Author's Note:

Well last week I lost a day somewhere and posted on Thursday because I thought it was Friday lol. And this week I thought let's give you a bonus chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Reviews and Comments: To akshutalankar: Nope, not Harry, but Sebastian. Thank you! To Tmrpotterhead250: Thank you! Unfortunately you were not the first review this time, but I still greatly appreciate the review! Yes, the calm before the storm, though this one is still a bit of a build up to the next two. Percy can definitely be sweet in his own way and he did help Hermione a great deal. Hermione getting a tattoo was exactly what she didn't realize she needed. Thanks for enjoying her being drunk and starting her path towards getting help. Yes, sometimes mind healing is not a direct path and showing Hermione struggle to get help was important to me. Neville and Hannah's shop is coming along and yes, Greg is getting more friends. I loved having Harry accidentally spill the beans to Sebastian, but you're right, he was a cabbage by wanting to update Bas. Macmillan is definitely a piece of garbage and yes while he totally deserved it, it was a bit unethical which is why Bas was suspended and he took it without complaint because he knew he was in the wrong. Haha, yes! Koala attack is exactly what Theo did! This was their first big fight and showing them overcome it was just as important. Thank you! To A Huge Fan: There was something so amazing about Bas punching Macmillan in the bollocks, wasn't there? Hermione is starting to confront her trauma. Percy giving her a wakeup call was nice, I thought. Thank you! To Read and Fly: Thank you for finding the Hermione scene sweet. Bas and Macmillan was exactly what I wanted too. Harry does still go to Remus because even though Sirius is back and as happy as he is by that, there are some things he doesn't want to change. I might make you cry a little, it's true lol. Thank you!

To scrappy8: Thank you! To Nightwing2013: Hermione was definitely having a panic attack. Ha, Remus does give good advice and no, Harry is not going to propose naked lol. Teddy is so adorable! Durant is a bit clumsy apparently. Angry Bas is definitely a BAMF, I completely agree and ha, yes, Bas is a Knight. It has been officially stated. Thank you! To Quill will 1981: Thank you! Yes, great job Bas for sure! Thank you! To TW: Thank you. To alix33: Teddy waiting for Harry is of course very cute! I love Harry and Teddy having the same reaction to carrots lol. Unfortunately Sebastian was in the wrong even though it was satisfying to see so his suspension was needed. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To Sets: Yes, Hermione was having a panic attack and yes the first anniversary of the attack on Hogsmeade was barely two months ago. Hermione being brave enough to show Deamus the scar was important and her getting drunk enough to relax was what she needed. Hermione needed the push and once she sets her mind on something, she does it. Thanks for loving the Theobas moment and yes it will be stronger than ever after the suspension. Thank you! To ellyann13: Percy being Percy was kind of what Hermione needed, some tough love. Yes, Dean and Seamus were there to help her. Yes, Harry is making friends with Greg. No, I don't think Ginny and Pansy will ever be best friends lol. I never said they don't remember being in school with Harry but being in the same building doesn't mean they knew him. The Theobas moment was needed as they both needed to express what they were worried about and their fears. Thank you! To Chelsea Greenwell: I am guilty of that, I admit lol. Major fluff followed by something's about to go down lol. Thank you! To tim2604: It was satisfying for Macmillan to get his nose broken a second time and yes, Theo will make a comment about two important men in his life being the ones to do it (Bas and Harry). Hermione did need the breakdown. No, I don't have a picture of the tattoo and unfortunately I really can't draw. As to not killing Remus or Tonks, no promises. Thank you!

To ResaThee: I'm sorry to hear you're lonely in a new country, I hope things get better soon! Thanks for loving my Theo and Bas scene and for loving the portrayal of the fight. Harry and Remus scenes are always important and Juniper was fun to write. I love writing awkward Harry lol. Thank you! To briana_t: Thank you! Yes, Neville and Greg are becoming close and now Harry is calling him Greg too. Thanks for loving Juniper and the Harry and Remus scene. Thank you! To BigMackie: Yes, Harry of course has to tell Remus he's considering proposing and of course Remus has to give him his patented advice of don't be naked lol. It was satisfying to see Macmillan get his ass beat. Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Thank you! Remus is such a great dad to Harry. Hermione finally taking steps at healing and yes, Harry being friendly with Greg. Thanks for loving Theobas and their complicated and lovable vibes while protecting each other. It has been quiet for the Death Eaters. Thank you! To AQuickRead91: Can I write five more weeks of happy lol? Um… no. But I do love all of those suggestions haha. How about some intensity instead? Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Thank you! Hermione is starting to heal. Thanks for loving Harry and Moony's conversation. Thank you! To bandhoez9194: I agree that Macmillan totally deserved that and yes, Theo now gets Bas all to himself lol. It's true, something so small can be so healing and that's exactly what this tattoo was for Hermione. Thanks for loving the change in Greg. I agree that he and Neville are both so similar and yet so different and yes, they are going to become close friends. Aww, I love knowing you've never waited so impatiently for updates before. Thank you!

My posting schedule: Weekly.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
The One Where They Start Thinking
About the Impossible

It took a few days to get things together before Harry and Ron both decided that talking to Fiadh in an official capacity was the best course of action. It was how they found themselves heading to Fred and Fiadh's home in Berwick-upon-tweed to talk to Fiadh about fae magic. Higgins and Baxter were both with them and Harry found he was feeling a little nervous to even be contemplating this.

Fred let them in with a smile and they made themselves comfortable in the living room. A tall, good looking man with hair as dark as Fiadh's gave them a nod when they entered.

"Don't know if you've met my brothers, Donal, but this is Harry and Ron," Fred said. "This is one of Fiadh's older brothers, Donal, Prince of Tara."

"Your Majesty," Baxter said, bowing his head.

"It's Your Highness," Higgins muttered under his breath. "Majesty is for the king."

"Oops," Baxter said.

Donal waved them off. "Donal is fine and who are you two?"

"Rexford Higgins and Eric Baxter," Harry said. "They're Aurors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and our superior officers."

Donal nodded. "And why are you all here?"

"No demands," Fred said, plopping a baby that Harry thought was Felicity into Donal's lap. "My house. Not yours."

Donal scowled at Fred before he smiled brightly at his niece.

"He loves me," Fred declared.

"Tolerates," Donal corrected. "I'm constantly questioning my sister's taste."

Fred grinned and Donal rolled his eyes. Harry bit back a chuckle. The two of them bickered like an old married couple and Ron had mentioned that Donal and Fred were actually very close. They'd struck up an unlikely friendship after Donal had saved his life at the Battle of Hogwarts and when Felicity and Finley were born, Donal had become a constant visitor. Harry liked seeing Fred smile and make a new friend.

Fiadh came into the room a moment later with a baby in her arms. "Sorry. Finley needed to be changed. Harry, Ron, how are you?"

"We're all right," Ron said. "Fiadh, thanks for letting us come. We were hoping to discuss some intricacies of fae magic with you."

Donal frowned. "A lot of our magic is secret."

"Donal, we've been cooperating with the Ministry of Magic to stop all of these secrets over the last few years. It's part of the new plan to be more open and cooperative as magical citizens."

"I don't like it," Donal said.

Fiadh ignored her brother. "He's a grump, ignore him. I wouldn't consider myself an expert about fae magic, but as a member of the Royal Guard, I'm definitely more familiar with using runes than the average fae. That's what Ron said you wanted to talk about, right? Runes."

"Partly," Harry admitted.

Fiadh nodded. "All right. How can we help?"

"Have you ever heard of an old story about someone named Rampara?" Higgins asked.

Donal's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Rampara?"

"Yes."

Donal's brow furrowed before he exchanged a look with his sister. "That's an old story I haven't heard in ages."

"So you do know about her?" Higgins pressed.

Fiadh shook her head. "We know of her. It was a story we heard growing up."

"More than a story, Fiadh. Our father told us of an ancestor of ours who was said to have helped forge a runic clavem for someone named Rampara," Donal said. "The problem was that for it to work, it had to be forged out of iron and that's not something that we can work directly with."

Harry frowned. "What did the runic clavem do?"

"From what I remember it was a symbol," Fiadh said. "The idea was that it was the key to Rampara's heart which was incredibly romantic to me as a young girl. Her lover wanted to help break the curse that was upon her, but it wasn't an easy thing to break. She'd been cursed for years and finding a way to cure her required more than he could give her. His love wasn't enough."

"So the lover, in his desperate need to find answers, sought out a fae to help hammer out a runic spell," Donal explained.

Harry gave them a pensive look and Baxter cleared his throat. "What exactly were the runes?"

Donal shifted Felicity in his arms, kissing the top of her head before he spoke. "A combination of things, but the main component from what I remember from the stories, is that it all centred around sacrifice."

"Yes," Fiadh agreed. "His love wasn't enough and as important as love was to the magic, it wasn't only love. The key to everything was sacrifice."

Baxter frowned. "Yeah, we keep coming back to that one too."

Fiadh exchanged a look with her brother. "Blood is always powerful and unfortunately most spells that require blood often need more than just a drop or two. Its why blood sacrifice is considered dark magic and is frowned upon in almost all cultures despite it having its uses in certain things, people believe it's always dark."

Fred was swaying side to side as he held Finley. "But this is all a myth, is it not?"

"In theory," Harry said. "But as you know all myths have some basis in fact and we thought if we could trace this story and this mysterious clavem that was helped forged by a fae centuries ago, it might lead us to something."

"About Zee?"

Harry met Fred's gaze and nodded. "Yeah."

Fred reached out to squeeze Harry's wrist. "Georgie and I will help with the research."

"It's not just about the research, Fred," Ron said. "We're trying to figure out how much of this story is based on actual fact. If this exists then where is it? Is it possible to use it? Will it even work? What would that entail to get it to work?"

"It's just an idea," Harry replied. "Something we're looking into."

They spoke more with Donal and Fiadh and learned that the fae who had originally helped with the runes had been their grandfather many times over.

"Tiernan was his name. Our brother was named after him," Fiadh said. "Tiernan Alexander, a former King of Tara. It's said that he did everything in his power to try to help Leo Coeur de Lion and that it was Tiernan's idea to try to use iron as opposed to mercury or silver because iron represented protection in the strongest degree."

"Right," Baxter said. "Iron is known to be the best for protection. It's why iron can be used against possessed spirits, against fae, and against almost every magical creature as a form of protection. Even the Muggles flock to it."

"How would it work?" Harry asked. "If iron is poisonous then how would a fae assist with it?"

"Very carefully," Donal said. "The tale goes that Coeur de Lion forged the iron key and upon it he used the symbol of his love, Rampara. He asked Tiernan for help in carving the runes into the iron. With Tiernan's help, he used the runic symbols of love, of hope, of blood, and of life. Runes are powerful bits of magic, but none of them can accomplish anything more than your average spell. Life comes with a price. Death is part of life. Rampara had lived her life even though she was cursed and despite Coeur de Lion saving her from the curse, her life had ended. There was no way to bring her back from that."

"But he did."

Donal's eyes moved to Ron's. "Yes, he did. And it cost him his own life to do so — love's sacrifice."

When they left Fred and Fiadh's place a little while later, Harry wasn't sure they'd really learned anything new at all.

~ TTTC ~

Two days later, Harry wasn't sure they'd even remotely found anything to point them in the right direction. April was already heading into its second week and Harry swore he could physically see time slipping away. He let Ron convince him to go to Berwick-upon-tweed and have dinner at Fred and Fiadh's place, but his head wasn't really in it.

It's why he was so surprised when he stepped into Fred's living room and found it full of Weasley men.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as he took a seat next to Ron on the sofa, surprised to find Charlie was even there.

Bill handed Harry a beer with a warm smile. "We decided that it was time for a brothers' night. You need a break."

Harry accepted the beer. "I don't know if I can take a break."

"You can," Ron said, taking a beer from George's hand. "You need it."

George leaned back in his chair, propping both of his legs up on the table and running a hand just under his knee where his fake leg was attached. "We know this is all getting to you, mate. I can't imagine what it's like, but we're all here for you."

Harry gave George a grateful smile before he took a sip of his beer. "Thanks."

Percy cleared his throat. "Well, since we're all here, I've been thinking about something."

"That's never a good sign," Ron said.

Percy gave Ron a derisive look before continuing. "The first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts is coming up and obviously everyone is going to be doing things concerning that officially, but I think we need to do something with Mum, as a family."

"I agree," Charlie said. "A big family dinner would certainly make her smile and it would be a nice way to remember and honour Dad."

"Yes," Percy agreed. "But Mum shouldn't be the one doing all of the cooking. We should do something for her and for Dad. He'll have been gone one year and… it would be nice to put something together in his memory."

George looked thoughtful for a moment. "What did you have in mind?"

"His name is on the Wall of Heroes at the Ministry of Magic," Harry said. "At Hogwarts, too."

"Yes," Bill said. "But Percy's right, something more personal to Mum."

"We could do a stone for her garden, like a memorial thing?" Fred suggested. "Or plant a tree."

"The stone could work," Charlie said. "Have something nice carved into it; maybe plant flowers around it. Mum would like that."

Harry sipped his beer as he watched the Weasley boys discuss their plans and he started to relax a bit. Maybe Ron had been right and he did need this night out.

"You should get Ginny's opinion before you decide anything," Harry said. "She should be a part of this conversation."

"Why?" Fred asked. "You're just going to tell her everything anyway."

"Haha," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

George grinned. "You know it's true, Harry. I'm pretty sure you two overshare with each other."

"We don't," Harry said.

Ron snorted. "Liar. I bet you know what she had for breakfast today."

Harry wanted to protest, but he'd talked to her at lunch on the mirror and she'd told him she'd had a bowl of porridge with blueberries and some yogurt. "So what if I do? We like to share our days. It's been hard having her at Hogwarts when I'm not there."

"I can't believe our little sister is going to be moving in with you in two months," Percy said. "You've corrupted her, Potter."

"Please," Fred scoffed. "If anyone's corrupted anyone it's the other way around. Gem is a spitfire. Doesn't anyone remember how she snuck him out of dinner to have sex with all of us right downstairs?"

Bill closed his eyes. "I like to pretend that my sister is still a sweet, innocent virgin, thanks."

George barked out a laugh. "Please."

"Why do you think Hermione and I are going to take Fred and George's old flat come June? I've seen and heard things that cannot be unseen," Ron said.

Harry's face flushed. "You over exaggerate."

"Could be worse," Fred said. "At least you didn't walk in on Percy being spanked. I still have nightmares."

"Piss off," Percy said. "You go on as if you've never done anything kinky in your life. I refuse to believe you're so vanilla in bed. Maybe you need a good spanking."

Charlie grinned. "I don't mind a good spanking. I once let this wizard I met in Nepal bend me over his knee and spank me. The top of his head barely reached my shoulders and that man topped me like no one ever has."

"TMI, Charlie," Bill said, rolling his eyes. "TMI."

"What? We can talk about Percy getting spanked by Audrey but I can't say I enjoyed a good spanking a time or two?"

"No," Bill said. "And we're not talking about Percy getting spanked."

"Yes, we were," Fred countered.

"No, we aren't," Percy insisted. "Why are you such a menace?"

"He needs a good spanking," George said. "I'll mention it to Fiadh. She'll put him in his place."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Enough with the spanking! I don't want a bloody spanking!"

Charlie wiggled his eyebrows. "How do you know until you've been properly spanked?"

Fred cleared his throat. "Well, maybe I would be the one to do the spanking."

Ron scoffed. "Can we please stop talking about spanking already?"

"Yes," Bill interrupted. "Ron's right. We were talking about bringing Ginny in our plans."

"And we agreed that there's no point since Harry will just tell her everything," George said. "He and Ginny share everything."

"Not everything," Harry insisted. "You lot make us out to be the same person or something."

Fred lifted an eyebrow. "You eat off of each other's plates."

"And finish each other's sentences," George said.

"And sometimes you two have a whole conversation with just looks," Bill added.

Harry shrugged. "She's… I love her, all right?"

"We know," Charlie said. "But we're just saying that some things should stay between brothers, yeah?"

Harry's cheeks heated at his words. He always got a small thrill whenever one of them called him their brother. "I guess, but Ginny should still be in on this conversation."

"She will be," Bill assured him. "But the Harpies are keeping her busy and tonight's a gents' night. No girlfriends or wives allowed."

"Speaking of wives, how is our lovely Fleur doing, Bill?" Charlie asked. "You'll have a daughter soon."

Bill's face lit up. "She's due the thirtieth and I can't bloody wait. The last few weeks she's been extremely randy. I don't know what's going on with that, but I barely come in the door and she's on me."

Charlie gave a wistful sigh. "Fuck, I miss sex."

Fred snorted. "Been a while, Charlie?"

"Longer than I'd like to admit," Charlie said. "Being a single dad is no joke. Between work and Aydin, I'm lucky if I can find time for a good wank."

"I'm sure you have a few people around the reserve that would help you out," Bill said. "You always had a few friends with benefits relationships going on."

Charlie chuckled. "Yes, I have a few, but it's still hard to find the time. The last time I had something outside of my own hand was in November. I met this gorgeous bartender and she rocked my world. The mouth on that woman was just… mmm. We shagged like bunnies."

"Five bloody months?" George exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Is your hand full of calluses yet?"

"Ha," Charlie said. "They are, but it's not from wanking, you tosser."

"A good wank never hurt anyone," George said. "I had one this morning."

"Aw, you and Angelina already losing that spark?" Ron teased. "You haven't even married her yet."

George gave his brother a wicked grin. "Nope. She watched. My fiancée's naughty like that."

"Bloody hell, that is brilliant," Ron agreed. "I watched Hermione once. It almost put me over the edge."

"Did not want to know that," Harry muttered.

"You do want to know that," Ron insisted. "In fact I should overshare more; after all, I was the one who had to hear you and Ginny going at it in your grandfather's old potions room."

Harry's cheeks flushed. "That was an accident."

"Oh, Harry. Yes, Harry. More, Harry," Ron moaned. "Talk about a mood killer."

Fred laughed. "Could have been worse, Ron. You could have walked in on Percy and seen his pale freckled arse being spanked."

Percy scowled. "Will you let it go, Fred?"

"Can't. It's been burned into my retinas. I told you. I was scarred for life."

Charlie chuckled. "Ignore him, Percy. You have a great sex life. Enjoy it."

"I do," Percy said. "But he doesn't need to bring it up all of the time."

"What about you, Harry?" Charlie asked. "Have any embarrassing sex stories to share?"

"No," Harry said, his cheeks heating.

"He's too happy to be having sex," Ron said. "Bloke was worried he'd be a virgin forever because his cock is so big."

"Ron!" Harry hissed.

Ron shrugged. "What? It's not like it's a little secret."

"It's not little at all," he mumbled, making Ron laugh.

Charlie wiggled his eyebrows. "You know, it's really not a secret, but it's not exactly talked about either. I find it interesting that you always have a glamour and disillusionment charm on." When Harry's eyes met his in surprise, he shrugged. "I swing both ways, mate. Of course I've looked."

Harry blushed when Charlie winked at him. "Can we talk about something else?"

Bill laughed. "No need to be embarrassed, Harry."

"Yeah, it could be worse," Ron said. "Theo could be here telling us how he used to fantasize about being inside of a Bill and Charlie sandwich."

Charlie choked on his beer. "Theo said what?"

Ron shuddered. "Yeah and you think Fred was scarred for life."

Charlie chuckled. "I'm flattered. Though personally if I'm going to do the whole threesome thing, I most definitely don't want my brother to be there."

"Have you?" Fred asked, his eyes widening.

"Have I what?"

"Had a threesome?"

Charlie winked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Harry cleared his throat. "Is anyone else hungry? I'm hungry. I'm going to find some food."

He escaped into the kitchen as more laughter ensued and he heard Fred demanding answers about Charlie's supposed threesome. He opened a few cupboards looking for snacks and when he found a few bags of crisps he pulled them out.

Being here with the Weasleys, with his brothers, did make him feel more relaxed. He opened one of the bags and leaned back against the counter as he crunched. They were right about Ginny. He did tell her everything and maybe they did overshare a bit too much with each other, but he loved telling her everything about his day and he loved hearing everything about hers. Even something as mundane as what she ate.

He couldn't wait for her to move in and the closer it got, the more his thoughts fluttered back to the ring he'd hidden in the sock drawer of his wardrobe. He imagined what it would be like to slip that ring onto her finger, to hear her say yes, to make her Mrs Potter…

"What's with the goofy expression?" Bill asked, reaching for the bag of crisps as he came into the kitchen. "You're thinking about Ginny, aren't you?"

Harry shrugged, unable to shake the smile from his lips. "Maybe. She makes me happy."

"You make her happy," Bill said. "The two of you bring out the best in each other. We all know it."

When Harry only reached for more crips, Bill's eyes met his.

"She's going to say yes."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, his eyes widening as they met Bill's.

Bill smiled. "I know that look. Pretty sure I had the same crazed and goofy look in my eyes until I worked up the nerve to ask Fleur. Even knowing that they love you and that they'll say yes, you're entitled to feel nervous."

"I… I'm not going to ask her just yet."

"But you will," Bill said. "My guess is it will be sooner rather than later. You're already part of this family, Harry. You have been since you first befriended Ginny before her fifth birthday, but these last few years… I can speak for all six of us when I say we're proud to call you our brother."

Harry reached for another chip, his neck heating. "I… I like knowing that I have brothers."

Bill clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good. Now, as your brother I'm going to give you a piece of advice."

Harry lifted an eyebrow in question.

"It's not in you to be cocky. It's not your style to strut around like you're a big shot and that's a good thing. We have enough of those arseholes in the world. But you are a big deal, Harry Potter. You saved the world and more importantly, you're the man who holds my sister's heart. You might not like the attention and you might not want to listen to what I have to say, but I think you using a glamour and disillusionment or whatever it is you're doing every day is overkill."

"It's not."

"It is," Bill said. "There's nothing embarrassing about having a huge cock. Now, I'm not saying that you should take it out and wave it at people unless you want to, but trying to hide it or conceal it like you do is what makes people want to know more. It's what makes people talk. If you just act normal, no one will make such a big deal out of it all of the time."

Harry swallowed. "But… won't people notice?"

"Harry, we all have bulges," Bill said. "It's part of the male body. Do women with big breasts wear glamour charms over their tits?"

"Er, no."

Bill shrugged. "Just think about it. Be proud of who you are. All of who you are. We don't get to pick and choose what we like about ourselves."

Harry reached for more crisps before he spoke. "You know, you're really good at this whole big brother thing."

Bill grinned. "I've had lots of practice. Now come on, let's bring these out to the others and we'll gang up on Fred. Pretty sure he needs to be teased the most tonight. George mentioned something about him buying some sex toy."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"You coming?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. Just going to use the loo."

Bill took the crisps with him to the living room and Harry headed down the hall to the toilet. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at himself for a long moment. Being here tonight with his brothers, his friends, it was exactly what he needed. Everything going on with Sirius and Zee and everything they weren't finding was taking it's toll on him, physically and mentally. Bill was right. He needed to focus on more important things and stop worrying about how people perceived him. He had his friends. He had his family. And most importantly, he had Ginny. Nothing else mattered.

He pulled his wand out of his pocket and before he could overthink it, he removed all of his glamour and disillusionment charms, staring at the front of his jeans in the mirror with satisfaction, tugging his tee shirt down a bit.

He had saved the world when he'd defeated Voldemort.

He was an Auror who would soon be writing his test to become an A2.

He was going ask the woman he loved to marry him when she moved in.

And he wasn't going to hide himself away anymore.

It was time he was truly open and accepting of himself. The world didn't rest on his shoulders. He couldn't control everything. He could almost hear McCraight's voice in his head.

"Be true to yourself, Harry. Know that the weights you feel have been placed by no one but yourself. Let them go."

He was starting to and it felt really good and freeing to see them slowly slipping away.

But there was one weight he wasn't ready to pull the anchor on.

He was going to save Zee. He didn't know how and he didn't know when. But he was going to save her.

"And I won't give up Uncle Sirius to do it," he whispered.

When he walked back out into the living room, Fred grinned.

"About time. We thought maybe you drowned in there."

"I was thinking," Harry said.

He sat down and Bill raised his beer to him with a smile. "And what did you conclude?"

Harry accepted the second beer from George before he answered. "That I'm going to stop hiding and find a way to save Zee."

"Hiding? When were you hiding?" Percy asked.

Charlie grinned, wiggling his eyebrows as he blatantly checked Harry over. "I think it was more what he was hiding."

Harry took a drink from his beer before he spoke. "All right, I have a big cock and I'm not hiding it anymore. Let's get it over with. Get your jokes out now."

"Is that it touching your knee?" Fred teased.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't be absurd."

George squinted. "I can't even see it. I think it was all a hoax to get us to stare at your crotch."

"You can't see his third leg?" Fred exclaimed. "Did you lose your eyesight when you lost your leg?"

"It's not a third leg," Harry grumbled.

"Looks like a rolling pin resting on your thigh," Percy said.

"More like a beater's bat," George teased.

Harry groaned. "You all over exaggerate a great deal, do you know that?"

Ron snorted. "You started it, mate."

Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Fine, but just remember, your sister fits the damn thing in her mouth."

The room was totally silent for almost thirty long seconds before Charlie barked out a laugh that had everyone else joining in. Harry found himself laughing along with them and Charlie met his eyes with a smirk.

"You really go big or go home don't you, Harry?"

He shrugged and took a drink of his beer. "I learned from the best. Now, stop staring at my groin and let's talk about this sex toy I've heard Fred purchased."

Fred gasped. "Who told? What did you hear?"

Percy gave his brother a smug look. "And you were judging me for enjoying a little spanking."

Fred blushed. "What Fiadh and I bring to the bedroom is for us only."

Charlie grinned. "She shoved a dildo up your arse, didn't she?"

"Shut up," Fred mumbled, his cheeks heating even more. "You don't know anything."

Charlie laughed. "I know it feels bloody brilliant. Enjoy it, mate."

George cackled. "How big are we talking, Fred? Like the size of a finger or something massive and more Harry-sized?"

"I hate all of you," Fred grumbled.

"Does it vibrate?" Charlie asked.

"Ooh, is it one of those ones that expand?" George teased.

"Did she put you in a cock ring yet?" Charlie asked.

Fred grabbed a handful of crisps and leaned back in his seat. "I'll have you know that fae are very sexual beings and that one touch of my woman's hand and I'm ready to go just seconds after finishing. We sometimes do it three or four times a night."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "You can't get it up three or four times a night on your own already?"

"Fuck you very much, Harry," Fred said as everyone laughed. "I'm talking every single night."

Harry shrugged. "Exactly. You're only twenty-one. Shouldn't you have more staying power?"

Charlie clinked his beer bottle with Harry's and grinned. "I have a feeling my sister's a lucky woman in bed, isn't she?"

"I'm the lucky one," Harry said. "Trust me."

And as more teasing and chatter ensued, he couldn't help but smile.

This was exactly what he needed.

~ TTTC ~

Sirius knew that he was dreaming as he let his eyes close under the warmth of the sun. He was lying naked on a towel on a beautiful white beach, the sounds of the ocean the only thing he could hear around him. He had his arms tucked behind his head, the hot sun beating on his skin and when a small golden hand slid over his abs, he smiled.

"Hey, I don't want any tan lines, woman!"

The soft chuckle near his ear made him turn his head as he found himself staring into beautiful familiar, warm brown eyes. He took in those wild curls as they rained over her shoulders and admired the bright red bikini she wore over her voluptuous curves before he snuck a hand out to trace the tattoo exposed above her breast.

"Have I mentioned how much I love seeing my name on your body?"

"You haven't," Zee said.

"Well, I bloody love it," he admitted, tracing the letters and letting his finger guide under the material of her bikini top until she slapped his hand away. "Tease."

Zee bent her head to brush her lips over his. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you more," he whispered, pulling her down on top of him. "Coming back and knowing… fuck, Zahira. It was never supposed to be like this."

"I know," she murmured. "But this isn't your fault. I tried to fight, but they overpowered me. Maybe it's my time to go."

"No," Sirius growled. "It's not. We're going to stop this. I don't know how, but Harry and I are going to stop it. We're going to fix it. Fix you."

Zee reached a hand out to stroke her fingers through his hair. He didn't even attempt to stop her or make a joke about her touching his hair, instead he turned to kiss her palm and she smiled.

"I love you, Sirius Black, but you know that if I've found a way into your dreams what that means."

"No," he insisted, tightening his grip on her hips to hold her closer to him. "I won't let you die, babe. It should be me."

"I can feel it wearing off, the potions, the… everything they did. I can feel it, Sirius. I can feel the tethers that are holding me in place weakening."

"You have to fight," Sirius told her. "You can't give up, Zahira. Please, don't give up."

Zee pressed her lips to his. "I'll fight until my last breath."

His eyes flew open, his heart pounding in his chest. He could smell her, cinnamon and vanilla, and his lips tingled from hers. He blinked back tears as she crawled out of bed, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Keep fighting, Zahira. Please, keep fighting," he whispered into the night.

He knew that he wouldn't be going back to sleep after a dream like that. So instead, he pulled on a pair of sweats and peeked his head into the nursery to check on the twins. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, just watching them sleep; listening to their breathing in the night as love swamped him. He'd never known he could love anyone as much as he had Harry, but Mina and Leo had wormed their way right into his heart in zero to sixty seconds flat. He stayed a moment longer before he he headed downstairs to make himself a cup of tea and do his own research.

While Harry was busy trying to find a way to bring Zee back, Sirius was doing the same in his own way. He'd started to explore more about his past with Mind Healer McCraight from uncovering memories about living without a soul to even uncovering memories of his time in the afterlife. He'd been doing everything he could to try to find even a smidge of evidence that could help, but so far he hadn't found anything.

Nothing except memories.

Some of them were vile as he remembered watching Crouch torture people and doing nothing to help them, but some of them, some were memories that he would cherish. He remembered visiting Zee in her dreams after he'd died. He remembered coming to her to reassure her, watching over her when he could, and he remembered doing the same with Harry. It made him feel closer to his son than he had in a while and it brought a smile to his face.

And now Zee was returning the favour.

Sirius knew with absolute certainty that she'd come to him in his dream tonight. It wasn't just his subconscious talking to him; it was her and it scared him. If she was able to come to him now, it meant only one thing — she was in fact declining and getting closer to death.

The thought of coming back from the dead only to lose her was unimaginable and yet he still didn't know how to save her.

"You and Harry both seem to be focusing on the idea that neither can live at the same time, but sacrifice isn't always the answer," McCraight claimed in their last session.

"You can call it whatever you bloody-well want to, McCraight," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "But the matter of it is the same. I was dead. Now I'm alive and she's teetering because she helped bring me back. It should be her and not me."

"Maybe," McCraight said. "But you are back, Sirius. You are alive and whole. Maybe it shouldn't be possible; maybe it shouldn't be so, but you're here. You've been given a new beginning; a third chance as you so aptly claimed."

"Seems more like a curse," he muttered. "How can I let her die so that I can live?"

"And if you die again, how is that going to affect Harry?"

And that was the crux of it, Sirius thought.

He didn't want to hurt his son.

He didn't want to walk away from Mina and Leo.

He wanted to be a father.

He wanted to live, but he didn't want to do it at the expense of Zahira and he didn't know how to process that.

His regular check-ins with the Department of Mysteries were helpful. Not only was he getting weekly check-ups by Healer Galibrath, but he was doing intense brain studies and interviews with Unspeakables and Arcanums from both the Death Chamber and the Brain Chamber. Part of him wanted to say to hell with the whole thing, but he was just as curious as they were as to how he was back and alive and walking around again with his soul fully in tact.

They poked and they prodded him and he did his best to answer all of their questions, but in the end, no one really had any answers.

The papers were full of articles about his return from the dead and his apparent "hiding out in America" for the last few years while he worked "undercover in the war effort." He ignored them for the most part as he understood it was the best way to explain his return without raising too many questions. He spent his days with his children and when they went to nursery school, he went to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to talk more with the Aurors, to be interviewed and studied in the Department of Mysteries, to talk with Auden McCraight, or to sit by Zee's bedside.

And when he needed more, he went to McGonagall where he let her wrap him in her arms and he cried.

Then when Harry came to Black Cottage to fill him in after work, he tried to stay positive as he listened. He asked Harry about Ginny and Ron, checked in with him as regular as he could, and tried to keep it all together.

But he was barely holding on.

"I'll fight until my last breath," Zee's voice echoed in his mind and he closed his eyes, wrapping his hands around his cup of tea.

"And I'll fight for you until mine," he whispered into the night.

~ TTTC ~

Harry was running out of time. Between trying to figure out more about the mysterious runes used on the key given to Rampara and trying to keep up on how Zee was doing at St Mungo's, things were not looking good. They'd even brought Sebastian, Jin, and Durant in to see if they could help, but the MIA Aurors knew even less about this old story than they did.

In the interim, Harry helped Remus and Tonks celebrate Teddy's first birthday. Hannah made Teddy his own little cupcake which he poked with his finger before finally digging in with gumption. When he got his first taste of chocolate, his whisky coloured eyes widened to saucers and he was a huge mess when he was done.

McGonagall attended the little party thrown in Teddy's honour along with Sirius, Mina, Leo, Sorcha, Colt, and Flo. Remus brought Ginny from Hogwarts and Harry held her hand in his while they sang happy birthday and helped Teddy open presents with big smiles.

But Harry's mind was preoccupied with the case.

When he wasn't losing himself in research with Higgins, he was studying. Tonks and Higgins took it in turn to quiz him and they both agreed that he was ready to write his examination to become an A2 on the thirtieth of April. Harry was both excited and terrified to do it.

"I know you probably think stopping to write an exam amidst all of this seems ridiculous, but you deserve to be an A2, Harry," Tonks told him. "You've earned it and I want to see you succeed."

Ron wrinkled his nose when Harry told him. "Wow, you're going for it, eh?"

Harry nodded. "I am. It'll be eighteen months or more before I can even consider trying for an A3, but I'm ready for this one. You?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, I'm not ready yet."

Harry knew that Ron was anxious to be an A2 with him, but Ron and Baxter had both agreed that Ron wasn't there yet. Ron needed to close a few more cases and if he kept up his pace, he would write his own A2 exam in September. It made Harry a bit sad to think of himself moving ahead of Ron, but he knew that they would eventually get to be at the same level and then maybe they could even be partners one day.

After spending a good portion of his day talking about runes with Professor Kashif and then with Prince Donal again, Harry decided that they really needed to go back to talk to Dumbledore and McGonagall about the story. April was almost over and Harry knew that they had to try everything they could.

By the time they made it to Hogwarts, Harry felt like they were onto something just as much as they were wasting their time. McGonagall leaned back in her chair behind her desk when they stepped into the Headmistress' office.

"Harry, Higgins, this is becoming a regular thing."

"We just miss you, Auntie Minnie."

"Mmm," McGonagall said. "What can I do for you boys?"

"We've been talking to Prince Donal and Princess Fiadh of Tara about the story of Rampara that Dumbledore told us the other day," Harry began. "After talking to Robards and Shacklebolt about it, Kingsley believes that there might be something more to the story that we need to find. Professor Kashif's knowledge of the runes is still leaving us with more questions."

"Like what?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, for one thing, all stories are based on some semblance of fact," Harry said. "Fiadh said that it was their multi-great-grandfather, Tiernan Alexander, who was the original fae from the story."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow at that before she turned to look towards Dumbledore's portrait. "What do you think, Albus?"

Dumbledore peered down at them from his portrait on the wall. "I find it fascinating that they have a record of the fae who assisted them. It certainly makes the story strike more true than fiction."

"Professor, here's the thing. We're getting closer to the wire here," Higgins began. "We have less than a week left before the potions that were given to Zacarias begin to officially wear off and when they do, we're going to lose her. Six months they said and that's next week. If there's even the smallest chance that something like this can work, we need to take it."

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "I like to think that it could work, but that iron clavem that was created to break the curse was lost centuries ago. No one's ever seen it, Harry. It was believed to be lost after Richard the Lionheart's death and there's never been any sign of it again."

"How did the key work exactly?" Harry asked. "He used his blood of course and it had her hair in it but… what did it do?"

"It was a bond forged out of love," Dumbledore said. "Pieces of her and pieces of him mixed into the protective core of the iron. The key symbolized the lock needing to be broken on the curse and the the lion symbolized the protection that he was willing to give her."

"And the key did that?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "It did all of that and it broke the curse, it brought her back to her true self. However, she'd been alive for so long under the curse's influence that her body had to play catchup and that's where things went wrong. She was meant to die so Leo gave up his own life to save hers."

Harry shook his head. "But Rampara lived centuries, Zee's only been a few months in coma. It's not the same."

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "But nothing comes without a price."

"We keep coming back to the same conclusion and that's what I'm not liking. I won't sacrifice Sirius to save Zee. I won't watch him die again," Harry vowed.

"Harry," McGonagall began.

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "No one even knows where this bloody key is anyway. We'll find another way."

"Maybe we can forge our own," Higgins began.

"No!" Harry repeated. "I won't sacrifice Sirius to save Zee, Rex. I won't! We have to find another way!"

Then he turned and stormed out of the office, his heart pounding in his chest. Higgins caught up with him at the bottom of the staircase and he sighed.

"I'm sorry. It was out of line to storm out like that."

"Nah," Higgins said. "It seems to me like you needed it. I can't imagine how hard this is for you, Harry. It's hard on me not knowing how to fix this. The problem with us Aurors is that we all tend to have a saving people complex. I refuse to believe that we can't find a way to help her."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "I don't want to believe it either, but we're running out of time, Rex. There's no evidence that says killing Sirius will help her, not now, not when he's… come back."

"Yeah," Higgins said. "But I think we both know it's also the only thing we have that is most likely to work."

Harry sighed loudly just as an arm slipped around his waist. He smelt honeysuckle and something floral and he turned to smile at Luna.

"Hi, Luna."

"Harry," Luna said, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I can feel that you're covered in Nargles."

"There's a lot going on," Harry admitted.

Luna stared at him for a moment before she simply wrapped her arms around him. Harry pulled her close, feeling a bit calmer as she hugged him. "You need to let yourself relax and just take a moment to breathe."

"I agree," Higgins said, making Luna turn to look at him. "Rexford Higgins, Harry's partner."

"Luna Lovegood, Harry's friend."

Harry kept his arms wrapped around Luna and did as she suggested. He let a deep breath in, inhaling her soft calming scent, and then a deep breath out again. He did that a few more times until he finally was able to feel like he could breathe properly.

"Thanks, Luna."

Luna stayed in his arms. "Just keep holding on. We'll adjust your aura a little."

Harry didn't know if he really believed Luna could do that, but holding her definitely helped. She just had this innate goodness about her that was calming and reassuring. He rested his chin on the top of her head and Higgins cleared his throat.

"I'm all for adjusting one's aura, but we really do need to think about what step to take next. After all, we are running low on time."

"To save Zee?" Luna asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, to save Zee."

Luna tilted her head back to look up at him. "You will find a way, Harry. I would never doubt it."

"I appreciate the confidence, Luna, but right now, I feel like I'm not even remotely close to finding a way and we're running out of time."

"You will," Luna assured him. "I know it."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "Come stay with Ginny and I before you take off for the summer."

"A day or two," Luna promised. "I'm set to write my PLANTS in a few weeks and then I'm bound for travelling. I'm hoping to get a job at the Ministry that gives me freedom to travel."

"Herbologist then? You've decided."

"Naturalist," Luna stated. "But herbology will be a big part of it."

"You'll be amazing at that."

Luna smiled and pressed her lips to Harry's cheek. "Remember, Harry, good things come to those who wait."

"But it's… it seems impossible, Luna. I don't know what I'm doing."

Luna's blue eyes twinkled in mischief. "Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast, Harry. You know the secrets. You begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: Then stop."

His lips curved. "Thanks."

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. You've already proven the impossible to be possible, don't give up now."

Then she pecked his cheek once again and skipped off, leaving them alone in the hall and Higgins lifted an eyebrow.

"Bit of a mad one, isn't she?"

"I was always told the best people are," Harry said. "But she's right. When Uncle Sirius came back, no one thought we could save him, but I did. When we found Zee, we thought she was dead, but she wasn't and by all impossible counts, she should be. I won't give up, not yet."

Higgins put a hand on Harry's shoulder and nodded. "All right. Then let's start thinking about the impossible."

Harry let out a slow sigh. "All right. Where do we begin?"

"More research," Higgins said.

"What else can we learn?" Harry demanded. "We know that Richard the Lionheart died in April of 1199 and any mention of the key he received from Rampara is no where to be found. Some people claim he left it with a lover, a woman named Madeleine and others claim he left it with his other lover, a man named John, but there's no evidence of either."

As he spoke, Harry felt like time was flying by faster and faster and as each day passed, Harry couldn't help but think that their chances of saving Zee were getting slimmer and slimmer by the minute. He spent more and more time talking to McCraight and less time sleeping as nightmares plagued him.

Every morning he woke up feeling more anxious and like time was slipping through his fingers. He stopped at St Mungo's every day before work to see Zee and each day that Tiberius told him she was declining, his heart stopped.

He didn't know what to do and time was running out.

"We keep looking," Higgins insisted, dragging Harry from his dark thoughts. "We're not giving up. Now, do you think McGonagall would mind if we used the Hogwarts library?"

"No," Harry said. "But Madam Pince might. Come on. Let's see what we can find."

~ TTTC ~

Ginny was studying in the library when Luna slid into the seat next to her. She gave her friend a bright smile before she turned back to finish reading the paragraph she'd been on in her Muggle Studies textbook. She was currently learning about Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister along with the Miner's Strike of 1984. When she finished, she turned to smile at Luna again.

"Sorry, I didn't want to lose my spot."

Luna only gave her a dreamy look. "I understand. I just ran into Harry. He was speaking to Professor McGonagall with his partner, Higgins. Higgins is very attractive. Of course, he's not quite as attractive as Harry, but he has a kind smile."

"He does have a kind smile," Ginny agreed. "And he's very nice. He and Harry make a great team. Did he say why they were here?"

Luna shook her head. "Not specifically. They're still trying to figure out how to save Zee."

Ginny nodded. "Yes, that has been the core focus of their investigations as of late."

"I think they've just been looking in the wrong spot," Luna said. "Harry needs to think outside of the box."

"Luna, don't you think everything about this whole case is outside of the box? I mean, they brought Sirius back from the dead without his soul. Harry retrieved his soul and returned it to him and Sirius miraculously survived the ordeal. They cut Zee's heart out of her chest, but she somehow didn't die because of this potion and Slughorn and Borage were able to heal her and now… her six months are almost up. May third is six months to the day that everything went down and that's barely two weeks away. The potion is already leaving her body and my cousin said she's starting to show signs of destress. What part of any of this makes sense?"

"Everything," Luna said simply. "The Death Eaters did all of this to hurt Harry, but really they've given him something that no one else will ever get to have — his family back. Harry doesn't give up, Ginny. Not ever. If anyone can do this, he can."

"I believe that," Ginny agreed. "But how?"

Luna pursed her lips. "When the time's right, we'll know."

Ginny let out a long sigh. She loved Luna, but sometimes her friend's advice was anything but helpful.

The conversation veered off towards Luna writing her PLANTS in a few weeks and Ginny's plans to write her NEWTS. They were discussing Luna's plans of travelling when Colin slid into the seat next to Ginny.

"I swear, we were so much smarter when we were first years. Some of these kids are just complete wankers," he complained.

"Head Boy duties getting stressful?" Ginny teased.

Colin rolled his eyes. "I'd like to give it up completely."

"Barely two more months," Ginny said. "Then it will all be over."

"I can't wait," he admitted.

"Aren't you a bit sad to say goodbye?" Ginny asked.

Colin shook his head. "No. Hogwarts has been my home for seven years and I don't regret any of it, but this year… I mean, you know how hard it's been. I see Dennis everywhere and… I'm ready to get out of here."

"Me too," Luna admitted. "I'll miss school and classes, but I'm looking forward to setting out to travel."

"Where are you going?" Colin asked. "Did you decide yet?"

"Mostly," Luna replied. "I've been talking to Dad and I'm going to head out to New Zealand first. He knows someone who works on the reserve out there who will introduce me to some other Naturalists. Once I've written my PLANTS, I think I'll apply to the Ministry of Magic to see if they have any travelling positions."

Colin wrinkled his nose. "I still don't know what I want to do."

"You're a photographer," Ginny said. "A brilliant one."

"Yeah," Colin said. "I am, but I don't know what I want to do with it yet. I mean, I don't think I want to work for like the Daily Prophet. I think I'd like to travel as well. I've been thinking about it more and more. Mum and Dad are talking about selling the house. Mum can't stand the memories it brings and… I'll be done school. I think I might just set out for myself and just… travel."

Ginny's eyes widened. "That sounds amazing, Colin."

"I think so," he admitted. "I don't know where I want to go first, but I'm going to take photos of everything and maybe I can sell a few, help my expenses."

"Wow," Ginny said, resting her head on her hand as she looked at her friend. "So you're both just going to take off after exams?"

Luna smiled. "And you'll be moving in with Harry."

Ginny blew her hair out of her eyes. "Things are really changing."

Colin reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I'll write, promise."

"I'd like to travel," Ginny admitted. "The only places I'm travelling lately is to different pitches around Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales."

"Still counts," Colin said. "And hey, you know if you mention it to Harry, he'll make time to whisk you off somewhere. That man will give you anything you ask for."

Ginny smiled. "I know. I don't know. The season has been going great and so far we still stand a chance of making it to the playoffs, but if not, I'll be free for the summer. Harry will still be working."

"Everyone gets a holiday, Ginny," Luna said. "And even if he is working, you can always come out and meet Colin and I somewhere. It would be nice if we met up."

Colin nodded. "That would be nice. We'll have to have a get-together with Theo before we both leave."

"Yes," Ginny agreed. "I want that."

"Good," Colin said. "Now, Luna, I've been meaning to ask you. Was that really Channing I saw you coming out of the broom cupboard with last night?"

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Channing White? I thought you two broke up!"

"We did," Luna said. "But I was randy and well… it was fun."

Ginny shook her head. "You're incorrigible."

Luna smiled. "We're almost finished Hogwarts forever, Ginny. Sometimes, you have to make your own fun."

Colin chuckled. "Yeah, I can agree with that. I met up with Blaise during the last Hogsmeade visit."

"Zabini?" Ginny asked in surprise.

Colin nodded. "What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment and he has a really great cock. He took me to his flat in London and shagged me over the side of his sofa. It was exactly what I needed to destress a bit."

Ginny could understand that. She could use a little stress relief herself if she was honest, but the last two weeks had been much too hectic and she and Harry had barely managed to meet for a quick snog.

"What is Zabini?" Ginny asked, lifting her eyebrow. "He just… does everyone?"

Colin chuckled. "He claims a hole is a hole. I get the impression he prefers women, but he's willing to do anyone if it means he's going to get off."

"He's a bit a whore," Luna said. "And he owns it."

"He definitely does," Colin agrees. "It's why I wrote to him to see if he wanted to hook up. He was very interested. He only has a little bit of schooling left himself before he's an advocatus. He'll make a good one."

Talk turned to the newspaper as it often did and Colin lowered his voice as he asked Ginny how Harry was dealing with the stories being spun around Sirius' return. The Ministry of Magic, specifically Kingsley Shacklebolt, had leaked a story last month about Sirius having faked his own death in 1996. The story was that he'd pretended to die in the Department of Mysteries and had then moved to America to live with Muggle relatives of Zee while working undercover with MACUSA to assist in the war effort to prevent anyone from learning the truth. The controversy it had sparked had caused constant whiplash between people calling him a coward, to being incredibly brave, and others wanting to know how he'd been contributing to the war.

"The Auror Department has issued a statement about him working in secret with them and it looks like most people are buying it. The ones that know the truth are just friends and family and of course the people involved in the investigation," Ginny explained. "They obviously won't say anything because of the case file and because it's so… unbelievable."

"Is the Department of Mysteries still studying him?" Luna asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. He's been doing interviews and doing a check-in with a healer there once a week. It's all very surreal."

"It makes sense," Colin whispered. "If people knew that he was brought back from the dead… I'd give anything to bring Dennis back."

"Not anything," Ginny whispered back. "I wish my father was back more than anything, but what they did… Colin, it's awful. We don't even know if Zee will make it and Sirius is…"

"Yeah," Colin said, blinking back tears. "I know. I get it, but if others knew…"

"That's why it's being kept under wraps," Ginny told him. "You and Luna have been sworn to secrecy."

Colin smiled and draped his arm over the back of her chair, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Your secrets are always safe with me, Ginny. All right, enough of this sad talk. I want to hear about how you kicked arse in your match against Pride of Portree."

Ginny laughed. "We lost."

Colin wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, but you're still kicking butt this year. Could be worse, you could have lost to Chudley."

Luna gave them a dreamy smile. "Let's not say that when Ron's around."

The three of them grinned and Ginny launched into talking about her latest match and what the team was expecting when they went up against the Wimborne Wasps tomorrow. It was the exact little break Ginny needed, enjoying the time with her friends in the school library.

~ TTTC ~

McGonagall stared at the door for a long time once Harry and Higgins had disappeared out of it. Nyx came over and rested her head on her knee and McGonagall reached down to run her fingers over her cat's cheeks and behind her ears as she purred in contentment. She wasn't sure how long she sat there before Dumbledore's portrait cleared his throat.

"I know that look."

McGonagall looked up to meet the eyes of the portrait. "Do you?"

"Why didn't you say anything to Harry?"

She shook her head. "I didn't want to get his hopes up if I was wrong."

"You're not wrong, Minerva," Dumbledore said softly. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," she said. "Sirius is… he's an amazing man and he deserves to have the life that he never dared dream for himself. He found himself. He made his own family. He made his own choices. He spent four years in prison, raised Harry as his own, and when he finally falls in love and has children it all falls apart."

"Life isn't always fair."

"No," McGonagall agreed. "It's not. I had a chance at that too and I… I pushed Stone away."

"You gave him a chance."

"Too late," McGonagall replied. "Albus, if I had given him a chance when he first offered it, we could have had years together. Maybe we would have had children. But I pushed him away and only valued his friendship and when I finally realized what I had… we only had a few short years together before he was taken from me."

"Life isn't always fair, Minerva," Dumbledore repeated.

McGonagall shook her head. "No, it's not. But Sirius is… he's the son I always wanted, Albus. He wheedled his way into my heart and he gave me a family. I can't watch him lose his."

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "I've always admired you, Minerva, but you don't know what you're saying."

"I do," McGonagall insisted. "I really do."

"Well," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes meeting hers from his portrait. "Are you sure he still has it?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I know it."

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles in his portrait. "All right. Then let's make sure we know that it's going to work. We have work to do."

~ TTTC ~

Crouch was tired of hiding. It had been over a month since Belladonna had been arrested and he and Bellatrix were doing everything they could to stay hidden. To make matters worse, the papers were spreading some bullshit story about Sirius having been hiding out in America for the last three years, but now he was back.

Sirius had obtained his soul and Potter had him back.

It made Crouch want to kill something very, very badly.

Bellatrix mumbled something and he shot her an angry look.

"Stop mumbling over there."

"Stop pouting in the corner."

Crouch frowned. "We need to stop hiding, Bella. It's time we make a move."

"I don't know what kind of move we can make," Bellatrix admitted. "Even if we manage to get out there, to kill who we want to kill, we're not going to be able to get away again."

"You don't know that," Crouch protested.

Bellatrix growled. "Brambilla may have been a bitch, but she was better at keeping things together, Bart."

"We can still do your plan," Crouch insisted. "We just have to find a way to get to the Lupin family. Rumour has it that Lupin brings the boy to the school with him."

"Sneaking into Hogwarts again is impossible," Bellatrix mumbled.

"Not impossible. Just difficult. I need to kill something, Bella. I need to do more than hide out in abandoned buildings. We need to finish the plan."

"Without Sirius we'll never get to Potter."

"Maybe not," Crouch said. "But that doesn't mean we still can't hurt him in other ways. You said he's close with Lupin and his baby after all."

Bellatrix's eyes gleamed in the darkness. "What are you thinking, Bart?"

Crouch's evil smile made Bellatrix shudder. "We take out anyone in our path."

"I won't go back to Azkaban," Bellatrix told him.

"We won't," Crouch assured her. "But I won't let Potter escape pain free either. Understand?"

"Yes," Bellatrix said. "Did you read this?"

Crouch looked at the Daily Prophet she held up that spoke about the upcoming plans to celebrate the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and memorialize the death of Voldemort and honour the fallen. It was next Sunday and it made him frown.

"I can't believe it's been almost a year since they took him away from us."

"Me neither," Bellatrix admitted. "Hogsmeade."

"What?"

Bellatrix's eyes gleamed. "I just remembered, Hogsmeade. The Shrieking Shack has a secret tunnel that leads to the Hogwarts grounds. Pettigrew showed it to me. We can go through there. You're right. If we can't get to Potter, we can still hurt him."

"Good. Now, let's find some homeless Muggle so I can get out some of my aggression first. If I don't torture someone soon, I'm going to go mad."

"You are mad," Bellatrix told him.

Crouch's eyes gleamed. "Yes, dearie. Now find me a man. We'll take turns fucking him while I torture him."

Bellatrix dusted herself off with her hands as she stood. "I'll see what I can do."

Then she disappeared into the night, leaving Crouch licking his lips in anticipation of what she would return with. No, he wasn't going to let Potter win, not again. They would kill Remus, Dora, and Teddy Lupin. They would make them suffer and watch Potter grieve them.

And then he would kill Potter himself.

~ TTTC ~

Sirius watched Harry share the latest news with disappointment and guilt in his eyes and it took everything inside of Sirius to keep him from crumbling. He knew that Harry was feeling it: The pain of watching what he wanted disappear. Sirius had been doing his best to fit in, to raise his children, and to be the man who Harry knew him to be and wanted him to be, but to do that when the woman he loved was comatose had been a task he didn't want.

Sitting by Zee's bedside, holding her hand and kissing her fingers as he told her how much he loved her and what she was missing just wasn't enough. This was her life; her chance — not his.

Sirius reached out a hand to squeeze Harry's shoulder. "Stop blaming yourself. You're not to blame for any of this."

Harry blinked back tears. "I thought we could do it, Uncle Sirius. I thought after you got your soul back, this had to be easier, but it's not and time's running out."

It was.

In the last three hours, Zee's body had already begun to show signs of distress. Sirius had spent most of his afternoon sitting by her bedside, his heart pounding anxiously in his chest as Healer Tiberius Weasley told him that her brain was functioning normally as was her heart, but the potion she'd ingested was slowly wearing off.

"In theory, the potion should enable her to simply wake up on her own," Tiberius told them. "However, because of the damage done and the flow of dark magic, it's not that simple. I really can't say what will happen when the potion completely leaves her system."

"So she could wake up and be all right?" Harry asked, his eyes hopeful.

Tiberius shook his head. "Unfortunately, Harry, it won't be that easy. That I can say for sure. The next seventy-two hours are going to be critical."

Sirius knew that. Dark magic wasn't to be trifled with and obviously his batshit cousin wouldn't do something that would give Zee a chance at survival. They'd searched high and low for some kind of miracle, but nothing had been found.

The only break that Harry had even taken from looking was to sit down and write his exam to become an A2 this morning. He wouldn't get his results for a few more weeks, but he knew that it was the only time Harry had actually stopped trying to find a way to save Zee. He wasn't sleeping enough and he was even talking about trying to create his own key in some way, but no one had any answers.

They were both getting desperate.

Sirius had even gotten desperate enough yesterday to press his lips to hers for a long soft kiss. He teased his tongue along the seam of her lips, trying to revive something in her like a fairy tale's cure with true love's kiss, but she stayed frozen and unresponsive and he crumbled next to her with tears rolling down his cheeks.

McGonagall found him crying outside of her room and wrapped him in her arms. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"She's everything, Minnie. Everything."

McGonagall kissed his forehead and held him as he cried.

Now as Sirius watched Harry begin to realize that there was no way to save her, he moved to sit next to his son on the sofa. Mina and Leo were asleep upstairs and the cottage felt comfortable, warm, and still like a huge part of their home was missing. Sirius slipped his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"It should be her. She's the one who deserves this life, to be the mother you, Mina, and Leo deserve. I'm not supposed to be here."

"But you are here!" Harry exclaimed. "I got your soul back and you're back now."

"I am," Sirius said slowly. "I'm back, but at what cost, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No. We don't know that it would even work. It's all hypothetical and even then, there's no evidence to prove that it's even logical."

"It's not what I want," Sirius told him, gripping the back of Harry's neck as he pulled him close. "I want to be here to watch you give Ginny that ring. I want to see you marry her, have your first baby. I want to watch Mina and Leo grow up, get their Hogwarts letters, fall in love. I want to be here for all of that, but I'm not supposed to be. I died, Harry. I died and the dead aren't supposed to come back."

"No," Harry whispered into Sirius' shoulder. "I won't let you."

"Prongslet, I love you," Sirius murmured into Harry's hair. "I love you more than anything in the whole world. You might not be mine by blood, but you're my first baby. Getting the chance to watch you grow, to see you smile and fall in love… it was the best gift I ever could have received. After losing James and Lily and then going to prison for a crime I didn't commit… I didn't deserve someone as good and as pure as you in my life. But we made a good team, you, me, and Moony. We made a life and meeting Zee… she came in and knocked me for a loop. Her bloody panther comes running up the drive like a bat out of hell and I barely stun the thing before this short, feisty, beautiful, curvy woman is marching towards me and taking my head off for hurting her bloody cat. I think part of me gave her my heart in that very first moment."

"Uncle Siri…"

Sirius shook his head. "I want to marry her. I want to make an honest man out of me for once in my life. I want to have the hypothetical white picket fence and the bloody happily ever after. I want to grow old with her. I might not even complain about a white hair or two."

Harry snorted.

Sirius slapped his shoulder lightly. "Okay, maybe not the white hair, but the rest is all true."

Harry lifted his head to meet Sirius' eyes. "We have to find a way to get you that, Uncle Sirius. We will find a way."

Sirius framed Harry's face in his hands. "No, Harry. We won't. Sacrifice is the key to this whole thing and it always was. I was given a third chance to come back, to see the man I raised and to get to know my children. This charmed life isn't meant to be mine; not anymore."

"So you're just going to make me watch you die again?" Harry demanded. "You're going to make me bury you a second time? What if it doesn't even work? What if you die and Zee just… wastes away? What about Mina and Leo? What about me?"

Sirius pressed his lips to the top of Harry's head. "You are the strongest man that I know and I'll never really leave you. I will always be right here, in your heart. I'll always be watching over you."

Harry shook his head, tears blurring his vision. "No! No, Uncle Siri, please don't go."

Sirius blinked back his own tears. "I have to, Prongslet. You know it. It's the right thing to do."

"Bollocks!" McGonagall exclaimed from the doorway, startling them both apart. "That's bollocks, Sirius Orion Black!"

Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "Minnie, I don't think I've ever heard you say bollocks in my life. I'm shook."

"Pishposh!" McGonagall said, waving him off. "I will not stand back and watch you throw your bloody life away just because of some pesky moral compass declaring that your time ended. You're back, Sirius. You're back and your son went to a great deal of length to return you to your true self. Are you telling me that after all of that you really think Zee will be accepting of your sacrifice?"

"She'll be alive," Sirius said. "Everything will be back where it's supposed to be."

"Maybe," McGonagall replied. "But sometimes life isn't always black and white. Not if you find the lock. Harry, do you still have that key I gave you?"

Harry wiped at his tears with the back of his hand before he reached into his pocket to pull out the ornate iron key that McGonagall had once told told him promised protection. He placed it flat into the palm of his hand and held it out to her.

McGonagall made a Scottish noise in the back of her throat before she nodded. "Good. Meet me in my office in twenty minutes."

Then she turned on her heel and left them alone.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Harry. "What in bloody hell was that about?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted, but he was starting to get a familiar fluttering feeling in his gut that felt suspiciously like hope.

He turned to hug Sirius tightly again, not wanting to let his father go and Sirius held him without a word.

~ TTTC ~

Harry wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. The key that McGonagall had given him was supposed to give him protection and her wanting it back definitely made him wonder on it. Of course, his mind did immediately go there, but that would be too unbelievable. After all, he couldn't have been holding Rampara's key in his pocket this whole time, could he?

But as they stood inside of the headmistress' office at Hogwarts, he was starting to wonder. He watched as McGonagall carefully examined the key in her hand with a great deal of scrutiny. After almost five minutes of this, Harry cleared his throat.

"Um, Auntie? What are you looking for? Do you think that's really the key?"

McGonagall didn't answer him right away. Instead, she held the key up to Dumbledore's portrait.

"It makes sense, doesn't it, Albus?"

Dumbledore gave a curt nod. "Yes, Minerva. It does."

Harry wrinkled his brow. "What makes sense? What's going on? Is that the key?"

The door to McGonagall's office opened and Tiernan and Donal Alexander both strolled through. Tiernan moved up the steps to stand before them and his eyes fell on the key.

"You really do have it," he whispered.

"Have what?" Harry demanded.

Sirius reached out to cover Harry's mouth to stop him from talking. "Minnie?"

Tiernan cleared his throat and pointed to the key on McGonagall's desk. "That is Rampara's Key."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Rampara's Key?"

Harry pushed Sirius' hand away from him. "Wait, are you saying that I've had it the whole bloody time? How come you didn't say anything? I've been carrying it in my bloody pocket!"

"I didn't know," McGonagall admitted. "Not at first. It wasn't until you were here last with Higgins that I started to wonder. This key has been passed down in my family for generations and we never could figure out what it opened. All we knew was that it offered protection to whoever held it. The Rampart Lion was a symbol of bravery and strength and it was something that the McGonagall name prized. I had no idea that the reason why it didn't unlock anything was because it was the very key to Rampara's heart."

Harry frowned, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he'd been carrying the key that was the solution to their problems this whole time. "So you're saying that key… it's what we've been looking for? It can save Zee?"

"Yes," McGonagall said. "Harry, my many times over great-grandfather was John William McGonagall and according to the stories, he not only fought by the side of Richard the Lionheart, but was one of his secret lovers."

Harry exchanged a nervous look with Sirius before he cleared his throat. "His lover?"

McGonagall nodded. "Family legends claim that he fell in love with Richard and when he married his wife, it was Richard who held his true heart. The key came from John McGonagall who claimed it had protected him in battle. He's the one who passed it down to his son and so on."

"Look at the key, Harry," Dumbledore said from his portrait. "Not only does it have the Rampart Lion, but it's made of iron."

"And it shimmers in light with a hint of gold," Harry said, his eyes on the key. "Just like Rampara's hair was supposed to."

Tiernan turned his gaze to Harry. "Iron is poison to the fae. It's what killed my brother over two years ago in Hogsmeade, but iron is also a very powerful metal. It's used for protection and often channels that protective strength from the metal itself. It's why it's so important because magical beings like the fae cannot touch it."

Harry frowned. "Then why are you here?"

"Because when that key was forged, it was my ancestor, the future king of Tara, who helped make the key into its true purpose."

"What purpose is that?" Sirius asked.

"A totem," McGonagall said, her eyes on Sirius'. "A very powerful totem that can be used to transfer one life for another."

Harry's eyes ping-ponged between the key and Sirius. "No!"

Sirius grabbed Harry's hand in his. "Harry."

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Prince Tiernan and Prince Donal know the magic that's needed to make the transfer complete. The two of them are going to help us."

"On the condition that the key is given to us when it's done," Tiernan corrected. "An object that powerful needs to be melted down and destroyed. The power of life and death falling into the wrong hands…"

"Agreed," McGonagall said.

"We'll need an hour or so," Donal said, speaking for the first time. "We should meet with your woman."

Sirius squeezed Harry's hand. "All right. I'll get my affairs in order. Harry, will you ask Remus snd Tonks to meet us in Zee's hospital room in say… two hours?"

"That will suffice," Donal said.

Harry nodded, half in a daze. He turned to look at Tiernan who was examining the key carefully from a distance.

"Tiernan? I mean, your highness?"

Tiernan's lips twitched. "Tiernan is fine."

"Tiernan," Harry said again. "Are you sure that this will work?"

The fae turned his handsome face towards him, eyes as green as an Irish meadow meeting his. "Without a doubt."

Sirius nodded as Tiernan and Donal turned to leave. "We'll meet you in Zee's hospital room, Minnie. You'll bring the key?" When she agreed, he turned to Harry. "Come on, Harry."

Harry opened his mouth to protest before he followed Sirius out of the office. They made it all the way back to Black Cottage before he finally spoke.

"Uncle Sirius, you can't do this."

Sirius turned to meet Harry's gaze, placing both of his hands on his son's shoulders. "We both know that this is how it has to be, Harry. I'm not supposed to be here, Prongslet. But Zee is. You need her."

"But I need you too," he whispered, his eyes glimmering in unshed tears. "Please, don't go."

Sirius pulled Harry close, pressing his lips to his forehead. "True love is selfless, Harry. I love Zahira. I won't let her die so I can live. Not when I was already gone. Will you begrudge me that?"

Tears spilled down Harry's cheeks as he clung to Sirius on the front porch of Black Cottage. He didn't. He understood. If it was between him and Ginny, he would choose her life over his every time.

But he wasn't ready to let Sirius go either.

"I love you, Prongslet. No more tears, all right? Get in contact with Remus and Tonks and we're going to do this. We're going to save Zee. Tonight."

Sadness rushed through Harry, but at the same time a glimmer of hope surged through him.

They were going to save Zee.