Author's Note: After long last here is chapter 9. I have not forgotten this story, its just for a while I did not have the motivation, the time, and I had a case of writer's block. I hope ya'll are doing well and staying safe. Enjoy this chapter, and I will try to have a shorter break between this chapter and chapter 10, which still needs to be written. Likes, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome if you have the time. Have a great day, or night depending on where you are in the world. Happy reading. Toodles, Elf 😊

Harry and Severus both felt like they could have stayed in the hug forever. But time passes and they broke apart each feeling lighter, despite the tears running down both of their faces, albeit more tears covered Harry's face. Severus reached out and rubbed Harry's cheeks clean with the pad of his thumbs, each hand going up to touch is son's face.

Severus took a breath and said once more "I love you, my son."

"It might seem like everything you once knew is a lie my son, but you are not the only one feeling this way, and we can get through together," said Severus with a small smile.

"Are you ready to meet the rest of the family now? Its ok if you do not want to do so, or if you do want to meet them today, would you like to eat something with me first, to give both of us time to process our emotions, and get our thoughts more together," asked Severus in a quiet voice?

Harry while processing his father's question, moved Severus's long, calloused fingers off of his face and moved in to give Severus another hug to ground himself. Harry took a deep breath, looked into Severus's eyes, and nodded yes. Taking strength from the love and calm simultaneously showing in his father's eyes.

Once they were situated Houndstooth then lead the father and son through the door that Severus had recently come out of. They were going through the one of many corridors lined with torches that carved their way all throughout the goblin nation.

Harry started to get nervous. He felt a lot of feelings at the moment, too many to discern, but he did not lie to his father. He was ready and determined to meet the rest of his blood family, but worries about how their first meeting would go were bouncing around in his head.

"What if they don't like me, what if they don't think I will live up to the family name, what if they make fun of me since I can't speak Romanian like my dad, what if I am a burden, what if...?"

"...llo, hello, Harry are you ok?," asked Severus; who had a concerned look on his face and who had worry lines above his nose. Apparently while Harry was lost in his thoughts, they had made it to the door that held the rest of his family behind it. Houndstooth was grimacing but was waiting as patiently as a goblin could outside the door while Severus was getting Harry's attention. Severus lowered his head and bent his knees down slightly, so he was eye to eye to Harry. He then ever so slowly reached out with his right hand and rested it gently onto Harry's shoulder.

"Harry do you need a minute before going in, no one will think less of you. I know it's an understatement, but this must be just as, or even more overwhelming for you as it was for me, "spoke Severus. "A lot has happened in a short of amount of time."

Harry was quite for a few moments and then he said, "No I am good now. Sorry for keeping you both waiting. You are right it has been a lot happening over a short period of time. The reality of everything is still shocking me and when we walked down the hallway, I finally had a few minutes to really think about meeting the rest of your, uhhh I mean our family," said Harry wringing his hands together nervously. In an even quieter voice Harry said, "I am nervous dad. I know we cannot stay out in the hall forever," at this Harry eyed Houndstooth and said, "but I am nervous about meeting the family. I fought a basilisk and multiple other creatures at school and yet I am nervous about meeting our family."

"Your feelings are valid my son. It is ok to be nervous and you have every right to be. You will never be punished for expressing your worries, or for any emotions with me, or with the rest of the family. I can tell you honestly that your grandparents and your aunt and uncle are very excited to meet you, and so are your cousins. I believe your cousins might even be as nervous to meet you as you are to meeting them."

"Really?" asked Harry while looking up at his dad, with his big green eyes.

At this moment Severus was reminded that despite being a young man and fighting many fights, Harry still was a child in the eyes of many other Wizarding and non-wizarding cultures. Despite having old eyes that have seen too much for one so young, Harry still had some youthfulness and dare he say innocence in him. The way Harry was looking at him was like a child looking at their parents for reassurance. Despite only reuniting recently and the parent child bond being freshly reconnected, Severus was intensely affected by all the emotions a parent feels for a child and then some. Come to think of its Severus now remembered Houndstooth telling him that all the emotions he felt for his son would be amplified now that the potions and spells that had been blocking them all these years were off.

Severus took a deep calming breath, he needed to follow his instincts, and care for his son. His son! "Yes Harry, they all are excited and nervous to meet you too. Are you ready to go in now? We don't want to make everyone, yourself included more anxious by pushing the meeting back further and Houndstooth has graciously been waiting outside in the hall with us, while we have had this entire conversation." At this Severus gave a nod of thanks to the grimacing goblin, whose grimace seemed to ease ever so slightly and almost seemed to even out into a tiny smirk if one looked close enough, or squinted.

Copying his father's actions, Harry too took a deep breath to try and calm himself and nodded toward his father and Houndstooth. "Thank you for waiting with us Houndstooth I know you must have other Gringotts business to attend too. Dad I am ready to meet the family. Thank you for helping me calm down a bit." Harry said this with small grin.

Houndstooth just grunted and nodded his head towards Harry as his way of a your welcome and since Severus still had his right hand on Harry's shoulder, he pulled his son in and then wrapped his right and now his left hand around his son for a quick hug. No words were exchanged as your welcome, but the hug and Severus's eyes on Harry were enough to convey his emotions

Without further ado, Houndstooth nocked, heavily 3 times on a wooden door, and then pushed the door open and entered first in what looked like to be a sitting room.

On one couch sat a man and a woman. The man had jet black, raven hair like Severus. His hair was a little bit shorter than shoulder length and he had a trimmed short beard, also the same color as the hair on his head, but it was peppered with more gray hair then on his head. The man seemed to be fairly tall despite being seated and he had muscular fore arms and legs, while also having a taught chest. He was not stocky, but he was not lithe either, he was somewhere in between. His eyes were dark obsidian, like Severus. He was dressed in a dark, navy button down with three quarter length sleeves, tan slacks, and black oxford dress shoes.

Next to the man sat a woman, she was a bit shorter than the man next to her, but still had good height. She had dark brown hair with auburn highlights in it and she too had some grey hairs peppered throughout her head. Her eyes were a mix between midnight blue, that almost looked black, and ocean blue. Here hair seemed to reach below her collar bone and seemed to stop somewhere around the middle of her breasts. She was dressed in a navy-blue blazer, over top a white short sleeve button up, a black pencil skirt, and navy pumps.

Vertically, across from the one couch was another couch. All the seats were around a large coffee table, but they were all angled so that the occupants no matter how they were sitting could have full view of the door. On the other side of the coffee table and couches was a big stone fireplace that kept the room warm, but it was not stifling.

The second couch sat Severus's brother and his wife and Severus's sister and her wife. Behind the two couches and the coffee table, the sitting room had a table that had Harry's cousins and Severus's nieces and nephews sitting around it.