Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything to do with him and the books. All I'm doing is having some fun with the "what ifs".

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Language of the Phoenix"

ELanguage of the ElvesE

Chapter 8

'Sirius.. Sirius…. Sirius.. Sirius…' The name ran around and around his head as James stumbled to his study. Finally collapsing into the chair he stared blankly at his hand, the one that had signed away the life of his son. They had been through the front door when it hit. The wave of pain that started in his head and howled through his body, tearing is heart to shreds when it was found. A terrible noise that whispered in his ears and sucked the moisture from his mouth, and the picture that was hammered into his skull was Sirius making Harry a sandwich. Absent mindedly wiping this forehead and temporarily trying to ignore the pain in his body James focused on the night of the party. Sirius hadn't been there at all, Remus had left shortly after, shortly after he had yelled at Harry and Dumbledore had stayed till the end, and given him and odd look as he left. But what did that TELL him? That he knew who had kidnapped his son? No, that was stupid. No matter what he had told Lily kidnappers wanted money. Sirius didn't need it, Remus didn't want it, they were his best friends, they knew they could ask for it. And Albus, come on! He was the headmaster of a school! But that look was so familiar. As he tried to place it another memory floated to the surface.

"They hate me James! I knew we weren't on the best of terms, but James! My father said I was dead to him."

'The Book.'

James was out of the chair and up the stairs as fast as he could stumble to the library. Climbing up the old ladder he began frantically picking up books and discarding them just as quickly until his hand rested on a small worn tome, crimson letters outlined in gold. Stumbling down the ladder and falling into a chair James' hands shook as he slowly opened the book.

Rules and Consequences of Prueblood Disownment

He stared at the first page for what felt like hours. The last time he had read this was with Sirius. To think that he could have forgotten even one word. Forcing himself to continue James began to read.

The Disownment of a Pureblooded child is not a decision to be taken lightly…

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Severus Snape did not rush anywhere. Which is why his pace would be classified as a fast, but dignified, walk to a pressing destination. Who the hell was he kidding. With a quick look over his shoulder to assure himself he was alone in the hallway Snape sprinted the 200 meters down the polished Gringotts halls. Taking all of two seconds to compose himself he opened door 76D and walked in, black robes billowing behind him. If anyone had been looking at him, the only indication they would have had that the scene before him was distressing was the slight tensing of his jaw. But no one noticed, because no one was watching. The little boy with blond hair that looked strangely familiar had his back pressed against the wall, arms around his small frame and was staring at the table in the middle of the room. Sirius was sitting as still as he had ever seen the mutt holding the hand of, sweet Merlin, was that Harry Potter? Dumbledore, when was the last time he had seen Albus pace? The goblin was the first to notice him.

"You have the potion."

"Yes."

He turned to ask Albus if he could leave but the older man had already taken the potion from him and was moving towards the table. Snape decided to lean against the wall to wait, and study Sirius Black. When the goblin had asked for the potion Black had spun around. And the look in his eyes. For a second Severus had believed that Black might actually care about someone other than himself. He viciously shoved that thought aside. Black was a monster, a childish monster, just like Potter, and one of the reasons why the child laying on the table did not belong to him. It also begged the question, what the hell had Potter done to his son? As soon as he got out of here he had to talk to Lily. Maybe now she would see what a worthless excuse for a human her husband was, mayb-. A child's scream interrupted his thoughts and Black pulled the boy off the table and into his lap.

"It's OK Harry, I'm right here, I've got you. I've got you, everything's going to be ok…" If Dumbledore had wanted to say something to him Snape didn't know, he was already half way down the hall and on his way to the closest apperation point. 'I have to talk to Lily.'

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Harry drifted through nothingness. How long had he been there? Hours, weeks, years? It felt like forever. There was a pulse and he began to frantically search for its source. But the complete blackness engulfed him, blanketed all his senses and he lost track of the sensation. It again felt like forever before the next pulse came. A little of the blanket lifted and it didn't feel like so long before the next pulse came, and then the one after that. Slowly he followed them trying to get to the source. The first sensation Harry was aware of as he clawed his way out of the never ending ink was pain. It hurt so much that he wanted to dive back into the nothingness but whatever had been guiding him began pulling. As it picked up momentum he began moving faster and faster towards the surface of consciousness. As soon as he broke through he felt air rush into his lungs and the pain disappeared. He felt strong arms around him, holding him, comforting him, and soothing words being murmured into his ear. Blinking away the last remnants of darkness Harry recognized Sirius and latched onto him, burying his face in the man's shirt. Harry felt something hit him from behind and turned around to return Draco's hug. Sirius discreetly brushed the tears out of his eyes.

"Jeez Harry, you had us scared for a minute there."

"What happened?"

"Well Harry, your parents, they, well they…" 'It would be so easy, so easy to make him hate them.' "Harry, they made it possible for me to adopt you. This way, no one can ever take you away from me." The Look of deep thought and concentration was incredibly comical on the four year old.

"What do I call you?"

"Well, you can call me Sirius or Padfoot or –"

"Can I call you Daddy?"

"Yeah, yeah you can call me Daddy."

"Good."

Harry sat wrapped in Sirius' arm as he finished signing the adoption papers. Draco stood next to them one hand gripping the man's shirt but looking far less pale. It was strange, Harry thought, the felling inside him. He had few words to describe the swirling energy he felt throughout his body but he decided not to comment on it out loud. It didn't hurt and he didn't want anyone to get upset. When the papers were signed Dumbledore walked up to Sirius and shook his hand. Congratulations of the adoption of you son. I believe the best thing for all of you to do is go home and rest. Take the Gringott's floo back to my office. Harry tried to fight off sleep but was out before they made it down the hall.

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Snagtop waited till the group was down the hall before running to Agamemnon's office. When he was admitted he carefully spread out the adoption papers in front of the bank manager.

"I thought it was a myth. A story told to children."

"Perhaps it still is. I will take care of this."

As Snagtop left Agamemnon began to study the papers. It appeared that in an effort to advance magic over the past 1,000 years much knowledge had been lost to the wizards. Gringotts only handled one or two disownment every year and now days sometimes not that many. When he had heard about the Potters he had been quite surprised. Even more so when he had found out about how carelessly they handled the situation. Honestly he commended the young boy for being able to hold on long enough to be adopted. He carefully stroked his desk and called up the Potters disownment papers and placed them next to Blacks adoption papers. He studied them both carefully, a deep frown on his face. When a wizard was disowned the blood ties were broken and in honor of that the family's magic would yield to the decision and withdraw. The wizard would be left with only the magical traits that were not part of the family; such as any lycanthropy or vampirism that had been acquired after birth. They would then acquire the magic of the family they had been adopted into. As far as Agamemnon knew there had been three wizards in which the family's magic had denied the wishes of the family, only allowing the child to disowned in blood. This Potter child's future should prove interesting. To have the blood of a Black and the magic of a Potter. Not many would be able to contain two such opposing forces.

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Neville sat of the rug by the fire playing with his wooden unicorns. His grandmother sat nearby in her rocking chair, hands knitting stiches they had memorized long ago with ease. As she watched her son's son Augusta was both in pain and resigned. Neville had been such a curious child, so like his father. In his parent's arms he had observed the world with such bright eyes that the things he showed her looked new again.

But then Voldemort had sent those vile slaves of his and they had, her hands faltered and she dropped a stich. Shaking herself of the pain pressing on her chest Augusta fixed her knitting and looked back at her grandchild. He was chubby with rosy cheeks; he was awkward and clumsier than Frank had ever been. He cried a lot and the smallest things seemed to frighten him. All of those things she could have dealt with. Would have dealt with. But when she looked in his eyes they no longer sparkled.

He no longer had any interest in things outside the little world he had created around himself. When the relatives would visit they would tease him about playing with unicorns. Put toy dragons in his hands and say "This is what boys play with!" Neville would just look at them with his flat brown eyes, drop the toys on the floor and go back to the unicorns. Augusta was old. Right now she could take care of Neville, he didn't demand much. And that's what bothered her; she could take care of him.

He needed more than that. He needed to live again, to explore, to smile, to laugh, to run around fighting an imaginary foe, yelling at the top of his lungs. And what then. She knew herself well enough to know that then he would drive her up the wall, that she would have him sit down and play quietly. That she would not encourage him to have friends over and she would not want to be constantly shipping him off to other's houses. And then they would be right where they were now. With a little boy that was not a little boy but a frightened child beyond his years, in a small body that could not yet watch out for itself. As much as it pained her she contemplated Dumbledore's proposition.

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'It will be very hard,' Dumbledore decided, 'to stop two powerful wizards from doing exactly what you would like to do. Even if one of them is currently on bed rest.'

He had arrived at the house after Sirius and just in time to prevent Remus from chasing him down the hall. As he settled the highly agitated werewolf back onto the sofa Dumbledore wondered when the situation had gotten away from him. 'Or maybe I was never in control.' Refusing to dwell on that thought Albus sat down and waited for Sirius to return.

"Albus, what happened. I heard a scream and Sirius took off, that was over an hour ago."

"Patience Remus, when Sirius gets back we will tell you everything." The glare he received was a good reminder that Remus could indeed be terrifying when he chose.

Lucky for Albus they didn't have to wait long and Sirius returned without the two boys. He held up a hand and sunk into a chair. "Harry is asleep and Draco is staying with him. I don't think you could separate the two of them with a crowbar right now."

"Sirius." At the pleading in his friends voice Sirius sat up and explained the situation.

"- and then we flooed back here. Somewhere along the way Harry fell asleep and I think Draco isn't entirely convinced that he's going to be ok."

If Albus had though the werewolf's glare was bad the look he wore now was positively lethal. He was about to say something but stopped short in fascination. A quick look at Sirius showed that the man was too distracted to notice so Albus watched the changes in Remus alone and in awe. There had been a cut on the back of werewolf's neck that had just missed severing his spinal cord and one that Poppy had been especially worried about getting infected. But as he watched the wound slowly knit itself back together until it left only a faint scar.

It was the only wound that he had a view of and Albus decided not to share his observations for the moment. Bringing himself back to the problem at hand he wondered if he was going to have to physically restrain Remus. I seemed that he had reached that point in anger where words were failing him and it took a while for him to full articulate. "Why? How… James? James!" Sirius quickly shushed his friend. "Harry's still sleeping Remus."

"But Sirius, James, he. Sirius, he." Words failed him again and Sirius moved over to place a hand on his friend's knee.

"I know Moony. I want to kill him too."

"Didn't he know this would happen? Remember when you were sixteen and your parents were seriously considering disowning you?"

"Yeah, we actually found that book in his parent's library. I find it hard to believe that he could have forgotten so much in only 7 years."

"And what about Lily, how much do you think she knew?"

"I have a hard time thinking that she would have done that to her child, but let's face it Remus. These are not the people we knew. Somehow they have become very twisted versions of our friends."

"Twisted versions? Sirius! They've become completely different people! That night of the party I couldn't believe what I saw and to be honest I don't think it registered until much later. But to so callously treat their son with that kind of indifference and then to put him in that much danger. You remember the day Harry was born. They were so happy, he was their entire world. I just- I just really can't believe these are the same people we spent all those years laughing and crying and fighting alongside. And yet what they have done is unforgivable and I don't think I'll ever- I don't know- Do you think you will ever be able to forgive them for this?"

Dumbledore felt his heart get just a little heavier. James and Lily were nothing close to Voldemort but the amount of pain they had caused, and in such a short amount of time, the full implications were really beginning to wear on him.

Sirius sighed as he addressed his friend, "I don't know Moony. I've been back and forth a hundred times already. He is, was, my closest friend and I don't know how I would have made it through some of those years without him. You were our voice of reason and he was our commander and chief and my brother in everything but blood; those were the greatest years of my life but things change. And people change and the man he's become is not the one we knew.

So I guess the real question is are we going to spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do about James and Lily or are we going to spent that time thinking about his- my son and Draco?" He had a moment of panic as that thought sunk in for the first time and then a small smile crept onto his face. He, Sirius Orion Black, was a father. Who would have thought?

Remus sank a little into the sofa. "You're right. The boys are what matter. We'll have plenty of time to figure out how to deal with the Potters later."

Dumbledore relaxed a little. Well it seemed that for now at least neither of the boys was about to do anything rash. He was about to comment when two small heads poked around the corner from the hallway.

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When Harry woke he was in his bed and it was still light out. He tried to move but found he was pinned down. Shifting a little he smiled when he saw Draco wrapped around him with death grip. Shaking the other boy he whispered, "Draco, come on Draco. Wake up!"

"Wha-? What?"

"Hello." He smiled.

"Harry!" Draco's face split into a smile.

"Are you better now? I was scared, I thought something real bad happened."

"Yep. All better." The sound of raised voices reached the boys from down the hall.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. When we got back from that other place Remy was in the on the sofa and looked really bad. He stared asking lots of questions but Sirus just took us in here. You were asleep so he tucked you in and I said I wanted to stay with you so he said I could then he went out and they've been talking out there forever. I got tired and fell asleep till now. I'm really glad you're better Harry. "

"Me to. I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." Grinning like fools they slid off the bed. Harry stopped before the door and turned to look at his brother. He could feel the relief coming off him in waves.

"Was it really that scary?" The older boy nodded solemnly.

"I'm real sorry Draco. I didn't mean it."

"It's ok. It's all better now."

"Ok." As they snuck down the hall, Draco at his back, Harry could feel the energy that had been in him dissipating. The violent swirling was going away and warmth was starting to fill his chest and spread towards his limbs. He decided he liked the feeling and the thought made him smile. He poked his head around the corner and looked at his guardians. Draco was right, Remy looked real bad, a lot like when he had first got there and his daddy's face didn't have the kindness he was used to seeing. Even Dumblydore's eyes didn't have the twinkling in them.

Dumblydore was the first to see them standing in the doorway and gave them a smile.

"Well this has been quite the discussion but perhaps we should put it on hold for now. Harry, Draco, is there something you need?"

"We were just hungry." Harry slid around the corner and into the living room, Draco behind him. His daddy smiled at them and came over to pick him up. Harry relaxed into the embrace. Whatever was going on must be grownup stuff so he decided to forget about it. After all he had much more important things to worry about. All his toys weren't going to play with themselves. Daddy took Draco's hand and they went into the kitchen.

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Albus had finally worked up an acceptable speech when the doorbell rang. Realizing who it must be a small part of him laughed. Talk about inconvenient timing. Or maybe not. Ignoring both Sirius and Remus he went to answer the door. As soon as it opened his "compassionate headmaster" face slip into place. Augusta was looking straight at him with her jaw set. Standing limply by her side was a small boy with tousled hair.

"Augusta, Neville, please do come in."

"Just for a moment headmaster. There are somethings- I must-. This is not good-bye."

'What the poor boy must think of us.' Sirius and Remus were both making an effort to look inviting while Harry and Draco wore looks of intense curiosity. Neville looked barely interested as he fiddled with the toy in his hand.

"Neville, I'd like to introduce you to some people. This is Sirius and his friend Remus. They are going to be looking after you for a while."

"Ok."

"And this is Harry and Draco, they are going to be living with you as well."

"Ok."

Augusta knelt down by her grandson and pulled him into a hug.

"I know this doesn't seem like a good thing now, but I promise you, I believe you will be happy here."

"Ok."

"Well, alright then. I will see you soon."
Albus began to speak but Augusta stopped him and handed over the bag she had brought.

"Longbottoms don't do long good-byes."

The part of the old grandmother that wasn't overwhelmed with sadness was a little proud. She had made it half way home before the tears came.

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Neville was a little lost. His grandmother had told him why he was going away but he still didn't understand. He looked at the new people. They would all be like his uncle. They probably wouldn't let him play with his unicorns either. He had already made up his mind and griped the toy a little tighter. He wouldn't just let them take his friends away. Even if it meant he had to hide with them. Even if he had to hide so well he faded away. He was startled out of his thoughts when the dark haired boy approached him, the blond one close behind.

"Hi. I'm Harry."

"And I'm Draco."

"What do you have?" Neville hesitated for a moment, then, slowly uncurled his hand. Might as well get it over with now. He waited silently for them to laugh or get angry. What happened next was the last thing he expected.

"Draco he has a unicorn! A cool one! It can help the griffins with their attack on the giants."

"Or the centaurs, they never have enough help." Neville stared wide-eyed. Didn't they only play with dragons? Instantly he pulled the unicorn to his chest. They must be like his cousins then. They would take his toy as theirs and destroy it. They wouldn't let him play either. 'See,' he thought as they started to walk away, talking excitedly. Then the dark haired one stopped and looked back at him, "well, aren't you coming?" Not sure what to do he stood frozen. Harry rolled his eyes at Draco who grinned. Then the boys came back and grabbed his arms. Smiling they pulled him out of the room and down the hall.

"Come on, the army needs your unicorn!"

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Sirius forced himself to focus on the present.

"Albus, perhaps we should talk to Neville before throwing him to the wolves?"

"Actually, I think this may be what he needs. Augusta said he had some trouble connecting to kids his own age."

"Well Harry seems to connect with everyone so we probably won't have a problem."

"You seem to be quite right about that. Well it appears that Harry is doing just fine and I'm sure I don't have to tell you this but you know Poppy will have my head if I don't. Keep an eye on him and if there is any trouble don't hesitate to bring him to the school."

"Don't worry Albus, we'll both be keeping an eye out."

"Very good. Well, I need to be going, it appears that I've missed my morning meeting. I will be in touch soon." He grabbed some powder and was gone.

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As it turned out Neville flourished in his new life, but that first night could have gone either way. When the boy's got to their room they let go of Neville's arms and immediately ran to the shelves. They pulled off armfuls of toys and dumped them in the center of the rug chatting excitedly about battle strategies. Neville took his time surveying the room as he walked towards the rug. It was very colorful and full of fun things, he felt slightly overwhelmed as he sank in to the soft rug.

Sitting at the edge of the action he observed closely as the other boys set up their army of figures. It seemed to be something that they had done quite regularly. The troops were divided quickly. The wizards were in one section with the goblins and the dragons. The Centaurs were in another with the merpeople and griffins, ready to back up the wizards. The giants, werewolves, vampires, and a few "evil" creatures from the other side were in a third group. Neville had decided the other boys had forgotten he was there when Harry turned to him,

"All right Neeville, who will the unicorn help?" Neville sighed and said quietly, "my name is Neville."

"Right," Harry scrunched up his face, "well, can we call you Nev? Cuz that would be loads easier."

Neville contemplated for a minute and then gave a small smile. "Yeah, guess its ok." Harry's face split into a grin.

"Great! So Nev, where is the unicorn going to go?"

Neville studied the troops for a while. "Well, really they would help the phoenixes, but you don't have any of them."

"Phoenixes, really?" Draco asked. "How do you know that?"

Neville sputtered a bit, "I just, I just do!" Now both the boys were looking at him confused and Neville wanted to cry. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Unicorns helped phoenixes.

Harry crawled over to him and sat back on his feet. "We're sorry Nev. We didn't mean to make you sad. We were just wondering that's all. Right Draco?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry Nev. I just never thought of the phoenixes that's all. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm real sorry." Neville calmed down and looked at them. It was a completely new experience for him. All of it, and he was having trouble figuring out how to react. But as he looked from Draco to Harry and back he began to feel the same thing that Draco had felt his first night with this strange family. Slowly he straightened up and unclenched his fist. Wiping his eyes he held up his favorite toy.

"This is Orin and she is the wisest of all the unicorns. If there are no phoenixes to help then she would help the centaurs." Draco and Harry smiled at him.

"Perfect, then you can put her over there, now we have to figure out how they are going to fight off the GIANT'S ROCK ATTACK!" Harry ran to grab some blocks and began to stockpile them next to the giants.

Draco started to put the wizards into formation, "quick Nev, what are we going to do to stop them." Neville frowned while he thought and then smiled.

"Right, Orin will get the unicorns together and they will give a secret spell to the centaurs who will tell it to the wizards so they can put up a really strong shield."

"Great!" Neville had Orin whisper into the centaur's ear and the centaur whispered to the wizard Draco grabbed some books that they could make a shield with.

They played for hours and Neville had never had so much fun in his life. They moved the figures over the rug, making explosions and battle cries for the soldiers as they charged and won and died. They all played each of the parts switching sides as easily as when one had a great idea he wanted to try with a certain group. And after a while Neville relaxed when Harry and Draco grabbed Orin after it was clear that they weren't going to damage her in any way. They were so absorbed in their little world that they didn't notice the several times that Sirius and Remus came to check on them. It was only when the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread drifted into the room and three stomachs simultaneously informed them how hungry they were.

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Lily was wreaked. The strange numbness that had engulfed her after signing the disownment papers had evaporated when she and James had returned home. She had barely made it to the bathroom before heaving the small breakfast she had eaten into the toilet and collapsing to the floor. She didn't know how long she lay there, holding herself and shaking, until Wink and crept up next to her and knelt on the cold floor.

"Come now Mistress. Let Wink be putting you to bed now." The house elf carefully pulled her into a sitting position and ran a warm flannel over her face. Then with a strength Lily wouldn't have thought she possessed Wink carefully maneuvered her into a standing position and led her to the bed. The covers had been pulled back and Lily sank into their embrace.

"We did the right thing." Her voice was barely a whisper but she held on to the elf's arm with all her might. Frantic green eyes met steady yellow and what they saw there did little to reassure.

"Master and Mistress will be doing what they think is right." Wink careful disengaged her Mistress's hand and tucked her in. "What they be thinking is right." She checked that there was a glass of water on the nightstand and left the room without a sound, snuffing the lights as she left.

Lily lay in the dark reciting her mantra over and over until her brain finally shut down from stress and exhaustion and she fell into a fitful sleep.

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Snape had meant to go straight to the Potter's mansion and confront Lily. He would tell her everything he had seen. Somehow Potter and Black must have come up with some scheme that involved faking the Potter child's death, for what nefarious purposes he had no idea but anything involving those two could never be good. Some sort of prank no doubt. Yes that was it. Lily would finally see who she had married and see that he, Severus Snape, was superior in every way. He almost did it too. Was seconds from the aperation point when every facet of his being that had made him into a great double agent took command of his feet and deposited him a corner table at the Leaky Cauldron.

He reviewed the facts slowly, mulling each one over in his mind like a potential potion ingredient. He looked at each bit of information separately and then as a whole, trying to see how it all fit together. That morning there had been the bit in the Profit about the child being dead. Lily and Potter had both given the interview so she had been with him on that part. Then there was the part at Gringotts. The boy had been disowned. That much was obvious.

While he wasn't particularly well versed on the specifics he was rather sure, and this was that part that he was resisting so hard to acknowledge, he couldn't see how the act could be done without the knowledge and consent of both parents. And here his reasoning was stalled for he could not except that Lily would disown her own son but he could no more not see the evidence then cut off his own hand.

There was also one other troubling piece to the puzzle that he could not seem to ignore; the look on Black's face. He had seen that face in many different aspects from sneering to laughing, sly to fierce and everything in between. He had seen it from his tortured childhood onto the battle field and prided himself on knowing exactly the level of empathy that Black possessed. But the Black in that room was something he had not encountered before and he was currently at a loss of how to deal with that information. Not even in the aftermath of a losing battle, and there had been plenty of those, had Black ever look quite so, lost.

As he sat there in the drank pub, nursing a firewhiskey and glaring at the world, the core of everything he had held true and right began to slip and he felt as though his world had been knocked off kilter. Snape was not one for introspection but the thought of leaving things this unbalanced was not an option. By the time he finished his second whiskey his world was righted once more and his facts were in their proper place, with as little emphasis on the small changes as posible Snape stood and again made towards the aperation point. Potter would always be Potter and Black Black and while Lily may not be perfect she was Lily and he would not believe her capable of atrocities until he spoke to her.

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When Dumbledore returned to his office he was only slightly surprised to see Zamaakus waiting for him next to Fawkes' perch. "High Elf Zamaakus I was unaware we had a meeting today."

"We do not Headmaster, I came to inquire about the boy. Is he well?"

Dumbledore was confused as to how the elf would have any information about Harry and said so.

Zamaakus let the barest of smiles touch his lips before he spoke, "In all this time I would have thought you had realized that all elves are Elves." At the others continued confusion he added, "and the Potters employ several."

Finally realizing that the Potter's house elves had a connection to the High Council the headmaster's eyebrows rose.

"What did the Potter's house elves have to say?"

"Only that their masters had done the unthinkable and they were worried for his safety." If Dumbledore had any doubts about the entirety of that message he kept them to himself.

"I can tell you that Harry is safe and the issue has been dealt with for now."

Zamaakus artfully arched one eyebrow, "for now?"

"The world does not run entirely by my design."

The elf chuckled, "of course not, and may you be glad that it does not." With a nod good-bye he shifted out of the office. Dumbledore turned a questioning eye to his feathered companion but the bird merely turned away and began preening himself.

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The door was slammed violently behind him as Severus stormed into his private quarters. Taking a large pull from his bottle of firewhiskey he snarled at the burn. Grabbing a glass off the shelf he marched over to the fireplace and sank into the only furniture the room offered, a large chair. Pouring himself a shot he threw it back, quickly chasing it down with another.

"Lily." He spat the name out and found the alcohol did nothing to kill the taste. He though he had been ready to face whatever happened at the Potter house, thought he knew what he was walking into but he had been blind; blind and stupid and he felt his foolishness burning his ears even as the whiskey burned his throat.

When he had arrived at the house one of the elves had seen him in, stating the both the master and mistress were indisposed. He had decided to wait and had been shown to the drawing room. There he had waited for one hour, then two. Going on the third hour he had almost decided to leave when a very pale Lily had walked into the room. He had immediately rushed to her aid, calling for the house elf to bring tea and guiding his host to the sofa. After thanking him she asked for the purpose of his visit.

Severus has started slowly revealing very few of the who's but letting her know he had a fair idea of what was going on. She had broken then, sobbing into his shoulder and pleading for him to understand that they were doing what was right, it was best for Harry, best for them and the twins, best for everyone. Severus had been patient; he had listened to her claims and sided with her. He had laid out his own arguments, how James was in the wrong and she could leave with him and everything would be ok. She had looked at him confused, "but why?" But why? But why! Because their whole plan was clearly mad and she looked close to death that's why! But he had to be careful so he said none of these things.

Taking her hand in his he spoke with all the sincerity he possessed; he cared for her and, considering her condition, he felt it would be best if she came with him for a time to recuperate. She had taken him by surprise then as something so completely unLily had crossed her features and her next words sent him reeling.

"Your benevolent act had been in vain Severus Snape. I have a wonderful husband and perfect children. I will not be leaving them to go gallivanting off into the dark underworld with you." Her eyes had narrowed at the end of her speech and she pulled her hand away from him. Severus had sat frozen until Potter had come barreling into the room looking no better than his wife. Potter had shouted, spittle flying, that Snape was to leave his house immediately and never return on pain of the life debt still owed.

Severus had never been so livid in his entire life as he pulled the shreds of his dignity together and left the house. If he crossed paths with another living sole on his journey home he hardly knew, for a red haze had permeated his vision and

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It is said that what healing needs most is time, and that is true. The next year saw the strange family in the unplotable house grow closer. Harry loved his father to the point of worship and Sirius stumbled wonderfully through his first year of parenthood, Draco slowly satisfied his craving for guidance and acceptance with the man who had hardly ever been accepted and Remus reveled in the openness and caring of his young charges, Neville found his place among four people who never judged his softer side and his confidence grew. Dumbledore continued to have strange visits from the elves, and slowly began to relax and believe that things might actually be ok in the end. Lily and James clung to their remaining children like a life boat. The twins wanted for nothing and the Potters carefully crafted their public appearance to be loved by all. Severus was perhaps the least helped by the years passing as his world turned greyer still with the knowledge that Lily Potter would never again be a spark of light in his gloomy existence.

Aegelweard and Vilhjalmur continued to train, unaware of the passage of time.