Life Renovations

Chapter Fourteen

To The Hollow

Hermione couldn't sleep, and since there was only an hour before dawn, she thought she ought to return to the library. After Draco left her last night, Hermione realized she was being stupid in regards to how she was doing the list. The book Severus had given Harry and Draco said the Magical Creature soul mate bond only manifested when nature wanted to preserve a species of a magical creature before it went extinct. Hermione went back over the list and cut it down until it was only one third the size.

There weren't many creatures going extinct that bore resembling traits the boys were displaying. Hermione had thought vampire at first, but vampires were hardly going extinct and they didn't have the cat eye thing going for them like Harry and Draco. She did consider instead of the bond seeking to keep a creature from going extinct, it was probably the matter that Harry and Draco were maybe about to create a new half-breed species and vampire could be a part of it; which would please the soul mates because they'd probably still look human. Severus had been the one to explain the new species angle and she was nearly sure that was what was happening.

So engrossed in her thoughts and notes, Hermione failed to notice the disillusioned wizard glide into the library, and upon locating her, proceeded to find a chair with a good vantage point and sat, watching. He knew she would never notice his presence, as his Disillusionment Charm was a particularly powerful one. And he watched Hermione Granger for hours. The wizard watched as a house elf popped in with coffee for the witch when the sun finally rose and was slightly amused when she started to preach to the creature about house elf rights and equality for all magical creatures. In the end, the elf popped out with a horrified squeak, leaving the witch there looking frustrated but no less determined.

As time went on the wizard watched in irritating silence as Severus Snape walked in and proceeded to strike up a conversation with the witch and as she explained to Severus what her thoughts were on the Magical Creature bond, the hidden wizard realized there was something swimming under the surface with the two people talking quietly at the table.

"Have you seen Harry or Draco this morning?" Severus asked while he looked over Hermione's impeccable notes.

"No, I've only seen a house elf." Severus snorted and Hermione glared at him. "What?"

"I imagine you tried to convince it to rebel and seek wages, paid vacations, and to stand up for its rights."

"I merely reminded him that he does great service for wizards and should be properly thanked for it," Hermione replied with a sniff. "You have house elves, don't you Severus? Surely you must see the harm we do in ignoring these creatures…"

Severus closed his eyes before rolling them. He was not about to get sucked into a S.P.E.W discussion. "As much as I'd love to say that I would like to stay and chat about house elves, I can't, because I don't."

Hermione actually scowled, surprising Severus. "Fine, I'll stop talking about the elves, for now. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Harry's birthday."

"Is there something you forgot to mention?"

"No, it's not about the bond. I want to throw him a birthday party. I want it to be a surprise. I don't think he's ever had a proper birthday party."

"I think that can be arranged. Did you have a day in mind?" He was rewarded for his thoughtfulness by a blinding smile that twisted his gut and stimulated other organs as well.

"Wouldn't after the transformation be best? Once they've gotten used to it."

Severus thought about it, and then shook his head. "No, we'll have the party that night. It might do him and Draco good. You can invite his friends to Snape Manor and then do what you wish from there. Will this satisfy you, Hermione?" he purred to her, enjoying the bright blush taking over her face. Hermione smiled shyly and nodded. It was silent for a moment, before either of them realized how the dynamics of their relationship had changed.

Severus stood, and without another word, fled the library. Leaving Hermione to softly giggle behind her hand. The invisible wizard shook his head. Severus Snape was being brought down by a girl. It was almost disgusting.

Another hour passed, and finally the witch was dragged out of the library by her red headed Weasley friend. "Honestly Hermione. I know you're trying to help Harry and Draco, but staying up at all hours in the library isn't going to do anyone any good if you end up collapsing because you haven't slept or eaten. You're getting to be as bad as Harry and Draco."

"You're blowing it way out of proportion," Hermione murmured as she stuffed her parchments back in her bag. She knew Ginny wouldn't leave her alone until she'd given a rest with the library.

"I'm not. It doesn't matter anyway. We're going to go out and get some exercise," Ginny said as she began to help Hermione stack up all the books so that they would be ready for when Hermione returned. "We'll walk around Diagon Alley, buy things with the money I stole from Draco-"

"Ginny!"

"Visit Fred and George, get some laughs…. and maybe cause some trouble for Dumbledore. It'll be fun. Come on!"

The two witches began to walk out. "Severus has given us permission to throw Harry a surprise party at his manor tomorrow," Hermione said cheerfully. The wizard watched Miss. Weasley turn to stare at her friend, and they passed through the door way and out of sight. He heard Miss Weasley say something, though it was too low for him to discern the words. A second later, Miss. Granger cried out, "Ginny!" Miss Weasley's cackle followed her down the hall.

And the wizard sat on in contemplation over his bizarre new thoughts.

The lump under the black comforter groaned and rolled over, then gave a mighty yawn before stretching. Then it went quiet and still once more. Draco rolled his eyes. "Harry?" he said it again, standing at the foot of the bed with a towel around his waist, his hair still dripping wet from the shower. He and Harry had slept in until noon, which really didn't surprise Draco as they hadn't any real sleep since before the fight. And he imagined last night probably left Harry exhausted. But he didn't want to let Harry sleep the entire day away. They needed to discuss what happened, help Harry get passed it and move on to planning revenge, because Draco was pretty sure Harry would be seeking revenge, and if not Draco would be seeking it for him.

"Harry, you need to wake up."

The lump only mumbled incoherently and turned over again. Draco sighed and returned to the bathroom. Under the covers, Harry's eyes fluttered open and at first he wondered where he was and why he was surrounded in black darkness. It wasn't until he started to smell Draco all around him did he remember last night and that he was in Draco's bed at last. Harry was a little more clearheaded this morning, but was in no way over the fact that Severus claimed James Potter killed Lily Potter and Dumbledore had put James Potter under the Imperius Curse to do it.

Harry buried his face against Draco's pillow and breathed in deeply, comforted by his soul mate's scent, letting his body relax inch by inch, only to stiffen again when he felt the covers lift and Draco slid under and pulled Harry's back against his chest. "I know you're awake, Harry."

Harry placed a hand over the pale one pressed warmly against his chest. "Just a few more minutes."

"A few more minutes, then."

Draco pulled back, running his fingers down Harry's chest as he did so, going lower and letting the tips of his fingers graze Harry's crotch, eliciting a gasp from the brunet. Draco planned to get out of bed and return to getting ready for the quickly passing day when Harry suddenly turned over and threw an arm around Draco's waist.

"Stay with me?" Harry blushed and ducked his head against Draco's bare chest, which in turn made him blush more. He hadn't been aware Draco was only dressed in boxers. Against his crotch, Harry could feel Draco's rising interest, but instead of acting on it, Draco tenderly ran his fingers through Harry's hair.

"Are you all right? You want to talk about what happened last night?" Draco winced when Harry's fingernails dug into his flesh.

"Yeah, but first…where's my wand?"

"Under your pillow." Draco watched curiously as Harry grabbed his wand and tapped his mouth with it, instantly cleaning his teeth and taking care of morning breath.

"I missed you even though you are a fucking arrogant prick…" Harry said this while reaching out to softly caress Draco's face.

Draco sniffed and raised his nose in the air. "I didn't miss you at all, you self righteous bastard."

Harry smirked and cupped the back of Draco's neck, bringing the blond down for a slow toe curling kiss; tracing the blond's delicious lips with his tongue, delighting in the tremors passing through Draco's body. When Draco rolled Harry onto his back and stretched his well-toned body over him brunet thrust his hips up. Draco entwined his tongue hungrily with Harry's once more before pulling back and shaking his head.

"Stop trying to distract me, Harry. It's not going to work."

Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around Draco's back, bringing the blond back down so that his head lay next to Harry's on the pillow, and silver eyes peered into his lover's patiently.

"I…. last night I overheard Severus talking with your father, Sirius and Remus. I didn't mean to listen, but then Sirius said my name, and they immediately started to talk about how Dumbledore had planned all along to make Tom Riddle turn into Voldemort…" Draco wanted to ask questions but knew Harry would tell him everything he knew. "I couldn't move, so I was standing there, and they started talking about Severus' loyalties, one thing led to another, and he said he went back to the Dark Lord because Voldemort didn't kill my mum after all. It was my father who did that. Dumbledore supposedly put my father under the Imperius Curse and made him kill mum."

"How did Severus learn all this information, and why does he think it's not all a lie?"

"Because," Harry said gravely, his green eyes going dark. "After it happened, those memories were supposed to have been destroyed, but somehow Severus found them. And we all know Pensieve memories can't really be tampered with without anyone noticing, and Severus would know if he were looking at a false memory." Harry sat up quickly; his brow was furrowed as he thought. "I want to see those memories. I need to see it before I do anything else."

"Then we'll ask Severus' show them to you. Let's get dressed and we'll go do that."

Again Draco made to get up, but Harry moved quickly and Draco soon found himself lying flat on his back and straddled by a jeweled eyed beauty that was staring at him from under heavy eyelids. Draco groaned and gripped Harry's hips when the Gryffindor wet his lips. Draco stared at him in awe, again, overwhelmed by what he was feeling for the softly smiling Gryffindor. Why hadn't he told Harry how he felt about him yet? He knew Harry could feel most of it, but Draco wanted to physically say the words.

Every time he opened his mouth to do just that, something made him stop. He was ashamed to admit he was afraid. It was stupid because he could feel how Harry felt and it was the same as him, but Harry never said the words either and he didn't know how he would feel if Harry couldn't say them back when he said it. Draco figured Harry wasn't ready. So much had already happened in such little time it was understandable someone like Harry would need some time. Draco was just amazed he could feel this much so fast and still feel ready for it. He relished in every new feeling his relationship with Harry brought because like Harry, he never really thought he would have this.

Harry smirked, then licked his lips and slowly shifted over Draco, causing the blond to gasp when all his thoughts vanished to one. Draco arched his back off the bed to create as much friction as he possibly could, then collapsed boneless as Harry began to move against him on his own in slow torture while his eyes hungrily lapped at Draco's body, imprinting the image forever in his mind, before lowering his head to run his tongue along Draco's pale toned chest, across his nipples, eliciting erotic quivering gasps from the Slytherin. Harry reached down to grasp Draco's erection through his boxers, and closed his eyes in bliss at Draco's responsive hiss. Harry pressed Draco's cock up against his own while he continued to grind against him.

All of Draco's senses were starting to burn under the intense pleasure coming at him from the bond. It was nearly too much; feeling Harry's pleasure along with his own, but Draco wanted more and before the end, he was lost as he threw his head back and cried out Harry's name.

Harry kissed his way back up Draco's torso, his neck, and lingered on Draco's delicious mouth. Harry moved forward until his lips brushed Draco's ear, their hips continuing the frenzied pace. You're ssso hot like thisss, Draco.

Draco came with a sharp cry, digging his fingers into Harry's hips while his mate continued to rock back and forth until he came as well with only a sexy little whimper as he was left breathless at the end. They lay together, trying to regain their breath and senses, and Draco thought about going back to sleep and using Harry as a blanket. That sounded like a brilliant idea actually.

Unfortunately Harry had other ideas, and as soon as he could manage to move, he did. "Now we can get up." He pecked Draco on the lips and then bounced off him, the bed, and to the bathroom; leaving Draco sweaty, sticky, and still hot for his mate.

I suppose I deserved that. Draco grumbled before rolling out of the bed, his hair once again in need of maintenance. He sighed and went to his bathroom, casting scourgify on the mess in his boxers as he did so. "Open up, Harry!" Why in Merlin's name did Harry have to lock the door?

"No, I need a shower and if I let you in, you'll just distract me."

Draco smirked. That was true. "Distraction is usually fun," he said reasonably through the door.

"No."

"I need to fix my hair so let me in. I promise not to start anything."

Inside the bathroom, Harry sighed. It was Draco's hair, after all. And it would be terribly rude to make Draco wait before he could use his own bathroom. Wandlessly Harry unlocked the door, and then jumped into the massive shower, thankful that the glass doors surrounding the shower were opaque. Though Harry did have a moment's thought about how it might be if Draco joined him under the hot steaming water, and he had to bite his lip under the immense wave of lust that slammed into him when Draco walked in. Draco began to whistle and Harry assumed the Slytherin was working on his hair, which left Harry feeling half way disappointed Draco was keeping his promise.

Standing in front of the mirror, Draco's grin was predatory. Harry must not have any idea he was sending and Draco had no intention of letting on that he could hear Harry's thoughts. He didn't join Harry like they both wanted, because if he went in they'd do far more then get each other off by dry humping. Draco would make sure of that. He wouldn't be able to help himself. And since Harry had never had sex with a boy, Draco wanted to seduce his Gryffindor in a bedroom and on a bed and show Harry how it was possible to see multiple worlds at once. So Draco turned back to the mirror, after a moment of watching Harry's fuzzy form through the glass, and continued to fix his hair; looking forward to the time he could put his hands on Harry's body again.

Totally clueless as to what was going on inside of Draco's head, Harry went on with his shower, and was lost to his own thoughts under the hot steamy spray of the water. It was no surprise he started thinking about what he'd overheard last night. Figures he'd hear something like that. It was karma coming back at him for listening in the first place. But now he knew, the shock was gone too, leaving him feeling resigned and more secure in his thoughts about what he and Draco would do next.

Hermione and Ginny bolted through the door of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and sprinted to the front counter. It was never a good idea to linger around the door. More often than not, Fred and George would have it booby-trapped in order to prank hapless victims at their whim. Fortunately they made it to the front counter without a problem, but there was no one around. "Oi, Fred, George? Isn't there anyone who works here anymore?"

"Ginny!" Two similar cries came from the back, and a moment later, Fred, George, and much to Hermione and Ginny's displeasure, Ron came out from the back workroom.

"Ugh! What's he doing here?" Ginny hissed to Fred, while Ron made a beeline for Hermione.

"He's been driving Mum bonkers and she begged us to bring him to work. Not to mention the fact Mum has been going crazy because you're all living at Death Eater central."

"It's not really Death Eater central anymore. Voldemort made most of the Death Eaters leave while we're there," Hermione said, trying her hardest to ignore Ron's stare.

"No…. Really?"

"Yes."

Hermione pulled away from Ron and sidled up to Ginny and the twins. "Actually, we shouldn't be discussing this right now." Her eyes moved quickly to Ron then away again. The others caught on and nodded. "If you two want to know more speak to Charlie, or better yet, you should go see Harry and Draco. Hopefully they've stopped fighting by now."

"Oooh, trouble in paradise?" Fred asked and then smacked Ron at the back of the head when he made a gagging noise.

"Course there is. This is Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy we're talking about," George replied.

"Yeah, but with them being soul mates and under a bond, it's twice as bad. They're doing nothing but moping around, being stubborn and refusing to see each other…. it's maddening, really."

"Ginny!" Ron came up, his face red with impatience and fury. "You and Hermione need to come home, now! You can't seriously want to stay at Malfoy Manor? That's insane. You're going to turn into Dark witches!"

"Ronald, I'm not speaking to you until you recognize you're wrong about Harry and apologize to all of us for being such an uneducated idiot!" Ginny snarled, and then turned her back on him. Hermione gave him a sad smile, but by the set of her chin and stubborn light in her eyes, it was clear she would not be changing her mind about this either.

"You're all mad!" Ron's hands fisted at his sides and he held himself in check from hitting something.

"We knew that before, little bro. Didn't need to be reminded," Fred said and grinned with George. Ron stalked off to the back again without saying farewell to Ginny and Hermione, both relieved to see him go.

"We're having a surprise party for Harry tomorrow and we're all meeting at Snape Manor before going elsewhere," Hermione went on and ignored the twins' surprised looks. "And of course you two are invited. Just…make sure to respect Severus' home while we are there."

"This is a surprise party, you say? Means Harry doesn't know about it?" Fred looked at her oddly. "Did Draco speak to Snape about Harry's birthday?"

"No, Draco doesn't know about the party yet."

"So what you're telling us is…" Fred began.

"Old snarky Snape gave our Hermione Granger…"

"Gryffindor's resident know-it-all and muggleborn witch…"

"Permission to throw a surprise birthday party at his own house…"

"Is that what you're saying?" asked Fred at the finish.

"Yes, that's exactly right. And he calls her Hermione now," Ginny put in before skipping away when Hermione raised her wand.

"We really must be going now, boys. Presents to buy, you know." Hermione waved and dashed after Ginny before the twins could start in on her.

"Snape's house?" George turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow. Fred grinned back. The twins nodded together and went back to make sure Ron didn't kill himself with one of their products.

Draco led Harry through the manor's corridors with a smirk on his face. He was about to break one of his father's most severe rules. Harry needed the Pensieve memories, and for that they needed Severus. A house elf had informed him Severus was in his father's private study, so that was where they were headed. To the private study that was completely off limits. Draco didn't care about the repercussions because there was nothing his father could do to them once they were there, not with the way Harry was brooding.

During his shower, Harry had worked himself into a furious frenzy and all Draco could do was hang on for the wild ride. Seriously, even Harry's hair was flying wildly around his face yet they were walking down a draft less corridor at a steady pace. Oh, and the power around the brunet was nearly stifling. And when they arrived at the study, Draco could feel his father's wards around the study crumbling under Harry's powerful magic and they were still ten feet away from the door.

And all of this was why Draco had a smug smirk on his face when he opened the door and allowed Harry to precede him into the room where Lucius and Severus sat at the large red wood desk discussing something quietly. Both Harry and Draco failed to notice the high backed chair facing the fireplace as Harry strode up to the desk and slapped his palm against it.

Harry's eyes bored into Severus like two jade arrows. "I want those fucking memories."

"Draco, you had better have a good explanation for this intrusion," Lucius drawled, standing up and pulling out his wand. Harry's eyes flashed into burning gold slits, and he threw a sharp-clawed hand out towards Lucius. The force of wandless magic knocked the elder Malfoy back, flipping him over the chair he'd been sitting in. Draco peered around the desk and stifled a snort when he saw his father was cast immobile.

"I want that old fuck's Pensieve memories now, Severus," Harry hissed.

Draco touched Harry's arm to calm him. As much as the Slytherin enjoyed swimming in the effects Harry's magic, he didn't fancy the study blowing up with all of them still inside. And Harry was displaying more traits at once then Draco ever did. His eyes had gone cat like again, except they were glowing an eerie green gold, and his fingernails had lengthened and sharpened, just as his teeth. And the last visible trait was Harry's ears, which had gone pointy, like… well he wasn't sure how to explain that. But Draco knew one thing; Harry was fascinating to look at.

"Harry James Potter," Severus spoke slowly, rising tentatively to his feet. There was so much anger swirling around the boy; Severus was surprised the place hadn't burned down yet. "You will control yourself and you will cease demanding of me as if you were older and wiser."

Severus also peered around the desk and raised an eyebrow at Lucius' state. Severus pulled his wand out, slowly for Harry's sake and tried to release Lucius from the hold. Only to find Lucius' binding completely solid and impenetrable by any spell Severus tried to use to break it. "You will release Lucius and leave. You should not be here," Severus had leaned forward and hissed the last part.

"Nonsense, Severus. I'd rather they stay. I would like very much to know more about these memories."

Draco and Harry spun around, both trying to push the other behind him. "Get off, Draco!"

"How about you get off!"

"There really is no need for you to fight over who will be the one sacrificing themselves for the one they love today," Voldemort said as he rose from the chair. "I don't feel like killing anyone right now."

"Well that's good, Tom. Wouldn't want your top Death Eaters to see you fail miserably yet again."

"Harry!" hissed Draco and Severus, but the Dark Lord raised a hand and everyone stayed silent.

"You have so much nerve, Potter. So much anger." Voldemort stepped closer. "Yet you're really not angry with me, are y-"

Voldemort choked on his words. This time it was Harry who approached until he was nearly toe-to-toe with Voldemort. "Not really angry with you? Oh, I'm furious, Tom. I owe you for the last time we met. Do you remember? When you tried to kill my soul mate?" If possible, Harry's eyes grew brighter with the intent to have his revenge.

"What's wrong? Can't you get out of my freezing charm? Are you surprised my power has already outstripped yours, even when you've just gained more power... yes, I can feel it. This new power of yours. I wonder what you will use it for."

It took two minutes, but Voldemort did break free of Harry's curse and stared at the young wizard in wonder and fury. It became clear the moment the Dark Lord managed to push the fury away. "Have you not asked yourself why your head doesn't hurt when you're near me?" the Dark wizard finally asked. "Or why I've left you and your friends alone?"

"I haven't thought about it…"

"Yes you have."

Harry snarled at the black-cloaked figure before him. "Fine, then. Why are you not hurting me?"

"Perhaps there is something I want from you."

"We're listening," Draco responded before Harry could throw out another insult. Part of their major plans revolved on how civil the Dark Lord was willing to be with them and it wouldn't work if Harry pushed the Dark Lord too much because the Gryff hadn't gotten over nearly seven years of hatred.

Voldemort pushed back the hood of his cloak and Harry understood what Voldemort was trying to do. The first thing he noticed was the newly grown nose on the more white than gray face. Eeew! The nose was hideously incomplete!

"You're trying to get your human body back; the one before you turned into this," Draco said, gaining a half grown brow quirt at the younger Malfoy's boldness in his dealings with the Dark Lord. It was good Draco had grown an intelligent mouth on him. Voldemort wouldn't have been able to see Draco Malfoy as Harry Potter's partner and equal otherwise.

"Well obviously you've screwed that up royally," Harry muttered, pacing a circle around Voldemort, checking every inch of him out. He caught the bright red flare in the eye sockets where eyes should have been. "We could fix that too."

Harry pushed the Pensieve memories aside for the moment, knowing this was a pivotal moment, and as such, he began transmitting all his thoughts automatically to Draco, so that he would understand why Harry was acting the way he was at the moment.

This is a brilliant plan, Harry. We would be unstoppable. I'll follow your lead.

Harry stopped right in front of Voldemort. "You've blocked our connection through the scar?"

"Yes."

Harry nodded, and touched Voldemort's face and only felt a mild irritation originate from his scar. I don't know how I can do this. It's probably the bond again.

That's amazing, Harry!

Severus' intake of breath alerted Voldemort that something had happened.

"What did you do?" he asked.

The Dark Lord didn't feel anything different, which only made him curious instead of wary. Draco walked up with a conjured mirror and held it up for Voldemort to see his own face. His reflection's dark brown eyes widened in surprise as his gaze took in his jet-black hair that hung to the base of his neck and swept out of his eyes. Voldemort reached up to touch the straight handsome nose of his youth, but pulled away when his pale spider-like hand came in view of the mirror, contrasting horribly with the smooth tanned skin he only dreamed of ever having again, destroying the illusion. Harry dropped his hand and Voldemort's face returned to its normal hideousness.

"I could help you get your old body back, Tom. You know the one; the body you gave up when you sold your soul to Satan!"

"Harry," Draco groaned. He yanked him back then took Harry's previous position. "What he means is, we can help with that."

Hope you're right about this. I don't fancy thinking about the consequences if we can't come through with this.

I promise you, I'm just getting this impulse to do these things. We can do this.

"What would I need to give for this?" Voldemort asked without hesitation. He needed a new, more human body. That was essential before he could do more. And he would do anything to achieve the means.

Severus managed to reach a chair before his legs gave out, and once more attempted to revive Lucius. To his surprise it worked. Seems Harry wasn't in complete control of his growing power, the brat! He couldn't believe the nerve of Harry bursting in on them…. then again, somehow Harry knew about Dumbledore's memories and he must know what is supposed to be on them. Did Harry overhear his discussion with Black, Lupin, and Lucius? Severus closed his eyes and nearly groaned. If Harry had heard, it probably was one of the worst moments of his life. And bloody fucking hell! He hadn't even let it be known he'd heard. He had to deal with it alone…

He looked up and realized that wasn't right. Harry hadn't been alone. He'd obviously gone to Draco, or Draco had gone to him, because they seemed back in sync again and were haggling with Voldemort over the terms of a new probationary alliance.

"Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Lucius hissed after dragging his chair over to sit beside Severus.

"Just shut up and listen."

"I want your sniveling pet Peter Pettigrew and Her Royal Psychoness Bellatrix Lestrange. No questions asked," Harry said, laying his hands flat on the table.

Voldemort immediately nodded. "Done."

Harry grinned and began rubbing his hands together. "This is going to be wicked," he said to Draco, who grinned back when Harry sent him all the evil images being conjured in his mind. Oh yeah. Harry had some evil plans.

"If that is all…"

Draco held up a hand, and Voldemort stopped speaking immediately. And then his eye began to twitch and Draco hastily lowered his hand. "Erm…No, that isn't all. I want my mother sent away. I want her eradicated from the Malfoy name, leaving my father available to marry again if he so chooses."

Lucius sprung to his feet. "What are you doing? You can't demand that, Draco!"

"Quiet Father. I'm talking with the Dark Lord." Draco turned back to Voldemort and looked him square in the eye…Well, he looked into the red mist anyway. "I know you have people everywhere and I know you can make it happen."

"Are you saying you want her dead?" Voldemort asked and was surprised when Draco had to think about it.

"I suppose… not. She did give birth to me, after all. But I'll consider her my mother no longer, and she doesn't get a Galleon of the Malfoy fortune."

"Done."

"I cannot believe this is happening," Lucius whispered. "Can he do that? Remove Narcissa from the marriage?"

"Of course he can. It's been done before. But usually, people end up dead."

"I can't let you do this, Draco. I have my honor. It's why I married Narcissa in the first place-"

"You were forced into marrying her, Father. And now I'm forcing you to unmarry her."

"Unmarry is not a word," Harry whispered, and got an elbow in the gut for a reply.

"You should be thrilled, Lucius," the Potions Master commented. "It'll give you time to play in the park with the dog."

"Watch yourself, Severus."

"It's what you want, isn't it?"

Lucius hissed, "Severus."

Severus smirked and then he and Lucius continued to watch history in the making. Harry was tapping the table with his fingers, his nails gone back to normal by the time he'd touched Voldemort's face.

"One more thing from you, Tom. We want a Wizards Oath right here, right now. I want the Wizarding World protected from the Muggle world, just like you. However, I don't want muggleborns to be discriminated against if they don't deserve it. My friend Hermione has more raw power in her little finger then most wizard and witches have in their entire body, and I no longer want to see people like her being discriminated or tracked down and killed just because of their blood."

"I agree." This came from Draco. "Hermione has already proven to be a more than capable witch and she deserves to be here. It's not her fault or other muggleborns that they come to the Wizarding World without knowing anything about it."

"I have given your friend Miss Granger much thought and I can see why you keep each other's confidence. My opinion on that muggleborn has changed."

Severus and Lucius' mouths dropped open.

"And others?" Draco asked. Voldemort sneered and Draco flinched at the nastiness of the vacant smile.

"I will try my best."

"You will take a Wizards Oath," Draco stated. "You will not put our plans in jeopardy because you've decided to go psycho again."

Voldemort turned and looked at Lucius. "You finally taught your son to be a man, Lucius." The Dark Lord sounded pleased and Lucius really hated to disappoint him.

"Ah, actually, my Lord. I'm sure I'm not the cause for that."

"No, it definitely is not your doing, Father." Draco turned back to matters at hand and missed his father's pained flinch. "The three of us will take the Wizards Oath. I don't want to have to watch my back every time you're around, and I'm sure you will feel the same. We don't want any backstabbing done, now do we? A Wizards Oath or nothing at all. I will not have Harry worrying about you at every minute of every day."

"Fine. I will take the Oath."

Before long, Harry, Draco, and Voldemort stood in a three-man circle and cast the Wizarding Oath, ensuring none of the three could betray the others. Harry wondered why he was doing this so soon into the game. He'd planned on making some sort of white flag to rise between them, ending things and letting it be known Harry was happy to go his own way and stay the hell out of Voldemort's way, but this almost felt like the beginning of something and it felt right. But how could it feel that way when Voldemort was the one to put the scar on his head?

"I need to see those memories. I need to see what happened."

"I'll think I'll join you in watching Dumbledore's memories. Severus, where are they?"

"My lord, I've hidden the memories in the place they were created in."

"Ah, right under Dumbledore's nose. Well done. You will go collect them at once."

"Yes, my lord." Severus bowed to Voldemort before turning towards the door.

"I'm coming with you." Harry stepped in stride with Severus as his uncle headed for the door. He looked back to see if Draco was coming, but Lucius had blocked his son's way.

"You'll not be going, Draco. We have some things to discuss. Immediately."

You go on, Harry. And please be careful. I know that it's hard for your idiotic Gryffindor mind to grasp, but you need to think things through before jumping head first into a situation. Harry rolled his eyes as he walked down the corridor with Severus. Dumbledore is still looking for you. He'll have people watching Godric's Hollow, expecting you'll want to visit your family's home now that you're able to, so be careful.

You're worrying too much. Go talk with your father. I'll be fine. Harry heard Draco's mental sigh and smiled.

"Wipe that smile off your face, Harry." The tone in his uncle's voice told him Severus was not in the least bit amused or pleased with the situation.

"Did you expect me to stay calm after I found out about it?"

"No, which is why I wanted to wait to tell you."

"I should have been told the moment you viewed those memories."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't excuse your behavior when you first entered!"

They stopped at the front doors and Severus was glaring down at Harry, causing the young wizard to fidget with his robes. Dammit. He hated being in the wrong.

"I'm sorry, all right."

"You could have hurt, Lucius."

Harry raised an eyebrow as if asking, 'really? Are you really lecturing me on hurting that man after all he's done to me?'. Instead he said, "he was raising his wand at Draco." End of discussion.

"I have to admit, the magic you displayed was incredible. How did you do that to the Dark Lord's face?"

"Not sure. It was like an impulse. A natural instinct I'd never felt before. And that's why I'm positive I can get his body back, even though I have no clue how at the moment. That instinct is telling me it can be done."

They began to walk outside to beyond the wards where they could Apparate. "It may be an instinct and power available to the magical creature you will become."

"That seems most likely. And you know what that means?" he asked, suddenly excited. Severus rose a brow. "It means Draco and I will still be able to use magic! We won't just be magical creatures! We'll still have magic of our own."

"Yes. Powerful magic."

"Yeah!" Harry grinned brightly and Severus felt a smile worm its way onto his face. "It seems so strange," his nephew went on, "that I can take things like this without blinking, but when I hear that my father killed my mother, I go blank. I guess it's just that I came from living with people who were Muggles in the strictest sense of the word, and then when I was shown this world, I was so full of wonder. I took everything in, cherished everything. At first seeing magic was very strange for me, but it's a part of me and it didn't take much to get used to it. Everyday there was something else to see until now I'm not really surprised by anything anymore. Personally I think anything is possible with magic."

"Imagine what you can do when you gain your Inheritance and can control the power. Imagine what you and Draco can do. Almost anything…"

"You sound wistful, Severus."

"Hardly. But I must admit, my ambitions have begun rising again." Harry grinned at that. Severus usually never came out with optimistic remarks.

Just before they Apparated, Harry brought up the subject of Dumbledore guarding Godric's Hollow.

"Draco's correct. There will be Order members watching and no less than two members at that. This is what comes from demanding things. We haven't had time to contact Lupin or Weasley…"

"It can't be too hard to take care of them. If we're lucky, it might be Remus or Charlie there, and if we're fantastically lucky, it will only be the two of them there."

"It does you no good to think like that. Dumbledore will not have either of them guarding the Hollow. Despite being in the Order and supposedly loyal to Dumbledore, he would never trust them with this because they are too close to you for him to even consider it."

Harry made a noncommittal sound as Severus held him around the waist, and then they disappeared. They landed in a field nearly three miles away from Godric's Hollow.

"Three miles?" Harry asked, gaping incredulously at his uncle when Severus said as much. "Why did you make it so far away?"

Severus began speaking slowly, punctuating on each syllable. "Because, you nitwit, we want to sneak up on the Order members and take them by surprise."

"Three miles out in the middle of nowhere seems extreme."

"Close your mouth and pick up your feet."

Harry huffed, but he did obey and they began to walk in silence. Harry tuned in to see what Draco was doing and was amused when he found his soul mate was getting the talking to of a lifetime. But at least Lucius was hanging on to his temper and didn't seem to be so angry that he would harm his son.

That is because he's afraid of what you would do to him. Draco thought back to him and then resumed listening to his father pretend to be angry with the fact that Narcissa was being sent away, she would no longer be a Malfoy, and she wouldn't have one more Galleon of the Malfoy fortune. Oh, yeah…sure. I can see why he would be mad…Riiight.

Harry laughed out loud at that, and then quieted down when Severus glared at him.

"Why can't we talk now? I hate silence."

"Talk to Draco."

"No, he's busy with his father. Does Lucius really care that his marriage is about to be annulled? I was under the impression he doesn't like his wife very much. I'm under the impression no one likes her very much."

"Lucius is probably ecstatic, but he can't really go jumping around announcing it to the world. He has an image to maintain and doesn't want people to think he willingly went along with this."

"I think I can understand that." There was more silence for the next half mile before Harry broke again. "Tell me more about what Dumbledore has done."

Surprisingly, Severus nodded. "Do you know why you never received specific training to be able to handle combating the Dark Lord?"

"No. But I've wondered why he seemed so set on letting me wing it when it was time for me to kill Voldemort."

"It's because the prophecy is a complete fabrication, Harry." He nodded when Harry stopped dead and stared at him incredulously. "There was never a real prophecy made about Voldemort marking the one he considers his equal, nor was there anything that said you would have to vanquish him or die. Dumbledore had the whole thing staged."

Harry's hands balled into fists and he squeezed his eyes closed. Severus waited patiently for the boy to reign in his temper. Finally Harry's eyes popped open and he released a hiss. "I knew Trelawney was full of shit! And Voldemort doesn't know?"

"Yes, he knows now. When I discovered I'd been tricked into overhearing part of the prophecy, and in turn was the reason why the Dark Lord fell for Dumbledore's trap, I felt alerting the Dark Lord would be best."

"And you're still here, breathing? I'm amazed he didn't kill you."

"I didn't exactly walk away in the best of shape. But… my Lord has been thinking more clearly recently. I do believe that is why I am still breathing now. I told him about the prophecy being fabricated directly after he tried to kill Draco within your mind."

"That's why he's changing then. He doesn't want to fit into Dumbledore's plans anymore either. He's not going to continue to do things the way he did before because that's just what Dumbledore wanted from Voldemort. He wants the Wizarding World in chaos."

Severus nodded. "You see a lot, Harry. Maybe that's why Dumbledore never wanted to tell you anything. He was afraid you would eventually start questioning things, and knowing you, you would go off and find the truth on your own."

"Has Dumbledore done anything else?"

"If he has, I know nothing about it." They'd walked quite a bit as they talked and Severus soon spotted the village of Godric's Hollow in the distance and the church steeple and the tops of houses glinting from the midday sun.

Severus stopped their trek through a field. "Did you bring your invisibility cloak?"

Harry's eyes went wide, and he smacked his forehead. "No," he muttered. "I completely forgot."

Severus rolled his eyes. Figures. "We'll have to keep silent from here. We go around to the west and come through from the back of the graveyard. I know you would like to see your parents, Harry-"

"No, not right now. Not while Dumbledore's people are around. Our mission right now is to get the Pensieve memories. I'll come back another time." His uncle gave him an understanding look and squeezed his shoulder. "I want to ask you something before we continue, Severus."

"Go on."

"Why do you still follow Voldemort?"

"Because Voldemort gets things done. We all want to see changes. To keep our world protected and advance. He has the power to do that when he's not constantly being distracted by old manipulating power hungry fools."

"So why not stop being his follower and just work with us. I can't stand to watch you bow at his feet, Severus. You are better than that."

"I…I appreciate your thoughts. But you've forgotten who I am, I think. I'm still a Death Eater, Harry. The Dark Mark still goes black on my arm. I have no choice but to be a follower of the Dark Lord. He can still kill me Harry, and he will regardless of the alliance you've made if he thinks I will leave him again."

"It's a probationary alliance," Harry muttered darkly. If Voldemort wanted Harry and Draco to help him recover his old body, then he was going to have to stop treating Severus like a pet…. and maybe Lucius too.

They walked on and remained silent. Sulking in silence was something Harry knew best how to do, and he used the time to do that, but always stayed alert and watchful of their surroundings. He'd be damned if he let Dumbledore get the best of him again.

"Look sharp," Severus muttered after he'd placed Disillusionment Charms on them as they entered the deathly quiet graveyard. Harry thought it was too bad the sun was out, it would have fit his mood better had it been raining and it wouldn't have felt like they were out in the open if the sky were clouded.

They kept to the shadows provided by the line of trees that followed the empty dirt road the two of them were heading down. Halfway down the lane Severus saw the Potter house come into view.

"You will wait for me here. I will return shortly."

"But-"

"No. It will be easier if one person goes in. The Order members Dumbledore sent are probably invisible or at least disillusioned. And you haven't learned how to spot a witch or wizard when under an enchantment."

Harry knew he was right so he nodded and leaned against a tree and watched Severus make his way closer to the house until his uncle disappeared from sight all together. Harry kept an alert eye on the house; though it didn't do much good as he couldn't see that well and could only make the house out as a grayish brown blur.

This is crap! He should have argued with Severus and gone with him. He wanted to help, not stand on the sidelines and watch like a damn baby!

Calm down, Harry. You're going to alert the Order of your presence if you allow your magic to take control of you.

I hate waiting.

So do I. Draco purred at him.

Harry straightened from the tree and pulled on his collar. Draco, I'm supposed to be watching for the enemy and if you talk like that you'll only distract me… and it doesn't calm me down at all.

Fine destroy my fun!

Hey, when I get back lets go play Quidditch. We can play a Seeker game.

I'll go for that. Without all your Gryffindork teammates, I'll finally be able show you who's the best Seeker.

But we already know who the best Seeker is. I wouldn't set your heart on catching that Snitch with me in the air.

Whatever, Potter. You are so on.

Fine, bring it Malfoy.

Harry was grinning madly at the prospect of being able to play Draco one on one with the Golden Snitch when he suddenly heard a yelled curse and a small explosion came from the direction of the house. He immediately took off running, holding his wand out in front of him, looking for any signs of hidden wizards along the way. Draco, need to go. Something's happening.

Draco must have heard the urgency in Harry's tone. Do you need help?

No. I'll let you know if we need backup.

Tell me right away, Harry. Don't keep quiet because you want to keep others from getting hurt by helping you.

Harry reached the end of the lane and crouched down beside the old stonewall surrounding the house. When he peeked over the low wall and saw the front of the house, Harry tried not to see the sad old broken structure as the place where he lived with his parents up until their murders, and instead began looking for Order members. He found three of them, two lying in the lawn just outside of the front door and the third Order member was Mad Eye Moody, and through the burnt out hole from upstairs, Harry could see Severus was dueling the one legged wizard.

Harry ran into the house and scanned the area. Someone must have cleaned the house out because now it only looked like a burnt rotting shell. Pushing away the feelings that thought brought on, Harry raced upstairs to where most of the destruction had taken place. He could hear the duel continuing and would have run into the room, but a heavy hand dropped on his shoulder from behind and he felt the Disillusionment Charm fade away. Harry cursed fluently for getting himself caught.

"Whoa there, Harry," said a voice in a slow smooth baritone, and the hand forced Harry to turn around. He already knew he was going to see Kingsley Shacklebolt towering over him, but he was surprised to see the tall black Auror did not have his wand pointed at him. "Snape can handle old Mad Eye, don't you worry."

"Shouldn't you be worried about Mad Eye then?"

"No. He can take care of himself too."

"Look Shacklebolt. Severus is my uncle and I'm not going to stand here and let you distract me while Mad Eye tries to kill him. He's my family!"

"Calm down. I'm not trying to distract you. I want to know what you and Snape are doing here. You must have known we'd be watching the place."

"I can't believe you were actually picked for the stake out," Harry said. He really didn't think it was a good idea to tell Kingsley the reason he and Severus were at Godric's Hollow. "You're the top Auror, Shacklebolt. What the hell are you doing here?"

Kingsley grinned, showing his white teeth. Harry nearly had to shield his eyes from the brightness. "Oh he tired. Wasn't happy with me from our last meeting. He knew I wasn't pleased with bringing you in. Which I still have no intention of doing."

"You're not?"

"Obviously not. Otherwise I would have stunned you first and asked questions later. But since that order came from Dumbledore and not the Ministry, I don't feel like I'm breaking any rules by leaving you alone. The only reason why I'm here is because I came to speak to Sturgis Podmore, whom I see Snape already got a hold of. Hestia Jones as well. But they never had a chance against Snape anyway…" Harry held his hand up and Kingsley's wide eyes were the only indication that he was surprised by the power Harry had over him.

"So you are not here to watch this house? And you're not here to bring me to Dumbledore or arrest Severus?"

"No."

"Good." Harry turned back to the room and yelled, "hurry the up, Severus! You should have knocked him out by now. You're half his age!" He turned back to a grinning Kingsley when Severus 'accidentally' let a curse fly by Harry's ear.

"So tell me why you are here and don't change the subject again. We'll not be leaving until you answer me truthfully."

Harry sighed. He wouldn't be able to lie. Kingsley was trained to spot things like that. "We've come to collect evidence of Dumbledore's wrong doings. And no I will not hand it over. Not until I've seen it enough to have memorized every little thing."

"As an Auror I have the right to take what it is you find as evidence."

"You have the right, but you don't have the power or the backup and I won't give it to you until I'm ready. The evidence is very personal and as far as I'm concerned no one but those involved in the event the evidence entails should be privy to the information."

Kingsley studied him for a moment. Harry assumed Kingsley was trying to ascertain whether he was telling the truth about the evidence, and probably trying to gouge how strong Harry was. Harry was hoping he had sounded mature enough for the Auror. Kingsley was powerful himself, as well as being very intelligent and generally a good person, which was why Harry liked him. Harry would have liked to associate with the black Auror, but he wasn't sure he could include Kingsley in his future plans. The man was as straight as an arrow when it came to the law as far as he knew, and Harry planned to do things that weren't entirely legal. Well okay, they weren't legal at all and Kingsley was a principled reformer.

Finally Kingsley nodded. "I'll let you take whatever you're here to find, but if Dumbledore has done something that has put the Wizarding World in danger, you should let us know, Harry. I know you never liked it when you were kept in the dark."

"Low, Kingsley. Real low," Harry muttered darkly, but the Auror continued to grin at him. "Fine. You'll be hearing from me then. Feel free to tell Dumbledore all we've talked about, I'm sure he'd like to know what I'm up to."

"I will not be informing Dumbledore of even my presence here, but I am curious as to what your plans are."

"I plan to return to Hogwarts in September, of course. I have to finish sch-"

"Expulso!" Harry barely had time to process Moody's shouted curse before the wall exploded out on top of him, burying him under a load of heavy concrete and plaster. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was seeing Kingsley's surprised and horrified face and Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Severus scream his name. As he slipped under a quiet painless blackness he vaguely realized blood was pouring down his face like a small waterfall.