Hey everyone, I'm back! I realize this took much longer than expected, but with graduation and summer almost here, I got a little caught up in work. However, I'm really excited to begin writing for fanfiction again. Again, thanks for reading!

Towers and Tedium

"The ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

-Kingsley Shacklebolt

The wind whipped Clary's cloak around her legs and she drew it tighter around her shoulders as she peeked out the window in the owlery. Outside, the trees of the forbidden forest swayed under the inky black sky. A huge round moon hung in the sky, painting the school grounds silvery, and in the light of stars, Clary saw the threstals soaring in lazy loops above the grounds. She leaned farther out the window, breathing in the chilly breeze, and listening for any sound of Razz.

Owls don't make noise when they fly, idiot, Clary reminded herself, smiling bitterly. He'll come when he does.

Knowing that didn't make it any easier for Clary to wait. She and Jace had been taking turns, staying up through the night and waiting for Razz to come with the letter from the Lightwoods. It was miserably cold, but how could they sit and do nothing? As if to push the chill away from her, Clary closed her eyes and tried to think of something warm…of the common room back in Gryffindor Tower with the great fire and the cushy arm chairs. There might be a quilt left there, something she could snuggle beneath and warm her toes.

You definitely need to ask Hermione to make you one, Clary thought, smiling faintly. Yes, Hermione could make her a blanket, or at least something roughly blanket in shape that Clary could wrap around herself.

The wind ripped through the tower again and Clary withdrew a little more. Oh, this is pointless. Clary reached into her pocket and removed a stele. After a brief reflection on Jace's rune lessons, Clary drew one on the inside of her wrist and felt heat blossom from her arms and up to her shoulders. With a wry smile, she then replaced her stele with her wand, pointed it at a small bowl in the windowsill and whispered a word. A green fire sprang up at once and Clary huddled even closer to it.

Feeling warmer, and a fair bit more content, Clary leaned against the arched window and peered closer at the sky. It was empty again, and she closed her eyes, willing the faint image of Razz to appear. Almost two weeks they'd been waiting, almost two weeks and no word from anyone.

The news that Valentine had captured Idris had been so much a blow that for a few days, Clary and Jace did little else but wait for word. When it became apparent that no letter was arriving, they tried to rejoin their classmates with some success. Clary dedicated herself more and more to her lessons and Jace participated more than ever in Quidditch, but it was hard to put their friends from their minds. Sensing their disquiet, Harry, Ron, and Hermione employed any number of techniques to draw them out of their melancholy. Harry and Ron took turns sneaking out with Jace to trail Malfoy, but Jace was bored with it. Hermione and the other girls of Gryffindor made a point of inviting Clary into their conversation, but it was always the same: exams, boys, and Voldemort.

And Voldemort was certainly on her mind. Harry had been spending more and more time with Dumbledore since the attack on Idris, the Order had increased the number of watches on the castle, and Clary knew she was being watched. The general agreement among the Order was that with the Clave disbanded, Voldemort would make quick work of them, and, by extension, Hogwart's resident shadowhunters.

And we still don't know why he wants us, Clary thought bitterly. We're trapped out here in the middle of nowhere, and we don't know what Voldemort wants with us.

Lately, she and Jace had taken to discussing it, but aside from wanting them to somehow control her father, and now the Clave, they could think of few things Voldemort would want with them. Clary sighed: as much as she wanted to be afraid of Voldemort, just so she could take the threat more seriously, she couldn't bring herself to understand how a man who lived in the shadows, who had made no attempt to take over, who hadn't even attacked her in any way, could be a threat.

For now, she contented herself to focus on Valentine; he had certainly ruined her life enough for it. Clary stared at the small green fire meditatively, thinking about her friends back in New York, and how much more danger they were in now. She wondered, carelessly almost, if she might be able to contact them using the floo network Dumbeldore had mentioned.

It's not safe yet, just like he said, Clary thought dully. She and Jace had been asking Dumbledore once a week if he would contact Magnus Bane, but he had thus far refused, saying that, according to his contacts, Voldemort was still keeping an eye on the goings on at Hogwarts. Bitterly, Clary jabbed at the fire with her wand and it flared brilliantly, filling the entire owlery with green light.

"Was that for me?"

Clary spun around, wand raised in one hand, stele in the other. "Jace!"

"The one and only," he said, coming forward into the owlery. He was huddled in a cloak of his own, hugging it tightly against him. "By the Angel, it gets cold here. How the hell do the owls sleep here?"

Without a word, Clary held out her hand for Jace imperiously and he crossed the room and took it. She pulled him against her, tucking herself into his cloak. "Like, how do they literally sleep because if an owl just perches on its-"

"Ass!" Jace yelped, jumping back from the window as a feathery ball of fluff zoomed through the window. "Watch where you're going!" he cried after the owl as is alighted on a perch and peered down at him with a reprimanding gaze.

Clary giggled softly, pulling Jace closer to her again. "Temper, temper. Didn't Dumbledore say if you lost your temper again he'd forbid you from teaching our friends how to fight?"

"Dumbledore also told me that if I got detention again he'd have to send a letter to my parent or guardian." Jace smiled sharply. "Not exactly a threat."

"What did you get detention for this time?" Clary demanded, pulling back just a little.

"I don't know, something about flicking those buttons from Transfiguration at Malfoy's head. McGonagall wasn't too happy…" Jace considered the severe woman. "She could give Maryse a run for her money."

The thought of his step-mother, though, drew Jace up short, and he fell silent. It was easy in Hogwarts to forget thing sometimes, what with the constant stream of students, the magic, the Quidditch, and the constant reminder of Voldemort could easily push a few thoughts from someones's mind for a little bit. For Jace, the sudden silence and the seclusion was sufficient to remind him of the Lightwoods.

Clary sensed this. "No news yet, but Razz has to come back tonight. He's been gone so long…"

"He does have to cross and ocean," Jace admitted. "I think we'd know, though, if something had happened."

"What do you think they're doing right now," Clary wondered. "With Magnus?"

"I would imagine they're in hiding, waiting to hear from us."

"And now we're waiting to hear from them." Clary blew out through her nose. "What have you and the boys been doing?"

"Well, Ron is currently failing Potions and Harry is obsessed with Ron's sister." Jace considered his words. "And Malfoy. But since I'm also currently obsessed with Malfoy, I doubt Harry stands a chance of competing with me."

Clary laughed softly as another owl swooped through the window. This one landed on the perch nearest to them and hooted. Clary peered a little closer. "Pig."

"That's not nice," said Jace, pretending to be hurt.

"I meant Pig," said Clary, and pointed to the minute owl.

Jace blinked at the owl. "Probably just back from a trip to the Burrow. I guess the Order has been having dinner there. Discussing the recent news."

"How do you know that?" Clary wondered.

"Nathaniel and Maddy," said Jace absently. "I got an owl from them. They'd like me to update them as soon as I've got word from the Lightwoods."

"Are they coming back to visit soon?" Clary asked hopefully.

Jace shook his head. "Full moon is next week."

"How's he taking to it, do you know?" Clary was thinking of Luke now; he could change whenever he wanted.

"I think it helps that Remus is taking him out."

"Remus is the alpha," Clary said. "Isn't it good for wolves to have an alpha?"

"He can make better decisions when Remus is with him," Jace guessed. "It'll be over soon, don't worry, and then he'll bring Maddy to come visit. You can gush all over her."

"Gush?" Clary asked, making a face. "I don't gush."

Jace, looking scandalized, pointed to himself.

"I don't-"

"What's that?" Jace asked sharply, jerking toward the window. He wasn't looking at the skyline, though, but at the school grounds. "Someone is leaving the forest."

Clary followed Jace's gaze and saw a lone figure leaving the cover of the trees. They were tall, wearing a long, sweeping cloak that covered their face, and were walking swiftly toward the school. Clary frowned; students were under strict supervision now that Alicante had been attacked, and though she and Jace managed to sneak around the staff, no one else should have been able to.

"Should we follow them?" she wondered, not sure if leaving the owlery was the best idea. "Their heading for the school," she added a bit nervously.

"They are," Jace agreed. He glanced around at the owls, wondering if Razz was about to make his return. He'll find you if you're not here, Jace reminded himself. "Let me mark you and we can catch up."

Clary swept her cloak aside and displayed her arm to Jace to mark, and when he was finished, they two of them crept down the winding stairs from the owerly. Clary moved a pace ahead of Jace, ready to be gone from the cold, and they cleared the courtyard in less than a minute. As they turned a corner they spotted the lone figure, marching up the steps to the front doors. Clary stopped Jace before he walked around the corner into plain view.

"Who is that? They look familiar." Clary peered closer at the figure. They reached the door, waved their hand in a strange gesture, and the door glowed golden for a moment before lurching open.

Jace, pressing behind Clary, said, "More importantly, what were they doing in the forest at this time of night?"

The figure stepped into the castle and the doors shut heavily. "They must be professors at the school," Clary mused. "How else could they have opened the door?"

"Late night stroll?"

Clary frowned. "Checking the school gates?"

Jace leaned back against the wall, looking out toward the trees. "The gates aren't through the forest." He breathed out through his nose. "So, what were they doing?"

"You think Harry, Ron, and Hermione are up yet?" Clary wondered.

Jace smiled thinly. "They will be. Come on, let's pay them a visit." Jace turned looking quite pleased, heading back toward the courtyard.

"How?" Clary asked, running after Jace. "We're locked out of the castle. Which reminds me, how did you get here?"

"Oh, ye of little faith," Jace said over his shoulder. As they approached the owlery, Jace began rooting around the base of the building. After a moment, he produced his broomstick. "Fly right up to the windows."

"They charm the doors but not the windows?" Clary asked, smirking.

"Well, in their defense, the windows of Gryffindor tower are pretty high up. I couldn't even jump them if I wanted." Jace held the broom out so that Clary could see it in the moonlight. "Need a lift?"

"My mother always told me I should never run away with a boy on a bike, but she didn't say anything about a boy on a broom."

"Good thing too, because we're using that excuse when you introduce us for the first time," Jace said, and swung himself onto his broom; he held out his hand and helped Clary unsteadily onto the broom. She wrapped her arms around Jace's abdomen and rested her cheek on his back.

"I'll protect you," Clary murmured before Jace pushed off and the ground fell away.

Clary felt a rush of excitement and she wanted to shout out, but knowing her cries might alert one of the Advance Guard on duty, she held back. They cut a path through the moonlit night, sailing along at the same height as the threstals, and circled around the castle, looking for Gryffindor tower. Slowly, the spire came into view and Jace banked the broom.

"Whose window is it?" Clary murmured. "We can't go in through the girls' room; boys aren't allowed."

Jace glanced back at her. "Boy aren't allowed? Who's going to stop me?"

Clary merely smirked. "You've never been in my dorm for a reason. There are jinxes and charms to stop boys and kick them out. Apparently, the founders thought boys were untrustworthy."

"And do you think I'm untrustworthy?" Jace asked, drawing closer to the windows.

"It's not up to me," said Clary primly. "Take it up with the school."

"Add it to the list of problems I have with this place, right after the stupid talking paintings and the janitor's cat," Jace muttered, and aimed the broom at a window. They were hovering alongside one of the windows, and inside, Jace and Clary could see sleeping figures.

"Let's wake the sleeping darlings, shall we?" Clary giggled.

Jace held the broom steady while Clary precariously clambered from broom to windowsill. She did her best not to look down, but a quick glimpse showed her the drop was quite far. With a deep breath, Clary cleared the distance and landed catlike on the floor of the boys' room. After a moment, she returned to the window to help Jace from his broom to the window and into the room.

Jace shucked the broom under the only empty bed and crossed over to where Harry was sleeping. He prodded the wizard boy; Harry mumbled something in his sleep. "Wake up," Jace growled.

"G'way, Ron," Harry mumbled, rolling over.

"I'm not Ron," Jace breathed.

"And we're not sugar plums either," Clary added, pinching Harry's arm.

"W-what?" Harry jerked awake, his hand shooting at once for both wand and glasses. "What do you want?"

"To put your hand in warm water and watch you pee yourself, but we woke you up completely by mistake, so now we're just making you get up out of spite," said Jace sarcastically. "We saw someone."

This seemed enough to rouse Harry, who managed to slam his glasses on his face and sit up. "Saw someone?"

"Yeah, wake Ron up, I'm getting Hermione," said Clary, and she vanished from the room.

Harry watched her go. "Like, a dangerous someone, or just a someone?"

"We're going to figure that out," said Jace, and pulled Harry from bed.

Five minutes later, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Clary, and Jace were huddled before the embers of the fire, wrapped in dressing gowns, with their heads bowed in discussion.

"They came from the forest?" Hermione asked around a yawn. "But there's nothing in there-"

"There's a bunch of beasts!" said Ron. "Giant spiders, centaurs, vampires and who knows what else."

"And why would that matter?" Clary asked. "If they live on Hogwarts land, their probably not a danger to the students, right?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked between each other. "Well, the spiders did try to kill us," Harry said slowly.

"And the centaurs did attack Dolorous Umbride-not that that's a bad thing," Ron mused.

"So, you think someone went in there to talk to them?" Clary pressed. "Who?"

"Could be Dumbledore," Jace supposed.

"He's been gone," said Harry, "unless he just got back tonight and had an urgent meeting in the forest." His tone didn't recommend the idea to anyone else. "Maybe it was Snape."

"Snape?" Hermione asked. "What business does he have?"

"Working for Voldemort," Harry said at once. "Dumbledore said that Voldemort wanted the magical creatures on his side. Maybe he's trying to win over Aragog."

"Aragog would never hurt Hagrid, and Hagrid is loyal to Dumbledore," said Hermione.

"Werewolves in the forest?" Jace asked, thinking of Nathaniel.

"I don't know how they'd get on the land after all the charms Dumbledore placed," Hermione said.

"Secret meeting then," Ron put in next. "I bet Malfoy was out there, meeting with someone."

"You're joking," Hermione laughed sharply. "Malfoy hates the forest as much as you do."

"It had to have been a professor," said Clary before Hermione and Ron argued. "Whoever they were, they knew the charm to open the front doors."

Harry looked ready to open his mouth and say Snape's name, but he caught Hermione's eye and said instead, "It could be one the Order. I bet Dumbledore gave them the charm to get in. Though what they might be doing out in the forest at this time, I haven't a clue."

"Who from the Order is here this weekend?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure," Harry said. "It's not Sirius. He would have told me he's coming."

"It's not Remus, either," Clary said quickly. "Nathaniel would have let us know."

"There's a lot of people in the Order," said Ron, glancing out the window toward the slowly lightening sky. "It could have been any of them and it's not like they're going to tell us."

"What would they be doing in the forest anyway?" Clary asked. "Aren't they supposed to be guarding the school grounds?"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Maybe there's something dangerous in the forest they had to look in to?"

"Like Hagrid's brother?" Ron snickered.

"What were they doing then?" Jace asked into silence.

It was certainly a conundrum, and, as they sat around the fire and the sun slowly rose, they couldn't figure it out. In the distance, the sounds of their fellow waking Gryffindors echoed through the rooms, and they drew apart a little so as not to look secretive. The first of the students came done the stairs and glanced around, saw the others grouped around the fire, and rushed over.

"Morning, Lavender," said Hermione tiredly.

"You lot are up early, aren't you?"

"Too early to deal with her," Clary muttered into Jace's ear and he laughed, earning a very dark look from Lavender.

"Are you all going down for breakfast?" she asked, eyes mostly on Ron. "Paravati is still sleeping but I'm starving and can't wait for her."

"I've actually got to…" Clary realized she had no way of finishing the sentence. "Shower, I need a shower."

"Me as well," said Hermione swiftly. "We were just going to get our things and head out. Sorry, Lavender."

Lavender, looking disappointed for the loss of an excuse to eat breakfast with Ron, smiled one more time for his benefit before heading for the portrait hole. As she went, Ron frowned. "Lavender seems a bit keen, doesn't she?"

"If you were any more unobservant, I'd think you were blind," said Jace disgustedly. "Actually, no, even blind people pick up on hints. You're more like a hermit crab that lives at the bottom of the ocean and breeds asexually."

"I was just going to say he buds." It was Ginny, and she fell into the seat nearest Clary, smirking at her brother.

"Like an amoeba?" Clary asked, and then used her hands to mime mitotic cell division. "Perfect replicates."

"We don't need more copies of Ron," said Ginny, laughing at the outraged look on her brother's face. "If he had any help, he could follow me around all the time, glowering while I'm with Dean."

"Brother's job, is what it is!" Ron said, outraged. "And one day, you'll thank me for it."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure. Anyway, I only stopped by to see when we're having Quidditch practice."

"This evening. Unless…" he paused, not wanting Ginny to know about his lessons with Dumbledore. "…something comes up."

Ginny stood, smiling in a way that made Harry's insides flip. "You think Snape is going to give you a detention during the weekend?"

"He's been giving me detention during lessons for six years," Harry said with equal verve. "Must be getting boring by now."

"Must be," Ginny agreed before she left the common room.

"You're expecting Dumbledore back?" Jace asked, curious at once. "Do you know where he was?"

"No, I don't know, to either of those questions," said Harry in a hard voice. "Though, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess he wasn't trying to make contact with the Lightwoods."

Jace scowled. "He told us he'd set up a onetime connection to Magnus' apartment."

"He's been busy," said Clary, trying to remain calm. The truth was that she was desperate for news of her friends, and Dumbledore taking his time was becoming frustrating. "I mean, if Dumbledore expects Voldemort to attack Idris now that Valentine has control, he's probably planning for that."

"But why would he attack now?" Jace asked. "He wants us and he knows we're not there."

"But why does he want you?" It was Hermione, and she had been preoccupied with this question since Valentine had taken over Idris as it seemed far more pertinent now. "What use are you alive to Voldemort?"

"Well, what use are we dead?" Clary countered with a touch a frostiness in her voice.

"What I mean," said Hermione, "is that there are, quite literally, thousands of shadowhunters in Idris. If Voldemort wanted one, I'm sure he could find one there. What makes you different?"

Jace and Clary glanced at each other. They themselves didn't know exactly what made them different, they only knew that they were. It left them in peculiar situation: they could tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and reveal what could, potentially, be quite a disturbing secret of their father's; or, they could continue to hide the truth, but get no further in figuring out Voldemort's plan. Clary glanced at Jace, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was waiting for her response; whatever she chose, it seemed, would be his decision.

"We are Valentine's children," Clary hedged, "and he might-"

"Oy, have you seen Ginny?" Clary snapped her mouth shut as Dean came over between them. "She said she'd wait for me, but it looks like she's already gone?"

"Obviosuly," Ron muttered.

Harry wasn't feeling very sympathetic to Dean either. "She left a few minutes ago for breakfast."

"Figures," Dean said to himself and rolled his eyes before leaving them.

"I'm getting sick of him," growled Ron, watching Dean's retreating back. "I wish Ginny would just dump him."

Harry nodded in a non-committal fashion, but saw Jace watching him with his strange, yellow eyes. "Maybe we should go down. Everyone is up anyway, and it's not like we can talk anymore."

Clary yawned, thinking of bed. "Maybe I'll just go back to bed."

"Oh, no," said Jace, trying to be serious. "You're the one who wanted to wait in the owlery all night. You need to stay up with me." Jace glanced at the others. "Don't leave me with them."

"Are you still on about that?" Harry asked, rising up. "When are you going to admit that you like us?"

"Never?" Jace answered, but his voice was light and careless.

"Alright, boys," Clary sighed, and nodded toward the portrait hole. "If I'm staying up, I need coffee. Let's go."

They joined their fellow early risers and headed out the portrait hole. The great hall was filling up steadily by the time they arrived, and many students were talking hopefully of the day to come. There was that disconcerting feeling Jace sometimes got that nothing was ever happening here, and the students were simply ignoring the events of the outside world. They took their seats some ways down from a bunch of gossiping girls for breakfast.

"So, Quidditch tonight?" Ron asked, looking to Harry who was pushing some eggs around his plate. "First match is coming up soon."

"I expect we'll be fine," Harry shrugged. Malfoy had just entered, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, and was looking sour. "I heard Ravenclaw's a mess this year."

"Who told you that?" Hermione asking, thinking about Cho.

Harry frowned at her. "I don't know, someone mentioned in in last Potions class. Malfoy's not looking too good, is he?"

Jace turned in his seat to stare at the other boy. "Now, in my opinion, is the time to attack. Knives and forks should do fine."

"Kicking while their down," Harry mused. "How brave."

"As opposed to kicking him while he's up?" Jace looked confused. "How could I reach his face then?

"Plotting over here, are we?"

Clary scowled as Romilda Vane and her Ravenclaw friend came by. Romilda smiled warmly at Harry and the other girl cast a sly look Jace's way. Hermione gestured to the food in front of them. "We plan now over bacon, strike later over lunch."

"I suppose we must be especially careful then," Romilda said playfully, trying to catch Harry's eye. "Don't want any surprise attacks."

"Like in the library," the Ravenclaw girl said, laughing as if it was a joke.

Clary smirked, meeting her gaze fully. "Never know what you might find there."

The girl must not have expected Clary to be so forward, because she looked away, blushing a bit. Romilda was a bit quicker. "Could be exciting, though."

Harry, who was a bit embarrassed by Romilda's flirting, took a long drawn on his orange juice. "Probably not as much as you think."

"There's only one way to find out," Romilda returned.

"Battle to the death?" Jace asked loudly. "We kept swords in the library at the Institute. Great, big ones for demon hunting. That's pretty exciting."

Harry and Ron snorted into their food and Clary flashed another predatory look at Romilda and her friend. Romilda opened her mouth to say something, but, unable to find a response to Jace's statement, she looked around at them. Hermione, diplomatic as always, helped herself to a glass of orange juice.

"Well, barring swords and axes and whatever other weapons you might find in a library, that's where I'll be today. Clary, do you want to come along? We can finish that essay for Potions."

"Yeah, I haven't got the slightest clue about what's going on, and after my last assignment, Slughorn will send me to-"

"Owl!" Ron cried as a fluffy ball dropped out of the air and crashed into the table.

Everyone pulled their plates away from the owl as it rolled upright and watched as it tiredly pecked a piece of bacon.

"Razz," said Clary, reaching for the owl who hooted at her in greeting.

"Looks frazzled," said Jace, and he held out his hand a moment, letting the owl adjust to his presence. When Razz bobbed Jace a small bow, he began to pet his feathered head. "You tired, big guy?"

Clary smiled at Jace's tenderness. "And he's got a letter."

"Look at this place, it's ridiculous," Alecto said, looking down from the hill at the city. The sun had risen over it and the towers were glowing in the light. "Who builds something like this?"

"Idiots," hissed Amycus. "It won't matter soon. The Dark Lord will have them in the end. Imagine this city then…imagine the filthy, little animals as they run."

Alecto turned away from Alicante and back toward the darkness that the forest provided. "Come, we should take the potion now and head immediately to the city."

"I despise the idea," said Amycus. "Consorting with the likes of them. It sickens me. The sooner the Dark Lord finds those Morgenstern brats, the better."

"What does he need them for, I wonder," Alecto said thoughtfully as he stirred the potion. "They must be more than just shadowhunter children."

"No one knows," said Amycus, and she looked irritated at the idea. "He says they are different. I wonder how he will use them."

Alecto paused in stirring the potion and glanced back toward the city. "I hope he destroys them. I hope he breaks them into pieces."

Amycus took her brother's place before the potion and began to divvy it out into two glasses. "They are children, Alecto, nothing more. Perhaps he has plans to make an example out of them, perhaps he is simply going to cut them open and see what their insides look like." She laughed at the idea. "I do not think they will help him crumble this city."

Alecto reached into his cloak and removed a few hairs; he separated them and dropped them into the glasses. One potion turned so blue it was almost white and other deep red. Alecto and Amycus looked down at their potions, their faces glowing in the shifting light. Alecto raised the glass to his lips, but before he drank from it, he met his sister's eyes.

"The Morgenstern children will break. The shadowhunters will break. Towers of glass break, remember that too."