A/N: Happy holidays to everyone!

Harry was so tired. His schoolwork had been piling up with the extra lessons on Arithmancy from Snape, NEWT study sessions, Andy had him looking over old legal cases involving creatures in preparation for their proposal to the Wizengamut after Christmas, and this was not even mentioning trying to keep up with his friends and their lives, the small crowd of first and second years that seemed intent on following him around and asking for advice between classes, and his own reading of his small collection of parenting books. The investigation into who had tried to kill him (well, technically they succeeded, but that's beside the point) earlier in the semester was firmly placed on a backburner. Though, it seemed that Kreacher and Fawkes were still looking into it now that the dead basilisk had been harvested as much as possible with the remaining bones burned and buried.

Harry needed to talk to Hagrid about how to sell the parts since the half-giant was the only person he knew of that had any black market connections, and neither Harry nor Kreacher wanted to answer the questions that the massive amount of extinct creature parts would bring up if the ministry were to get involved. Harry wasn't sure just what Dumbledore had said to everyone to explain the effects of the basilisk his second year, but no one seemed to actually think there had been a fifty-foot Class XXXXX creature in the school at any point in time. It seemed the late headmaster had been much less than forthcoming in his explanations to…well, everyone.

Harry yawned loudly as he made his way into the Great Hall for breakfast. It was only a couple more weeks until the Christmas break, and it could not come fast enough. He just wanted to sleep, spend time with his friends, and finally come clean to Andy and Tonks about what he was and about the egg. It's not that he was avoiding telling them at all, but Andy was always running off to work, Tonks was busy marking papers or with Teddy, or Harry just didn't feel like going into explanations whenever they were all together. They clearly had figured out that Harry was some kind of creature from what he'd told Andy, but they weren't pushing it and he was tired of having to explain himself constantly.

Regardless, Christmas was going to be a great time to rest, relax, and catch up with everyone. He sleepily made his way towards the Gryffindor table before Ron grabbed ahold of his sleeve, stopping him. "I need coffee or at least tea," he whined to his friend who was stopping him in his mission. "Caffeine is necessary before whatever drama this day is going to bring."

"Well, you can get your caffeine in the middle of the drama," Ron rolled his eyes and pulled Harry's sleeve. "It looks like Malfoy has moved back over to the Slytherin table. I swear that prat has a death wish even worse than yours."

Harry sighed but followed along, only stopping to pull a similarly sleepy Hermione along with them. It had been a month since Headmaster McGonagall's ruling, so both Malfoy and Nott had both been allowed back to their former house's table. Malfoy had usually been caught by Luna or Harry if they got there first though. Now, he was sitting at almost the farthest possible distance from Nott and surrounded by first years.

"I guess we do need to save him from the firsties," Harry woke up enough to smirk at the situation.

"Cassidy," Ron nodded towards the redheaded first-year who glared at him before going back to her conversation with a dark skinned boy that was possibly related somehow to Blaise Zabini judging by his nose, eyes, and general air of imperiousness.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked with a sigh as she and Harry sat across from Malfoy and Ron shoved a startled Antony over to sit beside the blond.

"Nothing…" he turned slightly red.

"I don't need saving from anything," Malfoy began, brandishing a fork at Ron.

"Shove it. We're your friends now, unfortunately, so we have breakfast together," Harry glared at him, thankful that Hermione moved the eggs farther down the table before he could involuntarily gag at them. "Besides, I have a couple legal questions I ran across in some trial transcripts from the early 1900s."

"Aunt Andromeda would be the better choice for those questions," he sighed, but seemed to give up his fight in resignation.

"I already sent her three owls this week," Harry finally poured himself a cup of strong tea with a sigh. "I'm trying not to be a bother, but I feel like I'm probably already there."

"Ron…what did you do to Cassidy?" Hermione didn't let it go while their tall, muscular friend seemed to be trying to hide behind the slightly shorter and leaner Malfoy.

"Nothing…but I might have followed her around for a few days after what happened a couple weeks ago…" He mumbled.

"Ever. Since. Then." Cassidy turned from her conversation and corrected with a stabbing glare. "And had your Gryffindor lackey following me when you couldn't!"

"Dennis is no one's lackey," Ron protested with a sniff.

"Oh…that's why he's been hanging around," Astoria Greengrass nodded from down the table, seeming to finally understand something.

"Huh? I don't know anything about that," Ron informed the Slytherin girl he was pretty sure he'd never talked to in his life with a shrug while he piled some sausages on his plate. "I asked him and Luna to keep an eye on Cassidy and the other first years between classes when I couldn't. Can't have them getting hurt…"

Cassidy sighed heavily. "I don't understand why you are friends with my dad, but I don't need Gryffindors to watch over me. I can take care of myself."

"Technically we aren't Gryffindors anymore, and Luna's a Ravenclaw," Harry corrected with a chuckle, stealing one of Ron's sausages to sandwich inside his scone and getting a grimace at the combination from Malfoy. "Besides, it's not like Dennis or Luna are unpleasant to hang around. They're wonderful people and Luna has some wonderful new research she did with her father over the summer that's just fascinating."

"I can't even talk to you all. To think, everyone puts you dunderheads up on some kind of pedestal," she rolled her eyes and went back to talking to the (maybe?) younger Zabini.

"Who's she talking to?" Ron asked Malfoy the question Harry hadn't cared enough to voice.

"Stop being over-protective," Hermione warned him before pulling a large book out of her bag and propping it up on the jug of orange juice to study while she ate.

"Blaise's younger brother…well, half-brother," Malfoy responded with a glance towards the other end of the table where Zabini was sitting with Daphne Greengrass. "Blaise likes him, so he can't be too bad. I personally haven't talked to him though."

Malfoy's eyes went up to the ceiling as owls flooded in with the morning mail. "Any word yet?" Harry asked in concern. The veela council hadn't sent anything back after Draco sent his letter informing them of his existence. They had been waiting for a while now, but Fleur assured them all that it always took a while since they really weren't that organized. It was less a formal political council and more a loose organization of the heads of various influential veela families.

"Nothing," the blonde sighed and went back to his breakfast before frowning when his large eagle owl began to regally circle the table to land.

"Why would Mother have used Hermes to send me a letter? She always sends her owl, Eos," He questioned with a frown as the owl landed with a letter written on expensive parchment tied to its leg.

Something deep within Harry, born of being in danger his literal entire life, flared up. It would have been a fight or flight response in someone else, but in Harry it was a less of a response and more of an instinct…what Hermione would call his 'saving people thing' and what he felt was more of a need to stop the danger, to end whatever calamity was striking at him and his family. Whatever it was had Harry reaching out the same time Malfoy did to stop him from touching the letter at all costs.

Malfoy's hand fell on top of where Harry's had shot out, pushing it down and onto the cream parchment on the table. "Merlin, Potter!" Malfoy jumped in surprise, pulling his hand back in the shock. "Grabbing other peoples' things is just rude!"

"Get Snape," Harry breathed out in a gasp to his friends as he pulled the letter over to himself and wordlessly cast a low-level ward around it. It wouldn't do much, but it would stop anyone else from just picking it up without thinking first.

His insides felt like they were on fire. His lungs were burning like when his gillyweed had worn off and he'd still been under water in the black lake during the tournament, and his heart felt like it was trying to beat out of his chest.

Apparently, all this happened so fast, and he was mobile enough to cast a spell that his friends hadn't realized just how dire the situation was. That was until Harry coughed and blood splattered the half-eaten food on his plate.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione both jumped up in shock.

"Uncle Sev!" Malfoy called up frantically to the head table, causing his godfather to immediately jump up at the tone and since Malfoy never called him that outside of his office or chambers.

Harry was trying to hold on to consciousness, but it felt like Buckbeak was sitting on his head suddenly and his vision was extremely blurry. Someone pulled him from the bench and onto the floor, and that someone also reached around to take the bag holding Little Bit. Harry had just enough strength left that he would defend his baby! He leaned up, fangs emerging to attack whoever was taking his baby.

"Let me…just let go. I got you," a voice spoke into his haze as a hand slipped into his own. Harry recognized that hand. He may have never held the hand before, but he would recognize the long fingers with callouses from years of holding knives and small burns and scars from brewing anywhere. His fangs retracted and he let go of the bag.

"Help…" he whispered as it felt like he could no longer breathe at all. Harry really hoped Snape realized that he meant to get him out of the Great Hall so that he didn't burn out in the middle of the school. All those words were currently beyond him though as he felt like he had seconds before he died, and the world went black around him.

Harry felt like he was floating. It definitely wasn't an out of body experience since it still felt like his insides were slowly melting, so he figured Snape must be levitating him. He trusted the man with everything he had, but he really hoped the potion master would figure out how to bypass the school's medi-witch and get him to their chambers. Since she had probably seen him collapse, that was going to be next to impossible though.

Harry held on as long as he possibly could, but he had to die. There was too much damage. No matter what potions Snape poured down his throat, Harry knew the second he had coughed up blood that there would be another burning day in his future. He thought be might have been put down somewhere, but frankly, at the moment, he really couldn't care less. He spasmed and let go of the pain.

Harry relaxed in what he'd termed the waiting void. Every burning day, not that he'd had many thankfully, he'd ended up in the blackness. He was curious if all phoenixes went to the same place since Fawkes had met him there that one time. So far, he hadn't seen anyone else besides Fawkes the once though. It always felt like he was there for a good fifteen or twenty minutes, but he knew it was almost instantaneous back in the land of the living. It gave him time to hope that Snape had left his wand somewhere close to him so he could conjure some clothes…and he hoped he'd be conscious enough when he was reborn to cast them. It would be really unfortunate if he'd burned out right in the middle of a corridor with people around, but he could worry about that once he woke up.

Just as he was getting impatient, it felt like he was being pulled back, like a portkey but his entire soul was being pulled instead of a hook behind his navel. He never thought he'd be grateful to be immortal, but he thanked the gods that he was with a small smile before he left the waiting void behind to return to his egg and his family.

Harry had definitely been unconscious when he'd been reborn unfortunately, so conjuring clothes had not happened. He groggily noted the infirmary pajamas he was wearing and hoped he hadn't been starkers in front of Madam Pomfrey. He frowned at the head of black hair laying on the bed beside him. It was a silky black and pulled back into a low ponytail with a jeweled snake pin holding it; several strands had escaped the ponytail and were currently tickling Harry's arm. Harry knew he should know who this was…something about the peaceful way the man was sleeping, sitting in the armchair with his head on the bed, just seemed off though. Harry didn't think he should be there, but why? Why was it strange but nice that this person was sleeping beside his bed?

His head felt like he'd been hit by a troll's club a couple dozen times, but he shifted just enough to look at the young man sleeping beside him closer. His eyes fell on the leather satchel sitting on the bed with the man's hand laying protectively across it and everything clicked with a painful gasp in Harry's mind. Little Bit was fine, and Snape was watching over them. They were going to be fine.

"Ah, I see you are awake, Mr. Potter," an elderly man stepped out of the shadows of the potions cupboard to walk over, holding a couple vials in his hand.

"Healer Morris," he painfully croaked out in recognition. "What're you doin' here?"

"I take it seriously when one of my patients insists on continually dying. It makes me look bad as a healer," the man chuckled as he cast a diagnostic charm at Harry and seemed satisfied. "You are healing nicely, but you will need to take it easy for a few days. Your creature genes are quite extraordinary. That letter you touched had a nasty entrail boiling curse on it."

Harry grimaced at knowing what curse it was he'd intercepted. He really could have gone forever without knowing that particular information. "Where's Madam Pomfrey?" He asked, looking at the unusually empty infirmary where the matron would normally be bustling around.

"Bed. It's three in the morning, Harry," he kindly informed him. "You have been unconscious all day. I don't normally do house calls at all, let alone at 3am, but you are not one of my normal patients. There wasn't much she could do for you, so I sent your medi-witch off to sleep when it got late."

Healer Morris sank into the armchair on the other side of the bed. "Sorry," Harry gave him an apologetic look, shifting as much as possible to be able to put one of his hands on the leather bag along with Snape's.

The healer gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else when you need me. Your school medi-witch is not a healer, and is incapable of handling anything that isn't minor. She is also not well-versed in healing magical creatures…although, she did apparently know of Mr. Snape's status years before anyone else, so I do applaud her confidentiality. It was Mr. Snape that actually let that bit of news slip, so I believe your secret is safe with her for as long as you want to keep it."

Harry let out a little breath, happy that it seemed slightly easier to breathe. "Good. So, I didn't burn out in the middle of the Great Hall."

Healer Morris gave a little laugh and pushed his glasses up his nose, getting more comfortable in the chair. "My understanding is that you burned out right in the middle of the infirmary, where that scorch mark is," he motioned to a black mark on the stone floor that had Harry grimacing again. He'd have to see if Kreacher knew how to fix that. "Only the medi-witch and Mr. Snape were here. You can imagine that she nearly fainted and was certain you'd died. Mr. Snape sent me a patronus while doing his best to keep her from trying to cast an aguamenti spell at you."

"Merlin, I guess I was starkers in the middle of the infirmary then," Harry snorted, both embarrassed and glad he'd been unconscious for all of that.

"You were dressed in the pajamas when I arrived by floo. I would wager Mr. Snape is to thank for that since your medi-witch needed to be given a calming draught," he answered with a chuckle. "Your friends have been by as well as the DADA professor, the headmistress, and the CoMC professor. I've told them all that you were given potions in time and are resting but they can't see you until tomorrow."

"Thank you," he breathed out, reaching with his free hand to take the man's hand in his, giving it a little squeeze.

"You are very welcome, Harry," Healer Morris gave it a little squeeze back.

Harry settled back down before a frown crossed his face and he almost panicked again. "Why's Snape asleep? He's a vampire and we've been talking loudly. Something's not right! Check him! Maybe he touched the letter!"

"Shhh, he's fine, Harry," Healer Morris put a hand on his chest and pushed him back into the bed. "The letter was contained by Professor Tonks and is being studied. No one else touched it. I had to give Mr. Snape a mild sedative is all. He's fine."

"A sedative?" Harry frowned at that. Why would Snape have needed a sedative? That sounded odd.

"Well…after he calmed everyone else down and did all he could do to help you, he started to panic some," the healer smiled fondly at the young vampire draped over the bed. "He felt a little useless is my guess and he wasn't handling your most recent death very well, so I convinced him to take a mild calming potion that contained maybe a little more of a sedative than I let on."

"Devious," Harry smiled at the grinning man. "Thank you…"

"Any time…though, please refrain from dying again…ever. It doesn't help my general stress levels," the man pinned him with a look before passing over a couple potions. "Take this pain potion and this sleeping potion and get some more sleep. You'll need a lot of sleep for your basilisk genes to help heal you."

Harry took the potions happily. "I'm glad I didn't curse you that day after the battle when all the healers were being bastards," he told the man fondly.

"I am as well. My colleagues were smarting for quite a long while after your rampage through the ranks."

Harry winced sharply. "Yeah…maybe don't tell Snape about that."

"Your secret is safe with me," the man winked and stood to leave. "I think I'll floo back home for a few hours sleep. I'll check in tomorrow morning. Do NOT leave this bed, though I doubt you'll wake before I return after those potions you took."

Harry sighed but nodded. He then frowned in concern. "Er…If you see Snape awake before I do, please tell him to take Little Bit with him if he leaves. I can't protect the egg when I'm asleep. He can protect the egg better than I can."

"Of course," Healer Morris briefly put a hand on Harry's shoulder with a smile before striding towards Madam Pomfrey's office and her floo.

Harry settled back down and brushed a tendril of hair back that had escaped Snape's ponytail. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the strong potions take hold. "Love you…" he mumbled to both the other occupants of his bed.

The first time Harry woke up, Madam Pomfrey was standing over him with Healer Morris and Snape in the background. Little Bit was still nested at his side. "There you are," the medi-witch gave him a tight, relieved smile.

"Hey…sorry I ended up here again," he mumbled, feeling the pull to fall asleep once more.

"Harry James Potter. I don't care if you are immortal; you are not allowed to die on this campus under my watch ever again," the woman ordered him sternly.

Harry caught a glimpse of Snape look over at him with a frown, but he immediately turned back to the healer. "Sorry, ma'am. It wasn't my intention…better me than Malfoy though…"

"Harry, I don't want to hear…"

Harry was certain Madam Pomfrey had a lot more to say to him, but he was already asleep once more. Whatever that potion was that Healer Morris gave him was wonderful.

The next time Harry woke up, Little Bit was gone as well as Snape. He almost freaked out until he remembered that he'd told Snape to take his egg since he couldn't keep it safe while drugged and unconscious.

"Hey, Harry…how're you feeling?" Andromeda Tonks asked from where she was sitting beside his bed, Headmistress McGonagall in the background pacing worriedly.

Harry gave a painful shrug. "Tired…and like I survived an entrail boiling curse I guess."

McGonagall stepped forward with a concerned look on her face. "We have Professor Lupin-Tonks studying the letter, and I promise you we will find out who did this," she assured him. "A letter like that should never have been able to cross the wards."

"Unless it originated somewhere within the wards," Andy told her sternly.

"Someone's looking after Draco, right?" Harry stirred himself enough to ask.

"Your friends aren't letting him out of their sight to his immense frustration. I believe they are all in my daughter's rooms when not in class since your healer scheduled their time to visit you for in a few hours. He was very insistent on shifts instead of all of us flooding in," Andy told him, taking his hand in hers with a mistiness in her eyes.

"Thanks for coming, Andy," he smiled at the woman he was coming to love dearly and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"Can I get you anything? Some food or another blanket…or your bag? I don't see it anywhere," the woman suddenly looked extremely concerned, knowing his frantic obsession with the bag. She clearly thought someone must have taken it.

"No…I'm fine," Harry just squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Snape's watching over the bag. I'm just going to sleep some more."

"I'm going to stay for a bit, but you get some sleep," she settled back in the armchair as Harry closed his eyes. "I'm glad you have Severus to trust." Harry just nodded as his brain went fuzzy again.

"So…what are you doing to fix this problem?" He heard Andy sternly ask the headmistress as he fell back asleep once more.

Severus Snape felt the bag heavy on his shoulder, even with the lightening charms. It wasn't tangible weight; it was the weight of the responsibility that he'd been handed. Harry had asked him to protect his baby. He'd been trusted with the most precious thing in Harry's life, something the man would kill over, something he couldn't stand to be out of his sight. He'd told Snape to take it and keep it safe. Hell, if someone even reached for the bag, Snape was on edge enough to go full vampire on them and ask questions later.

He wouldn't have even left the infirmary, but he still had two classes that he needed to teach. Thankfully, the one he was about to start was the eighth years, so at least a significant percentage of them would understand why he was carrying around Harry's prized bag. Merlin be damned if he wasn't having them brew the safest potion on the syllabus that day though.

"Come in and get set up. I want this class to be quick today," he ordered the assortment of eighth years as they entered the classroom.

"Thank you, sir," Ron Weasley breathed out looking much more tired than usual.

Snape almost snapped at him until he realized the teen was looking pointedly at the bag and clearly remarking on both his protection of the egg and that they would be able to get to the infirmary more quickly. He nodded back at the former Gryffindor, feeling like he finally understood the teen slightly on a deeper level.

"How's Potter?" Malfoy asked from where he was setting up his cauldron at the table he usually shared with the injured teen.

Malfoy looked terrible. It had only been a day and half, but his eyes were shadowed, his skin was even paler than normal, and he looked haunted. "He will be perfectly fine," Snape addressed both his godson and the class. "Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion to counter the curse quickly and there will be no lasting damage," he assured everyone. He didn't note any significant reactions besides relief and some expected irritation from Nott. Draco had been the target though, so he wasn't expecting Potter's condition to be especially telling as to the perpetrator.

"I expect you all to brew this perfectly, efficiently, and quickly," Snape ordered with a wave of his wand to show the instructions on the chalkboard.

Snape hurried through the corridors after his fourth year Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Potions class. He knew objectively that Harry would be fine, but he still felt like he needed to be there. He had to see that Harry was still breathing and not deathly pale and coughing up blood. There had been a moment when Harry had stopped breathing and before he'd caught fire that Snape had been convinced he'd lost him that time for good. That moment felt like it'd lasted a thousand years before the fire started, and he quickly caught Madam Pomfrey from trying to put it out.

It was also in that moment when he thought he'd lost Harry that Snape decided he didn't want to ever feel that way again. He wanted to keep Harry after graduation and they left the school, after he got his apothecary set up and was able to afford a home of his own, after the egg was hatched and Harry had a child, he wanted to be there for it all…for forever, until he absolutely had to lose the teen to old age. That was…until Madam Pomfrey had made the comment about Harry being immortal…one which neither Harry nor Healer Morris corrected. Now, he wondered if he could actually keep Harry…for as long as he'd let him at least. What that entailed, Snape really didn't know, but he needed to talk to his roommate. He needed to know in what capacity Harry would let him stay…whatever it was, he wanted it. He wanted to be there, to be allowed to watch the egg, or baby, and to take care of Harry. Whatever that meant, he need it, whether it was as a friend or as something more.

He pushed open the door to the infirmary, realizing that Harry's friends were already there. It seemed that Ms. Granger was seated on the bed with a smiling Harry while Draco took one armchair and Mr. Ronald Weasley the other. "How did you even know it was cursed though?" Draco was asking insistently. "It looked like a normal letter Mother would send."

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "You said your mother has her own owl. Your owl would have been in the owlery, and anyone could have used it to send you something. Hermes is very distinctive, and everyone knows he's your owl. The danger seems to be inside the school right now…and if I was wrong…well, I'd have just looked odd, and that's nothing new."

"This has to be a different person than the one that attacked you, right?" Weasley asked with a frown. "I mean, this took planning and thought while the attack on you was just seizing an opportunity."

"Unless Harry didn't 'accidentally' leave his textbook in the Astronomy Tower," Granger chipped in. "He and Malfoy weren't paying a lot of attention during class that night. Someone could have taken it from wherever he set it and kept an eye on the tower until he went to retrieve it. That would have to mean it's an eighth year with us though..."

It seemed time to make his presence known, so Snape stepped forward past the curtain around Harry's normal infirmary bed. "It is probably just instinct from my years as a spy, but I have a suspicion we may be dealing with one perpetrator…surprisingly, there are quite a few people who would want both Harry and Draco dead," Snape said, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "With Harry's vocal support during his trial, even fellow Death Eaters view Draco as a traitor…you only have to look at Mr. Nott to see that."

"And Parkinson," Draco added in with a nod.

"Little Bit!" Harry made grabby hands at the bag which Snape quickly handed over to where Harry instantly hugged it. "Thank you for watching them! I was asleep so long!"

"Yeah, your healer kept running us off, but you were out for like a whole day and a half," Weasley chuckled at his friend's antics.

Draco grimaced. "You're going to be one of those mushy lovey parents that always has pictures they want to show everyone, aren't you?" He accused Harry. Snape could have answered for him that yes, Harry was absolutely going to be one of those parents that made sure his child was hugged every day, had lots of kisses, and knew they were loved…even if they were a snake. He agreed completely.

"Who hurt you, mate?" Weasley frowned in concern. "I know people who know Azkaban prison guards…you need your dad put in solitary or something? I can make it happen."

Draco looked completely stunned while Hermione and Harry laughed before Harry had to grab his back in pain. Snape just raised a surprised eyebrow. "He knows Kingsley, as we all do, but yeah…just say the word," Harry coughed painfully be still laughed. "Your father tried to kill me a couple times so I'm happy to help with any revenge you want."

Snape walked over and rubbed Harry's back where it seemed the pain was at the worst. "Should you even be sitting up?" He asked in exasperation. "When is Healer Morris coming back?"

"This evening, and he only said to stay in the bed," the teen sighed but seemed to lean into Snape's hand more to his shock. "That feels nice…"

"I can't believe you almost died for me," Draco sighed out and seemed to sink more into the armchair, ignoring their offers of vengeance on his bastard of a father. "If Madam Pomfrey hadn't known exactly what potion to give you…"

"Oh…is that the story we're going with?" Harry turned his luminescent green eyes up to Snape, momentarily making his brain skip a beat.

"Erm…yes, that is what we told the headmistress and she announced to the school. There is already an investigation into the letter too. Ms. Tonks started it, but the ministry is sending an auror to help as well," he finally said when his thought process started up again as well as his hand that was kneading the tense spot on Harry's back.

"Wait…what actually happened? That wasn't it?" Draco asked confused. "Was it a creature thing? I saw your fangs start to come out, but I don't think anyone else noticed…"

"Yeah, Draco, it was a creature thing," Harry rolled his eyes. "I died, but came back…half-phoenix if you remember. Left a right stubborn scorch mark too." He motioned to the black mark that Kreacher hadn't been able to get off the floor.

"Harry James Potter! You actually died again?!" Granger turned accusing eyes onto an apologetic Harry, even Snape stopped what he was doing and stepped back at the fury.

"Er…oops," Harry gave her a small grin, causing everyone to groan. "It wasn't intentional…"

Up Next: Snape has a very awkward conversation...