Immortalitas Aestas

It was early when Draco staggered into the Great Hall, stifling a yawn with one hand. He scanned the nearly empty room before his gaze found its target; Harry was sitting in his usual spot next to Hermione, blearily staring at the piece of toast in his hand, with Weasley on the other side of him looking like he was going to fall asleep in his bowl of porridge.

Draco walked over to the Gryffindor table and dropped into a seat across from Harry, who immediately dropped his toast in surprise.

"Hey," Harry said.

"Hey," Draco murmured back.

It was so early that the only people attempting to eat breakfast were the members of the Adversarius, as they had a long day ahead of them and had decided to start as early as possible with the spell casting on the school. Draco had gotten little sleep the previous night thanks to his rendezvous with Harry in the Room of Requirement, and Harry looked as if he himself were in the same state. Weasley had actually dozed off, head dipping dangerously low so that his long nose was nearly touching the porridge in front of him.

Lupin and Sirius entered the Great Hall then, and walked over to where they were sitting.

"Are we nearly ready to start?" Lupin asked, picking up a piece of toast and spreading it liberally with jam. Weasley jerked upwards at his voice, nearly toppling off the bench, and Draco coughed to cover his laugh.

"It's not even light out yet," Harry said, grumbling slightly. "I feel like I'm going to fall asleep sitting here." He nudged Weasley in the ribs with his elbow, as the other boy had once again started to drift off.

Sirius smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair, earning an indignant squawk from his godson. "The early bird catches the worm," he said jokingly.

Harry ran his hands uselessly through his hair before sighing and standing up. "I suppose you're right." He grabbed a piece of toast off his plate and stepped over the bench. "Off we go, then."

Draco watched Harry step up onto the dais where the staff table sat. McGonagall and Snape were the only professors present, and Harry leaned across the table to speak with them quickly. McGonagall nodded and Harry turned around to face the Hall's occupants.

"If everyone can finish up their breakfast, or their naps-" here he winked at Weasley, "-we really need to get started. Please meet me outside in ten minutes and we'll go over everything. If you've got a broom, please make sure you bring it with you."

This seemed to spur everyone to action, as they reached for a final piece of toast or slice of bacon and finished up their juice. Draco picked up the second piece of toast that had been lying on Harry's plate and ate it, following it with the remaining bit of juice in Harry's goblet. He arched an eyebrow at Hermione, who was trying to hide a smile behind the always-present book in her hand, and ignored Weasley's curious look.

"See you outside," he said as he stepped over the bench, brushing a hand down the front of his jumper to remove any crumbs. Sirius and Lupin had seated themselves at the end of the Gryffindor table, and Draco nodded at them both as he passed. He walked up to Harry, who was still conversing with McGonagall, reaching up a hand and lightly grasping Harry's knee. Harry looked down at him and gave him a lazy smile extremely reminiscent of the one that had been on his face the previous night in the Room of Requirement, and Draco curled his fingers possessively into the back of Harry's knee.

Harry smirked at him slightly, then turned back to McGonagall, who was speaking again. Draco tried to focus his attention on her words, trying not to notice how good Harry smelled, and failing rather spectacularly. The way Harry was nibbling on his toast was downright obscene and Draco swallowed back a groan.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco snapped his gaze up to McGonagall's face. "Yes?"

She gave him a stern look and he heard Harry snort in laughter. He tried to scowl at him but noticed that Harry was now licking his fingers and Draco felt all conscience thought drift away from him. As Harry ran his tongue slowly over the tip of his thumb, Draco's fingers tightened on Harry's knee. He forcefully tore his attention away from Harry's mouth, firmly not thinking about exactly what that mouth had been doing to him the night before, as Snape cleared his throat irritably.

"I'm sorry, Professor, what did you say?" Draco finally asked, swallowing another groan as Harry slowly slid a finger between the collar of his jumper and his throat.

"I asked where your housemates are, Mr. Malfoy. You are the only Slytherin present this morning."

Draco cleared his throat but was saved from answering when Pansy entered the Hall. She saw him and headed his direction just as Blaise and Tracey stepped through the doors and walked towards the Slytherin table.

"Morning, Draco. Potter," Pansy said when she reached them. "Sorry we're a bit late."

Harry arched an eyebrow at that before finally dropping his hand away from his throat and stepping down off the dais next to Draco. Draco noticed that he could just barely see a bit of a red mark peeking out of the collar of Harry's jumper and wrenched his gaze away. God, it was really difficult for him to focus this morning.

"Not a problem," Harry finally said, grinning slightly. "We're just about to get started. You probably have enough time to get a quick something to eat. I've asked everyone to be outside in ten minutes."

Pansy nodded. "Did you eat, Draco?"

He found himself once again staring at Harry's throat, and said, "Yes," rather absentmindedly.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Right." She gave him a look that firmly told him to get a grip on himself before turning away. "I'll just grab some toast, then, and meet you outside."

Draco watched her walk away then turned his attention back to the person standing next to him. Harry was watching him with amusement, and Draco looked once more at his neck and bit his lower lip slightly. Harry winked and started to walk towards the doors, and Draco waited for just a second before following him out of the Great Hall.

"You've got a love bite on your neck," Draco murmured, reaching out a hand to stop Harry from going up the stairs.

"I know," Harry replied, smiling easily. "You should have seen Hermione's face when she asked if I wanted her to heal it."

"What was Granger doing looking at your neck?" Draco asked, blinking as his voice came out sounding much more envious than he'd expected.

Harry gave a soft laugh, then glanced around quickly before pulling him close and placing a quick open-mouthed kiss on his lips. "Later." He stepped back and adjusted his collar, hiding the mark from view. "I need to run up to the Tower and grab my broom."

"I'll grab your broom," Draco whispered, and Harry rolled his eyes as Draco's grin turned devilish.

"I'm sure you would," Harry finally replied with a small smile. Draco reached out and cupped Harry's face in one hand, running his thumb gently over Harry's cheekbone.

They were interrupted by a slight cough, and Draco hastily dropped his hand, tucking it into his pocket. He turned to find Hermione and Weasley standing behind him. Hermione had a smile on her face but Weasley was turned slightly sideways, resolutely looking at a portrait of an old wizard with an ear trumpet, who was staring at Ron curiously.

"We need to get our cloaks," Hermione said, tugging on Weasley's arm to get him started up the steps. "Coming, Harry?"

"Not at the moment," Harry murmured, and Draco choked on his laughter as Weasley's face turned bright red.

"Right, well, I hardly think now's the time." Hermione grinned. "And your collar's slipped again, you know."

"Granger, please refrain from staring at my boyfriend's neck," Draco said, grasping the collar of Harry's jumper and pulling it down slightly to show off the mark. "I don't like you ogling what's mine." He ran his fingers gently over the mark, noticing as he did so that Harry's breathing became a bit unsteady.

He dropped his hand as the doors to the Great Hall opened again, spilling the four Hufflepuffs into the Entrance Hall.

"Nearly ready, Harry?" Ernie called out. Hannah was pulling on her cloak while Susan fiddled with her mittens, then pulled a hat over her hair. Justin was juggling three broomsticks as he attempted to tuck his Hufflepuff scarf beneath his cloak. Hannah relieved him of one of the broomsticks once she'd gotten her cloak straight.

Harry drew a deep breath as he straightened his jumper out. "Yes," he said after a moment, eyes holding Draco's gaze steadily. "Nearly ready."

Draco smiled at him. "See you outside." Harry nodded as Draco turned away, heading down to the dungeons to grab his cloak and his Nimbus.

When Draco stepped outside, nearly everyone except the Gryffindors were there. Pansy stepped up next to him, pulling on her hat.

"Did you have a good night?"

Draco grinned at her, tugging on his gloves. "Yes, it was quite nice."

Pansy smirked. "I'm sure."

The doors opened behind them and Lavender Brown walked through, followed by the final three Gryffindors.

"We'll have to ward everything but the main door," Hermione was saying, gesturing around. "That way people can still go in and out. Once we start we'll only have limited time, remember, so while we have to be careful we're not missing anything we also have to be fairly quick."

"Everyone here?" Harry asked as he straightened his cloak and retrieved his Firebolt from Weasley.

"Just waiting for you, Potter," Pansy replied, arching an eyebrow.

Harry gave her an easy smile. "Wonderful. Then let's get started."

He moved to stand in the center of the steps and raised one hand. "If I could have everyone's attention, please, we can go over the incantation needed for the wards."

Everyone settled down quickly at Harry's request.

"We'll practice saying the incantation first, then the wand movement, and then try to put them together. Everyone here is fairly competent with their Charms so it shouldn't be too difficult." Harry grinned and everyone laughed slightly, releasing the tension that had been building. "Ron and Lavender are our Charms experts, so they'll be the ones to go over everything with you. If everyone can divide into two groups, we'll get started."

Harry leaned over to whisper something to Weasley, who nodded. Pansy grabbed Draco's elbow and pulled him down the stairs, where they joined Blaise and Tracey on the lawn.

"Weasley or Brown?" Tracey asked.

Draco shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

Harry had moved down the stairs and was again talking to McGonagall and Snape. Lupin and Sirius joined them, Sirius still munching on a bit of bacon. Harry gestured around, receiving nods or shakes of the head in response to whatever he was saying.

"Harry already knows the Charm," Hermione said as she stepped up to the Slytherins.

"And you don't?" Pansy asked, voice sharp. She still was not on very good terms at all with the Head Girl, and made that apparent nearly every time they had to speak to each other.

Hermione regarded her coolly. "Of course I do."

Draco suddenly developed a rather nasty cough, and Pansy glared at him.

"You four can work with Lavender," Hermione said imperiously, "and Justin and Susan." She pointed to where Brown was standing, a bright red hat pulled over her hair. Lavender was waving her wand about in a fairly intricate pattern. "It looks like she's already started, so you might want to hurry."

Blaise shrugged elegantly before taking Tracey's elbow, tugging her in the direction of Brown and the two Hufflepuffs. Pansy threw one last glare at Hermione before huffily walking after them. Draco grinned at Hermione, then followed at a more sedate pace.

Draco listened carefully as Brown went over the incantation and watched as she moved her wand again in that intricate design that he'd seen earlier. He knew his housemates were watching just as avidly, although it wasn't immediately obvious to most. Blaise had a rather haughty look on his face, but his eyes were sharp, following the pattern Lavender traced in the air. Pansy looked thoroughly bored, but Draco knew she, too, was carefully cataloguing anything and everything Brown said and did. Tracey was the most open of them all, eyes showing her curiosity even if she did keep the rest of her face in its typical expressionless mask.

"Let's all say the incantation once more, together, so that I can make sure you're stressing the correct syllable. Then I'm going to ask each of you to show me the wand movement individually, because this really isn't something that we can afford to make any mistakes in." Brown swiped irritably at the fringe of her Gryffindor scarf as the wind chose that moment to gust, blowing the yarn into her eyes. "Again, the incantation is Protego Intus, so please repeat after me: Protego Intus."

Everyone parroted it back to her, and she gave a slight shake of the head. "Close. Say it again: Pro-TEH-go IN-tus."

"Protego Intus," a voice said in Draco's ear, causing him to jump slightly. He turned his head and met amused green eyes. Harry winked at him and then turned his attention to Brown.

"Nearly there?" he asked.

"I think so," Brown said. "Can you all say it one more time, so that Harry can hear it?"

They did so, yet again, and Lavender nodded. "I think they've got it, Harry."

Harry nodded once, lightly brushing Draco's elbow with his fingertips, before stepping away and heading over towards Weasley's group. Draco watched him walk away before a swift poke in his ribs gained his attention quite forcefully. He jerked his head around and glared at Pansy, who merely arched an eyebrow.

"Stop ogling him, Draco. Now's not the time."

Draco scowled, but returned his attention to Brown, who was once again demonstrating the complicated wand motion. Pansy was right; now wasn't a good time at all for him to be distracted, although she didn't have to point it out to him quite so painfully. He absently rubbed at the spot she'd poked, eyes sharp on Brown as she performed the movements again.

"Let's try it all together, first. On three, please. One, two, three." Everyone tried to copy the design she'd drawn in the air, none of them succeeding. Brown laughed slightly. "Well, it was a good attempt for a first try. Let me break it down for you, and then we'll try it again." She drew a pattern high in the air, using a charm to light the path of her wand so that everyone could follow it more easily. Draco's eyes followed the red trail as she slowly moved her wand through the air. She demonstrated the first part of the motion three more times, before gesturing for them to do the same. Draco slowly moved his wand through the air, his pattern sparkling in a green path through the sky. Brown was watching them all closely, but caught Draco's eye and gave a quick nod of her head to say he'd done it correctly.

Bones' attempt was close, but Draco noticed that she'd added one too many swirls to the middle, so quietly pointed it out to her. She smiled in thanks at him, erased the path of purple she'd drawn in the air, and tried it again, this time correctly. Lavender smiled at her, then turned her attention to Finch-Fletchley.

Once everyone in the group had the first part learned, she showed them the rest of the pattern. It took several tries for everyone to get it right, but they finally succeeded.

"Great, now we're going to try it with the incantation. The charm won't do anything as long as you're not actually drawing it on anything, so make sure there's plenty of room between you." Everyone shifted away from each other slightly. "All right, remember, the first part of the incantation - Protego - should be said while you're completing your first set of swirls. Intus is then added as you loop the design around from the bottom, ending with that final point to your right. Does that make sense?"

There were murmurs of assent. Draco's eyes narrowed as he watched Brown demonstrate the entire charm once more. He straightened his shoulders. If she could do it he certainly could, and probably better than anyone else. Harry stepped up next to him as that thought finished, so he amended it slightly. Well, anyone else except Harry.

"Got it?" Harry murmured. Draco nodded. "Show me."

Draco did. Once the design was completed, he dropped his wand slowly and turned his head towards Harry. "So?"

"Perfect." Harry was close, mouth nearly touching Draco's ear, and he felt a shiver move down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold wind blowing around them. "Just like you."

Draco couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his face at the words. "Kiss arse."

"Only yours," Harry said solemnly. He squeezed Draco's fingers slightly, then stepped away again.

"Everyone got it, Lavender?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry. Ready when you are."

Harry nodded and turned his head to catch Weasley's attention, who gave a short nod as well. "Great. Let's all head back over towards the stairs, then, and we'll divide everyone up."

The group moved across the grass until they were standing at the base of the stairs. Harry climbed up them, joined by Hermione. Draco noticed that most of the staff had come outside as well, although Professor Sprout seemed to be heading towards the greenhouses. Dumbledore was decked out in a bright purple cloak with a neon green muffler and Draco blinked at the sight.

Harry held a hand up for attention, which was immediately granted. "I just want to go over a few more things before we get started. I don't think I need to remind you that what we're doing this morning is extraordinarily important. We're doing this to ensure that the students in our school - our classmates - are protected to the best of our abilities if Voldemort should decide to attack Hogwarts." There was some squirming at the mention of Voldemort's name, and Harry paused a moment for everyone to settle back down.

"We must be extremely careful as we place the charms, because we cannot afford even one mistake," Harry continued. "As soon as the first charm is cast, we will have an exact window of time in which to work. Hermione has charmed an hourglass that we're going to place behind where you're standing on the lawn so that you can see how much time is left. I am hopeful that we'll be able to get finished with most of the building in three hours. I may be a bit overly optimistic, though." He grinned at Hermione, who shook her head fondly.

"Those of you with brooms will take care of the towers and turrets. Remember: every window, crevice and outcropping needs to be charmed. Do exactly what you were doing with Ron and Lavender, because the charm will spread slightly when you cast it on an object. That way you'll be able to easily see if there's a surface that hasn't been charmed."

The doors opened behind Harry, and Longbottom, Stephen Cornfoot, Su Li and Daphne Greengrass stepped through.

"Sorry, Harry," Neville said, "we didn't mean to interrupt. We're going to help Professor Sprout move some of her plants inside. Professor Dumbledore finally found a good classroom for us to use and we just finished putting the warming and sunlight charms on it."

"I doubt Potter's terribly interested in the specifics, Neville," Daphne said dryly, and Neville blushed.

"Right, sorry. Will you be on the stairs long, Harry? We're going to have to make several trips." Longbottom was apologetic and Harry placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, actually, that feeds right in to what I wanted to say next. We're not charming the front doors until after the students and their familiars have been charmed. In fact, just stay away from this entire area. So that set of windows and below," Harry sent a beam of brilliant blue light up towards the set of windows he was talking about, "is not to be touched at all. Okay?"

Everyone agreed, and the four students who were helping Sprout moved down the stairs and headed off towards the greenhouses.

Harry nodded at Hermione, who took over the explanations. "As Harry said, this is extremely important work, but as I'm sure you've figured out as well, it's also a rather delicate process. It's also going to be tiring. The house-elves have been asked to provide us with refreshments at our request." Her voice was tinged with distaste, and Harry grinned.

"If you feel yourself tiring at all, stop immediately. If you're hungry or thirsty, just step up to the table behind Professor Dumbledore there and tell Dobby what you'd like. Within reason, of course," she added hastily. "No reason to overwork the house-elves, after all."

Harry and Weasley shared a grin. "No, of course not," Harry said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up, Harry," Hermione muttered, causing Harry and Weasley to laugh openly.

"Anyway," Hermione said, cheeks tinged slightly pink. "Any questions?" There didn't appear to be any, so Hermione nodded once and she and Harry moved down the stairs towards everyone and started sending them off to the different areas of the castle.

"You're with me," Harry said, grasping Draco's elbow and pulling him towards the front stairs. "We're doing the Astronomy Tower, and the walkway below. Oh, and Trelawney's tower, too."

"Is that all?" Draco asked, allowing Harry to lead him across the grass.

"Hardly," Harry said dryly. "That's just the first part. Hermione said there's no way we can do anything else without a break, so we'll meet back here once that's done to get our new assignments."

Hermione spoke then, voice carrying easily across the grounds with the help of a Sonorus charm. "Once you've finished the areas you were just assigned, please return to the front lawn here, so we can take a bit of a break. You'll receive your new areas of the castle then."

Draco watched as a few other people took to the skies on their broomsticks, heading off to the other towers. He turned his head to find Harry looking at him.

"Well, here we go," Harry said softly.

Draco nodded, and they both mounted their brooms and kicked off.

***

As the charm slowly spread across the castle, Ron sighed slightly in relief. They'd been at this for nearly three hours now, and he was pleased to see that everything appeared to be working. As the so-called "Charms expert" it was his responsibility to watch the flow of the spell as it settled, to make sure there weren't any holes in the wards. Thus far the castle was glistening golden in the morning sunlight, with no areas of concern. All was going according to Harry and Hermione's plan.

Ron flew slightly higher, figuring he'd go check on Harry and Malfoy's progress on Trelawney's tower. He glanced briefly at his watch, and seeing that it was nearly time for their break, set across the sky. If they still had some areas to be charmed, he'd lend a hand, to help them all avoid Hermione's wrath at being late.

He flew past the Astronomy Tower, studying the flowing golden lines for any breaks, and, not seeing any, flew lower to inspect the walkway nearby. Knowing that Harry had been one of the casters of the spell, he didn't expect to find any mistakes, and wasn't disappointed. It all looked perfect.

He continued on his way over to Trelawney's tower, but a movement ahead caught his eye. Malfoy's bright hair was immediately distinguishable, and, curious despite himself, he lowered down onto a nearby window ledge to watch.

It was still utterly beyond him what Harry saw in the blond-haired git, but he'd been studying them discretely - or rather, discretely for Ronald Weasley - and had to admit that they truly seemed to fit together. Ron didn't spend too much time thinking about exactly how they fit together, and the sight of them kissing or touching each other even casually was at times too much for him to handle, but he had to acknowledge that they did have something ... well, special. And that made his heart twist a little bit, because as much as he liked Mandy, what they had just didn't seem to even compare to what Harry and Malfoy were to each other.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a laugh from Harry. It appeared that they'd finished charming the tower, and were now just floating lazily above their handiwork. As the golden spell light spread out across the tower's roof, Harry pulled his broom alongside Malfoy's and turned to face the blond. Ron couldn't hear what they were saying, but he heard another slight laugh from Harry, and an answering one from Malfoy at Harry's spoken response. Ron had never heard Malfoy laugh before, or at least, not without spite or hate coloring it, and the sound made him sit up a bit straighter. So this is what Malfoy sounded like when no one else was around.

Mindful that he was eavesdropping, even though he couldn't exactly hear anything, Ron tucked himself more tightly against the glass of the window at his back. It wasn't often that he got to observe Harry and Malfoy when they were alone, and as long as they didn't start kissing and stuff, he figured he'd be all right. Hermione would be proud of him, he thought, for taking it upon himself to do some research.

As Ron watched, Harry took one of Malfoy's hands and entwined their fingers together. His face was somber as he listened to Malfoy speak. Ron wished he could hear what they were saying, but couldn't risk leaving his perch without being seen, which would ruin the moment. Harry and Malfoy clearly thought they were alone - they were the only two assigned to this side of the castle this first go-round - and Ron knew that their interactions would change if they knew they were being watched. Especially by him.

Mindful of his precarious footing on the ledge, Ron shifted slightly to get a better look. Malfoy had reached out his free hand and was cupping Harry's face in his palm, much as he had earlier on the stairs. In fact, this seemed like a continuation of that moment, because as Ron watched Malfoy leaned forward and kissed Harry fully on the mouth.

And Harry melted into the kiss. There was no other word for it.

And maybe watching them kiss wasn't really so awful, Ron decided a moment later, as they separated and Malfoy wrapped his free hand around Harry's shoulders, pulling him as close as their brooms and the awkward position of their bodies would allow. There was just something about them. Hermione had been right. They really were right for each other. Not that Hermione was ever wrong, Ron thought with a smile.

He was pulled rather forcibly from his musings by a rap on the glass against his back. He jumped, nearly falling off the ledge, and bit his tongue to keep from shouting out. Turning around with a glare that could kill if looks could, he found himself face-to-face with a grinning Colin Creevey, who had his ever-present camera in his hand.

Ron reached down and shoved the window open.

"What?" he demanded quietly, aware that too much noise would attract Harry and Malfoy's attention. "You nearly gave me a bloody heart attack, you idiot!"

Colin shrugged, and his smile slipped a bit. "Sorry, Ron. I just wanted to tell you that I got those pictures of you and Mandy developed. Do you want them now?"

Ron drew in a deep breath to calm his still slightly-panicked breathing, and nodded. "I'll look at them, but then you'll have to take them back. We're not done out here and I don't really have anywhere to put them."

Colin reached into his bag and withdrew several photos. Colin had taken the pictures on the sly - he was disconcertingly good at that - and Ron had demanded a copy of them once he'd realized they were being spied on.

Ron took them and paged through. They'd been taken when the heat spell was still in effect, so he hardly looked his best. He and Mandy had been studying outside near the lake. Or rather, Mandy had been studying and Ron had been trying to figure out the best way to distract her. The photos definitely showed his persistence in getting Mandy's attention, Ron thought dryly. The final picture showed them finally kissing, which was the only way to forget about the heat, as far as he was concerned. Picture Ron had one hand tangled in Picture Mandy's blonde hair while the other worked determinedly to get the buttons of her dress open. Picture Mandy, on the other hand, kept swatting at the hand on her chest, and finally succeeded in locking their fingers together to stop his movements completely.

Ron turned his head so that he could just see Harry and Malfoy floating above the tower, arms still wrapped around each other. He glanced again at the picture in his hand, and sighed. He wasn't exactly an expert on emotions - Hermione wasn't far off when she'd said he had the "emotional range of a teaspoon" - but even he could see the difference between the two images.

"Thanks, Colin," Ron said, handing the photos back. Colin beamed at him as he slipped the pictures back into his bag.

"No problem!" he said cheerfully. "Were they what you wanted?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "But you make sure not to take any more. Not of me, or Hermione, or Harry, you hear?"

Colin straightened up. "Yes, Sir!"

Ron frowned at him. "None of that cheek."

Colin gave him a lazy salute and walked down the corridor, leaving Ron with a frown still on his face.

A gong sounded across the grounds and Ron cursed, launching himself onto his broomstick. He hurriedly closed the window and flew up to Harry and Malfoy, who had separated at the sound of the gong.

Malfoy arched an eyebrow at him. "Where did you come from?"

Ron hastily brushed aside the comment. "Oh, you know, I was just checking ... something. We need to get down to the lawn now or Hermione'll have our heads."

Harry grinned at him. "Nah, we'll make it. Race you!"

And with that, Harry shot across the sky, Malfoy at his heels. Ron shook his head once, smiling, and followed after them.

***

Harry landed roughly, stumbling as his feet hit the hard ground. Draco landed just behind him, and Ron a distant third. He managed to keep his balance, although it was a near thing, and smiled up at Hermione as he righted himself.

"Really, Harry," Hermione said, although there was a smile in her eyes.

"What?" Harry asked straight-faced, then ruined it by grinning. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Did you finish?" she asked as he untwisted his cloak from his legs.

"Yep, all three areas are completely done."

He followed her over to the refreshment table. Draco had been caught by Pansy, who was thrusting a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits at him. Harry set his broomstick against the table, nodding his head in thanks as Dobby handed him a cup of tea. "How does everything else look?"

"Lavender and Ron were doing checks on everyone's work from the air, and pitching in where they needed an extra hand. The professors were watching over the spellcasting from the ground. Lavender said everything she checked over looked good."

Harry nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Good. Let's see what still needs to be done. I'm hoping we can get everything on the castle finished in the next two hours."

Harry and Hermione set about getting status reports from everyone. It seemed like Harry's initial hope of being nearly finished after those first three hours wasn't far from the mark. There were still a lot of areas lower on the castle to charm, and a couple remaining towers, namely the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ones, and then they could start on the front doors. Harry glanced at his watch. At this point, they could actually be through before lunch, which would be perfect, because then everyone could just come right outside after they were finished eating.

Harry let everyone rest for a bit longer, sending Dobby and a few other house-elves around with plates of biscuits and small sandwiches, while he, Hermione, Ron and Lavender worked out the assignments for the remaining areas of the school.

"Right, so Blaise and Ron can take Ravenclaw Tower. I'll take care of Gryffindor with Draco. Everyone else can start on the lower areas of the castle. Sound good?" Harry asked, and received nods in reply. "Excellent. Let's get started then."

Hermione quickly relayed the assignments, talking briefly with McGonagall when she stopped to tell the professors what the plan was. There was a jumble as people took to the air or started heading across the grounds to the various parts of the castle. Two hours later on the dot, everyone had reassembled on the lawn, while the professors, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lavender checked over the building for any remaining holes in the warding.

"It all looks perfect," Ron finally said, and Harry grinned in relief.

"That's great news, Ron." Harry sighed and scrubbed his hands over his eyes, dislodging his glasses briefly. "God, I'm tired."

Ron made a noise of agreement. Dobby appeared then with two cups of tea, and handed one to each of them. Harry's was liberally doused with sugar, just as he liked it, and he hummed in appreciation.

As Harry sipped his tea, his eyes sought out Draco, who was standing with the other three Slytherins, munching on a biscuit. He was glad that the mail procedures were being put into place, because he was worried that Lucius might try something, especially now that the castle was better-protected. He still felt a little uneasy, a feeling that he'd had off and on for the last several days. He glanced up at the sky; he'd feel a lot better once everything was in place.

Sirius set a hand on his shoulder, bringing Harry's attention to him.

"Minerva wants us to put the charms on each other straight away, then get inside for some lunch. Everyone looks like they're about to drop."

Harry nodded. He cast a Sonorous on himself, and spoke. "If everyone could please get with their housemates, and Professors, if you could please stand over there by the stairs, we'll go ahead and finish up this first part. Then we can all go inside for a bit and rest. We still have a lot to do, unfortunately, and not a lot of time to do it in."

Everyone moved at one time, once again causing some jostling and bumping. Harry heard Pansy complain about someone stepping on her foot, and there was a muttered curse from the group of Ravenclaws, but everyone managed to get where they were going.

"It doesn't really matter how you divide this up," Harry said once everyone had stopped moving. "Just make sure everyone has the charm on them. Cast it on the person's head, and the spell light will travel down their bodies. If it doesn't reach all the way to their feet, please call for Ron or Lavender and they'll help you."

Harry moved over to the other Gryffindors. "I'll do Ron, Ron can do Lavender. Lavender, you do Hermione, and Hermione can do me." As soon as he finished, he realized what he'd said, and flushed scarlet, earning some teasing laughs from his housemates. "Not like that, obviously."

He carefully drew the design over Ron's head and watched with satisfaction as the golden light drifted down Ron's body to his feet. Ron murmured the incantation over Lavender, and Lavender did the same with Hermione. Hermione turned to Harry with her wand raised, then stopped.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked quietly, as Ron and Lavender moved off to oversee the others.

"Just a feeling. I can't seem to shake it."

Hermione tilted her head thoughtfully. "What kind of feeling?"

Harry sighed. "Like ... foreboding. I don't know. Something just feels off. I've felt it for the last few days, really, ever since Dumbledore and I talked."

Hermione nodded and then cast the spell. Harry closed his eyes as the charm washed over him.

"All right?" she asked after he'd opened his eyes.

"For now," he replied and received a solemn nod in reply.

***

Pansy worked her way through her third bowl of stew, ignoring the openly astonished looks from her housemates. Next to her, Blaise was on his fifth helping, and Tracey was working on her fourth piece of bread, another full helping of stew in front of her. Draco, likewise, was eating more than anyone had ever seen him eat in all their years of Hogwarts, and as they continued to eat their housemates' astonishment grew.

"My God," Daphne said faintly. "Not even Crabbe and Goyle eat that much at lunch."

Draco rolled his eyes, before wiping his mouth with his serviette. "Yes, well, it's not like they were outside doing all that spellcasting, either, were they?"

Pansy grinned at his rather waspish tone before spooning more stew into her mouth. As she chewed she glanced around the Great Hall. The other members of the Adversarius were eating just as heartily, she noticed. As they were wont to do, her eyes landed on Potter, who was slowly chewing a piece of bread.

While everyone else in the Great Hall seemed exuberant and energetic, Potter seemed as if he were thinking about something. She saw Weasley glance over at him and Granger shake her head in response. Curious as to what that was about, she caught Draco's eye and motioned briefly with her chin towards the Gryffindor trio.

Draco looked across the room, hiding the look by taking a sip of his juice. He set his goblet down and leaned closer to her. His voice was low when he spoke.

"He says he feels unsettled. Like something's about to happen."

Pansy arched an eyebrow in response.

"He said he's felt that way the last few days, since Fudge's speech on the Wireless. He's not sure what's going on."

"Since when is he a Seer?" she asked. His feeling of discontent was something she herself usually felt before she had a vision about the Dark Lord, but as far as she knew only she and Mandy had any Seer ability.

"He's not. Or at least, not like you are. I can't really explain it to you."

Pansy understood then that whatever it was, it was something Potter had told Draco in confidence, and no matter how much she whined at him he still wouldn't tell her. So she let it go.

The rest of the meal went by in silence, with Pansy still watching the trio from her spot across the room. Potter continued to eat quietly, only responding when asked a question by one of his housemates. She also noticed that Granger and Weasley left him alone.

As the meal drew to a close, Potter stood up from the table and headed towards the staff table. He climbed up onto the dais, leaned over and spoke briefly with Dumbledore, and after receiving a nod in response to whatever he'd said, raised his hands to get everyone's attention.

It never ceased to amaze Pansy at how easily he held the room's attention. With just a raise of his hands, all sound had stopped, almost like they'd been waiting for him to speak.

"He could become the next Minister for Magic in a heartbeat," Pansy whispered.

Draco's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "He could. But he won't." At Pansy's look of disbelief, he grinned fully. "He's not interested in anything to do with politics. So you'll have to pin your hopes on someone else."

Pansy rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning her attention back to Potter.

"I hope everyone had a nice meal," Potter said. "Unfortunately, we need to take care of some serious business after lunch. Everyone here at Hogwarts needs to immediately report to the front lawn after they've finished eating. You'll need to bring your familiars with you, and I ask that you please line up by house on the lawn. Prefects, if you could please help direct everyone in your houses to the appropriate place, it would be appreciated."

There were murmurs around the Great Hall, so Potter raised a hand to quiet them. "If your familiar is an owl and they aren't currently here at the school, I need you to please write your name, and your owl's name, on the parchment over by the doors. We will take care of them when they return.

"I know you have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them once we're assembled on the lawn. First and foremost I want to say that there's no reason to panic. Everything we're doing today is precautionary, so you don't need to worry about anything. Just follow your prefects' instructions and we'll all get finished with things as soon as possible and try to give you some time to relax."

As Potter stepped down off the dais, Pansy stood, instantly gaining her housemates attention.

"Who here hasn't got a familiar?" Pansy asked.

A few hands went up here and there along the table, and Pansy nodded, glancing briefly at Draco. He was writing their names down on a piece of parchment.

"All right, who here has an owl that isn't currently at school with them? And I don't mean you, Aubrey, so you can put your hand down right now. I mean those of you who have had an owl at school with them at some point during the school year. Not those of you who have one at home." She rolled her eyes as the dark-haired boy sulkily put his hand down. He liked to regale them all with stories about his "beautiful, fantastic owl" and how sad he was to have to leave her at home, but she was the only owl in the family, yadda yadda, and honestly, it just got ridiculous after a while.

There were only five hands up this time, she noted, as Draco again wrote their names down.

"Good, you five go write your names on the list by the door and then go outside. Those of you who don't have a familiar, go outside also. Everyone else, please go collect your familiars immediately and then proceed outside. Should your owl not be in the Owlery at this time, you'll also need to add your name to the list by the doors, and then tell Draco or myself. All right? Good. Let's go. Now." Everyone jumped at the command, and Pansy watched, pleased, as they hurriedly exited the Hall.

Draco stood next to her and regarded her with a fond look. "Power trip, much?"

"Oh, shut up."

Thirty minutes later she was standing at the front of her House line on the lawn, her cat, Acacia, cuddled to her chest. She'd brought her basket outside as well, but Acacia was frightened being around all these people, so Pansy held her tightly.

Potter explained the process to everyone, saying that the Adversarius members had already been charmed, and they, along with the professors, would be placing the spells on everyone and their familiars. It wasn't anything that Pansy hadn't heard before, so she allowed her mind to wander just a bit as she scratched Acacia between her ears.

When Potter finished speaking, Pansy felt Draco nudge her gently in the ribs.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked.

"I'll take the first years, you take the second years. Blaise can handle the third years, Tracey the fourth. Professor Snape can charm the fifth and sixth years. And then we'll all finish up the rest of them."

Draco nodded, already drawing his wand. "Let me put the spell on Acacia, because then you can put her back inside where she'll be more comfortable." He carefully drew the intricate design over Acacia's head, and Pansy watched closely as the golden light spread down her snow-white body. When all four paws were glowing, Pansy placed her carefully into her basket and carried her back inside the Entrance Hall.

When she returned outside Draco had just started on to the second years, so Pansy followed suit with the first years. It seemed to take forever to get the entire house finished, and her body was literally aching with exhaustion, but they finally completed everyone in Slytherin house. Pansy's final spellcasting was on Draco's owl, Nicodemus, who was regarding her with rather hostile eyes and looked likely to take a piece out of her hand.

"He won't hurt you," Draco said, amused.

"Sure he won't," Pansy replied, gingerly drawing the design over the owl's head. Nicodemus snapped at her, nearly catching the tip of her first finger, and Pansy hurriedly pulled her hand away, ignoring Draco's grin.

"Vicious thing," she muttered, cradling her hand against her chest.

Potter walked up then with his snowy white owl on his shoulder. Pansy turned to face him, carefully putting some distance between herself and Draco's murderous bird.

Potter looked exhausted and gave her a faint smile. "All through?" he asked.

"We're finished," Draco said, shifting as Nicodemus walked up his arm to his shoulder. "Is everyone else done?"

"Nearly. Hermione's helping Justin finish up the last few Hufflepuffs."

There was a look shared between the two, and Pansy turned her back on them, joining Blaise and Daphne. It was obvious that Potter wanted to talk to Draco and he most likely didn't want her there. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't listen in. She surreptitiously cast a charm to enhance her hearing.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked softly.

"I'm okay," Potter said, smiling slightly as his owl munched on a piece of his hair. "I still just feel a little out of sorts."

Draco looked concerned. "Can I do anything to help?"

Potter sighed. "I don't know. I don't think so. Although...." He trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. His owl cooed at him and nuzzled against his head.

"What?" Draco asked. "Just tell me, Harry."

"Could I stay with you tonight? Just to sleep. I just don't feel right, and I don't want to be by myself." It was said in a rush, and Pansy could see the blush highlighting Potter's cheeks.

"Of course you can," Draco whispered, and Pansy could see how desperately Draco wanted to reach out and touch Potter. He contented himself by brushing a hand over Potter's arm. "Bring your cloak, and I'll sneak you in."

Potter nodded and scrubbed another hand over his face. "I'm going to take Hedwig back to the Owlery. Do you want me to take Nicodemus?"

Pansy was about to open her mouth to say that Nicodemus was an inhuman beast, but closed it with snap as she saw Draco nod, and transfer Nicodemus to Potter's other shoulder without preamble. He settled right in and even tucked his head under his wing. Stupid bird, she thought.

Draco caught her eye, almost as if he'd read her thoughts, and shrugged, that half-smile once again on his face. He watched as Potter weaved his way to the front steps and headed back inside.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, for which Pansy was grateful. She managed to finish up her Transfiguration essay and then got ready for bed. Acacia curled into her side and Pansy was asleep within seconds.

After what felt like only minutes, but was probably much longer, she bolted upright in her bed. Breathing deeply, she fought to hold on to what she'd seen. There were blurry images: Dementors floating through the night sky, Black and Shacklebolt shouting spells at a group of black-cloaked figures, a wolf's howl, the Dark Lord laughing maniacally over a prone figure at his feet, Lucius Malfoy holding a knife to Draco's throat, face twisted in hatred....

And a date.

Pansy flung off her covers and ran towards the door. She hastily tied her dressing gown and cursed the fact she'd forgotten her slippers in the rush, as the stone floors were freezing. She banged loudly on Draco's door.

"Draco, open up! Hurry!"

A bleary-eyed Draco greeted her, blond hair falling in his eyes.

"Pansy?"

"Draco, I've had a vision. I know when the Dark Lord is going to strike."

Instantly the sleep was gone from Draco's face. Potter joined him in the doorway, face intent.

It was Potter who asked, "When?"

"Saturday. The next full moon."

The color drained from Draco's already pale face. "Are you sure?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"I'm sure," Pansy replied.

"Well," Potter said after a moment. "Now we know."

Pansy looked at him. "Will you ... be ready?" she asked hesitantly.

A determined look crossed his face, and Pansy remembered in that instant just whom she was talking to.

"I'll be ready," he said.