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Measure of a Man	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 71274 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from outside this story is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Lyrics recorded by Clay Aiken. Anything new is my invention, as is the storyline.

MEASURE OF A MAN

Would he walk on water?

Would he run through fire?

Would he stand before you,

Will he be your anchor when the dark unfolds?

Will he always love you, the best that he knows?

Would he gave his life up

To be all he can?

Is that, is that, is that how you measure a man?

When the three of them entered the Great Hall the next morning, sudden silence greeted them. The students looked up from their places at their respective tables, uncommonly serious and sad. It looked as if only the younger students had slept. In particular, there were few faces at the Slytherin table that did not bear dark circles under their eyes.

Draco nodded to Harry and made his way to the head of the Slytherin House table. Snape straightened his robes and looked down at Harry, then patted his shoulder. Harry smiled a bit, then followed Draco and sat next to him.

�We have both good and bad news, this morning,� Dumbledore said as soon as Snape was seated at the Head Table. �The good news is that the attempt on Lucius Malfoy�s life last night was not a complete success. He is still alive, although it is difficult to say if he will recover. The assassin has been caught, and is in the custody of the Ministry of Magic. For those of you who do not know, the assassin was Peter Pettigrew.

�Due to this,� Dumbledore continued once the murmurs had died down. �The Ministry has given a posthumous exoneration to Sirius Black. Were he still alive, he would be a free man.�

�Now the bad news,� Pansy Parkinson muttered, across from Harry. �Daft bugger always saves it for last.�

�The bad news,� Dumbledore continued. �Is that for the duration of the war, Hogwarts will have a full staff of aurors. Students whose classes take them out of the castle proper will be escorted by two aurors, and students going to Hogsmeade will be escorted to and from the village by aurors. Aurors will also be patrolling the halls of the castle at night, and the streets of the town.

�Finally,� Dumbledore finished. �Anyone who leaves the grounds of the castle for any reason will be subjected to several scanning spells to make certain that you are who you appear to be on your return. Anyone leaving the grounds of the castle after hours will be subject to detention and loss of points on the first offense, and more severe punishments on repeat offenses. Now, everyone, tuck in!� He sat down as the food appeared and everyone busied themselves with filling their plates.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It wasn�t until the end of the day that events began to catch up with the three down in the dungeons. Harry and Draco were finishing their homework in the Slytherin Common Room, listening to students in other years talk about what they had seen and heard that day. Harry was still going to run the DA, and the pair of them were drawing up a list of spells to learn, in between homework.

Everyone looked up when Snape entered the room, followed by two Aurors.

�Potter and Malfoy, come with me,� Snape said. �The Headmaster wishes our presence in his office. The rest of you return to your activities. There is no need for alarm.� He waited while the boys preceded him out of the portrait hole, and then followed them, leaving a room full of curious Slytherins.

Pansy Parkinson wasted no time in summoning her spy, a magical construct, and sending it to perch on the windowsill of Dumbledore�s office.

In Dumbledore�s office, Harry immediately became concerned when he saw the Minister of Magic and Narcissa Malfoy sitting with teacups in their hands. Two aurors were behind the Minister. Across the room were a couple of wizards that Harry did not know. One of them seemed to know Snape, though, since he nodded to him when they came in.

�Sit down, boys,� Dumbledore said. �Have some tea, and perhaps a biscuit or two. We are here to discuss what happened to Lucius Malfoy, what is likely to happen in the near future, and what will be done in the meantime.�

�I don�t understand why Potter has to be here,� Narcissa said sharply. �It�s not as if he�s family, or anything like that.�

�That is where you are a bit mistaken,� Snape said. �Harry has entered into a relationship with me, and since Lucius and I swore blood-brotherhood, that makes Harry family.�

�Besides, Mrs. Malfoy,� the Minister cut in. �It is in your husband�s will that he wishes Mr. Potter to be present when his will is read, which contains clauses for temporary or permanent fdisability.�

�Very well,� Narcissa said, throwing up her hands. �Get on with it.�

�Yes,� Dumbledore said. �Mr. Malfoy is not going to die from the attempt on his life. He will be undergoing a great deal of recovery, though, and will be disabled for some time. In the meantime, the portions of his will that deal with his incapacity will be addressed.�

�He is going to live?� Narcissa asked. She schooled her features to look hopeful, but Harry saw how cold her eyes were. She was disappointed that he was not dead.

�Yes,� Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. �That must comfort you a great deal, Mrs. Malfoy. Shall we get on with it?� He gestured to one of the wizards that Harry did not know, and the man stood up. He had five envelopes in his hands.

�My first instructions as Mr. Malfoy�s solicitor are to open this first envelope marked �In Case of Disability Caused by Attempted Assassination,�� the man said. He broke the wax seal on the envelope, and withdrew a piece of parchment. The parchment fluttered from his hands and formed a mouth, much the same way that a Howler did.

�To those assembled,� it said. �I, Lucius Malfoy, am in sound mind and body and my own man at this time. The reading of this particular piece of paper means that my allegiances have changed, either deliberately or because my erstwhile �master� has sought to remove me.

�Be that as it may, I make the following dispensations:

�My longtime lover and blood-brother, Severus Snape, is to have complete control over my son�s non-school education, the Malfoy fortune, and any of my other concerns. My keys shall be handed over to him and him alone, until such time as I can take them back from him myself. He knows very well how to verify my identity and the state of my mind. He is not to hand them back unless he is satisfied that I am myself in body and mind. In his envelope is a list of all the vaults and my authorization for him to do with them as he sees fit. I always knew you were a spy, Severus. Now that He does, as well, you don�t have to be such a snarky bastard anymore. Don�t let Narcissa push you around. She hasn�t got a leg to stand on.

�My son Draco knows his own mind, and I implore him to make his decisions stand. In his envelope is the key to a Gringotts vault that only a Malfoy or one magic-bonded to him may enter. Whether you are truly ready for it or not, son, you are now man enough to make your own choices. I will defend your decisions to death and beyond, even if I neither understand them nor agree with them. Severus can tell you what is in the vault. I took him in there once, before he was Marked.

�Harry Potter, I know you have no idea whatsoever why you are here. You are here because my son loves you more than he loves anyone in this world, even me. He loves Severus just as much, but not more. You are the one person capable of keeping my dragon from becoming swallowed up by that living darkness that I swore to serve. It is probably too late for me to redeem myself completely, but not for Draco. Help him, even when he says he needs no help. Love him, even if you cannot give him more than the love of a brother. Love is never wrong, Harry, even when others say it is.

�The Dark Lord never understood the miracles that love is capable of bringing about,� he continued. �I believe you do, if you have the courage to explore the possibilities. In your envelope is the key to another vault. The contents should prepare you well for defeating the Dark Lord. I managed to salvage the bastard�s library. Everything he ever learned is in those books, Harry. Maybe you can find out how he made himself immortal. Maybe you can undo it. There are also some papers in there that should explain some things about your parents, and free you from those horrid muggles you live with. How can you stand it? I would have hexed them years ago, the Ministry be damned.

�Narcissa, my dear, devoted wife. Yes, you are devoted, aren�t you, but not to me. Minister, since I know you followed my directions to be here with Aurors, it might interest you to know that not all of the Dark Lord�s followers are marked in the same place. It might cause comment, you know, if a lady never bared her arms. Narcissa bears the Dark Mark on her left calf. The envelope marked for the Ministry bears divorce papers. Do file them for me, will you? I�d hate to have to watch my back in my own bed.

�That should wrap things up. I do hope things work out. By the way, Narcissa, if anyone besides the individuals in question try to get into those vaults, something very nasty will happen to them. I wouldn�t even try if I were you.�

The parchment re-folded itself into an ordinary letter and fluttered into Draco�s lap. The solicitor then handed an envelope to Draco, Severus, Harry, and the Minister. One Auror took Narcissa�s wand and restrained her while another examined both of her lower legs.

�It�s �ere, alright, Minister,� he said, straightening. �Plain as day, an� twice as ugly. I�ve seen enough t� recognize the Dark Mark when I see it.�

�Very well,� the Minister said. �Narcissa Malfoy, you are hereby to be incarcerated in the special cells at the Ministry until your trial.� He nodded to the Aurors, and they lifted Narcissa to her feet and guided her, struggling, to the fireplace. One of them threw some floo powder into the fire and called out a direction unfamiliar to Harry. The three of them disappeared into the green flames.

�Well,� the Minister said, shifting nervously. �I must be off. Papers to file, you know. Oh, Albus, here are those other papers you filed for yesterday.� He handed Dumbledore three thick envelopes and then approached the fireplace himself, called out �Minister of Magic�s office�, and disappeared in a swirl of emerald fire.

�Here you are, boys,� Dumbledore said. He handed each of the three of them one of the envelopes. �Just sign where indicated and there will be nothing anyone can do to separate the three of you. I hope you all three have the happiness that has eluded most of the last two generations.�

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Harry followed Severus into the early Sunday morning haze outside Hogwarts, leading Draco. The blonde was not a morning person, and their horizontal calisthenics the night before, until the early hours of the morning, had not improved his disposition.

Harry and Draco had declined to answer any questions the night before, keeping everything to themselves for the time being. Following their lead, Pansy had kept her mouth shut. Now, they were going to London to find out what was in the mysterious vaults that Lucius had seen fit to leave in their care.

Once at Gringotts, the trio presented their keys and were taken down to the two vaults specified in Lucius� will.

Harry�s key was the first vault, number 972, had a small, unpretentious door. The goblin opened it for them and stepped back as Harry entered.

Inside, Harry was almost disappointed to find nothing more than a battered-looking trunk with an envelope sitting on it, and a shelf of muggle fiction.

Harry picked up the envelope. The back flap popped open when he lifted it. He opened the flap and read the note inside:

Mr. Potter:

All that is gold does not glitter

Not all those who wander are los

The old that is strong does not glitter

Deep roots are not reached by the frost

From the ashes a fire will be woken

A light from the shadows shall spring

Renewed will be the blade that was broken

The crownless again shall be king.

The key is hidden in the book that bears this poem.

L

Harry frowned at the note, and then handed it to Severus. While Severus read the note with Draco looking over his shoulder, Harry approached the shelf of books, intensely curious.

The books were quite ordinary, and covered a very broad range of subjects. Treasure Island and The Jungle Books sat side by side with Complete Works of William Shakespeare and Poems by Shelley. All of the books were hardcover, except for a group of five worn paperbacks that were bunched together in the middle. They were all by the same author, but Harry had never read any of the books before him. He had no idea where to go from there.

Harry sighed in frustration, looked back at his two lovers, and then turned back to the books. He concentrated on the paperbacks, feeling that they were somehow the answer to the note. He took all five of them over to the trunk and laid them out in a row. He looked at each title as he did so, but apart from being certain he was on the right track due to one of the titles, The Return of the King, he was clueless about the whereabouts of the poem.

Finally, he stepped back, drew his wand, and pointed it at the books in general.

�Accio key!�

One of the books, the second one in the row, began to glow. A shining silver key detached from the very substance of the book itself, and flew into Harry�s outstretched hand.

�Brilliant, Harry,� Draco said. �How did you get the idea to summon it? I�d have thought to shake the books out.�

�Your father is still a wizard, Draco,� Harry replied, smiling. �He used muggle fiction, but just putting the key into the book and closing it would have been too . . . muggle. He knew how I beat the dragon in the Tri-Wizard tournament, so he knew that I could summon it.�

Harry cleared the books off of the trunk and unlocked it with the key. He raised the lid, wondering how an entire library would fit inside one trunk.

The trunk was filled to capacity with tiny books no more than two inches high. Harry picked up one and opened it, to find that he could not read the tiny printing.

�He shrank them,� Severus said, peering over Harry�s shoulder. �There could be thousands of volumes here.�

�How am I going to find the one that could help me?� Harry asked, viewing the multitude of tomes with a sinking heart.�

�Simple,� Draco said. �Either we put an inventorying charm on all the books, or you get Granger to do the research for you.�

�We always meant to inventory the Black library,� Harry said. �There is a room next to it that could be a second library.�

�You�re still not used to thinking like a wizard, Harry,� Draco chided. �Remember when you gave Granger that book-buying spree this summer? She found spaces for all of the books, even though the shelves were packed the day before. The library expands to accommodate its contents. If we take this to Grimmauld Place and unshrink the contents, the library will get bigger.�

�He is essentially correct,� Severus said, stepping back. �Perhaps you should close the trunk again and remove it.�

�Just a minute,� Harry said. He stepped outside to speak with the goblin for a few moments, then returned with a grin on his face.

�Now that Draco�s mother knows about this vault,� he said. �Voldemort won�t stop until he gets in. I�m going to leave him something to remember me by.�

A short time later, two more goblins entered with another battered trunk. One of them handed Harry a parchment and quill, and then they left as quickly as they had come.

Harry penned a quick note, put it inside the trunk, and switched the two. They took the trunk with the books and stepped outside the vault. The goblin that was escorting them made no comment about their burden, or the items the other goblins had delivered.

Harry smiled again at his companions, and stepped away from them just a bit.

�Dobby!� he called. In less than a second, the former Malfoy house elf was standing before him.

�What can Dobby do for Harry Potter, sir?� he asked. Harry smiled gently at the excitable being and gestured to the trunk.

�I�d like this delivered to Professor Snape�s quarters at Hogwarts, Dobby,� he said. �Don�t tell anyone about it, and don�t let anyone see you. It�s a surprise for someone.�

�Of course, Harry Potter, sir, of course,� Dobby replied, bowing deeply. �Dobby is happy to keep Harry Potter�s secrets.� He walked to the trunk, put a hand on it, and disappeared as silently as he had appeared.

�That was interesting,� Draco said. �I�d heard that sometimes a freed house elf can become more loyal to his liberator than he ever was to his family, but I never thought I�d see it.�

�Your vault�s next,� Harry said. �I can�t wait to see it.�

�If my memory is correct,� Severus said. �We may find a great deal that is of use to us, there.�

�Are there weapons?� Harry asked. Severus nodded as he climbed into the cart. The two younger wizards followed him quickly.

The secret Malfoy vault was everything Harry had envisioned when Hagrid told him he was a wizard. It was a cavernous room with rows and rows of shelves with odd and unknown items on them. Some items were helpfully labeled, but others were ominously only tagged with a label saying DON�T TOUCH!. Draco walked among the shelves carefully, not touching anything.

�You will probably find things of interest there, Severus,� Draco said, gesturing to an odd-looking cupboard. �My grandfather was quite the potions master, and he liked doing unusual things to his enemies.� They left Severus there, knowing that he would spend whatever time they allowed him to peruse the contents of the cupboard.

In the back of the vault, Harry and Draco finally happened on something that they felt would assist them. It was a portrait of the four founders, and each one was holding a weapon. Godric Gryffindor was, of course, holding a sword. Helga Hufflepuff was holding a spear. Rowena Ravenclaw was holding a bow, and Salazar Slytherin was holding a weapon that seemed to be a cross between a whip and a sword.

�I bet that�s the key,� Draco said. �I bet we can only defeat the Dark Lord with his ancestor�s sword.�

�We don�t know where the sword is,� Harry pointed out. �We can�t even test that idea without the sword.�

�Why don�t you ask him?� Draco said. �There�s a copy of this portrait at Malfoy Manor. All Slytherin does is hiss. I bet he speaks Parseltongue.�

�There�s only one way to find out,� Harry said, nervously licking his lips. He concentrated, and then spoke to the portrait.

//Greetings, Lord Slytherin,// Harry hissed. The portrait jumped as if shocked, and then looked Harry up and down appraisingly.

//You are not of my blood,// he replied. //How came you by this gift?//

//A curse backfired,// Harry answered. //A descendent of yours attempted to kill me.//

//You must be Harry Potter, then,// Slytherin�s portrait said smugly. //You look a bit different from when you destroyed Albus� office. Was that just last year?//

//Yes,// Harry told him. //Where is your sword?//

//Where else would I hide it?// Slytherin asked, his smile growing.

//The Chamber of Secrets,// Harry said. //You hid it in the statue in the Chamber.//

//You have brains as well as beauty,// Slytherin said. //Now I see how you caught a Malfoy.// He smiled paternally in Draco�s direction, ignoring Harry�s blush.

//Thank you, sir,// Harry said, bowing to the ancestor of his worst enemy.

//You are welcome, Harry,// he replied. //Oh, Harry, when you see Tom, tell him I said that I never said I wanted to murder muggle-borns, just not teach them magic.//

//I�ll tell him, sir,// Harry promised, and then turned to Draco.

�Let�s go, Draco,� he said excitedly. �I know where his sword is.�

TBC
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Measure of a Man