Daily Prophet Offices

Diagon Alley:

When Harry and Severus entered the Daily Prophet, they found it bustling with harried reporters scribbling copy and newsboys collecting the finished product and putting it on the presses and still others assembling the paper to be delivered by the hundreds of post owls standing at the ready. It looked like chaos, but Harry soon realized it was organized chaos.

Severus led the way around the milling newsies and to the front desk, asking in a low voice where Ms. Rita Skeeter could be found.

The receptionist, a pale, gum-chewing, floppy-haired individual in a brown blouse and robe with Daily Prophet lettered on, replied, "This time of day, she's probably in her office, writing up copy for today's edition of her column. Go through the door on the right and it's the fifth cubicle down. Can't miss it. Got her name in sparkly letters."

They went where she had indicated, and soon located Rita's "office". Apparently, these large cubicles were only given out to high demand reporters, because Harry noticed that the other names on the doors were reporters with their own bylines. Rita's door was ajar, and they could see her at her desk, dressed in her typical bottle green flamboyant outfit, nibbling on the end of a Quick Quotes Quill and staring down at a blank piece of parchment with a look of disgust.

"Twelve noon already and my copy's due at two and I still don't have a decent story. Merlin's blazing balls, I'm going to have to use that stupid drabble about Secretary Winston's haircut if this keeps up." She muttered to herself. "Hundreds of wizards here in London and not one of them can bring me some hot gossip!"

"That's too bad," drawled Severus from the door. "But perhaps we can help, Ms. Skeeter. If you're interested?"

Rita spun around in her revolving chair so fast she almost got whiplash. "You two!" she exclaimed, eyeing them warily. "The famous heroes of the wizarding world. What brings you down here?" She waved them into the office and shut the door.

"A story. One that you've never heard before because it's been covered up for years," Harry replied. "The juiciest bit of scandal you'll ever write."

Rita's nose started twitiching. "Go on. Who's it on?"

Severus abruptly cast a Muffliato charm over the office. "Now we won't be overheard," he explained casually at her look of alarm.

"Oh. All right."

"The story we are about to tell you involves the Minister of Magic, and is dangerous to know, but we feel it needs to be told."

"You've got dirt on Fudge? Gimme it, Snape. I've been trying to get that bastard ruined for years and so far nothing I've got on him sticks."

Severus chuckled mirthlessly. "I assure you, Ms. Skeeter, this will cling to him like muck from a pond, and it will never be washed away. It's a top secret cover-up that's been brewing malificently for years in the back room of the Ministry. Harry and I discovered it by chance upon our quest for the Horcruxes and when we asked the Minister to perform a favor for us regarding this secret, he refused. So we came to you. Listen closely . . ."

By the time Severus and Harry had finished with the whole sorry tale, an hour and a half had passed. Rita listened avidly, occasionally directing her quill to take notes. Her lime green fingernails twitched and tapped her desk eagerly. When Severus had finished, she smirked savagely and said, "This is the best scoop ever! It will finish him, his reputation will topple like a house of cards. He'll never be able to get re-elected. Ha!"

"You sound positively gleeful about this, Ms. Skeeter," observed Severus wryly.

"Oh, I am! I just love a good scandal." She answered, rubbing her hands together.

"Tell me about it," Harry said, his voice carried an accusing note in it. He couldn't forget how Skeeter had almost broken up his friendship between Ron and Hermione by writing false rumors in her column.

Rita smiled at him. "No hard feelings, kid. I was just doing my job. I'm a gossip columnist, and sometimes we have to sling a little mud to get the ratings up. But Fudge, now he's a whole different cauldron of elixir. Him I want to bury."

"You sound like it's personal," Harry said. "Mind telling us why?"

"It's an old story. Before Fudge was Minster, he worked for the Ministry in the Department of Financial Affairs. He sidelined as a "financial advisor" and when my father's magazine started to fall apart, he asked Fudge to advance him a loan to get back on his feet. Fudge agreed and loaned him a thousand Galleons. My dad promised he'd pay it back, however long it took. But Fudge never told him his loan had a time limit, and if Dad didn't pay it off in full after two years, Fudge would triple the interest on the loan. He was a scam artist, and his move almost bankrupted my father completely. He died of a heart ailment and left me and my mum in debt. And I blame Fudge for that, because Dad would have been able to pay off the loan eventually, if he had been given time. Apparently, Dad wasn't the only one Fudge did that to either. I still think that's how he got elected, because Dumbledore refused and he called in all his markers. Because he's a spit-eating coward and I wouldn't trust him to run a kid's birthday party, much less the country."

"I see. I also happen to agree with you, he's an unfit Minister," Severus said. "So, will you take on our commission?"

"Yes." She held out her hand and they shook on it. "I'll get to work right away. Thanks!" She pulled out a slim piece of parchment and began writing rapidly.

Unfortunately, she did not manage to finish the piece before the deadline, but she did manage to write a short piece about corruption running rampant in the Ministry and what, if anything, the Minster was going to do about it.

Then she returned to her original copy and wrote till her fingers were sore.

* * * * * *

Harry was disappointed to find that Rita's article wasn't in the morning paper, though an article lauding Fudge's genenrosity and loyalty was, saying that he was going to usher in a new era by supporting the patent on the Amulet of Communication. Harry had mixed feelings. He was happy for Jasper since now he could get the recognition he deserved, but he also knew that Fudge would benefit from it too. Still, it couldn't be helped.

Then Severus received a short note by an unfamiliar owl. It was unsigned.

Dear Sirs,

Couldn't get the whole thing finshed but it will be in the next issue! Look for it.

There was a small drawing of a beetle underneath the words.

"I can't wait to read it," he said to Severus, who promptly scolded him for talking with his mouth full.

* * * * * *

The next morning, Hedwig breezed into the kitchen clutching the Prophet in her talons. She landed right in the middle of the table and handed the paper to Harry. Harry carefully unrolled it and saw that Rita's article was splashed all over the front page. "Yes! Look, Sev! She got the front page headline!"

"Of course she did, Harry," Severus said, turning away from the stove. "There hasn't been a scandal like this since Minister Crestwood ignored the fact that his young secretary Grindelwald was attempting a takeover of the government because he liked the way the boy organized his office."

Harry began to read the front page article to Severus while the professor finished cooking the fried potatoes and eggs for breakfast.

Minister of Magic Commits Attempted Genocide!

By Rita Skeeter

Cornelius Fudge, a man whose great ambition is only matched by his desire to remain in power no matter the cost, orders the kidnap and death of children.

This reporter will reveal at great personal risk and on pain of death a top secret Ministry program that involves the children of victims of werewolf attacks being rounded up, sent to a distant country, and left in a dangerous magical forest to fend for themselves, unable to leave due to magical wards set up by Cornelius Fudge himself.

These children, born as a result of their mothers being raped by werewolves, are often orphans, unwanted and abandoned by everyone due to their condition and are considered non-human by the Ministry because of their ability to shift into wolf form. What does the Ministry do with these unfortunate children who are born with an illness and are victims of war and innocent of any wrongdoing? Under the direct command of the Minister himself these "abominations" are hunted, dumped, and forgotten with nothing more than the clothes on their back in the dark forests of Transylvania where even the strongest and bravest fear to go. Two children are dead already due to the Minister's callousness, while another ten cling to life, everyday a fight for survival.

These children, known as wolfen, are the result of an unspeakable plan by Fenrir Greyback, the most feared of his kind for his desire to infect as many children as possible, who wanted to create a slave class like that of a house elf for other werewolves, bound to his nefarious pack by blood.

This reporter wonders what would have happened if pureblood families such as the Weasleys, Greengrass' or Malfoys had been targeted to create this new slave class? It is well known that Greyback prefers children so that they will grow up hating wizarding kind and by linking the future of our world (our children) with that of the werewolves he would have been leader of both as Alpha. Even if that had not come to pass, Fudge would still have abandoned them in a dark forest, to survive by their wits or die alone and unmourned. Where would we be today if Lily Potter had been taken and Harry Potter was wolfen, growing up in a hostile environment, alone and unloved?

Where does this leave the wolfen? Due to their lack of status and the desire of the werewolf packs to dominate and control them, they hate werewolves with a passion and have fought against them and the Death Eaters. It can be confirmed that they actively fought against Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, and their werewolf sires, and helped Harry Potter and Severus Snape retrieve and destroy a Horcrux. They proved themselves valuable allies not only in the fight against Voldemort, but as Healers and comrades. Their young Healer, a woman called Meadowsweet, was instrumental in healing both Harry Potter and Professor Snape from multiple life-threatening injuries. They also have built themselves a tree town using magic called Sylvanor, and live there contentedly, led by Alpha Darkmoon, whose mother was a US Marine war hero. Does this sound like the actions of an evil race of abominations who deserve to be destroyed?

Cornelius Fudge has done the unthinkable in harming children and showing he has a heart of stone. His cruel descion has resulted in losing a powerful group of citizens that would be invaluable in fighting against the forces of darkness, all because he is unwilling or unable to deal with a difficult situation and put the needs of the people who elected him before his own desires. His poor judgment makes him unfit to be Minister and his lack of morals makes him a potential Dark Lord.

The Minister has made several bad decisions prior to this that not only make him incompetent but a danger to our country and our very way of life. To date he has

ordered the Dementors of Azkaban to Hogwarts against the express wishes of the Headmaster during the hunt for Sirius Black. The Dementors roamed free on the way there and ended up stopping for a snack at the Hogwarts Express, if not for the quick action of Remus Lupin, a werewolf bitten by Greyback as a child, several students, including Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would have lost their soul. The Dementors were a constant danger to the souls and wellbeing of the students at Hogwarts the whole time they were there, and the Ministry sent no Aurors to keep the Dementors in line. Given how few can produce a Patronus this is not surprising, but it's very worrying as the Auror training budget has been slashed since Fudge took office, leaving us with poorly training Aurors unable to protect us properly.

Furthermore, the Quidditch World Cup organized by the Ministry was overrun by dark wizards attacking innocent citizens and Muggles, putting us all at risk and damaging the reputation of Britain. This could have caused a diplomatic incident.

When informed by Harry Potter that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named may have returned, Fudge ignored the information. He did not call for an investigation and had a key witness killed so he could not be questioned to prove or disprove Harry Potter's claims. This resulted in the Dark Lord's having a year to plan how he was going to kill us and conquer our world while the Minister and the Ministry did NOTHING. It is unknown how many deaths this Minister is responsible for with his failure to act, but his actions were of great use to the Dark Lord. The Minister ruthlessly repressed the truth and anyone who tried to stand against him, using his inner circle of blindly loyal followers and dark artifacts, and manipulating the press to discredit any who might oppose him.

You can tell much about a person by the company they keep, the Minister's inner circle include:

Dolores Umbridge, Under Secretary, long time hater of magical creatures and half-humans, and most likely the mastermind for the child kidnap and abandon policy. A vocal supporter of the Minister and all his actions, a very poor student at Hogwarts, yet she managed to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts well enough for a record high pass rate without any practical lessons. I hope the Department of Education will investigate this odd occurrence. She illegally took control of Hogwarts and passed many questionable and very restrictive decrees during her time there. Her great rise in position in the Ministry and the fact she had been close to the Minister after all that had happened suggests the relationship

between the two could have been more than just professional. Upon receiving news of her untimely death, it must be noted that Fudge cancelled all his appointments and went to attend her memorial service, though hardly anyone, colleagues or family, did so. It was also noted by a distant relation that Fudge wept over her casket like a brokenhearted lover, not a mere employer. Another source also states that many times Umbridge spent hours in the Minister's private chambers and often emerged from them flushed and panting, her clothes askew. Might there have been more to their frequent meetings than mere government issues? The source also says that Fudge sometimes referred to the late Umbridge as "my darling Delores" and she in turn called him "her sweet baby corn". Utterly revolting!

Percy Weasley is new to the Ministry and yet is considered one of the Minister's most trusted staff members. It is unheard of for one so young and inexperienced to be promoted so high so quickly. It is possible there is a love triangle in the Minister's office? Or could it be a different relationship altogether? Percy looks remarkably like a young Cornelius and not much like the rest of the Weasleys, could he be related to Fudge—a secret son? Could the Minister have had an affair with Molly Weasley and Percy is the result?

More of his inner circle include Ludo Bagman, long time Ministry employee who is rumoured to have several connections to the criminal underworld due to his gambling problem and history of accumulating large debts. It is unknown what he does for the Minister but it would not come as a surprise that he deals with Ministry finance, I hope there is an audit soon.

The Minister also favored deceased Lucius Malfoy, his main financial backer and long time advisor. Malfoy, it had been discovered, was also the right hand man of the Dark Lord, a Death Eater protected from the justice of Azkaban by the Minister's favor, safe from persecution and investigation. Was Malfoy the go-between for the Minister and the Dark Lord? Did Fudge tip off Lucius when there was going to be a raid upon his manor by Aurors? Because it seems odd that Malfoy always managed to evade the searches and nothing was ever found to incriminate him.

The family of the Minister is a mystery. His wife Myrna is rarely out in public without her husband or an Auror. She refuses all interviews from the press and appears to have no close personal friends. What does she know, what does she have to hide?

Marcus, the son of the Minister, attends school in France, such a great and encouraging endorsement of Hogwarts and the British education system. I wonder if the Minister would be so quick to send Dementors and teachers of questionable skill to the school his son attends?

Is the Minister a Death Eater? Does he bear the Mark? His polices and laws passed suggest he is a sympathizer. Does he hope to retain his position forever with the help of the Dark Arts and his own inner circle and Auror attack force? I hope the Aurors loyal to the country, its people, and the side of light will ask these questions and get much needed answers.

Rufus Scrimgeour had this to say: "Fudge needs to go, and the sooner the better. He is incompetent and corrupt and his actions are criminal. For the killing and kidnapping of children and subsequent cover up, he should be questioned and forced to tell the truth so the depth of his corruption can be determined and his associates dealt with. The fact that he would rather entertain his friends and go on holiday to expensive resorts rather than do his job shows he was corrupt even before he became Minister, for working at the government does not pay that well. If I was elected Minister, the corruption would end, and loyalty to the government be proven by those who work there. Then we would all act as one to bring peace to our world no matter the cost."

Kingsley Shacklebolt, a highly respected and decorated Auror, had this to say in his deep calming voice: "Fudge could have ended the war before it started but chose to live in ignorance, for his failures as Minster he should face the justice of his peers. For what he did to those kids, he should resign and try to do everything he can to make up for all wrongs he has committed, especially persecuting innocent children. His actions towards the wolfen make him a Dark Lord in my opinion. If I were Minister I would restore the Auror budget, improve and speed up training, and boost numbers. Aurors fight dark wizards and we need more Aurors to protect and serve the people, we lost too many during the war thanks to Fudge's incompetence and dithering."

Severus Snape, Potions Master, and renowned war hero, offered the following statement: "Once again, Fudge's paranoia has cost lives. These children might have grown up loved and happy were they permitted to be placed with loving adoptive families instead of rounded up like a pack of vicious strays and tossed into the forest. Fudege was probably hoping the wolfen would die there or revert to their animal selves, and that way he and his could absolve themselves of any guilt they felt at leaving children to the mercy of monsters and the elements."

His ward, Harry Potter, also offered a statement: "They can't help who they were born to. They were victims of rape. They don't deserve to be judged for the sins of their fathers. They hate and detest their sires, they fought against them to help us outrun them. They would never join them, Darkmoon even helped us destroy a Horcrux! Meadowsweet saved my life two times, and Severus too. They don't deserve to be locked away in a forest because of what they might do, or because they're different. They were somebody's kids once too and their mothers loved them."

Now I will leave you with the following thought-provking questions: Suppose Fudge and his inner circle had decided to target another group of children, ones with other differences, like being a Muggleborn, or living in a manor? What if the children targeted had been yours and in the dead of night a hit squad was sent to steal YOUR child away and make your children vanish from the face of the earth because they were considered sub-human? How would you feel?

"That's so bloody brilliant!" Harry cheered at the end of the article.

Severus coughed pointedly and jerked his chin at the soap dispenser beside the sink, before levitating the breakfast dishes over to the table.

Harry winced and muttered a quick "Sorry," before picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

"I do like how she cast aspersions on the Minister in all aspects of his life," Severus said with a grim smile. "I would wager that Fudge is having apoplexy right now."

Harry did too. He just hoped that all the fallout from the breaking news story would have the desired effect—to make Fudge revoke his decree against the wolfen and allow them back into the world once more. For once, he was grateful to Rita Skeeter.

* * * * * *

Four hours later

Ministry of Magic:

The Minister's private mailbox was flooded with letters, anonymous and signed, from wizarding citizens from all over the United Kingdom and even some from Ireland and the Untied States. Some of them had spell effects similar to dungbombs attached to them, or paper soaked in bubotuber pus, or exploding ink, requiring Fudge's staff to cast anti-jinxes on them before sending them on to the Minister. One letter appeared completely jinx free until Fudge read it to the end, then it made his skin break out in hideous purple pustules that took an hour to go away.

Most of the letters were furious and ourtraged missives, hate mail that accused the Minister of acting like a resurrected Dark Lord. Those were bad enough.

Worse were the mob of wizards and witches parading up and down the atrium, holding signs and chanting, "Let the wolfen go! Let them go! Throw the Minister and his mates in the Forest!"

They had Voice Amplifying spells upon them and so they could be heard in every corner of the Ministry, and their signs flashed different colors and in general they made a very big nuisance of themselves.

Fudge sat in his office, surrounded by his inner circle and his private guards, his head in his hands, groaning and trembling. "Ruined! I am ruined, Ludo!"

Ludo Bagman patted him on the shoulder and gave him tea. "That bloody reporter! Damn Snape and Potter!"

The voices from the outraged crowd grew even louder.

"Murderer! Kidnapper! Fudge for Azkaban!"

"Sounds like they're out for your blood, old fellow," said Ludo sympathetically.

"Mine and yours too, old friend!" Fudge griped. "And if that isn't bad enough, I just got a Floo message from Myrna. She's started divorce proceedings, says she refuses to be married to a nefarious cheat who would send helpless children to die. She's moving out tonight!" The Minister looked as if he was about to start tearing out his hair. "She actually believes those lies Skeeter wrote about me and Delores and that Percy could be my . . .my love child!"

"Sir," began his new Under Secretary, Jonas Pitt. "You have to admit, there was a lot of . . .visiting back and forth between you at odd hours. Looks very suspicious."

"Well, of course there was! I couldn't very well make arrangements to ship out the bloody wolfen in broad daylight, now could I? And Delores always made the most delicious pink iced cakes and strawberry tea. I love strawberry tea. Delores was always so accommodating."

Ludo nudged Jonas and winked. "I'm sure the old girl was."

The two men smirked at each other. Even if the Minister wouldn't admit it, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"What can I do? Everything's going to hell," Fudge moaned.

The other four wizards looked at each other.

"Resign?"

"Flee the country?"

"Sue Skeeter?"

"How about free the wolfen?" Ludo suggested.

"No!" Fudge shouted. "I will not allow that . . .rabble to dictate policy to me! Those . . .abominations belong locked away and that's where they'll stay. That's my final word!"

* * * * * *

Three days later, Fudge was growing desperate. He had Apparated home with his bodyguards and found the place had been trashed, and his gentle loving wife Myrna had left him with barely a stick of furniture and had cleaned out his private bank account. She had also left a note telling him tht she had taken Marcus out of his private school and he too was disgusted with his father.

For once in your life, Cornelius, do what's right, not what's easy! She had written at the bottom of her note.

The election was in a week and his reputation had taken a death blow. He feared he would never be able to hold his head up again and he cursed the wolfen with each breath he took. He wished he had exterminated them when he'd had the chance, the way Umbridge had suggested. But now was too late for regrets. He had to put some spin control on this before he was totally destroyed.

He met with his cabinet and they all discussed options, but finally they all agreed there was only one option that might save Fudge's career, or what was left of it. The hate mail and protestors kept growing until it was like a deluge. Fudge knew he would drown in it if he did not make a statement and placate the mob.

"Fine! I shall agree to lift the wards over the Forest of the Night and release the bloody wolfen. Upon their heads be it if they turn and start murdering innocents. Call Snape and call the press."

Letters were sent out to Severus and to the Prophet, and soon Severus and Harry made their way to the Ministry offices, along with several reporters from the Prophet, to witness Fudge eating crow and publically admitting he was wrong and begging the people's forgiveness.

The people weren't in a forgiving mood, however.

They spit and threw sharp and smelly objects at him, as well as some nasty curses.

Harry nearly joined them by transforming into Freedom, but Severus caught his shoulder and hissed, "Harry Potter-Snape, don't you dare!"

"Aww, hell, Sev, you ruin all my fun!"

"Quiet. He's performing the spell." Snape turned him to face the podium, where an egg and tomato and dung spattered Fudge was chanting.

"How do we know it's the right spell?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Look at the world dome." Severus said, pointing to a magical replica of the earth.

The globe was spelled by Ministry officials to record all ward spells placed about certain areas by a Ministry worker. Harry could see the red outline all across the Forest of the Night, signifying an active spell.

Fudge chanted some more and brought his wand down across the forest. The red wards blinked and then went out.

"There! It is done!" Fudge cried, looking gray. The removal of the wards had taken a great deal of his magic and he felt ill.

People cheered and then booed him, giving him nasty looks.

Fudge threw up his hands. "What the hell do they want from me?" he cried to no one in particular.

"Some sincerity?" suggested Bagman.

"Shut up, Ludo!" snapped Fudge, redfaced. Then he had another idea. He held up his hands for silence.

"Good people, I fully admit that I made a horrible mistake when I ordered the . . .wolfen placed in the forest. But now I have freed them. I will further suggest that one or two of them be allowed to attend Hogwarts in September to prove that they are not the monsters I thought, but children like our own. I ask Harry Potter to please contact them and ask them to choose a representative to attend classes. If the wolfen meets our standards and passes the curriculum, then we may allow others of his or her kind into the school, to be taught magic like any wizarding child. Let the next year be a trial period for them, and if it does not work, they may be tutored privately. Furthermore, I shall give each of them a generous bonus of two hundred Galleons should they choose to live among us and supply them with housing as well. Have I not done enough to atone?"

"No!" someone shouted. "But it's a start."

"Harry Potter-Snape, come up here," Fudge called abruptly, figuring if Harry were beside him, the crowd would be less hostile.

Harry looked questioningly at Severus.

"Go on," he urged. "I'll be right behind you."

Harry made his way through the crowd to the podium the Minister was standing on in the atrium. "Yes, Minister?"

"Since you are one of the few wizards the wolfen trust, I would like you to contact them on the Ministry's behalf and tell them of my offer and the wards' removal. Will you do that for me?" He gave Harry an oily smile.

"I will, sir, but I want all this in writing first," Harry saiod abruptly, knowing all too well how easy it was for Fudge to break a promise. "With your signature and mine at the bottom, a binding magical contract."

Severus gave him a look of approval.

Fudge looked even more sickly. "You don't trust me? My word is not good enough?"

"Frankly, sir, no."

"Very well. Fetch me some parchment and a quill." Impudent little brat! I'd wallop him six ways to Sunday were he mine! How dare he impugn my honor!

Harry dug parchment and quill out of his pocket and handed it to Fudge, who leaned on the podium and began to write.

He handed the parchment to Harry after five minutes, Harry read it and then signed it and the parchment glowed blue, locking the words and magic, binding the signer to the vow written thereon.

"Now I'll be happy to write to Darkmoon, the alpha of the wolfen, and tell him what we have decided." Harry said. "I'll also keep this as a reminder of this conversation." He tucked the parchment back in his pocket. "Good day, Minister."

He jumped off the podium and Severus clapped him on the back. "Well done, Harry. I'm proud of you."

"I think Fudge should have offered more."

"Yes, well, we have succeeded at least in getting the wolfen released. That is quite a coup. Come, let us go home and write the letter. Leave Fudge to his fate."

And that was what they did.

* * * * * *

Hedwig agreed to post the letter as soon as Harry finished writing it, and she congratulated him as well for making the Minister give in and free the wolfen. No creature deserves to be caged, unless they are hopelessly mad and insane. Farwell, my wizards! I shall return as soon as I may.

"Good flying, Hedwig!" Harry called as the owl flew out the window. His hand stroked the moonstone woven bracelet and he thought happily that soon he and Meadowsweet could be together.

Even with the Minister's concessions, people still distrusted and hated Fudge, and refused to vote for him in the upcoming election, preferring either of his opponents—Rufus Scrimgeour and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

It took Hedwig five days to return from the Forest of the Night, and during that time Harry's nightmares returned. Night after night he dreamed about battling the Death Eaters, the werewolves, and the maldecorvae. Once again he heard the scream of agony as he burnt the werewolf to death. Each night he woke sweating and shaking, his head pounding and his stomach in knots. He did not want Severus to know about the dreams, figuring he would think Harry a head case, having nightmares after the war was over, and so he began to sneak vials of Dreamless Sleep, first from the cabinet in the bathroom upstairs, and then when he had used the single vial there, he crept into Severus' lab and took two of the vials in the Potion Master's stores. He planned to brew more when Severus was out shopping later in the week and replace them.

On the fourth night, Harry went to take a draft and discovered that he had used all of the vials. He waited until Severus had gone into his room and then he slipped from his room, down the corridor and through the secret passage into the library. He made it all the way downstairs and into the basement, and over to the potions cabinet at the back of the lab, which was almost as large as the one at school.

Harry silently thanked Severus' obsessive compulsive fixation with organization and neatness, because that enabled him to find the Dreamless Sleep quickly and easily. He quickly rearranged some vials to make it seem as if there were no drafts missing and then he doused the lights and made his way up the stairs with only the tip of his wand lit.

The house was quiet and Harry breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking upstairs to the library. He had just undone the catch on the secret way and let it slide shut when he turned around and nearly slammed face first into his father.

Severus had his arms crossed and one foot was tapping the floor. His face bore a sudden resemblance to an earlier incarnation that Harry had faced in his third year, after his disastrous trip to Hogsmeade wearing the Invisibility Cloak and carrying the Marauder's Map. Only this time there was no Lupin to intervene.

Harry looked up at his father and tried a quick rueful smile. "Sorry, Sev, did I wake you? I was just—"

Severus' hand shot out and gripped Harry's wrist, the hand that was holding the vial of potion. "Just going to tell me how long you've been taking Dreamless Sleep, right?" His voice was ice and fire.

Harry gulped. "Uh . . .sure . . ."

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Severus demanded harshly.

"No, but . . .I was going to replace them, sir. I swear it."

"That's not the point, Harry. Come with me. We need to have a long talk about this." Still holding his son firmly by the wrist, Severus led him out of the tunnel, and into the library, lighting the lamps as he did so. He didn't know who he was more furious with, himself for not recognizing sooner that Harry was dosing himself with Dreamless Sleep, or Harry for trying to hide his need for the powerful and inevitably addictive magical substance.