AN: Thanks to Shadow for editing this for me. Yen, Raya, and Raven are all working their way through this with their own fine toothed combs, so if it seems to change periodically, well, that means that they have helped remove a snag or a tangle. Any mistakes are all mine.
I am going to post this here, as I have no other way of responding to this particular reviewer. Feel free to skip it.
Su No Yo - I thank you for your review and for your correction of my misspellings. Trust me, I have no problem understanding the differences in the words. There are a few where I live that I would have no idea which I was supposed to be using. But next time I ask that you not point out the mistake as my betas'. They are taking time out of their busy schedule to help me out, and as I said up above, all the left over mistakes are mine. And I know I am the world's best auto correcter there is out there. As I read those two mistakes you pointed out, I actually saw the words that you wanted me to change them to. This is a problem that I know of, and those who have read any of my Spinner's End series are aware of. I do truly appreciate your reading and reviewing my work though. To answer your final inquiry, they all met and worked together in chapter 11. Thank you once again.
Chapter 12: Solving Problems
Harry walked into the kitchen at his normal time, but the sight that greeted his eyes was not one that he had come to expect. There was no glass next to the sink. The basket of fruit had the same number of apples as it did last night. There was nothing sitting out on the counter for breakfast. And there was a piece of parchment sitting in the center of the table.
Opening the parchment, Harry sank into a seat as he read it. The words were written in the familiar spiky handwriting he had perfected reading with his sixth year potions book. He hadn't bothered when it was written on his essays.
Harry,
I've gone to Spinner's End to work with the material that we retrieved yesterday. Will you feed the owls and send them on their deliveries? The packages are sitting inside the greenhouse door labeled.
Go by St. Mungo's sometime today and see how the patients are doing. Take anything Garrick passes to you. Make sure to put your observations into writing and leave a copy of everything on my desk. Send the originals to Minerva with Dilly.
Severus
Harry sighed. He knew that this was important, and he could even understand that Severus would not want him underfoot while he was working his way through potentially dangerous materials. Especially as Harry knew he would not recognize the danger until it was too late. But he wanted to help. He didn't like being left behind.
Stuffing the letter into a pocket, he grabbed an apple and headed out the door. The owls were already late for breakfast.
He spent the rest of the day taking care of the greenhouses, going to St. Mungo's, meeting up with Ron, and going through every piece of information that they had. He organized it in a manner that made sense to him. It was after a dinner of sandwiches and crisps that he remembered the scroll he still had in his robe pocket from yesterday.
Unrolling it on his desk, he stared at the list. Whatever ward Severus read didn't just list the names of the people who crossed the line, but the date, and time both in and out. The first thing that jumped out at Harry was Severus' name all over the lists. He checked out the dates and times the potions master was at the labs. 'Half the time he went from one to the next in the same evening. And just how many nights did he not sleep?' Blinking, he remembered that the list was supposed to be since Voldemort's death. The list started on Halloween 1981. 'I guess, since the man died twice, the spell was confused.'
Pulling himself back to the task, he rewrote the list keeping only the section that they were interested in. He was finally ready to work with the information. Tapping the quill on the parchment, he decided to put as much of the information into a time line as he could. It was close to midnight before he fell into bed. Severus had not made it home yet.
The next morning started out exactly like the last. If it wasn't for the fact that he still had the first note, Harry would swear it was the same one. The second paragraph was different as well. It thanked him for the information on his desk.
Shoving this one further into his pocket than the last, Harry headed out to see to the owls. Once that was done, he went back to his time line. Realizing that his desk was to small to hold everything in line, he transferred it all to the kitchen table.
It was sometime during the time he should have been having lunch that he heard a faint trill coming from the family room. He drew his wand and slipped through the kitchen door before easing the other door open. Peering through the crack he had made, he searched every corner that he could see. He didn't register the new addition to the room until he looked at it twice. Blinking, he walked quietly in, his wand still in his hand.
"Fawkes?"
The red and gold phoenix cocked his head. Trilling lightly, he flicked his wings.
Walking over to the perch where Fawkes was sitting, he noticed for the first time the wide tray attached to it. The perch's pole pierced the tray in the center. It was obviously there to catch the ashes on burning day. "Why are you here?" Reaching out he brushed his fingers down the warm back. He then remembered the bird leaving the courtroom with Severus all those years ago.
Fawkes trilled at him softly and nudged his fingers.
"Okay, I'll get you some water, and see if there is anything that counts as food for you." Harry took the small bowl off the stand and headed for the kitchen. Coming back he held up a bowl of diced apples. "This is all I could find. I hope you like Severus' apples."
Putting both the water and the apples on the perch, he settled into Severus' chair.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. The faint scent of the man drifted around him. With his legs pulled up to his chest, Harry wondered why this was being so hard. He knew why Severus was away, but it didn't change the fact that he missed him. He missed him worse than he had the entire year after the bond activated. 'A day and a half. That is how long it has been, and the cold is already coming back. I guess I could Occlude. I know that putting a jumper won't help.'
A soft song interrupted his thoughts, pushing the cold back. Raising his head, he smiled towards the phoenix. "Thanks, Fawkes. I guess I should eat something, too. If you want company, I'll be in the kitchen. If you come in, don't mess with the parchments on the table."
Fawkes settled on the back of his chair while he ate. The phoenix also watched as he sorted parchments, trilling encouragingly when Harry got frustrated.
"Look, Fawkes. See. Malfoy, Yaxley and Nott were in and out of the forest lab right about the same time the low level death eater trials were happening. I wonder if that has any meaning. I wonder if any of them had the skill needed to brew the potion. Avery died around the same time in the house lab. It was like they were looking for something." He sighed and stared at the back door. "Severus would know the answer to that. He knows more about these people than anyone in the department." Harry gave a humorless laugh. "Of course he had to."
Sighing, he pushed back from the table. "Fawkes, I'm heading over to Hermione's and Ron's. I want to run this by them and get their opinion." He scrolled the parchment that he had written his time line down on, leaving the line of parchments on the table. "If you're still here when I get back, then I'll see you."
Flinging his cloak over his shoulders, Harry headed off.
The moment he appeared at the apparation point Harry felt eyes on him. Drawing his wand, he bolted to the side of the building hoping for some cover. He scanned the area, trying to find the culprits that were watching the house. Seeing no one, he focused on feeling. Living at his relatives Harry knew how it felt to have someone nearby watching you. He also knew how to tell where they were. That skill had saved him a number of times from Dudley's gang.
Focusing on the one closest to him, he cast a silent Finite Incantatem. He was not surprised when a cloaked man appeared from nowhere. He sent a fast stunning spell followed by an Incarcerous at the man before he he realized he was visible. 'Disillusioned. I wonder how many more are here?'
Casting his own disillusionment spell, Harry moved along the wall. He used his feelings to pick off and tie up two more watchers by time he reached the back door. It was when he slipped through the door that he noticed how empty the house felt. Worry started gnawing at him. 'Calm down. You were early, and they could have got held up at work.'
Pulling out his coin, he sent a message that he was at the Weasley House followed by danger and swiftly followed that with Grimmauld Place and safe. He hoped that they would understand. Making his way to their room, Harry used the packing charm to quickly pack Ron and Hermione's things and then shrank the trunk.
It was as he was finishing in the kitchen that a ghostly white doe came running towards him. 'Shoot! I forgot Severus was going to see that.' Casting a muffling charm on the off chance that he missed a watcher, he waited to see what Severus wanted.
"Harry, reply instantly. Are you truly safe? Do Not Lie. If I do not receive a reply in thirty seconds I will be there."
Harry let the sound of Severus' voice wash over him before casting his own message. He then apparated off to Grimmauld Place.
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Severus stared at the coin that was sitting next to the cauldron that was bubbling away happily. He wanted to vanish the potion and rush off to see what happened. But years of practice made him sit still and wait.
He added the next ingredient into the cauldron and recorded the color the potion changed to. 'If it was ten minutes earlier I could have stopped. But now, it can't be halted without ruining it. And we need to know what was in that cauldron.'
His gaze slipped to the coin again. With a low growl, he pulled out his wand. Harry was more important than those brats in the ward. It didn't matter at that moment that he would never be able to redo this necessary test. The stag that bound through his door stopped him by drawing his complete attention.
"There were people, Unspeakables by the look of them, watching Ron's and Hermione's. I knocked three out and am moving them into the other house. It is back under the old protections, so they'll be safe. I'm fine. They did not get a spell on me that I can tell. I'll get Hermione to check before I return."
The stag vanished. Severus' hands hit the table, his wand still in his grasp and his eyes trained on the spot the stag had stood. Harry was safe. He knew it by the sound of his voice. He could always tell by the tone even if the message was slightly garbled sounding.
Turning his attention back to the potion, he added the next ingredient.
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Harry paced the parlour while he waited on the other two to get there. He was glad he didn't have to wait long.
"Harry, what happened?" Hermione burst into the room followed by Ron.
Harry crossed the room to them. "Someone was watching your house when I got there. I know you guys were not expecting me, but I wanted to show you what I put together today and yesterday. At any rate, I think they were Unspeakables. Death Eaters wouldn't have been quite so easy to pick off." At Ron's questioning look, he explained. "I took out three of them. They were disillusioned and didn't expect me to attack them. Death Eaters would have."
"So, the house isn't safe." Ron dropped into a seat. Hermione sat next to him.
Harry nodded. "Sorry, guys. My mess is dragging you into the middle of it once again."
"Not yours this time. It's the Ministry's mess. We are just working on cleaning it up." Hermione leaned back into the seat. "We're going to have to go home long enough to get clothes and such."
Harry pulled out the trunks and enlarged them on the floor. "I packed everything I could think of. Even food, but I put that in the kitchen already." He watched as the tension left their shoulders.
"Okay, so we are moving in here for now. Is the floo still connected?" Ron looked at the fireplace and spotted the can of floo powder on the mantle.
"It is. And it is still keyed to only Order members."
Hermione stood up and headed for the door. "Let's get supper going and then look at what you wanted us to see."
They all headed for the kitchen.
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Severus slipped quietly through the door. He was bone tired and was almost desperate for a cup of tea. Though given the option between sleep and tea, he knew sleep would win. It had been a very long evening. Leaning against the door, he closed his eyes.
"You know, I'm pretty sure that you have a comfortable bed upstairs. At least more comfortable than that door."
Severus' eyes snapped open and he focused on the pajama clad Harry leaning against the other door frame. He didn't think as he crossed the room. Once he had an armful of Harry, he felt the tension and the worry that had not completely left fall away. He rested his head on top of the black one nestled into his chest.
Harry slipped his arms around Severus and just held on. It felt like Severus needed this as much as he did.
Severus moved his head and lifted Harry's so he could reassure himself that Harry was not hurt. "It's done. Tomorrow... or rather later today, I have to head out to do more research, but I am done with the reagent tests. If you ever and I mean ever, get in a situation like that again, call me. I will be there."
Harry searched the face half cloaked in darkness. "I will, as long as I have a moment that will not endanger me or someone else. Will you do the same for me?"
Severus brushed a finger down the smooth cheek, savoring the feeling that he had missed the last couple of days. "I will, with the same stipulations." Brushing his lips across the soft pair near his, Severus held Harry as close as he could.
Harry pulled back when he felt Severus slumping lightly against him. "Severus, when was the last time you slept?"
Severus looked down in the green eyes as he tried to focus on the question. All his energy was seeping out of his body. "Sleep? The night before we went off to the labs. I think I caught a small nap last night, but I'm not positive."
Harry wrapped his arm more firmly around the taller man and helped him up the stairs to his room. Opening the door, Harry spotted the bed and pushed the mostly asleep man onto it. He found a nightshirt hanging over the foot board. Looking at the man who was three quarters asleep, Harry drew in a deep breath. 'Time to get him changed. I wish I had let Mum Weasley teach me those charms.' She had wanted to show him how to change the clothes on the children when they were babies. He had put her off.
After unbuttoning the robes and shirt, slipping them off was easy. He was even able to work the boots and socks off. Studying his hand for a moment, he darted out to wash them. There was no telling what had dropped on those boots in Severus' lab, and he refused to be blamed if something happened to the man's trousers.
Coming back into the room, he was confronted with the sight of Severus curled on the bed. 'I'll just loosen the button and let him sleep.' He had to crawl on the bed since Severus was facing the center. He resisted sliding his hands down the pale chest and just undid the belt, button and zipper of the trousers, freezing when the dark eyes opened and looked at him.
"Settle down Harry, the morning is coming too soon." Severus rolled over and pushed himself up on the bed. With a practiced yet tired move, he snagged the night shirt and pulled it on.
"I'll just head to my bed." Harry pushed himself back off the bed as he heard the sound of trousers hitting the floor.
Pulling himself under the covers, Severus looked at Harry with a puzzled expression. "This is your bed. Now settle down."
Wondering if he would regret it in the morning, Harry gave into the desire to curl up with Severus.
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Severus was pretty sure he was awake, but for that to be true the warm body pressed into his wouldn't be there. Cracking his eyes open, he was greeted with the sight that made him positive he was still dreaming. Running his fingers down the arm draped over his chest, he marveled at the detail of the dream. 'I wonder if I can taste him now?'
Rolling over carefully, he pulled Harry's sleeping form close to his. He let his lips trail over the warm cheek. Harry turned his head just enough that his mouth was in the right spot for a kiss. Brushing a chaste kiss over them, Severus smiled. This was the calmest wake-up with Harry dream that he could recall. Green eyes peeped out behind fluttering eyelids.
"Good morning, Severus." Harry figured he would get that out of the way before the man started fussing. "What time is it?" He thought about pulling away to see if there was a clock in the room, but he was too comfortable.
Severus looked into the sleepy green eyes and realized that his first assessment was right. He was awake. And Harry was really there. Contentment burrowed its way deep into his bones and found its way into the recesses of his heart. Desire followed it. The kiss that followed was far from chaste.
Harry was taken by surprise. He was expecting Severus to yell at him about presuming to be in his bed since he was positive that the man did not remember ordering him to stay. Curling his hand into the nightshirt, he pressed as close as he could to Severus while kissing back with as much passion as he was being kissed with.
Pulling back from the kiss, Severus looked down at Harry's face. Sleepy desire was written over it. Even as he considered continuing, he remembered Harry's question. Pulling his eyes from the sight he was enjoying, he looked at the clock on the nightstand. Reality crashed in as the time registered.
Harry felt Severus stiffen. Sighing lightly, he pulled back from the warm body. Or at least he tried. The strong arms around him tightened holding him in place.
"It is eight o'clock." Severus looked back down at Harry. He thought about asking how the other man ended up in their bed, but decided that it didn't matter. What mattered was that Harry wasn't running away. "There is a lot to do today. I have to go research about the ingredients used. And the books are at Albus' Library which is in a different house."
"I'm coming with you. I can handle books." Harry gave up on waiting for Severus to question how they ended up like this. If the Potions Master was going to treat this as normal, so was he.
Brushing a light kiss on Harry's forehead, Severus let him go. "We need to get moving. The owls need to be feed, deliveries need to be made, and then there is breakfast to eat." Pushing himself out of the bed, he headed towards the shower.
Harry watched as Severus crossed the room before he headed for the other shower.
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Severus stood in the kitchen sipping a cup of milk while looking at the covered table. He heard Harry come through the door. "What is that?"
Harry glanced at the table before moving to turn on the kettle. "It is my time line. While you were busy, I took all the information that we have and put it in chronological order. I finished it yesterday. That was why I went to see Ron and Hermione."
Severus rinsed his cup out and grabbed an apple. "We can eat on the counter then. You can show me what you found when we get home this evening. I know I have some to add to it." He looked at the kettle and then back to Harry. "Why don't you stay in and make breakfast. I'll take care of the owls. The gardens can handle themselves today."
"Sounds good to me." Harry peered into the fridge looking for the eggs. "See you in a moment then."
Severus made it to the door before he turned back. "Are the Weasleys okay?"
Harry smiled over at him. "They're fine. They were still at work when I got there. So they just went straight to Grimmauld Place."
Sweeping one last look down Harry, Severus headed out the door.
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Harry stood on the overgrown path looking at the large cottage that was at the end of it. The gardens around the building were just as overgrown as the path was. And ivy was clambering up the trellises that were barely keeping them off the walls. He could see bits of stone between the ivy leaves. The roof appeared to be thatched, but Harry was skeptical since it did not seem to be in disrepair. Running a more critical eye over the building and grounds he noticed that the house was actually in good repair and seemed to be well up-kept. Just the gardens were allowed to run wild.
Severus waited while Harry took in the other building that Albus had left him. Resting a hand in the small of the other man's back, he started guiding him to the door. "Albus left me this place as well as the Seaside House. This one was so full of books, I declared it a library and moved into the other one."
Harry wondered just how full of books it was. He found out the moment they stepped into the living room. Every conceivable piece of wall space was covered with bookshelves. 'At least the doors and fireplace aren't covered as well.'
Scattered around the room were clusters of chairs and sofas with tables next to them. Floating beneath the ceiling were candles like those in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
Severus pulled out a scroll and handed to Harry. "These are the titles I want to look at. If they are not in here, search the other downstairs rooms."
Accepting the list, Harry decided that this was not going to be any different than helping Hermione. He would hunt the stacks and she would garner information. The only difference was that he didn't have Ron to help him hunt. "Where are you going to be?"
Severus nodded to a large table in the center of the room. "Just stack them there."
"Sure." As Harry turned to start hunting, he was surprised to see Severus scanning the stacks as well.
Throughout that morning, Harry learned that every downstairs room of the house was just like the one he had walked into. The only difference was the size of the room itself.
When he went into the kitchen to see if there was anything he could find for lunch he had been amazed at the number of bookshelves that were fit around the standard kitchen appliances. The only thing he hadn't found was food. So, he went home and brought back lunch as well as everything he needed to make a pot of tea.
That afternoon he had found himself nose deep in different texts taking notes on whatever Severus wanted him to look up. As dinner time rolled around, he was about call Hermione in and reintroduce her to Severus. He was sure that Severus had mixed him and her up.
Dinner time had passed two hours ago when Harry's stomach alerted them of that fact. Severus had looked up in surprise and then cast an apologetic look at him. Harry did his best not to faint from the look as he smiled sheepishly.
Standing up, Severus stacked all their notes together. "We just need to reshelf these books and we can be on our way."
Gathering the stack he had carried to the table, Harry put them up. Dusk had fallen by time they left the house.
Severus ran a hand down Harry's back. "Thank you. With your help, I might only have to come back tomorrow to finish."
Harry glanced back at the building as the sun set behind it. "When are we getting here tomorrow?"
Severus shook his head, "You have to go see Garrick for me, and I need you to run some questions to Derrick as well."
Harry narrowed his eyes as he tried to determine if he was just being put off. Deciding that he wasn't, he sighed. "I'll swing by with some lunch and check on you at dinner time. Can Hermione come help?"
Severus frowned and shook his head no. "Let's pick up some fish and chips. We can take them home and you can show off that time line of yours."
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Severus stared down at the parchments that were laid out on the table. When he had added his information to it, the evidence pointed straight to a select few Death Eaters who were currently walking free. They had attempted to brew a slow acting poison by combining three different potions that had no right to even be in the same place. That they were still walking around was due solely to the wards that he had placed on the labs. He almost regretted not cancelling them.
As it was, the fools had succeeded in making what they wanted, but it took longer than they had planned for it to work. According to the notes, they expected the victims to be dead within the year.
Rubbing his forehead in an attempt to stave off a headache, Severus watched as Harry finished writing out the time line on one long piece of parchment. "Send that to Minerva. She already has the the rest of the evidence."
Harry looked up at Severus and sighed. "We need the potion. Or some strong evidence that they administered it."
"I don't know how we are going to get that short of searching their houses. And they would have it in a safe concealed place." Severus leaned back against the counter while he racked his mind.
"Malfoy."
Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Yes, it is Malfoy. That is why we have to make sure that this is solid. He has gotten away with too much."
Harry shook his head. "Not the elder. Draco. He has access to all the houses, the reputation to find what we need, and the ability to report it to us."
"And you trust him?"
"Trust? No. Believe he will help us. Yes." Harry met the questioning black eyes. "He has worked hard to clean up the Malfoy name. And he has done a good job. If I put this," he held up the time line, " in front of him, he will help just to balance the damage that it is going to create."
Understanding flashed over Severus' face. "So, you have another meeting to go to tomorrow."
Harry shook his head. "No. If I leave right now I'll have a chance to catch him at the Leaky Cauldron finishing his weekly ministry review."
At Severus' questioning look, Harry smiled. "Not that he calls it that. But he meets once a week with different ministry officials to find out what is going on. He also walks the halls periodically. I don't suppose you have a floppy brimmed wizard hat about, do you?"
The smile that slipped onto Severus' face scared him.
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One thing Harry was sure of was that not one person in the entire Wizarding world would suspect that he was Harry Potter. He had had every right to be scared of Severus' smile. The robes and hat that he had been given were too big and way too bright. Severus had handled the too big issue, but refused to change the chartreuse into something a little more palatable.
Watching the door of the small room that Draco was using that evening, Harry checked out which divisions were now reporting to the Malfoy heir. When the last one finally left, he slipped in before the door could close.
In a flash, Draco's wand was pointing at the horribly dressed wizard. His meetings were by invitation only, and he had certainly not invited this man.
Harry looked at the wand and then drew his own. He pointed it at the wall, but made sure Malfoy could see it. He was positive his school nemesis would recognize it.
Draco's eyes widened when he spotted the holly wand. Sweeping his own towards the door, he strengthened the privacy ward.
Harry reinforced the wards with his own, making sure that all the walls and openings were also warded. He then swept the hat off his head. "Malfoy, thank you for seeing me."
"Potter. You manner of dress is getting progressively worse. What do I owe this pleasure to?" Draco gestured to the seat at the sole table in the room before dropping into the other one.
Harry set the hat out of view before joining Malfoy at the table. Tapping his fingers on the table top, he considered how much he had to tell the heir. "What do you know about the Unspeakable's Ward at St. Mungo's?"
Draco's eyes widened and he sat forward. "You are on that case, aren't you? They said you found Snape."
Harry eyed the man with a bit of suspicion, but pushed forward. "I am and I did."
Draco nodded as he leaned back in his seat. He had appeared too eager earlier. "I can't help you, Potter."
Harry pulled out the scroll out. "Tell me that after you look at this. And it is only a copy. The original and the collaborating evidence are all stored away safely." He pushed the time line to the blond.
Draco accepted the scroll and rolled it out on the table. As he read through, he saw all his hard work crumbling about him. His father had destroyed it all. And had done it before he had even started. He looked up into the knowing green eyes.
With a defeated sigh, he dropped the scroll on the table top. "So, everything has been for naught."
Harry shook his head. "If you help us find hard evidence of the potion in their possession or of them administering it, you can once again show that you are not your father. That he is not worthy to be called a Malfoy. It might actually give you grounds to disown him and take the role of head of the family."
Draco's eyes narrowed as he tapped his fingers on the edge of the scroll. "There is no way that anyone can know that I have talked to you. I can not have any contact with you or Weasley until the end. And even then, it will have to be Weasley at the ministry. I don't suppose you could arrange for Lucius to die and brush his involvement under the carpet?"
"Sorry Malfoy, as much as I would love to fulfill your wish, I can't. But I will stand before the Minister and the Wizengamot for you when you disown him." Harry watched as the blond considered the deal.
Draco held out his hand. "We have a deal then. I track down the evidence and tell your partner where to find it. You get it, prosecute the criminals and then back me up as I disown the disgrace to the Malfoy house."
Harry took his hand and they shook on it. "See you at the end, Malfoy."
"At the end, Potter." Draco watched as the other swept the horrid hat onto his head and left, canceling the privacy wards.
