"Professor, I believe this is yours," he said as he handed the parchment to the woman he had just saved. He turned to Albus and handed the large weapon to him all while noticing that he looked more weary for a moment, as though all his years had caught up to him. The twinkle in his bright blue eyes had diminished and Harry was the only one who saw the most significant change. Dumbledore's aura, normally a fierce red and yellow seemed only to be a small flame struggling to survive among the elements. Only two emotions did this to an aura, grief and fear. "Are you alright Professor?" Harry whispered to his mentor, Albus nodded adding a heavy sigh on the end. Minerva, who had left the room a moment earlier, looked as though she was on the verge of tears. The note was in her hand, crinkled heavily, but Harry saw no more as she quickly disappeared outside not even bothering to grab a warm piece of clothing.

An evening that was supposed to be very pleasant had gone terribly wrong, but not as badly as it could have. "Go," whispered Harry to his mentor, he knew that what Minerva needed right now was a good friend and Albus was exactly that. Harry stood there motionless after uttering some words, his blood flowing freely from his hand but it didn't bother him one bit. Mrs. Weasley was yelling at him to let her look at the injury but he didn't hear anything, his ears were deaf to the world. His green eyes, on the other hand, were watching the fleeting figures outside.

"I'll be fine," he muttered grabbing one of the nearest pieces of cloth and bandaged his hand quickly and clumsily, like any true 10 year old would. His reaction to the cut was probably nothing anyone expected but it seemed the danger that all of them were in at present lay heavier on their minds. Mrs. Weasley attempted to get him to let her examine the slash but he quickly ran into the washroom and locked the door, he had more important matters to attend to. He quickly healed his hand, opened the window and jumped into the sky as he gracefully transformed into a raven. Flying had never been a problem for him; it came as naturally as him being on a broom. "HARRY, open this door this instant!" he heard behind him, he rolled his eyes, calculating he had a bit of time before they actually opened the door with force.

*****

Circling above gave Harry some time to think. There had been several memories triggered in the one moment, mostly because there was the danger he would lose someone again. Minerva McGonagall was one person he didn't want to lose let alone this early. His green eyes darted down, scanning through the gently falling snow as though looking for prey but what his found instead were the two Professors locked in an embrace. "…I can't," was all he heard before he swooped down and perched himself on the nearby tree. It wasn't kind to eves drop on a conversation but he had to know everything, down to every last detail.

"Do you know who it is my dear?" Harry heard Albus ask.

"…I can't, I won't let you get involved Albus," she said as she turned away, her arms crossed.

"I've been involved as long as I can remember," he said calmly, taking her back into his embrace and within a moment, Harry watched as the strongest person he knew broke down before his eyes. "It's him, he's come back to make my life miserable! I took his brother and now he's seeking the ultimate vengeance." Harry listened half heartedly; his feelings went out to his transfiguration teacher. This wasn't meant for him to hear but he had to know, he reassured himself that it was the right thing to do.

"Eric Scythe," her voice quivered, "He's back, he already took my family, now he wants what's left!" Harry's mind drifted, it was a while before Minerva told him about her family, and she did but very vaguely. He knew that they were killed, but by whom and when he did not know. "There, there, my dear, nothing will happen, I'll do my best to make sure of that!" She took a step back, staring coldly at him

"But Albus! You can't possibly know that!" she replied rather angrily before he returned to her side. "He took them all, my mother, father, and my brother's whole family! They were all powerful, you cannot deny that!" Harry began to piece together what had happened, he had read the story before, but the name never really connected. The family was recorded as 'McCullen' but he now assumed it was changed to protect those alive, namely Minerva. The attack was brutal, everyone slain with no mercy, even the young children who were no more than 9 years old. The murderer, a lone vampire, one of the strongest in a millennia. It was then he heard McGonagall say something of interest.

"Tom Riddle, it's his fault," she was now crying openly and Harry watched with a heavy heart. "I was so blind! I thought I loved him! I was nothing but a foolish young girl!" "Minerva, he could have loved you back then, he was human after all." "Don't say that! I did nothing but help him and his cause. He sent me to persuade the vampires to his side. I threatened one of them not knowing it was Eric's brother. I never did plan on killing him but one of the buffoons I was with cast the golden sun charm." Harry grimaced, although it was no full proof way to kill a vampire, the weakest ones would be vaporized instantly. "The youngest Scythe had always been weak but Eric had taken him under his wing. He didn't survive and it was within moments that my 'helpers' were killed, I held my ground until 'he' rescued me," she spat out with disdain.

It was in that moment that Harry understood what he saw in Voldemort's eyes that final day. Betrayal and hatred; all that stemmed from one woman and her goal to see his defeat. The one woman he might have actually loved. 'Oh the irony,' thought Harry almost sympathetic to Voldemort and what he went through. Almost.

"Albus, I can't lose her," Minerva cried in Albus' arms, "I can't lose Diana." Harry's raven head picked up at the unfamiliar name. Who was Diana? And why was she so important to Minerva? "I know, neither can I," said Albus sadly as he held Minerva closer. Harry felt as though he was intruding on a very personally moment and shifted uncomfortably on the branch but continued to listen. "But what if it all isn't enough? Sending her into the muggle world, seeing her only once a year…" McGonagall trailed off as she stared into the distance. "I wish we could be a normal family." She shifted and buried her face into his chest, a gesture Harry recognized as Ginny did the same thing the night her parents were killed.

Harry then was sure he saw Dumbledore's eyes flicker to him before he replied to the witch in his embrace, "She's safe, they're all safe. He hasn't come back and the moment we hear or see a glimpse of him, I will do everything in my power to protect them." He leaned in and whispered something into her ear but Harry did not stay feeling as though he been too long. He took off into the air again and flew in a circle before returning to the washroom window.

*****

"Harry, we're coming in right now," and no sooner was the sentence finished did the door fly open. Molly ran to the child sitting on the toilet lid gently taking away the blood covered cloth only to find the hand completely healed.

"I dunno how it happened," Harry said pretending to be unsure of himself, but nothing else needed to be said as Molly hugged him. She drew herself back and looked him straight into the eyes, "Harry dear, please don't do that again, you had us all very worried when you wouldn't answer."

"I'm sorry," he said legitimately ashamed that he had made them all worry. He didn't think it would be such a big deal. But again he had forgotten that these weren't times of war and a cut to a child his age was usually enough to have parents panicking. Harry got up and was attempting to make his way out only to find the doorway out of the washroom blocked, crowded with most of the evening's guests. "I'm sorry," he muttered repeatedly as he made his way through the crowd. Sirius quickly caught up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now what was that about Harry?"

"Reflex," he muttered as he shook the hand off. "It's nothing, alright?" Harry knew it wasn't like him to act this way but Sirius had to learn, he had to understand that no child was always going to be perfectly behaved because hopefully he would have some of his own this time. His Godfather stood dumbfounded as Harry quickly ran down the stairs back to the living room. Everything returned to normal as the living room filled up again and the chatter returned. It wasn't long before his two professors returned, both smiling again but Minerva's red eyes still lingered, a clear indication to everyone she had been crying. And a sign for everyone to not ask. Ron and Ginny sat down beside him, both clearly irritated. "Fred and George did it again," said Ron, Ginny just sat and pouted. "What did they do?" asked Harry now curious and unable to keep the smile from his face.

"This," came two simultaneous before a cloud of black smoke blurred Harry's vision. "Fred and George," came in Mrs. Weasley and with a wave of her wand, everything was clear again causing Harry to blink slightly confused. "What have I told you about pulling pranks," George was about to open his mouth but Molly silenced him, "Ah, even small ones, which include anything from Zonko's shop etc etc etc? Now, hand it over," the two grumbled as they handed over some "blackout" dust. "Good," she returned to the kitchen without anymore arguments. "I swear that woman has ESP or something," muttered George. "She knows what we do, and when we do it," followed Fred.

"It's because I'm your mother," came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the other room causing the twins to shake their heads before walking away. "She's good."

*****

Harry returned back to Godric's Hallow after Sirius boasted about his abilities and told him to get his broom. In truth, it was one of the least important reasons of why he actually returned to his home. There was a purpose for all of it although he would never tell the intended recipients of the gifts he was about to create. He scurried through the house and its secret rooms. For that moment, he was glad Sirius wasn't there.

His first trip was to the hidden Potter vault, it wasn't very large but it contained what he needed, small mementos that wouldn't have too much personal significance. He lay them all down on a table and muttered some spells. 'Nothing too complicated,' he thought as he enchanted each object weaving his hands in different patterns. With another wave of his hand, he rapped them all and attached small name tags. He placed the gifts in a basket, grabbed his broom, stuck it under his arm and stepped into the green fire.

*****

"Harry! We thought you had fallen in!" greeted Professor Flitwick nearly falling off his chair as Harry came out of the fireplace. The third empty bottle of firewhiskey tipped Harry off to the festivities that were going on. "No sir, just took my time." Sirius seemed to stare at Harry for a moment, the bright red hue to his cheeks and smile even made Harry laugh. "Presents? Presents! We forgot about the presents!" roared Sirius as he stood up suddenly and walked to the living room, glass in hand but soon enough, every else slowly followed. Harry chuckled at Sirius' behaviour, the presents that he came back with were still in his hands and had probably caused Sirius to remember. The broom on teh otehr hand was ignored causing Harry to simply place it down and leave it near by.

"PRESENTS!' came the loud and sudden exclamation from upstairs followed by running feet. It was indeed time to open presents as everyone, sober or not, young or old, gathered by the tree. Ginny had volunteered to be the one to give out the gifts, she read off the name tags as scurried across the room to each guest sometimes running to her mother to confirm some names. Harry watched amused at everyone's reactions and Ginny's blush when she was unsure of the name. Everyone thought he was just waiting patiently for his gifts but in truth, Harry was actually waiting for the space under the tree to be empty.

*****

"Everyone," Harry coughed multiple times before the whole room finally listened to him. "As most of you probably don't know, this is my first real Christmas." There was some murmuring in the room but Harry quickly drowned it out as he raised the volume of his tiny voice. "And I would really like to thank you all for making this a most memorable occasion and well… here is my contribution to this year," he shrugged, he was always slightly uncomfortable at making public speeches. Harry picked up the basket and went around the room giving out his gifts much like Santa Claus did and even adding a 'Hohoho' once in a while. Everyone was together, alive and happy; Harry couldn't have asked for anything more.

Ginny came crashing into him after several moments of peaceful observance and thanked him several times over for her necklace. After returning the hug, Harry smiled at the youngest Weasley and turned away to watch as the rest of the room awed at their gifts. "Harry?" came Ginny's voice again, her face was flushed red. "Could you help me put it on?" Oh. He chuckled at her embarrassment; he guessed that she had not escaped the crush after all. "Pass it here," he said softly, smiling as he put it on. It was an action Harry was very accustomed to, the familiar red hair that she held up exposing her neck....

'Oh that's not right.' Harry shook his head quickly snapping out of the very inappropriate daydream he was having. She was only a girl and he was still only a boy despite being fully mature in mind. He clipped it together and stepped away before anyone noticed, after all, cooties and other non existent bugs should still be very important. "Thanks," she said as she fingered the dark purple pendant. "You're welcome."

Minerva on the other side of the room seemed to be giving him strange glances but Harry figured it was due to her gift. He had given her a broach, one that was composed of a beautiful 6-petal silver flower and a golden green eyed cat that seemed to encircle it. Each gift had several charms placed upon it, first of them being a simple calming charm to calm the wearer. The second was a little more complex, he had connected each item to each person and their feelings. Whenever the owner was in great distress, Harry would be alerted through a mirror he had enchanted.

He smiled at his future professor and watched her furrow her eyebrows together. There was no doubt in his mind that she had felt the calming charm on the broach, but the eyes were the part he had wished to conceal. Harry was worried about her and by necessity; he connected the eyes to his mirror so he could see what they saw. Harry watched her with interest for a while but what puzzled him was that she didn't put the broach on like many others did with their gift. Instead she put it in her pocket and lay her hand on Albus' arm. A whisper later, the two were leaving the room... and so was Snape? Harry had no doubt that this had to do with him but what could silly rumours and speculations really mean? He returned to his pile of presents and began to unwrap them. Albus could do damage control.

***

Snape had finally seen what his colleague meant so many nights ago. He was observing the Potter boy throughout the evening and as the evening progressed, so did Snape's suspicions. First of all his behaviour as a child at Christmas did not match any of the others, he did not tear apart all the presents like the other beasts did. He also saw the small exchange between Harry and the Weasley girl which concerned him. What would he want with a 9 year old? The next observation almost made Snape flinch every time he thought of it, Harry's eyes were the same green as Lily's but there seemed to be a shadow lurking behind them down playing the colour's true vividness. Severus had been trying to make eye contact with Minerva for part of the evening to voice his concerns but he saw her look of panic when their eyes met. It looked like something unnerved Minerva and when it worried Minerva, it was never nothing. Despite that, she kept her calm, nodded to the potion master and told Albus to head outside the room.

*****

"I'm telling you Albus, there is something off about that boy!" said Minerva, her head whipping around to check if anyone had heard them. The small hallway they stood was rather cramped for all three of them but it did provide good privacy. "I believe someone may have replaced the real Harry Potter," replied Severus crossing his arms. Dumbledore sighed at the accusation; he knew where this was going. "Harry is not a Death eater, nor someone under the influence of polyjuice or any other concealment charms." "But Albus..." exclaimed Minerva but the headmaster raised his hands to indicate the end of the discussion. "I have seen what lays in his mind, he is indeed Harry Potter and a boy that is wise beyond his years. Now I suggest we return to the festivities, I've been meaning to try that toad..." said Albus with his eyes twinkling pleasantly. They were about to leave when Minerva called out again and pulled out a box from her pocket. "I believe this should give you more than a reason to understand my suspicions." Albus took the box gently from her hands and opened it to find the broach Harry had given her earlier. "It's a tabby," she said a scowl present on her face. Albus ran his fingers along the figure, pausing briefly at the emerald eyes before sighing again and handing it back. "I believe it is a mere coincidence my dear, he may have been looking for a lion to represent the mighty house of Gryffindor but only found this. As you see, Severus' is very much snake like, a good representation of his house." Minerva nodded slowly remembering the glass potion bottle with a silver snake coiled around it that sat on the coffee table. "Harry is also an avid reader, I believe that he learns most of these small pieces of information from reading between lines." There was a short silence which both accusers deliberated everything over. "Severus, I believe we are done here." Snape nodded to the Headmaster, though not looking completely satisfied, and returned to the room pouring himself a hefty glass of imported griffin vodka ("guaranteed to bring down a Russian Griffin!") before sitting down.

"Minerva," said Albus catching arm her before she left. She turned back to him staring him in the eyes. "Trust me." He reached into her pocket and pulled out the box. "It is very beautiful, that much you must agree on," he smiled at her as he pulled it out and pinned the broach to her dress. Minerva felt a wave of calmness wash over her as Albus stepped away. "But Albus, surely a child couldn't cast a permanent calming charm." "Who charmed it is another question, my dear." He gently kissed her on the forehead before turning around. "Another question for another day."

*****

TBC

Hey guys sorry for the extra long delay, really there's no excuse that I could give that would be satisfactory for leaving a story (especially with a cliffy) for this long. I was tweaking a lot because I realized that what I had written in my notebooks (I write in a notebook first and then type it up) was a bunch of useless plot junk that would never be used for any other purpose than to amuse myself. I don't know if I'll go change the first 6 chapters, I don't think I have anything extremely useless there. I will notify readers if I do end up editing. Thank you for your patience.

Note: Errr... I've changed some details, Harry is no longer a necromancer since I realized I have no need for that particular gift... I also edited the first several chapters (some more than others) and will be uploading them, they should hopefully be better written now.