Harry watched Voldemort walk out of the room. He sank to the floor. He couldn't help the tears the streamed down his face. Life as he knew it was over. His role in the war will never be the same.

But at the same time, Harry was glad to have saved the important people in his life. He had done the most important thing - he saved his real family, the Weasleys, Hermione, and now, Snape and Draco. He hoped Draco would listen to his note and follow the directions. He was hoping that Draco's Slytherin self-preservation would kick in and see to it that his plan was followed. Snape would have no problem leaving him to Voldemort's devices, Harry was sure.

After a few hours, Harry collected himself and sat on the bed. The door opened, and Narcissa Malfoy walked through.

"What do you want?" Harry asked sullenly.

"Come," Narcissa said. "The Dark Lord wants you, now."

"What for?" Harry asked, getting up from the transfigured bed.

Narcissa didn't answer. She just held out her arm beckoning for Harry to come with her.

Harry looked at her. He knew when he agreed with Voldemort, he had signed his fate to not make decisions on his own, so he acquiesced. The two of them walked into the large room. On the far end was a lone chair that looked like a throne. There upon the throne was Voldemort. Harry could see a group of Death Eaters standing around something. Harry tilted his head to the side, trying to get a good look at the center of attention. As he walked closer, he saw the distinct blonde hair and knew. Rage and panic quickly filled Harry.

"You PROMISED!" Harry yelled, causing everyone in the room to take notice that the Boy-Who-Lived had come into the room.

Severus and Draco turned as well, and their confident eyes locked with Harry's worried, panicked eyes.

Harry rushed to their sides, but was held back by Nott Sr. and Crabbe Sr. The boy fought, trying to get out of those men's arms.

"No! You promised! We made a deal! They're not suppose to be here!"

Harry and Draco eyes met. Draco gave him a small smirk that Harry was accustomed to seeing the Malfoy prince with. Harry's brow creased. Looking at his Professor, Snape didn't show any kind of emotion. Actually, he had the same disdain look he had when they first met five years ago, but there was something else in those cold onyx eyes. Something that made Harry stop in his tracks.

"What do you want from me?" Narcissa sighed.

"I want you to be you," Severus smirked. "I just want to know about the boy."

"I told you." Narcissa then tilted her head. "Why do you care so much, anyway? It's Harry Potter."

"That is...not really your concern," Severus dodged.

"I think it is," Narcissa challenged. "You're asking me do defy the Dark Lord. I think I deserve to know what and why."

"I believe you understand my care for Draco? It is purely for him that I'm doing this."

"Liar," Narcissa accused. "If that were the case, you wouldn't be acting so personally invested in this."

"Then suffice to say that Potter asked for my guidance in life, and due to Draco's encouragement, I was foolish enough to accept. I can't leave him unsupervised for long, or the brat will get himself in even more trouble. Don't you agree?"

Narcissa just looked at him, eyes narrowing.

"Fine," Severus sneered. "The real answer: you."

"Me?" gasped Narcissa. "Don't you dare blame me for your foolish..."

"Your Unforgivable Vow," Severus said, cutting her off. "The vow to keep Draco safe. How can I do that when he's adamant about Potter's safety?"

Lady Malfoy sat across from the Potions master gasping like a fish out of water. So frazzled by the implication that all this was her fault was she that, not thinking, she reached down and grabbed the glass of tainted drink and took a sip.

Severus looked at her with pure satisfaction in his eyes.

"So tell me," Severus began, "how do you really feel about serving the Dark Lord?"

"I wish I didn't," Narcissa admitted through gritted teeth. She realized her mistake, but could do nothing to resist the potion. "I hate it. I do it to save my life."

"Wonderful," Severus said. "Now, are you sure you don't wish to help me save Potter? The Dark Lord could always just find out, accidentally, mysteriously, some way."

Draco paced back in forth in the other room. Minerva, sitting on one of her cozy chairs, drinking tea, trying to calm herself, lowered her tea cup and looked at the teen in front of her.

"Draco Malfoy," she said, closing her eyes. "If you don't stop that infernal pacing, I'm going to hex your bum to the couch for the rest of the night."

Draco stopped in mid-step and looked at his Professor. He couldn't help the smile that ghosted across his face. That was almost word for word what Professor Snape had said not even a day previous. Not wanting to test if she was serious, Draco quickly planted his bum, as she so eloquently stated, down on the couch to keep from pacing anymore.

"So," Minerva said. "What has brought this rare smile across your face?" She knew Draco was worried about everything and she wanted to get the teen's mind on something else.

Draco looked at her, then cast his eyes back down to his lap.

"I was just thinking, for you to be heads of such different houses, you and Professor Snape are really alike."

Minerva, taking a sip of her tea at the time Draco was talking, nearly choked. The last thing she ever thought was of her being compared to Severus Snape.

"Coming from you," she almost drawled, "I will take that as a compliment. But I'm sure you will recall who taught Severus his transfiguration, hmm?" Draco smiled weakly. Minerva also smiled as she looked over her tea cup at the teen who had too much to deal with in his young life. They kept quiet, each in his or her own thoughts. Severus walked into the room, pulling both occupants back to reality.

"We're about to leave," Severus announced.

"Not without me, you're not." Draco stood up.

"You're not coming."

"Harry is my friend."

"That's stretching it, don't you think." Severus said, quirking an eyebrow. "You two have been at each others' throats for the past five years. What makes this year different?"

"A friend is someone who's there for you when it counts," Draco defended fiercely. "You don't have to like them, and you don't have to know who they are. A friend is there for you when you need someone. I didn't know who Alchemist was, but as soon as I sent him my suicide note, he was there for me. Isn't that what a friend is? Harry didn't care that he'd have to reveal who he was to me. He didn't care that it was me, when he saw me. All he cared about was that someone was going to throw himself from the tower, and he was going to help. That's what a friend is, and that's why Harry is my friend. Now that Harry's the one in trouble, I'm going to be there to help him in return. It's the least I can do to repay my debts, is it not?"

"Friends don't keep score," Severus murmured gently.

"Perhaps not," Draco agreed.

"So how are we going to get Harry?" Minerva asked, still sitting in her chair. Severus looked over at Minerva. He was about to object when she spoke up. "Don't even think about trying to stop me. You know there was no way I am going to just idly stand by while you risk your life in this harebrained scheme. You will need help on the outside. That's where I come in." Minerva set her tea cup on the table and sat back in her chair.

"Well, fine, if you're going to be obstinate," Severus spat, "then I suppose I have nothing to say on the matter. The plan goes like this: Narcissa and I will get Harry outside the wards and I will apparate him away. The difficult part is finding a way to get the boy outside the wards. The Dark Lord is no fool, and he won't fall for subterfuge too easily. So, if you're planning to help, Minerva, what are your suggestions?"

"That won't work," Minerva said, standing up. "I agree, there is no way that Voldemort will allow you anywhere near Harry. You are going to need help." Minerva walked out of the room, back to the living room and lit the fireplace. Grabbing a small pinch of floo powder, she tossed it in the fire and watched it turn green.

"What do you think you're doing?" Severus harshly said. He did not hear the name that Minerva said in the fire.

"Come through, please," Minerva finished, as she stood back up and faced Severus. "You are going to need all the help you can get and you do not have time to argue." Before Severus could even rebut what the Transfigure professor said, the fire turned green and someone walked out of the hearth.

"Professor?" Draco gasped, puzzled as to what was really going on.

"Minerva, Severus," the newest guest said.

"Lupin," Severus snarled. "Why is the wolf here?" he grouched. "Just because I asked you for help, Minerva, didn't give you permission to call him in on this!"

"I think he has a right to be here," Minerva replied. "After all, this is Harry we're talking about."

"Harry's in trouble?" Remus asked, catching the tense drift in the air, not all of which was due to his presence. "Hello, Draco."

"Hello," Draco replied quietly.

"Is there something I can do to be of service?" Lupin asked, expectantly glancing between Severus and Minerva. "What is going on?" Remus pressed. "What's happen with Harry?"

"There was an attack at the school." Minerva walked over to the chair and sat down.

"Really," Lupin acknowledged stiffly, glancing suspiciously at Draco. "And what did Albus do about it?"

"Nothing," Severus seethed suddenly. "The Death Eaters took Potter and he made a deal with them in exchange for the lives of his friends. Minerva apparently has some idea of something you can do to help us get Potter back."

"I see," Remus replied. "Minerva?"

"I agree with some of what you said, Severus," Minerva started. "But there is really no way that Voldemort is going to let you get close to Harry."

"No," Severus conceded. "That's where Narcissa comes in."

"Me?" Narcissa raised her eyebrow at Severus. "I never agreed to help."

"Mother, please," Draco pleaded. "If you've ever loved me, if you've ever cared for me, help me get my only friend."

"Draco," Narcissa sighed. "You're asking the impossible. The Dark Lord will not hurt Harry. He's promised."

"That may be, but I remember that same promise being broken once before," Severus said. "He will not keep that promise. We must get Harry out of there."

"He never promised you Evans' life," Narcissa pointed out coolly. "But I doubt you will listen to reason. What do you need to me to do?" She sighed. Being blackmailed was never part of her plan.

"We need you to persuade the Dark Lord to bring Potter out of whatever holding chamber he's in - " Severus began.

"A bedroom suite," Narcissa interjected snidely.

" - and bring him to where I will be. It's simply a matter of coming up with a ruse. Perhaps I can pretend to bring Draco for chastisement for his last actions, in reparation for my own, since we know of our clean slate with the Dark Lord via Potter's note. Then you, Narcissa, can campaign that Potter be brought out to see how foolish his terms for the promise were, seeing how undevoted both of us, Draco and myself, were. That we essentially threw away his efforts in order to rejoin the side his fights against."

"We'll be waiting outside the wards," Minerva interjected. "I'm sure that there is no way that Remus and I will be able to come within the front door?"

"No, you won't be able to," Narcissa said. "But there may be a way to get you inside. I'll warn you, it's a little degrading."

"I will do anything to get Harry out of there," Remus declared.

"Alright then."