Harry's Search For Love

Chapter 6

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "What the bloody hell have you done, Charlie? Have you gone mental?"

Molly's voice was sharp with anger. "Ron Weasley, watch your language!"

As Charlie stood up to face him, Ron's glare intensified. He repeated his question. "Charlie, what the hell are you doing? He's a Death Eater. In case you've forgotten, those are the people who've been trying to kill Harry since we met him and they killed Bill. Of all the people you could've chosen, it should not be him. Did you honestly expect me to approve? If you did, you obviously don't know me as well as I thought you did. Or the rest of this family."

Ron turned and stormed into the house.

Charlie called out to him. "Ron!"

Without even turning around, Ron answered him, "Put a sock in it, Charlie. I've heard enough."

Fred and George, who were sitting across from Ron and Harry, sat there stunned. Charlie looked at them. "Well?" he asked them, raising an eyebrow.

George piped up. "Professor Snape, huh? Well, could've been worse. You could be with Gilderoy Lockhart."

That comment, which had caught Harry off guard, produced a snort of laughter from him at the visual he got of Charlie shagging Lockhart. It also caused the rest of the family to relax.

"Welcome to the family, sir," George finished, flashing a smile at them.

Fred cleared his throat. "Does this mean we can call you by your name now?"

Severus smiled, relieved that the twins weren't flying into a rage also. "Yes you may, but only here for now. You must remember to keep me at a distance when we're in public."

Severus looked at Tonks. "Well?" he drawled. He had known her for years, but until just now he had never shared anything personal with her.

"Well, this honestly explains a lot," she replied, wiping her mouth. "I always wondered why I couldn't catch your eye and Charlie never seemed interested."

Severus sat there in shock at her confession. He had always assumed she was trying to be friendly to him. It never occurred to him she might be attracted to him.

Charlie started blushing. "Tonks, I never knew you liked me."

Tonks sighed dramatically. "See, if I can't get Charlie to notice that I'm interested, how am I suppose to get a normal guy?"

Percy snorted and looked slightly embarrassed at the sound. "Open your eyes, love. I've seen you walk through the Ministry and not look at a single individual. You have several men who are interested in you."

Charlie, his hand still on Severus' shoulder, sighed. He really wasn't looking forward to the fight he was going to have with Ron. "I need to go talk to Ron."

Severus reached up to grasp Charlie's hand. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I had better do this alone. I'm afraid he might actually hex you if you walk in right now."

Charlie walked into the house and headed towards the stairs. He stopped when he saw movement in the study.

Embarrassed to be caught crying, Ron wiped his face and glared at Charlie when he came in. "You're a prat, you know."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I'm a prat? Did you not tell me, on more than one occasion, that as long as I was happy you would be okay with my choice? What's changed?"

Ron's face turned red as his temper rose again. "You chose Professor Snape. That's why I changed my mind." He held his hand up to Charlie. "Let me finish. I have to ask, why him? You know the prophecy. Either Harry or Voldemort dies. Snape's our double agent. He could be discovered and killed at any minute. Why would you make a commitment to someone who could be removed so easily from your life? If you want your heart broke so easily, why not see Harry? He needs someone to love him that way. Especially since he may not ever get a chance to experience that kind of love."

Charlie sat down across from Ron. He carefully thought about his answer before he responded. "Ron, first thing, I'd never screw with Harry like that. When I first met him three years ago, after hearing about him from everyone for years, yes I was attracted to him. But he was too young for me to even consider approaching at the time. After spending time with him, I realized what he needed, and wanted most, was a family to love him unconditionally. Not because of his name, but who he was on the inside. He wanted us to be that family. Even before he moved in, I knew that, and I couldn't mess that up for him. My feelings for him have changed and I now love him as a brother.

"I was already involved with Severus for a while, when Harry came to me with questions. At first I was thrilled. Then I realized what I felt for Sev was stronger than any attraction I ever had for Harry. That sealed it for me. Honestly, you have no idea how hard it is dealing with his situation. It's hell. When he gets summoned and he's with me, I smile and send him away. And when I see him again, I act like nothing is wrong. But, if he knew I was mentally freaking out each time he's summoned, he could make a mistake. I love him, Ron, and he loves me. He fought his feelings for me for months. It was Bill's death that finally made him realize how much he does care about me. This wasn't just a spur of the moment decision. And for the record, he has regretted his decision to join Voldemort from the start. And Mum and Dad have given us their blessing. Do you now understand, and accept, my choice of a life-mate now?"

Ron sat and stared out the window for a few minutes, seriously thinking about what Charlie had said. Finally he turned to look at Charlie, who sat silently watching him. "One more thing; Ginny is terrified of the man. What about her feelings? She's closer to you than any of us."

"Actually, Ginny found out about us a couple of days ago. Severus has made it a point to reach out to her and they're trying to become friends of sorts. Ron, please tell me you understand and are okay with my choice. I don't want us going into the Battle with this between us."

Ron nodded slowly. "It's your life. You have my support, no matter what." Ron stood up. "I guess I should go find Snape and apologize."

Charlie stood up and gathered his brother in for a hard hug. "Thank you, Ron. You do realize the man does have a first name?"

Ron shrugged out of the embrace, still not entirely pleased with the news. "I know. I just don't want to slip when school starts."

Ron and Charlie came back outside and saw everyone busy cleaning up. Ron looked at Charlie. "Stay here and help Mum. I need to do this alone."

Ron walked through the garden and around to the side of the house looking for Severus. He found him sitting in the swing.

Severus watched warily as Ron approached. Ron took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being such a prat earlier. I wasn't prepared for what I heard. If you love my brother, then you have my blessing, as he obviously loves you. However, I have just one question for you."

"What's your question?" Severus asked cautiously.

"Why now?"

"Excuse me?"

Ron shifted his stance. "Why did you give him the ring now?"

"You don't ask an easy question. I'm not in the habit of having to explain my feelings to anyone. But I know you're just trying to protect Charlie, so I'll try to explain. The reason I gave Charlie the ring now is if something does happen, I wanted Charlie to know how much I truly do love him."

Ron considered Severus' answer for a moment. "Okay, I'll take that answer. Again, I'm sorry about earlier. I love my brother, and I don't want him hurt. I'm just afraid that however unintentional it may be, you will hurt him. Especially if you don't make it."

Severus stood up and held out his hand to Ron. "Apology accepted. I know we've had our differences, but I'd like us to be civil, for Charlie's sake."

Ron gave Severus' hand a firm shake.

"Did you happen to see Harry when you came out?" Severus asked, letting go of Ron's hand.

"He was helping Mum clean up."

"Thank you, I'll go find him so we can get started working." Severus came around the house and saw Charlie and Harry coming out of the shed after putting the tables inside. His stomach tightened in flare of jealousy as Charlie put his arm casually across Harry's shoulders. It quickly faded when Charlie's eyes met his and he smiled at just seeing him. They met halfway in the garden, Charlie removing his arm from Harry as they walked toward Severus.

Charlie looked into Severus dark eyes, trying to find his answer, even as he asked the question. "You and Ron have a good talk?"

Severus smiled slightly. "I believe we have an understanding."

Harry spoke quietly. "I'll leave you two alone to talk."

Severus grabbed his arm. "No need to leave, Harry. Actually you and I need to get to work. Charlie, I'll talk to you later."

Charlie leaned in, gave Severus a quick kiss, which caused him to blush in embarrassment, and walked over to Ron.

Severus walked towards the direction of the pond, with Harry at his side. "Harry, I have talked at length with Dumbledore. We've decided that along with learning Thomas' meditation merge, you need to learn the lead in a spell that takes the power of two Wizards, giving the lead person a boost of power. It's our ultimate goal that I'll be your partner. However, Charlie knows the second part, and Ron and Percy are both learning it as a backup. Along with Auror training.

"The only thing is, you can't use your wand, since it's the twin of Voldemort's. You're going to need a second wand. Dumbledore has given me a Portkey that will take us to the back of Ollivander's shop. He has been working on creating you a new wand, since Voldemort made his presence known at the Ministry last year."

Harry nodded, his thoughts obviously elsewhere.

Severus frowned. "Harry, is something wrong? You've been distracted since you got back. If you weren't ready to come back, you could've stayed longer. I know finding out about the house had to be overwhelming for you."

Harry hesitated, but the thoughts running through his mind pressed him to ask. "Severus, can I ask you a very personal question? I wouldn't ask or assume that we're close enough to ask this question in normal circumstances, except there is a reason for it," he finished, staring intently into Severus' eyes.

Severus, his curiosity piqued at such an intense look on Harry's face, stopped. Before he could answer, pain from the summons he was receiving shot through his arm. He grabbed his arm and grimaced.

Being around him enough to understand what Severus' body language was telling him, Harry looked at Severus. "You're getting summoned again, huh?"

Severus nodded, the pain unusually vicious and growing in intensity with each passing second.

"Go, I'll watch Thomas and Ginny for a while. If Charlie comes looking for you, I'll let him know where you went."

Severus smiled slightly. "Thank you, Harry. We'll finish this interesting discussion when I return," he said and Disapparated.

Charlie, who was working with Ron, felt his ring turn cold. He turned and saw Harry was alone and walking towards Thomas and Ginny.

Noticing Charlie's distraction, Ron asked, "Charlie, what's wrong?"

Charlie sighed and turned back towards his brother, twisting his ring. "Sev was summoned again. Part of the Promise ring's powers is when a person strays, or looses his affections, the ring turns cold. In order for him to answer the summons he turns off all emotion. Which, I guess he doesn't realize, makes the ring turn cold. Until my ring warms again, he's in danger."

Charlie ran a hand through his hair. "I need a distraction. Let's do some Auror training."

Ron, still ashamed at his earlier outburst, nodded. He realized that Snape was a more complex person than he had every considered. He reluctantly admitted to himself that maybe he should try a little harder to get to know Snape better for Charlie's sake. He didn't want to be estranged from his brother just because he wouldn't even try to get along with Snape.

Ron looked at his brother. "You can't let him know the ring does that. He has to be able to turn off his emotions in order to stand doing his job. If that is how he's been able to deal with those people, he can't stop. Harry has told me about some of the visions he's had about Voldemort's dealings with his followers, and it turned my blood cold. Let's practice some hexes. That'll keep your mind busy for a while."

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Harry sat with Thomas and Ginny trying to learn the words to the merge and how the meditation that went along with it worked. They were working for about an hour when Harry started rubbing his scar.

Ginny, seeing Harry rubbing his scar, asked, "Is Professor Snape in trouble?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know for sure. It usually means that Voldemort is emotional right now. I'm going to head to the house and rest. I'll see you in a little while."

When Harry arrived back at the house, he was relieved to find Mrs. Weasley, for once, not in the kitchen. He started to head upstairs when he saw Mr. Weasley working in the study. Harry went to the door and knocked.

"Excuse me, Mr. Weasley, are you busy?" Harry asked, as he leaned against the doorframe.

Arthur looked up. "No, just paperwork I brought home to do. Why?"

Harry straightened up from the door. "When I was home, I found some paperwork I thought might be important and I wanted to know if you would look over it for me?"

"Bring me the papers, son."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, sir. I'll go get them."

Harry went upstairs and pulled the papers out of his trunk. Seeing the Family Bible, Harry touched it briefly. He took one of his old school robes, and wrapped it around the book, and placed it in the bottom of his trunk. He looked at the ring on his pinky and debated on if he should keep wearing it, and decided to keep it on for now.

Arthur was straightening his desk when Harry re-entered the room. He held out his hand. "Let me see what you have here."

Arthur started flipping through the papers slowly reading. His expression grew more amazed with each page he turned. "Well, Harry, I'll need to confirm most of this. However, if what I'm reading is true, you're a very rich young man."

"But, I have more money at Gringotts than I could possible ever spend. What is all that?"

Arthur started dividing the papers. "Some are land deeds. Others are stocks, in both Wizard and Muggle companies. I have a cousin, who works in finance. I'll owl him to come over and you can meet him. If you approve, I'll let him start researching. Since he's the black sheep of the family, because he doesn't have the traditional Weasley red hair, he should be able to do this with discretion."

"Oh, there is something else I discovered at the house. However, it was too big to bring here. I found a safe, actually a walk-in safe. Do you think your cousin would be interested in taking an inventory of what's in there for me?" Harry asked.

"If you feel comfortable asking him to do it, I'm sure he'll be interested."

They were just getting up when they heard a knock on the door. Since it was daytime Arthur was fairly certain it wasn't anyone dangerous, however the family wasn't expecting anyone. Drawing his wand, Arthur looked at Harry. "Stay here."

Harry withdrew his wand and stood just inside the door.

Arthur walked towards the door. "Who's there?" he asked casually.

"It's Albus and an old friend."

Harry relaxed, returned his wand to his pocket, and leaned casually against the study doorframe. Arthur opened the door and Dumbledore walked in, followed by an extremely older version of Thomas.

"Hello, Albus, I was just getting ready to send you a note about Ginny." Arthur held his hand to the stranger. "You must be Thomas' grandfather. I'm Arthur Weasley, and the young man over there is Harry."

Harry walked over to the gentleman. "Hello, sir, it's nice to meet you. Thomas has talked about you a lot."

He took Harry's hand and looked into his eyes. "I see vast intelligence and power in your eyes. My name is Thundering Hooves. But you may call me Grandfather, if you wish."

"Thank you, sir. I'd be honoured to call you Grandfather. Thomas is outside near the pond working with Ginny. I'll be happy to get him for you."

Dumbledore interrupted. "Thunder, old friend, you're in good hands here. I'm so glad you came and surprised us. However, I'm afraid I have a meeting at the Ministry and must leave. But I'll see you soon. The Order is grateful you have come to assist us in our fight."

Thunder grasped Albus firmly on the arm. "Until the full moon."

Dumbledore turned back to Arthur. "Arthur, what news did you have regarding Ginny?"

Arthur smiled, quite pleased with his news. "She has completed her training."

"Completed her training, this soon?"

"Yes, this morning, actually."

"Amazing, I wasn't expecting to hear that. However, I'm quite pleased at the news. Hermione should be just as quick to learn this when she returns."

Dumbledore turned to look at Harry. "Is Severus around?"

Harry shook his head and rubbed his scar. "He got summoned. Which reminds me, can I have a moment of your time, Professor Dumbledore, before you leave?"

"Of course, Harry. Arthur, will you help Thunder with his birds? We left them outside."

"I'd be delighted, Albus."

Harry led Dumbledore into the study, closing the door behind them, and threw up a Silencing Charm.

Dumbledore nodded, immediately concerned for Severus. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"It's my scar, sir. As you know I can sense when Voldemort's emotional. A little while ago, my scar flared. And that was after Severus was summoned."

Dumbledore frowned. "Does Charlie know?"

"No, sir. Unless necessary, I don't plan on telling him. If he shows up hurt, will you let me know? I don't want to upset Charlie unnecessarily."

"Of course, Harry. The three of you are becoming closer now, it appears."

Harry hesitated. "Yes, sir. I think we're getting that way. Severus isn't the same man I met six years ago. He loves Charlie and that love is changing him. I'm willing to give him a chance."

Dumbledore nodded, quite pleased that the two members of the Order that had the most animosity towards each other were finally coming to an understanding. "If I hear from Severus, I'll contact you immediately. Please do the same, and make sure you practice your Occlumency tonight. Now, how are you?"

"I'm fine, sir. Better than before, thanks to our last conversation. I appreciate all that you said. It helped me realize that I'm not as vulnerable as I used to be."

Dumbledore released the charms and turned. "Good, I had hoped that it would. I'll talk to you soon." Dumbledore Disapparated.

Harry walked out of the study, through the kitchen, out the back door and stopped. He saw Thomas and his grandfather enlarging a huge cage and placing three beautiful black birds inside. On top of the shop sat a large bird with a white head.

Harry walked up beside Charlie. "What kind of bird is that?" he whispered, pointing up to the bird.

"Thomas said it was an American Bald Eagle. It belongs to his grandfather," Charlie replied softly.

They watched as Thomas pulled out another item and he laughed with delight when it growled. Placing it on the ground, he quickly enlarged it. Out shot a small black and white dog with a brown face. It leapt into Thomas' arms and he laughed as the dog lavished his face with licks.

"Sadie Girl, I've missed you, too." He smiled at his grandfather. "I can't believe you brought her!"

"When she realized I was coming to see you, she wouldn't let me leave without her. But, in her condition, I didn't want to leave her either."

The dog leapt out of Thomas' arms and placed her paws on Thunder's legs. "However, as you can see, she made the trip unharmed." He patted her head and pointed to the family gathering around. "Go greet our host, Sadie Girl."

She went to each person, wagged her tail, bowed and gave a friendly "woof". When she got to Harry, he bent down and held his hand out. He looked up at Thomas. "Will she let me pet her?"

Thomas shrugged. "Sadie is an independent dog. Ask her yourself."

Harry looked back down at the dog who was waiting to be acknowledged. Harry smiled down at her. "Hello, Sadie, may I pet you?"

She tilted her head for a second. To everyone watching it appeared she was thinking over Harry's request. Suddenly, she leapt up, rubbing her head under Harry's hand, placed her small paws on his chest, and licked him across his face, knocking his glasses askew. Harry rubbed his hands down her sides, and felt her quiver with delight when he found her sweet spot and began to scratch.

Harry looked up at Thomas, smiling with delight. "What kind of dog is she?"

"She's a Jack Russell Terrier, short hair."

Thomas squatted and whistled softly. Sadie turned from Harry reluctantly and returned to Thomas' side. The bird on the shop called out his impatience of having to wait. Thomas stood up and looked at his grandfather, laughing. "Grandfather, the Regal One is waiting impatiently for his cage."

Grandfather smiled fondly up to the bird, pulled the last item out of the bag, which was another cage and enlarged it.

Thomas stood up and opened the door as the massive bird flew in. He turned to look at Ron as he started closing the door. "I'd keep Pig in the Owlery while Regal is out of his cage. He might think your little owl is a snack."

Ginny, who had been looking at the falcons, walked over to the eagle cage. Thomas took her hand and held his arm out for the eagle. The eagle flew down, wrapping his talons completely around Thomas' arm.

Mrs. Weasley gasped with fright when she saw Ginny reach for the bird.

Thunder, who was watching Thomas and Ginny, was amazed when the bird leaned over to allow Ginny to touch him.

She spoke softly to the bird. "You're magnificent!"

The bird's chest swelled at the compliment.

Thomas gently threw his arm up and the eagle sailed back into the cage. He turned to his grandfather, still holding Ginny's hand. "Ginny, this is my grandfather. Grandfather, this is Ginny. She was the reason I sent for my falcons."

Ginny let go of Thomas' hand. "Welcome, sir. Thank you for bringing such amazing creatures."

Thunder smiled at Ginny. "Thank you, my child. You must be an amazing witch. Regal has never allowed anyone to touch him, except Thomas." He watched Thomas intently as he looked at Ginny. He was quite pleased with what he saw.

Arthur, who was quite pleased at his only daughter's accomplishment, smiled. "We think so. Actually Thomas has been teaching her the merge. She made our little owl fly in only three days."

Thunder looked back at Ginny and Thomas, noticing that Thomas had placed his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "How was she able to do something that difficult, when it took you months to learn, Grandson?"

"Ginny has a natural gift with animals."

"That would explain it. However, the falcons will be more difficult to control than owls."

Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "Thunder, you will be staying with us, won't you?"

"I don't want to put you out, Molly. I've brought my travel lodge with me." Grandfather indicated the building that the dog had come out of earlier.

"You can't mean to sleep in a tent?"

Thomas chuckled. "Molly, I can assure you the travel lodge isn't a tent and is quite luxurious. However, Grandfather, Molly will be insulted if you don't share meals with the family."

Grandfather smiled at Molly. "I'll be honoured to share your table."

"Well, if I don't get back into the kitchen, we'll be eating at midnight."

Ginny spoke up. "I'll come help, Mum."

Molly looked at Tonks. "Will you stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to. Do you need any help?"

"Thank you for offering, Tonks, but you're hopeless in the kitchen," she replied with a smile.

Tonks laughed, not the least offended by Molly's statement. "True."

Arthur interrupted, "Actually Tonks, since you aren't helping Molly, can I see you in my study?"

The rest of the Weasley family headed in different directions.

Harry walked with Charlie down to the pond. They talked quietly about the training everyone was doing for the Battle. Harry could tell Charlie was worried about Severus, so he made no mention of his scar flaring up again after he had left.

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Thunder opened up the door to the lodge and indicated for Thomas to go in. Sadie followed and lay beside Thomas on the couch when he sat down. "I have missed you, Grandfather. I'm so pleased you came."

"I have missed you too, Thomas. Tell me, are you in love with that girl?"

Thomas looked at his grandfather, startled by the question. "Who, Ginny? What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me, son. I saw you with her. And I saw how you were looking at her."

Thomas smiled at his grandfather. He was relieved from the tone of his voice that his grandfather wasn't disapproving of his growing relationship with Ginny. "Grandfather, Ginny is the most amazing woman I have every met."

"Son, unless my old eyes deceive me, she isn't a woman yet."

"But, I can promise you, she's worth the wait. You aren't upset because I have chosen someone who isn't of Indian origin, are you?"

Grandfather waved his hand. "No, her heritage doesn't concern me. It's her age. What do Molly and Arthur think of the situation?"

Thomas hesitated for a second, thinking about their conversation earlier that day. "They are reserved, due to the fact Ginny's their only daughter. However, they gave us their blessing to explore our relationship, within boundaries. But, the more I'm with her, the more I'm sure that she's my destiny. Please don't pass judgment on her until you get to know her."

"Son, if she's to be my future granddaughter, I'll be delighted to get to know her."

Thomas looked at his grandfather suspiciously. "Grandfather, what are you up to? You've never in the past approved of anyone I've seen."

"You've never spoke of another, like you just did about her."

"No, I really haven't. But, I do love her, Grandfather, so much it scares me."

Sadie, tired of being ignored, leapt off the couch and nosed open a basket and pulled out a ball. She pranced towards Thomas, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Thomas laughed and grabbed for the ball. She jumped back and shook her head vigorously.

Grandfather smiled as he watched the dog affectionately. "She has missed the way you play with her. I won't chase her when she has a toy."

Thomas lunged for the dog and was able to remove the ball before she could pull away. "I see you are getting slow, since you are fat with puppies, Sadie Girl."

Sadie growled playfully and jumped for the ball. Thomas kept the ball out of range and stood up.

"I think I'll take her outside and let her stretch her legs. Why don't you rest before dinner?"

Thomas walked outside and started throwing the ball for Sadie. A few minutes later, he saw Harry and Charlie coming back from the pond, so he threw the ball in their direction. He called out to them. "Play keep away. Sadie needs to burn some energy."

Charlie and Harry spread out from Thomas. They tossed the ball between the three of them until Sadie grew tired and went to lie at Thomas' feet. Charlie and Harry walked over to Thomas, who was squatting down, rubbing the dog's belly.

Harry, who was observing the dog with adoration, stepped back when he saw her belly move. "Thomas, is something in her stomach?"

"She's pregnant." Seeing the look of longing on Harry's face as he looked at the dog, he smiled. "Come down here and lay your hand on her stomach."

Harry squatted down and placed his hand on Sadie's stomach. Sadie twisted so she could lick his arm. He started petting Sadie's head with his free hand. A few seconds later a puppy moved under his hand. Harry smiled from ear to ear. "How long until she has them?"

"I'm not sure, this is her first litter. Should be soon though."

Ginny came walking out of the house. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she said as she casually went to stand beside Thomas, watching the dog. Sadie rolled over and looked up at Ginny and gave a low growl.

Thomas picked up the dog. "Sadie Girl, what's wrong with you? Are you jealous?" Sadie started licking his face in response to his question. Thomas pulled the dog in for a quick hug. "Spoiled baby, you need to be nice. Now, say hello to Ginny."

Sadie looked from Thomas to Ginny. "Woof"

Thomas looked at Ginny. "Pet her, Ginny, so she can get used to your scent."

Ginny reached out and let the dog sniff her hand. After a few seconds she reached up and started rubbing the dog's ears. She kept her eyes on the dog as she spoke to Thomas. "Will you please tell your grandfather dinner will be ready soon, for me?"

Thomas sat the dog down. "Come with me and we'll tell him together. He wants to get to know you." Ginny followed Thomas into the lodge.

Harry and Charlie went inside the house to clean up.

After dinner they all gathered in the living room and Thunder told stories until late. When they were all leaving the room to go to bed, Thomas pulled Molly to the side. "Is it okay if Sadie sleeps in my room? She's used to sleeping by my side."

Molly looked down at the dog being cradled on Thomas' shoulder, like a baby. "Since she's housebroken, of course, she can."

Thomas walked his grandfather back to his lodge and wished him a good night. He sat Sadie down so she could use the bathroom. Ginny walked outside and Thomas put his arms around her. "Do you like my grandfather?"

"He's nice. Do you think he'll like me?"

"No, he's going to love you. Just like I do," he said, brushing his mouth across hers.

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The next morning Thomas, Ginny, Harry, and Thunder went down to the pond. Thunder watched as Ginny went through the merge and made Pig fly again. This time she did it without a magical push. Grandfather sat and observed, pleased at her accomplishment.

"Ginevra, my child, you are indeed a very talented witch. Now, I'd like to see if you could do this with a stronger bird. Thomas put the owl back in the cage."

Thomas placed the owl back in the cage, and Grandfather summoned the falcons to him. "I want you to use the female bird, Midnight. The male is Thomas' familiar. Keep your eyes open until you start to merge."

Harry watched as Ginny started the merge with the new bird. She closed her eyes and smiled when the merge connected. "I'm in."

Thunder raised an eyebrow, quite pleased she performed the task so quickly. "Make her fly."

Startled, Ginny jumped when the bird took off. Thunder gave Ginny instructions and Thomas merged with his bird and quickly followed Ginny up in the air. Thunder instructed Ginny to fly higher in the air and describe what was going on down in the village. Thunder smiled. "Perfect. Now bring the bird back."

Ginny brought the bird back and reversed the merge. She opened her eyes and saw the men smiling at her.

"My dear child, you have learned something in a few days that I've seen others take years to learn. You'll need to practice with supervision with Midnight, but you're ready for your part. When your friend comes back, she can learn with Beauty, the other female.

"When the Battle comes, I'll be by your side with Regal. Now, I'll leave you two and take Harry off for some individual training," Thunder said, as he was standing up.

Harry walked with Thunder into the woods. "Harry, Dumbledore is wanting us to experiment. He informed me you could talk to snakes. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir, I can."

"Good. Here is what I want to do. I assume that you don't have a snake as your familiar, correct?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir, in the past just talking to a snake would freak someone out."

"I want you to call a snake to you."

Harry looked around and noticed a Smooth Snake lying high in a tree. He called out to the snake. Hello.

The snake looked at Harry, flickering his tongue in his direction, trying to decide if the humans were actually dangerous. Are you talking to me, human?

Harry smiled. Yes, I am. I'd like you to come down here so that we may try something. I promise you are safe in our presence.

The snake studied Harry for a few seconds and slowly started making his way down the tree. Harry held out his arm and the snake slithered onto it and around Harry's neck. I've never seen a human that could talk to me, so you have my interest. What are you wanting to do? hissed the snake.

Thunder watched the exchange. "Does he agree to the experiment?"

Harry spoke again to the snake. May we try?

The snake slowly nodded his head.

Thunder sat down on the ground and Harry sat across from him. Thunder stared at the snake for several minutes, then slowly closed his eyes.

Harry spoke softly to the snake. Talk to me snake. Do you feel anything?

Yes, something strange.

The next time the snake spoke his tone was more human. "Harry, can you hear me?"

"Grandfather, is that you?" Harry asked, surprised to hear a different voice coming from the snake.

"Yes."

Awkwardly, the snake slid off of Harry and onto the ground.

The snake didn't move or make a sound for a few minutes. Slowly the snake crept awkwardly onto Thunder's lap and relaxed.

The snake looked around confused and tensed. How did I end up over here?

"Is the snake okay?" Thunder asked, exhaustion showing on his face from the experiment.

The snake slowly moved off of Thunder's lap. I was around you. I remember feeling strange. Then my mind went to sleep until I woke up on the old human's lap.

Could you hear me calling you?

Harry shoulders sagged when he looked back at Thunder. "Sorry, Grandfather. He will not let us try again. He said he doesn't remember anything, except for a strange sensation in the beginning. He did say his mind went to sleep. He doesn't know how he ended up on your lap."

Thunder nodded and slowly started getting up. Harry jumped up to help him to his feet. "This is good. He felt my push when I entered his mind. But, I had complete control. I'm sorry we frightened the snake. We'll have to find another snake to practice with. Something a little more domesticated perhaps.

They walked quietly together as Thunder thought through the experiment he just performed, and the long conversation he had with Albus before he arrived yesterday. "Harry, I have a question for you. Does your friend, Ron, have another owl?"

"No, sir, just Pig. He was a gift from my godfather. Why?"

"The spell that you're going to be doing requires a familiar. The little owl, while strong of heart, will not be able to handle the power of the spell. My great grandson should be here in a couple of days. He'll be starting Hogwarts this year. I'll take him to Diagon Alley and purchase a snake and a larger bird for Ron."

"Uh, Grandfather, Ron is really sensitive about people buying things for him."

"He'll be just fine when he sees what I'm getting him. After all, he wouldn't refuse a gift from an old wizard, would he?"

"Okay, but don't say I haven't warned you. Now, why are we experimenting with snakes?"

"Voldemort's familiar is now a snake. If we can remove the snake from his presence, his power will be weakened."

Harry nodded. "He has the snake with him constantly. You mentioned something about a familiar. I assume Hedwig is my familiar?"

"Yes, she is."

"So, who'll be merging with the snake?" he asked, suspiciously.

"You will."

"ME!" Harry exclaimed, still not believing.

"Yes, when I spoke through the snake, you could tell it was me, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Harry wasn't certain where Thunder was heading with this conversation.

"If Voldemort questions why his snake is moving away, you can answer snake like. Hopefully, he'll be so distracted with the Oath of Loyalty ceremony that he won't notice if your tone is different. You'll bring the snake to Albus. Reverse the merge, and Albus will eliminate the snake, while it's temporarily confused."

"Sounds like a great plan, if I can do it."

"It'll take some time, but I'm certain you can."

They walked back out of the woods and heard Ginny's laugh ringing in the air, as they watched Sadie in the garden chasing the gnomes.

Mrs. Weasley came rushing out of the house. "Charlie, come quick."

Charlie came running from the side of the house, spoke quietly with his mum, and Disapparated.

Harry and Ron came running up to her as he vanished.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Ron asked, not liking the look on Charlie's face as he vanished.

"Albus didn't say, other than Severus' summons was rough with You Know Who. Lunch is almost ready, so why don't you two clean up?"

Thomas and Ginny came walking up with Thunder.

"Mum, is something wrong?"

"Severus has been hurt. Charlie has gone to check on him."

Ginny eyes filled with unshed tears. She knew he was frantic with worry since Severus hadn't returned from his last summoning. "Where is he?"

"At Hogwarts. Poppy will take care of him. Lunch will be ready in a couple of minutes."

Ginny sniffed. "I'll go clean up, Mum, so I can help you."

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

After lunch, Moody took Fred and Ron out for training.

Thomas and Ginny went out to work in the garden.

Thunder, realizing that Harry seemed to need a distraction, invited Harry into the lodge after they had retrieved Hedwig from the Owlery. Thunder started reviewing the merge with Harry. They worked all afternoon, until Harry had both the merge and the reversal memorized.

Late in the afternoon, Thomas came walking in with Ron. Sadie, who was lying on Harry's lap, jumped up and started dancing at Thomas' feet. Thomas picked her up and hugged her.

Thunder looked up at Thomas. "What all have you taught these young men?"

Thomas replied, while trying to restrain Sadie from licking him in the mouth. "The transformation chant, tracking, and Harry knows the Invisibility Spell."

Ron, who had been standing beside Thomas, looking around the lodge, looked back up at Thomas, puzzled. "What Invisibility Spell?"

Thomas raised an eyebrow to Harry.

Harry stood up to face Ron, grinning mischievously. "Watch," he said and quickly vanished.

"Bloody hell, we aren't suppose to Apparate until after our seventh year."

Harry chuckled. "I didn't Apparate. I'm still standing in front of you, blockhead."

Ron stared where Harry's voice was coming from in shock. "Are you invisible?"

"Duh, that's why it is called an Invisibility Spell."

"How long have you known how to do that?"

Harry reappeared and shrugged. "About a week."

Ron, his eyes showing his hurt at Harry's secrecy, asked, "And you haven't shown me?"

"No, too much has been going on. I honestly forgot about it until now. Look, let's go up to our room and I'll show you how to do this before dinner, okay? But, you have to be careful doing this. I promised Dumbledore we wouldn't use this at school, unless necessary. Thomas. Grandfather. We will see you at dinner."

Ron and Harry went up to their room. Harry quickly showed Ron how to perform the spell and reverse it.

"I can't believe you held out on me."

Harry sighed and sat down on the bed. "Honest, Ron, it wasn't intentional. Thomas showed me the night before I went to Remus'. I came back, and with everything going on, it slipped my mind. We can show Ginny and Hermione, but I think we had better hold off on showing the twins until we leave for Hogwarts. I don't feel like having them torture us for the rest of the summer. Charlie, I think, knew about the spell before I did. But, I showed Snape how to do it during the full moon."

"How come you didn't seem surprised the other day when Dad announced they had exchanged Promise rings? Did you know they were seeing each other?" he asked, staring down at Harry.

"Yes, I found out earlier this summer. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't have blown up like you did. But, I promised them both to keep their secret for obvious reasons. I was hoping with him hanging around, maybe your opinion of him would change. He really seems to be an okay guy outside of school. And he does love Charlie, that much I know for certain. Even Remus said so.

"Oh yeah before I forget, Grandfather mentioned that his great grandson is coming to stay with him here until school starts. He's planning on taking him to Diagon Alley to get his supplies early. While he's gone, we need to make a cage for a snake."

"A snake? What the bloody hell for?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore thinks that if I can merge and control Voldemort's..."

Ron flinched.

Harry glared up at him. "Snake, which is his familiar, then I can remove the snake from his side, and Dumbledore can destroy it, weakening his power before the actual Battle. Grandfather has been teaching me the merge that Ginny has learned this afternoon. Once I'm comfortable working with Hedwig, I'll learn how to control a snake."

"You do realize that if Fudge finds out he'll have you committed to St. Mungo's?" Ron said.

"Yes, that is why I need to learn how to do this before school starts. Along with whatever Dumbledore is going to be teaching me. I've been meaning to ask you, how is your training going with Charlie and Snape?"

"Actually working with Snape is better than I first thought it would be. It's interesting, but hard as crap. I've been learning the backup to whatever you'll be learning. Along with Auror training. Hey, I saw you with Ginny earlier today, how did she do with the new bird?"

"Ginny's ready. She just needs to practice with the falcon."

Harry reached into his wardrobe and pulled out a clean shirt and jeans. "I'm going to take a shower before dinner. I'll talk to you later."

When Harry walked out of the bathroom, Ron was waiting outside the door. "Are you next?"

"Yep."

"Has Charlie come back yet?"

"Don't think so."

Harry headed downstairs and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking intently in the kitchen. When he heard Severus' name mentioned, he stood silently at the door and listened to their conversation.

"Arthur, Albus said Severus was in a lot of pain. It appears that when he was summoned, Voldemort wasn't pleased with him."

Harry stomach clinched hearing the comment. He felt an urge to be by Severus and Charlie's side he couldn't ignore. He cleared his throat. "Is he still at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, Harry, you startled me. Yes, as far as I know, Severus is still at Hogwarts," Molly responded a little warily when she saw the look on his face.

Harry walked over to the fire, took a pinch of Floo powder, and looked back at the couple. "Charlie's alone. I'm going to check on him. I'll be back soon."

"Harry, no! It's too dangerous. I'll go," replied Arthur.

"No, sir, I can't say why now, but I need to go."

Stepping into the fire, Harry said clearly, "Honeydukes." While Harry was sliding through the Floo, he quickly performed the Invisibility Spell.

When he landed, Honeydukes was so busy no one appeared to have noticed the fire blaze up for a second. Walking quickly to the storage room, he lifted the trap door, lit his wand and jumped in closing the door behind him. Running as fast as he could through the tunnel, he headed up to the school.

Charlie was walking through the hall as Harry opened the passage. "How is he?" he asked, climbing out and reversing the spell.

Charlie jumped. "Bloody hell, Harry! Scare the shit out of me, why don't you? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to be with you, while you waited," he said, not wanting to give him the full truth on why he was there.

Charlie's face softened. "Come on, Harry. Severus is still unconscious. Does Mum and Dad know you're here?" he asked, while doing the Cleaning Spell on Harry.

"They weren't too happy with me leaving, but I wanted to be here with you."

They walked into the medical ward and Harry saw Severus lying on the bed, obviously heavily sedated. Charlie went and sat on the edge of the bed, and Harry walked to the other side.

"What happened?" he asked, sitting down in a chair. He unconsciously started rubbing his scar as it was giving a light tingle.

"I don't know. He hasn't woke up since I got here. Stay with him and I'll let Mum and Dad know you're here and safe."

Harry stood up and sat in Charlie's abandoned spot on the bed. He reached for Severus' hand. The tingle intensified and he was immediately pulled inside his dream. He saw through Severus' eyes as he was looking at the ground.

Harry, still holding Severus' hand, felt the impact of the curse. Charlie, who was walking back into the ward, saw him seizing. He ran towards the bed and pulled Harry apart from Severus. Harry sagged unconscious into Charlie's arms.

"Harry! Harry, wake up. Madam Pomfrey, come quick. Something is wrong with Harry," Charlie yelled, lying Harry on a bed beside of Severus'.

Poppy came running over.

Dumbledore, who had stepped into the room behind Charlie, hurried over as well.

"What happened, Charlie?" Poppy asked, while checking Harry over.

"I don't know. I came in and Harry was holding Severus' hand and seizing."

"This is strange. It appears that Harry was hit with the Cruciatus Curse, but no one else was in here."

Severus moaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Charlie?" he asked, when he saw the familiar red hair.

Charlie looked over at his lover, relief showing in his eyes. "Thank goodness you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," he replied, and looked over at the bed where Poppy was working. He was startled to see Harry lying in it. "What happened to Harry?"

I'm not sure. He was holding your hand when I came in, seizing. Madam Pomfrey said he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse."

Severus' eyes went wide with shock, as he stared at Harry. "I was dreaming about what happened when I was summoned before I woke up."

Dumbledore nodded, staring gravely at Harry. "It appears that the blood bond Harry now shares with Voldemort is more dangerous to him than I thought it would be. With Harry holding your hand while you were dreaming, when Voldemort hit you with the curse, he drew the curse to him. That was why you finally woke up."

"Why was he here? How long have I been out?"

Charlie sighed, sitting down on Severus' bed. "He said he came here to be with me while I was waiting on you to wake up. You've been here since before lunch."

Poppy walked over and moved her wand to examine Severus. "Severus, you need to lie back and rest. Harry will be fine when he wakes up. He always recovers quickly." She reached for a bottle but Severus shook his head.

"No, Poppy, you know I can't tolerate a drug induced sleep. Just get me a couple of pillows so I can sit up. I'm not going back to sleep until Harry wakes up."

"Severus, you know you need to rest," Charlie scolded, as he helped place pillows behind Severus' back. When he was settled, Charlie asked, "What happened last night?"

"Voldemort kept me waiting all night. He finally confronted me regarding that special potion he had me brew for the werewolves. He has ordered that I remake it in his presence during the next full moon. I honestly don't know for certain if the potion will work. But, if it does then it could be a huge problem for wizards and Muggles alike."

Charlie looked at him puzzled. "Can't you use a timer so the potion will only last a few minutes?"

"A timer?" he asked, not entirely sure what Charlie was saying.

"Yes, Fred and George use them in their pranks. That is why their business is doing so great. The effects of the prank usually only last fifteen minutes at the most."

Severus looked at Charlie, as he finally understood what Charlie was saying. "Well, they were actually paying attention in class. I almost strangled them daily because they were always doing something else in class. Amazing, who taught them how to create a timer for their potions?"

"No one that I know of. They were just messing around and came up with it. However, they always made notes when they were working on something. That was something they learned from you."

Severus started to get out of bed.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Charlie asked, pushing him back down.

"I'm going to the twins shop." Severus replied, with a snarl. He despised being treated like an invalid.

"You're not going anywhere looking like that. If you show up without Harry, Mum will freak. The twins have tons of the timer. It's their secret ingredient. It can wait for a few hours. Do you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm not hungry. However, I would like something to drink besides water."

"Okay, you sit there and rest. I'll go to the kitchen and get you a goblet."

Dumbledore, who had been listening silently to their conversation, interrupted. "I'll let you get some rest. We will talk when you are feeling better, Severus."

Severus watched as Harry lay sleeping in the other bed. He slowly got out of his bed and sat down on Harry's. When he touched his hand, Harry jumped awake.

He looked up at Severus startled. "What happened, Severus?"

"I was dreaming, you touched my hand, and got pulled into my dream it seems. Charlie came in and saw you seizing. He pulled us apart and you passed out."

Harry lay back on the pillow. "Bloody hell."

Severus chuckled. "My thoughts exactly. So, how are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a Bludger."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you because you were still out."

Severus sighed and shook his head in frustration. "Just when I think you are maturing you pull a move like this."

"Charlie was alone. I wanted to be here for both of you."

Severus looked at Harry in shock. "You were actually concerned about me, weren't you? Why? We aren't that close." Suddenly he remember their last conversation. "Has this got something to do with that question you wanted to ask me before I left?"

"Yes, it's complicated. I discovered something while I was away that I need to show you. But I didn't want everyone in the house to see it before you did. I should've shown you when you came to get me. It's really personal, at least I think so. When we go home, I'll bring it to you. It's hidden in my trunk right now."

Charlie came walking back in with a goblet of juice. "Sev, what are you doing out of bed?" Seeing Harry was awake, he called out to Poppy, "Madam Pomfrey, Harry's awake."

She came out of her office and frowned when she saw Severus out of his bed and sitting on Harry's. "Severus, back to your bed. I need to check Harry out."

Severus slowly stood up and with Charlie's help, got back into bed.

Poppy sighed her relief as she finished her examination of Harry. "Good. Harry, you'll be back to normal by the morning. However, nothing strenuous for a couple of days."

Charlie looked at her. "Can Harry go home?"

"Yes, he should be okay to Floo."

Severus frowned. "I'm leaving with Harry." He knew that for Harry to reveal that he had something personal that he wouldn't show to anyone but him first, there had to be something seriously wrong with whatever it was. Especially when he would have normally shown it to Dumbledore or Arthur.

Poppy laughed, not at all surprised at his comment. "Somehow, I knew you would."

Dumbledore came walking back in. "Ah, Poppy, I see your patients are both awake now. Harry, how are you feeling?"

"I ache a little, but I'm fine. I'll be leaving in a minute."

Remus came rushing in, looking frantically around the room. His shoulders sagged with relief when he saw Harry sitting up in the bed. "Harry, are you okay? Dobby just told me you were here."

"I'm fine. I just came to keep Charlie company until Severus woke up. Actually, I was getting ready to leave, since Severus is awake."

Remus frowned. "Then what are you doing lying in a hospital bed?"

"Damn, I was hoping you'd miss that. Nothing serious, I just learned the hard way not to touch someone when they're sleeping. I got pulled into Severus' dream, and believe me, it wasn't fun."

Remus sat down in a chair. "Oh, dear, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine after I get some sleep. So stop worrying."

Severus started rising from the bed. "Wait for me to get dressed and I'll take you home Harry."

Dumbledore frowned at Severus. "Severus you can't travel by Floo and are too weak to Apparate. Even a Portkey would be too much in your current condition."

Severus knew Albus was right. "Fine, Charlie can Apparate with me. Remus, would you mind Apparating with Harry?"

"Sure, Severus. Whenever you're ready."

Charlie pushed Severus into a chair. "I'll go get your clothes. You sit still until I return."

"Thank you, Charlie." He was slightly embarrassed but relieved he didn't have to retrieve his own clothes.

"Dumbledore started to walk out with Charlie, but Harry stopped him. "Professor Dumbledore, can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, Harry. What's your question?" Dumbledore asked, as he turned to sit on Harry's bed.

"Why did my scar tingle when I got close to Severus when I first arrived? And it got stronger when I touched his hand."

"I'm afraid that when Severus first returns from being around Voldemort, his essence still has Voldemort's touch on him. And it was stronger when he was asleep, because he was dreaming of the encounter that put him in the hospital bed. You'll have to be careful not to touch someone who could be under the influence of Voldemort in the future. If they had a painful encounter, like Severus, you could be pulled into their dream also. This was an unexpected development, but luckily for us, we learned of it in a safe environment, instead of in dire circumstances.

"When you come back during the next full moon, we will experiment at Diagon Alley and the Ministry, encountering suspected allies of Voldemort to check to see how accurate your scar really is," Dumbledore said as he stood up.

Poppy came over to check on Severus again. After she had finished she shook her head at her headstrong patient. "You're a stubborn man, Severus. Will you at least take a mild sleeping draught with you, in case you do need it?"

"I'll take it with me, to stop your nagging. However, I don't promise to use it."

Charlie came in a few minutes later, carrying Severus' clothes and pulled the curtain so he could change.

Remus looked at Harry. "How did you get here?"

"I Floo'd to Honeydukes, and came through the passage." When Harry saw Remus getting ready to scold him, he quickly added, "I was invisible, relax."

Severus opened the curtain, the task of putting on a simple robe turning him ashy. "Let's go."

Severus led the way through the halls towards the back of the school. He tapped on the frame of a picture hanging on the wall. "Reverse room," he said softly. The picture melted away and revealed an opening. He walked through and they quickly followed behind, puzzled. As soon as they entered, the lights came on.

Harry turned around and looked at Severus, who was now leaning on Charlie for support. "Severus, where are we? This room looks like the dining hall, but it's smaller and the enchanted ceiling is showing sunshine instead of the stars, unless I was out longer than I thought."

Severus chuckled, quite pleased at his response. "This is a room Albus and I created years ago after Voldemort disappeared. Until now, we were the only two who knew this room existed. Do you remember me asking you if you believed everything you read about Hogwarts? In this room, a person can Apparate anywhere, and return. Okay, let's go home."

Charlie wrapped Severus in his arms and Disapparated. Remus stood behind Harry, wrapping an arm around his chest, and quickly followed.

Remus frowned when he saw the strain on Severus' face when they arrived at the Burrow. "Harry, help Charlie get Severus upstairs. I'll see myself out."

Harry and Charlie placed Severus' arms across their shoulders, and walked him upstairs to his room.

When Severus had settled onto the bed with a sigh, Harry started to leave until Severus stopped him. "Harry, bring me whatever you're hiding in your trunk."

"It can wait, Severus."

"If it's so important, that you brought it here, hid it in your bloody trunk, and its contents made you go all the way to Hogwarts to be at my side, then I want to see it."

Harry went upstairs to his room. The door was open and he could hear Ron snoring. Harry quietly opened his trunk and pulled the book out. He crept back downstairs to Charlie and Severus' room, walked in and laid the book down beside Severus.

Severus eyebrow rose as he saw the title of the book. He glanced at Harry, puzzled. "Why is your Family Linage so important?"

Harry looked at Severus. He was suddenly sure Severus didn't know of their connection. "You really don't know, do you?"

Severus just stared at him his expression blank.

"Here, let me show you."

Harry opened the book up and quickly found the page where Severus' name appeared. He pointed to the section and stepped back. Severus turned even paler as he read over the page.

Charlie took the book from Severus' shaking hands. "Sev, what is it?" Charlie looked at the page that was still open and looked at Harry. "Where did you get this?"

"The library at the Manor."

"Harry, I need to take this to Dumbledore."

"Is something wrong?"

"It appears that technically Severus is your guardian."

"So, I was right. We are related. You're the Severus listed in the book."

"Yes," Severus replied softly. He was in shock at the discovery. "Harry, I honestly never knew. My mother never mentioned her family, only to say she couldn't go back home. From my father's side, I had the impression that he had married beneath him. If this is authentic, this could be trouble for us both."

Harry looked at Charlie, suddenly realizing he had just put Severus in more danger. "Take the book to Dumbledore. He'll know what to do. Don't worry about Severus. I'll stay with him until you get back."

Charlie hesitated and Harry growled. "I'm not an idiot. I won't touch him while he's asleep. Go."

Charlie looked at Severus and raised his eyebrow in a silent question.

Severus rolled his eyes, and pulled out the sleeping draught. "I'll take this sleeping draught. Now go."

Charlie Disapparated and Harry went back upstairs to retrieve his blankets.

Severus opened his eyes when Harry came back in the room. "Harry, I honestly didn't know we were related."

"I believe you, Severus."

"If I had known, you would have never had to stay with those Muggles. My relationship with James be damned."

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed. "Don't worry about what ifs. This was kept from us for a reason, I'm sure. I'm okay with this, and I hope you will be too. I've had time to think this through and I'm not upset that we're related."

Severus was puzzled by Harry's reply, but with the sleeping draught he couldn't think straight to comment on what he said. He yawned. "True, someone had a reason for lying to us. But now that we know, by Wizard Law, I have to acknowledge you."

"You do?"

"Yes, but Albus will know what to do to get around the law. We'll talk to him in the morning, I'm sure."

"Go to sleep, Severus. We can talk later."

Harry dimmed the lights and lay down on the floor by Severus' side. Charlie came in about an hour later. Seeing the young man sound asleep, Charlie smiled down at the content look on Harry's face. He left him lying on the floor and climbed into the bed with Severus. He and Dumbledore had a long conversation and they both agreed that Severus and Harry needed this connection mentally, in order to face the upcoming Battle.

The sun was shining brightly when a moaning Severus awakened them. Harry sat up and silently watched as Charlie woke him up. Harry gathered his blankets and left the room, to give them some privacy.

He found Ron in their room waiting for him. "Where did you sleep?" he asked.

"Charlie's room. Severus had a rough night and Charlie had to take something to Dumbledore. So I stayed in their room and fell asleep. Is your Mum mad because I left?"

"She was a little peeved, but she knows you and Charlie are close. Is Snape okay?"

Harry nodded, as he made up his bed. "A little weak but he'll be okay. Oh, don't ever let me touch anyone who's asleep that has a connection to Voldemort. I touched Severus' hand while he was asleep and got sucked into his dream. Not fun, I have to tell you."

"Are you all right?" he asked, realizing that Harry was a little pale.

"Yeah, I am now. When I first came to, I felt like I had been hit by a Bludger."

Ginny knocked on the open door. "Harry, Dumbledore's here. He wants to see you."

"Okay, thanks, Ginny. I knew he would be coming sometime this morning."

Harry walked with Ron and Ginny downstairs. When they reached the level that Charlie and Severus' room was on, he saw the couple making their way slowly towards the stairs.

Harry saw Charlie frowning at the strain on Severus' face. "Severus, do you need a hand going down the stairs?" he asked.

Severus glared at Harry. He was still suspicious about Harry's behaviour towards him. "I'm sore, not an invalid. I can walk down the stairs. I don't need you smothering me, too."

Harry laughed. "Okay, I was just asking. No need to bite my bloody head off."

Harry looked up at Charlie, who indicated with a lift of his chin for Harry to walk in front of Severus down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he saw Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking in the living room. He looked back and saw that Charlie had his arm around Severus' waist, but they were making their way slowly down the stairs.

He turned and looked at Ginny and Ron. "I'll catch up with you two later and fill you in on what I can, okay?"

They nodded their agreement and headed for the kitchen.

Harry walked into the living room ahead of Severus and Charlie. Harry noticed as he sat down on the arm of the couch, that Dumbledore was holding the Potter Family Linage. Charlie helped Severus sit down in a chair and sat down on the arm beside him.

Dumbledore frowned as he watched Severus settling into the chair. "Severus, how are you feeling this morning?"

Severus sighed. "Better." He glared up at Charlie when he snorted his disbelief. "I assume you have reviewed the book?" he asked, looking back at Albus.

"Yes, it seems we have a potential problem, Molly and Arthur. Harry has come across his Family Linage. Now normally finding this book isn't a problem, except in this case. Severus' mother was actually the youngest sister of James Potter's grandfather. I was unaware that he had a younger sister. She was never a student at Hogwarts. Technically, Severus is Harry's guardian. And as you well know, by Wizard Law, once this information has been discovered, the Ministry must be notified. Now, since only the six of us know this information, what are we going to do?"

"Albus, you know I can't reveal my connection to Harry. It would put us both in more danger and jeopardize the Order," Severus replied.

Harry spoke up. "Why can't things stay the way they are right now? It's on file at the Ministry that I have no family and the Weasley's are my legal guardians. Can't we just forget this book exists, until after the Battle? We can discuss it again then. I love being here with the Weasleys. Severus is staying here and when school starts, I'll be there with him. Honestly, Professor Dumbledore, if I had known that finding that information was going to cause such uproar, I would've never brought the book back here. I'm fine with the current living situation."

Severus was stunned for a brief moment. Then he remembered the now not so strange comment Harry had made last night. Finally he asked, "I'm sorry Harry, but did I just hear you say you wanted me to be your guardian?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, I want you to be my guardian. When this is over. Unless, you'd prefer not to be."

"No, that isn't it. It just never crossed my mind that you would want me to. Will you say why you want to change things?"

Harry hesitated for a brief second. He knew in the past that he had kept such personal thoughts to himself. But he knew they needed to hear what he was thinking. "We're all the family each other has left. Except for Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, of course, and technically they'll be your family through marriage."

Mrs. Weasley touched Harry's leg to get his attention. When Harry looked down on her he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I do love you. Please believe me. But Severus is family and we are all each other has left. We've both been alone for too long. We just got back something that we both had missing in our life. Even before I found that book, Severus and I were finally starting to get to know each other. I don't want to lose that."

Harry sighed. "I don't want to get into all the personal details, but when I entered that house and realized that I was truly alone, I lost it. I found several personal things that belonged to my parents. Even this ring. It was the last anniversary gift James ever bought my Mum."

Harry took the ring off his finger and handed it to Mrs. Weasley. Harry continued. "Then I found that book and I realized if what was written in it was real, I had a chance at a family again. And this time, hopefully with someone who would accept me for who I am. Someone I could respect. If we both wanted this, and I know I do."

Molly held the emerald ring in her hand and looked back up at Harry, tears streaming down her face.

Dumbledore, who had been listening quietly to Harry, looked at Severus raising an eyebrow in a silent question. He knew that like Harry, Severus never had a great home life until recently.

Severus looked up at Charlie.

Charlie smiled down at Severus.

Severus managed a weak smile in response and looked back at Dumbledore and gave a short nod.

Dumbledore looked at Arthur who had been listening quietly to the conversations going on around him. He gave Albus a brief smile. While he loved Harry like his own son, he understood that not having any family was hard on him. He couldn't deny the young man his one chance at a happy home. "Albus, it will be fine with us if Severus assumes Harry's guardianship after the Battle."

Albus looked at Harry, who was hugging Mrs. Weasley. "Then Harry, you shall have your family. I'll write up the paperwork for custody and officially you'll be named Severus' heir on October 31^st."

Harry, who was still comforting Mrs. Weasley, looked up confused. "Heir? That's not what I meant. I didn't say I wanted to be his heir. Charlie is Severus' heir, as far as I'm concerned. I have no problem letting Severus be my heir. That way Severus and Charlie can be comfortable, if things don't go well in the Battle."

Severus interrupted Harry with a sneer. "I don't need your inheritance. I'm quite comfortable myself."

Harry shook his head. "If you don't take it, then everything gets absorbed by the Ministry. And there is too much that would be wasted. If you don't want it, then sell it and buy something you do want."

Harry looked back at Dumbledore. "Hang on a minute, you just said you'll file the paperwork on October 31^st. Is that the day of the Battle?"

Dumbledore, his face serious, shook his head. "If all goes according to plan, the day after."

"Oh, my," came a soft reply from Mrs. Weasley. Until then, no one had known when the date of the Battle was.

Dumbledore stood up. "I'll place this book in my office, until it's needed."

Molly and Arthur stood up to walk Albus out.

Harry slid off the arm of the couch, and took the spot that Mrs. Weasley had just abandoned. Harry looked over at Severus, whose face was turning grey. "Severus, are you okay?"

"Just a little weak still."

Charlie rubbed Severus' shoulder. "You need to take a few days off until you have your strength back, Sev. I can train Ron and Percy." Severus tried to interrupt, but Charlie placed a finger on his lips. "No arguments."

Before Severus could actually form a reply, Thunder came walking into the room.

Harry looked up at the elderly man and smiled. "Good morning, Grandfather. Are you ready to start training?"

"Yes, Harry, whenever you are."

Sadie came around Thunder and spotted Severus sitting in the chair. He raised an eyebrow and jumped slightly when she barked.

Harry laughed at Severus' startled expression. "Relax, Severus. Sadie is just saying hello. Come here, Sadie Girl."

Sadie jumped onto the couch and started licking Harry in the face. Harry laughed, delighted at the greeting. "Good morning, Sadie. How are your babies this morning?" Sadie lay down across his lap, rolled onto her back, and he started scratching her belly.

Thunder chuckled at the look of pleasure on her face. "Careful, Harry. She'll lie like that all day if you let her. She's such a spoiled dog."

Thunder looked at Severus. "Are you the young man who needs to learn the Scenting Spell?"

"Yes, sir, my name is Severus Snape. Forgive me for not standing. The Dark Lord wasn't pleased with me a couple of nights ago."

Thunder narrowed his eyes, looking Severus over. "What did he hit you with?"

"The Cruciatus Curse."

"Ah, no wonder you're in pain." He walked behind the couple and tapped Charlie's arm. "Move away for a minute, young Weasley."

Charlie stood up and Thunder placed his hands on Severus' shoulders. Severus, who was nervous having a stranger standing behind him, started protesting. "I'll be fine a few days, sir."

"Nonsense, you'll be fine in just a minute."

Thunder murmured low, and Severus' expression went from scowling to amazement when he felt the warmth coming from the man's hands slowly go down his body and the ache fade away. He stood behind him for a couple of minutes until he was satisfied Severus' pain was gone.

He removed his hands and walked around to the chair and faced him again. "My name is Thundering Hooves. You can call me Thunder or Grandfather. How are you feeling now?"

Severus rolled his shoulders, smiling. He was delighted to discover that this man knew such a Healing Spell. He stood up and stretched. "Fully recovered. Sir, that was amazing. Will you teach me how to do this? Charlie has a bad habit of getting beat up by dragons."

"Hey, I don't get beat up. They just get a little lucky and land a hit every once in a while," Charlie replied, as he was playing with the dog.

"I'm starving. I missed dinner last night with all the excitement. Excuse me, Grandfather, I'll make a sandwich and be ready to start in a few minutes," Harry said, as he stood up and headed for the door.

"Thank you, Thunder, for helping Sev. He was in considerable pain, even if he wouldn't admit it," Charlie replied, getting up from the couch.

"Glad to help you both. I'll be happy to teach you both this spell. But for now, would you like to like to learn the Scenting Spell?"

"Yes, I have to stay with Voldemort during the full moon, and the werewolves will be there also," Severus replied, pulling Charlie to his side for a quick hug.

"Good, let's go outside. I believe Molly will have my scalp if I build a fire on her living room floor."

They walked outside and Thunder conjured a fire close to his lodge. He explained the spell and showed Severus how to stand so the smoke from the fire would cover him to remove all scents.

Harry came out and watched as Severus performed the spell.

Severus caught Harry's eye. "Harry, go back inside and Floo Remus. We need to test this."

"Sure," Harry replied, and walked back into the house.

Mrs. Weasley, who was cleaning up the breakfast dishes, looked at Harry when he came back in. "What are they doing with that fire?"

"It's a Scenting Spell. May I use the fire? I need to Floo Remus. We need his nose."

"Of course, dear."

Harry removed the kettle and threw in a pinch of Floo powder. "Hogwarts Defense Against The Dark Arts Personal Chambers." A few seconds later he was looking into Remus' chambers at Hogwarts. "Remus, are you here?"

Remus jumped where he had been sitting in a chair reading. "Good morning, Harry. Is something wrong with Severus?"

"No, he's back to normal. He wants you at the Burrow to test something."

Remus nodded, but had a puzzled look on his face at Harry's comment. "Let me grab my robes and I'll be right there."

Harry broke the connection and stood back up and walked back outside. When he stepped out the door, Remus Apparated beside him. Harry, who had his wand in his hand doing the Cleaning Charm, turned to him startled. "Damn, Remus, don't you know better than to Apparate beside someone?"

Remus chuckled. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't realize you would be coming through the garden." Spying Severus by the fire, Remus stopped talking and stared with his mouth open. "What happened to Severus?"

"Thomas' grandfather performed a Healing Spell on Severus this morning."

"Amazing," replied Remus, watching Severus walk through the smoke with no hesitation from pain.

They walked over to the fire and Harry introduced Thunder to Remus. Remus turned to Severus who had just stepped out of the smoke. "Severus, you wanted me to test something for you?"

"Yes, Thunder has a Scenting Spell I want to test. Give me a sniff to see how well it works."

Remus walked over to Severus and inhaled deeply. His eyes opened wide at what he didn't smell. Walking around Severus he sniffed his hair and clothes. "Unreal. I smell no smoke and only your faint scent, as if you had just showered. You'll be in no danger now, Severus, if you come across Voldemort's werewolves."

"Good. Thank you for coming Remus at such short notice."

"My pleasure, Severus. How is the training coming?"

"Everyone is progressing nicely. Would you like to stay and observe? You may see something that we are overlooking."

"I'd love to."

"Charlie is going to be working with Ron today. I have another project I need to do. The twins are rotating with Moody and Tonks. Ginny has learned her part, but I'm sure she would love to give you a demonstration. Harry is learning the same thing from Thunder. However we are wanting to experiment to see if it can work on snakes," replied Severus.

"Snakes huh? You'll have to fill me in later on why you are wanting to do the merge on a snake. I'll go find Ginny and have her show me the merge. Then check in on the twins."

Severus headed toward the shop, with Charlie by his side. Charlie dragged Ron out for training and headed for the side of the house. Harry summoned Hedwig and followed Thunder inside the lodge.

They all worked until late in the afternoon. Harry came out of the lodge and sent Hedwig back to the Owlery. He went inside and retrieved clean clothes and headed toward the shower. As he opened the door, he saw Ron coming up the stairs. "Hey, Ron, how did training go?"

"Good. Being an Auror is harder than I thought it would be. What did Dumbledore want this morning?"

"Nothing really. He just had a few questions about a book I found. I'll catch you later." As much as he wanted to tell Ron the truth, he knew the information wasn't something to be casually mentioned. Even to his best friend.

Harry quickly cleaned up and walked back upstairs. He was surprised to find his room empty. He headed back downstairs and saw Ron and Severus sitting at the table playing another game of Wizard's chess. Sitting down beside Charlie he quietly asked, "How long have they been at it?"

"Not long. But from the look on their faces, it's going to be a long night."