Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

Now that that's out of the way, let's begin…

Last time,

Harry accepts the piece of paper held out to him and reads it.

One does not simply fuck with a man like me and get away with it. You brokeyour oath, Riddle. And now I will come for you and your family.

Be seeing you

Harry clears his throat, looking around a little before putting the note in his pocket and attempting to look unaffected.

"Thank you," He tells the intern and then waves good bye to Benni before continuing on his way.

Now,

1st January 2002

Harry's sitting in his office, Greyback's threat in hand and a lump in his throat. He wonders how he can protect his family. The only way they got through this was by standing together. It only worked once he and Draco had spoken and shared information instead of constantly working around each other. He thinks of his conversation with Dumbledore, about his mistakes around thinking he knew people better than themselves and making decisions for them.

Harry shakes his head. With Draco's job, he can't put him in that position by revealing the deal he made with Greyback. He'll protect his family from the consequences himself no matter what it takes. He puts the note in his desk drawer, eyes drawn yet again to the photo of Draco and Delphini, one of Bella asleep in her bassinet now sitting beside it. He nods to himself, he may not be able to tell Draco about Greyback, but there is one thing he can share.

He walks out, looking around a little before finding Draco reading a book in their sitting room.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?"

Draco puts his book to the side after marking his page. "Of course, what's going on?"

Harry sits on the other end of the couch, angling his body to face his partner.

"There's some things you don't know. I promised to keep her safe, you see, and knowing what it's like to find out you have less than optimal parentage, well it seemed the best way to do that was to just let it lay in the past." Harry sighs, "I still think that's the right call for her, but this stuff with Sevrin… if Severus and Remus had just spoken with each other properly… not that I'm blaming them, Sevrin's mad, that's all there is to that. But it might have saved their marriage in the aftermath of it if there weren't so much hidden between them to begin with."

Draco frowns in concern, reaching out and holding Harry's hand. "So tell me now. Whatever this is about, I will always have your back, Harry."

"I know. And I know I have a habit of making things difficult. I'm trying to do better, and I figure this is a good place to start." Harry clears his throat, looking down as he does and thus missing the love in Draco's eyes and the proud smile on his face. "It's about Delphini. I think it's about time you know who her mother is." Draco's eyes widen in shock. Harry winces, "And her father."

"…what?"


2nd of January 2002

Severus Snape exits the floo into the Potter Mansion, it's a New Year, and an important one. He smiles as he walks into the loungeroom and finds Remus has already pilfered one of their grandchildren while Molly has the other newborn. Jamie smiles tiredly when she notices he has arrived.

"Hey Daddle," She greets, walking over to hug him.

"You sure you shouldn't be resting?"

"We're wizards, Dad, they healed me. Stop being such a worrywart, you were like this after Lyle too."

Remus sighs from where he sits and nods, "I know, I know." He looks back down to the baby in his arms and smiles so very gently.

"Finally, Uncle Sev! You're late!" Draco complains as he walks in, Bella in his arms and Delphini on his heels. She runs forward to see him.

"Look how cute they are! Not as cute as my baby sister but still cute," She informs him.

Lyle narrows his eyes, "My baby sisters are way cuter than Bella!"

Harry steps forward, kneeling down between the two and gestures for them both to come closer.

"Do you two want to know a secret?" He asks them. Delphini and Lyle both nod.

"Can I know too?" Rema asks. Harry nods for her to come close as well.

"Who do you think is prettier, hmm? Fred, Peter, or Draco?" They each respond with the name of their father, then look at each other disgruntled. "That's because people look prettier the more you love them."

Delphi looks at her Dad in surprise, "Really?"

He nods, "Yep. There's a little feeling inside you that tells you what you're looking at is pretty, and it goes off louder the more love it feels in you. So you always think your sibling is cuter than someone else's."

"Coz we love them more," Lyle realises. Harry nods again. He looks to the ground, then to Delphini and nods as well. "That's okay then." Delphini agrees.

"Harry, who am I supposed to think is pretty then? I don't have any sisters."

"No, but you have plenty of family to love, and we all love you too."

Rema smiles brightly and hugs him before running off to coo at the babies with the other two.

Tom smiles from the couch after hearing the exchange, he leans to the side where Del sits and squeezes her hand in his lightly. "I may not be able to see you anymore, but I still think you're beautiful."

Del smiles, and he doesn't need to see it to know it is blinding, "I love you, too. Whatever happens with your eyes, whether we can get your sight back or not, I love you, and I'm with you."

"Together."

"Always."

"So, everyone's here now," Lillie exclaims, "Can we know their names?"

Fred takes Jamie's hand as he nods to the baby in Remus' arms. "That's Artemis Weasley."

Jamie smiles towards the one Molly holds. "And her sister, Constellation Weasley. But, we figure we'll call her Connie."

There's an emotional silence after that, Jamie and Remus locking eyes. He smiles at her warmly and she smiles in return. The moment is broken by Rema.

"Daddy, I changed my mind, I think you and mummy should have another baby."

Peter snorts a little, "I don't think that's going to happen, baby bird."

"I thought you hadn't talked about it."

"We hadn't, now we have," Bridget explains to her daughter.

Rema frowns, "They're really cute though."

"Don't worry, Rema, you can play with Bella with me when you come over," Delphini reassures her. Rema smiles and bounds over to hug her.

Draco watches the children play, he sees Hermione beside Sirius and Benni at her Papa's feet as she chats with Bridget. Blood never mattered to them, family did. He thinks of Jamie, of the fact that Bellatrix wasn't even originally her mother. He looks to Delphini, and he knows no matter the truths Harry revealed last night, she's his daughter in every way that matters, and he will ensure she never doubts his love like Harry's had cause to doubt everyone's. He won't make trust and belief and safety and family such a hardship. They made a better world, and he's glad to be the one guiding her and loving her as she grows up in it.

Harry walks over to sit beside Severus, "How are you doing?"

Sev frowns, "Okay, I think. Better than I anticipated I would be when it was done." Harry hums acknowledgement and they fall into silence for a few moments. "How about you? I hear you've been busy."

"Mmm, it's been one hell of a week. But I've got another week of paternity leave, and this one I intend to spend with them," He says, looking to his children and Draco, "Every moment I've got." He winces a little, "I get the feeling we'll be with my parents a lot."

"Do they think they can heal his vision?"

Harry shakes his head, "There's a few more things to try but, well Hermione's an empath. She can feel the healer's doubt. Which is exactly why I asked her to come along."

"You haven't told your parents, have you?"

"There's still a chance, I won't take that from them. Besides, Father's been through worse than this. He'll adapt, even if he's blind the rest of his life."

"Daddy! Come play!" Delphini calls.

Harry smiles, nodding to Severus before getting up to go get climbed on by his daughter and cousins. Suddenly there's a baby in Severus' arms. He looks up to find Jamie smiling down.

"You hadn't held her yet today."

He beams at the child in his arms, "She's beautiful, Jamie." He looks up to his daughter, "Congratulations, Niecter." Jamie snickers as she sits down beside him.

Severus looks at the love surrounding him in his family, and the little bundle in his arms, and he realises. This, right here.

This is what he had been waiting for.


Notes:

Congrats, now you're done waiting too lmao. It's all here!

Every one of the stories in this series have been a challenge, each has been suuper different from the last. Going from the story of someone's life in The Boy Who Never Cried Wolf, to a semi-Dark!Harry story, and now a crime one? Really never thought I'd write crime but here we are. If it wasn't great, that's why, I don't read a lot of crime.

Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this one, I know it's a lot shorter (a LOT shorter) than the others but I really do hope you enjoyed it.

I have plans for one last story in this series and that'll be it, but I have absolutely no clue when that will be out. I haven't even planned it all out yet. One thing I do intend to do before focusing on that one is to revamp The Boy Who Never Cried Wolf. I've learnt a lot about writing (a lot about grammar) and it makes it hard to look back on it because there's a lot of mistakes. So, I'll be editing and reuploading chapters of that. Won't change the content at all though.

Anyways, I'll stop rabbiting now haha

Thanks so much for sticking around!