Summary: Harry and his friends create a new type of magic embodied in Harry's tattoos to keep him protected from his uncle. When the new magic works Harry is removed to Hogwarts where Dumbledore finally tells him the truth. Severitus. Written Pre-HBP (so no spoilers). Harry/Bill.

A/N: This fic does not take into account HBP. It is the end of Harry's sixth year. No major interactions with Voldemort have taken place this year and Dumbledore is still alive. Severitus-ish (not a proper Severitus but Snape is Harry's father). Manipulative (but not evil) Dumbledore.

Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing for a while.

Ship: Harry/Bill

Warnings: mention of rape (nothing graphic, all mentions in conversations). M/M.

Introduction:

Harry smiled softly as he pulled his shirt back on. Glancing down one more time at his new tattoos, hope began to grow in the young man. With nearly two thirds of his body covered in tattoos of various kinds, it was difficult to pick out which ones were his latest additions. Brushing his hands over his wrists, Harry smiled again. Hopefully, this would work. Hopefully, he would be safe this summer.

The tattoos ranged from muggle-drawn images to fantastic wizard artwork to thick bands of runes. The newest tattoos fit into this last category. The final stage of his plan had been put into place with the addition of wide black bracelets of runes around his arms and ankles as well as eight-inch wide circles of runes on his chest and back.

To the passing eye, it appeared that Harry was simply covered in tattoos in a completely random manner. To the few who knew though, each one was part of a carefully designed and executed plan that culminated in today's tattoos. His older tattoos served two major purposes: the first was a simple diversion. With the sheer number of tattoos that now covered Harry's body it was difficult to the passing eye to find any meaning in any of them. This was exactly as Harry wanted—no, needed—it to be. He needed the distraction while he was still finalizing the last step of his plan which he had executed today. The second purpose was even more important: each tattoo helped to ground and support the work he had done today. Without something to ground the powerful spells contained within the tattoo the magic would become volatile, attacking at random.

The new tattoo, repeated six times on his body, was in fact a complex spell that Harry and his closest friends had been working on for the past three years. Before he had let them into his confidence, Harry had worked alone for two years. Without the researching skills of Hermione and Ron's strategic abilities Harry would never have been able to be done so soon.

These runes were able to do what was thought to be impossible: they bound a magical force to Harry's very skin itself, protecting Harry from dangers that his mother had been unable to foresee when she had created his initial protection. Although his mother's sacrifice helped to shield Harry from Voldemort and the Death Eaters it did little to protect him from non-magical forms of danger.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe, just maybe, this would work as planned. It would work…it had to work. The consequences of failure were unthinkable. Yes, it would work. Harry refused to consider any other alternative. It would work.

This is my first fic…be gentle!