Chapter Forty-Seven: In Quest of Balance

"I don't see why you should."

"Because they requested it," said Harry, glancing at Draco. "And I don't have any reason to refuse." The letter lay on the bed between them. Harry had actually been trying to complete his Transfiguration homework, as well as the extra lines that Henrietta had assigned him for being late to her class. Draco was complaining about the letter, and had been for the last half-hour. At least he had given up on convincing Harry of the evil of the monitoring board, and was instead insisting that they had no right to require him to attend a meeting with them that weekend.

"The Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game is this weekend," Draco tried.

Harry smiled. "And I'm not playing in it, remember? I'm sure Sam will do fine."

"He's not—" said Draco, and then shut his mouth and looked the other way.

"Were you about to say that isn't as good a flyer as Connor is?" Harry couldn't help the laughter bubbling up in his throat. "Or does it kill you that a Gryffindor could do better at something than a Slytherin could?"

"He's not as good a Seeker as you are, I meant to say." Draco glared at him. "The team would have accepted you back if you insisted on it."

"And I didn't." Harry was growing tired of this. He understood why it mattered to Draco; if nothing else, it was a distraction from Lucius's stupid behavior and the worry over what his father might do out of stubborn pride. But Harry didn't have that same stubborn pride of his own, and Draco saying he should became more and more wearing. "Sam flies better with them, now. And I already answered Madam Whitestag, and said that I would attend the meeting on Saturday. This will be the first full gathering of the monitoring board, given that the Dark wizards and witches offered a place on it didn't attend last time. It's important."

"Did she say I couldn't come?" Draco lifted his chin.

Harry shook his head. "Both you and Snape are welcome. That ought to show that she doesn't intend anything evil, surely? If she really wanted to weaken me, she would try to separate the two of you from me."

"She's waiting," said Draco, folding his arms. "When you trust her, and are less likely to turn on her the moment something happens, then she'll move."

"If she moves," said Harry, with what he thought was a generous helping of patience, "then she'll surely reveal herself. Do you think she's a more subtle political dancer than your mother, Draco? Narcissa has a place on the board. So do Hawthorn, and Adalrico, and Ignifer. Do you think Madam Whitestag can do something that will go ignored by all of them?"

He probably forgot that, Harry realized, as he watched Draco's face drop. He defends me so well that he forgets he's not the only protector I have.

Draco chewed his lip for a moment, then sighed. "No," he said. "But I told you my reasons for being unhappy with the board, Harry. It's still illegal, and the Minister could still dissolve it if you asked him to."

"I won't be asking him," said Harry, turning his back so that he could work on his Transfiguration homework more effectively. "And if someone else does ask him, I'll know the source of the request."

Sullen silence answered him. Harry concentrated fiercely on the words in front of him, until they threatened to blur.

I don't know why he can't accept that this is my choice. I have to have restraints and people questioning me. The monitoring board might not be that reasonable on the matters most important to us, but they'll give the more reasonable people a chance to pluck up their courage and start thinking instead of reacting.

And Harry was firmly convinced that it was, indeed, working. Terry Boot had come up to him, after all, and so had a few of the Hufflepuffs who had opposed him last year, Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan. They'd spoken in cold but courteous voices, and asked questions, including a very good one from Susan that Harry had felt unprepared to completely answer. And he was grateful to her for that.

"And what happens if someone asks you to make a sacrifice for the good of the wizarding world that hurts one small portion of it?" Her voice still echoed in his head, and her eyes were steady and accusing. "If you did have to choose between sacrificing werewolves and everyone else, what would happen?"

Harry knew the answer to that, of course. It would depend, first of all, on who "everyone else" was, and how the werewolves were being threatened. But then would come his oath to defend werewolves' rights, which would turn his blood to silver unless he kept it. And it would be pitiful if that were his only reason, his only motive. He ought to be above simple practical necessities. He ought to be able to provide ethical reasoning to back up his actions, reasoning that could convince those who did not care about his vates duties, and who were not interested in hypothetical situations.

If he could not communicate with the people who regularly read the Daily Prophet and the Vox Populi, Harry tended to think the problem lay with himself, not with them.

So it was a good thing that he was being held back, and challenged, and forced to examine his own morals and mistakes closely. It was a good thing that he would be called to account. And with Madam Whitestag in charge of the monitoring board, he could be sure the account would be close and honest.

He only wished he could communicate his sense of hope and excitement about this to Draco.

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Aurora raised her eyebrows when Harry joined them in the small room off the Ministry's Atrium, the room in which they had laid the foundations of the monitoring board. She had said nothing to discourage him from bringing his guardian and his lover along with him, but she had not expected him to do so. She had hoped he realized that with Snape there, staring at them, and Malfoy sneering at everyone who so much as made a slip of the tongue, the chances for honest discussion were very low.

Well, he is still a child. And he may not have had a choice, no matter how much he wishes to cooperate with us. They could have ordered him to bring them along, and he would have wanted to indulge them.

It was a good thing that she had laid plans for this contingency, and that not all of Harry's Dark allies were as quick of eye and mind as someone like Narcissa Malfoy was. They had eleven Light wizards on the board, Aurora herself, Madam Marchbanks, the northern goblin Helcas, the centaur Bone, the southern goblin Griphook, and eleven Dark wizards. Aurora had already told Marvin that Narcissa Malfoy was his task, and a few others would handle Hawthorn Parkinson and Adalrico Bulstrode. She would need someone to distract Snape and someone to oppose Draco Malfoy, now.

She watched the Malfoy boy narrowly as he sat down on Harry's left side, and saw the way his eyes went to Lisa when she made a remark about being "less than a proper pureblood" and laughed loudly. His sneer flashed for just a moment, but that moment was long enough for Aurora to see it.

As for Snape—well, he had been a Death Eater, and that he had repented for it did not change the past. Shadow, the Light Muggleborn wizard who had abandoned both his names when he saw Death Eaters slaughter his family in front of him, would keep an eye on Snape.

Aurora made her way over to the other side of the room whilst people were still settling into their seats and chattering to each other about their expectations of the Ministry and what they could expect from Scrimgeour. Lisa caught her eye and slid into a corner, raising her brows on the way.

"Draco Malfoy," Aurora murmured. "He despises everyone who doesn't act like a pureblood. Ask questions about the Grand Unified Theory. Don't speak exactly like the image of a pureblood witch urges you should. Keep him from following Harry when I talk to him in private at the end of the meeting."

Lisa smiled faintly and nodded. She was proud of being a pureblood in her own way, Aurora thought, but the death of her son had severely shaken whatever faith she might have put in Harry. And she despised those purebloods like the Malfoys who set a certain standard of behavior on the surface and pretended that was all that mattered, as if courtesy somehow excused them from being immoral.

She took her place at the end of the table. Aurora made her way to the seat directly across from Harry. She had Madam Marchbanks on one side and the southern goblin on the other. She wondered if they had intended to disconcert her. If so, they would fail.

She sat down and fixed her eyes on Harry's. His own gaze was far from challenging, but hopeful and even relaxed.

He does wish to cooperate with us. If we can only isolate him, then everything will be well. Aurora had a speech prepared she thought should work, especially since Harry himself obviously thought the monitoring board such a good idea.

She leaned forward, smiled at Harry, and began the questioning. "Tell us about your last week, vates."

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Harry cocked his head. Simple questions. Well, I can do that. He felt Snape's presence at his shoulder, just waiting for someone to do something wrong, and Draco sneering down the table at Lisa Addlington, who hadn't taken her chair in the most graceful manner. He hoped neither would interfere. He wanted to do this on his own, and their suspicions wouldn't help.

"I've made good progress at fitting back into Hogwarts, I think," he told Aurora, who nodded. "I've been attending the same classes I attended before the rebellion began. Those include NEWT Transfiguration, NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts, and NEWT Potions."

"I have a question," said a wizard down the table suddenly. Harry turned to look at him. He was a man with white hair, but a young face. Harry vaguely remembered that he was their token Muggleborn wizard on the board, and that he called himself Shadow. "Is it truly fair for you to be in the NEWT Potions class, Harry? After all, Professor Snape teaches that class, and yet he's your guardian, and everyone knows how he favors Slytherins." His eyes were burning holes as they fixed on Snape.

"I think it would be less fair if Professor Snape tutored me outside the class, sir," Harry said. "That would imply special treatment, and privileges that I don't want to receive."

"There are others who could give you Potions lessons." Shadow flapped a hand, obviously considering his objection unimportant. "Horace Slughorn, for example. Didn't he take over the Potions Master post a short time ago?"

"He did, sir," Harry said, wondering where this was going. "And he acted as Head of Slytherin House, at the request of the Headmistress."

"I think he would be a better teacher for you, by far." By now, Shadow's face carried deep lines of anger. "At least that way we would know that a Death Eater was not in charge of teaching the future vates how to make delicate poisons and explosive concoctions."

Harry sensed Snape's rage like tendrils yanking across his skin. "I am a former Death Eater," said Snape, each word a crack of black ice. "I served as a spy for the Light, and was exonerated when I came to trial."

"Yes." Shadow leaned forward across the table, arms folded. "By the word of Albus Dumbledore, the very man who abused and tormented the child you now serve as guardian to. Was that that way it was? Passing Harry from one master to another, so that he might never escape the controlling web of Dumbledore's influence?"

"Shadow!" Aurora said sharply. "I will not have this. Professor Snape does speak the truth. He was exonerated." She turned away from the Muggleborn wizard with a small shake of her head and fixed her eyes on Harry, ignoring Snape's huffing breath. "However, he does raise a legitimate point, Harry. Do you feel that Professor Snape treats you fairly? Would you feel more comfortable in separate Potions lessons?"

"I can only repeat what I said before, Madam Whitestag." Harry worked to keep his own fury out of his voice. Shadow obviously hated Death Eaters. Harry couldn't see this as an attack on Snape. He would probably attack Hawthorn or Adalrico the same way. "I think that would imply a mark of privilege that I wish to avoid. I want to be ordinary, insofar as I can be. I want the other students to see that the professors treat me, well, like them. I did receive a punishment of extra lines this week, from Professor Belluspersona, for being late to her Transfiguration class. She is teaching me the way I wish to be taught. And as for Professor Snape—" Harry swallowed. He couldn't say that Snape had never rewarded him unfairly in class; he had done plenty of that in Harry's first year, when he tried to separate him from Connor. "He may have done so in the past, but he and I are both trying to move beyond that point."

Aurora sighed, a small, delicate sound of disappointment. "I understand, Harry. But it does make for an awkward situation, always, when a professor has children at the school." She might have gone on, but a loud slap of parchment being set down interrupted her. Harry caught sight of a genuinely annoyed expression on her face as she looked down the table. "Yes, Mr. Gildgrace, what is it?"

"If I might," said Marvin, the halfblood wizard Harry remembered disliking, and being pressured into allowing on the board. Aurora had pointed out, quite rightly, that they had too few non-pureblood candidates to dismiss one, and if Marvin said he was not prejudiced against goblins and centaurs, Harry had no reason to distrust him. "I have made a study of how many Dark wizards have sworn to the Alliance of Sun and Shadow, as compared to the number of Light wizards who have, and the numbers are still pitifully few." He faced Harry. "Why have you not made an effort to recruit more Light allies, Mr. Pott—vates?"

"I am in negotiations right now to do this," said Harry, glad he was able to say something positive. "I am speaking with the children of several prominent Light families at Hogwarts, who were driven from any chance of allying with me by the child abuse accusations against Albus Dumbledore. I think I will quickly have a longer list of allies to present to you."

Marvin sniffed and squinted down at his parchment. "I must say, vates, that some of your allies are impressive. The Rosier-Henlin family, for example. Even if gained through not quite…legitimate means, they do have good reputations. It is their Declaration that is the problem, not that they've been accused of crimes."

Narcissa sat up across the table. "And what would you consider legitimate means, Mr. Gildgrace?" she asked sweetly.

"Why, if Harry had approached them himself, of course," said Marvin, glancing at her. "Instead, it seems that he used someone else to dance for him. Someone with a good many political connections, and excellent powers of persuasion, but still a second party. I can say that that won't work with most Light wizards. They need to see the real product, as it were." He gave Harry a faint smile. "Meet you face-to-face, Harry. Many of them do believe that's the only way to truly judge someone."

Harry nodded. "I understand."

"I was the person who approached his Dark allies," said Narcissa quietly.

Marvin raised his eyebrows. "I was not accusing you, Mrs. Malfoy, but that is interesting to know for certain." He scribbled a quick note down on his parchment. "I do believe, though, Mrs. Malfoy, that the Light-allied wizards would object to your doing it again, for—well, the reasons I told you." He peered at her apologetically. "And the name of Malfoy is no longer exactly untainted in their eyes, if it has ever been, given your husband's recent break from Harry."

"I am not my husband." Narcissa had never looked cooler or more elegant, Harry thought, as she sat there and calmly refuted every assumption Marvin threw at her. "I have chosen to follow my son and his joined partner, and I do not regret that."

"And you've chosen to become part of this board." Marvin nodded. "I approve of all of that, Mrs. Malfoy. I hope you don't think I'm being hostile. I just wanted to make the point that Harry needs more Light allies, and he won't be able to rely on you to secure them."

Narcissa gave a minute bow of her head and sat back, but Harry could see the narrowing of her eyes. Now she was wondering how deep Marvin's knowledge of her ran, and how he knew that she had been the one to dance for him to the Rosier-Henlin family and others. And where he had obtained this information in the first place, of course. It would make her a little warier before moving.

Of course, if what he's saying is true, then it's better we know this now, so that we don't offend any of the Light wizards, Harry thought.

"I hope not all those allies will be purebloods," Lisa Addlington offered from the end of the table. "Thanks to the Grand Unified Theory, we know that they are not the only chosen children of magic, now. Or I hope we do." She gave a superior look along the table, and Harry felt Draco stir beside him.

"Of course not all of them will be purebloods," he said, with a bored expression on his face. "But that doesn't mean that the purebloods in the Alliance of Sun and Shadow should be disregarded, or assigned a lower place than they one they've achieved."

"I don't recall addressing you, Mr. Malfoy." Lisa's own eyes were narrow. "You're neither on the monitoring board nor under the supervision of it. I have to wonder why you accompanied Harry, today. Are the Dark purebloods so desperate for influence that they must have eyes everywhere?"

"I came because he's my lover, my partner in a joining ritual, and my equal in every area of life," said Draco, and his voice had tightened. "Will you tell me to leave him alone because of that, Addlington?"

"For someone who prides himself on courtesy, you forget titles easily." Lisa tossed her head, and Harry saw Draco's disgust increase exponentially. "I would prefer to be addressed by Mrs. Addlington, and not solely by my husband's last name. I need not shelter in his shadow."

Draco started to retort, and Harry placed a hand gently on his arm. "I agree that I need more Light allies, and more non-pureblood allies," he said. "Can you suggest a good place for me to start, Mrs. Addlington?"

Lisa smiled at him. "Of course I can." She took a piece of parchment from her pocket, and Harry whispered a Summoning Charm that brought it to him. Opening it, he saw a list of names. "They begin with some halfblood cousins of mine," Lisa added, "but not everyone on that list is a relative of mine, I assure you."

Harry nodded, scanning the list rapidly. He recognized a few of the last names from Hogwarts, and thought he might start working from them. "Thank you, Mrs. Addlington," he said, folding the parchment and tucking it into a pocket of his robes. He faced Aurora again. If he could conduct a conversation mainly with her, then it might ease the temptation for Draco, or Snape, to snipe or be sniped at. "The monitoring board was supposed to instruct me on certain Light pureblood rituals and customs, I know," he said. "Whom did you have in mind for a teacher, Madam Whitestag?"

"I was expecting to split the task equally between myself and Madam Marchbanks," said Aurora, blinking as if she hadn't expected the question. "We would certainly not wish you to go uninstructed, Harry. Though I am undeclared myself, I do know the customs of the Light better than those of the Dark. And of course Madam Marchbanks quite literally has more than a century of experience." She gave the older witch a smile that Harry noticed she didn't return.

Harry looked carefully at Madam Marchbanks. She was frowning at several of the Light wizards along the table, as if she wanted to object to them but couldn't quite find the words to do so. "Madam?" he asked, and she looked back at him. "Do you agree to instruct me, along with Madam Whitestag?"

She nodded at him. "I can meet with you twice a month," she said. "Or I can send you post with questions and lists of instructions in the rituals. Or I can send you books."

"If you can manage it, I would prefer all three of those options," said Harry, and was gratified to see a look of surprise on Aurora's face. A moment later, she smiled at him. Harry dipped his head, his own smile breaking out. She'll see now that I really do want to cooperate with them. "The meetings may be the hardest to arrange, but I will try to shift my schedule to accommodate yours, Madam."

Aurora glanced casually up and down the table. "Are there any other questions that anyone else wished to ask the vates? I am sure that most of us can agree that the measures Harry has taken to acquire more Light allies and learn the Light rituals are adequate for now, and that he may remain in the classes he currently occupies in Hogwarts." She bent over a piece of parchment in front of her, scribbling rapidly on it. Harry assumed it was a private checklist of some kind, perhaps the minutes of the meeting or a reminder of what she hoped to accomplish with each one.

"I do have a suggestion," said Shadow, and leaned forward again. "I would like to visit one of the Potions classes during which Professor Snape teaches the vates. Or, at least, I think someone from the monitoring board should visit them, though I can't imagine why either Professor Snape or Harry would object to my presence." He flashed a sneer at Snape, which produced the retort Harry had expected.

"If you believe that I will allow someone intent on upsetting my son into my classroom for the sole purpose of upsetting him—"

"Shadow does not intend to upset Harry, Professor," said Aurora sharply. "We can assign a different observer, if he troubles you so much. And—forgive me, but I did not know that you had claimed formal adoption of Harry. That is certainly a change in his status that the monitoring board should have been informed of." She looked at Harry, who was forced to shake his head.

"I am Professor Snape's ward still, Madam," he said. "He is my legal guardian. But he does call me son, and I consider him a father." He felt his face burn as the monitoring board stared at him in silence, even the Dark wizards. It was the first time he had ever said something like this in public.

"Congratulations to you both," said Hawthorn, sounding sincere about it. His other Dark allies were quick to add their praise, Harry noted, far better than the weak applause that Lisa Addlington gave, and which was the only response he noted at all from the Light wizards.

"And of course the notion of sending an observer into Professor Snape's Potions classes is perfectly ridiculous," Hawthorn went on, blithely. "He would not accomplish his purpose. Both Professor Snape and his son would act differently in front of an observer, and he would not be able to see what a normal day for them is like. That is nothing to say what other students of the class would do."

"We could send someone under an Invisibility Charm," Lisa suggested.

"It's called a Disillusionment Charm, you uneducated—"

"Draco," Harry hissed under his breath. He glanced at his boyfriend's narrowed eyes and flared nostrils, and shook his head. He had not realized how strongly Draco was prejudiced against anyone who supported the Grand Unified Theory. I must never leave him and Hermione alone together for any length of time. "I apologize, Mrs. Addlington," he added, while Lisa looked on, silently scandalized. "That wasn't what we intended by my partner's attendance here today." He clamped his hand on Draco's arm and gave it a little shake.

Draco gave him a cool glance, then turned around and nodded stiffly to Lisa. "Sorry, Madam." Still not the name that she had asked to be called by, Harry noted.

Harry sighed and faced Aurora, only to find that she'd slid the parchment she was writing on across the table to him. Neither Snape, glaring at everyone indiscriminately, nor Draco, glaring at Lisa, seemed to have noted. Harry read it quickly, upside-down.

May I speak privately with you after this?

Harry caught Aurora's eye and nodded. He couldn't blame her for wanting that, given the disruptions and petty arguments of the meeting. She sat back, relaxing, and smiled at him, which made him more sure that he'd done the right thing. It would not be a bad thing to be on friendly terms with the main power of the monitoring board, Harry thought. For better or worse, many of the Light wizards would follow her.

And for better or worse, Draco and Snape will follow me.

When he thought of how they'd behaved today—well, how Draco had behaved today, at least; the argument with Shadow was not nearly as much Snape's fault—Harry felt his cheeks burn. And so he spoke up now, as there was a temporary lull in the conversation.

"I do consider Professor Snape my father," he said firmly, "and I will not condone visits to his class that might cast doubt on his guardianship." He stood with a glance up and down the table. "Does anyone else have anything else to ask me?"

No one else did. Draco was standing as if he would drag Harry from the room, though, so Harry went on speaking. "Then, Madam Whitestag, I can ask you what I wanted to ask you. May we speak privately for a moment?"

Draco turned his head, eyes intent and brow furrowed, but since Harry had said he was the one with the question, those were the only gestures he made. Harry shook his head, and Draco sighed. He seemed to know he hadn't made a good showing today, though, and didn't protest further.

Snape was more vocal. "I would like to be present for any conversation between Harry and another person," he said.

Harry touched his arm, and left his hand there until Snape looked, reluctantly, down at him. "Please, Severus," Harry murmured, remembering the name this time. "This isn't about a legal matter." He would leave if it turned out to be. "I want to do this."

Snape stared back into his eyes, and Harry let a few of his Occlumency barriers fall. He had to repress his impatience to do it. Why are both of them being so protective of me? They won't even believe that I can decide, on my own, to cooperate with the monitoring board, or to speak with one person? What do they think she'll do, secretly turn into a Light Lady and pin me to the wall?

Perhaps Snape sensed the impatience, or the thoughts behind it, because he gave a slight nod and stepped aside. Harry sighed with relief, added, "Thank you for coming," to the rest of the monitoring board, and then followed Aurora out into the Atrium.

He cast a privacy ward around them before they began talking, and checked himself for tracking spells. He loved Draco and Snape, but he wouldn't put it past them to spy on his and Aurora's conversation.

"What did you want to speak with me about, Madam Whitestag?" he asked.

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Aurora considered him for a moment. Harry looked calmly back at her, his eyes intent and shining. And Aurora had to smile, because it was painfully obvious, now, that Harry really did want the freedom of will and debate that he had said he did; it was overprotective allies, and perhaps Dark wizards determined to secure their personal power and their position close to him, who had made him seem otherwise. He had rebelled against the Ministry because they had given him no other choice, not because he was in love with violence or getting his own way.

Her strategy had changed even from the beginning of the meeting, when she realized that few of Harry's Dark allies would speak in this meeting of the monitoring board; they were still learning the names of those involved and seeing how they reacted. The elaborate traps and baffles they had laid were nearly useless in such a situation. But Harry was growing as exasperated by the behavior of his allies as he was by the behavior of Shadow and Marvin. Aurora hoped still to win a victory that would make giving up the presence of a few Light wizards on the board worth it.

"Harry," she said, and clasped her hands in front of her. "I am sorry, but I don't think the board will work as it stands."

She saw his face waver into concern. "Why not, Madam?" he asked, and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed to be his standard nervous gesture. "I know that Draco and Snape had arguments with the board members today, but—"

"While I'm not excusing the behavior of your allies, I need to apologize for the behavior of mine," Aurora interrupted quietly. "I had no idea they would be this hostile. And insinuations and rumors and glances can do even more to hurt than outright insults. I am concerned with what Marvin implied about Mrs. Malfoy, for example."

Harry shrugged. "It is true that she danced and gathered Dark allies for me, Madam. But I will be more than willing to contact Light families myself."

How did he draw so powerful a woman, so young? But Aurora suspected that had much to do with Draco Malfoy's close place at Harry's side, so she wasn't as concerned. It was not a trick Harry could duplicate with anyone else. "I am glad," she said. "But I would not wish future meetings to be as unproductive as this one. I wish an environment where we can speak and interact comfortably. I am willing to dismiss Shadow and Marvin from the board, if you think it would help."

Harry's face was troubled. He opened his mouth, then shut it and shook his head. Aurora waited. At last he said, "But we would have to find more Light wizards to replace them, wouldn't we? And in the meantime, the work of the monitoring board couldn't go forward."

"That is true." Aurora tilted her head. "Except—"

"Yes?"

"Technically," Aurora said, "Griselda and I count as Light witches on the board, too, so it is already overweighted. I am not declared, of course, but most people treat me as though I am, and most of my morals and my closest associations are with the Light. I would be willing to dismiss Shadow and Marvin, and count Griselda and myself as two of the eleven needed to balance the Dark allies. If you would accept this, of course. I am sure that I can convince my allies to accept it."

She held her breath, and tried not to make it look as if she were doing so. She had taken a gamble, but if she understood Harry as she hoped, it would win her something much larger.

Harry sighed. "But you and Griselda are supposed to be neutral," he said. "Or, at least, you balance each other out. I counted Madam Marchbanks as a friend before the board began, and you as an opponent." Aurora was pleased that he did not say "enemy." "If you dismiss two of the Light wizards, I should dismiss two of the Dark ones."

"But I doubt many of them would take that well," Aurora said mildly. In truth, she wanted to retain Harry's Dark allies as long as she could, until she could draw them and see who must be countered, who could be ignored, and who could be useful. Like it or not, she was now in the Alliance of Sun and Shadow, and these were the core of what she had to work with. So long as she did not violate the oaths to cause fear in others, and thought about her actions, she believed she could get along with them. "I am willing to give up Marvin and Shadow, Harry. They work well with other Light wizards, but not with Dark ones. I am sorry. I should have studied them more closely before I presented them as candidates for the monitoring board."

Harry stirred unhappily. Finally, he said, "I could—I could leave Draco and Snape at Hogwarts when I meet with the board in the future, Madam. As a good faith gesture. I think we should try at least one meeting without any of the ones who caused the most controversy today."

Yes. Aurora had what she wanted. She knew she was lucky to have distracted Snape and Malfoy as much as she had today. They were meeting with the full board for the first time, and in the future they would be warier and more alert for threats to Harry. One meeting without them would be a blessing for her cause. "I am glad that you think so, Harry," she said. "And what about Mrs. Addlington? Should—"

"No." Harry's face tightened with exasperation. "Most of the problems there originated with Draco, and I will ask him to apologize to her, Madam." He lifted his head and stared intently into her eyes, reminding Auror that he was a Legilimens. "I want to work with you," he whispered. "I mean it, Madam. Please. Please let me do this."

Aurora nodded, slowly. The reluctance she felt was real. Harry needed to be played on the line like a fish right now. Draw in him too tight, ask him to make too many sacrifices, and either he or his allies would balk. She would rather move slowly than risk everything to get what she wanted a little faster. "All right, Harry. You can tell Professor Snape and young Mr. Malfoy that they can attend the third meeting, if you wish."

"Thank you," said Harry. "And don't worry, Madam. I will make them understand. Shadow provoked Professor Snape, but Draco's behavior was inexcusable."

Aurora smiled, and let the light of it shine out of her eyes. "And how are you, Harry? Are you sleeping well? Eating well? Have you taken any time for yourself in the last few days?"

Oddly, that was a mistake; she saw it as soon as she asked. Harry's eyes shuttered, and he gave her the look of some wild animal shying from a trap. His voice was clipped when he spoke. "I eat three meals a day, Madam, and sleep eight hours each night, and I take as much time for myself as I need."

Aurora sighed. "I reminded you of something evil, didn't I? I did not mean to. I am sorry, Harry."

He relaxed bit by bit, and now looked abashed. "I'm sorry, Madam Whitestag. But I do have to put up with that kind of questioning from Professor Snape, and Draco, and the Seer we have in residence."

Does he? And Aurora grasped another piece of the puzzle that was Harry vates. "Then I will ask nothing more," she said. "I want the monitoring board to be what you need, Harry. And if others are attending to your physical and emotional needs—"

"You can help me with my political and intellectual ones." Harry stood straight now, smiling easily. "And I need reasonable opponents right now, Madam, who are still willing to work with me."

He is exactly what the world requires to defend us from Voldemort. Just a bit of guidance, that's all he needs, not much. Aurora relaxed. "Then I will endeavor to be that for you, Harry, though if you continue to be so reasonable yourself, I may soon lose my opponent status," she said, and he laughed.

"Thank you," he murmured, and dropped the privacy ward, making his way back to his guardian and lover.

Aurora watched him go with a deep sense of contentment. He might not Declare, he might not call himself a Lord, he might not even have trained as much as she would have liked him to in the means of defeating the Dark Lord, but she was starting to think that he would be a better leader than she could ever have dreamed.

And if I can play some small part in making our world safe, then I will consider that enough. Nothing can even make up for the loss of my children, just as nothing can ever make up for Harry's childhood. What we must be content with is the aftermath, the future, the moving-forward.