‘Are you sure?’

‘Draco uses a Salamander. That’s what the picture meant. He couldn’t sign in case someone saw.’

‘I got that,’ Ron said. ‘But you don’t know what he meant.’

‘It’s the last fortnight. Apparently all the sixth years in Slytherin are now of age.’

‘But you can’t know that’s what he meant. You two are fighting, he could just be trying to upset you,’ Hermione insisted.

‘He’s not. That’s why I went upstairs. I knew something was wrong.’

‘Harry...’

‘I know I’ve been wrong before. That’s why we’re going to see Snape.’

Harry knocked the door to Snape’s study. Ron and Hermione stood behind him, still unsure, but ready to give support if it was needed.

Snape opened the door hurriedly. ‘Harry.’ He looked surprised to see Ron and Hermione but let all three of them in.

‘It’s tonight?’ Harry asked.

‘How...? Draco. Good. You shouldn’t be here. They haven’t all left, if anyone had seen you come down here....’

‘They didn’t. We were careful.’ Hermione carefully fixed her gaze on a point just up and to the left of Snape’s shoulder.

Snape looked at them disbelievingly then shook his head. ‘I am required as well.’

‘Can we stay here?’ At the curious looks from all sides he explained himself. ‘It’s the only place I can be sure no one else will come.’

‘You think you can help him?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Of course. It is not a difficult ceremony particularly. Or it isn’t if you have nothing to hide. Those he has chosen at this age are typically either idiots or the very bitter. So that is all he reads from them. With Draco we need him to believe that it is only bitterness.’

‘He will be probing the entire way through the ceremony. But be especially careful when he gives the mark. It’s harder to maintain a barrier when you are in pain. The only people who can get in here are the Headmaster and myself. If you hear anyone taking an unusual amount of time, stop whatever you are doing and use the cloak. Good luck.’

Severus wrapped a hooded cloak around him and walked out of the room.

Hermione looked flustered and Ron was pale under his freckles. Hermione moved as though she might look at Snape’s books. ‘We should have researched something for this. There are spells to give other people your magic. We could have let you borrow strength.’

Harry smiled at her and pulled them both down to the ground. ‘Just sit here with me, okay? That’s all the borrowed strength I need.’ He closed his eyes. ‘If something happens, wake me up. This could be a while.’

They sat in a close circle. Harry’s breathing slowed as he reached for the place in his mind that led to Draco’s.

--He was already there. They were waiting for the others. He didn’t look nervous, but Harry knew different.

‘This is a glorious day!’ It was Bellatrix. The Harry walking around Draco’s mind forced itself not to walk towards her. He could do nothing anyway. ‘New blood given by the old to serve our master.’--

Harry’s physical body stiffened and Hermione began muttering nonsense words in condolence for whatever was upsetting him. She wished she could see.

--They were all there now. A large half-circle with their children in front of them. Harry couldn’t help thinking of sacrifices. Even in hooded robes he recognised Draco. Voldemort stood at the opening of the circle.

‘My loyal followers, and my new apprentices. What we shall undergo tonight is a most sacred ceremony. We bind our futures together, sacrificing individual desires to our glorious cause. We shall bring about the purification of our race. We shall condemn these mudbloods and muggle-lovers to the dark corners of our history books as we bring a new dawn to our world.’

Harry twisted a protection round Draco. It wasn’t a good sign if he was angry already. Harry stopped paying attention to Voldemort and concentrated on Draco. He hoped Malfoy wouldn’t throw him out, now wasn’t the time for their fight.

He was jerked into full awareness when he felt Draco’s flare of fear. Focussing on the scene he saw Draco move forward. The blond knelt at Voldemort’s feet. Harry became aware that his was not the only mind circling Draco’s. Snape’s reassuring presence calmed him. It seemed to calm Draco as well, for some reason only now realising that he was not alone in his head. Harry felt Voldemort’s insistent press against Draco’s barriers. He leant them all his strength, letting Snape and Draco deal with the finesse of their disguise. Something mustn’t have been quite right. No one in the glade heard Draco make a sound as he was branded with the Dark mark. In the back of his mind he screamed. Harry, already giving all he had, tried to draw something more to protect Draco from the increased assault.--

Harry arched his back, mouth open in soundless pain. Ron took Hermione’s hand in his left and placed his right on Harry’s shoulder. Hermione held Ron’s hand tightly and squeezed Harry’s knee with the other. ‘We’re right here.’