Chapter Ten:

A New Beginning

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! This is the last chapter of this story, I hope you like it!

Savoren.

Harry absentmindedly moved the scrambled eggs around his plate, he has yet to eat even a single bite.

Remus sighed, Harry still hasn't spoken a word and now he won't even eat. He forced himself to not tell him to stop playing with his food. Instead, he asked, "Did you rub the healing cream on your injuries?"

Harry gave a tiny nod of his head and let out a deep, sad sigh. Dropping his fork, he slouched on the seat and gazed off into the distance, lost in thought.

Realizing they weren't going to be able to get him to eat anything, Severus stood and cleared the table. "Come, we need to go to the infirmary for your psych evaluation."

Harry rolled his eyes but stood and silently followed the two adults to the infirmary.

When they entered the infirmary Madam Pomfrey was speaking to another nurse in her office.

Severus pointed to the closest cot, "Take a seat, Harry."

Harry couldn't help but feel angry inside, Everyone is telling me what to do! I just want to go back to sleep and never wake up.

A few minutes later the nurse and Madam Pomfrey exited the office and walked over to the three.

The nurse extended her hand toward Harry in greeting, "Hello, Mr. Potter. My name is Healer Nancy and I will be giving you the evaluation." When Harry didn't say anything, she continued, "How are you feeling this morning?"

Harry glared at the folded blanket at the end of the cot. He stayed silent.

Healer Nancy let out a soft sigh and scribbled something down on her notepad. "What are you thinking about?"

Again, Harry refused to look up or answer her.

She jotted a few more words down on the notepad. "On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate your depression levels?"

When Harry didn't answer, Remus jumped in. "He hasn't spoken a word since Madam Pomfrey removed his glamours."

Healer Nancy gave a small nod and continued writing in her notepad. "Has he eaten?"

Severus shook his head, "He played with his breakfast instead of eating it."

Healer Nancy turned back to the boy on the cot, "Will you participate in your evaluation, Mr. Potter?"

Harry slowly turned his glare on her and kept his mouth clamped shut.

Knowing she was growing impatient, Remus jumped in, "Maybe today is not a good day to do this." Looking at Harry, Remus added, "Harry, nod if you would rather do this tomorrow."

Harry simply turned his glare on Remus, refusing to nod or even shake his head.

Healer Nancy let out a small huff, "Fine. I will come back." Gathering her supplies, she left.

Severus sighed and gave a small shake of his head, "Well, that didn't go as planned."

"That's quite alright, Harry. You can do the evaluation when you find your voice again, alright?" She didn't expect him to answer, even non-verbally. She continued speaking, "It's time to go to the Headmaster's office. He has much to discuss with the three of you."

Harry continued to stay silent as he followed the adults to the Headmaster's office. When they got there they all took a seat in front of the Headmaster's desk and waited for him to start.

They didn't have to wait long for Albus to start the conversation. "The trial for Dolores Umbridge will be held on the fifth of next month. Until the trial she is being held at Azkaban. Any questions?"

Severus nodded, "Will any of us be called to the stand?"

"Since Harry is under age, he will not be put on the stands. You and Remus, on the other hand, may be. I have not heard anything about who will be put on the stand yet," Albus explained.

When everyone went silent, Albus changed the subject. "I know you are not going to speak and I am not going to force you, Harry. Will you nod or shake your head for me though?" At Harry's jerky nod, Albus continued, "I have failed you over and over again since you were a year old. You grew up unappreciated and unloved - this was my fault. I want to make it up to you and fix all of my mistakes." Harry looked at him curiously. "I can make all of this go away if you want me to. I can give you a new beginning."

Severus eyed his father with distrust. "What are you getting at?"

Albus let out a small sigh, fully aware of how much he hurt his relationship with his son. "Harry, dear boy, how would you feel about being de-aged? If this is what you want, you can start over."

Brows furrowed, Harry nibbled on his bottom lip and when he finally spoke, his voice was croaky. "I can't start over because of Voldemort."

Albus gave Harry an encouraging look, "Let us worry about him, Harry. I can give you a new life, a new identity and even new looks." Looking to Severus and Remus, he added, "Even a new family."

Remus couldn't help but smile, as much as he dislikes Albus this is probably the nicest thing the old man has ever offered. He looked at Harry and saw his face scrunched in contemplation. "Think it through before you answer, cub."

Harry stood from his seat, "I know." Keeping his eyes down, Harry muttered as he walked to the office door, "I need to go talk to Hedwig." He didn't wait for a response and closed the door behind him.

Severus stared at the closed dor, wondering whether or not he should follow the boy. When his father cleared his throat, Severus returned his attention to his father, deciding Harry should be left alone to his thoughts.

Albus eyed the two men closely. "There will be multiple steps for the procedure but before I go any further I want to make sure the two of you are willing to adopt him when he is de-aged. I do not trust anyone else with him anymore and I want to be sure he will go to a good home."

Remus looked to Severus, trying to gauge his reaction. "We would need to be married before we could legally adopt him."

Albus nodded and pulled out a piece of parchment from his desk drawer. "I know. I was awake all night preparing everything. I know you want a wedding but there is no harm in performing the blood ritual first and then having the wedding when you are ready." He pushed the papers across the desk toward the two men. "This is completely up to you. I do not want you to feel pressured especially since I know how important a wedding is to you."

Looking over to his fiance, Severus gave a small nod. "I will do it, Remus, if this is what you truly want."

A huge smile grew on his face and he grabbed Severus' hand in a tight squeeze. When he spoke, his voice cracked with pent-up emotions, "A-are you sure, Sev?"

Again, Severus nodded. He squeezed Remus' hand harder and looked to his father, "What is the next step?"

Albus stood from his seat and moved around the desk so he was standing beside them. Picking the parchment up off his desk, he quickly signed his name on the line that says witness. Returning the parchment to the desk, he grabbed his letter opener and gave them their next instructions. "Give me your wedding band finger, Severus." As he gently held his son's hand, Albus put enough pressure against the letter opener to put a small cut on his finger. Once the blood started to bubble up, Albus directed him to push his finger on the parchment. "The fourth finger contains the vena amoris. As you might already know, vena amoris is the vein that runs directly to the heart - hence the name, vein of love." Looking to Remus, he gestured for his hand. Once both Remus and Severus had their bloody finger print on the parchment, Albus instructed them to sign their names and then he sent the paperwork off to the Ministry of Magic. Once everything was complete, Albus smiled at them, "Congratulations, the ritual is complete and you are now married." He turned his smile directly on Remus, "Welcome to the family, son."

After a few minutes they all took their seats and Albus spoke up again, "That was the first step. The second step will be more complicated." He glanced at Poppy, who so far has remained silent the whole time. "I never told either of this - the only other person who knows is Poppy. When the Dark Lord was at full power he split his soul and put it in six objects so he could live forever. What he did not know was that the night he tried to kill Harry, a piece of his soul latched on to him."

Severus frowned deeply, horrified but trying to hide it. "Are you saying that Harry is a horcrux?"

Albus gave a small nod, "Yes and no. A horcrux is living inside him. If we want Harry to never have to deal with the Dark Lord again and de-age him, we need to kill the horcrux. Poppy and I knew this would need to happen someday but we never expected to be doing it so soon after the discovery of the horcruxes."

Remus looked horrified about this new discovery. "How are we going to kill the horcrux without hurting Harry?"

Albus let out a deep breath, "Severus, I need you to get your poison from your potion storage. You will need to get the antidote as well. We need to kill Harry to kill the horcrux, this is why Poppy is with us right now. The antidote will bring him back to life if we do not waste any time. As soon as his heart stops beating, we need to give him the antidote."

Remus' eyes felt like they would pop out of his head at any second! "No! Absolutely not!"

"I'll do it," Harry told them, pushing the office door open and entering. He had been eavesdropping ever since he left the room. "It needs to happen anyway."

Remus leveled Harry with a dangerous look, "I said no, Harry James."

Harry let out a deep sigh, "When you adopt and raise me, you can tell me what to do, Remus. Right now I have no parents and, no offense, but I wasn't raised to respect authority. I'm going to do this. You will have a say in my life once I am de-aged but right now I need to do what is best."

Albus smiled gently at the boy, "I am proud of you, Harry. Severus, please get what I asked of you."

Looking at his husband, Severus let out a deep sigh. "I have to, Remus. The poison will not be painful; it will be like falling asleep. As soon as his heart stops we will spell the antidote into his stomach. Everything will be alright."

"What if it doesn't work?" Remus demanded.

"It will." Severus placed a small kiss to Remus' forehead and then left to get the potions.

Once the door closed behind Severus, Remus turned to Harry and asked, "Is this what you truly want? To die, come back, de-age and start over?"

Harry gave a firm nod, "Sounds like a dream come true. I don't want the same identity though. I don't want to be famous when I come back. If I'm starting over I want a completely fresh slate. Today Harry Potter officially dies. You have to promise me that."

Albus couldn't help but smile. "I promise, Harry. You do know your last name will be Snape, right?"

Harry nodded, "And they will bless me with a new first and middle name once I am de-aged. How young will I be de-aged to?"

"I promised you a complete new beginning, Harry. You will be de-aged to a newborn," Albus explained.

Poppy spoke up again, "Have no fears, Mr. Potter. I will monitor your progress every step of the way."

Harry gave a small nod but before he could say anything, Severus returned with the poison and antidote. Harry eyed the bottle of poison with only a slight hesitation. He said it won't hurt.

Just wanting to get everything over with, Harry reached out for the poison.

Severus frowned at his eagerness but handed him the potion.

Poppy immediately waved her wand at Harry and a heart monitor appeared in the air. "Whenever you are ready, Harry."

Harry didn't have to be told twice. Just get it over with, Harry! Closing his eyes, he took in one nervous, shuddering breath before downing the poison in a single gulp.

Remus started pacing back and forth as he watched Severus helped Harry lay down on the floor. "How long is this going to take?"

"Not long, Rem," Severus murmured, kneeling beside Harry. He kept the antidote uncorked and at the ready. His clutched his wand in a tight grip.

Harry could feel his eyelids growing heavy, it felt as if he hadn't slept in weeks! His lips starting tingling until the sensation turned into numbness. He finally closed his eyes and tried to listen to his surroundings. When the noises around him faded out, he took his last breath.

At the sound of the flat-line, Severus immediately flicked his wand at the antidote, spelling it into Harry's stomach.

Remus' pacing picked up as his nerves got worse. "How do we know if it worked?"

Severus stayed silent, watching for any signs that the antidote kicked in.

A small, quiet beeping sound caught Remus' attention and he snapped his eyes to the floating heart monitor.

"He's back! His heart beat is weak but it should grow stronger in a few minutes," Poppy told everyone. She immediately cast a diagnosis on Harry and checked him over. As she did this, his heart beat grew stronger.

"We should de-age him while he is still out. I heard the de-aging potion can be quite painful. It would be better if he is passed out, he won't feel a thing," Albus said as he uncorked a potion he had pulled out from his desk. He handed the potion to Severus and gave small nod.

Severus immediately spelled the de-aging potion into Harry's stomach and sat back, waiting for any changes.

Remus halted his pacing and knelt beside Severus, "How do we know if the horcrux actually died?"

"I don't know," Severus admitted quietly.

Poppy kept casting diagnostic spells on him, checking on any changes of his age. After the fifth try, she found he had de-aged by two years.

Remus clutched Severus' hand in nervous anticipation. He watched Harry's body shake and quiver as his bones started to shrink. His skin bubbled angrily as the changes started to take full effect. In a matter of seconds the shaking and bubbling increased to the point where Severus had to place a cushioning charm under the boy, afraid he would slam his head against the floor and break it open.

Not a minute later, Poppy looked down at the floor and let out a small gasp. She hadn't expected the potion to work so quickly and yet, laying on the floor, in a heap of clothing, lay a newborn.

Hearing the cries, Remus hurried to gather Harry into his arms, making sure to wrap Harry's old shirt around him to keep him warm. "I-It worked!"

Albus smiled and looked down at his soon-to-be grandson. "I knew it would." Moving to stand behind his desk, Albus motioned for the men to stand, "Bring him to me, Remus."

Remus did as he was told and immediately handed his cub over, "Harry said he wanted a new name and looks. How can we do that? Surely we can't give him polyjuice or put a glamour on him for the rest of his life. How do we remove the lightning bolt scar? He doesn't want Harry Potter to exist anymore, remember?"

Albus smiled, "Be calm, Remus. I have everything figured out." Unwrapping the newborn from the t-shirt, Albus laid the naked baby on top of his desk. Casting a warming spell on his body, he kept one hand on him and with the other he pulled out more paperwork from his desk. "You are going to adopt him by means of blood now. Since he is only a few minutes old, by blood adopting him, his genes will rearrange to match yours. This wouldn't work if he was any older though so we need to do this quickly." Picking up his envelope opener, he motioned for Severus and Remus to cut their fingers again. "Put a drop on the parchment and mix your blood together." As they did what they were told, Albus numbed Harry's toe and then pressed the tip of the envelope opener against his soft skin. As soon as the blood appeared, Albus stopped and put of drop of Harry's blood in with Remus and Severus'. He immediately began mixing the blood, "Sign your names. Poppy, I need you as the witness." Once everyone had their names signed, Albus tapped his wand against the parchment and murmured Ancient Latin under his breath.

Severus watched as the paper began to glow a bright red, "Does that mean it worked?"

Albus smiled and looked down at the little boy, "Look for yourself, son." He smiled and watched as Harry's skin began to bubble, making the changes to match his new genes. Once the skin stopped bubbling, Albus reached into his desk again and pulled out a newborn outfit. He handed the onesie and a nappy to Remus and smiled, "Dress your son, Remus."

Remus' heart thundered away in his chest, He is beautiful. He could see the mixed features of himself and Severus.

Severus looked at the onesie and let out a snort, "That's his first outfit?" He shook his head but his smile refused to leave his face. He watched on as Remus dressed their son in a white onesie with lemondrops all over it. "We need to go shopping, Rem."

Remus nodded in agreement. He couldn't stop staring at their son; he is perfect in every way.

Poppy quickly wiped away at her eyes, trying not to give away the fact that she was crying tears of happiness. "What is his name?"

Severus and Remus looked at each other. A while back they had spoken about someday adopting a child. If the adopted child was a girl they wanted to name her Lily Ann. If the child was a boy they decided on the name Ethan Alexander.

Squeezing Severus' hand, Remus smiled down at their son and answered her, "His name is Ethan Alexander Snape."

Albus quickly wrote the name down on the piece of parchment, "Would you like me to send this to the Ministry or would you like to?"

Severus gently took the parchment from his father, "I will handle it. Thank you, father."

Albus smiled back, feeling as if his smile would never wear off. "I will inform the Ministry of the passing of Harry James Potter."

Poppy quickly handed him the sheet with the time when Harry's heart stopped beating. "Are you ready to be fathers?"

Severus wrapped one arm around his husband and gazed down at Ethan, "It's a new beginning for all of us."

Remus leaned in against his husband, "Let's go home, Sev. We have a lot to do today." Remus started toward the door.

Severus stayed put, staring at his father, trying to read him. "You never approved of Remus and I. What made you decide we would be good parents?"

Albus sighed softly and looked toward the little boy fast asleep in Remus' arms, "Your love is true, that is all I need. I was wrong, Severus, and I am deeply sorry."

Severus blinked hard, feeling his eyes sting with un-shed tears. He closed the gap between himself and his father and wrapped his arms around him. They hadn't hugged since he was sixteen years old. "Thank you, father."

Albus closed his eyes, feeling his heart flutter. Wrapping his arms tightly around his son, Albus whispered, "I love you, Sev."

"I love you too, father," Severus whispered back, resting his head on his father's shoulder, not ready to end the hug yet.

Remus and Poppy watched on, smiles plastered on their faces. Today is a great day: a feud between father and son has finally ended after many years, a marriage took place, and a son was born.

I always thought happily ever after was only for fairy tales. . . Remus looked down at Ethan and knew how wrong his previous belief was.

And they all lived happily ever after. The End!

A/N: I hope you all liked this last chapter. I know it was cheesy at some points but I loved it. I will eventually be writing a sequel for this story where Ethan is a little older.

Thanks for reading!

Savoren.