Severus felt that it was a pity really, that such a glorious morning would become so gloomy all of a sudden. Using legilimency on her had been a mistake, he knew that now. While he felt more reassured about her thoughts on his regards, somehow he had unearthed things that he probably shouldn't.

Harmony was distraught the rest of the day, barely speaking more than necessary and with a frown etched upon her face. She took nothing away in his care, however he could feel that she wasn't there. Not truly. Remembering that tidbit of memory had been perhaps the same as opening an old wound.

By the late afternoon, she was preparing plum cakes on the kitchen table while he tried to read a book hovering in front of him. Tried was a nice way to put it as his eyes never left the witch for too long.

At one point he heard before he saw Harmony almost throwing the bowl of the mix into the table. Rufus, who rested nearby him was the first to jump and run to his mistress who huffed in clear frustration. She put both her hands on the top of the wooden table as if it would help her recenter herself.

'Harmony are you..'

"Not really really." She huffed yet again in a very uncharacteristic Harmony when she was worked up. Severus took a second to think that if it was, she was rather cute. "This morning took me by surprise. I… I thought that some things wouldn't bother me anymore. And yet they seem to." Harmony confessed, turning around and walking towards him with Rufus in tow.

'Your mother's memory?' He wondered about it, keeping a conciliatory tone. He didn't want to make her feel even more frustrated at that point.

"My whole family memories actually. Most of the time I just try not to think of them. It makes it easier." The witch perched herself on the arm of the couch where he lay, hands crossed on top of her apron.

'May I ask where they are?'

"Do you want the polite answer or the realistic one?" She implied, a brow raising slightly as if in sarcasm.

'The one you feel that I deserve to hear.'He prompted her, a brow going up in curiosity.

Her head was lowered then to hide her features.

"They are all in the garden outside. In a hidden spot. All the four graves."

'They are dead.' Her reply had left no doubts about it whatsoever.

"They died to protect me from Voldemort and the Death Eaters." Harmony volunteered. "They gave their lives to give me time to escape."

Now that was something he hadn't really been expecting to hear. Voldemort had come for her? Why? Why was this woman so special that the Dark Lord would look for her? She was a talented witch, no doubt about it. He had yet to see her using a wand at all in all those weeks, all her magic being he thought of her as a threat or as an asset if on his side. So many questions going unanswered were rattling his nervous system.

'He wanted me for my blood really.' Her voice came to his mind. Somehow it seemed easier for her to speak that way but it also held more emotion than she seemed able to with her physical voice. 'My heritage. Sorry not sorry to disappoint him, but I would never support his ideas.'

'So he took them?'

'So he took their lives. Right here, in this very same house. It took me days before I could come back to bury them. The Death Eaters wouldn't go away, expecting for my return.'

'When was that?'

'The end of the first wizarding war. Just before the deaths of the Potters.'

All oxygen left Severus' lungs. At the time, he had been aware that Voldemort sought after any possible source of power to keep control of things. The prophecy and Potter's destiny had only been the last straw. He had sent them to look for other ways, much sooner. So this woman, then a mere girl, had been one of the victims.

'Why?' Severus insisted, trying to make sense of all of it.

'Whatever do you mean Severus?'

'If your family was killed to save you from us, why do you accept to have me here? Why do you treat me with nothing but kindness? I was one of them!'

'Because I'm not one of them.' Harmony replied, her meaning clear as water. 'And neither are you. Not really. You tried to save the Potter's family. You successfully saved hundreds of lives, with your body can attest to how much torture you endured. You've spent one year being tortured by others, unable to fend for yourself. The ones who came here that night are mostly all dead by now. I keep it quiet that I am here, very few know about it. I left most of the wizardry world behind and worked mostly for Muggles with success for the last few years. I may not have galleons coming out of my pockets but what I earn is enough for me.'

'Did he come back for you this time around again?'

'At one point I guess he went for everyone, as you probably know better than me. The Potter boy was missing, he needed something extra to hold in his sleeve. The Death Eaters came, the snatchers came… I'm still here. I was more prepared this time around. I wasn't a scared teenager this time. That gave me some advantage. The house is well protected by a variety of spells. If I don't want people to find it, they won't.' Harmony reassured him while getting up and walking around a little bit. It was easy to see that the matter troubled her as he had never quite seen her acting like this.

'Who are you, Harmony?'

She let out a chuckle and her lips assumed a smirk.

'Now that's something I can't tell you. Not yet, Severus. While I do trust you more than I trust any other human at this point, my heritage needs to be kept out of this. We are friends, we trust each other and that is more than enough.'

He understood. How could he not, used as he was to secrecy and vows?

'Will you ever tell me?' He dared to question her

'Maybe one day. Who knows?' Harmony admitted, seemingly relaxing at last.

'Are you feeling better now?'

"Don't really know? More relieved perhaps. Truth is, I do miss them a lot."

'I never really had many people to miss so I won't say that I fully understand it. However, if you want to talk about them you may. I can at very least hear about them.'

"That's actually very kind of you. I haven't had many occasions to remember them since they departed. When you came here, I had to search through my father's clothes. He was tall like you but not so slim. My mother would have never allowed him to be so." Harmony recalled with a fond smile dancing on her lips. " She always did her best to keep us fed and on top form, whether there was much money or not around. My father was a Muggle. They married for love. Before Hogwarts, my mother went to a regular Muggle school where they met. Years later, they had one date and it was everything that they needed to rekindle their feelings for each other."

'How… Romantic.' Severus didn't very well know how to handle those sorts of own parents' marriage had been nothing of the sort. There wasn't any sarcasm or bitterness however in his voice or thoughts. 'Were they happy?'

"I think least they looked happy together. My mother had full control of the house. My father hardly took over. He helped with any chores that she asked him to and had a full-time job in a Muggle store. The salary wasn't amazing but with what my mother managed to gain from her own work in the wizardry world they managed us all. Three kids. No joking. My brothers were a mess! Pranksters like no others at the time. They almost always ended up scrubbing the bathroom floor with toothbrushes and my mother's cauldrons.'

'They sound very Weasley-like.'

"Weasley? Oh, you mean the twins? They were very famous when they opened their store. One of them however perished at the Battle of Hogwarts."

Severus had all but forgotten about that damned day at that point. Even more about the losses. The weight fell upon him suddenly like a brick. The Weasley twins had made his life as a teacher miserable at times but at least they weren't malicious about it. Molly had been miserable for so long afterwards if he took into account what Minerva had told him. As was Arthur and most of the family. Eventually, he could only hope that they could find some peace again in their everyday routine. Molly had always been the main emotional and practical support of the family. Arthur would have a hard time if he were to walk on both his and her shoes for a time.

He suddenly felt a hand on his arm, reassuringly.

"They were your students weren't they?"

'Indeed. He knew their parents well too. They have been members of the Order of the Phoenix since its origins. They pestered my daily life when I was their teacher but even I couldn't deny their genius when they applied it to something they liked. I had been told before about the death but… I guess there's always that edge on the fact that still hurts.'

"We both suffered losses, Severus. Perhaps of a different kind but losses all the same. I never got quite attached to anyone after my family's demise. Call it a defence mechanism, whatever suits your fancy. The idea of liking someone again that much and losing them again is almost unbearable. Still, I'm aware that my attachment to Rufus may very well break my heart one day. As my attachment with you will, whenever you decide to leave."

'As if I could leave so soon, Harmony. We both know that It can't happen.' He acknowledged her with bitterness, barely noticing at first what she had fully implied. 'Wait… You mean you feel attached to me?'

"Took you some moments to realize it." Harmony snickered amused. "Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to the lengths of creating a link with you in the way I did."

'That's quite… Extraordinary.' He felt surprised by the idea alone. Yes, she had mentioned more than once that they were friends and that she trusted him but after finding out about her family he couldn't have really hoped for her to have him in such high esteem. He felt privileged. Severus couldn't very much point out how many times where he had felt like that before in his life.

There was some heavy silence for some time before Harmony excused herself to go back to her orders. Severus however couldn't quite take his mind off everything that had transpired between them. He would keep analyzing it till the hour they laid down to sleep.