Redemption

Chapter Thirty:

After Harry left, Lupin discarded his stack of papers for the time being. He headed for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Just as he'd expected, he found Milliardo bent over his own load of work.

Approaching from behind, he rested his hands on the man's shoulders. He hadn't really expected to surprise Milliardo, for his lover was even more astute than Remus himself, canine ears included.

"Harry came to see you?"

"He did."

"And?"

"And..." Sighing, Remus lost his playful mood and conjured up a spare chair. "And no matter how many times I try to convince myself, I still don't like it."

"Like what?" Gratefully placing his quill back in the ink well, Milliardo turned to face his lover.

"Wufei. It isn't the boy himself, or even that Harry's sleeping with him," this warranted a raised eyebrow, "but what he's done. I know I shouldn't judge, especially when I can easily ignore your past, but Wufei's so young, and Harry, too. It's... Unsettling."

"Remus, we've had this talk before. Harry can take care of himself. As for Wufei, I've watched that boy, and I can tell you now that he's as wary of himself as you are. Like Harry, he's been through a lot and been forced to grow up before his time. But unlike Harry, he has blood on his hands. That will always haunt him. I can't help feeling like he - all of them - are just like me. I can see how much they regret what they've done, and how scarred they are. I also know first hand that I would do everything I can to protect you." Taking Remus' hand, he held it to his chest, above his heart. "If I'm right, and he really is like me, then the same principal applies between Wufei and Harry."

"I think that's what scares me," Remus whispered, leaning forward to kiss his lover's cheek to take the sting from his words.

Turning his face, Milliardo intercepted the kiss, wrapping his arms around Remus' shoulders. "There's nothing you can do. This time, you'll just have to trust Harry's judgment."

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After the others had left for class, the five boys sat in relative silence for a small while.

Naturally, the one to break this was Duo. "Man, this is too much. Am I the only one who feels like they've stepped into a fairy tale?" Surprisingly, it seemed he was. "So, you guys aren't having any trouble at all accepting this?"

"Not really," Trowa answered, amused by his lover's frustration.

"I've been living here for some time now," Wufei told him. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I don't think even a wizard could, but it feels natural."

Quatre nodded. "I know what you mean. I know it isn't logical, but it feels as though I've been here all my life. Or, at least, a part of me has. I am having a little trouble... believing it, though."

"Well you'd better start believing if you'll be taking classes, Q." The grin on Duo's face was enough to steal one in return from the distracted blond.

"I guess you're right," Quatre answered, a somewhat dreamy quality to his tone.

"So what about you, Heero? I can't believe how easily you're taking this."

"I like it here," Heero answered simply, then subsided at the 'If-You-Don't-Elaborate-I'll-Just-Bug-You-Till-You-Try-To-Strangle-Me' expression his friend wore. "It's strange, and unpredictable, and probably very deceptive, but it's comfortable. I don't think it's possible for anyone to ignore the charm that this world exudes."

Duo blinked very slowly. "Nice... A long, emotional, and analytical observation. I think this place is working wonders with your personality."

In spite of himself, Heero blushed... just a little. He hoped fervently that it hadn't been noted and quickly changed the subject. "I'm going to explore the grounds outside and take a look at that forest. I'll see you guys later." With that, he excused himself with the intention of finding Hagrid, the grounds keeper.

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After Heero had left, Trowa decided to drag Duo off for a wander around the castle. He wanted to see as much of the place as he could before they left to go into town.

As they roamed the hallways, Trowa unconsciously slipped his hand into Duo's. The braided boy smiled at him, and he smiled back. It was nice to have these moments, where the two of them could just be content in each other's presence.

Just as he brushed a thumb over Duo's cheek, and leant down to kiss the boy, he registered footsteps halting behind them.

"If you don't mind, this is a school. We do not tolerate that sort of behavior in the hallways," an accented female voice proclaimed.

"Yes, of course, miss," Trowa quickly answered.

However, the woman did not scold them further, but smiled instead. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I assume that the two of you are the special guests that the Headmaster spoke of."

"That's us!" Duo chirped, adding a little wave for good measure.

"Then it's a pleasure to meet you, but do excuse me. I have some rather important business to attend to, and I'm rarely afforded time off from classes to do so." With a brisk nod to each of them, she brushed past, but paused on a hind thought. "I assume that you will be more discreet from now on?"

"Of course, Professor," Trowa answered, with a nod in return.

"Nice woman. A little stuffy, but nice," Duo assessed after she'd rounded the corner. "I like her accent."

They continued to move through the castle, occasionally having to backtrack in order to find a staircase that didn't lead to thin air. Once, Duo almost got caught in a step, but his quick reflexes paid off, and allowed him to jump forward before he could become truly stuck. They learned to be a little more cautious from that point.

Unfortunately, Duo's curious nature led him to touch things that may have seemed perfectly harmless... Until a secret passage opened up in the wall.

For a long moment, Duo stared in awe. Then, he grabbed Trowa's hand, dragging his lover off into certain trouble. Inwardly, Trowa groaned. There was no way that a secret passage plus Duo could lead to good.

After making their way through a very dark, winding, and gloomy stone passage, which definitely went downwards, they reached a rather odd painting. Peering closely at it, Duo announced that it was basically just a poem, or a riddle, more precisely.

A riddle? After walking for what seemed like hours, Trowa was ready to take a nice, warm bath and cuddle up in bed. Who knew how long this might take? He was quite content to just return they way they'd come, and told Duo so.

"Don't be stupid, Trowa," the braided boy told him distractedly. "This will be fun."

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Quatre and Wufei were left together in the library, both caught up in their own thoughts.

"Wufei?" Quatre asked, drawing the other boy's attention. Now that he'd begun, he wished he hadn't. "I was just wondering about the Slytherins. Are they really as bad as they're made out to be?"

"I only arrived at Hogwarts last night, myself, but from the brief exposure I have had to them... Yes."

"Oh." That wasn't too reassuring. Something about the way Dumbledore had seemed so sorry tugged at him. How could a group of students have such a reputation that even their Headmaster was biased against them?

"Perhaps Malfoy may have influenced my perception of the house. It may not be so bad," Wufei continued quietly, for Quatre's sake.

"Malfoy?"

A distinct look of irritation came over Wufei's face, and he began to tell the story of his brief meeting with the Slytherin...

"He sounds terribly arrogant," Quatre muttered eventually. His previous excitement was dampened in the face of what may await him in that house. "I suppose I'll need to befriend him if my mission here is to be of any use."

Wufei just watched him for a long moment. Then, he leant back in his chair. "You really are a most noble person, Quatre. Just once, you need to do something for you. Forget one arrogant boy. You have the opportunity to dabble in what, to most, would be a dream come true. Let yourself enjoy it."

Somehow, Wufei had managed to touch on the very thing that was bothering Quatre. "I can't help worrying that I'll lose sight of the objective. I gave up my freedom long ago. We all did. My priority is to the mission. I'm afraid that I'll let myself be distracted too easily."

"There is nothing I can say to that. You should have more faith in yourself. The others do, as do I."

Surprised by the sincerity and openness Wufei was offering, Quatre felt himself smile. "Freedom isn't all that we sacrificed, Wufei. I think we all lost bit by bit of our souls over the years, but it seems that you've healed, at least a little."

"I found my peace," Wufei all but whispered. "And so will you. Slytherin or no, this may be your chance."

"I think you're right." Struck by the truth of Wufei's words, Quatre was filled with awe at the tendril of hope that had been thrown his way. The wizarding world was certainly full of surprises, and he was sure that they'd only seen the bare minimum so far. Whatever happened here, it would certainly change their lives in a very big way.

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When Harry reached the common room, he noticed that none of his close friends were down there. So, he headed up to his dorm room. There were voices coming from inside, and when he opened the door, he found Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all sitting around and talking.

"Hey, Harry," Hermione greeted him. "What did Peacecraft want?"

Grinning, Harry took a seat on his bed. "He sent me to Lupin. We had a little chat."

"How is he?" Ginny asked, only a brief hint of concern showing in her voice.

"He's doing fine. No doubt thanks to a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts professor..." Harry winked.

"Oh, come on. You're not saying... No. No way!" Ron groaned.

Hermione, on the other hand, giggled. "Is no one straight these days?"

"Me! I am!" called Ron, throwing his hand into the air emphatically. "Feel free to follow any time, Harry."

"Uh..." With a panicked look to Hermione, Harry felt himself blush once more.

Gaping, Ron let his hand drop very slowly. "Not you, too... Oh, bloody hell."

Fidgeting with the bed sheets, Harry refused to look at his friend. "I'm sorry. I probably should have told you about Wufei sooner, I just wasn't sure-"

"Wufei?!" A somewhat choked gurgle issued from Ron's throat.

Apparently, that was too much for Ginny, who burst out in a fit of giggles, trying to bury her face in Hermione's shoulder to muffle them.

Apart from that, no one made a sound. Even Hermione didn't know what to say.

Eventually, Ron ran a hand through his hair. "It never rains, but it bloody well pours. I really do not believe this."

"Ron-"

"Don't you 'Ron' me, Hermione. Give a bloke a break? I was willing to work on accepting you two, but all three - four - of you, in one day? It's a little much to take in."

Unfortunately, Ginny just couldn't hold back on that one. She snorted rather loudly.

Harry glared at her. "Ginny, you really need to work on the gutter-brain of yours."

However, Ron was staring open mouthed once again, a thought apparently having just occurred to him. "You haven't... You know... ... Have you?"

"Actually," Harry mumbled, wishing he could just bury his face in the sheets.

"Don't finish that, please. On second thought, I don't want to know." Abruptly, he stood up. "I'm just going to go for a little walk."

"Ron-"

"Just, shhh..." He held up his hands in exasperation, and walked out of the room, all but slamming the door behind him.

"Well... That went well," Harry mumbled, wiping a hand across his eyes, tiredly.

"Oh, Harry." Ginny pounced onto his bed and hugged him. "Ron will come around. You're his best friend. He won't let something like this get in the way."

"Ginny's right. He may be a little hasty at times, but I'm sure that once he's had a chance to think, it will be okay." Hermione rested her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder, and peered at Harry from beneath her hair. "It'll be okay; you'll see. Besides, there's a Hogsmeade weekend this week. It'll be a good chance for everyone to relax, and clear the air."

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It had taken at least half an hour for Duo and Trowa to solve the riddle. Once they had, they stumbled upon a dank chamber in what could only be the school 'dungeons'.

"Holy shit," Duo muttered. "This place should win a prize for neglect." He was quite right. The room was filled with cobwebs, and old junk covered in mould and mildew. "You'd think this would be avoidable with magical cleaning methods... I guess no one comes down here."

"A-huh... now, can we go?"

"Sure, Tro! After I have a quick look around."

A 'quick look around' proved to be a good hours worth of rummaging which scored Duo several items that he couldn't even begin to guess the uses of. Once the braided boy was satisfied with his loot, he finally agreed to head back.

By the time they reached the secret entrance to the passage, it was well into dinnertime, though neither of them was interested. Trowa was determined to take a bath, and Duo dying to mess around with what he'd found. Heading back to their room, Trowa quickly stripped off and ran the water in the tub, sighing in relief as he sank into its heated water. He would definitely have to find out if there were more of those secret passages, if only to keep Duo away from them.

Vaguely, he worried about Duo playing with the things he'd found, although they had to be old beyond belief, and probably unable to be used if they were locked away in that little room.