Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Last chapter! This story was fun to write so I hope you have enjoyed it too! Question, for the official sequel, any pairings you would like to see? Or any situations you would like to see? It will likely be the final story in this universe so I'll probably combine some events from fifth and sixth year and so on. Let me know what you think!

December 25th, 1994

"Did you have fun last night?" Snape asked as he and Harry settled into a full English breakfast Christmas morning. They had spent the night at their home in Spinner's End to enjoy Christmas morning before heading back to Hogwarts.

"Yeah, it was great seeing Sirius and Remus showed up too. He really appreciated the Wolfsbane." Harry said happily. "Oh, and Remus got you some rare brandy he thought you'd like. I put it under the tree."

Snape looked surprised but pleased. "That's…quite nice of him."

"Sirius didn't get you anything but since you gave him dog food, I don't think it's a big deal." Harry grinned.

Snape smirked. "I gave him dog treats," He corrected.

Harry shook his head as he spread some marmalade onto his fried bread. "Mmm, this is so good." He said through a mouthful of food.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Chew, swallow, then speak," He grumbled.

POP! "Is breakfast good for yous?" Dobby asked eagerly.

"It's delicious Dobby!" Harry said. "Thank you!"

"It is most satisfactory," Snape said.

Dobby beamed.

"Oh Dobby, there are some presents under the tree for you," Harry told the house elf.

Dobby's eyes filled with tears. "Presents for Dobby?"

"Of course," Harry said with a smile.

"Harry and Professor Snape are so good to Dobby," Dobby sniffled, offered them a watery smile and then popped away.

Snape rolled his eyes. "He is a very strange elf."

"Oh please, you know you like him," Harry said. He pushed away his empty plate. "Can we open presents now?" He asked hopefully.

Snape nodded as the empty dished vanished. "Of course."

Half an hour later, Snape was sipping a cup of tea as Harry looked over the gifts he had opened. Snape had enjoyed watching Harry's joy as he had opened his gifts, just as he had last year. He was pleased with the presents he had received himself, the brandy from Remus had been a nice surprise. He had received several potion books from Albus and Minerva, and a beautiful engraved magical quill from Harry. The quill wrote in whatever color you desired, the user only needed to say which color before writing. Mrs. Weasley had once again sent him his own Weasley sweater which he had immediately put in with Dobby's little pile of presents.

Harry was admiring his own personal practice snitch that his dad had given him, as well as gift cards to various shops, and a new trunk for his belongings that looked the same size as his old one but when you opened it, it fit at least twice as much.

Harry put the snitch back into its little box. "Thank you, for all of this."

"You are welcome. And thank you for my quill; I've never had such a nice one before." Snape said.

Harry grinned, glad that he had chosen something his dad appeared to really like. "I charmed it to only write positive words, in case you use it to grade papers." He joked.

Snape looked alarmed for a brief moment before realizing that Harry was kidding. "Very amusing. I take it you did not appreciate me borrowing Minerva's words when I graded your essay?"

Harry made a face. "You wrote it on everyone's essay. We are not a bunch of babbling bumbling band of buffoons!" He couldn't help but grin.

Snape shrugged. "With all the talking you do during class…" He gave Harry a knowing look.

"Well, there's been a lot of exciting things going on," Harry shrugged. "You know, with the Tournament and the Yule Ball."

"Ah, so you are excited for tonight?" Snape asked, setting his teacup down.

"Yeah except I'm not used to going to balls and dancing so I hope I don't embarrass Daphne." Harry said. "I heard some people say they had taken dancing lessons when they were younger."

Snape nodded. "It is practically required in most pure-blooded families; it is part of their upbringing." He leaned back in his reclining chair. "You danced well during Minerva's dance lesson." He offered.

"That's what Daphne told me," Harry said. He picked up several presents, "Dobby!"

Pop! "Is yous needing anything?"

"Here you go," Harry handed Dobby the presents, which consisted of a variety of clothes from Harry, his dad, godfather, and friends. "Merry Christmas!"

Dobby looked ready to cry again. "Thank you!" He squealed before he began tearing open the presents and soon he was wearing the Weasley sweater, eight pairs of socks, two scarves, and a coat. He was practically shaking with happiness. "This is the best Christmas Dobby has ever had!" He gave Harry and Snape a bright smile and popped away.

Harry shared an amused look with his dad. "So," Harry began gathering his gifts. "Do you want to have a snowball fight before we go back to Hogwarts?"

"Do I look like someone who plays in snowball fights?" Snape rolled his eyes as he waved his wand to banish all of the wrapping paper.

"It's just us, you won't have to worry about anyone seeing you having fun playing in the snow," Harry persisted. He widened his eyes, trying again for the puppy dog look.

"I have told you that will not work on me," Snape said. He stared at the pitiful expression, the wide emerald orbs pleading silently. As if I would give in to that pathetic expression, Snape thought as he summoned their cloaks. As if the bat of the dungeons could be so soft to give in to a child's silly whim, he mentally scoffed while also summoning their gloves, scarves, and hats.

Harry finished putting on the warm layers, walked to the front door and stopped as he waited. "Ready Dad?" He asked cheerfully.

Snape grumbled to himself as he put on his gloves and followed his son outside where a snow covered blanket covered the ground. Merlin, he was going soft! "Are there any rules -," Splat! Snape wiped the snow from his face and eyed Harry, who was standing across the yard laughing. "No rules then," He said slowly, a smile gracing his face.

Harry was still laughing. "That was great! You didn't even see it coming and…Oof!" Snowball after snowball began hitting him and he scrambled to hide behind a tree. He heard his dad snickering and quickly began making several snowballs. Wait, no rules? Harry grinned to himself and pulled out his wand. Game on.

"Harry, are you ready?" Snape called as he waited by the fireplace. They were returning to the castle so Harry could get ready for the Yule Ball with his friends.

Harry hurried downstairs, duffel in hand and Nova coiled around his arm. He had been frozen to the bone after the snowball fight but it had been worth it. They had both had fun and Harry had been delighted to see his dad laughing and looking carefree.

"I'm ready!" Harry said, starting to feel a little nervous.

"Is something wrong?" Snape asked as he took a handle of floo powder from the jar he kept on the mantle. "Are you still feeling nervous about the dance?"

"Um, no," Harry hedged.

"Yesss you are, yesss you are!" Nova practically sang to him.

"Oh hush!" Harry hissed at the little snake. He looked up and smiled weakly at Snape's stare. "I guess I'm a little nervous because this is sort of a date. I think. I mean, I don't know if we are just friends going to the ball together or if she considers this an actual date."

Snape tilted his head to one side. "Do you want her to consider this a real date?"

"Um," Harry flushed.

"So articulate," Snape smirked. "My advice is to simply enjoy the evening and see how things unfold."

Harry nodded and stepped into the floo with his dad. Snape threw down the floo powder. "Snape's quarters, Hogwarts!"

"This is horrid. Awful," Ron moaned as he held up his dress robes. "How could my own mother send me this?"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. The dress robes Ron was holding were old fashioned looking, maroon with a lace color and lace at the cuffs. "They're, uh, nice."

Ron looked over at Harry as he pulled his dress robes out of a box. His mouth dropped open. "What are those?!"

"My dress robes," Harry said with a shrug. The robes were dark green with gold stitching and on the back was a beautifully stitched lion and snake.

"Those look good! No stupid lace or dodgy collar," Ron glared at his own robes. "Of course you get nice ones." He muttered.

"Yours are probably meant to be more traditional, I expect," Harry said uncomfortably.

"Traditional? These are completely ancient!" Ron reached for his wand. "Maybe I can get the lace off."

Twenty minutes later Harry and Ron were standing outside of the Great Hall, waiting for their dates. Ron had managed to get most of the lace off by using a severing charm but it left the edges looking frayed. He kept shooting Harry looks of jealousy as his friend looked immaculate in his green robes. Harry ignored him, feeling nervous and excited to see Daphne.

Lavender Brown walked up to them, wearing a deep plum chiffon lace floor length dress with a smile on her face. Her smile faded when she saw Ron, looking him up and down. "My, aren't you dashing," She said somewhat snidely. She glanced at Harry. "You look nice."

Ron ignored her. "Where is everyone else?"

Lavender made a face. "Are we waiting for your Slytherin friends?"

"They're nice," Harry said, feeling a little irritated.

"Are we going to spend the whole night around them?" Lavender's voice had a slight whine to it.

"You can always go dateless, if you want." Ron suggested.

Lavender's eyes roved over Ron outfit again. "Hmm, that might be a good idea." She muttered. She nodded behind Harry and Ron. "Here they come."

Harry turned and his mouth went dry, his heart beat faster as he saw Daphne approaching. She looked beautiful. Her long hair was pulled up to the nape of her neck with several tendrils of blonde hair falling free and framing her face. Her eyes looked even bluer with the dark blue sequined gown she was wearing. "You, you're stunning." He stammered.

Daphne's eyes brightened. "You look so handsome," She said. "Your robes really bring out your eyes." She said somewhat shyly.

Harry cleared his throat nervously and handed her the box he was holding. "Um, for you."

Daphne opened the box and squealed in delight at the wrist corsage made out of blue roses and baby's breath. "I love it! Thank you!"

"It's so pretty." Tracey commented. She was wearing deep green silk dress and had her dark hair loose in waves.

"Gee, make us all look bad." Draco said when he saw the corsage as he and Theo walked up, both wearing nice dress robes. "I should have thought of that," He then stared at Ron. "Are you making some sort of statement?"

Ron glared at him. "What? They're fashionable in the traditional sense," He said.

"Yeah, in 1890 maybe," Draco grinned.

"You look very nice," Theo told Tracey. He flushed a little and then quickly added, "I mean, you and Daphne and Lavender."

"At least someone complimented me," Lavender said with a dark look at Ron.

"Tracey?"

Tracey turned and smiled at Viktor Krum. "Hello Viktor."

"You look very pretty," Viktor said with a slight bow.

Tracey blushed. "Thank you."

"Do you vant to go inside?" Viktor gestured towards the doors.

"Almost. We're waiting for Hermione and Ginny," Tracey told him.

"There they are," Harry said as he noticed Hermione and Ginny walking towards them.

Hermione smiled shyly as she approached, wearing a dress that had cascades of layers in soft shades from pinks to lavenders. Her hair was swept up with a section of curled hair flowing over her shoulder. Ginny looked sweet in her mint green dress with full skirt and a dark pink sash. Her ginger hair hung loose, parted with one side pulled back and held with a flower barrette.

Harry noticed the way Ron was staring at Hermione, although her attention was on Draco, who had taken a hold of her hand and kissed it. "You're beautiful," He told her.

Hermione blushed. "Thank you."

Theo held his arm out for Ginny. "You look amazing. Shall we?"

Ginny smiled, her eyes darting to Harry for a moment and then back at Theo. "We shall." She said as she took his arm.

Inside the hall, the room had been transformed into a winter wonderland with the shimmery silver walls, curtains, even the Christmas trees were tinged with sliver and there were exquisite ice sculptures on every table. Most everyone was either talking or eating from the many tables that held a variety of food.

"Look at Astoria and Neville! They're so cute!" Daphne said when she spotted her sister, who was wearing a long apricot dress, her hair curled around her face.

Astoria was laughing with Neville as they shared a piece of chocolate cake. She noticed her sister and gave a wave.

"She looks so grown up," Hermione said.

"I know," Daphne smiled fondly.

"Longbottom better treat her right," Draco muttered.

"Of course he will." Hermione told him.

"Tracey, the champions are to open the dance." Viktor said as Fleur and Cedric stood in the middle of the room with their dates. "Ve should go."

"Oh, right." Tracey said a little nervously. "I hope I don't embarrass you."

"I doubt you could," Viktor said with a smile.

Harry's eyes roved over the room as the champions opened up the dancing and soon other couples began to join them. Harry and Daphne headed out to the dance floor. Harry caught his dad smirking at him and he gave a pretend glare.

"Isn't it crazy how much things have changed?" Daphne asked as they swayed to the music.

"Yes. Thankfully they are changes for the better," Harry said as he thought about how far he had come from being abused by the Dursley's and into Snape's care. He also thought how thankful he was that he had been put in Slytherin after his fight with Stretton last year. "Gaining a dad and new friends are more than I could have even hoped for," He admitted.

"Hmm, remember when you thought being put in Slytherin was the worst thing ever?" Daphne teased.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I was afraid I would be poisoned or something. But you guys aren't so bad after all." He joked. He caught sight of Blaise and Pansy dancing across the room and reconsidered. "Well, most of you aren't." He amended.

Daphne followed his gaze. "True, you should be on guard with those two. They seem to get more hateful every year."

"So do Cormac and Alexander," Harry said. "You have heard how I am becoming a dark wizard right?"

"Of course I have. Why else do you think I came with you tonight?" Daphne asked innocently.

Harry made a face. "Gee thanks."

"Harry, anyone who believes that is completely mental." Daphne said seriously. "You are so far from a dark wizard. You're kind, compassionate…" She blushed and looked away.

"So are you," Harry replied, feeling awkward. He wished he knew how to tell her how much he liked her.

"Daphne, isn't this fun?" Astoria asked as she and Neville danced their way.

"It sure is. I'm glad you were able to come." Daphne said.

"Me too!" Astoria beamed.

"Having fun Neville?" Harry grinned as he saw Neville struggling to do the dance movements.

Neville smiled ruefully. "Yeah, except I'm almost as hopeless at dancing as I am in potions."

"You're doing great!" Astoria insisted. "Dancing is supposed to be fun, not stiff and boring like them." She nodded to where Fleur was dancing with her date Roger Davies.

"Roger looks like he is in a trance," Harry commented.

"He probably is," Daphne smirked.

"We should just dance however we want," Astoria said as she began making up her own dance moves.

Neville stared at her in surprise for a moment and then grinned and joined her.

"Come on Daffy and Harry!" Astoria giggled.

"Ah dear sister, as it is Christmas I will let you get away with calling me Daffy," Daphne grumbled good-naturedly as she began to change her dance moves. "This once!"

Harry laughed as he tried to remember some of the dancing he had occasionally seen on the telly at the Dursley's. His moves made his friends laugh and soon they were copying him.

When the song ended they went back to their table, Neville and Astoria parting to go sit where Dean and Seamus were with their dates.

"That was a disgrace," Draco said flatly after they had all sat down. "What kind of moves were those?"

Hermione was laughing. "Wasn't one of them called the robot?" She asked Harry.

"I think so," Harry grinned.

"What's a robot?" Theo asked curiously.

As Hermione explained, Harry turned to Ron. "Having fun?" He asked brightly.

"I guess," Ron muttered as his eyes flicked from Hermione to Draco.

"Where's Lavender?" Harry asked.

"Saying hi to her friends, I think." Ron said carelessly. He leaned forward so that only Harry could hear him. "I know we're all friends now but how can we be sure that Malfoy isn't planning to humiliate Hermione?"

"He won't," Harry said exasperatedly. "Come on, he's different than he was or first and second year. He's been a good friend."

"Yeah but, come on! A Malfoy going on a date with a muggle-born?" Ron shook his head. "I don't buy it."

Harry sighed. "He's gotten to know Hermione, I think she impresses him."

"She shouldn't be his date, he's a Slytherin!" Ron huffed.

"So am I." Harry said in a hard voice.

Ron flushed. "Well, that's different."

"How?" Harry asked, feeling annoyed.

"It just is," Ron grumbled. He looked up as a shadow fell over him. "What?" He asked Lavender.

"I want to dance." Lavender said, hands on her hips. "I did not spend hours getting dressed up to only dance once with my so called date."

Ron looked like he didn't care until he saw Draco lead Hermione back to the dance floor. "You're right, we should dance." He said, standing up and offering her a smile as he took her hand.

"Ron is acting barmy," Harry commented.

"Of course he is. He's confused over his feelings for Hermione," Ginny said as she stood up. "I feel like dancing again too. Harry –"

"Harry, will you dance with me? And Neville can dance with Daphne," Astoria said breathlessly as she approached their table. She looked like she was having a great time.

"I would love to dance with Neville," Daphne said as she stood up. She took Neville's hand, ignoring the way his face went red.

"Come on Astoria, I bet we can dance crazier than Fred and Angelina are." Harry said with a wide smile. People had to give Fred and Angelina room, they were dancing so exuberantly. As he walked away, he didn't see Ginny scowl and slump down into her chair.

"Having fun?" Harry asked Snape towards the end of the evening.

"Oh yes, spending my evening supervising a bunch of giggling teenagers who are hopped up on sweets is a dream come true for me." Snape rolled his eyes.

"You should dance with someone," Harry said, grinning mischievously. "Perhaps Madam Pomfrey? Or maybe Professor Trelawney would like to –"

"Finish that sentence, my son, and I will take out your tongue and preserve it in a jar with my other potion ingredients." Snape threatened.

"I had fun tonight," Harry said, not bothered by the threat. He knew his dad would never follow through on it. Well, he was pretty sure he wouldn't.

Snape's face softened a fraction. "I'm pleased to hear it."

"I'm going to walk Daphne to the dungeons and then spend the night in Gryffindor. Ron's been acting funny and I want to make sure he is okay." Harry said. He also wanted to make sure Ron didn't say anything insulting to Hermione for going to the dance with Draco.

"Ah, the teenage angst. It wouldn't be a proper ball without it," Snape said snidely.

Harry rolled his eyes and told his dad goodnight.

"I had a wonderful time," Daphne said as they stood outside the Slytherin common room. "I'm really glad you asked me."

"I'm really glad you said yes," Harry said. "I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else."

Daphne's eyes brightened. She reached out a hand and gently touched Harry's cheek. "Goodnight Harry," She said softly.

Harry impulsively leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Goodnight Daphne." He whispered.

Harry entered Gryffindor feeling a bit like he was floating. Not noticing the looks he was getting from some of his peers, he went over to where Ron and Hermione were standing. "Hey!" He said cheerfully. His smile faded when he saw tears in Hermione's eyes and the scowl on Ron's face. "What happened?"

"Your friend Ron is acting like me going to the ball with Draco was an act of betrayal!" Hermione said.

"And your friend Hermione is conveniently forgetting the terrible things Draco did in the past, including calling her a mudblood!" Ron snapped.

"I thought we went over this already," Harry said angrily. "Draco is our friend now. He's different than he was; he mostly acted that way because he thought he was supposed to!"

"It's probably a trick, all of them acting like our friends." Ron shot back.

"Of course it is. You can't trust a snake," Cormac spoke up, his eyes on Harry which slowly moved to Neville. "Even a second year snake is dangerous. I know you aren't the brightest Gryffindor in the world but even you should know that. Why did you go to the dance with that little brat?"

Neville stood up. "Don't call her that." He said angrily. "She's a nice girl who just wanted to go to the ball. What's it to you anyway?"

"I've said this before, you are making Gryffindor look bad!" Cormac snapped. "Potter should be in Slytherin only; he is not one of us anymore."

"Ginny went with Theo Nott," Parvati pointed out. "Either they are all being corrupted or some of the Slytherins aren't that bad."

Ron laughed. "Ginny only went so she could be around Harry," He scoffed.

Ginny's face turned as red as her hair and tears filled her brown eyes. "Shut up, you prat!" She turned and ran up to her dorm.

"Good one little brother," Fred said sarcastically.

"You're being selfish Ronald," George said in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "The problem is you, not them."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop being a complete berk and you'll also apologize to Ginny tomorrow." Fred pointed at him. "Believe it or not, we kept an eye on our little sister tonight and we saw that Theo treated her very well."

Ron shrugged and looked away.

Harry remembered what Ginny had said, about Ron being confused about his feelings towards Hermione. Ah, so that is why he is acting like this. Harry realized.

Hermione seemed to reach the same conclusion and poked her finger in Ron's chest. "If it bothers you so much, next time ask me before someone else does and not as a last resort! And for your information, I had a great time with Draco." She spun around and went up to her dorm.

Lavender shot Ron a look of deep loathing and followed her dorm mate. "Thanks for such a wonderful evening Weasley!" She called over her shoulder sarcastically.

"I, I don't, what is Hermione talking about?" Ron stammered. He looked at Harry, heaved a sigh and stomped upstairs.

"See all the trouble you being in Slytherin has caused?" Cormac smirked. "You don't belong here anymore Potter."

"Don't worry about McLaggen," Fred whispered to Harry once everyone started heading towards their dorms. "Everyone knows he is just a bully."

"I think some people agree with him," Harry said sadly. He had noticed Dean and Seamus giving him uncertain looks, along with some other people he had always been friendly with in the past.

"Not anyone who matters then," George said.

"Maybe McLaggen is simply bored and needs a distraction," Fred said thoughtfully. "What do you think Forge?"

"I think you are exactly right Gred," George agreed.

December 26th, 1994

Harry was woken up suddenly by the sound of someone yelling. He sat up, as did Ron, Dean and Seamus. "Whas' goin' on?" Ron asked sleepily.

"I don't know," Harry hopped out of bed and went downstairs where the yelling was coming from. What he saw made him stare in shock. And then he doubled over laughing.

Cormac stood in the middle of the room, wearing a towel. His skin and hair were completely green. "Who did this?" He seethed.

Those who had come to see what the yelling was about were laughing and pointing.

"He's green!" Ron snickered. "Brilliant!"

"Who messed with my shampoo, soap, and toothpaste?" Cormac demanded.

"Your toothpaste?" Alexander asked his friend, his lips quivering with suppressed laughter.

Cormac opened his mouth to show that all his teeth had been turned green as well.

"Oh, that's too good!" Alexander laughed.

"Shut up!" Cormac turned and glared at Harry. "You did this, didn't you snake!" He spat out.

I wish I had, Harry thought. He noticed Fred and George standing away from everyone with innocent smiles on their faces.

"Just wash it off with real soap," Alexander said once he got his laughing under control.

"I tried that already!" Cormac complained.

Harry chuckled as he returned to his dorm, wanting to sleep in a little longer. He got in his bed and closed his eyes.

"That was brilliant!" Ron said happily as he sat on his bed. "I wonder who…oh, duh, Fred and George."

"Who else?" Harry said with a yawn.

"I'm sorry about last night," Ron said sheepishly. "I don't know why I acted like such a git."

Harry wondered if he should bring up Ron's feelings for Hermione but decided against it. It was too complicated to think about anyway. "Don't worry about it."

Ron looked relieved. "Thanks. I like our friends from Slytherin, really."

"You still should apologize to Hermione and Ginny," Harry said. He hesitated. "Ginny doesn't still have a crush on me does she?"

"Yup," Ron said cheerfully. "Don't worry, she'll get over it."

Harry groaned, hoping she got over it soon. Now that having dates and going to balls had entered his life, things were definitely getting too complicated.

June 24th, 1995

Harry snuggled into his bed, ready for a good sleep after celebrating Cedric's win of the Triwizard Tournament. It had been an interesting year for sure, with getting to see the dragons, finding out Tracey had been taken for Viktor Krum's second task and waiting for the Champions to complete the maze at the end. When Cedric popped onto the field holding the Triwizard Cup, the students of Hogwarts had gone crazy with excitement. According to Cedric, he and Viktor were almost neck and neck except Viktor stumbled a bit running to get the cup, but that was all the edge that Cedric had needed. Dumbledore had thrown a huge celebration in honor of Cedric's win, as well as to say goodbye to the foreign students.

The Yule Ball, despite all its little complications, had been the high point of the year. Harry only hoped that soon he would have enough nerve to tell Daphne how much he truly liked her. Christmas with his dad had been a high point as well; it felt so reassuring to have a parent who loved him and watched out for him. The best part of the year was no life threatening situations like he had faced the previous three years. He hoped fifth proved to be just as uneventful.

HPHPHPHP

Harry woke up in the middle of the night with a gasp, holding one hand to his forehead. The dream had seemed so real. Suddenly Harry realized something quite worrying, his scar was burning. Groping for his glasses, Harry stumbled out of his dorm room and down into the common room where the fireplace was. His dad had given him floo powder in case of emergencies. "Snape's Quarters," Harry said as he threw down the floo powder.

Still half asleep and in pain, Harry accidently walked into the coffee table. "Ow!"

The candles in the room lit up and Snape emerged from the hallway, his wand out. "Harry?" He said in surprise.

"Hi Dad," Harry rubbed his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked when he reached his son's side, visibly checking for injuries. "Are you hurt? Sick?"

"My scar burns," Harry said, removing his hand.

Snape stared at the lightning bolt scar, which indeed look bright red and inflamed. He silently summoned a pain reliever and a healing balm. "What happened?"

"I had a dream," Harry said as he sat of the sofa while his dad rubbed the cream into his scar. "It was dark and I think it was in a forest? I'm not sure," Harry shook his head. "I woke up with my scar hurting."

Snape paled slightly as he handed Harry the vial of pain reliever. "Drink this," He said.

Harry downed the vial, grimaced at the taste and then sighed in relief as the pain eased. "Thanks." He looked up at his dad. "What do you think the dream is? It has to mean something if my scar burned right?"

"I'm not sure," Snape sighed. "I'll admit it is a little worrying in that regard, however there have been no whispers of Voldemort returning. It could be wherever he is, he is using whatever strength he has to try and reach out."

"To reach one of his followers?" Harry asked.

Snape nodded. "Your scar is unusual as it is a curse scar and you do have a connection with the caster, when he is strong."

"Do you think he is strong? Do you think he is near?"

"No, however I will discuss this with Albus in the morning to see what he thinks." Snape sat down and put his arm around Harry. "Voldemort will never stop trying to return," he said quietly. "However, whenever that day comes you will not fight alone. You have me, the professor's here, and your friends who will fight right beside you."

Harry nodded. "I know." He was grateful for it too.

"But until that day, we will do as we have been doing. We will train, you will study hard in school, hang around your annoying friends, and get into trouble that makes my hair go white," Snape said dryly.

"I haven't made your hair go white." Harry scoffed, feeling better.

"Perhaps not yet," Snape allowed. "Do you want to sleep in your room here or go back to your dorm?"

"I'll sleep here," Harry yawned, not wanting to risk waking anybody up by using the floo to go back. "Goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight Harry," Snape said as he watched his son go down the hallway. He sat back in the sofa, lost in his thoughts as he contemplated the situation.

Epilogue:

"Master, at last I have found you."

"It is about time one of my followers put effort into locating me." A hissing voice said.

"I am sorry, Master, that it has taken so long." A voice whispered. "I was foolish to believe you could have been defeated by a mere baby."

"Foolish indeed!" The voice hissed.

"That baby has grown into a teenage brat who thinks he is the greatest wizard to ever live." The whispered voice continued.

"Is that right? I shall have to show him, and everyone else, how wrong he is," The voice hissed menacingly. "You will help me."

"Of course Master."

"Soon, then. They will all see soon," The voice hissed before breaking into high-pitched cackling laughter.

TBC: Thank you for following and reviewing this little in-between story. I'm not sure when the actual sequel will be posted as I am still working on it but hopefully it won't be too long! See you on the flip side! =)