"Remus, tell me what you...oh." Harry slid to a stop.

Remus sat up from his comfortable slouch, pulling away enough to put visible space between him and his guest. Space that hadn't been there before.

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Oi, hero! Come on in if you're going to burst in and interrupt everybody."

Harry's face hardened as he moved in and shut the door behind him. "I have permission to burst in here whenever I feel like it," he stated, words clipped. His eyes went from Dom to Remus.

Remus, to his shock, blushed. "It's alright, Harry, come in. What were you saying?"

Harry didn't look at the way Dom's body was angled in to Remus, or how flushed he was. He didn't look at Dom at all. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Remus smiled. "Dom's safe, Harry. He's being inducted into the Order soon." His eyes met Harry's though, silently asking if it was truly private.

Harry wanted to commuunicate that it was. But he met grey eyes and grimaced, knowing Remus would see through him. "You knew we were talking to Poddy this morning."

Remus nodded, and to Harry's great irritation he glanced at Dom. "Poddy is a house elf who claims to have some useful information."

Dom nodded, leaning back with his arm stretched over the back of the sofa. As if he were at home there.

Harry looked away from him. "You didn't show up."

Remus leaned forward, picking up a glass from the coffee table. "I've heard stories of the house elves' origins before. It was nothing new."

"You dildn't tell us?" Harry's voice snapped.

"I wasn't sure which part Poddy was implying would be useful," Remus answered. There was a question in his eyes.

"Well, none of it was. Load of nonsense about high elves and ceremonies. Snape was there," he added.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Was he?"

"Yes."

Remus sighed when Harry didn't go on. "Have a seat. Let's talk this out."

"I'm fine." He turned to Dom, since the man insisting on being present. "What're you doing here?"

"Harry."

Dom waved at Remus. "This is Remus's room, isn't it? Guess that means Remus wants me here."

Harry bristled at what was obviously a challenge. "That's so, is it? How long until you tell Death Eaters where we are and let them in to kill us?"

"Harry!" Remus's voice was sharp suddenly.

"Wasn't me, mate. Someone else let them in."

"You were the person who knew the way. According to Percy you're one of the only ones. That was your whole job there, to guide people. Even the Unspeakables couldn't get to that rooms without you."

Dom leaned in, elbows on his thighs, grabbing a glass half full of amber liquid. "Percy Weasley's a big-mouthed prat."

"Yes, he is, but he's also right most of the time."

"Doesn't matter. I didn't bloody do it." Dom met his glare with annoying steadiness, though there was something in his gaze Harry didn't like. Something shifty.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Harry, stop it."

Harry turned to Remus. "Why do you trust him? You don't even know him."

Remus's expression was tight, almost hurt. "I told you to stop."

"Because he's a werewolf, right?" Harry shook his head. "They probably planned that when they told him to come here."

"Bit paranoid, aren't you?"

"Dom." Remus hesitated. "Let us talk alone for a few minutes."

Dom studied him, then shrugged and stood. "You're a glutton for punishment, Remus." He turned.

And went to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Harry stared. "He isn't leaving? Why's he going in there?"

"Harry. Come here and sit down."

Harry felt horror overtaking him. He flinched, wide eyes going to Remus. "You're not. You are not bloody shagging that...that!"

"Sit i down /i , Harry!"

Harry gaped at Remus. He sat down almost gingerly. "I don't believe it. You're not. You can't be."

"What I'm not doing," Remus replied, "is answering that. If you came in here to talk to me about something, I'd advise you to do it, and do it like the adult you have demanded to be treated as, and not some jealous child."

Harry drew back, shock filling him. He stared at the anger in Remus's eyes, so unlike him.

But even as he watched the anger softened. "Dom is a werewolf, yes. He is also rather good company, and he is fast becoming a friend of mine. He is - as everyone is I hope you realize - innocent until proven guilty. He has told me what he knows, and I believe him. That should be good enough for you."

Harry frowned. "Fine. You're right. I was rude. I wasn't expecting him here, and Percy said it really looked like he might have..." Remus's expression was starting to harden again, so Harry stopped.

There was an awkward pause. Harry looked away from Remus, and away from the two matching glasses and the bottle of Remus's favorite scotch. His eyes trailed over familiar battered old furniture, mismatched but cozy.

"You spoke to Poddy? And learned nothing useful?" Remus spoke as if none of the last minutes had happened.

Harry jumped on it gratefully. "Right. Snape said it was a waste of time. Hermione, too." And that, of course, made it incontrovertible fact.

"Why a waste?"

"Well, because. If their magic was granted by some elves that aren't around anymore, it's not something I could just study from a book, is it? It's not something I can learn."

Remus studied him. "Why not?"

"Because. I can't. I'm not a house elf."

"Harry, there are always things to learn from stories like that. "

"Like what? Like if I slave away happily for a more powerful race maybe they'll be nice and give me some of their magic?"

Remus smiled, and things were back on track again. "That's something to test out on another day, I think. Did you learn anything about why the house elves' magic is more powerful than ours?"

"Because it came from those other elves?"

Remus waited.

Harry sighed and thought about it, as he knew he was supposed to. "Because they were obedient. No...because they were happy to be obedient." He hesitated, frowning. "Because they cared about the other elves?"

Remus nodded. "Because they cared about everything. Because their magic came from a place of light. To this day not even the most powerful dark magic has been found to counter house elf magic. What does that tell you?"

Harry leaned in, brow furrowed. "Light magic is stronger."

"Maybe that's a clue in itself." Remus smiled. "Maybe Severus was right, and throwing the killing curse at Voldemort has no effect because it adds dark to dark."

Harry sighed. "Fine. So tell me a light and loving spell to kill someone, and I'll go after him with that."

Remus laughed. "I didn't say I had all the answers."

The owl came at a very crucial moment in the brewing of the potion he made for himself. As if planned to ruin his day, like every other time the damned Death Eaters had invaded his life.

He heard the pecking at his door and set the cauldron to simmer. It wouldn't take long for the difficult potion to sear beyond use, so he moved to the door and shoved a sickle at the bird as he unwrapped the scroll. He slammed the door on an annoyed squawk and made his way back to the table.

The sight of jagged writing drove the potion from his mind. He stopped in his tracks and went to the top of the letter, reading.

That was a cozy home you had in Ireland. And a cozy home you have now. A pity, then, that traitors aren't allowed to have nice things. Or to share them with little Irish Mudbloods.

We will see you dead, traitor. But first, we will take it all from you.

There was no signature, but Malfoy was all over the note.

Draco had been a challenge for him. Like all the Slytherins his path was a tricky one. Snape had tried his hardest, in every way he could, to convince the young Malfoy of the foolishness of slavery at the Dark Lord's hands. But of course there had been little he could do. Malfoy was his father's son, and if the boy had gotten the idea that Snape wasn't loyal, he would have gone straight to Lucius.

But first, we will take it all from you.

He frowned, eying the table full of ingredients laid out waiting to be mixed in. His potion was already ruined, but...

And then his chest started to ache and his mind started to work overtime. Malfoy knew about Seamus. He knew where Snape had lived and destroyed it. He had someone at Hogwarts.

i Little Irish Mudbloods... /i

He grabbed at his chest, groping under his shirt for the charm they both wore. i Where are you/i

There was no answer.

He was out the door and charging up the stairs towards the man floor of Hogwarts faster than he could think. "Poddy!"

The house elf appeared and instantly darted to follow. "Yes, Severus Snape?"

"Where is Seamus?"

"Poddy is not knowing, sir. Poddy is helping with the lunch for Harry Po-"

"Find him! Now!"

Poddy vanished.

Snape focused his energy on the necklace, speaking low under his breath the words of an old, powerful charm.

The other necklace was near.

He moved, led on by a magic that guided his legs. Towards the doors. Out to the grounds. Around the side of the castle and towards the lake.

Bloody fool child, always taking walks in this cold air though he was getting sicker.

Another pop brought Poddy, and round eyes told Snape all he needed to know. "Poddy is not finding"

"Shut up and look harder. " He was almost out of breath. The boy was there. Somewhere. He had to be.

Poddy whimpered and vanished again.

It was close. Snape put on a burst of speed, moving away from the edge of the lake and to a spot of trees. He tried not to realize that if he kept going in this direction he would reach Hogsmeade. The edge of the grounds. The edge of the anti-apparation charms.

He pulled his necklace free of his shirt and grasped it.

A glint of light, discarded and out of place, answered from the roots of a tree near him.