Author's Note: Hey there, good people of Mars! I'm back! Listen, this is now rated 'M' because of SEX. Sex will happen a lot to keep you all placated because I'm not going to rush Tom and Harry into bed. There will be detailed sex between main characters and not-detailed sex between not-main characters. Now, how many of you stopped to read this because you saw the bold word 'sex'?

Disclaimer:I don't really feel like fighting Tom for Harry, so I'm going to go with no.

Warning: Language. Violence. Slash. Non-slash.

(***Harry Potter***)

Harry ran his fingers through Hermione's hair for the umpteenth time as he waited for her to awaken. He had hoped that she wouldn't have to face anything like that, at least not yet. Green eyes narrowed and Harry scowled at himself. He should have seen it coming; should have stopped her from going to meet Snape. Finally, after what seemed like forever but was really only a few hours, Hermione opened her eyes. Dark brown orbs immediately darted around the Room of Requirement, taking in the white walls, white carpet, burning fire in the fireplace, white bed, and, most importantly, lack of Deatheatheaters. Finally, she turned her eyes on Harry. The tears instantly began to flow.

"Oh, Harry! It was horrible!" She sobbed into his robe. He just kept running his hand through her hair, trying his best to comfort her. "He's taken!" Harry's hand stopped and green eyes widened. They took someone?

"Whom? 'Mione, who did they take? I've got to help him! Who did they-" Hermione cut Harry off with a shake of her head.

"Not they Harry. He! Draco Malfoy! He's dating Professor Snape!" She continued to cry, and Harry's mind went blank. That was much more than he needed to know. Still, he supposed it was to be expected on some level. After a moment, Harry caught up with the fact that Hermione wasn't crying from the trauma of almost being killed, but from heartbreak. He sighed, continuing to run through her hair and rub her back while whispering sweet nothings. He hadn't expected it to work out with the professor, but he had hoped. In the end, he supposed that it was for the better. Now she could be with someone her own age. He smiled a bit. A certain Slytherin had kept his eye on her for the longest time. Perhaps that boy would finally have a chance. Harry wasn't the best of friends with him, but everyone deserved a fair chance. Minutes passed before Hermione's sobs calmed into sniffles, and then into silent tears, before finally stopping.

"What'll I do now?" Harry didn't stop his ministrations, trying to keep her calm.

"You'll move on. It's all you can do." He kept his voice soft, even softer than usual, when speaking to her.

"But how? I've liked him for the past four years, Harry! Who could I move on to? Surely if there were someone better I would have fallen for him and not Severus, right?" Harry smiled up at the ceiling when she said that.

"Maybe you were just too concentrated on the sun to stop and look at the stars." Hermione opened her mouth to respond to his metaphor, but nothing came out. So she closed her mouth and buried her head into his chest instead. "How do you know that they're dating?" It was best to get her talking, no matter what about. Her head lifted up to look into his eyes, and he knew that he was in for a small speech.

"I walked in under the guise of retrieving my journal, and they were making out!" Hermione threw her hands into the air and Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"Making out?" He was curious as to what she considered making out. She gave an exasperated sigh before explaining.

"Yes, Harry. Making out. You know, kissing? As in with tongue. As in Severus's tongue was shoved down Draco's throat and Draco was pinned to the desk!" Hermione shouted the last part, making Harry smile a bit. She would be fine in no time.

"I see… And, out of curiosity, what did you think of your first Deatheater meeting?" He truly was curious to know. He had thought that she would have brought that up first, after all.

"It was… petrifying. I thought that I was going to die! I mean… They were all looking at me. They all wanted to hex me first! If you hadn't come, I don't think I would have…" The tears welled up in her eyes once more and Harry shushed her and pulled her limp body into a hug once more. "And then he came. Oh, gosh, he was beautiful Harry! I was so scared. I wanted to run away and move closer all at once." Hermione didn't clarify who she was speaking about. She didn't have to. Harry had seen Tom many times before, most of the time, Tom was being Voldemort, but every once in a while Harry got to see Tom shine through. He would see a cunning, devious young man that would do anything to make the world as he wanted it. He would see someone who loved magic and everything that came with it. He would see the man that he respected, if only just a little. That was the man that Harry wanted to talk to. That was the man that carried himself with such an air of dangerous elegance that he couldn't help but stare. That was the man that was hiding behind a name. Harry wanted to know why such a great man hid behind a stupid name like Voldemort. It showed cowardice, not strength. Harry sighed, noticing that Hermione had fallen asleep on top of him. He supposed that he would never know. Sluggishly, Harry set his wand to go off at 6:00 AM. That was when they usually got up to get ready. As soon as that was done, Harry followed in Hermione's example and drifted into a world of slumber.

(***Draco Malfoy***)

Draco threaded his hands into Severus's hair as the man thrust deeper into him.

"Oh my—S-Severus! F-faster! Please!" His professor obeyed without a hitch, forcing himself into Draco at a much quicker pace. The pleasure intensified as the Potions Master hit his prostate harder and harder each time. It took mere minutes for Draco to reach his limit. "Sev! I'm co-" Draco didn't get to finish his sentence as the tight coils in his lower abdomen gave him release. Severus Snape followed soon after, his hot seed spilling inside of Draco's body. They lay there for a moment, panting, before Draco spoke. It was how they did things. Potions, then conversations, then sex, then conversations, then sex again. It's how they had worked since the end of fifth year. All in all, for two reclusive, potion-loving men, it was a wonderful lifestyle.

"Could you believe the nerve of that Mudblood? She waltzed in on us like she owned the place… I think she deserves a good hexing session courtesy of my eleven inch oak with Thestral hair core." Draco could imagine it already, and it was fun.

"Now, Draco, keep yourself under control." Severus's gravelly voice sent shivers down Draco's spine, making him turn around to face his teacher. Charcoal-grey eyes so dark they were black stared down at Draco as Severus slipped a long arm around his waist. Draco frowned – though it was more of a pout, really – and leaned on his elbow to better look Severus in the eyes.

"Why? The Dark Lord said that we had to help court Potter over to our side, not Granger." Draco didn't like the little Gryffindor know-it-all. He never had, he never would. Then again, he didn't like Potter either. The Malfoy heir's frown deepened. He didn't know what had so quickly changed the Dark Lord's mind about Potter, but it had, and now they weren't to lay a harmful hand on the boy. It wasn't only that which irked Draco, but the fact that he was supposed to have been named the Dark Lord's protégé at the meeting. Yet, the Dark Lord hadn't brought up the subject even once. Of course, no one had questioned him. The Dark Lord was too great to question. Draco sighed, thinking back on how the Dark Lord had looked. From his ravishing good looks to his incredible body to his amazing mind, the Dark Lord was perfect. Comparing the Dark Lord to Severus, there was no contest. Of course, he wasn't in love with the Dark Lord or anything. Draco had feelings for Severus, but it wasn't love. He held strong lust for the Dark Lord, and would do anything to please him, but that wasn't love either. Draco didn't love anyone but his parents. Still, that wasn't the kind of love he was looking for. Draco sighed again. He would find what he was looking for eventually, he supposed.

"Miss Granger is Mr. Potter's best friend, remember? If you hurt her, he'll never so much as listen to, let alone consider, our proposition." Draco's sneer softened into a light frown as he leaned against Severus's chest. Even if he didn't have love, he had Severus.

"I guess so, Sev. I guess so…" With those words said, Draco drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

(***Ronald Weasley***)

Ronald Weasley awoke to the noise of the other boys getting ready. His lips smacked together, still dry from sleep, as he looked lazily around the dorm. There was Neville walking out of the door, Dean rolling out of bed, Seamus coming out of the bathroom, and numerous other boys walking about or making their beds. One person that he noticed wasn't there though, was Harry James Potter. Once he noticed that, he hopped out of bed and rushed into the Common Room, not caring that he had nothing but pajama pants on. Quickly, he grabbed the arm of a random Seventh year girl.

"Where's Hermione!" The girl's immediate reaction was to sneer and pull away.

"How should I know? I haven't seen her since dinner yesterday." After the girl finished sneering out those words, she upturned her nose and walked out. Ron growled. He knew it! He just knew that Harry had a thing for Hermione! And he probably forced her to sleep with him by saying, "I'm the Boy-Who-Lived! Fuck me or I won't save you from old Moldy-Wart!" It was the only reason that Harry was the Seeker on the Gryffindor team and not Ron. He held that over their heads! Who actually cared, anyways? The big, scary, Dark Lord was like sixty-five by now! Who was scared of an old man! What would he do? Throw prunes at them? Sure, if he were younger than Ron might be a little afraid, but he wasn't! Besides, Ron was clearly the most powerful Wizard of their generation. Nothing could beat him.

Ron's scowl turned into a self-righteous smirk at that thought. He quickly finished throwing his clothes on and left. He could beat Harry Fucking Potter, and he would prove it! He would prove to Hermione that he was better than Harry, better than anyone that she could think of. He was Ronald Weasley, and he was going to challenge Harry Potter to a duel! Ron thought back on all of the times that Harry had been challenged to a duel. He had declined every single time; through insult and injury. Thinking back, Ron had never actually seen Harry duel. His smirk grew wider. Harry probably couldn't duel! Everything he did was for show! All Ron had to do was expose him! Then Hermione would love him again… It was perfect. Except for one thing; it was perfect. How would he get Harry to agree to a duel? Ron's eyes swept across the Great Hall when he entered, first spotting Harry and Hermione laughing together, enjoying each other's company, and then over to Draco Malfoy. That was it! Harry had always hated Malfoy, and Malfoy had always hated Harry! Sure, Malfoy hated him, too, but not nearly as much as he hated Harry! All he had to do was get Harry to think that he was friends with Malfoy! It would drive Harry crazy to know that he had lost his best friend to Malfoy! And Hermione was all about the inter-House friendship thing, so he would be scoring points with her at the same time! It was brilliant! He would put his plan into action right after Double Potions!

(***Hermione Granger***)

Hermione looked around the Great Hall for the mysterious boy that Harry had been going on about. It was frustrating considering the only hints he would give her were, "He's a Seventh year male." That lowered it down quite a bit, but not enough. After a few more minutes, Hermione gave up.

"Come on, Harry! Just tell me which House he's in!" She was getting desperate. All Hermione really wanted to do was look up at the table of professors and convince herself that it was all a dream, that she still had a chance with Professor Snape, but she wouldn't allow herself to do that. This was her "Snape detox period" as Harry had so kindly dubbed it. Harry smiled that soft, secret smile of his and shook his head.

"It could be anyone Hermione," Harry paused to look up before his smile became a devious grin, "even Ron!" He said that and Hermione blanched. Ron was just so… biased. He was insufferable in every sense of the word and had the most obvious crush on her. Really, he could at least try to hide it! That, and he couldn't tell that Hermione wasn't at all interested in him. An instant later, Hermione saw why Harry even brought the red head up.

"Hey, Hermione! How're you doing?" Ron's high, nearly pubescent voice echoed in Hermione's ears, making her cringe. Quickly, she slapped a smile onto her face.

"Hey, Ron! I'm doing well, um, how about you?" Hermione tried to keep eye contact with Ron, but she just couldn't. His robes were dusty and wrinkled. While she didn't care if they were new of hand-me-downs, he could have at least taken the time to spell out the wrinkles, or wash it, at the least! Hermione wrinkled her nose both at her thoughts and at Ron. She hadn't been such a neat-freak until she had met Harry. Now, she couldn't look at a robe without picking out all of the dust particles and free threads on it. It was horrible. Harry snickered beside of her, and Hermione really had no choice but to elbow him in the ribs. This was not funny!

"Oh, I'm doing great! I've even made a New Year's Resolution!" Hermione blinked at Ron's words. It was the beginning of August… "I'm going to help Harry defeat You-Know-Who!" At those words, both Hermione and Harry simultaneously choked on their food, but Ron wasn't finished yet. With a mouth full of food, he continued. "You know, I figure he's probably old and crusty by now, so he can't be too dangerous. And we all know that you're not the greatest at dueling, Harry – no offence – so I'll go along and speed up the process!" Hermione blinked again, remembering what Voldemort had looked like the night before. He was about as old and crusty as Hermione was!

"Um, Ron? I really don't think that you should-" Harry was cut off by Ron, who sent chewed food flying across the table with each syllable.

"Don't worry about it mate. That's what friends do, right?" Hermione looked over to Harry, who looked rather uncomfortable, before glancing back at Ron, who was waiting for an answer. Hermione closed her eyes. She couldn't bail Harry out of this one.

"You know, I just don't think it'd be very safe for you to go… um, mate." Hermione waited for Ron to explode after Harry's polite declination, but it didn't come. Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes. Ron was grinning, but it wasn't a good grin.

"You know what, Harry? Okay. I won't help you defeat him as long as you don't get in my way when I defeat him." With that, Ron stood up and moved seats. Hermione just stared at where he had sat.

"Did he really just..?" Hermione let her question dangle in the air, and harry gave a slow nod. Ron was going to try and defeat Voldemort on his own… Hermione was much better at magic than Ron, and she couldn't decide whether to kiss his boots or run screaming in the opposite direction. He was doomed.

"You know, I think I will give you another hint." Harry still sounded a bit out of it, but Hermione nodded anyways, trying to get her mind off of the youngest male Weasley facing Voldemort. "It's not Ron." Hermione turned to Harry, a small smile crawling across her face. He was always trying to lighten the mood. She shoved him lightly, deciding to enjoy life for a moment. They could focus on talking Ron out of it during Double Potions.

(***Ronald Weasley***)

Ron listened to Harry and Hermione laugh about something or another while he tried to pay attention to what some random Fourth year was saying. He had tried to give Harry another chance, but it just wasn't working. That scar made Harry's head so big that he couldn't accept that he would never be able to defeat Voldemort. Ron frowned. He had wanted to show off in front of Hermione and say that name, but he just couldn't. Ron gulped down half of his goblet of pumpkin juice before stuffing some more of his omelet into his mouth. That didn't matter. He would get Malfoy's help, beat Harry in a duel, gain Hermione's love, and defeat Voldemort, becoming the most famous wizard in history. It was all planned out. And it would all work out, too. If Fred and George could make their own successful joke shop then Ron could defeat Voldemort!

(***Harry Potter***)

Harry glanced between Draco and Professor Snape for a moment before returning to his potion. Now that he was looking for it, he was ashamed to have not noticed it before! It was so obvious! They shared secret glances all throughout the class; and Snape would, every once in a while, go over and place a hand on Draco's back while checking the boy's potion, his hand lingering just long enough to make it intimate. Really, Harry should have seen it coming! Finally, Harry finished his potion and turned it in, Hermione finishing an instant later, followed by Draco and then Blaise. Everyone else was still finishing up. Harry looked at the four vials, noticing that one was a slightly lighter blue than the others. Hermione's. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Blaise beat him to it.

"Did you remember to stir counterclockwise three and a half times after adding the slug slime?" Blaise's voice was like silk, just as it always was, as he asked the question. Hermione opened her mouth to say something along the lines of 'Of course,' but then she closed it, her eyes widening.

"Oh my… It's too late to fix it now, isn't it? Oh no…" Though her words started out slow, they sped up as she realized that she had completely messed up her potion. Blaise laid a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look up at him.

"No, we can still fix it." Her pretty brown eyes widened and she quickly grabbed her vial and Blaise's hand, dragging him back to her still full cauldron.

"Hurry! We've only got ten more minutes!" She sounded just a bit frantic, and Harry couldn't help but smile. Blaise, obviously the stronger of the two, allowed himself to be dragged away, his eyes completely focused on Hermione's slim form. Harry looked up to make sure that Snape didn't see Blaise and Hermione working together – it was independent potion making, after all – before turning back. Draco looked at him for a moment, and then turned back to face the wall, leaning against the homework table.

"So you know then, huh Potter?" Draco didn't specify what, exactly, Harry knew, but Harry was pretty sure that he knew what the Slytherin meant.

"I do, but I won't tell anyone." Harry was completely serious; he wouldn't tell a soul. Silver eyes turned to him incredulously for a moment before turning back to stare at the wall. Draco reassembled his blank mask before speaking again.

"Why? It would ruin me; at least for a bit." Harry smiled at Draco's statement. He really didn't get it.

"It's not my place to tell. What you do is your choice. I wouldn't want you to tell any of my secrets to the world, so why would I do that to you?" Truly, it was a pretty evident answer to Harry.

"You know what, Potter, you're not half bad." Harry smiled at Draco's words, but the blonde wasn't finished. "Don't go getting a big head about it or anything. You're still an annoying, goodie-two-shoes, self-sacrificing Gryffindork, just not a half-bad one." The words didn't deter Harry's good mood at all.

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment." They sat in an amiable silence for another minute or so until Hermione came rushing back, the potion in her vial now the right color. Quickly, she placed her vial into its correct slot and breathed a sigh of relief. Blaise sauntered up behind her, getting within four inches of her before she turned around and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Blaise! It means the world to me, really!" Immediately after those words were spoken, she seemed to realize what she was doing and let go, a light blush dusting her face. "Sorry, I just… um, sorry…"Her voice was quiet and her head was down, causing her to miss the small, self-satisfied smirk which stretched across Blaise Zabini's aristocratic features. Finally, with three minutes left to spare, the rest of the class began to turn in their vials and clean up their stations. Ron was the last one to turn his in, an olive green colored liquid in the vial. Neville's probably would have turned out similarly if it hadn't exploded halfway through. Harry had ever been able to figure out how the boy was so good at cooking yet so horrible at potions. As soon as the last vial was in, Snape stood.

"There is a nineteen inch essay on the pros, cons, uses, and misuses of an aging potion due on Monday. You are dismissed." Harry looked at Hermione once Snape finished saying that. They had read up on the potion last year in hopes of figuring out how Voldemort had managed to come out so young, so the essay would be a synch. Considering the fact that they had five minutes to leave and get back to here, Hermione and Harry opted to just stay in their seats. Quickly, Hermione pulled Harry in for a whispering session.

"I only looked at him a couple of times the entire hour and, you know, I think I'll be okay! He's… better suited for Draco anyways. I just… I think that you were right about me being so focused on him that I didn't see anyone else, Harry." She smiled a smile that Harry hadn't seen since First year, which got him to smile as well.

"Have you caught your eye on anyone else, yet?" Maybe she had finally noticed him.

"Well, no… but I'd like to! Will you please tell me which House he's in already!" Harry grinned at Hermione's pleas. For the smartest girl in school, she could be pretty dense. The Gryffindor Golden Boy pretended to think about his answer for a moment.

"No."

(***Blaise Zabini***)

Blaise looked at Draco for a moment, trying to gage whether the taller boy was lying or not.

"So… you actually approve of my infatuation with Hermione?" It was incredibly hard for him to believe such a thing. Draco Malfoy hated all Gryffindors, Mudbloods, and people who excelled at school more than he did. Draco Malfoy hated Hermione Granger.

"I don't like her, no. I think you could do much better, yes. But you heard the Dark Lord. And if we want Potter on our side, we need to get the Granger girl as well." See, now that made a lot more sense to Blaise. In fact, if it weren't for his Slytherin mask, the Italian would have smiled. The Dark Lord had unknowingly given him permission to date a Mudblood and, if Blaise had his way, marry one too. Blaise had been pining after Hermione since halfway through Fourth year when she had forced him into a conversation about how magical creatures could be better integrated into their world. After that, he couldn't find anyone else that could keep his attention even half as well as she did. After that, all of his conquests had honey brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had seen Ronald Weasley practically throwing himself at her just as easily as he had seen her politely avoiding the subject of them dating. He was worried about Hermione falling for the Weasel just about as much as he was concerned about Potter finally giving into the Weaslett's advances: not very. In the end, Hermione would have no choice but to fall for him. Ron Weasley and anyone else who stood in his way be damned.

"Don't worry. I approve of you and Snape as well." Blaise smirked tauntingly as silver eyes shot over to him. It wasn't very obvious, but Blaise was all about observations.

"Touché." Draco had caught Blaise's threat with ease. If the blonde said a word about his going after Hermione then Blaise would make sure that the world knew about his relations with their Head of House. Sure, it was underhanded and devious, but it worked. Blaise would never claim to be as nice as Potter. He would say something at the drop of a dime, but only if Draco broke his end of the bargain. If nothing else, the Italian was a man of his word. Soon enough, Draco matched Blaise's smirk with one of his own. There was a reason that they were put into Slytherin…

(***Ronald Weasley***)

Ron returned from the bathroom and slid into his seat a moment before the bell rang. A sigh of relief slipped past his lips. He was safe!

"Class, the next assignment shall be partner work, and to make sure that the work is shared equally, I will be assigning your partners." Snape's annoying, drawling voice echoed throughout the room. Ron rammed his head onto the desk. "Attempted destruction of school property; twenty points from Gryffindor." The Slytherins laughed at their professor's words, making Ron groan. He hated potions. He was sure that the Slimy Git was going to assign him someone horrible, just for fun. God, he hated that man! "Mr. Zabini will be paired with Miss Granger." There went his chances of being with his love! "Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter." And there went his chances of getting an O… Neville grinned at getting to work with Harry, and Ron glared at him. Some people had all the luck… "Miss Lovegood with Mr. Goyle. Miss Parkinson with Mr. Crabbe. Mr. Weasley with Mr. Malfoy." Ron's mind went blank, stopping him from hearing the rest of the pairings. He was stuck with Malfoy. Malfoy, for Merlin's sake! The blonde would mess up their potion on purpose to give Ron a bad grade, or worse, to poison him! "Begin." And then the instructions were on the board. Without delay, everyone scattered to their respective partners. Ron didn't move.

"Weasley. Get off your lazy arse and get over here." Malfoy's haughty voice made Ron's eye twitch before he realized the glory of his situation. Now he wouldn't have to corner the platinum blonde after class! With renewed vigor, Ron stood, collected his things, and went over to Malfoy's table, where everything was already set up. Silver eyes narrowed at him, suspicious about his sudden change in attitude, before brushing it off.

"I need your help." Ron hated saying the words, but it was necessary. Instantly, a pale blonde brow rose. "I know you don't like Harry, and right now, neither do I. I need your help getting revenge." Ron could practically see his pride rotting on the floor, but he tried not to pay attention to that. Instead, he watched Malfoy mull it over. After a moment or two, the signature Malfoy smirk appeared on his features.

"What kind of revenge are we talking about?" Malfoy sounded disinterested, but the red head knew better. Ron sat down beside of Malfoy as the blonde began to chop fresh monkey brains into small cubes.

"I know for a fact that Harry's a horrible dueler. Why else would he turn down all of those challenges? So I want to get him to duel me, and show the world that he's a fraud! Then Hermione will realize that she's been wasting her time on him and come back to me." The precision chopping stopped for a millisecond before continuing and a second brow joined the first at Malfoy's hairline, showing the Slytherin's skepticism. Ron ignored him and went on. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that it would completely humiliate Harry. I need you to help me bait him into it!" Ron left out the part about defeating Voldemort. Malfoy might not help if he knew that Ron was going to take down his leader.

(***Draco Malfoy***)

Draco thought about what the red head was saying for a moment before a devious idea popped into his mind. If he could get Potter to duel the Weasel, and the Dark Lord to attend the duel, then he would definitely be in favor. If the Dark Lord saw that Potter actually couldn't duel then perhaps he would switch back to the original plan. And if Potter really could duel then the Dark Lord would get a show out of it. Either way, Draco won.

"Deal." Maybe Draco could even get Severus to host a tournament. That would give the Dark Lord a reason to be there. Tournaments always had spectators. The plan was coming together marvelously well in Draco's mind. The Weasel grinned at Draco's agreement and threw a strand seaweed into their cauldron. The reaction was instantaneous. It exploded. A sneer curled on Draco's lips as he first examined his ruined potion, and then his ruined robe. Potter snickered from across the room, making Draco swing his glare onto the ebony haired Savior.

"You think something's funny here, Potter?" Draco practically spit out the word 'Potter' before taking a step towards the shorter boy. Potter poured some of his perfect potion into a vial – which Draco would have been doing in the next few minutes if it weren't for the dimwitted Weasel – and nodded. He obviously found Draco's misfortune to be funny. Oh, yes. Draco would definitely be helping the Weasel get his revenge. In fact, he would be in the tournament. If the Weasel couldn't beat Potter then Draco would, and if Potter couldn't beat the Weasel then Draco would. No one messed with a Malfoy.

"Forty points from Gryffindor for ruining a perfectly good potion. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, detention at nine o'clock tonight. Don't be late." Draco listened to Severus's voice as his lover punished the Gryffindors. He wasn't sure what Potter had done, but he didn't really care. Severus's baritone voice was music to Draco's ears. Swiftly, he spelled his robes clean and leaned back into his chair. Life was good.

(***Remus Lupin***)

Remus Lupin leaned back in his chair to watch to watch the two Malfoys and Sirius talk. Apparently, Voldemort had changed his mind about killing Harry. That was good news for them, but it just didn't sit well with the werewolf.

"We're serious about this, Mr. Black. The Dark Lord has ordered us not to harm a hair on your godson's head." Lucius Malfoy seemed completely somber about the ordeal, and Remus believed him on that account, but it just… wasn't right.

"Well I'm Sirius about everything and I don't want you bloody ponce's anywhere near my godson!" If it weren't for the situation that they were in, Remus would have rolled his eyes at the pun.

"Listen, Sirius. We're not sure why our Lord suddenly wants Harry to join him, but he does. We just want to know that if everything works out the way the Dark Lord has planned you'll be on our side." Sirius let out a harsh bark of laughter at Narcissa's words. Sirius opened his mouth to let out what was sure to be another insult when Remus intervened.

"We'll be on whatever side Harry's on, but trust me when I say this: Harry is not stupid. If he, for one reason or another, decides to join your side then it'll be for a marvelous reason. If your Lord," Remus restrained himself from saying Voldemort out of respect for their guests, "just wants to use Harry as another lap dog then it'll never work. Just make sure he knows that." Narcissa looked into Remus's eyes after he was finished and waited just a moment before nodding.

"I'll be sure to let him know. Thank you." She gave another nod, this time in thanks, before gracefully rising to her feet. They left without another word. Sirius whipped his head towards Remus.

"Are you crazy? They'll kill him! You can't trust a Slytherin, Moony! You just can't!" Sirius seemed adamant about that fact, but Remus just shook his head.

"I trust him to make his own decisions, Padfoot, and you should too." Sirius looked a bit downcast at that – much like a kicked puppy – making Remus smile. "But if you really want to take some extra precautions then I don't see anything wrong with dropping by Hogwarts in a couple of days and wa-" Remus didn't get to finish his sentence as Sirius pounced on him, successfully pinning him to the recliner.

"You mean it, Moony? We can really go visit Harry?" Remus chuckled at his best friend's excited tone.

"Yes, I mean it. We'll leave for Hogwarts first thing on Friday."

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