Falling Into You, Chapters Seven to Nine

Chapter Seven: Claiming

Harry walked down the hallway by himself. Ron and Hermione were steering clear of his sullen mood, since they had no idea what had him upset. That was fine with Harry, since he wasn't too keen on watching the two of them slobber all over each other anyway.

Harry hadn't slept much the night before. He couldn't believe that he had done something so stupid. Okay, so maybe Lucius found him less than repulsive, but that didn't mean that he wanted anything to do with Harry.

Harry was nearly startled right out of his skin when he heard a too-familiar voice say, 'Potter, a word with you.'

Harry turned around and face Lucius, willing himself not to blush like a moron. 'Yes, Mr Malfoy?'

'I still expect to see you tonight for your detention,' Lucius said. 'I think you and I need to have a little chat.'

Harry gulped and nodded. 'Yes, sir. I'll be there.'





Harry took a deep breath and walked through the classroom door. 'Hello, Mr Malfoy. Sorry I'm a bit late.'

'That's fine, Potter. There's nothing to do, but I do want to speak with you,' Lucius replied. Lucius was sitting behind his desk, a glass of wine in his hand. 'Do sit down, Harry.'

Harry was slightly startled when he heard Lucius use his name. Lucius and Snape had always used his surname when directing their comments at him. Harry sat down in front of the professor's desk and looked everywhere but at Lucius.

'Is something wrong, Harry?' Lucius asked, his amusement apparent.

Harry felt the heat rise in his face. 'No, sir. I just wanted to apologise once again for my conduct last night. I shouldn't have done that.'

'So, you're under the assumption that I found your actions inappropriate,' Lucius stated. He kept his sharp gaze firmly fixed on Harry, who was unable to look away.

'Don't you, Mr Malfoy? I mean, a student shouldn't behave in such a manner.'

'You would most likely be correct, if I were a professor,' Lucius replied. 'May I remind you that I am only assisting Marshall and Severus? I am not paid, nor have I been hired, strictly speaking, so the rules do not apply to me. Besides, you are of age in the wizarding world, and you don't have to answer to anyone.'

'I still should have had more control over my actions,' Harry said, staring at his lap.

'Maybe, but as I said, you're under the assumption that I was wronged,' he said, getting up. He went to stand in front of Harry and pulled him up out of the chair. Lucius pushed back the fringe covering his scar and traced it lightly. 'So many people see this when they are near you, so much so that they don't see you for what you truly are.'

'What is that?' Harry asked hoarsely, shivering just a little because of the close proximity of Lucius. It was even more unbearable to try to resist, now that he knew how wonderful it felt to have their mouths sealed together.

'A beautiful, intelligent young man who has much more to offer than some silly little scar. Those that can't see past this don't deserve your time or your attention.'

Harry sighed. 'Do you see past my scar?'

Lucius nodded. 'I know what this scar means, yet I was never truly impressed. It is you who impresses me,' Lucius murmured, slowly lowering his head. His lips brushed lightly across Harry's, barely making contact. He swept his lips back and forth a few times, teasing Harry.

Harry whimpered. 'Please, don't,' he whispered.

'Don't what?' Lucius asked, brushing his lips across Harry's forehead.

'Don't tease me. I can't take it anymore. I want you, but if you're just playing, I-' Harry's words were abruptly cut off when Lucius sealed his lips firmly to Harry's. Harry sighed softly and opened his lips slightly. He darted his tongue out and slid it across the crease of Lucius's mouth, trying to coax his lover's tongue out and into his mouth.

Lucius complied and groaned when Harry immediately sucked his tongue inside. Lucius explored every single inch of Harry's mouth, which tasted like peppermint. Lucius wondered what Harry had been eating before he came down.

Lucius slid his arms around Harry and lifted him up. Turning around, Lucius lifted Harry onto Professor Marshall's desk and started exploring his lover's neck, nibbling and sucking, creating little bite marks across his throat.

'Oh…' Harry gasped, wrapping his legs around Lucius and pulling him closer. He pulled Lucius's face up and kissed him passionately, sucking on his bottom lip, licking his philtrum.

Lucius growled and slipped his hands up Harry's robes. He pushed Harry back on the desk and slid the robes up his body, revealing his lover's boxers, which were already tented. He slowly slid them down, and gasped in surprise.

'You're cut,' he said.

Harry sat up slightly and looked down, and nodded. 'My aunt and uncle had it done. I think it might have been to cause me pain, but I don't mind. I was young, and I don't exactly remember it. Besides, I kind of like it.'

'I've never had a lover who was cut before. I have to admit that it's fairly arousing,' Lucius said, his hand moving down to grip Harry's cock. He chuckled when Harry gasped and fell back onto the desk, his head hitting the surface with a small "thump". Lucius slid his hand up and down lightly, rubbing his thumb over the tip on occasion. He thoroughly enjoyed the little gasps and whimpers that he elicited from his lover.

'More,' Harry gasped, looking pleadingly at Lucius. He wanted more of something…anything. He just wanted to feel Lucius all over him, inside of him. 'Please!'

Lucius smiled indulgently and bent over his lover, blowing lightly on the tip. He licked the tip, tasting the salty, slightly bitter tang of his lover's essence, then sliding his tongue down the pulsating vein that lined the back of his cock, causing Harry's eyes to roll back into his head and moan loudly. He moved his mouth lower and sucked in his lover's sac, sucking on his balls gently, not knowing if Harry liked that part of his anatomy played with. He took Harry's "Fuck, yes!" as an affirmation, and continued his ministrations, licking his way back up Harry's cock before slowly taking him into his mouth.

'Oh, God!' Harry cried out as Lucius took him all the way in. He forced himself up onto his elbows so that he could watch his cock disappear into that beautiful mouth. Watching him only brought him closer to the edge, but he didn't care. He loved the way Lucius looked, his hair flying everywhere as he rose and sunk down on his cock, his mouth spreading open wide to take him in. He'd never seen anything so erotic in his entire life.

Harry cried out when Lucius swallowed around him, but it was when Lucius's hands reached down to play with his balls and his hole that Harry lost all control. He came with a scream, and he released his spunk down Lucius's throat. He rode out his climax and fell back onto the desk, a great, boneless heap.

Lucius stood up straight and wiped his mouth with the corner of a handkerchief. 'I take it you enjoyed that,' he commented.

Harry forced himself to sit up and he pulled Lucius closer. 'Very much. I'd like to return the favour.'

Lucius smirked and leant down to kiss him. 'Actually, I have something better in mind. If you would pull yourself together, you can accompany me to my office, and we'll continue our…discussion there.'

Harry slid off the desk, wobbling a bit, and pulled his boxers back into place. He straightened his robes and took a deep breath. 'I'm ready,' he said, looking at his reflection in the glass of a bookcase. His hair was all messy, but that wasn't unusual.





As soon as Lucius closed the door, Harry was all over him. The walk down to Lucius's office had given him enough time to rejuvenate…after all, he was only seventeen.

Lucius kissed him with fervour, wanting his own desire to be satiated. He and Harry performed an odd little dance toward the back of his office and through the back door, straight into his bedroom. Lucius kicked the door shut and picked Harry up. He kissed him once and then deposited him on the bed. Both quickly shed all their clothes and Lucius pounced on top of his lover, devouring his mouth as if he could never get enough.

Harry knew that he couldn't get enough of his lover. His hands travelled everywhere he could reach, stroking and scratching lightly, pinching in all the places he liked to be pinched himself. He figured that Lucius liked it, because he responded in kind, sliding down Harry's body, taking in one of his nipples and biting, causing Harry to shout and then whimper when he left it, abused and wanting more, while he continued exploring.

'Accio lotion,' Lucius muttered, pointing his wand in the direction of his dresser. He caught the lotion when it came to him and he quickly coated his hand with it while Harry flipped over and onto his hands and knees, anticipating his lover's next move. Lucius was about to slide a finger inside Harry, when his lover said, 'I don't need that. I know what to do. Just take me.'

'You've had other lovers, then.' Lucius didn't know if he should be irritated or not.

'Yes, but no one I loved. Just a couple that taught me what I needed to know.'

'May I ask who it was that taught you?' Lucius asked.

'If I tell you, do you promise not to hurt them?' Harry asked. Lucius nodded, and Harry said, 'Fred and Bill Weasley. Not at the same time.'

Lucius scowled, but he slicked up his cock and positioned himself. He slid into Harry slowly, biting his bottom lip. When he was fully sheathed, he said, 'When I'm done with you, you won't even remember their names.'

Harry cried out as Lucius pulled out and thrust back in, almost savagely. 'Oh, who were we talking about?' he gasped as Lucius set a furious pace, as if intending to fuck the former lovers right out of Harry's head.

Harry knew he wasn't going to last very long, since he'd wanted this for weeks. Lucius felt the same, and he reached underneath to stroke Harry's cock. Harry came for the second time that night, splattering his stomach with his seed, and he sighed when he felt his lover empty himself inside of him.

Lucius slid off of Harry and both collapsed onto the bed. When he got more of his wits about him, Harry turned over and summoned a cloth. He wiped his stomach and Lucius's hand, and then curled up next to Lucius. 'Can I stay?' Harry asked.

'See if I let you leave,' Lucius murmured tiredly. 'What are you going to tell your friends?'

'Well, for now, I'm going to leave early, before they get up, and tell them I got up early to have a shower. I want to tell them about us, but it will have to wait.'

'And why is that?' Lucius asked, amused. 'Are you ashamed?' he teased.

Harry snorted. 'No, I'm not. It's just that, if we start telling everyone now, Voldemort will find out, and I don't want that. If he knew that we're together, he'd use it to hurt me. Besides, I don't even know what 'this' is.'

'Harry, I don't get into affairs lightly. I've had one-night stands, but I don't do relationships lightly. Trust me, I'm not going anywhere, and I'll be most upset if you do.'

'I'm not,' Harry insisted. 'So we're in agreement? We'll keep it a secret?'

Lucius nodded and yawned. 'I don't think I'll tell Draco just yet, either. I'll wait for the right time. Now I suggest you get some sleep, because I plan on waking you up later.'

Harry chuckled, but he snuggled closer and drifted off to sleep.





Harry and Lucius kept their affair a secret, so that no news of it could get back to Voldemort. Both had discussed their relationship at length, and while neither was embarrassed, both knew that this information was just the thing that Voldemort would love to get his hands on. If he knew that Harry had feelings for Lucius, then Lucius would become an even bigger target than he already was.

However, there was one day that their secret came crashing down around them.

Harry waited until everyone in the dormitory was asleep, and then he slid out of bed. He was about to slip his Invisibility Cloak on, when a sudden inspiration hit him. He grinned and dropped the Cloak, and prepared his little surprise for his lover.

Harry went straight down to Lucius's room and let himself in. He walked into the room and smiled when he saw Lucius sitting on the sofa. Harry stepped in front of him and slipped the Invisibility Cloak off his head, smiling seductively. Lucius smirked. 'Seeing a disembodied head standing in front of you is rather unsettling,' Lucius commented.

'Well, let me see if I can remedy that for you,' Harry replied, slowly sliding the Cloak off.

Lucius's eyes widened slightly. 'You're not wearing anything underneath there,' he murmured. 'I didn't think you could surprise me, but I never would have thought that you would have the balls to walk through the castle naked.'

'No, I'm not, and yes, I do,' Harry replied. He dropped the Cloak on the floor and stepped out. Lucius idly noticed that his lover wasn't even wearing shoes, but his attention quickly shifted back to more interesting bits of Harry's body.

'Like what you see?' Harry asked lightly, cocking his head to the side, searching Lucius's face for anything to the contrary.

Lucius knew that while Harry's tone was playful, he still seemed a bit insecure about Lucius's opinion of him. Lucius pulled Harry to him. As soon as Harry straddled his lap, he said, 'Harry, if I didn't like what I see, you wouldn't be here.'

Harry smiled and slid his arms around Lucius's neck, practically purring as Lucius's hands slowly slid up and down his back.

Harry rocked his hips against Lucius. 'You want to play, then?'

Lucius cupped Harry's arse and pulled him closer. His fingers dipped into Harry's cleft and teased his lover's hole. 'Oh, I think I want to do more than just play.'

Harry tilted his head back and moaned as Lucius licked down his throat and nipped at his Adam's apple.

Lucius blindly reached for the lubricant he kept by the sofa and popped the cork. He removed his hand from Harry's arse and coated his fingers. Lucius slid his fingers back to his lover's arse and slid two inside.

Harry squirmed and sat back on the fingers, urging them deeper. 'I thought you wanted to do more than play,' he panted.

'Oh, I'm going to do much, much more, but first I'm going to torment you as much as possible. You see, I like my fun as well.'

'Oh!' Harry yelled as Lucius pushed his fingers all the way inside and slid them over his prostate. 'Oh, that feels so good. Do that again!'

'If you like it so much, why should I?' Lucius teased, ceasing the movement of his fingers.

Harry wiggled back against the offending digits. 'Luc', please!'

Lucius smirked. 'Luc'? Who said you could call me that?'

'What? I can't call you by a nickname? One that I know Snape is allowed to use?' Harry asked, glaring. He was a bit annoyed that his lover would decide that now was a good time to have a conversation.

'I've known him for years, and he's been calling me that since we were in school. I've known of you for awhile, but I've known you for only a couple of months.'

Harry's first impulse was to get angry, but he really didn't want to fight, so he opted first for pouting. 'So you don't want me to call you Luc'?' Harry sighed deeply, his face drooping slightly. 'Perhaps it would be best if I just called you Mr Malfoy.'

Lucius knew he was being manipulated, but for the life of him, he couldn't resist, especially when Harry looked at him through his thick, long lashes and his rosy bottom lip protruded slightly. 'Oh, all right, you can call me Luc', if you must. But if I hear you use that name in the presence of anyone else besides Severus, I'll flay you alive.'

'Deal. Now will you move?' Harry pleaded.

'Actually, I can do you one better than that,' he murmured, kissing Harry's nose. 'Move back.'

Harry snarled slightly when Lucius removed his fingers, but his annoyance was quickly buoyed when Lucius unfastened his robes and pulled his cock out of his boxers. Harry grabbed the lubricant and quickly slicked up his lover's prick, making sure it firmed up nicely. Then Harry eagerly turned around so that his back was to his lover, and Lucius pulled Harry back and positioned himself at his entrance. He thrust up and impaled himself with one deft stroke, causing Harry to shout obscenities. It took a couple of moments to find the rhythm, but their lovemaking came to an abrupt halt when they heard a shout coming from the door.

'What the bloody hell is going on here!' Draco screamed, staring in horror at his father and Harry.

Both men froze and Lucius quickly used his robe to shroud Harry's nudity. 'Draco, have you ever heard of knocking?' Lucius snapped angrily. 'There is such a thing as privacy.'

'Oh, please! I've never needed an excuse to come and see you before, and I did knock, but I see now that you were too busy with your little whore!' he yelled, not caring if his father was angry or not.

'If you ever call Harry that again, Draco Demetrius Malfoy, you're going to find out exactly what it's like to be on the receiving end of poverty!' Lucius yelled, glaring at his son. 'How dare you presume to come into my quarters and insult my lover in this manner? You will show me the proper respect. Now get out! I'm rather busy at the moment.'

'Oh, fine. I find out you're fucking someone young enough to be your son, and you're threatening me? Where's the respect you should have for me, your son? How could you do this? I hate you!' Draco turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Lucius sighed. 'Well, that wasn't exactly the way that I wanted him to find out about us,' he said, chuckling lightly. 'Although I have to admit that Draco's reaction isn't surprising.'

'Yeah, I know. Well, that was a mood killer, if I ever saw one,' he said, sliding off his lover's softened cock. 'How about we go and take a hot bath?'

Lucius kissed the back of Harry's head and led him to the bathroom. 'I think that might just be the thing to rejuvenate us.'





The next afternoon, Harry was walking along the bank of the river when he came upon Draco staring across the water, a sullen glare firmly pasted on his face. Harry decided that perhaps he should try to talk with Draco a bit, to see if he couldn't help to smooth things over.

'Mal-, Draco, can I talk with you for a minute?' he asked, walking up to the blond.

'I don't want to talk with you, Potter. Get out of my sight.'

'I can't. I need to talk with you about what you saw last night.'

Draco scowled. 'Potter, last night, what I saw was my father making a fool out of himself with someone more than half his age. I honestly don't know what he is thinking, but I have a good idea about what he's thinking with,' Draco snapped.

Harry sighed. 'He's not making a fool of himself, and I'm not going to make a fool of him. Draco, I care for your father very much, and I'm not going to hurt him. Please, try to understand.'

'Potter, you are fucking my father. How am I supposed to understand that my father is shagging the one person I've despised for the last seven years? Leave now. I don't want to talk to you anymore.'

Harry sighed. 'All right, but you really should talk to Lucius. Maybe he can make you see reason,' Harry snapped, jumping up.

Draco waited for Harry to have a good head start before going back to the castle himself. Neither of them noticed the small beetle clinging to the tree, just above where they had been sitting and talking.





The next morning, Harry could hear the uproar in the Great Hall. Curious, he walked in, but his curiosity was replaced with uneasiness as everyone shut up and stared at him. He quickly walked up to his usual seat. 'What's going on?' he asked, sitting down across from Hermione and Ron.

Ron glared at Harry before pointedly looking away, and Hermione looked a bit miffed, but she held out her morning copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry grabbed it and unfolded it. He paled considerably when he saw the headline:

Boy Who Lived Has Clandestine Affair with Lucius Malfoy

Harry glared at the name below the headline. 'Rita Skeeter? I thought that bitch was done for good!'

'She was supposed to be, but I guess she's decided that I'm not a threat any longer. Apparently, she's registered herself with the Ministry for Magic,' Hermione told him. 'Is this true?'

Harry nodded and folded the paper. He had no intention of reading the article, since he couldn't care less what it said. 'If you must know, and now it seems everyone does, yes, I am. Well, it's not as bad as it probably makes it seem, but yes, I'm involved with Lucius.'

'Why didn't you tell us?' Hermione asked irritably.

'Well, considering Voldemort's penchant for causing those I love problems, I didn't think it should be well known. But now, I don't see the point in hiding it. It's nothing illegal, and he and his wife can't stand the sight of each other, so what's the problem?'

'He's quite a bit older than you,' Hermione pointed out. 'His viewpoints on Muggle-borns and half-bloods are horrendous, and he's a murderer.'

'I know what he is and is not, and I know what he's done. I don't care about his age. Yes, he's older, but it doesn't matter to me. If it's a problem for you, I'm sorry, but I'm not giving him up.'

'I didn't expect that you would, Harry, but I don't like him as a person. Don't expect me to spend time around him.'

'I don't expect you to do anything. He's my lover,' Harry said, looking over at Lucius. He smiled softly when Lucius winked at him. At least he knew that he and Lucius would be all right. He really didn't care what everyone else's viewpoints were.





The Blood Poison Potion

One Saturday morning in late November, during breakfast, the morning post came in and Harry was surprised to see an owl land in front of him, lifting its leg so that Harry could remove the letter attached. He hadn't received anything but Howlers since his relationship with Lucius was made public. Harry did so and gave the owl some bits of bacon. The owl hooted happily and flew off, after eating the bacon offered. The sender of the letter obviously didn't need a response.

Harry opened the piece of parchment, and read:

Potter

Meet me in my office as soon as breakfast is over. I believe I have found the solution that we've been looking for.

SS Harry glared at Ron, who was reading over his shoulder. 'What's that all about? Is that about the research you've been doing?' Ron had got over his initial anger about Harry's relationship with Lucius. He still didn't like it, but he'd been more than happy to help Harry destroy all the Howlers that came his way, after the article that Rita Skeeter had printed. People all over the wizarding world were not happy with Harry's choice in partners.

'Why don't you tell the whole world, Ron?' Harry whispered, almost venomously. Students were milling about, and there were several Slytherins nearby.

'Sorry,' Ron mumbled, turning back to his breakfast.

'Ron, I told you. When I can talk about it, I will, but until then, you just have to trust me,' Harry said, trying to smooth things over with his friend.

'All right, Harry,' Ron said, finishing his breakfast. 'I've got to go and meet Hermione in the library. She's already panicking about her N.E.W.T.s.' Ron grinned when Harry sniggered, and both left the Great Hall.

Harry quickly ran down to the dungeons, ignoring a Ravenclaw Prefect who jokingly admonished him for running in the hallways. He skidded to a halt outside his professor's door and knocked loudly.

Snape pulled the door open. 'For Merlin's sake, Potter! You don't have to knock down the door!' he snapped as he let Harry pass.

Harry ignored the Potions master's irritation. 'Did you really find something?' he asked eagerly.

Snape nodded and pointed. 'I believe I found a Potion that will do exactly what we wish to do.'

Harry picked up the book that Snape pointed to and looked at the potion. 'Blood Poison… Now there's an original name,' Harry said, smiling over at his Potions master.

Snape glared, though his heart really wasn't in it. He was far too excited at the prospect of producing an ancient potion, or at least, directing Harry while he made it. 'Continue reading, Potter.'

Harry looked down at the potion recipe:

Blood Poison Potion

Used in 1243 BC by the ancient Egyptians to rid the world of an evil Pharaoh possessing magical powers, the Blood Poison Potion is a particularly difficult Potion. The Potion can only be used if the Dark wizard and the brewer share a bond. The Blood Poison Potion will only work if the brewer is directly linked to the blood of his enemy. Unlike most potions, this Potion does not have to be ingested; instead, the brewer must bring the Potion into contact with his enemy's skin. Use as much of the Potion as possible. However, the Potion is harmless to anyone other than the intended victim.

Brewing Time:

Approximately 4 1/2 days

Equipment needed:

Unbreakable sterile glass jars for ingredients (make sure that they have never been used before)
1 large platinum cauldron
Utensils made of platinum or silver (platinum preferable)
Phials for the Potion
Silver mixing bowl, never been used

  Ingredients Needed:

2 ounces unicorn blood
1 ounce powdered scarabs
1 unicorn horn, grated
1 pint blood of the brewer, as fresh as possible
1 vine of tentacula, sliced
2 ounces of blood from two different servants of thy enemy, willingly given
2 ounces of blood from one servant of thy enemy, forcibly taken
3 teeth from a manticore, cracked (keep each tooth separate)
4 eyes of harpies, whole
3 mermaid scales, crushed (keep the scales separate)
4 ounces undiluted Bubotuber pus
3 pints water
6 ounces sea snake venom
10 ounces aconite, dried and crushed to a fine powder
1 basilisk fang, crushed
4 scales of a basilisk, whole
2 ounces werewolf hairs
1 ounce powdered satyr horn
1 feather of griffin
3 hairs from the tail of a centaur
4 ounces dragon's blood, preferably from a Hungarian Horntail

Note about ingredients: The more ingredients harvested by the brewer, the stronger and more effective the potion will be.

Directions:

1. Fill the cauldron half full of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flames until water is just simmering.

2. Combine the 2 ounces of unicorn blood with the grated unicorn horn and mix thoroughly. Add to the cauldron and stir widdershins 200 times. Let simmer for three hours.

3. Add crushed mermaid scales, one at a time, ten minutes apart, stirring deosil constantly in between additions. After the last addition, stir deosil constantly for ten minutes more and then let simmer for six hours, stirring three times deosil every 30 minutes. The Potion should now be a silvery green.

4. Add the blood from a servant of thy enemy, forcibly taken to the sea snake venom. Mix thoroughly and add to the cauldron. Stir widdershins 300 times. Add 1 pint of water and stir deosil 25 times. Cover the cauldron and let the Potion simmer for 24 hours, stirring twelve times deosil every two hours.

5. Add the teeth of a manticore, one at a time, stirring twice, widdershins, after each addition. Let simmer for five minutes. Meanwhile, add the undiluted Bubotuber pus to 1 pint of water. Mix thoroughly and add to the Potion, once the five minutes has expired. Stir deosil four times and let simmer for 24 hours, stirring three times every four hours.

6. Combine the aconite, basilisk fang, powdered satyr's horn, powdered scarabs, werewolf hair, and centaur hairs and mix with the dragon's blood. Add to the Potion, which should now be a deep purple. Stir deosil for the next thirty minutes.

7. Add the sliced tentacula vine and stir four times widdershins. Add the basilisk scales, one at a time, stirring once after each addition. Be sure to wait one full minute before adding each scale. Let simmer for fourteen hours, undisturbed.

8. While the Potion is simmering, combine the griffin feather, the blood of thy enemy's servants, willingly given, and the remaining pint of water in the silver mixing bowl. (Be certain the bowl has NEVER been used!) Allow the ingredients to mix together, undisturbed, while the cauldron simmers (14 hours).

9. Add the mixture in the silver bowl to the Potion and stir 500 times deosil. Let simmer for 28 hours, stirring 100 times, deosil, every hour.

10. Add the pint of brewer's blood to the Potion and stir constantly for eight hours. Remove from the fire and allow it to cool to room temperature.

11. Once the Potion is cool, ladle into phials.

The Potion will be usable for two weeks.

Harry looked up from the book, his face pale. He stared at his professor as if he'd gone completely mad. 'You're having me on! There's no way that I can make this! How am I supposed to do it? You're the Potions genius around here, certainly not me.'

Snape put down his ladle and came over to Harry. He put his hands on Harry's shoulder and looked him in the eye. 'Potter…Harry, you can do this. Lucius and I are going to help you through it, from start to finish. There will always be at least one of us by your side, if not both. But you have to do it. If Lucius or I could make it, we would, but you are the only person in this world that can make this potion. You share a blood bond with Voldemort. This is what you were meant to do.'

Harry stared at him in disbelief. 'How can you be so sure that I can do this?'

'Because you're not as incompetent as I've led you to believe, and you have Lucius and me to help you along the way.'

Harry nodded. He was still pale, but he felt a little better. He sat down and re-read the entire potion again. Then he read the ingredients. 'I guess we should figure out what I can get and what I can't.'

Harry looked over the Blood Poison Potion again, after pulling a quill and some ink and parchment out of his bag. 'Let's see…. The blood of the brewer is easy, since that's me. The tentacula and Bubotuber pus I can get in the Herbology greenhouses. The blood willingly given…wouldn't you and Lucius work? I mean, you have his Mark, technically you are his servant, even if you don't follow him anymore.'

'Very good, Potter. I had thought of that, but it's encouraging to see that you can indeed use your brain for something other than playing Quidditch.'

'Ha-ha! Bloody hilarious! All right, what about the forcibly taken blood? Where am I going to get that?'

'I'll ask Draco. He'll know or can find out if anyone in Slytherin has the Mark. If no one has it, then we'll just have to find one of the Death Eaters.'

Harry scowled, but he continued. 'I could ask one of the merpeople about the mermaid scales. I can owl Charlie Weasley about getting the dragon's blood, though I really don't fancy getting near a Hungarian Horntail again.'

Harry looked up when he heard Snape snort. Deciding to ignore his professor, Harry continued. 'The werewolf hairs are easy. The full moon is next week. I'll owl Remus and see if he'll come to Hogwarts, so I can get the hair. The centaur hairs I can get from Firenze. Basilisk scales…ugh, it looks like its time for another trip into the Chamber of Secrets for me. I can get the basilisk fang there as well.'

Snape looked up with interest. 'You're going into the Chamber again?'

Harry nodded. 'It would be better if I get them myself, and there is a rather large basilisk rotting down there. I don't think it will mind if I take a few scales and a fang. You can come with me, if you want to see the Chamber.'

Snape glared viciously at Harry but didn't say anything, and Harry knew that was what Snape had been thinking. Harry wisely continued his assessment of the ingredients. 'There is an aconite plant by the Forbidden Forest, behind the gamekeeper's hut. If I go out there today, I can get it dried out by the fire.'

'The scarabs I can get from the Apothecary and powder myself. I think that doing it halfway will be fine. I know I can get the unicorn horn there as well.'

Harry scowled as he looked at the remaining ingredients. 'Where am I going to get the rest of these ingredients?'

'Which are?' Snape asked, even though he knew very well what they were. He had spent the night before memorising the Potion.

'Unicorn blood, manticore teeth, harpies' eyes, sea snake venom, satyr horn, and a griffin feather,' Harry read off to Snape. 'Oh, and I need the equipment to make the Potion.'

'As for the unicorn blood, I have the blood from the unicorn that was killed during your first year.'

'Is it still useable?' Harry asked, looking up at his professor.

'Yes, there is a preservation spell on it.'

'Okay, and the rest?'

'I already have the cauldron and the utensils, as they were family heirlooms, and we can get the rest from the Apothecary. We can also get the snake venom and the griffin feather there. The others will be a bit hard to get. I believe that someone will have to make a trip into Knockturn Alley for the other supplies.'

Snape thought for a moment. 'We can send Lupin. They always sell to him in Knockturn Alley, though they charge him a bit more money. I'll get money from the Order and send it to him, along with the list of things we'll need.'

'I still need to buy the phials, jars, and the silver bowl. I wonder if Professor Dumbledore will allow Professor McGonagall to come to Diagon Alley with me,' he mused. He sighed and hopped off the stool. 'First things first, though. I need to collect the aconite, since it will take a bit for it to dry out. I'll be right back.'

Snape nodded without looking up, and Harry quickly went out to harvest the wolfsbane.





When Harry came back, plant in a basket that he borrowed from Professor Sprout, he found Snape and Lucius hunched over the book, talking about the potion. 'Hi! I got the plant. Can I dry it out by your fire?' Harry asked.

Snape nodded and motioned toward the fireplace. While he worked on fastening the plant to a string, close to the fire to feel the heat, but not so close that it caught fire, Lucius and Snape continued their conversation.

'Do you really think that this potion will work? That bastard has a habit of surviving,' Lucius said thoughtfully.

'I realise that, Luc', but combined with an Almethian Stone, it should work,' Snape replied.

Lucius stared at him. 'Where in blazes are we going to find an Almethian Stone? Do you have any idea how rare they are?'

'Of course I know how rare they are,' Snape snapped irritably. 'If anyone can find one that's useable, it's Albus.'

'What's an Almethian Stone?' Harry asked, coming over to the table and hopping onto a stool.

'It's a sort of gem that will trap a soul, never releasing it once inside. We're going to need one, if we are to rid the world of Voldemort forever. The Blood Poison Potion will kill his body and weaken him to the point of death, but the spells and potions that…thing has put on himself will ensure that he does not completely expire. This Stone will make his disappearance from this world complete,' Lucius explained patiently.

'Brilliant. Do you think Professor Dumbledore will be able to find one?' Harry asked.

'Well, there's only one way to find out,' Snape said, standing. 'I think we need to speak with Albus about this.'





Fifteen minutes later, the three men were seated in Albus Dumbledore's office, teacups in hand.

'Albus, I think I have found a potion that will rid us of Voldemort once and for all,' Snape proclaimed, handing the book over to the Headmaster, opened to the appropriate page.

Dumbledore read through the potion and chuckled lightly, his eyes twinkling brightly with happiness. 'Indeed, I think this will do very nicely. I vaguely remember reading about this potion, but I've never seen it. I see that Lucius's books were of great help. Thank you, Lucius.'

'Don't mention it, Albus. I'm glad that we finally found something. But there is something else that we're going to need.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'We'll need an Almethian Stone. Yes, I've known that it would be necessary, whatever way we found to defeat him. I've had my contacts searching for one for some time now, but we've not yet been able to find one. Until then, I've fashioned a gem that will hold him. The only setback is that someone can free him from it.'

'Let's hope that we find one. What about you, Harry? How do you feel? After all, you're the one who has to make this potion. Do you think you can do this?'

'No,' Harry said honestly. 'If I had to do this on my own, I'd tell you that you're barmy, no offence intended, Headmaster. Professor Snape says I can do this, and I trust him more than I do myself. At least when it comes to potions,' he added when he heard Snape snort slightly.

'Severus and I will be with Harry the entire time he creates this potion. He'll do fine,' Lucius replied.

'I agree,' Snape said. 'Now, we need to talk about Harry's gathering the supplies. He's made a list of where he can get most, but there are some that will need to be procured from Knockturn Alley. We'll need to send someone to buy them, and I have to say, Albus, that they will not be inexpensive.'

'I take it you already have a person in mind,' Dumbledore said.

'Yes. I want to send Remus Lupin. The full moon is next week, and as we'll need werewolf hairs, Potter suggested asking him here. We can send the note and the money with the owl Potter is going to send him, if you'll give us money from the Order's account.'

'Actually, I can do better than that. I'll have the money sent directly to Remus's account at Gringotts. He can pick up the money there; that way, he won't have to carry that much money with him.'

Snape nodded. 'We also need to contact Charles Weasley. We need the blood of a Hungarian Horntail, and it would be best if Potter gathered it himself. It seems that the potion works better if he has more contact with everything, including the harvesting.'

'I think we could arrange a Portkey, but we'll have to keep his trip private. You'll have to use your Invisibility Cloak, and Charlie will have to make sure that no one knows you're there, but I think we could manage it. I'll send a fire message right away. Is there anything else?'

'One more thing. Potter needs someone to take him to Diagon Alley to buy a few ingredients. He suggested Minerva.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'An excellent choice. I'll have her take you on Saturday, all right, Harry?'

Harry nodded. 'Thank you, sir. I'll be ready after breakfast.'

'Very good. If that's all, I have a few calls to make, and you have an owl to send.'





'When do you want to go down into the Chamber of Secrets?' Snape asked Harry, as they were sitting in the Potions classroom. It was two days later, and as part of his preparation, Harry was practising his slicing and dicing skills, as well as his crushing, cracking, and powdering. Snape insisted that he practise as much as possible, since many of the ingredients would only have as much as was needed.

'Well, there's no time like the present,' Harry said, more than ready to take a break from the tedium of preparing potion ingredients. The fact that he was preparing ingredients of potions that Snape was currently making didn't escape him.

'Now?' Snape asked, intrigued. 'Is Lucius here?' He knew that Lucius would kill them if they went down into the Chamber without him.

'Of course. Do you think I would suggest it otherwise? I value my neck right where it is, thank you very much. You call him and tell him to meet us in the girls' lavatory. You know, the one near the area that Mrs. Norris was petrified in my first year,' Harry said as he went into Snape's cabinet and pulled out some unused, unbreakable glass jars, the ones Snape said he could use. He stuffed them and some other items in his pockets.

'The one on the second floor,' Snape confirmed. 'Where are you going?'

'There's something that I need to get for us first. I'll meet you there,' Harry said, running out of the classroom. He smirked when he heard Snape yell, 'Two points from Gryffindor for running in the hallway!'





'Who's there?' a moaning, sombre voice asked from a cubicle on the far side of the girls' lavatory.

Harry sighed and repressed a groan. He has hoped that Myrtle would be off playing in the pipes somewhere, but luck wasn't with him today. 'It's me, Harry.'

Myrtle swooped out and smiled shyly. 'Hello, Harry. Oh, I see you brought some friends with you.'

'This is Lucius Malfoy, and I'm sure you've seen Professor Snape before.'

'Oh, yes,' Myrtle said softly. 'I remember when he was just a small boy. I remember Lucius Malfoy as well. He had much better manners than his snivelling little son,' Myrtle said, sniffing. 'Do you know he comes in here to make fun of me? He's a horrid little thing,' Myrtle moaned.

Harry noticed Lucius's murderous glare and whispered, 'You can't kill the dead.' Then he said to Myrtle, 'Look, I'd like to chat, but we're in a bit of a rush.'

Myrtle wailed loudly. 'No one ever wants to talk with me.' She dove into a toilet, splashing water all over the floor.

'Is she always that annoying?' Snape asked irritably.

'More so,' Harry replied, handing a broom to Lucius and one to Snape. He also had his Firebolt.

'Why do we have to have brooms?' Lucius asked curiously.

'Well, Apparation doesn't work in Hogwarts, we don't have climbing gear or a Portkey, and Fawkes just burned a few days ago,' Harry replied, as if that explained everything.

Lucius and Snape stared at Harry blankly. Harry didn't explain. Instead, he went over to the sink with the serpent and spoke in Parseltongue.

Lucius, who had never heard Harry speak Parseltongue before, felt his nether regions twitch. While Voldemort's use of the language was repulsive, even terrifying at times, Harry's words were soft and inviting, which Lucius found arousing. Lucius would have to see about getting his lover a pet snake, or convince Harry to speak to him in Parseltongue at the very least.

His thoughts on the eroticism of snake language were interrupted as the basins began to shift. As the hole leading to the Chamber opened, the need for brooms was apparent.

'Getting in is the easy part,' Harry said, looking down the large hole. 'It'll be a tight fit, but we should be able to use the brooms to get back out. Besides, Professor Dumbledore most likely knows where we are, and he won't let us get stuck down here for too long.'

Harry stepped up to the hole. 'I guess I'll go first,' he said, making sure he had all the equipment he needed. Then he took a deep breath and jumped into the hole.

Lucius and Snape looked over the edge, listening to Harry's yells as he slid down the pipe. 'Come on!' Harry yelled when he reached the bottom.

Lucius went next. He closed his eyes tightly as he slid down the hole. Dirt and debris were all over the pipe, and the last thing he wanted to do was lose an eye.

Harry caught Lucius as he slid to the bottom, staggering a bit under his lover's weight. They both turned around and caught Snape as he came flying out of the pipe. All three took a moment to dust themselves off.

Harry set his broom by the wall and looked about. 'Lumos,' he said, and his wand lit so he could have a better look around.

'Are these…bones?' Lucius asked disgustedly, looking down at the floor.

'Yes,' Harry said. 'Come on.' Harry climbed through the rock pile that had been caused by Lockhart's misfired Memory charm, and wound his way to the vault-like door of the Chamber.

'Hayahasssah,' Harry hissed, and the door slowly opened. He turned to Lucius. 'When we, Ginny and I, came back out, I closed this door,' he explained.

Harry walked through the now opened door and climbed the small ladder, intent on his grisly business. Snape and Lucius followed slowly, drinking in the beauty of their house founder's creation.

Lucius walked over to one of the serpent statues that lined the path that led to a statue of Salazar Slytherin. He examined the statue closely, amazed by its detail and beauty. 'This is made out of pure silver,' he murmured to no one in particular as he stroked the statue softly.

'They all are,' Snape replied as he continued his own inspection of a statue.

Harry smiled at the reverence that his lover and his professor were showing, but he had a job to do before he teased them about it and dodged their hexes. He made a face as he looked down at the dead, decayed, disgusting basilisk. It was dried up and shrivelled, but at least the odour of death was long gone.

Harry kneeled down beside the basilisk and pulled out his dragon hide gloves, his jars, tweezers and something that looked like pliers, in case he had a hard time extracting the fang.

The first thing Harry did was pull out the large fang, which came out without any problems. Harry closed that jar and opened another. Harry extracted four large scales from the dead serpent and dropped them in the jar. Then Harry proceeded to pull out two more jars, these much larger than the other two, and he began filling them with basilisk scales.

For the last couple of days, after class was over and they were making preparations for the potion, Harry had been reading Rare Magical Potion Ingredients by Mortiana Snape. He had read about basilisks, and he discovered that the scales, teeth, blood, and eyes of this serpent were some of the rarest ingredients in the world, because there weren't many basilisks in the world, and most people died trying to obtain them. Harry realised just how lucky he was to have survived an encounter with a full-grown basilisk.

There wasn't anything he could do about the blood and eyes, since they were gone, but he could harvest the teeth and scales for Professor Snape. If anything, the ingredients were very valuable and would fetch a high price if Snape were to sell them.

While Harry was busy pulling out basilisk scales with a pair of tweezers, Lucius and Snape explored the Chamber. Legend among Slytherin house told of a room inside the Chamber, which held many books and artefacts that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Both Snape and Lucius were eager to find out if the legend was true.





After an hour of sitting on the ground, pulling out scales, Harry stood up, deciding it was time to take a break. One jar was already filled, and the second was a third full. Harry frowned as he looked around the Chamber. There was no sign of his two companions anywhere. Harry decided to look for them, just to see what kind of trouble they had got into. He didn't hear anything in front of him, so he walked around the large statue of Slytherin's head.

Behind the statue, Harry was surprised to find a narrow passageway. He could see a faint light coming from the end of the passage, and he guessed that it was coming from one of the wands of his companions. Holding up his lighted wand, Harry carefully walked through the corridor, watching for anything that might make him trip and fall.

Harry grinned to himself as he got closer to the source of light. He could hear Lucius and Snape chattering excitedly, like a couple of schoolchildren.

When Harry entered the room at the end of the passageway, he could see why. The room was quite large, and it was full of books, weapons, talismans, jars, and phials. Harry knew it was like Christmastime for the two men.

'I see you two made a little discovery,' Harry teased as he looked around appreciatively.

Both men looked crestfallen to see him. 'Are you ready to leave?' he asked, as if fearing the answer.

Harry laughed and shook his head. 'I'm just resting for a few moments. My back was hurting.'

'How long does it take you to pull out a fang and four scales?' Snape inquired distractedly as he perused the bookshelves.

'I've already done that. I was harvesting the scales and teeth for you. I've filled one jar with scales, and another is only a third full.'

'How could you have done that so quickly? It's only been a few minutes,' Lucius said.

Harry snorted. 'It's been at least an hour.'

'An hour? An hour, and I've barely had a chance to look at anything,' Snape said regretfully.

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Oh, for Merlin's sake, Professor, why are you and Lucius sitting here, just looking. You should be shrinking this stuff and shoving as much of it as you can into your pocket.'

Both men looked at him, surprised at the suggestion, as if the very idea was blasphemous. 'You want us to remove these things from the Chamber?' Snape asked, in what Harry could only think of as a moment of uncharacteristic stupidity.

And you had the audacity to call me an idiot, Harry thought. 'Yes. What good will any of this do here? Only Voldemort and I can get into the Chamber of Secrets. Do you honestly think that Tom Riddle would have left all this here if he had a choice? He told me that he couldn't open the Chamber again because Professor Dumbledore watched him so closely.'

Harry looked around. 'Once Voldemort is gone, I will be the only one left with access. These things will just be sitting here, useless. Take them. You'll regret it if you don't.'

Lucius and Snape looked at each other, shrugged, and began organising some of the items. 'Some of these shouldn't be shrunk,' Snape remarked.

'Fine. I'll finish up with the basilisk and then I'll fly out and get some coins that can be transfigured into boxes. I'll also conjure some rope so that we can drag the boxes up the tunnel.'

Snape nodded distractedly, busy with his investigation. Harry just rolled his eyes and went about his business.





Four hours later, all the books were packed into boxes and shrunk to fit into their pockets. Most of the magical items were packed away, and Harry had grudgingly lugged the boxes to the entrance, grumbling occasionally about being used as a house-elf.

'Merlin's beard,' Lucius whispered, catching the attention of both Harry and Snape.

'What is it?' Harry asked, setting down the box he was about to carry off and walking over to Lucius.

Lucius reached into the small chest he had just opened and pulled out a medium-sized gem. It was a deep purple colour, with bands of gold streaking throughout the gem, shining brightly in the light of the torches that Harry brought. 'It's an Almethian Stone,' he said. 'It's unused.'

'Perfect,' Snape murmured, almost happily. 'Albus will be pleased. Once we have the Blood Poison Potion, we will have everything we need to rid the world of Voldemort.'

Harry smiled brightly at the two men. He happily picked up the box he had been carrying and nearly skipped out the door.





'Thank you for taking me to Diagon Alley, Professor McGonagall,' Harry said. It was just after breakfast, and he met his head of house inside the Headmaster's office, just like he was instructed to. He and McGonagall were waiting for Dumbledore to finish charming the Portkey.

'Not at all, Harry,' McGonagall said, smiling fondly at the young man before her.

Harry and McGonagall had done some extracurricular work during Harry's fifth and sixth year, and they had fallen into a sort of friendship that left Harry with a happy feeling every time he spent some time with the woman. She was, at times, almost motherly, something that Harry had craved for most of his life. Their friendship was so close that Harry wrote to her during the summer holidays, and she had written back faithfully, even sending Harry birthday gifts.

McGonagall felt much the same way for Harry. She had never married, nor did she have a child of her own. All of the children of the school, particularly from her house, were special to her, but there was something about Harry she adored right from the beginning, something that had nothing to do with his fabled heroics. She could sense in him, right from the start, a desire to do well, a desire to fit in, a desire to be loved and love in return.

She looked at the young man now, seven years later, and he was no longer the timid little boy she once knew. He was so much more, and she loved him dearly, as if he were her own. Of course, she couldn't play favourites, but Harry would always hold a special place in her heart.

'There we are!' Dumbledore said happily, producing the Portkey. 'This will take you into the area right behind The Leaky Cauldron. Put this in your pocket right away. It will reset itself five minutes after it deposits you at Diagon Alley. Take it out and use it when you're ready, or if there's trouble.'

McGonagall nodded. 'Come along, Harry,' she said, taking the Portkey and holding it out to him. Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly.





Two hours later, after an uneventful trip to Diagon Alley, Harry found himself inside Snape's office once again, setting out his purchases for Snape's approval, which he got, after much grumbling and a few insults.

'Let's see…what's left? We need dragon blood…Charlie is coming for me tonight, and I'll be back tomorrow morning,' Harry said, more to himself than to Snape or Lucius.

'I don't know if I like the idea of you spending time with that Weasley,' Lucius said, his possessiveness rearing its head once again.

Harry grinned cheekily. 'He's not the Weasley you have to worry about,' he said slyly.

Snape snorted, noticing Lucius's murderous look. 'Harry, quit baiting him.'

Harry looked up, a bit surprised. Snape had started calling Harry 'Harry' when they were alone, and it still surprised him. 'He knows I'm teasing. There's no one you have to worry about,' Harry told his lover, kissing him on the cheek. 'Now, what else? We need the blood forcibly taken. Did you find out if there was someone with the Mark?'

Lucius nodded. 'Draco found out that both Crabbe and Goyle were given the Mark over the summer. It shouldn't be too hard to get their blood from them. You can't get much thicker than they are.'

'You don't have to tell me. Okay, we have the other blood, the tentacula, the Bubotuber pus, the mermaid scales, the aconite, the centaur hairs, the basilisk scales and fang, the scarabs, the unicorn horn, the unicorn blood. I guess all we have to do now is wait for Remus.'





The next week, Harry found himself sitting outside on the steps, in front of the school's main doors. He was waiting for Remus, who was due to arrive at any moment. About an hour after he sat down, he saw Remus coming up the path.

'Remus!' Harry said happily, running across the grounds to meet his former professor. He gave him a quick hug. 'How are you?'

Remus laughed. 'I'm fine, Harry. How are you doing? It's been awhile since I got an owl from you.'

Harry smiled sheepishly. 'Sorry. I've been so busy preparing for the you-know-what,' Harry whispered, unwilling to mention the potion out in the open.

'Ah, yes. Well, you'll be happy to know that I got everything you asked for,' Remus said.

'Good! It's all that's left. Well, almost. There are a few things we still need.'

'Yes, but those will be taken care of very soon,' Remus said, smiling. 'So tell me, Harry, what's going on with you and Sirius? You haven't written to him, and he's completely miserable. Whenever I ask, he won't tell me a thing, except that he did something awful, and he's really sorry about it.'

Harry sighed. 'I'd love to tell you, Remus, but I can't. I promised I wouldn't, and it would hurt that person terribly if I broke that promise and quite frankly, it wouldn't do me a bit of good, either. You'll have to get it out of Sirius. When I think he's truly sorry for what he did, and not because I found out, I'll forgive him.'

'What does he have to do to make you see how sorry he is?' Remus asked.

'He has to apologise in person,' Harry replied.

'I see,' Remus said. Deciding that it was time to change the subject, Remus whispered, 'So, how was your trip to Romania?'

Harry laughed. 'It was great. Charlie took me all around the Reserve, showing me everything. Bill was with us, so it didn't look like he was talking to himself.'

'Tell me, Harry, does Lucius know that Bill was there?'

Harry could hear the disapproval in his friend's voice. Harry knew Remus was still having a hard time with his and Lucius's relationship. Remus also knew about Harry's former liaison with Bill Weasley.

'Yes, he knows that Bill was there, and he wasn't too happy. He also knows that I would never cheat on him, and besides, Bill isn't the sort who would go around breaking up relationships.'

'Just as long as you know what you're doing, Harry.'

'I do, Remus. I love him, and he loves me, whether you believe it or not. He makes me happy.'

'Just as long as you're happy and safe, that's all I want. Now, let's get these supplies to Severus before he hexes us for making him wait.'





Remus's visit went better than Harry expected. He got the werewolf hairs from Moony, and Remus was extremely happy, because the new Wolfsbane Potion that Snape had been working on decreased the pain he felt even more than it did before, and the taste wasn't nearly as repulsive.

Harry was also happy because Remus didn't try to kill Lucius, and vice versa. Like everyone else, Remus found out about Harry's relationship with Lucius, like everyone else, on the front cover of the Daily Prophet, thanks to Rita Skeeter, who hadn't learnt a thing from her stint as Hermione's pet. Remus was a bit cool to him, but when he realised that Lucius had no intentions of hurting Harry, he warmed up a bit.

Remus had a talk with Lucius as well, just to tell him how special Harry was, and how he didn't want to see him in any unnecessary pain. Lucius assured Remus that he'd be the first to kill anyone who dared try to hurt his Harry. Remus took one look into the eyes of the Slytherin, and he instinctively knew that Harry was in good hands, even if he wasn't too fond of the hands that Harry was in.

Getting the blood from Crabbe was easy. Draco and Harry, both under Invisibility Charms, cornered Crabbe one night, five days before Christmas holidays. They wrestled him to the ground, and they petrified him. While he was frozen, Harry quickly took the syringe and siphoned the Slytherin's blood, just like Lucius taught him.

Intelligence from Sirius and Remus, who had been spying on the Death Eaters every chance that they got (along with the other Order members, as well as a few spies among Voldemort's lower ranks), discovered that Voldemort was planning an attack on Hogsmeade, during the Christmas holidays.

The information had come, not surprisingly, from Crabbe and Goyle, the elder Crabbe and Goyle, that is. They had been standing guard over the perimeter, after a Death Eater meeting. While Voldemort was inside, happily torturing a Muggle family, those two had been sent outside to check the perimeter.

Sirius had been spying this particular night, with Remus close by, in case he got into trouble, and he heard everything that the Death Eaters had planned. As soon as he could get no more information from the two idiots, he ran for Remus, and the two ran for it, Disapparating a safe distance away from the house, so that they wouldn't be detected.

They immediately Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and ran to Dumbledore, heedless of the alarms they were setting off. They told him all, and Dumbledore quickly called in Lucius and Snape, telling him what was going on. They decided that the next night, they would get ready to brew the potion.





'Okay, the water is simmering,' Harry said, looking into the cauldron.

Lucius smiled. He knew how nervous Harry was. He slid an arm around Harry's waist. 'You'll do just fine,' he whispered. He kissed Harry behind the ear and stepped away to let his lover work.

Harry let out a deep breath and got to work. He combined the unicorn blood and unicorn horn, and then he poured the mixture into the bubbling water. He stirred the potion 200 times and backed away. 'Well, one step down, ten to go.'

Harry took the mermaid scales and crushed them, setting them in separate bowls, and then he went to sit on the cot that Snape had brought in.

'I suggest you try to take a nap,' Snape said. He and Lucius were sitting at a table on the other side of the room, playing chess. 'You won't get much sleep for awhile.'

'Okay,' Harry said, slipping between the sheets. He curled up around the pillow and fell into a light slumber.





Nine hours later, Harry added Crabbe's blood and the water, stirring the required amount of times. He covered the cauldron and set his magical timer to go off every two hours. 'Now what?'

'Now you might want to actually crack open those books you brought down here and do your holiday revising,' Lucius said, pointedly looking toward the bag that Harry brought in.

Harry chuckled and picked up the bag. 'You're right, as always. I should get this finished as soon as possible. Of course, if we all die, then I'll have done it for nothing,' Harry said jokingly.

His comment was met with a stony silence. He looked up to see both men glaring at him. 'What? It was just a joke.'

Lucius's glare intensified. 'I never want to hear you say that again,' he whispered vehemently. 'You are going to live through this, even if I have to kill everyone else to do it.'

'All right, all right,' Harry said, grabbing his bag and going to the table on the far side of the room, as far away from the two Slytherins as possible. 'I didn't mean anything by it,' he muttered sullenly. Uptight Slytherins, he thought to himself as he opened his Transfigurations book.





The next two days passed in a bit of a blur, as Harry prepared the potion, followed the directions implicitly, finished all his holiday revising, was lectured on the science and art of potion-making by Snape, and argued relentlessly with both Slytherins about politics, life, and what he should do with his own. As Snape said, he barely got any sleep, and he was thoroughly exhausted, but he was having fun as well, not that he would admit to Snape that he found the Potions master's company fun.

During the last 48 hours, he learnt much about both his lover and his professor, things he knew they would have never talked about otherwise, and his respect for Snape grew when he discovered that his Potions professor wasn't nearly as horrid as he once thought he was.

Snape had a wicked sense of humour, as long as the jokes did not involve anything to do with Harry's potential death at the hands of Voldemort. He was also highly competitive with Lucius, and Harry almost fainted from shock when Snape smiled after trouncing Lucius at chess.

Harry wished he had seen this side of his professor before. He felt a bit sad that he didn't know that his professor wasn't much different than him sooner. He decided that there was still time to get to know Snape better. After all, wizards lived for what? 150 years? 200, if there were no Dark Lords after you. He knew that Dumbledore was at least 150 years old, and if Voldemort didn't kill him, Harry thought he could go on for at least another twenty or thirty years.

Harry finally added the basilisk scales with absolute joy. He knew that he would now have fourteen hours of uninterrupted time, when he could sleep without waking every hour or two so that he could stir the potion.

Harry combined the feather, blood and water in the silver bowl, and then he pushed it to the middle of the table, so it wouldn't spill or get knocked off. Then he quickly used the loo, and then ran to the cot, ripped off his robes, threw his glasses on the table, and jumped into bed. He was almost asleep when he heard whispers coming from the other side of the room. Lucius and Snape seemed to be arguing about something, but he couldn't quite make it out.

Harry groaned and rolled over. 'You two are arguing so softly that I can't sleep. What are you two nattering on about?'

Lucius walked over to Harry, ignoring Snape's waspish protests. 'Do you recall when I told you that Severus suffers from insomnia?'

'Yes,' Harry said sleepily, staring up at his lover.

'When he was very little, his older brother, may his soul never rest, the insipid bastard, used to scare him while Severus was sleeping. As a result, Severus cannot sleep peacefully, unless someone he trusts sleeps next to him.'

'Oh,' Harry said. He yawned widely and lifted the blanket, not caring to know the details of Snape's brother, who seemed like a bigger prat than Draco. 'Get in,' Harry said sleepily.

Lucius could practically see the steam streaming from Snape's ears in the man's fury, but he couldn't care less. Lucius glared back at Snape and pointed to the bed. 'You need sleep in order to help Harry finish this potion. Get in there and go to sleep!' he ordered.

'This is bloody humiliating,' Snape snapped, reluctantly moving toward the bed. As embarrassing as the situation was, Snape knew that Lucius was right, and he hated it with every fibre of his being. He did need some sleep if he was to help Harry finish the Blood Poison Potion, and sitting around arguing about it wasn't doing anyone any good.

Harry ignored his professor's obvious discomfort and moved over to allow room for Snape. 'How do you want me to lay?'

Snape removed his robes and slipped under the blanket. He silently pulled Harry closer and carefully arranged their bodies so that they were wrapped in each other's arms.

Harry snuggled closer, his head under Snape's chin. 'Do you really trust me?' he asked.

Snape muttered, 'If you tell anyone about this, I will personally hang you by your wrists from the ceiling of the Great Hall, naked for all the school to gape at.' At the same time he said that, Snape held Harry tighter and relaxed into his embrace.

Lucius smiled softly at his friend and his lover. He was surprised to find that he wasn't jealous. He thought that it would bother him to see Snape lying with Harry, even if Snape was his closest friend; instead, he found it intriguing…even arousing.

He shook off his thoughts and whispered to Snape, 'I'll wake you when it's time to change shifts.'

Snape nodded slightly before drifting off to sleep, Harry tucked under his chin with a soft smile gracing his cherry lips.





'Severus, it's time to wake up,' Lucius whispered as he shook the dark-haired wizard.

Snape moaned, slightly moving his head and rubbing his cheek against Harry's messy mop of hair.

Lucius chuckled silently and tried again. 'Sev, it's time to get up.'

'Don't want to,' Snape murmured. 'I like it here.'

Lucius grinned. 'I realise that Harry makes an excellent pillow, but you've been asleep for eleven hours, and I'm tired. It's my turn to use Harry for a pillow, even if it's only for a few hours.'

Snape blinked tiredly. 'Why did you let me sleep for so long? You should have awoken me hours ago.'

'I didn't because you needed the sleep more than I did. Your help is much more vital to Harry than mine, and you looked just too damned adorable wrapped up with my lover,' Lucius added, raising an eyebrow and smirking at his friend.

Snape had the decency to blush ever so slightly, considering his current position. Looking at the situation more objectively, he and the Gryffindor brat couldn't be closer if they were joined at the…hip.

Snape tried to get up without waking Harry, but it didn't work. Harry looked up blearily, unable to see anything without his glasses. 'What's wrong?' he asked, blinking stupidly and grinding his fists into his eyes, rubbing away the sleep. He looked very much like a young child as he did it, and Snape had to admit that it was rather sweet.

'Nothing, Harry,' Lucius said. 'We're just changing positions. You can go back to sleep.'

Harry shook his head. 'I've got to use the toilet,' Harry said. He climbed over Snape, not seeing the Potions master's glare for the lack of glasses.

Lucius flashed a brilliant smile at Snape, a smile that would make Lockhart jealous, and carefully slid Harry's glasses onto his lover's face and pointed him in the direction of the lavatory.

'Rather endearing, isn't he?' Lucius asked slyly, seeing that Snape's eyes followed his lover until Harry was out of sight.

Snape glared at Lucius. 'He's an annoying little brat that's made my life a living hell since the day he got here,' he snapped venomously, but even he didn't really believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

'Really? I'm glad to see I have no competition,' Lucius teased lightly, pulling off his robes. He lay down as soon as Snape got up. 'Wake me when it's time to continue with the potion,' he said, yawning widely.





By the time Harry came out, Lucius was already sleeping soundly. He smiled down at his lover and pulled the blankets higher, to keep out the chill. He yawned a little, but he really wasn't tired anymore. He kissed Lucius lightly on the cheek and turned around.

He walked over to Snape and looked over the man's shoulder, watching him read through the potion for the hundredth time since they started. 'I'm hungry. I'll go down to the kitchens and bring us something to eat.'

Snape nodded absently and waved him away. Harry chuckled and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak. He didn't really need it, since Dumbledore made sure that all the professors and Mr Filch knew that Harry would be out at all hours over the next several days, but he didn't want to be caught off guard by Crabbe or Goyle. He knew that they didn't know who had taken Crabbe's blood, but he didn't want to take the chance that they would try to capture him, as a gift for Voldemort.

When he got to the kitchen, Dobby was more than happy to accommodate him. He walked back with a large basket full of food and canisters of pumpkin juice, with the promise of leaving tea outside the door. Sure enough, when Harry got back to Snape's office, there was a tray with tea sitting by the painting.

Harry whispered the password and went in. He went back and got the tea. 'Professor, it's time to eat,' he whispered, not wanting to wake up Lucius. He had brought enough food so that his lover could eat when he woke up.

Snape reluctantly left the book he was reading, one of the books that he brought out of the Chamber of Secrets, and sat down to eat. He shifted uncomfortably under Harry's gaze. Over the last couple of weeks, Snape's view of Harry had changed, and Snape had a new respect for the young man. Harry had opened up to him about his time with the Dursleys, and he couldn't believe how grossly skewed his vision of Harry's upbringing had been. Part of him was gratified to know that Harry really wasn't a spoilt brat, and he almost felt sorry about the way he had treated him.

'What is it, Potter?' Snape snapped, but the sting was lost because he kept his voice so low.

Harry shrugged. 'I'm just trying to figure you out, that's all. You're different than I ever expected, and I find that I actually like who you are. Just don't hex me for saying so, but you're not as bad as you like to appear.'

'Thank you for that assessment. Now don't you think that you should get some more sleep? The next thirty-six hours, you won't be getting any sleep at all.'

Harry sighed. 'You're right. I'll go lie down now. Wake me up about a half-hour early, so I can use the toilet.'

'I will.'





A little more than thirty-six hours later, the three exhausted wizards were done, and their potion was finished and ready to use. The three wizards promptly collapsed onto the cot and slept for the next twelve hours. Dumbledore came in when he knew the Blood Poison Potion was done, and he smiled at the three men. He charmed the cot so it grew bigger, and then he conjured a blanket big enough to cover all three.





Chapter Nine: Defeating Voldemort


'The Blood Poison Potion is ready,' Snape said. 'We've got two weeks, but my guess is that he will attack on Christmas Eve.' Snape, Lucius, and Harry were sitting in Dumbledore's office with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, discussing the preparations for Voldemort's attack.

The students of Hogwarts had already left for home, and those that were supposed to stay at the school were sent away with Molly Weasley, via Portkeys. Dumbledore wanted no children in the castle, in case the fight moved toward the school.

The children of Hogsmeade had also been secretly moved, as had those who were too old or injured to fight. The only ones now milling about Hogsmeade were those who were ready to defeat Voldemort's followers.

Inside the castle, the Order members had gathered surreptitiously, while the few vampires and giants that were on their side took shelter in and around the gamekeeper's hut and inside the Forbidden Forest, hiding from potential spies until the cover of night allowed them to sneak into the castle.

The wizards and werewolves travelled by Apparation or Portkey into the basement of Honeydukes and used the secret passage to get into the school. By now, they had a fair number of allies gathered in the Great Hall, eating and discussing their plans, while the Order members discussed Voldemort in particular.

'I'd have to agree,' Lucius said. 'He'll do anything to ruin happiness for others, especially Harry.' Lucius reached over and softly stroked Harry's cheek.

Those that were present, particularly those that were drooling over Harry, got the message that the seemingly innocent gesture conveyed. Lucius Malfoy had established with one simple touch that Harry was his territory and he wouldn't tolerate violators.

Dumbledore hid his amusement. Several of the wizards and witches in the room looked a bit crestfallen to find out that Harry Potter truly was already taken, that the article in the Daily Prophet was true, but none of them would dare cross Lucius Malfoy. Dumbledore always knew that Harry would be popular among the magical population when he grew up, but he had to admit that Lucius was one of the best matches that Dumbledore could have expected. Lucius was attracted to Harry for who he was, not for what he was known for, which was exactly what Harry needed in his life.

Dumbledore turned his attention to Arthur Weasley. 'Are Molly and the children all settled?'

Mr Weasley nodded. 'I checked on them awhile ago.' Only Mr Weasley, Bill Weasley, and Dumbledore knew Molly's whereabouts. 'They're doing just fine. Bill will be here in awhile. When I left, he was still entertaining the children.'

'Very good. What about the rest of our allies?' Dumbledore asked.

Remus answered. 'All those that have been reached will arrive by tomorrow. Sirius is still out notifying our contacts. He should be on his way back tomorrow night. By then, we'll have contacted most of our allies.'

'Then that's all for now. Everyone is gathering, and we'll be more than ready. I think we should all go and have a bit of lunch, and converse with our guests. All we can do now is wait for Voldemort to make his move.'

The Order members got up and exited the room, leaving Harry, Lucius, Snape, Remus, and Dumbledore alone. Harry was sitting in his chair, his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face. The others were staring at him worriedly.

Lucius reached over and touched Harry's cheek. 'Harry, what's wrong?'

Harry opened his eyes and smiled slightly. 'My scar is burning,' he said, wincing. 'Voldemort's feeling particularly nasty today, it seems.'

'When did it start?' Snape asked.

'About two minutes ago, just before Professor Dumbledore dismissed us.'

'Albus, I've been working on a Pain-numbing potion that works on my Mark. It should work,' Snape said.

Dumbledore nodded and Snape left to get the potion.

Harry sighed and rested his head against Lucius's shoulder. 'I can't wait for this to be over. I hate feeling like this,' Harry said softly, only so Lucius could hear.

'It will be over soon,' Lucius whispered softly. 'You'll kill him, and you won't have to worry about your scar hurting again. That should be incentive enough to get rid of the bastard.'

Harry nodded and sat up, rubbing his scar. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I have another vision again soon, probably just before he decides to attack.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'If you do, contact me immediately. Keep a roll of parchment by your bed, so you can write down anything that you remember.'

'All right,' Harry said.

Snape walked back into the room, carrying a small phial in his hand. 'Take this, Harry,' Snape said, handing him the phial.

Harry took the potion without question. A few moments later, relief washed over his face. 'Thank you, Professor,' Harry said.

'Let's go to my room, Harry. We'll have a house-elf bring us something to eat, and then you can get some rest.'

Harry nodded. He really didn't feel like conversing with a large group of people, and he wanted to spend some time with Lucius. He didn't know what was going to happen when he faced Voldemort, and he was mature enough to face the reality that one or both of them might die. He wanted to make sure that their time together was special, just in case.





All through lunch, Lucius thoughts kept straying towards Snape. He knew that his friend wouldn't sleep this night, at least not if he was alone. He also noticed the slightly wistful look in his friend's eyes. If he hadn't been looking closely, he would have never seen it, but he had. He made his decision, and he hoped that Harry wouldn't mind.

Lucius sat on the sofa, deep in thought, and Harry immediately straddled his lap. Lucius smiled tiredly as Harry placed little kisses all over his jaw and neck.

His lover's actions, however, did not derail his thoughts. 'I was thinking, Harry, that we should have Severus come up and sleep with us tonight. He'll need as much sleep as possible before the attack.'

Harry brushed a trail of light kisses over his lover's cheek to his mouth. Against Lucius's lips, he said, 'That's a brilliant idea, but first…' Harry kissed Lucius soundly, while bringing his lover's hand to his crotch. 'I want you to take care of this.'

'Insatiable little brat,' Lucius murmured fondly.

'Yes, I am, and you love it,' Harry said proudly as he toyed with the clasp on his lover's robe.

'What makes you think that I'm in the mood for sex?' Lucius asked.

Harry's mouth twisted into a feral grin as he slid off Lucius's lap and onto the floor. He lifted his lover's robes up to Lucius's waist and pulled the blond's cock, which was firming up nicely, out of his silk boxers.

'This tells me you want to have sex,' Harry replied. He blew on the tip of his lover's cock, and chuckled when the cock twitched slightly.

'I am not responsible for what that traitorous part of my body does. I- oh!' Lucius moaned loudly, and his upper body melted into the sofa while his hips arched upwards in an attempt to slide deeper into the sinful mouth that was sucking on the tip of his cock.

Harry's eyes crinkled in amusement as he continued sucking on the tip. Harry then slid down, taking in as much of his lover as he could without gagging. He had never been able to learn the art of deep-throating, even though Fred had been an excellent teacher, as had Bill. He still hoped that one day he would master that particular talent.

Lucius didn't seem to mind Harry's inability to deep-throat, if his panting and undignified grunts were any indication. Harry realised that his lover had firmed up rather nicely and pulled his mouth away.

Lucius realised almost immediately that the blissful suction his prick had been receiving was gone. He glared over at Harry, who smiled softly and stood up. He unfastened his robes and pulled them over his head. Underneath, he wore nothing.

As Harry toed off his trainers and pulled off his socks, Lucius commented, 'If I had known you were naked all this time, I might have taken you right on top of Dumbledore's desk.'

Harry grinned. 'I'm sure that impeccable sense of dignity would have kept you in order.' Harry pulled Lucius up off the sofa and removed his robes. 'Besides, I think you made it well known that I am your territory,' he remarked, kneeling down to remove Lucius's boots and socks.

'Do you really think so?' Lucius asked amusedly, pushing his boxers off and picking Harry up.

Harry nodded and wrapped his legs around his lover's waist. 'I don't think you could have made it any clearer, even if you tattooed "Property of Lucius Malfoy" on my forehead.'

Lucius deposited Harry on the bed and lay down beside him. 'Perhaps I should tattoo your forehead, just to stress my point,' Lucius said, tracing Harry's scar with his finger.

Harry reached over and grabbed their lubricant. He poured some on his hand and readied his lover's prick. 'I don't think that will be necessary,' Harry said.

Lucius lay on his back and Harry straddled him. He positioned Lucius's shaft at his entrance and slowly sank down. He winced slightly and concentrated on relaxing his muscles. 'Why is that?' Lucius gasped, loving the heat of Harry's body as it engulfed his dick.

'Because I don't want anyone else,' Harry said matter-of-factly. He let out a deep breath and sank completely on his lover's shaft.

'That's good, because I'd kill anyone who thought about touching a hair on your head, at least without my permission,' Lucius warned.

Harry leant over and grasped his lover's shoulders. Sliding up until just the tip of his lover's prick was embedded in his arse, Harry said, 'Nice to know you care.'

Lucius bent his legs and spread them apart. Placing his feet firmly on the mattress, he used his leverage and thrust upwards forcefully, slamming back into Harry. 'Enough talk,' he growled.

A shuddering gasp was the only reply the blond got, and that was fine with him.





Later that night, Harry opened the door when Snape knocked and let him inside. 'What did you want?' he asked.

Lucius had called Snape after he and Harry cleaned up and told him to come to their room as soon as he was finished for the night.

Harry smiled and closed the door. 'It's time to go to bed,' he simply said, taking Snape's hand and pulling him toward Lucius's bedroom.

Snape frowned slightly. 'I really don't think that his would be proper-'

Harry pressed a finger to Snape's lips. 'Professor, less than two days ago, you spent eleven hours cuddling with me while we slept. I don't think anyone would mind, especially under these circumstances. I certainly have no problem with it,' he said, dragging Snape into the bedroom.

'Ah! There you are, Severus. I thought you might not wish to join us,' Lucius said as he turned down the duvet.

'I wasn't given much of a choice,' Snape replied, glaring at Harry.

Harry smiled cheekily. 'Here you are,' he said, handing the Potions master one of Lucius's nightshirts.

Snape's eyebrows lifted in surprise. 'Silk, Lucius?' he asked, amused.

'Of course!' Lucius said haughtily, smirking slightly. 'Severus, do you honestly think that I'd sleep in anything but the best?'

'If I remember correctly, you didn't used to sleep in anything at all,' Snape retorted.

'I could sleep naked, just like old times,' Lucius murmured silkily.

Harry rolled his eyes. 'The bathroom is that way,' he said, pointing to the door on the far side of the room. When Snape went in, Harry hit Lucius lightly on the arm. 'Don't embarrass him,' he whispered. 'You know that he doesn't like to be dependent on people, and he needs to be here.'

Lucius smirked evilly. 'I promise I'll be good. I'll keep the groping to a minimum.'

Harry sniggered. 'Just so long as you don't wake him up,' he quipped, crawling into bed. He yawned widely, and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He didn't even feel it when the other two men slipped into bed with him.





Harry looked around the dimly lit room, wondering where in the world he was. He couldn't see much, just the areas illuminated by the glow from the fireplace. Harry looked down and saw a snake slithering about the room. He groaned softly, knowing exactly where he was.

'Nagini, come clossser, my beauty,' Voldemort hissed at her. She slithered over and slid onto her master's lap. She hissed happily as Voldemort rubbed her head. 'Wormtail! Where are you?' Voldemort snapped.

'I'm here, master,' Pettigrew answered shrilly, coming into the room. 'What do you wish, oh wise master?'

'Are the plans all set?' Voldemort asked. 'Is everyone ready and assembled?'

'Yes, master. Everyone is present and ready for battle. All they await is your order.'

'Patience…they must have patience. We will attack as scheduled, on the night of the twenty-fourth. Those stupid wizards and witches will never know what hit them, and it will wound Dumbledore greatly to see Hogsmeade destroyed. Yesss, Wormtail, this will be a night to remember.'

'Are you sure you wish to go?' Pettigrew asked timidly. 'What if Dumbledore comes?'

'Of course, fool! You dare question me? Crucio!'

Pettigrew fell to the floor, writhing in pain. 'Do you think that I am afraid of that idiot, Dumbledore. If I have my way, I will kill Dumbledore the moment he sets foot in Hogsmeade. I will bring him down, and then Potter will be mine!'





Lucius and Snape jumped up the moment they heard Harry's terrified screams. Snape quickly lit his wand and they saw Harry thrashing about on the floor, where he had fallen, screaming and clutching his scar.

Lucius immediately jumped off the bed and onto the floor. 'Harry! Harry, wake up!' he yelled, shaking Harry slightly.

With a horrifying screech, Harry's eyes opened. He tried to fight Lucius, but the blond kept a tight grip on him. 'Shh, Harry, it's fine. It's me, Lucius.'

Harry slumped into his lover's arms when he realised that it was indeed Lucius and not one of the Death Eaters. 'I need parchment, quick,' Harry said hoarsely.

Snape immediately picked up the parchment and dipped the quill in ink. 'Tell me. I'll write it down.'

'It's not much, but he is attacking Hogsmeade, on the night of the twenty-fourth. He wants to kill Professor Dumbledore, and he's planning on destroying the entire village. He hopes that with the Headmaster out of the way, he'll be able to take me.'

'Is that all?' Snape asked.

Harry nodded, still clutching his burning scar. Snape handed Lucius the potion that he used on Harry earlier and said, 'I'll take this to Dumbledore directly. He'll make all the plans we need. See if you can get back to sleep. I'll be back in a few moments.'

Lucius opened the phial and put a few drops on his finger before handing it to Harry. While his lover drank down the potion, Lucius rubbed a bit on Harry's scar, knowing it would immediately take away the burning sensation. A few minutes later, Harry slumped again, this time with relief. 'Thank you,' he croaked. His throat hurt from the screams.

Lucius tucked Harry back into bed and got him a drink of water. 'Drink this. It will help your throat.'

Harry did as he was told, and gave the glass back. 'I need to use the toilet,' Harry said, getting up.

As soon as he got back into bed, he curled up against his lover. 'I really hate this. The end can't come too soon for me, especially after all I've been through.'

'I know. Only two more days, love, then you'll be free.'

'I hope so,' he said sleepily.

Snape came back in and slipped into bed, this time on the other side of Harry, so that he was sandwiched between the two Slytherins. He curled up behind Harry and asked, 'Are you better?'

Harry nodded and snuggled back into Snape's embrace, pulling Lucius with him. 'I'll be fine. I'm just tired.'

'Then go to sleep. Albus is taking care of everything. You're to do nothing until we actually fight, except practice the spell for the Almethian Stone.'

'Okay,' Harry whispered as he fell back to sleep. He didn't dream nor have visions again that night.





Harry stood in the basement of Honeydukes between Snape and Lucius, anxiously awaiting their time. The Death Eaters had already started the attack, and the first wave of fighters, the townspeople of Hogsmeade, were already out.

Dumbledore looked at the leader of the second wave, Arthur Weasley, and nodded. The second wave of allies quickly went forth to clear the front of the building, so that Harry, Lucius, Snape and Dumbledore could get out of the sweetshop. As soon as they were clear, Dumbledore would send up a signal, telling the third wave, which was waiting in the forest and inside the Shrieking Shack, that it was time for them to join the fight.

As soon as the coast was clear, Dumbledore motioned for the others to follow him, and they quickly went through the back of the store and out the back door, careful to make certain that no one else was in sight. They slipped past the buildings, to the spot where Voldemort was most likely to be, and Dumbledore sent up the signal.

Harry could hear the giants as they crashed through the forest, announcing their entrance into the fight and thereby distracting anyone that might have seen the signal. Harry and Lucius slid around one side of the building they were behind, while Dumbledore and Snape went around the other side.

Sure enough, there was Voldemort, standing tall and proud, flanked by several Death Eaters, occasionally using the killing curse on one of their fighters, if they got too close. Harry knew that Voldemort was saving his energy. He would want to use as much power as he could in order to kill Dumbledore completely.

Members of the Order quickly joined Dumbledore and Snape, intent on keeping Voldemort's attention away from Harry as he snuck up behind the Dark Lord. Lucius's job was to protect Harry from behind. Other members of the Order were currently sneaking through the trees and buildings, ready to back him up.

Dumbledore walked out from under the protection of the building, followed by Snape and the others. 'Hello, Tom,' he said grimly, staring at his old student. 'You shouldn't have come.'

'Dumbledore,' Voldemort snarled, his mouth turning up into a grotesque version of a grin. 'It is you who ssshouldn't have come.'

The Death Eaters around him quickly engaged the Order members, while Voldemort stared down Dumbledore. He was confident in his wards, which would repel almost all curses. He knew no one would be able to use the Avada Kedavra, since, thanks to Harry, he was immune.'

'Well, well, what have we here? The traitor?' Voldemort sneered, glaring at Snape, who was ready to protect the Headmaster. 'I've wanted to sssee you, my little one. I owe you your demise.'

'Really, Voldemort? I've been thinking the same thing about you,' Snape snarled. 'I'd like nothing than to see your body rotting on the ground.'





While Voldemort and the Headmaster and Snape snarled at each other, Harry started to sneak up behind Voldemort. Lucius had gone out already, with the other allies that had gathered, to take care of a line of enemies that came from the rear. Harry didn't look, because he was too busy concentrating on being stealthy, just like Snape ordered him to be.

Harry slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out two of the large phials. They had used the largest phials that they could find, so that he could use as much potion at one time as possible. He popped off the corks and held on tightly, ignoring the little bit that sloshed out of the opened end.

Harry was so intent on his job that he wasn't listening to the conversation, but he nearly froze when Voldemort lifted his wand and cried out, 'Avada Kedavra!'

As the green light shot out and hit Dumbledore, Harry ran up to Voldemort and splashed the content of one of the phials in his face.

The ear-piercing scream that tore through the countryside made all those that were still up and fighting pause for a moment.

Voldemort clutched at his face with both hands, his wand lying on the ground. Harry took the other phial and threw it on the Dark Lord's hands. He was repulsed when the potion ate through the skin like acid, but he continued on. He broke Voldemort's wand in half and then ran full force into the Dark Lord, making him fall to the ground. Harry jumped onto him, ignoring the pain in his forehead, and ripped open Voldemort's robes.

Harry quickly pulled the other phials out of his robes and poured them all over the body, making sure that all the vital organs would be dissolved. Then he stood up and reached for the Almethian Stone.

As soon as most of the body was wasted away, he could see something rising out of the body. He quickly held up the Stone and started chanting in some odd language he'd never even heard of. Dumbledore had told him that it was a wizarding language so old that no one knew what the actual chant meant, but only that they knew it was needed to make the Stone work. 'Ithmec sintar nudaya meth. Ithmec sintar nudaya pen. Naraya cantamec sudaya nevtar.'

Harry kept chanting, as he had been instructed, and he watched amazed, as this little life force slithered closer and closer, as if trying to get away from the Stone. After the fourth time Harry chanted, the life force was absorbed into the Stone.

'Sarantec dimath sudaya pen!' Harry yelled. The Stone shone brightly before going back to its original colour.