Title: Revenge from the grave.

Author: Black blade

Chapter tile: Memories.

Disclaimer: umm, looks up innocently, not mine.

Summary: Slash. One year has passed since the day Harry Potter was killed by Voldemort in a desperate effort to save Snape from certain death. Harry is back from the grave to finish the job he was born to do. Kill the murderer of his parents. Will he succeed or will he fail? For there is no coming back from the dead if he fails, again.

Beta: Websurfer. Thanks mate, any other mistakes found are purely mine.

A/N: Hey, I know it's been a while since my last update. For those that want to know I do know where this story is headed it's just being a bugger at the moment. I haven't given up!

Last time:

'GRIM CAUSES CHAOS AT MISITRY!'

'A grim like dog was found early this morning wandering the bowels of the ministry of magic.' Sara Cunning reported. 'It took four hours for Aurors to chase the dog out of the building with only slight injuries sustained. Ministry officials are still puzzled over the appearance of the dog.

"I didn't know what to think when I saw the dog," Said one frightened employee. "I thought I was seeing a Grim, usually I'm not taken in by all that divination mumbo jumbo, but it scared the bigeezus out of me!"

The dog managed to access the potion's laboratory and the main offices of the ministry cursing mass amounts of damage to property and files. Officials confirmed that the dog was acting like any trapped animal would and the possibility of it being an Animagus has been ruled out, even though the ReveloAnimagus spell was not cast on the animal.

The dog managed to escape out of an open floo network and its location at this time is unknown…'

xXx

This time:

Harry looked down at the headline and blinked, slowly he raised the pastry, which he held in his hand, and took a bite then stared at the article again.

"Hermione, am I seeing things?" Harry questioned, showing his friend the newspaper.

Ron sprayed the table with pieces of food as he spotted the headline.

"Hey!" Dean yelped, wiping the partly chewed food off his uniform.

Ron ignored him.

"That looks like Si-ouch!"

Ron glared at Hermione who had just kicked him under the table.

"Yes, Ron the dog does look like Snuffles," Hermione agreed emphasizing the name and joining Dean in glaring at the red head. Ron didn't seem to notice the glares he was receiving.

"Do you think it could be Snuffles?" Harry asked in shock.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione cried sadly, "Harry I know you came back from the dead, but Snuffles went through the veil."

"He could have come back!" Harry hissed. "What's to say he didn't? I came back! Why couldn't he?"

Harry picked up his bag and stormed out of the great hall, Hermione's soft brown eyes following him.

xXx

Harry didn't slow his pace until he was inside Severus' rooms, it was the only place he felt safe anymore. He flung himself down onto his lounge his mind whirling. Could it be possible that Sirius was alive? Is he a crow like himself? Harry didn't think so, if that had been the case Sirius would have come back a year ago, right?

Harry looked up with a little surprise as Shadow flew down to land on the arm rest of the lounge.

"Hey," Harry greeted stroking the bird's slick black feathers.

The black bird always reminded Harry of Severus, with his black intelligent eyes and silky black feathers. Harry smiled at the bird, he could feel the connection between the two as if it was a tight rope holding both their life forces together.

Shadow crowed softly as if to say 'wait and see everything will work out'. Harry smiled patted the bird one last time, picked up his bag and headed to his first class. He needed to face the world, maybe it was Sirius and maybe it wasn't, he would have to wait and see.

xXx

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in a cloud of ash. He had made up his mind that the floo network didn't like him one bit. With curious eyes on him he pulled his coat tighter around himself, pushed down his fringe and moved towards the entrance to Diagon Alley.

With quick strides he made his way towards the large white building. He passed through the doors and headed towards the closest available goblin.

"I want to see my family vault," Harry said straight up to the goblin.

The nasty, hook-nosed creature looked down at him in distaste.

"Key?" the thing snapped.

Harry handed over the key without a word he wanted to get into his vault, have a good look around and then get out in the most minimal time possible. The fact he wasn't suppose to be there was but one reason.

"Everything's in order, Jibbs!" The goblin yelled over to a loitering goblin.

The goblin came closer to the older one and nodded to them.

"Take the sir down to his vault," the goblin sneered, handing Harry's key over to the younger one.

"Yes, sir. Please follow me," the young goblin said formally as he led Harry over to the carts.

A fast paced and stomach churning ride later they arrived outside Harry's family vault. The young goblin placed the key into the lock on the door and passed a hand down the door's seam. The entrance opened smoothly under the goblin's hands and Harry was soon staring at the mounds of gold, silver and bronze.

"Are you going to be long, sir?" the goblin asked politely, Harry was already starting to like the young goblin.

"Yes, I want to have a good look around," Harry replied.

"Very well sir," the goblin said as if expecting Harry's answer. The little creature held out a fist-sized orange coloured stone. "When you wish to return to the lobby hold this and say that you wish to return. I will come back down and collect you. Be warned that if you try and enter any other vault, that is not your own, we will leave you for the dragons."

Harry shivered as the goblin's tone of voice became icy at the end of his speech and could only watch in frozen silence as the being left him.

Harry turned back to his family vault and entered the large cavern. He was only there for one thing but he thought he might as well have a look around while he was there. The room was mostly full of piles of wizarding money, but as he moved to the right he found a large wooden door that broke up the walls of stone around him. He stared at the door for a few minutes trying to find a door handle or any other means of opening the door.

Harry frowned, if the door didn't have a lock or handle how was he meant to open it. He reached out to run his hand over the wood to see if there was any hidden device but the moment his hand came into contact with the door it flashed a brilliant white and a soft click was heard. The door creaked open under his hand revealing the room behind it. The room seemed to be covered from foot to ceiling with odds and ends from, what he guessed was, hundreds of generations of Potters.

There was old rocking horses, grandfather clocks, boxes of…god only knows what, books, a few swords and daggers and numerous other bits of junk and treasure. Harry sighed as he looked around, this was going to take awhile.

At least an hour later he came across what he was looking for, his school trunk. He'd also found a few books that looked interesting and a few other things that he wanted to take.

A funny feeling over came him as he was pulling his trunk towards the door, it was like he was forgetting something but he couldn't remember what. He looked around the room, but couldn't figure out what was missing. After a few more minutes of standing there like an idiot, he shook his head and dragged his trunk out of the room. The second after Harry passed over the threshold with his trunk the door swung shut behind him.

"I want to return to the lobby," Harry said clearly into the goblin's stone and was soon heading topside. However the entire time Harry couldn't shake the feeling he'd just forgotten something…something very important.

xXx

Harry looked around his hand shielding his eyes from the burning sun. The house in front of him could easily be called a normal suburban residence. Its cream coloured paint and large arrangement of flowers making it blend in with it's neighbours in a very sickening manner. If one looked close enough they might even see the woman of the house peering out her kitchen or lounge room windows spying on her neighbours.

This house, Harry knew, had held something deep inside it for many years that would make it unlike the rest of the street. For this house used to house a wizard, a very famous wizard at that. Yes, a one Harry James Potter used to live at this residence.

Harry let his feet guild him down the flowered path, after opening the white picket fence's gate. He bypassed it without a glance, his eyes and mind set on the door in front of him with unnerving intensity.

Harry as he reached forward with a well tanned hand, as the sun scorched his unprotected skin, to knock on the door. The Dursleys, being who they are, had never given him a key and yet they would scowl him for making them get up and let him in like an annoying dog.

Petunia Dursley answered the door her horse like face in a smile, which promptly disappeared when she set her eyes on him.

"Oh it's you, well get inside before the neighbours see you," She hissed at him as she looked around to see if anyone was watching before pushing her nephew into the house.

Harry ignored her as he raced up the steps and into his room. He sprawled out on his bed taking up all the available room, which wasn't hard to do, on the second hand single bed.

An hour or so later, Harry hadn't been counting so he wasn't sure, a soft knock was heard at his door. Harry frowned, unless wizards had managed to get into the house without making his aunt scream or his uncle roar, it would have to be one of the Dursleys.

Harry opened the door to find Dudley on the other side.

"Yes?" Harry inquired, quite bewildered by the other boy's appearance.

Dudley turned dull brown eyes on his cousin, numerous chins wagging as he turned his head.

"Hi," Dudley stuttered nervously. "Can I speak to you?"

Harry lifted an eyebrow, Dudley asking to speak to him? Hell must have frozen over and the devil had decided that being an ice cream vender was the job for him.

Harry held open the door and waved the boy in. "What do you want?"

Dudley stepped into the room, looking around as Harry closed the door. The room could barely hold Harry, Dudley, Harry's bed and trunk.

"What makes you think I want something?" Dudley instantly said in defence, nervously fiddling with a black cord around his neck.

"Dudley you always want something," Harry reasoned. "Now tell me what, so I can throw you out quicker."

"I need your help," Dudley blurted out.

"Sorry?"

"I need your help," Dudley repeated as if each word pained him.

Harry gave him a calculating once over. "Help with what?"

"I know that when you were at normal school that you used to read ahead and stuff. Well I need your help with my work at school or I'm going to be kicked off the team," Dudley said in a rush, but not without stressing the word normal.

"What makes you think I can help you? It's been five years since I went to a muggle school," Harry counted and also lied.

When he'd been at muggle school he'd read ahead so far that he could have taken twelfth year high school exams and passed, not easily, but he would have passed. It wasn't that he was a geek or that smart, it was the fact that Dudley and his gang had never heard of a library and Harry had.

Dudley smirked, which looked very frightening for it made his numerous chins lift up on one side and sag on the other. Harry held back a shiver at the visual.

"I know you can help me," Dudley said smugly. "And you will unless you want mum and dad to find porn mags in your room."

"I don't own any."

"No, but they are easily planted," Dudley snickered, still fiddling with the black cord.

"Fine," Harry snapped, not that he had much else to do. "What subjects?"

xXx

Harry looked down at the math book he held in his hands and smiled. He placed the book to the side as he worked through his old school trunk he'd found in his vault.

When the door banged open Harry looked up to find Severus strolling into the room. The man stopped short when he noticed Harry, planted in the middle of his living room, surrounded by bits and pieces of…stuff.

"Hey," Harry called as he took another book out of the trunk.

"Is there a reason behind why you have turned my living room floor into a muggle junk yard?" Severus questioned.

"Yes," Harry replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Very well then," Severus said blandly.

Severus cut his way through the mess so that he could reach the kitchen and a very much needed cup of coffee, maybe this situation would make more sense when the caffeine reached his system. The man quickly reappeared with a mug in hand.

"I'm testing out this flashback thing," Harry informed him.

"How so?" Severus questioned.

"I'm picking up different items and seeing what kinds of flashback I get. I think I may be able to recall flashbacks that are not my own or someone's I know. If so, I could spy on Voldemort through memories stuck in items. What do you think?" Harry questioned with bright eyes.

"In theory…it could work," Severus said slowly after thinking the question over in his mind.

Harry smiled and pushed an old Weasley jumper and a few other things out of the way so the older man could sit down.

Severus sat in the spot his leg brushing against Harry's as the boy explained the different items and the memories associated with each. Severus smiled softly as the boy explained everything with bright eyes and a passion in his voice. It made Severus want to sit even closer as Harry's voice rolled over him.

xXx

Sirius Black, suspected right hand man to Voldemort and the godson to the boy-who-lived, stood shivering and shaking outside a run down house in a neglected neighbourhood. The black dog, sniffed around the door one last time before scratching on the door. He sat back on his haunches, waiting as heard footsteps from within the house.

A few minutes later the door opened to a man in his forties with greying brown hair and four slash marks across his face. Tried amber eyes looked down at the black dog in shock before, said eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he fainted.

The big black dog barked a laugh in a very human like way as he looked down at his friend.

'Poor old, Remus,' Sirius mentally snickered.

xXx

"Severus?"

"Yes?" Severus said slowly looking up from the book he was reading to look over to the boy sprawled out on the rug in front of him.

"Could I try this out with something of yours?" the boy questioned, talking about his flashback powers.

Severus stared at the boy for a long minute before nodding reluctantly.

"What type of item, is needed?" Severus asked standing up and moving towards his bedroom.

"Umm…anything should do," Harry replied following the other man. "As long as it's been around someone long enough to pick up a memory."

Harry stopped at the threshold of Severus' room while the man hunted around for something Harry could use. It the second drawer of his side table he found a necklace that used to belong to his mother. He pulled it out and with a few second of hesitation passed it over to the waiting teen.

Harry took the gold necklace in his hands; suddenly a vision overtook his vision more quickly than any before it.

It was dark in the room, he found himself in, the curtains were drawn to block out any and all light that might have decided to enter the room from outside. As Harry's eyes grew used to the darkness he noticed a shape on the king sized bed in front of him. He moved closer to the bed and looked down on the form. He could tell it was a woman by her shape, she lay curled up on her side her face towards Harry as she slept.

Harry turned as the bedroom door opened behind him, a young child of four or five entered the room. A soft light fell into the room from the door, when the young boy turned in his direction, Harry couldn't hold in his gasp. The youth had dark brown eyes and short midnight black hair, his chubby face and rosy lips lit up as he spied the form on the bed. Harry smiled lightly as the young Severus Snape, for there was no other person it could have been (the nose gave him away), moved closer to the bed.

Harry stood back as the young boy lit one of the candles next to the bed. By the soft grow Harry could make out the woman's face. She was beautiful, She had long flowing black hair and a cute little nose and ears. Her face curved around in a love heart shape, her forehead was slightly wrinkled, but the imperfection only gave her a higher level of beauty.

The young boy placed his hand on the woman's delicate shoulder and gave her a slight shake as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Mummy, it's time to wake up," Little Severus whispered.

The woman's bright grey eyes opened up slowly, when she saw the young boy her red lips curled into a blinding smile.

"Severus, what a nice way to wake up in the morning," her voice was like music to Harry's ears. The woman's voice held so much love for her son that it almost brought tears to the orphan's eyes.

Little Severus smiled. "How do you feel today, Mummy?"

"A lot better, love," The woman said her smile fading a little before coming back in full force. "Come lay here with mummy for a little while."

Severus eagerly curled up next to his mother. "Daddy says that he's going to teach me how to ride Missy today."

"Is that so, I don't know. Missy's a big pony I'm not sure if you're old enough," His mother worried.

"Daddy says I am and he's going to be with me the whole time," Severus said quickly as he put the puppy dog look on his face.

"Oh I suppose you can, if Tobias says you're old enough then you can," Severus mother said giving into her son's pouting face.

"Thank you mummy," Severus cried snuggling down deeper into his mother's arms. "I love you."

"I love you too, little one," Severus' mum said sadly.

Harry came back to himself with a smile on his face. Severus stood in front of him with an expected expression on his stern face. Harry looked at the aged face for a few minutes, he was so unlike his younger self that Harry had to wonder what had happened to that young boy to make him into the sour potion's master he was today.

"Well?" Severus said curtly. "Are you going to tell me what you saw or are you going to leave me in suspense?"

"I saw your mother, she was beautiful, she was in a large room with all the curtains drawn," Harry said softly, noticing the sad glaze to Severus' eyes. "She was lying in bed when you can in. You looked to have been four or five. The two of you talked about your father teaching you to ride a horse called Missy."

Severus suddenly ripped the necklace out of Harry's hands and rushed into his room, slamming the door after him. Harry looked after him with wide eyes, what had he said? Harry thought the memory had been a pleasant one, why did Severus react in the way he did?

"Severus I'm sorry," Harry whispered through the door unsure if the man heard him or not. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Severus didn't say anything in reply.

'What could have made Severus react in that way?' Harry puzzled.

xXx

The next few days were tense for Harry, Snape was acting aloof and snapping at any and everybody that crossed his path. Harry needed to know what was making the man act in this way.

'Could it be the memory? What happened later?' Harry still remembered the Occlumency lessons from his fifth year when he'd broken into the other man's mind. By those images Harry had believed that the Slytherin had had a rough childhood and yet by Harry's flashback that hadn't been the case. Could his flashback be wrong?

Harry didn't know the answer but he was going to find out one way or another he decided.

xXx

Harry lazily flipped the page in a large and battered library book. Scattered around the table were more book, (In much the same state as the one he was reading from was in) paper and pens. He'd been working off Hermione's list for weeks now without any clue on his resurrection, but he knew without a doubt that his crow had something to do with it. If only he could communicate with the bird in normal English and not flashes he may be able to find out some of his answers.

"Speak of the devil…" Harry muttered to himself as Shadow landed on the narrow window sill next to him.

Shadow looked in the window starring at Harry until he threw down his pen and opened the window for the damn bird. Shadow quietly squawked and hopped over to his table.

"You know you could save me a lot of trouble if you just told me why I've come back?" Harry hissed at the bird as he retook his seat.

The crow just cocked its head to the side, its beady black eye mocking him.

"Just one damn clue?" Harry pleaded.

The crow hopped around the table picking up pens, papers or book covers before dropping them again.

"Fine, make a mess of the table, but if Madam Pince sees you, you're on your own," Harry retorted.

Shadow crowed softly as the bird burrowed through the piles of books on Harry's table as if looking for something. The wizard just watched him idly not caring in the least that the bird was pecking at books that had been the in the Hogwarts library for hundreds of years.

"Nice bird."

Harry jumped a good foot in the air at the other boy's words. Harry turned to see a younger boy with short brown hair and an easy smile staring in awe at Shadow.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The boy said softly his grey eyes smiling as he stroked Shadow's glossy feathers.

"No need, I just didn't hear you," Harry assured him. "I don't think we've met, I'm Harry."

"Richard Moon," the boy replied. The two shook hands as the crow went back to picking at one of Harry's pens.

"Are you related to Abigail Moon?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, she's my sister." Richard made a face when he said sister.

"You don't like her?" Harry was unsure of the expression on the other boy's face.

"No, I do. She is my sister, but she's always got her nose suck in a book. You know how Ravenclaws are," Richard laughed.

It was then that Harry noticed the green and silver tie that the other boy was wearing, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Yeah, I know how that is. My friend, Hermione's like that I'm kind of amazed she didn't end up in Ravanclaw."

"I'm still trying to work out how I ended up in Slytherin. I have yet to show an ounce of cunning which the other Slytherins like to point out all the time."

"I bet," Harry muttered as he gestured for the boy to sit down next to him.

xXx

"Do you think you will be able to recall a memory from any item that has been in Voldemort's possession, my boy?" Albus questioned sitting forward in his chair.

"I'm pretty sure, but I can't control what I see. If you are able to get a hold of one of his possession I can try," Harry replied with a hopeful light in his eyes.

"I'll see what I can do," Albus joyfully said.

xXx

Harry silently snuck into the dark bedroom one goal in mind as he moved toward the bed. He smirked as he reached the bed and slowly stretched out his hand and…opened the bedside table. He took up the gold chain that rested within it and just as silently he'd entered he left the room untouched but missing one item.

He carefully closed the door behind him and wandlessly replaced the wards and other magic he'd painstakingly warped to his needs. He moved off and into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He conjured up a seat and sat down before turning his attention to the chain in his hand. He focused on the item and slowly a vision took him over.

"How could you do that, he is a little boy," A woman's voice screeched.

"He needs to learn to grow up, Eileen!" A man's voice shouted back.

The young child sobbed quietly as the voice grew louder.

"He is five, Tobias! Did you forget this in your diluted theory of turning him into a man when he is still a child!"

"Eileen, clam down you'll make yourself sick."

"Do not tell me what will make me sick when my son was just knocked off a horse, Tobias!"

"Eileen, listen to reason-"

"No, I will not listen to your petty excuses. He will not sit on that horse again until he is ready, do you hear me, Tobias?"

Silence over came the dark place as the young child sniffed and tried to stop his crying.

"Very well, Eileen." Tobias conceded.

A door could be heard slamming shut, a long sigh cut the air followed by footsteps and then light was flooding the small closet. The child looked up at his mother with wide, red rimmed black eyes.

xXx

Young Severus pulled at the black suit he was forced to wear, he would have preferred to have worn his black robes but since there were muggles at the funeral he'd had to wear muggle clothing. His father stood next to him a sour expression on his face and dark patches under his eyes. His eyes were red, but Severus knew that wasn't from crying. The man's hands were curled up into fists and Severus could feel the rage the other man contained.

The ceremony was over quickly which Severus was grateful for, he didn't know if he could stand there any longer watching as the one person he loved more than anything was lowered into the ground. The second the ceremony was over Severus almost ran out of the graveyard. He didn't want to be there any longer.

"Look what you have done now, son." A sneering voice called out from behind him making Severus freeze. "You were always a burden on her and now not even your powers could help her."

The man spat the word power as if it was a curse word and even if it wasn't Severus still flinched. He turned to face his father, his dark eyes cold.

"I am sorry, father." The thirteen year old Severus Snape said softly.

"You should be," the man snarled getting into the face of his son, the whisky on his breath almost making Severus gag. "She was my life and she is gone! Dead to a muggle disease that not even your kind can cure."

Severus stood up straight to stand face to face with his father. "I am sorry that she is gone, but you weren't the only one that loved her, father," Severus said calmly, even though his insides were squirming. "She deserved more than a drunken muggle for a husband."

"Why you little shit!" Tobias swung a fist at his son's face but missed as the other man moved out of the way.

"Good-bye, father." Severus drawled without emotion.

The dark wizard turned on his heels and marched from the graveyard and his father's yells. One chapter of his life was over and Severus may miss his mother, but he would not miss the life he'd lived since his father's first drink. He would make his own path and step away from his memories.

"Good-bye, mother," he whispered to the empty air but he knew she heard him where ever she was.

xXx