Dumbledore poked at the charred remains of Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, which lay in pieces on his desk. He pointed his wand at the twisted, molten metal, muttering several incantations at it. Remus sat back in a chair on the other side of Dumbledore's desk, with Sirius on his left. Tonks was downstairs with Harry, who was alive but in a magically induced coma to promote his healing, mere hours after competing in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"What do you think?" asked Sirius. "Is it gone?"

Dumbledore put his finger up to his lips to keep Sirius quiet. The Headmaster's long, crooked nose was now only an inch or so from the blob of scorched metal. He continued murmuring to himself, prodding at it, until he finally raised his head.

"Destroyed," Dumbledore declared. "Excellent work, Sirius."

"I still can't believe you let Harry get involved with this," Remus said irritably.

"I told you," Sirius growled, "hiding information from him only makes things worse."

"There's a big difference between hiding information from him and letting him unnecessarily risk his life," Remus retorted, gripping the sides of his chair tightly. "If that prophecy said he's the only one who can kill Voldemort, he can't bloody do it if he's dead."

"If I may," Dumbledore interjected calmly. "I believe we may be able to reinterpret the prophecy."

Remus fixed his gaze on Dumbledore. "What are you talking about? I thought Harry had to be the one to defeat him?"

"Prophecies are curious things. What do you know of the prophecy made regarding Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, Remus?"

"Whatever Sirius told me," Remus responded, gesturing to his left.

"I knew what James and Lily told me. There was a prophecy made about a boy to be born around the time Harry was due, born to parents who had defied Voldemort three times. That child would defeat the Dark Lord." Sirius creased his brow and opened his mouth slightly. "They told me what you told them…is there more to it?"

"There is," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair and looking up. Remus frowned and tightened his lips; Sirius sat straighter and got to the edge of his seat. Dumbledore's expression remained impassive.

"Are you going to tell us more?" Remus asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them.

"Yes and no," Dumbledore answered, his demeanor frustratingly relaxed and enigmatic. "The prophecy states that 'neither can live while the other survives.' There are many ways to interpret this, one of which is Harry being the one to defeat Voldemort."

"Or why he wants to kill Harry," Remus said darkly.

"Voldemort has an obsessive nature." Dumbledore laced his fingers together and peered down at the misshapen, blackened diadem. "Harry cannot live while Voldemort survives, because Voldemort believes Harry is the only one in the way of his immortality. I suspect that Harry cannot live while Voldemort lives, because Harry does not wish him to live. Harry is as dedicated to defeating Voldemort as Voldemort is to defeating him…or am I mistaken?"

"Harry has every reason to want Voldemort dead," Sirius said. "Voldemort is the reason his parents are gone. He's the reason Harry has that scar…why Lyall was killed…why so many others' lives are at stake. If anyone has reason to want Voldemort gone, it's Harry."

"Precisely. You see, in targeting Harry, Voldemort all but made himself a lifelong enemy. Had Voldemort never bothered going to Godric's Hollow…or had he never heard part of the prophecy…he would've realized he was making a grave mistake in marking out a boy who would seek to defeat him."

"What if he had heard the full prophecy?" asked Remus.

"There is another part of the prophecy to consider," Dumbledore answered. "Yet the prophecy itself is not important. The only one who has taken any stock in it is Voldemort. I expect that one day, Voldemort will want to know the full contents of the prophecy, but until that point, it may be wise to inform Harry that he needn't do anything."

"But what's going to happen when Voldemort does hear the prophecy?" Sirius said, glancing sideways at Remus.

"It's my hope to delay that as long as possible…perhaps we can destroy the remaining horcruxes and Voldemort before that ever takes place." Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles on his wizened nose. Remus lifted a brow at him, wondering how they would delay the inevitable.

"Fortunately, the prophecy can only be obtained by those to whom the prophecy concerns. Until Voldemort has a body, the prophecy's contents are safe."

"How do you know he doesn't have a body?" asked Sirius, narrowing his eyes at Dumbledore. "He hasn't been seen, has he?"

"You recall that Severus is a double agent? He continues to serve in that role." Sirius scoffed at Dumbledore's reply, but Remus leaned forward with his chin in his hands.

"Does he know where Voldemort is, Albus?"

"No, but there are other ways to know that Voldemort is not as strong as he once was," Dumbledore replied. Remus believed there was more than met the eye – as was typical with the puzzling Headmaster – but it was clear they weren't getting any more answers.

"What do we tell Harry, then?" asked Sirius, gesturing to Remus. "He's under the impression he's got to kill Voldemort."

"He may have to," Dumbledore said, exhaling heavily. "But he may not have to. I'd impress upon him that it may not be entirely on his shoulders."

"Until Voldemort gets the prophecy, you mean," Sirius said. "After that—"

"We shall hope that by the time Voldemort goes anywhere near the prophecy, all the remaining horcruxes are destroyed, and Harry is trained enough to vanquish him."

"Kill him," Remus corrected. "We thought he was defeated in '81. This time, we need a body."

Dumbledore nodded somberly. "I'm afraid this is the only option – but, as I've mentioned, let us hope we can avoid it."

"So, who's going to kill him, if not Harry? Us?" Remus said, finally grasping the reality that once all the horcruxes were found and destroyed, someone would be responsible for killing Lord Voldemort. The very thought of coming face to face with him was enough to make Remus's head spin; if he couldn't fathom the idea, how could he possibly allow Harry to attempt it?

"I will, if I must," Dumbledore replied solemnly. "I will offer him every chance to surrender, but if we duel to the death, I will do what is necessary."

Remus crinkled his nose and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. His exhaustion was catching up to him and the overwhelming weight of eliminating Voldemort had only increased, despite Sirius having destroyed a horcrux.

"Are there any other leads on the horcruxes?" Remus asked. "Sirius mentioned something belonging to Helga Hufflepuff?"

"A gold cup," Dumbledore replied, nodding. "Its location remains unknown. After confirming Slytherin's locket and Ravenclaw's diadem as horcruxes, I am certain that Hufflepuff's cup is the next one."

"Diary…locket…diadem…something inside the Gaunt shack…that old ring…Hufflepuff's cup," Sirius murmured, counting the items off on his hands. "Is that all of them, do you think?"

Dumbledore's brow creased and his lip curled downwards. "I'm not certain. If you remember, we visited Horace Slughorn and obtained a memory—"

"That wasn't a typical memory," Remus said at once. "He had fiddled with it."

"He tampered with the original memory," confirmed Dumbledore. "I believe I know how many horcruxes Voldemort wanted to make, but without that memory…it's impossible to know."

"Isn't it just as likely that he's made more – or will make more?" Sirius said, running his hands through his hair. "What are we going to do when he finds out we've been destroying them?"

"Well, that's the point, isn't it?" Remus said bitterly. "We have to destroy all of them before Voldemort gets a new body…and before he can get to the prophecy."

"We shouldn't destroy the Gaunt shack, even if there's a horcrux in it," Sirius added. "If Voldemort gets a body and goes back to look for it, he'll know the others are missing." Sirius pursed his lips and peered up at Dumbledore. "What are the odds Voldemort goes looking for his horcruxes after getting a body?"

"In addition to having a possessive nature," Dumbledore answered pensively, "Voldemort is terribly arrogant. I would be astonished if he thought anyone had learned his secret."

"We're relying on a lot of luck here, aren't we?" Remus muttered, his jaw clenching tightly.

"Luck and nerve," Sirius concurred, hunching over, and clasping his hands together. A low hiss escaped from his lips, and he stood, arching his back to stretch. "We should go back to see Harry. None of this is going to help us for now."

"I quite agree," Dumbledore said. "Has Madam Pomfrey given you any new prognoses?"

Remus and Sirius shook their heads. Remus said, "Harry's the least injured of the bunch, which is saying something."

"I've been assured the next task will be less dangerous," Dumbledore said nonchalantly, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Sirius exchanged a dark glance with Remus on their way out of the Headmaster's office. 'Less dangerous' could mean anything, and neither of them were looking forward to learning what the next threat to Harry's life would be.

…

Remus saw Tonks brushing the seafoam green hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear; she was as anxious as he was while waiting for Harry to wake up. It had been three days since the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and not a single champion had woken from their magically induced coma. The Hogwarts infirmary had become too full of people, so a large, empty classroom became the healing place for the four champions, as well as a makeshift shelter for their families. Harry was supposed to wake up from his coma at any moment, as he had sustained the least severe injuries.

Fleur Delacour, in addition to the blistering sunburns, had suffered from a severe spinal injury. She had very nearly broken her neck, which might've spelled instant death, had she not given up partway through her task. She would heal, but it would take weeks, if not months, for her to walk properly again.

Viktor Krum was in a similar state. He had almost suffocated in the earth and had lost consciousness for a few seconds. Rocks underneath the earth had broken several of his bones, which in turn punctured some of his organs. He would take a few weeks to recover.

Cedric Diggory had come closest to death. His heart had to be restarted upon removal from the ice. He too would heal, but he might not be able to walk ever again from the loss of oxygen to his brain.

Harry was rescued from the fire after he lost consciousness from smoke inhalation. Most of his back and his feet suffered various burns from landing around lava or fire; Madam Pomfrey chose to put him in a magically induced coma to speed up the healing process of re-growing his skin. Like Viktor, it would take Harry a few weeks to fully recover, but unlike Fleur or Cedric, he wouldn't have to learn to walk again.

"This is madness," Tonks muttered, shaking her head furiously. "Telling them the tasks in advance was pointless. Those weren't challenges to be overcome – those were death traps."

"They assured us the next tasks won't be as dangerous," said Sirius. "They'll all be lucky if they can walk in two months!"

Remus kept his gaze steady on Harry as Madam Pomfrey redressed his wounds. His skin was raw and pink, but slowly healing. With any luck, Harry might be ready to go back to his usual schedule and classes in two to three weeks' time.

The only accomplishment that had resulted from Harry's second task was the destruction of another horcrux. Remus was irritated that Sirius permitted Harry to search for it, but Sirius insisted that they needed to be more open with him, as he was growing older and less likely to share parts of his life with them if they were closed off to him.

Remus agreed, with the sole exception of anything involving Voldemort. Harry was already a target and Remus didn't want Harry to entangle himself any further in the quest to end Voldemort. After the conversation with Dumbledore three days prior, the prophecy was becoming redundant in Remus's eyes; 'neither can live while the other survives' became less a prediction of who would defeat the other, but rather the discomfiture of their mutual existence. There was a chance that Harry would have to kill Voldemort himself, but Sirius and Remus agreed that they'd do anything in their power to prevent that from happening.

Voldemort wanted Harry to die, believing Harry to be his only equal opponent; Harry wanted Voldemort to die, to avenge his parents and end the threats to his own life. It was a vicious, pointless circle, thought Remus, and the sooner Voldemort was eliminated – by anyone – the sooner Harry could have the semblance of a normal life. With a great deal of fortune, this might all be accomplished before Voldemort regained a physical body or discovered the contents of the prophecy.

"He's moving his eyes!" Tonks said suddenly. She rushed to Harry's side and brushed his fringe out of his eyes.

A low, weak groan escaped from Harry's lips. His eyes fluttered open, widening slightly as he looked around.

"Where 'm I?" Harry croaked.

"In an unused classroom," Remus replied promptly. "You sustained a lot of burns, but you're alive. So is everyone else, thank Merlin, but it'll be weeks to months before all of you are back to your usual selves."

"Months?" Harry gasped. He tried to move his limbs to reach for his glasses, but as they were bandaged heavily, Tonks grabbed them from his bedside table and placed them gingerly on his face.

"You'll only take a few weeks, we hope," Tonks said, adjusting the bridge of his glasses on his nose. "It could've been a lot worse."

Harry closed his eyes briefly, grimacing as he tried to move against the pillows behind him. He rasped, "Who…won?"

"No one completed the second task perfectly," Sirius responded. "You're in third place now."

"Fleur got 30 points…she had to give up partway through the task. Good thing she did, or she might've died. She's in last place," Tonks elaborated. "Cedric got 33 points, since he got further in his task, but since he wasn't moving, that's when they rescued him. He's in second place. Viktor got 42 points since he pushed himself out of the ground and was still moving, even if he passed out later. He took too long to complete the task, but he's in first place now."

"You're in third place. You got 36 points," Remus explained. "You had the same problem as Cedric since you were unconscious, but you got further in the task than he did. You're only a point behind him."

"Next task?" Harry asked weakly.

"We don't know yet," Sirius answered. "You'll all be told by the end of the week when everyone is awake…or so we hope."

Remus heard the classroom door squeaking open. Three familiar faces were at the door, looking anxiously within. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had stopped by the makeshift infirmary multiple times a day for the last few days. Though Hermione and Ron were clearly quarrelling, they brought Harry's homework and notes with them every day. Ginny simply wanted to keep Harry company.

"I'll get them," Sirius said. He ambled to the door and after speaking quietly to Harry's friends, they carefully walked over to meet him.

"You're all right!" Ginny crinkled her eyes and nose as a wide smile grew on her face. Harry mustered a smile for her too, and Tonks backed away slowly, giving Ginny, Ron, and Hermione space to speak with Harry.

Tonks buried her face in Remus's chest, hugging him forcefully. The day after Valentine's Day, Harry had sent her a scathing Howler expressing his deep displeasure with the gift she'd gotten for Ginny. Tonks knew their 'fake' dating for Dudley was realer than either of them wanted to admit, especially after seeing the pictures of them together from the Yule Ball. Tonks suspected Harry would forget Valentine's Day, and not wanting Ginny to feel left out, she'd purchased a box of chocolates and charmed a card to sing a poem for her.

Tonks hadn't known the poem would be so loud – nor that it would be broadcast to the entire Great Hall over breakfast. Harry was furious; it was uncharacteristic of him to be so outwardly hostile, particularly to Tonks, but he had even refused to talk to her before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Tonks had felt guilty ever since, and all her letters to Harry were sent back without being opened. Remus and Sirius had attempted to smooth things over, but Harry refused to discuss it. Though Ginny liked her gift, calling it romantic, Harry hated the attention he'd gotten.

There was a muffled sound against Remus's jumper. He peered down, finding Tonks's hair had shifted to silver, and he planted a kiss on the top of her head to reassure her.

"He just needs time," Remus murmured. "You'll see."

"He hates me," Tonks whimpered. "I should've never teased him…just had to stick my nose in their business…"

"You're not the first parent, adoptive or otherwise, to make a mistake," Remus said quietly. "He's having a hard year. Don't take it personally."

"But it's my fault."

"He'll come around. Just be patient, sweetheart."

"Mrs. Lupin?" Hermione asked timidly. Tonks rubbed her eyes against Remus's jumper and turned to face Hermione.

"You can call me Tonks, Hermione." Tonks sniffled a little and rubbed her sleeve under her nose.

"Harry's asking for you, Tonks," Hermione said, pointing to Harry. "He wouldn't say what he needed."

"See?" Remus whispered into Tonks's ear. "It'll be just fine." Her lip quivered but she moved forward to meet Harry. Ron and Ginny got out of the way and joined Remus and Sirius.

"Professor Black, is Harry going to be okay?" Hermione asked, peering over her shoulder. "What about the others?"

"Everyone should survive," Sirius replied quietly. "If Harry heals well, he should be back in classes in a few weeks. If neither of you minds, I'm sure he'd appreciate help on his homework and lessons."

"We'll be here," Ron said firmly, as Hermione's expression soured, looking every bit as if she didn't want to be anywhere near Ron.

"I can come too," Ginny offered, blushing lightly. "It's never too early to get ahead on my studies." Hermione beamed at her, nodding enthusiastically, while Ron rolled his eyes dramatically and scoffed.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a tray full of potions. Remus recognized the look in her face very well; she was losing her patience with so many visitors. He cleared his throat loudly and tilted his head in her direction.

"It's almost time for visiting hours to end," Sirius announced, after glancing at his watch. "I don't think Harry will be awake for much longer. Those potions he's taking will knock him out till morning."

"We can say goodbye?" Ginny said hopefully. "Will he be awake in the morning?"

"That's the plan," Sirius answered. "He probably won't be awake for long, though, so it'll be better to wait till the afternoon or evening to see him." Ginny's face fell; she turned away, frowning in Harry's direction.

"It's better for him that he sleeps," Remus consoled. "When he's awake in the afternoon, I'm sure he'll appreciate your company."

Ginny brightened, happily ignoring the angry muttering between Ron and Hermione. Tonks, pink-nosed and teary-eyed, returned from Harry's bedside.

"He's going to be sleeping soon," Tonks shared, her voice cracking. "He'll be readier for visitors tomorrow."

Remus joined Ginny, Ron, and Hermione in saying goodnight to Harry. He closed his eyes, smiling softly, as Ginny lightly squeezed his hand. Remus put his hand over his mouth, trying not to chuckle at how much Harry looked like James in that moment. Harry's friends disappeared, leaving Sirius, Remus, and Tonks at Harry's bedside.

"We both have to be back at work in the morning, but we'll be here in the afternoon," Remus said, eyeing Tonks carefully. She nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve again.

"I'll send a letter or Patronus if I need either of you," Sirius said, wishing them both a good night. It was only eight o'clock, but Remus felt exhausted from a day of teaching, followed by an afternoon of planning the next horcrux investigation. Neither he nor Sirius were anywhere closer to finding one, and after the sheer relief of seeing Harry awake and talking, Remus was ready to fall into his bed.

Remus and Tonks went home to Cardiff; Tonks was a little subdued while they ate dinner, but her hair was no longer silver. It had shifted to an ocean blue, and when Remus cleaned up the plates he decided to broach a new topic.

"How did the conversation with Harry go?" he asked lightly. "He wanted to talk to you, didn't he?"

"It was fine," Tonks said, slumping in her seat. "He told me I take the teasing too far sometimes, which is fair. I apologized and he was all right, but I still feel guilty. I wanted everything to be okay, but I know it'll take time to get there. I feel so stupid."

"You're not stupid. Parenting is hard—"

"I'm not his real parent. You and I both know that, Remus."

"None of us are his 'real' parents," Remus replied matter-of-factly. "None of us are James and Lily. You didn't know them, but they weren't perfect. I'm sure James and Lily would've made loads of mistakes, just like the rest of us."

"He doesn't have to love me…or even like me," Tonks mumbled. "I care about him so much, you know? I've fucked it up."

"He was talking to you, wasn't he?" Remus prodded. "What did he tell you?"

"Well…Ginny talked to him first. She said all mums are embarrassing." Tonks wheezed, shook her head, and sat up straighter. "I'm not a 'mum,' but Ginny told him that even if he hated the Valentine's Day gift, it was 'nice of me' to remember her. I reckon he told her it was my idea."

"I've got a feeling that's how he decided to talk to you again," Remus said drily. "Don't underestimate what a bloke will do because of a girl he likes."

Tonks tilted her head back. Her hair shifted to her usual bubblegum pink. She smiled softly and reached out her hand to meet his. "Did that ever happen to you?"

"Did what ever happen to me?"

"You did something because of a girl you liked?" Tonks's soft smile grew wider as she arched a brow at him. He exhaled, deflating slightly, and conceded.

"You remember that time I nearly abandoned Harry with your parents?"

"Remus, you did abandon Harry with my parents," Tonks said flatly. "There's no nearly about it."

"Then the time I did abandon him," Remus said, exasperated. "If it hadn't been for you knocking some sense into me, I'd have left him there."

"You did that because of me?"

"I didn't want to disappoint you…or Harry." Tonks hugged herself, shaking with laughter. Remus grew mildly irritated, but saw an opportunity.

"You said you made a mistake, didn't you?" Remus said suddenly, as Tonks sobered. "At least you didn't try to abandon him. We all make mistakes. The best you can do is learn from it and move on."

Tonks stood without warning and placed her hands on his cheeks, bringing her lips down to his for a kiss. Surprised, but pleased, Remus put his hands on her waist and gently nipped at her lower lip, already feeling his body responding to hers.

She pulled away for a moment and murmured, "I love you so much. You know just what to say."

Remus disagreed, but let Tonks believe what she wanted. He captured her lips in another kiss and sighed into her mouth, letting his worries slip away, if only for the night.