March melted into April and April bled into May and before any of them felt entirely ready, Dumbledore called the six of them, along with all of the professors, to his office again. It was a warm, sunny Monday and before the summons, Harry had been thinking about going out to sit by the lake while he did his homework. He'd felt on edge for the last two months — they all had — and he was almost looking forward to the final confrontation, even if it just meant that he could get on with the rest of his life. His life with Draco.
He'd thought about little else since the party in the Shrieking Shack. It was hard not to, when Draco would catch his eye during class and Harry's heart would skip a beat. Or when Ron and Pansy would sit so close together it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began, and Harry would look at them and wish he could do that with Draco. Oh, how his heart yearned for it. Or when Hermione and Blaise finished their work on the elevator into the Chamber of Secrets, giving the students a place to hide during the upcoming battle. Which meant that all that they were waiting for now, was the battle itself.
It had seemed more urgent as of April, when the news came that there had been a mass breakout at Azkaban. The dementors, it seemed, had abandoned their posts and joined Voldemort's side. As the months progressed, the news in the papers had become more and more grim. There were disappearances and deaths reported almost daily. More than once, Harry's lessons had been interrupted by a somber Professor McGonagall, who had come to inform one student or other that a family member had either vanished or perished. It had been a bleak couple of months, and with every passing day, Harry became more and more impatient to do something about it.
As he stood on the moving staircase up to Dumbledore's office, Harry wondered if that time was drawing near. Part of him wanted it to be, part of him didn't. Because… what if they lost?
"I believe," Dumbledore said, once everyone had assembled. "That my time is growing near. I'm certainly becoming more uncomfortable as the days go on. It would almost be a mercy if someone were to just finish the job, so to speak." No one said anything at that. Because what does one say to that? It was not as if anyone were going to volunteer. Except —
"I could do it," Draco said in a small voice. "And complete my task."
"Don't be stupid," Snape hissed. "You'll do no such thing. I'll do it."
"Or we could just wait," Harry suggested. "And not become murderers."
"I swore an oath," Snape muttered.
"Sorry?" Hermione asked.
"I swore an Unbreakable Vow to Draco's mother, that if the time came and he couldn't, ah, finish the job that I would."
"Which I of course know about," Dumbledore said. "But I don't think it will be necessary."
"On the contrary, Albus," Snape said. "It's imperative for Mr. Malfoy's safety that the Dark Lord thinks that either he or I were the ones who ended your life."
"You could lie about it," Ron suggested. "What's Voldy going to do? Perform an autopsy?" Harry laughed, then quickly realized he was the only one laughing and so stopped.
"But Ron," Hermione said. "It's an Unbreakable Vow. If Professor Snape doesn't do it, he'll die."
"I believe," Dumbledore said. "Miss Granger, that if I die of natural causes, Draco will appear to have done his job, particularly if he then lets the Death Eaters into the school. This should let Professor Snape out of the vow." Hermione chewed her lip but nodded. Blaise shuffled closer to her and put an arm around her and she leaned gratefully into his side.
"So, is now the time to prepare the castle for battle then?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I believe so," Dumbledore said. "Yes."
"In which case," McGonagall said, more to herself than the others. "I shall need to owl the Weasley Twins."
"What do you need my brothers for?" Ron asked, turning his head to stare at the professor. She flushed pink.
"Well," she said, clearly flustered. "They're the best pranksters since James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They know the castle better than anyone. I thought I might enlist them to, ah, booby trap the castle so to speak."
"Do you mean like in Home Alone?"
"Erm, I'm afraid I don't understand your reference, Mr. Weasley."
"She does mean like in Home Alone," Ron repeated, nodding to himself. A small smile made its way onto his face and Harry could tell that he was already planning various traps in his head. Something that Professor McGonagall had said stood out to him, though. She'd said the Weasley Twins had known the school better than anyone, and that just wasn't true.
"I think I have something that will help," he blurted out before he could think better of the idea. Everyone turned to look at him. "I have a map of Hogwarts."
"Are you trying to insinuate that we do not know our way around this school, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, looking down his nose at Harry.
"Yes," Harry said. "I am." Snape's nostrils flared. "Or, at least, that my dad and his friends knew their way around better." He reached into his bag and pulled out the Marauder's Map. He stepped forward and indicated towards Dumbledore's desk. "May I?"
"Be my guest," Dumbledore said, waving his healthy hand over the desk and vanishing the papers there. Harry put down the map and then took out his wand. He was very aware of Snape's stare boring into his back.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said as quietly as he could, but in the silence of Dumbledore's office, the sound carried. At once, ink began to spread around the blank parchment and slowly the map revealed itself. They all crowded around the desk.
"Oh, I bloody well knew it," Snape muttered. "Bloody James Potter." It was all Harry could do not to laugh.
…
The next few days were the strangest Harry had ever experienced at Hogwarts, and that included the time the Weasley twins had set off a portable swamp and left school to a display of fireworks.
It all started on Tuesday at breakfast.
Dumbledore stood and attracted the hall's attention with a large boom that emanated from his wand. Without thinking, Harry reached out and took Draco's hand under the table. The fact that Dumbledore was about to announce their plan to the school made it all feel real and he wasn't sure he was ready for it.
"As you may be aware," Dumbledore said to the now silent hall. "We are in the midst of a war." Whispering broke out amongst the students. "And I am aware, that some of your parents might be on the side of Lord Voldemort." Someone shrieked at the sound of his name. "To those students: I encourage you to think about where your own allegiances lie. Do Voldemort's beliefs match up with your own? Do you want to be ruled by a man who is quick to anger and slow to forgive? Or would you prefer it if his regime came to an end?" He paused and stared around at the students. They all stared back in rapt attention.
"I encourage you to take a day to think about it," Dumbledore continued. "In fact, I encourage all of you to do this. Perhaps you already have.
"We're drawing close to the time when battle lines will be drawn. Indeed, outside of Hogwarts, they already have been. So, think about where your heart lies. All of you. And once you have made your decision, I ask all of you to please report to your head of house."
…
Lessons were cancelled for all students that day, which terrified the exam-stressed seventh and fifth years, even as the professors tried to assure them they would have time to make up the lessons. Harry, Ron and Hermione reported to Professor McGonagall that they were, of course, on the Order's side of the war. Ron tried to argue that they didn't have to, but Hermione made them go just in case.
When Draco saw Harry at dinner, he said that most of the Slytherins were eager to distance themselves from their parents — for self preservation more than anything else. Crabbe and Goyle had had to be talked into it, but once Draco had laid his reasons for thinking that Voldemort would be defeated for a second time, they came to see reason. Or, at least, Draco thought they had. It was often hard to tell with them. Either way, they had stayed to fight.
From the best they could tell, any students who had gone to their heads of houses stating that they were unsure, or that they were actively on Voldemort's side had been sent home after undergoing a memory charm, convinced that there was a spattergroit outbreak at the school. For those who stayed at school, all forms of communication were banned, for fear that word of any plans would leak to the Death Eaters. It was that, perhaps more than anything else, that said to Harry that shit was about to go down.
…
The Weasley twins arrived at breakfast on Wednesday morning, dressed to the nines in matching, purple three piece suits under orange robes. Not to be at all ignored, they announced their arrival with a pair of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes firecrackers, and sure enough, every eye in the room turned to them.
"Minerva," Fred said. His voice carried the length of the hall.
"We got your owl," said George.
"Came as fast as we could."
"Happy to help."
"You know us — always up for some mischief." As he said this, Fred winked.
"Yes, quite," Professor McGonagall said. She glanced at Dumbledore who inclined his head. "As you are here, please enjoy some breakfast. I'll come and collect you when we're ready for you."
"If there were anyone who could make me feel like a school kid again," George said, sitting down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table.
"It would be McGonagall," Fred finished, sitting down next to Ron.
"Hello, Ron," George said. He reached over and tussled his brother's hair. Ron scowled and flattened it back down.
"How's Hogwarts been without us?"
"Outrageously dull," Draco drawled from Harry's other side. It was delightful to watch both of the twins' double takes.
"Malfoy?" they asked in unison.
"Weasleys," Draco said, inclining his head.
"Merlin," Fred said. "The Prophet had said you two were friends, but I didn't think I'd ever see a Malfoy at the Gryffindor table."
"We're all friends now," Pansy said.
"Yes, Mum said you two were dating," Fred said, a friendly smile on his face. "But I don't think I properly believed her until now."
"Lovely to see you again," said George. "Even if I'm dubious as to the state of your sanity since you're dating my brother."
"Oi," Ron said, even as Pansy grinned.
"I keep telling her she could do better," Blaise said, even as Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.
"Blimey," George said. "Fred, I think we've sat down at the wrong table." But he grinned as he said it and inclined his head towards Blaise by way of a greeting.
"Blame Snape," Harry said.
"Snape?"
"He paired us all together for joint potions projects."
"And that was Snape's idea?" Fred asked.
"It might have been Dumbledore's," Ron allowed.
"Well, uh, welcome to the resistance. Or, at least, I presume that's why you're here and not at home."
"It is," Pansy said. But Harry wasn't listening. He was leaning into Draco, attempting to whisper to him.
"Can we tell them?" he asked as quietly as he could. Just in case. Though it was mostly pointless as Ginny had found out a month ago, which meant that Luna knew, and Lavender figured it out a couple of weeks ago, which meant that Parvati knew. They were running out of people who didn't.
"Not here," Draco hissed. "But, yes, fine." Harry grinned at him.
"Hang on," George said, leaning forward so that he could look both Harry and Draco in the face. "Are you two," he trailed off, his voice rising with inflection as he waggled his eyebrows at them. Draco stared cooly back, even as Harry grinned beside him. "Holy shit, you are, aren't you?"
"Are what?" Fred asked. George turned his attention to his twin and winked at him. "Oh! Well that's unexpected."
"How did you—?" Hermione started to ask.
"—Emotional intelligence," George said. Hermione frowned at him. "Got it in spades. Plus, Harry's practically sitting in," and here he paused, frowning for a moment before he continued, as though it had been difficult to come up with the right name, "Draco's lap."
"You should see them when we're alone," Ron muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Plus, the Prophet had said they'd gone shopping together, and I can't see Harry doing that with just anyone."
"Oi," Ron said again. "I've gone shopping with Harry before."
"And I've sometimes wondered exactly how close you two are," Fred said. Draco gave a strange, strangled yelp, which set them all to laughing.
"So," George said, once they'd settled down again. "Are we going to Home Alone this castle, or what?"
"We're going to Home Alone the shit out of this castle," Ron said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a roll of parchment. "Here are my preliminary ideas."