A/N: Not me reading K's FB post at 5 am and thinking "Oh, it's chapter day" and then completely forgetting. So that's great lol Thank you all for the continued love!

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Their impromptu feast was finished jovially and Ron, Ginny and Albus got up with tired eyes. Hermione, with Minerva's hand on her thigh, sat picking at what was left while she watched Harry look everywhere but at them. She let him think she was making gooey eyes at Minerva as she watched him slip from the table.

"He -"

"Hush," Hermione smiled. "I'll take care of it."

"But -"

"I promised you, remember?" Hermione breathed against her cheek. "I love you."

She caught Harry's eye just as he was about to leave the room. He stared at her for a long time before his shoulders dropped and he kicked the wall with his toe.

"Come," she said finally, beckoning him back to the table. "Talk to me."

He glanced up at her and sneered. He sat back down in front of her with his arms crossed.

"Can't you already tell?"

Minerva's hand tightened where it had come to rest on her thigh again and Hermione heard her take a breath but she stopped her and squeezed her hand instead.

"That doesn't tell me why, it only tells me that you have a lot of feelings about it and that you likely need to speak about it."

"Why are we doing all this just to save him?"

"Harry!"

"Min," Hermione said gently, interrupting her. "Not now. Go and keep Albus company for a while."

"I will not! Severus is -"

"Minerva," she snapped, cupping her cheek to ease the sting. "Please."

She glared between them and got up in a huff. She didn't bother to correct the chair when it clattered into another and she went over and transfigured the very sad-looking furniture into something else and sat with her arms crossed. Hermione didn't need to use her power to know that she would hear about that later.

"Now," she said gently. "Tell me why."

"He killed them."

"Harry -" Hermione sighed, trying to both accommodate Harry's upset and also talk him down to something less extreme. "That is only partially true," she said softly. "While he was a Death Eater, there was no way to know what he took back to his boss would result in the death of your parents."

"He didn't save them!" he hissed. "He didn't -"

"That was my fault," Albus said quietly. Harry jumped but Hermione didn't. She had watched him look up and speak quietly to Minerva. They had argued back and forth a little before he had walked over to join them. "It was me, Harry, that should have saved them."

"Then I hate you too," he huffed as he crossed his arms.

"And you would be right to do so," he sighed as he sat. "So much of what I know now, I did not know back then." He made a face. "Some of what I know now, I did not care to know then and that is reprehensible. I had not realised the fallout of my plans would be so great and for that, dear boy, I am irrevocably sorry."

"It won't bring them back," he huffed.

"No," Albus nodded. "It won't. But if it is any comfort, when I realised who had betrayed us, I am the one who persuaded him to turn. I asked him to spy on Tom to ensure we were always one step ahead of him. In return, he asked only one thing of me."

Harry looked up, but Hermione's heart was breaking at what she knew was coming.

"He asked me to save your mother." He scrubbed his face and she felt nothing but anguish coming from them both. "I admit fully that I was not as motivated as I should have been. In part, I believed that they would never come to harm. I did what I had time to do: I told your parents that I believed they were in danger and when they insisted that they would be fine because Sirius was their Secret Keeper, I did not argue. And I did not attempt to help further. They assured me that that was enough." Hermione wasn't sure whether he was persuading himself or Harry at this point, but she stayed quiet as he let go of the truth, finally. "I believed them." He rubbed his face again. "Then, as we know and perhaps at the very last moment, they changed their Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew; something even I could not have predicted." He sighed. "Severus has saved many lives, Harry, in penance for the loss of Lily's life and despite my own monumental failings. I told him I would save her and when I didn't, he could have gone back. He could have forsaken everything good and taken his anger and run back to the Dark. He didn't, though. He kept his word to me. He has done wrong, Harry, that is a fact, but I do not believe that he deserves death."

"He shouldn't get to live. I know it was him. He told Him. He was eavesdropping, I know it! Professor Trelawney said so."

"Yes, it was," Albus said quietly. "I will not deny that fact, but if we punished everybody for making the wrong decision based on something they heard on the off-chance, we would all have far fewer friends. Severus is not the only person in history to have made a decision that has resulted in somebody's death."

"Albus," Hermione warned dangerously. A wave of sadness washed over her and she turned to stare at Minerva. Hermione didn't know what had just happened, but something had and she desperately wanted to go over there and take away Minerva's pain.

Albus' eyes widened as he saw her look and he groaned as he sat back. She wasn't sure what he had been alluding to, but Minerva had obviously understood.

"The point is, Harry," she said, still glaring at Albus for good measure. "If we simply punish him with death, we would be no better than they are."

"But it -"

"Think, for just a moment," Hermione said gently. "Would you kill him? Would you stand over him and murder him?"

"It wouldn't be murder," he growled. "It would be in payment for all the shit he's put us through."

"I would like to argue your point," Minerva said quietly. "As I am the one who has counselled Severus since you started here." Harry's eyes grew as he looked up at her. "We have grown," she hesitated but Hermione nodded for her to speak. "Close. And, though we have not had as much time together this year on account of," she made a face. "Everything, I have always tried to make him remember that the sins of the father are never to be wrought on the child. But it is hard because he has suffered, Harry. So much more so than you know." Harry huffed, but Minerva sat beside him and touched his elbow until he turned. "Broken people do not always make the right decisions in the heat of a moment. And just like I told you before. Youthful cruelty does not make you a cruel man. It is your choices that do that and while Severus' choices are not always the best, and while he can be cutting at times -"

"Often," Harry grumbled.

"His actions are in defence of something he has no control over."

"Oh yeah?" he growled. "Like what? Cos they're never in defence of me."

"His heart, lad. His heart." That made Harry pause and he looked at her in confusion. Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. "And they are always in defence of you, sweetheart. Because, while everyone always tells you that you look like your father, you most definitely do have your mother's eyes," she said softly. "And Severus was so in love with that girl that I'm sure looking at you every day - the product of his biggest nemesis and his greatest love - is so very difficult sometimes but you are still her child. He may not be able to admit it, even to himself, but he would not let any," she winced. "Real harm come to you."

"He didn't even know her! How can you love someone you don't know."

"Oh, he did," Minerva soothed. "They grew up together. I believe even your Aunt knew Severus at one time."

Harry stared at her.

"That's bullshit."

"Harry," Hermione warned, though Minerva needed no help.

"He loved her, sweetheart," Minerva continued as if he hadn't said anything. "And he lost her because he made choices that hurt people. Nothing could ever be worse than that -" She sighed and Hermione felt the pain in that breath. "The self-flagellation one feels is bigger than any punishment anyone else can bestow. Until Lily fell in love with James, and there you were, he only had to contend with his self-inflicted wounds," she chuckled sadly. "And then, there you all were. Together. In a unit that he had probably dreamed about for so long." Harry scoffed and Minerva reached for his hand. "I am not excusing or condoning his actions towards you, Harry. I am not. I know, more than most, how cutting he can be but I cannot," she sighed. "I cannot help but speak in defence of him." Harry turned his lip and Minerva sighed. "I do understand, Harry. I do," Hermione's heart spluttered as she watched a tear roll down her cheek. "But I -" she shuddered. "I do not want him to die."

"I don't care," Harry screamed. "I don't care about any of that. He killed her!" Hermione felt the stab of pain from Minerva and reached for her. "What's worse," he raged. "It's that you're just going to let him live, aren't you?" He yelled. "After everything he's done?"

Hermione sighed and looked thoughtfully at him.

"Alright, Harry," she said finally. "You want him to die? Then you must do it."

Albus and Minerva both stood to protest but Hermione remained seated and waved their arguments away. Her eyes were fixed on Harry as he stared.

"In fact," she said over the other two. "Come on, we'll do it now."

"Hermione!"

She prevented a spell to stop them and glared at Albus as he dropped his wand back to his side. The ease with which she had destroyed the spell gave them a big enough moment to escape the room.

"I mean -"

"Come along, Harry," she said quietly as she pushed him through the door. "Let's get it over with."

She shut the big grate behind them before the others could follow and they marched in the relative dark until they came to the steps up to the bathroom. Albus had done some repairs here too and she made a mental note to get him to show her.

"Stop it," he hissed as he yanked his hand away. "I know what you're doing."

"What?" she challenged. "What am I doing?"

"You're making me choose."

"Between -"

"Between being like them and being good. I don't care. I don't care about any of that! I hate him."

"I know you do," Hermione whispered as she sat on the bottom step. "I know. And to be honest, I'm not even bothered that you do. But killing someone in cold blood, Harry, is such a massive thing. I -" she sighed. "I killed someone today," she winced. "Yesterday, whenever it was. I killed more than one somebody," she whispered. "I didn't even realise until we were talking over dinner. What does that say about me? I mean, all they did was do as they were ordered and I killed them without even thinking."

The bluster fell out of him and he let out a long, angry breath.

"They were trying to kill you, Hermione," Harry grumbled. "Trying to kill all of us."

"Is my family more important than theirs?" She asked quietly. "I do not know. I would lay my life down for mine, for any of you, but are they more important than someone else's? I," she shrugged. "Look, I have to live with that. I have to live knowing that I have taken someone away from their family, forever. Perhaps they had children that will miss them every day of their life. Like you miss your parents, like Min misses hers. And I did that, Harry. With my own hands."

"But you -"

"What," she chuckled. "Did it for a good cause?"

"Yeah," he huffed as he dropped down beside her.

"Snape probably thought he was doing it for a good cause too. He was probably so tired of being someone people looked down on. I can read between the lines, Harry, and what Minerva means is that he was abused as a child. Just like you, perhaps even worse. And where you fell in with people who showed you love, he fell in with those that wanted revenge for slights that only exist in their minds. Severus Snape was perhaps the only person that I know of who ever joined the Death Eaters that had the right notion of why they were joining. And I say that not to excuse it, Harry, but just to give you some context." He sat quietly. "Imagine, if you had taken Draco's hand," she whispered. "Imagine if you had let him whisper all that nonsense in your ear, about how some people deserve more just because they were born to the right people. About how some people are just better. Imagine all of that being poured into your ear until all you could see was how unfair life was and how you could get revenge on everyone for hurting you by hurting them first."

He stared at his hands for a long time before he sniffed. She wrapped him up in her arms and held him while he cried, shedding tears into his hair at the heartbreak.

"I won't ever forgive him."

She tutted.

"That means you're carrying around all that hurt and anger for nothing," she whispered. "It's only going to hurt you, it's no skin off his nose. Forgive him for those things so you can let go of that, but if you want something long-term to hang on to, then simply never forget. Never forget what he has done, so that you are never put in that position again and you can help make sure that nobody else is ever put in that position either. He can be a good man, Hary," she whispered. "Underneath the anger and the hurt. Your Mum would not have been his friend if he was not. Minerva would not love him, if he was not." Harry looked up at her. "They are two women I would trust to know a person's soul."

He groaned and pressed his eyes.

"I hate this."

"I know," she whispered. "But it will be alright. And you do not have to interact with him at all if you do not want to."

"I feel like an idiot," he whispered. "I don't want Draco to die cos his stupid Dad fucked up. And yeah," he swallowed as he looked up. "I don't want Snape to die." The hurt inside him was making it difficult for her to breathe as he spoke softly, almost to himself. "I don't think Mum would have wanted that."

"I'm glad you said that because I don't want them to die, either," she admitted. "I'm going to free them from Him, if they wish. But you don't have to be a part of that. You come before any of them, Harry. You're my brother in everything but blood. I won't ever make you do something you aren't comfortable with."

He nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. She stood and pulled him up with her and walked in silence back to the main chamber. After he opened it, Albus and Minerva practically flew at them, but Hermione glared at them sufficiently enough that they held their tongues.

She hugged Ginny and Ron and nudged Harry to go with them and they retreated to a room beside the one she'd come out of earlier. Once the door was closed, she took a deep breath and turned back to Albus and Minerva.

"How dare you," Minerva hissed. "I was -"

"Not helping," Hermione said resolutely. Minerva paused. "He needed time to think. He needed to explore that notion and choose not to. You telling him not to murder someone that has been nothing but cruel to him from the day they met is not helping. He had to decide what kind of man he was, Min. And he needed to do that on his own."

Albus sighed as he sat back down on the sofas. They were much fluffier than they were before and she chuckled a little as she sat as well - Albus had made it workable but Minerva had at least made it comfortable.

"Did he -"

"What do you think?" Hermione asked her, genuinely interested to know. "You think Harry Potter walked up there and cast an unforgivable?" Minerva made a face. "I had to do it that way, Min. I had to. I know him better than any of you because I have worked at knowing him. And I'm sorry about the way it happened but it had to happen that way, alright?"

Minerva huffed as she dropped onto the sofa beside Hermione and stared at the back wall.

"You really think I'd have let him kill him?" Hermione asked. "Knowing how much you care for him?"

"He can be a bastard," Minerva muttered. She bit her lip and finally looked sideways. "He can be cruel, I know that too. But he loves that boy. And he sees every ounce of his own hurt in that boy as well."

"That is not Harry's fault," Hermione counselled. "And to be honest, it doesn't matter too much, either, because he is cruel. He hurts him, Min. However," she stopped Minerva from speaking and ran her hand over her head. "I will not let him be hurt, but I equally understand and even support Harry's hatred of him. Being wounded, even as deeply as he is, does not give you licence to wound others."

"I know that," she muttered. "More than anyone."

"Yeah," Hermione sighed. "We're all a bit broken, love, aren't we? But you are not cruel and neither is Harry. Severus made that choice to protect and surround himself with hatred and he should face the consequences of that. Even if it is only Harry's never-ending indifference."

"Well, I suppose that's that then." Hermione snorted and laughed outright when Minerva relaxed against the sofa and put her feet up on Hermione's thighs. "What the hell kind of mess do we get ourselves in, ey," Minerva sighed as Hermione pulled off her boots and started to squeeze her feet.

"Important ones," Hermione chuckled as she groaned. "Albus?"

"Mm," Albus muttered.

"What do you want to do about Snape?"

Albus scoffed and got up.

"What you did was -"

"Albus," Minerva growled.

Hermione snorted and looked over at her with a smirk on her face.

"Interesting," she quipped. Minerva poked her side, making her jump but did not interrupt again.

"Hermione," Albus groaned. "What you did was -"

"Necessary," Hermione insisted. "Harry needed to -"

"Not him," he huffed. "Me."

"You?" She laughed. "Saving you was even more necessary!" Hermione chuckled. "You will never make me believe otherwise. Why is this something we need to do now?"

"Because I have not seen you since and in that time -"

"You've had time to fester with it?" Hermione chuckled. That seemed to make him even more annoyed. "Peachy."

"There was a process, you should have -"

"We need you."

"You would have coped."

"Badly," she scoffed. "We need you and all you know."

"So it is only for my knowledge."

Hermione stood, only just managing not to shove Minerva off the sofa in her haste. She stared at him hard.

"Albus," she warned quietly. "I will not allow you to martyr yourself in the belief that you are somehow unworthy of our love."

Albus glared at her.

"If you had allowed me to die, we could have -"

"We?" she hissed. "We? There would have been no we. You would have been dead. And we would have been alone with barely any information at all about what to do next. There would be nobody to protect the school, nobody to stand up to the Ministry, the Horcruz is fake. In no way was any of that a good decision."

"I left -"

"Albus Dumbledore," Hermione seethed with a low growl. "Do not try my patience. You are talking absolute nonsense. No amount of information," she spat. "Would make up for you, here, with us."

Tonight would apparently be the first time she'd be throwing her weight around properly and to his credit, he stared for a moment and took a step back.

"Darling?" Minerva whispered at her side. "Let's calm down."

"If you ever -"

"Hermione -"

Minerva touched her face and Hermione squared up. Her wings appeared and whipped out like a shot at the interruption. She turned and faced up to Minerva, who in turn, stepped up to meet her.

"Hermione!"

Her name made her pause and she blinked as her wings settled behind her and she focussed on Minerva's beautiful eyes.

"Calm down," she ordered. "Breathe. Tha e ceart gu leòr. Tha a h-uile rud ceart gu leòr." Hermione rolled her neck and shivered as Minerva reached out carefully and cupped her cheek. "My love?" [It's alright. Everything is okay.]

"I'm here," Hermione whispered. She was breathing hard and she glanced at her hands in horror.

"I wanted to -"

"It's alright," Minerva soothed. "We are, all of us, frustrated and testy. But it's over now. As many times as I would love to shake him, I would never hurt Albus, as he would never hurt us, nor you, him."

Hermione looked over at the venerable man and sighed as he met his eyes.

"Albus," she said carefully. "I do not know the extent of this power that I have but I have such a tenuous hold on it right now. Please," she looked beseechingly at him. "Please do not do that again. There are things that do not help me keep my temper and I do not wish to hurt you."

"Minerva, could you not -"

"Don't look at me," she scoffed. "I agree with her. Your dying would have helped no one and would have utterly broken my heart. So beyond all the other guff you believe to be so important, I will always be on her side for that reason alone. As we have already figured out where my parameters lie, if you wish to discuss it with her, you're going to have to figure it out without annoying her. And believe me," she smirked. "She's far quicker to anger than I am."

Albus snorted and took off his glasses and threw them on the table.

"Albus," Hermione said finally. "We need to discuss this. I need to know you are with us. I need to know that you will remain with us."

"Hermione, to suggest so in a time of war would be asinine."

Minerva groaned and sat back down as Hermione turned to stare at him.

"You would simply avoid all this to -"

"We are at war," he hissed.

She'd never seen him angry, but she didn't need her gift to see that he was now.

"I know that," she almost yelled. "I am very aware that there are enemies all around us. I can feel their vile selves EVERYWHERE." The doors to the side rooms banged open and Harry came out with Ron and stared. "They are everywhere, Albus. They have infected everything. They are in this castle, they are in the village, in the whole FUCKING country. All we have," she glanced over at Minerva and tried to remember that these people were her family. "ALL we have is us, Al. It is us against everyone else and I cannot fight them and you! You have made me do so all year and I CANNOT do it any longer. You are either with us, or you are against us, but by god Albus I will not allow you to be against us."

"Al -" Minerva whispered. "Please."

"I will not bow down to this nonsense in the face of one act of stupidity for sentimental reasons."

"Sentimental," Hermione scoffed. "Sentimental?"

"Guys," Harry said, getting between them. "Please."

"You don't understand, you stupid man. The pain I took, for you! You don't -"

"Hermione!"

She lashed out and Harry went flying into the table.

"HARRY!"

Hermione baulked at Minerva's shout and stared as Harry groaned between the pieces of broken table. Her stomach felt like it had dropped to her toes and she glanced up at Albus when she felt a huge wave of sorrow.

He stared at Harry who was coming around under Minerva's care. Something about him made Hermione step forward.

"Al -"

"I killed her," he whispered as he stumbled backwards. "I have lived this over and over. I killed her -"

Hermione felt, rather than saw Minerva pause. She saw her stand and leaned slightly as Minerva came over to speak to her.

"His sister died," she whispered. "It is a tightly held secret, but he believes he was responsible. There was more, but he would not tell me." She glanced at Albus who had his head in his hands.

Hermione nodded and glanced over at Harry.

"Is Harry okay?"

"He will live." Minerva clicked her tongue. "You will learn to control your temper."

Hermione acquiesced and went over to Albus as he dropped down onto the sofa. She offered her hand to him but he didn't reach for it.

"Let me take it."

"No."

"Albus -"

"This is my fault," he whispered. "It is always my fault. I deserve it. I deserve -"

"Albus," she said, trying to get his attention. When he refused to turn, she knelt at his feet. "Tell me what happened?"

His voice barely lifted above a whisper as he recalled the moments of his youth. Of ill-spent days plotting and scheming with a man he did not name. Hermione felt the conflict within him. He loved the man with a fierceness that she recognised in her own heart but he hated him as well. Just like he loved and hated himself. The way he loved his family and regretted them too.

"You are not the sum of your past," she said gently, recalling those words she said to him so long ago. She drew her knife and offered it to him. "Albus Dumbledore?" she said again. She felt a tear begin down her cheek at the sorrow emanating from him. "You are not the sum of your past."

He stared at her but he didn't reach for the knife. He shook his head and covered his face.

"You don't understand."

"Make me understand then," Hermione muttered but he pulled away. She was done with the secrets though. "Al?" She cupped his cheek and insisted he look at her. "Make me understand."

"I was in love with him." Albus shuddered. "I was in love with him and he betrayed us all."

"Albus -"

"Grindelwald."

The motion behind them stopped and Hermione blinked at the sudden quiet. Minerva's horror echoed through her chest but she did not draw attention to it. The pieces of his life started forming in her head and her heart broke for her friend.

"Oh, Albus, that doesn't -"

"I killed her. And then, I let him -

"No," Hermione said gently. "Based on everything you just told me - everything I know about you, it would be impossible to suggest any of that was your fault."

"I should have been looking after her! I should have stopped him!"

"I have told you before," Minerva's stern voice rang out. Hermione heard her take a deep breath and when she spoke again, it was softer. "You were a child. Your brother was a child. Would you hold these young people to the same exacting standards that you are holding yourself? Would you want Draco Malfoy to live a life of shame for all he has chosen?" Hermione waited while Minerva stepped towards them. Her hand rested on Hermione's shoulder and they both sighed. "I know you would not because you've spent the whole year trying to undo what he has begun! Why are you different from them?"

"Because I knew better."

"Did you?" Minerva challenged. "You suddenly knew how to take care of a child with magical difficulties? That your mother had cared for all her life? Did you nip home while you were at school, just to look after her? In between all the things that you were supposed to do, as a child?"

"Minerva -"

"No," she said firmly. "I am sorry your sister died, Albus. More than," she faltered and Hermione reached up and took her hand. "You know," she continued quieter, this time. "That I know, intimately, how that feels. But it was not your fault. Anymore than Rab's death was mine."

Hermione glanced up at Minerva and immediately understood her feelings from earlier, but she didn't interrupt. Their fingers tangled together and Minerva squeezed them gently.

"Albus," Hermione said finally. "Nothing you did or didn't do as a child makes you responsible for your sister's death or for the deaths that Grindelwald wrought upon the world. You did not kill those people, you are not responsible for their deaths."

"I could have stopped him," he yelled. "I could have stopped him, I -"

"Did you help him, Albus?" Minerva asked quietly. "Did you protect him?"

"What?" He scoffed. "Of course not, I would never. I was part of the Order then, that instance of it. We tried, we tried to save as many -" He heaved as he was overcome with horror. Hermione pressed her stomach to prevent herself from doing the same. "I tried -"

"You did not help him. You worked against him." Minerva repeated. "You did everything you could do, short of going to him yourself."

"I should have gone."

"Would you have killed him, Albus?"

"I couldn't," he admitted. "Not even after it all. He did not die, Min, he is locked away in a prison where nobody can find him."

This was news to Minerva but Hermione knew they were getting off track.

"Albus? Let it go."

Minerva's fingers tangled in the wisps of hair on Hermione's neck.

"It's okay to miss those we love and have lost," Minerva muttered. Hermione rolled her shoulder to help cope with the horrendous mix of emotions permeating the air. Minerva noticed and laid her hand on Hermione's head instead. She sighed at the comfort as Minerva continued. "You know that better than anyone, but please don't carry around the guilt of an adult, forced upon you as a child. Your sister's death isn't anyone's fault. Gr -" She took a shuddering breath. "Grindelwald's tyrannical rule was not your fault."

"Tell all that to my brother," he said gruffly.

"I will," Hermione soothed, taking his hand by force. "Albus this," she pressed her knife into his hand. "This is what matters now. I do not understand half of what is happening but we are it. I have all this power and none of the understanding." He stared at the knife and then up at her. "I need you. I want you here."

"We love you, Albus," Minerva whispered. "I did tell you that."

Albus nodded and more tears formed in his eyes. Minerva stepped forward and took him into her arms, leaving Hermione to stand and make her way over to Harry.

"Are you alright?" she asked sadly.

"I'm pretty sturdy," he smiled.

"I'm so sorry."

"I know."

"Harry -"

"It's alright," he chuckled. "I should have known not to get in the middle. I won't do it again. And thanks," he muttered. "Too, about before."

"I won't do this again. I could have killed you," she frowned. "Forgive me?"

"I already have."

"Let me?"

"Sure," he chuckled. He turned around and pointed to his back, where he no doubt hit the table. She wasn't sure what she was doing, yet again, but she reached forward and placed her hand there, feeling it get warm between her palm and his body.

"Oh," he winced. "Wow."

"Okay?" she asked. "Do we need to get Poppy?"

"No, it's great," he chuckled. "Maybe I should let you look at my arm as well?"

"What's wrong with your arm," Ginny asked.

"Never felt quite right after being bitten by a basilisk."

"Oh," Hermione let go suddenly and Harry stumbled. "ALBUS!"

"What?"

"Why didn't the Horcrux die?"

"Sorry?"

"I -" She apologised to Harry with a look and took back his arm while she spoke. "When Harry was bitten by the Basilisk. Why did that not destroy the Horcrux?"

He kissed the side of Minerva's head and came over to them. He reformed the table with a quiet word and passed her the knife.

"I," he frowned. "Do not know."

"Maybe Fawkes?" Harry asked. "There wasn't much time between."

"Ah," Albus nodded. "Yes, perhaps."

"Where did it go, by the way? The Basilisk," Hermione glanced around. "Wasn't it here?"

"I harvested what was viable," Albus muttered. "And destroyed the rest."

"So, we do have some?"

"We will not be stabbing Harry again," Minerva growled. "So you can both forget that, right now."

"Hey!" Harry said with a glare.

"Just a thought," Hermione joked. "Okay." She sighed as everything suddenly hit her at once. "We need to do something about Snape and Draco. And then we need to sleep." She blushed. "I do, anyway."

"They need to go home, really," Albus said quietly, looking at the Weasleys. "No doubt I will get my own howler tomorrow."

"Ha," Ginny grinned. "Make sure you open it down here though, okay? I wanna hear what she dares to say to you."

Albus tweaked her ear and she tried to grab his hand. For an old man, he was surprisingly quick, even against one of the best Chasers modern Gryffindor had ever seen and they wrestled a little before Ginny gave in.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you," she mumbled.

Albus chuckled and hugged her sideways.

"You are a worthy opponent, Miss Weasley. We shall declare a draw."

Ginny rolled her eyes good-naturedly and nodded for the other two to follow her and they went back to their rooms.

"We're going. Night," she called.

"Night guys," Hermione waved, turning to face the other two. "I like how they've just decided that I'm with you two now."

Minerva snorted and leaned into Hermione. She sighed into her neck as Hermione wrapped her up in her arms.

"I suppose we should get on with this, shouldn't we."

"If Draco does not want to defect, what are we going to do with him?"

"I do not know," Albus muttered.

"Where are they now?"

"Did you not -"

"No," she laughed. "I told you, he just needed to explore the feeling. We didn't get beyond the bottom step."

"They are in a temporary space in the bathroom where you come in."

"Cosy," Hermione giggled.

Minerva pinched her side and slid their hands together as they followed Albus back up to the Castle.