AN: Many thanks to all that have reviewed. I really appreciate it.

End of the Golden Trio

Harry sat in a dark corner of the Leaky Caldron, the hood of his cloak hiding his face, head down, eyes alert, waiting for his friends. He had been sitting there for an hour, waiting, nursing the same butterbeer. The young man felt apprehensive; he wanted to see his friends, but at the same time he feared they would reject him, now that he had changed so much. He was also sad at the realization that they had little in common now; between the end of the term and this summer Harry Potter left all traces of his childhood behind.

Shaking off the depressing thoughts, Harry watched as the fireplace flared green and Ron Weasley stumbled out; just a second behind him came Hermione Granger. Smiling sadly at his friends, Harry stood and went to greet them. "Hey guys, over here."

Hermione whipped around and launched herself at him; right behind her was Ron. Before Harry could adjust to the four arms suddenly around him, he heard Hermione whisper "Venom", then he felt the familiar tug of a Portkey behind his navel. A minute later, they were in a quiet cottage nowhere near London.

When the Golden Trio winked out of sight, Severus Snape smiled victoriously, knowing his machinations worked out perfectly. Schooling his expression into outrage, he turned towards the grizzled man behind him who was growling, "Where did that lot get a Portkey, and where in the bloody hell did they go?"

Glaring, Severus replied, "I am not a seer, how would I know their current whereabouts?"

Looking around the crowded pub, Severus decided then that he had endured enough of Albus and his pet Auror for the day. "You go inform Albus his 'Chosen One' has eluded him once again. I will check Diagon Alley. Perhaps they ended up in that monstrosity the Weasley twins call a store."

After a pitiful insult and some arguing, Moody agreed and went back through the Floo to report to the headmaster. Assuring himself that the man had left, Severus made his way to the Apparition point and headed to his cottage.

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"What the bloody hell was that? Where are we?" Harry was livid; he hated Portkeys, especially when they were unexpected.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, we had to, or else Professor Moody was going to take you back to Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professor Snape said that you didn't want to see him. He's the one who gave us the Portkey; we're at his safe-house." Hermione rushed to tell him before he could start yelling.

Harry took a deep breath, then another and nodded his acceptance of the necessity. The raven-haired man looked over his friends. Hermione was the same as ever, bushy-haired and bright eyed. Ron looked like he'd grown some and filled out a little. Smiling at them, Harry said, "Am I ever glad to see you; I'm sorry I couldn't write, but Dumbledore told me to limit my letters to emergencies. So much has happened I don't know where to begin."

Hermione gave him a hard hug and replied, "It's ok, Harry, take your time, why don't we sit down. Oh, before I forget, Professor Snape said he wanted to speak with you, he should be here in an hour or so." All three jumped suddenly, surprised by the crack of Apparition from outside the front door.

Harry drew his wand and stepped in front of his friends, watching the door; it opened and in walked Severus Snape. "You aren't supposed to be here yet," Harry growled. "Tell me why I should believe you are really Professor Snape."

Severus took in the sight of Potter almost glowing with power and rolled his eyes. "Because, Mr. Potter," he drawled coolly, "as I informed your little friends, I am the only one who knows the location of this cottage. Add to that the fact that the last time I saw you, you were in the midst of demolishing the headmaster's office, and it should assure you of my identity."

Harry lowered his wand and replaced it in his pocket, satisfied that the man was really Snape. "Sorry, sir, you weren't supposed to be here for an hour, according to Hermione."

Snape simply nodded and offered, "Mr. Potter, if you desire, I will wait in the other room while you speak to your friends, but I would appreciate an opportunity to speak with you before you leave."

"That's ok, sir, you can stay. Maybe you could help me. Some of what I have to say I don't understand myself, and I really wanted to talk to you too, later. About something Dumbledore was talking about yesterday."

Snape inclined his head in understanding of what Harry was referring to. "Perhaps we should sit; this promises to be a long conversation." The group arranged themselves in the living room, Ron and Hermione on the loveseat with Harry and Snape in armchairs on either side.

Harry took a minute to decide where to start when Ron interrupted his thoughts. "Harry, why do you want Snape here? Why do you trust him now? Last time we talked you were blaming him for Sirius' death."

Harry looked at Snape and flinched at the glare Ron was getting. Ron stuck his chin up and squared his shoulders. "Ron, I was wrong, it wasn't Professor Snape's fault," said Harry hurriedly. "It was mine, and I want him here because I trust him. He saved my life when I was facing Voldemort."

Ron gave Harry a disbelieving look, but didn't press any further. "Now be quiet a minute while I try to think of where to start." The room descended into silence while everyone gave the young man an opportunity to gather his thoughts.

"Okay," Harry began finally, "it all started about a week after I got home from Hogwarts when I got a letter from Sirius. It said the usual: sorry I died, and…" Harry trailed off. "Well, wait, it'll be easier if I just read it to you." He dug in his pocket and withdrew a tattered and obviously well-read letter. After taking a calming breath, he opened it and began to read:

Hey Kiddo,

Well, if you're reading this, I must be dead. Sorry about that… the dead thing, I mean. I'm writing this just after you lot headed back to Hogwarts after Christmas. Harry, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I've seen you struggling to do what is right for everyone, and I want to tell you that I for one think you've done a great job. Just don't forget to do what's right for you, too. All right, enough of the mushy stuff; there are actual important things I need to tell you. First, you are my heir, everything I have is yours. I made a will; they have it at Gringotts, stop by as soon as you can. Please take care of Moony for me. Also, since you are not a criminal or currently wanted by the Ministry (I hope), you are the last Black male, which makes you the head of the Black family. Harry, show the world what the Black name should mean, not what it has become. How are you the last Black male? More on that in a minute. Second, included in this letters are emancipation papers. All you have to do is sign and you will be legally an adult. Which means no more Dursleys, and it will also help you with Dumbledore. Why do you need help with Dumbledore? Well, he should have told you that stupid prophecy a long time ago, if you still don't know it, go demand it. Either from him or the Ministry. Trust me on this, Kiddo. On to the hard stuff now, just bear with me, this story is long and hard for me to tell.

When you were a baby and Voldemort started hunting you, we were all worried. Your parents and I spent hours trying to find a way to protect you. We were all racking our brains when I had a brilliant idea. Shut up, Harry, I know what happened to my other brilliant idea. But this one really was genius. It took your father and me two weeks of unrelenting begging to get your mother to do it. What did we do, you ask? Well, it was an old blood adoption spell. Blood magic is considered dark, that's why it took so long for your mother to agree. Once she realized it was not illegal, and wouldn't hurt you, she agreed. The spell was Mei Per Cruor, which means Mine By Blood. Who adopted you? I did; that spell made me just as much your father as James is. Please forgive me for not telling you sooner, but I did not want to take your parents away from you. You are James' son; you just have my blood, too, for what it's worth. As you grow older, some of your features may change a little, but it should not be dramatic. The big benefit is Black Magic.

Black Magic has been in the family for as long as we have recorded history. It has not been seen in about eight hundred years, however, because no one was strong enough to wield it. That's where all the pure-blood shite started. When the magic started dying out, one of my ancestors decided that only pure-blood marriages would be strong enough to bring it back. The family motto used to be 'Always Strong', not 'Always Pure'. Now, there are three things you need to know about Black Magic. First, Black Flames; they're exactly what they sound like − fire that burns black. It will only burn what you intend it to. You could use it in a room full of babies to kill a bug and the only thing that would feel the heat is the bug. That only comes when you are an adult, so sign the papers, Kiddo. Next, Black Magic allows you to tap into your emotions to cast spells; it relies on emotion and willpower. The strength of feeling and determination towards something will affect all of your magic. You might have already noticed that. Third, wandless magic. Yes, I said wandless. You should be able to do lots of wandless magic. Again it's an adult thing, mostly, unless you're really determined. Kiddo, I know you have Black Magic. You used to summon your bottle when you were hungry; you even summoned Lily once when you were a baby.

Lots of info, I know, and I'm sorry to spring it on you like this. I wish I didn't have to. I plan on telling you it all this summer; that is the deadline I gave Albus for telling you about the prophecy. Harry, I love you, never doubt that. When you sign those papers you will be an adult. If you haven't already, you will come into your full magical potential. Given that you are not through growing, your magic might change you some. Don't worry, it won't hurt. Your magic will just strengthen your body so you can wield all of your tremendous potential. Well, I don't know what else to say, except bye, Kiddo. Sorry as hell I had to die. I wish I could have seen you grow up.

Sirius Black a.k.a Padfoot

P.S. If I died doing something stupid, give Moony 20 galleons, we had a bet.

There was silence when Harry finished reading, for no one seemed to know what to say. Harry folded the letter back up and carefully placed it back in his pocket. Looking around, he could see the others seemed lost in thought. When the silence became almost unbearable, Snape spoke up. "Did you give Lupin his gold?"

Harry looked at him for a second and started laughing almost hysterically. When he could breathe again, he managed, "He did die doing something stupid, didn't he."

With the silence being sufficiently, broken, Hermione had a question. "Harry, I understand the whole Black Magic thing, and that you used it to defeat You-Know-Who, but what I don't understand is why you did it. Shouldn't you have waited?"

"Waited for what, Hermione? I'd been telling Dumbledore for two weeks that Voldemort was planning to kidnap me. All the old man said was that he had no outside verification, and that it could be a false vision again." Harry was upset that everyone kept harping on that point.

"But, Harry, how did you know the vision wasn't false?" Hermione was determined to find out.

"I finally figured it out. When it is a real vision, it's like I'm looking out of Voldemort's eyes, and when it's a false vision it's just like I'm there," Harry explained.

"You really should have waited for Professor Dumbledore. I'm certain he would have brought you to Headquarters if he felt you were in danger." Hermione stated primly.

Harry took a deep breath; it wouldn't do to yell at Hermione. He tried again to explain. "There were two Death Eaters waiting for me in the park. Their intentions were to kidnap me and hand me over to Voldemort as soon as they got a chance." Harry was gritting his teeth to refrain from yelling. "Dumbledore was ignoring me. I did what I had to do."

"I still think that you should have waited. Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted you there without a good reason." Hermione settled into lecture mode. "Honestly, Harry, you always rush into these situations before you think. You need to learn to accept that adults have your best interests at heart and stop breaking so many rules."

"Okay, but what was with the letters, mate?" Ron broke in before Harry could snap at Hermione. "You drove Mum spare; we all thought you were going to off yourself or something."

The raven-haired young man couldn't believe that his friend was that dim. "Ron, I'd been having visions of Voldemort plotting against me for two weeks. No protection from the headmaster, I knew that I was on my own. I didn't think I could survive the confrontation, so I wanted to tell my friends and family how I felt about them. In case I didn't get another chance." Harry slumped in his seat, Hermione was scolding him and Ron was asking stupid questions; the feeling of distance between them grew.

Seeing Potter grow more exasperated with his friends, Severus decided to change the direction of the conversation. "Mr. Potter, it would require an intense emotion for the Black Flame to kill the Dark Lord. May I inquire which one you used?"

Potter looked over at him with something like gratitude in his eyes. "Desperation, Professor," he said with a sad smile. "Desperation, fear, and a wholehearted wish for him to just go away. I think that was the willpower part."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Yes I seem to recall you voiced the sentiment that you wish he'd, what was it… Oh yes, burn in hell."

Potter chuckled darkly. "I thought it a fitting place for him."

Hermione looked discomforted by the morbid humor. "Harry, don't you feel even a little guilty? I mean, you killed another human being." She fidgeted in her chair before adding, "It seems wrong to sit and laugh about it."

Harry turned on her with a snarl. "What would you have me do, cry? I've shed all the tears I'm going to because of that monster. Burning in hell is really too good for him."

Ron jumped to Hermione's defense. "You don't have to yell at Hermione, she's just telling you how she feels. Me, I'm glad you offed the slimy bastard. Just wish I could have been there to see it, mate."

Harry shook his head sadly; he didn't know how to tell them. Ron still believed that battle was full of glory and Hermione couldn't understand why he didn't feel guilty. But Harry himself… he had to laugh about it; he had no more tears to shed. The realization that he had to kill or be killed and the acceptance of that fact had changed him forever. He could no longer be the child everyone was expecting. Snape had been right − the Golden Boy was dead.

Harry was struggling for the words to explain this when a smooth baritone intruded, "Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, what you fail to understand is that the circumstances in Mr. Potter's life have forced him to grow up. Your understanding is that of a child's; Mr. Potter is endeavoring to explain adult ideas to children. You cannot comprehend it. Possibly when you are an adult you will gain the necessary understanding."

Harry turned to Snape with gratitude shining in his green eyes. "Thanks, Professor."

Turning back to his friends, he said, "Guys, I need you just to accept this. This is who I am now; I can't go back, even if I wanted to."

Harry fought to make them understand what had changed him. "There is a prophecy; it said I either had to kill Voldemort or he would kill me. Dumbledore knew it all along, before the Department of Mysteries. He told me the night Sirius died."

Hermione nodded encouragingly, and Harry continued, "I've thought about it a lot since then. At first I wanted to ignore the whole thing, but I couldn't. Thinking about it made me realize something about myself: I was willing to kill, at least to kill Voldemort. It wasn't just revenge for my parents or Cedric, but the fact that he had to be stopped and nothing short of death would stop him. The prophecy said I was the only one capable of doing it, so I killed him. Didn't expect to survive it, probably wouldn't have without Professor Snape. He took care of the Death Eaters; otherwise, they would have stopped me."

Severus noted the boy was doing well trying to explain the difficult concept to his friends. Acknowledging that some things were worth killing and dying for as well as accepting your own mortality − that was the threshold Potter had crossed into adulthood, the threshold his friends could only vaguely sense existed.

Hermione looked at her friend, taking in all the changes. Harry stood a powerful 6'1" now; he had filled out, no longer skin and bones, but lean muscle. The glasses were gone, his hair was much longer, down to his shoulders, and there was a streak of white running through the hair along his right temple.

She finally understood − her friend was a man now. There were fundamental differences in their life experiences that could only be bridged by time. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry…" she whispered. "It's gone isn't it? Your innocence."

Harry smiled sadly. "Yes, Hermione."

Ron just stared. "What are you talking about? Did you get lucky, Harry?"

Harry laughed and turned to Hermione. "You'll explain it to him, right?"

Hermione nodded. "We'll always be here for you, Harry. Let us know if you need anything."

She looked to Snape and said, "Professor, we're ready to go back now. If you could send us to Diagon Alley, we'll make our way back from there."

Severus nodded to the Granger chit and preformed the necessary spells on a magazine from the table. "This will take you behind Gringotts; please do not inform anyone that I assisted you. I have no wish to face the inquisition when I next see the headmaster. If asked, perhaps you could tell them Mr. Potter had the Portkey?"

With this he looked to Harry, who nodded his ok. "The activation word is the same." Severus handed over the magazine.

Harry hugged them both again, taking a moment to wipe away Hermione's tears and to be pounded on the back by Ron who said, "Good job, by the way, getting rid of What's-His-Name."

When they left he collapsed back in the chair. Exhausted, rubbing his temples to try to relieve the headache that had sprung up in the emotional debate, he didn't notice Snape leave the room. Several moments passed before he heard a gruff, "Here, Mr. Potter, this should relieve your headache." Harry grunted his thanks and downed the disgusting potion, keeping his eyes closed as he felt his head begin to ease.

Severus watched as some of the tension left the young man's face as the draught took effect. He was curious about several things and hoped Potter would answer him. The Potions master reminded himself to rein in the animosity he had displayed toward the boy in the past; he no longer felt that way, but habit could be difficult to break. When the younger man opened his eyes, Severus asked his first question, "You indicated you wanted to speak with me about the headmaster's revelations. Which issue in particular did you want to discuss?"

Potter seemed to tense up again, but answered, "Is my soul split? Does that mean I'm missing part of it now?"

There could be no easy question first; the brat had to jump in with both feet. "It is my understanding, Mr. Potter," started Severus carefully, "that when you commit murder your soul does, in fact, split, but it does not leave you without a spell to commit it to an object, a Horcrux. So yes, your soul is split, but do not dwell on it, human souls are resilient things. It will repair itself in due time, and you can hasten the process by refraining from killing anyone else. There should be no lasting consequence if that is your fear."

Potter looked relieved by this. "Thank you, Professor, I didn't fancy living with half a soul. Or being anything like Voldemort."

The boy − no, young man − fell silent.

"Mr. Potter," Severus said after several minutes of silence, "I have a proposition for you, and I would like for you to hear me out before making your decision."

At Potter's softly spoken ok, Severus continued, "The public is soon to be aware of the Dark Lord's downfall; this will give you political power, along with the Potter and Black names. If carefully done, you could have great influence over public matters, and I know certain people I believe will be willing to assist you with that. In addition, now that I am no longer needed to spy, I fear that my days of freedom could be limited, for Fudge has never been a supporter of mine. In exchange for your public support of me, I would be willing to help you in your education. You do not seem eager to put yourself back into Dumbledore's sphere of influence; indeed, you have shown that you desire to be independent."

"I would take you as my apprentice; I could have you prepared for your N.E.W.T's by the new year. I have a Mastery in Defense; I would be willing to assist you towards that as well, if that is your desire. I am aware of the need to eradicate the Horcruxes, but you need more education to do that as well as to live the remainder of your life. I ask nothing of you if it is not of your free will; I am simply offering you my assistance… an alliance, if you will." Severus sat back and waited for Potter's questions. The brat was sure to have questions, he always did.

Harry was trying franticly to comprehend why Snape, of all people, was offering him so much. "Please, Professor, give me a minute. This was most unexpected."

When Snape nodded, Harry stood and began pacing; he always thought best while moving. Why is he offering me this? Is it something I want? Can I deal with Snape for an extended period of time? Well I do need to get my N.E.W.T's, and it would be nice to finish so early, but how can being Snape's apprentice keep Dumbledore away from me? Only Snape can answer; hopefully he'll remain decent and not turn back into a bastard.

Severus watched as the young man paced in front of the fireplace; he understood the need for time. The offer had been unexpected to him also when he first thought of it, but, the longer he thought, the more he was sure that it was the right decision. Now if the brat will just accept it.

"Professor..." Severus lifted his hand, cutting Potter off. "Please, I'm not your professor right now, and I don't like to hear the title in my home, so you may address me as Severus."

The boy blinked twice. "Ok, Severus, but only if you'll call me Harry. I'm tired of hearing 'Mr. Potter.'"

Severus nodded and Potter continued, "Severus, why are you offering this to me? I thought you didn't even like me, but now you're proposing to spend a great deal of time in my company."

The Potions master sighed. It was a fair question; he had hoped, however, that the boy wouldn't ask it. He hated to admit he was wrong. "Harry, I was mistaken in my assessment of your character. You have shown that you have an enormous amount of potential, and I would like the opportunity to help you shape that potential. I am certain that without the misassumptions we can rub along tolerably well. We certainly seem to be doing so now."

Harry could only agree. Severus wasn't being a bastard and so he didn't feel the need to yell, but he had to ask anyway. "You will continue to treat me this way? I'm not asking you to change, I can deal with your insults, but I can't agree if you go back to treating me like I was something you scraped off your shoe."

Severus nodded. "Yes. I will make no promises that I'm unable to keep, but as you seem to understand that sarcasm and insults are part of who I am, I agree to cease the hostility."

The younger man went on to his next question. "How can being your apprentice keep Dumbledore from trying to control me?"

"How much do you know about the apprentice system?" Severus doubted the boy knew much, but asked anyway.

"Not very much, just that someone with a Mastery can take an apprentice and that they train them in their field of expertise. The terms are secret and the mentorship can last up to six years."

Severus raised an eyebrow; the boy knew more than he had believed. "You are correct. The terms are kept secret unless the apprentice accuses the Master of violating said terms. Also, the Master has control of who the apprentice studies under; it could be themselves or someone they appoint. I would suggest as one of the terms that the headmaster is never under any circumstances to instruct you. In addition, the Master is required to provide lodgings acceptable to both Master and apprentice. I have an extra room in my quarters which you would be welcome to. Hogwarts has rules that if a teacher has a Mastery, and I have two, then they are allowed an apprentice of their choice. The headmaster would have no say in it. You could be at Hogwarts with your friends for a time longer. Furthermore, I have some people I would like to introduce you to. I believe that they would be of great value to you in gaining a political toehold, and assuring the public you are not dark; they will also help you further your training."

It seemed the brat was going to accept, but Severus wanted to be sure, so he played his last card, "Harry, to show you that I am sincere, and that you can trust me, I have Wormtail and Bellatrix Lestrange locked in my basement at Spinner's End. They are yours to do with as you like."

The young man collapsed in his chair, his brain fighting to understand that Severus just offered him two of the people he hated most, to do what he wanted with. "And if I wish to kill them?"

Severus graced him with an evil smile. "I'll hold your cloak. However, I recommend that you give them over to the Ministry. They should be an impressive bargaining chip."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the man. Until yesterday he would have never believed he could share such a joke with Snape. "Very well, Severus, I accept all that you have offered."