After fifteen minutes of tripping over roots, being scratched by branches and bushes, and nearly breaking his neck by falling into various holes, Harry was glad to make it to the edge of the forest. The trees had thinned so much by then that he could see nearly all the way to the castle, which meant he could see the commotion taking place. There were quite a few people on the grounds, pin pricks of wand light exposing their locations as they moved around the dark grounds.

“You’ve got the whole world looking for you, it seems,” Lucius Malfoy drawled as he pulled a few twigs and leaves from his hair in a careless manner. He had made it through the forest much more gracefully than Harry had managed.

“Of course. When ‘The Chosen One’ goes missing, there will be panic in spades. I’m not looking forward to the hugs of rib-cracking force I’m sure to receive from quite a few people,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes, finally breaking through the edge of the forest.

“Be glad you have so many who care so deeply for you. Not everyone is so lucky,” Lucius said quietly as he watched many in the search party turn towards the forest as they saw the light from his wand in Harry’s hand.

“I am glad.”

“Harry! Oh, thank Merlin.”

Harry was nearly knocked backwards off of his feet as the Potions Master slammed into him, holding him so tightly to his chest that he could hardly breathe. He hugged the man back just as tightly before trying to squirm away.

“I’m alright, Dad.”

Severus reacted so fast that Harry had to blink to make sure he hadn’t just black out. The Potions Professor’s wand was trained on Lucius Malfoy, sticking painfully into the man’s neck as more Professors and a few Aurors joined them at the edge of the forest. The two bound Death Eaters were taken from Harry’s care and detained further.

Harry quickly moved so that he stood between his father’s wand and Malfoy. “No, Dad, it wasn’t him. Bellatrix and Greyback were the ones who had me. Technically it was Blaise Zabini who set this all up and even caused my dreams. Lucius just wants to see Draco.”

“Harry!” a voice shrieked into the night, making everyone jump.

Everyone turned to as a blonde and green blur came flying down from the castle ramparts, heading straight for Harry. People nearly didn’t have time to duck or jump out of the way as Draco landed with a thud, throwing his broom haphazardly as he ran at Harry, giving the Gryffindor his second breath-taking hug of the night.

“I was so worried,” Draco whispered, completely unaware of their surroundings as he placed a kiss firmly on Harry’s lips. There was a thick silence as Lucius moved forward out of the shadows, causing Draco to draw closer to Harry as he gasped.

“Father?”

“Harry!”

Harry rolled his eyes as he was accosted by another hug, this one slightly awkward as Remus had to hug both him and Draco since the blonde was still firmly attached to him as he stared at his father.

“Harry, if you would be so kind as to explain everything that you can, it would be much appreciated,” Dumbledore said as he stepped out of the crowd towards the shell-shocked group of people still standing at the edge of the forest.

Harry took a deep breath, preparing to launch into the story so he wouldn’t have to keep repeating himself. “From what I understand, this started out as a mission from Voldemort for Blaise Zabini, Greyback, and Bellatrix. Blaise turned my glasses into a portkey that would take me to the forest, but he messed the charm up, causing me to dream about the details of the mission. Lucius heard about this mission, and knowing that I was close to Draco and might be able to get him in to talk to him, he confunded Greyback and Bellatrix and modified their memories.

“They were supposed to kill Severus and take me back to Voldemort, but Lucius changed things so that they thought Remus was the one keyed to the wards, and he followed them to the forest so he could get to me. He stunned and bound Greyback and Bellatrix, not me. He gave me his wand and a Wizard’s Oath that he wouldn’t harm anyone in exchange for me giving him a chance to speak with Draco one last time before he inevitably was sent back to Azkaban. Lucius isn’t the one who should be blamed for this.”

“How can you defend this man, Harry? He’s part of the reason that Sirius is dead,” Remus said viciously, not taking notice of how Severus stiffened beside him.

“He’s part, yes. But there were lots of other people who were part of the reason as well. I’m part of the reason. Do you blame me, too?” Harry asked, giving Remus a pleading look.

Remus’ shoulders slumped as he gently pat the Gryffindor’s cheek. “Of course I don’t blame you, Harry. Lucius belongs in Azkaban, regardless.”

Lucius took another step forward, causing more wands to be pointed at him. He simply raised his chin and looked Remus in the eye. “I do not wish to escape being sent back to Azkaban, or else I would never have allowed myself to be brought to the castle, where I knew there were Aurors and Dumbledore himself. I simply want to talk to my son one last time, and then you can take me wherever you want. Give me the Kiss if that’s what you desire.”

“No!” Draco took a step toward his father, his eyes wide in panic. He took a deep breath and closed the distance between himself and his father, allowing the man to brush his hair back with a gentle smile.

“You’re so tall now,” Lucius whispered, being only a few inches taller than his young son.

Draco let the tears that had been burning at the back of his eyes fall, moving into his father’s arms and hugging him tightly. There was a deafening silence as everyone just looked on, their wands still trained on the elder Malfoy.

Harry couldn’t help but feel a strong surge of happiness for his boyfriend, despite the fact that the man Draco was hugging had tried to kill him multiple times. He turned towards his father, an earnest expression on his face. “I have both of you now, but Draco has no one. Let him have this, please,” Harry pleaded with his father, who still looked ready to murder Lucius then and there.

“Nonsense. Draco has both of us as well, and he has you. We’ve given him everything,” Severus snapped.

Harry smiled sadly at his father as he moved forward and pulled his wand arm down so that he was no longer aiming at the father-son embrace still taking place. “You know it’s not the same. For me, I don’t have James or Lily here anymore to be there for me. But for Draco, his father is still alive, just unattainable. That’s like torture.”

Severus sighed heavily as he let his wand arm relax, pulling Harry into another hug. “I’ll never understand why you are so forgiving, Son.”

“Because it’s too hard to hold a grudge when you have every reason to let it go. If I wasn’t so forgiving, we wouldn’t have each other, either.”

“Entirely too smart for your age...”

Lucius and Draco had separated now, but were still standing very close together. Everyone always said that Draco was a carbon copy of Lucius, but standing next to the elder Malfoy, the differences were noticeable. Draco had a slightly pointier chin, and more prominent cheek bones. His blonde hair was a shade darker than his father’s, and his eyes were more silver than slate grey.

Draco began explaining everything that had happened since his father had been incarcerated; his mother’s murder, his kidnapping and abuse, being taken in by Severus, the attack in Diagon Alley and his coma, being pulled out of the coma by Harry, falling in love with Harry...It went on and on, and Lucius’ reactions to the long tale were quite a sight to see as he shed tears for his deceased wife and seethed with anger for his son’s mistreatment.

“That horrible, despicable creature...I promise you, Draco, I will never return to Him again,” Lucius said in a harsh whisper.

“Then why not join the Order? Support Harry?” Draco asked desperately, clinging to the arm his father had wrapped around him.

“Draco, I may no longer support what the Dark Lord is doing, but I still believe in the principles behind his original cause. I cannot condone the extinction of our kind.”

Harry moved forward towards Lucius, ignoring the way his father was trying to pull him back to him. “Extinction of our kind? Tell me, did you get to choose who your parents were? No. Neither did Hermione, a Muggle-born witch who’s at the top of our class. She’s brilliant, and her magical abilities far surpass many of the pure-blooded students at Hogwarts.

“The only way an extinction of our kind will occur is if we keep allowing Voldemort to kill everyone off! He doesn’t even care if you’re pure-blood anymore; he killed your wife, did he not? Voldemort is a half-blood himself! He doesn’t have principles or plans anymore, he’s just killing people. I’m sick of seeing my family and friends get killed, one by one, because of a ridiculous prejudice that no one can actually control. The original principles are faulty anyways; Hermione has done loads of research. More squibs are produced by pure-blooded couples then those of mixed blood status.”

There was a long tense silence and the crowd gathered around waited for Lucius’ reaction. Remus still had his wand trained on the blonde, as did many of the other teachers and all of the Aurors. Draco looked nervous, torn between his father and his boyfriend.

“Perhaps I am mistaken in my beliefs, but I cannot just change my thinking at the drop of a wand. I am willing to try, however. I will no longer support the Dark Lord, whatever,” Lucius said with a nonchalant shrug, which was hard to pull off with so many wands pointed at his heart.

“Mr. Malfoy, may I propose a deal of sorts?” Dumbledore asked in a soft voice, making the crowd turn towards him. The blonde nodded, and the Headmaster continued.

“Perhaps we could make a trade; information for your freedom?” Dumbledore had been sharing a look with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who even though was Minister for Magic now, still had the title of Head Auror until a replacement was found.

Lucius looked stunned as he looked between his son and the Headmaster, not sure of what he was hearing. “The Ministry would be willing to make this deal?”

Kingsley stepped forward then, lowering his wand halfway, but still holding it at the ready. “I’ve discussed this with the Headmaster on a few previous occasions. If you can give us all the information you know of the Dark Lord’s plans, then I think an order of clemency may be possible.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll tell you everything,” Lucius said quickly, his eyes wide. His hands shook as his son moved back towards him, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. The elder Malfoy looked down at his son, excitement and fear in his expression. “Do you trust Potter?”

“With every fibre of my being, Father. I love him,” Draco said firmly, turning to look at Harry, who smiled widely at him.

“Then perhaps I can learn to work with and support him as well.”

Severus stepped forward, his expression thunderous. “I don’t care what you think you can learn, Lucius, I do not trust you around my son.”

“And yet, I’ve trusted you with my own son’s life by naming you his godfather. Oh ye of little faith, Severus,” Lucius drawled, reminding Harry of Draco far too much again.

“I’ve never tried to kill Draco or deliver him to the Dark Lord for torture, have I? I’ve done nothing but protect and treat him as my own, even when you were around. I’ve been a better father to Draco than you ever have,” Severus snapped, ignoring the way Harry was pulling on his arm and Draco was frowning at him.

There was a tense silence as Lucius gazed at his son, and then the indignant Potions Master. “I do not deny that, Severus. I would like to make up for it, however.”

“I don’t think ‘better late than never’ is a feasible way to raise a child.”

“Dad, please...” Harry said quietly, seeing the torn expression on Draco’s face. He knew the blonde wanted to have his father back, but he also knew that Severus had been the one to take care of him for so long.

“Mr. Potter, may I ask that you please place my wand at the foot of the Headmaster,” Lucius asked abruptly, making Harry forget he was trying to calm his father down.

Harry looked around, confused for a second before meeting Dumbledore’s eyes. The wizened old man looked tired, but also extremely determined. He nodded very slightly. Harry walked over and placed Lucius’ wand at the Headmaster’s feet as he was asked, then watched as Lucius knelt down in front of the old man.

“I pledge my allegiances to you, Albus Dumbledore, and Vow to provide you with any and all information I may have concerning the war efforts. I will even subject myself to questioning under Veritaserum.”

“Preposterous,” Severus hissed, glaring at his husband as the werewolf took his hand and squeezed it lightly in his own.

“I think, perhaps, that it is time we all retire. It has been a long and trying night. Lucius, if you will follow me, we can make arrangements for you. Draco, I know you wish to stay with your father, but I must insist you stay in your own quarters tonight and get some rest. Thank you, Kingsley, for your timely assistance in this matter,” the Headmaster said with a warm smile as he bent down and retrieved Lucius’ wand for himself. He didn’t hand it back to the blonde, however, but stowed it away in an inside pocket of his robes.

Harry waited as Draco said goodnight to his father, then joined him, Severus, and Remus as they made their way back to the castle and down into the dungeons. Harry felt himself relax considerably as Draco took his hand and walked closely beside him.

Once safely down in their quarters, Draco having followed them without any intentions of returning to his own to be alone, Severus added a few more warding spells to the door before he started pacing back and forth across the sitting room.

“I do not trust him at all, especially having him here in the castle with countless other children. He was almost completely successful with ending Ginny Weasley’s life in this very castle not so long ago, and yet Albus is letting him stay here!”

“Severus, please calm down,” Remus urged softly, trying to pull the man close to him and stop his pacing. Severus was having none of it, however, and pulled his arm sharply out of the werewolf’s grasp.

“How do you expect me to calm down when there is a mass murderer sleeping in the castle along with thousands of children, including my son!”

Remus sighed heavily and shook his head, throwing up his arms as if in defeat. “Stay up all night and fret then. I’m going to bed.” With that, the Defence Professor moved down the hall and into the bedroom they shared, closing the door with a firm click.

“Go to bed, both of you,” Severus said, pointing Harry towards his bedroom and Draco towards the door to their quarters.

“I was hoping you’d let me stay here tonight. I don’t really feel comfortable sleeping alone...” said Draco, giving the Potions Professor a pleading look.

“Fine, sleep on the sofa.”

“Dad...”

Draco sighed heavily, frowning at his godfather. “Nothing’s going to happen, sir. I just don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Fine! You can sleep in Harry’s room, but so help me I’ll be checking in randomly to make sure you’re both sleeping.”

Draco smiled sadly and nodded. “Thank you, Sev.” Once both Harry and Draco were changed, Draco wearing a pair of Harry’s pyjama pants, they crawled into Harry’s bed, snuggling up together immediately.

“He’s just really stressed out right now, Draco. He’ll come around,” Harry assured the blonde, stroking his soft hair down. It felt good to be able to hold Draco like this, so warm and soft against his bare chest.

Draco yawned as he scooted even closer to Harry, wrapping his arms firmly around the Gryffindor. “I don’t blame him, Harry. I’m so confused about my father right now...”

“Sleep, we’ll worry about it in the morning, alright?” Harry whispered, kissing the top of Draco’s head gently. The blonde looked up at him and smiled, leaning in for a deeper, much more satisfying kiss.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, now sleep.”

S~S~S~S

The walk from the dungeons up to the Headmaster’s office had never seemed so long before. Severus had so much on his mind that he was having a hard time concentrating on one thing at a time. He was still worried that Harry could be snatched so easily from under his nose again. He was on his way to discuss why and how the wards had been hoodwinked in allowing a magical object into their home that meant Harry harm. He had an idea that the logistics of the spell, and Zabini’s mistake in casting, had quite a lot to do with it. Having his son taken away so easily, however, terrified him like he’d never been before. Harry was the world to him, but the panic he felt when he realized Harry was in danger far surpassed anything he had ever felt before, even when Remus had gone away on his mission.

Severus was antsy, especially with Lucius Malfoy in the castle at that very moment. He hadn’t even been told where the man was staying in the castle, which irked him even more, if he was quite honest. He didn’t trust the man as far as he could throw him, and he was frankly bewildered as to why Dumbledore and Kingsley would agree to such a heinous plan. Perhaps it was because he had known the elder Malfoy for so much longer, but Severus doubted the Headmaster and Minister knew exactly what they were getting themselves into, good opportunity for information or not. Severus sighed heavily as he realized that, if it weren’t for his blown cover as a spy, the Order wouldn’t be quite so desperate for information. It was with a heavy hand that he knocked on the Headmaster’s door.

“Enter, Severus.”

The Headmaster was sitting behind his grand desk, as usual, his half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose as one gnarled hand gripped an elaborately feathered quill, the other lying quite useless beside the parchment on which he was writing. Severus was hit suddenly with the memory of the night before, seeing that the curse had spread. He felt irresponsibly foolish as he marched straight over to the desk and asked the wizened old man to roll up his sleeve.

“Really, Severus, there’s nothing more to be done,” Albus said quietly, even as he complied and rolled up the sleeve of his sparkling emerald robes. The black decay had spread from just above his wrist, to nearly past his crinkled elbow. Severus sucked in a deep breath as he trailed his wand along the length of the cursed appendage, his frown becoming more prominent as the results turned grimmer.

“Regardless of whether or not you thought nothing could be done, Albus, you should have told me it had started to spread. What’s more, even if something can be done, it may be far too late now. Did you ever consider that?” Severus snapped, using his experienced fingers to test the elasticity and firmness of the decaying flesh. It was like burnt parchment wrapped around frail bone.

“As much faith as I have in your considerable Potions abilities, Severus, I know well enough when I’ve dug myself in too far. I did not feel the need to stress you out even more with this knowledge. No doubt you would have spent every waking moment looking for a solution, when I am quite positive there is none. It was my decision, my boy, and I stick to it,” the Headmaster replied, his voice firm, yet still reassuring. It was beyond frustrating how the man could talk of his own impending death, and yet still make it sound like a pleasant conversation over tea.

The Potions Professor sighed as he did one last scan of the curse-ridden arm, and then moved to take the seat in front of the large oak desk. He rubbed a hand over his tired face, fixing his mentor with a mild glare. “Despite my telling you that you had a year, maybe less, when the curse had spread to no more than your wrist? Albus, you’ll be lucky to get three, maybe four more months. If you had told me, there could have been time to search for a solution, but now I fear there may not be. Do you want to die, Albus, is that it?”

The Headmaster smiled both sadly and warmly at the younger Wizard. It was a fond smile; one Severus knew plagued his own face when he thought of Harry. It made it that much harder to look at the old man. He felt a sense of impending doom, like he was about to suffocate, but nothing could stop it. He wondered vaguely if he was starting to hyperventilate.

“Of course I do not wish to die, my boy. I have lived a long and fruitful life, I must say, but that does not mean I am eager to start the next great adventure just yet. I know in my heart though, Severus, that your desperation to save me would put all other things out of your mind, and you have quite a lot to be getting on with as it is, without worrying about me on top of it all. Harry is your top priority now, and I would not want to take your focus away from him.

“That being said, I have done enough research on my own, and forgive me for saying so, but I am quite clever enough, and yet I have not found a solution to this problem. Together, you and I make a very formidable compendium of information on the Dark Arts and Defence of, and yet nothing readily comes to mind. I apologize, Severus, but I must ask that you not go in search of the solution on your own, only to get sucked into it, and forget the rest of your duties. This is not your burden to bear,” said Albus, his blue gaze intense, and yet free of that maddening twinkle that Severus so liked to pretend that he despised.

“Then whose burden is it, Headmaster? No one should have to bear what is essentially a death sentence on their own, yet that is what you are claiming that you want. You know I consider you to be like a father to me, Albus. How can you expect me to ignore this and just watch you die?” Severus asked, hating how desperate and strangled his voice was starting to sound. He had never expected to outlive Albus Dumbledore, what with his dangerous lifestyle. And yet, here he was, being asked to essentially watch as the nails were placed firmly in the Headmaster’s coffin. A horribly sick feeling stole over him as he imagined Dumbledore in a casket.

“Because, my son, I have asked you to. Enough of this; you did not come here to talk about me,” Albus said in a firm voice, ending the conversation quite clearly.

The Potions Master gave him a look that said the conversation was definitely not over, just postponed. He tried to clear his cluttered mind as he thought of what to bring up first. “Where is Lucius Malfoy being kept?”

The Headmaster sighed and shook his head, giving his wand a sharp flick to summon a tea service and a plate of scones, which he offered to Severus before serving himself. “I do not think it wise to divulge such information just yet. I have yet to question him under the effects of Veritaserum, and wish for him to be secluded until such a time.”

“I want to be there, Albus. It is my serum you will be using; I trust no other supply,” Severus insisted at once, ignoring the scone beside his cup of tea, and only sipping at the hot beverage for something to do.

“Of course it will be your serum, Severus. However, I do not think you should be there. There are too many emotional strings between the two of you, and I cannot risk the interrogation going astray because of your presence.”

“Emotional strings? The only emotion I feel towards Lucius Malfoy is unadulterated rage, Albus! Do you realize how many times he’s nearly gotten my son killed? And then he shows up after Harry is abducted, and by some insane attempt to glean information, you and Shacklebolt give him clemency! It’s preposterous!” The Potions Master said, setting his cup and saucer down on the desk so firmly that the thin china cracked down the middle.eH

Albus waited a few seconds for Severus to calm down, and then repaired the saucer as he gave Severus a look that clearly said, I told you so. “You see what I mean, then?”

“Oh, be quiet, Albus! I have every right to loathe that man,” Severus snapped, ignoring his tea altogether in favour of crossing his arms so firmly over his chest that his shoulders ached.

“I never said you did not. I merely said that such emotional baggage could prove detrimental to our efforts of getting the information that we need from Lucius. Do you disagree?” the Headmaster asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Severus blew out a frustrated breath, knowing the old man was right, but not willing to admit he could be wrong. He decided a negotiation of the situation was in order. “You’ll use only my serum, and I want to watch the entire thing in your Pensieve after it is done. Deal?”

“It is indeed a deal, my boy.”

“I still do not trust him, Albus,” Severus said, his voice more weary than anything now. He had hardly slept at all the night before, and until he was sure that Lucius would not murder his son in his sleep, he wouldn’t be getting any rest any time soon, either. “Someone like Lucius Malfoy cannot so easily change sides in this war, despite what has happened to his wife and son.”

“Similar things were said about you when you first joined the Order, Severus, and did it not take you some time to get over your prejudices as well? Have faith, my boy.”

“What is faith, Albus? That’s the second time I’ve been told to have faith in as many days. Tell me, what exactly does that mean?” Severus asked, feeling completely alien to the idea of faith. Faith was something that occurred in Muggle religion, which was a bunch of nonsense to him. But he knew that was not what the Headmaster was referring to.

“Faith is the ability to trust in instincts, to see the good where it seems there is no good to see, and to remember that there will always be bigger, worse problems to deal with, but you’re knowledge and strength will get you through them,” Albus explained, his voice soft, yet so reassuring that Severus could not help but feel some of the tension drain from his body.

“I fail to see the good in your impending death, and you have forbidden me from following my instincts. What am I to do, Albus?” Severus asked, knowing that his voice sounded desperate, but beyond caring.

Albus smiled, spreading his arms as if to outline to bigger picture that Severus was missing. “The last thing, my boy. Bigger and worse things are sure to come, but you’ll make it through, just as you’ve made it through everything else.”

“But at the cost of you? What good does that do me? Faith sounds dangerously like false hope,” said Severus, trying hard to keep most of the emotion out of his voice, but failing quite badly at it.

“In the eyes of a pessimist, perhaps it is false hope. But being an optimist, there is always a silver lining,” Albus said, his voice ringing with pure belief in his own words.

“Will you let me know what that silver lining may be?” Severus asked desperately, finding it extremely hard to meet the Headmaster’s eyes. He didn’t want to see that twinkle, or watch as it slowly burned out into a dull, empty gaze.

“That, my boy, is for you to find on your own.”

“Albus?” Severus questioned softly.

“Yes, Severus?”

“What in Merlin’s name am I supposed to tell Harry?”

S~S~S~S

“The Headmaster is positive that the altered Latin in Zabini’s casting is what allowed the cursed object to enter into the wards without being detected. That, and the way in which the curse affected you did not strike the wards as necessarily harmful. They were essentially dreams. What troubles me the most, however, is that the object was also a portkey. I’ve researched wards that will detect any kind of portkey or other charmed talisman that may put you in danger. I plan to cast them on our quarters straight away when I find the right ones. How are you feeling, Harry?”

Harry had to blink a few times before all the information that had just been dumped on him would filter past the sleep still fogging his mind. He had slept in, way in, but had been allowed to after the harrowing events that had taken place the night before. His groggy mind was turning thoughts like heavy sludge, and he felt distinctly thick as it took him a good two minutes to figure out the question his father had just asked him.

“Oh, uh...I’m really tired. And not exactly completely awake yet, Dad. Give me a minute or two?” Harry pleaded, noticing quite belatedly that Draco was no longer lying in bed beside him. He looked over towards his desk, and saw the blonde writing steadily on quite a length of parchment.

Severus sighed heavily as he stood up from the edge of his son’s bed, patting the teen’s leg in a comforting gesture. “Very well. I’ve called the house elves to bring you something to eat; we’ll talk after you’ve eaten, alright? I’ll be in my office.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Harry called as he watched the Potions Master leave. He stretched and yawned before swinging his legs over the side of the bed, taking the few steps over to his desk to lean down and kiss Draco gently on the cheek. “What’s the novel about, eh?”

Draco distractedly looked over his shoulder and placed a chaste kiss on Harry’s lips before returning his full attention to the parchment in front of him. “Just coming up with questions to ask my father while he’s under Veritaserum. Leave no stone unturned, and all that rot.”

“You’re going to question him?” Harry asked, surprised that Severus and the Headmaster would allow such a thing.

“Well, no, I don’t think I’ll even be allowed in the room, but I figured that I should come up with questions for the Headmaster to ask, just in case. See, I know my father, and I know what he will and will not find easy to misdirect about,” Draco said confidently, his looping script writing out question ninety-seven.

“Misdirect?” Harry asked, wondering if that was synonymous with lying. Lying under Veritaserum was impossible, however, hence the name ‘truth serum’.

“You cannot lie under Veritaserum, but you can certainly evade the truth. My dad’s a Slytherin; he’s very good at doing just that. If you ask the right questions in the right way, however, it will be nearly impossible not to give a completely honest and open answer. They’re only suggestions; who knows if they’ll actually be used,” Draco said with a shrug, dipping his eagle feather quill into his ink pot as he started in on the next question.

Harry kissed Draco on the cheek once more, looking up as Dobby carried in a tray of food and sat it down on the bedside table for Harry. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Draco. But I also think you should come eat with me.”

“I already ate earlier,” Draco admitted, his mind focussed back on the trailing parchment in front of him. It was quite impressive how, after so many inches of writing, Draco’s handwriting remained looping and elegant as ever. Penmanship classes from a young age, Harry didn’t doubt.

“Well, come sit with me then. Please?” Harry asked, trailing his fingers through Draco’s silky locks, and chuckling as the blonde shuddered at his touch.

“Damn you, Potter,” Draco groused, even as he sat his quill aside and accompanied Harry to his bed. He sat with his back leaning against the headboard, allowing Harry to comfortably sit between his legs, the magical tray hovering inches above Harry’s lap so he could eat while leaning back against that Slytherin’s firm chest.

“Do you really think your dad can just change his mind about everything and join the Order?” Harry asked after a long silence in which he finished half his eggs and bacon.

“I dunno, do I? I’d like to believe it, but then again...it seems nearly impossible. I love my father, but he is not exactly what you’d call a good person,” Draco said sardonically, wiping a bit of egg off of Harry’s face.

“No need to convince me of that; I already know,” Harry said in a dark tone, almost losing his appetite as flashes of memories from the Department of Mysteries came flooding back. He set his fork down, unable to finish his eggs as he watched, in his mind’s eye, as Sirius fell through the veil once more, the laughter still etched into his aged and gaunt face.

“He’s still my father, you know,” Draco chastised, helping Harry set the tray aside when it was evident that the Gryffindor had had his fill.

“Doesn’t make him any less of a bastard,” Harry commented, snuggling into Draco’s embrace as the blonde wrapped his arms around him.

Draco squeezed Harry gently, holding firmly to the brunette as he kissed the top of his unruly hair. “No, but it makes him important to me.”

Harry sighed heavily as he relished the safety and love he felt in Draco’s arms. “I know.”

S~S~S~S

The soft knocks on the door had been expected, but that didn’t stop Severus from jerking slightly as he was pulled out of his reverie. He called for his son to enter, finishing up the sentence he had been copying out of a book about warding spells. He set his quill aside when Harry took the seat across from him.

“So, more warding spells, then?” Harry asked in a tired voice, noticing that the Potions Professor looked quite exhausted himself.

“Yes, I do believe more warding spells are in order. That is twice already that you have been taken away from protective hands by a hidden portkey, and it’s quite nonsense. You should have been secure here in the dungeons, and I feel like it is my fault that you were taken,” said Severus, his voice holding a weary tone that Harry had never heard in his father’s voice before.

“Dad...it’s not your fault at all. You’ve done everything to keep me safe here. Accidents happen; you can’t catch them all,” Harry said with a shrug, wishing that completely drained look would disappear from the older Wizard’s face. It hurt to think that he was causing Severus so much grief.

“An accident, Harry, that could have ended in your death. There is no excuse for that. I had a very long discussion with the Headmaster about warding spells and keeping you out of harm’s way, and we are trying everything we can to find a solution. However, there are a few other things we need to speak about,” Severus said, his tone positively reluctant now. He still didn’t know how he was going to break this news to Harry. When he had asked the Headmaster just what he should say, the wizened old man told him, “You will figure it out, my boy, all in due time.” His response was to roll his eyes and drawl a short ‘thanks’.

Harry nodded, watching as his father ran a hand through his lank hair and leaned back heavily in his chair.  He felt the incessant need to apologize for just how tired his father was, but figured he would be rebuked for it. “So, who’s going to question Malfoy?”

“The Headmaster, of course, but with my stock of Veritaserum. I will get to see the interrogation in Albus’ Pensieve afterwards, just to satisfy my own worries and curiosities. Furthermore, Blaise Zabini was escorted out of the castle this morning by Aurors, and will be standing on trial in a couple of month’s time for suspected Death Eater activity. Lucius Malfoy is being detained within this castle, and cannot leave where he is without being escorted by Albus himself,” Severus explained, quite satisfied with that knowledge, but still on edge that he didn’t even know in what wing of the castle Lucius was in.

“You have no idea where he’s being detained, though,” Harry pointed out with a knowing look. His father seemed to be on edge, and that was not normal for him. Even when he was paranoid, he remained calm and collected.

“No, I do not. There is one other thing I must discuss with you, Harry. This needs to be kept to yourself, however. It is essential that this information not become public knowledge, do you understand? You cannot even tell Draco; I will see fit to tell him myself. Do I have your word?” Severus asked calmly, watching as the young Gryffindor became more serious, more focused. He was already being moulded to his soldier form. It frightened him.

“I can give you a Wizard’s Oath if you want, Dad. I’m not going to tell anyone,” Harry said firmly, pulling out his wand to make the oath. The Potions Master shook his head and made a gesture for Harry to put his wand away.

“I trust your word, Harry. I do not need an official Oath as well.” Severus stood and moved around his desk, dragging the second chair closer to Harry, almost so that their knees touched. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the boy’s knees as he took a deep breath to prepare himself.

“You remember when the Headmaster was cursed earlier this school year, I presume?” he waited for Harry’s affirmative nod to continue.

“I’m sure that you already knew this curse was extremely bad. You were there when I told him he didn’t have more than a year to live with that curse still plaguing his body, and that was only under stasis. The curse has spread, and his time has been cut even more severely short. Albus is dying Harry, very quickly, and his strength will begin to drain at an even more rapid rate now that the curse has been able to defeat the stasis spell. There is...no other solution, from my own research and the Headmaster’s. I wanted to tell you now, to prepare you, because it could happen at any time.”

Harry felt his chest constrict, his mind displaying the scene of Sirius falling through the veil once more. His imagination readily supplied him with a picture of Dumbledore; broken, frail, decaying, taking rasping breaths that shook his elderly frame. Harry quickly blinked his eyes, trying to will away that image, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

“What about...what about the Order, and the information that Lucius is supposed to give us about Voldemort? How am I supposed to deal with all of this without Dumbledore telling me what to do with it? He’s been the one guiding me through everything. I don’t know his game plan, I don’t know what he expects me to do,” Harry rambled, knowing his was only digging himself deeper into a pool of anxiety. He was extremely grateful when his father placed both hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake, drawing his gaze back.

“You will not be left alone in this, Harry. You will always have Remus and I, and the rest of the Order as well. Losing Albus will be extremely hard, but we will surely find a way to cope without him. Casualties are expected in war; that’s the way of life. I promise you, you’ll not be left to deal with everything alone, alright?” Severus assured his son, who was shaking quite badly beneath his firm hold on his shoulders.

“Why does everyone around me have to die?” Harry rasped, trying to blink back the moisture that stung at his eyes. He was unsuccessful as the tears slid steadily down his cheeks.

Severus felt his chest ache as he drew his son into a tight embrace, cradling the back of the boy’s head as he wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders. “Oh, Harry. That’s not true. I know you’ve been through quite enough loss as it is, but it has nothing to do with you specifically. You did not cause these deaths, they were simply circumstantial. I will get you through this too, my son.”

The Potions Master sat there, holding his son while he sobbed into his chest, grateful that Harry was so consumed by his own immense grief, that he did not see the tears streaming down Severus’ own cheeks.