"Why, thank you, Severus."
"So when will the board meet, then?" Harry gave a tremulous smile. "Draco's really sick of it down here."
"I'll call for one at the earliest possible moment. Hmm... Yardley's still in Bulgaria, I expect..."
"I do hope that you can arrange matters soon indeed, Albus. I'm less than enthused with the prospect of those two... lovebirds being the only ones keeping an eye out for any trouble Harry might stumble into."
"Hey! Stumble into?"
The adults both ignored him.
"Duly noted." Dumbledore brushed his robes off slightly as he moved towards the office door. "I think the Slytherins might benefit from a visit from you tonight, Severus. My own visit to them was... well, we'll say fractious. See to it, will you?"
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Shortly after the headmaster had taken his leave, Snape had said that Harry looked worse for wear and ought to go to bed. For his part, he had to Floo to the Slytherin common room to settle his House down. Harry suspected that his father would be late in returning - the Gryffindors would be in an uproar if any of their own had been hauled away by Aurors, so he could only imagine how worked up the Slytherins must be.
Harry felt pretty tired, but he couldn't bring himself to do as his father had asked. For one thing, he suspected that Draco would immediately pump him for information on what had been discussed in his absence. What was Harry supposed to say, that their father had gotten scolded like a schoolboy?
Too, Harry knew he just couldn't sleep. A dark unease, almost as insidious as the ache in his hand, had settled into his gut.
"Harry! What are you doing out here?" Snape demanded a few hours later.
Harry rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand as he sat up from the couch. "I couldn't sleep." His father quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, I thought I couldn't sleep because I had a lot on my mind so I stayed out here to wait so I could talk to you, but I, uh, fell asleep."
Snape sank down onto the couch next to his son, rubbing at his own forehead tiredly.
Harry felt a twinge of guilt for adding to his troubles. "How are the Slytherins?"
"Subdued."
Harry wasn't sure whether he was referring to their mood or if Severus had ordered them all to bed.
"I know you didn't wait up to ask me about your housemates, Harry. What is troubling you?"
Instead of answering his father right away, Harry adjusted his sling a bit. When he felt his father's hand rest reassuringly on his shoulder, he glanced up through his fringe slightly and blurted, "You think Draco's right, don't you? You think Remus is going to get himself killed!"
Snape took in a sighing breath and sat back into the couch, but his hand stayed on Harry's shoulder and gently massaged the hard knots of tension there. "I think Lupin shares your knack for dumb luck. Doubtless this will carry him through the war."
"I wouldn't call getting bit by a werewolf very lucky."
"He survived."
Harry shrugged away from his father and frowned as he turned to him. "Well, Sirius survived twelve years in Azkaban intact too, but--" He was going to say, but I got him killed anyway, but he didn't want his father to redirect the conversation towards responsibility and guilt. "But he got killed just as soon as he mixed up with Death Eaters. I know you don't think much of Remus as a spy. So, tell me the truth. Do you think he's going to get caught?"
Snape was silent for a few moments as if he were carefully constructing a reply. "I do believe that Lupin's deception will inevitably come to light. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that he will be caught, as you put it."
"So, you think they'll figure out that someone is using Polyjuice to impersonate Malfoy, but they might not know who." Harry's head jerked up in alarm. "You don't think they'll think it's you, do you?"
Snape shook his head. "My position here creates a fairly reliable alibi. Though, perhaps the Order would be better served if they did suspect me since further antagonism towards me should hardly make a difference at this point."
"That's not funny, Dad."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. "I hate this!" he shouted, jumping to his feet, albeit with a bit of a wobble. "Everyone I care about is at the top of those bastards' most wanted list. I've lost more than enough people already and I couldn't bear for anyone else to--" He spun to face his father. "And, I'm not just being selfish about losing people. I mean, it's not like I'm talking about a quick killing curse like with Cedric. I'm not stupid; the closer anyone is to me the more horrible their death will be, won't it?"
Snape accioed the Galliano and two small glasses. He quietly poured a small amount for them both. "Harry, I wish I could spare you this," he said, handing him a glass. "But the truth is that every member of the Order's life is in danger. You know this. Your friends and Draco are in danger as well. But the risk we're taking is no greater than the risk to the innumerable Muggles and Muggleborns whom we are fighting to protect." He paused to sip. "None of that is your fault and neither can you do anything to prevent it at this time."
"That's not really true. For one thing, I could stop Remus from putting himself into more danger."
"No, Harry--"
"I could! I know I could and if he does get killed I'll know that I could have prevented it! How can you expect me to live with that? All this time I could have gone to the Ministry and had Lucius put away -- probably kissed. And don't use the alibi excuse; we could make it stick. If we all testified, we could make it stick and then you and Draco and Remus would all be a lot safer."
Harry sat down. He felt flushed and out of breath from his outburst. Snape sat down next to him and pulled him into a gentle embrace. "Harry, we cannot do that."
Harry shrugged his way free. "I could! Everybody knows Voldemort is back now; I could get the press on my side and--"
"Ah," said Snape in a rueful voice. "I see, now."
"What, that Lucius deserves to be put away forever?"
"I saw that long ago. But now I see why Albus decided you might as well hear him taking me to task."
Harry sat back and sighed. "Yeah, that was pretty strange. So why would he?"
"Because if I, an autonomous, responsible adult must take more care to seek counsel, then how much more ought you do the same?"
"I..." The question didn't sap Harry's anger, but it did take him aback. In threatening to go his own way no matter what anybody thought, he was doing the same thing the headmaster had just criticised about Snape. And Snape had practically admitted, there at the end, that he'd been wrong... or at least that he might not have been right.
His anger sapped by then, Harry looked up in misery. "But we could save Remus and put Lucius where he belongs. We could protect Draco, Dad!"
Believe me when I tell you that I'd like nothing better, but it would be wrong."
"How can it possibly be wrong?" Harry asked, his voice wobbling just slightly.
"Because loath as I am to admit it, what Lupin is playing at is saving lives."
"How do we know that he's saving more lives than Lucius is taking?"
His father sighed again. "We use what information we have and put our faith in Albus to make the right decisions. Believe me Harry, he wouldn't put any of us in danger without good cause."