Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Dog Days Are Over, Florence + The Machine

The fact that he had to appear before the Wizengamot was bollocks. He'd done enough, as far as he was concerned, and the fact they had the gall to ask him to support this excuse for legislation proved to him that they had no idea exactly how far Harry Potter had lost faith in the Ministry's ability to solve Britain's problems. So, as he strode into Kingsley's office and slammed the door behind him, with the Minister's curvy little secretary chasing after him, Harry wore his anger like a badge of pride.

"Harry!" Kingsley jumped from behind his desk, clad in official, almost regal, purple Ministry robes. His bald head was covered by a boxy, matching hat. He stood nearly a foot taller than Harry and was twice as wide. "You can't just barge into the Minister's off—"

"Cut the shit, Minister." Harry, despite his rage, shook the hand that Kingsley held out for him and deposited himself in the chair Kingsley gestured to. "I'm not a Ministry official. And you shouldn't be summoning me as one."

Kinglsey sat opposite Harry and shuffled some papers out of the way. "It's an official summons from the Wizengamot, Harry. I can't ignore it, either. We are bound by the duties that—" Kingsley looked up as slammed his hands down on the top of his desk.

"That's bollocks and you know it, Kings." His magic crackled around him, zapping the air and fluttering the papers on the desk. "This Vampire Legislation is exactly the kind of thing the Ministry has always done with things they don't understand, and you're leading that charge."

"Look, Potter." The use of his surname only proved to Harry that he'd struck a nerve. "The Supreme Mugwump has been briefed on the vampire problem. We cannot just stand back and allow the population to be turned into bloodsucking—"

"That doesn't mean you slaughter them all!" Harry leaned forward, closer to the Minister, his forearms straining under the weight of his body. "Robards purposefully left information out of our debrief a week ago, and why's that? Because you and your administration have an agenda that conflicts with Order business."

"You're young," Kinglsey whispered, as if trying to temper Harry's anger. "It's not as easy as simply allowing a vigilante organization to round them up and rehabilitate them. It takes time, resources, and most importantly—"

"Galleons." Harry's acerbic tone dripped from his barely open lips. "You seem to operate under the impression that I don't have galleons to spare, Minister."

"You can't just toss your wealth at the problem and hope it goes away, Harry. There are lifelong programs that must be created, official registries that will need to be upkept for the foreseeable future, and we'll still have to suffer, and implement, the consequences if any of the vampires decide to go rogue and slaughter a village. Do you really want that on your hands?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Did you know that in my fifth year, the Ministry labeled me a liar, a deranged opportunist seeking attention because of the way my parents were killed? That I was a danger to society? And, do you know that it was precisely that foundation that led them to name me Undesirable Number One when Voldemort," — Kingsley winced, but Harry pressed on — "overthrew your precious Ministry?"

"I know that the Ministry has never been very good at handling… things… where you're concerned, Harry, but you cannot simply ignore the Wizengamot and run off to do your Savior of the Wizarding World thing." Kingsley stood from his seat and leaned toward Harry, straightening his posture and making himself as tall as possible. Harry didn't back down, but did take stock of where his wand lay against his hip. "We need you here to fight with us against the proposal for the bill. If you don't the Supreme Mugwump will have it passed, and if you act against them after that, then you'll be seen as a…"

"As. A. What?" Harry stood straight and ran a hand through his hair, purposefully showing off his silvery lightning bolt scar that sat above his narrowed eyes.

Kinglsey's shoulders sagged and he shook his head. "Harry, you have to speak to the Wizengamot. I cannot — my hands are tied in my position. They need you to bite back your hatred for this system and appeal to those who don't hold contempt for anyone that's not a pureblooded, sacred twenty-eight family member."

They held one another's eyes for several silent minutes. Harry blew a sharp breath out through his lips and scowled.

"I don't like it, Kings."

"I know." He bowed his head. "But it's the best that I can do, and I cannot guarantee that it will be enough."

"I thought you would be different." Harry sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I thought — I don't know, Kings, I thought maybe we could make this a world that Remus and Moody and Sir… Sirius… could be proud of. And this ? This is taking us back to a place that I spent my entire childhood fighting against."

"Maybe one day we can make a difference," Kingsley said sadly, "And that's precisely why I need you on my side, in that courtroom, continuing the fight. Can you do that, Harry?"

"Fuck!" Harry kicked the chair leg in frustration, and took a small amount of satisfaction in the way the portrait behind Kingsley gasped and exclaimed loudly:

"Dear me!"


"So then he says some bollocks about needing my voice in the Ministry to keep them from commiting genocide." Harry nursed a very strong drink — Theo would know, he'd mixed it himself — and hung his head as he went through his meeting with Kingsley point-by-point. "Well, he didn't exactly say those words, but it's not as if we don't know how to read between the lines by now."

"It's disgusting." Hermione, sitting on Harry's other side, said with a scowl. "It's exactly what they've been doing to werewolves. And we still haven't been able to change that law, either."

"Granger." Theo met her eyes and lifted his chin. "Would you be an absolute gem and fetch Boy Wonder another drink?"

He didn't quite have the same, uncanny ability to read her mind like Harry did, but Theo liked to think that perhaps she understood that he was trying to get her out of the room. As she nodded, she reached for Harry's glass and wrestled it away from him. Theo pulled his boyfriend's shaking hands into his lap and held onto them, massaging the pads of his palms.

"Look, love." Theo ducked his face down to try and catch his eye, but Harry kept his gaze directed at his thighs. He sighed. "I know it's shit, but you're doing the right thing. When the younger generation take their seats, it will be easier. But we need to set the foundation now. And the only person in the wizarding world with enough pull to do that is The Chosen One."

He knew Harry loathed the monicker, but it worked to draw his gaze to Theo. Bright green, brilliant, earnest eyes, eyes that were filled with rage, stared back at him. Theo reached out and stroked his cheek.

"It's like I'm condoning what they've done by attempting to work with them. That's why I wanted Charlie on the inside, Luna with The Quibbler. " Harry shook his head and his shoulders sagged. "I don't want any of this, Theo. I hate it."

"I know." Theo pulled Harry's head to his chest and ran his fingers through the tangled dark hair at the back of his head. "None of us want to play the parts we've been given. I don't want to live in a den of Death Eaters, and yet, I'll need to go back and gather more intel on the Carrows soon."

Harry's rubbed his face against his boyfriend's chest and groaned. Theo couldn't help the ridiculous grin that crawled up his face. He tugged Harry's head back by a lock of hair and then planted a firm kiss on his lips.

"Don't go tonight," Harry asked quietly, tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Theo groaned and kissed him again. This time slower, then harder again, and regretted the words that were about to leave him. "I have to go. I have a part to play, too. Though, it's about time that you had a good influence around here. Granger's great and all, but she gets you all riled up with her do-gooder quests. Going to that castle in Nottinghamshire is a terrible idea."

Harry shrugged and Theo struggled not to roll his eyes. The pair of them were the worst, and arguing about such things wasn't even worth.

"She'll go regardless of what we say. I'm worried about her, though. This vampire mess is personal to her now."

Theo nodded, his lips pulling in a crooked frown. "It's personal for all of us now."

"Not me," Harry grumbled, and Theo's hold on his hair tightened playfully. "Sorry. I know he's your best mate, but he's such an idiot."

"I've known that idiot my entire life, and I still love him, Potter." Theo's eyes sparkled down at his lover, his boyfriend, and he felt the words bubble up to his lips before he pressed them together and kept them from bursting forth. "And he loves Granger. You don't have a choice but to care."

"Loves her?" Harry stuck his tongue out as if the very idea disgusted him, and Theo sighed.

"Come on, up you get. Time for bed." Theo stood up, grasped hold of Harry's hands and and pulled him off the sofa?. Harry couldn't hold his drink, and after consuming several strong concoctions made by Theo's hand, it was best to put him to bed before he became a whiney, belligerent arse. "Don't make me hex you now, Boy Wonder. You haven't beat me in a duel yet."

Harry's hand moved to where he kept his wand. "I could take you," he said petulantly, and Theo clucked his tongue as he shifted Harry's weight against his torso.

"Oh sure, I'm always so blown away by the prowess of your Expelliarmus."

Harry started to say something that Theo was certain would be typical of his astounding wit, but promptly shut his mouth as Theo swatted him on the arse. When Theo finally deposited Harry into his bed, a smile overtook his sharp features. Falling in love with Potter was the best choice he'd ever made.

As Harry's hand reached out to clutch Theo's shirt, yanking him down onto the bed next to him, Theo chuckled. He pulled Harry against his chest and wrapped his arm around his torso before stroking his fingers through Harry's hair and whispering in his ear.

"I'll stay for a little while." He kissed Harry on the forehead, just shy of his lightning shaped scar, and let his head fall back against the pillows. Just before his boyfriend started to snore against his chest, Theo warned him, "Don't drool on my shirt."


Hermione could take a hint. When Theo had thought he was being sneaky and asked her to leave the room, she knew it had been because he'd wanted to talk to Harry alone, to have a personal conversation that she wasn't invited to hear. She didn't mind. It gave her time to sort out her own thoughts without Harry's latest outburst ringing through her mind. It was the first time she'd been able to just sit and think for what felt like days.

She sat on the old swing in the back garden and crossed her ankles as it swung gently back and forth. Her eyes turned to the inky black sky, cloudless with dots of endless stars shining down on her. The moon was high and very nearly full, and she swallowed hard at the thought of what that meant.

Another trip to Desdemona's coven. For all the confidence she showed in front of The Order and Draco, Hermione was nervous. Her fingers traced the little silver scars on her wrist where she'd been bitten, and then up to the wounds that Dudley had left on her neck. She'd managed to go her entire life without being bitten by a vampire, but in the course of a fortnight, she'd nearly died twice.

Hermione let her head fall back against the summer-patterned cushion that lined the swing. She closed her eyes and folded her hands over her stomach. It was an attempt to clear her mind. Think through the strategy. Convince herself that she could do this.

With her eyes closed and the world around her silent, a new sensation overtook her. The desire for a man who wasn't even close by, who'd left her despite his later confession that he'd never wanted to do so. The Lure swept through her, unwelcomed and frustrating. Pining after Draco was something she'd thought she'd gotten over so long ago, and now…

All she could imagine were the heated glances and the soft touches and sweet kisses. The way he'd breathe in her ear and tell her how badly he wanted to do things with her. How he'd understood when she would tell him goodnight — breathless and flushed against the door of her flat.

A flat she didn't even sleep in anymore.

Hermione groaned and bit her lip as she tried to temper the lust coursing through her.

"Sickle for your thoughts, Golden Girl?"

She cracked open one eye to find Theo hovering over her, all tall and lanky and smarmy and crowding her personal space. "If you're determined to ruin the only peace and quiet I've had in a long time, then perhaps you wouldn't mind sitting down and wiping that look off your face."

"What look?" He feigned ignorance with a hand over his heart, though he did sit down as she requested. Right next to her so that their arms were pressed together. "The one filled with worry that you're going to bite a hole through your lip?"

Hermione straightened her back and crossed her legs at the knee. "Precisely that one."

Theo tossed her a roguish grin as he reached into his cloak pocket and withdrew a slim packet of cigarettes and a lighter. He pulled out a cigarette, sparked the tip, grasped the end between two fingers and held it out to her. She considered it; she'd smoked in the past. The harsh sting she knew she'd feel at the back of her throat wasn't an unwelcome feeling. The smoke spiraled towards her face and her nose scrunched as the stale, acrid smell hit her.

"No, thank you," she said, waving her hand between them so that the smoke dissipated. "That'll kill you, you know?"

Theo shrugged and took a drag, letting the cigarette dangle loosely between his lips. "There are a lot of things that could kill me. Least I enjoy this one."

Hermione's lips raised in a small, understanding smile. "Harry doesn't mind?"

"Potter's the one who got me hooked," Theo said with a rueful sort of laugh. "The first time he lit one up, I thought he was having me on. First drag I took, I nearly cursed him. But, I must say, it's quite soothing over a glass of whiskey or a good chat."

"Harry smokes?" Hermione's eyebrows shot straight up. In the whole year that she'd lived with him at the Cottage, and even before that, when they'd spent practically every night together, she'd never noticed. "You're lying."

"Rude." Theo puffed out a cloud of smoke and flicked the cigarette so the ash fell by his feet. "You're clearly biased. There are spells that keep it from being noticeable. He likely didn't want you to fret over him or give him an infamous Hermione Granger lecture."

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Then, she snatched the cigarette from Theo's fingers and took a light drag from it. Her eyes watered as she coughed the toxic smoke out of her lungs. "Ugh, that's foul. Why would you do this to yourself?"

Theo plucked the cigarette from her with narrowed eyes. " This is why he kept it from you, Granger. You're a much better person than the rest of us, with your aversion to vice and ability to fight the good fight while also being able to sleep at night."

Hermione fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, trying to rub the nonexistent smoke stains from the pads of her fingers. She dropped her eyes to her lap and frowned. "I don't think that's true, actually. I'm not better than anyone. I just… like to think that I'm making good choices. There's nothing wrong with trying to do the right thing."

Theo smashed the end of the cigarette into the crystal ashtray at his side, a deep smirk set into the sharp planes of his face. "You don't say…'' he said, a tone to his voice that was too playful for her liking. Hermione braced herself for whatever he was about to say. He cocked his head to the side. "Hey—" he gasped, as if he was only just realizing something, which she didn't buy for a second. "Did you know that Draco was only trying to do the right thing when he ended things between the two of you?"

"Well, not at the time!" Hermione groused, throwing her balled up hands out and hitting Theo in the side. He shouted a quick 'oi!' and she bit her lip as she apologized. "He just hid in the shadows like a — well, I didn't know he'd been bitten at that point, did I? He was so cryptic and — he's not very good at expressing himself, you know?"

Theo snorted. "Is anyone?"

"You and Harry seem to be on the same page all the time," she grumbled and brought her hands back together on her lap.

She wasn't sure she'd ever heard Theo crack a loud, honest laugh like the one he rewarded her with then, but Hermione found her attention drawn to the sound. It was pure and unabashed and prompted her lips to lift unwittingly.

" Whenever Boy Wonder and I have to work something out, we do so like healthy adults," Theo said, his body finally settling after his bout of laughter. "Usually he just agrees with me — you can get the bloke to agree to anything if you stroke him in the right—"

"Ugh, Theo!" Hermione covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't make me listen to the details of my best friend's sex life, please."

"His ego , Granger," Theo tutted, tongue pressing into his cheek and eyes sparkling as her gaze met his. "Salazar's pants, do you think of anything else?"

A heavy laugh left her, despite the fact that she wanted to throttle him. "Clearly not," she said, her eyes rolling to the sky playfully. "Theo…" she hesitated, eyeing him carefully before deciding whether or not she wanted the answer to her next question. "Do you think he really regrets it— me, I mean?"

Theo shook his head emphatically. "Not a chance. Took Pans and I and a strong Petrificus Totalis to talk him out of proposing marriage after you'd said yes to lunch." He stood from the swing and offered her a sad smile. "He was mad for you, Granger."

Hermione's eyes widened as she peered up at Theo. Her heart slammed in her throat, palms suddenly slick and cold from the night air. "Marriage? That's mental! We hadn't even gotten to the fifth date, and he wanted to propose before we'd had that first lunch?"

Theo ducked his head while rifling through his cloak. "Indeed, perhaps even before then, though he wasn't ever sure you fancied him until you said yes to a date." He retrieved the packet of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed it onto Hermione's lap. She fumbled with it before gripping it tight in her fingers. "Bit of a shame now, though. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't marry you. Bloody laws."

Theo left her sitting on her own, packet of cigarettes in her hands, staring blankly at the space he'd occupied. His words whirred around her brain, like a top spinning wildly near the edge of a table. Not only was considering the idea that Draco wanted to marry her dangerous, but it was impossibly futile.

But, as she toyed with the butt of a cigarette and worried her lip between her teeth, Hermione's thoughts turned to the day Draco had asked her to lunch, and then to that brilliant smile he'd worn when she'd said yes.

It wasn't until she noticed a dusting of tobacco covering her hand that Hermione realized she'd clenched it so tightly, she'd ruined the entire packet of cigarettes.