"Bloody hell, we need to do more than this. We need help. Remus is not getting anywhere, and neither are we." His brother paced the room as he spoke. They hadn't been allowed to go out to look for Evey, but that hadn't stopped Walden. He sneaked out every night to gather what information he could but, as Tony had predicted, information of any sort was hard to come by. Werewolves, in their human form, could not make use of the enhanced senses that came with their monthly transformation, but they could still tell a vampire apart from a living person – apparently, the stench of rot and decay was strong enough to perceive even then. On the other hand, vampires could not detect werewolves. They were truly disadvantaged. The few Walden had found – the few who had accepted to talk to him – were reluctant to speak about Greyback. Most of them were terrified of him, and Tony couldn't blame them. He'd met the Alpha before.

"I told you a million times, Wal, even if they agreed to talk, Greyback's den will be protected. Magically warded. He's got Voldemort on his side, remember? They probably can't tell you. Remus will face the same problem wherever he goes, no matter whom he speaks to. Although to be fair, it's miraculous enough that he's survived so long out there. He's a sheep among the wolves – quite literally." Tony sighed. He had been a vampire long enough now that exhaling felt weird to him. Almost… unnatural. "What more could we do?" They had the same conversation practically every night. He didn't understand why they even bothered. Evey must be dead by now. He was as heartbroken as Walden was, no matter what his brother might think, but he would have to face the fact sooner or later. It was unlikely that Greyback would have kept her alive for so long, no matter how curious he might be about her.

"We should call Jeanne," Walden announced matter-of-factly.

That was new. And certainly not a good idea. "You really have no clue how much trouble I'm in, do you? If she finds out I've turned you…" He shuddered at the thought. She may look frail, but Jeanne was more dangerous than anyone he'd ever met.

"She'll find out sooner or later," Walden pointed out.

"It can wait a few centuries as far as I'm concerned," Tony retorted. Didn't he understand that he was in danger as well? Jeanne might decide to kill Walden just to teach Tony a lesson. Or out of sheer spite. Or for fun.

Walden stopped pacing to face him. He hadn't shaved since he'd awoken as a vampire. His beard and hair were a mess. Tony didn't understand how their hair kept growing, now that they were dead. Then again, there were many things about vampires that were utterly unexplainable, at least from a purely biological point of view. He shifted his focus back to his brother.

"Are you going to make me beg?" Walden asked softly. "Do you have any idea what it's like? How useless I feel? I don't even know if she's alive!" Tony opened his mouth to say that he would have to consider the fact that she might indeed not be, but his brother forestalled him. "I know you think she's dead," he went on accusingly, eyes blazing, "but I won't quit until I know that for sure."

"What could Jeanne do about it, anyway? She's a vampire, same as us."

"She must have connections. It's her job to get information, isn't it? She managed to infiltrate Azkaban, and for all we know she played a part in the mass breakout. I would hate her for it, but it proves she can handle herself, at least. She's resourceful. She can help, Tony. I know she can."

Tony shook his head. "Even if she can, she's not likely to. Not when she finds out about you. Hell, we'd be lucky if she lets us live."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

Of course he was. He really should have ended up in Gryffindor, the fool. "Look, even if I agreed, we'd still have to invite her in. We can't have a conversation like that on the threshold and hope no one walks in on us. That's just not possible. She can only be invited in by the owner or a member of the permanent household. I doubt that we'll be considered permanent enough."

"Then we explain it all to Molly. We come clean." He said that as if it were the most evident thing in the world.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm already in trouble! If they find out I told anyone else about them..." It was bad enough that he'd told Evey, no matter how… special… she was.

"Tony, it's Molly. She'll keep it to herself. You know she will."

Merlin, had his brains melted when he turned into a vampire? Or was it Evey's doing? "It doesn't matter whether she keeps it to herself or not," Tony said through gritted teeth. "It would only add insult to injury. We have nothing going for us, Wal. This won't be an argument. This will be Jeanne tearing us apart."

"That's not true, though," Walden murmured. "We have Evey." Tony frowned. What did he mean by that? "You may have squandered your only shot at creating an Ancient, but you made her," he explained. "I know she's not a proper vampire, but she can turn invisible. She's at least part Ancient, isn't she? She's something entirely new. Don't you think it might compensate for your transgression?"

Tony stared at him in bewilderment. "You'd just throw her to them like that? Do you have any idea what they might do to her, if they find out?" His brother made no reply. Actually, Tony had no clue himself, but he liked to be prepared for the worst. He hadn't known the other Ancients long enough to predict their reactions. They weren't bad people, not really, but… well, some of them seemed to have forgotten how humans were supposed to behave. "Fine," he grumbled after a moment of reflexion. Walden was right. He would have to face Jeanne eventually. The problem, he told his brother, was that the summoning thing worked only for the maker. He could call for Jeanne, but there was no guarantee that she would show up, and no knowing when she would. She was no witch, Tony reminded him. She couldn't simply Apparate in the yard.

"Just do it, alright? I'll fill Molly in while you do that." Walden was already at the door, walking with an air of determination.

Bracing himself, Tony called for his maker.

Molly had taken it all stoically, as he had known she would. She was clearly annoyed that they hadn't told anyone, but he had expected that as well. She seemed to understand why they hadn't, at least.

The three of them were sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea – well, Molly and Walden were. Tony sat across from them, brooding. He had called for Jeanne over an hour ago.

Walden had had in mind to ask for her help for a while now, but had kept it as a last resort solution, knowing how much trouble Tony would be in when she discovered what he'd done. He wasn't going anywhere with his search, however. Tony was right – the werewolves would never assist them in finding Greyback. Walden simply couldn't wait any longer. He could only hope that Jeanne would deign to make an appearance.

She did, half an hour later. He hadn't really expected her to come this very night, to tell the truth. She must have been close to their location, or perhaps she knew people who could Apparate. In any case, he was glad she was here, no matter how irate she might become in a minute.

Tony opened the door, Molly at his side. Walden stood some distance behind them.

Jeanne gave Molly a baleful, one-eyed glare before shifting her gaze to Tony. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded imperiously. "Who is she?" she went on before anyone could reply. "Another lover?" she sneered.

Lover? Walden thought. What was she going on about?

Apparently, Tony was as confused as Walden felt. "What?" his brother asked, scowling. "No, she's a friend. Jeanne, this is–"

Jeanne raised a hand sharply. "Don't bother. I don't care for the human's name. What do you want?"

Tony cleared his throat. "We need to talk," he muttered, eyes cast down. Walden didn't blame him; Jeanne was quite fierce when she was angry.

"Well, I don't have all night," Jeanne stated briskly. "Are you going to let me in?" she asked impatiently.

Tony gave Molly a sideways glance. "You may come in," Molly said coolly. Jeanne ignored her entirely as she made her way inside. She started to smile when she saw Walden, but froze a second later. Damn. He had been hoping to break it to her gently, but his pale skin – in contrast to his former tan – must have given him out, not to mention his fangs. He had Tony's ability to keep them out of sight whenever he wanted – he'd done it before – but he was still struggling with it on occasion.

"Enfer et damnation!" she swore in a very unlady-like fashion. Before Walden could speak, she turned to Tony and slapped him hard enough that he fell to the floor.

Molly gasped but she had her wand out a moment later. Walden moved toward her and put his hand on her arm, gently but firmly. This was the last thing they needed right now. "Jeanne," he said calmly, in an attempt to appease the youthful-looking woman, "hear us out before you do anything you might regret. Please?" He couldn't help the edge of concern in his voice. Tony was heaving himself up gingerly, groaning.

"You dare address me, mongrel?" Jeanne spat at him acidly. Her eye flashed dangerously.

He gaped at her stupidly for a moment. Mongrel? This was worse than he had anticipated. Molly recovered faster than him. "Excuse me! I will not tolerate that sort of language in my house!"

Jeanne shifted her attention to her, but Molly stood her ground firmly, meeting the Ancient's gaze. "Do you know how easily I could kill you, old woman?"

"Not as easily as you'd think, not with me here," Tony countered, placing himself in front of Molly. There was no mark on his cheek where the blow had hit him. Walden had rarely seen him looking so furious.

"Oh, is that so?" Jeanne said mockingly. "Are you going to defend her, like you did your lover?"

Tony scowled. "Why do you keep saying that? I don't have a lover, burn you!"

"Not anymore, you don't," his maker told him sweetly.

It must have struck Walden just an instant before it did his brother. The only woman he'd slept with since his escape from Azkaban was the one he'd met on his birthday. Natalie, Walden thought. Evey had told him about that episode. Tony stared at Jeanne blankly for a time, then Walden caught the exact moment when he realised what she was saying. His eyes widened in understanding, his jaw dropping slightly in an almost comical way. His fist clenched almost reflexively, to Walden's surprise – as far as he knew, Tony had never hit anyone in his life, let alone a woman.

Everyone was silent while his brother appeared to struggle internally for a minute or so, then Tony suddenly stormed out through the front door.