Being back in lessons was harder for Harry than even he had expected. It took a lot to keep himself under control and, by the time evening came along, he had found himself surprisingly tired. He was hungry for more than just food and he had been kind of glad, but also nervous about the fact it was Nev's turn to donate to the cause.

Everyone was there like the time before and the atmosphere was actually friendlier than the previous meeting of all his friends; it seemed they were all relaxing around each other. Of course that only went a certain way to settle Harry's nerves.

When he withdrew his fangs from Nev's wrist, he was rather worried by his friend's expression. He couldn't tell what Nev was thinking at all. Nev had become his rock; the solid friend who wasn't always vocal and wasn't always there with good advice, but who could always be counted on for support. He dreaded having done something that would unsteady that rock. After Hermione's dazed response, he had expected Nev to take a little while to gather himself, but Nev was just sitting there.

"Why do they never tell us this stuff in DADA?" Nev asked, suddenly exploding into motion and throwing his arms into the air in an expression of exasperation. "The Ministry needs beating for their PG rated curriculum."

For a moment there was stunned silence and then Draco was the first to laugh, followed quickly by Hermione and then Ron and Harry managed a smile while blushing madly.

"Longbottom," Draco said and slapped Nev on the shoulder, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really beginning to like you."

The way Nev smiled at that had Harry feeling very warm inside; he had never thought he'd hear that either. A Longbottom and a Malfoy, friends: the world was probably about to grind to a halt or something.

"Talking of the Ministry and their fallibility," Hermione said, picking up the glass of butterbeer she had placed on the table earlier, "how is your plan coming along?"

"We're almost there," Harry said, happy to jump into a topic which didn't cause him hideous embarrassment. "Draco insists that we work out a few more dates before we can move forward though."

Draco made an agreeing noise to that and sat down on the sofa next to him as Nev moved to one of the other seats. Harry hadn't been the only one to notice Draco's reaction to him feeding off other people it seemed.

"If the Ministry choose to question us I want to make sure our story is airtight," Draco said simply. "The idiots will probably want a complete list of what we did and when, no matter how personal."

Hermione nodded, clearly showing her displeasure at the Ministry's idiocy.

"I agree," Harry quickly backed up his lover, "but I can't help wanting to get this all over with so you can have your wand back. I'll feel better when you can defend yourself."

He was very unhappy that Draco was having to rely on Crabbe and Goyle, especially when the two could not be with his lover all the time.

"There won't be any more trouble from the Gryffindors," Ron said in a very firm tone that had Harry looking at him.

"What ... you ..?" he asked, not actually sure what Ron might have done.

"We had a word," Hermione told him in a reassuring tone; "told them that you were trying to put everything behind you and the rest of us should set an example as well. Ron gave a lovely speech."

"I even called myself an idiot for that incident right at the beginning," Ron said, smiling sheepishly. "I think they got the message."

"And we'll keep an eye on them to make sure," Nev added resolutely.

Harry's heart almost burst with pride: he loved his friends, he really did.

"You're all the best," he said, feeling just a little bit emotional.

It was nice to have to deal with controlling a happy emotion for once.

"Awww," was Draco's comment on his reaction, for which he elbowed his lover in the side.

It made the others laugh, which stopped the moment becoming awkward, so he didn't really mind.

"I think Fudge needs to go," Nev said as they all began to relax again; "how is he still Minister?"

"Seconded," Hermione said with the certainty of one who knew idiocy when she saw it.

Given Hermione's usual attitude to authority, her resolution said a great deal.

"He is a constant in a world that has been changing so much," Draco said in a philosophical tone; "people need constants, even moronic ones."

"I've had enough of him," Harry said simply.

There were some things Harry could look at as part of a bigger picture, even if it wasn't the picture he had seen, but there were some things he couldn't; Peter Pettigrew was the final straw. He felt the nastier elements of his personality stirring just at the thought. Tearing Fudge limb from limb was a really good thought, even if it would be more trouble than it was worth.

"While I think what's going through your head might be more fun," Draco said smoothly and Harry realised what he was thinking appeared to be written all over his face, "there are undoubtedly more subtle methods to remove the moron from office."

"We could always give Harry an alibi," Ron offered helpfully.

That settled it; he was definitely being very obvious indeed, because he was being teased. It was a bit baffling that his violent urges had gone from something to be afraid of to a source of cannon fodder, but he refused to be repentant.

"But can you imagine how disappointed Dumbledore would be?" Hermione added innocently.

"Okay, okay," Harry said, holding his hands up in surrender; "I promise to try not to kill him, but he still needs to go."

Draco patted him fondly on the knee and smiled at him.

"I think we might be able to work that into the plan, given some more time," his lover told him and he could see the wheels whirring behind Draco's eyes already.

When he glanced around, Ron had his brow furrowed in thought, Hermione's eyes were narrowed a little and Nev looked like he had done in almost every Potions lesson of his life: Fudge didn't stand a chance.

~*~

For once life actually carried on quietly. The headmaster had information that dealing with Draco's prosecution was being delayed by Fudge for political reasons, but for once that played into their hands, because it gave them more time to finalise their plan of attack. Two days had passed without incident and Harry knew that should have warned him.

He had felt Draco's annoyance at something and then his lover's distress, but by the time he had summoned Dobby and sent him to Dumbledore it had been too late; Draco had been gone from the school. It had taken hours to find him, hours where Harry had basically been going insane. He remembered every minute like it was a lifetime, pacing up and down in front of the mirror where he could see into the Headmaster's study. When the news came back that Draco had been taken to a Ministry safe house, by none other than Caveo, Harry snapped.

"Professor Dumbledore," he said as the headmaster prepared to contact people to deal with what had happened, "I ... I don't think I can stay here alone."

He had point blank refused to let anyone come into his room in case he lost control while they were trying to find Draco.

"Of course, Harry," Dumbledore said in a very fatherly tone, "I quite understand. I will send word to your friends. Now don't you worry, My Boy, we will have this all sorted out very soon."

Harry's gut twisted; most of him did not believe that.

"Thank you," is what he said, holding everything inside as well as he could and then he shut off the mirror.

Draco was out there, his lover had been taken from him by force by a man he knew all but hated him; he could not leave this to others. Standing up, he walked to the door, smiling haltingly at Jeremy when the painting popped into his frame.

"Nervous," he said, wrapping his arms around himself and pretending to rock just a little.

Jeremy smiled at him in what he suspected was supposed to be a comforting manner and Harry waited. The moment the door opened he was though it. The enchantments tried to hold him back, but with the door open to let his friends in they could not hold him and he barged past them, changing form as soon as he was clear.

"Harry!" he heard Hermione call after him, but he wasn't really listening.

Draco was in distress and danger and Harry's only thoughts were about finding him. He ran along the upper corridor, straight towards the window at the end and he leapt, passing through it with the ease of air moving through the cracks. His whole mind was on Draco and, as soon as his feet touched ground with a thud, he was running towards the edge of the grounds.

He might have been at the mercy of his instincts, but this time he was thinking more like a wizard as well. The time between then and now meant the aspects of his nature were more firmly integrated and he could use what he needed rather than only what his base urges told him to. He could move fast, very fast, and he reached the edge of Hogwart's protections sooner than any human could possibly have made it. The moment he felt the enchantments of the school stop prickling his skin he Apparated, vanishing with a pop, only to reappear outside Nackington Farm.

It looked like any other remote farmhouse in the Scottish countryside, but Harry felt Draco's presence intensify within him and he knew he was at the right place. Still in wolf form, the most efficient of all his shapes, he wasted no time, bounding up to the front door in a handful of strides. The enchantments on the house could not stop him, but he felt them react as soon as he entered and he knew they would have alerted anyone inside.

The first thing he smelt was blood and he sensed pain and he followed both. He knew that smell intimately, had tasted of it; he could smell Draco's blood and he snarled as he realised his lover was physically hurt. Someone was going to pay; that was for sure.

"Confess!" his sharp ears heard someone yell desperately as he moved closer.

Up the stairs, round a corner.

"I am not guilty," he heard Draco's pain-filled reply.

Caveo was trying to get a confession out of Draco; the whole thing became clear in Harry's mind and, if it was possible, he felt his fury rising even further.

"What?" he heard Draco's scared and startled question.

"Ava..." Harry heard the first syllable of the familiar spell and his mind whited out, instinct spurring him on.

He did not pass through the door he knew was between him and Draco, he flattened it as his need even overcame the powers of the creatures inside him and he landed on top of it just in time to see the green light from Caveo's wand hit Draco firmly in the chest. In slow motion he saw Draco's eyes go blank and dead and his ears heard his lover's heart simply stop beating and all he could hear after that was the rushing sound of the curse that he knew would never stop. He stood there, looking at Caveo as what was left of Harry Potter finally died. Somewhere at the back of his mind he realised Dumbledore had arrived downstairs, bringing the cavalry too late, and then he attacked. He did not care how, but Caveo had to die and he had to suffer and he let his dark nature rise.

Harry sat up, swallowing the scream lurking in his chest, staring around at his room and not really seeing it. The only thing he could see, the only thing that mattered was that Draco was lying beside him, opening sleepy, puzzled eyes to look up at him.

"Harry?" Draco asked, beginning to sense his distress.

He needed so much to assure himself that Draco was alive, that the events he had been living in his mind were not true, that all he could do was reach out and drag his lover close to him. Living, breathing, whole; those were the only things going through his mind and he clung to Draco refusing to let him go.