By refusing any further offers of food and drink, Harry knew he was frustrating the efforts of the Aurors to subdue him, and he quite enjoyed it. He also made regular requests to see Dumbledore over the next hour and a half, but it did no good. He doubted his requests were even being passed on.

He smelt a very large rat and he was beginning to seriously consider freeing himself and bypassing the Ministry. The only thing that kept him in his room was the fact that he did not trust himself.

In the end he decided to practice his Occlumency some more; at least that was productive and then he would be ready for anything that might happen. As it was, he was totally unprepared for what did occur.

One moment he was trying to close his thoughts down and eliminate any emotional reactions from his mind and the next he was so consumed with despair that he had no chance to stop the cry that started in the centre of his chest and erupted from his throat. It was worse than the wail he had released after he had killed Voldemort and it caused physical destruction in its wake. Furniture shook, glass shattered, and wards tumbled down as banshee power combined with everything else in Harry's mixed up body and refused to be impotent anymore.

He knew without a doubt that Malfoy was being taken to the Ministry. He had never been so sure of anything in his life and he knew that it was a death sentence. There was no hesitation in his movements as he surged to his feet and ran for the shattered window, smashing through what was left of the ornate glass to the ground below. For a split second his body almost hovered as he descended, landing lightly on the grass below the second-floor window, but the moment he hit the ground he shifted.

The wolf was faster than anything else and he ran as quickly as his legs would carry him towards the front of the house. Nothing would have stopped him as he focussed only on one thing: preventing Malfoy leaving.

When he rounded the side of the building on to the main drive, he saw two Aurors about to put Malfoy into a Ministry car. He did not even think about pausing as he leapt at the nearest of the two officials.

Wolf met man and Harry flattened the unprepared Auror with his considerable bulk, then without hesitating he took a mouthful of Malfoy's robes and dragged him away from the car. Unprepared for the attack, the Slytherin overbalanced and fell heavily, rolling off the drive and on to the grass. Once his prize stopped moving Harry jumped to stand over the fallen wizard, facing the Aurors and growling menacingly.

His opponents rounded on him with spells and he shifted form without even knowing he was doing it. His vision dimmed and the air around him grew cold as the magic bounced off of him harmlessly. The Aurors existed in his sight as bright spots of warmth and life, and he was torn between trying to take that life and protecting the warmth he felt behind him.

"Expecto Patronum," one of the Aurors cast desperately and bright silver light filled Harry's awareness.

He shifted again, the world becoming flat and lifeless to his eyes as his sense of smell sharpened until it was almost overwhelming. He felt the skin of his neck change texture and stiffen, and his tongue lengthen and fork. The Patronus coming towards him faded as its reason to be ceased to exist.

"By Merlin," one of the Aurors said as Harry looked at him, hissing his anger, and then the man turned to stone.

The other Auror threw his arms over his eyes and dived behind the car. The thrill of the hunt almost drew Harry away from his position, but he shifted again, holding himself in place with the enticing thrill of a human heartbeat.

"Enough of this!" Harry had never heard Dumbledore shout and he suddenly knew why.

At the headmaster's instruction it was almost as if the universe came to a standstill.

He crouched down automatically, sensing danger and wanting to protect the human that was his. He snarled as the Auror behind the car came up with his wand in hand, but the wizard's arm went back, and his wand went flying to the side as Dumbledore showed that he was serious.

"What is going on here?" the headmaster demanded as a hoard of the man's colleagues came charging out of the door from which Dumbledore had emerged previously.

Caveo was in the lead of his team and Harry growled loudly as he saw the man. The desire to attack was like a drug in his system and only one thing held him back. A light touch on his ankle brought his focus right back to where he was and he looked down to see a composed, but shaken Malfoy looking back at him.

"Take him down," Caveo ordered, causing Harry to flick right to the battle.

"Hold," Dumbledore countered with such authority that every single Auror obeyed, even Caveo.

Harry bared his teeth, ready to defend himself and Malfoy, but the tableau held.

"Do you really wish to end your life so soon, Auror Caveo?" Dumbledore asked evenly, his voice not back to its usual calm, but the terror inducing power cut down to a minimum.

"We have a duty to protect the public," the Auror replied firmly, "he cannot be allowed to get away."

"I do not believe Harry is going anywhere," the headmaster pointed out smoothly.

It did not seem to have occurred to Caveo that Harry was not trying to escape and the Auror appeared rather floored by the notion.

"Where were you taking Mr Malfoy?" Dumbledore continued, completely in control of the situation.

"The Ministry, as per regulations," Caveo replied rigidly.

When the amused twinkle was not in the headmaster's eye, he could be a most scary individual, even Harry could appreciate that, and at the moment, he was feeling very scary himself.

"I do not make it a habit of warning of danger for my health," Dumbledore said evenly. "You are a fool young man and I can only hope you live to understand how much of one. By the power vested in me by the Wizengamot I relieve you of your duty, Auror Caveo; remove yourself from this property immediately."

"You can't do that," the Auror said incredulously.

"Actually, he can," Tonks said from behind him, "article three hundred and five, paragraph two: Any chief official of the Wizengamot may relieve an Auror of his or her duty if they deem them negligent in the care of their prisoner and in so being, deliberately endanger the afore mentioned prisoner's life."

The currently red haired (as in scarlet) Auror was not even trying to hide how much she was enjoying this. Harry could feel the animosity for Caveo coming off her in waves. The desire to give the wizard something to remember him by was quite tempting, but the fingers on his ankle held him at bay.

Caveo glared around the group and realising that he had no support at all stormed towards the front gate. Dumbledore immediately took charge.

"Gentlemen, Ladies," the headmaster started politely, "it appears we have injured parties. There are two of your number outside Mr Potter's room suffering from exposure to a banshee's cry, and Auror Jones appears to have been petrified. I suggest arrangements be made to remove all three to St Mungo's as soon as possible for treatment."

Suddenly people began to move, and Harry found the activity very unsettling, he almost backed away when Dumbledore walked towards him.

"Harry, My Dear Boy," the headmaster said, slipping off his purple outer robe to reveal a bright blue one underneath, "you appear to have lost your clothes again."

Placating words probably wouldn't have worked, but Dumbledore's offhand comment was so out of the blue that Harry did not even try to object as the robe was draped across his shoulders while his mind tried to catch up.

"It is nearly December," the seemingly batty old man said conversationally, "you will catch a terrible cold if you are not careful. Remus, if you would be so kind as to assist Mr Malfoy."

The headmaster's approach was so completely normal that Harry never even tried to resist as he was steered back towards the house. Before he really knew what was happening, he was installed in a large wingback chair, in front of a nice warm fire, still wrapped in Dumbledore's robe, and with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hands. Malfoy had been placed in a similar chair on the other side of the hearth and treated in exactly the same manner. Since Malfoy was right where he could see him, Harry found that he could control any inappropriate urges.

He sniffed warily at the hot chocolate, unsure whether the treatment for Dementor exposure might cause a bad reaction, but it smelt appetising. He took a tentative sip. It tasted remarkably good and he found himself relaxing slightly despite the situation.

Dumbledore was conferring with Tonks, Kingsley and Remus over by the door, which left Harry and Malfoy looking at each other. Harry didn't really know what to do; how did you talk to someone you had forced into sex and then mauled?

"That banshee wail was for me?" Malfoy eventually asked as the silence drew out.

Opening his mouth to reply Harry found that he was once again without voice and just nodded. Half of him could not meet Malfoy's eyes and the other half wanted to stride across the room and make a claim. He settled for staring at his mug in hopes that what he was thinking would not show on his face.

"You saved me again," Malfoy said wryly. "Trying to make a new career for yourself, Potter?"

Harry looked up sharply, not sure if the Slytherin was making fun of him and he caught Malfoy's grey-eyed gaze as anger gave him momentary courage. To his surprise his companion raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. Harry looked away again as Dumbledore walked over.

"It is time to make sure you are both safe," the headmaster said pleasantly. "The news of Voldemort's demise is being officially announced today and I believe you will both be much more comfortable away from here. It has been decided to return to Hogwarts."

Harry went completely cold and did not bother to try and hide his shock and his fear.

"The children," Harry whispered as his mind filled with all sorts of nasty possibilities.

Part of him looked at the school like a feast laid out for his delight.

"For once I find myself agreeing with Potter," Malfoy said evenly. "I am a self-confessed Death Eater and he is a Dark creature; a school would seem to be an unlikely place for either of us."

Dumbledore smiled kindly at them both, back in the persona of the bumbling old headmaster.

"Actually, I believe it to be the safest place for both of you," Dumbledore explained patiently; "Hogwarts has some unique properties which make it perfect for our needs. You Mr Malfoy cannot be taken to the Ministry, and until such time as you are cleared of charges, Young Man, you must remain in a secured location. There are ancient precautions at Hogwarts which will allow you to be spelled so that you cannot leave the grounds, but you will be free to roam."

It did not seem to be anywhere in Dumbledore's mindset that Malfoy might not be cleared, which Harry actually appreciated, because he wasn't sure what he would do if the Ministry tried anything with his human.

"And, Harry," the headmaster continued, "you are far too powerful for any measures the Ministry might take against you. The Department of Mysteries is probably the only place that might have somewhere remotely powerful enough to keep you secure and I think it would be better for everyone concerned that you not be put through the stress of returning there. I believe therefore that there is only one other place that will hold you for your own as well as others' safety, a place which is the sum of the founder's genius: the Room of Requirement."

For a moment Harry was not sure he understood correctly, and then he realised that Dumbledore was probably correct. The room was adaptive, if the headmaster required it of it, the room could probably keep him in. If the founders could not hold him, what could?

"When do we leave?" Harry asked quietly, shrinking down into the robe just a little bit more as he tried to take comfort in the fact that there might be one place he could be made safe, but it was an empty comfort as he also wondered if he would ever again be allowed beyond locked doors.

"As soon as transport can be arranged," Dumbledore replied.

Harry went back to staring at his mug of hot chocolate, unable to meet anyone's eyes as he lost himself in his own dark thoughts.