"Someone's hunting wizards?" Albus gaped at Marcus and the others.

"Why?" asked Scorpius.

"We don't know," Sofia replied. "The papers are staying mum about the whole thing. You know how MACUSA is—or, I guess you don't, huh?"

"Well if they're anything like the Ministry of Magic, we have a pretty good guess. What's the church got to do with it all?"

"The New Salem Philanthropic Society was originally formed in order to expose witchcraft and magic. They want to destroy wizardkind."

"What?" Albus exclaimed.

"They've been around for decades, but no one much paid attention to them until a few years ago. Conservatism and nationalist rhetoric kind of surged right around the time I was due to go away to school. It's gotten so bad that Ilvermorny is practically a group home for kids with No-maj parents."

"Well, if they hate wizards and witches and they're trying to prove that we exist, why would you worship with them?" asked Scorpius.

"We didn't, until about a year ago. Mémé said that there was a warning in the tea leaves. We needed to keep close watch on those who would oppose us," said Jacob.

"We thought that might be why you came," Marcus added.

"Well, like I said, I don't know. Dad doesn't typically share the details of his job with the family." Albus shrugged. "What does that have to do with me and Scorpius?"

"My uncle is a magical historian. He works at the archives at the International Confederation of Wizards. We know all about your families," said Michaela. "Yours too." She nodded at Lilac.

"Mine? What are you talking about?" She looked at the girl incredulously.

"Have you ever heard of Severus Snape?" Michaela asked.

"Who?"

"He was our dads' Potions professor at Hogwarts," said Albus.

"And Headmaster after Albus Dumbledore died," added Scorpius.

"He was a Death Eater," said Michaela

"Until my grandparents were murdered," said Albus. "Then he became a spy for the Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Lilac gave him a bemused look.

"It was a secret resistance organization fighting against Tom Riddle and the Death Eaters."

"And we're related? You knew this?" she asked.

"Well—"

"We weren't certain," Scorpius interjected.

"Dad never spoke of Professor Snape having any family," said Albus. "Especially not Yank—I mean Americans. Your father never told you any of this?"

"He—no—we j-just—he's really only taught me how to perform magic. I never read anything about this guy in the books he gave me. I barely knew my grandfather. He died when I was like two, and Grammie doesn't visit often. She's a separatist." She sat down on the rough wooden decking. "I can't believe he never told me any—I mean—he has to know, right?"

"Well, maybe he doesn't know. Professor Snape's father was a muggle," said Albus.

"A No-Maj? Well, how—"

"It could be any number of things," Scorpius suggested. "Maybe they had shared magical ancestors. Maybe it's just coincidence that someone in your family married a mage at some point in the past."

"Well, that's neither here nor there," said Marcus. "What's important is that we have to protect ourselves. The NSPS is serious. You heard Reverend Mathers' sermon this morning."

"What do we need to protect ourselves for? They're muggles." Scorpius countered.

"Yes, but what if he's managed to find wizards loyal to their cause?" Sofia insisted. Albus and Scorpius began to laugh.

"Wizards loyal to muggles who want to eliminate them? That's hilarious!"

"No it isn't!" Michaela snapped. "The Scourers could come back!"

"What are Scourers?" Scorpius asked.

"They were originally wizarding law enforcement, back before America became a united country. MACUSA hadn't been established and there were no Aurors," Marcus explained. "When the witch trials began, they got greedy and began turning in innocent No-Majs and even real wizards and witches in exchange for money."

"Seriously?" Albus and Scorpius looked at him in shock.

"It's true," said Lilac. "I heard Ma say that the NSPS got Dan Barbon elected in Texas, and they're hoping to get Arthur Hathorne elected to the Senate seat that was just came open after Kellen Farrington died last month. I heard her on the phone with Mrs. Parris, saying that maybe they might get some traction to rid the country of the 'evil that is attempting to infect us all'" She made air-quotes as she spoke.

"Ugh! Your mom really said that?" Sofia pulled a face.

"It's why my dad won't let me carry my wand. He insists that she can never find out."

"That's not safe," said Jacob. "You can't continue to suppress your magical energy. The darkness is growing in your core."

"What?" Lilac looked at him curiously.

"Jake's a Seer. If he says it, then it's true."

"Lilac's an Obscurial?" Albus looked from him to her incredulously.

"No I'm not!" she insisted. Dust rained down from the rafters as the decrepit structure trembled.

"Are you sure?" Jacob raised a brow.

"Oh, my God!" Lilac whispered. Her hand flew to her mouth. Scorpius knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay. You just have to learn to control your emotions."

"You need to use your magic. Just steal your wand. Who's going to know?" Jacob said.

"We're getting distracted y'all. Al, Scorp. We need—"

"My name is Scorpius. Please don't call me Scorp—and he doesn't like to be called Al."

"Okay, fine, whatever. We need your help," Marcus continued.

"Our help?"

"Our parents have taught us pretty common magic—potions, transfiguration—I've got my apparition license, but none of us have gone to Ilvermorny. We don't have defensive skills."

"Not good ones, at least," said Michaela.

"Wait—you want us to teach you defense?" Albus' eyes grew large.

"Why?" asked Scorpius.

"If you'd seen me with a wand, you wouldn't be so eager to have me as your tutor," said Albus. He shook his head, holding his hands up.

"But you can do wandless magic," said Jacob.

"I—" Albus began to protest.

"C'mon. No way you can leap five feet into the air and block a kick with your chest, bro. That was Ascendio Modicum—no wand, non-verbal. Your dad's Harry Potter, surely you know—"

"I don't, okay?" Albus insisted. "Scorpius will tell you, I'm rubbish at defense. I can barely manage a color-change charm! I can't even fly a broom! I don't know what you expected, but you're barking up the wrong tree. It's getting dark and our dads are going to be back at the reservoir soon, so can we go now?"

"Draco, what the hell?" Harry exclaimed. He drew away from Draco, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I—oh, fuck! I-I'm sorry!" Draco leapt to his feet, lifting a shaking hand to his own lips. "I—I didn't mean—" He hastened back along the path towards the house, summoning his helmet. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

After a moment, Harry shook off his stupefaction and ran after him. He caught up with Draco just as he crossed the porch to the motor court.

"Draco, stop!" Harry cried. Draco stopped, but did not turn back to him. "You can't just do what you did and then run away!"

"Well, I think I had enough of dueling you at Hogwarts. So, just forget it happened. I—"

"You're right. This isn't Hogwarts, and I haven't got my wand raised. That still doesn't mean that you get to play the coward. This isn't sixth year in the lav. This isn't me with a stinging-jinxed face at the gates of Malfoy Manor. Be a man and own up to what you're really thinking and feeling!"

"I'm attracted to you, alright!" Draco finally spun around to face him. He could feel his heart pounding painfully in his chest. "I always have been. Perhaps even I'm in love with you! Ever since I first laid eyes on you in Madam Malkin's I've been enthralled by you, Harry Potter! I was jealous of Granger and Weasley! I couldn't even have you as a friend, because you turned out to be anything but the wizard my father first assumed you to be! You were diametrically opposite of the world in which I lived! You were the enemy! So, that's what I made myself to you. I had to hate you, because longing for you was torture! I was trapped in a world of wizards who wanted to end you, and all I could do was breathe a sigh of relief every time you managed to overcome their attempts to defeat you, and hope that the Dark Lord never discovered how I really felt." He took a step towards Harry. "When you—when we dueled in the lavatory that night and you—I begged Snape to let me die. I was so tired of fighting, pretending, being used…being alone on the inside." He sighed again. "It's getting late. The kids are probably wondering where we are."

Albus dropped the water bottle portkey, and stumbled forward a few steps when the group landed in the park path once more. He grimaced and stormed back toward the main park. Scorpius jogged to catch up with him and grabbed his arm.

"Albus, wait!"

"Scorpius, if we're not back to the pavilion before our dads arrive, we're going to be in deep shit!"

"What are you mad at me for? They just want our help."

"Really? And how do we do that, yeah? You've seen my magic. It's shit!"

"It's shit when you try too hard with your wand," Scorpius argued. "But I saw you do wandless magic."

"You saw me summon a pillow from across the room. That isn't the same thing." He started off again. Scorpius blocked his path.

"Okay, then what about football? Jacob said you used Ascendio Modicum to defend the goal. You told me all about it, remember? How do you explain that?"

"I don't know!"

"So what would it hurt to try? If nothing else, maybe you'll learn to control your magic better. Albus, come on! They accept us! They invited us to join them! No one has ever done that before! Lilac says Marcus is one of the most popular students at Lakeshore. People listen to him! They want to be a part of his circle!"

"So this is about trending, yeah? Being popular?"

"No, this is about protecting ourselves! Your dad is here for a reason! You heard what the priest—minister said this morning! We've had four years of defense! I've dueled with Father ever since I received my wand! We can all learn from one another. It'll be like—"

"Don't say—"

"Dumbledore's Army!"

"I can't take you seriously right now." Albus began to walk again.

"Yo, Potter!" Marcus called after him. Albus heaved a sigh and turned once more. "Listen, man, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. It's just that…we're scared. We've read all about what happened in Europe back in the day, and we know all about how bad things were here in colonial times. What you don't know is that America is kind of a crazy place. No-Majs used to have laws that discriminated against Blacks. We weren't allowed to go to the same schools, live in the same neighborhoods. Even sit where we wanted at the movies or on the bus. Then, the last president we had—he encouraged hateful behavior towards minorities. They put refugee kids in jail! I'm talking about little kids, bro! Women were being publicly disrespected, and no one took them seriously when they said they'd been abused and assaulted. Guys like me and Jacob were being murdered just for walking home from the convenience store! People called the cops on us for literally no reason! Do you want that to happen to wizards? MACUSA already has a ton of rules, like wand registration. You wouldn't believe all of the paperwork my parents had to do in order for us to be allowed to get a wand without attending Ilvermorny! If Barbon and Hathorne expose us—" Marcus' expression was earnest.

"But I'm not as good as you think!" Albus insisted.

"None of us are, but all of us bring something to the table. We can help each other," Marcus asserted. "Look, the enemy out there is very real, and it will be up to us to defend ourselves."

"I still don't know." They heard the roar of motorcycles in the distance. "Our parents are here. We've gotta go."

"Just think about it, okay?" Marcus implored as Albus walked away.

"He will!" Scorpius called out as he hurried after him.

Eric Snape was a quiet man. When not out patrolling the vast waters of Greyswood Lake, he enjoyed solitary pursuits like swimming or fishing, and he generally kept himself to himself. He had little use for idle conversation and tended only to speak out of good manners or necessity. As such, he had few acquaintances who he might actually call friends. So it was with wary eyes that he gazed upon the group assembled in the sitting room with his wife.

Frank Mathers knelt beside Toviyah, gripping her hand as he prayed, while Thom and Melissa Parris joined hands with Harlowe and Tarquin Cain. Eric waited patiently for him to finish.

"I was unaware that we were having a prayer meeting," he said. "I would have come home straightaway."

"Where is Lilac?" Toviyah asked.

"I assume she's still with her friends at the reservoir. I left the regatta at the end of the last race, as soon as all of the boats had cleared the water. I'm sure she'll be home soon."

"Brother Eric, do you mind if we fellas have a talk?" Frank gestured for him to enter.

"Come on, honey." Melissa and Harlowe led Toviyah from the room.

"Is there something I should know, Brother Mathers?" Eric glanced down the hall after his wife. The women went into their bedroom. "Is Toviyah okay?"

"No, Eric. No, she is not. Why don't you have a seat?" Eric cautiously complied, his gaze shifting from one man to another.

"What is going on?"

"Well, we were rather hoping you might be able to help us sort that out, Eric. Toviyah is deeply concerned about Lilac." Tarquin gave him a hard look.

"Lilac?" Eric asked in confusion.

"It is the duty of the father to ensure the virtue of his children."

"What exactly are you trying to say? Lilac? My daughter is virtuous and respectable!" Eric retorted.

"Now, Eric, there's no need to get excited, friend. It's just that Toviyah is—well, she's concerned about the amount of time that you and Lilac spend alone," said Frank. Eric opened his mouth to speak, but quickly pursed his lips, and silently counted to ten before he spoke.

"I damned sure hope you ain't about to suggest what I think you are, Frank." His voice was low and cool.

Albus fell into the soft cushions of the sofa in his bedroom and closed his eyes.

"Well?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, what?" Albus kept his eyes closed.

"Are we going to do it?"

"Scorpius—"

"Albus, this is our chance! We don't know anything about America, and I know even less about muggles! These blokes can help us!"

"I just—I don't know, Scorpius."

"I'm sick of being an outsider, Albus!" Scorpius stormed.

"They think I'm someone that I'm not!" Albus leapt to his feet, throwing his hands up.

"Then show them who you are!" Scorpius caught Albus' hands. "You don't have to be the son of The Chosen One! Be you! I heard what Marcus said to you, Albus. They aren't looking for perfection. They're looking for allies!"

Albus looked at him with a mordant expression.

"Fine. Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "I must be crazy!" Scorpius pulled him into an embrace and kissed him.

"That's what I like about you!" Scorpius replied with a smile.

"Really? Well, you know what I like about you?" Albus grinned. Before Scorpius could open his mouth to ask, Albus tackled him onto the bed and straddled his hips. He leaned down to kiss the other young wizard, brushing his long, pale bangs out of his face.

Harry moved his bike into the garage after Scorpius and Albus disappeared into the house. Draco stood facing the road, watching a solitary car carefully navigating the winding slope in the darkness until it disappeared around the bend.

"Draco—"

"I should collect Scorpius. It's a school night." He moved past Harry towards the door.

"Coward," Harry scoffed.

"What did you say to me?" Draco spun to glare at him.

"I said you're a coward. I try to get you to explain yourself, and you run away. Do you honestly believe that I can accept what you did out there and just go on, pretending nothing happened when there are less than one-hundred meters separating us?"

"I'm the coward? That's rich, coming from the man who can't even see what's right in front of his face! You've as much as admitted that your entire marriage is a farce, but you choose to act clueless as to the reason! Unlike you, I never lied to myself. At least my wife knew the truth!" Draco hissed. "Do you—" He shook his head. "Do you honestly know why I chose to come here?"

"You said that you wanted to learn about the outside world. Is that not the truth?"

"It's only half of the truth." Draco licked his lips. "I came…I came to get away from you."

"I was unaware that you were under the impression I was pursuing you." Harry furrowed his brow, and crossed his arms, leaning against his bike.

"No, not to escape you." Draco finally turned to face him. "To get away from you—from what you are to me—an unattainable fantasy. I'd hoped that leaving the Manor, leaving England would finally allow me to exorcise the illusions in my head and in my heart, that one day I might finally have you. Merlin! You're like—like a curse that I can't shake!"

"Draco, I didn't know that you would wind up here—certainly not living just next door—" he gestured in the direction of the other house.

"I know that! I just—" Draco pursed his lips before he spoke again. "When we faced off in the Room of Hidden Things, I wasn't there to confront you. I was there to help you! I heard you talking to the Grey Lady. I knew what you were looking for. I just couldn't shake Crabbe and Goyle, but I thought that we might be able to distract them somehow. Only, I didn't count on Vincent setting the place on fire, and—" Draco shook his head. "There you were, saving my ass. I couldn't believe you testified for me—for us at trial."

"I—it was the right thing to do. Lucius didn't try to fight. Your mother lied to Riddle."

"Of course. You're so fucking noble, Potter," Draco scoffed.

"You helped us to escape from the Manor."

"What are you talking about? Dobby helped you escape."

"No." Harry gestured for him to follow. "I need to show you something." He led Draco to the guest house and up the stairs. Draco entered the sitting room, looking around curiously.

Harry disappeared into the bedroom and returned a moment later, holding a slim wooden box with no latches or hinges. To the casual observer, it may have simply been a highly polished block of wood, but for the barely visible seam that divided the top from the bottom. He placed it on the small dining table and pointed his wand.

"Cistem Aperio." A white light issued forth and the lid lifted away.

Draco drew in a sharp breath. Resting on a pad of black velvet lay a ten-inch wand of hawthorn wood. He felt a tingle rush up his spine, and shuddered. Draco knew that magical instrument as well as he knew every line that crossed his palm. He recalled the day that it chose him. Ollivander had extolled the virtues of the unicorn hair at its core and defined it as "reasonably pliant."

"Take it." Harry pushed the box across the tabletop. Draco took a step forward and reached out, but drew back before he could touch the wand.

"No. It's no longer mine." He shook his head. "You won it. You're its master now."

"I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you on that. Yes, it performed for me. It did what I needed it to do, but I never mastered it. How could I, when I never won it?" Draco didn't answer. He only stared at Harry, nonplussed. "When it was all said and done, I couldn't quite understand why you didn't fight harder to hold on to them. I know you're a skilled duelist, but you hesitated, and then…you just let go."

"I—" Draco began to protest anew, and Harry rounded the table, giving him a penetrating look.

"You helped us to escape." They stood, eyes locked on one another for a long moment, before Draco cleared his throat and glanced at the wand once more. "Go on."

Draco huffed, reaching for the wand, and it leapt away to Harry's outstretched hand.

"Potter! What are you playing at?" he snapped. Harry said nothing, his expression impassive as he held the wand out to him. Draco eyed him warily. He took the hilt, but Harry still held on, and the wand began to vibrate.

"Do you really believe that I've been lying to myself all this time?"

"The true magic of love is not to avoid the changes, but to follow the path where it leads, no matter how difficult or steep."

"You sound like Dumbledore," Harry let go of the wand.

"I didn't much care for him, but I never hated him, and I certainly never wanted to kill him."

"I know." Harry's voice was low and hoarse-sounding.

"I, erm…I apologize for placing you in such a distressing position. You needed someone to share your feelings with, and I took advantage. For just one moment, sitting there beside you, I began to hope. I may sound like Dumbledore, and it's not a very Slytherin way of thinking. Nevertheless, love does this, all to reveal the secrets of your heart. When you accept it, the rocks will retreat and the high places will lie down. The trees will bend their arms to ward off the rain and draw back their canopy to light the darkness. However, Harry, none of this can happen if you refuse to embark upon the journey."

Harry watched, speechless as Draco turned towards the door, and he felt the echo of the wand's tremor wash over him with a tingling sensation that left him feeling lightheaded. Draco reached for the doorknob when suddenly Harry was standing in front of him. Green eyes held silver for several tense seconds, until finally Harry grabbed Draco, crushing their lips together.

Note: First, a tip o'the nib to Khalil Gibran. I lifted one or two lines from The Prophet.

Also, the names of some characters do carry certain significance-Congressman Hathorne takes his name from the real life John Hathorne, a Magistrate in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, during the Salem Witch Trials. Senator Farrington takes his name from Edward Farrington, accused and indicted for witchcraft, but escaped prosecution. Rev. Frank Mathers is named for Cotton Mather, an influential Puritan minister, whose writings laid the groundwork for the Salem Witch Trials. Thom Parris also takes his name from a prominent figure of the trials, Samuel Parris, whose daughter, Betty was one of the accusers.

As always, much gratitude goes to J.K. Rowling for her amazing stories and characters.