Hello lovely Readers,

Here's the next installment to A Shadowed Life!

Short chapter, sorry, but my mind wanted to do this XD.

Anaelyssa: Thanks for the help. As for the big help for Harry, Harry's dragon sight helps him greatly in the murky water of Black Lake. Though, I guess you could say the comradery with the other champions is a big help too.

Yana: Ha ha well only one way to find out right? :3 I think a lot of people hope that whatever he has dredged up doesn't work.

Feral-kuga: Lol, be my guest :3 I have no qualms with frying pans to old fool Dumblefucks face XD. I've been debating on Fleur, Cedric, and Krum not entirely sure at the moment. I'm hoping to pull in one of them before the last task so we'll see. As for Hermione and Krum yeah I agree with you, they are cute.

Evenstarlily: Thanks and yeah I'm pretty bad with the cliff hanger thing aren't I? Sorry, old habits die hard, but it keeps people wanting to read more right? Lol, yeah I wish there was a better way to explain Harry and his dragon, but that's kinda hard to do XD. As for Evan, :3 read this chapter X3 But he can't use Ligilimens Harry knows Occlumency, so the fact that Dumbledore would be able to use it is if Harry allowed him too.

And to Guest: Yeah, I wanted to have it where Fleur saved her sister. I know a lot of stories don't have that and I think some people were happy I did that in this one.

To everyone else: Thank you, :3 I'm glad you enjoy the story, once again I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit short, but I hope to make that up. As you can see I don't do short chapters often, but that is to be expected sometimes right?

Well I'll let you all get to reading.

Enjoy!

Things in the story you might want to know.

"Talking/ spells"

'Thinking/ sound affects/ Memories'

§Music Song/ Magic Song§

-Parseltongue-

.:Spells:.

~Dragon Telepathy~

*Dragon Language*

Chapter Twenty-Five- Shrouded in Darkness

Harry was starting to feel paranoid since the end of the last task. Every time he went and relived the day as Orion Black to keep his work up to date, and without raising suspicion, he'd run into Dumbledore during that time. He could understand the man wanting to come to the ministry for Wizengamot stuff, but every day now? It was annoying the hell out of him, mostly because the man seemed to stop by to have a word with him while he was at his busiest part of the day. Even at Hogwarts as Evan Spring he was being hounded by the old codger. He knew he shouldn't be paranoid, but something seemed off ever since the tournament for the second task. The next one wasn't for a while now and it gave him time to progress on certain things he'd neglected. Though, Dumbledore's odd behavior was having him rush on his mission.

Something didn't feel right and he knew he had to trust everything that came from his dragon as a warning. He wasn't about to lose that part of him after just gaining it back. Felt to lonely in his own head, when the creature sharing his body, soul, mind, and blood had vanished for so long on him. His own personal mission at Hogwarts was to find the knot that held the wards to the school. Ever since getting his dragon inheritance he was able to feel and see magic he'd never had the chance to have back before his inheritance.

Harry sighed as he sifted through a stack of recently dropped off ward updates. His mind getting away from him over the thought of the school wards. It was the perfect plan… if he could find the years' worth of the knot created to hold the wards together around the school, the easier it would be to infiltrate it. However, things had become complicated when he was searching not only because of Dumbledore's obsessive need to tail him as of late, but also because of what he'd found out about Hogwarts herself.

Hogwarts was sentient in a sense, not that he was surprised, because of the Room of Requirements just didn't appear for not reason now would it? However, since Hogwarts was as sentient as he thought she was he would have to be careful when he found the knot when he'd come across it. Some of the wards were a natural occurrence, usually this happened because the surrounding area was a living and breath magical section to the earth. The land was literally protecting those who were magical, but on the other hand never raised its magic against other magical beings. If it weren't for the wards that years of headmaster's had placed as well as Dumbledore then the possibility of Hogwarts stopping a fight was little to none. All it ever did was protect, them from those unworthy of the magic that was there… which in more or less words meant non-magic folk or animals. This was why the animals at Hogwarts were all magic animals raised and breed in magical breeding homes. Without that magical factor the likeliness that a normal non-magical pet would be there would be more then unlikely. The animals they all used had a small magical signal of their own, but it wasn't enough to give them magical powers, just enough to be useful in places such as Hogwarts as familiars.

Harry was afraid of just this magical occurrence more than getting rid of the wards. If he wasn't careful he could kill the land the magic thrived from, making it wither and die. It was the reason why no one had ever attempted to remove the wards before. Even Voldemort hadn't attempted to when he was an expert at tearing down wards. He'd not talked to the man about this, but he was such the reason why Voldemort hadn't tried was because he was unable to peel each one apart from the natural wards without losing patience and tearing them all down and he really didn't want to damage natural magic, just as much as he didn't want too.

Harry nearly jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, having been lost in his thoughts so deeply that he'd been staring at the file in front of him longer than necessary. His glamoured grey eyes looked up to whom the hand belonged too. Minister Fudge gave him a fond smile and looked to be holding back a laugh. Harry let out a breath and gave him a half smile, showing even though he'd been started that he was relaxed now.

"How may I help you Minister?"

"I was stopping by to see if you would like to come along with me and Mr. Thallorian for a cup of tea," the man said chuckling.

"I would be honored too… it would be a nice break from doing this paper work for at least a little while," Harry sighed.

"Good, I figured you would possibly need a break. You've been at this since this department opened. To be honest I'm glad you're working on it I was unaware on just how behind we were on files for the wards data base, even with the one year you've been working on it, we are still not caught up, but we are closer now then we were before. It's all thanks to your hard work Mr. Black," The man complimented.

"Thanks, but it helps that I'm not the only one running around… I'm just glad the other ward makers decided this was a good idea too."

Fudge chuckled, "That is understandable… from what I hear they had asked at one point or another to start a department for wards. However, at the time we didn't have the funds and it had fallen through."

Harry nodded, "I understand that it barely made it through this time… I'm glad it did though, it makes people all the more, safe for it."

"Yes, but I pulled a few strings and got some well-known and influential wizards to support it," the man announced proudly.

"Oh?"

He nodded, "Yes, though… one I do not consider to be of top choice, but I was surprised that he had supported the department in being build."

"Who's that?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was none other than Dumbledore?"

Harry swallowed thickly, "Dumbledore?"

He nodded, "Yes, he seemed quite adamant about it."

Harry didn't like this one bit, "How did he support it?"

"Oh, he helped with the payments for it. He gave quite a bit of money to go towards it. To be honest I was surprised with the amount her contributed towards it," Fudge said as Harry put away his stack of files.

"I was unaware that Headmaster Dumbledore was wealthy," He stated though inside he was seething.

"Neither did I, but I assume it came from savings or something," Fudge said dismissing it.

Harry knew where it came from he wasn't stupid. Gradually he'd taken note of money disappearing from the Potter family trust vault. Now the Potter family Vault itself was left untouched because no one had access to it until Harry turned seventeen, by wizarding papers in this current time. Harry was well and way over the age of seventeen, but the wizarding world didn't need to know that at all. Funny thing is the Goblins already knew the change in age and like all goblins they valued safety of any vaults and information they acquire. If asked they would be turned away and not given the light of day to gain that information.

"I am glad it went through though honestly… regardless on how it happened," Fudge nodded in agreement with him.

"So where is Mr. Thallorian?"

"He will meet us there, it is a usual spot for the both of us to go for some tea and a light chat," The man said to him and he nodded before following him out of his office toward the atrium.

They were almost there and Harry was just beginning to feel safe that Dumbledore wouldn't show up anytime soon when said person stepped out of the nearest floo. Harry internally groaned and felt like he really wanted to face palm, but held back just barely. It was just his luck that this would happen. He'd just been feeling relaxed that the old fool wouldn't show up today and just when he'd felt safe it was blown away just as quick. He held back the grimace he wanted to make and instead gave a tired and blank look. He really didn't have to fake that he was tired. Between work and living through tournament days and keeping prepared for the worst during the tournament, he was having his work cut out for him.

"Hello Minister and Mr. Black," Dumbledore greeted.

Fudge wasn't all too happy to see the man either, "Hello Headmaster Dumbledore… Mr. Black and I were just heading out for a cut of tea."

"Oh, would you mind to terribly if I joined you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course you can," Fudge said begrudgingly, though he mostly did it so he wasn't being rude.

Dumbledore followed them and they used the floo system to get to Diagon Alley near the small café that Fudge usually went to with Mr. Thallorian. Harry felt relief flood him and he gave a tired smile to him and Tom gave a slight smirk in return, which soon turned to a frown upon seeing Dumbledore. He tensed, which was understandable since his Thallorian persona was on really bad terms with Dumbledore for putting Briar Rose in danger. Dumbledore was extremely lucky that Tom knew how to control his temper enough to not have Thallorian hex the hell out of the man.

They all seated themselves and it annoyed Harry that Dumbledore seated himself between Tom and him, leaving them both between both Dumbledore and Minister Fudge. He could tell Tom was upset by this, considering the older male hadn't seen him since the day he'd left for Hogwarts. They had agreed that Harry would focus on the Tournament and work. He didn't want to burn his little dragon out with having to relive the day three times. The look Tom gave him told him he knew the Dragon was tired. Most of it was mental rather than physical and magical exertion.

Harry knew what was coming before anything was said, "How is Mrs. Rose doing Mr. Thallorian… I hope she is doing well," Dumbledore said casually with hollow worry.

Tom's teeth clenched and he narrowed his eyes, "She is doing well… she went to go be with her mother for a little while. She'd only been her originally to visit the Malfoy family, however she cut her stay short after recovering from what she went through."

"I am sorry to hear that, will she be back in Britain any time soon?" He asked.

"I am unsure if she will be returning any time soon. She is rather unpredictable and prefers to have her freedom," That wasn't at all a lie and Harry knew it.

It was at that moment Harry had an odd sensation flit through the back of his mind. He was happy Tom was there, but there was also a seething anger he wasn't recognizing as his own or his dragons. This said a lot considering his dragon was oddly subdued and silent, obviously having given up staying viciously angry at the old fool. He blinked and puzzled over it for a moment then shrugged it off. He would investigate that little… whatever it was later.

Tom turned to Harry and gave a polite smile, "How are things going in the ward department Mr. Black?"

"They have been going rather well, I'm actually surprised we made it further then our original goal. I suspect we'll be caught up by the end of the year… maybe sooner. Everyone has been working hard to get caught up so all we have to worry about it keeping wards up to date and informing those that need renewed wards that they are due for updating," Harry said enthusiastically.

Tom chuckled as well as Fudge, "That is good. It's good to know that there is a department dedicated to the protection of people's homes and businesses."

Harry was listening to the conversation that cropped up between Tom and Minister Fudge when he noted Dumbledore was silently watching him. Harry slowly turned to look at the man with a quirked brow. He remembered that look, it was the same one Dumbledore gave him after the second task. It was the very same one that instantly made him cautious of the man.

"How are you doing this fine winter? It's getting rather cold out, you should probably dress warmer considering your condition."

"I am fine Headmaster Dumbledore. I simply use warming charms on my clothing as well as myself, though they are rather modified versions I attempted to create myself. The best way to test a new spell is on myself, before it is allowed to be used by others. That or trees at my home," He to him.

"Ah, I heard you were a spell creator… I must ask why you did not pursue a job in the unspeakables."

"That is easy, were the unspeakables do not like sharing what they make. The ministry monitors their every creation. Unlike the unspeakables I have a license to create spells and sell them, for I neither want to hide what I make or for that matter to hide them."

"You have a creator's license?"

Harry nodded, "I had one for Japan at one point, but it expired and since I am not going back in the near future I decided it was best to get one here since I'm living here in Britain."

"I see have you released anything as of late?"

"Not yet… there are a number of them that are not yet ready for public use as of yet. Though, I am close with the longer lasting warming charm and a number of other charms that are useful. I hope to complete them during the next few months on my free time."

"What about your ward spells?"

"I have taught a few ward makers how I created them, but the result is rather… unpleasant if you don't know how to be patient and have enough to your magical core to create them. Minister Fudge witnessed it once when I was teaching one ward makers and it ended with him on the other side of the room because he wasn't cautious enough… or patient enough to heed my warning of the temperamental nature to the wards."

Fudge laughed obvious having stopped his discussion with Tom to listen in on theirs for a moment, "That is quite true, though Mr. Jefferson has been having issues since coming into the Ministry before the ward department was created."

Harry chuckled lightly, "Yes, but he learned from that experience after it happened. I guess some people have to learn from experience in order to do it right the next time."

"I agree Mr. Black," He said and Tom laughed a bit with him.

"I hear you taught Mr. Spring some spells," Dumbledore stated.

There it was with that small statement he found himself feeling like he was walking on eggshells all of the sudden, "I have taught Evan quite a few spells… if this is a problem then I can stop, but I believed he could handle them since they were rather simple."

"No it is fine, but I thought you said that you were still working on some spells that weren't ready for people's use of them," Dumbledore said.

'Uh oh… think Harry,' Harry sighed and looked as though he was more tired than he had been earlier, "That is true, but to be honest a few of them he helped me to be inspired to create them in the first place. They are helpful spells he could use in his place in the tournament. He had expressed his desire to be in it before it started because Draco had talked with him about it. So I taught him some things I learned as well as some spells I was creating at the time that only needed a few more adjustments. I may have said that a few were not ready… I did not say however that I hadn't completed any, I would like to publish them together in a book once a few more are done."

Dumbledore seemed to relent, but somehow Harry did not think this was over, not by a long shot, "I see… well he performed many spells admirably during the second task. He used a couple I did not recognize so I assume they were your spells that you taught him?"

"More than likely, yes."

"I heard that the boy created a spell just before the second task," The older male said.

"It's possible… I started creating spells at his age so I wouldn't doubt it. Mrs. Malfoy often says he's a very bright boy and he gets along well with young Draco. I wouldn't put it past him to want to someday be an unspeakable or something. Though, I think he expressed his delight in wanting to deal with dragons."

"Mmmm it would probably do him best in that area to be such, considering how he handled the dragon in the first task," Dumbledore conceded, though to Harry it felt like the headmaster was only humoring him.

Harry didn't let his thoughts show and only smiled with all the politeness he had for his Orion Black persona, "I heard he did splendidly in that task. Wish I knew where he learned to speak to dragons."

"In deed," Dumbledore agreed readily.

When Tom stepped in to speak to him Harry was feeling very grateful. Dumbledore was fishing and it wasn't going to end well for him. The man was looking for something, as to what Harry could only begin to imagine. Tom kept Harry's attention the rest of their break time, Minister Fudge putting in a comment or two when Harry asked about a few things curiously. All the while he could feel Dumbledore's gaze on him and if Harry wasn't already creeped out by this he would have shivered from the gaze. Something was hidden in the shadows of the man's eyes and if it wasn't for the fact that Dumbledore was a Ligilimens then he would have delved into the man's mind, but for now Harry would tread carefully to the best of his ability.

{A Shadowed Life}

Something wasn't right and Dumbledore knew it. During the second task he'd seen something that he knew only affected Orion Black. Evan Spring had cast a wandless warming charm on himself after a rather nasty shiver hard run through him. At first he'd only thought that maybe it was because of the water in the lake, since it was rather cold. However, Cedric, Fleur, and Krum had not had shivers as violent as Evan Spring had, had.

Only one other had shuddered so violently when the temperature in, their own body had gotten low rather quickly. Orion Black had shuddered that violently the day he'd been in the Minister's office. Unlike in the office that day Evan however, had cast a quick wandless warming charm. He didn't know how they were connected to one another, but they were somehow. Orion seemed to always be at work from morning, until late afternoon around the same time that Evan Spring was still at Hogwarts. He had originally thought that it was a time-turner, but the known ones out there were only Ministry distributed. Though, even those not known on went back so far and twenty four hour time-turners weren't possible.

Dumbledore wasn't sure how, but he knew that they both were one and the same person. If this was the case then the thought that Tom was involved was highly likely. On top of this since it was possibly Orion he was dealing with, things would become complicated. The male had thought up an answer to everything he'd asked and he hadn't even hesitated to answer them. He was possibly used to thinking up things on the spot and if that was the case things would be hard to disprove.

He leaned back in his seat in his office staring off at one wall. Fawkes twittered on his perch softly and Dumbledore's eyes went over to the bird as he silently thought to himself. It was then his thoughts went to how much of a prodigy boy that Orion was. 'Is it possible he has done the impossible and made a time turner that goes that far… If not, even farther?' It wasn't unlikely, though he wouldn't doubt if Tom had created one before Orion came into the picture. Tom was just as smart when he was younger regardless, on how dark the male had been.

Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat as another disturbing thought came to mind. He had always thought Evan Spring was a part of the Dark Lords army and he hadn't thought for one moment that Orion Black was. He'd been in touch with many people and had a great influence on just as many people. What puzzled him was that neither male's had the mark. Why would the Dark Lord not mark a follower? Now that puzzled him, even more than anything else. There was something he wasn't seeing just yet and the only thing he could do was wait and see, just what that was.

The other thing that bothered him was Mr. Thallorian. The day Ms. Rose vanished he'd gotten to see a side of the man that was rather violent however, subdued. He'd heard a lot about the man before ever meeting him. He was well respected by many in the ministry and a rather charismatic person. He was polite and was a rather enchanting person. That night had told him that the man was not to be taken lightly. That anger was a seething violent type and that type of anger came from years of violence. It was possible the man was also a part of Tom's Death Eaters, considering he was involved with Briar Rose. Ms. Rose he knew for a fact was a part of the Dark Lord's allied forces and she too had been left unmarked. He still hadn't had a clue on how the man got her to follow him without taking his mark.

The bigger question was how to find the women. To anyone and everyone it seemed as though the young women had just vanished. Even with Mr. Thallorian's explanation on where she went remained vague. No one knew the young women's mother other than the Malfoy's and even they did not tell Snape about her. It was rather irksome that he felt like he was close to something and yet so far away from it.

Sighing he pushed aside those thoughts for now. At the moment he needed to mostly worry about the immediate threat within Hogwarts and that was Evan Spring. With each task completed he was growing more and more convinced that Evan was more then he seemed. If Orion and Evan were indeed one and the same person then he could only assume that they were both part dragon. I that was the case he wonder just how much the male knew about his dragon side. The fact that he'd learn quickly the dragon's language gave quite a bit to tell him the boy was smarter then he let on. Yes, he had high scores in all his classes, including higher scores then Granger and the young Malfoy heir told him he was intelligent.

He hadn't talked with Evan since the whole incident with the dragon tamer. He'd helped the man to hide after that incident. Having told him he was in grave danger, the man had gone along with it and gone into hiding. He still tamed dragons and Dumbledore made sure where he was, was well hidden. He hoped the man would come in handy when he needed him the most. The report of that night was sketchy to say the least, many had been killed that night most of them being handlers from the facility there. The wounded were few, but he was rather surprised that only a couple from the order had been wounded when most of the losses had been of rookie Auror's.

Dumbledore got up and walked over to Fawkes, "Seems this year will be the worst of them all. What do you think boy?" Fawkes twittered sorrowfully, "Yes, my sentiments exactly… if only we knew were Harry was. I just hope the Dark Lord has gotten a hold of him."

Dumbledore walked over to a window and sighed looking out at the azure blue sky. He looked down to see Evan with a few Slytherins walking about the grounds. He watched them silently as he thought to his self. He'd had the portraits around the castle keep an eye on the boy. He always got a detailed report of anything the boy may have done. He wasn't all that surprised when they told him he visited the prefect's bathroom, possibly because Snape gave him permission too. However he was a little alarmed to find out the boy wasn't hiding that he was practicing spells he's never known before.

"Wary in deed… Mr. Spring you are a rather special person aren't you, or should I say Orion Black," He watched silently for a bit longer as the boy's seemed to be goofing off.

When a knock came upon his door he looked over knowing full well who it was. Snape came in silently and stood before his desk. The man had been oddly subdued since the return of Voldemort. He brought back information that much hadn't changed, however even with the usual venom he had in his words it seemed that the anger came from somewhere else and not the usual.

"You have news for me Severus?"

"Yes, apparently there will be a raid planned soon. The Dark Lord also has people out searching for someone else as well as Harry," The male drawled.

"Thank you Severus, anything else? Have you heard anything on Orion Black?"

"Not much has been said about the male other than the Dark Lord, expresses great interest in him. I heard from the Malfoy's that he has found a house for himself, and can be found, but the wards are his own around it, with some added wards to it as well,"

"Thank you Severus," Dumbledore said as he looked back out the window down at the Slytherin boys, "Severus… I want you to watch Mr. Spring, report anything that may be out of the ordinary for the boy or anything new on him."

The dark haired man nodded before turning and sweeping out of the room like the bat everyone thought him to be. Dumbledore looked back out the window, noting the boys heading back in possibly to the common rooms since it was about time to turn in soon. The Christmas Hols were just around the corner. He was going to find out the secrets and mysteries shrouded in darkness.

Next Chapter- Sugar Sweet Delight

K, getting a little hard to come up with some titles for chapter's x.x

Well everyone that is it for this chapter. Looking forward to your R&R's. See you all soon!