A/N: Yo! Sorry about the wait, once again. I even rushed my beautiful betas but while I was out of town, tragedy struck, and my parents' internet connection got screwy and I couldn't update, even though the chapter was done, and betaed and all. Boo me.

Anyway, this has been well worth the wait, believe me. I have a feeling I'm going to get positive reviews for this one.

Special thanks to my betas, VirginSuicide and CS Whitewolf, who both put up with me hurrying them along and then not returning their emails for a week. You're both awesome, and I'm lucky to have you!

Peace out,

Kati

X

XIX

XIXIX "The Calm Before" XIXIX

Harry knew that Severus was watching him, and he awoke.

He and Ginny were tangled together in bed, sleeping hard after a difficult week and a half, dreaming each other's dreams. Harry opened his eyes and gazed across at the man who was now so much a part of himself.

"Did you sleep?" he whispered.

"Fifteen hours," said Severus. "Albus called in a substitute for tomorrow as well. I'll return to classes on Monday."

"Has he called?" asked Harry, glancing down at Snape's arm.

"Not yet, but he will."

"Don't go," said Harry calmly, his face impassive. "His trust is fading. It won't be long now before he decides you're not worth the risk. Better that you bow out now."

"It will be no safer. I'll be number one on Death Eater hit lists. Above you, even, since I'm the one with all the information."

Harry smirked. "If they only knew…"

Severus smirked as well.

Harry looked down at Ginny's head resting on his chest, and began to absently stroke her fiery red hair. "But at least we'll know for sure that they are trying to kill you. Anyway, we no longer have need of a spy in Voldemort's inner circle."

It was true. Harry's growing powers were now combined with Severus' skill and control. He, Ginny, and Lupin had spent Thursday together in the cottage, trying to sort through the mess of Harry's mind. But they had also done a few experiments, and found that one of the more useful side effects of his possession of Severus was that Harry had gained all of his knowledge and will power. They were planning to wait a few days to test his Legilimency powers on Voldemort, but Harry was quite sure that after he got his memories sorted out, there would be no stopping him.

Voldemort's time as Dark Lord was limited.

"It appears your possession of me has made my skills superfluous," said Severus through his smirk.

Harry's eyes were sharp; his face was hard. "Your skills would be put to better use helping me, rather than flouncing about playing double agent."

Severus' smirk nearly broke into a smile. He choked down his laughter. "Flouncing about?"

Harry regarded him smoothly.

Severus bowed his head slightly. "I'll speak with the headmaster."

"Good."

They sat silently for some time.

Eventually, Severus said quietly, "Harry, I believe we will have quite a few things to discuss…"

"Not now, though, Sev," Harry replied quickly. "I don't need any apologies or explanations or justifications. I remember these things like they're my own memories. I'm beginning to be able to differentiate them, but…" He looked up to the ceiling as though it might have the words he was looking for. "I accept what happened in your life the same way I accept what happened in my life. I don't like all of it, but I understand it—as well as you do, at least."

Severus nodded.

"I'm going to try the pensieve tomorrow. Will you be there?"

"What would you prefer?"

"Just the two of us. Ginny won't like it. But you didn't sign on as her twin, and it's personal. Anyway, she's missed too much class this week. Her OWLS are coming up soon and—"

"Is that you talking, or me?"

Harry shrugged and sighed. "It's hard to tell just now."

"I'm glad you're back, Harry."

"Me too, Sev."

XIXIX

Ginny returned to the Gryffindor common room Friday morning, and was immediately attacked by Ron and Hermione.

"What happened!"

"Where were you!"

"Is Harry okay!"

"Disappearing like that—!"

"GUYS!" Ginny shouted. Ron and Hermione paused, startled by her tone. "Harry's okay. He'll be back soon enough. I can't tell you anymore right now, but it's true enough that Harry is in hiding for his own safety. And he's safe."

Ron looked Ginny hard in the eye, and Ginny knew that he could tell something was different. "Something happened," he said.

Ginny glanced around the common room at all the faces of people pretending they weren't listening. "Yeah," she admitted. "But now is not the time to talk about it. I'm going to go shower, and I'll see you at breakfast, okay?"

Hermione cocked her head to one side, and took on the dismissive air of someone discussing a shopping list. "Okay. We've all got a break this afternoon. We'll talk then."

Ron's eyes widened as he looked between the two young women. "Hermione, you can't be serious! Harry's gone for almost two weeks. Then Ginny disappears for two days and you're willing to wait until this afternoon to find out what happened?"

Hermione turned to him with a scowl and hissed, "Ron, snap out of it! Ginny's not trying to shield us from any truths like Dumbledore might! She says Harry's okay, so Harry is okay. That's good enough for now. We'll talk this afternoon."

She turned on her heel and headed for the portrait door. As she opened it, she turned back and looked at Ron pointedly. "Are you coming?" she demanded.

Ron slumped his shoulders, his jaw slack. He took a step toward Hermione, but then turned back to Ginny. "Why is that whenever I talk to you and Hermione I always feel like I'm missing something?"

Ginny grinned wryly. "Because you're a boy and you don't pay attention. Now go. Hermione's waiting."

Ron shook his head and left with Hermione. Ginny went upstairs to get ready for the day. She still didn't think she should have left Harry so soon, but he had been adamant that he be alone with Professor Snape while he sieved through his new memories. They would call her if something went wrong. She was sure of that because, if for no other reason, she would know anyway.

It was just as well. She had a few things to sort through herself. She knew that Hermione had seen with a look that Ginny needed time, and was probably explaining it to Ron right then. Honestly, he was just as oblivious as Harry sometimes.

Ginny sighed as she stepped into the shower. In a lot of ways, she was just as much a mess as he was. Part of her was still in love with Harry, but another at least equally strong part of her felt like he was kin. It was a strange sensation, and she could only hope at this point that her romantic interests would pass with time, because the twin bond surely wouldn't.

She had also absorbed a lot of Harry into herself, and in consequence, a lot of Professor Snape as well. The memory transfer that she and Harry had undergone as part of their bonding was not nearly as strong as what happened to Harry when he possessed the Potions Master. It was more like memory glances, distinctions, and feelings of self. It broke her heart how mixed up Harry was just now. She wondered again where Harry ended and Severus Snape began.

But one thing was for sure—he had changed. She could feel it. It wasn't all for better, but it wasn't all for worse. Ginny hoped that he would be able to find and hold onto what it was that made him essentially Harry.

The common room was empty; everyone had already headed down for breakfast. Ginny kept feeling small pangs of grief that she was pretty sure were coming from Harry. He must have already gotten to work with the pensieve.

XIXIX

"Shouldn't I keep those days they tortured you, though?"

Severus looked up from the empty pensieve, startled. "Why?"

Harry shifted in his seat to meet the pair of eyes he felt he was looking through. He hadn't expected Severus to question him on something that seemed to be self-evident. "Why didn't you sieve it out?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to remind myself of what I've come through."

Harry shrugged. "That's a good reason. You're stronger with your convictions because of the pain in your past."

Severus took a deep breath, and Harry knew what was coming. "Harry, I'm bitter and distrustful because of the pain in my past. You don't want to add that to your personality, trust me."

Harry glared at him. "Sev, we don't have time to waste playing Let's Make Sure Harry Had a Nice Childhood. We've got to be logical in our approach to this. Now, if I'm going to beat Voldemort, it would stand to reason that I hold onto your knowledge of him, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"And that includes your memories of serving him, right?"

"Yes, Harry, but—"

"Well, that includes years of torturing and killing other people, and all of your reasons behind those deeds. If I don't also hold onto the memories that define why you turned from him, where will that leave me?"

The two glared at each other, and for once, Harry was sure that he could win against Severus in a battle of wills. Severus narrowed his eyes further.

"Harry," he said, speaking slowly, "Those memories also define me. I understand the useful value of holding onto certain knowledge, but I am telling you that you are running the risk of losing yourself in the process."

"And I'm telling you that now is not the time to worry about that."

Severus reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. "There are other things to consider than simply what is useful knowledge and what isn't."

"With war coming to a head, you think I should worry about becoming too 'Snape-like'?"

Severus scoffed. "With war coming to a head, you should worry about your own sanity!" Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance. Severus tried a different tactic. "As a student at this school, you should not have access to my memories of being a teacher."

Harry started to argue, but Severus cut him off, "You may keep my knowledge of potions, which may very well come in handy, but you may not know what to expect from my tests. Nor should you know my observations or opinions of other students."

Harry nodded, conceding the point. "Just as well… I don't know how I'd ever look Neville in the eye again." Seeing his friend from the perspective of the Potions Master was quite a different experience than what Harry was used to.

Severus closed his eyes for a long moment before continuing. "Harry, those few days were by far the worst days of my life. I have spent much of the last seventeen years coming to terms with what happened to me during those days. If you cut out the fourteen years of my memory of being a teacher, that will set you back into a time when my grief over being tortured was reckless. If you lose yourself in that mess, you will be endangering yourself, and that is folly."

Harry thought back to Severus, aged nineteen to twenty-three. He conducted his affairs with a cold, harsh demeanor that bordered on brutal. His breakdowns tended to be in private after times of high stress, but there were some close calls. His calculating cruelty held him together as a spy. His obsessive repression pushed him through his Masters in Potions studies.

But at the time, he was not the cool, collected Potions Master that Harry knew. He was a tumultuous jigsaw of fragments, glued together underneath a carefully composed mask—an exaggeration of the turmoil Harry felt whenever he grasped at the memory of himself through the overriding prominence of his memory of being Severus Snape.

"Okay," said Harry mildly. "But I'm holding onto the memories of him torturing you since you became a spy this time around. That way I can maintain myself, but still have memories of worse pain to offer me strength while we're battling."

"Harry—" said Severus, his voice tight with exasperation.

Harry sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long day if they had to argue over every single memory. When he didn't hear Severus continue, he opened his eyes to find Severus regarding him with a raised eyebrow, and Harry became aware he was emulating Severus' mannerisms.

With a slight scowl to show he knew what Severus was thinking, he slumped into his seat, slouching like a teenager. Then he looked up and defiantly tried for his old goofy grin, but it felt strange on his face. He wrinkled his nose like he had a bad taste in his mouth, and sighed in defeat. Maybe he was lost in Severus' memories.

But then Severus laughed, and with the surge of happiness brought by that accomplishment, Harry was able to offer a much more genuine grin.

"See? Still a happy young sixteen-year-old!" said Harry in a slightly ironic tone.

Severus smiled. "Let's keep it that way, eh?"

Harry leaned forward and touched his wand to his temple, but then stopped. He knew it was unreasonable, but he felt a minor wave of panic at the thought of erasing years from his memory. "Sev, promise me you won't destroy these memories just yet."

"I still have them," said Severus, tapping his own temple with his forefinger.

"You know what I mean."

Severus looked at Harry kindly. "This pensieve is yours. I am merely guarding it so long as you are a student and it holds memories that originated in my life. But I would not dream of tampering with your pensieve."

Harry decided not to respond to the obvious referral to their last encounter over a pensieve filled with Severus' memories. He once again raised his wand to his temple, and noticed that his hands were shaking. He reached forward and clasped Severus' right hand in his left, took a deep breath, and began pulling out memories.

It was a strange sensation to pull your thoughts out of your head. Harry started with the worst. He conceptualized days of being tortured, and then pulled with his wand. The thoughts, previously interwoven with the entire mesh of his two lives, began to untangle and slip away. And then, with one last tug and a snap, they were gone. Harry dropped the long, silver thread into the pensieve and watched with a hallowed awe as it slipped and swirled in nearly liquid wisps.

Severus squeezed his hand, and Harry realized he had tears in his eyes. He looked up.

"How should I go about sieving your teaching career?"

Severus furrowed his brow. "I never tried it with anything so expansive."

"Should I break it down then?"

"I suppose."

"How about… early years… and… the-hell-that-became-of-my-life-after-The-Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Die-enrolled-as-a-student?"

Severus raised both eyebrows and nodded slightly. "Sounds reasonable," he said lightly.

Harry laughed. Then, turning back to the pensieve, he concentrated on the years of teaching prior to his other self becoming a student. He thought of tests, and grading homework, and intimidating students in class, and cauldrons blowing up as inept morons completely lacking the ability to follow directions or pay attention to detail attempted to brew even the simplest of potions.

He tried to pull years of teaching into a single concept; then slowly began to pull at it with his wand. The unraveling of his thoughts was dizzying. He felt unsteady as a huge chunk of himself began to slip away. He squeezed Severus' hand to anchor himself, and felt his will strengthen. With one final tug, and a mind-numbing SNAP, Harry's early teaching career dropped to the pensieve, and Harry dropped to the floor, vomiting on the rug.

XIXIX

When he came to, he was back in bed. He pulled himself up and looked around the cottage bedroom. He was alone, but the orange door was closed which meant that he was not alone in the house.

He could feel Ginny's worry for him, quickly covered over by relief when she felt him wake up. Harry was reassured by her presence with him, even over distances as vast as from Hogwarts to Brazil. He couldn't help but smile.

He found his glasses on the bedside table, kicked back the covers, and stumbled into the living room. Severus was lounging in a chair, reading. He looked up when Harry came in.

"Are you hungry?"

Harry nodded, running his fingers through his hair groggily. Severus closed his book and swept into the kitchen. Harry followed, sliding into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"Well, that was a lesson. How long was I out?"

"Only a few hours. I sent word to your unbearably over-protective twin before she had a chance to storm down here and blow our cover."

"I thought this place was protected by the Fidelius Charm," said Harry, leaning weakly over the table.

"It is. But current rumor holds that you were swept far away from Hogwarts. Last I heard, the Dark Lord is surveilling the auror training camps. If Ms. Weasley were to come banging on the door to my quarters, demanding to see you, it would surely raise suspicions among the Slytherins as to your location—particularly the suspicions of one Mr. Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" asked Harry, watching Severus conduct the symphony of pans and slicing vegetables and cooking meats.

"Yes, he's been watching Ms. Weasley quite closely since you disappeared, trying to get clues as to your status and location."

Harry groaned and put his head on the table. "Oh Merlin. How the hell am I going to face him again?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked.

"You could say that," said Harry, sitting back in his chair. "Ginny hates him. She'll kill me if I give him another chance."

"Twin bonds prevent against causing the other harm," said Severus sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, Ginny's crafty," muttered Harry. "She'll find a way."

Severus walked over with a salad and pumpkin juice. "But why would you give him another chance?" he asked evenly.

Harry gulped down the pumpkin juice, feeling a bit of his energy return to him. His mouth salivated with the smells of cooking food. He began to stuff his mouth with his salad.

Severus sneered at him. "How is it that you gained all of my knowledge and memories, but somehow failed to acquire my good table manners?"

Harry paused and looked up, his mouth full. "Noboszy's purfext," he said.

Severus looked away. "Disgusting," he spat.

Harry swallowed hard, choking down his laughter. He continued to eat his salad at a much calmer rate as Severus finished preparing his meal. He laid the food on the table and sat across from Harry, who carefully filled his plate in the most socially acceptable manner possible.

"You're not eating?" he asked.

"I ate an hour ago."

Harry nodded, and set to enjoying his meal. Severus was watching him, and Harry knew he was still waiting for an answer. He shifted in his seat and said as though there had been no pause since the question, "Because I know him well, and I care about him."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment. "Harry, are you confusing our memories?"

Harry thought before he answered. "No. I cared about him before. He's told me a good deal about his life, and he's shown me what I believe to be his true self. One of them, at any rate." He took another bite as he tried to figure out how to say what he meant. "I believe that he did not intentionally betray me. I think that when he told his father about Ginny, he was trying to protect me, in his own fucked up way."

Harry felt a bit disappointed that Severus did not react to his attempt at humor, but he didn't show it. He continued, "The way he talks to me when we're alone—I always suspected, and your memories of teaching him Legilimency confirmed, his feelings for me are among the most genuine feelings he's ever had. He's still Malfoy. I don't know if I can trust him—you don't know if I can trust him—but I feel compelled to give him one last chance, to let him know what the stakes are, and to let him prove himself."

Harry and Severus held each other's eye for a long time, but neither of them used Legilimency. They had an unspoken agreement not to mess with their link at least until Harry's mind was sorted out.

Harry thought about the feelings Severus had for him. When he possessed him, those feeling were locked so tightly that he had to fight to get to them, and he knew Severus at least had been unaware of them. As he looked into the black eyes that were currently as unreadable as his own, he wondered if the past two weeks had made any difference. But he knew he would never ask.

"That is your choice," said Severus finally. "But I nonetheless encourage you to sieve out my memories of my godson, as they could be confusing to you in this regard."

"Duly noted," said Harry. "I don't really want memories of changing his diapers, anyway."

Severus' face was hard, and Harry knew he was struggling not to smile. He turned back to his meal.

Eventually, Severus continued. "I also think you should sieve the memories of the Marauders."

Harry looked up, waiting for an explanation.

Severus held his eye and said levelly, "I know you have precious few memories of your father and his friends, but I doubt those are memories you should keep. I think it would be better if you had fewer memories, but were able to continue to love them."

Harry nodded once, and said slowly, "I'm also going to sieve your romantic interest in my parents." He paused, and then said, "It's awkward."

Severus nodded once and opened his mouth, but then closed it again. The room was suddenly very thick with tension. Harry laid down his fork and knife.

They looked at each other for a long moment, and Harry knew that Severus was trying to decide if he should say it out loud, or just hope for an unspoken understanding. After a long pause, he said slowly in a voice that was barely a whisper, "And my feelings for you?"

Harry felt himself flush, and he remembered how he used to get embarrassed rather easily, and how he had always worn his emotions on his sleeve. He looked away.

"I'll leave the final decision to you—for this conversation as well… But I would like to keep that." He dropped his voice, and cursed himself inwardly for proclaiming his embarrassment by blushing so much. "It's selfish, really. I have very few memories of being cared for. It's nice."

Severus regarded him in silence, and then said, "Okay."

XIXIX

They spent the weekend in the cottage sorting through the mess of Harry's mind, trying to strike a balance between Severus' knowledge and will, and Harry's sense of self. It occurred to Harry that this must be a trying, if not completely humiliating, experience for Severus—sorting through and discussing the 'useful value' of each memory.

But if it bothered him at all, Severus never once let on. He sat tirelessly through long hours of sieving, talking Harry through the shifts in his self-perception and trying to find a way to maintain his own skill level in Harry with the fewest "bad memories" as possible.

Dumbledore, Ginny, and Madam Pomfrey each made periodic visits. There was a full moon this weekend, so Lupin had moved to another location. Harry knew, judging by the concern his visitors showered upon him, that Lupin would not be at all happy that he had to be absent from Harry during this weekend. But Harry also knew that after sieving certain memories, he would like Lupin much better when he returned than when Harry had first awoken.

At Ginny's urging, Harry wrote Ron and Hermione a note saying that he missed them terribly, but that he was okay, and he would explain everything when he returned, which would probably be on Monday.

Whenever Ginny would come in, she and Harry would sit down and discuss everything that had happened while they were separated. During their first visit, Harry noticed that Dumbledore was barely able to conceal his mirth and Severus was barely able to conceal his annoyance. He finally asked what the problem was, to which Severus replied with a scowl, "You are speaking your twin gibberish."

Dumbledore went on to explain that Harry and Ginny had apparently already developed a twin language—a feat that took most twins years to accomplish. They seemed to slip into twin language whenever they discussed things that were personal between the two of them. Harry and Ginny couldn't tell the difference.

Monday morning, when Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione nearly bowled him over, hugging him fiercely. Ron slapped him on the back with a huge smile, relief very evidently washed over him. The other Gryffindors, as well as members of the DA from other Houses (except for Slytherin) also crowded around and greeted him warmly, asking him where he had been, how was his training, and was he ready to kick You-Know-Who's arse?

Harry laughed and talked lightly, trying to remember not to shield his happiness too much since that was what Severus did, not what Harry Potter did. But it was strange to come back to school. The students seemed so young, even his friends, and Harry knew that with Severus' knowledge his classes would be a breeze if not dreadfully boring.

But he understood the necessity of remaining in school. Not only would it help to maintain the pretense that Harry was just a normal sixteen-year-old (so that Voldemort would underestimate him), but he would also still need to take his NEWTs next year if he was to pursue a career in the wizarding world after the war was over and he graduated.

He looked across the Great Hall and caught Malfoy's eye and gave him a significant look. Then he sat down to breakfast with his friends, resuming the life of Harry Potter.

During Potions class, he laughed at a mumbled joke Ron told him, and Snape promptly gave him detention, yelling at him for his lack of respect.

After dinner, he locked himself, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in his dorm room, and told them everything—everything he could remember, at least. His mind was still rather muddled, far more muddled than he had anticipated, in fact. He was thinking now that it might potentially be weeks before he felt confident enough with his mental abilities to return to Voldemort's head. But with Severus' knowledge and skill, he felt confident that he would have far superior control of his powers.

"It's all going to be over soon," he told them. "But for now, while I sort out this mess in my head, we need to work with the prophecies. Ginny told me that you spent the last two weeks charting and cross-referencing them?"

Ron and Hermione nodded. Hermione said, "It's extensive, but a lot of it is also very vague."

Harry furrowed his brow. "We'll work on that and see what we can come up with. We also need to figure out how the hell I'm going to vanquish Voldemort. I don't think we should rely solely on the prophecies for that, especially if they are so vague."

"Harry," said Ron, "No one is going to send you to Azkaban for using the Killing Curse on Voldemort. But even if you can't because of your scar—your link or whatever—there are still plenty of ways to kill a wizard."

"Right," said Harry, "But last time he was killed, his soul lived on. I don't want to have to do this every couple decades for the rest of my life. We need to find a way to destroy his soul—or banish him or something."

Hermione made a face like she was going to be sick. "I've been researching that for months," she admitted. "I haven't been able to find anything so far. We're going to need access to the Restricted Section for that, I think."

"Then we'll get access to the Restricted Section," said Harry.

Hermione looked down. "Harry… it's quite possible we're only going to find something among dark magic texts."

Harry nodded. "I know. But first of all, Ron's right. No one would send me to Azkaban for using an Unforgivable Curse against Voldemort. I'm sure there would be no legal repercussions for destroying him with dark magic. But as far as my own morality…" he sighed deeply, remembering his life as a Death Eater spy, "Magic is inherently neutral. It's how you use it that makes it light or dark. Any spell I use to destroy Voldemort, body and soul, well, you can almost guarantee that it was only used for dark purposes previously. But to use it to destroy the greatest evil of our age—that can't really be considered dark magic. It's worth the risk."

They sat in a thick silence, each knowing the risks that accompanied the use of dark magic—the corruption of your soul, the hardening of your heart. They looked to each other, silently agreeing that it was, indeed, worth the risk.

Finally, Harry said, "I have something else to tell you."

Ginny felt his slight sting of embarrassment, and looked up sharply. "Harry, no!" She knew what was coming.

Harry looked at her sadly, and continued. "At Severus' request, I've been reading the Slytherins for several weeks. Many of them are looking for an 'out' so that they don't have to follow Voldemort. I'm going to offer it to them."

Ron nodded reasonably, but Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "There's more, isn't there?" she asked, and Harry nodded.

"I'm starting tonight with my ex-boyfriend," he said quickly.

"Your ex-boyfriend is a Slytherin!" choked Ron. Hermione's eyes had doubled in size.

Harry paused a moment, carefully avoiding Ginny's eye. "He's Draco Malfoy."

Silence followed, and Harry wondered what would happen next.

It was Ginny. "You're going back to him, aren't you," she said evenly. It was not a question.

"Yes," said Harry, turning to look at her, to soak in the fury and pain of betrayal and rejection. But her face was inexpressive, and to Harry, that was worse.

She stood up and walked out.

Harry followed her, but she swept swiftly down the stairs, across the common room, and up the stairs of the girls' dormitory. Harry rested his head against the doorway to the stairs, trying to capture Ginny's feelings, but unable. She didn't seem to be able to distinguish her own feelings, herself.

'I'm sorry, Ginny,' he thought to her. 'I love him.'

'I know,' she thought back, and Harry was suddenly aware that she was crying. 'Give him another chance,' she thought, and Harry knew she understood his reasons, even though they had never discussed them. 'But be careful, and give me some time.'

Harry stood there against the wall, feeling dejected. Then he felt Hermione pulling on him, and he turned around and hugged her closely. Ron was standing behind her.

"She hates him even more than you guys," said Harry with a weak smile.

"He reported to his father about the twin bond?" asked Hermione softly.

Harry nodded. "He hates her too, I guess."

Hermione patted his back and whispered, "It's hard being with someone your friends hate."

Ron shifted uncomfortably.

XIXIX

Harry made his way down to the lake, this time without his invisibility cloak. He saw Malfoy standing under the beech tree, watching him approach. When he drew near, he could see the careful smirk, the guarded eyes, the pale glow of moonlight on his blonde hair.

Harry abandoned all pretences. He strode forward and grabbed Malfoy up in a powerful embrace and kissed him passionately. Malfoy froze for a second, but then responded, pulling Harry against him, clinging to him desperately.

"Potter," he gasped, "Where were you?"

"Away," breathed Harry, tugging at Malfoy's robes, pulling them off. Malfoy responded in kind, flinging Harry's robes into the grass.

They dropped to the ground, discarding clothing as they went.

"I thought something had happened," said Malfoy into Harry's neck.

"Something did." Harry rolled on top of the blonde, running his hands across the smooth skin, dragging his nails just slightly. Kissing him deeply, he slid in between Malfoy's legs, rubbing their bodies together, feeling the heat flowing between them.

"I need you," he whispered deeply into Malfoy's ear as he slid himself in, pushing forward slowly, gently. "Tell me this is real," he said, grazing his teeth across Malfoy's throat, clutching at him underneath his shoulders. "I need you to tell me this is real."

Malfoy rocked underneath him, clawing at Harry's back. "I missed you," he whispered desperately.

"Tell me," pleaded Harry, pulling against him, squeezing him close, their bodies pressed together until he couldn't tell where he ended and Malfoy began. "Say it, Malfoy."

"Potter," he gasped, trembling as Harry thrust into him again and again.

"Say it!" Harry was only just holding on.

"This is real," he whispered, and they shuddered against each other, coming together, burying themselves in each other.

"This is real."

XIXIX

XIX

X

A/N: Do I cater to my fans?

Yes, yes I do.

Thank you for reading! Please review!

CS Whitewolf: Thank you, chickie! And as far as Harry's "no longer as expressive" eyes go, he's just absorbed a Snape into him. Must… fight… scowl… And no cupboards for Harry and Draco- horny boys with issues will find a way to fuck, you know? Thanks once again!

Riantlykalopsic: Eep! Wow! Thank you!

Pat2: Blushing furiously here! My mom always said I wrote like a punch in the gut. But I still can't believe it when people tell me how much my writing affects them. So really, thank you very much for saying so, and for telling me what hits you most about the story, and for sending other readers my way! I love getting reviews, but reviews like that are just, wow. Thank you. And this story's got a few more good twists left in it- I hop you enjoy those as well.

LadyLilyPotter: yay! Thank you. And as for "after effects" of the bond… um… just keep reading. (heehee)

Wolfen-alysha-draco-dragon: Here! Here! Take it!

SheWolfe7- Thank you! The answers are coming (well, more answers- you kind of know Draco's reaction to Harry being gone, now)

Wintermoon2: Yo, yo! Thank you again! And I've thought of something you can do for me, and I'm going to request it here while I'm thinking of it. Send me your address so I can send you the stuff for your paper. Or is it too late?

Yuki Kurai: Ooh, Virginia, yes. Hmm, here's the deal. I couldn't remember while I was writing, and my lovely beta CS Whitewolf pointed it out to me, but we both agreed that we like Genevieve better. Can you live with me for changing that bit of cannon? Please? I promise, I'm normally really good about fixing mistakes like that… I just want to keep this one. And thanks for telling me! And thanks for reading!

Slice: Hey, Damn Woman here. And here's what I got to say to you: um, thank you. And no! My story is not going to get so complicated that Sev sleeps with Ginny (and I'm sorry, but, ew!) Complications from here on out will probably deal more with the war than with relationships. Not to say there won't be relationship complications- there will be quite a few- but even though I love them both, Severus will never ever ever ever ever ever ever sleep with Ginny Weasley in this story. Ever.

Headphone therapy- I daresay you liked this chapter a bit better than the last, yes? And about the Genevieve thing… sure! He was kidding. Sometimes my family members call me Katherine even though Kati is long for Kate. But I've already spoken, and unless there is a huge fan uprising, Ginny will continue to have been called Genevieve in Chapter 17. Although I really don't think it's going to come up again. One time only Genevieve-ness, it was.

Elebereth- Thank you, and keep reading and find out! Yay!

Isis-mystic: Thank you. And Harry didn't talk to Draco at all because he was in a coma. And while I did splurge and give some other perspectives in Chapter 17, I'm not going to do that with Draco in this story because he has to stay somewhat of an unknown. It keeps Harry angsty, and the story interesting. If we knew what he was thinking too, it would get boring.

DracoLuciusLover: Woohoo! Thank you! And um, you don't "love" Draco and Lucius at the same time, do you?

Nemati: Thank you!

Dragonphly: Not too nice. I think he's just going for decency. Because you're right. Harry could at least match Draco, if not ground him to nothingness. Glad you like!

Terence: Yay! Cookies galore! And agreed. Draco/Harry rocks.

B: (screams) It was an accident! I didn't mean to blow anybody the fuck away! (tears shed) B was so nice.

Shania Maxwell- Wow! Thank you!

Kat- You like Ginny and the angst love of H/D, AND you said "wibbles" You rock.

Relle- Bad dog! No growling at Ginny! Go sit in the corner! And happy birthday. Snape says so too.

Rowenna: Hmm, I hope you liked this chapter (coughH/DGETTINGSOMEcough) Thank you muchly!

Katy Kinneas: Don't cry. I will not discontinue this. I may wait a bit before I start the sequel, but this will be a complete story in it's own right, so don't worry 'bout that. Tell your parents I'm sorry I made them worry… um… something like that… anyway, yes, I am so very glad that you like my story!

Roxa- Here it is. More to come!

Pure Black- Harry shut him out of his mind. He tried as soon as Harry went under and Sev realized that it was not a magical coma and that Harry was therefore still capable of magic, but the couldn't use the link until Harry wanted to at the end- Harry's more powerful than he is- there just wasn't much he could do.

Mi Su- Okay, they're on shagging terms again. All is right with the world.

Silent-sounds: More with Draco in it. Gotcha.

Anon.- Eep! Wow! Thanks!

Stiffo2004: Yay! Two day reader! Thank you! Okay, in answer to your questions, Yes, Draco/Harry still exist and, hmm, maybe, Harry might fall in love with someone else. You'll really have to ask him about that- he's not telling me; Um, I'm not sure if he's the actual heir of the founders, or just has their abilities. It's not really important to my story- so take it however you like it. Thanks for reading!

Emiline: You don't like them romantically or as twins? And really, what is it with people hating Ginny so vehemently? I don't get it! Ginny rocks! But thank you for reading!

Beth- Hey. I emailed you, and I meant it. You really did make my night with that review. Even now, very happy to re-read it. Again. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. "the whole i love you i have to pretend i hate you i betrayed you but not on purpose and i really just want to get in your pants" is the best summation of their relationship I've heard. And your expectations for the future- I can't say that they will be perfectly fulfilled, but I can say, based on everything you had to say about the story's past, that you will be very happy as you read on. Really, I can't tell you how much your review touched me- knowing how much you were affected in those four hours of reading my story- it's an amazing feeling, and you rock for making me feel it! Thank you.

Jaime- Cruel, am I? Well maybe I'll just go back and edit out that last scene of this chapter then, eh? What do you think about that? No play for Harry and Draco. Feel good about your name-calling now?... Who am I kidding? It's an idle threat. I'm gonna keep writing. More H/D to come…

Riley Cat: Yay! Thank you! I love Sev, myself. He's a complete person in my head. And the more I read on the more I like the Slytherins, and want them to be real people too. I'm also digging more on the Harry/Sev pairing, but I stand by my words of no sex for them this story. But no promises beyond.

Brenna8: Gah! Here! Read it read it read it!

Usually Immaculate Aristocrat: Ew! You threw up! Do you want Sev to make you a stomach settling potion? Because he'd do that for you, you know. But that's a great point you made. Bond with Ginny. Bond with Sevvie. No bond with Draco, but they're still getting play. Hmm… makes you think, huh?

Tygrressatheart- Eep- Here! It's yours! Read it! Enjoy it! More to come, and from what you're wanting, I'd say you'll like it!

Mayhem El-Diablo (chapter 8)- Thanks! Enjoy your dinner!

Mayhem El-Diablo (chapter 15)- Thanks! Enjoy shopping!

Mayhem El-Diablo (chapter 17)- Thanks! Enjoy falling off the chair! Oh, ahem, I mean, er, glad you liked it. More to come, so I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Nation El-Diablo- Hey, are you related to Mayhem? Anyway, thanks!

Hayley- Well of course he is a real character. Cute too. Bit of a bully, but human underneath. You know how it is.

Takuto-kun- Really, though, what is it with people not liking Ginny? Bothering me. But I'm glad you like the story, and I too am a fan of legilimency. It's neat.