25. The Power Of One

Everyone had examined the seedling Percy had passed Harry with a certain amount of trepidation, even Order members who were continually coming and going looked it over, but no one could identify it so it was placed out in the shed, a good distance from where it could do any harm.

Ginny took to watering it everyday and positioning it into the scarce sunlight as it moved about throughout the day in the dim surroundings, hoping that it would grow enough for them to understand what it was. Harry accompanied her more often than not, as much to get some time alone together as to make sure it was no threat to her.

Hermione arrived at the Burrow a week before they were to return to Hogwarts, and Ginny immediately led her out to take a look at the seedling which had sprouted an extra tiny leaf or two whilst she had been nurturing it. But Hermione was at a loss to explain its foliage as much as anyone else, pointing out that it would need to be somewhat bigger before they could positively identify it.

When Harry and Ron finally and reluctantly took her up to Harry's room and filled her in about the disappearance of Neville's body, she had turned a sickly pale colour and didn't speak for some time. Ron moved to sit beside her on Harry's bed, putting an arm around her in an effort to comfort her but she seemed closed to him, as if lost in thought. Maybe the news was too much for her to swallow, although Harry learned from Ginny that she was still receiving owls from Zach everyday, even though he was no longer under the effects of the potion. He suspected her mood had something to with that as well the news about Neville.

One thing that did seem to cheer Hermione was seeing Harry and Ginny together again. She learned quickly however, to knock before she entered either Ginny's or Harry's room after one particularly awkward moment where she walked in on them to find them locked together in a passionate embrace as they laid across Ginny's bed.

Being faced with two flushed, yet rather amused looks staring back at her, Hermione turned scarlet and retreated rapidly, closing the door with an apologetic grin.

Whether it was the fact that Harry and Ginny seemed to be spending a lot of their spare time together, leaving Ron and Hermione to themselves, or if Ron was feeling somewhat threatened over Hermione's situation with Zach, they too seemed to be spending a lot of time together.

For months Harry had seen their subtle, and not so subtle beginnings of a relationship forming, and now it seemed that left to themselves, they hardly ever argued anymore. Harry caught them on occasion wistfully watching one another when they thought the other wasn't looking, Harry bringing his hand to his mouth in an attempt to hide his inability to resist smirking. He and Ginny were also often exchanging amused looks as Ron became more attentive to Hermione, uncharacteristically thinking to hand her serving dishes of food at meal times and frequently offering to pour her tea or juice.

The obvious change in Ron's manners did not go unnoticed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley either. At first, Mrs. Weasley had fretted over Ron's considerate attitude and had even gone so far as to place her hand to his forehead, possibly to see if he was fevered and delirious, but it didn't take her long to figure out what was going on and as the days passed, she took to flashing secretive smiles to her husband at Ron's not so successful attempts at the oh-so casual gestures.

Harry could tell Hermione was trying to contain her pleasure at the way things were developing, and for once he felt completely happy for them, no longer burdened with how it would effect their friendship. He himself was feeling happier than he could remember in a long time, now that things were out in the open for him and Ginny, and she was Ron's little sister! If Ron and Hermione did finally want to recognize their feelings for each other, who was he to stand in their way?

Perhaps remembering what it was like to be young and in love, Ron's parents often retired to bed much earlier than usual, leaving the four of them sitting by the fire at night as Peter trailed off after them, worn out from his Defence sessions he was having daily with Harry. Once or twice Harry had actually injured him slightly, even though he was only using simple jinxes and hexes against him. Harry had consciously tried to restrain his skills after the first time he bruised the boy, but it was almost as if his powers were increasing unwittingly.

But sitting by the fire after dinner was Harry's favourite time of day. He would lounge on the couch and freely encase Ginny in his arms as she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder while Ron and Hermione would take the two-seater divan. Every night was the same. They would sit, one at either end of the sofa, and then casually start shifting their bodies until they touched, eventually resting against one another.

The four of them talked about everything and nothing, immersing themselves in the tranquillity of their company, letting go of everything that plagued them during the day for those few hours at night, knowing, yet not wanting to acknowledge it would come to an end all too soon.

Harry's health had improved in leaps and bounds during his stay at The Burrow.

Mrs. Weasley's home cooking and the peace he rediscovered in Ginny once again had helped to ease his mind, and he continued to take the tonic Julie had given him each night before he slipped into bed. Socks often joined him later in the night, yet was always gone by morning. On occasion he would see her lurking out in the yard during the day when he was training with Peter, or Ron and Hermione, disappearing through the hedges, most probably on the hunt for mice or other cat treats.

Harry spent much of his time outside practicing new spells; some that Aberforth had taught him, and other's that Hermione had dug up.

At first he tried to teach Ron and Hermione a spell called the "Circumcaesura Abrogare", which was similar to the shield charm, except the duration of the spell lasted longer and protected the caster not only against curses and hexes, but also against other substances that might be in the atmosphere. It was extremely advanced magic, and very powerful when cast, taking a lot of concentration, and could prove very useful, though it had one major drawback; once it was in action, the caster would not be able to cast spells out through the protective bubble either; unfortunately working as a shield both ways.

Ron and Hermione found it impossible to cast it on their first session after trying for almost an hour, so they moved onto something else which Hermione had plucked from her Inconceivable Magic: Spells Beyond The Ridiculous book she had picked up at Flourish and Blot's at the beginning of the year. Needless to say, it was also extremely difficult magic. The spell was called the "Accendere Abaqua" charm and it created fire on water.

Hermione melted a pool of snow for them to practice on, managing spectacularly to master it on just her third try; though she had always been particularly adept at creating fire with magic. Harry had eight goes at casting it before he produced a whiff of smoke that fizzled pathetically on the water and faded into nothing, but not one to give up, on his eleventh attempt a purple flame erupted on the reflective pool, looking almost as impressive as Hermione's had. Ron, on the other hand, even after over a dozen goes at it, couldn't seem to make anything happen at all. In fact, the melted pool of snow was starting to freeze over again by the time he eventually gave up in disgust.

So they moved onto some of the advanced hexes and curses in Hermione's book, deciding to practice on gnomes because they were not game to try them out on each other. Most of them had extremely unpleasant effects that would prove difficult, if not impossible to reverse without the skills of a talented wizard or healer. They worked out a plan. While two of them would flush out a gnome, the other would cast the spell.

Right about now they should have been feeling rather sorry for the poor little gnomes being used in such a way, but fortunately for the gnomes, and not the trio, they didn't have a lot to worry about in the end. They cast spell after spell on the unsuspecting, potatos with legs, with very little to show for it.

One unlucky gnome limped off carrying its newly detached leg after one of Ron's efforts, and another had to drag it's head along the ground awkwardly as it made its escape since it weighed rather a lot having swelled to five times its normal size. Hermione watched it retreat, lowering her wand guiltily as Harry stepped up for the next go.

Ron snatched up an unsuspecting, and stupidly nosy gnome by its leg as it came out of its hole to see what all the fuss was about and waited for the nod from Harry before dropping it to the ground. As it got to its feet angrily, brushing itself off and turning to stalk back to the bushes, Harry fired at it. Instantly the gnome was squelched flat.

Harry stepped back stunned as Hermione let out a whimper and Ron screwed his face up, 'Yeccch!'

'That-that wasn't suppose to happen!' Harry said, still eyeing the squishy mess. 'It was supposed to just pin it to the ground! Not flatten it.'
'The poor thing,' Hermione said with a mixture of repulsion and pity.
'But, I didn't mean it,' Harry said guiltily. 'It was supposed to drop to the ground and be pinned there, like under a heavy weight.'
'Well, it looks like an invisible anvil dropped on it.' Ron said with a raised eyebrow.

'But it's not supposed to kill it!' Harry said persistently as he walked up to it.
'Maybe it's because the gnome is so small?' Hermione said, still staring at it bleakly.
'No!' Harry said in frustration. 'The spell isn't meant to be that powerful! … I didn't want to kill it…' he trailed off.
'Well … I think that's enough for today.' Hermione said tentatively to Harry. 'We'll try it again tomorrow.'

'Yeah, I'm hungry anyway.' Ron said briskly.

Hermione and Harry looked at him in disbelief.
'How could you be hungry after that?' Hermione motioned to the sickly gooey blob where the gnome had once stood.
'Well I'm not going to eat that am I?' he said as if it were self-explanatory.

The next afternoon Harry decided to do some training with Peter instead of working on new spells. He enjoyed his time with Pete and hoped it would take his mind off the unfortunate gnome incident from the day before.

The boy was a keen student and practiced very hard to perfect the spells Harry tried to teach him. He led Peter to the backyard and decided to work on his shield charm, starting with something he knew the boy could throw off, thinking he could gradually increase the strength of his jinxes as they went. Peter readied himself and Harry fired off a mild hex, expecting it to bounce right off him, but the spell broke through. The boy's wand hand jerked suddenly and Peter let out a sudden yelp of pain as he dropped to his knees, clutching at his arm.

Harry rushed to him and pulled back the heavy sleave of his jacket and was mortified to see that the boy's wand hand, right up to the elbow was blistered and raw. He quickly led Peter back towards the house as Mrs. Weasley came rushing out looking alarmed.

As Mrs. Weasley flustered about, wrapping an arm over Peter's shoulder protectively, Harry explained numbly that he had only cast a stinging hex while Peter's shield was up. Once inside, Mrs. Weasley busied herself, digging out one of her healing books and whipping up an ointment, coating Peter's wounds with it and then bandaging the area before shuffling the boy into the kitchen instructing him to help himself to some freshly made hot chocolate.

When Peter was out of earshot, she turned back to Harry.
'You threw a stinging hex at him?' she asked cautiously.

Harry knew Mrs. Weasley had been very taken with Peter over the time he had been there, and Peter too, seemed to reciprocate the feelings; spending much of his time helping her in the kitchen and generally hanging around her as she fussed over him.
'Yes,' Harry said quietly.
'And he was ready for it? His shield was up?'
'Of course it was!' Harry said defensively. 'I wouldn't have cast it otherwise.'

Mrs. Weasley eyed him for a moment and the side of her mouth curled slightly. 'Well dear, it wasn't your fault then, was it?' She said finally. 'Maybe his shield charm isn't very strong.'

Harry shook his head as he dropped his eyes to the floor. 'No … no, that's not it.' He met her gaze uneasily. 'I've been working on Protego with him since the Defence classes at Hogwarts and he withstood the same hex then.'

His eyes searched the floor at his feet again. 'It's not him' he paused as the squashed gnome came back into his mind 'its me.'

Harry turned and left as Ron's mum bit her lip, not knowing what to say. As he walked through the door and down the stone steps to the front yard, Hermione called to him, coming from the side of the house pulling her heavy quilted jacket about her against the frosty chill, Ginny in tow.

'I placed a quick-growing charm on the seedling in the shed.' She said as she approached. 'I imagine we will have a fair idea as to what the plant is not long after we get back to Hogwarts.'

'Good' Harry said distractedly 'good.'

'What?' Ginny said flatly as she brought herself alongside Hermione, immediately picking up on his mood. Harry looked at the both of them hesitantly.

'I was thinking I might go back to Sirius's.' Ginny eyed him suspiciously as Hermione frowned. 'We've only got a few days until we head back to school and there's a few things I need to … take care of.'

'What things?' Ginny said bluntly. Harry looked around the yard as he scuffed his foot in the powdery snow.
'I've been ignoring a lot of stuff over the holidays because … because I wanted a rest from it all. I wanted to just … let it all go for a while and be with my friends.' The people I care about, was what he had wanted to say. He steadied himself as he finally addressed them face-to-face. 'But I need time alone for a while.'

When Harry entered number twelve Grimmauld Place, he floated his trunk up the stairs and set Hedwig's cage on the dresser, opening the latch so she could stretch her wings. He sat on the edge of the bed, slumping his shoulders and closing his eyes, rubbing at them under his glasses.

What was happening to him?

He already knew from his battle in Hogsmeade that his stunning curse was gaining in strength, having seen the trouble fully grown and powerful wizards had had keeping their feet when deflecting it. When ithad contacted its intended target, they had been flung through the air with surprising force. He had killed a grumpy little gnome that didn't deserve to be squashed flat, and now he had hurt Peter, a kid who he liked immensely, with no explanation as to how it had happened. Was he becoming dangerous in his ruthless attempts at increasing his skills?

What if he had cast something worse at Peter? The thought sickened him. How am I going to continue training with Ron and Hermione? He thought. What if I hurt them as well? He knew Mrs. Weasley had told them what had happened with Peter because when he had emerged with his gear ready to leave, Ginny had pulled him aside with concern in her eyes.

'Talk to Sir about what's happening.' She had said. 'He knows your powers better than anyone. I'm sure he'll be able to explain it. You didn't mean it, Harry. Pete knows that.' Then she had leaned in and touched his lips gently with hers. 'We'll see you in few days.' Harry had nodded gravely and glanced over at Ron and Hermione, both of who had grim expressions on their faces as they made stunted comments that they would see him back at school, before Harry had finally turned to Pete.

'I'm sorry about your arm.'
'I wish I was that powerful.' Peter had said with a wry smile, and then his expression changed. 'You're still going to teach aren't you? At school I mean.'
'Sure, but I think we'll lay off the one-on-one sessions for a bit.' Harry had laid his hand on the boys shoulder. 'I'll see you back at Hogwarts.' He had then thanked Mrs. Weasley for having him (which she waved off dismissively) and left.

But now that Harry was sitting alone in the harsh dankness of the Black house, he began to wonder whether he really should be taking the Defence classes anymore. To teach them, he had to demonstrate spells for the students to see what they were aiming for. What if something went wrong in class? He had been thinking about starting on the disarming spell when he got back. What if he cast Expelliarmus and ended up sending Ron or Hermione, or one of the young students flying backwards with such force they were knocked out, or worse?

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock. Lupin's head appeared around the door enquiringly as Harry stayed where he sat.

'The guard that came back with you will stay here, the rest will continue to watch The Burrow.' He said as he strolled into the room. 'Why did you come back here before Hogwarts re-opens?' he said, taking in Harry's demeanour. 'There's only a few days left, I would have thought you would have preferred to be with the Weasley's, especially with a certain pretty young redhead there.' He smirked knowingly.

Ginny. Harry thought. Maybe because of his recent contented days with her, it had been hardest to leave her most of all. 'I'm having some … problems with my magic.' Harry said at last.
'Problems?' Lupin raised his eyebrows. 'From what Aberforth tells me you've been doing astonishingly well, I think you're being a little hard on yourself. You have to remember you're only seventeen…'

'That's not what I mean.' Harry said, staring in front of him. 'I've learned a lot, and my powers are increasing, but that is the problem.' He looked at Lupin's frown. 'Things are happening that aren't supposed to.' He told Lupin about the gnome and Peter's injuries. 'I don't seem to be able to control it anymore. It's like I've been so obsessed with increasing my skills that they're getting beyond me.'

'Well, I can't say that I've ever heard of this sort of thing happening before.' Lupin said as he sat on the bed beside Harry. 'Normally you can increase your skill through knowledge by learning more powerful spells, but I never thought it was possible to increase the power of mastered incantations. They are what they are. Either you can cast them, or you can't, with the exception of a few of the more advanced castings like Patronuses.' He gave Harry a curious look 'Are you sure Peter was capable of repelling a stinging hex?'

'Yes.' Harry said gravely as he cast his eyes to the floor. 'I wanted to train to help people, instead' Harry paused, reluctant to say it 'it feels like I'm becoming a danger to them.'

Neither of them spoke for a moment as Harry continued to eye the worn out rug on the floor.

'Well, if you're right, and you are developing your powers beyond the normal working level,' Lupin finally said 'then you need to find out what's causing it, and discover a way of controlling it.' Lupin stood up and peered down at Harry. 'I'm heading off tonight and will not be back before you return to Hogwarts.' Harry nodded. 'I suggest you speak with Aberforth when you meet with him next.'

'That's what Ginny said.'
'Smart girl, that one.' Lupin smiled as Harry met his gaze. 'Always thought so. Her OWL's were one of the highest levels Hogwarts has ever seen.'
'Were they?' Harry said in surprise. He had never even thought to enquire after her grades with so much going on.

'Absolutely, and considering the circumstances with which the fifth years had to sit them after last years … events, her achievement was nothing short of astounding, far above the next closest to her, even though all the grades were scaled up in the end. Except Ginny's. A perfect score has never yet been attained across the board, and had McGonagall scaled Ginny's, she would have been the first. Professor McGonagall was all set to award her with Hogwarts highest achievement award.'

'She never said…' Harry said blankly.
'She asked the Head Mistress not to scale her results when she was called into her office earlier in the year and informed of the schools intentions. McGonagall wasn't keen on it, feeling she deserved the recognition, but Ginny was very determined.' Lupin smiled facetiously. 'I'm certain given your relationship with her you have been on the receiving end of her stubbornness. Eventually McGonagall relented. Anyway, I'm off.' Lupin said briskly. 'Try and stay out of trouble, and don't worry too much, I'm sure there will be a rational explanation for your recent magical prowess.' Lupin smiled reassuringly at Harry before leaving, closing the door behind him. Harry continued to stare into space.

So Ginny is way more talented than she's letting on, he thought. But why, why wouldn't she want the rest of them to know? Surely Mr. and Mrs. Weasley must know her results. Harry did not move for the longest time as he sat there thinking about it. The room darkened as the sun retreated, finally bringing Harry out of his revere. He lit the candelabra in the room and picked up the thick candle from his bedside, igniting it before heading down to the kitchen to rustle up something for dinner.

Over the next couple of days, The Order members who kept guard did not intrude on Harry, only popping in a couple of times a day to check on him. Harry had grown so used to this routine that he no longer resented it, knowing they were doing their job and even feeling grateful that he still had their support.

Hermione contacted him more than once through their message log, but Harry didn't had a lot to say, merely asking after them all, and finding himself relieved to hear that Peter's arm was now free of bandages and seemed to be healing well under Mrs. Weasley's motherly care.

The night before he was to return to Hogwarts, Harry decide to repack his trunk so it would be easier to navigate when back at school, and as he did so, he came across several items he had forgotten he had even had.

The sneakascope that Ron had given him years back was still wrapped in the same horrid pair of his uncles old socks. The presence of Scabbers no longer a problem, it whizzed no more, lying silently where it sat. So it had worked after all, Harry thought wryly as he tucked it back into the bottom of his trunk alongside the items he had procured from Fred and George's Joke shop at the beginning of last year. Once he had monotonously and rather haphazardly folded his clothing back into place, and stowed his Firebolt on top, he lifted his parent's dented black chest to stow it safely away. Without knowing why, instead of putting it back in his trunk, he sat it on the bed and settled beside it, pointing his wand at it and opening the lock.

He hadn't explored the contents since opening it for the first time many months ago, and was just lifting the yellowed parchment note from his dad to read it again when he noticed the inside panel of the arched lid had come loose. It must have happened that awful day when Ginny had discovered him with Julie and he dropped the chest. He pushed the panel back with his fingers in an effort to replace it, but it sprung back, dangling open wider than before as something silvery slid into view above the panel.

Harry slid his fingers in and eased the object out, and in uncertain disbelief, he brought it closer to his face.

It was mirror. Not just any mirror. As he turned it over in his hand, he realized it was an exact copy of the small oval mirror Sirius had once given him. His heartbeat quickened as his mind raced. He placed the mirror carefully on the bed and grabbed his father's letter, opening with shaky hands.

As he read through it slowly, he studied every word carefully.

…rest Lily,

…e home as soon as…
…merick to deliver this t…
…received news of his pla…
…will be all hands on d…
…w is my little guy do…
…bout you both, day and…
…in with Sooty to make su…
…member to use the m…

He stopped.

Parts of his father's words were missing, parts that when he had first read them had meant little to him. But now, glancing down at the silvery object that lay beside him, he began to piece it together. He looked back at the letter and read on…

… will come as soon as…
…ss you my darling Lily…
…unior a hug from his da…
…y love, James

He went back to the few lines that had his heartbeat racing and read it again.

…member to use the m…
… will come as soon as…

"member to use the m…?" Had it once said, "Remember to use the mirror"? The word that was missing from the beginning of the next sentence … could it be … was it even possible his father was referring to Sirius? Harry swallowed hard as he picked up the mirror and held it up alongside the parchment. He looked back and forth, from the mirror to the letter.

…member to use the m…
… will come as soon as…

Over and over he looked at the wording, and the more he read it, the more he believed in his train of thought. Then the reality hit him. His stomach dropped painfully.

Even if this did mean that his mother had had a mirror just like the one Sirius had given him, Sirius was gone – dead. The mirror would be useless. He slowly, reluctantly replaced the parchment in the chest, carefully adding the mirror on top, and then closed the lid, securing the latch.

After he had finished packing, he extinguished the candelabra, leaving only the one dull candle light on his bedside table to illuminate the room, and lay back on the top of his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the flaky paintwork on the ceiling. Hedwig scratched about on top of the wardrobe, before fluttering soundlessly down to the windowsill by the bed. Harry lifted himself up and reached across to open the window for her. She trilled gently and swooped out into the cold night air, obviously looking forward to her nights hunt. Harry reclined again, leaving the window open so she could come back at her leisure.

Harry tried to empty his mind, but the thoughts that plagued him would not abate.

Ever since he had arrived he had been curious as to why Ginny had been so secretive about her abilities, and his worry over his own unexplainable increase in magical powers, along with the fact that he had not been able to let go of the hauntingly eerie fact that Neville's body had been stolen had already cost him dearly in the sleep department. And now … now he had the added discomfort of his discovery of the mirror.

The icy air that dropped through the open window stretched its tentacles out, creeping through the room. Harry yanked off his shoes and pulled the blankets back, burying himself under the covers still fully clothed. All of these questions, he thought. So many things that concerned him when he knew he was supposed to be focused on only one thing: discovering what the next Horcrux was and destroying it.

He turned over impatiently, willing the seductive plume of sleep to encase him; determined to lye there until he fell asleep. Harry closed his eyes and tried to push everything from his mind.

How long he hovered in the state of almost sleep, he didn't know, but something jolted him suddenly to full consciousness. He felt it before he could even open his eyes. Clumsily he threw himself off the bed, the blankets twisting around him as he went. He hit the floor in the small gap between his bed and the window with a thud, grabbing urgently for his wand, which still resided in the pocket of his jeans. Fighting the restricting sheets, an arrogant, lingering voice uttered as he wrestled desperately.

'Well, that is possibly one of the most amusing things I've seen since our last meeting.'

Harry wriggled in the narrow prison as he struggled to pull his wand out and get free of the blankets, Snape's drawl mocking his efforts.

'Did you do that on purpose, or is it a frequent event?'

Harry finally managed to yank his wand free and kick the bedding off his feet. His heart was racing as he scrambled to his feet, straightening his glasses, which were badly askew from not only falling asleep with them on, but also from his face abruptly meeting with the floor.

Snape was standing just inside the doorway, adorned in fathomlessly black Death Eater robes, glaring at Harry. There was no trace of the half-hearted attempts of mockery that Harry expected to see in his expression, in fact, he looked pale and pasty and incredibly grim - even more so than usual.

"You left us to die!" Harry blurted.

It was out of his mouth before he could even think about what he wanted to say. He had been stewing for months over the after-effects of the spell he, Ron and Hermione had conjured on Halloween to counter the Quintapeds, and now, faced with Snape's sudden presence, his anger swarmed inside him dangerously and radiating out through every single pore on his body.

Snape did not flinch. He understood exactly what Harry was referring to. He remained rigid as he spoke.

"There was no other way to stop the onslaught."

"You could have warned us!" Harry jerked his wand as he spoke. "Instead, you left us completely vulnerable!" His chest was heaving as his knuckles whitened over his wand. "But I guess that's exactly what you wanted, wasn't it?"

Not taking his eyes off Snape, who had his wand aimed uncharacteristically casually in his direction, Harry edged out from behind the bed, scuffing the blankets under foot in an effort not to trip over them.

"And what meandering path of wisdom brought you to that logicalconclusion?" Snape drawled as he followed Harry's movements with his wand.

"You set us up." Harry's skin was tingling and burning with violent fury. He rounded the bed and stopped in front of it. "You neglected to tell me that we'd be useless to defend ourselves in the aftermath. You used us to do your dirty for you, knowing you were landing Bellatrix in hot water for her failure, and then hoping we'd be wiped out by her wrath-"

"As always, your powers for deduction are nothing short of – astonishing." Snape's sarcasm glowered as he raised an eyebrow. "Explain to me why I would want to destroy both Bellatrix LeStrangeand the great Harry Potter? Surely even you had trouble piecing that together and making it stick?"

"You've always hated me." Harry said with no trace of bitterness. His voice was dark and controlled. "It's not that hard to imagine you wanting me dead – especially after you killed Dumbledore." Snape winced slightly. "And you at least pretended to tolerate him."

A change had come over Snape at the mention of Dumbledore. His shoulders, usually stiff and ready, slumped forward marginally, and his skin seemed to drain of the shadow of natural colour it barely contained, leaving him pallid and ghostly looking. Harry might have thought he looked almost remorseful – if he didn't know better.

"Dumbledore knew what could happen – what would happen." Snape said, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"What?" Harry's anger was rapidly morphing into pure fury. "You evil…" The name Harry tagged Snape with at this point was so shockingly corse that Snape's eyes immediately snapped back to him. "He trusted you! He believed in you when no one else would have given you the time of day! And how did you repay him? You killed him in cold blood when he was sick enough to probably be dying already!"

Snape's jaw set as he spoke scathingly. "It would pay you not to be so presumptuous. My-"

"I know more than you think!" Harry unconsciously advanced, stopping after his first step as he realized his closeness to his hated ex-professor, and making Snape renew his grip on his wand. "You managed to slime your way into Dumbledore's confidence by turning on Voldemort. But I was there! I was there that night on the tower. I saw you kill Dumbledore - minutes after he asked me to find you so you could help him!" Harry held back the maddening, bitter tears that stung his eyes, infuriated at the thoughts of breaking down in front of Snape.

"You even had a hand in Sirius's death because you let your pathetic pride interfere with our Occlumency sessions, letting me see exactly what Voldemort wanted me to see. And somehow, you conveniently didn't act fast enough the night he died, either. Strange how it took so long for the Order to arrive."

"I did what I could." Snape injected calmly. "If you had done as you were-"

"You started all of this!" Harry cut him off, advancing again as his hatred pulsed uncontrollably, his voice growing higher as he spoke. "You went running to your master after hearing part of the 're the one who's responsible for Voldemort's unrelenting vendetta against me! You're the one who is responsible for my parents deaths!"

Harry seethed dangerously as he stopped only feet away from Snape. They were standing face to face, wands aligned and running parallel, yet pointed in opposite directions. Snape looked like he was going to be sick there and then. Harry glared at him, overwhelmed by the need to do something to Snape. Guilt. So close now, Harry could see it in Snape's face. But it was indefinable guilt. It was impossible to think that Snape felt the deep and painful regret of his wrongdoing that seemed to be etched across his features.

"Dumbledore told you." Snape's words weren't so much a question, more a grim statement, uttered in a strangled voice.

"No – he didn't. Though he should have. He would never have betrayed you like that." The sourness of Harry's words registered on Snape's face. "He insisted that you were to be trusted. He said he had an 'iron-clad' reason for believing in you – and you killed him."

Snape's eyes were shadowed as he spoke.

"I never liked your father,"

Harry gaped at Snape. His mind raced in an effort to come up with the most horrible of the new curses he had practiced over the Christmas break.

"But your mother ... loved him." Snape screwed up his face in distaste; the word 'loved' rolling off his tongue like a brick. "And I would never have wished her any harm."

Harry was pulled out of his mental checklist. "What?"

"Your mother, Lily" Snape turned his gaze from Harry "was my potions partner in my NEWT years at Hogwarts." Snape lowered his wand a fraction as his gaze settled on Harry's bewildered one. "She was – a good person. Too good for likes of James Potter. But she saw something in him he must have kept exceedingly well hidden from most. I was forced to believe that he must have had some redeeming qualities because I knew her. She was no fool."

Harry stared dumbfounded. This was too much to take in! He knew his mother was gifted at potions from what Slughorn had said, but he never thought of her having a connection to Severus Snape; especially given he had seen the memory in the pensieve. She had made an effort to intervene when his father had had Snape humiliatingly dangling upside-down with his underwear on display to the whole school, but his scathing refusal of her help, and her subsequent reluctant giggle when his father had jumped to her defence had made him believe there was no love lost between his mother and Snape. It had never occurred to him that they would have been thrown together and actually developed some kind of – friendship?

"You … my mother?"

Snape was eyeing Harry under half-closed lids. His expression unreadable.

"She was an extraordinary woman." Snape said, a flicker of – was it – fondness? Crossing his face. "We would have remained friends if it wasn't for her – devotion – to James."

Harry stalled for a moment, trying desperately to absorb this unwanted information. If this was true, if Snape was really 'friends' with his mother, then that complicated everything Harry thought to be true. They had worked together as partners – mixing, measuring, stiring, talking, and maybe even laughing? A repugnant and irrational – decidedly irrational - fear came out of the blue and was slowly uncoiling in the pit of Harry's stomach.

"You…" Harry was beginning to feel sick at the thought that was pressing in on him. "You … and my mother…" He said slowly.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

Harry felt like he almost couldn't breathe. "You weren't…" His train of thought that ran along the lines of somewhere Harry thought he would never have to go must have shown, because Snape cut in abruptly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter! Your mother and I were only ever potions partners."

Harry was suddenly awash with relief. Snape appeared irritated, disgusted, and … faintly amused.

"But in those two years I grew to respect her, though it pains me to admit to you. Believe me."

Snape's tone ruffled Harry's ire again as he swallowed the bile that had been creeping up at the thoughts of his mother and Snape being … lovers. "How could you have told Voldemort-"

"I didn't know!" Snape snapped. "Since you know so much, you should be aware I only heard part of the Prophecy. I had no idea your mother was pregnant at the time. We hadn't spoken since we graduated." Did Snape actually look regretful? "We both walked very separate paths after that…" He sounded extremely weary as he trailed off.

"So you're washing your hands clean then?" Harry said grievously. "Blood doesn't come off that easily, Snape!" Snape sucked in a deep breath. "You would have known he was going after my family, wouldn't you? And you let them die anyway."

"I did try to stop it from happening. When I found out-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Harry roared. Snape stood his ground and kept his wand low. "Nothing you can say will change everything that's happened!"

"Of course it won't!" Snape said icily. "But its inevitable we play out this charming little scenario before its too late!"

"Too late for what?" Harry shouted.

"For you to realize who your allies are!" Snape said steadily.

Harry stared a Snape for a moment.

"Oh," Harry said slowly. "I get it. You're going to try to do to me what you did to Dumbledore. You're going to try and tell me you're really on my side, aren't you?" He sneered at the thought.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "Need I waste my breath?"

Harry scoffed. "How stupid do you really think I am? – On second thoughts - don't answer that! I already know. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Snape's shoulders dropped as he breathed out heavily. "I'm not doing this under the delusion that we can ever trust in one another. That would be fool-hardy to say the least, given our history." Snape eyed Harry's wand. "I would appreciate it if you would lower that somewhat, however. It might go off accidentally – given your disposition."

"Its not accidentally you should be worried about." Harry said. Nothing Snape could say would change the fact that he had been the one to tell Voldemort about the Prophecy. There was no absolution for his betrayal of Dumbledore. Yet Harry found himself relaxing his arm anyway. His mother had seen something Snape, something that Harry couldn't, maybe just like Snape with James.

"Thank you." Snape said.

"Don't thank me yet."

"You have too much confidence in your abilities, Potter."

"Are you going to tell me why you are here, or not?" Harry said, his anger and hatred holding under a very fine leash.

"Yes. But as I don't have time to give you all the answers you seek," Snape said as he relaxed his own grip on his wand further "you will have to go back to what you once knew." At Harry's frown, Snape continued. "You always had faith in Dumbledore. Dumbledore had faith in me. You will need to utilize that to get to the next Horcrux."

Harry froze. He stared at Snape dumbly.

"Surprised?" Snape asked.

"Not really." Harry rushed, recovering as quickly as he could. "Voldemort knows I'm after them. He probably told you as you're one of his 'most trusted servants' – in fact he probably sent you here-"

"Do not assume to second guess what Voldemort is thinking, or doing!" Snape cut in angrily. "He trusts no one! He sends out clueless individuals under the guise that they are redeeming themselves, knowing that they will do whatever it takes to keep their family safe." Harry frowned again. Snape rolled his eyes. "I am, of course, speaking of Mr. Malfoy."

"Lucius is not what I'd call 'clueless'. He's-"

"I'm not talking about Lucius, you twit! I'm talking about his son!"

"Draco?"

"Yes."

"So," Harry's mind raced. "He's looking for a Horcrux? At Hogwarts?"

"Yes, and no." Snape said grimly. "He's had no idea why he's been looking for the object assigned, he's only trying to prevent his father from being murdered – as his mother was."

A dull ache surged from the pit of Harry's stomach. Draco Malfoy was far from his favourite person in the world, but he couldn't help empathizing with him when it came to losing his mum and dad – however horrible they were.

He thought Draco Malfoy had looked somewhat thinner the last time he'd seen him. Even in the strange black light of the Lumo Sepia charm, his pale grey eyes had look haunted, and his cheeks hollow. It was obvious he was still struggling. Lucius too, had looked thin. Maybe from his stay in Azkaban. Even though it was no longer guarded by dementors, it still couldn't have been pleasant. Not that Lucius Malfoy deserved pleasant. He had gloated over Harry's incompetence and almost let something slip, but Draco had stepped in. It was automatic – the way he had reined in his father. Protective even.

"What do you mean, yes and no?" Harry asked, trying to focus on the Horcruxes.

"I mean, that what Draco Malfoy has been sent to find may – or may not – be a Horcrux." Snape was holding Harry's gaze meaningfully. "The true dilemma he faces is finding it. The Dark Lord is growing impatient. He is ready to … remove Draco and send in others."

Harry knew immediately what Snape meant by 'remove'. "Others?"

"Others who would not think twice about killing anyone that discovered them. Including children."

Harry swallowed.

"I think you will agree that that particular situation would be best avoided." Something flashed across Snape's expression, but it was gone before Harry could get a handle on it.

"Why did he send Draco in the first place?" Harry asked suspiciously. "Its not like he did a magnificent job the last time, is it?" Harry bit down on the venomous remark that sat on his tongue about Snape's involvement.

Snape seemed to pick up on his restraint. "You are aware Draco is not a killer. That does not mean he cannot be of use to the Dark Lord – for a time. But his time is rapidly running out. He needs your help."

Harry spluttered a disbelieving cough.

"You're joking!" He couldn't stop the incredulous smile from hitting his lips. "You're asking me to help Draco Malfoy find a Horcrux so he can return it to Voldemort?"

"No." Snape said coolly, chosing his words carefully. "I'm telling you that if you do not help Mr. Malfoy find what he is looking for, then both he, and his father, are dead." Snape tilted his head as he played his card. "Though who would have to watch whom die, I cannot say."

Harry was beginning to feel nauseas. He could honestly say that he couldn't care less if Voldemort decided to send Lucius off in a halo of green light. But Draco – he didn't deserve that. Nor did he deserve to have his father's death on his conscience.

"I can't." Harry said with difficulty. The first time he and Draco met in Hagrid's hut, Harry had seen that Draco had his mother's death weighing on him - bending him to the point of breaking. Harry suspected that his father's death would shatter him completely. "I can't do that. I can't hand over a Horcrux to Voldemort." Harry's voice cracked as he spoke.

Snape's expression didn't move, as if he had expected Harry's answer. Harry met his gaze, battling with himself over his feelings of guilt.

Snape's eyes grew hard.

A strange muzzy feeling encroached on Harry, something like an invisible hand reaching into his mind, easing in, and then pushing in – intent on seeking and probing.

Harry felt a shift in his thoughts; an image was struggling to appear. It was like a page in a scrapbook, sticky with sloppy glue, being plied open.

No!

He knew this feeling, but he had never been able to recognize it so quickly and prevent the barrage of mental slides – memories in pieces - surfacing at the urge of another. Harry pulled on an empty, dark space in his mind as he resisted Snapes intrusion, a black hole of nothingness, and swiftly settled there.

"Get out of my head!" Harry yelled. A second later, the push was gone.

Snape was standing before Harry, eyeing him curiously.

"Don't do that!" Harry said, angered by Snape's attempted invasion.

"You closed your mind." Snape said frowning. "Very efficiently too. Strange considering where you were a few months ago."

"A lot of things have changed." Harry said defiantly, remembering his surges in power. He tried to keep his tone level, unwilling for Snape to realize that Harry was as surprised by his ability to shut out Snape as Snape was.

Snape seemed to be thinking to himself, and then he nodded his head briefly.

"Unexpected. This is something I hadn't dare count on," he glanced back to Harry "knowing your previous endeavours." He added insultingly. He still couldn't resist a poke at Harry, even through this unlikely truce. Snape was weighing something up in his mind, and then he straightened and drew breath. "You will help Draco, and you willallow him to take the item to Voldemort because it is not a Horcrux."

"What? ... But you just said-"

"Don't argue with me - I'm running out of time and patience for this bantering!" Snape's voice returned to his usual tone in the classroom. "Draco will need your help in getting into the Headmaster's office. He will also require access to the pensieve."

"Er... " Harry stared blankly, utterly bereft of any power to reason out what Snape was saying.

Snape sighed exaggeratedly. "I see your verbal skills haven't improved." Then very slowly, as if talking to the temporarily deaf, he continued. "Get Draco into the Head Office. There you will find the information you both require to go further."

"Hang on" Harry said, remembering something. "Malfoy has already been in the Head Office. Over the summer break."

Snape narrowed his glare. "How do you know that?"

"Why didn't he get the information he needed then?" Harry asked, ignoring Snape.

Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he did not pursue the matter - perhaps because he was, indeed, running out of time.

"Because neither of you were ready before now. The information would have brought about not only his demise, but other's as well. Not to mention most likely yours."

Harry raised an eyebrow in cynical disbelief. "Concerned for my welfare?"

"When it is tied to Draco Malfoy's – yes."

"How did he get-"

"I will be missed." Snape cut in impatiently. "The password to access the cabinet is…" Snape paused and wrinkled his nose. "Lollygobble." He looked like something particularly nasty had wafted under his nose. "You will need to disband the silencing charm surrounding the cabinet before you use the password. Draco will know how."

"I know how to cancel a simple silencing charm!" Harry was stupidly irritated at Snape's continued inference that he was a useless wizard.

"Being child's play, I would hope so." Snape drawled. "But this is no ordinary silencing charm."

"Why does Draco even need my help?"

"For one – he does not have the password – not to the Heads office, or the cabinet. In fact, he isn't aware he needs one to gain access to the pensieve. Also, he will need you specifically to locate the item – if I am correct."

"How do I know he wont try to attack me when my back is turned?" Harry's old rivalry surfaced. He felt quietly confident at a duel with Malfoy, but if he let his guard down enough to do this, he doubted Draco would allow him the opportunity of fighting back, if he decided to turn on Harry.

Snape sighed. "Has he pursued you even once in the whole time he's been in and out of Hogwarts?"

Harry thought about it, and then frowned.

"Well … no."

"Am I right in saying then, that the two times you came in contact with him was when you were pursuing him?"

"I. Well. I…"

"Precisely." Snape sneered slightly. "You would do well to keep that in mind, Potter. Draco Malfoy is walking a thin line, and under much duress. He could still fall either way. But remember – he has posed no threat to anyone at Hogwarts this year. I must leave." He paused just as he was about to turn and considered Harry. "I hope we can forego any of the unnecessary parting rituals we have become accustomed to of late."

Harry stared at Snape, registering a great weariness lurking in him. He nodded once.

Snape looked mildly surprised, then turned to leave.

"I do have a question for you though. Well, a couple actually."

Snape sighed impatiently and turned to face him.

"Firstly – How am I going to help Malfoy if I don't even know where he is?"

"He will find you."

"Oh." This was somewhat unsettling. The thoughts that Draco could track him down so easily hadn't really occurred to him before. He had always been concerned with the safety of the other students at the school. Harry barged on before he could re-think himself.

"Why did you kill Dumbledore?"

Snape stiffened. His eyes shuttered and he appeared completely closed.

"The answer to that will present itself when you are not seeking it."

Harry hated these cryptic answers. Absolutely hated them - having had more than his fair share of them over the years. Snape was almost beginning to sound like Dumbledore.

"How can I believe anything you've said?" There was no malice in his question, just a great deal of his own weariness.

Snape answered bleakly.

"When the time is right, inform Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley that, under the circumstances, I do not consider they owe me a life debt."

And with that, Snape was gone.