Harry Potter and the Cult of Shadows

by chadsgirl824

AFTER HOGWARTS Harry now works at Hogwarts and has his hands full as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. But Voldemort's fate is still a mystery and dark forces are closer than anyone imagines. Written before OotP

11. Chapter 11

"That's none of your business," Mel said, staring darkly at Troy as Harry finally reached the two of them.

"Ah, look who it is," Troy smirked, releasing Mel's arm.

"What's going on?" Harry asked stiffly, stepping to Mel's side protectively and glaring at the transfiguration professor.

"I was simply asking a lady to dance," Troy replied, a thin smile on his lips.

"And I was saying no," Mel replied, slipping her arm through Harry's. "C'mon, let's just go, alright?" she said quietly, seeing the determined look in his eyes. But Harry didn't move.

"Haven't you learned by now," Troy began tauntingly, his gaze locked with Harry's, "that you shouldn't keep secrets?"

"What are you on about?" Harry asked, curtly, his eyes flashing. "We barely speak to one another and you've somehow come to the conclusion that I'm keeping secrets?"

"Well you are, aren't you?" Troy asked, his voice dead even. Harry could only stare back at him; honestly having no idea what Troy was getting at. Mel was squeezing his arm now, obviously just wanting to go.

"Stay away from her," Harry said threateningly, and meaning every last syllable of it. He had no idea what the transfiguration professor thought he knew, or what he wanted with Mel, but Harry didn't want him anywhere near her…ever again.

"Whatever you say professor," Troy laughed tauntingly, before deliberately turning away and exiting through the door.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked immediately, turning to face Mel, his eyes searching hers.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly, a small shake in her voice. "He just freaked me out a little…"

"What did he want?" Harry asked, the anger he'd felt towards Troy still simmering within him. "What did he say to you?"

Mel lowered her gaze to the floor, remaining silent for a long moment before finally meeting his eyes once again.

"Harry…there's something we need to talk about," she began, her voice sounding small and unsure. "Something I have to tell you…"

"Anything," Harry replied quickly, hearing the worry in her tone. "You know you can tell me anything…"

"Can we go someplace a bit more private?" Mel asked, hopefully. Harry glanced around quickly. He wasn't supposed to leave yet and didn't want to walk out on his duties…but the look in Mel's eyes told him this was important.

"We can go out to the garden," Harry said. "There might be students around, but we can sit on a bench and speak privately."

Mel nodded faintly, keeping her arm locked through his as he led her back through the great hall and out into the crisp night air. It was a little chilly, but not as bad as it could be for the end of February. The two made their way down the small path and into the clearing, choosing the bench furthest away and lowering themselves onto it.

"What is it Mel?" Harry asked gently, genuine concern in his voice. They had been having such a wonderful evening, and now she looked a bit pale…like she might be ill. "Tell me what's wrong," he prompted softly.

"It's not so much that anything's wrong," Mel began slowly, having a hard time meeting his eyes. "It's just that this is really…important…" she said hesitantly.

"Mel, whatever it is you can tell me," Harry said, trying to sound reassuring despite the underlying worry he was feeling over the way she was acting. "Whatever it is…if you need my help…if there's a problem…"

"No, nothing like that," Mel cut in quickly. "It's just…well…there's no easy way to say this…" she trailed off, wringing her hands nervously before balling them into fists. Harry finally reached down, taking both of her hands in one of his. He raised his other hand to her chin and softly turned her face so their eyes met.

"Tell me," he whispered tenderly.

Mel gazed longingly back at him, and he hated to see that she looked almost afraid. He never wanted her to be afraid of him…and would do anything she asked of him.

"Harry…" she began, her voice barely audible. "I…I'm…"

He held his tongue, not wanting to pressure her but unable to remember a time when he'd felt more anxious.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence. Mel held Harry's gaze, her hands trembling as she waited for his reply.

"W-what?" was all Harry could manage to get out, too stunned to form any other words.

"I'm pregnant," Mel repeated, apprehensively. Again there was only silence and she sighed mournfully. "Please say something?" she pleaded.

"I…I j-just…wh-" Harry stammered, forgetting temporarily how to speak. "How?" he managed to get out finally.

Mel looked at him wide-eyed for a brief moment, before letting out a high-pitched laugh that sounded anything but amused.

"If I need to answer that for you…"

"Are…are you alright?" he tried again.

"Harry stop," Mel said seriously, needing him to do this for her. "I've just told you I'm pregnant…with your child…I need to know what you think of that…"

Harry nodded, trying madly to collect his thoughts that were spinning wildly out of control. Mel was pregnant and he was the father, nothing in the world could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now…and he had the feeling his shock wasn't helping to comfort Mel in any way. He finally forced himself to at least appear calm as he cleared his throat and looked into her eyes.

"Are you going to keep it?" he asked, hoping this was a reasonable question.

Mel looked down at her hands sadly.

"Are you saying you don't want me to?" she asked shakily.

"No, no, no!" Harry said quickly, cringing at the carelessness of his question. "I was asking if that's what you wanted to do, nothing more."

"What do you want me to do?" Mel asked quietly.

"I want you to do whatever you feel is right," Harry answered quickly.

Mel nodded faintly, dismally.

"That's it?" she asked.

Harry looked back at her, looked deeply into her bright blue eyes that shone so clearly even in the dim lighting surrounding them, and realized that wasn't it. He could feel something inside him, something he'd never felt before. He was going to be a father, he would raise a child, watch it grow, teach it how to walk, to talk…he would be responsible for a small tiny life that would inherently trust him…who would call him dad…dad. These thoughts filled him with such fear and uncertainty…and at the same time it was the most wonderful feeling he'd ever experienced in all of his life. He looked into Mel's eyes, a large smile spreading instinctively across his face, one he couldn't have hid if he wanted to.

"I want you to have it…him, or her, I want you to have our baby," he said, feeling the excitement and anxiety churning within him…and somehow loving it. "If that's what you want too," he paused for the briefest of seconds before continuing on, nervously. "I love you Mel."

Mel stared up at him as he spoke, tears filling up in her eyes, and when he finished she couldn't hold them in any longer. She sobbed happily, throwing her arms around his neck, letting him hold her.

"I love you too," she managed to get out between choked sobs. The two sat there in each other's arms, in a world apart from everyone else. Harry could think of a million things they needed to talk about, but for the moment, he was content to just be with Mel, to hold her, and let her know he's always be there for her…and their child.

"How long have you known?" Harry asked, finally breaking the silence, looking down as Mel tilted her head up towards him.

"Almost a month," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry…I was going to tell you sooner…but we were so busy with the Polyjuice Potion and I didn't think you needed the added stress…"

"I'm not upset with you," Harry cut in gently, seeing the worry in her eyes. "I just hope you know that you don't have to be afraid to tell me anything…no matter what it is."

"I know," Mel nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I shouldn't have been so worried."

"Enjoying your evening, Mr. Potter?"

Harry and Mel looked up at once to see Professor Sprout standing a short distance away, a wry smile on her face.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly, realizing he'd been completely ignoring what he was supposed to be doing…not that there hadn't been a good reason for it, but no one else knew that yet. "I'm coming."

Professor Sprout nodded pleasantly, before heading back towards the door that led inside, while Harry turned his gaze back to face Mel.

"There's a lot we need to talk about," he began seriously, "And I would rather not put it off any longer than we have to…"

"I agree," Mel nodded, squeezing his hand in hers.

"I want you to stay tonight," Harry continued, softly. "Will you stay tonight?"

Mel nodded again, smiling; the happiness he could see in her eyes mirrored what he was feeling inside. Several minutes later, when they were once again in the great hall, Ginny immediately came rushing up to them.

"Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Everything's definitely alright," Harry replied smiling, earning him a confused stare from Ginny.

"So…then…you guys didn't leave because of Professor Ryan?" she asked, uncertainly.

Harry began to reply, but stopped, realizing that was why they'd left…or at least that's what he'd thought, at first.

"Let's not talk about him right now," Mel said, and while it wasn't visible, Harry felt a shiver run through her as he had one arm around her waist.

"Go on Ginny, enjoy the rest of the dance," Harry smiled at her. "Don't worry about us."

Ginny looked at him for a moment, catching the hint in his tone and nodded. Wishing them both a good night, she started back across the room towards her friends.

"You never told me what Troy said to you before," Harry said quietly, pulling Mel gently away from the nearest group of students to try to remain out of earshot.

"It's not important," Mel said, trying to brush it off, but Harry wasn't fooled.

"Whatever it was that he said, it bothered you," Harry said simply. "It still is bothering you."

"He's said things that have bothered you before too," Mel countered.

"And I've told you about them," Harry said gently. "Please…tell me what he said."

Mel shook her head and sighed heavily.

"He…he wasn't making any sense," she began quietly, suddenly looking frustrated. "I don't even know why it bothered me really…" she trailed off, unconvincingly. Harry waited patiently before she began again. "I was on my way back inside…I saw you and Ginny nearly at the end of your dance, when Troy came up beside me. He asked if I wanted to dance, I said no; I started to walk away…and he grabbed my arm…"

"And?" Harry prompted after a moment, feeling a quiet anger within him.

"He said…Did you tell him?" she said quietly. "I asked him what he was talking about…and he looked down…" she said with a shudder, her hand instinctively raising to her small stomach. "Then he said You and he should really have a talk…I told him it was none of his business…" she trailed off for a moment. "That's when you showed up."

Harry could feel his jaw dropping, but clamped it shut quickly. From what Mel had just told him…it sounded like Troy knew…he knew about her pregnancy…but how?

"Mel…have you told anyone else?" Harry asked, dimly hoping there was a chance Troy might have overheard her. "I mean, you know…that you're…?"

"No one," Mel said firmly, shaking her head slowly.

"Then how would he know?" Harry asked in frustration. "How could he know?"

Mel shook her head quietly. Harry couldn't understand it…Mel had been right, it didn't make sense. Unless Troy had perhaps noticed Mel's strange behavior? But he wouldn't have known what she usually ordered for dinner…and a few trips to the ladies' room wasn't exactly irrefutable evidence of being pregnant, so it would be an enormous assumption on Troy's part if that were all. Aside from that, where did he get off treating Mel the way he did? How was it any of Troy's business if Harry and Mel talked or not? Why did he care? Harry could feel the anger building with each passing thought, being brought back to the present by a soft tugging on his arm.

"It's over," Mel was saying, gesturing around the hall as the students were beginning to disperse. Harry nodded stiffly, still irritated over Troy, but relaxing a bit as he felt Mel bring her hand up to his face. She waited until his eyes were locked with hers before speaking again.

"I know you're upset…I am too," she said quietly. "But please, for the rest of tonight at least, can we not bring this up again?"

Harry looked at her for a long moment, before finally giving in, and smiling warmly as he nodded. He wasn't going to forget about this, not even for a second, but tonight…they had much more important matters to discuss.

Just over an hour later, Harry and Mel had finished helping to return the great hall to its normal state, and had made their way up to Harry's quarters. As Mel had not originally planned on staying, Harry gave her a t-shirt and the smallest pair of sweatpants he could find…smiling as he watched her trying to pull the drawstring just enough so they wouldn't fall down.

"I could try to find something else," Harry laughed as Mel finally gave up and plopped down on the large bed with a lopsided grin. Though personally, he thought she looked incredibly cute, swimming in his clothes.

"How?" Mel smiled, twisting her hair, braids and all, into a messy bun. "By asking Ginny if you could borrow something? She'd want to know what for…well, I hope she'd want to know what for…" she trailed off, teasingly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked in mock seriousness, as he sat in front of her on the bed; they were both facing each other, sitting cross-legged, and very relaxed.

"Nothing," Mel said cheerfully, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. Her smile remained, but the change in her demeanor was instantly noticeable. "Alright," she began, sounding a little uncertain. "How are we going to do this? I think we need to tell everyone…your family and mine…"

"Who should we tell first?" Harry asked, becoming slightly nervous at the mention of Mel's family…as of yet, he'd never met her parents…

"I don't know," Mel said. "Should we do it separately?"

"That might be best," Harry said slowly. "So your father doesn't kill me or anything…"

"He won't kill you," Mel said rolling her eyes. "Not if my mother has any say in the matter…trust me."

Harry looked at her curiously, wondering what that meant, when she continued quickly.

"Look it'll just be best if I speak with them first…and then I introduce you."

"Whatever you think," Harry nodded, really not able to say anything on the matter. She would know better than he, after all. "Do you want to be there when I talk to Sirius and Marzia?"

A flicker of nervousness washed over Mel's face and she rocked back and forth where she sat, ever so faintly.

"Do you want me to come?"

"If you don't want to it's alright," Harry began.

"No, okay…I shouldn't make you do it alone…I'll come," Mel said, smiling reassuringly.

"But you're speaking with your parents alone…"

"Because you haven't met them yet," Mel said. "It'll be easier on them this way, believe me. They'll want to meet you soon enough…"

Harry grinned, hoping that was a good thing, before continuing.

"Now, what about you? What do we need to do from here? Who do we talk to?"

"Well I've already been to see the doctor a couple times now…he's been going over everything…telling me what I should be ready to expect…when certain changes might happen…right now the baby is due on October 1st."

"And when do you go back? Can I talk to him too?" Harry asked, realizing how utterly clueless he was in this situation.

"Yes," Mel laughed. "Yes…the father is allowed to come, you can talk to him next time I go."

"Should you have someone with you now?" Harry asked. "At your house I mean…won't you need help as you…as you start to, um…" he stammered, unsure how to word what he wanted to say.

"Start showing?" Mel suggested, laughing.

"Yes," Harry grinned, but remained serious. "I don't like the idea of you being alone like this…"

"Harry, I'm not incapable…" Mel began.

"Wait, hear me out," Harry said quickly. "I've never lived with anyone who was pregnant, but I do remember seeing them sometimes…on the rare occasions I was out with the Dursleys. I'm not saying you become incapable of doing things on your own…but you'll need help with things you normally wouldn't. And I know you're not supposed to put much strain on yourself…plus you have to make sure you're eating right…" he trailed off, seeing the partially amused look on her face.

"Harry," she began. "Right now my choices are live at home…or live with my parents. I refuse to move in with them, I'll tell you that right now. I wouldn't even be considering speaking with them at the moment if the situation weren't the way it is…it's only because I'd feel horrible if I kept this a secret from them and they found out through someone else."

Harry nodded, not liking either choice at all, and knowing, despite the fact that she'd so far neglected to mention it, that Mel's decision was being made because of Jack. She was still angry with her parents over how they'd acted, and Harry could completely understand that, but the fact was Mel shouldn't be left alone, especially when it became closer to when she was due.

"If you stay at your house…in the muggle world…how can I get to you if you need anything?" Harry asked, voicing his fears. "At least at your parents' house there'd be…"

"Harry no," Mel said, shaking her head firmly. "That's not an option."

"Mel, just listen…" he began, trailing off as she set her jaw stubbornly, glaring at him while crossing her arms over her chest. He had to make her understand that he needed to be able to get to her…and if it came down to it, he wouldn't think twice about going into the muggle world if she needed him. He loved her too much to risk anything happening.

"I have to ask you something," he said quietly, coming to what would more than likely sound like a sudden decision, but it was, in fact, something that had crossed his mind in the past. Over the course of this evening, it had been pressing at him ever so much harder, however, flittering around in his head, pushing all other thoughts out of its way, and he knew it was right.

"What is it?" she asked softly, noticing him grow quiet and even paling a little.

Harry reached forward, taking one of her hands, running his fingers over her soft skin. He'd never imagined it like this…sitting across from each other on his bed, wearing nightclothes…nevertheless, this was how it was.

"I want us to raise this child together," he began, looking into her endless blue eyes. "I want to be a family, and I believe you want that as well…" he trailed off, glad to see her nod tenderly. "I'm scared," he said quietly. "But I think we can do it…and I want to do it properly," he paused, taking a deep breath. He raised her hand to his lips, kissing it softly, before lowering it again, and simply letting the words come.

"Mel…will you marry me?" he asked softly, watching as her eyes grew wide…beginning to tear. He honestly couldn't tell for the briefest of moments, and a cold dread began to settle in his stomach as he prepared himself for the rejection, when she nodded slowly.

"Yes," she whispered shakily, staring at him in elated disbelief, and smiling brilliantly as tears streaked her face.

"I don't have a ring…" he began.

"I don't care!" Mel laughed, happily, leaning forward and throwing her arms around him, showering his face and neck with kisses, before their lips finally met.

"Maybe we should tell Ron and Hermione first," Harry breathed a few moments later, the two now lying next to one another, in each other's arms. "Kind of like a practice run…" he joked.

"Maybe," Mel sighed contentedly, still too happy to say anything else. Harry felt such a longing in his heart when he looked at her, unable to believe all that had changed in so short a time. This woman, who he adored and respected, this beautiful woman had just agreed to marry him…to spend the rest of their lives together…and during that time they would raise their child. A son or daughter who they would love with all their hearts, and who they would get to watch learn and grow.

His thoughts were interrupted as Mel attempted to stifle a yawn, and grinned up at him from where her head rested against his shoulder, sheepishly.

"I guess we should talk about the rest tomorrow," He smiled, feeling the contagiousness of her yawn filling him. She nodded tiredly, letting him easily slip the covers around them, before the lights dimmed, and they were surrounded in perfect darkness.

Over the course of the next month, things seemed to fly by so quickly for Harry that it felt like he was merely allowing the whirlwind to pull him along. Though there were several occasions in which time came to a grinding halt for him, the first of which came the Sunday immediately following the ball.

Harry had woken up to the sound of wings, and opened his eyes just in time to see a tawny owl drop a small rolled parchment onto his bed, before it turned and fluttered out the window.

He reached for it slowly, trying not to disturb Mel who was lying peacefully beside him, and opened it quietly.

Scanning the words quickly, he half-smiled as he read the contents of the letter, before placing it on the table beside the bed.

"Good news?" Mel's tired voice floated up to him, and he glanced down to see her smiling lazily at him.

"Good morning," he smiled quietly, leaning down and kissing her softly. For the briefest of moments, the thrill of everything that had happened last night rushed back at him, and he was consumed with it all. Part of him still couldn't believe he was going to be a father…and a husband …and he couldn't find the words to express how happy these thoughts made him. He merely grinned contentedly as he sat back up, his insides brimming with excitement which was slowly calming down. "And yes…Sirius and Marzia asked if I would join them for dinner tonight."

"How nice," Mel said slowly, raising her arms over her head in a great stretch, before finally pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, picking up the letter once more so she could see. "Should we tell them tonight?"

"I…I suppose…if you want to…" Mel said, seeming uncertain. Harry smiled reassuringly, reaching down and giving her hand a squeeze.

"The longer we wait…" he began.

"I know," Mel laughed quietly. "The harder it will be."

"I'm nervous too, Mel," Harry admitted quietly. "But we have to tell them."

"No, I know," Mel nodded faintly, before gesturing towards the letter. "They were asking you to come though…not me…I don't want to show up uninvited…"

"Then I'll write back," Harry said immediately, sliding to the edge of the bed and standing quickly. He always kept some spare parchment in his room, and quickly pulled it out of his bureau now. "I'll just say you and I had planned on having dinner together tonight, and would they mind if I brought you as well," he explained; already busy scrawling the words.

"I don't want to impose though," Mel began, "what if they wanted to just spend time with you? You hardly get to see them anymore."

"Mel, don't worry," Harry grinned, finishing the letter and rolling it up hastily. He crossed to where Hedwig was perched nearer to the window, chittering away to herself, and stroked her feathers softly. She returned the gesture with an affectionate nipping to his fingers, and allowed him to tie the letter to her leg.

"I'm simply telling them we already had plans, and would love to change them so we could have dinner together…no imposing at all," Harry explained after Hedwig had started on her way.

"No, just lying," Mel smirked as Harry once again sat beside her.

"Well we were planning on spending some time together at least," Harry said innocently, continuing in a more serious tone. "We still have things to talk about."

Mel nodded, reaching out and taking his hands in hers again, slipping her fingers through his.

"I know you don't want me to stay at home," she began softly. "And I can honestly say I don't like the idea of being there when you can't even visit…"

"Mel, we'll find someplace else for you to stay," Harry began quickly.

"Where?" she asked skeptically. "Because I'm not going to just ask around…to just assume someone would want to…"

"I'm not asking you to do that," Harry said quietly, not wanting her to get upset over it. "Let me worry about it for now, alright?" he said after a moment.

"Harry…" she began, a hint of warning in her tone.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go around begging anyone for favors or anything," he said quickly, grinning mischievously. "I wouldn't dream of embarrassing you like that…"

"Smart of you," she grinned, and he laughed.

They continued the discussion for a long while, realizing they had so many decisions to make, choices to consider, and that they couldn't make them all right away. They decided for now, to concentrate on the task of making the announcement…a truly nerve-wracking thought to be sure, and would go from there. The anxiety of what everyone's reaction was going to be was their biggest concern of the moment, and they agreed the sooner it was past, the better.

Several hours later, Harry and Mel were on their way to Sirius and Marzia's house. Mel had gone home in the late afternoon, and both of them met up again in Hogsmeade, before apparating to the small house.

Sirius and Marzia had of course been more than happy to have Mel over as well, and welcomed both she and Harry happily when they arrived. The four of them spoke for a short while, telling one another what had been going on over the past month. Both Sirius and Marzia had been at the ministry as often as possible, helping Arthur with anything he needed.

Harry and Mel talked mostly about their jobs, careful to stay far away from any mention of the Polyjuice Potion or Nabakza. No need to upset Sirius and Marzia with news of something that could no longer be changed.

They talked through dinner; everyone simply enjoying one another's company, feeling relaxed despite all the chaos going on in the world around them. It was a well-needed rest, which was about to come to a halt.

As they made their way back into the den after supper, Sirius and Marzia took seats on one couch, and Harry and Mel on the one across from them. Harry finally felt the anxiety that had been tickling the edges of his stomach decide to force its way in. He glanced sideways at Mel, to see she was feeling the same, but they both looked up as Sirius cleared his throat.

"There's something I…we," he paused, smiling over at Marzia, taking one of her hands in his as she gazed back at him lovingly, "want to tell you."

Harry could feel his throat tighten. He knew what was coming next…he knew because this was how he'd seen himself beginning the discussion…but Sirius had beaten him to it, and now all he could do was smile and pretend he wasn't feeling his stomach performing somersaults within him.

"It's something very special," he continued, his eyes alight with joy, "and we wanted to share this with you before anyone else."

Harry nodded in a way he hoped didn't come across as too eager, waiting.

Sirius paused a moment more, glancing at Marzia, nodding for her to continue. She looked across at Harry and Mel, smiling widely.

"I'm pregnant," she said quietly, grinning from ear to ear.

For a moment, Harry simply couldn't speak. What could he say? What should he say? He tried to force himself to do something…anything…when he heard Mel speak first.

"That's…that's so wonderful!" Mel managed to get out, a large smile spreading across her face. "Congratulations!" she said, standing from her seat and crossing to give Marzia a hug.

Harry stood as well, going to Sirius first. Of course he was happy for them…the news couldn't be any better, but having planned on giving his own announcement, this new development had just made the situation somewhat awkward.

After much hugging, hand shaking and congratulations, things settled down again in the cozy living room area. Harry didn't know what to do now. He listened as Sirius and Marzia talked about little things, changes and such that they were going to have to make around the house…as it was certainly not ready for a newborn. But he could feel the opportunity to tell them slowly passing, and it was only making him increasingly anxious…an emotion which must've come across on his face, as he heard Marzia address him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, honestly concerned. "You've seemed a bit…preoccupied, for a while now. Are you upset with us?"

"Upset?" he asked, truly taken aback. "No, no of course not…why would I be upset?"

Marzia glanced towards Sirius solemnly then back again.

"I know that Sirius isn't your father, but he's the closest thing you've ever had to one…" she began.

"Oh," Harry said, the realization of what she was saying suddenly dawning on him. "Oh Marzia no, of course I'm not upset about that," he assured her, smiling.

"You know I would never ignore you…and I'll always be there for anything you need," Sirius said quickly.

"I know that Sirius," Harry nodded, smiling thankfully. "The thought never crossed my mind for a second…honestly."

Both Sirius and Marzia looked relieved upon hearing this, smiling at one another before looking back to Harry and Mel.

"Are you sure everything's alright then?" Marzia asked gently. "You really did seem…troubled…for a few moments…"

Harry and Mel were silent. They glanced sideways at one another, uncertainty in their eyes, and that clinched it.

"Okay," Sirius said at once, a mixture of concern and apprehension in his voice. "What's happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Harry said immediately, seeing his godfather well on his way to overreacting.

"Then why do I feel like something is?" Sirius countered quickly. "You both look nervous…"

"If something's bothering either of you, you know you can tell us anything," Marzia cut in, quietly.

Harry half smiled, hearing himself telling Mel that exact same thing just last night.

"We know," Harry said, glancing to Mel who was nodding faintly before she turned her eyes to him. They had to do it; it was now or never.

"There is something we have to tell you, actually," Harry began slowly, keeping his voice exceptionally steady despite the anxiety running through him. Sirius and Marzia remained silent, waiting for him to go on. He could feel their eyes on him as he thought of how he should say this, when Mel did it for him.

"I'm pregnant," she said so quietly Harry wondered for a brief moment if he'd imagined it. But the looks that quickly came over Sirius and Marzia's faces told him she had indeed spoken, and they'd heard loud and clear.

Harry felt a rush of relief at the news finally being out, but the silence that had settled over the room was not comforting in the least. He waited, barely breathing, as he watched the words Mel had spoken truly sink in for Sirius and Marzia, when slowly, his godfather stood up. He glanced down at Marzia briefly, then locked his eyes with Harry's.

"Come upstairs with me," he said quietly.

Harry nodded, his stomach feeling as if it were filled with led as he slowly rose out of his seat. He glanced down at Mel, who looked helplessly back at him, before turning and following his godfather up the staircase, and into Sirius' room.

"Are you mad?" Harry asked the moment the door was closed, feeling like a small boy whose father was about to punish him.

Sirius looked at him for a moment, and Harry could hardly believe it when a tiny smile appeared on his godfather's face.

"Sit down Harry," he said gently, pointing to the bed. Harry did as he was told while Sirius pulled a chair from across the room just beside him. He spun it around backwards before lowering himself onto it, facing his godson.

"When did you find out?" he asked seriously.

"Last night," Harry replied, "She's known for almost a month."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully before continuing.

"Do you realize what this means?" he asked. "What you need to do?"

"I need to do a lot of things," Harry replied, feeling almost overwhelmed with all the thoughts that began running through his mind once again. There was just so much. "Was there one thing in particular you were talking about?"

"Just wanting to make sure you realized," Sirius smirked. "It's an understatement just to call this a big responsibility Harry. If you and Mel decide to raise this child together…"

"We did decide," Harry cut in quickly. "I…I asked her to marry me Sirius," he said evenly.

Sirius was again silent, but never moving his gaze from Harry's, almost as if he were trying to read his thoughts.

"Is that what you want?" Sirius asked.

"I wouldn't have asked her if it wasn't," Harry replied defensively.

"I'm not trying to change your mind," Sirius explained evenly. "I'm asking these things so you can hear yourself…so you realize what you're saying. This is going to change your life…it already has, in fact. I want you to know…as much as one can know…what lies ahead, what you have to prepare for."

Harry looked at him for a long moment, taking in all he said, before nodding slowly.

"Yes…this is what I want," he answered at last, feeling a swell of emotion just thinking about it. "I love her, Sirius."

"Good," Sirius whispered softly, and Harry was startled to see tears in his godfather's eyes. He blinked them away quickly, however, clearing his throat as he stood up. Harry watched as Sirius crossed the room to a rather large mahogany armoire, and knelt down in front of it, opening the bottom drawer.

Sirius shuffled around through the contents, pulling several items out and placing them on the floor, to make his search easier, until finally, it seemed he'd found what he was looking for, and he stood up slowly.

"I know most of your things were sent to your relatives' house when you went to live with them," Sirius began as he came back towards where Harry was still sitting. "But there were a few things Dumbledore never gave them, wanting to hold onto until you were older. Last year, he gave them to me to hold…to wait for the right time."

Harry could only look up at him curiously, wondering what he had been looking for in the drawer…it must have belonged to his parents…but why wait until this moment to give it to him? Sirius answered Harry by grabbing one of his hands, and gently stuffing a small container into it.

Harry looked at the box; there was nothing special about it. It was small, grey, and looking quite tattered, but he carefully slipped the lid off anyway, and a smile began to creep its way across his face.

"Sirius," he began excitedly. "Is this…is this what I think it is?" he asked.

"Your mother's ring," Sirius replied, nodding faintly. "James gave that to Lily the day he asked her to be his wife. It's yours now…and if you want to, you can give it to Mel."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, his voice thick with emotion. He looked at the small ring in the box before him. It was so simple, but so beautiful; one delicate pear-shaped diamond sitting perfectly on a thin gold band.

"Thank you so much," he said as he stood, looking at his godfather in earnest. Sirius didn't hesitate, he clapped Harry once on the shoulder, before pulling him into a fatherly embrace, and Harry felt the last of the worry he'd been feeling finally fade away.

"You deserve this," Sirius whispered emotionally, holding his godson. Harry had never seen him like this before. "I want you to know that I couldn't possibly be any prouder of you…and that I'll always be here whenever you need me."

"I know you will Sirius," Harry replied, finally feeling his godfather's hold start to ease. Sirius stepped back slightly, holding his godson at arm's length and smiling proudly at him.

"Now, best not to keep the women waiting," he said with a wink.

"That I know," Harry replied grinning. His godfather laughed quietly, giving Harry a firm clap on his back, and the two of them left the room together, on their way back downstairs.

Marzia and Mel were now sitting next to one another, and Harry assumed they'd had a similar discussion to the one he and Sirius had just held. There was relief showing on both of their faces, as they turned and smiled at the men who'd just entered the room.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked, taking a deep breath and letting it out as he spoke.

"Everything's fine," Mel smiled as he crossed the room to her, sitting by her side. Sirius moved to Marzia's side, settling down beside her. As they talked, Harry felt the box with the ring pressing up against him through this pocket, and resisted the urge to simply give it to Mel now. He wanted to wait until everyone knew…

There was too much for them to go over just in one night, but Marzia was quick to realize exactly as Harry did, that Mel would need someone with her as it grew closer to the due date.

"I'll be fine…" Mel began to insist once again.

"Ah, you're the expert now, are you?" Marzia teased, seeing Mel shake her head and grin.

"Harry and I already discussed this," Mel started.

"But we didn't finish," Harry cut in, pointedly.

"I'm not staying with my parents," Mel said determinedly, lowering her voice as she turned to look at Harry.

Sirius and Marzia glanced sideways at one another, a full conversation passing between them in their gaze.

"You know," Sirius began, drawing their attention back to him. "You're always welcome to stay with us, Mel."

Harry's face immediately lit up as Mel shook her head fiercely.

"Oh no…I couldn't…"

"Mel!" Harry cried, not willing to let her turn this down.

"Harry, it's too much," Mel whispered. "Both Marzia and I in the same house…"

"So you're saying you think I can't handle it?" Sirius spoke up, arching one eyebrow teasingly.

"No, not at all!" Mel said immediately, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "I just don't want to impose…"

"Mel, sweetie, we're inviting you," Marzia smiled softly, taking one of the younger woman's hands in hers. "We want you to stay with us."

A small, uncertain smile touched Mel's lips, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Harry beaming back at her, nodding for her to accept the offer.

"Oh come on," Sirius spoke up, smirking. "It won't be that horrible living with us," he joked. "And it's only for seven or eight months…"

"I can't imagine it'd be horrible at all," Mel smiled finally. "If you're sure…"

"It's settled then," Marzia nodded, smiling brightly. "We'll get the room upstairs prepared for whenever you're ready."

Even though Sirius and Marzia had been happy for them, Harry could tell they were worried as well. They never came out and said they thought Harry and Mel were too young, but he believed the thought had probably crossed their minds more than once.

During the course of the week, Mel promised she would speak with her parents, and when the weekend arrived, it was finally time for Harry to meet them.

"Were they angry?" Harry asked as he and Mel arrived in residential London. Harry could tell just by looking at the houses around them, that Mel's parents weren't doing too badly for themselves.

"At first," Mel nodded. "But my mother warmed up to the news pretty quickly, and my father's say usually goes unheard from there on in."

"Oh," Harry replied as they began walking up a particularly long pathway to an enormously elegant house.

"You know, this probably isn't even necessary," Mel said, coming to a stop when they were nearly at the door. "I don't care what they think…I've made my decision…they know what it is…"

"Mel," Harry began.

"Not to mention I probably won't see them much from now on, if at all…" she continued over him.

"Mel, we have to do this," Harry said quietly. "Or at least I do. I wouldn't feel right avoiding this…"

"I know," Mel sighed dismally. "You're right."

Harry almost wanted to tell her they could go, to leave without another word, so he wouldn't have to see her look so miserable. But he couldn't. These were his child's grandparents, and he at least wanted to meet them once.

As they made it to the front door, Mel pushed it open sulkily, and stepped inside. Harry followed her into the pristine white hallway, finally getting to see the place in which Mel grew up.

"They're probably in the living room," Mel murmured, obviously not planning on staying very long as she started quickly off down the hall. Harry caught up, the familiar nervousness back in his stomach; following close behind Mel until she came to a large double doorway on the right and stepped through.

"Melanie, I didn't hear you come in!" a slender, older version of Mel cried happily, jumping up from her seat on a long, beige sofa.

"Hello mum," Mel said noncommittally, allowing her mother to hug her and kiss her cheeks.

"Harry," the woman said after releasing Mel, turning her brightest smile on. "Such a pleasure to meet you," she went on, extending her hand.

"I'm glad to finally meet you as well, Mrs. Tristen," Harry smiled back, taking her hand, feeling no less tense than he had when he'd arrived.

"Lydia, please."

"Lydia," Harry nodded, smiling nervously.

"This is my husband, Gage," Lydia continued, gesturing around to the opposite side of the room. Harry hadn't realized anyone else was there, but he now saw a tall, somewhat overweight, graying man standing near the window, his eyes fixed on something outside. Lydia smiled apologetically before addressing her husband, trying to hide her obvious irritation with him.

"Gage, will you come here and greet your daughter and her fiancé, please?" she asked in a way that made Harry believe an answer of no would be a very bad idea.

"When I was a young man," Gage started stiffly, "It was considered dishonorable to ask for a woman's hand in marriage without first requesting permission from her father."

Harry could feel his stomach twist, this wasn't going to go well…

"Dad!" Mel began, not hiding her exasperation.

"Gage will you hush?" Lydia interrupted irately, waving her arm as if his opinion meant nothing to her. Gage didn't reply, simply turned his gaze onto Harry, waiting.

"Don't pay attention to him," Mel whispered angrily. "He never asked my grandfather permission to marry my mum…he hated him, actually…and still does."

"I get the impression he hates me as well," Harry whispered back, not sure what to say to his future father-in-law.

"Well?" Gage prompted, eyeing Harry. "Are you going to say anything, or stand there looking dumb?"

"Stop it this instant!" Lydia hissed suddenly, and Harry had to force himself not to take a step back. There could have been steam coming out of her ears and it would have perfectly matched the expression that had suddenly formed on her face.

"If you'd just come out of your ridiculous fantasy world for one minute Lydia…"

"Listen to yourself," Lydia interrupted loudly. "You call me ridiculous? You won't even congratulate your only daughter on one of the most important days of her life!"

"You only consider it important because of him!" Gage countered maliciously, jerking a thumb at Harry. "If it were anyone else…"

"How dare you!" Lydia shouted, her face turning red.

"Don't give me that," Gage replied in annoyance, "you're excited because this is giving you all new bragging rights…nothing more."

"Thank you both," Mel said loudly before her mother could begin another counter-rant. "This has truly been exactly what I expected it to be, we'll just go now and leave you to it…"

Harry looked at her uncertainly as she motioned for him to follow, not wanting to leave it like this at all.

"Melanie Lenore you stop right there!" Lydia's voice rang out, appalled.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to you two argue," Mel said angrily. "I had enough of it three days ago to last me forever."

"Your father's just upset," Lydia said, with an annoyingly fake laugh as if she hadn't just been screaming all of thirty seconds ago.

"Well he's also right," Mel shot back, her eyes watering as she narrowed them darkly. "I know you mother, always wanting the best of everything so you could boast about it to your little gossip group friends."

Lydia's jaw dropped in horror.

"You ungrateful little…"

"Call me whatever you want, it's the truth," Mel spat angrily. "Image is so important to you…too important. It's why you couldn't stand Jack, he was such a failure in your eyes…"

"Melanie that's not fair," Gage spoke up then, his voice very even.

"Not fair?" Mel repeated icily. "No, you're right…the truth isn't fair. But now my brother is dead because he felt so unwanted by the both of you that he wouldn't accept any help…and I notice neither of you tried very hard to talk him out of his decision. It was all he wanted; don't you know that? If you'd just tried to show him you cared…" she trailed off, choking on her words and beginning to sob. Harry could hardly stand seeing her this way, and held her close as she cried, getting ready to simply lead her out of the room.

"If you truly believe that…" Gage began stiffly.

"I do," Mel said, trying to hide the shaking in her voice. She looked up at Harry, pleadingly. "Can we just go, please?" she whispered. He nodded immediately, not caring if he ever spoke to either Lydia or Gage again at this moment.

"Oh so you think that's it then, do you?" Lydia snapped, viciously. "You think I only cared about who you were marrying and nothing more?" Mel didn't reply, and Harry began leading her towards the door. "I was going to support your choice!" Lydia called after them, desperation in her voice. "But now I see you really are still just a child…a weak little girl…" she trailed off.

Harry felt Mel tense at her mother's words, but didn't want to stop, they just needed to get out of there, when Gage called out to them.

"Just hear me out, both of you," he said as they turned to look at him. "Mel, sweetheart, your mother and I do love you. "We don't want to see you make a huge mistake…"

"I don't think I'm making one," Mel replied flatly, sniffling almost inaudibly.

"I know you think that," Gage replied gently. "But you're young…you don't know what you're getting into…"

"Neither did you!" Mel cried in exasperation. "I didn't come here to ask your permission for this. I'm doing this whether you like it or not…"

Gage remained silent for a moment before slowly beginning to speak.

"You won't make it through this on your own, you know that don't you?"

"Your support is touching," Mel whispered bitterly. "We're leaving."

"Wait!" Lydia cried before they could take a step. "We haven't finished talking…what about the baby?"

"Don't worry yourself over it," Mel said angrily. "I already have a place to stay…and afterwards Harry and I will find a place of our own."

"And when do we get to see this place?" Gage asked.

Mel shook her head, her red, puffy eyes narrowed.

"Goodbye mum…dad," she said stiffly.

"You won't shut us out of this child's life," Lydia said threateningly, as if her word was final. "If you try…I swear I'll seek custody."

Harry felt his stomach churn horrifically within him. Could she do that? Would it work?

"You wouldn't!" Mel cried, unable to disguise her grief over the statement, her hand raising protectively to her stomach.

"I bet it'll be easy as well," Lydia continued smugly. "With all the rumors of Harry Potter going insane a few years back…it's enough to create some sense of doubt that he'd make a stable parent…"

Mel's eyes filled with fresh tears as Harry felt the anger that had been filling up within him ready to overflow.

"You really are too young to raise a child," Gage spoke up, sounding as if he were agreeing with his wife. "It would be doing you both a favor."

"That's enough," Harry said finally, forcing himself to sound calm, despite the enraged feelings screaming to be let out. But both of the Tristens went silent, as Harry continued.

"I do apologize, to both of you, if I've upset you. I'd hoped you could forgive me, and see past that…see that I'm in love with your daughter, and that we're trying to start a life together. But instead you decide to yell and fight…and threaten to take away our child." He paused for a moment, looking from one to the other, before continuing.

"I never thought for a moment, in all that I've heard about you from Mel, that you could be so cold or cruel. I can't understand why you'd want to upset your daughter like that…"

"We don't want to upset her…" Gage began.

"Well you failed," Harry stated sharply. "We're going now, and if you feel that we can talk about this civilly, I'll be more than happy to return."

Without another word, Harry gently slipped an arm around Mel, and led her quickly from the room, his head spinning. Neither Lydia nor Gage tried to stop them. Even in his nightmares, Harry hadn't imagined the visit going so horribly.

"I'm so sorry Mel," Harry said as soon as they were outside. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it wasn't your fault…my mother never thinks before she speaks…"

"Will she really go through with it?" Harry asked, trying not to sound afraid. "Will they try to take our child?"

"I doubt it," Mel replied sadly. "It was more the fact that she would even consider using that threat that upset me…" she trailed off, tears again beginning to silently streak her face.

"And your dad?" Harry asked, pulling her closer to try to comfort her.

"Harry, you have to understand something about my parents," Mel began shakily. "My dad, I believe, cares about me…I think he cared about Jack too. But I don't think he knows how to show it…he's always been horribly bad at it. My mum, on the other hand, cares about herself first and foremost, everyone else comes third. If she's ever truly loved Jack or myself, I don't know…but all she cares about is how others see her. Now if she takes away my child, no one in the wizarding world will care. If she takes away Harry Potter's child…there's a good possibility of some backlash…"

"I'll never ask you to speak to them again…not if you don't want to," Harry said quietly. Mel didn't reply, she just slipped her arms around his middle, as they continued to walk down the street together.

For several days, the visit with Mel's parents continued to weigh heavily on Harry, and he wished there were something he could have done to change the way things turned out. They had decided it would be best not to mention the visit to anyone yet, and would only do so if the Tristens' tried to carry through on their threat. There were just too many things going on right now, and Harry didn't want to burden Sirius or Marzia with another worry… He spoke with Mel everyday, however, wanting to make sure she was okay, which she assured him she was. She was much more used to her parents' behavior than he, and while their words had still stung, they had to move on, and try not to think about it.

Neither of them had been contacted by Lydia or Gage since then, however, and as far as Harry was concerned, that was for the best.

It was the last week in March when Harry finally received another owl from Hadley's parents. He was in his office, speaking with Ron through the fireplace. He and Mel still had to tell Ron and Hermione their good news, and decided they wanted to do it all together. Ron told Harry to stop by at the practice stadium that weekend, obviously curious as to what Harry had to tell him, but not able to pry even a hint from him. As Ron's face was slowly fading from view, a snowy owl swooped in through the window and deposited a small rolled parchment on his desk, before perching on the edge and waiting, ruffling its feathers.

Harry quickly unfurled the letter, scanning the message once over. The Thurnes' could meet with him that Friday evening at the earliest, and requested he send a reply at once so they would know.

As he had no plans, Harry agreed, glad to finally be meeting with Hadley's parents. She hadn't been involved in any more arguments that he knew of since her fight with Samantha, though she'd been her normal, disruptive self in class, still trying to outdo everyone else. And while he was nervous about meeting with the Thurnes', he was anxious to finally speak with them. He hoped this meeting would help him to figure out the reasoning behind Hadley's behavior, or at least put him a bit closer to understanding it.

The Thurnes' arrived exactly when they'd said they would, and Harry met them at the main entrance. They introduced themselves as Mason and Ryana, and followed Harry through the halls up to his office.

"Thank you both for coming," Harry began after the three of them were seated around his desk. "I appreciate you taking the time."

Both Mason and Ryana nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Hadley is a very bright girl," Harry went on after another moment. "She seems to pick up easily on many things…"

"Yes, she's always been like that," Ryana smirked humorlessly.

"You didn't ask us to come so you could tell us how well she's doing, did you?" Mason asked, impatiently. "You could have simply included your feelings in your letter."

"N-no…" Harry replied uncertainly, taken aback by their reactions. "I just wanted you to know before I went on, that I do think she's quite smart…"

"No need to soften this up for us," Mason said quickly, a look of understanding on his face. "We're her parents, we know quite well what a handful she can be. Just tell us what she's done…"

"Well you see, I was hoping you might tell me more about her," Harry said.

"What, exactly, do you want to know about her?" Ryana asked. "And why?"

"To be honest, " Harry began, "Hadley has been involved in several arguments…with other students. Cases in which they are usually accusing her of spying or stealing…and most of the time, the other student is someone she doesn't seem to be quite fond of. She tends to take her anger out on them for either embarrassing her or doing better than her in class," he said, and went on to explain what had happened during the few incidents he had been present for. "So the purpose of my asking you to meet with me, is to ask if you might have any idea why she lashes out like this."

"Are you suggesting we've done something to our daughter to cause her to misbehave?" Ryana asked curtly.

"No," Harry replied at once, shocked that she would think that, "No I'm not blaming anyone…"

"It certainly sounds that way," Mason cut in. "We love our daughter very much, professor. To call us here and accuse us of bad upbringing…"

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Harry interrupted, wondering if he'd really explained the situation so badly that he'd sounded like he was accusing them. "I'm only asking if she acts like this at home as well, to see if there's a reason…"

"She doesn't," Ryana snapped. "Maybe you should place the blame on the school before you go looking for outside reasons. Isn't it possible that the other students with whom she was caught fighting could have purposely instigated the situation?"

"Mrs. Thurnes," Harry began, losing hope of saving this discussion with them. Either they didn't want to listen or they didn't care.

"Or maybe she simply doesn't feel safe," Mason said, icily. "We nearly pulled her out of the school after that horrible incident in October. Dementors near the school…our daughter was almost killed!"

"I'm very sorry about that…" Harry began, sincerely, feeling renewed guilt over the mention of the incident.

"Yes well so are we," Ryana said curtly. "If we'd been able to transfer her to another school we would have, but we didn't have the time and simply pulling her out was not an option as we have no one to look after her at home. Though it's highly unlikely we'll allow her to attend Hogwarts next year. The claims of safety and protection are obviously exaggerated."

"Now if you don't mind, professor," Mason began before Harry could utter one word in reply. "We are very busy and need to be on our way. Just do your job; make sure our daughter stays safe, and we won't have any problems."

Harry stood up quickly, but neither of the Thurnes' so much as spared him a second glance before they were through the door. Moving to the door and shutting it softly, Harry sighed in frustration. The Thurnes' did seem to love their daughter, but he got the impression they didn't have much time for her.

He slowly crossed back to his desk, when a faint movement caught his eye. He turned suddenly, to see the Bloody Baron float through the office from the back corner.

"Wait!" Harry called after him, seeing the ghost heading towards the door and wondering how long, exactly, he'd been there. The baron slowly turned his head, glaring over his shoulder at Harry.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quickly," I just wanted to ask if you've found it yet…whatever it is you're looking for…or…are you still looking even?" he asked, uncertainly, hoping to get some information out of the ghost.

The baron seemed as though he couldn't be bothered with this waste of his time, and began to turn away, when once again, Harry heard the sound of his dead voice.

"You shouldn't stay…"

"I'm not trying to get in your way," Harry interrupted at once, remembering the baron's warning from the last time they spoke. The ghost only shook his head faintly before speaking again, no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

"He's quite devious…you shouldn't stay where he can hear you…"

"He?" Harry asked, his eyes widening. "Who? Someone's here? Is he here now?"

But the baron made no reply, and had already made his way into the hall. Harry sprinted across the room after him, flying out into the corridor, only to find it silent…empty.

He cursed under his breath, tired of this game. If the baron knew of someone in the castle…someone who shouldn't be there…then he needed to tell one of the professors, and stop pretending he was on one of his hunts.

Glancing back into his office, Harry wondered if there was someone in there, hiding…listening…watching… He'd looked so many times, and the charm had been cast over his office to protect from just that, but did it work? Could there be a death eater lurking somewhere in the shadows? A shapeshifter? Who else would be spying on him? Or was he overreacting, and was the baron only trying to scare him away, so he could continue to hunt for whatever it was he was looking for?

Sighing inaudibly, Harry stepped in and once again searched the entire office, only to come up empty, as usual. Deciding to give up for tonight, he shut the door quietly behind him, and started up the hall towards his quarters.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Hermione asked, her jaw dropping in horror.

"Hermione there was no one there!" Harry replied quickly. "What could anyone else have done?"

"How will you know if you don't ask?" Mel chimed in, concernedly. It was early Saturday afternoon, and the three of them were in Hermione's apartment, about to leave to meet Ron at the quidditch pitch after his practice.

"Because Minerva and Snape did what they could when we placed the charm on the office. She told me it would last well beyond the end of the school year, so if there's someone there then they already know how to get passed that. There's nothing else I can do except hope to catch him."

"Well it wouldn't hurt any to have someone with you, would it?" Hermione asked. "So that if someone else is there and you don't see them…"

"Aren't we supposed to be meeting Ron now?" Harry cut in, feigning impatience. Hermione smirked wryly.

"We're not done with this discussion, you know."

"Believe me I do," Harry agreed, teasingly, earning a swat on the arm.

"Alright, here's where we're going," Hermione said, turning towards a small map she'd laid out on the coffee table between them. "I suppose the best place to apparate would be the entryway, we can walk to the lockers from there."

"Not to be lazy," Mel smiled, "because I don't mind the walk…but wouldn't it be easier to just apparate straight to the locker room?"

"If there wasn't a barrier around it, sure," Hermione replied, grinning. "But apparently there have been attempts to cheat in the past, and so the locker rooms are protected, to prevent people from sneaking in."

"Oh that's lovely," Mel said, shaking her head knowingly. "Nothing like a fair game…"

"Not a bad idea though," Harry commented as the three of them stood up, thinking how he wouldn't have minded something like during his years on the school team.

After making sure they recognized the location on the map, the three friends disapparated, appearing seconds later at the edge of an extremely large stadium. Harry glanced around at the bleachers, the stands, the field itself, and felt a bit wistful. This could have been where he came to work every day…he had thought it was going to be…but sometimes things change.

There were a good number of people milling about, and it was obvious practice hadn't ended too long ago. Some of the players were on their way out of a large doorway to the right, and Hermione started off in that direction.

"He said we could meet him inside…he should be about ready by now anyway," she said, motioning for them to follow. The three walked down a long corridor, and Harry felt Mel slip her hand through his. He glanced down to find her smiling back at him, and squeezed her hand softly. He hoped Ron and Hermione would be happy for them…and while he was hiding it well, was definitely anxious about telling them the news.

As they turned down several hallways, they finally came to a clearing, along with row upon row of lockers.

"He's down this way," Hermione said, pointing to the left as they began to walk, only to hear Ron's voice call out half a second later.

"Hermione, is that you?"

A damp mop of red hair poked out of the third row down, and Ron's face smiled back at them.

"Finally!" he said, dramatically, his eyes meeting Harry's. "I've been dying to hear whatever it is you have to tell us!"

"Been dying to hear it, ey?" Harry asked teasingly as the three reached the aisle Ron was in, toweling off his hair messily and tossing the cloth to the ground.

"Well you wouldn't even give me a tiny little hint," Ron said sarcastically, emphasizing with his thumb and forefinger just how small tiny meant.

Harry could only laugh as Ron turned to greet Mel.

"So," Hermione began, finally letting the excitement she was feeling show through. She looked back and forth from Harry to Mel. "What is it you have to tell us?"

"Well," Mel started, smiling up at Harry as she once again clasped her hand in his. "We have a question for you both, actually."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances of amusement and curiosity, before looking back to Mel and Harry.

"Okay," Ron replied, nodding for them to go on.

"Before we tell you," Harry said, smiling, despite himself, at how the waiting was tormenting his friends. "I just want you to know this is very important to us…"

"Then I'm sure it'll be important to us too," Hermione assured them, eagerly.

Harry and Mel glanced at each other, and she nodded up at him.

"Alright then," Harry began, taking a deep breath and not having to pretend he was nervous as he let it out. "What Mel and I would like to ask you is, would you be the godmother and godfather…for our child?"

Hermione gasped immediately, a flash of complete and total shock crossing her face, followed at once by a large smile as she clasped her hands together.

"Your…your child?" Ron asked in disbelief, staring at Harry with his mouth open. Harry nodded back faintly, waiting anxiously for another response, when Hermione at last regained her voice.

"That's so wonderful!" she cried finally, crossing to Mel and hugging her gently, before turning to Harry and throwing her arms around his neck. "Congratulations, this is just…fantastic! When is the baby due? How long have you known? Are you going to have help at your house?" she began shooting off questions as she turned back to Mel. As the two began to talk, Harry turned back to Ron.

The two looked at each other for a long moment, and Harry began to wonder if the news had upset Ron somehow, as his friend was for the most part remaining silent, but soon enough, Ron lifted his right hand and clapped Harry's arm firmly, before suddenly pulling him forward, in a brotherly embrace.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, feeling almost overcome by the sudden rush of emotion that had filled him, but held it in, except for the enormously relieved smile that had spread across his face.

"Congratulations Harry," Ron nodded, and Harry could see the same look in his eyes as well. Harry nodded, before speaking again, loudly enough so Hermione could hear as well.

"You haven't answered the question yet…"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other for the briefest of seconds before simultaneously beginning to nod and reply.

"Of course!"

"We'd love to!"

"It'd be an honor!"

"I still just can't believe this!" Hermione said shrilly, and asked Mel if she could see. Mel smiled, gladly pulling off the loose cloak she'd been wearing to show a slightly noticeable bulge poking out from under her shirt. Hermione squealed in excitement, spouting out several more questions, as Ron stood by and laughed his girlfriend.

Harry stood back and watched the exchange happily, still needing to tell them about the engagement…but at least the hard part was out of the way. He looked at Mel's smile, and his friends' sincerely happy faces, feeling all the love he felt for all of them just filling him at the moment. His gaze floated down to the small bump just below Mel's belly button, and his smile only grew bigger. She had just finished moving in with Sirius and Marzia, and Harry couldn't have been happier about it. He was glad she was someplace close, and someplace he could go without everyone panicking about him.

A slight movement to his right caused him to glance quickly in that direction, his thoughts flying out of his mind for the moment, but he found no one there. He shook his head, figuring he must've imagined it, when something else moved…this time on his left. He strained to see anything down the aisle…something that might've fallen, or someone's pet sneaking around…if one were so inclined to bring a pet to a quidditch locker room…but still, nothing.

"Ron?" he asked, glancing around uncertainly as he spoke. "Is there anyone else left down here with us?"

"No," Ron shook his head, turning to look at Harry. "Marcus left just before you all arrived…said I was the last one out and asked me if I'd lock up before leaving…why?"

Harry shook his head, opening his mouth to tell him it was nothing, when this time, he was positive he saw something move, back on his right side again, but couldn't focus quickly enough to see exactly what it was.

"Harry…what's wrong?" Mel asked, seeing the look on his face as he searched the aisle to his right.

Harry slowly tore his eyes away, feeling his heart beating in his chest, and turned to meet Mel's gaze, only to see her jaw dropping in horror. Hermione gasped fearfully from just behind her, and Ron's eyes went wide.

Half knowing what he was going to see, and half completely denying it, Harry whirled around, thrusting his hand into his pocket for his wand, and came face to face, with a shadow walker.

Harry instinctively stepped back, his breath catching in his throat as he forced the cold fear that had immediately crept in, away. But of course, there was more than just one Shadow Walker, and he moved directly into another standing just behind him. Turning quickly to look around, he saw he was surrounded, separated from his friends who were being held off to the side, struggling to get away.

"I told you we'd see each other again," the shadow he'd seen first spoke, and Harry recognized the voice he'd heard during his last encounter with the cult members. Harry stood where he was as the shadow stepped closer to him, the young man he'd seen beneath the darkness fading in and out of view, his eyes cold and furious.

"Leave him alone!" Mel shouted desperately. The lead Shadow Walker simply laughed with faint amusement, and shook his head slowly.

"How nice you've finally found some friends who care about you," he said tauntingly, "though after all of your lies, I imagine you've probably had them all along…"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, keeping his voice calm and even. "What lies?"

"Enough with your games," the shadow spat angrily. "If I had my way you'd be dead where you're standing, but we must wait. Pollux wishes to speak with you…and you will return what you stole before we kill you…if you want your death to be quick."

"But I haven't stolen anything," Harry said quickly, gripping his wand tightly. They never mentioned that they thought he'd stolen anything last time. "If you would tell me what you're looking for…I'll do whatever I can to help you find it!"

The face under the shadow came into view for a brief second, and Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest at the loathing and disgust in the eyes staring back at him, when without warning, the Shadow Walker lashed out at him. Harry's head twisted painfully to his right as a powerful blow struck him on the side of his face. He nearly overbalanced from the unexpected hit, when he felt rough hands on his arms, jerking him upright as his friends' outraged cries filled his ears.

"I don't find your lies amusing," the shadow stated icily, ignoring the other three captives. "Stop behaving so cowardly, and face the consequences for your actions…so you might die like a man."

"I know you think I'm the one your after…but I swear I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said, tasting blood on his lips. He couldn't wipe it away, however, or straighten his glasses, which were about to fall off, as they were now holding him tightly. "I haven't stolen anything…"

"Fine," the shadow hissed darkly. "Continue with your spineless ways, your feeble excuses…you'll be dead soon, and before you die you'll want to tell us the truth, I promise you."

Harry felt a suffocating sense of helplessness closing in on him, realizing there was no escape this time. Even if he and his friends could use their wands it would do no good, not to mention the fact that they were greatly outnumbered.

"Let's go," the lead shadow said then, glancing at the others. "Pollux is waiting, and personally," he said, locking eyes with Harry. "I can't wait to get started."

"What about my friends?" Harry asked, feeling the ones holding him begin to pull him forward as he fought, in vain, against them.

"They shall be released as soon as you're through," the lead shadow replied offhandedly. "We have no use for them…and they won't be able to find you…so they're of little concern to us." He smiled then, thoroughly enjoying the fear Harry was trying to hide. "No one will be able to find you," he added, threateningly.

Suddenly, the still shadows cast against the far wall from the lockers and benches started to move. They pulled away from their designated places and swirled together, forming a large rectangle just before the lead Shadow Walker. A white light illuminated the border of the large shadow, and Harry knew at once, that it was a doorway.

"Stop! You can't do this!" Hermione shouted, pleadingly.

"He's never done anything to you!" Ron added, thrashing against the ones holding him.

"Please just let him go!" Mel cried, her eyes watering. "Whatever was stolen from you, we'll all help you find it, I swear!"

The lead shadow ignored them, his human form fading completely out of sight as he motioned the ones holding Harry to bring him forward. Knowing it was useless, but unable to simply stand there and let them take him, Harry struggled with every ounce of strength in him, trying to free himself. The fear was pulsing through him now, and he forced himself to retain some semblance of calmness, he needed to think…it was the only weapon he had.

As he neared the door however, something happened. Harry could feel a sharp flash of relief as he realized what was going on. It felt like a very faint electrical current had begun to stir within him, and the shadows seemed to feel it too, as they started to pull him along faster.

Waiting until the last possible second, as his feet were at the edge of the door, Harry let go, releasing all of the energy within. He didn't wait around to see what happened to the shadows that had been holding him; as soon as their grip loosened, he slipped free and turned to his friends.

The ones that had been holding them were slowly seeping into the cracks of the cement floor, and he sprinted across to them, sliding to an anxious halt and shoving his wand back in his pocket.

"Ron quick, how do we get out?" Harry asked, thinking of all the turns they'd taken to get down here…if they could make it to the pitch they could disapparate. Ron nodded in understanding, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her forward as he raced for the door. Harry did the same with Mel, following closely, and hearing a muddled yet furious voice from behind him.

"He's getting away, stop him!"

Mel stifled a nervous shriek as she squeezed Harry's hand tighter.

"Hurry Ron, hurry!" she cried, breathing heavily and looking fearfully over her shoulder. They were already running quickly through the tunnels, moving as fast as possible. Though as always, after using the crystals' powers without having possession of them, Harry began to feel his energy draining away. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to move forward, but could feel Mel start pulling ahead of him.

She looked over at him, terror in her eyes, knowing something was wrong but unable to find the words to speak, and Harry just nodded for her to keep going, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

There was light at the end of the corridor now and Harry felt a shock of relief wash over him, but it was cut off as he felt something grasp his ankle. He wrenched free of Mel's hand so he wouldn't pull her down with him, and his knees cracked painfully against the hard ground, before the momentum carried him forward. He put out his hands to stop his face from hitting as well, and struggled over onto his back as he saw a thin shadowy tendril wrapped around his ankle.

"No!" Mel shrieked despairingly, causing Ron and Hermione to come to an abrupt stop before they began racing back. Harry felt his friends grabbing him, taking hold of his arms and trying to pull him free, as another tendril crept up from the corridor, and snaked its way around his other ankle.

Harry kicked out at them, struggling to free himself as his friends pulled, refusing to let go of him. He could see more shadows forming on the walls, beginning to slither towards him, and began to lose hope, when suddenly one of them gave. His right ankle was loose and with one final, fierce tug, the four of them were in a heap on the ground; but he was free.

"C'mon!" Ron shouted frantically," helping Hermione to her feet as Harry and Mel scrambled up as well. They raced the final few feet to the late afternoon sunlight, and Harry could hear them coming now…it sounded like a lot more than he'd seen down there. Praying he had enough strength left, he closed his eyes, and disapparated.

Seconds later, Harry opened his eyes to see Ron and Hermione's living room, and felt a swell of relief. His friends had all had the same idea, and he saw that all four of them had made it safely back. They were standing in front of the hearth, looking at one another in shock.

Still feeling terribly weak, the apparation only having added to the strain, Harry started for the couch before any of his friends could speak. He nearly stumbled twice, too tired to pick his feet up, and finally fell onto the small sofa, exhaling shakily.

Mel crossed the room to him swiftly, and he pushed himself up as she reached him, throwing her arms around him and sobbing into his neck.

"It's alright," he whispered, having to force his own voice to remain even. He saw Ron and Hermione lowering themselves on the opposite couch, looking at him sadly.

"It's not alright!" Mel cried, "You were nearly taken…they would have killed you!"

"But I'm here now," Harry said quietly, gently pushing her back and looking into her teary eyes. "I'm here."

"They found you though, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "You were in the wizarding world the whole time, and they got to you."

"Maybe they just happened to be near there," Harry suggested. "The pitch was mostly empty because of the practice being over…I wasn't around many people."

"It doesn't change the fact that they're getting closer," Hermione said. "And today was too close."

"What did you do anyway?" Ron asked suddenly. "I don't even know how we got away…"

"The crystals, I think," Harry replied tiredly. He was ready to fall asleep.

"You have them with you?" Mel asked, her eyes going wide. "Has Snape finally agreed…?"

"No," Harry shook his head faintly. "I don't have them with me…but sometimes, if my life is in danger, I get a one time only shot at using their power…though I don't have any aim or control over it. The closer I am to them physically, the easier the power is to use…but if I'm not near them, I usually get tired pretty quickly…"

"Well they picked the right time to show up," Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe how close that was…we couldn't do anything!"

"We have to tell Sirius and Marzia," Hermione said suddenly. "We have to let them know…maybe they can ask Dumbledore what we should do."

Harry didn't put up any argument, he just nodded quietly. He didn't want people fretting over him, but this was different. He was going to start a family…and he could not let his child grow up fatherless. The cult had made it abundantly clear that they intended to end his life, whether he told them what they wanted to know or not.

"Are you well enough that we can go now?" Mel asked him uncertainly.

"Yes," Harry lied, wetting his lips and tasting the dried blood on them. Mel pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket and began dabbing at the cut. "What about you?" he asked suddenly, thinking of all the running they'd just done and feeling his heart skip a beat. "How are you? Do you feel anything that…?"

"Don't worry about me," Mel said, hushing him softly. "I'm fine…just a little tired…and definitely a bit shaken…but fine." She put the cloth back into her pocket and wiped her fingers gently against his lips. "That'll have to do for now," she said quietly. "The blood's gone at least."

"Thank you," Harry said, kissing her fingers before looking over at his friends. "We should probably get going then."

"We can use the floo network," Hermione said, standing and making her way towards the hearth. "So you won't have to apparate."

"Thank you," Harry said, getting slowly to his feet with Mel at his side.

The four of them went through one at a time; Ron going first as he wanted to make sure everything was alright on the other end. When his head appeared, he let them know all was well, the rest of them followed, to find the house was completely empty.

"They're probably still at the ministry," Mel said dismally. "They told me this morning that they might be late tonight."

"Well, hopefully it's because they're closer to finding something we can really use to free Dumbledore," Harry said, optimistically.

"But we have to tell someone," Hermione persisted. "Maybe we could sneak into the ministry…"

"Hermione," Harry grinned, despite the situation. "I can't believe I heard those words just come from your mouth…"

"Harry this is serious," Hermione insisted, tapping her foot lightly against the floor for emphasis as she said the last word.

"I agree," Harry nodded, meaning it. "So I'm going back to the school right away…I want to talk to Snape."

"I'll come," Ron, Hermione and Mel said all at once.

"No," Harry shook his head slowly. "I need to talk to him alone…he might get defensive if he thinks we're all ganging up on him, and I need him to listen to what I'm saying."

"What should we do then?" Mel asked.

"Wait here for Sirius and Marzia to get back, if I'm not back by then let them know what happened. I don't know how long I'm going to be, but I'll call you when I'm done."

"I'll leave a message with my dad," Ron said then, "that way if he sees them he can let them know we need to talk to them."

"Good," Harry nodded. "Thank you." He still felt shaky, but tried to think only about what he had to do now. He didn't know if the cult could find him easier now, or if they could trace him…but he knew it was better not to waste time, and hopefully Snape would see that too.

As soon as he entered the school, Harry set off immediately for the dungeon area. It was Saturday night, and several students were mulling about, glad to have a break from schoolwork. A few of them threw Harry curious glances as he passed, and he was sure he looked a bit ragged, but had no time to stop to talk.

When he reached Snape's office, he knocked loudly on the door, and received no response. After knocking again, he gently pushed the door open, finding the room empty. Closing the door once again, Harry turned, not ready to give up. He went deeper into the dungeons, finding the door to Snape's quarters, and went through the motions once more, but it seemed the potions master was not there either. Deciding to try elsewhere, Harry made it back to the main level and went to the great hall, but aside from a few students chatting or having a late meal, there was no one else in the room. Having no idea where Snape could be, Harry went to the nearest stairway, and began to climb. He didn't have the energy to search every floor, and figured even if he did he might still never find the potions master that way, so he headed back to his office to try getting in touch with him through the fireplace. He came to a surprised halt, however, when he found Snape already in front of the door, looking as if he were getting ready to leave.

"I was just looking for you," Harry said, feeling glad, for what was probably the third time in his life, to see Snape.

"And I was looking for you," Snape replied icily. Harry's mind started to race, what did he do to upset the potions master this time?

"Wait, this is really important," Harry began, trying to cut off the fight before it started.

"Oh so what you have to say is instantly of greater significance than whatever I have to say?" Snape asked, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I've been a professor here much longer than you Potter, and you can't just expect to come in here and be treated like you're above the rules…"

"What?" Harry replied, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "What are you…?"

"You met with Hadley Thurnes' parents yesterday." It wasn't a question.

"I…I…yes…I did…" Harry stammered, failing to see what this had to do with anything.

"She's a student in my house," Snape snapped angrily. "Don't you think it would have been a good idea to notify me of your plans? Show a bit of courtesy, perhaps?"

"I'm sorry," Harry replied, thinking they didn't have time for this right now. "I didn't realize…"

"Because you never bother to think about anything," Snape hissed, angrily. "You assume that just because you wish it, that it will be allowed, well that's not how things work!"

"Professor Snape, I apologize," Harry said quickly, feeling this argument was a ridiculous waste of time, but trying to keep calm. If he started screaming back at Snape, it would only make this take longer. "My intention wasn't to undermine your authority or upset you in any way. I simply didn't know I had to clear it with you first to meet with Hadley's parents."

"Not that that surprises me," Snape muttered irritably. "You don't know much of anything…"

"Professor Snape," Harry began, trying to ignore that last comment, "I really need to speak with you about…"

"Stop trying to simply brush this off, Potter!" Snape cut in, his face set in an angry grimace. "I want to know why you felt it was necessary to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Thurnes, and why you didn't even bother to tell me what it was about afterwards."

"Will you just listen for a minute?" Harry finally said, his tone almost a shout. "I need to ask you about the crystals, the Shadow W-"

"No you listen!" Snape cut in, utter fury in his tone, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You've had everything handed to you whenever you wanted it, well not anymore!"

"That's not true," Harry started, shaking his head.

"Oh but it is," Snape hissed. "You should have been expelled more times than I can possibly count, but it never happened…you and your friends had Dumbledore so caught up in your false charm that he would never dream of doing anything that would upset you…even when my life was at stake he still…"

"What?" Harry asked, shocked. When Snape's life was at stake? What did he mean…the incident from last year? Was he angry about what had happened? But Snape continued to talk as if he hadn't spoken.

"…still didn't so much as take even five house points away. No, not from James Potter and his group of headstrong, back talking…"

"Professor Snape," Harry said, feeling his stomach flip slowly.

"…no good flunkies that are always…"

"Professor Snape," Harry said again, more insistently.

"…walking around like they own the place…"
"Severus!" Harry finally shouted, and at last Snape stopped talking, glaring at him indignantly.

"Can't even let me finish a sentence, can you Potter?" Snape spat angrily.

"You called me James," Harry said, hearing the words over in his head. He knew he hadn't misheard…he knew it.

"What? I did not…you're only trying to…"

"You did," Harry insisted forcefully. "You said Dumbledore wouldn't take house points away from James Potter."

"You're imagining things," Snape said briskly, but he was no longer meeting Harry's gaze.

"What are you really mad at here, professor?" Harry asked evenly. "And who?"

For a moment, Snape said nothing, remaining absolutely still and silent, when suddenly, he spun on his heel and began stalking down the hall. He didn't utter so much as one word to Harry as he went, and Harry got the distinct impression that now would be the worst possible time to try to stop him. He looked after the potions master as he moved quickly down the corridor, until he turned the corner, out of sight.