Lily Rose.

Disclaimer--This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their betaing Job....


Chapter Five

After a long day shopping in both Muggle London and Diagon Alley, Harry and Severus decided that returning to Hogwarts was the best place to be for everyone involved. Making sure all of their purchases where shrunk and secured, Harry removed first Summer and then Lily from their carriers, being careful not to wake them up, and handed both of them to Severus, before shrinking down the carriers and placing them in his pocket. Taking Summer into his arms once again, Harry shared a glance with his companion before Disapparating to the front gates of Hogwarts. Seconds later, Severus appeared at his side. Not a word was spoken as they carried the still sleeping twins down the long driveway to the Castle, both lost in their own thoughts.

~~hpss~~

Minerva McGonagall was sitting in her office when the Wards telling her that a professor, a student and two unknown people had entered the grounds went off. Taking a deep breath, she shifted into her cat form and hurried down to greet her guests as her position as Deputy Headmistress required.

Taking on her human form once again, she waited in the shadows, smiling softly as she thanked the Potions Master for his useful habits and allowing her to steal them, and watched as the doors creaked open. The dying light was bright enough that she could not actually see who was coming through the door, but years of watching her students told her that the man she had been thanking moments earlier, followed immediately by none other than Harry Potter had just entered the building, both of them cradling something close to their chests. Stepping far enough out of the shadows so as not to startle the two, Minerva cleared her throat softly in order to catch Severus's attention. When the dark eyes swung around to look at her, she stepped even further into the light. “Good evening Severus.”

“Minerva,” Severus answered with a nod of greeting.

“Mr. Potter, may I ask why you are here?”

Harry came forward from his spot slightly behind his mate so that his Head of House could see him properly. “Good evening Professor. I take it the Headmaster hasn't filled you in as of yet?” he asked her, instead of answering her question.

“As I have only returned about an hour ago, I have not seen him yet. Is something the matter?” she asked, concern making her accent more pronounced.

Harry and Severus exchanged a quick look before Harry stepped closer to his Head of House, lifting his hand to uncover the small face of his sleeping daughter. “Professor McGonagall, I would like to introduce my daughter Summer Lily. Severus is holding her twin, Crystal Rose.” Meeting her eyes, which had widened with shock, he continued. “As for what I'm doing here, well it so happens that I'll be staying here for the rest of this summer, and maybe for even longer, but we have not discussed that far in the future as of yet,’” he continued with small shrug.

Shaking the shock from her mind, she gave Harry one of her rare smiles. “Oh, my. Oh Harry, I'm not sure if I should hug you and give you my best wishes or lecture you for this,” she said, while reaching over and running a gentle finger across Summer's check.

Seeing Harry stiffen slightly, Severus glided forward a few steps, and placed his free hand on Harry's shoulder. “I suggest saving the lecture until you know all the details Minerva. Do you know if Albus is here?”

“I do believe that he's in his office, Severus.”

“Thank you. Would you like to join us in his office, so that the many questions that you have, may be answered?”

“Yes, if Harry here does not have a problem with that.”

Harry looked at her and smiled. “No Ma'am, it would probably be easier in the long run if you joined us. I just ask that you do not do anything rash when we get to the Headmaster's office. There may be some people there you may not trust.”

“I'll do my best Harry.”

“Thank you Professor.”

~hpss~hpss~~

~Earlier in the day~

Albus watched as Arthur and the twins took Molly home. Ron and Ginny had asked for and gotten the permission of their father to stay at Grimmauld place, until it was decided where the Malfoys were staying. Looking over to where Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco where talking quietly with each other, all of their hatred against the other forgotten, he couldn't help but think of the young man who brought them together with pride, a small smile crossing his face.

“What are you thinking about?” Remus asked in a quiet voice, interrupting his thoughts.

“Harry,” he answered just as quietly.

This had the effect of bringing the elder Malfoys into the conversation. “What about Mr. Potter?” Narcissa asked.

“Harry, my dear,” Albus corrected. “And I couldn’t help but think on just how proud of that young man I am.”

Lucius bowed his head slightly in understanding. “He is something else. I can't believe all that he accomplished in such a short time.”

“He's an amazing young man,” Remus agreed.

“That he is Remus,” Albus commented.

“What I would like to know is how he got the children to behave themselves so quickly,” Narcissa asked.

Hermione who had been listening to the adults looked up at Narcissa and smiled slightly. “Would you believe Mrs. Malfoy that Ron and Ginny accepted your son before I did?” she asked.

Narcissa looked at her in surprise. “How?”

Ron took up the explanation. “He declared Draco Family. In all honesty it was that simple. We knew that Harry wouldn't have done that unless he was serious, and we trusted his judgment. It took Hermione going through a few of the books on Pure-blood Law while the Ferret and I played chess before she finally understood, as it was something we were raised with.”

Ginny smacked Ron on the shoulder. “The only reason you agreed so quickly was because you didn't want to get on Harry's bad side again,” she said with a laugh.

Lucius looked at a blushing Ron with a raised eyebrow. “Again?” he questioned.

“Um, yeah. You see I was one of those who believed he entered the Tri-Wizard tournament on his own. By the end of the first task, I realized just how wrong I was, and vowed never to doubt Harry again, without just cause. Now I listen to what he has to say before I act, and after listening to Harry last night and again this morning, I figured that if he claimed that you and your family were Family, that I had no right to question it.” Ron had started this little speech out softly, but by the end his voice was strong, and his eyes dared anyone to say that he was wrong.

Hermione gave the red head a quick hug before she too met the eyes of the Scion of the Malfoy Family. “Mr. Malfoy, we all have made our mistakes over the years when it came to Harry, whether it was questioning his judgment like we did in our fifth year, turning him over to one of our Professors when we thought he wasn't being careful enough like in our third year, or just turning our backs when he reached out to us for help.”

Taking a deep breath she made sure everyone in the room knew she was serious. “Last year was hard for him, and unfortunately we could not help, either because he didn't tell us, or we didn't know what to do when something did slip. But we stood by his side when he needed it of us, even if it meant that he just cried on our shoulder after a nightmare. We promised ourselves and Harry that we would do everything in our power to help him. That hasn't changed and it never will.”

Ginny stood just as tall and just as defiant as the others. “Your son, Mr. Malfoy, has already found out that it's never a good idea to get on my bad side. I just hope that you, yourself will never find out what I can do if you ever even think about hurting Harry. I can promise you that it won't be pretty,” she added.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Ginny, and almost growled at the girl, “Are you threatening my Husband Ms. Weasley?”

Having moved forward so that she stood basically toe to toe with Malfoy Sr. while she was talking, Ginny took a half step back before grinning at Mrs. Malfoy. “Me threaten him? No Ma'am, I know better to threaten anything or anyone Harry's claimed.” Looking back up at Lucius she gave him a bright smile. “Just think of it as a friendly warning.” Then, much to the bemusement of everyone in the room, she took that half step forward once more, and stood on her tiptoes, placing a quick kiss to the man’s check, dropped back down on her feet, turned and left the room. The other three teens followed after her, trying desperately to not give into their laughter after catching a look at the elder blonde’s face.

The adults in the room watched in shock as Remus started laughing, every time he started to calm down, he took one look at the rest again, only to start laughing all over again.

“And what exactly is so funny, Wolf?” Lucius asked with a sneer, trying to get his equilibrium back.

Finally calming down enough to answer the question, he said just as Bill Weasley walked into the room, “She sealed her promise with a kiss,” and collapsed with laughter once again.

Bill looked at Remus who continued to laugh on the floor, and then at the confused looks on the faces of the remaining adults, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “What did my little sister do this time?”

Narcissa turned her glare on the oldest Weasley boy, who just shrugged his shoulders, not caring in the least that she was glaring at him. “What? The only person I know who is in this house that seals anything with a kiss is Gin-Gin. I just want to know what she did or said that required it.”

Lucius looked around the kitchen and noticed that everyone was showing signs of amusement over this issue. “She said that if I ever hurt Mr. Potter, I would have to deal with her. When my wife asked if she was threatening me, you sister said that it wasn't a threat but a promise, and then... kissed... my cheek,” he said reluctantly.

“Ah. Coming from her, I can assure you that that is a promise she won't soon be breaking. It wasn't all that long ago that she thought she would become Mrs. Harry Potter. No need to worry too much about it, I'm sure you wouldn't do anything in word or deed to hurt Harry,” Bill said with a small smirk. Walking past the older man Bill put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “You see, we all think of him as our brother, and when you face one Weasley, you face them all,” he said, ignoring the shiver that ran through the older mans body.

Turning to the Headmaster, Bill allowed the two Malfoys to regain their composure. “Albus, have arrangements been made on where to place the Malfoys?”

Albus looked around the kitchen and smiled gently, his eyes twinkling madly. “Even though Harry has offered you a place to stay here, this is not exactly the safest place for you and your family to be,” he said to the couple. “I was wondering, Lucius, if you would be willing to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts position for this year? It would keep you all together and safe within the wards of Hogwarts.”

Lucius pondered this offer for a few minutes before turning to his wife and exchanged a speaking look with her. “And what of Narcissa? What possible position could you give her for the year?”

“Ah, you see, I do believe that Harry has already given her a job.”

Narcissa looked questioningly at the headmaster for a moment before understanding lit her eyes. “Yes, Mr. Potter has given me a job hasn't he?” she murmured before looking over at her husband and nodding slightly.

Lucius thought about it for a moment longer before nodding his head in agreement. “In that case Albus, I will accept the position for this year, but only for this year.”

“Then we are agreed. Let’s get your family settled into Hogwarts shall we?”

Seeing nods all around the room, Albus Dumbledore stood and led the way out of Grimmauld place, confident that this year would be as entertaining as the ones previous ones.

~~hpss~~hpss~~

Allowing Professor McGonagall to take the lead, Harry and Severus slowly made their way up to the Headmaster's office, making sure that nothing spooked the children enough to wake them up.

Spotting Peeves coming their way, Harry stiffened, expecting the poltergeist to try something to bother the twins. To his surprise, instead of playing some prank on them like it appeared, he floated closer, especially upon seeing the bundles the two of them carried.

Coming close enough to see the babies, Peeves glanced between Harry and Severus and gave the two of them an honest smile. “Babies. Potter babies. Oh it's been a long time since Hogwarts hosted babies within her walls,” he said softly. Concentrating on something, Peeves floated above their heads and waited for only he knew what. Moments later all of the Ghosts within the castle floated into view, and gathered in a semi-circle around the living.

With a voice rusty with disuse, the Bloody Baron broke the silence. “Why have you called us Peeves?”

“Babies once more grace our Halls. Potter babies,” Peeves replied.

“And what does this mean to you, one that has already passed?” the Grey Lady questioned.

“Redemption.”

Harry, Severus and McGonagall shared looks of shock, not sure exactly where this was going.

“And how do you plan to go about getting this redemption?” Nearly Headless Nick asked.

Peeves drew himself up, and bowed to each of the House Ghosts in turn. “I will do everything in my power to protect them.”

“You wish to become there spiritual guidance?” the Fat Friar asked.

“I do.”

The Bloody Baron looked around at all of the other ghosts, and watched as each one bowed their heads in agreement. “So Mote it be. You will do what needs to be done, to keep these two living children safe. If need be, any of us will help you if you ask. Just know this, if anything should happen to them or their parents while you had a chance to stop it, you will remain for all of eternity in purgatory,” he finished with a growl.

Peeves only nodded his head in understanding, and as the dead left the living to go their own way, he floated down so he was face to face with Harry and gave him a short bow. “I pledge my guidance and my loyalty to you and your children Harry Potter. Any time you have need of me, just speak my name. I will hear your call.” Peeves then faded away, leaving the living to try and figure out what just happened.

“I'm not sure who I want to speak to more about this, the Headmaster or Hermione,” Harry said softly.

“In my opinion, I say both. Between the two of them I'm sure they will figure it out,” Severus commented. “Although I'm also sure that you'll get straight forward answers out of Miss Granger before Albus.”

“Isn't that the truth,” Harry snorted softly in amusement.

Exchanging another glance, Harry and Severus motioned for the Transfiguration professor to continue leading the way, and shortly found themselves standing in front of the gargoyle, which had opened upon seeing who was coming its way. Harry stopped McGonagall with a slight touch to her arm, knowing that he needed her to understand a few things.

“Professor, in order to understand what is going on, you need to keep an open mind. The past two days have come as surprise to a few people, and many changes where made that reflect on who may be waiting for us. Once again I need you to promise me that you will not react until you have heard all the facts,” he said softly.

“Since it is your summer vacation, Harry, you may call me Minerva. And you have my promise to listen to everything I am told today, before making any decisions,” she replied just as quietly.

Harry sighed in relief. “Thank you Minerva. I'm not sure what I would have done if you would have refused.”

Taking the lead, Harry allowed the revolving stairs to bring him up to the Headmaster's office, and entered without knocking. Smiling softly at who was there, Harry gave a nod of thanks as he gratefully took the seat that Lucius Malfoy vacated when he entered the room, and hid his gasp of surprise when it was transfigured into a love seat so that Severus could join him.

Minerva gasped as she saw the Malfoys drinking tea with Albus. Her first instinct was to go for her wand, but two things stopped her: the promise she made to her student and the actions of the oldest Malfoy when Harry walked in the room.

Albus smiled as the trio entered the room, the twinkle in his eyes bright. “Ah, Minerva, Severus and Harry, I’m glad to see you all could make it. Tea? Lemon Drop?”

As Minerva took the cup of tea handed to her, she tried to process what was going on. “Albus what in Merlin's name is going on?” she finally asked, unable to take it any longer.

“I have finally found a Defense instructor for this coming year, my dear.”

“Albus Dumbledore! That is not what I meant and you know it!” she sputtered.

Laughing softly at the look on her face, Harry tried to give her a better answer. “Lord Malfoy sent me a letter asking for protection, which I granted. I'm assuming that the Headmaster has used the excuse of needing a safe place for them to go to give Lord Malfoy the spot as Professor.” Turning to Lucius he smiled slightly. “I’m going to assume as well that, for once, I won't have to worry about being killed, tortured or bored to death by the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this coming year?”

“Surely your previous instructors haven't been that bad, Mr. Potter,” Narcissa asked in disbelief.

Harry's face became shuttered as he held steady eye contact with her. “One was possessed by the spirit form of Voldemort, another was obsessed with himself, one professor was a werewolf, who, through no fault of his own transformed in front of a few of us. One liked to use two of the Unforgivables on spiders, and the other on the students. Next was the toad who liked using a blood quill during her detentions, and also tried to cast an unforgivable on me. After that was the one who favored sexual encounters with any student under the age of seventeen. You tell me if they've been that bad.”

Narcissa became even more pale as Harry counted them all off, but before she could ask any more questions Severus waved her off. “The sexual predator made the mistake of thinking Harry would shrink from the knowledge becoming public. I do believe that by the time Harry left him, he was missing certain body parts, and was watched at all times. As soon as the term was over, we had him removed to the ministry holding cells where I am sure he is still sitting. I do believe you know what happened to the rest of those mentioned,” he said quietly, aware that Harry didn't want to say any more on the subject.

Glancing around the room, desperate for a distraction, Harry cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked at Albus. “Where is Draco?” he asked, his voice soft.

“I do believe that Misses Weasley and Granger and Mr. Weasley have taken Mr. Malfoy on a tour of the school. They said something about showing him a room where anything could happen,” Albus replied, the twinkle dimming in his eyes.

“Ah, yes. I also have a feeling that before they get there, they'll be answering a million questions over what we had done over the years, and showing him where they all happened,” he said, hoping to derail Narcissa's train of thought.

“Care to share a few of them?” Minerva asked, fairly sure of what Harry was trying to do, but also fairly sure that it would not work for long on the other woman. A quick glance at the blond in question, and she knew she was correct.

Knowing that his Head of House knew of a few of the things they did, but not all of them, Harry grinned slyly. “Three-headed dogs, Polyjuice, Basilisks and time turners come to mind,” he replied, causing her to choke on her tea.

“Polyjuice!? I don't remember Polyjuice,” she exclaimed.

“We brewed Polyjuice in our second year in order to get into the Slytherin common room, to find out what Draco knew about the Heir of Slytherin,” Harry explained, his smile turning smug at the looks of shock he was receiving from everyone but the headmaster.

“Do you know about this, Headmaster?” Lucius demanded.

“I must say that I found out about the Polyjuice when they were in their fifth year, but everything else I knew about,” Albus answered calmly, his twinkle going full blast.

Harry decided that he should leave the adults to their shock for a few minutes so that they could get down to business when he returned. “Mrs. Malfoy, if would be kind enough to take Summer, I'll go and retrieve the others.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Harry handed Summer over and quickly left the room.

Running through the corridors, it only took about five minutes for Harry to reach the Room of Requirement. Out of breath, Harry paced in front of the blank stretch of wall three times, concentrating on finding his friends. When the door appeared, he opened it, and literally fell into the room, laughing his head off. As he calmed down he looked up at his friends, and started to laugh again, at the look of disbelief on Draco's face.

“What's so funny Potter?” Draco managed to sneer.

Calming down once again, Harry looked over at the other four teens. “I just left a group of shocked adults for the Headmaster to deal with,” he said with a smug smile. “And the look on your face, Draco, was priceless.”

“What did you say to them?” Hermione questioned, the smile on her face masked, but you could still hear it in her voice.

“I mentioned a few things that we had done over the years. Believe it or not, our Head of House never found out about the Polyjuice in second year until I told her just now.”

Hermione and Ron snorted and tried not to laugh out loud at the stunned looks Draco and Ginny were giving them. “Oi Harry, how much trouble are we in from your mate?” Ron asked.

“None... yet. I don't think he's put the pieces together yet,” Harry replied with a small laugh. “I'll do my best to keep his mind occupied when he starts to loose his temper so you two don't get in trouble.”

“Thanks Harry. You're a life saver,” Ron grinned.

Ginny gave the three of them a disgusted look as she figured out exactly what they where thinking of. “Where are the twins, Harry?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation from sinking any further.

“I left them in the Headmaster's office while I came here. You all need to come up as well. I think by the time we get up there, they should be just about finished giving Albus hell,” Harry said, his eyes glowing slightly in amusement.

“After you, Scarhead. I would hate to deprive you of the opportunity to distract your mate,” Draco said with a sneer, even as his eyes danced in amusement that matched Harry's.

Laughing slightly, Harry turned and led the way back up the headmaster's office, his mind already trying to figure out what he could do to make sure the twins were cared for during the upcoming school year.