Author's Note:

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy among these scary times! I think most of us in North America are now officially under quarantine to try to stop the spread of COVID-19, for the most part. I am still working and busier than ever since I work in a home health store. But it is definitely getting crazy out there! Everyone stay safe. Wash your hands. Don't touch your face. Practice social distancing. And most importantly — be respectful to those around you and don't be a dick. We're all struggling. Let's work together and beat this thing!

As to the latest chapter of ASC, I want to start this note off by thanking the reviewer MiyuKuran on Ao3, because I think your review perfectly explained the importance of Sirius' death: "Sirius was our main character. This was his story, his second chance, he's the man who raised the boy who lived and that story was his, not Harry's. Sirius was our main character, not that Harry wasn't important, but we viewed this world through Sirius's eyes and now that he's gone... Play time is over. This is the real start of the second wizarding war, before it was preparation on both sides a cold war like tension, minor tiffs here and there but, The War is here for real, and so the story must shift from a man trying to raise a son to the son raising to the challenge and facing evil. It's a beautiful transition, and I am angry. I am supposed to be angry because Harry is angry and this is now his story. He has inherited the position of Main Character, and now Sirius can't shield him from the war. It's real now. Childhood is over."

You perfectly summed up my thoughts, my emotions, and my feelings on why I decided to let Sirius go. That is exactly it. The war has now officially started and it may not be immediate, but by the end of Harry's sixth year, I can promise you, much will have changed.

Reviews: LifeonEarth: Harry will struggle, but he will get there. To evanspotter456: One of the evil steps, yes. There will be character death, some the same, and some not. I already know every one who will live and die. To Covley Hatake: Sirius did update his will, as you will find out in chapter 222, and no, Sirius' title is higher than Malfoys (Earl of Wiltshire, while the Black is Viscount of Falmouth). To Miss Elyon: Thank you! I hope you are staying safe as well and Harry will get through it with the love of his friends and family. To Queen Raja: Thank you — favourite fanfic of all time is quite the honour! To supersandman86: Incredibly interesting theory, but no. To notthatchhavi: Theo and Finn are my new OTP too LOL. To alix33: I don't think it was the first time Arthur swore, but maybe. To runningtwiceasfast: Harry needs some time to come to grips with it all and I think we all know, he's not going to handle it particularly well. To Wolf's scream: Oh, yes, Tom's temper tantrum is most definitely the signs of a great, stable leader haha!

To HGRHfan35: Sirius does have the true love of a woman and a son and he had an amazing second chance that they all deserved. To devonleney27: I'm sorry I made you feel things, LOL, but not really, I take it as a compliment! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Remus will react. Right now he is focused on Harry, on making sure that Harry is okay and that Harry is dealing with everything. He's being strong for everyone else because he doesn't know what else to do. Give him time. To SarahTheChimera: That's exactly right, Remus is the last Marauder and he's doing what he can to hold on. I do hope that by having Zee and Remus around it will help make Harry a strong adult. ToFatherOfPuppies: Thank you! I have an amazing beta in Dusk right now, but that's a kind offer! To Jmcglynn522: "But Sirius's 2nd chance was to actually live a real life. To shape, influence, and to change so many parts of the wizarding world vs living a half life in the shadows. Yes, his death was tragic. But it was also beautiful, and sad, and wonderful, and brave all together. He died a good death. Am I happy about that? FUCK NO! I cried for days!" LOL, all very true, and I'm happy I made people cry because it shows people are as emotionally invested in this story as I am, which to me is the highest of compliments! To Kellen_der_Heide: Thank you, that's so wonderful that you made an account just to leave me a review! To Adelite: The Malfoys have some things to deal with that's for sure and it's not quite going to be what you expect. Sirius' political position, well someone else will be stepping up or should I say (someone[s]).

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE:

Hermione woke up slowly. She knew that she was awake, but she felt sluggish, and like there was something heavy that prevented her from opening her eyes. She blinked, the bright lights blinding her as she heard Ron's voice.

"She's waking up! Mione — hey, Mione."

She moaned, her eyes finally staying open as she tried to see past the bright flashes. Her eyes felt hooded and tired.

"Hey, jellybean, hi, my darling girl!"

"Dad?" she croaked.

"Oh, Greg!"

Hermione saw her mum's face as a warm hand gripped hers. "Mum? Where am I? Is Ron here?"

"Hi, Hermione," Ron said and she caught the flash of brilliant red move into her line of vision. "I just came in to check on you."

She nodded. "Sleepy."

Her father's lips brushed her forehead. "Rest, jellybean. Mum and I will be here when you wake."

Then she was drifting off again, falling under the hood of sleep once more.

~ ASC ~

Ginny stood outside of Harry's bed curtains a few hours later, taking deep breaths. After spending some time with Neville and Luna, and then talking to Finn and Theo, she felt reassured, but she was worried about Harry. She slipped through the bed curtains and found Remus lying on the other side of hm. Remus was asleep, but Harry was staring up at the ceiling. The movement made him look over and he immediately sat up.

"Hi."

Ginny moved and wrapped her arms around him, sitting herself sideways right in his lap so that she could hold him close. "I'm so sorry about Sirius."

Harry pulled her closer to him, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "Are you okay?"

"All clear. I did break my ankle, but it's all mended and no signs of a concussion. Madam Pomfrey gave me potions and made sure that I rested before she let me head out. Mum and Dad were both here earlier along with Percy and Bill. Did you see them?"

He shook his head. "No, I just woke up a few hours ago. I was given a very potent sleeping draught."

Ginny's fingers gently ran through his hair. "Thank you for coming for me."

His head turned slightly to press a kiss to her neck. "There was never any doubt."

"Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

He shook his head again, his face still buried in the crook of her neck. "Not really. Burned my arms on something, but they're mostly healed already. Should be another day or so and no scars. The prophecy was destroyed but... Bellatrix Lestrange killed him."

Her fingers continued to gently knead through his hair as she held him. "I know. I'm so sorry, Harry."

She felt the hot tears against her neck and she held him tighter as her eyes met Remus'. Remus sat up in the bed, his hand squeezing his son's shoulder in reassurance.

"How's Tonks, Professor?"

"She was good when I left St Mungo's. She should be released today or tomorrow, Andy sent word. She's going to take her back to their home until she's fully healed. I sent Zee home to shower and change. She needed a break."

Ginny nodded. "If you want to go check on Tonks, I'll stay with Harry."

Harry turned away from Ginny to look at Remus. "Go check on her, I'll be all right."

Remus bent his head to kiss his son's forehead. "I won't be more than an hour."

Ginny turned Harry back into her arms. "I've got him, Remus."

Harry let out a slow breath against her neck as he heard his father leave. "He's gone, Ginny."

Ginny kissed his cheek, his temple, every part of his face she could reach. "He loved you so much, Harry. It's not fair that he was taken from you. That foul woman will pay for killing him, for hurting Neville and his family… she'll pay."

Harry only lifted his head to kiss her, holding her tightly. "I love you."

Ginny framed his face with her hands. "Whatever you need from me, just ask."

His fingers played with the ends of her hair. "Just hold me."

Ginny nodded, moving to rest her cheek on his shoulder. "As long as you want."

~ ASC ~

Ginny stayed with him until Remus returned with Fred and George. They were going to bring her to St Mungo's to visit Ron. She kissed Harry softly and promised to be back later; he only nodded as he watched her go. Zee returned soon after, sitting next to him and holding his hand as Madam Pomfrey checked the burns on his arms and applied more salve. They were already healing very well and the matron thought that they would be completely healed by the next day. She insisted that Harry was to stay in the hospital wing until then.

He'd accepted the potions that she'd given him and let Zee tuck him into bed, feeling better with the thought that both she and Remus had no plans of leaving the hospital wing, and he was soon drifting off to sleep.

After being checked over once more in the morning, he was given the go ahead by the matron to return to Gryffindor. Remus made a trip to his dorm to get him some clean clothes before insisting that Harry had to eat. He left his son to get changed and headed to the kitchens to find him some food. Harry was just putting on his trainers when Fudge stepped into the hospital wing with Dumbledore and made his way over to him.

"Hello, sir."

"Mr Potter," Fudge said smoothly. "I am here to speak with you about your guardianship."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "My — guardianship?"

Fudge nodded curtly. "With Lord Black's sudden passing, he left no formal statement on who should be your guardian upon his death. Since you are only fifteen, this means that you fall under the Department of Magical Services status as a Ministry Waif. Usually we try to place you with a blood relative, and we understand that you have an aunt and uncle who are Muggles."

Harry stared at him in shock. "No."

"Mr Potter, I know that this situation is not ideal, but they paid for their crimes; when I went to see them about taking you in, they were more than happy to do it."

Remus chose that moment to return with a tray of food and he moved to stand next to Harry. Harry leaned into him in relief when his father's arm came around him.

"I am his father, Fudge. He'll be with me."

"Mr Lupin, you are not his formal guardian and —"

"— I won't go," Harry told him defiantly. "My home is here."

"Mr Potter, Mr and Mrs Dursley have —"

"— DURSLEY!" Remus choked. "Over my dead fucking body! Do you know what those tossers did to him as a child?"

"They have been rehabilitated and are sorry for their sins. Their son is well cared for and in a happy home —"

Remus snorted. "It was never their precious son who was mistreated!"

"They are a blood relative to Mr Potter and despite their past transgressions —"

"— Past transgressions?" Remus exploded. "They beat, starved, and both physically and emotionally abused him! I am his goddamn father and he is staying with me!"

"Mr Lupin, you are not legally his guardian. When I spoke to the Dursleys about Harry losing Sirius Black, they were understanding in allowing the marquess to live with them."

"The marquess? You fucking idiot — the only reason they want him is because of that title! He is staying here — with me! With Voldemort on the loose, do you honestly think that it's a good idea to send Harry Potter — the Chosen One — off to live with bloody Muggles? What the hell makes you think that's remotely safe for him?"

Fudge looked dumbstruck.

Harry glared at Fudge. "I won't go back there. Uncle Remus, Zee, and Tonks are my family. I won't go back to them."

Dumbledore put his hand on Fudge's shoulder. "I will vouch for this, Cornelius. Harry can't go live with Muggles. He's much safer here, with all of us."

Fudge looked like he wanted to protest but he just nodded mutely. "There was no formal guardian listed," Fudge insisted, his arms crossed in front of him. "That means that Harry Potter is a Ministry Waif. That's the law, Mr Potter. I'm not doing this to hurt you, I'm merely doing my job."

Remus glowered at him. "He is coming home with me, Fudge. There will be no discussion on the matter. He will return to his home with Zahira Zacarias, myself, and my wife!"

Dumbledore nodded. "Sirius would have wanted Remus to take care of Harry in this situation and I know that living with Zee is where Harry will want to be, Cornelius. They are his family."

"That may be, Dumbledore, but without proper authorization stating who will have guardianship, Harry Potter is a Ministry Waif, that's the law!"

"He is not a fucking waif of anything!" Remus exploded, his golden eyes flashing angrily. "He is just as much my son as he was Sirius' and I am now his legal guardian! You will not take him away from me!"

Fudge glared at Remus. "You are a registered werewolf, Lupin, which makes you quite unfit to be a guardian of a fifteen-year-old-boy, not to mention that you don't share his blood! Without a formal declaration of guardianship, he must be turned over to a blood relative!"

Remus' hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He — is — my — son!"

Dumbledore placed a hand on Remus' shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Cornelius, Remus' status as a werewolf is hardly relevant here. He takes the potion. He has raised Harry his entire life. As Chief Warlock, I have the ability to override all final calls here and I declare that Remus Lupin is more than fit to be the guardian of Harry James Potter. However, it is Agent Zahira Zacarias who will be taking him home with her."

Fudge huffed indignantly. "Fine. Fine! I have bigger concerns at the moment anyway, if you think that the well-being of Potter isn't one of them after seeing You Know Who attack the Ministry… He's going to go after that boy again — it's inevitable! He was the cause of his downfall the first time!"

"We're aware, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Which is why it's so important for Harry to be with his family now. He'll be sixteen next month, and is hardly a child unable to make his own decisions. He will be much safer with a family who will love and protect him than with Muggles who would be powerless to stop Voldemort if he found them."

Fudge looked like he wanted to argue before he pursed his lips. "I want your signature on the paperwork, Albus."

"Done," Dumbledore declared.

Fudge only nodded and headed out in a huff as Remus pulled Harry tightly into his arms.

"I won't let you go back to those tossers, Harry. I'm so sorry that it was even mentioned."

Harry nodded mutely, unable to believe it himself. He had always wondered off and on what had happened to the Dursleys. The thought that they had been rehabilitated wasn't something that had crossed his mind. What did that even mean?

Remus seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he kissed the top of his head. Under his breath, he muttered, "Rehabilitated, my arse!"

"Uncle Moony, do I… will I have to see them?"

"No!" Remus exclaimed. "Absolutely not!"

Harry hugged Remus as they stood there, still slightly in shock over what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, Harry. Dumbledore warned me that this might be a problem, but I let it slip my mind in my concern for you. You're coming home, I promise that you won't have to go back to them. I promise," he declared, his hands shaking slightly on Harry's back.

Harry only nodded as he hugged his father.

But for the first time in his life, he didn't find his father's words assuring.

~ ASC ~

Zee sat at the kitchen table, her head between her legs as she tried to prevent the vomit from coming up again. She'd spent a good portion of her evening throwing up. She couldn't figure out why they called it morning sickness when it happened whenever it damn well felt like it. Harry had been released from the hospital wing that evening and after assuring him that Remus was right and they had no intention of letting Fudge remove him from their home, she'd kissed his cheeks and promised to pick him up from the train station in a few days. She'd asked him if he wanted to come home, but Harry wanted to stay at school for the last little bit.

She understood. Coming home to Black Cottage without Sirius was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

She'd spent her first night crying in their bed, wearing one of his shirts. The sheets smelt like him, which both overwhelmed and comforted her. Lady Godiva had curled at the end of the bed, those yellow eyes just watching her. How was she going to move on without him?

The knock on the door startled her and she stood up slowly, rubbing her stomach as she did.

She opened the front door. Her father's arms immediately engulfed her; the moment they did, the tears fell all over again.

"Papa," she croaked.

Misha picked her up as if she weighed nothing and sat her on the sofa so that he and Sorcha could sit on either side of her and hold her in their arms. "Jagadka, I am so sorry."

Sorcha kissed her daughter's cheek. "How's Harry, mo ghràidh?"

"He's blaming himself," Zee told them. "The Ministry wanted to take him away and... I want him to live here with me."

"Good," Misha said. "He must stay with family. He needs his mama."

Sorcha linked her fingers through Zee's. "Where is he?"

"He wanted to stay at school the last few days. I told him that I'd pick him up at the train station on Sunday. Remus and I claimed his... body... and now we're just... the funeral will be on Tuesday."

Misha pulled her close again, kissing her forehead. "He vas a good man. You vere very lucky to have him. I know he loved you very much."

Zee ran her fingers over the beautiful ring on her finger. "I couldn't wait to start the next chapter with him, Papa. And..."

Sorcha squeezed her hand. "Misha, go make her some tea. Some chamomile and lavender."

Misha nodded, kissing her forehead again before he stood to head into the kitchen. Sorcha pulled Zee against her breast.

"What is it, mo ghràidh? What aren't you saying?"

Zee placed a hand over her stomach. "I'm pregnant, Mama."

Sorcha's breath hitched. "Oh — oh, my darling!"

She began to cry again, unable to hold it in as she clung to her mother. Sorcha gently ran her fingers through her daughter's curls. Misha brought her tea and she sipped it slowly once her tears had subsided. She'd barely taken her third sip when the need to vomit overcame her and she ran upstairs to the loo.

She brushed her teeth and turned to see her father standing in the doorway of the master bath.

"How far along are you, Zahira?"

"I don't know exactly... I haven't been to a healer yet. But I think it happened before my birthday. Remus could hear the heartbeats, and he confirmed it for me."

Misha raised an eyebrow. "Heartbeats?"

She nodded, her hands resting on her flat stomach. "Twins, Papa."

Misha moved into the master bath to hold his daughter. "Did he know?"

Zee nodded, tears in her eyes again. "I had suspected and Remus told us right before we went to the Ministry and... he was so happy, Papa, so excited to be a daddy. He's such a great father to Harry and I know how much he already loves… loved these babies. He was so excited… it's not fair."

"Life often isn't," Misha told her. "Did you tell Harry yet?"

She shook her head. "No. I have an appointment with a healer tomorrow. Remus made me make one, but I thought I'd tell him after the funeral. I don't... now's not the time."

"Come on downstairs. Your Mama and I made ourselves comfortable in your old cottage, but if you vant us to stay here tonight ve vill."

"No, next door is fine. I need... I need to learn to stay here without him. This is my home too."

"Da, it is. All right, come, Mama is already cooking up a storm downstairs. Ve vill feed you and those babies, plump you up!"

She smiled. "I haven't been very hungry."

"You vill eat."

Zee only nodded. "Yes, Papa."

She knew better than to argue with him and the normalcy of it made her feel better, made her remember that life needed to go on. She held a hand over her flat stomach and closed her eyes. She needed to take care of herself for Harry, for the babies… it's what Sirius would want. She just had to take it one step at a time.

~ ASC ~

Ginny sighed when Neville sat down next to her in the Great Hall the next evening. "Is he still in his bed?"

Neville nodded. "He wouldn't even acknowledge me when I told him that I was heading down to dinner."

"He hasn't come out since he left the hospital last night." She glanced over at the Head Table, her eyes meeting her professor's, who looked as concerned as she felt.

"He's grieving," Neville told her. "Everyone deals with it differently."

"Starving himself and ignoring everyone isn't the way to do it," Ginny told him stubbornly.

George, who was sitting on the other side of his sister, merely tapped her shoulder. "Don't let him do it then."

Ginny nodded at her brother and turned back to her dinner. When she finished, she headed straight up to the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. It was dark when she stepped inside, despite the evening sun coming in through the windows. Harry's red bed curtains were drawn tightly. She closed the door behind her and moved across the room to open his curtains.

"Go away," he muttered, turning his head into his pillow.

He was buried under his blankets, his arm coming up to cover his face as if the sunlight would burn him.

"I'm not going away. I'm your girlfriend and you shouldn't be alone, Harry," Ginny insisted as she stood over him, the sunlight at her back.

"I want to be alone."

"Don't care," she told him.

He lifted his head long enough to glower at her. "I don't want you here."

Ginny sat on the end of his bed and crossed her legs, closing the curtains behind her. "Too bad."

"Ginny, please leave."

"No."

"Ginny, I don't want you here — go away."

"No."

"I want to be alone."

"Will you stop brooding if I leave you alone?"

"I'm not brooding," he declared stubbornly.

Ginny only stared him down. "You shouldn't be alone, end of story."

"I want to be."

"I'll leave you alone when you stop brooding."

"I'm not — everyone who loves me dies, Ginny! Do you not see that? It would be better for you if you just broke up with me. We can't be together anymore."

Ginny stretched her legs out across his bed. "Okay, Harry."

"Fine, we're broken up. Now will you leave?"

"No," she said fiercely. "Because you're still my best friend."

His eyes softened, the glimmer of tears making her heart pitter-patter. "I'm allowed to wallow! Sirius is fucking dead!"

Ginny crawled up his bed and made herself comfortable in his lap. "I know, love." She wrapped her arms around him and he tried to pull back. "No. No matter what you say right now, I'm not going anywhere. Let it out. You're allowed to grieve. You go home in two days and Zee will need you — you'll need each other. Remus and Tonks as well."

"And you?" he whispered.

Ginny kissed his forehead. "Despite your rather pitiful attempts to get rid of me, I will also be right here."

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I don't want to break up."

Ginny kissed him chastely. "Good. Because I was ignoring you, you great prat!"

Harry let his arms encircle her and he buried his face in her neck. "Ginny… what am I going to do without him?"

"You'll miss him, but he will always be with you, Harry, like your mum and dad are."

"It's not the same and you know it."

"No, it's not the same. What do you think Sirius would want you to do?"

"Mourn forever."

Ginny chuckled. Her boyfriend had a point about that, Sirius would have made a joke about how they had to cry for him every day. "Harry… of course he would want you to miss him, but not like this. You have to eat something. You have to take care of yourself. He would want that. He would want you to live to fight another day. Operation FUVP remember?"

Harry sighed. "I miss him. I keep reaching for my mirror and knowing that he's not on the other end of it..."

"Zee is."

"Ginny... she-she says that she's not going anywhere but... what if she changes her mind?"

"She won't."

"But what if —"

"— No," she interrupted. "She won't. She loves you. She's your family and her family is your family, and we both know it."

"Harry?" Remus' voice called from the doorway.

Ginny pulled back the bed curtains. "He's in here brooding, Professor. I'm trying to convince him to eat something and to take care of himself."

Remus stepped into the dorm, closing the door behind him. "Good of you." He moved to sit on the bed as Ginny stood up. "You can stay, Ginny."

Ginny stayed standing next to the bed.

"I'm allowed to brood," Harry insisted stubbornly.

Remus smiled at him. "Absolutely." He reached out to touch Harry's arm. "I miss him, too. It's a bit like I lost a limb. He was my best friend, my brother... and... I miss him, too."

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes and he blinked them back. "What are we going to do without him, Uncle Moony?"

Remus reached over to gently brush Harry's fringe out of his eyes. "We're going to keep going. We're going to live the lives that he would have wanted for us. We're going to keep fighting and we're going to end this bloody war. And we're going to grieve, together, over what we've lost. But we're also going to focus on how much we have to live for."

Harry nodded and threw himself into Remus' arms. Remus held him close, kissing his temple.

"Zee's going to need you more than ever, Harry. Sorcha and Misha arrived last night so she's not alone. They're helping her with the funeral arrangements."

"Should I...?"

Remus shook his head. "We've got it. Zee will pick you up at the train on Sunday. Harry... do you want Nymphadora and I to move into the cottage?"

Harry pulled back to look at Remus in surprise. "What?"

"Do you want us to move in? Or, if you'd prefer, to move in with us?"

"Zee?"

"She wants you to stay at home with her. You know that Dora and I are only a Floo away, and you always have a home with us, but if you'd prefer, we'll move into Black Cottage."

Harry stared at him in surprise. "No, I... I can't ask you to leave your home for me."

Remus bent his head to kiss Harry's forehead. "It's about what you need, Little Prongs."

Harry hugged him again. "No, Zee and I will be okay. I know where to find you."

"Okay," Remus told him, patting Harry's back. "Now, I'm staying the night in the castle again. If you need me, you know where to find me, otherwise — listen to your girlfriend."

Ginny smirked at that. "See, told you. The git tried to break up with me."

Remus chuckled. "Let's not follow the lead of Sirius and I in that sense, breaking up with Ginny to keep her safe is not a suitable answer. Sirius and I both became better men the moment we admitted we needed our women." He stood up, smiling at his son. "We'll get through it, Harry. One step at a time, okay?"

"What about Bellatrix?"

Remus pursed his lips. "She'll get what's coming to her. Karma has a bitch after all."

Ginny frowned. "I thought the saying was that karma is a bitch?"

Remus grinned. "Oh, she is, but she has a twin sister named Fate, and she never lets us down. Bellatrix will get her due. I can promise you that."

Harry stared at his father and nodded. "Okay."

Remus squeezed Harry's shoulder before he said goodnight and left them alone.

Ginny moved to sit back down into her boyfriend's lap. "Are you going to stop being stupid now?"

He sighed and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I just… I feel like I should be doing something… anything."

Ginny ran her fingers through his hair as she held him. "Call for Dobby." At Harry's look she smiled. "It will give you something to do, call for him."

Harry sighed before he did just that.

The elf appeared a moment later, his eyes swimming in tears.

"Master Harry, sir, I means, Harry Potter, sir. I is so sorry to hear about your Sirius, sir."

Ginny smiled at the elf. "Harry appreciates that, Dobby. But he needs to get some food into him, do you think that you could bring him something to eat?"

"Dobby would be honoured, Miss!"

He disappeared again with a loud crack and Ginny pressed her lips to the scar over Harry's forehead. "See, that wasn't so hard."

Harry kept his eyes closed as he held her. "Will you stay?"

Ginny kissed his cheek. "As long as you'd like."

It was only a moment later when she felt him go slack against her and when she glanced down, he was sleeping with his head on her shoulder. Grief was exhausting, she knew She tugged his glasses off and put them on the bed before she ran her hands up down his back. Sleep was good, she thought. He needed to rest and he needed to grieve and she was going to be here to give him whatever it was that he needed.

Dobby appeared a moment later with a plate of ham and cheddar sandwiches and Ginny smiled.

"Thank you, Dobby. You're a great elf. Harry appreciates you."

Dobby grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you, Miss." He stared at Harry's sleeping form and his ears drooped. "Will Harry Potter be all right, Miss?"

Ginny smiled at him. "Yes, I'll take care of him. When he wakes, I'll make sure he eats."

Dobby nodded. "If you need me, Miss, I will come for you when you call."

Ginny smiled at Dobby in surprise, but nodded and when he disappeared again she reached for her wand. She used a levitation charm to shift her and Harry so that they were stretched out in his bed. Harry sighed, but didn't wake, his face sliding from her shoulder to rest over her breasts and she kept her arms around him. She covered them both with a blanket and let her fingers guide through his hair.

She wasn't going anywhere.

~ ASC ~

Hermione woke to the sight of Ron hunched over her bed. He was sleeping in the awkward hunched position, snoring lightly, and Hermione took the opportunity to study him. His thick red hair that seemed to somehow always look windblown was the colour of autumn. Reddish gold stubble ran along his cheeks and chin, surprising her at the sight of it; she hadn't realized that he had so much to shave after a few days. He was in a blue knit jumper, shades darker than his eyes, and his long legs wrapped in worn denim were tucked under the chair that he was sitting on. His freckles splattered all over his face and neck and she jolted when she found those blue eyes staring back at her.

"You're awake."

"I am," he told her. "And so are you. How are you feeling?"

"Good, I think," she said, sitting up a little. "Everything feels normal."

"Dolohov hit you with a dark curse. It did something to your insides that made you pass out and the healers said internal bleeding. But they fixed you. Your mum will explain it."

Hermione nodded. "My parents..."

"I convinced them to go to the cafeteria and get some food. They've been sitting with you for almost three days and have barely left the room."

"Where am I? This doesn't look like Hogwarts."

"St Mungo's," Ron told her. "Madam Pomfrey sent both of us here, as our injuries were too severe for her to deal with."

At Hermione's raised eyebrow he pushed the sleeves up on his jumper. Thin red lines swirled around his arms almost pattern like as if someone had tattooed his arms in red Celtic knots, intertwined sporadically with no discernible pattern.

"They go up to the top of my shoulders. Dad says that there's no way around it, I'm going to scar. It's from the brains."

"The brains — thoughts did that?"

Ron nodded. "My stupidity helped. Who summons a brain?"

"You weren't yourself, you were under a hex."

Ron shrugged. "It was still stupid."

"How's Harry?"

Ron shook his head. "I haven't seen him yet, but Dad says not good. He wasn't too badly hurt or anything but… Hermione, Bellatrix Lestrange killed Sirius."

Hermione gasped, her hands covering her mouth in surprise. "What?"

"I know. The healers want to keep me one more night and the train takes everyone home tomorrow, but Bill told me that Ginny and Neville are keeping an eye on him."

"How much longer will I need to stay here?"

"A few more days at least," he told her. "Your parents are anxious to take you home, but I'll make sure you know about the funeral arrangements."

She nodded. "What happened at the Ministry?"

Ron told her what he knew and she stared at him.

"The Defence System worked?"

"Enough to drive him off, yeah, but Dad says it wouldn't have been enough. We're not ready yet. Then with the loss of Sirius and a few others... Bill says that we have a lot of work to do. The only good thing is that it knocked out some of the problems with the Defence System and well, they are going to keep working on it. At least we assume so."

Hermione nodded. "Good. Did they use our coins?"

Ron smiled at her, taking her hand in his. "Yes, and Bill says Scrimgeour loved them. He wants you to make him another batch when you're feeling better and he's willing to pay an extra ten percent for you to have them done by the middle of July. Those coins were genius, Hermione."

She stared at where he was holding her hand. "Ron, I —"

"— Hermione!" Jean exclaimed, rushing into the hospital room with Greg on her heels.

Ron dropped her hand and moved away from the bed so that her parents could rush in.

Greg kissed her cheek and her forehead before he sat on the side of her bed, taking her hand in his as Jean did the same on her other side. "How are you feeling, jellybean?"

"Good. Sore. Tired," she admitted.

Jean kissed her daughter's forehead. "All to be expected. The healers expect you to make a full recovery, but they want to keep you two more days to monitor you."

"Ron said that it was a dark curse?"

Greg nodded. "The healers explained that it attacked your intestines, tied them into knots inside of you, cutting off blood flow and tearing others so that you were bleeding from the inside. They had to go in and untie each one and heal the others. It was a very intrusive surgery. Do they call it surgery if they don't cut you open?"

"Not important, Greg," Jean told him. "Darling, the important thing is that you're all healed. You need to rest and they want to monitor you to make sure nothing is amiss. But everything looks all right."

"Ron, you should head back to your own room now and get some rest," Greg told him.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I… I'm just down the hall, Hermione."

"Bye," she murmured as she watched him leave.

"Such a sweet boy," Jean told her. "Once he came to from his own medicine, he dragged himself in here and next to your bed. His brother had to physically help him back to his room twice the last few days. He showed up this morning at five and sat with you for five hours before he convinced us to go get some food. He's barely left your side."

"Really?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Greg nodded. "He made the healers work on his arms here at your bedside. You have a good friend there, Hermione."

Hermione smiled at her father's words. "Yeah, he's the best."

Jean kissed her cheek again. "Greg, go find one of the doctors, er, healers and tell them that she's awake. We need to get you home safely."

Greg jumped up to do just that as Hermione looked at her mum.

"I have to go to Sirius' funeral, Mum."

Jean nodded. "Of course, darling. Your father and I will go as well. He was a nice man and I know that Harry will appreciate his friends being there for him. But first, you need to rest up. Are you hungry?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Good," Jean told her. "That's an excellent sign."

As Hermione watched her mum hurry off to find her some food, she couldn't help but think of her mum's words about Ron. Had he really stayed with her the whole time? She remembered the last conversation they'd had before their examinations had started… the vow to talk about the unspoken thing, the flukes… the pattern…

She closed her eyes. There was too much going on for that to be something that she had to worry about right now. Harry needed her. The war had come to the front and she needed to be ready, for whatever came next.

Everything else could wait.

~ ASC ~

Zee sat on the side of the hospital bed in the gown that she had been provided, wringing her hands together nervously. Her mother had offered to come with her, but she wanted to do it alone. She'd woken up this morning feeling ravenous and had eaten three pieces of toast with jam and an apple. Now she just felt nervous.

She looked up at the middle aged witch who entered with a cute bob in sleek silver highlighted in white and felt a little more relaxed.

"Good morning, Miss Zacarias. I'm Healer Abigail Jacoby, but all of my patients call me Healer Abby. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Okay, I woke up rather hungry, but that's it."

Abby nodded, smiling warmly at her. "I understand that you think you might be pregnant?"

Zee nodded. "I had a bad bout of the flu, so at first I thought it was that, but then I began to suspect… a friend of mine is a werewolf and he said that he could hear two heartbeats and it confirmed my suspicions, I suppose. But I haven't taken a test to be sure, but I know I am."

Abby moved over to her and smiled. "Lift your gown up a bit."

Zee did as instructed and watched as Abby moved her wand over her flat stomach, golden energy hummed and she smiled. "I definitely feel something." She dropped her wand and turned to grab a vial from the cabinet. "I'm going to draw some blood to check things over. It will take me a few minutes to get the results."

Zee nodded and held still as Abby used her wand to draw blood from her arm into the vial. She shook the vial before she touched her wand to it; Zee watched in amazement as the blood divided into different colours, fusing together and separating as if it gravitated back and forth with a magnet. Abby put the vial down and smiled.

"No surprise here, you're a hundred percent pregnant."

Zee's hands immediately went to her flat stomach.

Abby smiled again and urged her to lie down and spread her legs. Zee shifted uncomfortably as the healer checked her uterus and then she sat up when instructed. Abby placed her wand over her stomach again and muttered an incantation; a moment later, a three-dimensional bubble appeared over her stomach revealing her insides. Zee could see the tiny sack holding the tiny shapes. She swallowed as the room echoed with the two heartbeats.

"Two healthy babies in there," Abby told her with a smile. "It looks to me that you're about eleven weeks, which makes them the size of two figs. I'd put your due date for around the tenth of January, but twins often do come early."

Zee stared in amazement, reaching out to touch, and her hand passed through the image. "Figs?"

Abby chuckled. "I like to do fruit comparisons to help the mum have an idea of how big the baby is. It helps give you a better image. It's too early for me to tell you the sex, but usually by the sixteenth week we can see a more clear outline as long as the babies are cooperating, that is."

Zee grinned widely. "They're real."

"As real as can be," Abby told her. "I have a few things for you to do. Make sure you have a well-balanced diet, limit your caffeine intake, increase your vitamins, and I'd like to see you back here in three weeks."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Abby said. "Don't worry, you and the babies are both healthy. I'll have the front desk give you some nutritional pamphlets and potions list. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

"My work… I'm a Magizoologist."

Abby smiled. "Admirable. I don't see a problem. Animals and magical creatures are very attuned to pregnant women, are they not?" At Zee's nod, she continued. "You'll be fine. When you move into the end of the second trimester we'll take a look, but I don't foresee any problems. Your magic can sometimes act up during pregnancy as the babies will be performing their own tricks, but it's nothing to worry about just yet. If you have any questions or concerns, I'm always here. In the meantime, I'd like to see you every three weeks."

"Thank you," Zee told her.

Abby nodded and told her she could get dressed.

Zee left the hospital feeling lighter, her hands over her stomach in amazement. It was real. She was pregnant — with twins. She and Sirius had created two lives and they were living inside of her. Sirius had been so excited, she remembered. The way he had cupped her face and kissed her over and over again.

"I love you and I already love these babies. Be careful."

Zee's expression melted as she placed his hands over her stomach. "You too, Daddy."

His eyes lit up at the word and he gently rubbed her flat stomach in amazement before he kissed her again, not moving his hands. "Star names, it's a whole family thing that I actually kind of like and... if it's a girl, I want to name her after Minnie, but make it unique."

Zee stood on her toes. "Sirius, we can worry about that later. I love you."

But there hadn't been a later.

She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "I hope one of you is a girl so that we can name you Minerva just like your daddy wanted." She stood there, rubbing her stomach for a long moment; then she smiled. "We're going to take care of each other. I love you so much already."

She put her clothes back on and grabbed her purse and wand before heading out of the hospital to tell her parents the news. She could do this. She was going to have these babies and she was going to be the best damn mum to them that she knew how to be.

And she would never let them forget how incredible their father was.

~ ASC ~

Seamus lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He still couldn't believe what the last few days had wrought. Harry, Ron, and Neville had gone to the Ministry and fought Death Eaters and bloody You Know Who himself along with Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Theo. You Know Who had attacked the Ministry of Magic and giants had reigned terror in downtown London.

The Ministry was in an uproar and no one knew what was happening.

He'd received a panicked owl from his mum that morning telling him to be safe and that his father would be picking him up from the train the next day. The war was finally happening and he didn't know how he felt about it.

And here he was lying in bed and imagining his boyfriend naked. He needed to sort out his priorities.

The problem was, he and Dean had been taking it slow. It had been his plan, to ease Dean into a relationship with him, into a relationship with someone who wasn't a girl. He was fine easing his best mate into the physical part, but the longer he eased, the slower they moved. And Seamus knew that was on him. He was afraid to give Dean too much. He was afraid that Dean was going to realize that he wasn't much to look at it and realize that he liked girls better. They spent most of their free time snogging — and they snogged a lot. They snogged for hours on end, groping and grinding against each other, but Seamus always stopped it before it went too far.

He was tired of stopping it. He wanted his best mate, his boyfriend. He wanted to start at his toes and lick every inch of him. He wanted it so badly that he dreamed about it most nights while he rubbed his leaking cock. Thinking about it now made him reach into his pyjamas and bring out his penis. He stared at it as he stroked himself and was just biting back a small groan when his bed curtains flew open; he jolted in surprise to see the very subject of his thoughts standing there.

Dean stared at Seamus for a moment before he slipped onto the bed, closing the curtains behind him. "You're just in here polishing your wand?"

Seamus snorted. "I'd rather you did it."

Dean reached forward and covered his friend's hand with his own. "So would I, but you keep stopping me."

Seamus' eyes met his dark ones. "Dean... I want you so much. I always have and… it scares me."

Dean's thumb stroked the tip of Seamus' cock. "I'm not going anywhere, Finnigan. I made my choice and it's you. Get it through your thick skull. I love snogging you. It's bloody brilliant, but I want more."

Seamus stared at him. "What do you want?"

Dean licked his lips, his eyes falling to where his hand was stroking his boyfriend's erection. "I want to taste you, Seam. I've never... I want to taste your cock."

Seamus stared at him. He reached for his wand under his pillow and murmured a silencing charm around his bed.

Dean stretched out in the bed next to him, eyes on his boyfriend as he idly fondled Seamus' penis. Then he bent his head, leaned in, and pressed a gentle kiss to the shaft.

"What if I'm bad at it?" His dark gaze met Seamus'.

"You won't be," Seamus told him. "No one who kisses like you would be bad at it."

Dean smiled at that and then he kissed his penis again, a whisper that made Seamus whimper. "I just... take it in my mouth? All of it?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "Dean... just imagine what you want me to do to your cock… and… well, do it to mine…"

Dean pressed a kiss to the tip this time, his tongue licking the slit and his eyes met Seamus' before he opened his mouth and took the tip of him inside. The wet warmth made him groan and when Dean's tongue and mouth got to work, taking more of him, he clutched the sheets.

"Bloody-fucking… yes!"

Dean sucked him harder before he withdrew his mouth and grinned at him. "I'm going to suck on your balls now."

His hands got to work, fondling and rubbing, tugging and stroking as his mouth wrapped around his balls and Seamus's eyes crossed. Then Dean's mouth sucked eagerly, rolling his tongue around and around until Seamus' breathing grew heavier. When he finally released him and returned to his cock, Seamus was whimpering desperately.

"Dean," he panted. "Dean — Dean, I'm gonna —"

But he couldn't get the words out and his boyfriend didn't stop. He came, his hips thrusting before he could stop himself; he felt Dean gag, but he didn't let him go. It was only after he had emptied himself that Dean slowly slipped his mouth away. With his eyes on Seamus, he swallowed.

Then he kissed him, deeply and thoroughly; the taste of himself on Dean's lips made his cock twitch again.

Seamus pulled away to stroke his thumb over Dean's full bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... you were brilliant."

Dean smiled. "I just tried to do what you did to me and well... I liked it. You taste incredible. It's... I liked it."

Seamus kissed him again. "Dean. I did try to tell you before that my cock is delicious."

He chuckled. "You did, and you were right." He kissed him again. "I want to do that again."

Seamus grinned. "I might need a few minutes to recover first. I'm not a rabbit."

Dean kissed his boyfriend's lips. "I can wait."

Seamus wrapped his arms around Dean and tugged him onto his side to hold him. "With everything that's happening, it feels wrong to want this, to want you."

Dean shook his head. "No, it's not wrong. It's this that's important, Seam. This — us — this is what the war is about. If You Know Who takes over, you and I will never be together. He's going to destroy the world we know and love and we should take every opportunity to be happy that we can."

Seamus kissed him, deeply and thoroughly until Dean moaned under his mouth. "I feel like we need to be doing more to help with the war."

"We're not even of age, Seam."

"We are in a few months," Seamus told him.

Dean stared at him. "Do you want to fight?"

"Nobody wants to fight," Seamus admitted. "But I just think that we should be ready for it. I don't want to stand behind and watch others do all of the work."

"That's what Defence Club is for. Lupin said next year that we're going to get to try the bow and arrow and the broadswords just like the Advanced Classes did, but you're already a great duellist, Seam."

Seamus snorted. "Why? Because I'm great at pyrotechnics?"

Dean grinned. "Well, setting things on fire is always a solution, I suppose."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "Hardly."

Dean kissed him. "If the time comes, Seam, where we need to fight. We will. But we're not going to go looking for it. We still have two years left of school. This summer, it's about taking care of our families and being with each other."

Seamus looked into Dean's brown eyes and he nodded. "Okay." He leaned in and nipped at his boyfriend's bottom lip, letting his hands wander under his shirt. "I think that it's my turn now."

Dean raised an eyebrow as Seamus pulled his shirt over his head. "Your turn?"

Seamus helped Dean undress and he kissed his way down his boyfriend's chest. He stroked Dean's long cock, admiring its shape and texture, how different it was from Will's. Then he let his tongue trail along Dean's length, sucking slowly, the feel of the foreskin retracting down the shaft making him tremble.

Dean's eyes darkened. "Oh…"

Seamus smiled, slipping his tongue along the head of him before he took his cock into his mouth, sucking slowly.

Dean gasped. "Fuck, Seam."

Seamus kissed his sack before he smiled at him. "Together?"

Dean looked confused for a moment until Seamus' hardening cock pressed into his hand. He nodded. "Yes. You on top."

Seamus smiled and spread out across his boyfriend so that his face could easily nuzzle Dean's erection. He let out a groan when his boyfriend's tongue began to lick his own erection. "Oh, yes… fuck, I'm so ready again."

With that, Seamus bent his head and engulfed Dean's cock. He got to work, admiring the taste, the texture with every stroke. He remembered that this was the first cock he'd ever touched, the first he'd craved. The memory on top of Dean's mouth was enough for him and he was soon coming a second time, crying out around Dean's cock as he worked him and soon Dean was doing the same.

When he finally snuggled into his boyfriend's side, pressing a lip to a dark nipple, he grinned. "So… on a scale of one to ten, how much do you think you like sucking cock?"

Dean kissed his forehead. "Five. But if it's yours, an eleven."

Seamus blushed. "I'm not as long or as big as you."

"Doesn't make you any less beautiful. Does it weird you out that I have… I mean, that I'm not cut? I just… you know Vati didn't…"

Seamus looked up at him, his eyes darkening. "No. I fucking love it," he confessed, letting his fingers trail down to stroke the foreskin again. "Does it bother you that I am cut?"

Dean tugged his face up to kiss him deeply. "No, you're beautiful." He kissed him again. "You and me, Seam, we're going to be okay. No more worrying that I'm going to go back to girls. It's you I want. No one else."

Seamus kissed him again and nodded. "Okay."

And he knew that Dean was right; despite the darkness creeping into the world, they had each other. They had their friends. As long as they held onto the good, the pleasures, the happiness, they'd be okay.

And when Dean held him close, he knew that it would all be okay.

~ ASC ~

Draco stepped off the train the next afternoon and saw his mother waiting for him. He sauntered over just as Theo made a beeline for her and rather unceremoniously threw his arms around her.

Narcissa smiled brightly and extended her hand to Draco as he approached, tugging him forward as well.

"We're fine, Mother," Draco insisted.

Theo smiled as he pulled away. "We are. I just wanted to get a hug before I go my separate way."

Narcissa frowned. "Theo, our home will always be yours if you want it."

"I know, Auntie Cissa, but we both know why that can't be right now."

An arm slid through Theo's and Draco watched him turn and brighten when he recognized Finn. "Hi!"

Finn bent his head to kiss him softly. "Hi."

"Finn, this is Lady Narcissa Malfoy, Countess of Wiltshire, my godmother. Auntie Cissa, Prince Finley Alexander, my boyfriend."

Narcissa extended her hand. "I've heard lovely things, your highness."

"Me as well," Finn said. "And please, call me Finn."

Draco stared at them. "Going to Norfolk?"

Theo nodded. "With Father's death, I want to just finish cleansing the place. Finn's going to help me." His eyes met Narcissa's. "Don't risk yourself for me. I know you love me and if you need a safe place, you need only say the word."

She smiled at Theo and nodded as Finn steered him off before she turned to her son. "I almost wish you were going with them."

Draco took her arm through his as they Apparated to Wiltshire Manor, arriving out at the end of the drive just inside the gate. "Is it bad?"

"The Dark Lord is staying with us, Draco, but for how long, I don't know. I need you to be on your best behaviour. Watch what you say and be cautious."

Draco swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

They headed up to the house together and when they entered the front entrance, Bellatrix came down the stairs.

"There's my handsome nephew!" She hurried forward and hugged him. It felt fake and awkward and he only patted her back before quickly pulling away. She had never hugged him before and he rather hoped that she never would again. "The Dark Lord wants to speak to you after dinner tonight."

"That's an honour," Draco told her, hoping that she didn't notice his hands shake slightly before he put them in the pockets of his robes.

She beamed in response.

"Let him get settled in, Bella."

The house elves had already taken his trunk, but he headed upstairs to his bedroom suite and pushed open the door. He moved through the small sitting room and up the step to where his bed was, surprised to see his father sitting on his bed.

"Father."

"Come sit, Draco."

Draco moved to sit on the bed next to his father. "Is everything all right?"

"No, no it's not." He let out a long breath, his blue eyes meeting his son's. "I made a very grave mistake, Draco. I killed Thaddeus."

Draco's eyes widened. "You're the one who — for Theo?"

Lucius nodded. "He was going to kill him. I couldn't... I killed him. I didn't even hesitate."

"Father, you saved Theo's life, that's... you defended him! Theo will want to know that it was you, that you did that for him."

"I did," Lucius said carefully. "But I also did it without the Dark Lord's permission, Draco."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Is that why he wants to see me tonight?"

He nodded. "Your grandfather wants you to be branded with the mark." He pushed up the sleeve of his robe to show him his forearm tattooed with the ugly skull and snake. "He says that you're sixteen now and more than capable of doing a man's work."

Draco's breath hitched. "And because you killed Thaddeus, you can't stop it."

Lucius shook his head. "Draco..." He closed his eyes as he spoke. "If you don't do this tonight, if you don't accept the mark and all that comes with it... your mother will die." The words came out in a strangled whisper and a tear snuck down the corner of his face. "I'm weak, Draco. I'm not a brave man and I can't choose between my wife and my son, I won't do it. Please... please don't let them hurt her for my mistakes."

Draco stared at his father, unsure about what to say. For the first time in his life, he could see his father was a broken man in more ways than one. If he did this, he could be forced to do untold horrors, but if he didn't... they were going to kill Narcissa. It was all on him. The son to suffer because of the mistakes of the father. Sudden anger surged through him.

"So I have to pay for your mistake, is that it?"

Lucius' blue eyes met his. "No, you don't have to, Draco. But if you don't…"

The sadness in his father's eyes made his anger leave his body and fear settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew what it meant. He knew what it entailed and he knew that his grandfather would finally be getting his way.

But what choice did he have?

"I'll do it."

Lucius let out a breath of relief and hugged Draco tightly. "We'll get out, Draco. We will."

"We could run," he whispered. "Theo could… no, it's too dangerous for him, but Aunt Dromeda says that we can stay with her."

Lucius pulled back to look into his son's eyes. "You would both be safe then, this is true."

"And you?"

He shook his head. "I have the mark. He'd find me." He glanced at his watch. "You have three hours to convince your mother."

The door to his room opened and Narcissa smiled. "There you two are!" She closed the door behind her and stared at them. "What?"

Draco exhaled slowly. "Mother, I think that we should go go your sister's. Leave Father and go."

Narcissa stared at him in bafflement. "Leave Lucius?" She stepped towards her son, cupping his face in her hands. "You should go. I want you safe."

"Mother, if you stay, they'll kill you."

Narcissa looked at her husband. "I won't abandon you, Lu. I want Draco safe. Nothing else matters. We can all go together."

"He'll find me... the mark…" Lucius trailed off.

Narcissa bit her bottom lip. "I will not leave you. Draco, you must go. Take your trunk with you and Binky will bring you directly to Andromeda. It's the best course for you. You must go before Abraxas lets the Dark Lord brand you."

Draco shook his head. "If I'm not here to take the mark tonight, they will kill you to punish Father. I'm not leaving you to get killed, Mother. Either you come with me now or I'm taking the mark."

Narcissa stared at her husband. "He's only sixteen!"

"Father thinks that he's ready and after I killed Thad... the Dark Lord is displeased with me. What better way to make sure that I behave in the future than to put my son into the thick of it. Cissa, I don't want you to go, you know that, but you need to. You and Draco need to go to your sister's. You need to be safe. Go to Theo. Anyone. Just... not here. Please."

"But if we leave..."

He shook his head. "It will be better this way. Without me in the picture, it will be better for both of you."

Tears rolled down Narcissa's cheeks. "I won't leave you here to die!"

Lucius stood up and pulled his wife into his arms. "I've loved you since I was sixteen. I refuse to watch either of you die for my mistakes. Let me do something good for once."

"If you love me, you wouldn't ask me to do this!" She looked at their son desperately. "Draco will go, but I will stay."

She kissed her husband deeply before she hugged her son. "You must stay safe, my dragon, no matter what!"

"Mother, I —"

"— Binky will take you to Andromeda." She kissed his cheeks. "I love you."

Then she was tugging on Lucius' arm and leaving Draco alone in his room. A moment later, Binky appeared and he stared at the elf in shock.

His whole world was about to change and he didn't know in which direction he was supposed to take.

The only thing he did know was that the lives of his parents rested in his hands.