A.N.- Alright, first of all, I'd like to apologize to everyone for the amount of time it took me to get this chapter out. I could give you all kinds of excuses and everything, but I'm just not going to. It won't change anything. But thank you to everyone who stuck with me anyway!

Thanks to my reviewers: Rowenna, Miseryslilwench (I love you name! *grins*), Chocolat Elf, Dark Peppermint, KawaiiKowaiKoneko (Hey, has The book of Dreaming been update lately? *hint, hint*), chickamoomoo, litine, & Ms. Padfoot.

Special note to Frizzy: I wish I could give you answers to all the issues you raised. Really, I do. Unfortunately, the story hasn't revealed those to me as yet, so my hands are kinds tied there. Of course, now that you're questioning all that, I'm sure it'll all be addressed somewhere sometime. Because, believe it or not, I don't know anymore about this story than you as a reader do. It's not nice to me like that. *pouts at story*

And, finally, as always, big thanks to Andrea for always boosting my confidence even when I think you're delusional. *laughs* You rock, hun!

Chapter 8

Harry was not understanding this. Well, if he were to be completely honest, there were a lot of things he didn't understand. But this was the one standing out right now. Things were moving so fast, and he just wanted to cease existing. Not forever, of course; just long enough to get a break. "So they really found him, right?"
"Well, if you count someone of the dead variety dumped on your front steps as 'found', then yeah." Harry snorted at Tori's reply but otherwise stayed quiet. "They're being fairly cautious about it as they can't be sure it's not some kind of trick or set-up, but Sirius is adamant that it's the real thing."
He thought for a few seconds; whether it was about this or something else, Tori couldn't be sure. "But why? I just don't get it. I understand why someone would want to kill him, but why leave him for us to find? Why not just bury him in the backyard or something?"
Tori grabbed Harry to still his pacing and sat both of them under the tree. "Truthfully, I think Tristina and Rylan had something to do with that. I'm not exactly sure what, but it was something." She ran her hands through his hair as his head lay in her lap. "You know what this means, right?"
Harry shook his head, at least as well as he was able. "I've given up thinking. Too much work for too many questions with not enough answers. So I know nothing."
Tori huffed her exasperation and gently tugged at his hair. "That's not the greatest solution, Sweets. You know that. But I won't waste my breath trying to convince you as you'll admit that to yourself eventually. You do know what this means, also, whether you admit that or not."
This was Harry's turn to sigh. "Yes, of course, Tori. I know exactly what it means. Sirius will probably be free soon, just in time for me to go back to school so I won't have time to see him anyway. Then there'll be graduation, and I'll be off trying to build a life solely for myself for once. I do love Sirius, but this won't have as much impact as it might have last year or the year before."
She couldn't answer that. What he said had a ring of truth to it, and nothing she said could change that. Harry was at the point in his life where he no longer needed a provided home; he'd have his own soon. And yet, Tori wasn't the type to stay quiet. "He'll really be able to be there for you now."
A soft smile, contented and happy. But he didn't respond, didn't feel the need to. Everything was working out nicely for the first time. Except Draco. Harry buried his face his face in Tori's leg and groaned. "What am I going to do about this, Tori?" He didn't specify, but she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"What do you want to do, Sweets? Would you like a relationship with Draco? He really loves you, y'know. And, don't tell him I told you this, he has for a long time." She began stroking his hair again, hardly aware that she'd stopped at all. "Of all people, you two deserve this. I want you to be happy."
Harry silently agreed but, instead of answering, reveled in the gentle attentions. The two teens sat in silence, simply enjoying the peace and illusion that everything was right in the world. It was a well-deserved self-deception for both of them.

Rylan dropped to the floor, effectively dodging the curse. "I don't know what you're so upset about. You said to get rid of the body, and we did!" Tristina was laughing in the corner, furthering the image that they were completely ignorant of any wrong-doing on their part. Rylan glared at her in a dare to help.
Lucius dropped his wand to his side as Tristina helped Ryan off the floor. "The steps of Hogwarts of all places! Do you two really not realize what you've done?" Synchronized blinks unveiled blank stares. Sighing his frustration, Lucius tucked his wand away. The two were innocently naïve, almost as if they were children still trying to figure out the ways of the world. Lying seemed beyond them.
Voldemort entered the room then, carefully studying the twins. They stared back and waited for a judgment. Finally, hours condensed into minutes later, Voldemort nodded as he turned his gaze to Lucius. "Find them something to do that they can't screw up, no matter how unknowingly." He swept out of the room, secure in the knowledge his orders would be carried out efficiently.
Lucius once again turned to them. "Rumors abound that you two have a connection to the Slytherin mud blood my son has become friends with. As Potter is staying there as well, now is the ideal opportunity. I want all three of the brats here by the end of the week." He exited much the same way Voldemort had.
"This is a great position we're in, isn't it?" Rylan simply nodded as both continued to stare at the closed door.

Despite the talking going on around him, the silence pressed down around Draco. The five of them were discussing Tristina and Rylan's newest mission, but Harry wouldn't speak directly to him nor hardly even look at him. The quiet was suffocating, sheer agony.
Harry brushed a hand absent-mindedly over his scar, not knowing that single gesture spoke a million different messages. It wasn't burning or hurting, not really; it was more tingling, pins and needles like a foot that has fallen asleep. It was simply uncomfortably annoying versus painful.
"Well, we can't expose your positions. You two are there for a reason, and it's too early to give that up. So, we just have to think of a way for this mission to fail without pinning too much of the blame on you. And maybe, hopefully, dragging someone else down." Every aspect of Tori's reasoning was absolutely true, and, yet, a solid plan had not been formed.
Draco sighed. "This is all well and good, but how exactly do we accomplish this? There has to be some kind of idea that is glaringly obvious we're all managing to miss." Tori, Tristina, and Rylan conceded this point, while Harry hardly acknowledged he'd even spoke. It wasn't out of spite; rather, it looked like he was far away and lost in thought.
No one was expecting it when he actually voiced what he'd been thinking. "I don't have any real details, so don't get too excited about this, but I do have some kind of vague idea. Is there any way to make it look completely like someone else messed it up? Like, enlist the help of one of the other Death Eaters then make it seem like that person is the one who warned us or whatever."
The idea had merit. No one was denying that. Draco added on his thoughts. "It would have to be one of the lower Death Eaters, one known for not exactly being intelligent. The elder Crabbe or Goyle would probably be the best bet. Maybe both, as they only have half a brain between them on a good day anyway."
"But those two are at least known for being loyal, if not the sharpest knives in the drawer. It would have to look like they'd just screwed up somehow. Maybe set up some traps under the real wards. Then they can watch while you two disassemble the wards. Send them ahead first, and they'll set off the trap. We can make it something like a Muggle alarm system, with a trip-light and lots of noise. It'll give us plenty of time to 'escape' while freeing you of any blame."
The other four contemplated this in a sort of shocked silence. Draco shamefully admitted to himself that everyone had vastly under-estimated Harry his entire life. He'd always been seen as a simple tool, good for doing what he was told, but there was also a sharp cunning in him, something most people either missed or denied.
Finally, Tori broke the silence. "Right then, sounds like a great plan to me. Any objections?" Of course, no one had any. "We'll have to inform Dumbledore, probably tomorrow as it's awfully late tonight, and warn him of what we're going to do. Maybe he can send a couple reinforcements just in case something goes wrong."
Tristina and Rylan looked almost ready to protest, but Tori continued. "I know we don't really want to jeopardize your position, but I think everyone will understand in this case. And that's only a precaution. I don't think we'll really need it." She looked at everyone, noting common agreement among all of them. "Alright, then on that note, everyone to bed!"