Transcendence

~ Chapter 13: Dancing Veelas and Ghostly Guardians ~

Saturday, 16^th August. At cockcrow.

Ginny grumbled noisily to herself, waking her roommate. Hermione sat up, watching the slowly brightening room sleepily. She stretched and encountered a warm lump near her feet. It was vibrating and purring.

"Good morning, Crookshanks," Hermione greeted her pet, pulling off the blanket to reveal the hidden cat. She chuckled under her breath. Even he seemed a little reluctant to get up.

Ginny gave a loud yawn and blinked her eyes a couple of times. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Nearly five..."

"It's too early... I think I'm going to sleep some more..." Ginny reached out for the bolster and curled up on her bed again. Hermione got up lazily and sat on Ginny's bed.

"Don't you want to disturb Draco?" Hermione hugged a pillow to herself as she watched Ginny flip over onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

"I do, but..." Ginny's voice trailed off. Hermione shook the girl's ankle to get her attention.

"But what?" the older girl asked.

"Harry's in there, you know..." Ginny answered in a preoccupied tone.

"Wait a minute!" Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "I thought he's sharing the room with Ron!"

"He didn't... I checked Ron's room when I visited the bathroom earlier. Harry's trunks weren't there either..." Ginny asserted. Hermione was somewhat shocked at her friend's discovery.

"Ginny..." Hermione began slowly, "do you think they... they bonded?"

"Had sex you mean?" Ginny asked bluntly. Hermione tried to keep herself from laughing as the younger girl rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Okay... whatever. Do you think they did it?" Hermione asked again, eyes darkening with speculation.

"Why the hell not?" Ginny smirked. "It makes the pairing stronger, you know. Maybe you and Ron should try it..."

"Ginny!" Hermione hit the girl with the pillow, her face growing as red as the Weasleys' hereditary hair color. They engaged in a pillow fight for several minutes until both ended up laughing until they cried. She and Ginny had grown rather close over the years, more so since Sirius's death. Ginny had a tendency to go to her whenever the girl had problems, be it over schoolwork or relationships. Furthermore, the older girl often spent her holidays with the Weasleys and she treated Ginny like the sister she never could have. Hermione gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Well... I'll go first and wash up," she said brightly. "You can try and sleep if you want."

"After giggling so hard? I think not..." Ginny made a face as she began to tidy up her bed and Hermione's.

**********

Forty-five minutes later...

Hermione and Ginny skulked along the corridor. They first checked in Ron's room. Since the sun had risen, they could see that the bed beside the boy was indeed empty and unused. Hermione was tempted to wake her boyfriend but decided it would be a bad idea to let him know she had caught him snoring.

They finally stopped at Draco's bedroom door.

"It feels rather eerie waking up this early in the morning... And with Fred and George going off to work early..." Hermione whispered. The Burrow was silent except for the sounds of chickens in the yard.

"You'll get used to it, though it did take me a bit of time to grow used to their absences in here," Ginny confessed then made a signal for Hermione to keep quiet. Both pressed their ears against the door.

"Too bad I didn't think to leave one of the twins' Extendable Ears in there..." Ginny muttered to herself.

"I don't think it would have made any difference," Hermione's response was barely audible.

"The Silencing Charms." Ginny's face lit up with understanding. "Ready?" Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm going to be really loud," the redheaded girl added as a precaution. "I just hope Draco's not really serious about sealing the room after my frequent morning visits..."

Within seconds, Ginny barged into the room. She took only a moment to study the tangle of limbs before jumping on the edge of the bed and shaking the boys' ankles.

"Ginny..." Draco groaned and attempted to shake off the girl's hand. "Go away and disturb someone else..." The Slytherin snuggled closer to Harry who was still asleep.

"Come on guys! Wake up! We're going shopping!" Her shaking became more insistent and Harry finally showed signs of stirring.

"Bloody hell... It's too early..." Harry mumbled. Instead of waking however, he pulled Draco closer to him.

Hermione, who had been standing by the door, watched the three in amusement. She tread in softly and shook Harry. She was relieved that both boys were still dressed and that she couldn't smell anything associated with lovemaking. She also noticed that Draco had returned the black chain to its owner. "Get up, lovebirds," she said in an affectionate tone. Harry turned his head to blink up at her owlishly. She smiled in return. "I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that Ron actually let you spend the night with him."

"He's my best friend," Harry mumbled sluggishly.

"And I love him for that..." Draco's muffled reply reached their ears.

"You two didn't!" Ginny began to shake them roughly.

"Sorry, Ginny-lassie..." Draco's muffled voice spoke up. "But I can't seem to keep my hands off my precious one..."

"Ginny-lassie?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling with mirth.

"You two better get up or I'll start tickling!" Ginny warned. Draco immediately sat up and backed as far away from the girl as he could. Harry propped himself up on an elbow and looked curiously at his silver-eyed lover.

"You're ticklish?" Harry asked in a bland tone.

"Don't you dare..." Draco glared at him, fully awake. Then he looked at Ginny as if studying her. "Aren't you shocked?"

"Shocked about what?" Ginny asked in puzzlement.

"That we did it..." Draco's cheeks went pink as he said it, glancing down at Harry who was looking at him with a peculiar expression.

"Not really..." Ginny smiled faintly. Then in a serious tone she asked, "Who went on top?"

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, dragging the girl out of the room.

"I'm just curious!" Ginny wailed.

"That's private!" Hermione admonished.

"But it'd be fun to know!"

**********

Harry chuckled, listening to the voices of the two girls fade as they went down to the kitchen. Eventually he sobered and looked up at his lover. Draco was smiling at him mischievously. Harry had had plans on how he should wake up but it looked like his lover had been telling the truth when he said that Ginny would enter the room in the morning. Harry was rather glad that he hadn't done anything.

"Was Ginny wondering about who's dominant in this relationship?" Draco asked as he enfolded Harry in a warm hug.

Harry sighed contentedly and kissed Draco's cheek. "I think so... What do you think?"

Draco shrugged. His eyes were gleaming wickedly and Harry felt something stir inside him. Maybe we can have quick one...

"My... Aren't you feeling lusty this morning..." Draco murmured into the mess of black hair.

"Aren't you enjoying it?" Harry asked innocently. Draco did not answer but proceeded to show Harry just how much he enjoyed it.

**********

Several hours later...

Everyone was crowded in front of the fireplace in The Burrow. Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt had come by earlier to check up on them before Apparating directly into Diagon Alley. As planned, Ron's parents went through the fireplace first, followed by Charlie, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, Harry, and Bill. The house-elves were left behind to keep an eye on The Burrow.

Draco, in nondescript dull gray robes, blended in with the rest of them. The Leaky Cauldron was teeming with witches and wizards. Quite a number of them were students; it seemed that they had taken Dumbledore's advice to go in groups while they get their supplies.

"First stop: Gringotts," Bill said as he looked around. "Let's go." Bill and Charlie took the lead while the their parents took the rear. Even at ten in the morning, the street was already bustling with potential customers. Harry felt a pang as he remembered just how it had felt to be in Diagon Alley for the first time.

"Maybe we should have dyed or charmed your hair first, Draco," Charlie whispered into the Slytherin's ear. "I've spotted some of the Dark Lord's followers... not the Inner Circle of course..."

At that, Harry and Draco began scanning the crowd.

"Charlie's right... Silvery blond hair is not that common here, especially for someone as young-looking as you are..." Harry said worriedly.

"Green-Eyes, you're making me nervous," Draco informed him. Harry chose that moment to squeeze his lover's hand briefly. Mrs. Weasley noticed it and hid a smile.

The group soon reached the bronze doors of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. While Bill and Charlie escorted Hermione to the exchange counter, the rest followed a Gringotts goblin. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed close to Draco as numerous pairs of small beady eyes studied them walking across the hall. They were led first to the Weasleys' vault where Mrs. Weasley scooped a handful of Galleons then deposited them into a pouch. When they came to Vault 687, Harry glanced nervously at Draco as the door was opened.

"Not bad..." Draco eyed the mound of Galleons in interest. "Your parents were extremely good at financial planning, I must say..."

"Thanks..." As they returned to the main hall, Harry pressed a small bag into Draco's palm. "I don't want you to be embarrassed should you come across some Slytherins later..."

"Thank you, Green-Eyes," Draco answered gratefully and quickly hid the pouch in his inner pocket.

As beautiful the sight of Galleons was to their eyes, they felt a lot happier once they emerged from the marble building. Hermione, Bill and Charlie were already waiting for them outside near the marble steps and they headed to Madam Malkin's since Ginny needed new robes. The group of nine then split up between Flourish and Blotts, the stationery shop beside it, and watching the entrances. Tonks, in disguise again, pretended to study book displays as she stood guard with Bill and two other members of the Order.

"Damn..." Draco cursed as he, Harry, Hermione, Charlie and Ron went into the bookstore. Harry didn't have a chance to ask as the manager diverted his attention.

"Ah, Mister Potter. And Mister Malfoy," the gray-haired wizard looked surprised to find the Slytherin amidst the group. However, Harry knew that the wizard was even more surprised by the fact that his lover and his best friend weren't squabbling. Draco nodded curtly in greeting. "Come over to the counter, please." The group followed. "I'll have a look at your booklists..."

One by one, the teenagers handed their lists over to the wizard. After checking their lists for several minutes, he directed his assistant to gather the advanced books for the seventh-years while he collected the books Ginny needed. Charlie went to help the manager while the rest followed the manager's assistant to the back of the bookstore. Soon, all of them were loaded down with heavy books. Of them all, Hermione alone looked happy about it. Finally, while they waited for the manager to tally up their purchases, Harry asked his lover,

"You sounded alarmed a few minutes ago. Why?" Harry tilted his head in inquiry as he watched the silvery-eyed Slytherin.

"Blaise... he's here..." Draco answered and Harry followed his gaze. Blaise Zabini was staring raptly at them while his parents browsed through the bookshelf by his side.

"Nine Galleons, sixteen Sickles and nineteen Knuts, please," the gray-haired wizard said, looking at Ron and Charlie.

"It's great that Ginny could use some of our old books," Ron mumbled as Charlie paid the manager.

"It'll be twelve Galleons and thirteen Sickles for Miss Granger and Mister Potter," the manager said to both Hermione and Harry. Unlike Ron, both of them were taking N.E.W.T level Potions. "And eleven Galleons, fifteen Sickles and twenty-three Knuts, Mister Malfoy."

Ron and Hermione stared at their raven-haired expectantly, but Draco took a pouch out and removed twelve Galleons from it calmly. The manager quickly gave him the balance and the five made a move to go.

"So you are not a pauper after all... My son brought us the news that you have been cast out by the Malfoys," a silky, soprano voice said smoothly from a corner of the bookstore. Draco and Harry turned at the same time. Mrs. Zabini, wearing expensive-looking dark blue sorceress's robes, a graceful pointy black hat and waving a lacy black fan on one hand, approached them gaily. Draco remained quiet as he watched Blaise and his father catch up with the finely dressed witch.

"She gives the impression of a highborn," Harry commented.

"She is a highborn," Draco replied. He did not say anything to the Zabinis but greeted them with a slight inclination of his head. Harry's friends stood awkwardly behind them. Only Charlie looked unaffected by the Zabinis.

To make the situation worse, Pansy Parkinson stepped in with Millicent Bulstrode. She was chatting with her friend until they caught sight of the platinum-headed Slytherin. They paled and gulped, probably recalling how Draco had caused his ex-girlfriend to lose consciousness on the train home that summer. Pansy's confidence was bolstered by her parents entering the bookstore. However, the couple took no notice of Harry's group and Pansy's mother quickly dragged the girl to the far-end of the shop.

Mrs. Zabini looked at the Parkinsons with a raised eyebrow. She looked at her husband and asked, "Was that snub a deliberate attempt to annoy me, dear?"

"How should I know?" Mr. Zabini answered with a question of his own. While his parents were occupied, Blaise took several steps forward and examined Draco.

"Are you all right?" he asked the Slytherin prefect while eyeing the Gryffindors warily.

"Certainly doesn't look like he's been starved..." Ron muttered.

"Ron!" Hermione warned sharply.

"I'm fine," Draco replied. His eyes drifted over to a pouting Mrs. Zabini. "Are you still neutral to the situation?"

"No," Blaise's reply was soft. Ron visibly made a move to draw his wand out but Charlie gave him a stern look.

"Come, Blaise. Sometimes I wonder if you have any friends..." Mrs. Zabini tucked her arm about her son's.

"Dear, we don't have friends," Mr. Zabini responded in a dry tone.

"Rubbish! If we don't, then how in Salazar's name did I end up being your wife?" She brandished her fan at her husband. Turning, she stared deeply into a pair of silver eyes. "You shouldn't be here with them today," she spoke to Draco in a soft whisper. "You know that they will come to kill." The Zabinis left. Hermione's eyes narrowed at the witch's words, Charlie looked on impassively, Harry frowned and Ron's face stiffened in anger.

"Let's get out of here before your ex-girlfriend returns to the counter," Hermione suggested in a grim tone. Reunited with the other members of the group, they set off for the Apothecary.

"Hey Gin! Ginny!"

"What the hell?" Bill and Ron scanned the crowd behind them. A group of dark green pushed their way through the mass of people to reach Harry's group. It was Dean, Seamus, Luna, Neville and Professor McGonagall.

"Bloody hell!" Draco swore. He quickly entered the unpleasant-smelling shop.

"Draco!" Mrs. Weasley called sharply. When the Slytherin showed no sign of hearing her, she threw her hands up in the air and followed him after quickly signaling to her husband that he should come with her. After a brief consultation with Bill, Mr. Weasley jogged a few steps to catch up to his wife.

Dean saw it all. After embracing Ginny, Dean pulled Harry into the Apothecary so he could study Draco. The rest followed curiously. Ginny's boyfriend finally spoke in a whisper, "So, it's all true then. Malfoy has been living with you guys."

Ginny exchanged a brief look with Ron before they nodded. Professor McGonagall came into view, looking slightly annoyed that the youngsters had left her behind.

"Hello, Professor," Harry greeted the Transfigurations teacher.

"Good morning, Mister Potter. I trust you no longer suffer from nightmares now that you are with the Weasleys?" she responded, adjusting her green hat. Her eyes narrowed at Ron when he snorted derisively. The tall Weasley gave a sheepish look. Though most of them had grown in height and towered over the teacher, she was still capable of intimidating them.

"Not anymore, Professor," Harry agreed. "Ummmm... is there any particular reason why all of you are in green?"

"So it'll be easier for Professor McGonagall here to keep an eye on us... Although it does make us stand out, it's still rather easy to get lost in the crowd..." Seamus replied.

"Merlin! The stench in here is killing me!" Ginny groaned. "This is our last stop -- "

"Same here." Luna interrupted, shifting her weight.

"Then perhaps it might be better if we get our supplies before we have a chat," Hermione suggested and her friends nodded.

**********

Neville, Ron, Dean, Charlie and Bill stepped out of the store, not willing to tolerate the unpleasant odor circulating in the Apothecary any longer. Professor McGonagall followed Harry and watched his movements closely. Hermione had already paid for her potion ingredients and was examining her surroundings when she happened to hear McGonagall let out a heavy sigh. The teacher was looking at Harry and Draco. Suddenly the witch turned and caught Hermione studying her.

Professor McGonagall slowly made her way to Hermione. In a whisper, she asked, "Is it true that Potter and Malfoy... Are they really together?"

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked in a gentle voice.

"Oh... it's nothing... Just that Albus told me that there might be something... Nothing strange really, considering... He told me that Severus and Remus have finally gotten together... Those two had the longest crushes I have ever seen in my many years as a Hogwarts teacher... Always stealing glances but too afraid to do anything about it..." the witch spoke in a distracted tone. It took a while for Hermione to figure out who the 'he' was. She kept mum since the Transfiguration teacher seemed to be lost in thought.

**********

Harry stood calmly beside his lover while he waited for his supplies to be packed. "Are you all right, Drake?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but why is McGonagall here?" The Slytherin looked at the teacher curiously.

"Maybe it's because Dean's group doesn't really have a suitable escort... But I understand your feelings..." Harry had taken a bit of time to use Empathy on his lover. "It is strange for McGonagall to expose herself with several hidden Death Eaters here..." He mumbled a 'thank you' to the storekeeper as his ingredients were handed to him in a bag. Draco hung back as they approached McGonagall.

"Mum, can we go and visit Fred and George before we go home?" Ginny asked with a pleading look. The plump witch sighed before nodding her approval. Professor McGonagall smiled faintly as they walked to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, occasionally bumping into more of their friends. Draco had a grateful look on his face when the newcomers left him alone but he was forced to walk alongside Bill. Seamus and Neville had taken up the spaces beside his lover and the Slytherin's mood began to darken.

"Look who's here!" Fred called out happily from behind the counter the moment they entered. "Hello, Professor McGonagall! Would you care to try our latest product, guaranteed to grant you beautiful hair of your own choosing for a few hours?"

"No, thank you, Mister Weasley," the witch answered quickly.

"Feel free to look around!" George yelled. He was on one of the ladders checking on their stock.

"How's business?" Bill asked, since there weren't any customers besides them.

"Going well... Don't worry, it's just a lull..." Fred said with a smile. Mrs. Weasley made herself comfortable by conjuring a couch in an empty corner by the window and beckoned Professor McGonagall to join her. The youngsters separated and went to explore the shop. Harry really liked being in the twins' shop. The atmosphere in it was cheerful and he could feel the mischief in the air. Although Fred and George could go a little too far with some of their pranks, the memory of them creating havoc in Hogwarts to infuriate Umbridge was something Harry could still laugh about. Although I wished they had stayed in school... Maybe they should open a branch in Hogsmeade...

Harry stopped and looked around for his lover. He heard the girls asking George about the mysterious package they had given him for his birthday present and George sounded a little surprised that Harry hadn't used it yet.

"Why don't you buy it?" he heard George asked the girls in a cheeky voice.

"Hey, I'm your sister! Can't I get it free?"

"Fine, I'll give you one but you'll have to work for me..."

"There's no way I'm going to end up trying one of your new sweets!"

"No deal..."

Harry chuckled lightly when Mrs. Weasley started yelling at her son not to influence his sister. He started walking, peeking over shelves; just when he was about to back up, he saw Draco. His lover was standing in front of a shelf that contained rows and rows of cans in different sizes. He zoomed in for a closer look. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Draco and carefully lifted one can.

"It's too bad that there's a huge window beside you," his lover said, silver eyes looking at him fondly. "I just thought I saw the girl you were infatuated with walking past and she saw you. Perhaps she could be heading here?"

"You saw Cho?" Harry frowned and peered at the window. He couldn't see beyond it however; several witches had taken up the space and were holding a conversation. He suddenly felt a flash of annoyance from his lover. Draco had turned sharply and was watching something. It took a moment for Harry to realize that Cho was coming. The Slytherin beside him muttered something vile before stomping off to another corner, one that held cartons of different flavored sweets with unexpected results.

Cho Chang shyly came into view, Hermione and Ginny following her cautiously. The two girls retreated to where Draco was and watched the ex-Ravenclaw suspiciously.

"Hello Harry," Cho greeted slowly, standing before him awkwardly.

"Hi there," Harry responded with a faint smile. Yay. I don't feel anything nostalgic with her here in front of me. "What are you doing now? Are you working?"

Cho shook her head. "Not yet, although I've had several offers to model for magazines. I'm on a break; I'll be going to Japan with my family next week."

"I wish I could do that... I need a vacation..." Harry mumbled wistfully.

"You do look better," she complimented. "This is your last year so enjoy being a student while you can. Some of us are having problems finding a job but you don't have to worry about that for now..."

"Merlin knows I am not going to waste any time worrying about anything... except for Voldemort of course," Harry said, feeling slightly amused when he saw Cho pale at the mere mention of the Dark Lord's name. The two arrived at another awkward pause.

After several moments of staring uneasily at each other, the ex-Ravenclaw cleared her throat. "Look, Harry." Cho's eyes watered a little. "I just wanted to apologize for everything."

Harry was nonplussed. The girl spoke again.

"I was confused back then. After Cedric, I realized that I wasn't prepared go into another relationship. It's just that... I couldn't seem to understand you! You were so different!"

Okay... What caused the outburst? Harry wondered.

"You were so withdrawn... There were times when I looked at you and saw you frowning..." She took a deep breath. "I like you a lot, Harry. The way I just brushed you off and went after Michael was a bad move. Can we just -- AAAHHHH!!!" Her scream brought the twins running to her spot.

"Oi! What happened here?" Fred demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" Harry yelled, staring at the opened can in his hand in disbelief. He looked at Hermione and Ginny for help but they shrugged helplessly. Draco wasn't with them anymore. The moment Cho turned to face the shop owners, they and the two other girls burst out laughing.

Cho looked like she was on the verge of crying. Before, she had been wearing simple sky-blue robes and had been make-up free. Now, every inch of her was covered with seductive, half-dressed dancing Veelas. Fred, in between fits of laughter, noticed that the unexpected package explosion had focused totally on the ex-Ravenclaw. Not even the tiled floor of the shop had dancing Veelas.

Harry, still looking thoroughly shocked, rolled the can in his hand to read what was written on it. "Watch the Veelas dance on your bedroom wall," he said softly then strained his eyes to focus on the small print below it. Not guaranteed to have the full magnetic effect of the species for obvious reasons. His eyes moved on to the next written sentence. Strictly meant for walls, ceiling, or floor.

"Fred, how is that going to come off her?" he asked in a very subdued voice.

The Weasley swallowed his laughter and tried hard to put on a serious expression. Finally he said to Cho, "I don't think your parents would like seeing you in this state..."

"How..." The ex-Ravenclaw looked tearfully at the twins.

"No worries... It will not be pleasant however..." George said warningly. "Charming the Veelas off you will be easy but taking the paint off is another matter. The only way to do it is by rubbing yourself with turpentine."

"You can't be serious!" Hermione exclaimed. "Isn't it better if time wears it off?"

"It will take months, Hermione," Fred replied gently. He turned to Cho. "For your lips, you'll have to use lipstick until it disappears."

"Harry?" Ron called out loudly. "We're going to leave soon! Draco bought some stuff. What about y--" His mouth fell open when he saw Cho's sorry state. "-- Bloody hell!" His eyes moved downwards and he stared rudely at her chest.

"Ronald Weasley..." Hermione hissed dangerously and her boyfriend blinked his eyes several times before glancing guiltily at her. While George led Cho to a hidden staircase which went to the twins' lounge, Fred herded the rest back to the counter. Draco was standing beside Bill and he seemed engrossed with the conversation between Charlie and the eldest of the Weasley siblings. Harry noticed that something was wrong right away. Although preoccupied with conversation, there was a smug look on his face.

"Hello... Ron said that you bought something,"

Harry began as he approached the Slytherin slowly, "so what have you bought?"

His lover turned and smiled gently at him. "Well... I bought some interesting merchandise. Although my preferred style would be experimenting with my hexes. But most people know the counter-spells." The Slytherin shrugged. "It'll be fun to see Vince and Greg -- No... I'd like to see Leren changing into a turkey in the Great Hall..." His eyes gleamed wickedly.

Harry sighed. Draco had more to say however.

"Did you know that the twins actually got us a bottle of lubricant to try out?"

"What?!" Harry yelled, scaring the daylights out of his friends. "Sorry... Just ignore me..." he mumbled. Ron looked suspiciously at the Slytherin.

"Honeydew-flavor... Yummy... Luckily, Fred and George weren't the ones who made it..."

Draco said as all of them went out of the shop. McGonagall's group finally parted ways with them to head for Aberforth's inn while Harry and company headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Honeydew-flavored...

Harry blushed suddenly and made an effort not to look at his lover. In order to distract himself from a myriad of delectable fantasies, he thought back to the accident in the joke-shop.

"I bloody well have no clue how it happened," he muttered to himself.

"Told you it wouldn't hit him," Ginny spoke in a triumphant manner to Hermione. The latter gave her a sarcastic look before turning to Harry.

"Are you really sure you don't know how it happened?" his friend asked seriously. He nodded. "You're smart, Harry. Surely you noticed that magic was used to pop the can open..."

Magic?

That possibility didn't cross his mind before but he was too shocked to care. But anyone could have done it! The expression on his face was clear enough for Hermione to read.

"Harry! The answer is so obvious!" she wailed.

"What? Come on! I seriously haven't the faintest clue!"

"Figure it out yourself," Hermione answered, holding her head high and regally stepping into the fireplace. "The Burrow!" she said clearly and disappeared in a vortex of green flame.

**********

Tuesday, 19^th August. The Burrow.

It was early afternoon but Draco was already bored watching Hermione going through their schoolbooks or glancing over at his lover just to see the raven-haired Gryffindor defeated by Hermione's boyfriend for the fourth time. He looked around the almost inactive living room and sighed pensively. Ginny was outside hanging the laundry and he decided to help her.

He stepped out to study the redheaded girl tiptoeing as she pinned a long robe onto the clothesline. As she bent down to grab another robe, she saw him standing by the door.

"Draco?" Mrs. Weasley's voice came from behind him. Her face showed signs of strain from carrying the huge laundry basket. "Do you mind helping Ginny?" He didn't reply but took the basket. He was glad that he was doing something at last and he felt a little happier feeling the wind blow about him.

"Bored?"

Draco shook himself out of his reverie to see Ginny smiling a little at him. He nodded.

"If you were more muscular than you are now, Hermione would have called you a hunk," she commented without looking at him.

He made a face but wondered how Harry would feel if he did developed a much tanner, broader and muscular body.

"I like you the way you are..." his lover's thought filled the silence of his mind. "So you can forget about it..." Draco chuckled to himself.

"Anyway, don't even think about gaining more weight and filling those cheekbones out. Harry wouldn't like it," Ginny said. Then, glancing sideways to look at him, "Though you could do with a little tan." She pouted her lips. "Are you using some whitener or something?"

"No. Why do you ask?" Draco asked curiously.

"Because you're so bloody fair," Ginny answered in an envious tone. He smirked and she pretended to throw her basket at him. Ron came out of the house, holding several pairs of degnoming gloves. He looked sullenly at Draco as a pair of gloves was handed to the Slytherin.

"What brought you out?" he asked his lover quizzically.

Harry laughed cheerfully. "Mrs. Weasley thought we were lazing about too much."

Hermione helped Ginny carry the baskets back into the house while the boys went into the garden. Draco stared up at a window thoughtfully.

"Hang on... I think Helios should get some exercise."

Draco returned with his disgruntled owl a moment later but the Slytherin was having none of it. Each time the owl stubbornly clenched his talons on his wrist, he jabbed Helios's belly with a finger.

"Is he doing it for show or what?" Ron asked in amusement.

"I don't think so," Harry replied. "I suspect he spent a lot of time with his owl when he was at the Manor. Helios is well-disciplined."

"Hedwig too. At least she takes your commands seriously," Ron mumbled darkly.

Draco, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up after successfully coaxing Helios to fly around and harry some gnomes. "That's because Green-Eyes is a serious person. Usually, your pets will sort of grow into you. The more time you spend with it, the better the rapport will be."

"Judging by the craziness of Pig," Ginny finally appeared with Hermione in tow, "I think your theory has a good foundation."

"Hey, are you saying that we're crazy?" Ron demanded.

Ginny crossed her arms and answered slyly, "Aren't we?"

"So you're saying that 'Mione's a busybody," Ron stated.

"I did not!"

"Well, you're the one who agreed on the theory."

"Would you rather I go back in the house and let you argue whether or not I'm a nosy wench?" Hermione asked indignantly. She released Crookshanks from her arms and the half-Kneazle went to join Helios in ferreting out the gnomes from the bushes. Harry and Draco slowly eased themselves away from the war-zone and concentrated on hauling out the gnomes infesting the garden. In the middle of working, Draco suddenly froze. Frowning, he looked around. His posture alerted the rest of them.

"Draco?" Ginny asked in concern, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something's not right but I can't put my finger on it," he answered seriously, scanning the landscape slowly.

"Harry?" Ron looked at his friend who was taking off his degnoming gloves and reaching out for the ever-present wand. The rest followed the raven-haired Gryffindor's action. "I think we should go in and tell Mum."

"Hey," Ginny spoke in a hushed voice. "Listen." They held their breaths, however, all was silent.

Draco took a deep breath. "Green-Eyes, are you depressed?"

His lover stared at him unblinkingly. "No... why?" The Slytherin did not answer, watching everything about him suspiciously.

**********

In the presence of the Dark Lord...

The smell of recent burning permeated the living room. Voldemort and his Death Eaters had moved into a Muggle house and killed the family residing there. Their advance had almost been thwarted when the oldest son fired his gun and killed two Death Eaters and wounded Lucius. However, there were too many of them and the boy was quickly overwhelmed by the men and women in masks.

At the moment however, the Dark Lord was reclining on the couch watching the proceedings of the spellcasting in anticipation. Although he seemed to be in repose, he was anything but. Voldemort was feeding his followers with his magical energy in the hopes that they would be able to kill the people who had constantly interrupted his plans. The Dark Lord ignored the fact that there were guardians from the Netherworld defending The Boy Who Lived and those around him. It had been confirmed when Narcissa tried to force an attack on her son four days earlier. The only thing that mattered to him was that he had found a way to penetrate Dumbledore's strongest defences and now had a chance to issue a mass attack. The Dark Lord had done a little research on astral projections; coupling the theory with several spells of invincibility, he was confident that any spells used against them would be useless. Had he finally come up with something that would finish off Harry and the people the Gryffindor cared about or would the boy evade death again?

**********

In Lupin's small house...

Snape stirred the drink with his wand as he swiftly climbed the stairs into Lupin's bedroom. Opening the door, he saw that his lover was already on the bed, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Remus," he called softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. Mindful of the wand in his hand, he carefully lifted his lover's head. "You ought to drink this."

The D.A.D.A. professor groaned, his face showing signs of weariness. The previous night had been a full moon. Coupled with nights of insomnia, the transformation back into his human form had not been easy.

"Sev, let me sleep..." his tired lover mumbled. "I still don't understand why you chose to stay with me when you could have gone to the Headquarters and not have to worry about getting bitten by me..."

"Remus, we have been through this several times. I wanted to stay with you and it is good that I have done so. Look at you: you can barely move, let alone defend yourself," Snape said firmly. Lupin finally managed to sit up and began to drink from the cup. When he was finished, the Potions Master tucked the half-naked wizard back into the bed. "Sleep now. I will wake you up when lunch is done."

Lupin was staring up at him, brown eyes clear and alert. The wizard reached out one hand and traced his chin softly with his fingers. Without being asked to, Snape leaned forward and kissed his lover. When he withdrew, Lupin was smiling brightly albeit a little sleepily.

"You know, Sev," the resting wizard began in a whisper, placing his fingers to the back of the Potions Master's neck, "you could just stay here and pamper me..."

"Cooking is a method of pampering you," Snape answered sarcastically.

Lupin sighed then pulled on his neck gently for another kiss. "Well... Go ahead and cook... If you happen to finish early, do come in and disturb me," the hazel-eyed wizard whispered roguishly.

"Insatiable..." Snape muttered under his breath.

With eyes closed, Lupin replied with a crooked smile, "Yes, I'm that... But only for you."

Snape left the room quickly before he could be tempted to change his mind about preparing lunch. As usual, the moment Black saw him making his way to the kitchen, the cat attached himself to his leg before jumping ahead and settling on the window ledge.

He was in the middle of cutting some capsicums when he heard his lover shout. The Potions Master froze and his eyes drifted over to the staircase leading to the bedroom. Hawke, who had been dozing on a perch just at the base of the staircase immediately flew off.

Hawke's cries joined Lupin's curses as the owl launch an aerial attack on the sudden intruders. It was only then that Snape realized that the house was under attack. His silky black robes swirled about him as he dashed upstairs and lobbed off a Blasting Curse at the two targets in his range. When the spell did not give the results he expected, he swore, seeing that his enemies were blown out of proportion.

In moments, he had blasted the door open and Lupin came running out, showing signs of burns on his torso. Hawke followed a moment later after finding that pecking his opponent's face did not give any results.

"Sev! Get out! The spells won't work on them!" Lupin yelled and shot off an Impediment Curse on their opponents to slow them down. They hastily retreated.

They soon reached the door.

"Go first! I will catch up with you!" Snape quickly ran back to Lupin's study. "Phineas!" he called sharply and the figure was jolted awake with a touch of Snape's wand.

"What?" the portrait asked in annoyed tone.

"Run!"

"What?!" the figure frowned. His eyes widened when he saw Snape's lips moving. The wizard was preparing to incinerate the portrait. In a second, Phineas's figure was gone. A meow distracted the Potions Master. He quickly picked his cat up and moved on after making sure that the portrait was thoroughly destroyed. He couldn't bear the thought of Voldemort finding the whereabouts of the Headquarters or his cottage.

He quickly ran into the forested area, hoping that the attackers hadn't thought of putting forces in there. It was not to be since he heard more shouts. He threw his cat off and Black cried sharply at the sudden movement. He stared at his master.

"Go, you idiotic cat!" Snape barked out. Black jumped a bit before bolting into the cover of the trees. The Potions Master hoped that his owl was safe and not thinking about joining the fray with the mass of cloud-like figures. As he was running he suddenly felt pain go through his body before his knees gave way. He fell face down, not able to move. Another wave of pain stabbed through him. Remus...

Straining with effort, Snape lifted his face. He became disheartened when he saw his lover in the hands of several Dementors. The apparitions closed in on the D.A.D.A. professor. Even from where he lay, Snape could see that his lover was exhausted. Lupin couldn't concentrate on defending himself. Merlin... not him...

Then he felt hands on his robes and he was hauled up to his knees. He found himself staring into a skeletal face. Too close... His wand was swiftly pried out of his fingers and he saw it being thrown away. His eyes darted back to the Dementor.

"Expecto Patronum!" Snape heard Shacklebolt's command. The Dementor swiveled its head, however, it wasn't swift enough to save itself from the charging Patronus. Snape fell back; still weak from the spells that had immobilized him. Shacklebolt, Tonks and Dumbledore appeared, running toward him. The female Auror quickly fetched his wand and gave it back to the Potions Master. She stood by his side and went into her defence mode.

Snape got shakily to his feet but was strong enough to control his Patronus. His panther crept forward, tensing its muscles to prepare for a charge.

"Step away from the professor," Dumbledore said calmly. His own Patronus, an enormous eagle, hovered above his head. When the Dark Creatures did not show any sign of retreating, Fawkes and his Patronus soared several feet higher and disappeared from view. The Dementor standing the furthest from the Headmaster did not see its assailants. Like the phoenix, Dumbledore's Patronus could materialize out of thin air. The three other wizards sent their own Patronii to scatter the others that were still a threat to Lupin.

Snape narrowed his eyes when one of the misty forms wavered and Bellatrix appeared out from one of them. She pointed her wand menacingly at the back of his lover's head.

"Why have you come here, old man?" The witch sneered. "Isn't the Gryffindor boy more important than a mere werewolf?" She raked her fingers over Lupin's hair and yanked hard on it. Snape saw Dumbledore start. "Every spell created has a counter-spell, Dumbledore... My Master is so brilliant to have thought about attacking in this form...Invincible... Unassailable..."

Tonks paled as she quickly thought about her relatives in The Burrow. Snape blanched, quickly suppressing his fury at the thought of his godson in danger. Being overwhelmed by bloodlust wouldn't help his lover; he needed to be able to think clearly.

Rabastan Lestrange appeared as suddenly as Bellatrix did. "Bella! Abort! We've got to return!" he commanded sharply.

"No..." The witch's eyes blazed with madness. Heart-stopping screams suddenly pierced the air and there were blurry movements about Lupin. "Rabastan!" Bellatrix yelled, reappearing some distance away from the injured professor. The smoky cloud around the injured professor intensified and she recognized it as the one that was responsible for her husband's death. "Rabastan!" the witch shrieked his name again but there was no reply.

"Where is he?" a Death Eater demanded upon materializing.

"I don't know..." Bellatrix's voice trailed off, backing up against a tree.

"Playing with death, Bellatrix?" a female voice asked in a deceptively sweet voice.

"You..." the female Death Eater whispered. "Where is Rabastan?"

"Dead? Like you said, Bella... 'Every spell has a counter-spell'... And this is one of them... Maybe not really a spell, but as long it gives us the desired results..." Behind the pale form of Dorcas Meadows, were the Prewett brothers. They were smiling evilly at the clump of Death Eaters. A whirlwind of dark force was building up with Lupin at its center.

"No..." Bellatrix turned to run but Fabian Prewett caught her. The force of the whirlwind quickly pulled her in. One by one, the guardians disappeared as the maelstrom sucked them in. Meadows was the last to depart, smiling sadly at the four figures standing in the clearing before turning into tiny motes of light.

**********

At the same time...

Voldemort snarled when Lucius snapped awake and checked the pulses of his fellow Death Eaters. When the elder Malfoy reported to him that twelve of his followers were already dead, Voldemort quickly issued a command for everyone to return to their bodies before they could suffer the same fate as Bellatrix. It proved to be too late as Wormtail cried for him.

"Master!" Voldemort quickly strode forward and sent a bolt of lightning over Wormtail's body. Peter Pettigrew gasped aloud then quickly sniveled at his Master's feet, thanking the Dark Lord profusely. Lucius went round checking the status of the other group. He shook his head wearily, softly whispering that they had lost two more of their number. The Death Eater seemed strangely relieved when his wife gasped and quickly sat up, panting heavily and demanding water. Voldemort fisted his fingers so hard that his nails cut deeply into his palms. Again, Harry Potter and the cunning Headmaster had thwarted his plans, this time by having the dead on their side.

**********

Over at The Burrow.

Draco and Ron carefully helped Harry to his feet. Ginny had broken her wrist and cracked several ribs when one of the doppelgängers threw her against a wheelbarrow. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley huddled close to her in an attempt to defend the girl. Hermione's hand was shaking, still pointing her wand in the direction of where the mass of guardians had suddenly circled Harry and Draco before the vortex of energy appeared.

The unsmiling forms of Moody and Sirius stood before them. Harry was too exhausted to think about the presence of his first godfather. The latter slowly approached them but his eyes were fixed on Draco.

"I need your help, Slytherin," Sirius said simply.

"My help?" Draco asked nervously.

"I want Wormtail..." Sirius whispered. "I want to take him away... so that he cannot escape from justice... so that he will not be able to betray your trust again..."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked in puzzlement. "We're not negotiating with him or anything..."

"I saw the Future... Wormtail, he is a cunning man. He has a touch of Empathy too... He could use your feelings against you..." Sirius explained, still staring at Draco.

"But how am I to help you?" the silver-eyed Slytherin asked.

It was Moody who answered. "Harry simply has no energy left to spare... Energy is all we need..."

"Wait," Hermione began in a tremulous voice. "Sirius, you don't mean that we'd be tampering with the future... It could lead to disastrous results..."

"There are things that can be altered... and there are some that can't be, Hermione..." Sirius said kindly. Mrs. Weasley couldn't hold her tears and began sobbing aloud. "Will you help?"

Draco studied the ghost before nodding his agreement. Before he knew it, he was in a trance and everything else had faded from sight. It seemed as if he had been suspended in his own mind forever when they finally made a breakthrough. Astral projection, came the unbidden thought.

"Not really... You still can use your wand and your powers... Stole the idea from Voldemort. Just as long as he doesn't have ghosts on his side, you should be safe..."

Draco gave Sirius a sidelong glance before focusing his attention on the Dark Lord. He felt somewhat satisfied when he saw his father staring at him in profound amazement. The look on Wormtail however was unadulterated terror.

Moody cackled madly in the background and several Death Eaters who recognized him quickly ran from the room. Sirius did not smile but stared penetratingly at the friend who betrayed him and his.

"Your time's up, Peter..." Moody's face became grave and he quickly threw himself on the small wizard. The two vanished into the vortex. Sirius turned his attention to the Dark Lord. "And yours will come soon..."

Draco had focused his attention on his father while Sirius spoke to Wormtail. Just before Sirius pulled him to go back through the vortex, he managed to set fire to the couch. It soon began to spread.

Sirius led Draco back to his body. "I want to ask another favor of you... Always stick by Harry... And tell Snivellus that I'm grateful..."

When Draco came to, Sirius and the vortex were already gone, leaving him in the arms of his lover.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know..." Harry whispered in reply. He had been crying and Draco slowly wiped the remaining tears from the boy's face. "He said he'll always be with me... until the day that I die..."

"He told me to stick close to you... Always..." Draco squeezed his lover gently.

"I hope you'll do that..." Harry hugged him. Draco smiled, pulled his lover's hand and kissed the palm gently.

Several hours later while Madam Wisp attended Ginny's hurts, Dumbledore arrived with Snape and rounded the students up to begin an interrogation. Mrs. Weasley managed to ask the Potions Master about Lupin and he quickly told the rest of them that the Defence professor was in hospital to be treated for minor burns. Harry leaned against his godfather for support as Dumbledore began to question them intently.

"How in Merlin's name did the Dementors manage to find a way in?" Bill demanded, slamming his fist on the table.

"Bill," Mr. Weasley said, looking at his son warningly.

Several minutes later, Hermione spoke in a shocked voice. "Someone brought them in!" When the rest looked at her doubtfully, she quickly elaborated, "The protections are made up so that only the people that are supposed to be here could enter right? Rita Skeeter couldn't..."

"Fudge?" Ron frowned, remembering that the Minister was seen in the village five nights earlier and had continuously visited the area all summer. He had even dropped by the Weasleys once, but he hadn't acted in a suspicious manner.

"Damn!" Snape swore, sprinting out of the house quickly. Surprisingly, Dumbledore followed him.

"What on earth is up with those two?" Ron asked in aggravation. Ginny entered, lightly bandaged.

"I thought Remus was with him..." she mumbled almost to herself.

"No... he is at St. Mungo's..." Bill replied.

"Harry..." Draco shook his lover lightly.

"Let's go after Sev. He is distraught over something..." Harry said grimly. The group of teenagers used their pets to search for the wizards and finally found them near an inactive well. Draco was the first to reach Snape and heard the wizard speaking gravely to Dumbledore,

"This is bad, Headmaster... His condition is similar to what happened to Diggle..."

"Bloody hell!" Ron swore; Harry's matching sentiments quickly followed. Lying on the grass, eyes glazed and foaming at the mouth, was the Minister. When Dumbledore finished examining the man, he sadly concluded that Fudge had been Kissed.

"What's going to happen now?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"Be damned if I know," her boyfriend answered, looking a little sick.

**********