Carthago

09th August 698AD

07:36 PM

Izil, the mother of a million daughters and barer of a thousand, thousand names felt a shooting pain in her chest and tears marking her face as they raced for the floor- she knew at once what the tears meant.

"Zara," she spoke to her youngest daughter, a girl of five years, "call for every one of your sisters who will hear you cries, tell them to come at once."

"Yes mother," the girl bowed her head, her eyes glowed red and her lips moved in a thousand languages at once.

Izil had not felt pain since the day she had sacrificed Mother Ubab and summoned the man of night, who had plucked her soul and placed it in every moment in time to watch the earth from the sky. She knew that this pain, it meant that she had served her purpose and paid her penance- she was now free to pass on into the next life.

All at once, the room filled with her many daughters; the many hundreds of them who still lived filled the room all at once, and one at time simultaneously. They each called to her and asked why she had called them in their adopted tongue, she held up her hand as she took her seat and all the voices were silenced.

"Today," she breathed heavily as her thousands of years caught up with her, "Carthage will fall for the last time." There was a chorus of gasps, "I am her guardian and when she ceases to exist, so shall I."

Her eldest living daughter moved to speak but Izil shook her head, "it is not our place to interfere with the destiny of our people. They will find peace and a new protector in this new era."

"Yes Mother," the women of various ages chorused.

She produced a scroll from nothing and held it to her chest, muttering in the tongue that only she knew now. She kissed the scroll and then held it out to be taken but none of her daughters moved to take it.

"When I move on to the next great adventure, the deplorable word will need a new wielder," her daughters' spirits rose, "which of you will take it and it's curses."

The air turned still, none of her daughters spoke. A small voice cut through the room from the corner, opening path directly to Izil. Frida was the one who had spoken; she was not the eldest, nor was she the youngest. She was not the most beautiful, nor was she the plainest. She was not the wisest, nor was she dimmest. She was simply… unremarkable.

"I will take the curses," she spoke in a small voice.

Izil gestured for the young woman to take her hand, her vision was flooded with every possibility of the future, "You will bare many children, who will have many children but the males will have no warmth in their bones until one hand strikes down the other."

"There will be darkness, aloofness and madness in your lineage," she shook her head, "until it strangles that which begets its final branch."

Frida bowed, "I accept."

"The final wielder of the deplorable word," she coughed heavily, "Blind to their destiny." Izil felt the pain spread to her bones, not long after that all her parts that made her whole were screaming to be free, "they are here, my children…"

In that moment, Izil let go and all her many composing parts went their own way.

~0~

Hermione got to her feet and gaped at Kurt, she moved to speak but the words died in her throat. She growled with exacerbation as she paced around his room, she stopped to speak but once more came up short, returning to her stomping about. It was on her third attempt that she managed to successfully form words, "But you told me repeatedly that Hipster Weasley wasn't one of your suitors, and I asked many times."

"I didn't lie," Kurt shook his head, "he wasn't one of my suitors, we were communicating on a professional level." Kurt let out a tired breath, "Do you know how angry it made me when you guys insisted that he was one of my suitors and I knew in my heart that I wanted nothing more in the world than for those words to be true but all the while knowing it would never be a possibility?"

Pansy gasped, "I think Hummel is about to cry."

"I'm not going to cry," he snapped back at her.

Hermione sat down next to him and hugged his shoulders, "I didn't know you felt this way."

"I didn't know he felt," Tracey shook her head.

"Least of all for Hipster Weasley," Hermione shook her head, "You hated him."

"At a point," Kurt nodded his head, "Yes."

"but now you're in love with him?" Hermione shook her head, "I'm just supposed to accept that he's the next great love of your life?"

"I don't know how to make you understand something that I'm just beginning to piece together myself," Kurt rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I did hate Charlie, for a time."

"And then?" Pansy beamed at him.

"What changed isn't the story," Kurt shook his head.

"Then what is?" she leaned into him.

"From the moment I met Charlie," Kurt shook his head, grinning broadly, "it wasn't anything near love but there was an immediate curiosity." He laid back in his bed and threw his hands above his head, "I thought it was stealing pieces of me from Cedric, it was easier to hate him."

Hermione smirked, "You are a strange young man Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

"So," Pansy gushed, "then Cedric died and…"

"I still felt the guilt," Kurt nodded to himself, "I was expected to be Cedric's widow, but my heart seemed to have recalibrated itself almost immediately to the next man."

Pansy nodded, "so… what happened? What happened to the guilt?"

"I felt guilty for a while," Kurt admitted, "but I needed him, I was working with him on my Care for Magical Creatures project and he was doing a lot of work for me in the fight against Voldemort."

"And so you got to know him better," Tracey didn't phrase the words as a question, but for the first time since Charlie had entered his life they didn't feel like an accusation either. She smiled, "And you liked what you found."

Kurt giggled, "we were exchanging letters almost daily for some reason or the other; he was helping me with my studies and I him with his, we were fighting the bad guy together and… my feelings continued to grow."

"You fell in love," Pansy squealed.

"I found myself falling in love with him," Kurt agreed.

"Yet you were so surprised by his declaration of his love for you that you almost missed your opportunity," Hermione shook her head.

Kurt leaned up and kissed Tracey on the temple, "Thank you." Tracey rolled her eyes and shoved him off her, "I didn't think we were compatible, or that he could feel the same way for me as I do for him."

"Kurt Hummel has insecurities," Pansy scoffed, "Now I've heard it all."

"I'm a lot more than Brains, Body and Beauty," Kurt smiled at her, "I thought we were too different to feel the same way about each other," he shook his head, "I could never be his uptown girl."

Tracey held up a silencing finger, "Please stop, I'm beginning to feel."

"Just in general or something specific?"

Tracey shook her head, "I don't know, I've never done this before and as such have no way knowing." She shrugged, "I just want it to stop."

"I never want it to end," Pansy grinned, "I never thought anything involving a Weasley could make me feel so warm inside."

Hermione moved to speak but Kurt held up a silencing finger, "if you make any reference to a sexual relationship between myself, Charles or any other Weasley I will punch you."

"If you keep punching your friends, then you will run out of friends," Hermione warned him.

Kurt nodded, "what were you going to say?"

"What made him decide to say something now?" Hermione leaned into Kurt's space, "what made him say something to you now when you hadn't given him any indication that you might feel the same way?"

"Time," Kurt smiled to himself, "I asked him this question, his response was time."

"I don't understand," Pansy shook her head.

Kurt nodded, "Time, like love, is a fluid force that can only be delayed and rerouted but never stopped."

"That doesn't mean anything," Tracey shook her head.

"He wanted me to know how he felt in case one of us didn't make it out of this war alive, time isn't exactly on our side with this impending conflict" Kurt explained, "Kind of selfish of him."

"But because he did, you're in love," Hermione gushed. She breathed heavily and shook her head, "with Hipster Weasley."

"You are having some difficulty wrapping your head around that one."

"I never thought of him that way," she shrugged, "I just can't help seeing him as Ron's irritating older brother." She nodded to herself, "now I'm trying to think of his good qualities."

"He's tall," Pansy shrugged, "I assume."

Hermione shook her head, "but he does have these great broad shoulders and arms that you want to be held in forever. In a lot of ways he fits into your type."

"Kurt has a type?" Pansy smirked.

"Yes," Hermione grinned, "taller, handsome, charming, intelligent, distinguished and biceps." She nodded to herself, "Cedric was all of the above."

"Terry is taller, handsome, charming and intelligent," Pansy agreed, "Goyle is taller, he might be handsome and he has biceps."

"Puck was all of those things," Kurt furrowed his brow, "Things just never took off."

Tracey nodded, "so, Granger, how does Hipster Weasley measure up?"

"He's not tall," she shook her head, "but I will give him ruggedly handsome, he's smart and his biceps are better than Goyle's but not as good Anthony Ricketts."

"You just reduced him to a criteria that I wasn't aware I was following," Kurt shook his head "but then again, don't all boyfriends fit this convention? Viktor Krum certainly does."

"Fair," Hermione nodded.

Tracey smirked, "Allow me to course correct." She tucked her hair behind her ear, "Did you fuck him?"

"Tracey!" Hermione gasped.

"I want to know," Pansy interjected, "I also want to know what kind of equipment we're talking about."

"Pansy Parkinson," Kurt gasped, "Do you take me for Hermione Granger? I would never kiss and tell."

"You made me do it!"

"Still," Kurt shook his head with trumped up judgement, "you didn't have to share with such detail." Kurt imitated the lewd gesture that Hermione had made when they'd had the conversation, "I can't look at Viktor the same way, I'm sometimes tempted to fight you for him."

"You're telling me," Tracey scoffed, "and that thing she said he did with his tongue… I tried to describe it to Anthony and he was not up to snuff." Her shoulders slumped, "I think the foreign language has added extra strength to his tongue."

"How is Anthony?" Hermione quirked a curious brow.

"Damned if I know," Tracey shrugged, "I haven't spoken to him since I cut him loose last year."

"He's playing professional quidditch," Kurt shrugged, "with Ron's favourite team, the Tutshill Tornados."

Hermione smirked, "speaking of, how is Ronald taking you hooking up with his brother?"

"I told Charlie he had to tell him," Kurt shook his head, the girls laughed, "I still have so much to live for."

~0~

Ron dropped into the seat beside Kurt and kissed him on the cheek, "I heard about you and Charlie, I just made ten galleons."

"Good morning to you too," Kurt pursed his lips, "You seem to be in a good mood?"

"You think," Ron snorted, "I proved to everyone that I knew my Kurt better than any of them."

"I guess you're quite pleased with yourself and this outcome," Kurt giggled, "Your Kurt and your brother." He leaned in close and whispered the next words menacingly, "but did you know he was knuckles deep in me on Christmas?"

"I see what you mean," Ron's smile faded, "Just don't go all Lisa Turpin on my brother."

"I don't even know what that is supposed to mean."

Ron shuddered, "Harry and Lisa are very… affectionate… even in public…" Ron scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Don't give my brother a handjob in the library."

Kurt's eyes grew wide and he forced himself not to laugh as he met eyes with Harry, who was about to take a seat opposite them. He laid a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder, "I promise that I will never give anyone a handjob in the library." He nodded his head in Harry's direction, "I think your best friend has some words for you."

Ron's ears turned red, "You and Lisa have a problem." He shrugged, "You had sex in a classroom."

"Kurt had sex on the astronomy tower," Harry countered.

"I did not," Kurt blushed violently, "I only had intentions and those died when Hermione stole my keys."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever."

"Speak of me and I shall appear," Hermione joined them and looked around in disappointment, "we don't have quorum."

"Lisa and Mandy will be here," Harry assured them.

Kurt met eyes with Finn across the dining hall and felt a pang of guilt. He had made his brother a promise, he waved him and Padma over, "I think we just made quorum."

Hermione furrowed her brow, "since when do we care about consulting people?"

"Since I needed to instate a new set of rules."

"We are not going to be quiet about your love for Hipster Weasley."

"Die in a fire!" Kurt rolled his eyes, his brother and Padma took their seats beside Harry. Kurt smiled, "Good morning Padma, thank you for joining us."

"I'm not even sure what I'm joining," she shook her head, "all I know is that I will probably be arrested for it."

"Then you know enough," Mandy and Neville took their seats at breakfast, "And now we have quorum."

"Good morning Kurt, Hermione, Finn," Neville grinned as he filled his plate, "Other people."

"Well, fuck you too Neville," Ron smirked.

Hermione turned to Kurt with a blank stare, "why did we need quorum?"

"And why are we starting without Lisa?"

"From what I've heard," Mandy smirked, "She isn't walking funny, so she has no excuse to be late."

Everyone's jaw went slack and Kurt sipped his tea to hide his amusement, "First on the agenda, if any of you have any questions about my newest romantic venture, I would like to ask that you direct them to the Slytherin girls."

"The Slytherin girls?" Neville exclaimed, his confusion clearly visible.

"I'm delegating the task," Kurt shrugged, "they have the time. Next on the agenda is a task for Finn, Hermione and Ron; your task will include doing as much research as you can into the inner workings of Voldemort's organisation and the power structures that exist within."

"Why am I in research?" Ron furrowed his brow, "if my OWL results are anything to go by, I should be kept far away from this project."

"No," Kurt shook his head, "This will give you time to work on your History of Magic re-write and to improve those grades."

"Savage," Ron nodded to himself, "but fair."

"Neville," Kurt smiled broadly, "You're running point on a project with Pansy and Tracey, your goal is to save Draco from himself."

"I don't understand," Neville shook his head.

"Harry was right about him," Kurt took a deep steadying breath, "He has become a Death Eater, though I believe that this is a path he followed under duress."

"Cool," Neville nodded, looking around the table at the solemn faces, "what do I do? Sabotage him?"

"In part," Kurt nodded, "but also, you need to convince him that he has a reason to live and that nobody is going to touch a hair on his mother's head no matter what happens."

"You think they are threatening his mother?"

"It's what I would do," Kurt let out a tired sigh, "she's all he has left." Kurt's gaze darted to Finn and returned to Neville without being noticed, "she is a weakness waiting to be exploited."

"How do you know they won't hurt her?" Padma interjected.

"Because nothing is more dangerous than somebody with nothing to lose," Kurt smirked, "I need him alive and well."

"Why?" Padma countered.

"Please don't get Kurt started on 'the children'," Mandy rolled her eyes, "I don't want to spend my whole life at this table."

"Thank you Mandy," Kurt smiled shyly, "I hope you will help get Pansy up to speed, given she'll be working with you."

Mandy punched the air with glee, "team captain."

"wait," Hermione lifted a silencing finger, "My teams names were said alphabetically; I am still team captain, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Finn shook his head, "Neither Ron nor I are fit to lead."

"I'm going to hear that from Kurt," Hermione flashed Finn a saccharine smile, "If you don't mind."

"As your best friend, I'm the only one here to make sure that you aren't consumed by your insecurities," Kurt smirked malevolently, "You are in charge."

"Thank you."

"Mandy," Kurt cleared his throat, "you, Padma and Lisa are in charge of keeping the trains running on time. Making sure nobody suspects a thing about what is going on, making sure that everybody in Dumbledore's army is still practicing their magic and keeping track of the other two team's progress and reporting back to me."

"Are you putting them above me?" Hermione gasped.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Kurt glared at her, "I will punch you in the neck."

"What will I be doing?" Harry interjected before things could escalate.

"We will be fixing the mess that you and the Headmaster created with Professor Slughorn," Kurt flashed a tight-lipped smile, "does everyone understand what they're doing?" everyone nodded, "Good, you all have to get to class and I have another meeting."

"Kurt," Harry raised his hand, "Can I have a word?"

Kurt nodded him over, "how can I help you?"

Harry handed him a letter, Kurt examined the stationary, "it's from the Ministry."

"It's from the desk of the Minister for Magic," Kurt agreed, "it's unopened, you don't want to see what Rufus Scrimgeour has to say?"

"I know what he has to say," Harry rolled his shoulders, "he wants me to work with the Ministry on some press tour to assure people that everything is fine."

"And?"

"I told him I would get back to him," Harry shrugged, "this is him calling it in."

"I don't see why you're telling me this."

"I want your opinion," Harry flashed a tight-lipped smile, "you're clearly better at making important decisions than I am."

Kurt shook his head, "I don't scold you because I want you to stop trusting yourself, I do it because I believe you can make better decisions."

"Fine," Harry nodded curtly, "this is me exercising my better judgement."

"Ask a specific question then," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Should I be using this as an opportunity to get closer to the Minister?"

"To what end?"

"To gather useful intelligence?"

"You aren't capable of doing that," Kurt pointed out, "hence this mess with the Potions Master."

Harry giggled, "fair."

"So?" Kurt squared up with him, "What's the plan?"

"I don't have one."

"Then you have no business going into the Ministry."

"You went in-"

"With a plan," Kurt countered, "You have nothing."

"Help me make a plan."

"The Ministry has nothing that I want!"

"Maybe we can stop them from arresting innocent people," Harry snapped.

Kurt scoffed, "if I thought that served any purpose to the greater cause I would have done something about it by now, I at least would have mentioned it."

"You are-"

"You ask for my opinion, but you never want to hear it."

"I just…" Harry growled, "I have a hard time hearing it."

"Make a deal if you feel so strongly about it," Kurt let out a tired breath, "but when you wade into uncharted waters you're more likely to lose your footing and drown." Kurt started to gather his books, "As much as I would dislike seeing you drown, I would hate to see you pull us all down with you."

"Okay," Harry nodded, "I didn't want to do it anyway but I felt obligated to do something."

"You don't want to do it?"

"The Ministry treated me like garbage last year," Harry punched the wall, "the last thing I want to do is help them."

Kurt chuckled, "I couldn't have said it better myself." A smirk spread across Kurt's face, "I guess if I tried, I'd lose the punch. That was a bit too much."

"Thanks for the feedback," Harry rolled his eyes.

"You know that you're late for Herbology, right?"

"Shit," Harry turned and took off at a run. At the end of the corridor he turned back and waved, "Later!"

~0~

Kurt guided Harry into his seat, "okay, quill and parchment."

"Why are they here?" Harry gestured to the two Ravenclaw students standing beside Kurt's baby grand.

"Your humiliation has to be witnessed," Kurt's tone was flat.

"Fine, can I have Hermione and Ron?" he flashed Kurt a pitiful expression of desperation, "Mandy is cruel and I've spoken to walls with more personality than Michael Corner."

"We can hear you," Mandy Brocklehusrt growled.

"And that's rich considering that the most interesting thing about you is that you're alive," Michael sucked at his teeth dismissively, "the boy who lived."

"Savage," Mandy giggled, "I'm writing that one down."

"Michael and Mandy are here to help you," Kurt fought back a smile, "I'd suggest being nice to them."

"Help me?"

"You're writing Professor Slughorn an apology letter, and I thought that seeing as Michael is a charming, handsome, sensitive and poetic soul…" a blush crept up the Ravenclaw boy's neck as Kurt listed his more endearing qualities in a wistful voice, "he would be perfect for crafting this letter."

Mandy laid a hand on Kurt's shoulder that brought him back to reality, "I'm here to make sure that the letter still sounds like you." She spoke the next part under her breath, "and apparently make sure Hummel remembers that he's found… what is it exactly that you've found?"

"Someone else to do everything for," Kurt deadpanned, "Because I am not busy enough."

"Precisely," she nodded.

Kurt cleared his throat and grabbed Harry by the shoulders, "just so you don't feel blindsided by the reasoning behind your apology, we will be playing on the natural curiosities of an orphan about the motivations of the monster that killed his parents."

"This is the part where I'd fight you," Harry nodded to himself and Kurt dug his thumbs into the boy's collar bones, "but you're hurting me and that's a very smart idea."

"They always are," Kurt smirked.

"Would you two like a private moment?" Mandy glared at them, "because I have other things to do."

"British railway?" Kurt quirked a curious brow.

Mandy blushed, "yes, I have a trip to Fratton planned. So, if you don't mind."

"I wouldn't want you to be late," Kurt nodded.

Harry looked between the pair, his confusion evident, "What are they on about?"

"Longbottom is a very luck lad," Michael smirked, "he is in for eventful afternoon."

"So," Kurt smirked, "Let's not keep him waiting."

"Right," Michael nodded, "Dear Professor Slughorn, I write to express my deepest regrets with regard to our previous misunderstanding."

Kurt shook his head, "about instead of with regard to. Harry isn't that formal."

"I know that I crossed a line, and for that I must say I'm sorry," Michael continued to dictate, without missing a beat, "My overzealous behaviour-"

"Lose the adjective," Mandy interjected, "this is Potter, not Tolstoy."

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed defensively.

"My behaviour was sparked by a burning curiosity. Lord Voldemort-"

"Slughorn doesn't like that name," Harry offered.

"But you do," Mandy countered, "I had to twist Michael's arm to get him to use it for that exact reason."

"I thought I was making nice," Harry furrowed his brow.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "You're making nice, not becoming a new person." He adjusted his spectacles, "part of what will make this work is if he sees how strong willed you are and realises that you won't stop looking for answers."

"So, we're manipulating him."

"Yes," Kurt, Mandy and Michael chorused.

"And you think that's right?"

"We think it'll work," Mandy countered.

"And if memory serves," Kurt took a seat at the piano, "You came to me for assistance, I don't believe you would have done that if your methods had been working."

"Okay…" Harry was silent for a moment, "I don't get it."

"We're trying to make him feel guilty for holding on to this secret," Kurt explained, "make him believe that by keeping his knowledge from you, he's stunting your psychological development and keeping you from moving on from the deaths of your parents."

"Can we continue?" Michael quirked a curious brow.

"Sorry," Harry bowed his head.

"Where was I?" Michael started to pace. Harry moved to answer but Michael held up a silencing finger, "that was rhetorical. Lord Voldemort has been a central figure in my life; people have told me about how I defeated him all my life, I am constantly reminded of all he took from me when he killed my parents."

"Add an air of indignance," Mandy suggested, "If my curiosity is a crime, then send me to Azkaban today."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"You punched a wall the other day," Kurt countered.

"Fair," he nodded to himself, "carry on."

"Voldemort has taken so much from me, he killed my friend." There was a pregnant pause at the last statement, Michael was waiting for Kurt to react.

"He used my blood to come back to life," Kurt added, "No matter how hard I may try, he is always a part of my life." He cleared his throat, "it is unlikely that Professor Slughorn will still be reading."

"Or he's hanging on every word," Michael gaped at him, "I didn't know that he used Harry's blood- I never actually thought about how he came back."

"Few do," Mandy dismissed the conversation and all the unasked questions.

"Right," Michael fell into the bench beside Kurt, "So, it is only natural that I would want to know all there is to know about him. That I would want to know what draws him to me, and to want to know of any way to break what connects him to me."

"Me to him," Mandy corrected, "Sounds more… desperate."

"Yours, Harry Potter," Kurt spoke curtly.

"PS. I hope we can have a supper party soon, I really enjoyed the desert at the last one."

"Why did you add that?" Harry glared at Mandy.

"Your clunky way of ending on a high note."

Harry turned to Kurt, "I hate her."

~0~

Kurt wiped his glasses as he held court in his room for the second time in as many weeks, he found himself wearing them more and more as he struggled to find the time and energy to put his contact lenses in. Neville, Pansy and Tracey sat on his bed with different levels of comfort; Kurt had demanded that they meet him here and give him any kind of feedback on Draco that they had. As much as he liked to pretend that his concern for Draco was entirely altruistic, he had promised Druella that he would look out for his cousin and in return she would reach out to Andromeda.

Kurt already been concerned for his cousin but his grandmother's request had been confirmation that the boy was up to no good, and acting in such a fashion under duress. Kurt had no relationship to speak of with Narcissa, and a tumultuous one at best with Draco, but he and Druella had worked hard to build their relationship. His grandmother was now one of the many people Kurt had to keep happy, he seemed to collect them without meaning to and couldn't bring himself to disappoint any of them.

"Tracey?"

"He's lost his marbles," she looked to Neville and Pansy for support, both nodded their heads in agreement, "like off the deep end."

"Goyle's out off the loop," Neville substantiated, "apparently all he does is bark orders and have meltdowns when things don't work out. He apparently sobs about how 'they' are going to kill him and then lashes out violently."

"Apparently that's why Crabbe and Goyle have been wearing their jumpers every day since the year started," Tracey let out tired sigh, her concern was pulpable, "he's hurting them and they don't want to leave him with no one, so they're taking it on the chin."

"When he's not acting like his cheese slipped off its cracker, he's in the third-floor girls' bathroom," Pansy added, "Daphne tried to offer him a blowjob and he spat in her face."

"Moaning Myrtle laughed," Tracey didn't even crack a smile at the expense of Daphne Greengrass, her face remained stony.

"She appears to be the only person he will speak to," Pansy shook her head, "and she won't betray his trust."

"He isn't eating right," Neville's voice was small, "hardly at all, I've been watching him at meal times."

"I sent him a care package, pretending it was from his mother, and he didn't even touch it," Pansy admitted, "if anything, it made him sadder."

"He must be depressed," Kurt nodded to himself, "has he hurt himself?"

"We don't know," Neville shuddered at the thought, "nobody knows, he's been in long sleeves all year to hide the-"

"The dark mark," Kurt completed the statement without thinking.

"What are we going to do?" Tracey sounded far away.

"I'm not sure what we can do when even a blowjob is met with malice."

"Kurt," Neville snapped, "nothing about this is funny."

"I know that," Kurt looked him dead in the eye, "but we can't force him into therapy or medicate him without his consent, not without getting him killed." Kurt took a deep breath, "Social interaction is all we can do for him, to do all we can to help him feel like he's not completely alone."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I feel badly for Draco Malfoy," Neville sighed heavily, "I didn't think I would ever feel anything but hate for him, but I'm kind of rooting for him."

"We're all rooting for him," Tracey agreed.

Kurt took comfort in the knowledge that Professor Snape had made the unbreakable vow to do everything in his power to help Draco succeed, he had made peace with the impending death of Professor Dumbledore- a small price to pay for Draco's soul. He said a small prayer to a god he knew wasn't real that Professor Snape had it in him to follow through on his vow, to betray the man who had vouched for him and kept him out of Azkaban. Kurt didn't know what the repercussions would be but the headmaster was dying anyway and to save Draco he had told himself that bringing forward the death of somebody living on borrowed time was a worthy sacrifice.

"What moves has he made?"

"He was responsible for the necklace," Neville confirmed what Kurt already knew, he felt bad about gaslighting Harry but that rolled off him in a moment, "he had Goyle give it to Katie to deliver."

"My reward for teaching him his way around a curse, a hex and a jinx," Kurt spat the words.

Tracey glared at him, "there was no way you could have known."

"That would make me very naïve," Kurt scoffed, "I always knew he wouldn't just come over to this side, not without me by his side."

"Blame doesn't help us in any way," Pansy intervened before Tracey could come to his defence.

"Goyle also told me that he poisoned a bottle of liquor that Slughorn was supposed to give to Dumbledore as a gift," Neville stayed on track, "also, that there is something that he's doing in the room of requirement."

Pansy furrowed her brow, "why was Goyle telling you all this?"

"Well…" Neville blushed, he attempted and failed to shrug nonchalantly, "he thought I was Kurt."

"That's why Mandy asked me for Polyjuice?" Kurt quirked a curious brow, "And you asked me for the dungeon password."

"I confronted him in the shower," Neville nodded, he then bowed to Kurt, "congratulations."

Pansy looked between the pair suspiciously, "What does that mean?"

"The legend of Gregory Goyle is based on fact," Neville's eyes grew wide, "and maybe underexaggerated."

Pansy got to her feet, "Are we done?"

"We need to find out what he's doing in the room of requirement," Kurt spoke in flat tone, "but for now, that's all we can do outside of being friendly to Draco."

"Will do," she nodded, "I have to go."

"Where are you off to?" Tracey quirked a curious brow.

"To get some of Gregory Goyle."

"I don't think you're his type," Neville and Tracey chorused.

Pansy turned to Kurt without skipping a beat, "can I have some Polyjuice?"

"You are not having sex with Gregory Goyle as me," Kurt gawked at her, "unless you've forgotten, I'm seeing someone."

"We could explain it all to Biceps."

"I don't want to explain anything to Charles."

"I hate you."

"I think I can live with that."

Sorry it took so long, I was stuck and struggling to write a certain part while my life was on fire. my solution was to skip that bit. reviews are everything!