A/N: Well, folks, we're in for some changes I'm afraid.

First off, my mother will being going into surgery October 22 for a hip replacement, so you can bet poor PAR is going to be a little distracted in the weeks to come. Prayers are greatly welcome. Nagging is not.

Next, I will TRY to get you guys some extra chapters out, as that I suspect to be very busy nights helping take care of my mother in her recovery. Be patient.

In order to help with my getting these chapters out, I would ask that you hold off on reviews until mid-November. I likely will not be answering anything between then and now. Just posting.

Reviews are, of course, NEVER wholly discouraged. Just understand I will not be answering any until mid-November.

That's about it, folks.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Even though I worked my tail off on this story, I am forced with little protest to acknowledge that anything related to the Harry Potter series is the sole and expressed property of JK 'You honestly expect anyone to survive this thing?' Rowlings and her 'Thank heavens the public is so gullible and still hoping for a happy ending' publishers.

Chapter Twenty-One: What You Make Of It

Charly stopped by his partner's office to an all too familiar sight. Orion was once again sitting at his desk, staring vacantly at the space before him. But over the past few weeks Charly noted there was a happy, almost downright blissful look on his partner's face. A look that started waving warning flags the minute he had first seen it.

"So," Charly asked as he stepped into the office, shutting the door behind him, "to what do we owe the honor of that look?"

Orion slowly turned to his partner, the smile on his face not diminishing in the least. "To being happy, Charly. You should try it."

Charly studied his partner for a moment in a less than serious way. "You're back drinking in the morning, aren't you?" He finally asked.

Orion pulled up in his chair with a sour look. "No! For your information." But the smile reappeared quickly enough. "Charly, I have a little secret to let you in on."

"You've dumped Griss? Great! Let's celebrate."

Orion frowned again, but the smile reappeared far too quickly for Charly's liking. Especially with the mischievous touch added to it this time.

"Actually," Orion replied, his grin growing ever wider and more mischievous by the second, "that relationship couldn't be going better. Especially now."

"Now?" Charly questioned with a touch of nervousness in his voice. "What 'now'?"

Orion's smile spread across his whole face as he stared up at his partner. "Well, as my partner, you have the honor of being the first one to be told."

"Told what?" Charly nearly stammered.

"Katlin....is pregnant." Orion replied, pausing briefly for effect.

Charly felt himself go instantly numb. As hard as he might have tried, there was no masking his feelings on the matter.

"Pregnant!?" He exclaimed, happy he had shut the door to the office. "Have you absolutely lost your mind!?"

Orion's frown quickly returned. "I would hope not. I'm about to become a father." The smile reappeared at the thought. "Think of that. Me. A father."

A finger suddenly appeared before his face. "What about your family history, Orion!? What about all the things you told me!? That little 'family curse' of yours? What your father tried to stop!? The thing you're suppose to be putting an end to!? Have you completely, utterly, and thoroughly lost! Your! Mind!?"

"We'll deal with it, Charly." Orion was quick to defend. "It's not a death sentence. This thing has been a part of my family for years. It's never harmed me. I won't let it harm my child."

"I'm sure your father felt exactly the same way, Orion. Talon even devised a plan to make sure that thing never past on to his children. And did he stop it? Did he manage to put an end to it like he planned? No. In the end, 'the power' won. It passed on to you. Just like it will to your child."

Orion fixed a firm stare on his partner. "My father hated the 'Power'. He watched it destroy someone he loved and he blamed it for that happening. But my grandfather destroyed himself. I came to understand that where my father never could and never will. The 'Power' likes me, Charly. We get along just fine. It came to me, not Sirius. It lives with me, it'll die with me."

"I'm sure your father told himself all the same lies."

"Katlin and I will deal with it when the time comes."

"Does she even know? I mean, does she have any idea what's in store for her child? What it means to be a 'Black'?"

Orion stared up at Charly for a few moments. "I'll tell her, Charly. When the time is right"

"You'll tell her!?" Charly nearly jumped on the man before him.

"She has a right to know, Charly." Orion stated, facing down his partner. "You think I'm going to keep something like this from her? She is going to have my child. Something I am half responsible for. I'm not going to lie to her about the situation."

"And after that you think she's still going to have it?"

Orion looked stunned. "Still have it? What in magic's name does that mean? Of course she's still going to have it. We're both very excited about it."

"Of course she will." Charly amended quickly, a searching look coming over his expression. "Why wouldn't she?"

"What are you talking about?"

Charly stood for a few minutes staring off into space in a absent sort of way. "She's getting exactly what she wanted, Orion." Charly finally said, staring down at his partner. "She's going to have your child. A baby with the potential for more power than any wizard ever born. All....under Voldemort's control." Charly shook his head as he ran his finger through his hair. "Why didn't I see this before. This is probably what she's had planned from the start."

"What are you going on about, Charly?"

Charly turned back to his partner. "She's probably known all along, Orion. Voldemort probably set this whole thing up. Get Griss to cuddle up to you, get pregnant with your child, and then skip out. She couldn't hand him a better gift then that."

Charly watched his partner's face as the idea past across it. To his amazement, he would have sworn the idea he just presented was one that Orion had honestly not thought of. That Griss would take the child to Voldemort to be used as a weapon in his ongoing war.

"Katlin wouldn't do that." Orion replied, though even to Charly he didn't sound completely sure of his own words.

"Really? The man who raised her. Taught her to be everything she is. Molded her mind? She wouldn't see this child as the perfect gift to present to him for all he's done for her?"

"Katlin loves me. And she loves this child. She wouldn't turn it over to Voldemort to be used as any 'weapon'."

"She loves you. She loves her child. She loves Voldemort." Charly said flatly. "I wonder who's going to win that tug-of-war when she has to make a decision?"

"She never will."

"Really?"

"Because I won't allow it to happen."

"How do you plan to stop it?"

"I won't have to. Katlin's first loyalty is to her family."

"The Deatheaters are her 'family', Orion."

"And she's going to have a new one very soon."

Charly stood for a few moments staring at his friend. All the while he had been talking, his mind had been working to form a plan. Something to end this nightmare once and for all. A small smile suddenly crept to his lips.

"Then I suggest you start tipping the scales in favor of this new 'family', Orion."

"Tipping the scales?"

"What do you know about Katlin and Voldemort's relationship?"

"Quite a bit."

"What's she's told you?"

"Yes."

"What about the parts she's left out?"

"Left out?"

"People always leave something out of a story, Orion. You know that. Either willingly or subconsciously. Maybe Griss left something out that might help tip those scales a little."

"Like what?"

"That's something you need to be asking her, Mate."

Orion watched Charly walk out of his office.

Katlin would never take the child to Voldemort. She loved her child. She loved him.

She loved Voldemort.

As hard as he tried, Orion couldn't get Charly's words out of his mind. Eventually Katlin would be faced with the very decision Charly laid out.

And he wasn't entirely sure who would win.

Q&A

Werepup: So sorry about the lemons, Dear. But glad you liked the chapter anyway.

Sailor Sol: Again, this chapter was more for fun than anything else. I guess there were so many of them together because there are going to be so few from here on out.

I suppose I would have to go along with you there. Harry is more likely to end up as the DADA teacher than the headmaster. But if he ends up in that position, where is poor Lupin?

Yes, I can accept the whole 'this is a more realistic look at things' explanation of the Book V, but my argument stems from 'These started out as children's books, where, yes, the hero is suppose to win and everyone we love is suppose to be O.K. in the end'. I guess having that opinion since I started these books, I feel Rowling more or less betrayed us with BookV, and am none to happy about it. (Can't ya' tell?)

whitemudfounder: Well, go ahead and get out your book of matches. There is very little fluff from here on out.

I am glad you like Bo. But stay tuned on that one. Bo isn't nearly everything he seems. There's still a great deal you don't know about Orion's enigmatic boggart.

Never took AP anything that I remember. Just sort of muddled through high school having a good time. *Sigh* The good old days!

skahducky: Actually, Katlin's story isn't quite done yet. There's still a piece she's leaving out.

I have no preference on the baby. Probably because I know where this all is headed.

FairyTale: How very odd you should mention that, Dear. Just the other day I was going back and re-reading some of my review and came across one I wrote to you where I promised to review your story. And I thought, 'Oh Man! I haven't done that yet!' However, you did just the right thing just in case PAR hadn't caught herself. You nudged my poor memory. If you check your reviews I think you will find it is there now.

Anyway, I was sort of wondering where you had gone off to. Nice to have you back.

Orion and Katlin, being two fairly intelligent people, feel that they have pretty much all their bases covered in this relationship. But love is a funny thing. And the last thing it is is predictable.

As to the 'pregnancy prevention in the wizarding world', I leave that to the next chapter to explain.

Smashed your theory? Ummmmmmmmm........, no comment.

I kind of liked the idea of Voldemort as a grandfather. Kind of tames him down a little bit.

Charly is making quite a come back in the next few chapters. As well as is he starting to come out a bit more as a character in his own right. Indeed he had no right preaching so highly to Orion about honesty when he's hardly being honest himself. It's very unlikely Orion would be quite so anguished over lying to his partner is he knew just how much Charly is keeping from him. And believe me, it won't be pretty when Orion finds out.

I have no argument with you. Indeed, it's time to get the plot moving again. But I did mention early on I am no romance writer. Mostly because I separate the two faction in my story so directly. The story either involves romance, or action, but rarely are the two intertwined. Which is the mark of a good romance story. *Sigh* Oh well. I did warn you.

nessie: Par is never one to accuse anyone of a 'lurking habit', Dear. Especially since 'Procrastination' is my middle name. (I know it doesn't quite work with the initials.)

Of course the Black men are scoundrels. That's what makes them so much fun to write about.

Actually, Sailor Sol got me thinking about Lupin's fate again with her belief Harry will be the DADA teacher in the end. Where does that leave poor Lupin? Think about it. And I still hold fast to my theory that Pettigrew's hand isn't silver by chance.

I don't think Snape will die in the end. Mostly because it will irritate him to no end if Harry gets the DADA position.

No, no, Dear. It's not 'Percy might die', I believe it's 'Percy must die' is the cry I hear by the general reading populace.

I do believe before the end a Weasley will indeed die. And I have no doubt Voldemort will die in the end. Having trouble getting bets against that one, actually.

Lucius will likely die.

Hagrid probably will not.

Dumbledore just has a bulls-eye on him. Although I'm not sure he won't dodge that one. I can just see Dumbledore in the end of the series standing before the student body telling them how valiantly Harry died saving their worthless butts.

McGonagall....probably not.

Ron or Hermione.....probably not.

Sirius.......that's pretty much a done deal, folks. Sorry. As much as I would like to see the character again, I just don't see Rowling bringing him back.

Draco....survives.

Neville.....survives.

The twins....survive.

Harry....jury's still out on that one really. Pressed to the wall, even though I feel he has potential as the DADA in the end, I still have a nagging little voice in the back of my head saying he ain't gonna make it out of the series alive. In the end I think he will die killing Voldemort.

Reviews are as of 10172003.

And remember;

I've tried childproofing my house, but they still get in.