Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

Mah, I haven't really been responding to reviews lately, so I'd like to apologize for that. Fact is, I don't really have a lot of free time on my hands these days, and I spend most of it on typing this story, and spending time with my friends and my girlfriend. I don't have enough time to respond to reviews these days, so I'm sorry for that.

Aside from that, I'd like to thank you all for your continued commitment to this story, and the reviews I get in spite of my not replying lately. Thank you all very much.

This chapter has some ground work being laid for later things, and Dumbledore… Well, just read.

Hope you enjoy.

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Harry stood outside the headmaster's office, glaring heatedly at the gargoyle. It looked down on him impassively with its' naturally snarling visage, and he felt like snarling back. He didn't know why Dumbledore had summoned him, and that, more than anything, was what was causing his stress. It wasn't helped at all by the fact that no one had given him the password, and that he had been standing here for the past five minutes occasionally barking out the names of various sweets, until he had given up a minute ago.

Had Dumbledore learned about his coming emancipation? Had he used his Ministry connections to stop it? Had he discovered that Harry had summoned Kreacher into the castle the previous day? Were there wards that alerted the man to foreign house-elves entering Hogwarts? Or was it something else entirely? Had something happened? Had Voldemort done something? Was everyone alright?

He swallowed worriedly, and jumped, as the gargoyle suddenly leapt aside. The path lay open to him, and he waited a moment before walking in and stepping onto the stairs, holding tightly to the rail as they curved upwards to lead him to the headmaster's office. He did nothing once he had reached the top, until a voice called out to him.

"Come in, my boy!" He opened the door with a deep breath, and tried to keep his face blank as he went in. Dumbledore smiled at him from behind his grand desk, and Harry noticed that a few of the man's gadgets were missing, and Fawkes was currently asleep on his perch; his head tucked under a wing. He sat carefully, on the edge of one of the chairs, and Harry noted another difference. There was a large stone bowl sitting in the middle of Dumbledore's desk, with swirling silvery liquid within. Harry looked at it, his eyes widening. He had never seen one in person, but he recognized it from one of his books. A pensieve; able to hold copies of memories and share them with others.

What in Merlin's name was that here for? His fingers twitched with the urge to run them across the side. He knew the thing was covered in runes on the bottom, and there was a moment where he desperately wanted to dump it out and turn it over to study them. Then he looked up, and his green eyes met Dumbledore's amused and knowing cerulean orbs, and he pushed the desire firmly away.

"I have heard from the professors about your interest in runes. It seems you're quite skilled with them." The man paused and leaned back in his chair. "I have a smaller pensieve I could loan to you, for study, if you would like it. I only ask that you hear what I have to say." Harry considered the offer, and, grudgingly, nodded, his love of runes fueling him. He knew it was an outright bribe, and the headmaster probably knew that he knew, but damn. Dumbledore smiled brightly, making the teen scowl. "Excellent. Now then... I recently asked one of your fellows for their memory of the event that took place last year. At the time, I did not understand why you were so angry at me for your magic to have wreaked havoc upon my office, which is why I asked them. Upon viewing it, I realized that you lied to me." Dumbledore gave him a look that was stern and understanding all at once; disconcerting Harry. He wondered who had been roped into sharing their memory. Or had Dumbledore just legilimized them without their knowledge?

"About what, sir?" Dumbledore looked very sad, suddenly.

"About having heard the prophecy." Harry's gaze turned glacial. "I know now, why you were so angered at me then; because you knew, when I would not tell you of it, that I was keeping it from you."

"And why, exactly, have you been?" The green of his eyes was dark, and his voice was low, and hard, the barest edge of something animal creeping into the words.

"Because I did not wish to burden you." His answer surprised the teen, being nothing like what he had expected, and it showed, though his anger wavered little.

"Burden me?" Dumbledore sighed, looking as ancient to Harry now as that day that seemed like years and years ago.

"It was my hope, that by keeping you in the dark, you would be able to grow, and live your life as you please. I had planned to let you have your childhood, and your happiness, until you were old enough to be ready for a part in this war, and then prepare you. But things have changed. You know the truth already, and Voldemort is on the move. His forces are expanding more rapidly than I had first predicted, and we are running out of time. This is why I have called you here. It has become apparent, that any carefree childhood I wished for you is already taken from your grasp, and I feel it best to prepare you now, rather than later as was originally planned." Harry eyed him carefully, his anger fading in the face of the old man's tired, regretful visage in spite of himself. Yes, the old man was manipulative, but… That sorrow, that regret, it was real. In all his anger, it had not occurred to Harry that despite it all, the headmaster might actually give a damn about him.

"Prepare me how?" The headmaster smiled weakly, seeming to note his dying anger and being comforted by it.

"I intend, myself, to teach you all that I know about Voldemort, through the memories I have been able to gather, here." He made a motion with his hand towards the pensieve. "Knowing one's enemy is the first step towards stopping them."

"And what about fighting?" Dumbledore looked startled.

"Fighting?" His voice had taken on a slightly uncomfortable sound, and Harry thought carefully before he spoke.

"Knowing things about Voldemort will help defeat him, that's true, but only so much. I will need to be capable of facing him head-on if need be. Knowing about him will help me plan, and work around him when I can, even predict his next move, but it all will mean nothing if I find myself in a situation where I must face him. Voldemort is more powerful and far more experienced than me, and I will need to be able to face him properly, if only so that I can live to get away and face him another day. You said yourself that he's moving quickly. There may not be time to learn how to fight and defend myself later." The old man sat back in his seat, and looked down, stroking his beard. Harry was pleased to note that he looked to be seriously considering the teen's words.

"I suppose..." The man began, after several seconds had passed. "that no matter much I dislike the thought of violence, that, in this matter, you are, unfortunately, correct." His shoulders slumped more with every word. "My own power in dueling comes more from experience and sheer magical strength than any excessive knowledge of spells. My greatest expertise lies in the subjects of transfiguration and alchemy. However, if Alastor were willing, perhaps I could request that he come to the castle to tutor you. Maybe once a week or so. I do not think that would interfere with his duties, or your studies, overly much. I shall speak with him, and let you know his answer, if that is acceptable." Harry nodded sharply. "Very well. Considering this talk, I would like to know how well your studies with Severus go?"

"Well enough. I'm getting much better at it. I can't always block him out, if he's trying his hardest, but I can drive him out once he gets past my walls. He and I have been working on making them stronger. It gets better every week." He was honest, and Dumbledore nodded, pleased.

"I am glad. Mental fortitude will be one of your greatest defenses against Voldemort." The man leaned forward. "I would like us to begin now, if you are willing. To spend too much time within a pensieve can be disorienting, so we shall have these meetings only occasionally, and split what I must show you into parts. I cannot guarantee that our get-togethers will come with any amount of regularity, considering my duties as headmaster, but I will do my best to make them as often as I can, so that you can learn all I know as soon as is possible." Harry nodded, accepting this.

"Alright." Dumbledore smiled again, that twinkle in his eye flaring back up, if far dimmer than Harry was accustomed to.

"Well then, let us begin."

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Watching a memory unfold like it was truly happening around him, but being unable to have any influence on things was disconcerting, and Harry likened it to how it might feel if he were a ghost that no one could see or hear. Merope Gaunt had been such a sad little thing, and he had felt terribly for her, even after Dumbledore had told him more about the woman after the memory was done.

She had lived a life of misery, and madness, and had possessed only one dream in all her life. It had been a foolish, impossible dream, but it had likely been all she had to try and get by without taking her own life. She had created a delusion centered on the lie, and from that delusion she had ensnared Tom Riddle Sr. into falling for her beneath spells and potions. Her love for him had lead to her setting him free, hoping for her dream to become truly real, and he had fled, leaving her to die after bringing Voldemort into the world. What she had done was terrible, enough to even be called rape, but Harry still pitied her.

After being shown a couple memories of her, from differing sources, and hearing more from Dumbledore, he had left the man's office. His hatred for the headmaster dwindled away like dust in the wind, some anger still remaining; though he still couldn't bring himself to care for the man like a grandfather as he once had. No matter how much he might dislike the thought, he would still choose the life of Lucius Malfoy over that of the headmaster; if only for the sake of his friend and the debt that he owed Draco's father.

He found himself drifting through the halls for a time after his meeting, considering the things he had learned, knowing that Dumbledore showed him such things for a reason, if not a readily apparent one, and that the information that had been bestowed upon him would come in handy somehow in the future, though he couldn't yet see how. He could not expect the headmaster to be entirely forthcoming, even when he was sharing more than usual. It simply wasn't in the man's nature.

It hardly mattered though. This had been, for Harry, a victory. He would receive some proper training by Moody's hands, and could even pass some on to the D.A. It wouldn't guarantee a win against Voldemort, but it would heighten his chances at least, and make such a battle less one sided and dependent on fool's luck.

Harry winced to himself at the possible thought of what Moody would put him through, and wondered with a shudder if it might actually be better to just let Voldemort kill him.

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Harry settled into bed that night with a sigh, and just laid there and stared at the ceiling for several minutes. He blanked his thoughts, silently slipping into that here-but-not-here place he went when occluding, only vaguely aware of the world around him, like daydreaming, and began working on his walls. He was uncertain how long he did so, as time passed by strangely in the outside world whenever the mental arts were involved. It could have been minutes or hours before he was snapped sharply back into reality by the sudden sound of a loud pop; so misplaced in the silence of the Keeper's tower. He sat up very quickly, his tail moving out and upwards behind him, poised as though to lash out like a whip.

Kreacher took a step back from his place in the room, and Harry calmed. He eyed the elf, and noted the folded parchment scrunched within his hands. There looked to be two separate letters, and Harry reached out a hand for them in silence. The elf handed them over without a word, for once feeling afraid of his master, with the glamours gone and the scales, claws, and teeth available for all the world to see. One of the envelopes had 'Thief' written on it, while the other had 'Dragon'. The words were written in neat, elegant script that Harry studied, looking for some mark of distress in the handwriting. There was none, though that could have easily been done when using an automatic quill that wrote along to spoken word, and Harry opened his delicately; neither of them having being sealed.

Dear Thief of My Elves,

I am surprised that you would contact me, or even determine a manner in which to do so. I found your letter captured my interest, and I would deign to comment on what has been written there. That you would ask of my health troubles me, and marks some reasoning for having done so. Did you expect to find me in some ill state? I am not. I assure you. You tell me that my son worries for me, and I would share that he has no reason to. I was forced to leave quickly, and without telling others of my actions, but I am in fine health. I have given a letter to pass on to my son, so that he might be assured of this.

You question my loyalties so directly, though I suppose any other manner of doing so would not be suited to a lion such as yourself. To write of such things on paper, without assurance of where such papers may later find themselves, is foolhardy at best, and perhaps a lethal mistake at worst. I would not comment beyond to say that I am a husband and father above all else, and you may make of that what you wish.

You write, also, of some trouble regarding my son. I had heard from him, this past year, that he considered himself on well terms with you, but I had not thought it so great as for you to care at all regarding his well-being. I find myself wondering as to why you care at all? Is it not more befitting of a lion to devour a snake, rather than befriend him?

I would have you write to me again, little thief, if you would. It seems, in my absence, that a storm has been brewing, one which I find myself unaware of the nature of, and I would like to rectify such a pitiful lack of knowledge.

Sincerely yours.

The letter was unsigned, but it didn't need to be for Harry to know it had come from Lord Malfoy. His orders to Kreacher had been nearly fool-proof, and he was unlikely to have found a way around them so great that someone other than Malfoy could have received or replied to his letter. He was tired now, and knew that Draco was likely to be sleeping already. No matter his worries, this could wait at least until morning.

"Kreacher. Thank you for doing as I asked." The elf grumbled something Harry didn't catch and nodded, looking at his grimy feet and pulling at his ragged pillowcase. "I want you to go somewhere and clean yourself, and rest, and then return here in the morning. I'll speak to you then. Try to find yourself a better pillowcase or other covering also, if you can, if not, then I'll prepare something for you when you come back. Understood?" The elf eyed him as though he were some wild animal that it didn't want to get too close to and nodded.

"Yes, master."

"Goodnight Kreacher." The elf popped away without another word, and Harry went back to bed, this time to sleep, the weight on his shoulders lighter.

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The next day he found that Kreacher had obeyed his orders, and returned to him looking far cleaner than before, and wearing a plain white pillowcase that was a vast improvement over his previous garment. The elf couldn't tell him where the man had been, only that it was somewhere cold, within a building made of stone. Malfoy seemed to have been fine though, if seemingly tired and a bit unkempt, and Kreacher had said that he wandered through the halls of the building freely, not kept prisoner in a cell. It was far away though, too far for the elf to apparate the man all the way here if needed. Still, it was a start, and good news, and he thanked the elf again before getting dressed, gathering up an insistent Oddball, and heading to the great hall. It was Monday, and he had classes, so he needed to catch Draco at breakfast.

He saw him at the Slytherin table surrounded by others, and picking at his food, and he headed right to him. The great hall, particularly the Gryffindor table, grew silent when they saw him, very few being at all aware of his base friendship with the 'Prince of Slytherin' and Draco himself looked surprised that Harry would come to him so directly in such a public place. A tiny flash of amusement crossed the grey eyes when they caught sight of the puff on his head, but the expression died quickly. Harry handed over the letter with a pointed look, and walked away. He felt Draco's eyes on him the rest of the way to Gryffindor table, and then saw the blonde rush out of the great hall from the corner of his eye a moment later.

He smiled after him, knowing that letter would hold good news for him, and then looked up at the professor's table. Both Dumbledore and Severus were looking at him; the first with great pride at him seemingly crossing the boundaries of childish rivalry, the other with a less identifiable expression. He ignored them both, looking about the task of filling his stomach for the morning, and hoped that things would turn out well from this point on.

He just needed to focus on one problem at a time. He would worry about the Malfoys first, then he would focus on Draco's task and Dumbledore. After that came Voldemort and any other problems he had to deal with.

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"Spellcrafting is more than just the creation of charms and the like. It encompasses all branches of magic, as I've said before." Professor Morris smiled at them all from his position at the table; the older gentleman having taken to sitting with them during every class thus far. "Do your best this week to come up with ideas on something to begin constructing. I want you to bring your ideas to me in class on Friday, and we can begin research as a whole. Before you can begin construction, we need to determine if your idea is unique, and if it is not, then how to make it so. We will research each idea as a whole, and only when each of us knows all we need to, and are certain of each idea's originality, will we move on to the actual construction process." The bell rung overhead and the professor waved them out with a grin, the six of them chatting happily as they left the room.

He left the class in a good mood, already with an idea of what he wanted to create. He would use the little pensieve the headmaster was to loan him. With most such objects, a person was forced to dip their faces into the liquid to view a memory, which, depending on the size, severely limited how many people could look into a pensieve at any one time. If Harry could find some way to broadcast the memory over a room, maybe like a projector, or something similar, the viewing options would not be so limited… But that was a thought for later.

It was Wednesday today, and dinnertime, and Harry had not yet spoken to Draco since giving him the letter. He had seen the blonde in passing though, and in Potions class Monday, but there hadn't been the time or privacy to speak. Still, the Malfoy heir had looked to be in much greater spirits that before; whatever was written in his father's letter had eased him. Harry expected their conversation to come soon enough, most likely Thursday night when he went to his lesson with Severus. He was sure the man knew about the letter, if the looks he had been given since the beginning of the week were to go by.

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Harry sat in the Keeper's tower that night, on the floor in the living area. All around him were scattered various open books, and papers covered in notes and symbols, and in front of him on the floor was a small, upside-down stone bowl, about a hands length in diameter. Thin, tiny runes covered the entire bottom end of it, carved directly into the stone, and he was shifting between scribbling more notes furiously, and casting various spells at it; some for magnification, others for revealing. Something like a pensieve, even such a small one, was a bit above his level, but he was fascinated by it, and enjoying every second of his research. Each look and spell and note taught him more than the past month in class, and he reveled in it. Each part he understood helped make sense of what he didn't, and had him digging back through the texts to make sure of whatever he suspected. Harry was very much a hands-on learner, and when given such an opportunity, he excelled in ways he just wasn't capable of through bookwork.

Oddball, in his usual perch upon his owner's noggin, seemed entirely fascinated by Harry's strange behavior, and peeked as far over his temple as he dare without risk of falling to watch. Metis, by comparison, was entirely unconcerned, and was sliding about the floor in search of a live mouse Harry had transfigured and set free. The mouse was a little on the blue side (having been changed from a blue teacup) but he had still been practicing the spell. It was the first living transfiguration they had learned, and it had only been taught to them a couple weeks ago. No one except Hermione seemed to have really gotten it down just yet.

He sighed, beginning to tire, and relented that it may be time to put his study aside for the time being. Learning about the pensieve first hand was improving his knowledge of runes in leaps and bounds, but even he needed to sleep. He shifted about, doing his best to mark his places in the various tomes and stack them, and arrange the messy, scattered notes into some semblance of order, barely taking note of his ink-stained fingers. When he was done, he stretched with a yawn, and pulled Oddball from his head, petting the soft red fur as he made his way to his room.

"You sleep now, big-brother?" He glanced down at Metis, the blue serpent following him across the floor in a lazy manner; a bump in her midsection indicating her success in regards to the transfigured rodent.

"Yes. I'm done with my work." She slithered up to his foot, and tried to climb his leg. She was too tired for such a task, however, and he picked her up indulgently.

"May I come with you when the light-egg leaves its' nest?"

"If you like. You'll need to hide in my robes though. My pockets should be warm enough for you to sleep. I have classes tomorrow." She made a motion not unlike a nod, and he climbed into bed, setting Oddball on the other pillow, and Metis flopped away from his hands, going to curl up around the red creature and share its' warmth. Harry snuggled in, bringing up the comforter and settling down.

"Big brother?"

"Yes, Metis?"

"Why must I hide?" Something in her voice sounded very young. It was a tone of hers that he was familiar with, having realized some time ago by the pattern of her growth that she was little more than a child among serpents.

"Because there is a bad man in this world, who everyone knows. He has a snake too, and because of him, people would be afraid of you. They might try to hurt you, or me, if they knew that I had you."

"They would hurt me for what I am?" He pet her scales.

"Yes." She was silent for several moments, a rare thing for her, when she wasn't sleeping.

"That does not seem fair." She whispered. He eyed his own black scales, twisting up his arm in a pattern, and whispered back, the snake already asleep and unable to hear him.

"No. It does not."

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Draco finally caught him the next day, as he had expected. His classes that day had been exhausting, and when they were finally over and he went tiredly to Severus' office, he opened the door to find Draco sitting in one of the chairs before the man's desk, the professor himself in his usual seat. They both studied him as he came in, and he settled into the other chair; his usual spot, with a deep sigh. He looked back and forth between the two of them, unwilling to be the one to start. Severus looked considering, his eyes blacker than normal; a sign Harry knew as belonging to the man when in deep thought. Draco's expression, on the other hand, was a mix of suspicion, awe, thanks, fear, and irritation. It was an odd look that twisted his face and made Harry's lip twitch in amusement.

"Would you boys like some tea?" Severus' baritone voice made them both jump, and Harry cleared his throat and sat up straighter.

"Yes please."

"Yes, sir." Severus stood, and motioned them to follow him. He led them into the kitchen on his quarters, and Harry calmed once he had sat down at the table; Severus' rooms being much more comfortable for him than the potion master's office. He set about making the tea, using some spell that heated it instantly, and Harry realized he had never taken note of how quickly the man did it before. He watched the man add in several drops of a syrupy blue liquid, a more concentrated form of the calming potion which had a weaker taste, and felt somewhat smug at his having been right about it. He set cups in front of each of them, and poured some in each, before preparing his own. He sat down once he had, and they all drank in silence for a few minutes.

It wasn't an awkward silence to Harry, just comfortable, and he reveled in it while it lasted, and traced the patterns of the wood-grain in the table with his eyes. The tea was as delicious as it always was, the warm smell comforting him as much as the taste, and Harry wondered how the man masked the taste of the calming potion, and what he used to do so. Or was it some special version of the potion that allowed for the pleasant taste?

"Harry." He looked up into Severus' black gaze, and watched Draco sit up straighter out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes sir?"

"Draco has told me that you recently passed a letter on to him. We can both attest to its' being genuine, but neither of us could determine how you came about it." Harry smiled calmly; the potion likely at work.

"I sent a house-elf to bring a letter to Lord Malfoy. I wanted to see if the elf could find him, and he did, and Malfoy sent two letters back in reply."

"Two letters?"

"One was for me."

"What did it say?" Harry shrugged.

"He just questioned why I was contacting him, and said he was in good health, since I asked in my letter."

"I see. You used one of the Hogwarts elves?" Harry shook his head.

"I used Kreacher." Severus nodded.

"How..." He turned to Draco. "How did you know to use an elf?" His expression had more relief and less suspicion in it now. Harry shrugged.

"It was just a thought. I figured, since elves always know how to come to you when you call them, why couldn't they go to someone else?" It was a lie, Harry not wanting to tell either of them about Frode, and Severus' eyes narrowed, the man experienced enough with deceit to recognize it. Harry met his gaze, and begged him without words to let it be. The professor's face softened slightly and he nodded minutely. Everyone had their secrets, and Severus was willing to accept that Harry was no exception to this. A bang on the table had both black-haired males jumping, and they both looked to find Draco with his fist still slammed into it.

"That liar!" He snarled. "He said he had him! He said he would kill him!" His face was furious. Harry reached out a hand, and watched the blonde's face crumple before he had even touched him. "He still will though, if I don't do as he ordered. Even if my father isn't his prisoner, there's no place in the world he won't be able to find us." Draco covered his face with his hands and leaned his elbows on the table. Harry bit a lip.

"Draco." The blonde peaked through his fingers after a moment's hesitation, and Harry made up his mind at the sight of the wetness in them. "I have a place you can hide. Where you and your family will be safe from Voldemort." Grey eyes widened, and the hands fell slowly, still out with the palms up as Draco's expression turned disbelieving.

"You lie. There can't possibly-"

"There is. I-" He took a breath. "I'll be going there myself, at the end of the year. So I can prepare and buy myself some time. I know that I'll have to face Voldemort, likely sooner rather than later, but I'm not ready yet. The place is unplottable, and there are so many wards on it no one but the goblins could ever hope to find it. And Voldemort wouldn't dare mess with them, not for years to come at least. He needs to worry about taking over the government and subduing the wizards and witches before he can worry about the goblins. It'll be years before he's ready for that, and I'll have stopped hiding by then besides." Draco just stared at him for several moments, seeming to realize that Harry's words made sense, but not knowing what to make of them, or whether or not to believe him.

"Where?" He breathed.

"I can't tell you. It'll be safer if you don't know." Draco paused and then nodded, seeing the sense in that even if he didn't like it. Harry nearly sighed, glad the blonde wouldn't push it. Since Severus had mentioned it, he had realized how much safer it would be for everyone if no one but him knew about the Russian castle.

"How-" Draco shifted. "are we going to get my father and my mom there? Wherever it is? And me?" He added the end like an afterthought, and Harry realized it had been. Draco, for all his vanity and arrogance, was not a bad person.

"We'll have to wait until closer to the end of the year. That way we won't arouse Voldemort's suspicions. I'll tell Kreacher to come when you call him, and you can use him to write back and forth with your father, so you can figure out what he's up to. If we can get him closer to... The safe place, then Kreacher can apparate him there. Same with your mother. As long as we're careful, we can find a way to do this without alerting anyone. And you can come with me when I go at the end of the year." Draco nodded.

"If you can't tell me where it is, how can we know if they're close enough to be apparated?" Harry thought a moment, Severus seeming content to let them plot for the time being.

"Can you get a list of the properties your family owns? I can ask Kreacher how far he can take someone, and if he could make two trips. If you have any properties that are close enough, then your parents could go there." Draco nodded.

"I know some, but I can write my mother for a list." Harry grinned.

"I'll see if I can't order a map or something from Diagon or some other place. We can chart them so I can figure out what's closest. You could tell your mom to go about packing whatever you guys might need for a long trip. Do you think she'll be willing?" Draco nodded.

"She'll likely know what I'm doing as soon as I've asked for the list, though she'll probably think I mean to take her to one of them, not somewhere else. I'm sure I can convince her."

"Good. Do that then." They smiled at each other, both excited at finally having a plan of action.

"Do you intend to only take the Malfoys?" Her looked up at Severus, and considered it. He had been thinking about that since the man had first mentioned it.

"I'd like to bring the Weasleys, but I don't think any of them would agree. They're too involved with the Order. Bill and Charlie don't live in England, so I don't think I'll need to worry about them for a while. The twins can handle themselves just fine. Percy had a falling out with the rest, and he's smart enough to use that to his advantage if Voldemort gets hold of the Ministry. Ron, Ginny, Mum, and Dad can all hide at Grimmauld. It's still under fidelus. When S-Sirius died I became secret keeper, so they'll be safe there." Severus nodded. "I've been thinking of talking to some of my other friends. I can see about how the rest are, and if anyone isn't safe, I'll see if I can convince them to come with me. I don't know who all will trust me enough for that, but I want to help as many as possible. The more people we get safe before the end of the year, the better. Voldemort plans to take Hogwarts, and he wouldn't try if he didn't think he was ready." He looked between the two of them. "You two could check the people in Slytherin, see if anyone else needs to come with. They might be safe from death if they pretend to work for Voldemort, but if they'd rather run..." They both nodded.

"I'll see what I can find out." Severus looked very serious, and Harry nodded at him. "How many people do you think can fit in this place of yours?" Harry thought, considering the information he had on the old little castle.

"Maybe a houses worth of people could fit comfortably? We might be able to cram more in if we have to, but not as easily. I still need to talk to the goblins about stocking up on food and the like, and getting some house-elves to get the place ready." The professor nodded.

"Alright. Do what you need to, and the two of us will look into things. Look into the half-bloods and the muggle-borns mainly. Any purebloods will be safe enough from pointless violence, and smart enough to know to bide their time until they can act."

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Draco," The blonde looked up at him. "I need to get to Harry's remedial potion lesson, so it's best if you return to the dorm now. The blonde nodded, and stood. He hesitated then, a thought seeming to come to him.

"Wait... What about my tasks? I've got until the end of the year to do them, and if we time it right I won't have to kill Dumbledore, but... the other one..." Harry looked at Severus, and the older male looked back. He turned back to Draco.

"I say you do it. If we get everyone out before then, you and I can stay behind, you can let them in, and then we run. Most of the lot will surrender, especially if we let the D.A. in on some of what's going on. They can get the younger lot squared away in the dorms, and get the rest to stand down, so no one gets hurt." Draco looked at Severus, who nodded along to the idea, and then left. Harry slumped in his chair, and eyed the other still present as he heard the door in the living room close behind the blonde. "You let me lead." He accused, and Severus dipped his head.

"I did."

"Why?" Those piercing dark eyes considered him.

"You and I both know, that many will look to you when the time comes. You are not the only one to have become disenchanted with Albus, and many of my snakes were never such to begin with. When Voldemort rises to power, it will be you whom the rest chose to follow, not the headmaster." Something twisted sickeningly in Harry's gut, but he couldn't deny the truth in the man's words. "If you do not learn to lead now, you will not be able to do it later. You've begun learning, with that defense group of yours, but you need more than that. This is different than teaching a few teenagers how to fight. Lives hang in the balance. Yet your plans are solid thus far, if incomplete. If I had felt you were making some mistake, I would intervene, but you did not, so I left you be. In the future, I may not be there to check your actions, or give you advice. I am glad that you have begun learning to depend on others, but you must also be able to stand on your own, and know how to tell the difference between which of the two actions you should take. I know, that the fate laid out before you was never one that you wanted, but it is the one that has been laid at your feet, and you are too noble of a person to leave us all to die. So you must be strong, instead. You must be a leader, and you cannot become one if I am there to make all your plans for you." Harry nodded solemnly.

"Thank you." It was half-hearted, at best, but the other nodded.

"Very well. We have a lesson to get to, now."

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He finally received word from the goblins after dinner on Friday, and he went to Severus immediately. The next day, the man let him through his floo, under disguise, alone. He could not go with him, but he would be there in the castle to cover for him if anyone were to take note of his absence. He was not to meet with the headmaster until tomorrow, so the old man had little reason to go looking for him, and it was unlikely that there would be anyone else to go looking for him, since he usually disappeared into the Keeper's library on the weekends anyways, and his friends had long since grown used to such absences on his part.

He nodded at Grimrok when he was led to the circular room, and barely took note of the second goblin's absence. They had asked him which of the two he would like as account manager, since he inherited both the Potter and Black estates, and he had chosen Grimrok; he being the younger and more vocal of the two. The little creature handed him a few papers, and he read through them carefully, signing his name where needed. They were mostly just in regards to the properties he owned that were occupied, saying that he would help to cover the expense of any damage done on the properties as the landlord, and papers stating that he was henceforth in sole ownership of the various vaults. He signed them all, and handed them back to the goblin, who double-checked them and nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out one last paper, asked Harry to sign it, and then signed it himself. The paper disappeared, and then reappeared a moment later, with a third signature and a seal of some sort on it, and the goblin duplicated it, before setting one copy on top of a few other papers, and rolling the other up. He handed the last papers to Harry.

"These are copies of your emancipation and Lordship records, the originals will stay with us and the Ministry." Harry nodded and set them aside for the time being. He would glance through them later, and then hide them away in his trunk, locked as it was with one of the twins' specialty locks that only opened for him, and left anyone else in an unfortunate state of baldness, purple skin, and incapacitation. The goblin pulled out a small box next, and pushed it across the table to Harry. It was a small little plain blue jewelry box, with a bit of dust on it, and Harry popped it open.

The ring within didn't look how Harry had expected, but it was close enough. It wasn't as gaudy as most signet rings, containing only a single black stone embedded into a thick, silvery ring. The stone itself was about the size of a penny, large for a stone, and was thinly carved in the center with what, when he looked closer, appeared to be a miniaturized version of the Black family shield; with its' centered chevron, sword in hand, and three ravens. The embellishments on the sides and the skull at the top that were on the wall with the family tree at Grimmauld were absent on the ring, and Harry wondered if they had been added later on, or if the ring was simply marked with a simplified version for lack of space. He pulled it out. The band itself was as thick as the stone all around, and entirely plain, if shiny, though on the inner side was carved 'toujours pur' which he knew to be the family motto of 'always pure'.

"You may place the tip of your wand to the inside to change the inscription at any time you choose. The family motto is changed with it, and I believe this is the fifth or so motto since the original." Harry nodded, not looking up from the ring, and decided he would look into such things later, when he could decide on the words and look up the latin translation for them. "Family rings are traditionally worn on the center finger of the wand-hand. If you twist it entirely around your finger clockwise, it will hide it from the view of any save yourself, and twisting it the other direction brings it back into sight. Normally, family rings are never hidden, but I felt you might want to know such a thing for the sake of discretion." Harry nodded, thankful, and put the ring on. He almost expected something to happen. Some rush of magic or great feeling to fall on his shoulders, but no such thing occurred. The ring felt no different than a normal piece of jewelry; cold on his hand from the lack of body heat in the metal, and a bit awkward feeling for its' size and the fact that he was simply unused to wearing any such thing. He stared at it for several seconds, and then twisted it clockwise around his finger until it was facing up again, and looked up at Grimrok. The goblin looked at his hand and nodded.

"Thank you for the information." The goblin grunted and bared his teeth in what could have been a grimace or a smile.

"Now that you have accepted the ring and legally claimed your title, you now have access to all vaults and properties left to you, Lord Black." A shiver went down his spine at the title, but it was not altogether unpleasant. Harry decided that would take some getting used to. "Would you like to visit your vaults?"

"Not today no. Another time, perhaps. Although, I would like to see about setting some things in motion, regarding the property in Russia."

"Ah, yes. Bogdon Stronghold. What would you like done, Lord Black?"

"Do I currently own any house-elves associated with the property?" Grimrok shook his head.

"No. The previous house-elves in service of the castle died out some time ago." Harry nodded.

"Do you know how I might go about purchasing more? And how much of an expense it would be?"

"There's a breeding company you can contact. We could do so for you, as a third party, for a small fee. The going rate for such creatures is currently fifty galleons per elf." Harry nodded.

"And the fee?"

"Any time you choose to go through us when contacting a company it's twenty-five galleons."

"Alright. Could you do so then? I'd like to buy-" He paused, considering the place's size relative to Hogwarts, and the number of elves the school kept. "I think twenty or so should be fine. Can you get them to the castle? I'd like to put Kreacher in charge of them, and he can relay any orders I have to them." Grimrok nodded, and made notes on a paper.

"I can have them there by Wednesday, Lord Black. Once they've been bought they only need to be told where to go."

"Alright. I'd like to visit the place in a few weeks, once they've got it cleaned up. Could you help me with that also? I can talk to you about the rest of the preparations I have in mind, and maybe look into my vaults then also."

"Of course, Lord Black. I can have a portkey made to bring you from Gringotts to Bogdon and back. For a modest fee, of course." Harry looked blandly at him.

"Of course." The goblin gave a feral grin.

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Poor Harry, with the goblins after all his money…

Anyways, things will start to pick up after the next update. Someone mentioned that Part Two has been a bit dull, and honestly, that's pretty much the case. Part Two is mostly for setting things up for stuff to happen in Part Three. It's not a very exciting part. I promise all the crap going on in Part Three should make up for it, and Part Four is when we really move into the Avengers U more and more.

Another question I've had asked a few times, is whether or not they're in the same universe, and yes, they are. I think I've clarified this before, but for this crossover, Harry won't have to suffer though any form of inter-dimensional travel. I won't say it again, so neh.

Now that I'm done with that, I'll see you all in a few days.

Sincerely,

Mr. Hate