Chapter 30

What's in a Name?

xxx

"You thought you could hide from me," Lucius chuckled softly. "How very amusing. I must say, Potter, I was doubtful whether or not you would show up. You have been exercising great control over that handy impulsiveness this year. Not that this stopped my capturing you earlier this year, but it certainly has made it very difficult to strike."

"I suppose you think you're clever, do you?" Ginny asked, and Harry had a feeling that she was biding for time.

Lucius spared the girl a glance, and then turned back to Harry. "You've even brought a little friend along, how sweet. Are you his guard?" he questioned, his voice soft and mocking.

"I'm his friend," Ginny replied. "Not that you've ever had any, but friends stick with one another."

Lucius' lip curled derisively, so quickly it was almost like a twitch. "You two really are just precious," he sneered, looking back and forth between the two of them. "You maintain this loyalty to one another, even though you're about to die."

"You said you would give me Severus if I gave you the prophecy," Harry said resolutely, crossing his arms. He knew he was in no position to demand anything of Lucius Malfoy, but he had to bide his time. He could feel Ginny next to him, attempting to activate the charmed notes they'd left. If he could just keep Lucius talking until she'd done that, and then stay alive long enough for either Snape to rescue them, or for Dumbledore to show up, then they'd be fine.

"Dear boy, I never had any such intention," Lucius said softly, making a show of delicately stroking his wand. Harry felt Ginny stiffen next to him, and new that she'd done the spell… now if only she could keep her nerve. "I'm going to kill your father, and then present you to the Dark Lord… after the boys and I have had some fun, of course."

"You're sick," Ginny muttered from Harry's side. He glanced at her; her eyes were narrowed into the most repulsed kind of glare, and her fists were balled at her side. She looked absolutely infuriated, but not one bit scared.

Lucius let out a soft laugh. "And you're deluded."

"Deluded? How?" Harry demanded irritably. How could this man, who was delighted with the idea of torturing two children, possibly stand there and call them deluded?

"You, Harry Potter, have been molded to fit the shape of a hero in every aspect. And your whole pack of ah, friends, as you call them, have been raised and trained to believe in this whole theory of right and wrong. Good and evil. Light and dark… you see. Would you dare to think outside the box? Of course not; to you, the world is black and white. You don't see the shades of grey."

"And the Dark Lord does?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow and stepping forward.

"Potter, don't try to debate with me on things you know nothing about," Lucius said irritably, looking him over with obvious contempt. "You're far too simple minded to understand the complexities of what the Dark Lord is trying to accomplish."

"He's not simple minded!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh really?" Lucius scoffed, his irritation mounting. "That explains why he came here with no backup aside from a Weasley- and a girl at that!"

Harry only glared; how very wrong Lucius was. He'd had a backup plan… and Ginny wasn't the only person he'd brought along.

"I'm better at fighting than my brother is, I can assure you that," Ginny replied heatedly, reaching for her wand. Harry grabbed her arm and held it at her side; the last thing she needed to do was start a duel with Malfoy.

"Is that why Potter's holding you back? Because he knows you can best me, and would rather avoid the violence? Is that it, Weasley?"

Ginny's cheeks flushed and she angrily jerked her arm from Harry's grasp. "Just because he thinks I can't do anything doesn't mean I can't!" she shouted, raising her wand and aiming it directly at him. Harry watched the scene in horror, and raised his wand to defend her… but stopped at one thing. Severus had approached from behind, and was shaking his head warningly.

Lucius beamed a triumphant smile as he deflected her succeeding curse and sent her wand flying. "Pathetic- not one ounce of self control, whatsoever!" he reached forward and grabbed Ginny by the neck, pulling her towards him. Harry winced, but Severus shook his head even more instantly than before, and Harry restrained himself from moving. Ginny gasped Harry's name, and he looked frantically to Severus, who shook his head again- but finally, Lucius had caught on. His eyes widened and he dropped Ginny, spinning around with his wand in hand.

Severus was too quick for him. The moment Lucius turned to face him, there was a great CRACK, and the same vines that Harry had seen bind Lupin in third year were wound about Lucius.

"You want to talk about pathetic?" Severus sneered coolly as he stepped towards Lucius.

"Yes, I do," Lucius struggled to say through the tight grip of Severus' spell. "Tell me how one of the most respected men in the Dark Lord's inner circle became like this- playing Daddy to the Boy-Who-Lived?

Severus chose not to respond to this. He wouldn't be baited; he knew exactly what Lucius was trying to do. He was trying to coerce him into admitting that he'd been working for Dumbledore since long before- but he was much smarter than that. Severus had been traveling in this circle of men for years; he knew how they worked. And if that wasn't Lucius' goal, then he certainly wasn't going to risk saying something that would hurt Harry- that would only come back to bite him in the end.

"How long, Severus," Lucius rasped, for Snape was tightening the vines' grip around his neck. "How long since you've betrayed us?"

"Betrayed you?" Severus repeated, almost in a bitter, laughing way. "Lucius, you betrayed me! I thought we were something of friends, until you tore me away from my wife and potential family with your lies. I could have been happy- for the first time in my life, I had a chance at something good, and you robbed me of it. And now you're trying to rob me of my son? And I'm the traitor? I went against your beliefs- but you? You went againstme."

Lucius face was turning purple now, and Severus finally released the tension a bit. "Be thankful, old friend, that my son is here today. I saw that letter this morning, when we were beginning the spell. If he hadn't come, it would have been I who would be killing you." He paused, and then looked to Harry. "But that's not what you'd want me to do, is it?" It was phrased more as a statement than as a question, and there was a certain gleam of understanding behind his dark eyes.

Harry almost told him to go ahead and do it, vaguely aware of the fact that the old Snape would have called him spineless and weak for making the alternative decision. And hadn't this man planned on killing Severus and him? And hadn't he done enough dark deeds in his lifetime to deserve death? But in the end, Harry couldn't do it. He couldn't sentence this man to his death; he didn't feel he had the right to. "No, Dad, it's not." Harry said, feeling a sudden rush of goodwill towards his father. It felt nice, to have his opinion valued like that… to have someone ask him what he wanted done, rather than act despite him. He watched Severus' reaction to the title… he looked, shocked. Harry worried for a moment he'd gone too far… but he hadn't really meant to say it, exactly. He hadn't… he hadn't planned to say it.

Severus gazed at Harry for a moment. Dad? Had the boy really just called him… Dad? Severus almost lost track of the moment… when had he done anything to earn such a personal title? Something so… official. Had he taken the role of father without consciously realizing it?

Severus didn't remind Harry of all Lucius had done, or what could result from allowing him to live. He was letting his son make his own decision, based on what he felt rather than pure logic. He was beginning to understand that Harry didn't work that way, and he wasn't going to force him to endure a decision that would leave him guilt ridden and apprehensive to fight for years to come. Perhaps this was what Harry was appreciation… perhaps this was what made Severus seem so much like a father. The fact that he was accepting his son the way he was, and allowing him to make his own decisions. Strange, how different this was from what he'd always viewed as a father…

"Professor! Harry!" Ginny suddenly cried from the ground, but it was too late. In a quick flash, two of the Death Eaters that had been in the circle with Severus appeared out of nowhere, striking him from behind. He let out a yell and fell to the ground; Harry immediately started towards him. Ginny, however, grabbed his ankle. "Dumbledore will be here any moment, Harry, don't get us killed now!"

He hesitated for a moment. Then, Ginny's eyes widened, and her mouth opened, and Harry knew what was happening. He grabbed her and dove behind the nearest pile of crates, and watched a flash of green light explode against the wall that had been behind them. Both sat shocked for a second, and then, coming to their senses, quickly picked themselves up off the ground. Harry looked for his wand, realizing to his dismay that he'd dropped it when he'd grabbed Ginny.

Without warning, Severus' tortured yells filled the cellar, and Harry cringed. "We have to help him!" he yelled to Ginny, and she nodded.

"Accio Harry's wand!" she called. She handed it to him quickly, and they emerged from their hiding place, ready to send the hexes flying.

"Stupify!" Ginny cried, hitting Lucius from behind.

"Ennervate!" Another of the Death Eaters cancelled her hex, and she soon found herself facing the tall blond man once again.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled frantically, looking to Harry for reassurance.

"Get him while he's getting his wand!" Harry shouted to her, heading towards his father.

"Diffindo!"

His curse was easily deflected, and he dodged another. His father was no longer being tortured, but as his wand was several feet away, he could do nothing but shout directions at each child. He hoped that this would get them out alive, if they took his instructions… He hoped that help would arrive

xxx

Malfoy had run, all the way from the cellar to the fireplace, and then all the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. He stopped at the doors to the entrance hall, panting for breath, and spelled the doors open; he didn't think he had the strength to pull them.

Malfoy didn't know the password to Dumbledore's office, so it would do no good to go there. But he did know that Madame Pomfrey stood by in the hospital wing at all times, and she would be able to fetch the Headmaster immediately.

Malfoy sped up to the infirmary, taking the steps two at a time. He stumbled several steps to the top, grabbing the railing to keep himself from falling, and stumbled onto the second level.

The corridors had never seemed so long as now, when Malfoy was trying desperately to reach the door at the end of the hall. He flew to the door and pushed it open. Unluckily the floors had just been washed, and he went straight through the doors and sliding across the floor, to be stopped finally by a hospital bed. "Madame… Pomfrey!" Malfoy yelled in a half gasp, bracing himself against the bed that had brought him to a full halt. "Madame… Pomfrey!" he called a bit louder now.

Madame Pomfrey came hurrying out of her office, took one look at the panting, red-faced boy, and said, "Whatever is the matter, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I need to speak with Dumbledore. Now," he added imperatively.

"Alright, alright!" Pomfrey exclaimed in disapproving tones. "I'll fetch him for you. One moment."

"Wait!" Malfoy called. "Could you, ah, fetch me to him?"

"You mean you'd like to go see him in his office?"

"Yes, that's what I mean," said Malfoy, rolling his eyes.

Pomfrey considered for a moment, and he gave her a pleading look. "Fine," she said, her tone less snappish than usual. "Follow me."

"Headmaster Dumbledore!" Madame Pomfrey called, throwing a fistful of floo power into the fireplace and sticking her head through. "Draco Malfoy would like to see you, sir."

Malfoy waited with his breath held, until he saw her nod. "Yes, I'll send him right up," she declared, pulling her head out of the fireplace. She turned to Malfoy. "He says he'll see you right away. Just step through this grate."

Malfoy did as he was asked, and was sent spinning up to the office. It was a short ride; when he reached the office, he stepped out quickly, taking only a moment to gather himself and take note of his surroundings. The office was much different than he'd ever imagined it to be, with all sorts of silver instruments and gadgets lying about. He'd always pictured a stuffy little room, with plenty of oak furniture and paperwork- somewhat like his father's at home, only with porcelain pictures of muggles running through fields together and wizards dedicating their lives to non-magical folk. He supposed now that this had been a rather exaggerated assumption about Dumbledore, even if he was as pro-muggle as his father always said.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked immediately, stepping forward. He looked concerned; startled, Malfoy took a step back. He didn't like this man, no matter how much he needed his help at the moment, and who was he to lurk silently across the room, watching him?

Malfoy rummaged around in his robe pockets and pulled out a scrap of parchment, handing it to Dumbledore hastily. "Potter, the Weasley girl, and Professor Snape are in the cellar of this place," Malfoy hurried to say. "You have to go and get them, now."

Dumbledore's face had gone a shade paler, but other than that, his expression remained unchanged. "Of course- but Mr. Malfoy, I must know how you have obtained this information."

Malfoy's jaw dropped. "You're going to sit here," he queried challengingly, "and interrogate me while they're in trouble?"

"I can't act without sound reason, you realize," Dumbledore said calmly, leaning against his desk. "Please, just tell me how you know this so that I may leave. I wish to waste no time."

"Well, it certainly doesn't seem that way," Malfoy scoffed. There was a moment's silence, and then he relented as his hard grey eyes met Dumbledore's. "Potter received a letter from an unknown sender that said that they'd discovered the secret about his father, Severus, and that if he didn't show up alone, they would kill him. He was supposed to meet them in exchange for the prophecy. Apparently, he didn't feel confident enough to go alone, and yet he didn't want to risk having his friends killed," Malfoy stopped and gave a theatrical sigh, as if to point out how used he felt, "so, instead, he forced me to go with him- because, you know, he doesn't care if I die," he said, rolling his eyes. "He then ran to the Gryffindor common room to get his cloak, and ran into Weasley there. She demanded that he take her with him, I suppose, and she refused to leave his side. He couldn't shake her," he snorted, "So she ended up coming along. There, is that detailed enough for you?"

"There's no need to be rude, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said, hurriedly grabbing his cloak and heading towards the door. "I'll need you to come with me to this place."

"Wait, what!" Malfoy asked in a panic, throwing up his hands in protest. "No, absolutely not. Do you understand what will happen to me if they find out I told you? If they see me there? I left for a reason!"

"I understand that, but you also came here for a reason, did you not?" Dumbledore probed insistently, opening the door now.

"So you could help them," Malfoy entreated, pathetically desperate, "because I can't do that." Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows, and Malfoy reiterated, "I can't. But really, I don't want to serve Voldemort my whole life, if it can be helped… I need Potter to live in order for that to happen, don't I?" Dumbledore didn't respond, so Malfoy continued. "And besides, there'll be no point coming here if you don't have at least one decent professor, and Severus is it."

"I might not get there in time if you don't come," Dumbledore said quietly.

Malfoy watched the old man for a moment, eyes growing wide, and then, as if realizing how much time he was wasting, he shook his head and changed his tone of voice from a whinging one to one of resent. "Fine, I'll come along… but I'm leaving once we get to Duftown. Is that alright? You are able to take care of yourself there, aren't you?"

"Quite," Dumbledore said stiffly, opening the door for Malfoy to step through. "Lead the way, and quickly. We've no time to waste."

"I-" Malfoy's response was cut short by the attack of two notes, folded in two and diving at his head, twittering like birds. "Arghh!" Malfoy yelled as one of the small strips of parchment began attacking his nose, cheeping angrily. Dumbledore quickly reached forward and snatched this one, and they instantly calmed as he read them both.

"Messages from Ms. Weasley and Harry," Dumbledore said after a moment. Malfoy stopped smoothing back his hair and frowned. Dumbledore was looking more anxious now, as he read the second note; Malfoy supposed that this was because the old man had now realized that Malfoy wasn't lying.

It took much less time to get to Duftown this time. Once they'd reached the outside of the Hogwarts gates, Dumbledore took Malfoy by the arm and used the boy's mind to guide them to the location nearest to their destination. They'd soon reached the street of Maldrice, and Malfoy brought him to the place where Harry and Ginny hopefully still were.

"This is it," Malfoy said quietly. He was half-afraid that now that they were here, Dumbledore would demand that Malfoy follow him in.

The headmaster did no such thing. He turned to Malfoy, and offered him a grateful nod. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. You may go back to Hogwarts now, if you wish- be careful, you don't know who you might meet on the way."

"I'll be alright," Malfoy said brusquely, squaring his shoulders, and turning and heading in the opposite direction. Once he'd looked back, the headmaster was gone.

xxx

"You may thank Miss Ginerva Weasley, Potter- or now, should it be Snape?" Lucius Malfoy pressed a finger to his chin as though in thought, and then shook his head. "Well, I suppose that's all very unimportant now. As I say, you may thank her for what is to come. You should have come alone as the letter requested, Potter."

"And why is that?" Harry growled through his teeth, looking up at Lucius through eyes narrowed in loathing. He and Ginny were bound together, sitting against the cellar wall; Severus was lying unconscious several feet away. He'd only been hit by a simple stunner, but Harry had been robbed of his wand before he could help him.

"Let me guess," Ginny spoke up. "Is it because I've got you even more livid than before? Save it. You were going to hurt Harry no matter what. I had to try." She said the last to Harry more than Lucius, and he understood.

"Avery, Phelps, wake dear Severus to join us," Lucius called, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he looked over the angry, anxious faces of the two teens before him. It was as though he viewed them as a sort of prize; something he'd conquered. He gazed at them for a few more moments, and then, realizing he hadn't been answered, he called again. "Avery! Phelps!"

"They won't come to you, Mr. Malfoy," came a deep, old voice that Harry instantly recognized. He straightened up, and Ginny's face brightened as she looked to Harry. It was Dumbledore. He stepped out into the clearing, and surveyed the scene. His wand was raised; he was ready to strike, but he did not look worried. He seemed confident in the fact that Lucius wouldn't dare to attempt to overtake him. "There are three ministry aurors standing outside right now, and apparition wards have been placed on the building. It is in your best interest to stay where you are, Mr. Malfoy." His voice was deep and threatening, and was strong enough to keep Lucius standing where he was.

"Dumbledore," he hissed, looking around, obviously for a way to escape. This was difficult; he had them enclosed into an area very difficult to flee from, in order to prevent the flight of his captives. Ironically, now he was trapped. "How very convenient. You always do manage to show up right on time."

"Well, right on time is precisely when I want to show up, so that suits me," Dumbledore said, but there was no hint of amusement or goodwill to his tone. He was glaring hard at Lucius, and Harry had an idea that he was only refraining from cursing the life out of Malfoy because he had no reason to… yet. "You will be charged this time, Malfoy. Make no mistake about that. I know from experience that you feel yourself above the law; realize now that we have learned your tricks, and you will be staying where you are placed."

"Oh yes, I'm sure justice will be served," Malfoy sneered, beginning to circle Dumbledore. The older wizard immediately became wary; his eyes narrowed, and he glanced at the exit behind him. There was very little subtlety in the way Malfoy was pursuing his goal of escape, and Dumbledore wasted no time in circling the other way, pushing Malfoy further from the entrance.

Malfoy continued smirking. "You think you have me all figured out, don't you old man? What would you say if I told you I was taking a leaf out of your book?"

Dumbledore didn't respond to this with words; he raised his wand and with a quick flourish, sent a bolt of yellow light towards Lucius. However, the other man dodged out of the way. He raised his wand and sent a hex hurling towards Ginny, who tried frantically to move out of the way. The force of the spell was immense; even Harry felt the pressure. She immediately began to convulse, and Dumbledore flicked his wand at Severus.

"Enervate!" said the Headmaster, rushing to Ginny's side and hurriedly incanting a long stream of Latin words and spells. Severus was beginning to realize what was going on, and began searching for his wand, eyes becoming wider and more desperate as he grew more lucid.

Lucius laughed; a deep, mechanical laugh born of ill intention. "How very predictable you are! The Dark Lord told of your dueling tactics- I must say, the unoriginality of your strategy is a bit pathetic." He quickly pulled a necklace out from beneath his cloak, and tapped it with his wand. It glowed for a moment, and then faded. He smiled at the crowd before him; Dumbledore, who couldn't stop the stream of spells coming from his mouth without risking the loss of Ginny's life. Severus, who had just come back from a stunned state, prior to which he'd endured rigorous battle and attempts at torture… and Harry, who was still bound to Ginny, and unable to be released by anyone around him. Lucius hadn't won… but he certainly hadn't lost. "This," he said, holding up the necklace, "is what I meant, Dumbledore, when I said I was taking a leaf out of your book." And then Harry remembered- they'd told Voldemort that Harry had had a portkey in the form of a necklace, and that had been how he'd escaped.

"Dumbledore!" Harry shouted, and the old man started, looking his way. "It's a portkey, you have to-!"

But it was too late. With a final smirk, Malfoy clutched the charm attached to the golden chain, and disappeared from their sight.

"No," Harry muttered quietly, inwardly cursing. Then, suddenly remembering, he craned his neck towards his father, who was still lying on the floor. "Severus," Harry called, too preoccupied by his father's well-being and Ginny's current state to worry about where Lucius had escaped to. He already had an idea, and he knew they needed to get out of there, quickly.

"Harry," Severus said hoarsely, pushing himself to his feet. "Hold still," he said, coming to Harry's side. He spared Dumbledore a glance, but the man was still incanting over the now shrieking Ginny, his eyes squeezed shut in concentration. "I'm going to get you out, Harry, but you need to make sure that you do not move, or I may affect Miss Weasley as well."

"Ok," Harry agreed, nodding.

Severus held his wand steady for a moment, and then with a quick, angular movement of his wand, he released Harry. "That was all?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Severus said distractedly, moving to Dumbledore's side.

"Is she going to be ok?" Harry had to raise his voice to be heard over her shrieks; panic was edging its way into his voice now.

Severus nodded solemnly, returning to Harry. "She'll spend a few weeks in the Hospital Wing after this one… but she'll be alive, at least."

Harry swallowed hard; Ginny's screaming had stopped now, and she seemed to be coming back to a sane state of mind, but pain was still etched into every line of her face. "What does it do?" Harry asked, trying dearly not to resemble a young, scared little boy too closely.

Severus shook his head. "Perhaps that's a detail best discussed later," he said, looking quite sickened at the thought of what was happening to her.

Dumbledore finished the incantation, and immediately lifted Ginny into his arms. "We have to leave," he said, carrying her towards the stairs. "Follow me."

Tears were still running down Ginny's face, Harry saw… but Severus was right. She was alive. And so was his father.

xxx

"She'll need intensive treatment for the next week," Madame Pomfrey was saying to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They were all seated in the hospital wing; Pomfrey had just finished her examinations. Ginny was the only person seriously injured… luckily, as Pomfrey put it. Harry saw it differently.

"St. Mungo's would be the best option until we can adequately provide for her needs. Many side effects can result from this sort of hex…"

Severus had been correct; Harry was glad not to have been told earlier what had been happening to Ginny. Apparently, the hex that Malfoy had sent at her had the effect of… well, essentially destroying and rotting her from the inside out. If Dumbledore hadn't been there to start the countercurse immediately, the results would have been disastrous.

"Yes," Mr. Weasley said, holding his crying wife's hand. "I believe we'll take that option."

Harry wanted to stay and listen, but at this point, Severus stood up. Receiving a nod from the headmaster, he extended an index finger at Harry, and crooked it towards himself. They both stepped away from the circle, and Severus leaned down to speak quietly to Harry.

"You and I need to have a chat."

Uh oh. Harry knew that tone of voice, and it was certainly his least favorite of all. It indicated that Severus had something darker on his mind than what he was saying… or, at least it had in the past. Harry wasn't sure exactly what it meant now, but he was sure it was something to the same extent.

"My rooms will do, I think," Severus said as the two headed down the corridors together. Harry remained silent; he didn't trust himself to speak, and he didn't want to give Severus more reason to become annoyed with him.

Harry expected to be roughly shoved inside as he was the last time he had been in trouble, but Severus merely opened the door and stood back. Harry glanced shamefully at him before stepping it, into the rooms. The door snapped shut behind Harry, and he turned around slowly, bracing for impact.

Severus stared angrily at Harry for a long moment before walking past him, placing his hands on the back of the couch and taking a deep breath. Slowly and resolutely, he raised his eyes to meet his son's. He felt unbalanced, and some part of him was still reeling from all that had happened back in that cellar, but he was determined to maintain his temper.

"What were you thinking?" Severus growled from behind barred teeth, and Harry could tell from his quaking shoulders and clenched fists that he was trying to control his rage. "Do you have any idea what you've done today? Everything you've cost us? Everything you risked?"

"Yes," Harry said quickly, for he felt that acknowledging his mistake was the quickest path to forgiveness, and he very dearly wished not to see how angry Severus could get. "And I'm so sorry- I only wanted to help you- I was so worried, for days, and then that letter arrived-"

"Enough," Severus said darkly, shaking his head. "I am severely disappointed in you."

Harry cringed at the gentle, deeply disapproving tone. His insides felt like they'd been twisted, just by that one sentence.

There was a long silence. Minutes passed before anything was said, and Harry just waited for the lecture to continue. He didn't know what to say. Further apology seemed futile at this point; stupid and pointless, a small gesture that couldn't even being to cover the magnitude of what he had done.

"I trusted that you would remain inside this castle," Severus finally continued, taking deep, steadying breaths as he went. "And you deliberately disobeyed me. You received an anonymous note asking you to trade what might be our greatest weapon in exchange for something he probably wouldn't even have given you, and not only did you agree, you actually did come alone."

"Not alone," Harry said defensively. Severus glared at him; Harry quickly averted his eyes.

"You're right," Severus said quietly, dangerously, letting Harry know in three syllables how wrong he had been to object. "You did risk bringing another person, didn't you? Miss Weasley! A girl that is a year younger than you are, and is worth more than almost any student in this school. You may not see this, but she is worth a lot of leverage with the Death Eaters; she is the youngest and only daughter of the most prominent family in the Order of the Phoenix. Had Dumbledore not shown up, they would have taken her as well- tortured her, used her, possibly sold her off to some man- yes, they do do that! Harry, when you act, you must think about the consequences of those actions! At this rate, you won't make it to your seventh year!"

"I did think about the consequences!" Harry argued, almost near tears now. "I'm sorry, I really am sorry, but I thought it was worth it!"

"Harry," Severus said reprovingly, sternly. "Nothing is worth your life!"

"It wasn't my life I was worried about!"

Severus' increasingly angry expression fell at this, and he waited. Harry continued. "I got that letter and… I was scared. I couldn't think of what it would be like if you just… died, and I didn't do anything about it! And I wanted to go to an adult, but I didn't think they would act because they wouldn't want to risk exposing you! And I really didn't want to bring Ginny, but she said that if I didn't, then she would go to McGonagall, so I let her come- and I kept trying to protect her and keep her from getting harmed, and she told me to stop acting like she couldn't do anything, so I…" Harry stopped, choking on his words.

How dearly Severus wanted to rage at this boy. In the past, he wouldn't even have allowed himself to be alone in the same room with him for fear that he might end up tossing him out a nearby window. Now, however, when he could see the pain and guilt in Harry's expression... the boy was sincere, he knew. He had been holding his temper, but now, he felt that anger give way to something unfamiliar: utter relief. For whatever reason, it suddenly dawned on him that the only thing that truly mattered was that Harry was safe.

"Harry…" Severus said softly, hanging his head. He came to where Harry stood and put his hands on his shoulders. "I know how hard it is to make decisions like that. I'm… touched… that you would attempt to save me like that… but I would be happier if you didn't take such risks in the process. We- I- do this to protect you. If you get yourself killed, all that hard work will be in vain."

"We've been over this before," Harry said, staring at his father. "If everyone I love gets killed in the process, is it really worth it to win in the end?"

"That's a cowardly way of looking at it," Severus said firmly, pressing his lips together in a resolute line. "It was that kind of thinking that resulted in my joining the Dark Lord in the first place… you can't let this fear of losing people destroy your motivation to win. If you have to choose between yourself and me, choose yourself. You'll do more good that way than you would if you died to save me."

"But I can't do that!" Harry exclaimed. "I couldn't even do that even if I still hated you!"

"Why not?" Severus asked exasperatedly.

"Because… I don't know. Because it's not right," Harry said, and then frowned at his father's almost confused expression. "I grew up with people who treated others without a care for what was right… and I guess I just thought too negatively of their behavior to ever be able to imitate it."

Severus considered this for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You wouldn't be leaving me out of unkindness, Harry… you'd be leaving me out of duty. At my request. To do what you must is very different from abusing the rules of right and wrong. You follow your heart, and I understand that- but eventually, you're going to have to start relying more on strategy than your conscience and nobility."

"What if I can't?" Harry whispered.

Severus shook his head. "You will; I will help you." After a moment of hesitation, Severus lifted a hand and ran it over Harry's head, and the boy's eyes welled with tears.

Harry nodded, looking hard at his feet. "I'm glad you're okay," he said quietly.

A sort of choking noise escaped Severus, and he abruptly brought Harry into his arms, holding him close. "I take back what I said at the beginning of the year," Severus said, muffled by Harry's hair. "You're not at all selfish, Harry… perhaps a bit too selfless, even… It seems I was very wrong about you... I'm glad I was very wrong about you."

Now Harry had the courage to look up into Severus' eyes. He was admitting that he was wrong? "Are you trying to say you actually like me?" Harry half joked, smiling.

Severus inclined his head. "Perhaps I'm trying to say more," he admitted, giving his son a squeeze as he pulled him back. "And I seem to have forgotten to mention how very thrilled I am to have you back here alive…" Severus continued, though it seemed to make him uncomfortable to admit what he was ultimately trying to express. "I… it terrified me, to see you there tonight."

"I thought you were angry when you saw me," Harry said as he was finally released.

"Beyond anger," Severus said, voice somewhat dark. "But more afraid than anything… I've never really had that feeling before. It was… well, unpleasant," he said, looking off to the side. "So please, Harry-"

"I'll try," Harry quietly promised his father. "I'll try."

Severus nodded. "Well, I suppose that's better than nothing."

xxx End Chapter xxx