So, I'm back! I'm trying out a Harry Potter crossover, and I'm really excited. As much as I hate non-cannon, I've made Sirius Black alive in this for a few different reasons and I hope it doesn't mess anything up! But, hey, who doesn't like Sirius? As usual, I will try to update this once a week, and I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

The Dark Lord's Prize

We are only as strong as we are united, weak as we are divided

-Albus Dumbledore

The Hogwarts castle stood alone and dark on its mountain side, a testament now to the workings of magic more than Muggle engineering. It seemed completely removed from the world around it, and in some cases, it was, but there was the feel of emptiness, of desolation, of, what the students of the castle referred to as, summer vacation. The windows were blank save for one, located in one of the top most towers, jutting precariously out of another.

This was the office of the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and Albus Dumbledore was currently seated behind his desk, reading a role of parchment, his fingers pressed together to form small pyramids.

"…wife lives, yes, we should have known," he muttered distractedly. "Took the girl with her, too."

He sat a while, reading the letter, and when he had completed it, simply leaned back to consider it. Changes things, of course. We can't have innocent children running around a city that size with no proper guard, though how I'm going to convince them of the truth is well beyond me. His blue eyes flicked over a name once more. Lightwood.

Slowly, he rose from his desk and began pacing about the room. Once in a while, one of the occupants of the paintings would snore in their sleep or mutter a few words of nonsense, but aside from that, the silence was complete. After some time, Dumbledore moved to the wall covered in books and began perusing titles, pausing on possible ones then discarding them. He doubted whether the book he wanted was here. He supposed he'd have to stop by the library the next day.

The Ministry kept records of these things, and his name isn't Lightwood-

A soft knocking on the door drew Dumbledore from his thoughts and glanced up. He flicked his wand and the lock on the door clicked before returning to his steady pacing and thoughts. "Hello, Severus," he said absently.

"Headmaster," Snape returned watching Dumbledore's preoccupied walk. "Come at a bad time?"

"As bad as any, I would think," Dumbledore said lightly and stopped his pacing before sighing heavily and returning to his desk. "You received my letter then?"

Snape looked rather loath to discuss the message. "Don't you think Fawks is bit much to be sending my way? I'm a Death Eater, after all. Should I really be receiving letters from Albus Dumbledore's pet phoenix?"

"We must keep up the masquerade that I trust you and do not suspect you of being a Death Eater," replied Dumbledore smoothly. "Besides, Fawks is an excellent currier, far better than an owl."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." When Dumbledore said nothing but stared at him, Snape took a seat across from him and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. "So, I trust you received my letter then?"

Dumbledore held up the parchment. "Where did you hear this, Severus?"

"The Dark Lord himself," Snape said sharply. "There was a gathering not two weeks ago at Malfoy Manner. He was present."

"I didn't know Voldemort made a point of attending such meetings," Dumbledore said, his eyes never leaving Snape's face. "Are you sure he isn't just trying to draw you out, see if you pass the information along to me?"

"The meeting wasn't for my benefit," Snape answered. "He's asked the Lestranges to apprehend them. I was merely present by circumstance."

"The Lestranges?" Dumbledore's face darkened markedly. "He must be very interested in them if he's sending the best of his Death Eaters out."

"He didn't really express any interest in them aside from the circumstances of their birth," Snape shrugged. "I haven't a clue."

"I have," Dumbledore said heavily. "Do you know who Valentine Morgenstern is?"

"That's not a wizard name I've ever heard."

"It wouldn't be." Dumbledore paused, thinking. "He's a shadowhunter."

At this, Snape sneered. "A shadowhunter? What does the Dark Lord want with them? They are hardly worth our time."

"Well, Voldemort must have some reason for his interest in them," Dumbledore said, his eyes glowing. "While I admit they do not pose an immediate threat to him-"

"They pose an immediate threat to no one," Snape interjected. "They strut around, with their swords and daggers, and they think they have some secret gift. It's a joke, Dumbledore, a joke. As if their weapons are better than our magic."

"I'm not saying it is." Dumbledore paused. The enmity between wizard and shadowhunter ran far deeper than he remembered, but that was why the Clave and Ministry hardly ever interacted. "However, it stands to reason that Voldemort would want to remove any obstacles from his path, shadowhunters included. They might not be a threat to him, but they will certainly prove an annoyance down the road. A sizeable army of them could cause him quite a bit of trouble."

"What are you getting at?"

"I believe that Voldemort's current preoccupation with the shadowhunters stems from his belief that they could be far more useful as servants than enemies."

"From what I recall of History of Magic class," Snape said with a sardonic smile, "the shadowhunters were never one to side with a dark wizard."

"Yes, well, that's why it would behoove him to see if he can't turn them to his uses now, before they become a threat."

Snape blinked. "Who is Valentine Morgenstern then?"

Dumbledore smiled. "What do you recall form History of Magic class?" When Snape continued to look nonplussed, he waved his hand. "It was after your time, I'm sure, and hardly reported in the Daily Prophet." Dumbledore glanced down at the parchment again. "I believe some seventeen years ago, right around the first rise of Voldemort, a young, strong-headed shadowhunter but the name of Valentine Morgenstern began to gather follows to him, under the guise of political reformation of the Clave."

"Clave?"

"The governing body of shadowhunters," Dumbledore supplied. "His real intentions were somewhat more sinister, but, since we were dealing with our own troubles, the Ministry could hardly spare a witch or wizard to help. He was quite the firebrand, I'm told, and perhaps unstable mentally, and it might explain his plot to overthrow the Clave with nothing but a motley band of young shadowhunters at his back." Dumbledore chuckled as if the Uprising were of little consequence to him. "He failed, to say the least, and his Circle was disbanded, but he disappeared."

"Do you think the Dark Lord wants him to join us?" Snape asked, eyes gleaming.

"I do not," said Dumbledore. "I think he wants to kill Valentine Morgenstern, but first, make an example of him. Valentine has some very interesting children, Severus."

"A son, a daughter, and a step-son," Snape said blankly. "Jonathan, Clarissa, and Jonathan."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "They are…unique. The Ministry was keeping tabs on him, of course, and it came up quite quickly that he had dosed his children with substances that would enhance their skills in battle. Experiments to see if he couldn't make a better warrior."

Snape's lip curled. "He could win father of the year, I expect."

"His son, Jonathan, he dosed with demon blood, or some such substance. As a result, his son is cruel, heartless, and sadistic. Personally, I think what he was given was some form of powerful love potion, rendering the boy unable to love, not unlike a certain Dark wizard we are currently dealing with, but…I digress. To the step-son, Jonathan, he gave angel blood, and so the boy became empathetic, charismatic, and quite skilled with a blade. The daughter, he didn't know he even had; she was still in the womb when her mother left Valentine, not knowing her daughter had been dosed with angel blood." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Three exceptional children, three dangerous children, if given half a chance."

"But the Dark Lord does not want them dead, and if they pose so much danger to him, he would certainly want them removed." Snape seemed to find Dumbledore's story rather boring. "I can't imagine what he would want with them."

"Surely, Severus, it is obvious? Children with incredible powers of destruction, completely in his control? They could be very dangerous weapons if he could turn their skills to his purposes."

This seemed disconcerting to Snape, who shifted in his seat. "He only wanted the girl and step son."

"Jonathan is far too unstable," Dumbledore said smoothly. "The demon blood he was given left him completely devoid of all human emotions. He has no ability to empathize or understand others, and so he is useless to Voldemort. He cannot be controlled unless by a very strong Imperious curse, and I think Voldemort will be too busy with the other Jonathan and Clarissa. They would at least prove bendable to his will at the threat of danger to their loved ones, I think."

"He wants the two younger ones then because they are easier to control?" Snape sounded as though the idea were a repulsive insect that he had found creeping over his arm. "And how will they help him handle the shadowhunters?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "As to that, I do not know, it could be that he could turn them against their own, but we can assume that his knowledge of the shadowhunter race will grow if he has these two children in his grasp. Knowledge is power, and in this case, it is something we don't want him to have."

"So, what are you proposing Dumbledore?"

"I think the most obvious thing is to first locate these two children. We must do it before Voldemort. Does he have any idea where the children are?"

Again, Snape shifted uncomfortably once more. "He doesn't know yet, but he believes they can be found soon. I think the Lestranges are going to the London Institute to look for leads."

"We'll have to beat them to it then," Dumbledore said decidedly. "I think the Ministry will have kept records on the whereabouts of such children."

"Do we have contacts in the Ministry who can find their files?" Snape asked. "Where would they even keep them?"

"They are kept in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, of course, and, since I am newly returned to my position in the International Confederation of Wizards, I will procure the files."

Snape watched Dumbledore a moment. "What will become of them?"

Here, Dumbledore dropped his gaze and sighed heavily. "We will have to move them immediately; perhaps for a little bit to Grimmauld Place."

"You can't expect to keep two teenagers cooped up in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Black almost went stir crazy himself, and he was an adult."

Dumbledore's eyes flicked up to Snape. "No, it's only a temporary measure at best. I thought perhaps to move them here once the semester began. There's certainly no safer place for them to be."

Snape's eyebrows raised dubiously. "Shadowhunters at Hogwarts?"

"Our magic is not so different from their runes," said Dumbledore simply. "I think they could get along quite well here. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have more protection on the castle."

"Shadowhunters don't use wands to the best of my knowledge," Snape observed dryly.

"They can be taught. Their runes direct magic through them, while our wands direct magic through them, if you catch my drift. The skill is not beyond them to learn. I think they might even prove most exceptional in casting spells silently."

Snape looked away. Like most wizards, he had a deep distrust of the shadowhunters. "You will be hard put to convince their parents to let them go."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed and Snape saw a shadow of the true man he was. "Their parents will do what is right for them and send them to safety."

"I'll inform the Order of your wishes then. How soon can you get their files?" asked Snape, resigned to two more undesired students at the school.

"I have an appointment tomorrow. I'll give them to you to take to Grimmauld Place directly after." Dumbledore rose once more and turned to look out the window at the dark school grounds. "We'll need some of the best from the Advance Guard since there will be the added danger of unruly shadowhunters and demons; see if Alastor is up for a long journey, perhaps Remus-we'll need a good voice of reason-maybe Ms. Tonks…and Sirius."

"You think it wise to send Black?" Snape's lip curled. "His narrows escape from the Ministry and his newly attained status of vindication has only fueled his recklessness."

"He's been waiting for an opportunity to stretch his legs, and you can't deny, though I know you wish to, that he is quite skilled." Dumbledore turned to face Snape, who had also risen and was looking bored again. "On your way, Severus."

Snape bowed slightly before saying, "If the Dark Lord has already sent the Lestranges, we may be too late to save the shadowhunter children."

"Then let us hope we have acted in time," said Dumbledore gravely, and his eyes seemed to darken perceptibly. "Good evening, Severus."

Severus turned to go and Dumbledore moved slowly back to the shelf of books, taking a cursory glance over the titles. A few seemed hopeful, and he removed them, flipping through them absently. Dumbledore had studied shadowhunter history at length as a young man, his interest purely in their governing body and their laws because it had been important for diplomacy. It was a well known fact that the Ministry of Magic, unlike all other magical counsels, was outside the law of the Clave, and operated as its own entity. The Clave, unable to claim dominion, simple pretended that the wizards and witches and Ministry did not exist. Now, however, his curiosity was turned to their culture and genealogy, and he searched for a few choice names.

Lightwood…why Lightwood, that name was Herondale. Dumbledore's finger traced a family tree. Imogren Herondale, mother of Stephen Herondale, who was married to Celine and bore one child. But Lightwood? Dumbledore closed the book with a snap and sat back in his chair, eyes closed. It will all sort itself in the end, but not until we bring them here.

"What are you lot up to?" Ginny demanded, her hands on her hip as Ron and Harry busied themselves with something. "What have you got?"

"Shove off," Ron snapped back in a whisper, saw her face, and added "or shut up."

Hermione, taking pity on Ginny, tugged her shirt. "Big Order meeting. Snape showed up about thirty minutes ago, then Remus and Tonks, then Kingsley Shaklebolt, then Moody, and finally Sirius. They locked themselves in the kitchen about five minutes ago."

Ginny's eyebrows were raised. "You reckon there's been an attack somewhere?"

"No, we'd have heard about it," said Harry, finally untangling an Extendable Ear and flourishing it victoriously. "But I bet whatever it is, it's important; after all, Snape is spying on Voldemort, right? So if he's here giving evidence it must be something about him or his Death Eaters."

"Makes me wish Fred and George were here," said Ginny wistfully. "They're old enough to be in the Order, and I bet they'd tell us what was going on."

Ron gave a hollow laugh. "Yeah, if they wanted Mum burying them in the back garden."

"I was just saying-" Ginny began hotly, but Harry shushed them both and slowly lowered the Ear so that it hung before the door

"Let's have a listen, shall we?" said Harry with a smile, and the four of them leaned in.

"…aren't interested in our help, are they? They get on right well without our lot in their business." It was Mundugus, who had been lurking around the house for dinner when the Order had showed up. "What's Dumbledore want to go getting mixed up in their lot for?"

Just the way he said it reminded Harry of the Dursley's snobbish attitude toward the wizarding community, and he wondered who this new they were.

"Dumbledore has expressed an interest in two of them, and, since we work for Dumbledore, it is not our job to wonder why he does what he does; our job is do what he says," said Snape with a sneer.

"Besides, Mundugus," said Lupin in his usual measured voice, "these are children we're talking about. Regardless of who they are or where they're from, we have a duty to protect the innocent."

"I'd be careful who you're calling innocent," returned Mundugus. "Valentine being the boy's father and all."

"And what's that got to do with it?" It was Sirius, and he sounded angry. "You want to judge people because of their family, you're picking the wrong house to do it in."

"Meant no offense, Sirius," said Mundugus quickly. "I'm just saying, can you trust a boy been raised by a man like that?"

"He was hardly raised by Valentine," said Lupin. "He left when he was ten and was taken to this…Lightwood family."

Mundugus had nothing to say to that, and there was a bit of murmuring among the members. Mrs. Weasley spoke over the murmuring. "What's going to happen to them if they're brought here?"

"Dumbledore thinks it is best to enroll them Hogwarts," answered Snape. "They will certainly be safe enough within the castle walls and with the Order guarding them."

"Hogwarts?" Mrs. Weasley asked loudly. "You can't send them to a school full of wizards and witches; they don't belong in a place like that."

"Dumbledore thinks otherwise," said Snape.

"Come on, Molly, where else would we put them?" asked Kingsley. "You want to keep two shadowhunters cooped up in this place?"

Back on the landing above the kitchen door, Hermione gave a gasp or surprise and Harry and Ron threw her angry looks. She smiled apologetically and covered her mouth, but her eyes were gleaming with unspoken knowledge.

"…even know where they are?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"The boy, he was taken to live with his godparents in New York City," recited Kingsley, flipping a piece of paper over. "The girl is with her mother, also in New York City."

"Long flight," said Sirius, but he sounded more excited than dispirited by the news he'd be traveling to a different country. "You think Voldemort is really willing to travel so far for two children?"

"He's already put the Lestranges on their trail," said Moody gruffly. "Sounds like he's pretty interested in these two. Best move soon if we want to get to them before he does."

"Dumbledore's sentiments exactly."

"You interested in a long flight, Tonks? Remus?" Moody asked.

"I've got nothing planned," said Tonks carelessly and Lupin must have nodded because Moody sounded pleased when he spoke next.

"I think the real challenge will be convincing their parents to let them go," Moody said casually. "Don't think shadowhunters ever appreciated the threat Voldemort posed."

Sirius laughed darkly. "They pretend he doesn't even exist."

"Do they really?" asked Tonks keenly.

"You never heard about it, Tonks?" Moody replied, a smile in his voice. "Yeah, that lot likes to think they've got this world in their hands, except for the Ministry of course. When Voldemort first started rising up, their lot tried to settle it down. You can imagine what he did to them, given their methods. Now, they don't even bother teaching their children about it. Leave Voldemort to us, is what they do."

"Suppose this will be a rude awakening," said Mundugus darkly.

"Well, they've had their own worries," said Lupin fairly. "Back around the first war they had their own problem with Valentine Morgenstern. They were spread pretty far and thin at that point."

"We could have handled Valentine," said Moody in return, and he sounded annoyed. "They just didn't want our help."

"Stuck up, it's what they are," added Mundugus.

"Regardless," said Kingsley, speaking loudly. "This is a new war and a new threat. We'll just have to convince the parents is all; we can't leave two children to face the wrath of Voldemort alone."

"We'll leave tomorrow then," said Moody. "At first light. I'm sure Dumbledore can get us a portkey across the Atlantic and we'll fly the rest of the way."

"I guess we'll stay the night then," said Lupin.

"Lovely, I've almost got dinner ready," said Mrs. Weasley.

"What are we having?" asked Tonks brightly as chairs scarped the floor.

"Roast chicken…"

Harry had jerked the Ear back and was already stuffing it into his pockets as he and the others rushed up the stairs to avoid being caught. They'd just cleared the landing on the second floor when the door to the kitchen was opened and Snape emerged, donning his cloak. They waited, not daring to move in case he heard them and wondered what they were all doing in one place, just above the kitchen. He passed on to the door without a word and vanished into the night, and they hurried up the next flight of stairs to the girls' room.

"What was that about?" Ron wondered, plopping down on Ginny's bed and looking from Harry to Hermione. "Shadowhunters?"

"No clue," said Harry with a shrug.

"You two really should pay more attention in History of Magic," said Hermione in an airy voice.

"Why, when we've got you here to recite it all?" asked Ron and Ginny and Harry both shared a smile.

Hermione frowned and crossed her arms. "Shadowhunters are a race of warriors who were charged with the protection of the human race, and who are highly trained, rather dangerous, and very secretive. They have a governing body, the Clave, and are spread out throughout the entire world, keeping an eye on the magical races."

Harry was impressed with Hermione's usual knowledge of all things near and far. "Are they associated with the Ministry?"

Hermione smiled. "Not at all. You heard Moody, they pretend we don't exist."

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Because the Clave thinks they're the highest authority in the land and don't like that they can't control the Ministry." Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's ridiculous, really. They're got this insane notion that they're half-human, half-angel hybrids and it's god's will that they protect the world."

Ron snorted. "Modest lot, aren't they?"

"It's why they don't like us," Hermione explained. "I mean, they use the most archaic methods of battle, swords, daggers, and bows and arrows and such, and it has no effect on our magic, of course, so it's like some big affront to them, and they get all mad about it and refuse to communicate with the Ministry."

"Bet it got them far with Voldemort," Harry said wryly.

"Not at all. In fact, a bunch of them died during the first war. They thought they could handle the situation and, well…honestly, who would try running a great sword through Voldemort anyway!"

Harry found the idea odd. "Well, it sounds like he's interested in them now, and like we're going to have two of them as classmates at Hogwarts."

Hermione sat down and looked thoughtful. "I suppose it's possible for shadowhunters to learn magic, but I've never heard of it."

"What do you make of the whole Valentine thing?" said Ron. "They mentioned that bloke, and the boy they were talking about, they said Valentine was his father."

"Valentine Morgenstern was a shadowhunter," supplied Hermione. "He was really bad, though, kind of like Voldemort is to us. He started a war, and everyone thought he died, but I guess not if he had kids."

"Then do we really want his kids here?" Ron asked.

"You sound like Mundugus," said Ginny sharply. "It doesn't matter who their father is, they're in danger and they're children."

Harry cast Ginny an approving look and she stared back at him. "I guess it doesn't matter what we think, since they're leaving tomorrow to get them. We'll meet them soon."

"Well, that'll be interesting, though, won't it?" said Hermione with some hope. "I bet no one our age gets to live with shadowhunters."

"Wonder why Voldemort's after them though," said Harry thoughtfully. "Wonder what he wants with them."

"They've been attacked!" cried a voice, and Harry sat bolt upright, scrambling for his glasses and his wand. "We've just got word, Death Eaters and werewolves, swarming the place!"

"Ron, wake up!" But Ron was already awake, and he was fighting his blankets to get out of bed.

"What's happened?" Ron asked as he flicked the light on in their room. "What's going on?"

"No idea, let's get downstairs," said Harry and hurried for the door. In the hall, Hermione and Ginny were rushing from their own room toward Harry and Ron.

"What's going on?" Hermione gasped, skidding to halt against Ron. "Is it the Order?"

"Downstairs," said Harry again, and they piled down the tight stairwell.

The scene in the hall was chaotic. Members of the Order who had stayed the night were struggling from their bed clothes into robes, other were apparating with loud pops every few seconds. Mrs. Weasley was crying out to Mr. Weasley and Moody was screaming orders. Wands were out, brooms were appearing. And above it all, Mrs. Black was bellowing at the top of her voice.

"Just got the message!" cried Tonks. "The Institute!"

"Werewolves and Death Eaters-"

"Institute!"

"Disgraces of blood, ravaging my house!" Mrs. Black crowed.

"Down in London!"

"Dumbledore called us in!"

"Mudbloods and filth!"

"It's on fire!"

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, what are you doing here?" Mrs. Weasley was hurrying up the stairs toward them, as if trying to hide the scene below. "You should be in bed, you've got nothing to worry about."

"What's on fire?" Ginny demanded. "It is one of our allies?"

"No, it's nothing like that," said Mrs. Weasley quickly, patting her head. "Just go back to bed."

"Sirius, what's going on?" Harry demanded, pushing past Mrs. Weasley and stumbling down to meet his godfather.

"Harry!" Sirius said, clasping his shoulder and pulling him aside. He was in his robes, his wand was out, and he had broom beside him. "You need to stay here, alright? I've got to go, there's been an attack, and then I'm leaving straight away for business for the Order."

"Is it the shadowhunters?" Harry asked at once.

Sirius caught his eye and smiled fleetingly. "Couldn't keep you away, could we?" He winked. "You're right, yes. The London Institute has been attacked-it's the shadowhunters home-and we think it's in connection with the two we're going to find. We're going to see if we can help, and then a few of us are leaving tonight for New York. You need to stay here, though, and be safe."

"I want to come with you," Harry said at once.

"No, Harry," said Sirius, and his voice was final. "If we've any hope of finding these two, it'll be in secrecy, and having you with us will only alert Voldemort anyway, forget the amount of danger you'll be in. No, stay here and listen to Mrs. Weasley while I'm gone."

"But, Sirius-"

"Harry, please," he said, and squeezed his shoulder. "When you're older, you and I can battle Death Eaters as much as you want, and we'll do it together, but not now."

Harry looked away. "I hate being left behind."

"I know that, Harry," said Sirius, and he really meant it. "But I'm your godfather, and I knew James and Lily would never forgive me if I took their son on the hunt for two wayward shadowhunters."

Harry looked at the mess around him. "You'll be careful?"

Sirius smiled, hoisting his broom. "Careful is my middle name."