A/N: WOMAN!!!!!! What were you thinking!?!!!!!!

People, that's pretty much all I have to say on the book. Why? Because I'm not a spoiler. I know most of you have likely read it by now. It has, after all, been out for more than 24 hours. And to those of you who have read it, you know what I'm talking about. The rest of you....you'll find out. But I would ask, that should you feel the necessity to respond or vent, please do so vaguely. Don't spoil what we all waited three long years for.

Oh, and I just realized I have been doing this without a disclaimer.

Don't miss the disclaimers, folks. I'm venting.

So:

Disclaimer: Although Enemies is in and of itself an original story, all references to anything connected to the Harry Potter series is the explicit property of J.K. 'I'll kill off whoever I please, not caring who it upsets or how they may feel about it personally because they are my characters after all' Rowling and her publishers.

And as always, if you've already read the book and still feel that you can ever do so again...,

Enjoy.

Chapter Nine: Little White Lies

Several days later Orion sat at his desk staring absently at the hutch of his desk before him, a look of deep concentration on his face. While Katlin had proved to be her wonderfully distracting self the night before, managing with little effort to make him forget most of his troubles, the same one returned that morning after she left. The murder of his informant in Austria.

From the other side of the room, Orion's partner, Charly Misser, had been watching him throughout the morning.

He had seen his friend and partner's preoccupation growing steady as the days progressed, and knowing Orion Black likely better than anyone else could, Charly knew all too well when the man had something on his mind that he couldn't let go of. Though few others would likely have looked twice at Orion's behavior, his body language was speaking volumes to Charly. And after days of repeated questions and proddings back to the 'real world', Charly decided it was time to step in.

Orion snapped back to full awareness to the feeling of something striking him on the back of his head.

Turning around, he glanced at the floor to find a wadded up piece of parchment laying there. Following the most likely path of trajectory, Orion wound up at the grinning face of his partner.

"Care to talk about it?" Charly ask.

"About what?"

"Whatever's got you nearly walking into walls this week."

Orion shook his head and turned back to his desk, saying nothing.

But Charly wasn't so easily put off. Getting up he walked over to Orion's desk, leaning against the side of the hutch as he stared down at his partner.

"Look, mate," Charly said, "no offence, but the Idiot Bale has us up for an assignment this weekend, and I, for one, do not care to turn around at some point during it to find some Deatheater about to hex you into next week while you've got your distracted little head up in the clouds somewhere. So out with it. What's up?"

Orion sighed as he shifted his gaze from Charly back to the hutch of his desk. "Do you remember that mission Bale sent me on to Austria?"

"Where the informant was killed? What of it?"

Orion sat silently in his chair for some time before going on. "What I told Bale wasn't the whole story, Charly."

Charly paused for a moment. He knew it wasn't that Orion was telling him he had lied to the Department heads who had questioned him for hours about the incident. It was that Orion had told Charly much the same story he had told the others.

He hadn't just lied to Bale, he had lied to him.

To his partner.

Charly fixed an expressionless gaze on the man seated before him. "So what was the whole story?" He ask in a tone that matched his expression.

Orion again fell silent for several moments before answering him. "The night the informant was killed, I wasn't alone."

The smallest flicker of annoyance passed over Charly's features. "You had someone out in the woods with you? On a mission?" He ask.

Orion turned his gaze slowly to his partner. "A woman."

Charly's expression shifted quickly to one of disbelief. "You took some bird with you out on a mission! Merlin's Beard, Orion! What were you thinking!?" Charly raked his hands through his hair. "Stars above! Bale finds out about this, mate....., it'll be the nicest thing that's ever happened to him. Not only did you compromise your mission, then fail to complete it, but you lied to Bale about what happened!?"

"I didn't lie about it, Charly!" Orion defended himself. "I just left a small part out that wasn't any of Bale's business."

"And I'm sure he'd see it that way."

"She didn't have anything to do with it, Charly."

"You're that sure?"

"Pretty much."

"So who was she?"

Orion fell silent again. But this time he didn't answer the question at all.

Charly's expression changed to one of outright annoyance. It wasn't like his long time friend to simply clam up about something. No matter how personal it might have been, he was always the one person Orion told everything to. But now he sat before him, clearly shutting him out.

"Well?" Charly ask pointedly.

"I don't want her brought into this, Charly." Orion replied quietly. "She had nothing to do with it."

Charly studied the man before him. "Was she still with you when the informant was killed?"

Orion sat for a moment in his stoic silence, then slowly nodded.

"Does she know what happened?"

Orion paused briefly again, then nodded.

"She saw the informant?" Charly ask, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Orion simply nodded again.

Charly stood for several seconds staring down at Orion. "Did you ask her about it?" He questioned finally.

"Not in depth." Orion answered. "Charly, she was as stunned as I was. She didn't know anything."

"And knowing what you can be like in the presence of a bird, mate," Charly replied, "I'm surprised you had the presence of mind to notice. And if you don't mind my commenting....."

"Which I usually do." Orion put in quickly.

"I would say based on your actions the past few days, you still have some questions about things yourself."

Orion said nothing. But his expression clearly told Charly he had hit a nerve.

"Look, Orion," Charly added, "whatever you and this bird were doing, that's your business, true enough. You did something stupid. I'm not going to lecture you about it. And as far as I'm concerned, it's between us. But the fact of the matter is, you still have some unanswered questions of your own as to what happened in Austria that night. And I think the majority of them center around this woman."

Orion continued to stare up at his partner, saying nothing one way or the other. Although it wasn't necessary, he appreciated Charly saying he would keep what Orion had told him between them only. And for the rest of it, well, maybe Charly was right. Maybe Orion still wondered about just how much Katlin wasn't telling him. She had told him her version of things, and it had all sounded right then. But the more he had dwelled on it, the more things weren't fitting together so conveniently.

"All I'm saying," Charly broke into his thoughts, "Is that maybe you need to get a little more clarification from this woman. Because you are most definitely acting like a man who still has a lot of unanswered questions going around in his head."

Orion stared up at him.

"Look, have you tried feeling her out on it yet?"

Orion started to answer, but quickly stopped himself. If he tried sensing if Katlin was telling him the truth or not, she would know. And if he told Charly that, he would know that the woman was a witch, and was either and Auror or a Deatheater. All of which was just more information than he wanted his partner to have right now. So instead he simply shook his head.

Charly noticed the hesitation, but let it go. Every little extra bit of information Orion was feeding him, subconsciously or consciously, he was carefully filing away to look at later. "Why not?" Charly asked. "I mean, mate, that's the easiest way to go."

"She said she didn't know anything, Charly." Orion replied. "And I believe her."

"Right. That's why you're sitting here having a staring contest with your desk."

Orion fell silent again.

"Just give it some thought, Orion." Charly said, heading out of the room. "Like I said, you need to get your head out of the clouds, mate. For your sake...and maybe mine."

Orion watched his partner walk off. He had outright lied to him. Something he had never done to Charly in all their years. And there he had sat, lying to him as easily as he might have lied to a stranger. And about what? Some woman he was sleeping with? So he was sleeping with a Deatheater. Charly would have understood his reasons. She was absolutely fabulous in bed. And he wasn't trading secrets with her. She learned nothing about any operations from him. It was all harmless fun.

Charly would have understood.

And he had sat there and lied to him about her.

That Charly would not have understood.

Orion dismally went back to staring at his hutch.

Q&A

I'm going to start this with an apology. Guys, understand, I'm just bummed out. OOtP was a disappointment for me. I expected our usual, happy little romp through Rowling's world, and what did I get? The e-class ticket to ride greased rails right into a blue funk. To me the book was very depressing. I still show a lot less emotion in this kid than I thought was warranted, When he was first reunited with Sirius he once again acted as though the man had been living under his bed all summer and he talked to him every single day, and finally, HOW COULD SHE DO THAT!!!!!!!? (Those of you who have read understand.).

So understand, I'm bummed out.

On with the reviews.

Werepup: I'm willing to bet you're not nearly as thrilled with the fact that OOtP came out now as you were blissfully anticipating it on Saturday, now are you?

Well, I'm glad I'm somebody's hero. That's a nicer feeling than the one I have currently been harboring.

Well, multiple chapter submissions again. Hope you enjoy them.

Fantome: The whole issue between these two is 'trust'. And Orion's gesture is well off the scale of anything Katlin might have expected. As she said, she could easily give that pendent to someone else, or a whole lot of someone elses, and given them clear access to Orion's house. The whole point is that he trusts her that she won't. The ball, as they say, is now in her court.

A lot of people commented on the dragon. And trust me, the dragon is not all that you think. I'll bet large sums of money on that. And keep a watch on him. He figures VERY prominently in the story.

Orion's whole life is being sneaky. And he's very good at it.

Katlin's location isn't so much a matter of planning as necessity. She simply can't afford anything more upscale. And she refuses to be beholding to anyone in her life. Even Voldemort.

Katlin must really like Orion? That remains to be seen. Right now they are just playing the physical aspect.

Orion has a very good reason for drinking. And its not just to get drunk. It's almost medicinal for him. But that will come up later in the story. And the reason he drinks is the reason he doesn't get enough sleep most nights.

'Half your department are my best friends' was a line delivered with a great deal of sarcasm.

True, it may seem that Katlin is more involved in the 'relationship' than Orion is right now. But that's because Orion is extremely preoccupied.

Silverfox: Actually, where the dragon is concerned, there's more there than meets the eye. I had actually considered re-writing that little bit at the end but finally left it as it was. But the dragon will be making a LOT of return appearances. For more than that on him, read werepup's answer.

I don't know that Orion 'let' himself get caught. But you can chalk it up to lack of sleep that he was.

I LOST REVIEWS!? What AM I paying these people for!?

As to the progress of the 'relationship', Orion is just a bit single minded right now, which I think showed up even more in these chapters than anywhere else so far. And the trouble it gets him into.

Sailor Sol: The things you will come up with in your stories when you work in computers all day.

I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thanks for the review.

FairyTale: Again with the lost reviews! What is Fanfiction doing? Silverfox mentioned this as well.

Actually, Dear, I tend to look at your 'trouble causing' as a bit of a blessing. It's reviewers like you who keep old PAR on her toes and force me to take a closer look at my stories. I appreciate the help.

As for the 'children' part, Dear, you think too much for old PAR. You're the type who I throw a stick out to and you bring me back a log cabin, complete with appliances. Having said that, I'm saying very little else. If I did I could just chunk that story out the window. However, being the thinker you are, I would like to hear your opinion on the 'tragic incident' in Book V. I read some of the reviews (or where they threats?) at some websites about that, and a lot seem to feel old Luna knows more than she's telling about what really happened there. But the thing that keeps plaguing me is that JK said in an interview (albeit before she wrote this book) that once you're gone, you're gone. Opinions?

'Generous and warm-hearted man that he is'? Where DID that come from, FairyTale? More like, everything but.

Actually, there's a lot fishy about Orion's kids. But again, if I spell it all out here, why bother with the story?

Why am I getting confused about when Orion and Katlin do and don't have their kids? It comes from writing five stories at once which all take place at different times but are interwoven, Dear. Nothing mysterious there.

I think to start the eldest was thirteen. He is actually fifteen. He would be the 'cousin' that is Harry's age.

The mistake is there, Dear. It come from PAR not knowing French and substituting something until she can find the words she's looking for.

Currently, it is fun and games. And oddly enough, my readership seems to feel that Katlin is the one making more of an investment in the 'relationship' than Orion right now. But emotionally, yes, Orion is in much deeper than Katlin right now. When the boy falls, he falls hard.

Well, about how easily Katlin turns the Deatheater thing on and off, that is, in a sense, part of what makes her such a good one when you think about it. She often is the one mixing with muggles for Voldemort, and she definitely isn't walking into a corporate CEO's office as a Deatheater. That wouldn't get her very far. But as a very attractive, naive, available woman, she gets much further.

As for Orion letting go of his work, lets cut him some slack here. He has a dead informant on what should have been a very routine mission and the only variable he didn't have control over he is currently shagging.

As to the 'Charly' question, I hope you got your fix for having him in the story again. But as to the lying issue, yes, not telling him about Katlin Charly would see as lying. But not that Orion doesn't have the right to a private life. There's something else at play here and it comes up a little bit in these chapters and full out in the next few postings.

I am trying to post at least once a week. But things are getting a bit tight for me time-wise.

Looking forward to your comments about the 'incident'.

UnrepentantReader: Crazy what some people will do just because it suits them, huh? And in all truth, her e-mail address was all he was looking for and was all he took. And Orion is trying desperately to keep an even keel on the trust issue. So letting her into the house he felt was a good trade off for proving he didn't mean any harm with the computer thing.

As for the dragon, he will be making a LOT of appearances. He is, in fact, quite vital to the story, just not in the form you might think.

The 'relationship' is definitely getting out of their control. And in these chapters, Katlin is the first one to start realizing some of the ramifications they are heading for. But let's face it, this 'relationship' has more problems then Enron.

As for their trying to hold onto something, think of it more as trying to build on something. And you could have two more inept people trying to do so. You have Katlin, who is currently going against everything she was ever taught simply because of this tiny little voice deep inside that tells her she should, and Orion, who is likely the most socially inept person you will ever meet. He is basically a loner and always was. He had exactly one close friend all his life (well, one other, but we haven't gotten to that yet), and his longest relationship with a woman likely lasted a week. Wherever they're going, getting there will not be easy.

Orion's insomnia should be foreboding. It has a lot to do with why he is the way he is.

They are both very haunted people for very different reasons. But each equally justifiable.

sweets: The bit about why Katlin had e-mail was in the story, Dear. She is Voldemort's liaison between the muggle and wizarding worlds. So she would have to have some adeptness at a computer and most definitely have to be associated with e-mails in that she keeps in contact with several people running large businesses, who live their live on e-mails.

The fact that I bought technology into the story was based on the fact that I was dealing with two people, each associated with opposing forces that constantly spy on each other. In order to communicate and be sure it was absolutely secure, I had to take them outside their element, as it were. Give them a form of communication that would be difficult to trace to begin with and be utterly alien to their own kind. Hence, a computer.

FEVER

Pyro: Aren't they just! I just can't seem to stay away from happy endings with my Baby Harry stories.

As for Snape and Lupin being cordial to each other, I have very solid views on that. And I feel these two have an excellent bases for a friendship. But Snape being Snape, he would likely never admit to it. But in the Potter universe according to PAR, with no offence meant to Mrs. Rowling, Snape and Lupin are indeed friends. Tentative, but friends.

I love writing scenes with Harry and his godfather spending a little quality time together, especially since *cough,cough* Mrs. Rowling doesn't seem to *cough,cough*.

Ummmmmm......, you are aware that Family Life was continued for 48 more chapters, right, Dear? And yes, it is positively chunked full of non-slashy Remus\Sirius.

As to Siriusly Bored, Dear, Remus can not be around humans when he is a 'werewolf'. In this story he is in his animagus form, which is a common wolf. Go check out A Dog's Day. I think the disclaimer on this is in the author's notes.

TRIED AND CONVICTED

Starlette: Well, Dear, I'm glad to see you came back. And for the sequel at that. And PAR is well known for her happy endings in Baby Harry stories. They're just so cute, how could I do otherwise?

Reading another story? Boy, I would love to make suggestions. Of course, my favorite is always the one I am currently working on, which at this point is Enemies. And, of course, I can't help but plug my up-coming sequel to Family Life, Family Relations.

I won't say anything about the book. Having gone through it, I don't want to spoil your enjoyment of it. However, I expect quite a few comments in my reviews next time. The book had a lot to talk about. And that's where I'll stop.

Reviews are as of 06222003. If I missed you, please let me know.