A Second Chance

by Breanie

Part 2 Kismet Trilogy: What if Sirius didn't spend twelve years in prison but was given a trial after 4 years? Follow the story of Sirius Black as he learns what it means to be a father/brother/guardian & the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him. Slow-burn Hinny. M for sex & violence.

253. The One With the Golden Dagger

Author's Note:

WARNING - THIS CHAPTER IS DARK!

Thank you to all of those who were kind enough to support me on my break. It is much appreciate and I needed it. I've posted once a week for almost two years now, only missing three since now. I think I deserved a little break. I will admit, I wasn't as productive as I would have liked to be, but mentally, I think I really needed it. Thank you to all of those who were supportive.

Reviews and Comments: To Hang_OnA_Moment: Yes, the fae are not going to be too happy with what happened. To krmreads: We can't have nice things because sometimes bad things happen. But I'm touched that you want to read a fanfiction about my OC. To AQuickReady91: Justice will be had. To A Reader of the Mist: Harry does not need to walk in on Remus and Tonks, no, that would be like walking in on your parents, absolutely not. To Endinium: I am sometimes pure evil, but you will have to see what happens in this chapter to see whether he survived or not. To Pottermum: What can I say? I am sometimes evil. I did tell you one of my favourite characters is the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time, in fact, sometimes I think she's my spirit animal LOL. To kyciona: Theo has suffered a lot, yes. To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Yes, I can. I created his character therefore I can do what I like to him, even if I cry while doing it. To Savageness321: I accept your hate, Prince Finley is a very special character. To GryffindorHealer: I love your review of kudos so, please continue.

To SeriouslySam: Thank you for that beautiful review, it was very much full of fairy tale motifs with a shattering of said fairy tale with the attack. That's pretty spot on what I was going for. To Paus: The difference is that steel is man-made and iron is a natural metal from the earth, that's why the fae can use steel, but iron is deadly to them. Steel has components that make it safe. To Leapyearbaby29: Thank you. I am also glad Crouch got to experience Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex. To PurpleLotus: You not banking on character death is so adorably optimistic, no one is safe (mostly). Thank you for your kind words. To DisneyGirl1991: Yes, ships are sinking and not all are safe. We best prepare for more loss as war has arrived. Thank you, Australia! To Stormchaser20: It has been a long time coming for Abraxas, much agreed. I thought about making it more personal, but Finn doing it after Abraxas stabbed him was just poetic justice in my book. To Jmcglynn522: Sorry to make you bawl, but I do sometimes have to hurt the boys we love. A war is coming, my friend. To musemesmer: Poor Finn indeed. To Quartz: Theo was happy, but sometimes bad things happen to good people. To Katiekat197: You're welcome for updating. To Steel: Fingers crossed things will get better for Theo.

To PeevesTwinBrother: I suppose I do enjoy the torture a bit, but I am busy right now and updating is difficult, not to mention that I am not as far ahead as I like and my beta needs some time to catch up. Plus, I think that after a shock like that, it's nice to have some time to rest and take a breath. To Lolikiano: I don't know, but I'm sorry you spoiled it for yourself. To : No words are still good words. To Saz J: I did! To Vala van Gemert: True love's sorrow is playing on the fairy tale idea, but you will have to read below to see which way I went. To AKBookGirl: I love that you actually gasped! Thank you! To Charlotte Hudson1: Thank you very much! I'm so glad that you're reading. To Sloopyqueen4: It was a cliffhanger, thank you for not spoiling, though really anyone who reads reviews before the chapter is just asking for it LOL. To Funbunnypotter26: I'm glad Draco didn't do it as well, I hope I still have a few more surprises up my sleeve.

To Periwinkleeblue: Thank you so much for such a heartfelt review! I'm honoured to make you cry and to make your heart burst. To adelkins83: I know, it's evil for me to take a break after that chapter, but thanks for reviewing. To WinkingSkeever: Yes, a lot did happen. To CarpenL: Thank you. To Hellismine: Curse me for an eternal misery? Can't when that's already my life. Thanks for the review. To shivani1303: Thank you for saying that I'm an amazing writer. To KOTLCfan1: Hate to break it to you, but there will be more death to come. To coloredwords: Theo won't murder everyone, but he is going to be struggling with Finn's attack. To Chintan: You will have to wait and see what happens to Finn.

To andreiiacampos7: Thank you for saying the attack on Finn was the saddest since Sirius. I'm honoured that my OC meant so much to people. To JamesTKent: Yes, the backlash has the potential to be intense. To Wolf's scream: Who's blood is on Ginny's face is a good question. To nesciamema: I'm sorry you cried, but also kind of honoured. To 15: Yes, more war stuff is coming, but also more fluff, because I like fluff. To GreekGeek: No hard feelings taken, LOL. To xsoulravenx: Finn is the first real OC I have seriously hurt so, I guess so? To pix25: I'm sorry. To Bhau: Yes, the blood on Ginny's face could belong to Abraxas Malfoy. To alix33: Arancini balls are delicious, you won't be disappointed. To libs614: Sorry to have gutted you. To Guest: Theo is stronger than he thinks he is. To Lara: An extraordinary resurrection for Finn? Well, we shall see. To CranberryBandit: Sorry to make you cry uncontrollably, but not really because it means I wrote something that touched you.

To midnitewanderer: I get so much joy out of your reviews, I can't quite put them into words. Abraxas was definitely an evil cuntfaced turd nugget (great imagery).

To speedsONEandONLY: Interesting guess on the twins birthday, we'll see. Yes, that is exactly what separates Harry from the Death Eaters. To UndeadGothicPrincess: Nice to ask for the cherry on top, but these things are written before I post them so *shrugs.* To Scrappy8: Poor Theo, indeed. To ironhidensh1: Did I do something horrible to Ginny? Read on to find out. To Menna Taha: You shouldn't be surprised by this by now. To tim2604: Thank you! I'm a little sorry for breaking your heart, but glad you loved the chapter so much. To Nobothersgiventoday: Sorry to break your heart. To DeadFish37: Having Harry test it out in battle seemed like a better option. To Dianne: Thank you for saying Finn is my best OC, I like Zee more myself, but I love how much people have grown to love him. To LifeonEarth: I am so happy you're back! I've missed your reviews! And cursing Dusk doesn't help, she usually just yells at me when I shock her LOL. And yes, arguing is definitely foreplay for Romione. To bronzebec: Thank you! I'm always nervous about writing action sequences, it's not my strong suit. To mehnoya01: Sorry to make you cry in class, but maybe you shouldn't read in class LOL. To BookObsessed3000: Slimy seems harsh, but I'll accept it. To lcwintersoldier: I do know how to tug at the heart strings.

To Priya: You make an interesting point about Finn and how he should have known iron was present, but in my opinion, just because the world is magical doesn't mean that people are invincible or that magic can solve all problems. The point to me is that magic gives extra, but it doesn't solve all the problems of the world. The point of Finn being stabbed was important because the blade was on the ground and when he moved to defend someone else, it stabbed him from magic, not from a human hand. Finn sometimes thinks he is invincible and with that awesome warrior strength comes pride and often stubbornness, feeling like they're above everyone else. He's not invincible and that needed to be addressed. To Tanuska: Theo has gone through a lot, yes. To Reese123: Theo does deserve happiness and he will have it. To Tmrpotterhead250: Voldemort is very smart, but also I think a bit hot headed and he doesn't consider the fae to be a danger to him, he believes himself to be above them, better than them. To vulpixtales: Yup, definitely not pulling punches. To Sad katie: No phoenix tears. No healing plant. To Bumlewis: I love when Theo girl talks. He needs it, especially with what is happening with the man he loves and his best friends. To Derek Louden: Sorry to make you sad. To HPGW: Fun will come eventually. To nothatchhavi: The final 'mo gra' was heartbreaking, thanks to Dusk for that add on. She's good at yelling at me in shock then helping me dig the knife in just a bit deeper ;) To Nightwing2013: The fae will definitely be an asset to the Ministry. To Apurva roy: Draco definitely needs help and hopefully he gets it. To phoenixstarmidnightshadow: I ended it there because it was the perfect ending.

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!

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CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE:

Blaise landed on his arse.

He turned to check on Draco and saw that he was still stunned. A look around the area told him that he was in Tuscany, a few kilometres away from his mother's new villa; the one that she was living in now with her new husband, Emilio Mantegna. He loved his mother and he trusted her to some extent, but not enough for this.

He reached into his pocket for the other portkey, checking the time. He had five minutes to spare until this one went off and he picked Draco back up into his arms. They appeared again in the town of Shoreditch. He tossed his friend over his shoulder as he used a disillusionment charm on both of them and started to walk. Draco was as tall as him, but it alarmed him that he seemed to weigh almost nothing. The stress of the last six months had resulted in more weight loss than Blaise had noticed.

It made him pick up his pace.

Blaise moved as quickly and quietly as he could until he hit the perimeter line. He recognized the man's dark blond hair and removed the disillusionment charm.

"I claim sanctuary."

The man stared at him for a long moment, his eyes on Draco's unconscious form. "My wife told you our door was open and we're not about to turn away a cry for help. If you're looking for sanctuary, you've found it."

Blaise nodded and followed him through the wards, relief washing over him the moment he did. "We don't have a lot of time. My mother estimated maybe twelve hours, twenty-four if we're lucky. The Hogwarts Express takes everyone home for the holiday tomorrow so ideally until tomorrow evening."

Ted Tonks nodded. "Understood."

He helped Blaise bring Draco into the house and upstairs into the spare room. They put him on the bed and Blaise stared at him a moment before he turned to Ted.

"I'm looking for more than just sanctuary."

Ted's eyebrow rose. "Meaning?"

Blaise showed him his arm where the Dark Mark was engraved. "He can track us with this. We both have it."

Ted's eyes darkened in understanding. "Which is why you have a time limit. Where are you going to go? The Order can protect you."

Blaise shook his head. "Not yet. I have… I have a plan, and if this works... it's going to be more pain that I can put into words, but it will save us both. Or kill us, but I think it's going to work."

Ted stared down at the Dark Mark etched into Blaise's skin for a long moment. "You can't remove that mark. Only the one who gave it to you can remove it. That's how magical marks work and well, Voldemort clearly did more to it than that the average mark. The way it moves, the way he uses it to communicate… he's doing more than track you with it. That Mark is almost a part of him."

Blaise swallowed. "I just need until tomorrow, please. I think I can do it."

"You really think you can?" Ted asked, his eyes wide in amazement. "When no one else has managed to remove it?"

Blaise nodded, his right hand rubbing his left arm. "I do. And to be fair, I don't think they truly tried, especially if they found out how much it's going to hurt."

Ted looked over at Draco on the bed. "Let's leave him stunned for the time being. Come on down into the kitchen. Dromeda's down there and we can talk about this. Other than severing your arm, I don't know what you plan on doing."

They headed downstairs and Blaise got a slight jolt at the sight of how much Andromeda Tonks looked like Bellatrix, but a moment later it was gone. She was too happy, too beautiful, too full of life to ever truly resemble Bellatrix Lestrange, but the similarities at first glance were still a tad unnerving. Her dark hair was more brown than black and the wild curls made her look attractive rather than insane. The closer he looked, the less he saw of Bellatrix and the more kindness he saw instead.

"Thank you, Mrs Tonks."

Andromeda smiled. "I admit, when your letter arrived last week I was surprised. Come sit down."

Blaise did as she instructed, taking the golden dagger he'd had made and placed it on the table. "Severing my arm wouldn't work."

"How do you know that?" Ted asked.

"Severing your arm? What are you talking about?"

"Zabini thinks that he can remove the Dark Mark," Ted said. "How do you know that severing the arm won't work?"

Blaise's eyes met his. "Mamma told me that someone tried it years ago, a friend of my father's. He severed his arm at the elbow to rid himself of the Mark and the Mark moved up onto his shoulder."

Andromeda's eyes widened, gasping in shock. "Cissa always said that there was no way for Lucius to get rid of it. Once you've been marked by the Dark Lord, you're chosen for life as one of his followers. That's why Karkaroff ran off in June of '95. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort found him."

Ted nodded, his eyes on the gold dagger. "So, if severing one's arm doesn't work, what do you plan to do with that gold dagger?"

Blaise pulled his jumper over his head and took off his torn shirt to reveal the full glistening life-like tattoo on his left forearm. He stared at it until Ted came up behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders, pulling him from his thoughts at the comforting gesture.

"Did it hurt?" he asked kindly.

"Yes," Blaise said honestly. "It felt like I was being burned from the inside out. I have a feeling that this is going to hurt even more."

Ted squeezed his shoulders. "I think you're right. Are you going to tell us what you're going to do?"

Blaise let out a slow breath before he pulled out his wand. "No. I think it's better if you don't know. Look, whatever happens… don't stop me and just… don't let Draco go back to them. He's not evil like they are. If he goes back… it will kill him."

Andromeda nodded, unshed tears in her eyes. "This is going to work, Blaise. You're a smart young man and you wouldn't have risked this for a foolish notion. When I received your letter telling me that you were trying to save Draco… I didn't know what to think, but this… anything you need, Ted and I are here."

He stared at her a moment. He hoped to Salazar that she was right. He wasn't entirely sure that this wasn't going to kill him. In fact, he was pretty sure that saying there was a good chance was a little too generous. The only thing he did know, was that he had to try. He didn't want this monstrosity on his body. He wanted no part in it. He had only taken it to help Draco, to show his friend that he meant business. He ran his fingers over the Dark Mark, tracing the design of the skull and the snake, his fingertip moving along the long forked tongue. It seemed to glisten in the light, looking more lifelike. He had taken it to help his friend, to try to stop Draco from making a colossal mistake and then tonight… Merlin, he didn't even know if Finn had survived.

Had it all been for nothing? Was he too late?

The look of complete utter betrayal and shock on Theo's face made his heart sink. He would make it up to him. He had never intended to lose one friend in order to save the other. But if Finn died… he wasn't sure if Theo was strong enough to survive it. He hadn't meant for Draco to get that far, but when the Death Eaters had arrived, he'd been pulled aside by Crouch. Abraxas had slipped away and by the time he found Draco, he had been too late. Abraxas was dead, and Finn…

Blaise swallowed, his eyes on the gold dagger. He hadn't meant for it to happen. His plan had been to kidnap Draco before he could get a chance, but Crouch had stopped him.

"I heard she's a beauty, Blaise," Crouch taunted. "I'll show you how to please her properly on your wedding night. We'll work together. Would you like that?"

Blaise was doing his best not to vomit as Crouch ran his finger down his cheek tenderly. "I know how to please a woman."

"Do you? A young buck like yourself," he said. His gleaming eyes ran over Blaise's body hungrily. "We'll play with her together. I'll show her how to play with your cock. Would you like that? Would you like to share her with me?"

Bellatrix's scream had pierced the air and Crouch had turned to look over at her and Blaise had taken that opportunity to run, but his mother had caught him.

"Where's Draco?" Bellarosa hissed.

"I lost him."

Bellarosa's eyes darkened. "The portkey leaves in six minutes. Find him."

And he'd ran only to find Finn bleeding on the ground next to the severed head of Abraxas Malfoy; Draco kneeling on the ground between them, covered in blood and looking horrified. He'd known at that moment — he was too late.

He looked up into Andromeda's eyes.

"I need you to send one of the Weasleys to the school. Theo, he… he respects them and he needs someone right now."

Ted looked surprised but nodded. "I'll send word to Molly." At Blaise's look, Ted moved to do so. He returned a minute later. "Molly is on her way to Hogwarts."

"Thank you," Blaise said.

Blaise stared at his arm again, fear coursing through him. Everything he had read, all of the research he had done, it all led to this moment. He was ninety percent sure that it was going to work, but it was that ten percent that he wasn't sure about. It was that ten percent that reminded him about how the Dark Mark could simply move to another part of his body, could simply imprint itself somewhere else.

Not to mention that he was only fifty percent sure he would survive it. And it could all be for naught because as research had shown him, maggots were a very real possibility when it came to that survival.

He let out a slow breath, his eyes meeting Andromeda's and when Ted's hands touched his shoulders again, it gave him the strength he needed. He stared at Andromeda before he spoke.

"I need you to chain me to the chair and to the floor. Make sure my left arm is face up and chained to the table. I need my right arm free."

Andromeda looked like she wanted to protest, but the look on her husband's face made her nod. She pulled out her wand and did just that. The metal shackles holding Blaise in place across his chest and legs made him panic slightly, but also made relief course through him. He could do this.

He closed his eyes, his thoughts on what he had read. He just hoped that this time, this time, the charm did more than just create mist.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A huge zebra erupted from the end of his wand in a deep white and the sight of it made Blaise grin. He'd only managed to produce the corporeal Patronus once before and it hadn't been as solid as he'd hoped. He watched as it stood now, waiting for him to command it. The zebra's horse-like body was slim, muscled, and ready to run. He smiled as pride coursed through him.

He could do this.

He closed his eyes a moment before he pointed to his arm.

"Tenebris magicae impetum!"

The zebra ran straight at him. Its mohawk like mane moved as it ran and Blaise stared at it, determined not to look away.

And when it struck him, he felt like he was being torn in two.

It was like his entire body was struck by lightning. He jerked back, shaking, but he felt the pressure of the Patronus pushing at the dark magic on his arm. It was pulsing like a heartbeat, emitting heat like his arm was burning. He could feel the lick of flames teasing his skin, slipping beneath as his blood boiled. He swore his bones were melting from the hotness of it before another shock tore through him. The zebra Patronus ran through his arm again and again and again, each time making him feel more and more like he had lightning coursing through his body.

Through the pain, he could see the Tonkses talking and then suddenly a second Patronus appeared next to his zebra, this one a seal. And then both Patronuses ran at him, striking him again and again and again.

If it wasn't for the ache in his throat, he wasn't sure if he'd have even realized he was screaming. The burn intensified. He tried to make a fist, but that only pulled on his muscles even more, so he let go. Suddenly, his entire left arm burst into white flames and both of the Patronuses vanished. The pain lessened enough for him to grab his bearings and he grabbed the gold dagger off the table and in one shaky motion, stabbed the tattoo so hard that the dagger nailed his arm to the table. He let out a howl before he pulled it out. Blood spurted from the wound, hitting his cheek, but he ignored it. He was shaking, but his right hand was steady as he took the blood coated dagger and sliced his left arm open from elbow to wrist, slicing through the very centre of the Mark.

Green smoke erupted like a festered wound. When it mixed with his blood it felt like poison, making his blood turn an interesting mix of black and red. The white flames rose higher, but didn't spread any further than his forearm. Instead they followed the green smoke and in a flash, seemed to overtake it. His blood boiled and turned darker before the black vanished and nothing was left but the deep red of fresh blood oozing from the wound on his arm.

Blaise looked down at his arm. Red blisters surrounded the blood, but he felt clean. He managed to gasp for breath.

"D-did-did it work?"

Before anyone could answer him, his eyes rolled back into his head and he promptly passed out. He would have fallen from the chair if the chains clanging together around him hadn't been there.

"Merlin's balls," Ted whispered.

Andromeda had tears running down her cheeks as she reached for him, using her wand to heal the cut and the burn marks.

"He needed help so I just… do you think adding my Patronus was too much?"

Ted shook his head. "No, you helped, love. He needed the boost. I don't know if he could have done it alone."

"It will scar," Andromeda worried. "But it's gone. The Dark Mark is gone."

"He really did it, Dromeda."

Andromeda unchained him as she carefully bandaged up his arm. "Now he has to do it for Draco."

Ted pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her forehead. "One step at a time, love." He kissed his wife once more, before he lifted Blaise to his feet and used his wand to levitate him. "I'm going to put him in bed with Draco. He needs to rest before he does anything else."

Andromeda nodded. "We don't even know how long he might be out."

Ted's eyes met hers before he headed up the stairs, levitating Blaise in front of him. "One step at a time, love."

"Should we call Dumbledore?" Andromeda asked, following her husband into the little spare bedroom where her nephew was sprawled across the bed, still stunned.

Ted shook his head as he tucked Blaise into the bed with Draco. "Not yet. These boys came to us, not to Dumbledore. Zabini wrote to us, asking us to offer sanctuary, when and if he managed to come. He asked for us and no one else as Draco's relatives. Let's take care of them for now before we work out our next move. See what Zabini wants to do when he wakes. I don't want to break his trust."

Andromeda moved into the chair next to the bed, taking Draco's hand in hers. "When he wakes."

"The way the light from his Patronus engulfed that smoke and just… the Mark is truly gone, Dromeda. He did it. And it was incredible. He'll wake, I'm sure of it."

Andromeda's fingers stroked the back of Draco's hand.

Ted bent down to kiss his wife's cheek. "I'll bring you up a cup of tea and you can check Zabini over, but I'm pretty sure he's just passed out. Dora keeps some Blood Replenishing potions in stock at the cottage, I'll go borrow some."

"Don't tell her," Andromeda said quickly. "Not yet. I don't want them to be overwhelmed."

Ted kissed his wife again. "I'll be right back."

Andromeda pulled Ted's face back to hers to kiss him. "I love you, Edward."

"And I you, my lovely Slytherin princess."

She smiled at his old nickname for her and shooed him off, taking Draco's hand in hers again. She gently brushed his blond hair away from his face and kissed his cheek before her gaze fell back on Blaise. She wanted to send word to Narcissa that her son was safe. She knew the pain that she would be feeling as a mother not knowing, but this was too important. She couldn't risk sending word to her sister, not yet.

These boys needed her and right now and there was nowhere else she was going to be.

~ ASC ~

Molly was doing her best to finish knitting the copious amount of jumpers she had to make this year. Every year it seemed there was another soul who needed one of her jumpers and she loved making them. She loved presenting them as gifts. She had the wireless playing in the background, and her heart jumped into her throat when the song stopped and the announcer claimed that Death Eaters had just attacked the village of Hogsmeade.

"Many Hogwarts students are in the village today and it has been reported that Harry Potter is one of those students. Potter is currently duelling in the streets as Death Eaters send spells in all directions. Two people are reportedly injured. Seven Death Eaters have been spotted and the word is out that Aurors are on their way. Witnesses say that Hogwarts students are defending their own."

The rest of the report came out as a blur. She listened intently, half terrified and half relieved to have not heard any other familiar name. No one was pronounced dead and she jumped when the fireplace lit up.

"Molly!"

"Ted! Gallopin' gargoyles! You scared ten years off my life!"

"Sorry. Listen, Molly, there's been an attack on Hogsmeade."

"I know. They were just saying it on the wireless. Is it Tonks? Is she all right?"

Ted shook his head. "I haven't heard anything, but what I did hear is that Theo needs some family. I promised that I'd let you know that."

Molly's lips pursed and when Ted's head disappeared she grabbed her cloak. Theo… had something happened to the poor dear? Two people were injured… She left a note for Arthur and hurried to the Apparition point. She arrived in front of the bridge of the castle and hurried towards it. The unpleasantness that was Argus Filch reluctantly let her into the castle after a small scuffle over authorization. McGonagall met her in the entranceway.

"Molly, what are you doing here?"

Molly lifted her chin, meeting McGonagall gaze dead on. "Theo needs family."

McGonagall's eyes softened. "He's not hurt, not physically. Come with me."

She followed the deputy headmistress down the halls until they reached the hospital wing. McGonagall squeezed her shoulder lightly before opening the door and pushing Molly inside.

The sight of Theo sobbing as he lay over Finn made her heart stop and she moved towards the bed. The golden warrior blocked her path.

"Who are you?"

"Molly Weasley," she said shrilly. "Let me through."

The fae stared at her for a moment before he nodded and Molly's heart broke at the sound of Theo's cries. His sobs had become more and more desperate, as if he was unable to control them.

Theo couldn't control them.

He couldn't stop his tears.

A world without Finn wasn't something that he wanted to experience. He'd already lost so much, and Blaise… Blaise had betrayed him and Draco… now, he had no one left. He sobbed again, this time louder, unable to stop them and it was only when he'd slid down to rest his cheek over the bloody wound, did he finally quiet.

The warm, wet, bloody material stuck to his face and his hair, but he refused to move as his tears fell. He could feel the raised purple lines on Finn's chest, on his arms. They were hot to the touch in comparison to the rest of them, burning almost. A hot burn that had poisoned the man he loved from the inside out. The sob was quieter this time and he tasted Finn's blood on his lips, but he still didn't move.

He couldn't let go of him.

Not yet.

"Theo," Tiernan said quietly, reaching out to touch Theo's hair. "Theo… he's gone."

Theo ignored him and clung tighter to the love of his life. He wasn't gone, he thought desperately, he wasn't gone. Tears welled up in his eyes again and poured down his cheeks like a waterfall. He choked on them, but he still refused to move away, his arms wrapped around Finn as tightly as possible, his tears mixing with the blood.

"Theo," Tiernan said again.

Another sob escaped him and his bottom lip quivered and then he felt a different hand on his back, a softer hand.

"Theo, dear, let him go."

Molly carefully pried Theo's hands off of Finn with Tiernan's help and when she turned the young man, his cheeks were stained in tears and blood. She pulled him into her arms and Theo sobbed on her shoulder, clinging desperately. She held him close, saying nondescript words of comfort that he couldn't process.

Finn was dead.

Killed by Abraxas Malfoy.

Draco and Blaise had run off, leaving him alone.

Blaise had the Dark Mark, too.

It was too much. It was all too much. He didn't know how long he stood there, sobbing in Molly Weasley's arms, but when he finally stopped crying, he felt like his world had grown dark.

Molly kissed his cheeks and urged him to lie down on the bed behind her. She said something to Madam Pomfrey that he didn't hear. A warm wash cloth was soon cleaning the blood from his face. He didn't move. But his eyes found Molly's warm brown ones and he only nodded.

Once he was cleaned up, he drank the Calming Draught and the Sleeping Draught that Madam Pomfrey made him take. Tiernan sat on the edge of his bed and took his hand.

"I'm going to take him back to Tara, Theo. I'll send word to you in a few days."

Theo stared at him. Tiernan squeezed his hand before he moved over and picked Finn up into his arms and carried him from the hospital. Tears rolled down Theo's cheeks.

"Finn," he whispered.

Molly kissed his cheek. "I'm so sorry, darling. Finn was a very special young man."

"How can I live without him? Mrs Weasley, he… he saved me from everything. He… no one's ever loved me like he did. No one's ever… he's my world. He's my whole world!" He looked down at the claddagh ring on his hand. "He gave me a promise ring. We were going to be a family!"

Molly wrapped her arms around him again as tears rolled down his cheeks. "You will always love him, Theo. He will always hold a place in your heart, but he would want you to live without him. He would want you to live a full, long life."

"I can never love anyone else!" Theo declared.

Molly kissed his cheek. "He would want you to be happy, dear. Now, close your eyes. Rest will help," she insisted, her fingers gently tracing his brows.

He wanted to protest that, but the potion on top of the motion of her soft strokes on his face, was already making his eyes droop. When his breathing slowed, Molly looked over at the school matron.

"Was anyone else hurt?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Nothing serious that I'm aware of. No one else has been brought in."

Harry and Ginny appeared in the doorway then and Molly jumped up when she saw her daughter covered in blood.

"Ginevra!"

"I'm fine, Mum," Ginny assured her, smiling through the blood splatter. "It's not mine. Abraxas Malfoy is dead."

"Good riddance!" Molly exclaimed, her eyes on Harry. "Are you hurt, Harry?"

He held his arm out to Madam Pomfrey. "This purple flame thing… it burns like ice. Ginny has a small cut over her eye."

"It's nothing," Ginny insisted. "See to Harry first."

Madam Pomfrey immediately ushered him to a bed to examine his arm, ignoring his protest to check Ginny out first. "An ice curse, but not a good one. I'd say that you're very lucky, Mr Potter. If the caster had done their homework, this curse would have caused you to lose your arm."

"It didn't hit me straight on," Harry told her. "It was more of a ricochet."

"Which makes you extremely lucky," Madam Pomfrey told him.

She set to work on him and it was only a moment before relief coursed through him.

"You'll have a small scar here on the wrist," she told him. "Dark magic always leaves a mark."

Harry nodded, his eyes on his girlfriend. "Heal Ginny's cut now."

Madam Pomfrey moved over to take a look, cleaning the blood off Ginny's face as she did so. Once her cut was healed she took a look at them both. "Just a small nick, dear. You'll be fine. Are there any other injured?"

"We don't think so," Ginny told her. "The Aurors were treating the two people from Hogsmeade who had been hurt and everyone else seemed okay. Is Theo all right? Where's Finn?"

Tears welled up in Molly's eyes as she reached for her daughter. "He didn't make it, Ginny."

"What?"

"Finn's dead," Molly said quietly.

Ginny's mouth dropped open as Harry took her hand. "Theo, he must… oh Merlin."

"He was beside himself. I came to comfort him and… someone named Tiernan, I assume Finn's brother? He took the body away. Madam Pomfrey gave Theo a sleeping draught."

Ginny moved to sit on the side of Theo's bed, her fingers going to his hair. "Blaise and Draco were both there and they left… I think Blaise is a Death Eater, too."

Harry nodded. "He had the Mark, I saw it when he ran past me."

"Theo will be devastated when he finds out that Blaise turned on him," Ginny said quietly.

"He already knows," Molly told them. "He'll come home with us tomorrow. I don't want that boy going back to an empty manor after this."

Ginny looked over at her friend, tears in her eyes. "He won't. Mum… Finn was his whole world."

Molly moved to hug her daughter. "I know. We'll be there for him as much as we can be."

Harry looked over at Theo's sleeping form, his heart heavy. How many more lives were going to be lost in this war? How much senseless loss? His mirror vibrated in his pocket, startling him as he pulled it out, surprised to see Zee's face.

"Zee? Hi, is everything okay?"

"Is everything okay? Are you okay? Merlin, Harry, the wireless is talking about an attack on Hogsmeade and you being there and you're asking me if I'm okay!"

He grinned, unable to stop himself. Sometimes the love he felt for her swamped him. This woman, his mum, loved him. She cared about him. She worried for him.

"I'm fine, Zee. Ginny too, but… Theo's Finn was killed."

"Oh, that poor young man," Zee said sympathetically.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Mrs Weasley is here to help him deal with it. I'll be home tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

When he put the mirror away, he stood up and took Ginny's hand in his. "Come on, let's go upstairs and change then we'll stay with Theo."

Ginny nodded in acceptance and Molly smiled at the two of them. "I'll be here. Go on."

Molly watched them go before she looked back down upon Theo, her eyes full of heartbreak. She wondered not for the first time, who else would be lost in this horrible war; how many more hearts were going to be broken because of it.

~ ASC ~

When Theo woke, Ginny's red hair was the first thing he saw. He saw Harry sitting beneath her and realized that Ginny was stretched out sideways on her boyfriend's lap. They were whispering to each other the way two people in love did and it immediately made his heart ache.

Finn.

Finn was gone.

He turned to bury his face in his pillow, not wanting to think about it.

"Theo," Ginny said softly.

"Go away," he whispered.

Instead of going away, she climbed into bed with him, wrapping her arms around him from behind, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Harry and I are here, Theo. My mum just went home to get the Burrow ready. You're coming home with us."

"I want to be alone."

"No," Harry said, standing up. "I wanted to be alone when Uncle Sirius died and… Ginny convinced me why that was wrong. Listen to her. There are a lot of people who care about you, Theo."

He didn't answer, but he didn't tell them to leave either. Madam Pomfrey brought him breakfast and told him that he was free to go. Ginny said something about having to pack for home and Harry whispered something to her. He didn't hear it, but when Harry stayed behind he figured it had something to do with watching him.

"Come on. I'll help you pack."

Theo didn't answer, but he didn't protest when Harry followed him to the Slytherin common room and down the stairs into his dorm. He tossed his stuff together absently into a rucksack, not even paying attention to what he grabbed. It was only then that he noticed that no one else was in the room.

"Harry, can I just… can I just have some time to shower and to just… please?"

Harry looked hesitant a moment before he nodded. "Sure. I'll meet you outside of Slytherin in twenty minutes, yeah?"

Theo was grateful when he left. He took a shower, cleaning himself and his teeth before he changed into fresh clothes. Then he sat on the bed, his eyes on the ring on his finger and he blinked back tears. Finn was gone. Blaise and Draco both had the Dark Mark. His family… they were gone. He looked up when he heard movement by the door was and surprised to see Pansy standing in the doorway.

"What do you want, Pansy?"

Pansy hesitated a moment before she moved to sit on the bed across from him; Draco's bed. "I'm not going to pretend that I supported your relationship with that freak of nature, but I am sorry for your loss."

He looked at her in surprise. "I didn't think that you had it in you to be sorry for anyone."

"Well, this war has told me that we're all playing a game for our lives." She looked around the room. "Will you be back in January?"

He shrugged. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

She nodded. "You'll have the whole dorm to yourself."

Theo's head turned quickly at that. "Were they all out there yesterday? All showing off their new tattoos? Laughing at me?"

Pansy's eyes looked sad. "We've never been friends, Theo, and I doubt anything will change that. But we both know that you, Draco, and Blaise were the Slytherin Trio. Don't turn your back on them completely. They're not like the others. Trust me. I may be a bitch, but we both know that I don't lie. Maybe one day, we'll meet again."

"It's true then, about you leaving?"

"I marry Greg on Saturday," she said. "I'll… see you around."

Theo watched her go, feeling even more hollow. Everything was changing. The world was growing darker and he couldn't imagine how light was going to prevail. He picked up his rucksack and headed out to meet Harry, determined not to let another tear fall until he was alone. He found Harry pacing and his unruly head of hair shot up when he heard him.

"All right?"

Theo nodded. "Let's go."

~ ASC ~

The train ride home was long.

Theo stayed in the compartment with them. He'd curled up in the corner, his head resting on Ginny's shoulder, and he hadn't said a word. Colin came in to talk to him, but Theo only nodded responses. Neville and Luna were subdued. Luna left for a bit to sit with her new boyfriend, but she returned quickly and squeezed Theo's hand. Ron sat with his arm around Hermione, who stared listlessly at the book in her hand, taking in nothing. Harry sat on the other side of Ginny, his arm around her and his hand gently resting on Theo's shoulder.

Harry felt that it was the longest train ride of his life.

When they finally arrived at King's Cross, Ginny kissed him goodbye and promised to let him know about staying with him. With Theo coming to the Burrow, she didn't want to leave him alone and Harry understood that. He didn't want to leave Zee alone either. He said goodbye to his friends, his eyes narrowing a little when he saw Luna kiss Justin Finch-Fletchley on the lips before she moved to greet her father. He saw Remus and Tonks on the platform and made his way over to them.

Tonks pulled him close into a tight hug. "Hey, Scout."

He smirked at the nickname. It had been ages since she'd called him that and he found that he'd oddly missed it.

"How's Theo?" Remus asked, his eyes on the lean Slytherin who was being pulled into a one-armed hug by Bill Weasley.

"He hasn't said much. I think he's still processing. He and Finn were… he really loved him, Uncle Rem. Finn gave him a promise ring and everything."

Remus nodded. "Heartbreak is something difficult to get over, especially when death is what causes it."

"How's Zee?"

"She's doing really well," Tonks told him, linking her arm through his as they headed out of King's Cross. "She's been baking up a storm and plans on working the rest of this week before she stops. Right up to the twenty-first she insists, even though she's due on the sixteenth of January."

Harry grinned. "She's stubborn."

"That she is," Tonks agreed. "But it's been on all of our minds, of course it has. The first Christmas without Sirius and her due soon with those babies… but she's dealing. How are you?"

Harry shrugged. "The attack kind of made me forget a bit."

Remus put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Waiting is hard and it's frustrating and seeing people, young people, like Finn, die in this war… I know that you want to take the fight to him, Harry, but it's not the right time."

"Why not?" Harry demanded, suddenly angrier than he could explain. "If we know where he's holed up, where the snake is? Why can't we just go after him? Why can't we attack?"

"And you think that he won't be prepared for that?" Tonks asked him.

Harry Disapparated with Tonks to Sidmouth, arriving in the Apparition point of Black Cottage before he spoke. "You don't know that he would be. He probably thinks that no one would be bold enough to attack him."

"He's too prepared, Harry," Tonks said again. "King's been working with the Spook Squad to do just that. Sending spies out everywhere, trying to locate where he could be. He hasn't been seen at Wiltshire Manor in months. There's been reported sightings in Paris, in Ireland, even in Denmark. He's gone underground and warded himself against anyone finding him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's under the Fidelius."

Harry snorted. "That's too over the top."

"No, it's not," Remus said. "He has plans, Harry, and until he's ready to formally set them in motion, he's unattainable. Do you really think that if we had even an inkling of how to get to him, of how to get to that snake with absolute certainty, that we wouldn't do it? We don't want to see anyone else get hurt or anyone else die on his behalf."

"Whitney Dashwood was found yesterday as well," Tonks told him. "When we arrived at Hogsmeade, the Death Eaters were gone, but they left her body behind. She had been brutally tortured. She leaves behind three kids and a husband. Everyone wants this war to be over."

Harry knew they were right, but it didn't dissipate his anger. Theo had lost the love of his life yesterday. A young man was dead because of this war, another casualty of a war that no one wanted, and Harry desperately wished that he could just end it once and for all. But he didn't even know how to do that. How was he supposed to come up against Voldemort and fight? And win?

His lessons with Dumbledore had all been discussion. They hadn't even met in weeks and he felt like the headmaster hadn't taught him anything. He'd learned more about the madness that was Tom Riddle, but nothing about how to defeat him. He would be lying to himself if he didn't sometimes lie awake at night wondering if it was because Dumbledore knew there was no way to defeat him, not really.

Harry shook the dark thoughts from his head and headed in the house. Padfoot immediately made a beeline for him. He greeted the dog happily, laughing when he tried to lick his face. Zee was sitting in the living room, her legs propped up across the couch, Lady Godiva lounging beneath her feet. He bent over the couch to kiss her cheek.

"Hi, Zee."

He greeted Lady Godiva as well before he ran upstairs to toss his bag in his room. He snuck a look at the nursery at the end of the hall. It was all ready now. The two cribs had blankets and the room was full of plush magical creatures and animals. His eyes fell on the Order of Merlin, Second Class, framed in its case.

"You should be here," he said softly, not even realizing that he'd spoken aloud until Remus spoke from behind him.

"He is," Remus said, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. "In our hearts."

Remus moved deeper into the room to take a closer look at the award. "Sirius would have both loved and hated this award. His grandfather had one, you know."

"Really? What did he do?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. The Orders of Merlin are considered a great honour among the wizarding community, but unfortunately there have been times throughout our history where the award was bought with gold rather than earned through merit. It was always rumoured that Arcturus Black bought his with gold."

Harry stared at the award before he spoke. "Uncle Sirius deserved this award. I'm glad it's in here for his babies to see."

Remus draped an arm round Harry's shoulders. "Me too. Come on; let's go downstairs and you can tell us what happened yesterday."

He nodded and followed his father downstairs, wondering how Theo was dealing with everything. He was glad that the Weasleys had taken him in.

When Harry finally made his way up to bed that night, he couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning and found himself staring up at the ceiling more often than not. It was almost one thirty when he finally hopped out of bed, grabbing his wand and his jumper. He moved slowly down the stairs, making sure not to wake Zee, and headed outside to his treehouse.

It looked just as epic as he remembered it. Covered in winter snow and just as big and amazing as it had always been. He looked forward to sharing it with the twins one day. It would belong to them when they were old enough. He wouldn't have a use for it anymore. He climbed into the main room, the warming charm already covering him. The temperature charms for the treehouse were superb.

Harry made himself comfortable in the hammock, his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with Remus and Tonks on the way home. He knew that they were right. Going after Voldemort right now was suicide, but he just wished that he could do something.

But it wasn't only that which was bothering him.

He hadn't told anyone what had happened in Hogsmeade, about the spell that he had used without thinking. The spell that had slashed through Bellatrix Lestrange like butter.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her falling; the glassy shock on her face, the blood flowing from her wounds like fountains, the way the blood had stained the snow… He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to know if he had killed her or not. If anyone deserved to die, if anyone deserved pain like that, it was her. Not only for what she had done to Sirius, but for what she'd done to Neville's parents, to Neville, and for all of the terrible things she'd done since then. He knew that, but being the one behind it didn't make him feel like a hero, it made him feel like a murderer. It made him feel like he wanted to vomit.

He had wanted to tell Remus, but he hadn't been able to get the words out. Finn's death was so much more important than if Bellatrix was dead or not. Finn would be missed and Bellatrix would be… had he killed her? Had he ended her life? He wished Sirius was here to answer his questions. He contemplated going upstairs to wake Zee, but he didn't want to disturb her. He knew how hard it was for her to go to sleep these days.

But when he closed his eyes, there was Bellatrix again. He let his eyes fly open and before he could think about it, he concentrated as hard as he could on being with Ginny and his Patronus appeared before him. He stared at the wolf, the dog, and the stag, still feeling surprised that he could make one without his wand. He smiled at them, feeling comforted, before he sent his wolf Patronus to Remus.

He watched the wolf take off and the stag and dog disappeared. He swallowed, trying to think about what had happened over the last twenty-four hours. There were rumours all over the school that a lot of the senior Slytherins weren't returning in January. Some people claimed that they were all Death Eaters; others claimed they were being married off. Harry thought that it might be a combination of the two. He didn't understand why Voldemort would want to marry people off, that seemed like a waste of time.

"Not if you think about it. How else are you going to make more pureblood babies? Trust me, arranged marriages and fertility potions are pretty much a pureblood standard."

Harry sat up so quickly that he fell out of the hammock.

Sirius merely raised a perfect eyebrow, his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned against the fireman's pole. "Real graceful, Prongslet."

"Uncle Siri?" he whispered. "You… you're not here."

"Says who?"

"You're dead," he said, his voice wavering.

Sirius nodded. "I am. But that doesn't mean that I won't always be with you."

He moved closer in the treehouse. He was dressed in black form-fitting jeans and a black silk shirt rolled at the elbows. He wore his usual black combat boots and had a white tee shirt on beneath. The sight was so familiar that it made Harry's heart ache. Then Sirius' finger was tapping on the Quidditch poster of Lexie Longhorn. She was lying naked facedown on the Quidditch pitch, a Quaffle under her tits. Her naked arse was scantily clad in a red thong and nothing more.

"You'll have to make some different decoration choices out here when the twins arrive. I remember the first time I let you accidentally see one of my posters. You wanted to know why the girl had such big boobies."

Harry managed a small smile. "I know, you told me."

"Harry, you gave me back my life. Without you, I would have had nothing. I know it's hard to admit that I'm gone, but you know how much I will always love you."

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes. "We need you here. Zee needs you."

"Zee is the most incredible woman I've ever met. She's strong. She's independent. She's beautiful and intelligent. Raising twins isn't going to be a picnic in the park, but she's got this. She's the most capable woman I know. And I know that you're going to be one hell of a big brother to them as well."

When Harry didn't answer, Sirius tapped the poster of Longhorn again.

"Surprised you haven't asked Ginny to pose like this for you. I know you two have been getting up to all sorts of naughty things after all." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Your talk with Moony had me and Prongs laughing our arses off. I'm glad you took our sex talk so seriously."

Harry stared at him, a small smile on his lips. "How are you here?"

"Those we love never truly leave us. I love you, Prongslet. I'm more proud of you every damn day. You've become an amazing young man. I've told James and Lily all about you and they've been watching over you, too. I'm not alone. You're not alone. Make sure my star and goddess know who I am."

"I promise, Uncle Siri."

"I love you, Harry. I always will. Remember that. And Harry? You didn't kill anybody. If anyone deserves what's coming to her, it's that bitch, and unfortunately, she's going to make a full recovery. Talk to Moony."

Then Sirius winked at him and disappeared.

Harry's eyes opened. He was lying in his hammock and the treehouse smelt like leather and forest. He felt comforted by that. He heard a low growl coming from outside and he jumped to his feet. When he opened the door of the treehouse, Lady Godiva prowled in. She moved right to the spot where Harry had dreamed his father was, sniffing before she turned to stare at him.

"I know. I miss him, too."

He moved back to the hammock and Lady Godiva sprawled out beneath him. He reached his hand down, massaging the panther's head before he drifted off to sleep, finally feeling relaxed and finally feeling like something had gone right.

He woke minutes later to the feel of someone shaking him and he looked up at Remus' worried expression.

"Hi, Uncle Rem."

Remus sat in the armchair across from the hammock. "When you send me a Patronus asking me to come over in the middle of the night, I didn't exactly expect to find you sleeping." He sniffed the air and then shook his head.

"He was here," Harry whispered. "I mean, I think he was."

"Who?" Remus asked.

Harry only stared at him. "Are you saying that you can't smell him?"

Remus paled. "It was a dream."

"Does that mean it wasn't real?"

"No," Remus whispered, smiling when Harry came to sit on the arm of the chair. "Fuck… I miss him, too, Harry. I miss him more than I can say. Now, tell me what's on your mind."

"Uncle Siri said that I didn't kill her."

"Kill who?" Remus asked, his brows coming together.

Harry looked down at his hands, comforted when Remus gripped them in his. "That spell in the potions book… the one that Dad wrote with a question mark. I used it."

"Harry," Remus said carefully. "Using spells that you don't know the meaning of is highly dangerous. You don't know how it could have affected you. And you know it meant to cut in some way, that's dangerous enough."

"It did more than cut," Harry said softly.

Remus squeezed his hands. "What happened?"

"I used it on Bellatrix," he whispered. "It just… it just came out. She was taunting me about Sirius and it just… Uncle Rem, it was like a hundred knives cut her at once and not just little cuts… they were deep and they stabbed her and… there was so much blood."

"What happened after that?"

Harry swallowed down the bile that threatened to erupt before he spoke. "She fell and she was… bleeding so much and then another Death Eater, one in a mask used the Cruciatus on me. It was Crouch. Then he took her and they Disapparated. The snow under her… it looked like she didn't have any blood left in her body. I… I thought I killed her."

Remus reached up to put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "You didn't. Word would have gotten out about her death by now if you had. She's alive, because trust me, someone that vile isn't going to go down that easily."

Harry nodded. "When I close my eyes I just… I see her…"

"What do you want me to say, Harry? Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that it was wrong to use a curse like that? I can. You were. Do you want me to tell you that even though she deserved it, you should never do something like that to another person? I can, but we both know that I'd be a hypocrite. If I came face-to-face with her or with Greyback… I don't know what I would do," he admitted. "What I do know is that you have every right to feel guilty because you're a good person and you know that using a curse like that, even on the worst person imaginable is a terrible thing. You have an amazing heart and you know right from wrong. You even feel bad for hurting someone who does deserve it."

Harry leaned into Remus' shoulder. "It doesn't make it okay."

"No, it doesn't," Remus said, kissing Harry's temple. "But you're not a murderer, Harry. Even if she did die… no one would blame you. You were duelling and it was self-defence."

"I wanted to kill her," Harry admitted. "I wanted her to die; to pay for what she did to Uncle Sirius, to Neville's parents, to Neville… I did want her to die."

"Because you're human," Remus said quietly. "We all make mistakes, Harry. All of us. But you didn't kill her. She's alive and will unfortunately cause chaos and more pain."

Harry sat there, his head leaning against Remus' shoulder for a long time. "I thought if someone found out what I did, they'd send me to Azkaban."

"Hey, no," Remus said. "You didn't know what it would do, not really, and you were fighting for your life."

"Ginny saw it."

"And what did Ginny say?"

"Nothing," he said softly. "She just… she said nothing. What if she said nothing because she's ashamed of me?"

Remus squeezed his arm tighter around Harry. "Ginny would never be ashamed of you. We both know that."

He nodded. "I just couldn't turn off my brain. I can't get the image out of my head. She was falling in the snow and then she disappeared and then… then Ginny was splattered in blood from Abraxas Malfoy's severed head… at first when I saw that I… I thought she was hurt and I thought it was because I had killed Bellatrix, like instant karma against me."

"Ginny's fine and so are you. As to Malfoy, well, that's a loss no one will mourn except perhaps his wife. I'm glad Finn killed him. He deserved that last bit of revenge on the man who killed him."

Harry nodded. "Theo is… he was a mess on the train. Like a zombie almost, just staring off into space, barely speaking… Finn saved him, Uncle Rem. He swept in like some fairy tale character, saving him from Ernie and giving him the life he always wanted and to just lose him like that… Ginny's worried about how he's going to take it, on top of Blaise."

"You said that Zabini had the Dark Mark?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I saw it on his arm and Theo looked so betrayed and so heartbroken. He's already been struggling with Malfoy having taken it and to know he's lost Blaise as well… I don't know how he's going to cope with that."

"The Weasleys will help him," Remus assured him. "Molly adores him and I know that Bill and Percy have nothing but good things to say about him. He's an intelligent young man and he needs to give himself more credit. Finn may have saved him, but it wasn't Finn who pulled him out from under his father's shadow, it wasn't Finn who stepped up and took the Nott seat in the Wizengamot, and it wasn't Finn who helped hold his own in the Department of Mysteries last June — that was all Theo. He's stronger than he thinks he is."

Harry looked over at Remus. "Maybe he is, but he's still going to need a lot of support to deal with losing Finn. They had planned their future together."

"And he'll have that support. As to Zabini and Malfoy… I don't know what happened there," Remus admitted. "Dumbledore agrees with me that making that decision to take the Dark Mark does seem like a coerced one for Malfoy, but I have no idea where Zabini fits in. He's been so diligent in Defence this year. I've even been giving him private lessons on the Patronus Charm."

"The Patronus Charm, really?" Harry asked in surprise. "He could never do more than mist. And his mist never did anything or had any real power behind it."

Remus nodded. "Yes, which is why he came to me for private lessons. He was doing vast research on the charm. He was full of intelligent questions concerning the charm's origins, how it worked against the Dementors and Lethifolds, and why it was considered such a high form of light magic. He wanted to know everything about it. When I questioned his interest, he only shrugged and said that he didn't want to die by a Dementor."

Harry frowned. "If you're a dark wizard, can you make a Patronus Charm?"

Remus shook his head. "No, but like all light and dark magic, there is some grey there. A Patronus, as you know, feeds on happiness and true happiness can only come from a pure soul. A Patronus is in every sense of the words, soul power. It feeds on the goodness and the purity of one's soul, on the love there. Someone like Voldemort, who has broken his soul into pieces, could never produce one, no matter how hard he tried. A witch or wizard who has done dark things could potentially still make a Patronus if they haven't tarnished their soul."

"So, if they haven't murdered anyone?" Harry guessed.

Remus nodded. "Yes, and no. Murdered anyone in cold blood with relish and joy in what they were doing, specifically. Kingsley for example, he has killed before in the line of duty. It wasn't intentional, but it saved his life and that of his partner's and he can still produce a Patronus. I wouldn't exactly consider Snape a pure soul, but he also has the ability to produce a Patronus, which tells me that whatever bad he has done, it wasn't enough to tarnish his soul completely."

"Did he do it?" Harry asked. "Did Zabini produce a Patronus in the end?"

"Almost," Remus told him. "He made shape, but it wasn't fully corporeal. It was a zebra, which I found rather intriguing."

"Why?"

Remus shrugged. "A zebra is an interesting animal. They are constantly being debated about whether they are a black stallion with white stripes or a white stallion with black stripes. Their stripes work as a mirage to help confuse attackers and they are one of the true wild animals that have never been domesticated by either muggles or magical beings. Zebras have the ability to blend in the community for either shelter or protection, to gather in comfort against an outside threat. They symbolize freedom and determination. It surprises me that someone who could produce a zebra Patronus in any capacity, would willingly choose the Dark Mark."

Harry's brow furrowed as he thought about his father's words. Remus had a point. He didn't know much about Zabini. He knew that all of the girls considered him fit and sexy. He knew that he was wealthy, intelligent, laid back, and that he had snogged quite a lot of the girls at Hogwarts. He had been dating Parvati, but Harry wasn't sure if they were still together or not. He knew Zabini valued his friendship with Theo. He had seen that care and protection himself, when Zabini had come to find his friend in the middle of the night; knowing he had been plagued with a nightmare. He had seen that care and affection. If Zabini had been torn between helping both of his friends… it did lead to some interesting questions.

"I don't know much about Zabini, but I think you're right. He had another reason behind it, or maybe he didn't choose it willingly. We know that his mother is a Death Eater."

Remus nodded. "Bellarosa Zabini has never been a high concern in the Death Eater inner circle, it's her dead husbands that made people worry."

"I heard she's married again, number six," Harry said.

"But that doesn't influence Blaise much," Remus admitted. "I don't know, Harry. I don't know what his motives are, but I do know that he and Malfoy didn't show up on the Hogwarts Express today and that is something to be concerned about."

Harry frowned, feeling like, as usual, he only had more questions than he did answers.

Remus stood up, pulling Harry to his feet. "Come on; let's get you back to your room. Unless you want to sleep out here tonight?"

Harry hesitated, his eyes on the hammock before he shook his head. No, he wanted his own bed. "No, let's go in."

Remus kept his arm around him as they shuffled back to the house quietly and snuck in through the sunroom. "You going to be okay to sleep?"

He nodded. "I think so."

Remus tugged him close for a hug. "You're not to blame, Harry. You were fighting for your life and no matter what happened, you must remember that." He kissed his forehead. "I love you, little Prongs."

The childish nickname made him smile. "Love you too, Uncle Moony."

He looked back at the bottom of the stairs as Remus made to go out the front door to Apparate home.

"Uncle Rem?"

Remus turned to look at him, his whisky coloured eyes on his. "Yes, Harry?"

"Thanks for coming."

"Always," Remus assured him. "I can stay the night if you want?"

Harry smiled, warmth flooding him at his father's words. He knew Remus would stay if he asked and just knowing it made him feel better in ways he couldn't explain. "No, I'm okay. Tonks will send out a search party if you're gone too long."

Remus chuckled. "I'll be by tomorrow. Get some sleep."

Harry watched him go and he locked the door behind him before he slowly headed up the stairs with the panther on his heels. He had just made it to his bedroom door when Zee's door opened.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Didn't mean to wake you."

Zee shook her head. "You okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Lady G's gonna stay with me tonight."

Lady Godiva prowled into his room and made herself comfortable on the end of his bed as if she owned it.

Zee smiled from the doorway. "I figured she would. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Zee," he said, stepping back into his bedroom.

Harry pulled his jumper off and crawled under the blankets, the sliver of moonlight flowing in through the balcony windows and when he looked down at the amber eyes of the panther on the end of his bed, he felt safe. He knew that no matter what was happening out there, no matter what the consequences were of what happened to Bellatrix, it would all be all right.

He was home and that's what mattered.

~ ASC ~

Draco opened his eyes slowly, the early morning sunlight hurting his eyes. His whole body was stiff, like he'd been stuck in the same position for a long time. The last person he expected to see when he opened his eyes was his estranged aunt.

"Auntie Dromeda?"

Andromeda smiled kindly. "Hi, Draco."

"How did I… I can't be here! It's not safe for you! I… Grandfather's dead and he wanted me to, oh, Merlin — Finn!"

Andromeda's eyes were glimmered in tears as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Draco. Finn died yesterday."

Draco's eyes widened in horror. "Theo…"

"He's going home with the Weasleys. They'll take care of him."

"How did I get here?"

"Me," Blaise's hoarse voice echoed from next to him.

Draco turned, surprised to see Blaise stretched out in the bed beside him. He looked at the bandage that covered Blaise's forearm. "What happened?"

"Blaise removed the Dark Mark from his arm," Andromeda said quietly.

Draco looked between them, his eyes wide in shock. "That's impossible."

"It hurt like hell," Blaise told him. "But it's bloody gone."

He carefully removed his bandage and Draco looked down at his friend's arm, the red blistered skin, the burn marks that outlined the deep gash across his forearm. But there was no trace of the mark.

"How?"

Andromeda took Draco's hand in hers. "Will you let us remove yours?"

"If I… my mother?"

Blaise shook his head. "I can't do anything about your parents, Draco. We both know how stuck they are right now and with Abraxas' death, I can't imagine your father being able to get out from under the Dark Lord's clutches. But you can. Let me do this for you."

Draco stared at him. He could barely comprehend what was going on. His head hurt. He felt nauseous and the relief that tore through him at the thought that Abraxas Malfoy was finally dead was something that he couldn't even put into words. The image of his grandfather's severed head sitting in the snow haunted him. Blaise's eyes were on his and when he looked into them, he felt comforted for the first time in months.

"I promised you, mate; alive and together."

Draco took Blaise's offered hand, squeezing it in his before he nodded. "Okay. Do it."

"It's going to hurt like hell," Blaise repeated. "You might pass out."

"And you'll scar," Andromeda warned him.

Draco shook his head. "I don't care. Do it."

Andromeda kissed his forehead. "Come on. We'll use the kitchen again."

Draco only panicked a little bit when his aunt shackled him to the chair and to the floor. Blaise put the gold dagger on the table in front of him.

"Feel free to scream. I did."

Ted put his hands on Draco's shoulders and squeezed in comfort. "Dromeda and I will be here to clean the wound. You'll be all right."

Draco nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't know what to expect. At this point, he didn't even care. Theo would never forgive him for what happened to Finn. He couldn't forgive himself. The world would be better off if this just killed him.

"Do it."

He heard Blaise's voice call out for a Patronus and then he was hit with pain unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. He did scream. His eyes flew open and he watched as a zebra and a seal ran at him at full speed, attacking his arm over and over with such an electrical charge that he could feel his blood burning.

He screamed louder, tears raining down his cheeks from the pain of it. When Blaise picked up the dagger and stabbed him through his arm, he passed out.

He woke an hour later to Andromeda rubbing salve on his arm. He blinked owlishly, focusing on the wound and he stared in amazement at the ugly red blisters and burns that now resided on his pale skin outlining a deep gash that showed his bone.

But the Dark Mark was gone.

"You really did it," he whispered.

Andromeda offered him a small smile. "Dark magic always leaves a trace, but I think that I can make it so the scar only stays in one line across your arm."

"I don't care," he admitted.

And he realized that it was true. For the first time in months, he felt free.

Ted was putting something on Blaise's arm while Andromeda treated his and he realized that his friend's arm already looked better.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked, his eyes on Blaise. "We can't go back to Hogwarts."

Blaise shook his head. "I'm Secret Keeper for my villa. We're going there."

"We're just going to hide?"

Blaise stared at him. "You said it yourself, Draco. We can't go back to Hogwarts. When the train arrives at the station tonight and we don't get off of it, what do you think is going to happen? You can't go to your parents right now. What are we going to do: Stay here and fight?"

Andromeda finished applying the salve before she spoke. "Ted and I will keep you boys with us if you decide you want to stay, to fight."

"I will fight if necessary, but I'm not going out there to fight unless the fight comes to me. This isn't my problem," Blaise said bitterly. "I wanted to be neutral. I wanted to sit it out and then this wanker took the Dark Mark!"

"I didn't ask you to take it, too!"

Blaise glared at him. "And you could have ran when you had the chance, Draco. We both made our choice."

Draco's silver-blue eyes flashed. "Would you have run? If you knew that running would kill your mother?"

"Yes," Blaise said simply. "Mamma may not exactly be mother of the year, but I know one thing about her. No matter what, if there was a choice between me and her, she would want me to pick me every damn time."

Draco watched him get up and storm off and he looked over at Andromeda and Ted, not even sure what to say. Did he want to fight? Did he want to risk coming up against his own father? The thought alone made him want to vomit and he swallowed back the bile that rose there.

Maybe Blaise was right. Maybe running was the best course. At least for a while. They needed to lick their wounds and he knew that his friend was right about that.

An hour later, he and Blaise thanked the Tonkses for their assistance. Since Blaise still wasn't seventeen for two more days and Draco not until June, Andromeda helped them disguise their looks for them. Draco was now a brunette with a full beard and Blaise had a goatee and brown eyes instead of green. They took the Knight Bus to the shore of the English Channel, arriving thirty minutes before the Hogwarts Express was set to arrive in London. Neither of them spoke as they climbed aboard the Templar Ferry to take them to France. When they arrived in France, the wizard instructed them to Normandy and to the Cherbourg Train Station and they quietly boarded the Noir Express through Platform 7 ¼ that would take them straight to Italy.

Neither of them spoke on the long train ride. It was almost a full day's journey and when they finally arrived in Reggio Calabria. It was the middle of the night, but an old wizard was happy to take them across the Strait of Messina and into Sicily. Once they arrived on the island, Blaise led the way through Trapani. They hopped on another double decker bus (this one red and driven by a Leprechaun) and got off just outside of the old historical town of Erice.

Draco followed Blaise, his rucksack over his shoulder as they moved quietly through the town. The Zabini Villa was hidden somewhere just below Mount Erice and Draco almost walked into Blaise when his friend suddenly stopped in front of him.

Blaise turned to look at him, brown eyes staring at him. Then he passed him a piece of parchment.

Draco carefully unfolded it and written in Blaise's slanted writing were the words: Zabini Villa lies beneath the mountain, in the cradle of the sun.

He was about to say something about how terribly poetic and unhelpful that was before the huge villa appeared before him in its towering glory. A stone manor covered in moss, massive gardens covering the front and he found himself following Blaise up the path. A house elf opened the door and Blaise nodded at the tiny elf.

"Lia, Draco and I will be staying here for the time being."

The house elf nodded and ushered them inside. She removed their glamours, ushering them upstairs and showed Draco a huge guest chamber with a massive king sized bed. Part of the room was open concept into the courtyard, letting in the early morning breeze. The house elf closed the door behind him and he simply fell face down onto the bed, asleep before he fully crashed into the softness of the bed, the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea ruffling his hair.

~ ASC ~

Voldemort screamed in fury.

His cries of anger were so loud that Lucius could feel it in his own bones.

Abraxas Malfoy was dead.

Crouch had told the Dark Lord the news and he hadn't taken it well. He'd taken the news even less well when Crouch revealed that Draco had backed out of killing the fae; that Abraxas himself had done it, before the fae warrior had decapitated him in revenge.

Voldemort declared that Draco would be punished for his crimes; tortured and taught a lesson.

But then Draco hadn't come home.

Snape had shown up at Avery Castle, explaining that Draco had never returned back to the castle after the attack. He'd never boarded the Hogwarts Express and apparently was missing.

Then Voldemort had really screamed in fury.

But Lucius' heart had plummeted. Was Draco hurt somewhere? What had happened? Where was he? How had he gotten away? But no one had any news on the matter. The only other news was that Blaise Zabini had also been declared missing. They'd sent Binky to check Hogwarts and found all of Draco and Blaise's belongings had been removed, but no one knew who had taken them. Narcissa had collapsed at his feet when he'd told her the news.

Neither of them knew what to think.

The Dark Lord's anger only intensified and he declared that all marriages were going to take place that evening instead of the upcoming weekend. Within three hours, Lucius was holding his wife's hand as he watched the line-up of witches and wizards ready to marry each other.

It wasn't an ideal wedding ceremony, but Narcissa had done what she could to make it nice; to make it look like a celebration. There were decorations and nice music and she'd done her best to provide each bride with a dress, but it was what it was: The young being married off to produce heirs.

Lucius didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. He knew that he couldn't stop it, but the disgust he felt by it made it hard for him to watch. Ophelia Rowle was first, his son's ex-girlfriend. She was only sixteen. She held her head high, her dress as white as snow and her hair tied up in a fancy up-do as she promised to obey her new husband, Rabastan Lestrange.

Pansy Parkinson was next. She was one of the lucky ones, he thought. At least she was being given the opportunity to marry someone her own age. Gregory Goyle was clearly infatuated with her and Lucius thought it was a good sign. Maybe they would make it work.

He watched in sadness as each new couple was married off. Zabini was supposed to be there, to marry one of the girls who was left at the front. His absence was noted and Lucius noticed the relief on the girl's face when Voldemort declared that she wouldn't be married today.

Then it was Crouch's turn. He'd chosen two brides for himself quite proudly: The Bulstrode girl and Hestia Carrow. Narcissa's hand clutched his when they noticed that both girls had tears rolling down their cheeks. Millicent was only sixteen and Hestia only fifteen.

Not all of them were Death Eaters. Not all of them had even taken the Mark, but their parents were there, giving their children forward. Some of them were willingly. Some of them were more than happy to give their child a chance to produce a pureblood heir with an important family. Others were under the Imperius Curse to move their children forward. Some of the ones older than seventeen were under the Imperius Curse themselves. Avery forced his granddaughter, as did Macnair. Avery's second son had spent most of his life in Azkaban and had never been married, named after his father, he now stared at his child-bride and licked his lips.

When they finished promising to obey and to be there for their spouses until death do them part, they were bound with their wands and then everyone broke out drinks. The Dark Lord toasted to new beginnings. Crouch passed out the potions to each new bride and groom and the Dark Lord ordered them to drink them.

"That makes it worse somehow," Narcissa whispered. "There was a reason why that tradition was outlawed centuries ago!"

Lucius agreed with his wife, but he didn't dare say the words aloud. The potions were potent. They were a mix of a heavy fertility potion, but the potions given to the young ones were also doused with a lust potion. It made the one who drank it crazed; desperate for sex on such a level that someone could rape them continuously and they wouldn't know it; their bodies would still want it. It had been outlawed five hundred years ago as it was considered dark magic and inhumane. It was a horrible potion that took someone's choice away from them.

The Dark Lord's lips curved as each couple drank the potions given. The Dark Lord toasted them once more and then ordered them to their rooms to consummate the marriages, promising to stop by and to bear witness, to make sure that they were all doing their duty properly.

Lucius took Narcissa's hand in his as the room cleared out and he dragged her up the stairs to their own bedroom, locking the door and pulling her into his arms. The moment she was engulfed against his chest, the tears came.

"Those poor children! Those poor, poor children!"

"I know, Cissa. I know, my darling. But we have one thing to be thankful for, Draco wasn't up there. He isn't being forced to… to force himself onto some poor girl."

Narcissa's eyes were full of tears as she looked up at her husband. "But we don't know where he is! We don't even know if he's dead or alive! You heard the Dark Lord, he said that he couldn't find him, that the Mark had gone dormant! He's dead, Lu! Our little dragon's dead!"

Lucius kissed her cheeks, holding her close. "No. I don't believe that. If he was dead, we would have found a body."

Narcissa cried harder, holding onto her husband for dear life. "The only good thing that has come out of this is Abraxas' death. I have no tears to cry for that man."

"No one does," Lucius admitted. "Come on; let's try to get some sleep. There's going to be a lot of young brides in the morning who might need a kind heart to talk to."

"Lu?"

His blue eyes met hers. "Cissa?"

"I know your father wanted me to take that potion when we married. I know that you dumped it out when he wasn't looking, that you didn't give it to me."

Lucius took her hands in his and kissed them. "I'm not a good man, Cissa. I've done things in my life that I will always regret and I know that I will do more. But loving you, being with you… I wouldn't change that for the world. You gave me Draco. You gave me a life with you that I cherish. I've loved you since I was sixteen years old and I knew that you gave yourself to me willingly. We were married in secret for that reason and when Father found out and made us marry again so that he could bear witness… I would never drug you with anything that would take your choice away from you."

Narcissa framed his face and kissed him. "You're a better man than you give yourself credit for. Draco knows that too. He'll come home. I won't… he's not dead, Lu. He just can't be dead."

But when he pulled his wife into his arms that night, he knew that she was wrong. He needed to get her away from here before she was hurt. With Abraxas gone, he knew that there was a chance of that now. He just didn't know how to do it.

And he didn't know how to tell her that their son was braver than he ever would be.

~ ASC ~

Crouch slapped the rump of one of his new young wife's arses, shoving two fingers into her just as the Dark Lord came into his bedchamber. He smiled brightly at the sight of his lord and master.

"Have you come to watch, my Lord?"

Millicent was all wide hips and big plump tits that he eagerly fondled. She had a square and unattractive face, but her tits were magnificent. He buried his face in them as she panted beneath him, craving him because of the potion, begging him.

"Are you going to just play with them, Bart? You can't produce an heir if you don't fuck them," Voldemort declared, his voice sounding almost amused.

Bart slapped Hestia's rump again, his face still buried in Millicent's breasts. "Thank you for letting me have two, my Lord."

Voldemort moved to sit on the bed. He rolled Hestia over, spreading her legs open before he ran his long, spindly fingers down between her breasts and down between her legs. He pulled his wet fingers out and held them out to Bart, who immediately licked them off.

"Put your cock in her."

Crouch positioned himself and immediately began to rape Hestia who moaned and groaned beneath him as if she was desperate for it; as if she truly wanted it. Millicent was moaning next to him, begging to be touched, but Crouch ignored her. He came with a mighty roar, emptying himself into the girl before he turned and buried his face into Millicent's full tits again.

Voldemort stroked his hand gently down Crouch's naked back. "Good boy."

Crouch turned his head to smile at him. "I just need a minute and then I'll fuck the ugly one with the great tits."

Millicent, too trussed up on lust potion to care about anything else, was grinding herself against him desperately. Voldemort lifted Crouch off the girl, using his hand to help bring along a new erection as Crouch downed another stamina potion. Then Voldemort urged Crouch to once again mount her. He watched as Crouch raped his second wife, grunting loudly as he finished and Voldemort squeezed Crouch's arse before he stood up.

"Good boy. You keep fucking them, Bart. More fertility and stamina potions will be brought with breakfast in the morning. Now that you've broken them in, they won't need any more lust potions."

Crouch licked his lips. "Without the potions, my Lord, they might fight me?"

Voldemort's eyes gleamed. "Well, then I guess you'll have to just tie them to the bed, won't you?"

When the door closed behind him, Crouch drank another sip of the stamina potion and then mounted Millicent again. He was going to put babies in both of them. He couldn't wait to be a father.

---

End Author's Notes:

(Latin) Tenebris magicae impetum! = dark magic attack

I'm quite proud of how the Dark Mark removal worked. I have been planning it for some time now and I wanted to get it just right. As to the darkness at the end of this chapter, sometimes bad things happen, and the point is that not everyone is going to be safe.

PS — I miss Finn, too.

Thank you for reading and please review!