The ride home was, in a word, uncomfortable. They had decided to leave before a full-out war broke loose between Harry and Tom. The two were sitting as far away from each other as possible. Tom was hurt because Harry wouldn't talk; Harry was hurt because he couldn't talk. The Christmas spirit had been roughly cast from the family and they were in turmoil.

They pulled up to the house, empty bellied and empty hearted. Harry jumped out of the car before it stopped moving and ran up to the door. Upon finding it locked, he gave the door a quick kick and drove his hand under the door mat, rooting around for the spare key. Harrison, Tom, and Abyan could have easily made it to the door before Harry could let himself in but they decided that distance was necessary.

Harry sprinted up the stairs and into his bedroom. Everything was crumbling around him. He couldn't tell them, he just couldn't. It would only be to benefit himself and in the process, it would endanger them. He threw himself onto the bed and bit his lip to keep himself from crying. For years it had almost been a relief to not let anything slip. Home was a haven where he didn't have to think about Voldemort and, hard as it may have been, it was a relief. Now he couldn't. He'd have to keep the secret without getting the benefits.

Before he knew it, tears were spilling down his cheeks. He wanted Sirius with every fiber of his being. Never before had he felt parentless but now it came to him. It took over him in the form of a deep ache that originated in the pit of his stomach and spread through his entire body. He had to talk to Sirius and he had to do it soon. He ran to his closet and pulled out the seldom-used duffle bag at the far corner. In a furry of emotion he shoved cloths and shoes into the bag. Still passionately unaware of what he was doing, he ran through the door of his room and down the stairs. He crashed through the front door and into the cold, December air.

Harry sprinted to the next street and thrust his wand hand out, hoping that Ron hadn't been pulling his leg about the "Knight Bus". In a flash, a bright purple bus appeared. "Where to?" an acne ridden boy asked, his voice cracking.

"Um," Harry fumbled for the words before blurting out the town where Grimmauld Place was (does anyone know where it is exactly?). The boy nodded and helped Harry with his duffle.

"You got money?" the boy asked. Harry nodded, hoping he'd remembered to grab some. He had a galleon at the bottom of his coat pocket luckily and handed it over. He received the change, relieved. He made his way to the back and sat on a bed. The Knight Bus was strange, lined with cots which were inhabited by even stranger looking people. Most of them slept while a few stared off into space or intently at books.

The full magnitude of his actions and circumstances flooded over him in a fresh wave of nausea. He cradled his head in his hands. "What have I done?" he muttered quietly.

"Eh?" the wizened, old man next to him asked.

"Nothing," Harry muttered distractedly. He just wanted to find Sirius. He hoped that would not prove to be too difficult. He needed to talk to someone who understood or, at least, almost understood. The sad truth was that Tom and Harrison just didn't understand anymore. Abyan was too young to know anything and it was for her that especially wanted to shield his family.

The bus rolled on or, rather, bumped, dodged, and lurched along. It stopped and let off passengers till Harry was one of the last few people left. "Next stop (town to be inserted)." Harry's ears perked up. He collected his things, which wasn't very hard since he hadn't unpacked anything, and stood up. He walked carefully to the front to wait.

"You best sit down or you'll wind up unconscious," the acne-ridden boy wheezed. Harry nodded and sat down on the floor. He was lucky to follow the boys advice for not a minute later the bus made a particularly violent pitch foreword. "Your stop sir." Harry nodded again.

He pulled himself gingerly to his feet. "Need help with your bag?" the boy asked. Harry shook his head mutely and shouldered said bag. He got off the bus and gave a curt wave to the driver, waiting on the curb till it disappeared. He then turned, what house would it be? He reached into the recesses of his brain. Dumbledore had told him the address in case he ever needed to come, now all Harry had to do was remember it. He knew full-well the charms that were cast on the house. If he couldn't remember it then he could do one of two things: he could either catch a taxi home or he could wait till someone came out. The previous one was out of the question and the latter wasn't the best looking alternative either.

"Think Harry, think," he muttered to himself, sitting down on the curb. "Grimmauld Place but what Grimmauld Place?" he muttered. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, no. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, wait. "Number twelve Grimmauld Place, that's it!" He practically jumped up from the curb and jogged down the street, muttering his mantra of "Number twelve Grimmauld Place." The fronts of the other houses were dull and uninviting but Harry had very little time to think about his surroundings. It was cold outside, and though Harry's adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, the chill in the air was getting to him.

Finally a house appeared. It was just as battered as the others but the only thing Harry cared about was the twelve on the door post. He sprinted up the steps and thrust his shoulder against the door, tapping his wand against it at the same time. He fell onto the floor with a clatter and immediately heard the screeches of an old woman. Maybe he had the wrong address. Then he heard hushed voices. One was hoarse and ill-used, Sirius's voice. "What was that Remus? Could someone have gotten in?"

"Sirius! What was that," came Mrs. Weasley's voice from another area of the house.

"Don't know Molly, we're going to go look. Make sure the others don't come down," came Remus's voice. There was a grunt of affirmation and the padding of footsteps on the hall above Harry's head. "Make sure to be careful Sirius," Remus whispered, their footsteps sounding quiet audibly on the stairs. Harry stood up and brushed himself off. He hoped he wouldn't be causing them much of a fright.

It seemed like an eternity before Harry heard their feat hit the landing. He braced himself, trying desperately not to cry. Their faces came into view a moment later and Harry had to try hard not to run to Sirius. "Harry!" Remus exclaimed, the two of them rushing to Harry's side. "What are you doing here? How'd you get all the way to-to-?"

"I-I took the Knight Bus," Harry stammered.

"Why?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows up. "Family problems?" Harry nodded. "Ah, thought that would happen. Let's go somewhere else an-"

"Sirius! Remus!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called hoarsely from the banister. "Who's there?"

"It's nothing Molly, just a clatter from outside," Remus answered, looking pointedly at Harry. Harry grinned in relief, he didn't think he could've handled Mrs. Weasley. Remus lead the trio into the adjoining drawing room. Harry sat down with a thud on a puffy sofa.

"You look cold," Sirius stated, sitting next to him. "Here, let's start a fire," he aimed his wand at the fireplace and an immediate blaze popped up.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

"So, what's this all about?" Remus asked finally, after a couple seconds of tense silence.

"I had a fight with Papa, um, Tom," he gazed fixedly at the rug, not wanting to meet their eyes.

"What about?" Sirius asked. It was weird for him to think of Harry calling someone other than James "Papa".

"They don't get it! I can't tell them anything and it's all getting so complicated!"

"Why can't you tell them anything?" Sirius asked as if not telling them was the most ludicrous thing in the world. Harry gave him an annoyed look before explaining.

"Look, I can't endanger them. This isn't their fault, they didn't know it would be like this when they adopted me and Abby's another thing. She's so young and I can't even imagine putting her in any danger. Plus, they just wouldn't understand. That's why I came here. I need some time to think."

"That's fine Harry, we're happy to have you but-" Remus paused. "Do Harrison and Tom know where you are?" Harry shook his head slowly. He hadn't really been thinking of anything. They probably had the whole police force looking for him. "Well, it's about one o'clock now," Remus looked down at his watch. "You probably left about around eight?" Harry nodded though he had no idea. "Well, you should probably floo them. They're connected right?" Harry nodded again.

Sirius pulled a small bag from the folds of his robes and handed it to Harry. He seemed a little less then pleased but tried to hide it for Harry's sake. Harry tossed the floo powder in and stated his address firmly. He stuck his head in and his living room swirled into focus. Tom and Harrison were sitting on the couch with cups of coffee in their hands. They were discussing something in low voices.

"I wonder what's wrong with him," Harrison said softly. His hair was untidy and he had bags under his eyes. Tom looked, if anything, worse. Just as Harry was about to pull out Tom looked up.

"Harry!" he exclaimed, rushing to the hearth. "Where in the HELL have you been? We've been worried sick. You just stormed out," he was cut short by Harrison who joined him.

"Where are you now Harry?" he was using his stay-calm voice but it wasn't fooling Harry.

"Listen, both of you. I'm, well, I'm here. I'm not going to tell you anymore. I need time to think and I can't do it at home. Please don't worry, I'm fine. The Weasleys are here and Hermione, Professor Lupin too. I'll be home probably before I go back to school but I'm not making any promises. Tell Abby I love her and that I'm sorry. Bye."

"Wait a minute!" Tom said, his voice raised. "Where are you Harry? You may be fifteen but we're still your parents."

"I can't tell you okay. Just trust me," Harry's voice was strained. "I'll try to come home in a couple of days after I've gotten myself sorted out."

"Fine Harry," Harrison sounded strained and Harry could see the pain in his eyes.

"Thank you," Harry murmured, withdrawing his head from the fire before Tom could interject. He fell back onto the carpet with a thud. It had been harder then he thought. He looked back at Sirius and Remus who were still sitting on the couch. He smiled weakly. "See what I mean?" Harry questioned.

"Harry, you should probably go home before a couple of days are up," Remus stated, not looking at Harry directly.

"Why, do you not want me here?" Harry was hurt. He thought that at least with Remus and Sirius he could be normal if not entirely happy.

"Of course we do! I don't know what Remus is hinting at but-"

"Sirius, you keep forgetting that Harrison and Tom are Harry's parents. How would Lily and James have felt in their situation. Harry, are you forgetting your little sister too? What will she do if there's no big brother on Christmas day?" Harry turned his head away while Sirius simply glared at his "friend".

"Now, Harry, why don't you tell us about what's bothering you. It's clearly something beyond your parents," Remus said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Okay, you know about Mr. Weasley, that a snake bit him," he paused a moment, waiting for confirmation. Remus and Sirius nodded slightly and Harry began again. "What you don't know is that, well, it's so hard to explain."

"Try us," Sirius stated, sounding surprisingly like Tom.

"Well, I was the snake, I bit Mr. Weasley."

"That's crazy Harry. I know your prone to feel guilty about things that are out of your control but this is ridiculous!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Could you try and explain? I don't think I understand," Remus replied, a bit more calmly then Sirius had.

"Well, I was sleeping and suddenly I was there, in some room. I was the snake I thought like a snake."

"Has anything like this happened before?" Remus asked.

"Kind of, I've been having visions of Voldemort for quite some time but I've never experienced anything first hand," Harry cast his eyes to the floor feeling ashamed but oddly weightless.

"WHAT!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "How could you not have told us? How could you not have told me? Don't you see Harry. Voldemort could use this for ill if you keep it up, this is dangerous."

"So," Remus cut through Sirius's diatribe. "After you had this vision you went and told Dumbledore that something was wrong?" Harry nodded. "Then you saved Mr. Weasley Harry. You have no need to feel guilty." Remus said it as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. "And don't go blaming yourself. The only thing you did wrong was not telling anyone about these visions. I plan on owling Dumbledore in the morning about this if you need to punish yourself, that's your punishment." Harry didn't even try to complain. It felt nice, telling someone about all that had been on his mind.

"So what should I do about my parents?" he asked softly.

"I think you're probably right about trying to protect them," Remus responded. "There's really no other way that I can think of though I might try talking to Dumbledore. As it stands, you'll be going back first thing in the morning."

"Why Remus?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Because Sirius, how would Lily and James have felt if we kept Harry out of their grasp for God knows how long? They're probably worried sick and imagining all the ways Harry could die."

"Voice of bloody reason as always," Sirius grumbled. His face brightened though as he scampered out of the room. He came back with a brightly colored package in his hands. "Here Harry, don't open it till Christmas." Harry grinned and took the gift.

"Thanks, to both of you. I just needed somebody to talk to." They both nodded.

"Anytime."

"Yeah, anytime." Harry let out a stupendous yawn. "Hey," Sirius said. "Why don't you sleep and we'll wake you up in the morning." Harry nodded distractedly and closed his eyes.

6:00 am

"Harry, Harry wake up it's time to go. If you don't want to be accosted by Mrs. Weasley you better get up now," Harry sat up in alarm, sure it was Voldemort before he caught sight of Remus. "Sirius is going to transform and we're going to take a taxi to your house." Harry nodded, still dreading going home. No doubt he would spend the whole day under the watchful eyes of his parents, explaining and apologizing till he grew tongue tied. He rose and the whole room became vertical again.

Remus had already called a taxi and they walked outside to wait at the end of the road. Remus had taken Harry's bag and Harry had been given the job of reigning in Sirius. The group only had to wait a couple of minutes before a black taxi pulled up. "Where to?" the man asked gruffly, taking his cigarette from his lips. Harry shot out the address, trying hard not to breathe as they stepped into the cab. "No dogs in here," the man exclaimed as Sirius was about to hop in. A growl passed through his lips and the cab driver shut his mouth.

"It'll be fine Harry," Remus said comfortingly. Harry's face was pulled tight and his eyes stared blankly ahead. "They'll probably be too relieved to see you to ask too many questions." Harry rolled his eyes but said nothing. His parents may not know anything about the present wizarding world but the wizarding world knew nothing about his parents either.

The ride was surprisingly short which was a good thing for Harry pretty much held his breath the whole way. They pulled up in front of the house that Harry knew so well. He could see the outlines of two men pacing the floor in the living room. "Damn," he muttered. He had really made himself believe that they had gone to bed and he could sneak into his room and pretend it was all a dream.

"What?"

"Nothing, look, I don't think you two should come in. I'll handle it and anyone else would just make it worse." Remus nodded and Sirius gave a growl. Harry moved to the back of the cab and retrieved his duffle before laboriously making his way up the steps. Not feeling like knocking and waiting for the door to open, he fumbled for the key he had thrown the night before in his hurry to get away. While he was searching the cab drove off with Remus and Sirius and he was left alone in the cold, December morning. With annoyance he conceded that the key had somehow found it's way to the far reaches of Mars and, with hesitation, he rung the doorbell.

He heard hushed whispers and a scurry of slippered feet rushing to the door. With a bang, it clanged open and Harry was pulled inside. Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting down on the couch with two disgruntled and sleep deprived men in front of him. He bit his lip and looked down at the floor, trying to not feel their angry glares on the top of his head. No one spoke for a long time and Harry became a little nervous. Finally, Harry muttered "Sorry" just to break the silence. This seemed to release a dam of speech and Harry almost jumped at the sound of their voices in unison.

"Sorry?" they both nearly yelled.

"What do you mean "sorry" sorry for blowing up at the restaurant, "sorry" for leaving without even saying goodbye, or maybe "sorry" for being so unhelpful last night when you called?" Harrison asked in a deadly whisper. Harry bristled and looked up.

"Sorry for everything? Now I'm going upstairs to "think about what I've done" okay?" Harry replied. He got up from the couch and was about to make his way upstairs when he was pushed back down with the force of his two parents' grip.

"No Harry, we're past letting you just walk away," Tom said softly. "I personally am tired of the distance you seem hell-bent on creating between us." Harry bit his lip, trying not to cry. Crying was an emotional response he had learned from his Papa and he hated it then more then ever.

"Do you think I want to do it? Really, do you think I enjoy making you miserable, it's ki-ki-killing me," Harry's stomach caught as he tried hard not to let the sob out. It didn't work, he felt his body start shaking uncontrollably and tears began coursing down his face. He tried hard to cover it with his arm but his parents knew him too well.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Harrison asked, his voice loosing its edge. He sat down and put a "comforting" arm around his son.

"I can't," Harry forced out almost inaudibly.

"Why?" Tom asked, stroking Harry's shaggy hair. Harry no longer could speak. He dissolved into a complete sobbing fit. "It's okay Harry, it's okay. We're not mad at you. We were just worried sick. We love, we're not mad at you."

"That's right, you'll tell us when you're ready," Harrison murmured in his ear. "Sweet baby, just let all of the tears come out, we'll be here, we'll always be here."

A/N-I know this has been a long time coming and for that I apologize. It's been busy but that's really not an excuse I know. Things are happening in Harry's world that are making everything difficult. I like this chapter and I hope it's worth it R&R!