Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR/Buffy to Whedon/OCs to me

Chapter 51: Icarus

Remus, who had been contacted by James, knocked on Xander's door at the Academy, smiling when Luna opened it. "Can I come in?"

"I've finished…" Luna stopped before she finished the sentence. "You're not here about work, are you?"

"No. Is Xander in?"

"Did I hear my sweet name?" Xander came bounding out of the bathroom, a towel in his hand, which he threw to one side in order to shake Remus' hand.

"You did." After releasing Xander's hand, Remus' smile grew as he spotted a familiar face seated in the dining room. "Nicole, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were on vacation in Nice for the week."

"I changed my mind." Nicole got up and hugged her brother, before placing her hand on the arm of the young man who had stood up with her. "You already know Neville, do you not?"

Remus shook hands with the nervous looking young man. "I do. How are you?"

"Fine thanks, Professor." Neville's voice was quivering with nerves.

"Seeing as you've left Hogwarts, I think you can now call me Remus," Remus responded. "And speaking of Hogwarts, I understand from James that you've been taken on as Pomona's assistant."

Neville's face became illuminated. "I finished top of my class in both advanced Magical Horticulture and Soil Science at the Magical Institute of Earth Sciences, and Headmaster Potter asked me to come in and interview. Professor Sprout is leaving in five years' time, and I'll be taking over when she does."

"And how long have you been seeing Nicole?" Remus abruptly changed the subject, making it clear that he knew that Neville was obviously dating his sister.

Neville's nervousness returned. "Two weeks, Sir."

"Is that so?" Remus had to hide his smile as Neville timidly nodded his head. "Would you mind if I spoke to Nicole, Luna and Xander alone?"

Neville presumed it was something to do with the Watchers' Council, not having heard Luna's remark, and he was relieved to get away from Remus' scrutiny. "I'll head back to Hogwarts."

"I will walk you to the door." Nicole followed Neville out. When she returned, her pink lipstick was absent.

Remus immediately spotted the missing lipstick. "He's certainly not the sort of person I imagined would be your type."

"Neville is very sweet." Nicole sat down.

Luna sighed dreamily. "I think they make a wonderful couple."

"You introduced them, didn't you?" Remus guessed.

Luna had. "I just knew that they would be perfect for each other." She then changed the subject, her face losing its vague look. "So what can we do for you?"

Remus was only too delighted to tell her. "It's about Cammie."

Xander's face took on a look of confusion. "Cammie, as in our Cammie?"

"Yes." Remus then removed Xander's confused look with his next words. "She's alive, and at James' house in Grimmauld Square."

Unsurprisingly, it was Xander who first burst into tears, startling everyone there. Luna leant her face against her husband's back and wrapped her arms around his stomach. "Is she all right?"

Remus realized that Luna was barely holding on to her own tears, as she chose to comfort her husband instead. "Not exactly." He then told everyone what Cammie and Harry Potter were going through with the Dark Arts addiction, and what Harry had done to help his cousin.

"So Harry Potter is something of a hero." Luna's voice was filled with disbelief. "He was such a wanker at school."

Amused by Luna's atypical comment, Remus had to agree. "James said that Cammie is to thank for his change."

"When can we see her?" Xander had by now regained control of his emotions but was still shaking.

"She'll be asleep until the morning but come by for dinner tomorrow tonight." Remus got up. "You too, Nicole, but I'm afraid you'll have to leave Neville behind. No-one else can know that Harry Potter is still alive."

"I understand." Nicole was a little disappointed, as she had hoped to spend the evening with Neville. Even though they'd only been dating for two weeks, and Neville was younger than her, she was, as Luna had expected she'd be, totally smitten by him and his gentle nature.

Luna got up and got another glass. "Do you want to stay for a drink?"

"I'd better not. Buffy will be wondering where I've gotten to, and I don't really want to leave her alone with Emily, even in somewhere as busy as this place." Remus' and Buffy's daughter, Emily Joyce, had been born on two months ago on first September, and he was trying to spend as much time as he could with the two of them.

"I'll go fetch them," Xander offered. "It's not as if the two of you live miles away." He opened the door to head up the corridor to Remus' apartment. "Be back shortly."

Although he had a small apartment just outside of London, he now rarely used it except when working late, and Buffy had therefore moved into Remus' apartment at the Academy when she was five months' pregnant, with Remus converting the second bedroom into a nursery for their daughter. "In that case, I'll have a glass of wine."


Happening to pass by it as a knock sounded, Thomas opened the front door. "Sirius, this is a surprise."

Mione came out into the hallway on hearing her husband mention Sirius' name. "Come in."

Sirius followed the couple into the sitting room. "I wasn't certain whether you'd be here or not."

"I had a breakfast meeting yesterday I had to attend, and a few things cropped up this morning that I also needed to deal with, meaning that we had to put off going to the Island this weekend." Thomas moved over to the drinks cabinet. "Can I get you anything?"

"A neat firewhiskey, thank you." Sirius took the glass after Thomas had poured out his drink.

"We were about to go into dinner." Mione explained the delicious smells that were drifting into the sitting room. "Would you like to join us?"

Sirius' stomach grumbled noisily at the suggestion of food. "I think that would be a yes."

"Let's go sit down then, and you can tell us whatever it is you came here to say." Thomas followed Sirius and Mione into the dining room, moving down to the end of the table, as Sirius pulled Mione's chair out for her.

Sirius took several mouthfuls of his tomato and basil soup before saying, "I'm here about Cammie."

Mione's spoon stopped halfway to her mouth, and she began to shake. "You've found her body?"

Sirius could've kicked himself as Mione jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Exactly the opposite... she's safe."

Mione's spoon clattered noisily as it hit her bowl, tomato soup spraying everywhere. Mione just ignored it as her hand flew to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. "Oh thank Merlin."

Thomas, of course, was already aware of Cammie's return, and he got up, moving to comfort his wife. "Where is she?"

Mione let Thomas tug her off her chair and into his arms, and she cried with relief against his chest. Sirius stopped eating. "James' house, as it's the most heavily warded."

Mione took several deep breaths as she tried to regain her composure, and she smiled up at Thomas. "I'm okay. It was just a bit of a shock, especially after the familial spell confirmed our worst fears."

"I know." Thomas stroked Hermione's hair from her eyes and kissed her lightly, before letting her go and returning to his seat and casually asking, "So how did she escape?"

"This is confidential," Sirius warned. "It's not going to become public knowledge that Cammie is safe, and the information pertaining to her rescuer most definitely won't be."

"I'm happy to swear an oath if you need it," Thomas offered, doubting that Sirius would.

Not wanting to insult Thomas, Sirius hesitated, before shaking his head. "Just your word will be sufficient." When Thomas and Mione both gave their word, Sirius told them about Harry. "My godson, Harry, helped her to escape. Unfortunately the only reason he was able to do so is because he's a Death Eater."

Mione's hand once more flew to her mouth. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Sirius assured her. "He was told he had to make something called a first kill. When he discovered that he couldn't face doing it, he actually sought Harry Sebastian out on Cammie's advice, taking her with him."

"So Harry Potter helped Cammie escape?" Thomas inquired, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, they became friends during the time she spent as a prisoner." Sirius then explained in more detail how Cammie had met his godson, and what had ensued afterwards. "...and for his efforts in getting Cammie out, Dominus tried to kill him."

Thomas almost spat out his soup in surprise at Sirius' comment. "Tried?"

"Through Harry's Dark Mark." Sirius pushed his empty bowl away. "But luckily we were able to stop him."

Thomas pushed aside his own half-finished soup. "How?"

"I'm afraid that's classified." Sirius smiled apologetically. "And therefore I can't divulge how it was done."

"I can appreciate the need for some things to remain confidential." Thomas hid his annoyance, and tried to determine Harry's location. "So is Harry Potter staying at Potter Place as well?"

Sirius nodded as a plate appeared with steak & kidney pudding on it. Side dishes also appeared for him to choose the accompaniments. "He's actually under house arrest for six months' for his affiliation with the Death Eaters."

Thomas helped himself to new potatoes and braised carrots. "So he won't be sent to Azkaban?"

"No, but while we're discussing Azkaban, I may as well tell you about some news that will become public new before you read about it tomorrow." Sirius could see no reason to hide it. "We arrested Lily Snape this afternoon for being a Death Eater. And unlike my godson, she's far from innocent."

This time Thomas was unable to hide his shock as he choked on a piece of kidney. Mione immediately whipped out her wand and aimed a dislodging spell at her husband's throat, causing the food to free itself. "Are you okay?"

Thomas took a mouthful of water. "Yes, I was just taken aback."

"Not as taken aback as I was," Sirius remarked, not realizing how wrong he was. "I've known Lily for years, and while I knew she could be a bit of a harridan, I didn't realize how far she'd gone."

Mione took a sip of her red wine. "Did Harry tell you about her?"

"Not exactly. Cammie already knew that Harry was visiting his mother when she met him. It didn't take a mastermind to figure out who Lily was once Cammie found out that 'Hugh' was Harry."

Thomas wished he had forced Cammie to swear an oath but knew that there was little he could do about it now. "So will Harry and Cammie both remain at Potter Place?"

Sirius nodded as he swallowed one of the most tender pieces of steak he had ever eaten. "It's the safest place for them. Even Dominus would struggle to get through the wards."

Thomas begged to differ but decided that Harry Potter could wait for the time being. He could deal with him once things had died down.

Mione's face was hopeful as she asked her next question. "Can we see Cammie?"

Sirius issued the same invitation to dinner that Remus had. "We're going to hold a little welcome home dinner tomorrow night at seven. We were going to have everyone around for lunch but right now Cammie's in pretty bad shape."

Mione's face took on a distressed look. "He tortured her?"

"No." Sirius put paid to Mione's belief. "But she's become addicted to the Dark Arts."

"Oh no." Mione remembered what Harry had gone through. "I take it you're making her go through withdrawal."

"Harry is," Sirius confirmed. "She'll be tired tomorrow but essentially okay as long as she refrains from using excessive Dark Art spells."

Mione asked after Sirius' godson. "Is Harry Potter affected the same way?"

"Yes," Sirius answered after finishing the last of his steak & kidney pudding. "But like Cammie, he'll be all right."

Even as he presented a bland face to Sirius and his wife, Thomas' mind was ticking over. "Would you prefer dessert or cheese?"

"Cheese, please." Sirius was none too fond of sweet things, preferring the savory delicacy instead.

Mione and Thomas both joined him in his choice and talked generally about Harry and Cammie. After finishing, Mione stood up. "If you'll both excuse me, I need to help Theresa bathe the children."

Thomas got to his feet. "Would you like a game of snooker?"

Sirius was in no rush to leave as Faith was in the States, and had taken the children with her to visit some of the friends she had in New York, and he wasn't due at the Ministry for over an hour, Harry dealing with the pre-trial issues as part of his job as prosecutor. "I think I might be persuaded."

"I'll just select some wine. Why don't you make your way to the billiards room?" Thomas went into his office before heading for the cellar and picking a bottle of red wine he knew Sirius liked, as well as one he himself favored. Tapping both bottles, he uncorked them, dropped several droplets of the clear tasteless potion he had collected from his office into one bottle, and then he apparated up to the billiards room. He nodded towards the table as he poured Sirius a glass of Merlot. "Would you like a glass of the Merlot while we play?"

"Please," Sirius said, having no idea that he had just initiated the potion's efficacy. It was one that Thomas normally would never use as the imbiber had to freely agree to take the drink as Sirius had just done.

Thomas handed over the glass of wine. "You can break first."

The two then discussed general matters as the game progressed until the subject of Dominus came up again. "So do you have any idea who he is?"

"None whatsoever. I was hoping that Cammie or Harry could give us some idea, but sadly not."

"And Lily Snape doesn't know?" Thomas moved around the table to line up his next shot, not once betraying his concern.

"Before Harry questioned her, I tried Veritaserum and Legilimency on her to try to get information when she refused to talk to me. Nothing worked." Sirius sighed, not even once stopping to think why he'd tell Thomas something that was confidential. "She's obviously sworn an oath making it impossible to find out."

Thomas imperceptibly relaxed. "A pity."

"Tell me something I don't know," Sirius said as he continued watching as Thomas sank ball after ball.

"When is her trial?" Thomas scowled as he missed the pocket he had been aiming for.

Sirius took over at the table. "Tonight. The Wizengamot are already in session so it seemed a waste of time to delay."

"I'd have thought you'd be officiating." It was now Thomas' turn to watch as Sirius too began to sink ball after ball.

"Harry's dealing with it. He's the one who got a confession out of her." Sirius gave Thomas a big grin. "Harry threw her off balance by showing her son's 'body', and afterwards taunting her with how she should've killed Harry when she had the chance. Eventually she snapped, transformed and bit him."

"She bit him?" Thomas quickly worked out how many points were left on the table as Sirius missed a shot.

"She's a snake Animagus." Sirius wasn't surprised when Thomas decided to snooker him rather than potting a ball.

"Don't tell me, Harry didn't bother with the wards." Thomas smiled as Sirius narrowly missed the yellow ball.

"You're right, he didn't." Sirius had a feeling he was about to lose as Thomas fluidly began to sink balls once more. "It's a technique he's said he's put to good use before."

"Impressive," Thomas remarked, as he potted the penultimate ball. "For someone so young, Harry's quite accomplished. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was far older than he is. I was astounded by the recording of his display at USAD."

"Cassie mentioned you'd seen it." Sirius was about to say more but he was distracted as Thomas sank the black, and he held out his hand. "Good game."

"Another?" Thomas asked, hoping to pump Sirius for more information about Harry and Lily.

Sirius was tempted but he knew that he had business elsewhere he had to attend to. "As much as I'd really like to say yes, I think I've encroached on your hospitality for long enough."

"And you want to get back to the Ministry for the trial, don't you?" Thomas correctly assumed.

The potion by now had stripped away Sirius' inhibitions almost totally and he therefore made a suggestion. "Yes, but you're welcome to accompany me. I can authorize you to view the trial if you'd like."

Thomas had to hide his smirk at how easy it had been to garner the invitation with the potion in Sirius' system. "Thank you."


After giving Thomas clearance, the two men made their way down to the courtroom where the trial was being held. Once inside, Thomas wasn't surprised to see Lucius and Regulus in the viewing gallery, their titles gaining them admittance. They were, however, surprised to see him in Sirius' company. Thomas also spotted Cassandra, her eyes red-rimmed and a tight look adorning her face.

Sirius led the way over to where his daughter was sitting. "Have we missed much?"

Cassandra nodded. "It's actually advanced extremely quickly. She didn't bother denying attacking Harry, and said she hoped got another chance, before blustering that Azkaban would never hold her."

"I'd like to see her get out of Azkaban now that we've increased the security," Sirius boasted, the potion still in his system.

"You're not concerned about Dominus getting in?" Thomas asked in a hushed voice.

"No." Sirius had had the wards boosted almost tenfold. "And after her son's betrayed him, I can't see him going in to save her."

The trio fell silent as Lily was asked to stand as the Wizengamot came to a decision. Albus Dumbledore also stood up. "Do you have anything to say before we deliver a verdict?"

"Yes." Lily still had her back to the viewing gallery. "I'm proud to say that I serve Dominus."

"Even though your son has perished because of his affiliation with the same man?" Albus asked.

"Harry was a fool." Lily turned slowly so that she could look at each member of the Wizengamot, and then the viewing gallery. "Just as you're all fools if you think you can stop Dominus. He's going to show you what it is be a great…" Lily's voice died away as her eyes fell upon Thomas.

Albus decided that she had said enough. "I believe we get your gist about how great Dominus is supposed to be." His tone was somewhat mocking.

In the gallery, Cassandra whispered quietly to her dad, "Do you think she saw you, and that's why she stopped speaking?"

Sirius didn't think Lily gave a hoot about him. "Something or someone else spooked her. I don't think we need three guesses to work it out."

Able to overhear the discourse between father and daughter, Thomas couldn't resist in joining in with the pair in looking around. "Do you think he's here?"

Cassandra shivered as she ran her eyes over everyone there. "He's certainly got some nerve if he is."

"You really think he's that daring?" Thomas was quite enjoying toying with the Blacks.

"Yes." Sirius rubbed the scar across his throat as he thought about how daring he knew Dominus to be. "I wouldn't say that much frightens him, and certainly not walking into a supposedly closed session of the Wizengamot."

Having talked through Albus' announcement, all three of them returned their attention to him just in time to see Lily being led away by Harry and two other Aurors. Thomas twisted around to where Regulus was sitting. "I'm sorry, Regulus, but I missed what was said."

Not quite able to catch what the three in front of him had been saying, Regulus had been listening to Albus' announcement. "Life in Azkaban."

"Thank you." Thomas got to his feet. "It looks as though she's in for a long stay."

"Good." Cassandra was vehement.

"You really hate her, don't you?" Thomas couldn't miss the vitriol in the young woman's voice.

"She tortured and almost killed Harry." Cassandra had been horrified when she found out that a woman she had called aunt was the person who had tortured her boyfriend. "And she left me alone with Starr."

"I can understand how upset you are about that," Thomas sympathized, but after Cassandra had nearly killed him, he no longer felt guilty about her treatment.

"I just wish they'd stripped her of her magic as well," Cassandra said, a little surprised that they hadn't.

"I think it's because she's a woman," Sirius postulated. The wizarding world tended to treat women and young adults a little more leniently than they did men. "And I'm not exactly happy about it either, but it's Minister Dumbledore's decision and there's little I can do about it."

Having dispatched Lily to Azkaban, Harry walked out into the foyer to meet the small group and he passed on his own opinion as he did. "She got off far lighter than she should have."

Cassandra felt comforted when Harry squeezed her hand before letting it go. "We all said the same."

"Well, it's not as if she can use her magic in Azkaban," Thomas said as he held out his hand to Sirius. "I'm sorry to cut and run but I should get going. I have things to get done this evening. Thank you for letting me witness the trial."

Sirius shook the proffered hand. "It was no trouble. I'll see you and Mione tomorrow night."

Harry also shook Thomas' hand, hiding his wince as the usual pain darted through him. "Thomas."

Cassandra found herself being hugged and given a kiss on the cheek. "It was nice to see you, Thomas. I just wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances."

Thomas let go of her. "Don't dwell too much on Lily Snape. I certainly won't be losing sleep over her tonight, and neither should you."

Cassandra smiled at Thomas. "I won't. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Thomas walked off, aware of both Regulus and Lucius peeling away from the crowd and following him at a distance. When he reached the apparition point, he hesitated, allowing them enough time to reach him before he disapparated. "Castrum."

Thomas was waiting for the two men when they finally reached his rooms and he got straight to the point. "We have some planning to do now that Lily has managed to get herself convicted."

"How you will dispose of her?" Lucius assumed that that was Thomas' intention given the meeting he had called.

"I'm not going to dispose of Lily." Thomas poured out Scotch for the two men. "I'm going to break her out."

"Do you have any idea how much money has been invested in upgrading Azkaban's warding?" Lucius had contacts in the Ministry, and he had been shocked at exactly how much money had been spent on the improvements.

"I do," Thomas said, as he also knew exactly what had been done through the contact he had at the Ministry. "And after the Minister's fortuitous comment, I think the wizarding world should witness exactly of what I'm capable."

Regulus believed he knew exactly what Thomas was planning. "You're not just breaking Lily out, you're going to destroy Azkaban, aren't you?"

Thomas confirmed Regulus' gut feeling. "I am, and at the same time I hope to decimate a great deal of BritAD's staff as well."

Lucius wondered how long they would have to plan it. "When?"

"I think Lily deserves to cool her heels for a while." Thomas wasn't going to let her get off scot-free. "Especially in the light of her son's actions."

"Does she know he's dead?" Lucius had been in the gardens of Castrum House smoking a cigar when he had spotted Harry Potter sitting Cammie down on the bench in the distance. At the time he had thought nothing of it, but when it was discovered that Cammie was missing, it hadn't taken much guesswork to figure out who'd helped her to escape.

"He's not dead." Thomas' lips tightened. "Black told me that somehow he escaped that fate, but I have no idea how."

"Do you know where he is?" Lucius inquired. "He obviously isn't standing trial or he'd have been up there tonight."

"I do know." Thomas didn't enlighten Lucius or Regulus though as to where. "And I intend to deal with him myself."

"And your niece?" Regulus had grown to like the feisty young girl who, despite eventually submitting to Thomas' rules, had fought him every step of the way.

"She's in the same place." Thomas was looking forward to hearing what Cammie had to say about her confinement when he saw her the next day.

"Will you hand her over to Lily?" Lucius assumed correctly that it had been Cammie who'd betrayed the woman.

"Once she's free, if Lily so much as breathes on my niece I'll make her death an excruciatingly painful and drawn-out event." Thomas was still unwilling to hurt Cammie, and he mostly blamed Harry Potter for her escape and Lily's imprisonment. He also knew he had some responsibility to shoulder for not insisting Cammie swear an oath, although he wasn't entirely convinced she'd have gone along with the premise. "And the same goes for anyone else."

Lucius hurriedly returned to the subject of Azkaban. "So for how long will Lily be cooling her heels?"

Thomas told him. "So whatever plans you have for that night, you'll have to cancel them."

Both men knew that went without saying. "I think we're going to need to get Rupert in to discuss the warding."

"He'll be taking point," Thomas informed them. "I'll sort out the necessary portkeys."

"How many men?" Regulus had the feeling that the team would be large but even he wasn't expecting the answer Thomas gave.

"All of them," Thomas decided.

"All of them?" Lucius couldn't help but echo Thomas' words. "For one woman?"

"This isn't about Lily." Thomas didn't want either man to think that it was. "It's about showing everyone that I'm an unstoppable force, and that Azkaban is far from the immovable and impenetrable object everyone believes it to be."

The three men then spent another hour discussing the finer points of the attack before disbanding.


Thomas apparated home to find Mione curled up in bed doing a crossword. She lifted her face so that he could kiss her cheek. "How did the trial go?"

"Life." Thomas turned away from the bed to pull off his jacket, and he then started to unbutton his shirt. "Hardly a surprise."

"It certainly went on for a while," Mione remarked as she continued with her task.

"It was actually over quite quickly but I bumped into Regulus and we got talking about the case." Thomas shed his trousers and socks and walked into the bathroom in just his boxer shorts. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"I didn't," Mione called out.

"I won't be long." Thomas spelled on the shower and, as promised, was soon out of it. Walking naked back into the bedroom, he climbed into bed, shivering slightly at how cold the sheets were.

Mione tapped her pen on the paper. "What's a six letter word for 'aviation casualty of Greek mythology'?"

"Icarus," Thomas answered without hesitation.

Mione grimaced. "That clue's been driving me mad for the last twenty minutes and you solve it in a few moments." Mione returned to her final clues, filling them in now that Thomas had supplied the answer to a clue she knew she should've identified. After finishing the crossword, she threw the paper on to her side table and took a mouthful of the Baileys liqueur she had brought up to bed to drink.

Thomas could tell that she was mulling something over. "What is it?"

Mione leant back against the headboard. "Why do you think Dominus didn't kill Cammie?"

"Why do you?" Thomas countered, wanting to hear what his wife had to say.

"I don't know." Mione rubbed her forehead. "I just can't see why he kept her alive."

Thomas told Mione his true reasoning behind not killing Cammie. "To turn her."

"Perhaps." Mione began to chew her lip. "Thomas, can I tell you something?"

Thomas recognized the insistent tone in Mione's voice, and he resignedly asked, "What is it?"

"It's about Dominus." Mione decided that now was a good time to finally tell Thomas who both she and Dominus were. "He's not what he seems."

"Mione, none of us are," Thomas said as he spelled off his bedside lamp.

"You really don't want to talk about this, do you?" Mione couldn't miss her husband's reluctance to discuss Dominus. "Why?"

"Because Cammie's back with her parents, and you could spend all night second-guessing exactly what Dominus was thinking," Thomas responded. "Only one person knows why Cammie's still alive."

"Dominus," Mione murmured softly, before hurriedly blurting out what else she needed to say before Thomas could stop her. "Thomas, there's something you should know about him. As crazy as it sounds, he isn't from this world and neither am I."

After Mione's blurted out confession, Thomas decided to see how she would handle the truth now, two years after their marriage. "Very well, Mione. If you want to talk about this, then that's what we'll do." He spelled his lamp back on and moved closer to his wife. "Mione, I already know you're not from this world."

"What?" Mione twisted around to face him.

"I said I know," Thomas said softly. "We've already discussed this before."

"Why don't I remember?"

"Because not long before our wedding, I obliviated you after I found out that you were once known as Hermione Snape." Thomas waited for his wife to make the connection.

Mione thought back and she realized how he must've found out. "You saw my name on the parchment you said you'd spilled potion on. But why didn't you just tell me then that you knew who I was? Why bother to hide that you knew?"

It was obvious when she made the connection Thomas had expected her to, when mere moments later, the glass slipped through Mione's fingers and its contents splattered over the bed covers. "Please tell me you're not him."

"I can't." Thomas' voice was gentle as he reached out and tenderly caressed her cheek.

Mione didn't try to stop the tears that immediately welled up in her eyes, before spilling over her cheeks and splashing over Thomas' fingers. "It's not fair. All I wanted was to be happy."

"And all I want is for you to be happy." Thomas leant forward and kissed each of Mione's eyelids, feeling her tremble beneath his lips. "I love you."

Mione didn't respond exactly as Thomas had hoped she would. "But you can't, you're…"

"Voldemort, I know," Thomas said heavily, as he suspected that once again Mione was going to be unable to deal with the truth. "We've already had that discussion as well."

"Why aren't I dead?" Mione whispered, fear making her voice tremble.

"As I've told you, I love you, and I hoped that you'd be able to deal with who I am, but unfortunately I can see that you can't, which is why I don't have any choice in what I'm about to do." He then reached over and picked up his wand.

When Thomas drew her into his arms, a terrified Mione didn't even attempt to resist, as she started to cry unrestrainedly from fear. Thomas then softly whispered the word that would undo their conversation. "Obliviate." After doing what was necessary, Thomas spelled his light off once again, put down his wand and then curled up against Mione's back, lying awake as he listened to her soft breathing.

A voice interrupted his reflection. "Fly too close to the sun again, did we, Thomas?"

Thomas rolled over and spelled the lights back on, cognizant of the fact that the sleeping spell he had placed on her would stop Mione from waking. "You've come all the way here just to compare me to Icarus?"

Atropos grinned as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I was bored."

"Piss off." Thomas wasn't usually so crude but he really was in no mood to deal with the Fate.

"That's not nice, Thomas." Atropos ran a long fingernail down his bare chest and stomach. "You do know that you can't keep obliviating her like this. One day she's going find out who you are again, and perhaps next time she'll leave you before you get the chance to strip away the truth." Atropos' hand disappeared below the sheet.

Thomas slapped it away. "I've already told you that I'm not in the market."

Like most people, Atropos still wanted what she couldn't have, even given Thomas' true nature. "She'll never know. The sleeping spell you've put on her won't wear off for some time yet, and as I had to settle for second best last time, I…"

Thomas gave a malicious smile as he interrupted. "Funny, that's pretty much what Regulus said about you."

Atropos' face turned ugly. "How dare he!"

Thomas didn't care how upset Atropos was by his comment, and he was unwilling to play her mind games. "Atropos, unless you have something of import to tell me, I suggest you get out."

Atropos didn't leave. Instead she got up and walked around to the side of the bed that Mione was lying on. "You want so badly for her to accept you for what you are, don't you, Thomas?"

"It's none of your business what I want." But Thomas' face had betrayed the fact that Atropos had hit the bulls-eye.

It was now Atropos' turn to smirk maliciously as she ran a finger down Mione's face. "Don't deny it, it's so obvious that that's exactly what you want."

"Fine, it's what I want," Thomas snapped. "Are you here to tell me how to achieve it or just to mock me?"

"Neither." Atropos dropped her hand from Mione's face. "I'm here to warn you about what will happen if she ever manages to accept you."

"I'm listening." Thomas' tone was short.

Atropos returned to Thomas' side, placing her hand on his chest. "Even if Mione does accept you, every time she lets you make love to her, a little piece of her will fade away." Atropos leant forward, whispering in Thomas' ear, deliberately letting her mouth brush against his ear. "She'll struggle to balance her guilt over knowing what you've done to her friends and family, and her love for you. And one day she'll wake up and she'll be yours entirely, but she'll also be a mere shadow of the woman she is now: an empty shell, a caricature of the woman you fell in love with."

Thomas didn't reveal his trepidation at Atropos' words as she straightened up. "Do you know this for a fact, or are you just trying to even the score because I've rejected you?"

With this world's future clouded for her, Atropos didn't know it for certain, but she was convinced that someone like Mione would be unable to deal with the truth. "The reason doesn't matter. If you truly value your wife's love, you'd reconsider your goals."

"Are you saying that I should give up my search to unite the Pillars?" Thomas' voice was more than a little sarcastic.

"That's up to you." Atropos ran a hand over Thomas' face.

Fed up with her touching him, Thomas reached up and grabbed Atropos' hand, taking it firmly in his own. "Atropos, you must think me a fool if you believe I'd give up my destiny because of your petty resentment."

Atropos winced as Thomas painfully squeezed her fingers together. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll consider myself duly warned." Thomas let go Atropos' hand, satisfied when she rubbed her fingers. "Now get out."

Unfazed, and after blowing Thomas a kiss, Atropos vanished, leaving Thomas alone with his wife. After spelling out the lights yet again, Thomas lay down again, once more pulling Mione against him. As he stroked her leg, he considered what Atropos had said and subsequently dismissed it as a ploy to turn him from his chosen path, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


The individual who had been watching the altercation via the garden font sighed heavily. "You just couldn't resist, could you, Atropos?" Then like Atropos, she too vanished.