Chapter Text
Chapter one
Draco Malfoy stared at the fifteen year old in front of him with a sort of horror that he usually reserved for his attempts at cooking.
He had come to Britain after the death of his parents because he knew that there was a branch of the Malfoy family here. He had never met anyone from the main branch. His parents had also been in the middle of opening up a potions shop in Britain. It seemed like a perfect time to get some distance.
He had only been in the country for three days when he decided to come and check on the potions shop in Diagon Alley. Everything seemed fine until he entered Madam Malkins to browse through the robes when he stumbled into someone taller than him.
Draco looked up to apologize only to be caught in the green eyes of someone who was terrifyingly familiar. He was looking at Harry Potter.
The boy-who-lived.
The man-who-conquered.
The savior of the wizarding world who had saved his arse from Azkaban after he had taken the dark mark and spent the entirety of their sixth year trying to kill Albus Dumbledore.
The man who had eventually become his only friend in a very lonely world post-war since Narcissa died from sickness and Lucius died in prison.
Potter who couldn’t seem to find a place to belong too once the war was over either. They ended up somehow working through their numerous issues while getting blinding drunk.
Granger and Weasley got married but Potter couldn’t let go neither could Draco.
They ended up seeing mind healers and supporting each other through their recovery. It took longer than anyone thought it would. Not that anyone really cared about any PTSD that he had after living with and watching a mad man kill in his living room for the fun of it.
Weasleys concern had been for Potter. Granger had been polite to him and he had been respectful every time they met but it was obvious they would never be friends. Granger still saw the world in black and white and Potter had been spending a lot of time looking at the grey.
Severus Snape and Regulus Black were part of the reasons. The other reason was due to the amount of memories he had received from Snape.
The man tried to shield him from most parts but he tried to show him Lily and with Lily came the marauders. The bullying antics that Potter had loathed down to his very core due to his own childhood could not be ignored or dismissed.
James Potter may have become a better man but Harry had seen more of his worst. Sirius Black had been a hypocrite. He had just been prejudiced in the opposite way by hating all things pureblood and Slytherin but it couldn’t be ignored.
Then there was Dumbledore who had raised him like a pig for slaughter.
Yes Draco was quoting Snape but the fact was that Harry had seen all these people at their best and their worst. The hard part was how understanding he had been to both sides of the story.
James Potter the rich spoiled child who didn’t respond well to jealousy who had eventually grown up.
Sirius Black in his desperate attempt to be someone better than the hatred he had known all his life.
Severus Snape only ever cared about the people who cared for him because he couldn’t afford to look out for anyone else but himself.
Some called it selfish but Harry understood.
He knew what it was like to have nothing and want more. He knew what it was like to be desperate and Tom Riddle and his death eaters had preyed on that desperation. All Snape cared about was Lily and the rest of the world could have burned.
Harry would never be as cold hearted as Snape was when it came to disregarding other human lives but he understood how Snape had ended up where he did. He never blamed him or hated him. He was thankful and hoped that the man had found peace. Forgiveness and closure were not things that he could give nor was it his to offer.
Harry hated that he couldn’t see black and white anymore but his friends still did. Draco never believed in black and white. He had to be dark and he could admit to being a prejudiced little sh*t. His only excuse had been ignorance and the fact that he never had anything to fight for.
Snape had Lily.
Regulus had done it for Kreature.
Draco had done as was expected of him even though it doomed him.
He may have regretted what he became but it was only when he had been pushed to his limits did he realize how small minded his upbringing had been. Draco could admit to his many faults. He tried to be better but there weren’t a lot of people willing to look past the dark mark. In a way he assumed that it was part of the consequences of his actions.
It took him a while to believe that he deserved a second chance.
Granger had been pestering Potter to talk about the trauma of the war after he quit the aurors. The first three years after the war Potter had thrown himself into the aurors and the rebuilding of both the ministry and Hogwarts. However once it was all over with he finally quit. It was around then that Narcissa had died leaving Draco all alone in Malfoy manor.
He ran into Potter at a muggle coffee shop of all places. They talked and they kept meeting up in the café to talk. Eventually they developed a weird friendship where they talked to each other and the other person just listened.
After everything that happened neither boy could bring themselves to judge each other anymore. Neither one could pass up the offer for someone to listen without judgment.
It wasn’t surprising to Draco that he was gay or in love with Potter. The tantrum he threw every time Potter didn’t pay him attention spoke volumes. Harry however had been surprised and struggled with his sexuality for a while. He eventually settled on bisexual and took time to wrap his head around it.
Draco didn’t begrudge him for that. He knew how close minded the muggles that Harry had grown up around had been and sometimes you needed some time to accept yourself.
Same sex couples were generally accepted amongst the magical communities so it was just Harry that needed to get his head around it.
Potters friendship with him had been met with disapproval from everyone but since Harry was finally getting help and moving on from the war they put up with him.
However becoming a couple was where they drew the line. Everyone had a bloody opinion even the Weaslette was fine with him turning completely gay as long as Harry ‘didn’t f*ck the ferret.’
Yes, that was a direct quote and Draco could still hear her shrill scream ringing in his ears.
The two of them eventually became recluses who didn’t meet anyone or talk to anyone and couldn’t be contacted unless the sky was falling or Tom Riddle crawled out of his grave.
And that was the only thing he could remember. They lived together and were together. They were plenty happy but he couldn’t figure out how he knew any of this because it was the summer of 1974.
Draco Malfoy had been born in France and he had been homeschooled. He had never been to Hogwarts and he had never met Harry Potter. He had not been through a f*cking war that was just starting.
“Draco?” questioned the boy.
His eyes widened and Potters eyes narrowed, “You look a little different. Your hair is a little darker and your eyes are a deeper shade of silver.”
His mind flashed to the memories in his head and realized that Potter was right. His hair had been white-blonde and his eyes were more blue than silver in his memories. But he also realized something else, “You’re taller, broader and you’re not wearing glasses.”
There was no scar as well but that was glaringly obvious and did not need to be said out loud. The only reason he even had the scar was due to the fact that he had been hit with the killing curse and managed to survive it.
His cheekbones were also more pronounced. It gave him a more aristocratic look and it lessened his clone like image to James Potter. He was still obviously a Potter but he didn’t look exactly like James Potter anymore either. He somehow still had green eyes.
Harry rolled his eyes, “I wasn’t starved as a child.”
Draco felt his eyes harden as he remembered Harry’s childhood, “Who are your parents?”
Harry frowned, “Charles and Dorea Potter who died a couple weeks ago in a death eater attack. I remember reading about it when I looked up the Potter family. The article said that the family of three died in the attack. I’m somehow my fathers second cousin or is it first cousin once removed?”
Draco resisted the urge to scream and ignored his question, “What did you do Potter?”
Harry stared at him wide-eyed, “Why do you think its my fault?”
“Its always your fault.” replied Draco who was actually proud of the fact that he didn’t scream that out loud and terrify the rest of the customers. ‘Potter luck’ was a thing and he still believed that Harry won the second war using sheer dumb luck.
“I didn’t do anything. At least I don’t think I did. I only remembered when you bumped into me.”
Draco sighed, “So we remembered when we met again but it still doesn’t explain how? I vaguely remember celebrating my thirtieth birthday but it feels distant. The clearest memory I have is from my early twenties.”
Harry nodded, “I can clearly remember up to my twenty-third birthday but after that everything gets blurry. By then nothing significant was really happening. We were living together and we decided to keep our distance from anyone who didn’t approve of our relationship. We even went on a world tour.”
Draco grabbed Harry and pulled him out of the robe shop. They were starting to look suspicious since they were all but whispering in each-others ears.
Honestly he didn’t know what he was supposed to say to anyone who overheard any part of their conversation. Playing with time was dangerous and so was having memories of a life that they haven’t lived.
“Who are your parents?” asked Harry as they casually walked back to the potions store that never existed in their time or other life or memories or whatever you wanted to call it.
Draco frowned, “I’m from a branch of the Malfoy family that I’m pretty sure never existed in my memories however my mother is still a Black.”
Harry shot him a horrified look, “Are we related now?”
Draco snorted, “On the paternal side no. Charles Potter was the first cousin of Fleamont Potter who is the father of James Potter. You’re currently James Potters second cousin since you both share a great-grandparent.”
Harry shoots him a look that Draco ignores, “On the maternal side we would be related distantly. Dorea Black was the daughter of Cygnus II and Violetta Black. My mother was named Lyra Black and she was the great-granddaughter of Eduardus Limette Black. Honestly I have no idea how Dorea Black and he are related but it is a far relation. It is possible that Eduardus and Cygnus I were siblings.”
Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, “Purebloods.”
Draco simply smirked at him, “If it makes you feel better Eduardus Black was disowned from his family. No one knows why but he married a pureblood witch from Italy. His descendants moved around a lot but they always married purebloods and my mother was born in France.”
Harry nodded as his mind drew up a general idea of where this line of the Black and Malfoy family originated from. The surname Black seemed to have survived two generations after being disowned from the main family until Lyra married it into a branch of the Malfoy family.
He never heard of any of these people. Then again its possible they were killed either in the war or simply existed outside of Britain and they just never knew.
That however did not explain how they remembered a life that occurred nearly twenty years into the future. Besides he knew of Charles and Dorea. Sirius told him that the family had died while James was still in school. It was also the reason he wanted to join the aurors and help in the war.
Draco couldn’t help but add, “Your mother was the aunt of Walburga Black. Does that make you her uncle? I think it does.”
Harry shot him a look between horror and confusion and Draco decided to have mercy on him. Pureblood lines were confusing. The Blacks was another story all together. Their lines were almost impossible to keep track off even though he had been drilled from birth.
“Are you emancipated?” asked Draco and Harry nodded, “Me too.”
Harry couldn’t help but be glad that he wasn’t put under the guardianship of his closest living relative.
That would put him in the same house with a teenage James and he was not mentally prepared to go there yet. He had also been homeschooled. He was going to go to Hogwarts this year to take his OWLs but he was suddenly thinking against it. He couldn’t go back there with everything that was in his head.
Draco looked more than a little overwhelmed as well. Harry was about to ask if he wanted some time apart to go through his memories properly. They could always meet up again later when the door to the potions shop opened.
Harry and Draco stared in horror as a gangly, skinny boy with too long and oily hair excitedly hummed as he looked through the shelves of potion ingredients. He was muttering to himself while making notes in a ratty old notebook. Harry could feel his nails bite into his skin as he stared at the boy.
Harry wanted to run away before he did anything drastic. He and Draco hadn’t even spoken about what they were going to do about what they knew about the war. He wasn’t sure where to even start especially since interfering with time was something everyone told him not to do.
What if he tried changing something and everything exploded?
Harry didn’t know what to do. He was pretty sure he had frozen solid.
His mind was blank and he was pretty sure if he opened his mouth something stupid would come out like, ‘please don’t die in the shrieking shack via giant snake and give me memories that change my world view’ or ‘don’t join the death eaters’ or something else stupid.
“Would you be interested in a summer job?”
Harry felt his neck snap towards Draco and stared at him in shock. He also noticed that Draco’s eyes had also widened just slightly which meant that he was also surprised by what he had said as well.
Fourteen year old Severus Snape turned towards the voice that didn’t sound much older than him in shock. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the taller boy. He looked a lot like Potter but he was obviously not James Potter. This guy was bigger, taller and he had green eyes.
The other boy looked like Lucius Malfoy, the older student who had taken him under his wing and ensured that he wasn’t eaten alive in Slytherin.
“What?”
The blonde tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace, “You know seem to know a lot about potions. I have a potions master who will come in later today to do the brewing. He’ll be in charge of the shop but we need at least one more person.”
Snape’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, “Why do you need another person?”
Draco tried not to smile at the suspicious boy, “I have a contract with St. Mungo’s. We provide them with some more volatile potions that cannot be transported via magic. The shop cannot be left unattended and Potions Master Afton is getting on in his age. He needs help around the shop and probably during brewing. However how much you can help him brew depends on your ability which he will assess. Basically we just need an extra pair of hands.”
“Why me?”
Draco gave him a bored look, “If you don’t take the job I’ll have to do it. I just got here from France. I don’t know anyone and you’re the only person who entered the shop who knows whats on the shelves. From the muttering it looks like you actually like potions so yes or no?”
It was obvious that Snape wanted to say yes but he was worried about something. It didn’t take long for a pale woman, wearing a tattered dress to enter the shop. Harry couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked so fragile, like a breeze would be enough to topple her over but her eyes were different.
Snape had her eyes and they were just as hard and cold as his had been as an adult.
This woman wasn’t as fragile as she looked. Harry knew from the memories that Snape had given him that she would get so much worse. She would become gaunt, her eyes would sink into her skull, her hair would turn brittle and she wouldn’t even be able to leave her bed.
Snape had given him so many memories that he later realized that they were broken and fragmented. He had given him everything even glimpses of things that he didn’t want anyone to know.
“You must be his mother. I offered your son a summer job in this shop.”
Eileen looked at him startled, “You’re a Malfoy?”
Draco shook her hand, “Yes ma’am but I’m not part of the main line. I was born in France. I’m Lucius Malfoy’s third or fourth cousin.”
“Eileen Snape and my son Severus Snape.”
Draco gave her the same story that he gave Severus. Eileen looked worried about something even though he could tell that she also wanted Severus to take the job.
“He could stay with Master Afton and go home whenever he has a couple days off. It isn’t easy to get to Diagon Alley daily if you live in the muggle world. There is a floo connection if you have a floo.” Said Harry startling everyone in the room.
Eileen looked pained for a moment then turned to her son and caressed his cheek, “I think you should take the job. It’s a good opportunity.”
Severus looked at his mother in shock, “Mother.”
Eileen shook her head, “If you are able to impress Potions Master Afton then he may take you as an apprentice. You don’t get to meet potion masters easily Severus and you may never get a chance like this again. If you don’t take this chance now you will end up owing someone something.”
“What about you?” he questioned and Eileen looked pained.
She turned to Draco and said, “Can we come back in an hour with a decision? I need to speak to my son privately.”
Draco opened the break room and gestured for them to go inside.
He called for his house elf Mippy to bring them some tea and sandwiches. He had to offer refreshments, “You two can talk in here. Harry and I will stay out here. There’s a silencing charm on the door so we won’t intrude.”
Eileen looked flustered as she ushered her son into the break room and once the door closed she could feel the privacy charms activate. She stared at her son for a while longer and wished that things had been different. In a different world if she hadn’t been so selfish maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
She and Tobias had once been happy but the fact was that she lied to him. Severus was caught in the middle and she didn’t like how the life she had chosen was destroying her son.
If there were no other choice she would keep her mouth shut and not say a thing but he had an opportunity now. As slim and small as it might be she couldn’t let it slip away. He was old enough to know the truth and she was never very brave. If there had been no reason she probably would never have told him the truth.
“I left the magical world by choice Severus.”
Severus’s head snapped towards his mother in shock when he heard that. She never spoke of why she left the magical world but he did know that she had been disowned. He thought it was because she had fallen pregnant with him but he couldn’t be sure. The time line didn’t fit right.
Eileen sighed, “The Prince family leaned neutral dark. They had an affinity for spell-crafting and potions. When I was born my father had so many expectations of me. I was expected to be a beautiful, powerful witch who would marry someone powerful and continue the family lines. I was expected to stand with the other pureblood elites but I couldn’t live up to my title as the Prince heiress.”
She said it with so much bitterness that Severus was reminded of how he thought of his muggle father.
He flinched at the thought but Eileen just continued, “I wasn’t pretty like the other pureblood girls but the worst part was that I wasn’t magically powerful. Severus I was intelligent enough with the theory but even my ability to brew potions was lacking because I didn’t have enough magic to brew the more complicated potions.”
Eileen clutched her broken wand and chuckled dryly, “The last straw was my OWL year. I didn’t have the magic to cast a shield or a curse. I couldn’t brew the OWL level potions even though I knew the theory perfectly. I was barely a level above a squib.”
Severus itched to wipe away her tears as she continued, “I couldn’t stand the humiliation even though it was kept quiet by my father. The other purebloods knew Severus and no one wanted to marry me. They were all afraid that my child would be magically weak.”
Severus stared at his mother in horror as he drew the parallels between their lives. The only difference was that his magic made him odd to the muggle children.
Eileen’s lack of magic made her an outcast to the station she was born to hold. She was bitter about being born with such weak magic.
If she had been a squib she would have quietly been left in the muggle world. She would never have known the bitterness of not being good enough in a place where she should have excelled.
In her case the money didn’t change a damn thing. She had been miserable in the magical world because she kept failing to do magic that even children were capable of doing.
“I left on my own and found a job in the muggle world. I met your father and I pretended like I didn’t have magic. I didn’t want to be a witch Severus especially since I was such a poor excuse for one.”
Eileen clutched his hands and stressed that point to her son, “When I found out I was pregnant I honestly believed that you would be a squib. My magic was so weak but then your accidental magic started young and I realized it was because of your muggle fathers blood that you were so powerful.”
Severus blanched but Eileen wouldn’t let him speak, “The Prince family wasn’t as inbred as the Blacks but we were pretty close. My own parents were related before the marriage. There were rumors that adding fresh blood to the old lines would create powerful half-bloods.”
Eileen snorted at that, “Not many purebloods believed it and I was included in that. My prejudices were hard to shake but I willingly abandoned most of it. I hoped you would be a squib. You would live a normal muggle life and we would have nothing more to do with the magical world.”
Severus didn’t know what to say at first so he said nothing. There was silence for a few minutes while Eileen nibbled on the sandwiches and drank some tea. Severus could see the longing that his mother held for the muggle world and that normal life with her normal husband. A life where she finally fit in.
“The magical world only ever brought me broken dreams and unreachable goals. Nothing I did was good enough so eventually I chose to flee.”
Severus flinched as he thought of how he wanted to flee from his own muggle home towards the magical world. Bloody hell the parallels of their lives weren’t lost on him.
“Once I left my parents disowned me. I was happy when your father broke my wand. The bloody thing never did much for me. My magic was too weak. I could barely put up a few charms. I didn’t fit in here and you do not belong in the muggle world. Your magic is too powerful and your mind too intelligent.”
Severus stared at his mother sadly for the first time understanding why she stayed with him. The fact was that Tobias only hurt her when she got in between the two of them.
It was Severus that Tobias hated. The son that was nothing like him and didn’t fit in. He was the son that was supposed to have been his legacy but belonged to a world that would never be open to him.
It was Severus who wasn’t safe and Eileen while she may not be happy she wasn’t in any danger. Severus wasn’t either. It was rare for Tobias to beat him but the yelling, fighting and lack of money equaled to a lack of food. It was a generally depressing house filled with miserable people.
If Severus wasn’t in the house his mother would probably have more to eat. She often gave him her food. Tobias drank as much of the money as he could however he tried to keep Eileen from starving.
His resentment towards his wife never truly left but he once cared about her. Tobias hated his son and hated seeing him. Severus returned the sentiment.
Whenever Severus was around Tobias couldn’t pretend that Eileen never lied to him. His mother tried but she was torn between them especially since she wanted to stay within the muggle world. His mother resented the magical world as much as he resented his muggle blood.
The bruises were few and far in between but it happened. Eileen had no-where else to go but Severus had the opportunity to stay away and earn some galleons. He hoped it would be enough to buy new robes or at least second hand robes. The ones he was using belonged to his mother and they were already too short.
In the end Severus agreed to stay and work in the potions shop for the rest of the summer.
Technically it was the first day of summer. His mum had flooed to the train station to pick him up and they stopped in Knockturn Alley so she could sell a batch of potions. She could make the easy potions and when she got the chance she would sell them for a couple of extra coins.
Eileen had managed to put a notice-me-not charm on the fireplace so they could use the floo. The powder was expensive so they only used it when they absolutely had too. He would go back and visit his mother whenever he got a day off.
Eileen told him to send a letter the day before he flooed home. She would ensure that Tobias wouldn’t be there to start a fight.
He would write a letter to Lily telling her about his good luck and decided to brush up on his potions knowledge. If he was able to impress Potion Master Afton then he might be able to secure an apprenticeship without using the Malfoy family resources and owing Lucius his soul.
Once the door to the break room closed Draco immediately face-palmed, “Did I just do that?”
Harry sat down and sighed, “I helped. I may never like him but I respected the hell out of him. It isn’t easy to try and right your wrongs. At the very least he accepted the consequences of his actions.”
Draco frowned, “Did you ever forgive him? You told me that he was the one who told the prophecy to him in the first place. He didn’t even try to save you or your father.”
Harry sighed, “I don’t blame him for that. It may have been a choice that I wouldn’t have made but I hated the fact that I understood him. He was selfish and he only cared about my mother because she was the only person who ever cared for him. The rest of the world could burn for all he cared and he let it. He hated my father and he hated what I represented but it was never my place to forgive him.”
Draco raised an eyebrow as Harry continued, “He wasn’t a nice man or a kind one but he was honorable. His loyalty once earned was to his dying breath. The only person who was kind to him for the sake of kindness was my mother. He hurt her and he wanted her forgiveness. He accepted the consequences of his actions and did his best to redeem himself. It never mattered what I felt for him.”
Draco sighed, “He was good to me in his own way. He tried but he didn’t know how to help. He wanted me to be better as well. I just didn’t see it. He was my godfather.”
Harry groaned, “What are we doing?”
Draco didn’t say anything for a while but eventually he asked, “Don’t you think its strange how isolated we were until now?”
Harry frowned, “What do you mean?”
Draco counted off points on his fingers, “Both our parents died within weeks of each other. We were both home-schooled. We both spent majority of our lives outside magical Britain but still had contact with mostly British people.”
Harry nodded, “You were born in France. Why don’t you have an accent?”
Draco raised an eyebrow, “I went to muggle primary school here in Britain. My parents had a manor here with an open floo connection to the manor in France. I was schooled in Britain with tutors from Britain. I didn’t have any magical friends.”
Harry bit his lip, “Charles and Dorea had an open floo connection between houses in America and here. I went to muggle primary school and then had tutors. All my schooling was done in Britain but my parents refused my invitation to Hogwarts. I didn’t even meet James not even as children. I’m pretty sure Fleamont never knew when my father was in the country.”
Draco checked to make sure Eileen and Severus were still in the break room before he spoke, “Don’t you think its too perfect? Our last names, our looks even our bloodlines cannot be denied. We have a perfect identity of people that I am absolutely sure did not exist.”
Harry nodded, “Its like these identities were set up for Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy to just step into and meddle with time and change the outcome of the war.”
Draco pulled at his hair as he said, “Do you feel attached to the memory of Charles and Dorea?”
Harry shook his head, “It doesn’t feel real. The memories of the other life feel more real. I know things about them but its like I read a book or something.”
Draco nodded, “There’s also the fact that no one in Britain knows much about Charles and Dorea as parents. They left Britain as soon as they got married and no one knows anything about their child. No one even knows my parents names.”
Before Harry could ask Draco was already talking, “Lyra Malfoy nee Black never met anyone from Britain and my fathers name was Hyperion Malfoy. His father before him was named Armand Malfoy who was the brother of Septimus Malfoy.”
Harry rubbed his temples, “How are these people related?”
“Abraxas and Hyperion were first cousins. Lucius and I are second cousins. No one knew of my parents. I don’t even remember them having close friends.”
“There’s no one who can say that we’re lying about any part of our pasts. That does seem strange.”
Draco hummed in agreement with Harry. It all fit in so neatly that it was like someone was just waiting for them to meet up again and remember their other life.
“We have a pile of galleons, information on the war and a fourteen year old spy in the break room. What do we do now?”
Harry scratched his head as he thought about it and honestly he came up blank, “Its too early to do anything yet. I don’t even know how many horcruxes he’s made yet. I know that he made the diary at sixteen and gave it to Abraxas Malfoy to safe guard but I don’t know when he did that.”
Draco didn’t know anything about the diary and he had never been allowed into Lucius’s study. He just continued to listen to Harry.
“He put the diadem in Hogwarts when he applied for the position so that should be in Hogwarts. I think the ring should be hidden in the Gaunt shack. Dumbledore thought he made that one a couple years after he killed his father.”
Harry checked the door again, “I don’t know about the cup or when Bellatrix gets it. I think the locket was only made just before Regulus died in 1979. I was an accidental horcrux made in 1981 and the snake was only made after his resurrection.”
Draco grimaced, “I still can’t believe he made so many. We need to get the diadem and keep it somewhere safe and check on the ring. I’ll try and get into Malfoy manor to get the book but we may have to think a little more on that since I’m not a direct descendant. We may need a spy.”
They both turned to the door and frowned. He was just a kid. Bloody hell, Snape was only going to be a fourth year in September. That was a whole year before his friendship with Lily imploded. Harry rubbed his temples and Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting too complicated.
“Lets call it a day. We go home and process. Think about what we want to do and we’ll meet up in two days at the Leaky.” Said Harry.
Draco shook his head, “The leaky is too public for this conversation Potter. Floo over to my home and we’ll have lunch. We won’t have to worry about being overheard by anyone.”
Harry had already placed his hand over Draco’s. He had the annoying habit of drumming his fingers against something every time he got nervous or worried. The sound always distracted him and he ended up holding onto Draco anchoring him to the world before he got lost in his own head.
Eileen cleared her throat and the two boys jumped apart. Draco flushed to the tips of his ears and Harry couldn’t help but duck his head as well.
Eileen smiled at them gently and it made her look years younger. There was something wistful in her eyes as she watched them before saying, “Severus has decided on taking the job. Is the option of him staying still open?”
Draco nodded quickly and ushered the boy upstairs, “You’ll be taking the guest room but you’ll have your own bathroom and toilet. Mippy will prepare three meals a day and its up to you to keep your room clean. Your weekly wage is twenty five galleons.”
Draco made up that number on the spot because he hadn’t even thought of getting the old Potions Master an extra helping hand. He had initially wanted him to make those choices by himself since he would be working with these people on a daily basis.
Severus had gaped at him so Draco thought that he was over paying a fourteen year old so he scrambled for an excuse, “You’ll be doing a lot of walking up and down. St. Mungo’s is a thirty minute walk from here and you’ll be doing the delivery every three days. The boxes won’t be light either and you can’t use magic on them.”
Severus stopped gaping and flushed, “Twenty five galleons for walking up and down for an hour while carrying some boxes?”
Draco nodded, “You may think its easy now but due to the political climate in Britain aurors have been getting hurt with some nasty curses. We may receive emergency requests for complicated and volatile potions. You’ll have to run them to the hospital sometimes during the night. If we use wand magic on it or elf magic it leaves residue it will interfere with the quality.”
Severus rolled his eyes and Draco knew it was because he already knew that so he just continued, “You’ll also have chores in the store and depending on your ability you may end up brewing. It’s a fair wage considering the potential danger.”
Severus remembered that Draco said he might end up running through Diagon Alley in the night and realized that he was probably right about the potential danger. He took out his school trunk and put away his meager possessions while waiting for the potions master to arrive.
Draco left him to put away his possessions and went downstairs to wait for Potions Master Afton. He also went to find a headache reliever because his head was pounding.
Chapter two
Potions Master Afton was a tall, thin man with kind brown eyes and grey hair. His hair was cut short, his nails were neatly trimmed and he dressed very neatly. He had plenty of laugh lines on his face and he stared at Severus Snape without pity.
He didn’t look at him in disgust or horror but rather he looked like someone who didn’t have any sort of impression of the younger boy.
“Where would I find a bezoar?” asked Afton.
Severus looked startled and replied, “In the stomach of a goat.”
Afton started with the most basic questions that would have been covered in first year then steadily made his way through second year. He asked questions on not only the ingredients but on the brewing process and questioned Severus on changes that he would have made to the brewing process.
It took them two hours to cover all materials from first and second year.
Afton then gestured for Severus to sit down and poured them a cup of tea. Severus felt like he just passed the first stage of a test.
He moved onwards throughout third year potions and then touched upon fourth year potions. Once he realized that Snape still wasn’t being challenged he gestured for Mippy to serve them lunch and continued to increase the level of difficulty of his questions.
They spoke until it was dark and Draco eventually gave up waiting for them to finish and went home.
He had his own things to deal with and it seemed like Afton was already impressed with Severus. He had meddled in the boys life enough now he needed to deal with everything that was going on in his own head. The war was approaching and Harry Potter was a trip, journey and experience all on his own.
Severus only began faltering towards the end of the seventh year curriculum.
“We’ll test your brewing abilities in the morning. Get some sleep lad.”
The next morning Severus brewed for several hours until Afton had come to a decision.
“How old are you?” asked Afton.
Severus fidgeted nervously, “Fourteen. I’ll be fifteen in January.”
Afton nodded, “Next week I’ll organize your OWL in potions at the ministry. Within the month you’ll sit for your NEWT and then we’ll sign the apprenticeship agreement. We’ll discuss terms after your NEWT.”
Snape’s jaw dropped, “Really?”
Afton nodded, “Apprentices can be chosen once one turns thirteen but you have to sit for your OWL and NEWT in the subject first. Your knowledge is already on the seventh year level. We just need to polish it and you’ll be ready. I don’t see the point in waiting especially since you must be bored to tears in your potions class. You’re already experimenting. Genius like that shouldn’t be limited.”
Severus was sure that he was dreaming. He never got acknowledged for his intelligence by anyone not even his professors. He wrote a letter to Lily telling her everything that was happening unable to believe that he was actually able to secure an apprenticeship.
In the month that Severus lived with Afton he had come to realize that the man didn’t talk much about his personal life but he was a good teacher.
He offered all the materials that he needed to study and he answered any questions that he had. Afton allowed Severus to watch him brew and brewed beside him many times. He even looked through his old potions book and tested out his many corrections.
Severus sat for both his OWL and NEWT within the month. He was confident that he had managed to score and O in both tests. Due to the fact that he done the tests over the summer at the ministry he had gotten his results within the week and he was able to sign the apprenticeship contract.
Severus was sure that Malfoy money had been passed around through various channels so that his tests were graded faster. Draco didn’t like delays which meant that he had probably fast tracked everything.
Afton allowed him to keep any discoveries that he made during the apprenticeship. Honestly the only thing the man got out of the contract was someone to help him brew and run errands for him. The contract heavily favored Severus.
When Severus questioned him Afton laughed, “I only take an apprentice who has potential to be a better potions master than I. I chose this profession because of Draco’s grandfather. He found me when I was young child without a knut to my name and nearly dead from starvation. I don’t know what happened to my parents but I had magic and he took pity on me.”
Severus stared at the potions master wide eyed as he told him of the past, “He fed me, clothed me and sent me to school. I had nothing to pay him back with but I knew that he would need a potions master since he wanted to open up potion shops. I became a master but I was unable to do the one thing that makes potions masters so famous. I couldn’t invent potions.”
Severus spluttered, “I thought you needed to create a new potion to become a master.”
Afton shook his head, “Times were different back then. I could tweak potions and brew the hardest, most complicated potions but I could never invent a potion completely my own. I never minded honestly. I only wanted to repay the Malfoy family for saving my life.”
Afton gave Severus a sad smile, “I became a competent capable brewer which was needed in a potions shop. I took on an apprentice nearly forty years ago near Russia. I don’t know what became of her but she was better than I was. She was the only one until I found you.”
They didn’t say anything for a while until Afton spoke again, “I see myself in you as well Severus. However you have something that I never did. You have talent and potential. I was a rather average wizard who got lucky. I worked hard to memorize all the theories and spent many hours learning how to brew to perfection but I did not have the same instinct that you have.”
Once the contract was signed Afton took Severus to see a healer.
The boy had refused but Afton put his foot down, “You may never have someone who cared before but as your master your health is my responsibility. Until you have completed your mastery I am your guardian. Your mother has already given her blessing. I wrote to her yesterday.”
Afton had the healer fix his teeth and his nose. The reason for hooked appearance was because it had broken and healed wrong. Afton also had the healer shrink his nose to fit his face better just so that he could get rid of some of the teasing. He already knew about the bullying through Draco.
He had no idea why Draco Malfoy had taken an interest in the poor teenager but Afton couldn’t help but draw the parallels between him and Severus.
Armand Malfoy had basically picked him out of the gutter and given him an opportunity at a better life. He had chosen his mastery so that he could repay the Malfoy family for what they had done for him.
Afton had spent his life traveling the world and brewing in whichever new continent one of the Malfoy’s decided to open a new shop in. He had seen a blood war and he had survived it. The boy was filled with anger and darkness but it had not consumed him.
All he needed was a bit of guidance the same type of guidance that Armand had once given him.
Severus was also malnourished but that was nothing some nutrient potions couldn’t fix when paired with a healthy diet and some exercise. The hair however had to go. Severus liked to hide behind it and that was doing nothing for his non-existent self-esteem.
Afton did not allow brewers to have long hair in his potions lab. The fumes were bad for hair but if your hair fell into your eyes or the potion it could cause an accident. It sounded silly but he knew many females whose long hair fell into their eyes and they measured ingredients wrong causing explosions.
Severus knew that Afton had a point and could do nothing when his oily, lanky hair had been cut short. When he looked in the mirror he actually felt better. His teeth weren’t uneven and yellow. His nose didn’t take up his entire face either and you could see his eyes.
Severus had liked his eyes once however once the hook in his nose had grown more and more pronounced he had forgotten about his good features. His lips were still thin and he was still pale but he looked rather normal now. His features were rather plain but he wasn’t ugly.
He had been writing letters to Lily all through the month however her latest letter had mentioned his roommates. Lily was calling them evil creeps and Severus couldn’t help but ball the paper and toss it into the fire place. She had ignored his concerns about the marauders.
Afton raised an eyebrow at the typical teenage response and smothered a laugh. The boy had often displayed maturity beyond his actual age so to see him respond like a teen was refreshing.
“Something wrong?” questioned Afton and Severus shrugged, “Lily keeps going on and on about my friends but keeps defending Potter and Black.”
Afton watched him grumble for a while and eventually asked, “Does she have a point?”
Severus didn’t answer and instead frowned, “They’re my roommates. I can’t sleep in an abandoned classroom. They’ve never hurt anyone any worse than Potter and Black.”
“Severus have you and Lily ever talked about your issues without it ending in a fight?”
Severus wanted to say yes but the truth was that every time they tried talking they ended up fighting. Severus kept defending his roommates while Lily kept defending her housemates. They tried not to talk about it because they didn’t like to fight which meant that they slowly stopped meeting as much as they used too. It was too tiring.
Afton looked out the window and sighed, “I lived through the war with Grindelwald. I lived in Russia around that time and I was there when he was recruiting. I know when a Dark Lord is rising and there is going to be a blood war.”
Severus stared at Afton wide eyed, “Slytherins are ripe for the picking. It’s the house that puts the most emphasis on blood purity. I watched the world burn and I will tell you this it brought nothing but pain. There was no crown or glory just death and blood and violence. They say they’re doing it for the magical world to keep those of magical blood safe but I know the truth.”
Severus watched the old man and couldn’t help but whisper, “What is the truth?”
“Its just an excuse so that they can indulge in the darkest parts of themselves. There is no pureblood paradise just a bunch of idiots mixing with magic they don’t understand and using it on people different from them. Your friend is afraid for you. It sounds to me like she’s trying to keep you away from them because she doesn’t want you to go down a path that she cannot follow.”
“I would never hurt Lily.”
Afton sighed, “Actions have consequences. How many times have you both fought and said hurtful things to each other?”
“A lot lately.” He replied and Afton nodded, “What happens when you say something you cannot take back?”
Severus stared at him wide eyed as if he never thought it could happen, “You can only fight over the same thing for so long Severus. Eventually she will demand you make a choice and if in that moment when you’re pushed back against a wall you may snap at her. My question is what will you do if she cannot forgive you? When she gets tired of fighting for you and leaves you alone?”
Severus started biting on his lip nervously.
He didn’t have an answer and Afton continued, “From what you have said she is the only person who ever believed that you would be capable of being something more than the spinners end brat so what happens if you don’t have her in your life? Is what they’re offering worth more than the only friend who ever cared about you?”
Severus thought about it and realized that they offered him exactly what he already has. Afton was a potions master and if he worked hard by the time he graduated he would be the youngest potions master ever. He could go into the medical field or research or do anything he wanted because he had the qualification for it.
Severus mulled it over for a while until he finally said, “I still think that she doesn’t have the right to dismiss my concerns over those bullies.”
“Try asking her to write down her concerns without using the words ‘evil’ or ‘dark’ or ‘prank’ so that you can try and understand her point. Write to her saying that you want to understand where she’s coming from but only if she is willing to listen to you as well.”
Severus couldn’t help but mutter, “She doesn’t listen.”
Afton shook his head, “Sounds to me like you’re both talking at each other instead of to each other. In a letter as hard as it will be you have no choice but to listen and think about her opinion. It will also give you time to think about her points without fighting or snapping at her. Once you both have had your say then you can meet up and go from there.”
Afton stood up and looked at him, “At the end of this exercise you both will see eye to eye or you will realize that you have grown up and grown apart. However if its worth fighting for then you will reach some sort of understanding with her.”
Afton also gave Severus a book on occlumency.
Severus gave him a look of surprise and Afton laughed, “I was schooled in Durmstrang. I was also a prisoner in the blood war. Occlumency was the reason I survived and managed my trauma. However it does wonders for temper control.”
Severus stared at him in shock and Afton answered his unasked question, “I made a mistake and I bore the consequences of that mistake. I witnessed many horrors and I was tortured for a bit.”
Afton didn’t say anything for a while before he continued, “I wasn’t captured long so I was one of the lucky ones. The hit-wizards raided the camp I was kept in within two weeks. I saw many wizards who believed in blood purity and dark arts and I watched as they lost themselves to it.”
“What did they look like?” questioned Severus.
“They were broken, hollow shells Severus. The only thing that brought them any joy was pain and death. Those that walk the path of a Dark Lord will never find love or peace because Dark Lords do not seek peace or sanctuary. They seek a throne that they are willing to build on the blood of the innocent and the people that had sworn to serve. Everyone is expendable in their eyes Severus. Everyone.”
Severus woke up one morning and found that next to Afton’s potions lab there was a muggle gym. He had a punching bag hung up and a simple exercise bar. The old man had taken off his shirt and he was slowly punching the bag. Severus stared at the tattoo that he tried to use to cover the scars on his back.
He was heavily scarred by what he thought was a burn. It was probably made by dark magic but over the burn was the picture of two hands clasped in prayer. There was a rosary hanging from the wrists of the hands and the words ‘Only God can judge me’ tattooed across his shoulder blades.
Afton gestured for Severus to join him and showed him how to punch the bag, “While I was in Russia I was approached by Grindelwalds men. They needed a potions master to brew for them and I had struck up a friendship with a girl from the village. Her name was Annika and she was a muggle.”
Severus punched the bag a few times, “Did you love her?”
Afton smiled, “I did but we could not be together. When I met her she had already taken her vows in the monastery. She was a nun and I was too late. She had chosen her path and I respected it. We were friends but then Grindelwalds men came for me. They made me brew for them in exchange they promised not to hurt her.”
The old man looked very tired in that moment, “I should not have made the deal with them. A few of them were injured and I naively thought they would leave once they were healed. The reapers decided to raid the town to rid themselves of any evidence of their stay in the muggle world.”
Afton was lost in his memory of that raid, “I awoke to fire and destruction. They set fire to the church and Annika ran inside it to save the children. She burned to death and I refused to go with them. I became valuable due to my mastery. They took me prisoner when I refused to obey.”
Severus frowned, “The deal was made to protect her. How was that wrong?”
Afton looked at him sadly, “Because I only sought her protection. I did not care about the church or the children she cared for or anyone else that she loved. My protection would have put her in a cage while the rest of the world burned around her. If she knew what I did I doubt she would ever forgive me.”
Severus thought of Lily for a moment and he thought of the promises of the Dark Lord. He was told that the Dark Lord would reward him but if he did not live up to his expectations then would he kill him? Would he use his love for Lily against him? Would Lily be able to stand by him when he was marked?
Afton continued, “While I did not care for anyone else but her she was a woman of compassion and kindness. She devoted her life to God. For some stupid reason I thought that she would stand back and save herself even if it meant the deaths of others. I forgot that she was not as selfish as I was.”
Afton showed him to use the exercise bar for pull ups then said, “I was a coward Severus. I didn’t want to fight in the war. I told you I was never anything exceptional but Annika was the only friend I ever had that didn’t expect anything from me. In exchange for a feeble promise I helped them and they killed her. I don’t think she knew what I did but I do know that she would have hated me.”
Severus couldn’t help but think of Lily. Her beautiful fiery hair and green eyes that hardened every time she heard the word ‘mudblood’ and he knew that Afton was right. Lily fought for the underdog. She fought for him, for Petunia and for herself. She wasn’t a doll or a toy that he could keep by his side.
She was her own person with her own thoughts and opinions. She wanted to join the fight in the war. She wanted to prove that her blood didn’t change her ability to do magic. She belonged in this world just as much as the purebloods did and she didn’t care if it put her in danger.
He couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘Was this the only type of love he was capable of?’
He thought of his father who had broken down his mother and kept her in his muggle home without any friends or family to depend on. His mother wanted to be kept in that cage but was it healthy?
‘It isn’t.’ he realized. That type of love was obsessive. It was the type of love where you turned your partner into a doll that did whatever you wanted and never fought back. Severus fought the rising bile in his stomach as he thought of Lily.
She would never forgive him. She wouldn’t want to hide behind someone but instead needed someone who would walk together with her side by side.
Afton put a hand on his shoulder, “Take a break lad but you’re welcome to come down here whenever you’re feeling stressed. Exercise calms the mind. How’s you occlumency going?”
Severus and Afton spent their time talking and working on mind magic and potions.
Draco and Harry actually had to deal with the information that they had locked up in their heads.
Two days after meeting Severus Snape in Diagon Alley Harry flooed to Draco’s apartment for a long overdue conversation. The two teens stared at each other for a moment not really knowing where to start. Draco’s hands itched to bury himself in Harry’s arms but they weren’t dating. Were they?
Harry however could read the indecision in Draco’s eyes and decided that for now they would take things slowly. They couldn’t just pick things up from where they left off. Even after two days of going through memories and settling his mind he still wasn’t sure how this was possible.
Harry sat down and Draco immediately called for an elf to pour tear, “What do you want to do?”
Draco raised an eyebrow, “You’re asking me?”
Harry shrugged, “I know that I won’t be able to walk away from this war. I was able to do better with my ‘people saving thing’ as I got older but Tom Riddle and I cannot exist at the same time. He killed my parents and I cannot just leave him to wreak havoc though Britain not when I know how it ends.”
“You think I’ll walk away?”
Harry shrugged, “You were a death eater. You hated what you became but you don’t have to fight. You never really wanted to fight.”
Draco frowned, “I want to say that leaving didn’t cross my mind but it did. I’m not as brave as you and I’m not as inherently good as you are. However there are people here that I cannot abandon. Severus, Narcissa even Regulus who I never knew but I want to save him. They were my family and I know what he does to them. Narcissa loved Regulus and she mourned him for years.”
Harry shook his head and caressed his cheek, “You are brave. Not everyone is meant to be fighting on the front line. You don’t have to do that to help.”
Draco chuckled, “Do you have a plan?”
Harry grimaced, “I do but I doubt you’re going to like it.”
Harry was right because Draco didn’t like his plan. They didn’t have a spy and they needed information. Harry wanted to go hunt horcruxes or at least check on them and knock out a few chess pieces before anyone knows whats happening.
In other words Harry was planning on killing Walburga, Druella and Cygnus Black. He was also thinking of killing Lucius Malfoy.
“Why are you targeting them?” cried Draco.
Harry sighed, “Walburga was the one who drove Sirius out of the house. Once he was gone they pressured Regulus into taking the mark and we all know where that led him. The three of them are the main supporters of Tom. They pressured their children into following him.”
Draco frowned, “The head of the Black family is still Sirius Black’s grandfather Arcturus Black. Sirius was never officially disowned but Arcturus never interfered in the war either. Walburga gave away large amounts of gold to his cause until Regulus died. Without the Walburga Riddle loses a lot of power.”
Harry nodded, “Narcissa is in her seventh year this year and her wedding isn’t until next year. I don’t know what to do. I could kill him and leave Narcissa to choose a different husband but her parents are bigots. She’ll end up with another death eater.”
Draco sighed, “So that’s your reason for getting rid of Cygnus and Druella.”
Harry nodded, “With Lucius dead the Malfoy family fortune will fall to you and you have already decided not to fund him. That removes the Malfoys and the Blacks from his grasp.”
Draco just nodded, “Kill Lucius. Abraxas died from dragon pox a couple months ago. Lucius is the last of the main line. Lucius will never change and he has been marked for years by now. The Lestrange fortune is also one of the biggest fortunes Riddle has at his disposal. The Blacks, Malfoys and Lestranges basically funded the first war.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know how to get that fortune out of his hands without killing the Lestrange brothers. As much as I might want to do that they’re not easy targets.”
Draco shook his head, “That won’t work. The Lestrange fortune will have protections put into place so that if the main line is wiped out it will fall into the hands of someone else who has the mark. They probably willed everything to Riddle himself.”
Harry frowned while Draco nibbled on his lip for a while, “There is however the heir clause.”
Harry stared at him, “The what now?”
“Its used mostly by dark families who have a tendency to steal from their heirs. The Lestrange family is one of the families that enact this type of protection. The Lord to the house of Lestrange only has access to 30% of the family fortune if the heir to the family is under the age of seventeen. The rest of the family fortune is held in trust in the name of the heir so that the Lord cannot gamble or lose it all.”
Harry stared at him, “What the hell kind of protection is that?”
Draco gave him a bored book, “The kind used on families that kill their own children if they don’t live up to expectations. It wasn’t uncommon for some children to be skipped in the line of succession. Take for example the Black family.”
Harry leaned forward as Draco started to explain, “Arcturus skipped his son and named Sirius Black as heir to the family with Regulus being next in line. Orion Black still has full access to the family vaults but he cannot disown anyone he likes and he cannot sign marriage contracts. He can however squander the Black family fortune and leave nothing for Sirius or Regulus to inherit. The heir clause stops this from happening.”
Harry finally understood, “Once Sirius was born 70% of the Black family fortune was locked away. Only when he reached seventeen would he be able to access it and not even the Lord of the family could undo that so no one could squander his inheritance.”
Draco nodded, “The Blacks don’t use the heir clause but if they did that was how it would work. The Lestrange family on the other hand does use this clause. Bellatrix and Rodolphus never conceived a child. The line died with the Lestrange brothers in prison and while I don’t pity them I do believe that if there was a child we would be able to cut off most of his gold.”
Harry winced, “Bellatrix and Rodolphus as parents?”
Draco frowned, “Bellatrix would leave the child as soon as it left her body. As long as someone sane raised the child I don’t see why the kid wouldn’t be as sane as I am.”
Harry shook his head, “Lets just put a pin in that idea for now. I have no idea how to convince the Lestranges to conceive a child nor do I want to think about it. We are in agreement that we need to get rid of Walburga, Druella, Cygnus and Lucius?”
Draco nodded, “Although I am surprised that you’re willing to kill them. What happened to the golden boy? Death to these people is the safest option to take them out. I don’t have a problem with any of these people dying but you’re the one who will have to deal the killing blow.”
Harry stood up and looked out the window, “Dumbledore fought this war and he failed Draco. The Dark Lord was winning, most of the Order was dying and it took a baby to save the day. People worshipped a toddler because of how hopeless the situation had been. This is war. People will die and I will not let good people die because Dumbledore believes in forgiveness and mercy.”
Draco stood next to him, shoulders brushing together, “I told you that I agree with you. I just don’t want you to regret your choices. These are terrible people and they do terrible things but I want you to be able to look at yourself in the mirror afterwards. I’ll follow you Harry Potter, not Dumbledore or the order or anyone else. I believe in you.”
Harry stared at his lips for far longer than necessary before putting some distance between them, “I was an auror and I have killed before. This is the best way and I’ve made my choice.”
Draco flushed as he took a seat again, “What do I do while you’re plotting murder?”
Harry took a deep breath, “I think you should go to school. I’ll join just in time to take my OWLs but you should go at the beginning of the year. Maybe you can keep an eye on the Slytherins and change some minds before they take the mark. Keep an eye on Snape and Regulus.”
Draco nodded, “I’ll write to you. We can meet during Hogsmead weekends. I’ll get the diadem and keep if safe until I can pass it onto you.”
Harry and Draco talked a bit more about their different memories about the war until it was time for him to leave. Harry paused before he entered the floo and pressed his forehead to Draco’s.
“We can’t just pick up from where we left off I know that so how about we go on a date?”
Draco flushed, “When?”
“First Hogsmead weekend of the year. We’ll pretend that we’re normal students on our first date.”
Draco scoffed, “Nothing about us was ever normal Potter.”
Harry pressed a kiss to his forehead and flooed away.
Chapter three
James Potter was glad to be on the train and headed to Hogwarts for his fourth year. His parents had recently found out about the death of Charles and Dorea Potter. Although James didn’t know them personally he did find out that he had a cousin.
Harry Potter.
He was a year older than James but he sent forth a reply to his parents saying that he had been emancipated. He didn’t want or need a place to stay and he was uninterested in meeting with them. His parents had been sad about it and Sirius thought the teen was stupid.
As far as his best friend was concerned Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were the best people in the world. He thought it was stupid that the teen didn’t want to meet such amazing people. His father did say that Harry Potter would come to Hogwarts to take his OWLs but he wasn’t sure when.
It was possible to come to school at the end of the year just for the exam session or he could enroll for the next three years. James didn’t really know what to feel about his new found cousin. He knew that his father and Charles had been very close but that was when they were children.
He had married Dorea Black and since then they spent most of their time traveling.
James spent most of the train ride complaining about his new cousin and how weird his parents had been all summer. In fact he was so absorbed in telling his friends about everything he knew about the other branch of the Potter family that he forgot to go looking for Evans.
Once they were seated in the Great Hall Sirius immediately honed in on the new snake.
“James, look it’s a new snake.”
James pulled his eyes away from Evans who was beaming with joy and focused on the prat pulling at his clothes like an attention seeking puppy, “What?”
Remus rolled his eyes and turned the page in his book, “Across from his brother. The blonde.”
James stared at the new snake. He wore finely tailored Slytherin robes, his hair shaved at the sides and left long at the top. In fact it was actually shining silver and there were a number of ear-rings in his left ear. There was a single red stud, a gold hoop and a silver hoop with a green stud at the top of his ear.
He was pale with silver eyes and a pointy looking chin. The longer he stared at the blonde the more he realized that he looked sort of familiar.
“Is he a Malfoy?” questioned James as he turned to Sirius who went red, “From where? Lucius doesn’t have a brother and his eyes. Those are the Black family eyes James. Look he’s sitting next to Narcissa and its exactly the same shade.”
James frowned even more, “Whose the bloke sitting next to him?”
Narcissa sat on his left, across from her sat Regulus and on his right was someone who looked sort of familiar. He had black hair cut short and black eyes. He was fair but not pasty. He also had broad shoulders and strong looking arms. James couldn’t place him in his memories.
Remus sighed, “That’s Snape.”
“WHAT?”
Everyone turned to look at James and Remus sighed, “Honestly James that’s Severus Snape.”
James stared at him even more and gasped, “What happened to his nose and teeth and hair?”
Mary glared at them, “He got a haircut. A healer must have fixed his teeth and nose with magic. Someone probably took care of him over the summer. Leave him alone.”
Sirius glared at the Slytherin, “Those are new robes as well.”
Lily glared at them, “Sev got a summer job. Its been very good for him and he isn’t bothering you so leave him alone.”
As soon as the feast was over Sirius couldn’t help but want to mess with Snape. He threw a hex as the Slytherin headed towards the dungeons and immediately a shield sprung up.
The shield was so powerful that it blasted Sirius off his feet and back into the wall behind him. The blonde stood in front of him, silver eyes flashing, “The disgrace of the House of Black cursing a student while his back is turned why am I not surprised?”
Sirius struggled to his feet, “Who the hell are you?”
The blonde raised an eyebrow, “Draco Malfoy. To answer your question my mother was the great-granddaughter of Eduardus Limette Black.”
James frowned as he realized that the shield that Malfoy had just thrown up had been done wandlessly and wordlessly. He wasn’t the only one who noticed since Remus also grabbed Sirius before he could lunge at Malfoy. Those silver eyes stared at him in confusion until he reached some sort of conclusion.
“Were you never taught occlumency Black?” he asked Sirius just glared at him.
Malfoy let out a hysterical sounding laugh as he stared at Black, “I heard the rumors of Walburga hating you but I never thought that she would ever be this cruel.”
He turned to Narcissa, “Did you know?”
The blonde girl shook her head and even Regulus looked a bit horrified.
“What are you talking about?” cried Remus and Malfoy raised an eyebrow and gestured for them to enter an empty classroom.
Sirius was glaring at the wall, ignoring him but James and Remus wouldn’t let him leave.
Narcissa, Regulus and Snape left but Malfoy remained as he stared at Sirius, “Do you know anything about the Black madness?”
Sirius scoffed, “It’s probably due to the inbreeding.”
Malfoy pinched the bridge of his nose, “No you fool it isn’t. It’s a blood curse that affects every member of the family in varying intensities. It’s a dark curse that attacks the mind. It affects the area of the brain that controls your impulse control.”
Remus and James felt their jaws drop and Sirius scoffed, “You’re lying.”
Malfoy rolled his eyes, “Every member of the Black family that carries Black blood is trained in occlumency from a young age. It helps you control yourself. The curse isn’t as strong if you marry out of the family due to different family magics. You however are of the main line.”
“What happens if he doesn’t know occlumency?” asked James.
Malfoy sighed, “People get hurt Potter. Actions have consequences and the older you get the more dangerous it becomes since you don’t fully think about the consequences of your actions. Blacks also struggle with empathy.”
There was a mocking smirk at the corner of his mouth as he said that and James struggled not to punch him in the face.
“Your world view narrows until you’re only able to think in a linear direction. You don’t realize that you’re hurting people you care about. Occlumency takes your thoughts and organizes them. It also helps you control your emotions. You tend to think and plan more than just react.”
No one said anything for a while until Malfoy finally moved, “I don’t know why Walburga didn’t teach you or tell you. Every other Black knows this. My mother was part of the disowned family line and she knew enough to teach me. I know you don’t trust me so write to Andromeda. I know she was disowned but you will trust her. You need to learn before someone gets hurt.”
Remus stopped him, “Hurt how?”
Malfoy paused at the door, “My grandfather was a Black. He didn’t learn it well-enough. He fought in the war with Grindelwald. He was against pureblood supremacy and he wasn’t trusted because of his last name. There was a guy that didn’t trust him. They were on the same side but my grandfather sent him towards a vampires nest.”
“What?” cried James.
Malfoy ignored him, “They were scouting for enemies. He saw the vampire nest and let his partner go first. He thought the guy would get a scare and then he would return to their camp. The vampires tore him apart because a Black wasn’t able to think beyond the immediate circ*mstances.”
Malfoy stared at Remus, “If he doesn’t get his temper under control he’ll move before he realizes it. He’ll run off without thinking and it will get him or someone else killed. People of the Black family lack empathy and compassion.”
Malfoy walks away and Remus writes to Andromeda. He doesn’t know the woman but he writes on the behalf of Sirius. They need to know if this is a real thing. Everyone hears rumors of Black madness but no one really knows what it is. If Malfoy was telling the truth then Sirius could be in danger.
Andromeda writes back explaining in detail everything she knows about the madness. Apparently Bellatrix had been unable to control herself completely even when she learned occlumency. Andromeda and Narcissa didn’t have the same problems. They built their shields quickly and managed themselves.
She sends several books on meditation and how to create shields. She stresses to Sirius that if he doesn’t start building shields quickly he’ll end up dead or putting one of his friends in danger.
Remus forces Sirius to start the exercises and there is a marked improvement in his temper. Sirius moved to hex a Slytherin and was actually horrified when he realized that he didn’t mean to move. He had been mad but hexing the snake hadn’t been a conscious decision.
He stood there with his wand in his hand and hex on the tip of his tongue but horror on his face.
He had been half-assing the exercises but now he was afraid. He hadn’t seen the truth before but now that he was trying to control himself he realized how little control he actually had.
In between Peter, James and Sirius learning to become animagi behind Remus’s back, homework, quidditch and forcing Sirius to learn occlumency they had very little time to do anything but those things. That meant that there had been no pranks or detentions.
Draco Malfoy seemed to be the talk of Hogwarts.
It was commonly known that he was a pureblood born in France with Black blood. The blonde was in his fifth year and was seen with Narcissa, Regulus and Snape. Lily and Mary joined the group but other than that he didn’t seem to have any other friends.
It was an odd group because Narcissa was a seventh year, Regulus a third year and Snape was a fourth year. However Narcissa and Regulus were of Black blood.
A month into the school year came the news that Walburga and Cygnus Black had been murdered. Orion Black had confessed to both murders before taking his own life.
Narcissa, Sirius and Regulus were immediately pulled out of school by Arcturus Black.
Draco couldn’t understand how the hell Harry had done this. He had written to him to explain about Black madness and how important occlumency was to members of the Black family. He couldn’t understand why as the first born son Sirius had been kept in the dark.
Two weeks later three Blacks were dead and it seemed like Orion had done it. He just didn’t know why or if Harry had arranged it. He would have to wait for a Hogsmead weekend to find out.
Sirius, Regulus and Narcissa stepped into Black castle for the first time in over a decade. They didn’t remember the last time any of them had seen their grandfather. After the death of their grandmother he closed the doors and wards of Black castle and left the family to make their own choices.
Arcturus Black was a thin, tall man with more silver hair than black. He had silver eyes and a frown on his face. There was no one else in the house but the three of them. Before they could speak the floo chimed and Bellatrix and her husband stepped out. At the same time Andromeda port keyed into the room with her husband.
Bellatrix shrieked and raised her wand. The wards of the house immediately held her immobile and their grandfather raised an eyebrow, “No one can harm someone of Black blood within these walls. Bellatrix Black Lestrange as the Lord to your Birth House I bind your magic within these blood wards.”
Arcturus turned to Rodolphus, “You will hand over your wand or your life. Those are your only options.”
Rodolphus knew better than to f*ck with the Lord of the House of Black in Black castle so he handed over his wand and waited.
Arcturus took a seat and had his five grandchildren and two grandson-in-laws sit down across from him.
“Orion was always weak willed and easily led. He wouldn’t make good decisions so I never named him my heir. His brother Cygnus was too greedy and that caused him to be easily manipulated. Neither one of my sons would make a good Lord to the House of Black so I awaited my grandchildren.”
Arcturus pinched the bridge of his nose, “Walburga knew neither of my sons would inherit the position so she sought to control it. She married Orion knowing that I would likely choose Orion’s son to inherit while plotting with her lover Cygnus. Her plan was to conceive an heir with Cygnus and place him as the next Lord of the family.”
Sirius and Regulus paled, “However Sirius, you, are Orion’s son. She sabotaged your childhood and never told you of the necessity of occlumency so that you would be disowned. When that happened Regulus would take over the family.”
“I’m the son of Cygnus and Walburga aren’t I?” asked Regulus.
Arcturus nodded, “Orion found Walburga and Cygnus in bed together. They told him the truth and while weak willed he was never magically weak. Orion killed them, wrote me a letter explaining and then killed himself.”
Andromeda looked green, “Why are we here?”
Arcturus stared at her, “Your daughter is a metamorphmagus correct?”
Andromeda nodded and Arcturus hummed, “Your disownment hasn’t gone through yet. Walburga pushed but I wanted to wait a little longer since I had been removed from politics for so long. I am not happy with the state of my family.”
He glanced at Sirius, “The heir to my family has no idea what the Black family is supposed to stand for nor does he have any control over his mind. Regulus has been groomed for a position he will never take. Narcissa is to wed a death eater. Andromeda is being kicked out of the family. Bellatrix has not lived up to her duty.”
Bellatrix looked like she wanted to shriek but she had been silenced and there was probably a sticking charm on her chair.
“The contract between Houses Black and Malfoy is nullified. We already have connections to the House of Lestrange we don’t need another dark house alliance. Andromeda has married a muggleborn. Now while I’m not very happy considering the circ*mstances of the coming war I think we need as many options as possible.”
Andromeda raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
“I will reinstate your dowry, your inheritance and your place in this family if you agree to take the Black name. You will be allowed contact with your sisters, brother and cousin once more.”
Disownment in the Black family meant dead to the family. You’re unable to contact those of your blood even if you try. Andromeda had not spoken to Narcissa in years. Sirius had gotten away with it because her disownment hadn’t gone through yet.
Ted knowing how much it meant to her to be able to talk to Narcissa again agreed to take the Black name. Technically he had married into the family but he didn’t mind. As long as the option of reconciliation was open it would be enough.
Arcturus stared at Bellatrix, “You have been married for over five years and not yet produced an heir. Radolphus would be turning in his grave if he knew you boys were running around out there without securing your line. You will not leave Black castle until a child is conceived. Afterwards Bellatrix will remain here until the baby is safely delivered then she may return to your side.”
Rodolphus stared at the man wide-eyed, “What about the baby?”
Arcturus rolled his eyes, “The child will be taken in and raised by the Black family. There are only two Lestranges left in this world and you both have chosen a side. If you die then your line dies. I know Bellatrix doesn’t want to leave for a year so I’ll make myself very clear. You will conceive and give birth within the year or you will never leave this castle.”
Bellatrix glared at her grandfather, “You can’t do this to me!”
Arcturus rolled his eyes, “There is a fertility potion in your room. I ask you for nine months and then you never have to return. Your marriage contract included an heir clause Bellatrix. You have to ensure the continuation of your husbands line or you will suffer the consequences.”
Bellatrix scoffed, “What consequences?”
Arcturus rolled his eyes, “The only reason you haven’t been punished by the family magic for not fulfilling the contract is because the Lord Lestrange is dead. Rodolphus will not punish you because of your position in His circle but sooner or later the contract will punish you.”
Rodolphus winced as he continued to speak, “Your parents had you sign a magical marriage contract in blood that said you would provide an heir within seven years of marriage. You have a little over a year to fulfill the last part of your marriage contract.”
Sirius frowned, “You don’t seem happy?”
Arcturus shook his head, “The type of marriage contract used on Bellatrix wasn’t one I ever approved off. It gave her husband too much control over her but due to her position her marriage contract isn’t a problem anymore. However ancient magic like this will find a way to punish her. She made a promise, bound in magic, signed in blood so she cannot just ignore it.”
They ignored the look of rage on Bellatrix’s face. She had chosen Rodolphus and she had taken the mark. She had chosen to sign the contract against the advice of their grandfather. The only way out was to give birth to a child.
Rodolphus had asked her to carry his heir after his father died and she refused. She didn’t want to be away from her Lord for that long. Now they didn’t have a choice.
No one knew how Bellatrix would be punished when the seven years had passed. Olde Magic wasn’t something that could be controlled. It was highly likely she would end up sterile or worse.
Now was the best time for her to conceive a child. The war would be picking up soon so if she wanted to take some time away now was the best chance.
Bellatrix couldn’t do magic here so she couldn’t leave. All she could do was obey her grandfather which was probably why she was called here. She would fulfill the contract and return to her Lords side as quickly as possible. She knew He would be pleased with a child of both Lestrange and Black blood.
Arcturus turned to Narcissa, “You will marry someone neutral, McKinnon, Prewitt, Fawley or Prince if you can find the heir. Honestly I don’t care but I believe that will grant you the best bet at happiness.”
Once the Black sisters were taken care off he turned to the Black brothers, “I will not reveal Regulus parentage. It will do no good. Sirius will spend every holiday and summer here at Black castle with me. I will teach you occlumency and the duties of the heir to the House of Black which is now neutral.”
Sirius and Regulus stared at him wide-eyed, “We cannot take the chance of being wiped out. Bellatrix will contribute enough to the Dark. Everyone else is neutral. There has been too much discord in the House of Black. We must put the survival of our house above all else.”
Sirius just stared until he remembered, “What about Aunt Druella?”
Arcturus raised an eyebrow, “Confined to her home. No contact with her unless it’s a funeral notice. She will not go anywhere, talk to anyone or write any letters. She has no control over her vault as well. My sons and their wives have done enough damage to last a life time.”
“Why aren’t you disowning Andromeda?” asked Sirius.
Arcturus rolled his eyes, “Do you honestly believe that every member of the House of Black were purebloods or this obsessed with blood purity?”
Sirius just looked confused, “Toujours Pur is the house motto but every Lord to this house acts in the best interests of the whole family. Narcissa will marry out of the family. You and Regulus will pass on the Black name. One out of five grandchildren marrying a muggleborn isn’t that bad especially when Andromeda’s child shows a rare bloodline ability.”
“So its fine that Andromeda has a half-blood daughter?” questioned Sirius.
Arcturus rolled his eyes, “The only time its alright to disown members of the family is when they go against the family. Blood status can be regained. Nymphadora will carry the Black name and its bloodline ability. If she marries into a light or neutral family will they care? A muggleborn or half-blood has to be introduced now and then to prevent families from becoming too inbred.”
Arcturus stood up, “The goal of this family is not to maintain our title as purebloods. The goal is to maintain the family, to ensure that our legacy carries onwards. I have my own prejudices towards muggles and muggleborns but as long as our family survives I don’t care.”
Sirius wasn’t sure exactly what to do with any of that but he did understand that while his grandfather wasn’t kind he would do anything for his family. The rest of the world could burn down around him and he wouldn’t care as long as his family survived.
He did believe that purebloods were better than muggles but he didn’t believe in the extremist methods of the Dark Lord. He thought it was reckless and it placed already dwindling numbers of purebloods in even more danger. He could appreciate what the Dark wanted to do so he would not stand in his way.
As far as Arcturus Black was concerned the Dark Lord already had the obsessive loyalty of one Black. Walburga had already funded his war and that was as far as their involvement in this mess would go. He was currently more interested in the survival of the rest of his family.
Sirius, Narcissa and Regulus returned to Hogwarts a week after the funeral. By this time Sirius has already had over twenty sessions with his grandfather to build up his mind shields. The man had a talk with McGonagall about his behavior and made it very clear what it meant to be neutral.
“You will not go around playing your little pranks. You will not get into trouble for fighting with any Slytherins except in self-defense. If you try and disobey me Sirius I will not disown you. I will pull you from Hogwarts entirely and confine you to Black castle.”
Sirius went white at the thought of being pulled from Hogwarts. He was also surprised with the fact that his grandfather had arranged for him to see a mind healer.
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with me!” he shouted and Regulus rolled his eyes.
“Yes you do. Walburga wanted you gone Sirius. You were an obstacle in her path and I don’t know what she did to you to create your resentment but what did your brother do wrong? What did Narcissa do to you that has you looking down your nose at them? You are a hypocrite and you don’t even see it.”
Regulus laughed, “You’re only realizing that now. He goes around kicking a half-blood around like he’s dragon dung and no one stops him. Who cares its only a slimy Slytherin right brother? That means I can go around saying who cares its only a mudblood.”
Sirius looked like he didn’t know what to do but he refused to reply.
Arcturus Black sighed, “You’re going to see the mind healer every Saturday. I’ve already arranged it with your Head of House.”
Another week later and the three Blacks returned to Hogwarts. They caught up on their classes and assignments. James however was also mooning over Lily Evans who still wasn’t giving him the time of day. As they left potions Evans was chatting to Snape.
James drew his wand and sent the knock-back jinx on him.
Snape rolled his eyes and Lily helped him pick up his books. They both ignored him.
Later on in the common room Marlene McKinnon sat down next to Lily.
“You didn’t go off on Potter today.” She said and Lily looked up from her work, “It isn’t worth it anymore.” Replied Lily.
“What are you talking about now?”
“Sev got a summer job and we wrote letters to each other. It was the first time in years that we actually listened to each other probably because we had no choice. Whenever we’re together we start arguing because we both wanted to be right but we never bothered to try and understand each other. Reading his letters over the summer forced me to see his point of view.”
Marlene raised an eyebrow, “Which was?”
Lily stopped writing, “What makes the situation wrong Marls? If I were to punch you in face, tie you up, force your legs open and let someone rape you is it wrong? If I used the incarcerous spell that we learned in second year to tie you up and let someone rape you is it still wrong? If I used the imperius curse on you to force you to sleep with someone is it wrong?”
Marlene and everyone else in the common looked at her horrified as Marlene replied, “Of course its wrong. Its all wrong.”
Lily snapped the quill in her hand, “Exactly. It doesn’t matter what magic someone uses or the type of force they use. If they’re hurting, humiliating someone for the fun of it then its wrong. It doesn’t matter if they’re using light magic to do it to someone because they’re in the house that supports blood purity the most or if they’re using dark magic on someone because they think that they have dirty blood.”
Lily stood up and collected her books, “Potter and cronies go around this school and say they’re putting death eaters in their place. They think because they’re using light magic it makes their behavior ok and it isn’t. They’re targeting Sev because he’s my friend and I’m the shiny toy that won’t date Potter. Its sick and I shouldn’t have defended them because they’re not using dark magic.”
Lily gave a sad smile to Marlene, “Sev made me realize I was being a hypocrite. He apologized for falling into the wrong crowd. He admitted that he was making a mistake. He realized that just because someone does something awful to him doesn’t make it right for him to hurt someone else. He’s distanced himself from his roommates. I’ve stopped defending Potter. It isn’t worth it.”
James Potter looked like he swallowed a lemon when Lily walked up the stairs to her dorm. She honestly wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Everyone thought that she would come around. It was obvious that there was something between them.
Even when Lily was mad at him it was obvious that she was somewhat charmed by him now though she was tired and disgusted by his behavior. Snape wasn’t even reacting to him anymore and he was constantly next to Regulus or Malfoy.
Sirius couldn’t play pranks anymore. In fact Sirius seemed extremely quiet since he returned from his grandfathers home. He spent a lot of time mediating, building his shields and on Saturdays he went to therapy. He also seemed to be keeping a journal. It was on the advice of his mind healer. It seemed that Sirius was doing a lot of growing up this year.
During Christmas James went home alone. Sirius had promised his grandfather that he would return to Black Castle every holiday. It was the first time since first year that he went home alone during Christmas. James was subdued over the holiday.
Fleamont sat down next to his son who was playing with the snitch, “Is something wrong son?”
“Am I a good person?” he questioned.
Fleamont sighed, “I’d like to think so but why are you questioning it?”
James tells his father about Lily. He tells him about how he didn’t like Snape from the moment he saw him and how they bullied him. He talked about the war and how some Slytherins went around talking about blood purity. James just kept talking eventually coming back to Lily and what she said in the common room.
Fleamont looked very old as he stared at his son, “I knew you were mischievous but I didn’t know that you could be that cruel James. You picked on that boy for no other reason other than the fact that he was dressed poorly and was friends with a girl you liked.”
Euphemia sat down on the other side of James, “War isn’t as black and white as you seem to think it is James. This world is filled with people who make choices and they have to live with the consequences of those choices. I think that its time you do some self-reflection.”
Fleamont rubbed the bridge of his nose, “Did you know that it was only a decade ago that the House of Potter became known as a light family?”
James stared at his father in shock, “What do you mean? You never believed that muggleborns had dirty blood. You also hated dark magic.”
“Dark and Light magic is far more complicated than you think. In Britain most pureblood families were actually neutral families. However during the 1950’s several dark families started pushing pureblood ideals in the ministry. The Dark Lord began to build up a support base years before the public became aware of the political climate. Several families were being pressured into taking sides.”
Euphemia sighed, “Potter, McKinnon, Longbottom and Prewitt all turned to the light section which was headed by Dumbledore. The reason we turned to that section was because we didn’t support the Dark ideals. Travers, Flint and Rosier turned to the Dark section.”
James stared at his parents, “Why didn’t you follow Dumbledore before this happened?”
Fleamont grimaced, “Dumbledore was the lessor of two evils. The Dark Lord wanted genocide James and he is starting a war. Dumbledore wouldn’t start a war but he was and still is an extremist. Magic is a tool James given to us by Lady Magic herself. It is a gift and what you do with that gift decides on whether or not you’re a good or bad person.”
Euphemia scoffed, “Dumbledore stamps out anything he considers dark magic. Blood magic for example which protects nearly every pureblood manor is now illegal thanks to him. Every pureblood family ignores that law because most family magic is based on blood magic which is classified as dark magic.”
Fleamont nodded, “Dumbledore isn’t a bad man. He sees the dangers of dark magic and he believes that the best way to protect against it is to ban it from the world. That won’t work however if I have to fight on a side then I choose the man that protects instead of starts the war.”
Euphemia stood up, “I think its time you learned the history of the Potter family. We are a neutral family. We judge the actions of a person never the magic that is used. You’re going to be the next Lord Potter so its time that you start taking your duties as the heir to our house seriously.”
James Potter found himself neck deep in the history of the Potter family and their family magic which was considered grey magic by the general population.
James and Sirius returned to Hogwarts far more subdued however many professors heaved sighs of relief. None of the boys were essentially bad people. They were just narrowed minded and unaware of the truths of reality. They were just kids and their only excuse for their behavior was ignorance.
Now though it seemed like they had done some serious growing up over the holidays.
Dumbledore couldn’t help but reorganize his plans for the war. He knew he needed people to join the Order of Phoenix. James Potter and his friends were still at the top of that list it seemed like he needed to face the facts.
Draco Malfoy was making a grab for power in the Slytherin house.
He always kept a close eye on the members from that house. It was commonly known that as the house that valued blood purity the most. Voldemort would find most of his supporters there. However Draco Malfoy was an unknown that appeared and seemed to be tearing the house apart with his bare hands.
He had successfully pulled members of the Black family to his side, followed by Snape and seemed to be creating a safe haven for anyone who chooses neutrality. Dumbledore could only hope that more would join him in his way of thinking.
Albus could admit that he was an old man and while he wished for people to see the light in times of war he would settle for those who chose neutrality.
He still didn’t trust the new Malfoy but he could appreciate the neutral stance he had taken and hope that others would follow his example.
