The Devil in Me

The Price of Your Greed

The chapter title is from the song:

Blood/Water by grandson.

Harry slept soundly for a few hours. Then his sleep was disturbed by screams and violent images. He woke up and disentangled himself from Theo, who slept on soundly. Harry doubted that he would get back to sleep, so he slipped into the Head Common Room, intending to light a fire and try to lose himself in a book for a little while.

He was surprised to find the room occupied; it was 2.30 am; after all, he had expected Lily to be in bed.

"Can't sleep?" She asked.

Harry shook his head and sat down next to her on the sofa, "Nightmares," he said, resting his hand close to hers.

Lily intertwined her fingers through his, "I wonder why that could be," she said sarcastically.

Harry sighed and used their intertwined hands to pull her closer to him. He needed the contact, a warm body against his, a hand in his own, the soft sound of another heart beating.

"Do you know what I regret the most?" Harry asked quietly.

"The countless innocent lives you've destroyed?" Lily quipped.

At that, Harry lost his temper. He let go of her hand and got to his feet, "That man I killed tonight wasn't innocent, Lily. He was an abusive piece of shit and yeah, I know, everyone thinks that Reyna doesn't mean anything to me. She's the butt of the joke, the girl I fucked against a tree and lost my virginity to, but you better than anyone ought to know that men who fuck with women, deserve to die."

Lily's eyes flashed, "I'm sorry. I didn't realise that was what he had done."

"He beat Reyna, he hurt her with magic," Harry fumed, "And I know sometimes we can indulge in a little bit of pain in the bedroom but the scars that he left Reyna with? That's something entirely different."

"I get that," Lily promised, "But are you sure that this is all about Reyna and Fawley? Because it seems to be more than that, it seems to be between you and me."

Harry almost scoffed, "Really?" he asked sarcastically, "Do you think it could have something to do with the fact you spent the whole night hanging off the Dark Lords arm?"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "So this is jealousy? Let me get this right, you get to sleep with Theo and me, but I can't indulge in some friendly conversation with the Dark Lord."

"Friendly conversation," Harry said, shaking his head, "It was more than friendly conversation, and I know that because I could hear his thoughts the entire time."

Lily looked up in surprise, "What?"

Harry sat down on the sofa and looked into the fire.

"There's a mind link between the Dark Lord and me, when one of us is feeling emotional we leave ourselves vulnerable, and the other person can see our thoughts, our memories, hear and see everything that we see."

Lily turned her entire body to look at Harry, "That's unheard of."

With a nod, Harry said, "I know, it's why the Dark Lord is so happy to have me fighting with him rather than against him. The Dark Lord is far better with Legilimency and Occlumency than me so he can use the link to torment me, or to taunt me like he did tonight."

Lily's frown deepened, "What was he thinking about then?"

"How fond of you he was mostly," Harry admitted, "But he enjoyed throwing that in my face, he thinks I'm foolish for engaging in pointless sex or whatever he calls it."

"He thinks you're distracted, there's a difference," Lily cut in.

"So he talked to you about it too?" Harry shook his head, "From the minute I joined him, I've been at the Dark Lords whim, a servant. I expected it, I expected to have to do what he told me even if I disagreed but this control over my life? This feeling like I have a controlling parent...I didn't expect that."

"He has a point though, Harry - like any parent who doesn't know how to show that they care," Lily said, her eyes meeting his, "You are distracted, and some might say that you are acting foolishly, or rashly.

Harry sighed, "Why do I get the impression we're breaking up?"

"You can't break up with someone when you've never been together," Lily pointed out, "But I do wonder if we might be better off as friends."

"And this has nothing to do with your friendly conversation with the Dark Lord tonight?"

Lily gave Harry a knowing look, "It has everything to do with that, and you know it."

"Friends, then?" Harry asked, holding out a hand.

Lily took it, "Friends," she agreed, shaking his hand and kissing him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Lil."

"Goodnight, Harry.

When Theo woke up the next morning, it was apparent that Harry was in a foul mood. He wasn't in bed but had instead opted to throw spells at a dummy, hence why Theo had awoken in the first place.

"Mate, it's 6 am."

Harry cast a particularly violent cutting curse at the dummy's face, "I'm pissed off."

Theo rubbed his eyes and sat up, "Okay…"

"You're also my only form of stress relief now," Harry remarked, encasing the dummy in a fire circle.

"Charming way to refer to the guy who lets you do pretty much whatever you want to him," Theo said calmly, stretching out and yawning.

Harry kicked the dummy irritably, extinguishing the fire with a click of his fingers, "I'm sorry, I've had a shit night. Would you prefer it if I said, Theo, due to circumstances outwith my control, I have lost my female sex-partner and will require your services more frequently. Please be so kind as to suck my dick whenever I ask.?"

Theo threw a pillow at him, "Bite me."

Harry grinned and knelt on the bed, pulling Theo up to him. Theo was expecting Harry to actually bite him, so Harry threw him off by kissing him first. He kissed him hard, taking some of his frustration out as he put a knee in-between Theo's legs to stop him from wriggling out of his reach. Theo pulled Harry closer and deepened the kiss when Harry broke it and moved his lips to his neck.

He let out a low growl of pain as Harry bit him, right on the sensitive bit of flesh above his collar bone.

"Don't push me," Harry said, his voice low as he moved back up the bed.

Theo looked at him, his eyes focused on his lips, "You've got blood on your…" he trailed off.

Harry knew, but he kissed Theo again anyway, revelling in the way the other boy groaned into his mouth. Theo was naked, Harry was mostly naked, and he didn't give a shit if he was late for class, so there was no doubt in his mind about where he would be taking this.

"Oi - I'm not shagging you til you tell me why you and Lily are done," Theo asked, murmuring a basic healing charm on the bitemark on his shoulder.

"Hm," Was all Harry said.

"And was it really due to circumstances outwith your control or did you fuck it up?" Theo asked.

"For once, it wasn't my fault," Harry confessed, "The Dark Lord spent the whole night parading Lily around and smirking about it which I thought was just his way of being vindictive but it turns out he's taken a shine to her, and she seems to have something of a fondness for him."

"Oh Merlin," Theo said, "Lily and the Dark Lord?!"

"Yeah," Harry said with a shake of his head.

"So your master stole your girlfriend. Hence the poor dummy you're attacking," Theo realised.

"Pretty much."

"Why not go all the way and put his face on it?"

"Because Theo, I quite enjoy living and I would like to continue to do so," Harry replied dryly.

Theo nodded, "Fair enough," he said, his eyes surveying Harry for a moment longer, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Harry answered, sounding as tired as he looked, "I'll be fine."

Not long after his sleepless night, Harry was sitting in the great hall with a cup of coffee in his hand and a piece of untouched toast on his plate. Those who knew what had happened the night before were watching him warily, and those who were unaware said nothing, they simply cast curious glances his way.

The relative peace was broken by the sound of heels clicking over to the table. Harry looked up, expecting to see Lily – not Lavender Brown. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked furious.

"You are a monster!" Lavender hissed, "You killed my Uncle last night!"

Harry laughed, not a humourless, bitter laugh, but a proper laugh, "Are you for fucking real?"

"I know what you did!" Lavender seethed, "My mother told me!"

"She was there, was she?" Harry asked calmly.

Lavender blanched, "Well no…but-"

"Do you know who was there?" Harry asked, getting to his feet and towering over her, "Your brother-in-law, and he didn't come running to tell you the news, did he?"

"That is because we do not associate with my sister anymore," Lavender said, sticking her nose up in the air, "Not since the boy she married became a beast, like you!"

Harry laughed, "Oh, get off your high horse, Lavender. Your family are nowhere near as neutral as you pretend to be – you still see your sister all of the time, you have her and Cadmus Selwyn over for family dinners."

The colour rose in Lavender's cheeks, and Harry scoffed, "And the Uncle you're crying over? He was a Death Eater too, don't paint him as an innocent victim. Do you know why I killed him? Or didn't Mummy tell you about that part?"

"Because you're evil, obviously!"

"Evil," Harry scoffed, "No, he was evil and more than that, he was a coward. He was no saint, and he was abusing a girl, not much older than you, all to make himself feel more powerful because he was good at fuck all else."

Lavender reeled in horror, "No, that's not true – you're lying!"

"He isn't lying," Theo said calmly, "We were there. We saw it."

Blaise nodded, "And Harry didn't personally victimise your Uncle, Brown. The girl's father helped Harry kill him because no one treats a woman like that."

"So Death Eaters have a code of honour now?" A new voice asked.

Harry looked past Lavender to the Hufflepuff table where a redheaded girl seemed to be quietly seething.

"Yes, Bones, Death Eaters have honour," Harry said, walking towards the Hufflepuff table, "Say what you want about me, make me the villain in your story if that's what makes you feel better. But if you think I'll stand back and let a 40-year-old fuck and abuse an 18-year-old girl then you have another thing coming."

"Potter," A cold, drawling voice said, "Enough."

Harry looked up, seeing Snape standing inches away from him.

"My apologies, Headmaster."

Snape nudged his head towards the door, "My office, now."

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Yes, Headmaster."

He turned to leave, but before he could, a younger girl jumped up from the Gryffindor table. She had dark red hair and blue eyes, and although Harry couldn't place how, she looked vaguely familiar.

"Potter."

Harry looked at her, "Yes?"

"My mother told me what you did for Reyna last night," The girl said, "I'm Tessa, her cousin."

Harry frowned, Tessa? The name didn't sound familiar, but suddenly her familiar appearance made sense, this girl reminded him of Emelia.

"Emelia Avery's sister?"

Tessa nodded. Harry guessed she was a good few years younger than Emelia – 5th year, probably.

"Yes, my father hasn't spoken to me much since I was sorted into Gryffindor, but Reyna always writes," Tessa said, her eyes meeting Harry's, "I knew what he was doing, but she would never admit it, and I was terrified of how it would end, so thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry said, unsure how else to respond to that.

"Potter," Snape's voice demanded.

I'm going, Harry thought to himself irritably. But he responded with a simple, "Yes, Headmaster," and then he left the hall. He was aware that Snape wasn't behind him, and at first, Harry wondered how he would get into the office without the Headmaster. But the moment he reached the stone gargoyles, they jumped aside.

It felt a little nostalgic, riding the staircase up to the office. Harry stepped inside, surprised to see that apart from the lack of Fawkes presence, it hadn't changed at all. He sat down in front of the desk and looked around, his eyes falling on something new – a portrait.

The occupant sighed deeply, "Harry, my boy-"

"Oh do fuck off, Albus," Harry said dryly.

"What have you become?" The old man asked sadly.

"Everything you tried to stop me from becoming," Harry answered, "And perhaps that was who I was meant to be all along."

Dumbledore's eyes, the ones that Harry had always thought sparkled with joy – looked upon him disdainfully, "Oh, are you disappointed, Albus? You look like a child whose puppy has just been murdered."

Harry leant back in his chair and mused, "But then I suppose this is what happens when you cage someone for so long. Not that I knew I was caged mind you, but that was all part of your big plan, wasn't it? After all, the best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure that he never knows he's in prison."

"It was not my intention to imprison you, Harry-"

"Like hell, it wasn't," Harry cut in, "And if it weren't for Snape, I would still be in that cage."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed, "A decision that he no doubt regrets now."

"That's his problem," Harry said darkly, "He needs to focus on the school and let the Dark Lord take care of everything else. His plans are relatively peaceful, with the exception of the Muggles of course."

"Lord Voldemort is anything but peaceful, Harry. I do not know how he managed to fool you into believing that he is-"

"He is peaceful, and he is merciful," Harry said before Dumbledore could drivel on any further, "And that's the difference between you and him, Albus. You're a bloody hypocrite anyway, banging on about how its wrong to hurt muggles. The Dark Lord and I found out all about your big secret after Elphias Doge was killed and his home seized."

Genuine fear and shame shone in Dumbledore's eyes.

"We know all about your relationship with Grindelwald," Harry said, his eyes flashing menacingly.

This made Dumbledore fall silent, his eyes, and several other Headmasters in the room, on Harry.

"Anyway, you can't truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of great violence. If you're not capable of violence then you're not peaceful, you're harmless," Harry said, his eyes glaring into Dumbledore's portrait, "It's an important distinction."

"Indeed," Snape's voice said as the door snapped shut, "Another important distinction is knowing when to keep your mouth shut, Potter."

Harry grimaced, he should have seen that coming.

"How do you think the Dark Lord will feel when he hears about the scene you made in the Great Hall this morning?"

Honestly, Harry didn't think the Dark Lord would give a shit. Lavender Brown had been asking for it, and everything Harry had said was true.

Correct, but was it not you who warned me not to draw attention to myself unnecessarily?

Harry grimaced once more, Yes, but come on – what did she expect? She acted like he was a saint. He deserved everything he got, and you wanted me to make an example of him. Doesn't that send out an example?

It was not quite the sort of example I intended, but yes.

"Well, Potter?"

"He says it's okay because I made an example of Fawley," Harry replied.

Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry, "You are talking to him, right now?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

Snape narrowed his eyes, "Prove it."

Harry sighed, "Use Legilimency on me, and you should be able to hear him in my head."

Snape whipped out his wand and thrust it in Harry's direction, "Legilmens!"

The boy tells the truth, Severus, Voldemort's words said in Harry's mind. Although he acted rashly, his actions did send out a message to the students of Hogwarts. Perhaps if they fear their Head Boy and truly believe him to be loyal to me, then they shall begin to see the error of their ways.

Snape swallowed his irritation and said aloud, "Yes, my lord. I apologise for criticising the boy."

No, he still ought to be punished. I will leave his fate up to you.

"Thank you, my lord."

Snape finished the spell and Harry opened his eyes, looking warily at his Headmaster.

Snape smirked in amusement, "You heard what the Dark Lord said?"

"What while he was in my head? Uh yeah, I heard that," Harry said sarcastically.

"Since you seem incapable of keeping your mouth shut, I think your punishment should be a fitting one," Snape said, raising his wand and pointing it at Harry, "Silencio Sustinetis!"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, and he rolled his eyes in frustration.

"The effects can last for a day, or they can last for a week," Snape said smugly, tucking his wand away, "They will wear off eventually but until then, learn how to control that sharp tongue of yours, Potter."

Harry would have made a sarcastic comment about how Theo knew just fine that Harry did know how to use his 'sharp' tongue, but of course, he couldn't and he wouldn't be making any sassy comments for the foreseeable future, so it seemed.

Annoyingly enough, as Harry stomped out of the Headmasters office, he had to admit, he couldn't fault Snape's logic.

When Harry walked into the Slytherin common room that night, he threw himself huffily down next to Draco.

"What's up with you? Snape didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

Harry glared at the blonde boy, pointed to his mouth, then grabbed his throat.

"He cut your tongue out?" Draco asked in horror.

Theo snorted and plopped himself down across from Harry, "No, you idiot. He put an enduring silencing charm on him."

Harry pointed at Theo as if to say, 'what he said!'.

Draco sniggered, "How long does it last for?"

"Anywhere from a day to a week," Theo answered, "How quickly a person can shake it off depends on how stubborn they are, so this stubborn bastard might be talking again in a few minutes."

Harry nudged Theo in the ribs and glared at him.

Theo chuckled, "Could make for an interesting few days anyway. Especially considering what we need to plan tonight."

Harry nodded. He pointed at Theo, himself, Draco and Blaise then made an elaborate hand motion.

"Theo, what is he on about? You always were the best at charades," Draco said dryly.

"He wants us to hang back in the common room tonight, and to get Lily through here," Theo said.

"He has to get Moon on board, only he can go through his dorm room to get her," Draco pointed out.

Harry gave Theo an amused look, and Theo grinned, "That look said, 'wow, how much of a dumbass is Draco', am I right?"

Harry nodded.

Blaise snorted.

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I've spent quite a bit of time in Harry's room lately. I'm pretty sure I can retrieve Moon, don't you worry yourself Drakey Poo."

Harry snorted silently, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you one thing," Theo said, leaning back in his armchair and looking at Harry.

Harry raised his hands as if to say, 'what?' and Theo grinned cheekily, "Well, the sex could be interesting."

Harry laughed silently, and Draco made a face, "So crass, Theodore," he said with a tut, but Theo just grinned shamelessly.

Their planning session that evening was interesting.

When Lily walked into the room, she seemed different somehow. It was in the way she held herself; she walked with her head a little higher; her posture was a little more straight. She oozed confidence, which seemed to have come from her newfound purpose in life through her status as a Death Eater.

"Now this I have got to see," Lily said, stalking into the common room, "Is Harry Potter truly speechless?"

Harry glared at her in response, and she grinned, "Well, it's about time you learned when to zip it," she added, running her fingers along his lips and zipping them shut without an incantation or a wave of her wand.

Theo saw the look in Harry's eyes and snorted, "Mate, if that turns you on, I don't even want to know how much of a masochist you are."

"You ought to know, Theo," Lily said, dropping onto an armchair by the fire and catching Blaise looking at her, "Would you like a picture, Zabini? It would last longer."

Blaise just smirked, "Being a Death Eater suits you."

Lily hummed, "Not having a bitch for a mother is freeing, that much is true. But my little show got overshadowed when Harry and his adoptive Daddy ripped a man apart and blew his head up."

Harry tried to open his mouth, but couldn't.

Theo took some mercy on him, murmuring the counter curse with his finger against Harry's lips.

He mouthed a thank you at Theo then a 'sorry' in Lily's direction.

"He said-"

"Yes, I can lip-read, Theo," Lily remarked.

"Well, apparently Draco can't," Blaise drawled.

"Oh shut up, Blaise," Draco said, kicking the dark-skinned man from the sofa unceremoniously.

Before a duel could break out, Harry stood up and shook his head. The simple, unspoken order was enough – silence fell.

Harry conjured up a blackboard and wrote, "Plan – kill Hannah Abbott. Question is how?"

"A curse," Theo said.

Lily nodded, "Something that can't be traced back to you because otherwise, Snape will have no choice but to expel you."

"But something that will teach the Abbotts and their allies a lesson," Theo mused.

Silence fell for a moment, and Harry wrote, "I should stick with my theme of killing people with karma."

Draco frowned, "How? She'll be dying because her father funded the wrong people."

"So her death would have to involve money," Blaise said.

Theo's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lily, "Gemino Curse."

Lily frowned, "What does that have to do with money? It duplicates items, doesn't it? And isn't it a charm, not a curse?"

"The spell we are taught in school is a charm, yes," Theo said, "But you can turn any harmless charm into a curse if you try hard enough. When I was younger, I was in Gringotts a lot because my father was involved with the goblins, normally in semi-illegal schemes but hey," he shrugged, "And I know that Gringotts use the Gemino Curse for security. In vaults with high-value items, they use it to prevent theft – if someone touches the high-value object, then it duplicates indefinitely, drowning them in duplicates of the item they were trying to steal."

"Dark," Blaise noted.

"Well, yeah," Theo agreed, "They're Goblins."

Harry nodded and wrote, "How do we use it to kill Hannah?"

"I was getting to that part," Theo said, "We give Lily a galleon and get her to modify it – change the dragons head to the Order of the Phoenix symbol."

Lily nodded, "Then we use a switching spell to swap it with some food Hannah has just eaten."

Theo smirked, "I love it when we think along the same lines. I can see why Harry's into both of us."

Lily gave Theo a knowing look, "Hasn't he told you, you're his number one now?"

Harry rolled his eyes, the two of them bickering was never going to end well.

"Yes, apparently you want to move onto pastures new," Theo said, eyeing her with amusement.

Harry tapped the board irritably and glared at them.

The Ravenclaw girl smiled sweetly and continued with the plan she and Theo were concocting.

"Hannah chokes and starts to cough up galleons, but they duplicate at such a rate that she dies before anyone can work out how to save her."

"And no one knows where the galleon came from or who put it inside her," Blaise said with a nod, "Therefore making sure it doesn't lead back to us."

"It's fool-proof," Draco agreed.

"Of course it is, Moon and I came up with it," Theo said smugly.

Harry smiled slightly and clapped his hands together once, "Tomorrow?" he wrote.

Lily pulled a galleon out of her pocket, "I'll modify it tonight, but the switching spell will have to be very precise, and charm work isn't my area of expertise."

"No, but it is mine," Theo said with a smirk.

"Tomorrow then," Harry wrote, "Great hall."

They all nodded, the plan agreed, all that was left was for them to get to work.

The following day everyone had a great laugh at Harry's expense.

Even Daphne found herself smirking when Tracey and Sophie were winding Harry up for losing his voice.

Harry took it in his stride and ignored Snape's satisfied smirk.

In Defensive Magic later that day, Pansy made a stupid comment.

"How are you going to do magic if you can't speak, Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes and mouthed something.

"Theo, care to translate?" Draco drawled.

"He said, I can do speechless and wandless magic, you silly bitch," Theo said, without looking up from his work.

Blaise choked on the exotic magical leaf he was chewing, Draco bit back a grin as he clapped him on the back.

Pansy shrieked, "What?"

"He didn't say the silly bitch part, did he, Nott?" Bill asked from the front of the class.

"No, but he does think she's a silly bitch. Don't you, Harry?"

Harry nodded his agreement and grinned at Bill.

Bill shook his head in amusement, "Since you feel like being a show-off, Potter – go ahead, show us how you do magic with an enduring silencing charm on you."

Harry raised his wand, moved it circularly and thrust it upwards, conjuring a pretty impressive shield charm.

"Nice," Bill said with a nod, "Everyone else, take note. For the remainder of the lesson, I will be silencing you all and teaching you how to cast non-verbal spells."

Harry smirked triumphantly.

"Potter – quit smirking, you'll be learning how to cast a non-verbal Patronus."

'Fuck', Harry mouthed, making Bill grin a little wickedly.

"Oh to be the Dark Lords favourite," Theo murmured in Harry's ear, grinning far too mischievously for his own good.

Harry kicked him under the table for good measure.

At dinner that evening, it all kicked off.

Nobody was any the wiser until Hannah got up to leave the Hufflepuff table.

Theo, who was sitting next to Harry, flicked his wand under the table, whispered something and then carefully and slowly moved his wand in a very particular motion.

With a gasp, Hannah grabbed her throat.

Susan stalled at her side, "Hannah, what's wrong?"

Hannah couldn't speak, she tried, but only a choking, retching sound came out.

The scene was already gathering the students' attention, and some of the professors were rushing over to help her.

"She's choking!" Ernie MacMillan said, whacking Hannah on the back hard.

This was exactly what Harry had wanted to happen. He watched as the golden galleon flew out of Hannah's mouth, landing with a clatter on the hard stone floor.

Susan looked at her friend in horror, expecting her to be okay now, but she was still choking.

"Professor!" Susan cried when McGonagall reached them, "What's happening to her?"

"She has been cursed," McGonagall said, "Weasley, help her!"

Bill was hot on McGonagall's heels and granted; this was one factor that they had not considered. They hadn't considered that Bill would save Hannah's life.

Theo tensed next to Harry, but Harry pressed his leg against the other mans, signalling that he wasn't worried.

Bill cast a diagnostic charm on Hannah as her face went blue, she fell to her knees, her eyes bulging – Harry doubted there was anything that could be done to save her now.

Bill shook his head, and McGonagall looked at the girl in horror – some of the younger students were screaming or cowering in fear – it was undoubtedly causing the scene that it had been meant to.

Hannah's eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the ground with a clatter.

Susan screamed and dropped down next to her, "Hannah! Hannah!"

Bill gripped her shoulder, "She's gone, Miss Bones."

McGonagall was pale, and clearly in shock. She levitated Hannah's body and instructed Sprout to transport it, and Susan to the hospital wing.

The head of house did so, with tears streaming down her cheeks – Harry imagined the last time they had witnessed something so horrific at Hogwarts (excluding Cedric's death of course) would have been when Myrtle Warren had been murdered.

The thought made Harry reach up to stroke Artemis's head, she hissed happily, and Harry's thoughts wandered back to second year, to the first time he had ever met Tom Riddle – he had thought that man was dead, that Voldemort was all that was left, but he had gotten it all wrong. Tom Riddle had said it to him plainly enough back then – Voldemort is my past, my present and my future – they weren't different people, they were the same, but Tom was Voldemort's more humane counterpart.

"It is odd," Artemis hissed in his ear, "The things you remember when you watch someone die."

Harry nodded; it was a strange little nugget of wisdom to come from a young snake who did not often say much. He supposed she had picked up on a thing or two from the nights he spent telling her about the Tales of Beedle the Bard in parseltongue.

The hall was in shock, Snape got to his feet and demanded that everyone go to their common rooms.

Ginny walked over from the Gryffindor table and picked up one of the galleons that Hannah had choked up. She turned it over, examining the Order of the Phoenix symbol. Her eyes burned as she looked up at Bill, "You did this!"

Bill raised an eyebrow at his younger sister, "Me?"

"All of you!" Ginny shrieked, grabbing her brothers arm and yanking up his sleeve.

Bill didn't bother as some of the younger students who hadn't seen the mark for themselves reeled back in horror.

She thrust the galleon into his hand, "The symbol of the Order of the Phoenix! Right after Hannah's father goes missing? You killed her to scare us, to show us what happens to those who defy you? Well it's not going to work," she hissed.

Neville stood up and grabbed her hand, "Ginny, not here."

"We will keep fighting," Ginny said, "We will fight until we die and if that's at your hand, or Charlies, then so fucking be it, Bill!"

"Miss Weasley," Snape drawled, "I do not appreciate you speaking to my staff with such vulgar language. Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention this evening, with Professor Carrow."

Ginny looked warily up at the Head table, "Which one?"

Snape smirked wickedly, "Amycus."

Ginny's eyes widened, and Bill looked down to hide the look in his eyes.

Despite their differences, Ginny was still his sister, and if Amycus's reputation was anything to go by, that didn't bode well.

"And you're just going to let this happen?" Ginny asked, taking a step closer to her brother, "Because that's who you are now, isn't it? The kind of person who hurts innocent people, or at the very least the kind of person who stands by and lets someone else do it."

"No, Ginny," Bill said, gently prying his arm from her grasp, "I am the same person I was three months ago before all of this kicked off, but you can't see that. Can you? All you see is light and dark, good and evil, and that's not the way the world is split anymore. Maybe one day you will grow up and realise that before it's too late."

Without another word, Bill strode up to the Head table and began to talk to McGonagall and Snape in undertones.

In the chaos of everyone leaving, Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak and listened in to the conversation.

"It was a Gemino Curse," Bill told them.

McGonagall's eyes widened, "She choked on galleons that were duplicating inside her throat?"

Bill nodded, "There was nothing I could do. The counter curse would have stopped the objects from duplicating, but I wouldn't have been able to remove the galleons she had ingested – it is a vicious way to kill someone."

"I expect that was the point," McGonagall said tartly, "Your sister was correct, Miss Abbott's death was a warning."

"Is that an accusation, Minerva?" Snape asked, looking her dead in the eye.

McGonagall scoffed, "Of course it was an accusation, Severus! This school is run by Death Eaters now, and we are all aware that You-Know-Who is in control, through you."

"Regardless, I would not murder a student in my care," Severus said evenly, "I would have hoped that after all of these years, you would know that."

McGonagall tore her eyes away from his, "And you, Weasley? You were such a good student, how you ended up involved in all of this baffles me."

"I ended up involved in all of this because what the Dark Lord is doing makes sense," Bill said honestly, "I believe in the world he wants to form – a world where we can live freely, where magic can be what it used to be before the Muggles forced us into hiding. You are an educated woman; you have travelled, you have seen the way magic flourishes in countries where it can be used freely."

McGonagall pursed her lips but said nothing.

"That's what I want," Bill said, "Not for innocent school girls to be murdered and certainly not for my sister to assume that I am the culprit. I am sorry if I am overstepping Severus, but you cannot allow my sister to be left alone with Amycus Carrow in detention. His reputation proceeds him, and regardless of the sides we are on in this war, if he touches her, I will do worse to him than Augustus Rookwood did to Stuart Fawley."

Severus looked distastefully at Bill, "I will instruct the Head Girl to proceed over the detention."

Bill laughed, "The Head Girl? The Head Girl who just forced her mother to overdose and took the Dark Mark?"

"Lillian Moon?" McGonagall asked in horror, "No, she is such a good girl."

Severus and Bill's eye met; it was clear they were both thinking the same thing.

"No, Minerva, she isn't," Bill said, "But I don't think that she did this either."

"I understand why the Dark Lord gave the order," Severus admitted, "From my understanding, Howard Abbott funded the Order of the Phoenix and to cement his control, the Dark Lord is, of course, clamping down on anyone aiding that organisation."

"Then why pray tell, Severus, am I still alive?" McGonagall asked curtly.

"Because you are an incredibly powerful and talented witch, Minerva," Severus replied simply, "The Dark Lord has the utmost respect for you. He would find it very difficult to kill you, which is why he will not do so needlessly."

"You talk about him as if he is merciful," McGonagall said scornfully, "He gave the order to kill an innocent girl because of something her father did. If we were all punished for our father's sins, I think this hall would be half empty."

Severus said nothing.

"Who did he give the order to?" McGonagall asked.

"I do not know," Severus replied.

"Neither do I," Bill admitted, "He would have only trusted his most loyal advisors with that information, and I certainly don't fit the bill."

"Nor do I anymore," Severus said dryly.

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that they both knew who it had been but that they were protecting him.

"There will be no proof nonetheless," Bill said, "The nature of her death ensures it."

"Indeed," Severus said, his eyes scanning the hall as if he knew Harry was there, "Whoever did this planned it out methodically to ensure that they would not be discovered."

McGonagall sighed heavily, "I must go to the hospital wing and comfort the girl's friend. Severus, you will be questioned about this by the Prophet, regardless of who runs it these days. You must make a statement, and you must keep it impartial."

Severus bowed his head, "Very well," he said, signifying the end of their conversation.

Lily was on her way to Potions the following morning when a firm voice said, "Miss Moon, a word, please?"

She frowned and turned around, "Okay, Professor Weasley."

Bill opened the door to a store cupboard, and Lily raised an eyebrow at him as she stepped inside, "And here was me thinking you were happily married."

"I am happily married," Bill said, shutting the door behind him and lighting up the room with a click of his fingers, "And even if I weren't, I wouldn't sleep with 17-year-old girls under my care."

Lily gave him a pointed look, "Then I assume this cosy little chat has something to do with the fact I've been asked to supervise your sister's detention this evening?"

Bill sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair, "Yes. While she may be on the wrong side at the moment, she is still my sister, and she is only 16. Amycus has a reputation and if he lays a finger on her…" he shook his head, "So don't let that happen."

Lily scoffed in disbelief, "You really missed the boat when I killed my mother the other night, didn't you? Do you think I did that because she was a Muggle, or because I hated her?"

Bill didn't answer.

Lily took a step closer to him, aware of the heat building in her hands as she lost control of her temper. "I was raped when I was ten years old, and again when I was thirteen – if you honestly think I will let that bastard touch your sister and keep his dick attached, you have another thing coming."

Lily prodded him in the chest irritably, leaving a small burn mark in his shirt. Then she yanked the door open and stalked away.

When Lily stormed into Potions, she was in a foul mood – Daphne, her partner, couldn't help but comment on it.

"Bad morning?"

"Well, one of our classmates was horrifically killed yesterday," Lily countered.

"Yes, but somehow I get the impression that's not what your bad mood is about," Daphne said.

Harry, who was sitting at the table behind them with Draco, kept his gaze down and tried to look busy as he strained his ears to listen in on the conversation.

"You don't think dramatic deaths bother me?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"I don't get the impression that they do, no," Daphne said, smiling sweetly at the Ravenclaw, "Call it a hunch."

Lily laughed under her breath, "What about you? I don't see you looking particularly traumatised?"

"I didn't care for Hannah Abbott much," Daphne remarked, "I feel worse for her friend, Susan."

"Whose she, your girlfriend?" Lily asked in a teasing, but also rather vindictive way.

"Childhood best friend actually," Daphne quipped, "And that insult was so second year, Moon."

Lily looked like she was trying to hide an amused smile, "Pity. I hear Susan is into girls. You could have comforted her," she teased.

"Aw Moon, are you flirting with me? That's cute," Daphne shot back in response.

Harry grinned in amusement and looked back down at his textbook.

"Potter, are you enjoying our conversation? We can talk louder, so you don't have to strain your ears," Daphne said, flipping her ice blonde hair around and smirking at Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow in response because he still couldn't speak.

Lily snorted and turned around too. She had been teaching him sign language over the past couple of days, so he held out his hands and signed, "Are you okay?"

Lily smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine. Bill Weasley just asked me a stupid question so I might have accidentally singed him a little."

Harry snorted silently and signed, "Why?"

"I'm supervising his sister's detention tonight," Lily said in an undertone, "And we all know Amycus Carrow's reputation."

Harry nodded, his eyes darkening. He signed, "She doesn't deserve that."

"No, she doesn't," Lily agreed, "Bill seemed to be under the impression I would let that happen. Rest assured, he believes that no longer."

Harry smirked and signed, "You're awesome."

Lily grinned, "I know I am."

"Potter, Moon," Slughorn said loudly, "Back to work, no talking!"

"It was sign language actually, sir," Lily spoke up.

Slughorn smiled fondly at her, "Then no sign language unless you were giving Mr Potter potions instructions?"

With a sweet smile, Lily said, "Of course I was, sir."

Slughorn humphed in amusement, and they all got back to work.

Harry thought that would be the end of Daphne and Lily's conversation because the two girls didn't tend to speak much.

When Daphne moved a little closer, Harry leant forward, straining to hear what was being said.

"You're not still messing around with him, are you?"

"No," Lily murmured, "But I did learn a valuable lesson - never make the same mistake twice."

"Unless he's hot," Daphne said, referring of course to Harry.

This made Harry grin and drop too many lacewing flies into his potion, causing it to blow up in Draco's face.

With a grimace, Harry brushed the ash off of Draco's face and mouthed, 'sorry?' while Theo cackled a few tables away.

* TBC *