"Am I to understand that the two of you would not only like to use my office, but you want me to leave you alone in here as well?" She turned to give a certain portrait a decidedly catty look. "Very well, but you should know, you are going to have to release the locking and silencing spells on him. Although, if I were either one of you, I would leave the locking charms in place. I know I would do more if I had been either one of you." With that said she got up and swept out of the room.

Severus cast the countercharms and waited for the old man to return to his natural form before he started asking his questions, but just barely.

"Albus, we need to know exactly how you went about destroying the Horcrux inside the ring." Severus asked.

"Well, you see, I went through many spells, one at a time, none seeming to do much of anything. So, I then started to combine different spells. But, alas, that did not seem to do much good either. I then...well I doubt you need to know what did not work, only what did. In the end I, well I know you will think this very unwise of me, but in the end the only thing I thought might have even a slight chance to work was to put the ring on and focus my magic through it as I cast the spell using my wand. In hindsight I can see how very foolish it was of me. I never should have trusted that Tom could not have been able to come up with a defense that I could not detect. In the end it seems arrogance is my greatest sin as well..."

"Yes, we both know how horribly sorry you are. We have all we need from you, and if I were you, I would get back into the portrait. Minerva looked like she would love to be able to get her hands on you. Come on Harry."

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The table was messier than normal. There were parchment bits with scribbled notes. There were books open to everything from ‘The Magical Properties of Magical Creatures' to ‘How to Ward Your Peg Leg'. There was a Pensieve that appeared to be almost overflowing with memories. There were empty bottles of ink and broken quills. There were also three heads of very different colored hair lying on the table as well, their owners exhausted from the relentless research.

At the other end of the table sat Lucius and Narcissa, both frusratedly engrossed in books. Behind them, a freestanding blackboard had Lucius' cane hanging from the end closest to him, and was covered in slanted scrawl. In front of the board, Severus Snape stood, so engrossed with what he had written that he did not notice his once black robes were now grey from chalk dust.

Almost everyone in the room started when chalk was flung across the room as Severus all but yelled, "There has got to be a connection in difference. The Diary was destroyed by a Basilisk fang, and that did not result in death. The Slytherin Family Ring was destroyed by pure magic, it resulted in near death. But Albus is a stubborn ass at the best of times... Nagini was killed by Moody, who used magic. He was then killed by the backlash, but was the only one killed by the backlash. The Slytherin Family Locket was destroyed by the same fang as the book, another backlash, but this one did not end in death. Ravenclaw's Family Wand was destroyed by being broken in two, once again a backlash followed, and Olivander was dead before he hit the floor. Is it simply the fang that is safe? Or was it that particular fang that was safe? If that is the case, we have an immense dilemma, as the fang could not be found. Minerva and I searched the cavern to see if it was possible that Harry had been envenomed again."

"What if Olivander didn't die from the backlash? He was very weak to begin with, between starvation and the wand draining him. What if he simply gave his last in breaking the wand and died when the act was done?" Harry asked with his head once again on the table. "If that is the case, then the backlash didn't kill him. Maybe it didn't have a path to follow as it had with Moody and Dumbledore."

Hermione's head shot up, and she stared at Harry in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I said what if the backlash..."

"Yes, yes, it was rhetorical, Harry. Moody shot a spell from his wand to the snake, causing a direct magical pathway. Dumbledore had the ring on and focused his magic through that as he cast the spell from his wand, so that pathway was not as direct as Moody's was. It still resulted in destroying his hand, but he was able to disrupt that enough to save himself. Harry used a fang twice. The creature might have been magical, but its fang was just a fang. It had already dosed Harry with venom and had been broken off after, the first time. Any residual venom would have long dried by the time Harry destroyed the locket, nothing very magical to react with there. Olivander used the most mundane way of all, he simply used his hands and broke the wand, nothing magical in that.

Maybe it's not the how it is destroyed, but what is used in the destruction. We could melt the cup, destroying it. But, if we cast Incendio, or if anyone was crazy enough, Fiendfyre, then there would be magic to react with. Whereas, if we simply used a mundane crucible and gas flame, not magic to react to.

It makes perfect sense. Voldemort hates Muggles. He was made to feel they are inferior. Therefore he would never think to protect against their means of destruction. He believes magic is superior and his magic even more so. Therefore he would create new protective measures for his Horcruxes, and I bet he would love using the person's magic against them, making sure that anyone who dared to impede him would die while trying to do so." She sat back in her chair grinning smugly.

"Hermione, have I ever told you how brilliant you are?" Harry asked before pulling her into a huge hug.

"Do not get so excited. We still have yet to discuss this fully. Miss Granger has only just given the breakthrough for us to continue our research..." Lucius started to say, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"No, you don't. We don't need to do any research. This is perfect. No one needs to be near the cup to destroy it. We can buy everything we need from Muggles, set it up somewhere in the middle of nowhere, then set the thing to heat up, put the cup in, and Apparate away from a safe distance, leaving no magical residue near for any protection to pick up on, and no person there to get hit by the backlash once the Horcrux is destroyed. We then go back after several hours and see what is left after the cup has melted. What is there to argue over, or discuss?" Harry finished exasperatedly.

Severus sighed as he heard Harry's words from early. ‘OK, fine, we all know I get an idea and run with it when I don't get the back-up from the elders. So, why not back me up from now on, and quit doubting me? Seems like a simple solution to me.'  "He has the idea in his head, we might as well back him on this. As Harry has explained, there is very little danger for us, as no one will be near. Furthermore, Harry has the cup, and unless any of you feel you can break his wards, then we really have no choice. I would rather be there with him in case something goes wrong, yet again, than to have him sneak off with Miss Granger and have who knows what happen. Miss Granger, how long will it take you to purchase what you think we need? We should get this done, post-haste."

"Not long, I should be done and back in a few hours." She replied.

"Very well, Draco, Lucius, accompany her, please. I am sure she will need someone to help carry everything. Harry, Narcissa, and I will find an appropriate location. Everyone...be safe." Severus said the last with an air of distaste. As if letting others know he cared left a sour taste in his mouth.

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"There, that should be the last of the hook-ups. Everything is ready. I've tested this at home. It shouldn't take long to heat up, and even less time for the cup to melt down. But to be safe, I bought enough fuel for five to six hours of heating. After that there is a rather longer cool off time, which should give enough time for any residual magic to dissipate, making it safe for us to come back and collect everything." Hermione explained.

"Very well, Miss Granger, you and I will stay here at a safe distance to monitor. The last thing we need is to cause a brushfire. Harry, I want you to leave before we start. You are the one who reacts to the destruction of the Horcruxes, and I want you no where near here for any of this once we have started. There will be no arguments or debating this. I agreed to do it this way, you agree to my terms." Severus said, giving Harry no room to argue.

Harry only gave a slight pause before nodding and walking away. "Don't take any chances, either of you. Start it, then get as far away as you can. I will see you both back at the house tonight. If not, then I'm coming back." Giving them both a longing look, Harry Apparated away. If he lingered on Hermione a bit longer than normal...well he'd think on that later.

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Harry entered his room and tossed his rucksack near his bed. Not wanting to dwell on what his best friend and father were up to, he searched his room for a distraction. Seeing the withered plant on his desk, gave him a flash of inspiration. Sitting down, he picked up where he had left off before.

The withered plant began to show signs of brightening in color, then started flowering and became healthy. Suddenly the flower turned into a bud. The plant then started to shrink, and before long all you could see was a pot with soil in it. Harry kept concentrating, and the soil started moving, moving out of the way of the young stem breaking through. It grew until it was again tall and leafy, budding, then was once again flowering. That was where Harry stopped and sat back, taking in what he had accomplished. Getting more inspiration, Harry called out, "Dobby."

"Yes, Harry Potter Sir? What cans Dobby dos for you?" Dobby asked, calmer now that he had been helping Harry constantly for the past five months.

"I need you to get me a few items. Here's the list, do you think there is anything on there that will cause you trouble?"

"No, Harry Potter Sir, Dobby should be able to get most of this from Hogwarts. Headmistress Professor McGonagall has told Dobby that I am supposed to help Harry Potter Sir any way I can, and that I am always allowed to use school supplies when possible. Oh...bad Dobby...I wasn't supposed to tell you."

"Dobby, do not punish yourself. I am glad you told me, it makes things a lot easier, for everyone. If you could, hurry back please. I'd like to get back to work, but I need those items. Don't bother with cages. I will transfigure something here."

"I will be back in a flash. Harry Potter Sir will be able to continue working right away!" Dobby was gone with a snap of his fingers.

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Several hours, and several experiments later, "So I can only regress certain parts of things, like I did with making only certain stems flower then fruit. Moving beings forward is harder than it is to move them back. Well," he said looking at the poor little shriveled remains of several mice, a rat, and a rabbit, "it's harder to stop before they die, and once dead, I can't bring them back. So, no more moving beings forward, unless I absolutely have to. Now, that I know for sure how to move things backwards...I wonder if Draco would help me?"

Harry went to his room, and quietly knocked, silently hoping that the other young man would take him seriously. "Hello, Draco, I have a proposition for you, and if it works, I don't think it's one you can pass up. If you let me in, I'll explain it to you." Harry said once Draco had opened the door.

With a suspicious look, Draco nodded and let Harry into his room, shutting the door behind him.

"What is this proposition? I was not even aware you knew such big words, Harry, much less how to use them properly."

"Very funny, Draco, but if you don't want to take me seriously, I guess I could find another marked Death Eater, that would rather not be." Harry said, as he made ready to leave the room.

"What did you just say? You think you can get rid of the mark? What does Severus think about this? He has sworn it impossible to remove."

"And he would be right, for the most part. I'm not really removing it, just making it so it never was, sort of. I'm not sure how to explain it, and I'm not entirely sure I can do it. But, if you really want to be rid of it, then it would be in your best interest to help me figure out how, don't you think?"

Draco looked at Harry in astonishment. "You really think you are able to do this? This isn't just some attempt at revenge? You are serious. I would be a fool to pass this up, and Malfoys are not fools. What do you want me to do?"

Harry couldn't help it, he laughed. "No, Malfoys aren't fools, they only willingly follow a madman. Well, at least you all were smart enough to realize the truth and turn away. If not I wouldn't be here offering to help. Sit down and don't move. I'm not exactly sure if this will hurt or not. Just whatever you do, do not interrupt me."

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Draco could do nothing more than to stare at his bare arm. He had never seen a more wondrous sight. "Potter...Harry, I don't know what to say. You should sit down before you fall down. You look like you are drained. I guess you won't be able to do that soon. When can you try my parents, and what about Severus?"

"Slow down, Malfoy. I didn't know that was going to be so hard. It was almost like you were fighting it there in the beginning. Hmm, might be better if the person isn't awake while doing this. How did it feel? Did it hurt? Were you really fighting it, or was that just reflex? Oh, and yes, I'm bloody exhausted. So, no, I won't be able to try it on anyone else until after I get something to sleep, and get some eat. Wait? Never mind, you know what I meant. Please, whatever you do, don't tell anyone yet. I'd rather not get that lecture from either of our parents."

"I was worried at first, and tense. But after a while nothing hurt, so I just relaxed and let you do whatever it was that you were doing. Then, right before the mark vanished, there was a slightly weird feeling, almost like only that part of my arm was being Portkeyed away. But it only lasted a few seconds, then you were done..."

"Harry? You up here? We're back" Called Hermione from the hallway.

"Look, I'd better go see how that went. Promise me you will keep quiet, and I promise you I will do everything I can to do the same for your parents. Deal?"

"Very well, but you better keep up your end, Potter!"

"Thank you for the help, Malfoy, and congratulations. You have a brighter future ahead of you now." Harry said before shutting the door.

Moving as quickly as he could, he made it to the stairs before she was all the way up them. "How did it go? Where is Dad? You look ok, do you feel ok?"

"Harry, calm down. Everything went perfectly. There was another backlash of magic. But it wasn't as big as the others, showing that the magic did in fact feed it and make it worse. Professor Snape took the remains down to his lab to store with the rest. You do understand, Harry, that was the last obstacle. There is only one thing left to do to finish this. Isn't that great Harry?"

"There might be a few more things left to do before we talk about that, Hermione. Why don't you come up to my room, so I can explain? I'll meet you there. There is something I need to get first. Ok?"

She eyed him critically. "You're up to something, aren't you? This isn't going to be a repeat of your spying for the first time, is it? If so, I'm heading straight downstairs and telling your dad. You prom..."

"Hermione, calm down. It's nothing like that, I promise. Now just head to my room, and I'll meet you there." Not giving her a chance to answer, he took off to the end of the hallway. Knocking on Draco's door, once again.

"I need your help. I have an idea on how to help our parents. But I'm going to need you to show Hermione what I can do, so I can convince her to help."

"Lead the way, Potter."

"Harry, what is Malfoy doing in here? Malfoy, what happened to your arm? How is this possible? Harry, what did you do, and why are there dead animals all over your desk?" Hermione asked, getting slightly agitated.

"If you give me a chance, I will explain." Harry did just that. He took the next twenty minutes explaining what all he had done after getting back home.

Draco and Hermione shared the same expression, enraged disbelief.

"You mean you experimented on me, after only working on this for most of the morning? You could have killed me, like one of those rodents. I cannot believe I actually trusted you..."

"Calm down, please just let me..."

"No, Harry, he's right, for once. I can't believe you would do something so dangerous. That's not all either, you brought me in here to get me to help you with something else, and that something else must be more dangero..."

"Silencio! Now, both of you sit down and listen to me. Draco is alive and well, and mark free. He said there was no pain, and the only thing it did to me was drain me a little. I think that will get better with time, as well as with the person being unconscious while I work. This is where you come in, Hermione. Well, you could help, too, Draco. I'd like the both of you to make enough Draught of the Living Death, and it's remedy, for me to be able to give Dad, Narcissa, and even Lucius. Even though he's been nothing but an ass to me. No point in not removing everyone's marks. It will take you both several hours to finish, and by that time I should be rested enough. We can then get Dobby to dose them, and I can get to work. How does that sound? Oh, sorry," Harry said as he canceled the spell.

"If I don't help, the two of you are going to do this on your own, aren't you? I can't imagine you passing up a chance to help your parents like this, either one of you. Fine, I will help. Just one problem, where do you think we can brew? Any place here, Professor Snape will know right away."

"The Room of Requirement should be perfect. It will supply everything you need, and will keep you safe as well. Now, if that is everything, let's go eat dinner. I want to go to bed as soon as possible, but I want to see that dad is ok first! And he will be suspicious if we aren't at dinner."

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Two days later, the three teens stared in disbelief at the three heads resting on the table.

"I can't believe it actually worked. I was sure Dad had detected the potion when he sniffed his porridge." Harry said shakily.

"Of course it worked, you had a Slytherin's help. Let's hurry and get them to their rooms, I'd hate to have to explain this to your aunt, Potter."

They each levitated one of the unconscious adults upstairs, Draco and Hermione heading to the room the Malfoys shared, Harry heading to Severus' room.

That was where the other two found Harry. He was seated on the bed, next to his father, his hands cupped around the mark.

Hermione and Draco could only watch as Harry worked. It seemed for the longest time that nothing was happening. There was no magical tension in the air. There was no lip movement from Harry. The only thing to watch was Harry staring at the mark on Severus' arm.

Then, suddenly, there was nothing on the arm to look at. It was bare for the first time in many years. There wasn't even a scar to show where it had once been.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Just as I thought, it was a lot easier to deal with when no one was fighting back. Give me some water and I'll be fine to start in on your mother, Draco."

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"So, do we wake them now? Or wait until after Harry has finished his nap? I can't believe he just passed out like that, and right next to your father."

"I cannot believe he did that for us. His father, I understand. I can even understand why he did it for me. He wouldn't care as much if something went wrong, while working on me. But to help out my parents like this...he's given us all a chance to live again once this is all done.