I do my best not to grimace as Draco and I walk down the corridor towards the DADA classroom. The other students that we meet immediately turn away at the sight of us, likely to hide their laughter. Of all the punishments in the world, this one probably is the worst for a teenager.

"Keep walking, Mr. Potter," Dad says behind us, gently pressing a hand against my back to keep me moving.

Since I know that he's only addressing me by surname because we're around the other students, I don't have that usual knotting of my stomach. I just keep walking, giving a small smile to Remus when we finally reach him a moment later. It's just the same old, same old.

Draco and I have been on this punishment for almost two weeks now, where Dad or Mum, depending on which one of them is available, walks us to our classes, all of our classes. It's embarrassing as all hell, but I'll say that it definitely has made me think twice about doing anything like that again.

"Afternoon, Severus," Remus says politely before smiling at Draco and me.

"Lupin," replies Dad, inclining his head respectfully. He then frowns. "If possible, I'd appreciate it if you escorted them to the library when finished. I unfortunately won't be able to return, and I'd rather Aurora was not bothered by this needlessly."

"Of course, Severus, I'll bring them by as soon as we're finished."

Draco and I quietly walk away from them and walk into the classroom. Some of our classmates are there, but they don't even look at us black sheep of Hogwarts. We take our seats, Draco over on the Slytherin side of the room and me on the Gryffindor side.

"There you are," Ron says a second later, sliding into the seat beside me.

"Here I am," I reply glumly.

"So, did he say how much longer you're supposed to be on this restriction thing?"

"No, but I think that's the point."

"Well, personally, I believe we're—"

"We know, Mione. Trust us. We know," Ron interrupts, rolling his eyes.

I glance at Hermione and see her glare at him. I only shake my head and glance at the top of the classroom, waiting for Remus to join us. I can't help but think how it's been the same almost two weeks that we've been without Declan as our teacher. I truly miss having him here. I mean, Remus is great and all, but together those two are able to challenge us in ways none of our other instructors have.

"Today we're going to learn about binding spells, specifically Incarcerous." Remus calmly draws his wand, pointing it at the dummy a few feet from him. "Incarcerous," he casts, tossing thick conjured ropes towards its torso. He turns back as the ropes wrap tightly around the dummy. "As you can see, it effectively will bind your opponent's arms and/or feet depending on how powerful you cast your spell." He walks closer to us. "This would be very beneficial when facing an opponent who has you outmatched three-to-one." With a soft smile towards us, he holds his wand up. "To cast effectively, you simply point your wand at your opponent and say 'Incarcerous.' Unlike most spells, there is no motion made." His eyes then dart about the room before resting on a Slytherin. "Mr. Nott, how about you demonstrate Incarcerous for us?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, why the hell not," the tall fifth-year Slytherin says, standing and walking towards the front of the class. He draws his wand and glances at Remus before sighing. "Incarcerous," he casts, sending his ropes flying. Unfortunately, though, his conjured ropes don't hit the dummy. Instead, they wrap around a very shocked and outraged Pansy Parkinson.

I grimace, expecting her to shriek. However, Remus simply waves away the ropes, giving Theo a small smile and patting his back. I suppose it could have been worse. He could have wrapped them around Remus. I watch Theo take his seat next to Draco again, bowing his head.

"Mr. Longbottom," Remus announces, motioning towards the spot he sent his spell from.

I watch Neville slowly walk up there. I can see that he's almost trembling from his nervousness. For a split second, I think about cowering under my desk until after he's finished, but I decide against it. I give Neville a small, hopefully encouraging smile when he glances at me.

With his wand pointed at the dummy, Neville casts his spell, closing his eyes it seems.

Very slowly, I glance at the dummy to see if he managed to hit it. I instantly grin with the other Gryffindors when I see the ropes wrapped tight against it. We're definitely going to need to celebrate that one. I almost laugh at the expression on Neville's face when he finally glances up and sees that he is successful with his casting.

"Excellent, Mr. Longbottom, most excellent," Remus announces, clapping his hands together. "I do believe 100 points to Gryffindor are in order for that."

"Why?" sneers Pansy. "Cause Longbottom didn't manage to kill us this time?"

"Lay off him, Parkinson," growls Draco.

She whirls around in her seat, glaring at him with an almost predatory look. She then scoffs, shaking her head. Normally, I'd say it would be impossible, but she becomes even uglier.

"You might as well hand in your robes now, Malfoy, because you're a disgrace." She gives a little laugh before smirking. "Maybe your parents weren't killed by Death Eaters. Maybe your father ate his wand, knowing that his son was a Gryffindor-loving—"

"Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Malfoy, take your seats NOW!" Remus snaps, walking towards them.

"At least I never shared a bed with a Hufflepuff," Draco snarls. "The same can't be said for you, Parkinson. You've been in what, ten of them? And that's just this week, isn't it?"

Holding her head up high, she glares at him with the nastiest and ugliest look ever. Her eyes dart to Hermione if only for a second before she smirks. Crossing her arms, she then gives a short laugh.

"No, you've never been with a Hufflepuff. You want to be with something much worse. You want to be with that MUDBLOOD Granger!"

Draco instantly pops up out of his seat, glaring at her. "Don't EVER call her that, Parkinson!" Draco roars, his eyes holding a murderous look in them. "She's ten times the witch you'll ever dream of being." His body shakes in anger as he clenches his teeth, sneering at her.

I feel Ron tense beside me, which makes me suppress a grimace. Well, it could be—nope, never mind. I watch Pansy leap towards him with her feral look on her face. Blaise and Theo instantly shove her back, only to cause the entire Slytherin side to erupt into utter chaos as the Gryffindors look on in pure shock. Who would have guessed in a million years that Slytherins would be fighting Slytherins?

"ENOUGH!" Remus shouts, his voice thundering around the room. The Slytherins instantly stop, glaring daggers at one another with their wands in their hands at the ready.

I glance towards Draco, wincing as I see his bloody lip that Goyle gave him and the bruised cheek with a black eye that Crabbe did. Though, the thirty-second fight seemingly has left almost every Slytherin with some bumps, scraps, scratches, and bruises.

"You'll get what's coming to you, Malfoy," sneers Goyle.

"Yeah," Crabbe agrees, smirking.

"Sit down now, gentlemen," Remus orders, gently pushing them down into their chairs. His eyes glance around at the Slytherin side before he shakes his head. "900 points from Slytherin for attacking its own," he announces, clearly still angered by their fight. He says nothing when the majority of Slytherin drop their mouths in shock. "Never in my years here have I seen such a spectacle before, and from Slytherins nonetheless. You should all be ashamed of yourselves." He then shakes his head with a look of disgust on his face at a few of them. "You are not your parents. You are not damned to their fates. You do not have the Dark Mark on your—"

"Yet," Crabbe replies proudly. "We don't have the Mark yet."

I watch Remus take a step back from them. I likely would have done the same. I shake my head in disbelief. I can't believe they're that idiotic to state that in the middle of the DADA classroom. I then glance towards Draco.

"Is that what you want to become? Murderers?" the blond Slytherin asks, staring at them. He then scoffs, shaking his head. "You can't even kill a butterfly, Vince, but you think you can take a life?"

"I'll get used to it," Crabbe sneers.

"Oh yeah, and what if the Dark Lord asks you to kill your mother? Would you kill her, Vince? Would you kill the woman who has pro—?"

A fist out of nowhere suddenly appears, slamming against Draco's mouth. I watch my brother's head snap back from the sheer force of the blow before he falls towards the floor. I stand to grab him, grateful a moment later when Blaise and Theo grab Draco's arms to keep him upright. I then watch jets of light slam against the majority of the remaining Slytherins, body-binds I recognize a moment later.

"This ends now!" Remus then flicks his wand towards the door, likely to send his Patronus to the other professors. He stares at them, shaking his head. "You are children, not would-be Death Eaters. The prejudices of your parents should have no bearing on your education here. If you wish to become like your parents because you believe in their ideals, do that once you are out of Hogwarts. Until then, these are your brothers and sisters, your one true family that cares for you. These are the ones who would have your back in a duel, unlike your Death Eater brethren you so desperately wish to join. Your fellow Death Eaters would stand by and watch as you were tortured unmercifully, believing you deserve it. I believe your Head of House has spoken on numerous occasions to you about this."

When the door opens, I watch Professors Dumbledore and Slughorn rush in. My eyes narrow immediately at this as I wonder where Dad is. He always handles Slytherin issues. However, when Professor Slughorn shares a few hushed words with Remus, I overhear him saying something about Dad being busy with something else. I sigh when Professor Dumbledore waves his hand at the body-bound Slytherins, releasing them instantly from the spell. He clearly isn't happy, but none of the professors are.

"You are to head to the common room now," Slughorn orders, "all of you."

"Mr. Malfoy should remain behind, Horace," Dumbledore softly interrupts. He gives the man a look before he turns to address Remus.

"All right, the rest of you, start marching now." Slughorn points towards the door, keeping his wand at the ready. "And if any of you so much as even sneezes, you'll find yourselves being levitated down there with another body bind, understand?" He motions towards the door again, watching them very closely as the silent Slytherins head out of the room.

"Reckon I wouldn't want to be them right now," Ron mutters.

I only nod, slowly walking towards Draco. The blond glances at me as he holds himself upright by pressing his palms against the table. He looks as if he's about to collapse at any moment. I grab his arm just as I saw Theo and Blaise do earlier. Draco, however, swats my hands away.

"I'm fine," he says tersely. His right eye is nearly swollen shut and bleeding horribly from a cut across his eyebrow. His nose seems to be broken too, but he doesn't seem to notice it at all.

"Bull," I reply, ignoring the looks from my housemates.

"Gryffindors, perhaps it'd be best if you too went to your common room," Dumbledore quietly says a few feet behind me. "I do believe the excitement is over."

Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Parvati, and Fay all walk past quietly. Neville hangs back with Ron and Hermione. Ron still is glaring at Draco for his comment earlier, but he doesn't say a word as he soon follows the others. Neville bites his bottom lip, though, and opens his mouth. He shakes his head a moment later and walks away with Ron.

"Thank you, Draco," Hermione softly whispers, pressing a kiss against the one spot of his face that isn't bloodied. She glances at me for a moment before quickly walking out of the room.

"Would you like me to heal your face, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asks, a moment later.

Draco doesn't speak. He just shakes his head, wincing at the motion.

"Then I'll assume that you'll be healed as soon as Severus lays eyes on you." Dumbledore glances at me for a moment, smiling softly. "Speaking of which, I do believe Remus is expected to accompany you both to the library." He looks towards Remus. "I do believe the Floo would be the fastest." His blue eyes slowly trail back over to Draco and me, resting on the blond for a moment. Dumbledore seems so, well, I don't know, sad for some reason. When he catches me staring at him, though, he glances away and silently walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Severus likely is going to murder me for this," Remus mutters quietly, pocketing his wand. He holds his hand out to Draco. "Here, Mr. Malfoy, allow me to help you."

"No thank you, sir," the blond replies, hissing through the pain.

"Stop being an idiot, Draco," I grumble, wrapping an arm around his waist. I feel him tense for a moment before he relaxes. "He's just trying to help."

"I know," he responds, hissing again as he grimaces. He then groans as we take a step forward. "It's not a werewolf thing or anything," he explains quietly. "I just trust Harry more, sir."

"Perfectly understandable," Remus says, staring at him oddly for a moment. He seems to be working something out. However, he smiles at me when he catches me staring at him. "Well, we should be on our way." He silently leads us up to the office, stopping every now and then to wait for us to catch up. A moment later, he holds the door open for us, frowning when Draco stiffens as I accidentally lose my hold on him and cause him to brush against Remus.

"Sorry," Draco mumbles, forcing himself to relax.

Remus waves away his apology with a soft smile. He then grabs a handful of Floo powder, walking into the fireplace and tossing it down a second later. He calls out our destination, disappearing in the emerald flames a moment later.

I pause for a moment for Draco to grab the powder before we do the same. The minute the emerald flames surround us and transport us to the library, I feel myself being pitched forward. Hands, however, grab my shoulders to keep Draco and me upright.

"Thanks, Remus," I reply, glancing up with a smile. However, my mouth drops when I realize that it isn't Remus. It isn't even Dad. "You," I say shocked. "But—"

"It's a pleasure to see you also, young Harry," Declan says, chuckling. "Professor Lupin has taken his leave already, assuming correctly that we would need to speak in private." His dark eyes glance at Draco, causing him to sigh. "Ah, I take it that your former acquaintances decided to strike today." He shakes his head then, stating a moment later, "How stupid of them."

"Set him over here, Harry," Dad instructs, standing next to a chair with his ebony wand drawn. Apart from Dad and Declan, Draco and I are the only other people in the library. Dad inclines his head towards me when I follow his order. He slowly reaches towards Draco's face, causing the blond to flinch horribly away from his hand.

My eyes narrow, watching Dad's hand hover for a moment. I then notice Dad glance towards Declan as they share a look before Dad frowns.

"I apologize, Severus," Draco quietly says.

"You never have to apologize for that, Draco," Dad instantly replies. "You know that." He then sighs softly. "I need to touch your face to keep you from moving as I heal your wounds."

"I understand."

I watch Dad slowly approach Draco again. At the sight of this, I can't help but remember how Dad acted with me the night Dumbledore brought me to him. It was the same way. I watch Draco flinch again, forcing himself to relax a moment later. I can see that he's clearly uncomfortable by Dad's touch.

"So, did you notice that Mione kissed you earlier?" Dad glances at me instantly, but shakes his head and returns to running his wand down Draco's face. "I think she might like you."

"Potter, she kissed my temple. That's hardly a kiss."

"Well, it's more than anything Ron's ever had," I point out with a smile, noticing that he's relaxing even more as we continue talking.

"Yeah, and he's likely going to plot my demise with Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle, too."

"I doubt that. We Gryffindors tend to be impulsive."

"As if that's any better," he says with a snort. The cut above his eye slowly closes and soon is just a thin pink mark. A moment later, he and I both grimace as his nose cracks with a muttered 'Episkey.' He draws in a breath before speaking. "Rather sucks, though, that I didn't get to feel that."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure if you keep standing up for Hermione like that, she'll keep kissing you like that." Dad glances at me. "Pansy called Hermione a, well, you know what."

"I see," Dad replies quietly. He then glances at Draco. "I take it you defended Miss Granger's honor then, which only angered Miss Parkinson even more."

"I told the truth about her," Draco answers, holding his head up high. "It's not my fault that the truth hurts in her case."

"Hmm," Declan quietly mutters beside me. "Trouble is brewing in Slytherin. A rare occurrence if I'm correct." His brows then furrow as he thinks about something for a moment. "They are likely sensing the same shift we are, Severus."

"Shift?" a moment later, I repeat, glancing from Dad to Declan. "What shift?"

"I'll explain later, Harry," Dad responds, not looking at me. He then reaches into his robes, pulling out a thin bottle. "Drink this," he instructs, holding it out to Draco. "It'll reduce the swelling around your eye."

"Dad, what's going on?" I then glance at Declan before looking back at him. "I mean, Mum pretty much went ballistic over the whole Darfor fiasco. Isn't she going to be rather ticked about us talking to Declan now?"

"Likely, yes," Dad answers. "However, you were correct, Harry."

"Why? I didn't find the sword."

"No," he agrees. "But you were right to do everything you could to protect her. While I do not appreciate you disobeying my orders, I can certainly understand it."

"Because of your mum," I say quietly.

"Yes, and because of Lily. I wished to protect them both, assuming that my attempts to protect them would be enough. It was not enough in either case." Drawing in a slow breath, he releases it a second later. "I allowed my judgment to be clouded with Aurora's thoughts on the matter. Allowing her to get her way will only lead to her certain death. Even you and Draco have recognized that."

"So, what are you doing then?"

"We shall speak to her," he replies, pausing for a few seconds before adding, "as a family. Force her to listen to us. She needs to understand that we will not stand by and let her be taken from us." He draws in a slow breath. "She needs to hear us tell her how . . . concerned we are."

"Dad, did something happen?" I ask, taking note of the slight tremor in his wand hand.

"Windsor was attacked earlier today, young Harry. It is nothing to be concerned over, however. Lady Syra and Orin are quite well."

"Mezra attacked them?"

"She attempted to, but failed. My brothers and sisters along with myself felt them before they could attack so we were able to assist Lady Syra and Orin before."

"Is everyone all right?"

"A few of my brethren have passed on, but not many," Declan responds quietly.

I glance back at Dad. That can't be the reason why he's so, I don't know, shaken up maybe. Licking my lips slowly, I feel my stomach clench painfully.

"Dad, you saw her, didn't you? You saw Mezra." Dad glances at me for a brief moment before shaking his head.

"No, Harry. I haven't seen her. She, however, left a message for me this morning."

"What sort of message?"

Dad only shakes his head. "One that you do not need to know about, Harry," he quietly says. Glancing at Declan, he sighs. "We should perhaps head down to the dungeons." He waits for Declan to nod his assent, flexing his left hand all the while. He's been doing this more lately I've been noticing.

"Is something wrong with your hand, Dad?" I hold my gaze when he glances at me. "You keep flexing it like it hurts." I watch his hand as it falls stiffly to his side.

"I'm fine, Harry. I just get a minor ache every now and then." He then holds a hand out to Draco to help him up. "Are you feeling well enough to walk?"

"As well as one can be after being punched by a five hundred pound idiot," Draco responds.

"I'll give you a pain-relieving potion once we arrive at our rooms." Dad then removes his hand, slowly walking towards the Floo.

Draco and I follow obediently behind him with Declan walking behind us. We watch Dad disappear in the familiar emerald flames a moment later. I glance towards my brother, noticing his pained look.

"You can go first," I offer. I then feel Declan's hand on my shoulder as he does the same with Draco. I just barely close my eyes when I feel the whoosh as the vampire transports us to the dungeons. "I really, really hate that," I growl, glaring at him.

"Yes, I believe you've mentioned that four or five hundred times this term," Declan drawls. He then quickly blends into the shadows as Mum's high-heeled boots click against the stone floor.

"I do hope you're not all waiting for me," Mum teases, smiling softly as she walks into the sitting room. When Dad grabs her hand a moment later, she stops and glances at him.

"We need to talk," he says quietly.

Mum glances at Draco and me before nodding. She seems thoroughly confused as she takes a seat in on the edge of Dad's armchair. She draws in a slow breath, crossing her arms.

"Windsor was attacked this morning. Your parents, however, are well and safe for the time being. It appears that Mezra was attempting to send you a message, though."

"I see," Mum replies softly. She then glances towards the shadows that Declan is blending in with. "You can join us now, Declan," she announces. "Circe knows you're here after that." She remains expressionless when he calmly walks out. "Am I to assume then that you'd like for him to remain here to protect me again?" she asks Dad.

"Declan lied, Mum," I say, sensing her underlying anger. "I was the one who decided to go to Darfor, not him." She glances at me, but says nothing so I push forward. "Mezra showed me images of you, Dad, Draco, and Angel being tortured. I couldn't just sit back, Mum. I had to do something." I notice Dad's eyes dart to me instantly. Well, I have sort of neglected telling him that part.

Sort of, Dad responds, using our link for the first time in a real long time. Sort of neglected, he repeats with a scoff. Sort of neglected is when one forgets to finish writing an essay, Harry, not neglecting to inform someone about a person being inside your head.

Yeah, well, aren't you supposed to be listening to me all the time, Dad? I quip. I have the decency to blanch when he glares at me. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"Harry, I'm—"

Looking back on it, I'm not sure why I do it, but I instantly snap back at Mum. Well, maybe I'm angry because I'm scared about Mum and Dad, well, mostly Dad. Either way, I snarl, "I'm sick and tired of everyone saying that everything is fine when it's not! You keep wanting to ignore Mezra, thinking that she's not wanting to kill you despite we've all seen that she does." I then turn towards Dad and glare back at him. "And you keep saying everything's fine when you know it's not. Something's wrong with your arm, and it's scaring you, Dad. That's why we're here talking to Mum, isn't it?"

"Your arm?" repeats Mum, glancing at him a moment later. She then stands. "Show me."

"I do not believe—"

"Harry has seen my scar version of it before, so I doubt he's going to be upset over yours."

"Aurora," Dad warns, shaking his head.

"Show me your forearm now, Severus," she repeats.

Dad sighs in response before he glances at me. Frowning, he unbuttons the first two, rolling up his sleeve a moment later. He bears his arm towards Mum with a heavy sigh.

I glance at Dad's forearm, narrowing my eyes instantly as Mum gasps. Dad's arm is pale, but that's it. There's not really anything shocking about it.

"Your Mark's . . ." Mum whispers.

"Gone, I know," Dad replies with another sigh. "It had been tingling for awhile now. This morning, however, I noticed that it was gone."

"Then that means . . ."

"We cannot assume that, Aurora."

"Assume what?" I ask, glancing between them.

"That Riddle has been vanquished," Declan answers. "It would be wise to remain cautious."

"Wait, are you saying that V—"

"Harry," Dad reminds quietly.

"He could be gone, though, right?"

"He could," Declan agrees. "However, it is better to be cautious than to be naïve." He then glances towards Dad. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to share the other part of this sordid tale?"

I look at Dad. There's more? Inhaling, I try my best to keep from grinning like an idiot. I mean, sure, Declan is right. It's better to assume that Lord Nutters isn't dead in case he isn't, but just the fact that he could be dead is thrilling. I mean, it'd be over then, well, that part at least.

"I spent the night with Angel last night since she has been having difficulty sleeping."

I nod my head. I remember that. She's been complaining non-stop about it for days.

"When I awoke this morning, her head was on my arm."

"You're not saying that you think El did that, are you?" I ask, staring at Dad.

"Of course not," he replies. "However, last night I still had my Mark. Angel can confirm that since she continuously traced it prior to falling asleep."

Wisely, I keep my mouth shut. After all, what can I say to that? I mean, I'm not going to say that my little sister is like some super witch or something. Then again, that's probably because I'm likely rooting for the option of Voldemort being gone rather than it being because of something Angel did.

"Does it hurt?" Mum asks quietly, inspecting his forearm.

"No. I have tingling every now and then, but that's it. It's merely a minor annoyance."

Mum nods slowly before she glances at me. "Why Darfor?" she asks softly. "I mean, what possibly made you think it'd be there?"

"Before I saw Mezra, I dreamt of Dad's mum." I feel Dad's eyes on me immediately. "She was searching for the sword, too, it seemed. There was a guy with her, but I didn't recognize him."

"You saw my mother?" Dad interrupts, speaking very softly.

"Yeah," I answer, catching his gaze.

"My mother never went hunting for a sword, Harry. She would have found it to be a waste."

"I saw her, though."

"I'm not refuting that, Harry." His eyes dart to Mum for a moment before he looks back at me. "How long have your dreams concerned this?"

I shrug. "I've only seen your mum that one time. I've seen Mezra, I don't know, a half dozen times," I answer with another shrug.

"Do you feel anything when you see her?" When I narrow my eyes, Dad explains further. "Your first year, when you were around Quirrell, you'd clutch your scar every now and then. Do you feel that sort of pain with your dreams about Mezra?"

"It hurt a few times, but only when He was around. She doesn't seem to hurt me." I then decide to revise that sentence. "Well, in that sense at least," I add.

Dad nods slowly, thinking about something. "You experience whatever she does." He then sighs. "It would seem that I'm destined to teach you Occlumency." He doesn't sound at all thrilled about it. "As if we don't have enough to deal with," he mutters.

"Is it hard?" I ask, wondering if that's the reason he doesn't seem happy about it.

"It's damn near impossible for a Gryffindor like you to learn," Draco says with a soft snort. "Slytherins, however, have a natural predisposition for it."

"Draco," Dad softly says, shaking his head once. He then glances towards me. "I should have started teaching it to you that night we learned of the link. I ignored it, though, not wanting to harm you." When my eyes narrow on him, he sighs. "Occlumency is the art of defending one's mind from another mind's mental attacks. If taught properly, it would close your mind off so Mezra would not gain access to it. Unfortunately, the only way I know how to teach it is by attempting to invade your mind. For that reason, it is a rather . . . frustrating discipline to teach. We likely have the necessary trust built up for it, but I doubt I have the patience."

"Could someone else teach me?"

"It has to be me unfortunately," he responds quietly.

I watch Mum place a hand on his arm and smile towards him softly. Whatever this Occlumency thing is, I can clearly tell that Dad rather wishes he doesn't have to teach it to me. Frowning, I glance at the floor. Why can't I just have a normal year?

"Am I to assume correctly that you've spoken with Dumbledore about your reinstatement?" Mum asks quietly, glancing at Declan.

"He believed me to be taking a temporary leave of absence, my Lady," Declan answers politely. "He had thought that once you learned of your husband's and children's views on the matter that I'd return as your protector." Mum scoffs in response to his words. "So there is no need."

"If you so much as attempt to circumvent my husband's wishes, Declan, I will kill you."

"I'm aware, my Lady," he responds, bowing his head respectfully. "However, Severus and I appear to be on the same side as young Harry for once." His head slowly lifts as he catches her gaze. "There is no other option, Mistress Aurora. We must find the Sword of Slytherin."