Chapter 12

The atmosphere at my aunt and uncles actually became far more civil after that, and by the end of our two weeks with them, they were all already starting to look happier and healthier. They were not necessarily nice yet, but nor were they overly hostile either. All things considering, it was the best time that I had ever had with them, and that is sad.

Every day Drago and I went out and did something together, sometimes just going to the park, sometimes into town. We even went into London another day and just rode the Tube pretty much all day, touring around, seeing what we could see, so on and so forth. It is certainly the most free that either of us has ever been or felt in our entire lives, and that is even considering we do have considerable freedom at school.

Finally the day came when we received an owl from Mr. and Mrs. Pleaseme, saying that they would be by after lunch some time to collect us, and that we were to pack all that we wished to take with us. I touched up the spells on my family first, to give them a little more encouragement, as well as to give them some protections against certain things, this time I did not bother asking, I was just adding onto the spells that I had already done, so they did not need to know. I know, technically it is wrong, but they do need it.

Drago and I packed up all our belongings into our trunks, and the only reason it all fit, was because we added charms to our trunks to vastly increase the interior size of them in order to hold all the things that we had bought so far. We could now not even lift them ourselves without magic, so it is a good thing that we do in fact have magic, and a fair bit at that. Still we have not found anything that we are not strong enough to do.

Mr. and Mrs. Pleaseme arrived only shortly after we finished eating lunch. Drago and I ate with my aunt and uncle this time, because I had found hundreds of really good recipes for my aunt, they are all healthy and tasty, a far cry better than all the fried and fatty foods they always had before. We helped to clean up, using magic of course, and then went and brought our trunks down, I have Hedwig's cage, but she will meet me at the Pleaseme's, I told her to do so, and she hooted happily, happy to have a nice flight.

“Well, I guess this is it before next summer, you all have fun, work out lots, eat little, and get healthy. When I come back, I expect you to be half the people you are now.” I laughed.

“Thanks.” They all said, though still rather quietly.

“You're all already doing very well, and with my magic helping you, I guarantee that by this time next year, you'll have so much energy and life in you, that you won't know what to do with it all. Have a good year, and hopefully next summer will be a far cry better than this one started out to be. Oh, and Drago will be joining me again. Oh, and I need you to sign my Warthog's form.” I almost forgot, but technically I can get Spermius to sign it as well, Bummemore would accept that, I am certain of it.

“Thanks. I know we still can't truly say it to you, but we really are starting to realize just how sorry we are to have treated you like we did. We don't want or expect you to accept it, not yet, and truly, we aren't even ready for it. We hope you have a good year too, and see you next summer.” Aunt Petulant said.

I shook Uncle Burner and Fudley's hands, and then we were off, Drago and I levitating our trunks behind us to the Pleaseme's new car, since Rod and I kinda sorta destroyed their old one. Yeah, long story, a lot longer than you were told, and a hell of a lot scarier than what you read, but it is close enough too. We stuffed the trunks into the magically larger boot, and then we hopped into the back seat of the car. Shockingly, we are the only ones. I had half expected Rod to be with them, at the very least.

“So, you boys seem to have had a good start to your summer already?” Mrs. Pleaseme said as we took off.

“Not too bad, actually.” I said, and then gave them the brief version of our last two weeks. “How about you guys?”

“Pretty decent so far. Sounds like you've done right by your family though Perry. No matter what, family is always there for you, even when you don't deserve it, and you were there for them, big time. You should be proud of yourself, and using your magic like that to help them out like you are, very nice.”

“Thanks, it was the right thing to do.”

“Yes, I agree fully, but all too often, people are too eager to do the easy thing, not the right thing. It would've been easy to just ignore them, let them live their lives as they always have, likely die very soon from all their health issues, but you took the high road and are giving them a new lease on life.”

“Thanks. So, what have you been up to so far this summer?”

“Little of this, a little of that, you know, just trying to keep like a hundred children fed and clothed, you know, the usual.” Mr. Pleaseme chuckled.

“I'm certain it feels like a hundred kids sometimes.” We both laughed.

“Yes, and we have a few extras this year as well.”

“Oh, who?”

“Hermoany arrived just the other day, and we've had Bummemore's young boyfriend Zachary with us as well, since Bummemore is outta town on business, and Zachary was unable to go with him, but he's only with us for another couple days. Then we also have a few more guests that I don't think you'll know, as well as a couple more that are surprises. Suffice it to say, you have a busy summer ahead of you.”

“Oh, okay. We were surprised to see that Rod and Hermoany weren't with you.”

“They're at the house, they were all playing Quidditch when we left, we told them to just stay, we didn't wanna inundate your family with too many witches and wizards, we know how they normally are, though you seem to have tamed them fairly well.”

“Ah, we wondered if that was the case.”

“Yeah.”

We talked and laughed the entire way there, and I know that it went by considerably faster than it should have, since I live a good solid three hundred kilometers from Rod, yet, we only drove for just over an hour, instead of the three or more hours that it should have realistically taken us. I have no doubts that Mr. Pleaseme installed a few modifications in this car as well, hopefully just nothing to make it fly this time, because I would have jumped out instantly if it did so. Trust me on that one.

When we arrived, we found the house looking just as dilapidated and crooked as ever. Drago giggled and asked how it did not fall over. Mr. Pleaseme assured him that it is as strong as can be, and only looks the way it does to fool visitors. We already know this, but still, it really does look as if it will topple over in a strong wind. As we pulled to a stop in front of the house, everyone that was there spilled out of the house, almost all of them laughing and having a good time. There are only a couple people that we do not recognize, but several that we do.

Rod and Hermoany of course are there to greet us first, and they give us both hugs, and then Gummy, Gorge, and Bred are there next. Prissy is there, though he held back. Spermius and Lupin, as well as Snipe and Zachary are also all there, and they too come forth and say hi. There are only two that I do not know, but considering that they look so much like the rest, they must be the elusive elder brothers, and sure enough, when they were introduced, this was confirmed.

It was great, everyone there treated Drago like he is family as well, and he is loving it. Never before had he been treated like this. I had sort of gotten used to it myself already, having a large family that works and plays together, but this is still very much new to Drago.

“Okay, since we certainly don't have enough bedrooms for everyone, Perry and Drago, several of our guests are staying in tents in the yard, but don't feel that you'll be cramped, we have some of the most amazing tents. In fact, both Rod and Hermoany are using a tent themselves. They come with all the amenities, so you won't be lacking.” Mr. Pleaseme said.

“That's great, we wondered where you'd house everyone.”

“We have more room than you can see, but those rooms aren't really meant for sleeping, though we can in an emergency, but they're just not as comfortable.”

“So we've heard.” Drago and I said together.

“Excellent. We've got you boys down by the creek, and you're well separated from others, so that the sounds of nature don't bother you. Follow us, and we'll get you all set.” Mrs. Pleaseme grinned.

“Excellent, thanks. We're certain that it was the sounds of nature that broke my aunt and uncle most of all.” I giggled.

“Good, they needed it, desperately.”

“No kidding.”

We grabbed our trunks and followed everyone, they all came for the walk, and though it is a fair distance from the house, it is a nice walk, and not all that long. We will probably break out our brooms in order to get back and forth quickly, but that will be fun.

When the tent flaps were opened, we understood what was meant. The outside did not look all that different to any canvas tent I had ever seen on TV, the inside, though, was another story altogether. It was a flat every bit as large and grand as ours back at Warthogs, including a bathroom that damn near rivals ours.

“Wow, nice tent. Pretty sure this isn't a muggle special, is it?” Drago giggled.

“Nope, made especially for you by a few friends. Hermoany took care of most of the decorating and the setup, and Bummemore gave it its roominess and all its amenities, and Rod and I added a few more touches.” Mr. Pleaseme said proudly.

“Wow, thanks so much guys, this is amazing. How small does it pack up?” Drago asked.

“When packed, with poles and everything, the package is only thirty by thirty centimeters, and about seventy five long. It's not even as heavy as it looks like it should be either.”

“Wow, that's nice.”

“Go ahead and store your trunks inside, then let's go show you the training facilities that you've never seen before.” Mrs. Pleaseme said.

We put our trunks inside, not bothering to do anything with them now, and then we were led to the broken down old chicken coop, that I always thought was just for storage. Mr. Pleaseme opened the door and showed us that it is still just storage, but then he closed the door again, knocked three times, made a squiggly shape with his wand on the door, and then knocked a further three times. This time, when he opened the door, there was a large stairwell leading down.

The stairs are a little over a meter wide, made of stone that is nice and flat and smooth, and on the wall going down are what appear to be more than a dozen lanterns burning brightly to light the way. We descended the staircase, going down easily ten or even fifteen meters, before we finally made it to the bottom.

“We have another entrance in the house to down here, and there there's a lift, but with this many people, this is the fastest way down, and from outside too.” We were told.

We are then led down the large hall, it goes on for several meters, and on either side are more than a dozen doors. We are told what each room is for, there are a couple washrooms, a few dorm rooms with lots of bunks, kitchen and dining area, a theatre, and a lounge with an attached library that has some very interesting titles. Then there are the training rooms, there are six different ones. One of the rooms is set up as a lab for potion making and training, though it all looks brand new, so I am guessing that Snipe has set up his home here, then the others are for others to do lots of different training exercises all at the same time.

It is an incredibly impressive underground bunker and training facilities to be sure, and it is all so perfect in every way.

“How'd you ever make all this?” I asked.

“Ah, we didn't. It was a muggle government facility in its previous life, but we found it abandoned, and though they were not willing to sell it to us, we were very persuasive, and in the end, we bought the entire property for knuts on the galleon what it was worth. In fact, no one even remembers this facility as being here any more now, so it's perfect. We built the house, fixed a lot in here, made it more us, and yeah, it's perfect.” Mr. Pleaseme said proudly.

“Very nice. You have a nice lab here too Snipe, that's great. I'm sure some of the potions you can come up with will help a great deal in the coming war.”

“Thanks, I've always wanted a lab like this, and I sure hope so. As horrible as it sounds, I may need you and Drago to come help me, and this time it's not even for punishment, but I know you both know your way around potions.”

“Who says it won't be punishment, I mean, spending time with you must be some kind of archaic torture Sir.” I grinned brightly.

“Careful, or it might be.” He laughed, which, I might add, might only be the second time I have heard it.

“Good.”

“So, what all are we gonna learn here this summer?” Drago asked, smiling.

“Advanced defense against the dark arts. Every dark curse that we know, we'll teach you how to fight and or counter.”

“Including the killing curse?” I asked.

“Sadly there is no known counter to that attack, and a grand total of one person has ever survived it. And said person is standing right here. Normally even an incredibly strong shield can barely stop it, and if it does, you have bare seconds to get away before it drains all your power. A lesser witch or wizard would never even stand a chance. We wish we understood how the blasted curse even works, how it kills, something, anything. If we knew that much, then maybe we could create a counter to it.”

“I'd like to take that project on.” Drago and I said together.

“How would you do that.”

“We're gonna need a couple chickens that are ready for the pot, a barf bucket, because we're probably gonna need it, and some time. We know how the curse works, or at least how to cast it, but we're gonna haveta actually cast it and feel it working in order to figure it out.”

“If you could figure that out, that'd be massive. Even using that spell on an animal is classified as illegal to the point that you'd be in Azkaban for life as soon as they could get you. Of course, we'll never see anything of the sort here.” Mrs. Pleaseme said.

“Excellent. If that's all we accomplish this summer, then we'll consider it a success.”

“Us too.” Everyone said together nearly as one.

After that we were shown everything else, told lots, and then we were released to go and play, or get our tent ready in mine and Drago's case, and so we went and got our tent set up. We stripped as soon as we entered, changed each other, since we are very wet again, and then got everything put away, mostly using magic to do so.

When it was dinner time, we rode our brooms to the house and sat at the large table that had been set outside for everyone. It is very nice I must say. The food, as usual, is absolutely phenomenal, Mrs. Pleaseme's an amazing cook, though she does so much by magic it is not even funny, she may as well just have magical plates as well. The desert was incredible, and we were all well past stuffed by the time we stuffed a healthy sized piece of it down our throats.

We sat back laughing and joking and talking for long after we finished eating, so long, in fact, that someone made some beautiful floating lanterns appear all around us, and funnily enough, but no insects came to bother us.

It was the falling asleep of Zachary at his seat that signaled that maybe it was time to head to bed, and so Mr. Pleaseme used magic to get the cute younger boy into the house and into bed, I am certain that he had to change him as well, because if he is only half as wet as Drago and I are, there is no way that he will last through the night. We all said goodnight to each other, and those of us staying in tents throughout the property hopped on our brooms, we had all had the same idea, and flew off to go to bed, though I know Drago and I are not the only ones who have absolutely zero intentions of going to sleep yet.

As soon as we make it inside, we are stripped down to just our sodden nappies, and we crash into bed only mere seconds later, already tangled up in each other, kissing passionately. We both desperately need to be made love to, and as luck would have it, it is my turn to be made love to first, and Drago prepares and slips into me only shortly after laying down. Nothing feels better than having my baby inside me, except maybe the feeling after he fills me up as full as he possibly can, and tonight he did fill me extra full, and then made love to me again. When we traded places, I too filled Drago up as full as I could, and then made love to him a second time, so that he too could truly enjoy it. We changed each other, and then went to sleep and had an amazing sleep. I have to admit, the bed is every bit as comfortable as our bed back at Warthogs, so that is very good.

The next morning, after having a nice rub, tug, and kiss session with my baby, we changed and dressed each other, then flew down to the house to join the others. We all met at the table outside once more, sat down, ate breakfast happily, and it too was amazing. We talked for only a little bit this morning, before we all headed down into the bunker to start training. When we arrived, Drago and I were led to a room that already had a few crates with tired looking old chickens and rabbits in them, and were told that if we had to, that we could use all of them, because they are all ready for the pot anyway, and the killing curse was a far more humane way to kill them than any other way anyway. Drago and I nodded, and Mr. Pleaseme stayed with us to take the animals once we were done with them, so as to get them prepared as needed once we were done with them.

“Well Baby, you ready for this?” I asked.

“No, not really. I've never killed anything before, and I never had the desire to do so.”

“No, I know. I kinda sorta killed Squirrely and I killed a rather large snake, but they were trying to kill me, so it was a lot easier, these animals aren't trying to kill us. But, in the same breath, they are gonna be used as food, and if we can do this research and save people, then it'll be worth it. I'll do the first one, you watch the entire process as closely as you can, and see what you can see as it completely happens.”

“Yeah, I know. Let's do this.”

Before we could lose our nerve, I cast the killing curse at the first chicken, and it happened so fast, that it is a good thing that Drago was paying so close attention to it, because I could not see it happening, other than through him.

“Wow, I've never seen that curse before, it completely drained every bit of life force the chicken had in barely a second.” Drago said, looking a little more pale.

“Yeah, and witches and wizards, as I understand it, have maybe three or four seconds in them, so it still drains them incredibly fast.”

We both examined the chicken, and could see nothing. We passed it off to Mr. Pleaseme, and he took it away right away.

“So, what'd it look like as I cast the spell then?”

“You did the spell, the magic flew from you to the chicken, and extracted all its life force. There was really nothing else to see. I don't know how we can possibly protect anyone from a spell that can do that.”

“Well, I cast the spell, and I could feel it working, I felt the chicken die, I felt it give up its life force, so, in order to use it, you must really want someone to die, because you're gonna feel it too.”

“Wait a minute, you fed on the power.” Drago said in awe.

“I did?”

“Yes, I just realized, as the chickens life force was leaving it, it followed the link of magic back up into you, and was absorbed into your body.”

“Well, if that's the case, then if someone used this spell against another witch or wizard, then it stands to reason that they'd get the benefit of their added power. How long it lasts for I have no idea. I can't imagine that it'd last long though, maybe only give them an extra few minutes of really high strength power. No wonder the Death Eaters loved this, they'd get a good boost from it. I wonder if that's how I managed to thwart Moldyvort, I had too much power, and when my power reverberated up his magic, it blew him apart.”

“It's really hard to say, and there's no way for us to really know either, because a chickens power would be like a single drop of water in the ocean, you'd never know it was there. Still, how do we block something that's designed to rip the life force from someone in seconds?”

“Wish I could say. You try it this time.”

He nodded, steeled up his nerves, and then cast the spell at another unsuspecting chicken, and I watched the entire thing as closely as I could. I can see what Drago means though, it happens so fast, there is barely time to comprehend. I am glad that we have so many animals.

“Okay, I see what you mean, and I did manage to follow the life force of the chicken all the way back up your magical link, and yes, you definitely absorbed it. Of course, it was barely a drop in the ocean of your power too, so I lost it after that. What we need is a bigger animal, with a lot more life force, so that we could really see it happening.”

“The neighbor has a cow that he says is getting close to eating time.” Mr. Pleaseme said, having just walked in and catching just the tail end.

“Not sure we could do that.”

“I'd be happy to do the curse, and you boys could watch it happening. Truth be told, even though, technically speaking, it's illegal, I always use the killing curse to kill our animals, far more humane after all. They just die, no pain, nothing.”

“Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Is he a wizard then?”

“No, muggle, but he does know who we are. I think he might actually be a squib, to tell you the truth, but he's never said one way or the other. He can see things that no muggle can though, which usually points to being a squib, because even though he can't use magic, he can usually see and sense it, just like we can.”

“Oh, good to know. I trust you protect him then?”

“Yep, sure do.” He said proudly.

“Good. Let's go then.”

We went outside and hopped on our brooms and flew over there, knocked on the door, and Mr. Pleaseme explained what we were hoping to do, and he said he was planning on doing the dirty deed this afternoon anyway, so it is perfect timing. As we were talking, Drago and I looked, and sure enough, the man is a squib, we can feel the magic in him, though it is just a bare trickle, it is no wonder he cannot use it. We were led to the barn, and Mr. Pleaseme nodded to us, we nodded back, and then concentrated on him and the cow, I took Mr. Pleaseme, Drago the cow, and we watched the entire thing happen. It took a few seconds this time, and sure enough, it is far more powerful, and did show up in Mr. Pleaseme's magic force. It actually gave him a boost of probably five to ten percent, but again, how long it lasts for, we do not yet know. We thanked the neighbor, and headed out, while he started preparing the cow for butchering.

We waited until we got back to discuss our findings.

“So, did you boys get anything useful?”

“Yes.” We both said. “Your neighbor is absolutely a squib, though he can probably do very limited magic, and he could tap into his life force and hurt someone a great deal if he were ever in danger. Of course, it'd kill him, but he'd probably take out his attacker too. Either way, that's not what you wanted to know. No, you absolutely absorbed the cows energy, it's added a boost of somewhere between five and ten percent to your own magical reserves. We can't tell how long it'd last for, but that's a hell of a boost. To kill a magical person would probably damn near double your power, and it'd probably last a lot longer. Kinda like a battery really, you'd absorb the power, and could conceivably use it until it was drained, instead of tiring yourself. Kill enough witches and wizards, and you could possibly become nearly unstoppable, which might explain a lot about Moldyvort.” Drago and I said, alternating every so often, and/or speaking together.

“Okay, I admit, this is not entirely a new concept, it was postulated long ago that this very thing happened. What does it mean, though, for your research?”

“It means we still don't know. You can't cast a Patronus type charm and allow it to block it, because it'd still suck the power from you anyway, you can't cast a shield, because it'll just drain it and then you, though it does help to give you an extra second. One thing we did see, and you probably know this, once the spell hits you, that's it, lights out, you're dead. So, if you can get a shield up in time, and then get away and release your shield before it can drain you, we think, granted, we only think, that the curse would be blocked, the transfer of energy wouldn't be completed, and therefore your energy would come back to you.”

“Yes, because I've done that myself a few times, and I was some tired afterward, but I survived to tell the tale. The one time was only just barely though, and had I been up against someone just a tiny bit stronger, I'd be dead.”

“Okay, that's what we thought.”

“So, no way to do it then?”

“We don't know. We wanna do some more research. The problem is, no one's done any research on it, because no one's been able to see the flow of magic like we can. What we need are several great minds that we can link together, all at the same time, watch the entire thing happen, and then brainstorm.”

“We have some pretty damned good minds here already, and Bummemore will be here tonight, so let's wait 'til tonight. You boys should be able to collect everyone together and show what you've already seen, so there should be no need to do it all over again. Once we're all together, then we can try and figure things out from there.”

“You know, that's a brilliant idea. We're not nearly as good yet as many of you will be, because you've all seen way more than we have. We can see the magic, but we don't fully understand it yet.”

“With great power comes great responsibility, but with age comes wisdom. More often than not, wisdom trumps power, because we can think of things that you young folk never thought of. You'd still spank me in a full on magical battle, I can admit that, you boys are incredibly powerful, but give me a few minutes to think, and I bet I can outwit you still. You'll gain more and more wisdom though, and that's half of what we do here, teach logic and wisdom.”

“Thanks.” We both said.

“No worries, and since we're together, and we really wanna get you boys learned up well, so that you do know how and when to use your powers, why don't we start working on your logic and wisdom now. We'll go to the lounge, so that we're nice and quiet and not disturbed, and then I'll go over a bunch of scenarios with you and see how you'd resolve them.”

“Okay, sounds good to us.” We said.

Wow, and I thought an entire day of doing magic was tiring. That is nothing compared to having Mr. Pleaseme fire logic testing questions at you all day, and force you to think about every conceivable outcome for your actions. It is like he keeps trying to teach us though, it is not always necessary to go full out, like using a bomb to kill a fly, it is just not necessary, and a huge waste of energy. By the time Bummemore arrived at just before dinner time, Drago and I were mentally exhausted.

“You boys did well, you should be proud of yourselves.” Mr. Pleaseme said as we were headed back up.

The others had all already headed up, and dinner is almost ready, and boy do Drago and I need it. While Mr. Pleaseme had been working with Drago and I, the others had been practicing advanced defensive magic, something that he says that Drago and I do not really need all that much, but that we will certainly get our chance to prove ourselves at as well.

When we made it to the table, everyone was already there, and the food was just finishing magically floating into place. Zachary is sitting on Bummemore's lap, cuddling him, while the others are all talking excitedly. When we made it there, all the talking ceased, and everyone looked to us.

“So, how'd your research go?” Spermius asked.

“We'll talk about it after dinner, it's certainly not the sort of conversation we wanna go into in detail during dinner. Suffice it to say, though, that not so good would be being kind.” Drago and I said together.

“But all hope is not yet lost.” Mr. Pleaseme said.

“No, but after dinner is when we'll discuss it, and we'll all go over it together to see if we can't figure it out.”

“Okay.”

“So, how'd your trip go Sir?” I asked Bummemore as we were dishing up.

“Not as well as was hoped, but enlightening none the less, and sorry, no, I cannot go into the reasons for the trip, nor what I was doing. The fewer people who know the better, though I trust everyone at this table wholeheartedly, it really is better you do not know.”

“Fair enough. Dangerous?”

“To the extreme. Not just for me either.”

“Then I'd trust almost no one else to it then.” I smiled warmly.

“Nor I. I'd really rather no one else had to sacrifice themselves.”

“But we all will when and if the time becomes necessary.”

“Yes, to make this a better world, every last one of us would give our lives if we needed to.”

From there we moved to far better dinner conversations and had a good meal together. We sat around talking for near on an hour after we finished eating, before getting to the heart of the matter in front of us.

“So, as we told you earlier, our research was less than stellar in results. We found out some interesting information, things that had only been guessed at or assumed, but still we have found no conceivable way to block the killing curse. Sure, like has already been known, if you can get a shield up in time, and then get away from the magic, then you might survive, but only might, because you have seconds at most, and if you're not strong enough, you're dead. But if it hits you unawares, then you're dead. We still have no idea how I survived, was it my mothers love gift that did it, or was it my own magic coming to my aid and protecting me, or was it maybe a combination of the two, could I have survived without one of them, we don't know. We can assume that the love gift wouldn't be enough, because plenty of parents died to save their children, yet the kids still died anyway, but could I have survived without it, who knows.” I said.

“So, like Perry says, we still don't know enough, but we're hoping that with all of us together, all our brains working on this one puzzle at the same time, that we can figure it out. What we'd like to do is gather everyone here into our minds, which means we're opening ourselves up fully to you, you'll be able to see everything there is to know about us, which means we're giving you a huge gift of trust, but then you'll be able to see first hand exactly what the killing curse does, how it works, everything that we now know and assume. With all our minds linked like that, we will then be able to do a brainstorm session the likes of which none have ever managed before. We trust everyone here, but we must, absolutely we must, do the promise spell with everyone here in perfect agreement to never speak of what you find in our minds.” Drago said.

We had discussed this earlier together when we realized during our logic exercises with Mr. Pleaseme that by doing what we are about to do, that we would be opening ourselves up more than anyone would ever open themselves to anyone. Sure, we trust every person here, but still, to do so without making some sort of protection first is folly beyond comprehension, something that Mr. Pleaseme had made us understand. A secret shared is no secret at all, after all.

“Good thinking boys, and I would've made you do the same before we started, because of that. It never dawned on me how much you'd haveta open yourselves up in order to do this, but I should've guessed.” Mr. Pleaseme said.

“It was during your logic exercises with us that we realized this, and like you told us, to give your all to someone is folly beyond comprehension.”

“Exactly.” He smiled brightly.

Everyone agreed instantly and wholeheartedly, and so we all joined and did the spell together, vowing that nothing they see or feel in our minds would ever be talked about, even amongst themselves. The spell worked perfectly, and with our strength behind it, I doubt that they could even break the spell under torture.

Drago and I then collected everyone together in our minds, which are as close to one as can be anyway, and then we showed them absolutely everything that we had done this morning, as well as all the thoughts that we have about it. We tore every second apart, broke every minute detail down in agonizing detail, and examined it. Bummemore is incredibly old and wise, as well as powerful, but the best logical thinker we have is Mr. Pleaseme, followed closely by Mrs. Pleaseme, and Snipe, which we found out, but, like he said, you need excellent logical thinking to think up potions and whatnot. All of us together though, make an incredibly large pool of thought and wisdom, and within two hours, we have some really good ideas.

“Wow, that was intense.” Gummy said.

“No kidding.” Just about everyone else said together.

“Yeah, but boy do we have a headache now.” Drago and I said together.

“I'll just bet you do. The most I've ever been able to gather into my mind was three people, and for only five or so minutes, and I had a splitting headache for days, there are more than a dozen people here, and you held on for almost two hours.” Bummemore said.

“Yeah, but it was worth it, we now have some seriously great ideas, thanks everyone. Now, how the hell do we test to see if it works?” Drago and I said.

“I guess we break out the chickens again and cast the protection charm on them, and see if it works that way first.” Bummemore said.

“We don't think that'll work though, we think it hasta be the person who's being targeted to cast the spell. Though, we really should test it that way too, to see if we can cast it on people to protect them as well.”

“I know, and that's what I wanted to test as well, because if we can protect someone else, then protecting ourselves should be an easy chore.”

We all agreed, and so Drago and I summoned the chickens that are still downstairs in cages to us, so that we do not have to all go down there. Drago and I said that we would try it first, because with as powerful as we are, if we cannot do it, then there is no hope of someone else doing so, and so Drago did the protection spell we had devised, and then, once I felt it take hold, I sent the killing curse at the chicken.

“Holy shit, it worked.” I said in glee.

“Yeah, it did, now we need to figure out if anyone can do it now. Now, since you're the youngest, and therefore the least powerful of us here at the moment Zachary, would you do the honors this time please, and try and protect the chicken.” Bummemore said.

“Okay.” He said happily, not at all insulted that he is the least powerful person here at the moment, because he knows it with being the youngest.

He cast the protection spell, and then Drago did the killing curse, and it worked.

“Brilliant.” Rod said.

“Very much so. This is huge, and it doesn't even take that much power to do the protection spell, but how do you feel now Zachary after protecting the chicken?”

“Tired, but still good. I could still fight if I had to, but I'd need to get some serious rest soon.”

“Good to know. Now, I know exactly what everyone's gonna say to this next part, and yes, I know it's a risk, but we haveta know with certainty, so, Snipe, if you would, please try and kill me.” Bummemore said.

“What if it kills you though, I can't make it without you?” Zachary said, already starting to cry.

“I don't think it will, but like I've said once before, to the well prepared mind, death is but another adventure. You could make it without me now, you're well healed, you know love, and I've already told you that you're gonna haveta accept that I don't have many years left. I know you want me around for as long as possible, I understand, really I do, and I wanna be here for you as well. There are number of reasons for me to choose to sacrifice myself like this right now. First; I don't think this'll kill me. Second; if it does, I'm prepared for it, and I'll die happy knowing that I did a great deal of good. Third; I'm one of the most powerful people here, so, if this doesn't work, then you'll know that it won't work for anyone, and yes, I know Drago and Perry are more powerful than I, but their lives are much too young to be sacrificing for a theory at this time. When all your time is upon you to make the hard sacrifice, you too will step forth and take that sacrifice with a smile on your face, just as I shall now. Now, if you would please Snipe, and don't balk at this, you know as well as I what this means for everyone.”

Snipe nodded, and then, as soon as he got the nod from Bummemore, and before Zachary could possibly continue, Snipe cast the killing curse, and as soon as the spell ended, Bummemore stumbled, but he is still standing, and very much alive.

“Well, I never thought that I'd face that curse without fighting and still be standing to talk about it after.” Bummemore said.

“How do you feel?” Lupin asked.

“Shockingly good, considering I just died.” He grinned brightly.

“And now, I'm gonna test it, like was already said, I'm the smallest and weakest here, we need to know if even one so small can protect themselves.” Zachary said, steeling up his nerves.

“Are you certain Baby. You don't haveta do this?” Bummemore said, though he did not try and talk Zachary out of it either, and we know why, because we really do need to do this too.

“Yes.”

“You're still tired and somewhat weak from protecting the chicken!” He pointed out.

“Which is why it hasta be me, I'm young and already weakened, we haveta know what the limitations are.”

“I understand. I don't think it'll kill you.”

“The good news is, if we feel it going wrong, we think we can stop the curse from killing him outright, we can boost his power, and cast the protection on him at the last moment. We can't promise we can do it, of course, but we're certain we can.” Drago said.

“Then I'll be the one to cast the curse. From one of the most powerful to the least powerful, and tired, it'd be just like Moldyvort attacking him, which is exactly what we need.” Bummemore said.

“Thanks, I wanted it to be you.” Zachary smiled, and then gave the nod that he was as ready as can be.

Bummemore aimed and fired the killing curse at his boyfriend, and thankfully Drago and I did not have to intervene, though we were watching very intently so to do so if we needed to. It nearly drained Zachary completely, he slumped down as if boneless, but he is alive and breathing, and is even still awake.

“Holy shit, it worked.” Lupin gasped.

“Did you boys haveta save him?” Spermius asked.

“No, he was able to hold his own, though his magical reserves are now nearly depleted. We're gonna give him a boost though, so that he's okay.” We said, and then did so.

“Thanks.” Zachary whispered.

“How do you feel?” We asked.

“Like I was run over by the Warthogs Express, a few times.”

“That's probably a pretty apt description, actually. You were drained almost to the dregs, one more second, and I don't think you would've survived without intervention, but you did it. Congratulations. There are now three known survivors to the killing curse.” I smiled happily.

“This is most excellent news everyone. This protection spell must be spread like wildfire, everyone must know it. It's easy to do, and you can protect even young children with it. It's draining if you get hit, but far better than the alternative of course.” Mr. Pleaseme said.

“Yes, I agree, the word must be spread. Tomorrow we all go and start telling everyone.” Bummemore said.

“Except me, of course, I am, after all, a wanted man.” Spermius said.

“Not by me.” Snipe deadpanned.

“Why Snivelus, was that your first ever joke?” Spermius laughed.

“Possibly.” He laughed as well.

“Well everyone, we've accomplished more here this evening than we ever hoped to do so. My baby boy is incredibly tired now, so I believe that I am going to take him to bed. It seems that everyone else is also rather tired, so it's probably a good idea for everyone else to do so as well.” Bummemore said.

“Especially me.” Drago and I said together.

“That I don't doubt.” A few people said together.

“Goodnight everyone.” Everyone pretty much said together.

Drago and I hopped on our brooms, as did several others, and headed to our tents for the night. As soon as we made it, we stripped each other, changed each others seriously sodden nappies, because we should have changed well over an hour ago, and then we curled up in bed and kissed and cuddled for only a few minutes before falling asleep.