A/N: So just a quick note, if I didn't get to your review for the last chapter I apologize. And on that note, thank you to everyone whose reviewed/alerted/add this story to your favorites! Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Now I'm going to apologize ahead of time here, but I'm going to have to ask you all have patience with me with Chapter 22. I'm going to try my best to get it out in two weeks, but it's fighting me something fierce. I know what I want to have happen…but getting there is proving to be slightly difficult lately. So hopefully Ch 22 will be out in two weeks…but if it isn't please be patient with me.

And lastly, a big thank you to HowInMadHowie and Dunstan Xenon for the beta work!

And for those who wished for it, here is an updated power-ranking chart. It's just kind of a general guideline and you can go from there.

S: Vitiate, Revan, Nox, Yoda, Sidious, Harry (When using Father's Knowledge)

AAA: Vader, Kenobi, Aayla, Shaak Ti, Vos, Ventress, Dumbledore

AA: Mallie and Kento Marek, Bellatrix, Blackwood, Mortis, Nightshade

A: Harry, Ahsoka, Amelia, Sirius

B: Daphne, Susan, Lucius M., Remus, Aela (Above average witch or wizard)

C: Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Maris Brood, Bill W., Fleur

D: Ron, Hannah, Tracey, Krum, Cedric

E: Average Witch or Wizard (Draco, most of Hogwart Students)

F: Below average witch or wizard

If you have any specific questions regarding a person I missed, ask me and I will place them. Oh, and as for timeline, Harry was born in the year 1990. So basically I just moved up the timeline in the books by ten years.

Chapter 21

Light. That was the only thing Harry knew. The only thing he could see. A never ending surrounding of bright light that stretched on forever and ever. He had no idea just how he'd come here, or even here was for that matter. Time had no meaning here. He could've been here for a minute or several days, he simply didn't know. He didn't sleep and he didn't move. He just sat there as if he was even sitting, and stared off into the distant unending brightness.

"Is…is anyone here?"

He perked up immediately at the sound of the first voice he'd heard in…Force only knew how long. But it was more than just the fact that he heard a voice. He knew who the voice belonged to. He didn't know how he knew…but he knew this person even if he couldn't see her. "Ahsoka?"

There was a subtle gasp, but he couldn't place where it'd come from. It sounded like it was coming from all around him at once. "Harry?"

Harry? Yes…his name was Harry. Harry Potter. A Knight in the Guardian Order. Biological son of James and Lily Potter and son of Ziri Nox. And the woman with him…was Ahsoka Tano. His lover– err– girlfriend. "Ahsoka?" He called out tentatively. "Where are you?"

"I– I don't know." Ahsoka answered back, seemingly just as confused as he was. "Where are you? I can hear you but- but I can't see you. And I can't pinpoint where your voice is coming from either."

"Same here." Harry answered back. "Do you…have any idea where we are?"

"No." Ahsoka's voice answered back. "Last I remember was fighting against that Sith and then…then you were hurt and I – I– oh Force. I– I was stabbed! I– I- oh no. Are we…are we one with the Force now?"

"Ahsoka!" Harry cried out desperately as her voice started to fade. "You're not dead! We're not dead!"

"How do you know?"

"Because before we both ended up…well here; I poured pretty much and entire vial's worth of Phoenix tears into your wound." Harry replied calmly while looking around. "And plus…if this is what it truly means to become one with the Force then Master Yoda and my mother owe us both an apology because this bloody well blows."

That got Ahsoka to laugh, a rich full sound that never failed to lift Harry's spirits no matter the situation. "Thank you Harry," Ahsoka's voice murmured as her laughter died down. "I– I think I needed that. But then, if we're not one with the Force…then just where are we?"

"You're in-between, so to speak."

The voice that spoke was soft and defiantly a woman's voice, but it was also definitely not Ahsoka's. Wheeling around in the light Harry tried to pinpoint the source of the voice, but just as it'd been with Ahsoka, the voice had seemingly come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Who are you?" Harry shouted into the light. "Ahsoka? Are you–"

"I'm fine." Ahsoka shot back, and without knowing how he knew, she too was searching fruitlessly for the source of the voice. "Who are you? Where are you? Where are we?"

"Let's just say that I'm an…old acquaintance of Harry's mother, Ziri." The voice said softly.

There was a longing in the voice that was almost painful to hear. And without having to ask, Harry instinctively knew who the voice belonged to even if he couldn't see her face. "You're Ashara Zavros." Harry called out in the light.

"You're quicker than I thought." The voice, Ashara, sounded almost amused. "Although I should've expected that from Ziri's son. She always was incredibly quick. And despite what she might believe at times, a wonderful teacher and mentor. And not to mention the things she could do in bed…why there was this one time when we managed to get these two twi'lek dancers back to the ship an-"

"Don't need to know!" Both Harry and Ahsoka shouted at the same time, making Ashara laugh.

"Force you two sound just as uptight as I used to be. Before Ziri loosened me up of course, um…no pun intended there. Or maybe I did intend it hmm?"

Harry could feel his blood heating his face, even if he wasn't sure where his face was at the moment. "Please…no more."

"Oh fine. You two are just no fun. Although I'm sure that a good round between the two of you will lighten you both up to the more enjoyable aspects of life. Force knows it did wonders for me."

"Please." Ahsoka pleaded, her voice thick with embarrassment. "Can…can you tell us where we are? And how are you speaking with us? Are you…did you become one with the Force? Are you a…ghost?"

"I already told the both of you where you are. You're in-between."

Harry's face twitched. "Can you be more specific? 'In-between' can have a lot of meanings."

"Well unfortunately that's as good an answer as you're going to get." Ashara sighed. "You two are in-between life and death. Between mortal and spiritual realms. Between the realms of dreams and consciousness. You two could spend lifetimes trying to define this place and fail to do so. So when I say that you're 'in-between'…well that is as good an answer as you're going to get. And as for how I came to be here with you…well…being dead does have its advantages at times."

Harry swallowed at that. "Why…why are you here then? With us? I mean…not that I'm complaining. I've always wanted to meet you. But I'm…well…curious I guess. I thought the shroud around Earth prevented Force ghost from coming through. At least that's what my mother told me."

"And she wasn't wrong." Ashara answered. "But the shroud is weakening. Quickly. How or why I do not know. The shroud predates my finding of Earth."

"What do you mean, your finding of Earth?" Ahsoka asked. "You're…you're one with the Force."

"Yes, one with the Force, not omnipotent. There are limits to what we can do and see. And the shroud blocked Earth from even the sight of the Force. Even though the Force still flowed through it. To put it simply, from my point of view Earth is a black hole in the middle of a river. You can see water flowing into it, but actually seeing where the water is flowing from there is impossible."

"So Earth is like a black hole from the Force's point of view." Ahsoka summed up.

"Basically." Ashara nodded. "But because I shared such a connection with Ziri I've been able to pierce through the darkness and see inside. I've only been able to catch glimpses, and it is only recently that I've actually been able to reach out to your mother Harry. But even then, those glimpses and reaching out to your mother was taxing beyond belief. The only reason I've been able to talk to the two of you for so long is because you're in this…'in-between'. And speaking of…I'd better get to the whole reason I came to you. I can already feel my strength fading trying to keep this connection."

"Please." Harry nodded. "Any insight you can give us into this…situation and how to get out of it would be much appreciated."

"Well, it's like this," Ashara began before hesitating. "Quite simply…the Force itself brought the two of you here so that you two could stabilize while your mortal shells recovered."

"Wait, the Force brought us here to stabilize? What do you mean by that?" Ahsoka asked, mirroring Harry's own thoughts on the matter.

"You share a bond with one another." Ashara explained. "One that was stronger than any Master and Apprentice bond even before the two of you met. And it has only grown in strength since then. And after what happened during your last battle…well you two weren't just using the Force. You were using the Force through one another. Doing so should've been impossible, but you two did it. And together you managed to destroy over thirty of those dark creatures you call dementors. But in doing so you two have…become one with each other. Almost literally. When looking at the two of you through the eyes of the Force as I do, it's almost impossible to distinguish the two of you apart now. You're still your own person. But your connections to the Force are almost fully shared between the two of you."

Harry was struck speechless. He knew that the bond that he shared with Ahsoka was deep. Even deeper than the one he shared with Ginny. But for it to go so deep that in the eyes of the Force he and Ahsoka were almost one and the same…it boggled the mind. "Does…does this mean we're…married?" Ahsoka asked tentatively.

Harry nearly winced. 'Merlin's balls…does she need to make it sound like a prison sentence?'

"I did not make it sound like a prison sentence Potter!" Ahsoka shouted, making Harry freeze.

'Ahsoka…I didn't say that aloud…I thought it. Just like I'm thinking this right now.'

"Pull the other one Potter." Ahsoka shot back, sounding far less certain of herself than he was used too.

"In some cultures you two could be considered married." Ashara interrupted. "Which is good for you two. All the more reason to get to the fun of the bedroom sooner, huh? But as for just what you two can do with this bond…you're going to have to figure that out for yourselves. I doubt that there has been anyone in history with a bond as deep as the one you two now share."

"But…but how is that possible?" Harry asked timidly.

"What is known about the Force is dwarfed by that which is unknown Harry." Ashara lectured, sounding far too much like his mother in that moment. "I'm sure that your mother has told you this before no? But now our time is at an end. But before you two leave for the waking world, I need to tell you two something. The darkness has made its move. Earth is the tipping point. If it falls, the galaxy succumb to the dark side forever. So pressure right? Oh, and Harry. Give your mother my love. And tell her to stop holding back. And tell her that the answers that she seeks are closer than she could ever imagine. I wish that I could give the two of you more to go on that just those cryptic words, but as I said. Earth is obscured from the view of the Force and that was all I could ascertain. Now both of you…wake up."

Sitting beside Harry and Ahsoka in the medical wing of the Temple, Ginny Weasley was staring blankly at the large book open in her lap. The attack had started. The dark side was attacking both the magical world and the muggle world, and here she was confined to the Temple by Grand Master Nox. She wanted to be out there fighting those bastards with the rest of her friends and family. Granted she was, along with the rest of the Valkyries, were still recovering slightly from their ill-fated confrontation with an actual Sith Lord. But still. There was a war going on! And she was being forced to sit on her bloody hands like a bump on a log! It was driving her completely insane!

Hearing a light whimper, Ginny ceased her loathing long enough to look up. Sitting just across from her on the other side of the bed next to Ahsoka was Nat. The little green nautolan had her head resting against the bed next to Ahsoka sleeping soundly save for the slight whimpers she gave off from time to time.

Placing her book aside, Ginny got up from her seat and grabbed a spare blanket from one of the other beds before making her way around and gently covering the young girl with it. The poor little girl had not been handling the fact that Ahsoka had been hospitalized well. She didn't blame anyone, at least at first glance. But Ginny knew better. The young girl's thoughts mirrored her own. That if she were better, or even there for that matter, then her Master wouldn't be laid up and currently fighting for her life.

Once Nat was properly covered, Ginny spared a quick glance across the room at the other occupants. Luna was sound asleep, curled up into a small ball in the chair next to Daphne's bed. Involuntarily, Ginny's eyes flickered down to the girl's arm. It still amazed her that Madam Tonks and Fay were even able to reattach the limb at all. Once she woke she would have to undergo severe physical training in order to get functionality of her arm back, but at least it was still there.

Bill and Fleur were still in the hospital. Their beds side by side as both slept during their healing. And across from them still sound asleep was Narcissa Malfoy. 'Narcissa Black.' Ginny forcibly reminded herself. 'She's not a Malfoy anymore.'

The day before Sirius had come into the hospital with a goblin representative and, with Master Fay's permission, awoken the elder woman just long enough to get her legal coherent enough to agree to the annulment of her marriage to that piece of scum Lucius. 'I need to remember that.' Ginny sighed, taking her seat once more. 'Narcissa has done a lot for us. Bloody hell, she turned traitor and spied on first her husband and then the Dark Lord for Merlin only knew how long. She deserves the benefit of the doubt. Despite what her family name used to be.'

As Ginny took her seat once more to resume her vigil, something happened that froze her solid. Harry's hand twitched. Then his arm twitched. Then his face twitched. Then almost as if they'd planned it all along, Harry and Ahsoka both opened their eyes simultaneously. "Harry?" Ginny called out tentatively, rising from her halfway down position so she was standing over her friend and Master.

Harry's eyes moved around clearly confused as if he were trying to figure out just where he was before his eyes latched onto hers. "Ginny." He croaked. "Where-"

"Take it easy." She commanded, immediately running away and grabbing a glass of water that'd been left off to the side for when the two of them awoke. "Here," she said, placing the straw against his lips. "Drink. Slowly."

Harry's lips closed around the plastic straw and began sucking. Tentatively at first before tilting his head upwards and sucking more eagerly as he began to drain the glass. "Easy." Ginny chided, taking the glass and straw away from him as he began to cough.

Nat, who'd by then awoken fully and began bouncing on the balls of her little feet, eagerly took the glass from Ginny and repeated the process with Ahsoka. "Ginny," Harry coughed, his voice sounding less rough than it had. "How long?"

"A few days." Ginny answered. "Everyone else save for Daphne, Bill, and Fleur are already up and healed."

Harry's eyes widened slightly as she read off the names. "Daphne…is she…"

"She'll be fine." Ginny assured her Master. "I don't know how, but Madam Tonks and Master Fay managed to reattach her arm. Her real arm. She's still sleeping off the healing effects and when she wakes Master Fay said that it'll take her sometime before she regains full mobility of her arm once more. But she will recover."

"Thank the Force." Harry breathed, clearly relieved. Beside him, Ahsoka's actions mirrored Harry's and as one they both reached out for each other's hands without even looking.

'Stop that!' Ginny chided herself as she felt a brief pang of jealously swell within her. 'He's hers…and she's his.' That thought stopped her dead. 'When has my jealousy morphed into...both of them? What the…why…I mean…oh shite!'

"Ginny," Harry said, his head turning towards her while his eyes stared off blankly into the distance. "What's…why is it so dark?"

Ginny hesitated while pushing the sudden strange feelings to the back of her mind. 'He couldn't…no. He does. Somehow he does. He's always had a connection to the Force that was near the point of baffling. But this is just getting ridiculous.' "The Emperor has made his move Harry." Ginny explained slowly, gaining both Harry's and Ahsoka's attention. "TheNew Sith Order, as they're naming themselves, have declared war on the entire world."

Spinning the tumbler around on the table, the Prime Minister of Britain eyed its contents warily. 'It looks like scotch…or maybe even bourbon. 'Either way…I doubt they'd saved me just to poison me. And Lord knows I need it after last night.' Decision made, he picked up the glass and threw back the three fingers worth of liquor in one go. And instantly regretted it as he immediately felt his throat constrict and his face instantly enflame.

"Easy there Minister. That shit's potent even to us magicals. Does a real number on you muggles."

Pressing his fist against his chest in a futile effort to stop the coughing fit threatening to leave him as he glared up at the heavily scarred man in front of him. "I can handle it just–"he stopped to cough "fine. Auror Moody."

"Whatever ya say Minister." Moody grumbled before opening his seemingly never ending flask and pouring another three fingers worth into his glass. "Drink up. You're gonna need it."

Picking up the refilled glass full, the Minister leaned back into the soft couch and swirl the contents of the glass around, debating internally whether or not he should drink it or not. 'The first glass didn't kill me…although it was a bloody close call. The second one can't be too bad.'

The decision on whether or not to drink the liquor was made for him however as Shacklebolt made his way back into the room. Setting his glass down, the Minister eyed the dark skinned Auror wearily. It wasn't the Auror that made him nervous, the man had saved his life after all, but rather it was the news that he was sure to be bringing that made him wary. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad Minister." Shacklebolt said wearily as he took the seat across from him and buried his head in his hands. "The dementors and the witches and wizards who'd set the blaze are gone, but their effects are still being felt across the city. Half of London is in ashes and the fires are still going despite the best efforts of your fire brigade."

'Bloody hell.' The Minister groaned. 'How many people died? How many are going to die? And all I can do is sit here on my fat arse like a bump on a log. Some Minister I am.' "And what is the response from the Magical Ministry and Fudge in particular regarding these events?"

When neither man answered his question, the Minister looked up and found both men to be suppressing winces. "There's bad news on that front as well." Shacklebolt said, picking up the glass the Minister had set aside and draining its contents before continuing on. "Fudge was assassinated and the British Ministry was attacked by a muggle military cell of unknown origins. Dozens are dead and more are wounded. The ICW Headquarters have been attacked as well and almost everyone within slaughtered."

The Minister felt his stomach sink even lower, if that was even possible. "Who?" He asked, turning to the two men. "Is it the same people who are attacking everyone else?"

"Undoubtedly." Moody grumbled. "They call themselves the 'New Sith Order'. Whatever the bloody hell that is. Or at least that was what I was able to get out of the one bloody idiot I managed to question before he kicked the bucket on me mid questioning. Still, one less Death Eater to worry about."

"But while it was more than likely the same people that attacked both the magical and the mundane world, their methods for each attack were drastically different." Shacklebolt pressed on. "So far as I can tell, and these reports are scattered and mostly rumor based seeing as how the attacks just happened a few hours ago. Every time they attacked the mundane world they did so with witches and wizards in full view and dementors backing them. However whenever they attacked the magical community, they did so with muggle strike forces using muggle weapons and tactics."

"Smart." Moody nodded. "Muggles are used to fighting muggles. And magicals are used to fighting magicals. But they are not used to fighting against one another. They won't know how to counter the attacks."

While the scarred Auror had a point, something woman who attacked him had said was sticking in his mind. "War." He said, drawing both of men's attention. "They want war."

"Well they're getting it." Shacklebolt scoffed. "In spades."

"No." The Minister replied, shaking his head. "Think about it. The attackers have not identified themselves. All that we know so far is that the United States government was pretty well buggered by a group of magicals. At the same time another group of magicals wiped out the Royal Family of Britain and destroyed Parliament. Who knows which other government agency or body has been attacked. Then on the other side of the coin, the magicals have suffered causalities as well. Your version of the UN has been attacked by a non-magical strike force and the British Minister of Magic has been assassinated by another non-magical strike force.

"As Auror Moody stated, they might be doing this simply to fight using elements that they're targets won't know how to counter. However if you look at it deeper, there is an ulterior motive. Magicals are attacking non-magicals at will from one point of view. And from the other non-magicals are attacking magicals. What would be the appropriate response to such an action? Go to war against the other faction. This…New Sith Order if that's what they're called. They're not trying to fight against both the magical world and the non-magical world. They're trying to get the magical world and the non-magical world to fight against each other. And destroy each other. And then when the flames of war have died down…they'll come in a cleanup whatever group is left with ease."

Both men were silent as they slowly digested what he'd just laid out for them. "Bloody fucking hell." Moody growled, taking another almost impossibly long pull from his flask. "That fucker…he's playing all of us for fucking fools and laughing about it."

"We need to get the word out."

"How?" The Minister scoffed at Shacklebolts suggestion, even though he knew it to be the right one. "Those wizards that attacked London destroyed all of the media outlets in the city. Not to mention I doubt anyone would believe me. Not with this crazy arse story. Bloody hell, I hardly even believe it."

"Nox." Moody said solemnly, catching both of the other occupants off guard. "We need to get you to her. If there's anyone who can help steer us through this crisis it'll be her."

'Ziri Nox.' Just thinking her name made the Minister want to curse. Not at her. But at his own stupidity and overconfidence. 'I should've listened to her when she tried to warn all of us about this threat. I should've taken her more seriously. But maybe…just maybe it isn't too late to try and listen now.'

"What can she do?" The Minister asked, fishing for information.

MI6 had two whole file cabinets dedicated to her. First because she was a successful business woman that created one of the most powerful and influential companies in the world in a matter of a few years after literally appearing out of thin air. Not only that, but she also started to put together her own private army of sorts. Not that that piece of information was public knowledge or even confirmed…but everyone knew that she had one. They just didn't know who they were or even where they were.

The second cabinet became necessary after discovering that she was a witch. Although that one was considerably less full than the first. 'There are a lot holes in our information on her.' He thought, staring at the two men. 'Maybe these two will be able to give me some more info on her.'

"A lot." Moody grumbled. "She's more powerful magically than you can possibly imagine. Not to mention her physical skills which would put even the greatest of your soldiers to shame if her boy is any proof of her abilities. She also has allies that…bloody hell they defy imagination. Even for a bloody fucking wizard that's spent his life hunting down the darkest elements of our society. Not only that, but she knows something of this enemy that we're facing. I don't know what she knows, only those closest to her knows that. But she knows something."

The man was right. At the moment he had no means of communicating with the people of Britain. Hell, after the whole incident with that woman in situation room he wasn't even sure he could trust anyone still alive in his government. If there was even anyone left in the first place. "Alright…but how do we get a hold of her?" He asked, turning his attention back to the two men.

Getting up from his seat, Moody hobbled his way over to a cabinet and after scrounging around within for a minute, came back with flat rock in his hand. "Nox gave this to me a while back." He grumbled, tossing it over to Shacklebolt. "It's an emergency portkey that will take the two of you to a safe house of hers. If she's worth anything, she's got detection spells all around the ruddy place to tell her if someone shows up. You two take that and head over there and wait for her. To activate it press the runes in this order: seven-three-one-nine-zero."

The Minister didn't exactly care for the idea of running away, especially when all of the United Kingdom was under siege. But at the moment he really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. He needed help to deal with this…New Sith Order. And Nox was the only person in the entire world would could potentially have the information he needed. "Alright." The Minister nodded. "I don't like running away from a fight, but at the moment I guess there's no helping it. Let's do this."

Apparating back onto one of the many landing platforms of the Guardian Temple, Nox let go of the two arms she was holding onto. One was perfectly fine, having been an experience in apparation. The other was…not so well versed. As was exemplified as he immediately bent over and began emptying what seemed like several meals worth of food out onto the platform. "Good god." The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom gasped as he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "How in god's name do you people get used to traveling like…that?"

"You just do." Nox answered as she strode away from the Minister and towards the entrance without a single glance back.

When Winky had informed her that the wards surrounding the safe house she'd set up for Moody had been tripped, she immediately apparated to the location in order to collect the veteran Auror. But what awaited her there was not the scarred Auror, but rather Amelia's plant within the British government and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. While they were certainly not what she'd been expecting, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. And with barely a word utter to either of the two men, she grabbed their arms and apparated the two of them back to the Temple.

"Good lord," the Minister gasped as he finally got a look at the Temple. "How…when…holy shite. When did you build this? And how did no one know about it?"

"Quite recently." Nox answered without slowing per pace. "And I paid a lot of money to make sure that no one knew about it Minister."

As the trio walked into the Temple, the Minister's eyes only widened. "Good lord…this place is…massive. By the way…where exactly are we? And where are we going?"

"To your first question, this Temple is located somewhere in the Atlantic and that is as much as you're getting on that topic." Nox answered as the trio began ascending the stairs that would eventually lead them to the war room within the Temple. "And to your second, we're heading for our version of a situation, or war room if you will."

"Alright." The Minister nodded, however after thirty minutes of walking up stairs and down corridors, the Prime Minister was starting to show signs of fatigue. "Good lord…how bloody large is this place? Haven't you people heard of elevators?"

"Yes," Nox answered with a grin. "But few here actually need them so I didn't bother putting them into the designs."

"My legs will thank you in the morning." The Minister huffed. "How much further?"

Nox shrugged. "Not far. If you don't think that you can keep up I can always apparate you there. Or maybe turn your lapel pin into a portkey and drop you right into the middle of the room."

"No thank you. I'm fine." The Minister said, suddenly standing straighter while off to the Kingsley shook his head chuckling slightly.

By the time they got to the war room, the trio found that the room had been filled almost to the brim. Just about everyone who wasn't out on missions to try and salvage what they could of this disaster were trying to pitch in in some manner or other. Arthur was staring at the computers looking completely lost but hanging onto everyone word Hermione was saying as she explained the basic concepts of the device. Rex and Amelia were standing in the center of the room before the large circular hologram quietly talking amongst themselves. And across from them were Jean-Claude and Antoinette Delacour and Yoda was sitting on the edge of the circular display holographic terminal. But it was the individuals with their backs turned towards her and standing next to the Delacours that drew her attention almost immediately.

"Harry." She said softly, making her way quickly across the room and towards her son.

Harry turned around just as she reached him, a slight grin across his face. Without a word she reached up and placed a hand on either of her son's temple and began feeling him through the Force. "You're still in pain."

His grin faltered. "So are a lot of others mother. I can't sit around and do nothing. You know that better than anyone."

"I know." She smiled back, patting him on the cheek before letting go of his head and taking a step back and motioning for her two guests to come forward. "I'm sure that you all know Kingsley Shaklebolt, if not personally than by reputation. And with him is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Minister, this is my son Harry Potter. His girlfriend Ahsoka Tano. You already know Amelia Bones. The little green one is Master Yoda, a Guardian much like myself only far more senile. This here is the commander of my…private army as you might call them General Rex. And this is Jean-Claude and Antoinette Delacour. Diplomats representing the French Ministry of Magic and the Veela colony in France."

The Minister nodded to each of them, his eyes lingering on the diminutive Jedi Master for a moment before locking, and staying, on Antoinette. After a full embarrassing minute, Nox reached out and snapped her fingers directly in front of the Minister's eyes, snapping him out of his stupor. "What– I– what's going…?"

"Don't worry Minister." Antoinette smiled knowingly as she leaned up against her husband. "Seeing a Veela, even a half-veela like myself, for the first time often causes this sort of effect amongst the non-magical communities. Not to mention the magical communities."

"You can gape at her later Minister." Nox cut in, stepping up to the holo-projector. "Have our teams reported in since I've been gone?"

"Yes ma'am." Rex nodded. "Jerusalem and the Vatican remain untouched as of this moment and the teams have pulled back. However both London and Paris are reporting serious damage. The damage is more severe in London, but in both countries their elected officials are all but wiped out."

"What about the United States?" The Prime Minister asked, stepping forward. "Before that…woman attacked us my analysts were trying to figure out the extent of the damage done."

"The United States was hit hardest of them all." Rex responded, pulling up a map of the US and highlighting certain areas. "Washington D.C. is all but destroyed. The Pentagon is gone. And Langley was hit as well. Those three attacks crippled them and they're scrambling trying to put the pieces together. Also the Wolfsbane reported that the United Nations headquarters was burning and nearly burnt to the ground whent hey reached it. However ma'am, there's something I discovered while you were away. An explanation as to why communications across the globe have suddenly become so unresponsive." Leaning over his terminal, Rex imputed a few commands and the image shifted from a map to a picture of a satellite in orbit. "I had one of your satellites do a scan. And, well it's dead in the water ma'am. I sent the few other satellites of yours off on recon runs, but so far every satellite we find, no matter the country, is completely powered down."

"Shit." Nox growled, shaking her head. "Hit the muggle and magical world hard and then disable the best means of communication the muggle world has ensuring that they can't react fast. Vitiate certainly left nothing to chance did he?"

"So, what's our next move mother?" Harry asked, stepping up beside her.

Placing both hands on the terminal before her, Nox stared at the picture in front of her as her mind began running a mile a minute trying to come up with some sort of plan. "We have no idea where they're based out of. Their 'lair' as you will, is more than likely heavily guarded through magical means. Which means that finding it is next to impossible. So unfortunately at the moment there is little more that we can do other than fight through attrition and try to counter whatever they throw at us." Standing upright, she faced Rex. "Do whatever you can to get worldwide communications going again. Our satellites were off the grid from the others so we should be able to use them. Once we have communications back up Amelia and the Minister here will make a joint speech to the public. Vitiate is trying to plunge the magical and mundane world into a civil war against one another. Hopefully with you two appearing side by side we might be able to halt that from happening. At least for a time.

"In the meantime," she continued. "I want rotating shifts. I want the Wolfsbane and all of our LAATs airborne at all times, stopping only to refuel and change out crews. We need to try keep the dementors out of civilian populations at all costs."

"There is something else Madam Nox." Antoinette spoke up. "Something that might aid this cause. The Veela nation in France, they wish asylum here at the Temple. All of them."

Nox felt her eyebrows rise at that. 'The Veela will certainly be a valuable asset…unfortunately they're going to have to wait.' "Tell the Veela that we accept." Nox said. "However they will need to wait on migrating here until Daphne is awake."

Antoinette's brow furrowed slightly. "If I may ask, why?"

"I've managed to keep the creation and location of this Temple a complete secret from everyone in the world, save for those I trust to know of it. And keeping this place a secret will be one of our greatest assets in the days to come." Nox explained. "And while I trust the Veela's desire for safety, we have to presume that anyone who wants to voluntarily come here could potentially be a Child of the Emperor. And while I could figure out if they are one, now that they are active. It would take me a long time and we would need to capture a Child first so I knew what I was looking for. Daphne however, thanks to her unique gift, has the ability to discern the true nature of a person with just a passing glance. So until she is up, no one besides those that've already been cleared to enter will be admitted."

The Prime Minister cleared his throat and everyone lookeda t him. "I know this might not be…something to ask but I felt prudent to bring up. Before the…woman who killed my people I gave the order for the Rite of Annulment to be executed. I'm only asking because once it went out, as protocil, it can't be stopped unless ¾ vote otherwise"

Nox glared at the Pri9me Minister debated with herself to tell him how that mess escalated into something much worse. 'Fuck it, let him see how great an idea that was' "The Rite did go through yes, but someone changed all the targets. Instead of going for magical locations it was all changed to world wide targets. Several in the US, Paris, Bejing, Tokyo, etc. In a word, a quarter of the world could have been wiped out."

The Prime Minister paled at the retaliation of what would have happened if that came to pass.

Nox smiled grimly, "And yes, the Rite could not be stopped, and I didn't bother trying. Instead I simply changed all the coordinates to send all the missles outside of Earth or rather to the sun. Once that was done I hit the self destruct on the second stage weapons to stop whoever was controlling the UN from using those."

Standing beside the Voice of the Emperor, Azcarin, the Emperor's Wrath, stood silent and watched as his Master's Dark Council took their seats. Although calling them a 'Dark Council' was a bit of stretch in Azcarin's mind. If any of the Dark Council could see their replacements now they would be turning over in their graves out of disgust. They barely deserved the title of Sith, let alone Darth and a position on the Dark Council.

As the last of his Master's Council took their seats the doors closed sealing the five of them in. "Let us begin." His Master said, taking over the control of the Voice once more. "Blackwood. What is the status of your assault?"

"Overall our plans are proceeding as planned Emperor." Blackwood answered respectfully. "During our initial assault we were able to remove the top level of political guidance in the United States, Russia and China. And while the non-magicals are still floundering about, the dementors continue to roam free killing at will. And our new Acolytes are making hit-and-run attacks against key strategic locations around the globe. They apparate or portkey in, cast a few Fiendfyre spells to cause as much damage as possible and then flee before anyone can find them. So far we have conducted forty-seven of these raids and have not lost a single Acolyte."

"Very good Darth Blackwood." The Emperor smiled through Voldemort. "You have by far surpassed your predecessor."

"Thank you, my Emperor. I live only to serve." Blackwood groveled. An action which made Azcarin want to roll his eyes. 'Take his compliment in stride idiot.' Azcarin thought, staring at the large human. 'The Emperor hates ass-kissers. But still…his skill with an edge weapon and magic make him at least a level of a Sith Lord. Time will tell if he's truly deserving of his title of Darth however.'

Turning his head ever so slightly, the Emperor stared at the only woman in the room. "Darth Nightshade. You have exceeded what I told you to accomplish by a wide margin. My Children span the globe and rejoice at their awakening. You have done well."

"All for your benefit my Emperor." Nightshade nodded. "I did not want to run the risk of disappointing you."

'More like you wanted to take control of the Children yourself.' Azcarin thought, staring at the oriental woman. 'You wanted the Children for yourself. I know it. And the Emperor knows it. It is why you created so many of them and spread them about so thoroughly. The only problem is…no one, not even I, knows how the Emperor awakens his Children. Of these three this one definitely has the cunning to be a Sith…but she lacks foresight. She thinks herself invincible because of what and who she is. A foolish mistake that has cost many a Sith.'

"Mortis." With that one word, the air temperature within the room plummeted as the withered old fool cringed slightly as the eyes of the Emperor's Voice fell upon him. "You were given a simple assignment. Create as much chaos and death as you can. An area you excelled at. Yet…it was in this task alone that our initial attacked failed. And now Darth Blackwood has had to pick up the slack that you've created with your failure. I will admit that your 'Rite of Annulment' was ingenious. Getting the non-magicals to create and maintain their own means of destruction was a plan worthy of any Sith under my command. And it is for this reason alone that I will give you the chance to give your explanation and make amends instead of turning you into one of the Condemned. As I did with the young Lestrange boy."

The entire time the Emperor spoke, Azcarin had been making his way silently around the table until he was standing just behind and off to the side of Mortis with his hand on his lightsaber. With signal from his Master, he stood ready to shorten the little cretin by his head. Or drag him off to be made into one of the Condemned. A fate far worse than death. And a fitting end for those who dared to defy or fail the Eternal Emperor.

Fidgeting more than slightly, Mortis sent a quick glance towards Blackwood and Nightshade, for what reason Azcarin wasn't sure. If he was looking for support, then he was looking in the wrong place. His failing when they succeeded only boosted their own value in the eyes of the Emperor. No Sith would stick their neck out, literally, now for him. "I– I believe Nox countered the Rite of Annulment Emperor."

The Emperor merely leaned back and stared coldly at Mortis. "I warned you not to underestimate her did I not?"

"Yes…my Emperor." Mortis nodded meekly. "She…I do not know how, but she somehow found out about the Rite of Annulment and put in safeguards that would allow her countermand the orders should they be given. Once the Rite began she…she couldn't stop it from happening so she…she changed the target coordinates without my realizing it. Then she activated the self-destruct sequences on the weapon caches that were supposed to be used for the second stage of the Rite."

Silence greeted the end of Mortis's explanation as the Emperor just sat there and silently stared at the man. Then with a deliberate slowness, the Emperor raised his hand, palm out and towards Mortis. "I told you not to underestimate her." He reiterated, his fingers curling in slightly. At first it looked as if nothing was happening, but then Mortis started shaking as the Emperor's fingers curled inwards, pressing on Mortis with the Force. "But you didn't heed my words. And now our plans stand in jeopardy because you failed!"

"P-Please…my…Emperor…" Mortis gasped as his body started to shake violently. "I-I have a-a-another…p-p-p-plan!"

The Emperor opened his hand and Mortis collapsed forward, his face pressed firmly against the surface of the table as he gasped for breath. "Be quick Mortis. My patience with your incompetence is at its end."

"Dragons…my Emperor." Mortis gasped.

Azcain almost blinked, but managed to hold himself steady and gave away nothing. 'Hmm…interesting. A possibility that I never thought of. And judging by the look on the Emperor's face, it's something that he hasn't necessarily consider before either. Or he has and dismissed it.'

"Continue."

Mortis gave off a sigh of relief as he righted himself in his seat, although he still kept his gaze slightly diverted from the Emperor gaze either unwilling, or unable, to meet his eyes. "I– This was my original plan my Emperor, but I discarded it in favor of the Rite due to the…potential backlash upon ourselves. But as you know there…there are several dragon reserves littered across the world my Emperor. We capture one of the reserves and place portkey's that are keyed into varying locations around the world. The jarring nature of portkey travel will unnerve the dragons, but just to make sure they behave like we want we'll…well poke the dragon beforehand as well. And once they arrive, they will start attack everything around them."

"There are a lot of variables in this plan of yours Mortis." Blackwood stated, leaning forward on his elbows. "First we will have to locate and capture a dragon reserve. No easy task as both the handlers and the dragons will put up a fight. Then you will need to tag each dragon with a portkey, which means getting close enough to do so. Plus you'd risk us aggravating the goblins, who by the Emperor's orders we are avoiding confrontation with at the moment."

Azcarin smiled as he watched Mortis start to shake out of anger. 'It appears I may have spoken too soon about Blackwood. Apparently the man does have a decent head on his shoulders.'

"I have taken what you've pointed out into consideration already." Mortis growled. "There is a reserve that is relatively isolated and not connected with the goblins. And as for the risk to our people…well…that's what they're here for. To serve us."

"You will commence with this plan Mortis." The Emperor spoke, ending the debate. "However, you will be there with our Acolytes as they attempt this scheme of yours. Should this plan of yours fail, then you shall join the ranks of the Condemned. And should you simply leave this task to your Acolytes, then you shall join the ranks of the Condemned. This is your one and only chance to prove that you truly deserve your seat here. Do not fail me again Mortis."

"Yes, my Emperor." Mortis breathed, the relief in voice almost thick enough to be cut.

"But do not think that you are forgiven for your original failure." The Emperor continued, ending Mortis's brief reprieve. "As you have failed me, I am removing your duties as a member of this Council. You will retain your position, and should your plan prove successful have a chance to earn new duties on the Council. But for now your tasks of Enforcement of the Sith order will be transferred to another."

Mortis glared hatefully across the table at Blackwood and Nightshade. "I– I understand…my Emperor. Will Darth Nightshade or Darth Blackwood be taking up my duties, my Emperor?"

"Neither." Raising his hand, the doors to the small chamber opened revealing a lone figure. "Come forth."

With her head held high, Bellatrix Lestrange marched into the small meeting hall and sunk down to one knee before them. Azcarin knew that this was coming, and he'd agreed full heartedly with his Emperor's decision on this matter. This woman was far more Sith than any other individual he'd ever met on this dark forsaken rock of a planet. She reminded him of Nox in her prime when she was cutting a bloody path through the ranks of the Sith. Powerful. Smart. Resourceful. And completely unwilling to let anything or anyone get in her way to power.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." The Emperor spoke, and by the looks on the three Darths' faces, they all knew what was about to happen just as he did. "You have proven yourself time and time again in your loyalty and skill while fighting for Lord Voldemort and the Sith Order. It is on his recommendation that I hereby grant you the title of Darth and a position on the Dark Council in charge of Enforcement within and without the Sith Order."

"You honor me, my Emperor." Bellatrix bowed lowly before quickly rising to her feet and meeting the Emperor's glowing eyes. "I will not fail you."

"No. You will not." The Emperor responded simply before snapping his fingers and creating another chair for Bellatrix. "Take your seat Darth Bellatrix. We still have much to discuss as a whole."

Standing before the holographic projector in the war room, Nox blankly stared down at the various reports filtering through her terminal as the before her the large hologram of Earth depicted the location of the various Guardians she'd stationed around the world.

Four days. It'd been four days and Nox honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd left this spot for longer than an hour or two to enter a meditative rest. She knew that she was approaching her limit. But she couldn't stop. There was far too much to do. The New Sith Order had planned their initial attack and follow up actions far too well for her to stop and rest.

While the Sith and their magical allies had pulled back, the dementors had not. The dark side entities were still constantly floating around the globe. It was because of those creatures that her Guardians were starting to show signs of fatigue. All of her Guardians, and even the magicals that'd joined with them, were on a constant rotating schedule flying around the world on either LAATs or the Wolfsbane trying their best to counter the dementors. The only time their ships weren't in the air was when they were forced to land in order to refuel and change out crews onboard.

But with only six ships, they were not able to stop all of the dementor attacks. Or even most of them for that matter. They weren't going after the larger cities, preferring instead to target smaller villages or towns. And because of this, more often than not by the time her Guardians even arrived the dementors were already gone and dozens were left dead. But perhaps even more disturbing was when they arrived at a small town or village and found it completely empty. It'd only happened twice so far. But in those two instances over three hundred souls had gone missing. Force only knew what the Emperor was planning on using them for. Certainly nothing that would be to their benefit given the Emperor's history.

'I need to get my hands on one of them.' Nox thought, staring at the holographic projection of Earth and the six red dots that indicated her individual teams. 'Harry was able to destroy them using a variation of the Patronus Charm. Even though he doesn't remember how he did it, the simple fact that they can be destroyed gives us hope I need to experiment on one of them to figure out what he did so we have an edge against them.'

And while the dementors had been leaving the larger cities alone, the magicals that made up the ranks of this "New Sith Order" weren't. They'd taken to hit and run tactics; apparating into a highly populated area and casting a Fiendfyre spell before apparating out and letting the spell do their dirty work. It was crude, but effective. The people were starting to panic and several major cities around the world were starting to empty as people began running from the threat which could literally pop in and out of existence on a moment's notice. 'I may have stopped the nukes from hitting any place on Earth but I traded them for this madness.'

And it wasn't just the non-magical world that'd been suffering over the past few days either. The magical world was under constant siege. Much like their magical counterparts, the non-magical forces of the New Sith Order had taken up hit and run tactics when dealing with the magical world. Only they were a little more inventive about it as they couldn't apparate away. But to date three car bombis had gone off near magical centers killing dozens and injuring more. The world was hanging on the precipice of an all-out war. And the Emperor was giving it a mighty shove. Over the past few days the New Sith Order had managed to kill millions of non-magicals and thousands of magicals. And the death toll kept rising with each passing moment.

"What do you have to report General?" Nox asked without turning around. As quiet as he was, she'd sensed the man ever since he'd entered the room but hadn't bothered to acknowledge his presence until he was standing just behind her.

"Our satellites are in position ma'am." Rex responded without hesitation. She swore, the man was next to unflappable.

"Good." Nox nodded as the hologram of Earth was updated to show the locations of the few satellites she had in orbit around select locations. "Alter the flight plans of our recon teams to go around the areas we can now watch. No need to scout the same area twice."

"Already on it ma'am." Her general replied as he idly scrolled through the datapad in his hands. "I have an update on the refugees as well."

"Let's hear it." Nox nodded.

"So far Knight Greengrass has managed to sort through nearly half of the Veela colony." Rex stated. "They weren't necessarily too happy about the condition at first, but after Madam Delacour explained the situation to them they became much more amiable to the stipulation. They've been given quarters in the southeast tower at the moment as it is the only one that isn't currently in use. And many of those who've already arrived have requested to help in whatever way they can."

"Good." Nox nodded. At least there was some good news. "Start those who are willing to volunteer on a crash course of modern weapons and tactics under the eyes of Master Vos and Ventress. Also start having our men who are not deployed spend time with the Veela. We need to acclimate ourselves to their charms if they're going to be helping us. No need for our people to turn into hormonal wrecks in the middle of a battle."

"Understood ma'am." Rex nodded. "Delta squad is currently on an eight hour reprieve. I'll assign them to help the Veela get settled and inform Master Vos and Ventress of their new roles once they return from their own recon missions."

"You're a treasure Rex." Nox said sincerely, throwing the clone a quick smile over her shoulder before refocusing on the map in front of her. Just as she was about to give the general her next series of orders, a small light started flickering in the bottom right corner of her terminal. "Finally."

"What is it ma'am?" Rex asked as Nox began typing away.

"I've been trying to locate someone." Nox answered as the hologram of Earth spun slightly so that she was looking at the Pacific Ocean. "And I've finally managed to track him down."

"Who?"

"The senior most military officer I can find that is highly respected." Nox answered as the hologram before them zoomed in to show a carrier fleet cutting through the ocean. "Don't get me wrong Rex. You're irreplaceable and have been and gift from the Force ever since you arrived. But we need recognizable leaders if we're going to have any hope of preventing a full out civil war between the non-magicals and the magicals of this world. Amelia and the Prime Minister were a good start. But we need a well-respected military officer as well."

"You won't get any argument from me ma'am." Rex commented back. "I'm not used to all of this administrative stuff. I'll gladly hand the reins over to someone that you think is worth and head back out into the field. But who did you find?"

"Admiral Steven Hackett." Nox replied, pulling up the man's profile on the holo-projector. The admiral was an older man whose hair had long ago turned white. But his eyes were the eyes of an experienced soldier that demanded respect. "Highly decorated and respected around the world. He's with the Thirteenth fleet onboard the fleet's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. He was there to test out the F1-Alpha Fighters and the F1-Beta aircrafts that the US Navy purchased from me. Lucky for him, as the inspection tour had him away from Washington when the Sith attacked."

"Any particular reasons why him ma'am?" Rex asked curiously.

"As I said, he's a carrier man. Highly decorated and respected and fought tooth and nail for every promotion." Nox explained. "Also, he's probably the highest ranking military officer left in the US at the moment that would be willing to hear us out rather than just have us shot on sight. Which team is in the Temple at the moment Rex? And what's the next ship due back?"

Rex immediately went back down to his datapad. "Your son and his Valkyries are currently on mandatory four hour rest. As is Master Kenobi. And the next ship back will be the Wolfsbane. They're due back in three hours."

Rocking back on her heel, Nox rubbed at her chin. "Inform my son and his Valkyries, even Daphne andher apprentice, that I want all of them prepped and ready to leave as soon as the Wolfsbane lands as well as Master Kenobi. And Rex, you'll be going with them as well to try and talk this admiral onto our side."

"Ma'am?"

"You're military Rex." Nox answered simply, turning around and facing the clone. "You know how to speak his language. And while technically speaking you might be used to my son outranking you. This admiral will not see it that way. In fact, he would probably laugh outright at him. Kenobi will probably command more respect, but again I feel that you will be able to reach this admiral far better than anyone else."

Rex stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Very well ma'am. I'll send out the notice for your son and Master Kenobi as well as the squad on rest to be ready to leave the moment the Wolfsbane arrives back at the Temple-"

Rex was cut short as the door to the war room slid open and a clearly out of breath Arthur Weasley ran in. "Madam – Nox." Arthur said breathlessly as he bent over trying to catch his breath. "I– Burrow…"

"Take a breath Arthur." Nox said calmly, staring at the Weasley patriarch. "Now, what about your home?"

After taking several deep breaths, Arthur righted himself and met her eyes. "Madam…the wards around the Burrow are still mostly intact. And– and I just felt some breach them."

Nox frowned at this. "The Death Eaters? Is there anything of value that they might take from your home?"

"It wasn't the Death Eaters ma'am." Arthur breathed. "The wards weren't brought down. Someone got through them. There's only nin– eight– people in the world who could slip through the wards like this. And seven of them are here in the Temple."

Nox put the dots together quickly. "Your son, Charlie I believe his name is?" Nox asked, to which Arthur nodded. "Have you been in contact with him?"

"No, we haven't." Arthur said, shaking his head. "Not since we were forced to abandon our home. But ma'am, there's something else. I– the wards have told me that he's hurt. Bad. I need to go to him. Please."

Nox frowned in thought for a moment before reaching into her robes and pulling out a small sphere. "This is a portkey that will bring you back to Britain. From there you will be able to apparate back to your home and check on your son. Make sure that you check him over for any tracking charms before you even think of bringing him back. And as soon as you do I want Daphne there to check him over as well understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Arthur breathed, clearly relieved as he took the portkey from her. "Thank you…thank you so much."

Just as Arthur was near the door Nox called out, "Oh and Arthur?"

Arthur paused and turned to look at Nox, "Yes?"

Nox looked at Arthur seriously, "If Bill is fully recovered it might be a good idea to take him with you. Best not to head out there alone." Arthur nodded then quickly left to find his eldest son.

Walking through the corridors of the great Temple, Narcissa Malfoy, or rather Narcissa Black thanks to her cousin, stared in wonder at the vast structure surrounding her. This Temple was beyond anything she'd ever seen before. Including Hogwarts and the Malfoy manor. Magic was woven into almost inch of the Temple. Even more so than at Hogwarts. It was…beautiful. But as beautiful and serene as this place was…Narcissa felt more out of place here than ever before in her entire life.

Even though she'd only been awake and out of the hospital room for only a day or two, everyone here knew who she was. Even if they knew what she'd done, what she sacrificed, it didn't matter. Despite the fact that her cousin had stricken the name Malfoy from her with a flick of his quill, the stain of that wretched name followed her sill. She could see it in the eyes of some of the werewolves here that knew of her ex-husband's reputation. The look in the eyes of the Veela who still remember the reason why the Malfoy's were driven out of France in the first place.

Even the magical families that she'd run into; the Davies', the Weasley's, and the Bones' had given her a mild birth whenever they were in the same hall together. The only ones who didn't seem to mind her presence were the few of the so-called 'Guardian Masters' that were currently in the Temple. Granted the only one she'd run into so far was one Mallie Marek in the library, which had made her jaw nearly unhinge at its sheer size and scope.

Finally reaching her destination, she took a deep breath before reaching out to lay a hand on the smooth door, only to have it open before she could even touch it. 'Morgana.' Narcissa sighed, shaking her head as she walked into the room without really looking. 'That is going to…take…some…oh my…'

The room inside was…not what she expected. Instead of facing more magically infused metallic constructs she was met with a…forest. An actual honest to magic woodlands with a twenty foot tall waterfall in the middle of the room right in the middle of a man-made metal pyramid. But even that wasn't what made her stop in her tracks. No…what truly made her stop was when she found the reason why she'd even left the hospital wing that morning.

For sitting underneath the waterfall, his eyes closed and his body relaxed despite the water constantly falling upon him, was the man who'd saved her life.

Her body refused to move even as she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight before her. 'I– I shouldn't be here.' She thought after managing to regain her wits about her. She knew enough about meditation, even though it wasn't widely practiced in the magical world as it'd once been, that it took a long time to reach a deep state of meditation. And by the looks of things…the man who saved her life was in a very deep state of meditation.

"You don't have to leave." A calm voice called out to her as was making her way back out of the room.

Narcissa nearly jumped. Forcing her attention back on the man beneath the waterfall, she found that his eyes were still closed as the water continued to rush over him. Taking a few steps forward, Narcissa reminded herself of just who she was. 'You are a Black. You are not some simpleton to go running and blushing at a handsome face and kind smile.' "I didn't want to disturb you."

"You're not, my Lady Black." Obi-Wan said, his eyes opening as he removed himself from beneath the waterfall and made for a small pile of items near the edge of the pool. Grabbing his wand, Obi-Wan cast a quick drying spell over himself after stepping out of the water. "Is there something that I can help you with Lady Black?"

Now that she was standing before him, Narcissa found herself in a state that she hadn't been in in years. She was speechless. "I– I " She floundered for a moment before composing herself. "I wanted to find you and thank you for your assistance Master Kenobi. I shudder to think of what would've happened to me had those brutes brought me back to the Dark Lord and his Emperor."

Obi-Wan's face didn't even twitch. It was as if the man was made of stone. "There is no need to thank me Lady Black, I merely did what anyone else would've."

"You'd be surprised at just how false that statement is." Narcissa sighed, shaking her head. "And please, stop with this whole 'Lady Black' thing. I have a name. It's Narcissa. Use it."

The corners of Kenobi's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. "If you insist Narcissa. But if that is the case I must ask you to call me Obi-Wan."

Narcissa felt her own lips twitching upwards into the slightest of grins. The first one she'd had in a long time. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

The two stared at one another for some time, each moment seeming to last an eternity to her. 'Okay…you said thank you…now what? Are you just going to stand there like an awe-struck fool Narcissa?' "If you don't mind my asking Master Ken– Obi-Wan. What were you meditating about? I've heard of several magical practices that use meditation to boost their power or to receive clairvoyance. It always sounded interesting but I– I never got the chance to try it."

Obi-Wan's head tilted ever so slightly. "Meditation is an essential aspect of being a Jedi. Or rather I should say a Guardian now. It can bring clairvoyance and great understanding, even glimpses of the future at times. But mostly, I meditate to give myself some peace. And after the events of the last few days…I needed a moment of peace."

"I can understand that." Narcissa sighed, as everything that'd happened to her over the last few months rushed through her mind. The Dark Lord coming back. Finding out there was someone even worse than him now leading the Dark faction. Watching her son murder someone whose only crime was existing…yes. She could very understand Obi-Wan's need for a moment of peace.

Obi-Wan gave her a strange look for a moment before taking a step back from her. "Come, sit with me."

Blinking, Narcissa hesitated for just a moment before following Obi-Wan to the edge of the pool before crossing her legs and sitting down on the soft ground in front of him. "Close your eyes." He instructed her. "Relax your body. Start with your feet and move up. Relaxing each muscle as you go. Clear your mind. Listen to the water. The slight breeze. The rustling of the trees. Calm your mind."

Taking a deep breath, Narcissa tried her best to follow his instructions. She cleared her mind. She relaxed her body. And she tried to concentrate on the sounds of the artificial forest surrounding them. But peace eluded her. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not get her son out of her mind.

"You're unbalanced." Obi-Wan said suddenly, shocking her enough so that she opened her eyes only to find him staring at her. "Your thoughts…they dwell on your son."

Narcissa's eyes widened as she immediately began going over her mental barriers. 'They're…they're fine. No intrusions…but then how did he know?'

"You're mental barriers are fine." Obi-Wan said, shocking her further. 'How does he know that?' "In fact they are quite strong. But your emotions and your thoughts on your son. They are causing you such pain. To many of us who followed Nox here, it will be as if you're screaming your thoughts at us. You need to try and let go of this burden Narcissa. What your son did was not you're doing. Blaming yourself will do you no good and in the end will only hurt you further. Trust me on this."

"And what could possibly know about it?" Narcissa snapped, rising quickly to her feet and glaring down at the Guardian Master. "You don't have children do you? Then how could possibly know how I'm feeling at the moment?!"

A brief pain of sadness crossed his eyes so vividly that Narcissa almost took a step back. "I know more than you might think Narcissa." Obi-Wan said sorrowfully as he rose to his feet and held out his hand to her. "I would like to show you something…if you'd be willing."

Eyeing his hand, Narcissa hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and taking it. Her body was suddenly squeezed and stretch as Obi-Wan apparated the two of them. When the spinning finally stopped, Narcissa found herself staring into a large room through a glass window. Molly Weasley was inside the room, but it was the two little figures crawling on the floor and laughing at one another that drew her attention. The two boys couldn't be older than two or three at most. She smiled as she watched the two boys play with one another, but then something strange happened. One boy reached out his hand…and a small stuffed dragon slid out from a pile of toys and into the boy's outstretched hand.

'Accidental magic.' Narcissa mused, impressed beyond measure. 'But it was…controlled. Amazing. He's so young…he shouldn't have that level of control yet.'

"The little one there, the one that is pouting because Galen summoned the dragon." Obi-Wan said suddenly, pointing towards the smaller of the two boys. "His name is Luke."

She couldn't help the way his voice lightened and the way he smiled ever so slightly as he said the child's name. "Is he…yours?" She asked tentatively.

"No." Obi-Wan answer immediately. "No, he's the son of two people that I knew and loved. Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. Padme was a Senator and an outspoken advocate for peace. And Anakin…he was my Padawan. My Apprentice if you will. I began training him ever since he was a young boy. He was my friend. My brother. The son that I never had all rolled into one."

The way he said their names with such sadness, there was little doubt in her mind about what had happened to them and how he came to be in custody of little Luke. But still, she had to ask. "I'm sorry. How did they die?"

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "You've…you've heard of how I and the other Guardian Masters came upon Nox have you not?"

Narcissa nodded. That had been a bloody shock when she'd first heard it a day after she'd woke up. To learn that most of the people that you were allied with were from another world…it boggled the mind. "I heard that there was a war where you were from. That you and your order were betrayed."

"Yes." Obi-Wan answered, smiling as Luke managed to windlessly summon the dragon that the other boy had grown tired of to him. "This Emperor that we face. He is a Sith. Much the same as the ones who destroyed the Jedi Order. There were only two Sith, a Master and his Apprentice. The Master manipulated the Galactic Senate and slowly destroyed the reputation of the Jedi. And his Apprentice…his apprentice marched into the Jedi Temple and killed everyone. Even the younglings."

"Morgana." Narcissa breathed. "I take it that this Apprentice you spoke of, they are the one that killed Luke's parents?"

At this Obi-Wan froze. "In a manner of speaking." He said almost so quietly she didn't catch it. "The Apprentice was…seduced by the Emperor to turn to the dark side. No one expected him. He was one of our best. And yet…still he strode through the entrance of the Jedi Temple with a legion of men at arms and started killing any who stood in his way."

A dreadful suspicion began to form in her gut. 'He said that he knew what I was feeling in regards to Draco.' "It was Anakin, wasn't it?" She asked as the dots connected in her mind. "He's the one who betrayed your Jedi Order. Isn't he?"

Obi-Wan nodded sadly. "Yes. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't believe it. Until Master Yoda and myself infiltrated what was left of the Jedi Temple while the Emperor was making a grand speech declaring an end to the Republic and naming himself Emperor of the galaxy. While we were there…I found a holo recording of Anakin. Only he was…he was no longer the boy that I knew. The boy that I loved. He was gone. Consumed by Darth Vader. Then later when I confronted him with his wife…he thought that I'd turned her against him and he…he choked nearly to death. I defeated him…but I couldn't kill him. So I left him for dead and took his wife away to seek medical attention. But she…she simply lost the will to live. She lived long enough to give birth and name their children. Then with her last breath she turned to me and whispered that there was still good in her husband."

Narcissa for one of the first times in her life found herself nearly at a loss for words. "Does…does it get any easier?"

Obi-Wan frowned as the two of them watched the little boys play with one another. "I'll let you know. For months I woke up every day blaming myself for what'd happened. I still do. But then I realized that I was doing myself no good by wallowing in self-pity. So, I decided that even though I can't kill him, even despite all that he's done, I will do everything in my power to raise his son right and stop him."

'He's right.' Narcissa thought, turning her attention away from Obi-Wan and back to the little children. 'Draco made his choice. I did everything I could to try to prevent it…but in the end the choice was still his. I can't keep blaming myself for his falling. The only thing I can do is try my hardest to prevent him from causing any more harm than he already has. Just like Obi-Wan is.'

Feeling his feet impact the soft ground, Arthur Weasley immediately raised his wand and quickly glanced around the area. To his utmost shock, everything was still intact. In fact if he didn't know any better, he would've denied an attack ever befalling the Burrow.

"Everything…is still standing." Bill said, clearly just as shocked as he was at finding their home still intact.

Holding tightly onto his wand, Arthur walked side by side with his eldest son as the two of them slowly approached the back entrance to the Burrow. Opening the back door, the two marveled at what awaited them. "I guess they really did give up the moment we all buggered off." Bill commented as the two stared at the completely intact and spotless kitchen.

"Not entirely." Arthur commented softly as his eyes fell to the floor, where a thin trail of blood made a path from the back entrance and into the main living area on the ground floor.

With a slight nod to his son, Arthur slowly started walking into the house. Taking care to avoid the loose floorboards that he knew would give away their location in a heartbeat. He may not be a trained warrior like his two youngest children, but no one knew the Burrow better than him.

Making their way through the small kitchen, Arthur and Bill both pressed their shoulders up against the wall on either side of the door frame leading into the living room. With a quick nod to his eldest son, Arthur and Bill both rounded the door frame and entered the room with wands held high. And both stopped dead in their tracks. Sitting on the couch facing them, his wand held limply in his right hand while his left was pressed over his gut was Arthur's second son. The front of his clothes were covered in blood and he had a long gash running down length of the left side of his face.

"Charlie!" Arthur yelled, lowering his wand and rushing into the room.

"Father?" Charlie called out weakly.

"I'm here son." Arthur replied, taking his son's hand in his own as Charlie's head turned towards him.

"Bloody fucking hell Charlie." Bill breathed, running his wand over the length of his brother before reaching into his coat and pulling out a bottle containing essence of dittany.

"D– dragons." Charlie gasped as Bill, with Arthur's help, tore open the front of Charlie's shirt and began applying the dittany to the plethora of crisscrossing gashes that were marring his front.

"Now's really not the time to worry about the dragons son." Arthur sighed as he watched the wounds on his son's chest slowly close. His second son really did have a one track mind.

"No," Charlie gasped as a particularly large cut healed itself. "Listen. The dragons…they've been…taken."

That pulled both Arthur and Bill up short. "What do you mean Charlie?" Bill asked slowly. "How can someone 'take' the dragons on the reserve?"

"Don't know…who they are." Charlie said, his breath steadying out slightly but still fairly ragged. "But…their leader. He…he was small, old. He looked…like that Crypt Keeper guy from the muggle show you and I watched a few years ago Bill. He and others…wearing skull masks. They…they came to the reserve. Killed everyone they could. And…and started corralling the dragons."

Bill's hands froze mid action as he stared up at his brother in horror. "Bill?" Arthur asked slowly. "Who's he talking about? Do you know this man?"

"I don't know him." Bill answered, "But I've heard of someone matching that description. Master Kenobi described him in great detail. Darth Mortis. One of the Emperor's Dark Council members. And one of the leaders of the New Sith Order."