Chapter Forty Five

Disclaimer: I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.

Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.

Enjoy!

HARRY POTTER

Harry looked around the courtroom, his magic levels slightly lower than he would have liked but it couldn't have been helped. The battle was over and all the parents of the Guardians had been detained and were now in custody below the courtroom. They had been slightly tricky to deal with and more skilled than anyone had expected, especially Rupert Williams. It had taken the combined force of Harry, Hermione and Draco to take down Rupert because no one could anticipate what he was going to do next. He was a very skilled Dueller, and Draco had commented how much his talents were wasted. Harry watched as James and Ginny helped Helga Cummings tend to all the injured with a proud smile. His son had managed to find more Auror to help out and soon they were able to overpower the Guardian's parents. Most of the plum robed Witches and Wizards hadn't been carrying their wands and so they had scarpered as soon as they could, but other members of the Wizengamot had stayed behind to fight. Unfortunately, Benjamin had not made it, he had been killed by Rupert – who was now detained and heavily guarded. No doubt, he was going to be charged and punished for what he had done.

Hermione, Ron and Draco walked over to him. Luckily, they were all without injury, just a little scruffy from the fight. "Are you guys alright?" Harry asked out of concern.

Hermione nodded her head, "We're fine. Seamus and Dean took quite a beating though," She said, looking over to where the Helga was. Out of the two, Seamus was more injured than Dean because he had dived into a group of enemies without hesitation. Seamus had charged in head first, tackling people down and punching them in the face. Dean had been the one to cover for Seamus but even he couldn't keep up with Seamus' rage.

"He was a bloody animal," Ron said with a grin on his face. Despite the situation, he had found himself laughing. It took him back to the Wizarding War when Seamus had charged headfirst into the battle. It was obvious that some things hadn't changed over the years.

Draco looked around the room, "He got away, didn't he?"

Harry frowned and nodded his head grimly. It felt ridiculous that they had been outsmarted. Harry had thought they had Lance caught, but he had managed to make an escape plan without their knowledge. It didn't make sense. Lance hadn't been allowed to speak with anyone to formulate a plan and put it into motion. Harry was aware that Lance had connections within the Ministry and he was beginning to realise how deeply inbred they were.

"I got word back from the Auror office. Apparently, Fernsby was Lance's guard last night after Ron left. That's how he managed to pull this off." Hermione said, also thinking the same as Harry. After the fight had finished, she had contacted the Auror office to do some digging and she had been right to trust her instinct.

Draco sighed deeply, "Brilliant plan. He stalled as long as he could and then made his escape during the fray. Brilliant," He sneered darkly, his own hate for the man growing exponentially.

"We have the whole Ministry looking out for him. It won't take long." Ron said. He had put the alert out as soon as he realised Lance had managed to getaway. There was no way that Lance would make it far before he was caught. The only worry was if Lance managed to get in contact with his other connections within the Ministry. Ron couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty that he hadn't recognised Fernsby when he walked into the courtroom. Maybe if he had, then he could have done something sooner and avoid this all happening. But when Ron had passed Fernsby, he had his head down and Ron was too exhausted to notice anything around him.

Harry nodded his head in thanks.

James jogged over to them, "Hey, has anyone seen Freya?" He asked looking concerned. James had tried to find Freya, mentally praying that she hadn't been amongst the injured and he was thankful when she wasn't. But now he was concerned because he couldn't find her at all. He had even double-checked the room, thinking he may have missed her but he had found nothing.

Harry, Hermione and Draco shared a look of horror and unease. They had all assumed that Freya was with James. They hadn't even questioned where the younger girl was and now they were regretting it. Ron looked around the room, "She isn't with you?" He asked, his voice quiet. He was mentally praying that it wasn't what he was thinking.

James shook his head, "No." He didn't understand what was happening and it made him feel uneasy. He couldn't understand why they all looked concerned and it only served to make him anxious in return.

"She's gone after him, hasn't she?" Hermione asked, alarm in her eyes.

"We need to find them both, now," Draco stressed, his own eyes wide in apprehension. He knew what Freya would do to Lance if she found him first.

Harry nodded his head, "Find them, now."

James felt the horror set in. Freya had mentioned in a passing comment that if she could, she would end Lance. He was now beginning to realise that her wish may soon come true and that terrified him. Her killing Lance didn't scare him, it was consequences that Freya would face afterwards. "I'm coming with you," He said, looking to his father.

Ron shook his head, "James, you can't." This wasn't a place for a child and he didn't want to risk James getting injured – Ginny would skin him alive.

"I am not leaving her!" James argued back, fire in his eyes. He didn't care what they said, he was coming whether they liked it or not.

Hermione was silent for a moment, considering their options. "We may need James. James is the only person who can calm Freya down and she's going to need him." She knew that if it came down to it, Freya would fight them to end Lance, but they couldn't let her do that. If Freya killed Lance then there would be hit out for her. They would have to charge her for murder and Hermione didn't want to do that.

Not being able to believe what he was hearing, Ron looked to Harry for support, but he was largely ignored. "She's right. James, you're with me. Do not leave my side." Harry said, looking at his son with this most serious expression he could manage.

James nodded his head, a sense of relief filling him.

Hermione looked at the watch, "The Ministry has been in lockdown since Ron sent the alarm. They wouldn't have made it out the Ministry yet. Leave nothing untouched," She said, looking everyone in the eyes as she did.

"We will find him," Harry said, his eyes hardened in determination. He had fought long and hard to get to this point and he wasn't going down without a fight.

"Let's just hope we find Lance before Freya does," Draco muttered lowly. He knew that if Freya got her hands on Lance then it was game over. He could sense the magic within Freya, and she had larger magical reserves than most Witches her age. Draco knew that Freya could do a lot of damage if left unchecked and the consequences would be severe.

"Let's go," Harry said, jogging out the side entrance with everyone following behind him.

HARRY POTTER

Lance and Eva walked down a hallway leading away from the courtroom at a fast pace. Lance had discarded the coat that hid his face once he felt he was a safe distance away from the courtroom. He couldn't hide the smug expression on his face. Lance had managed to trick them all into believing they had cornered him and it had worked. Lance knew that the evidence against him would be too much for anyone to refute and so his only other option was to get away before anyone caught him. He knew that he had been hasty when attacking Freya in the Ministry. Looking back on it now, Lance shouldn't have done that because it had been the reason why he got caught in the first place. Lance was lucky that his escape plan was still in place. He had made it years ago when he had first started the Guardian Program, just in case. Lance hadn't reviewed the plan in a long time because he had no intentions of being caught, but it seemed that even his luck had run out.

Lance couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Those fools had no idea," He said with a grin on his face. He could remember all the shocked looks on everyone's faces when the Guardian's parents had entered the room, giving him a chance to escape. It was something he would always relish in.

Eva said nothing, the smile permanently etched onto her face.

"I would have loved to see their faces when they saw I wasn't there. It would have been a picture!" He laughed loudly, a confident spring in his step. He mostly wanted to see Freya's face but he would have to settle for his imagination.

"What is the plan now, sir?" Eva said politely.

Lance fell silent for a moment, considering his options. He had multiple safe houses across the country that no one was aware of. He would need to head there before making another move. However, the best option would be to leave the country altogether. He had a safe house in America but even then he knew he couldn't stay there because everyone would be looking for him. Lance would need to stretch out further than America. He knew the places he needed to avoid was France and Norway, which was a shame because he had a lovely safe house in France. "We leave the country." He said simply, his icy blue eyes staring dead ahead just in case someone appeared.

Eva nodded her head, "Of course."

"I don't have long, they would have more than likely set the alarm off about my escape. I need to get out fast," Lance commanded, picking up the pace but stopped when he didn't hear another pair of footsteps behind him. Lance stopped, turned around and saw that Eva was not moving an inch. "Well come on, I don't have time to waste," Lance said, staring at her impatiently.

Eva looked at him and tilted her head to the side. "Do you have any remorse?" She asked, her voice low.

Lance looked at her incredulously, "What does it matter?" He didn't know what had got into Eva, she had never questioned him before. She had been by his side for many years, never questioning or failing to do what he ordered. This was new and he didn't like it.

"Do you regret what you've done?" Eva asked again.

"No," Lance said, impatient and annoyed, "I do not have remorse and I do not regret what I have done. If I could do it all over again, I would. The only difference is that I would have killed Lydia instead of letting her join," He knew that Freya had been his downfall but Lydia had been the start. Lydia had been the first Guardian to defy him and soon her sister followed in her footsteps. Freya had always been his favourite and he never realised how good she was at lying, a skill he did admire. If only she had remained loyal to him. "Now get a move on. I don't have long." Lance said, turning around to walk away. He needed to head to his Department so he could use the secret exit he had installed as a back-up plan. That secret exit was a very well-kept secret that no one knew other than him. It would take him out of the Ministry without being detected and onto the streets of London. From there, he could get away and leave the country. But first, he needed to get out of the hallway and far away from anyone that could catch him.

Eva took out her wand, hidden away in her pencil skirt and pointed it at Lance. "Incarcerous," Thin cords shot out of her wand, heading towards Lance.

Lance stopped walking when he felt the thin cords wrap around his whole body. Lance tried to move his limbs but found that he couldn't. He began to struggle, trying to break himself free, not fully understanding what was happening. Was it possible that someone had caught up with him? Due to the struggling, Lance found that his balance was off and it caused him to fall to the ground, face first. "What is the meaning of this?!" He yelled out from his position on the ground, still struggling.

Eva walked over to him, watching with a blank expression as he resisted. She stopped walking when she was beside him. Using her black stiletto, she turned him over onto his back. "How long have I worked for you, Lance?" She asked, her voice sweet as she smiled.

At the question, Lance stopped moving as he looked at her. He didn't know how long Eva had been working for him – a long time but he couldn't give an exact date. "What does it matter? Get me out of this now!" He yelled at her.

The heel of Eva's shoe pressed deeper into Lance's side causing him to wince at the pressure. "I have worked for you for ten years. I worked for you all that time and never once have you ever taken a second glance in my direction. You didn't even know what was going on behind your back for years." She laughed, the sound bouncing off the narrow walls of the hallway.

"What are you talking about?!" He yelled, confused as to what was going on. He didn't understand why Eva was acting like this. She had never done this before as she had been his loyal secretary. Nothing was too much. If he wanted something, Eva would make sure it was there for him a few hours later. She was efficient and never complained. Not even when he killed people in front of her or tortured them.

Eva pointed her wand at him, the tip of her wand glowing green as she prepared to use an Unforgivable Curse. "This is goodbye, Avada K-"

"Depulso!"

Eva's body was hurled away from Lance, landing on her back with a slight scream at the force of the spell. Eva sat up and saw that Freya stood not too far away, her wand pointed at Eva. "What are you doing? I had him!" She yelled at the younger girl.

Freya said nothing as she took everything in around her. She almost couldn't believe what was happening. She never would have believed that it was Eva Lamb who was betraying Lance in a million years. Eva had always been the loyal secretary, never questioning and never with a frown on her face. When she had seen Eva about to use the Killing Curse on Lance, she knew she needed to intervene. Freya couldn't let Eva kill Lance, no matter how tempting the offer was. Freya knew that she would be blamed and she didn't know if the other Guardians had managed to get rid of their Mark. Also, all the parents still had the Marks on them and that needed to be rectified before anything happened to Lance. As much as it pained her, she would need to save him before Eva killed him. That thought nearly made her flinch, but she stopped herself and concentrated on Eva, who was screaming at her.

"You stupid girl! You have no idea what you are doing!" Eva yelled out, her eyes brimming with anger and frustration as she stood up.

"Freya! She's gone mad!" Lance cried out, struggling in his binds.

Freya ignored him, "Accio Eva's wand." Freya summoned the wand, watching as it ripped out of Eva's hands and flew into her hand instead. Now, Eva could not kill Lance with magic, but that would stop any physical attacks.

Eva tried to grab her wand before it reached Freya's outstretched hand, but she was unsuccessful, causing an angry flush to form on her face. "Give me it back!"

"I've been wanting to do this for a while," Freya said, a smirk on her face as she raised her wand again, "Stupefy," The stunning spell hit Eva, who tried to dodge the spell, but it was too quick. The spell hit her in the chest, causing her to fall down to the ground, unconscious. Once she was dealt with, Freya hid Eva's wand away in a pocket of her robes where it was safe and away from its owner.

Lance sighed in relief, his body sagging. "Thank goodness. I knew you wouldn't betray me, Freya."

Freya turned to look at him and the dark thoughts entered her brain. Very dark thoughts that contained everything she would like to do to Lance – the main thought was torturing him like he had done to them many times. She wanted to hear him scream in pain, in agony as his insides felt like they were on fire and someone was burning him from the inside out. Freya wanted Lance to feel the terror she had felt while being in his presence. But most of all, she wanted to see the life leave his eyes and watch as his chest stopped rising. Freya wanted Lance dead, but at the same time, a quick death was too good for him. Too merciful for her liking. No, Lance needed to suffer just like he had made everyone else around him suffer.

"Shut up," She hissed dangerously, the grip on her wand tightened to the point her knuckles turned white. "I am not on your side and I certainly did not come to rescue you. I came to bring you back so you can be sentenced." She had never predicted this would happen and it physically hurt her that she even had to defend him. "I hate you, with every fibre of my being. I would love to see you dead – I would love to kill you myself." Freya's magic was bubbling under her skin as her emotions skyrocketed. All the hate she had been harbouring over the years had come to ahead. All the fear, terror and resentment she felt towards Lance had always been hidden away because it was dangerous. Now, she was free to feel anyway she wanted to. She could say the things she always wanted to say. Freya now had the power and it felt amazing.

Genuine hurt flashed in Lance's eyes but he said nothing. He knew better than to say anything because he knew exactly what Freya was capable of. Rupert had always updated him on Freya's progress and Lance had always been impressed. However, now, Lance was regretting letting Rupert mentor Freya.

However, Freya wasn't done. "No one was loyal to you. They were scared of you. Do you actually think anyone actually cares about you?" Freya's voice was low but menacing. Her eyes were practically glowing with hatred and resentment.

Lance briefly glanced at Eva – who was still unconscious – and then to Freya. "I did what was necessary,"

"You're a fucking liar!" Freya yelled out, her bouncing off the walls, "I know the truth. I know Voldemort didn't have a child and I know all the attempts to make it look like Death Eaters were targeting Caitlin and Gretchen were false! It was you the entire time!" She knew it was Lance because she knew that Kingsley had been putting pressure on Lance about the Guardian Program around those times. They hadn't produced any results that had been promised in the beginning and Lance had to make it look like the Guardians were necessary so Kingsley didn't disband them. But, it was this plot that got Kyle and Nina killed.

Lance tensed and a look of horror quickly formed onto his face. "How do you know?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Freya scowled darkly, "Lydia,"

At the name, pure fury filled Lance. He hated that name with a passion. The name of the first Guardian to ever betray him and plot his demise. "Don't you dare say that dirty traitor's name to me!" He yelled out.

Freya snarled as she pointed her wand. "Crucio!"

Lance screamed in pain, writhing on the ground in agony. He struggled against the cords, hoping it would help against the pain but it didn't. It felt like a hundred red hot knives stabbing him repeatedly. There was no escape from the pain. It was so blinding that he couldn't even hear himself screaming, begging for Freya to stop.

Freya watched this with a morbid sense of satisfaction. After a few more seconds, she stopped the spell and watched as Lance shivered on the ground from the aftershocks on the pain. "How does it feel?"

"I'll come back with you, just please stop." Lance whimpered.

"You don't deserve mercy. Crucio!" Freya pointed at wand at him again and watched as he screamed in pain. As she watched him suffer, she saw images of the people Lance had killed while running the Guardian Program for nearly twenty years. Her eyes darkened further as she thought about Katrina. Katrina was supposed to be the nice one, the pure one. But even she was corrupted by Lance and had betrayed Freya. That betrayal stung deeply and it only served to further darken her thoughts. After a few minutes, Freya stopped the spell, lowering her wand for a moment. "What was the purpose of all this?"

Lance weakly turned his head to look at her. "What?" His body was on fire and everything felt numb. There was a permanent buzzing sound in his ears and it made everything around him distorted. He felt confused for a moment, not understanding where he was or what was happening. But as the pain slowly subsided, things slowly came back and he realised what was happening.

"What was the real reason the Guardian Program was made?" Freya asked again, her patience wearing down very thinly. The only thing that was stopping her from killing Lance right there was because of his ties to the Guardians and their parents. If she killed him, they would all die and she refused to let any more people die because of Lance.

Lance wet his dried lips, "It was to protect the War Heroes children-"

"Liar!" Freya yelled, raising her wand to cast the Cruciatus Curse but she stopped when Lance began to scream.

"I'll tell you, just don't hurt me again!" He yelled out, fear in his eyes.

Satisfied with the response, Freya lowered her wand. "Speak. Now." She hissed, glaring darkly at him.

Swallowing thickly, Lance answered her. "It was revenge," His voice was barely above a whisper and Freya strained her to hear him.

Freya frowned, not fully understanding his reasoning. "Explain,"

"I spent my youth mostly ignored. I was constantly overlooked by everyone around me." Lance began, a dark scowl on his face, "It got worse as time went on. I was constantly pushed to the side as I watched everyone else shine. No one even looked in my direction. There was only ever one person by my side and he was taken away by those Death Eaters. I deserve respect! Me! Not anyone else!" Lance's voice began to get louder the more he spoke until he was shouting.

"That doesn't excuse what you've done!" Freya yelled back, not satisfied with his reasoning.

Lance clenched his jaw, "I built that Department from nothing. It was mine and mine alone! No one could beat me. You were all at my whim! I could do what I wanted and no could question me!"

Freya raised her hand and slapped him across the face, "No! You're a spineless man who abused children and held them captive!" She grabbed him by the front of his suit and brought her face close to his, shouting at him while shaking him. The dark thoughts were coming back, almost begging her to shake harder so she would snap his neck. But she resisted the dark thoughts and pushed them aside because she wasn't done.

"I was a God!" Lance shouted out, a wild gleam in his eyes.

Freya threw him to the ground in disgust. However, her attention was drawn away from Lance when she heard Eva groan. Eva was moving around as she began to rouse from her unconscious state. Turning her head, Freya pointed her wand at Eva, "Stupefy," The spell hit Eva and caused to her fall back unconscious. Freya couldn't have Eva waking up at this point, not before she brought them back to face judgement.

Looking over to Lance, she saw him glaring at her. Freya wanted to slap him again, but instead, she smirked. "You say you're a God. But look at where you are now." To make her point, Freya raised her foot and pressed it against his throat. Lance gasped as his airways were blocked and he couldn't breathe. He attempted to struggle but he found it made it worse.

Freya raised her wand, intending to use the Cruciatus Curse again, but she was stopped when she heard frantic footsteps running down the hallway. It made her tense. It was possible that Lance had sent for reinforcements or maybe some of the Guardian's parents had managed to slip away and follow after her and Lance.

"Freya!"

Freya's head snapped up when she heard James yell her name. She turned her head and saw him running over to her, panic on his face. Not too far behind him was Harry, who wasn't as fast as his son but was able to keep up.

"James, what are you doing here?" Freya asked.

James stopped when he was a few feet away, panting slightly as he caught his breath. "You're okay?" He asked, his eyes scanning Freya to make sure she was okay. When he couldn't see any visible injuries, he relaxed slightly.

Freya was about to answer him when she noticed Lance out the corner of her eye. Lance was glaring at James with hatred in his eyes. In response to this, Freya pressed her foot down harder on his throat, causing Lance to make a gurgling sound.

Seeing this, James frowned, "Freya, stop, please."

"Why?" Freya demanded, "He deserves this," She couldn't help but feel hurt by these words. She couldn't comprehend why he would want her to stop. Freya knew that James hated Lance just as much as she did so his words confused her.

James shook his head, "I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it. But we can't be the ones to decide his fate. It needs to be done properly," James' voice was steady, but there was desperation laced in. He was mentally praying that Freya wouldn't do anything rash that would end up backfiring on her.

Freya fell silent as she considered his words. She looked down to Lance and noticed that his face had taken on a purple shade. Freya knew that if she didn't remove her foot, Lance would die and would take down everyone with the Guardian Mark. However, this thought didn't repulse her anymore and she found herself unwilling to move her foot off his neck.

"Freya, please," James begged, desperation in his eyes as he took a step forward until he was right in front of her.

Seeing this brought Freya back. She could feel the dark thoughts leaving her as she removed her foot off Lance's throat. Once freed, Lance gasped in desperately, trying to regain the air that he had lost. Lance had nearly felt himself go, and he realised how close he had come to his end as the oxygen came back to his brain.

James grabbed Freya by the hand and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on top of her head. "Thank you," He whispered softly. James knew how big this was of Freya. She could have easily ended Lance's life there and then, but she hadn't.

Freya felt herself crumble as the realisation hit her on what she had nearly done. She had nearly ruined everything. For the first time in years, Freya felt guilty and she hated it. Freya clung onto James, her head hidden away and her arms wrapped around his neck. "I'm so sorry," She whispered, repeating this several times with James soothing her by telling her everything was okay.

Harry arrived and stopped to catch his breath. "Is everything okay?" He asked, panting as he tried to get back the air he lost. Harry realised he wasn't as fit as he thought he was, especially compared to his son.

James and Freya looked at one another and smiled, "Yes, everything is fine." Freya said, feeling better.

"Can't keep up, old man?" James smirked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Harry playfully glared at James before standing to his full height. He looked at the scene before him and noticed Lance on the ground, tied up while looking breathless. His eyes then travelled further to where he noticed a woman on the ground unconscious. "What happened?" He asked, looking at Freya confused.

Freya sighed deeply, "That's Eva, Lance's secretary. It would seem as though she had betrayed him because when I found them, she has bound him and had her wand pointed at him, about to use the Killing Curse." She hadn't expected Eva to turn on Lance because she had always been his faithful secretary that would do everything with a smile.

Harry frowned. Freya had told him all about Eva and she was going to be the next person they arrested after Lance was sentenced. This new development in the case confused him and he intended to find out what was going on. Either way, he needed to pass on the message that he had found Lance and Freya. Harry pointed his wand down the hallway, "Expecto Patronum!" A silver stag appeared from his wand as it ran out to inform every one of the situation. "I'll grab Lance and Eva. You two head back to the courtroom." Harry said, looking to James and Freya.

James nodded his head, "Okay, we'll see you there," He said, taking Freya's hand as they began to walk down the hallway, leading back to the courtroom. Freya walked with James, not once looking back to Lance.

Harry watched them go and once he couldn't see them anymore, Harry turned to face Lance. Harry felt a sense of revulsion go through him as he looked at the disgraced Wizard.

Lance looked at Harry, desperation in his icy blue eyes, "Mr Potter, Freya attacked-"

"Silencio!" Harry had his wand pointed at Lance, the spell preventing Lance from saying anything. He didn't want to hear anything from that man's mouth. Harry suspected that Freya may have done something to Lance, but he didn't want to hear it. The less he knew of what happened, the better.

Lance tried to speak, but he found that there was no sound. Lance's eyes widened when he realised he couldn't hear his own voice. Lance struggled more but to no avail.

Harry kneeled down beside him, "Listen well, Lance Johnson," Harry said, his voice steady and low, catching Lance's attention, "I do not care what Freya did to you. What she may have done to you is nothing compared to what you have done to her over the years. If you say anything against Freya, I will fight you on every claim,"

Lance stared at Harry, in fright and anguish. Harry was the one person Lance admired more than anyone else in the world. Lance had done everything in his power to ensure that Harry and his family were protected. Harry was the hero that saved everyone in the Wizarding War and Lance admired him for what he had done. He had defeated Voldemort and hunted down the Death Eaters – the same group that had killed Lance's father. He had done this for Harry. But, Harry had turned against him. He didn't care what Lance had done for him and it broke him inside to know that all the effort he had made weren't appreciated.

Standing up, Harry ignored Lance and went to check on Eva.