Harry remembered almost nothing of the morning of Dumbledore's funeral. What he recalled was brief flashes. He didn't remember making a speech, but he remembered Hermione's face in tears when she told him it had been beautiful. He didn't remember carrying the coffin from the Great Hall, decked out in mourning, to the graveyard behind the school. But he did remember Remus, Professors Snape and McGonagall, Arthur Weasley and Aberforth Dumbledore holding the coffin low so that the smallest pall-bearer could reach. He didn't remember the guests arriving or leaving, but knew they must have done both as he vividly recalled Molly Weasley hugging him tightly when she found him, and doing it again when she steered him towards Draco before saying goodbye.

None of his memories were particularly strung together until the afternoon, however. Snape came down to the hospital wing and placed a hand on his shoulder. Harry jumped.

'The reading of the will,' Snape explained. 'You're supposed to be in Dumbledore's...the Headmaster's office.'

'I don't understand why I need to be there...'

'Because you're on the list, Mr Potter.'

Harry nodded reluctantly and left the Hospital Wing with Snape.

They were gathered around a table in the Headmaster's office which had not been there before. Harry recognised most of the people there – all of the Professors were on the list, Minister Bones, Aberforth Dumbledore, Remus – although there were a few older witches and wizards he didn't recognise. It was one of these people who broke the seal on the parchment at the head of the table. To Harry's surprise, the man didn't begin to read it - rather he set it in the centre of the table. Albus Dumbledore's voice was heard in the room.

'My dear friends,' the voice started. 'One more time I must trouble you to listen to the ramblings of an old man. I promise this will be the last. The great advantage we have over muggles is the ability to hang on just a little while, to leave our last goodbyes. So that is the first, and most important thing I must do – to bid you all an extremely fond farewell. Look after each other, as I'm sure you will, and you will not even notice my absence. Minerva, my dear, I know you will look after the school. Severus, I'm sure, will act as your Deputy if you ask him politely. And if I ask him politely, he will head the Order of the Phoenix, won't you Severus?'

Dumbledore laughed, and it echoed differently now. Harry realised that Dumbledore was now talking just to him. Harry felt the knot in his heart begin to unravel when he heard the Headmaster's warm, reassuring voice in his ear, just as it had been so many times in this office. 'Harry, my dear boy. I am extremely proud of the young man you have become while I've known you, and I'm sure I will be even prouder of you as time goes on. You are going to do great things. Already you and Draco have achieved something most people thought impossible. I'm not referring to your unique ability to work magic through each other, remarkable though that is. The two of you have created a bond which transcends the house divide. Remember what I told you, Harry. Love is your greatest strength. Don't be afraid of it. Those we love are constantly coming and going, that is true. But they are forever a part of us. And one day we will all meet again, never fear. It will not be for years if those who love you have any say, but I will see you again, child.'

Severus had his head bowed, listening to Dumbledore impart his final words of wisdom. Severus, I hope you forgive me for asking you these few more things. There is no-one in the world I would rather entrust my school and the Order to, and I am certain you will manage these admirably. I am proud of the man you became. But I'm afraid, my friend, that I have one last thing to ask. Look after young Mr Potter and Malfoy for me. You, of all the people in this school, understand best what those two young men will have to go through. And perhaps you can find it in you to smooth their romantic journeys a little as well as their emotional ones. Ah! To be young and in love... Until we meet again, Severus, remember what I told you. I was allowed to die as I had chosen. Headmasters, like fathers, would rather be buried by their children than bury them. I am sorry for nothing, and I pass the school to yourself and Minerva with a light heart.'

Dumbledore was speaking to everyone again. 'One more goodbye friends, and then I must go. Remember, even in these times of darkness, to live fully, so that when we come back to light you have no regrets. Then you may face death unafraid. After all...to the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. I am supremely excited about where this adventure will take me. With love, farewell.'

Harry had mouthed the final words of Professor Dumbledore to himself, and when he looked up again he saw every face in the room had the same dazed expression. They looked oddly peaceful after the shocked, grief-stricken expressions of before. Slowly they shook themselves out of it, returning to the world with a crash, but perhaps a slightly less harsh one than before.

Severus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, more gently this time. 'Come along, Mr Malfoy will be wondering where you've got to.'

Draco was asleep again when Harry returned to his bedside. He wasn't alone though. Daphne sat at his side, clutching the pale hand. She was talking quietly to his sleeping form, so Harry discretely walked off for a breath of air. By the time he came back she had stopped talking, and now acknowledged Harry. 'I'm sorry I wasn't there.'

He looked at her in surprise, 'Nobody suspected anything was going to happen, why are you sorry?'

'Aren't you sorry that he needed to jump in front of you?'

'What? Of course.'

'But it wasn't your fault. Nobody knew what Lucius Malfoy was going to do. Or what Draco was going to do.'

'I know,' Harry acknowledged. 'But there really was no reason for you to be there. I should have known what Draco would do. And what Voldemort would do...'

Daphne watched him. 'No you shouldn't have. But I understand what you mean.' She stroked the back of Draco's hand lightly.

Harry nodded towards her hand. 'Do you...?'

'Hmmm...? Oh, no. I wouldn't anyway. He's yours.' She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand in case it was inappropriate.

Harry just smiled at her. 'I don't think he's really anybody's. It wouldn't be very Slytherin to allow a Gryffindor to claim possession of you.'

She sniffed at that.

'What?'

'Do you really think it matters? That you're a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin?'

'To us, not really. I was joking... But it matters to other people.'

'Who cares?' she shot back.

'You really don't?'

'Do you know who my godmother is, Potter?'

'Andromeda Tonks.'

'Yes. That was how little my mother cared about the pure-blood Slytherins. She gave me a godmother whose name is not spoken in polite circles.'

'She must be very brave.'

'Very angry, Potter. You see, my mother was tragically, hopelessly in love with a Death Eater who got himself killed.' Daphne looked rather scathing at the idea of being tragically in love with anyone. 'Or rather, one who got himself into the thing, wanted out, and naturally couldn't. That's what it is to believe in house rivalry, Potter. To believe in blood. You end up killer or killed. My godmother got out of that, married a muggle-born. Gets the best of both worlds.'

'The man your mother was in love with...was it Regulus Black?'

'How did you...? Oh, of course, Sirius was your godfather wasn't he? I'm sorry.'

'Thanks,' he replied quietly.

She got up. 'I should really go, Potter. Tell Draco I'll see him in the Great Hall tonight, he said he was getting up for dinner.'

'Sure,' Harry agreed.

Harry was sitting in the Great Hall picking at his food. None of the students seemed particularly enthusiastic in what was going on. It was because of this lack of conversation that when Draco opened the door to enter the hall, everyone heard. He was still pale and leaning heavily on a crutch. As he walked towards the Slytherin table the whisperings began.

'Spy.'

'Blood-traitor.'

'Deserter.'

'Turncoat.'

Harry got up, and walked towards Draco. 'Shut up.' There was complete silence. He wrapped an arm around the taller boy's waist to support him, and walked him past the Slytherin table to stand with the Gryffindors. After a seconds hesitation Blaise got up and walked to stand beside Draco. Daphne and Nott followed a few seconds later. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione and Ron stood up beside Harry. Ginny and Neville followed immediately, and then the other DA members. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables mimicked them.

Harry felt again the eerie calm that Dumbledore's presence had brought. He stood on the bench with Ron supporting him on one side and Draco (himself supported by Blaise) on the other. He looked around to see his army standing up all over the hall. Those who weren't a part of it were watching Harry expectantly. He opened his mouth to find the right words already formed, as if he had prepared for this without knowing. 'This is what you're facing - any one of you who still believes that Hogwarts is better divided. We are one. And these are the ones that have promised to protect you - any one of you who fears what might happen if you stand up against it. The best of all worlds come together against the darkness.'

Professor McGonagall got up to say something, but Snape raised a hand to stop her.

Harry hadn't even paused. 'You may fight us if you choose, but we will win. We can't not win. We are pure-blood and muggle-born. We are cunning and loyalty, courage and intelligence. We are Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin.'

Harry's face flickered in the candlelight, and his voice continued uninterrupted. He was mesmerising.

'We stand together, unafraid. We are Dumbledore's Army.'

AN2: Given the real world today, I'm kinda wishing I had left the angst for later. The fact that the DE attack nearly happened on a train is creeping me out, and then my mother quoted, practically word for word MM's comment about people taking photographs of tragedies. Love to those in London.

bda and angel of chaos: sorry about the cliffhanger, but I don't leave you that many in this story, right?
Cithara: I really, reallydidn't want to write that death, but I needed it to happen. It's weird, I hated JKR for killing Sirius, but in a way I'm glad, because it gives story angst, but I could never have killed him. On a sidenote - you'd be amazed how rarely I get called dude! Or told that I rock. I kinda like it...
hugs all of those above as well as HecateDeMort and crystal (glad it was a shock - I was afraid Dumbledore would be an obvious death)