A/n: Okay, I got a guest review asking about Hedwig - in that very chapter, it says that he gave her to Hermione. I got another review from someone complaining about Severus destroying the Basilisk. All I have to say that you need to keep reading. I promise I have something in mind. Another note - please do not leave questions in guest reviews or if you have your PMs cut off. I cannot respond to you, and I distaste doing it in Author's Notes because it could get a bit crazy answering them. Please leave me a way to respond to you! Don't ask questions if I have no way of answering them.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 39 - Lightning Approaches

Severus was there within minutes, kneeling in front of the Dark Lord. He had been called, so it must be for a reason.

The meeting went much like the last one he had been too. There was talk of new recruits, people who were eager and who could be of service to them. There was progress being made in the Ministry, gaining higher-level members, though there was still work to do. They were not yet at a position to take over the Ministry, but the Dark Lord was relatively pleased with the progress that they were making, at least. Or as pleased as he ever was, which was not much.

Eventually, Voldemort dismissed everyone. He was expecting another grill about Harry Potter until he also told Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Lucius to stay. What was going on? A special mission? The Dark Lord knew he couldn't stay away from Hogwarts that long. It was strange, and it gave Severus a bad feeling. Whatever this was, it wasn't going to be good.

"Now, there is something special that I must share with all of you," the Dark Lord said, walking towards them. "You are those that I trust the most, and you have children at Hogwarts."

Severus doubted that he trusted anyone, but he knew what he was trying to do. The simple fact, though, that he had mentioned their children made his bad feeling even worse. What use did Voldemort have for children? He kept his mental walls firmly up, not allowing any emotions to show.

"One day, I trust that every one of your children will come to serve me faithfully, as all of you have," Voldemort continued. "I know to take them out of Hogwarts, even temporarily, would arouse suspicion from Dumbledore. It is best that we remain under the radar for now, but there is a break for Easter Sunday. During that day, I will call you on only you. I trust that you will bring your children so that I may see my future soldiers for myself. They only have a couple of years of school left, and one day, they too will serve me."

Severus felt his blood run cold. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to sense any emotions coming from the other men beside him. He had enough sense to respond, "Yes, my lord," along with everyone else before the others were dismissed, and he remained alone.

"Severus, any news of Potter?" Voldemort asked. "I want to know where Dumbledore is hiding the boy and why he seems so secretive of it."

"I have made some headway, sir," Severus said, which was a lie, but he knew better than to say the same thing he had said last time. His punishment would be worse if he tried that. "He mentioned that he is overseas, so he may have been telling the truth. I believe the old man is being secretive to avoid any rumors of the boys' whereabouts leaking outside of Hogwarts. I should have more information for you soon, my lord."

"Good. I trust you will have better news for me next time, Severus, but that is acceptable for now," he said. "Any news from the Order?"

"No, my Lord, they are simply trying to recruit," Severus replied. That would be a good enough answer for now. His heart was racing, thinking of Jacob, and he needed to get out of here. "They are waiting for you to make a move." That wasn't exactly true, but it would placate the Dark Lord.

"Good, that will be their downfall," Voldemort said, "but I am not worried about them. By the time I make my move, it will be too late for them to react." With that, he excused Severus, and he promptly left, Apparating back outside the wards of Hogwarts.

As soon as he arrived, he made his way to the Headmaster's Office, using his private password to admit him entry. It only took a few moments for Dumbledore to come down. "Severus, you were called? What happened?"

"The Dark Lord wants more information on Potter, and I can't stall him any longer without posing too much risk to myself," Severus explained.

Dumbledore nodded, taking a seat at his desk. "I will speak to Sirius. He'll be willing to do it."

"I told the Dark Lord he was overseas, but I can always spin whatever sighting as a false trail," Severus told him. Dumbledore agreed, and Severus moved onto the next, much more important piece of business. "There is something else. He wants to meet the children of his inner circle during the Easter Break, to see those who will one day serve him."

"So, not only Jacob, but Messrs Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott." A look of worry crossed Dumbledore's face. "That could pose a problem, as well as forcing a bunch of children to come face to face with him, something which I wish we could avoid." He rested his chin on top of his fingers, thinking for a moment before responding. "How is Jacob's Occlumency?"

"Not bad, but I hope it is enough to shield himself from The Dark Lord," Severus told him. He wasn't sure if he was going to be ready, but he would have to be. He was not ready to die, nor have his son met the same fate.

"Let us hope so. I shudder to think of the alternative." So did Severus. "Did you tell him about the prophecy? How did he take it?"

"About as well as you would expect," Severus replied. "He left earlier today, saying he 'needed to think,' and I haven't seen him since."

"It hasn't been that long. I'm sure it was overwhelming for him. Give him some time," Dumbledore told him. "I wouldn't worry. He'll understand."

Severus certainly hoped so. He would hate for anything he did in the past to affect his relationship with his son. It inevitably would. This was one hurdle they would need to move past, presumably quickly, but he wasn't going to push Jacob if he needed some time.

It was late, and he made his excuses so they could both go to sleep, though Severus rarely slept much after being called. He was in deep thought all the way back to his rooms, wondering how he was going to tell Jacob about the meeting with the Dark Lord - provided that he ever wanted to talk to him again. That still remained to be seen.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Jacob felt bad for leaving his father so suddenly the day before, but he had been overwhelmed. Lies, constant lies from Dumbledore. He could almost understand where Severus was coming from, having kept that from him. Ron, Hermione, and Draco had helped him see that. As a Death Eater, he would have made a lot of decisions that he probably regretted. He had said as much to him yesterday. It was the shock of it all, knowing the part his father had played in everything that had happened… However, he had remembered that without Wormtail giving up the location of their hiding place, it wouldn't have mattered what Severus had told him. Then again, if he hadn't told them, maybe James and his mum wouldn't have died. Then again, it was a war, and they were obviously people who had fought against Voldemort, like Neville's parents, so it's possible, and very likely, that they were targets anyway.

It was enough to give him a headache.

That was how Jacob found himself outside of his father's office after classes had ended Monday. He had dropped his stuff off in his dorm before heading over there, making sure to leave time for his father to leave his classroom and headed there. He wanted to make sure that they were alone. Sure, this could wait, but… they needed to talk now. He didn't want to wait until later on tonight, and especially not until this weekend to talk to him.

He knocked on the door and heard his father's deep baritone voice respond with, "Enter." He walked in, and the door shut behind him. His father was sitting at his desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He looked up and saw him. "Jacob." He sounded surprised to see him. Grabbing his wand, his father immediately uttered a few spells. "Silencing spells, and proximity spells. I… assume you want to talk."

Jacob nodded. "Yes, I do. Er…." He walked a bit closer to the desk, feeling awkward standing near the door. "Look, about yesterday… I'm not going to pretend that I understand why you did it, but I did a lot of thinking last night, and some talking with my friends and Draco…" He took a deep breath. "It happened. You've done everything you could to make up for it, and if Wormtail hadn't given them up, it wouldn't have mattered. I still wish you would have told me sooner, but I understand why you didn't."

"I appreciate that," Severus told him. "I - I wasn't sure what you would think when I showed you that. I felt that I needed to wait until I was sure that you might understand. I… didn't know what your reaction was going to be."

It took a moment for Jacob to realize what his father was saying. "You thought I would hate you because of that," he said. For a moment, he thought that he couldn't understand why his father would think that. Then, it hit him… they spent years hating each other. Of course, Severus would think that it wouldn't take much for things to go back to the way they used to be. Blood doesn't mean anything, not really. He'd seen that with the Dursley's.

"I didn't know what you would think."

"I guess I can understand that," Jacob told him. "We're in unknown territory. I don't hate you, though. Not any more. I think we've come too far for that, don't you?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, it seems that we have."

It took a moment before Jacob responded, voicing the other thing on his mind. "You said yesterday that Dumbledore believes that Voldemort's belief is enough, because I'm going to want revenge, so I'm going to make sure that it's just us."

Severus studied him for a moment before responding. "Is he wrong?"

Jacob didn't need to think any longer. "No, he killed my mum. And James. Dumbledore's right. I'd want it to be me, anyway. And I wouldn't want anyone to get killed trying to help, either." He remembered Cedric, and he didn't want that to happen to anyone else ever again.

Severus was silent for a moment. "I'm not surprised that you say that," he said, "but remember that you are not alone. Miss Granger has been steadfastly by your side, and it seems as if Mr. Weasley is coming around. And you and Draco seem attached at the hip. Black and Lupin, and others in the order, will do what they can."

Jacob smiled at that thought. Yes, that was all true - he was not alone, and his friends would help him. Draco would stand by him, he knew that, even though he knew things were more complicated for him. "And I have you," he said, as the thought occurred to him.

Severus nodded. "Yes, you do, as much as I am able." He paused again, and Jacob had to wonder what else they needed to talk about - there was definitely something else on his father's mind. "You should know that the Dark Lord wants to know where Harry Potter is. Dumbledore has suggested asking Black to help, to give him a false trail, at least temporarily."

Worry immediately ran through Jacob. He didn't want Sirius in danger because of him! His father seemed to know what he was thinking because he immediately spoke up. "Do not worry. Black can take care of himself, and he will be in no more danger than he usually is. The Dark Lord isn't ready to kill you yet. Black will be fine, but we need Harry Potter to be seen elsewhere."

Jacob heard what he was saying underneath those words, too - if Severus couldn't answer Voldemort about Where Harry Potter was, his own life was in danger. He had to trust that his father was right - that Sirius could take care of himself, and he would probably be glad at not being holed up in the apartment anymore. He nodded, hoping that he was reassuring his father that he understood. This was how things had to be.

"There is one more thing," Severus said, and Jacob's worry only increased. He could see the struggle cracking through his father's walls. Whatever this was, it was bad, and if his father was worried, that didn't bode well at all. "The Dark Lord wishes to meet the children of his inner circle." Jacob's heart dropped. "Draco, Messers Crabbe, Goyle, Nott… and you."

That was very bad. He would come face to face with Voldemort, not as Harry Potter as he had before, but as Jacob. One wrong move, one crack in his mental walls, and their lives would come to an end real quick before they had a chance to fight back. Or worse, and he would use one of them to torture the other.

Severus took that opportunity to continue speaking. "He wants to use the opportunity to evaluate those who will be his… future Death Eaters."

No way in hell was that going to happen. He supposed he needed to defeat Voldemort before he might be forced to. Before Draco was forced to.

Taking a deep breath, Jacob tried to settle his nerves. "I guess my Occlumency needs to be up to par by then," he said, sounding a lot braver than he felt right that moment.

Severus nodded. "Yes, it would. I will do everything I can to prepare you," he said. "It will be during the Easter holidays." That would explain why Crabbe and Goyle both received letters during breakfast this morning telling them to alert their HoH that they were coming home for the Easter holidays - though Severus would, of course, already know, but it would keep up appearances.

"Good, because I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die yet."

A rare smile crossed his father's face. "No, neither am I."

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

As soon as Jacob went back to the dorms, he immediately searched for Draco. He didn't see him in the common room, nor did he see Theodore. Crabbe and Goyle were playing Exploding Snap off in a corner, and the girls were sitting with Blaise on one of the back couches. He gave them a small wave, not trying to seem like he was in a rush and headed to the dorm. There was Draco, lounging on the bed, books in hand. A quick search saw Theodore on his own bed, studying.

Draco smiled at him. "Hey, you're back. How did everything go?"

"We need to talk," Jacob said, waving his wand and putting up a silencing spell and a locking charm on the door. Theodore looked up at him. "To both of you." They both had a right to know. He had a feeling that Theodore wouldn't like this any better than he or Draco would. He had no plans to tell Crabbe and Goyle, though. He didn't trust them and didn't think they would understand the gravity of the situation. "I was talking to my father, and he told me something. During the Easter Holidays.." Jacob had to remind himself not to say his name, as that would be considered strange coming from him. "You-Know-Who wants to meet us, the children of his inner circle."

Jacob saw both of them visibly stiffen. "The Professor said that?" Draco asked, his voice quiet and meek, very unlike Draco.

Jacob nodded. "Yes, just now. He wanted me to be… prepared. I came straight here to tell both of you."

"Did he say why?" Theodore sounded a bit off, too, as if he couldn't wrap his mind around how to feel right now.

"Yes, because he sees us as his 'future Death Eaters,'" Jacob said. "He wants to evaluate us."

"Fuck," said Theodore. "So, basically, we don't have a choice in the matter."

"I think it's best if we keep our heads down," Draco piped up. "When we're there. Just keep quiet, say what we need to say, and get out. He's not going to want us for anything. We're kids. We just have to hope the time won't come up when he'll ask us to act on it."

Jacob and Theodore both nodded. "I agree," said Theodore. "Let's not attract any attention to ourselves while we're there." Jacob agreed, but he had another problem, one which he couldn't share with Theodore. The other Slytherin didn't talk much, but he hadn't proved to be as judgmental or annoying as some of the other Slytherins were.

Theodore went back to his bed after that, and Jacob released the silencing and locking charms now that the conversation was over. Draco dragged him back to his bed, where he had been waiting for him before. Draco put the silencing spells on. "What about you?" he asked. "This is a much higher risk for you. If he even suspects something is off…"

"I know, my father and I will both die very quickly," Jacob confirmed. "I will have to keep working on my Occlumency and hope that it's enough. Or that he won't care enough to prob our minds." He had a hard time not being worried about it, but it was months away. "I'll have to be ready by then. Dad said he was going to have to be ready by then."

Draco seemed to be thinking about something because he didn't respond at first. Jacob was about to ask if he was okay, but his boyfriend responded first. "I'm fine. I was just thinking. I should be careful, too. I know about the basics of Occlumency, of course, but… I don't want to put you and the Professor at risk. I'll be careful, too."

Jacob didn't doubt that. He trusted Draco and knew that his boyfriend would do what he could not to risk any of their lives. He kissed him. "I know you will. I believe in you."

"Good, or we'd have a problem."

They knew that they should both try to study, but neither of them were really in the mood right then. He could feel how tense Draco was. Jacob knew that Draco didn't like this any more than he did. He wanted to confide in Hermione - and yes, even Ron - but he wouldn't be able to get alone with them until Saturday morning before the defense lesson with his father. In the meantime, though, he knew that he and Draco were going to be in this together.

Jacob knew that, if he hadn't been friends (and more) with him, Draco might actually be looking forward to this. He remembered at the Quidditch World Cup, he had practically said that his father had been one of the Death Eaters attacking the Muggle family. Now, Jacob could feel how much he hated the idea of having to go before Voldemort. Granted, no sane person would like that, but still… he felt as if he had come a long way.

It did seem as if they were in this together.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Saturday morning, after he had exercised with Draco, he kissed him before heading off to the second-floor bathroom. Hermione and Ron were already there. After the greetings, Jacob dropped the proverbial bomb. "I have some bad news," he said. Concerned expressions crossed their faces. "My father got called Sunday night. It seems as if Voldemort wants to meet the children of his inner circle - me, Draco, Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle. During the Easter holidays."

Hermione gasped, a hand covering her mouth. Ron frowned. "That's bad, mate," he said. "I mean… what are you going to do?'

"There's nothing I can do," he said. "I have to hope that my Occlumency is good enough. When I told Theodore and Draco last night, we all agreed that we just need to keep our heads down. Draco and I both think that if we do that, we'll be okay. My father's going to help me as much as he can." He shrugged, his heart being rapidly inside his chest. "There's not much else we can do except try and be prepared as much as possible."

"That's a great way of looking at things," Hermione said, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm to comfort him. "Just be positive, and if you work hard at it, I'm sure it'll work out."

"Yeah, Hermione's right. There's not much you do to change the situation," Ron said. "I'm sure you'll be okay. How's the Occlumency coming anyway?"

Yeah, Ron hadn't been around long enough, they hadn't gotten into that yet. He couldn't help but groan. "I mean, Dad says I'm doing fine, but I just feel like… it's not my thing, you know? It's hard to get your mind clear the way it needs to be and imagining the walls and stuff… when the onslaught starts, it just… it's hard to keep up the walls. Dad says I'm supposed to rebuild them, push them out. It's just… hard."

They both nodded. "Yeah, but just remember the cost now if you don't get it good enough," said Ron. He had a point. He paused for a second before speaking again. "You told Nott, then?"

"Yeah, just Theodore and Draco. I didn't tell Crabbe and Goyle," he said. "Theodore's alright. He deserved to be forewarned. Draco was tense about the whole thing for the rest of the night."

"I imagine so." Hermione looked over at Ron, seeming to be wondering if Ron would make a comment about Draco, but he stayed quiet. "Just remember, though, as long as you don't give him a reason to want to look further, you'll probably be fine," Hermione piped in.

She had a point, too. Voldemort had no reason to want to look at the minds of him or Draco, so as long as they did it, the Easter meeting with doom would go just fine.

Jacob decided it was time to change the subject after that, as he was sick of talking about Voldemort. "So, what is Terry doing for you for Valentine's?" While Valentine's Day was actually on Wednesday, this weekend's upcoming Hogsmeade would be the "Valentine's Hogsmeade." All week, that had been the top of the school.

Hermione blushed. "Oh, I don't know, really. He just said he wants to take me out, spend some time alone." Ron was silent, but he didn't have anything to talk about in this conversation, because he had broken up with Lavender a few weeks ago, who was still giving him the evil eye. "It doesn't really matter to me." She looked over at him. "What about you and Draco?"

"Oh, I don't know, he said it would be a surprise," Jacob said. "He enjoys planning this stuff, so I'm just going to go with it. I'm sure whatever it is, we'll have a good time." He had never put much stock in Valentine's Day, but now that he was in a relationship, he should. He hoped to buy something for him this weekend.

After that, the conversation briefly turned towards Quidditch and the first match of the new term - next weekend's Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin. Jacob informed Ron, who had posed the question that Montague wasn't worried. He was certain that Draco could beat Cho, and that Slytherin was more aggressive and sharper than Ravenclaw, so in his mind, a win was almost guaranteed.

He would much rather think about Quidditch, Valentine's, and Draco than Voldemort and the impending meetings any day.