Life Renovations

Chapter Nineteen

Into The Pensieve

Draco lounged in his bed with his back resting against the headboard. His mate was nestled securely beside him with his head resting in Draco's lap. Draco had pulled the comforter up to Harry's neck, and splayed the long black hair over that and was currently running his fingers through it. Harry didn't look bad with long hair. It actually made him look more feminine, and though he knew Harry wouldn't like to hear it, Draco liked his new look very much. So much that he wished everyone in the room would just bugger off so that he could wake Harry by his own means. He looked up to glare at those who made that particular pleasant fantasy impossible, and that's when he realized exactly who was in the room.

"So um…Father? I see you've found my house." He had the grace to look embarrassed and somewhat apprehensive.

"Yes, indeed, Draco," Lucius replied with a dark look. "When you are well we will discuss this further."

Draco nodded; relieved he wouldn't have to deal with that right away, and kept the fact that he felt perfectly fine to himself. Then he spotted Mrs. Weasley, and was surprised to find he was actually glad to see her. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley. Are you well?"

Everyone looked surprised to hear Draco speak to Molly in such a respectful manner and they could see he was happy to see her. Molly herself looked as if he'd handed her the sun and moon. She rushed over and enfolded him in a bone-crushing hug. Again, everyone was surprised when he returned the embrace.

"Of course, love. And I'm very happy to see you and Harry are no worse for wear. I was so worried. Dumbledore thought he would get his hands on you two." She snorted. "He should have known better. No one hurts any of my children!"

"But Mrs. Weasley, I'm not…"

"Hush! Of course you are. You're Harry's mate, are you not? Of course I consider you one of mine now!"

"Mrs. Weasley…" Draco had to work very hard to keep himself from crying like a little girl. Hermione wasn't as strong and she let her tears fall unchecked, beaming at Draco and Molly. And she got a little self-satisfaction knowing that when Ron found out about this he was going to flip his lid.

"I know you wanted me to tell you about the Ukatae, but do you want me to wait until Harry can hear as well?" she asked dabbing her tears away.

Draco nodded. "In the mean time, will someone please cut my hair?"

"Come here, Draco love. I'll do it." Molly offered. "Sirius, there is a chair down the hall. Please go and get it for me."

Sirius nodded and left the room. When Draco left the bed, he noticed Voldemort sitting in the chair near the window. "What are you doing here?"

"Miss Granger had the foresight to ask for my assistance. Which you will need if everyone wants to leave here safely."

Draco nodded and easily masked his surprise in hearing that Hermione willingly called upon Voldemort for help. What was the world coming to? Sirius soon returned with the chair, and Draco sat after moving the chair to where he would be able to sit and watch Harry sleeping. He wouldn't be relieved until he saw Harry's eyes open and smiling at him. Molly smiled at his actions and wrapped a sheet around Draco to keep the cut hair from getting all over his clothes. After this, she pulled out a pair of scissors instead of her wand

"Scissors, Molly?" asked Sirius with a crooked grin.

"Of course. I've learned to be prepared after having seven children. Especially when two of those thrive on causing trouble. I don't know how many times I've had to cut out sticky stuff from their hair and I prefer these to my wand. Here now, Draco. Stay still. How do you want your hair?"

"Umm…. just like before, but a little longer. Maybe so that these pointy ears can be hidden if I wish it."

"All right then. I can do that." Molly began to cut Draco's hair, taking great care with his beautiful locks as she was aware of how much Draco loved his hair, and she was honored that he would trust her with cutting it. "You have such wonderful hair, Draco!"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. I know." Draco didn't even try to hide his smugness, and it only made Molly laugh.

The others were completely bored and didn't want to sit around watching the Ukatae getting his hair cut. Hermione moved to stand by Amortia so she could ask the Healer some questions. Severus stood off in a corner, brooding over the past night, and was trying desperately to forget he'd ever had Hermione in his arms. It was a losing battle. Especially since she kept sending him death glares that made his heart constantly ache. Lucius was busy both glaring at his son and admiring the beauty that Draco and Harry had turned into, while Voldemort simply observed everyone. Sirius was the only one to show how truly annoyed he was to be stuck inside without anything to do, and his pacing soon got on the Dark Lord's nerves.

"Black! Sit down now!" Voldemort's voice was loud and it seemed to boom throughout the house. Immediately Sirius sat where he had stopped pacing, and scowled at the floor. Lucius snorted, but tried to mask the sound by covering his mouth with his hand. Voldemort sighed with relief at being immediately obeyed. He had begun to think he was losing his touch. It seemed Black wasn't the only one effected by his voice. Movement on the bed drew everyone's attention; Harry made a small noise and flopped over onto his stomach, his long black hair twisting around him as he turned. Draco would have jumped out of his chair, but Molly placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Harry's all right. He's just sleepy. Let him wake on his own."

Draco pouted and wasn't very happy with that, but he did remain seated. Everyone watched as Harry began to stretch. And then he grabbed the comforter and pulled that over his head. A moment later, they all heard a soft snore. The witches in the room began to titter.

"You see. He's fine. Back to his old self, I'd say." Molly continued to chuckle, but went silent when the form on the bed moved again.

"Mrs. Weasley? Is that you?" Harry's groggily asked from beneath the covers, followed by a loud yawn.

"Of course, dear. I had to make sure you and Draco remained safe, didn't I?"

"Oh, okay."

Everyone thought Harry had gone back to sleep after that, but a few moments later Harry flung back the covers and bolted up into a sitting position, his eyes wild with worry. "Draco!"

"Here, Harry. I'm fine." Draco began to smile at him but faltered when his mate's face turned dark with fury. Mrs. Weasley had the good sense to stop her cutting and back away from the blond, and with good reason.

Harry growled and stood up on the mattress. "You bloody idiot!" he roared.

There was no other way to describe what happened next except that Harry literally flew into the air and crashed into Draco at a phenomenal speed; knocking the chair backwards to the floor and bringing the two Ukatae down with it. Harry started pounding his fists against Draco's chest. "I told you not to touch me! You could have died! I don't want to be alone again… you almost left me alone!"

Draco was just so glad to see that Harry was all right that he laughed and grabbed Harry's wrists to keep him from causing him any more injury. Harry may be on the small side, but he was very strong and Draco knew the punches Harry was throwing at him would be leaving some horrid bruises.

"You're supposed to be a Slytherin! You're not supposed to go around helping people!" Harry was trembling by this time, his worry and fear over what Draco had done slamming into him. The realization of what could have happened, of the fact that Draco could have been lost to him made the fight leave him, and he sagged against Draco and buried his head in his mate's neck, trying to hold back the frightened tears.

"Shhh, Harry. Everything is all right." He ran his hand over Harry's hair. "I saved your arse. You should be thanking me-"

Harry reared back and slapped Draco across the face, hard. "You fucking bastard!"

Draco was in such shock that he could only stare wide eyed, just as everyone else was, and watched as Harry got up and slammed out of the room. His long hair barely making it through the door before it slammed shut behind him.

"Must have been something you said, Draco," Voldemort said. He was clearly amused if the laughter ringing in his voice was any indication.

"Harry has every reason to be angry with you," Lucius said. "It's a miracle you're still alive after interfering with the Inheritance."

Draco was getting over his shock and it was quickly being replaced by anger. What the fuck? Harry had actually just slapped him across the face. As if sensing his darkening mood, Molly returned and helped him up. He didn't shake off her firm hand from his arm, as he would have with anyone else. She reached up to grasp his chin firmly in her hand and pulled it down so that he was forced to look into her understanding hazel eyes.

"Listen to me, Draco. Before you lose your temper, think about why Harry did that. Think about what your soul mate must have felt when you put yourself at risk by touching him during his Inheritance. You know Harry. You know what he has had to go through and what he has lost. The terror he must have felt, Draco, at the thought of losing you. You are his life now. You just think about that before you go off and start a fight."

Draco had no choice but to see the reasoning behind Molly's words, and he nodded. Molly smiled and patted his cheek. "Good. Now sit back down so that I may finish cutting your hair. Severus, you bring Harry his clothes and make sure he doesn't leave."

"He's not going to leave," Draco grumbled. "He's hiding and sulking."

"Good. A good sulk never hurt anyone."

Harry pressed his face against the cool glass of the window in the room he supposed was a type of office or small study. The window faced the ocean and provided an amazing view. The sun was beginning to rise and gave enough light for him to be able to see the waves crashing against the beach.

"Bloody imbecile," he murmured and then pressed a hand to his heart and took a deep breath. His heart was still pounding. He'd been overcome by his fear at Draco's thoughtlessness.

"He was only trying to help. You would do the same. And you probably will when his birthday passes," Severus said from behind him. Harry wasn't surprised to hear his voice. He'd been able to hear his uncle's steps the moment he left the tower room, and stranger still, Harry had been able to scent him.

"Did he really save my life?"

"Yes. Amortia believes because of the way you are bonded, the Inheritance considered you and Draco one person, and distributed the rest of your power to the both of you."

"He still could have died and it would have been a worthless sacrifice. Did he forget that when one of us dies the other will follow soon after?"

"Harry, I'm sure all he was thinking about was you. What if it had been Draco who was receiving the Inheritance? Remember the pain you went through last night. Do you think you could have stood by and just watched?"

Harry sighed. "No. But I was just so scared."

"Understood." Severus gave him a small smile and handed Harry his clothes. It was then Harry finally noticed that his hair was brushing the back of his legs.

" What the…" and then he noticed he didn't have to crane his neck back so much to look in his uncle's eyes. "I got taller!"

Severus had to laugh. "Indeed you did, as did Draco."

Harry scoffed at the unfairness of it all. "That figures. He'll still be taller than me."

"Much taller than you now." Harry scoffed. "Just admit it, Harry. You like that he's taller than you."

Harry made a noncommittal sound as he slipped on his pants and remained silent until he was fully dressed. Severus had to help him pull all the hair out from under his shirt.

"Can you use your wand to cut this?"

Severus nodded. Harry pulled his hair together in a ponytail and told Severus to cut it just below his hand so that when it was cut, his hair fell down to his shoulders just as it had been before the transformation.

"How do I look?" Harry struck a pose, and then grinned when Sev snorted. "That bad?"

"On the contrary. You should find a mirror. Draco is going to become even more possessive of you now."

Harry groaned. "Really?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Dammit."

"Have you noticed any other changes?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded and turned to look out the window again. "I could smell you before you opened the door, and I can see now. My eyesight is perfect. In fact it's better than perfect."

"How do you mean?"

"I can see things clearly that are far away."

"Elaborate."

Harry pointed off towards the ocean. "There's a fishing boat dropping nets about twenty... Actually I can't be sure how far away the boat is."

"I get your meaning. It's far, as I can't see anything but water."

"There are five crewmen…" Harry shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "No. Six. There are six crewmen, and right now two of those men are in an argument, and the captain is yelling at them to get back to work. Or at least I think that's what he's saying. He's waving at them and pointing at the other crew members who are working with the nets."

"That's impressive."

"It's really weird to be able to see this well after having to wear glasses my whole life."

"Give it time. You'll get used to it. It's a useful ability."

Harry agreed. "As is the ability to jump long distances. I think it will be fun to learn what other abilities Draco and I have."

Severus nodded. Harry continued to stare out of the window, making no indication that he would speak again or that he was prepared to leave the room.

"Will you return to the room now? I'm sure Hermione is anxious to impart to you the information she's learned about your kind."

Harry nodded, and then he looked embarrassed. "I hit Draco pretty hard, didn't I?"

"Yes, but we all understand why you were angry."

"He must be really angry with me. That's something else too. When the Inheritance started, we lost the ability to feel each other's emotions. I mean we still have that innate intuition of overall well being or distress, but we lost the ability to really feel every single emotion as if it were our own."

Severus studied his nephew for a moment. "You are not bothered by the fact you can't feel each other anymore?"

"No." Here Harry blushed. "I'm guessing it's because we completed the bond last night. And we know each other well enough that we don't need to be able to feel the others emotions. It's enough that I can see how much he loves me when he looks at me."

"Can you still speak to each other wordlessly?"

Draco?

What?

Harry winced at the cold tone. "Yes. We can still talk that way. I'm glad for that. I think I would have missed it."

Harry and Severus left the study and made their way upstairs to the tower room. When he entered the room, Harry tried very hard to hide his embarrassment from everybody. He saw Mrs. Weasley had finished cutting Draco's hair and it was back to being the way it was. Perfect as always. A stark contrast to Harry's unruly black hair. Draco's hair was just long enough that it covered his ears, the back of his neck, with strands hanging over his eyes. Harry thought it was a shame he hadn't been able to play with Draco's long hair before it was cut. Oh well. Maybe he would try to convince Draco to let it grow just a bit longer. His fingers already itched to be buried in that hair. Before he could travel further into the room, Draco moved in a blur and pushed him back out into the hall, firmly shutting the door behind them.

"They move fast now," Hermione said. "I barely saw Draco move at all."

"The same for Harry when he jumped from the bed half way across the room," Sirius put in.

"And Draco told me he jumped off his balcony at Malfoy Manor. It was thirty feet and he said it only felt like five feet. It's like they have super powers."

"Well they basically do," Amortia put in.

"And that is why Dumbledore must not be allowed to exploit their powers," Voldemort spoke.

"Like they would let that happen."

"There could be ways for him to control them before they even knew what was happening. All Dumbledore would need to do is trap one of them in some way, and he'd have the other in his fist," Lucius said from his position against the wall.

"Then what do we do when school starts?"

"I will be watching them. Dumbledore has tried to oust me from my position as the Potions professor. However, Lucius and the other members of the Governing Board of Hogwarts have the last say. I will not be so easily turned away."

"A shame, really," Hermione murmured lowly, but all heard her.

"Hermione! You should show more respect," Molly chided.

"I would if he would."

Voldemort started laughing, catching everyone off guard and making Severus forget about the reply he had for the impertinent witch. "Miss Granger, come sit with me. No Severus. You stay over there. Miss Granger looks as if she wants nothing to do with you at the moment."

Hermione flushed but did move to sit next to the Dark Lord, wondering why he wanted her near him. "Sir?"

"Have you ever practiced the Dark Arts, Miss Granger?"

"I wouldn't dare venture into that avenue of study without a competent teacher. Though I have asked Mr. Malfoy if I could look over the Dark Arts books he has at Malfoy Manor."

"If you found a suitable instructor, would you want to learn?"

"Of course. Even though it's the Dark Arts, it is still knowledge, and as the saying goes, knowledge is power."

Voldemort raised his hands and began to clap. "Bravo. Well said. If you so wish, you will have your teacher." Hermione took a deep breath and then began firing out questions.

Harry and Draco faced one another in the hallway, both trying to intimidate by staring each other down with blank faces. Draco was succeeding, as he had more practice with that cold mask of his.

"I'm not going to apologize," Harry finally said, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Neither am I."

"Didn't expect you to." There was more silence. "This is stupid. You're pouting on the inside, aren't you?" Harry had to grin when Draco narrowed his eyes on him. Yep, the Slytherin git was pouting. "Why'd you drag me out here if you have nothing to say? I'm ready to hear what Hermione has to tell us." Harry reached out to brush his fingers along Draco's exposed chest. Since the buttons were lying everywhere, Draco hadn't been able to close his shirt. Which suited Harry just fine. Draco's eyes darkened when Harry touched him.

"I wanted a moment alone with you."

"Well, here we are. All alone. And you've had your moment so let's go back in." Harry prepared to turn, but was stopped when Draco put a restraining hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Harry…I had to do it," Draco spoke quietly, and Harry realized Draco was nervous, and was that a blush Harry saw?

"Okay. I understand. I would have done the same thing. But I'm still not sorry for hitting you."

"That's fair." Draco lightly grasped Harry's chin and touched their lips together. "You aren't sore, are you?"

Harry pulled away and ducked his head to hide the blush. He knew exactly what Draco was referring to. "No. I feel fine, actually."

Again, Draco had to mentally say hooray for the healing powers of a soul mate bond. Because there was no way he was going to wait very long to have Harry in bed again. Just the thought was causing Draco to display, and he could feel his fangs coming in. Harry looked up and grinned. "No, Draco. Calm down."

"But I don't want to."

Harry tried to give his lover a stern look, but it wasn't happening like he wanted. Draco was looking fucking hot at the moment. "You can't resist me, Harry. You never could." Draco stalked Harry back against the wall until all the Gryffindor could see or smell was the blond. Harry tried. He really did. But apparently Draco was right.

Draco soon found his arms full of a hot-blooded, completely turned on Ukatae, whose teeth were nipping at his lips demanding entrance. Draco briefly wondered why it was that every time they kissed, Harry's taste seemed to get sweeter, just a little more addicting. He started to unbuckle Harry's pants when the door opened behind him, and there was a small gasp. "Oh my!" Amortia exclaimed.

"Draco! Harry! Stop this instant!" Molly came charging out and pulled Draco away from Harry.

"Mrs. Weasley, that's not entirely safe…" Amortia began, but shut up when Draco looked at Molly and hissed while Harry pinned them with a virulent gaze and began to growl. Amortia's respect for the older witch grew when Molly pulled a long wooden spoon out of nowhere and bopped both Ukatae on the head with it. Effectively brining them out of the lust filled state and into their right senses.

"You two better watch it!" Molly planted her hands on her hips, with the wooden spoon still gripped tightly in one hand. "Don't think just because you've turned into dark elves that you can get away with anything. You can't. Not while I'm around. And Harry, you should know that by now!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry muttered, rubbing the spot on the top of his head where she had hit him. He would swear that spoon only looked wooden, but was in fact steel.

"Into the room. NOW!"

Harry and Draco rushed into the room, making a wide berth around the witch. Amortia touched Mrs. Weasley's arm. "And I thought my techniques were good. You're wonderful, Mrs. Weasley! And the way you handled the Dark Lord…absolutely brilliant!"

Molly flushed. "Thank you. I presume that means you are a Death Eater?" Amortia nodded, but said no more about it. Which suited Molly just fine.

"Hermione!" Harry ran over and hid behind her chair. "She beat me over the head again."

"It's your own fault for not controlling yourself," She said to him. Harry huffed and bent down so that his chin rested on her shoulder.

"How do you expect me to control myself? Just look at him, Hermione. Draco's fucking gorgeous! He's like this tall blond Elven god…" Harry stared off across the room where his lover stood with his father and Severus. They seemed to be in a deep discussion about something.

"Well I'm glad you've found your god to lavish yourself all over," she replied bitterly. Harry raised an eyebrow then turned to Voldemort.

"Can't you do something about my stupid uncle, Tom? I don't like a bitter Hermione. She tends to be quite violent when she's angry or bitter."

"Really? How violent?" Voldemort leaned forward, obviously intrigued and willing to listen to any stories that portrayed Hermione in a less than stellar light.

"I doubt I get as violent as you hope, sir."

"She lies. She sent the twins to St. Mungo's once and they had to stay there for three days."

"They didn't have to stay there for three days…" Hermione began as if she had already explained it a hundred times.

"No, they only stayed there to keep away from you until your temper had died down. I'm not making this up, Tom. She's vicious. So do us all a favor and curse some sense into Sev's head."

"No!" Hermione yelled and jumped from her seat. All other conversation stopped, and heads turned their way. "There is no need for any cursing," she hissed quietly to Harry.

"Miss. Granger, I find myself being surprised by you at every turn."

"Everyone thinks she's miss goody two shoes, but they are so wrong…"

"So, can I tell you and Draco about the Ukatae now?" Hermione asked a little too loudly.

Knowing that Hermione was on the verge of cursing him, Harry quickly nodded and soon he and Draco were sitting down and Hermione began her Ukatae history lesson.

"A thousand years ago the Ukatae population rivaled that of both the muggle and Wizarding populations put together. They were very powerful and thrived on the chaos the muggles spread across the earth. During that time, the Ukatae made their kingdoms deep within dangerous territories to keep muggle and Wizarding folk from discovering where they came from…Usually they inhabited jungles, ancient magical forests, and mountains.

"The Ukatae are able to change their appearances so that they can walk amongst the muggles and wizards without being detected and gather more power. They thrive on power…then, about five hundred years ago, the Ukatae fell into civil war. They fought over the dominance of the entire world. The Ukatae population consisted of many clans and one royal clan governed them all. The fighting broke out when the royal family refused to allow the clans to enslave all those who were not Ukatae, and an uprising took place soon after that. The first of many battles saw the entire royal family slaughtered. Every last drop of royal blood had been spilt and soaked into the ground; the killing hasn't ended. Without rulers, there is no law and so the civil wars supposedly continue. That war brought about the destruction of a great empire and that is why today there aren't many left. In fact, some believe they are extinct." Hermione paused to take a breath and to make sure she hadn't lost her audience's attention. She hadn't.

"That's all the history that was written. Bits and pieces really. Clearly there is much history left out. The book I found had plenty to say about your kind, but nothing that has been proven true. Oh! It did say that not only can you disguise yourself as human, but you two are supposedly natural Animagus."

"What about the blood drinking?" Sirius asked. "How come they drink blood if they are not vampires?"

"The Ukatae drink blood occasionally because blood is very powerful on its own, being a natural life force. It's as natural for them to drink blood as it is for vampires, except the Ukatae have the advantage of being alive and drinking a person's blood is always a choice."

"Did the book say where the Ukatae reside now?" Lucius asked.

"No. No one knows where the Ukatae live now. In fact, no one has seen a Ukatae in over a hundred years. It's been speculated that after the war, the remaining Ukatae gathered up their remaining powers and created a portal so that they could live in another dimension. I'm not sure I believe that."

"Another dimension? That sounds a little far fetched."

"And so does the fact that there are real elves living among us, Mr. Malfoy."

"Is that all?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head.

"It mentions the Ukatae all displayed certain characteristics of the animals they could become, as well as the abilities the both of you have already seen. It also said the Ukatae learn about their power and abilities by a natural instinct." Here Harry started to nod. He'd already experienced the natural instinct part.

"Like I said, the book holds little factual information. The parts about the Ukatae are mostly speculations and I don't feel it necessary to tell you about those things. I'll get the book for you if you feel like reading it yourselves. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Everyone except Voldemort shook their heads.

"If there are more Ukatae out there they will probably seek you two out at some point. They will be drawn to your power," the Dark Lord added.

"I suppose we'll have to try and find more information," Harry finally said to Draco.

"I'm afraid there isn't any more information," Molly stated. "I searched for months when I was doing that essay. You won't find any information because the Ukatae are dark creatures and they value their privacy. They like their secrets to remain secrets, and would not allow the world at large to know more than what we already know. Let's hope there is more of your kind and they do find you, otherwise you might not learn anything else."

"I bet you don't like that, Hermione. Not knowing more. Must be killing you," Draco teased with a cheeky grin.

"I'm not going to give up. I'll keep looking."

Harry flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, his brows were drawn together and a frown marred his lovely face. He wasn't thrilled to know there wasn't much information about the Ukatae, but he supposed he shouldn't worry as the Ukatae instincts had already begun to manifest and he was already learning things as if there was a teacher inside his head. For instance, he knew the reason why his back was itching was because he was the submissive, which meant he would be growing some sort of wings in the next couple of months; he wasn't at all pleased with that knowledge. Having wings was just one more thing to make him stand out more, to make him more of a freak.

He made sure to keep that last thought entirely to himself, as he was sure Draco would mentally slap him if he were to hear it. Harry supposed worrying about the wings was pointless as well. It was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not. On a brighter note, he was beginning to develop a plan on how to get Tom's body back to him; his mind was being filled with knowledge of the natural world that he knew no wizards or muggles knew about.

Harry sat up. "It's time to get out of here. And when we get home, into the Pensieve we go."

"How do you suggest we leave? Have you forgotten about the Aurors?" Severus asked.

"Not to worry. Leave them to me. Draco?"

"Right. Everyone follow me. And try to stay quiet when we get outside." Draco caressed Harry's cheek as he rose from beside him, passing his thumb over Harry's lips.

"You sure you'll be alright, Harry? Maybe I should stay with you." Hermione asked as the rest of their group left, leaving herself, Harry, and Voldemort alone in the room.

"Don't worry, Mione. I'll be fine. I'll see you at Malfoy Manor in a few minutes. Now hurry up. Draco will not be able to hold the circle for very long."

"What circle?"

Harry grinned at her. "You'll see." Hermione sighed, but did as he said and hurried after Draco and the others.

"It seems my help wasn't needed after all. A shame."

"I'm sure." Harry replied to the Dark wizard who came to stand beside him. "But at least you'll be getting a better body very soon. You must be excited about that, Tom."

"How do you plan to do that?" Voldemort asked in barely restrained eagerness.

"It's fairly simple, really. At least it is for Draco and me, and with your help. Tell me Tom, if I could give you a second chance at life, would you take it?"

"I suppose that all depends on what you mean by a second chance," Voldemort replied thoughtfully as they left the tower room. He was surprised when Harry grinned at him, and the young Gryffindor's grin was wicked.

"I'm talking about taking over the Wizarding world, Tom. I assume you still had that goal in mind. Draco and I do. But what if you could do it right this time? Instead of trying to take it by brute force, perhaps trying it the Slytherin way would be better. By cunning and scheming. Making it happen before anyone knew what was happening."

"You've thought about this a lot haven't you?"

"Oh yes. I had plenty of time to think about it when you entrapped me within my own mind."

"Then my answer is yes. A second chance at life does sound appealing."

"Excellent."

Harry paused just inside the front door. From somewhere behind him, he heard a door creak open, and then footsteps coming towards him. He wasn't worried. He knew it was someone from their group. And a moment later, he smelt the unmistakable scent of Mrs. Weasley. She always smelt like home cooking. It was a pleasant scent that he allowed to wash over him.

"Harry dear, Draco is waiting for you to go outside before he does whatever it is he's going to do." Molly said as she came up beside him. "I thought it would be better to come with you. If I don't return, it may cause you more problems, as Kingsley might think something has happened to me."

"You're right. Thanks. I never thought of that."

"What are you going to do, love? You aren't going to hurt anyone, are you?"

"Not unless they provoke me. Severus told me that Charlie, Fred, and George were here. Are they still?"

"No I sent them home when it became apparent Fred and George would do more bad than good if they remained here." Harry nodded, relieved that his friends wouldn't be out there. Because he was unsure of what he would have to do, and he didn't want those three hurt. "Harry, I've seen many things in my life, and have known many people who've had a lot of power. I trust you know what you're doing and hope you make the right choices in regards to how you treat people."

"Again, it all depends on how I'm treated. I'm not afraid to throw my power around and I won't feel guilty if someone gets hurt if I feel threatened."

"Well that's definitely not something the old Harry would have said."

"The old Harry is dead. I'm tired of caring what other people think of me, always going around walking on eggshells. It should be the other way round as far as I'm concerned." Without waiting for a reply, and not really caring what Mrs. Weasley thought of that, he opened the door and stepped out into the early morning light. Immediately dozens of wands were aimed at him. He smiled coldly and waved his hand. The wind whipped around them, and all the wands were pulled out of hands and thrown several feet away from their owners.

"Morning!" Harry called cheerfully, and basked in the alarm flowing around him coming from the shocked Aurors as they scrambled to pick up their wands. "Really, I thought Aurors were trained better. To allow their wands to be taken from their hands by the wind. Pathetic."

"That was no natural wind!" someone yelled out.

"Of course it was," Harry said, not sparing a look to the Auror who spoke, keeping his eyes firmly locked on Kingsley.

"Harry. You look well."

"I am. And thank you for keeping Dumbledore away."

"He knew better then to mess with an Inheritance."

"Did you arrest him?" Molly asked. Her tone suggested his answer better be yes.

"No, Molly. As he was stopped before getting to Harry he didn't actually break the law-"

"But-" Molly began, clearly ready to argue.

"However, I did have him brought in for questioning. Something to make sure he couldn't return here before your Inheritance was over."

"And why are you still here?" Harry asked, and didn't let on that he noticed four Aurors creeping around the house to the back. Draco, Aurors on their way back to you.

How many?

I see four. Could be more though.

"Honestly I wanted to make sure you were alright. Never seen the light of an Inheritance that bright before."

"I'm touched." Though he didn't sound it at all. Draco?

Six of them. Stunned now. I'm starting the circle.

I'll keep the rest occupied until you leave. "As you can see, I'm well. So why are you still here, and why do you have the house surrounded?"

Kingsley pinned Harry with a hard stare. "Playing dumb does not become you, Harry. You have Death Eaters in that house-"

"What's the difference between now and the day Moody dropped that wall on me? It's the same people and you let them go before…STOP!" Harry had caught more movement out of the corner of his eye, counting four more Aurors trying to go around to the back. Immediately the Aurors froze and were unable to move. Another Auror came running from the back of the house. Apparently Draco had missed one.

"Something is going on back there! They're escaping!" the Auror yelled. Kingsley waved his hand, and his remaining Aurors prepared to go to the back. Harry grinned and clapped his hands together. The sound seemed to carry on for miles and the ground started to shake, causing the Aurors who weren't immobilized to stop what they were doing at stare at Harry. Suddenly, great thick vines began to shoot up from the ground, twisting and coiling, becoming an impenetrable wall that blocked the Aurors from going to the back where Draco had drawn up the transport circle.

"That's very impressive, Harry," the black Auror said, and then he raised his wand to point at Harry. "I suggest you lower the wall, else I'll bring you in for obstruction."

Harry, come home. We're safe.

"Mrs. Weasley." Harry nodded to Molly in goodbye, and the smile in her eyes was goodbye enough for him. Kingsley opened his mouth to stupefy Harry, but before he could utter a sound, the air cracked around them and Harry was gone. At once the vines shrank back into the ground and the stunned wizards were automatically revived.

Kingsley frowned at the spot where Harry had been standing. "I don't know who we should be more worried about now. You-Know-Who or Harry."

"Perhaps you are looking in the wrong direction altogether," Molly said, then turned and began to walk down the drive until she passed the barrier keeping people from Apparating. She marveled at the power Harry had just shown as if it had been nothing. As if it all had been as easy as simply breathing. Shaking her head in wonder, Molly Apparated back to the Burrow and prepared to tell Arthur the extraordinary events of the past night.

Harry Apparated directly into Draco's room and headed straight for the shower. His muscles were killing him and he felt dirty, and knew some time under the hot steamy water would do him good. He briefly thought about calling Draco to him, but he knew how that would end up, and even though that thought left him with a smile, he decided against it. He wanted to get the viewing of the Pensieve memories out of the way before doing anything else. Well except his shower, of course. He used that alone time to prepare himself for what he was going to see. He knew he had to be strong and to remember that he would be looking at a memory. And that whatever happened, happened a long time ago and that there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the manor, Sirius was brooding in his room, and trying to decide whether to return home that night or the following night. In the end he decided tomorrow would be better as Harry would need his support after viewing the memories. Sirius decided against viewing the memories himself, as he didn't think he could handle watching the murders of his best friends. It would very likely send him over the edge and he would probably end up doing something stupid like rushing right out to exact his revenge and end up getting carted off to Azkaban. Again.

When he heard his door opening, he looked up with a scowl, prepared to scare away anyone who dared disturb his brooding peace, and cursed fluently when Lucius walked in as if he owned the place…which he did, but still! Couldn't a wizard get one moment of peace around here? Apparently not, for Lucius walked right up to him, grabbed him by the collar and smashed his lips against his. Sirius resisted for a good five seconds before his brain shut down and his tongue rushed in to plunder Lucius' mouth.

Sirius felt his head spin. It was like they were kids again, wrapped up in nothing but each other. Sirius tasted Firewhiskey on Lucius' tongue and came to the conclusion the blond had used that to prepare his nerves for this. He was about to pull Lucius' hair tie out so that he could hold onto the long blond hair, when his brain finally caught up with him. He pushed Lucius away with a growl, and dragged his sleeve across his mouth.

"Did you enjoy that?" he spat, while trying to quit staring at Lucius' swollen lips.

"Yes I did."

"Good for you. Now get out!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that yet. I've come to tell you something."

"Like I said before, there is nothing you could say that I want to here."

"Not even the fact that I'm no longer married?"

It took a second for the words to sink in and when they did, Sirius looked up sharply. "What?"

"I am no longer married to Narcissa and she will never carry the Malfoy name again. I never wanted her to have my name. She was always the wrong Black."

Sirius' chest began to rise and fall at a quick pace. Whether from fury or something else, he didn't know. "And you thought I would care?"

"Look me in the eye and tell me you do not care."

Instead of doing the noble thing and telling the truth, Sirius turned tail and rushed out of the room, prepared to return home that very instant. He wished he had the power to Apparate from anywhere like Harry and Draco did, regardless of the wards around him. Unfortunately, he either had to go to the Floo Room or run out past the barriers before he could Apparate. He got halfway down the hall before Lucius petrified him.

Lucius smirked as Sirius went down without so much as a squeak. Really the Gryffindor should have known better. It's not like Lucius had never cursed him from behind before. In fact, the first time they had gotten together started out just like this. "Siri, I'm very disappointed that you would try to run instead of telling the truth," Lucius began as he lazily made his way towards the frozen body of his ex-lover. "I thought that was my job." He crouched down beside Sirius and flipped him onto his back. If looks could kill, Lucius would have been a pile of ash. "This is familiar, is it not? Remember, end of fifth year?" If possible, Sirius' look turned blacker.

"Father, what are you doing?"

Lucius looked up to find Draco striding towards them, his son's eyes bright with amusement, and had to suppress a smile. If there was one thing Lucius could thank Narcissa for, it was for the son she gave him. Draco was the only good thing that had come out of that marriage, and Lucius was thankful Harry had come into the picture to save them all, especially his son, from a doom the Dark Lord would have certainly brought upon them.

"Sirius and I are merely working out our differences. Isn't that right, Siri?"

Draco stopped next to his father and looked down at Sirius and smirked. Sirius' eyes widened at how similar the two looked side by side with that same damn smirk. "He's going to try to kill you when you release him."

"I hope he tries."

Draco shook his head and began to walk on. "Good luck with that, Father. You're going to need it." Once he rounded the corner, Draco Apparated to his room, intent on getting Harry so they could find out what was happening with his father and Sirius.

"Now then, where were we?" Lucius tapped his pointed chin for a second. "Ah yes." He used the hover charm to lift Sirius' form into the air and personally pulled the Gryffindor's floating body down the hall. He pulled Sirius into his study and sealed the room. He then searched through Sirius' clothes for his wand before releasing the Animagus from the spell.

"You're dead, Malfoy!"

Sirius thought Lucius would move. Any sane person would if they had a rampaging Animagus charging at them. But Lucius stood his ground, which indicated how serious the Slytherin was being. Sirius stopped short of pushing Lucius through the wall.

"What?" he demanded lowly. "What do you want?"

"I would think that's fairly obvious."

"After what you did, after how you ended it, you expect me to care now that you're free? Are you insane? You dropped me so fast that I was left spinning for months, years! You never once looked back, not once. You didn't even try to fight for us…" Sirius' eyes swam with emotions he thought he'd finally beaten away. He spun away and picked up a vase that looked very expensive and hurled it at the door where it crashed ten inches away from the Slytherin's head. Lucius barely noticed. The only thing that was registering to him was Sirius' pain.

Outside the study door, two people flinched away when the vase hit it. Draco and Harry looked at each other in shock. They had never been told what exactly had happened between the two fighting inside, except that Lucius had dumped Sirius to marry Narcissa. After a moment, the two young wizards returned to their eavesdropping.

"It was an arranged marriage, I could do nothing-"

"Utter shite!" Sirius picked up a statue that he knew was priceless and threw that as well, taking great pleasure in watching it shatter into a hundred tiny pieces. "You said you loved me but you didn't fight. And I loved you, you knew that. I loved you so goddamned much, Lucius. I would have followed you anywhere; I would have done anything for you. I had to defend our relationship from day one to my friends, to everyone who said you didn't care, and then you left without so much as a goodbye, proved them all right, and I had to put up with the stares and the pity. I had to put up with watching you and that bitch everyday at school. You flaunted her in my face!" Sirius abruptly stopped and pinned Lucius was a searching glare. "You didn't love me at all, did you? You couldn't have…"

"No, you're wrong! I did. I do, Sirius-"

"Shut it! Just shut your fucking trap!"

"No!" Lucius was starting to panic, thinking that maybe it really was too late to make things right. But he knew he had to try. He had to make Sirius see the truth. "I had to do it. There was no other way. Do you think I wanted to leave you?"

"If you didn't you sure had a funny way of showing it. One day we're fine and the very next day at breakfast I pick up a copy of the Prophet and find an article announcing your engagement to my cousin. And you ignored me. Never looked at me, never returned my owls. Nothing. Don't know about you, but to me all that equals one thing, Lucius. You didn't care."

"It was the only way I could survive without you; by pretending what we had never happened. I couldn't talk to you about it. I'd been bred to do what was best for the family. My father threatened you, he threatened me. He threatened the non-existent children we would have had, Sirius. I couldn't let him destroy you because I was being selfish by wanting to stay with you. You are the only person in this world besides my son that I ever loved!"

"Stop," Sirius whispered harshly. "Just stop." He dragged a hand over his face, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to push back the tears. Lucius didn't deserve anymore of his tears. "It's too late, Lucius. I can't go through this again."

"I've always wanted you. That never changed. It will never change-"

"Let me go," Sirius said quietly. "I can't be anywhere near you."

Lucius stood frozen, afraid to move lest he break into a million pieces, just as his heart was doing.

"If you ever loved me, you'll let me out of here."

It took a moment before Lucius remembered how to move, but when he did, he immediately disabled the wards around the room. Lucius watched Sirius make his way to the door and with each step, a piece of his world crumbled and turned to dust.

"Sirius, please." He couldn't allow Sirius to leave without making a last effort. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. Every day I have regretted causing you pain. But you can't just walk away. I can't lose you again."

"Malfoy, you never had me back in the first place," Sirius said this without looking at Lucius. There was a big possibility he wouldn't have been able to leave if he saw the sincerity and heart break in those gray eyes that he could hear in his voice. Sirius left the room quietly, already doubtful about his decision to stay away from Lucius. When he had walked the corridor and disappeared around a corner, Draco and Harry came out of hiding, where they had easily dissolved into the shadows once they realized Sirius was about to leave.

"I'm sure that didn't go as well as Father predicted," Draco murmured. Harry nodded as they walked away from the study. Harry wanted to go check on Sirius and Lucius, but knew his godfather would be best left alone for the time being and Lucius wouldn't want anyone around him at the moment to witness the state he was in. It was odd, but Harry could feel the pain both Sirius and Lucius was experiencing.

"Can you feel them too?" Draco asked.

"Yes." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I understand now why Sirius is so bitter, but I felt your father was sincere, and I truly believe he thought he had no choice but to marry Narcissa. He was trying to protect Sirius."

"Sirius may come around when he calms down and realizes that."

"For both their sakes, and ours, I hope you're right."

They entered the quiet and nearly deserted library, and headed straight for the table Voldemort and Severus were sitting at. Severus had an apprehensive look on his face as he stared at the Pensieve sitting on the table between himself and the Dark Lord.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked his nephew. Harry nodded. He stepped closer to peer into the Pensieve, only to have Severus block his path. "Take this first."

Harry stared at the vial held out to him. "What's that?"

"It's a potion, you nitwit. Drink it."

Harry gave his uncle a hard stare. "I asked you what it was, Severus."

"It's simply a calming draught, Harry. You will take it before viewing the memories."

"What for? I don't need it. I'm perfectly calm."

"Harry, I think you should take it," Draco said quietly, aware that he was inviting Harry's wrath upon himself by agreeing with Severus. But before Harry could turn dark dangerous eyes on his mate, Severus put a hand on the elf's shoulder.

"You're calm now, but it won't stay that way. I've seen what's in the memories. Will it make you feel better to know that I've taken a calming draught myself?"

Harry studied his uncle through the fringe of his black hair. "I suppose that does make me feel a little better."

He took the potion out of Severus' hand and downed it. Immediately he felt the effects working on him, washing away his anxiety and irritation of the situation. He felt a giddiness envelop him and he grinned childishly at Severus. Draco leaned over to get a better look at Harry's face and snorted.

"That's not just a simple calming draught, is it? What else did you give him?" Harry's smile grew brighter at hearing his mate's voice and he reached over the run his fingers through the blond hair.

"You're gorgeous, Draco. Why are you frowning? Let's go over there in that dark corner and I'll make all your troubles go away…" Harry began to kiss Draco and was indeed trying to draw the blond over to a darkened corner of the library.

"Wait." Draco pulled back and glared at Severus. "How is he supposed to concentrate on the memory? He needs to pay attention…what exactly was in that potion?"

Severus actually looked sheepish for a moment. "I may have gone overboard when I added some draught of peace."

"The Draught of Peace and a calming draught. Uncle Sev! He didn't need all that…"

"That's true. In fact, you probably should have given him the Wit-Sharpening potion instead," Voldemort put in.

"He'll be fine. In a few minutes, the potions strong effects should calm down a bit and he will understand what's going on."

"Hey, I understand just fine and why does everyone sound so grave? You should be happy. I don't like you to be unhappy, Draco."

"It's alright, love." Draco's hand slipped under Harry's hair to knead the back of the Gryffindor's neck. "It's time to jump in now. You ready?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied. He and Draco touched the surface of the Pensieve, along with Severus and Voldemort, and were pulled into the memory.

They landed in the Potter's yard at Godric's Hollow, where they could see Dumbledore on the porch knocking at the door. It looked to be about mid morning, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The house itself looked warm, whole, and alive and Harry thought the picture was almost perfect, except for the old wizard standing at the door. The four wizards approached and stood close behind the old headmaster.

"Is this the day it happened?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"But he wasn't supposed to be here then. It was never mentioned…"

"He wouldn't have allowed anyone to know that he had visited. It would have brought too many questions to light, especially after what happened at night," Severus replied. They stayed silent, waiting for something to happen. In short time, James Potter opened the door and surprised those watching when his greeting to Dumbledore was less than kind.

"Dumbledore? What are you doing here?" James frown deepened when Dumbledore smiled benignly at him, his eyes twinkling madly.

"I've come for a visit. May I come in? There are things needed to be discussed."

James took a breath and nodded, opening the door for him. The watching wizards simply glided through the door when James closed it after Dumbledore had passed.

"Have a seat in the living room. I'll go get Lily."

"Is she with the baby?"

James looked like he wanted to say something, but instead chose to only nod before he disappeared up the stairs. Harry wanted to follow his father, but as this was Dumbledore's memory, he could only view what Dumbledore was seeing.

"Why did Harry's father look like he wanted to turn Dumbledore away?" Draco wondered. "I thought they worshipped Dumbledore."

"As much as I hate to admit this, James Potter was not stupid and neither was Lily. And they paid attention to the rumors flying around. A rumor believed to have been started by the Longbottoms before they were taken out and placed in St. Mungo's. Watch."

Dumbledore watched as James Potter disappeared up the stairs, and when he could no longer hear James' footsteps, he raised his wand to the ceiling. He must have used a non-verbal spell, for a second later, the voices of James, Lily, and the gurgles of a baby Harry softly emitted from the tip of his wand.

"What is he doing here, James?" Lily asked, sounding panicked. As if he could sense his mother's distress, baby Harry started to cry. "Hush now love, you're safe."

"I don't know, Lils. But we have to keep Harry away from him. The Longbottoms were right. Voldemort is only after Harry because of Dumbledore. We can't let either of them have him. Seal the room and come down. Let's see what he wants and get him gone. Then we can do the Fidelius Charm over with a new Secret Keeper. Obviously Dumbledore managed to get Peter to reveal the Secret."

Dumbledore ended the spell and tucked his wand away just as James began to descend the stairs. James ran a hand through his hair, exactly as Harry was prone to do when agitated. He approached Dumbledore, and managed a weak smile. Soon he, Lily, and Dumbledore were sitting down.

"I'll get right to the point, shall I?"

"Yes please." Lily spoke quietly. She was the picture of serenity, but the steel in her voice indicated that she would not be pushed around.

"I'll be frank-"

"That's funny, you've never been up front about anything before, Dumbledore." James was barely restraining himself from snarling, Harry realized. Lily reached over to lay a hand on her husband's thigh. This seemed to relax the man slightly.

Dumbledore went on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Your son is in danger. You must let me have him…. to keep him safe."

"Harry is safe here," Lily said. "The house is protected from Voldemort. He cannot find us here."

"Unless someone has told him exactly where we are."

"I have done no such thing," Dumbledore responded at the accusatory glare both Potters were giving him.

Everyone besides Severus was startled when James jumped to his feet to point an accusing finger at Dumbledore, who no longer wore a look of calm. There was a dangerous glint in Dumbledore's eyes now.

"I want to know what has happened to the Longbottoms?"

"I don't know. They haven't been seen in a week."

"It's a strange coincidence that they should disappear one day after they return from their mission…" Lily said. "And their son is missing as well. Can you explain?"

"No, my dear. I cannot. I was not aware you knew they had returned from their mission."

James shifted on his feet; poised and tense in full Auror mode. "You should leave, Dumbledore. Lily and I want to be left alone with Harry. You will not have him. And when we find Neville Longbottom, you won't have him either. We've heard what you're about."

"You're making a mistake, James."

"I don't think so. You've misjudged us. Thought we would follow you blindly. You're so used to manipulating people that you don't see when those people begin to open their eyes. Leave now."

"You will regret this," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Not when I'm trying to keep my family safe!"

The memory began to fade as Dumbledore left the house, but Harry remained where he was, watching his distressed parents, watching them disappear. He should be feeling more, he knew, but due to Severus' potion, the fear for his parents and their upcoming deaths wasn't so terrible, and he watched as they disappeared, almost dispassionately. He didn't like the feeling. He wanted to feel more. When he felt warm fingers entangle with his, he sighed and turned away from James and Lily Potter. There was a whirling of color and then they were back in the Malfoy library.

"I thought the Lestranges tortured Neville's parents," Harry said.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom weren't driven insane until after that night. But they had disappeared before then. Only your parents and Dumbledore knew the Longbottoms had returned from the mission and your parents became worried when they hadn't heard from them. Dumbledore kept their return quiet," Severus explained quietly. Staring at his folded hands upon the table. It was the first time he had seen the memories since finding out Lily was his sister. It was twice as painful now, even with the calming potion in his system.

"What was their mission?"

"No one knows," Severus replied. "But I believe they uncovered some of Dumbledore's wrong doings, which indicates that Dumbledore had something to do with their disappearances."

"Why did he want me so much? I don't understand that."

"Perhaps there is another prophecy. One nobody knew about. Maybe it was about you bringing Dumbledore down, and the old man might have come across it and wanted to get you out of the way," Draco put forth.

"Perhaps it's simpler than that," Voldemort said. "The Potters, as well as the Longbottoms were powerful. He must have assumed you and the Longbottom boy would also be as powerful…"

"Longbottom? No way!"

"Neville does so much better when Severus isn't around. You've never seen him perform magic without Uncle Sev breathing down his neck." Harry shot his uncle a withering glare. "I taught Neville how to fight when we formed the D.A. He's not bad at all. There are others worse than him. And for whatever Neville lacks, he makes up for it with heart."

"Yes, Longbottom certainly doesn't lack bravery, I'll give him that," Severus said.

Voldemort nodded. "At the Ministry of Magic, the Longbottom boy and Harry were the only two left standing when I arrived. He has untapped power within him."

Both Draco and Severus snorted. Harry smacked Draco upside the head.

"I'm sure Dumbledore either wanted to kill you or raise you so that he may use you," Voldemort went on. "In the end his plan worked when your parents were killed and you inadvertently defeated me by stripping me of my body and powers. After that he knew keeping you alive would be far more beneficial to him." Voldemort looked at Severus from under the heavy, black hooded cloak. "Let us see the rest of what happened. I clearly remember killing James and Lily Potter. Yet you say Dumbledore made James Potter killed his wife, and then killed him after. I want to know why I don't remember this."

Severus nodded and went about exchanging the memory in the Pensieve for the other. Harry took a deep breath and touched the cloudy surface. Draco came with him and refused to let go of his hand, which Harry was grateful for.

They were back in Godric's Hollow, but this time it was night and Dumbledore was disillusioned. The four viewing the memory were able to see him however. Harry balled his hand into a fist when Dumbledore began moving to the back of the house, where he peered into a window. Harry saw it was the kitchen, where he and his parents were having dinner. His parents looked somber, neither speaking. They ate and watched each other, and watched baby Harry. They would smile when Harry made a mess or gurgled his juice in his mouth. And even though they were experiencing hard times, and were clearly afraid, the wizards watching could tell that this was a loving family and they would remain strong for each other.

When dinner was over, Lily took Harry upstairs to bathe him and prepare him for bed. Harry watched as Dumbledore silently entered the house through the back door, still invisible, and cast the Imperius Curse upon James Potter while he was at the sink doing dishes. Dumbledore instructed James to go on doing what he had been doing before being cursed, and sat at the table, apparently waiting. It was twenty minutes before Harry was upstairs sleeping and Lily returned.

"Why?" Harry whispered harshly. "Why do it this way? Why didn't he just kill them outright? Why make him kill her?"

"Clearly Dumbledore is more malevolent than we ever thought possible, Harry," his uncle answered.

"Your father defied him," Voldemort put in. "This is Dumbledore's way of getting back at him for it. His own way of torture."

"James, are you alright?" Lily came forward and placed a hand on his forehead. "Your face is red and you're perspiring. Do you feel sick?"

James eyes were flickering, and Harry knew what was happening. "He's trying to fight it off."

"He was never as strong as you," Severus said, not wanting Harry to get his hopes up.

"I…I'm fine, Lily. Just tired…" Lily was looking at him oddly. "Go up to Harry's room," he bit out.

"James, what's wrong with you?" instead of backing away from him, she moved in closer. When James pulled out his wand, she only raised an eyebrow.

"Protect Harry." As he spoke, he began to raise his wand and she finally caught on that something was terribly wrong. Dumbledore walked forward and redoubled the strength of the Imperius Curse on James.

Lily turned around and ran for the stairs, ducking out of the way just in time to miss being hit by the Killing Curse thrown at her by her husband. Dumbledore dropped the disillusionment spell on himself and directed James up the stairs to Harry's room. Lily had barricaded the room with as many spells she could think of, but Dumbledore was able to disable them all while still keeping James under his power.

As the memory brought them all into the baby's room, Harry pressed himself against Draco's chest. Draco wrapped both arms around him tightly, but couldn't bring himself to say anything that might be comforting. Because he was sure nothing he said would be helpful or the least bit comforting. Harry tipped his head back and held onto the arms wrapped tightly across his chest. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from what was happening.

Lily tried to draw her wand, but Dumbledore was too quick and disarmed her within a blink of an eye. "Dumbledore, you bastard! Let him go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear."

"You will pay for this."

"You first." Dumbledore looked at James. "Kill them."

"Lils…" James' voice was a hoarse whisper, and Harry could see he was trying to keep from raising his wand. Dumbledore moved forward and pointed his wand at James.

"KILL HER NOW!"

Lily looked from James to Dumbledore. "Please, don't kill Harry. Please…"

"It's too late for that. I can't have him running around once you're dead, seeking vengeance. Nor can he be allowed to join Tom."

"He knew. Somehow he knew this was all going to happen," Harry whispered, referring to the alliance he and Draco had made with Voldemort.

It was clear James was lost to the Imperius Curse and Lily smiled sadly at him. "I love you."

"Avada Kedavra." The green light flashed brightly and Harry had to close his eyes. He opened them when he heard his mother fall to the floor, lifeless. His father raised his wand to strike down baby Harry who had been cast to sleep by Lily when the trouble had begun, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"The boy has an ancient protective spell upon him," he murmured to himself, and then looked at Lily's body and sneered at her. But then a calculating look came into his eyes and Harry knew the old fucker was planning something to do with Voldemort. Did Dumbledore know Voldemort was on his way?

Dumbledore looked to James again, and Harry knew his father was lost. Draco's arms tightened around him further and Harry watched with tears falling from his eyes as Dumbledore made his father turn his wand onto himself.

"He did it. He did it all." Harry turned to Severus who was staring at the bodies with an unreadable expression, but again, Harry was able to feel the pain coming off him in waves. He reached over and touched the man's arm. Severus jerked away from the touch before he realized it was Harry who had touched him. Then he surprised even himself when he pulled the young Gryffindor into his arms and hugged Harry tightly against him.

"We'll get him back for this, Harry. I swear he'll die for this."

"Ah, Tom. So glad you could join me." Everyone whipped around, surprised to see the Voldemort of that time standing there with a shocked look on his face.

"What have you done, old man?" he hissed, sweeping into the room and watched Dumbledore closely as the headmaster moved to stand in front of the crib.

"I do apologize. Did I just kill off two prospective followers? That is why you're here, is it not?"

"What have you done with the baby?"

"Why would you care about an infant, Tom?"

"If I can't have James and Lily Potter join my ranks, then I will take the Potter boy and have him raised to my liking."

Dumbledore frowned. "You can't be allowed to do that."

To everyone's surprise, the past Voldemort began to laugh. "It all makes sense now, seeing you here. I had my suspicions when Severus came to me about a prophecy…" Voldemort's amusement died away and his eyes blazed red with anger. "I don't like to be played with. I will not be part of your chess game! Your life ends now!" Voldemort raised his wand and spat out the killing curse.

Harry watched Dumbledore spin around with lightening speed as Voldemort prepared to cast the deadly Unforgivable Curse. Dumbledore moved much too fast for a normal man his age, and as he came back around to face Voldemort, he had baby Harry clutched in his arms, and used Harry as a shield.

The rest happened as Harry had been told. Lily Potter's sacrifice for her child saved him from the Killing Curse and backfired in Voldemort's face; all according to Dumbledore's plan since he couldn't kill either of them himself. When the curse backfired, it caused the damage to the house, and Voldemort was left weak, bodiless, and nearly powerless.

"You will not remember any of this, Tom. And neither will this child. You've just turned him into my pet, and you will be kept alive because I still need you." Dumbledore proceeded to doctor what was left of Voldemort's memories, and then he awakened baby Harry and gave him a vague false memory of what happened that night.

"That's why I dream about seeing the green light, and hearing your cold laughter. And hearing Mum screaming…but it was all Dumbledore."

The Voldemort of the present time was hissing under his breath and watched as his past self fled with no memory of what really happened. He turned to look at Harry. "I didn't come here to kill you or your parents at all."

"You wanted them as followers."

"I remember wanting them badly. And I refused to take no for an answer. I would not have wanted to kill them because of the power they could have given me. I was certain eventually they could be swayed to my side... Harry, I have to admit to being relieved I am not the cause of your parents demise."

Draco and Severus stared at the Dark Lord in surprise at such an admittance.

"Tom?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"You are forgiven. For everything. This has all been Dumbledore. We will do whatever necessary to see he pays."

"You can be sure of it, little one."

A/N: Edited 10/18/2011