Chapter 1:

"…and that's the store where we got a bunch of our supplies for potions last year, and that's the owlery-but I'm not allowed to have an owl because we don't need one and the neighbors would probably think it was odd-even though almost all the other kids at school have one, and that's the Hot Dog on a Stick…" Danny said as he gestured around at the various vendors in the magical side of the North Langstrom Mall. It was Alicia's first time in the mall aside from the rescue a few months prior, as the previous year she'd gotten her supplies from a small general purpose magic shop in East Cleveland, and he and Chase had been pointing out various shops they'd been to for last years' supplies and commenting on what they thought was best. As the trio forged ahead the Clays and Hendersons walked behind, keeping a careful eye to make sure all was okay with the three adolescents.

"It sucks your mom had to work. I bet she'd love this place!" Chase said as he balanced along the edge of a backless bench in the middle of the walkway.

"Yeah, but she said that maybe she could come in a few weeks after we get the full list for potions supplies." Alicia shrugged as Chase hopped off the bench and Danny tried to keep up with the others. Unfortunately it seemed like both his friends had grown a few inches in the ensuing months while he was still just barely 4'8. Chase was easily a good half-foot higher, while even Alicia-who'd been the shortest of the three at the start of the previous school year-was a fair bit taller than him. Danny inwardly sighed as he hopped slightly to catch up with the others, Moony and Pads weren't short-Moony was over six feet, and while Pads wasn't tall by most measurements he was still taller than either of Danny's biological parents.

I suppose I'm destined to be short… "I guess that means that they made Professor Farrant the official headmaster." Danny commented as the three stopped in front of the bookshop.

"He had to have, otherwise they would've published the list already." Alicia agreed as she glanced down at the list of books they'd all need to be purchasing. She quickly did some mental math-evident by how she pulled slightly on the braid nearest her left ear-before frowning slightly.

"I need to talk to my dads for a minute, if you guys find any of the books grab one for me-I'll be in in a sec." Danny said as he turned back toward the nearing parents. Chase and Alicia nodded as they went into the bookstore past a display of heavily reduced Gilderoy Lockhart novels-apparently despite his fame abroad the books weren't selling well in the states.

"Hey, what's up?" Silas said as Danny approached, which earned him a quick jab to the ribs by Moony. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Stop trying to sound hip dear, you're nearly thirty-three." Wolfgang chuckled slightly at the feigned aghast look on his boyfriend's face.

"You three meet can meet us inside. We'll look after the kids." Allen said as he and Sara entered the bookshop.

"Thank you. It's hard enough looking after this one." Wolfgang gestured to a somewhat sour Padfoot, who for his part also nodded appreciatively as the Hendersons started searching for Chase and Alicia. "What's on your mind Danny?"

"I saw Alicia looking over the list a minute ago and it looked like she was trying to figure out if she had enough money for all the supplies we need. I know she doesn't want us to buy stuff for her, but maybe we could figure out some way for her to end up with what she needs?" Danny half-whispered, still concerned that one of his friends might overhear.

Moony smiled, "Of course, we'll figure something out. After all, discretion is a talent of mine."

**HP**

After a 'promotional discount' had Alicia get her books for half-price for being Benton's customer of the day the group continued on, doubling back toward the apothecary.

"Even though we don't have a full list it at least makes sense to grab the basics, right?" Chase said as he took a bite of his corndog. "I wonder why they don't just call it 'corndog on a stick', I mean, it is a corndog, right?"

"Hot Dog on a Stick sounds better I think." Alicia said as she took a sip of her lemonade-quite glad that she'd actually have a little money left over to give back to her mother after she got back home.

Before Danny could chime in on their discussion of tube-shaped meat that had been skewered, battered, and deep fried he felt a sudden splitting pain in his forehead. Danny had been fortunate to have a peaceful and relatively injury-free childhood, but he had once before fallen off a tree limb and required stitches in his scalp. This made that pain of ripped flesh feel like a scrape in comparison. It was as if someone had shoved an iron bar into his forehead. An iron bar that was on fire. And dipped in lemon juice. And also covered in fire ants. Before he knew what was happening he was lying on the ground screaming in pain. Somehow the pain of his vocal cords straining to their limits made the pain in his head feel slightly less horrible, but even then, it was nearly unbearable. The last conscious thought that passed his mind was a white flash and a man in a dark cloak.

**HP**

Danny woke up twelve minutes later sitting in the mall's healer station. I must have passed out… He thought as he slowly opened his eyes and tried to steady himself as he leaned forward to sit up.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Silas grasped his son in a tight hug before kissing his son's forehead and face. Wolfgang joined in the familial embrace from the other side.

"Danny, are you okay?" His green eyes were ringed with anxiety.

"Yeah Dad, I'm okay now…"

"What happened? You started screaming and clawing at your forehead, then passed out in the middle of the mall." Padfoot too looked worried.

"I don't know. Out of nowhere it just felt like my forehead was having a rod driven through it." Danny squinted slightly trying to recall everything that happened, "And maybe there was some white light?"

The men exchanged a worried glance before responding. "We'll discuss this more at home. You're going to tell your friends it was a seizure." Wolfgang stated. "I understand you don't want to lie to them, but in this case it is essential."

Danny nodded, while he didn't want to mislead his friends, if it was something this big it made sense not to spread it around-at least, not until he had a better understanding of what was going on.

**HP**

The rest of the afternoon concluded relatively uneventfully, with Danny's explanation being accepted. Apparently his outward appearance at the time of the splitting pain was fairly congruous with some seizure symptoms, which allowed him for the time being to play it off. Pads dropped Alicia at her home after their shopping while the Hendersons and Chase drove back. It was shortly before four when the three Clays were back home.

"Danny, I want to begin by saying that your parents-your biological parents, that is-were the two bravest and kindest people we'd ever known." Wolfgang stated. "And with what just happened, it makes sense to tell you everything we know-and suspect-about what happened."

"We already told you about their murders at the hand of Voldemort and how he had tried to kill you too, but failed." Silas added. "But the truth is, we don't know how that happened."

"There are three unforgivable curses. I know you haven't heard of them yet because no right person would teach them to a child your age. The one that matters to you is called the killing curse-avada kedavra."Wolfgang cringed as he spoke the last two words, "It is an evil and horrible thing to kill someone, and using the curse is nearly impossible to defeat. But somehow you did."

"What?" Danny scrunched his face as he tried to understand.

"Voldemort killed your parents with the curse and he tried to do the same with you, but for some reason it didn't work. It misfired and killed him instead. When I found you…" Silas choked back the rising tears and bile, "…that night, you had a scar on your forehead in the shape of that curse. A lightning bolt etched brightly into your face as a reminder of what had happened."

"When we got here we had a doctor remove it. We never wanted you to have to think about what had happened, let alone live with physical proof every time you looked in a mirror." Wolfgang said as he glanced at his son, "But somehow, even doing that, you still can feel it."

"What does it mean, that I felt it?"

"I don't know. But I have a feeling it involves the one who gave it to you." Silas grimly intoned.