Chapter 1: Waking Up

Harry groaned as the sun hit his eyes. He went to move and found he had someone pinning his right arm to the bed. His body was wrapped around someone else. He didn't want to open his eyes, as he knew he was going to regret it if he did. He heard a groan and it was clearly a masculine groan. He wondered what exactly happened last night.

"It's too early for this and to be awake." The other one spoke, as he turned around to look to see who he was in bed with. "Potter?" He struggled to sit up. His body ached. "What happened?" He was at Hogwarts last night, he knew from the room he wasn't there or at Grimmauld Place. He was at the cottage by the Shrieking Shack. This was his regular room when he stayed after a long night in the Forbidden Forest or not being able to make it back to Hogwarts after being summoned by the Dark Lord.

"I have no idea, the last thing I remember was being in my kitchen at Grimmauld Place. I was going to make myself something to eat." Harry sat up and pulled Severus into his arms as he did so. He didn't get any resistance. He didn't want to let Severus go.

"The last thing I remember was walking from my lab to my quarters." Severus leaned against Harry's chest. He wasn't sure why he was so willing to let Harry hold him or allowing him to pull him into his arms. He felt safe and secure in Harry's arms. something he hadn't felt in so long.

"He had to do that stupid ritual we refused to do." Harry snapped. "That is the only way we would be so accepting of our new relationship." He looked down at his hand and he saw the bonding bands on their left wrists. He wasn't sure what it would mean for their future.

"I agree. We will have to go to Gringotts and figure out our new names." Severus said. "That ritual determines who is in charge and what our names will be." He looked over his shoulder at Harry. "I am going to assume I am the submissive since I feel as if I bottomed." He noticed the metal on his band, he knew he was going to be listed as the submissive one in the relationship. "The ritual goes by the size of the core of the individuals involved in the ritual, it takes into account if the wizards have reached their majority or not, regarding the cores. I don't think they check your core after you reached your majority. I think they did it before your birthday."

"How do you feel about all of this?" Harry asked, ignoring the comment about the cores, they could deal with it later. He was still trying to process what he was feeling. He knew Severus was better at controlling his emotions. He made a promise to himself to renew his attempts at learning Occlumency.

Severus didn't answer right away, as he began to review his memories. He wasn't going to talk about emotions, he preferred to leave emotions buried where they belonged. He went into his mind and tried to review his memories, but his memories didn't go past hearing the stunner coming at him from behind the armor he had just passed. "He got me with a stunner, from behind. I don't remember beyond that."

"I can't either." He was quiet as he thought again about last night. "It was Granger for me, she got me as Weasley stepped in front of me, blocking me from going to the stairs." Harry inhaled deeply and slowly let out his breath. "Why didn't they just accept our no?"

Severus felt Harry's arms around his waist tighten as he tried to move away. He stopped moving and instead accepted Harry's positioning of his body against his. He didn't like how comfortable this felt. "I am trying to think of why? I mean what does it accomplish?" Severus wondered what the goal of Albus "Annoying Meddler" Dumbledore was.

"I believe they're hoping you would be in charge. Since you are in the Order and I refused to join, this is their way to making sure I did join and learned to listen to Dumbledore." Harry had refused on this seventeenth birthday to join the Order, he wasn't going to allow Dumbledore to control him. That was less than a week ago. Severus hadn't been at that meeting. They wanted to do ritual on them two days after he refused to join. He was surprised at how quickly they had come up with that ritual. Granger had to have been up for those two days researching for a way to control him. He refused to do it.

"It appears as if Ms. Granger's research skills didn't reveal everything to her know it all nature everything there was to this ritual, I don't think Dumbledore understood it either." Severus pulled the covers up to his chest. "If they had actually read the smaller details they wouldn't have used it." He knew they wouldn't have used the ritual if they had known. He hadn't even heard about the ritual until yesterday when he refused to also do the ritual. They had come to him seeking a potion to gain control over Harry for them to do the ritual with Severus permission. Severus had spent a few hours reading his own books concerning the ritual and was thankful he had declined. He bet Granger only used one book, as usual.

"What did they miss?" Harry used his magic to pull the shades in the room, making it darker in the room. "The sun is too bright." He had seen Severus closing his eyes a few times to avoid the brightness of the room. He, himself, had a slight headache from the ritual and knew that Severus must have one too.

"It's because of the ritual." Severus stopped; he wasn't sure how to tell Harry what the ritual had actually done to them. He wasn't sure what Dumbledore was going to do once he found out, but they would have to deal with it when he did find out. "Harry, we're vampires now." He waited for a reaction. He wasn't sure how to handle it exactly but he wasn't upset about it either.

"I am not sure why but I am feeling very accepting of it." Harry told him finally. He did feel different, he was wondering what else was going to be affected by this ritual that was done to him. He also was wondering why they were both accepting of this new arrangement. Neither of them was known for accepting change and they were rather well known for their tempers and their mutual hatred.

"The minor details that they missed, besides turning us into vampires, is the change we will experience in our brains. We will have a better retention regarding what we read and do, our muscle memories will be able to process things faster. So learning new spells or even our fighting skills will increase. We will have the vampire normal traits but also more than the extra strength or speed. We will have all the benefits none of the defects. Daylight won't bother us, neither will garlic or stakes. The ritual was banned because of the minor details that those two missed. Our cores will be bigger and you will able to access mine, you can actually control my magic, from restricting it to allowing me access to spells, rituals or even performing magical bonding between the two of us. I believe they were hoping I would be controlling yours. That ritual mentions the controlling aspect numerous times, in the book that they used. It talked about how the dominant one would have all the control, from being able to even restrict movement, ban practices and places that the submissive one could go. It's worse than an Absolute Contract in that the submissive must obey and doesn't have a choice. The submissive will want to obey and please his dominant. I can feel that aspect already."

Harry didn't know what to say concerning what Severus would have to endure now. He made a mental promise to keep Severus safe and protected. "If I understand this correctly, they were hoping that you would be the dominant one and by using the Order and the Vows you have taken, to control each of us. As you would be in charge and they would be able to use you to control me. Forcing me to do things against both of our wills, in a way and because I would aim to please you, I wouldn't mind it. Dumbledore would use guilt on you and the threat of the mark formerly on your arm. We will have to make sure he doesn't know it's now gone." Harry wanted to kill them. His rage came forth but he was able to control it. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and inhaled Severus' scent. He wanted to lay Severus down and enjoy the pleasures that he would bring from Severus.

"Yes. I believe you will also have no problem with Occlumency now. No one will be able to enter our minds, well you will be able to enter mine. There is another side effect that I don't think they missed, as we get closer, we will be able to feel each other, speak to each other over great distances. I do think they saw this and it's another reason why they used it, you will be able to track me, find me any place. I believe they are hoping that when they forced you to fight the Dark Lord, I would be able to find you and they could get the praise for killing the Dark Lord, while they made sure neither of us would leave the battlefield." Severus had heard Dumbledore and his cronies speaking and knew they had been stealing from Harry and him.

"They want to cover up their stealing from us. Yes, I know about it. I visited the goblins about two months ago. I was going to actually submit the changes this week regarding the Ministry. I made a lot of changes and they would not have been happy with them. I also wanted to make changes to my seats. I didn't want to do it so soon to the start of school, but also enough time to let Rita have her fun." Harry nuzzled into Severus, who arched up in pleasure.

"Harry, we need to think." Severus was trying to ignore the pleasure he was feeling. He wasn't sure how long it would be before the Order would arrive and expect them to follow along with their plans.

"Yes, I know, they will be here soon. We need to dress and get out of here. Take your shower first, as I fear if I join you, we will take more time than necessary." Harry released Severus, allow the man to move away from him.

Severus got up. "Ward the room, in case they arrive." Severus headed for the en suite bathroom.

"I did the whole cottage as soon as we woke." Harry answered. "I will get out our clothes. If we have to I will call one of my elves to get us out." He got out of bed after watching Severus disappear into the bathroom. He wasn't sure what or where they would be going after this but there was no way they were going to be returning to Hogwarts unless they had to. He glanced over his shoulder to the bathroom and got an idea. He was hoping Severus would agree to it.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

They quickly made it into Gringotts, they didn't want to take a chance that some of the Order members would see them or try to interfere. "Harry."

Harry turned at looked at Severus. He could feel the fear that man was suddenly feeling. "What is wrong?" He glanced around, making sure that no one was approaching them.

Severus looked behind them also. "I heard apparitions, someone will be coming for us." He knew that Dumbledore had his spies in Diagon Alley.

"I know, that is why we won't be leaving out of the front door." Harry took his arm and started to guide Severus to the line forming for speaking to the tellers. He could feel the fear going down in Severus.

"Harry, I believe we need to speak to a certain person as soon as possible." Severus whispered. Severus wanted to get far away from Dumbledore and his Order.

"I already thought of that and I agree fully." Harry knew the Dark Lord would enjoy his ideas and he wanted to get even with Dumbledore.

Before they could move forward, one of the goblins walked over to them. "If you could please follow me, Lord Potter."

"Griphook, how nice to see you again." Harry remembered the goblin from his first time in Gringotts.

Griphook was surprised, usually, wizards didn't know which goblins were which. "Pleasure, Ironclaw is waiting for you, we have been expecting you."

Severus whispered, "they have real seers, not like that fake we have at Hogwarts." He was sure they were going to learn some interesting information if a seer warned Ironclaw.

"Let's go and meet Ironclaw, I am sure we will find some very interesting information." Echoing Severus' thoughts. Harry placed his hand on the small of Severus' back and they followed Griphook.

Griphook knocked and opened the door to Ironclaw's office. He stepped back and Harry guided Severus into the office. They froze as they saw who was sitting there in front of Ironclaw's desk. "Well, it appears we won't have to go looking for him." He told Severus quietly.

"Indeed." Severus replied as they started at Lucius Malfoy next to the Dark Lord, who was clearly waiting for their arrival.

"Lord Potter if you and your husband could take a seat, we have a lot of information we need to cover." Ironclaw pointed to the two empty chairs in the room.

They moved to their seats. The Dark Lord and Lucius remained quiet, as Ironclaw started to speak. "The first thing we will need to start is an Inheritance Test, the ritual that Dumbledore forced on you, changed a lot of things. Our Seers have advised us to bring Tom Marvolo Riddle, known as the Dark Lord Voldemort and Lord Lucius Malfoy here for this and what will follow afterward."

"We wanted to speak to them, this just saves us some time." Harry looked at the Dark Lord and Lucius, they clearly weren't expecting him to be so calm about it. He could see they were wondering what ritual was used on them.

Ironclaw began to bring out the bowls, crystals and two silver knives for the Inheritance Test, he pulled two pieces of parchment out of his top drawer and laid them in front of the bowls. "I need you to add three drops of blood into the bowls. I will put the crystals into the bowls and when the crystals absorb all of the blood and essences in the bowl, I will place the crystals on the matching parchments."

Severus and Harry picked up the knives and dropped three drops of their blood into their respective bowls. Ironclaw put the crystals into the bowls, they watched the crystals absorb the blood and other elements that the ritual bowls had in them for the test from parts of a plant to oils. When the crystals went from clear to a deep green, Ironclaw removed the crystals and laid them on the parchment. "We will do Lord Potter's first."

Harrison James Riddle Black Potter (Legal Name) Birth 31 July 1980
Phineas Nigellus Marius Riddle Black (Birth Name) Birth 27 July 1980

Father: Tom Marvolo Riddle
Father: Regulus Arcturus Black
Adopted Father: James Charlus Potter - Adopted 1 August 1980
Adopted Mother: Lily Ann Potter nee Evans - Adopted 1 August 1980
Adopted Father: Sirius Cygnus Black - Adopted 17 October 1980

Titles:

Slytherin, heir
Gryffindor, Lord by blood adoption
Ravenclaw, Lord by marriage
Black, by blood and adoption
Prince, Lord by marriage
Potter, Lord by blood adoption
Peverell, Lord by blood

They could feel the anger flood the room. The Dark Lord looked ready to kill someone, while Harry was still holding the piece of parchment, anger flooding the room from both men. "I will wrap that man's beard around his throat until it looks like a thick scarf, pull it tight. No, I will put him in a mound, drip honey on his head and allow ants to feast on him. No, I will-"

"Harry, please calm down." Severus touched his arm. "Please." He quietly told him. He was worried about the magic flooding the room. He was surprised how oppressive the magic felt.

The Dark Lord rose from his seat and wrapped Harry in his arms, pulling him back into his seat. He held Harry in his lap. He used the family magic of the Slytherin line and wrapped it around them as they each dealt with this new knowledge. It explained why the curse failed. Slytherin line prevented the heirs from being killed by family members, especially the father.

After twenty minutes or so, the Dark Lord loosened his hold. "Harry?" He looked down at his son. The son he had spent months looking for. He had found Reggie dead and their child missing on the 31st of July.

"I am in control." Harry responded. "Can you release me?" He wanted to finish this, he needed to learn more of the truth.

The Dark Lord released him, and Harry stood up and retook his seat. "Can you please explain what all this means for me?"

"We will discuss the titles after I explain a few things." Ironclaw sighed, he wasn't looking forward to telling them this next bit of information. "It means the prophecy that Dumbledore has placed so much believe in, is debunked. It bears no meaning concerning anyone now. He avoided it by trying to force it to be reflective on you instead of who it was meant to regard. It was originally meant for Neville Longbottom. However, between the ritual that was performed on him as a child, and the forcing of using Lord Potter, it has been voided."

"What ritual was performed and how is it now voided?" The Dark Lord stated. Who would perform a ritual on a child to change a prophecy? What kind of idiot would do that? Well, duh, it's Dumbledore they were speaking of. He would do anything to stay in charge.

"Mr. Dumbledore, with Lady Augusta Longbottom's permission, used our ritual room to strip most of Heir Longbottom's magic. He convinced Lady Longbottom it would protect her grandson. She agreed, especially when she heard it could between her grandson and Harry Potter concerning the fulfillment of the prophecy. Mind you, this was before the Potters' death. Frank and Alice Longbottom didn't know about the ritual." Ironclaw explained. "When he changed the date of Lord Potter's birth, and after the Magically Restriction Ritual was performed, he forced the prophecy to be focused on Harry Potter. We also know he wanted you to hear it only part of it, allowing you to believe that with the change of birthdays and times, Harry Potter would be your target."

"So because Dumbledore forced it, it nullified it?" Lucius could see that everyone was trying to control their anger, granted it never really had fully gone away but hearing what the old man did was making them all angry. Knowing that he caused so many to die for the simple reason of forcing a prophecy to come true was sickening.

"Yes. Prophecies don't always come true, they are meant as a warning, a guide to help the future in some cases, but they aren't meant to be understood until after they have been fulfilled. He forced it to his own meaning, changing it." Ironclaw explained.

"He killed my husband and stole my son, to force this prophecy to what he wanted, he then did this new ritual on my son and Severus to continue forcing it?" The Dark Lord wanted to go and kill that old man. He felt Harry's touch his arm. He looked at him and calmed down. There was much more that needed to be done and processed before they could go after Dumbledore.

"Yes, he seems determined to have the two of you fight each other." Ironclaw answered. "We believe he is unaware he is your son, we believe that he knew it was Mr. Black's son. When the Potter's arrived for the blood adoption ceremony, they weren't aware of who the parents were and he talked them out of doing an Inheritance Test on Lord Potter."

"He wants all of us to die together in a final battle, to keep control over the world. He was counting on Severus being in charge and forcing us into a final confrontation. It why he used this ritual, however, Severus pointed out something, he didn't read the small details. Granger has a habit of only using one book when it comes to research, especially if it backs up what she believes is the truth." Harry touched Severus' hand, gave it a quick squeeze before moving his hand back to his lap.

"Ms. Granger and him relied on one book for their information on the ritual, they didn't have enough time to research it because they needed to use the full moon." Severus explained. "They didn't look at what the smaller details of the ritual were. They also didn't bother to make sure that Harry's core wasn't bigger than mine after his seventeenth birthday. They relied on the test of it before his birthday, the one that Poppy takes on every 5th and 6th year, so they can be prepared for anyone magical maturity."

"Now we have a failed prophecy, two forced rituals and I am assuming since we are here there is more information we aren't going to like?" The Dark Lord looked at his son, the boy was powerful during his fourth year, and now he had an increase because of reaching his majority and another increase because of the forced bonding ritual.

"Correct, based on the information from our Seers, we began to look into all of your accounts, including Lord Malfoy's. In looking at them, we found a few interesting things, the biggest is beside the connection that Lord Potter has to Lord Malfoy's family based on the Black family, we found a marriage contract for Harry Potter to Draco Abarax Malfoy."

"What?" Everyone gasped. Harry pulled Severus to him. He wasn't going to marry or bond with Draco Malfoy.

"I never signed one." Lucius wasn't sure how this was going to work, there wasn't a legal contract that he knew of.

"No, your father did, which confused us, because it's dated before the birth of either of them, yet lists their names." Ironclaw added. He was hoping they went after Dumbledore and destroyed the man for messing with magic and the magical world.

"How can that possibly be?" Lucius asked. His father never mentioned anything about a contract. His father was ill for the last few years of his life and didn't leave the Manor.

"We researched it and found it to be a false one, we need the four of you to issue a magical declination of this contract." Ironclaw said. "It's one of the reasons we asked Mr. Riddle and Lord Malfoy to be here."

"He is going to pay." Harry mumbled. "What do we need to say?"

"I need you to say I, your name, contest this magical contract. I, your name, ask for Magic to judge this contract, if valid, will be fulfilled, if invalid, the ones who signed shall be punished. So mote it be." Ironclaw told them.

"I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, contest this magical contract. I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, ask for Magic to judge this contract, if valid, will be fulfilled, if invalid, the ones who signed shall be punished. So mote it be."

"I, Lucius Julian Malfoy, contest this magical contract. I, Lucius Julian Malfoy, ask for Magic to judge this contract, if valid, will be fulfilled, if invalid, the ones who signed shall be punished. So mote it be."

"What name do we use?" Harry asked.

"You would use Harrison James Riddle Black-Potter, your husband." Ironclaw looked at the parchment "is Severus Tobias Potter."

"I, Harrison James Riddle Black-Potter, contest this magical contract. I, Harrison James Riddle Black-Potter, ask for Magic to judge this contract, if valid, will be fulfilled, if invalid, the ones who signed shall be punished. So mote it be."

"I, Severus Tobias Potter, contest this magical contract. I, Severus Tobias Potter, ask for Magic to judge this contract, if valid, will be fulfilled, if invalid, the ones who signed shall be punished. So mote it be."

They watched magic circle around the contract. They saw the flow of colorful streams of magic swirl around the contract and suddenly burst into the air and disappear. Ironclaw looked down at the contract and grinned. "It was judged as invalid." He looked at them. "It will be interesting to see Mr. Dumbledore married to Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody. The others who signed it are deceased."

"Who else signed it?" The Dark Lord asked.

"Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, however for his name there is an indication of a potion and spell at work, Lily Potter, with the same indication as James Potter." Ironclaw answered.

Harry looked at his father and to Lucius. "How about we release the marriage contract, but keep everything hidden for now. On September first, we release the prophecy information, edited to suit our needs and desires. He still has too much power for us to attack him full on, but we can chip away at his power base."

"We still need to speak of your seats." Ironclaw stated.

Harry groaned. "Why do I hear more bad news in that tone?"

The Dark Lord agreed with that assessment. "Let's go through this information before we set a plan of action. I am sure Ironclaw will be providing us with a lot of information."

"You are correct. We have a lot of information to get through, including your son and son-in-law new status." Ironclaw responded. He was going to enjoy working with these four.

Chapter 2: More News Than Is Fit To Print

Harry glanced at Severus as Ironclaw picked up Severus' parchment, again. Ironclaw glanced at the parchment and swallowed, this was going to be a mess, he thought. No wonder the seers have two cleansing chambers and a purging room ready. He handed the parchment to Severus. He couldn't wait for this group to get rid of Dumbledore and his cronies. Dumbledore and his crowd would come into their bank, acting like they owned it and that the goblins were inferior. The seer said this group would destroy the old man.

Severus handed Harry the parchment as he began to shake his head in denial. There was no way that senile old goat removed him from his father and placed him with the drunk known as Tobias. He saw them reading the parchment and knew it was the truth. The lemon drop loving fool ruined his life. He remembered begging not to go back to Tobias' house, all the times he went to the old man begging for help. He was rejected each time, including when he begged him to save Lily.

Severus Tobias Potter nee Snape Birth 9 January 1960 (Ritual of Rebirth -29 January 1960)

Father: Abraxas Augustus Malfoy
Mother: Eileen Snape nee Prince
Adopted Father: Tobias Elliot Snape (Forced Blood Adoption, Ritual of Rebirth)

Titles:

Slytherin, heir consort by marriage
Gryffindor, consort by marriage
Ravenclaw, consort by marriage
Black, consort by marriage
Prince, consort by marriage
Potter, consort by marriage
Peverell, consort by marriage

"What is this ritual?" Harry asked, giving the parchment to Lucius, who in turn handed it to the Dark Lord. He wanted to take Severus away and just comfort his mate. He wanted to remove the massive amount of pain he knew Severus was in. He wanted to seal them in a room and just take care of Severus.

"It's an old ritual that fell out of favor about a hundred years ago when a more reliable form of adoption emerged. It's like our current blood adoption potion, however, there are some differences. The biggest difference is that the child will take the dominant genes from the one who is donating his or her essence. In this case, it's the reason why Mr. Severus Potter looks like a Snape instead of a Malfoy. The benefit is that this ritual can be purged fully, unlike a blood adoption."

"Do you know who did it?" Severus asked. "How my mother ended up marrying my step-father?" Severus was slamming his emotions down, locking them behind his shields. He knew the desire to kill Dumbledore was going to burst out of him if he didn't. He knew it had to be Dumbledore who created this mess. Dumbledore, with his love of moving his pawn into place for whatever future plan he has. He knew the man had to have planned this out years in advance.

"I believe I might have an idea on that." Lucius finally spoke. He inhaled deeply. "In my father's journals, I found reference to someone he loved deeply. As you know my mother was already deceased by then, he could have married your mother, but he made a reference to Dumbledore in the journals. He wrote how Dumbledore took his love away and had hidden her, he searched for her but couldn't find her." Lucius was looking at his half-brother. Dumbledore took his brother away from his family and had him live a miserable life instead.

Severus closed his eyes. "My mother was very submissive with my father, which was the opposite of what she was like as a teenager or young adult. She was depressed, always wary of angering Tobias. Was there a ritual used on her?"

"Yes, in our research we found a ritual called Bonds of Love, it doesn't mean what it implies." Ironclaw pulled out a thick ledger. "On 2 July 1959, a Bonds of Love ritual was performed, against our advice, on Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape. It was paid for by Albus Dumbledore. The ritual is similar to a bonding ritual or marriage ceremony. The key part of the ritual is that there must be some love in the relationship or it destroys the two people in the ritual."

"Tobias with his drinking, my mother with her depression." Severus felt Harry holding his hand, while his other hand was rubbing circles on his back. "So Dumbledore forced my parents to wed basically, removing me from my real father." He knew Dumbledore just had to be involved. He glanced at the other three men in the room, they were now united in destroying Dumbledore and he also realized he had a family. He had a husband, a father-in-law, a half-brother and a nephew. The ritual they forced on them did have additional benefits. He squeezed Harry's hand, letting him know he appreciated what Harry was doing.

"Yes, we have found Mr. Dumbledore has taken a large number of children from the mid-1930's to now and done numerous rituals on them. His husband Gellert Grindelwald, started experimenting on them during the muggle second World War. Dumbledore never had a duel with Gellert Grindelwald, he actually had a meeting here with him and at that time, gave him a potion, this potion allowed Mr. Dumbledore to place his husband in their fortress, the fortress is called Nurmengard, were engraved on the gates is "for the greater good." That was in 1944. He used a golem, one that was crafted here, to stage the duel and his husband's defeat in 1945." Ironclaw explained. "We have a team of researchers looking through the archives to see if we can find proof. Your Ministry still hasn't banned these rituals, there was no one declining the rituals at the time."

"Making everything he did legal, while it would tarnish his reputation, there is nothing we can do but fix his mess." The Dark Lord wanted to strangle the old fool.

"How can we fix us?" Harry asked as he closed his eyes, thinking of all the damage one man did with just the two of them, he wondered how many others Dumbledore ruined.

"We have a two cleansing rooms and a purging room ready for each of you. The cleansing room will rid your body of any ritual residue, it won't remove the ritual that bound you or turned you into vampires, however, it will remove the blood adoption and allow yourselves to be seen as you were meant to appear. The purging room will remove any lingering potions or spells that are in your systems." Ironclaw explained.

"Would this ritual help to determine what type of vampire we are?" Harry asked.

"I can tell you right now, the ritual they used was one that not many prefer to use for a few reasons. As I explain what type of vampire you are, I am sure you will realize why this ritual isn't used often. From the Draugr line, which is the Nordic line, you will be able to keep your own personalities and soul. Your soul is still attached, therefore, you aren't classified as dead. That will keep you from having to register as a dark creature with the Ministry."

"That helps." Harry was relieved, he didn't want to deal with the Ministry. He knew their lives would be ruined if the Ministry got involved.

"Now, Draugr gives you increased strength, the ability to change your size at will, very similar to the Black family trait of being a Metamorphmagi, you can even turn into a wisp of smoke or turn into the size of a giant. You will be immune to all sorts of conventional weapons. Now normally a Draugr can be defeated by wrestling into its mound by force, you don't have one, and even if you did, you could still arise again. The really only way to ensure a Draugr doesn't come back to a living form is to sever the head from the neck, burn the body and dump the ashes into the sea."

"So we got all the benefits of being a Draugr but none of the defects?" Harry asked.

"Correct, but you also have some of the Von Carsteins' vampires in you. They are seen as having a close affinity with creatures of the night such as Wolves and Giant Bats and are famous for possessing a ring which allows them to regenerate wounds which would kill another vampire. You won't need a ring, you can do that on your own now. You also got the trait of a Necrarchs, which is the rarest bloodline, you won't suffer from the bloodlust. Here is something I believe you will find interesting, there is a bit of Strigoi vampire, the Strigoi vampire is known for their physical power. You will find all of this combined with the ability to be good in battle and strategy, it will be near impossible to kill either of you."

"So this ritual has made them basically the magical equivalent of a super soldier, with the ability to wield magic and have battle strategies? He wanted them to be his way of destroying me." The Dark Lord spoke after processing everything they had been hearing.

"Correct, he is also the reason why muggle-borns haven't been reunited with their families. We have been asking for the last two and half decades for him to bring in the muggle born to see which family line they come from." Ironclaw stated.

"Muggle-borns come from Pure-bloods?" Lucius asked he was finding this hard to believe.

"Yes, you see muggles have made great strides in discovering DNA, Chromosomes and other genetic markers to determine diseases, ancestors, and even cures for many of the muggle diseases. When a few muggle-borns have asked for an Inheritance Test, we found they came from the squib lines, they just received the magic boost needed to use magic. A squib has magic, as you know, so when one squib marries another, you get a muggle-born." Ironclaw explained. "It's also the reason why a lot of half-bloods are stronger than pure-bloods it is because of the new infusion of blood and magic in a family line."

"We have a lot to rethink about concerning our policies, but right now, why don't we get Harry and Severus through the cleansing and purging rituals." The Dark Lord said. "I have a feeling they will take a long time."

"I have one more question before we do those rituals. Can any of this ruin Dumbledore?" Harry wanted the man to pay and pay dearly.

"All of it can if used correctly. Nothing he has done has been technically illegal, even the removing of funds from your vaults. He was your magical guardian and therefore allowed by the Ministry the ability to remove so much a year. We can and will get the funds he paid to your friends and the Dursley family citing abuse and accessories to that knowledge, after the fact. However, given his reputation, it won't do much damage. Releasing the facts, the effects these events have had, including the release of the Dark Lord Voldemort had on our culture because Dumbledore has allowed abused children to return to their abusive homes. I am sure Lord Malfoy, with the aid of Miss Skeeter, will be able to put an interesting twist to the truth."

For the first time since they entered the office, all of them smiled, including Ironclaw at the idea of getting rid of Dumbledore.

Chapter 3: Planning

Lucius and the Dark Lord sat outside the purging rooms. They hadn't spoken since the goblins escorted Harry and Severus into the individual rooms. The Dark Lord was staring at the door that had Harry behind it. "They will be fine."

"I am aware." The Dark Lord responded. "I have been imagining ways to torture Dumbledore."

"I have too. I also thought of a few ways to start his torture." Lucius got up and moved to the chair next to his Lord. He had been sitting across from the man. The waiting room was a bit harder to talk in since it had multiple doors connecting to several ritual rooms and it was open for almost all to hear them speaking if they talked across from each other. It was white marble for the walls, with Verde marble for the floors. The furniture was clearly originals from the last century, heavy oak pieces.

"That sounds pleasant. What are your ideas?"

"The first is one is simple. We don't use Rita to write the stories, at least under her own name. We can hire her to create them, and have someone else submit them, someone with a better name, a name not known for gossiping. The stories need her twists to them, but we have the truth, so we use it."

"If we use Harry, it would look like a third side of the war is rising. If we use her to write about Harry's years at Hogwarts, his adventure." The Dark Lord had heard all the different rumor regarding Harry's years. They would use the truth of them.

"It would gain those who don't want to join Dumbledore, but also feel our side is too extreme due to Dumbledore's propaganda." Lucius began to think of the different things Rita could write about. "It doesn't have to be just his years either. We use Binns, the DADA vacancies, that hack, and the half-giant. I know Harry and Severus are friends with him, but he isn't right for the position."

"I agree. We will mention it to Harry. Also, see if we can get the test scores from the other schools. I know they do better than Hogwarts, but I want you to get them for the last hundred years. We can use the facts to show mismanagement."

"Second, I will also see about getting permission to look into the school's vaults. He has blocked a release of statements, there has to be a reason. In that regard, I want to find out why tuition has gone up and why scholarships have only gone to one family."

"The scholarship program was designed to have twenty per year. They aimed for five per house, granted it didn't work out like that, but that is how they justified the expense. I was one the beneficiaries since he never took me to get an Inheritance Test."

"I will see if Ironclaw can provide us with the information. The goblins might do it if they feel theft is involved." Lucius made another mental note. "Third, now I am not sure how to do this exactly. While all these rituals were legal and done legally, how about we work on a slightly different aspect of them. Since they weren't done with the permission of the participants, we use that angle."

"He could deny that, saying they did consent. Augusta Longbottom would be one of the first ones he would bring forth. However, based on your idea, I believe Mr. Longbottom will be getting a letter from Harry, to come and get his own testing done." The Dark Lord would speak to Severus and Harry to make sure they were aware of these ideas.

"The marriage contract will be released, since we declared it illegal, Magic is going to activate it. How do you want to handle that? My idea was to let them drown in their denials as they are forced to bond."

"It will be interesting. If we add our own comments, like, now we know why he hid Black for so long before he was given a trial. Cast doubts about the true reason? I know there has to be a story behind Severus loathing of Black, Potter, and Lupin."

"There is." Lucius smirked. "It involves a prank Black played during Lupin's time of the month that almost cost Severus his life." The Dark Lord's eyes went wide. "We can use that. Dumbledore forced a life debt onto Severus regarding Potter. Potter saved Severus from being attacked because Black sent Severus to the Shrieking Shack, where Lupin was staying for his transformation. Potter arrived and prevented Severus from being killed. Dumbledore instead of punishing Black, forced Severus to remain silent, take the life debt and threaten Severus with expulsion if he went to DMLE. He told Severus his name wouldn't hold up against his name, Black, and Potter."

"That explains a few thing." The Dark Lord replied. "I always wondered why he hated Potter so much." At Lucius' questioning look he continued. "I am not sure if I should say this, but he is your brother by blood. Severus didn't join my cause for the reason so many others did. He didn't crave power, he didn't want revenge, he certainly wasn't crazy. He never said why he wanted to join, but he asked me to teach him to protect himself. As you know I only tutored him and Bella, Bella really because I wanted a way to control the crazy witch."

Lucius groaned, and closed his eyes. "She is going to be a problem. She has always believed Severus to be a traitor to the cause, and you know how she feels about Harry."

"I think it's time to get her a mind healer."

"We have tried, especially after Azkaban. The healer did mention an interesting thing in that regard."

Now it was the Dark Lord who gave the questioning look as he asked, "What did he say?"

"He mentioned how strange her illness was. He went on to explain the different aspects of mental illnesses and said Bella's didn't fit with what is known. He wanted to be able to study her. Now, this was before Azkaban and the ones after, all seemed troubled about her case."

"You don't think he did a ritual on her?"

"He might have. She wasn't like this at Hogwarts, but started the descent into madness shortly after leaving."

"I want all of my followers and supporters to get Inheritance Tests, check for bindings and if they don't have an account manager, have them hire one to dig into their histories." He paused. "I want everyone to do a complete genealogy, we will be finding the muggle-borns family members and connect them to their pure-blood families."

"Dumbledore is going to hate that. If we have the goblins do it, he can't claim it's a ploy on your part, but if we make it known we are sponsoring it, it will improve our status and draw a positive light to our causes. I can even set aside a vault for them to use for testing in case people can't afford it."

"I will add to it." The Dark Lord stated. He liked these plans. "We can finalize the details after we learn everything. I want them both to retake the Inheritance Test, now that their bodies will be cleaned, I am wondering what will show up. I want to see about any magical gifts to, I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to put some kind of bindings on their magic."

Suddenly the room shook, it felt like an earthquake had hit, they jumped out of their seats, as goblins came charging into the area, weapons out and pointed at them. "We didn't cast a spell." The Dark Lord told them, wondering what could have caused such a tremor that they could see caused two cracks in the walls.

"Something happened, you are the only two here." The goblin warrior spoke.

The door to Harry's room opened and a goblin started speaking gobbledygook, then stepped back into the room. The warrior had lowered their weapons, as the goblin warrior who spoke said "we were mistaken. It was the release of magic from the vampire. We will assess the damages and inform you of the cost of repairs."

"You were right, he did." Lucius commented as the warriors left.

"I am going to enjoy killing that man." They sat back down as the Dark Lord added. "My first bill for damages caused by my own child. The joys of parenthood."

"I can show you the memory of the damages to our house when Draco wanted to be a dragon and caused the fire that destroyed the east wing. No one was hurt, but it was actually the water damage that caused more problems than the fire."

"Wonder if I can submit the bill to Dumbledore as a warning?" The Dark Lord asked.

"It can be delivered after the first article." They started to plan.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Harry and Severus were still looking at each other, trying to process the change and they could feel the eyes of the Dark Lord and Lucius on them.

"You look amazing." Harry finally stated as he took in the new form of Severus. A form he was looking forward to enjoying. Harry moved forward and inhaled his scent. The scent was still the same, coconut, jasmine, and smoke.

Severus was an almost exact copy of Lucius. He was tall, broad shouldered, well built. They could have passed for twins, except the eye and hair. Severus' eye stayed the same, still the Prince black, but now had the Malfoy grey specks in them. His hair was the Malfoy blond, but with strands of black, not a lot, mostly around the face. His hair was mid-waist, a bit of a wavy but now lush and silky.

Severus leaned forward as Harry inhaled. He knew Harry was confirming that his scent hadn't changed. Harry smelled like coconuts, strawberries, and fresh cut grass. Severus waited until Harry pulled him into his arms before he released his tension. His mate still wanted him, he knew it was his own self-doubt, but he was relieved no the less.

Harry was a lot taller, Severus' head was tucked under Harry's chin. He clearly got his father's height, not that Reggie was short. He had black hair, again both his parent had it. His figure was clearly the Black blood showing up. He was broad shouldered, with a flat stomach and lean waist. His eyes weren't green, they were now icy blue, like Tom's originally were, with some red around the iris. He had Reggie's face and hair. Harry's hair was touching his shoulders, it was curly, almost as wild as Bella's.

"Lord Potter, you will need to work on controlling your magic, you will have bouts of accidental magic until your core settles." The goblin healer looked at the group. "The ritual that was used, expanded his core, giving him almost double what an average wizard would have. Whoever did the ritual didn't read all of the side-effects. If they did, they would have removed the binding on his magic. Because the binding was on after his magical majority combined with the ritual, it would have allowed the binding to continue to grow until Lord Potter-Black was a squib and died." The Healer explained to them as she handed Harry some paperwork.

Harry closed his eyes as all of the processed what they were told, working on controlling his emotions and magic. "Can you give us a minute before we return to Ironclaw's office? I want to speak to my family." Harry asked the Healer.

"Certainly, when you are ready, just exit the room, Healer Maitxes is waiting to escort you to Ironclaw's office."

"Thank you." Harry gave her a smile. When they were alone, Harry said, "Severus was that part in the book that Granger would have referenced?"

"No, I never realized it. I don't remember reading about the ritual doing that." Severus answered he was a bit shaken by that news.

"He wouldn't have taken a chance, at least now with me still alive. He used it for you to be more of a weapon to him."

"Let's go and get our new tests done."

"I want a magical skills test done on all of us." The Dark Lord stated. "I want to start gathering information."

"Fine." Harry took Severus' hand, giving it a light squeeze. As they headed for the door to leave, Harry noticed the cracks. "That is going to be expensive."

"We were already informed that we will be charged." The Dark Lord looked closely at the cracks, that marble was Italian and going to be expensive to replace. Well, it was cheaper than replacing a wing in a Manor, he thought.

"So can we submit it to Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Your father and I already have an idea on how to do that." Lucius responded, giving his new brother-in-law a smirk.

Harry grinned, a pure feral grin that said he was going to enjoy tormenting Dumbledore.

"We have some basic plans to review also. We will need Ironclaw's assistance on some of it." Lucius' grin now matched Harry's.

"I have a feeling that Dumbledore is going to regret messing with that family." One of the warrior goblins stated, to another as they watched the small group being escorted to Ironclaw's office.

"They are meeting with Ironclaw." The other warrior replied.

"Ironclaw?" The first one questioned, at the toothy smile from his partner, he grinned. "Ironclaw will increase his gold and respect for our people."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

When they entered Ironclaw's office, he had the bowls, parchments and silver knives ready. "We will do the Inheritance Test first, followed by the magical gifts and then the genealogy. However, for the genealogy, I should state that it has already been confirmed that of the Potters, Prince, and Gaunt families, you are the remaining members. When I went to gather the potions needed for the genealogy testing, I decided to do a review of the family names. I found tests already for Tom Marvolo Riddle, James Potter, Lily Evans, and Eileen Prince." He handed over the tests. "They were ordered on those dates, and by Albus Dumbledore." Ironclaw watched them review the information. "We believe he did the tests to determine how to control the seats and make sure he retained control." Ironclaw added.

"So we don't need to do a new one?" Harry asked. "I don't want Dumbledore to claim outdated information."

"No, the dates won't matter, unless he suddenly finds a new member and wants to prove they are. However, for him to do that, he would need the blood of James Potter, Eileen Prince, and Lily Evans, as you were blood adopted, your family connections would also show, which would raise more questions."

"Why?" Lucius asked.

"Well, if you look, in the family history of Lily Evan, there is no connection to the Peverell, Gryffindor, Slytherin or Malfoy lines. She is from a squib line of the Pinkerton family, which died out about one hundred years ago. So no fresh blood. Now in James Potter's line, there is the Peverell, but no Malfoy or Ravenclaw, in Eileen Prince's there isn't a connection to the Potters, Peverell or the Blacks. Despite the way the pure-blood families intermarried, it was usually within their own bloodlines.

"What if he used the blood from Petunia Dursley?"

"Wouldn't work, Lily was adopted." Severus told him. "It was one of the reasons Petunia hated her so much, it grew when I told Lily she was a witch when we were eight."

"Good, just want to make sure Dumbledore can't drag my fat cousin in here, since he is a few months older and try to claim the seats." Harry responded.

"He actually already tried that. Today in fact, while you were getting your purges, he had Dudley Dursley, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Miss Hermione Granger, and Sirius Black in here. It's what prompted me to get the materials for the genealogy test. Just to inform you, Mr. Dursley isn't a bit magical, which seemed to relieve and at the same time make his parents furious." Ironclaw informed them as he started mixing the herbs for the testing.

"I can explain that. They hate magic, I mean loathe it. I got a beating for saying the word magic one time. They were most likely furious because I am betting Dumbledore informed them of the titles and money. Since we disappeared they must have decided to try and use them to get me back under their control. Dudley is four months older."

Severus thought for a few minutes. "No, he did it for another reason. I don't think they know yet."

"What do you think is happening?" Lucius asked.

"I think he was hoping to hide whatever we will find out in the new Inheritance Test. He would know we would come here for the test because we need to take the seats. He knows I would ask for the test for Harry. I always did it for my snakes."

"So he didn't know my mother was adopted?" Harry asked.

"No and Tunie most likely didn't think to tell him. Your grandparents never spoke of it, oh-" Severus looked at Lucius and the Dark Lord. "Was there any blood at Godric's Hollow?"

"I used the Killing Curse." The Dark Lord stated.

"Some, from the reports I read, based on what was written, they thought the rebound caused some of the structural damage and some of it landed on Lily, leaving a pool of blood."

"I bet he tried to use a blood adoption potion called Potion d'Adoption du Sang, it's an old potion that went out of favor because it's not a true blood adoption. It doesn't transfer the traits, family magic, and I bet he didn't read the small print in the back of the book because it doesn't transfer the family rights. It was used as a way for Lords to take control of a young orphan of a friend or their enemies, without endangering their own future children's claims. Granger would have found it easy, as it's in a lot books as the base of the current blood adoption potion."

"For someone who likes to use old rituals, you would think he would make sure he knew everything about them, or find out why they weren't being used any longer." Lucius stated.

"I read about that potion, it was also used on muggles since they didn't have magic, it was safer for them. That could be why he used it." The Dark Lord stated.

"The man is an idiot." Ironclaw stated. "I am ready." He had spent the time crushing, grinding and combining the ingredients for the potions. Normally it wouldn't take much time, but most people only needed one test at a time, not four people with multiple tests.

They each took the knives in front of them and cut their fingers. Harry looked down at his bleeding finger, he really didn't want to pull out his wand for such a small thing when suddenly all of them had bandages wrapped around their fingers. "Oops." Harry grinned.

Ironclaw, ignored the laughter of the group as he stirred the potion and poured it over the parchment for Lucius first.

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy born 23 April 1954

Father: Abraxas Augustus Malfoy
Mother: Victoria Lucinda Malfoy nee Aitken

Titles:

Malfoy
Aitken
Peterson
Crabbe
Goyle

"I didn't know this." Lucius said looking at the parchment. "I thought my mother had a brother."

"Would you care to claim the Lordships?" Ironclaw knew the man did, but he still had to ask.

"Yes, please." Lucius laid the parchment down. "I need to have the official seal added to this, we want to be able to prove the squib theory."

"I will gladly do it to all of those who are willing to take the test." Ironclaw summoned the rings and files for Lucius. He opened the ring boxes and handed them to Lucius. As Lucius looked at the rings, Ironclaw opened the files. "According to the files, your Uncle died childless and willed the seats to you over his wife's child. I believe you're familiar with the family in question."

"Yes." Lucius stated, he put on the rings and finished answering. "It's Goyle, I don't know the other three."

Ironclaw looked through the files. "They are from your uncle, he was the Lord and when he died it went to you. Mr. Crabbe is a distant cousin, your Uncle inherited the title after as a resolution of a contract failure by Mr. Crabbe's father. The other two came from your great grandfather, who willed them to his second son, who willed them to your uncle."

"Ah, smart man, not leaving the titles to those two." The Dark Lord commented. He wasn't unaware of how slow Goyle and Crabbe were, and their sons weren't any better.

"Exactly." Severus wasn't even sure how either boy made it through Hogwarts alive.

"Lord Slytherin." Ironclaw stirred the potion and poured it over the parchment for the Dark Lord.

Tom Marvolo Riddle 31 December, 1926

Father: Thomas Stephen Riddle
Mother: Merope Marion Gaunt

Titles:

Slytherin
Crouch
Karkaroff
Rosier
Gibbon
Wilkes

The Dark Lord looked confused. He handed the parchment to Ironclaw. "They were members of your Death Eaters, as such, when they died, with no heirs, you became the Lord. Your son will be the heir." He summoned the rings. "Do you wish to claim the Lordships?"

"Yes." He looked at Lucius. "Everyone is getting this done."

"We need to keep this quiet, we don't want Dumbledore to bring all the students here and lay claim to the seats. He is their magical guardian during the year when the Wizengamot meet." Harry commented as he watched his father start to put the rings on.

Lucius groaned. "That is going to change what we can release. We will need to rethink some of our plans."

"Indeed." Severus was watching Ironclaw stir Harry's bowl.

Harrison James Riddle Black Potter (Legal Name) Birth 31 July 1980
Phineas Nigellus Marius Riddle Black (Birth Name) Birth 27 July 1980

Father: Tom Marvolo Riddle
Father: Regulus Arcturus Black
Adopted Father: James Charlus Potter - Adopted 1 August 1980
Adopted Mother: Lily Ann Potter nee Evans - Adopted 1 August 1980
Adopted Father: Sirius Cygnus Black - Adopted 17 October 1980

Titles:

Slytherin, heir
Gryffindor, Lord by blood adoption
Ravenclaw, Lord by marriage
Black, by blood and adoption
Prince, Lord by marriage
Potter, Lord by blood adoption
Peverell, Lord by blood
Crouch, heir
Karkaroff, heir
Rosier, heir
Gibbon, heir
Wilkes, heir
Flint, Lord by blood
Yaxley, Lord by blood
Burke, Lord by blood
Bulstrode, heir by blood
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringe, Lord by Ritual of Blood Born

"Now we know what he wanted us not to find out." Harry looked at his father and Lucius, as he handed them the parchment. He took Severus' hand.

"All of these additions are from both of your fathers, and if gained control of them, would have dealt a serious blow to our faction in the Wizengamot." Lucius stated as he returned the parchment.

"Do you wish to claim the Lordships?"

"Yes, please. You might as well gather the heir rings and consort ones for Severus." Harry stated. He leaned close to Severus. "Severus?"

"It's a bit of a shock." Severus had known Dumbledore wasn't honest, that fact was slammed into him when he woke in bed with Harry, a vampire. However, seeing this stuff, it was a bit of a real shocker.

Several minutes later, Severus was reading his parchment. He looked at Harry, his husband, mate, and dominant. His husband was one of the most powerful wizards both in magic and political power.

Severus Tobias Potter nee Snape Birth 9 January 1960 (Ritual of Rebirth -29 January 1960)

Father: Abraxas Augustus Malfoy
Mother: Eileen Snape nee Prince
Adopted Father: Tobias Elliot Snape (Forced Blood Adoption, Ritual of Rebirth)

Titles:

Slytherin, heir consort by marriage
Gryffindor, consort by marriage
Ravenclaw, consort by marriage
Black, consort by marriage
Prince, consort by marriage
Potter, consort by marriage
Peverell, consort by marriage
Crouch, heir consort by marriage
Karkaroff, heir consort by marriage
Rosier, heir consort by marriage
Gibbon, heir consort by marriage
Wilkes, heir consort by marriage
Flint, consort by blood
Yaxley, consort by blood
Burke, consort by blood
Bulstrode, heir consort by blood
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringe, consort by Ritual of Blood Born

Severus looked at the boxes of rings on the desk. "Did we clean out the drawer?"

"Close." Ironclaw responded. "For the next part I need to have your draw your wands out, and when the potion is ready with your right hand, you put your left hand into the bowl, coating at least two fingers with the potion. Once that is done, with your wand, tap the parchment, focus your magic onto the parchment."

All four followed the directions Ironclaw gave them. To say they were surprised by the results would be an understatement.

Notes: Tom-All the names of his death eaters who were dead by this time, Harry-All the names come from the Black family tree if they weren't from Tom or James' side.

Chapter 4: Gifts and Dumbledore

The Dark Lord read his parchment, inhaled deeply before he showed it to the others.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort

Gifts:
Mind Arts
Eidetic Memory
Dark Arts
Parseltongue
Shadow Magic
Elemental Magic: Fire

"Have you tried Shadow or Elemental Magic?" Lucius asked.

"No, everything I read said you had to have an infinity for it, so I never tried it." The Dark Lord commented. "Now, I am going to work on them."

"We can provide books on it. It doesn't indicate any of your skills are blocked. If you tried them while blocked, they wouldn't have worked." Ironclaw stated.

"He wouldn't have blocked him. He wanted him to become a Dark Lord. If anything I would expect he used compulsions and memory charms on him." Severus stated.

"I did find them after I left Hogwarts. I got a purge done and have been mindful of them since." The Dark Lord replied. "I just never took this test. We will need to quietly get everyone done."

"Agreed, especially after learning all of this." Harry was still trying to process everything. He could feel that Severus was burying his emotions until he could process them. He was following Severus' example.

Lucius read his test and laid it flat on Ironclaw's desk.

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Lord Malfoy

Gifts:
Dark Arts
Animagi transformation
Veela Charm
Spellcasting

"We're Veela?" Severus wasn't sure how that would work now that he was a vampire.

"No, but one of our great, great grandparents married a Veela, and the children were able to resist the allure. So we have that gift. I didn't know about the Animagi or Spellcasting." Lucius was going to be experimenting as soon as he read the books.

"We do have teachers if you are interested in learning either of those skills. Spellcasting enables you to cast your spells without a wand, once you learn how to focus your magic." Ironclaw explained.

"Can anyone learn to be an Animagus?" Harry asked.

"It depends on the wizard. Some it just takes a bit more work if you don't have the gift, some will never get it because their cores might not be able to handle the transformation. You have to be above average strength if you don't have the gift." Ironclaw explained.

"I believe we will be seeking out some of your instructors." The Dark Lord knew he wanted to use his new gifts.

Severus Tobias Potter, Consort Potter

Gifts:
Mind Arts
Potions
Veela Charm
Animagi transformation
Vampiric transformation
Magical Resistance

"What is Vampiric Transformation?" Severus asked as he showed his parchment.

"It's similar to Animagi transformation, but you can select the form of a bat, wolf, mist, or smoke. Since you have both, you will have another form also." Ironclaw stated. "We have books about Vampiric transformation but I have read it is fairly easy for a regular vampire to transform, so I would expect you won't have an issue."

"Magical Resistance?" Harry asked.

"That refers to a certain degree of immunity against hexes and spells found in powerful creatures, like dragons, trolls, giants, werewolves, and vampires. Most are going to find it hard to land a spell on you, as you will move too quickly, but if they do, depending on the strength it will have little effect on you. I believe that is why Mr. Dumbledore selected that ritual."

"Granger must have been looking for that because I don't think he would have cared if we got hurt as long as my father was defeated." Harry stated.

"I agree." Severus added. They were both feeling hurt by how used they were by Dumbledore.

Harrison James Riddle Black-Potter, Lord Potter

Gifts:

Mind Arts
Dark Arts
Parseltongue
Shadow Magic
Elemental Magic: Air
Animagi transformation
Metamorphmagi
Vampiric transformation

"The Black gift has returned. It shows the influx of new blood will bring out the family gifts." Lucius commented when he saw Harry's parchment.

"I think I was using it before but didn't realize it." At their looks, Harry explained. "My aunt would cut my hair and it would be back to the normal haircut the next day. I have never needed a haircut."

"The blocks being removed will allow you to use those skills freely now. I have already arranged for the books to be delivered to Slytherin Castle. If there were any books in the vaults, you will also find them included." Ironclaw stated.

"Being an Air Elemental explains your flying too. I have never seen anyone who had no experience make the Quidditch team during their first lesson." Severus gave him a shy smile.

"True, I was a bit surprised. When she caught us, I thought I was going to be expelled." Harry smirked.

There was a knock at Ironclaw's door. Ironclaw got up and spoke quietly with the goblin. He returned to his seat. "It seems Mr. Dumbledore is back again with an order from the Ministry."

"What type of order?"

"A Guardianship Order for Severus Snape and Harry Potter."

"What? How did he get guardianship of me?" Severus really wanted Dumbledore to be his first victim. He wondered if they could arrange it.

"Illegally." Lucius responded. "That is the only way, and given he was here a few hours ago, he had to have called a few of his Wizengamot friends to sign off on it."

"Can we stop it?" The Dark Lord asked.

"It's already stopped, as soon as Lord Potter took his rings, magic accepted him as a rightful lord and member of the Wizengamot." Ironclaw responded.

"We will have to figure out how we want to file these. If we file them all, he might use the students to gain back control before we can get people tested." Lucius stated.

"Unless we seal them, as Harry being the Head of House, he can seal all the seats under him, and magic will just align them to our party." The Dark Lord said.

"True, he won't be able to look into the filings, as he won't be Chief Warlock, he will be the Minority Leader, and as such he will just get a seat count." Lucius began to arrange the seats in his mind. "He doesn't know all of their seats, so the numbers will confuse him. Especially if you take your seats with a different name."

"Agreed, I can use Karkaroff, it will throw him off, as he knows Igor is dead, he won't know who took over the seats and how many." The Dark Lord stated.

"There was a deceased brother of Igor, he was a squib, never disowned." Ironclaw stated. "He was a recluse, so not many know of him, and the ones that do, well, they don't care for Dumbledore."

"I believe that will work." The Dark Lord was going to enjoy sitting in Wizengamot driving Dumbledore crazy.

"Ivan Karkaroff, Lord Karkaroff will be your official name." Ironclaw began the paperwork. He handed it to the Dark Lord to sign off on, and it was filed. "All set. Now, if you wish I can invite Mr. Dumbledore into the office and explain to him why his guardianship won't work."

"He can see through invisibility spells." Harry stated. "He even saw through my cloak."

"It's his glasses, he won't admit it, but they are actually a dark artifact." The Dark Lord informed them.

"Hypocrite." Was said by all.

"I can use goblin spell, he won't see through it." Ironclaw informed them.

"This is going to be great to see." Lucius loved it when they could crush Dumbledore in some way.

"If you would step over to the wall, I will cast the spell and have Griphook escort him in."

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"Mr. Dumbledore, I wasn't expecting you to return so soon." Ironclaw stated, his voice cold.

"Yes, well, I need to have this taken care of today." Dumbledore handed the sealed order to Ironclaw as he took a seat.

The hidden group noticed that Ironclaw didn't invite Dumbledore to sit down or even seem as friendly. When Dumbledore sat down, they saw Ironclaw raise an eyebrow. Ironclaw opened the order and read it. He looked through his files. "I am sorry to inform you but this is impossible to fulfill. According to this, Mr. Harry Snape and Severus Snape are under your guardianship, but there isn't a Mr. Harry Snape or Severus Snape in our system."

"What?" Dumbledore looked confused for a second. "I'm sure you are mistaken. They were bonded yesterday."

"If they were bonded, then they aren't able to be under a guardianship, as to be bonded, it would mean they are of age, and therefore do not require a guardian." Ironclaw wasn't about to give any information on his clients.

"I have special permission by the Wizengamot to become their guardian, as it's of vital importance to the magical world."

"I am sorry, but this isn't legal. You don't have the required number of signatures. You have listed two people who don't exist and failure to show appropriate reasons for guardianship to be granted." Ironclaw remarked. "These are in accordance with your laws."

Dumbledore glared. "Well, how are they listed now?"

"I am unsure who you are referencing, as I stated there isn't a Harry or Severus Snape." Ironclaw replied, patiently as if explaining it to a small child.

"How is Harry Potter now listed?" Dumbledore snarled.

"I am unaware of anyone using that full name." Ironclaw answered.

"I need to get control over Harry Potter, and I need it now, how much will this cost me?" Dumbledore asked.

"I can create a Harry Potter for you, but it won't matter since there isn't anyone with the full name of Harry Potter."

"Harry James Potter is his full name." Dumbledore snapped.

"No one by that full name either." Ironclaw replied. "Perhaps you need to speak to who you referencing."

Dumbledore glared. "I am looking to get control over Lord Severus Tobias Prince."

Ironclaw made a show of looking up the name. "I am sorry we have no one by that full name either."

"Try Lord Severus Tobias Snape-Prince."

"I am sorry, but that full name isn't in our system." Ironclaw was beginning to like turning down Dumbledore. He was going to show this memory to his cousin the King. They would enjoy it.

"What name should I reference?" Dumbledore asked.

"I would suggest you speak to the individuals in question. As they are adults, I can not provide any information on their accounts without their permission." Ironclaw replied. "If you wish to use one of our owls, we do charge a small fee."

Dumbledore glared. "I demand answers."

"I do apologize but I am afraid I don't know what questions you want to be answered. I have already supplied you with any information I am able to provide."

Dumbledore stormed out of the office. Harry started laughing. "I love loopholes." He smirked.

"I believe Ironclaw you are a Slytherin." The Dark Lord stated.

"Thank you." Ironclaw replied.

"No, thank you. That was a brilliant piece of work." Lucius informed him. "I am glad my Lord thought to put up a silencing charm for I fear we were laughing."

"I am going to watch that memory again." Severus grinned. "I don't think I have ever seen him so upset."

"It's going to get worse for him. I can't wait to the next Wizengamot session." The Dark Lord grinned.

Chapter 5

There were heading to Malfoy Manor when they saw a group of Order members heading down Diagon Alley towards them. Harry froze, as did Severus. "I wonder what they are doing?" Lucius looked around the Alley and saw they weren't the only ones wondering.

"Sev, did you hear that?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Harry?" The Dark Lord looked at his son.

"They are asking if anyone has seen us. The interesting thing is that they are trying to be subtle and hint that I stole Harry away from Hogwarts."

Lucius smirked as he saw Lady Zambini. "My dear Lady, may I have a moment of your time." Lucius asked after he greeted her.

"Certainly, Lord Malfoy." Lady Zambini was wondering what Lucius was going on about. He never would discuss anything in public.

"I was wondering if you heard Dumbledore's latest ploy to deceive the masses."

Lady Zambini knew he said it that way for a reason, as more ears were suddenly listening to their conversation. "Does it concern those members of his stating that Mr. Potter has been forcibly removed from Hogwarts?"

"Oh, is that what he is now claiming? I had wondered, as you see Lord Black-Potter and his husband, are actually on their way to their honeymoon destination. The Headmaster planned their ceremony, so I am unsure of why he is claiming they are missing." Lucius guided her back to where the Dark Lord was standing with Harry and Severus. "Shall we have some lunch?"

Harry and Severus exchanged a quick look has the news spread over the Alley. They were seated in a private room in the Leaky Cauldron when Lady Zambini took a sip of her tea, set the cup down. "Now, my Lord, I do believe you need me for a reason?"

"Yes, Maria, I have a job that I believe you and Narcissa would be wonderfully skilled at." The Dark Lord and Lucius proceeded to explain how they needed to get everyone on their side tested, limiting to those they knew wouldn't leak it to anyone on Dumbledore's side.

"I am known as a neutral party, so it should be easy. Narcissa and I can set up some teas, a few luncheon dates, and put it out as more of a concern for their children, with you as our guiding hand in the matter." Lady Zambini began to plan her new schedule. "I will speak to Narcissa tomorrow."

"Very good, Maria."

"My Lord, may I also offer an additional idea?" Lady Zambini asked.

"Yes, please."

"Have those you are able to take their NEWTs now, then they can claim their titles, and sit their seats, leaving less room for Dumbledore to try and claim them."

"I can arrange to have them taken at my manor." Lucius suggested.

"I would like to take them, but I know I am going to need major reviewing." Harry looked at Severus, who nodded his agreement to assist Harry. The Dark Lord also agreed.

"Is there any OWLs or NEWTs that Hogwarts doesn't offer?" Harry asked.

"Yes, a variety of them, we can go over the lists later." Lucius answered.

"Maria spread the word, and Lucius can arrange the times." The Dark Lord smirked. Dumbledore wasn't going to know what happened to make him lose control of the Wizengamot.

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They spent the next week working on getting things arranged; Harry had a set review schedule, with everyone teaching him what he didn't know. Narcissa taught him etiquette and lore, while Lucius, the Dark Lord, and Severus, reviewed everything from politics to potions with him. Harry was now fidgeting in their room.

"Harry, I know you and Draco had a lot of issues, but he really isn't that bad of a kid." Severus stated. He was sitting in his new favorite chair in their quarters, watching Harry trying to refrain from pacing, he wasn't succeeding very well.

"Severus, he is now your nephew, he is also your Godson, he is going to hate that I am bonded to you." Harry just knew Draco was going to hate it. Draco was always bragging about Severus, and Harry always thought it was a bit more of a crush.

Severus felt Harry was correct, he also knew his mate would hurt Draco if he tried anything. Harry was quite possessive of him. He knew Harry was keeping him in their rooms for a reason, he just needed to get to relax, and hoped the Draco didn't do anything stupid, but it was Draco. The combination of the situation regarding him and Harry Potter, that was a combination that made Draco incredibly stupid. Potion classroom time was a perfect example of that. He stood up, stepped in front of his mate, and kissed him. "Bed." He didn't need to say anything beyond that.

FLASHBACK

Severus was sitting in the library when he heard movement outside of the door. He ignored it and was a bit surprised when he heard a voice say "well, well, look at what we got here."

He looked up to see a slightly drunk Avery. An Avery, who when he was drunk was one that enjoyed flirting and trying to bed anything with legs. "Avery, go away."

"That isn't fair, you know my name but I don't know yours." Avery walked towards him and was about to touch his hair when they heard a low growl from behind Avery.

"I would recommend you don't touch my son-in-law." The Dark Lord stepped into view. "My son is a bit touchy about it."

Harry growled louder and was looked ready to attack Avery when Lucius arrived. "Avery, I told you to come directly to my office."

"I just saw this pretty little thing sitting here and I couldn't resist." He was slurring his speech and went to touch Severus' again. Severus hadn't moved, as he was keeping a close eye on Harry. He knew only he would be able to stop anything Harry might do.

Harry pulled Avery to him and bit down, a bit of blood ran down Avery's neck. Lucius, Severus, and the Dark Lord were trying to pull Harry off of Avery. After a few sips to pulled away and tossed Avery to the floor. "Yuck. What in Merlin's name have you been drinking? I need to brush my teeth and mouthwash."

Avery tried to get up but the Dark Lord pulled out his wand and sent him to the dungeons. "Have Narcissa check on him, but make sure to show him the error of his ways by showing up here drunk and hitting on Severus."

Harry pulled Severus out of the room and back up to their room, and proceeded to show Severus who exactly he was mated too. Severus wondered if he could get Harry to do it again?

END FLASHBACK

Lucius and Narcissa were going to speak to Draco before they returned to the Manor. The Dark Lord was in his office, doing paperwork, but he made it clear to Lucius that he would be available to speak to Draco if needed. Technically, Draco was now family, and he was working on not cursing everyone all the time.

The Dark Lord knew that Harry was upstairs, most likely making sure Severus was protected. His son had his possessive streak. He also recognized that Severus knew how to get around it and how to handle his son. While Harry was the dominant in the relationship, he did let Severus be himself.

The Dark Lord heard the arrival of Lucius, Narcissa, and a clearly not happy Draco. "This isn't fair."

"Draco, he is your uncle, my younger brother."

"Life isn't meant to be fair."

The Dark Lord withheld the chuckle that Narcissa's statement caused. Life certainly wasn't fair and they all knew it, and apparently, Draco was going to get a harsh life lesson. "It's always about Potter. The Golden Boy gets my Severus."

"Do not call him that, Draco. He is mated to Harry." Lucius warned. "I have told you, they were forced into it, blame the correct person if you have to, which happens to be Dumbledore."

The Dark Lord exited his office and entered the sitting room, unnoticed by his new in-laws. "Draco, Harry is the Dark Lord's son, and he certainly isn't a worshipper of Dumbledore." Narcissa was trying to be patient, but this discussion had been going on for hours. It started in their carriage, it continued on through dinner, and it was clearly going to continue now.

"I would suggest Draco learn the hard way, but I don't think Severus would enjoy having his nephew turned into a snack for Harry." The Dark Lord made his presence known. "They are still upstairs. I believe Severus is working on making sure Harry doesn't turn your son into a treat."

"I don't know Father, he might be a good meal, a little on the lean side, but he can't taste as bad as Avery did." Harry entered the room, followed by Severus. Harry took a seat, near the fireplace, extending the chair to allow Severus to sit with him. "I don't think I ever tasted anything so foul."

"He didn't smell pleasant either."

"Who are you?" Draco asked.

"I am Harrison Black-Potter, and he is my mate, Severus Black-Potter." Harry was clearly enjoying the look of shock on Draco's face. He knew they didn't look like the old Harry and Severus but he didn't think it was that much of a difference.

"Funny. Nice prank, how long were all of you going to keep this up? Letting me believe that Scarhead and Severus were mated, they don't even look remotely like them."

"It's not a prank Draco." Severus stated. "Ask me something that only the real Severus would know."

"What did you punish me for during the first class of my second-year potion lab?"

"You and Pansy threw dill seeds into Harry's cauldron, causing the cauldron to melt. If Harry hadn't already added the Doxie Dust, the cauldron explosion could have killed everyone with the fumes."

"I knew it." Harry muttered. "You owe me for all those detentions."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "I am aware."

"Be a dear, Draco and close your mouth, it's very unbecoming." Narcissa touched her son's jaw.

"It's true, it's really true." Draco muttered. He looked between Harry and Severus. He noticed how close Harry was sitting next to Severus.

"Yes, it is, and Draco, I believe it's time to make certain Gryffindors regret their actions."

Draco's eye lite up. "Weasleys?"

"Fair game. Except for the twins, Bill and Charlie. I want to speak to them first. If they take Dumbledore's side, they are going to go down also."

"I don't believe they will." Severus stated.

"I don't think they will either." Harry gave him a kiss.

"So didn't need to see that." Draco commented.

Chapter 6: Weasleys Choices

Harry was exhausted. He lowered the book he was currently reading. He couldn't believe he actually finished taking his NEWTs. He didn't know the results, but he felt good about, oh, he was lying to himself. He felt he did wonderfully on them. He wondered what Dumbledore was going to do when the man realized his mistake in selecting the ritual he used on them. All the benefits of all the different vampires and none of their weaknesses was indeed a great benefit, not to mention he did get Severus out of it too. That was something he was going to have to send the old man a life time supply of lemon drops for. Not that he was going to be alive much longer.

"You know he is he going to have a fit when he sees your results." Severus stood in the doorway to the library. Severus was wearing new black robes that were trimmed with deep green stitching.

"Wish we could see it. He is going to try and find a way to get me to return to Hogwarts." Harry was wearing matching robes to Severus. They found it was easier for them to blend into the background and shadows if they wore black or deep blue colors.

"I had an idea on that." Severus moved to the deep burgundy leather chair across from Harry, dodging the hand that went to snag him. He knew if he was pulled into Harry's lap, they wouldn't finish their discussion. "Why not return as an apprentice? You know he wants you there, if we put up enough of a fight, give in, he will think he won, and we can work on the inside. I can use my contract."

"Potions and Defense?" Harry liked the idea and knowing that Dumbledore had no clue what type of vampires they were would give them a bigger edge.

"Yes, but let him just believe it's Defense." Severus knew they could hide the potion part by having Harry work in his private lab. He knew Granger and the Weasley brats would try and bring trouble.

"Agreed. We will need to find a way to cover our new appearances, he can't know that we know. I think it's those glasses of his." Harry had been wondering for years how the old man could see through glamours. He knew it was Mad-Eye's eye, and he wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore used the same thing with his glasses.

"That is very true and I have an idea on that." The Dark Lord stated from the other side of the room. He had been watching his son and son-in-law for the last few weeks. Hogwarts was due to start and he acknowledged that they needed to return.

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Severus was a bit nervous, not that he was going to admit it, but he was. The older Weasley boys and the twins had agreed to meet with Harry. He was a bit concerned because he wasn't sure where they stood in regards to Dumbledore and Harry. What if they informed Dumbledore? What if the Order was waiting for Harry? What if Harry wasn't able to escape if they were waiting? Would Dumbledore do something to Harry? He knew Dumbledore was willing to do anything to force Harry into the war.

"Relax." Arms slipped around his waist. "I want you to hide in the shadows while I speak to them."

"I would feel better about it if I was able to remain with you." Severus placed his hands over Harry's. "I believe they will support us, but I am afraid Dumbledore might have found out."

"I understand, and if I feel I am in danger I will leave." Harry kissed the back of Severus' neck. "Dad also provided us with some interesting jewelry."

"He did?" Severus was a bit surprised by the Dark Lord. He would have never expected the man to be so caring.

Harry escorted Severus to the pouch that was sitting on their table in their sitting room. He opened it up, pulling out two identical black onyx snake pendants on platinum chains. "Portkeys, designed to get through anything, including Hogwarts."

Severus touched the snake, opening his senses. "The power." He held them in hand, feeling the power oozing through his system.

"Yes, Dad paid a visit to the Slytherin vault. He found these for us to use." Harry took one of them and latched it around Severus' neck. "No one but my father or I can remove them." Harry hissed the password to the necklace. He took the other one and repeated the process on himself. "Now, let's go and meet the good Weasleys."

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Harry and Severus made their way through Diagon Alley, they didn't bother with any glamours, as no one knew what they looked like, except for a few people who weren't going to tell Dumbledore anything. In order to make sure no one was watching them, they stopped to look at the window displays. "Aurors in front of Ollivander's."

"Also in front of Amanuensis Quills, Madam Pimpernel's Beautifying Potions, and Gringotts." Harry informed Severus. "The ones in front of Gringotts look like they are just doing official guard duty."

"Agreed, however, each group has an Order member."

"Interesting." Harry held out his arm, and Severus took hold and allowed Harry to escort him to the Weasley's joke shop. They knew no one would associate them with what they believed about Potter and Snape. After all, everyone knew how much they hated each other. They also believed that Snape would never allow anyone to escort him anyplace, much less touch him in public.

They entered the joke shop and before they could get fully into the store the twins greeted them. "Customers, we have new customers." George announced as they were being (read dragged) escorted towards the back of the store.

"Yes, we do, brother mine." Fred had his arm on Harry and Severus while George lead the way

"They must try our new products." The twins finished.

Severus went to speak but Fred whispered: "Order members in the middle of the store."

When they reached the back of the store, George snatched hairs from them. "Luna and Neville are going to play you two. Ditch behind the display."

Harry and Severus moved the hide behind the display, seeing Luna and Neville drink the poly-juice potion. After the pair smiled at them as they finished changing, they left the display on the other side. As soon as Neville and Luna left, George opened a hidden door. "Get in."

"No problem?" Bill was at the window, watching the street.

"Nope. Harry and Severus-" George took his usual seat on the beat up couch.

"-weren't even recognized." Fred grinned as he joined his brother.

"Why I do believe brothers, that they are a bit confused." Charlie was carrying a tea tray. "Sit, and we can explain what we know, while you two explain what Dumbledore, Granger and our youngest siblings have been smoking."

"How do you know it's us?" Harry was wondering how they figured it out and yet no one else had.

"You're our brother like we wouldn't recognize you." Charlie smirked, as he poured tea.

"Actually, the truth is-" Fred picked up a biscuit.

"Bill knew it was you."

Harry turned and looked at Bill, who was still looking out the window. "Order members finally left." Bill walked to the empty chair that they pulled from the kitchen. "I watched you coming down the Alley, it was a good idea to stop at the window display. The Aurors thought it was you until Snape put his arm through yours."

"What gave us away?"

"Dumbledore made an announcement at the last Order meeting. He believes that since the ritual worked, that your appearance would have changed. When people found out about the ritual he used, he had a lot of explaining to do. He wasn't going to announce it, but Ronny couldn't keep his mouth shut, Sirius and a few others heard about it, so Sirius had a fit, causing everyone else to hear about it." Bill explained. "I think our mother knew about it, and Sirius' seemed to be more of an act, since his actions didn't match with how he usually acts."

"Dumbledore was trying to tell us it was for the greater good. The good news is he doesn't know what you look like. He believes you to be paler, leaner, you know the whole vampire route. However, when Bill was watching for you, because we knew the Order would be around, he noticed you still walk the same." Charlie supplied. "Also, same mannerisms."

"So when do we meet Mr. Darkness?" The twins asked together.

Severus looked a bit surprised as Harry started laughing. "I knew you would have figured it out."

Neville and Luna entered the room, and after a quick greeting Neville started out the next part of the conversation. "My grandmother wants to meet with the Dark Lord. She told me about the ritual."

Harry and Severus exchanged a quick look. "Vow, the bee will know otherwise." Luna warned. Soon all took a Vow. Harry and Severus explained everything they knew. Harry even informed them about his time at the Dursleys' with the twins adding their own comments.

"We will remain in the Order, as spies. However, Harry and you too, brother-in-law, have our full support." Bill announced. "I will also see if I can find out any information from the goblins."

"When you return to Hogwarts, Red will try and make you hers, again." Luna warned.

"Oh, yeah, we did forget about that." Fred and George stated together. "It turns out that ritual will allow you to marry still. So our sister and mother have decided for you to marry her. She wants to be Lady Potter-Black. Sirius let it out that you have that title."

"Indeed." Severus wasn't about to let that girl get near his mate, he felt Harry's hand on his knee.

"Black, Dumbledore, and Lupin are going to be busy with their own wedding, I am sure we can also arrange one for your dear sister, brother, and Granger."

"Our mother was mentioning marriage contract. They are counting on you still being under age." Charlie explained.

"If Dumbledore or anyone signs one for Harry, it would be an illegal one." Bill smirked as he knew what was going to happen. As much as he loved his siblings and mother, he didn't like what they were doing. If they forced a marriage contract, they deserved what they got. He knew he was also a bit upset about his mother's treatment of his own wife. "I will also speak to Fleur. Her father has a lot of contacts with the French Ministry."

"Use Dobby for letters." Luna announced.

"I was going to ask how to communicate but Luna answered that." Neville grinned. "I will also inform a few other lions who aren't happy with Granger, Ron, and Ginny." No one really liked that trio of lions.

"Good the more we have against Dumbledore and his ways, the better." Harry knew Neville meant Dean, Seamus, and some of the girls, as none of them cared for the bratty trio.

They broke up into groups, while Harry spoke with Luna and Neville about the upcoming year, Severus and the twins spoke about potions. Bill and Charlie headed out, as they didn't want the Order to wonder where they were.

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Draco nearly spit his tea out when he read the headline in the morning paper. "Draco, I haven't read that as of yet." Lucius informed his son.

"Father, trust me when you read this, you will know why." Draco handed the paper to his father.

"Oh, it is finally published?" Harry placed some bacon on his plate, while Severus served himself some eggs.

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE TO MARRY FINALLY!

By: Rita Skeeter

Albus Dumbledore is to be married to Sirius Black, former inmate of Azkaban, and werewolf, Remus Lupin. Yes, you read correctly. Albus Dumbledore is set to marry. I, however, am wondering why after all these years. That was until I read who he was being married to. This marriage brings up a lot of issues. I mean, honestly, he is marrying a werewolf when he has voted to increase the bans on werewolves. Is there something we don't know about?

How about the former inmate of Azkaban Sirius Black? The man was in Azkaban for twelve years and is on the run. Is this a ploy to take control of the Black family fortune? The Black Lordship, now that Dumbledore has lost the seats? Why marry a mass murderer? Why marry somehow who is on the run from the Ministry of Magic?

Questions are building, and Dumbledore has refused to answer. What exactly is Albus Dumbledore hiding from the public? Is this the type of man we want educating our children? Ensuring their safety?

Dumbledore's record speaks for itself and we should fear for our children.

Lucius finished reading the story. "Rita does a wonderful job."

"It will get better, especially when we take our seats at the first Wizengamot." Harry smirked.

Notes: The contract was judged and said the marriage was between Dumbledore, Moody, and Lupin, however, Rita "heard" about the contract, as will be explained later. Remember Sirius was one mentioned on the contract as a Witness...

Chapter 7

Fred arrived Longbottom Manor. He had some of the latest information about the order. He caught the end of the conversation. He knew Severus, Harry, and the Dark Lord were meeting Lady Longbottom for lunch. He was arriving about an hour after he estimated the end of lunch would have occurred. He saw a teary Lady Longbottom. Lady Longbottom was a bit distraught to learn what the ritual really did. "He told me it was to protect Neville." She looked at her grandson. "I never would have done it otherwise."

"He is very good at leading people to what he wants." Severus had already explained about what happened to Harry and him.

"I want to help you. What do you want me to do?"

"Gram, this will mean helping the Dark Lord." Neville had made his peace with the Dark Lord, but only because he knew Harry. He knew Harry wasn't evil, and he hated what Dumbledore had done to him and others.

"I'm aware of who I just had lunch with. While I was weary, I will say this. He has never lied about his goals, he has never hurt innocent people. Your father, the Potters engaged in war. There are two sides to a war. While I do appreciate the changes in attitude and the admittance of his wrongs, he never claimed to be anything than what he was. Dumbledore has lied, conned, stolen, killed, and used people to remain in charge while pretending to care about our world. He must be stopped."

"Way to go, Lady Longbottom." Fred announced from the doorway. "Sorry. The Order had a meeting earlier. George is at the store. I figured I would come here and inform you what we learned, and it won't give us away."

"Quick recap, as I don't want to leave Forge to long. The Order is a mess. Sirius was going nuts about the marriage contract. They will be printing the correct one tomorrow. Mad-Eye, Dumbledore, and Lupin will be bonding this weekend. They are going to have Fudge do the service, and just the Order will be in attendance. A small announcement will appear but not until next month. They also are having issues with funding the Order. Dumbledore wanted everyone to donate to the Order, sadly, he didn't get a knut. They are still trying to find you. McGonagall didn't mention you are returning for some reason come the first, but I expect she will. She actually was quiet and seemed to be watching everyone."

"Anything about the seats or anything?" The Dark Lord wondered if they could get the Order divided.

"No, most of it was screaming. My mother was on a rant about the money they owe Harry. Granger was researching locating spells, and love potions. She tried to hide it from me, but I recognized the book. Ginny was ranting about Harry, same as Ron but for two different reasons. Ron is furious that he had to give the money back, while my dear sister was going on about her wedding, and how everything would be fine afterward."

"What like Harry is Prince Charming?" Neville always thought Ginny was a bit crazy, but this tipped the scale, the girl was crazy.

"Yes, she has a plot to make Harry jealous, ignore that he is bonded, and marry him. She figures since Harry has two titles, she can get one."

"Great, Stalker Ginny in crazy mode." Harry was a bit sick of the girl. She drove him nuts always trying to get him to go out with her.

"I have an old pendant that works against all potions, not just the modern ones. I bet Miss Granger will go with the old ones since she knows Severus is a potion master." Lady Longbottom stated. "I was going to give it Alice when I pass, but I feel Harry needs it more. It can be transfigured into any shape."

"Thank you, Lady Longbottom."

"Call me Augusta. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other. That goes for everyone." She saw Neville smile.

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"I feel weird." Harry shuddered.

"It's the glamours. They will take you a bit to get used to." The Dark Lord responded. He looked at Severus and Harry, they were looking like their former selves.

"Something is missing." Draco commented. "I mean they look like the pictures, but something is off."

"I agree." Lucius and Narcissa stepped back to re-evaluate their masterpieces.

"It's their stance." Luna announced. "Harry has more confidence, as does Severus and it shows. We do need to cover up their fangs still."

"I have that covered." George held up a blood pops, giving them to Harry.

"They only show up when they start getting hungry." Fred handed his blood pops to Severus.

"The new clothes also help." Fleur rose from her chair. Harry and Severus were dressed in black dragonhide leather trousers, with black dragon hide boots. Severus wore a Slytherin green silk shirt with a black vest and his Professors' robe. Harry wore sapphire blue silk shirt.

"Now Order members will be on the platform, they are to make sure you get on the train, but not to keep you from getting on the train. Granger, my brother, and sister have orders to try and keep you away from anyone else. They were instructed to keep you isolated from others." Bill explained.

"Figures. Wonder what they are going to do when I arrive with Severus?"

"That is why we are going to be with you." Lady Longbottom added. "Neville, Luna, and I will arrive with you."

"Let's get the rest the clothes together, Friday is fast approaching." Narcissa waved her wand gathering all the clothing samples. "I will make sure the clothing can adjust for your normal appearances."

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"Harry?" Severus came into their bedroom. He had been a bit worried about them sleeping apart. They rarely were apart and when they were separated for more than a few hours, they felt the pull. He sat down on the bed. "I'm worried about it too. I am not sleeping in the Tower, I did my time in dorms."

"Good. Dumbledore will want you to, but I believe we can get him to see our side. Besides, I'm an apprentice, not a student, which will drive Granger nuts." Harry wrapped an arm around Severus, who let Harry guide him onto his back. "Flash some fang, and hint at releasing the information?"

"That is what I was thinking. Now, let's have some fun before we have to return to Hogwarts."

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Luna, Neville, Lady Longbottom, Harry, and Severus arrived at the platform. They saw Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and the glamoured Dark Lord over in the corner. They also saw other Death Eaters and supporters spread out over the platform.

Severus saw all of the new apprentices were in their robes already, including Harry and Neville. He remembered the fit Dumbledore had when he learned most of Slytherin incoming seventh years, about 1/2 the Ravenclaws, a few Hufflepuffs, and Harry had their NEWTs and were returning as apprentices. Lucius had worked on returning the program and the staff loved the idea.

Granger had wanted to take her NEWTs but was afraid she would fail as she hadn't read the material, much less practiced it. Molly forbade anyone who still attending Hogwarts from using their wands. She planned on taking them during the Yule Holiday break, sadly for her no one informed her that they didn't test during that time frame.

The small group bid Lady Longbottom goodbye and entered the train. "The Bee is going to try and force you apart, Red, Brainless, and Crazy will also work to do it." Luna warned as they saw the arrival of the Weasley family, minutes before the train was due to leave.

"I'm sure we can keep them busy." Neville placed his hand over Luna's given it a squeeze.

"I'm warding the compartment. Granger is already searching for me." Harry could see the girl looking around and eyeing the train.

"So are the Order members now that people are leaving the platform." Severus and Harry put up wards, Severus did the secrecy ones, while Harry did parsel ones.

"They're doomed to fail." Luna gave them a dreamy smile. "Quibbler?'

"Please." Everyone took one and were discussing the article on the front page about the new apprenticeship program when the train left the station.

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The group was almost to the Great Hall when they heard "Harry James Potter, where do you think you are going."

Harry didn't even stop. "I wonder how certain people think what I'm doing or where I'm going is their business. However, if they were as bright as they think they are, they would realize those open doors lead to the Great Hall, and we're attending the Welcoming Feast."

"Well, Potty, you know, some people only are book smart, which even that is questionable." Draco commented from ahead of Harry.

"True, too true." Neville agreed.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! Stop right this minute; you have a lot of explaining to do." Granger yelling caused several people to stop and look at Harry and Granger.

Harry laughed. "Get a life, Granger and mind your own business. You have no say in my life. You aren't a friend, clue your two friends of the same. None of you are my friends, you have no say in my life, no right to even ask. I don't associate with backstabbers like you three." Harry entered the hall. "I hope they serve some Treacle Tart." Severus went to leave the group, but Harry pulled him close and gave him a soul-sucking kiss. "See you after the Feast."

"You better fulfill the promises that kiss just issued."

Chapter 8

Neville had been in contact with almost everyone in Gryffindor, from the now current second years to the seventh years. While everyone was taking their seats at their tables, Granger and the two Weasleys found themselves isolated from everyone. No one wanted to sit with them.

"Now that is how you kiss." Pansy almost yelled out from Slytherin. "Do you give lessons?"

"I think my husband might object." Harry smirked as Severus blushed.

Minerva hid her own smile as seeing Severus and Harry's kiss. She rose from her place. Dumbledore was in for a surprise. "I'm sure many have noticed the robes of several students from different houses are different. They are wearing apprenticeship robes. As Apprentices, they will be assisting their Masters with their classes, assignments, and tutoring. All those who are apprentices, please stand."

Harry, with most of the Gryffindor seventh-years, Slytherin seventh-years, over half of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff seventh years rose. "If you look at their crests, you will see which area they specialize in. Please familiarize yourself with these students and their areas of specialty. They cover all subjects taught at Hogwarts, in addition to Healing, languages, English, and math. A list of potential Masters will be available to all seventh-year students who are interested in this program by Monday. For the sixth years, by Yule, you will receive the same information for you to work on applications if you desire to. Some of the students will be traveling daily to the Ministry, Gringotts, and even St. Mungos for their lessons. They are not going to run errands for anyone." Minerva warned. "Now, I do believe the Headmaster has some news to share."

Dumbledore rose slowly. He was surprised to see Harry and Severus return to Hogwarts, but also relieved. He needed to regain control. "Yes, thank you, Professor McGonagall. I wish to extend congratulations to Professor Snape on his marriage to Harry Snape. I wish the both of you a happy future together. Mr. Snape-"

"Potter."

"My last name is Potter, Albus, however, we do thank you for your good wishes."

"-Mr. Potter and the others in the apprenticeship program, I regret to inform you that I did not approve said the program, so therefore you will remain as seventh-years."

"-My husband and I are happy to have the apprenticeship program returned. It enabled us to return to Hogwarts."

Shouts from students filled the hall. Fireworks suddenly filled the air from by doors. Lucius and Augusta were standing with the other members of the Board. "Students, the program is not canceled. Please head to your common rooms, the sorting will take place tomorrow night. Prefects, divide the first years between all the houses." Lucius instructed. "The house elves will provide food and bedding for everyone."

"Those of you with apprenticeships, follow Head Elf Otis to your new quarters." Lord Parkinson added.

"Mr. Potter, remain with us." Augusta gave a slight nod of encouragement to her grandson.

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Harry and Severus followed behind the Board, Dumbledore was trying to talk to his people but no one was speaking as they walked.

"I'm unclear as to why the Board is here." Dumbledore was trying to get information out of his old friend, Elias Doge, however, the man wasn't speaking and clearly unhappy.

Once they were in the Headmaster's office and tea had been served, Lucius began. "We are here because you clearly refuse to follow the decrees of the Board. You failed to hire the staff for the new classes, even offer the new classes, and we heard you announce that you were canceling the apprenticeship program which you don't have the authority to do so."

"It's for the greater good." Dumbledore took a lemon drop. "We need to keep the students away from the lure of the dark side."

"He sounds like a Star Wars character." Harry muttered. "How is law, politics, math, English, even dance, dark? Maybe it's me, but they sound like classes that will benefit us instead of hinder."

"Our sentiments exactly. Dance will improve health, stamina, grace, while the other will indeed ready the future generations for our world." Ted Tonks stated. "I wished we had these courses when I attended."

"We also can't have apprentices in an apprenticeship program without the students taking their NEWTS. So, therefore, I can reject the program as no one is eligible."

"Actually, every student in the program has taken their NEWTs, their seats if able, and submitted the correct applications and acceptance letters from their new Masters." Lucius loved the look of shock on the old fool's face.

"I did provide you with the complete list of students who passed their NEWTs." Minerva wasn't sure what exactly was happening in their world, but she had realized Dumbledore wasn't who she thought him to be after hearing about the marriage between Severus and Harry. She also knew the man wasn't making it easy for his new husbands, Remus and Mad-Eye.

FLASHBACK

"Albus, tell me this contract isn't true?" Minerva and the remaining staff were reading the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. Rita had corrected her article and shown the contract for all to read.

"What contract?" Dumbledore hadn't even had a cup of tea yet, and he was exhausted. He had been looking for Harry and Severus and having no luck in locating them. He was also failing to get custody over the pair. Madam Bones had been furious when she discovered his guardianship and rescinded it.

"Congratulations, I believe. I didn't know the three of you were so close. I knew you denied the rumor of marrying Sirius Black, but now I see why." Filius beamed a smile down the table. "Do pass on my good wishes to Remus and Mad-Eye when you see them."

"What?" Dumbledore snapped up his copy of the paper. He started reading the headlines, and finding the newest one of him, felt sick. Rita apologized to him for getting the coupling wrong and provided a full version of the marriage contract.

"Did you and Remus discover your feeling when he worked here?" Pomona was giddy with excitement. She liked Remus and was happy Dumbledore wasn't marrying Sirius Black.

"I'm not getting married." Dumbledore slammed the paper down, stormed off to his office to figure out how to fix it.

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"So have you decided on the last name?" The Minister asked as he finished the bonding ceremony.

"We are keeping our own names." Mad-Eye huffed. He was ready to kill Albus and Remus. Both men had been sniping at each other since the announcement in the Daily Prophet. "It works out better that way."

"Yes, for the greater good."

"Not to mention, I want to remain among the living. A lot of werewolves don't care for either of my new husbands." Remus had already been warned by Fenrir about returning to any werewolf pack. No one wanted to hear him recruiting for his future husband.

"Oh, I do understand. Dark Creatures are all alike." Fudge signed off on the bonding certificate. "I officially pronounce the bonding sealed. Do you wish for a public announcement by the Ministry?"

"No!" All three almost shouted. Sadly for them, they didn't scan the office they were in for a small little beetle that hitched a ride on the back of Minister Fudge's hat.

The next Daily Prophet had word for word what was said in that room, including the dark creature comment by Fudge, who received a lot of howlers concerning his opinion.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Albus, you are now on official probation. You were warned after the ignoring the Ministry warnings. You were warned after the numerous yearly events, now we are taking action." Lord Greengrass handed over the official notification regarding Dumbledore's probation.

"What? Why?" Dumbledore was shocked.

"Part of it is for the reasons we have already listed, another is your latest attempt at trying to gain control over an adult student and his husband. Many are wondering if you're sane enough to remain in charge of Hogwarts." Augusta stated.

"In that parchment, you will find that Mr. Potter and Professor Potter are in charge of the new apprenticeship program. You will not interfere." Lucius warned.

Dumbledore opened the parchment. He was on probation for the next five years. If he broke any of Hogwarts rules, her charter, or even disobeyed the Ministry or Boards guidelines for Hogwarts he would be removed. He knew they couldn't add anything about the Order, except banning them from meeting at Hogwarts, as the Order wasn't formed under Hogwarts or used her charter. "I have no say in how this new program is to be run, even though I am the Headmaster?"

"No, you don't. We all agreed it would be a conflict of interest after Madam Bones and Minister Fudge were informed of your hidden agenda in trying to gain guardianship of Mr. Potter and Professor Potter and they signed off on the agreement as well. It was ratified by the Wizengamot this afternoon, you were informed of the session but didn't attend." Lucius produced the official paperwork. "There will also be a new representative, Mr. Marvolo Elddir. He will be here at Hogwarts to help with any concerns, questions, and provide ways for students to become apprentices. He will set the hours once he meets with the staff and students already in the program."

Harry had been holding his non-existent breath until Dumbledore didn't react to his father's name. "The funding for it has already been approved." Augusta cut Dumbledore off. They knew he was going to try and say there weren't any funds in the budget for a new position. The man hadn't realized the goblins had already returned all the missing funds to Hogwarts' vaults.

"Now, I do believe we are finished." Madam Zambini smiled.

"Any questions Albus, before we leave?" Ted Tonks had been trying for years to get these programs returned, he had been a bit surprised at the welcomed change of attitude in Augusta Longbottom, which caused a few more members to open their eyes.

"No, I believe I need to review these documents, and I'm sure if I have any questions or concerns, my old friend Elias will answer them for me."

"No, Albus, I won't be. This is my last meeting." He knew if he didn't resign, he would be forced out. He had seen the signs, the changes, and knew Dumbledore wasn't going to last much longer. He didn't want his name ruined. He had his children and grandchildren to think about. One of whom was enrolled in the healer apprenticeship program and another was already working on getting accepted into a runic one. He had listened to his children complain about the lack of programs when they had attended and listened to them provide the pay difference that an apprentice earned versus those who went to a university and then had to take an apprenticeship, they also included the cost of going to a university. They drilled it into his head about how much damage his old friend had been doing to their world, all for the greater good.

"Yes, Mr. Elddir agreed to accept the new open post. He has some wonderful ideas and ways to revamp education. A lot of it based on the changes muggles in Scandinavia have been using." Ted had been very excited about the new ideas.

"What about the fact that they are vampires?" Dumbledore grasped at straws.

Lucius looked at Harry and Severus as Severus raised an eyebrow. "He is worried about us after his own husband almost killed me twice and he was still allowed to return to Hogwarts."

"I can assure the Board, the Ministry, which we have done, that we are no danger to anyone. We have already shown we have no bloodlust, and that while blood pops are great, we don't need blood." Harry's fangs appeared. "The goblins have also submitted reports showing that."

"We did make arrangements for blood pops and other candy to arrive at regular intervals. Harry has a bit of a sweet tooth."

"So do you, my dear husband."

Severus huffed. "No one was to know that."

"So everything is in order. I do believe it's time to break up this meeting."

"I do agree, Augusta. Let me escort you home." Lucius, with the rest of the Board, rose.

"I'll just floo home unless Albus believes Hogwarts can't afford floo powder."

Harry and Severus exited before anyone could notice they were gone. They didn't want to be dragged into a meeting with Dumbledore.

Chapter 9

The Dark Lord entered Hogwarts and felt like he was coming home. He saw Severus, Harry, Lucius, and Augusta were waiting for him in the foyer of Hogwarts. He didn't see Dumbledore, but some students were walking around.

"He is trying to see if he can find support with Board members to get the classes removed." Augusta explained why Dumbledore wasn't around. "He isn't having any luck."

"He doesn't believe you will be here for long, Dad. He thinks you will only spend an hour or so a week. According to what Granger was telling the lions." Harry had spent the last few days avoiding Granger and the Weasleys. Most of the school had followed his example avoiding the trio.

"I already submitted the hours here to the Board this morning. They have been approved." The Dark Lord hoped Dumbledore would be stupid enough to try getting him removed. He wanted Dumbledore gone and breaking his probation would do just that.

"Marvolo, we set up your office by my office." Severus wanted to get them out of the main area. "We have company." He quietly added, seeing the Annoying Trio standing in an alcove. "Minerva is going to meet with us after her class."

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Once in the Dark Lord's new office, everyone relaxed a bit. "How has it been here?" The Dark Lord put up some wards.

"Annoying. Granger is determined to get into the apprenticeship program, so expect her to be your first visitor. She has been hounding everyone about taking her NEWTs, what needs to be done, and she is insisting that she deserves a spot." Harry had heard about everything from all the lions.

"Yes, Miss Granger seems to believe she can get me to agree to it." Severus had done everything but throw the girl out of class. "She has been insisting that Albus would sign off on it." Harry let out a growl. "Oh, you know I'm not interested in her." At everyone's puzzled look, Severus sighed. "It seems that Miss Granger believes that she can be Lady Prince, while Miss Weasley believes she can be Lady Black. Dumbledore gave them the idea."

"She keeps touching him." Harry almost killed Granger this morning when Granger touched Severus.

"As Miss Weasley keeps trying to sit on your lap." Severus smirked as he remembered Harry dumped her on the floor in the Great Hall. "Her face when you dumped her on the floor, I wish I had a camera."

"How have you been dealing with those issues?" Lucius asked, but at their faces, he held up his hand. "I don't want to know."

Harry grinned. "Let's say we know how fast we can run." They also knew every shortcut to their quarters. Harry became an expert in throwing up parsel wards as they headed to their bedroom if they made it that far. Severus hid his smirk.

"Is Dumbledore pushing Granger to be an apprentice?" The Dark Lord wondered what Dumbledore was planning.

"I think so. She was originally going to go to business school, but I think because I took the apprenticeship he wants his pets here to make friends with me." Harry knew Granger originally wanted to be a barrister until Dumbledore talked her into business school.

"She wants to be my apprentice since I only have Harry listed as a Defense apprentice on the rolls." Severus had submitted the apprenticeship agreement directly to the Potion Masters Guild. "Most of the other staff have taken a few on, so Albus has been trying to get me to take on Granger, but I have my share."

"True. I looked through everything, all the staff have at least five. The Board was thinking of seeing if we can get Ollivander and some others to apprenticeships, especially since we have had such a positive response." Lucius glanced at Augusta. They would be talking to other skilled craftsmen.

"Well, since he is focused on regaining control over Hogwarts, we should start printing more information about him." The Dark Lord had been impressed by the research the goblins and Rita had on Dumbledore. They hadn't released anything that would shock the magical world but slowly erasing the lily-white view of Dumbledore.

Many were questioning the two bondings. While Rita didn't write a poisoned penned version of either wedding she did add her slight twists to the releases. The release of Harry and Severus' bonding was also fueled by the rumor mill, which the students shared with their parents. Narcissa and Lady Zambini, aided by Augusta did their own share of damage in the social circles.

The damage the rumors, the quiet articles, and Dumbledore's own idiot move of having the Order questioning people in Diagon Alley when he wanted to find Harry and Severus, did more damage than anything the dark could have issued. When the news got out that Dumbledore turned their Savior into a vampire, Dumbledore received many howlers, while Harry got letters of support. Severus was suddenly liked. Severus wasn't used to people smiling and asking how he was when he made trips to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. While Dumbledore was getting people ignoring him, many snubbed him when he tried to speak to them.

The Dark Lord felt his wards go off. "Minerva is coming." He removed his wards and when Minerva knocked, Lucius opened the door for her to enter.

Minerva took one look at the group. "Interesting group, Tom. I have to say I'm impressed." She nodded to Augusta and Lucius. "I'm willing to listen, as I have known something hasn't been right since Harry and Severus were forced to bond against their wills."

"Minnie, pleasure seeing you again." The Dark Lord wasn't sure how Minerva figured out it was him but he wasn't surprised.

"Don't give me that. Excellent glamours, but remember I went to school with you, you always looked so regal, and moved so gracefully, which is something I didn't master until after Hogwarts. Now, fill me in on the details, as I know Albus hasn't been honest." Minerva took a seat and settled in for a long session of shocking truths to be told to her.

"Minnie?" The Dark Lord knew Minerva was a bit overwhelmed.

"I knew there was something wrong years ago, but I believed him. He had Sirius, Remus, Mad-Eye, even James backed him."

"Do you think James knew that Harry wasn't his son?"

"Yes." Minerva sighed. "Up to his birth, James was so excited about having a son. He was talking about teaching him flying, magic, family lore. The day Lily went into labor, they were excited, but you know worried at the same time. It wasn't until a week later that I saw them. Lily looked tired, as expected, but also blank, no emotions. Remember Severus; how she wouldn't speak unless someone spoke to her first. James was his normal self but wouldn't have anything to do with the baby."

"Maybe that is why there are those marks by their names. Maybe Dumbledore used compulsions to make them do the adoption." Lucius suggested. "If the baby was stillborn, it would explain Lily's reactions."

Severus was reviewing his memories. "I think they're right. Lily took care of Harry but neither seemed happy about having a new son. Sirius drove everyone batty with caring for him." He looked at Harry. "He had to know it was Reggie's child. Who else would have been able to get close to Reggie, take Harry, and deliver him to James and Lily?"

"Which explains why he wants me close to me. I don't think he knows Dumbledore planned on having me killed. Sirius is crazy but he would never agree to that." Harry knew they wouldn't be able to convert Sirius to their side, not yet, at least.

"It would fit. He would have viewed it as getting you away from his parents and the dark side. He would have followed Dumbledore's plans believing that Dumbledore was trying to protect you." Severus had spent decades annoying Black, he knew what made the man tick.

"Albus would have promised a better life, too." Minerva sighed. "Count me in."

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Harry was heading down to the dungeons. He had been teaching some of the first-years basic defense spells when the Annoying Trio blocked his path. He stopped walking and waited.

"Well?" Weaslette glared at Harry. Her hands were on her hips.

"Well, what?" Harry really had no idea what they were now going to complain about.

"How could you?" Granger simpered.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Sure, like you didn't have something to do with my sister and Hermione having to get married."

"What? Really? To whom?" Harry was a bit surprised.

"Harry, I was just looking for you." The Dark Lord was coming out of his office. He had heard voices and recognized Harry's. He had received an interesting letter from Lucius shortly after lunch.

"I was just coming to see you. I wanted to discuss the lesson I just with the first year Ravenclaws." Harry could tell that the trio wanted to drag him away but the Dark Lord's presence stopped it.

"Good, come, I have time before I need to meet with Professor McGonagall and Sprout." The Dark Lord headed back into his office.

"Harry, this is important. We need to know what you did." Granger latched onto Harry's arm, pulled him toward her. "Really important."

"I have no idea why you think I know anything about you two getting married, but I don't." Harry grabbed Granger by the wrist. "Now, let go of me." When she didn't release him, Harry removed her hand. "Do not keep hitting me, touching me, or anything else of the familiar nature. We aren't friends."

"Harry, we need to talk about our issues, we are your friends." Weaslette ran her hand down Harry's arm.

"Touch me again, and I will press harassment charges." Harry snapped, and using his vampire skills was in the Dark Lord's office with the door closed. "They just creep me out."

"I tried to warn you before your lesson. Lucius wrote me a letter." The Dark Lord put up his parselwards. "Dumbledore must have tried a marriage contract between you and Miss Weasley, and Severus and Miss Granger. Sirius Black signed it, along with the Grangers, Molly Weasley, and Miss Weasley. Dumbledore signed as a witness. When Black submitted it, the contract was rejected and the whole Ministry became aware of the contract."

Harry smirked. "He broke his probation and got them married to each other?"

"Yes, there was a Board meeting to discuss his termination, it started about a few hours ago. Sirius Black has to marry Miss Granger and Miss Weasley. Black, however, was removed from the Black family. Narcissa was with Lucius when the removal happened."

"That must have been what I felt during my first lesson." Harry had felt a stirring in his magic, followed by a sting, like a pinprick, but then his magic settled.

"It wouldn't have been very powerful, as he selected to reject his blood decades ago." The Dark Lord knew this would be a blow to light. One that he had been hoping for. One that Dumbledore could only blame himself regarding the consequences of his own actions. "Minnie will be asked to be the Headmistress."

"Deputy?"

"I believe Severus." The Dark Lord pushed for Severus. Not because the man was his son-in-law or follower but because he believed he was truly the best man for the job.

"He would like that. I see a lot of good changes in Hogwarts' future." Harry knew Severus hated teaching but he loved Hogwarts, potions, and knew Severus would be a great deputy. "Had they decided on Dumbledore's future?"

"He will be politely requested to leave by the end of the month. Any excuse he comes up with must be approved by the Board and Ministry or he loses his pension, as well as brought up on charges." The Ministry wanted everything quietly swept under the rugs. They didn't want any potential issues with parents of students or the magical community. "The bonding is to happen at the end of the school year."

"I can't believe he tried a marriage contract. Well, at least, he didn't try another ritual."

"I believe he did, which is why the contract reacted that way when he tried to file it. We would have to research and see the contract but contracts don't react that way unless the judgment was called."

"Him and rituals." Harry shook his head.

The Dark Lord laughed. "Go, and celebrate with Severus."

Three years later:

Minerva walked with her arm linked through the Dark Lord's. Severus and Harry trailed behind them. Coming towards them was Sirius, with his two wives Hermione and Ginny. Ron Weasley wobbled behind them. Sirius had taken the name Dumbledore shortly after the contract was rejected and he was removed from the Black family. The four had lived with Dumbledore after Arthur threw them out when he learned the truth from his other sons. Molly was restricted to the Burrow unless Arthur went with her.

The new Dumbledore family lived in the old Dumbledore cottage in Godric's Hollow. Hermione and Ginny worked in the muggle world while trying to earn the funds to continue their education. Ron failed out of Auror training. Dumbledore had pulled a lot of favors getting the boy in. Sirius was the main breadwinner, and he couldn't hold down a steady job.

They met at an open grave with a coffin waiting to be lowered. "What are you doing here?" Ron snarled.

"Escorting my wife to the funeral of one of her longtime colleagues." The Dark Lord had never revealed that he was the Dark Lord. He was still the head of the apprenticeship program at Hogwarts while serving on the Wizengamot too.

"Honestly, Mr. Weasley, it has been three years. Albus is deceased. Let's mourn his passing and move forward." Minerva could see the workers were eager to leave. It wasn't the best of days. It was rainy, with a bit of chill in the air. "Albus has passed on to his next great adventure, it's time for everyone to move away from the past."

"Easy for you to say, you got everything and we got nothing." Ron almost yelled. He was at least six stones overweight. He looked like a ball, instead of a human.

"Ron, this isn't the place." Granger gently touched him. "You know Albus did it. He even told us."

"I knew you should have stayed home." Weasette muttered, but they could hear the bitterness in her voice. "We aren't here to cause problems."

"We aren't. Albus informed us what happened and why. He had no choice. Hermione coated his lemon drops with truth serum." Sirius explained.

Harry and the rest waited to hear an apology from any of them, but nothing was forthcoming. No one spoke as the Ministry employee arrived to officiate over the burial. No one spoke except the official.

Harry took Severus' hand as they started to leave. He heard Weaslette huff in annoyance but he didn't care. He had his mate, his family, and Hogwarts. Severus was the deputy, Minerva was now his step-mother and Headmistress. His father was officially granted the title of liaison to the Ministry for the Apprenticeship Program. Harry finished his apprenticeships was going to be teaching defense and would still help Severus with potions since he now had his Masters.