They were enjoying a particularly good dinner in the Great Hall the night that the call came. Snape jerked upright, grabbing his arm - a motion noticed by the alert resistance gang. First, Snape and Hermione looked at each other lovingly and made a disgustingly sweet exit - which caused several students to gag on their dinners. Ginny and Harry loudly proclaimed that their honeymoon wasn't long enough and made their way out of the Hall moments later -- much to the amusement of the Gryffindors, most of whom still hadn't adjusted to the week-old marriage of their classmates. Draco noisily threw down his fork, proclaiming that Snape's display with the 'mudblood' had sickened him - and that he was going to go owl his father about the incident instead of attempting to eat. Lupin and Dumbledore waited a few moments before exiting the Hall, pausing at the Gryffindor table to remind Ron of his 'detention' with Lupin, set to begin in a few moments.

Thus it was in a few minutes that the motley resistance cell was gathered in the potions room - and fell to their prearranged duties. Ron and Lupin busily shrank the two crates of 'gift' narcotic potions to fit into their robes, as Draco picked up the potion destined for his father. Dumbledore set about sending owls to Molly, Arthur and their various contacts at the Ministry to inform them that the call had come. Harry and Ginny sat silently, side by side at a desk, her head on his shoulder and his hand gently caressing her stomach - both pairs of eyes closed. Hermione was hovering over the pained Severus, attempting to comfort him as he donned his Death Eater robes and tried to pull himself together for the evening that lie ahead. Preparations complete, the group snuck out a hidden side door of Hogwarts and advanced to the gate as one. There, handshakes and hugs were shared before the rest stepped back to let the wives say goodbye to their husbands.

Snape simply drew Hermione into his arms and rested his forehead against hers for a moment. His hand drifted to the graceful arc of her pregnant stomach and caressed her slowly and tenderly, sighing. Gently, he captured her mouth in a soft kiss before letting her go and stepping back to the apparition point. Their eye contact didn't break as Harry and Ginny finished their passionate kiss goodbye before Harry and Draco joined Snape. The three men joined hands and then they were gone.

Hermione stood in shock and stared at the empty air that had contained her husband moments earlier. She and Ginny barely noticed when their friends gently guided them back to the secret exit and back into the dungeons. To wait. To wonder. To worry.

And worry they should, mused Snape as the three apparated to Malfoy Manor. Once reality came back into focus, he briefly gave each student a quick squeeze before dropping their hands.

"Lucius!" he cried, forcing fear from his voice and joviality in, as they entered the Manor house. "Lucius, look who I have brought to join our little party this evening."

Lucius walked to the trio, eyes narrowed as he took in Draco and his rival, Harry Potter. Potter looked nervous, thought Lucius, flicking his eyes from Snape to his son and then back to Harry.

"Mr. Potter," said Lucius. "I would never have expected to see you at one of our humble gatherings."

Harry stood silently, sweaty hand clenching his wand and a defiant look on his face.

"Mr. Potter has found himself in an awkward situation this term, Lucius," said Snape, smirking. "He has found himself with a pregnant one night stand whose father insisted that he marry her immediately. The little idiot has apparently never heard of birth control, Muggle or magic. He's in a bit of a spot, Lucius, and I've convinced him that our goals and our work just might be the solution he is looking for."

"Is this true, Mr. Potter?" hissed Lucius.

"Yes, sir," said Harry, voice wavering slightly. "I had hoped to go to university on a Quidditch scholarship, but they won't take a student with a family in the residence halls. And I can't leave my girlfr-my wife and baby at Hogwarts while I start college and travel around playing Quidditch, anyway."

"You're little wife is younger than you?" Lucius hissed.

"Yes."

"Who is she? A mudblood?"

Snape took the moment to intervene. "No, Lucius, it's Ginny Weasley."

Lucius smiled his predatory smile and circled Harry menacingly.

"A Weasley? The Minister of Magic's own daughter? And you realize how upset our dear minister would be if he knew his illustrious son-in-law were here tonight?"

"Yes. I don't fucking care what he thinks," spat Harry. "I don't want anything to do with him or the rest of the Ministry. And if I had anything to do with it, I would neither be married nor preparing to become a father."

Lucius chuckled. "My, my, my we do have ourselves in a bit of a bind do we, Mr. Potter? Have you any money?"

"No, Dumbledore is supporting me."

"And without the university, you have no future, you know that don't you?" sneered Lucius.

"Yes. That's why I'm here."

"What do you want, Harry?" said Lucius in a mesmerizing voice.

"Power." Breathed Harry. "Money. Out of my marriage."

"Good, very good," said Lucius, briskly turning to Draco. "Now, my son, you said that you had a new potion for me. Did you bring it with you? And where are the 'party-favors' you promised the men, Snape?"

Draco stepped forward and handed his father the vial as Harry and Snape set about enlarging the crates of narcotics for the rest of the Death Eaters. Lucius sniffed the potion and thrust it roughly to Snape. Harry and Draco began handing out the drugs.

"Drink it," he said. "Take a good gulp, Snape old man."

Snape did, briefly feeling the effects of the narcotics before the antidote kicked in. He gestured grandly, indicating he was fine, and handed the vial back.

"It is a potion that will pull the power from other wizards and allow you to use it," said Snape. "Used properly, with the right wizards and witches to pull from, and we will be more powerful than Voldemort could have dreamed of."

"*I* will be more powerful than Voldemort had dreamed of," corrected Lucius, draining the vial of the rest of its contents. After a moment, he pulled his wand and casually pointed it at one of the masked men.

"Avada Kedavra," he lazily said. And the man fell to the ground in a burst of green light.

Lucius growled like a lioness who had just made a bloody kill. He turned and laid an evil smile on the Hogwarts trio.

"Good work, good work, my dear boys," he drawled, as the narcotics hit his system fully. "You have pleased me. MacNair! Bring me Voldemort's notes, I believe we have two new Death Eaters to welcome into our band."

Draco and Harry exchanged nervous glances that did not go unnoticed by the elder Malfoy.

"Now, now boys, don't worry," he said. "Taking the Mark will only hurt for a moment, isn't that right, Severus?"

Snape looked at his two, scared students and put on his best, 'evil Snape' face.

"Whether it fucking hurts or not, I have risked a lot to bring you two here tonight," he snapped. "You're bloody well taking the Mark"

"Either that," Snape continued. "Or you can go back to Hogwarts as ashes. Take your pick."

Harry looked from Lucius to Draco and then to back Snape. He held Snape's glare defiantly and slowly began rolling up his sleeve. Draco followed suit. Soon the two boys were kneeling in front of Lucius and Snape as the older men began the complicated enchantment that would create the Dark Mark.