Note From the Author: This story is a second part (and last) to the first Against All Odds story. I will try to make the story readable as a stand alone story but reading the first one may make the story a bit more understandable.
Against All Odds- All is Fair In Love & War
A Harry Potter FanFiction
Part 1: Carry On
Chapter One: Same Old Song & Dance
She wasn't his and it was killing him, especially now that 'the other one' was thrown back in their lives. On some level Samantha knew this, allowing Remus into their dark sad existence would revert Hector back to dwelling in his jealousy. But she couldn't help herself.
The instant that she saw Remus in the damp ruins of an ancient Roman bath house once again coming to her rescue, all the suppressed feelings that she buried deep inside spilled out through the cracks. She still loved him, deeply. But she was premature in her hope.
The next time she saw him weeks later he was officially part of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization dedicated to stop the rise in power of Lord Voldemort and his followers. In doing so, end the oppression and violence against those deemed impure; among many other things. He was one of them now.
But now this time when their eyes meet she saw the same disappointment that reminded her that she had lied and hurt him. He had confessed everything, held no secrets but she couldn't return the sentiment. She held on to her secrets of being a half-veela. Then she ran away again, dropping out of Hogwarts without a word to join the Order. And worse, not once confirming that she was still alive. One didn't just up and leave without checking in, these were the times we lived in now. Letting friends know you were still in one piece was just plain common courtesy
One thing she couldn't let go of was how could he have possibly found her? Knew that she was in the resistance against the pure-blood agenda? And more importantly, why did he come to rescue her, especially after showing such distaste in her presence?
A creak of the floorboards just outside her door caught her attention. There framed in the doorway was Hector, the self made devil himself. He was a fellow Department of Mysteries escapee and a changeling with hidden memories, powers, and an unexplained obsession with Samantha. In short, one big ball of uncertainty in human flesh.
The years since they left Hogwarts had given him a brooding look that didn't ease his natural dark features and sharp curvatures of his once youthful face. He looked too old for his age having just turned 20. The dark shadows under his eyes betrayed his secret, the one that left him bitter and her reeling in guilty knowing that he was getting worse.
His eyes seemed to glaze over with a fog of happiness drifting across his face. He cleared the room in a few stride and plopped himself on the bed. Before she could react an arm was around her waist pulling her toward him.
She struggled but he laughed bring her back to his chest the warm blows of his breath in her ear.
"Hector!"
The world stopped and ice formed around them as his mood shifted back to reality, this wasn't the world inside the Mirror of Erised.
He stood slowly and began walking back toward the door.
"Hector, where are you going. You just had an episode you better not be leaving on mission like this!"
But of course … he would.
Hector peered down at her from the doorway. "I know what I'm doing. I don't need you pesterin' me like some mother hen."
She sighed not moving from the bed in the small tan Spartan room, this was actually one of his 'good' days, "you already know what I'm going to say but I'll say it again. Stay away from the Mirror of Erised or I'll destroy the damn thing. Look what you just did!"
"You tried that already. It's beyond your ability."
Denial, lets forget what just happened.
"I'll find a way."
His ominous gaze didn't waver. "I'm leaving in ten to do research. Low risk, no need for backup."
The hard bed creaked under her weight as she adjusted herself to stand, "Where too?"
"I'm going alone. Like I said, low risk. Why don't you go groveling to wolf boy if you want to team up with someone."
She flushed as anger and embarrassment crept on her, "I never groveled."
"Sure," he snickered disappearing into the dark hall.
She stood silently in the desolate room listening to the ocean crashing into the nearby shore. It was an unusually quiet evening in their part of Portsmouth. A bit too ominous for her liking. But she was too tired to deal his drama today.
The half-veela pinched the bridge of her nose. She had greatly underestimated the lasting effects of the mirror. The more time he spent with the mirror the less he was able to separate reality from the fantasy world that he had become fixated with. The world where she was happily his, and something else … something that she had no words for since he never confided what he had seen in the mirror.
She drifted aimlessly to the kitchen passing the stained wooden furniture, floral plastered walls and sofas. The tiled kitchen creamed the era they were living in with its white walls and pastel green appliances and cabinets. She was glad that the 70's were soon coming to a close. There had to something better than this coming soon.
She froze before entering the kitchen, Remus poured water into a tea pot. This was his ritual he had adapted to using whenever he planned on staying for more than few minutes for a report or debrief. But she was the only one left in the house.
"I thought that," Remus started slowly. "I should let you know that James and Lily are planning to get married. They want one soon so it'll be a low key and small with the war spreading."
She remained still knowing by his meticulous slow movements that he hadn't finished but he wasn't continuing either. He was stalling a conversation he was uncomfortable with.
He turned slowly to look at her, his eyes quickly looked away as they now always did. His exhaustion was starting to show on his gentle handsome face as thin scars began to fade from his jaw.
He cleared his throat turning back to the cabinets to grab tea bags. "They're still looking for you, asking about you. I think Sirius is getting close. You're not being careful enough, if Sirius can pick up rumors on you then so can they."
"What do they know?" She asked in a small voice.
"That you're in Scotland, sometimes just outside London."
She leaned against the counter sighing as she hung her head low.
"Should I mention anything? I don't think Dumbledore is against it. Lily, James, Sirius- they've always been exceptional. They'd jump at the chance of joining."
"No," she cut in quickly, "What we do is dangerous; I wouldn't want them dragged into this. But … I, - what do you think?"
She lifted her gaze to him hoping to extend her time with him, that something could be salvaged between them. His arms were crossed now with his shoulders slumped forward. He stared at her for a moment before answering.
"Same, but Sirius won't be easily deterred. He's hot on your trail and I think he's starting to be suspicious of me again. He's damn worse than a hound about this."
"Again?"
He turned his attention back to the tea pot, "He's always been rather observant. It's hard to hide some situations … and I can't stop the rumors."
Her heart sank, she hated the position he had put himself in. She took a deep breath trying to desperately to think of some way to close the widening gap between them. "Is Hector still on the trail of Herpo's personal journal? He doesn't really tell me much."
"Yes, I think that's what he's up to now … hopefully." He shifted uneasily and began to pour his tea bust stopped and instead braced himself on the counter lost in thought.
"Remus, are you okay?"
He shook his head and roughly opened the cupboard grabbing another cup placing it in front of her. His movement were harsh now, his face hard as if doing something against his better judgment.
"I'm starting to think that I should have been asking you that question." He poured her tea not giving her the option of refusing the conversation.
"I'm fine -"
"That wasn't what I was really asking and you know it." He was close now, one hand tightly gripping the kitchen counter between them as he stared down at her with the most stern expression she had ever seen him make. His free hand motioned toward her as if to finally touch her but withdrew it placing his hand on his hip.
If the situation between than were different she would have laughed at his scolding posture. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
His eyes narrowed, "Something isn't right between you and Hector. I don't trust him and I don't like the way he had been -"
He stopped himself and leaned back slightly. She peered up at him keeping a blank expression.
HIs eyes softened in his brief pause, " Things between us may be over but we are still on the same team. If he hurts you, ever I -"
"Everything's fine, I can handle it."
"So, something is wrong?"
She bit the inside of her cheek. Keeping Hector's obsession with the mirror had been difficult enough as it was.
"It's a process, I'm working on it."
His eyes scanned her trying to pick at any clues of what was really happening. "If he needs help that's fine, but that person doesn't have to be you. He isn't your responsibility. I mean it. Just because everyone else is too busy too see -"
"Just give me a bit more time before you go and rat me out." She looked away knitting her eyebrows ignoring the warm tea in her hands.
Silence once again became master of the room. Even while looking away she could feel how close his arm was to her by the warmth that seemed to radiate off his skin.
"I won't say anything, but if he gets out of line I won't hesitate to knock him through a wall." His voice came out a whisper near her ear.
He quickly shifted away as the front door slammed open. The mumbling complaint of Elphias Doge assaulted the room, his stomping making the muggle paintings on the wall quake.
The two stared at each other for a moment ignoring the the entrance of Dumbledore's old friend. They had both changed since their days at Hogwarts. Samantha's once long dark locks were now free of dye and now a bright blond. Her girlish attire traded off for functionality. Jeans, running shoes, and a tight fitting shirt was all she ever wore now.
Remus too dressed down to just the basics not bothering to replace worn clothing or fixing his disheveled hair. Looking at him like this she wondered if things hadn't fallen apart maybe it would have been them getting married first and not Lily and James.
Such dangerous thoughts, she mused.
"Now, now what are you two lads up too, hmm?" Elphias Doge walked in taking off a wide brimmed fuchsia hat. A stuffed dove was perched on top with its wings spread looking disturbed over its post mortem situation.
He held out his hat admiring it and shaked his head making his soft body jiggle, "Can you believe this was on clearance?"
Mean While ….
Hector took long deep breaths taking in the frosted air as he drew his cloak closer. Snow flurries assaulted his face and clung to his eyelashes making the rocky mountain side look even more blurred and caked in white.
The slick harsh terrain made his movements slow as he swayed side to side with each forced step. The mountains in what was once Caledonia in Scotland were unforgiving but this is where Herpo the Foul once had a known work station although the exact entrance had been a mystery.
He grinned to himself as his teeth chattered facing a 'V' formation where the mountain looked to have been struck with a giant blade. With narrowed eyes the slightest shimmer of an entrance could be seen through the changelings eyes.
He hurried forward placing his foot on the crack of the boulder when his suddenly realized his error. He turned slowly reaching for his wand near his hip but a cold tip of a wand touched the nape of his neck.
He raised his hands as a Death Eater with his white mask emerged from the entrance beckoning him forward. His hesitation earned him a jab in the neck.
He stepped forward carefully spinning out a thousand scenarios, playing out each one in his head. But fighting was out of the question, at least for now. He had to know what they had found first.
But all of that froze in place as each plan dissipated as the few sparse candles on a workbenches and medieval torture devices revealed a tall proud man with gleaming eyes. Those eyes were sharp as the watched him eagerly as if in hunger.
There awaiting him was none other than the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort himself standing in the middle of the death chamber surrounded by Death Eaters. Hector felt a sweat droplet roll down the side of his face, his heart singing in his ears.
Lord Voldemort strolled around him in a wide arc, "At last we finally met. I had no doubts that you would reach this place. Your speed was quite impressive but alas you were hardly a match."
The Death Eaters hung in the background fading in and out of sight as the light flickered. Hector eyed them warily.
"You must be wondering why I haven't ordered your execution. You have been quite … troublesome. I have an offer, one that is surely in your favor. You give me your loyalty and I'll give you the girl who seems to enjoy calling herself Samantha Lascano, or should I refer to her as Eve?"
The world came to a blinding halt knocking the air out of his lungs. As the moments passed Hector squared his shoulders defiantly keeping his silence.
" I assure you the offer is valid …," Voldemort gestured and the candles lifted off their perches gliding across the air to a far corner directly behind him.
As the shadows lifted his eyes fell upon a marble fountain with Aphrodite perched on top tilting a jar releasing a never ending sparkling liquid. He froze feeling the energy vibrate the air and his heart quickened despite himself. The effects even from the distance of the moisture splashing into the air left no doubt what it was.
"I can give you what Dumbledore won't part with. Your freedom. You live under servitude; everything you have is what he has allowed. He is no liberator, you can see the dark ambitions and desires of that old man just as well as I can."
Hector let his eyes linger on Aphrodite, the goddess of love. He could feel the cold presence of the dark lord but all his mind could conjure up were soft pleasant lies that seared in his memory from the mirror that now laid hidden from again yet again.
Two cold piercing eyes interrupted his thoughts.
"I'll give you time to think it over."