First Place - Angst

Severus wondered how his son ever got any homework done, not that the work he handed in accomplished astonishing feats of academia as it was. He recounted Harry's latest endeavor to the Wednesday night chess gathering and received amusement and skepticism from his colleagues.

"He intends to start a school?" Minerva asked from the board she shared with Remus. They were on their second game of the night, the winners of the previous games playing each other.

"Not just he," Severus corrected. "It was actually Draco Malfoy's idea. They've already taken the first steps to establish a company to oversee everything. Granger drew up at least a five foot list of everything needed, and you all know how small her writing is. It doesn't change even when she's brainstorming at a ridiculous speed."

"A legal partnership between a Potter and a Malfoy," Remus was almost laughing across from Minerva. "James and Sirius must be horrified, wherever they are looking down on him. Lily would be pleased."

"Do they plan on just integrating muggle-borns into our world more, or educating wizards and witches more about muggles?" Filius asked as he directed a pawn to take of Severus's.

"He said something about making Muggle-Studies a required class," Severus examined the board and told one of his rooks to move.

Minerva chuckled, "I see Halloween really lit a fire under him. Colm wouldn't mind the idea either."

The Muggle Studies professor, Colm Daley, had been pushing to include Muggle Studies in the required curriculum form for first year students and up.

"Their theory is that it will be more difficult for future Dark Lords to exist, those based on prejudice anyway, if our society is less separated than it currently is," Severus explained. He checked over the board again. He was losing, though it was close. "He said something about 'separate but not equal' but I'm not sure what he was referring to."

"Civil Rights Movement, American Muggle history. That must have been Hermione's input. Do they have any idea what they are getting themselves into?" Remus asked, his eyes not straying from his and Minerva's pieces.

"Probably not," Minerva commented, also concentrating hard. "They will need experienced help for this to work."

"And recommendations for staff," Filius added.

"The Ministry will take some convincing," Remus sighed. "It means telling the students about their abilities a year earlier, and not boarding them here immediately, away from their friends."

"Secrecy would become more difficult," Severus narrowed his eyes at the board and barked a command at a reluctant knight. It was not happy with being sacrificed. "Between Harry and Malfoy I don't think the Ministry will be a problem. They also both intend on joining our Board of Governors."

The other three all looked up at that. Minerva shook her head, "Merlin help us. Has anyone considered retiring?"

Severus laughed, joined by Remus and Filius. Having those two on the Board really wouldn't be that bad, but the havoc they had created in the first five years of their education was legendary and difficult to forget.

"At least they won't be complacent on staff hiring, not to mention student discipline," Severus said dryly. "It would be nice to have a board that trusts us to run the school."

Remus grinned, "My job will be safe."

"Wonderful," Minerva frowned, "then I'll never win our chess competition again."

"Nice to have your support Minerva," Remus chuckled. "Check-mate."

"Already?" Filius stood up on his seat to peer over and examined their board.

Remus leaned back and looked over at Severus, "So Harry is set against being an Auror now?"

"Yes, but he refuses to discuss other options," Severus filled them in. Minerva looked a little disappointed and he remembered what Harry had told him about their career advice session. "Harry appreciates your efforts Minerva, he just hates the Ministry."

"He does have good reason," Minerva's frown lessened a bit but remained.

"Quidditch was already not an option," Severus said and Filius raised an eyebrow, "too much publicity. I have a feeling he'll end up in Romania but he claims he won't."

"Why not?" Filius questioned. Of all of them there he knew Harry the least.

Severus looked at Minerva and Remus darkly. They had knowing, but unhappy looks on their faces, "He does not want to draw Voldemort there."

"He won't be very safe when he leaves in the spring," Filius caught on to their thoughts.

Severus looked down at his board, breaking eye contact with the others, "He's not very safe anywhere, even here. I have a rather uneasy feeling that he will do everything he can to finish this war by graduation, even if it means tracking Voldemort down on his own."

Minerva paled. She had vast experience in Harry's escapades and the length he would go to in protecting others, "He would do it too."

"We need to begin those lessons again," Remus pointed out.

"Indeed," Severus answered. He glanced at Minerva and Remus's board again, "Have you ever played against Ron Weasley?"

"No," Remus said casually. Severus noted Minerva's sly smile. "Is he that good?"

"I think we need to add a fifth," Minerva looked like she was scheming.

Filius raised his eyebrows, "You want to invite a student?"

Severus smirked widely, "Where chess is concerned I think Weasley no longer qualifies as our student."

"Why isn't Remus with us?" Harry asked as they walked as quietly as possible through the Forbidden Forest. He had to tilt his head up ever so slightly to look Severus in the eye and Severus knew it irritated his son quite a bit.

Severus smirked, pretending not to notice the irritation. Harry did not get flustered as easily as he used to but it was still fun to bait him occasionally. It had strangely become a sort of game they played, trying to get a rise out of each other, much as he and Minerva did.

"Our lesson is slightly different tonight," the smirk remained. "As you know, Remus has not been well of late, so I told him to stay behind and get some much needed rest."

"I bet he just loved that," Harry said sarcastically. If Severus were looking down at his son rather than carefully picking their path he was sure he would have seen the green eyes rolling.

"Indeed."

There was a long pause. Somehow Harry managed to move through the underbrush of the forest almost silently, while Severus had to place each foot carefully so as not to snap a twig and do something else to draw attention to them.

"So," Harry ventured as they went around opposite sides of a large oak, "what is it we're doing tonight?"

"Collecting potions ingredients," Severus replied stoically. He wondered how long it would take Harry to...

"That's my lesson?" Harry raised both eyebrows just a little and favored his father with a look of disbelief.

"Many spells have multiple uses," Severus responded flatly, with a hard look.

Harry just nodded and looked ahead. Severus kept watch on his son with his peripheral vision while he looked for the first ingredient he needed. It was a plant with a particularly woody stem, not friendly to knives or shears of any sort. A severing spell was needed to harvest the plant, which could also be used on an enemy to sever one of the arteries in the neck, or cut off the wand hand and prevent the opponent from using magic, so long as that opponent wasn't Harry.

Severus held a hand out and Harry stopped instantly. He knelt down and motioned Harry over.

"This is the Nacht Blossom. The flowers only bloom in moonlight, and each part of the plant is used in potions," Severus explained quietly. The red petals reflected the moonlight and shimmered like spilled blood.

"We've used the leaves, right?" Harry sounded uncertain, but Severus nodded.

"Pay attention, and then harvest as much as you can," Severus took out his wand and made a small slashing motion. He spoke clearly, so Harry would hear the incantation, and the stem was cleanly cut. He cut off the leaves and the flowers and enlarged three jars to place them in.

Harry clearly saw the other uses for the spell, "That... that's the one that hit Hermione, I think."

"Granger was hit with this spell, and she's still alive?" Severus was incredulous.

Harry nodded, "He was silenced, McNair I think, so it didn't have the full power and Hermione shielded. She was still in the hospital wing for two weeks."

"Then you are well aware why you are learning this spell," Severus said a bit sternly.

"Yes," Harry clenched his jaw and moved aside to the next plant.

He made the motion with just a finger, and didn't speak. Severus just shook his head and went about his own harvesting. It had taken Severus a few days of concentrated practice to learn that particular spell, and Harry had it down, silently and wandlessly, on his first go. Yet again, Severus wondered what Harry would be like if they had told Albus, or Albus knew who the secret keeper really was, or if James or Lily had lived beyond that night.

The second half of their lesson that night covered aim. Severus had examined the fight in the Department of Mysteries from several angles, having heard the story from both Death Eaters and students and even obtaining memories from the students. The students would have done much better, even better than their near miraculous survival against twice as many Death Eaters as their own number, if they had aimed their spells with more accuracy. Severus had Harry stunning the black squirrels that darted around in the trees. This practice would have to happen often, he noted. Harry's aim was not bad, but it was not good enough.

Severus sat back in his chair, sipped his brandy, and watched Harry attack Ron. He knew the redhead was not comfortable with Severus invading his mind, so Severus had suggested that Harry join their lessons and get some practice in the other side of mind invasive magic.

Harry lifted the curse and Ron fell to his knees. Harry walked over and gave him a hand up, "You need to fight harder Ron. If the Death Eaters bring you to Voldemort he won't be looking for happy memories like that."

"Do it Harry," Ron said with determination in his eyes.

Severus lifted his eyebrows and leaned forward slightly.

"What? Ron...," Harry was clearly uneasy.

Ron gulped, "Look for the stuff you know I don't want you to see. Your dad is right. The only way to get the shields up is to really want to get them up. I had no motivation to keep stuff from you that you already know."

"You know I don't want to...," Harry bit his lower lip and Severus felt a pang of guilt, but practicing on Ron was better than having Harry practice on Severus. Severus and his son had already far too many memories.

Legilimens!

Harry blocked a disarming spell after four minutes, "Better... and never use my bed again for Merlin's sake. You have your own!"

"It was messy," Ron's face was bright red.

Severus just shook his head and closed his eyes, pretending he hadn't heard that bit. He didn't need to know anything about the sex lives of his students.

Legilimens!

"Damn it Ron, block me!"

Legilimens!

"You can do it. Don't be afraid to curse me, just do it!"

Legilimens!

Expelliarmus!

Harry flew backwards, oddly with a satisfied smile on his face. He held out one hand and used what Severus thought might be a repelling spell at the wall he was flying towards to stop the motion and land softly on his feet.

"Was that...," Ron took a breath, "good?"

"Better, but not good yet," Harry frowned. "If I had pushed I could have gotten through, and I could have deflected that spell and kept going. Remember, disarming me doesn't make a difference. You have to be able to repell my mind without using spells eventually"

Ron looked a bit sheepish, clearly having forgotten that Expelliarmus would have no effect at all on Harry. When he was in private with a select group of people Harry didn't bother with his fake wand. They had managed to get Harry's regular wand work for him again but Harry said it didn't feel right, so he didn't use it.

"Okay, let's go again," Ron squared his shoulders and held out his wand.

Harry looked his best friend in the eye.

Legilimens!

Severus was just observing, looking for little signs that Ron was fighting, or that Harry need to adjust his technique in probing. He watched as Ron's face displayed his struggle against Harry's invasion. The jaw muscles tightened and the eyes were closed, his hands in fists.

The winter holidays were drawing close and Severus was actually looking forward to them for the first time he could remember. The year before there had been the removal of Harry's blocks on his magic looming and every year before that he had been bitter and resentful.

This year he did not have to stay in the castle. In the last staff meeting he had fully expected to be in the castle while the students were mostly off with their families but the staff had rather firmly told him to leave for the holiday. It was the first time since Severus had been a student that a professor had young offspring to share the holidays with. Both Severus and Remus would be in Grimmauld Place for the entire holiday.

Harry stepped back and lowered his hand. His face was taught, but nothing else gave away his emotions. Weasley was bent over, hands on his legs, and breathing heavily.

"Why didn't you block me?" Harry asked softly. Severus gave him a penetrating look and Harry's eyes clearly told him to wait.

"Couldn't...," Weasley gasped.

"Ron...," Harry reverted to the old, awkward Harry, unsure and just a little afraid.

Ron sat on the floor unceremoniously and looked up at Harry, "I just... couldn't Harry. I tried, I swear I did, but you were too strong."

"I'm sorry Ron," Harry began.

"No," Ron said forcefully, "don't you dare take that on yourself. I told you to do exactly what you did."

"But Ron...," Harry was almost pleading.

Severus knew it was time to step in, "I think it is time to quit for tonight." Ron shot him a grateful look and Severus nodded. Ron picked up his bag and headed out the door. Harry started after him but Severus put a hand on his shoulder, "Wait a moment Harry."

"How can you do it?" Harry questioned achingly.

"It is nothing compared to many other things I have done," Severus said harshly, reminding his son exactly who he was.

Harry did not flinch but he stiffened just slightly, almost so little as to escape detection but Severus had sharp eyes.

"I feel dirty," Harry went over to the chair that had become his.

"How do you think it will feel to kill someone?" Severus asked leadingly.

Harry looked at him with narrowed eyes, "You're forgetting. I already have. I burned Quirrell to death with my touch."

"Did you intend to kill him?"

"No," Harry insisted. "I just wanted to hold him off, keep him from getting the stone until Dumbledore came back."

"Do you think you will escape this war having only killed Voldemort?" Severus questioned, pinning Harry with his eyes.

Harry's eyes really were expressive, not matter what the rest of his face was doing. In Severus's quarters the boy's guard was down and emotion flickered across his features, confusion, thought... fear.

"No," Harry almost whispered. "I'll have to get through Death Eaters to get to him. I don't want to kill, even Voldemort. I wish someone else could do it."

"So do I Harry," Severus felt a deep sadness and longing. "I wish I could order you to stay here in safety while I went after him for you, but that can't be."

Harry sighed and reached into his bag, pulling out a think packet of parchment, "This is what the goblins sent me. I started to look at it, but it's just... too much. I don't really understand even half of it. I was wondering... could you...?"

At that moment Harry looked truly vulnerable, as though he expected Severus to deny his request, "Of course Harry. I'll go over this as soon as I can, though it will probably take some time to make sense of it."

Harry just nodded and looked down, before getting his things and leaving, with a final quick hug for his father.

Severus poured himself another brandy and began to absently flip through the parchment, just scanning the lists. They gave breakdowns of the total counts of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in each vault, then jewels, artifacts, portraits, furniture, and books. Properties were listed at the end. There were charts and graphs, investments in a variety of corporations. Somehow the goblins even knew about Harry's investment in Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. In the very back the goblins had included long term projections for the management of the funds.

He nearly choked on a sip of brandy as a few items in the Black Vaults caught his eye. Chances were the mutt had never even seen the inside of those vaults, never mind read an inventory of them. Grasping the parchment Severus stalked up to the headmaster's office. They had to send to send someone from the Order to Gringotts immediately.

Finding the Key - Chapter 33

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