A/N: There's slash here, don't read further if you don't like it. Hope you all like the new chapter! Reviews answered at the end. . . .

I hope you all don't mind how long this took, considering it's been a long, long time since I updated. I had to write it carefully though, so you all would have insight as to how Harry was actually convincing Voldemort of his allegiance. Hope it's worth the wait. I'll be updating Changing Past Wrongs in a few moments as well, I just have to respond to reviews & post it.

I apologize for the agonizing wait for any kind of update, but I have a long list of reasons, and have not stopped writing regardless of posting – though I'm finding it hard to continue with this story after reading OOTP – I must say that the whole concept of Harry/Severus has lost it's appeal to me after having read it. Anyway, I'm sure you're all curious so I'll sum it up by saying, lots of traveling, a ill grandmother, several cousins having babies and weddings (I'm beginning to feel like I'm behind as I have neither planned at the moment), my sister graduating & going off to college, massive family & personal problems & to top it off I was rather ill myself for a while. However, things are finally starting to look up a bit, and I'm hoping that I won't need to take another extended absence. I appreciate all the kind emails and reviews in my time away though. Enjoy!

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Harsh Realities

Sorting Feasts and Over reactant Weasleys

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Harry and Hailey both sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the other students to come in from outside, and for the sorting to begin. The Prophet was having a field day with the Black –Pettigrew –Potter Family Triangle story. Sirius, Harry, Hailey, Remus, and several others had all been asked to give personal interviews, and rather than ignoring them and dealing with the constant nagging – they did one interview.

The article it produced had been cut and dry, but honest and showed a picture of the four happily smiling for the world to see how overjoyed they were with the ruling. So it was of no surprise to anyone, when Sirius and Remus agreed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts together for the year, and possibly longer if 'The Curse' didn't strike.

'The Curse' was what people affectionately referred to their problem holding onto Defense Professors as. Quirrell had started the pattern, followed by Lockheart, then Remus Lupin, then Alastor Mad-Eye-Moody – but not really Mad-Eye, merely the death eater Barty Crouch Jr., and of course last year's professor. Professor Aurora Lang had barely lasted the entire year; she had been a half decent Professor teaching them things that actually mattered in the long run before she had a complete mental breakdown from the stress.

The Gryffindors had jokingly supplied the rumors that it was probably linked to having Harry Potter around – either the Professor wanted to kill him, protect him, or went crazy around him while teaching the Defense classes. But most people had to admit that while it did seem to involve Harry when the Professors left, Dumbledore had hired them – not Harry – and most weren't able to teach properly to begin with.

The doors burst open, and the students poured in. Once seated, Harry noticed that Ron and Hermione were both glaring at himself and Hailey, while the rest of the table glanced in confusion between the two. Neville and Ginny were wrapped up in one another not caring that they looked as though they hadn't seen one another in a year instead of just the three months they hadn't seen one another.

Albus Dumbledore started the Feast with the sorting, announcements and then he smiled at the group before saying, "We have one last sorting tonight before you start dinner. Would Miss Hailey Potter come up here please?"

Hailey turned to Harry and hugged him, smiling as he whispered, "Might as well shock them all and go to Slytherin if you like – But that's up to you and the hat of course."

Hailey smiled, but turned and walked to the front of the room before plopping up on the stool and letting McGonagall put the hat on her head. The rest of the room waited for nearly ten minutes before something happened. Hailey however, was having a conversation with the sorting hat.

"So, let me get this right, you just get thrown onto a shelf all year round, only to be pulled out to sing a silly song and deal with sorting brats – one day a year that is. Right?"

"Yes, it's just awful! And I rarely have intelligent students to talk to, what with them being first years and all. Well, aside from when Albus actually talks to me."

"You should protest! Don't sing next year! You shouldn't be disregarded so badly!"

"You're right Hailey, I won't sing next year! I'll refuse! I'll throw all those sniveling brats where they actually belong and refuse to place them anywhere else! Your brother was one of the hardest people to sort – wouldn't listen to a word I said. And is he happy in Gryffindor? Oh no – the Heir of Slytherin and Gryffindor belonged in Slytherin! You, however, would not be happy in Slytherin dear."

"Well, I don't know about that, Toby, but I'll do whatever you think is best."

The entire hall watched as the Sorting Hat (revealed to be 'Toby' to Hailey), blushed. Harry blinked, and chuckled. He could only imagine what the Hat was saying to his sister, and she to it, but he was sure that she was flirting with the poor hat. People around him looked at him oddly, but he ignored it. The hat let out a slight scream, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Hailey smiled, took the hat off her head and kissed it before rushing back down to where Harry sat, grinning widely. Harry smiled and hugged her in congratulations. Dumbledore stood, gaining their attention once more and started the feast. Harry and Hailey ate, talking to the Gryffindors around them happily, trying to ignore the glares from Hermione and Ron.

The Feast went by quickly, and soon they were making their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. The only downfall to this in Harry's opinion was that he'd have to wait to spend the night with Severus until the weekend. Once inside the common room, Harry decided to find out what was going on with Ron and Hermione. Hailey walked with him, mildly curious but also supportive of her brother.

Harry noticed the glares he was getting and sat down across from them before saying calmly, "Hello Hermione, Ron. How are you?"

Ron and Hermione both glared at him before Ron responded, "What do you care, Potter?"

Harry frowned and asked, "You would give up six years of friendship over what you witnessed for two minutes during our trip to Diagon Alley?"

Ron nodded without thinking and responded, "As far as I'm concerned, Potter, you're a Death Eater, Marked or not, and the Light side is full of fools for trusting you."

Harry nodded thoughtfully before saying, "If you think so Ron. You're not much of a friend you know, turning whenever there's the slightest sign that I may lean towards the dark side, or might be tolerant of things you aren't. Especially during fourth year and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Thank you oh so much for listening to my side before you judged me."

Harry didn't bother waiting any longer for the conversation to continue, and left the common room walking towards the Dungeons to see Severus. Hailey looked at the red faced Ron and the agitated Hermione before saying, "My brother talked about you two all summer, how wonderful you two were. Especially about what good friends you were – like siblings he said at one point. Did you ever think about what he's been going through? No – and you don't want to either! Godric Gryffindor would be ashamed to know such idiotic people were in his school – let alone his own house!"

Hermione bristled slightly, stood and left for the girls' dormitory without another word. Ron glared at her and said, "I have no time for people who do nothing aside from lie to everyone. You're no better than your Death Eater brother."

Hailey, beyond upset at this point, slapped him clear across the face before storming out of the common room, and down to the dungeons to see if Harry was alright. She couldn't believe the nerve of either one of those two idiots Harry used to call friends. Especially Hermione – wasn't she supposed to be intelligent?

When Hailey reached Severus' rooms, she walked directly in without knocking only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene that greeted her. Harry and Severus were sitting in the middle of a large group of Death Eaters, holding what appeared to be a 'back to school' meeting of sorts. Lucius and Draco Malfoy were directly to Harry's right side, while the Crabbes and Goyles sat beside them.

The Nott, Bulstrode, Parkinson and Baddock families sat on the left side of Severus. Harry looked up and acknowledged her by saying, "Hailey, I was just informing Lucius of our small victory with George Weasley, and of course, his brother Fred."

Hailey nodded and sat down next to Pansy Parkinson, unsure how to respond. Harry and Severus continued to lead the small meeting, giving various missions out to students and parents alike. Hailey wasn't sure when, but it was apparent that both Severus and Harry had recently met with Voldemort with the number of specific details gone into certain orders. She was only glad that George and Fred had agreed to become unmarked 'spies' for Voldemort, as it secured that she could openly continue to date George.

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Review Responses:

Before I even begin to answer these, the whole controversy over whether or not it's even possible for twins to have two different fathers – it is. I know someone who got pregnant, thinking it was her husbands child – and found out it was twins. However, when delivery came around 9 months later it was rather obvious that the one child had a father of a significantly different race than hers, or her husbands.

Perhaps I haven't been totally clear on what happened – Lily and James Potter made love before going to bed one night, only to be attacked less than an hour later. Lily was kidnapped and then raped by Voldemort – in reality I doubt that in and of itself took longer than half an hour, but we'll give him a two to three hour window for yucks. That would mean that over the time span of five hours she had two men's sperm inside her, now for those that have finished a basic health class of any form, they know that conception does not take place the instant the man releases into the woman. It can sometimes take up to twenty-four hours, the lifespan of the man's sperm. Meaning it is very, very possible for this to happen – providing that when Lily ovulates, she ovulates two eggs rather than one as most women do. In this story, Lily ovulates two. It's not common, but it does happen.

Now, I hope that I didn't offend anyone with that explanation, but there it is. Onto the actual reviews:

ShaeLynn, HPIceAngel, Baroness Jumping Rain; Sidda, MarsMoonStar, Cat Samwise, eol, Wynjara, Badassgothicgirl, Malfoy Angel, Siderius Cimmerii, Andromeda Snape-Malfoy, Hectate DeMort & tori: Glad you like the story. :)

Jess16: I'm glad you've enjoyed the story, along with all the little twists I've thrown in it along the way.

Shuki - aka Quickjewel: With Sev & Harry – they were friends. You have to remember I skipped 5th year, which is the year they became friends (In my version that is), and it's not real far to twist friends to lovers or whatever. Hermione knew about his feelings – so she wouldn't make comments about Snape, though she never did to begin with. I'm also quite sure that she would have managed to curb Ron's comments about Snape, especially in front of Harry. I don't mean for this to come across as a 'Dark' Harry fic, but rather a 'Slytherin' Harry fic. Perhaps I'm not doing that quite as well as I'd hoped.

GothicFairyRaven & Princess Pearliest: Sirius' reaction is the next chapter, I'm still working on that one though. :)

the-ladyship-writers: I'll see what I can do on the Ron/Sev interaction.

biblios: I didn't stop writing no. But thanks for your concern, and the offer to help.

Me! and you don't know who me is: Thank you for your opinion. After reading the 5th book, I rather agree with you. However, when I started this fic that book had not yet been released. And I said I'd finish what I started – which I meant, so there you go.

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