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#Vivianne95:

Nope, things are going to start kicking off from now on. Appreciate the patience :)

#Onyx Thanatos Theodore Lerins:

I love this Sev too, I hope he's not getting too soppy.

The next couple of weeks continued in similar fashion, Jade would head down to the dungeons after dinner for a couple of hours and would spend a few more hours in the weekends curled up in front of the fire. Even though Snape had said on the Hogsmead weekend that he could come back, he had meant for that day but didn't complain or refuse Harry, well Jade, entry over the following weeks and for Harry this was an important development. He felt that the man's quarters were a place of refuge and he needed it coming up to Christmas because the students would all be leaving to be spending the break with their families. This was a new rule Dumbledore had introduced and Harry wondered what was going to happen to him as he had no home to go to. Deep down, he really hoped that he could spend the time with Snape but he doubted he'd be so lucky, not this time anyway.

Harry was currently sitting in his Charms class when there was a knock at the door and McGonagall popped her head through.

"Apologies for the interruption Filius but I require, Mr. Potter." She said crisply and Harry frowned at her tone but stood anyway and followed her out into the corridor.

"The Headmaster requires your presence, Potter." She said stiffly and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Can I ask why, Professor?" Harry said, worry coming through in his voice.

"I think it better if it came from him." She said and then turned and walked down the corridor.

They stood in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office and Harry's heart was pounding inside his ribcage and his nerves were making his hands clammy.

"Sourbursts." She articulated clearly and the statue started curling round and Harry stepped forward onto the staircase.

Knocking gently on the door he heard the man tell him to come in and he pushed the door carefully as his stomach knotted and the colour in his face draining. The Headmaster was leaning back in his chair looking rather grim and Harry announced himself before he was indicated to go and sit in one of the chairs.

"Morning, Harry. I apologize for pulling you out of class however I have some… unfortunate news for you." He said looking at Harry and Harry could feel his heart rising his in throat, the beating of it so loud it was almost deafening.

"Remus Lupin has been found," He started and Harry looked up to him worried, "I'm so sorry, Harry but he is dead."

Everything that the man said after that went on deaf ears as Harry sat in his chair staring at the Headmaster feeling nothing but emptiness in his chest, he didn't even have the urge to cry. Remus had been the last link to his parents, the only other one capable of looking after him with the exception of Snape taking him for the summer but now Harry wondered what was going to happen. His thoughts from this point on vanished, his mind blank and his ears not allowing him to hear anything that was being said.

What was happening around Harry at this moment was Madame Pomfrey being called into Dumbledore's office with a set of potions in her hand and she looked at the pale boy sitting in the chair frozen in what she could only describe as pain. She eyed the Headmaster momentarily before kneeling in front of Harry and trying to rouse him from his distant mind. She sighed before sorting through her stash of potions, and finding the right one she stood and tipped Harry's head back to pour the contents down Harry's throat.

Harry started to choke on the liquid going down his throat and this brought him around and back to the present where he could only see white with some strips of red. Madame Pomfrey was looking at him in concern and he forgot where he was for a second before reality hit him and he started shaking.

"Take this." The Matron said handing him a vial and he slowly swallowed it.

He immediately felt calmer and more relaxed and realized it must have been a Calming Draught. She nodded at him then stepped aside where Harry saw the Headmaster and he stood, rounding his desk and pulled the other chair over to Harry's and sat down.

"How?" Harry said hollowly and looked at the Headmaster.

"We had recently found out that he had been working alongside other Werewolves to learn more about them to assist Professor Snape in altering the Wolfsbane Potion. However, there was an altercation with one of the leaders where Remus challenged his authority, he unfortunately came second best. Harry, I'm so sorry." Dumbledore said and Harry nodded.

"Is…" Harry started to shake again and a book was transfigured into a blanket that Madame Pomfrey pulled around his shoulders.

"Is there anyone left, sir?" Harry asked not meeting the man's eye.

"My apologies, Harry I'm not quite sure what you mean." Dumbledore asked puzzled.

"Family. Is there anyone who isn't either dead, The Dursley's or locked away in Azkaban?" He said a little more forcefully anger building.

There was silence.

"The answer is no then." Harry muttered bitterly and he found a hand on his shoulder.

He shook it off and stood, the blanket around his shoulders falling to the ground and he walked out of the man's office without another word. He felt that ever since Snape brought him to the castle in summer he had done nothing but cry and feel sorry for himself. It was as if there were no more room in his body and soul to feel sad at this time even though he was devastated over the death of the last person who was close with his parents. He felt like the last link between he and them had now been severed and it just made him feel nothing. He realized that in his haste to leave Dumbledore's office he hadn't asked about funeral arrangements but he knew the man would tell him soon, no doubt through an owled message.

He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd left class but he was sure the bell hadn't rung, so changing he slowly made his way towards the Charms class and sat outside obediently until class ended and he saw Hermione. He had to get his bag anyway but there was no way he was showing himself in class now, he needed some time to think about this and let it sink in.

He didn't have to wait long for the bell to ring and seconds later the students filed out of the classroom and he spotted Hermione towards the end holding two bags. He looked on as Ron sidled up next to her and started speaking but she wasn't listening and was looking directly at Harry who was meters away from where they were standing.

"Not now, Ron." She said bitterly and walked towards Harry.

"'Mione, I haven't hung out with you in ages." He whined and she spun around violently, advancing on Ron.

"And why do you think that is, Ron? You have been nothing but horrible towards Harry. You really have no idea do you? As soon as you apologize to Harry, then I'll think about hanging out with you. That's the only reason why you're still standing there isn't it? Because Harry isn't here and neither is Blaise."

All Ron could do is splutter before he stormed away red faced and Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself before turning back to Harry and kneeling in front of him ad dropping their bags.

"Something happened didn't it?" She said quietly and Harry nodded.

She put both bags over her shoulders and then went to pick Harry up, holding him close and walking down the corridor. It was lunchtime now and she was starving but she had to get rid of their bags first before heading down to the Great Hall. She told Harry what she was going to do and when they approached the hall Harry started shaking in her embrace and she hugged him slightly tighter and kissed the top of his little head in an attempt to comfort him as she wrapped her robe around his body.

"Miss. Granger you should know by now that pets are not…" McGonagall trailed off as she saw Harry's head swing round to look at her and she eyed the collar.

"I know, Professor." Hermione said.

McGonagall turned around and looked up to Dumbledore before nodding and he stood making his way towards them both. When McGonagall turned back to Hermione she was about to say something when Hermione interrupted her.

"About Jade." She replied, emphasizing that she knew that it was Harry and not just a cat and McGonagall nodded.

"Miss. Granger, has he said anything?" Dumbledore asked having heard Hermione talking to McGonagall.

"No, sir." Hermione replied holding Harry close.

"Once he has I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye on him, he is exempt from this afternoon's classes," Dumbledore reached out and patted Jade's head, "but we both know he will go anyway." He smiled sadly and nodded before walking out of the hall with McGonagall.

Grabbing some lunch in a napkin, Hermione took Harry outside and under the same tree as the last time she dragged him out there except this time it was something serious. She put him down and he walked around the back of the tree transforming back and coming to sit in front of her looking quite pale.

"Remus is dead, Hermione." He said and she gasped loudly and both hands went straight to her mouth to cover it up.

"No…" She said softly, not believing what he was saying and her eyes immediately welled with tears at the news.

"Apparently he was doing research for the Wolfsbane and challenged the Alpha. He lost." Harry continued shrugging and looking down at the ground.

"How – What – This happened?" Hermione was just too lost for words.

"Hermione." He said looking at her sternly and she locked eyes with him, nodding for him to continue.

"I have no family left." He said, knowing that she was going to ask about the Dursleys.

"Harry, I'm so sorry." She said and crawled over to him and they hugged.

When she let go, they both moved so they were leaning against the tree looking up at the castle. This was the last place Harry had as a reminder about his parents and his family. Even though Remus wasn't immediate family, he was as good as a father figure that he knew and had looked up to him when he was teaching there, he was better than Sirius anyway seeing as the man was in prison.

"At least you still have a roof over your head, Harry. The Dursley's may not be the best but they still accept you into their home." She said breaking the silence.

He was in two minds of either telling her the truth or not and he knew that she'd ask loads of questions that he wasn't ready to answer yet but he was starting to feel like he needed to tell her. He decided against it for now and just hoped that when the time came that she would understand his reasons for not telling her sooner. He sighed and looked up at the sky as the bell rang and Hermione sprung to her feet.

"You going to come to class?"

"Yeah." He replied absent mindedly and she looked down at him in concern.

"We have Professor Snape, so unless you want to be yelled at for being late I suggest you move it." She tried in humor but he just stood and walked towards the castle.

Hermione was starting to stress as they came closer to the Potions classroom. She had been conflicted about whether she should run ahead and be on time or be by her friend's side, she had chosen to stay with him to ensure that he was okay. The door to the classroom was open and she could hear the baritone voice floating down the corridor and she swallowed nervously, looking to Harry out of the corner of her eye. Taking a deep breath she walked ahead of him, entering the classroom first and the room went silent and everyone turned to face her.

"Miss. Granger, a surprise to see that you…" He trailed off as his eyes went past her and locked onto Harry as he entered and didn't leave him until he took a seat up the front of the classroom. Noting that Hermione hadn't really moved he barked at her.

"Hurry up and sit down, Granger and stop gawking." He growled and waved his wand making the door slam shut.

"Now, as I was saying…" Snape droned on and Hermione quickly sat next to Harry and pulled her books out.

"You sure about this?" She whispered to him and he nodded only slightly as he placed his book on the desk.

She wasn't convinced but she focused on the lesson and wrote double the notes so Harry could read them later on.

"Class dismissed." Snape barked and the students quickly exited the classroom.

"What are you going to do now?" Hermione asked quietly as they packed away their books and Snape looked up at the two making no comment.

"Library I guess." He said quietly and she nodded before turning and leaving the classroom with him.

Snape was curious to know why Harry had come to class, he'd just found out a good family friend had passed away and apart from being a little paler than usual he seemed like his usual self. He was concerned about Harry and felt that this could possibly be his way of trying to deal with it; get back to normal and try not to think about it. Snape himself could relate to this, it was one of the reasons why he brewed frequently whether people were requiring his services or not as it kept his mind occupied. He sat back in his chair and looked over at the empty doorway and knew that he wouldn't be surprised if Harry came to see him tonight.

Sitting in the library, Hermione gave her potions book to him and he noted down everything he'd missed before getting stuck into the assigned work. An owl hooted as it came into the room and landed on the table that they were working at, getting some odd looks from the other students but he wasn't worried about that as his attention was now on the letter that was addressed to him. It was from the Headmaster and he unrolled it carefully before reading it.

Harry,

I will be informing the students of Remus's death

tonight at dinner. I wished to inform you ahead of

time so that you can decide whether to attend or

not.

Arrangements can be made if you do not show.

A Dumbledore

Harry sighed and then passed the note to Hermione who, after reading it looked up at Harry and reached out to squeeze his hand. She knew that if he wasn't going to go she would be staying with him, he needed someone and she knew that at the moment Blaise wasn't going to be it, nor anyone else from Gryffindor.

"If you don't go, neither will I." She said and he smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks, Hermione but I'm not going to hide away from this." He replied and she nodded in understanding.

"Ron will probably try and talk you, you know that right?"

"Be about time." He huffed and rolled the parchment up before putting it into his bag.

They stayed in the library for the remainder of the day but left with enough time to dump their bags in the tower before heading down to the Great Hall. Harry didn't feel anything as he walked into the hall that evening apart from when he glanced up at Snape as he walked towards him. As soon as he set eyes upon the man, he felt the first bit of emotion since Dumbledore informed him of Remus's death and he sat at the very end spot on the Gryffindor table, putting him a meter away from the man.

"Good evening, students." Dumbledore announced, and everyone went silent in surprise as the man began to speak.

It was unusual when the Headmaster spoke during meal times and he definitely had everyone's attention seeing as the food hadn't been presented yet. Harry sat emotionless again as the man spoke and once the news had been said, whispers erupted between the students. Hermione leaned over and whispered to him that most of Gryffindor were looking at him but he refused to acknowledge this and opted for looking down at his plate, glancing up once to Dumbledore and seeing Snape watching him from the corner of his eye.

After the man finished speaking, the food appeared but Harry didn't have an appetite and much to the persuasion of Hermione he pushed his plate away and looked off into nowhere in particular. His gaze happened to find Blaise's and the boy smiled sadly at him and Harry nodded in acknowledgement. He remembered that he needed to talk with the boy about being just friends and he hoped he wouldn't take it too personally, but there was really no telling with Slytherins. Moving a few spots down from Blaise, Malfoy was looking at him and an evil smile spread across his face making Harry frown. The school had just learned that an ex-Professor had passed away and here was Malfoy acting like he'd planned it all from the beginning. He felt himself growing irritated and made himself look away in fear of jumping up and spelling the smile off his face.

"Harry, please eat something." Hermione said from beside him but he shook his head.

"I'm just not hungry, Hermione. I'm sorry." He whispered back and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"And here he comes." Harry whispered again a few minutes later as he looked just past Hermione to see Ron walking up to them.

It was nearing the end of dinner so some students had left already and Harry had been thinking of leaving as well but didn't want to ditch Hermione, she had been so kind to him like she always was over the years. She turned and looked as Ron approached and Harry turned away so he wouldn't have to look at him.

"Uh hey, Harry." He said nervously coming to stand between the head table and Harry, but he ignored him.

"Look, I'm uh sorry about, Remus. He was uh…" He trailed off, not really knowing what to say and with Hermione glaring at him he was getting nervous.

"Well, just you know. I'm sorry." He muttered and looked between Harry and Hermione nervously.

Harry stood suddenly stood chest to chest with Ron and glared as he spoke.

"You're sorry? For what, not being there for me or sorry that the only link left to my parents is gone, hmm?" His voice was sharp and his magic bubbly within him.

"For both." He replied shocked and Harry narrowed his eyes.

Harry huffed but didn't reply and looked past his head at Snape who was slowly rising from his seat. Harry took a step back and then fled the hall just as Malfoy was accusing Harry of cheating on Blaise with Ron but he ignored it and continued until he was out and round the corner heading in the direction of the Tower. Looking back, he saw no one following and changed into Jade before capturing a glimpse of Snape's cloak snapping around the corner.

"Now look what you've done." Hermione huffed at Ron and he looked at her disbelievingly.

"What? I tried and he doesn't want anything to do with me." Ron said with his hands held out to emphasize his point.

"Then perhaps you should try a different approach. Maybe even prove that you're as good of a friend as you claim you are and go from there." She offered, the second sentence being a lot less vicious than the first.

Ron nodded and then headed back towards the other Gryffindor boys.

Meanwhile, Snape was just about to walk into his quarters when he heard a small meow from down the corridor and he stopped to see Harry with ears flat against his head and tail dragging along behind him as he walked towards the man slowly. Snape walked towards him as it seemed Harry, well Jade was hesitant to walk any further and making sure no one would see him he bent down to pick Harry up and took him inside his quarters. Once there, he put Harry on the black rug and then moved over to the couch reaching over and getting his book that he was going to read. He had only read the first line when he heard Harry speak, looking over the book he saw Harry had changed back and was sitting on the rug facing him with his legs crossed.

"I feel empty." Harry said but didn't meet Snape's eye.

"Come here." He said and Harry stood slowly and walked over to the couch, sitting carefully and ensuring the man had enough personal space between them.

It wasn't necessary however as Snape moved over and put his arm around Harry's shoulders hugging him gently to try and comfort him. He understood fully how Harry was feeling and he could feel a sharp pain in his heart when he thought about what Harry had lost this year. Even though he was trying so hard to keep the boy at arms length he found it was getting harder and harder to do especially when he looked and felt so broken in front of him.

"Why did you come to class today?" Snape asked interested and Harry moved his head to look at him and met Snape's eye only to realize how close they were and he subconsciously licked his lips.

"I didn't want to be alone." He whispered and his eyes darted down towards the man's lips before locking eyes with him again.

He went to pull away, suddenly feeling something flip in his abdomen and it made the closeness a little unnerving but Snape stopped him from puling away and looked deep into his eyes. He could clearly see what Harry had been thinking and he was daring the boy to experience that again just so Harry could feel something. Anything at this stage was better than nothing and if it had truly been desire that he saw flash through his bright green eyes then he wanted it to happen again.

Harry didn't stand to the challenge however and cast his eyes down before leaning his head on the man's shoulder and sighing. Snape could still feel Harry tensing so on a whim he placed his chin on top of Harry's head before carding a hand through his hair.

"I-I should really get back to the Tower." Harry stuttered and went to pull away again, this time Snape let him.

Harry stood and went to walk towards the door before Snape's words stopped him and he turned around to look at the man who had maneuvered himself on the couch so he was twisted round looking at Harry, his arm laying across the back of it.

"I realize that, Miss. Granger has done a marvelous job of supporting you since being informed about Lupin. However, should you need someone to talk to, you know where I am."

"Yes, sir." Harry replied quietly and watched as the man turned back around and Harry changed into Jade before pushing the portrait open with his head and walking out into the dark corridor.