A/N:

A couple notes. First, one of the scenes in this chapter was definitely supposed to be in the last chapter, but it didn't fit when I wrote it. It just really wanted to be in this chapter, so sorry about that.

Secondly, I can't tell from my outline, but we only have either one chapter and an epilogue left or two and an epilogue. Regardless, it might be a little longer before my next update because I'm going to try to finish this out and get those two or three chapters posted together or at least relatively close together.


Draco hovered down on his broom to beside where Harry was intently studying the game below them. "You'd better be looking for murder attempts and not the snitch," he drawled, caring more for his new friend than he was able to let on.

"Afraid I'll beat you yet again," Harry just turned slightly to smirk in his direction before looking back down at the chaos that was happening below them.

"More afraid I'll have to end up raising a mini-Potter with Weasley if you die," he smirked back while looking out for both murder attempts and the snitch. "I realize you're going to be the bait in this whole scenario, but I'd also like to make sure I'm not the one targeted by mistake. The last two attempts were for me after all. Maybe they've just moved on from you."

Honestly, the game below them was a hot mess that definitely broke several rules of the game, had way too many fouls, and the only upside was that someone hadn't fallen off their broom yet, but it was still early in the game so there was time for even that one. Ron was doing quite well as the Slytherin side's keeper (even if they were a mix of houses, Theo, Blaise, Pansy, and Draco had insisted their team was the Slytherin team). Ron surprisingly didn't make a huge fuss over it, mainly just a token complaint. Harry's team, named the Hippogriffs since Harry insisted the other team's seeker would find that terrifying, was letting pretty much every quaffle in with Dean as their keeper. The Patel twins were decent as their chasers, and surprisingly, Hermione and Neville were quite terrifying beaters even if neither of them were the best flyers. Blaise and Pansy were clearly concerned as the opposing beaters any time they were within bludger distance of the two. The Slytherin chasers of Theo and Ernie were absolutely terrible. If Dean wasn't even worse, they never would score at all.

Harry snorted at him. "I have full faith that you would take excellent care of Little Bit, but sorry…I think you'd have to fight off Severus to take them, even if Ron is named godfather. Besides, I really don't think anyone will try to kill either of us during the game. I realize I've almost been killed a couple times during quidditch games, but that doesn't seem this particular assassin's style. If nothing else, they've done a good job hiding their identity, and this is too much in the open. It's my secluded, and very well communicated, solo trek into the forest after the game that will be when they see an opportunity. The only point of the game is to get everyone in one place to see who follows me, hopefully before they attack."

"Where is my godfather anyway? I figured he'd be the one playing referee instead of the Professor Weasley over there," Draco was looking around for potion master now, knowing he wouldn't be far off. "I didn't think the older Weasley knew anything about quidditch."

Percy seemed highly frazzled with all the fouls and odd plays happening around him, but he was holding his own and seemed to know what he was talking about when he called the fouls and penalty shots. Harry just laughed. "Percy lived with Oliver Wood for seven years. Whether he cared about the sport or not, I'd wager he knows more than I do at this point."

Draco grimaced. "Merlin, he deserves a medal for that. I don't know how you played on his team for so long."

"And your godfather…I'm not really sure where he is," Harry looked towards the forest with an unconcerned shrug. "He's staying hidden, and I have enough faith in his spy skills to know neither of us are going to spot him if he's trying to stay out of sight."

The blond nodded, completely agreeing with that assessment. About that time, Blaise got smashed by a bludger sent by an over-enthusiastic Hermione. Draco winced sharply. "Remind me to never get on the bad side of Weasley's ex."

Harry just grinned down at his friend. "She should have tried for the team if she could fly a bit better. Nev isn't bad with the bat either, I'm just praying to Merlin he doesn't fall off his broom though."

"I don't think any of this lot is going pro," Draco agreed with a shake of his head. "I thought about it for a second, but Weasley doesn't want to keep up the lordship and seat once I can take it over again," he shrugged. "Looks like politics for me."

"You'll do fine, besides…" Harry gave him a huge grin as he drifted backwards and away from the other seeker. "You're going soft Malfoy…"

Harry flipped over and sped away towards the glint of gold speeding over by the Hippogriffs' goal posts. Draco swore and chased after him with a determined look. "Potter!" He hissed through his teeth after the other man.


Harry leisurely strolled towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. He'd been very loud and frequent in his complaints that Severus was making him go into the forest to collect some kind of rare potion ingredient that only grew this time of year while the teams were getting ready, the spectators were milling around, and while everyone was celebrating the win of team Slytherin (yes, Harry had caught the snitch, but the other team had scored way too many goals for the Hippogriffs to recover). If whoever was trying to kill him didn't know he would be alone and unprotected in the secluded forest, then they didn't go to Hogwarts, which seemed extremely unlikely.

Harry fiddled with the resurrection stone while trying to whistle a tune and look like he wasn't jumping out of his skin nervous. Honestly, even if he wasn't waiting on someone to try to kill him, he was still walking into the forest where he'd been killed before during a battle and wearing the stone on his finger he'd been carrying at the time. It was flashback-city, and he was really trying to not let it get to him.

"Wherever you are Severus, I sure hope it's not off actually collecting potion ingredients," he grumbled under his breath. He wasn't really worried about his life. Yes, he could be killed, but it seemed like it would take something like completely severing his head from his body to do that and make it final. He didn't think the person who had defaulted to pushing them off things would go that far…although the cursed letter had been very brutal.

"Definitely joining the headless hunt," he grumbled again under his breath at the thought of actually being killed out in the forest. He paused at a rustle…he let out a laugh and a relieved sigh at a niffler that scurried away in the underbrush.

He chuckled to himself before walking forward again. "Driving myself batty…" he chuckled before another rustle caught his attention.

"Crucio…" he heard too late from behind him before he was down on the ground and screaming.

"Why won't you just die already!" A familiar voice screamed at him in frustration when the spell was finally released. "I don't know how you survived the fall from the tower, but I have all day before you're missed and will keep casting the killing curse until I get it right if I have to!"

Harry looked up and frowned at the seething person standing over him. "First of all…I've already been hit with that curse twice, and I'm still alive," he told her with an angry glare through his gasps. "Second, while definitely terrible, I was absolutely not a bad enough of a Yule Ball date for you to want me dead. What did I ever do to you, Parvati? I'm positive I saw you fighting for the light side during the war, so I get you wanting to kill Draco unfortunately, but why me?"

"Crucio!" She cast again angrily. Harry cursed the Carrows for teaching that spell to everyone and tried not to bite his tongue or piss his pants as he flailed around.

"Bloody hell!" He groaned when she released the spell finally. "Could we just get to the killing part already?" Wherever his fiancé was, it was bloody well time for him to step in because, as much as Harry definitely would if it came to it, he didn't actually want to kill Padma's sister.

"That Death Eater should have been locked up with the rest of them to rot beside his father in Azkaban," she hissed. "Along with that vampire lover of yours," she spat at the end. "It's not right they're walking free with the rest of us!"

Harry groaned and winced. "Right, so you've developed a prejudice against creatures, but you didn't even know I was a creature when you pushed me off the tower," he reminded her while he lifted himself slightly, making eye contact and ready to slide back his second eyelid if needed, but also really wanting to hear this answer and not have to stare his old Yule Ball date to death.

Now that he thought about all the attempts, they actually made sense. Parvati would have been in both Astronomy class with him and in the common room when he said he was going back to the tower to get his book. She was a regular in the owlery, so none of the owls would have seen her as a threat. And he would wager that if she was with anyone other than Ginny in the hallway, Ron and Draco wouldn't even have registered that she was even there.

"You-Know-Who called you out during the battle and you didn't go! You waited and Lavender died!" She yelled at him. "Then, when you finally do go, you waltz back in all confident and kill the man like you could have done it at any time. You could have gone and done it the first time and not waited! Lavender wouldn't have gotten killed by that monster! It's your fault!"

And this was why Hogwarts needed a dedicated mind-healer and mandatory counseling after they'd all just lived through a war, Harry thought with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew he couldn't have killed Voldemort when he was first called out at the beginning of the battle. They hadn't even found the diadem yet at that time. Leaving Nagini was one thing when multiple people knew she needed to die, but two horcruxes around wouldn't have been logistically possible to end the war right then. However, what she said still hit him hard, right where in the depths of himself he really did believe Parvati, even if logically he knew that it wasn't his fault.

"I'm so sorry about Lavender. You are right, Greyback was a monster," Harry told her with all the feeling he could as he sat up on the ground more. "That's why I was the one that killed him during the battle…"

"Liar!" She shouted angrily and raised her wand. "You're as bad as the rest of them!"

"You don't know the whole story! I couldn't have killed him then! It wouldn't have ended the battle if I'd gone after him before I did."

"I don't care!" She was sobbing now as she held her wand on him. "I just want it all to end!"

A small dark animal flew down from the trees causing them both to glance up at the bat that flapped down between then. The bat grew larger and larger until Parvati gasped and Harry grinned in relief at the vampire standing between them, holding his wand and pinning the hurting girl with a stern glare.

"It is over, Ms. Patel…it's time to let go…" Snape held out a hand for her wand, deceptively holding his own down so it didn't look threatening, but Harry knew he was exponentially faster than Parvati if she tried anything.

"It'll never be over," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking and tears streaming from her eyes. Hopelessness was written across her face clearly for anyone to see.

Harry saw it, he felt it…he knew that Parvati was as much of a danger to herself as to anyone else. He didn't know if Snape could tell, but that wand twitching in her hand was no longer pointed at either of them, but it was very close to her own body. He didn't know what to do, so he did the one thing that came to him instinctually that wouldn't harm her, he sang.

There were no words, but music, sad, understanding, and comforting music. The phoenix song wrapped around them, and Parvati cried even harder. She let go…of her pain the loss…and finally her wand that fell to grass with a soft thump.

Harry stood, and without stopping, he took Parvati's hand in both of his own and just held it. She broke down and threw herself bodily in his arms, almost tackling him to the ground. He held firm and sang just a little more lowly and held her as her tears seeped into his t-shirt and her body shook with each gasping sob.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Snape cast a patronus that flew off on the wings of a firebird towards the school. Their eyes met and Harry gave him a little sad smile that Snape returned with a wry roll of his eyes that, of course, his patronus would change to match Harry's. They shared a look over the head of the broken teen and knew things were really bad, but they could get better. It wasn't the justice or revenge they'd wanted, but maybe their world needed less justice and more healing these days.


"How are you?" Snape asked as he tiredly walked into his chambers after dealing with frantic headmistresses, distraught parents, concerned aurors, and one very scary Healer Morris who had swooped in when called and taken charge. Severus smiled when he took in the teen wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt sitting on his couch and holding onto the emerald egg like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Unfortunately, I've had worse...or maybe fortunately, I don't know," Harry turned red-rimmed brilliantly green eyes on him and motioned for the man to join him on the couch, which Severus happily did. "Still, I'm going to need another pain potion and maybe a Dreamless Sleep potion later tonight."

Snape nodded and pulled Harry's legs onto his lap. "I already set them by the bed for you."

"How is she? Where did they end up taking her?" He asked, the misery of the day and Parvati's emotions leaking through his tone.

"She will be better eventually," Severus said in as much of an answer as he could. "St. Mungo's was contacted, well, Healer Morris actually, and he called a couple healers who came and took her away for in-patient care. No one from the ministry or really anyone in our world wants to see a traumatized child carted off to Azkaban because the rest of us couldn't see just how much pain she was in."

"Percy saw," Harry told him with a sad smile. "He was trying to reach out to Parvati and talking to Padma since the school year started, but he's just one person and wasn't able to get through to her."

Snape slowly nodded and held onto Harry's legs more. "Teaching is his calling. This is where he should be and where he is needed. It was never my calling, but Percy...they need to keep him around. He will make this a better school."

Harry nodded and leaned back on the couch, stroking his egg lovingly. "I know what she did was terrible and could definitely have been so much worse if Draco and I weren't what we are, but thank Merlin we are and it wasn't. Honestly, no one was permanently harmed…I know I wouldn't be as understanding if Little Bit were the one hurt, but I think she needs help more than I need revenge."

Snape slowly nodded, agreeing that Harry was a better person than him more than anything else. "How about we head to sleep, and you take those potions?" He offered, running a hand up and down Harry's leg to mainly just reassure himself that his fiancé was still there and well…or well enough at least.

Harry hummed a bit and looked back up at him with a small smile. "Why don't you go ahead without me? There's something I've been putting off, and I think I need to do it now. It's time. I need to talk to Mum and Dad…tell them about Little Bit and what all happened."

Snape took in a deep steadying breath before motioning with one hand towards Harry's ring that he now knew the power of, terrifyingly enough. "Go ahead…I'm not leaving you to do this on your own."

Harry reached out to squeeze his hand with a small smile. "It's ok. You don't have to. I know Mum and Dad both are painful subjects for you. I can handle this, I promise."

Stubbornly, Snape just pulled Harry's legs closer and settled into the couch more. "I know you can handle it, but you don't have to and shouldn't have to handle it on your own. I bloody well agreed to marry you...or close enough at least, so I agreed to start trying to make a life together, which means working through some of my own trauma while you work through yours. If we learned anything today, it's that it is not good to try to go through things alone and shut out the others in your life. So, I'll just grab another of those Dreamless Sleep potions for myself tonight, and let's meet your parents."

Harry chuckled at the man and pulled his feet away to sit up and put the egg between them. "Ok, but feel free to leave at any time you want, and you will absolutely not be asking any kind of permission to date or marry me."

Severus just snorted at him and rolled his eyes. "I was absolutely not planning on that regardless."

Steeling himself and taking a few deep breaths, Harry pulled off his ring and held it in the palm of his hand. He focused and turned the ring over three times. He heard a gasp beside him, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.

"Hey baby…" he heard a soft voice wrap around his heart.

Slowly he opened his eyes and smiled at the young couple in front of him. Soft, silvery tears were falling from his mum's eyes while James Potter held onto his wife like she was the only thing keeping him standing. "Hi Mum…Hi Dad," he had to reach out and grab onto Snape's hand that suddenly felt cold and clammy in his.

"Harry…just…we're so sorry," James Potter seemed at a complete loss for words, not able to translate everything he was feeling in a way to be intelligible to others.

"It's been a while," Harry gave a soft chuckle. "Surprise! I didn't die…or at least not permanently. Er, might actually be a while before then."

Lily loudly snorted causing Harry and Snape to look over at her with raised eyebrows. "Harry, love, we would really like you to stay alive just as absolutely long as you can. Though, it might be nice to be called occasionally with that wonderful ring, especially to meet our new grandbaby," she motioned to the egg with an excited gleam in her eyes towards it.

"Bloody hell…we're going to be grandparents," James Potter laughed. "I mean, we've been watching over you, so we've known for a while, but yeah, it's just hitting again…Merlin!"

"You both are going to be such good parents," Lily jabbed her husband with an elbow before assuring Harry and Snape. "Sev, thank you for looking after my Harry all these years. We're honored to have you be there for our grandchild too…just never try to teach them Potions," she gave him a little playful glare at that.

James laughed a little. "Yeah, Snape…I don't want to drag up the past when I know you and Harry both don't want me too, but I'm sorry…and thank you, and hurt my son or grandkid, and I'll haunt you."

Harry rolled his eyes but, very surprisingly, Snape gave a little snort of laughter. It was more evidence than Harry ever needed that his partner was letting go some of the bitterness of his past to work on a future. Lily just jabbed her husband in the ribs with her elbow again.

"Oi, woman! Just because we're dead doesn't mean that doesn't hurt," he protested, rubbing his ribs with a fond glare at her.

"Did you both catch the names I picked for Little Bit?" Harry changed the subject even as he loved seeing his parents together and messing with each other like Hermione and Ron still did.

"I decided on Augustus Harrison Potter for a boy and Selene Soleil Potter for a girl," he told them proudly. "You like?"

"The names are lovely, but no Snape-Potter or Potter-Snape?" Lily raised an eyebrow and smiled at them both.

James seemed to choke on air for a second and have to recover before giving a sharp nod. "Right, yes, of course. Lovely names…whatever the last name."

Snape chuckled beside Harry. "Potter...James, I almost want to insist on Snape-Potter for the child just to mess with you, but no, I think Harry's child should have his last name…," he gave the man a wicked grin that almost had Harry groan, not knowing what was coming but knowing it was going to make his dad have a stroke.

"I was actually planning to take the Potter last name myself. Snape is not a name I have any positive associations with, and Harry assured me that I could change my name to whatever I would like," he said with a challenging look at James Potter and little surreptitious wink over at Lily. Harry clocked the wink, but still couldn't tell if Severus were being completely serious or just messing with his dad. James for his part looked like he might have passed out if he were a living, breathing person.

"I think it's just a wonderful idea!" Lily gushed happily. "Oh, Sev, I know how much your father was a bloody bastard. If you want to get rid of his name, then welcome to the Potter clan!"

James was sputtering in shock but also slowly nodding his head. He eventually recovered enough to clear his throat. "Erm, right, yes…welcome to the family Sn…er, Severus."

Harry laughed and squeezed his fiancé's hand he was still holding. "Thanks Mum and Dad. That means a lot. More than you can know…erm, are you both…well, are you ok that I'm not really human anymore…er, and well, that I've done some things over the past few years…"

"Hey," James cut him off with some combination of a loving smile and a stern glare. "You are our son, Harrison James Potter, and that will never change. We love you no matter if you are a wizard, werewolf, phoenix-basilisk hybrid, or a muggle. As for what you've done, you've made us so proud. Yes, you were put in some terrible situations, but you did your best and made the decisions you thought best at the time. You bloody well saved the entire British wixen community!"

Lily put a hand on her husband's arm to stop him as he headed into a rant, his arms waving around emphatically. "What James means to say is that we love you, we're proud of you, and we definitely would not have been able to handle everything you went through as well as you did. You are our hero, Harry love."

"Mine too," Severus gave him a smile and squeeze of his hand.

Harry felt his eyes welling up and a lump in his throat. "Thank you," was all he could gasp out. He picked up the ring in the palm of his hand again.

"I shouldn't keep you very long, it's not a good idea with this type of magic, but I'll call you again soon?"

"You'd better call us when my grandbaby hatches," Lily gave him a little glare. "I'm going to your wedding too! I don't care if your guests are terrified of a couple spirits running around. A mother should be invited to her only son's wedding."

"Er, a few…a few spirits," James Potter corrected her. "Sirius and Remus want to go to the wedding, and see the baby…er, when you're ready, that is," he added on quickly at the end to Harry.

Harry nodded and shared a little look with Snape who just shrugged at if he were already resigned to it. "Yeah…Remus needs to spend some time with Teddy too when he's a little older and can understand…"

"He said he'd leave that up to you and Tonk's judgement," Lily assured them with a nod. "Take care, both of you. Look out for each other."

"Love you, Harry," James threw an arm around his wife's shoulder again.

"Love you both," Lily added as Harry turned the stone over in his hand once more and they slowly disappeared.

Snape let out a breath that he seemed to have been holding almost the entire time. "I need a drink," he grumbled.

"No, you need a Dreamless Sleep potion and to go to bed," Harry stood and held out a hand to help him off the couch.

"Fine," he grumbled and accepted the hand up. "Be the healthy reasonable one, but just this once."

"I promise to not make a habit of it," Harry laughed and put the egg in its basket. "Hey, were you serious about taking my last name or were you just messing around?"

Severus paused where he was cracking his back with a frown. "Would that bother you? I admit, I only said it to mess with your father, but Lily had a point. I have some very negative associations with my last name, and I don't know, but if you didn't mind…"

Harry cut him off with a kiss. "Merlin, Severus! I'd love for everyone in our little family to have the same last name! I just wanted to make sure you wanted that too! I don't care what your name is as long you're here with us, but us all being Potters wouldn't be bad at all!"

The vampire kissed him back then tugged his hand towards the bedroom. "Let's wait until the wedding to do the name change though, unlike Ronald and Draco. The paperwork is so much easier to do it after."

Harry just grinned, already planning to have Andy start drawing it up. Actually, knowing her, she already had everything pulled, filled out, and ready for them to sign. "Hmm…might need to get married soon then…"

Severus chuckled and shoved him through the door. "Let's handle one wedding at a time. I don't think my blood pressure can handle two."

"You're a vampire," Harry reminded him before flopping onto the bed and planning to sleep for a good twelve hours. "Hand me my potions please," he gave his partner a fake pleading look.

Snape gave him a little glare but still handed over the pain potion and the Dreamless Sleep. He then took Little Bit's basket and put them over in the armchair by the bed. "I'm not tucking you in if that's what you're waiting for," Snape snorted and downed his own potion he pulled out of a small cabinet in the corner of the room.

Harry laughed, but curled up on what had become his side of the bed and snuggled under the covers. "Love you," he sleepily called out into the room.

"Love you too," Severus kissed his temple before heading to the washroom to get ready for bed.

Severus walked into the washroom and almost collapsed back against the door, his emotions finally breaking with a force he wasn't used to and didn't know how to handle. He let out a sob he tried his best to stifle before turning on the water to hopefully keep Harry from hearing. He finally sat on the edge of the tub, tears building in his eyes, and leaned his head against the cool tile trying to keep himself together.

When he'd seen Harry being cursed, he'd almost swooped in right then and killed the girl. The only thing that had held him back was Harry making him promise to only step in if it was absolutely, life-threateningly necessary or after the person had said why they had been targeting him and Draco. He had come so close to giving into the anger and fear.

James and Lily giving him their blessing didn't help. It only made him more adamant that he had to be better for Little Bit, for Harry. He knew that Harry would kiss him, tell him it was fine, and make everything better if he told his partner what he'd felt and what he'd wanted to do, but he didn't need that right now. He needed a good cry, to sleep beside his partner, and to begin the next day working on his patience and his anger. Part of him still wanted to curse the girl that had been cursing Harry, but that part was getting smaller and smaller, or at least more reasonable. The larger part of him wanted to be someone Little Bit could look up to and someone Harry was proud to stand beside.

He stood and finally splashed some water on his face, feeling his potion start to take effect and make him almost immediately sleepy. They were going to make this work, he assured himself. They may be a bit of a mess the both of them, but they were going to settle in, make a home for the baby, and see a mind-healer to get better. With a final look in the mirror and a deep breath, Snape pulled himself together and even gave his reflection a little smile at the fact that he'd no longer be Snape for much longer, but would soon be Severus Potter, husband, father, and upstanding owner of his own little apothecary.


Up Next: Andy argues her case...