1.

Draco leaned up against one of the stall doors of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, an abandoned girls' lavatory in Hogwarts. The late-summer sun was streaming through the glass-paned windows along the stone walls, and plumes of smoke from the potion Hermione was currently stirring on the floor of the place filled the air. It was an acrid scent that filled the room, and Draco and Ron took turns grimacing at one another from opposite sides of the room. Hermione, meanwhile, merely pursed her lips, concentrating on her work, the Bubble-Head Charm she had utilized for herself apparently working wonders.

"The pair of you insisted that you didn't need it," she reminded them as she continued her work with a small smile. "Now, any magic could contaminate our work. We don't want to start this over again, especially with our busy schedules next term."

Draco crossed his arms and grunted; it had been three weeks since they had gotten the recipe for the Paterna Potion, and Harry and Severus were due back from their honeymoon within the next few days. Meanwhile, the Leith Water was the final ingredient, and Remus would be obtaining it on the day of the full moon for them, handing it over, and then locking himself away with the Wolfsbane from Severus until term formally began. Hermione would then mix it into the Paterna Potion once the moon rose in the window of the bathroom, and lined up perfectly with the potion, and then they would be able to get the results.

"How much longer will this cycle be, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"The angelica, feverfew, and knotgrass, all diced, with the exception of the knotgrass, which was minced, were put in first, Ronald," Hermione responded patiently. "The seven eyes of the golden eagle, pounded with a mortar and pestle, were then added on the third day," she continued, and she grimaced; it hadn't been an easy task, and one that Draco had all too willingly taken up. "Of course, the ostrich feathers were sprinkled throughout at the end of the second week, after all the ingredients simmered together accordingly, and then came the goshawk eggs, the yokes and whites separated, at the beginning of this week. Naturally, once we add the phoenix tears, all we will need is the Leith Water, which is due to be delivered in three days' time."

Ron rolled his eyes; he absolutely hated it when Hermione gave the long-form of answers, but also knew that there was hardly a way for him to change his fiancée at this point in her life, let alone their relationship. "Fine," he huffed.

Draco smirked at him. "Come now, Weasel. You know entirely well how likely it is that she'll be a Malfoy after this is over."

Ron huffed for a second time. "Don't remind me," he muttered.

"Boys," Hermione said, scoffing under her breath, and checked the consistency of the potion, before she turned it from boil to simmer again. "There, now," she said, and dove into one of the pockets of her potion robes, drawing out the vial of phoenix tears, generously donated by Fawkes, and uncorked it. "Quiet, now," she ordered, before adding precisely three tears into the concoction, before it bubbled merrily, as if in celebration. Smiling with approval, Hermione returned the vial into her robes, casting a Stasis Charm over her work, and cancelled the Bubble-Head Charm, getting to her feet. "There, now. Remus will be delivering the Leith Water, as promised, in three days, and then we can figure all this out," she said brightly, taking both Ron and Draco by the arms and leading them out of the bathroom, before replenishing the Repelling Charms on the door, so that only hers, Draco's, Ron's, and Remus's magical signatures would be accepted within it.

"It's what the name means that I don't like," Ron said quietly as they journeyed down the corridor and away from the bathroom. "I know you won't change much, 'Mione, if at all. I just really don't like, if you are this Helene Malfoy person, that they got rid of you like that. It's downright shameful."

Draco sighed. "I agree," he said softly, and blinked as Hermione and Ron's gazes settled upon him almost immediately thereafter. "What? It's 1996, after all. Besides, the Malfoy family is one of the most wealthy ones in Wizarding Britain. Lucius and Narcissa certainly could have afforded more than one child in the whole grand scheme of things..."

"Tradition is one of the darkest things out there, mate," Ron said quietly, obviously still dwelling upon all the witch babies that had been "lost" in the Malfoy family tree.

"And it's no better in the Muggle world, especially when it came to royal families," Hermione put in, obviously having learned about such things in primary school. "Nowadays, obviously, it doesn't matter as much, given that Her Majesty was one of two girls, born to King George the Sixth," she continued. "However, in centuries past, it was quite different. When King Henry the Seventh lost his firstborn son, Prince Arthur, it was all right, because he had a second son, Prince Henry, to succeed him. However, when that boy became King Henry the Eighth, he was on his third wife before he had a surviving son."

Draco's brows knit together at that. "I remember Lucius and Narcissa discussing him more than once, and how they believed Sexus Revelio was created within the Wizarding World because of him," he said softly. "What did he do with his first two wives anyway?"

"Dad's always going on about how Anglicanism was created by that King Henry bloke," Ron put in, nodding his head. "Catholics didn't believe in divorce, did they?"

"No, they didn't," Hermione confirmed. "They believed in annulment, which, in an essence, means that a marriage never existed. The reasons for annulments were, more often than not, because of lack of consummation, meaning that, for one reason or another, one of the parties was unable to...perform," she whispered, her cheeks heating at the word.

Ron cleared his throat awkwardly. "Blimey," he said quietly.

"Divorce means that a marriage did exist, I know that much," Draco put in. "But what happened to the first two wives, Hermione?"

"The first two wives were named Catherine of Aragon, who was a princess from Spain, and the aunt of the current ruler there when King Henry decided he wanted to be rid of her, in order to marry Anne Boleyn, who was a commoner in every sense of the word," Hermione said.

Draco blinked. "Anne's portrait hangs in the castle!" he cried.

Hermione grinned. "It does. She attended the school here from 1518 until 1525," she said with a happiness to impart knowledge. "The cover story was that she was sent away to Austria, and then France, to be educated. She initially expressed an interest in Beauxbatons, because she was fluent in French, but she was accepted here instead. There were rumors, of course, from those loyal to the Spanish royal family, that Anne had a sixth finger, and various moles upon her body, but those were falsehoods. Anne was a very accomplished witch, but, by the time she returned to the Muggle world, and the English court, she quickly caught the eye of the King of England, and decided to forget her magical education entirely, and marry him, once he asked her, within a year and a half of her arrival."

"So, this King Henry, he did away with this Catherine person, then?" Ron asked.

"Not in so many words," Hermione said quickly. "Remember, Spain was the most dominant country in the world at that point, and they could have easily wiped out England. So, the king ultimately banished his wife for only having a daughter, Mary, and married Anne Boleyn, who was already pregnant with his child, who became Queen Elizabeth the First."

"And the king's son?" Draco wanted to know.

"Edward the Sixth," Hermione informed him. "He only had a six-year reign, and then came Queen Mary, also known as Bloody Mary, who burned three hundred Protestants, including women and children, in order to purge England from sin and attempt to bring the Catholic faith back forevermore."

Ron wrinkled his nose. "That doesn't sound..."

"No," Draco agreed. "It doesn't."

"Such dark things happen throughout history, boys," Hermione said, as they walked through the Entrance Hall, and stepped out into the sunshine. She guided them towards the Black Lake, and both Ron and Draco were shocked to see a blanket, and massive basket awaiting them. "I thought it would be nice to have a bit of a respite from the Great Hall," she explained, letting them go and gesturing for them to sit down. "We only have a couple more weeks until term begins, so we'll need to have a bit of fun, won't we?"

Ron watched eagerly as Hermione brought out various platters. "Blimey, 'Mione..."

"This all looks delicious," Draco said, looking at the plates of sandwiches; turkey legs; sliced roasted chicken; plates of potatoes of various cooking origin; bags upon bags of crisps; pitchers of pumpkin juice, Gillywater, sparkling apple cider, and even one of blackcurrant squash; Cornish and pumpkin pasties; blackberry, apple, and peach pies; what appeared to be a chocolate gateau; and other varying picnic-like foods. "Wizard space?" Draco asked, and grinned at Hermione when she smirked at him.

"Of course," she replied, and rolled her eyes indulgently when she saw Ron rubbing his hands together happily. "Honestly, Ronald," she chided him, and summoned napkins, plates, and cutlery for them all.

"Four?" Ron asked, suddenly out of his food-filled daze.

"'Mione!" called a familiar voice from atop one of the hills, closer to the castle, and the trio turned as Harry himself hurried down the hillside. "Ron, Draco!"

Draco got to his feet, watching as Hermione dashed forward and grabbed Harry, and was swung around lovingly. Draco chuckled as Ron and Harry clapped one another's backs, and Draco even permitted Harry to hug him. "We didn't expect you back..."

"Dumbledore," Harry said, rolling his eyes as he quickly sat back down on the blanket, and Ron, Draco, and Hermione quickly followed suit. "Called an emergency meeting about You-Know-Who, and even though we're married now," Harry continued, huffing as his wedding band glowed in the sunlight, "he still refused to have me there, and I'm the one who supposedly has to kill the bloody bastard."

Hermione sighed. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she said, and began loading up his plate. "You're going to need your strength," she told him, and handed it over.

Harry shrugged, but nevertheless took the plate, and large glass of pumpkin juice on offer, and proceeded to tuck in. "Severus said he'd show me the meeting in his pensive later."

Ron nodded in approval, two turkey legs already on his plate. "Good on you, mate. Let us know if we can do anything to help, yeah?"

Harry nodded. "Of course, Ron," he assured him, before he turned to Draco. "Not to be all rude, mate, but you look exhausted. Everything all right, then?"

Draco swallowed, promptly turning to Hermione, who nodded, and then he turned to look back at Harry, although he was slightly uneasy. "Well, we have quite a bit to tell you," he said, and Harry immediately lowered his plate, all ears.

~*~

2.

Draco knotted his fingers together repeatedly as he paced back and forth outside of Myrtle's bathroom on the day of the full moon. It was four days until the start of term, and he hoped that Remus would be all right to collect the Leith Water. After he, Ron, and Hermione had told Harry about what they were doing, Harry had immediately wanted to inform Severus, but they'd told him not to unless the Paterna Potion came up positive. Draco assured Harry that they would return the missing ingredients somehow, and Harry had, albeit reluctantly, agreed to keep quiet to his husband about the goings-on.

Draco immediately turned around as he heard rushed footsteps, and pressed himself into the little alcove beside the lavatory door. If it wasn't Remus, despite the fact that it was summer, he didn't want to be caught at such a controversial location. His heart hammered double-time when he saw that it was indeed Remus hurrying down the corridor, although he looked disheveled. Draco rushed forward and stopped the man, inhaling the scent of sweat that seemed to leak off him now pre-transformation, and gritted his teeth.

"We told you not to over-exert yourself," Draco said, shaking his head at the man. "I can't stand seeing you hurt or in pain, Remus..."

Remus's eyes locked with Draco's. "Don't get too close to me, Draco," he warned. "The wolf can be territorial, and I don't want you to..."

Draco sighed, biting down hard upon his bottom lip. "I think it's a little too late to be warning me off you, Remus," he declared.

Remus swallowed, reaching into his robes and drawing out the Leith Water, and all but shoving it into Draco's outstretched hands. "Take it," he ordered, and made to move away. "Don't get mixed up in the likes of me, Draco, don't..."

Draco reached out with his free hand, effectively stopping him, and caressed Remus's face, still marred by Greyback all these years later. "I wouldn't call it 'getting mixed up in'," he told him softly, and the croon of his voice seemed to calm the wolf in the older man. "I understand that you need to be locked away, Remus, because you don't want to pose a danger to others, but... I just want you to know, that I don't see you as a threat. I care a lot about you, and it absolutely destroys me that you have to go through this every month, it really does."

Remus shut his eyes as Draco dragged the impossibly smooth pad of his thumb along his cheek bone, all but leaning into the touch. "Draco..." He whispered.

"Don't run from me," Draco whispered back stepping closer, invading his personal space at great risk, but also knowing that he needed to make something abundantly clear to the man. "Please know that I—"

"DRACO!" boomed the familiar voice of his godfather.

Draco let out a most undignified shriek of surprise, and felt himself yanked backwards and away from Remus, hastily pocketing the Leith Water—with some expertly placed Anti-Breaking and Shrinking Charms—as he was unceremoniously pulled away from the man. Draco struggled against his godfather, who pushed him away from Remus, and glowered down at him. "Uncle Severus, what are you—?!"

"I should be asking you the same question, Draco," Severus replied, glaring. "What do you think you're doing, invading the personal space of your professor, your werewolf professor, on the day of a full moon, no less?"

Draco swallowed. "Uncle Severus, please," he begged.

Severus huffed, turning towards Remus. "I've been looking everywhere for you," he informed the man impatiently. "My darling husband saw fit to remind me this morning that I had yet to give you your potion." Severus reached into his robes and pulled out a familiar-looking bottle, which he all but shoved into Remus's hands. "Take it, and I'll be along shortly to ensure the Locking Spells are in place. GO!" he ordered.

Remus huffed, rolling his eyes. "I think I am perfectly capable, Severus, of..."

Severus was quickly beginning to lose his temper. "You would be perfectly capable of getting Draco mixed up in things that don't concern him," he snapped. "What if the wolf had taken a liking to Draco, hmm?"

Remus went pale. "Yes, I see."

"Get to your quarters at once," Severus barked again, and waited until Remus had shuffled weakly away, turning the corner, before he rounded on Draco. "What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing, Draco?" he demanded.

Draco glared up at Severus. "You're married, Uncle Severus, and to a man, no less. Surely, you know what it looks like when two men are attracted to one another—"

"You are not attracted to Remus Lupin, nor is he attracted to you," Severus said, almost as if he was speaking to a child. "I won't hear of such nonsense."

"Uncle Severus, I am sixteen—!"

"You are still a child—!"

"I am nearly two months older than your husband, Uncle Severus," Draco said, quickly beginning to lose his own temper as well.

Severus gritted his teeth. "That is hardly the point. Remus is old enough to be your father, Draco, and furthermore—"

"Remus is two months younger than you, Uncle Severus," Draco countered, crossing his arms with an almighty huff. "Get your facts straight, else you're on the road to hypocrisy, and I hardly think you want to begin that journey."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You are Slytherin to the core, Draco, and far too intelligent for your own good," he muttered. "However, I must insist that you do not trifle with Remus. He is in a delicate state of mind, both before, during, and after the full moon. I suggest that you steer clear of him during this time, because he will not be completely in control of his actions. I will not see you hurt, Draco, more than you have been. Do you understand me?"

Draco sighed. "I understand that you're trying to protect me, Uncle Severus, but, please listen to me now. I know what I'm doing. I know what I want. I've never felt this way about anyone in my entire life before. I really care about him, and I..." He shook his head. "I just need to know if that feeling goes both ways. If it doesn't..." He shrugged. "I'd be devastated, but, I will keep my distance if that proves to be the case."

Severus nodded. "Very well, I see that I cannot stop you, then," he replied. "However, I must insist that you keep away from him during the full moons, for now, at least."

Draco nodded back at his godfather. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand, and I'll trust your judgement here, Uncle Severus."

Severus reached out and squeezed Draco's shoulder. "Good. Now, I must see to the Locking Spells and whatnot on Remus's quarters. Harry invited you to supper in our quarters later, did he not?" he asked.

Draco smiled. "Yes, and I'm looking forward to it."

Severus smiled back. "Good. We will see you then, then," he said, and walked in the direction that Remus had gone.

Draco listened to his godfather's footsteps until they grew silent, and he hurried into the lavatory and shut the door behind him. Turning, he wandered to the opposite end, where he heard Harry, Ron, and Hermione speaking softly to one another. He was about to speak as he came into their midst, but Hermione beat him to it.

"Finally! The sun is about to set," she said, getting to her feet and hurrying towards him. "Please tell me you've got it."

Draco nodded, reaching into his robes and drawing out the bottle of Leith Water. "It was no easy feat, let me tell you."

Hermione blinked, taking ahold of the bottle and looking questioningly up at him. "Why? What happened out there?" she asked.

"The wolf was beginning to emerge," Draco confessed. "Uncle Severus came up behind me and kind of freaked out about the whole thing..."

Harry sighed from across the room. "There is a very good reason for that, Draco, and I'm sure that Severus will tell you why that is. However, now it's time for the official countdown to begin, and to solve this once and for all."

"Harry's right, mate," Ron replied.

Hermione squeezed Draco's arm and brought him back to their little semi-circle. "Severus didn't see the Leith Water, did he?" she asked, tossing the words over her shoulder as she rounded the cauldron, and sat behind it.

"No, I managed to hide it just in time," Draco confirmed, sitting opposite Hermione and in between Harry and Ron. "If Uncle Severus suspected anything about it, he didn't say so."

"He was probably a bit distracted," Harry said, his chin on his knees as he stared into the depths of the potion opposite. Cocking his head to one side and looking up at Draco, he asked, "If you were just talking to Remus, why would he, as you put it 'freak out'? Surely, you had the sense to keep your distance..."

Draco colored at that and lowered his eyes. "That's the thing. I didn't."

"You invaded the personal space of a werewolf, on the evening of a full moon?!" Hermione demanded, her dark eyes flashing. "Merlin, Draco!"

"Braver than me, mate," Ron put in, shaking his head.

Harry blinked as he processed the information. "And why would you do that, I wonder, Draco? I mean, we've all known that Remus is a werewolf since third-year. Why would you invade his personal space like that, unless...?"

"You had a death wish," Ron said, clearly without thinking, and Hermione smacked him, hard, upon the arm. "Oi!"

"Or, perhaps, it's something else entirely," Hermione said, and stared across the cauldron at Draco, pursing her lips. "You have feelings for him, don't you, Draco?"

Ron laughed aloud at that, although he still rubbed at his arm. "Good one, 'Mione!"

"Do you, Draco?" Harry asked softly, keeping his eyes glued to Draco. "Do you have feelings for Remus?"

Draco swallowed. "I... I really care about him," he admitted. "I mean, my parents betrothed me to Pansy Parkinson when it came up that I didn't have a soulmate, but..." He shook his head. "I know they figured out that I was gay when I refused to touch Pansy on the night of the Yule Ball last year. They agreed to break the engagement and they even tried to do the whole betrothal with Daphne and Astoria Greengrass again, thinking that, perhaps, I'd mesh a bit better with their calmer personalities but I... I couldn't..."

"You can't help who you are, much less how you're born," Harry said softly, his green eyes filled with sympathy towards his former enemy. "I remember when Dudley told my aunt and uncle about me being gay. My uncle had the audacity to think that it was 'that freaky little school you went to', and that it was the culprit in the first place." He shook his head. "I'm just thankful that I can stay with Severus during Christmas and summer holidays now, and never have to see their sorry faces again."

Ron nodded. "When Charlie came out, I remember him crying," he whispered, and Hermione reached out and took his hand. "He was thirteen, so I would have been around five or so. It's one of my first significant memories that doesn't directly involve me. Fred and George had a prototype for their Extendable Ears, and they were listening with it at the door, while Charlie told Mum and Dad, and had Bill in there for support. Percy was up in his room, reading most likely, and Ginny was down for a nap. I remember the twins holding me there, telling me that Charlie was likely telling Mum and Dad something awful..." He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I felt so guilty afterwards, but didn't really understand why. I told Charlie when he came to bring the dragons for the tournament last term, all about what happened... He was really nice about it, and says that his follow dragon workers in Romania have been great about the whole thing. He doesn't blame me, of course, but did hex Fred and George for putting me through that... He was so scared, Charlie was, about what Mum and Dad would have thought of him, but they still love him just the same."

"Then Charlie was fortunate," Hermione said softly. "My mum's brother, my uncle, Chester, came out as gay to my grandparents towards the end of his secondary education. He had a boyfriend, Stephen, and they were really happy. My grandparents were Catholic, very conservative, and didn't see it that way. They called him an embarrassment, and said that his actions were shaming the family. Stephen's family understood, and took in Chester, and Chester became a psychiatrist, while Stephen went on to get a business degree and help out his father in the family butcher shop..."

"What happened to them?" Draco asked.

"They're happy," Hermione confirmed. "They live in Cardiff now, where Stephen opened a new location of his family's butcher shop, The Elite Butchery, and Uncle Chester has his own practice out of their lovely Victorian home. They're quite successful, have a fair few cats, and have adopted two children, a son called Otto and a daughter named Anastasiya."

Ron's brows came together at that. "I didn't know that was legal in the Muggle world," he put in, confused and not judging.

"It isn't," Hermione replied, shaking her head sadly. "However, they've got a fair few friends in high places who put through the private adoption of ten-year-old Otto and six-year-old Ana for them, thankfully. I'm not sure how legal it is, but Chester adopted Otto and Stephen adopted Ana, they just couldn't do it as a couple, unfortunately. Perhaps, one day soon, it will be legalized, and they can be a complete family in truth."

"But they are happy?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "They are."

"What about your grandparents?" Draco wanted to know. "Where do they fit into all of this, since they turned away your uncle?"

"As soon as my mother completed her secondary education, she moved out of the house and into the dormitories that her university offered," Hermione replied. "She spent all holidays and breaks with Chester and Stephen, plus Stephen's family, and never looked back, save for a letter in which she told them that they were no longer her parents. She did send them a wedding announcement when she married my father, and a birth announcement when... Well, when I was thought to be born," she said quietly, already adding the phoenix tears in the moments of silence that followed.

Draco raised his eyes towards the window, vaguely listening to Harry, Ron, and Hermione still speaking with one another. The sun set fully behind the trees of the Forbidden Forest, and the full moon began to rise in the sky. Draco heard Harry and Ron's whispered Lumos, and he snapped to attention, although a significant portion of his mind still dwelled upon Remus and the ordeal he was forced to go through that very night.

"We'd better hurry," Harry whispered. "We're expected in mine and Severus's quarters for supper, and you know how he is about lateness."

"We all do, mate," Ron replied.

Hermione added the Leith Water under Draco's watchful eye, once the full moon rose onto the surface of the potion, and Draco's breath caught in his throat as the potion bubbled as the final ingredient was added. "There," she whispered, and Draco's eyes snapped to hers.

Draco took out his own wand, and they mutually summoned the potion into their respective goblets, Draco's a silver one studded with emeralds, and Hermione's a golden one studded with rubies. The potion was now a clear color, although it appeared thick, and Draco inhaled, detecting the scent of a fine salt. "With this potion, no matter the results, I accept you," he declared to Hermione.

Hermione returned the smile. "As I you," she responded.

Draco and Hermione knocked back the potion together, with Harry and Ron on hand to raise the alarm in case something went wrong. Draco grimaced at the taste; it certainly wouldn't be winning any merits in the Best Tasting Potion category, that was for sure. He watched as Hermione too had a similar reaction, and then they raised their wands again, to say the sacred words to bring them the truth.

"Estne sanguis inter nos communicates?" Draco and Hermione said as one, pointing their wands in the direction of each other's respective magical cores.

The beams of white light flew forth from their respective wand tips, directly causing Draco and Hermione's magical cores to emerge. Draco noticed that Hermione's core color was gold, while his was a shimmering gray shade. They seemed to flash and bubble for several moments, and then, they shimmered a bright, iridescent blue.

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione whispered, her gaze locking with Draco's.

Draco found himself smiling. "I'm glad to know you are my sister, Hermione."

Hermione returned his smile. "So am I," she responded, although her jaw seemed to set in a moment of determination. "Now, we just have to find out why the people who kept this from us did so in the first place."

Draco nodded, reaching out to take Hermione by the hand. "I'm with you," he assured her. "For we are bound by blood, and I shall always be with you."

~*~

3.

Draco grimaced as he awoke on the morning of the first day of term, on the second of September, his mind a jumble of thoughts, all connected to Remus. He mentally chastised himself, reminding himself to call him 'Professor Lupin' or 'sir' during class time, and warily got up and out of bed. His bed remained in the Gryffindor sixth-year boys' dorm, but now there were only five, as Harry now shared quarters with Severus full-time. This meant that Draco, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus would be dorm and year-mates in the male category from now until they graduated from Hogwarts.

Draco had had the opportunity to meet Dean and Seamus properly when the pair had returned from their summer in Ireland, and found he liked both of them very much. Dean was quiet and reserved to Seamus's outgoing personality, but both were equally intelligent, well-mannered, and humorous at the end of the day, and he enjoyed their company greatly. Draco hurried to get into the shower, and had been relieved the summer before to discover that there were enough stalls in the sixth-year boys' dorm for everyone, along with one sink and a loo for each boy as well.

"All right, mate?" Ron asked from his own shower cubicle.

Draco nodded. "Yeah. Hermione and I have the same schedule, so I'm sure I'll be fine. You all right with her partnering with me for potions?"

Ron smirked. "We agreed that it was a conflict of interest if I partnered with her," he reminded Draco in a patient manner, wetting his ginger hair. "But, once Snape catches wind of what went on, you know entirely well that it could change things." Ron rubbed his shampoo into his hair methodically, worrying his lower lip. "Not to mention what the rest of the school will think once it gets out..."

Draco nodded a second time; so far, only he, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Dean, and Seamus knew, and, while shocked, the rest of them had taken it in their stride. Draco was not looking forward to the Wizarding World at large to know; not because he was ashamed of Hermione and her connection to him, but because he was worried that, like him, she would also have a target on her back. "Remus will likely know soon..."

Ron gave Draco an uneasy expression. "Because of your feelings for him?"

"Well, that, and because he got the Leith Water in the first place," Draco told him. "I've held off telling him, but he keeps asking me to meet for tea. Merlin, I somehow managed not to say anything when I visited him, after he'd sufficiently recovered from the full moon. I don't know how much more of this I can take..."

"What if he's your soulmate?" Ron asked, rinsing his hair.

Draco nearly slipped in the shower, momentarily blinded by getting soap in his eyes. "What?" he demanded, washing out his eyes and staring at Ron. "You can't be serious!"

"You know as well as I do that all records for not fully human wixen are wiped from the database," Ron reminded him. "And, given that he got the testing done before you were born, you wouldn't have shown up on his either, not to mention you not having one..."

Draco sighed. "You know entirely well that Uncle Severus would be against it..."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Can't go through life pleasing other people when it comes to who you want to spend forever with, mate," the redhead told him gently. "And, besides, you know as well as I do that he'd be a hypocrite."

Draco smirked, chuckling to himself as he continued washing. "I may have informed him of that fact when we discussed it before Hermione and I drank the potion."

"There you are," Ron responded. "Other than potentially disappointing your godfather, as well as what Pureblood society may think of you..."

Draco's gaze snapped over to Ron. "I could care less what Pureblood society thinks of me at this point, Ron. Pureblood society involves Lucius, who believed it was all right to have me raped because of my sexuality. Pureblood society drove Lucius to banish Hermione from my life, although she was quite lucky to find herself in such a loving, financially stable, and completely wonderful situation. Pureblood society sanctioned, within my family line, for centuries, the horrible deaths of my female relatives. Pureblood society can rot, for all I care..."

Ron nodded. "The conservative, traditional side of it, at the very least."

"Yes, at the very least... So, in summary, neither one of those things really matter to me at the end of things, although I do highly value Uncle Severus's opinion about my future," Draco added, quickly finishing his washing and getting out of his shower cubicle, vaguely aware of Ron doing the same beside him.

Ron smiled at Draco as they wrapped their respective towels around their bodies and made their way over to their respective sinks. "I can understand that."

"Then, there's the matter that the object of my affections, the only one I've had in my entire life, just so happens to be the closest friend of one of my only relatives that I'm still speaking to," he went on, and Ron nodded. "Not to mention the fact that another one of my relatives desperately wants him..."

Ron blinked, casting a Cleaning Charm upon his teeth, watching as Draco did the same. "What are you talking about?"

Draco sighed, his entire body deflating. "Remus himself told me during Uncle Severus and Harry's bonding that Tonks has had a thing for him, ever since they were paired up on various Order missions together."

"Ah," Ron said, nodding his head. "That makes sense now. She was always trying to get a seat next to him during dinner at Grimmauld Place during our last few weeks before school, and again during the Christmas hols."

Draco grimaced, running his comb through his hair. "Not to mention the fact that Tonks is lovely, and Remus could easily..."

"Mate," Ron said, squeezing Draco's shoulder. "You've nothing to worry about. Trust me when I tell you this—Tonks is not Remus's type."

Draco blinked, wanting to probe further, but shut up about it as Neville, Dean, and Seamus loped into the bathroom, all bleary-eyed. "Morning," he called to them.

The three remaining Gryffindor sixth-year boys grunted in return, directly causing both Ron and Draco to laugh.

"Come on," Ron said, guiding Draco back into the dormitory. "Hermione will likely be finished getting ready soon, and we said we'd walk down together."

Draco got into his new robes, still amazed by the lion insignia upon them, and recalled his conversation with the Sorting Hat, just days after seeking sanctuary at Hogwarts. He'd apologized for his past misdeeds, and the hat had accepted, immediately re-sorting him into Gryffindor House, much to Draco's relief. Draco put his bag on over his shoulder and moved to follow Ron, who had a Gryffindor Prefect badge pinned to his own robes, down the spiral staircase and into the Gryffindor common room.

"You're actually on time this morning. Perhaps this bodes well for this term," Hermione said, getting to her feet and shoving her Advanced Runes textbook into her bag, kissing Ron and hugging Draco. "Come along, then."

Draco, Ron, and Hermione walked out the portrait hole and down the corridor, towards the staircase, and Draco found himself mentally crossing his fingers that the staircases would cooperate with them today. He needn't have feared, and they were soon walking through the Entrance Hall and towards the Great Hall, although Draco very nearly stopped in his tracks. His throat went dry as he spotted Remus standing at the entryway of the Great Hall, straightening up when he saw the three of them approaching.

"Good morning, professor," Hermione greeted him, seemingly finding her voice first. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you, Hermione," Remus replied. "And you're well? Ron?"

Ron nodded. "We're well, thanks, professor."

Remus turned and regarded Draco for a moment. "Draco, might I have a brief word with you, please?" he asked.

Draco hesitated. "Um, I..."

"Of course, professor," Hermione said quickly, butting in, and flashing Draco a quick smile. "I'll save you a seat with us and Harry, Draco. See you shortly," she said, releasing Draco's arm and steering Ron into the Great Hall.

Remus looked around for a moment before motioning for Draco to follow him, and guided them to a seldom-used classroom nearby the hospital wing. "In here," he said, opening the door, and Draco quickly moved to obey.

"What's this about, then?" Draco asked, once the door shut behind them.

Remus hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "I feel as if you've been avoiding me, Draco. I do hope I haven't done anything to make you uncomfortable."

"You haven't," Draco blurted out, going red to his ears. "Of course you haven't. You wouldn't, you wouldn't ever do such a thing..."

"Draco, you're shaking again," Remus remarked, crossing over to him and gently placing his hands upon his shoulders. "I'm beginning to wonder if I've done something inappropriate, and made you unwilling to speak clearly to me..."

"You haven't done anything, Remus," Draco said, looking up at the man, and biting down hard on his lower lip. "You haven't done anything..."

Remus raised his eyebrows, lifting up one of his hands, still placed upon Draco's shoulders, and cupping the younger man's face. "Why am I under the distinct impression that you want me to do something, Draco?" he whispered, his eyes never leaving Draco's.

Draco leaned into the touch. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

Remus sighed. "I know you cannot mean what you say," he said softly. "You deserve someone young and whole, Draco. I am broken, too old, too poor, and too dangerous for someone as incredible, brave, and beautiful as you are..."

Draco reached upwards and gripped tightly onto Remus's robes. "I'm broken, too," he declared, and Remus stared down at him. "I'm hardly a desirous mate for anyone, given that my own father let me be used as a plaything for his Death Eater friends, all on Riddle's orders, but still, he permitted it, and encouraged it, to happen."

Remus shook his head. "That is different. The right person for you would understand that you were not an active participant, and you didn't want it to happen."

Draco smiled at the man. "I may be young, Remus, but I'm the same age as Harry—nearly two months' older, in fact. We may have had different upbringings, but we do have some things in common—we lived in families that didn't appreciate who we truly were. We were used and abused in unspeakable ways. We were forced to grow up before our time, in order to function in the world we were brought into."

Remus swallowed. "It is still different, Draco..."

"I'm poor as well," Draco continued, not one to be denied. "I literally Apparated out of the initiation ceremony to be branded with the Dark Mark. Had I remained, I would still be living in the lap of luxury, but without an ounce of love or true affection. Now, I'm as poor as a church mouse, but I couldn't be happier, because I'm surrounded by friends, and a makeshift family, as well as love."

Remus was shaking his head still. "I am dangerous, Draco. I... I am not fully human. I am a goddamned werewolf, and I could never allow you to..."

"I don't care!" Draco suddenly shouted. "I want you! Despite my fears about intimacy, and all that that entails, I don't care! I'll tell you a thousand times if I have to, Remus John Lupin, but I care about you, more so than I've ever cared about anyone, and I think you're my soulmate, because my bloody Patronus changed!"

Remus's eyes widened at that. "It what?" he breathed.

Draco yanked himself away from Remus, and remembered all his happy moments over the past several weeks as he drew his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried, and the beam of silvery light flew forth from his wand, taking the form of a mighty wolf.

Remus stared, gobsmacked, at the display of magic, and shook his head. "Merlin..."

"I read about it," Draco said softly, watching as Remus watched his wolf running around the abandoned classroom. "Magic states that, if one wixen truly loves another, then their Patronus will change to reflect the one the love..."

Remus's gaze slowly turned onto Draco. "You love me?" he asked.

Draco gave Remus a small smile. "Yes. I believe I do, Remus."

Remus crossed over to Draco then and pulled him into his arms, his lips finding the teens, and his tongue forced Draco's lips to part, but Draco was already throwing his arms around the man and kissing him for all he was worth. Remus slammed Draco up against the wall of the classroom, never wanting to let him go. He pulled back then, gazing down at the younger man, and whispered, "I..."

Suddenly, the door to the classroom slammed open, and Remus and Draco sprang apart as Harry dashed inside. "Merlin, there you are," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly at their flushed faces and bruised lips, before he shook his head to clear it. "Ginny was in the Great Hall just now, and she went mental when she heard Ron and Hermione say that you were in a meeting with Remus."

Draco's blood ran cold. "Did she?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I had to stun her, and she was taken to the hospital wing. It's bad, really bad," he continued.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, Harry," Remus said quickly, crossing over to his pseudo-godson and clasping a hand onto his shoulder. "You were protecting Ron and Hermione..."

"It's not the stun I'm worried about. Hermione cast a Cushioning Charm just in time," Harry told the man desperately.

"Well, then, what's wrong?" Draco asked, confused.

Harry looked around Remus and at Draco. "Madam Pomfrey took her to the hospital wing and checked her over. Draco, Ginny's been under the Imperius Curse for months," he said.

Draco's knees gave out then, and he stared up at Remus, who caught him just in time; just in time for his entire world to go black.