Chapter 6:

Harry's POV:

"We need Kingsley, Remus, Tonks and Mr Weasley," Hermione decides as we sit in a living room in Amelie's house. The deçor is what I'm sort of expecting from this chick: very neutral and simplistic, with a brown leather sofa. In fact, the only thing I can think of that's out of place is a huge television attached to the far wall - Sam's one piece (I assume... Unless he's gay at heart!) that has been allowed in this room.

"What about McGonagall or someone?" Ron suggests but I shake my head.

"Too risky - how would she get away from Hogwarts without attracting their attention?" I ask and he realises this. "She wouldn't be able to. Good idea, mate, but it's not operable."

I wrack my brain for absolutely anyone else who could possibly be defined as a 'war leader' on our side who isn't either a) pretending to be a Ministry official or b) working at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, I don't come up with anymore.

"Shall we go then?" Sam suddenly says from behind me, making us all jump. Jeez, when did he get here? "Sorry, I forgot you can't hear as well - I spend my time with humans as well, but mainly in Common Grounds when we're sat down at the table together."

"Where are you going?" Amelie's voice cuts through the air like knives.

"To go fetch these people they need," he replies, standing up and looking into her cool grey eyes. She doesn't flinch, instead rises to the challenge by staring back stonily at her husband. Whew, the tension in here is sky-high!

"Who gave you those orders?" she asks with an edge to her voice.

"Claire," he responds, looking away from Amelie to pace around the room. This leaves Amelie staring at nothing, anger gradually growing on her face. Uh-oh, I don't think we really want to be seeing this!

"That girl has grown too big for her boots," she says coolly. "You haven't a clue, Sam, how many situations I've had to diffuse regarding her. Most of them are to do with Oliver."

"The name Oliver explains it," Sam says, getting angry himself. His pacing takes up the majority of the room, leaving Hermione, Ron and myself, feeling apprehensive about being here. Do we really want to witness an argument between the Founder and her husband - will we be killed for watching such an event? "Amelie, what the hell do you expect when that bastard is in the equation?"

"I expect you to follow my orders, not Claire's," Amelie continues, sounding a little like a jealous schoolgirl with her choice of words. Still, when she says them only power comes out - like a double echo underneath the word, confirming her power.

Sam peals a short burst of sarcastic laughter before looking her straight in the eyes once again. "Amelie, we're married. That means you have some power over me, as I you, but I do not have to follow your orders as if I'm your servant!"

She glares (well, an 'Amelie' approximation of a glare) at him, the feeling in the room turning icy cold. Uh oh.

Sam's POV:

She is being completely and utterly ridiculous! I cannot believe how jealous she sounds, but also the fact that she's contesting me leaving Morganville to fetch people to help these kids win a war! Now she's playing the power game, compelling me (not in the literal sense, more using the 'written' power she has over me) to do her bidding just because she can!

After I lay into her, the room turns deathly cold. Oh look, her power is ebbing out of her to reveal itself - trying to intimidate me? The chill spreads across the room and does rob me of some of my strength, yet I stand up taller to stare down into her eyes with even more anger. There's a saying that redheads are more angry and I have to say that when I do get mad (not very often) I get really mad.

Then she finally speaks. "I may not have any maritual power over you, Sam, but I have my Founder power and the fact that you must obey my command if I am forced down that path," she says and I whirl away, breaking the eye connection. Is she actually being serious? She's going to 'force' me to do her bidding, just like she forced Myrnin to work with Claire when he was ill or forces Oliver to remain sedate?

I punch the nearest object - which just happens to be one of Amelie's bloody tables - and it shatters into a million tiny pieces. Her eyebrows have raised as I turn back towards her, but still the anger remains etched on her face. It's one of two emotions she can never hide with that damned mask of her's: anger and love.

I march towards her and lower my tone of voice, so the children cannot hear - this is nothing to do with them and I'm amazed Amelie didn't care about arguing in front of them. Normally, 'public appearance' comes first with her.

"You do this," I growl, right in front of her. "And I swear, I will divorce you," I say, pleasure taking over inside of me as I watch a spasm of pain flash across her face, before guilt and hurt overpower the pleasure.

"Then I guess I don't need these anymore," she says with a wry smile, removing her rings. I see a small falter in her composure which shows me that she isn't fine with this, and I know I most certainly aren't - why would we be married if I didn't love her? I only used divorce to try and see to what extremes she'd go to to protect her power and divine status as perpetrayor of rules and orders. But she rose to the challenge and now she's placing her golden rings into my hand before darting out of the room.

I cannot believe this. She actually would divorce me just to keep her power intact. I sink into the nearest chair and place my head into my hands - I don't know why she has to be so difficult!

"Sam, are you alright?" Hermione asks in small voice, making me look up. Ron is fixing the table I broke and I smile slightly at that - it gives me the power to hold in my pain and to help these kids.

"No, I'm not alright," I reply truthfully, standing up at the same time. "Yet we have a mission to go on - where are we heading first?" screw you Amelie.

"Um, is Amelie alright with this?" she asks hesitantly, making me almost kill her. God, why is everybody so bothered about Amelie and what she thinks? She's not physically going to go and kill everyone who disagrees with her - primarily because there'd be noone left!

"Who cares?" I say, raising my hands and shrugging my shoulders. "She's just in a mood, ignore her!" yet I scan my ears around the house, listening for any signs of her. Nothing. What a surprise, she's off to her bloody soundproof room again to hide whatever she's doing/feeling.

"Ok then," Hermione says, not sounding entirely sure but agreeing with the vampire in the room. "Well we're off to go see Ron's dad first, so you probably don't need to come."

I shake my head - in many a sense I've just lost this argument but the fact she didn't verbally say I couldn't go means I've won - as if I've fought so hard to get to go, I'm not staying!

"I'm coming with you," I say forcefully and they nod, probably out of fear more than anything else. "Just give me a minute to calm down - I'm still a bit high." I take deep, calming, breaths to relax myself. I can feel the anger ebbing from my system until I'm completely balanced and relaxed like earlier. Yet the rings in my pocket bring me down a bit - THEY SHOULDN'T BE THERE! "Shall we go?"

I walk over to the trio who stand up and take hands - Hermione takes mine and Ron's, Ron also takes Harry's and I take Harry's other. I shut my eyes, having no idea what I expect. We whip away and I feel like my innards are being pushed up my throat from within me, whilst having the odd sensation of being pushed through a tiny rubber tube.

We land in a field where I quickly scan the nearest mile for danger. "Nothing's here," I clarify just as they begin to do what I've just done. They look at me in shock at having done this so fast before accepting it as vampire speed. They advance on a spot in the distance - ahh yes, I see a house appearing.

"You've been taken inside the grounds by us, so therefore you're a Secret Keeper," Harry informs me as we approach a huge, medieval looking house. It looks mighty familiar to me, somehow, which seems impossible given I've never been out of Morganville before in my life. "Try never to bring anyone bad here, as then they can get to our friends," he continues and I almost laugh - how can I get here? - before realising how serious he is. And I remember that I'm basically at their mercy - I can't return to America because I have no passport and cannot be in the sun (especially as I have no blood stocks) without them.

"Ok, never come back here check," I joke and Harry laughs before knocking at the huge wooden door. It is opened by someone who looks mighty similar to Ron - his brother maybe?

"Ronny! What are you guys doing here?" he asks then half shuts the door without an answer."Strict orders from Pops here to ask you the question - what did we call Harry everyday until he stayed with us that first time?"

Ron blushes whilst Harry looks at him inquisitively. "You and George called him Haz P," he answers and we all laugh at Harry's expression. Haz P - nice! The boy opens the door fully and notices me.

"Who's this fellow redhead then?" he asks as we walk in and I hesitate - what do I say.

"This is Sam and he is part of the plan to bring You-Know-Who to his knees," Harry says, not mentioning I'm a vampire.

"Well pleased to meet you," the boy says easily, leading us through to a room with about 15 people in. "Yo, we've got visitors!" he bawls through to the other room and as we enter (me at the back) everybody stares. Before rushing forwards and hugging the pants off the three kids.

"Harry!" someone exclaims, then another does, then someone else - and it happens for Ron and Hermione as well. I look around the room (being ignored for a moment whilst hugs are exchanged) and realise there are an awful lot of redheads. I'm guessing that these are all members of the same family!

"Protego!" someone yells - an older and semi-bald man (red haired) and a shield of some sort seperates me from the rest of the room.

"Dad, it's alright!" Ron shouts - so this is Mr Weasley, the person we've came here to see. "We know what he is and that's because he's helping us - that's what we're here to talk to you about!"

This shocks the man, making his colour drain. "You know he's a vampire?" he asks and they nod. "I've never met a vampire - I heard they had become extinct or something!" he says, sounding shocked.

"Amelie gathered every vampire besides one named Sanguini together and formed a community called Morganville, where vampires and humans live in harmony," I quickly explain, my hands in the air to show I'm completely surrendered. All of a sudden, the shield charm is reduced and the contents of my pockets are zooming towards Mr Weasley.

"What is this we have here?" he asks, studying Amelie's rings that were in my pocket from when I placed them there earlier. I feel sick at the sight of them, not wanting to be able to see them - they should be on Amelie's finger!

"They're my wife's," I clarify, "She didn't want me to come here with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and... Things were said. Things I know I regret and actions on her behalf that I wish never occurred," I say, a tear forming in my eye at the fact that I told Amelie I wanted a divorce.

Mr Weasley softens at this before throwing the rings and my mobile (which he had been looking at with a mixture of trepedation, interest and curiosity) and leaving down the shield.

"If these guys trust you, we do as well," he says, with the rest of the room nodding in agreement with this. They lay down their wands and I smile slightly, buoyed from the depths of misery Amelie's rings dropped me to.

"Thanks," I say and they smile with me before conferring something.

"Would you like a drink?" a red haired woman (older, so maybe Ron's mother?) asks me.

"That would be lovely," I say, following her in the direction of the kitchen. However, a portrait I notice in the hallway makes me stop dead.

"Ahh yes, the former occupants of the house," Molly says, coming back to me after she realised I was no longer following. "Two lovers, legend has it, who saw eternal beauty in one another in their short, yet passionate, relationship."

"No, that's wrong," I say forcefully, slightly angry about this misconception.

"Why do you say that?" she asks, confused.

"Because she," I say, pointing at the blonde woman in the portrait, not a days difference between her then and now. "Is my wife, and he," I point at Oliver. "Is her worst enemy who always tries to steal her control of our town, Morganville. He's an absolute bastard, Oliver, and they've never seen eye to eye, so they haven't been lovers, ever. The person in the background - see him? - Myrnin will agree with what I've just said," I explain and she looks very interested.

"So, how long have you and your wife been married, if you don't mind my asking?" she asks as we make our way into the kitchen.

"Nearly 4 months now - it would have been earlier, but we were still in hiding eight months ago; her father came to town, overpowered her, and took over. We barely managed to win, eight months ago, with my life almost gone in the process - he was a disgusting man," I detail her a few lonesome details from that hellish experience, making her mouth form an 'o' shape.

"Coffee?" she asks and I nod, so she pours me a mug. "How old is she then? And her father?"

"Amelie is just over a thousand years old, her father about fifty over that - he's locked up now, in Morganville, going slowly insane with the Alzheimers-esque disease he tried to spread," I say. "I'm the baby... No I'm not - Claire is the youngest vampire - she turned because Ysandre (one of Bishop's hitwomen) near as damnit killed her - at 8 months, in vampire age, 19 years 1 month if you add her human age in. Then it's my grandson, Michael, who's now 2 years vampire terms, but I'm not sure how old with his human age because he was a ghost for a year - Oliver tried to turn him into a vampire but failed, so the house kept him alive - so I'd hazard him being 20? And I'm 51, vampire age, 73 with my human age added on," I explain and she looks interested at this.

"Well we have ghosts, but no houses keeping ghosts alive nor this portal system Ron mentioned when he came in," she says - well there couldn't be, given it's Myrnin's design!

"No, well we don't have magic in any terms in Morganville," I explain. "Amelie was a witch, she foud out from Dumbledore, given her cousin was Godric Gryffindor. Myrnin should have been a wizard as he could make things levitate and such, but he always prefered the sciences than magic, yet he loves alchemy. He built the machine and portal system on alchemy, so technically magic," I seem to be explaining a lot at the moment.

I drink my drink before we return to the main room, where everybody awaits us.

"Good to see you Sam," Fred (I got a quick introduction) says as Arthur (Mr Weasley) comes with the four of us.

"Bye," I say, waving a hand given I'm never going to see them again - if I can't fight, when could we meet again?

"Where are we heading now?" I ask whilst we make the circle.

"We're going for Remus and Tonks," Hermione says in response as we whirl away, what fun this movement is - not!

I feel Amelie's rings weighing down in my pocket and I want to cry. Why did I ever threaten divorce? Why did I think that she, the riser to any challenge in her way, wouldn't rise to that? I know she will already be filing, even if she doesn't want to, just so that it looks like it was her choice. Even though I don't want to divorce her; we got married four months ago! We should still be in the 'honeymoon' period, not splitting because she wanted to control me... No, I can't assign all the blame on her. Lots of it was my fault; going against her orders as Founder, as well as going against her wishes as my wife.

I want her, I need her. But will she take me back?

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Vicky xx