"Severus, I just don't understand it. I mean, she's clearly improving; all the nutritional potions and the body scans show her improvement and verify that everything we're doing is right. So why hasn't she moved more than the little twitches we've seen?"

Remus and Severus were sitting in front of the fire in the lounge having their after dinner brandy and discussing their patient's lack of progress, while Harry and Draco were huddled in the Library pouring over the tomes trying to find a reason for Narcissa's apparent lack of progress.

"Remus, I don't understand it any better than you. As you say, she should be making leaps in her recovery and while I see some change, it's not enough. There's obviously something we're missing. I think tonight, while you are sitting with her, I'll spend some more time in my lab and see what I can make of that chemical we found in her blood."

"Sounds good. I'm half way through 'Sense and Sensibility' and would really like her to be awake before it's done. Draco told me she really likes these sorts of romantic literature, but I can't say they do that much for me."

Severus laughed before saying, "You're reading these aloud?"

"Well, I thought it better than her listening to me breathe all night or worse, my mumbling attempts to tell her about what's happening around us."

"Indeed. I can see where your reading to her would likely be better. Still, it can't be any worse than her having to listen to my rambling about potions and giving her a rundown of what we're doing to make her well."

Remus tipped his head in acknowledgement and sipped his brandy while staring into the fire. He was thinking about how much he'd enjoyed this past week, sitting with Narcissa, quietly reading to her and watching her muscles attempt to respond to his words of encouragement.

"So, how are your weekends with the family going?"

Severus looked up at the question and hesitated before saying, "Quite well. I've told them I'll be spending my weekends there with them to help with the redecorating. It's quite a lovely area."

"And you're being received well?"

"By most, there are two who are a bit of a handful, but they've always been so and it's slowly changing. I hoping they'll be able to settle in there and be comfortable but I know they long to be elsewhere."

"Do we have any hope of seeing them back?"

"I believe so at some point, but that will depend on the outcome of the next few months."

Severus watched Remus writing as he answered and read the note passed to him,

Why don't you ask the Twins if they would like me to stop by for a visit? Maybe they are simply missing the ability to have a little fun.

Severus nodded and passed his answer to Remus,

I will when I'm there this weekend. I imagine they would quite like that. The children all miss home quite a lot.

Remus nodded and threw the parchment into the fire. As he was about to ask Severus about Molly, they were interrupted by a Winky the house elf with a message.

As Severus read the note, Remus watched Winky eye the brandy glass. Though she made no move to take it, he made a mental note to talk to Minerva about the elf's sobriety and her progress with reintegrating into her duties at the school.

"Winky, tell the Headmistress that I will pass this information on and will take care of everything."

Winky bowed low and popped out.

Severus handed the parchment to Remus as he walked past the Werewolf and out the door.

Remus read the page and growled and he crumpled the parchment and threw it into the fire. He slammed his fisted hand onto the end table and the half filled brandy glass bounced off, breaking on the floor.

Harry and Draco sat on the Library floor surrounded by discarded books and loose parchment. Each new book they opened brought with it the chance of an answer being discovered so they were working with a fervor that would have made Hermione very proud.

"Wait, I think I've got it…." Draco said suddenly, "Nope, false alarm." Draco threw another book aside and made his way into the next.

Harry watched the blondes determined face as it lit up with the possibility and then fall at the realisation that they were not any closer to an answer.

"I'm wrecked," Harry said as he stood and stretched. "I'm going to check a different section and see if I have any better luck. What's on the second level?"

Draco looked up; his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and said, "My father's personal volumes. I was never allowed to go up there. Some of his old potions notebooks might be up there though."

Harry nodded and headed up the spiral staircase to see if he could find anything of use. He ran his fingers over dusty spine after dusty spine of dark magic tomes and wondered if this was a futile effort as he came across a journal that was completely dust free. He slowly slid the book from the shelf and took it back downstairs. "I found something, I think"

"And what exactly does that mean?" Draco asked as he watched his research partner cast reveal spells over the book.

"Well," Harry said as he opened the uncharmed book, "this was the only book upstairs that wasn't covered in dust so I figured it must have been used recently. It's not cursed in any way and it looks like a journal, so I'm thinking maybe it'll help."

Draco watched as Harry stretched out on the couch before the fire and he found himself wondering when Harry had become so broad shouldered and well muscled. He had to stifle a gasp when Harry's stretching revealed a very tight stomach, his eyes locked on the trail of dark hair that began just below his belly button.

He unconsciously licked his lips as his eyes traveled down Harry's firm muscular thighs and then back up to his messy hair. Draco smiled as he thought about how much messier they could get it with an hour of privacy.

He watched as Harry licked his finger before turning a page and swallowed a moan as the action made his pants deliciously tighter and was about to excuse himself to take care of the problem when Harry suddenly jumped up and yelled, "Bingo! I've got it. We have to neutralize the paralytic he used."

He scrambled up off the couch and flew through the door running head long into Severus and falling backward.

Draco caught him from behind and steadied him, his arms sliding under the brunettes and holding him around the chest, as Harry said, "Sorry Severus, I've got the missing piece though."

In his excitement, Harry hadn't noticed the sad expression on Severus' face, but Draco had, "Uncle Sev, what is it? Is it Mum?"

Hearing the anxiety in Draco's voice and feeling the slight tightening of his arms, Harry looked up at the Potions Master's face and saw the sadness and registered something he'd never seen on the man before, fear.

"Boys, let's sit."

Remus came up behind Severus as they walked into the Library and Harry was immediately on guard, reading fury from the wolf.

"Draco, Cissa is fine. Do not worry about her. There is something else though."

Draco sagged on the couch beside Harry, relief pouring from him as he waited to hear what was going on. He couldn't imagine what would make Severus so upset and cause Remus to have to fight with himself for control, but as long as his mother was fine, he was.

Severus took a deep breath and said, "There was an attack this evening and there were a couple of casualties."

Draco sat up straighter and waited for the worst.

"Harry, The Burrow was destroyed tonight. Fenrir, Ginny and about a dozen newbourns made their way through Ottery St. Catchpole destroying the Post office, one of the restaurants and the Diggory's old place before blowing The Burrow up. There was no way to save it and we lost two probationary Aurors in the process."

Draco jumped when Remus put his hand through the wall behind them and quickly looked at Harry.

Harry was trying hard to control the rage he felt and Draco and Severus watched the emotions flow across his face as his whole body sat rigid, shaking with the unexpressed emotion.

Draco slowly reached his hand out and touched Harry's forearm, somewhat startled by the strength he felt and also by the magic he felt coursing through him. "Harry, you need to calm down." Draco shifted closer to the furious brunette and quietly continued, "It's okay, they weren't there and they weren't hurt. We'll get them."

"Harry, please calm down. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I promise we'll stop them." Draco slid his hand down Harry's arm and threaded his fingers through the other, noticing the heat gathering there, and squeezed in reassurance.

Harry's magically surge was causing him to glow in his rage and while he could hear Draco talking, his mind wasn't registering the words. The words might not have made it through the red haze surrounding his head, but the soft skin sliding over his did. His arm broke with Goosebumps and when the strong hand gripped his, he finally released the tension he'd been holding and allowed the gathering magic to dissipate. He felt the buzz of his magic as it spread itself back through his system, allowing his core to settle and his body to relax.

Remus pulled his hand from the wall and waved his wand at the hole to fix it while he watched the interplay between the young men on the couch. It was like watching a snake charmer playing a haunting song that called to the serpent; as Draco quietly spoke, Harry's magical surge began to calm and the atmosphere in the room settled.

He walked to the setting area and stood behind Severus, watching the pair across from them and waited until Harry had calmed before saying, "Draco, I'm sorry about the wall."

Draco looked up and nodded, worry clear on his face. He went to release Harry's hand but found it held tighter and Harry barely shook his head when Draco looked at him. Draco looked at the men and nodded to the book on the table between them saying, "Harry found something in there that he thought was the answer to our problems with my Mum. That's why he came running for you."

Severus reached for the book at Draco settled back on the couch, the joined hands resting in Harry's lap covered by the Harry's other hand which was unconscious playing with Draco's long pale fingers.

"Harry, what did you find?" Severus asked as he flipped through the journal.

"I marked the pages, Severus. I believe Lucius has perfected a version of the Draught of Living Death that has a hidden trigger in it. If the potion is not administered at scheduled intervals, the underlying spell is triggered and the patient falls into a paralysis of sorts. Because Narcissa is so strong, she's been able to work through it occasionally and give us those rare moments. I believe if we neutralise the paralytic, we can free her."

Severus was studying the pages Harry had marked and saw the notations Harry had mentioned, he carefully read through the scrawl covering the pages and knew he had most of the ingredients in his lab already. "I can brew this but I will need to get a few things. Remus, will you please stay here while I run to Diagon Alley? It should take me about an hour to get what I need and then about four days to brew."

Harry rose, pulling Draco with him, "We're going for a walk then. Remus, would mind sitting with Narcissa and filling her in on what we've learned?"

Remus smiled, "Not at all. I've still got about six chapters to read before I finish this book."

Harry walked out, dragging Draco along with him. They walked out into the dimly lit night and began to wander through the garden, neither speaking, but each enjoying the simple ace of the other's presence.

When they reached the bench in the centre of the garden, Harry pulled Draco down to sit and finally spoke, "First, I want to say Thank You. I don't know what you did to stop me from exploding, but whatever it was, thank you. Second, I will do whatever I can to help your Mum. I've already begun to make inquiries into other places I might stay until I can get Grimmauld into shape to stay there. I'm not leaving this continent until Greyback has been taken down and then I will explore some of the other properties I've inherited. So while I'm at Grimmauld, if you need me, I'll be here."

"Wait, wait, wait," Draco interrupted, "hold on a minute. What do you mean by taking off?"

Harry looked at Draco's upset face in confusion.

"If you think for a minute that you're going to live in that pit of a house you've got another thing coming. There is absolutely no reason for you to even think about leaving here."

"Ouch!" Harry said pulling his hand from Draco's vice grip, "Draco, I didn't mean to upset you; it's just that with your Mum waking up and all, I figured it was time for me to leave. I'm the last person she'll want to have around and I'm not going to upset her by overstaying my welcome."

Draco was suddenly furious and felt the intense need to destroy something so he wouldn't hurt himself or Harry. He pointed his wand toward Harry and said, "Reducto," causing the marble bench below Harry to explode and Harry to fall on his bum.

"Oi! What the hell are you playing at?!"

Draco held his hand out, helping Harry up, "Sorry, when I get angry like that, I tend to blow things up so I don't hurt myself or someone else." He pointed to the rubble and cast, "Reparo," then sat back down pulling Harry next to him. He sighed, looking at his lap, and then said, "Harry, you will always be welcome in my home. There is no reason for you to leave just because my Mum is going to be awake again. She'll be just as glad to see you here and I am to have you here."

Harry looked at the top of the blonde head and quietly said, "You're glad I'm here?"

Draco looked up into the shining green eyes and answered, "Of course I am."

As they sat staring into each other's eyes, Draco reached his and up and cupped Harry's cheek.

Harry leaned into the touch and pulled Draco toward him.

POP

"Master Draco sir, you is wanted by the wolf in Mistress' rooms. Master Harry is coming too."

"Draco dropped his hand and his head and sighed, "Fine Teensy, we'll be right along."

Both boys stood and made their way back into the house. Draco headed straight to him mother's suite and Harry made a quick stop in his room.

"Draco, you're flushed, are you alright?"

"Yes Remus, I'm fine. Is Mum okay?"

Harry walked in and Remus noticed a flush in his cheeks as well, "Oh, um, right. She's fine. She called your name a bit ago and I thought she wanted to see you. I filled her in on Harry's discovery and that's when she said your name. Why don't Harry and I leave the two of you to chat."

Draco looked longingly at Harry and said, "Yes, that's fine. Thank you. I'll be down in a while."

Once the door was closed, Draco let fly the stream of angry words he was feeling from their stolen moment. In a very un-Malfoy like way, he flopped down on the bed next to his mother and said, "Mum, why did he have to pick that moment to call for us? I had a bit of break through with Harry tonight. He was going on about leaving once you've woken up and after I blew up the marble seat and repaired it, I told him there was no way he was leaving this house. Mum, I hope you aren't mad, but we almost kissed tonight."

"Dammit all to hell and back, why can't I have just one normal thing happen in my life?"

"Pup, you okay? Is there something you want to talk about?"

Harry flopped on the couch in Remus' sitting room and said, "Remus, I think I might have really cocked things up tonight."

"Harry, what could you possibly have done in such a short period of time?"

"Well, I pissed Draco off right good and almost kissed him."

Remus smiled and laughed, "Okay Pup, let's deal with one thing at a time. You pissed Draco off?"

Harry sheepishly looked at his surrogate Godfather, "Um yeah, I told him that when Narcissa is awake again, I'm moving into Grimmauld until I can find a better property."

Remus looked concerned and said, "Why would feel the need to do that? Does it have to do with your almost kiss?"

"No. I just figured I'm the last person Narcissa's gonna want to see since I'm the reason her life has fallen apart and so I thought I'd spare her my presence."

"Oh Harry, don't you know, you are not the cause of all this. You are merely a pawn with the rest of us. If anything, I would imagine she'll demand you stay since you are the reason she's awake, or will be."

"I suppose so. I'll give her the choice."

"Now about the kiss…"

"Right, well, Draco had blown up the bench and then helped me up off the ground before repairing it. Then we sat down and he told me I would always be welcome. I was surprised when he said he was glad I was here and then we were about to kiss and Teensy showed up."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door and Remus went to answer it. "Severus, glad your back."

"I will be needing you and Draco to help with the beginning of this potion, do you know where he is?"

"He's with his Mum, I'll go and take over and send him down," Harry said walking by the two.

"Did I miss something?" Severus asked.

"I'll explain it as we head down."

"Draco," Harry said as he quietly opened the door to Narcissa's rooms.

"Come in Harry," Draco said.

"Um, Severus is back and needs your help in the Lab. I'll stay here with your Mum."

"Oh, okay." Draco bent and placed a kiss on his Mum's cheek, "I'll talk with you a bit later then. Have a nice time with Harry and be polite."

Draco took Harry's hand as he walked by, "I'd like to talk with you later about what happened in the garden."

"Right, okay. Um, you know where I'll be when you're ready to talk."

Draco left and quietly closed the door.

When he heard the door click, his head fell forward onto the bed and he groaned, "Oh Narcissa, I hope you won't hate me when you wake, but I think I'm falling in love with your son."