Hermione arrived after the first week of the summer holidays, bringing with her a ton of books and at least twenty pages of notes on possible locations for Horcruxes. Harry felt bad that Hermione had been working so hard during the week she was supposed to be spending with her parents while he hadn’t really thought of Horcruxes at all. He’d had such a hectic week already, and it wasn’t over yet.

There was a big dinner the night Hermione arrived, as Aurora had come to join them at Headquarters as well. Having no family of her own, Remus and Severus had invited her to stay with them in order to protect her and the baby. She had gladly accepted and was now staying in a room down the hall from Remus’ and Severus’ own. Everyone had cheered loudly when she announced her due date was roughly in the middle of March the following year.

“Perhaps I’ll receive another son or a daughter for my birthday!” Remus exclaimed happily, sharing a toast with the rest of the table. They all continued to eat and chat loudly through pudding, but the table went unnaturally quiet as Ron stood shakily from his seat and called everyone’s attention t himself.

“I’d like to first congratulate Professor Snape and Professor Lupin; you’re already great parents, and your second child will be lucky to have you. Secondly…I’d like to apologize, to everyone. I’ve been acting horribly towards all of my friends and even my family, and I had absolutely no right to treat the people I love the way I have been. To tell the truth, I was jealous – jealous that Harry had finally found a family for himself, and his attention was not solely focussed on me and my family, for once. I was an idiot, and I said horrible things that I wish I could take back.”

Ron turned towards Harry, who was sitting at the other end of the table, on the side across from Ron. “I’m sorry, Harry. I can’t promise I’ll never be an idiot again, but I can promise to try at least. You’re my best mate, and if these people are who you choose as your family, then I support you and your family.”

Harry was stunned, his jaw hanging open as tears welled in his eyes. When Draco nudged him in the side, Harry finally snapped out of his shocked stupor and stood up. He moved around the table towards Ron, and pulled his tall and lanky friend into a tight hug. “Thank you, Ron. I forgive you.”

After everyone settled down, Severus stood up to make his own announcement. “It is time we get back to the task at hand. We have a war going on, and we cannot afford to waste any time. Therefore, tomorrow night will be our first Order meeting since the Headmaster’s passing. We cannot let his efforts go to waste. I trust all of the members present remember who their contact is? Good; set the network in motion now so that everyone may have time to prepare.”

Harry shared a look with his friends and knew they all were thinking the same thing; it was time they were included in the Order once and for all, and this time they wouldn’t take no for an answer, no matter how much the adults protested against their involvement.

S~S~S~S

Upon hearing that the Order was going to start up their summer meetings again, Harry, Draco, Ginny, Hermione and a reluctant Ron approached Severus and Remus after dinner. Of course, Hermione was chosen as their spokesperson, and she fidgeted nervously in her seat in the drawing room.

“We already know what this is about, and frankly, we don’t really have any answers for you. The Order is a bit up in arms right now. Without Professor Dumbledore as our go-to man, we’re a little lost. We need to get our heads together and figure things out quickly, however. That’s what this first meeting is going to be about; revamping the Order.

“I know you lot want to be involved, and now that at least a few of you are of age or will be very soon, we may allow you in. Ron and Ginny, you’ll need permission from your mother, of course, and since Lucius doesn’t technically have custody of you Draco, you’ll get permission from Severus; same for you, Harry. Hermione, you’re of age so it’s completely up to you.”

Severus leaned forward once Remus had had his say and fixed all of the teens with a serious look. “I have always disagreed with Dumbledore’s policy of keeping you all in the dark, especially Harry. Black’s death might have been avoided had you all been included and informed, and though Albus never seemed to learn from his mistakes, the rest of us have. Harry and Draco will be of age within the next two months; that’s good enough for me. Unfortunately, as Remus said, I have no authority over the rest of you, although I will support you in gaining permission to join.”

“However, this is not a school club or fun project. As members of the Order, you will have to take Oaths and Vows that could affect your very lives. It is not a commitment to be taken lightly. I know all of you are already doing your part for the war effort, things the Order doesn’t even know about, and will not know about. Most of you will not be asked to go on missions for the Order because of your age; you’ll simply be included in the meetings, planning, and kept well informed on all we know.”

There was an excitement in the air as the teens all shared grins of triumph. Finally, they were going to be taken seriously! Harry leaned forward, gaining his fathers’ attentions.

“So, this first meeting is going to be about restructuring the Order? We want to help! Just tell us what we need to do,” Harry said vehemently. He had tried so hard before to be included, to be told everything, and now that he was finally be allowed in, he wanted to do as much as he could.

“Well, I’m sure there will be things to help with, but in a way, you lot have your own section of the Order that no one else knows about. Remember that you already have a task to complete, Harry, an important one at that. Focus on that as much as you can and the rest of the Order will take care of everything else,” Severus assured his son with a pointed look. He had been as vague as possible, knowing that Ginny hadn’t been informed about the Horcruxes.

S~S~S~S

With Severus’ encouragement, Ginny and Ron went to speak to their mother about joining the Order. The fight that occurred was heard by the entire house-hold, and Charlie had to step in as a mediator. Molly very reluctantly gave Ron permission after Charlie pointed out to her that he was of age and technically an adult now, but she had absolutely refused to allow Ginny to join the Order. Charlie tried to convince her to change her mind, but she wouldn’t budge. Ginny’s screams echoed through the house until she ran up to the room she shared with Hermione and slammed the door.

With only Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron left in the drawing room, a discussion on Horcruxes started once more. Draco was the first to volunteer any thoughts on the matter.

“Ok, so we’ve established that Voldemort has split his soul into at least six pieces – ”

“Seven. Seven pieces. There’s still the piece that resides in Voldemort himself,” Harry pointed out to Draco, who nodded in acceptance.

“Alright, seven pieces. We know that two, maybe three have been destroyed already. The ring, the diary, and whatever it was that Dumbledore went to destroy the night he…that night,” Draco said, sending an apologetic look to Harry, who shrugged with a sad smile.

“Harry, did Dumbledore tell you which Horcrux he was going after, or where it was? We have to find out for sure if he destroyed it or not. If we operate on the assumption that Professor Dumbledore destroyed it and he didn’t, we could end up in serious trouble. They all need to be destroyed in order to kill Voldemort; there’s no other way,” said Hermione, her notes spread out on the coffee table in front of her. There was a detailed diagram and Harry leaned over to look at it curiously.

“No, he didn’t. He absolutely refused to tell me anything, and I have no idea which one it could have been. Hermione, what’s this?” Harry asked as he picked up the diagram and read through it. In one column was a list of objects already known to be Horcruxes, and in another, there was another list of possible Horcruxes. Beside these lists were possible locations. Harry was shocked.

“Well, based on the information we already know, the Horcruxes that we know Voldemort has made and where he hid them, I came up with other possible Horcruxes and where they could be. Dumbledore said that Voldemort was fond of keeping mementos from the things he did, like the toys he stole from the other children at the orphanage. From the memories Dumbledore showed you, I think it’s safe to say that the ruby stolen from the sword of Gryffindor is a Horcrux. Now, where it might be, I’m not sure. We need to think of significant things he’s done, people he’s killed. Whose death did he use for the ruby?”

The teens were all lost in thought for a while, trying to come up with more ideas. It seemed near impossible, trying to figure out what these things could be and where they could be. Harry was surprised Hermione had come up with as much as she had. Sure she was a genius, but this was far beyond any Charms test or difficult potion to brew.

“Well, the most obvious ones I think are Harry’s parents. But would he have had time to make Horcruxes? The curse backfired on him when he tried to kill Harry, but did he make Horcruxes from James and Lily?” Draco asked, gently grasping Harry’s hand as the Gryffindor paled slightly.

“He might have. He could have at least made one from my mother’s death, but I’m not sure about my father. Every time the Dementors come near me, I hear that scene play over and over again, and as far as I can tell, there was very little pause between his killing curse on my dad, and the killing curse on my mum. After her death and before his failed attempt on me, however; who knows?” Harry explained, feeling his stomach twist just thinking about his mother’s pleading cries to spare his life, to take her instead.

Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look and pat his knee before jotting down the idea on her diagram. “Then I think we’ll need to make a trip to Godric’s Hollow. If he did make a Horcrux out of Lily’s death, he’ll most likely have left it there, hidden somewhere. It would be symbolic to him, I’m sure.”

“What’s this, Hermione?” Ron asked as he pointed to a column in the diagram labelled ‘Wool’s Orphanage – blanket(?)’

“In the memory Dumbledore showed Harry about Voldemort collecting mementos, Harry offhandedly mentioned something about a baby blanket that Tom was extremely protective of.”

“The blanket with his initials stitched into it. He freaked out and scratched another boy all up for trying to take it from him. It was really important to him, I guess. You think he made that into a Horcrux?” Harry asked, wondering why he had never made that connection. He was damn lucky to have Hermione helping him.

“I think it’s quite possible. The orphanage was where he grew up, which is definitely significant, and he had a special connection to that blanket. Doesn’t it make sense for him to hide one there, be it the blanket or something else?” Hermione said, sounding far too logical. Her intelligence never ceased to amaze the three boys in the room.

“But whose death did he use for the blanket, or whatever it is possibly hidden at the orphanage?” Draco asked, looking towards Harry like he’d have all the answers.

Harry sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples. Who indeed? Who was significant enough for Voldemort to kill and split his soul for? Everything was starting to jumble together in his head, causing a headache to form and making it very difficult to think clearly.

“Harry! The ruby, it has to be at Borgin and Burkes! Dumbledore said that Voldemort went to work there after asking for the Defence position, and shortly after that, he disappeared for years, right? Why would he disappear like that? He had to have been using that time to make his other Horcruxes!”

“But whose death – ?” Ron began to ask, but Hermione cut him off, that same excited gleam in her eyes when she was on a roll taking over once more.

“Draco, you’ve been in there quite a bit, haven’t you? Where is Burke? Borgin still works there, but Burke is gone; what happened to him?” Hermione asked quickly, writing furiously on the parchment before her.

“I – I’m not sure. Yes, I’ve been there, but it’s only ever been Borgin in there when I went. As far as I know, Burke is dead and has been for a while, but I can’t confirm that.”

“I can.”

Everyone whipped around in their seats as the smooth voice spoke from the doorway of the drawing room. Lucius was standing there, leaning against the doorframe drinking from a tumbler which appeared to be half-full of firewhiskey. His absurd snake-headed cane was held loosely in his grasp as he twirled it in lazy circles.

“Hermione! I thought you said you put wards around the door!” Harry whisper furiously. He wasn’t sure how much Lucius had heard, but he did know he was nervous thinking that Lucius could know what they were talking about.

“Oh she did, Potter. It took me a good fifteen minutes to dismantle them. Very impressive, Granger. I came looking for Draco, but I believe you were in the middle of a conversation? About Burke; the man went missing some time in the forties, I believe, or so Borgin’s father claimed. The current owner is Borgin the founder’s son, not the original Borgin himself.”

“Hermione, do you know when Voldemort attended Hogwarts? If we know what year Voldemort graduated, we may be able to determine if Burke’s disappearance coincided with Voldemort’s disappearance after working there. He still worked there when Voldemort did, because he’s the one who hired Tom,” Harry said, his heart racing. Things were finally starting to fall into place, and they were that much closer to finding another Horcrux.

“I’m not positive, Harry, but I think I can find out. The library here, it has copies of the old Prophets, I believe. We should be able to find out what we need from there.”

“Then let’s go!” Ron said as he jumped up enthusiastically from his seat. He ignored the badly disguised sneer from Lucius. He found it much easier to ignore the man’s presence in general.

“Forgive me, for I am curious; why do you need to know these things?” Lucius asked smoothly. He indeed sounded very curious, and for some reason Harry felt he could trust the man enough to tell him. After their talk not long ago, Harry thought he understood the man far better than even his own son did.

“Do you know what a Horcrux is, sir?”

Lucius’ smirk slid slowly off his face as his cane twirled right out of his hand and hit the floor with a loud, metallic clang. He looked lost in thought for a minute before meeting Harry’s eyes. “Dear Merlin, don’t tell me…Oh Salazar! The diary, the one I gave Ms. Weasley…”

Ron’s face transformed in anger as he glared at the older man. “Yeah, you bloody bastard! You gave my little sister a piece of Voldemort’s bloody soul, you creep!”

“Ron!” Hermione admonished as Harry took hold of Draco’s arm to prevent him from pulling his wand.

“Mr. Weasley, you have to believe me; I had no idea what that diary could do or would do. I was not thinking straight when I gave it to your sister. When I heard from Draco what had happened, I was completely horrified. I had wanted to rid myself of all things concerning the Dark Lord after his downfall. I don’t know what possessed me to hand it off to an innocent child, and I promise that I would never have done such a thing had I known it was a Horcrux,” Lucius explained quietly, allowing his mask to slip so that the young man would see his genuine remorse over the situation.

“I don’t trust you,” Ron ground out, shaking with the effort of keeping his emotions in check. As it was, Hermione was holding tightly to his arm to prevent him from doing anything stupid.

“And I do not blame you for that, Mr. Weasley, but I would do anything to prove to you that I am trustworthy now. In fact, where is Ms. Weasley?”

“You stay the hell away from her, you hear me?” Ron shouted, taking a step closer to the man who had put his little sister through hell when she was still so very young.

“Ron, what’s going on?”

Everyone turned towards the door once again as Ginny walked in, apparently over her fit of being excluded from the Order. She looked confused and slightly scared at the anger on Ron’s face and the way he was standing far too close to Mr. Malfoy.

“Ms. Weasley, may I say something before your brother breaks free of his girlfriend and murders me?” Lucius asked in a calm and collected voice.

Ginny looked back and forth between her brother and the elder Malfoy, wondering what the hell was going on. After a minute, she nodded her head slowly, noticing that her brother went pale at her nod.

“I am more sorry than you will ever know about giving you that diary before your first year. As I’ve just told your brother, I had no idea it was capable of such a thing, and only just realized its true nature a few minutes ago. If I had any idea what it would have done to you back then, I would never have done such a foolish thing. I know you may not be able to ever forgive me, but I am truly sorry for everything you went through.”

Ginny’s honey brown eyes were swimming in tears, and Ron finally yanked his arm out of Hermione’s grasp so that he could rush to her side and pull her into a hug. He shot Lucius a glare over the top of his little sister’s head, but was surprised when Ginny pulled out of his arms and looked towards Lucius as well.

“Thank you for apologizing. I…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you, but I believe you. I’m sorry, I…” Ginny left then, wiping at her eyes as she made her quick exit. Ron stood in the very same spot, staring dumbly after his sister.

“Do I at least have part of your trust now, Mr. Weasley?” Lucius asked the dumbstruck young man.

Ron continued to glare, but after about a minute, he gave a jerky nod and resumed his spot standing beside Hermione, who was gathering up all of her papers with the intention of moving to the library to do some research.

“Are you coming, Harry?” Hermione asked as she took Ron’s hand and began to lead him out of the room. He was still too shocked to move on his own.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes, alright?”

Once Hermione and Ron had left the room, Harry turned back to Draco, who still looking ready to punch something. Harry gently brushed a few locks of platinum blonde hair out of the Slytherin’s eyes to get his attention. “Draco, calm down.”

“How do you put up with him, Harry? His mood swings are ridiculous! First he’s apologizing to you for being such a prat, and then he turns around and continues to do it!”

“Draco, I don’t really think his anger was an overreaction. You didn’t see Ginny after everything happened. It was horrible – ”

“I did,” Draco whispered, looking anywhere but at his father, who was still standing in the room. He had never told anyone this before, and was sure Ginny didn’t even know herself.

Harry’s brow scrunched in confusion as Draco fidgeted before him. “You did? When did you see her? I was pretty sure no one was there after Fawkes pulled us out, though I did black out soon after.”

Draco shook his head and led Harry over to the sofa, pulling him down to sit beside him. “I went to the hospital wing the day after it happened. I had heard the rumours but I didn’t really believe them…not until I saw her. She was asleep, but I sat there with her for something like half an hour and apologized.”

Harry was completely shocked. That year, Draco had gone around the school spouting off about Mudbloods and was such an evil shite, he, Ron and Hermione had been convinced he was the one behind the attacks. The Draco he knew now he could see apologizing to Ginny, but the Draco of the past?

“Why? Why would you apologize? I mean, it wasn’t your fault, it was your father’s,” Harry pointed out, ignoring the man he had just referred to completely. He was still uncomfortable talking about the things the man had done in the past.

Draco finally looked up and over at his father, who had a stoic expression on his face. His eyes, however, told of his true emotions. “Somebody had to apologize, Harry. You almost died that night too.”

“But I was willing to die if it saved Ginny,” Harry said, remembering exactly how calm he felt in that minute after he was bitten by the basilisk and thought he was going to die. Then Fawkes healed him and everything was ok, but for that short time, he had accepted his fate.

“Mr. Potter, you were only twelve and you were prepared to die?” Lucius asked, despite his decision to stay out of the conversation. He couldn’t fathom a twelve year old being able to accept his own death.

Harry looked up at the elder Malfoy with a twisted grin that was both pleasant and unpleasant. “I had already faced death twice before that, sir. What was one more time to save a friend in need?”

There was a long silence as both Draco and Lucius stared at Harry. They realized for the first time just how much Harry had sacrificed and would continue to sacrifice to keep his friends and family safe. It was both sobering and extremely worrying.

“You are a very unique young man, Harry,” Lucius said quietly before giving a short bow and exiting the room.

“Come on, let’s go help Hermione,” Harry insisted, pulling Draco into a quick kiss before they left the drawing room and headed to the large library on the next floor.

S~S~S~S

The next evening, the house was full of tension and apprehension. The Order members were due to arrive shortly, and Professor McGonagall, Severus, Remus and Lucius were all discussing how the Order should be organized. They needed a new leader, and though she did not think she fit the role, Minerva took it as offered.

“I will only be the leader in name, however. I am not Albus; I do not know how he managed to pull all of the strings that he did, so I am going to need help. Personally, I think we should split the Order up into separate groups based on the services we need,” Minerva said as she sipped her cup of tea at the head of the long kitchen table in the basement.

“I think perhaps that might be a good idea. I never did like the way Dumbledore would just randomly assign people or spring missions on us unexpectedly and then expect us to follow through no matter what. It wasn’t fair,” said Remus, sharing a look with his husband as Severus gently squeezed his hand under the table. The mission Remus had gone on during the school year had been completely ludicrous, and he was not willing to continue on that same path for the Order.

“We’ll have to get everyone’s input on the matter, of course, but I think the Order would be much better organized if people were assigned a set task. Now, what will we need?” Minerva asked as a couple of Order members began to trickle into the kitchen and take seats around the table.

Once everyone was there, including the newest and youngest members, a full-blown discussion on sectioning off the Order was underway. It seemed to be supported all around, but many had questions and Minerva was struggling the answer them all.

“What if we’re assigned to a group but we have skills that would be useful to another group? Don’t you think this will only limit our abilities?”

Severus watched as Minerva tried to come up with a response and decided it was time to help the poor woman out. He never knew how Dumbledore managed to remain so calm as the head of these meetings. “Just because you are assigned to one section of the Order, does not mean you are forbidden from helping another section, or even switching completely. In fact, I believe it would be simpler if the members were all allowed to move within the groups as needed. The only thing we’d need for each group is a permanent figure-head, someone who took lead of each group and kept track of everything appropriately.”

“How would meetings work, then? If all of the groups will be working on separate things, then a large group meeting doesn’t really seem feasible anymore,” the Minister of Magic, Kingsley, pointed out.

“What about creating a new schedule where each group meets individually to work on their tasks, whatever they may be, and then at the end of the week, a full Order meeting takes place so that each group can report their progress and bring up any comments or concerns?” Hermione suggested, receiving quite a few impressed looks and many murmurs of agreement.

“I think that is a wonderful idea, Ms. Granger. Now do you all see the benefit of allowing these young adults to join?” Minerva asked with a pointed look at the few members who had raised concerns about letting the students join the Order.

“Now the only thing left is to decide how to split the Order up. What do we need, exactly?” Remus said, looking up from the parchment he had been taking notes on. He smiled over at Hermione, who was doing the same thing.

“Research. We need to make sure we always stay one step ahead of You-Know-Who, and that means making sure we know our stuff better than he does,” Tonks suggested from her seat beside Charlie.

There were no protests to the suggestion, so Minerva gave a short nod. “Alright, we have one group then. And head of the Research group?”

Remus would have laughed if the situation wasn’t as serious. It seemed every member at the table turned and looked at him, including his own husband. “I think I’ve just been volunteered,” Remus said with a smile, earning a few chuckles from the other members.

“We need to keep up our patrols! Even if Potter here is safe within this house, there are other places, other people who still need to be carefully watched. Constant vigilance!” Mad-Eye Moody growled from the other end of the table, opposite Professor McGonagall.

“Alastor, would you like to organize this group?” Minerva asked, knowing the man wouldn’t likely take orders from anyone else. He’d had a hard time following Dumbledore’s orders.

“I’d be honoured, Headmistress,” Mad-Eye said with a cheeky grin.

“Might I suggest another possible group, Headmistress?” Lucius asked from his seat on the other side of Severus. He was still receiving some mistrusting looks from a few members, but he ignored them. He knew the people that mattered trusted him. He received a nod from the older woman and leaned forward.

“I am aware the Order no longer has a spy inside the Dark Lord’s ranks. While it is not feasible for myself or Severus to resume a role as spy because the Dark Lord knows we are traitors, there are other ways of gaining information. We might not be able to spy, but there are other Death Eaters or those associated with who can be persuaded to part with information, should we need it. Also, I’m sure it is well known that I have quite a network of contacts I can utilize within the Ministry and elsewhere.”

“Well, Lucius, you and Severus would be the only ones with that much inside information. What about co-heading the group?”

“I will help Lucius with the spying group should he need it, but I had another group in mind, Headmistress,” the Potions Master said. “I would like to head a group on Defensive and Offensive training. Not everyone here has gone through Auror training; there are those who are ill-equipped to fight, and that is the most dangerous thing Albus always seemed to overlook.”

There were many nods and comments of agreement from all around the table, especially from the few Aurors there. Minerva nodded her assent and Remus wrote it down in his notes.

Tonks leaned forward in her seat, gaining everyone’s attention as she knocked over her teacup and spilled tea across the table. She blushed and cleaned it up with her wand before composing herself once more. “One thing Dumbledore had us all try to do was recruit members. It’s important to find the people who want to help and get them involved, that way we have more support, and they have protection.”

“I think we should also keep track of who is in the Order, and make sure the same Vows and Oaths are taken by new members. It is important to make sure we have no traitors in our midst. We can’t afford another Peter Pettigrew.” Molly’s words were met with dark whispers and angry looks, though it was anger at the rat spy and not Molly herself.

Minerva firmly agreed with that group in particular and made sure Remus added it to the list he was compiling. “Tonks, Molly – why don’t we combine both of those and you can co-head it. Tonks, you can deal with recruitment, and Molly, you can help keep track of all of our members.”

There was a loud bang as the kitchen door flew open, startling everyone at the table. A few members, including Severus, Harry, Kingsley and Charlie had pulled their wands and stood to aim at the door. They all settled down as Hagrid blushed and very gently closed the door once more.

“Sorry ‘bout tha’. Don’t know me own strength!”

“Ah, you’re just in time, Hagrid. Please, sit down,” Minerva said as she conjured an extra large, extra strong chair for the half giant just beside her. “We’re discussing breaking the Order up into separate groups so that we may all get things done more quickly and efficiently, and I was just about to suggest an inter-bestiary cooperation group. Surely you’d be the person to handle such a thing.”

Hagrid looked shocked to be appointed the head of anything and gave a hearty nod as the Headmistress smiled at him. “O’ course, Headmistress! I’d be righ’ glad ter oversee tha’ sort o’ thing!”

“Professor, what about international cooperation? The war might be here in the U.K. but there are definitely people around the world being affected by You-Know-Who. Bill and I know quite a few ourselves, seeing as we lived elsewhere for many years,” Charlie pointed out, his older brother nodding in agreement beside him.

“You and Bill definitely have the upper-hand there, so you can both head that group. Any other suggestions?” the Headmistress asked, looking around the table. She wasn’t exactly surprised when Percy, one of their new members, raised his hand with his chin raised.

“Yes, Mr. Weasley?”

“What about cooperation with the Ministry? Sure we have the Minister and a few Aurors, but there are other important people in the Ministry we could use on our side. Though Mr. Malfoy may have his contacts, I have my own, and they’re legal,” Percy added, earning a glare from Draco, who was sitting directly across from him.

“You do have a point, after all…Well, I suppose we can have an Inter-Ministry workings group. After all, there are quite a few of you who work for the Ministry, and we can use that leverage, should we ever need it. Percy, it’s all yours.” Minerva tried very hard not to laugh at the look of self-importance on her former-student’s face.

Just as she was about to wrap up the meeting, Harry spoke up, but he wasn’t volunteering himself. “Fred, George – your products have gotten me out of sticky situations quite a few times, and you said you were working with the Ministry on some new combat products, right? Well, the Order could use your genius as well.”

“We might can do that, Harry,” said Fred.

“We’d love to spread discord,” quipped George.

“He means harmony,”

“Especially throughout the Order!”

“Count us in!” the twins answered together with identical grins of mischief.

Everyone laughed at the Weasley twins’ antics, and it felt like the perfect ending for their first summer meeting, but it wasn’t over yet. Ron cleared his throat from the other side of Hermione, having been so quiet the entire time, people forgot he was there.

“What about the other students, Professor? The few of us here might be safe, but there are plenty of other Hogwarts students out there in danger, like sitting ducks. Shouldn’t they have the opportunity to be kept safe as well?” asked Ron, earning shocked looks from quite a few people around the table. He blushed profusely as Hermione gave him a particularly passionate look that he hoped his mother hadn’t seen.

“Weasley is right, but there’s also another group to think about. There are, despite what people might think, Slytherin students who aren’t aspiring Death Eaters, even if their parents are loyal to the Dark Lord. I think they should be offered some sort of safe-haven, should they need it,” Draco added from his place beside Harry.

“You are both very right, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. I wish there was more I could do directly for my students, but the only thing I can do is open up Hogwarts as a sort of half-way house to those who need it and provide them as much protection as Hogwarts can offer,” Minerva said with a worried glance at the few of her students seated at the table now. There were so many out there in danger, and she wished she could protect them all.

“I think that is a great idea, Minerva. If we do things carefully, we might be able to set up some sort of network for those students who may need our help, so that when the time comes, we can bring them to Hogwarts and keep them safe. A Youth Protection Programme is a great idea,” Madam Pomfrey said from her seat near the opposite end of the table from the Headmistress.

There were many Order members in attendance who were content to sit back and let the rest suss things out, it seemed, but that was why they were doing this, to gain order and organization.

“I agree, Poppy. Then it is settled. Is everyone satisfied with the current groups? Now, I think those members wanting to join certain groups should find the heads and let them know. Heads, it is up to you now to schedule your individual meetings and organize what your group will be doing specifically.”

For the next half hour, Order members shuffled from group to group, offering their services and finding out when the different groups would meet. It was overall a very productive meeting, but Harry was glad when it ended so they could get back to the library. Hermione had been very close to finding the correct dates, and it was making Harry anxious, being so close to finding a Horcrux.

“These archives go back to the eighteen hundreds, and Mr. Malfoy said that Burke went missing in the forties. We might be able to find an article on his disappearance along with the dates Voldemort went to Hogwarts. You and Draco can go through this stack,” Hermione hefted a huge stack of aged Prophets down in front of Harry, then lifted another one in front of Ron, “and we can go through this one. We’re looking for a paper published in mid-thirties to late-forties.”

Harry and Draco split their stack in half and started shuffling through all of them, first looking at the dates and setting aside all of the ones that were too early or too late. It took nearly fifteen minutes just to reach the papers in the right decades. As Harry was reading an article about Flourish and Blotts having a sale on parchment journals and diaries, Harry gasped.

“Hermione! I’m such an idiot! In second year, when I was writing in Tom’s diary, he showed me the memory of the Chamber being opened fifties years in the past.”

“Of course! So, Tom Riddle had to have graduated in 1944 or 1945 – ”

“I found it! ‘Caractacus Burke of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley has been reported missing by his business partner, Barnabus Borgin. Borgin said the man had failed to show up for his shift three days in a row, and when he called upon the man’s house, it was deserted. If any information is known, Mr. Borgin asks that the proper authorities be informed.’ This is an article from August of 1945,” Ron said, looking quite smug that he had been the one to find the article they’d all been searching for.

“It fits, it all fits! The ruby has to be at Borgin and Burkes, and I’m positive Voldemort killed Burke to make it into a Horcrux. We need to go there,” Harry said, looking as if he was ready to get up and leave for Knockturn Alley right then and there.

“Harry, there’s no guarantee the ruby will be there. Are you sure you want to risk it?” Hermione asked as she gathered her notes and the Prophet Ron had found together.

“Hermione, we have to at least check. If it’s not at Borgin and Burkes then it could be at Hogwarts like you said before, but we need to be sure!”

“Ok, ok. But you’re not tearing off by yourself, it’s too dangerous. We need to tell your parents and get the Order involved.  Last time you stepped foot in Diagon Alley, there was an attack,” Hermione pointed out unnecessarily.

“You don’t need to remind me, Hermione, I remember just fine,” Harry said with a deep frown as he looked over at Draco, who just kissed him firmly on the lips.

“I would do it all over again, Harry, so stop looking at me that way. Come on, let’s find Sev and Moony,” said Draco, pulling Harry up by the hand.

“You know Dad would probably kill you if he heard you walking around referring to him as ‘Sev’ all the time. He only let’s Moony do that, and even that’s a rare occurrence.”

“I’ve called him Sev since I was little, Harry. I don’t think he cares, really. Now quit staling and let’s go.”

Harry and Draco left the library leaving Hermione with her research and Ron looking a little lost. There was a long silence as Hermione created a new diagram of Horcruxes and Ron stared off into space, until he broke the silence.

“They’re so…normal and comfortable together. I mean, I think they’re more comfortable with each other than we are.”

Hermione looked up from her diagram, a little shocked by Ron’s observation. She of course had already known that, but she was surprised Ron was finally starting to see it. “That’s because they are, Ron. They have a very deep understanding of each other. Not all couples are lucky enough to experience that.”

“Well, I’d like to understand you better, but I don’t think anyone in the world is capable of that, Hermione. You’re like an Arithmancy problem, and Merlin knows I can’t understand a word of that stuff.”

Hermione frowned as she turned back to her diagram and continued to write. Perhaps Ron had a point, but it seemed as though he didn’t really try very hard. She loved him, but she wished he made more of an effort in the relationship.

“You can’t understand something until you try to figure it out, Ron. It’s called logic,” Hermione retorted, still not looking back up at her boyfriend. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand underneath her chin, urging her to look up.

“Well it’s a good thing you’ve been helping me understand complicated things for years, then,” Ron said with a gentle smile which grew wider as Hermione blushed. He leaned in and kissed her soft lips firmly but lovingly and knew from the look in her eyes as they pulled away that things would be ok.

S~S~S~S

Harry paused at the closed door to the bedroom his parents shared, hesitating for only a second before Draco’s nod encouraged him to knock. There was not a long wait before Severus answered the door wearing a pair of sleep pants and a dressing gown that hung open, exposing his bare chest.

“Harry? Is everything alright?”

“Er, sort of. Can we talk to you and Moony for a second?” Harry asked, still a little nervous about everything they had figured out that night. For once, Harry wished that Hermione could have been the one to explain it all.

Severus pulled the door all the way open and gestured for his son and godson to enter the spacious room. “Of course. Remus is in the shower, but I’ll let him know you’re here.”

Harry watched the Potions Master enter the bathroom across from the large four-poster bed in the centre of the room, a cloud of steam escaping before he closed the door all the way behind him.

“How very domestic,” Draco drawled with a smirk. He had taken one of the overstuffed armchairs close to the merrily cracking fire in the hearth, his arms thrown lazily behind his head and his feet crossed propped up on an ottoman.

It reminded Harry strongly of his second year, when he and Ron had taken Polyjuice and interrogated Draco about the Heir of Slytherin as Crabbe and Goyle. He noticed these little nuances of Draco’s old personality slipping in here and there, and it actually comforted Harry. There was no doubt that Draco had his entire memory back, and there was no reason to ever worry about losing the Draco he had fallen in love with.

They waited almost five minutes before Severus and Remus emerged from the bathroom, Remus clothed in a dressing gown and sleep pants much like his husband. His hair was still wet, which made it look darker, in turn making the man look slightly younger.

“Harry, is everything ok?” Remus asked immediately upon seeing his son.

Harry smiled and pushed Draco’s feet off the ottoman so he could sit down, ignoring the glare he received from his boyfriend. His parents sat down together on the bed across from them, looking slightly concerned if still curious.

“We may have located another Horcrux. We’re not one hundred percent positive, but I have a very strong suspicion, and we need to find out if it’s really there or not so we know to keep looking elsewhere,” Harry explained, trying not to let the worried look his parents shared annoy him. He knew it was their job to worry.

“Which one is it, Harry?” Severus asked anxiously. He knew this was coming, but after only a week of the summer holidays, he felt rushed; he thought they’d have more time to prepare.

“The ruby from the Sword of Gryffindor. I’m almost positive it’s somewhere at Borgin and Burkes. The problem is that we’re not sure where in the store, or what form it may be in now. I doubt it’s still just a lone ruby. It was probably inlaid in some piece of jewellery years ago, but I’ll know it when I see it, or feel it, rather,” Harry said in a sardonic tone. He could still remember the way the ring had exuded such evil and blackness, so thick it seemed to fill his lungs until he couldn’t breathe. His scar twinging also helped to notify him.

“We need to carefully think this all out. We don’t want what happened last time you stepped foot in Diagon Alley to happen again. We can’t let the Death Eaters hear of any plans to go there, and we need to be better prepared. If we didn’t depend on you so much to identify the Horcrux, I’d ban you both from going,” Severus said, his sharp glance at Harry making him feel all the guilt and shame of getting Draco hurt once more.

“Trust me, Dad; I don’t want anything like that to happen again either, to anyone. But there’s no way in Merlin’s name I’m not going. We’ll get the Order involved and do everything we can to make things different this time, but we need help. I would insist on just going by myself, but I know no one would let me, so I’m actually asking for help this time instead of just going for it. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me to do all year?” Harry asked, not quite as successful with keeping the bitterness out of his tone as he hoped to be.

Severus leaned forward, his frown making Harry feel guilty for the way he had spoken to his father. “Yes, Harry, it is. I’m glad you’re taking my advice. I just want to make sure we have all of our bases covered before pulling anything.”

“I understand that, Dad, but I feel like we’re running out of time. I need to get this done. Dumbledore is dead; no one else is going to die for me. I need help with the Horcruxes, yes, but after that, it’s my battle.”

Severus sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the impending headache. Sometimes he wondered why he was insane enough to choose to be a father to a rash Gryffindor, but then he reminded himself how much he loved his son, and dealt with the frustration that went with the job. “We will discuss that later, but I stand by what I said. We cannot rush into things. I know how much you want this all to end Harry, for people to stop being hurt and killed, but if you push yourself too far, you’ll be the one who ends up failing. There is still time if you allow yourself to believe there is time.”

“I’m trying, but it’s getting harder and harder to do that,” Harry said his tone desperate. He sighed as Draco wrapped his arms around him from behind, soaking up the warmth his lover offered.

“I know, son, I know.”