Down a cobbled roadway, littered with houses on either side, Severus Snape made his journey towards his eventual destination. Keeping his head down, he ignored his surroundings - the outskirts of a Muggle village. If only they knew who lived in the barren land beyond the borders. Not that they would ever find the house. Being one of the Malfoy's properties in the country, it was as luxurious and as secured as their country home, the Malfoy Manor.

His fingers rubbed the forearm of the other hand, where the Dark Mark so prominently was branded years ago. It had burned an hour ago, just like it felt on the night of the Third Task. He had no idea why he was summoned. Though he had returned to his - his old, reborn master on Dumbledore's orders, he had kept his distance, only meeting him twice. The first time, to prove of his unwavering allegiance to the Dark Lord, only after he had endured the Cruciatus Curse. The second time, to fill in about what he had achieved under the service of the Albus Dumbledore, providing only tiny details of his plans, as he was instructed by the Headmaster himself. For he was not playing the role of a double agent, but a triple one.

The Dark Lord believed him to be a double agent; whereas only Dumbledore knew of his true nature. No... not only Dumbledore now. Because it seemed Potter knew of his role too, and with that the whole damned Order of the Phoenix. Potter and that Weasley girl were apparently from the future, where he had triumphed over the darkest wizard in the history. Not to forget, they were married and had a child on the way. Snape thought not to best think about it. But something about it was eerily familiar with the events that had transpired fifteen years ago. A Potter and a redhead with a baby,...

Snape hadn't returned to Grimmauld Place since the night Potter was rescued from his relatives and started a whole new slew of happenings. Dumbledore had been visiting Potter almost daily, and though as curious he was, he hadn't asked him about the future the two teenagers were supposedly come from. He was sure of one thing - Potter was meddling in things and the reins of the entire operation were in his hands now. How else had an old Potions master like Slughorn suddenly come out of retirement a fortnight before the new term was due to start and he was shafted to the Defense job without any prior warnings? Even the other members of the staff were surprised.

Snape only hoped that Dumbledore kept an even head and didn't bungle the whole thing by appeasing to Potter's ego.

It all came back to him. Harry Potter. Why on earth did he have to come back in time, when everything they had been working for was to be successful?

Snape halted in his steps. He needed to clear his mind, if he had to face one expert Legilimens in his eyes. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind, clearing it of any annoying and disturbing thoughts.

Finally he was ready, and, with a tap of his wand on the door of the house, he entered.

The large wooden doors swept open onto a long, flagstone hall, dominated by a dark wooden table. At the far end, on a slightly raised platform, Snape could see the flickering glow of a fire in the grate, and a shadowy figure sitting in the armchair beside it, staring into the flames.

His footsteps echoed as he approached, his mind carefully guarded but not locked away entirely.

"Severus," came the high, soft voice as he approached the dais. The pale figure in the chair turned his head slightly to look at him. The light of the fire catching in the vivid red eyes.

Two figures stood in attention in the corner. Lucius Malfoy and Wormtail.

Sparing no glance to them, Snape dropped to his knees, his head bowed. "My Lord, you asked for my presence."

He heard the Dark Lord rise from his chair, and suddenly in his vision all he could see was the slightly dirty floor and the soft, black leather of a pair of shoes stepping forward. He received the order to stand up.

"There has been a development among our enemies, it seems. Especially in Potter."

Snape stared back, silent.

"You might know about the strange connection between me and Harry Potter. Since coming back, I have, from various sources, gathered that the scar from the Killing Curse causes a bridge into my mind. I have witnessed this myself in times of my disappearance and the night of my rebirth. Acknowledging this, I have been slowly working, if that same connection goes two-way. Pathetic as it was, I could get flashes of emotions into the boy's mind - the nightmares."

Snape still stood in silence.

"However, for the past few days, I have been unable to get so much as a tiny glimpse. Why?"

"I have no idea, my Lord."

"Tut, tut, Severus. This won't do."

Snape knew he had to say something. Damn Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore did imply that he was going to teach Potter Occlumency," Snape replied. This much was true. They had discussed this.

The Dark Lord tilted his head and started to pace around the room. "Curious is it not? That he has grasped this art so quickly. Dumbledore must be proud, his favourite pupil. Tell me, has the headmaster entrusted him the prophecy?

"No, my Lord."

"You are certain?"

"Dumbledore thinks he isn't ready."

"Don't tell me, he cares for that boy!" jeered the Dark Lord. "Senile, old fool. Thinks he can train this teenage boy against the greatest wizard. No matter. Sooner or later, the mind is bound to slip. I have seen him. So innocent, naive. What else has the Leader of the Light been doing with himself and his band of petty Order?"

"Trying to educate the others on your return, my Lord."

The Dark Lord once again laughed.

"It will be too late once I come out in the open. The mystery regarding my return has worked perfectly, though it was a shame that Potter lived. It is only a matter of time, when Dumbledore is out of the way. Lucius has seen to that, haven't you? Last I heard, Fudge is passing an educational decree to throw him out of Hogwarts."

Malfoy paled when he was singled out of his corner. "My Lord,.. I.."

"Lord Voldemort is beginning to lose patience."

"Dumbledore has found a replacement. Snape is changing his post to the Defense Against the Dark Arts. And.. and Slughorn has taken up his old job of Potions," Malfoy said in one breath.

"Slughorn?" His voice was dangerous - suspicious. "When did this happen? Severus?"

"It is true, my Lord. Slughorn contacted Dumbledore regarding coming back to his old post at Hogwarts."

"What reasons has he given for coming out of retirement?"

Snape understood that there was some hidden reason for his coming back. "Only that he had grown tired of his free time and inquired whether he could resume his duties in some capacity."

"Dumbledore didn't initiate the contact?"

"No, my Lord. Is anything the matter?" Snape asked.

"You are to pay clear attention to Slughorn and inform me about his movements and of his behaviour with Dumbledore."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Snape chanced a glance at Malfoy, who seem to be debating with himself. He decided to ask, "Any further ideas to discredit Dumbledore?"

"Fudge was angry that Dumbledore sidestepped his trap of stationing a Ministry official at Hogwarts. He's planning of drafting a new educational decree to inspect the Hogwarts professors."

"I look forward to it," Snape drawled.

"Fudge suspects that Dumbledore is creating an army of students to overthrow him. Any truth, Snape? Perhaps he has given this task to you," said Malfoy.

"Spare me Fudge's paranoia. He has gone truly insane if he thinks Dumbledore wants his position," Snape replied.

The Dark Lord held up a large white hand, and the two subsided at once. "Keeping the Ministry and Dumbledore against each other works to our advantage. We have much to do. Envoys have been sent to the giants. Soon, Dementors will join us. I look forward to reuniting the Death Eaters who are in Azkaban.

"But the prophecy. I need to hear the complete prophecy if I am to kill this Potter boy once and for all."

Harry, Ron and Ginny were in the young couple's room (Ron had moved out and got a room to himself) - Ginny was sitting on one of the beds with Harry beside her and Ron was cursing as he rooted through his trunk looking for a missing sock - when Hermione came running into the room, her bushy hair floating like a cloud behind her.

"Hogwarts letters!" She practically sang as she passed the enveloped around and ripped her own open as she plonked herself on the bed next to Ginny.

"You'll have to give mum your lists so she can go to Diagon Alley for us," said Ginny.

Ron frowned at her as he struggled with his letter. "What do you mean she'll go for us?"

"They haven't let us out of the house since the start of summer, so I doubt they'll -" Her explanation was cut off by the high pitched squeal that came from next to her. Ginny's head swivelled round quickly as Harry got his wand out of his jeans so fast it was like a blur.

"Merlin, Hermione! Don't do that!" He scowled at his friend as she jumped up and down on the spot. He stowed his wand away before opening his own letter and scanning it briefly.

"Oh Harry! I'm a prefect! I got a badge! Look!" She squealed at him uncharacteristically as she showed off her pristine, red and gold prefect badge. "Where's yours? Show me!"

Ginny glanced quickly at Hermione before looking at her brother who seemed to have frozen in shock. Harry merely raised an eyebrow at Hermione, before he surreptitiously gestured his head towards his best mate.

Hermione frowned at him, not quite understanding what he was trying to say to her, then turned her head to look at Ron as well. When she saw him standing with a flabbergasted expression, she immediately began to fret that something was wrong with him.

"Ron?" She cautiously said as she moved closer to him. "Are you okay?"

Ron looked up at her as if he had never seen her before. Hermione was about to ask him why he was looking at her like that when he too held up a badge that was identical to the one the bushy haired witch was holding.

Hermione looked blankly at the badge for a moment, then looked up into Ron's face that held a hint of worry in them. She opened her mouth to ask Harry why he hadn't got a badge, when his odd movements registered in her mind - he knew that Ron was going to get the badge and he didn't want her to make him feel bad by assuming that he had got it instead of their friend. She didn't waste another moment.

"Oh Ron! I'm so happy for you!" She gushed as she flung herself at the red haired boy. Ron looked bewildered for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist. They both shivered slightly as a warm feeling spread over them both.

"You really mean that?" He whispered slightly at her as he leaned back to look into her deep, hazel eyes.

"Of course." She breathed back as she stared up at him.

Harry and Ginny watched with bated breaths as the two stayed intertwined, their faces slowly moving closer together as though by gravity…

Their eyes stayed locked…

Their lips parted…

Their hearts thumped erratically in their chests….

Their lips were millimetres away from brushing against one another…

CRACK!

All four occupants in the room jumped - Harry grabbed Ginny by the waist to stop her from falling off the bed while Hermione and Ron leapt apart, their faces bright red.

"So, we see that the Hogwarts letters have arrived…" One of the twins said, not noticing the disappointed tension that flooded the air.

Ron and Hermione studiously avoided looking at one another and Harry and Ginny were torn between laughing out loud or glaring at the intruders.

'Well,' mused Ginny as she nodded along to whatever the twins were saying and burrowed herself in Harry's arms. 'You can't have everything in life…'

The last week leading up towards Hogwarts was filled with a monotony that made all of the teenagers yearn for 1st September. Ginny seemed to be going into a more of a foul mood than before which they all chalked down to pregnancy hormones which was pretty believable considering all of their weird foods she had been eating recently. However, Ginny was in such a foul mood because she knew she was being left behind again. She could be seen muttered to herself at odd points during the day, and whenever someone asked Harry if they knew what was wrong with her, he merely shook his head and smiled at them.

Harry, so much loving and caring husband he was, spent most of his time with his wife. The residents of Grimmauld Place, being aware of their upcoming separation, gave the young couple their privacy. Not that they spent the whole days locked in their room. But neither of the either of the two were seen without the other. They were literally joined by the hip. Though they weren't allowed to go outside, Ginny had requested catalogues for shopping. Harry, begrudgingly, gave his own opinions. Tonks and Remus were sent to buy the clothes and accessories.

Harry was sad that he couldn't stay with his wife during the pregnancy. She was now having a noticeable bump to her stomach, making him wonder about the life they had created. If he was to be believed, Ginny was looking even more beautiful with a glow coming to her features. This led to him being teased mercilessly by the Weasley brothers. He didn't mind it, if he was getting rewarded by Ginny later on when they were alone.

The only interesting thing that happened during that week was that Harry got a letter from a tawny brown owl that belonged to the Ministry of Magic.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked him as he frowned over a slice of toast. Most of the occupants of the room were focused and riveted on the letter that was clasped in Harry's hand. He used his knife to slice open the official seal and pulled the letter out of the yellowish envelope. Nobody spoke as his eyes moved rapidly from side to side - they were too busy fretting that something was wrong.

When he had finished his letter, Harry looked up and gave everyone a grin. "Relax. It's from Madam Bones; she says that my charges for my breach of the Restriction for Underage Sorcery have been dropped as she feels that my actions were justified." He glanced back down at the letter before smiling to himself in amusement. "She even apologises for not finding out who sent the Dementors after me, but she is going to everything she can to hunt them down and banish the offending Dementors from Azkaban."

"She can't do that, can she?" asked Charlie as he blinked at Harry.

Remus chuckled. "Amelia Bones is quite a formidable witch. I personally wouldn't stand in her way."

As everyone began to discuss and congratulate Harry on the good news, he wondered how to let the good authorities at Ministry know that the culprit was Dolores Umbridge.

Later that night, Harry and Ginny lay in each others arms as they stared at the canopy above their bed. They were silent as they lost themselves in their own thoughts, thinking about tomorrow and their future. These thoughts had fluttered about like butterflies in their minds but they were always pushed aside to make room for positive thoughts. When they were alone from everyone else however, they allowed those thoughts to roam free and stew in their minds, creating a heavy silence that flattened their souls.

Ginny sighed as she snuggled further into Harry's arms. "You're going back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"We are going to miss you."

Harry was about to ask who was the other when he understood. He slowly caressed his hand over Ginny's stomach. He shimmied down until it was at eye-level and kissed it.

"You be good to your mummy alright. Don't trouble her too much."

Ginny snorted. "Harry, this baby is half-Weasley and half-Potter. You are expecting too much of it."

He crawled back to the head and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Then, I should say to mummy, not to take too much stress. Keep exercising and eat healthy. I will see if I can sneak out of Hogwarts before Christmas."

"Don't worry. Mum is bringing out her pregnancy kit out of the attic at Burrow."

They laid together quietly, when Ginny said gently, "We should think about names."

He paused, his hand still on her stomach, unable to look at her. "I… er… I -"

"I meant middle names," she said. "Obviously baby is going to be a James or a Lily."

He finally looked at her, once again marvelling at how well she knew and understood him. "You mean it?"

"Of course. I like them, and I'm sure we'll raise him or her to be brave enough to honour his Granddad and Grandmum."

Harry's answering smile was blinding as he pulled her in for a sweet kiss, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips as he hugged her closer. "For middle names, it's up to you."

"James Potter or Lily Potter," Ginny said after they pulled away from each other.

She kept her joyful expression as she grabbed Harry's hand and rested it on her stomach.

"Your Mummy and Daddy can't wait to meet you!"

Harry sighed happily before he lowered his head to hers, his lips brushing softly against hers before they melded together slowly and lovingly.

"I love you," he murmured to her as he pressed a kiss to her nose.

"Really?" Ginny whispered as she kept her eyes closed, feeling his lips brush softly against her cheek. "How much?"

"Oh, very, very much." he promised her as he pulled her closer to him so he could show her just how much his heart sang for her.

Harry woke up very early on the first of September. He quietly slipped out of his wife's loving embrace and laid her head from his chest to the pillow. He took a few moments to fully wake up.

He looked down at the person sleeping next to him and he couldn't help but smile. The last time he was fifteen he had pretty much ignored Ginny and they never spent anytime together. True, it wasn't entirely his fault - after all, how can you have a conversation with someone who constantly ran away after a few words? - but his heart still ached when he thought about it. Many a time over the years he had wished that he had noticed Ginny sooner, had noticed how beautiful she was with her pale skin and adorable freckles, her fiery red hair and her sparkling brown eyes…

He had never been very good at showing his affections after living in a house where the only time he was willing touched by others was when they wanted to cause him pain. He had always been wary of any kind of touch from people since then - the hugs from Hermione and Molly always left him feeling a little uncertain and trapped, and the occasional hand on his shoulder had caused him to flinch. His reactions were so small that no one noticed them and Harry had been fine, content even, to have as limited physical contact as he could.

Until Ginny that is.

When he had first started going out with her he had welcomed her touch, welcomed the way she would intertwine her fingers with his, welcomed the way she would occasionally run her hand through his hair, welcomed the way she would cuddle close to his side, welcomed the way her lips would caress his… Those small touches felt safe to him and made him feel at ease; he had loved every moment of it, even though he never realised it at the time.

Then Dumbledore had died. His stomach still twisted as he thought about when he had broken things off with her. He had felt like a cloud had hung instantly over him, like a permanent Dementor reserved just for his personal use.

That sickening feeling had lasted throughout the rest of the year when he had constantly been on the run, hiding from Voldemort and the rest of the wizarding population with a price on his head. He had found himself immersed in watching her name move across the Marauder's Map, hoping that she was safe, that she somehow knew that he was thinking of her and wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and never let her go again…

The intensity of those feelings had scared him yet he welcomed them as much as he had welcomed her. When they had finally gotten together after they had put their ghosts to rest after the war, he had felt so complete and so incredibly thankful that she could take him back after what he had done, after he had practically threw all of her affections back in her face. He had vowed to her and to himself that he was never letting her go again. And he hadn't.

Even when the media constantly hung around him, even when he was going through his Auror training, even when he had to go away on reconnaissance missions, even when they argued about the lack of time they spent together he had held on to her and held on tight. He proposed in an embarrassingly awkward way, he had married her in a grand ceremony just to make sure she was completely happy and he tried to make her happy each and every day they were together. He'd be damned a million times over if he was going to stop that now.

So what if they had been sent back in time? So what if he no longer knew what his future could possibly hold? He still had Ginny and now a child, his child, by his side - two people who he can hold onto and love forever. No one was going to take that away from him, not now and not ever.

He looked down at his wife once more and slid back beside her. Her features were scrunched up in an adorably childlike way and his heart swelled with love as he brushed some of her hair from her face.

Sighing as he looked at the clock, he quickly got ready and went to work into the kitchen to prepare one final breakfast for Ginny before leaving her behind for four months. Soon he was joined by Molly Weasley, who smiled at him. This had become a routine for both of them over the past few days. Kreacher had grumbled at first but when Harry told him he could assist in making lunch and dinner, he accepted.

The other residents slowly trudged down the stairs and soon the house was full of hustle and bustle.

"Well then, if you're finished you can get your trunks ready in the hall. We don't want to be late," Molly said as she turned to the sink to wash up. The twins rolled their eyes at her back before standing up and leaving the room. Ron grabbed the plate full of sausages and piled a few more onto his plate, ignoring Hermione's pointed look.

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand briefly before standing up and walking towards the quietly conversing Marauders.

"Sirius?" he asked causing his godfather's head to turn up to look at him. "Can I have a word with you? In private?"

"Sure, kiddo," he smiled before he stood up and, with a meaningful look towards the werewolf, he walked towards the kitchen door.

"You okay?" was the first thing that Sirius said as the living room door shut after them. Harry sighed audibly as he ran a weary hand through his hair; he was pretty sure his godfather wasn't going to like the conversation they were about to have and neither was he to be honest. Deciding to get it out of the way, Harry said what he needed to straight away.

"Don't come with us to Kings Cross." he bluntly stated as he stood by the door. The time-traveller watched with a heavy heart as Sirius' face changed from inquiring to purely shocked and then to a worryingly blank expression.

"Oh," was all he said. Harry licked his suddenly dry lips, wishing to hell that he didn't have to have this conversation. But when had the fates ever been kind to the Boy-who-Lived.

"I know it would be a good opportunity for you to get out of the house and stuff, but it could also put you in danger," Harry started to explained. He only got so far before Sirius began to brush off his words.

"I'll be in my dog form, it'll be fine," he shrugged as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the fireplace, his entire stance screaming defiance and forced nonchalance.

"No, it won't be fine," Harry carried on in a slightly exasperated tone. Sirius was already withdrawing away from the conversation and he wished that he would grow up enough to hear him out before he spat his metaphorical dummy out of the pram. "You'll be seen and recognised, Sirius."

Sirius snorted. "Oh yeah? By who?"

"Lucius Malfoy-"

"So? What can that Death Eater do about it?" Harry gritted his teeth together for a brief moment before he attempted to carry on explaining.

"It's not like I don't want you to come-"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really! It's too dangerous, Sirius! Please, stay inside the-"

"Stay inside this place?" Sirius barked out a disbelieving laugh. "Of course, it's not like I've got nothing better to do. I've gotten quite good at being stuffed in here."

Harry frowned. "Sirius you know I don't mean it like that. I understand -"

"You? Understand? You've never been locked away, have you?"

Harry opened his mouth but Sirius carried on over him as he pushed away from the wall, his face stony. "Don't worry about it, Harry. Just go off to school, I'll see you later."

Harry sighed yet again as Sirius moved towards the door, his whole demeanour strained and faked to make it seem like he wasn't bothered by their conversation though the raven haired teen knew his words had hurt him deeply.

"Sirius-"

"James wouldn't have minded." Sirius bit back at him as he opened the door. "Pity you aren't more like him."

And with that the depressed Marauder left the room, leaving a deeply hurt and frozen stiff Harry.

He was shaken out of his reverie when Molly called for him. He quickly answered, lest worry her further.

"We are ready dear," she said kindly.

"Right," Harry replied. Before he could say or do anything, he was spun around and found himself in a tight hug by Ginny. This was as difficult for him as it was for her. They hadn't been separate for more than a week since they had gotten married. It only happened when Harry was on a rare Auror mission or Ginny was on one of her promotional tours in other countries.

He kissed her gently, passionately and she responded in the same fervour. It was a testament to others that they weren't interrupted this time. Perhaps because they had blatantly showcased their relationship that it was normal for them now.

"Take care of yourself," said Harry.

"You too. Don't forget to eat regularly. Do your homework. I want more OWLS than last time," said Ginny, in a remarkably accurate impression of her mum.

"Are you practicing your mum role on me?" he grinned.

"Shh. Don't get into trouble. Look after Ron," she was fighting from breaking into laughter. "And oh, stay away from Cho!"

"Don't worry, dearest sister. We'll keep our dear brother-in-law away from the clutches of enticing witches - ," began Fred.

"And charming wizards too," George winked.

"Aye, right you are George. Our raven haired brother has universal appeal," continued Fred.

The twins had their arms round Harry's shoulders, grinning wickedly as the others laughed.

"You just keep our dear nephew -"

"Or niece safe and happy."

"Unless its twins!"

Harry's gaze snapped to Ginny's bump. This thought hadn't occurred to him. It could be twins, after all Fred and George were one pair, the other being Molly Weasley's brothers - Gideon and Fabian Prewett. He must have had a besotted expression on his face, for Ginny snapped her fingers.

"Oi, don't start getting any ideas! It's just one baby."

Harry arched an eyebrow at her, to which she responded, "Madam Pomfrey confirmed it."

"Shame, it was getting quite lonely with just us, wasn't it Fred?" He ignored the fake laughs in the background.

"Exactly George."

With once again a private farewell between Harry and Ginny, the other Weasley brothers followed. Charlie was leaving for Romania today as well. Ginny was returning to stay at the Burrow with her parents.

Harry spared one last glance at Ginny, who smiled in return.

He was off to Hogwarts.

Author's Notes : Well, the summer holidays are over. The train leaves for Hogwarts in the next chapter.