Transcendence

~ Chapter 15: On a Grave Note ~

A few hours later...

Harry jumped down from the carriage and helped Ginny. Neville carefully passed their heavy trunks down while on the other side, Luna handed their pets to Seamus and Blaise. Some of them were still bewildered by the fact that Draco was attached to Harry. So far, they hadn't said anything about the relationship but Harry was sure he would hear something about it in the next few days. Neville grunted with strain as he passed Draco's trunk to Harry.

"How on earth did he manage to carry it by himself?" Longbottom muttered then heaved a sigh of relief as he got out of one of the carriages pulled by Thestrals.

Harry was as surprised as his friend was. He nearly toppled over from the sheer weight of the dark brown case. "I have my suspicions..."

"Something just occurred to me," Seamus said, quickening his steps to fall in with the rest of them. "I wonder what Hermione would say if we started complaining to her about how heavy her trunk is..."

"She'd just roll her eyes and ask why you didn't charm the case to make it lighter," Ginny said airily. She burst out laughing and Blaise soon followed. Dean glared at the Slytherin's back and somehow, the latter felt it and turned. Blaise smirked to himself then shifted his attention to where he was going.

"We've been stupid," Dean muttered sheepishly and began charming the heaviest trunks with a Lightening spell.

The group of Gryffindors and one Slytherin made their way towards the great oak doors of the castle. They merged with their fellow students and started climbing up the front steps. Harry was dimly aware that Draco was somewhere behind him, probably ushering the younger students in the right direction.

"How was the water? Did anyone fall in?" Harry asked as he felt a trace of amusement from his lover.

"The Giant Squid is still alive and well. A good thing that sound travels slower in water. The creature would have probably gone deaf when one of the first-years screamed after she saw the Squid's tentacle prodding the boat forward," Draco responded in a cheerful tone.

Harry chuckled softly. The instant he set his trunk on the floor in the Entrance Hall, it disappeared. The new students exclaimed when they saw his trunk vanish and Julian explained to a small girl with reddish-brown hair that it was caused by the house-elves.

"Then why aren't our trunks gone?" the girl asked in puzzlement.

"That's because you haven't been sorted," a squeaky voice answered from behind them.

"Oh!" the same girl exclaimed.

"The house-elves wouldn't know where to place them until then. I am Professor Flitwick --"

"You're the one teaching Charms!" a boy wearing a dark blue turtleneck underneath his school robes blurted out enthusiastically. The Charms professor looked pleased and nodded.

"Yes! We only have ten of you to be Sorted..." Small eyes scanned the cluster of children before him. "Good! All of you are here! Professor McGonagall is usually the one to do this since she is the Deputy Headmistress but she has come down with a cold," the wizard said almost in a wistful tone. Then his face lit up. "But she will be well soon since I don't think she would want to miss any of her classes with the term starting." Professor Flitwick smiled kindly. "Now, bring your trunks along and come with me to the antechamber!"

The professor turned and set off. He suddenly turned back, muttering apologies to the first-years. He pointed his wand at each of the trunks. "All right, you should be able to carry them without any trouble."

"It's light as a feather!" a bespectacled boy exclaimed.

Several of the first years exchanged glances. "Cool!" a dark-eyed boy said, looking awed as he followed the Charms professor.

Ginny giggled at the sight. "They're quite cute, aren't they?" she commented.

"Yes, they are," Harry said quietly before following the others into the Great Hall. They look so carefree... I wonder if they are aware of the problems that we're having... He sighed. The ever-messy-raven-haired Gryffindor was suffering from a conflict of emotions. He was happy that he would be resuming his studies but being in Hogwarts meant that the students around him wouldn't be safe.

"Welcome back," Snape's familiar silky voice greeted. Harry berated himself for being so absorbed in his thoughts that he was unaware of the moment his godfather walked by his side.

"Troubled thoughts?" Snape murmured.

Harry smiled slightly before nodding. "How's Professor McGonagall?" he asked his godfather when he saw that the Transfiguration professor was also absent from the Hall.

"She's fine. It is just a cold," the Potions Master answered, walking slowly toward the dais.

"Not when she's over fifty, it isn't..." Harry muttered. Snape just gave an amused snort. "Remus is looking sort of tired, isn't he?" The Gryffindor tilted his head slightly in the direction of the Defence teacher. Lupin was watching the group as they entered and he recognized the look that some of them were giving him. The wizard rolled his eyes in exasperation, causing some of the concerned students to laugh. Lupin was one of the best Defence teachers the school had ever had and the students got along well enough with him, except for the odd Slytherin, who simply refused to say anything good about ex-Gryffindors.

"He is all right," Snape responded but black eyes looked at his lover in concern.

"Sev, make sure he doesn't do too much. He is still weak from the attack," Harry informed his godfather seriously.

"Yes, I know that," Snape answered in an irritated tone and a matching scowl. "You and your friends had better make sure that you do not give him too much of a hard time."

"Then I think you have to make sure he'll leave out the physical exercise for another week or so," Harry replied. The boy was just about to sit when it occurred to him that his godfather might find evening visits inconvenient. "Sev, about our evenings..."

"They will not change, Harry. I still expect you to study in my presence and without. I will think about whether I should allow Draco to join us too," Snape said carefully.

Harry smiled brightly at him before taking his usual seat opposite Dean, and where Draco usually sat. Quietly, he observed the chaotic scene of students as they chatted, greeted old friends and cramped themselves on the benches. I wonder where Dumbledore is. He looked around but the wizard was not present in the Hall.

"Our presences do not hurt you?" Hermione asked cheerfully, a little out of breath. That snapped Harry out of his musings and he realized that the magical waves radiating from the hundreds of students had no effect on him.

"No, actually," he answered, looking relieved. Maybe being with a handful of people this summer helped me lose most of the sensitivity. Moments later, Hermione and Ron sat beside him.

"Damn... I'm hungry..." Ron groaned but kept his mouth shut when Hermione gave him a look.

Harry shook his head in amusement, emerald eyes glimmering in the light of thousands of floating candles.

"Here comes your boyfriend," Ron whispered into his left ear. Harry didn't really need the notification since he felt Draco's burning presence. The feeling was akin to the comforting warmth that was always present in a loving home after a cold day outside. It was a reflection of how much he had come to care for the icy Slytherin. Harry turned his head slightly and watched the crowd part as the cool, sharp-chinned Draco walked toward Blaise. There were sighs of appreciation throughout the Hall and the green-eyed Gryffindor couldn't help but chuckle at the attention his boyfriend commanded.

Draco had stopped gelling up his hair when summer began. He had let it grow out until just the day before; Mrs. Weasley made sure that it didn't touch his collar. Harry knew he was staring at Draco openly but he wasn't able to focus his attention elsewhere. Draco glowed in the candlelight and the soft hue of dark stormy silver made the Slytherin look ethereal and somewhat appetizing.

"Want a taste of me?"

Draco offered cheekily, looking at him. Several Ravenclaws thought the Slytherin was looking at them. There were several delighted squeals and comments about how gorgeous he looked.

"Stuff it."

Harry managed to glare at the pale-haired Slytherin.

"Where are those apes?" Ron asked, eyes scanning the Slytherin crowd.

"Yes, where are they?" Harry chorused and a frown appeared on his serene face. "I know I revived Theodore before the train came to a complete stop."

"And what did you do to him before that?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I didn't do anything. Drake was the one who did it," Harry said impassively, not really paying attention to what he was saying. His mind was preoccupied with the seriousness of Dumbledore's face as the Headmaster came to join his staff. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle aided a shaky-looking Theodore while Leren and Pansy wore beatified smirks on their faces.

"What do you think they told Dumbledore?" Ron asked Harry in a low voice.

"Probably something to get Draco sacked from his Prefect duties and probably get Blaise into trouble as well," he answered tiredly. His eyes sought out his silver-eyed lover's.

Draco seemed to understand what was going through his mind. "Don't worry. I'm not feeling guilty for putting Theodore to sleep, though it was unethical of me to have done so," the Slytherin told him softly.

"What do you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know,"

Draco admitted. "Dumbledore will probably call me into his office; maybe Blaise too... Depends on what they have told the Headmaster..." Harry felt only silence after that, since Blaise was urgently whispering into Draco's ear. The Gryffindor could see Draco telling the other Slytherin not to panic.

Leren's group reached the table where Draco sat but before the Quidditch captain could tell Blaise and the pale-haired Slytherin to sit somewhere else, a group of enthusiastic fifth-year Slytherins shouldered them aside and sat down on the available seats instead.

Harry couldn't contain his curiosity so he asked, "Did you bribe them to back you up?"

"Kind of," Draco replied, a little uneasy at the sudden question.

"And where did you find the money?"

Harry inquired with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't promise them money, Green-Eyes..."

"Then

what did you promise?" There was a slight edge in his question.

"Social service,"

Draco replied lightly.

Harry's eyes darted swiftly to assess the group of boys and girls surrounding Draco and Blaise. Merlin... no... Not dates!

A green apple nearly hit him in the face but missed, hitting the gray stone wall instead. "What the hell did you do that for?" Harry yelled, unaware that he had done so aloud. Those who saw the fruit flying through the air looked at him before turning to study the one who had aimed it. Draco was straightening his sleeve, managing to look innocent at the same time.

"Peer-tutoring! Green-Eyes, what in Merlin's name were you thinking?!"

"You're bloody intolerable..."

Harry moaned.

"And you're bloody dense!"

Draco snorted in the distance. The two failed to notice that Professor Flitwick and the new batch of students were already lined up to be Sorted. Harry rarely paid attention to the Sorting Hat's new song but there was one particular phrase that sent chills down his spine. Professor Trelawney hissed and even Dumbledore looked at the Sorting Hat in a strange way.

"Too late to take action; the poison has begun to bleed within the walls. Beware."

Professor Flitwick who was standing on a conjured platform, looked at the Hat worriedly and stared into Dumbledore's face. The Sorting Hat didn't say the ceremony would begin so the Charms professor informed the first-years. He began calling names and one by one, the youngsters sat nervously on the stool as the Hat was placed upon their heads.

When it was over, even Dumbledore's light-hearted speech before supper seemed slightly forced. Harry's friends and Draco suddenly lost their appetites. Ron even forced himself to keep his mouth full, just to pretend that everything was normal. It helped everyone a little and Hermione had the chance to scold her boyfriend for talking with his mouth full. But it was the first time the group was eager to hear what warnings Dumbledore had for the students.

"As usual, the Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds to students. Magic is strictly forbidden in the corridors in between classes," Dumbledore looked at Draco and Harry oddly, "as well as many other magical items. A complete listing may be found on Mr. Filch's office door." Then the Headmaster continued to inform the students that they would still be having the Inter-House Quidditch Championship, and of a slight change in their normal curriculum. Finally, every student had to be in their own common room by nine in the evening.

Their meal resumed but was soon interrupted when a piece of parchment materialized in front of Harry.

"Uh oh..." Ginny said, looking at Harry's face. It was a note from Dumbledore.

"Drake, did Dumbledore send you something?"

Harry asked.

"Yes, he did... I can't wait to hear what Leren has accused me of,"

Draco responded in a false cheery tone.

***********

Harry and Draco walked side by side, their robes whispering softly as they moved. The corridor was dim but starlight passed through the huge windows located on the castle walls. They heard the distant creak of the magical stairs as they changed direction, followed by vindictive cursing from some boys. Ghosts slipped in and out of sight as they went about patrolling the school grounds, something that had become a standard practice after the late Sirius Black broke into the school to allegedly murder Harry.

Blaise walked slightly ahead of them, uneasy about having to watch anything happening between the couple. All three boys were going to see Dumbledore. Harry's hand involuntarily reached for Draco's. The Slytherin was a little surprised but didn't pull away.

"Do you think..." Draco's thought trailed off.

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking at Draco's profile before focusing his eyes on Blaise.

"Do you think we could take walks like this?" the Slytherin asked wistfully.

"It is rather romantic," the raven-haired Gryffindor answered with a crooked smile. "I don't know. Trying to walk under an Invisibility Cloak spoils the mood..."

Draco sighed and squeezed Harry's palm. "It's just... tonight is beautiful." The Slytherin's thought caressed his mind, sending tingles all over his body. Draco continued to admire the starlight coming through the windows. Harry was tempted to pull his lover into an alcove he sighted just ahead of them but he doubted that Blaise would thank them for leaving him to face the Headmaster alone.

They turned a corner and finally came upon the statue of the gargoyle.

"What's the password?" Blaise asked in a hushed voice.

"Acid pops."

Draco raised an eyebrow at that but didn't speak as the secret entrance revealed itself. The three made their way up the spiral staircase. When they respectfully entered the Headmaster's office, it was to find Snape and a violently sneezing McGonagall also in the room.

"Please," Dumbledore waved at them from behind his desk, "take a seat."

"Shouldn't she be resting?" Draco asked with a frown.

Harry looked at Snape for any indication about why his Head was present. Damn. I hope I haven't done anything to get me expelled... for real. The panicked thought floated through his mind.

"Something of grave importance made me request that all of you to be present in this room -- You have my apologies for that, Minerva. Blaise, I will be with you shortly. Please take a seat there," the wizard pointed at the armchair closest to Fawkes, "and if you would do me a favor, could you please feed my phoenix?" The Slytherin moved off to do as was asked of him without complaint.

Dumbledore stared at the silver-eyed Slytherin somberly, "Draco, it has come to my attention that you hexed a fellow student while you were on the journey to Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir," Draco answered without hesitation.

"Why?" the old wizard asked and waited for the Slytherin's answer. However, the boy remained silent. Blue eyes stared penetratingly into silver ones.

Finally, the young Slytherin relented. "If I hadn't done so, they would probably be going around trying to revert the thinking of more Slytherins and probably hex more Gryffindors in the process."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You noticed that your actions prevented Miss Parkinson from doing her duties as prefect?" Draco chose not to reply and the old wizard did not press him to answer. "Miss Bulstrode informed me that you did the same thing to Miss Parkinson earlier this summer. Without the use of your wand. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir. But that was an accident," Draco said fiercely.

"And what about this afternoon? Was it accidental?"

"No, sir. I knew what I wanted to do."

"And you wanted to ...?"

"I wanted to hit him several times actually but I settled on something that would keep their minds busy. Like trying to wake Theodore..."

"Hmmmm..." Dumbledore made a sound and looked at Draco thoughtfully. The old wizard then clasped his hands on the desk and leaned forward, eyes boring mercilessly into those of the Slytherin prefect. "I will not suspend you from your duties since you were able to ensure that the ride to Hogwarts would be a peaceful one. I thank you for letting the first-years make friends with each other before they were Sorted." A shadow seemed to pass over his face when the word was uttered. "However, I advise you not to use your other talents on your fellow students, even if you think they deserve it. It is extremely unfair since they do not have the resources that you do. I will not, of course, hold anything against you should you need to deal with far more experienced wizards or witches."

"You should not be --" McGonagall was saying before she was interrupted by a sneeze, "-- encouraging --" another sneeze, "-- him, Albus." The professor sniffed and blew her nose delicately into a handkerchief.

"I think it is time for you to start training your other talents, young Draco. Learn them and control them. Luckily for you, Theodore is all right though he seems to be slightly confused," Dumbledore said in amusement.

Draco's face lit up at Dumbledore's suggestion but his expression fell quickly. "But how? I don't understand the magic myself..."

"You will not be doing it alone." The Headmaster finally smiled. "I will help you. We might as well see if I'm really as wise as they say I am. And of course, he will aid you." Dumbledore gave Harry a significant stare. "But I'm afraid that you will have to withdraw yourself from the Quidditch team, Draco. I wish to commit myself to training you, but it must be on Fridays and Saturdays. I'll expect you to rise with the sun," the wizard said slyly, more for Harry's benefit than the Slytherin's.

"The term's barely begun and I already have a major workload..." Harry groaned.

"You're just lazy." Draco gave the Gryffindor an evil smirk.

"I think it's time for us to discuss something much more serious that the usual meeting of two opposite minds on the Hogwarts Express," Dumbledore finally said after allowing Harry and Draco to share their thoughts. "Blaise," he called and the other Slytherin immediately got up from his seat. Fawkes gave a wistful whistle as the boy's fingers ceased their scratching on his crest. All of them waited as Blaise made himself comfortable on another chair.

"It was brought to my attention that the arson that occurred in your neighborhood might have been related to the incidents that happened at The Burrow and some other places," the Headmaster said slowly.

Harry blinked and studied Dumbledore with his head tilted slightly. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Leren didn't say anything else? Just that Draco managed to send his friend to sleep?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore was surprised but told Harry that they only mentioned that Draco had used his powers unprofessionally. Now this is weird, the Gryffindor thought. Leren knows that we would tell... or at least discuss Blaise's accusations to Dumbledore. Why didn't they fabricate any stories to back themselves up? He waited to hear Draco's opinion about the matter.

"I don't know. It's not like Leren not to have any back-up plans. If Blaise tells Dumbledore about what happened to the Muggles, in conjunction with a truth serum, won't Dumbledore take his word seriously?"

The Slytherin frowned, oblivious to the consternated looks of Dumbledore and Snape.

"Maybe Leren is hoping that all Blaise has to give Dumbledore is circumstantial evidence,"

Harry hazarded.

"If the two of you have something important to discuss, would you mind sharing it with the rest of us?" Snape asked with an irritated look.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Blaise, I would like to know what actually happened and was anyone hurt?" the Headmaster continued.

"You don't know?" Blaise looked up at the ancient wizard with bright eyes that suddenly blazed with fury.

Draco calmly reached out for the boy's arm. "If you start saying something that goes along the line of 'The Boy Who Lived is all that matters to you,' I'm going to smack your forehead against this magnificent desk," the prefect said calmly. The anger in Blaise abruptly dissipated when he saw the blonde-haired person giving him a withering look.

"There were casualties?" Dumbledore inquired, seemingly disturbed by the student's agitation. Blaise nodded. His silent reply made McGonagall sit up straighter in her chair. Harry and Draco looked curiously at her; the professor was frowning.

"Albus, Regan didn't mention anything about deaths," the Transfiguration teacher spoke in a small voice.

Harry narrowed his eyes when he heard the name. Could it be? "Professors, did this... Regan... also fail to mention that a witch had been hospitalized?"

"The fire originated in my drawing room," Blaise said quietly. "My mother happened to be in there when the unfrozen Ashwinder eggs exploded and set the room ablaze."

"It takes more than a couple of eggs to badly injure someone," Snape opined. His eyebrows furrowed closely together as he tried to imagine the damage done by four Ashwinder eggs.

"There was some sort of metallic substance surrounding the eggs," Blaise said as he reached into his pocket, rummaging inside for several moments before producing two separate packets. He handed both to the Potions Master. One of the plastic packets contained a tiny glass vial that seemed similar to Snape's own glassware. In the bottom of the other bag was a layer of moldy green powder that had a curious purple sheen to it when the packet was slowly waved back and forth in the candlelight.

Snape conjured a small container and placed the second packet inside. He then sealed the bottle tightly and reinforced the airtight conditions with a spell. His eyes lingered on the glass vial.

"I will tell you something, Professor Dumbledore. I have no idea how the eggs got there in the first place," Blaise said with deep regret.

"It could have been an accident," Snape told him but the boy shrugged.

"One Muggle family died because of the fire save for a set of twins that a doctor managed to save," the Slytherin continued and Dumbledore's frown deepened.

"I was not aware that the fire was extensive enough to kill several people. And were more Muggles involved after that?"

"It was messy -- trying to set memories or so one witch said to my uncle."

"How is your mother?" Snape asked abruptly. Blaise visibly withered.

"I don't know. She looked okay when I last saw her. I have to wait until my father sends the family owl to Hogwarts."

After that, Dumbledore began to interrogate the boy, with McGonagall and Snape doing cross-examinations. When the interview was over, McGonagall seemed better, Snape looked tired and Dumbledore was showing signs of stress. The old wizard was reluctant to face the fact that some of his students had planned the deaths of several humans. However, when Blaise offered another packet of evidence collected from the site of the 'accident', Dumbledore found that some sort of action was needed. All they had to go by were Blaise's words that he knew who the perpetrators were. A torn piece of fabric, some skin and several strands of leg hair proved that the boy knew what he was doing.

Snape calmly opened another possibility: Blaise was trying to get Leren and the other suspects expelled. A headache began to grow in Harry's head. They had to wait for several minutes so that the Potions Master could get a bottle of Veritaserum. The interrogation started all over again, with Blaise's answers now induced by the Truth Serum. His tale was nearly the same and Dumbledore had to conclude that the boy was telling the truth. Their next step was to conduct an experiment with the piece of fabric, skin and hair. They waited another two hours before the potion Snape had made on short notice was ready. The aluminium-like solution worked like a mirror; it would reflect the owner of the three pieces of evidence. Snape highly believed that they all came from one source.

The Potions Master made them stand several feet away when he added the human components. He too, backed up and just in time as the liquid boiled up and caused sparks to fly. When the reaction receded, Snape gestured that they could safely approach the pot. Harry peered down at the boiling surface cautiously, half-expecting to see a monster in the event that the evidence wasn't connected to a single person.

"That's Leren!" Draco exclaimed.

"How can you be sure? Leren does look a lot like his older brother," Harry said.

"It's Leren," the Slytherin insisted. "He has bigger shoulders."

"And how would you know that?" the raven-haired Gryffindor asked sweetly. Draco's expression changed and he began to look guilty as Harry stared at him. Blaise made a sound of disgust at the exchange and looked at Dumbledore instead.

"Well..." The Headmaster fell silent. He reached into his robe for a pocket watch. It was nearing eleven and the students had to be in bed. "Too late to take action; the poison has begun to bleed within the walls. Beware indeed," the long-bearded wizard muttered. "I can do absolutely nothing to them, short of expelling them from Hogwarts." He sighed deeply. Everyone stared at one another except for Snape. He was cleaning the cauldron of its contents after getting permission from Dumbledore.

"I will first summon the 'selected' students in the morning tomorrow. If they have the mark that Blaise has told us about, I believe eyes should be on them," Dumbledore said resolutely. Then, as if speaking to himself, he muttered, "I hate being attacked on two fronts. Why Tom insists on involving youngsters, I have no idea." He looked surprised to find that everyone was still in his office.

"Harry, Draco," Dumbledore began, "I'll need you to study something." Both boys looked at him in a very Hedwig-like fashion. "If Leren is indeed dangerous to the students and is going to harm someone or do something bad, I'll need the two of you to cast a spell on him so that he won't be able to use magic when that time comes."

"Wait! Why me?" Draco asked in bewilderment.

Dumbledore allowed a small smile to escape from his lips. "If he tries to do something, it could be a signal for something major to happen. Why you should help Harry is simple enough. Sharing a duty is far easier and less taxing, just in case something major does occur."

"You did create a shield that absorbed the Killing Curse," Snape mused, looking down at his favorite student. Then he turned a skeptical face toward the Headmaster. "Sir, I'd like to remind you that one can attack in different ways -- not only magically."

"That is why I also asked Harry," Dumbledore answered but did not elaborate.

Harry blinked. It seemed that the Headmaster was somewhat reluctant to discuss the matter while Blaise was present. Looks like this school year will start with more inventions, the Gryffindor thought. We need to create a spell that will alert us if Leren or one of the others is up to mischief... We could always have something to follow and watch him all the time... but... creating something... creating something that is able to think on its own... He gulped. Won't I be tampering with Nature?

"Is there no other way? Can't we just create spells, charms, hexes... whatever?"

Draco inquired.

"But creating a familiar would be less of a burden. I was thinking of using Empathy to monitor Leren but it requires too much energy, Drake," Harry answered uneasily.

"But do we have time?" Clear silver eyes looked deeply into his. "I have the feeling that Voldemort will come here... to Hogwarts... for the final battle."

"Why do you think he'll attack us here?" Harry asked and his sudden question earned him several irritated looks from the professors.

"All of us are here right? Professor Dumbledore, you, Professor Snape. If he chooses to ambush us... say in the middle of class or even a Quidditch match, what do you think we'd do? Run away?" Draco asked in a superior-like tone.

"I don't think so," Harry answered. If it happened rather suddenly, my first instinct would be to stand firm. "I'll give it three days. If I'm incapable of creating something, we'll just have to think about spells that would give us the same results."

"You could share the task with your friends," Snape said silkily.

Harry smacked his forehead with his palm for his stupidity. Hermione! She would be able to find solutions like this quicker than I could! "Drake, Hermione could be our backup by researching for spells and charms!"

"Funny... you didn't even think about the possibility. Be careful, Green-Eyes. You're getting more selfish. Trying to do everything on your own..." Draco shook his head reprovingly but his eyes were smiling.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry suddenly asked.

"He's on vacation," McGonagall answered. She quickly rushed to respond when Harry's face showed anxiety. "Real vacation this time."

"He went off to see how Norbert was doing," Dumbledore replied lightly. "Probably having the time of his life now that he gets to ride the dragon."

"Oh..."

"And there's one other thing I'd like you to do," Dumbledore quickly inserted before he lost the boys' attention. "Please publicize your friendship."

Several voices filled the almost quiet office, ending with Draco's shout, "That's a very bad idea!"

"Why?" Dumbledore asked innocently.

"Because ... because... it'd make me look like I've lost the Slytherins' favor!" the Slytherin complained and Harry agreed with him, nodding his head vigorously.

"What about the retinue that you recruited tonight?" the old wizard asked serenely.

Harry and Draco exchanged a look. "We'll think about it," Harry said before exiting the office, with his boyfriend tagging along lazily after him.

**********

Dumbledore almost pouted at their rudeness but shrugged. Maybe I've asked them to do too many things at once. "I think I can safely say that Draco is probably sharing Harry's bedroom. You will not be safe sharing the dormitory with the other boys." He looked at Blaise with a sympathetic smile. The boy was trying not to yawn in the presence of the teachers. "Since Draco has his own room, I think you can use it... Draco could always share the room with you."

Winky appeared, ready to take Blaise to his new sleeping area. The Slytherin muttered inaudibly before following the small house-elf quietly. Dumbledore went back to his seat, wondering why he didn't immediately make himself comfortable after the experiment. Snape and McGonagall took the silent cue to sit.

"We are racing against time, aren't we, Albus?" McGonagall asked, pinching the space between her eyes.

"I'm afraid so." The Headmaster gave a long sigh. That was all he said, though there were many things that were going through his mind. Will Harry be ready this soon? Can Hogwarts withstand the challenge or will it collapse?

"So many doubts..." a voice spoke in his head. "That will not do, Albus. You need to be strong and believe that Harry is able to end this war, in the way it should end. You will not help the school by filling yourself with uncertainty and doubt."

Dumbledore barely paid attention to Snape's request to leave and McGonagall almost disappeared into the background as he focused on his inner thoughts.

"Albus..." the voice seemed to be coming from somewhere far away until a pinch brought him to his senses. "Are you coming?" McGonagall was waiting by a bookshelf, looking at him invitingly.

Well, one night's sleep won't harm anyone. I wonder if I should start thinking about retirement already.

Dumbledore smiled as he stood up. He whistled softly and Fawkes magically appeared on his wrist. With a negligent wave of his other hand, he extinguished the candles and offered the sick Transfiguration teacher his arm.

**********

Three nights later...

Supper had a new look on Thursday night. Draco Malfoy, the pride of Slytherin had turned up after his Potions lesson with his new entourage and promptly sat in the middle of the Gryffindor table. His appearance was so sudden that Ron barked out sharply, "Are you mad?" However, his irritation could also have been attributed to the way Draco pushed the redhead aside so that he could sit beside Harry. Fifth-year Slytherins looked at seventh-year (and one sixth-year) Gryffindors in apprehension but within ten minutes everyone was seated in a way that was comfortable for the students of both Houses.

Something that had never occurred during official mealtimes finally took place. A couple of Ravenclaws who had been watching Draco suddenly made a bold decision to go over to the more humble Hufflepuffs. Professor Sprout looked at the scene in surprise and whispered into Madam Hooch's ear.

"Did Potter arrange this or did Dumbledore?"

"I have no clue... Malfoy's appearance seemed pre-planned to me but the rest looks rather spontaneous..."

"This is good!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed.

There was one teacher who wasn't that happy with the change and it surprised Lupin to no end. "What's wrong?"

"Wait and see," Snape mumbled, grimacing as he took a sip of pumpkin juice. So the Defence professor waited. And waited.

After twenty minutes, it became clear why the Potions Master wasn't as ecstatic as the easy-going Charms teacher. Snape was a man who loved the quiet and the Hall was no longer serene... The noise level had gradually increased.

"Well, at least the students are happy," Lupin said and Snape reluctantly agreed with the observation.

Back at the Gryffindor table, Harry was comparing his Potions notes with Draco and Hermione. Amazingly, Draco and Hermione never argued when it came to tutoring him in Potions. Harry wrote down what he felt was useful but had somehow missed when he was in class. Either he hadn't paid enough attention or his tutors knew the topic well enough to incorporate the knowledge they had absorbed from the textbook into their notebooks. His mind had been preoccupied lately and he was grouchy since his boyfriend was as distracted as he was. Despite this, however, Draco was able to cope in class much better than Harry was.

"Do you think we ought to unleash the spell now? Leren's stuck here with the rest of them."

Draco secretly squeezed Harry's hand from under the table. Dumbledore had sadly concluded that three of the students summoned (Leren, Theodore and Pansy) had Zabini's crest on their necks.

"Really? How come?"

"Professor Trelawney was kind enough to give us homework. The assignment is the usual

-- 'What do you predict will happen in the next three months?' That group has little imagination to speak of," Draco said in amusement. He scowled when Harry started to laugh.

Draco wondered where he picked up the habit of smacking Harry with whatever that came in handy.

SMACK!

Harry yowled in pain. The look the Gryffindor gave him was so adorable that Draco had to remind himself that Dumbledore allowed them to make their friendship known, not their relationship.

"You look marvelous, Green-Eyes..."

The compliment caught Harry off-guard and he blushed. "Well ... are we going to do the spell or not?"

"All right! Don't get excited!"

Harry popped a custard puff in his mouth before turning sideways. He felt uncomfortable and was starting to feel cramps in his waist and hip so he shifted again, this time straddling the bench. Draco mirrored his position and Harry reached for the pale hands, carefully clasping them with his palms facing upwards. By now, the two had attracted the attention of students around them.

"What's going on there?" someone from the lower end of the Gryffindor table asked curiously.

"Just a contest of wills. Nothing to get excited about," Ron answered loudly, sounding as if he had witnessed Harry and Draco acting like that frequently. Several Hufflepuffs looked over at the ex-enemies skeptically before shrugging and returning to their suppers.

"Ready?"

Harry asked and Draco nodded his assent. They began the spellcasting by first merging their minds. Everything around them began to dim and they listened for the music that was uniquely theirs: the sound of their racing heartbeats whenever they were together. They settled more deeply into the trance, heavily relying on Hermione and Ron for protection should someone try to hex them.

When they felt they were truly one in heart and mind, Draco and Harry opened their eyes and focused on their hands. Minutes passed but nothing seemed out of ordinary until Harry felt the tiniest sensation of warmth. There was a tiny bulb of light floating above Draco's palms. It slowly grew and with it, so did the intensity of the heat it gave off. The Gryffindor was sure that the heat scorched his thumbs but he determinedly held on.

Draco had given him the fuel element to work on, and it was finally time for him to do his part. It was tedious and was far more difficult than when Harry created the bracelet for Draco. Slowly and carefully, Harry began to let information and intelligence flow into the sphere of green fire. His lover was beginning to tire as the orb became denser. The Slytherin painstakingly shaped the orb with his mind. It was his fire after all and it bent to his will much easier than to Harry's. The orb pulsed brightly and slowly began to separate into three smaller balls.

Everyone ceased breathing as they watched the dancing bulbs in rapture. Then the fire began to fade to the disappointment of the observers. Draco's relief was almost palpable to Harry. The spell had worked after all. Now, they had three silver-metallic-like intelligent fairies to keep an eye on Leren and the others. Harry peered closely at one of their newly created creatures and started to laugh.

"What?"

Draco asked crossly but his boyfriend didn't cease.

"They look so much like Hermione!"

Harry guffawed.

"Harry James Potter. If you don't stop laughing this instant, I'm going to smack you with this plate," Draco threatened. The Gryffindor quickly swallowed his mirth and instructed the three fairies to attach themselves to Pansy, Theodore and Leren.

"Harry, did it work?" Hermione whispered urgently. Ron leaned over Draco's shoulder to hear the conversation.

"Yeah, it did. Can't you see them?" he asked inquisitively. Hermione shook her head. "Well..." Harry paused for a moment. "It seems like only Drake and I can see them. They don't look like they've noticed they're being watched," he said as he studied Leren and company.

"I wonder what they look like," Hermione said wistfully but her thoughts were redirected when Ginny asked her about Potions.

"Her birthday's coming soon, right?"

Draco began. "Why don't you make a quill holder for her?"

"Just what is it about Hermione and fairies?"

Harry asked in amusement.

"I think it's her smile..."

"Hey ya, 'Arry!" Hagrid's voice boomed cheerfully from across the Hall.

"Hagrid!" several voices exclaimed at once.

"How's dragon-riding?" Ron asked as he shook Hagrid's huge hand.

"It was bloody fantastic!" Hagrid roared and Harry got the impression that the half-giant was drunk. However, the gamekeeper was merely exhilarated. Mercurially, the gentle man's mood changed dramatically. "I'll catch up with all of you later... I have a message to deliver now..."

Harry's group watched the huge man move around the Hall and when they realized where he was heading, they became uneasy. Hermione watched Blaise worriedly as he accepted a letter and another huge envelope from the gamekeeper. Harry was nearly flattened by the sudden wave of grief that emanated from the Slytherin.

"Drake, I think he's going to have a breakdown..."

he sent an urgent thought to his lover.

"Professor," Blaise croaked out, "this is meant for Professor Dumbledore." The Slytherin's voice was hoarse. Then he took off suddenly.

"Damn!" Draco swore, scrambling out from his seat to chase after his housemate. Harry followed and interestingly, so did Luna.

"The two of you," Draco yelled at Harry and the Ravenclaw, "Don't you dare misuse the password! It's 'Nightshade'!"

The three scuttled down into the dungeons and Draco led them to a portrait leading to the Slytherin dormitories. Draco quickly shouted the password at the portrait guarding the entrance and the rest bolted through. Some younger Slytherins were wide-eyed when they saw that non-housemates had just entered their dungeon and were dashing up the spiral staircase at breakneck speed.

Draco was already pounding at the door, demanding that Blaise let him in. He was about to blast the door with a curse when Harry stopped him.

"Calm down," the Gryffindor spoke harshly and began concentrating on the spells that were defending the door. Harry's eyes traced the magical lines and when he spotted a knot connecting them together, he 'pulled', much like the way Draco had pulled Snape to safety from Lucius weeks ago.

Harry cautiously opened the door. It was pitch black.

"Lumos,"

Luna commanded softly under her breath, holding her wand right in front of her. They spotted the Slytherin sitting against the bed, hunched down and crying. "Draco, close the door. Don't bother with the lights," she instructed.

The platinum-headed boy did as she asked and none too soon, for they heard several Slytherins approaching the door. Harry placed Silencing Charms around them and sat down on a chair. It was dark and he couldn't see but his gift of Empathy allowed him to pinpoint the locations of Luna and Blaise accurately. He assumed that Draco was using his gift of Othersight to do the same thing. Seconds later, he felt arms slowly wrapping about his shoulders and smiled when Draco kissed the top of his head lightly.

Luna was moving on her knees, carefully groping to find Blaise and fervently praying that she wouldn't touch anything accidentally. She finally found what she was looking for and breathed a sigh of relief. She carefully sat on the floor, not letting go of the hand she had found.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"It's none of your damn business!"

"So? It's your mother, isn't it?" Luna said in a peculiar tone.

"She's dead," Blaise replied in a flat tone. "She couldn't bear the pain and stopped fighting..."

Luna sighed. "I know and understand how you feel." She crept closer to the Slytherin. "My mother died in the same way... although she knew that there was a possibility of accidents occurring..." Her voice was soft and calming to the nerves.

Harry truly sympathized with Blaise. I wonder how Mr. Zabini is doing... From the looks of it, he and his wife were rather close...

"I thought she was smitten with you,"

Draco remarked.

"Drake, how could you think of teasing when someone's grieving?"

"Sorry, Green-Eyes... It's just... I don't want to feel depressed."

**********

Dumbledore stared at the parchment in disbelief. He had tried for months to get the goblins to either support them or remain neutral. However, it now seemed like the goblin race was ready to wage war on Voldemort by themselves. If I had received the alliance from the Zabinis years ago, Juliana might still be alive today. I should have known that Blaise's father would have strong connections to them.

He slid the parchment into its envelope and massaged his temple lightly. The war will reach its peak soon...

**********