Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello my dear readers! I figured it was time for an update as I’ve finally finished writing chapter 23. It’s getting more intense, folks! I hope this chapter displays the new intensity quite nicely for you all! Thanks for reading!
Something Wicked This Way Comes

There was a little more than a month left until Christmas break at Hogwarts. The list to stay at the castle was longer than ever before, what with parents afraid to let their children ride the train to King’s Cross. It felt like the entire Wizarding word was on its toes, just waiting for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to make their next move.

The Ministry was under fire, a call for impeachment of the Minister gaining popularity among the public and Wizengamot alike. Even the Daily Prophet was supporting the order to remove Fudge from his post, which was shocking to anyone who had read the paper in the last three years; everyone knew the Editor-In-Chief of the Prophet usually stayed quite comfortably ensconced in Fudge’s pocket.

Replacements for Fudge had started cropping up, pre-campaigning already hitting the airways of the Wizarding Wireless and other Wizarding newspapers and magazines. Witch Weekly had even run an article on why Harry Potter should became the youngest Minister in history, even though he still wasn’t old enough to use magic outside of school. People were obviously getting desperate.

In all actuality, the most prominent figure and likeliest winner for Minister didn’t even want the position. Kingsley Shacklebolt was quite comfortable in his new position of Head Auror. With Arthur Weasley as his boss (but also his replacement), Kingsley felt free of the heavy responsibility that was Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He felt like a rookie Auror again, free to go off on raids and investigate new leads instead of being stuck in his office, filling out endless piles of paperwork.

The most exciting part of being Head Auror was running the Auror Academy. The new recruits were very motivated and skilled, yet still had plenty of training to go through before becoming full Aurors. Even after his two year training and subsequent fifteen years in the Auror Corps, Kingsley was still learning tricks of the trade. It was also entertaining watching Tonks teach stealth and disguise classes; she was at least very good at one of the two subjects.

When the proposition came up for him to take up the role of Minister in the instance of Fudge’s impeachment, Kingsley immediately turned it down. He had no desire to run the Ministry, fixing all the things Fudge had managed to completely screw up over the years. People encouraged him to accept, having complete faith in his abilities to clean up the slowly crumbling Ministry. Now, things had changed. When the Daily Prophet was calling for a change in power, things were pretty bad. Knowing he’d never be left alone if he kept resolutely refusing, Kingsley finally let out a press release that he was considering the position, should Fudge be impeached. The only reason he was bothering with any of it was because of the bad press that was starting to crop up concerning Harry.

With the rumours from the previous year about the Prophecy, calling Harry ‘The Chosen One’, people were calling for Harry to take a stand on who he thought the next Minister for Magic should be. So far, Harry had kept completely silent, not giving his opinion either against Fudge, or for Kingsley. Kingsley wasn’t offended by this at all; he was glad Harry was keeping his head down and avoiding the political hurricane sweeping through.

However, because of Harry’s silence, the press was having a field day, calling him a coward and denying that he was as important to the war as previously rumoured. Harry was quite content with letting people believe he was nothing special; it was the truth, after all.

Everything was being held off until after the hols, no one wanting to revamp the entire Ministry and ruin the festive holiday spirit taking over the Wizarding world. Even with a war creeping up on them, no one could take Christmas away.

S~S~S~S

It was the last class of the day on Friday. Everyone was packing their cauldrons and ingredients away when the door to the dungeon classroom boomed open. Many students jumped, a few squeaking in fright, as Headmaster Dumbledore strode into the room. Severus looked curiously up at him as he approached the Potions Master.

“Pardon the interruption, Professor Snape, but I require a word with one of your students.” Without waiting for a reply, Dumbledore turned and fixed his piercing blue gaze on Harry, who gulped automatically. He didn’t quite look angry, but not very pleased, either. “Harry, may I have a word with you in my office?”

Harry looked passed Dumbledore and locked gazes with Snape, who nodded once as if to say ‘go ahead’. “Uh, sure,” Harry said as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

“After you, Harry,” Dumbledore said, bowing Harry out in front of him. His tone brooked no argument.

Harry glanced back at Snape, who looked just as bemused by the Headmaster’s actions as Harry felt, before his usual expressionless mask took over his face once more. He raised an eyebrow at Harry, clearly asking what this was all about. Harry shrugged and led the way out of the class, Dumbledore in tow.

When they reached the gargoyles flanking the Headmaster’s office, Dumbledore stepped forward and waved his hand instead of using a password as usual. Harry felt even more confused as he followed the elderly Wizard onto the ever-spiralling staircase that took them to the door of the office.

“Please take a seat, Harry. Tea, pumpkin juice?” Dumbledore asked as he moved behind his desk and took his seat. He swirled his wand at Harry’s shrug, conjuring up two cups of steaming tea.

The silence stretched on for what felt like forever, making Harry squirm slightly in his seat. He had no idea what he had done this time, but Dumbledore’s actions and tone spoke of ill boding circumstances. “Sir?” Harry asked quietly, wanting to get on with it then.

“Harry, would you mind repeating the Prophecy back to me; the whole thing?”

Harry blanched, nearly dropping his tea cup. Of course he minded, especially since the memory had been removed and he couldn’t recite it if he tried. “What’s going on, sir? Why do you need me to repeat it; you already have it, don’t you?” Harry asked, hedging quite nicely – or so he thought.

Dumbledore bowed his head for a minute before looking back up at Harry. His eyes were hard and not sparkling like usual. Uh oh... “Yes, Harry, I do already know it. My point in asking you to repeat it is to see if you know it. Your hesitancy answers my question, however. You do not know the Prophecy.”

Harry sputtered and gaped, setting his tea cup aside before he really did drop it. How on earth did he know about any of that? “I...er...I don’t understand...?”

“I was evaluating Mr. Malfoy again this morning and a curious memory came to light. It was an argument between Professors Snape and Lupin about removing the memory of the Prophecy to keep it safe. I wondered if Draco could possibly have just dreamed this, but you’ve confirmed my suspicions of its reality. Tell me, Harry; who has the memory now?” Dumbledore asked, leaning forward towards Harry with a sharp look in his eyes.

Harry gulped and looked away from the searching blue eyes, feeling his stomach churn in panic. Dumbledore was acting very strange, and it was making Harry distinctly uncomfortable. “I...I dunno, sir. Professor Snape had it at first, but he didn’t tell me what he did with it, out of protection from Voldemort seeing where it was if he invaded my mind again.”

“And why, pray tell, did you agree to have the memory removed in the first place? That is a very delicate thing to trust to just anyone.”

Harry frowned, never having heard Dumbledore speak so bluntly before. “Draco accidently saw it during an Occlumency lesson. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to answer his questions about it since he defected, but Professor Snape was right livid that I’d explained it to him. He made Draco swear not to tell anyone anything, and then he took the memory of the Prophecy so that there’d be no risk of anyone else seeing it. Remus tried to stop him, but I just went along with it. Why bother having it somewhere we know Voldemort can get to if we can store it somewhere else?”

Dumbledore sighed almost sadly as he shook his head. “Did you think I had not thought of that myself, Harry? Why would I have told you the full Prophecy if I didn’t wish for you to know it? I explained that same night; I’d kept if from you out of concern for many years, but that was a mistake, seeing as it led to Sirius’ death. I told you for a reason. Do you know what that reason is?”

Harry shook his head slowly, feeling his heart jump into his throat at the mention of Sirius’ death. He’d never forgive Dumbledore for that...never. “No, sir...why?”

“Harry that Prophecy spells out your destiny. It gives you the tools and information needed to fulfil that destiny. It is time we all stopped hedging around the matter and start preparing you for the inevitable. That cannot be done if you have no idea what your job is. You’ve no motivation to succeed without that information. That is why I decided to reveal the Prophecy to you; to start you on the road to fulfilling it once and for all.”

Harry felt his stomach flip as Dumbledore spoke. Holy hell, what did that Prophecy say? Now he felt how much of a mistake it was to remove that memory; he had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about, and it scared the hell out of him. “So...I should put it back, even though there is a risk of Voldemort seeing it?”

Dumbledore nodded once, taking a sip of his cooled tea. “With your progress in Occlumency this year, I feel confident that you can keep the Prophecy from the Dark Lord effectively.”

Harry nearly jumped out of his seat as his heart seemed to stop. Dumbledore never called Voldemort the Dark Lord. He’d always made it a point to call him by his true name. Something wasn’t right here, and it was starting to make Harry panic. Using Occlumency to calm himself and mask his panic, Harry nodded slowly. “I guess I should go talk to Professor Snape about getting it back, then. I’m sorry, Professor, I guess I didn’t think it through like I should have.”

“Yes, Harry, I think you should go speak with Professor Snape, and I will want a word with him as well. Even if it was out of slight concern for you, he had no right to take that memory from you. Will you let him know I wish a meeting with him after dinner?” Dumbledore asked, the twinkle still not returned to his eyes.

Harry stood up and nodded quickly, trying not to run from the office like he wanted to. “Of course, sir, I’ll tell him. See you, then.” Harry began to back up, keeping his eyes trained on Dumbledore in case a wand was pulled.

“Goodbye, Harry,” the Headmaster said with a short nod, not a trace of his benign smile or quirky attitude in his expression. It just wasn’t Dumbledore.

Harry took the steps down out of the office two at a time, nearly running into Professor McGonagall as he gained the corridor outside of the Headmaster’s office.

“Mr. Potter, slow down at once! There is no need to go tearing down the halls like a bat out of the dungeons.” She paused as she saw his expression, her eyebrows rising slowly. “What is it, Potter, what’s wrong?”

Harry shook his head, his breath coming in sharp gasps. “Don’t go up there, Professor! Something isn’t right with Dumbledore, I need to get to Severus right away,” said Harry in a quick whisper. There was no one out in the hall, but Merlin only knew what kind of spells could be around them, tracking them and listening to them.

Minerva’s eyebrows rose clean into her hair as she took in Harry’s panicked state. “What makes you say that, Potter? What exactly do you think is wrong?”

“He’s possessed, or it isn’t him at all. I don’t know, just don’t go up there until I get Severus, please, Professor,” Harry pleaded, feeling like time was running out of time; for what, he had no idea, but he was sure something was going to happen, and soon.

The Gryffindor Head of House nodded briskly, pulling her wand out and holding it concealed at her side. She gave it a small twirl, and five blue shots of light went in five different directions down the corridor and through the walls of the castle. “I’ve sent a message to put the Order on alert. I’ll stay here until you get back with Professor Snape. Come straight back here, Harry, and bring only Severus, and Remus if he is near.”

Harry nodded quickly and took off down the hall without a backward glance. A few floors down, students began to trickle out of the classrooms as the bell for dinner rang. People stopped and watched Harry fly by, or else jumped out of the way as he pushed through the hungry throng of students. He hoped Snape was either in the Great Hall, or en route; the dungeons were really quite a far walk.

Once in the Entrance Hall, Harry skidded to a halt deciding to check the Great Hall first. Neville was about to stop him, but he help up a hand and continued on into the Hall, gaining more curious looks from his classmates. He locked eyes with Professor Snape right away as he scanned the staff table.

Severus reached over and grabbed Remus’ leg under the table, nodding towards Harry once he had his attention. “Harry looks upset.”

Remus watched as Harry approached the staff table, looking like he wanted to run, but not wanting to draw attention to himself. “I could have sworn I saw Minerva’s alert go out when I was on my way here. I think we better figure out what’s going on.”

“Never a dull moment with Potter...” Severus grumbled as he stood from his seat and met Harry half-way, Remus right behind him. He knew they were causing a bit of a scene, but he wasn’t concerned about that just now. “Harry?”

“It’s Professor Dumbledore, something’s not right. He’s not acting himself, and he knows you removed my memory of the Prophecy. I need it back, sir. I think it was a huge mistake removing it,” Harry said in a quick, extremely quiet whisper.

Severus stiffened slightly, having felt a similar discomfort at the way Albus had interrupted his class. It wasn’t something he had expected from the Headmaster, and now Harry was convinced something was amiss as well.

“We’ll discuss the memory later and much more in private. Did you leave Albus alone in his office?” Severus asked as he began to lead the way out of the Great Hall, Harry beside him and Remus behind them. It was starting to become extremely obvious that the three of them were more than just Professors and student; they were so often seen together whenever trouble came round.

Harry shook his head as they gained the Entrance Hall and started up the spiral staircase. “No, I ran into Professor McGonagall on my way out of the office. She’s standing guard and put the Order on alert.”

“Good. We may need back up.”

As they finally turned the corner heading towards the Headmaster’s office, they spotted Professor McGonagall, with Charlie Weasley and Tonks at her side.

“Severus, one of the wards has been breached. It had to have been carefully dismantled; the usual alarms did not go off as they should have. Filius is working on restoring it now so that no others can come through, but we have a much bigger problem. Albus has been compromised, but I don’t know how, or if Albus is even there at all,” Minerva said, her back stiff and her expression grim.

Tonks turned quickly as she saw a flash of blue light fly around the corner towards the group of people congregated around the stone gargoyles. Everyone paused as they waited for something – what, Harry wasn’t sure.

‘Wards on HQ attacked, stabilized for now. Back up nice but not required. How goes on the Hogwarts front?’

It was the strangest sensation Harry had ever felt. He had heard the message from Bill just like the rest of the group, but it had played out in his head, not out loud. He assumed it was that secret form of communication between Order members that Dumbledore had mentioned once before.

“Lupin, can you answer that for us? Put them on alert for more back up from the Aurors, and contact Hestia and Dedalus,” said Minerva as she twirled her wand in a complicated fashion. A red line traced the entrance to the Headmaster’s office, seeping into the stone and making it emit a faint glow.

Remus concentrated for a few seconds before flicking his wand, sending three blue streaks in three separate directions. “Done. You warded the office, correct?”

“No one can leave or enter this office until I remove the warding. What did Dumbledore want to talk to you about, Harry?”

Harry looked over to Snape, not sure how much he should say. Did McGongall, Charlie, and Tonks know the Prophecy? “Er, he wanted to talk to me about a memory he saw when inspecting Draco...” Something clicked then, making his chest feel tight.

“Severus, he was with Draco, he was in his mind! What if...?” Harry said quickly, his eyes wide in terror.

Severus stiffened, feeling a sense of dread grab at his heart. They didn’t know if Dumbledore had been possessed, Imperioused, or replaced all together. He couldn’t allow himself to panic, or let Harry panic for them both. He took a deep breath and caught Remus’ eye, feeling the man’s sympathy just through eye contact with him. “I will go check on Draco – alone. Stay here with Remus, Harry. I don’t want you wondering around the castle with the wards tampered with like they are.”

“But – ”

“No, Harry! You will stay here, do you understand?” Severus said firmly, feeling the panic rise in his chest. He needed to get to his godson, but he also had to make sure Harry stayed where he could be watched and protected.

Harry’s lip trembled as he nodded jerkily. He felt helpless, wanting to run to Draco’s side and make sure he was ok, even if the Slytherin had no idea who he was. “Ok, go make sure he’s alright.” A hand descended on his shoulder, and he instinctively reached up and grasped it.

“Just let Severus take care of things, Harry,” said Charlie, his hand still resting on Harry’s shoulder. He could feel the Gryffindor trembling, allowing his hand to be squeezed quite hard.

Severus was nearly at the doors to the infirmary when Poppy burst out into the corridor, looking frantic and harried. She spotted the Potions Professor and visibly relaxed, but only slightly.

“Severus, thank Merlin! Draco is quite distraught, but he’s refusing to take any potions. He’s already shattered four with accidental magic,” said Poppy as she led Severus into the hospital wing and towards Draco’s cornered-off bed.

There was a pathetic whimpering sound coming from behind the curtain, making Severus’ chest hurt as a choked sobbed accompanied the whimpering. He pulled the curtain back and was immediately assaulted with a tight hug, almost sending him to the ground.

Draco was clinging to his robes, crying into the soft fabric as his entire body trembled. Not knowing what to do, Severus allowed his arms to wrap around the Slytherin, rubbing small circles on his pyjama clad back.

“Shh, Draco, calm down. What’s wrong?” Severus asked quietly, trying his best to ignore the matron standing beside him wiping subtly at her eyes.

Draco shivered in his godfather’s embrace, his snivelling slowing down only slightly. “He tried to take away some of the memories I got back...I pushed him out, though, so he couldn’t see them anymore. I thought you said he was trying to help me, Sev...” Draco whined, sounding petulant and making Severus’ skin crawl. Then again, Draco had reverted to the age of eight in his amnesic state.

“I’m sorry, Draco. I’m sure Professor Dumbledore didn’t mean to hurt you. Don’t worry, I won’t let him anywhere near your memories again, I promise. Now why don’t you get back in bed and take these potions for me, alright? They’ll make you feel better,” said Severus, trying to be as calm and soothing as possible.

He had no experience in being gentle with children, even when he had been around Draco when he really was an eight year old. He was never allowed to be soft with Lucius around; his spy status would be too much at stake. That was his excuse for being so hard on his students over the years, though eventually that just became his nature; mean greasy old Snape, the Potions Professor of Hogwarts.

Draco gave him a slightly sceptical look before finally giving in and crawling back onto his hospital bed. He took the potions from Poppy and drank them down after a contemptuous look that had no affect on the matron. With a last look of betrayal, Draco’s eyes slid shut as he slumped back onto his pillows.

Severus covered his godson up and brushed his platinum blonde hair out of his eyes, sighing softly. It was going to be a long night; good thing Draco would sleep through the rest of it.

By the time Severus returned to the huddle outside of the Headmaster’s office, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones had joined to group, along with another Auror whom he didn’t recognise as being an Order member. He felt his chest constrict as Harry stepped forward towards him when he got closer, almost as if seeking shelter.

“Any developments?” asked Severus as he rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder, just to let him know that everything with Draco was ok.

Minerva turned around at Severus’ question, looking harassed and worried. She had her wand out, retracing the ward she had placed on the wall leading to the entrance before. “No, not yet, Severus. Filius managed to fix the ward and seal off the Floo network to Albus’ hearth. We were just discussing a plan of action for confronting him, whoever he may be. You wouldn’t happen to have any Veritaserum on you, would you?” she asked hopefully.

Severus reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a black pouch containing many different delicate potions that he always made a point of keeping on his person at all time. He withdrew a slender vial of completely clear potion, holding it up to examine it closely. “I always come prepared, Minerva.”

“I think we should take down the ward gently and enter the stairwell as quietly as possible as not to alert Albus of our presence. Once we reach the top, we’ll take position on either side of the door, have somebody open the door, and aim to stun. Once he’s down we can resuscitate him and interrogate him with the Veritaserum. Sound good to everyone?” said Tonks, looking around at the assembled mass of Order members and a few non-Order – like Harry and the strange Auror.

Severus pointedly turned Harry towards him as the rest of the group nodded their consent to the game-plan. “You are not to be included in this. You’re not an Order member, and Merlin only knows who could be possessing or impersonating the Headmaster. I want you to go sit with Draco in the infirmary until I go and collect you from there. Do you understand? Do not go anywhere else or leave until I get there.”

Harry was torn between putting up a fight, and running to make sure Draco was ok. He knew the other adults would share Snape’s concerns and not let him near any battle, and trying to convince them would only waste his breath and valuable fighting time. He sighed heavily as he nodded. “Alright, I understand, sir.”

Severus felt a sense of relief wash over him as he had one less thing to worry about – for the moment, at least. He gave Harry one last squeeze on the shoulder before gently pushing the boy in the direction of the hospital wing, watching him until he turned the corner out of sight.

“Severus, you’ll stand behind me, in front on Jameson here. Be prepared to administer to Veritaserum as soon as Albus is down. Everyone ready? Good, let’s go,” said Tonks, slipping her wand out of her arm holster quite easily.

The rest of the group mimicked Tonks, pulling their wands and preparing to move as stealthily as possible once the ward was removed from the entrance.

Finite Incantatum!” Minerva hissed. The gargoyle sprang to life without aid of a password and the wall slid open to reveal the ever-spiralling staircase leading up to the ornate door of the Headmaster’s office.

Once everyone was in place, Charlie carefully turned the doorknob and swung the door open. Tonks and Remus set off stunners immediately at the first sign of movement. Tonks’ missed, but Remus’ hit his target. There was a dull thud as the Headmaster of Hogwarts hit the floor.

“I’ll never be able to forgive myself for stunning Albus,” Remus muttered as the group trouped into the office behind Severus.

Kneeling beside the Headmaster, Severus lifted the old man’s head so that it rested against his arm. He nodded at Charlie, who knelt down to gently pry open Dumbledore’s jaw, allowing Severus to carefully pour in three drops of the Truth serum before standing back up.

Ennervate!

Albus’ eyes flickered open, and it was immediately obvious that the Truth serum had taken affect. His usually sparkling blue eyes were dull and glossed over, and his cheerful expression replaced with slack indifference.

“Can you confirm that you are in fact Albus Dumbledore?” asked Minerva, who had conjured a straight-backed chair and sat facing the Headmaster.

Albus looked to be struggling for the right answer for a few seconds. It seemed like he was fighting the serum. “No.”

Many in the group exchanged wary glances as Minerva carried on. “Who are you, if not Albus Dumbledore?”

“I am Augustus Rookwood,” responded the imposter – apparently Rookwood.

Severus’ brows creased as he tried to figure out how that could be. How on earth could Rookwood have entered into the castle undetected, and where was the real Albus? “Where is Albus Dumbledore, Rookwood?” This time, the question was asked by Severus.

“Hidden in his quarters, stunned but alive.JHi”

Charlie immediately got to his feet and headed for the Headmaster’s quarters. After a few minutes, Charlie poked his head out and nodded. “I found him. He’s ok, but really confused and weak. He’s lying in bed now.”

“Did the Dark Lord breach the wards, or did you do it yourself?” Severus asked, feeling his stomach churn. If the old mad man was teaching the Inner-Circle Death Eaters his most dangerous skills, they had much more to worry about.

“I did,” was the simple answer yet again. Severus cursed himself, wishing he would have given a higher dose to loosen up Rookwood’s tongue a little more for details.

“What was the purpose of impersonating Dumbledore? What were you trying to achieve?” asked Minerva as she leaned down, a stern look on her aging face.

“The Dark Lord wishes to hear the other half of the Prophecy concerning him and the Potter boy. My job was to impersonate Dumbledore and try to get the information out of Potter or any other person who may know the full contents of the Prophecy. There was a chance of the youngest Malfoy knowing the information, so I was told to concentrate on him as much as I could.”

Minerva shared a look with Hestia before she turned her attention back to the imposter. “Why did Voldemort have you impersonate Dumbledore, but not kill him?”

There was an eerie chuckle as faux-Dumbledore shook his head slowly, his eyes trailing up to meet Minerva’s. “Dumbledore still knows far too much important information to just kill him. I was supposed to take the old man with me after I succeeded in my mission. Polyjuice potion was much easier to pull off, though apparently I’m not as good at acting as I thought.”

Upon the mention of a potion being used, every eye turned to Severus, some of them slightly suspicious. He huffed as he glared around the room. “I was nearly killed by that scum and his men. Don’t you think I would have mentioned something about this if I had any knowledge of it whatsoever? Do not point the finger at me; I may be the only Potions Master for miles around, but there are plenty of others who could almost qualify for Mastery. Besides, polyjuice is not a very difficult potion to concoct. I’m sure I was easy to replace in the Dark Lord’s ranks,” he snapped icily, successfully turning the suspicious glares into chagrined blushes.

“Perhaps we were not accusing you, but curious if you had the antidote to polyjuice on you,” said Minerva, though a few of the others looked as though they were fully ready to point the finger at Snape regardless of his speech.

Severus rolled his eyes, giving the Deputy Headmistress a withering look. “Of course I do, but generally when one wishes to ask a question, they do it verbally and not with accusing glares.” He let that sink in a little before going on, trying to ignore the few glares that were turned his way once more.

“There are a few different potions that can reverse the affects of polyjuice. However, this one should clear the potion out of his system, even though it is a universal antidote, used for many different potions,” said Severus as he pulled a blue vial out of his inner-robe pocket.

Minerva stood up and retrieved the vial from Severus, looking carefully at the cerulean potion. “Are you sure this will work?”

“Yes, I’m positive it will work. Rookwood will be extremely weak afterwards. We should probably bind him just as a precaution before it is administered.”

“We’ll be taking him into custody immediately. After more interrogation, he’ll probably be obliviated. Don’t want to take any chances of Voldemort hearing any of this information. We’ll need to go over the wards again with Filius,” said Tonks, using her wand to conjured ropes and tie Rookwood’s hands and legs.

Minerva nodded succinctly before kneeling down beside Rookwood-turned-Dumbledore, popping the cork off of the potion. She hesitated, looking warily at the man who looked like the Headmaster. “Was your mission successful?”

“No. Snape removed the memory of the Prophecy from Potter’s mind. I was close, but not close enough...” said Albus’ voice.

Everyone in the room once again turned to stare at Severus, but this time they looked shocked instead of accusing. Severus shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was under a burning hot spotlight. He relaxed marginally when he felt Remus’ hand descend gently to the middle of his back.

“I did what I needed to do to keep Harry safe. The memory is safe and can be returned to him at any time. I, for one, am extremely glad I did remove the memory, or else Rookwood would have just taken the information straight to the Dark Lord. If you’ll excuse me...” Severus turned and made his way quickly out of the Headmaster’s office without waiting to see the antidote given. He felt Remus walking right behind him, and couldn’t explain just how relieved he was to have the man with him. Even after everything that had happened, Remus still stood by him.

“Severus...”

Severus stopped just outside the doors of the hospital wing as Remus whispered his name. He didn’t turn around or respond, but just waited for his one-time lover and ex-enemy to speak.

Remus moved a bit closer, feeling his heart tug as Severus stayed facing away from him. “I want to apologize again for telling you that removing the Prophecy was a mistake. You just saved Harry’s life again – saved all of our lives.”

Severus took a deep breath, turning around half way to meet Remus’ beautiful amber eyes. “Apology accepted, again.” He started to move forward towards the infirmary again when Remus grabbed his hand.

“Please, Severus...I hate this. I can’t even talk to you anymore. I want to fix this, let me fix this.”

Severus squeezed his eyes closed for a second before opening them once more, turning back to fully face the werewolf. He could see the desperation in Remus’ eyes, feel the longing in his firm grip on his hand. “You’re not the one who broke things in the first place, Remus. That was all my doing. You need to let me fix things, but in my own time.”

Remus nodded slowly, feeling that tightly coiled sense of panic in his stomach loosen, if only just a little. He moved forward and cupped the Potion Master’s cheek, waiting to be pushed away. It never happened. “Thank you.”

Severus didn’t say anything; he didn’t need to. He leaned forward and kissed Remus gently, but passionately. “Don’t thank me yet.” He pulled away and walked the last few feet to the infirmary doors. Upon entrance, three things became apparent to him: Draco was still blissfully asleep, Harry had stayed like he was supposed to, and his charges had obviously grown much closer than he originally thought.

“Well...I think, perhaps, we might need to have a little talk with Harry,” Remus whispered as he followed Severus closer to Draco’s bed.

Severus nodded slowly as he crept closer to his godson’s bed. He couldn’t help the small smile that traced his lips, even as he felt a slight twinge of panic in his stomach. Draco was lying on his side, sleeping peacefully with a very content look on his face. Lying behind him in the hospital bed was Harry, also asleep, his hair mussed and his face creased in worry. He had an arm thrown across Draco’s waist and was clutching one of the Slytherin’s pale hands in his own. The contrast between Draco’s pale skin and white-blonde hair, and Harry’s tanned skin and dark, onyx hair was beautiful.

“Why do I have a feeling this can only end in heartache?” Severus whispered to Remus, even as he kept his eyes trained on the two teenagers sleeping quietly in front of him.

“Because you’re a pessimist, Severus. Let them sleep, there’s no harm being done by them lying together,” Remus whispered back, wrapping his arms around Severus from behind. The two boys looked so calm and peaceful. It reminded him of his own teenage years, and the black haired boy he used to sleep curled up with. He pushed the thought away, content with pulling Severus closer to him.

Severus sighed as he leaned back against Remus’ chest, unable to stop the bubble of worry that threatened to make him wake the boys up and separate them immediately. “No harm done...yet.”

Chapter End Notes:
Uh oh! Voldemort is making some moves now! And I do believe the end of this chapter is an answer to many of your questions regarding the relationship between Harry and Draco. Please, PLEASE review! I am not too proud to beg lol. I really would like everyone’s opinion on the story so far, and where you think it should go from here! I love hearing fan responses!

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