Enemies Chapter One: So Very Pleased To Meet You

by P.A.R

A look into the history of the Unspeakable, Orion Black.

A/N: * A lowly author trudges up the steep mountain side to the cave opening and cautiously enters the dwelling of the Great Guru Of Story Ratings. Approaching the great guru of story rating with a humble stance and downcast eyes, the lowly author holds up her meager offering of a few(?) pages and quickly backs away a respectable distance. Finally the lowly author poses her troubling question to the Great Guru Of Story Ratings.*

Oh, Great Guru Of Story Ratings (says the lowly author), I have come seeking your sage advice. One reader has said this humble offering is not but a PG-13 rating and another says an R rating. What, oh great guru of story rating, do you say?

*The Great Guru Of Story Ratings looks over the story.* Hmmmmmm......lets see, got two people in it...., opposite sex......, they're in a room together.....oh! A bedroom together...., and....and .......THEY'RE NAKED! *Pulls out stamp.* R!

*Author bravely (yet quickly) holds up her hand before the Great Guru Of Story Ratings can lay his stamp upon her story.)

UMMMMMMMMM.....just a minute!

What!?

Ummmmmm.......look, that's true and all, but there's nothing graphic....I mean, not REALLY graphic. I mean..., you get the picture of what's going on and all, but I leave a LOT to the imagination. And...and.....and what goes on...I mean the...you know...the....'stuff'....I mean, it's essential to the plot.....and there's a PLOT! Did I mention the plot!? I mean...., maybe.....just maybe it's a PG-13 story, hmmmm?

*The Great Guru Of Story Ratings leans over his large stone desk and stares down at the lowly author.*

Look, kid, I'm gonna make this real simple for you.

Thank you, oh Great Guru Of Story Ratings.

Answer a question for me.

Yes, oh Great Guru Of Story Ratings?

Would you let your parents read this thing?

OhdearLordno!

*Slams stamp down on story.* R! *Tosses story back at lowly author.* Now go away, kid. Ya' bother me.

*Lowly author leaves the Great Guru Of Story Ratings cave with her first R rated story.*

And that, dear readers, is how my story got to be rated R.

(However, with all due respect to Mrs. Rowling, I have amended the story to a PG-13 rating.)

Oh dear, a few mentions, folks. First of all, PAR is starting a whole bunch of generally nasty tests and stuff, so maybe soon we will know what is wrong with poor PAR.

Also, the reason PAR is able to start a few generally nasty tests is that PAR now has a real JOB!!!!!!

Yes, folks, thanks to your kind thoughts and prayer and God's showing me a little favoritism, PAR has a real job. PAR is now proudly employed by the state of Florida doing what she loves second best in the world, Telecommunications. (Didn't know I was high-tech, did you?)

PAR is also making lots of money.

PAR has lots of new friends.

PAR is happy.

Now if PAR can just get better........

Oh, well. Two out of three ain't bad.

One last thing. Posting of this story will not be regular like you're used to with me. Sorry. But things are a bit hectic, and due to my illness, I am a bit tired all the time. So I don't have as much time to write as I would like. Bear with me, please.

And as always.....,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Enemies as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

ENEMIES

Chapter One: So Very Pleased To Meet You

Orion Black reached out for the black hood in front of him, his fingers just connecting with the material as the person in front of him made one last attempt to evade his grasp. But still he managed a good enough hold to yank the person off their feet and pull them to the ground.

He quickly straddled the body, pinning it to the ground.

The Deatheater fought like a madman to get free.

Orion stared down at the dark hooded person, laughing softly to himself. The harder they fought, the better he always liked it. Not a lot of point in taking out someone who lays there passively.

All around him similar scenes were being played out by his fellow Unspeakables. All of them he was almost individually aware of. He had to be. Being too single minded in the middle of a battle the likes of which he was part of could get you easily killed. And Orion had no desire to end his career as an Unspeakable just yet.

He was having too much fun.

Orion Black had been one of the fortunate ones. After years spent fighting in the war against Voldemort, he had managed to come back reasonably sane. A good many of his fellow Auror hadn't. And those were the people in the world Orion Black felt the most pity for.

The ministry had created a problem for themselves when, deciding that to win a war sometimes you did have to lower yourself to the level your enemy, it began allowing a select group of Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curses, thereby giving them the right to torture and kill their enemies as they saw fit. But as time past, a great many of these Aurors that the ministry had trained and allowed to use those curses found that they liked them.

A lot.

The problem arose that, once touched by the dark side of magic, the person was irrevocably changed. Some could deal with it. Some couldn't. Orion had dealt with it philosophically. He had always felt he had a dark side to his nature. So what was a little more?

It was the ones who couldn't deal with it that he had felt the sorriest for. As will-power, beliefs, and personal morals were broached and broken down, those people began to silently disappear from the Aurors ranks. Orion never heard directly what happened to them, but there were plenty of rumors to choose from. He likened the poor souls to the muggle veterans coming back from some wars, who were so screwed-up or so uncontrollable, even their own governments didn't know what to do with them. And so rather than deal with the problem, they simply made it go away. Orion reasoned that a great many of the wizards and witches he had fought along side of in the war were now in St. Mungo's or Azkaban, branded either crazy or dangerous.

But he had been among the more fortunate ones. He and his partner, Charly Misser, had both survived the war, both physically and mentally. And it hadn't taken long before Lawrence Olivers, one of the leaders of the fight against Voldemort, had approached both of them with the offer to join a new branch of the ministry he was heading. The Department of the Mysteries.

The two had been Unspeakables ever since, and had remained partners. They were still allowed to use the powers they had employed during the war, as well as having a few added to them. Among them, was the ability to 'read' people. And if there was one thing Unspeakables could do very well, the one thing that set them apart more than anything else from the other Aurors, it was that they could read people like a book just by their body language. Most of them could tell you what you were thinking just by the way you held your head, made a gesture, or the look in your eyes. And it was the ability Orion found himself relying on more than any other.

For Orion, the decision to join the Unspeakables was one of pure practicality. It allowed him to continue to do what he liked best; fight Voldemort's Deatheaters and exact a little revenge in the process for his fellow Aurors whom the Deatheaters had injured or killed in the war. And he was getting paid for it to boot.

And when they fought, it was the larger battles Orion liked the best. Much like the one he was currently in. Three days before an informant had given the Department news of the planned attack. A large one. The informant had told the Unspeakables that the attack was of such a degree that even Voldemort himself would be there. It was an opportunity that the Unspeakables couldn't let go by without attempting to corner the dark lord and his followers.

The ambush had been well planned and equally well coordinated. The Unspeakables worked, as they often did in a fight, as a single unit. Each had a task to perform and little in the world could stop any one of them from doing what they needed to do or being where they needed to be at a single moment. Within a very short span of time they had the Deatheaters on the defensive.

Next to Orion another Unspeakable landed a Deatheater in a similar manner that he had used. But the other Unspeakable wasted no time in finishing business. Within seconds the Deatheater was dead and the Unspeakable had rejoined the fight.

Grabbing the top of the hood, Orion yanked it back., His second pleasure in his work was seeing the face of the person.

A shower of black silk fell out from beneath the hood as he pulled it back, along with a slight, high-pitched shriek as he felt himself grab a handful of hair. So the Deatheater was female.

No real surprise there. There were enough of them in Voldemort's group.

But as soon as he caught sight of her face, Orion stopped short. He didn't even think for a moment he remembered to breath as he sat staring down at her.

The woman had to be the most beautiful Orion had ever seen in his life. Her face was a flawless mask of perfection that sculptures only dreamed of achieving. And the hair that framed it seemed to catch the last rays of the fading light and filter it down every strand, showing tints of auburn throughout it. Two large violet eyes stared up at him, betraying not one second of fear as she faced her fate.

"One!" A voice called out, breaking into Orion's momentary hesitation. "Get on with it. They're trying to make an escape. We need you. Now!"

The woman looked up at him. A sudden, small, but surprising smile on her face.

"Ohhhhh," she cooed at him in a falsely sexual tone, "so you're 'One'?"

Orion returned the smile with more enthusiasm. "Yes, I am. Are you one too?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, look," Orion stated, raising his wand, "it's not personal or anything......"

"Really?" She asked.

With one solid thrust of her knee, Orion suddenly found himself on the ground in immense pain.

The woman leaned down to him. "Because that was." She replied, her own wand now pointed down at him.

Orion lay still as stone, staring up into the woman's face. As hard set as it was, and for all the conviction she should have had for the task at hand, what he read from her expression was something quite different. There was malice there, as he expected there to be. But the look on her face showed that it was being quickly overshadowed by something else. Something he couldn't identify and that he didn't have the time to sort out as a sudden sound tore through the air like the blast of a large horn. At the sound the woman turned towards the open field, then back to Orion.

"Well, you'll have to excuse me." She said. "But I believe that's for me."

Orion remained on the ground as he watched the woman start across the field at a run. He just managed to pull himself up enough to see her run for a group of Deatheaters, still fighting off his own people.

In the center of the group stood Voldemort himself.

The woman ran straight for him.

But as she headed for his welcoming arms, the woman failed to see one of the Unspeakables far off to her right catch sight of her trying to make it to the group getting ready to disapparate and raise his wand.

But Orion didn't miss the movement. Without even thinking, he raised his own wand.

But the woman seemed to have caught the flicker of movement off to her side at the last minute as she abruptly stumbled in her haste to get to the group and stopped. But her surprise left her no time to draw up her own wand.

All she saw was the blast of light headed for her, and she reacted on the deepest level of instinct she had. She raised her arms as she crossed them in front of her as though it would ward off the spell.

She never saw the streak of light cut in front of her. Nor did she see it meet the other head on. But the resulting blast caused her to lower her arms suddenly as she just caught sight of the spells erupting into a shower of sparks. She turned quickly to the only direction the second spell could have come from, meeting once more the eyes of the man still laying on the ground.

Orion gave her a small smile, which seemed to un-nerve her even more than his action had. But realizing the danger wasn't past, she turned and again sprinted for her fellow Deatheaters, throwing herself into Voldemort's open arms in utter relief.

She turned just as the group started to disappear, her violet eyes locking once more with Orion's before she disapparated. But the look she returned now wasn't hatred. Or malice. Or even fear. It was...curiosity.

Back at the ministry, Orion sat at his desk most of the morning staring into space. It had been three days since the fight with the Deatheaters and he still wasn't able to get the woman's face out of his mind. Or forget the sound of her voice. Nor was he able to figure out what a woman like that was doing with the Deatheaters.

There had been some talk about the office that he had stopped another agent from killing a Deatheater. But Orion had been quick to put a stop to the speculation, stating that he had merely attempted to catch her with his own spell. But due to 'circumstances', his aim had been off and he had missed and ended up hitting the first spell instead. The Deatheater had had a lucky day.

Orion's thoughts drifted happily back to her.

Beautiful.

Even the word sounded like an insult to his ears. But it was the only word he had for her. As he had sat at his desk the past three days he found himself fantasizing more and more what the rest of her looked like. The body beneath him had been slim, but hard. She was well tone and extremely strong despite her build. She had nearly outrun him, even in her robes, so he was sure she had to be fairly long legged. And she had seemed relatively tall. At least as tall as he was.

With all that in mind, Orion had spent considerable time conjuring up a rather interesting physical profile of the woman. One that was making it very difficult to sit at his desk, and even harder each night to go home alone.

"Hey!"

Orion snapped back to reality with a start.

Standing next to him, waving a hand in his face, was his partner in the Department, Charly Misser.

"Oy! You home, Black?"

Orion smiled as he lowered his eyes back to the papers in his hand. "Just thinking, Charly." He replied briefly.

"Daydreaming's more like it." The man replied as he started off with a slight laugh.

Orion and Charly had been partnered together as Aurors, and the heads of the new department saw no point in breaking up a team that had already proved themselves to be very effective.

And the two had not disappointed. Between them they had become two of the most feared Unspeakables in the Department to the Deatheaters. But that was fairly unremarkable for the two men who had raised themselves through the ranks of the Aurors based solely on how many Deatheaters they had put in Azkaban.

Unremarkable with the exception that only one of them was a wizard.

Charly Misser was the only muggle employed by the Department of Mysteries. An appointment he had never once given the people who gave him that job a chance to regret. And they never had. Paired with their top agent, as he always had been, the two were a formidable, if not feared, force.

"Hey, Charly!" Orion called after him. "Can I asked you something?"

The man walked back to where Orion still sat. "Yes, Orion, my man. It's good with woman too. You should try it."

Orion frowned at him. "And how would you know?"

"Very nice. What is it?"

"Did you see that Deatheater I had right before the lot of them disapparated?"

"The one that....?"

"Ended my parents hopes of grandchildren. Yes. That one."

"What of her?"

"Ever seen her before? With the Deatheaters, I mean?"

"Looking for a rematch there, Orion?"

"Curious is all. She wasn't a regular that I could place."

The man shook his head. "Sorry, mate. I really didn't get a good look at her."

"That's O.K.." Orion said casually, turning back to his papers. "Thanks anyway."

"Black!"

Orion's head shot up at the sound of the voice. Misser practically disapparated on his own out of the room at the sound. But Orion simply sighed as he met the hard stare of his superior, who currently had his head stuck out of the door of his office.

Orin Bale wasn't a man anyone in their right mind would tangle with. He had headed up the Department of Unspeakables for fifteen years and there were more rumors roaming the halls of the ministry about the man then any other. Problem was, most rumors tended to exaggerate. With Orin Bale, they tended to fall short of their mark. Even the wildest imagination couldn't come up with half of the things Bale had done. A reputation that had gotten him the job he was currently in.

Orion respected the man. He just didn't particularly like him.

"My office!" Bale barked at his agent.

Orion sighed as he looked about for the now absent Misser. He shook his head. If he had had the chance, he's have disappeared to. But Bale had already seen him. So he was caught.

Orion stepped into his superior's office trying to look as business-like as possible. But that wasn't the easiest thing to do when you'd just gotten done with a fantasy that made most pornography seem like a bedtime story. Orion sighed as he took the chair in front of Bale's desk. His life must be getting pretty sad when his fantasy life was more fun than his real one.

"We got an owl from the Deatheaters today, Black."

Orion looked up, a slight smile playing across his face. "An owl?" He asked, having a very difficult time keeping the humor out of his voice. "What? They're writing us letters now? That's right decent of them."

"It's not a letter for 'us', Black." Bale stated in a hard, flat tone as he dropped the piece of parchment on his desk in front of his agent. "It's for you."

The smile on Orion's face quickly vanished. "Me?" He asked now with a frown, picking up the piece of parchment. "What are the Deatheaters writing to me about?"

"Apparently just one Deatheater. They want a meeting. They say they have some information that could be of benefit to us."

Orion never even got to the first line of the letter before he tossed it back on Bale's desk. "And Voldemort's selling cookies." He snapped back.

Bale took the letter and shoved it back across the desk to him.

"Read it, Orion." He stated slowly.

Orion paused as he looked across the desk at the man. He finally took the parchment and began to read it over.

The letter read much as he expected it to. The Deatheater wanted a meeting with the Unspeakables, stating they had information that would be invaluable to the Department. It was the next line that caught Orion attention.

'However', the line began, 'the meeting is to be between myself and the agent you call 'One' only.'

Bale had been watching Orion closely. Just from Orion's reactions, no matter how subtle they may have been to anyone else, Bale knew exactly when Orion had read the line that interested him the most.

"Now tell me, Mr. Black," Bale asked in a slow, quiet tone, "how is it that a Deatheater knows your name in this department?"

Orion thought for a moment. But suddenly a deep frown etched itself across his face.

"That woman." He said softly.

"What woman?" Bale demanded.

Orion sighed quietly. "When we last fought the Deatheaters, Vincent called out my name, warning me the Deatheaters were about to disapparate. At the time I had a Deatheater. A female. She heard Vincent use my name. That's how they know who to asked for. She probably reported it to Voldemort." Orion was slightly surprised Bale didn't jump on why the Deatheater had escaped him, but nor was he going to give his superior a lot of time to think about it. He quickly tossed the letter back on his superior's desk, keeping things focused on the matter at hand. "This is an obvious trap and they're using my name to bait it."

"Well, my advice would be to keep your head low."

Orion looked up sharply. "Sir?"

"You're going to that meeting, Black. And since Voldemort is apparently now selling cookies, please keep in mind that I like the little vanilla ones dipped in chocolate."

"But, Sir!" Orion protested quickly. "This is obviously a trap. You can't think they are seriously going to tell us anything?"

"I wouldn't care if all their going to tell you is their grandmother's favorite cake recipe. But come back with something, Black."

"And what if I get there and find out it's a Deatheater convention?"

"I would suggest you get out. Or have you forgotten how to apparate?"

"They've been known to block prospective victim's from escaping, Sir." Orion stated curtly.

Bale sighed loudly. "Black," Bale crossed his arms over his chest, "would you like me to go and get your contract and see if we can find any clause in it that says, 'we're offering you a nice, easy job for which we are going to pay you an unheard of sum of money'?"

"No, sir." Orion answered flatly. Even if the question was rhetorical, he knew Bale still wanted an answer.

"And have you and Misser been fooling around with memory charms again and you've suddenly forgotten overnight how to use any detection spells?"

Orion was about to point out that the Deatheaters knew ways to block those as well, but knew it wouldn't impress Bale at all. "No, Sir." He answered flatly again.

"Besides, we'll send you in with a tag. If something happens, we'll get you out."

'Tags' were slightly akin to Portkeys in that they were an object given to an agent that would allow him to either leave an area on his own or be summoned by someone else. The difference was that Tags were somewhat dangerous. They were an extremely powerful form of magic in that they could deflect any spell trying to stop the person from apparating under the Tag's power. But the repercussions on the person using the Tag could be unpredictable. Several agents Orion knew had ended up in the hospital for weeks from the aftereffects of being caught between opposing spells.

Bale shoved the parchment back at Orion. "The meeting is for tonight. Be on time."

Orion's eyes never left those of the man before him as he got out the chair, picking up the piece of parchment before him. While it was true he respected Bale, he still disliked what he considered the sometimes callous way in which the man would seemingly disregard the dangers of a situation. But Bale had been right. No where in his contract with the Department had anyone shown him a clause that said the job would be a cake walk.

The job did pay extremely well.

And there was a reason for that.

Orion stood in the alleyway with his back to the wall. The night had everything he didn't like for a mission of this type. It was cold, dark, and so foggy he couldn't see the opening to the alleyway although it was only a few yards away. He had arrived to the meeting early and run a complete sweep of the area using every spell he knew. Once he was satisfied the area was clear except for muggles, he had set up various warning spells. The way he now had things arranged, he felt confident he would know if someone was coming from a mile off.

Orion was starting to get unbelievably bored when an alarm went off. Orion already had his wand in hand and quickly drew a circle with it in the air before him. A small glowing sphere appeared. Inside of it, a ring of white had appeared with a large red dot glowing on its side. The alarms were set up only to detect someone of magical ability and would track them in, allowing Orion to know what direction they were coming from. As he watched, a second ring fired to life, a similar red dot glowing on it directly below the first. As he watched, the rings lit up consecutively as the person got closer to his location. Orion watched each glowing ring carefully, directing his attention to the place he felt the person would approach him from. But as the person approached the last ring, it failed to ignite within the sphere.

Orion quickly moved his location to something less open.

Crouching behind a large crate closer to the back of the alleyway, Orion waited with his wand out. A small light suspended from a pole near him wasn't his favorite choice for a way to see, since it might be just bright enough to reveal his location as well as show him the Deatheater. But he hadn't thought to set up any spells to help him see better despite the dark in the back of the alleyway. He had only set them up in the front, which was where he had planned to stay. And if he tried to cast any spells now, he would certainly give himself away.

And so Orion stayed where he was and waited. From his position he felt fairly certain that the Deatheater only had one direction to attack from. They would have to come down the alleyway.

He was wrong.

Orion heard the person coming, and looked up just in time to see the figure dropping on him from above. He tried to move out of the way, but the person seemed to move with him in mid-air and still landed on top of him, dragging him out into the open alleyway. A solid thrush to the midsection allowed Orion to dislodge his attacker and a well-balanced throw sent them several feet down the alleyway as Orion went running after them. The worst thing that could happen right now was that he loose sight of the person. But when he got to where they would have landed, all he found was swirling fog. Orion quickly backed himself to the wall with his wand out. But expecting to hit the cold bricks of the building with his back, he was surprised into a split second's indecision when he connected instead with something soft and warm.

Much unlike the cold thin object that came up to his throat.

"Oh, now," a voice purred in his ear as an arm wrapped itself around his chest and the other pressed the knife closer to his throat, "isn't this cozy?"

Orion knew the voice all too well. He had heard it enough in his dreams over the past few weeks. Dreams that had rapidly become his favorites.

"Very." Was the only thing he could think to say.

A hand roamed slowly over the upper portion of his body, taking in all parts of his robes as it felt its way along every line of the material.

Despite its suggestiveness, Orion knew what the woman was looking for.

"It's in my hand." He answered her searching fingers.

"My, but isn't that impressive." She replied in a voice that was as smooth as silk. "If you dropped it, would it reach the ground?" She asked, the purr in her voice again. "Or would you just like to put it in my hand?"

Orion sighed quietly and, reaching out in front of him, held out his wand where the woman was sure to see it. He could feel her arm shift behind him as she reached for the wand. He carefully followed the move of every muscle, and just as she reached over his shoulder, at the point he knew was the worst in her balance, he grabbed her wrist and, bending down as he turned his neck from the blade, threw her over his back onto the pavement.

But this time Orion made sure she wasn't going to escape again. He kept a firm grasp on her wrist and as soon as she made contact with the ground, yanked her back to her feet. In the midst of the fight, Orion had heard metal striking the pavement. She had lost her hold on the knife. But she likely still had her wand.

Needing to get control over her, Orion slammed her into the wall she had been leaning against before, pinning her there with his body so he was sure she couldn't move that he wouldn't know it.

But the woman already had one hand out. Her left.

"Accio!"

The word was all Orion needed to hear to know what it was for. If the object was close enough, a powerful witch wouldn't need to call the object by name to have it respond to the summoning. He quickly reached out his own hand and ran it down her arm. Placing his hand just before the woman's, the handle of the knife flew into his hand instead of her's.

Orion quickly pulled his hand up and pressed his knuckles into her wrist as he pinned her hand to the wall. Reaching behind him, he handed the knife off to himself as he continued to keep her pinned to the wall.

"Well, now," he asked as he held the knife up between their faces, "what's a pretty little thing like you doing with a big blade like this?"

"How would you know who I am and if I'm pretty or not?"

Orion smiled at her, close enough to her face for her to see. "Because I remember the feel of your knee between my legs."

The woman jerked her lower body beneath him, obviously hoping to make the acquaintance again.

Orion forced his weight against her a bit harder. "Don't try it!" He growled at her. "Or I'll tell you what I did to the person before you that did that to me."

The woman gasped beneath him, but said nothing. But Orion could feel her chest trapped beneath him trying to pull air into her body.

"I can't breath." She rasp out quickly.

"Would you like too?" Orion asked smoothly.

The woman nodded quickly.

"Are we going to have any problems?" He asked. He knew very well that the woman wasn't lying. He could put enough pressure on her chest to make drawing air into her lungs either very difficult or completely impossible.

The Deatheater shook her head quickly.

Orion studied her face, then slowly drew back from her, but kept a grip on her wrist as he held her to the wall. She could move. But she wouldn't get far.

The instant he released her, the woman drew in a sharp, long breath of air.

Orion pocketed the knife within his robes and drew out his wand that he had slipped there earlier.

"Now," Orion stated, "you're the one who asked for this meeting. Aside from an opportunity to kill me, what did you want?"

"If I intended to kill you, you'd be dead!" The woman spat back at him between gasps for air.

"Just like in the field?"

"The field?"

"At our last meeting?" Orion reminded her. "You had opportunity. Why didn't you take it? Or was ending my family line more fun?"

"One might ask you the same question." She stated flatly.

"Because kneeing you wouldn't have gotten the same results?"

"Why didn't you kill me?" She restated. "You had the opportunity."

Orion paused. He knew what the answer was, but he certainly wasn't going to give it to her.

"I was distracted." He answered instead. Which was in part, not a total lie.

And Orion knew better than to try lying to a Deatheater Elite if he wasn't prepared. Like the Unspeakables, he knew the Elite had several within their own ranks who could tell if you were lying as easily as telling you the day of the week. It was simply second nature to them. And he had no way of knowing if this woman was one of them.

"And why did you stop the other from killing me?"

"I missed." Orion lied outright this time. But, hey, it had worked around the Department, and he had engrained it so deeply into his own mind, even to him it was partly the truth now.

"Missed? An Unspeakable 'missed'?"

"I told you. I was distracted."

"Distracted?"

"I....wasn't expecting a woman."

"Never seen a female Deatheater before?"

Orion looked her over, then smiled at her in a leering sort of way. "Not one like you."

"Ohhhhh," the woman drew out the statement in a high-pitched, overly feminine voice as she returned the exact same smile, "I see. Didn't want to kill the pretty little Deatheater. Was that it, One?"

Orion frowned at her use of the name. "I have a problem killing woman. I don't care what they look like."

"But it didn't hurt that I look like this?" She asked, looking herself up and down before she turned her violet eyes back to him.

Orion leered at her again. "It certainly was a bonus."

"It usually is." She answered casually.

"Is?"

"Like you said, most people don't expect Deatheaters who are, one; female, or two; pretty. It works 'for' me more than 'against' me."

"Why did you asked for this meeting?" Orion stated again, a little sharper than before. If they'd been in a bar, he could have chatted the woman up half the night. But in an alleyway, with low visibility, and trying to restrain an obviously dangerous Deatheater, Orion simply wanted to get to the point.

"I got what I wanted." she replied smoothly.

"And that was?"

"An answer."

"An answer?"

"I wanted to know why you didn't kill me when you had the chance and why you appeared to have saved my life."

Orion stared at her in disbelief. "That was it? You went through all this.....for that?"

The woman shrugged. "It was important to me to know."

"Don't expect the favor twice in a row." Orion replied in a hard, cold voice. He had wasted a great deal of time and effort already. He wasn't intending to waste anymore. If the woman thought her looks were going to save her again should they meet, Orion wanted to make it perfectly clear that would not be the situation.

"I won't." She replied, the slightest sound of disappointment in her voice.

Orion pulled back from her, letting go of her as he prepared to disapparate. What he wanted to do at the very least was leave her in enough pain to remember him by. Or even better, arrest her and see her off to Azkaban personally. But she had played the role of an informant, and the 'common courtesy rules' didn't allow for the meeting ending any other way.

But the woman suddenly stepped forward.

"Wait!" She said quickly.

Orion stopped where he was.

The woman steeped up to him with a smile. "I didn't answer your question." She purred.

"I'm not as interested." He replied, keeping a safe distance between them. The woman, after all, still had her wand hidden somewhere in her robes.

"You should be, One." She replied softly.

But before Orion could asked why he should be interested in the answer to that question, an alarm suddenly went off.

Both of them froze at the sound. But Orion suddenly pulled out his wand and illuminated the sphere again. The woman, who had pulled back initially as he drew his wand, now stepped forward with a look of interest as she gazed at the glowing ball.

"What is it?" She asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

"A detection sphere." Orion answered as he gazed into it.

The woman turned an annoyed stare to him that Orion ignored. "I know what the sphere is." She snapped. "Why is it sounding alarms?"

"Someone's just entered the first perimeter." Orion answered. But just as suddenly another alarm went off, followed by three more.

"They're moving rather fast." The woman commented as she tried to move for a better look, an adjustment that put her side by side with Orion, looking in front of his shoulder.

But Orion seemed to pay her little notice as he stared worriedly at the sphere. "Four?" He whispered.

"Four?"

"Four people just entered the perimeter. Headed this way."

Orion turned sharply to the woman, stepping back with his wand out. "I guess that answers my question." He stated quietly. "This was a trap."

The Deatheater suddenly had her own wand out, pointed at Orion as she shook her head. "No. I swear, as a Deatheater, this was no trap! Whoever those people are, they aren't mine."

Orion stood stone-still watching her, waiting for her to make a move. But she did nothing more than he was doing. Standing there with her wand out. But the position was defense. Not attack.

Another four alarms sounded.

The woman shook her head again. "They aren't my people." She replied, her eyes suddenly widening with fear as the thought struck her as to what was happening. "No one knows I'm here."

Orion said nothing, stunned slightly by her admission. Unquestionably there was nothing more dangerous to her than what she had just admitted to. But his mind was working as well, reaching the same answer as she had as he turned to the sphere.

The woman studied him for a moment. She knew she had to do something. His people were coming. Unspeakables. And when they arrived there would be no talking. No teasing. They would kill her on sight.

She had to escape, and he had to let her.

"One." she said cautiously, turning Orion's attention back to her from the sphere.

Orion turned back to her, studying the woman before him very carefully as he tried to read what was really going on behind her expression. The one thing he did not read in any of the Deatheater's actions was true malice. If anything, she seemed highly distracted most of the time they had been in the alleyway. Now she was almost fully defensive, if not a little frightened.

A silence settled between them for a few seconds that was only broken by the sound of her wand hitting the pavement.

Orion stood staring at her as she stepped back from where her wand lay on the ground as another four alarms sounded. She stood before him as defenseless as she would allow herself to be. Something about the whole situation had gone very wrong. Something she hadn't anticipated. And now she needed his help to get out of it.

Without thinking, Orion closed out the sphere. He rushed towards her and, grabbing her wand off the ground as he went, wrapped an arm around her waist and in a silent instant, disappeared, just as four other figures apparated into the alleyway.

Miles away, Orion found himself actually grateful for the fog as they appeared amid the sound of a few muggles walking down the street past the opening to the alleyway they now stood in. He quickly clapped a hand over the woman's mouth as the men staggered past, talking in loud voices, obvious wandering home from a night at the local pub.

The woman didn't make a move under his grip as her brilliant violet eyes followed his in a worried stare to the front of the alleyway. But she quickly relaxed as she heard them moving away from them and finally breathed a sigh of relief when Orion took his hand away from her mouth.

She turned to him with a small smile. "Thank you." She said softly.

Orion stared back down at her for a moment as though he didn't have the slightest idea what he was being thanked for. But he returned her smile finally as he relaxed his hold on her. "You're welcome."

"Just warn me next time." She said, pulling back slightly from his arms around her. "I hate apparating. It leaves me a bit queasy."

Orion took several steps back. "How queasy?"

She smiled at him again. "I'm not going to mess up your pretty little robes. Don't worry."

A long, uncomfortable silence fell between them as they stood staring at each other through the swirling mist of the fog.

"You never answered my question." Orion said finally.

"Question?"

"Why you didn't kill me when you had the chance?"

"Oh, that." She said with a small, almost playful smile. Slowly she walked back over to him and grabbed a handful of his long, black hair lightly in her fingers. "You remember, you said you were distracted to find the person you had grabbed was a woman?" She asked.

Orion nodded slightly, keeping a careful watch on her every move, but mostly keeping tabs on her intentions with that handful of his hair.

"Well," she added with a genuine smile as she gave the handful a sharp, short yank, "I thought the person holding me down was one."

Orion was struck speechless to hear her laugh. At first he simply enjoyed the sound. It was like no other laugh he'd ever heard in his life. It was soft and gentle and the most seductive thing he'd ever heard. He hated putting a stop to it. But he quickly clamped a hand back over her mouth as he drew up against her again.

"Shhhhh!" He stated in a sharp but soft whisper. "You want to attract the muggles back here?" Gesturing with a nod of his head to the front of the alleyway.

She gave him a mischievous smile as he drew his hand back. "And if they came investigating, what would you do?" She asked.

He returned her smile on instinct. "I would make them think they had just wandered across a couple having a bit of harmless fun."

The woman frowned slightly. "What sort of harmless fun?"

In answer Orion leaned down and closed his lips over her's.

He had fully expected protest from her. But to his delight and amazement, the lips beneath his parted in a welcoming answer.

Orion tighten his grip about her, making sure he could feel every move the body in his arms made. And his senses weren't left idle for long as two hands snaked their way into his robes and began a free roaming tour over his body.

Orion did his best to keep focused. But with her lips and tongue stroking and teasing under his, and her hands occupying the rest of his mind, he was fairly sure she got a few free admissions in some places he didn't want those hands to go.

Orion pulled back from the kiss first, still somewhat surprised. He had expected to be slapped, not kissed back.

"So tell me," he asked with a soft smile, "do you always end up in alleyways kissing men you don't know?"

The woman pulled back just enough to get her hand out between them as she held it up to him.

"Katlin Griss. Deatheater."

Orion took her hand and shook it quickly. "Orion Black. Auror. So very pleased to meet you." He replied as he pulled her back into another kiss, which she again willingly returned, her arms going about his neck this time.

When they finally broke apart, Orion found his earlier suspicions verified as she carefully held the knife up between them that she had retrieved from within his robes.

"And I'll be taking my knife back." She informed him in her same low purr of a voice as she stepped back from him. "It's sort of special to me."

Orion raised an eyebrow. He didn't really want to know why.

"It's a family heirloom." She answered the question anyway. "My grandmother gave it to me."

Orion smiled at her. But it quickly faded as he pulled back a few steps from her as well. Now that he wasn't holding her in his arms, wasn't drawing in the scent of her, wasn't kissing her..........Merlin's Beard! Where had that even come from?! She was a Deatheater! He was suppose to kill her kind. Not end up kissing them in alleyways.

No. She was more than a Deatheater. Again he reminded himself she had played the role of the informant to some extent. The honourable thing was to see that she got away safely. That was all it had been.

The kiss......was just a bonus.

"You'd best go now." He said quickly but quietly. "They'll be working like mad to trace where we went. And it won't take them long to track us."

"But couldn't you have blocked that?" She asked, sounding almost hopeful.

"I didn't have time." Orion explained. "So you need to leave. Unless you want to see what the inside of Azkaban looks like."

The woman stepped back from him, shaking her head. "Thank you. No." She didn't sound like she was sure if the statement was a warning or a threat.

"Before you go," Orion stopped her before she disapparated, suddenly remembering something, "tell me something. Did your grandmother like to bake cakes by any chance?"

And as promised, the third and final preview of Family Relations.

FAMILY RELATIONS

A/N: Could my chapter titles get any more boring?

Chapter Three: Meetings-Part Three

Harry sat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, absently swinging his feet back and forth over the dull, over-waxed green plastic tiles of the adoption agency's lobby floor. He doubted that in his entire life he had ever been so bored while being equally so anxious.

Sirius had told him in all hopefulness this would be their last trip to the agency. The adoption should be finalized that morning and that would be that.

Arabella had fussed over him all morning, making sure that he looked just right. Even as they drove to the agency in London she had continued to try and get his hair to look a little more orderly. She had even considered a small spell to do the job. But Sirius had finally called a halt to the process at that point, reminding Arabella they had agreed on a strict 'no magic' rule whenever they were dealing with the adoption agency. The agency was run by muggles. If anything 'unusual' were to happen due to a spell suddenly going wrong, it could jeopardize the adoption.

And there seemed to be no guarantees these days about Arabella and her spells. While Sirius had taken control of the adoption process (part of which involved a 'no waiting' policy, despite his earlier opinion that the agency would look more favorably on a married couple than a single father), the planning of the wedding had been left to Arabella. And since the first day she started trying to get things organized, her spells seemed a bit....less focused. Everything from burnt dinners to attacks from feather dusters seemed to suddenly be the norm around the house.

But that morning everyone had seemed pleasantly over-excited. Especially Harry and Arabella. Harry had spent most of the car ride into London thinking about what he was going to call his godparents now. 'Sirius and Arabella' seemed suddenly out of place. But 'Mom and Dad' didn't seem quite right either. Or maybe it would just take some getting use to. When Arabella had noticed how quiet he had gotten and asked what was on his mind, Harry had told her.

He should have lied.

The dilemma had brought a flurry of suggestions from his godparents. Everything from referring to them simply as still his 'godparents' to, as Sirius had suggested, 'the two people who were going to make his life miserable until he turned eighteen because that was now their job'.

When Harry had asked the question in reverse, Arabella had proudly stated she was going to refer to Harry for what he was; her adopted son. Sirius, on the other hand, had remained uncharacteristically quiet on the matter as he directed the car into the adoption agency parking lot.

And so Harry had sat on the bench for the past hour thinking over various answers to the question. He only looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Harry didn't think he had ever seen a stranger procession than the one headed towards him down the hallway.

In the lead was the woman Harry recognized from his earlier visits to the agency as the caseworker who was in charge of the adoption. Harry had had one meeting with her in which she had asked a horribly long list of questions; most of which Harry didn't think were any of her business, but that he had answered anyway so as not to jeopardize the adoption.

Behind the caseworker was a tall man who looked amazingly like Sirius, except that he was dressed very differently. Harry's first thought upon seeing him was that he knew the man from somewhere. A thought he quickly past off to the fact that the man simply bore a striking resemblance to his godfather.

But it was the people bringing up the rear of the procession that struck Harry as the oddest of the four.

Harry had expected his godparents to be happy and excited. But the two's expressions couldn't have been further from 'happy' or 'excited'.

Sirius' gaze seemed fixed on nothing imparticular as he walked behind the man in front of him. Every step seemed to be forced, as did every other movement Sirius made. From his set jaw to the way his cane hit the floor every time he moved it, Sirius seemed as though he had enough anger inside of him that the slightest release would shake the building to its foundation.

Next to him Arabella looked as pale as Harry could ever remember seeing her. Her knuckles were nearly white as she held her hands clasp together in front of her. She also didn't seem to be staring at anything imparticular until she came closer to where he was now standing, facing the approaching group. Only then did her gaze shift to him and her expression became even more forlorn.

Not knowing what to think, Harry stayed exactly where he was, not making a move or saying a word. Whatever was going on, he knew it wasn't anything good as the tension from the four pressed in on him as they approached.

The caseworker stepped into a side office before reaching him. The black-haired man behind her continued to approach him with long, determined steps.

Harry's eyes never left the man's face as he walked up and stopped finally before him.

"Harry," the stranger said with a forced friendliness that tried to dispel the tension around them with little success, "my name is Orion Black. I'm Sirius' brother."

Harry only nodded slightly in response, a touch of surprise showing on his face past the confusion. So this was Sirius' older brother, Orion Black?

Harry's gaze shifted briefly to his godparents. Sirius' expression hadn't changed in the least, but remained fixed on Orion. But Arabella's attention had stay on him, her expression showing nothing but the anguish she was trying so hard to hide.

Harry turned his eyes back to the man standing before him. Suddenly he remembered why the man looked so familiar. Harry had seen pictures of him when they had been living at Sirius' family house during the summer. Harry had, in fact, mistaken several pictures of Orion for Sirius.

Orion held his hand out for Harry. "Harry, I need for you to come with me, all right?"

Harry stayed where he was, ignoring the outstretched hand as he turned his eyes again to this godparents, pleading for them to tell him what was going on. What they wanted him to do.

Harry was so caught up in his confusion over the situation, he failed to even think to protest as Orion reached down and took his hand, directing him to his feet.

He was still staring mutely at his godparents as Orion led him off down the hallway toward the front doors.

That's it, folks. No more until the final story is posted. Yes. Yes. I'm cruel. Get over it.

Q&A

DIAMOND

Skahducky: Thank you, Dear. I appreciate the review.

FAMILY LIFE

Penelope: As that you were only on Chapter Seven when you reviewed, yes, Dear, there is quite a bit more.

marauder kinchu: A lot of people seem to feel that way about my Harry characterization in many of the stories I've done. However, I would like to point out that in Canon the kid shows about as much emotion as a brick.

Hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

Bananafanayou: Cute name.

And thank you.

bah bah black sheep: Really, people. Is the language necessary?

Actually, no, Arabella is not a Mary Sue. She's my female protagonist. And if you found her coming off as a Mary Sue, pray tell, why not Analisa, who was so much closer to my own personality than Arabella will ever be. Sorry, Dear. You are not very good at picking the Mary Sue.

JerseyPike: Don't ask me why I like your name. I just do.

You have other stories where Arabella turns out to be Sirius' old girlfriend? Ohhhhh, be a good reviewer and tell PAR where they are. PAR likes these types of stories.

You're not missing anything in Canon, and sadly, on JUNE 21st, I think you still won't be. But in fanfiction, the concept of Arabella Figg being somehow romantically connected to Sirius is not a new one.

Your quote is very nice, Dear.

Kitty Kat: Thank you.

allison: Actually, Dear, the sequel to Family Life has been previewed up to chapter three at the end of various stories, including this one.

So glad you liked the story.

Professor Authordude: So glad you liked it.

Anaxandra: Well, thank you for an amazing review, Dear!

I'm very glad you liked the story, and I hope you have enjoyed others I have written. And, of course, I hope you will come back for the sequel to Family Life.

Rhiain: Actually, yes, Family Life is being sequeled in Family Relations, which was previews in three chapters at the end of various stories, including this one.

claire: And there's only two words for that review. Thank you.

It took you only two hours to read a forty-nine chapter novel? I'm impressed!

rodhrrypttr: Thank you, Dear.

By the way, isn't your name missing a few vowels?

Ode To Harry Potter Summaries

Arania: You see Orion as Spiting people for fun? Well, he does that too, Dear. But he has a very serious, very good reason for what he's doing in taking Harry away from Sirius.

Was Orion a bit more manly in this one for you?

O.K., you CAN'T please all the people all the time. But, Dear, if you want to read about Harry having a backbone, go read the Canon stories. JK Rowling seems determined to show the kid as having as few emotions as possible. I just felt he needed a few more.

I always look at reviews as constructive, Dear. No offense taken.

Nagini, what's with 'The Weasel Must Die' thing, Dear?

I am so sorry about your cracker, Dear. But I don't think smacking Orion will help. In fact, I can guarantee it.

Yes, Dear. Go read Partners. It gives a whole different side to Orion Black. And just remember, 'not gay'.

Orion got Sirius's money (or control of it) when Sirius went into Azkaban. Orion became executor of Sirius's estate, and hence, his money and property.

No, no, Dear. Orion is not just being grr-y to be grr-y. He has a very good reason for what he's doing.

Are you making sense? Right up to that last part, Dear. Sorry. You lost me there.

Thankfully, PAR's doctor is 'fairly' sure PAR is not going to die. But thanks for that Glomp anyway.

I'm pleased the cracker did not go to waste.

O.K., 'teasing-y' is close enough to being called a tease. Thank you.

Werepup: Thank you, Dear. PAR hopes she feels better soon too. And I am so glad that you liked Family Relations so far.

Jennifer Potter: *Sigh* Where to start?

First off, Dear, do you feel better now that you vented a little? PAR hopes so.

Next, you're skipping about because PAR wrote something you have no comment about, but you managed to comment for a good page or so by PAR's estimates.

Next, PAR said it was bad.

Deploy - Set up, set out, or install. PAR stands by her wording, Dear.

How does PAR know her computer is sore? It's a gift.

Sorry. PAR even said in the verse writing a good summary eludes her to this day.

Oh, dear, PAR really did enjoy this next part.

Actually, PAR has read stuff where nothing happened, but people continued to write.

Maybe PAR should return the favor and give people a chance? Starbright, Ravennat, Bored Beyond Belief, Kiara O. Lawrence, and all the others? Care to comment?

No, Dear, PAR does not ask for reviews. It's crass.

'Some people don't review in any case.' No, Dear, PAR has no idea about that. (Reviews-1,200, Hits, 19,000) No, Dear, PAR has no idea about that at all.

Would PAR keep writing if nobody reviewed? Dear, PAR has been in this business for over thirty years. Do you think PAR had someone standing beside her all those years telling PAR how great or how awful she was?

If you are ever solely to get reviews, you should stop now. You are writing for absolutely the worst reason in the world. Write for yourself. Because it is something you genuinely love to do. Otherwise, stop.

PAR never said she didn't read a story because it was about something she didn't want to read about. She said she didn't read them because the summary was bad. If anything else was implied, it was unintentional.

PAR loves this next part so much, she's putting it up for debate.

People, what is the point of a summary? To get reviews or get people to read your story? Answers, please?

'Yeah' to PAR is pronounced 'Yay', depending on the context. Little cultural shock there, folks.

PAR is hoping the illness isn't life threatening. How about that? As for being written up in the JAMA, no thanks. PAR would rather not be remembered for being a member of 'the disease of the month club'. Same thing with Discover magazine. Good articles though.

Did PAR think the rules didn't apply to her? No, Dear. PAR just would have liked some warning before they took her reviews off so she could have downloaded them.

PAR agrees. There was a great deal of confusion over Sexual Orientation in Partners.

Yes, Dear, PAR ships.

The comment about 'social life' was sarcasm, Dear. Most of PAR's readers are well acquainted with her rather odd sense of humor.

Yes, Dear. Three to five hours to do Q&A. (Not author's notes. If PAR put down 'authors notes', that was unintentional.) But quite frankly, if you're kind enough to review, PAR feels you deserve a little extra of her time.

Yes, Par is quite ambitious with her fan fictions. But Rowling has given her so much feed for foder, why not use it?

All of PARs stories are flexible.....and AU. But then, aren't everybody's really?

No, Dear. PAR has no social life. She can't afford one.

The final scene that so many people missed was Gilderoy Lockhart's new book, Who Am I?

PAR has no idea why she always writes herself in the third person.

Now, PAR is not attacking, criticizing, or making fun of you, Dear. She is trying to make a point. Which is this. 'Glass houses', Dear.

And by the way, if you would care to take note of the category, Ode To Harry Potter Summaries was under 'Humor'. PAR would never attack anyone in such a pointless and nasty way.

Von: Actually, Orion doesn't see things that way at all. To him he is simply doing his job.

'The story is better than the summary'. Oh! Rats! I missed that one. Yeah, that's a good one too.

UnrepentantReader: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Dear!!!!!

I would like to get better sooner rather than later too. Unfortunately there's a lot of testing between now and then.

*Puts head on desk* Folks, folks, folks, you are in for SUCH a nasty surprise. Orion has a VERY good reason for why he is doing what he's doing. He's not just an old meany, hates his brother, or has nothing better to do on his afternoon off. There's a REASON.

Awwwwww! That was such a nice comment. Thank you.

Gary Oldman. Not Sirius!!!!! Not! Not! Not!
Kristen in TheChamberOfKeys Website had a really cute cartoon about this too. And her art work is well worth the visit by itself.

Silverfox: Ohhhhh, I missed that one too. But, yeah, 'I hate these, so I won't write one' is another favorite. But honestly, there are so many bad ones, I couldn't have put them all in.

Annie Potter: Well, due to circumstances I decided to go against my own rules and post without having a story completed typed out. And thank you for reading so many of my stories. I hope you like this one as well.

nessie: Yes, Dear. Calm down. I do still post.

Yes, the end scene of CoS was in Diagon Alley, with a picture of Gilderoy Lockhart in a straitjacket on the cover of his new book Who Am I? in the window of the book store asking everyone who walked by 'Do you know me?'. It was a cute little scene.

Nicky: Wow. That's quite a review.

PAR hopes she feels better soon too. Being sick is no fun, folks.

I agree with the review issue 100 %. And I will not be bribed/threatened/cajoled to review.

Proper Friends is a Snape/Lupin story (non-slash) that explores in the seven years at Hogwarts the two's rather tenuous friendship.

The story about Sirius and Orion comes out more in Family Relations.

Oh, Dear. 'Sick Harry' stories? Ummmmmm.........No Way Out by The Black Unicorn, Sooner Or Later by AngelDusterBuster, My Life On A Plate by Relle, A Breeze In Little Surrey by Opheliac, Harry Potter And The Power Of Will by Farseeker. That should keep you busy for a while. Sadly, I have to warn you that they are not all completed.

No doubt, the two Black brothers have issues. I'll say it once more, folks. Orion has a very good reason for doing what he did. And it did not all have to do with what he told Sirius.

The fact that Orion confronted Sirius where he did was well planned on Orion's part. As was the timing. It guaranteed there wouldn't be a scene, and it didn't give Sirius a lot of time to think about things. Basically Harry was taken from him before he could sort things out, just as Orion planned it.

Harry's reaction to being passed to yet another caretaker, much less one the likes of Orion, is certainly going to be interesting. As for living with Orion and his family, Orion only has his wife currently. No children at this point in time.

Again, please don't pre-judge the man. Don't come into any story about him (especially Enemies) hating him. He has a very good reason for his actions.

Oh, sorry. You like him. You see, I write this stuff as I read it, so I only got to that sentence after I wrote the other part.

Oh, and another good read, The Ultimate Harry Potter Cliche Catalogue by Clam Chowder. Folks, this thing is just TOO funny.

lilahp: Indeed Sirius and Orion have some issues.

Something else.

Actually, if you read Nicky's answer above, Orion currently has no children. I think in one of my answers last time I gave the impression he had children at the time of Family Relations. That is not the case at all. Currently it is just Orion and his wife.

Charly is most definitely in Enemies and is a large part of that story, as is Orion's wife. However, Charly is not in Family Relations much, but the wife is.

Well, this is running 23 pages so far. How's that? I know what you mean though. Some of my chapters are very long. Some are very short. It depends on what I can do with the contents.

Thanks for the prayers. PAR needs them.

About your story, Dear. I looked for it but couldn't find it. Any help here?

The 'Ten Commandments of Harry Potter Fanfiction' was very cute, Dear. Again let me recommend The Ultimate Harry Potter Cliche Catalogue by Clam Chowder.

FairyTale: Author's Notes and Q&A I try to keep as interesting as possible. But keep in mind, the Q&A is strictly your guys doing. I just answer stuff here.

On the OC thing, yes, I've been known to hit a few wromg leyd in mu dar.

Oh, yes, the man is very married. And no, Partners wasn't really meant to give any great insight. It was just sort of an introduction before Enemies, which is chocked full of insight.

O.K., because I like you, FairyTale, (and I'm tired of saying this), I'm going to let you in on a secret. People, what Orion told Sirius was the reason he took Harry was contrived. It was NOT the real reason. But he needed to say SOMETHING! HE couldn't just say 'I'm taking the kid and there's nothing you can do about it, pfffffffft!'. There had to, by stipulation of the custody paper, be a reason. So basically, he made one up.

Here's the deal with the date thing. You see, I posted a bunch of answers before December, which got taken off. So at the end of Ode To Harry Potter Summaries I reposted them as they originally appeared. So that 'December' date was referring to December 2002, not 2003. A deadline I missed once again. Sorry.

Sometime, Dear, I feel like JK 'I'll print the darn book when I'm good and Ready' Rowling. Just because I miss so many posting dates with these things.

Dear, what is (TM)?

Orion's children do not come into the story until after Family Relations. But Charly is around.

No, Gary Oldman playing Sirius isn't the worst they could have done. But its so close, who cares?

Black Sparkles: Give the man a chance. No one liked Aaron Richards either I'll have you recall.

skahducky: Sirius and Orion have issues, there's no doubt. And some of them date back to their school days. True, if you haven't seen a family member in twelve years, you would think you'd be happy to see them. But remember also from Family Life, then when Sirius first escaped Azkaban, it was Orion who helped him hide from the Ministry.

I'll try to post as fast as I can, Dear. But I have to pace myself a little bit.

Hey Whisp!

Hugs and chocolate. My two favorite things. Thanks, Whisp.

Go read FairyTale's answer, Whisp. Orion's explanation is not what it seemed.

Harry's feelings on this? As confused as anyone's, as you've seen.

Zimmy!

Thank you, Dear. PAR does not like being sick.

No, Dear. Not gay.

I think Lucius and Legolas are related. Most definitely.

Yup. The last scene was in Diagon Alley of Gilderoy Lockhart's latest book in the bookstore window, titled Who Am I? and showing Gilderoy in a straitjacket asking people going by if they knew him. It was very cute. PAR made a bunch of people in the movie theater sit through the credits by promising them there was something at the end.

No. PAR has not see Two Towers yet.

Christain Bale would not be the worst choice for Remus Lupin. But Gary Oldman is close to the worst choice for Sirius Black.

I hope your not one of those people, Zim, who thinks Enemies is about Sirius and Orion and their relationship. I did warn people that was not the case. I mean, Orion's in it, sure. But very little Sirius.

As for Orion being mean? Go read FairyTale's answer with Whisp. There's a lot more going on here than you guys are currently aware of, so don't judge the man just yet. Remember poor Aaron 'Guilty Before Proven Innocent' Richards.

Happy trails, Zim.

Sailor Sol: Yes, Dear. It takes some time to do this. And I do care about my reviewers. It takes time to review as well. I just like to let you guys know I do appreciate it.

And thank you, by the way, for the kind words. And I will try to take things a bit easy.

Me: Poor Me. Don't take it out on your hair, Dear. It didn't do anything.

Ah! PAR knows Newfoundland. It is very cold, but also very pretty. And the coast is great. I was there in the summer and it was still cold. (PAR is well traveled, you see.)

14, huh? *Snicker* Man, I don't even remember 14.

Thanks for the tissues, Dear. And I would love to take some time off work, but as that I just started this job, I have no sick time saved up.

Actually, as I write this we just had an Artic blast go through and here (in Central Florida) we are expecting freezing temperatures by Tuesday night. In April! Heavens!

No, they are not gay. And questions never offend PAR, Dear.

I got several referrals to bad summaries I neglected to mention. And if you want a good laugh, I highly recommend The Ultimate Harry Potter Cliche Catalogue by Clam Chowder.

Give Orion a chance, Dear. He is not evil. Well, not much.

By the way, PAR likes long reviews.

Essence Of Magic: Well, being the great (?) speller I am, I can't say much about people's spelling.

Honestly, no, I don't think Hermione is in Family Relations. But keep in mind it is still in production, so anything is possible.

Thank you for the standing ovation, Dear. Very nice.

Siriusly Bored

Someone: Thank you, Dear.

Relle: Surely this is not Relle of My Life On A Plate? Listen, bud! Stop reading, start writing. PAR likes that story. Wants to read some more.

(Oh, and if your not, never mind, Dear. Thank you for the review.)

Dadaiiro: I thought Remus' being an animagus was just sort of logical.

Thanks for the review.

Tried And Convicted

frizzy: Thank you, Dear. And I am glad you liked The Bonds That Tie as well. And the little previews of Family Relations.

Yes, sometimes knowing where to end a chapter is very important to its impact.

The Bonds That Tie

Professor Authordude: Thank you. Glad you like it. (That was liking it, right?)

skahducky: BINGO! One gold star for you, Dear (*)! Yes, that was why he was crying!

I'm sorry you are bored, Dear. I hope I can entertain you for a while.

I do apologize if I missed anyone. But one of my review pages wouldn't come up. So if I missed you, again, sorry.

All reviews are as of 03282003.