DISCLAIMER. None of the characters used are a creation of mine. They belong solely to JK Rowling.

The morning of September first found Harry trudging up his way to the headquarters for the Resistance. The soft chill of dawn settled around him as he entered the kitchen, the walls a dark shade of grey.

Around the table sat three of Harry's most trusted comrades, deep into a hushed conversation as they bit into their breakfast.

Nikolina's golden hair shimmered in the dim light as she winked at Harry.

Harry looked away promptly, still not used to her advances and the way she continuously managed to ruffle his feathers. He directed his gaze at the red haired man, 'How was the mission last night?'

Gustav huffed, 'How would I know? I was busy staying up the entire night stacking papers for you while these two,' he pointed at the snickering pair, 'got to have all the fun. Like always.'

Elian smacked the redhead lightly before he answersd, 'It went as well as it could. Nobody was alerted of our presence. We managed to get a read on him but that's all. He's quite the silent sort of a man.'

Gustav took a deep breath and got up on his feet, pouring some tea in a cup for Harry. He fished out some parchment and began, 'Thorfin Rowle. Officially active since 1974. A skilled duellist with a proficiency at fiendfyre and any other curse involving the use of fire. He also happens to be a great tactician, reportedly You-know-who's go-to man when it comes to planning attacks. Also known as his Spider. He has contacts spread throughout the Ministry with enough support. If You-know-who needs secrets Rowle is the one to gather them for him.'

Nikolina snorted, 'For Merlin's sake, Gustav, grow a bone and say the bastard's name. He's not going to eat you.'

Elian chuckled, 'Even if he did he'd spit him right out. I don't think even a snake would fancy having a taste of this idiot.'

Gustav blushed piteously red, 'I will have you know I taste quite extraordinarily..'

'Enough,' Harry muttered. 'I work with a band of baboons.'

His fingers flexed over the lionhead of his cane. He remembered the blond man well. Rowle had set ablaze Hagrid's hut back in Harry's sixth year nearly killing Fang in the process. Rowle had then managed to track down the trio along with Dolohov the night they had run away from Bill and Fleur's wedding.

'Current location?', He asked. 'Any known hideouts? Possible pressure points?'

'He's from an influential family,' Elian answered, unfazed. 'He's likely to be holed up in his manor, I'm sure. Outskirts of a city in Wales. One of his ancestors was the Minister a long time ago. Somewhere in the early eighteenth century, I believe. He will be difficult to lure out. He isn't courting anyone. His family is gone. He's the last surviving member of his House.'

'He isn't a foolish man,' Nikolina shook her head. 'He knows the Death Eaters command the government and the markets but he's also aware of the rebellious groups.'

Harry's brows furrowed in concentration, 'Target Gibbon. The two are always tagging along.'

Elian tapped his fingers against his beard, 'Well, I believe it could be easier that way. Gibbon doesn't exactly come from a lot of money. Not exceptionally powerful either. We could take them both out at once.'

Harry nodded tightly, 'I want frequent updates. I want Rowle gone by the end of the year. He's proving to be too much of a hindrance.'

'Narrowing him down is going to be one hell of a task.'

'One you can take up on.'

Gustav cleared his throat, uncomfortably, 'Er, is that all? I'm rather sleepy. I have my Missus waiting on me.'

Harry sighed exasperatedly at his friend, 'I also want surveillance on Fabian and Gideon Prewett. And nobody should know about this other than you three, you understand?'

Nikolina frowned, moving to sit closer to Harry, 'Why? They're distinguished Order members. Do we suspect them?'

Elian patted Nikolina's arm fondly. 'Don't question the boss, Nina,' he winked, his baritone voice soft, 'It's his sixth sense coming out to play again.'

Harry tuned them out, his mind painfully aware of the months to come. If Time didn't mess up the Prewett twins would die shortly. He wondered how things would change now that Dolohov was dead. Hermione had seen to it. But then there had been four other Death Eaters on the night the two had valiantly gone down. 'I have reason to believe they're being threatened,' he provided vaguely. 'Consider it protection.'

Elian mumbled, 'I don't understand. We don't directly interfere with the Order.'

'This is not about the Order. This is about two good men who are at the risk of losing their lives,' Harry explained. 'Also, Elian, Nikolina, I want you to meet with Dumbledore soon. I'm arranging for you to attend some of the Order's meetings. One of their representatives might begin attending ours. However, I want our tracking work to be kept secret at all costs. Dumbledore may have agreed upon combining our efforts against Voldemort but he remains as intent as ever on garnering a defensive stance.'

Nikolina smirked, 'As gullibly good as ever.'

Harry looked at her, not comfortable at his mentor being mocked despite his own agreement with the woman's words, 'Don't fault him, Nina. He has his reasons, I'm certain.'

Gustav cried out, 'You never send me out for all these super important missions.'

Harry chuckled goodheartedly, 'Quit complaining, Gus. You wouldn't last a day away from your wife. Be grateful or I'll be sending you out on a year long undercover job.'

Gustav spluttered for a comeback, silently fuming in his seat.

'We will keep a lookout for any possible spies. We shouldn't be ruling out any possibilities at this point. Nobody's loyalty can be accounted for,' Elian remarked.

Harry nodded, 'Wisely noted. That's all for now. I'll be seeing you tomorrow evening regarding Rowle. I will go collect some intel of my own till then.'

'Take care, boss. Voldemort's cronies are growing restless with all these thwarted efforts. They're quite alarmed.'

'That's not the biggest of my worries at present, Elian. My main concern right now is the safety of the Prewett brothers. They should not come to any harm, alright?'

The three gave their ascent before Harry spun on his heel and landed onto a familiar platform at King's Cross. He strained his eye to seek out Hermione or Rab. Walking around he felt feelings of nostalgia shoot up his mind.

The familiar sight of the Hogwarts Express was enough to send him down the memory lane.

He could almost picture himself in one of the coaches sat beside Ron and Hermione. He could imagine the Weasley twins wrecking havoc somewhere as Percy glared at them and Ginny did nothing but cheer them on.

He looked wistfully at all the excited children around him, still away from the true horrors of the world. Unbeknownst to him a smile broke out on his face at feeling the positively electric thrum of such happiness in the air.

Harry's own thrill at the prospect of Hogwarts had always been marred by the constant threat on his life. He wished he, too, could have had a normal childhood but he knew his childhood was just another casualty in the grand scheme of things.

Life had already taken care of that, he thought to himself.

He walked around listlessly, keeping an eye out for the Lestrange siblings. His feet took him along a well worn path.

He had only just begun to lean against one of the pillars when he felt someone barrel into him, knocking him off balance. He fell down onto the ground, a blur of red and a feather light weight against his chest. His hands searched around for his glasses, his fingers fumbling around helplessly.

He used the support of his cane to get up and extended an arm out to the person he assumed had run into him. With his vision still blurred he couldn't make out anything except the flame red curls in front of him.

'I am so sorry.. I didn't mean to, sir..,' he heard the girl say. There was an abrupt pause. And then. 'Wait, James! No, not sorry at all. You deserved it.'

Harry chuckled, 'Not James, let me assure you.'

His vision still hazy, he couldn't make out the girl before him but he felt her place his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and tap them lightly, 'Occulus reparo!'

Shaking his head he rubbed at his eyes. He blinked. And blinked again. He willed himself to turn away and save himself the pain but how could he make himself walk away from the one thing he had never stopped to wish for?

His breath caught as he took in the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A pressure built behind his eyes as he looked back into a familiar shade of green.

Lily Potter.

No, Lily Evans, he corrected.

There stood his mother. Her green eyes twinkling and a tad bit confused and bashful. Her lips turned into the most gorgeous smile and her cheeks a rosy shade of pink.

'I, er.. I thought you were someone else. you look uncannily similar to a friend of mine. Are you by chance related to James Potter?'

Harry felt himself tear up. His mother had the voice of an angel. Almost like the heavens were tinkering with holy bells as she spoke.

Lily prodded, 'Sir?'

Harry shook his head, fumbling with his words, 'Uh, no.. no. I'm not related to him, I'm sorry.'

Lily smiled apologetically, 'I really do feel horrible. I wasn't looking where I was going.'

'No harm done,' Harry mumbled, still reeling. He touched his glasses, 'You've righted the wrong already.'

Lily grinned and said, 'Are you waiting for someone? Perhaps I could..'

'Lily! There you are!'

Harry turned around to see a short, black haired girl step up behind his mother.

Alice.

The corners of his lips drooped down at the enthusiasm in her eyes. She was a far cry from the woman he had seen at St Mungo's and definitely worlds apart from the broken woman who had somehow realised, even in her hazy state of mind, that it was her dead son who was being paraded around the streets like a trophy.

Alice smiled brightly at him, quickly recovering from the initial shock of seeing someone look so much like her friend, 'Oh, hullo. I saw Lily very uncharacteristically run into you and wondered if I could somehow help.'

Lily frowned, 'I didn't even ask. Are you alright, Mr..?'

Harry's bottom lip almost quivered with the effort. How many people had to introduce themselves to their own mother? 'You can call me Harry.. just that.. just .. Harry.'

Lily's kind voice said, 'You look a little out of sorts, Harry. Do you want to sit down, maybe? Catch your breath?'

Harry shook his head, 'Oh, no I'm fine, really.'

Alice chimed in, 'It was a pleasure meeting you, Harry but we must be leaving now.'

Sure enough the engine croaked out the departing signal.

Lily shrugged her shoulders sadly, 'Until the next time, then, Harry.'

Harry nodded absently, still lost in the warmth his mother had just brought to him.

He watched her follow Alice into one of the compartments and disappear from sight.

With lead in his feet, he began his trip back home. As the number of the waving parents thinned out, he saw four boys clamouring up the steps to the train that had already begun rolling away from the station.

Another pang of nostalgia hit him as he watched his father and his best mates laughing as they jumped up the moving train.

'Ah, there you are,' Rab exclaimed, clapping down a hand against his back. 'You just missed her. We were waiting for you but then she had to leave. Of course though you can meet her when.. Harry, mate, what's wrong?'

Rab frowned at his still form and the unshed tears in his eyes. He followed his gaze to the group of four boys now hanging out the door, big grins split across their faces, as the Hogwarts Express echoed into the skies.

Harry hoped against hope for a miracle.. anything that would allow him to chase after the train and find himself sitting across his family only so he could watch the warm flush in his mother's cheeks and the mischievous glint in his father's eyes as Sirius goaded him into another prank and Remus scolded them with no bite in his voice.

Was it too much to ask for? He didn't want much.

Just his family.

Just someone to call his own.

Rab pulled him away lightly, his words consoling, 'Let the promise of home make you brave, Harry. You will be reunited with them one day and they will be so proud of the man you've become.'

Harry smiled sadly at him. He spared one last glance at the tiny speck that was now the train, ushering hundreds of kids back to their safe haven.

Back to Harry's safe haven.

'Until the next time,' he mumbled.

AN: This was mostly just a filler chapter.

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