Ron was banging on the door with all his might but the two utter pillocks inside weren't answering him. "Harrrryyyy Hhaaarryyy," he screamed—while Crabbe screamed for Malfoy. Professors Snape and Dumbledore looked decidedly unamused.

"What, pray tell, are Misters Malfoy and Potter doing in the Room of Requirement that it won't allow us to open the door?" Snape asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore coughed into his hand, and Snape turned a rancid shade of puce.

Crabbe looked thoughtful. "I didn't know that you were gay headmaster," he said.

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose into his bushy hair. "What on earth did you think I was then? I mean, I try so hard with my wardrobe and my eccentricities to make it perfectly clear that there is no way that I'm not…"

"Albus," Snape said. "I think it's more important that we get going right now, then worry about misunderstandings of your diva-hood."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, yes you're absolutely right. Do try the door again Mr. Weasley. They're quite young and they can't possibly last long. Especially with make-up sex—I mean is there anything that—"

"Headmaster!" Snape bellowed.

Dumbledore, chastised, examined his socks.

Ron hammered on the door and bellowed Harry's name again and finally, finally, there was an answer.

"Bugger off!" Harry screamed.

"Harry you have to come out here!" Ron shouted. "Remus has gone!"

Ron heard shuffling and one loud thump before the door was thrown open. Framed in the doorway was a very disheveled Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter sat on his ass on the floor beside the bed.

"What…?" Ron began.

Draco waved one hand imperially at him. "He fell, doesn't matter. What is all this about the werewolf?"

Dumbledore and Snape exchanged a glance.

Snape spoke in Harry's direction. "Against my advice Remus has decided to make one more foolhardy attempt at getting your dogfather back. He tried to sneak in to the Department of Mysteries, but he's being held by unspeakables until we get there. I would recommend we get there fast. They are called unspeakables for a reason."

Harry jumped up and headed for the door.

Ron coughed. "Ahem, barn door...barn door."

Glancing down, Harry blushed and turned his back to the door while he pulled up his zipper.

Snape rolled his eyes. "It is quite obvious to everyone here what the two of you were doing. Being embarrassed by what you've done only proves that you weren't fit to do it…" Snape trailed off as his eyes alit on the tube of lube sitting on the table. He flushed a bright burnt orange.

Draco noticed where his glance lay. "No worries professor, we didn't get to that." Snape sighed in relief. "Didn't have time—for that matter, didn't even see it sitting there in our haste," Draco added. Snape the chameleon regained his puce coloring from earlier.

Dumbledore laughed. "Next time," he said cheerfully, "next time."

Harry and Draco exchanged a sickly glance and smiled feebly at the headmaster.

"Uhm… er. Yes, headmaster." Harry said awkwardly.

Crabbe chortled.

Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged. Draco rolled his eyes.

"We should, er…get going," Ron said, though how he had the presence of mind to talk no one was sure; he looked red enough to spontaneously combust.

"Yes, by all means let us retreat form this…scene," Snape snarled.

At the Department of Mysteries Remus sat on the floor, woefully sobbing into his robes. Albus patted him softly on the shoulder and shushed the worst of his crying while Harry, Draco, Crabbe, Ron, and Snape went through the extensive security checks.

"Remus?" Harry tentatively asked, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Remus burst into fresh sobs, and chokingly spoke through them. "I'm so sorry Harry. I—it's not that I want to leave you. I just can't keep on going without him! I tried for a year, for a whole year I tried to let him go and move on. Well, I sort of tried. I just can't." Remus looked up. "He's taken everything with him, Harry, everything important except for you. Every thread that held me to this world snapped when he fell."

Harry glanced at Draco and nodded solemnly. "That's why you have to try again. I won't do without either of you, I want you both back. Do you hear?"

Remus shook his head sadly. "I can't do it, Harry. The spell…I realized when I got here that it wouldn't work. I'd never be able to get us back through the veil without my magic."

Harry scrunched his nose. "Your magic?"

Remus sighed. "The spell requires you to funnel your magic into a lifeline that you should then be able to follow out of the veil, a little like Hansel and Gretel's bread crumbs, but as a werewolf my magic is—damaged anyway. The end of the spell would most likely suck the rest of it into the veil when it closed. It wouldn't work, I can feel it. Harry, it would pull me back before I could find him, and then I'd have to live in this world without my magic. I'm too weak to do that, even for Sirius. I'm not worth him."

Harry grimaced. "I'll do the lifeline for you."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

Harry glanced over at him. "You know that I can do it headmaster. In fact, it probably wouldn't hurt me to lose some magic. You know howmuch I carry with me."

Dumbledore nodded. "If you wish to do this, I do not think it would harm you to do it."

Snape and Draco were wearing identical thunderous frowns.

"Harry," Draco said. "What the bloody hell are all of you talking about?"

"Long or short version?" Harry asked.

Draco appeared to be considering it.

"Short. Concise. Brief." Snape snarked.

Harry drew a breath. "I absorb other people's magic when they die near me."

Snape and Draco now wore 'huh?' faces.

"It's… what I do. Some sort of evolutionary quirk in my bloodline. It's how I survived the killing curse, how I killed Voldemort. My little…er…outbursts," Harry nervously glanced at Dumbledore who was smiling at him benignly, "my little outbursts are because of how many people died around me in the war. I just kept absorbing more and more and more until I can't really control some of it now."

Snape glared at Dumbledore. "You let me punish him for this? How many times have I given him detention for…wait. I don't care." Snape shook his head disgustedly at himself. Harry laughed lightly.

"My dear Severus," Dumbledore said. "You can see how this would go if I told people willy-nilly about Harry's talent. They would be terrified of him."

"No doubt," Draco said.

Harry glanced at him worriedly.

"Oh, but I'm not," he said. "It's just if they die right?"

Harry smiled and nodded.

"That's all right then," Draco said.

"What do you say then Remus?" Harry asked.

"Harry," he said warily. "I will most likely not return--even with your help. It will be the fourth try and," Remus glanced at Snape. "I will most likely not be able to be revived. I had not really thought to...return."

Harry shook his head. "You'll be just fine."

"I won't, Harry. I won't be just fine if I go, and I won't go and leave you alone."

Harry looked over at Draco and Ron and Crabbe, and lastly Dumbledore. "I'm not at all alone," he said, his gaze resting on Draco. "Especially not now." Draco smiled at him.

Remus looked surprised, and pleased--but his voice still held some worry. "I don't know, Harry--"

"I will be your lifeline," Harry said."You go and bring Siri back."

Remus smirked. "Are you my phone home or my poll the audience?"

Harry grinned. "Phone home. Phone home," he said in a nasal voice.

The others looked at each other confusedly. Dumbledore shrugged.

Remus struggled to his feet and stood in front of the veil, hardness etched into the lines of his face. "You brought the potion, Severus?" he said, glancing over his shoulder at Snape.

Snape held up the small vial of blue liquid in his hand and shook it slightly. "Right here, half-breed."

Remus smiled. "Here I go then. I love you all," he said. Then glanced back nervously. "Well I mean, those of you that I actually know," he said, gesturing to the unspeakables gathered at the back of the room.

Harry extended his hand and laid it on Remus' back. He said the spell that would connect the lifeline and pulled back, a shiny purple line of magic connecting him to Remus.

When Remus glanced back to see it Harry smiled at him reassuringly. "I've got you, Remus. Please find him," he said.

Remus nodded, and stepped forward—disappearing into the veil. Again, Harry was sure he heard noises through the curtain.

Harry wasn't sure, but it felt like it had been an hour since Remus had disappeared. His arm was getting tired and, believe it or not, so was his magic. Glancing down at his watch he realized it had only been fifteen minutes. He glanced over at the others.

Dumbledore had a vaguely worried look on his face, and his eyes were glued on the curtains. Draco likewise wore worried look, but it was fixed on Harry. Harry smiled wanly at him. Snape's eyes were fixed on the purple line of magic that disappeared into the nether worlds, his look was less discernable—but Harry wanted to call it worried as well. Then just like that, the lifeline snapped.

For a minute at least, Harry stared at his hand in shock. He'd been pouring everything he had into that connection, and something inside the veil had broken it.

"Damnit," Snape cursed. "I knew that wouldn't work."

"Wha?" Harry asked.

Frustrated, Snape sighed. "It has to be about true love, Harry. True love is the only thing that can bring people back from the dead. And though I'm sure that you love the mutts, they're not your soul mates."

Draco walked over and wove his fingers into Harry's. Harry stared at him; Draco leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth.

"No, I uh—they're not of course. Ewh," Harry said. "But, why didn't you tell me…"

"Well it might have worked," Snape pouted. "I know you're a powerful wizard. I might have…" Snape's face twisted in disgust. "I might have believed you could do anything—there for a minute."

Harry couldn't help it, he smirked.

Snape stalked over to the pair and grunted his disgust. He pulled off his robe and revealed a thin cord attached to his waist. He held out the vial of blue liquid to Draco. "There is plenty more of this in the big cauldron in my workroom. Do you understand me?" Snape asked.

Draco nodded, tears forming in his eyes. He quickly hugged Snape. "The dogs will need two doses, I will need one. Clear?" Snape asked. Draco nodded again.

Snape glanced at Harry with softness in his eyes. "Don't you dare tell anyone I did this. Is that understood, Potter?" he said. Harry dumbly nodded, and threw his arms around Snape.

Snape walked back over to Dumbledore and handed him the end of the cord. He hugged him, then said. "No more than fifteen minutes."

Dumbledore nodded, and wrapped the cord around his wrist.

Snape walked over to the veil and studied the curtains. He fingered the cord at his waist thoughtfully. "I do love them," he said, almost to himself—and stepped through.

Harry hid his face in Draco's shoulder, and Draco buried his in Harry's hair. Dumbledore's face was ice hard and cold as he stared at the rope; his skin shockingly white where the cord wound around his arm and bit into it.