Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Family Means More Than Blood	By : WingsofaDream Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 59825 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its associated characters are property of J K Rowling, not me. This story is not being written for profit, just for the lols.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
26th August 1993: Afternoon

Harry looked around himself curiously as he walked alongside Fred and George down a random Muggle street, on their way to the portkey which was arranged to take them back to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasleys had returned from their trip to Egypt and, upon the insistance of the twins, were having a day out in Muggle London along with Harry who had been invited along. Harry had taken them up on the offer immediately, if only so he had something to do. His summer had been rather dull over-all. Draco had gone on holiday with some of his Slytherin friends half way through July. At the beginning, Harry had spent a lot of time with Severus and Lucius. However, there was only so much time that even he could spend with the men before he started to tire of their company. Besides, he got the feeling that the two men wanted some alone time together as well.

He was not as blind as his family seemed to think he was. It was painfully obvious that Severus and Lucius were more than what they appeared and shared more than just the platonic love of old friends. Harry was not completely sure it was true love or anything like that but there was little doubt in his mind that the men were intimate with each other, especially if the sounds he sometimes heard from his father's room on nights his godfather stayed over were anything to go by. Perhaps it was a release thing. To be honest, he tried not to think about it, it was mentally scarring to think of his father and godfather in such a way.

"Aren't Muggles weird?" Fred whispered suddenly as they wandered down the street after Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Ron who were with them. "Did you see that one that just went by holding his ear and talking to himself?"

"Wasn't he holding a grey brick to his ear and talking to that?" Harry noted, turning his head to look after the man in question.

"That's even weirder!" George gasped. "At least he could answer himself; what's a brick gonna say to him?"

"Maybe if you talked to one you would find out." Harry suggested, sounding completely serious.

The twins stared at him in silence for a second before all three burst out laughing.

"Talk to a brick." Fred laughed, holding his aching stomach, sore from laughing.

"I'll talk to my mirror but not my brick." George managed to get out through his giggles.

A passing Muggle woman must have over heard them as she gave them all a very odd look. The three boys sobered and returned the look as she walked past them. When she was gone, they burst out laughing again. None of them even tried to speak after that as they were struggling to breathe through their laughter let alone manage to talk through it. However, for Harry, his laughter suddenly stopped rather abruptly as everything around him vanished into darkness once again.

A faceless woman wearing blue and white robes stood in profile against the darkness, a wand of some kind of dark wood held loosely in her left hand. Several feet away from her, the familiar figure of Voldemort faded into view. He wordlessly held out his hand towards the woman and the wand flew from her hand to his. Her part obviously done, the figure of the woman faded away.

Voldemort sneered evilly and held up the wand flat in his palm. It lifted to float in the air just above his hand. Slowly, a haze of red wafted out of Voldemort's parted lips and surrounded the stolen wand in a soft red glow for a few seconds before the glow seemed to seep into the wood, leaving it looking as though nothing had ever happened.

Reality returned to Harry in a rush and he was slightly surprised to find himself still standing with no one holding him up. He felt rather disorientated but not enough so that he wasn't painfully aware of the fact that he was suddenly alone. Several frantic glances around himself revealed that there was not a single head of ginger hair around him. He was alone, in a Muggle part of London...It would be so easy for him to freak out at that moment. No, he had to keep rational about this. Pros about this situation: he had a bit of Muggle money with him...And that was it. Maybe freaking out a little would be justified.

With a sigh, Harry slumped against the wall of the closest shop to him. He dug into the pocket of his Muggle coat and fished out his money. Two five pound notes, half a dozen or so pound coins and a hand full of the smaller coins which were worth various numbers of pennies. That was a decent amount of money. Enough for a snack if he got hungry and the bus fare which was 70p; he had heard Mr Weasley mention it at one point. There was just one problem with that though; he had no idea where he needed to go.

After stuffing the money back into his coat, Harry gave a small groan and gripped the loose hair at the side of his head. He could hardly walk up to someone and ask them the way to the Leaky Cauldron; these were a bunch of Muggles after all. But, he could ask the way to a landmark and then make his way to the Leaky Cauldron from there. What landmark could he use? King's Cross Station of course. He knew the way back to the Leaky Cauldron from there. So now he had a plan: ask for directions to King's Cross before getting the bus there. Simple but effective.

Harry pushed himself away from the wall before pausing when something in the shop window beside him caught his eye. In the panic about being left behind and not knowing where he was, he had failed to properly acknowledge the vision which had led to his being left behind. Now though, he remembered it very well, mostly because of what was in the shop window he now stood in front of.

A wand. It was definitely a wand in the window of what appeared to be an antique shop. And it was the same dark wood as the one that had been in his vision. Experience led Harry to assume that this was not just a coincidence. He could go inside the shop and ask for directions and casually enquire about the wand in the window, maybe ask how much it was being sold for as he got the feeling he was not supposed to ignore all this and just walk away without it.

So, with his plan firmly set in his mind, Harry turned slightly and stepped up to the door, pushing it open gently to go into the shop. The interior was rather homey actually, not what he was expecting at all. It was light and airy and smelt fresh and clean rather than of dust and mothballs which, if he was completely honest, was what he had been expecting. There was no dust anywhere which was quite an achievement as there were plenty of knickknacks lining every flat surface. And the person watching over the shop was also not what Harry expected either. Instead of it being someone old, maybe slightly senile, it was a male teenager, maybe his age or a bit older, sitting behind a counter at the back of the shop. He was reading a newspaper, or at least he had been, he had looked up upon hearing Harry enter.

"Erm, hi." Harry greeted the boy somewhat shyly. "I've managed to get myself completely lost and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to King's Cross Station?"

The other boy remained silent and just stared at Harry with a curious expression on his face. It was actually rather unnerving. Harry shifted under the boy's gaze awkwardly and it was just when he was about to tell the boy that it did not matter, the stranger spoke. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Haryon would it?"

Harry gaped openly at the boy.

"I'm going to assume from that intelligent response that yes, your name is Haryon. That being the case..." The boy paused as he moved around the counter and then headed over to the window. Once there, he reached forward and took the wand before turning to look at Harry again. "...I'm guessing this is what originally caught your attention."

Harry's eyes flickered from the boy's face to the wand and then back up to the boy again. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm no one. However, I did have a Great Grandpa who was a great man. He saw things before they happened and he saw the pasts of objects with just a single touch. Three years ago, a month before he died, my Great Grandpa told me that the summer I was sixteen, a boy around my age would come into this shop asking for directions to King's Cross Station. He would have long, dark haired tied back into a loose ponytail, the brightest green eyes anyone had ever seen and would answer to the name Haryon."

"He was a Seer?" Harry asked, choosing what he said carefully; after all, he did not know whether this kid was a Muggle or Squib or whatever.

A shrug from the boy. "I suppose you could call him that. To me, he was just my Great Grandpa. Anyways, it doesn't matter. What matters is I've played my part in Destiny's Great Plan so I don't have to sit in this tomb of a shop anymore. So, take your stick," he waggled it in Harry's direction. "And then I can close this place and go meet my friends."

Harry took the wand from the boy and slid it up the sleeve of his coat and then turned to go.

"Oh, and one more thing." The boy said, stopping Harry in his tracks and causing him to turn around and look at the boy again to see him holding out a folded piece of white paper to him. "Here's in-depth instructions on how to get where you want to go, not just King's Cross, but where you really want to go."

Harry hesitated a moment before moving to take the piece of paper. When he had it, he unfolded it and scanned the writing. Neither Diagon Alley nor The Leaky Cauldron were written on the paper but that did not necessarily mean they were not directions to them. This old man who had foreseen the current situation may have simply got the directions and not the name of the destination, especially if the man had been a Muggle like Harry suspected he was.

"Oh well, good luck in whatever you need that stick for." The other boy said to Harry as he was ushered out of the shop quite rudely. "If the world ends abruptly or something, I'll know who to thank." He said as he locked the door to the shop once they were both outside. After pushing on it to make sure it was locked, the boy turned around, not even sparing Harry a final glance let alone a goodbye, before wandering off down the street.

Harry watched the boy go, slightly bewildered. That had all happened very fast to say the least. But at least things had turned out in his favour. He had not had to buy the wand or steal it which meant he had more money with him for possible emergencies. However, he was more than a little distracted now. That boy surely had to be a Muggle if only for the fact he kept calling what was clearly a wand, a stick. That meant that his great grandfather must have been a Muggle. How was it then that the man had foreseen all of this? Did Muggles have some sort of form of divination too? Or did the man have magical leanings whichwere not strong enough to get him into Hogwarts or another magical school? Was that even possible?

With a light sigh, Harry realised he was not going to answer any of his self-asked questions and it was very unlikely he was ever going to get them answered. So, he put it out of his mind and instead concentrated on heading back home. He unfolded the piece of paper in his hands again and looked over the neat scrawl. It all seemed simple enough. Despite the fact he now had a wand with him and could call the Knight Bus, he felt safer in doing it the Muggle way. After all, he was unsure whose wand this had once been and using an unknown wand could be dangerous for a young wizard or witch.

So the first step was to catch a bus. That was simple enough, he could catch a Muggle bus on his own. If memory served him correctly, and he was pretty sure it did, he and the Weasleys had passed a bus stop about ten minutes away from where he was standing. So, it would probably be a good idea to go to that one first and see if the bus he needed passed by that stop. If it did not...Well, he would cross that bridge if he came to it.

"Excuse me?" A female voice said behind him as a finger tapped him on the shoulder.

Harry craned his head around to see who it was and his jaw almost dropped off in shock. "Marcia?" He gasped in surprise at the silver-blonde haired girl he had not seen in four years. She may have grown up a lot but it was still obviously her. Her hair was the same colour if not considerably longer, maybe just a little shorter than his own and everything else was the same as always too. Though curiously, her ears looked more like those of a human than of an elf.

"I knew it, it is you!" Marcia gasped happily as she practically threw herself into his arms. "Oh it's so good to see you, Haryon! My, you've grown so much though I have to say you're not as tall as Rhys is."

"Believe me, I'm not as tall as anyone." Harry assured lightly, noting to himself that he was only a few inches taller than the girl in front of him. "Not that I'm not really glad to see you again, but what are you doing in Muggle London of all places? And what happened to your ears?"

"I've got a Glamour on them since I think most Muggles would stare at them. I'm here playing tourist with Rhys and his mother, she was the one who supplied the Glamour. Oh!" She gasped excitedly, grabbing Harry's hand. "You have to come see them...Unless of course you're already with some people." She said quietly, her sudden exuberance gone to be replaced with the bashfulness which Harry was used to from the girl.

"No, it's all right. I got separated from my friends several minutes back, was just going to make my way back to Diagon Alley."

"Oh, the Great Lady must have planned this out, Haryon, that's where we were heading back to. Now you really have to come with us." She smiled and proceeded to lead him away in the opposite direction to which he had been originally planning. "So how's your summer been so far?"

"Pretty dull really. Draco's staying with some of his Slytherin friends, as I told you about in my last letter, and my friends who I'm with today have only just got back from a holiday in Egypt, so."

"Well, if it cheers you up, mine hasn't been a wild ride either. Rhys's has, though only because he's been carted back and forth between his mother and father."

"How is he handling the divorce, really?" Harry asked, remembering the contents of the letter he had recieved several months ago.

"It was worse when it was first happening but I don't really think it even bothers him now. You know what Rhys is like; not one to complain or even feel too strongly about anything."

Harry sighed. "It's stuff like that which makes me wish I'd stayed with my Havanist education full-time. I miss all this stuff with both of you. I can't tell you how many times I thought about visiting you both when I found out about Rhys's parents. The time never came though."

"Well, I for one am glad that you chose to educate yourself in the Wizarding world. With who you are and who wants you, you're better off learning how to defend yourself decently. I know that when you do...Go, you'll be in a much better place but...I can't help but want you to stay alive, Haryon. Even though we really only write to each other now, I don't know what I'd do if you were suddenly...Gone."

Harry smiled slightly at that confession. "I wouldn't worry if I were you, Marcia, the Dark Lord possesses about as much threat to me as a high pollen count."

"Isn't that a little arrogant?"

"Not when you know what I know, no." Harry told her with a slight grin before intentionally changing the subject. "Is that Rhys and his mother up there?" He queried, pointing to the not too far off bus stop.

"Yes, it is! Rhys!" Marcia called at the top of her voice causing Harry to wince slightly. The two people in question turned to look at them and even from their distance Harry saw the other boy's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Look who I found all on his lonesome." She gushed excitedly as she hurried them forward, quickly reaching the Mage and stopping them just in front of him.

"Haryon?" Rhys said in slight awe, obviously completely surprised.

"It's good to see you again." Harry smiled, tilting his head back slightly in order to properly look at the young man. "Wow, you've really grown." He commented; the Mage was easily a foot taller than him.

"From my father's side of the family." Rhys replied nonchalantly before turning to the small, ebony haired woman standing beside him. "Mum, this is Haryon Snape." He introduced.

"Oh yes dear, I certainly know who he is." The woman all but gushed, stepping forward and shaking Harry's hand enthusiastically. "I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you, Mr Snape."

"Erm, it's, uh, it's a pleasure to meet you too and please call me Harry."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly." Rhy's mother said with a blush and a giggle like some kind of school girl with a crush. Behind her, Rhys was shaking his head and looking thoroughly embarrassed while Marcia was watching it all with a slightly amused expression. "Tell me though, how is your father? I was in the Year above him when I went to Hogwarts you know. Never spoke to him of course, what with being in Hufflepuff and all..."

"Yes Mum, all right, that's enough." Rhys insisted as he moved forward to cut off the conversation, stepping in between her and Harry. It was as he did this that his loose, knee-length hair brushed away from his left ear revealing something which completely shocked Harry.

"You're engaged?" Harry gasped to his childhood friend upon recognising the customary pearl earring in the boy's left ear which Havanist males wore from the announcement of the engagement right up until they were married.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?" Rhys's mother sighed as Rhys held back a cringe and Marcia looked suddenly panicked. "My little man's growing up and so is Marcia; she'll make a beautiful bride."

Harry's eyes widened and he turned to stare at Marcia who was blushing fairly vividly.

"It isn't how you think it is." Rhys whispered to him quietly so that his mother would not overhear no doubt. "It's merely going to be a marriage of convenience."

"Huh?"

"I have no desire to marry anyone but it is expected of me by my father's side of the family." Rhys explained patiently while Marcia stood to the side keeping his mother busy. "And the person who Marcia would wish to marry, she can't. So, we decided on this. It makes both of our families happy and she gets to continue her current relationship without guilt of hurting my feelings."

There were so many questions whirling around Harry's head due to this new information and it was merely the first one which forced its way to the front of his mind which popped out first: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was only decided on a couple of weeks ago and you know that tradition dictates that no one outside the immediate family know until at least a month after the agreement; it's bad luck. Course, my mum seems to have forgotten that bit considering she told you so enthusiastically."

"Who is Marcia in love with?"

"A Muggle girl."

"Seriously? How did they meet?"

"All Marcia's ever told me is that the Great Lady led them to each other."

"If that's the case then why can't they be together? All relationships are accepted..."

"Yes, they should be. But what people say they believe and what they actually believe are two very different things. You of all people should know that, Haryon. Her father demands she marries and produces an heir for him and her mother and he is less than enthusiastic about Muggles. And magic folk come to think of it. Actually, I think he only considers Elves to be intelligent, the rest of us are just ignorant monkeys. It's a surprise he's letting Marcia marry me considering Mum's a witch."

"Poor Marcia." Harry murmured sadly as he gazed over to where she was talking with Rhys's mother quite animatedly. Then, he returned his gaze to the boy beside him. "Wait a minute, you said you never want to get married. Isn't that a little extreme?"

"No. You know me, Haryon, I dislike the company of most people. You and Marcia are the only ones I've ever managed to be around for prolonged periods of time without feeling the brain cells in my head dying off one by one. Can you really imagine me with a wife or a husband?" He paused and sighed. "I am not a people person and if I had my way, I wouldn't be getting married at all. As I have to though, I'd rather it be to someone who I know and like and who knows and likes me back."

"What about children?"

"We haven't really discussed that. I should think that if Marcia really does want children, we'll figure out some artificial way of doing it rather than actually "doing the deed" so to speak."

"You'd really go that far to have to not do anything with her?"

"It's not that. Marcia's become a very beautiful girl as I'm sure you've noticed. But I'm forbidden from doing anything intimate with her; I took the Vow of Chastity when I turned thirteen. Marcia doesn't know by the way so don't say anything."

"You took the Vow of Chastity!" Harry gasped, completely surprised and slightly awed; it meant no sexual release for a period of fifteen years, after those years it could either be renewed or you could stay free of it. "Why?"

"I felt it was the direction in which the Great Lady was directing me."

"Fifteen years of nothing though."

Rhys shrugged. "I was thirteen; hadn't actually tried anything so it's not as though I have something to miss." Half way through his sentence, the bus they needed to get on slowed to stop in front of them. "Come on then." He said to Harry as he stood and moved over to where Marcia and his mum were standing at the doors waiting for them. Harry said nothing, silently standing and following them onto the red, double-decker bus.

*********************************************************************

26th August 1993: Evening

Riding a Muggle bus was an experience to say the least. It was nothing like the Knight Bus. There were no beds, just seats. They were actually quite cosy. A lot of stopping and starting though which started to make Harry feel a little travel sick after a while. But on the whole it had been fun and now he could say that he had, indeed, taken a ride on a Muggle bus. He was unsure if he would ever do it again though, what with the travel sickness. Thankfully, it was all over now as they had reached the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Surprisingly however, they were greeted by Fred and George the moment they were off of the bus.

"Merlin Harry, there you are!" Fred gushed as he pulled the smaller boy into a tight hug completely ignoring Rhys and Marcia. While this happened, Rhys' mother headed into the inn, no doubt to put her feet up and rest.

"Way to disappear on us, mate! Just when the portkey was activating." George grumbled as his twin released the shorter boy and he quickly snatched him up into a hug.

"Tried to get them to wait but there wasn't time."

"And when someone went back to get you, you weren't there anymore."

"Sorry mate, but Mum insisted on calling your dad." Fred apologised.

"He's in there," George continued, releasing Harry and inclining his head to the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. "And he's more than a little worried as were we."

Harry gave them both a smile. "There was no reason for you to be worried. I was fine even before I met up with Marcia and Rhys." He stepped aside and gestured to the two teenagers of Elvish blood, neither one of them looking particularly impressed with Fred and George, something which was picked up on and returned by the Weasley twins. "Guys," Harry said to his childhood friends, oblivious to the tension which surrounded them. "This is Fred and George Weasley, I've told you about them in my letters."

"So this is Fred and George?" Rhys asked in a slightly sneering tone.

"We're so glad that Haryon has someone to keep him company during the school year." Marcia said to them with false sweetness.

"Yes, well we're so glad that he had someone to keep him company before he met us." Fred replied, picking up on the hidden meaning of the girl's previous words.

"Nice earring by the way." George snickered at Rhys' pearl earring.

"It's a symbol of my engagement, not a fashion statement."

"Just as well really." Fred replied coolly.

"Pearls are a bit feminine after all." George continued in exactly the same way as his twin.

"Okay, I think that's enough for one day." Harry interrupted, finally catching onto the hostility between the two pairs. "We better get in. I need to see my father and I'm sure you all need to get back to your families." He spoke as he ushered the four other teenagers in before himself.

"So, how long have you two known Haryon now?" Marcia enquired as they entered, her tone still falsely polite.

"Oh, we've known Harry," Fred replied, emphasising Harry's name, "about five years now."

"Really? Only half the time that Rhys and I have known him then."

"Oh, I don't know, I don't really think it counts when half of that time you don't even see him and are mere letter writers and Valentines chocolate senders." George shot back, his patience clearly wearing thin and then infamous Weasley temper starting to crack through.

"At least we care enough to give him Valentines gifts." Rhys put in. "I wouldn't for a second expect that either of you get him anything."

"In all fairness, Rhys, it's not really their tradition." Harry tried to defend.

"That hardly matters, Haryon, if they had any common curtesy..." Rhys began to reply and George looked to rapidly losing his temper. Luckily, it was then that they entered the main area of the pub and found the rest of the Weasleys plus Severus and Lucius.

"Father, Uncle Lucius." Harry greeted them both with a smile, thankful that they had found adults and everyone would start to behave themselves now.

Severus scowled at him and stood quickly before stalking right up to his son. "You are the most stupid idiotic simpleton I have ever met." He growled fiercely causing all the teenagers in the room to wince at the harsh tone. "Do you ever think about anything before you act you reckless fool!"

Harry blinked a few times before speaking. "I'm sorry I worried you, Father, but there was really no need to panic. I knew what to expect and I knew how to get back here..."

"That's not why we were worried, Haryon." Lucius told him gently as he stepped up to Severus's side, a rolled up piece of parchment in his left hand which he held out to Harry. "This is why we were concerned for you."

Harry's gaze flickered to the parchment before he studied his godfather's face. A moment later, he looked back to the parchment and gently took hold of it, pulling it from Lucius's loose grip. He unfurled it and looked and his jaw dropped at what he saw. A moving picture of Peter Pettigrew being restrained by two Aurors covered the centre. Above and below were words which chilled Harry's blood.

"Peter Pettigrew has escaped from Azkaban..." Harry whispered in disbelief as he continued to stare at the wanted poster. "But...How is that possible? I mean, it's Azkaban, no one can get out of that place!"

"A pointless observation when there is proof that it can be done." Severus sneered nastily before he turned and stalked away, leaving by the stairs across the room.

Harry watched his father leave to no doubt sulk before turning back to his godfather. "He's just a little stressed." Lucius assured him quietly so as not to be overheard, mistaking Harry's gaze for worry over Severus's behaviour. "Give him a little time to cool off and he'll no doubt apologise, you know he always does."

The teenager nodded slightly before speaking again. "Do they know how he did it?"

"He was found trying to dig a way out with a spoon he had stolen. When his cell was entered to confiscate it he overpowered the guard and used their wand to turn himself into his Animagus form." Lucius explained and Harry was instantly reminded of the dream he had seen that one night earlier that year. He had seen Pettigrew chipping away with that spoon in his cell in Azkaban!

"So he could be anywhere now?" Fred enquired, looking over Harry's shoulder at the poster.

"It is believed so, yes." Lucius answered stiffly, obviously uncomfortable with dealing with a Weasley so directly. "Haryon, I am going to check on your father. Do not leave this room without someone with you."

"Yes, Uncle Lucius." Harry agreed obediently despite the fact such an order seemed a little extreme. Now was not the time to discuss that though especially since he had not been planning on going out again. The blond man gave him a small nod before turning and sweeping off in the direction Severus had previously gone. Everyone watched him go before turning to Harry once again.

"So there's a confirmed Death Eater out and about after you then?" George sighed lightly, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder.

"Do we know what his Animagus form is?" Fred asked.

"A rat; I saw it in a crystal ball once when I was young." Harry answered without really thinking about what it was he was saying.

"You have visions, Haryon?" Rhys gasped, surprised.

"Oh, didn't you know that?" George smirked before Harry even had a chance to answer.

"Guess we were the first people he told then." Fred mused in a far too innocent tone.

Harry could only groan mentally; this was not how he had pictured the first meeting between his two sets of friends being.

*********************************************************************

26th August 1993: Night

There was a lot that could be said about boredom. At times it could be frustrating but at other times it could be relaxing. It also provided a good opportunity for thinking which was what Harry had spent the last hour or so doing. He lay on his stomach on his bed, his bare feet resting on his pillow and his cheek settled on his duvet, his face turned so he was looking at his right hand which held the wand he had been given that afternoon in the antiques shop. His glasses had been removed when he had dressed in his pyjamas and lay on the bed beside his left leg. The bedroom window was open and a light breeze occasionally blew in, ruffling the ends of his loose hair. He had been in his room since he had arrived home with Severus and Lucius, wanting to avoid the Potion Master's foul mood for as long as possible.

It had been a very tiring day and Harry could feel himself struggling to keep his eyes open in the position he was in. What with so much walking and the stress of arguing with his father and finding out that Peter Pettigrew was wandering around out there somewhere, he was completely exhausted. He could quite easily drift off to sleep and there was no real reason to not go to sleep considering it was dark outside and he had be going to bed in an hour or two anyway. But he was busy thinking and it was for that he remained awake.

Pettigrew had escaped Azkaban. Did that mean anything for him? Was his father right to worry? Would Pettigrew come after him? Perhaps for revenge? That was the only reason he could think of why the man would want to seek him out. Not that there was a problem if he was sought out by the man. After all, he would be back at Hogwarts in less than a week and if Voldemort was unable to get into Hogwarts, Pettigrew was not going to fair much better. No, out of everything that Harry had to worry about at that moment, Peter Pettigrew was a very minor thing.

What was playing on his mind the most was the reason he had managed to get separated from the Weasleys and what had happened after that. He had seen another vision, that much was obvious, but what he had seen confused him. He had seen the wand he currently held in his right hand in it but the significance of the faceless woman in blue and white and Voldemort's presence was totally lost on him. He may have well have seen a monkey and a poodle playing with the wand for all the sense it made to him anyway. And the red mist which had left Voldemort's mouth and was then absorbed into the wand was strange but slightly less confusing...

Half way through Harry's train of thought, he must have drifted off into a light doze because the next thing he was aware of was the thud of his window closing. His eyes shot open in an instant of hearing the sound and, as he was already facing the direction of the window, his gaze immediately came to rest on the mass of fuzzy black which he assumed was Severus.

"I didn't mean to wake you." The man said by way of apology when he noticed his son moving.

"Doesn't matter." Harry mumbled slightly groggily as he pushed himself up onto his elbows before bringing his legs underneath himself in order to kneel up straight. "Is there something you needed?"

"Yes, to apologise to you." His father answered gently as he came to sit on the edge of Harry's bed. Harry watched him through one fuzzy eye as he rubbed the other to try and get rid of an itch he had. "I shouldn't have said the things I did."

Harry shrugged before shuffling himself up next to Severus and leaning against him comfortably. Almost instantly, the sour man's arm came around his son's back. "You were worried and stressed; I've known you long enough to know what that combination does to you."

"Indeed." Severus replied with just a hint of amusement in his tone. "You should not have wandered off though, Haryon."

"I didn't wander off." Harry replied quietly, staring down at his bare feet on the floor which simply looked like two fuzzy pink lumps to him. "I saw something...And was left behind."

"What did you see?"

"The Dark Lord." Harry answered, ever conscious of the discomfort which using the man's real name caused for his father.

Severus tensed against him but said nothing, obviously waiting for his son to continue of his own accord.

"There was darkness and then there was a woman whose face I couldn't see. She held this wand." He murmured, holding out the wand to show the man beside him. "And then the Dark Lord appeared out of the darkness. The wand flew into his open hand and then the woman disappeared. He lifted the wand up and then a little red cloud, like how your breath is visible on a cold day, left the Dark Lord's mouth and was sucked into the wand. And then it all went and I was back on the street...And I was alone."

Severus arm tightened around him in a comforting way and the weight of the man's cheek came to rest on top of his head as a large hand began to stroke his hair soothingly. "Where did you get this wand, Haryon?"

"An antiques shop." Harry mumbled his reply staring down at where his father's hand came to join his around the wand. "I went inside to ask for directions to King's Cross Station and the boy inside gave it to me. Said that his great grandfather had predicted that I'd come for it one day."

"I see." Severus murmured. They were both silent for several moments, the only movement coming from Severus's constantly moving hand in Harry's hair. Then, eventually, the man broke the silence and the stillness. "Haryon, I think it's best if I take this wand to Dumbledore." He said as he gently slipped the length of dark wood out of his son's loose hold.

"Everything's going to be all right isn't it, Father?" Harry asked quietly, meaning more than just the situation with the wand.

"Everything will be fine, Haryon." Severus assured him before pressing a kiss to the top of Harry's head and Harry believed him completely.
- 31
- 32
- 33
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Family Means More Than Blood