"Brumous"

"Chapter Fifty-Seven: Essence"

Sirius couldn't breathe. The air caught in his constricted lungs as Harry's screams filled his ears. Harry's limbs pulled at the restraints, attempting to break free. Time seemed to slow, each passing second feeling like a thousand. Sirius stood frozen through it all, his wide eyes staring at his godson. People moved around him, yelling over Harry's screams.

Harry's arms strained against the restraints to the point Sirius worried there'd be bruises. His body bucked on the table, his throat growing hoarse the longer he screamed. Sirius was helpless to do anything but watch with abject horror.

Then, like a marionette whose strings had been cut, Harry went limp. His body connected with the trolley with a sickening thump. The screams ceased, but the hollering remained. Sirius' ears rang.

What had he done?

Commotion whirled around him, people shouting and rushing around. But Sirius couldn't hear anything except for a buzzing in his ears. He blinked, his vision blurring. A flash of red caught out of the corner of his eye. Snapping his eyes up, he saw Fawkes circling them as Andromeda poured the vial of tears into Harry's wound.

What the fuck had he done?

Beeps filled the air. Weak and too far apart for Sirius' liking. Ted cursed as Fawkes swooped low, a gust of air blowing against Sirius' face. Fawkes let out a shrilly cry as he sat perched next to Harry's head. Moments later, the beeps grew stronger and closer together. Sirius' hands fumbled against Harry's neck. The thumps beneath his fingertips didn't ease the tight coil in his gut.

"It's still there," Ted breathed.

"Just seal him up," Marlene demanded in a quivering voice, shooing the phoenix away

It was still there. He had put Harry through excruciating pain and he wasn't waking up and it didn't even fucking work?

"Albus," Andromeda uttered with a sob. "What happened?"

Dumbledore peered over Marlene's shoulder, his face drawing into a thin line. "Look at the very center of the Horcrux," he instructed.

Sirius wiped his face, blinking to force the tears to subside. He craned his neck to look at the Horcrux nestled nice and cozy in the muscles of Harry's forehead, pulsating like it had earlier. There was a black dot in the center now, looking charred.

"I believe we placed the phoenix tears on too quickly," Dumbledore mused. "The venom started to destroy the Horcrux but we stopped the process too soon."

"No!" Marlene shouted, her head whipping towards Sirius. "We can't pour more in him! He's unconscious and we have no idea how we've affected him! Sirius, tell him!"

Sirius swallowed, all eyes turning towards him. Except, he only looked at Marlene. Her hazel eyes pleaded with him to end it. She was right. They had no idea what would happen once Harry woke up. The black stain on the Horcrux had not healed from the phoenix tears. The tears only made it stop spreading. What if they couldn't get the spread to stop before it seeped into Harry's muscles? What if it did and they couldn't heal it?

"Seal the wound," Sirius said in a shaky voice.

"Sirius, I think that's a mistake," Dumbledore interrupted. "The poison didn't have the opportunity to spread amongst the entire Horcrux because we intervened. I think you were right in your assessment."

Sirius shook his head. "We don't even know if he'll wake up!" he shouted, his throat tight and aching. "We have no idea what the fuck we just did!"

"Sirius–"

"NO!" Sirius hollered, his heart hammering in his chest. "We do nothing else until we know he's all right."

Dumbledore conceded. Ted ran his wand carefully along the wound. The skin sealed back together. Harry's scar looked redder and angrier than Sirius had ever seen it before. It shone brightly against his pallid skin. Sirius cupped Harry's face, feeling the heat radiate off him. Brushing his thumb against Harry's cheek, his brows furrowed.

"He's hot," Sirius whispered. "Ted, he's hot."

Ted pressed the back of his hand against Harry's forehead before he very lightly touched the scar. "You're right, he's burning up."

"You don't think…" Sirius trailed off, his gaze snapping to Ted.

Ted swallowed visibly before he peeled Harry's eyelids open. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head and all that could be seen was the whites of his eyeballs.

Possession. Harry was always hot and his scar searing red whenever Voldemort possessed Harry. His eyes had always been red though. Not pure white with zero color showing. Sirius swallowed at the hard lump in his throat. If Voldemort wasn't possessing Harry, then…

Fuck. No. It was impossible, wasn't it?

"What is going on?" Marlene demanded.

Sirius' breaths came out in harsh huffs. "Harry's possessing Voldemort," he whispered.

"What?" Marlene asked, her head shaking. "You have got to be joking!"

Sirius looked at Dumbledore for his thoughts. Dumbledore pulled his wand from his robe pocket, pressing the tip against Harry's temple. His lips moved but no sound escaped his lips, his wrist twisting slowly.

Harry's body jerked, straining against the restraints once more. His eyes flew open, his green eyes wide with fear. He gasped for air.

"Sirius!" Harry gasped, tears sliding from the corners of his eyes and hitting the very tips of Sirius' fingers.

"Hey, hey, it's all right. You're okay," Sirius comforted in a hoarse voice.

Suddenly, Harry's body started to convulse on the trolley. A dreadful noise sounded in the back of Harry's throat, his eyes rolling back once more. A moment later, blood red eyes stared at Sirius.

Harry's lips curled in a grotesque fashion. "Sirius," he hissed. "What have you done, my son?"

Sirius stopped breathing all together.

"You cannot stop this," he continued, his words slithering around the room in an odd echoing fashion. "Harry is mine."

A huff of air escaped Sirius' lungs, his jaw jutting forward. "I am not your fucking son," he bit out, his entire body quaking. "And I will kill you with my bare fucking hands. Leave. My. Godson. Alone."

Cruel laughter escaped Harry's lips. "You are my son. And you will join me."

Sirius sneered. "I'd rather die."

"You are out of chances, Sirius," he said in a cold tone. "I won't kill you and put you out of your misery, but instead I'll make you suffer for denying me. I will slaughter every single person you care about right before your eyes, forcing you to relive those moments over and over again until you go mad. Do you think you'd join me then? When you're so broken with grief that you've gone insane?"

Sirius' eye twitched, his face pulling into a tight line. "Do your fucking worst."

Sirius pressed his palms against either side of Harry's face, his thumbs brushing along his cheekbones. He needed Voldemort to stop possessing his godson. He needed to talk to Harry, to make sure he was all right. Over the summer, when the possessions first occurred, physical touch and words of love always seemed to help Harry push him out.

"Harry, it's Sirius," he said in a hoarse voice. "I know you can hear me. Come on, kid, push him out. I know you can. I love you so much, Harry, so damn much."

Sadistic laughter rang in Sirius' ears. "Love. How pathetic."

"Harry, please," Sirius gasped, ignoring Voldemort as best as he could. "I love you."

Marlene stepped forward, pressing one hand onto Harry's chest and the other gripped his bicep. "Harry, love, it's Marly. Hey, hey, it's Marly. I love you too, Harry. Please, come back to us. Come back to Sirius and me."

The red in Harry's eyes flickered as the muscles in his neck tightened and shone in sharp lines.

Andromeda gripped Harry's arm. "Come on, darling, come on."

Ted placed a hand across the headband holding Harry's hair back from his face. "We're right here, son."

"Fight that fucker, Harry," Sirius said. "Come back to your family."

Harry's body jerked violently and a gasp escaped his lips. But Sirius saw green eyes and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His body sagged, the tension slowly easing from his muscles.

"Harry?" Sirius whispered, a tear dropping from his face and landing on Harry's forehead.

Harry groaned, his arms weakly moving in the restraints. "Ssssiri…" he mumbled, dragging out the S and sounding suspiciously like he had as a small toddler hissing out Sirius' name because he couldn't put together all the syllables.

"You're okay, kid, you're okay," Sirius reassured him, his hands moving to let Harry free from his restraints.

"I… I possessed him," Harry croaked in a weak tone. "I was in a house. It was posh and everything was expensive."

Once Harry was free, Sirius helped the kid to sit up on the trolley. Harry collapsed against his chest, his body twitching against him. Sirius ran his hand through Harry's soft hair, holding the kid steady against him in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're home now, all right? You're safe," Sirius whispered, pressing a kiss onto Harry's messy locks. "I got you."

Marlene touched Sirius' arm. "Let's get him home and to bed," she insisted.

"Sirius, we must talk," Dumbledore interrupted.

Glancing over Harry's head, Sirius caught Dumbledore's eye. "I'm not discussing this right now."

"We need to speak about placing blocks immediately on Harry's mind," Dumbledore barreled through.

Sirius' jaw tightened. "You told me that wasn't an option. You told me that would make Voldemort try harder to break his mind to see what we were hiding."

"Harry knows too much," Dumbledore explain in an even tone. "Now, after Lord Voldemort has experienced Harry possessing him, he will want to know what we were up to today. He will relentlessly attack Harry's mind to pry for any and all information. We need to use every single tool at our disposal. We have no doubt caught his attention."

Sirius looked over at Marlene. She nodded, a frown deepening in every facet of her face.

"Harry," Sirius said, slowly pulling away from his godson so that he could look at him when they spoke.

Harry blinked at him, his face ashen white and eyes drooping with exhaustion. "Just do it," he conceded, sounding defeated and miserable.

Sirius nodded, his insides churning. "Let's get you home first, yeah?"

Harry swung his legs over the side of the trolley, his body swaying a bit as he sat. Sirius reached out a hand and helped him off the trolley. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Harry nearly toppled over. Luckily, Sirius had a firm enough grip on the kid to keep his upright. Harry sagged into Sirius' side, leaning all of his bodyweight against him.

Dumbledore led them to a secluded alleyway behind the clinic so they could Apparate. Sirius struggled to keep Harry upright, but he also stubbornly refused Ted's help when offered. Harry's deadweight against his side let him know his godson was alive and relatively all right. When Harry started to support a bit more of weight, Sirius could breathe a little easier.

Once at the new house in Seifton, Sirius helped Harry into his bed while Dumbledore and Marlene lingered downstairs to talk in private. The kid collapsed against his pillow, his hand reaching up to pull the headband off his head and tossing it onto his bedside table. The kid had a little more color back in his cheeks, but he looked younger than normal without his glasses on. Sirius remembered he had kept his glasses on top of his head to keep them safe. Pulling them from his hair, he folded them before setting them on the bedside table.

"What are mind blocks?" Harry asked, his eyes squinting up at him.

Sirius stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's sort of like Occlumency except an outside source places them around information in the mind. The more powerful the wizard, the harder they are to break. Dumbledore feared Voldemort would sense them and attack your mind relentlessly until he broke them to find out what information we were hiding."

Harry sighed. "But now?"

"But now… he's going to do it anyway, we fear," Sirius explained, his face grimacing. "I'm sorry, Harry. I never thought it would lead to you possessing Voldemort or him possessing you again or, or any of this."

"Sirius, what did you find in my head?" Harry asked, sounding far younger than he was.

"I don't know," Sirius replied.

Harry looked away, his face contorting. "I think you do," he snapped. "I think you've known for a while."

Sirius pressed his tongue against his teeth, his lips pulling. "All I do, all I have ever done, is try to protect you."

Harry snagged his glasses off the bedside table and sat up in bed. "Lying to me about what's inside my head isn't protecting me," he bit out, his green eyes boring into Sirius. "Just like keeping the prophecy from me didn't protect me. Voldemort planted that memory of you being tortured to trick me into grabbing the prophecy for him. If you never told Ginny you were going to give me the mirror, if she never reminded me I had it, then who knows what could have happened? Voldemort could have the prophecy and I could be dead right now."

Sirius looked up at the ceiling. If not for the mirror, the end of last year could have gone to shit. Who knows what could have happened if Harry had wound up in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius had wanted to tell Harry about the prophecy as soon as the Order of the Phoenix banded back together. He thought it important, dire information for Harry to know. Yet, he listened to Dumbledore when he told him not to. He allowed so many people to make his parenting decisions for him.

Now, Sirius was finally making the decisions. He had the paperwork to shove into anybody's face who dared to deny him that right. But Sirius had no clue what to do. He worried how Harry would take the knowledge that he had a Horcrux melted into his muscles. Most of all, Sirius worried Harry would take his own life to protect his loved ones. The kid was so self-sacrificing that Sirius wanted to scream.

Sirius ease down onto the bed, his heart hammering in his chest. He reached out, wrapping his fingers around Harry's hand.

"Harry…" Sirius trailed off, knowing he couldn't continue to lie to the kid without destroying their relationship beyond repair.

"Sirius, please," Harry pressed, his face pulling and tears brimming his emerald eyes.

Sirius' heart crumbled into a billion little pieces. "The night your parents died," he started, his mouth going dry, "a sacrifice was made. Sacrificial magic is… it's a really beautiful thing, because you have to really love a person to conjure it. It's so incredibly rare, Harry. I spent a lot of time in Azkaban that first year trying to work out how you survived. The sequence of events that allowed that magic to be conjured is miraculous. You shouldn't have survived that night. You should have died. But like all magic, light and dark, there can be consequences."

Harry went very still. "What kind of consequences?"

"The Killing Curse kills, Harry. But it couldn't kill that night. Not with what Voldemort had done and not with the magic your mum conjured," Sirius explained. "His soul and mind were ripped from his body. There was a body there that night, Harry. I heard it was burned. People were afraid of necromancy and other dark magic bringing him back. I think…" he trailed off, knowing he had to pick his words extremely carefully. "I think a bit of his essence attached to you that night as it was blown from his body. I think that's why you can hear him, why you can talk to snakes."

"A bit of his essence?" Harry repeated, his face going stark white. "What does that even mean?"

"It means we have to get it out," Sirius concluded.

Harry looked down at his lap. "Basilisk venom didn't work?"

"Dumbledore thinks we healed you too quickly with the phoenix tears," Sirius explained.

Harry swallowed. "Is it a piece of his soul in me?" he asked in a small voice, his attention turning back to Sirius.

Sirius hated lying to the kid. But he wanted to keep his promise to Lily – if that was even Lily who he had talked to. Sirius didn't know what to make of it half the time. Sometimes, he thought he really was talking to his deceased loved ones. Other times, he felt like he had lost his mind. Right now, Sirius just felt helpless.

Sirius held the eye contact. "I think it's… it's his essence."

Harry's face scrunched up. "What is essence though?"

Sirius searched Harry's face. "I think it's similar to the essence he has imparted into me. We both have his essence in us."

"So… it's like… he left some DNA in me?" Harry asked.

Sirius' heart thumped in his chest. Harry was a smart kid. Sirius had no doubt that after he rested, he would push harder for more detailed answers for his questions.

"Something like that," Sirius concluded, because that sounded impossibly better than a shard of his soul or a Horcrux.

Harry frowned. "How do you get DNA out of a person? It's not like you can change your DNA."

"Maybe we can't," Sirius whispered, his throat narrowing.

"Does this make me… does this make me part Riddle then?" Harry asked.

Sirius leaned forward, squeezing Harry's hand. "Let's pretend it just makes you part me. Neither one of us asked for this connection to him. Neither one of us want it. So, even if we can't get rid of it, at least we'll suffer together."

Harry only stared at Sirius, his brows furrowing beneath his glasses. "You don't hear him in your head, Sirius," he explained. "You don't have to worry about how easily he can possess you."

Sirius nodded, a tight smile crossing his face. "You're right. I have no idea what that's like. I know you're scared. I am too. That's why I'm trying to get that essence out of you."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Sirius called for them to enter. Marlene and Dumbledore made their way into the room. Marlene held a goblet in her hands, a soft smile spreading across her lips.

"How are you feeling, love?" Marlene asked.

Harry shrugged. "Fine."

"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling better," Marlene replied before showing Harry the goblet in her hands. "This is a Dreamless Sleeping Potion. We want you to rest and relax your mind. Professor Dumbledore is going to place some mind blocks on, well, a lot of your mind while you sleep. It'll be a bit of hide and seek so to say. But Voldemort will never find the information he's seeking because there won't be any blocks on those key memories, like the prophecy and the Horcrux knowledge. It's going to be a bunch of blocks on small and insignificant things that will have him so frustrated that he'll hopefully give up."

Dumbledore stepped up next to Marlene. "It was your godmother's idea," he explained, peering down at Harry over the tops of his glasses. "The most important information will still be guarded by your Occlumency skills. I'd like to meet more frequently to better hone that skill with you, Harry."

"Okay," Harry said, his gaze flickering to Sirius.

"It's all right," Sirius confirmed, stuffing his hands into his pockets to feel Fluffernoodle curled into a tight ball. "We'll figure it all out."

Harry slowly nodded before he turned to Marlene. He reached out both hands, which trembled just slightly, and accepted the goblet. After drinking the contents, he sat it down on his bedside table.

"I don't know how I possessed him," Harry said suddenly, his gaze turning to Dumbledore. "How did I possess him?"

"That, Harry, will be a question that may keep me up for many nights as I contemplate just exactly how, indeed," Dumbledore replied, his hands folding in front of his stomach.

Harry only frowned as he blinked, his eyes screwing shut. The potion clearly dragging him under. His body fell back against the mattress, his head hitting the pillow. The kid forced his eyes open, looking glassy and unfocused. Sirius eased off the mattress and leaned over Harry to carefully pluck the glasses from his face. He took a step back, allowing Dumbledore to step forward.

Sirius watched for a bit as Dumbledore manipulated Harry's mind as he slept. Running a hand down his face, Sirius knew he'd have to use the bracelets from over the summer so he'd be alerted when Harry left his bedroom. He had no idea how the next couple of days would even go. But he did know one thing. He was petrified to find out.

Marlene wanted a stiff drink. Or about ten stiff drinks. If Sirius wasn't a recovering alcoholic, she would suggest one of them leave the house to grab something. She rolled her neck from side to side, attempting and failing to relieve some of the tension. Dumbledore had spent hours placing his decoy blocks on Harry's mind. Luckily, Harry was asleep and unaware of Dumbledore shifting through sixteen years of memories.

When he left, looking fatigued and grave, Sirius produced two silver bracelets that he must have grabbed one of the couple of times he had left the room. He snapped one on Harry's left wrist before he snapped an identical one on his right wrist. Then, he performed some magic that Marlene had never seen before. When he was done, he turned around and scrubbed his face with his hand.

"What are those?" Marlene asked, jutting her chin in their direction.

Sirius held up his wrist. "This? It will alert me the moment Harry steps foot out of his bedroom. We used them over the summer when his Occlumency skills were a lot weaker. I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I didn't know if he was in his bed or not."

"Clever," Marlene replied.

Sirius nodded, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. "Harry will be out until morning, hopefully. Barring any late-night possession successes. I know you're worried about him. If you'd like, you could stay here."

Marlene searched Sirius' face. "I'd like that."

"Come on, I'll get you something more comfortable to wear," Sirius said, gesturing towards the door.

Marlene followed him across the hall into his bedroom. She couldn't help but look around. Her eye caught a little plastic cup with a plastic carrot in it on his bedside table. It sat next to a picture of Sirius and Harry standing with their arms around each other on a beach. Marlene made her way over to it, her fingers brushing across the frame until her fingers coiled around it. She picked it up to see it better.

Harry beamed in the picture, looking so young and happy. Sirius looked happy too, a genuine smile on his face that showed his teeth and the prominent wrinkles stemming from his eyes. It was so rare to see both of them looking so content.

"Here," Sirius' voice said from behind her.

Marlene turned around with the picture still clutched in her hands. There was a gray jumper in his hands. One that Marlene knew he wore often because she could remember him sitting in Order meetings wearing that same damn jumper. She twisted so she could sit the picture back on the bedside table before she accepted the jumper. It was soft and felt expensive. No doubt a present from Andromeda because she had always had impeccable taste.

"I, uh, I'm exhausted," he admitted, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I might just turn in early."

Marlene nodded, her chest tightening. "Sirius, can I… can I stay with you?"

It was pushing their relationship into a more emotionally intimate area than before. The sex had been great, passionate and satisfying a deep thirst. But this… well, this was Marlene asking Sirius to comfort her. It was something he used to do so well. He'd hold her in his arms, one hand always on the back of her head. He didn't talk, but he didn't need to. The strong beat of his heart against her ear had always been enough to calm her. She wanted that again. She needed him to hold her because their godson was in grave danger. He was the only one as devastated about it as she was.

Sirius took a step forward, his fingers brushing her hair behind her ear. "I was hoping you'd want to."

A small smile spread across Marlene's lips. "Thank you. I'm going to go get ready."

She made her way to the ensuite, closing the door behind her. She stripped to her knickers before she pulled the jumper over her head. It smelled like Sirius, woodsy with a hint of leather. She rolled up the sleeves, casting a quick sticking charm so they wouldn't come undone. Stepping up to the sink, Marlene took off her bracelets and laid them carefully by the cup that held Sirius' toothbrush. Just one toothbrush. All alone. It was green which made Marlene let out a chuckle. He had always claimed he hated green, said it reminded him of his deranged family. But all Marlene could see were Harry's eyes. Bright and beautiful.

Not being able to help herself, she tugged open the potion cabinet above the sink. A tub of the same Sleekeazy's Hair Potion he used when he was younger. A black comb. A razor. Deodorant and toothpaste. A large vial caught her eye. She read the label, realizing it was Sirius' depression potion. It was a high dosage and one of the stronger ones. Marlene would know. She herself had been taking some since Remus accosted her in the streets and thankfully turned her entire world upside down.

Marlene shut the mirror closed. It felt odd going through Sirius' things. But she was desperate to know all the little ways he had changed over the years. The contents of his potion cabinet remained the same, except for the potion. He bought the same brands he had fifteen years ago. That was oddly comforting.

Taking off the rest of her jewelry, she sat it with her bracelet by Sirius' toothbrush. She placed her wand there too. She hated her new wand. It was the wand she had bought as Bella Riddle. Marlene missed her dark cherry wand.

After using the loo quickly, she made her way back to the bedroom. Sirius was already in bed, shirtless, with his arm slung across his forehead. His little green snake laid next to his pillow, his tail hanging off the side of the bed. The floor creaked and Sirius' eyes roamed over to look at her. She shot him a soft smile as she crossed the room.

Easing into bed, she crawled over to him. She sat down, her legs at her side. Her thigh pressed into his side. Sirius' hand left his forehead and he wrapped his fingers around her upper thigh, his fingers dangerously close to the hem of her knickers. She couldn't help but reach out and touch her name in black ink on his chest. Her finger ghosted over the M.

"You have a green toothbrush," she commented, her lips quirking. "I thought you hated green."

Sirius rolled his eyes, his thumb brushing against her thigh. "It's a color."

"I thought it reminded you of blood supremacists," Marlene challenged, arching an eyebrow.

"Reminds me of something else now," Sirius explained.

"Harry?" Marlene pressed.

Sirius moved his hand a hair north, the tips of his fingers most definitely touching her silky knickers. "It's stupid, I know. But I kind of like the color now. Andy bought him a bunch of green clothes. He looks nice in them. Not that he wears them often. I swear that kid wears the same shit every week."

Marlene let out a small chuckle, her fingers riding up his chest. The words bête noir glared up at her, a perfect match for the ruddy toujour pur burned into her thigh. Trailing her fingers higher, she saw the prison number stamped on his neck. She traced the three, wishing more than anything she could have remembered everything a lot sooner for all of their sakes.

"I know what you're thinking," she whispered because she could see the pain shining in his gray eyes.

Everyone thought Sirius stoic, hard to read. But Marlene didn't. She had always been able to identify his emotions by just looking into his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Sirius said, his eyebrows raising. "What am I thinking, McKinnon?"

Marlene pressed her palm against the prison number, hiding it. Her thumb brushed along his jaw.

"You're blaming yourself for what happened to Harry today," Marlene said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But you shouldn't. You were just trying to help him. We all were."

"I feel like every time I try to help, I just make things worse," Sirius said in a gruff voice.

"Do you blame me for what happened today?" Marlene asked, a frown working its way on her face.

Sirius squeezed her thigh. "No, I don't."

"Then, you can't blame yourself," she insisted, her hand inching further up his body to push a strand of dark hair back. "Because I agreed with you. I thought it was a good idea too. You didn't make this decision alone. We were in it together."

"Marly…" Sirius trailed off in a thick voice.

Marlene shifted on the bed so she could lay down next to him. He held the covers up for her so she could shimmy under. Her toes brushed across his bare calf as she turned to her side to face him. He rolled over, mimicking her. He was so close to her that she could feel him breathe on her face. She fumbled for his hand, holding it tight.

"Sirius, you're not alone anymore," she whispered. "You and I are in this together, remember?"

Sirius drew their joined hands to his lips. "I remember."

"I love you," Marlene insisted, scooting her body closer to his until their noses touched. "I never stopped loving you. And I will always love you."

"There's not a day that went by that I didn't think about you," he croaked. "You and Harry mean everything to me."

"I know," she acknowledged. "Will you just hold me tonight?"

Without any hesitation, Sirius rolled onto his back and opened his arms to her. Marlene moved into his arms, her head resting on his chest and her arm slung across his abdomen. She could feel his heart beat beneath her ear. Strong and steady.

Sirius kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Marly."

Marlene smiled, her eyes sliding closed. Somehow, the war didn't seem so daunting with Sirius by her side. She knew that together they'd be able to protect Harry. They weren't the same dumb kids they had been the first time around. They understood what needed to be done now.

Ginny chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes staring at the clock on the wall in Gryffindor Tower. The time ticked by excruciatingly slow to the point where Ginny was certain the fucking clock was broken and a week had actually passed. Maybe even a month. Fuck, with the way she felt, maybe a bloody year.

Harry never returned to school after his procedure. He also had not contacted her or Ron on the mirror. Ginny knew she hadn't missed a call, because she made sure to keep her mirror on her all day. She was fairly certain Ron had as well. Ron sat pensively next to her, oddly stoic the entire evening. He hadn't even cracked a smile at Demelza's inappropriate Demiguise joke that she knew would normally have him in stitches. If Ron was worried, then it must be bad.

By midnight, Ginny's friends and Cepheus called it a night. Ginny stayed stubbornly in her spot, not feeling like sleeping when she had no idea if Harry was even alive or not. Crossing her arms over her chest, she settled in for the long haul. How could she sleep in her bed without Harry right now? She knew she'd be plagued with nightmares the entire night.

Ginny was in her right mind to call Sirius. She wondered how awkward that would be. Would Harry call her parents for an update on her? Honestly, he'd probably just head for the Burrow himself, but Ginny wasn't exactly sure where their new house was in Seifton. She supposed she could grab Cepheus and demand he tell her. Or she could call Sirius. That seemed like the best bet. She knew Sirius. She had chatted and joked with him plenty of times over the past couple of years. It wouldn't be awkward at all.

"We should call Sirius," Ginny decided.

Ron glanced at her. "Do you think he'd tell us anything?"

Ginny huffed. "Of course, he will!"

Ron scooted closer to her as Ginny held the mirror up so they were both in the glass. At this point, she didn't even care if she woke Sirius up. It's not like he slept anyways. She just needed to hear that Harry was all right.

"Sirius Black," Ginny said, her jaw setting.

Ginny tapped her foot, waiting for Sirius to answer the bloody mirror. A few seconds went by and she called his name again. A beat passed and their reflections disappeared and all Ginny saw was darkness.

"Hold on," Sirius' tired voice mumbled in the pitch black.

Light burst on through the mirror and Ginny could see Sirius was in bed. He was shirtless, the words bête noire just barely in the frame. His hair was tussled, so he must have been sleeping. That was a good sign Harry was okay. Sirius rubbed his eye with his palm for a brief moment before he squinted at the mirror.

"Are you two all right?" Sirius asked, shifting until he was in a seated position. "Has something happened?"

Ginny frowned. "We haven't heard from Harry."

Sirius blinked, his face grimacing. "He's all right. He was given a Dreamless Sleeping Potion after the procedure and he's been out ever since."

"Sirius, who are you talking to?" a drowsy and vaguely familiar female voice asked.

Sirius carded a hand through his hair and Ginny caught sight of the silver bracelet on his wrist. Her heart sank, knowing that the procedure didn't work if Sirius was worried about possession.

"Just the Weasley kids," Sirius replied.

"Are they okay?" the female voice mumbled as rustling sounded.

"They're fine," Sirius replied, turning the mirror away from whoever was in bed next to him. "Just worried about Harry."

Ginny squinted, wanting to know who the fuck was in Sirius' bed. She wondered if Harry knew. Just another bit of gossip he was keeping close to his chest. She pushed that thought out of her mind, her mind going back to the state Harry was in.

"What happened?" Ginny demanded. "Did it not work? I see the bracelet on your wrist."

Sirius sighed. "It did not work."

"But he's all right?" Ron pressed.

Sirius nodded. "He's fine. He's sleeping. I'll have him call you in the morning."

Ginny frowned. "Is he not coming back to school tomorrow?"

"Probably not for a few days," Sirius replied, his face showing no emotion.

"Why?" Ginny demanded.

Sirius shot her a look. "Ginny, it's late."

Ginny scowled. "Oh, so we're not allowed to worry and know what's going on? I'm so glad you're informed enough to sleep and sleep with some girl in your bed, but Ron and I have been waiting all bloody day to know what happened and if he's all right!"

Sirius sighed, his jaw jutting to the side. "He's fine. I promise you. He is fine."

"Then why isn't he coming back to school tomorrow like he was supposed to?" Ginny demanded. "Why didn't he come back today?"

"Look, I appreciate that Harry has the two of you in his life, but I told you he's fine," Sirius insisted. "It's late. You can talk to him yourself in the morning. I'll have him call you right away, okay?"

"Sirius!" Ginny hissed.

"Goodnight."

The mirror disconnected. Ginny tossed the mirror down onto the sofa next to her.

"Fucking arsehole," Ginny muttered.

Ron leaned back on the sofa. "At least he's all right," he said, wrapping an arm around the back of the sofa. "I was sorta worried he died."

Ginny didn't want to admit that thought had flitted across her mind as well. She knew she wouldn't be completely at ease until she saw his face.

"Should we go to the house?" Ginny asked, turning her face to look at her brother. "See him for ourselves?"

Ron's face pulled. "Yeah, I think if we showed up in the middle of the night that Sirius might accidently kill us thinking we're there to harm Harry."

Ginny huffed. "I have never hated Sirius more. He couldn't have taken five minutes to tell us what happened?"

Ron shrugged. "At least he said he'd get Harry to call us first thing in the morning."

That wasn't as reassuring to her as it was to Ron.

"I'll be right back," Ron announced before he stood up and made his way towards the staircase that led to the boys' dormitory.

Ginny leaned her head against the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling. She wondered if they could take the cloak and the map to find Marlene. Perhaps, she'd take the time to answer questions. Although, she hadn't turned up for dinner. She may not even be in the castle after the procedure. Ginny wanted to scream, feeling useless and just plain irritated.

When Ron entered the common room, he had a red hooded sweatshirt in his hands. He tossed it at Ginny and she recognized it as Harry's Gryffindor Quidditch sweatshirt with his last name embossed on the back in gold lettering. It smelled like him.

Ron rubbed the back of his neck, his weight shifting. "Look, I know you and Harry share a bed every night, and I don't want any more details than that! I'm going to pretend you're both fully clothed and sleep with a nice big space between the two of you. But, well, I thought maybe having something of his might help you sleep tonight."

Ginny stared up at Ron. "I like it when you're not a complete wanker. It's a nice change up."

Ron glowered at her. "A thank you is more than sufficient, you ungrateful brat."

Ginny chuckled, standing up and making her way to Ron. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held on tight.

"I love you, Ronnie," she said, calling him his childhood nickname.

Ron returned the hug. "Yeah, yeah, love you too, Gin-Gin. Now, can you let go of me before someone sees us? Merlin, I'd never hear the end of it."

Ginny pulled away, shoving him away from her. He didn't budge though. Ginny hauled the hooded sweatshirt over her head. It fell to nearly her knees. They bid each other goodnight, parting to their separate dormitories. Ginny placed her hands into the front pocket and felt something moving around in there. She jerked her hand back, holding her breath. The little red head of Harry's snake peeked out. Her face pulled. She wasn't exactly a fan of Harry's newfound pet.

"Merlin, I'm going to have to keep you for the night, aren't I?" Ginny whispered as she wrapped her fingers around the snake and pulled it from her pocket. "You're sleeping with Arnold. Don't come anywhere near me."

Ginny entered her dormitory and placed the snake on her bedside table next to Arnold's little bed. The snake slithered over to the bed and curled itself into a tight little ball by Arnold's buttocks. Ginny was happy with that, so she crawled into bed. Pressing the sleeve of the hooded sweatshirt to her nose, she inhaled the calming scent and closed her eyes.

Harry was fine. She just had to remember that. She would see his face in the morning and find out what exactly had happened.

Harry groaned, rolling over onto his side. His face pressed into his pillow as a low groan escaped his lips. The last thing Harry wanted to do was get up. Turning to his clock, he squinted at the numbers. When he couldn't make them out, his hand reached out to snag the clock and pull it closer to his face. It was eleven in the morning. He had slept for over an entire day. Somehow, he was still exhausted.

Letting out a sigh, Harry hauled himself out of bed. He noticed he was still in the hospital robes. Wrinkling his nose, he quickly changed into a pair of joggers and a hooded sweatshirt. Snagging his glasses from his bedside table, he then shoved his feet into the slippers next to his bed. He knew Sirius would be out of his mind with worry with how long Harry had slept. He wondered if Sirius would have anything more to tell him about having the essence of Voldemort inside of him. Harry winced, still not understanding what exactly Sirius meant by that.

After making a pitstop at the loo, Harry headed towards the staircase. He saw Sirius waiting for him at the bottom. His brow furrowed, his eyes dropping down to his hand to see the silver bracelet on his wrist. Harry winced, hating the damn thing more than he could say.

"Hey, kid," Sirius greeted him. "You feeling all right?"

Harry shrugged as he descended the steps. "I guess. Just tired."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You look it."

Harry scowled, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, stepping off the last step. "Gee, thanks."

Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and steered him to the back of the house. "Come on, Marly's making breakfast for you."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Marlene is here?"

"Yeah, she spent the night," Sirius said in a very casual tone. "She was worried about you and wanted to be here when you woke up."

They entered the kitchen and Harry spotted Marlene immediately. She stood the stove, tending to some bacon. She was wearing one of Sirius' jumpers, the hem reaching to her mid-thighs, and a pair of leggings.

"Harry, love, how are you feeling?" she asked as she grabbed a few eggs from the carton.

"Err, fine," Harry replied as he took a seat at the table.

Marlene beamed at him. "How do you like your eggs?"

Harry blinked. "It doesn't matter. However."

Marlene looked over at Sirius, who was pouring two cups of coffee. He only raised his eyebrows briefly at her before he made his way over to the table. He sat a cup in front of Harry before he took a seat across from him. Harry couldn't help but look between Marlene and Sirius. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he didn't think it was normal to wear a bloke's jumper unless they were dating.

"After breakfast, you should call Ginny and Ron on the mirror," Sirius said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Harry wrapped his fingers around the warm mug. "Yeah, I should. They're probably worried."

Sirius nodded. "They called me at midnight last night, demanding answers. I told them you were all right."

Harry nodded. A warmness flooded his insides upon hearing that.

"And, before you talk to Ginny, you should know something," Sirius said in a hesitant tone.

Harry frowned. "What?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "They may have heard Marlene in my bed last night."

Harry's brows furrowed. "You two slept together?"

"No!" Marlene said a little too quickly. "I mean, we slept in the same bed but we didn't, we didn't have sex last night."

Harry's face pulled. "Why did you share a bed? It's not like there is only one bed in this house. There's a guest bedroom and Cepheus' room."

Sirius shrugged. "It was convenient."

"Are you two, err, dating?" Harry asked, his eyes flickering between them.

Sirius showed no emotion on his face. "We're getting reacquainted."

Harry's gaze lingered on Marlene. She stared at the back of Sirius' head discerningly for a few moments before she turned back to the stove. Harry turned back to Sirius who just sipped his coffee like sleeping in a bed with his ex-girlfriend was no big deal.

"I never want you to give me a hard time about sharing a bed with Ginny again," Harry commented, his eyebrows raising above his glasses. "At least I'm dating her."

Sirius sucked in a breath.

"You're sharing a bed with Ginny?" Marlene asked in shock. "Since when?"

Harry wanted to kick himself for his big mouth.

"Sirius, have you given him the talk?" Marlene demanded. "Show him how to actually cast the contraception spell, because we all know James didn't perfect it," she said as she turned her attention to Harry. "Not that I'm not extremely happy that James was shit at it. I mean, we got you as a result and you're the best thing to ever happen in our lives."

Harry's face pulled, wondering if she was going to start spewing the no baby is a mistake speech that Sirius often rambled on about to make him feel better for being the result of a mistake. "We're not having… you know, so I'm good."

Merlin, it was five hundred times more awkward talking about that with Marlene than it had been with Sirius. And it had been pretty bad with Sirius.

Sirius pursed his lips. "I told him not to get her pregnant," he offered.

Marlene sighed, her head shaking as she plated the eggs and bacon. With a flick of her wrist, three plates floated over to the table. Marlene took a seat next to Sirius, pushing her plate to the side. Harry decided not to look at either of them as he stabbed a piece of scrambled egg with his fork.

"So, when a man loves a woman," Marlene started.

Harry groaned, his gaze flickering up to his godmother. "Can we not?"

Marlene waved a hand at him. "This is important. You should have your first time with someone you truly, deeply love. I'm fairly certain that's going to be Ginny, which is great. But you need to be safe. You know how it works, don't you?"

Harry's eyes grew wide. He knew what sex was, for Merlin's sake. His gaze shifted over to Sirius. Annoyingly enough, Sirius made a circle with one hand and slide a finger through it with his other hand.

"Stop!" Harry exclaimed, feeling the heat rise up his neck. "Can I be excused?"

"No," Sirius said in a flat tone as he picked up a piece of bacon. "Listen to your godmother."

"You want to make sure you are both ready. It shouldn't be rushed or not discussed beforehand," Marlene continued. "You definitely want to go slow the first time so you don't hurt her."

Harry was in hell. He was in literal hell. He vaguely wondered if he was in a coma being tortured by Voldemort.

"You cast the spell before you penetrate," Marlene continued.

Harry's face scrunched up. "I had a terrible day yesterday and now you're forcing me to sit through this? Can't we just have a normal breakfast?"

Sirius wrapped an arm around Marlene's chair, his palm pressing against the back of her head. "Let the kid eat, Marly."

Harry sighed in relief.

Marlene pursed her lips to the side. "You're getting a talk before you go back to school, young man."

"Yeah, well, can Sirius do it?" Harry insisted. "No offense, Marly, but having that talk with my godmother is beyond awkward."

Marlene's lips parted. "Did you just call me Marly?"

Harry froze, not even realizing he said it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No! No, it's fine!" Marlene insisted, a smile spreading across her lips. "You can call me Marly. I like it."

Harry's gaze shifted over to Sirius to see if he was annoyed. Sirius has a small smile on his face. A warmness flooded Harry's stomach as he turned back to his breakfast.

"So, err, when am I going back to school?" Harry asked, steering the conversation into what he thought was normal family territory.

"I think I'm going to keep you home for a few days," Sirius commented. "Just until we see how the mind blocks fair you and to see if Voldemort attempts anything."

Harry frowned. Honestly, he just wanted things to go back to normal after the botched procedure. He should have known that wouldn't be the case.

"Don't worry, I'll grab your schoolwork for you every day," Marlene assured him.

Schoolwork was the last thing Harry was concerned about.

"I'll have Remus stop by to give you your Defense lesson," Sirius added.

"I'll help you with your potions work," Marlene insisted. "Sirius, you have a cauldron, don't you? I can bring the ingredients from school."

"A brand-new cauldron that I've never used but Andy insisted I have in the house for some stupid reason," Sirius explained.

Harry leaned forward. "What if Voldemort finds out that there's some of his essence in me?"

Marlene glanced at Sirius, her eyebrow arching.

"He's bound to know something already," Sirius insisted. "He knows about your connection and has exploited it in the past. I'm sure he already has a rough idea."

Harry swallowed, remembering seeing his green eyes on Voldemort's face in the mirror. "He talked in my head when I possessed him. He was aware that I was there."

"What did he say?" Sirius demanded, his face tugging down.

Harry shrugged. "Asked me what I had done."

Sirius' frown deepened. "He asked me the same damn thing when he was possessing you."

Harry's heart rate spiked. "So… he knows you were involved? Do you think he'll come after you too and hurt you?"

Sirius let out a bitter chuckle. "I think I'm officially on his shit list."

Ice flooded Harry's insides.

"Not because of you," Sirius insisted. "He's a little peeved I refused to join him again. Asked me while possessing you and everything," he explained before waving Harry off.

Harry didn't find comfort in that statement.

"What else did he say to you?" Sirius pressed

"Err…" Harry trailed off, squinting at his godparents. "He asked me how I got through his defenses. Then, I could feel him pushing really hard. I think he was attempting to make me leave his mind, but I didn't know how to. But it felt similar to when I'd feel him trying to possess me. Everything went black until I woke up at the clinic."

Sirius sighed, his thumb tapping against his coffee cup. "What did you say to him?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing. I didn't answer him. I was just trying to empty my mind."

Sirius and Marlene exchanged concerned looks but said nothing.

"What else did he say to you?" Harry pressed. "I don't remember when he was possessing me."

Sirius waved him off. "A bunch of empty threats. I'm not worried about it."

"How?" Harry asked, because he didn't understand how Sirius was so nonchalant about it all. "How can you be so calm about his threats?"

Sirius leaned forward, his fingers wrapping around Harry's hand. "Because I have enough to worry about, more than him threatening my life."

"I care," Harry insisted. "I don't like that he's threatening you. What exactly did he say?"

"Harry," Sirius said with a sigh. "Why don't you finish your breakfast and then go chat with the Weasleys? They were anxious to talk to you."

Sirius leaned back in his chair, turning to his own breakfast. Harry conceded as well, too exhausted to fight Sirius anymore. Honestly, he just wanted to see Ginny.

He finished up his breakfast quickly before making his way upstairs to his bedroom. Collapsing onto his bed, he grabbed his mirror off his bedside table and said Ginny's name. The mirror flickered a moment later. Ginny was still in her bed, her hair a mess and her face red.

"Harry!" she exclaimed. "You really are all right!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry replied, his eyes searching her face. "Are you all right?"

Ginny wiped a hand across her face. "I've just been worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Gin," Harry said, shooting her a soft smile. "I was given a sleeping potion while Dumbledore put mind blocks up in my mind or something. I didn't wake up until eleven this morning. I just finished having some breakfast with Sirius and Marlene."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Marlene is there? Merlin, Harry, when we called Sirius last night to check on you, he had a girl in his bed. Was it Marlene?"

Harry's face pulled. "Yeah, it was. They're getting reacquainted," he said, air quoting the last word with one hand, "and very adamant they didn't have sex. Which, by the way, Marlene is not shy about having a very open sex talk with me. It was worse than it was with Sirius over the summer."

"Did she really?" Ginny asked. "Why was she giving you that?"

"My own stupid fault," Harry grumbled, blaming it on the groggy effects of the Sleeping Potion. "I told Sirius I didn't want to hear him say anything about us sharing a bed since he's doing it with Marlene when they're not even dating. I kind of forgot Marlene was right there and didn't know about it."

Ginny laughed, looking more relaxed than she had when she first answered. "Yeah, you can blame yourself for that one."

Harry glanced up at the ceiling. "She asked me if I knew what sex was," he said with a sigh. "Apparently, you cast the charm before you penetrate. Yeah, those words came out of Marly's mouth. It was… Gin, I'm wondering if I've died and gone to hell."

Ginny grinned. "I can guarantee you that you are still alive."

Harry leaned his head back against his headboard. "Anyway, the procedure didn't work. He's still in my head, possessions and all."

Harry didn't want to tell her he had possessed Voldemort. It unnerved him more than he could willingly admit. He had felt so angry. The thoughts that flitted across his mind, it was unbearable. He had slid down the wall and covered his ears, willing the entire ordeal to be over with while Voldemort demanded answer until he woke up gasping on the trolley.

"When will you be back at school?" Ginny asked. "I miss you."

Harry swallowed. "I don't know. A few days apparently. Sirius wants to keep a close eye on me since they think Voldemort might try to attack my mind. He knew we were doing something."

"How do you know that?" Ginny pressed.

"He possessed me during it," Harry replied. "Asked Sirius what we were doing."

"That's scary," Ginny said in a soft tone.

Harry nodded, wanting to steer the conversation away from the botched procedure and the potential possessions that could take place over the next couple of days. He just wanted to talk about something normal, to feel normal after such a terrible previous day. The first thing he could think of was to talk about Quidditch, since he'd be missing practice. It was always the perfect thing to distract Ginny. She could talk about plays for hours on end. He just wanted to listen to her voice and try to calm his nerves.

Sirius collapsed onto the sofa in the parlor, his gaze wandering to the staircase that led upstairs. He wanted to have eyes on it at all times so he'd know when Harry was out of his room. Marlene eased down onto the sofa next to him, her body turning towards his as her knees pressed into his thigh. He looked over at her, a tight smile crossing his face.

"I should probably go," Marlene said, her palm pressing against his arm.

Sirius swallowed. "It's Saturday. Stay."

"I should go back to school," Marlene insisted. "Snape covered my classes yesterday, so I'm sure I'll get a slew of students seeking me out with tears in their eyes."

Sirius turned his body towards her, his hand reaching out to cup her face. "Stay. Harry needs you more. I need you more," he whispered, his thumb brushing against her cheek. "We've been separated for far too long. We can be a family this weekend. Give Harry a taste of something normal."

Marlene arched her eyebrow at him, her lips twitching. "Because we're… what did you say? Getting reacquainted?" she asked in an amused tone.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, a wince crossing his face. "I didn't know what to say we were, because I don't know what we are. We had sex, yeah, but I didn't… I don't know."

Marlene's hazel eyes searched his face, her eyebrows tugging down. All Sirius wanted to do was to hold her in his arms again and never let her go. He was hellbent on not fucking up his life again. He had custody of Harry, custody of his nephew, and now Marlene was right in front of him. He never wanted to let her go again.

"I don't want to be your fuck buddy," she whispered.

"I don't want that either," Sirius assured her.

Marlene pressed her hands against his cheeks. "I've missed you, Sirius. Like, really fucking missed you. I felt like one of those pathetic girls who let's some bloke ruin her life, because I couldn't stop thinking about you ever since I got my memories back."

Sirius wrapped his fingers around her wrists and pulled her hands away from his face. "I'm sorry I was such an arse. I know I've said it before, but I was in a really bad place. I was depressed and anxious and the Voldemort family shit was fucking with me."

"You seem better," Marlene pointed out. "You seem more like the Sirius I used to know."

Sirius sucked in a breath. "I didn't think I'd ever be him again. But… I think a better version of him is coming to the surface. Or, at least, I hope a better version of him."

"I like both versions of Sirius," Marlene admitted with a smile. "Young Marlene loved young Sirius. Old Marlene loves old Sirius. I think we grew together. There is only one thing I miss about young Sirius."

"What's that, Marly?" Sirius asked curiously.

"You used to smile more," she whispered. "I miss your smile."

Whatever Sirius thought Marlene would say, it wasn't that. He forced a smile on his face.

"Better?" he asked.

Marlene shook her head. "You used to smile big," she explained. "One where you showed off your teeth and it reached your eyes."

Sirius cleared his throat, his eyebrows shooting up. "Well, stay the weekend and maybe you'll just get the smile you've been missing."

Marlene let out a breathy chuckle as she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. "All right, I'll spend the weekend. But… I do have to stop by Hogwarts to grab a few things. Some clothes and… and my depression potion. I haven't even taken it this morning yet."

Sirius didn't know she was on the potion as well. It made sense, given everything she had been through.

"See, you're not alone," Marlene replied, her corner of her bottom lip sliding between her teeth.

"Aren't we a pair?" Sirius commented.

"There's nothing wrong in admitting you need help," Marlene reasoned.

"No, there's not," Sirius insisted, sucking in a deep breath. "It's what I've been trying to tell Harry. I took him to therapy with me on Monday. I talked about my shit childhood with him to show him it's all right to talk to me or someone else about it. I want him to know it's okay to seek help and he shouldn't be embarrassed by it."

"Do you think it helped?" Marlene asked.

"I hope so," Sirius replied.

Marlene leaned forward once more, her lips brushing against his. It wasn't a quick peck like before. No, this time she went nice and slow. Sirius savored every single second of it. Frustratingly, Marlene pulled back and ended the kiss all too soon. She told him she'd be back and eased off the sofa. He watched her go, still wearing his damn jumper as she stopped in the entryway to grab her shoes.

Sirius counted it as a win that she was willing to spend the weekend with them. He wanted to give Harry a little taste of normal life, or at least as normal as he could. Take his mind off the potential mind attacks and possessions. They could play games and make dinner together and just talk. They could finally be the family they were always meant to be.

Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Don't forget to drop a review. They motivate me to keep chugging along with this monster of a story!

Also, I got a few anon reviews saying they couldn't find me on AO3. My name is SeriouslySam over there (with no space). Or you can find me on tumblr under SeriouslySam8 and I have links to my stories on AO3.

Special thanks to prewettpotter for all her help!