Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the idea of Harry Potter or any of the money making forms of it.

CLAIMER: I own The Risen, the Chosen, and the Dark -- Book 1: The Dawn of It All. I wrote and created it, went through the publishing process and copyrighted it. Wow, that feels so good to say. Anyway, if you are interested in my book, check out my profile for the link to the official site. It's also on Amazon, just sos you know. :D


- - - Book 3 — Part 2: Reaction

Severus had been rather subdued, Dumbledore noticed, after he and Draco had stayed with Harry. Dumbledore knew not to ask any of them about it. He was fairly certain what had happened.

Harry had delivered a message.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Dumbledore scanned the letter he had recently gotten from the Custosae. He was amazed and relieved all of the Horcruxes Riddle had made before 1981 had been destroyed. The list the Custosae had provided, as well as the locations of where some of them were found, made sense, and part of him wondered how long it had taken for them to find them all. Though, if they had gotten a majority of their information from Harry, they must have taken them all out in less than a year.

Amazing.

All of the members of the Order and the Amici he knew of now had their homes hidden and secured, including the Weasley's. Even areas of Hogwarts had Custosae wards, such as Hagrid's hut, the outer rims, and the entrances of the secret passages into the school (with the help of Sirius and Lupin).

Nearly half of Diagon Alley was also now under the protection of the Custosae, mostly due to the fear of the escaped prisoners of Azkaban. Sirius had made a business account at Gringotts, and with the donations from a number of shops, they already had a sizable amount of funds. It was obvious people were willing to pay well to ensure their property, as well as their lives, was protected.

Dumbledore sighed, thinking about what was surely to come.

Still no sightings, nothing, not even a clue of where Bellatrix and the others had disappeared to. Known Death Eaters in the Ministry were still acting normally and staying under the Ministry's radar. And Fudge….

Fudge, Dumbledore had to admit, had improved. He reminded the public of 'You-Know-Who's' likely involvement in the break out at Azkaban, as well as 'The-Boy-Who-Lived's' heroic actions against 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' at the end of term, and the fact 'brave young Mr. Potter' was still recovering from his ordeal.

Of course, Dumbledore (and the others) could have done without the theatrics and political displays of it all, but, at least Fudge was acknowledging the danger (minus the dementors of course), and reacting accordingly.

He had doubled the numbers of active aurors, and had even tried to reinstate the retired Mad-Eye Moody. Moody politely (or as politely as is possible for him) declined, saying he had a new security job, and would be protecting the public that way. Fudge was a little annoyed when he had refused, but calmed down once he was told Mad-Eye was still going to be a part of defending the Wizarding World from dark wizards.

It was actually more than what Dumbledore had hoped for. Now all he hoped was that it all would be enough.

Dumbledore had been told by Sirius that Harry's chaotic flares had become less frequent, and when they occurred, Teddy took care of them easily. The way things were improving, Dumbledore was hopeful that Harry would be able to hold his wand by the first of September. He was already fairly confident a visit to Diagon Alley would be okay, though that would most likely be in a week, after Harry's birthday.

Dumbledore smiled, no longer looking at the official letter in his hand from the Custosae. Harry's birthday was tomorrow, and the party would be held at the Weasley's. According to Lupin and Sirius, Harry was pretty certain he could use the floo network now. He no longer felt his magic shudder when too close to the fireplace, which he had briefly mentioned once when Sirius had asked why Harry had flinched while walking past the fireplace when they had first arrived home.

Teddy supported Harry's claim that his magic wouldn't react to using the floo, and that was enough for Dumbledore to allow Harry to use it.

So, Harry would be arriving at the Weasley's by floo. The Knight Bus was out of the question. Dumbledore wasn't completely sure that bus was entirely harmless and meant absolutely no harm to its passengers. He wondered for a moment why that thing wasn't placed under a set of guidelines or safety measures, for he had heard plenty of stories from people who had ridden it without him on it. And that in itself was a little odd, but perhaps all the bus needed was a calm source of power, which was why he never had to deal with the turbulent ride it was known for? Hmm, best not allow Harry to ride it then.

Susan Bones would be attending the party, which, according to Madam Bones, Susan was looking forward to. Sirius had told Dumbledore that Harry had already planned on inviting her when he had smoothly suggested it when they had spoken after placing a few shops under Custosae protection earlier that week.

There was magic in Susan still, and it was growing, but her magic was still so weak she couldn't even cast the levitation charm. Dumbledore hoped it was only temporary, but the fact remained that several months had passed and her magic wasn't improving as much as they originally thought it should be.

Dumbledore folded the letter and put it back securely into the provided envelope.

He could hardly believe how much had changed since Harry had been taken from the Chamber, let alone since he had first arrived at Hogwarts. He could only imagine how the students would receive Harry at the start of term, but hoped that, however they did, it would all mellow out within the first few weeks.

Harry's eyes had permanently changed, and, if Dumbledore was honest with himself, they had taken a little longer for him to get used to than he had thought it would.

They were still definitely green, the renowned bright green from his mother still dominating, but now it had streaks of dark green within a ring of gold, which formed a rough star — his pupil the center. The sickly green was gone.

It was clearly an indication of how both the magic from the phoenix tears and the basilisk venom had been integrated and absorbed into his core. Dumbledore, yet again, hoped no ill effects would result from any of it. Harry had dealt with enough.

Dumbledore got up from his chair to pace. It was a way he organized his thoughts, which only seemed to get more disordered the older he got, or at least that was his excuse now — since it had always been that way. He was ever so thankful for his pensive.

He wondered if Riddle had gotten his body back, and what he was planning now. This uneasy silence was unnerving, and he could tell… it was the calm before the storm.

He stopped pacing, knowing such thoughts were not helpful, and thought about something else.

He and Aberforth had continued to get closer, and he could just kick himself for waiting so long to try and make up with his brother, though, maybe his sister's message was the only thing that had made it happen and work. Dumbledore shook himself from those thoughts, which, again, would do him no good, besides, he had a birthday present to decide on.

O o O o O

"Teddy, come on, we're going to the Weasley's!" Harry said, grabbing a handful of floo.

Sirius had him practice stating 'the Burrow!' a half a dozen times, saying something about how important pronunciation was, even though Harry had already used floo before.

Teddy ran over to Harry, allowing himself to be picked up and securely wrapped by Harry's arm as he hid his face in Harry's robes.

"Ready," he managed, his voice muffled by cloth.

"The Burrow!" Harry declared, throwing down the floo powder and hoping his magic would behave.

He landed, surprisingly on his feet, feeling his magic churn around him slightly, but it didn't flare. Harry decided it must have helped in keeping him on his feet.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, the rest of the Weasley's, Draco, Snape, Vince, Greg, Neville (Revlis on his shoulders), Augusta, Susan, Madam Bones, Hermione, Dumbledore, Aberforth, Hagrid (stooping down slightly, so he wouldn't hit the ceiling), and Lupin already standing in the revamped living room of the Burrow.

Sirius stepped out from the fireplace after Harry, having wanted to make sure he spoke the destination correctly.

Reconstruction of the Burrow had finished a week before term had ended, and it was a mansion in of itself. It still had the classic Weasley construction and feel to it, but it was also impressive and grand, in a wizardly kind of way. One wall had a ton of portraits on it, and most of the people moving within them had red hair. There were chairs and couches in the room, but there was still plenty of standing room for them all. The kitchen was the next room, and the table was huge.

Molly held herself back, giving Harry a welcoming smile and a motherly look over, taking in his appearance and such. She seemed to approve, seeing he had grown some and looked much healthier than she had last seem him… when she had apologized after the incident with Ron's wand.

She still felt rather guilty about it, and was afraid of stepping over certain bounds again, which was why she didn't rush up and hug him, no matter how much she wished to, besides, Dumbledore had warned them all Harry's magic was still, and probably always would be a little, unstable and that the party was as much a trial of his magic's improvement as much as it was a celebration of his 13th year.

Dumbledore had made sure they all understood.

They all welcomed Harry, wishing him a happy birthday.

"Hi," Harry replied, beaming at them all, Teddy still attempting to hide against him.

Ginny nearly squealed.

"Is this Teddy?!" she asked, going forward and staring at the furry thing clinging to Harry's robes.

"Yeah, and, as you can see, he's a little shy. Oh, and don't say anything about his stuffing. He's rather sensitive about his innards," Harry replied.

"And you're not?" Teddy asked, finally looking up.

Harry smirked, but didn't answer.

"Come on, Harry. Mum has the table all ready, and your presents are too," Ron said, motioning behind him.

"Wow," Harry said, never having received so many presents in his life at once before.

The party went well, being the best day Harry had had in a long time, and it was certainly the best birthday he had ever had.

He of course got sweets and Quidditch gear, a few spell books, but the items of great importance were as follows:

Miniature robes for Teddy, from Ginny. Harry figured she must have asked Sirius for the dimensions.

A magical watch from Lupin. It sort of reminded Harry of Dumbledore's pocket watch. He left it in the package, not wanting to possibly overload it, even though his magic hadn't been reacting to much lately.

A special package of unique items from the Twins (candies, marbles, and other odd items), which Harry could feel were full of… interesting magic. Harry also kept this gift in its protective packaging, which the Twins had brilliantly made see-through, allowing Harry to touch it since his magic could tell it was inside and could not hurt him.

And a book, from Dumbledore, with a rather loud and colorful thin sock as a bookmark.

It was titled: The Risen, the Chosen, and the Dark – Book 1: The Dawn of It All, by Jessica Lynn Campos.

Harry looked up to Dumbledore, curious. Was this a muggle book?

"It is the first book to a new series, written by a young muggle lady in the States. From what I have been able to determine, it tells an adventure in an imaginary world with a fair number of magical creatures -- creatures we would recognize and some that she created herself. I reasoned that everyone should have the opportunity to get away from the real world and take a break in a fantasy. Oh, and the sock glows so you can read in a dark room," Dumbledore explained, quite happily.

Harry opened the book to the first page, finding Dumbledore's handwriting beneath the title of the book.

To Harry: Remember you can never grow too old to enjoy a magical book.

Your old, questionably sane, Headmaster,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry smiled before putting it aside, deciding he would probably begin reading the book that night after his party, when he would need to wind down.

"Thanks, professor," Harry said.

"My pleasure, Harry."

They went onto cake after that. The birthday party going on quite well, that is, until Susan brushed past him to help the twins with one of their inventions….

O o O

Dumbledore felt it before anyone else did, well, except for Harry, of course. He spun around, bumping into his brother, just in time to witness Susan being bombarded by a… gold mist?

Dumbledore dashed forward, waving his hand before pulling it towards himself to wandlessly prevent Susan from hitting the wall covered in pictures. Susan teetered back towards Harry.

"Susan!" Harry shouted, acting on impulse and taking hold of Susan's arms to keep her from falling over. "I-I'm so sorry! I don't know wh-what happened!" Harry exclaimed, afraid enough for them both.

Taking a few more strides, Dumbledore made it to Harry, who somehow still had Teddy standing on his left foot. Dumbledore blinked, quickly discovering that Teddy had changed colors. He was now a yellowish-gold.

"I'm-I'm okay, really," Susan managed, utterly confused but clearly not in any sort of pain.

Dumbledore eased them apart, Harry bordering on hysterical, and Dumbledore couldn't blame him. But before Harry broke all contact from Susan, everyone in the room saw a golden-like glitter shimmer across Susan's skin and back to and into Harry.

Harry barely noticed, too concerned about what his magic might have done to Susan.

Madam Bones was immediately pulling up a chair for Susan to sit on as Dumbledore pulled out his wand, Mrs. Weasley suddenly there as well. Everyone else knew to stay back and let Dumbledore figure out what happened and if there was anything to be worried about.

Not asking for permission, but seeing the situation called for only one thing, Mrs. Weasley wrapped her arms around Harry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Is she okay? Why did it happen? It's been doing really good recently; did I do something wrong?"

"Shh, it's okay," Mrs. Weasley soothed, rubbing his back as Dumbledore worked.

Harry just let himself be comforted, too afraid to even begin thinking about what his magic had possibly done. Being hugged by Mrs. Weasley, time seemed to slow.

In those seconds, he never missed having a mom as much as that moment.

To feel motherly arms around him, and soft murmurs about how everything would be alright, and there was nothing to fear or worry about.

O o O

Molly just held Harry against herself, hoping she was providing some amount of comfort he obviously was in desperate need of. She idly wondered if this was one of the few hugs he got. She didn't know how right she was.

She wasn't paying much attention to what the others were doing, only to what she was and the fact that Dumbledore was waving his wand in front of Susan, who was now sitting down.

She couldn't help but gasp as she felt Harry shiver slightly before a stream of warm magic rippled from him and up her arms. Not feeling any different afterwards, she looked to Dumbledore, who for some reason, looked quite pleased.

"Harry," he said, turning to him and Molly, the others standing silently around them, at a loss of what to do. Susan still looked a little confused, but was recovering quickly.

Harry slowly turned back to Dumbledore, as if he was about to hear a horrible sentence of some kind.

Dumbledore's eyes flickered up to Molly for a brief second, before looking back to Harry. "She's fine, actually, better than she was when she first arrived here today. It seems your magic has jump started her magical core again. I wasn't sure at first, but I have just checked, and that is all your magic has done. It seems as if her magic had done an internal shut down. Part of it may have been because Voldemort's magic and her own conflicted so much, so her magic turned inward, in attempt to prevent Voldemort from using and taking control of her core, and thus, stealing her magic. Of course, we know it didn't completely work, but after my analysis, I am certain that if her core hadn't done this, Susan probably wouldn't be with us now," Dumbledore finished softly.

Susan was now a bit more aware, and looked down at her hands after hearing Dumbledore's last words.

"So… she's okay?" Harry asked, not about to let himself feel relief until he was certain Susan was okay.

"Yes, my boy. And no chaotic residue, if you were worried about that. It was the first thing I checked," Dumbledore said.

Now Harry let himself relax, turning back to Molly, now embarrassed at having practically turned into a bumbling baby.

Harry blinked.

Molly's hair…

What was up with his magic and hair?

It was a bright glowing afro. It reminded Harry of a miniature sun.

Molly quickly noticed something was amiss, since everyone was now staring at her, and Dumbledore seemed to actually be impressed with her… hair?

The twins then just started laughing outright.

Oh great, what are they laughing at?

"What?" Molly asked, most everyone now, at the very least, attempting to hide a smile, even Snape.

"You won't need to open our window—"

"in the morning to let sunlight into our room—"

"to wake us up anymore, mum."

"All you have to do now is peek your head into—"

"our room from the hall, and we'll get as much—"

"sun as we need!" Fred and George said between their laughter.

"Here, Molly," Augusta said, holding out a mirror for her, actually amused.

"Sweet Merlin!" Molly gasped, before shooting her eyes to Harry.

Harry wasn't laughing, or even smiling. He almost looked horrified.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sure it's not permanent," Molly managed, wondering a little bit about why Teddy hadn't absorbed the chaotic magic that had clearly caused this since Dumbledore said he could and would.

Looking down to where Harry was now looking, she found her answer. Teddy was a mixture of gold and brown fur now, looking down just like Harry.

"What happened to Teddy?" Neville asked from somewhere behind her.

They all looked to Teddy, hoping for an explanation, Molly's glowing hair now like a dimming star in the night sky.

"I sensed danger… sort of… from Susan, earlier," Teddy muttered.

"Sort of?" Madam Bones asked.

"I think I felt that too, only it was a constricting feeling," Harry put in, seeing that Teddy didn't like being put on the spot.

"I see," Dumbledore said, thinking.

"I get it," Hermione said before Dumbledore could state his own theory. "Teddy directed your magic to what he deemed as a possible threat. Your magic probably then read the threat and decided on a course of action. If I had to guess, the magic from the phoenix tears was what responded, and it was able to 'reboot' Susan's magic."

"Couldn't have explained it better myself," Dumbledore said.

"And why is Teddy gold now?" Draco asked.

"Very good question," Snape agreed.

"I think I may know," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps it is an indication of Teddy's emotions. He sensed a possible danger, so turned gold. And if I had to guess, the magic from the phoenix tears also had something to do with it. Right, Teddy?"

Teddy nodded, somehow knowing, like a remembrall, he would change colors in relation to certain conditions.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to follow you," Madam Bones said, Susan now just as aware. "Why would her magic stay dormant, for lack of a better word, for so long? I understand what Harry's magic did, but why and how?"

Harry and the others thought, Harry's magic analogy involving pipes coming to mind.

"Harry knows," Ron said. "He came up with a theory on magic last summer."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked, now curious.

"I compared magic to a network of pipes," Harry began, quickly going on to sum up his year old idea, including the influence morals and beliefs had on an individual's magic.

"Interesting analogy, Harry. I don't think I've ever heard of a more in depth and thoughtful magical theory," Dumbledore said, smiling. "And to think, we wouldn't have learned it, nor would Susan's core have undergone repair if your magic hadn't felt 'threatened'."

"So Susan's magic is…?" Neville asked, not sure how to finish the question.

Dumbledore looked to Madam Bones.

"I don't have her wand with me," she said.

"No matter, she can borrow mine," Dumbledore said, holding out his wand for Susan. "Just borrowing, mind you," he added, in mock seriousness (for the most part).

"Just borrowing," Susan agreed, unknowingly agreeing to a magical agreement ensuring Dumbledore's wand would not change masters.

Susan took hold of Dumbledore's wand, in shock that he was actually letting her use his wand.

"What should I do?" she asked him, everyone watching in rapt attention.

"A simple Wingardium Leviosa will suffice," he said.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she said, doing the proper wand movement towards an empty cup on one of the side tables in the room (away from Harry).

It worked.

Susan gave a sob of excitement, disbelief, and pure happiness. Dumbledore took back his wand as Susan handed it back to him and turned to her Aunt for a hug.

:See, Harry. Your chaotic magic isn't all bad: Revlis hissed quietly from Neville's shoulder, everyone now happy for Susan.

:Thanks: he replied.

Harry didn't know how, but he didn't question it when his birthday party went back to normal, or at least as normal as things could be with the twins telling him about their new inventions (mindful of adult ears) and Mrs. Weasley walking around with drinks and cookies for everyone with a glowing afro. Teddy stayed on his foot, his golden fur slowly changing back to normal.

Dumbledore was fairly confident he would be able to reverse the effects of the chaotic magic on Molly before he left the Burrow. Molly didn't seem too upset about it, and Arthur was intrigued.

Who would have thought something like this could get him thinking about muggle things? What is that cool glowing orb of glass muggles have? Ah, yes, a bulb light, Arthur thought.

The party ended soon after that, Lupin and Sirius quietly agreeing Harry would be going to bed early that night.

O o O o O

The days following Harry's party went quickly, Custosae business quieting down, but still prepared to act if the locations under their protections fell under attack. Harry finished the book from Dumbledore in this time as well.

Sirius told Harry that Dumbledore had mentioned wanting to speak with the Head of the Custosae before the term started, and wondered if Harry would tell Mage that, however he contacted him. Sirius and Lupin didn't know Harry was the Head of the Custosae, only that he was a member. And in fact, the only adult who knew Harry was the Head was Hagrid (besides Griphook).

"I'll let Mage know, he's just been busy," Harry said.

"I can imagine," Sirius said, having decided to not question how Harry contacted the Custosae.

After that last outburst of magic at the party, Harry hadn't had any. A few times he had felt it rising, but he was able to quiet it, even without Teddy's help. Teddy still went everywhere with him, taking a ride on Harry's foot and holding onto the cloth of his pants. Harry had long decided Teddy's magic and his own somehow provided a limited sticking charm or something, for when Teddy wanted to stay on, there was nothing getting him off (except for Harry himself).

Harry was excited, and nervous. Today he would be going to Diagon Alley to buy his school supplies. Dumbledore had given the okay for him to go out (confident Harry's magic had learned the difference between an innocent bump in the crowd and a hostile shove.

Dumbledore still thought a wand was a little too dangerous at the moment, so Harry was still wandless. Dumbledore and everyone hoped it wouldn't be the case for much longer though, and were fairly certain Harry would be able to hold and use a wand (moderately) by the time classes started again. Harry couldn't wait. He still felt a kind of naked feeling without his wand on him.

"You ready, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yup."

Sirius and Lupin had some Custosae work to do at Gringotts, but Snape, Draco and Vince would be with Harry to get school supplies. Rook had sent Mage a message about considering the services of the Custosae. It wasn't exactly for business matters, but for personal ones.

Harry and the others were surprised to receive such a 'possible' request.

Goblins lived somewhere away from Gringotts? Well, Harry reasoned, who would want to live in a bank or a vault?

Harry stepped to the fireplace, glancing down at Teddy who was standing on is foot.

"You sure you want to take him?" Sirius asked.

"Well, what if my magic flares for some reason?" Harry asked, Teddy's hold on him growing stronger.

"Very well. Hopefully you won't get too many looks from people, having a stuffed animal on your foot," Sirius said.

"Hmm, Teddy, come over here for a moment," Lupin said. "Okay, now I'm going to cast a disillusionment charm on you, alright?"

"Okay," Teddy said, standing at attention.

Lupin touched the tip of his wand on his forehead, causing Teddy to nearly shimmer completely out of view. Harry had to squint his eyes to even make out his form.

"Very nice, Lupin," Sirius said.

Harry felt Teddy get back on his foot.

"Alright, now let's go," Sirius said, Harry nodding in agreement. "Snape said he'd be waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron. Now, this is the first time for the Wizarding World to see you since well, the Chamber, so just brace yourself there. Snape should be able to scare them off though."

"Yeah," Harry said with a smile. "Especially after the display you and Snape provided last year."

"Exactly," Sirius agreed, an evil glint in his eyes. "Alright, onward!"

O o O

Harry stepped into the Leaky Cauldron after Lupin, finding Snape, Draco and Vince just a table away. Sirius soon joined them.

"Alright. We'll meet up with you here later or find you in the Alley before then, okay?" Sirius asked.

"Okay," Harry said.

With that, Sirius and Lupin headed for the back, while Harry and the others went to the stores.

Shopping with Snape was much easier than the previous years for Harry. For one thing, people gave him space after receiving a meaningful glare(s) from Snape (as well as from the two young Slytherins with him). The most people did was smile at him, or give a quick 'Welcome back, Mr. Potter,' or 'Hope you are feeling better, Mr. Potter.'

Also, Snape knew exactly where to go, and because this was Harry's third year, he was also getting a good grasp on the layout of the alley.

Now all done with shopping for the essentials and needed/wanted items for school, they made their way to Gambol and Jape's Wizarding Joke Shop.

Snape slowed at the entrance, eyeing the shop with barely hidden distaste.

"Don't you have an errand, Sev? We'll be fine here. We'll stay inside the shop, we promise," Draco said.

Snape looked at them all, clearly weighing his options.

Harry was doing fine, no magical flares or even feelings of any boiling magic. Harry was just as relieved as Snape was.

He knew Draco and Vince would stay with Harry and make sure he was okay, and that Teddy would ensure that.

And he also knew that he needed to go to Knockturn Alley to get the ingredients necessary to make the potions Madam Pomfrey had requested for the coming term, and that if he failed to brew them in time, he was going to have an annoyed witch on his hands, which he did not want, particularly if that witch was Pomfrey. He'd rather face a thirsty vampire.

"You are not to leave this shop. You are not to buy anything until I get back. You are not to touch anything not sealed in a package. You are not to get near anything not in a package. You are not to speak with anyone you do not know, save for 'Hello' or the simplest of phrases. You are not to separate. If something happens, which is always a possibility, no matter how remote, you are to stay together, whether that be flight or fight. Understood?" he stated, leaning forward slightly to really meet their eyes.

They all nodded wholeheartedly.

"I will be back shortly."

After making sure the boys entered the shop, Snape turned and walked briskly to Knockturn Alley and to a potions shop that was located at the edge of it.

O o O

Harry, Draco, Vince, and a disillusioned Teddy, entered the shop (passing a sticker on the winder stating the property was under the protection of the Custosae de Lux), kids of all ages roaming the many isles.

"Wow," Harry said, immediately noticing the changes to the store since the previous year.

"Yeah. Come on, the twins said something about a gum that changes the color of your tongue being here," Draco said.

Harry followed him, Vince taking up the rear.

They had only been in there for a few minutes, skimming the miniature kits containing innocent pranks (if there is such a thing) and staring enviously at the large collection of 'mysterious jelly beans' whose flavors had more to them than just unique tastes, when they knew something wasn't quite right. Okay, definitely not right.

"Harry?" Draco whispered. "Do you… feel that?"

Teddy was now hugging Harry's leg. Vince seemed to shrink ever so slightly. The windows began frosting over, which was utterly bizarre in the middle of summer. The children in the store, particularly the younger ones, gave a whimper, as the adults in the store looked horrified.

"Gather all the children together, quickly," Harry stated, ignoring the prickly feeling of his magic at the back of his neck as he looked to the front of the shop.

Darkly cloaked figures were gliding across the now empty street, and towards the doors of the shops.

There were only two other adults in the store. The manager and a parent of a four year old boy. The parents of the other kids had left their children there to finish shopping elsewhere, since it was known to be a safe place to leave at least moderately behaved kids.

Turning back to Draco and hurrying towards the back, the door was flung open, but by no human hand. Harry didn't need to glance back, knowing what he would find.

It was freezing, suffocating, and full of thick despair. There was no hope, there was no peace, there was no joy.

"Get out!" the shaking mother of the four year old shrieked, her eyes already filling up with tears as her child and several others clung to her.

All the dementors did in reply was breathe, sucking in the rest of the happiness that had managed to escape their initial entrance.

Draco and Vince had out their wands.

Harry and Vince, being in the front of the huddled group at the back of the dead-end isle, turned around and faced the two dementors. The manager behind the mother pushed the children he could behind him in attempt to shield them.

Harry shivered, Teddy not allowing much chaotic magic to absorb into him as it began to boil. He knew when to let it flare, and when not to.

"Th-there are no cr-riminals here," Vince stuttered, forcing back a horrid memory as he tried to hold face.

The dementors didn't appear to hear, as they continued approaching.

"Get back! I-I'm wa-warning you," Draco said, choking back a sob, oblivious to the now trembling shelf beside him, a shelf Harry was gripping.

In what felt like years, but what was mere seconds, hundreds of images and horrible memories surfaced. Harry was in an orphanage, left out from the games and under the assault of flying mud; he was locked in the cupboard; he was attacking muggles; he was cursing families; he was facing Quirrel; he was cornered in the hall between two Death Eaters; he was in the Chamber; he heard a scream and laughter…he saw green; he hissed Avada Kedavra… he saw green; he was looking at the end of a wand… he saw green.

Teddy stepped off of Harry's foot and, barely visible, stood right in front of him, placing a paw on the front of each pant leg, as Harry could contain it no longer. Harry let it go, thrusting his hands forward, tears streaming down his face, unbidden.

He, and everyone in the area, saw green.

O o O

Snape apparated onto Diagon Alley, dementors everywhere. There were five, or at least what Snape could see. Sirius and Lupin were just exiting Gringotts. Snape whipped out his wand, the patronus charm on the tip of his tongue as several things happened at once.

-Crack-Crack-Crack-Crack-

Four members of the Amici apparated onto the street, all quickly taking in the situation — Moody, Stephanie Somac, Kingsley, and Joseph D. Moy — but before any of them could do anything, a resounding boom roared out of one of the stores, and green light from the front windows overtook their vision.

All of the dementors then did something that was only thought possible to be a result of a full corporeal patronus being cast — they were repelled.

The next thing they saw was two dementors fleeing from Gambol and Jape's Wizarding Joke Shop, and every dementor on the street even in the vicinity of the light turn away, if not flee from the area entirely.

Snape's heart was in his throat as he dashed forward, beating everyone else into the shop, shooting past gliding dementors who were still fleeing the area, including the nearby shops.

He entered, and what he saw he would never forget.

All of the customers of the shop, as well as the manager, were shaking at the back of the store, just behind Draco and Vince, who were kneeling on either side of a clearly in shock Harry. Harry was on his knees, leaning forward, his face parallel to the floor and just a few inches above it. Snape could tell he was hugging Teddy, who was still disillusioned.

Everything on the shelves had been shaken, but surprisingly wasn't broken. And there was a quickly fading green hue in the air, thick with magic.

Snape continued forward, not having really stopped once he had entered.

Halting in front of Harry, he went down to his knees. He could tell Harry was crying, however silently, his trembling form and the ever growing tear puddle below his bowed face giving Snape all the evidence he needed.

His blood suddenly went cold, even colder than from the effects of the dementors. What terrible things had Harry just been forced to witness again? What despair and misery, what torture and death? What had the son of Lily and James Potter just endured?

When confronted by those thoughts, something happened to Snape that had not happened to him in over a decade. His heart went out to someone, only instead of it being based on infatuation and the love of a beautiful woman, it was based on compassion and a kind of parental love. Something like this he felt towards Draco, of course, but not for the same reason or way precisely. Potter wasn't exactly family, Draco was.

Snape took a quiet swallow.

"Harry," Snape whispered, placing a wary but supportive hand on Harry's small shoulder.

Snape paid no heed to those watching before him, or to the shouts of Expecto Patronum behind him from outside, and neither did Harry, apparently.

Harry closed his eyes, only conscious of the fact that someone had just called his name, and that they, whoever they were, had placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt his magic shift, but whoever was touching him meant no harm to him, so his magic stayed within. That was all he needed to know.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he raised himself up slightly, before allowing himself to fall into the hesitant, but still waiting, robed arms before him, Teddy now clinging to his chest.

"Harry, listen to me. You must pull yourself together, at least for a little while. You are still in Diagon Alley. You are not home yet. Stand with me, and I will take you to your godfather; he will get you home," Snape stated.

Harry barely recognized the voice, but once he did, he was too surprised to feel embarrassed.

"Yes, sir," Harry somehow managed.

"Draco, Vince, come close. We are getting out of here," Snape stated, slowly helping Harry up as Draco stepped in front of Harry and Snape, Vince behind Harry.

Snape towered over Harry, and together, Draco, Vince, and himself, shielded Harry from the view of the growing crowd outside.

They exited the store, three patronuses patrolling the street. Sirius and Lupin were suddenly there, frazzled, putting it lightly.

"Harry!" Sirius nearly cried, going to the other side of Harry.

"Not right now, Black. It is best you and the boys leave," Snape said, managing not to snap exactly.

Sirius gave a curt nod, people from the Ministry and people in general now coming back onto the street.

"Harry, grab onto this," Sirius stated, holding out a pen. Harry obliged. "We are portkeying home. The Cave."

O o O o O

Harry felt himself be yanked by an invisible force, but he felt himself land, his godfather's arms still wrapped around him. He was safe.

Harry opened his eyes, quickly realizing Lupin, Vince, and Draco had come with them, Teddy still against his chest. Snape had stayed behind to speak with the Aurors.

Opening his eyes and feeling himself guided up the stairs and to his room, he looked at Teddy, quickly seeing that the disillusionment charm had finally faded.

Teddy looked up at him, his fur a dark tint of green.

Sirius quickly got Harry into his room and laid him down, nodding to Lupin to call Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey if the Headmaster could not be reached. Lupin immediately left for the fireplace.

Brushing the hair from Harry's forehead, his eyes unusually bright, particularly the dark green, Sirius waved the two boys watching from the hall inside.

"What happened?" he asked.

Vince and Draco quickly told Sirius what had happened.

Sirius swallowed his anger concerning the fact that Snape had left them, saving it for later, as he quickly shifted his rage onto something else: the Ministry.

Vince and Draco, still trying to calm themselves down, glanced at each other, silently agreeing never to get on Sirius' bad side.


A/N: Yes, a little angst and odd magic in this one. Just know I have a plan.

Next part: Called