“Lily’s bracelet!” That was the first thing Severus said as he and Remus returned from the pensieve and the horrible memory they had just witnessed. As an unspoken agreement, everyone ignored the tear tracks on Severus’ and Remus’ faces.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice it was missing when we buried her. Lily never took that bracelet off; she’d worn it every day since some time in our third year,” Remus explained, belatedly noticing the fresh tears gathering in his husband’s eyes. “Severus?”

Severus walked over to the sofa that Harry was still lying on and sat down at the teen’s feet, scrubbing a hand over his pale face. He looked up as Remus knelt in front of him, his questioning gaze full of concern.

“Lily and I had those bracelets made on our first ever trip to Hogsmeade in third year; they were friendship bracelets. She still wore it, even after our fight in fifth year?” Severus asked, his voice strained as he absently stroked his own bracelet, which had been hidden under a glamour for years now, but was always on his wrist.

“I never saw her without it, even on her wedding day. I must have been too grief stricken to realize it was gone when we buried her and James. I should have noticed – ”

“No, Remus, you were too preoccupied. I’m the one who’s made a terrible mistake. I had that very bracelet for ten years after Lily’s death. I went to Potter Cottage after their funerals and when I saw the bracelet there, I took it. I thought Lily should have it, though, so I took it to her gravesite and buried it beside their headstone. I had the Horcrux and I let it go.”

Remus gripped Severus’ hand in his own, noticing how the man was rubbing his own wrist, as if the phantom bracelet was still there. “You had no way of knowing its true nature, Severus. There’s every reason to believe it’s still where you buried it; all hope is not lost.”

Severus pulled his hand away from Remus and took out his wand, muttering a counter-charm to the glamour concealing the battered bracelet still hanging unseen from his wrist. He turned the round charm so that the initials ‘L.E.’ could be seen. “Lily wasn’t the only one who never took it off,” Severus whispered as he fingered the charm reverently.

Harry sat up and scooted closer to his father, taking his wrist in hand to study the bracelet for himself. Moisture started to collect in his eyes once again as he read the initials over and over again, as if repeating the letters in his head would somehow bring his mother back. “I want to go there.”

Severus gave his son a wary look before meeting Remus’ eyes, silently communicating with his husband. He did not think it would be safe to take Harry to Godric’s Hollow, but how could he deny his son such a thing? “I don’t think it is safe, Harry.”

“Please, Dad. I’ve never even seen their graves. I’ll wear my cloak, if that will help convince you,” Harry insisted, his pleading gaze drilling a hole right through Severus’ heart. He couldn’t tell him no after that. He’d be there to protect his son; things would be alright.

“Remus?”

The man reached over with a sad smile and shook his head slowly, his hand carding slowly through Harry’s hair. “I’ve been there many times. I don’t think I could handle any more emotional struggles today. You both go on, and be careful.”

Severus helped his son to stand up and made sure the boy could stand steady on his feet. Unnoticed by the parent-teen trio, Ron had run up to Harry’s room and collected the invisibility cloak for him, holding it out with a sympathetic look.

“Stay safe, mate.”

Harry grinned and pulled Ron into a quick hug, giving him an extra squeeze to show his appreciation. He knew Ron was trying to make up for all of the things he had put Harry through in the past year, and he was glad to have his best mate back at last. After accepting a hug and a long kiss from Draco and reassuring his boyfriend that he would be careful, Harry and Severus headed out the front door of Grimmauld Place and walked around to the alley. Harry donned his cloak and stepped into the circle of his father’s arms so that the man could apparate them both to the gates of Godric’s Hollow Cemetery.

The atmosphere didn’t feel appropriate when Harry and Severus walked through the rickety old gate to the quaint cemetery behind the church in Godric’s Hollow. It should have been pouring rain, or a heavy flow of snow falling thickly to the ground so that it obscured everything around; something besides this seemingly cheerful sunshine and happily twittering birds. Though summer was in full swing, there was a cool breeze that blew Harry’s wayward hair about and brought the scent of honeysuckle and pine to their noses.

The cemetery was quiet and somewhat solemn, but not at all eerie like Harry had expected it to be. The only other cemetery Harry had been to was the graveyard in Little Hangleton that the Triwizard Cup had portkeyed him to for Voldemort’s resurrection. Harry was glad this place felt nothing like that decrepit wasteland of rotting bodies.

“Would you like to see the headstone by yourself first?” Severus asked suddenly, causing Harry to start from the unexpected baritone of his father’s voice interrupting the sound of nature all around him.

“Maybe for just a minute or two?” Harry asked as he followed his father through the winding headstones and statues that marked the places where generations of the town’s people slept forevermore.

“Of course, Harry. I’ll be right here beside this tree, should you need me. Straight ahead, son.”

Harry paused as he followed the direction the Potions Master was pointing towards, and his heart began to race. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous; it was only a slab of marble with names carved in it, after all. Perhaps it was because he knew this was the closest he’d ever get to his biological parents again, and the sorrow that stole over him was almost tangible as he drew ever closer.

As Harry reached the headstone, he saw that someone had charmed every-living lilies to grow; a feat which required an enormous amount of magical power and skill. He dropped down to his knees and let his hand trail through the small gathering of petals and stems as his eyes finally met the words inscribed on the marble before him. There were names and dates, and even an epitaph, but it all blurred together as Harry traced first his mother’s name, then his father’s, with his fingertips like a blind man would read Braille, dipping into the loops and curves of the elegant script, trying to feel something other than cold stone.

A choked sob tore from Harry’s throat as all the pent up emotions within him seemed to surge forth and spill from him in waves. Why did they need to die, why couldn’t the bastard have just incapacitated them and done away with Harry? With an ache in his chest so painful he thought it might split him clean in half, Harry wished desperately to lay beside them, to escape this world and never have to worry about Horcruxes or evil dark lords again, safe in an eternal slumber with the people he loved so dearly, but never had the chance to truly know.

“Dad…”

Severus heard the strained call and immediately made to move towards his son when a sudden thought occurred to him; Harry could be lamenting James Potter, not calling for Severus. He was torn; he didn’t want to intrude on his son’s grief, but he thought the boy might need him. As his internal battle warred on, Harry turned and looked directly at him, lifting his hand toward him with such a wretched look of pain on his young face that Severus could feel it gnawing at his own heart with savage teeth and piercing claws.

“Dad, please.”

Severus moved quickly to his son’s side and knelt down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as the young Gryffindor leaned against him and dissolved into tears. He brushed Harry’s hair back and placed a kiss on the teen’s forehead as he felt tears burn in the back of his own eyes. No one person should have to feel so much pain.

Harry had never had the chance to properly grieve for his parents, and now, kneeling on the earth below which his parents’ remains lay, Harry could hold it back no more. His gut clenched with the utter despair he felt gripping his heart, and knew once he left this place, he couldn’t come back again. He would have his time to grieve, but he could not afford to lose himself in this grief, this desire to be set free and lay dead beside his parents.

“Where did you bury it, Dad?”

Severus leaned towards Lily’s half of the grave, and though it had been more than seven years since he had buried the bracelet, he knew exactly where it was. He dug his potion-stained fingers into the slightly damp earth, the scent of the soil reminding him of thunderstorms and the riverbank he used to play at with Lily near Spinner’s End, and began to dig the jewellery out. After about five handfuls of dirt, his fingertips hit the cool metal of the Horcrux. Severus took it up, it’s links caked with the earth that had interred it, a root from the lilies beginning to twine around the charm, weave through the links and twist into the clasp. Severus pulled it completely free of its resting place and rubbed his thumb across the circular charm, removing the soil from the small crevices of the engraved letters; S.S.

Harry scrunched his brow against the twinge of pain that laced through his scar, and for the countless time, he wondered why the Horcruxes and Voldemort himself caused such a reaction from his scar. Perhaps Hermione could help him find out some day. He stared at the bracelet and was glad when his father placed it inside an inner pocket of his robes instead of handing it to Harry to look after.

Harry turned back to the headstone before him and finally read the epitaph placed under the dates. ‘The Last Enemy that Shall be Destroyed is Death.’ What exactly did it mean? It didn’t really seem appropriate for his parents’ graves at all.

“Professor Dumbledore chose the epitaph. To this day, I still do not know exactly why he chose it. That man’s mind worked in mysterious ways.”

“I want to see the cottage.”

Harry’s non sequitur was met with a slightly wary silence as Severus stood and offered his son a hand up. He wasn’t sure taking Harry to see the crumbled remains of the cottage was such a good idea if seeing the graves of his parents had upset him so greatly.

“There is not much left to see, Harry, to be quite honest. When the Dark Lord cast the killing curse on you, there was some sort of explosion from the force of the protection Lily had provided you with. Though you survived the killing curse, you were damn lucky to have lived through the backlash from the warring spells. It will be upsetting.”

“I still want to see it. I was born here; this is where I spent my only time with my birth parents. I need to see where they were killed. If I see the destruction, maybe it will help me not to feel so numb. I’m losing steam, Dad. I don’t know how much longer I can handle searching for these Horcruxes, fighting just to stay alive. I’m so tired of it all; I just want to go to sleep and not wake up again.”

Severus felt a deep pang in his heart laced with a note of worry as he heard the utter pain in his son’s voice. He could not allow his son to give in, to give up the fight after all he had been through already. He would do whatever it took to make sure Harry made it through this. He’d do anything.

“Alright, son. I’ll take you.”

As Severus was leading his son back towards the gate of the cemetery, one of the older graves caught his eye. There was a symbol engraved underneath the name and dates, and it struck a chord in Severus. He could not for the life of him remember where he had seen the odd triangle, but somehow, he knew it was important. He made a mental note to look it up later, and continued on towards the gate.

Potter Cottage had stood on the edge of the small village, with plenty of land around it to offer some privacy. There had been a beautiful garden, half flowers and half vegetables, and the classic white picket fence made the home look like a Muggles dream. And that was the point; they had meant to blend in, to cast attention away from them. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.

Now, what remained of the homely cottage was protected by certain wards to preserve what was left of the establishment. The garden no longer flourished as it once had, the white picket fence was gray and weather worn and the cottage itself looked as though it had been dissected and left open for the world to see. Of course, only those of magical blood could see the ruins. To Muggles, it looked like an empty stretch of land that had a ‘for sale’ sign, but no contact information for possible buyers.

The top floor of the cottage had caved in and hung precariously over the trashed sitting room below. Remnants of sofas and armchairs lay pell-mell across the floor as insulation, stone and drywall littered the top and bottom floors. If you squinted, you could even see a crib, bent and broken into what looked like fire kindling. The cobble stones that led to the porch were covered in vines and dirt, and the porch was cleaved in half by the cottage falling in on itself. Where the front door once stood was blocked by hanging rubble and debris. The cottage had been devastated by the backlash of chaotic magic, it was clear to see, but as Harry stared on, all he could see was a flash of brightest green, the piercing sound of his mother’s screams echoing in his head.

“This is where they died. This is where Voldemort destroyed my life.”

Harry pulled out his wand and gave it a complicated wave, something Hermione had taught him after he failed the lesson in Transfiguration. The bouquet of wildflowers was colourful and fragrant, and Harry was proud of his work as he laid the bouquet atop the edge of the broken down fence, knowing if he tried to enter the property, some sort of trap set by Voldemort was likely to be triggered. He stepped back and leaned against his father’s chest, comforted when the Potions Master grasped his shoulder and pulled him close.

“Let’s go home, Dad.”

S~S~S~S

With two Horcruxes in the house and no way to destroy them, Harry was getting more and more anxious to find the last one so that they could turn their focus to destroying them. Ron and Hermione had been pouring over books in the library once more, and Draco was trying to make sense of all of the information gained from the Cartus Animarum with Lucius at his side. Severus, on the other hand, was looking up runes and magical sigils with fervour, though he declined to explain himself when anyone asked. Remus was starting to get worried by his husband’s actions, but he let the man be after being snapped at one too many times. 

It was during one of these frantic researching parties that Severus made a startled noise of discovery and leapt up from his seat. Without so much as looking at a single person in the room, he ran towards the hearth, threw in a pinch of floo powder and was gone in a flash of green.

“What in the name of Merlin is going on with him?” Remus asked out loud as he walked over to the fireplace, casting a spell that would reveal the last place travelled to, as no one had heard a word come from the Professor’s mouth. After a few frustrated grunts, Remus finally got his answer.

“Hogwarts. He’s gone to Hogwarts.”

“Maybe he remembered a book from the library there?” Hermione suggested gently, knowing that Remus’ temper was flared by the mysterious actions of his husband. Both of the professors had been irritable and seeming to have a silent war between them the last few days because of Severus’ secrecy.

Harry stood and came around the table to examine the page Severus had been reading before dashing off to Hogwarts. None of it rang any bells for him, and it didn’t seem to have anything to do with Horcruxes or souls either. “Who are the Peverell brothers?”

“You’ve never heard the Tale of the Three Brothers, Harry?” Ron asked, surprising Hermione by knowing something she obviously didn’t. When he received blank looks he sighed traumatically and walked over to one of the shelves of books, pulling out a small book that looked well worn.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard; they’re children’s stories that Mum would read to us as kids before bed. The Tale of the Three Brothers is the most popular one because there’s this legend that it’s based on true events. Everyone thinks the Peverell brothers are the Three Brothers.”

“But what do they have to do with any of this? As far as I can tell, they have absolutely nothing to do with Horcruxes! Why on earth is Severus being so damn secretive all of a sudden?” Remus asked rhetorically, clenching his fists in anger. Unfortunately, Lucius took the opportunity to answer anyways.

“Severus has always been an intensely personal man. There’s never really any rhyme or reason for his secrecy. Perhaps it is years of having to keep what he knows secret while he was spying still dominating his thinking?”

Remus glared at the blonde man, even though he knew everything he had said was true. “Yes, I realize that, thank you. I’m only his husband, why on earth should he tell me what the hell is going on?”

Harry walked over to Remus and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. The tension between his parents within the last few days had been felt by everyone, and it was starting to make him panic. He couldn’t watch them fall apart over him, he just couldn’t. “It’s alright, Moony. When he gets back, I’ll make sure he tells us what he’s been up to. I’m insanely curious as well. I mean, if it wasn’t important to the Horcruxes or destroying Voldemort, he wouldn’t be wasting time on it, would he?”

Remus sighed heavily as he hugged his son back and allowed the teen to drag him back over to the table and gently push him down into his abandoned seat. “That’s the thing, Harry; I have no idea what Severus is thinking. He’s not pushed me away like this since before we bonded. I miss him.”

The fire flared to life once more and Severus stepped out, some sort of white cloth clenched in his hand. His steps faltered as he realized everyone in the room was staring expectantly at him, and when he went to shove whatever was in his hand in his pocket, Remus stood angrily, his chair falling backwards with a loud bang.

“Oh no you don’t, Severus Snape! What on earth have you been hiding, why did you go to Hogwarts, what the hell is in your hand?” Remus demanded as he stepped forward, his wand clenched in his fist. The tension had finally snapped and the heat of Remus’ anger was almost too much to bear.

Severus was stunned in place as he wildly looked around, obviously looking for some excuse, some lie to feed Remus, but the werewolf was having none of it. A low growl emitted from his throat, and Harry suddenly realized that it was close to the full moon, and Remus was a very dangerous man at the moment.

Harry stood quickly and made to get between his parents, sliding his wand out of the holster as he did so. “Moony, please – ”

“Please nothing! Severus was always so hurt, so indignant when Dumbledore would keep secrets from us all, when he would hide things and skulk around, and now he’s doing the same damn thing! There’s no reason for it! Don’t you trust us, trust me?”

Severus’s shoulders slumped as he reached a hand out towards the shaking and angry man before him. “Of course I trust you, Remus. I trust all of you, I…I think I might have found something, but I’m not sure about it yet. I didn’t want to tell everyone and get your hopes up, just to shatter them if I’m wrong. Please, just trust me on this.”

“Why should I? I’ve no idea what you’re even going on about anymore. While you’re off on some wild goose chase, we’re all here trying to figure these damn Horcruxes out. Why won’t you just tell us what you’re doing? If it doesn’t work out, oh well. It’s not like we’re not used to disappointment already, Severus,” said Remus, his anger curbed slightly, but he was still breathing heavily and clenching his wand.

“If I’m right about this, I may have found a way to destroy the Horcruxes, but I just don’t know enough yet. I went to Hogwarts to confirm a suspicion I’ve had, that’s all,” Severus explained, conveniently glossing over whatever it was he had put into his pocket.

Draco was leaning over the book Severus had been reading, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what exactly Severus had been researching. “Cursed sigils? What does that have to do with Horcruxes?”

“That’s my point; I don’t know yet that it has anything to do with Horcruxes. Albus was connected to this somehow as well, but he never said anything about it. This is dangerous information, more dangerous than Horcruxes. Remus, I’m sorry, but just trust that I know what I am doing.”

Remus growled low in his throat again before stuffing his wand back into his pocket and stalking angrily out of the library. It was clear that this fight was not over, but Remus had had enough. Everyone sitting at the table looked around awkwardly at each other as Severus stood in indecision. Should he go after his husband, should he explain? Severus did hate secrets, but sometimes they were necessary. Even though he had a bad feeling about it, he decided that telling Remus at least would not hurt anything.

“Excuse me,” Severus said quietly as he left the library. He figured Remus would head to their bedroom to blow off steam, but when he got there, the room was empty. On the way down to check the basement kitchen, Severus checked the drawing room and even the downstairs sitting room, but Remus was not there either. The kitchen proved to be empty as well, and Severus suddenly started to feel a spike of panic. Remus wouldn’t have left completely, right?

Before he could walk back up to the library to tell the others, he noticed that a door off of the downstairs sitting room was ajar, a door that led to the overgrown backyard of the old house. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Severus slipped through the back door.

Remus was sitting on a crumbling old stone bench that overlooked a stone fountain that would have been beautiful if it had been taken care of properly. Instead, the stones were covered in moss and wild vines and the cherub at the top of the fountain was weather worn and chipped. Severus’ nose crinkled as he smelt a pungent order as he came up behind his husband, and rolled his eyes as he watched a trail of smoke travel up and into the air.

“I thought you quit smoking years ago,” Severus asked quietly as he sat down carefully on the old bench beside the werewolf. There was a long silence as the last of the cigarette burned into ash, the acrid smell of the smoke making Severus’ eyes water as he tried not the breathe the smoke in.

“I did. I rarely light up here and there when I’m stressed or completely irritated. Takes the edge off, especially near the full moon. Keeps me from ripping people’s heads off, you see.”

“I’m sorry, Remus. I know you hate when I keep things from you, but I thought it would be better to keep this to myself until I was sure of my suspicions. Apparently I was wrong. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me not to tell Harry or any of the others. I may be a fool for believing any of this could help, but I have to be sure.”

Remus turned his head to study his husband’s face, seeing the tension and worry creasing his forehead and making his eyes look more blue than black. Perhaps he was overreacting, but he hated that Severus was pushing him away, keeping secrets. Wasn’t it his job as Severus’ partner to be there for him, to make sure he had the support he needed through thick and thin?

“Is this going to hurt Harry? Is that why you’re so intent on keeping it from him?”

Severus sighed as he wiped a hand over his tired eyes, blinking the moisture the smoke had caused back. “It could potentially hurt any one of us. It’s powerful and dangerous, and in the wrong hands could be deadly for all of us, the Wizarding world at large.”

Remus’ angry expression smoothed out into one of faint curiosity and worry. If this was worse even than the Horcruxes, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what his husband had been researching. “What do you know, Severus?”

“Have you ever heard the Tale of the Three Brothers?”

S~S~S~S

The bathroom tiles were cold as their bare feet travelled across, pausing every few steps while their owners became too impatient. With the flick of a wand, warm water began to flow from the shower head. The glass door of the shower began to steam up and become opaque. As the two men continued their stumbling trek across the bathroom, faint wet noises could be heard echoing off the tiles. Lips met and tongues slid together as hands explored and massaged, soothed and forgave. As they reached their destination, a single handprint was imprinted on the steamy glass, and that handprint was all Harry needed to see on his parents’ shower door fifteen minutes later to know it was probably a good idea to come back later.

Harry smiled as he walked back to his and Draco’s room, glad that his parents had apparently made up. That, or they really were drowning each other in the shower, but he suspected not. He soothed Draco’s worried and questioning gaze with a deep kiss as he crawled into bed beside him, running a hand through the blonde’s icy locks. There was so much love in his family, in this house. It wrapped around him like a blanket, like Draco’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him against his chest, their kiss broken only when they could hold their breath no longer.

“I love you,” Harry whispered against his lover’s lips before leaning down to kiss Draco’s breath away once more. He had never felt such a pressing need to be as close to Draco as possible before, and though he was lying completely atop the blonde, he still didn’t feel close enough.

“I love you too,” Draco whispered back, slightly bewildered by Harry’s sudden passion, but not complaining at all. He slid his hands down Harry’s back and slipped them under the hem of his shirt, his fingers trailing up bare, warm flesh as he allowed the brunette to kiss him senseless. Then Harry whispered two words he would never forget, two words that would echo in his head for the rest of his life as he recalled how hard his heart began to beat, how strangled his breath became.

“I’m ready.”

S~S~S~S

The next morning at breakfast, there was still some sort of tension in the air, but it wasn’t coming from Harry’s parents any longer. Harry was fidgeting nervously, glancing up every now and then and wondering if everyone sitting at the table knew, or if it was just paranoia. He sighed when Draco rested a hand on his knee below the table and sent him an appreciative smile. That’s when he caught Ron’s eye and saw him blush bright red, and Harry’s stomach fell. Had he heard them? He couldn’t have; they’d been sure to put up silencing spells.

After breakfast was over, Ron approached Harry and asked if they could talk privately. Harry sent a desperate look towards Draco who just shrugged and gave a teasing smirk before joining Hermione in the library.

The awkward silence in the drawing room was one of the worst Harry had ever had to sit through in his life. He watched Ron squirm and blush, twiddle his thumbs and open his mouth to speak, only to clamp his jaw shut and blush even more. Harry was growing restless and was on tenterhooks when Ron finally cleared his throat to speak.

“So…Can I tell you something – you know, best mate to best mate? I know – er – this might not be as interesting to you, seeing as you’re, you know…um…gay and all, but…er…”

“Ron, would you just spit it out already! I’m jumping out of my skin here!” Harry demanded, extremely confused as to what Ron was going on about. It apparently had nothing to do with him and Draco, which he was glad for.

“Just…just don’t tell anyone, yeah? Er, can you cast a silencing spell? I’m bollocks at them.”

After Harry had cast a double-strength silencing charm at the doors and at the windows, he leaned forward, more than ready to hear what had Ron so flustered. Admittedly, he hadn’t talked to his best friend very much recently, after everything they had been through, but being the one Ron turned to when he obviously needed someone to talk to felt good. He felt important in Ron’s life again.

“So…well, um…you know – ”

“Ron. Deep breaths. It’s ok, it’s just me. I’m not going to tell a soul, I swear,” Harry assured his friend, starting to become equal parts worried and amused by the redhead’s antics. You’d think he’d done something incredibly stupid.

“Yeah, ok. Well, that night, the night of your little after party…well, you see. Hermione and I were both pissed up; she couldn’t even walk to her room. So I, er, I helped her to her room, though I couldn’t really walk either. I tried to help her into bed, ‘cos I knew she couldn’t do it on her own, see, but…well. Er…”

“I think I know where this is going, but continue on anyways,” Harry deadpanned, feeling a lot less anxious about his own activities the night before.

“This isn’t funny, Harry! We, you know…did it. But we were really drunk; we had no idea what we were doing!”

Harry saw the panic in Ron’s eyes as well as what looked frighteningly like tears and his amusement vanished. He crossed the space between them and sat beside Ron on the sofa as opposed to across from him. This didn’t sound good.

“We…we didn’t use protection. We’re terrified, Harry. Hermione’s been beating herself up, feeling so stupid, but it wasn’t her fault. I shouldn’t have, but we were drunk, and I feel horrible for – for taking advantage, but she said I didn’t, that it was a group effort, but she feels like it’s her fault because she knew the spells, but she didn’t think to use them and – ”

Harry placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. The redhead was starting to hyperventilate as a single tear rolled down his blushing cheek. He looked up at Harry with such desperation in his eyes, in sent a pang through Harry’s heart. “Calm down, Ron. We’ll figure this out, ok? Has Hermione tried talking to Professor Sinistra?”

Ron took a few gulping breaths as he leaned his elbows on his knees and stuffed his hands into his messy hair. “She wants to, but she’s afraid the Professor will tell your parents, and she’s too scared to let anyone know. I think she’s mainly afraid that people will think her stupid and irresponsible, but it’s not only her fault. I feel wretched, Harry. What are we going to do?”

“What about someone else you can trust, another girl? What about…Tonks! You can trust Tonks, and I bet she’d know what to do.”

“She’s dating Charlie, Harry. What if she tells Charlie and he tells Mum? She’ll kill me, Harry. She’ll kill me, bring me back to life, and then kill me again! I know she wants grandkids, but not while I’m barely of age!”

Harry sighed heavily, knowing that Ron was at least partially right, but he was sure Tonks wouldn’t tell Charlie if they asked her not to. Obviously, if Hermione was pregnant, they couldn’t keep it a secret forever, but if they asked Tonks not to say anything until they knew for sure and told Molly themselves, Harry knew she would do it.

“Look, have Hermione send Tonks an owl, or ask her to stay after the next Order meeting. I’m sure Tonks won’t say anything to Charlie if you ask her not to. I mean, isn’t there a spell to tell whether or not she’s…you know?”

“Yes, of course there is, but Hermione is utterly terrified and won’t perform the spell, and I’m too bloody thick to figure out how to do it myself. I’ve ruined everything,” Ron whispered, his voice strained as he buried his face in his hands.

Harry felt completely thrown. He’d never imagined he’d be having this conversation with Ron about Hermione, but it was real and it seemed Ron was heavily guilt ridden. “Hey, mate, like Hermione said; you didn’t do it alone. It was a mistake on both your parts, but I think you’ll both be able to handle the consequences. Hermione’s a genius and you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know you’re both scared, but I think telling someone older, someone who would know what to do is what’s going to help get you through this. You know I’m always here for you too. And yeah, Mum might kill you, but then she’ll hug you for giving her her first grandbaby,” Harry said with a cheeky grin as he threw an arm around his best mate and pulled him into a brief side hug.

Ron wiped the tears from his cheeks and eyes and visibly pulled himself together. He had a determined expression, and for the first time, Harry saw the man that Ron had grown to be. He had made mistakes, been extremely stupid and bigoted, but he was still a good man at heart, and he couldn’t think of a better father for Hermione’s child. The thought of Hermione having a baby brought Harry up short as he tried to imagine her with a baby bump. He shook the image off as Ron gave him another brief hug and smiled ruefully.

“I’m so sorry I ever risked our friendship, Harry. You’re my rock; I dunno what I’d do without you. Next time I’m being a prat, just whack me a good one, yeah? I could use a good knocking around or two,” Ron said with a sheepish smile as he threw his arm around Harry’s shoulder and leaned comfortably against him. It felt like old times, like when neither of them had to care what the other was thinking by being so comfortably close together. Harry was glad they had gotten back to that comfort level at last. After all, Ron was practically a brother to him.

Harry laughed and shook his head, though his expression was one of fond amusement. “I can’t say I don’t agree with you, dear Ronniekins.”

“Oi! I’ll kill Fred and George for starting you calling me that!”

S~S~S~S

That night, inevitably, an Order meeting was called. There wasn’t very much new information to go on, just a short report from Fred and George about the increase of Death Eater sightings in Diagon Alley.

“Seems like the buggers are getting awfully brave, just waltzing around in their black robes and carrying their masks around like some sort of talisman,” said Fred with a scowl.

“It’s like their taunting the Ministry, trying to get them to make some sort of move against them,” George added.

“Personally – ”

“We think it’s a trap,” the twins answered together.

Kingsley leaned forward, rubbing his chin as though in deep thought. “What do you mean by trap? Obviously they’re trying to gain more attention, but why?”

“It’s a diversion. They’re trying to draw extra security to Diagon Alley in order to slacken security somewhere else. I mean, security in the Alley is already pretty tight after the two attacks that happened there, but I think they’re really trying to draw attention away from something else. They’re planning something big,” George said.

“The problem is figuring out what and where,” his twin added.

“You guys keep a careful eye out and make sure you have plenty of security around your shop. You’ll be a target for sure. It’s no secret that you know Harry and are close with him, so keep your heads up,” Kingsley warned, the worry in his voice quite comforting. Minister for Magic or not, Kingsley was still an Order member, still a friend of the family.

“Severus and I actually have an idea, if I may be allowed to speak?” Lucius asked, sitting forward so that everyone at the table could see him. Severus looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t exactly approve of this idea being brought up quite yet, but he did not stop Lucius from continuing.

Lucius waited for an affirmative nod from Kingsley before he launched into this new idea. “We are struggling without an informant. We are ignorant to his movements and plans, and we’ve no idea where the Dark Lord currently is. Without more information, we can’t hope to figure out what this ploy of the Death Eater’s may be. What we need is a way to get back inside, get the upper hand on his plans once more. We need to infiltrate his ranks.”

“Are you saying we should send another spy in? Severus worked hard for years to earn He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s trust. We don’t have that kind of time anymore,” Professor McGonagall pointed out, her sour expression evidence of what she thought of Lucius and his ideas.

“Spying is not the only means of gaining information, Headmistress. There are those in his ranks who pretend to be loyal, but are in fact terrified, but reluctant to try to leave. If we offer those people protection from both the Dark Lord and the Ministry, they may be willing to spill what they know.”

“But the Death Eaters who don’t want to be there aren’t likely to have significant information to spare. Those close to Voldemort are his Inner-Circle, and aren’t very reluctant at all in their support of him,” Remus said, his tone suggesting that he had made this point before.

Severus sent an apologetic looks towards his husband before he spoke up. It was obvious they had spoken about all of this before, and if Severus was slightly disapproving, Remus was even more so. “There is one such Death Eater who only stays by the Dark Lord’s side out of fear. He’s not strictly Inner-Circle, but he’s often close to the Dark Lord. We also have an advantage over him; a Life Debt.”

“Wormtail,” Harry growled, finally realizing who his father was referring to. “How could we use his Life Debt to me?”

“We invoke the Debt and use it to get information out of him. This may be a long shot, but his proximity to the Dark Lord and his history of being an eavesdropper and traitor suggest he could know important information,” Lucius explained.

“Is that the proper way to invoke a Life Debt?” Hermione asked, her expression just as disapproving as Remus’, though there was a hint of curiosity, as was always the case with Hermione.

“A Life Debt is just that; when someone saves or spares your life, a bond is formed. The person owing the Debt must repay the favour, either with their life or with some other form of sacrifice. Certain information about the Dark Lord and his followers could very well lead to saving Mr. Potter’s life. Therefore, the Life Debt would be rightfully paid.”

“So Wormtail would not be literally paying with his life, just giving you information?” Ron asked. He was usually very quiet during these meetings, and while most people thought he was just bored, Harry knew he was thinking quite deeply. Ron was a strategist, through and through.

“His life would be forfeit to Harry. After we invoked the Debt and got all the information out of him we could, it would be up to Harry what to do with his life. He could end it, just by saying he wanted his life in return, or he could choose to release Peter from the confines of the Debt, now that it has been paid. Either way, he would be at the mercy of Harry’s decision, which is why I think this is a bad idea,” Remus said firmly, glaring across the table at Lucius, who was obviously the one to suggest this plan.

Harry had gone pale at Remus’ explanation. He wasn’t sure if he could handle being in control of someone else’s life; he could hardly handle his own! He had spared Wormtail’s life once because that’s what he thought his father would have wanted, but the bastard had escaped and was the reason Voldemort came back a year later. Could he let the man go a second time, or would that be betraying his birth parents? Could he kill a man, let his life simply end?

“I hate him for what he did to Mum and Dad, but I don’t know if I can do that,” Harry admitted, calming down a little as Draco took his hand and gave it a squeeze. He was glad to have the blonde by his side.

“This will be up to you, Harry, as you’re the one owed the Life Debt. Only you can invoke it,” Severus explained, still with that apologetic look. It was clear he thought the idea had merit; he just wished Harry didn’t have to make such a hard decision. His son had enough to worry about.

“Can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course.”

The meeting broke up soon after, but people lingered around for a while, catching up and discussing the topics that had been brought up. Hermione and Ron were off in a corner together whispering frantically together. Harry watched from the other side of the room as Hermione drew herself up and marched over to Tonks, who followed her out of the room after Hermione’s request for a word. Ron met Harry’s eyes from beside Charlie and gave him a worried look. Harry tried to smile reassuringly, but he was feeling a little stressed himself.

“Harry? Are you alright love?” Draco asked quietly as he wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist.

Harry smiled genuinely at his boyfriend and leaned in for a quick, warm kiss. He could always count on Draco to give him some support when he felt like he was starting to lose it. “Yeah, I just have a lot to think about.”

Draco kissed him again, then leaned close to Harry’s ear, his warm breath causing Harry to shiver pleasantly. “Want me to help take your mind off things for a bit?” he asked, nipping playfully at Harry’s earlobe.

Harry smirked as goose pimples broke out across his arms. He pulled away from Draco before they attracted too much attention in the still crowded basement kitchen. “Yeah, I want you to.”