AN: Okay, so this chapter has a bit of intensity to it. And it gets emotional. Fair warning. But, there are big things going down in this chapter. Tell me what you think.


Harry was having a difficult time focusing. The Wolf Pack was in the Room of Requirement, practicing new spells. Harry was so distracted that he'd managed to get hit by two stunners and a jelly-legs hex. It was usually much harder to hit Harry.

Draco swiftly pulled Harry away from the dueling pairs. He knew that Harry was preoccupied with thoughts of the horcrux and the ritual. Draco was nervous as well. But they had to be able to continue on.

"Harry, it's not safe to duel if you're not going to pay attention," Draco chided. "I know you're worried, but you're going to get hurt."

"I can't help it," Harry murmured. "It's a big deal."

"I agree," Draco responded calmly. "But worrying doesn't help. It won't fix anything. It only makes you a hazard during training."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly.

"Why doubt you work with the pups for a little while," Draco suggested, smoothing down Harry's rumpled shirt. "It'll make you feel better." He gave Harry a little push toward their youngest members. They were less likely to cause his boyfriend permanent damage.

Harry walked around the corner to where the pups were working with Blaise. They were safely hidden from stray spells from the older students and had room to work on their own spells.

"Taking over?" Blaise asked cheerfully.

"Yes," Harry replied, unable to stop his smile when the pups cheered. Blaise offered a wink and moved back to the older students.

A first year Hufflepuff, a new recruit, hurried forward and hugged Harry excitedly. "What are you going to teach us Alpha?" she asked eagerly.

Harry smiled indulgently. He could feel himself relaxing already. "What would you like to know?" he asked. He laughed when they all answered at once.

An hour later, Draco found Harry sitting on the floor with the pups gathered around him. He had apparently given up on teaching and was telling the young ones stories about his past adventures. The younger students were listening to Harry with rapt attention, crowding close.

"Lazing about I see," Draco teased.

"Alpha," a few of the pups greeted happily.

Draco lowered himself onto the floor, smiling when Ben pulled Draco to move closer to their little huddle. He loved the pups. He didn't think it was a paternal feeling exactly, but there was definitely a familial sort of love and protectiveness. At that moment, it was less important for the young ones to learn all the advanced magic that the others were working on. Right now, Draco just wanted for the pups to trust their Alphas to look after them.

"Did you all finish your homework?" Draco asked, ruffling Ben's hair fondly. He smiled when a few of them looked guilty. "Which class?" he asked in fond exasperation.

"Potions," Ben admitted sheepishly.

Draco grinned. "Well, you need to go down to dinner," he said. "But after that, if you like, Harry and I can help you with your potions essays." Harry nodded his acceptance of the suggestion, favoring Draco with a sweet smile.

The pups caught the look. "Are you in love?" a second year Ravenclaw girl asked abruptly. The others looked between Draco and Harry with interest.

Draco looked down, a blush staining his cheeks. He supposed that offering a little trust in return would be worthwhile. He glanced at Harry to see that he was smiling. "We are," Draco said softly. He glanced around at the grins on the pups' faces. "But it's a secret right now. Professor Malfoy wouldn't approve of it."

"We won't tell anyone," a Slytherin named Graham said. "You're our Alphas. The Pack is family."

"Of course it is," Harry agreed with a smile. "We all look after each other. That's why we're here. And we appreciate you protecting our secret. Draco and I just want to be together." He draped one arm over the shoulders of a second year Gryffindor as she pressed against his side.

Draco melted at the sight. He'd discovered quickly that some of their pups were more affectionate than others. It resulted in many hugs and sitting close when there was a lull in training. When Draco had been their age, he'd missed his parents terribly while he was at school, especially his mother. Having Harry with him made it easier. It was strange to provide that kind of love and support for the pups, but Draco was enjoying it. And seeing Harry show such tenderness to the youngest wolves was endearing.

Hermione approached the group, a smile blossoming on her face as she took in their positions on the floor. "It's time for dinner," she reminded them.

Everyone got to their feet, dusting off their clothes. "Hermione, could you help us after dinner?" Draco asked. "Some of the pups are having trouble with the potions essay. Harry and I are going to help them. But I don't want them up late so we may need a little help. It'll let us get done more quickly. Unless you have your own work to do," he added quickly.

"I'm happy to help, Alpha," Hermione replied with a cheeky grin. "I'll bring Blaise as well."

"Thank you," Draco replied, rolling his eyes. The Betas had started addressing Draco and Harry as Alpha in front of the other wolves. It was a little embarrassing. Which is probably why they did it. In a way, it kept things from feeling far too serious. With everything going on in their world, something needed to feel light-hearted.


It had become more difficult to protect Harry's mind from Voldemort. The Dark Lord's obsession with the prophecy was causing Harry to have more dreams about the Department of Mysteries. The scar on Harry's forehead burned frequently and he'd begun having headaches a few times a week.

Draco was concerned for Harry's health. He couldn't stand to see his soulmate suffering. Draco felt it too, to an extent, but he didn't complain. He'd never make Harry feel badly about it.

It was time to move forward with their plan.

They'd decided to perform the ritual in the Room of Requirement. It seemed to be the best choice. Remus, Sirius and Narcissa came to the school during dinner one day to avoid detection. Dumbledore took them straight to the Room of Requirement to wait.

Once dinner was finished Harry and Draco hurried to the room as well. The Betas followed them, exchanging anxious looks.

McGonagall was inside the room when they arrived, chatting with Narcissa. She fell silent when the students came in. Wordlessly, she moved to Harry to hug him warmly. "It'll be alright," she murmured as she released him.

Each of the adults took a moment to embrace Draco and Harry. The tension in the room was palpable.

Snape arrived last, looking quite tense, even for him. "Are we ready?" he asked tersely.

"I believe so," Dumbledore responded solemnly.

"Are we certain about this?" Narcissa asked tremulously. "This is incredibly dangerous. We don't know if it will work." She glanced fearfully at Draco.

"We need to do this," Draco said, his voice surprisingly steady. "This will let us get ahead of Voldemort. I refuse to wait around until we have no option but to let Harry die so we can finish that sick bastard off."

"Draco-" Harry began, voice quiet.

"I'm not having this argument again," Draco snapped, turning to meet Harry's anxious gaze. "I can do this. We can do this. I trust our magic and the bond we share," he said, cupping Harry's face. He made a pained sound at the tears that slipped silently down Harry's face.

Draco hugged Harry closely, drawing in a deep breath. "It'll be alright," he said quietly.

"If anything happens to you-"

"Don't do that to yourself," Draco said sternly. "Just breathe, and trust me."

Harry nodded, pulling back and hastily wiping his face. He smiled tremulously when the Betas surrounded them for a group hug.

"We're right here with you, Alphas," Greg said somberly.

"Always," Vince agreed with a nod.

"You'll be fine," Ron said, patting them on the back encouragingly. Blaise and Hermione copied the gesture.

"Now then," Dumbledore said after he's cleared his throat. "The soul fragment has a weakened hold because of the basilisk venom, but it will still put up quite a fight. Are you prepared for that?" he asked Draco.

"I am," Draco responded.

Harry and Draco were each handed a little vial of potion while everyone formed a circle. The adults and the Betas each contributed a bit of blood, solemnly murmuring protection spells as they went. The blood was then poured out in a circle while Dumbledore murmured quietly. The blood circle glowed white for just a moment before returning to normal.

Dumbledore used another spell to draw a ring of flames on the stone floor, just outside the ring of blood. The flames rose quickly, creating a wall of fire.

At the Headmaster's nod, Harry and Draco drank the potion. It made their insides feel as if they'd been filled with ice. It would protect them from the flames, but very briefly.

Draco and Harry quickly stepped through the flames to stand inside the blood circle. Draco reached out and grasped Harry's face gently, pressing their foreheads together. "I love you," Draco said.

"I love you too," Harry responded, allowing his gaze to focus on Draco's eyes.

Draco used legilimency and their connection to press into Harry's mind. Then he allowed the connection to quickly expand. It was an odd sensation. He could feel Harry's fear, love, anticipation... He could feel the brush of Harry's soul against his own, like a loving caress. It was a swirling, pale yellow light

And then he felt it. The hostile, wicked presence of the interloping soul fragment. It was a smokey violet, and it seemed to writhe under Draco's scrutiny. Draco instinctively wanted to draw back from it. But he couldn't allow it to damage Harry any further.

Pain lanced through him and Draco gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to pull back. The potion had worn off, but the fire needed to further sever the horcrux's connection. He couldn't stop.

Draco felt it the second the fragment ripped free. Harry jerked and his soul seemed to shudder and flicker alarmingly. Draco focused on the blackness of Voldemort's soul and pushed his magic toward it. It fought back viciously.

The pain was growing, and Harry was bad off; his soul wounded and fading. Despite that, Draco felt it when the wounded soul rallied and wrapped around his own, lending Harry's magic. Draco gave a mighty shove with the magic and forced the fragment out. Then everything went black.

The Betas were watching in horror as Harry and Draco screamed in pain. Hermione was sobbing loudly, unable to contain it.

Blaise nearly choked when a black, ominous cloud of smoke suddenly erupted from within the ring of fire. He watched in shock as Snape held out a crystal and used a spell to make the smoke go into the crystal.

Dumbledore waved his wand, making the fire die quickly. Harry and Draco collapsed. Snape grabbed the sword of Gryffindor from a nearby table and swung it down to shatter the crystal. A piercing scream filled the room with another cloud of smoke and then it was quiet.

They all rushed to the couple on the floor, sinking to the floor with fearful expressions. Their robes were destroyed and the skin that was exposed was burned and blistered.

"We need to get them to the hospital wing immediately," McGonagall said, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face. Sirius was cradling Remus against his chest while the werewolf sobbed brokenly.

The pair was levitated off the floor and they all made their way to the infirmary. Poppy gasped in horror at the condition of her new patients and hastily set to work, shooing everyone but the headmaster out.

Remus was inconsolable. The sound of his misery was heartbreaking. Sirius continued to hold him, pulling McGonagall in to join the embrace.

"Merlin, I hope they're alright," Ron said, his voice catching.

Blaise sobbed quietly, burying his face in his hands. He didn't think he'd ever get the sound of Harry and Draco's screams of pain out of his head. He shuddered as Greg moved to hug him against his sturdy frame. Ron hugged Hermione while Vince moved to comfort Narcissa.

For a while the hall was silent accept for Remus' sobs and the sound of Snape pacing restlessly. Finally, Dumbledore stepped into the hall.

"Draco is alright," he said, turning to look at Narcissa. "He had a significant number of burns, but Poppy will be able to heal them completely."

"And Harry?" Sirius prompted anxiously.

Dumbledore hesitated. "Harry's recovery is less certain," he admitted sadly. "He was badly burned and the trauma of having the horcrux ripped out of him was substantial. We can't know the state of his mind or soul." He looked down at the floor sadly while the weeping picked up in the hallway.

"Can Draco heal him?" Snape asked, his face tense.

Dumbledore met his gaze thoughtfully. "I don't know," he replied quietly.

"But it's worth trying," Snape pressed, looking determined. "It was the entire reason for the bond they share; Potter's soul binding to its mate to attempt healing itself."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Once we get the worst of the burns healed, we'll test that out," he decided. He sighed tiredly. "I dare not attempt to look into Harry mind while he is so... shattered. Draco is likely the only one who could do it safely."

The group stood there in the hall, exhausted and worried. The horcrux was gone, but at what cost? If Harry survived, would he be the same Harry. Was he going to be too damaged?

"We'll love him anyway," Blaise said suddenly, his voice rough with emotion. "If Harry is... broken, we'll still love him. Our Alpha," he added softly. He sighed as Ron and Hermione shuffled closer to lean against Greg as well. "If he needs us to take care of him, that's what we'll do." Ron nodded his agreement.

"How do we handle Lucius?" Narcissa asked, speaking up for the first time. "You won't be able to hide these injuries from him."

"Potions accident," Snape supplied. "I'll tell him that they were working on advanced potions. Lucius is well aware of their proficiency, but accidents do happen."

"And the worst of the burns will be bandaged," Dumbledore added. "We can just say that Harry tried to shield Draco and got the worst of it."

Narcissa nodded in acceptance. "I should be going," she murmured softly. "Please inform me when my son wakes." She stepped close and hugged Remus tightly. They clung to one another for a moment, seeking and offering comfort. "They'll be alright," Narcissa whispered.

Remus nodded mutely, releasing her and watching as she hurried away. He sighed, leaning against Sirius again. His heart ached to think of Harry, wounded and struggling to survive. If Harry didn't make it, it would destroy Remus completely.


The pain in his head was nearly blinding.

Draco groaned, wanting to press at his temples, but it hurt to move. What had happened? And then he remembered. The ritual. A ring if blood inside a ring of fire. Pain. The malevolent presence of Voldemort's soul inside Harry. Harry's dying soul curling weakly around his own.

"Harry!" Draco cried out hoarsely.

There was the sound of hasty shuffling and then something cool pressing against his mouth. "Drink this," came the command from Madam Pomfrey. "It's for the pain."

Draco allowed her to lift his head and swallowed obediently as the potion was poured into his mouth. After a moment, he was able to open his eyes and look around. The hospital wing was a little too bright but it wasn't unbearable.

Remus and Sirius were standing at the foot of the bed, looking exhausted but relieved. Dumbledore and McGonagall stood at one side of the bed while Madam Pomfrey stood on the other side, fussing and using a few diagnostic charms to check Draco over.

"You had us worried," Sirius said softly.

"Where's Harry?" Draco asked, his voice shaking with fear.

"Harry's not doing well," Sirius answered, looking down and scrubbing at his eyes. "The ritual was too much for him." Next to him, Remus squeezed his eyes shut with an agonized expression.

"I need to be with him," Draco gasped, struggling to get up. Madam Pomfrey tried to stop him but Dumbledore waved her away and carefully helped Draco get up.

Sirius came to support Draco's weight on one side and Remus moved to the other side. Slowly they helped Draco move toward a bed that was hidden by curtains. Draco pulled at the curtains and gazed at the unconscious form of his love.

Harry's bandaged arms were resting on top of the blankets. He had a few burns on his face that were healing nicely. Aside from the burns, he was deathly pale.

"We can only assume that the damage to his soul is too great," Dumbledore said quietly. "Poppy has had a difficult time keeping his vitals stable."

Draco pulled out of Sirius and Remus' grasp and climbed into the bed with Harry. Rather than argue, Sirius helped to maneuver Harry's limp form so that Harry and Draco could lay chest to chest.

Remus and Sirius took seats near the bed, content to watch over the two boys. If there was any hope for Harry to recover, it rested with Draco. Everything that Poppy had been trying had only succeeded in slowing Harry's death a bit.

Draco cradled Harry's body, pressing his lips to Harry's forehead. "Come back to me Harry," he whispered softly.

Draco fell silent, holding Harry close. He closed his eyes and concentrated, willing his soul to reach out to Harry's. His heart broke when he realized how dim Harry's soul was now. It was weak and fading and Harry felt... cold. Draco reached out with his magic, offering himself. Take what you need from me. Anything. Everything.


For three days, there was very little movement from that hospital bed. Lucius had stopped by to check on his son and Draco had hastily returned to his own bed for the visit. As soon as Lucius was gone, Draco was right back in Harry's bed, keeping Harry cuddled against his body.

Despite the bed rest, Draco was exhausted. He did his best to brush off his friends' concern, but he was beginning to worry himself.

Finally, Harry's eyes opened.

Harry blinked slowly, vision blurry without his glasses. But he could see well enough to recognize that it was Draco that was holding him.

Draco opened his eyes, immediately tearing up when he realized that Harry was awake. "Oh, Harry," he murmured brokenly. "I was so worried."

Harry struggled but managed to wrap his arms around Draco's slim waist. He heaved a sigh and pressed his face to Draco's shoulder. They remained still and quiet until the infirmary doors opened.

Remus and Sirius came in and cried out with joy when they realized that Harry was awake. They ran to the bed and hugged both boys. Harry simply remained still, soaking up the affection with sleepy contentment.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked, lifting his head to peer at Harry's face.

"M'fine," Harry mumbled quietly, his eyes closing again. He snuggled into Draco's shoulder and went right back to sleep. Thinking that Harry had the right idea, Draco wrapped an arm around Harry and drifted off himself.

Remus and Sirius sent a message to Minerva to alert her and then settled in to watch over the boys once more.

Harry and Draco spent the next day mostly sleeping. Dumbledore had quickly assured Harry's three parents that it was to be expected. In their wakeful moments, Harry and Draco spent their time sharing warm hugs, chaste kisses and gentle caresses.

Harry's soul hadn't been torn apart like Voldemort's soul. Instead, Harry's soul had been, essentially, ripped open and his magic had struggled to keep it intact with him. That struggle would likely have killed Harry if not for Draco. Draco's magic had bolstered Harry's while their souls were soothed with every loving touch.

"How are you feeling today?" Dumbledore asked, watching Madam Pomfrey as she checked Harry over.

"I actually feel really good," Harry said. "I'm still a little tired but... I don't think I've ever felt this good," he admitted with a smile.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore responded cheerfully. "In that case, you have some visitors. They've been quite desperate to see you." He waved his wand and the infirmary doors opened.

In walked their Betas, leading the Pups. The Pups rushed at the bed, a few of them bursting into tears. Draco made a sound of distress, sitting up on the bed and opening his arms. One of the little Gryffindors sobbed and leapt forward to accept the embrace.

"I'm so sorry we scared you," Harry said in a choked voice, hugging two of them at once. "We're okay now."

"What happened?" Ben asked quietly. He'd managed not to cry, but he seemed to be barely holding on to his composure. "The Betas won't tell us why you were so sick. We know it wasn't a potions accident."

Harry sighed. "That's not something you need to know," he replied. "You wouldn't understand and it would just upset you. When you're older we may talk about it. For now, the only thing you need to know is that we're better. It won't happen again."

"Can you trust us to know what's best for you?" Draco asked, gently petting down the ruffled hair of a nearby Hufflepuff.

"Yes Alpha," said the little Gryffindor that was still clinging to Draco. The others agreed in between all the sniffling.

"We didn't mean to ambush you," Blaise said apologetically. "But the Pups have been distraught. When the story about the potions accident started, they immediately questioned it."

"The Pack didn't believe it for a second," Hermione agreed with a strained smile. "So we had to call a meeting to address it. But, we didn't think it was right to burden your pups with such knowledge."

"Thank you," Harry replied.

"You gave us quite a fright mate," Ron put in shakily.

"Well, we had to do something," Harry chuckled. "No trolls or dementers this year."

"I think I'd prefer for it to be boring," Vince grumbled.

"Yeah, it'd be great if we could avoid the drama next time," Greg agreed, making the pups laugh.

Harry and Draco were allowed to leave the hospital wing just after lunch. They immediately went to Professor Snape's office for an assessment. He was most familiar with Harry's magic, so it seemed prudent for him to evaluate it after such a traumatic event.

"Do not concern yourself about this," Snape said firmly. "With the horcrux gone, it's perfectly natural for you to have a decline. That soul fragment was lending you the Dark Lord's abilities. Even without the extra power, you have an impressive knowledge of spells and theory."

Harry sighed and pulled out his wand. Suddenly being less powerful was depressing. He dutifully began casting various spells. He levitated books, summoned quills, transfigured a chair into a kettle... Everything seemed normal enough.

"Now try wandless," Snape said, leaning against his desk. "If you can't manage, it's perfectly alright. It isn't necessary."

Harry swallowed hard, focusing more carefully on the flow of magic. It did feel a little different. He held his hand out, calling out to one of the books with his magic.

Draco let out an excited shout when the book soared into Harry's outstretched hand. "Yes!" Draco cheered. "That was brilliant Harry."

"Let's try something else then," Snape decided, though he did look pleased. "Wand out. Shield charm."

Harry obeyed hastily, bracing himself when Snape sent a stunner that bounced harmlessly against the invisible barrier. Snape frowned thoughtfully. "Wandless?" Snape suggested.

Harry had certainly never tried that before. But Snape looked strangely eager now, so Harry tucked his wand away. He took a deep breath and willed his magic to flow from his core and out to his fingertips.

A thrill of excitement raced down his spine as his magic bowed to his will. This time, Snape put enough power behind his spell to rattle Harry's teeth. But the shield held.

Next thing Harry knew, he was on his back.

Draco had tackled him with an exuberant hug. "That was amazing," Draco said, his eyes bright with excitement and affection.

"What's amazing is that you haven't managed to fracture Potter's spine over the years," Snape drawled, reaching out to pull the boys to their. feet. "I think it is safe to say that you've not lost any magical strength in this ordeal. You just seem to have even more control now."

"Thank Merlin," Harry sighed.

"Indeed," Snape agreed. "Be careful in your classes. You need to focus on controlling how much power goes into each spell. You wouldn't want to injure anyone."

"Yes sir," Harry agreed, relieved. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten so lucky, but he was certainly grateful.

That evening, the Wolves gathered in the Room of Requirement. They didn't bother with much training and instead spent the time enjoying the return of the Alphas. At the request of the pups, Draco transformed into the white wolf and lead them on a chase around the spacious room.

"Go on Harry," Ron encouraged. "The pups love Orion." The Betas had felt horrible for how hard the Pups had taken Harry and Draco's "illness". Now, they were eager to see the youngest wolves happy and playful.

Grinning, Harry shifted. But this change felt rather strange, and it wasn't happening as quickly as past transformations.

"Something's wrong," Hermione said, a note of panic in her voice.

Orion had collapsed but swiftly got to his feet, only to realize that something was still off. He looked up to see that the Pack was staring at him in amazement.

"This shouldn't be possible," Hermione breathed. "Animagus forms don't change."

Change? Orion looked down to see that his form was considerably larger than he expected. He looked back up in time to see Hermione conjure a large mirror.

He was now a large black wolf with vibrant green eyes. He felt a moment of sadness for the loss of his feline form, but it seemed more fitting to be a wolf.

The white wolf moved up next to him, and Orion couldn't help admiring how striking they looked together. He turned to look into lovely silver eyes, joy rippling through him. He tipped his head back and let loose a long howl.

The white wolf joined in, its voice a bit higher pitched. Around them, the pups howled as well. This caused the rest of the Pack to laugh.

"This is brilliant," Blaise chuckled. "Alpha wolves. Now we just need a name for Orion's mate."

The older pack members discussed names while the pups huddled around the two wolves. The wolves happily nuzzled and nudged at their pups. Orion now understood Draco's penchant for snuggling and grooming the young ones. It suddenly felt like the most natural thing in the world. And the pups didn't seem to think it was strange at all. They accepted the affection without hesitation.

It was nearly overwhelming, the love Orion felt for his Pack. Not just the pups. It sang through his blood and warmed every part of him. They came from four different houses and had bonded through a desire to protect themselves from the darkness. House affiliation made no difference to the Pack now.

"Alright I think we've got it," Ron announced. He was holding a book and smiling widely. He marched over and crouched in front of the white wolf, holding the book open. It was a book on astrology that Hermione had found in one of the bookshelves provided by the Room.

"See this?" Ron said, pointing a picture of tiny stars with two stars shining bigger and brighter than the others. "We're going to call you Centauri. It's the third brightest star in the sky after Sirius and Canopus. We can't use Sirius and Canopus is a stupid name."

"It's actually called Alpha Centauri," Hermione corrected with a grin.

"How great is that?" Ron enthused while the others laughed. "So now you're Alpha Centauri and he's Alpha Orion."

The white wolf looked at Orion and then at the pups. "I think it sounds great," Ben said helpfully. The other pups nodded their agreement.

Satisfied, the white wolf nodded once. He closed his eyes contentedly when Ron scratched behind his ears. Then Ron dropped his hand. "Right then. Pups lets give them a moment and we'll let you practice your tickling charms on the other wolves," Ron said with a mischievous grin.

Orion and Centauri watched them go before nuzzling against one another. Being a cat had been fun, but nothing felt as right as Orion's new wolf form. And having his newly named mate at his side just made everything better.


Lucius Malfoy wasn't sure what to think. After several days in the hospital wing, Draco and Harry were back in class as if nothing had happened. They suddenly seemed more vibrant and confident.

It only took a few moments of observation in Defense class to realize that Harry had a, frankly, alarming level of control of the power he wielded. It was impressive and a little terrifying.

And then there was the fact that Draco and Harry seemed closer than ever. They were always together. Lucius couldn't afford to have Draco be so attached to Harry. The Dark Lord had every intention of using Draco's influence to lure Harry out of Dumbledore's protection. But Lucius was quickly realizing that Draco's friendship with the other boy wasn't an act at all.

"Potter is... more talented than I thought," Lucius murmured one evening as he sat in Snape's office.

"His abilities are impressive," Snape agreed. "As are Draco's," he added with a congratulatory nod.

Lucius nodded absently, his expression troubled. "May I be frank with you?" he asked.

Snape gave a vague wave of invitation.

"I find it concerning," Lucius admitted. "Our Lord was already defeated once when Potter was a baby. And I fear that Potter will only grow stronger."

"A perfectly reasonable assumption."

"Draco's friendship with him seems authentic," Lucius said, scowling suddenly. "I told him to gain Potter's trust. He knows better than this. Potter is the enemy. Draco is to take the Mark at the end of term and will surely be expected to show his loyalty."

Snape was silent for a while. "You are afraid that the Dark Lord will lose," he said quietly.

Lucius flinched and opened his mouth to deny it. And then he slumped slightly. "Yes," he whispered. "I fear for my own ability to protect my family. The Dark Lord does not easily forgive our failings."

Snape nodded slowly, considering. "Well, he is just a boy, Lucius," he drawled.

"Don't patronize me Severus," Lucius growled, his control snapping. "He is restraining himself. Holding back. The fact that I can feel that is... terrifying. A fifteen year old boy with that kind of magic..."

Snape nodded somberly, brushing aside the urge to smirk in triumph. Lucius was afraid of Harry. That was definitely a step in the right direction.