Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Harry is fed up with everything and just wants to spend a summer without thinking about magic.

or

Harry discovers everyone has lied to him.

Harry’s life that summer was… at the very least strange, still plagued by nightmares about what had happened during the Four Wizards Tournament, with Cedric’s death. His uncle and aunt, at first, wouldn’t stop throwing it in his face. They brought it up every chance they got, Cedric’s death, saying it was his fault. They stopped the day Harry lost control of his accidental magic, like when he was just a kid, but it scared them enough to finally leave him alone. He no longer had to do chores, Dudley had stopped bullying him, and he could come and go from the house as he pleased.

The same happened with Marge. Even though they tried to wipe her memory of that night, she had stopped bothering him. Maybe it was instinct, or maybe someone as incompetent as Gilderoy Lockhart had cast the spell. Harry didn’t know, and he didn’t want to find out. Things were fine the way they were, and he didn’t want to ruin it.

At first, Harry expected the worst—the calm before the storm—but nothing happened. His life became…normal, if it could be called that. Eventually, he stopped thinking about it and decided to make the most of the summer. He spent the whole day outside with the few friends who didn’t care about Dudley’s constant bullying.

He spent his days reading, both Muggle and magical books. He finished his homework in the first few weeks, so he was free until classes started again. At first, he wanted to keep himself busy and keep his guard up in case Uncle Vernon went back to his old ways, and also so he wouldn’t dwell on the fact that his friends weren’t writing to him—because he had asked them not to. Reading those letters, where Hermione only nagged him about doing his homework and then asked (almost ordered) him not to write back, and where Ron only talked about vacations with his family, Fred and George’s pranks, or that Ginny was probably in love with him, disgusted him. His friends, the ones who had been by his side for four years, had abandoned him again. And he hated it. It only made him think that Vernon had been right all along: “'You don’t deserve to be loved.'

At that moment, he was in a fast-food restaurant with his friends, catching up. Harry had to lie; he couldn’t tell them exactly what his experience at Hogwarts was like. He hated lying to them, hiding things from them, but it was forbidden to tell Muggles that magic existed.

Harry was mostly listening, absentmindedly playing with the fries in front of him. The truth was, he wasn’t very hungry.

“Hey, Harry, you never told us why you take summer classes if you already go to that fancy boarding school in Scotland,” signed someone quickly.

Harry looked at his childhood friend, Alice—they had been together since they were four years old, Harry having learned sign language for her. “I’m doing badly in school, so I signed up for summer school to improve my grades.”

Another lie for the list. He knew perfectly well that once he graduated from Hogwarts, he’d also have the official Muggle school certificates. He had found that out thanks to several books Remus had given him—books that had once belonged to his mother, Lily. They had been a gift before Remus left Hogwarts and went back to ignoring Harry’s existence.

Harry was angry with him for that. He had met him, told him he was friends with his parents, practically like an uncle, taught him the Patronus Charm, cared for him… But afterward, apparently, Harry wasn’t that important, since Remus had gone back to ignoring him.

“Doesn’t your fancy school have remedial classes?” asked another, also speaking while signing.

Harry laughed. “No, it doesn’t,” he replied in the same way.

“How come you’re doing badly? You help me with chemistry and math, and if you went to my school, you’d be an honor student,” signed another girl.

“Shut up, Aria,” Harry muttered, a little embarrassed. He still wasn’t used to compliments.

“Yeah, shut up, Aria, our Bambi is blushing,” Marcus teased.

“Guys, leave him alone,” signed Alice. She turned to Harry after scolding the others. “Harry, tonight Axel and Jane are having a party. They want to celebrate their birthday and yours too before you go back to your boarding school, where they don’t allow cell phones and we don’t even know how to send letters.”

Harry chuckled. “Touché,” he signed back. “Actually, I’d like to go.”

“Fifteen already, getting old,” teased Marcus and Aria.

Harry rolled his eyes but didn’t answer. Instead, he threw a handful of fries at their faces. Marcus and Aria tried to retaliate, but Alice threw some tomato slices at them first. They were about to respond when a waitress interrupted, asking them not to make a mess.

“Sorry.”

The four friends then went to Marcus’s house to get changed. Harry had been staying there for a few days since the Dursleys had gone on a trip and didn’t want to leave him alone at home or take him with them. Taking advantage of that, Harry moved in temporarily with Marcus, escaping both Marge and Mrs. Figg, though getting away from Mrs. Figg had been harder (Harry had no idea why she insisted so much that he stay with her). In the end, though, he managed to stay at Marcus’s, feeling a little embarrassed about bothering Marcus’s parents, although they reassured him several times that it was no trouble at all.

“I hope you kids behave yourselves. You’re still too young to be going to parties,” Marcus’s father said.

Harry served as the mediator between Marcus’s parents and Alice.

“Dad, relax,” Marcus replied with an easy smile. “It’ll just be kids from our class and some of Harry’s summer school classmates. We’ll play cards, watch movies, stuff like that.”

“I hope so,” Marcus’s mother said seriously. “I heard that Andrew Pierce was caught smoking. I don’t want you hanging around him; he’s a bad influence.”

Harry rolled his eyes. Apparently, everyone cared about reputation, about keeping up some fake façade. He understood Marcus’s parents worrying about their son and his friends; it touched him, but it also left him confused. Nobody had ever cared about him like that… Well, Sirius had, but things with him were complicated.

Everyone nodded: Marcus, Aria, and Alice. They didn’t mention that they’d seen Harry smoking once or twice since he got back from school or that he often hung out with Andrew and his group. They didn’t know what had happened to him at school, and Harry refused to talk about it. After they told him to stop, Harry had promised he’d quit if they kept quiet. It had been three weeks since that conversation, and they hadn’t seen him smoke again.

“Hey, Harry,” Alice stopped him in the hallway when he came out of the guest room, signing quickly. “I don’t know what happened at your school this year, but you can talk to me. You can trust me.” Then she placed her hand over his chest, where his heart was. “You know I care about you. You’re my best friend, and I worry about you.”

Harry felt his eyes well up with tears. “Thanks, Alice. But you don’t have to worry; I’m fine, princess.”

Alice frowned and punched his shoulder. “Liar.”

Harry just ruffled her hair with a smile before running off, escaping an annoyed Alice.

Harry lay stretched out on the sofa, his head resting on Alice’s lap, an empty glass of soda in his hand. At first, the party had been calm, just like they’d told Charles and Mary Green, Marcus’s parents. Board games, billiards, or a movie or two. But soon, even for a party of teenagers between fourteen and sixteen, things started to get out of hand; the music was blasting, and someone had spiked the punch.

Harry avoided that table and preferred to sit with his friends. More than once, Andrew had offered him a smoke, but Harry refused every time.

The lights suddenly went out, and Harry tensed immediately, wishing he had his wand at hand. But he had left it in his trunk, which he had disguised as a suitcase so his friends wouldn’t suspect. He relaxed when Alice, who had been sitting next to him, grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze.

Harry then saw two candles approaching as people started singing “Happy Birthday.” He let out a mortified sigh.

After blowing out the candles shaped like the number fifteen, Harry turned to his friends and signed, “You tricked me, you traitors.”

They only stuck their tongues out at him playfully.

Later on, after Aria managed to drag Harry onto the dance floor, smaller groups formed. In Harry’s group, they decided it would be fun to play Truth or Dare and Two Truths and a Lie.

“Alright, pretty eyes,” said a girl with dark hair and pink streaks. “Your turn, Harry: two truths and a lie.”

Emma, the girl with the streaks, had suggested the game since most of the kids there were from different schools—though many were classmates of Harry’s friends at their local school or from his summer school. There were also some from Stonewall Secondary and even from Smeltings (which Harry found more than a little ironic).

To Harry, it turned out to be rather fun—drinking, laughing, and shouting at each other. Pretending he was just a normal teenager like the rest.

Not even Gryffindor parties had ever been this fun.

Harry even managed to get Emma and Aria to start “awarding house points” when a giggling girl shared a story about an argument she had won.

“Alright,” Harry said, taking a gulp of the disgusting blue liquor in his cup, “once I was bitten by a snake and nearly died, I’m top of my class in chemistry, and I have a bed in the nurse’s office with my name on it.”

Everyone started murmuring, whispering, and giggling as they looked at Harry.

“He goes to summer school to raise his grades; he’s not top of his class,” signed Alice. Marcus acted as mediator this time, though most people there knew sign language since they were Alice’s classmates.

“Way to ruin the fun, Alice,” one girl signed, annoyed. “We don’t know him as well as you guys do. To me, he’s just the mysterious kid from the fancy boarding school.”

“Okay, but Harry, one question: how come you have a bed with your name on it in the nurse’s office?”

Harry shrugged. “I get into a lot of trouble. In the very first soccer game, I tripped, fell badly, and broke my arm. I’ve been in so many accidents that the nurse set aside a cot just for me and even labeled it with my name. I’m not exaggerating.”

“Aren’t we going to ask about the snake?” asked the boy sitting next to Harry.

Harry smirked. He took off his jacket and lifted his shirt to show the basilisk scar. “I got bitten by a snake when I was twelve.”

“Oh my God,” Lianna gasped, sitting across from him with her friend’s head resting in her lap. She stared at the scar wide-eyed. “What kind of snake leaves a scar like that?”

“A big one,” Harry answered blankly.

Noticing how uncomfortable he was, they quickly changed the subject.

“Hey, Marcus, your turn.”

“Let’s see… Green is my favorite color, I’ve broken my arm four times, and I once pranked the math teacher.”

“Hey, Bambi?” called Charlotte, one of Alice’s friends.

Harry turned toward her and jumped slightly when he saw she was right in front of him, ignoring the nickname everyone had decided to give him. “What?”

Charlotte frowned, staring into his eyes for a long moment before smiling. “Marcus’s favorite color is green,” she announced confidently to the group.

She ignored the fact that she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

“I think he broke his leg, not his arm—at least once. I remember signing a cast,” said a boy in a band t-shirt.

After everyone voted and Marcus revealed that the broken arm was the lie, Harry and Marcus left together. They walked until they reached a park, where Marcus stopped.

“Do you have a girlfriend at your boarding school?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

“No.”

“Boyfriend?”

Harry’s face must have been as red as Ron Weasley’s hair. “No.”

Marcus said cryptically, “Good,” and then added, “Me neither.”

“Do you know how to ride?” Marcus asked when he saw Harry staring at the skateboard sticking out of his faded navy backpack.

“No,” Harry admitted. It looked easy enough when he watched others do it, and he had always wanted to try.

Marcus slung the bag off his shoulder in one smooth motion and pulled out the skateboard. “Want to learn?”

Harry suddenly felt shy under Marcus’s smile, which was ridiculous, really. “Alright,” he agreed.

He was confused by the way his heart started pounding faster. It wasn’t the same thrill as when he flew on a broomstick, played Quidditch, or rode Buckbeak.

As it turned out, skateboarding was incredibly difficult. Harry wobbled constantly, even with Marcus holding him by the waist and Harry gripping his shoulders.

Marcus corrected his stance more than once. He was patient and calm but never let go of Harry’s waist.

After a couple of falls, Harry handed the skateboard back so Marcus could show off some tricks on the ramps and rails in the park.

Harry decided he’d try again later, but for now, he wasn’t going to attempt any of those tricks he’d already forgotten the names of. After another fall, he sat down on a bench next to Marcus.

“I know you don’t want to talk about what happened this year, Harry,” Marcus began, putting his hand over Harry’s. “But I’ve noticed you’re more down lately. Please, talk to me; we’ll find a solution together.”

The peaceful, relaxed atmosphere broke. Harry met his friend’s blue eyes, which only showed sincerity. “W-Well… My best friends at school, let’s just say… they abandon me at the first chance they get. Then they come back, act like nothing happened, and never apologize. In fact, I’m still waiting for an apology.”

Marcus stayed quiet, thinking about his words, but finally decided to be honest. “Well, Harry, I don’t know your friends, Hermione and Ron, but if they treat you like that and always assume the worst about you, then they’re not really friends.”

"Thanks for listening. Normally, the people around me would tell me to stop being dramatic and forgive them."

"That's terribly wrong. You don't have to forgive them if you don't want to. And if they haven't apologized, even less so."

Harry thanked him but wanted to change the subject, asking for another skateboarding lesson.

Chapter Text

Phaedra and Theodore go to Gringotts

or

where a great lie told long ago begins to unravel

It was a hot summer where they lived, the sun shone brightly, reflecting off the white marble stones of Greengrass Manor. Phaedra watched in the distance as her daughters enjoyed themselves with their Hogwarts friends.

The children's parents were also there.

Although for each of them, the date had a very different meaning; for the teenagers sitting on the terrace talking quietly, it was an unimportant date, but for the adults, it had a different, complementary meaning: the disappearance of the son of Tom Riddle and Bellatrix Black, the Dark Heir.

Phaedra and Theodore, his godmother and godfather, felt helpless when they discovered their godson had disappeared. Years had passed, and they had never stopped searching for him. Their hopes had never waned, even after Tom's death and Bellatrix's descent into madness.

"Darling," Desmond Greengrass approached his wife, holding two letters bearing the Gringotts seal. "There's a letter for you, and Theodore, one for you too. They're from Gringotts, and they seem urgent."

"Thank you, love," Phaedra replied to her husband, grabbing the letters and giving one to Theodore.

Gringotts, Wizarding World.

Diagon Alley, London.

To the attention of:

Phaedra Vidalia Greengrass

Greengrass Manor, France.

Dear Mrs. Greengrass,

We are writing to you as representatives of Gringotts, with the utmost urgency and respect.

We are writing to you urgently as we are unable to reach our primary targets. The reason for our communication is of the utmost importance and requires immediate attention.

We have recently discovered information related to your godson's trusted vault. This information cannot be discussed through written means.

Given the sensitive nature of these matters, it is imperative that you meet with us in person.

We ask that you come to our offices as soon as possible to discuss the details. Please be assured that everything will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Grappling Hook

General Manager

Phaedra looked at her husband in anguish and, without remorse, took the letter from Theodore. Both letters said exactly the same thing.

"Fuck," Phaedra muttered, cursing and forgetting the manners her parents had so desperately instilled in her.

"Love? Is something wrong?" Desmond asked.

"Phaedra, Theodore? Is something serious?" Narcissa asked, approaching.

Just like the rest of the parents, all with the same expressions on their faces.

"Gringotts just sent us some letters regarding Eirian's trusted vaults. They've contacted us because at this time it's either unsafe or impossible to communicate with Tom and Bellatrix."

Everyone was surprised by the response given by Phaedra, Eirian Orion Riddle Black, the heir of Voldemort and Bellatrix Black.

"I thought he was dead," Belladonna Zabini muttered.

"He never was. If he was dead, they would have closed their vaults," Lucius chimed in.

"So? What happened to him? Why is Gringotts sending us a letter fourteen years later? I thought he was dead because we didn't revive any letters when he was eleven. We demanded that Gringotts notify us if he showed up at the bank to get money for his Hogwarts purchases. It's mandatory for all Muggle-born children to be tested in case they come from families believed to be extinct." Enora Parkinson spoke.

"Perhaps it was mandatory a few years ago. Dumbledore changed it using the Potter and Black family votes, which for some reason are in his possession," Theodore Nott spoke. "Let's stop chatting. Phaedra and I will go to Gringotts, and when we return, we'll bring you up to date on all the news. And Narcissa, please have at least ten headache potions ready; we're going to need them."

"Sure, I'll make a batch for everyone. I think we're going to need them."

All the adults on the terrace agreed that once they had all the information, they would go and deliver it to Tom and Bellatrix before giving them any false hopes.

The two met on the bench via the Floo Network. Before approaching any goblins, they both brushed the nonexistent dust off their shoulders.

"Mr. Goblin, we've come for an urgent missive," Theodore said, handing over his letter, and Phaedra handed hers over as well.

The Goblin looked at both letters and wordlessly indicated that they would follow him. He led them to a private room where, upon opening the golden doors, Phaedra and Theodore noticed the figures of Griphook and Ragnok.

"Can you explain to us how there are irregularities in Eirian's trust vault if he's missing and we have no knowledge of her attending any magical school?" he asked Phaedra directly, not caring if he sounded aggressive.

Ragnok grew increasingly irritated. "That's what we'd like to know. Yesterday, I retrieved a notice from your godson's trust vault. 6,000 galleons and at least 50 family books were stolen. We've had to review the income and expenses since the vault was opened. From the date it was opened, October 31, 1980, to today, July 31, 1994. All expenses were minor, within the established limit. That's why we're not alarmed. But this summer, expenses exceeded the established limit, as did the family books. Before we continue, it's necessary for both of you to submit to an inheritance test."

Phaedra was about to retort, but Theodore advised her to listen to the Goblin instead.

Phaedra snarled and dropped three drops of blood onto a piece of parchment, just as Theodore had done.

OFFICIAL PROOF OF INHERITANCE AND LINEAGE

GRINGOTTS WIZARDING BANK

PROOF OF PARTIAL INHERITANCE

--

Birth Name: Phaedra Vidalia Greengrass

Date of Birth: February 1, 1960

Parents:

William Delacour (Deceased)

Daenyra Delacour née Rosier (Deceased)

Partner:

Desmond Greengrass

Daughters:

Daphne Genevieve Greengrass Delacour

Astoria Edeline Greengrass Delacour

Godson:

Eirian Orion Riddle Black

- Adopted Name: Harry James Potter Evans

OFFICIAL PROOF OF INHERITANCE AND LINEAGE

GRINGOTTS WIZARDING BANK

PROOF OF PARTIAL INHERITANCE

--

Birth Name: Theodore Draeven Nott Sallow

Date of Birth: August 1, 1960

Parents:

Theodore Nott (deceased)

Maeve Nott née Sallow (deceased)

Partner:

Carina Nott (née Smith)

Son:

Theodore Nott Smith

Godson:

Eirian Orion Riddle Black

- Adopted Name: Harry James Potter Evans

Well, needless to say, Phaedra and Theodore were shocked by the information from the test.

"I'm sorry, but this can't be possible," Theodore muttered.

He remembered that night, in the final test of the now four wizards, that boy, barely fourteen years old, facing them all.

"There are no mistakes," Griphook and Ragnok growled.

"As the godmother of Eirian Orion Riddle Black, aka...Harry James Potter Evans, I demand to see the extractions from his vault."

"As you wish, Lady Greengrass."

When the goblins disappeared, Phaedra and Theodore spoke to each other.

"How is this possible?" Theodore muttered. "I knew the Potters; they would never have stooped to something as vile as taking someone's baby."

"Maybe not them, but maybe someone else would."

"Maybe, but Phaedra, I was in the graveyard that night. That boy isn't going to trust us after all these years, and especially after that night." He gasped in horror as he realized he'd have to tell Tom and Bellatrix. "Tom and Bellatrix are going to freak out. Tom's been trying to kill his own son for four years."

Phaedra's eyes widened in fear. "Didn't he send Dementors after Potter...Eirian tonight?" She asked, frightened.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Theodore cursed again and again, pacing around the office. "This meeting needs to end quickly so we can go to Slytherin Manor and tell them immediately. We need to prevent the attack."

Luckily, it didn't take long for the Goblins to re-enter the office, both of them looking furious.

"We've only been able to access the income and expenses of the Riddle and Black heirs' trust vaults. To obtain more information, the heir will need to come in and take an inheritance test."

"Understandable. Now let us see what's happening with my godson's vaults."

Income and expenses in accounts:

· Income

- Fleamont Potter's Potion Shop (hair potion, among others)

- Investment in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes (1,000 Galleons)

- Investment in Zonko's Joke Shop 20% (Potter and Black 10% each)

- Twilfitt and Tatting's 20% (Peverell and Black 10% each)

- Quality Quidditch Supply Shop 30% (Perevell, Black, and Potter 10% each)

- Quality Potion Supply Shop 50% (Perevell, Nott, Potter, Graunt, Black)

- Daily Prophet 50% (Potter, Black, Graunt, Nott, Greengrass)

· Output

- 500 Galleons per month for the Order of the Phoenix (for the past year)

- 300 Galleons per month for Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (for the past 15 years)

- 200 Galleons per month for Petunia and Vernon Dursley (for the past 14 years)

- 100 Galleons per month for Molly Weasley (for the past four years)

- 50 Galleons per month for Ronald Bill Weasley (for the past four years)

- 50 Galleons and 5 books for Hermione Jane Granger (for the past four years)

- 50 Galleons for Guinevere Molly Weasley (for the past three years)

- Invisibility Cloak, formerly held by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (recovered)

- Elder Wand, held by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (unrecovered)

- Mirror of Erised, held by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (unrecovered)

- 6,000 gallons for Ronald and Ginevra Weasley for candy, two broomsticks, and VIP entry to meet Chudley Cannons.

- 50 Family Books Taken by Hermione Jean Granger

"That's 530 books and at least 107,400 Galleons," Theodore gasped in horror.

"I want you to start an investigation. In a few days, we'll return to Eirian and his parents to perform a proper inheritance test and sort this all out," Phaedra determined. "Theodore, we need to get back home and tell the others about this, because we'll need backup when we go to tell Tom and Bellatrix."

"Backup? You mean human shields?" Theodore tried to mock him, though he sounded more worried for his life and furious about what he'd just read.

Meanwhile, in the park, two teenagers put their skateboards aside to sit on some swings, balancing quietly, the calm and relaxed atmosphere returning.

"Sometimes I wish I could stop going to that boarding school," Harry confessed, and it was true. Although he considered Hogwarts a home, recent events and how everyone seemed to judge him without even wanting to know him discouraged him. "But my parents went to school there, and I don't know... I feel like they're close to them."

"Harry, you're not your parents."

Harry laughed, holding back tears. "You're the first person to say that to me."

Marcus was surprised and asked for more information.

Harry sighed, stopped swinging on the swing and looked at his friend "There, the headmaster keeps comparing me to my parents whether I do something right or wrong, there's a teacher, Minerva, who keeps comparing me to my father in her class because he was the best in his time, there's another teacher, Filius, who keeps comparing me to my mother for the same reason and there's another teacher who hates me just for my existence and because I look like my father, I don't know what he did to him, but it's unfair that he takes his hatred out on me"

"That's really worrying," Marcus gasped indignantly. "Have you tried talking to them about it, or is it better to change schools?"

Harry shook his head. "Marcus... please, let's stop talking about this. Can we go back to skateboarding?"

Marcus, though reluctant, agreed, seeing how the conversation was upsetting his... friend. "Fine, but I promise we'll have this conversation again. It's very serious. You can have it with me, or better yet, with my parents."

"Okay."

Like the first time, Harry watched Marcus perform various tricks on the skateboard, from the simplest to the most complicated, although, in Harry's eyes, they were all difficult.

So, when it was Harry's turn, he focused on maintaining his balance and managing to move around on the skateboard, without Marcus's help, although he stayed close in case he lost his balance and fell.

Which happened more than once. Marcus always managed to catch him before he completely lost his balance and fell.

"If you don't stop doing that, I'm not going to learn to balance myself, Marcus."

"I know," Marcus smiled. "I just want to extend your skateboarding lessons."

"Idiot."

"You love me."

Harry snorted in amusement, though he couldn't help but smile. "Go on, show me some of those tricks."

"You don't even know how to hold yourself properly yet, Harry," he said in amusement, before grabbing Harry by the waist again when he lost his balance while trying to turn around. "You're terrible at this," he laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes, but didn't move his hand. Their breath caught in their throats as they realized how close they were to each other. They could see every glimmer of gold and silver in each other's eyes, count every eyelash, see every mole.

Marcus, emboldened by the way Harry didn't move away, felt quite reassured, reached out and gently placed his hand on Harry's face.

"If you keep trapping me, I'll never learn to balance on my own," Harry muttered, his voice quieter than he intended.

"Maybe he just wants to spend more time with you," Marcus murmured before announcing, "Just...maybe he doesn't want to let you go."

Harry swallowed, unable to tear his gaze away. Marcus's hand was still on his cheek; it was warm and made his heart race. Was it because he was in love with Marcus, or was it because he was apparently about to have his first kiss?

The silence grew heavy. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and Marcus gathered enough courage to close the gap and press his lips to Harry's, hesitant and light at first, then tightening as he felt Harry's lips against his own.

The world seemed to stop. Harry, surprised at first, responded timidly.

Then, an unusual chill made them pull away. Harry shivered, watching the swings squeak until they froze and the surface of the nearby pond become covered in frost. He didn't need to look twice; he knew what was coming. Dementors.

He needed to get Marcus out of this place. He wasn't safe with him.

"Let's go back to the party," he said urgently, pulling away. "It's too cold in here."

"Yes," Marcus agreed, his voice wavering before he added, "But... can we talk about this later?"

Harry looked at him, the echo of the kiss still burning on his lips. "About what?"

"From the kiss," Marcus replied with a small, nervous smile.

Harry nodded, a strange gleam in his eyes. "Yeah...we'll talk."

Chapter Text

Phaedra and Theodore return with news

or

Where Tom and Bellatrix try to stop a Dementor.

When Phaedra and Theodore returned to Greengrass Manor, they were immediately surrounded by the other adults currently living there. Phaedra, without saying a word, refilled a glass of Firewhiskey.

"What did the Goblins tell you?" Desmond asked, seeing his wife's concern.

Seeing that Phaedra wasn't going to speak, Theodore cleared his throat after taking his own sip of whiskey. "It's all been...very revealing, and we're going to need you as human shields when we go to tell Bellatrix and Tom."

"Human shields?" Enora Parkinson asked in surprise, mistakenly thinking it was an exaggeration.

Phaedra took the papers they had seen at Gringotts from her bag: the ones from her midterm test and the information on the income and expenses from Eirian's vault. When everyone saw it, they had the same expression on their faces.

"Fuck," Lucius muttered, pouring himself a glass.

"We must tell my sister and Tom right now," Narcissa ordered, frowning. "I know for a fact that when Bellatrix finds out that Po...Harry is Eirian, she won't hurt him and will confront Tom if he thinks of following through with that prophecy."

"Oh, yes, and how do we do it, Narcissa?" Belladonna mockingly questioned. "Hey, Bellatrix, Tom, we went to Gringotts, and they told us that Harry Potter, the boy Tom has been trying to kill for four years and who this year he cursed with the Cruciatus Curse, is your son."

"That's a good idea," Lucius spoke. "We'll do it all at once and then run away, so they don't have time to hex us."

"Cazzo, moriremo" Belladonna murmured "I'll say goodbye to my son, just in case Bellatrix or Tom kill me." With that, she left the kitchen and headed to the garden. All the adults followed her example. "Amore mio," she called her son, who upon hearing his mother call him, approached her

"C'è qualcosa che non va, mamma? Non hai un bell'aspetto" Blaise asked worriedly.

"No, amore" Belladonna gently caressed Blaise's face and kissed him on the forehead. "We just have to go out on an urgent matter. I'll let you know when we get back."

"Well, Mother, be careful."

Belladonna smiled at her son, and after all the parents said goodbye to their children via Floo powder, they went to Slytherin Manor.

Harry and Marcus returned to the party. When they did, Aria and Alice approached and smiled at Marcus.

"Have you kissed him yet?" Aria asked, also using sign language.

Harry blushed furiously.

"Yes, you did! Look how he blushes, our innocent little Bambi," Aria spoke again.

"I'm happy for you," Alice spoke in sign language.

Harry felt a little uncomfortable, so using the excuse of being thirsty, he went to get a drink. Meanwhile, Marcus told Aria and Alice that he and Harry should talk about the kiss and if they were going to be a couple. Aria and Alice reassured Marcus, telling him that they were sure Harry wouldn't reject him.

On the other hand, Harry was in a mess. He liked Marcus, he really liked him, but right now he was very dangerous to be around. Apparently, something was wrong with everyone he loved; they were around him. James and Lily died protecting him, Sirius was sent to Azkaban, and Cedric died because he decided they should both take the cup. Now, with Voldemort resurrected, Harry didn't want to endanger any of his friends.

Meanwhile, a few streets away, in a town called Surrey, the Dursley family had returned from their vacation weeks ago, but hadn't told anyone; they didn't want to be reintroduced to the phenomenon.

Vernon and Petunia entered the warmth of their home as the temperatures dropped dramatically. Only Dudley remained outside, looking for his friends to entertain him.

The temperatures dropped further, and Dudley watched in fear as the flowers on the ground froze, as did the swings and trees in the park.

Phaedra and Desmond Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Belladonna Zabine, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and Enora Parkinson appeared at Slytherin Manor.

Trembling.

"Sister, parasites," Bellatrix spoke, appearing in the living room. "Why the unexpected visit?"

They all looked at each other. Bellatrix apparently didn't have her wand nearby, but even so, they didn't trust her.

"Sister, Phaedra and Theodore went to Gringotts today and brought back news," Narcissa began. She was the one with the best chance of being saved if Bellatrix lost her temper.

Just as Theodore had a better chance of being saved if Tom lost them.

"Oh, and they're so important that you'd have to go and interrupt my meeting with my Tommy?"

"Yes, Bella," Narcissa spoke again. "You must call Tom, and have some tea with a calming potion."

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Then it must be very important to ask me to sit down and for the parasites to be trembling right now."

"Would you stop calling us parasites?" Lucius asked, despite the growing fear he felt.

"No," replied the eldest Black sister, a big smile on her face.

She turned and went back up the black marble stairs with their emerald carpet and disappeared down the hall. Soon, Tom and Bella came back down, dressed and eager to hear the news they'd attracted.

"What's the news? Has Dumbledore made any moves?"

"It's not about that," Lucius chimed in. "Although he keeps shouting that you're back, Skeeter is starting to discredit him, and what's interesting is that in one of her articles, she wrote that Dumbledore forced Potter to reveal that you're back, although in another, she called him mad."

Belladonna looked at him seriously. "While that's interesting, that's not why we came today. Phaedra and Theodore have important news, and we need you to sit down."

Tom and Bellatrix looked at each other with raised eyebrows and listened to their companions.

Phaedra and Theodore chose to leave the papers in front of the two wizards and walk away.

"They're from Gringotts, signed by Ragnok and Griphook, they're not a hoax," Theodore clarified, taking out the parchments and leaving them on the table in view of Tom and Bellatrix.

Just in case, he cast a Protego Maxima around him and his friends.

"HOW THE HELL DID MY BABY GET TO THE POTTERS?!" Bellatrix shouted, finishing reading the papers.

"That's what we're trying to find out. Gringotts has already started an investigation," Lucius spoke up. "We decided to come here as soon as possible to tell you, Tom. You must stop the Dementors you sent to Po...Harr...Eirian."

"How so?" Tom asked in surprise. "I didn't do any such thing," he clarified when Bellatrix glared at him. "I've been recovering from the ritual; I'm still too weak."

"So who did it?" Enora asked, confused, then shook her head. "You know, we'll leave that for later. We have to go find Eirian before the Dementors find him. Does anyone have any idea where he might be living?"

"Dumbledore, but he won't say anything," Tom replied, getting up from the armchair.

Lucius intervened. "Severus always complains that Potter is a spoiled and arrogant brat, just like James Potter, that the people who look after him spoil him and keep him in a state of pampering, but he's not impartial. He doesn't know where he lives."

"A locator spell?" Belladonna suggested. "You're his parents. We can use you for the spell."

"Yes, all right. Get everything ready. I'll go get the necessary potion," Tom murmured, heading off through the winding halls of the mansion.

Bella didn't hesitate to follow him. "Tom, honey, is something wrong?"

"He hates me," he muttered. "Fuck, I've been trying to kill him ever since that night, and this year, during the final test of the lathe, I held him in a cruciate position, Bella."

Bella inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. "I'll be honest with you, Tom, right now I want to hex you, but I'm going to save my fury for Dumbledore, Weasley, and Granger." She sighed, grabbing Tom's hands. "Yes, he's definitely going to hate you, but he's also going to be confused. He's going to discover that everything in his life has been lies and manipulations, that everything was probably orchestrated by Dumbledore to make you hate each other." She squeezed his hands a little tighter. "It's going to be hard for him. We'll have to be really patient."

"I wouldn't blame him if he hit me."

Bellatrix smiled. "I can't wait for him to hit you, love."

Once the locator spell ended, they knew where Eirian was, and they all went looking for him. They were all surprised by how simple it was, as they had thought it would be more complicated, that Dumbledore would have Eirian very well protected. But that wasn't the case.

Upon arriving, everyone grimaced at being surrounded by Muggles. They followed the glow of the wand, which led them to a house with loud music and laughter.

From outside, they could only occasionally see Harry Potter, surrounded by a group of teenagers. They assumed they might be acquaintances or friends (none of whom were thrilled with the idea). They were thinking of waiting or coming back another time, since there was no sign of a Dementor nearby.

"Fuck, I can't even have a fucking peaceful summer!" he exclaimed.

Harry stepped outside, his brow furrowed, his hands shaking with fury. He was fed up with it all. If he was going to die, at least he was going to fight in his final moments.

Enora was pleased when he foresaw and cast Notice Me Not spells around them, so the Muggles couldn't see them. Then, gusts of wind pushed them back.

"He's doing wandless magic," Tom and Bellatrix muttered in surprise.

"Depulso!" Harry shouted. Another gust of wind pushed Lucius to the ground. Hard.

The stones on the ground rose up on their own and shot out like daggers. Phaedra quickly raised a shield, surprised.

Harry stepped outside, his brow furrowed, his hands shaking with fury. He was fed up with it all. If he was going to die, at least he was going to fight in his final moments.

Enora was pleased when he foresaw and cast Notice Me Not spells around them, so the Muggles couldn't see them. Then, gusts of wind pushed them back.

"He's doing wandless magic," Tom and Bellatrix muttered in surprise.

"Depulso!" Harry shouted. Another gust of wind pushed Lucius to the ground. Hard.

The stones on the ground rose up on their own and shot out like daggers. Phaedra quickly raised a shield, surprised. Lucius tried to get up from the ground, but was always thrown back by sudden gusts of wind. Narcissa busied herself with banishing the stones that flew toward them, or with the slashing and basic spells. Belladonna and Theodore tried to distract Eirien, while Tom and Bellatrix tried to get closer to their son. A difficult thing, because Harry's complete attention was on Tom.

"Why the hell did you decide to screw up my summer too?!" Harry shouted before casting another spell "Stupefy" 

But before anyone could answer, the air froze. A chilly breath swept through the street, frost appeared on the ground, the treetops, and a small pond nearby, and the sound of the music inside the house seemed to have died away.

A Dementor emerged from the darkness. The adults and Harry gasped as they felt their happiness drain from them.

Harry heard his mother's scream, Lily's scream from that night. He had to step back, his heart pounding.

The creature reached out with its bony hand toward him.

Suddenly, two flashes of green and silver lit up the street. Bellatrix and Tom had stepped forward, wands raised.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

From Bellatrix's wand emerged an enormous scorpion, which lunged at the Dementor. At the same time, Tom's Patronum took the form of a shimmering, sinuous snake, which wrapped the wraith in a loop of light.

The Dementor let out a shriek, then disappeared into the blackness of the night.

Silence returned.

 The snake and scorpion dissolved into silver flecks that briefly illuminated Harry's skin.

Eirios stared in bewilderment, his chest heaving. Before they could say anything, he fainted.

They all managed to cast a Cushioning Charm on the floor before Harry hit it.