Warning: This chapter contains an attempted suicide and darker thoughts.

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There was a knock on Harry's door. It was late… or at least he assumed it was late. He had been to work that day. The only times someone came for him after that was when they wanted to bring him to medical. He certainly didn't mind. He enjoyed the short conversations he had with Glint. Last time she had asked him questions about his childhood. While he hadn't been overly interested in answering, it was one of the few times he got the chance to speak to someone. He hadn't told her much, but she certainly knew more than most people.

Brightcleave was on the other side of the door, and Harry just signed for him to wait a second so he could pick his pot of water off the stove and put the chicken back in the freezer.

Brightcleave shook his head as he waited for the human. He couldn't blame him for not wanting to ruin food. Harry joined him, and they headed through the corridors over to medical.

"Haver a seat," Glint said. "Take your shirt off."

Harry did as he was told, and she walked up to him with a needle so she could draw blood. She sent it away with an assistant and placed her hands on his chest. "You are doing good," she said. "I think you are ready."

'Ready for what?' Harry wanted to ask, but he kept his mouth shut. Glint had been good to him thus far. He didn't want to end up on her bad side. She moved back and checked a chart of some kind. "You have gained two stone, and it seems to be mostly muscle and reserves. Body fat finally looks like what it should, and your liver is doing better. Kidneys and lungs look good." She paused for a moment before continuing, "We have a magical procedure we need to preform. Now that your body is up to par, we should be able to do it without danger."

Harry nodded slowly. All of that sounded good to him. He wondered what they wanted to do and why. He doubted she would tell him, or rather she might not be allowed to. It sometimes seemed, when they spoke, as if her hands were tied by someone else, and she wasn't always happy about it. He had managed to glean as much from certain muttered comments she had made.

"Take the rest of your clothes off and follow me," Glint said.

Harry nodded. He did as he was told and walked with Glint into a nearby room. Thick stone walls surrounded them, and bright white lines flowed over the floor in circles and stars. She walked him to the centre of the centre star. "Sit," she said.

Harry sat down and looked around him. With Glint there were five goblins in the room. They were spread around him, touching the star he was seated in. Soft chanting began flowing from them, and light spread from the lines and up to the centre of his chest. He wondered what was going on. Why was his chest glowing? He reached up and pressed his fingers against it. It felt tight. For each breath he took, it felt harder and harder to breath. He gasped as pain flared through his body. He caught himself against the floor. His eyes screwed shut as the burning spread from his chest out through his veins. It was like being hit with several consecutive Cruciatus Curses all at once. He could feel the tears streaming down his face, fall to his legs and run down to the floor.

A scream tore through him and he couldn't stop it. It hurt so badly he couldn't hold the sounds any more. He curled up slowly, while still staying aware enough to keep himself in the centre of the star. He pressed his palms against his eyes and wailed in pain. His shoulders were shaking as the pain coursed though him in waves, accompanied by the chanting. His body spasmed as a loud noise tore through the room and everything went dark.

…

Rising from oblivion after an unknown magical procedure was unpleasant at best. Harry pushed himself up slowly and blinked the gravel from his eyes. He breathed in calmly. No pain, that was good. He was sitting on a bed. A set of clothes lay on a chair next to him. He sat up properly and looked around. A soft sigh left his lips. Now it really did look like he was in a cell. Stone walls surrounded him. Solid stone walls that were perfectly smooth. The only break was a heavy iron door at the other end of the room. There were no windows. No other marks or dents. Nothing.

What had he done to deserve this?

What could possibly have happened for him to end up in a cell. Had he killed Glint and the others? Had the ritual ended badly? "Why?" he whispered softly.

Rising slowly, Harry walked up to the door and touched it. He was thrown back and landed heavily on the floor. A groan passed his lips as he pushed himself up. So no touching the door. Great. He got back up. Now the question became would they feed him? He sat down on the bed again. He wasn't willing to lose what he had gained the past eight… nine months. He didn't even know how long he had been there.

He got back up again. He didn't quite know what the best way to exercise was, but he guessed he would figure it out. He had to do something other than just sit there.

Falling into bed later, at least he knew they would feed him, but the food was bland, tasteless. He closed his eyes. His mind was reeling. He wanted to know what was going on. He hated being locked up like this. It just brought him back to that damn bedroom at Privet Drive, or the boot cupboard under the stairs, even. He drifted off slowly trying not to think about what was going on or why.

…

Ragged breathing echoed through the room. Harry cried out in fear as he battled against the covers. He hit the floor with a thud and gasped in pain. He curled up and pressed his face to his knees. Another artificial night of not enough sleep. His eyes narrowed as he thought he saw a glimmer rise from his fingertips. Maybe it was just his lack of sleep. He had no clue where it had come from or why. He lay there against the cool floor, staring into nothingness to caught in his nightmares to sleep yet too tried to move. The only sound was his breathing and his own heartbeat. He dozed off eventually, but he didn't fall asleep.

Some time later, the lights turned on and breakfast appeared. He ate as he did his best to recall how to brew a Wiggenweld Potion. It was all just so he would have something to cling onto. He pushed himself forward and stretched his legs out and let his body drop before pushing himself back up again.

Day after day.

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."

Harry pressed his face against his knees as his shoulders shook. Tears soaked into his pants' legs as he rocked back and forth. He felt like there was no air. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. He was never getting out.

…

"Three blind mice, three blind mice. See how they run, see how they run. They all ran after the farmer's wife. She cut off their tails with a carving knife. Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice?" Harry closed his eyes and collapsed onto the bed.

"It is a shame," Dumac said as he watched the human.

"A shame. A shame. You have locked him in a room all alone for a month now. What you are doing to him is torture," Glint said. "If you keep going like this, he will die."

"His magic isn't controlled enough," Dumac said. "It lashed out and destroyed the ritual room."

"Yes, the room was in shambles. Strangely enough, all five of the ritual masters were fine. His magic did nothing to us," Glint said. "You have had your turn. Now, it is my turn."

"Ring-a-ring o' roses. A pocket full of posies. A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down!" Harry sang softly as he leaned forward.

"Harry." The soft voice sounded from all around him.

Harry froze. "Glint?" he whispered.

"I'm here Harry. I can hear you," Glint said.

"Why?" The tone of his voice cut into her.

"Your magic went wild after the ritual. The council decided that this was the best course of action," Glint said. "I tried telling them that they were wrong, but they wouldn't listen to me."

"You talk now," Harry said.

"I can afford opposing the council. If they won't listen to me, I will make them see reason," Glint said.

"They locked me up. Do they really fear me that much?" Harry asked.

"They don't quite know what to think," Glint said. Unfortunately, that was true, and it meant many of them were fine with leaving him in the cell.

"So they locked me up," Harry said. His voice was emotionless, tired. "It would have been kinder to kill me."

Dumac sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had pointed that out to the council himself when they discussed this option.

"That might be my fault. I didn't want you to die. I wanted to help you. I believe you can gain control of your magic. I think you are strong enough for that. You just need a bit of help."

"Control. That's always it, isn't it. Why should I?" Harry said as he rose from the bed. "If I gain control, then what? Will the nice people of the council bring me out of my stone box whenever they need a power output?" His voice had slowly gone from tired and weak to angry. "Will they do what everyone else has fucking done and use me as a weapon? A pawn. I'm so fucking tired of all of this!" He threw is arms out and fire spread from him, setting the furniture ablaze. He backed away from the fire with a terrified expression and slid down against the opposite wall. He was shaking his head slowly as he watched the fire.

"No, no, no, no." He took several deep breaths before clenching his first.

"Harry!" Glint screamed as he closed his eyes. "Harry, don't!"

He slammed his head back against the wall before leaning forward again.

Glint reached out and activated a rune that would knock him out. She was running from the observation room before Dumac had a chance to say anything to her. "Open the door!" she ordered the guards. Her eyes narrowed when they did nothing at first. She dug down in her registry and repeated the order.

The guards gulped and looked at each other before reaching out and opening the door for her. She fell to her knees next to Harry and touched his head slowly. "Oh, poor child," she said. He had lost so much of the work they had done for him. He looked too thin again, and there were deep dark circles under his eyes. She had been monitoring, but even those reports didn't show just how much damage they had done to him. "Imagine locking Mikau in a room like this with no information. Nothing," Glint said. "Do you think he would have lasted this long?"

"Mikau is a child," Dumac said irritably. He had followed her in case it was needed to protect her or Harry or whoever might need protection from the council.

"So is Harry. He is only eighteen, Dumac. The brain isn't fully developed in a human until their mid-twenties. He is still a child. It is a fair comparison," Glint said angrily. "It isn't his fault that he has basilisk venom in his veins. Or magical residue in two separate scars. He didn't ask for the Wenlock-seal to be left where it was." She placed Harry's head back down as she finished healing him. "He is worse off now than he was before he was branded," she said softly.

"He refused the food," Dumac said.

"Have you listened to a recording of what his nights are like?" Glint said. "I can see why he isn't eating." She sighed as she looked over at the burning bed.

"I'll have it fixed," Dumac said. Contrary to Glint's angry words earlier. None of this had been his idea. He had been against this too. That hadn't just been her. His reasons might be more gain focused, but harry couldn't provide anything from where he was now. He headed out of the observation room so they could deal with the burning remains as well as replace the bed at the very least.

Glint stayed with Harry until he had a new place to sleep. She brushed his hair aside. "We will work through this. Don't you worry, young one," she said. She walked out, and the heavy door closed behind her. She still needed to convince the council that he didn't need to be in that cell.

…

A good twelve hours passed by before Harry groaned and opened his eyes. "Good morning, cell," he said hollowly as he stared up at the celling. A sigh left him. He considered getting up, but what was the point.

"Awake now, I see."

Harry closed his eyes. This voice was new. He didn't know them. Talking to Glint had seemed natural. Was he allowed to speak to this man? He wasn't sure, so he remained quiet.

"They tell me you are having some issues with your magic. Glint asked me to help you with that. Are you willing to try?"

Harry sighed. That was a direct question. "To what end?" he asked. "I'm an animal in a cage." He held his hands up above him and turned them around slowly. He closed his eyes as he saw the flickering around them.

"What do you want?"

Harry let his hands fall back down against his chest. What did he want? Freedom would be nice, of course, but what was he supposed to do with that? Companionship? With whom though. He was a teenager with a lacklustre education and too much pressure laying on his shoulders. Who would want to go anywhere near that?

What did he want?

His eyes narrowed. "I have a godson," he said softly. "Edward Remus Lupin. I… I think he lives with his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks. I guess… I guess if there is anything I want, it would be to see him."

Ragnok sighed. Of all the things a young man locked in a box could want, seeing their godchild was not what he would have expected. It was however not an impossible request to at least attempt to honour. It was also possible that seeing the child would give Harry the drive to keep going. "I shall contact Madam Tonks," he said. "I can't promise anything, of course."

"Andromeda could say no," Harry said as he pushed himself up. He grabbed the plate standing on the table next to his bed and forced himself to eat some of it. He wasn't hungry. The food was tasteless. It felt pointless to eat it.

"Exactly. I promise to do what I can," Ragnok said.

Harry sighed as he got up and headed to the centre of the floor. He sat down slowly. If there was a chance he could get to see Teddy, then maybe it was worth it, learning how to control his magic. "Where do we start?" he asked. For the first time since ending up in the cell, he had a direction.

"First off, you need to understand why your magic acts up," Ragnok said. "Do you have any idea?"

Harry took a deep breath and did his best to think back. "Well," he said after a while. "My magic tends to act up when I'm angry," he said. "I guess it could be more emotions, but anger is destructive and very noticeable."

"Good, that is the first step," Ragnok said. "In order to gain control of your magic, you will need to separate it from your emotions. Anger should not destroy things around you. In your current state, that could be very unfortunate."

"Why am I so uncontrolled now?" Harry asked. He hadn't been like that before. Sure, his anger had destroyed things in the past, but not like the fire.

"You went through a ritual cleansing, Mr Potter. It was meant to remove a Wenlock-seal. They are supposed to protect small children from their own developing magic. It should have been removed before you started Hogwarts, but wasn't. You have been working on half your magic reserves your entire life. The healers removed the lock and your magic went wild. If you were capable of destroying things before now, without a wand, based only on your emotional state, it would explain a lot. You are a powerful man, Mr Potter."

Harry closed his eyes as he absorbed the information given to him. He had been working on half-power as he fought against Voldemort. That was just insane. Unbelievable. It was frightening to hear, and people would go haywire if they found out. "Who placed the seal?" he asked softly.

"That is impossible to tell, unfortunately, but we would assume your parents did. Your magic would have rebelled more otherwise."

Harry nodded slowly. So it was possible no one knew. If he hadn't gone to the goblins, maybe they would never have found out. He was in a cell because the Council was scared of him. They had locked him up. He was swaying dangerously. Maybe he should just be locked up. "Lock me up and throw away the key. Keep me in a gilded cage, never to be free," he sang softly before he started laughing maniacally.

The laugher quickly turned to tears, and Ragnok could see what his wife meant. The isolation was taking its toll on this young human, and they needed to do something now. "Let's see if we can make sure that doesn't happen," he said calmly.

Harry calmed down eventually and nodded slowly. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Lets' start with meditation," Ragnok said. "And I don't mean clearing your mind, but rather not focusing on anything that your mind tries to catch your attention with. The clearing comes later. Simply listen to my voice and breath slowly. In and out. Your magic is all around you. It flows through you. It is a power onto its own, but it is your power. Feel it roll between your fingers. Let it flow around you like soft waves."

Harry breathed in as he moved his fingers slowly. He breathed out as the hint of a feeling escaped him. He did his best not to get frustrated. He knew it wouldn't help him. He went back to his time working with the goblins. One menial task after another, yet he had never got angry at anyone. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down. Something shimmered between his fingers. He held the feeling for only a short moment before he lost it.

Still, he had managed and it had felt amazing. He smiled tiredly. Maybe it was worth learning how to gain control.

Ragnok headed home that evening, feeling more hopeful than he had thought.

Glint turned to him as he walked into the kitchen. "Well?" she asked.

"I don't know, Glint. I think that maybe we should open the wall up so he can see through it. He needs connection. He's been alone for too long already. He asked to see his godson," Ragnok said. "I need to contact the boy's guardian and see if she is willing."

Glint nodded. "That might help, and we could consider them family, especially since he doesn't have anyone else," she said.

"I'll look into it, but I don't see why not," Ragnok said.

Glint smiled at him. "Thank you for handling this for me," she said. She liked Harry. He was polite and kind. He was a good person, and she wanted to help him.

Ragnok shrugged. "The boy has potential. He managed to manifest his magic today. That is better than most youngsters in such a short amount of time," he said. "If he gains more control, there is a possibility he could maybe lean into my profession."

Glint hummed softly. That was sort of what she was hoping for, to be honest. With Harry's tendency to protect those around him, he would make a good warder.

…

Harry cried out in frustration and gashes were cut into the walls by his magic.

"Calm yourself, child," Ragnok said. "You know you can do better than this." He met Harry's dull green eyes.

"What's the point?" Harry said. "If I ever get out of here, the humans are going to take one look at me and lock me up, afraid I'll be the next Dark Lord."

"Only if you can't control yourself," Ragnok said. "Otherwise, they will never know how powerful you are. They will never know what you can do. You don't even know what you have the potential for." He closed his eyes. "I'm thinking that maybe you need to speak to a mind healer. Would you like that?"

Harry squeezed his leg until his knuckles turned white. He didn't really want anyone to judge him based on his past. Still, he could tell he wasn't stable. People didn't act the way he did. They didn't swing between emotions like he did. Not unless there was something else going on. "I… I guess I should," he said.

"Would you like them to be human or goblin?" Ragnok asked.

Harry shrugged. "I want them to be safe. I don't want them to be able to tell anyone what I tell them," he said. "I don't care about their race."

"Glint and I will make sure that they are part of the clan then," Ragnok said.

Harry nodded absent-mindedly. His mood shifted so fast sometimes it felt like a rollercoaster, and he knew it wasn't healthy for him. Maybe talking to someone would help. Maybe they could actually help him. He looked up and watched the magic of the cell heal the walls he had destroyed earlier. "Did you contact Andromeda?" he asked softly.

"We have sent her a letter," Ragnok answered. "It has only been a few days. She might need some time to think."

…

Andromeda looked down at the letter in her hand. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. It was a summons to Gringotts regarding Harry Potter. She had read the article from his branding, and she had read the nonsense written afterwards. She didn't believe in any of it. Mostly because they couldn't even keep consistent. It was always some new theory. Half the time Harry was receiving special training, and the other half he was a horrible criminal. She hated all of it. Her daughter had not died for articles like that.

Teddy babbled as she got him ready for the day. She would have to see what the goblins had to say. "Come on, Teddy, let's go see what happened to your godfather," she said as she picked him up.

The bank was busy as Andromeda walked in. She waited patiently in line until she reached the tellers and showed her summons.

"This way, Madam," Brightcleave said as he showed her to a side room. "Dumac will be with you shortly," he said before leaving her.

Andromeda bounced Teddy on her leg. "Well, little one, this is quite different," she said. "You don't usually end up sitting like this, you know, so we shall see what they have to say." Teddy wasn't too concerned with what was going on as he chewed on Andromeda's sleeve. She smiled at him as she wondered what this was actually about.

Dumac entered the room and sat down by the desk. He moved through a few stacks of papers and looked at the woman and the young child she was holding. He placed the papers down and looked up. "You have been called here as your grandson is also the godson of one Harry James Potter," he said.

Andromeda tensed and pulled Teddy closer to her chest. She couldn't take another death right now. It had been a little over a year since the battle. A little over a year since her daughter died. She couldn't take another one, even if she didn't really know Harry. "I see," she said.

"Are you aware of Mr Potter's current predicament?" Dumac asked.

"I only know what the paper said, and I'm sure you are aware of how unreliable the Prophet is," Andromeda said. At least that hopefully meant he was still alive. She had worried about him when she read the article, but she had so much else going on at the time that she hadn't been able to focus on that.

Dumac nodded slowly. "Certainly. I must ask, how do you feel about young Mr Potter?" he asked.

"I don't know him very well," Andromeda said. "I've only met him the once, but he seemed like a polite young man." She moved Teddy as she relaxed. He wasn't dead. That was good news.

"He would like to know if you would be okay with his involvement in raising your grandson?" Dumac asked. He knew that this was important for Harry's recovery. Glint would not be happy if he said something to mess this up.

"Involvement, no," Andromeda said, and she meant it. It would be good for Teddy to have a male role model. "I will not simply hand Teddy over, however."

"What I am about to tell you, I ask that you do not repeat to anyone," Dumac said. "You are only being told because of your godson."

Andromeda nodded slowly. "I understand," she said. She leaned back as Dumac told her the short version of what Harry had been through the past year.

Andromeda shook her head slowly as she listened to him. She was not impressed with the Nation. She needed to see him for herself to tell how he was doing, so when Dumac asked if she was willing to meet with Harry, she agreed. Her mind was still processing what she had been told as she headed down deeper into Gringotts. Harry's magic had been sealed with a Wenlock-seal until well after he turned nineteen. That was awful. She was led to a room filled with runes and monitoring equipment. A goblin sat on the floor facing an enchanted wall.

On the other side of the wall sat a young man with messy black hair. He was shirtless, and she could see the mark on his shoulder where the hot iron had touched his skin. Apart from that, he looked like he was recovering. He was pale with dark circles under his eyes. He looked too thin, like he wasn't eating properly, but he wasn't scrawny. She moved closer slowly.

Green eyes opened and Harry turned his head around to look at her. Confusion gave way to surprise as he moved up fluently. He reached out and placed a hand against the wall. "Andromeda?" he breathed as if uttering her name would make her disappear.

"It is me," Andromeda said. She saw how his eyes moved to the boy in her arms, and she turned Teddy around so he looked up at Harry, and his eyes switched colour almost immediately. She heard the intake of breath from Harry and saw the tears in his eyes. "They told me what is going on. What you did was very honourable."

Harry snorted. "I threw myself into something without understanding the ramifications, so now I'm locked in a cell," he said hollowly. "If I don't get my magic under control, I'm never getting out of here." He sighed loudly and walked away from the wall. "Everything has changed," he said.

"That is understandable. Your magic shouldn't have been sealed," Andromeda said.

Harry shook his head slowly. "It isn't just that," he said. He ran a hand through his already messy hair. He pointed towards the bed. With the same effort it takes to swat a fly away he set the bed on fire, consuming it completely in a matter of seconds. "It is so much easier being destructive than it is to do anything else. I do wonder if that is because my magic was so tainted by Riddle." He lowered his arm.

Andromeda watched him. There was something in the tilt of his shoulders and the sound of his voice that spoke of loneliness. "Is that who you want to be, though?" she asked. "Your magic is yours. Don't let anyone else tell you what you should or shouldn't do with it."

Harry's lips twitched towards a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He cleaned the floor and conjured a new bed like he had just fluffed a pillow. "You are right," he said. "And I don't want to be destructive." He turned back towards her and walked back towards the wall. "I… I wanted to know if…" he paused and lowered his gaze, "if there is a place for me in Teddy's life?"

"I am his grandmother," Andromeda said calmly.

"And I am his godfather," Harry said softly. "That doesn't mean we can't work together. Most children have two parental figures to guide them. I just wish to be a part of his life." He laughed humourlessly. "It isn't like I can do anything if you decide I'm not allowed to see him." Pain flashed past his eyes as he slipped down the wall. He had nothing, was no one. He reached up and touched the back of his head in a reminder that he had already tried to end it and failed to do so.

Sure, there was no pressure of being Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord, but he was alone. He had nothing to live for, no reason to keep going. Oh, people would say he had his whole life ahead of him, but the only future he saw was meek at best.

Andromeda watched him sink into himself. This was a young man who had seen too much and lost too many people. He had lived with pressure placed on him that shouldn't have been there in the first place. He needed someone. Someone he could talk to. Someone he could just be himself around without fear of rejection. Could she do that? Could she open her heart to someone and be there for them? She had lost her husband and her daughter. Teddy was all she had, but Teddy was a baby. She knelt down slowly and placed Teddy against the wall. Maybe this was something she needed as well.

Harry looked up as small hands pressed against the wall next to him. He smiled sadly at the little boy. "Hey, Teddy. I'm Harry," he said softly.

The little boy looked up at him, and his eyes changed colour to match his again. He looked from the boy to his grandmother. She was watching him in a way that strangely enough didn't feel like she was judging him.

"Learn to control your magic," Andromeda said. "We will be here waiting for you to get out of that cell. You are right. It would be good for Teddy to have someone other than me to turn to." There was so much pain held within him. She was in pain too. Maybe with some help they could slowly heal, even if they never healed fully. If Teddy hadn't been a part of her life, she would have given up ages ago. She could see that Harry needed something similar. He needed hope for the future. He had no family. Teddy was all he had. He needed time to heal, but he needed something to fight for too.

Harry placed his hand flat against the wall as he studied Teddy. "You are the most precious…" He closed his eyes and sighed. He felt some kind of emotion stir in the emptiness of his chest. "Someday I'll be able to play with you," he said. He shifted and spoke softly as he took in everything he could. He knew they would be leaving, and he would feel worse after they had gone. Over all, this was so worth it, though.

Eventually, Andromeda picked Teddy up and smiled at Harry. She would be returning. Teddy needed his godfather. Harry needed both her and Teddy, and she could really do with someone else who was prioritizing Teddy. She could clearly see the danger of Harry having no contact. He was apathetic. Sure he spoke to them, and he seemed to care, but he wasn't doing well. There was a lifelessness in his eyes that was scary to see, but there were flashes of other things too. Things that could bloom and help him grow. "Say bye-bye to Harry for now, Teddy," she said.

Harry waved and took farewell as he watched them leave. He had a chance to be part of Teddy's life and wouldn't squander it. He closed his eyes. He would manage to control this increase in power, and he would learn to use it for something productive. It wasn't something he could do on his own, and he wouldn't think it was. He would work hard though.

As for what he wanted to be after this. If there was an after. He knew being an Auror was out of the question. He actually doubted he could work for the Ministry at all. He blinked slowly. There were no tears left because he felt too empty to cry them.

Ragnok would call the mind-healer in again soon. Harry clearly needed more sessions. He shook his head. He was hoping that bringing Teddy would be worth it. For now, all they could do was wait and see.

…

Almost a week passed before Andromeda returned with Teddy. She sat down and placed Teddy in her lap as she watched Harry. His face looked serene. She wondered how he was doing, but she didn't want to interrupt him.

Ragnok was sitting in the room watching the human and studying the way he interacted with his magic. He noticed when Andromeda arrived, but he didn't pay that much attention to her, appreciating that she didn't call for Harry's attention. Eventually, though, he realised that she was looking at him. He turned his head and met her steely grey eyes. She signalled for him to cut their audio from Harry, and he reached out to the rune that did before nodding.

"How is he doing?" Andromeda asked. "I will ask him too, but from an outside perspective, is he making progress?"

"Yes. He is making more progress than he thinks he is," Ragnok said. "We have a long way to go. I think that many of his issues would have been there even if he hadn't been locked up the way he was, but they would have been hidden. I'm not saying it was a good idea to lock him up like this, but most of his issues would have been there no matter. The difference is that they are visible and in the open now, so we can handle them more directly."

"It sounds like you are trying to make the best out of a bad situation," Andromeda said. She didn't blame him for that. "I was wondering if there was any noticeable change from our last visit."

Ragnok nodded. "He was worse off that evening and the following day, but he has since taken on a… determination, let's say. He is improving a lot, not just with me, but the mind-healer is getting through to him. While I can't say much, I can say that he is a very reserved person who doesn't like to share, but he is speaking to her now," he said. "I believe he is taking this seriously. He was trying before your visit. He is making an effort now."

Andromeda nodded and turned back to look at Harry. His hair flowed softly around him as his magic moved. Most people didn't have enough magic for it to exist outside their body. Even for people like him, most learnt how to contain it as they grew older. They were taught how to keep the magic within them. Since Harry had gained such an increase so quickly, he hadn't been able to adapt. He would have to learn the hard way.

Harry took a deep breath and flexed as he opened his eyes. It was getting easier separating his emotions from his magic. Now he just needed to figure out how to sort of keep it that way. He looked over to Ragnok and felt something rise in his chest. It should have been happiness, but he didn't think that was it. He moved over to the wall and pressed a hand against the wall. "Andromeda," he said. "You are back."

"I said I would be," Andromeda said. She saw something flash by his tired gaze for a second. It could have been regret, but she wasn't sure. "How are you coming along?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "It is going forward, I guess," he said. "I sleep through every other night or so now."

"Nightmares?" Andromeda asked.

Harry nodded. "From the war. From the years before. From my childhood. I've suppressed a lot just to keep moving forward," he said. "We are slowly moving through it just so I can have a chance to figure things out."

Andromeda smiled at him. "I'm glad you are making progress," she said as Teddy crawled up to the wall.

"Hi Teddy. I'm Harry, do you remember me?"

Teddy's eyes brightened until they were the same shade as Harry's. He babbled and Harry smiled at him. "I missed you, buddy," he said.

"Can I ask you something, Harry?" Andromeda asked.

Harry looked up at her. "Go ahead," he said worriedly.

"Why do you want to be a part of Teddy's life?" Andromeda asked.

"I don't want him to grow up the way I did," Harry said. He paused as he ordered his thoughts. "I know that isn't likely to happen since he has you, but I don't want to be to him what Sirius was to me. I know I messed that up already. I shouldn't have got stuck down here if I wanted to be available."

"Still you reached out. They say the first thing you thought of when they asked what you wanted was Teddy," Andromeda said.

"He wasn't the first, but he was the only thing that mattered," Harry said. "I could live the rest of my life locked in a cell if that means he has a good life. I'm already damaged anyway." He rubbed his shoulders slowly.

"You need to stop thinking of yourself that way," Andromeda said. "You are important. Yes, you have been through a lot. You bear a lot of scars. You have lived a rough life, but that doesn't make you worth any less." She doubted his imprisonment now had brought all of this about. There had to be more to it.

Harry nodded slowly. "I guess it is all buried in the fact that I was worth less than inanimate objects for ten years of my life," he said. He shook his head.

Andromeda tilted her head at that revelation. Hadn't Nymphadora mentioned something about padlocks? She didn't push him. It was up to him to share what he wanted at this point. At least with her. She wanted him to feel safe with her. She didn't want him to feel like he had to hide or act like something he wasn't. She wanted him to have a chance to figure out who Harry Potter was and what he wanted.

Harry focused on Teddy for a bit, glad that he wasn't asked questions about his statements. "How are you guys holding up?" he asked.

"Worried I don't get out of the house enough. I was considering coming here more often, if only to have more of a routine," Andromeda said. "It is easier to get things done if I'm already up and about, and you are a good enough reason to head out." She could see the small smile, and she took that as a victory.

Andromeda and Teddy stayed for another hour before heading out again. She wandered down the street looking at the stores. Stores had healed after the war, but the scars were still there. She held Teddy close as she walked through to the Leaky Cauldron. She wouldn't tell anyone what her visits to the bank were about. She didn't want to be hounded about Harry, and he deserved his privacy. "Should you and I head for the park?" she asked Teddy.

Laugher bubbled from her chest as he babbled. She could hear something that sounded a lot like bucket and sand. Towers maybe?

"Aya, aya," Teddy said. "Aya go dig."

Andromeda closed her eyes. "Harry can't go with us right now," she said, hoping she was right.

"Aya no go?" Teddy said sadly.

"No, but we can go see Harry again the day after tomorrow," Andromeda said. She smiled as he squealed happily. She sighed softly. Two visits was apparently all Teddy needed to decide that Harry was important to him. That was a good sign at least.

…

"With this session, we have seen each other for almost three months and I must say, Harry, that considering the things you have told me you are doing quite well," Healer Tatiana said as she closed her folder on him. "You have been seeing Andromeda and Teddy how much now?"

"Twenty-seven times," Harry said. He smiled softly, and it was reaching his eyes now, which in itself was a vast improvement from just a few weeks ago. "He wants me to build sandcastles with him," he said with laughter in his voice. "He calls me Aya." He sighed. "Is it silly that it means so much to me just to see him?"

Healer Tatiana smiled softly at him. "Not at all, dear," she said. She certainly agreed with Glint that bringing Andromeda and Teddy in had probably saved Harry's life. While he had been maintaining after he had a chance to speak to people again, he was actively improving now, and she knew it was because he wanted to be there for Teddy. She wished he would do things for himself too, but she was fairly certain they could get there in time. She packed her things away. "Well. It is time for me to leave. I will be back in three days for another session. Maybe we can get through the last hurdle in your childhood then."

Harry nodded slowly. He certainly hoped she was right. At least his sessions with her had made him realise that while he never wanted to see his relatives again, he didn't care about them. He didn't need to care about them. They shouldn't have any power in his life, and he was working on dealing with the fear he still held for them. He waved as she headed out.

He shook his head. He hadn't realised just how insanely stupid things had been in his life before he started talking about them, and it wasn't Healer Tatiana's responses to his stories that were putting things into perspective, but Andromeda's. He still felt a lot better after speaking to Tatiana, but speaking to someone old enough to be his parent about his childhood when she had been raising a little girl with her husband at the time and hearing the difference between a healthy happy family that struggled from time too time and his life was such an eye-opener. No, it wasn't normal to be screamed at for asking questions. No, it wasn't normal to be locked in a tight, dark space for hours on end.

Harry sat down and focused on his magic. Andromeda would be coming over the next day, and he was looking forward to it. He rubbed his chest slowly. He still felt empty from time to time, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been. He held his hands out and closed his eyes. His magic flowed between his fingers and he twisted it slowly as he worked it. Laugher escaped him as he opened his eyes to see the little puppy he had made. It ran around his feet for a bit before tumbling and disappeared into the flow of his magic.

He twisted his magic again and a small cat appeared. He bit his lip. If he worked a little on this, he could make a little show for Teddy. Wouldn't that be fun?