"Okay." Harry blinked, "Run that by me again."
"Your bond has altered in an effort to sustain you through a potential alteration of your bond."
The Gryffindors shared a look and Blaise groaned when Ron merely shrugged in answer to the obvious question. Which was when another voice showed up.
"It's saying that because you're approaching the deadline for your Mating, your magic is searching for a way to keep your magic in balance. It's reaching out to this Jackson person because it's expecting that you will not Mate with Malfoy since you haven't yet."
Harry didn't even question Hermione's sudden appearance, "So basically, my magic is preparing for the worst by reaching out to someone who could potentially replace Draco if we didn't go through with the Mating."
"Exactly."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Leave it to Hermione to be able to put something into Harry speak."
"Years of practice."
Draco shared a look with Blaise, "Are we suddenly talking to her again?"
A shrug, "I have no idea. I cannot keep up with these Gryffindor mood swings."
"We couldn't very well not talk to her forever. More than likely we would have run into her eventually."
Hermione started to walk away, showing that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the boys but she stopped just before she left ear shot. The teens watched as she straightened her back, steeling herself before she turned once again to face them.
"I heard about the ingredients your using. And I'm worried about you Harry. It's dangerous. Are you sure that you know what you're doing? Either of those could kill you unless you're-"
"Thank you, Hermione. Yes, I'm sure. I'm talking everything through with Snape and I'm sure. I am well aware of what could happen but won't."
"So you're going through with-"
"Thank you. And goodbye. If we have any questions we'll be sure to let you know."
Draco had finally caught on to something though, "Wait. You know a way to keep Harry from you know dying?!"
"Of course, that's why I wanted to know why he hadn't-"
"And we are officially done with this conversation now. Hermione, since you seem fit to tell us about things they have no need knowing, you can share your own. Your Mate. Who? What? When? Where? And how?"
"I would much rather talk about your possible death…"
"And I would rather not."
Ron and Blaise shared a look but decided that this would be a good time to remain silent and decided to just watch the excitement in front of them. Although Ron still seemed a little shocked to think about the fact that Hermione had a Mate.
Eventually it was a third voice that cut in to the debate between the two dark haired Gryffindors.
"I may be able to help with a few of your questions…"
Hermione's blush and quiet reprimand of his name that came out more like a fond sigh, left Harry and the rest convinced of this man's identity. Tall, with dark hair and pale skin, the man looked like he could be Snape's brother, although his smile looked much too friendly for that to be true.
"It appears I shall introduce myself. My name is Kenneth Maltrio, an honor to make your acquaintance."
Draco was the first to respond, which was probably better because Harry really should address another dominant without his Mate's permission anyways. Just because Draco didn't care didn't mean that others wouldn't.
"Draco Malfoy. This is my Mate, Harry Potter. My best friend Blaise Zabini, his boyfriend and Harry's best friend, Ronald Weasley."
"Ron, please. No one calls me 'Ronald' unless their mad or it's Draconis over here and he's just trying to make me angry. Now tell us, how exactly did you meet our Hermione over here?"
"Ronald!" Came in a chorus from at least three different voices.
"See what I mean?"
Kenneth joined the red head in his laughter, "Yes I believe I do. As to your other question, I am a friend of your Headmaster's. And as such I was offered a tour of the school, I asked to be shown around by the best student, and let's just say that Miss. Granger and I…how did you put it?... hit it off?"
Ron spoke again and it seems to be his life's mission to make everyone else uncomfortable with his blunt search for answers.
"And you were Mated within weeks of meeting each other?"
"Ron! Please, I can explain."
"I'm not mad, Hermione. I'm worried. Just cause we were fighting doesn't mean I stopped caring about you."
And it looked as though Hermione was going to cry, "Oh Ron…"
Kenneth wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I'm afraid her decision is not quite as…lenient as that of a Veela pair. I am a vampire and I have been around for… many years waiting for the chance to find my Mate. Upon finding her we have two options, either Mate and wait and discuss turning her at a later time, or leave and hope that the memory of her would not drive me insane and convince me that the murder of her would appease my nature."
There was some silence after his words. And Hermione was blushing until she noticed Ron turning red and obviously becoming angry.
"That's not entirely true. I mean that is what we feared but I… Kenneth gave me a choice. He said there was a place he could go where he had a chance to protect me. Where I would be safe if that were to happen. And that was when I finally understood what you all had been trying to say to me. That Mates don't try to use each other, they try to care for each other."
"Took you long enough. I'm glad you found someone to make you happy, 'Mione."
Harry captured Hermione in a hug and the girl actually did start crying this time. More so when Ron reached over to pat her on the back. Draco and Blaise looked on wearily, none of the Slytherins would have been caught showing this much of a weakness. They were bizarrely out of their depths when it came to a crying girl.
"So friends?"
"We can try. I doubt I could have stayed mad at you forever anyway. No more delving into my life choices though, got it?"
"I don't think I can agree to that." Everyone gave her disbelieving looks, "If I kept out of Harry's life, all of us would be dead three times over."
Harry started to protest, "That's not-"
"Yeah it is." Ron cut him off.
"No it's... That was… It may have… Okay fine, Hermione's right."
Laughter filled the room and even though it seemed Kenneth was definitely outside of the age group, he seemed to fit in most nicely.
"Hey it's a party in here and no one invited us?"
Neville walked over with Luna. Which was when Pansy walked over with Theodore. She snorted when she saw everyone at the table, "Do you have room for a Slytherin couple? Or is it only mixed houses tonight?"
"Don't be silly." Harry grinned, "We'll partner you up with someone and no one will even notice the difference."
Pansy snorted delicately but made a point of sitting on Theo's lap. Everyone laughed at it even as the Slytherin boy smirked at the obvious possessive gesture on the part of his girlfriend. They fell into a light conversation with laughter and the occasional glare from Madame Pince that eventually drove them to the Room of Requirement for an escape.
Harry hadn't felt this good in months. There was still some tension between the Golden Trio but years of friendship were impossible to forget especially since Harry could actually believe that she was sorry and that she understood what he did.
Which was of course the moment when his Mate and his best friends had to go and ruin it for him.
"Alright. There's something that still bothers me. Hermione you said you knew a way to keep Harry from dying."
"Draco! Let's just drop it, please. Something else we can talk about."
The blond suddenly frowned at him, "Wait. Do you know what it is? You know how you can defeat Him without dying and you don't want to tell me?!"
Hermione suddenly seemed to realize what she may have started, "I didn't mean to intrude. If you have another plan, I'm sure it will work out fine."
"He doesn't have another plan. And I'm beginning to suspect this something Severus has been hinting at as well."
Pansy spoke up, interrupting the Mates, "I don't think I'm the only one who's confused so I feel justified in saying- What the bloody hell are you talking about?!"
"Harry's attempting a potion to remove Voldemort's horcrux so that the man can be killed. But since he is the horcrux, the easiest way to kill that is to kill Harry which all of us would like to avoid."
"Kill Harry?"
"Horcrux?"
"Kill Harry?"
"Voldemort's horcrux?"
"Kill Harry?"
"Gee. Thanks, Hermione."
Draco gave the brunette a glare as Harry tried to avoid all of the voices yelling at them and the glares pointed in his direction.
"How long have you known, Harry?" That was Ron, this was going to hurt…
"August…"
Three pairs of furious eyes and a bunch of somewhat amused glances took in the scene. It seemed Ron and Hermione, not to mention his Mate were not happy to hear that the teen had known this long and managed to keep it from all of them.
"You've known for that long and you waited until I found you sneaking around to tell me?!" Draco was furious. And as his eyes flashed and he fought to control the shift as he was tempted to just grab his Mate and lock him away. Especially seeing as he apparently had no desire to protect himself.
"You told Hermione and Malfoy but decided I just didn't need to know?" And Ron was apparently right there with Slytherin.
"I didn't-"
"Stow it, Harry. No excuses this time. What is Hermione talking about and how the bloody hell can we keep you safe?" Hearing the curses fall from his Mate's lips had Harry flinching.
"He didn't tell me. I did some research on them and a few things fell into place, although I was trying to figure out a way to tell Harry before I figured out that he already knew. And I just wanted to tell you that if he-"
"No! Dammit, 'Mione! You don't get to tell hi-them about this! You already dropped something else I didn't want them to know. Don't take this choice away from me."
"But Harry, shouldn't he know?"
Done with this the Gryffindor stood and grabbed her by the hand pulling her out into a room that had just appeared.
"Give us a second, I think I need to remind Hermione that some choices are mine alone to make. Wouldn't want a repeat of a few months ago…"
The door shut behind them and Harry was nearly shifting as he tried to control the need to reassure Draco and keep Hermione from ruining everything…again.
"You should really tell him, Harry."
"And you should really mind your own business. Haven't you learned anything?!"
The girl actually took a step back as Harry snarled at her. The Gryffindor ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to pull his temper into check. It was even more dangerous now for him to lose it. If his magic decided that he needed to be Mated everything would go to hell in a handbasket all nice and gift wrapped.
"I'm sorry, Mione, but it's just… this really is not any of your business."
"Harry, I just want to keep you safe. And if Mating with Draco would help to keep your magic and even your soul grounded, protected from the poison… why won't you do it?"
"I don't want him to Mate with me because he wants Voldemort gone…"
"So don't tell him. Just complete the Mating, he'll never have to make that choice and you'll know that's why he's Mating you. Problem solved."
Harry just shook his head, "No. What if he finds out that I knew? What if he starts to wonder if I Mated with him just because of Voldemort? I… I don't want that to come between us later. And the only way to remove that is to tell him, and the only way to do that is to put me in the exact same position. I… I don't think I could live like that."
"What if you can't live through the poison?"
Harry shrugged, "I think I'd rather die with the thought that Voldemort was going down and Draco loves me. That Draco wanted to Mate with me and I wanted to Mate with him and were it not for this cruel twist of fate we might have lived happily. But the world bows to the wishes of no man."
"Just because you use big words and dramatize it doesn't mean you're not being an idiot about this."
Harry shrugged, "No but it was fun and made me feel better. So leave it alone, okay? Snape and I are looking for a way to cement my soul or at least cause the poison to focus on the horcruxes. We're working on it…"
"Okay, but I reserve the right to tell Draco if something happens to you…"
"I… If you think that will help I guess I'll have no way to complain about it. Just don't make him feel guilty about it, okay?"
"I'm more worried about him feeling betrayed, abandoned than guilty. You do realize you're saying you'd choose death over Mating with Draco, right?"
Harry snorted, "Draco knows better than that Hermione. Half the time I'm pretty sure he's still convinced the world revolves around him."
As the young veela stepped from the closet, rejoining their friends, Hermione wondered if Harry even noticed that Draco's world had begun revolving around his Mate months ago.
(0,0)
When the two Gryffindors reclaimed their seats amongst their friends, the subject had turned and they turned their focus to the usual gossip trends, the hot guys (much to the discomfort of Neville) and the teachers, most especially Professor Morituri.
Even Hermione had to admit the man was very talented, even if they weren't necessarily fans of learning magic that enabled you to skin your opponent as quickly (or slowly) as you desired. At least they weren't casting unforgivable and as of yet there were no casualties, animal or human. And even if he tended to pretend Hermione's seat was filled with empty air, she learned a lot from him.
The man was talking about bringing in someone from America to help them with some different understandings of magic and creatures. It was sure to be enlightening. Especially since America had no established school for magic, instead choosing to pass on knowledge from elder to younger as the need became apparent. Better yet, America actually had one of the densest magical populations. Almost everyone on the continent had some connection with a magical creature or person.
It was sure to be a fascinating topic to listen to. Which was the exact moment in the conversation when Hermione gasped and stood up straight looking at the fading numbers from her recently cast tempus.
"We're going to be late!"
The seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors ran from the room leaving Luna and Ginny laughing at their antics and misfortune. Upon reaching the door the collective took a moment to compose themselves and breathe before pushing open the door.
Where Harry stopped in the doorway causing even more commotion as all eyes followed his to the young wizard standing behind Morituri. Only Blaise's quick reflexes kept Draco from leaping, although no one was quite sure what exactly the teen would have done. If his friend hadn't gripped his arm and kept him close to his side.
Harry was the one who eventually broke the silence that filled the classroom, "Jackson?"
The blond smirked at him but was cut off by Morituri, "Thank you, Mr. Potter. We appreciate you volunteering for a demonstration. Mr. Garrett is here from America to show how they handle… problems where he grew up."
"Professor, I'm not sure that's a great idea." But once again it was as if Hermione did not even exist.
Harry was ushered towards the front of the classroom by the whispers of his classmates, even as Ron joined Blaise in holding the blond Veela back. He came to a stop in front of the professor and his guest, not quite sure what he was supposed to do.
"Now, Mr. Garrett was about to show us some of the ways they use magic to defend themselves where he comes from. If you would…" The older man gestured to the blond at his side.
Jackson smirked slightly before nodding, "Of course, Professor. Now in America we practice a lot of distraction, we tend to avoid direct conflict, especially with the non-magical. It gives us ample time to attack and in a way that is discreet and likely would not draw unwelcome intention. Are you ready, Harry?"
"Of course, Mr. Garrett."
The other teen frowned at him, "No need to be worried, Harry. I can promise I'll never do anything to actually hurt you. This is just a demonstration."
"I understand." Harry forced himself not to glance over at his Mate, he could feel the other's frustration at being restrained but he also knew that the blond wasn't trying too hard to escape. Causing a scene wouldn't help anyone at the moment.
Garrett shook his head and Harry could tell that using his last name was really frustrating the American… The Gryffindor made a mental note to refer to him as such at every possible moment.
"Ah, maybe these will help." With a flourish of his wand a bouquet of flowers appeared and Harry was ninety percent sure one of the girls swooned at the sight.
Gryffindor or not, Harry was far from stupid, but there wasn't much he could do beyond accepting the flowers with thes teacher standing right there.
"Thank you, Mr. Garret, they're… lovely."
"You're quite welcome, Harry. Now- Immobulus!"
But the spell bounced off of the shield Harry raised. The American and Professor Morituri both looked shocked and the Gryffindor shook his head.
"Lavendar, valerian, chamomile, poppies, and nothing else? Really, Mr. Garret, I would have added roses to hide the smell a little better, possibly make it a little less obvious. But we live and we learn." He smiled as he handed back the flowers, "Since I'm obviously not sleepy, I'll return these to you, maybe someone else will appreciate them."
With that Harry walked away from the professor and his guest and took his usual seat, Ron and Blaise must have released Draco at that point because the blond was beside him within seconds. The Veela sat with one hand, or both on his Mate for the rest of the lecture. It was a good thing Harry was taking notes because he doubted the Slytherin was taking any of the lesson in.
(0,0)
A week passed.
Something was on Draco's mind, but the Slytherin was obviously avoiding whatever it was. Likely it was a conversation Harry wouldn't like having. The blond would have brought it up otherwise. Especially since it was bothering him constantly if Harry was any judge.
The library was quiet around them as they dug through books on souls and ways to ground them, to focus them. The only options they had found so far were going to take years. Harry was frustrated. But Draco was obviously distracted again, his foot tapping a nonsensical rhythm on the floor. They were getting nothing done while Draco acted this way. So he finally broke down and asked, despite the feeling of dread that overwhelmed him.
"Okay, Draco. What's going on with you?"
"What are you talking about, Harry?" The blond looked away from his Mate and actually messed up his hair when he ran his fingers through it.
"That! You're not acting like yourself, and I can only guess it has something to do with me since you haven't talked to me about it. So I ask again: What is going on-"
"Mate with me?" Draco cut him off with the rush of words.
"What?" That was not what Harry expected to hear. At all.
"Complete the bond. We can finish the courtship and become officially Mated. If nothing else it will keep the Dark Lord off of our backs while we finish the potion."
"I…We… That's not the answer, Draco. We can't complete the Mating yet, we have to finish the potion and spell first."
Grey eyes met his, cold and determined in a way that hadn't been since that night on the tower last year when Dumbledore had…
"I talked to Severus about it. He was more than happy to confirm that the Mate bond would practically guarantee that the potion killed the horcrux and not you."
"…He wasn't supposed to tell you that. Just- Trust me, Draco? We can Mate after the potion. I will gladly Mate with you as soon as I wake up. More than glad, I'll be ecstatic. I've wanted to Mate with you since I found out that you were my match."
"You…I can't give you this choice anymore, Harry."
Green and grey met in a battle of wills as each tried to out stubborn the other.
Harry was the one to give in with a sigh, "It'll work out, Draco, I promise."
"You can't promise me that. You don't know that. Even Severus has been saying this is your only option. Why are you so against this?!"
"I… I don't want this to affect us later. Something like this will irrevocably change our lives, and I can't make that decision lightly."
"Fine. But if you don't do this, there probably won't be a later. So what else is there? I know you, Harry. What's the other reason?"
"There is no other reason. Why would there be another reason? I think that one is enough."
"Do not lie to me, Harry James Potter! Why is it you've decied that you are so against being Mated to me? Hermione was right Harry- I can think of no other explanation than you've decided death is better than chancing we might have a few fights in the future."
"No! I want to Mate with you!"
"You have a funny way of showing it." Pale fingers ran once again through the usually perfect blond strands.
"Draco… It's… It's… the exact opposite! I want to Mate with you, I do. I swear. Don't you believe me?"
"Then why exactly have you decided to die rather than take the chance of Mating with me? You ask me to trust you, why can't you trust me? Trust me to love and care for you in the years to come, no matter what happens?!"
Harry felt his resolve weaken at his Mate's insecurities, "Draco, of course I-"
"You know what? Forget it." Anger had finally failed and the teen looked ready to collapse at any second, "When you decide that a life with me, or hell even without me if you'd prefer that, is better than no life at all- Come find me."
The Gryffindor watched him go- wanting to call out, to stop him from leaving. He wanted to shout that he loved him, trusted him, wanted to Mate with him more than anything. But it was probably for the best if the blond left now. Draco needed to be with someone who could give him what he wanted, what he deserved. He didn't need a Mate who was probably going to get him killed. Green eyes started scanning the pages again even as they blurred through his tears.
He would find the solution. He would survive this war and then he could find Draco. He would explain everything to him. And, if Draco still wanted to, he would gladly take the time to complete the Mating ceremony and tie the blond to him forever. After this he could patch things up with his Veela. Hopefully.
(0,0)
That was the last book.
Harry rubbed his eyes and scowled in frustration as he flung the last book to the side. Nothing. Hours of searching of sitting with straining eyes and a crick in the neck and he had nothing.
Not even his Mate.
Cursing himself for letting that thought creep in, Harry stood and glared at the books, leaving them where they were scattered on the table as he stalked out of the library.
Dozens of books and no new information. Or at least none that was useful. Apparently a soul bond didn't just occur between mates, but between anyone who was close to a person. It was really an interesting concept that Harry took to mean magic was connected to family as much as blood was, you could even test someone's heritage using it. The difference was that magic could be influenced and was…fickle for lack of a better word.
Some of them were even better than he had hoped, meaning they could work to ground him enough that is soul would feel compelled to stay in his body, to latch onto the other person. Family for example. Bonding with a parent of sibling was an amazing way to do it. And of course the magic bond of the Mate bond was another good solution. But there were problems with those.
1) He wouldn't go through that with Draco.
2) It only worked if you were… affectionate with the person.
More than likely any bond he formed with the Dursley family would simply fail. It wouldn't be strong at all and at the first test would shatter. Which was actually a relief in case anyone tried to bond him with them for revenge or something.
In fact the only bond that the book felt comfortable saying had a near one hundred percent success rate was a bond that was tied to both blood and magic. Between the trust that went into the bond and the fact that it was a willing choice that marked them both, it was one of the strongest bonds that existed.
But Harry's godfather was dead.
Stopping to kick the wall out of frustration he found himself staring at the entrance to Snape's personal quarters. He thought about leaving, he didn't really want to have to admit his failure to the man, but there was no point in putting off the inevitable. He knocked.
A few minutes passed and Harry began to wonder if the man was just patrolling for the fun of it tonight. He wasn't on the schedule Draco had checked for him this morning before…
The door opened to reveal one somewhat grouchy Headmaster, and Harry was glad to face him instead of his own thoughts at the moment, "Do you realize what time it is, Potter?"
"Uh… no? But I finished researching and I need to talk to you about when I can take the poison."
With a sigh, the older man ran a hand over his face, "You found a way to ground yourself then?"
"Nope! So when can we do this?"
Snape stepped aside, allowing the Gryffindor into his rooms. Tea was ordered and served. Harry himself was about halfway through his overly sweet tea before Snape decided to break the silence.
"There were at least a dozen books in the library. None of them had any information in them?"
Harry shrugged, "There was some, but nothing that we can use and nothing that was guaranteed. And if I used anyone besides Draco I would have the same problem and then more on my hands so really that's out of the question."
"But there are other people who would be able to supply the support needed for the bond? There has to be someone or something you could use…"
"The only something anywhere was a horcrux, except for some hippie thing that said pictures capture your soul so holding onto one would keep your soul close to you. And there was no way I'm doing the killing thing." Snape gave a snort which Harry took mean both 'Of course not you dunderhead' and 'what else, ignorant fool?' simultaneously.
"And the best people I can use are family and Mates. Unfortunately you actually have to care for the person as well so obviously my 'family' are not going to be of any help. The only one that works for sure is a person who's chosen by blood and magic to support you and protect you. And as we all know, my Godfather is dead. Besides that I've already told you why I won't use Draco."
"Yes. We've discussed this often and to no avail." Suddenly the man sat up straighter pulling his cup closer to his chest almost to protect himself with the frail china, "Godfather?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at the man's strange reaction, "Yeah. Apparently a Godparent and Godchild have a very special relationship because they are chosen by the parents, considered blood, and blessed by magic. It's the choice to protect the child that seemed to make it such a strong connection- Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You're sure it said a Godparent?"
"Yes I read over it a hundred times. Over and over cross-referencing everything just to be sure. I was kind of hoping it would give me a way to connect to Sirius even if I can't bring him back completely. Guess what? No worries on that front. Turns out that dead is dead after all."
Suddenly the man seemed to snap out of whatever funk he was in, "What? Oh, no, Harry. That's not even close to what I was thinking. It's just that, well you're mother sent me a letter a few weeks after she found out she was pregnant…"
"Is this where you tell me you're my second Godfather and that you suddenly miraculously have the key to everything?"
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not your Godfather nor have I ever been. Lily's letter merely stated that she would have liked me to have been her child's Godfather. In fact, even James had to admit that I would be able to protect you. But I… I said no."
Harry felt the sting of rejection filling his gut for the second time that day. He stood, planning to storm out. But a something in him began to speak and Harry found the voice of reason that had been helping him to control the Veela and his anger.
"Why?"
Black eyes looked shocked that the teen wasn't flying off the handle which was… probably a valid reaction all things considered.
"Your mother and I hadn't talked since we left Hogwarts and only sparingly in the year between that and our... fight. Between that and the fact that I was serving the Dark Lord, there were many reasons I should turn down the position and the only reason I could find to agree was being close to Lily again. Hardly a reason to accept a major responsibility and the honor of being someone's Godfather. Besides that, I had already accepted the offer from the Malfoy family. It didn't seem wise to turn my back on him for the chance of being near my childhood friend."
"Wait." Severus' eyes looked up at him obviously prepared for some kind of reprimand, "You're Draco's Godfather! This… Well it's not perfect but it's damn close!"
"What are you nattering on about now?"
"I'm Draco's Mate so obviously making the bond with him would be simple and easy. But I didn't want him to… That's neither here nor there. He could bond to you and then I know he would be fine and he would be grounded to you as I was to him."
"Which means he would be safe with a third party…"
"Exactly!"
Severus Snape smirked and Harry shuddered slightly out of habit, "I think we should find Draco and fill him in, don't you…"
And Harry's face fell slightly, "I don't know if he wants to be found. He stormed out on me earlier in the library."
"Potter, although this pains me to admit it, you and my godson are both fine young men. But you are just that young. He's not perfect. He's going to say things he'll regret but in the end you're both going to have to grow up, just be glad you'll be there to see it."
Green eyes closed for a long moment before he nodded slightly, determined once again, "Right. Draco's probably in bed by now, so I'll go get him and then we can get started if that's okay with-"
The door slammed open with a crash. Harry and Severus sprang to their feet hearts in their throats. If that was Morituri or one of the other death eaters, Severus may be marked as a traitor once again. If it was one of Order members hear to 'save' Harry, there was going to be a lot of explaining to do. The worst case scenarios ran through Harry's head as he braced himself for a duel.
A voice rang out through the room and both of the men stiffened wands still leveled at the entry way.
Alright, I wanted to keep going but I think this is a brilliant cliffhanger if I do say so myself, although also could be kind of obvious for anyone who's read any of my stuff before.
Anyway thanks for being patient, next chapter is written in my head and I'm thinking there's only going to be two more and maybe an epilogue depending on how long the chapters run.
Any questions that need to be answered are more than welcome and any guesses on who just stormed Severus Snape's rooms are to be greatly enjoyed. Also any suggestions, please share! Love and more love to everyone who is still reading even after these uncharacteristically long hiatus' and everything. I hope this isn't getting too boring...