Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong

Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.


On Saturday evening, Severus once again went to Hogsmeade with his younger colleagues and friends. 'I can understand him. Regina is really nice,' Harry thought, sympathetically, as he followed Minerva and Lucy back to their rooms after dinner. Although he was old enough to not need a baby-sitter, he somehow enjoyed the time which Minerva spent in their quarters with him and Lucy. He was still inwardly laughing about the twins' expressions at Severus' prank from a few days ago, when Minerva addressed him. "Harry, you seem strangely absent tonight. Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Harry replied, wondering if he could tell the older witch about the twins' prank and Severus' retaliation. 'She's a Gryffindor, but well, she won't give the twins away to their mother,' he decided, unsurely.

"Will you keep a secret from the twins' mother?" Unfortunately, he could not see her reaction, as Lucy was fast asleep next to him on the sofa, snoring lightly.

Minerva's voice was laced with surprise, as she replied, positively, and Harry quickly told her about the Howlers and the Ugly Witches' Coven.

"And Molly Weasley fell for it? That is indeed funny," Minerva agreed, before she let out a deep sigh. "I'm not sure if I should be happy that these twins are not in my house or rather be sad about it. While Molly Weasley always described them as trouble makers, my colleagues seem to believe that they're geniuses."

"I think they're brilliant," Harry replied and informed the Gryffindor head that the three of them had already finished their second year Potions curriculum and had begun their third during the holidays. "Severus wants us to take our OWLs before the summer holidays."

"That's very well done," Minerva commended him, sounding pleased. "Ever since he adopted you, Severus has completely changed for the better."

Harry smiled at the idea. "When Lucy first showed him to me, he was always wearing black. Now, he mostly wears blue and green, doesn't he?"

"Yes, that is correct," Minerva replied, "and for the first time ever since your mother died, he has made friends."

"Regina," Harry replied, grinning broadly.

"Well, Ms. Lestrange might be special, but he even seems to get along well with Miranda, Remus, Sirius and Amelia."

"Amelia?"

"Amelia Bones. You met her before. She's the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Ah, yes, I've met her a few times." 'She was with the minister, when they gave us the Order of Merlin,' he recalled. "She seems nice, too."

"She was Sirius fiancée, when he was thrown into Azkaban, and it seems as if they were slowly picking up their relationship. I wonder if we're going to have a triple wedding sometime in the future," she added, seemingly more to herself than to him.

However, Harry smiled at the idea. 'It would be nice if Regina came to live with us, too,' he thought, when Minerva suddenly changed the topic.

"By the way, what I meant to tell you is that it's Severus' birthday on Tuesday. Did you know that?"

Harry shook his head. "No," he replied, alert. "I need to make a present for him. But what?"

"Why don't you paint something for him? Ms. Lestrange told me that you painted something for her during your lesson a few weeks ago, and she loved it. I am sure Severus would appreciate a painting very much, too."

Harry remained pensive for a moment. "I could do that, but only when Lucy is awake."

"Well, as tomorrow is Sunday, you could visit me in my rooms, or do you have to brew potions on Sundays?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, from breakfast until lunch, I have Potions together with the twins, but in the afternoons, I am free, because they need some time to catch up on class work other than Potions. At least that's what Severus said," he added, somehow not really believing that the twins would properly study anything else but pranks or potions.

"Well, then come and visit me tomorrow after lunch. You can make a painting for Severus, and I will show you how to transfigure a tissue into an adequate frame for your work."

"Thank you," Harry agreed, feeling extremely relieved that he had at least an idea for a present. 'The question is what to paint though,' he thought.

"Have you practised transforming your right hand, by the way?"

Harry nodded, eagerly, before he changed both hands along with his arms into canine legs and paws. He heard how Minerva took a deep breath in obvious surprise, before the Transfiguration professor commented.

"By Merlin, you're faster than any other Animagus I know. You somehow must be a natural. Now, you must try to change your legs and feet and then your complete body, but I don't think it will take you long."

Harry nodded, feeling very happy at the idea of becoming a dog very soon.

HP

First thing the following morning, his mind revolved around the question what to paint for Severus. 'Perhaps Severus standing behind a cauldron brewing,' he thought. However, when he shared his idea with Lucy, the canine protested. 'He wouldn't want to see himself all the time. Why don't you just paint a cauldron with a colourful liquid bubbling inside?'

'Yes, that's better,' Harry admitted.

As soon as he and Lucy were comfortably sitting in Minerva's living room, he set to work, knowing that he had enough time to properly finish his project before dinner. "Thank you for allowing me to do this here," he uttered, "and thank you, Lucy, for helping me."

He then carefully painted a large, black cauldron, in which a green liquid was bubbling lividly. 'I need to give the cauldron a silver lining,' he thought, deciding that Severus would like Slytherin colours most, however, then decided otherwise. 'Cauldrons don't have a lining, let alone patterns or colours.' Instead, he put half a dozen phials onto the table next to the cauldron, using silver to paint them.

"Minerva?" he finally called out to the witch, who was engrossed in correcting some students' homework.

"Finished?" she asked, smiling, as she came around the table to inspect his work. "Oh, this is beautiful."

Harry held up his hand. "One moment." He concentrated on the painting and gave it a final touch using wish magic.

"Oh, this is really amazing," Minerva commented in apparent amazement, as she took in the ingredients, which were flying into the cauldron, only to be spat out again, as the potion exploded all over the painting, before the process began anew. "Very well done." She then showed him how to transfigure a tissue into a frame; however, already feeling tired by his earlier use of magic, Harry gladly accepted the frame from the professor, merely changing the orange colour to silver.

He had just put the painting into the frame, when he felt Malcolm pop up next to him, right before Lucy showed him the elf.

"Cicero and Misty are calling for Harry, because little Teddy has been born."

Harry perked up at the news. He quickly excused himself from Minerva and left her rooms together with Lucy, as the professor could not know that he could simply pop themselves. Popping them right into the elves' quarters, he went to search out Misty and Cicero, handing the painting to Cicero for safekeeping until Severus' birthday.

Turning to Misty, who was sitting in a bed with a very tiny elf in her arms, he admired the baby. He recognised Teddy's magic from before, when it had come from Misty's belly. "Congratulations, Misty and Cicero. Hello Teddy. I am Harry, and this is Lucy. We are happy to see you, and we wish to be your friends."

He was amazed to see that Teddy's small face was now covered by a huge smile.

"It will be a week, before Teddy will be able to properly speak and walk," Misty informed him, "but you may carefully hug him." She patted the edge of the bed, motioning for them to sit down.

"Carefully, Lucy. Teddy is still a baby," Harry warned the canine, who then jumped onto the bed and licked the small elf's face over and over, before Misty gently pried her away. 'Wild as ever,' Harry thought with a combination of annoyance and pride for his familiar.

Harry leaned over and hesitantly hugged the small elf, smiling, when he felt the baby's tiny hand reach out to touch his face, before he quickly pulled back. "He is so cute," he said, admiringly.

"Thank you, Harry." Misty smiled, seeming extremely happy. "We will come and properly introduce him to you in a few days."

HP

During the next two days, Harry used every free minute to eagerly practise the Animagus transformation, the thought 'Perhaps I can surprise Severus for his birthday by changing into my canine form' at the front of his mind.

On Monday evening, Severus informed the twins that there would be no brewing the following evening. "I expect you to spend some time in the Slytherin common room and catch up with your housemates and your school work." His voice was strict, and Harry was almost glad that he was merely talking to the twins and not to him, when his adoptive father addressed him.

"Harry, I wish to speak with you for a moment."

Wondering what he could have done wrongly, Harry hesitantly followed the older wizard home.

'I don't think you've done anything wrong,' Lucy thought to him, apparently sensing his darkening mood.

'I hope so,' Harry thought back, when he sat on the edge of the sofa, wondering why Lucy was so calm as to take her favourite sleeping position next to him.

"Harry." Severus was back to his soft voice, which he normally used to speak to him at home. "Tomorrow evening, I wish to have dinner at the Three Broomsticks together with you, Regina and Lucy. I have reserved one of the small rooms for this purpose."

"All right," Harry replied in surprise, thinking, 'I didn't think that Severus would wish to properly celebrate his birthday.'

However, the older wizard continued, "You may have noticed that Regina and I have become good friends."

Harry nodded, smiling, as he wondered where the conversation was heading.

"Tomorrow, I wish to ask her to become my wife and come to live together with us." Before Harry could even think of a response, the older wizard continued, "Of course, I don't know if she will accept, and if she does, it will be a matter between you and her to agree what relationship the two of you are going to have in the future. However, I can well imagine that she would like to become your adoptive mother. That's up to the two of you though."

Harry let out a deep sigh. "Severus, are you sure that I won't be in our way?" he asked in a small voice. It almost came out as a whisper, and he was not certain if his adoptive father had heard it.

However, Severus' reply came immediately. "Harry, you are my son now and will always be, at least as long as you want it. You will never be in my or anyone else's way, let alone Regina's."

HP

First thing the following morning, Harry gave Severus his birthday present, feeling extremely happy, when the professor profusely thanked him and ushered him into his office, where he put the painting up onto the wall behind his desk for every visitor to see it.

"Thank you, Harry. This is very well done. Your talent for music seems to extend to other kinds of art as well."

"I love painting," Harry admitted, "but music is easier, because I can play just by myself, even if Lucy is asleep."

Severus nodded in apparent understanding, before Harry saw a small smile play on his lips. "When did Misty say Teddy would be big enough to meet you?"

"In a week, she said, so…" Harry shrugged. "In a few days then. Why?"

"Because you might be able to bond to Teddy just like you're bonded to Lucy," Severus explained. "I don't mean a bonding between a master and his house-elf but a magical binding between two friends. That way, Teddy would probably also be able to show you your surroundings. I shall discuss the matter with Cicero at the next opportunity."

"Thank you," Harry replied, smiling happily.

HP

When they headed in the direction of Hogsmeade at dinner time, Harry realised that Severus seemed extremely excited, which was fairly unusual for the older wizard. "Shall I pop us?" he offered, thinking that Severus might calm down once they reached their destiny.

"Yes please. I wouldn't wish for Regina to arrive before us, but we're fairly late due to the headmaster's meddling."

Harry inwardly chuckled, before he reached out to Lucy and Severus and popped them right in front of the Three Broomsticks, automatically turning the three of them invisible on the way. Seeing through Lucy's eyes that several people were walking along the street, he whispered, "Come," and led Severus and Lucy around the corner into a small side street, before he released them.

"Thank you, Harry," Severus whispered, once they became visible once more. "That was very thoughtful."

"The elves have taught me well," Harry repeated what Severus used to tell him.

"Cheeky brat," the older wizard replied, as he ushered them into the Three Broomsticks, where he enquired if Ms. Lestrange had already arrived.

Hearing that Regina was not there yet, Harry suggested, "Shall we wait outside then? Perhaps, she won't feel so comfortable entering this place just by herself." 'Considering that she's a Squib,' he added just for himself.

"Let's do that," Severus immediately agreed; however, it did not take more than two minutes, before Regina walked up to them.

HP

Even if Severus had prepared Harry for what could be expected during dinner, Harry felt strangely out of place, when Severus proposed to Regina after they had finished eating. He kept himself busy cuddling with Lucy, while he listened to the exchange of words and inwardly smiled, happily, when Regina replied with a firm "Yes."

"Congratulations, Regina and Severus," he said in a small voice, uncertain if it would be all right to voice his opinion. Only when the happy couple profusely thanked him, he felt slightly reassured. The thought 'I shouldn't have come with them but remained at Hogwarts' crossed his mind and only intensified, when Severus suggested going for a small walk across the village.

'I want to leave them alone for a while,' he feverishly thought, as he summoned his magic and concentrated on the completion of the Animagus transformation. An instant later, he felt the transformation set in. 'I did it,' he realised, when Lucy congratulated him and began to lick his fur in apparent happiness. 'I managed the complete transformation.'

"Harry!" he heard Severus and Regina shout in obvious surprise, as they stared at him in clear amazement.

Harry walked over and gently licked Regina's hand, before he repeated the process with Severus', feeling delighted at his success.

=Come,= Lucy invited him, and the two canines had much fun running ahead to give the adults some space. Arriving at the empty playground, where Severus and Regina sat on a bench, close to each other, Lucy suggested, =Let's have a mock fight. It's going to be much fun.=

Fun they had, although it did not take long, before Harry lay down in front of the happy couple and drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the magic that the completion of his Animagus form had afforded.

HP

"He is so thoughtful," Regina said, smiling, as she observed the two canines sleep on the ground in front of them. "Did you know that he managed the Animagus transformation?"

"No, I did not," Severus replied. "He's much too insecure though. I told him about the matter beforehand to reassure him that he belongs to us."

"He knows it, but still. It's not so easy to make up for so many years of verbal abuse." She chuckled. "It's funny how he is the spitting image of Lucy apart from his face." While Lucy's face consisted of a black and a grey half, Harry's face was completely black apart from the pattern of a white lightning bolt on his forehead.

"At least, it's easy to distinguish them," Severus commented, smirking, as he leaned over to pull his new fiancée into a passionate kiss.

It was almost midnight, when they woke up the two canines to return to Hogwarts.

HP

On Sunday afternoon, when Teddy was just a week old, Cicero and Misty arrived with the small elf in tow.

"Harry, are you sure that you do not wish to accept Teddy as your house-elf?"

Harry smiled at his favourite elf. "Yes Misty, I'd rather want to bond to him as his friend if that is possible."

"Teddy?"

"Yes." Teddy smiled at his mother and bowed deeply, before he stood straight on seemingly wobbly legs. "I will bond to Master Harry then." He remained quiet in apparent concentration, before Harry felt the same happiness, which he recalled having felt when Lucy bonded to him.

"Thank you, Teddy," he replied, smiling. "Please do not bow, and I am not Master Harry. Just Harry." 'Lucy, can you quickly fetch me Teddy's scarf please,' he thought to the canine, who jumped up from her seat next to him and dashed into his room only to return with the scarf, which apart from the size was identical to those that Misty and Cicero were wearing. Glad that Lucy once again focused on showing him the smallest elf, he gently laid the scarf around his new friend's neck.

"Thank you, Harry." Teddy cast him a broad smile, apparently feeling equally happy. "Teddy will work for Harry. Please call Teddy, when you need me."

HP

By the time Harry went to bed, he was still delighted from his bonding with Teddy. All of a sudden, a voice, which he had not heard ever since Halloween, penetrated his mind.

'Hello Harry, I'm sorry for not contacting you for a while, but I was travelling. I have now reached Germany, and I expect to be back in Britain in about a week.'

'Hello Marvolo. I am living at Hogwarts. Do you know Hogwarts?' Harry thought back, somehow feeling happy at being able to communicate with the person he thought of as his mind friend.

'Of course, I know Hogwarts. I have been a student at Hogwarts for seven years, and I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin, one of her founders.'

'Me too,' Harry thought back, somehow feeling surprised at the idea that there might be two heirs. 'I thought it was only me,' he thought, absentmindedly cradling Lucy close to his chest.

tbc...

Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please tell me what you liked or disliked in this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas are welcome, and my muse appreciates any constructive feedback.