Marked

Lily left the Great Hall at a quick pace. The sad faces of the students and professors had done nothing to reconcile her own confused feelings. Instead, as the afternoon service had worn on, they merely reminded her that she had no idea who she was supposed to grieving for, if anyone. Pretending to mourn in the midst of so many people who were genuinely sorry for her supposed loss was getting to be more than she could handle. She was better off in the dungeons, keeping her mind and hands busy packing away the remnants of a life she hadn't been a part of. One, she was now sure, she couldn't have shared even if she'd given him the benefit of the doubt at every step.

The sound of a familiar voice calling her name stopped Lily as she reached for the door leading to the dungeons staircase, a few steps away from mental sanctuary. She turned and inclined her head towards the approaching woman. "Narcissa."

"Lily Snape."

"Evans," she quickly corrected. "Or Potter. I haven't decided yet."

Cool blue eyes drifted down to take in Lily's change of clothes before the women exchanged equally frosty smiles. Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited.

"It was a beautiful service," Narcissa began. "A shame when one loses one's husband."

"For some women it is," Lily responded. The blonde frowned and a heavy wrinkle appeared in the center of her forehead. Lily resisted the urge to laughingly point out the flaw. Besides, if there were any flaws with Narcissa that should be pointed out, it was that the woman's blindness equaled, if not exceeded, her own. That is, if she had been in the dark at all. With her husband in Azkaban and her son a duplicate menace, Lily almost felt sorry for Narcissa Malfoy. Almost.

"Well, I understand if grief has made it difficult for you to maintain your perspective," she uttered in a cool, high voice.

"What perspective would that be?" Lily asked. "It's acceptable that my husband turned out to be a lying murderer because he loved me and he was working towards a good cause?"

Narcissa flinched as if she had been slapped.

"From your reaction, am I to believe you knew nothing of his plans?" Lily smiled and squeezed her right hand into a fist. Abruptly, she moved it behind her back before she could be tempted to put it to good use. "I never thought you an unintelligent woman, so I don't believe anything your husband and sister were planning together, occasionally in your house, escaped your notice. I suppose your perspective should include gratefulness that your husband was only willing to implicate himself in his confession or you and your beloved son would be in cells adjacent to dear Lucius."

"I have no idea where you're getting these ideas, Lily," Narcissa said. Her pointed nose rose in the air a bit as she defended herself. "I have done nothing to be ashamed of."

"Of course you would see it that way," Lily responded. "I assure you, doing nothing to stop him is nearly the same as committing the crime yourself." Narcissa's gaze moved and Lily's eyes followed; her children and Hermione had just left the Great Hall, heading to where Professor McGonagall, Sirius and the Minister were speaking at the far end of the Entrance Hall. A short time later, Draco Malfoy began stalking after them.

"I don't suppose your son is going to refrain from attacking mine in plain view of the Minister and Headmistress," Lily said. She turned in time to catch Narcissa's affronted gasp. Mrs. Malfoy immediately composed her features.

"I can see you're going to be impossible," she said.

"Impossible to manipulate as your husband does you or impossible to distract while you carry on the plans in his absence?" Lily leaned towards the pale blonde whose face had begun to flush in her anger. "Don't think I don't know what's in that self-absorbed mind of yours. I suggest you think over your options carefully." She turned and watched as Dumbledore approached Draco, a heavy frown creasing his face.

"I may not be in much of a position to defend what happened to my husband all those years ago, but I do not believe the Minister is in a forgiving mood when it comes to Death Eaters. Or their families."

"You may wish to pass on a message to your son." Lily turned back to study Narcissa. The pale blonde was nearly shaking in her anger, her lips pressed into a thin line as she listened. "If Draco so much as twitches his wand in my son's direction and I hear about it, the things I will do to him will make Voldemort's past seem like a pleasant dream." Leaning back, Lily smiled at the scowling blonde. "Thank you for conveying your condolences. My family and I appreciate your concern. Have a nice day, Narcissa." With that, she opened the door to the dungeons and walked down the stairs, her first genuine smile in days touching her lips.

Harry caught up with Hermione and Raven just as they reached the doors of the Great Hall. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to leave me behind," he said. Hermione looked over her shoulder and gave him a tight smile. Her gaze moved over his shoulder briefly, and then she continued into the Entrance Hall, breezing past Lily and Narcissa Malfoy on her way to the front doors.

"I need to give this to Professor McGonagall," Harry said, holding up the robes. "And I want to talk to the Minister. It should only take a minute."

Hermione nodded and followed with Raven as Harry crossed the large hall quickly, interrupting the Minister as he spoke with Sirius and Professor McGonagall.

"Excuse me. Minister Dumbledore, I was wondering if I could have a word with you?" Harry asked. He fought the instinct to glare as the older wizard immediately looked at his two companions. If the plan had been to avoid his questions altogether, Harry was sure the man before him could handle it without backup. That is, if the look meant he was hiding something. After their past several conversations, Harry felt sure that could well be the case. It was just a matter of finding out what, and more importantly, why.

"I'm not sure if this is the best time, Harry," he said. Dumbledore smiled down at Raven as he continued. "Perhaps you can write to me at the Ministry and I can respond in a confidential manner."

Studying Dumbledore's expression, he handed Professor McGonagall the robes his mother had borrowed before saying, "I don't mind if everyone here knows what I want to ask you."

"Everyone?" Dumbledore asked.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Raven said, tugging at Hermione's hand. Abruptly, she let go of Hermione and stepped up to pull at her brother's arm. "Can you take me upstairs? I don't like the ones in the dungeons."

"There's one in the staff room you may use," Professor McGonagall offered. She gestured to the door behind her. "Would you like me to walk with you?"
Raven shook her head silently, eyes widening as she eyed the Headmistress.

"I'll walk you to the bathroom while your brother asks his question," Sirius offered. He held out his hand to Raven and she took it with a grateful smile. She skipped ahead of him as they entered the staff room.

"There," Harry said. "Now, can you tell me why the Daily Prophet published next to nothing about what happened? At least half the students think I'm a murderer because that article made it sound like what happened was something as small as a cauldron blowing up by accident. It's pretty clear to anyone with half a brain that something major is being covered up."

"Harry, I--"
Harry waved off his first attempt at diversion. "I know my mother doesn't want to know the details and we've agreed that my sister can never know, but you have to understand why keeping everything from the public looks suspicious," Harry said. "What was the reason behind it? You know what I went through before with Fudge lying to everyone about what was happening because he didn't want the public to know the Ministry might not be able to protect them. Tell me you're not going to do the same thing."

The Minister visibly bristled at what amounted to an ultimatum. He glanced at Professor McGonagall. She stood to his side with her arms crossed, pointedly ignoring his silent plea for assistance as she looked at Harry and Hermione.

"Harry, I am not, nor will I ever lie to the public about what is going on."

"But the article--"

"The article was the best we could do in a difficult situation." His eyes narrowed on Harry and the teenager felt himself respond with a matching glare. "You may be unaware of this, but Lucius Malfoy helped orchestrate the breakout of several prisoners from Azkaban late last week. Rather than call undo attention to what may well be a concerted effort of Death Eaters--"

"You've decided to let them roam free without suspicion instead of warn people they're out there supporting Voldemort?" Harry asked, interrupting.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, attempting to force a show of calm he didn't feel. "Rather than worry people unnecessarily, we have every Auror available searching homes connected to the organization among other measures. I did not wish for the public to know the events of last week were connected to Voldemort because, not only will parents needlessly worry about their children's safety here at Hogwarts, the knowledge that he almost returned may serve as a beacon to those who escaped punishment by claiming innocence years before rather than a warning to those who would protect themselves. At present, there is no major threat in the Wizarding world."

Harry paused to think over the Minister's statement. "That's ridiculous," he said flatly. "Nothing about that makes sense. The school is safe now and there are people who could--"

"Enough!" Dumbledore said, raising his voice just slightly above Harry's arguing. "I'm not debating the way the Ministry is handling this with you. I will come back later in the week so you and I may discuss your options and your unfortunately timed conversation with Mr. Longbottom." Abruptly, he turned away from Harry and looked across the hall. "I have other business to attend to."

Before Harry could argue with him again, the Minister walked away. "Can you believe that?" he asked Hermione. When she didn't respond, he snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hermione?"

She blinked rapidly and her eyes focused on his face. "I'm sorry? I was thinking about something."

"Can you believe what he said to me?" Harry repeated. "That has got to be the biggest load of--"

"Mr. Potter, I caution you about openly questioning the Minister's decision about this," Professor McGonagall said. "I assure you, he can be most stubborn when he feels it's in everyone's best interest."

"That doesn't mean he's right," Harry said. "You know what I'm talking about. If it were up to him, you wouldn't have known everything that was happening the past few weeks. That can't be the best way to handle things with Death Eaters on the loose and Bellatrix Lestrange probably holed up somewhere conducting meetings or something."

"I doubt they've converged in a meeting hall to discuss a course of action," Professor McGonagall stated. "If she's thinking clearly, she would have left the country days ago to escape Ministry notice."

"She wouldn't have to," Harry said. "Her arrest didn't even make the paper, remember? Nobody would even know to report seeing her."

The Headmistress sighed. "Regardless, she is not an immediate threat, nor are any of the escaped prisoners. I am in frequent contact with the Auror Office and the school has a number of protections around it to keep your former professor and anyone else from getting inside."

"Exactly, so the school safety excuse is just that." Harry frowned and pinched the skin between his eyes. The headache had been coming on all day, but now it pulsed as strongly as the pain searing through his head when he'd dreamt the night before. "Speaking of protection," Harry began. He took a second to congratulate himself on speaking in a much gentler tone of voice than he'd thought himself capable at that moment. "What it be okay if I reformed the defense group I had before?"

"The DA?" The Headmistress asked in a surprised voice.

"Well, it wouldn't quite be the same thing," Harry said. "I think I would feel better if I got to work with Neville on some defensive techniques. I'm not sure how much he knows, really, but I saw a little of his spell work early last week and I don't think it could hurt if I tutored him a bit. That is, if you don't mind me doing the teaching."

She smiled. "After viewing a few of your memories, I'm sure you could teach me a couple of things." McGonagall nodded as she considered the idea. "I'll give it further thought. Of course, if I were to allow this, I would want you to be supervised by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. If there was interest, would you mind some of the other students joining?"

Harry nodded. "No, that'd be fine, if they really want to learn. I'm just worried that Neville might not be able to defend himself if he absolutely has to," Harry said. "I know Hermione at least--" He turned and stopped speaking, just realizing she was no longer next to him. Looking across the hall, he saw Hermione speaking with Dumbledore just before the front doors. Her face was turning red as they continued what Harry could easily tell was an argument; she repeatedly jabbed a finger in Dumbledore's direction before crossing her arms over her chest, tapping her foot rapidly as she listened to his response.

"I know Hermione would be interested in brushing up on her defense outside of class," Harry said, turning back to Professor McGonagall. "She said practicing in class with Snape always made her nervous and she never really got the hang of it. I was thinking we could start with basic disarming and shield spells--"

"Hold on, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "I haven't given my approval yet."

Harry smiled as the Headmistress looked at him over the top of her glasses. "But you like the idea? That's enough for me." His smile widened as his sister and godfather came out of the staff room. "There you are!" Harry said. "I was starting to miss you."

"We got lost!" Raven said. She grinned at Sirius as she moved to take her brother's hand. "Well, he got lost. I knew exactly how to get us out of there."

Sirius shrugged. "What can I say? I was too busy checking out those magazines left in the bathroom to pay attention to where I was going."

Professor McGonagall gasped and her face flushed. "The magazines?"

Sirius grinned and patted the pocket of his black robes. "Don't worry. I'll remove them from the school for safekeeping. Wouldn't want a professor to misplace these and let student to get a hold of them."

"No, we would not," she agreed. "Though I doubt there's much chance of a problem with that since most of them have their own stashes," she muttered. Seeming to remember she was speaking in front of children, McGonagall straightened her expression. "We'll speak tomorrow, Mr. Potter."

"Ready to go?" Hermione asked. She slipped her hand into Harry's and smiled, no trace of her recently finished argument in her face or demeanor. "I think Raven said something about going to see the Giant Squid before it gets too dark."

Harry nodded, biting back the increasing number of questions he had for her. There'd be time to get them all answered.

If he hadn't spent the day surrounded by people who could protect him, Draco knew Potter would've given him the answers he needed to hear before now. If it wasn't the Headmistress coddling him in the Great Hall, it was that clingy girlfriend of his watching every movement around him as if she'd hex anyone who made a wrong step. No doubt she would, and she'd get away with it too. Not that Potter needed the protection, if the rumors were true--Draco didn't doubt they were. Harry had hated his stepfather behind closed doors for years; even Draco had known it would only be a matter of time before he acted on his true feelings. Snape had given him the perfect excuse.

Now, it would only be a matter of time before he showed Potter his true feelings about his father's arrest. I don't need an excuse to end the games, Draco thought as he followed the three children from the Great Hall. Just the opportunity for richly deserved payback.

Ignoring Lily Snape's sidelong look as she spoke with his mother, Draco stalked forward, intent on having a few words with the lying prat before he could slip away again. When he thought of how Aunt Bella had tried to warn him before, of how she'd skirted around the truth of the betrayal as easily as she'd escaped the Ministry earlier that day, Draco felt a new surge of anger course through his veins.

Of course, he should've seen it coming. Potter had given Draco a half-assed warning that he might implicate his father in some way, but to think that he dared have Lucius Malfoy arrested over some stupid feud with his stepfather? If the Headmistress and Minister of Magic hadn't been giving Draco appraising looks at that moment, Draco knew for sure he would've shown Potter how he felt about his understanding if he no longer wished to be involved in the sordid plot.

It's fine, my ass, Draco thought, remembering Harry's words from a little more than a week earlier. He probably had this in place for months and would've left my father alone if I'd cooperated. Did I actually offer to help that thankless prick? If Draco had known Potter had it in him to blackmail with people's lives, he might have had a little respect left for him. That is, if his family hadn't been the target. The truth was, the events of the past few days had left the Slytherin with a bad taste in his mouth. One that could only be cleared by spitting on the cold body of the one responsible. And he would, the first chance he had.

A few more seconds of waiting for Potter to get away from his bodyguards passed before Draco saw the Minister and former Headmaster headed towards him from the far end of the hall, a deepening scowl on his face. Dumbledore stopped just before the teen, blocking his view of Potter and the others at the end of the hall. Draco looked into the cool blue eyes and knew what the old man was going to say before he'd even begun his little speech.

"Harry Potter is not responsible for your father's arrest. So, you can get every thought you have of hurting him out of your head right now," Dumbledore said.

Or, at least he thought he'd known.

"That's a lie."

"I don't care if you believe me or not, Mr. Malfoy. There are almost a dozen people who can attest to the fact that Harry was unconscious from Saturday until late yesterday and hadn't the first clue what happened to your father." Draco's eyes narrowed as he took in the quickly whispered story, probably cooked up as the older wizard had walked over. "No one would blame him if he decided to press charges. Harry was hospitalized for the second time in as many weeks because your father and Professor Snape tried to kill him."

As those words sunk in, Draco took a quick step backwards, shaking his head as he prepared to refute the Minister's claim.

"As I said, you are not to go after him in any way. I am the only one you need to approach about this matter," Dumbledore said. "I am the only one who can do anything to change his circumstances."

"It sounds like you've already got your mind made up what you're going to do," Draco said, his mind whirling. If this was the Minister's story, what could he do to publicly refute it? Discredit the Minister or Potter somehow? How would his father handle it if he was on trial and this was the charge against him?

'That depends on you, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. He placed a firm hand on Draco's shoulder and the boy winced as the long fingers gripped his shoulder. "You and I and a select number of people are the only ones who know what you did Saturday. You may not be charged yet, but make no mistake, your chances of escaping punishment for your actions are as spare as your chances of getting away with any retaliation you are debating. I will not let either pass without my own brand of justice meted out in response."

He released Draco and stood straight, his face stern. "You have a choice to make, Mr. Malfoy. Family loyalty or your and your father's freedom. I will be back in a few days to hear your decision." Dumbledore opened one of the front doors and began to step out, stopped when Hermione put a hand on his arm.

"May I speak with you?" she asked. She glanced over her shoulder to Harry.

The Minister nodded and Draco took this as his cue to leave, ducking through the open door before the Minister could stop him. He'd only moved a few steps when a hand clamped on his shoulder and he turned abruptly, mentally preparing to hex the Minister. He relaxed when he saw it was only his mother.

"You know what you need to do," she said without preamble.

He smiled, a bitter baring of his teeth that betrayed only a fraction of the anger he was feeling. "What does she need?" Draco asked.

"Information." Narcissa Malfoy pulled a black book from the pocket of her robes and thrust it into her son's hands. The book promptly disappeared into her son's pocket. "Anything you can find out about Longbottom, Potter, the Ministry's plans, the search for your aunt. You'll have to befriend him again," she added, echoing her sister's order from days before.

Gray eyes widened in disbelief. "After what he's done?" Draco cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "If we were alone right now, I'd--"

"You will not harm him until we can be sure Bella has what she needs," Narcissa said, cutting him off. "Then you may do whatever you please. Provided you don't get caught."

Draco said nothing. He knew better than his mother what needed to be done about Potter and he would accomplish his tasks in his own time. Befriending the traitor would be an adequate first step for some of what he had in mind. He'd work out the rest of the details later, once he had time to think.

"What do I need to do with the book?" he asked.

"Bella will be able to read anything you write in it and you whatever she writes," his mother responded. "She wants you to record every bit of information you can find, even what you feel is trivial, and she will give you further instructions when necessary."

The front doors opened and both Malfoys turned towards them, bearing identical frowns as the Minister walked away from the school. Draco watched Dumbledore for a few moments before turning back to his mother.

"Where is Aunt Bella?"

Narcissa blinked, startled by the question. "She's somewhere safe."

You don't know, Draco thought. "Very well. I'll do everything she asks."

His mother nodded and bent towards him for a brief, stiff hug before taking the same path the Minister had taken to the front gate. Draco waited until he thought he could hear the sound of his mother Apparating away in the distance before turning to go for a stroll around the grounds. He had a lot of thinking to do and being around his housemates would only be a distraction. He might involve a few of them in his plans later, but after what Potter had done, he knew this plan had to be a special one all his own.

Neville had anticipated a big reaction, but this wasn't quite what he'd expected. Ron was pacing back in front through the center of their dorm room, cursing under his breath every few turns and mumbling incoherently the rest of the time. Twice, he'd stopped and stood still, seeming to have everything clear in his mind before continuing the manic pacing. Finally, he stopped and turned to face Neville, a frown on his normally complacent features.

"Do you believe him? Because I think he's completely out of his mind." Before Neville could respond, he began pacing again.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Neville said as he watched the other boy move. "As far as the prophecy goes, anyway. You really had to see that thing with the globe this morning to understand. As far as everything else, why wouldn't it be true?"

"Why?" Ron asked. He stopped again and glanced in the direction of Harry's bed. "That he time traveled and everything else? I can't imagine how it could be."

Neville shrugged and shook his head. If anyone had the answers, it wasn't this Boy Who Lived. Being thrust into this situation was bad enough without someone expecting him to make sense of it as well. "Dumbledore confirmed everything he told me. Besides, Harry doesn't have a reason to make anything up. If he'd only been lying to get at his stepfather somehow, that was over days ago. He could go back to acting normal now."

"That doesn't mean he isn't still nuts."

Neville gave Ron a wry smile. "That's about what he said this morning." When Ron looked at him in question, he added, "Even if all of this has driven him a little crazy, that doesn't mean it's not true. By the way, you can't tell anyone any of this. About the scars, none of it."

"Why would I?" Ron asked. "So they can think I'm just as crazy as he is? No thanks." Ron stopped in the middle of his pacing and turned to stare at Neville.

"What?"

"You remember when Trelawney was acting nuttier than usual first day of term?"

"When she predicted I would be in grave danger again?" Neville asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but after that, she said the oddest things to Harry. Something about being snatched from the jaws of fate and..."

"A deadly illness and the one of which we do not speak marking him for death," Neville said in an unconscious imitation of the Divination teacher's ominous voice. Neville began nodding as Ron's face went pale. "I'd forgotten all about that. Even Trelawney knew all of this stuff was true."

"I'd always thought that woman was a crackpot," Ron said in a soft voice. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I never thought she could make a real prediction or know anything useful. Nothing like this," he said.

Neville nodded, lost in thought. If everything she'd said to Harry the first day of class was true, then he was being targeted for death. And if that were true, maybe he would have to start listening to the woman's assertions that his own future was uncertain. He rubbed at the scar on the side of his face absently as he considered the possibilities. He'd never wanted to prove Trelawney wrong more than he did now.

Exhausted, Hermione slowly let Raven down from her hip and guided the girl towards the door with a gently nudge to her shoulder. "I swear, that's the last time I agree to carry her anywhere," she said, grinning at Harry.

He nodded, glad he hadn't volunteered for the position. "Are you ready to go back to Sirius's house?" he asked his sister.

She shook her head as he'd known she would. "I want to stay with both of you," Raven responded. Hermione grinned when she realized she'd been included. "I can't believe by the time I'm old enough to come to school, you'll be too old to stay."

"I could always fall behind in my grades," Harry teased.

"Don't you dare!" Raven exclaimed, suddenly looking a lot like Lily. "Mum'll put you one of her punishments and you know how awful those are," she said, pouting as she remembered a previous time of suffering.

"I'll keep my grades up, then," Harry said, pushing the door to the dungeon quarters open. "But I promise to come and visit you as often as I can."

"You too?" she asked, turning to Hermione.

"I'll come too," Hermione responded, smiling at Harry's sister.

They walked into the front room of what had been Snape's living quarters and looked around. True to her promise, Lily had gotten every bookshelf emptied, every picture removed and every trace that anyone had ever lived there stripped, folded or otherwise disposed of into the boxes she'd conjured earlier. Though, all Harry saw now was one lone box sitting next to the fireplace.

Lily came from the back room at the sound of her daughter's call, a small smile on her face for the little girl. She pulled Raven into her arms and picked her up for a quick kiss on the cheek. "Did you have a fun time?" Raven nodded. "Fantastic," Lily said. "Say goodbye to your brother and Hermione and Sirius will take you back while I finish up."

As Harry hugged his sister goodbye, he felt a deep longing to walk into the Floo with them, leaving behind all of the drama and heartache he knew would eventually come if he stayed at the place that so far had only served to bring him closer to his death. He glanced at Hermione as he stood up. No, Hogwarts had not just brought him closer to the negative things he'd experienced, but he didn't know how much more he could take before he permanently became the resigned, angry person he'd been less than a week before. Besides, his troubles would follow him whether he stayed at school or not. If Dumbledore wasn't going to warn people or go after Death Eaters in the light of day, wouldn't that make it marginally easier for them to continue on with Snape's plan? Harry shook his head to clear the thought from his mind. He'd think about that later. Much later, if he could help it.

Before Harry was aware of it, Sirius had come and taken Raven and the final box--which Harry had learned contained all of Snape's belongings in their own boxes, shrunk into a manageable size and lightened--back to his house and he and his mother and Hermione were left, an awkward silence settling over them. He glanced back and forth between the two women in his life, wondering for the umpteenth time that day what had happened in that very room to cause such tension between them. There was only one way for him to find out. It had long been apparent to Harry, it wasn't going to be through Hermione.

"Hermione, would you mind if I speak to my mother alone?" Harry asked. "I'll join you upstairs for dinner when we're through."

"I--" She glanced back and forth between the identical pairs of green eyes. "No, I don't mind," she said quietly. Hermione walked to the door and paused at the doorway, taking a deep breath before she turned back, a stiff smile on her face. "Goodnight, Mrs.--"

"Goodnight, Hermione," Lily said, cutting her off with her own brief dismissal and tight smile.

Hermione frowned and walked out then, slamming the door behind her as she left.

Harry turned on his mother the minute the door was closed. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and smiled at her son.

"I mean, Hermione has been upset all day and I think it has something to do with you."

"I don't like your tone, Harry," Lily said. "If she's been upset today, perhaps it's because today's business has been unpleasant. None of us has felt a lot like smiling."

"You managed to do a lot of it today," Harry retorted before he could stop himself. His gut lurched when his mother's face fell.

"Do you think this is easy for me?" she asked. "I had to pretend to grieve him because so many people were watching. I couldn't even say what I was really thinking. I couldn't tell those people I'd gladly spit on his grave because they'd make me out to be some kind of monster."

"You're not a monster and no one in their right mind would ever think that."

"No? If I didn't cry and pretend to be the grieving widow, monster is the nicest thing they'd say within earshot."

Harry sighed. They were off track. This was not what he'd wanted to ask her about at all. It was hardly a competition for who had been having the worst of it lately. No doubt, Lily would've taken the prize if it was, though she might not have Harry beat in the long run, he was sure. He watched as she shuffled her feet in place and glanced at her watch as she waited for him to continue the conversation he'd negotiated alone time for.

"Tell me what you and Hermione talked about."

"She didn't tell you?"

Harry stared at his mother, wondering why she was stalling. Had she said something to offend Hermione?

"It's my fault, really," Lily said. Her expression turned sheepish and she began studying the pattern the toe of her shoe was making as she dragged it across the stone floor. "I started to tell her how concerned I am about how the two of you are getting along and I guess I must have phrased it the wrong way because she got upset. I honestly thought she'd be over it before now." Lily sighed and raised her eyes to look at her son. "Ever since I found out the truth, I can't stop worrying about you. All this time, I should've been protecting you from...from the real monster and I didn't even see a fraction of what he was capable of."

She walked closer to her son and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "I see so much of your father in you and it scares me to think you could reach your end anything like the way he did. If anything ever happened to you or your sister--"
"Nothing will happen," Harry said.

"We both know you can't promise that," Lily responded swiftly. "Your life especially is so unpredictable right now, so I...I might have gotten a little carried away with my new, overprotective stance. But I don't regret it. I want you to have the best of everything and that includes the people in your life. Hermione knows I'm only looking out for you the best way I can. And if that means asking your girlfriend about things she's uncomfortable with, then I will."

The last sentence made Harry stare at her for a moment. "What did you ask her?"

"I just...I wanted to make sure the two of you are still making smart decisions," Lily responded.

Ah, Harry thought. She asked about sex. Wonderful. Just when I'd decided--

"Hermione is a wonderful girl and I just want the two of you to enjoy being children as long as you can." Lily relaxed her hands from her son's shoulders and raised one to ruffle his hair. "You weren't here for the talk we had before summer started, but I want to tell you the same thing I said before. I want you to be completely sure of your feelings and the person you're sharing them with before you act. It's for your protection as well as hers." Lily smiled. "Don't do anything you may end up regretting, even if the physical part of it appeals more than waiting. There are a lot of things I'm not ready for and one of them is being a grandmother."

"Okay, you don't have to worry about finishing the talk," Harry said. He was sure his blush must be reaching to the roots of his hair the way his mother suddenly laughed.

"Good," Lily said. "Just, please be careful. I love you and I can't stand to see anything happen to you, whether it's heartbreak or anything else."

Harry nodded and held still as his mother kissed him on the forehead. A couple of goodbyes later, Lily had taken the Floo back to Sirius's house and Harry was walking up the stairs from the dungeons to the Entrance Hall, mind buzzing with thoughts of how that talk could have scared Hermione into being so distant with him the entire day. Even when she'd begun smiling and laughing after the funeral, he'd sensed something behind her eyes and smile that even a good Cheering Charm couldn't disguise. If his first night back at Hogwarts was any indication, it was really his fault. He knew how to fix it, at least in theory. He would have to figure out a way to convince her he was sure of his feelings, even if he was still too tongue-tied around her to say it in so many words. She deserved that much at least.

Harry smiled when he found Hermione waiting for him in the Entrance Hall. He kissed her on the cheek in greeting.

"You ready for dinner?" she asked.

"No," Harry responded, just realizing he had no appetite. "I'm not really in the mood for it, especially after the scene this morning. I think I'll just turn in early."

Hermione frowned. "Okay," she said quietly. She crossed her arms and studied his face for a few moments. "Did you want me to ask Madam Pomfrey to get you something to help you sleep?"

Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her cheek again and then turned to dash up the stairs, just missing the tears forming in Hermione's eyes as she watched him practically run from her.