Convocare

A week later found Harry driving their new Jaguar XK8 towards London to meet Ron and Hermione for lunch. Draco had found a job at a music store down the street from their flat, and Harry was enjoying his last week of relative freedom before everything started up. The past week had been, Harry reflected privately, the best one of his life. He and Draco had quickly made the flat theirs and had so enjoyed the relative freedom of going to bed together, waking up together, showering together, and generally doing as much as they could together. Harry smiled to himself. His friends would have a fit if they knew!

Harry arrived in London with about ten minutes to spare and parked the car. He found the car to be fabulous, and drove it everywhere, knowing that Apparating would have been much faster. He shrugged and smoothed his hair back before entering the Leaky Cauldron and walking through to Diagon Alley.

Ron and Hermione were already waiting at one of the outdoor tables Florean Fortescue set out every summer. "Hey, you two," Harry greeted them with a smile. "I hope you haven't been waiting long, I decided to drive over."

"Drive?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

Harry grinned. "Bought a car. A N-reg Jag, racing green, leather interior. Sweet. Haven't stopped driving since I got it."

Ron looked suitably impressed. "Can we take a look later?"

"'Course," Harry responded off-handedly. "Where're we eating? And I need to go by the Daily Prophet, I forgot to start my subscription before. Anything interesting happen in the wizard world in the last week?"

Hermione was the first to speak up. "Oh! You mean you haven't heard? Harry, Malfoy's disappeared."

"Whadja mean, disappeared?" Harry scoffed. "He probably just went off to get the Dark Mark with his daddy." Harry winced inwardly and mentally apologised to Draco.

Hermione shook her head. "No, Lucius Malfoy is looking everywhere for him. He disappeared off the Hogwarts Express, Harry. Crabbe and Goyle left him alone for fifteen minutes, and when they came back, he was just gone! They searched the train - remember how we saw people keep running past? They searched the train, and all of his belongings were gone, too. They even monitored everyone leaving the platform - anti-Apparition spells and the Floo Network was clogged. You must have had an easy time of it, since you just went through the barrier." Hermione paused a moment, then shrugged. "So they've been looking for Malfoy all week. Most people think that Voldemort's taken him as some kind of hostage, using him as leverage against Lucius Malfoy, but the others. Well. Some people think he ran off deliberately." The glare she shot at Ron showed one source of that opinion.

"Honestly, Hermione, think about it. The last weeks of school were pretty rough on him," Ron argued. "I wouldn't blame him."

Harry, of course, knew that at that precise moment, Draco was locking up the flat and walking to his job at the music store, perfectly content and happy, and that his precipitous departure had had both everything and nothing to do with the events at the end of term. "Maybe Lucius does know where he is," Harry ventured. "And he's only keeping up appearances. It would be fitting, don't you think?"

Hermione nodded her agreement, but Ron snorted in disgust, and Harry noted a faint look of guilt in his eyes. Good. It might make things easier, someday - whenever that day would come.

"Let's go grab some lunch, then, shall we?" Harry changed the subject. "Wendlin's good for the two of you?" Named after Wendlin the Weird, one of the Ravenclaws in Percy's year had opened up the small deli two years before, and it had become one of the most popular spots in the Alley.

"Sounds terrific," Hermione agreed with a hint of relief in her voice, and Ron quickly assented as well, as the trio stood and walked down the Alley, Harry standing out in his Muggle clothing.

"Couldn't you have brought a robe with you, Harry?" Ron asked, slightly irritated.

"What? Oh, sorry. I didn't really think about it, to be honest. I mean, I don't usually have to wear them, you know. Quidditch practise, it's easier to show up in Muggle clothes before changing into your gear. And in the fall, half the students at Stonehenge wear Muggle clothing. Add that to the fact that I live in the Muggle world and I just don't even have all that many robes," Harry concluded.

His two best friends just snorted and shook their heads as they walked into Wendelin's and ordered. Harry was, of course, immediately recognisable, and he had to ignore several attempts of other patrons to get his autograph, a lock of hair, or even the wrapping that had been around his sandwich. He shook his head irritably and was all too happy to disappear back into the crowded streets of Diagon Alley.

"I've got to get back to the Burrow," Ron said somewhat glumly. "Percy's bringing someone over tonight, says he has some big announcement. Maybe he's finally found another girlfriend."

"I've got to go soon, too," Hermione chimed in. "I'm working at Flourish & Blotts this summer, did I tell you?"

Harry just smiled. "Well, come out and see the car before you go."

"Right!" Ron increased his walking speed, and Harry chuckled to himself as he led the way out of the Leaky Cauldron and up the street to where he had parked the car. "Whoa!" was Ron's low exclamation. "Harry, that's bloody brilliant."

Harry smirked slightly. "I know." He laughed then. "She drives like a dream. I swear I've put a thousand miles on her in the last week."

"Her?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"Sure, didn't you know that all cars are girls, Hermione? Just like ships."

Hermione snorted, but grinned. "I really do have to get to work now. Shall we make this a weekly ritual?"

Harry nodded. "I can't make it next week though. Owl me, you two!"

"Will do!" With two swift hugs, Hermione was off, and Ron drew his wand, ready to apparate away.

"I'll owl you later about what happens with Percy. I have a weird feeling about tonight."

Harry just nodded sympathetically. "Will do. I've got to go visit Remus and Sirius tomorrow, they're moving into the Shrieking Shack for the summer and want me to see how they've fixed it up."

Ron nodded. "See you in a couple of weeks, then."

"See you," Harry echoed, as Ron disappeared. Harry grinned and turned around, heading back towards Diagon Alley, where he stopped at the Daily Prophet. He ordered a subscription, picked up copies of the previous week's papers, with their stories about Draco, and then stopped by the newsstand outside Florean Fortescue's to get a Witch Weekly that featured a picture of Draco on the cover with the words Where is the Head Boy and Top Student? emblazoned across the bottom. Harry knew Draco would enjoy reading his press.

Errands complete, Harry returned to his car and settled in for the drive back to Bath, driving fast and not stopping on the drive. He carefully locked the car and headed upstairs, eager to show Draco the newspapers and magazine he had picked up.

Harry unlocked the door and was surprised to see that the curtains were drawn and there were a few candles lit here and there. "Draco?" he called into the silence. No words met his ears but... yes... a giggle. Harry smiled and set down the papers and walked towards the bedroom, where Draco was standing in the shadows.

"I didn't get quite finished," he explained. "I was going to have some food waiting, but..."

Harry just smiled. The pair of them had been setting up silly surprises for each other at least once a day the entire week.

Over dinner, Harry brought out the news he brought from Diagon Alley. "Everyone's looking for you," he said cheerfully. "Most people seem to think Voldemort's got you stashed away somewhere."

Draco snorted. "And the rest?"

"Some people think you left on purpose - Ron for one. Although he thinks it was because of the end of term."

"Interesting. What did you tell them?"

"I suggested that Lucius had you and was only searching for you as a cover." Harry grinned.

"I brought all of these 'cause I knew you'd want to see all the attention your 'disappearance' was receiving. Whadja think?"

Draco grinned. "Thanks, Harry. Has Rita Skeeter weighed in on the matter as of yet?"

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. I suspect that she will in a week or so. Someone will claim to spot you in France, or at a Death Eater meeting, or selling drugs on a streetcorner, and she'll jump all over the 'tragic life of Draco Malfoy: Seeker, Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, and First in His Class' like a magnet to iron."

"You're right, you're right. Hmm, maybe we should set up some of these 'sightings' ourselves, Harry. We could make Polyjuice Potion, you could Apparate just as it's about to wear off, and then slip off into a crowd as yourself."

Harry laughed. "Or we could do the opposite. You appear, then drink the Polyjuice. God, that's a funny idea, Draco. Could get one of us killed, but amusing nonetheless."

Draco was reading over the first article that had appeared in the newspaper. "At least they spelled my name right. Did you know that the birth announcement that ran in the paper had two 'c's in my name! It's embarassing." Harry pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. "Ah. Here it is, I'm officially outed now. 'Others speculate that the taunting Mr. Malfoy received over his sexual orientation during the last weeks of his seventh and final year at Hogwarts might have led to his precipitous disappearance. Mr. Gregory Goyle, a close friend of Mr. Malfoy's, suggested as much in an exclusive interview with this reporter. "Yeah, Draco's gay, and everyone was giving him a rough time. I'd've left too." '" Draco smiled slightly. "Leave it to Goyle to cut to the chase."

"Indeed," Harry replied dryly. "I'm surprised that your father hasn't cut off his search by now."

"No, he's got to keep up appearances. He's probably trying to get Mother pregnant right now, so he can replace me, then he'll have me killed anonymously."

Harry's eyes grew serious. "Draco, I wasn't going to tell you this, okay, but you need to know. I... met with your mother. Not as me, I was disguised. She's going to prevent herself from having any other children, and you and I both know that Lucius will either be killed or thrown in Azkaban during the upcoming war."

Draco just stared. "You... you did that? For me?" he whispered.

"Yes, for you, you silly git. I love you." Harry grinned. "C'mon, let's have some dessert."

"What's for dessert?" Draco immediately perked up.

"Cheesecake," Harry replied teasingly.

"No strawberries?" Draco loved strawberries, especially on cheesecake.

"Of course strawberries!" Harry finished. "Here, hold the cheesecake while I get them out."

Harry and Draco ate their dessert leisurely, paging through the rest of the newspapers, laughing slightly at each of them. They went to bed early, although sleep was a long time in coming.

Harry sat up suddenly, gasping for air. It had been nearly three months since he had last had one of his Voldemort visions, and he hadn't missed them a bit. Now, his scar was burning, and the memory of what he had just seen was seared in his brain. His labored breathing quickly woke up Draco.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

"Voldemort," he said in a strangled tone. "He just killed Minister Fudge. I'm not sure... but I think there were others killed as well. Lots of injuries." Harry was speaking slowly. "I need to tell someone."

"Dumbledore?"

"I always have before, but, Draco, this was very, very bad. He's not going to react well." Then Harry gasped. "That's who it was! Shit! Draco, I've got to go over to the Burrow. I'd bet my life that Bill was one of the injured, and they're too disorganized to have notified the Weasleys yet."

Draco just nodded and pulled out a t-shirt for his boyfriend, who was pulling on jeans frantically. "Be careful, love." Harry nodded and kissed him before he disappeared, living Draco shivering as he stood in the middle of the bedroom floor without any clothes on. He sighed. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until Harry returned, and that might not be until the morning. He pulled on his own jeans, then smirked when he realised they were Harry's, and Harry was wearing Draco's jeans. Luckily they were nearly the same size, but Harry would be a bit uncomfortable in the hip department. He padded into the kitchen, still shirtless, and put some milk on the stove. The one skill he had developed in the kitchen was making hot chocolate. He stood at the range, stirring the warming milk mindlessly as he looked out the window on the silent streets. So. Voldemort had struck the Ministry directly. Dumbledore would have a statement the next day, or perhaps even the morning's Daily Prophet. Draco checked the clock. Only 2 AM; Dumbledore was probably busy scribbling out a message at that very moment.

He snorted contemptuously. Harry had, finally, under Draco's subtle influence, seen how manipulative Dumbledore had been with Harry and his life. There had been any number of willing wizarding families who would have taken Harry Potter in at the age of one, and Voldemort was a non-threat for the next fourteen years -Â certainly not adequate to justify Dumbledore's claim that Harry needed the protection of the Dursleys. Draco was well acquainted with protection spells and had examined those around the Dursleys the previous summer when he went to secretly visit Harry. He had done research, too, in his father's library. He had yet to determine why the Dursleys supposedly afforded more protection for Harry than would a similarly warded wizarding residence containing fully trained witches and wizards to protect Harry. No, Dumbledore had had other reasons for forcing Harry into that hellhole for his entire childhood, and neither Draco nor Harry was sure what those reasons were. Still, that revelation, combined with Dumbledore's attempt to force Harry into Auror training and membership in the Order of the Phoenix, along with an intense re-examination of the events of Harry's years at Hogwarts, had finally woken Harry up to the reality of everything. Since then, Harry had continued working against Voldemort, but on his own terms.

Draco, for his part, was working neither for nor against Voldemort, as were many of his Slytherin classmates, and even a few Ravenclaws. We aren't supposed to be brave, Draco reflected bitterly. We're just preserving our own skins. Draco had come to admit that Hermione Granger was an excellent witch, Muggle-born or no, but he still held the same opinions he had always had on Muggles, which is why this hiding was much harder on him than he allowed Harry to see. Oh, Harry knew his views on Muggles and the majority of Muggle-born witches and wizards had not changed, but he still chose not to complain to his boyfriend continually.

The hot chocolate ready, Draco sat down at the sturdy wooden table and sipped at the warm liquid. However much he agreed with some of Voldemort's stances, he wasn't a killer, and he certainly could not join someone whose stated intention was to kill Harry. Neither could he fight against his father, and fight for more restrictions that implied wizards should cower in fear from discovery by Muggles. Draco understood Harry's position - Voldemort killed his parents, so he would kill Voldemort. It was simple and clean. Almost pure and naive, and Dumbledore had nearly succeeded in corrupting it for his own ends.

Draco swore. It was nearly four now, and still Harry had not returned. He rinsed out his cup and went into the living room to turn on the telly. Muggles did have something there, he admitted as he popped in a videotape. Braveheart. All those kilts. Draco smiled to himself as he pressed play.

Harry had Apparated in front of a darkened Burrow. Frowning, he knocked loudly on the door. When that garnered no response, he grabbed a broom lying on the ground, as well as a few stones, and flew up to Ron's window. "Ron! Wake up!" he yelled. Soon, a sleepy red-haired figure had pushed up the window.

"Harry?" He yawned. "What's going on?"

"Get downstairs," Harry answered grimly. "And wake up everyone on your way down. I had a vision tonight."

Ron's eyes grew wide and he nodded. Soon, Harry was let in, and he helped Ron in rousing the remaining occupants of the Weasley home.

"Harry? What's going on?" Mr. Weasley was the most awake, although Mrs. Weasley was busily brewing coffee, boiling water for tea, and whipping up hot chocolate.

Harry took a deep breath. "I had one of my visions tonight. Voldemort attacked the Ministry. Fudge is dead, and I don't know how many others. There are at least a hundred injured. I don't know how the Ministry works, precisely, but I'd wager you and Percy are fairly high-ranking at this point."

Then he paused, puzzled. "Oliver? What're you doing here?"

Oliver and Percy blushed and Ron started snickering. "That was Percy's big announcement. He's dating Oliver."

Harry let his jaw drop for a moment before he simply smiled at the pair. "Oh, right then. Well. There's one other thing."

Mrs. Weasley looked up at the tone in his voice. "Bill's one of the injured, isn't he?"

Harry stared at her, startled. "I think so. I think so," he repeated quietly. "I came here because they are so disorganized at the site. I don't think that anyone's even thought about transporting them to St. Mungo's or informing families yet. Dumbledore is probably busy scratching out a statement for the Daily Prophet," he added somewhat scathingly, unconsciously echoing his boyfriend's train of thought some miles away.

The Weasleys nodded. "Right, then. I'll stay here and accept some of the less injured," Mrs. Weasley said, her tone business-like. "Ginny, please stay with me and help me change the beds and prepare some tea and other medicines."

Ginny sighed, disappointed, but nodded. The other Weasleys headed back upstairs to get dressed. Soon, Ron joined Harry, and the two, along with Percy and Oliver, Apparated immediately to the site of the disaster.

Harry approached the first person he recognized, Arabella Figg. "Arabella," he called. "We've come to help out. Molly Weasley has offered the Burrow as a haven for some of the less injured."

Arabella's eyes lit up slightly and she sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin you've come. And, oh, Molly, what an offer. Must thank her. Are the rest of the Weasleys coming as well?" Her words tumbled out of her mouth, the enormity of her tasks evident in her face.

Ron nodded. "Dad, Fred, and George should be hear shortly. Bill is..."

"Bill's one of the injured," Harry cut in. "Do we have a triage area? Someplace to assess injuries, categorize how serious their conditions are?"

Arabella shook her head. "Could the two of you set one up? And could you two bring the injured to them?" she addressed Percy and Oliver, who complied immediately.

Two hours later, the last of the seriously injured had been sent to St. Mungo's, the Burrow was overflowing with the moderately injured, and most of the walking wounded, which thankfully included Bill Weasley, had been healed or patched up. Many of those were assisting in either moving rubble or the gruesome task of identifying bodies. Harry and Oliver had, luckily, ended up with rubble duty after Ron and Percy had headed back to their home to help out.

"So," Oliver began, as they hoisted a large piece of stone between them, trying to ignore the gloom settling over the site, "you didn't seem nearly as surprised as the others about Percy and I."

Harry smiled, a trifle enigmatically. "Several reasons. My godfathers, for one."

"Godfathers?" Oliver quirked an eyebrow and grinned. "I heard about what happened with Draco Malfoy at the end of the term. You really think that's why he left?"

Harry paused as they lowered the body next to the others. He regarded Oliver silently, and noticed his eyes were sparkling. "What are you really asking?" he finally asked.

Oliver smirked. "Your jeans are too tight. They aren't yours, are they?"

Harry was startled and examined his pants, then flushed. "Fine. They aren't mine. Happy?"

Oliver just shook his head and laughed slightly. "So I was right, then," he said softly. "He's in hiding, then?"

"Mm-hmm," Harry replied, lips pressed tightly together. So he should have been more discreet about his jeans, and it figures that Oliver would remember that he always looked at the guys in the change rooms, but... damn. It was awfully perceptive of him. "Not a word to anyone, ever," he said firmly. "Promise me, Oliver, or I'll use a memory charm on you."

Oliver's eyes widened slightly and he nodded then. "I promise," he said softly as they pushed deeper into the rubble. There was a pair of dead Death Eaters.

"Wait!" Harry said as they started to pick them up. "I want to see who they are first." He removed the first mask and sighed. "Pansy's dad. Damn. She's one of the neutrals, too, she didn't deserve this." Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Same rules apply, Oliver. I know about all of them. Draco was just the first one to disappear."

Harry moved on to the next body and stopped, startled, when he felt something cool and metallic brush against his leg. Hope that had nearly died over the past four years flared deep in his soul. Slowly, barely daring to do it, he removed the Death Eater mask - and let out the breath he had been holding. Staring up at him, eyes glassy with death, was the traitor. Peter Pettigrew. "Wormtail," he breathed, then he started to smile.

"Arabella!" he yelled across the site. "Arabella, we got Peter! Wormtail's dead! We got Peter Pettigrew!!" His voice grew more exultant as he spoke, and he heard Arabella's sudden whoop of joy, a chorus joined by the remaining Weasleys.

"I've got to go tell Sirius," he said happily. "Oliver, I'll be back, okay? Spread the word that Peter Pettigrew was just killed today."

"Peter Pettigrew's dead, Harry. Has been for seventeen years, almost."

Harry shook his head. "He faked his death. He killed the Muggles, he betrayed my parents. Sirius will be free finally!" With that, he Apparated away, leaving Oliver staring at the space where he had just been as Arabella arrived.

"Where did Harry go?"

"Something about telling Sirius?" Oliver replied, confused.

She nodded sagely. "Good. Sirius is his godfather, by the way."

"Sirius... wait. Sirius Black? Is that what he meant about Pettigrew killing Muggles?"

"Precisely. Now Moony and Padfoot won't have to live in the Shrieking Shack, and Padfoot can be, well, Sirius."

Little of Oliver's confused was cleared when Harry reappeared moments later, Remus Lupin and a large black dog in tow. "Oliver, you remember Professor Lupin? And this is Padfoot, aka Snuffles."

"Moony! Padfoot!" Arabella was hugging Remus as Padfoot barked happily. "Isn't it fabulous? Mr. Weasley is the highest ranking Ministry official now, so he just signed your pardon."

The dog shimmered and Sirius Black stood in his place. He twirled Arabella through the air, gave Harry a rough hug, and then planted a large wet kiss on Remus' lips. Harry smirked at Oliver. "See? My godfathers." Then Harry's eyes widened. "Shit! It's nearly morning. I've got to get back. Give my love to the Weasleys, won't you Oliver? Sirius, I'll be around sometime today or tomorrow. Bye Arabella!" With that, he Disapparated, leaving three of the four wondering what was going on, and Oliver chuckling, thinking that there was probably a worried Draco Malfoy chastising Harry Potter at that moment.

He wasn't far from the truth. It was just past six a.m. when Harry popped back into his living room. "Hey! You're blocking my view of the kilts!" Draco protested, smiling.

Harry crossed the room and hugged Draco tightly to him. "Did you know Percy Weasley is seeing Oliver Wood? And did you know that I was wearing your jeans?"

Draco sniggered. "I wondered if you'd notice."

"I didn't. Oliver did. Kept dropping snide hints about what did I think had happened to Draco Malfoy."

"Shit," groaned Draco.

"Don't worry, he's under threat of a memory charm. I still may at some point." He paused. "Arthur Weasley is in charge for now. There were two Death Eaters killed." Swallowing, Harry continued. "One of them was Pansy's dad."

Draco swore. "She didn't deserve that. She loves... loved him, even though he was a Death Eater."

Harry nodded sadly. "I know. The other one, however, was Peter Pettigrew."

Draco's face lit up slightly. "So Sirius is free?"

"Mm-hmm. I have to go over there tomorrow, or later today. I left the site in a bit of a hurry, I hadn't realised it was so late."

"The paper'll be here soon. I wonder what Dumbledore will have to say," Draco remarked. Harry just smiled sadly and stood up.

"I'm going to go fix some bangers, eggs, pancakes. I'm starving now." He stopped and sagged against the doorframe. "Why, Draco? Why on both sides. You kill one of mine, I kill one of yours. How productive." He was drained from everything he had seen, but tried not to let on much more. "Any requests for breakfast?" he asked tiredly.

"What you said sounds fine. Need any help?"

"Like I need a hole in my head," Harry grinned. "Unless you're offering to make hot chocolate."

"Fine," Draco said in a mock-huff as he turned off Braveheart and followed Harry into the kitchen, where they worked in companionable silence. They had just sat down to eat when the Daily Prophet arrived.

"It's on the front page," Harry commented, as they read the short factual blurb and perused the pictures.

"Should I be jealous?" Draco commented lightly at seeing one picture of Harry working with Oliver.

"Prat." Harry stuck his tongue out. "Says Dumbledore's response is on page 4."

They turned to page four and read the piece in silence, both growing more somber as it progressed.

"Shit," they finally said at the same time.

"He just practically said that all of you neutrals should be treated like Death Eaters, at least when it comes to everything but Azkaban," Harry breathed, incredulous. "He practically declared war on Slytherin and Ravenclaw just because they aren't Gryffindors. The Hufflepuffs, of course, will fit with the Gryffindors, and he knows it, and so will some Ravenclaws, but... damn."

Draco just nodded, stunned. "What are we going to do?" he asked, his voice strained.

Harry paced restlessly around the kitchen. "Who's the one person who protects the Slytherins, Draco?"

"Professor Snape," he replied automatically. "Oh! We can go seem him, and-"

"Not we, Draco," Harry gently interrupted. "It'll have to be me. It seems my days of playing both sides may soon come to an end." Ron and Hermione did not know about the Order of the Phoenix, Harry's refusal, or his standing up to Dumbledore. No one did, except he, Dumbledore, and Draco. They would undoubtedly know soon, though, as Dumbledore undoubtedly planned to offer the pair entry into the Order this summer.

Draco's expression was unreadable for a moment, and then he nodded. "You're right. But let me give you something to take with you?" Surprised, Harry nodded and waited while Draco left the room and came back with a small amulet on a chain. "It's a symbol that one Slytherin can give to a non-Slytherins, so that other Slytherins will trust the bearer. Well, trust as much as a Slytherin can," he amended hastily. Harry grinned and slipped it on.

"I think I'll change pants before I leave," he remarked almost absently, causing Draco to snigger under his breath.

Harry took a deep breath as he approached the door. Draco had assured them that merely knowing the professor's summer location, along with the amulet, would gain him access. He knocked twice on the solid oak door.

The door swung open a moment later, revealing an irritated-looking Severus Snape. "Yes? Potter! What in Merlin's name are you disturbing me for?"

Harry bit his lip and sighed heavily. "I would say good morning, Professor, but I am afraid that, regrettably, it is not. I assume you have read Dumbledore's 'statement' in the Daily Prophet."

Severus Snape's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked closely at Harry, and then his expression changed slightly and he stepped back. "Come in." Harry followed him to a small sitting room. "I don't know where you got that amulet, or if you even know precisely what it means, but... talk."

"Right. As you could discern, Dumbledore effectively condemned Slytherin House and at least half of Ravenclaw with his little statements about 'if you aren't with us, you're against us.' The repercussions won't be pretty for most of them. There are a few of us, however, who will do our best to protect those that need protecting. You're the most protective person of the Slytherins, so naturally I came to you."

"Naturally," Severus Snape agreed, his lips thinning in a bizarre smile. "Are you offering to house these witches and wizards, or something else? I suppose you're hoping for a cute witch or something to share your flat?"

Harry snorted. "Merlin, how many Slytherins do you think one Gryffindor can handle! My flat isn't that big!"

The professor looked closely at the young man in front of him, and his last statement caused something to click in his brain. "Draco's with you, isn't he?" he asked quietly, his eyes wide.

Harry swore under his breath. He was definitely going to have to modify Oliver's memory. Two others knowing was at least one too many. "Yes," he admitted quietly, then looked directly into the other man's eyes. "Is that a problem?"

He saw the understanding click into Severus Snape's eye. "You... you and Draco?" He shook his head. "No, it's not a problem. The two of you did it all on your own?"

Harry smiled. "Yes. No one else even knows I'm gay," Harry related with some amusement.

"Not even that blasted godfather of yours?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Precisely for the reason that something like what happened could happen. Draco and I are both playing a dangerous game."

"You refused to enter the Auror Academy."

"Dumbledore and I had a disagreement, shall we say? I refused to enter the Order of the Phoenix as well. Draco did some research, last summer. As near as we can figure, there was no reason for me to be placed with the Dursleys. I would have actually been safer with a wizarding family that bore no relation to me, as long as the same protective wards were put in place. The story about blood protecting me was a lie." Harry's voice was hard, and the Potions Master began to understand.

"So you've been pretending to be Dumbledore's Golden Boy, finally to everyone except him, when in fact you plan to..." He let his voice trail off, full of questions.

"Kill Voldemort." Harry shrugged. "But on my terms, and not as a pawn for a political movement I don't fully understand. I'm not even sure what this 'party' stands for. I know more about Voldemort's stance, and, frankly, parts of his makes more sense!"

Severus Snape exhaled and nodded. "Agreed. And Draco, and many of his fellow Slytherins intend to stay neutral. But Draco went into hiding because of his father, as well as the events of last term."

Harry nodded. "Precisely. But now, something has to be done before they start getting harassed or even detained by Aurors simply for not actively fighting." His eyes hardened. "Were you aware of who outed Draco? It was Hermione. Hermione and Ron. 'Malfoy's so disgusting, he's a faggot, he's got some secret boyfriend, they wake me up at night.' Paranoid bitch. I just sat there listening to people joke about Draco and gays in general. If it had been anyone but Draco, I could have stepped in, but, no, we had to keep up appearances. God!"

Severus Snape set silently, evaluating the boy sitting in front of him. According to the paper, he had been one of the first ones to respond to the previous night's attacks, and the professor did not doubt that it was because he had seen the events unfold in his sleep. Still, he didn't radiate exhaustion or the sense of being put-upon when it came to helping victims. He saw Voldemort's actions and wanted to stop them, and leave the other agendas behind, something Severus Snape identified with strongly. As he continued to watch the young man, he realised that he should have seen the clues that Harry and Draco had subtly given. Finally he broke the silence. "You are correct. I will start to gather a list of those possibly affected. I gather that you are hidden in the Muggle world?"

Harry nodded. "I realise that might be difficult for some of the purebloods; I can tell it's not easy on Draco, no matter that he hides it well. Still, it offers the best protection at the moment."

Snape nodded. "I will definitely think this over." He stood to let Harry out. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll be in touch."

Harry went back to the flat to shower and neaten up before he headed over to see Sirius and Remus. Draco had had work as usual at the music store, since, to the Muggle world, nothing was amiss. He felt the odd division keenly as he walked along the sidewalk. Harry had said that Professor Snape was going to think things over, whatever that really meant. He hoped that at least a few of his fellow Slytherins would be able to be helped. Despite their taunting about his sexual orientation, he felt protective of most of them. They had to hold together against the rest of the world.

Harry approached the door of his godfathers' house with no little trepidation. He knew they would have some interesting questions for him about the way he had left that morning. At the time he had known that Draco would be up, not sleeping until Harry got home, and that was that. Now, he realised that he was going to be asked some interesting questions. He slipped in quietly and followed the sound of laughter to the kitchen.

Sirius was standing against the counter laughing as Remus was ever so slowly feeding him. Harry smiled. He and Draco had been doing something very similar just three days before. "Good morning, you two," Harry teased.

The pair pulled apart slightly. "Harry! We didn't hear you come in. Sit down, sit down." Harry crossed the room to sit at the table with the two older men. "Where did you run off to this morning?"

"Oh, I had something to take care of."

"At six a.m.?" That was Remus, who had stayed out of the conversation up until that point.

"Uh, yeah." He smiled tightly. "Did you see the articles this morning?"

"Yep!" Sirius said brightly. "Nice picture of you in there."

"Oh, yes, I just love getting my picture in the paper. Especially when people have died," he added sarcastically. He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I think Dumbledore wants everyone to act like a Gryffindor."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Harry?"

"Not everyone," he said slowly, "is a Gryffindor. Not everyone is brave. Hufflepuffs, they're loyal, and they'll follow Dumbledore's lead. But, for some, their hope is to come out alive at the end of the war, and hopefully their friends and family as well."

"Are you having doubts, Harry?" Remus asked mildly.

"I'll do my job," Harry said firmly. "I'll kill Voldemort. But I'm just one person. I think about half of Ravenclaw and the non-Death Eaters of Slytherin all planned to lie low and ride things out. Now, if Dumbledore has his way, they're going to have a very tough road to travel."

Harry took a sip of the tea sitting in front of him as he watched his two godfathers digest what he had just said. Remus was the first to speak. "That's an interesting point, Harry. What would you have Albus do instead?"

Harry just shook his head resignedly. They were too close to the source of the difficulty. Worse, they were Gryffindors through and through, and lacked Harry's ability to understand another's point of view. "Forget I said anything." He forced a smile onto his face. "Are you planning anything to celebrate?"

Sirius perked up. "Definitely! Saturday night, I can't believe we almost forgot to tell you, at the Three Broomsticks. Get Ron and Hermione to come! Bring a date!"

Harry grimaced slightly. "I doubt you'll be seeing me with a date on my arm," he said lightly, causing both of the others to raise their eyebrows, but no further comment was made on the subject. "I'll be leaving Sunday afternoon, don't forget."

"Why? Oh, right, the Seeker's Camp. Where is it again?"

"The southeastern United States, high up in the Applachian Mountians. Should be pretty challenging."

"Mountain range? What, are you going to practise diving in and out of different peaks?"

"Probably." Harry shrugged. "I think it sounds like fun, though." He grinned. "That's why I'm the Seeker and you two aren't."

Sirius glared for a second then joined Remus in laughing. The conversation continued along casually for another hour, then Harry stood to take his leave. "I need to get back to my flat. The... business I had to take care of this morning might have resulted in some post I should answer."

"You're hiding things from us." It was a statement, not a question, and Harry turned to face Sirius directly.

"I won't deny it. But you've always trusted me before; trust me now. I wouldn't hide things from either of you unless it was necessary. You should know that."

There was a glance exchanged, and then they both nodded and smiled, and Harry left, relieved - at least until the next time.

Saturday morning found Harry grumbling as he had to get out of bed and leave Draco while he drove north towards the home of Severus Snape. He had sent Harry an owl the day before, saying that he had three to disperse. He was taking care of one himself, but he thought the other two might like to visit Draco. Harry had smiled and shown the letter to Draco, knowing that the two mentioned were most likely Crabbe and Goyle. While not that intelligent, they had been Draco's only constant companions throughout Hogwarts.

Harry blearily rubbed sleep out of his eyes and he drove farther north. Supposedly, Professor Snape had contacted each and told them to Apparate to his home at precisely 10:30 AM. Harry would remove them from the area by 10:35, and they would take PortKeys to another location, where they would find Muggle clothing, money, and the address of an agency similar to the one Harry and Draco had used. The pair Harry was helping would go to the same location, while the third would be alone, at least for awhile, or so Harry was told. He yawned and rolled the window down to let in the cool morning air.

Harry pulled up outside the Snape home at 10:25. The potions master greeted him civilly and the two sat on the back porch waiting. The three appeared in rapid succession at 10:30 - Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle.

Snape smiled.

"I'm glad you all made it here safely. Ms. Parkinson, you will be coming with me, while Mr. Potter will be escorting the two of you, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle."

The three former Slytherins just stared at the former Gryffindor for a few moments before they relaxed. "We'd better get going," Harry said uncomfortably. "Ah, Pansy, I'm sorry about your father. Did... did the Ministry do as I asked?"

Pansy looked confused. "Excuse me?"

"Your father's body," Harry said softly. "Did you get it back? They were going to destroy it."

She blanched. "No, we did receive it." She was silent. "Thank you."

Harry shrugged simply. "Not a problem." He turned to his two travelling companions. "We have a fairly long drive ahead of us."

They lumbered after him towards the front of the house. "Drive?" Crabbe finally asked.

"Yes," Harry smiled. "If you know anything about cars, it's a Jaguar XK8. I think you two will like the coloring scheme too."

The pair laughed slightly as they saw the forest green car with the silver trim. "Why Slytherin colors, Potter?"

Harry grinned. "Various reasons. You'll see, I bet. Decide who sits up front; there's only really room for one in the back."

After a moment, Crabbe climbed in the back, and Goyle settled in the passenger seat - or tried to. "Bloody hell, Potter! Who do you have riding with you usually, a midget?"

Harry laughed. Goyle had just, unknowingly, called Draco a midget. Well, sure, at five foot ten, Draco was hardly tall, but... a midget?!? "You'll see," he said again. "You'll see."

The ride was no shorter on the return trip, and Harry was getting hungry by the time he parked the car and led the other two wizards up the stairs to his flat. He heard the telly through the door and smiled. "Can't get enough of those kilts, hmm?" he called out, and he heard more than saw Draco spring to his feet.

"You're back already! Is it... Hey you two!"

"Draco!" The two boys' jaws fell open. "We thought... we thought you were dead, or something."

Draco laughed. "No, I left on my own. Clever, hmm? Nice place too, come look." He dragged his friends off for a brief tour, and Harry went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice as he made himself a sandwich. He was halfway through with the sandwich when Crabbe entered the room, Goyle and Draco trailing behind him.

"Gods, Potter, you just make yourself right at home anywhere," Crabbe said, slight disgust in his tone.

Harry caught Draco's eye and burst into laughter. "You goons!" Draco said. "This is his home."

"But, Draco, there's only one... Oh." Harry wished he had had a camera for that moment of realisation, as the same thought hit both boys at once. He smiled and caught Draco's eye as Draco walked towards Harry and planted a quick peck on the top of his head as he offered their two guests a quick bite to eat.

The meal finished, Harry gave each their PortKey and wished them luck. "Hopefully we'll be able to quit this charade sooner rather than later, but until then, take care."

A few moments later, they were gone, and Harry groaned as he checked the time. "What's wrong, love?"

"I have to make an appearance at Sirius' party tonight. Not to mention I need to pack for my trip, and I really wanted to get some time with you today." He grinned sadly. "I'm going to miss you next week."

Draco nodded. "I'll miss you as well. You do have what, two hours? We can make the most of it."

Harry cocked his head and then smiled broadly. "That's a very good idea. In fact, it's very intelligent. You must be an awfully smart wizard." He smirked, and Draco returned the gesture as they retreated towards their bed.

Harry was running late, two hours and twenty minutes later. "Draco, pick me out something to wear while I'm showering, would you, love?"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Draco called into the other room. "You know that we don't always agree on what's appropriate!"

Harry groaned. "I think I'll just have to trust you this time. I should have been ready twenty-five minutes ago!"

Harry jumped out of the shower and quickly cast a drying charm and the hair-managing charm in rapid succession. He ran back out into the bedroom and Draco handed him a pullover and black jeans, along with dragonhide boots. "I think that should be suitable," Draco explained. "Probably half the people there will be in robes, anyway."

"I'm sorry you can't come, love. If you wanted to try it, with the invisibility cloak..."

Draco shook his head. "I wish I could come too, but it definitely wouldn't be safe, not so soon after I disappeared. You'll have to tell me if the news about our earlier activities today has gotten out." He grinned. "Go on now, Sirius will be wondering why you're late!"

"Him and everyone else!" Harry laughed. "Oh, by the way, check out A Life Less Ordinary. Ewan McGregor in a kilt at the very end. He sings earlier in the movie, in a very cool looking suit."

Draco raised his eyebrows and nodded sagely before he grinned. "Go on, now. Love you."

"Love you too."

Harry startled some of the attendants of the party when he popped into the air in front of the Three Broomsticks. He apologized profusely, smiled nicely, and swept into the building, knowing that Sirius had probably began to get worried by that point. He hurried inside and towards the back, where he could see Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Hermione all talking animatedly. Forcing a smile on his face, Harry moved up behind them almost stealthily. "Hey you lot. Miss me?"

"Harry! Thought you got lost on the way."

Harry grinned. "No, just got caught up longer than I expected." When they turned surprised glances at him, he grinned and shrugged. "Some things you don't get paid for doing, but you do them anyway." Well, that was certainly true he thought with no little amusement. Just not in the way the others thought. They all nodded understandingly, and the guest of honor bounded up on the table in front of him.

"Attention! Attention everyone! Now that my recalcitrant godson-"

"Hey!" Indignant.

"-has deigned to join us, we can really get this party rocking. So first, a toast. To Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs!"

The assembled guests rose their glasses, and Harry smirked at the confused looks on most faces.

"Ew, don't do that," Ron whispered to Harry under his breath. "You look like bloody Malfoy when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Smirk."

"What are you two talking about now?"

"I was just telling Harry that he shouldn't smirk, it makes him look like Malfoy."

"Really? Smirk for me, Harry."

"Hermione..."

"C'mon just do it."

"Fine." Another smirk. "Satisfied?"

"Ron's right, it's a very impressive smirk. Goes well with your outfit too."

Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you two. It's a smirk and a pair of jeans. A smirk and a pair of jeans do not a Malfoy make." Again, another very true statement that could be interpreted in any number of ways.

Their attention was jerked abruptly back to Sirius. "I can see you are all confused about the last toast, so I'll let Mssr. Moony explain it."

Remus scowled at his lover. "Very funny, Mssr. Padfoot. Why not just have Prongsie Jr. over there do it?"

Harry shook his head and smiled. "I may look like him, but I'm definitely not the herbivorous type."

That statement caused laughter from the four nearest him, as well as the Weasley twins on one side of the room. Most of the rest of the room had figured out who Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs were by the point, but were still confused as to what herbivores had to do with anything.

"Another toast! To my godson, who has stood by me these past four years, at risk to himself." Harry flushed and sank down into his seat. I'm going to kill you, Sirius, he thought, and he could tell from Sirius' expression that he knew what he was thinking.

Then Harry considered for a moment, and stood. "I'd like to make a toast." He grinned and locked his gaze with Sirius for a brief second. "Now, some of you may know that I thought Sirius was trying to come after me when he first escaped from Azkaban. Actually, he was after Peter Pettigrew, who was at Hogwarts in his Animagus form. However, Sirius provided plenty of worries for me, since Professor Trelawney was always talking about the Grim -Â and Padfoot does rather look like the Grim!"

Harry paused and took a sip of his butterbeer. "The classic moment, however, came in my fifth year. I had mentioned Divination classes, of course, in my letters to Sirius. So between he and I, we cooked up a plan. Didn't even tell Ron." Harry grinned at his best friend. "In the middle of class, the door burst open, and in pops a huge black dog. He runs straight towards Parvati and Lavender, then nuzzles at Trelawney before bounding over and lying down at my feet. The rest of the class was going to have a heart attack. Well, Ron recognised Padfoot by then, but no one else did, of course, and so they were all gaping at me. Then I informed them that since the Grim spent so much time hovering over me, I had trained him. I proceed to tell Padfoot to sit, lie down, and so on. Professor Trelawney almost fainted, but then she just handed me a piece of parchment and told me to go see Professor Dumbledore at once. When I got to his office, I found out that she had decided to give me full marks on my O.W.L.s because of Sirius' stunt! Unfortunately, Dumbledore overrode her decision, and I had to take the Divination exam after all."

The assembled crowd was laughing hysterically, and Sirius sent a mock-glare at Harry. Harry grinned cheekily and downed half a glass of butterbeer. "To Padfoot the well-trained Grim, and to Moony - who trained him!" Harry immediately jumped around the table as soon as he said that, darting out of the grasp of his highly embarrassed godfathers, who finally laughed.

Harry spent most of the evening circulating, but he heard no mention of the missing Slytherins he had assisted -Â until the fireplace crackled, and Arthur Weasley's head appeared. "I'm sorry to disturb your party, but we have disturbing news. We are all still unaware of what precisely happened to young Mr. Malfoy, and now his two friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, as well as Pansy Parkinson, have similarly disappeared -Â a few things missing, straight from their homes. I want to ask each of you to be on the lookout for any clue as to their whereabouts."

The assembled crowd nodded solemnly, but after the fireplace burned orange once more, there were quite a few whispers comments of "Good riddance" that make Harry frown angrily, much as he tried to hide. What right did they have to judge those that were different from them? It made them no better than Voldemort, killing someone because of who their parents happened to be.

"What do you think, Harry?" Ron asked as he approached with a fresh bottle of butterbeer for Harry.

"About the disappearances? I daresay it's Voldemort, regardless of what the families say. Especially in Parkinson's case."

"Why?" Ron was obviously pulling a blank.

"Remember, her father was the other Death Eater killed the other day. Stands to reason that Voldemort would want to keep an eye on the family, don't you think?"

Ron nodded and hmmed to himself, considering what Harry had said. Harry figured that Arthur Weasley would hear the same idea, restated, from Ron later. If it was coupled with the opinions of others he had influenced, the thought that these Slytherins - and, later, Harry knew, Ravenclaws - were voluntarily leaving would not be as likely to be entertained, and any searching for them would be much less rigorous. It certainly wouldn't expand to the Muggle world.

And that was important, because now Harry had four people whose secret he was safe-guarding, and it would soon be more. Ron and Hermione would soon learn about the Order of the Phoenix, and Remus and Sirius, too, would realise he hadn't joined. Harry sighed and bid farewell to everyone. He had the Seekers' Camp beginning the next day, and he wanted to enjoy the last few hours with Draco. Surely things could stay calm for a week.