Harry couldn't stop crying. He was alone in the one place he had thought to call home in the last seven years and he felt like he was a stranger.  There were only two made beds in the room and he had a feeling that Dean had not been there for a while either.

    So it was true then; home wasn't a place, but the people that stayed there.  Harry had, through his tears, found the Cor Onyx in his pocket and sought comfort in knowing it was the next best thing to having his lover there with him.

    The stone still fascinated him, Sev's soul being tangible; it seemed odd that no one else would have thought of it, it was the ideal protection from Dementors; well, unless the things were willing to tuck into a gourmet dish of stone. Somehow Harry doubted it. 

    It was several hours before Harry left the tower; he picked up his invisibility cloak using it to return to Sev's rooms without having to do as much ducking and diving as before.  Funny, how a place could become home so quickly.  The moment Harry was through the portrait he felt safer.

    He found the Potions Master absorbed in a book.  He took of the cloak, grinning at Severus's annoyance that a Gryffindor could possibly sneak up on him.

    "Hey Sev."  Harry smiled softly and sat next to his lover resting his head on Severus's shoulder. 

    "Hello.  I went to talk to Poppy; she says she doesn't know when you can see Black but..."

    "I know, I was up there myself taking Oliver back, she was telling me about it."

    "Oh, I'm sorry Harry, I should have told you about him, you just didn't seem in the state.  You're taking it awfully well."

    "Well, Poppy seems to think he will be completely fine."

    "Yes, I'm sure he will be, much to the relief of the world, another Mutt safely returned to the streets."

    "Sev!"  Harry scolded lightly, not really mad, he knew that it would take a hell of a lot to get them both to give up their life-long habit of bringing the other down at any opportunity.

    "Sev, I got a rather interesting letter today."

    "Oh?"

    "Yeah," Harry handed him the parchment.

    "Any reason you're giving me a first year potions recipe or is this a not so subtle Potter-type jab at my brewing abilities?"

    "So what he said is true. No, it's a letter from Draco Malfoy of all people. He said that if anyone else read it, it would be a potions text."

    "Mmm, indeed, so what does it say?"

    "Well that is one for the books,"  Sev said after Harry read the letter through for the second time. "I do agree with his comment about your Slytherin side though.  I've been meaning to ask you, you once said you should have kept your mouth shut and been a Slytherin. Is that implying what I think it is?"

    "Yup," Harry gave a cynical smile, "Gryffindor's golden boy is a Slytherin. I had to argue with the hat for quite some time before it would let me go in Gryffindor, sometimes I think it's the worst mistake I ever made."  Severus said nothing.

    "So what do you think about his offer, is it worth taking?"

    "Yes, I think it would be, Lucius is very close to Voldemort, he is privy to quite a bit of information.  Voldemort prefers not to tell any one person too much, yet another of his dratted and more successful efforts at making life more difficult for spies.  Question is...  can we trust him?"

    "I think we can, I know him better than most people I think; I guess that's what comes of studying a person for six years."

    "Very well, I'll show you the spell to disguise the text, all you have to do is write back and chose a text to hide it with, I would advise against something referring to anything too important or at all interesting."

    "Ok, will you help?"

    "Of course."  Sev led Harry into his lab, where potions and ingredients were spread about. The arrangement could easily be taken as random, but Harry knew that Severus would have everything carefully laid out, in a meticulous manner.  At the back of the room was a large oak desk, with quills and inks of all types and parchments.  Harry was happy to see that Severus still had a large supply of red ink, perfect for writing big F's across student's slaved-over reports.  Some things just never change. 

    Harry sat down at the desk hesitantly, he felt odd, he doubted Severus ever let people in the room let alone mess up his well-ordered desk.  He knew from experience.  In fifth year Harry had been given private lessons by Severus, but they had had to have them in the potions class room for most of the time because Severus had kicked up such a fuss with Dumbledore about his private space being invaded.

    Strong arms casually slung themselves over his shoulders and Harry relaxed happily as he felt Sev nuzzle the spot where his neck met his shoulder.  He was wanted here, he was accepted.

    "Have you though about what you are going to write?"

    "Um, not really."

    An hour and a half later they had the final draft of the reply done;

Draco,

           I'm truly sorry to hear about your mother, I didn't know her well, but anyone who would be willing to turn away from Voldemort has my condolences.

    I accept your offer of truce.  We are two very different people from the 11 year olds that met in Diagon Alley. Maybe we can't ever be friends but I hope we can at least be allies.

    I have done as you asked. Dumbledore will not be told, and I will send a letter to Gringotts to be opened on the event of Voldemort's death to confirm that you are working for the light side.  I have told only one other about this, Severus Snape, head of Slytherin House. He is also a spy to our side, he will help you should you require it, it will raise less suspicion.

    Corresponding by letter is not ideal. Severus' rooms are connected to Floo, hopefully we can meet and discus things more openly. You are welcome to come anytime. 

    Together perhaps we can return your fate to you.

  

     ~H.P.

P.S.  You were right, I am a Slytherin.

    "I think that should do it, now you just need something to put over the top of it, why don't you write that while I write to Gringotts?"  Harry smiled, and went to a book shelf, he had thought up what he was going to put on Draco's letter, he just had to find it.  He knew he'd seen it on Sev's bookshelves somewhere.  He grinned at it, tucked away in a bottom shelf; obviously Sev didn't like to show off the fact that he read Muggle books.

    After sifting through it for a few minutes he found the rhyme he wanted, and settled down to write it in front of the fire, while Sev wrote the Gringotts' letter in the office.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of all I have seen,

Of meadow-flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen:

In every wood in every spring

There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago,

And people who will see a world

That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door.

J.R.R. Tolkien  (The Fellowship of the Ring)

    Harry wasn't sure why he'd chosen it. He just remembered reading it and thinking how sad it was, and that when you were sending your condolences about someone's mother, a rhyme from the back of a Zonko's Giraffe bar (strange things those, almost exactly like Muggle penguin bars, only you the whole time you ate the bar, your skin turned into giraffe print.) just didn't seem appropriate.

    Once he finished Sev taught him the spell and Harry bound the Tolkien extract to his letter and sent it back with one of Severus's crows. 

    "So, what did you use to disguise the letter?"

    "Just an extract from a book." 

    "OK, I've finished off the other letter, you just have to sign it."  Harry signed his name next to Severus's, and once it was posted off they settled down to dinner.

~*~*~ Tbc~*~*~

A/N:  K, I don't know if I have to put in a second disclaimer but if I do, I'm Not J.R.R. Tolkien ether and so don't own any of his work.

The poem its self has nothing really to do with the story, but the reason I put it in will be in the next chappy!

Xikum:  Thank you!  I'm hoping to actually finish this one, a lot of stories I write get abandoned and subsequently never typed up but I'm gona put some effort into finishing this one.

Andia:  yep, a little bit of a sad chappy, but it will get better, eventually.

Lexi (katy999):  Love the new name!  I have no idea if it's a word or not though, its cool though, can I nick it? Tee Hee.

Lee Lee Potter(My 50th reviewer!):  Umm, purple?  Maybe a royal thing or something?  Yup, I think your right; Draco has a way of worming into things a lot, its great, he rox!

Snape coolgirl:  here is more =)

Fodmonkey!:  hey!  Yup, haven't you heard, I hate him, well sorta anyway.  Voldie is here to stay for a while.  See you on Tuesday! 

Silverstar: Glad you liked it!  

C ya next time!