Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe belongs to JKR and anyone she legally lets use them. Not me.

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Chapter 15

Harry stormed out of the house, his magic prickling his skin from his anger. What the hell was their problem? Couldn't they leave him alone, just once, just for a little while? Nothing he ever did was ever good enough for the two men. Why, why, did he…like them? Even he couldn't remember sometimes.

His anger burning in his chest, Harry didn't have the energy to deal with the two Slytherins again and did the only thing he could think to do in that moment. He Apparated to Godric's Hollow.

Breathing heavily from the overexertion of his magic, knowing he shouldn't have Apparated, Harry stumbled into the graveyard where his parents were buried and collapsed next to his mum's grave. Leaning against it, he gazed down at the marble, letting his fingers trace the letters engraved in the stone. I wish you were here Mum. You'd help me figure myself out.

Twenty minutes later he heard the crunch of footsteps falling against dead leaves. Fingering his wand, Harry cast a Disillusionment Spell, sitting still as a statue.

And then she came.

Vela Lestrange was as beautiful and as hideous as her mother. She had the Black coloring, pale, flawless skin and dark brown, almost black, hair, with high cheekbones, and sharp eyes. The Black Madness hadn't been passed on, probably some of her Lestrange genes saving her, but nonetheless, she was as bloodthirsty and mad as her mother. A side-effect of being raised in a Death Eater infested home, with no one else to interact with.

"I know you're there Potter. Aren't you going to come out and play?"

Harry held his breath. He knew that he could best her in a duel when he was at his best. But right now, he was at half energy, that too in the best case scenario.

"You don't want to? Ah, come now Potter, come out, come out wherever you are."

Harry closed his eyes, he wasn't sure he could Apparate either. But as Vela neared his hiding spot, he knew he'd have to try and pray he didn't get splinched. He didn't really have any other option. Should've grabbed the emergency Portkey. Closing his eyes, Harry gathered his strength.

"Ah ha! The Potter graves, you must be here my love. Sectumsempra!"

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and gasped as bloody cuts began to appear across his chest. Reaching down into the reserves of his magic, Harry made one last desperate attempt to Apparate.

And promptly disappeared from the graveyard.

Severus was sitting in the parlor staring at the fire when Draco entered with a cup of tea. Congratulations Severus, after months of restraint, and days of…reform…you fall back into old habits. Wonderful. At this rate you will never figure anything out.

"What in hell was that?"

Severus raised his eyes and accepted the cup, annoyance in his gaze.

Draco raised an eyebrow and sat next to Severus on the sofa, clasping the older man's free hand.

Severus sighed, "I was being hypocritical, wasn't I?"

Draco sniggered and nodded. "And after that lecture you gave me…"

Severus glared, "Shush. We all have our moments of weakness." Nonetheless the older man looked like he'd just swallowed a jar of newt eyes.

Suddenly there was a pop of Apparation and then a heap of blood and robes on the parlor floor.

"Potter?" Draco rose and waved his wand to shift the robes off the man's face and gasped as he saw his pale complexion. "Severus!"

Severus was already rising and turning Potter over, opening his robes to see where the wounds were. Swearing when he recognized the curse, Severus produced his wand and began murmuring the counter curse.

"Severus?"

Severus didn't move until all the wounds were closed. "Dittany Draco. It's Sectumsempra," Severus said softly, self-loathing evident in his voice.

Eyes wide, Draco hurried to the Potions lab to get what was needed. Severus lifted Potter gently into his arms, surprised at how light the man was, and walked up the steps to settle him into his bed.

Fifteen minutes later both men stood staring at the pale body of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Trouble seems to follow him around."

Severus nodded.

Draco sighed, "Severus…"

Severus gripped Draco's hand, "I have been keeping this idiot alive since he was eleven. And then I somehow manage to send him out to somewhere he nearly dies."

"Severus this is not your fault."

"Is it not? I was rash, jumping to conclusions after I preached to you how we should be more understanding of Potter. I accused Potter of something stupid, knowing it would set off his reckless Gryffindor anger, and then the imbecile left! The brat is not even fully healed, no matter what he thinks, from an injury that I am partially to blame for, and whoever did this was obviously more powerful than him at the moment. Whatever the curse he was under, it depleted him of his magical reserves quickly, and it is going to take even more time for him to be back to full strength."

Severus sighed and buried his face in his hands, "Hatred is tiring Draco."

Draco nodded and rubbed Severus's shoulder. "There's something I don't understand."

Severus looked up to meet the silvery-gray eyes of his lover. "What?"

"I thought…I mean, during the war…you and Potter seemed to be civil at least. I have my own problems with Potter, but I don't understand yours. If you trained him, you had to at least be civil with him. Why do you hate him now?"

Severus shrugged, "Years of habit. We left…and I reverted to my old ways, I suppose. I never thought we would have to see him again…and you disliked him greatly. It was easier to hate him than convince you to be civil with him too."

"Perhaps we should…adjust."

Severus looked up.

Draco shrugged, "Everyone, Mother, Father, Pansy, everyone seems get along with him just fine. Today, when I was speaking with Mother, I kept thinking it was Potter that was…the reason for our discomfort. But, maybe, hating him is making everything worse. I don't like him, certainly, but…"

Severus sighed, "Perhaps we should try and be civil?"

Draco nodded.

Severus smiled, "When did you become so mature?"

When I realized my immaturity may cause me to lose you. Draco thought, pain clenching his heart. But he was hardly going to voice that. Waving his wand to take various diagnostics, Draco said, "You're going to have to adjust his potion again for blood loss. And what…"

Draco narrowed his eyes and waved his wand again before cursing.

"Draco?"

"Those idiots."

"What?"

"The Healers. They didn't stop the curse he was under before. It's just dormant."

"What do you mean?"

"The curse he was under when he first when to the hospital. It could reappear at any moment. Hell, it could've been tonight!"

Severus raised an eyebrow, "Meaning…"

Draco turned, "Potter could've easily died tonight."

And no matter how much they disliked Harry Potter, neither Severus nor Draco wanted him dead.

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes, pain stinging at all his nerve ends.

"Careful Potter." Gentle hands lifted him into the sitting position and his glasses were placed on his face. To his surprise he came eye to eye with onyx eyes.

"Snape? What…"

Snape sat stiffly in his chair, "Potter…I would like to…apologize…for my…conclusions that you would be uncomfortable with a homosexual relationship in this house."

Harry blinked in surprise, Snape never apologizes. He shifted and sighed, playing with the chain around his neck. "Look Snape, I just don't understand where it all came from. I mean, I knew you were in a relationship with Malfoy and I didn't say anything then, did I? And, I mean, I'm legally and socially married to you. If I had a problem with homosexuality wouldn't I have protested against all that?"

Snape shifted a little before sighing, "When I was fifteen…"

Harry looked up in surprise, Snape never talked about his years at Hogwarts. Ever. Harry gulped. Was he dying? Is that why Snape was being so…normal?

"When I was fifteen James Potter found out I was gay."

Harry's eyes widened before he looked away, knowing that his father must have done something terrible.

"On accident of course. I think he was unsure if it was true. But it was something he could tease and bully me about. He caught me looking at Regulus's arse and extrapolated from there I suppose. The next morning, somehow, all of my clothes had the word poof charmed across the back. Laughed with his friends the whole day about it…"

Harry closed his eyes. Would James Potter have hated his son for being gay?

Snape looked away, "I suppose I figured you would respond to my homosexuality...and my relationship the same way as your father did. I do not know why. We established a long time ago that your father and you are different people."

Harry twisted his fingers in the bedding, the dual pain of Snape's accusations and thinking perhaps his father would have hated him for his sexuality making his heart clench. "Look Snape, I know you don't like me. You probably never will, no matter what I do. I thought we had at least moved on to civility, but perhaps that was just a necessity of war for you. Regardless, there's hardly any reason to make such accusations all the time. I'm not out to get you, and I certainly don't hate you. I just want to live my life in peace."

Snape nodded and settled back into his chair. Harry looked at Snape quizzically, and was just about to ask him what he was doing when Malfoy stalked in.

"Potter! You're awake. Good, your blood levels look okay, Severus his potion? Ah, good, now drink this. Then you'll need a Blood Replenisher, and some breakfast…"

Harry was looking at Malfoy in alarm, "Malfoy, are you feeling okay?"

Malfoy glared at Harry, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Harry looked at him in confusion, "Um...because you're being…nice to me?"

Malfoy sniffed, "I'm not being nice. I'm being civil."

"Yes well you being either to me is a novel and strange concept."

Malfoy huffed, "Would you rather I insult you while healing you?"

Harry blinked, "Uh…"

"You are an idiot Potter. Anyway…"

"Harry!"

Severus glanced up to see Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy come in a hurry, Kingsley not far behind them. And behind them all a young man in Healer green robes. An ex-student…what was his name? Finch-Fletchley.

Narcissa wrapped her arms around Potter for a moment before turning to her son, "He's alright, isn't he?"

Draco nodded, still having a difficult time swallowing the scene of his mother this concerned for Potter.

"Mrs. Malfoy, if I could…Healer Malfoy shouldn't be healing Harry…it's in his file…"

Draco narrowed his eyes upon seeing Healer Finch-Fletchley. Out to usurp my patient, are you?

"Well, Healer Finch-Fletchley, if you had been competent enough to properly take care of Potter then you would've known that he's still in danger from the curse he originally came in from!"

The other man's eyes grew round, "What…"

Draco sneered, "Clearly you aren't well versed in the Dark curses. I will be taking over Potter's care."

Draco sniffed and turned to his father, "Father, if I could view your memory of the curse?"

Lucius nodded, a gleam of amusement in his eyes, "Of course Draco."

Draco nodded, "We can use Severus's Pensive." Draco spun and exited, not as efficiently as Severus, but with just as much impact.

Severus looked over at Potter who had a glitter of laughter in his eyes, as well as…sadness?

"Don't worry about it Justin. You've got other things to think about. Malfoy's the best right? And, frankly, after all these Dark curses, I'm going to need the best. Besides, there aren't that many people still alive who know the Dark curses as well as the people here right now."

Finch-Fletchley frowned and sat on the bed, glancing at Severus calculatingly. Severus's eyes narrowed, watching the familiar way the other Healer placed his hand on Potter's arm, "If you're sure Harry? I'll still be on call for you, you can contact me at any time."

Potter smiled, "I'll be fine! Besides, Hannah will be waiting for you."

Finch-Fletchley still seemed conflicted before Potter gently pushed him and then, with a single glance back, he left.

Severus cleared his throat to focus the attention back on what was important. "Auror Shacklebolt, Narcissa…"

Kingsley nodded to Snape before looking back at Potter, "Harry, did I not tell you to take it easy?"

Potter winced, "I wasn't looking for her! I went to my parents' graves. She just happened to be there. I don't understand how she even knew I was there."

Severus frowned, "Do you have any tracking spells on you?"

Potter rolled his eyes, "No, I checked already Snape."

Narcissa frowned, "She was the one who cursed you originally?"

Potter shrugged, "Perhaps."

Narcissa lost a bit of color. "Narcissa?" Severus asked, moving to touch her arm gently.

Narcissa looked up at Severus before gazing back at Potter, "There…Bella knew a few Dark spells that would…bind the victim and the caster. The caster could tell when the victim was near…or where they were…and they were generally spells of torture."

Potter sighed, "Like the one she put me under?"

Severus added, "Draco says that the spell Potter was under is simply dormant."

Narcissa nodded, "It seems likely."

Kingsley frowned, "Well, that means you can't go after her Harry."

Potter's head shot up, "No! No, Kings, I have to find her. It has to be me."

Kingsley sighed, "Harry…"

Potter clenched the blanket in his fingers, "Please Kingsley, I may never get another chance."

Kingsley sighed and rubbed his brow, "Let's look into this curse and then we'll see."

Potter looked up desperately at Kingsley, "Please Kings, please."

Kingsley nodded, "I'm going back to the Ministry to write up a report. Let me know about the curse."

Potter nodded, watching despondently as his boss left.

Narcissa squeezed Harry's arm, "I'll go make a spot of breakfast for you Harry."

Potter smiled sadly at Narcissa, "Thank you Narcissa."

After Lady Malfoy had left, Severus turned to Potter, "Last chance to get revenge on Bellatrix?"

Potter shook his head, denying the accusation, "No. Last chance to escape the Ministry's manipulations." Potter looked up into startled onyx eyes and laughed bitterly.

Harry sighed and twisted the bedclothes in his hands again. Would his life ever get easier?

Just then, Malfoy walked back, face slightly pale, gazing at Harry blankly.

Snape frowned and said softly, "Draco?"

Malfoy cleared his throat and conjured a stool to sit on next to Harry's bed. "I watched…the scene when you were admitted into the hospital, Potter. It is…disturbing to say the least. I was unaware that curses like the ones you were put under existed."

Harry shrugged, "She is Bellatrix's daughter."

Malfoy nodded, watching as his father sat in an armchair in the room and his mother entered with a tray of food, Pansy and Ron behind them.

"Mate, you do get into the worst of situations," Ron said, his assessing gaze roaming over Harry.

Harry smiled, "I'm fine Ron."

Pansy glared, "For now."

Grimacing, Harry said, "Pansy…it wasn't like I went looking for her!"

Pansy sniffed, "You should know better."

Harry smiled at his secretary, turning to whisper thanks to Narcissa, and taking a sip of his orange juice.

Lucius folded his fingers together, ignoring the glare that Harry was sending him. He wasn't going to forget the traitorous bastard's revelation of his involvement in Snape and Malfoy's trial any time soon.

"Lucius?" Harry glared, his green eyes blazing.

Ignoring the anger in Harry's voice, Lucius said, "I think it may be prudent to inform Severus and Draco of Vela's character. Perhaps a new set of eyes will bring a fresh perspective."

Harry frowned, "I don't think—"

"I agree," Ron interrupted, causing a few sets of eyes to whip over to him in surprise. Ron shrugged, "She's a Dark Witch, thinks like a Death Eater…who else would understand her. And, we've been staring at her file for far too long. Maybe new sets of eyes will help."

Harry frowned, "But—"

"It is an excellent idea Harry," Kingsley's voice appeared, the Head Auror in the doorway again. "Actually, it's necessary now. I was able to convince my superiors that you would be the one to catch Vela, only because you are the one she's looking for. I also…insinuated that your husband and his friends and family would be aiding you."

Harry glared at Kingsley, how dare he!

Kingsley shrugged, "You wanted to be the one to catch her, I've made it possible."

Harry huffed, "Fine."

Kingsley nodded and handed Pansy a stack of files, "The files Miss Parkinson." Nodding to Harry, Kingsley left again.

Pansy handed the top file to Harry, moving his breakfast out of the way. Sighing, Harry glanced at Ron, who nodded, before opening the file.

"Vela Lestrange, age 28, born a few years before the first fall of Voldemort to Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Bellatrix…had already started to lose her mind, and was more and more…in love with Voldemort," Harry placed a photograph of baby Vela in Voldemort's arms on the bed. "Found in the Lestrange vault." Malfoy looked a little green at the sight.

"Vela's first memories were most likely of Death Eaters and Muggles and Muggleborns being tortured and murdered. She grew up in a home full of Death Eaters, and by association, full of blood, torture and Dark curses. Three years later, after the Voldemort's defeat, Bella and Rodolphus were sent to Azkaban, and their daughter, who nobody really knew about, secretly sent to live with the Carrows."

Snape's eyes widened and Harry nodded grimly. "She was never sent to a proper school, for the Carrows elected to teach her at home. Consequently, her knowledge of Dark curses, for creative torture, is formidable. They lived in a deserted Manor in the north, hiding from officials and keeping Vela from being found."

A photo of a dark, gloomy manor was placed next to the previous.

"She spend fifteen years with them. Torture became all that she knew. She was never allowed to leave the manor, and so, never had much contact with anyone besides the Carrow siblings. Since most of her critical years were spent in near isolation, her understanding of relationships and…interacting with other people is very minimal. She does not understand emotions, family connections, things like that."

Snape wrinkled an eyebrow.

"When she was 18 her mother and father escaped from Azkaban. She did not care for them, but acknowledged that they were her parents and thus she must have some sort of…loyalty to them. Bellatrix was even more insane at this point and saw Vela as her successor, in all things, were she to die. And so, for the next two years, Bellatrix taught Vela everything she knew of the Dark Arts."

Harry sighed and looked up, "You can imagine, then, how many spells and curses Vela knows. Imagine, all of the Carrows' knowledge plus everything Bellatrix knew."

Snape paled.

"When Bellatrix died, Vela was once again…lost. She did not have the Carrows to turn to and did not feel any connection to her father. She escaped after the last battle. There were no records of her existence, and nobody really knew about her, so nobody thought to look for her. She surfaced after three years, and she had one target." Harry stopped and sighed, "Me."

Malfoy blinked, "You?"

Harry nodded, "She was raised believing that I had to die. Everyone blamed me for Voldemort's fall, and in her life it was always blame, never praise. And then when her mother died, and the Carrows, she placed the blame at my feet. She dropped on and off the grid for four years, but recently she's, obviously, taken to attacking me."

Snape leaned forward, "Why?"

Harry glanced at Ron and then at Lucius before meeting Snape's questioning eyes, "We are unsure."

"But you do have a theory."

Harry nodded before placing the last photograph on the table. It was of their wedding day, when Harry had made the announcement to the press. In the corner, behind the building, circled in red marker, was a dark head. "We think the trigger was that I got married. To an Ex-Death Eater."

Snape's eyes snapped up from the photograph to meet Harry's eyes before rising and storming out the door.

Severus stormed into his Potions lab, slamming the door behind him. Blasted Potters and their martyrdom! Between the lack of sleep, Potter's puzzlesome behavior, the appearance of another crazy Black woman, and Draco's maturity, Severus's mind was a mess. He didn't know what to think about anything.

Vela Lestrange was after Potter because she was insane and didn't understand people beyond the fact that Potter was to blame for her isolation. She was unhappy that he had married an Ex-Death Eater. One that didn't want to kill him.

It didn't make sense really. But then again, she was insane. It didn't have to.

So not only was he to be in debt to Potter for gaining him his freedom, it was his fault that Potter was being attacked by a crazy Black woman, his fault that Potter was in the hospital, his fault that he was up in that bed right now.

Severus leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. He was a Slytherin, he did not feel guilt. But right now he felt something odd churning in the bottom of his stomach.

Harry and Severus had developed a truce during the war. Even if they had not actively liked each other, they hadn't actively hated each other either. Severus had even come to…respect Harry at one point. But after that one strange occurrence…

Flashback

"Professor!"

Severus looked up to see Harry enter his chambers and his breath suddenly caught. The boy's wild hair was windblown, his cheeks red from cold. He'd taken off his robes and was clad in a deep green sweater and black form fitting jeans. My, the scrawny brat's grown up.

Severus jerked back. Where had that come from?

"Potter."

Harry grinned, "So, what's on the schedule today?"

Severus sneered and reached for the parchment with the list of spells his picked for today when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Glancing at Harry, Severus almost sighed in relief as the boy pressed himself into the corner, covering himself with his invisibility cloak. Severus strode to the door and opened it, admitting his godson into the room.

"Draco?"

Draco looked up, his eyes rimmed red and threw his arms around Severus's neck.

"Draco?" Severus repeated, wrapping his arms around his godson, his friend, the man he was slowly feeling more than he should for.

"Severus…I…"

Severus frowned, "Draco, did something happen?"

Draco nodded against Severus shoulder, "My dreams, it happened again."

Severus raised an eyebrow in response, "Again? The…"

Draco nodded, "The fuzzy dreams, mixed with the torture scenes. And then white and green and black…then the chessboard…and then the smell of grass and the sky. And then the pain!" Draco buried his face into Severus's shoulder again.

Severus frowned, glancing at the corner where Harry was. To his surprise a finger pointed to the door and then the invisible boy was gone, closing the door gently behind him.

Hmm…perhaps Potter did have a brain

End Flashback

After that day, Potter had become aloof. They had never spoken of anything besides the curses that Severus had been teaching Potter, but something at definitely changed. It was but the demeanor that Potter had when he came with to lessons; defensive and detached. Severus had chalked it up to Potter hating Draco and not wanting to associate with anyone associated with him.

Pulling open drawers, trying to find a vial of Pepper-Up, Severus paused as his eyes caught once again on the photo of Draco and Potter. Picking it up, Severus use his other hand to uncork and swallow the vial of potion. Gazing at the closed door, Severus pocketed the photo and walked out of the lab.

He was going to figure Vela Lestrange out and then he was going to solve this Potter Puzzle. But first, he needed some answers. And he needed them now.

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