Harry knew this. He had to show his face, see the damage from the night before — both at the school and the Ministry. He had to see what the story was before it started twisting beyond his reach.
But Merlin, he didn't want to.
He let out a groan of protest, and felt Draco's chuckle rumble through his chest. "Come on," the blond urged. "Best get it over with now. Go to breakfast, check the paper, visit the Hospital Wing, then you can hide again." A kiss dropped to Harry's shoulder. "You know it's necessary."
He did, but that didn't make him any more eager to do it. Still, he reluctantly uncurled himself from Draco's embrace, and reached for his glasses on the bedside table.
"I suppose." It was already nearly nine. Luckily, it was a Saturday. He couldn't imagine having to face more classes after this. Or worse; exams.
The Room provided a bathroom, and the pair of them shared a shower, Draco helping Harry wash all the tiny glass particles and debris from his haphazard nest of hair. When they emerged, there were clean clothes waiting for them on the bed, no doubt thanks to one of the house elves. Once he was dressed, Harry's nerves began to rise. Draco reached for his hand, kissing the back of it. "It's going to be fine. Just keep your head up, and use all of that Gryffindor arrogance," he teased. Harry laughed. Then his green eyes softened with concern.
"Will you be alright?" They would have to go to breakfast separately, and Draco would have to deal with the whole school knowing his father had died — more than that, had died a Death Eater, trying to kill Harry Potter.
Draco nodded, and by the time he let go of Harry's hand the Slytherin Ice Prince mask was firmly in place. "I'll see you later," he promised, and then he was gone.
Harry took five long, steadying breaths alone in the room, convincing himself not to just turn around and go right back to bed, and then walked out after him.
The school was still in a state of disarray, but the more pressing matters seemed to have been dealt with. Whatever had been on the sixth floor that required the entire staff to fix, there was no trace of it now, and the Entrance Hall was back to rights again — except for one lonely, half-deflated beach ball in one corner. Students stared wide-eyed at Harry as he passed, whispering to one another, but Harry ignored them. Breakfast, Hospital Wing, Out, he promised himself, repeating the mantra over and over as he stepped into the Great Hall and sent the whole room into an abrupt silence.
The students were mixed again at the house tables, and Harry saw a small cluster of HA members at the end of the Hufflepuff table, so he joined them. His gaze flicked to the Slytherin table as he passed; Draco was there, looking exactly as stoic as Harry anticipated, with Theo and Pansy and Millie there to keep the busybodies away.
"Susan's in the Hospital Wing, but she's fine," he said by way of greeting as he sat, directing his words to Hannah and Ernie. "She said to tell you to come visit as soon as you can. She should be getting released soon."
The Hufflepuffs beamed in relief. "Brilliant. Thank you," Hannah breathed. "I— you'd best take a look at this." She handed over a copy of the morning's Prophet, and trepidation rose like bile in Harry's throat.
The headline was as expected; You-Know-Who alive, attacks Ministry. Some brave soul had managed to get a picture of Voldemort himself right as he grabbed Bellatrix to flee, and that took up most of the front page. Harry could see himself in the corner of the picture, battle-worn and scowling.
He skimmed the article, lips pursing. It wasn't as bad as anticipated. Dumbledore had clearly gotten hold of the story, explaining how he had gotten wind of the attack and brought some 'concerned fellow citizens' to help, but somehow Harry and his friends had managed to sneak in and take on the Death Eaters themselves. He made it sound like the students had been struggling until the Order showed up, and Harry glared at that particular section of the article.
Further down, Amelia Bones was quoted, crediting Harry for raising the alarm at the Ministry through use of his Patronus message to her. What followed was a long, wheedling section that was ultimately a lot of arse-kissing from the Prophet, who were tripping over themselves to go back on everything they'd said about Harry being a liar and a lunatic.
At the end of the article there was mention that 'a handful' of Death Eaters had been captured but names would not be released until they had been questioned and processed. And there, practically a footnote; LordLucius Malfoy is known to have perished in the attack.
As if he had just stumbled across the Death Eaters and been hit by a stray spell. Harry swallowed back a wave of disgust; of course, even now, there were so many people who had been paid off by Lucius Malfoy that they were not willing to so plainly accuse him. But word would get out, regardless.
By the sounds of the whispers in the hall, it already had.
"Monday's classes have been cancelled," Anthony informed him. "While the teachers put the school to rights over the weekend."
"What happened to Umbridge?" Harry asked curiously. The group around him shared smug grins.
"She's in the Hospital Wing," Parvati supplied. "But I think the aurors will be coming for her, soon. There's already been about thirty howlers from parents of kids who sent letters out last night, since she was too busy to monitor them. Everyone knows about the blood quill."
That was good. Now that Fudge was in disgrace, she might actually face consequences.
Harry could see that everyone had questions, and he didn't blame them; the Prophet certainly didn't cover everything.
But Harry was so fucking tired.
"The others should be getting out of the Hospital Wing soon," he said, piecing together a sausage sandwich and grabbing a hard boiled egg. "I'm going to go up and see how they're doing, take Nev and Ginny back to Gryffindor." And then probably spend the rest of the day there.
"Okay. We're going to help the teachers clean up the school," Padma declared, gesturing to her fellow prefects. "Any help would be appreciated, if the rest of you aren't busy."
Harry left them sorting that out, eating his sandwich as he walked, glaring at anyone who looked like they might try and ask him anything about the night before. He felt one set of eyes burning into him more than any other, and stopped in the doorway to look back at Albus Dumbledore.
The headmaster did not look impressed. Harry grinned at him, offering a little wave, and carried on his way. So what if Dumbledore thought he was Voldemort incarnate? Harry was the darling of the Wizarding World again, thanks to Amelia Bones. And now the fight had begun, Harry could work on ruining Dumbledore's reputation so no one would listen to the old man anyway.
As Harry walked up to the Hospital Wing, he could see teachers and students alike trying to set the school to rights; repairing suits of armour, cleaning stains off of walls, vanishing the remnants of strange and bizarre magic. Most of the students were members of the HA, and it made Harry glow with pride to see them assisting — and to see the teachers clearly impressed with their magic use. Several of them waved at him as he passed, and he waved back, but didn't stop to chat. The Hospital Wing was quiet, with one bed curtained off far away from the students; Umbridge, most likely. To Harry's surprise, despite the chaos of the school the night before, there only seemed to be a handful of students in beds, other than his own friends. Those five were all sat around one bed, dressed in clean clothes and looking none the worse for wear after their excursion. "Harry!" Neville greeted cheerfully. "We were just wondering if you'd show up. Madam Pomfrey says we're all good to go."
"Glad to hear it," Harry replied. He looked at them all, amazement plain on his face. "Listen, guys; last night— that was far more than I should have asked of you, and I'm sorry. But you all did brilliantly. You were fantastic."
"Those Death Eaters didn't know what hit them," Ginny said vindictively, eyes flashing.
"Don't apologise, Potter; we knew what we were getting into," Daphne added. "Also, here. You'll want this back." And then she slipped him a palm-sized glass orb, winking. Harry grinned, quickly hiding it away in his pocket.
"Wait. Was that—" Susan gaped at him.
"The Prophecy I told Dumbledore I smashed?" Harry finished, keeping his voice low. "Maybe."
It had been easy, to speak with conviction against both Voldemort and Dumbledore. To let them into his mind just enough to see him look on in horror as a glass orb slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.
But it wasn't the same orb he'd pulled from the shelf. That he'd passed to Daphne while they'd run, hiding the movement in all the chaos.
Harry wasn't going to let any advantage in this war pass him by.
"You've been hanging out with your boyfriend too much," Neville teased, making Harry grin wider.
"There are worse influences." His eyes trailed over the five students; five people he'd hardly known two years ago, yet who had risked their lives for him without hesitation. "Thank you. All of you. I'd be dead if you hadn't come with me. And there would be a lot more Death Eaters still at large." He was keen to see an exact list of numbers, to see how many his friends had subdued.
"You don't need to thank us, Harry," Neville insisted, clapping him on the shoulder. "We were just doing what you taught us to do," Susan agreed.
"Besides, it was fun," Ginny added, and all of them laughed.
"I've created a monster," Harry declared in mock-horror. Ginny punched him gently on the arm.
"Come on, let's get out of here before Pomfrey finds some reason to keep us longer," she said. "I want to see what happened to the school before it's all cleaned up."
"I can't believe the whole school went nuts so quickly," Daphne mused incredulously. "I know it's been building up all year, but…"
Harry nodded; he hadn't expected quite such an explosion either. "I can't believe Umbridge used an Unforgivable on a student in front of half the school." Good luck to her trying to worm her way out of that one.
They bumped into Hannah and Ernie at the doors, and Susan left to go with her Hufflepuff friends after hugging Harry quickly. The rest of them split up there, Luna going back to Slytherin with Daphne while the three Gryffindors headed for their common room.
Sadly for Ginny, most of the chaos and destruction had been handled., but there were still some signs of things. Harry was too tired to go searching for the best parts, especially as people were looking even more keenly at him now. He just wanted to go back to bed.
.-.
Neville bullied him into coming down for lunch, and so Harry found himself accompanying his friend to the Great Hall — Ginny had disappeared hours ago, apparently intent on seeking out some of the more fun pranks before they were returned to normal.
It was a balm on his ire to see the hall as it had been before Umbridge's Decrees; students sitting wherever they pleased, talking and laughing without fear of being put in detention for disruptive behaviour. Hogwarts could actually feel joy again, now.
Harry took a seat at the Gryffindor table, reaching ravenously for a plate of chicken drumsticks.
"Is the Prophet telling the truth, Harry?" Colin called from a few seats over, wide-eyed. "Did you really fight You-Know-Who at the Ministry last night?"
"I did. So did Neville and Ginny, and Luna and Susan and Daphne. We all went."
A wave of chatter followed the proclamation. "Wow," Colin breathed. "And Dumbledore duelled him? And you saw it?"
"Dumbledore showed up just as I met Voldemort—" a collective flinch "— in the atrium, after we'd already duelled a load of Death Eaters. Voldemort—" another flinch "— was trying to kill me, so Dumbledore distracted him with a duel. Then the aurors broke the wards and showed up with the Minister, so Voldemort—" less of a flinch, this time "— grabbed Lestrange and scarpered."
"You mean Professor Dumbledore wasn't with you when you fought the Death Eaters?" Katie Bell queried, frowning. Harry hid a grin — it was never too early to start dismantling Dumbledore's lies.
"No, we were alone when we got there," he said.
"It was nearly two hours before anyone showed up," Neville agreed. "And even then, Dumbledore never came down to the Department of Mysteries — that's where we were fighting," he explained. "He didn't make it down there until after all the fighting was over, when he came to take us back to school. All the Death Eaters who were still standing fled as soon as the anti-apparition wards broke."
Wide-eyed gasps, and another explosion of quiet chattering.
"The six of you fought Death Eaters for two hours all by yourselves?" There was more awe in Colin's eyes than Harry had ever seen before, which was saying something.
Before Harry could respond, Neville was smiling widely and clapping him on the shoulder. "It's what Harry taught us to do, right?" he reasoned.
Thankfully, those who had overheard seemed much more intent on spreading word to as many of their friends as possible, than on pestering Harry for more details.
Harry saw Dumbledore enter the hall and make a bee-line straight for the Gryffindor table, and he tensed. "Hey, Nev, I'm gonna go for a wander," he said in a low voice. "Avoid that conversation I really don't want to have." Hazel eyes flicked to Dumbledore, and Neville tilted his chin in assent. "Cover for me?"
"Yeah, no worries."
Grinning in thanks, Harry stood up, grabbed an apple, and strode quickly in the opposite direction, heading for the points hourglasses. The Parseltongue passage was well-hidden there, and as it closed quickly behind him Harry cackled to himself, imagining Dumbledore stood in the hall wondering where the fuck Harry had gone.
Once again, he found himself sneaking through the passage to Snape's office, though this time it was empty. That didn't bother him; a quick check of the Map had him grinning, heading for the man's personal quarters. As the Map had revealed, Remus was there too, and Harry barrelled into the man in a tight hug.
"Oh, cub," Remus murmured, stroking his hair. "I'm so proud of you. Padfoot is, too. You did brilliantly last night. I've been telling Severus all about it."
Harry turned to the Potions Master, who nodded, a faint smile crossing his lips. "It seems you have been listening in our lessons. May wonders never cease."
Harry snorted, recognising the compliment for what it was. "How is everyone else? What's going on with the Order? Dumbledore said Tonks is in hospital."
"She's fine. A Compression curse caught her in the chest and broke a couple of ribs — punctured a lung — but they got her all healed up and with a few days rest she'll be back on duty," Remus relayed. "The rest of the injuries were minimal. Quite frankly, it was a walk in the park compared to the raid we'd just come from. Your lot took out half the opponents for us." He ruffled Harry's hair proudly, and the Gryffindor preened.
With hot chocolate delivered by Ceri, the three of them got comfortable in Snape's sitting room, and Harry relayed the events of the night before the Order had shown up. Snape explained that Draco had come straight to him with the news as soon as Harry and the others had left, but once Umbridge began her rampage there was little he could do, so he retreated to the safety of his office.
"The students had it covered," he said dismissively. "Any Slytherin that did not want to be involved had already been escorted to the common room. I decided to leave the rest to their own decisions."
A round-about way of saying he supported the dissent in the only way he could.
"Well, I can't say much for what happened after the Ministry got involved," Remus said, shrugging. "I got Sirius out of there as soon as we got notice that aurors were on the way. Kingsley took care of the whole situation, from what I've heard. Made sure to send aurors he trusted to sweep the whole department for any stray Death Eaters you lot had left trussed up like turkeys." He gave Harry a teasing glance.
"Hey, you're the ones who taught me to disarm and incapacitate as quickly as possible," Harry defended. "I just passed that information along."
"There's going to be an Order meeting this evening," Snape cut in. "To discuss the impact of last night, and how to move forward. Already we are hearing reports of neutral families fleeing the country, now that the Dark Lord's return is public."
Harry's amusement died quickly. "We need to get the sanctuary plan in motion," he said, and Remus nodded.
"Sirius is going to come here in the morning and take you to the Pottery," he relayed. "It shouldn't take long for you to claim the blood wards. We can go from there."
"Will it be safe, for me to leave?"
"Have you seen the state of the school, Potter?" Snape pointed out. "Albus will have far more important things on his mind."
"He wants to talk to me, alone," Harry said with a grim look. "Avoiding him for the rest of the week is going to be a pain in the arse." If he could manage it, if he could just make it to summer, he would be in the clear.
"You're no longer hiding your magic," Remus said, "or your knowledge. Do whatever you can; he won't want to risk making a move in front of the rest of the school."
"You have the staff singing your praises, that should help keep him out of your hair," Snape added, eyeing Harry shrewdly. "Apparently since you burned the secrecy contract, members of your little club have been quite proudly telling their teachers who taught them the advanced magic they've been using to help clean up Umbridge's mess."
Harry's cheeks went hot. "Oh."
"You're beginning to gain a reputation," the Slytherin informed him. "I'm sure Albus is thrilled."
That made both Remus and Harry snort. "Well, as long as I'm allowed to piss him off, now; might as well do it properly," Harry remarked dryly. "Oh, that reminds me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Prophecy orb. Both men froze.
"You said that was smashed," Remus breathed.
"Did I?" Harry's expression was entirely Slytherin. "How silly of me."
"You managed to fool the two greatest Legilimens in the country?" Snape asked, looking both proud and horrified. Harry shrugged.
"The two most arrogant Legilimens in the country," he corrected. "I told them what they expected to hear, showed them basic proof, and they didn't question it. I did smash a Prophecy. But this one was safe in Daphne's pocket the whole time."
There was a beat of silence. Then, Remus poked Snape in the shoulder. "And you thought Sirius and I were all the influence he had. Not my responsibility my arse; you've made him as sneaky as you are!"
Snape's pale cheeks went vaguely pink. Harry wasn't quite sure what that was about, but he laughed regardless. "Anyway, shall we see what it says?"
"I… are you sure you wish us to be the ones to hear it?" Snape asked, surprisingly cautious. Harry nodded without hesitation.
"I wish Sirius could be here too, but you can always tell him later. I trust you both." No matter what he'd thought when he'd learned of Snape's involvement with the Prophecy and the murder of his parents, the man had proven himself a hundred times over by now. He deserved to know.
Harry leaned forward, removed the Unbreakable charm he'd put on the orb, and slammed it down firmly on the coffee table.
Immediately, the pearlescent ghostly form of Sybil Trelawney rose from the shattered glass.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
Then, she faded, leaving silence in her wake.
Harry stared at the small pile of glass shards, the words echoing through his head. "Well, then," he croaked, and coughed. "That, uh… fair bit to unpack, there." He looked up at the two men. "What do you think that power refers to? Just my family magics, or…?" He waved a hand up at his scar, to encompass the whole horcrux situation.
"It could mean the Slytherin magics in particular," Snape suggested. "That is quite a heavy boost to your magic, and one he would be anticipating within himself rather than you. I believe the horcrux is covered in the later part; neither can live while the other survives."
That was certainly true; Harry could not truly live safely with the shard of soul in his head — and the Dark Lord trying to kill him regularly — and Voldemort would always have a half-life while part of his soul existed within Harry.
"And Dumbledore put the block on my power, no doubt thinking that the explosion of its release could be the power the Dark Lord knows not," Harry realised bitterly.
"Indeed." Snape was solemn, thoughtful. "This knowledge changes very little of our plans, in all honesty. It does not suggest the number of horcruxes, or where they might be hidden. It is as vague and useless as most Divination."
He was right, except the Prophecy wasn't useless at all; it was worse than that, because so much damage had come from it.
"Business as usual, then?" Harry said, injecting false cheer into his voice. Remus and Snape both nodded.
"Business as usual."
.-.-.-.
As instructed, first thing after breakfast the next morning Harry headed down to Snape's quarters — once again neatly dodging Dumbledore's attempt to talk to him. Sirius was waiting there, and the animagus pulled Harry into a rib-crushing hug.
"I know we're on a tight schedule here, and we can talk properly in the summer, but I am so enormously proud of you, pup," he murmured, making Harry's heart clench. Then, Sirius looked up at Snape. "If we're not back in an hour, you know what to do."
The Slytherin nodded, and then they were gone.
For the second time in three days Harry found himself unexpectedly travelling by portkey. This time was easier, though, as he had Sirius' arms securely around him. They landed in Sirius' bedroom at Grimmauld Place.
"I thought we were going to the Pottery?" Harry queried, and Sirius nodded.
"We are, but this is just in case anyone traces the portkey. We're going to apparate the rest of the way, alright?"
Harry, whose eyes had caught on t-shirt draped on the end of the bed that he was fairly certain belonged to Charlie, snapped back to attention and nodded. Sirius held him tight again, and then they were spinning.
"Here we are, Harry," Sirius said, his voice soft and oddly choked. "The Pottery. Your ancestral home."
Harry looked up at the huge wrought iron gates in front of them. They held the Potter crest, and the magic emanating from them felt so familiar Harry thought for a moment he might cry. Sirius nudged him forward gently. "Go on. They're blood-warded, they'll know you."
Harry did as bid, stepping up to the gates and placing a hand on the lock. Instantly something pricked his finger, and then warmth flooded his body. The Potter magic searching him, twining with the family magic of his own core. It felt happy.
It felt like it was welcoming him home.
There was a click, and then the gates swung open, revealing the house ahead.
It wasn't as big as Seren Du, but it was just as beautiful. A large stone manor, like the old listed houses Aunt Petunia used to sigh over on the telly. The front lawn was a sea of wildflowers, and ivy crept up the front facing wall. To Harry's surprise, it didn't look as dilapidated as he expected after fifteen years of neglect. That was quickly answered by two quiet pops, and the appearance of a pair of house elves in front of him. They were almost identical, wearing neat white toga-like uniforms, and they stared up at him with tears in their huge brown eyes.
"Master Harry has arrived," the elf on the left breathed in awe. "We has been hoping for many years this day would come."
"Essie? Tinker? Is that you?" Sirius moved to Harry's side, and the elves wailed loudly.
"Master Sirius!" the elf on the right screeched, throwing itself at Sirius' knees and hugging tightly.
"Bloody hell, I didn't realise you two were still around!"
"We is waiting, Master Sirius!" the elf wrapped around Sirius' legs cried. "We is keeping house and we is waiting, hoping we will have family again!"
It took a few minutes to calm their sobs, and Sirius looked up at Harry, beaming. "Pup, this is Essie and Tinker. They've been Potter elves since before your dad was born."
"Oh. It's nice to meet you." Harry hadn't been expecting elves. They both beamed up at him, still crying silently.
"Master Harry is looking so much like his parents!" Tinker crowed delightedly.
"Missy Lily's pretty eyes, just like Master James wanted," Essie agreed. Harry's breath caught in his throat. Beside him, Sirius laughed.
"Even as kids, James would go on forever about how he wanted his and Evans' future kids to have her eyes," he explained fondly. "Creepy little weirdo that he was."
Snorting, Harry looked back at the elves. "I… I can't stay very long. I'm supposed to be at school." Both elves drooped sadly. "But there will be people here again soon. Having you two here is brilliant, actually." With two elves running the place, the sanctuary would go that much smoother — and better protected. "Would you show me to the wardstone, please?"
"Yes, Master Harry, sir!" Tinker chirped, and then they were off.
As they walked up the driveway, Harry explained to the elves what he was planning — they seemed a bit sad that he was planning on living elsewhere for now, but eager to welcome new guests to the manor. If they'd had more time, Harry would have loved a full tour. As it was, he promised to come back for one as soon as summer began, though he wasn't sure if he was emotionally ready for it; the elves said they had kept everything as it was, including James' childhood bedroom. And Sirius' room, from after he'd run away from home.
But for now, all he saw was the entrance hall, the basement stairwell, and the ward room. Sirius had to wait outside, as he was not technically a member of the Potter family, not by blood or marriage.
But he had already instructed Harry on what to do, so Harry stepped forward and placed both hands on the glowing red wardstone; a perfectly smooth crystal about the size of a dragon egg. Immediately magic washed over him, a hundred times more intense than the magic of the gates. His knees almost buckled with the force of it, but Harry pushed his Potter magic to the forefront, making his intentions clear. He was not there to cause harm, only to claim his birthright.
The battle of wills took several minutes, but eventually Harry felt the pressure ease as the wards accepted him. They lingered, a presence in the back of his mind. It was… odd; he could feel the two elves, feel Sirius in the house. His godfather had explained what it was like to hold house wards, especially old house wards, but it was still strange.
Sirius was grinning when Harry rejoined him in the stairwell. "Done it?" the animagus asked, beaming when Harry nodded. "Brilliant. Well done, pup." He bit his lip, hesitating. "There is one more thing I considered. But I'm not sure if you'll want it. And I completely understand if you don't." Harry raised an eyebrow. "I thought we could do a Fidelius charm on the property."
Harry went wide-eyed, and Sirius misunderstood the reaction, face flashing with hurt. "Yeah, no, of course not — not after the last one, that's just—"
"No, Sirius, I didn't say that," Harry protested. "I was just surprised." It made sense; an extra layer of protection for those who needed it. "Can we do a Fidelius charm?"
"I mean, I know how, if that's what you're asking. I can make you the Secret Keeper. If you want to. Then at least you won't have to worry about the people you welcome here sneaking in anyone unsavoury."
"Let's do it," Harry said decisively. It certainly couldn't hurt.
The spell was surprisingly less complicated than Harry had expected. "It's not all that difficult, but it takes power," Sirius explained. "And it relies so heavily on trust that a lot of people are too scared to use it." With a Fidelius, there was no consequence to the Secret Keeper sharing the secret, no monitor of how many or who they shared it with. But Harry wasn't going to tell anyone who didn't need it, and so when he portkeyed back from Grimmauld to Snape's rooms after hugging Sirius goodbye, it was with the location of Potter Manor sitting safe and sound in the back of his head, along with his new awareness of the wards. He looked at Snape, and smiled briefly. "The Pottery can be found on the northeast edge of Thetford Forest," he declared, feeling the spark of magic pass from himself to the Potions Master. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Fidelius, on top of the Unplottable wards?" Harry nodded. "Good. Now get somewhere public before someone comes looking for you."
Harry wasn't bothered by the abrupt ejection from Snape's rooms. He had other places to be, after all; he used the Map to seek out Theo, finding him out on the grounds by himself.
"Hey," Harry greeted quietly, warding the area as soon as he approached the Slytherin. Theo was sat on a bench not far from the greenhouses. "I have news for you."
Harry sat beside him and leaned in, whispering the secret into Theo's ear. Moss-green eyes widened. "It's still Unplottable," Harry warned him, "I'll give you a portkey on the train."
"Thank you, Harry." Theo's quiet whisper was hoarse, and Harry looked closer and realised the boy's eyes were red-rimmed. A sudden realisation hit him.
"Theo, I— your dad wasn't at the Ministry, was he?"
Theo's mouth twisted in a sneer. "No. He was one of the Death Eaters torturing muggles up outside Manchester," he revealed hatefully. Harry winced. "Along with Cassius' uncles and cousins."
"Fuck." Harry wished Cassius would accept the offer of sanctuary.
"You've saved my life doing this, you know," Theo told him matter-of-factly. Harry clasped his shoulder.
"I'm glad I could help. And I'm glad you made the choice to let me." It couldn't be easy, going against a father like Theo's. He'd seen a similar struggle in Draco over the years, and that was with the support of his mother. Theo had no one, until recently.
Harry left the Slytherin boy to his solitude — or perhaps not quite that, for he passed Susan on his way back into the castle — and spent a pleasant afternoon avoiding Dumbledore by lazing in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone seemed to have recognised that the interesting bits of the story of the Ministry had already been said; now people just wanted to know what the fall-out would be. And that was nothing Harry could control.
He did, however, use Dobby to get a message to Blaise, telling him to get any kids whose families needed sanctuary to the Room of Requirement at seven.
Blaise didn't disappoint. He met Harry at the Room at six fifty-five, and within ten minutes there were eight Slytherin kids of various ages in there with them. Harry vaguely recognised some, but most were students he'd never interacted with in his life.
"Okay, here's the plan," he began without delay. "I have an Unplottable, Fidelius-protected building that I will be setting up as a sanctuary for anyone who needs to avoid persecution from either side of this war. I won't question yours or your family's right to use it, but only ask that you do nothing to jeopardise anyone else living there. You treat your fellows with respect, regardless of what you think of them. Remember, everyone else is there for the same reason you are. If you or your family cannot hold to these rules, this isn't the place for you."
One of the older Slytherins put his hand up. "What will we owe you for use of this building?" he asked expectantly. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes; bloody Slytherins!
"Nothing but the things I've already said. You keep the others in the sanctuary safe, and you behave while you're there. If anyone wants to get more involved in the war, that's something we can discuss later, but it's not in any way expected." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "All I'm asking is that you keep my secrets, the same way I'm keeping yours."
Several of the kids sent Blaise a look as if to say 'is this guy for real?', and Blaise smirked. "Harry isn't the type to collect debts," he assured. "Gryffindors," he then added wryly, which seemed to placate the skeptics among them.
"So how do we get our families there before He can come for us?" the youngest, a timid-looking second year girl, asked tentatively. Harry grinned.
"I'm glad you asked."
It was a somewhat convoluted plan, but Harry was confident it would work.