Author Notes: Hello again! We are finally getting to some action outside of Hogwarts which I'm sure some of you have been waiting for :D This was a difficult chapter to write so if you liked it or found that I've left something out, please do let me know.
I don't usually explain my stories via Author Notes but this being a continuation of someone else's story and an epic one at that, I guess I should! Josephine's last posted chapter is Chapter 77 so the rest refer to my continuation.
The Sleeping Muggles - Josephine hinted that the world was going to change in a very big way. I don't know if she really intended for most of the sleeping Muggles to die but I had no idea how to continue writing a story on that basis. Hence, the idea of having Earth save the Muggles who were still alive is mine (Chapter 79). I really liked how Harry issued a command to Earth to hold the Capstone in place over the Well of Despair (Chapter 36).
The Books of Light - Harry retrieved them from the Chamber of Secrets after recalling his dream of Voldemort reading books bound in cracked leather (Chapter 21). By Christmas, he had translated the first of the ten volumes as a gift to both Severus and Remus (Chapter 26). He was translating a chapter on the quickening of magic before he fell asleep and dreamt of the ley lines (Chapter 50). Josephine stated that Harry had completed translation of three volumes after the Calling occurred (Chapter 64).
The rest of the magical folk - This is entirely my own fault. If I'd let Harry wake everyone up before the shadows caught him (Chapter 78), I wouldn't have to write another trip to Stonehenge! Here's hoping I don't bungle it up...
Trelawny's prophecy - You'll read about it in this chapter. The Marriage Stone is only canon up until Book 4. It's not mentioned whether or not Severus eavesdropped on Dumbledore and Trelawny in the Hog's Head so I've decided that he did. Josephine never mentioned Severus as being in love with Lily, which was revealed only in Book 7 so I assumed he just regarded her as a close friend.
Edited 26 Mar 2012: Thanks, FireboltPhoenix, for reminding me that Severus only became a Death Eater to try to kill his father. Severus was never loyal to Voldemort in TMS so he would not have told him about the prophecy he overheard Trelawny make.
Edited 19 Sep 2016: I've been wanting to rewrite the section on Trelawny's prophecy in this chapter, but it no longer fitted into the bigger plot so Vine and I have decided to remove it entirely.
The number of elites - Josephine didn't mention how many were actually Called to Stonehenge so the number I've stated in this chapter is again, my assumption.
Appreciation: My very grateful thanks to Vine Verrine who challenges me to do better each time.
- Chapter Start -
Early Thursday morning found Amelia Bones already at her desk even though she had stayed back late last night. As the interim Minister for Magic, she had gone through all the Fudge's files as soon as the foreign dignitaries left the Ministry on Monday morning. Cornelius Fudge was inefficient, much too self serving and of course, a traitor who had planned to poison them all. But he had an efficient team working for him so the good news was, there weren't many pending issues for Amelia to sort out, just the most recent events. The bad news was, the recent events were unlike anything she (or anyone else) had ever dealt with.
Thanks to Harry Potter giving a seat to Diana Snape Brand, the Winterlands were willing to renew several contracts with Britain. But there was the huge damage the Elder Demon had inflicted on the aborted Quidditch tryouts at Hogwarts. The Ministry had to deal with the damage to the pitch, the dead, the injured and the press, both local and foreign. It was Fudge's idea to try to get Harry to play Seeker for Britain but Amelia was the one in the hot seat now. Speaking of Fudge... she shuddered at the man's plan to infect the Wizarding World with Bowtruckle Fever and then administer an antidote with narcotic-like properties. Thank Merlin his intellect wasn't on the same grand scale as You Know Who.
That was the second huge disaster she had to deal with - You Know Who's worldwide spell. Amelia rubbed her temples and sighed to herself. She had had several meetings with the Heads of Department, deploying teams to deal with the damages and continuous requests for aid.
As if the above two weren't enough, she had also added on a third task – coordinating an emergency top secret gathering of the world's most powerful wizards and witches that would take place tonight, here in Britain. Albus had requested for her assistance last night as this event would involve foreign wizards and witches. He had given her a brief summary of who had attended the Calling. Harry Potter had woken up a great number of the magical world's population on Monday night, but not all. There was no way to track how many were still sleeping so it was up to the elite members of the Circle to find and breathe life into their magical cores to awaken them.
Despite her extremely full schedule, Amelia volunteered to manage both the replies and the arrival of the foreign circle members. After all, coordinating this event was a task better suited to the (interim) Minister of Magic than the Headmaster of a school even if he was also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Amelia knew her strengths - she was good at handling large scale events, her methodical mind and unflappable demeanour standing her in good stead. This was actually a heaven-sent opportunity to start repairing the damage done by Fudge while he was in office. Introducing herself to her foreign counterparts was the first step towards improving the image of the British Ministry for Magic in the eyes of the world, particularly a world fixated on Harry Potter. She was aware that up until now, Harry had not shown any allegiance towards the Ministry, not that she could fault him for his ambivalent stance. If all of the above improved her own chances of winning the coming election, well then - so much the better!
The invitations they had sent out late last night were already bringing back replies. Amelia had checked through the wording of the invites herself and made sure that protocol was observed by sending a copy to the respective country's Minister for Magic. She and Auror Stark were the ones who had detailed out the requirements for each elite's escort – either close family members or personal bodyguards with no past dealings with You Know Who or Death Eaters. Such a gathering in the Muggle world would usually take months to organise what with cutting through bureaucratic red tape, dealing with visas, travel, accommodations and security measures. In the Wizarding world, a few days were sufficient. Unfortunately, they didn't even have that luxury. More than forty hours had passed since You Know Who cast his spell. Any longer and there would be no point in carrying out this task.
The main difficulty now was keeping the entire thing under wraps. Voldemort might have exhausted himself trying to kill six billion people but Amelia knew the danger he still posed. Even something as innocuous as Apparation had to be handled carefully. Her foreign counterparts had been notified to exercise control over their international Apparition points. She would be meeting with her Head of the Department of International Apparition soon to coordinate the mass arrival of the elite later on. It was imperative that the public did not suspect anything.
In the meantime, her team was already busy with collating the replies, checking on the background of the escorts and coming up with a timeline of the individual occurrences leading up to the finale at Stonehenge tonight. The elite would be brought straight to the Ministry of Magic as soon as they Apparated to Britain. They would be ensconced in a comfortable private hall on one of the lesser used floors of the building where they would remain there until it was time to Apparate to Stonehenge.
No members of the press whether local of foreign would be allowed near the Ministry. Amelia had agreed with Albus' suggestion of sending out a press release this morning, citing that the Ministry of Magic was closed to the public for the day in order to 'facilitate the repair of damages sustained' while the building was in a state of lockdown over the weekend. Harry Potter would be arriving this evening to meet with everyone beforehand. Having seen the chaos caused by the self-important foreign dignitaries on Monday, she also planned to keep the actual circle members in a private room so that Harry and Albus could talk with them without any outside interference.
Amelia couldn't help feeling thankful to Lucius Malfoy. The man was rumoured to be a Death Eater but his actions in getting rid of Fudge's strongest supporters by dueling them on Monday proved to be most useful. The fact that all the Death Eaters were severely weakened by the Dark Lord's spell was another thing to be thankful for.
Tomorrow, Amelia would have to start building relations with the Muggle Prime Minister. He had plotted with Fudge to get the Wizarding World's compliance but there was no denying the stress he must be in right now, dealing with millions of bewildered citizens who had woken up from an unexplainable sleep to burning cities, serious accidents and an alarming death toll. It was as if a war had broken out.
- o -
Severus woke up early as was his habit. He disentangled himself from Harry's warm body before he could change his mind and enjoy a few more minutes in bed. After a quick shower, he dressed in his teaching robes and went out to the living room where he made both coffee and tea. Thinking about tonight's event left him feeling alert and edgy despite the little sleep he had.
After Harry went off to the Gryffindor common room last night, Severus had gone back to his quarters where he found Albus waiting for him. The older wizard had decided that the Ministry of Magic was better equipped to handle the planning and coordination of the event, not to mention the precautionary measures to ensure everybody's safety. After all, the circle held the world's most powerful wizards and witches, many of whom were famous for their rank, social standing, skills and contributions. This automatically elevated the gathering to a worldwide event which would be difficult to handle by themselves.
Severus had agreed before raising his immediate concern – how were they going to keep the event a secret? The list of participants alone was enough to catch the interest of both the local and foreign press. The fact that they were summoned by the newly crowned King of the Wizarding World virtually guaranteed it the front page spot of every Wizarding paper in the world. Reporters everywhere would kill for the chance to cover the event. With so many parties involved, things could easily escalate out of hand. Severus had shuddered at the public spectacle it could turn out to be if not carefully handled.
Albus had agreed that they might as well issue Voldemort an invitation if that was the case, and had promised to take care of it as soon as he got back to his office. Severus was more relieved than he wanted to admit. Harry would be under enough stress as it was without being hounded by reporters. Albus had flooed back to his office, anxious to contact Amelia to get things started. Severus had found himself quite unable to sit still with the Headmaster's final words ringing in his head.
"Remember, Severus, your role is to protect Harry. You must not take part in the spell no matter what the temptation. We cannot risk the possibility of Voldemort finding out."
Severus had snapped at him, hurt to think that the older wizard didn't trust him. Of course he wouldn't participate! Withdrawing himself from the event had been his own idea! He would never do anything to put Harry's life in danger - hadn't he spent the last few years risking life and limb to keep the boy safe? Why did Albus even think it necessary to remind him!
Albus had remained calm and waited until Severus had stopped ranting before gently pointing out that it wouldn't be easy to stand aside and see others take their places beside Harry. Despite his soothing words, Severus had gone for a long walk on the castle grounds once the Headmaster left, bitterly cursing the day he became a Death Eater. The Dark Mark had brought him nothing but shame, hatred and estrangement. It had prevented him from taking his rightful place in the circle. Now, it prevented him from helping and supporting Harry at a time when the boy needed it most, when the whole world expected him to pull off another miracle.
Seething at his own helplessness, Severus had eventually returned to his rooms where the sight of Harry's schoolbag propped against his desk brought a different kind of regret. He had wanted to kiss Harry goodnight but by now, the boy was likely already under the influence of Dreamless Sleep. Instead of a more prudent Calming Draught, Severus had downed a shot of fire whiskey and rashly poured himself another before going into the library to brood.
Severus ran a hand down his face and sighed. Last night's scene could have ended badly if Harry's words hadn't brought him back to his senses at the last moment. He knew Albus expected him to provide Harry with emotional stability and a calming influence, but it looked like the boy had grown adept at comforting him instead. Severus couldn't help thinking ruefully that Albus was wrong for once. He needed Harry more than Harry needed him and after last night, he was desperately grateful for the boy's faith as well.
When Harry emerged from the bedroom showered and dressed in his school uniform, he found Severus sipping his morning coffee and leafing through the Daily Prophet.
"'Morning," Harry mumbled, following up with a huge yawn. Severus looked at him sharply.
"Good morning. Are you all right?" he asked. Harry nodded and offered a sleepy smile as he sat himself opposite his bond mate.
"I'm fine," he replied blithely. He saw Severus open his mouth to say something and quickly gestured to the paper in the man's hand.
"What's in the news today?" he asked, pouring himself a cup of tea. When Severus hesitated, Harry put down the teapot.
"Let me guess, something about me?"
Severus' lips twisted. He turned the paper around so that Harry could read the screaming headline.
King Harry Saves Wizarding World, reverses You Know Who's Spell!
Harry stared at the words outlined in bold red.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have woken up Rita Skeeter?" he joked weakly.
"And the world's press corp," Severus agreed, already guessing that foreign newspapers worldwide would have similar headlines. He reached for the boy's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"One thing at a time, Harry," he said quietly.
Harry nodded, relieved by the reassurance in those dark eyes. He didn't regret waiting up for Severus last night, not after that pivotal scene in the library. If only he hadn't panicked when the man had climbed into bed a few minutes later wearing only his pyjama bottoms, the emerald Heartstone around his neck and that all too knowing smirk on his face. Harry had grabbed his potion and downed it before he even realised what he had done.
"Is that your way of telling me you don't want a recurrence of what happened earlier?"
The dryly spoken question had Harry turning red with embarrassment as he stammered out a negative. Severus had merely pulled him into his arms with a resigned sigh, making full use of the next minute or so to kiss him before the potion took effect. Harry had contentedly drifted off to sleep in the man's arms after that.
He sipped at his tea now, head down to hide the fact that he was blushing again. If only he hadn't lost his nerve and -
"Mind you don't drink your potion too early tonight."
Severus smirked when Harry predictably choked on his tea. King of the Wizarding World he might be, but the boy was utterly transparent at times.
- o -
In the Infirmary, Poppy was in a much more relaxed mood now that things had gone back to normal. The two marked Slytherin students had been moved to the private room last night, their binds replaced with security wards on the door. They would be taken into the custody of Aurors once they were recovered enough to walk on their own. For now, they were still too weak to do more than sit up with assistance. Despite the Pepper Up potions Poppy had given them yesterday and this morning, they were still severely drained and seemed bewildered with the turn of events.
They had taken the Dark Mark last year at the urging of their parents, thinking it the height of honour. Never had they imagined it would allow the Dark Lord to steal their power and reduce them to mere shells of their former selves. The sight of the Potter boy appearing to them out of the darkness when they thought all was lost, calling to them and bringing them back to life was startling to say the least. It left them shocked and confused about their loyalties. The Mark they had once been fiercely proud of now only aroused feelings of fear and distaste.
- o -
The Great Hall was already half full of students when they walked in. Harry was prepared for the almost immediate silence that fell but to his surprise, it only lasted for a few moments before the noise started up again, albeit more muted than before. He looked blankly at the chattering students before glancing at Severus who shrugged in response. Harry smiled a little, hoping this meant that the novelty of having a King in their midst was wearing off. They made their way to their respective tables, Harry sitting between Ron and Hermione and ignoring the copies of the Daily Prophet being passed up and down the table.
"So what happened last night in Dumbledore's office?" Hermione hissed at him. Harry hadn't been able to tell his friends anything as the Gryffindor common room last night was crowded with students frantically completing overdue homework. He shook his head now, conscious of Neville and Dean sitting close by.
"Tell you later," he muttered, reaching for a piece of toast. Dumbledore hadn't specifically told him not to inform his friends so Harry took that as a positive sign. Unfortunately, they had classes back to back for the whole morning, and McGonagall intercepted them the moment they came out from the last class.
"Mr. Potter, please make your way to the Headmaster's office. You'll be having your lunch there," she told him briskly. Harry shrugged at his friends and promised to meet up with them later before going off. He didn't see the commiserating look they exchanged behind his back.
- o -
By lunchtime, Severus had finished all his classes for the day. Normally, he would use this free time to brew potions for the Infirmary or grade papers, but there were far more urgent matters to attend to today. He passed on Poppy's list of required potions to Draco instead, asking him to gather a group of sixth and seventh year students once classes were over. Severus put special emphasis on Pepper Up and other rejuvenating potions, knowing they would be required later tonight. He reserved the more complicated potions for himself to brew later.
Sirius and Remus were already in the Headmaster's office when Severus arrived. He nodded at their greetings and took a seat at the desk.
"Thanks for coming, Severus," Albus said, his cheerful tone belying the lines of exhaustion on his face. "Amelia Bones has confirmed the participation of thirty eight members of the Circle, excluding Harry, Sirius and myself. That is a total of seventy six people, including their escorts."
Severus didn't know exactly what percentage of the world's elite that number represented. He looked at Albus questioningly.
"Will that be enough?" he asked sharply.
"It will have to be," replied Albus simply.
"That's approximately one hundred people at Stonehenge tonight, including ourselves and the Aurors," Remus spoke up.
Severus felt his stomach clench at the words. How could the Dark Lord, weakened though he may be, not find out?
"What about the safety measures?" he asked.
"I'll explain once Harry gets here," Albus started and held up one hand when he saw the others about to protest.
"He will have to meet with them this evening. It's important that he knows what's going to happen, that he's aware of the amount of planning that goes into this. The Ministry under the command of Fudge has not been reliable. Harry needs to see Amelia's capabilities, to know that there are people he can trust other than us. He needs to know that we're not alone."
Albus looked at each man in turn, reading the sceptical looks on their faces.
"We cannot do everything alone. Harry depends on us and whether we like it or not, we depend on others as well. The fact that members of the circle are coming to answer our call is proof of that."
Severus stayed silent although he was relieved that Albus no longer seemed to regard Harry as their sole saviour. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Harry standing there.
"Come in, my boy," Albus smiled at him. "I'm sorry to deprive you of more youthful company for lunch today, but there are a few things you need to be aware of."
"That's fine, sir," Harry replied, glancing at Severus who gave him a faint smile. Sirius frowned at their exchange. He had accepted Severus as Harry's bond mate now but it hadn't been so long ago when the boy would turn to him first instead of to the Slytherin.
Albus gestured for them to move to a table off to one side which was already set for a meal. The food appeared as soon as they had all sat down. As Albus briefed Harry on today's events including the visit they would make to the Ministry that evening, Severus watched closely. He was pleased to see that Harry's appetite wasn't much affected by the upcoming meeting and was not at all surprised when the boy asked about the safety measures that would be put into place tonight.
Albus summoned a blank piece of parchment and quill from his desk. Placing the parchment on the middle of the table, he drew a circle in the centre and waved his wand over it. Immediately, rectangular stones in a familiar arrangement rose from the inked circle, perfectly represented in miniature on the parchment. Sirius and Remus leaned forward to get a closer look.
"Harry, you will most likely be standing at the same position as before, next to the heel stone," Albus said, pointing with his wand to the tiny stone in question. Severus immediately resolved to stand directly opposite so that he could keep an eye on Harry.
With his wand, Albus drew a second, larger circle surrounding the first one.
"All the escorts will be standing in this circle. One cannot Apparate or Disapparate from within the sacred stones so each escort is responsible for taking their respective elite out from the circle itself before taking them back to the Ministry," he added. Finally, he drew a third and larger circle encompassing the other two.
"This is where we will put up the wards. The Aurors will be patrolling the perimeter of this circle once everyone has arrived and all the wards are in place."
Everyone stared at the diagram in silence. Harry remembered how Stonehenge had appeared to him that night with torches lighting up the stones, the sky above them ablaze with stars, the cool fresh wind blowing through his hair and the feel of ancient magic vibrating in the air. He was fairly certain the wards would keep out Voldemort, but there were other creatures they were powerless against.
"What if he summons another demon?" Harry finally asked the one question they all dreaded.
"Have you had any new visions, Harry?" Albus asked gently. Harry shook his head.
"The wards will inform us if one does appear but for now, let's not worry unduly over it," Albus told him with a smile. "You still have a few classes to get through this afternoon."
He looked at the other three wizards.
"I'm going to the Ministry to meet with Amelia Bones right after this. I expect to see all of you there at six this evening."
- o -
Harry was only just in time for his next class. Luckily there was one free period right after that. As soon as their lesson ended, Harry, Ron and Hermione ducked into the first empty classroom they found. Harry locked the door and cast a silencing spell before briefing his friends about his next task. He was in two minds as to whether to divulge Trelawny's prediction or not, but decided not to for the moment.
"If only those who were Called can participate, then why is Remus going?" Hermione asked, her expression thoughtful. Sirius had told her and Ron about the Calling during one of the times they sat together at Harry's bedside, waiting for him to wake up.
"Remus is going to Apparate Sirius back here," Harry explained. "The spell will drain our magical cores and weaken us. Each of us will need -"
"What? Weaken you? All of you?" Ron interrupted. He exchanged a grim look with Hermione. "In that case, we're coming along."
Harry suppressed a groan although he had already expected this reaction. He shook his head but Hermione put her hands on her hips.
"You're not seventeen yet, but Ron and I are. We passed our Apparition test two weeks ago. We should be the ones to bring you back here."
"I'll be fine," Harry protested. "Severus will bring me back."
"I thought Snape was also Called. Won't he be just as weakened by the spell?" Ron asked.
Harry suppressed another groan. This is what Hagrid must have felt like after blurting out Fluffy and then Nicolas Flamel's name to the three of them back in first year.
"I think it's because he's not going to cast the spell," Hermione said slowly, staring hard at Harry. He could almost hear her mind ticking furiously. "Sirius said that none of the Death Eaters showed up that night."
Harry sighed and waited somewhat fatalistically for her to put the last piece of the puzzle together. He wasn't disappointed.
"That's why Professor Snape isn't participating. It'll be too risky if he does because his magic is tied to Voldemort!" Hermione exclaimed. Despite himself, Harry had to smile at how fast her mind worked.
"Even if he's bringing you back, mate, we still want to come along. You never know what might happen," Ron added.
Harry's smile disappeared. It was precisely because of that that he didn't want them to come.
"You guys don't have to go," he protested. "I'll be fine. The Aurors will be there."
"Even if they are, we still want to help you," Ron was adamant. Harry sighed.
"I know, but I don't want anything to happen to you two," he confessed reluctantly. "You're my best friends."
"That's why we want to help, Harry, because we're your best friends," Hermione said earnestly. Beside her, Ron nodded his agreement.
"In case you still didn't know, mate, we're in this for real," he said, crossing his arms for emphasis. Harry stared at their determined expressions. He hadn't expected any less from them. Their friendship and support meant the world to him. They were there for him long before Severus or Sirius or Remus became part of his life. Ron and Hermione were the reason why he was still alive and sane. The three of them had shared secrets and pain, tears and laughter. Together, the three of them had faced dangers, overcame obstacles, solved mysteries and saved each other's lives more times than he cared to count. They had experienced things most people wouldn't be able to boast of even if they lived for a hundred years.
The last thing Harry wanted to do was to discount all that and make light of their sacrifices for him. But tonight was different. Voldemort had already summoned an Elder Demon once. If he found out about tonight, what was there to stop him from sending another? How could Harry cast the spell and still look out for his friends?
Hermione read the thoughts flashing across Harry's face.
"You're afraid that something will happen. But do you remember yesterday in the Infirmary? You asked what would we do if Voldemort tried something again. Do you remember?"
Harry nodded. Of course he remembered.
"Do you remember what I said?" Hermione asked gently. Harry nodded again.
"You said we'd fight back," he answered. Ron took a step forward, staring hard at Harry.
"Right. And do you remember what I said?" he asked. Harry nodded again.
"All of us. Together," he answered, his voice now shaking. Ron reached out to grip Harry's shoulder hard.
"So unless you think that we didn't mean what we said –"
"No, I know you meant it. I just –"
"... or that we don't deserve to come because we weren't Called –"
"No! That's got nothing to do –"
"Then Ron and I want to be there. With you," Hermione finished. "The way we've always been."
Harry stared at them wordlessly. A part of him somehow knew that he wouldn't be able to keep them away and in fact, selfishly wanted them with him. He swallowed, his chest feeling so tight it was hard to breathe. They were right. No matter how much he wanted to keep them here where they would be safe, he couldn't deny that they deserved to be with him. They had earned the right to stay at his side, regardless of how crazy his life had become. He needed them, he always would. They were the two most stubborn people he had ever met and one of these days, he was going to –
Harry didn't know who moved first but suddenly, they were in a suffocatingly tight three way hug and his breath was being squeezed out of his lungs. He and Ron were blinking hard but Hermione's tears were already sliding fast down her cheeks.
"Thanks, guys," Harry whispered shakily. "I just – thanks..."
Eventually, they separated with sheepish smiles. Hermione blew her nose noisily before asking who would be there tonight. Relieved at the change of topic, Harry started ticking off notable names on his fingers. He wasn't surprised when Hermione rattled off their roles and accomplishments, excitement lighting up her face. Ron was nodding away at her side and Harry couldn't help smiling at the fact that for once, his friend could keep up. Having an impressive collection of Chocolate Frog cards proved to be in the redhead's favour.
All too soon, it was time for their next class. Ron and Hermione decided not to follow Harry to the Ministry. They didn't want to run the risk of Dumbledore or Amelia Bones barring them from Stonehenge later tonight. It was better to go straight there when everyone would hopefully be too occupied to notice their presence or do anything about it. Hermione saw Harry's worried look and squeezed his hand.
"We'll walk you to your rooms after class, all right?" she told him. "And stop worrying about us!"
Harry just sighed. That was easier said than done.
- o -
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Severus spent a couple of hours with Draco and the others in the potions lab. By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione entered his home, he was already showered and dressed in the same black and silver robes he had worn to Remus' Inquiry before. He nodded at Ron and Hermione's greeting before turning to Harry.
"Go and change out of your uniform. I've put your outfit on the bed," he said, nodding towards the bedroom. Harry blushed as Ron's eyebrows shot up. He excused himself quickly and went into the bedroom. Lying on the bed was the same dark and pale green robes he had worn before. With a small smile, Harry took it and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione sat down on the couch. They hadn't expected to encounter their Potions Master here although they should have – it was his quarters after all. He looked dashing, Hermione thought.
"Professor? Do you want us to go?" she finally asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. Severus turned around from the fireplace where he had been contemplating the flames. He sighed and shook his head.
"No, it's fine," he said dismissively. He summoned Dobby and ordered some food. The little elf was pleased to see Ron and Hermione. He beamed at them and squeaked out an enquiry after their health before vanishing and appearing a moment later with a laden tray. Severus glanced at the bedroom door before sitting down in his chair. He gestured for the two Gryffindors to help themselves to the food.
"I assume Harry has told you about tonight's event?" he asked. The looks they gave each other aroused his suspicion, but before he could say anything else the bedroom door opened and Harry emerged. He ignored his friends' admiring stares and looked at Severus instead, drinking in the obvious approval glowing in those dark eyes.
"I like how you wear that outfit, Harry. You look good."
Harry blinked and turned to Hermione with a sheepish grin.
"Thanks."
The four of them settled down to eat the food that Dobby had brought, Harry ignoring the rather obvious conversation Ron and Hermione were having with their eyes. He suspected it was about his robes and the fact that Severus had picked them out for him.
In less than half an hour, it was time to leave. Amelia had arranged for a temporary connection linking her office at the Ministry to Albus' office here at Hogwarts to allow them to floo there directly. Harry walked Ron and Hermione to the door, all three of them conscious of the tall brooding man behind them.
"Good luck, mate. Wow them like you did at the Calling," Ron grinned at him. He added, "We'll see you later," in a whisper. Harry nodded.
"Dumbledore's office - after dinner," he whispered back. "Thanks, mate," he said aloud.
"Take care, Harry. We'll be thinking of you," Hermione said. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "For luck," she whispered.
Harry closed the door behind them, feeling strangely bereft. He sighed and turned around to see Severus staring at him. The man had been very quiet for the past few minutes.
"I'm sorry," Harry apologised as he went over. "They wanted to see me off."
Severus nodded. He wasn't happy with Ron and Hermione's presence but he appreciated their concern for his bond mate. It was just that he had so many things he wanted to say to Harry that he didn't know where to begin. And once again, they had run out of time.
"Are you ready?" he asked instead.
Harry nodded. Severus regarded him for a long moment before bending his head to give Harry a slow, lingering kiss in place of the words crowding his throat. He drank in the soft hitch of the boy's breathing, committing it to memory.
"For luck," he said softly. Harry lifted his hand, laying his palm briefly against Severus' cheek.
"Thank you," he returned just as softly. Without further delay, they stepped into the fireplace and flooed to Albus' office where Sirius and Remus were waiting for them.
- Chapter End -
