December 22, 1996

The Potter's home was warm and overfilled with Christmas cheer. The house had been decorated before the boys had returned from Hogwarts, leaving only the tree which they did together. There was a new addition to the stockings, one for the baby had been made by Molly Weasley, and now hung beside Harvey's on the fireplace mantel.

Lily sat by the fire with a cup of half-finished tea beside her. She had been trying to abide by her Medi-Witches rules but was finding it difficult. James had been helping where he could, as had Harvey since he had gotten home, but there were certain things that she wanted to do herself.

Harvey had been spending plenty of time hanging out with her, making sure to keep her company. He had asked question after question about his soon to arrive baby sister and had pressed his head against her stomach more than once. It was a great relief to see how excited Harvey was; he had even suggested possible names that he thought would be suitable. Even as she sat in the living room, with her feet propped up, Harvey sat on the floor beside her. He was writing a Potion's essay that was due when they went back.

Lily watched him work, glad to have him home. After everything that had happened in the past few months, she hadn't realised how nervous she had been. But once he was in her sight when he had hopped off that train, her whole body and mind seemed to calm down. Harvey was safe, as was Harry. There was one concern that she did really want to talk to him about. Molly had contacted her the day the boys had returned home; according to Ron, he and Harvey were no longer friends. She found it strange that boys who had been friends for most of their lives would suddenly end their friendship. She had pondered if perhaps all of the trouble that Harvey and Harry were finding themselves caught up in was the cause. But she wouldn't know until she asked him.

Harvey looked up from his essay and smiled. "I'm finished."

"Did you want me to read it?" she offered.

He shook his head. "Nope. I think Professor Snape will be impressed."

Lily smiled. It wasn't often that she spoke with Severus; it was difficult when there was so much bad blood between him, James and Sirius. She did know that if he was impressed, he would never admit it. She had never expected that Severus would ever come to tolerate Harry, let alone become his mentor, so maybe he would surprise her.

"Do you have any other essays?" Lily asked.

Harvey shook his head. "Nope. Professor Snape was the only teacher who assigned anything."

"Of course." Lily shifted in her seat. "How has school been? Besides the attacks."

Harvey shrugged.

"Nothing you want to tell me?" she pried.

The look on Harvey face told Lily that he knew exactly what she was referring to but didn't seem to want to share. Lily found herself unsure what to do when it came to her boys; both of them seemed determined to do things on their own. And while she was proud of their independence, she would have hoped that they would be more willing to talk to her about it. The year before with Quirrell and the stone had been horrifying, learning that Harry had been kidnapped and then Harvey chasing after him, what could possibly be worse? But now, Harvey's second year at Hogwarts consisted of students were being attacked and Harvey discovering he was a Parselmouth.

And all of these things she had learnt from other people; neither one of her boys had written to her. Dumbledore had informed them—officially—about the attacks, but Harry had clued Sirius in before that. And it was Harry who had also written to Sirius about Harvey being a Parselmouth. It wasn't just Harvey; Harry was one too. Such an ability was rare, and while Sirius had the possibility of it running in his bloodline, it was doubtful that it would run within the Potter family.

Lily wanted nothing more than to be open with her boys; she didn't want secrets. The plan had been to wait and speak to the boys together, with James and Sirius, but it seemed that wouldn't be happening until Christmas Day. So she debated with herself as Harvey sat beside her whether or not she should bring it up or hoping that maybe he would.

Harvey stood up and moved to sit beside Lily on the couch. "Ron and I had a fight, and we aren't friends anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that; can you tell me what the fight was about?"

"The Chamber of Secrets."

Lily frowned. She knew that details were missing about the chamber, things that no one had told her regarding what had been happening at Hogwarts. But she was unable to think of anything that would ruin Harvey and Ron's friendship.

"What has the chamber got to do with anything?"

"Ron wants to find it."

"I see." Lily shifted so that she was sitting up and able to wrap her arm around Harvey's shoulder.

"Back when we first learnt about the Chamber of Secrets, Ron said that he wanted to find it. He said that it was the right thing to do. But Harry and I agreed after last year that we would both stay out of that kind of trouble and let the adults handle it."

"That is a very smart decision."

"Yeah, well, Ron got mad. He wouldn't talk to me because I refused to help him and Hermione with their plan."

"What are they planning on doing?"

Harvey shrugged.

"Harvey, if they are going to do something that could get them hurt, you should tell someone."

"I don't know anything."

"Harvey—"

"I don't know what they are doing. All I know is that Ron is convinced that I'm the one attacking people, that I'm the Slytherin's heir, and that I am the bad guy."

"That's ridiculous; why would he think such a thing?"

"Because I can talk to snakes, and everyone thinks that means that I'm the bad guy." Harvey pulled away from Lily and stood up. He wiped his hands across his eyes and moved to head towards the stairs.

"Harvey, wait. I didn't mean to upset you."

He stopped. "I know. You can't help what other people think."

Pushing herself to stand, Lily was careful as she walked over to Harvey. Reaching out, she took his hands and gave them a squeeze. "I'm sorry that I can't fix this."

Harvey sniffed. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. But what I can tell you is that Ron probably doesn't think those things; he's probably just scared, and because he's upset, he wants to find someone to blame." Lily offered him a warm smile. "Things will get better; once everything is all cleared up."

Harvey nodded.

"Now, this snake business."

Harvey paled slightly.

"Harry wrote to Sirius regarding it."

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

Lily frowned. "Why would you be in trouble?"

"Because I didn't tell you?"

Shaking her head, she led Harvey back to the couch and sat down. She said, "No. You can't control what abilities you have. It would have been nice if you had told me, and not Sirius, but I understand that it was probably scary. And it is odd that you have such a gift, and your father and I plan on looking into it. Hopefully, we can work out where it came from."

Harvey nodded and wrapped his arms around Lily's waist. She squeezed her son, trying to comfort him. Pressing a kiss to his head, she brushed back his hair with her hand and sighed. Things weren't supposed to be so complicated.

"Just promise me that at the first sign of trouble, you will go to either Harry or a teacher? Don't go running into it yourself," she asked.

Harvey tightened his arms around her and pressed his face against her stomach. A firm kick against her stomach where Harvey had his face pressed brought a small giggle out of him. "I promise," he said. "Wouldn't want my little sister to be mad at me." Another kick followed.

Lily smiled down at her son as the front door to the Potter's swung open. In walked James and Sirius. The two—once best friends—had found their way to some form of resolution after so many years. Lily wasn't sure if their friendship would ever be the same, but they had both met up in London to do some Christmas shopping. It had been a wonderful surprise when James had told her over dinner the night before about his plans.

"Dad! Uncle Padfoot!" Harvey lept up from the ground. "Did you get it? Did you get it?"

Lily watched curiously as James smirked and pulled out a bag from his pocket, and handed it to Harvey. "Get what exactly?" she asked.

Harvey spun around and opened the bag. Out of it, he pulled a wooden box. "It's Harry's Christmas present." He moved over to the coffee table where he placed Harry's present before grabbing the wrapping paper off the floor.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

Harvey tapped his finger against his lips. "Sorry, Mum. Top secret."

James and Sirius laughed.

Lily shifted in her spot and turned to look at her husband. "And I suppose you know exactly what it is?"

James walked over and pressed a kiss to her head. "Of course, Padfoot and I helped pick it out. Harry should love it." He rubbed his hand along her shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

Lily sighed. "Huge."

James' smile widened, but he didn't comment; he just placed his hand on her stomach. Their little girl proceeded to kick against her father's hand. "Someone's awake," he said.

"Yes, apparently, she just woke up from her nap," said Lily.

"At least she didn't wake you up again," said James.

Lily lifted her brows. It did seem that their little girl was more active at night, usually kicking Lily's bladder. But some afternoons she would spend kick up a storm. Rubbing her hand over her bump, Lily pushed herself to stand. "I need some tea."

Sirius stepped up. "I'll get it; you sit."

Frowning at Sirius' disappearing form, Lily didn't argue; she just sat back down and watched as Harvey wrapped his present.


There weren't many times that Harry found himself struggling to get out of bed. He was normally up with the sun, dressed and fed and ready to get into his lab before his father had even lifted his head. But it seemed that Harry had found the perfect reason to stay snuggled into his sheets.

Fleur had come over the night before, had dinner with Harry and his father before the two of them spent the evening watching one of Fleur's favourite muggle films. Harry had a projector set up in her bedroom, allowing the two of them to lie on his bed and watch. They'd never seen the end of the film, finding themselves a little caught up in each other. It had started innocently enough, small sweet kisses that turned into deep and long-lasting ones. Fleur had been the one to pull Harry's shirt off and then proceed to show him how much she had missed him—her words, not his—before Harry returned the favour. The two of them found themselves exploring one another before lying breathless in Harry's sheets as the film's credits rolled.

It was something else to fall asleep tangled up with the person he loved. Fleur's naked body flush against his. Harry had woken up with Fleur pressed up against him, her back to his chest, their legs intertwined, and her hand holding his hand against her stomach. In his foggy morning haze, Harry started pressing kisses to her bare shoulder, smirking when he noticed certain marks that had appeared on her skin. Flashes of the night before and the way Fleur had reacted to him sucking and kisses her skin made Harry wanted to pull those sounds out of her again.

Fleur let out a small sigh of contentment and leant back further against Harry, her body turning as well as her head. She blinked her eyes open slowly, a wide smile lighting up her face.

"Good morning, my love," Harry whispered against her shoulder.

"That it is." Fleur lifted her hand to caress his cheek, her fingers tracing his jawline.

Harry leant into her touch; he turned his head to press a kiss against the palm of her hand. He moved his fingers across her stomach. "How did you sleep?"

She sighed. "Like the dead." Her fingers slid back into his hair. "Someone wore me out."

He smirked and leant in to nudge his nose against hers. "You weren't complaining."

"No, that I wasn't."

Lifting her head, Fleur reached up to kiss him. She shifted her body to roll over into his arms, facing him and allowing herself to pull Harry in for a deeper kiss. Harry allowed Fleur to take control. Her hands buried into his hair and tugged his mouth firmly against hers; she shifted her leg and lifted it up, and placed it over his hip. Harry moved his hands to move along her sides, gently pressing her hips further into his.

Fleur let out a small moan; breaking the kiss, she said, "Someone else is awake."

Harry groaned as her hand wrapped around his member. "That they are." Pressing his body against hers, Harry rolled them over, so Fleur was beneath him.

"I don't think I could ever get enough of this," gasped Fleur.

"I will never get enough of you." Harry pressed forward, sliding himself into her and capturing Fleur's moan as he kissed her again. He was encased in her heat and couldn't stop himself from letting out his own groan.

Fleur's hands wrapped around his neck, one hand gripping the back of his head as she lifted her hips up to meet his. "Harry," she cried.

They clung to one another as they moved, there was no rush, and they allowed the world outside to melt away. All Harry needed at that moment was encased in his arms; he didn't have to worry about anything other than the beautiful woman that he loved. Every touch, every sound drove them on. Fleur reached her peak first, her nails biting down on Harry's shoulders as her centre tightened around him. The sensation pushing Harry to his own end, his hands grasping her tighter and his muscles turning to jelly, his head falling down to rest in the crook of her neck.

Fleur's hands relaxed against his back and started to slowly rub across his shoulders. She let out a soft hum, a lullaby that Harry wasn't familiar with but was beautiful all the same. He allowed the sound to soothe him and send him into a light dose.

He wasn't really sure how long passed before Fleur stopped humming and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"We should get up," she said.

Harry groaned and pulled her into a squeezing hug. "I don't want to."

Fleur giggled. "How old are you?"

He let out a small whine and pressed his lips against her ear. "Old enough to make you beg for more." He laughed as she scoffed and smacked his chest, a soft smile curving her lips. "Would you spend the day with me?"

Fleur nodded. "Sounds wonderful—but we aren't staying here. I need a shower and some food."

Harry sighed. "I suppose we could leave."

Fleur giggled at his pouting face and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I'll make it worth your while, don't you worry."

They did manage to get out of bed, but only after another ten minutes or so. Harry was dragged by Fleur into his bathroom and into the shower. He stepped out of the hot water first, leaving Fleur to finish her shower. He towel-dried his hair before grabbing some fresh clothes.

Once dressed, he moved over to his desk and sat down. Looking over his notes, he found his mind turning. There had been so much happening in the last few months he hadn't been able to stop for a long time. The attacks at Hogwarts, along with Lockhart, keeping up with his studies and making time for Fleur and his friends, was beginning to wear him out.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. He was glad to be home, away from it all, even if it was just for a few days. Harry planned on making sure to enjoy the next few days, but he also wanted to look in some of the books in the Black Library. He knew for certain that they had some books that Hogwarts didn't have.

Fleur's hands came to rest on his shoulders, and he turned to look at her. She gave him a warm smile. Her damp hair had been tied back in a loose braid, and she was wrapped in a soft bulk robe.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your thoughts," she said.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "That's alright." Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her around to sit in his lap.

She asked, "What were you thinking about? Me?"

Harry smirked. "Always." He pressed a kiss to her hand.

She placed her hand at the back of his neck and said, "But not just that."

He sighed. "No. I was thinking about everything that's been happening."

"You mean with the attacks at Hogwarts?"

He nodded. "That, and Harvey. This whole Parselmouth thing has made him a bit of an outcast."

Fleur frowned. "It must be horrible what people have been saying."

"Yeah, there have been at least a few people who have been kind to him," said Harry. He had been thankful that his friends had made sure to be kind to his younger brother, Jenna, most of all. "If I can work out who is behind everything, hopefully, everyone will stop avoiding him."

Fleur stood from Harry's lap and moved to pace across the room. She crossed her arms behind her back and sighed. She said, "Well, let's think about it. A House-elf, belonging to the Malfoy's, attempted to stop Harvey from returning to Hogwarts. That same House-elf also attempted to make Harvey go home by scaring him. And then, after learning from that House-elf about the Chamber of Secrets, a warning appears written on the wall in blood. Then in the coming months, a cat, two students and a ghost are petrified. But just before you and Harvey stumbled upon these attacks, you both have heard a strange voice that talks about killing."

Harry almost laughed. "That sounds about right." It was ridiculous to hear about everything that was going on. And it also seemed that nothing was happening. The only change had been the temporary suspension of the Quidditch matches.

Fleur paused and spun around. She asked, "This voice that you've heard, no one else has heard it, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Maybe it's a snake?" she suggested.

"A snake?"

Fleur nodded. "Yeah, think about it. You and Harvey can speak Parseltongue, and no one else can hear or understand it."

Harry found his mind racing with possibilities, and it made perfect sense. He felt a bubble of annoyance at himself for not putting those dotes together but blamed it on his mind having too much else to consider.

He stood from his desk and cupped Fleur's cheeks. "You are brilliant." He pressed a kiss to her lips.

Fleur grinned. "I know."

It seemed that Harry was going to need to brush up on his reptiles.

The two of them made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. One of their House-Elves, Dimpy, greeted them with a smile and placed down a serving of bacon and eggs for both of them. Dimpy also handed Harry a black coffee. They sat in the kitchen, ate their breakfast before making their way towards the library. Fleur was content to read and relax while Harry did some research.

Scanning the shelves in the library at White Oak, Harry could navigate through the covers and know roughly what he would find. There were many that he had read before, some he'd never touched, but their placement and order was very familiar. He pulled out magical creature books, potion ingredient books, and even a few that had some history on the founders of Hogwarts—along with other famous witches and wizards.

With a few stacks of books pulled out, Harry sat down on a chair and rested his feet on the table as he cracked open the first book. He glanced over at Fleur, who was lying across the sofa, her book lying open on a pillow as she swung her legs back and forth. She glanced up and locked eyes with Harry, offering him a cute smile before going back to her reading.

The time passed in comfortable silence, Harry only speaking when he found something he thought might be useful. Fleur would add her own comment on his findings, and he had three piles; useless, possible and not sure. So far, the possible pile only had two books, there was one book that mentioned the chamber that was in the 'not sure', and the rest had been placed into the 'useless' pile.

Harry snapped another book closed and placed it onto the ever-growing useless pile. He sighed and looked over at Fleur, who was watching him.

"Maybe we should take a break?" she offered.

Harry nodded. Sounded like a great idea. He stood from his seat and waited for Fleur to stand up. "I know what would make a wonderful and relaxing break." He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders; he wound an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Fleur chuckled. "Have you become one of those boys who think of nothing but sex?" Her question was playful and made Harry laugh.

He said, "I've always thought about sex. I just never found myself wanting to indulge in such pleasure until I tasted you." He pressed a firm kiss to Fleur's lips and tangled his hand into her blonde locks.

A loud throat being cleared pulled them apart. Standing in the doorway was Sirius; he offered them a smile and said, "Would it offend you if I told you that you sound like me?"

Harry frowned. "Offend me? Possibly."

Fleur smacked him on the chest.

Harry and Sirius laughed. "I am bound to have some of your tendency; after all, you did raise me." Harry squeezed Fleur's waist. "And I was only joking."

Fleur shook her head. "You should be nice to your father."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes, my love." He looked back at Sirius. "How was your morning with James?"

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. "Interesting." He stepped into the room. "It was a little tense."

Fleur said, "But your relationship has improved? Hasn't it?"

Sirius sighed. "I think so. I'm not really sure, after all, how does one forgive the once best friend for sleeping with the love of his life and knocking her up."

Harry tensed. He never liked discussing the events that led to his life; it had always caused uncomfortable silence or arguments. It seemed that James was at a point where he wanted to mend relationships, but his father had a point. How did you forgive something like that?

"I think you all need to sit down and talk. You, James and Lily," said Fleur. "You are all adults; you should explain what happened, why it happened, apologise and then go from there."

Sirius paused, rubbed his head, then said, "That is probably a good idea."

Fleur smiled. "I have lots of those; just ask your son." She turned to look at Harry. He was frowning, and his shoulders were tense. She nudged him and asked, "What do you think?"

Harry let out a heavy sigh. "I think it will just cause unnecessary strife and that we should just not mention it at all."

"You can't bury something like this," said Fleur. "It's the same as you bury your real emotions; it creates a ticking time bomb."

Harry shrugged and let Fleur go. He bent down and grabbed the books he believed would hold something and said, "Do what you like." He walked out of the room and headed towards his lab. He could feel Fleur and his father's eyes watching him as he walked.

There was no surprise when Fleur followed him into his lab. She closed the door behind her and leant her back against it. The look she was giving him made Harry regret storming off like a child; it probably wasn't his finest moment. He leant against the table in the centre of the room and squeezed his eyes shut.

Fleur broke the silence. "You need to talk to your father."

Harry said, "So you all keep telling me."

"Your family needs to deal with this."

He looked up at her; she was right—of course.

"I thought that you wanted everything to be good between you all." Fleur stepped toward him.

"I do," he said, "but things have been fine; why push it and make it worse?"

Taking his hand, Fleur squeezed his fingers before pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "Because it can make things better."

Fleur left Harry alone in his lab. She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and told him to talk to his father. Harry was able to stay hidden in his lab for over an hour before his father showed up. Harry had already yelled at himself for ruining the good morning that he had been sharing with Fleur. Still, he couldn't stand the idea of everyone opening up the old wounds about his conception. All he could see was the current situation imploding and only making everything more difficult for everyone.

He had spent the time avoiding his own personal thoughts and decided to do a few experiments. The potion in front of Harry simmered. The emerald green colour was beginning to fade, and a hue of blue was starting to shine through. Harry cut the heat to the potion and picked up his quill to note the reaction down in his book.

The door to his lab opened. Harry paused writing his notes and looked up at his father. They locked eyes for a moment before looking back down.

Sirius said, "I think we should talk about this."

"I said everything I needed to." Harry flipped the page and crossed off an old note.

Sirius placed his hands onto the other end of the bench. He let out a huff and said, "Harry, I know it's uncomfortable for you, but your mother, James and I all need to really work everything out. We've spent the last sixteen years walking around on eggshells, and that isn't fair on anyone."

Harry snapped, "You bring this up, you go there, and it will just ruin everything."

Shaking his head, Sirius said, "I don't think it will."

"Because you know everything, and your history with making decisions is just perfect."

Sirius handed smacked the benchtop, making Harry freeze. He glanced up at his father's angry expression. Sirius said, "Harrison, you watch your tone."

Harry put his quill down. He probably shouldn't have said what he'd said, but he wasn't really thinking. Every nerve inside of him felt like it was going to burst; it made his stomach twist and his chest ache.

Sirius said, "Annabell Winters thinks it's a good idea if we all talk; it is like Fleur said, it's the same with you bottling up your real feelings."

"And when the conversation is over, and you all come to the same conclusion—that I am the reason your lives suck—what will you do then?"

Sirius flinched. His face twisted in disbelief. "Is that what you think? That you are to blame?"

"All of your lives would have been easier if I didn't exist. You and Mum could have kept your secret; James never needed to know that you fucked his girl. Your lives could have continued on in ignorance."

Sirius closed the gap behind him and Harry. He surprised Harry when he grabbed either side of his head. Harry could feel his father trembling. Sirius said, "You won't ever speak about your mother like that again, and second, you are the best thing in my life. I would give up everything I have to have you."

Harry let his father's words sink in, but they didn't stick. Harry didn't believe it. He knew that his parents loved him; he knew that Harvey loved him. He knew that because he loved them. But it was a fact that all of their lives would have been easier if he hadn't been born.

He didn't say anything else to his father. Harry just pulled himself out of his father's grasp, collected his notebook before putting the potion into stasis and walking out. The conversation was over, and there was no changing his mind.