Gold and Silver, Fire and Ice

by Ankha

Harry's in trouble and who comes to save him, Snape! Yes the dear old Potions Master. But soon they're both embroiled in a sea of uncertainty. What is the Star of Hope and how can it defeat Voldemort? Can the new family survive?

31. When Predictions Come True

A/N: Well, everyone, I'm so happy you enjoyed the last chapter as I wasn't so sure how you would react. I had thought it would be good, but I wasn't sure. Anyway, enough of my rambling, let's get onto the chapter!

2A/N: Since this story did not get finished before the fifth book came out (obviously) then it is officially an AU (Alternate Universe) where Severus Snape is not a bloody asshole and Dumbledore is not quite that manipulative.

I did read it (in 2 days, I left it alone for the first) and enjoyed it very much! I can't wait to get my hands on Professor Umbridge *rubs her hands gleefully* I plan many a torture sessions just for her and will use all of her "decrees" to roast her little toad-like body thoroughly, anyone care to join me? Yes, I hated her that much and with good reason for all of those people out there that have read the book you know what I mean.

Special Note to Gil-Celeb: Honey, you must read the book! I know you've read the spoilers and don't like it (especially who dies) but believe me, it's worth it. Umbridge is worse than Pomfrey at her worst I swear! That woman is nothing but pure evil; honestly, trying to use the Cruciatus curse on Harry. *Snarls* It really is better if you read it before you make judgements, spoilers don't do it justice. Besides, it won't take you that long.

Warnings: IF YOU LIKE CHO CHANG THEN I SUGGEST YOU LEARN TO HATE HER IN THE NEXT FEW SECONDS BECAUSE...WELL...I MADE HER MEAN!!!

To all of you who knows who died, he will continue to live in this fic as I can't kill him. At least, not yet.

Disclaimer: Don't own, nothing more to say.

Synopsis of last chapter: All right, first comes the trial of Lucius Malfoy over custody of Draco Malfoy which Lucius LOSES to Kit who now has sole rights over the blonde boy. Then Seri, Harry, Severus, and Kit travel to Privet Drive to retrieve Seri and Kit's foster parents so that they can see the wedding. While there, Harry goes into Number Four and encounters Marge but before she can do anything to him his family arrives and the make it safely to Hogwarts. Pomfrey escapes Voldemort's clutches and manages to make it back to Hogwarts where she intends to extract MORE revenge but is so badly injured she can do nothing and is found in the Forbidden Forest by a Hungarian Horntail (Draco) and is taken to the castle where she is hidden until the wedding. Then comes the wedding where Severus and Seri say their own vows and Lily, James, Thomas and Joyce (Harry's and the twins parents respectively) are able to watch. During the reception it is revealed that Pomfrey has escaped but has been eaten by a dragon (Norbert) effectively putting her out of the picture all together. For Christmas, Harry and Dumbledore give Seri and Severus rings that represent their family. Seri also asked Harry if she can adopt him and he says yes. We then follow Seri and Severus as they are off to enjoy their first night as husband and wife *Grins* while Harry stays in his Grandfather's Tower. While there, Harry looks through his journal and discovers there is only one prediction that has not come true and that is the one of him kneeling in front of Voldemort. And that's where we left on as we lead into...

Chapter 31-When Predictions Come True

"Bloody hell and Merlin's shoes, I'm late!" The cry came from above the Headmaster's head, causing both him and the deputy Headmistress to glance up. Seconds later a blur of black and scarlet blasted past them, obscenities still flowing unchecked from his lips. The door slammed closed, rattling figurines on their shelves and display cases. McGonagall blinked in confusion before turning to the Dumbledore who was sipping his tea in an unconcerned fashion.

"What was he late for, if I may ask?" she inquired curiously, shaken at seeing the normally together student cursing up a storm. The Headmaster shrugged, glancing first at the clock then at the entrance to his bedroom (where Seleyna was taking a nap).

"His lesson with Kit." That only added to the woman's confusion.

"But can't he just," she waved her hand in a swirling pattern, "zap himself down there?" she finished, unable to find the correct term for their transportation abilities.

"Yes," Albus remarked in amusement, "but he seems to forget that when he is in a rush. Remembrance only comes when it is truly needed," he added knowingly.

***

Harry skidded to a halt in front of the door of the "torture chamber". By his calculations he was five minutes late (punctuality was not his thing) and in for it. Kit did not tolerate tardiness from any of her students (Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were also being tutored); he was in for it. Taking in a deep breath and steeling his nerves he pushed open the door. Silence lay like a thick blanket over the chamber that even his entrance could not disturb. Draco was already present and stretching on the thin blue mats. When the blonde spotted his cousin he winced sympathetically. he knew what the boy was going to suffer; both of them had been late for their first lessons. The only reason Harry had never been late to any of his lessons in previous years can be attested by the presence of Hermione. The female Gryffindor's sense of punctuality was infinite and being one of her closest friends, one would assume a minute amount of the same sense would have passed on to him. It had not, he was sad to say.

"Harry." The teen swallowed thickly and turned to face his teacher. Kitiara Winter had the amazing ability to act just like his father, so much so the boy found it scary. No one would believe the sweet, over-zealous healer possessed a scowl that matched her brother-in-law's. Then again, so did Seri. And Albus. And Seleyna (though he'd never seen it directed at a living thing). And he himself. All had come to the unanimous conclusion: Severus was rubbing off on them.

"Yes, Madam Winter?" Normally, he calling her this would be absurd but he even called his father "Professor Dumbledore" when he was tutoring him. The woman was to be granted the same respect.

"I suspect you realize you are late, again." He winced when she stressed that word. Yes, enormous trouble. "Care to tell me why?" Shuffling his feet he kept his eyes trained on the floor; the excuse was not a good one.

"I was reading." Kit circled him.

"I see. And how did you discover you were late?" Harry shuffled his feet once more, putting his hands behind his back. There was no doubt to anyone his next words were not going to improve his situation.

"I happened to glance at the clock and realized it was past time for the beginning of my lesson. I'm sorry." The healer sighed. What was she going to do with him? She desperately needed to break his pattern of being tardy.

"Accepted. You will be staying with me for an extra hour, is that understood?" The teenager snapped to attention.

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Now, join Draco in his warm-ups." He nodded once and shed his robe, sitting down next to his cousin. They faced one another, legs in a split, using their feet to brace the other. They grabbed the other's forearm and Draco pulled back, causing Harry to lean forward.

"Where you really reading?" the blonde asked. Harry spoke to the floor.

"I was trying to finish an assignment my father gave me." The teenager sighed as he straightened and leaned back, pulling Draco forward. "The man doesn't seem to realize that he is supposed to be on a sabbatical/honeymoon," he grumbled as they straightened. Draco leaned back and chuckled.

"Harry, I'm sure he's very aware that he's on his honeymoon." His chuckle grew when the fire mage lifted his head to gift him with an irritated scowl. "He only wants to make sure you don't fall behind. Isn't Aunt Seri doing the same?" They straightened and stood, spreading their feet apart. Harry nodded as he leaned, stretching out his sides.

"She has me digging through the books she brought from Riddle Manor. I have to study all of the curses and find their counter-curses and ways to treat the after-effects. I think she's trying to cram her seven years of learning into five months." Draco raised an eyebrow as they straightened and leaned to the other side.

"Why five months?"

"Because that's when school will end and we begin our summer campaign against the Dark Lord. We can only do so much before then. I'll also be dividing my time between fighting on the field with Severus, aiding Seri and Kit as well as teaching." They straightened and pulled their feet together and leaned over to touch the floor.

"Do you ever sleep?" Harry glared when they pulled back up.

"Ha ha, very funny." The blonde grinned cheekily and the fire mage would have said more but Kit clapped her hands sharply.

"If you two are done chit-chatting, we're ready to jog. Hop to!" The two boys pulled themselves together and they followed the woman out the door, picking up speed once they left the torture chamber.

***

"Exactly, how--how often do--do you do this?" Harry demanded to know as they slumped against the stone wall. Kit frowned as her son nodded, indicating he wished to know as well.

"Every morning. I'm surprised by the two of you; you're both in Quidditch, or at least were, I had assumed you would be in better shape. Especially you, Harry, after all those lessons we had together." The dark-haired woman did not seem pleased. The fire mage wiped away the sweat that poured down his face and took a deep breath.

"We never have to do this in Quidditch and those combat lessons fizzled out under everything else that had to be done." Kit crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. This would not do at all.

"We're going to remedy that. Meet me here promptly at six every morning from now on and we'll repeat what we have just done." Draco's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Six in the morning?!" he repeated incredulously. Harry punched him weakly in the side.

"Be thankful it isn't earlier," he muttered. The blonde Gryffindor shut his mouth with a snap so fast it seemed to have cracked a couple of his teeth.

"I could make it five if you wish," the healer threatened. Both boys quickly shook their heads and she smirked. "I didn't think so. Go walk for fifteen minutes, Draco, to cool off. Harry, back in the torture chamber, we still have another hour to go," she ordered swiftly and the two boys rose, Draco heading for the Gryffindor Tower and Harry followed Kit back inside. Walking slowly to cool down he watched curiously as she took up and stored away the mats. Once that was done she took her staff and cast several fire-resisting charms. This sent his eyebrows to his hairline; what was she doing that they would need such protection? Were they going to practice with his gift? When her preparations were ready she waved him over.

"Do you have your staff with you?" she questioned as he approached. He shook his head but summoned it to him with a snap of his fingers. She nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Do you remember when Seri turned her staff into a sword?" He nodded. "I believe something similar is possible by all of us we just haven't harnessed the power yet. I'm not sure exactly how to summon it, but Seri said she was thinking of helping to protect Severus at the time. I want you to do the same. Think that Severus is in danger and only you can save him. Go on, try it," she encouraged. The teenager, not certain this would work, tried to focus his thoughts. There was no great power surge or warm fire in his hands. The great inferno that burned continuously within him had turned in to a camp fire.

"Keep trying, Harry!" The healer prodded. Harry took a deep breath. It could not have just been the thought of Severus that had summoned Seri's weapon, there had to be more. Turning his focus on the words "protect" and "danger" something deep within him stirred. Boosted by this bit of success he went deeper, summoning the memories of the people he'd seen tortured under the hands of Voldemort. The feeling grew, the fire growing as though as if it had been stirred and agitated. He had to be heading in the right direction so he pursued, pulling on the guilt that he felt when his friends were placed in harm's way, when Cedric had died, and all of the tortured souls he'd seen die since then. The feeling continued to grow, anger and guilt, the want to protect, to hope that none other would ever hurt. From his heart the fire ignited, spreading outward, burning its energy into everything in its path. The staff grew warm, so much so it too burned. He closed his eyes, his head raising, a silent cry of pain escaping his lips. He could not fight the sensations, they were too overwhelming, they would consume him. No, he thought fiercely, jerking his head down, control was essential, it was necessary. Slowly, the blaze bent to his will and quieted but the fire in his staff only grew till he thought the flesh had to be melting from his hands.

"No, I control you, I am your master," he growled. The fire grew challengingly but he enforced his will, the steel of it not to be tempered. It flared once more before quieting, submitting to him. Relief spread through his hands and he knew it was uninjured. Allowing his eyes to open he glanced at his aunt who was staring at him with her jaw on the floor.

"What is it?" he asked in concern. His voice seemed to bring her from her trance and she let out a whoop of triumph.

"You did it! You did it!" she cried, giving him a fierce hug. He staggered but recovered and returned with a one arm hug of his own.

"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "But what did I do?" She pulled away and swatted his shoulder, giving him a brief scowl.

"Silly bird, you summoned your weapon and armor. Look," she commanded, pointing at his hand. He followed her gaze and gasped. That was all he could do frankly. In his right hand, where his staff had once been, was a bow, unlike any he had ever seen before. It was at least four feet long and made from the same wood as his staff. Imbedded in the wood were thin streams of silver and gold, that, he suddenly realized, created the outlines of feathers. This spidery network ended at the bow's center. This was were the wood was widest but his hand was in a worn section, indented, but just the perfect shape for his hand. The gold and silver met at the top and bottom of where he placed his hand and extended outwards, like the beak of a phoenix. Set into the gold at the top were two rubies that glittered like eyes back at him.

"It's...it's..." he stuttered as he ran his finger over the thin strand that was attached at either end, a smile finding its way to his face. "Perfect." The dark-haired healer nodded as she ran a hand over the smooth surface of his shoulder guards.

"Steel, just like my sister's," she whispered absently, stepping back for a better look. He possessed all the same armor as her sister had, though it seemed much more elaborate. Swirling flame whispered along the edges of each piece, moving as he did. The helmet's visor was pushed up so she could see his face but this piece was also of interest with its unique and ornate design. There were openings for him to see, their shape cut for his eyes only. The nose guard came to the point like a beak and scrawling lines created the illusion of feathers. It was truly the helmet of a phoenix.

"Quite the warrior," she proclaimed proudly. He grinned as red touched his cheeks. The woman shared his grin and pinched his cheeks.

"And he's so cuuute when he blushes too!" she giggled, causing him to snarl and bat her hand away.

"Kit!" he sighed in exasperation, "Please." The woman sobered immediately.

"All right, fire child, I'll leave you be but we still have a great deal of work to do. Do you realize that your element is the most dangerous and unpredictable out of everyone's?" He nodded, the thought a sobering one. Merlin had left him a note behind after he had visited which the mage had found later that night on the table beside his bed.

"Ye who gains his powers first shall be the most dangerous of all." It was a message he thought of often, especially if he ever became angry or particularly annoyed. When ever this happened he could feel his fire stirring and he would consciously have to restrain it. His worse fear at this point was that he would lose what little control he had and hurt, or worse, kill someone.

"Good, I'm glad you do. The others and I feel that we should work hardest on your control and to that end we will be spending the next half-hour on using your gift in combat. How does that sound?" The answer came in the form of a well aimed flaming arrow that she barely had time to dodge.

"What are we waiting for?" the teenager asked playfully as he nocked another arrow. "Let's get started."

***

A few days later found the fire mage lounging comfortably in a nest of pillows under one of the great arbors by the lake. Not far away on the blanket as well as in her own circle of pillows was Evelyn. At the moment she was concentrating on the easel in front of her, red hair pulled out of her face and into a pony tail. Her heavy winter cloak lay behind her next to Harry's, both having shed them some time ago. Both were pointedly ignoring the strange looks they were receiving from their fellow students who were all bundled tight in their winter attire. To allow them to be more comfortable and therefore spend more time outdoors, Harry had set up a dome of warmth around them that he maintained constantly. While Evelyn continued to paint, Harry was occupied by the book within his hands. It was one Dudley had recently traded him, Heart of Darkness, one that he found utterly fascinating.

Letting out a contented sigh as he completed the first section, he marked his page and set the novella aside, turning his attention on the Ravenclaw who continued to work. From his angle he could not see what she was painting but it held her attention so completely he imagined that the world could fall apart around her and she would not know it. Like him she was dressed in a dark jumper and long pants to combat against the cold conditions for once they left this spot, they would be out of the mage's dome.

When she paused, tilting her head to the side, squinting at what she had done so far, he felt it safe to interrupt her.

"What is the subject today?" he inquired in a soft voice so as not to intrude too much. Unfortunately, that didn't work as she jumped then closed her eyes, hand going to her heart.

"Oh, Harry? You startled me!" He gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She returned the smile and sighed, leaning away from the easel.

"I know you didn't, I just get caught up in my own world, you know, when I draw or paint." He nodded in understanding. It was the same for him when he flew. All alone (or with his family), the wind whistling by him, the clouds tickling the underside of his wings, the warmth of the sun seeping into him. It was his special place.

"What are you working on?" he rephrased his earlier question. The girl beckoned to him and he moved up behind her, leaning over her shoulder. It was Hagrid, or, rather, Hagrid and his hut. The gamekeeper was depicted in warm, earthy tones that the mage felt suited him. With his crossbow in hand and Fang at his side the half-giant seemed to be heading into the Forbidden Forest. The stone hut gave off an inviting warm glow that contrasted greatly with the cold surroundings. Harry could almost taste the love that came from it, the simple comfort of home unmistakable. The fire mage smiled, knowing the love that had to have gone into this and kissed her temple.

"It's beautiful, I don't think I've seen one better." She blushed, very pleased he liked her painting; she was planning to give it to him after all. After a few more seconds of studying the portrait (and its artist) he drew away, curling back up in his pillows. Evelyn watched and could not help but grin.

"You do know you sub-consciously arrange all of those pillows like a nest, don't you?" He arched an eyebrow as he sat up, sitting Indian-style in the center of his "nest".

"Your point being?" he drawled, green eyes dancing with mischief. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh nothing, silly bird, I was merely making an observation." He sent her a mock glare which faded to a neutral mask when he spied who was approaching. Evelyn looked up as well and scowled, finding no reason to hide her sour expression, especially when it was this person. Cho Chang ignored her house-mate and turned a sickeningly sweet smile on the fire mage. Evelyn wanted to gag.

"Hello, Harry, I was just wondering if you wanted to come flying for a bit. It's a wonderful day for it." The red-haired Ravenclaw snorted. Yes, perfect weather for flying, if you want frostbite. The dark- haired Gryffindor shook his head and settle once more on his side, picking up his book.

"No thank you, Cho, I'd rather not but thank you for the offer," he politely declined, returning his attention to his reading. Cho did not get the hint, or if she did, she ignored it and stepped closer, smile widening.

"Please, Harry," she allowed her eyes to widen as well, "I was so hoping you could teach me some of your tricks." Evelyn bristled at the tone of her house-mate's voice, recognizing it for what it suggested. Harry, oblivious to its meaning and polite to a fault, again refused.

"Maybe another time." The dark-haired Ravenclaw refused to give up and took another bold step forward, now mere inches from the Gryffindor, and bent down.

"Please," she started but choked to a stop when she found a wand between her eyes. Evelyn's gold eyes burned dangerously.

"He said no, Chang, don't you understand? If not, I can put it in simpler terms. Back off now." Cho Chang's face twisted from beautiful to grotesque in heartbeat as she glared at the other Ravenclaw before standing.

"Very well. I'll see you later, Harry." She smiled and winked at him before turning back towards the castle, unaware she was sporting new appendages. Evelyn kept a firm glare on her back till she disappeared before turning to the Gryffindor.

"Nice touch with the donkey ears and tail, Harry, how long will they last?" He gave her a smirk that reminded the redhead of the boy's father and chuckled darkly.

"Twenty-four hours and no one should be able to reverse it." Evelyn smirked and let out a growl of "good" before returning to her easel, though it was obvious to the mage that she was too angry to work. Finally, after watching her brush her hand several times with the paint brush, Harry reached toward and stilled her actions. She glanced at him, revealing her lingering anger, then looked away. He pulled her against his chest, putting his head on her shoulder.

"Want to tell me why and how long you two have...well..."

"Despised one another?" She supplied as she cleaned her hand. "Since the moment we met. No one in the House would be associated with her. Well, a few of the boys would but that's not the point." Harry raised an eyebrow as he moved around in front of her.

"Why is that?" The teenage girl sighed.

"To put it bluntly, Harry, she's the whore of Ravenclaw." She placed a finger under his chin and pushed it up when it fell open. "Shocking as that may seem, it's true. Believe me, no one in Ravenclaw house is proud of that and we've done everything possible to keep it secret. She picks out high profile students like you and Cedric Diggory, seduces and uses them then throws them away and goes for someone else. Cedric she could never convince to go to bed with her and everyone in our house knew her frustration. The only reason she didn't go after you last year is because she thought you were too young and needed to mature a bit more before she conquered 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'," she stopped when Harry began to turn green.

"I think I'm going to be sick," the fire mage replied faintly. Evelyn's expression was sympathetic as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Harry, I don't intend to let her anywhere near you." He smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Evie."

***

Sunlight hesitantly entered the room, afraid to disturb the two sleeping forms. Like a child approaching its parents, the light crept, bathing them in warmth. One of the figures stirred, scooting closer to the smaller figure. The male sighed, realizing sleep had left him for now, and allowed his obsidian eyes to slit open, drinking in the lovely sight before him. He could not see her face, only a strong torrent of gold strands that fell past her waist. She had not hindered its growth and it was rapidly approaching her knees. She was dressed in one of his cotton white shirts and gray pants that he normally reserved as sleep wear. It looked better on her frankly. He, however, was bare of clothing from the waist up. The thin red scars seemed irrelevant when he was around her as she saw clearly past them; the silver bumblebee and Darkwing feather lay on his chest. Since the last incident with Pomfrey he'd taken to wearing the feather constantly and nothing had happened so far.

He moved, laying his arms over her's. She mumbled in her sleep, hugging her pillow tighter. The previous night ha been rough; Seri had gone to bed before he, unable to fight the face-splitting yawns that ran through her. Not an hour later he had rushed into the bedroom to wake her, her screams echoing through the dungeon chambers. It had been a nightmare, one she could remember nothing of except a pair of red eyes and a deep seated panic for Harry. The only way he'd been able to calm her had been to take her to their child to find him slumbering peacefully. They'd remained there for over half the night, perched by his bed, Seri periodically stroking the raven hair. Severus didn't know what she had seen but for it to have frightened her that much; he could only imagine. He'd remained at her side, trying to soothe away her lingering fears. Eventually he'd been able to convince her to return downstairs but she'd refused to enter the bedroom, shivers ran through her at the mere thought, and instead had opted for the couch where both had fallen asleep.

Propping himself up on his elbow he leaned over, pulling back the luscious locks to see her face. It was smooth in undisturbed sleep, the pillow she had clung to tucked safely under her chin. He watched as her sides rose and fell as she breathed, a stray lock fluttering back and forth. Pulling himself closer, he molded to her body, laying his head on her shoulder. A murmur of content escaped her as one of his arms snaked around her waist. He would have been perfectly happy to lay there all day, as long as he was with her, but she seemed to have other plans. Turning till she faced him, also placing an arm around her waist, she kissed him on the lips before allowing her eyes to drift lazily open. He smiled.

"Good morning, loveling, tired of cuddling that pillow? I was beginning to get jealous," he teased lightly. She rolled her eyes and groaned, burying her face against his chest.

"To early for that, Severus, please." He chuckled, nuzzling her hair.

"It 's almost lunch time and you think it's too early?" He pretended to sound surprised, which earned him a small nip on his chest, causing him to jump. "Hey!" It was her turn to chuckle as she pulled him closer.

"If you must know, Severus, I merely found something better to cuddle." Her grin matched his as they kissed again.

"So," he asked a bit later, "what shall we do today, my lady?" She laid her head in the crook of his neck, a soft sigh leaving her lips.

"What could we do today, loveling?" she asked back, her breath tickling his skin.

"Well," he began as he ran his fingers through her hair, "we should go see your parents, it is there last day here." Seri sighed, this time in sadness.

"I wish they didn't have to go, it has been wonderful to have them so close." Severus nodded. Alecia and Jonathan Calburn were two of the nicest people he had ever met; he enjoyed their company greatly. They gave him their insight into the Muggle world and he to the Magical. They seemed to have adjusted better than anyone he'd eve met to this new way of life they'd encountered. Now they would be returning to Little Whinging.

"Let's go to them and see them off, shall we?" He sat up, drawing her up as well.

"No robes today, just Muggle clothing," she requested. He smiled mischievously.

"As long as I get to fix your hair," he said. She rolled her eyes and laughed, rising from the couch.

"What is it with you and my hair? All right, deal." She disappeared into the bedroom, leaving him on the couch. The smile on his lips faded as he thought of last night. She hadn't even wanted to go near their bedroom, now that fear seemed to have left her, though it still resided within him. There was one thing he had not told her; those red eyes she'd seen had belonged to Voldemort, they could not to any other. That and the fact that he'd had similar dreams in the past, Harry was in grave danger because of Voldemort. He'd awoken screaming just as she had countless times; the fire mage was always there to wake him from them and would remain with him for the rest of the night. Albus and Harry were the only ones who knew of these nightmares, not even Seri, and recently they had trickled off all together. Now it seemed as though they were back but their victim was different: the fire mage's mother.

He shook himself from these thoughts and followed his wife's path into the bedroom, just in time to see her pull on her dress.

"Here," he said as she went to magic the buttons, "allow me." He buttoned the buttons from the bottom up before guiding her to the vanity which had been added just for her. "Now for your hair." She smiled at him as he picked up the brush and began running it through, picking out the tangles as he went.

"I don't know why you let me indulge," he whispered as he worked. Seri raised an eyebrow.

"In what?"

"In this," he replied plainly.

"Severus, I love it when you play with my hair." He shook his head.

"No, I mean in letting me take care of you." She turned when he finished brushing and took his hand in her's

"The feeling is mutual, love, for I love taking care of you. I know we both do the little things but it's being there for one another that matters to me."

"And me," he stated as he leaned in for a kiss.

***

Half an hour later found them on their way to the Calburns' rooms. The students they encountered along the way greeted them with enthusiasm and a few even inquired when the Potions Master would be returning to teach. He'd informed them within two weeks (which was when their honeymoon would end) and inquired as to his son's teaching. All of them gave many reassurances that the fire mage was performing an excellent job.

"He should," Seri chuckled as the students moved away, "he learned from the best." The chuckle grew to a bright laugh at Severus' red face. Eventually they made it to the Yellow room (which, in true Hogwarts fashion, was green) and knocked. The door was almost immediately answered by Alecia who smiled in a delighted greeting.

"Well, if it isn't the two newlyweds themselves," she chortled at their expression as she ushered them inside and directed them to the couch before rushing off to make them a cup of tea.

"I'm glad you two stopped by," she said as she returned with the four cups. "It would have been a might difficult to find your quarters."

" 'A might'?" snorted Jonathan as he entered and sat down next to his wife, taking one of the cups. "Try bloody impossible! How is it that you find your way around this place?" Seri and Severus shared a knowing smile.

"If you forget the fact that you could walk for a week around here and not see everything, very simple really."

"You see," Severus embarked on a better explanation as the other two still seemed confused, "our dear Serenity here," He shot her a teasing grin, "used to be one of the infamous Marauders."

"Marauder? Wasn't that what you were called in school, dear?" Alecia asked, needing clarification. It had been many years ago after all. Severus' grin widened as he blatantly ignored the Death Glare he was receiving from the healer.

"Yes. The Marauders were a group of six Gryffindors that loved to play pranks. Seri," Her eye twitched, "was known as Tigress for her....um," He coughed, "cat-like nature. One of the most frequent targets for their pranks were us poor Slytherins." He shook his dark head sadly. The golden-haired healer snorted and took a sip of tea.

"Oh please, 'poor Slytherins' indeed. I'll have you know that one: the Slytherins often retaliated, two: I'm an animagus, a tiger," She explained to her parents, "and three: I still am a Marauder and if you want to contest that fact," she continued when he opened his mouth, "you will find yourself in the bird house." Alecia, who had been quietly giggling through the entire exchange, raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean, 'dog house', dear?" Seri shook her head.

"In his case," she glanced at her husband, "it's bird house." The woman nodded, remembering that the other was also an animagus, a phoenix.

"Believe me, my boy," Jonathan said seriously, "It is best not to anger these women. The dog, or bird, house is not a good place." Alecia and Seri shared an identical smirk, eyes dancing in delight. Before anyone else could say a word the door opened and in came an extremely dazed Kit who practically collapsed into the first chair she encountered and continued to stare into space, dreamy smile on her face. Seri was the first to reach her as she kneeled beside her sibling's chair, her husband at her side.

"Kit," she found her sister's hand and held it tight within her own, "what's wrong?" The dark- haired healer turned the dreamy smile on her sibling and gave the hand a squeeze.

"Nothing, nothing at all," she assured. "Only..." she drifted off, heaving a happy sigh.

"Only what?" Seri prompted. Kit's smile sparkled like a diamond.

"Only...Artemis asked me to marry him!" Seri blinked once, twice, three times. Kit nodded. The golden-haired healer squealed and tackled the woman, laughing hysterically. Their hug was soon joined by Severus and the Calburns.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!!!" Seri screamed, squeezing her sister tight. "I don't believe this!" She released the woman, allowing her to breath. "Wait, I can, I just can't believe its so soon." The Potions Master concurred.

"I though he would wait at least another week, or that's what he told me." His hand flew to his mouth as he realized what he'd just said and smiled innocently when his wife turned her eyes on him.

"Severus Salazar Snape-Dumbledore, do you mean to tell me that you knew about this, and didn't inform me?" He looked around for support only to find himself all alone. The Calburns glanced away discreetly and Kit grinned, enjoying the man's plight. 'Wonderful,' he thought, 'I have no assistance and I stuck my foot in my mouth. Where are Albus and Harry when I need them?'

"Well, yes, but we really haven't had a chance to talk about...and I only found out yesterday!" he added hastily when her green eyes narrowed. She grunted before turning a beaming smile on her giggling sibling.

"You never did say what your answer was," She prodded. Kit rolled her eyes.

"It was 'yes' of course, how could I say anything else?"

"What does Draco think?" The Potions Master asked.

"He more or less tackled us both when I said yes. Artemis asked me in front of his class, Draco's class. I was floored, stunned, gob smacked but never more happy in my life."

"So when is the big day?" Jonathan asked. Kit bounced in her chair.

"February fourteenth, Valentine's Day, can you believe it?! One month away!" She almost fell out of her chair, consumed with giggle. Seri's eyes widened in alarm.

"One month?! But there is so much to do! We have to create your dress, start a guest list, figure out what to serve at the reception..." She trailed off when Alecia placed a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder.

***

Harry looked around then at the clock and saw that he had nothing to do, that his afternoon was free. It was the first time in quite a while that the mage had found himself able to do what he wanted. It had also been a while since he'd since he'd seen his friends but the class they were in was Divination, at least Ron and Draco were as the blonde had once more taken up that subject. He sighed and debated on whether or not to join them. It would be nice and there was no point in even thinking about an outdoor excursion (besides the point that is parents would likely skin him alive, figuratively speaking of course) as there was a blizzard brewing. Seri and Severus were holed up in the dungeons like two bears; Albus and Seleyna were spending the afternoon together, (Harry swore he could hear wedding bells in the distant future but that was just him) and Kit and Artemis had made themselves scarce in the eyes of the public. Yes, he thought, perhaps it was time to see them, Trelawney or no.

His decision firm in his mind he grabbed his old school robes (the one with his Gryffindor patch still present) and took the stairs two at a time (tiptoeing around the sleeping forms of his Grandpa and Grandma on the couch in front of the fire) he proceeded with a brisk step towards the North Tower. The good mood that was in him now was added by the overflow of his father's, mother's, grandfather's, his aunt's...well everyone's truthfully. The school's general atmosphere was light and giddy; no one seemed worried by Voldemort's continued existence. Truth be told, neither was Harry. He knew it was dangerous to feel so but another instinct said he should enjoy these good times, they weren't going to last.

When he arrived at the Divination class he mingled with the other students in the hopes to go unnoticed. It was nice being a teacher but at times he wished the students would treat him like an ordinary student. A chuckle welled up in him at that thought; there had never been a time when they treated him normally. The other students, chattering casually among themselves, paid no mind to him as they filed in one by one up the silver ladder. Harry entered to find Ron and Draco talking excitedly; the blonde had a large grin on his face. Curiosity and interest instantly sparked within him and he made his way over.

"What's up? You seem rather...hyper, Draco, I must say." The blonde Gryffindor did not even glare at his cousin for the gibe but moved to allow him a place to sit.

"You are not going to believe this," he said. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't know as I don't know what's going on," he reminded with exaggerated patience. Now the blonde did frown and Ron chuckled.

"All right, Lord Mage, I'll tell you." The frown transformed back into a grin, the clear blue eyes dancing with merriment.

"Kit and Artemis are going to be married on Valentine's Day!" Harry's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, eyes going inhumanly wide. The blonde could not help but smirk.

"You might want to consider going to a circus, you could be the main attraction with your impression of a fish." It was Harry's turn to glare as Ron snickered behind his hand.

"Very funny, cousin. When did all of this," he waved his hand, "happen?" Before Draco could open his mouth, however, the bangled Trelawney made her entrance, not noticing the extra student. She settled herself before the fire, arranging her many scarves carefully.

"Today, my students, we will begin using fire to burn away the fog of the future. I must warn you, fire omens are the most difficult to determine their meaning." She turned, her bug-eyes gaze racking over them. "I will, of course, demonstrate for you how this is done." Her eyes lighted upon the raven- haired mage and she smiled. "But perhaps we should allow another instead. Mr. Potter," she beckoned the teenager forward. Harry glanced at Ron and Draco, both of whom shrugged but nodded. He stood and walked to her, eyes trained on her's. There was an unidentifiable spark present, one he'd only seen once before and that had been at the end of his third year. She knew something but of revealing that information, she was manipulating him to discover that on his own. Well, he thought as his eyes narrowed in reflex, if she wishes to play that game then he would happily oblige. She offered her chair which he settled in carefully, battle nerves alert. His gut was in knots as he felt something were going to happen and he could do nothing about it. The redwood wand rose.

"I'll start you a fire," she began but Harry held up his hand.

"There will be no need, Professor, I am perfectly able." He stared at the stones before him. They were black igneous shards hardened from some long past volcanic eruption arranged haphazardly in a stone bowl. The pupils of his eyes dilated as he viewed them, his legs pulling naturally to the Lotus position and he hands resting on his knees. They still possessed the fire of the earth's core, he felt it tingling his senses, all he needed to do was unleash it. Ever so carefully he began to do that until it no longer needed his assistance; the rest ignited in a domino effect. The class 'oohed' as flames shot into the air like an explosion before quieting, obeying the mage's will. Trelawney cleared her throat.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I see you have it quite under control." He did not spare her a glance, eyes fixed deep within raging inferno. The white film was clouding his vision as it had so many months ago as he felt himself slipping from his world and into another.

The film disappeared, his vision returning and expanding. The fire grew, traveling out of the bowl and down the leg of the table. It did not seem to matter the floor was stone as the flames continued to move until they had completely circled the mage, rising in one wall of flame to cut him off from the rest of the world. He watched the orange and red dance around, within and around one another. Strange, they were connected but wished to be apart. But orange transformed to red and red into orange; they were locked together. As he watched the two colors came together to form a definite shape: a phoenix and serpent locked in eternal battle.

#Do you wish to know, fledgling?# a voice whispered, attempting to deter him. He narrowed his eyes.

#Show me,# he hissed in Parseltongue. He could sense the flames' regret as it flickered.

#Very well. Touch the shards.# His hand came up but stopped short of doing as the voice commanded. Did he truly wish to see? What did the symbol mean? Could it have anything to do with his earlier vision?

#Touch them!# the voice snapped him from his internal review and his hand closed around the shards. Instantly the flames parted, like a heavy door being opened, but beyond them was not the classroom. It opened up into another scene: a lavish sitting room. It dripped with richness unlike anything he had ever seen before, a thick, lush carpet of the deepest green, heavy curtains in the finest black; it spoke of someone who was not afraid to spare expense. Before the enormous black onyx fireplace were two wing-back chairs. He focused on them and found himself traveling forward and around till he could see who was seated. One, not surprisingly, was Voldemort; the other had his face turned away but Harry could clearly make out the phoenix and serpent tattoo on his right cheek.

#My son,# the dark lord hissed. The other stirred, slowly turning his head to face his 'father'. It was then the mage was allowed his first view; Harry gasped. It was himself. His eyes were no longer green but bottomless black, showing no hint of warmth. Long locks fell in front of his alabaster face but they did not hide the lightening bolt scar that had also become black.

#Yes, my father?# It was too much. Harry released the shards and jerked back, so far he fell from the chair he was in.

***

Draco watched his with mounting apprehension. Something was going terribly wrong he just knew it but also knew it would be dangerous to break the other mage's trance. So he waited, fidgeting when Harry touched the shards. What bothered him the most were his cousin's eyes, now milk white and seeing only what the fire was allowing.

"Something wrong?" Ron asked in a whisper. Draco shook his head and the youngest boy Weasley watched as the blonde continued to fidget and wince. Harry suddenly went rigid, a gasp tearing from his throat. Draco and Ron leapt to their feet just as their friend shuddered and released the shards, toppling to the floor in a heap.

Harry grunted at the impact of his body to the stone. The fire licked at his skin before retreating back into the volcanic rocks.

#I tried to warn you,# was the whispering hiss before it completely disappeared.

'I know,' he thought, 'but I asked.' His body was lifted up and leaned against two individuals.

"Arrigo?" Came from his right with a hand brushing back his bangs.

"Harry, mate, you all right?" That was Ron on his left, tight grip around his arm. It was a few seconds before he found his voice.

"Why does this always happen when I come to this class?" he wondered lightly, earning a relieved chuckle from both of his friends.

~Fire child?!~ and ~Harry?~ came from five different directions in his mind. He assured his mother, father, grandfather, aunt and Artemis (soon to be uncle) that no, there was no need to check on him.

"Would you two please help me up? This floor is not the most comfortable." He found himself immediately hauled to his feet and supported when staggered.

"Did you see anything, Harry?" The fire mage turned, his raven-haired locks hiding everything but one burning green orb. The earth mage shuddered at the strange haunted look it possessed and there was a clear message of "do not ask" present. Ron looked between them in confusion, not understanding what had been exchanged. After a moment Harry took a deep breath and straightened, dislodging the others' hands.

"I need to get back to my work, I'll see you later." Without allowing anyone else to speak he left, leaving most of the class buzzing in confusion. Draco watched him go, not liking the way his cousin's mind was so closed off. He rounded on the Divination professor.

"What did he see?" the blonde demanded with a growl. Trelawney only blinked at him.

"He saw his future," she answered simply, putting away the basin that contained the volcanic shards. "I believe that's all we will do today students, you may go." The students, not fully realizing what had happened, packed their supplies and left without further explanation. Draco and Ron remained behind, the blond's cold blue eyes locked on the professor. When the trapdoor closed behind the last student, the earth mage took a menacing step forward, grip on his staff tightening.

"What. Did. He. See." The blonde Gryffindor demanded. Trelawney did not look in his direction as she continued to busy herself around the room.

"He saw what he had to see, Mr. Malfoy, as I foresaw he would." Draco took another step but found himself restrained by the redhead.

"If you know what he saw, Professor, why can't you tell us?" He asked reasonably. She stilled in her work and turned to them, serious expression present.

"Because, gentlemen, I don't know what he saw, only that he needed to see it." She spread her hands. "Now, if you please, I have another class to prepare for and you are going to be late for your next." She pointed to the room's exit and Ron tugged Draco out, who continued to glare at the professor.

"Come on, we're not going to get anything more out of her," the redhead said as he forced the other down the ladder.

"He's my cousin, Ron, I need to know what's wrong with him in order to help," the earth mage growled as they broke into a run in order not to be late for Transfiguration.

"Draco, if Harry doesn't want to talk about it, he won't, that's just the way he is and he's always been that way. He keeps his secrets tighter than Gringotts does its gold. I can tell, even now, he would rather keep whatever is bothering him inside than let it out." They slowed to a walk as they caught up with the other Gryffindors entering McGonagall's classroom.

"But I haven't seen him this shook up since Seleyna almost died, I have to help in some way." Ron shrugged as they took their places beside Hermione.

"The only and best thing to do for him is talk to the Headmaster, the Potions Master or Seri. That's all you can do." Draco laid his head on his arms and sighed miserably.

"I know, I just wish there was something more."

***

After making his hasty retreat from the North Tower classroom the fire mage had returned to his room within the Headmaster's Tower. The man was making his rounds of the school with Seleyna which suited the teenager's purposes perfectly. Harry started towards his room but decided against it, heading instead to his grandfather's bedroom. It was empty but he breathed deep, soaking in the room's warm, loving atmosphere. Without hesitation he shed his robes and shoes, throwing himself on the large bed, curling around one of the larger pillows. With a glance in their direction, the curtains shut themselves, plunging the room into complete darkness.

He only wanted to forget, but knew he wouldn't. Could...could that possibly be his future? He had seen it in the fire and the fire never lied to him. But his father had said more than once that Divination was the most imprecise of all the branches and should hardly be given credit. But he'd seen before; the adoption of Draco, the kidnapping of the twins and the wedding of his mother and father, he had seen it all! So why should this one be any different? There wasn't and that's what scared him.

When Albus entered a few hours later it was to find his grandson wrapped tightly around his favorite green pillow. Placing a finger to his lips, he pointed out the sight to the silver-haired woman and she smiled, kissing him once one the lips and her grandson on the forehead before heading off to her own rooms. Draping his robe over a chair and kicking off his shoes he climbed on his bed, crawling towards the other. He gently pulled Harry to him, cradling him to his chest. Harry only murmured in his sleep, opting to wrap around this new body, his hand grasping tightly to the fabric of his grandfather's shirt. Smiling the Headmaster settled down to sleep, keeping Harry close to him. One's dreams went undisturbed the other's did not.

***

"Seri? Severus? Hey, are you two even there?" The couple snapped back to reality and blinked, glancing at the dark-haired healer. Kit breathed a sigh of relief and ceased to wave her hand in front of their faces. "Finally, I was beginning to believe I was going to have to give you a mental shock. Are you two all right?" Severus leapt to his feet and began to pace the length and breadth of the room. Seri and her sister watched, the golden-haired healer's hands twisting furiously in her lap.

"It's Harry," The Potions Master ground out, brow furrowing. Seri nodded as she began to bite her nails, eyes glued to her husband's moving form. Kit gently but firmly pulled down her hands.

"I don't sense anything but that doesn't mean anything. Your maternal," she looked at her sibling, "and your paternal," her gaze shifted to her brother-in-law, "instincts are stronger now that you are together. Go, we can wait." Artemis sat down beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Go take care of our son," he added. With a hurried thanks the couple left through the black vortex only to come out in the Headmaster's bedroom. It was a relief to find the sight that they did and they decided to join. Down to shirts and pants they slipped onto the bed, Severus next to Harry and Seri by her husband. They fell into a contented slumber with the knowledge that their little one was safe with them.

***

A week later found the Potions Master walking alone down the hall, intent on finding his mother. The students had been released for the day but there were very few that roamed the halls at that moment. Except...

...Careening around the corner was his son, running blindly from something known only to him. Severus reached out an arm and snagged him around the waist, pulling him close to his body. Harry's momentum, however, almost pulled them both to the ground; both stumbled but managed to regain their footing.

"Whoa, fireling, what's the matter, who are you running from?" Severus asked. The fire mage looked around wildly, trying to find a place to hide.

"It's more a something than a someone." His green eyes begged his father desperately and Severus opened his cloak. Harry's gaze turned skeptical but he quickly clamored inside when he heard someone approaching. The Potions master barely had the chance to pull the black cloth close to him again when Cho Chang rounded the corner. Her mouth was open as if she were about to speak but upon spotting the Potions professor, she instead adopted a sweet smile that was as fake as the fact that Sirius was a murderer, the man reflected.

"Professor Dumbledore, it's good to see you," she said brightly. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you want, Ms. Chang?" he asked shortly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, sir, I was hoping to speak with Harry, have you seen him?" A sneer settled over the pale face.

"Harry is currently in his room, grounded until further notice. I'm afraid it will be a while before he has free time outside of his assignments again," he replied nastily, hoping she bought the lie. He repressed a smirk when Cho's shoulders and expression fell.

"That's too bad. Could you tell him I'd like to see him? I mean after he's no longer grounded," she added. Obsidian eyes narrowed and the man lifted his nose in the air.

"I suggest you head to your Common Room, Ms. Chang, now," he said in his best threatening tone when she hesitated. Nodding in resignation she turned upon her heel and marched back the way she had come.

"Is she gone?" came the muffled question. The Potions Master glanced down just as a dark head popped out.

"Yes, the coast is clear, childing, you can come out." He opened his cloak wider and the teenager stepped out. A few tugs at his robe pulled back into place and he faced his father.

"Exactly, how did you do that, with your cloak I mean." Draping an arm around his son's shoulders they set off down the hall together, in the opposite direction Cho Chang had gone.

"It's a small enchantment that is similar to the one that makes a bag bottomless. It merely expands the material so that I can hide anything," he smirked, "or anyone and it looks the same. Rather useful, wouldn't you say?" The fire mage grinned and let out a chuckle.

"You have no idea how useful; I thought for sure she was going to catch me."

"Tell me," Severus began as they strolled aimlessly to no particular destination, "why were you running from Ms. Chang?" With a deep sigh Harry repeated what Evelyn had told him. The Potions master nodded his head, understanding filling his expression. When they arrived in the Headmaster's office, to find it empty, they made their way to the sitting room. After ordering tea they settled together on the couch, watching the snowflakes dance just on the other side of the window pane.

"I believe you, son, and I'm no great fan of Chang to begin with," the man confessed. Harry arched an eyebrow at the other, curiosity piqued.

"Why is that?"

"Because her father tried his damndest in school to steal Seri, your mother, away from me. Trust me, neither of us have ever been on good terms and would rather exchange a hex than pleasantries." The fire mage had to smirk. It was a wonder the elder Chang was even alive seeing as how protective his father was of the healer.

"Something similar to this happened to me when I was in school," Severus remarked suddenly, catching the other mage off guard. Harry craned his neck up to look into his father's eyes only to find them closed.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"I'm sure you remember our dear Miss Rita Skeeter?" The fire mage snorted in contempt. "Ah, I see you do. Well, when we were in our sixth year I noticed she had started following me around. I tried to avoid her but she took every advantage to be near me, alone preferably. Finally she cornered me and told me exactly what she wanted. I, of course, refused." He took a sip of his tea. "She was a two knut slut; I wouldn't have touched her with a ten foot broomstick." Harry, mouth hanging open, continued to stare at his father in disbelief.

"You, Rita Skeeter?" The mage shuddered at the mental image. Severus grimaced and ran a hand through the other's raven locks.

"Believe me, I was not interested in becoming one of her numerous partners in the least." He suddenly chuckled. "When your mother found out there was hell to pay. I believe when Seri was done, Skeeter had a rain cloud following her everywhere for a week. If she so much as spoke my name or even thought of me for that matter, the cloud would let loose and dump meter upon meter of water on her. If her thoughts turned a bit...dirty, then she would be struck by lightening." By then the fire mage was laughing hysterically, all but fallen over his father's lap. He could see it, truly he could. He even saw Seri standing, smirk firmly planted on her face, blowing the smoke away from the tip of her wand as the cursed Skeeter ran in the opposite direction, already soaking wet.

"Rain, rain go away, come again another day," Harry added with a snicker. The Potions Master burst out laughing and hugged his son to him.

"That's an understatement." When their laughter died away, the fire mage once more turned to face him.

"What do I do about her?" Severus scratched his chin.

"Well, I did tell her you were grounded, use that to your advantage. Since you and Albus are sharing the teaching duties you can rearrange the times so you don't teach her class. Beyond that," he shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you. Give her a good curse or two maybe."

"I'm just waiting for her and Evelyn to meet again." Harry shuddered. "It's not promising to be a...good thing." Severus smirked.

"Knowing Ms. Elwood, we may not be seeing much of Ms. Chang after that."

***

It was three days later that Evelyn and Cho met in the hall. Unfortunately, Harry was there as well. Classes had just let out for lunch and there was a mad rush towards the Great Hall. In the press of bodies, the two Ravenclaws and one Gryffindor were thrown together. Cho smiled and ran her hand through Harry's hair. The fire mage yelped in surprise and jumped away from the dark-haired girl, glaring for all he was worth. Cho smiled coyly at him, giggling invitingly. Evelyn immediately placed herself between them, gold eyes sparking with anger.

"I've already told you once, Chang, back off," she growled, fingering her holly wand. The smile dropped from the exotic face and she returned the glare, also fingering her wand.

"He doesn't belong to you, Elwood, and since he's so obviously interested in me," she batted her eyes and he scowled, "I think he should be my boyfriend." Evelyn literally snarled in rage and started toward the other, drawing her wand from her pocket.

"Over my dead body," she hissed only to be halted by the mage. He wrapped his arm firmly around her waist and held fast to her wrist, pointing it down and away.

"No," he commanded firmly, "she's not worth it." The redhead continued to glare at the other but eventually nodded, allowing herself to be marched away from her opponent. The crowd that had gathered around them parted to allow them by. The dark-haired Ravenclaw drew out her wand, determined not to allow them to leave. The curse hit the redhead in the back, sending her stumbling forward. It was only Harry's hold on her that kept her from falling completely. His hold, however, did not keep her from spinning, hex flying from her wand. It landed in Cho's mid-section, sending her reeling.

"You want to take me down, Chang, you are going to have to do better than that!" She shouted. The duel that followed was one of the most dangerous and testing any of them had ever seen. Evelyn was a competent duelist, but Cho Chang was ruthless and spared no quarter on the other. Harry knew he had to intervene but the crowd had pushed him back and closed around him, preventing him from making his way forward. Resigned to watching from the back, he saw Evelyn jam her wand in the back of Chang's head, muttering under her breath.

"What is going on here?!" Everyone in the immediate vicinity froze as if by a freezing spell and, as one, turned to see Seleyna standing with her hands on her hips and ocean eyes narrowed to slits. When no one answered her question she made her way to the two combatants who were still locked in their battle positions. "You two stay," she ordered before raising her voice to be heard by all, "The rest of you may leave, there is nothing to see here." No one moved. Her eyes again narrowed and she cleared her throat. This action snapped everyone from their dazes and all scrambled to get away, not sparing the two victims any glances. Only Harry remained and he walked up beside his grandmother. The disapproving blue orbs pressed into Cho and Evelyn as they de-tangled from one another.

"Harry, what happened here?" the silver-haired woman asked when neither girl seemed inclined to speak. The fire mage sighed.

"Evelyn and I were heading to lunch when we bumped into Cho Chang who seemed rather determined to cause a fight. I wouldn't let Evie curse her, telling her she was not worth it, and we continued on but Chang hit her in the back with a curse. Evelyn naturally retaliated, that's when the fight began," he finished. Seleyna nodded and turned back to the two girls.

"For starting the fight, Miss Chang, you will have two weeks detention with Filch. For fighting back, Miss Elwood, two weeks detention with Hagrid. Is that understood?" The redhead nodded solemnly but Cho opened her mouth.

"That's not fair! She attached me first! Why would you believe him?" she practically screeched in fury. Evelyn's eyes narrowed and she once more reached for her wand but Harry stilled her with a look. Seleyna's lips pursed together in a frown.

"Because, Miss Chang, Harry is my grandson, he would not lie to me for anyone's sake and if you wish to protest then I suggest you speak to the Headmaster on the subject." Cho's mouth closed with a snap and she fumed in silence. "Very well, go onto lunch, the both of you." The dark-haired Ravenclaw nodded curtly before marching off in the direction of the Great Hall. When she was out of sight, Evelyn's expression melted into one of pain and she collapsed into the mage's arms.

"Are you all right? Damn, I'm taking you to the hospital wing; Aunt Kit will be able to help you." He swung her arm around her shoulders as Seleyna did the same on the other side. Evelyn let out a wheezing chuckle.

"I'm fine, Harry, and believe me, it was absolutely worth it." She grinned wickedly and chuckled. "You know what they say, payback is hell." The mage arched an eyebrow.

"Payback?" Evelyn ignored him, counting under her breath.

"Three...two...one..."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" the high-pitched scream from the Great Hall echoed through the corridor like a bouncing ball.

"What did you do?" Seleyna asked.

"Let's just say we're going to find out how she likes being bald." She winked and the fire mage burst out laughing.

"You didn't?" He finally managed to choke. She chuckled once more as they continued on their way to the white wards.

"Oh, but I did."

***

That same day, down in the depths of the dungeons, Seri was lounging on the sofa while her husband puttered around his potions lab. Within her hands was her staff which she had not paid much mind to since she had gotten it. Now that she had the time, she found it fascinating. The head was that of a tiger, its mouth open wide in a silent roar. The eyes were set with light blue stones, similar to Severus' only slightly darker. Every hair was ingrained into the silver, smooth only where she placed her hand. She ran a finger over the teeth; even they were sharp. What intrigued her most was the writing etched into the fine grained wood. It was a language she was not familiar with but perhaps...

"Severus?" The man looked up from his work, his hand posed to add the next ingredient.

"Yes, heartling?"

"Do you know what this means?" She held up her staff and pointed to inscriptions.

"Just a moment." He added a drop from the bottle he held to the potion, causing a small explosion, a fuchsia mushroom cloud rising from the cauldron. He nodded in satisfaction before spelling away the fire and chilling the potion in a case of ice around the cauldron. Wiping his hands on a rag he came to her, seating himself on the sofa beside her. Taking the staff from her, he shifted it between his fingers, squinting in concentration. The markings were very familiar.

"It's medieval Celt, let me get the key we have for this." He closed his eyes for a moment and a rather ragged red notebook appeared in his outstretched hand. He smiled at her innocently confused expression. "The language on your staff seems to be the same as ours and we too wanted to know what written, that's why," he waved the notebook, "we have this key. It shouldn't take that much work." Seri nodded and scooted closer, summoning pen and paper to them. For the next hour they quivelled over the markings and continued to do so when Seri pulled out another paper that had the writings from her sister's staff. Finally, however, they finished.

"All right, this is what we have: The moonlight cats are the final key that bring together the Star of Hope. Water's love feeds the powers of fire and ice for she will be with them forever. Wind, her twin in mind, body and soul, brings in the last two pieces, the Dragon and Gryphon, Earth and Crystal to join the large family. Together they shall prevail over the dark serpent." He stopped and looked at her. "It's nothing that we don't already know thanks to Merlin; do you know if there is anything on Draco or Artemis's staffs?" The healer shook her head.

"I haven't asked, we'll have to do that." The two fell silent as the Potions Master put away the notebook and settled comfortably by his wife who curled around him. They remained in the companionable silence for a time before the healer decided to broach a question that had been on her mind.

"Severus, what would you think of more children?" She asked carefully. The Potions Master looked down at her in confusion.

"Children? Darling, you're not..." he trailed off and she laughed.

"No, I'm not, I'm merely asked what you would think of...of more children. I know its only a month into this marriage but I feel it's something we need to discuss in preparation for when the day does come." He nodded, understanding her reasoning. They really needed to discuss their future plans for the coming years. Did they want to live at Hogwarts forever? Severus did have a home outside the castle that he never saw any point of using; now he did. It would be a wonderful retreat for Seri, Harry and he. Albus had his own small cottage not to mention the family manor that was hardly ever used except for large family gatherings which, if Severus's calculations were correct, should be happening in the latter part of this year. Then there was the twins' own ancestral home, which was also unused, that they had tried to give to their parents. Neither couple had taken it, saying it belonged to Seri and Kit. As the woman could find no other relatives to turn it over to they had managed its upkeep themselves. And last but not least was their Harry who would inherit the Potter manor when he came of age at seventeen. He didn't know that yet but they had only learned this themselves recently. But back to the question of children...

"Do you want children?" he asked. Seri bit her lip. Of course she wanted children, how could she not? Kit had stated many a time that she was a natural born mother and would be wonderful with little ones of her own. But what of Severus? She had no doubt he would make a fantastic and loving father, as he already was, but did he want more than just Harry? Did he want to hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet around the dungeon?

"Yes of course I do, but what about you? What about Harry? He's used to being the only child," she pointed out. Severus scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Harry I do not believe we will have to worry about. He's been hinting that he wants siblings since we were engaged. As for me, I would love to have more children. Though," he glanced around the room, "we would need to do a bit of rearranging to make this place a bit more child-proof." She grinned and nodded.

"True. So, you really want more children, are you ready for that?" He placed a finger on the tip of his nose.

"I'll be ready," he moved the finger to her nose, "when you're ready and not a moment sooner." She offered him a warm smile as she hugged his chest, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She was glad she had her answer for this specific question and was warmed that he felt the way he did. As well as how he felt Harry thought.

"What is that?" The Potions Master pointed toward the door of Harry's bedroom. They both turned to see a strange cream puff ball role by the open doorway. They looked at one another then back at the doorway to see the cream puffball, that they now realized was Amanda, once more roll across, followed by a particular black cat.

"Su Lin?" Severus called. The Veras cat batted her "toy" into the living room, eyes still glued to its rolling form.

~Yes, ice master?~ The feline inquired as she continued to bat around the puffskien.

"What are you doing?" The silver eyes blinked.

~Have you not ever discovered how fun a ball is, ice master?~ The man arched an eyebrow and Seri giggled.

"Uh, no," he answered carefully, which sent his wife into further giggles.

"I understand, Su Lin," she assured as she picked up the feline, scratching her behind the ears. Su Lin's eyes narrowed in pleasure and purred.

~I'm glad someone does.~

***

Dinner time a few days later found Harry walking alone on the grounds. The snow crunched beneath his feet as he wandered aimlessly in the general area of Hagrid's hut. The last few days of anxiety over Cho Chang finding him had temporarily caused him to forget the vision. Now he remembered and his troubles had reawaken to haunt him. He needed to tell someone, preferably someone close at hand now that he'd made the decision to tell, but who? A loud humming intruded upon his thoughts and he looked up to find himself in front of the gamekeeper's home; the source of the humming. Hagrid, of course, he could tell Hagrid. Bounding up the steps he knocked loudly on the wooden door. A "Just a minute" came from within as well as sounds of movement before the door was opened to reveal the gamekeeper.

"Why, Harry, it's good ter see yeh lad! Come on, come on now." He ushered the teenager inside. "Why, yer lips are turnin' blue! How long 'ave yeh been out there?" The half-giant directed the fire mage to sit in his chair before the fire.

"I'm not sure, what time is it?" Harry asked as his friend seated himself in another chair across from him.

"Why, it's gettin' near dinner time now; shouldna yeh be in the Great Hall?" The fire mage turned his eyes away from the warm black coals and instead stared into his lap.

"Then I have been out a long time." Hagrid, sensing something was gravely amiss, decided to make the other more comfortable.

"Ah now, would yeh like a cuppa?" The mage did not look up from his lap.

"Yes, thank you."

"Here now, let's get a nice warm blanket 'round yeh." He took one of the blankets from his bed and draped it around the boy's shoulders. The combined warmth of the fire and blanket helped the mage's body to relax to the point he was limp in the chair.

"Now, wha's botherin' yeh?" He didn't get a response for some time. Eventually the water began to boil and he poured it into the two cups and added the tea bags, handing one of them to the other. Harry accepted it without much thought, twisting it between his nervous fingers. Hagrid began to worry; what could be such a burden on the other's mind?

"Hagrid, I can tell you anything, can't I?" 'Ah,' thought the gamekeeper, 'now he speaks.'

"Sure, Harry, wha's on yer mind?" Again there was a long pause and the man was afraid he might have over-stepped his bounds.

"Hagrid, I'm afraid," came the quiet whisper that was almost lost in the crackle of the burning wood.

" 'fraid o' wha', Harry?" the man asked softly, hoping to coax a response.

"Hagrid, I'm afraid of the future." The admission was given with great reluctance.

"The future?" The half-giant was puzzled. "Now why would yeh be 'fraid o' tha'?" Silence was his answer as the boy, having set the cup aside, twisted the fabric of the blanket.

"Hagrid, I've...I've seen things...I've seen what the future holds for me and I don't like it, not one bit." Hagrid studied to boy across from him. Lines creased the skin around the eyes and mouth. Heavy shadows were present under the emerald orbs the lids above which seemed to be heavy with sleep that had been lost. The shoulders were slumped as if they were holding a terrible weight that could not be lifted. Why, he wondered, had no one seen this before? Surely it was obvious to them as it was to him. But, he realized, Harry would not allow them to see, instead he hid it behind a bright smile and happy thoughts. He only saw it now because the mage allowed him to. He had to help, somehow.

"Does it involve Voldemort?" He asked. The teenager surprised him with a bitter laugh.

"Hagrid, what doesn't involve Voldemort in my life?" The rhetorical question dripped with resentment for the dark lord. The man nodded.

"Aye, tha's true." There was another pause as Harry took a sip of the rapidly cooling liquid.

"I...I just felt I had to tell someone."

"But why me?" The gamekeeper asked curiously. The boy shrugged.

"I'm not sure really. I believe...well...I suppose it's because you were my first friend." The half- giant sucked in a breath. What the boy had bestowed upon him, he was touched and proud knowing that no other individual could claim that right or title. He pledged to himself he would help the boy in any way he could.

"Thank yeh, Harry. Now, wha's on yer mind?"

"Hagrid," he sighed, "I've had visions and all of these visions have come true so far except for one and it has yet to come to pass but I'm afraid that it will." Hagrid ran his fingers through his tangled beard, contemplating the teenager once more. They must have been doozies, those visions, to cause Harry this much trouble. He needed to get to the bottom of this; if, nothing else, to help the boy get it off his chest.

"Harry, wha' sorta visions were they? Where did yeh have 'em?"

"I had them in the Divination class. It was a couple of months back, Trelawney told us..."

"Tha' old bat?" Hagrid interrupted incredulously. The fire mage rolled his eyes.

"Hagrid."

"Sorry, Harry," The man replied a bit sheepishly. Harry smiled at the man affectionately before continuing.

"Trelawney told us we would be beginning to use the three most powerful magical elements: fire, ice and water."

"Isn' tha' the elements o' yer family, Harry?" the gamekeeper interrupted. The mage nodded.

"Yes; me, my father and my mother. I realized...that this might be easy for me, at least in controlling the element, but I didn't think I'd see anything!" he exploded at the end in a whoosh of breath. Hagrid let him gather his thoughts.

"An' did yeh?" He finally prodded.

"I saw...I saw Draco...I saw Draco and Kit together as a family. I saw the twins being kidnapped by Voldemort. I saw the wedding of my mother and father. And..." he trailed off.

"An' wha', Harry?" Hagrid pressed. Harry took a deep breath.

"I saw myself kneeling before Voldemort," he dropped the bombshell in a whisper. The gamekeeper was so caught off guard that all he could get out was a sputtered, "Wha'?!" Harry nodded miserably.

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe but it's true! I did see it! A-and...I didn't know what to think of at first, I mean, I thought I was dreaming---that it was not real. Then everyone of them came true. Kit adopted Draco; the twins were gone, kidnapped by Voldemort but they came back and then, then the wedding. Hagrid," The green eyes burned behind those long, dark lashes, "the only one left is of me kneeling before that...bastard," he spat out the last word. The other maintained a prudent silence. "I couldn't believe it, do you think it's true?" The boy could not have asked a more loaded question.

"Well, wha' does yer father think?" He tried another tact.

"Father has never placed much...faith...in the Divination branch of magic, he says it's very imprecise---and I agree!---but...then why would I keep having these visions? And now," He went on glumly, "I"ve had another."

"Another vision?"

"Yes, and this time I didn't see it in water I saw it in my element; I saw it in the fire. Hagrid, fire has never lied to me before and now...now to see it there etched in those flames..." His head dropped into his hands. "Hagrid I'm scared."

"Wha' did yeh see, Harry?" The boy swallowed, not knowing if he wanted to tell now, but knew that he could not stop.

"I saw a sitting room," The mage continued flatly, "very, very rich, lavish...extraordinary really, it was very beautiful. And I saw two chairs before the fireplace and I naturally wanted to see who was in them! So I...managed to focus my attention and I found myself moving forward. Well, I was not really surprised when I saw Voldemort in one chair but the other person had his face turned away from me, I couldn't see who it was. All I could see was a tatoo on his right cheek of a serpent and a phoenix. They seemed to be...battling one another, it was rather strange. Then Voldemort said, 'My son.' " He paused, eyes growing darker. "The...person turned their face towards him---towards me---and I saw," he stopped abruptly as the tea cup in his hand shattered to a fine powder. He began to apologize but Hagrid waved it aside and filled another cup, handing it to him. The mage took it but listlessly put it aside, choosing instead to stare pensively into the fire.

"Wha' did yeh see, Harry?" He finally asked.

"I saw myself, Hagrid," the answer was given almost painfully, "I saw my face." He looked at the other desperately. "But it wasn't me! I-I mean, i-it was but, I was different. My hair was much longer and I had black eyes and my scar which is normally a slight red color was black as well. And I...answered him.

"Yeh did?" the other said faintly. Harry nodded.

"I said, 'Yes, my father?' I-I, just c-couldn't take it anymore, I let go!---Terminated the vision as fast as I could!" He stopped for a moment. "I hurt myself doing it, I have a burn on my upper arm. Nobody's noticed it so far." When he stopped this time Hagrid too stared into the dancing flames, one question jumping around in his brain.

"Have yeh tol' yer family, Harry?" He was curious.

"No, I don't want to worry them." This only added to Hagrid's confusion. "Hagrid, I'm always getting into some sort of trouble," he went on, a faint note of resignation in his voice, "this is nothing new but..." Hagrid held up his hand, having heard enough.

"This time is different, Harry," he emphasized, "yeh have somebody to look after yeh. If not yer parents then yer Grandpa or yer Grandma. They're there ta help yeh, Harry; yer not alone anymore. Let 'em help yeh." When the speech was over Harry watched the man for any signs of misguidance or untruth but found none. Really, he thought, he was becoming as paranoid as Mad-Eye Moody. Which, in some instances, was not a bad thing.

"Do you really think I should tell them?" The half-giant nodded with unwavering conviction.

"Yes, as soon as possible."

"Well," he replied hesitantly once more seeking solace in the flames, "I don't know. It's not that I don't trust your judgment, Hagrid, it's just...I don't want to disturb their peace." Hagrid suddenly stood and crossed over the mage, kneeling in front of him.

"Harry," he started firmly, making sure the emerald eyes held his, "they're yer parents; their number one priority is yer safety and yer happiness. They always will place tha' above their own. Yeh'll understand too, one day, when yeh too are a parent and have yer own little one to look after." The fire mage stared deep into those warm beetle black eyes and knew the other spoke the truth.

"Can I truly...Hagrid, do you think it will come true? Do you think I will kneel before...that one?" He just couldn't say the name or refer to him in any other way at the moment.

"Do yeh?" Harry waved his hands wildly.

"I don't know! I don't know what to believe anymore." He quieted again as he looked his friend once more in the eye.

"I've never been so frightened in my life." Hagrid took on of his hands into his own.

"There's no need ta be 'fraid, Harry. Go to 'em, tell 'em."

"All right," the mage finally gave in, knowing it was the best course to take, "I'll tell them." He smiled at his friend.

"Thank you, Hagrid." The half-giant returned the smile.

"Yer welcome, Harry."

***

A few minutes later found him walking towards the castle, blanket still wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Hagrid had said he could take it with him to fend off the chill which had steadily grown worse. Pulling it as close to him as he could he tromped through the snow, very ready to be inside his home. Unfortunately he would not make it there.

"Harry?! Harry, hurry!" the voice was loud and panicked, coming in his direction. He stopped, alarmed by what he saw approaching. Clothes ripped and stained with blood, hair riddled with leaves and twigs, Evelyn tumbled toward him, waving her arms wildly. He caught her as she stumbled to a stop.

"Evie? What is it?" he asked as she gulped in the frigid air.

"It's Ron and Hermione, they're lost in the forest!" she finally gasped out, pointing in the direction of the dark mass of trees. Harry's stomach twisted. Lost in the forest? If they had to go in there why didn't they wait for him? He could have guided them.

"A werewolf has cornered them, you must come quickly!" she added after a moment. That sent the mage's mind into another whirlwind. It was the full moon but it could not be Lupin, he was locked away in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius. Then it had to be another.

"All right!" he said firmly. "Just show me where they are." The girl nodded in relief, pulling herself upright.

"Follow me!" With the lightness of a seeker she turned on her heel and pelted into the forest, not glancing back to see if the other was following. Letting the patchwork quilt fall to the ground he dashed off after her, mind totally focused on finding his friends.

*** They raced into the woods, dodging tree branches and jumping over stones and roots. Harry did not recognize the area they were heading into (he put that down to the fact that it was winter) but all he could think of were Ron and Hermione. Scenario after scenario ran through his mind, each more horrible than the last. What had possessed them? Why in the world would they go without telling him? Suddenly he stopped, coming to a clearing, realizing something that should have been obvious.

"There's no one here, they wouldn't have come." Laughter, that definitely did not belong to Evelyn, rang through the trees behind him and he turned to see Cho Chang walking with a large smirk on her face towards him. "You tricked me!" he accused. She gave him a seductive (though in his opinion sickening) smile, moving towards him with no obvious signs of pain.

"Sorry, Harry," she purred, "but I had to get you alone somehow." Her smile widened when he took a step back, fingering his cane.

"What are you going to do, curse me?" His eyes narrowed at her mocking tone.

"What do you want, Chang?" She did not seem offended by the use of her last name; instead it seemed to have egged her on and she took another step, pressing him against a tree.

"Oh I think you know exactly what I want, Harry; no doubt Elwood has told you many sordid tales about my escapades. So I have a feeling you're not going to give it to me." Harry hissed in Parseltongue before answering in English.

"Over my dead body." Her smile turned snake-like and she would not let him move away.

"That might be arranged. You see, my master was particularly interested in getting his hands on you. But I thought I might be able to get my hands on you first." She tore his phoenix clasp from his cloak, tossing it into the snow. This distracted him and she was able to press her lips to his. It lasted only a second before he blasted her away from him.

"Get the hell off of me!" he snarled, gripping his cane tightly. She was unperturbed by his action, was instead even more pleased, though she winced when she stood.

"Now, now, now, there's no need to resist the inevitable. After all," she continued as the staff fell from his unresisting fingers and he went to his knees, gasping for air, "you won't be moving much in a few moments." His breathing turned ragged as a strange sensation of being cast in stone crept its way from his toes up his legs, approaching his chest. Oh gods, what was happening? Severus, father, I need you.

***

Their first day back on duties, Severus to teaching and Seri to tending the hospital wing. Both of them had been welcomed back by staff and students readily (excluding a few of the Slytherins) and the Great Hall was in full swing celebration. While at first they joined the festivities, the couple found themselves increasingly distracted by an unknown feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They, however, were not the only ones.

Severus searched expectantly for any sign of his son and again found none. Sighing he stared down at his plate, picking at the food he no longer found appetizing. Why would Harry not be here? Was something wrong he had not told them about? For several days now he had sensed a growing unease in his child but could not find a cause. The teenager had seemed perfectly happy, aside the incident with Cho Chang, so why were they still picking up these signals? Had something happened to him that was so bad he'd reverted back to his old habit of bottling his worries inside of him? It brought back to mind the conversation he'd had with Draco not a few days before.

(Flashback)

The cold brisk air heightened Severus' senses as he soared through the air. He had decided to take this morning outing while his wife remained asleep to allow him a few moments to himself and to stretch his much neglected wings. He would not be allowed to do this for long, however, as a black dragon glided up beside him, clicking its teeth in relief.

~Finally, I found you; I was beginning to think I would have to send Mother Leopard after you.~ Came the relieved, if somewhat sarcastic remark. The silver phoenix regarded him with one obsidian eye.

~Is something wrong, Draco?~ The mental voice that answered sounded grim.

~I sincerely believe their might be, Uncle Severus, can we go somewhere to talk?~ With a nod the phoenix guided him in the direction of the roof, landing lightly on its surface. The black dragon followed a second later, its claws clicking against the stone. Without another word, Draco once again became human and the Potions Master followed suit, immensely curious as to why his nephew wished to speak to him urgently.

"Well, what is it?" the man asked as the boy began to pace.

"It's Harry, I think he's had some sort of vision but he won't tell me what," the earth mage confessed, finally sitting as his elder had.

"Severus frowned, his mind already intensely worried.

"About Voldemort?" He asked but only received an uncertain shrug in return.

"I'm not sure, but that would be my guess. It happened while we were in Divination class, he saw it in the fire. Uncle Sev, he wouldn't tell me a thing but I've never seen him so worried." The man rubbed his chin, forehead too wrinkling in a frown.

"I'll try and speak to him, I'm sure he'll tell me what's on his mind."

(End of Flashback)

But he had been wrong. Harry had proven to be unreachable that day and everyday following. No one (Albus, Seri, Kit, Draco, Artemis, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys or otherwise) could find him. Mentally summoning him had also proven unfruitful; Severus recognized the shielding from when Vernon had attacked the fire mage and that only increased his worry but there had been nothing he could do. That was until he remembered his feathers. Using one to make the vortex he ordered it to take him to Harry.

It had worked, he had found Harry sitting at the edge of the Astronomy Tower, legs swinging casually over the edge. The Potions Master had hugged him fiercely, unwilling to release him for several minutes. The teenager had not protested; instead he returned the hug with just as much intensity. Neither had exchanged words, merely bathed in the glowing love and presence of the other.

So what was bothering his son was still a mystery to him. Letting a depressed sigh escape he found his hand drifting up to his heart that ached strangely. He saw, to his astonishment, this action mirrored by Seri, Albus and Kit.

"You too?" he asked. They were already what his question was. They all nodded, eyes wide with worry. Glancing between one another they nodded, the decision made; they would find Harry and discover what was wrong with him even if that meant forcing Veritaserum down his throat. As one the four members of the Star of Hope rose, heading purposefully out of the Great Hall amid numerous curious stares and whispers. They had only made it half way to the entrance, however, when they were struck by the blow, sending them all to their knees. It was not physical but mental; a flood gate had been opened and in poured every thought and emotion of the fire mage, overriding any of their own responses.

~Severus, father, I need you!~

But the connection did not stop there but opened wider, drawing them into the other mage's body. Like him, they felt the potion taking over and could do nothing to combat it except stare in horror through his eyes as they could now see, hear, physically and emotionally feel all that he did.

***

"Ah---gah!" he gasped. "What have you done to me?" he demanded in a wheezing tone. The dark-haired Ravenclaw smirked, leaning casually against a tree to watch his struggles.

"It's just a little potion that I've kissed into you," she answered indifferently. "Rather brutal effects, wouldn't you say?" Harry fell on his side, his body twitching violently with the effort to overcome the drug but it was to no avail.

"Why aren't you suffering?" he hissed as his arms ceased to move. The girl's smirk widened.

"Because I've already taken the antidote." She suddenly let out a bitter, hollow laugh, pushing away from the tree she'd been using for support.

"Look at what 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' has been reduced to." She bent down over him, coming face-to-face. "Harry James Potter-Snape-Dumbledore," she continued to mock, "the famous Golden Boy, everyone's favorite teenager." She spat in his face. "Look at what he's been reduced to." Harry felt anger rising exponentially within him and knew that he was no longer alone and there was no way to fight his family off. Before he could bite back a retort, a dark figure emerged from the woods, just in the fire mage's line of sight.

"Chang," filtered through the air in a voice that the raven-haired teenager knew all too well. Lucius Malfoy. The Ravenclaw leapt to her feet, bowing to the man in Death Eater robes.

"Oh, yes, Master Lucius." Her voice was breathless and excited. He approached, coming within inches of the teenage girl.

"I see you've come," He spared Harry a glance, "through. Good work, my dear." He placed a hand on her cheek, a smile playing on his lips. Harry felt sick. "You shall be rewarded." Chang's eyes widened.

"Thank you, Master." Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, however, when a wand-tip pressed against her stomach.

"Avada Kedavra," the elder Malfoy hissed. She didn't even have time to scream, that died in her throat. Her body folded in on itself, collapsing into the snow. Once he'd recovered from the shock, Harry snarled.

"Lucius, you bastard, what did you do that for?" The man raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"Why, Potter, I thought you didn't even like here." His voice dripped with speculation. The fire mage ground his teeth.

"I didn't, but there was no reason to kill her."

"But I believe there was." He began to circle the fallen teen, nodding his head as he examined what the Ravenclaw had done. "Now, let's see. She has done her work fairly well." He continued to nod. "Yes, barely able to move at all. Yes, she has done here work quite well." The world was beginning to swim before Harry's eyes and he was just able to move his jaw enough to ask one final question.

"W-what are you planning to do to me?" The blonde man smiled.

"Why, turn you over to my master, of course." Harry felt his vision disappear and these words followed him into the abyss.

"He has great plans for you."

***

With the fire mage's loss of consciousness the other four mages found themselves once more in their own bodies, able to move freely. The Potions Master attempted to leap to his feet only to collapse into a boneless but painful heap against his father who grabbed him up tight to his chest.

"No," Severus whispered hoarsely, "we have to save him." Though his struggles were weak the Headmaster had difficulty restraining him because he too was deprived of strength. He kept his son close to him, whispering softly in his ear.

"Not now, Severus, they already have him. We can't now." The pain of saying these things were ripping through his words and the tears flowed down his cheeks in a steady stream. The Potions Master ceased his struggle and instead clung to his father, a pathetic mewling escaping his lips. No, oh God, no. Harry. Not Harry. No, not his son. Please not his son. Take him instead but spare his son.

"Harry," he called desperately. Beside him was Seri in Kit's arms, very much in a similar state, sobbing uncontrollably, calling repeatedly for her son. Kit merely rocked her sibling, her own midnight blue eyes glassy. Teachers and near by students gathered around them, concerned and inquiring as to what was wrong. Draco and Artemis barged through the crowd, coming to provide their aid. Seeing that Artemis was tending to his future wife, the earth mage turned to the Headmaster and Potions Master.

"What's the matter, what happened?" Severus seemed to be too far gone to answer but Albus seemed he might be able to.

"They," he began in a croak, only to be cut off by a student.

"Look!" The Hufflepuff pointed towards the ceiling. Swooping down, its black feathers gleaming in the candle light, the crow settled before Albus and Severus, dropping his letter at their feet. Severus, his hands trembling, took it from the floor, managing to open it without tearing the parchment. As he unrolled it, an object fell out of it. He sucked in a breath as the Headmaster picked it up: it was his fire child's phoenix clasp. Severus gulped and turned his eyes to the letter. He recognized the handwriting as that of Voldemort.

In read were these words:

He's my son now, Severus.

***End of Chapter 31***

A/N: Hah! I love that ending! Finally, I get to do this, you don't know how long I've been waiting to do this! *Snarls* You mean you've been PLANNING this?!?! *blinks innocently, turning serious* Yes, Severus, I have. For quite sometime. I'm going to kill you. *arranges her Slytherin school robes carefully* I'm afraid the readers will beat you to that, Severus dear, but you can try.

2A/N: I'm glad this is done so soon after I finished the last one! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did though the next ones are going to be even more fun. *Rubs her hands in anticipation* I can hardly wait, that's why I've already started on the next chapter.

3A/N: A note about the fifth book, I enjoyed it! Some things in there I wasn't expecting. The D.A. was the coolest and Neville is getting even cooler! So is Ginny! And Umbridge was so evil *snarls at the thought of the woman* I can't wait till I get to use her. As for Sirius dying, I was a bit surprised actually but I have to say he will continue to live in this one.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and to Rose, my beta-reader.

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