Harry moved down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room, looking out at the empty couches and armchairs. The table where he and Ron had played their first game of chess.

He smiled faintly when he saw the person sitting at that very table, staring into space. "Ron." His voice was careful. He had no idea how Ron was feeling, particularly after the news about Percy.

Ron blinked and looked at him. He flashed one of his quickfire not-really-happy smiles. "Morning, mate."

Harry moved down off the stairs and went to the table, taking a seat on the other side. "How's...everything?"

Ron shrugged. "Gin's coming home. She's pretty upset. Bill's going to meet us at the Burrow." He smiled faintly. "First time we've all been together for a while. I'm scared to see what Fred and George have done to the house."

Harry smiled back uncertainly. "Listen..."

"No thanks." Ron cut him off, but smiled crookedly a moment later. "Really, Harry. We'll deal with it. I want to see them before I go spouting off any words about that shitehead I might regret later."

Harry nodded. He tried not to feel guilty for being relieved that Ron didn't want to rail against Percy to him. "So. You and Hermione alright? You upset her a bit last night, I think."

"I dunno yet. She...er. She slept on the couch last night. Didn't make me, that's maybe a good sign."

Harry smiled. "Sounds like it. You know she loves you."

Another tight shrug. "Seems like it most of the time. Then it seems like she's trying to raise me. I can't decide if she wants a husband or a student. And then I think..."

"That it's just you. And if she was with someone a bit smarter she wouldn't be this way."

Ron looked hurt for a moment, but nodded honestly.

"Ron, I'm not saying it because it's true. I just...had a feeling you felt that way. Especially after last night. I mean, she does cut you off a lot, but I never thought you minded. I guess...well. Hermione is Hermione. She teaches everyone. She corrects Snape when he talks, and argues points with Remus. It doesn't matter who it is, she's always the same."

"Not with you," Ron said softly, rising from his chair and moving away. He paced towards the fireplace, his long body looking wilted.

Harry blinked in surprise, both from the statement and how much it seemed to hurt Ron to say. He hesitated, thinking about it. Ron was jealous of him in some way, which was nothing new really. He had never shaken Ron from it, and he had tried.

He stood and moved in behind Ron. "Not very often, no."

"Not ever, Harry. Except some admonitions to do our homework when we were twelve years old. Never since then."

Harry frowned, unused to seeing Ron so defeated. His friend had always been insecure, but he hid it behind boasts and jokes. He was strong, even if no one noticed. Dealing with overacheiving brothers who left him such massive footsteps to follow, competing for attention in his large family, it all added to it. And to make matters worse his best friends were a genius Muggleborn witch and Harry let's-pile-the-fate-of-the-wizarding-world-on-his-shoulders Potter. He got lost when he was with them.

But not lost to them. Never. Which was why this surprised Harry. He could study Ron's profile and his slumped shoulders and guess his friend's fear, understanding though he never thought about it before. "You think Hermione settled for you."

Ron shrugged too intently to be casual. "Not such a crazy thought. You're smarter than me. You know when to shut up, which I guess I don't. You're Harry Potter."

"Right. I'm not you. And you're the one she wanted. You're the only one she ever went after, Ron. She never liked me."

"Maybe she did. Maybe she hid it."

"Ron." Harry tugged Ron's arm, turning him around. "Are you telling me you think Hermione's been lying to you all these years?"

Ron looked stark. "Not lying. Fooling herself. Maybe it was okay with her to be with me because we were always with you anyway. But if you...when you leave, it will just be me and her. And maybe she'll get tired of correcting me without having you there to soften it. Maybe..."

"Ron!" A familiar admonition, from a familiar voice. But a new tone.

They turned, and Hermione stood in the portrait hole, her hand at her mouth.

Ron sagged. "Bloody hell."

"I just...I came to see if Harry was ready, and..." She moved in, meeting Harry's eyes bleakly for a moment before going to Ron.

Harry moved away back to the table, but he didn't sit. He hesitated, listening and trying not to at the same time.

"Ron, why didn't you ever...how could you think...?"

"I dunno. Just being stupid again, I guess." His voice was full of false bravado. Trying to make a joke but failing because he thought the words were true.

There was silence. Harry glanced over uncontrollably and saw the pale tinge to Hermione's skin. "I never gave you a reason to feel otherwise, did I?"

Ron spoke faster then, quick to defend her as he always was. "Course you did. Lots of times things are great."

"And lots of times I make you feel like you're stupid. Ron..." She clasped one of his hands in her smaller ones. "I'm the idiot."

"No. It's me. Harry was right, you're the same with everyone. I knew that from the day we met you. I shouldn't expect you to change just for me."

"You have a right to expect-" Hermione's voice rose then cut off, and she glanced towards Harry.

He smiled faintly, glad this was in the open. "I need to go see Remus," he said quietly, moving towards the open portrait hole.

They were quiet as he left.

He walked the corridors, taking a moment to wish them luck. They really were good for each other. They could be an unstoppable force, and frequently were. But this had been building for a while. In a way, Harry was glad Ron had finally spoken to him, because it was too much his habit to think and dwell and never mention out loud until the pressure became too great and his temper exploded.

They would be alright. Now that she knew, she could stop hurting him. And now that he knew he could speak up, he could stop resenting it.

He smiled to himself faintly. He had been lying about needing to see Remus, but he found himself making the trip to Remus's quarters, and knocked at the door without hesitation when he got there.

Remus took a long moment to answer. He was in a dressing gown and slippers, and his hair was a mess. He smiled at Harry and opened the door to let him in. "I was about to send for breakfast, and you need to eat." He didn't wait for an answer, just moved in towards his floo to contact the kitchen.

Harry grinned fondly and didn't say a word. He looked around, seeing the open door towards the bedroom. It took only a mild amount of straining to hear the sounds of movement beyond the door, and he was relieved when the discovery only caused a faint twinge in his gut.

Sure enough Dom came out of the room a moment later, stark naked, hair in messy spikes. "Rem...oh. Harry." He grinned sheepishly. "Right. Naked."

Harry laughed, and the twinge went away. "Naked."

"Right." Dom moved back into the bedroom. "Oi! You're not here to arrest me again, are you?"

He went towards the door without looking. "No, just a friendly visit."

"Good. In that case, I give you permission to check out my skinny arse if you want."

Remus looked back, straightening from the floo, eyebrows practically at his hairline.

Harry laughed again. Maybe he'd learn to like Dom faster than he thought. "I don't need a possessive werewolf on my case, thanks."

Remus grinned. "Too right."

Dom came out a minute later, unashamedly shirtless but wearing some wrinkled slacks. He was all skin and bone, and Harry saw deep scars around one wrist, the one without the ID number tattooed on. More scars seemed to peek from his waistband.

Harry debated looking away, but gave in to curiosity. "You look like you've seen a few fights?"

Dom glanced down at himself and scratched at his stomach. "Me? Gentle as a ruddy kitten. Just that one night a month, and not all of us had constant supplies of wolfsbane being shoved down our throats."

Remus went to him, touched his arm as he past and headed to the bedroom. "Just going to get dressed, Harry. I'll be right out."

Harry nodded and faced Dom. "You gave yourself those scars?" He sat at the long, weathered sofa that didn't match a single other piece of Remus's secondhand furniture.

"Sort of. After I first got bit, and they let me out of hospital, I fell into the trap. No one wanted to give me a job. Of course my old place, this pub in Diagon, had me sacked when they found out what happened. Didn't have anyone to go to, so I had to get creative, make sure I could trap myself some way I couldn't get free from." He rubbed at the scarred wrist. "Not too many gentle solutions, though. Just some rusty chains and an abandoned basement in a closed-down pub near my old flat. Same old story."

"Same old story?" Harry repeated in surprise.

Dom flashed a tight grin. "Don't think we're all as lucky as Remus, do you? You hear about packs of werewolves in the woods? We mostly can't make it in the cities. Those werewolves are gypsies. Con artist wanderers, mostly. Almost went that way myself after a few months of chains and getting sacked too many times. I thought why be respectable if they're going to make it hard? But a friend from hospital, Arthur Weasley, guess you knew him? Anyway, he passed me on the street one day, and told me come to the Ministry for a job."

"And he helped you become an Unspeakable?" Harry's eyebrows were high. "Isn't that a big leap, from outcast of society to elite Ministry security worker?"

Dom laughed, sitting back against the couch casually. "Don't overestimate my job. I wasn't one of them, I was a bloody tour guide. Spent a few weeks learning the corridors, and that was my whole job. Didn't know what was happening in the rooms, just led people in and out. Even Unspeakables weren't allowed to know what other Unspeakables were up to. All very hush-hush rubbish."

Harry nodded.

Dom grinned. "Anyway, don't think they realized when they gave me the job that I'd be one of a handful of people who knew where His Darkness himself was spending his nights. So of course they turned on me when the attacks started."

"Why you?"

"Werewolf."

"Oh." Harry's smile faded. He knew things with werewolves were bad, but that was hard to remember sometimes. Sure, Remus was older than his years, and owned secondhand things, but he was doing alright. He had plenty of friends to look out for him.

He didn't think about others. He never knew about the others. They had no real voices to speak with, really. Not in the Ministry, not to the Prophet.

A lot of Dom was beginning to explain itself. Harry smiled faintly at the realisation. Understanding, that's what it went back to. Snape, now Dom, next Voldemort. That was some powerful stuff.

"Anyway. That's pretty much done now. Once You Know Who is dead, hopefully Dumbledore will speak up for me and make sure I don't stay a fugitive. After that, I guess it's back to square one."

"Not entirely," Remus said suddenly as he came out of the bedroom, neatly dressed in slacks and a jumper.

Dom looked back, and they shared a smile. "No. Not entirely."

Breakfast arrived in the form of a couple of house elves, who quickly arranged trays and plates before whisking off again. Without Dobby or Poddy there everything was effecient and silent. Dobby was still on his vacation, and Poddy was probably with Seamus and Snape.

When the three men were alone again, Remus poured them tea and turned more serious eyes to Harry. "When are you going?"

He shrugged. "After breakfast. Or lunch. It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Think it's going to work?" Dom asked, sipping the tea and making a face. "Bloody Welshman," he directed under his breath at Remus.

Remus laughed. "Coffee's bad for you."

Harry shrugged. "It had better work. I'm all out of options and we're almost out of time. I don't think it will be as hard as I once imagined. I had a talk with Snape that made things a little clearer."

"That's the first time I think I've ever seen you say his name without sneering," Remus said with a smile.

Harry shrugged. "I'm willing to admit sometimes I don't know everything about everyone. Anyway, I figure if we're on speaking terms after I kill Voldemort, I'll be able to taunt him about being in my debt for freeing him once and for all."

"That may not be the safest approach," Remus replied dryly.

Harry smiled and drank his tea.

"If you want me to, I'll come with you."

He nodded. "I know. But it's alright. Ron and Hermione will be there. Because if I leave without telling them again they're likely to go homicidal. Albus is staying behind. There's something he's keeping his eye on, but I don't know what."

Remus's brow furrowed. "Then I'll see you when you return. Try not to be unconscious this time. My poor heart and all."

"Right." Harry grinned but raised his cup in toast. "Here's to consciousness."

"Here's to you, mate," Dom agreed, downing his tea and shaking it off as if it were a particularly bad shot of firewhiskey.

When Harry left them a half hour later, they were still arguing the merits of tea versus coffee. And Remus looked truly happy to be doing it.

888

Severus muttered under his breath and rolled onto his side.

He was cold.

The oddness of that struck him. Seamus was a furnace, and the one thing Severus never had to worry about was getting too cold when the boy was with him.

He opened his eyes, turning his head to make sure Seamus was still there.

He was. His eyes were already open, already on Severus. His mouth was open, his eyes huge and glimmering.

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but Seamus's expression stopped him. "What's wrong?"

Seamus reached out, grabbing Severus's arm too tightly. He shook his head, drawing in a horrid sounding breath through his mouth, and forcing it out again with just as much effort. "I can't brea..." was all he could manage.

Snape jerked up and scrambled for his wand.