"Why am I here?" I ask.

Tom looks up at me with a strange look on his face.

"Whatever are you talking about?" he asks.

I shrug.

"You took me away from Hogwarts and-" I say.

"I took you away from that woman who dared to harm you, from the friends who stole from you, from the old man who refused to protect you like I have," Tom says, rather impatiently.

"Touchy," I mutter.

No one has ever decided to give a fuck about my welfare before, and I can't figure out if I'm disturbed or comforted.

"I just trusted you," I say, mildly horrified.

He raises an eyebrow.

"I just trusted you and it doesn't make any sense and I'm going to get myself killed," I say.

"I did wonder when you would realize," Tom says.

I take a deep breath.

"Why did I trust you? I never even asked for any proof and now we're engaged and, fucking hell I'm going to pass out," I say.

He stands quickly and holds his hands out in front of me. Poised to protection, even now.

"I do have evidence, Harrison," he says, "Severus brought it to my attention, and provided memories. Memories that I can show you if-"

"No!" I say.

"No?" Tom asks.

"No, I do trust you," I say.

And then I do pass out.


I wake up with a worried looking Narcissa Malfoy wiping a rag across my face.

"Have I died, then?" I say.

"Don't be ridiculous. You fainted," she says.

I smile.

"It's just...odd," I say.

"Discovering your enemy is not quite so often is," she says.

I laugh.

"Are you aiming to replace Dumbledore, then?" I ask.

She frowns.

"Hardly," she says.

I nod.

Lucius peers around the corner.

"Swell, you haven't managed to kill him. Little Master, I'm glad to see you well," Lucius says.

I roll my eyes.

"Lucius, you really ought to loosen up. I'm just Harry," I say.

"Not to me," he says, "I came to tell you about the raid briefing, you are to be there."

I climb off of the bed reluctantly.

"This Dark Lord Junior stuff is no fun," I say.


I hold my necklace in my fist tightly. It somehow makes small talk with Draco much easier.

"I wasn't at the meeting, remember? I don't want to hear that you're doing well," at this he looks over his shoulder, "and I don't really care how your plan to play happy families with the Dark Lord is going. The raid, Harry! Tell me."

"You're exhausting," I say.

"I'm bored," he says.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Then maybe you should take the Mark, leave me out of it," I say.

"I can't take the Mark. Dumbledore would know and- I can't!I" Draco mutters.

"Fine. It's nothing really. Severus gave word they have a base in this abandoned warehouse. I wasn't really listening because…." I say.

Because Tom was sitting right next to me and the room was really hot. I have no clue how those Death Eaters wear those fucking masks all the time. It was distracting.

"Anyway we're going to attack it and get rid of communications. Well, not get rid of. We're going to keep the attack quiet and hopefully use the information, or something like that," I say.

"You are absolutely useless, Harry," Draco sighs.

I laugh.

"Better not let your parents hear that," I say.

"I hate you," he pouts.

"Of course you do," I say with a smile.

We're silent for a while.

"I'm sorry, you know. That I didn't shake your hand or whatever," I say.

"That was ages ago," he says.

"Yeah, but…. you were right, weren't you? And I wasn't. So I'm sorry," I say.

He shrugs.

"Okay," he says.

I smile.

"Okay."


I fling a protection shield in front of Tom and duck behind a stack of boxes. It's not a very good shield, (He did kidnap me two months into my fifth year, after all!) but it serves its purpose. I laugh to myself. I love the danger of it all. Tom walks around my stack of boxes. A bloody cut drips down my forehead. His smile is wicked. He heals my skin, the tingle lasts after he's long since finished.

"I'm capable of protecting myself, Harry," Tom says.

I shrug and flick dust from his shirt. His arm wraps around my back.

"Reflex," I say.

He sends a killing curse over my shoulder and shoves me behind him.

"I'm capable of protecting myself," I mock.

"Of course you are," he says.

And we're 's an exhilarating fire beneath the thrill of battle. I was beginning to miss this. I block a curse coming at my face and catch a glimpse of my hand. It still hasn't healed correctly, leaving a jagged scar.

The weak resistance makes me smile. Severus is on our side, through and through. I slash at the leg of a man turning towards me. He goes down in a spray of red. Perhaps I should wonder what they would think, to see me now. Only, I don't really care. Tom pulls me into his arms and we apparate away.

"And who is that?" I ask, pointing to the body he drags behind him.

"I'm going to have him shaved. Mischa!" Tom says as he walks around a corner.

I shrug and follow.