Harry entered the house cautiously. He hated this date. Always had. He first looked in the kitchen plainly knowing he would not find what he was looking for there. He knew where he would find what he was looking for but he wouldn’t lose hope. Not ever. Especially not today.

Eighteen years ago his mother died and in her sacrifice he survived the Killing Curse that rebounded on the most feared Dark Lord of the century, Lord Voldemort. But he hadn’t died, no, he was just mist prowling somewhere. After a failed attempt at coming back when Harry was eleven, he succeeded when Harry was fourteen by kidnapping Harry at the end of the Triwizard tournament and taking some of his blood. During a whole year the Ministry of Magic denied Harry’s claim and the only people fighting Voldemort were the Order of the Phoenix.

Harry shuddered, he almost lost him that year. Voldemort sent visions to Harry of him being tortured at the Ministry, and not being able to contact him, Harry and a bunch of friends fled to the Ministry. He still had nightmares of him falling through that veil. But thankfully one of his friends had been faster and had accioed him just in time. But at first Harry hadn’t seen and had run after Bellatrix Lestrange to exert revenge. Well, at least that served to get Voldemort out in the open and Harry grounded. “Never ever run after a psycho again!” was what he heard over and over that summer.

He chuckled as he looked into the living room. If what he did when he was seventeen with Ron and Hermione while the Order opposed Voldemort the best way they could didn’t fall in the category of running after a psycho  he didn’t know what did. But they had to. They had to find all the Horcruxes, that was their mission. Dumbledore had left them with it. Dumbledore, humph, and his secrets. They did find and destroy all the Horcruxes culminating in Neville killing Voldemort’s snake Nagini. But they lost good women and men in a battle at Hogwarts. And they almost lost Remus and Tonks. He shuddered again at poor Teddy’s almost fate. Harry new that fate well and did not want it for Teddy. But they were saved by another couple who had been saved from insanity just in the nick of time eighteen years minus three days ago by Remus and company. A couple whose son became a hero in this war. A hero who saved Fred just in time too.

Harry sighed as he looked in the dining room. Harry didn’t know why he was dawdling. He knew where he was. He was brooding in his room. Like he always did on Halloween.

Harry started up the stairs. He was in Auror training now. He had gone back to his last year of Hogwarts after the battle and graduated only a few months ago. You could almost pretend everything was the same at Hogwarts, if you didn’t pay attention to the big memorial or the parts that were roped off  because they were rebuilding or to Headmistress McGonagall. Snape stepped down and took back his DADA position. Snape, another surprise. He was with them all along. And he had loved his mother, ewww. No one ever told Harry that. After taking his memories Harry applied a healing and a stasis charm on Snape so he could be kept alive until help could get to him. He was hailed as a hero. He was still a snarky, greasy git if you asked Harry. But a hero git.

Here he was, Harry resigned himself at the bedroom door. He would be there brooding, thinking of the past, like every year. Harry would come in and he would try to hide his tears. Last year had been the worst, after all Harry went willingly and took the killing curse. During days after the battle he wouldn’t let Harry out of his sight, not after that, not after months of worrying and praying Harry was fine and unhurt. Harry thought he’d follow him to Hogwarts.

Harry shook his head, inhaled deeply and opened the door.

“Da- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Harry turned sharply around and shut his eyes. It didn’t work. The image was stuck in his retina.

“Er,” the embarrassed man in the bed said as he covered the couple. “Hi son. Shouldn’t you be in training or something?”

“I came to make sure you were okay,” Harry said still with his eyes shut.

“Oh, yeah,” James said embarrassed. “We are. I mean, I am. I can explain.”

“Oh, you can?” Harry squeaked and heard rustle from behind. Yes, please do get dressed. Both of you!

“Yes, er, you see,” James started, “Last year-“

“LAST YEAR!” Harry cried turning around and was grateful to see both moderately covered.

“Yes,” James said. “I was down, on Halloween. Thinking of Lily. And you were at Hogwarts. And you remember I went to see you?” Harry nodded jerkily. “Well, afterwards I stayed in the castle. Thinking about what you said. That your mom wouldn’t want me to stay alone forever.”

“And you decided to get together with- with-“

The subject of Harry’s stutter just raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I didn’t decide. It just sort of happened. We bumped into each other and started talking,” James looked lovingly at his lover and Harry gagged. “Well, more like throwing insults and after a while we started reminiscing of your mother and getting drunk and-“

“We ended up having sex Potter. I’m sure even a dunderhead like yourself can surmise that given the position you found us,” the man drawled and Harry’s eyes bugged and then he shut them as he was reminded and cried.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

“But Harry, I think I really love Sevvy.”

“Don’t call me Sevvy!”

“NOOOOOOOO!”

The end