First Place - Angst

The Slytherins had been waiting patiently for Severus to arrive in the dungeons after his talk with Dumbledore. When he entered the common room Malfoy was leaning against the mantle, casting a cool gaze across the assembled students. He acknowledged Severus's presence with only a slight movement of one eyebrow and stepped away from the fireplace, knowing what to expect.

Severus set his face in a stern expression, eyes cold and hard. The house elf Severus always used for this particular task was very good. The instant the first of his students saw him the temperature in the room dropped only just enough to be perceptible and the fireplace sprang to life.

Severus stood in front of his Slytherins and smirked before welcoming the new children. All of them paid close attention and did not speak a word. The older Slytherins that supported Malfoy were scattered about the room. Their dark supporting counterparts looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Even if several of his students felt betrayed or disgusted by him they were still sufficiently impressed with his skills not to confront him. After all, he had survived as a spy on their Dark Lord on years. He couldn't show any softness in front of them though, as it would be considered weakness and open him to attack.

His speech was succinct, outlining the responsibilities as a member of Slytherin House and giving a few warnings. He would leave the rest to Malfoy and the prefects. When he left, Malfoy was showing the first year boys to their room and one of his female prefect friends took care of the girls.

Severus went back to his room, content that he had nothing to worry about until the next morning. Then he would find out exactly how his son ended up with dragon blood running through his veins and what the effects would be. Then they might find out something out about the way Harry was seeing magic and the connection that had formed that day at the cottage.

As he thought all of Harry's latest issues over contentment shifted to restlessness and Severus resigned himself to another long night.

"Isn't it a bit early in the year for you?" Poppy said in a voice laced heavily with both sarcasm and concern.

Harry smiled at her, "This one will definitely interest you."

His cohorts were with him and it was obvious to Severus that he hadn't told them exactly what was going on yet. Albus and Minerva came in just before Harry cast several wards that ensured their privacy. Poppy and Minerva both raised their eyebrows at that.

"Headmaster," Harry used the title with his friends there and Albus looked at him with interest, "the twelve uses of dragon blood you identified are all potions related, right?" Albus gave Harry one nod and offered his ever present lemon drops around. After taking one Harry continued, "It appears that a small amount of dragon blood can be introduced into the bloodstream and apparently have no negative effects."

Severus couldn't help the smirk that formed as Harry's friends, Poppy, and Minerva all stared at, dumbfounded.

"And the positive effects?" Severus prompted his son.

Harry noticed the smirk and grinned, "There's lowered vulnerability to curses, though we'll have to check positive magic like healing spells as well." Poppy shook her head, no doubt fearing that Harry would no longer to respond to healing magic and make her job even more difficult than normal. "All my senses are a little sharper."

"All?" Severus interrupted and gave Harry a hard look.

Harry swallowed and nodded, "Yes. My skin and musculature have also been affected, tougher or... harder. I really like being in the sun, but I'm not too cold without it or anything like that."

"Well, we'll see about all this Mr. Potter," Poppy regained her equilibrium and took on the stern hospital matron tone.

Harry was poked and prodded. Poppy cast more diagnostic and statistical spells than Severus had ever heard before. She summoned Harry's records, a rather thick file considering it only consisted of the past six years, and compared the numbers she was getting with what she had previously recorded. Harry had leaned back against the headboard of the hospital bed and closed his eyes as Poppy began conducting the most comprehensive set of medical tests Severus had seen.

"You don't have to stay," Harry told his friends. "I just... I didn't want to leave you in the dark... and I'd already explained it all twice."

"Of course we'll stay," Granger stayed, echoed less enthusiastically by Weasley.

Eventually Weasley made his excuses to leave, most likely bored out of his mind since Harry was not being very talkative. After a short contest of wills, Weasley pleading with his eyes and Granger scolding with hers, Granger gave in and left with him. Albus told Poppy to notify him of her results, which got a short-lived scowl from Harry, and left for what was most likely a mountainous pile of work waiting for him as headmaster and head of the Order. Minerva quickly made arrangements with Harry for beginning the next stage in his private lessons then returned to her office.

When Poppy was finally finished with Harry, though she now had plenty of information to analyze and several lab tests to complete, it was already lunchtime in the great hall.

"I suppose this will never happen again," Poppy sighed and gave Severus and Harry a dramatic sad look.

"What?" Harry looked clearly confused and Severus just shook his head at them. Harry still couldn't hide his emotions. He seemed a bit strange, as though he was there, but far away as well, paying attention to something Severus couldn't see or hear or sense in any other way.

Poppy smiled, "I have both of you, in here, voluntarily."

"To be fair Poppy," Harry smirked and Severus could not help echoing the expression, "Dad ordered me to come here this morning."

"Out!" Poppy demanded. She sounded irritated but Severus could tell it was an act. "Both of you get out of here. I don't want to see you in this wing unless you're mortally wounded."

Harry laughed and led the way out, "See you in class Poppy!" He sobered by the time they were at the stairs, "Can we eat in quarters?"

"Is there a problem with the great hall?" Severus did want to talk to his son but expected Harry to head for his friends immediately.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and Severus was struck by the similarity to James in the gesture, "My barriers were all shot to hell after all this at first and I had to rebuild them." Severus felt a headache coming on but Harry rid him of the tension. "It only took a few minutes but the empathy is strong and now... I had some trouble last night, less this morning though. Half-asleep people don't project so much and there were fewer people there for breakfast. Last night I managed after a bit but it was... disturbing."

Severus raised an eyebrow as he changed their path to head for his rooms, "Disturbing?"

"It feels like intruding, when I scan people who don't know what I'm doing," Harry was not looking at him and had slowed his pace a bit, a clear sign of nervousness from him. "It was worse than scanning Tonks. There was so much... people reuniting with friends and seeing enemies... and people they have feelings for."

The last was spoken quietly and with obvious discomfort. To Severus the student population of Hogwarts was always a mass of roiling hormones. He supposed it was at its worst on the night everyone returned to the school and saw the objects of their affections after a summer of owling. Severus spoke the latest password to his quarters and they entered.

Harry breathed deeply, sat down on the couch, and closed his eyes again. Severus glanced back a few times as he ordered lunch from the kitchens.

"What is it?" Severus asked, knowing that Harry would pick up his meaning.

"We never talked about what happened this summer... when we connected," Harry said quietly, his eyes still closed. Severus got the impression that Harry was almost meditating.

"No," Severus agreed, "we didn't."

There was a 'pop' as plates of food and drinks appeared on the low table. Severus sat in a chair and pulled his plate towards him. He saw that Harry opened his eyes and started eating, looking much more relaxed.

"It happened with Charlie too," Severus braced himself for a difficult conversation. "We were... he was...," Severus took a large drink of his juice. He was not sure he wanted Harry to complete that sentence. "Did you know the Order had him teach how to dance?"

The bubble of humor that rose up in response to the indignant statement escaped as a short laugh, "No Harry, I was not aware of those plans." He was almost glad Albus hadn't told him. Harry's reaction was much more amusing with the surprise.

Harry glared, "It was embarrassing. The whole group of them pitched in after two nights."

It just kept getting better, "It would have been more embarrassing to continue as you were. I remember the Yule Ball."

Harry colored at that but then his face turned serious again, "The first night... that connection happened... but I stopped it before it got as far as we did. Do you remember what I see?"

Severus nodded. He had thought about it many times even if he hadn't talked to Harry about. He had told Albus, though the headmaster hadn't said anything except that he wanted to check a few things. "You see threads of color."

"Eliza changed my magic," Harry said in a firm tone. Severus looked up with his eyes narrowed and Harry took the cue to elaborate. "Before, it was red and gold, like a perfect little Gryffindor," Harry smirked and Severus groaned inwardly. "Now, there's this other strand of emerald green, thinner and brighter, twisting around the other two."

"Have you noticed any changes?" Severus interrogated, his mind whirling. He knew plenty about magical theory but not nearly enough to comprehend what this might mean.

Harry shook his head, "But I haven't done much magic since. I've shrunk and enlarged my bag, changed my clothes, and apparated. The apparition from Romania to platform nine and three quarters was like only jumping into the next room."

"You apparated onto the platform," Severus set down his goblet and stared at Harry, wondering if he would ever stop being shocked by the boy. Harry's expression said he saw nothing strange about that. "Albus set up wards during the last war to stop anyone from arriving on the platform anyway except through the barrier. No one can apparate or Floo onto the platform... except you it seems."

Harry swallowed a bit of sandwich, groaned, and held his head between his hands, "I hate this. Can you... not tell him... please? I don't want to see that damned twinkle when he claims ignorance but really knows exactly what's going on with me. I'd rather know first."

"Very well," Severus acquiesced. He had kept information from Albus before. The man knew too much as it was, "He already knows about you seeing magic."

Harry sighed, "I guess that was necessary. It's not like either of us know what it means... or what to do with it."

"If anyone will know, Albus will," Severus grumbled and ate a few chips.

Harry rolled his eyes and gave Severus a wry smile, "How did you keep your relationship with James from him?"

"I have no idea," Severus admitted honestly.

"Too bad," Harry laughed, a bit bitterly, "that would be valuable knowledge."

"After dinner tonight I want you to meet me in Remus's office," Severus ordered. "You need to test yourself and you will not do so on other students in class."

Harry nodded and finished off his lunch, "I better head back to Gryffindor before they start panicking that I disappeared without letting everyone know where was."

"Worry much?" Severus teased his son.

"They're good friends," Harry defended them. "I wouldn't have made it past my first year without them. They worry with reason."

Severus smiled at the vehemence Harry spoke with. He got up and gave Harry a quick, short hug, the kind that he had gotten used to bestowing on his son. It wasn't so much as to make either one of them uncomfortable and just enough to show he still cared.

"Go back to your friends," Severus ruffled the messy hair, noting how the texture was exactly like James's. "I will see you later."

"See ya Dad," Harry bounded out of the room.

Severus had gone almost immediately to Remus's office and found the werewolf absent, most likely still in the great hall. He checked the enormous map on the drafting table and saw that Remus was still at lunch. Harry had gotten back to Gryffindor tower and was in the common room shared by the Head Boy and Girl with Granger, Weasley, Weasley, Longbottom, Lovegood, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

It was the oddest grouping of students he had ever seen and Severus had a sudden desire to borrow Harry's cloak and do a bit of spying. The groups were clearly separated though, Slytherins on one side of the room and Gryffindors, plus one Ravenclaw, on the other. As he watched the Gryffindors, and one Ravenclaw, all migrated into Granger's private room.

That night he didn't ask Harry what he had told his friends. He also remembered that he had forgotten to discuss Slytherin's book with his son. No matter what the headmaster said he wasn't comfortable with Harry reading that. There was no knowing what was in there, and the mere thought that Voldemort wanted him to know what was written within was unsettling.

Harry dueled with Severus and Remus for over an hour. Severus had told Remus that Harry was having a few issues related to using his wand again. It was a stretch, but still the truth. The werewolf had found out about the wandless magic during private lessons the previous year.

They started with mild curses and hexes and worked their way up to more advanced spells, but never crossing over into dark magic. Harry had disarmed or disabled both of them several times over the course of at least five duels.

"I think that's enough," Severus said, feeling slightly winded. Dueling with Harry was like dueling with Albus. He was just glad that inside the school Harry couldn't reliably apparate around the room, at least not until they confirmed his animagus form.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, not looking at all winded. Severus felt like cursing his son for looking like he had just woken from refreshing nap where Severus was sweating slightly and knew his heart rate and breathing were up.

Remus was giving Harry a peculiar look, "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Harry shrugged. Severus wondered what the wolf was getting at.

Remus scrutinized Harry, then stepped forward and gently took on hand, pressing his first two fingers to Harry's wrist.

"Your heart rate is low Harry, like you've been sleeping or meditating," Remus said thoughtfully. "It should have sped up at least a little from that exercise." Remus gave Harry a sharp look, "You also smell different."

It occurred to Severus then that Remus didn't know about the latest step in Harry's adoption by dragon. From the brief widening of Harry's eyes followed by a long groan Harry came to the same realization.

"Would you like me to?" Severus asked his son. Harry nodded and sent his a grateful expression before casting further privacy wards on the room than those that had been in place for the practice duel. Severus turned to Remus and smirked. The werewolf summoned a chair and sat down, preparing for a long story, "You see Lupin, Harry is a dragon."

Harry burst out laughing at the simplicity of the explanation and sat down on the floor. Remus looked back and forth between them and gave Severus a skeptical glance, "He looks... and smells... human to me."

Severus leaned back against the wall, "Smell again."

"Still human," Remus insisted.

"Interesting," Severus said thoughtfully. Remus was looking irritated, and Severus had a brief moment of unease. Anything remotely resembling anger directed his way by the werewolf disturbed him. "Harry had a very peculiar summer Remus..."

Finding the Key - Chapter 16

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