Severus awoke the following morning, and came to the conclusion that he had returned to his flat at some point during the night. The rainstorm must've taken precedence over anything else, and it must've flooded his mind to the point where he couldn't recollect anything readily. That soon changed, however, when he opened his eyes and realized that there was a smaller body curled into his arms, just like it had been on the first of November. This time, however, nobody was knocking on the door to awaken them, and this particular body was naked.

"Mmm... Severus," came Harry's whisper as Severus inadvertently pulled away from him, and that pair of startlingly beautiful green eyes locked onto his as Harry's eyes fluttered for a moment and came open completely. "Morning," he said softly.

"Good morning, Harry," Severus replied.

Harry bit at his bottom lip, and slowly raised himself upwards so that his and Severus's faces were level. "You..."

"What?"

"You don't regret what we did last night, do you?" he whispered, looking fearful that, above all things, he would be rejected again.

Severus sighed. "I regret that there is a law in place that should make me feel remorseful about what we did last night," he replied, and felt his heartbeat thrumming when Harry raised his eyes to his. "However, I myself do not regret one thing about my night with you. I meant what I said last night, Harry. I love you."

Harry blinked then, tears entering his eyes at Severus's words. "Thank god, because I love you, too," Harry replied, launching himself without ceremony into Severus's waiting arms, and kissed him with as much fervor as he had done last night. He pulled onto Severus, so that the older man was now on top of him, and whispered, "Make love to me."

"Again, Harry? We made love in the alley way, then again up against the inside of my front door, once when we got to the bed, and a fourth time when we woke up in the night. You're sure you're not too sore?"

"I've been waiting for you my entire life, Severus," Harry said, winding his arms around Severus's neck and pulling him closer. "I love you, and I want us to make love again. Who knows how often we'll be able to do it?"

"Touché," Severus replied, leaning down and capturing Harry's lips with his. It did not, however, assuage his guilt completely, and a significant part of him hated himself for giving into his baser desires the evening before. He hated, hated that the notion of Harry's death by that oncoming car had pushed him over the edge to claim Harry completely, and knew full well that the consequences, when they came knocking, would be unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, for he had never found himself in a situation quite like this one.

"You're thinking."

"Hmmm?" Severus asked, permitting his head to rise so that Harry could pepper his jawline with kisses. "Sorry?"

"Get out of that beautiful head of yours for two minutes and look at me," Harry implored him, and Severus found he was in no position to deny him, so he listened, lowering his eyes to that of the beautiful young man in his bed. "I. Am. Fine," Harry told him, pressing his lips to various aspects of his face.

Severus sighed, and made to pull away from him. "I know you may believe that, Harry, but the fact of the matter is..."

"The fact of the matter is," Harry interrupted and, gaining leverage, pinned Severus to the bed and stared down at him, with a hungry expression on his face, "I don't want you to worry about a thing. Nobody has to know about this."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that nobody has to know that control was lost," Harry told him, his voice gentle as he pressed a firm kiss onto Severus's lips. "I know that a lot of people will look at our situation and think that I was manipulative..."

"You were no such thing," Severus said, cutting across him and wrapping his arms around Harry's slim waist. "You were scared."

Harry worried his lower lip. "Maybe," he whispered. "I know that me being a victim of sexual abuse means that, once I find something, or someone, that I love beyond all reason, I'll do whatever I can to hold onto that person or thing, because I'm afraid of it slipping through my fingers when I'm not paying attention..."

"Others will say that I was stupid, and thoughtless, for taking advantage of you," Severus said, and shut his eyes on a wave of revulsion. "I should've known better, Harry. I mean, your birthday is nearly sixteen weeks away. I could've held on, and have been happy with kisses and words and conversations until then, but I didn't. I realized that my love for you knows no bounds, and I simply couldn't hold back any longer, when your death was literally staring at me in the face..."

"Hey, hey," Harry said, gently rubbing his thumbs into Severus's pronounced cheekbones, and waited for the man to open his eyes. "I don't want you regretting a thing. Do you hear me, Severus Tobias Snape?"

Severus sighed. "Harry..."

"No," Harry said his voice firm, as he gently pressed his forehead against Severus's. "I want you to listen to me right now. Are you hearing me?"

Severus sighed. "You've got my attention, Harry."

"Good," he said, before continuing, "I had a terrible thing happen to me when I was a child, and even though that happened to me, it doesn't mean I didn't want what happened last night not to happen, or that I regret it in any way from my standpoint. The only thing I regret is the fact that the law isn't on our side," he said quietly. "The law, in this situation, is wrong, because they will paint you in the same light as Pettigrew, and that thought disgusts me beyond all reason. You could lose your job, your livelihood, for loving me, and expressing that love in a way that we both consented to."

"Harry, you know as well as I do that the law says, and everyone else will believe, that I pressured you into this, and that you were in no place to..."

"No place to what?" Harry demanded, backing up so that he was on his haunches atop Severus, his green eyes flashing with momentary anger. "No place to consent?"

Severus sighed. "Yes. They will believe that, based on your age, and your past experiences with Pettigrew, that you automatically..."

"Automatically have no voice in this situation, you mean?" Harry threw himself off of Severus and proceeded to pace the man's bedroom. "I'm sick and tired of the law stepping in and thinking that they automatically know best about me, just because I had a hellish childhood. I don't care who they are, or how high up on the ladder they claim to me, or if they have dozens of degrees to their name! I'm not some fucking statistic," he went on, his voice shaking with a sudden wave of emotion, as he turned back to Severus. "I'm not."

Severus pushed the duvet back and got up, crossing the room and gently running the palms of his hands up and down Harry's arms. "I know you're not."

"A part of me is broken because of what Pettigrew did to me, no question," Harry said softly then, and pressed his forehead into Severus's chest. "However, I personally think that James is more to blame here that Pettigrew."

Severus blinked, gently easing Harry backwards so that he could meet his eyes. "What do you mean by that, love?"

"James stood by and let it happen," Harry whispered, hunching his shoulders.

Severus stiffened. "Harry, what are you telling me?"

"James would sometimes walk by," he whispered, "and Pettigrew would leave the door to the room open, because he knew that James wouldn't stop him."

Severus teeth clenched automatically then. "Please tell me you're joking."

Harry laughed bitterly. "I wish I was," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "But, none of it matters now, because James is dead, and Pettigrew is rotting in prison." He sighed, and traced the planes of Severus's muscled chest. "I meant what I said you know."

"What?"

Harry looked up then, locking eyes with Severus. "I do love you," he whispered. "I'll never stop loving you. And when I'm eighteen, nobody can stop us from being together."

Severus smiled down at Harry. "If you still want me by the end of July, I'll be right here waiting for you," he said quietly. "But... I'm afraid we'll have to put a stop to our bedroom exploits until then, Harry."

"But..."

"Please, listen to me," Severus said, gently pressing his index finger to Harry's lips. "No matter how much we claimed to have enjoyed last night, we cannot allow it to happen again until you turn eighteen. There is too much at risk. And, no, I do not just mean my job," he said, knowing full well where Harry's thoughts would lead. "I don't want to have to put you through the ringer in public, my Harry. You would be called to testify, surely, and I won't have our momentary lapse of judgement put on for all to see. I won't."

Harry sighed. "It wasn't, though, was it?"

"Maybe irrationally it wasn't," Severus allowed, "but rationally speaking, it was a very serious offense, and I would not wish to hurt you any longer."

Harry sighed. "Fine. I won't attempt to seduce you any longer." He swallowed. "Although I do have a request, for my birthday."

Severus chuckled. "Anything."

"I want to be on top," he said, and grinned up at him.

"Perhaps something can be arranged," Severus allowed.

"Don't forget about me," Harry whispered.

Severus immediately shook his head, and pressed his lips to Harry's forehead. "Never," he whispered back to him.

Severus then managed to shoo Harry into taking a shower, after he had, of course, and then, while Harry was freshening up, Severus left the flat. He put a note on his bedside table, letting Harry know that he would be back shortly. It was the day before Easter, so he figured that the shops—the ones which sold sweets, anyway—would be mobbed by working parents, attempting to get some kind of decent confectionery for their children the day before. He slipped through the crowds on the streets towards Asprey, which just so happened to be a fine jewelry store not too far away from his flat.

"Good morning," greeted the saleslady as he stepped inside, and he greeted her with a polite smile. "Anything you need help finding today, sir?" she inquired; she had long raven hair and engaging dark eyes.

"A ring," Severus replied. "An engagement ring."

"Oh, yes, of course, sir," the woman said, and beckoned him towards a lovely case. "I'm Helena, by the way," she said brightly.

"Severus," the man replied, and stepped closer to inspect the rings. As he gazed at them all, he found himself drawn to a simple yellow gold one, which boasted a healthy amount of green, which wrapped around the entirety of the band; the green matched Harry's eyes. "How much for that one there?"

"£235, sir," Helena reported.

"Sounds perfect," Severus replied, and reached into his wallet, and easily found his credit card, and handed it over to Helena.

"A beautiful selection," Helena complimented, taking the card and retrieving the ring from the case, and then walked behind the counter to ring him up. She ran his card, which was accepted instantly, and looked back up at Severus. "Would you like this in a box, sir?"

"Please," Severus said.

Helena nodded with a bright smile, and promptly put the ring in a black velvet box. She had Severus sign the register before she returned his card to him, and handed the ring over to him with a flourish. "Congratulations, sir. I hope they say yes."

"So do I," Severus replied, and, with a wave, left the shop, putting his card back into his wallet and the ring into another pocket. As he walked, his phone vibrated in his back pocket, and he immediately retrieved it, his eyes widening automatically at the text from Harry. It stated that he missed him, and he hoped that his errand was going well. Severus replied that he would be back shortly, and he received a final text, letting him know that Harry was pleased.

He walked up the high street and back to his flat, getting out his keys and opening the door upon the ground floor. After locking up behind him, he made his way up the three flights of stairs, far too excited to see Harry to bother with the lift. As he made his way to his flat's door, he made sure that the ring was safe in his pocket and patted it. He would present it to Harry upon his birthday, he decided, and thought that the firm promise of forever would make Harry quite happy with him indeed. As he dug through his keys and stuck the proper one into the door, however, he was caught off guard when he heard Harry speaking rather frantically, and quickly sped inside, not knowing what to expect.

"You've done what?!" Harry shouted from the next room, and Severus hastily put the box with the ring into his peacoat pocket, which was hanging just inside the door. "Please, tell me you're joking," Harry begged as Severus shut the door behind him, not bothering to lock it, as he was so anxious about Harry. "Ron! How could you?!" Harry was shouting, and his voice was trembling as Severus rounded the bend and saw him, standing in the kitchen, a steaming cup of tea upon the island before him, seemingly forgotten. "Ron, this can't possibly end well..." He looked up then, spotting Severus, and immediately whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Harry, what is it?" Severus asked, stepping closer.

Harry clutched the phone then, and covered the receiver with his hand. "Ron told Draco what happened, and Draco was spending the night at Grimmauld Place with Ginny, because his mum tends to worry a little too much... Yes, I'm still here, Ron," Harry said, his demeanor immediately changing as he addressed his friend. "No, I don't think that a simple apology is going to help matters now!" he snapped.

"Harry?" Severus questioned, and Harry looked up at him. "What happened?"

"Ron called Draco this morning, and Sirius heard the conversation," Harry replied. "Ginny had a hangover, so she was sleeping in, and Draco took the call in the living room, without realizing that Sirius was already making coffee."

"Shit," Severus replied.

"That's right," Harry reported. "Now Ron's gotten a text from Draco, saying that Sirius is on his way here, and that Draco's tailing him in his car!" Harry's eyes widened then as he absorbed something that Ron was saying. "He's got a what?!" he cried out.

Severus was about to question Harry, but his attention was taken up by a set of feet rapidly climbing up the stairs, and then his front door being kicked in. "Sirius?" Severus asked then, and his eyes widened then at the Browning Hi-Power in his hand, which was trembling ever so slightly, his blue eyes filled with rage. "Sirius..."

"Don't say another word, you pedophile!" Sirius yelled, and Harry, hearing the words of his adopted father, promptly stepped forward, and wrapped himself around Severus.

"If you're planning on killing Severus, then you'd better shoot me, too," Harry said, glaring at Sirius from across the room.

"Harry..."

"No!" Harry shouted, ignoring his adopted father's words. "I love him, and I don't care what you have to say on the matter. I won't live without him, I won't!"

"Sirius, drop the bloody gun!" came a shout from inside the door as Draco ran inside, and ran around Sirius, and came to stand beside Severus and Harry. "Are you mad?! They banned those things two years ago for a reason! Put it down and get out of here!"

"I won't let you have my son!" Sirius yelled, and pointed the gun at Severus's head. "He's just a kid, a goddamned kid!"

"I haven't been a kid since James looked away from what Pettigrew was doing to me! I haven't been a fucking kid since I was nine! Now, put the gun down, and go home," Harry said, trying to keep his temper. "We'll discuss this later..."

"Sirius, listen to Harry, please," Severus begged. "I swear, I didn't take advantage of him, I didn't! He wanted it as much as I did—!"

"If you've got any sense left, you'll listen!" Draco shouted. "Put the gun down, and we'll all resolve this appropriately."

"This ends now!" Sirius shouted then, and, with a click, the safety was off the weapon. "Now, I'm going to count to three..."

"Sirius..." Severus tried.

"...and when I get there, the two of you," he said gruffly, and gestured to Harry and Draco will the gun, "will make yourselves scarce while I rid the world of another bloody pedophile."

"It's not like that!" Harry shouted.

"One," Sirius said.

"Sirius, as your cousin, I implore you to see reason!" Draco yelled.

"Two," Sirius went on.

"Sirius, please listen to me," Severus said softly.

"Three," Sirius said, and promptly moved to fire.

In that moment, several things happened. One, Severus shoved Harry out of the way with all his strength, and Harry toppled into the kitchen island. Two, Draco threw himself in front of the gun as Sirius fired it. And three, Severus screamed as Draco was hit in the chest.

"Sirius, what have you done?!" Severus screamed.

"Just missed," Sirius said blandly, and merely raised the gun a second time, and, this time, he didn't miss, and the only sound that could be heard next was Harry's scream, as Severus's legs buckled, and he crumpled to the floor.

~*~

"Get out of here!" Harry yelled then, as soon as his senses had returned to him. "Don't even think about coming back, do you hear me?"

"Harry..."

"No!" Harry shouted, knowing that he had to play this smart. "If they catch you, they'll put me back into care, and you know it! You didn't come here to lose me..."

Sirius blinked then, lowering his eyes briefly to the gun, and nodded. "You're right," he said, and moved to leave. "You... You're not going to...?"

"Not if I can help it," Harry replied, and move to stand, although his legs trembled. "Go, leave, and get out while you still can!" Harry waited for Sirius to slam the door behind him, and then for him to run down the stairs and out the front door, before he darted forward, cell phone already in hand, and knelt between Draco and Severus, careful not to get any of their blood onto him. "Draco!" he cried out then, as Draco's eyes slowly fluttered before opening. "Oh, my god, are you...?"

"Just fucking call somebody," Draco wheezed, managing to lift his hands to halt the process of the bleeding. "I'll be fine. Severus is..." He coughed. "...top priority."

Harry swallowed, but nevertheless dialed 9-9-9 upon his phone, and, with shaking hands, brought it towards his ear, and nipped at his bottom lip.

"9-9-9, which service do you require?" answered the voice.

"Paramedics!" Harry gasped into the phone. "Please. My boyfriend and a family friend were shot by an armed assailant."

"Are you injured?" came the reply. "Paramedics are on the way."

"I'm just shaken up," Harry replied, trying to keep it together. "Two other men are down. One has been shot in the temple, and he's out cold. The other has been shot in the heart, and he's bleeding out pretty bad..."

"What's the address?"

"312, on the corner of Hay's Mews and Chesterfield," Harry said breathlessly. "It's the massive white stone building, full of flats..."

"Paramedics are on the way to you now," said the person on the other end of the phone. "It's all going to be all right..."

Harry, in a daze, answered the door a few minutes later when the paramedics arrived, and they immediately put Severus onto a gurney and took him out, while they saw to Draco in just as efficient a manner. He slowly got to his feet, and requested permission to ride along, and the permission wasn't granted, as they needed as much room as possible. As Harry shuffled from foot to foot, he noticed Draco extending his arm, and stepped forward.

"Here," he said, and handed over his set of keys. "Follow us, and call my mum as quick as you can, all right?"

Harry nodded, having had access to Draco's mother's number for months. "I'll do that," he whispered, lifting his hand as the paramedics drove off with both Severus and Draco. Harry dragged a hand through his hair before making his way to Draco's car, knowing that they would likely be heading to London Bridge Hospital, and let himself into the car, having gone there plenty of times when Blaise was volunteering there. As he sat in the car for several moments, he placed his head into his hands and sobbed, unknowing what would happen.

When he finally permitted himself to drive, Harry cleared his throat and drove promptly to the hospital, finding a place in the visitor's area of the car park. Once he was all parked, he took out his phone again, and dialed Narcissa Malfoy's number, and felt his hand trembling all over again once she answered. "Narcissa," he whispered.

"Harry, dear. Is that you?" she asked.

"I'm so sorry," Harry replied, his voice shaking. "I..."

"Harry, what's wrong?" she wanted to know.

"Draco... Draco's been shot," Harry blubbered into the phone.

"Oh, my god," Narcissa whispered. "Where are you?"

"We're at London Bridge Hospital. I called 9-9-9, and they've already got him here. They said he's going to be all right," Harry replied in a rush.

"Thank you, dear," Narcissa said, her tone grateful. "I'll be along shortly."

"See you soon, then," Harry said, easing out of the car and cutting the call. He made his way into the hospital, and found the correct waiting area by merely following the signs, before he took his phone out of his pocket again. He sent off a quick text to Hermione, explaining everything, and knew that she would be able to convey the information to Ron, Ginny, and to the rest of the Weasleys as to what had happened earlier that day. Harry sat back in his chair then, shaking all over, and wasn't surprised when two policemen walking towards him, looking pretty grave, and he slowly got to his feet.

"Good morning," one of the men said. "You're Harry Black?"

Harry sighed, knowing that he'd have to get used to that now. "That's me," he replied.

"I'm Officer Barty Crouch and this is Officer Rolf Scamander," he said, and Harry quickly nodded at them both.

"How do you do?" he asked softly.

"Not so well when a report like this comes in," Officer Scamander replied gravely. "We're here to ask you a few questions as to what happened earlier this morning at the flat of one Severus Tobias Snape."

Harry swallowed, knowing that he had to come up with something convincing. "Well, a man broke into the place while Draco and I were there," Harry said softly.

"What is your relationship to Draco Malfoy?"

"He's my boyfriend," Harry replied without thinking.

"And Severus Snape?"

"He's a friend, formerly my social worker," Harry replied. "I was adopted yesterday, and Draco and I were over there to thank him for his statement in court, which secured my adoption. I just wanted to thank him," he said, causing his voice to break ever so slightly.

"That was very considerate of you," Officer Crouch put in, nodding. "So, this man who broke into the flat. Had you seen him before?"

"No," Harry said softly. "I hadn't seen him before."

"Are you aware of any enemies that Mr. Snape may have had?" Officer Scamander questioned, and Harry noticed then that he was writing everything down.

Harry shook his head. "No. Although I liked him as a social worker, the two of us weren't particularly close."

"Of course not," Officer Crouch said with a nod. "Who did the man shoot first?"

"I tried protecting Mr. Snape, but he shoved me out of the way before the man fired," Harry replied, hunching his shoulders. "Draco got in the line of fire, and that's how he was shot in the upper chest area. Then, the man shot Mr. Snape again, getting him in the temple. I screamed at the man to get out... I didn't even know if I was an intended target or not, or if any of us were, or if the man just wanted to burgle the place... I just don't know," Harry said, and put his head into his hands, emotions getting the better of him again as he sobbed.

"Did the man leave?" Officer Scamander asked.

Harry sighed, lifting his tear-stained face to the officers. "Yes," he replied. "I guess he was afraid the neighbors would hear or something... He just ran off," Harry whispered, shaking his head, as if he couldn't believe it.

"All right, Mr. Black," said Officer Crouch, and Harry very nearly curled up his lip at the same, but managed to remain straight-faced. "If there's nothing else?"

"I... I'd like to call my guardian," he whispered.

"Yes, of course," Officer Scamander said. "Go right ahead."

Harry fumbled for his phone then, but managed to get it out of his pocket. "Papa," he said softly as soon as the man had picked up.

"Harry? Is everything all right?" Remus asked him.

Harry swallowed. "I'm at London Bridge Hospital," he said into the phone, hating it when his voice shook again.

"Harry! Are you all right?!"

"It's not me... It wasn't me. I'm not hurt," Harry whispered, tears leaking from his eyes, and was relieved when the officers stepped a few feet away, giving him some space.

"Who is hurt, then?" Remus asked.

"Draco," he whispered. "Draco and Severus."

"I'm on my way," Remus assured him.

Harry was permitted to wander a bit, but waited until Narcissa arrived, and recounted what he knew, before handing her Draco's car keys. He was surprised when she pressed a kiss to his cheek and thanked him for ensuring that Draco would be all right, and Harry merely nodded at her, although he felt empty. Once Remus arrived, he and Harry wandered the hallways, talking softly, until Harry couldn't stand it anymore.

"It's my fault."

Remus stopped walking. "Sorry?"

Harry turned around then, facing Remus, his tears falling from his eyes again, as he decided to face to enormity of the situation head-on. "It's my fault," he whispered.

"Harry, what are you saying?" Remus whispered.

Harry sighed, his breath becoming trapped in his throat for a moment before he could finally permit himself to speak again. "All of this. This... What happened with Draco, what happened with Severus... All of this. It's my fault."

Remus looked shocked but allowed Harry to speak. "And why are you taking the blame for what a complete stranger did, Harry?"

Harry's shoulders hunched then. "Well, for one thing, it wasn't a complete stranger. I knew the person. We knew the person," he said, gesturing in between them. "And for another thing, none of this would've happened if I hadn't..."

"If you hadn't what, Harry?"

Harry turned away from Remus then, and looked out the window, seeing a beautiful robin with an impressive redbreast perched on a wire. It seemed to twitter for a moment, looking for something in particular, before it flew off. "Do you ever wish you could fly?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

"Fly?"

"Yes," Harry replied, gripping the beam separating him from the window, as he heard another set of footsteps, and he knew that the officers were there. "Fly."

"Sometimes," Remus allowed. "Why?"

"I think it would be a perfectly wonderful thing to be able to do," Harry mused, shrugging his shoulders as he considered it. His eyes were filled with tears then, and he lowered them from the window, before he turned to face the officers. "I know you knew I was lying before."

Officer Crouch sighed. "We figured you were quite shaken up, given what happened, so we thought it best to give you a second chance."

Harry nodded. "Thank you." He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I know who came in and shot Draco and Mr. Snape."

"Yes," Officer Scamander said, "we figured." He took up his notepad and pen again, and waited for a moment. "Would you care to tell us now?"

Harry swallowed. "I don't want to tell you," he admitted, "but I know that I have to tell you, because things have to have consequences."

"Very well, Harry," Officer Crouch said, nodding. "Whenever you're ready."

"It was Sirius Black, my adopted father, who broke into Severus Snape's flat this morning, and shot both Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy."

"Do you have any reason to believe why he would do such a thing, Harry?" Officer Scamander asked, mid-writing.

Harry sighed, hoping that Remus would back him up on this. "Sirius has believed that Severus Snape and I harbor feelings for one another," Harry replied.

"It's not true?"

Harry sighed. "I have an attraction to him, but I have no way of knowing if it's reciprocated, as such a thing would have been inappropriate," Harry told them. "As for Draco, he is merely a good friend, and we're not romantically involved at all. In fact, he's in a committed relationship with my best mate's sister."

"Thank you, Harry. I'm sure that was very difficult for you," Officer Crouch said with a nod, before turning to Officer Scamander. "You ready, then?"

Officer Scamander nodded. "Yes. Let's go," he said, and the two officers moved to leave the vicinity, as Harry turned to Remus.

"Why didn't you tell them the entire truth?" Remus asked, once he was positive that the officers were out of earshot.

Harry sighed. "Because there's no way I can let Severus go down for loving me, or for me loving him," he replied. "We should've waited..."

"Waited?"

Harry swallowed. "We lost control last night, Remus. At my party," he said softly, and Remus sighed then. "I just... I couldn't take it anymore. I tried to get him to see reason, that we could make a go of being together, but he said it wasn't the time. I... I ran," he whispered. "I feel stupid for doing it now, but I just had to run. It was raining last night, did you know that?"

Remus nodded. "Yes."

"I ran out of the club, down some stairs, and into an alley, intending to get a cab to take me home, because I just couldn't stand to be there any longer..."

"And then what happened?"

"Severus ran after me, and I was nearly killed by an oncoming car."

"Bloody hell, Harry..."

"You're not kidding," Harry mused. "Anyhow, he grabbed me, and we yelled at each other for a few moments, but, before I knew it, we were snogging, and I begged him to..."

"You spent the night together?"

"Yes. And we didn't just sleep this time," Harry replied, shaking his head. "We both of us knew it was wrong, but I wanted it so badly, and I..."

"What, Harry?"

"Just... Just once, I didn't want to be seen as the little boy that Peter Pettigrew hurt. I wanted to be the man that Severus Snape loved," he whispered.

Remus dragged a hand down his face. "Yes, I see..."

Harry slumped against the wall then and sighed, shaking his head. "You may as well call Magical Kinship now..."

"And why would I do that?"

Harry looked up at him. "Because I've wrecked everything?" he queried. "I mean, ever since I walked into your life, I've just ruined it all..."

"Stop it, do you hear me?" Remus said, shaking his head at him. "I won't hear you saying such disparaging things about yourself."

"But, Remus..."

"No buts," Remus said, clasping Harry's shoulder. "As soon as we can, we're going to court to get Sirius's rights terminated, and I'll be adopting you."

Harry's eyes widened. "What? You're sure?"

"Absolutely sure," Remus assured him. "Sirius has committed a great crime, I don't care about the circumstances connected to it. You, Harry, are my son, and have been for the last several months, and I'm not about to lose you now."

Harry felt himself cry out then, and threw his arms around Remus, and proceeded to sob into his shoulder as he held him. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Now then," Remus said, gently rubbing Harry's back, "this is not going to prove to be a simple matter, Harry. I hope you know that."

Harry nodded, pulling back. "I know."

"For starters, we'll have to make sure that Luca is able to represent us in court again," Remus said with a smile. "Then, now that Grimmauld Place will likely be in your name once Sirius is convicted, we can sell it and buy a flat where we can live with Hedwig."

Harry nodded a second time. "Reasonable," he agreed.

"And third," Remus said, "we'll need to resolve things with Pettigrew."

Harry gave a shallow nod. "Yes, you're right. I want to see him."

"Are you quite sure about that, Harry?"

"I am," Harry replied. "He stole so much of my childhood away from me, Remus, and I'm tired of just waiting around for my life to begin, as if I need his permission. Well, I don't need a damn thing from him, and I want to tell him that, those exact words. Even though he shattered me repeatedly when I was under his tyranny, he did not break me completely, and I know that it'll be good for me to tell him that."

Remus smiled down at Harry and nodded. "And then the matter of Severus..."

"I can't think about it," Harry whispered, suddenly fearful. "He'll never want me, now that all of this has happened. I'm not worth it."

"Harry, that's why you should see someone to discuss your full issues with, uncensored," Remus informed Harry gently.

Harry blinked. "Why?"

"Because you deserve to have your brain re-wired, so to speak, in an effort for you to truly understand just how worth it you are as a person."

Harry sighed, but nevertheless nodded at Remus. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered.

Remus pulled Harry back into his arms and held him there for a moment. "We're going to get this all worked out, son," he whispered back. "Can't tell you how long it'll take, but we'll definitely get it done, I can promise you that."