Faith Chapter 28: Christmas Surprises, a harry potter fanfic

A/N: I apologize for the delay, but unfortunately the real world likes to bite us all in the ass sometimes. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. But I sure wish I did.

Chapter 28: Christmas Surprises

Albus sighed as he studied the letter in front of him. It was a copy of the one he had sent to the families of those Harry and Ginny had named as their attackers. The older wizard rubbed a hand across his mouth and took off his glasses, closing his eyes tightly for a moment, wanting nothing more than a hot cup of tea and a long, peaceful sleep. Ah, you old fool…there's no time for sleeping, no matter how much you might want it. A cup of tea, however…slipping his glasses back on, the Headmaster conjured up a cup of hot, steaming tea. He raised the fragile porcelain to his mouth, breathing in the rich scent of the black tea for a moment, savoring the aroma. Before he could take a sip however, the door to his office burst open and the angry visage of Cornelius Fudge strode in.

The other wizard was in a rare state – his flabby face was flushed and beads of perspiration dotted his brow. The Minister of Magic was angry, and Albus had a sneaking suspicion as to why, although I hadn't expected him to arrive so soon. The Headmaster frowned and reluctantly set down his cup of tea untouched. "Cornelius, what a pleasure to see you –,"

The Minister's face screwed up into an ugly mask. "Albus, what is this about you expelling a number of Gryffindor students – namely the Weasley boys in particular?" Cornelius stayed standing even as Albus gestured for him to sit, his hands twitching at his sides. Two Aurors stood at the doorway, arms crossed silently across their chests, watching the show down between the two wizards with impassive faces.

Albus eyed the two guards at his doorway for a moment before turning back to the Minister. "Cornelius, the students who were attacked have both woken up from their unconscious states – which the Mr. Weasleys and their accomplices put them into – and identified their attackers separately. I have no choice but to –,"

"You're taking the word of some Slytherins over the Weasley children and the other wrongly accused Gryffindors? Albus, I must say, this is preposterous! That Potter boy and Ms. Nobody obviously cooked up this alleged attack to implicate the Weasley children and their former Housemates! I demand that you issue apologies to the families that Potter and Ms. Nobody has named as their attackers, and drop this matter entirely!" Spittle flew from the Minister of Magic's mouth, and Albus felt the corner of his eye begin to twitch.

"Now Cornelius –," Albus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Mr. Potter and Ms. – Nobody have verified their claims with a mild dose of Verisantium potion. What they say is the truth, and the children who attacked them must be expelled, as according to the bylaws laid down by the Ministry in accordance to school policy. Surely you're not asking me to break the law, now are you Minister?" Albus smiled at the other man, folding his hands in front of his face as he leaned back in his chair.

Cornelius scowled. "You – you – you – Death Eater sympathizer! These children have been framed, it's clear as day Albus. And if you can't see that, well then," the Minister drew himself up to his full height, "I'll make sure there's someone here that will."

Albus felt a trickle of unease run down his spine as he straightened in his seat. He studied the Minister of Magic carefully, not liking what he saw. He's scared, the older wizard absently twirled his rapidly cooling cup of tea in its saucer. He's running scared, but who's behind it? Albus had an idea, an awful, ugly idea of who was pulling the Minister's strings, but he didn't want to consider that possibility just yet. The Headmaster sat up straighter in his seat, focusing a glare at the other wizard. "Are you threatening me, Cornelius?"

The short man gulped noisily, but held his ground. "Yes, Albus. I am. I am the Minister of Magic, and it is my right, by law, to remove you from the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts if I believe that you are not performing your duties to the best interests of the students within the school." A bead of sweat worked its way down Cornelius' face, but he didn't seem to notice it. Albus blinked at the other wizard silently.

"You wouldn't dare." The Headmaster's statement made the other wizard flinch, and then slowly turn red.

"Oh yes I would you manipulative old bastard. I've sat in silence for far too long, watching you pamper and cosset that Potter boy when I should have gone with my first instinct and locked the little murderer away in Azkaban. Just because you're the heralded Albus Dumbledore, that doesn't give you the right to –," Albus cut him off with a curt motion.

Hell and damnation. The older wizard leaned back in his chair, his mind whirling. "What do you want, Cornelius?" Albus couldn't help the scorn from leaking into his tone, but the Minister didn't seem to notice.

The other wizard smoothed a sweaty hand down his robes, a satisfied smile lurking at the corners of his mouth. "That's much better, Albus." The older wizard had to force himself from grimacing. He watched silently as Cornelius finally sat down. "Now," the Minister turned an oily, poisonous smile to Albus, "what I want is for you to drop any and all ideas of expelling the children that Potter and Ms. Nobody have named as their attackers."

Albus felt one of his hands ball into a fist, and he made himself relax it consciously. "I can't do that, Cornelius. Those children have broken some very serious rules, and they must be reprimanded for it."

The Minister frowned, his anger beginning to return yet again. "No, Albus. I wont have it. Those, those Slytherins are lying. The Gryffindors they have named as their attackers are innocent, and that is that. And besides, even if they had been attacked, it was nothing more than what they deserved. Potter especially, and that Ms. Nobody; what she's done to her former family…"

"Cornelius," Albus' voice was sharp, cutting the other man off abruptly. "They have taken a truth serum, they can't be lying."

The Minister waved the Headmaster's statement away dismissively. "It was made by Snape, I'm sure he doctored it while you weren't looking. Really, Albus, he was a Death Eater once. You really shouldn't trust anything that comes from his mouth. And he's a Slytherin. He's obviously helping them. You shouldn't be so trusting, old man. It'll get you into a heap of trouble."

Albus' normally warm blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Professor Snape is long and trusted friend, as well as an upstanding teacher. He is a Potions Master, he would never –,"

"Of course he would, Albus. And you know it." The poisonous look the Minister sent Albus' way stopped the older wizard in mid sentence.

"You cannot punish Mr. Potter or Ms. Ginny for giving their statements as to whom they thought was their attackers." Albus felt his stomach roll, and he breathed carefully through his nose.

Cornelius frowned, the idea only now coming to him. "Well…as much as I would like to, no, you're right. I can't – even if they deserved it." Albus had to turn his head aside to hide his disgust for the other man.

"This leaves us quite a quandary then, Minister." Albus let his yes rest on Fawkes for a moment, tracing the patterns of the phoenix's feathers, letting the action sooth his nerves.

Cornelius snorted inelegantly. "Hardly. You send the two brats back to their dorms with a detention for telling lies and drop the matter completely. You have to be firm with these Slytherins, Albus. Otherwise the next thing you know they'll be alleging that the other Houses are persecuting them without cause, and will want some huge formal apology from them. It's ridiculous what you let them get away with, Albus. And it must be stopped."

"And how would you go about that, Cornelius?"

"By making an example out of them, of course!" The Minister of Magic stared at the Headmaster, aghast. "Drop all charges against the Gryffindors named in the attack and reprimand the Slytherin House in full view of all the students and faculty for perpetuating such lies against our most noble, and truthful House. We must be sure that these Slytherins don't have a chance to gain any sympathy from the other Houses. If you do, then God alone knows how many Death Eaters you'll have in your school. They'll take that inch you give them and take a mile, Albus. Be firm with them, but mostly, make an example of them. Make sure they know that they cannot bend our, and especially your, sympathy to their gain." The Minister leaned back and laced his fingers across his midsection, nodding seriously.

Albus stared at the other man in shock. "And if I refuse?"

An ugly expression passed across the other wizard's face. "Then you'll be out of Hogwarts so fast it will make your head spin." Albus sighed and finally dropped his gaze to the desk in front of him. He missed the pleased sneer that flashed across Cornelius' face.

"I do not like this." Albus absently picked up his wand and waved it over his teacup, making the liquid begin to steam.

Cornelius stood abruptly and looked down his nose at the other wizard. "I don't care if you like it, Albus. In fact I'm happy that you don't. Just do it, and you'll keep your precious position, and your precious Potter at this school where you can keep an eye on him. Because I promise you, Albus," the Minister placed his hands on the Headmaster's desk, his voice dropping an octave. "The second you're out of here, your precious little brat will be locked up in Azkaban before you can say Merlin."

Albus met the other wizard's eye squarely, forcing his own rising anger down. He nodded shortly, once, which the Minister seemed to take as the Headmaster's acceptance of his plan. "Please leave, Cornelius. I have things to do."

The Minister of Magic snorted and glanced down scornfully at the scattering of papers on Albus' desk. "I'm sure you do. I'll be watching, Albus. Remember that." And with that, the short wizard spun dramatically, and stalked out the door. Albus watched him go with angry eyes.

He looked down at the smattering of essays and reports on his desk and grimaced. A flick of his hand had them neatly piled and filed away. He got up from his chair slowly and walked over to where Fawkes was perched, reaching out with one hand to gently stroke the brilliant creature.

"Ah, my old friend. What am I to do?" He sighed and dropped his hand to his side, his eyes closing tightly. Oh my children. I'm so sorry. He opened his eyes and paced to one of the windows, his eyes picking out the shadowy details of the Forbidden Forest. What am I to do?

*_*_*_*_*

Harry sighed and flipped his textbook closed, taking off his glasses and rubbing at his eyes tiredly. They were giving him problems again – but he wasn't about to say anything to Madam Pomfrey about it. Not if I want to get out of the Ward sometime before I graduate. He snorted and tipped his head back, cracking the vertebras in an effort to relieve some of the tension. It didn't really work. He sighed again and slipped his glasses back on, ignoring the blurry edges around things. Dammit, I'm fine. It's just a bit of blurriness, it'll go away in a while. It not like – like – Ginny's knee. He dropped his eyes to his lap, a pained expression passing across his face. I should have gotten there sooner. I should have been able to do something. I –

"Checkmate!" Ginny's cheerful voice drew Harry's glance to where she and Bill were playing wizards chess in the bed next to him. Bill had a confused expression on his face, making Harry suppress a smile. Ginny had never been as avid a chess player as her former brothers had been, so the older boy was used to winning against his little sister. But Ginny had had the benefit of Pansy and Blaise hovering over her while she played Millicent, so she'd learned quite a bit about the game since the two of them had last played against each other.

"Won again, eh Gin?" Ginny beamed at Harry, her eyes sparkling brightly. Bill threw up his hands in mock disgust, shaking his head in exasperation.

"That's four times in a row! You little scoundrel!" Ginny merely smirked at him, in such a perfect imitation of Draco that Harry had to duck his head. The thought of the blond also raised a faint blush to Harry's cheeks – one he was happy said blond was not there to see.

After Harry had woken, Draco had been highly reluctant to leave his bedside – something which Ginny had smiled secretly about, and that action had raised the small hairs on the back of Harry's neck. The dark haired boy had appreciated the blonde's attention, but it had made him nervous as well. He was so – I don't know. I wanted him around, I did, but I didn't know what to do when he was. It's not like when we're in the Common Room, or sitting in the Quidditch stands watching practice. It was…it was like there was something more, but…oh I dunno. Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, not seeing the concerned glance Ginny sent his way.

"Alright there Harry?" Harry snapped his head up and pasted a smile onto his face, turning to face the two redheads.

"I'm fine!" He gestured to the textbook lying in his lap. "Just frustrated about the missed school work is all." Ginny seemed to buy his excuse – for which he was grateful.

The petite redhead made a face at the piled up books on the corner of her own bedside table. "Uh. I can't believe you're actually starting all of that already. I mean, the professors have given us an extension. We don't need to get them done before we leave for Christmas." Ginny flicked her fingers dismissively at the books, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Harry smiled wryly and shrugged. "I just didn't want to have to worry about it, you know? I mean, I have OWLs this year, and I really want to do well in them." He picked at the corner of his Transfigurations book. "I haven't been the best student these last couple of years, and well…if I want to do anything after I graduate, then I'll have to score well, now wont I?"

Ginny frowned and pushed the chessboard away from her absently, pushing herself up on her pillows so she could face him more squarely. "Harry – you'll be able to do anything you want to after you graduate. It's not like anybody's going to out right ban you from working in whatever field you'd like to go into."

Harry snorted cynically. "That I highly doubt, Gin. The way things are going now…I'll be lucky to get a job with anyone in wizarding England. And besides," he tapped the book in front of him smartly. "When I get a job, I want to get it because I'm actually the best qualified for it, not because I'm the blessed Boy-Who-Lived."

Ginny smiled sadly at Harry's sour tone, suppressing the wince of pain moving her leg had caused her. "Oh Harry –," the same strange expression she'd noticed from before passed across his face, and a part of her began to wonder about it, "you'll do well in whatever field you want to go in. Which," she tilted her head to the side, "by the way, is what exactly?"

Harry blinked at her for a moment, taken off guard. He thought about it for a few seconds. "I – don't really know. I guess a part of me always assumed I'd be an Auror or something. I mean, I'm pretty good at DADA and whatnot. And then, well, there's Voldemort…but, I dunno. I've never really thought about any other profession." He tipped his head to the side, nibbling on his lower lip. "How about you? What do you want to go into?"

Ginny shrugged and smoothed the covers down nicely in front of her. "For the longest time I wanted to be an Auror too…it was something that seemed so – so right, so respectable. Something that would help the people against You-Know-Who, as well as making Da – making my, my former father proud to boast about. But now," her expression clouded as her fingers skimmed along her covers. "Now I'll never be an Auror. You have to be in good physical condition to make it through the training process. Once you get to Mad Eye Moody's stage, then you can be as lame as you want. But to get in," she sighed and looked away. "To get in they make you do a number of physical courses."

Harry grimaced and Bill reached over to pat Ginny's hand. "You'll be able to do it Gin. Don't give up hope. We'll find a way to fix that knee. You'll see." She smiled wanly at her brother's words, clearly humoring him. Harry felt a fresh rush of guilt go through him, and he quickly looked away before they could catch his expression.

The door to the Infirmary opened, thankfully ending their suddenly painful conversation. Harry looked up expectantly, hoping to see either Draco or Sirius come through the doors. Instead it was the Headmaster, and something about his expression sent uneasy feelings through Harry's brain.

The Headmaster reached the ends of their beds and stopped, nodding briefly to each of them before folding his hands away inside of his robes. "Harry, Ginny, it's good to see both of you up." Harry had to force a smile onto his face, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Ginny was having the same difficultly. There was something about the Headmaster's body language that promised whatever he was about to announce to them was not going to be at all pleasant. Bill silently rose from his chair and offered it to the older wizard, which he took with a grateful nod. "Thank you Bill. Most appreciated."

Albus turned solemn blue eyes to the students in front of him and mentally sighed, hating what he was about to have to do. "Children, I know you're waiting for me to tell you what has been planned for your attackers." Both Ginny and Harry perked up considerably. The older wizard hid a grimace. "As much as I would like to tell you that all of the accused have been swiftly and punctually taken from the school, never to return, there has been some – issues brought to my attention that complicate that plan."

Harry's face darkened. "You mean you're letting them stay." Albus nodded silently. "But – but that's not fair!" Harry balled up his fists, not caring that he sounded like a petulant child. "I mean, look what he's – what they've done! They could have killed us – what in the world has changed your mind?"

Albus looked at him sorrowfully. "Harry, there are – certain factions – that have made it clear to me that both my position as Headmaster of Hogwarts, as well as your protector in this time of crisis will be severely jeopardized if I expel all of the accused."

Harry paled, sucking in a breath. "How severely?" His shoulders hunched fractionally. Ginny and Bill exchanged alarmed glances and Bill reached out to hold his little sister's hand.

Albus shifted in his seat, but did not break his gaze with Harry. "You would be taken from here and placed in Azkaban, and Slytherin would be under lock and key for the rest of the school year, only to be dismantled after the term is over." Ginny paled and gulped, while Harry's cheeks were stained with an angry flush. "I had issued letters to the families both of you named, but there has been a very large outcry about them." Now Ginny's face began to burn, and Bill let go of Ginny's hand and fisted them in his robes. "There has been many letters from parents from all other Houses to send both you and Ginny away – to Durmstrang, or Beauxbatons, and to get rid of Slytherin all together, effective immediately. While this is not a particularly new development, the volume of such letters has increased exponentially."

Harry bowed his head silently, feeling bitterness wash through him, swiftly followed by anger. Dammit all to hell and back. Why can't they see what they're doing? Why can't they see how blind they are? The wizarding world is being torn apart from the inside, and when Voldemort attacks, there will be little to stop him from conquering everything in a short time. Harry shook silently, hating the world for one long moment. Why can't they just have a little bit of faith? He sighed and finally raised his eyes to meet the Headmaster's gaze. "What are they making you do?"

Albus bowed his head fractionally, hating the defeated tone in Harry's voice. "The Minister of Magic would have me – make an example of you and Ginny. He does not like how I am favoring you and your House above all others." Ginny flushed a darker shade of red and snorted inelegantly.

"So they want you to call us liars in front of the entire school and humiliate us, is that it? You do realize that when you do that, the rest of the school will take that as your tacit approval to prey on us at any given chance."

Albus gave no indication that her scathing tone registered. "Yes, Ms. Ginny. That is what Cornelius would have me do."

"So are you going to do it?" Bill folded his arms across his chest and stared at the Headmaster with angry eyes.

Albus shook his head solemnly. "No. But neither will I be able to do anything about the attacks outright. I have chosen to let the matter die silently, in hopes to bury the notion from thought."

"Which will have a chance in hell of happening."

"Language, please, Mr. Potter."

"Well, it's true. I mean," Harry flushed angrily. "Ron and Lavender couldn't keep their mouths shut if their lips were sewn together. Add to the way it sounds like Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have been acting, everyone will know what has happened, and will take your silence as compliance to the actions."

"I know, Mr. Potter. But there is nothing else I can do."

Harry slumped suddenly, the anger and the tension suddenly leaving him at the Headmaster's sorrowful admission. The hot rush of tears made his eyesight even blurrier, and he angrily wiped at his eyes. "Why?" He looked up at the Headmaster, his face red. "Why are they doing this? I – we haven't done anything to them, why do they hate us so? Why do they hate –," he broke off, looking away as a few tears spilled down his cheeks. He sniffled and wiped them off quickly, still not turning around to face the older wizard.

Albus wanted to get up and comfort the small boy in front of him; he wanted nothing more than to take Harry away and find some spell to change everything back to relative normalcy. "I am sorry, my boy. I wish I could change it for you – I wish I could tell you why the wizarding world has lost its hope and faith in you. But I can't, and nor can I change what has happened. But we must find strength in what we do have," now the older wizard leaned forward, reaching out gently and turning Harry to face him. "You have the support of your new House – one that will always be loyal, no matter what. You have the love of your godfather, who will always stand by your side. You have the knowledge that we, I and the rest of the Order, will always believe you, no matter what. You must draw from those strengths, child, and buck up – things change, attitudes change. One of these days the public will come to understand what they have done – and what damage they have wrought. You'll see, child. You'll see."

Harry finally opened his eyes and looked at the Headmaster, but his warm words did little to banish the shadows from his eyes. "But the whispers and the rumors will always be there, Headmaster. This world is fickle, and seems set on thinking the worst of me – no matter the laurels they put on my head." The green eyes dulled and slipped away from the Headmaster's gaze. "I'm so tired of it – and I know life's not fair, it's not fair to anyone, but – but – just once, just once I'd like to see it. I'd like to see the guilty parties punished and have them all just leave me in peace."

Albus let his hand drop from the boy's chin, a chill of unease trickling through him. Harry sounded so defeated, so sad…Harry, my lad, don't you give up your hope that this can all be resolved. Because once you do, we're lost.

"Harry." Ginny's voice made the dark haired boy twitch, but did not get him to meet her eyes. "Harry." He finally looked over at her and she smiled tremulously at him. "You don't mean that." He shrugged and she bit her lower lip. "Please take it back Harry. Please." She let a quiver creep into her voice and with a relieved breath, saw the dark haired boy's shoulders slump and a small, sad smile creep over his face.

"I'm sorry Gin. I guess I'm just – tired, is all." He sighed again and took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. "It's funny, I do nothing but sleep lately and I'm still tired. Ridiculous." He put his glasses back on again and looked at the Headmaster, his eyes still shadowed. "The Minister of Magic will not be pleased that you ignored his orders."

Albus shrugged slightly and smiled. "Leave that to me, Harry. I will deal with Cornelius, you focus on getting better."

"I will," Harry promised solemnly. Albus' smile turned faintly pained and he nodded once before rising from his seat.

"You both will have to forgive an old man, children. There are – things that need to be taken care of. Harry, Ginny." With a nod to each of them, the older wizard swept from the room. The two Slytherins watched him go with shadowed eyes, both of them realizing that things could very possibly start going from bad to worse for themselves…and the entire Slytherin House.

With an irritated sigh, Ginny pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Well, there goes writing 'Gryffindors Are Sluts' in the grass of the Quidditch pitch."

"Ginny!" Bill stared at his little sister in shock, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth. Harry laughed quietly, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. Ginny winked at him.

"We could always rig the benches in the Great Hall to collapse while they're eating. We could probably do it without magic even." Ginny glanced at Harry slyly, a thoughtful frown coming over her face.

"That could work. Of course, we'd have to find something to bribe Finch with, you know."

Harry nodded sagely. "And have a large store of cat nip and other assorted treats for Mrs. Norris too." Ginny nodded in agreement.

"You two!" The two younger wizards looked up at Bill with large, innocent eyes. The tall redhead began to laugh out loud, finally having to sit down in the recently vacated chair. "I can't believe the both of you. Don't ever change."

The two Slytherins grinned at him devilishly and Bill began to snigger with laughter yet again. Harry's grin dimmed slowly as he glanced away from the tall redhead, his eyes drawn yet again to the view of the Forbidden Forest outside of his windows. It's probably silence that will kill us, he mentally sighed and pushed the dark, pessimistic tone away – but it took no little effort. He closed his eyes briefly and prayed. God, Whoever, please. Give us just a little time to get back on our feet. That's all we need. Just a little time to catch our breaths and just – be kids. Please. I – he bowed his head slightly and hunched his shoulders as Ginny and Bill began another game of chess. I'd just like to be a kid for a while. Just a normal, teenaged boy, just for a bit. Please.

He opened his eyes slowly and let out his pent up breath silently. He glanced at Bill and Ginny, smiling as the two of them set out aggressively against each other. The door to the Infirmary opened yet again, revealing Draco leading a pack of people, all of them heading towards the two of them. Harry felt another blush spread across his cheeks as Draco smiled at him, and he forced himself to smile back gamely, and look past the blond. Severus and Sirius were in the midst of a heated argument, with Remus trailing along behind them, casting anxious glances at the two of them, looking ready to spring forward should he need to separate the two of them by force. Pansy and Millicent were making a beeline for Ginny, stacks of magazines in their hands. Blaise and Neville were talking quietly together, their heads bent close in such a way that it made Harry give them a second glance.

The sight of them all made something in Harry clench, but he pushed the feeling aside gently. There will be time enough. Time enough. He pushed his threatening depression aside and smiled brightly at the mob heading towards them, placing his textbook aside without an ounce of regret.

Please let there be time enough – for everything that needs to be done.

*_*_*_*_*

"Wand?"

"Check."

"Check?"

"It's a muggle thing, shaddup. Continue."

"…Whatever. So, wand?"

"Check!"

"Cloak?"

"Check."
"Boots?"

"…What boots? I don't have boots, you know that."

"What boots? What do you mean you don't have any boots? Harry! You need winter boots – I could have sworn we got you some when we went shopping that one time!" Draco stood in front of Harry, his hands on his hips, looking frazzled. Harry smiled and shrugged, looking up from where he was sitting in front of his trunk.

"We got some knee high contraptions that were really thin…and looked really questionable. And no, I'm not about to wear them in public, thank you."

Draco ran a hand through his hair for about the tenth time that hour. "Harry," he tried his best to keep his tone even and calm. "The Malfoy Manor is in the bloody middle of nowhere. You have to have winter boots to slog along in the snow. The boots we got you were winter boots, and are knee high for a purpose. So, throw them in the trunk and don't argue!" His effort failed, but it only made Harry smile a little wider. Draco had been horrified to learn that Harry had never packed for vacation before, and quite appropriately it seemed as well.

The blond stared down at the smaller boy on the floor, his irritation fading slightly at the sight of Harry's smile. The dark haired boy had been in a strange mood ever since he'd been let out of the Infirmary and Draco was well on his way to worrying about the smaller boy yet again. The blond let a small exasperated smile flit across his face at the sight of Harry sitting in the middle of his room, surrounded by piles of shirts, pants, robes and other necessities he would need for his trip to the Manor. When Draco had gotten there, Harry had been calmly closing his trunk, ready to leave. At least, he had been ready to leave until Draco had gotten into the trunk to see what he'd packed. And summarily had an aneurysm.

Harry picked up the offending boots and chucked them into the trunk, ignoring Draco's wince and reflexive twitch. He didn't understand why he needed three sets of dress robes or why he needed four different pairs of shoes – but I've never really had enough clothes to really worry about what I should and shouldn't bring before. Aunt Petunia always made sure I had a least one set of clothes, but that was really it. They never took me anywhere, anyhow. He could feel his spirits begin to sink slightly, and he pushed the threatening bad mood away, turning his mind towards something else. He glanced up at Draco and quickly looked back down at the trunk in front of him. The blond was staring at him again, and it was beginning to make Harry quite nervous, but in a good way, he supposed. I wonder what he's thinking, Harry hated the fact that his skin was so pale – it felt as though his face was on fire.

"Alright there, Harry?"

The dark haired boy nodded quickly and plastered a smile onto his face, looking up at Draco through his lashes. "I'm fine. It's just – warm here by the fire, that's all."

Draco cocked his head to one side and studied the flush on the other boy's face. "Are you sure? You're not running a fever or anything, right?" He stepped forward and knelt down next to Harry, reaching out to touch his forehead.

Harry snorted and tried to duck out of Draco's reach, but failed. "I'm fine, really. It's just the fire. I don't know why Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey wont let me let it die down just a bit. The room is near to roasting, I swear." He cleared his throat and glanced away, trying to calm his flaming face.

Draco let his hand drop from the other boy's skin, satisfied that he wasn't running a temperature. You know, Mr. Malfoy, there are other ways to check his temperature, Draco mentally rolled his eyes at the small, sarcastic tone that whispered in the back of his mind. "You know that Severus and Madam Pomfrey are only worried about your health. They don't want you to get chilled – which is easy here in the dungeons, you know that."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "So they're going to kill my by roasting me to death instead. Lovely. Ow!" He rubbed his arm where Draco had smacked him. "What the hell was that for?"

Draco frowned at him sternly. "They're not trying to kill you, prat. They – care about you. They're doing their best to keep you well."

Harry's face softened. "I was just joking, Draco. It's just – oh never mind. I'll get used to it." He stared up at Draco, a strange, rushing feeling creeping through him. Draco stared back at him for a long moment, and Harry could feel his pulse start to pick up the longer the silence grew. Finally Draco blinked, and the moment was broken, much to Harry's unhappiness and relief.

"Right. Packing. We were packing." Draco quickly stood, ignoring the rush of blood to his head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a step back, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed. The dark haired boy hid a sudden chill, and glanced around at the piles around him.

"What next?"

"Pants?"

"Which ones? The casual ones or the dress ones?"

"Casual first."

"Alright. Check."

"Shirts?"

"Oh God, this is going to take while, isn't it?"

"Yes. Now shush. Shirts?"

*_*_*_*_*

Ginny sat at the edge of her bed, staring down at the ugly length of metal and plastic in her hands. It was a standard issue cane, the only one Madam Pomfrey had had in her storeroom. They'd tried to transfigure it into something more pleasing, but had only succeeded in changing the color to a dull gray, so that didn't stick out quite as bad as the shiny metallic silver that it'd been previously. She knew that she could go and see if Professor McGonagall would try her hand at it – but the small redhead had been reluctant to go anywhere near the older woman.

She stared down at the length of the cane, her hands slowly tightening around the metal. She still hadn't tried to walk with it yet, and had wanted to wait until she was alone to figure it out. She placed the butt of it on the ground with a solid thud, and scooted so that she was more or less leaning against the edge of the bed, all of her weight resting on her good leg. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, taking a firm hold of the handle. She brought her bad leg forward, the metal of the brace that was still holding it immobile squeaking softly, placed it in front of herself and gingerly took a step forward.

She gasped at the sudden rush of pain that shot through her, and she gripped the cane tightly, swaying dangerously. Starbursts began to bloom in front of her eyes and she shook her head slightly, trying to clear them away.

Hands suddenly took her shoulders and she jumped, letting out a small yip of fear. She blinked rapidly, staring up into the face of her Head of House dazedly. "Ms. Ginny, need I remind you that Madam Pomfrey warned that you should not have attempted to use the cane for the first time without another person present while you did so?" Seeing that she had regained her balance, Severus quickly released her, stepping back slightly so that she didn't have to crane her neck to look up at him.

Ginny blushed and looked down at her hands, changing her grip slightly on the handle. "Er, yes she did. But –," she shrugged jerkily, "I just – didn't want anyone to see. I wanted to do it on my own."

"There is no shame in it." Ginny looked up at the older wizard in surprise. Severus' face was carefully blank as he crossed the room to sit in the chair near the fireplace. He folded his hands neatly in his lap, clearly waiting for her to continue.

"I – I didn't say there was." The petite redhead wiped her sweaty palms off on her robes, wobbling slightly, feeling exceedingly awkward. She didn't see Severus' reflexive twitch in her direction, or the way he was poised at the edge of his seat, just in case. "I mean, I don't think there's any shame in it. I just wanted to do it on my own, so I didn't –," she broke off, snapping her mouth shut with an audible snap and concentrated on the ground in front of her.

Severus tilted his head slightly. "So you didn't look like a fool if you fell?" She nodded miserably, and he sighed slightly. "Ms. Ginny, the wounds delivered to us by our enemies are not badges of shame, or dishonor. Quite the opposite in fact – they are the proof that your enemies failed in their attempts, and that you are the stronger person in the end. As for your – impediment…" Severus frowned thoughtfully as Ginny inched the cane out slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You should count the many benefits that come with your new – accessory, instead of listing the tragedies of it, instead."

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes startled. "How do you mean?" She looked back down at her leg, this time transferring most of her weight to the cane instead of trying to support herself with the bad leg. The pain was considerably less this time. She took it as a good sign.

"Consider, if you will, the benefits of having a cane with you at all times. There are many uses for it, if you stopped to consider it. But if you are happy in using it only as a walking aid, well then." Severus stood, watching her take another wobbly step. "That is your choice."

Ginny glanced over at him thoughtfully as she made a slow circle around the room, his word slowly sinking in. "I'll – think about it. Thank you Professor Snape."

The tall dark haired man nodded stiffly at her, his dark eyes tracking her progress silently. "You are most welcome, Ms. Ginny."

A thought came to the redhead, and she blushed slightly, glancing at the tall wizard out of the corner of her eye. "Um, I forgot to ask Draco when – when he wanted us all to be ready to go. Do – do you know by any chance?"

A small smile hovered at the edges of Severus' face and he nodded again. "You and your brother are to be ready by seven. Lucius will be arriving by carriage and we will all portkey out to the Manor together."

"Thank you again, Professor." Severus waved the thanks away with an awkward gesture. He carefully folded his hands inside of his robes and took one last look at Ginny's progress.

"Much better Ms. Ginny. Why don't you try walking out to the Common Room now? I know Ms. Parkinson and Ms. Bulstrode are quite anxious to see you before you leave."

Ginny paled slightly and looked fearfully at the door, her mind mentally calculating the long distance from her room the Common Room. "I don't know –,"

Severus took a step forward and placed a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder. "Remember, Ms. Ginny, they can only hinder you if you let them. Learn from it – evolve from it, and everything that they attempted to do will be shattered."

Ginny drew in a deep breath and nodded quickly, gripping her cane with renewed force. "Alright. I'll try."

"Very good, young lady." Severus crossed the room and opened the door for her. She let out her pent up breath slowly, steeling her nerve and her resolve. You can do this Gin. You can. She set the cane down with a thunk and took a step forward. And then another. And then another until she was limping down the hallway slowly, with Professor Snape trailing after her like a large, silent shadow. She could see the warm light of the Common Room, and it called to her softly. She could hear Pansy and Millicent giggling on one of the couches, and from another corner she could hear Sasha scolding a third year for running into her in his haste to get to his rooms. The sound of the voices spurred her on, and for once in a long while, Ginny had a sense of coming home – that everything, and everyone around her were exactly as they were supposed to be. She let the warm feeling envelope her, and a smile broke out over her face. I wont let them break me. I wont. I'll show them, I'll show them all. No one will ever break me, I swear it. The light of the Common Room washed over her, and the happy greetings from Pansy and Millicent made her grin, her solemn thoughts fading away slowly as she limped towards the girls that had swiftly become like sisters to her. I'm home.

*_*_*_*_*

Harry stared at the imposing Manor in front of him with wide eyes. Draco's ancestral home rose out of the countryside like a tall, brooding watcher who regarded any approaching visitors with angry, hostile eyes. Harry shivered, wrapping his cloak tighter around his wiry frame, stumbling slightly in the knee-deep snow. Sirius caught his elbow and helped him find his feet, and Harry turned grateful, wide eyes towards him. The animagus gave him a wry smile and brief eye roll towards the structure in front of them, which caused Harry to snicker softly. Sirius was anything but impressed with Malfoy Manor.

Ginny watched the byplay between the two wizards with a small smile on her face. She was being carried by Bill towards the large house, for it would have been impossible for her to maneuver in the snow with her cane and still healing knee. She rubbed at it absently; while the day had been somewhat pleasant at Hogwarts, the night wind was bitterly cold, and it caused Ginny's knee to ache fiercely. Bill hugged her tighter to his chest, and she smiled, warmed by his presence even with the night air trying to steal away all of their warmth.

It seemed to take forever until they got inside the Manor – it was an unfortunate necessity, Lucius had explained; Malfoy Manor had anti-Apparition charms around it, and had been guarded against portkeys, so the only way to actually travel up directly to the house was to either walk or by carriage, which due to the snow was unfortunately out of the question. The elder Malfoy, though, seemed to have no problem slogging through the snow towards his home – something that many people in the odd party would never have thought possible.

Harry let his gaze travel over the blond wizard; he was walking ahead of the party with Severus, talking to the smaller man quietly. A grin tugged at the corners of Harry's mouth – it was so odd to think of Professor Snape in a relationship. I mean, he's a teacher. Teachers aren't supposed to have – have – have sex. There's just something wrong with that image. And. Ew. Snape and sex. Yikes. Harry blinked rapidly, thankful for the brisk wind for once - it gave him an able excuse to explain his rapidly reddening face. I can't believe I just thought that.

A terrified house elf met them at the door and ushered them into the parlor room, where cloaks were taken, and seats were drawn up to the fire for them to warm themselves. Harry sat in a large, red plush chair and sighed happily, the heat from the flames washing over him. A presence at his elbow made him look up – Draco stood next to him, a small, strange smile on his face as he held out one of two cups in his hands.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Harry." The blonde's voice was quiet, and for some reason it made Harry blush hotly. He quickly took the cup from Draco's hand and thanked him softly, looking down at it instead of up into the other boy's eyes. He resisted the urge to squirm uncomfortably, his mind racing slightly as he took a grateful sip of the hot chocolate. What in the world is wrong with me? He curled his fingers around the mug, letting the warmth seep into his frozen digits. Why am I blushing every time he so much as looks at me? I wasn't doing this before…

"Ye gods, it bites!" Sirius' exclamation nearly made Harry spill his drink all over himself – he craned his head around to see what had caused his godfather's outburst.

Sirius was standing near the fire, looking down at an innocent looking sofa, an outraged expression on his face as he held his smarting behind. He looked up as Lucius entered the room, a smug expression on his aristocratic face. "What the – the – what kind of blasted thing is this? Do all of your chairs bite?"

Lucius smirked and sat down next to Severus, laying an arm along the back of the settee, brushing the Potion Master's shoulders slightly. "No, not all of them. They must like – Gryffindor," Lucius bared his teeth at the other wizard, "flesh, however, for I've found they leave Slytherins well enough alone."

"I'll bet," Sirius said darkly, eyeing the blond wizard with angry eyes before visibly reigning himself in. He glanced guiltily at Harry, once, before turning to Remus. "Shove over Moony, eh? That couch seems to like you well enough." The werewolf smiled and scooted over, hiding his chuckle as the other wizard settled next to him gingerly. "Blasted animated furniture…"

Harry looked over at Ginny, who was also watching Sirius with laughing eyes. She winked at him briefly, and he grinned at her. This is going to be one interesting holiday…

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Harry woke early the next morning. He lay in the large, soft bed, blinking sleepily at his surroundings. It was by far the most opulent room he'd ever stayed in.

The room was done in deep shades of blue and green; the bed hangings were a blue a few shades lighter than black, while the comforter was a lighter, royal blue. The rugs on the floor were thick and warm, decorated with tasteful, quiet floral designs. The wood was all mahogany, but instead of giving the room a sober feel, it gave off a quiet, peaceful air – perfect for Harry. He slid out of bed and padded over to the window seat, pushing back the curtains to peer out at the white landscape.

His view was spectacular – the vast gardens of the Malfoy Estate spread out in front of him, resplendent in their bare, winter glory. He could barely make out the garden paths, and the hedges and trees were mere lumps under a thick blanket of snow. He pressed his hands to the cold planes of glass, his breath fogging up the surface as he looked out.

He'd never seen snow this deep or untouched before coming to Hogwarts. Surry winters, when it snowed a lot, were made up of tiny lanes, dirty gray piles on the edges of the street, his uncles vicious swearing and his cousin's constant whine. Harry had never minded not going back to the Dursley's during winter break – he enjoyed the quiet silence of the castle, and the ability to go out and tromp around in the snow like any other child. A noise at the door made Harry turn in his seat; a house elf was standing a few feet away, nervously wringing his hands.

"Chancy is to tell Master Potter that breakfast is to be served in one hour. Chancy is to inquire whether Master Potter would like a bath before coming down?"

Harry smiled reassuringly at the creature and slid out of the seat. "Yes, I would, thank you."

Chancy bobbed his head repeatedly. "No need to thank Chancy, sir. Your bath will be ready right away!" With a crack the elf disappeared and Harry shook his head, smiling.

A sudden thought came into his head and he frowned. He waited until the house elf returned before voicing his troubling question. "Chancy, Dobby used to be a house elf here, do you remember him?"

The house elf shook his head emphatically. "No sir, Chancy does not. All of Master Malfoy's last house elves were given their freedom and we were hired on. We were most grateful for Master Malfoy. He is a good Master."

Harry shook his head again, smiling wryly now. Figures, he shrugged out of his pajamas, after shooing out the eager to help house elf. Just when I think I have one of the Malfoys pinned down, they do something to completely muck it up. He snorted and sank into the bath, all serious thoughts disappearing as he melted into the welcome heat.

*_*_*_*_*_*

"Get it off! Get it off!"

Harry clutched at his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Sirius was dancing around the room with a small, delicate looking pillow fastened to the seat of his pants. The animagus was swatting at it wildly, twisting in vain to get a better aim at the vicious little thing. Sirius had managed to upset the furniture – again.

Remus finally got the other wizard to stop dancing around long enough to get the offending object off of him – though not without ripping a hole into Sirius' clothes, showing to the world the yellow and white striped boxers he was wearing. The look on Lucius' and Severus' faces at the sight sent Harry into another fit of giggles, sliding off his own chair and onto the floor.

"What in the world is going on?" Ginny appeared with Bill at her side, her robes and hair slightly disheveled.

Lucius cast a sour look in the animagus' direction. "Mr. Black seems incapable of treating any of my furniture with respect – so, it bit him."

Bill froze in the mid act of throwing himself into one of the chairs that littered the room, changing the action mid motion and lowering himself down gently onto the chair instead. Amusement gleamed in the older Slytherins' eyes as they watched him.

Ginny ducked her head briefly, letting her hair hide her face for a moment. "How – unfortunate," she mumbled, casting a look at Harry, who was still on the ground recovering.

Sirius scowled and glared at both of them. "Yes, yes, bloody unfortunate. Ha ha. And you," he stuck his tongue out at his godson. "I'll get you back later for not helping me out."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position. He was about to rise when a wave of dizziness broke over him, stealing his breath. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, breathing quietly through his nose, hoping no one had noticed.

He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise. A hand had appeared in front of his nose. He followed the line of the defined forearm, up past the broad shoulder, skipped the neck, lingered briefly on the pale, bow shaped lips and finally looked into Draco's pale gray eyes. "Um. Hi." He could feel his face turning a fine shad of red, but he could do nothing to stop it.

"Hi." Draco smiled at him and Harry felt something tighten in his chest briefly. The blond tilted his head slightly and pursed his lips. "Let's get you up off the floor, what do you say?"

Harry nodded silently and took the hand in front of him, letting the blond pull him to his feet. He swayed a bit, and Draco placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, steadying him gently. Harry flashed the blond a smile, desperately fighting down the blood rushing to his face. Draco's thumb brushed gently across his collarbone – an unconscious movement, but it nearly made the dark haired boy gasp.

Draco frowned slightly, a worried expression passing across his face. "Alright Harry?"

Harry's first thought was bloody hell no, but he managed to shrug and nod silently. The blond eyed him for a moment, but finally nodded and took a step back, his hands falling from Harry's shoulders, leaving a burning warmth in their wake. Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wrestling his thoughts back into some kind of order. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Hey, you two, ready to head out to Diagon Alley?" Sirius' voice broke through Harry's befuddlement and the dark haired boy managed to plaster a smile onto his face.

"Sure Sirius." Harry saw Lucius grimace sourly at the idea of a mass excursion, but it was swiftly wiped clean – helped, Harry was sure, by Severus' elbow applied discretely to his lover's side.

Sirius finished up patching his cloths with a quick spell and draped his cloak across his shoulders. "Lovely, let's go." There was a light in his eyes that made Harry slightly twitchy, but his godfather's sudden cheer was infectious. This should be interesting, Harry thought as he shrugged into his own winter cloak. Very – interesting.

He took a hold of the port key supplied by Lucius and steeled himself for the stomach dropping lurch. A hand was placed at the small of his back, causing him to glance up into warm gray eyes. It was the last thing he saw before the port key whisked them away.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Harry gritted his teeth and slapped his money down on the counter, a fierce headache pounding behind his eyes. Diagon Alley had indeed proved to be highly interesting – in a horrifying, maddening sort of way.

They had split into small groups, needing to do their own Christmas shopping. Harry had gone with Sirius and Remus, while Draco had gone with his father and Severus, and Ginny with Bill. The first half hour had been lovely, Harry reveling in the fact that he could walk around in public with his godfather without fear or subterfuge. But the glow had swiftly faded, being replaced by irritation, edged with anger and despair.

Harry's progress through Diagon Alley was met with considerable resistance by many people; silence spread out in front of him while hissing, nasty whispers spread in his wake. Shopkeepers glared at him as he purchased their goods and twice he'd been snubbed and ignored by sales clerks. It pissed the small wizard off to no end, and Sirius was furious, having twice ripped people up one side and down the other for their attitudes concerning his godson. It had little impact. Their pleasant holiday shopping spree had quickly turned into an ordeal of migraine inspiring proportion.

They met up with the rest of their party at the café across from Florish and Botts. Draco's expression was cold and haughty, and the two older Slytherins were arrogance personified. Harry sat down gratefully across from them, a small sigh escaping him.

"I am going to skin that Skeeter woman alive." Severus' voice was quiet enough for the comment not to carry, but Harry heard it clearly.

He looked up at his Head of House and smiled grimly. "Can I help?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, tipping his head back, trying to relieve some tension.

"How dare you show your face here Ginny Nobody! You are a disgrace! A traitor to the side of Light! A whore! A beggar with no means! You parade your fancy, pity bought clothes around – but it only tells the world exactly what you really are! A whore for power, for money – and for that horrid Potter boy!" As one the Slytherins surged up from their seats, turning towards the strident sound of Percy Weasley's voice.

Ginny was paralyzed were she stood, spotlighted in the middle of the street, her face ashen. She had almost made it to the relative safety of the café where the other Slytherins were – almost. She clutched at her cane with a death grip, her eyes never wavering from her once-brother's nearly purple face. Bill stared at Percy, completely taken aback, frozen in place with disbelief.

The Weasley clan was out in numbers – arrayed out behind Percy, their expressions were hateful and angry. Ron stood close to his brother's side, looking down his nose at his once sister, ignoring Bill completely. The twins stood near their mother and father, one arm wrapped around each of them, painting the perfect picture of subjugated victims. Harry saw red. He started forward, fully intent to take on the red haired clan by himself, but Sirius beat both him and Bill to the punch.

"Percy Weasley you are a liar! You are an oath breaker, a weak willed fool!" Sirius' voice roared out over the street. "How dare you attack a child, a child, in the middle of the street, with your horde of a family to back you up? You are a disgrace to the Light, you are the traitor, the whore." The animagus got into the smaller man's startled face, his blue eyes snapping with electricity. "You call yourselves victims, but you pander your stories, your lies to the press. You beg for money and sell out the trust that's been given to you. How dare you show your face in public?" Molly elbowed her way up next to Ron, glaring at the tall animagus briefly before turning hateful eyes in Harry's direction.

Percy's face twisted, a glittering madness stealing into his eyes as he looked at Sirius. "You poor, poor man. You've been completely taken over by that monster you call a godson. Sirius – you're under Imperio, throw it off man. I know you can." Murmurs of agreement rose from the assembled Weasley's, and Molly nodded once, sharply, before returning her glare to Harry.

Sirius stilled, tension coiling around him as silence spread through the growing crowd. "Percy Weasley, bite your tongue." The ex-convict was nearly vibrating with pent up emotion. Bill tugged at Ginny futilely, trying to move her off of the street and towards the rest of the Slytherins. Ginny wouldn't move, however.

"Sirius, for the love of god –," the smaller redhead reached out for the other wizard, not noticing how the animagus drew back in disgust. "It's alright. We got you. It'll be alright – just throw off the curse, come back to us. Come back to the right side, to the Light. Leave the Dark that has claimed your soul, turn your back on the thing that was your godson. There's nothing left of him anymore. Look at what he's done to the girl that used to be my sister. Look at the whore that he's made of her – the pathetic puppet he's created for the sole purpose of spreading pain and chaos through the ranks of those who fight for the Light. You-Know-Who has corrupted everything that Harry Potter ever was. Can't you see it? Can't you all?" Percy let his gaze slip from Sirius and roam out over the crowd, throwing his hand out in Harry's direction, turning the swiftly growing mob's attention to the small boy.

"That boy, who once defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he no longer exists." Percy now turned his full attention to the crowd, taking a few steps away from Sirius and facing them. "He gave his life for us as an infant, expelling that demon from the world for us – but at the cost of his own life, his soul." There were murmurs in the crowd and Percy's eyes shone brightly. "Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, he has never existed. A pale shell of him has, a memory, a tool to be used by You-Know-Who. He is connected to the Dark Lord, my people, through the very scar that marks him as our savior!" Gasps and cries arose from the crowd and Harry paled. Percy's face creased into heavy, almost comically sad lines as he held out his hands to the mob.

"People, my people – listen to me. We, the Weasley family, even we fell for the image in front of you. The child you see – is just a shell. He is nothing more than an extension of the Dark Lord. The Harry Potter we knew, the innocent child who delighted in his first years of magic and the wizarding world, that boy has perished. This –," he turned and spat at Harry, "this creature in front of us, this thing," Harry winced, "shall be our betrayer. Shall be our traitor. He is, and always now shall be, the Creature of the Dark Lord!"

Harry suddenly found himself under the brunt of a thousand angry, horrified stares. Lucius and Severus exchanged panicked glances, gripping their wands tightly in their hands. "Draco –," Harry whispered, taking a shaky step backwards, feeling the crowd about to pounce.

"Harry!" Arms flung themselves around his frame, Draco wrapping Harry's hands around their emergency port key. The last thing Harry saw before he passed out was the rush of the crowd engulfing Ginny and Bill – the mob's eyes mindless and wild as they screamed for his death.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Brandy sloshed over the rim of the glass Harry was holding, his hands trembling violently. Draco sat next to him on the settee, a hand placed comfortingly on his knee, a worried expression on his face. The rest of the Slytherins, Sirius, Bill and Remus were in various states of collapse around him. Albus stood quietly to one side of Harry, a deeply disturbed expression on his face.

"This incident is gravely disturbing." Albus' remark made Lucius snort.

"Your ability to understate the obvious astounds us as always, Albus." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose but kept silent, understanding his lover's need to lash out.

Albus cast the blond wizard a stern glance. "Thank you for that remark, Lucius, but irritation and frustration will not help us at the moment." He glanced over at Ginny, who sat huddled next to Bill, the occasional tear still running down her face. The petite redhead had been knocked down in the mob's rush at Harry, and was still recovering from Percy's vicious, cutting words.

"Cornelius has not issued a statement concerning this unfortunate event – though the Daily Prophet has already run a special edition, reporting on it. I am gravely concerned as to Mr. Potter's and now Ms. Ginny's security. The Weasley family's influence is growing, despite the Order's attempt to staunch it. I'm afraid measures must be taken."

"What kind of measures?" Harry's voice was hollow and his eyes were shadowed.

Albus sighed. "As for you, my boy, I believe this encounter has been a blessing in disguise. Your – detractors – at Hogwarts will be most – cowed, by this new development, I'm sure. As for the Gryffindors, your ability to stay in a crowd, along with your own growing abilities in DADA and dueling should keep you safe. It is Ginny I am most worried about at the moment." Albus turned his sad blue eyes in the small girl's direction.

Ginny turned haunted eyes up at him, two fresh tears spilling over her eyelids. "I don't have a family name to protect me. And with this cane…" she looked away. Bill wrapped his arm around her carefully, hugging her tight.

Albus nodded soberly. "Exactly, Ginny. We must find a way to make them – fear you, if you'll forgive me. The focus of the Weasley family's hatred at you will make you quite a tempting target for those – more cowardly at Hogwarts."

"Then let's give them a reason to fear her – to fear her family's retaliation should anything be done to her." Sirius pushed himself up from the couch he was sitting on, a dark burning light in his eyes. He crossed the room and kneeled in front of the small girl, taking her hands into his. "Ginny, I had wanted to do this at a better moment, it was your Christmas present, actually. Yours too, Bill." He glanced briefly at the other wizard. "I, Sirius Black, do ask you, Ginny of no name, to come into my house, to take the Black name and legacy from here on out. What say you?" The air in the room seemed to thicken as Sirius intoned the words of the spell. Ginny blinked at Sirius rapidly, tears sparkling on her lashes.

"I – I –," she opened her mouth and closed her mouth a few times, speechless. She looked over to Harry, who was staring at her intently, a pleading look on his face. "I – do."

Albus beamed, the twinkle suddenly blooming to life in his eyes. "So witnessed, so done."

"So witnessed, so done." Severus' voice was surprised, and Lucius blinked at his lover, nonplused, but nevertheless echoed him.

"So witnessed…"

"…witnessed…"

"SO DONE!"

Sirius turned to Bill, releasing Ginny's hands and now taking his awkwardly. "I, Sirius Black, do ask you, Bill of no name, to come into my house, to take the Black name and legacy from her on out. What say you?"

Bill gulped and cleared his throat, blushing hotly. "I do."

"SO WITNESSED, SO DONE!" The answering refrain came from them all at once and the gathering magic in the room broke over the pair on the couch, making them jerk in surprise. The spell Sirius had intoned was old – and the Wild Magic that it called upon was rarely used anymore. Ginny thought is grasped at the sensations running through her. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either.

The light in Albus' eyes rivaled the brightest star in the sky. "While not exactly what I had expected, I welcome you Virginia Black. I welcome you, William Black. May you continue to uphold the Black family name." Ginny and Bill slowly began to smile, and the petite girl suddenly threw her arms around Sirius' neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She pressed her face into his hair, hiding her fresh tears. Sirius wrapped his arms around her tightly, wetness damping his own eyes.

"Welcome to the family, my girl."
Ginny pulled back from Sirius and looked at Harry, who was looking at her with tears in his own eyes. She lurched to her feet and Harry met her halfway, wrapping her up in a tight hug.

"Brother."

"Sister."

End.

A/N: Unfortunately one of those RL moments that bit me on the ass was my laptop deciding to die – with the chapter and all my responses to the reviews on it. So, no review responses this time, I'm sorry. But thank you ALL for the kind words and the great feedback – thank you all so so much. It really means a lot to me.