Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate that people are taking the time to read and review this fic. Well, I promised the last chapter wasn't the end, so here's the next one.

PS: To Mary – I see your point about Harry, but he will not be the 'girl' in the relationship and will take pains to show his lover that, don't you worry! I'll do my best.

This fic is dedicated to DCoD for being wonderful!

Chapter Six – Something Wicked This Way Comes

"Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil but as a necessity, or even a duty."

Simone Weil (1909 - 1943), Gravity and Grace, 1947

Albus Dumbledore was thumbing through the latest report from Amelia Bones, who was in the process of clearing Harry Potter's name, when the Floo in his office flared, and a frantic Remus Lupin stuck his head through.

"Albus! No time to explain, come down to my rooms, PDQ. Keep it quiet though." He ordered, and then his face disappeared. Dumbledore sat there for a minute, in shock at the usually calm and quiet man's urgency. PDQ – Pretty Damn Quick. That was their informal code to say you should have been there five minutes ago. He sighed and placed the missive from the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement in his desk, and locked it away. Then he proceeded to make his way down to the werewolf's quarters as fast as his weary legs would take him.

What on earth could be the matter now?

Harry approached his front door, having just finished work, and fumbled for his keys with his free hand. His other was occupied with the bag of takeaway food he had picked up on the way home. He was humming a nameless, tune, feeling better than he had done in years. He still had nightmares, and he still had problems with his breathing occasionally, but Draco and Ron assured him that he would heal in time, and he was confident that he would. They had been worried, at first, about the stress put on his heart by all the emotional upheavals, and that it wouldn't be strong enough while he was recovering from his consumption. But it had been, and he was improving every day, especially under their expert care.

There was only one thing to mar his happy existence just then, and that was Severus. Not that he was having second thoughts about their relationship, far from it, but the man insisted on treating him like a porcelain doll at times, or all the time, in fact. No matter how many times Harry reminded the older man that he was not a girl, and would not break at a little rough treatment (and oh, how he was longing for a little rough treatment) he kept handling Harry as if he was made of glass. And while that could be sweet and endearing at times, it could also be incredibly infuriating.

He put it down to neither of them having that much experience in healthy relationships. Their upbringings had been less than pleasant, to say the least, and their adult lives had been full of crap too, to put it bluntly. After some extended ruminating on the problem, Harry decided that a practical demonstration of how much of a fragile little thing he wasn't was in order. Plans were in the works already, and he was pulling out all the stops to make it as memorable as possible. He opened the front door with a smile on his face, his eyes full of anticipation. There would be some teasing to begin with, and then, in a few weeks, The Main Event.

"Hi everyone! I'm home!" He yelled, and closed the door behind him.

Albus knocked on the door of Remus quarters and waited for him to answer. It seemed like only a few seconds later when the door was flung open, and the werewolf stuck his head out. After a hasty look along the corridor, he unceremoniously yanked the Headmaster into his rooms and shut the door.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows as several locking and privacy charms were thrown up, and he turned to look at his old friend, a question in his eyes.

"I…don't know where to begin. So, I suppose, I should just tell you everything. Um, would you like tea?" He asked, remembering his manners. Albus nodded yes, and sat down on a comfortable armchair.

"Tell me what's troubling you Remus." He said kindly, slightly alarmed by the haggard look on the other man's face.

"Well, it's about Harry. Isn't it always about Harry?" He muttered the last part with a rueful grimace. He sighed and then continued. "After hearing what he thought of us, what I said to him…at the trial. I…well, I just couldn't believe it. It didn't make any sense! I know you understand about werewolves and how we feel about our packs, and, you know, well, it just doesn't add up to me. At all. The pack always comes first, it's my base nature that I cannot deny, unless…something is influencing me." He said with a wary look on his face. He had his suspicions about what was really happening, and he wasn't sure about how big a part, if any, the old man actually played in all this.

The only thing that stopped him thinking that he might have something to do with this, was that it was much more in Dumbledore's interests not to have Harry in prison, as he was their only hope against Voldemort. So it would have been illogical for him to take part in a scheme to make everyone think Harry was guilty.

"I…begin to see. Go on with your report." Albus said, his eyes serious all of a sudden. Remus swallowed and began speaking again.

"Right, OK. When I tried to think of what I was feeling, why I said those…horrible things to Harry, I found my memory was fuzzy. It was only after some intense meditation and communing with Moony, that those memories came back to me in a dream, and Albus! They weren't my feelings! Something else, was telling me what to think, what to say. It was like someone had planted the belief that Harry was a murderer in my brain, and was making me say those things. I would never have, just left him there, all alone, with no one to defend him…" Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on the young man's arm, and pushed his untouched tea towards him.

"Now Remus, we will get to the bottom of this. Until then, you must be calm, your guilt, combined with Moony's will drive you over the edge otherwise. Commune with him once more, and reassure him that together you will seek vengeance on the one who betrayed you and forced you to betray your cub. Otherwise you will eat yourself up inside." He declared firmly, and Remus nodded, taking deep breaths.

"There's more, Headmaster. When I worked out what was happening, I went looking for Padfoot. He was meandering down the corridor, looking like he was drunk or something. But then he spouted off some rubbish about how it was good that the 'murderer' was gone. Which was an abrupt departure from the way he had been feeling a couple of hours before. I brought him back here to question him, and discovered he had just been to tea with Hermione Weasley. He then said some more rubbish about how wonderful she was, which made me even more suspicious. You know as well as I do that he can't stand her or her daughter. Well, then he confessed that he was feeling a bit fuzzy, so I stunned him. If she gave him a potion or something, and we take a sample now, we might be able to identify it." He finished, taking a long sip of his tea.

Dumbledore sat back and smiled proudly at one of his most intelligent and shrewd graduates. Remus might appear placid and calm on the surface, forcing many to underestimate him, but his mind moved at lightening speed underneath. He leaned forward, suddenly all business.

"Where is he?"

Severus sat at the breakfast table, idly reading through his various pieces of correspondence. He could not hide the smug smile which was tugging at the corner of his mouth. Last night had been unbelievable.

Harry had set out to prove to his lover that he was not a girl, and as such, did not need to be treated like one. Sure, he appreciated when Severus was being chivalrous, but he was not a piece of fine china, and would not break at the slightest touch.

Well, Harry had made his point last night. Multiple times. And this morning. Severus ached in places he didn't even realise existed. But it had been worth it, and he was glad the younger man had opened his eyes to the numerous possibilities which could and would be explored between them. Oh, yes.

He was stirred out of his rather pleasurable memories, by a letter which had been forwarded to him via the local Potions Guild. The handwriting belonged to someone he had not seen in a very long time: Jason Appleby. He was a likeable fellow, affable and easy going, and surprisingly, despite all this, the two of them had got on like a house on fire. He was the perfect counter to Snape's angry sarcasm, and the former Hogwarts professor had looked on him as fondly, almost as an annoying younger sibling. They had met when they apprenticed under the same master, during the time they were both studying to become Potions Masters themselves.

Sadly, the two of them had lost touch somewhat when Jason had married and started a family, and when Severus had gone to teach at Hogwarts. He wondered why Appleby was contacting him now, so out of the blue. And how did he know where he was? After a moment of thought, he cursed himself for a fool. The letter wasn't even addressed to him.

He pulled out the note from his local colleague, and scanned it quickly. Ah, it seemed Jason had a mystery on his hands, and was stumped. They were looking for a contaminate of some kind in an anonymous sample of blood, and were not making much headway. As such, letters were being sent out to Potions Guilds all over the world, and one just happened to find him here, in sunny New Zealand. Hmm…he toyed with the idea of merely burning it. Jason was resident in England, and he, nor any of the others, wished to have any contact with the British Ministry or its citizens, ever again.

Something like this could draw them back to that unhappy island, and Harry could once more be sucked into their games and manipulations. He set the letter aside for the moment, and reasoned that it would be best discussed between all four of them.

Humming a nameless tune, and cursing himself for it, as it was surely a sign of him going soft, he silently debated with himself, the pros and cons of going for a swim.

"Anything yet?" Remus asked Albus, as they sat in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place, waiting for the rest to arrive for an Order Meeting. They had got there early so that they might talk in private.

"I'm afraid not, my boy. My contact is not making any progress himself, but has assured me he will discover it in time. He has asked for assistance from other masters of his craft, so it is merely a matter of waiting it out." He replied, noticing the frustration on the werewolf's face, and lamenting not being in a position to help him. Not yet anyway. "For now, we must put it to the back of our minds, and speak to no one of it. There must not even be a hint of suspicion. Understood?" He added, and Remus nodded.

"Understood." He confirmed, hoping beyond all hope, that the answer was discovered soon.

Draco dabbed at his mouth delicately, then threw his napkin on his empty plate. They were dining in a place called 'Harry's Bar' in Nelson City, which specialised in Asian dishes. They had discovered it in the local version of the Yellow Pages, and had laughed at the name. Tonight the four of them had munched their way through Chicken Larb-chicken with lime juice, chilli and fish sauce; Shanghai Noodles with pork mince and brown bean sauce, and Chilli Salt Squid. They were celebrating their one month anniversary of moving to New Zealand.

All of them were glad they had done it. Their new home was gorgeous, and their new lives were something else too. Here, they were so carefree. The darkness was not gone from them, nowhere near. They had all lived with it for too long, for it to be gone so quickly. No, it was more like, here they knew they stood a chance of getting past it, once and for all.

There were no pangs, about leaving their former friends behind. Harry did worry for the children in the school, who would suffer at the hands of the Deatheaters, but he also believed that the Wizarding World in Britain should get off their lazy arses and stop waiting for a saviour, a single person, to put the world to rights for them.

Draco squeezed his lover's hand, and received a rather becoming blush and a smile in return. Ron too, had come on leaps and bounds in the short time they had been there, and Draco could only hope he would continue to improve. He turned back to their friends opposite him, and took a sip of his wine. Placing the glass carefully on the table, he braced himself for the reaction he may be about to receive.

"OK Severus, tell us whatever it is that has had you on edge for the last two days." He declared, and his godfather frowned.

"Whatever do you mean, Draco?" The man silkily replied and Draco scoffed at him.

"That tone ceased to work on me some time ago, Severus. Now, do you not recall that adage? What was it…ah, yes. 'A problem shared is a problem halved.' Or in this case, quartered." He replied smoothly, and raised his glass at Harry, who was now smirking, intrigued.

"Oh yes, lover. Do tell?" He said, prodding the older man in the side, something he detested. Severus looked between them, and at Weasley's determined face, and sighed, defeated. He lamented the loss of his bastard persona, at least amongst these three, and reminisced for a moment, on the time when he could have silenced such as these with a single look, and sent them running for cover, squeaking like frightened little mice.

Those were the days...

"Very well, I received a letter from the local Guild, asking for assistance on a mystery sent to them by a former colleague of mine. It seems some kind of foreign agent has been added to a person's bloodstream, causing a change in their behaviour. I do not know more about it at this time. However, they are having some difficulty in identifying this substance, and have called upon the rest of us to help, as they are often wont to do." He began, pausing to take a sip of his drink.

"Then what's the problem? Sounds like it would be right up your street Sev." Ron declared, and Severus nodded.

"Quite. There is a problem though, the colleague of mine, is Jason Appleby, and he resides in England. I cannot help but wonder, if this will expose us to a particular group of people we would prefer to avoid." He explained, and the other three paused.

"Ah." They murmured, understanding what he was driving at. Harry cocked his head slightly to one side, looking at his lover as he thought about it.

"Will it though? Can you not identify it, and then remain anonymous? After all, even the local Guild does not know you are Severus Snape." Harry said, and his partner considered it. True, when he had contacted the Guild, he had given them that shocking awful name Harry had thought up, on the plane on the way over here: Tarin Delafuente. Merlin! He shuddered every time his colleagues called him Mr Delafuente! Tarin wasn't too bad. Harry had chosen it, he had told him, because it meant 'rescuer' or 'carry to safety'. The only good thing about the whole thing, was that Harry had taken the same surname as him, and was now Spero Delafuente. He half wondered if anyone said 'Bless you!' to Harry when he introduced himself.

"True, Spero. But as tempting as a new puzzle is, I will not do this if any of you have any reservations. I am not so eager to take this project that I will jeopardise our peaceful co-habitation." Severus told them, and was rewarded with three grins in return.

"I say, go for it." Ron said, and turned to Draco.

"I, as well. It would be a shame to allow this chance of something you love doing pass you by." Draco decided and Ron nodded at him.

"I agree with these two, Tarin. This is something you can really sink your teeth into, and someone as brilliant as you needs a challenge. And if it does lead us back to England, well, it'll give us a chance to see if we left the gas on." Harry said, raising his glass. The others raised theirs, and then Ron frowned at Harry.

"You know Spero, there's never a dull moment around you." He declared, his frown changing into another grin.

"Agreed." Said Severus and Draco at the same time.

Remus was sitting at his desk, trying to decipher some first year essays. They were awful, and their handwriting was even worse. What he wouldn't give to borrow Severus' charmed glasses, which allowed him to read any scrawl, no matter how atrocious. He jumped at the sound of a loud bang going off behind him, and saw Fawkes had appeared behind him with a message.

He silently prayed this was the news they were waiting for. He tore into the parchment with trembling hands, and quickly read its contents.

Remus,

Come to my office immediately. We have an answer from the Guild.

Albus.

He released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, the adrenaline pumping through his body. He rose abruptly, and hastened out of his office, the essays lying forgotten on his desk.

Harry was sitting peacefully in his favourite chair on the terrace. The sun was out, and it was a beautiful day. He had finished work early, because he had been feeling tired of late, and didn't want to overtax himself. He figured it was the stress of the project Severus was currently working on, and had promised on strict orders from his Healers, to take it easy.

So, he was relaxing with a good book, thinking of taking a snooze, when his lover breezed through the patio doors, excitement evident on his face.

"Spero! I cracked it!" He declared, pulling the younger man out of his chair and spinning him around. Harry just laughed, and wrapped his arms round his partner.

"Congratulations!" Was all he could manage. Suddenly remembering that Harry was supposed to be resting, Severus set him down gently, and got a grateful smile in return. Harry had been starting to feel a bit dizzy. "So, what was it?" He asked, and was slightly worried by the grim expression that now appeared on the Potions Master's face.

"Something very nasty indeed." He replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Have you heard of 'Liquidus Oblivio'?" He began, and Harry frowned.

"Liquid Oblivion? Nasty stuff. Who's using that? Thought it was banned." This came from Draco, who had just stepped out into the garden, and had heard the last part of Severus' sentence.

"Indeed. As I was just telling Harry, I found out what was in that blood. And it wasn't just the Liquid Oblivion either. You see, that drug was used in the past by people who needed, escape, release. It did exactly as it sounds – put them into a dreamlike bubble where nothing could bother them. The reason it was banned was that it could, and did, induce psychosis in its users." The older man continued, and Draco nodded. The three of them paused to greet Ron, who had just arrived home, and to accept drinks from Dobby and Winky.

"Imagine being in that place – where none of your problems can touch you – and then being thrown back into the real world. The shock, often had disastrous effects on the user. How anyone actually found the formula for the potion, I do not know. But there's more. Whoever did this was very crafty, and extremely ruthless. They cared nothing for the person they administered their horrible cocktail to. For that blood also contained a mixture of ketamine hydrochloride and gamma hydroxybutyric acid. Muggles refer to them as 'Date Rape Drugs', and for good reason too. The dosage was small, but combined with the Liquid Oblivion, it would have been enough to make the subject highly suggestible. And, it would ensure that they would have no memory of their encounter with the one who administered it." The other three men paled as they considered the ramifications of Severus discovery.

"So, like an Imperio Potion, only worse." Ron put in, and the former teacher nodded.

"Exactly. Much worse. Ketamine, as it is commonly known, can cause hallucinations, memory problems, convulsions, problems with breathing, impaired motor functions, to name a few. Gamma hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, can cause seizures, vomiting, black outs, and heart problems. I fear what prolonged exposure would do to the subject, even in such small doses, and especially combined with the Liquidus Oblivio." He finished, a deep frown etched into his features. The three school friends just sat, there trying to take it all in.

"Could something like this make someone believe a lie? Believe someone to be guilty when they aren't? Make a person turn against their family?" Harry asked in a small voice. Severus looked at him for a long moment, trying not to let his feelings influence his judgement. His lover just smiled at the fierce protectiveness showing in those dark eyes, and waited.

"Yes, it could." He replied, after a long moment. Draco stirred.

"I think then, that you should write to Jason Appleby, and renew your acquaintance with your former colleague, Severus." He said quietly, and Harry nodded.

"Yes, we need to know." He agreed. It could be pure coincidence, but these four had long ago stopped believing in that. Chance rarely came into such things, when powerful wizards like them were involved. On hearing Severus' discovery, the same thought was whirling through all of their minds.

'Whose blood was that?'

Albus felt stirrings of a great fear, as he and Remus read the report from the Potions Guild in Nelson, New Zealand. Apparently, one of their Masters, a Tarin Delafuente, had discovered the substances contained in the preserved blood samples they had taken from Sirius Black, the very day that he had had tea with Hermione Weasley.

It did not look good.

Along with the purely factual report on the chemicals found in the blood, there was also a detailed report on their side-effects, and the symptoms they might trigger. It could be severely damaging to Sirius' health, if not all of them. After all, who knew how many of them had been dosed with the nasty concoction? It was anybody's guess really.

There was one small piece of good news, however. And that was Albus' contact, Jason, had received a letter, from an old friend. And old friend, whom, on assurance of absolute secrecy, was willing to assist them. Remus eyebrows rose as he read the name in the letter, and looked up with a gasp.

"Severus Snape?"