petite. A frown pulled down his lips though it melted away when Harry wrapped an arm around him and gave a tiny shake. Below was the description.

(L) Harry Potter (R) Severus Potter

Sirius's eyes shot back up, squinting at the boy. Severus… as in Eddie? No, that wasn't possible. Eddie was dead, born without a heartbeat. Sirius buried the body himself, nearly having to tear the still body from horrified new parents, running from the room so fast he nearly fell down the stairs. Lily had screamed so loudly, her cries drowning out Harry's. It had taken a couple hours but eventually their sole attention was on their living son but still, it was a harsh blow to everyone.

"Are you okay, Sirius?" Dr. Chang tilted her head.

What kind of monster was this thing? Who was this parasite latched onto his godson? He flipped to the next page, hands shaking and suddenly he was filled with a different, colder and much more real horror. There, standing on the edge of the page, was one Peter Pettigrew. Sirius read the article quickly, discovering that that disgusting rat was a professor at Hogwarts.

A professor!

Around children!

Around Harry!

"Can… dementors, they're deaf and blind aren't they?" Sirius licked his dry lips.

"Yes, they are absolutely fascinating creatures. They can only see humans by shape and size, often confusing small children for animals when they don't have magic," Dr. Chang explained, her expression excited. Sirius felt his heart clench as his brain slowly concocted a plan. He didn't want to do it the way he was thinking but he couldn't come up with anything else and he couldn't make it another week. She didn't say it but at the end of his exam she looked more and more worried. The last time she was here, she almost couldn't even produce a patronus to get back out.

"Okay, let's get this bad boy…" Dr. Chang muttered for herself, raising the magic inhibiting collar back to his throat. But Sirius raised his hand, catching her delicate wrist. He only took a second to give her an apologetic look, knowing that the medi-witch was fierce in her own right.

Then he smashed their skulls together.

-/+

Being a portrait was… odd.

Disorienting.

Snape felt emotions, he had thoughts that he formulated from his own free will and he could move amongst the paintings in his home but that was severely limited. And yet he didn't feel limited. He was content within his painting, feeling an almost peace.

Well. Typically he would feel this peace. Now he stood in front of Severus and he was… angry. Extremely, utterly so.

"I… killed myself?" He parroted back, feeling like a fool. He hoped the red that was rapidly taking his face came off as embarrassed rather than the fury consuming his painted heart. Albus, that old, plotting fool. It wasn't enough to place him in the care of Tuney and her god awful husband, no he wove a tale of suicide. Snape swallowed hard, not wanting to alert his younger self.

When he first learned that the identity Severus had taken was Severus Potter he thought to undo the old man's schemes, whatever they were. Just one word and he could make the now red haired boy a one man army, bent on revenge for having his life twisted so but…

It was stupid, selfish almost.

Severus looked healthy and happy. He was smart and devious. He was a child. Snape took a calming breath. There was no need to rock his world quite yet, after Hogwarts or if he figured it out on his own. For now he would play godfather to himself and attempt to deduce Dumbledore's plan.

"Draco?" He croaked out. Snape wasn't without fault, he couldn't predict if everyone followed his plans—Albus certainly hadn't. Snape thought, had bet his younger self's life that the man would dump him at an orphanage and essentially wipe his hands clean of him.

"You left him memories," Severus confirmed, stirring his concoction. "I will be visiting him over the summer."

"Wolfsbane?" Snape frowned, attention focusing on the silver cauldron, immediately recognizing his brew.

"I considered letting the rat brew for him but he's likely to poison him and not entirely by accident. Pettigrew is a Death Eater."

If Snape hadn't spent his life in various stages of being groomed, tortured, and used he might have choked on his own painted spit. He had known, of course he had known, that one of the Marauders was a Death Eater. Just one had turned on the group. Everyone assumed it was Lupin, being a dark creature. Severus thought it was laughable, the coward had not one backbone but still the secret keeper was changed to Black or so he'd been told. And the Potters were killed, his Lily perished. Snape had cursed that mutt and wished him nothing but misery and torture—death was too good for that murderous scum.

But he was wrong. It was Pettigrew. Of course, the man had less of a backbone than Lupin and all the ambition and laziness of Black and Potter.

"Harry and I have applied to O'Donnell. We are set to take the entrance exam a week from now but we've also applied to several other magical schools," Severus turned down the heat and set it to a simmer. The awe had worn off but still he was impressed with Severus, relieved that he retained his skills, relieved he hadn't completely destroyed himself. This was of his had been entirely foolish and relied on his own skills and a dash of luck. Maybe more than a dash.

"I also have a name for my ma."

This caught Snape's undivided attention, any thoughts of self, of that mutt or old coot all running from his mind.

His ma and pa.

Every day he searched for them, every day he tried to find even a small, tiny sliver of information—anything that would even prove they existed but nothing. He came up with nothing over and over, practically driving himself to insanity. But now, right here, Severus had more information then he ever did, ever would.

"I was in the realm between the living and the dead. Ma is rather stubborn so I did not waste time asking how she ended up with me, why someone would steal a baby from two capable parents…" Severus frowned as though the questions were just now bothering him. Snape nodded silently, mouth refusing to reveal the lies the boy had been told. After a few more seconds of anxious waiting the boy finally shook himself from his thoughts. "Rhamnusia is my ma's first name."

"The Goddess of Vengeance?" Snape didn't want to discredit the boy, himself. He knew himself in any form so he didn't doubt that this is what their ma had told him. He would never joke or lie about that.

"Yes, I realized that too. It could be a code, ma could think a wild goose chase is better than the truth…" Severus chewed on his bottom lip, insecurity appearing for the first time on the boy's face. Snape felt some strange pride that he was a presence to be trusted in those lively brown eyes.

"I strongly doubt it. You described your adopted mother as a calculating, harsh woman. Had she wanted to impede you, she could have easily given you a generic name or one of her many aliases," Snape assured the boy.

"How do you know she's never used that name?"

Damn.

"It is too distinct as any person on the run would know," he shrugged casually, "Did I assume incorrectly?"

Severus eyed him for a few, tense seconds, the gears obviously grinding away inside that head. Snape took this time to really look at the boy. He can't believe he actually did it. He de-aged himself without any complications, at least none that he could see. The boy was healthy, sane and smart. His memories were intact and he retained all skills learned up to seven and relearned some without any guidance or insistence from Snape. He wondered if Severus would feel the need to be larger as he had, wondered if he would experiment and successfully make a growth spurt concoction when older.

"I suppose not," Severus finally murmured, the timer to continue stirring going off. Snape hummed, turning to his own ever brewing potion. They fell into a comfortable silence, simply being in each other's company but Snape found himself feeling chatty.

"Tell me of your school prospects."

-/+

TBC

AND THIS is how we're starting! The drama! I forget what it's called when the audience knows the things but the characters don't. Poor Sev. There's so many pieces moving around him! Actually poor Lucius too.