Author Notes: Done so many times, this is my second time and all but I am trying my hand in creating a angs-ridden Harry.

All recognisable features belong to JKRowling.

Chapter One- The Blow Up

The road that is paved ahead

Is made by one's own choices

Lily was in the middle of a much earned siesta when she was rudely awakened by a firecall from her beloved husband. She was needed in Hogwarts. This was not a rare occurence, she was usually fire-called by the Headmistress twice or thrice in a month compliments to her prodigious daughter. It wasn't that the girl was of mischievous character, but her pushing the boundaries and crossing limits was known to happen. Severus, a man who with a slight curl to his lips could send first-years scattering and have the senior-years making themselves scarce failed miserably when it came to their headstrong daughter. He had given up on scaring her into listening to him a long time ago, lamenting during their few nights together on how she behaved more like the Potter boys day by day. It didn't help that she got sorted into Gryffindor but Severus had held his tongue, he hadn't dared to criticize Lily's old House.

She was an extremely bookish person, and could be found spending most of het time in the Library, but if one couldn't find her there, then they could find her invariably in front of any stray mirror, checking her reflection, a fact that drove Severus mad. Narcissism was not a trait he wished his daughter endowed with, he was at a loss to know how it even manifested in her . The only consulation for him was that Potter's younger brat too was if not highly, self-absorbed, something he had no qualms believing in, much to Lily's annoyance. Severus had got to spend two wonderful years tormenting the Potter brats in every way legally possible, but that had ended as soon as the Ministry made dueling education compulsory, thus the entrance of James Potter, bloody antler head. The man had been abysmal in teaching Defence. And to add insult to injury a few more courses had been introduced by the previous Headmaster which were effectively merged with the normal courses by the current Headmistress; Life Education: The World Outside and Career Training: An Introduction both taught by the werewolf Remus Lupin. It was extra work for Severus as he had been tasked with brewing flasks of Wolfsbane, Lily had offered to help out but that had only served to sour Severus' mood, he didn't need her to help, he needed her to listen to him rant about the injustice of it all.

But none of it came close to boiling his lid off as when the announcement came by the Ministry of a compulsory course in Political Education, which if translated rudely would say, the abridged version of the workings of the Ministry. He didn't really care for the course, it really was the man teaching it that really set tempers boiling, Sirius Black, the daft dog with his sickening loopy smile in Hogwarts. It did manage to ruin his reputation a bit, still what could one do when immature people hung around you every day? He supposed he was a little too old for fist-fights, but when they take your wand away how else were you supposed to retaliate? Severus wasn't that fond of the incident though, it didn't matter that he had managed to give Black a shiny black-eye, the fact that James Potter had been the one to pull them apart in front of the entire school had killed his satisfaction entirely.

Lily washed her face with some cold water before entering the floo-network connected to Hogwarts. "What had her daughter done now?" was all Lily could wonder.

...x...x...x...x...x...

Her daughter had a sour face on with an equally sour father beside. Lily inwardly groaned as she saw the youngest Potter who looked quite impish with his mouth inches away from a smile. Thankfully it was kind, sensible Remus who stood beside him, she didn't think she could handle Potter Senior or Black in the same room as her husband; the topic one way or the other always ended up focusing on her with both of them around.

At such moments Severus would gloat (irking Lily and making her want to knuckle him on the head) and Potter Senior would simply turn his head away, his chest falling rhythmically up and down indicating he was practicing deep breathing. In that way it was better than Severus and Black, as that would undoubtedly lead to spells flying within seconds, Black was brash-headed and quick to anger, and more importantly was an accomplished dueler, while Severus could boast the knowledge of martial spells, he couldn't boast Black's vast experience, which always meant it was Black against Lily and Severus, to equal the ground. Lily helping out Severus only served as taunting material for Black, the man really was arrogant.

"Good afternoon, Headmistress...I'll have to get used to adressing you as such." smiled Lily at McGonagall who returned her smile. Severus turned sharply at her voice, before slightly nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"And I'll have to get used to being addressed as such." Minerva McGonagall replied, her mouth turning serious as she threw stern glances at Potter Junior and Arsenia "But coming to the point, I once again find that Arsenia had been brewing potions, the instructions for which only exist in the Restriction Section for adults."

"Is that so, but we have a wide collection of books ourselves" Lily began but the headmistress interrupted her.

"It is an ancient Book of Brewing, there are no other copies, there could have been no other way."

Lily's shoulders sagged in defeat, "So she made an illegal potion, Severus and I will punish her accordingly."

She could feel Severus' amusement at her words, their daughter was not one for punishments, and had evaded then easily for years, this would be no different.

"I'm sure you shall, but that is not the case here, I'm hoping you will be able to make her hand over the book back. We have been unable to trace it so far."

Lily gaped at her daughter, who carefully avoided her Mother's penetrating green eyes, "What is wrong with you, hand over the book. You are in enough trouble already, young lady." she said in her best angry mother's tone.

"I don't have it." her daughter replied simply

"Severus smirked, looking at the Headmistress, "I told you even Lily can not persuade her, I suggest you just exple the child Headmistress."

"Severus." warned Lily, "Not now!"

It was no small surprise that he wanted their daughter out of school, if there was one thing Severus and Arsenia agreed on it was that her skills were far too prodigious to be wasted in a boarding school, but Lily had set her foot down (literally) on such a suggestion.

"Let me talk to her." said Lily before dragging her impertinent daughter to a private corner.

"You have five seconds to spill, before I start making threats." she hissed

"I don't have it." squeaked her daughter

"Oh really, " muttered Lily, getting distacted by Potter Junior who seemed to be trying to wrestle out of his predicament, whatever that was, "Why is he here?"

"Alex? He was helping me, I got caught, he got caught." shrugged Arsenia looking nonchalent

"Getting caught doing what?" asked Lily, "What was he doing for you and why do you always have to drag him aloong with you?"

"Mum, do you promise to believe me if I tell you?" asked Arsenia, raising her right arm, "Do you swear, I couldn't tell father because I don't think he would have believed me ar sworn in the first place-"

"I will, now what is it and you had better tell me the truth Arsenia." said Lily placing her hand on her daughter's palm.

"The Book, I really don't have it." she whispered

"Who has it then?"

"The person who...came out of the explosion."

"Potion...explosion?" asked Lily skeptically

"Yes, he, I think it was a he, short hair and all, he took the book with him. I don't know where he escaped."

Lily stared bewildered at her daughter's antics.

"Mum!" whined Arsenia, "You swore!"

"Alright." said Lily deciding to play along, "So he ran, this person should still have been sighted then right, by other students."

Arsenia looked guilty as she cleared her throat theatrically, attracting attention from the other three occupants, "We...went to a different location...kind of like outside Hogwarts."

Lily gripped her daughter's shoulders, thoughts racing to the Forbidden Forest, "Where did you go?" she demanded

"Ehm, Alex's godfather's place...like I said outside Hogwarts. We needed a really quite secluded place to brew and he , it was actually his idea, I take no credit for that."

"Nice try Imp, once we solve this the Headmistress is going to be indiscriminate on handing out detentions for the both of you."

...x...x...x...x...x...

"Sirius has seventh-years now." said Remus Lupin as they stood outside the Headmistress' office.

"But Uncle Moony, he won't mind!" whined Alex Potter grinning up at Arsenia.

Lily noted how her husband's lip curled upward and eyes hardened upon the black head of Potter.

Potter Junior didn't care to notice the deathly signals being sent his way by his Potion's Professor, he casually turned to Lily with wide hazel eyes( that reminded Lily of a certain softness Potter senior had when he looked at her, not that she paid much notice) and spoke out, " You know he had some really green eyes, just like yours Madame."

"What do you mean by some?" interjected Arsenia, " It's not like he had more than two!"

"Remus, lead the way please." Lily gestured

The two children fell back, while Severus stalked forward, keeping in step with Lupin and leaving Lily in the middle. She could hear tit-bits of the conversation going on at the back.

"I have green eyes too!"

"But not as green as your mom has! Your's are way lighter, your mom has really intense...ouch! What was thw whack for?"

"He had green eyes I suppose, just like my mum's?" that was Arsenia's pouting tone

"I still think it was a she, I mean girls have short hair too. Slender body..."

"It wasn't a slender body, honestly your eyesight's awful Potter!"

"Well it wasn't that easy to see past the smoke, and I will have you know that I got the full brunt of it, it exploded backwards not forwards!"

"Which is why I'm right, since I was able to see clearly How do you think your godfather will react to the mess we created in the Black Library. He is going to be awfully displeased isn't he?" was there a pinch of gleefulness in her daughter's tone?

"Nah, he might probably thank us, maybe even ask us to try blow up his mother's portrait as well."