Well...I've been lazy. I know. It's just life…making it harder for me to write. That's all. I apologize and I want to let you know two things:

1) I've set a dateline for the story. July 25th. I will end it by then so basically I have two months and a half to finish it which is quite a vast period of time considering I have winter holidays since the 9th of July. grins

2) This chapter hasn't been betaed by Sylvia Potter, the saint that corrects my AWFUL mistakes. I will upload the corrected version when she sends me the copy but I wanted you to read this chapter ASAP since I've been feeling really guilty for neglecting my duties as a writer.

Now that these two subjects have been covered I want to tell you all that reviews for chapter 42 will be answered at my LJ ASAP: Florws. Thanks!

Chapter 43: With a little help from my friends

Harry, Ron and Ginny could eat cookies no longer. They needed to act- something needed to be done- but the clock kept speaking to them that it was far too early to give him the potion that would open his eyes.

A false death. Only he could come up with such a Shakespearean twist to the plan, even if it meant giving up his own soul to the devil for a couple of hours. Fifteen hours, to be more precise. Fifteen hours in which the greatest Wizard the world had ever seen laid cold in his bed, vulnerable to the elements, vulnerable to his enemies, surrounded only by the beloved walls of a castle he had always been so keen to protect. Hogwarts Castle. His home. His life. His love.

Men have died because of ambition, because of hatred and even soaked in vengeance. What can be nobler than die for the ones you love? Even if this was a false death, even if the Bezoar Stone rested in his stomach, preventing the evil potion from actually killing him forever, what could be nobler than dying for a cause you spent your whole life trying to defend?  Few things, I am afraid.

"Stop nagging, Ginny" Ron said after his only sister had asked when they were going to go through with the plan for the twelfth time.

"Darling, we need to wait for the greasy git's signal… you know that," Harry added walking in circles around the carpet at 12 Grimmauld Place, The Order of the Phoenix Headquarters where also the other Weasley's, Lupin and Tonks were intently staring at the kitchen clock.

"Oh, Harry, dear… you know better than to call Professor Snape a greasy git," Molly Weasley stated with a reproving look while rubbing her husband's shoulders with strength, "He is your best friend's husband, you know…"

"That doesn't make him my friend," Harry almost shouted, disturbing the silent though stressful atmosphere embracing them all.

"Harry is right, mum," Ron said, sitting next to Remus Lupin who was now pressing his head on his forearm awfully tired and yet being unable to close his eyes because of the burning fire of vengeance that burned his soul at the moment. The day had come but still the minutes seemed like hours and everything appeared to be eternal between those oppressive walls that had belonged to his friend Sirius Black. His best friend. And now… now he was dead. And those walls who had served as a second prison away from Azkaban now were preventing him from going after the responsible for all of his friends' deaths. Yes… he had been responsible for it all, despite the Dark Lord's power. However now Voldemort was gone and his replacement, Lucius Malfoy, was to blame for it all. Even for Dumbledore's fake death, even for Hermione and Severus' sacrifices.

Remus Lupin was utterly angry and he was a werewolf so those feelings were not strange to him at all. The full moon was two days away and he could only nail into his skin deeply as the thought of transforming into a werewolf appeared in his mind, as clear as water, as clear as love. Tonks caressed his hair and kissed his sweaty forehead.

"He will give us the signal," Tonks whispered into his ear while the kids and Molly Weasley were having a conversation regarding the bond that united Hermione Granger- or rather Hermione Snape as Molly Weasley liked fancied calling her now- and Severus Snape- Hogwarts most hated Professor. Only Bill and Arthur understood the pressure Remus was feeling because they were feeling it themselves. And they not only looked tired but worried as well… worried to the core of their beings where only fears and wishes rest from the world's vanities.

"What if the signal never arrives… what if he killed them," Remus whispered back, his eyes as scarlet as his face. Poor sweet Tonks… how much he loved her! She had given him the chance to love again! And he had embraced it, regardless of the future. He should have thought about it more; he couldn't ruin her life in such a way. After all, what kind of life can a werewolf provide to the mother of his werewolf children?

Severus and Remus were very much alike. Yet they found themselves in opposite situations at present.

"NO! HE COULDN'T HAVE CONSUMED THE MARRIAGE," Harry shouted to them all, with anger in his voice.

"I am afraid they have," Minerva McGonagall said from the doorframe, "Harry, dear… she was wearing a white ribbon on her wedding robes," she explained very matter of factly. Harry frowned and Ginny proceeded to explain to her boyfriend the implications of her Transfiguration Professor's words. The boy who lived looked at Ginny in amazement and then sat down next to Ron and stared at the clock as the rest of the people on that kitchen.

"Haven't you received Severus signal?," Minerva asked, a preoccupied look taking over her face, "Albus is looking quite pale, I dare say,"

"Do you think the Bezoar Stone is sanding itself inside Dumbledore's stomach?," Remus asked, standing up at once in order for the old witch to sit and relax.

"For all we know, it can," McGonagall answered, pressing her lips so tight that they were now barely a line on her pale and wrinkled face, "Severus is not here. He is the Potion's Master,"

"Indeed he is not," Arthur stated, "Isn't that odd?,"

"What do you mean by that, dear?," Molly asked, stopping the rub for the first time that night.

"I mean that Severus said he would send as the signal as soon as he faced Lucius Malfoy, am I right?," he asked, rhetorically. No one answered, of course, just nodded in silent agreement, "Yet he has left three hours ago,"

"I was wondering about that myself, Arthur," Lupin interrupted, rubbing his chin, "Do you think we should give him the Potion without Severus' permission?,"

"Well…I don't know. Severus won't like the idea of us…," Arthur tried to articulated but failed miserably.

"I think we should," Tonks replied at once, grabbing his hand and kissing his cheek, "I will come with you,"

"Are they thirteen years old all over again?," George asked smiling happily.

"I think a small pill for regression is in order," Fred confessed while slapping his twin's back a little bit too hard.

"You know what I really reckon, sweet, intelligent and handsome brother of mine?," George said, winking at Fred who opened his mouth and at unison they shouted: "I think it's time to kick some Death Eater's behinds!," they said, making the whole lot of worried people congregated there laugh for the first time at something that was no fun.

However, there are times in which we need to express amusement at fate because there is no point in worrying about something we know we cannot control, like death, love or even friendship. The friendship and the love that united them all had already been combined with death in the past and they knew how blood tasted because they had been there to swallow a bitter victory when Harry had beaten Voldemort sometime before. Innocent blood had been spilled and they had tasted it; once you have done that, the flavour of death will never leave your mouth. So for those who know what the essence of death is all about, grinning at the thought of killing someone- or to see your friends, your family get killed- is not simple in the least. And certainly none of them was looking forward to it.

"We have to get to Hogwarts as soon as possible," Harry said, still looking at the clock as if being mesmerized by it, "We need to wake him up before it's too late…for her,"

Ron and Ginny looked at each other and grinned.

Indeed friendship and love were in the air when they travelled to Dumbledore's chambers that same night with a small yellow bottle labelled: "PROJECT DA". Remus was holding it with his spare hand and couldn't help but laugh at Severus' irony.

"Yes, Dumbledore's Army," the werewolf said to himself while holding Tonks hand tightly.

But once they reached the cold chambers in which everything was sad and grey and the yellow liquid touched the dead man's lips… they all knew that hope- and victory- was on their side. Dumbledore's tiny army had now a leader true to its name.

"The time has come," he said, "to kick some Death Eater's behinds".