Future Complications

Chapter 4

Harry came round, after another strange dream and felt terrible. His eyes felt like they were glued shut, his limbs numb and strained. He felt like he had a weight pressing down on his chest. He prised his eyelids open slowly, thankfully wherever he was wasn't very bright. The air felt cool against his skin and he could smell a fruity fragrance. His eyes open now, as much as they could be when they felt like they were in a vice. The first thing he saw was a female face, but then he noticed the long black hair hanging down.

"Hello." Said the girl in a sweet voice. The hairs on the back of his neck instantly stuck up.

Not really comprehending words right then Harry looked around him, as much as moving his head would allow. He appeared to be on a dark leather sofa. As he looked back at the girl he noticed she was straddled on top of him. He understood where the weight on his chest was coming from now.

"Hi…" Harry said nervously, already starting to panic about where Hermione was.

The girl smirked down at him and shifted her weight a little.

"You're a interesting one you know." She said as she drew circles on his singed t-shirt. Her finger sometimes touching his skin if she hit a hole or tear in the fabric. He surprised the shiver each time.

Harry didn't know what to say, he didn't even even know where he was; he decided to start with clearing that up first.

"Where am I, exactly?" He asked, his piercing green eyes staring into her striking blue.

"My father's castle of course." She replied bluntly.

Castle? Did that mean..

"You're his daughter aren't you? Voldemort's daughter." Harry said, he'd never seen her in person but knew Voldemort had a daughter, and there were a lot of rumours too. Thinking back he recognised her as the girl sitting next to him in the top box.

She smiled, he wasn't sure if he should be afraid or blush. "You're quick too, I'm liking you more every minute Harry." She said.

As if saying his name jogged her memory he quickly tried to sit up but failed when both his sore back and the fact he had a girl sitting on him stopped him.

"Now, now. You were very hurt you know? Poor thing… Plenty of rest I think."

Harry ignored her. "Where's Hermione?" He asked, a hard look on his face which she ignored and simply smiled at him again.

"Nothing to worry about Harry, she's perfectly safe in the other room. We had to basically prise her off you in London."

In London? Well that confirms I'm where I think I am. Voldemort's castle.

"You and your idiots better not have laid a finger on her."

She smiled again and it was starting to annoy the hell out of him. "You can stop smiling too, I know you're far from a princess and can you please get off of me, I want to see her." He said assertively. He knew he probably shouldn't be talking to Voldemort's daughter like that but frankly he didn't care, he wanted to make sure Hermione was ok.

Her smile disappeared this time and he feared he really did go too far. She squeezed her legs on either side of him as if to lock herself in place. She leaned in low just beside his ear and whispered into it. "No one's ever spoken to me like that before Harry, do it again and I'll make sure your little miss sweet heart doesn't see the light of day." She turned slightly and seductively bit his ear before whispering again when Harry nodded subtly. "Good boy."

"Now, my name is Athena as you're probably aware and," She started to say, leaning back up but still not moving from her position on him. "As unfortunate as your defeat was-"

"Wait, defeat? I didn't win?" Harry said quickly, cutting her off. He saw her eyebrow twitched at the interruption.

"While your display of strength was magical, the Royal Guard unfortunately recovered in the arena and was declared the winner." She sounded like she didn't care all that much for the Guards, she was however very interested in Harry.

"Now as I was saying, as you lost you do not get to claim your reward; hence the reason my father is still in London and not here listening to your request." Harry's heart dropped at that, he'd tried so hard. "However, I on the hand would like to offer you a job, of sorts."

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked, he didn't care what the job was; he already had one. If he didn't win, they would both go back to their cottage.

Harry noticed her eye switch again. "The girl? No clue, don't really care." She said and Harry clenched his fist.

Athena moved her hands up his chest and rested them against his collarbone. "If you accept my offer however, I'll give you your little request. How's that?"

Thinking quickly Harry soon found she wasn't giving him a choice. He either accepted the job, which meant he could request for Hermione's seal or he could refuse it and probably be killed, along with her. It was a no brainer. He had to make sure his terms were met however, he wasn't going to be double crossed.

"Hermione gets a seal, then I'll do whatever you want." He said with confidence.

"Anything, huh? Why not, the little mudblood can have a seal. It makes no difference to me." She said casually, not caring about giving a muggle a high status. Harry was struggling to understand her.

"Do you accept the position to be my Royal Protector?" She asked, suddenly very serious.

Royal Protector? He hadn't heard of that title before, he assumed it was just a glorified body guard. It didn't sound to bad. He didn't know why she was picking him though, surely the Guard who Harry lost too was better suited for it, he barely had control of his magic as it was.

"Deal," He said before thinking something quickly. "And I want a house." He added quickly.

Athena smirked once again, this time it wasn't cute. "Agreed." She then quickly leaned forward and kissed him.

Harry tried to instantly push her off but he lacked strength and she seemed to have a lot of it for some reason. She parted his lips and Harry felt something tug at his magic. It was the first time Harry had felt it since waking up and it was af it was beating in line with his heart. Every second that the kiss deepened his magic would flare. Eventually, weather she stopped or Harry eventually forced her off she pulled back and tapped her bottom lip lightly with her index finger.

"It's sealed." She said and lifted herself off of him and walked over to a large window. "You can go and see your wench now. I will arrange for a seal and your house." She looked over her shoulder to look at him as he was sitting up on the sofa. "Betray me and you'll regret it, you listen to me now and me only. That applies to my father too."

His magic gave a soft beat, or maybe that was his heart; he couldn't tell. Without a backwards glance he quickly, even if he was a little wobbly, left the room.

She said it was next to this room.

Harry looked left and right, he'd come out into an elegant looking hallway. There was a large staircase to the right and a few other rooms to the left. Taking the chance and opening the door to the immediate left of him Harry grasped the handle and opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was there was much more sunlight in this room than the previous, which seemed weird to Harry because it had less windows. Brushing it off as a quirk he moved fully into the room.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled upon realising who had entered the room. She had been sitting on a chair in the corner, silently waiting. She ran and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Harry still didn't have the strength to take the weight of another person yet and dropped to his knees.

"S-Sorry Harry… I didn't think, you're still hurt aren't you?" She said, worried.

He laughed however, and it felt good too. She was fine, and he would be fine. He didn't win the Trials, even if he had been close but he got his wish anyway. "I'm fine, or at least I will be. Just a little weak at the moment.

"I'm glad…" She said, they were both on their knees and looking at each other. Hermione with worry still visible on her face and Harry just looked tired beyond belief. Harry watched as she raised her hands again and steadied himself for another hug when suddenly she started hitting him as hard as she could.

"You. Stupid. Idiot. How. Could. You!" She punched him wherever she could that Harry wasn't defending with each word. "I told you not too, that it was stupid and you went and did it anyway!" Another punch, this time catching him off guard and hitting hit him in the stomach. "Why didn't you listen?"

Hermione stopped hitting him and looked at him with a worried expression again. He was laughing with a large smile on his face. Did I hit him too hard?

When Harry eventually stopped and calmed down he sat down on the floor after his knees gave a twinge of pain. "I'm sorry Hermione, but I'm not sorry." He said.

"You're not sorry?"

"I'm sorry for lying to you, and not listening. But I'm not sorry I did it. You're getting a seal and I have a house now. It should be good, no leaks or anything."

Hermione looked shocked as she stared at him. "What do you mean, I'm getting a seal? But… But you didn't win?" She asked in confusion.

"I met…" He started to but quickly stopped, he wasn't sure how he should explain it. He definitely didn't want to explain how their deal went down either. He knew they weren't a couple or anything but Hermione would take it badly and he didn't want to hurt her. He'd explain it all when she was in a better mood; and when he could take the blows better. "Voldemort's daughter. She offered me a job as her Royal Protector or something. Crazy I know, but I asked for a seal and a house before I accepted."

"And that's it? She accepted it just like that, and you too for that matter?" She asked skeptically.

He gulped, which sounded very loud to him. "Well, pretty much and why wouldn't I? It's a win win, we get a house and we're both now recognised by the country. No more dodging people, we'll have more money. You can get books! A warm house, just think of that Hermione. Think of how warm you'll be…" Harry tried to really sell the whole warmth thing, as that was Hermione's biggest complaint in their cottage and she hated being cold. It was always why Harry was used as personal hot water bottle.

"Mhmm… I guess, but doesn't it feel too easy?" She said, smiling a little now.

Harry brushed it off with a wave of his hand and grasped both of hers in his.

"This is a new chapter for us Hermione and I'm glad I'm sharing it with you."

"I thought I told you you weren't allowed in here?" Voldemort said in a deadpan voice.

Athena didn't seem to be paying much attention as she browsed the large bookcase on the wall. Tapping them with her finger as she looked across the rows. "I didn't think you were back already." She said.

"And me not being present entitles you access?" He asked.

"Oh please, it's not like you don't know when and who is in your office, wherever you are." Athena plucked a book from a shelf and held it up to her father. "I'm borrowing this by the way."

Voldemort didn't say anything to that, he simply continued to work away at his desk. It was boring, and he hated doing it but it needed to be done, he didn't trust anyone else with it. He missed the action though, the killing, the screams from torture.

"What did you do with the boy?" Voldemort said into the silence and Athena stopped with her hand on the door handle.

She smirked and turned around with a smile on her face. "Oh not much, gave him a job. He's very interesting you know. His little mudblood is getting a seal though, oh that's right I need a seal." She walked over to his desk and held out her hand expectantly.

Voldemort met her eyes but she didn't budge. Drawing his wand he drew an intricate pattern in the area and a gold seal landed in her open palm. She turned without uttering another word and walked back towards the door, seal in one hand and book in the other. As she grabbed the handle again Voldemort once again spoke up.

"Don't think the rules have changed Athena. I'll only put up with your actions for so long, I'll remove you the same way your mother was."

Athena pulled on the handle and left, closing the door behind her without looking back.

Harry and Hermione had been given a letter from a large masked Death Eater. Originally nervous when the man walked in Harry had stepped in front of Hermione automatically. However he simply handed Harry the letter, which had a weight to it and left without muttering a single word.

Reading the letter detailed the location of their house, which was located in the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, thankfully there was a map. It also detailed his pay and where he stood in society.

"Wow…" Harry said as he read, Hermione pulled the worn parchment from his grasp and read it herself, curiosity could never hold her back.

"You're considered higher than a Royal Guard!" Hermione said, nearly yelling.

Harry was already dreading it, a new comer already at that kind of position. What was Athena planning? Different scenarios went through his mind as Hermione finished the letter and moved on to take the seal out of the envelope. Harry watched as she turned it over in her hand as she examined it.

"Make sure you always have it on you, OK?" Harry said, plucking the seal from her hand and pinning it on her jumper.

Hermione beamed up at him. "Thanks, I will… And, Harry… I'm still mad, but… I really appreciate what you did. Don't do it ever again."

Feeling rather brave, Harry held her hand and pulled her towards the door. Together they navigated the castle, which turned out to be easier than they first thought by following the instructions on the letter. Harry fell into a missing step on one of the staircases and Hermione's heart almost stopped when a suit of armour suddenly yelled at her. When they found the huge front door they left and walked down towards the metal gates they saw in the distance. Hermione moved a little closer to Harry when they heard strange noises coming from a dense forest on the grounds but eventually they made it out of the castle. It was a little strange they didn't meet any Guards or other people, that they knew of anyway.

They both had to admit how impress they were of the castle. It was how Hermione thought it should look from when her parents read her stories in bed. The letter said to just follow the path from the main gates and they would find the village. Hermione didn't say anything as they walked and Harry was looking every way he could, determined to memorise every detail. To him, this was all incredible. Ever since he found out he could do magic he had an urge to want to be apart of it's world. He never would have thought he'd be this deep in it.

"I-I think that's the village." Hermione said, pointing to a soft yellow glow ahead of them. It was a little foggy but they could just make out some shapes which looked like buildings. Hermione had a been blushing ever since Harry took her hand and was a little nervous.

They picked up the pace and quickly found themselves in a small village. They both had to admit it was pretty nice. There weren't many people around but it was getting late and frankly they didn't want anymore possible attention.

Hermione had the letter in her hand and was reading it again for the directions of their new home. She was excited to see it. "I think… That it's this one." She said, stopping outside of a small house. It wasn't anywhere near as small as their cottage but it wasn't anything grand. Hermione climbed the few brick stairs outside the front door and gentle pushed the door open.

"Hello?" She called out into the house. No one replied so they moved past the plain red welcome mat but stopped in front of a small wooden table with spindle legs pressing against the wall. There was a small package, wrapped in brown paper and tied string.

Harry reached out and grabbed it and gave it a little shake. He couldn't feel anything moving around and it didn't rattle. In-fact it felt soft so he decided to open it. A bundle of fabric fell to the floor, but he kept a hold of it and he soon saw it was a dark navy blue robe with intricate gold details. It was a little different to the Guards uniform he noticed, his looked more detailed. Hermione picked up the small piece of parchment that fell from the package and read it allowed.

"This is your uniform, you're to always wear it; including the pin. Lose it and I'll kill you. Be at the castle at 7 every morning." It was signed 'A', which he knew meant Athena.

"Lose it and she'll kill you? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Hermione said, instantly deciding she really didn't like this women.

Harry thought about what words to use. "Well… She did come off as a bit strange. Definitely Voldemort's daughter though. I really wish I didn't have to do this..." He mumbled the last sentence hoping Hermione wouldn't really hear but her keen hearing unfortunately wasn't taking a day off.

"Why couldn't you decline? Harry if you don't want to do it no one is forcing you." Hermione was holding the letter still in her hand at her side and a confused look on her face.

You would probably be killed, along with me. So yeah, it wasn't my choice. Athena is crazy.

He wanted to say that, but couldn't. "It's worth it though, for this." He said with a gesture to the house they were in. Hermione thankfully accepted that answer.

"OK, well there was a key attached to the back of this note. Should you have it or should I?" She asked holding the key out to him. It was a large key like you'd find for a muggle shed.

"You should keep it, I can just use magic… It's still strange admitting that, considering I was using it to open and lock our cottage every day."

After that they scoped the place out and it turned out to be perfect. They had a living room with a nice fireplace in, a downstairs and an upstairs bathroom. There was a kitchen with a small side room that Hermione said could be used for storage. Upstairs there were two bedrooms and another small room. It was dry, there weren't any leaks and they couldn't hear the wind blowing outside.

"It's perfect." Hermione said after they had checked all the rooms. Harry couldn't help but feel happy at the huge smile on her face. "But what about your stuff? I don't just want to leave it behind…"

Harry had thought about that too. "I'll figure something out dont worry."

They were standing in what they assumed was the master bedroom, based on the size. Hermione walked over to him and hugged him around the waste.

"Thank you, Harry." She said quietly.

"You're sure it's him?" An old man sat in a large room filled only with tall back chairs.

Another man, considerably younger sat in front of him. "Positive, I didn't recognise him at first when I called his name for the Trials but I noticed his eyes Albus. He's Lily's son all right, I'll bet my life on it. Plus, it's far too much of a coincidence that his name is Harry. He didn't give a family name when he signed up either."

"What happened to him at when the match finished?" Albus asked. His blue eyes sitting behind half moon spectacles shined brightly with curiosity.

"Carted off, haven't seen him since. Doubt they did anything to him though.. He was using magic Albus… But, without a wand. I know it exists but, you had to see it to believe it…"

"Oh I believe it Frank. Harry was gifted with magic even at a very young age, that much was very clear. It was a terrible shame what his parents had to do to keep him safe. I know Lily wants him back now that it's calmed down but at the height of the war, they weren't safe. Voldemort was looking for them and if he found Harry all would be lost."

Frank looked nervous as Dumbledore spoke. "You still don't want to contact him do you?" He asked.

Dumbledore smiled softly. "Unfortunately, I do not. I don't believe it is time to drag Harry into this. We need him, there's no doubt about it, but we now don't even know which side he is on."

Frank stood quickly, his voice louder. "How could you say that? Of course he's on our side, think at what his parents had to do, are doing!"

"Lily destroyed his memory of them, and us. He is essentially not the young boy we remember Frank." Dumbledore said rationally, unphased by Franks outburst.

"Memory charms fade over time, are you willing to leave Harry where Voldemort can get him. What if he's already peering into his mind?" Frank asked, still standing.

Sighing dumbledore waved his beautifully carved yew wand and produced a cup of tea for each of them. Frank took it with a nod and sat down again. "You're misunderstanding the difference between erased and destroyed, Frank. In the magical word we are able to modify memories, but the brain is extremely complicated. Erasing memories, even done by a master obliviator can sometimes leaves traces which lead to remembering. Lily, being an extremely gifted witch herself chose to destroy, rather than erase. I admit it was dangerous, one of the most dangerous things you could attempt. It's very unlikely he would remember anything, at least enough to make sense."

Frank thought about Dumbledore's explanation, it made sense, but then some of it didn't. There were parts Dumbledore was missing out, and flat out not telling them all.

"I need you to keep an eye on him Frank, stick with your cover and find out as much as you can. I'll contact him when I feel it's right. We've been keeping ourselves hidden for now and Voldemort is growing impatient. He want's the Order finished for good."

"You still believe Harry fit's the prophecy?" Frank asked quietly.

Dumbledore took a sip of his tea and smiled.

"Without a doubt."

A/N: I'm really sorry about the short chapter, but it's needed! It's more of a chapter 3 part 2. The next chapter will be a lot longer if you stick around. Please leave a review/PM.