Hello all! Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy! Sorry for a little of a wait, but I'm writing another story as well.

Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, belongs to J.K.R. I do own plot and Vala.

Harry watched Vala fall to the ground after being hit from behind, and a swell of anger come over him. He blasted a curse at his female opponent, who flew against a nearby wall at the power of his spell. The Gryffindor quickly spun around, and faced the two men who had attacked Vala. They were both standing over her with smug grins.

Something seemed to snap in Harry right then. Later on, he wouldn't be able to explain it. But at that moment, there was a power within him that he didn't recognize. With one strike, the man on the left crumpled to the ground. The other man faced Harry with a grin on his scarred face.

"Pretty little slave you have here," the man simpered. "I'm sure she begs and pleads for more like the good little whore she is."

Anger surged through Harry's veins. He had no idea how this man knew Vala was a slave, but at the moment he had no desire to question him.

"Avada Kedavra," Harry hissed, firing the killing curse for the first time in his life.

The scarred man instantly transfigured a wall that blocked the green spell. He smirked at Harry as he vanished the wall. Harry glanced at the unconscious Vala, who was still a little closer to his opponent than himself.

"The Light Poster Boy using an unforgivable? Tsk tsk, what would the Aurors say?" The man glanced behind him at the Aurors who were just entering the scene. He grinned at Harry viciously. "Oh, I forgot, Harry Potter can get anyone out of a trial."

Harry sent a succession of stunners at the man, mixed with a few curses, but he managed to dodge all but one cutting curse. The marred man clutched his side, throwing Harry a harsh glare.

"Who are you?" Harry yelled.

The man gave him a sinister smile, removing his hand from his side so that the blood dripped freely. "I'm not a Death Eater, I can tell you that much," he leered.

Harry froze at those words. The scarred man glanced around him at the surrounding Aurors and, before Harry could react, yelled for his companions to retreat. Harry quickly fired a stunner at the man, but he twisted away, breathing heavily. He stared at Vala suggestively before giving the Boy-Who-Lived one last grin. He grabbed the arm of his knocked out companion and disapparated. The other attackers clad in red followed his lead, and they made sure not to leave any of their injured behind.

Harry quickly went to Vala's side, and examined her anxiously. She seemed fine, and the stunner that hit her seemed to do no real damage. Harry was relieved she was hit by a stunner and not a more deadly curse. In fact… Harry had only seen dark curses sent around. This was deliberate, not accidental. These men knew Vala, but Harry was uncertain to how and to what extent.

"Lord Hallow!"

Harry turned slightly to see Auror John Dawlish. The man eyed Harry seriously.

"Should have known you'd be here," Dawlish said cynically. He observed Vala in concern, his hard expression softening slightly. "She alright?"

"Yeah, just a stunner," Harry told him.

The man nodded. "Did you recognize any of the attackers? Death Eaters I assume."

Harry hesitated, but then shook his head. "No, I didn't see anyone's face," he lied. "But I am sure that it's the usual crowd. Those who got away after the battle."

Dawlish nodded in agreement. "Well I'll want your statement later, but for now we have to see to the injured. Good day, Lord Hallow."

Harry watched the man leave with a feeling of foreboding. He hated lying to an Auror, but he wasn't sure what to make of all that happened. He glanced at Vala and gently lifted her into his arms.

She had been hiding so much from him, and her reaction to the paper had been so violent…. Perhaps she knew exactly what was going on. But then why was she so afraid to tell him?

Harry walked back to the castle, replaying the incident over and over. Harry knew that that wasn't the last time he would see that man, with the huge scars covering his face and that voracious grin. No, it was only the beginning.

Harry pressed a hand to his unaffected scar for a second. All was not well. Part of him wished it was flaring in pain, because he had a sinking feeling that these blood-red assailants were much worse. They were precise, organized, and worked as a unit. Compared to the Death Eaters, who were more numbers than quality, this was a much more serious problem.

That is, if they really aren't Death Eaters. Harry still hoped they had just taken on a new look and strategy… but as he stared at the girl in his arms, he was afraid his suspicions were true.

Vala had been unconscious for a few hours now, and Harry sat beside her mulling everything over. He had considered using the counter spell to wake her up, but he figured she needed a few hours of rest. And he really needed to think about the situation.

Earlier he had immediately jumped to the conclusion that these men were not Death Eaters, especially with their reaction to Vala. But now, with all the adrenaline drained from his body, he has some misgivings.

Bellatrix probably loved showing off her slave for her own sick amusement, and after seeing Lucius' memory Harry knew Rodolphus was the same. These men could easily be Death Eaters who knew Vala because of their interactions with the Lestranges.

Sure, he didn't recognize the man with all the scars, but he didn't know all of Voldemort's followers. In fact, the majority of them Harry had never seen without their masks on.

And as for the new outfits… the Death Eater robes are a bit obvious. And perhaps they just wanted a change?

Yes, the more Harry thought about it the more certain he was. This was obviously a Death Eater attack. There was no other plausible explanation.

Vala stirred, and Harry turned his attention on her. She sat up slowly on her bed, clutching her head. She blinked in confusion at Harry, but then she tensed. She tried to get up quickly, her face alert, but Harry gently pushed her back down.

"The men-"

"They retreated," Harry informed her lightly.

"Why?" she asked, puzzled.

"The Aurors arrived, and they were outnumbered," Harry replied.

She nodded, but Harry still saw a trace of worry on her face.

"I was knocked out," she suddenly said, rubbing her head. "What happened afterwards?"

"I took out the man who stunned you and then launched in a fight with another man." Harry suddenly leaned in. "How did you know these men, Vala?" he asked. "Did they know the Lestranges?"

She looked at him with a troubled expression. After a brief hesitation, she nodded, her grey eyes lowered.

"The one with the scars," Harry continued quietly, watching Vala carefully, "you knew him?"

She suppressed the shudder, and instead raised her head defiantly. "Yes, I knew him," she said coldly.

"Did… did he ever…"

"Torture me?" Vala smiled humorlessly. "Something like that. But my master could be a bit protective at times."

Harry shot her a confused look. "Rodolphus was protective?"

She smiled darkly, and Harry stiffened. At the moment, she seemed like an entirely different person. "More than you know," she said grimly.

Harry was uncertain what that meant, because for what he knew both the Lestranges had been monsters. Perhaps they selfishly did not like others harming her? Harry found that particularly disgusting, but figured it was better than the alternative. The very thought of the scarred man touching Vala made him shake with anger.

"What is the man's name with all the scars, Vala?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.

She closed her eyes wearily. "Cyrus," she told him. "I'm not sure about his last name, that's all they ever called him around me."

Harry nodded, thoughtful. "I've never seen him before, but he seems just the right character for a Death Eater. I'm sure him and the Lestranges got along very well," Harry added in disgust.

"Yes, they did," Vala agreed quietly. "Harry, I'm feeling drained. Can we have some tea or something?"

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, I should have known you would need something," he apologized. "Dobby!"

After the antics from the ecstatic house elf, Harry and Vala sat sipping their tea. Harry noticed Vala put a lot less sugar than normal, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"You okay?" he asked her softly, gently touching her arm.

She looked up and smiled. "Of course, just a bit shaken up."

Harry accepted this, but he knew something was off.

"Harry?"

He looked at her curiously.

"There was something you wanted to tell me earlier at Hogsmeade before we were interrupted," she prompted, her eyebrows raised.

Harry cleared his throat, feeling suddenly nervous. "It-it was nothing really…"

"Yes it was," V ala stated, her head tilted to the side. "I can tell."

Harry sighed. He had hoped to do it in a more romantic manner, and he had started having second thoughts about telling her when she was unconscious. But as he stared at Vala, he felt his resolve strengthen. He set down his tea, steeling himself.

"Harry!"

Both Harry and Vala swirled around to see both Ron and Hermione hurry through the closed door. They were both breathing loudly, looking frantic.

Harry and Vala got to their feet, alarmed.

"We came as soon as we heard," Ron panted. "The Auror Office has been on edge waiting for their retaliation, but I never expected you'd be involved! Are you hurt?"

Hermione pushed past him and scanned them both anxiously. Once she was satisfied, she relaxed slightly and stepped back.

"We are fine, guys," Harry said, shaking his head at their desperation. But he was touched by their concern, and he honestly thought he'd have a similar reaction if the situation was reversed. "Honestly," he said when they shot him disbelieving looks.

"What happened? And what were you even doing in Hogsmeade?" Hermione scolded. Then she glanced at Vala and realized. "Never mind that, were you hit by anything?"

"Vala was hit by a stunner," Harry said, motioning to the girl beside him, "but I came out unscathed."

"I heard there were loads of them," Ron exclaimed. "How were you not hurt? There must have not been many there to help you."

"Why don't we go sit down," Vala suggested, motioning to the sitting room.

Harry shot her a grateful look, and she smiled sympathetically at him. They moved to the other room, and Harry sat down by Vala. Instead of taking the other couch, Hermione and Ron squeezed next to him. That left Vala practically in Harry's lap, and Hermione was pressed very close to his side.

"Guys," Harry sighed, exasperated. "I'm fine."

"You always say that, but it's never true," Ron fired back, folding his arms over his chest.

Harry groaned. "Well it is this time. So you can go sit over there, I promise that I will remain alive even if you are ten feet away."

Vala smirked at his remark, but the other members of the Golden Trio scowled at him. Nonetheless, Ron pulled Hermione onto the other couch with him.

"Better?" Ron snapped.

"Much," Harry said. But despite the new room, Harry was in no hurry to adjust his position. He grinned at Vala when she raised her eyebrows at him.

"So I see the lovebirds are at it again," Ron said, suddenly in a very good mood. He smirked.

Harry glared slightly at Ron, but Vala only smiled at the red-head. Harry repositioned himself so that Vala was no longer in his lap. She did, however, grab his hand. He shot her a startled look and she only grinned at him mischievously.

Harry was beginning to wonder if he needed to tell her he cared about her. She seemed to be quite clear about it all. He grinned at that thought. Maybe he could kiss her again and she wouldn't run away this time. He imagined her lips on his, her body pressed against his own…

"-and I'm worried about the coincidence of it all. For them to attack Hogsmeade the very day you were there is a bit to convenient for my liking. Harry? Harry!"

Vala nudged him, and Harry looked at Hermione sheepishly. She gave him an exasperated look.

"Did you hear any of that?" she asked, sighing.

"Some at the end," Harry told her, feeling a bit guilty as he stared at her.

"You were just attacked, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, suddenly furious. "Now isn't the time to be spacing out! What if next time you are hurt, or captured, or killed?"

Harry tensed, feeling foolish. "Your right, Hermione, sorry," he said quietly.

She deflated, her anger vanishing. "I'm sorry, Harry, I'm being overbearing," she whispered. "I'm just so… so afraid of losing you." She glanced at the dark-haired girl beside him. "And Vala. I know we only just met, but I can't imagine losing you now either."

Harry glanced at Vala, and she had a look of shock on her face. Harry let go of her hand and instead wrapped his arm around her. She smiled at him, but the surprise was still clearly on her face.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked, breaking up the quiet moment. "There is going to be more attacks."

Harry glanced at Vala, who had suddenly gone still, and made an abrupt decision. He met Ron's eyes. "I do not want to heavily involved in the fight unless I must," he said assertively. "The Aurors can handle this on their own."

Both Hermione and Ron stared at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Did Harry Potter just say he was going to stay out a fight?" Ron whispered to Hermione, his eyes wide.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Hermione murmured back.

"Pinch me," Ron told her.

Hermione reached over, but Harry interrupted them.

"Will you two stop it?" the young lord snapped.

They turned to him, and their countenances got more serious.

"It's a good decision, but unexpected," Hermione told him finally. "Unlike you, really."

Harry glanced at Vala from the corner of his eye. "Some things are worth fighting for, and others things are better off when you stay out of it," he said softly.

Ron was not convinced. "I thought you'd want to be on the front line in this, Harry. This isn't something you want to stay out of. After all of last year, all of our hard work-"

"Exactly Ron," Harry cut in. "After last year, I need a break. I was going to sacrifice my life for this cause. I was convinced I was going to die. And now…"

"You were going to sacrifice your life?" Vala cut in, startled. "What do you mean?"

Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but Harry quickly cut in, giving Hermione a warning look.

"There are casualties in war," Harry told her. "I just never saw myself making it through the end of it all."

She stared at him, and for a moment Harry felt guilty for lying to her. She knew, like everyone else, that a piece of Voldemort's soul had been inside of him. She did not know, however, that he had been planning on dying to remove it. Everyone had just assumed it had happened accidentally, not purposefully.

"I'm glad you did," she whispered.

Harry suddenly realized that if he had not, she would have died. The thought of that was heart-wrenching. He had never been gladder he had survived than that moment.

"Harry, are you sure-"

"I may change my mind," Harry told his long-time best friend, "but for now, I feel I should stay out of this one. The Aurors should be able to handle the remaining Death Eaters easily."

Ron accepted this with a single nod. He checked his watch, and quickly got to his feet.

"We are expected for dinner at home," he told Harry.

"Give everyone my best," Harry said. "And enjoy your mom's cooking for me."

Ron suddenly stopped, looking between Vala and Harry with a sneaky grin. "Why don't you come with us? I'm sure my mom will want to meet your girlfriend, after all."

"She's not-"

"Sounds fun," Vala interrupted Harry.

Harry turned to her, astonished. "It does?"

She looked a bit hesitant, but she nodded.

"There is going to be a lot of people there," Harry warned. "The whole entire Weasley family, which is gigantic."

She shrugged. "After today, I need the distraction."

Harry had a feeling this was a bad idea, but he couldn't think of a good reason to refuse. So he just turned to his best friends and nodded. "We'll be right there."

"Great," Ron said. "Mom will be thrilled!"

Hermione flashed him a smile before they used the fireplace to go back to the Burrow. Once they had vanished with the flames, Harry turned to face Vala.

"You sure about this?" he asked, searching her face for any reason to call this off.

"Never been surer in my life," she told him.

Vala was not so sure that this had been a good idea. She looked around at all the people, the majority of them sporting red hair, and had to concentrate on breathing.

Honestly, she didn't know where the claustrophobia had come from. She had never had a problem with it before. Then again, there were many things that changed about her with her time spent as the Lestranges' slave. She had only been their slave for four years, but it seemed that it had killed her old self. Seeing Marec today, it was like everything was coming crashing back.

Slavery felt like a distant memory with the recent attack led by her grandfather's right hand man. She had to just trust Harry would not abuse the bond – and she would actually admit the fear of that had lessened dramatically. She knew she had been stunned because her grandfather wanted her alive, but she guessed that her grandfather would be most displeased she wasn't captured.

But then again, her grandfather believed taking her without her master's permission would result in her death. She had to be in somewhat close proximity unless her master gave her permission to go where she pleased (which he had). She couldn't run off with the intent to escape, but being forced somewhere would be fine. But her grandfather had no idea that Harry was so set on liberating her.

Her grandfather knew all about the slavery spell. He should, having been the one to first experiment with it. Later, he passed on the ownership to the Lestranges as repayment for his son destroying Black Manor. Bellatrix Lestrange née Black had been very vocal about the need for compensation.

She was a slave because he wanted to punish her for disobeying him for the first time in her life. Apparently, after her father's betrayal he was not very forgiving.

When she told Harry it wasn't magic used very often, she had been telling the truth. It was a very dark, very ancient spell dating back centuries that only worked during a complex ritual. The spell Harry used was only to transfer the ownership, not create the bond. She was certain the only one who could break it was the man who so lovingly bestowed it upon her.

"Harry!"

A plump, red-headed woman came and hugged Harry tightly.

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, hugging her back lightly.

"Molly," she scolded. "And good thing you came, you're looking thin young man," she said, smiling softly at him. She turned her smile on Vala, who stiffened.

"And this must be Vala, we've heard all about her from Ron and Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said. She smiled and took Vala's hands. "I'm Molly Weasley, welcome to the Burrow."

"Thank you," Vala said quietly, shocked by the woman's kindness.

"Come sit," Molly urged them. "Everyone is at the table."

Vala took a deep breath, and flinched when a hand grabbed her own. She looked over at Harry and relaxed slightly.

"They are a loud bunch, but wonderful," Harry whispered comfortingly in her ear.

Vala nodded, and allowed Harry to lead her to the table. She was relieved to be at the end of the table, with Harry to her right. But she did notice that all eyes turned on them when they sat down.

"Harry!" The red-headed man from beside Harry shouted. "Who is she? There's no way she's your girlfriend!"

Harry flushed. "Shut up, Charlie," he said.

"Yeah, shut up Charlie," Ron agreed, glaring at his brother. "I already told you guys her name was Vala. Now stop teasing my best mate."

Vala wondered what else Ron had told them, but shrugged it off. She surveyed the group, and they all did look very friendly. She stopped when she noticed Ginny a few seats over. Ginny looked amused, but she was looking at Vala curiously. Then Vala noticed the blonde beside her. Draco Malfoy was staring straight at her and had gone pale. Vala quickly averted her eyes.

She hadn't known Draco Malfoy would be here. She looked over to Harry, who was watching her with shocked emerald eyes.

"I didn't know, Vala," he whispered furiously. "We can leave-"

"No, no," she told him, shaking her head. "I'm fine, really."

Draco had been almost nice to her actually, in the grand scheme of things. But he still made her uncomfortable. In private he had been soft-spoken and kind, but in public he had been vicious and cruel. She understood, obviously, but it all brought back bad memories.

But she had seen how happy Harry was to be here. He was positively beaming as he sat down. With everything that had happened, Vala felt she owed him at least this much. Especially seeing since she had lied to him all day.

Conversations were going around all over the table as they ate, and Harry was involved in many of them. Vala, on the other hand, remained relatively quiet. The red-headed man across from them – with a single earring and a nasty scar – was grinning at her cheerfully however. A very beautiful woman was beside him.

"I'm Bill Weasley," he introduced. "And this is my wife Fleur. I heard you were knocked out in the raid today. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Vala said, and she managed to smile at him. The mention of the attack from her grandfather's men made her feel even sicker than before.

Bill seemed to realize this, and he apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory," he said. "This is supposed to be a fun time for you."

"Yes, excuse my husband," the blonde woman said with a slight accent. "You know men, they talk like they eat: with absolutely no decorum!"

Vala smiled more sincerely at that. Harry laughed from beside her.

"Guilty," Harry said to her.

She also laughed, but then it died. He looked so happy… but once he learned the truth and was plunged into another war…

Vala felt suddenly nauseous. It was only through years of maintaining an unemotional mask that she managed to hide it from Harry.

He casually grabbed her hand, and the man from beside him – Charlie was it? – made an innuendo about Harry and herself.

She actually did wish she was his girlfriend, but she realized it couldn't happen. She knew she should stop leading him on, but she couldn't help it. She just liked him too much – she really had accepted that she did – to let him go. But once he knew the truth about her past, she knew it wouldn't work.

Once dinner was over, everyone moved to the living room to talk. It was rather crowded, and there was only a chair in a corner or half-a-couch by Draco and Ginny to choose from. With those options, she quickly steered Harry to the single chair. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, but she merely pushed him into it. Before he could protest, she positioned herself on his lap. She didn't miss the guffaws and whistles from the other occupants.

"Vala-"

Vala laughed herself at Harry's flaming face. For a moment, she just lost herself in Harry's eyes.

"So, Harry, where did you meet this killer of a woman?" another red-head teased from nearby. "I would have noticed if she went to Hogwarts."

Harry tensed slightly, and Vala waited with bated breath.

"She didn't," Harry told him slowly. "She, well-"

"I was home-schooled," Vala quickly cut in, seeing his desperation. "But after my parents were murdered by Death Eaters, I went to live with my relative in Hogsmeade. My aunt – she's a healer – and so was immediately on site to help the injured. I came with her and ran into Harry."

"Sorry about your parents," Molly told her sadly, but she made a clear effort to brighten the atmosphere. "Who is your aunt? She sounds like a lovely witch."

"Hannah Swortsen," Vala quickly said, using a cover she once used. She knew no Hannah Swortsen existed.

"Don't think I know her," Molly said, shaking her head thoughtfully. "Muggle-born?"

Vala shook her head. "Half-blood. That's the only reason it was safe to stay with her."

"Of course," Molly said, nodding her head sympathetically. "You poor dear."

Vala looked over to Draco, who was watching her with narrowed eyes. Vala met them directly, daring him to say something. He only looked away to talk to his girlfriend.

Vala let out a deep breath and turned to Harry, who was also looking relieved. She tried to smile at him, but failed.

"I think we should go," Vala told him, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

He nodded in agreement and started to say his excuses for leaving. Everyone was disappointed, but Vala was more than relieved when they landed back in their quarters. Vala excused herself quickly, avoiding Harry's gaze, and closed the door of her room. She leaned against it and slowly slid down to the floor.

She felt empty, hollow, alone.

Her whole existence was a lie. She would never stop lying. And she knew that very soon, all the lies would come back to haunt her.

Her grandfather couldn't stay silent for long and neither could she.

Well... We are certainly getting closer to uncovering Vala's past. I gave a few little bits of info to the readers, but Harry is still clueless. You thought at first that he was going to question Vala, but turns out he decided it was Death Eaters in the end. I doubt he will be thinking that for long ;)

So one reviewer mentioned that this was supposed to be a strong!Harry story. Well, as you can see from the start of this chapter, it is going to be. But it is "strong" Harry, not "super" Harry. With the damaging past I gave him in this story, there is bound to be a few challenges for him. That is what will make him an interesting character. Eventually, he will completely overcome his abused child tendencies, but it will be gradual. If this is disappointing to anyone I apologize, but this is my story. I love hearing feedback and suggestions, but at the end of the day I'm the one writing. There have been some concerns with the Gringotts chapter that this would just be another super!rich!Harry story. It will not be. Harry getting more politically involved is just important for some of the details in this story.

Well, anyways..

So Harry wants to tell Vala he likes her/cares about her-she already sort of realizes it and feels the same. And Harry realizes in this chapter that Vala is a much different person than she was in the beginning chapters. It was interesting to write the Harry/Vala scenes. Some of you may feel it was a bit OOC for Vala, but you should realize the person she was in the start of the story is not who she really is. With her past drawing closer, she will start acting less like a slave and more like the granddaughter of a dark lord. This is basically a result of Harry truly caring about her and her truly caring about Harry. To her, her grandfather is a more concerning issue than the slavery bond.

Ok! Long AN! Hope you all understand what's going on. Please review and tell me what you think :) Happy reading :)