Chapter One: End of Summer:

Grimmauld Place Six Weeks After The Battle of Hogwarts:

Voldemort was dead, most of the Wizarding world was celebrating this fact. There were so many who had turned from Voldemort that the magical world had much to celebrate. Harry Potter was hailed as the hero of the hour yet he hated that fact. He had not done anything really in his own mind, yes he had killed Voldemort. He knew that was why he was celebrated but he hated it. He looked out the window in the sitting room at Grimmauld Place watching the rain fall in heavy sheets. It matched his mood perfectly as he felt drowned in emotions he could not fully understand. He should be happy but he felt so sad, sad for all the loss and death and he mourned his parents and missed them wishing they could have been here to see him take down Voldemort.

As he watched the rain fall McGonagall came quietly into the room and watched her young cub. She could feel how sad and scared and unhappy he felt and knew while the Wizarding world celebrated he mourned. He had a right to and so many would not understand that, they would expect him to be as happy as they were now Voldemort was dead. After all he had killed him by his own hand. Yet he was just a child, a mere boy and McGonagall walked up to the thin teen and stood by him quietly. The pain of his parent's deaths weighed heavily on him as he now could freely mourn them now he had no threat over him of death by Voldemort. She waited for him to speak as she knew this was best.

"I don't understand why I feel this bad." Harry said still looking out the window. "I mean the man who killed my parents is dead and I should be happy but I am not."

"You have been through so much, it is natural to feel the way you do." McGonagall replied. "You have suffered great loss and have time to mourn now if that is what you need to do. You know I am here for you Harry."

"I know you are, I am grateful for all you have done for me." Harry said.

"Well I did promise your parents to protect you as much as I could."

"You have done that and more and I thank you so much." Harry said.

"You are welcome child." McGonagall said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I have had offers for interviews but I cannot face them." Harry said. "I feel badly for that."

"I know I have kept them away." McGonagall said. "You owe them nothing, nothing at all."

"What am I to do now?" Harry asked her. "How do I go on? I am scared professor."

"I know child, I know." McGonagall said going to him and hugging him.

"There are far greater heroes than me. Professor Snape for one and no-one will give him the respect he deserves!" Harry said looking up at McGonagall. "Then there is the order and Neville and his killing the snake, what of all that?"

"I will make sure it is written about." Rita said from the doorway.

Harry turned to see her walk gracefully into the room. It was strange that just a year ago he did not like her at all. He had thought she was a cruel nosy woman who liked to hurt people with her words in The Daily Prophet. Yet she had stood up for Harry and had lost her job only to be hired on by The Quibbler, an edgy weekly that had gone from being a magazine to be laughed at to one that nearly every magical household read. She had saved Severus Severus's life giving away a secret to the order, she was an Animagmus, a beetle. That and she really was a good woman and only wanted to tell the truth to the world but had been lured in by wealth and fame and quite lost her way for a time. She had thought believed she had been doing right, but when she learned the truth she had taken a good look at herself and did not like what she saw. She saw a cruel woman who had used others to get her way and hurt so many. She would atone for her acts, she would turn over a new leaf and be the reporter she swore she would when she first started out. Before she turned away from what was right to what was easy.

"I promise to interview and write about Mr. Longbottom and even if he refuses the interview write about Severus." Rita said. "The truth and nothing but the truth about him I promise."

"He will love that." Sirius said from the doorway grinning. "When will you be putting out the piece on Severus?"

"Sirius you will be kind to Severus." McGonagall warned him. "He has been through so much and you on top of it…"

"He is too dour, he needs to lighten up." Sirius said.

"Yea and seeing him hex you is funny." Harry said grinning.

"Just who's side are you on Harry?" Sirius said glaring at his godson.

"Come on Sirius you know he needs us to be nice to him." Harry said actually smiling. "It would annoy him to no end."

"Hmm Prongsling you have a point there." Sirius said thoughtfully.

They would have continued this banter but young Maxmillan Severus Tobias Snape, Severus Snape's young son came into the room. Just last year no-one had known he existed but for a few people, with his mother's death he had come to live with his father at Grimmauld place as it was the safest place for him. Sirius had allowed it and had kept his word to treat the child well. In fact he was like an uncle to the boy as the boy adored him and he the boy. Max had grown a little bit over the summer and he was six now. He looked very much like his father but his black hair was wavy and very soft and his nose was smaller. He liked to wear his hair tied back and he was clad in jeans, trainers, a red tee shirt and brown hoodie. He saw Harry and ran up to him and Harry picked him up and swung him around causing the boy to squeal in delight. Harry tossed him up gently and caught him carefully on the way down.

"Oh so that is where the Shrimp ran to." Fred said entering the sitting room.

"Oh Harry so good of you to find him for us!" George replied.

"No more tickle!" Max said laughing and squirming in Harry's arms.

"If you wind him up too much he will get sick." McGonagall warned them.

"That is the point." Sirius said smirking. "Wind him up and he spews all over you."

"Sirius Black!" McGonagall snapped at him. "That is disgusting!"

"Okay fine, you know where your dad is Max?" Sirius said.

"He said he was making a potion uncle Siri." Max said trying to look Serous.

"What kind Shrimp?" Fred asked.

"One to turn uncle Siri permanently into a gnome." Max said. "He said it is nearly ready."

"Excuse me for a moment." Sirius said heading to the door. "I need to have a word with a certain vampire."

He left the room and both Fred and George began to count to see how long it took Sirius to get hexed. It was not long at all before they heard raised voices and the sound of running feet. Harry was grinning, Sirius was insane, he really knew how to press every button on Severus. McGonagall did her best (and succeeded) in not smiling at all. She secretly was glad that Sirius was around, he only teased Severus now out of good humor, not to bully him, he loved to whined up his new found friend. They heard the sounds of hexes going off and Sirius ran into the room laughing and Severus ran in after him, his hair all over his face. Severus brushed his hair out of his face and pointed his wand at Sirius who was grinning insanely.

"Hi Severus, having a good break?" Sirius said to Severus.

"You stupid idiotic mutt!" Severus snarled. "Give back that vial I need it!"

"Um what vial?" Sirius said then holding a vial up. "This one? Come get it!"

"Does Sirius have a…" Fred began

"death wish?" George finished.

"Because it looks like…"

"He does bro he does indeed…" George said grinning.

"Let's help." Fred said.

"Now!"

George summoned the vial and Sirius looked at George wide eyed. However Sirius forgot something important, Fred and George loved potions and understood it was not nice to mess with a witch or wizards ingredients for potions. They would however make it up to Sirius later by slipping Severus a sweet to turn his hair purple (thought it would backfire on them as they would end up with purple hair instead). Severus took the vial and smiled at his son and then glared at Sirius. Max followed his father out giving Sirius the same look and Harry laughed at this.

"So when are you going to get your school things?" Fred asked Harry.

"Yea you still need to see the shop!" George said.

"Well as long as I am disillusioned whenever your mum wants to go." Harry replied.

"You got to get some of our stuff, you will have so much fun with it in school." Fred grinned.

"Yea, you are going to love it!" George said.

"Not with me there gentlemen." Severus said fixing them with a glare.

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A week later, a few days before class was to start Harry, under a disalusionment charm went to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys. They got a few questions as to where Harry was but were told as he was still overwhelmed with all that had happened he was at home. Harry got new robes, his school books and then with the rest of the family went to the new joke shop. It was not hard to find, one window was full of all kinds of wares that whizzed, popped, spun and made the eyes water. The next had a purple poster with yellow lettering that read: Celebrate no more you-know-who- with you-no-poo, the constipation sensation that's gripping the nation. Mrs. Weasley mouthed those words appalled.

"Are they mad?" She said weakly.

"It's brilliant mum!" Ron replied grinning. "Best shop on the alley!"

"I agree with that." Hermione said walking up with Harry walking by her. "So does Phil here."

"That I do." Harry (or Phil as he wanted to be called) said. "Wonder if we can use any of this in school, strictly for research of course."

"Of course Phil of course!" Arthur said walking up and smiling as he knew full well what Harry would use the things in the shop for. "Want to get extra credit in potions then?"

"Something like that sir." Harry replied.

They entered the shop and Harry saw Fred and George at once, behind the counter with Cedric Diggory and all three boys were in neon blue robes with neon orange letters that spelled out the shop name. Harry saw the Skivving Snack Boxes had basically flown off the shelves as only one box was left. There were pigmy puffs in pink, red, lavender, green and yellow and all kinds of other things that Filch was not going to be happy having in the school and probably had already banned. Ginny was there looking over the pigmy puffs and she finally chose a bright pink one.

"Let us show you what we have going on in the back." Fred said quietly.

"Yea we are working on stuff for the Aurors." George said leading Harry back.

"That looks like muggle armor." Harry said examining the vests, and other things here.

"Well yea, we learned that muggles use these kind of vests when they want to stop bullets, they are in layers." Fred said. "Not everyone has access to the shields we used last year at school."
"So we put shield charms in thin layers and put them together, its' still in the testing process." George said.

"Brilliant! I love your shop!" Harry said. "All of this is just brilliant!"

"Why thank you Harry for that you can have whatever you want for free!" Fred said.

"Hey don't give away the shop!" George said.

"I will pay, I have to help you after all, and no hero discounts either guys." Harry said.

He had a great day and that evening he went back to Grimmauld place tired, wore out but happy. He was looking forward to school, he had so much to look forward to. He had got an owl with a letter and a shiny silver badge fell out of it. He was now the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Maybe, just maybe he could shake some of this fame and be known as just plan Harry Potter and not the boy-who-had-lived-and-killed-Voldemort…

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Harry has a right to mourn a bit and as he is really a humble guy and the fame has always made him uncomfortable. He can use his cloak to g around but it would be strange in Diagon Alley. I am sure many people knew who "Phil" really was but respected him enough to leave him alone and not bother him. As for the joke shop, I loved reading about it in the HBP and of course with Cedric alive what better job for him than working with Fred and George?

Please do review!