disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

warning: none for this chapter

I'm glad the last chapter was good and nobody was disappointed with it. Sorry for the slow update, work is crazy and so writing is going way slower than what is had been. This is chapter is shorter than the others, its just meant to be a filler chapter before the story moves forward.


It was early Monday morning and Harry had gotten up much earlier than Draco. He felt things had been to quiet coming from outside the castle and he was beginning to feel restless. There were some things he wanted to happen before any battle commenced. He left the bedroom for his study before calling an elf to wake everyone and tell them to come to the study with the exception of Draco. He was tense sitting in his seat, resisting the urge to pace, as the others come into the study. About half were looking still asleep while others, namely the vampires, looked at Harry with anger for being awoken so early.

"Sorry, there is a reason I called you down," Harry started.

"And where is Draco?" Lucius asked. If Harry was already keeping secrets from his son, there were going to have some problems.

"He's the reason I called you so early. He's still asleep so he won't suspect anything," Harry pulled in a shuddering breath as he gained his nerves before reaching into a desk drawer and pulling out the bonding rings that he received from the bank so long ago. "I am beginning to feel restless, there is too little activity going on outside of the castle and I feel our quiet life here may be coming to an end. But before anything happens I would like to have a bonding ceremony. And soon."

Everyone was stunned silent at their alpha's words. Were they about to go into battle? No one thought they were prepared yet nor believed in their abilities to go into battle. They were also shocked that Harry wanted to bond so soon. Although Lucius looked rather smug at the proclamation.

"How soon, Harry?" Lucius asked.

"By Friday," Harry dead-panned. It only gave them four days, but they would not have to make large arrangements. He only wanted a simple small bonding ceremony to complete it. He would still make Draco feel special, but it would not be lavish like Lucius and he might have dreamed. Maybe after everything was settled, he might be willing to go through a second bonding and make it a grand event, but for now this keep his mate happy.

"What time Friday?" Lucius asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Early morning, in time for dawn," came the reply.

"To provide an eternal light," Lucius said to no one, nodding his head. Bonding at different times of the day had different meanings and he wanted Harry to choose the right one for his son.

"He has seen much darkness and that was only added when he became a werewolf, but I want to provide light to something considered dark. I thought it fitting," Harry looked down at the box containing the bonding rings. Every day he was in here that seemed to burned through his desk. "I wish to surprise him with this. Dobby has his size recorded so I can order him robes without the need for a fitting. We would just need an outside source to perform the ceremony. I researched possibilities and I can have Neville perform it since he is Lord Longbottom now. That way we don't need to have someone we don't trust come into the castle."

"Good idea. There's a gazebo in the back of the garden that would be ideal to have the ceremony," Sirius piped in. The gazebo was actually quite hidden, but one restless night, he and Remus had gone for a long walk and discovered it.

"What rings have you chosen? Is it the same set James used?" asked Remus.

"No, those were buried with them. Even if they weren't, those rings were my parents. No these ones were used to bond the first Potters. The magic is very ancient," Harry said as he opened the box to reveal the rings to the other occupants. Sirius and Lucius both gasped and reach for them at the same time. The bands were black with depictions of dragons with tails intertwined. Each had a large emerald accompanied by small pearls on each. One ring had a large gemstone than the other, making it clear as to who would wear each one. The rings seemed to radiate from the amount of magic that they contained.

"These were actually a gift to the Potters from the Malfoy family. The first recorded Lady Potter was actually a Malfoy, the first woman and only woman to be born as a Malfoy," Lucius said in awe. He had only heard stories and seen pictures of these rings. And he was amazed that his son would be allowed to wear these and be bonded by them. Lucius never thought that they would be brought back into the Malfoy line.

"So, we have four days. I'll go owl Neville now and tell him the plans," Harry looked at the clock on the mantel and saw that Draco should be waking up soon. "Draco will be getting up soon, let's go to the dining room for breakfast before he does so."


On the same morning, someone else was making plans for later. Molly had finally completed the potion Dumbledore had sent ingredients for her to make. It was clear and odorless, making it easier to slip to someone. Even if they could recognize tampered potions, those you could not slip it to were potion masters. The only thing the potion needed was a single strand of Ginny's hair. Molly set the vial down on the counter and went upstairs to Ginny's room and quickly found a piece of hair to use. As she was adding the hair, she was shocked to see her husband come into the kitchen after not seeing him since that Order meeting.

"Arthur! What are you doing here?"

"Well, you have been ignoring Gringotts and so they began to harass me," Arthur replied as he looked around the room. There were marks worn into every surface he could see. Even the few dishes that were being spelled clean no longer had any design on them. His eyes narrowed when he saw a potion vial on the counter.

"I have not been ignoring them. The goblins have been ignoring me. I keep writing them about how they are mistaken about the money. We were gifted that money to help our children, we did not steal it."

"No we did not. You did. There was no 'we' involved when you accepted money from the headmaster. Molly, the bank has told me that if you do not find means to pay back the debt, you will be arrested."

"They can't arrest me when I have done nothing wrong. I don't understand why you believe in the lies Harry said, but hopefully soon that will all be fixed."

"Molly, what have you planned?" Arthur widened his eyes as he took in his wife's words.

"Nothing, but I know once Harry spends time with Ginny he'll realize the mistakes he has made," she replied as she bustled into the sitting room to check on sweater that she spelled to continue while she finished the potion. Molly sat down and took up the knitting by hand. She had started knitting a new sweater for Harry since he had grown, which she was happy to have that finally happen. Though she would always worry about all of her children eating, not Harry no longer looked like he was going to blow away.

"Molly, you need to stop. I have pledged myself with the Potter house and I can tell you have something planned that would ruin that. And stop with controlling the children. I have known awhile now that Ginny does not want to be with Harry. Its obvious every time she's home."

"I am not ruining anything! It is you! You have left this home and left our family believing in those lies!" Molly shouted at Arthur. She was stunned when Arthur tossed a packet onto her lap. "What is this?"

"The other reason I have come by," Arthur said before turning and leaving the house. It was a hard decision, but with everything that had been happening it was time to break away. There were just some things he could not ignore and stealing from a man who he looked at as a son was too much. And it was obvious that Molly was trying too hard to ensure that Ginny and Harry became married. Molly was not the same woman he had married. He still loved her, she gave him seven beautiful children and he many great memories with her. But he would not condone her recent behavior and he felt he had no room left with Molly's plans.


In a manor hidden in the hills of Wiltshire, Lord Voldemort had called everyone and gathered them in the back garden yet again. He looked out over the balcony at the creatures gathered bellow him with a smile. At the moment they were all too scared and weak to be bothered to fight one another, as the vampires mixed in with the horde of werewolves. Carlyle was standing behind him along with the new werewolf he had appointed to take Greyback's place.

"Begin strengthening them, make sure they know how to fight," Voldemort said without turning away from the crowd bellow him.

"Yes, my lord," the vampire and werewolf say in unison.

"The night you were changed, I said that you would repent for your mistakes. Now it is the time for you to do so," Voldemort addressed. "I want the world to feel crippled and what better way than to do so through children. In five days we will arrive at Hogwarts. You have five days to redeem yourselves. Do not disappoint me again," with that Voldemort left the room to do something, no one knew what he did exactly.


A/N: I hope you all weren't too disappointed with this chapter. In my experience of reading, there is always that one or two chapters that end up being bad, but needed. As Always R&R