A/N: You know that little voice in the back of your head that tells you to do things? The one we all have? And the suggestions it makes are usually pretty good ones? Yes, yes, the one we all never listen to.
Well, I've come to the conclusion the world would be a better place if we would all listen to that little voice a bit more often. And I'll tell you why.
That little voice suggested to me, practically screamed, in fact, not to post that last chapter until Wednesday because I was missing some things. But I wanted to post it Sunday, and I rushed it through production.
So, what did I get for my effort? A re-write.
Folks, I missed some BIG stuff. Left it right out of that chapter.
So, a word of advice. Please, for yourselves, go back and re-read chapter 43. I'm telling you, you missed some important stuff.
But should you care not too, and to show I'm a decent sort, especially since the error was mine. I'll tell you what you missed.
First, about a thousand words added to that chapter.
Next, Treaks suggested to Charly that he would take care of the problem of Katlin by getting her married. But as that that was still eight days away, Charly had to find something for Orion to do to keep him occupied for those eight days.
Next, Charly, believing he had the perfect solution, went to Dumbledore and convinced him to allow Orion to come to the castle and work on redoing a few of the wards protecting the castle. This would take about.........ohhhhh.....eight days.
Next, Charly told Treaks what his plan was to keep Orion occupied for eight days.
And lastly, Voldemort never agreed to Treaks' plan to send Katlin on a mission. He only said he would 'consider it'.
Confused? I'm forming a club.
And if you're not yet, wait until you get to the end of this chapter.
One other thing connected to story errors. Might as well get them all out of the way now. Silverfox ask a question, (Gold star to you, Dear.)() about the secret between Voldemort and Katlin. She's working really hard on this one, but I neglected to give a piece of information as far as I can tell, looking back over the story. When Katlin first went into the cellar (everybody remember that?), Orion sent her back upstairs and he had a little talk with Bo about how to treat guests. Well, in that conversation, Bo pointed out to Orion that he sensed a 'foreign magic' about Katlin. What does that mean? Go read Silverfox's answer. I'm not retyping all that. Phffffft!
Also, over the next two weeks my parents have family coming to visit, and I have to help with dinners and such. So don't be surprised if I am late. After all, this was.
But still, as always,
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I swear, not me. This person keeps coming in my house and using my computer. I have no idea what for.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: DREAMS
Treaks all but ran down the corridor towards Katlin's rooms. He wasn't sure why Voldemort wanted to see his head Elite. Perhaps to discuss the possibility of the mission with her. To see if he felt she was up to it.
Or perhaps he was planning an early evening cup of tea with her.
Treaks was never really sure what Voldemort and Katlin did when they were alone together. Although he had several ideas. A few of which were not mentionable in polite company.
But tonight he hoped he had steered Voldemort's thoughts in the right direction. A mission for his top Elite. And if that was what the dark lord wanted to see her about, then the faster he got her to Voldemort, the faster he would have her off on her mission.
And the faster his problems would be solved.
Treaks all but giggled with glee at the idea.
Send her on a mission. That was the answer to all his problems. Those with his loving fiancee and her dark lord.
Treaks had no doubt Katlin would never survive the mission. At the very least she would be captured. Black was no fool. And Katlin was no match against him in her present state. Even before the second Memory Charm Treaks had begun to notice that Katlin was getting badly distracted. He would find her in her rooms at the lair simply sitting and staring at the wall. He would practically have to stand next to her and yell to get her attention. And in battles she had steadily deteriorating in her skills. She had even been captured once, he had been told. The story of how she escaped varied, but she had managed it.
After that she seemed to be shadowed by luck. In battles the Aurors all but ignored her. She had been stunned in one battle, but nothing worse. Aurors never stunned. Not unless they planned to take a captive. But she had been left behind.
Treaks shook the old thoughts off. It didn't matter. Eight days. Maybe less, depending on if he could convince Voldemort of the cure to Katlin's current problems.
And once she was gone, he only had to stand aside and let the circumstances work towards the dark lord's own destruction. To make the mission sound like Voldemort's own idea. That was the trick. Convince him to send her to the castle and think it was his brilliant idea.
Treaks chuckled this time to himself. 'His brilliant idea'. A brilliant idea that would get his top Elite killed. On a mission he had sanctioned himself.
Voldemort would never survive the guilt alone. His word would have been what sent his beloved Elite to her death. His alone.
The man would go mad with grief within a week.
After that, the Deatheaters would turn to the next in line for guidance. Voldemort would be out of the way. Katlin would likely be dead. Next in line would be him.
Leader of the Deatheaters.
Treaks smiled at the idea. This fooling around Voldemort was doing with his followers would end on that day. On that day the Ministry would learn that the Deatheaters were not just a little group of malcontents to be harassed for fun from time to time. On that day he would stand before all the Deatheaters and the Elite and proclaim to them that their day had come when they would control the wizarding community.
On that day.........he would be the dark lord.
And what a glorious day it would be.
Treaks was still wrapped up in his revelry by the time he got to the door to Katlin's rooms. He wrapped his hand about the door handle, prepared to open the door and walk right in. He didn't care if she yelled at him for it. If things worked out, it would be the last time.
But the door refused to yield, and he instead ran smack into it.
Pulling back, Treaks tried the door again.
Locked!
Katlin never locked her door.
Treaks pounded on the door.
"Katlin!" he called. "Katlin, it's Johnathan. Open up, Love. I need to talk to you."
A lone Deatheater came down the corridor. But they quickened their pace considerably as they passed the man at the door, just catching the dark stare he gave them as they rushed past.
Johnathan turned back to the door. Wonderful. Now he looked like a desperate fool pounding on his fiancee's bedroom door. One more thing the woman would pay for. Treaks pulled out his wand, ready to blast the door open if he had too. But he quickly stopped himself. That sort of display would not show well before the dark lord. And might possibly fuel any last minute arguments Katlin might bring up to postpone the wedding.........again.
"Katlin!" Johnathan yelled at the door as he slipped his wand back into his robe pocket. "Open the door! I haven't time for this."
Treaks waited at the door, fully expecting it to open any moment. But after several minutes of standing there, feeling more foolish with each passing second, he finally turned and stormed off down the corridor.
It was possible, of course, she simply wasn't there. Thankfully, from what Misser had told him, she at least wasn't with the Auror that night either. That would leave her apartment. And she could keep him out of there as long as she wanted. It was simply too well protected.
Treaks glared at a lower ranking Deatheater who carefully slipped past him in the corridor. If she wanted to play games, that was fine by him. She could only keep it up so long.
Eventually he would deliver the dark lord's message.
And in due course, she would get her assignment.
(Scene change)
Behind the door to her rooms, Katlin gave a relieved sigh as she heard the angry footsteps leaving her doorway.
What did the man possibly want this time?
Not that it mattered. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him. All she wanted at that moment was a good nights sleep.
She rested a hand over her forehead. The headache she had woken up with that morning had stayed with her all day. And no potion or cure seemed to be able to relieve it. She must have been over-working herself in the last few days. She didn't even remember going to bed the night before. And when she had woken up in her bed at her apartment, she at first couldn't even place where she was.
And the whole day had seemed to follow that pattern. Deciding what she needed was a good rest, she had allowed herself to go back to sleep for a few more hours that morning. But the dream she had had woke her with a terribly disturbing feeling. Not that the dream itself was bad. Oh no. Katlin positively hugged herself as she anticipated its return that night.
In it she had been in a large, white canopied bed with pure white satin sheets. All night long she had laid in the arms of a man whose touch alone peaked her senses and sent a shudder through her whole body. And making love to him.........she simply didn't have words to describe how absolutely perfect it was. He was attentive, gentle, loving..........everything she had never known men to be. When he said her name, it was said with such love she had no doubt of the passion he felt for her. And every word he spoke echoed that same burning need. One that was her's alone.
But of course it was her's. The man was her fantasy. Perfect. Loving. Attentive. Caring. What every woman dreamed of.
The only problem with the dream was that she couldn't see his face at all. Bits. Pieces. Blurred visions. She simply couldn't recall what the man looked like when she had woken up.
It was a hard price to pay for the dream. But she retained most of it, so she felt the pay-off wasn't so bad.
With a sigh she turned back to the room behind her. It was getting late, and she was tired. There was no point in trying to go home tonight. It suited her just as well to sleep in her rooms at the lair tonight. Besides, Johnathan was probably headed to her apartment by now.
What was the matter with the man? In eight short days they were to be married. Couldn't he leave her alone for that long?
Well, want to or not, he was going to. If he thought she couldn't avoid him for eight days, he had best think again.
Making sure once more the door was locked and spelled to keep out anyone but Voldemort, she headed for her bedroom.
Katlin gave a contented sigh as she pulled herself into her bed and under the covers, still thinking of the man in her dream. But a second form suddenly seeped into her thoughts.
Johnathan Treaks.
Katlin frowned as she studied the other form. Studied its face in careful detail.
No. The man in her dreams was definitely not Johnathan. The man in her dream had been a bit thinner, but more powerfully built. And when he looked at her, all she saw in his eyes was love.
When Johnathan looked at her, all she saw was his ambition.
Katlin shook her head, clearing the image from it. She never even tried to fool herself into thinking Johnathan loved her. Something that irked her to begin with. Most men fell instantly in love with her. But all Johnathan seemed to love was her position and her power. Marrying her would further him politically as nothing else could. She was, in fact, the one barrier he could not surpass in his ambitious climb to power within the lair. In that regard, he had gone as far as anyone could without drastic measures. No one could surpass her position with the Deatheaters or the Elite. Not by their skill and not by their standing. She could without question best any of them. And none could reach the status in Voldemort's eyes that she held. So Johnathan had found a way to circumvent her. If he couldn't surpass her, he would simply get her out of the way. As his wife, her position may not change, but his would. He would have a clearer path to the dark lord. Have more of his ear than he already did. He would finally have the power he currently craved. And she would be trapped into a marriage based solely on his ambitious hunger for power.
Katlin sighed unhappily. But a small smile slowly crept across her lips as the image in her dream came back to her.
Oh well. If she was doomed to a loveless marriage, she could at least indulge her fantasies. And this was rapidly becoming one of her favorites.
As Katlin scooted down under the covers, she turned her thoughts as steadily as she could to one, intriguing subject. Her dream. If she closed her eyes, she could picture most him as well as if he were standing before her. Right up to his face. She concentrated on that the hardest. In the dream she had seen bits and pieces of his face, but nothing clearly. So she had to put things together from there. She started with what she knew for sure. His eyes. They were grey. But not a cold grey. A soft, loving, deep color that she could stare into all night.
And his hair. Well, that had been easy. It was black. Long, black, and as soft as silk. She had run her fingers through it a hundred time or more in her dream. She loved the feeling of it as it would cascade off his back and fall over her like a soft sheet of satin. She positively had fallen in love with that hair.
A happy, expectant smile crossed her lips as she stared harder at her dream through closed eyes.
But abruptly her eyes snapped opened and she sat bolt upright in the bed.
Something in the back of her mind, a fleeting glance, had crossed her memory. Nothing she could grab hold of. But something she had seen clearly enough.
It was a man she had seen before.
There had been the battle with the Aurors a few weeks ago. One of them had captured her. Nearly killed her. But he had stopped abruptly. Right in the middle of a killing curse. And then he had let her go. Helped her escape with the others. The man had looked similar to the one in her dreams, but she really hadn't paid much attention at the time. She thought she was facing a killing curse for sure. And then when the man had let her go, all she was thinking of was getting to the others before they disapparated. Katlin stubbornly shook her head. No. That couldn't be right. The man in her dream had long hair. The Auror's hair had been short. Or at least it looked like it. Stuffed under his own robes, it was hard to tell.
Katlin went back to studying the ceiling as a new thought crept into her mind. Why had the Auror let her go? Helping to her to escape. And right in the middle of a battle. Surely others saw. Other Aurors.
Katlin sank back into her pillows. She didn't really want to be thinking about this. She wanted to think about her dream. Hoping if she concentrated enough, it would come back.
Katlin laid back against the pillows in her bed. But the Auror persisted in placing himself in front of her dream now that she had let him into her thoughts.
Blasted Aurors. Even in her dreams they wouldn't leave her alone.
But why did this one stay with such determination. She tried dismissing him, but that didn't work for very long.
So, who was he, and where did she know him from?
Katlin sat up in the bed and thought. She had seen the Auror once before in a battle. But her mind wasn't letting things rest there. She had seen him somewhere else. She was sure of it. But where?
As her mind frantically ran over the last few weeks, she found her answer. The night she and Johnathan had gone out with friends for Johnathan to celebrate their announcement of a wedding date. A man leaving the restaurant with his friend had nearly fallen over her, apparently having had a good bit too much to drink. She had seen him earlier in the restaurant. Had thought she recognized him. But Johnathan had distracted her attention away from him. And when he had all but fallen over her at the table she hadn't even then gotten a good look. Again Johnathan had distracted her attention away from the man, and his friend had moved them past so quickly she hadn't gotten a second look.
Katlin shook her head as she fell back on the bed.
This was stupid. She went from a dream to suddenly convincing herself she was seeing the man in reality now.
Was she honestly getting that desperate?
Another thought slowly crept into her mind. Last night wasn't the first night she had had that dream.
Katlin's eyes snapped open again.
She had had it before. Abruptly it came back to her like something long forgotten that she just suddenly was able to recall. But the image didn't seem exactly the same. The man seemed a bit different. Not in any way she could put her finger on. But the man in her first dream was different somehow.
What was different?
The hair. In the other dream the man's hair had been short, not long like the first one.
Katlin tried to work to calm her thoughts that were now running so quickly through her mind she could hardly keep up with them before one was cut short and another took its place.
Where had this dream come from? Was it just a happy coincidence, or, as she thought early, was she just getting that desperate? And where had she pulled this man in her dreams from?
But abruptly an idea popped into her mind. One that seemed to almost instantly put a stop to her frantic questions.
She had been with other men. Some were casual acquaintances, who she would meet, go out with, seduced for their secrets, and then leave them just as casually. To her it was nothing more than part of her work. This man in her memory must have been one of them. Someone from her past who she didn't even bother to remember. Or maybe he was something her mind had put together based on some part of the others in her past. Some point about them she did remember while forgetting the rest. That would explain his face not being very clear. He wasn't any one person, but a combination of several.
And the second man, he was the same, just with shorter hair.
Katlin gave a satisfied sigh as she scooted back down in the bed. Yes, this is what came from too long of a dry spell. She had no man in her life that she cared about, so her mind conjured one up for her out of the past.
She thought back over the man in her dream, silently congratulating herself as she realized the man didn't have one single characteristic from Johnathan that she could find.
With a steady yawn, Katlin settled back into the bed. All the wild thoughts that had been running through her mind hadn't helped her headache one bit. If anything, it was worse now, and she was doubting she would get any sleep. But resolved to try, she hugged her pillow tightly to her and tried to think of nothing at all as she drifted off to sleep.
That night the dream returned with startling clarity. Katlin awoke to what at first was a pleasant memory. But as reality settled in, she felt a tremor of fear run through her body. Every move the man in her dream had made, every touch, had been as though he were lying right beside her. But this time the man had a face. One she saw as clear as day.
The face of the Auror.
Katlin shook her head, trying to clear it. She was truly beginning to fear she was losing her mind. The dream was becoming all too real to her.
But it wasn't real. That was just some fantasy her mind created for her.
But why was he suddenly there every time she turned around?
Katlin's mind abruptly jumped back to the battle. In the middle of a battle, the Auror had let her go? Why hadn't he killed her? Even if he was just some nameless encounter on a mission for her, who had developed some unfortunate attachment to her, he was still an Auror. In the middle of a battle, his only thought should have been to kill her.
Katlin felt a cold sweat begin to break out over her body. Endless thoughts and endless questions, all with no answer.
Slowly Katlin scooted back down in her bed, pulling the covers up close to her chin. Sleep was beginning to lose it's appeal all too quickly tonight. If all she was going to do was have these dreams, she would rather stay awake.
It wasn't, of course, that the dreams themselves were disturbing. Quite to the contrary. If she knew who the man was, it would be all anyone could do to keep her out of bed and awake. They were so vivid, and so tantalizingly erotic she had been looking forward to it that night. But to have her mind pull up the face of an Auror?
And so she resolved to lay there through the night, staring at the ceiling as she try to figure out why her mind had placed the Auror's face on her dream. That was most definitely not what she wanted.
As strong as her resolve may have been, Katlin found there simply was no fighting exhaustion. Slowly but surely the plain white ceiling above her faded into a blurred haze as her eyes finally closed to the overpowering demand of sleep.
Once more a dream intruded on her otherwise peaceful sleep. But this time the dream had changed. This time she wasn't comfortably escombed in any bed with her attentive lover. She was instead running through a fog covered moor in the dark hours of the night. Soft sounds behind her kept her checking over her shoulder as she ran. The sounds were getting closer each time she heard them. And no matter how hard she ran, it seemed they managed to keep up with her easily. She turned over her shoulder once more as a sound caught her attention. But just as she assured herself no one was there, she ran head long into a solid object in her path. Turning about abruptly, Katlin suddenly found herself face to face with her dream again. Her dream with the Auror's face. The man didn't say a word to her. But just as abruptly as he appeared, the vision shifted, then vanished. And in its place stood Treaks, staring down at her and looking angrier than Katlin ever remembered seeing him before. He pointed a long finger down at her as she sat where she had fallen on the ground.
"Traitor!" He shouted at her.
Katlin awoke with a start.
The first thing she noticed was that her arms and face felt wet. Like she had been out in the rain. Or a heavy fog.
Recalling her dream, Katlin suddenly felt a rush of fear run down her spine. She hadn't been there. It was just sweat. The dream had frightened her.
But if that was true, why weren't the sheets wet? Or the pillows? The sweat seemed only to cling to her. Nothing else.
Katlin pulled quickly out of the bed and ran to the window. In the lair windows were almost unheard of. But she had begged for one. And so she had gotten her wish, which was more of a deep tunnel set against a wall. But it allowed her to see outside just the same.
Staring out, she could hardly see anything past a few yards due to the thick fog that settled like a sheet over everything beyond the window.
Katlin slowly stepped back from the window. She hadn't been outside. She would know if she had been. Even if she had been sleep walking, someone would have seen her. One of the guards.
In her retreat from the window, Katlin abruptly bumped into a table behind her, sending a small metal pitcher crashing to the floor.
The sound was enough to shatter her fragile remaining nerves. With a cry of surprise and panic, Katlin ran from the sound, nearly crashing headlong into the door as she grabbed the handle, pulled the locks, and yanked it open, bolting from the room as quickly as her legs would carry her.
Through her scattered senses she oriented herself as quickly as she could. She formed a map in her mind, one that took her exactly where she wanted to go. The only place she felt offered any safety for her.
Within minutes Katlin arrived at the doorway she was looking for. Two large ornate doors guarded the room within. Barging in was not advised even in the worst of circumstances. And so Katlin contented herself with assaulting the doors with a barrage of frantic poundings. All the while screaming for the person within to open for her and let her in.
Her wait was not a long one. Within only seconds of her arrival at the doors, they both suddenly swung open. Without hesitation, Katlin flung herself into Voldemort's arms, crying near hysterics as she sought the only safety and comfort she had known for so many years.
Without a word, Voldemort quickly ushered her inside, closing the doors behind her and placing a quick silencing spell on them.
"Katlin!" He gently admonished her, easing her back. "What is this? What sort of display is this to bring to my doors at this hour?"
Katlin flung herself back into his arms. "Make him stop!" She cried. "Make him go away and leave me alone! I can't face one more night of this! It will drive me insane. I swear it!"
Voldemort quickly directed Katlin to a large sofa behind them and set about trying to calm her down. He wasn't going to get anywhere with her as hysterical as she was being. A point that worried him more than anything else. Katlin may be many things. But one thing she never was, was hysterical.
"Katlin?" He questioned her, crouching in front of her as she hid her face in her hands. "Who is it you want me to make stop? What are they doing to you?"
"He is driving me crazy." Katlin practically wailed back at him. "Every night. It is the same dream. And then tonight the dream changed. And he was there.......and then.....then the other....and he.....he was so angry at me. And he called me a traitor." Katlin firmly met Voldemort's gaze. "I am no traitor!" She cried. "I would never betray you. Not for anything this world could offer me. Why would he call me that? Why?"
"Who, little one?" Voldemort asked, trying to keep his own voice level. "Who called you such a thing?"
"Johnathan!"
"Johnathan? Why?"
"I don't know."
Voldemort sat studying her for a few moments. "Tell me about your dreams." He said finally.
Katlin thought for a moment. She hadn't thought far enough ahead to think that was something Voldemort would ask of her. And she certainly couldn't tell him about all of them. Especially considering their content. So she settle on the most recent one. Which was the most decent of them. When she got to the end Voldemort sat staring thoughtfully at her. Something that left Katlin feeling a little nervous. What of he thought she was just over-reacting? She would seem like just some foolish female in his opinion, unable to deal with something as simple as a dream.
But when Voldemort did finally speak, he did not seem to be dismissing her dream as frivolous at all.
"When did these dreams start?" He asked her in a calm, quiet tone.
"A few weeks ago." Katlin answered with a slightly unsteady voice.
"Are they always the same?"
Katlin nodded. "Except for tonight. Johnathan was never in them before."
"What about the other man?"
Katlin nodded. "But he never hurt me. Or threatened me. He always been.........very kind."
"Do you know him?"
Katlin shook her head.
Voldemort sighed as he took to staring at her again in silence. But finally he leaned forward. "All right, Katlin." he said in a gentle tone. "I will see if I can not find out what is wrong. Now," he took her face in his hands, "it is time for you to go to sleep, little one."
Instantly Katlin felt consciousness slip away. But she didn't fight it. She knew what Voldemort was doing and why. He thought she might be under a spell. And checking for such a thing was best done of the person wasn't awake at the time. Random thoughts made the process that much more difficult.
What felt like only moments later, Katlin woke up in her own bed, being gently prodded awake. She opened her eyes to the worried stare of Voldemort.
Katlin looked about for a minute, getting her bearings back, then turned quickly back to the man next to her bed.
"Well!?" she asked eagerly.
Voldemort paused, then shook his head. "I am sorry, Katlin........."
Katlin pulled up abruptly in the bed. "But.......but you must have found something?"
Voldemort shook his head again. "I am sorry. No. there was nothing there."
Katlin turned a dismal stare to the sheet resting now in her lap.
"Katlin, little one, look at me."
Slowly Katlin turned her eyes back to the man next to her. Somehow she felt it was a disgrace just to have her look at him now. She had failed him. She wasn't strong. She wasn't resilient. She was weak. Beaten down by a simple dream.
But mostly, she was ashamed. She had failed him. Failed to be what he thought she was. What he needed her to be.
"Child, it grieves me to see you in such pain. Is there anything.......anything at all you remember past what you have told me? Something you might not want to tell me?"
Katlin paused. She couldn't tell him about all of her dream. And what difference would the intimate details make? She quickly shook her head.
Voldemort sighed quietly. "All right, child. I think what you need is sleep." A gentle hand caressed the side of her face. "Try and get some rest. I will check on you soon."
Katlin watched him go as a tear rolled down her cheek. He must hate her now, she thought. Being so weak as to succumb to a dream. He was probably already thinking who best to replace her.
Probably Johnathan.
Finally the man would be getting what he wanted. Her position. And he would obtain it with the help of the last thing he probably ever expected. A simple dream.
Katlin buried her face in her pillow and curled up under the cover. This was the end of her. Voldemort would no longer feel he could rely on her. She would be lucky if she even was allowed among the lower ranking Deatheaters after this.
The only good thing that could possibly come out of all this was that Johnathan probably would not want her anymore either. The wedding was likely off.
(Scene Change)
Treaks tried to hide his surprise at being called to the dark lord's chambers so late at night. But no matter the hour, refusing to answer such a call was not advised. And the hour made it all the more important to answer. If Voldemort was calling at this time of night, the matter had to be urgent.
Treaks entered the chamber with the utmost reverence on his lips.
"You called, my lord?"
Treaks had expected the man to be pacing the chamber. Or at the very least, seated the large table in the room.
But instead he was greeted by the sight of Voldemort sitting half slumped down in a chair sitting next to the fire, taking apparently little notice of him.
"My lord?" Treaks announced himself again.
This time Voldemort slowly raised his eyes to the man before him. Treaks half expected to be reprimanded for disturbing him. But to his surprise the man indicated the chair next to him.
Treaks cautiously sat himself down, never taking his eyes off the dark lord. In all of his association with the man, he had never seen the old wizard look so.........human.
"Katlin came to see me tonight." Voldemort stated after several moments while Treaks sat respectfully waiting for the man to address the nature of his summons.
"Yes, my lord?"
"She stated she had been having...........a dream. One that frightened her a great deal."
Treaks knew better than to make any comment. Especially one that might demean the dark lord's favorite Elite or question her in any way.
Voldemort pulled himself up in the chair slightly and turned his attention again to the man sitting before him. "The way she described things, she sounded as though she might be experiencing a delayed reaction from some spell."
Treaks blood froze. What had the man found out?
"And, my lord?" he asked, trying not to hesitate too much.
Voldemort sighed quietly. "I checked. I was concerned, especially after you had brought to my attention her odd behavior of late."
Treaks cursed himself. He never expected Katlin to go to Voldemort with something like this on her own. Something that would arose any suspicion from him against her. Make him question her competence. It was unheard of for her.
But then again, if what Misser had told him was correct, Katlin was operating under two Memory Charms, one of which was obviously failing. If the second one was already breaking down as well, and so soon after it's placement, that would be enough to unhinge anyone.
"And did you find anything, my lord?" Treaks asked cautiously.
Voldemort kept his eyes fixed on the man, but Treaks got the definite impression Voldemort was not looking at him, but more merely in his direction.
"My search did not turn up anything, but nor did it turn up nothing."
Treaks frowned. Maybe Griss wasn't the only one losing their mind here.
"Pardon, my lord?"
The older wizard's stare sharpened so that it focused now on the man next to him. "There was something there, Treaks. I just couldn't tell what. It was that well hidden within her mind."
Treaks judged it best to say nothing. See where the old man's thoughts were going.
"My question isn't so much now what it is, as to why is it there? What does someone want so desperately for me not to find?" The old wizard sat for a moment. "And how did it get there to start with?"
Treaks maintained his silence. He knew Voldemort was still working the elements of the puzzle around in his mind. Trying to fit things together so they made sense. The trick was to know when to say something, and to say the right thing.
"I have never questioned Katlin's loyalty to me, Treaks. She has proved herself again and again."
Treaks called on every reserve he had at that hour of the morning to only allow his neutral expression to shift ever so slightly and not explode into the gleeful smile that hid behind it.
He was suspecting her of treason!
Treaks couldn't believe it. He had never hoped for anything this good to happen. All of her support, all of her protection, vanished before his eyes. Voldemort would not consider any suggestion regarding her now as his favorite Elite, but as just another Deatheater. Possibly a disloyal one.
"If she has been disloyal, my lord................." Treaks began.
The response was not what Treaks expected.
The eyes staring at him suddenly came to life in a hard, cold gaze. "Katlin," he stated in a voice as icy as his stare. "has never been disloyal to me."
Treaks pulled back, forming his defense as quickly as he could. He had been careless. Moved too quickly. Now he was faced with calming a raging mountain bear.
"Of course not, my lord." he answered quickly. "My apologies to your Elite for such a suggestion. And to you. I meant no disrespect to her."
"Then explain yourself!" Came the command stated in a voice Treaks was much more familiar with.
Treaks laid out his plan before he spoke this time. "I meant only, my lord, that if she had been disloyal, you would know, surely. But as you have said, that is not the case. So it would seem to me you are worrying needlessly over this matter. Katlin has always been the most loyal of your Elite. Her honor to you goes far deeper than mere affiliation to your cause. She loves you as her teacher. Her mentor. The person who has raised her. Protected her. Loved her. I am sure you must see how unlikely it is that she would betray you."
The dark lord fell back into his brooding silence. Treaks, on the other hand, was working furiously how to get things back on track. Voldemort called him there for a reason. It wasn't just to be a sounding board. There was another reason. He just had to find it.
Or wait Voldemort out.
Yes. That was the better route. The man would get to the point eventually. Until then, Treaks only had to be sympathetic or agreeable. Which ever the moment called for.
The point was a good solid five minutes of silence coming. But finally the dark lord turned to the man next to him again.
"I need to know what has happened to her, Treaks."
"Katlin has been known to be close to the Aurors as a matter of her work, my lord." Treaks suggested. "The nature of her work is very dangerous. Could it not be she was captured and possibly this is the work of the Unspeakables? And if so, we need only capture one of them and make him tell us."
Voldemort seemed to think over the idea for a few moments. "And you propose to do this how?"
"I have already suggested once my lord sending Katlin to Hogwarts castle to kill the traitor that resides there. Also the Auror who is currently staying there. The only alteration in that plan is that she now needs to capture, not kill, the Auror."
"And I doubt more and more that Katlin is up to such a mission in her current state."
"But she is all the more the perfect choice due to what you suspect, my lord." Treaks quickly recommended.
Voldemort frowned at the suggestion. "How so?"
"If Katlin is just an instrument of the Aurors, they wouldn't suspect her of coming to do them any harm, thinking she is still under their control. We need only tell her what we suspect, so that she can use that status with them to get close to one of them and capture him."
Voldemort thought over Treaks' words as well as his tired brain would let him. Too much was going on around him at the moment. And too many plans and too little sleep were wearing thin. And Treaks had mentioned just the night before that Katlin wasn't herself lately, possibly still brooding over her last punishment and feeling she had not as yet redeemed herself with him. Perhaps this mission would solve several problems for him at once. Anything that caused him to relieve himself of one problem was worth notice. Anything that could solve several problems at once was worth serious consideration.
"Go and tell Katlin I wish to speak to her now." Voldemort amended his earlier request to Treaks.
"If you would, my lord," Treaks asked, choosing his words very carefully, "if you are going to send her on this mission, allow me to deliver your orders to her."
"Why?" Voldemort asked in a rising ire. Why couldn't the man ever just do as he was told?
"Katlin and I have had some.....difficulties as of late, my lord. Due mostly, I feel, to her increasing boredom here at the lair. It might improve my standing with her if I were the one to bring her the news that you have arranged this mission for her. And currently, I would take whatever help I can get in soothing her demeanor towards me as of late."
Voldemort gave the man a mildly suspicious stare. But he was too tired and too preoccupied to give Treaks' request more than a passing thought. He had made up his mind already. He would give Katlin the task of going to the castle. The opportunity of solving so many problems at once was simply too tempting to pass up. Katlin would get her chance to redeem herself. It was something credible for her to do, and far more in her line of expertise than fighting in minor skirmishes with the Aurors. And if, as he suspected, she was under some spell placed by the Aurors, she would likely be able to use that affiliation to capture one of them.
All in all, the plan sounded reasonable to him.
"Very well." he stated, waving the man off. "Tell her of the mission, and if she has any further questions about it, she may come and ask then."
Treaks had to restrain himself not to fly out of the room at a run all the way back to Katlin's rooms.
Life was suddenly looking very bright again for him. Things could not be going more perfectly. By the end of the week he may not only be out of having to marry the shrew, but be head of the Elite, if not all the Deatheaters.
Within minutes Treaks was standing before Katlin's doors again. But this time he was determined to stand there all day if need be until she answered.
"Katlin!" He all but yelled, pounding on the door before him. "I need to talk to you."
He fully expected her to ignore him. Even tell him to go away. But to his surprise the locks slowly slid from their place and the door opened.
"What is it, Johnathan?" she asked, barely containing her irritation at the intrusion. "I'm busy."
"I have just come from Lord Voldemort." Johnathan announced with almost a smile. "He ask me to tell you he has a mission for you and wishes me to deliver it to you."
"You?" she ask. "Why you? Why does he not summon me and tell me about this mission himself? I am his top Elite. My missions come from him."
Johnathan didn't have to try as hard to give her a condescending look over the question. "I wouldn't know." he stated. "I don't make a habit of questioning what Voldemort asks of me, as others seem to do so freely. Perhaps one day he will take notice of that. But should you feel it necessary, please, go and ask him."
Katlin paused as she considered his statement. She knew she likely wasn't in very good standing with Voldemort as it was after her scene early that evening. Coming to his door and ranting like some lunatic. And questioning his decisions on anything was not going to help.
"Very well," she replied. "What does Lord Voldemort wish of me?"
"It is best not discussed in the corridors of the lair, Katlin." Treaks suggested.
Katlin paused, then stepped back. If the man made one wrong move she was more than prepared to kill him.
But once inside Johnathan was all business. "Lord Voldemort is sending you on a mission to Hogwarts castle." He announced after she closed the door after him.
"Hogwarts?" Katlin ask. "Why there? What is in that old school that could possibly interest the dark lord?"
"Currently two things. One, Lord Voldemort suspects one of our number of being a spy. He is a teacher at Hogwarts."
"Severus Snape." Katlin knew the man well enough and had heard from Voldemort's own lips that he was suspicious of the man.
"Indeed. Voldemort wishes him killed."
Katlin didn't so much as raise an eyebrow at the order. That was the usual fate of those the dark lord suspected of treason. And she was an assassin as well as his chief interrogator. It made sense to her that this mission would fall to her.
"And the other?" she ask.
"The Auror, Orion Black, is staying at the castle for the time being."
"And?"
Treaks gave her a small smile. "Voldemort wants you to kill him."
(Scene Change)
Treaks truly had to congratulate himself as he headed down the corridor after his meeting with Katlin. She had accepted the mission with no more protest than she ever did. It was Voldemort's will, and that was all she needed to hear. In a matter of an hour or less she would be on her way to the castle. And even more likely, on her way to her death.
Things couldn't be going more his way if he'd wished it.
He had laid out the mission much as he had discussed with Voldemort, with a few minor alterations.
He had told her she was to go to the castle not to capture the Auror, but to kill him. And he hadn't needed to add any of Voldemort's foolish beliefs that the Aurors had performed some spell on her and that was likely the cause of her dreams. He knew them already for what they were. The memory charms breaking down. If that hadn't been the case, Voldemort's suspicion would have served well to irritate her enough into killing the Auror in and of itself. But Treaks was betting one look at the Auror she had been sent to kill would be enough to drive her on in her mission with that much more purpose. Once she realized the man she was currently sleeping with, who called himself nothing more than an Auror doctor, was the same man, the 'Auror' she had been sent to kill, Treaks had no doubt how the scene would play out from there.
And once she realized she had been played for a fool by the man, it was all the more unlikely she would listen to anything more he had to say to her. Her sole goal at that point would be to kill him. Even if Treaks had said 'capture' instead of 'kill', he doubted Black would survive the encounter.
Katlin could be so touchy about things of that nature.
But it was always good to plan for uncertainties.
There was always the possibility that Black would remove the memory charms to save his own life. Proving to Katlin anything he told her about a past relationship was true. In such a case he had to be prepared to stop her before she got back to the lair. He would set up ward alarms just after she left, alerting him to her return to the lair. That way he could intercept her before she got to Voldemort with any stories the old fool might actually listen to. Likely, should she actually survive her mission and try to return to the lair, he was better off just killing her as he intercepted her return. He could easily arrange it to look like she died as a result of the mission. Things went badly, she tried to escape back to the lair, the Auror caught her, and killed her before she could report anything she may have learned.
Simple.
Of course, there was also the far flung chance Katlin would actually capture the fool Black and try and bring him back to the lair to Voldemort to be questioned. In which case, he could work that to his advantage as well. If Katlin brought the Auror back, he would be in no condition to fight, likely held in a binding spell. He could easily kill the Auror, and while Katlin was yelling at him for that, kill her as well while her guard was down.
Yes, he had all of his bases well covered.
All he had to do now was wait.
Q&A
Sirius-ly disturbed:
1. Yes..........eventually.
I do try to avaid stories that are over 50 chapters. And this story is, technically, under 50 chapters.....by my count. Fanfiction.net seems to feel differently on the matter. But I can't help that their system seems to chose to credit each entry as an individual chapter and fails to recognize subchapters. (Such as 13A-B-C-D).
However, I have gone slightly off of that due to the fact that Family Relations is running well over 50 chapters right now. (Fans eagerly awaiting the release date wave flags.)
2. Generally I update on only two days. Sundays or Wednesdays. After 6PM EST, USA.
But I have been known to throw the odd curve ball and update on Mondays and such. So save yourself the disappointment, Dear. Usually Sundays or Wednesdays only. It's a PAR thing.
Well, Dear, if everything worked out smoothly, wouldn't be much of a story, right? And if you honestly thought this last time was going to work out you are nature's little optimist. I mean, Orion was lying to her at every turn. There wasn't one thing he told her that was the straight out truth. Wait. I tell a fib. He told her he worked for the Ministry. That was the truth........sort of.
What was Bo going on about? Well, I'll help you out here. And maybe a few other people who bother to read these things. Bo asked Orion if he wanted the spell done the 'same as last time'. Now, if you go back and read It's really All A little Confusing, that chapter was VERY appropriately named. You really have to read the conversation between Katlin and Bo very carefully. And you have to read it from Bo's point of view to understand what happens at the end of the chapter. All Bo saw was Katlin doing something she didn't really want to do. She was leaving someone she 'liked', and he couldn't quite grasp the 'why' of the situation. All he understood was she was leaving, she didn't want to, it was a matter of her needing some time on her own, and she would like to come back.
Well, that was easy to fix. Bo understood Memory Charms. So he placed a spell that acted like a slow poison on the Memory Charm. Little by little Bo's spell deteriorated the effectiveness of Dumbledore's Memory Charm. Hence you had the dreams starting.
OK. With that in mind, let's look at the new scenario. For Bo, everything is exactly the same. Someone wants him to alter Katlin's memory to make her forget something. Well, the last time that happened, she didn't want to forget. Not really. But he's not sure. So he asked Orion, 'Do you want this done the same as last time?' Poor Orion has no idea what Bo did last time, so he just agrees. You're way ahead of the game now, Dear.
I never thought of Voldemort as insane. Just a bit.........fanatical to his cause. But, yes, he is a bit more stable here. But he also hasn't had the 'encounter' with little Harry Potter yet. Being nearly killed by a spell has got to be detrimental to the mind as well as the body. So currently you can safely assume that not all of his cookies have gotten burned in the oven yet. (He's still relatively sane.)
Trying to figure out what Treaks is doing? That's easy, Dear. Treaks is out to improve his standing however best presents itself. That is currently coming under the heading of killing his fiancee and steering his leader over the deep end. Which would put him in control of a fairly large group of people who he feels haven't quite gotten a grip on their full potential yet. He would like to help them do that.
Stay good, Dear.
Silverfox:
Yup. Back at the beginning again.
I warned you guys that Bo wasn't quite as innocent as he seems sometimes. The boggart is perfectly capable of making his own plans and carrying them out. And usually quite easily since no one ever suspects poor little simple Bo of plotting anything.
Poor Treaks. Not much of a fan club.
Sorry, but the piece of paper that landed between Bo and Katlin was entirely innocent.
Yup. Physical secret. And no, despite their relationship, Orion has not noticed. However, Bo has. And he did try to tell Orion. Orion just wasn't paying attention. (However, looking back, I noticed I neglected to mention that part, but still, it's very minor to the whole thing. Basically, when Katlin wandered down in the cellar the first time, Bo noticed something about Katlin that wasn't......natural. What he referred to to Orion as 'foreign magic'. Now that doesn't mean magic from some other country. In Bo's terms it means magic that isn't from that person. In other words, someone else instigated it.) Work with that. And again, her secret is in the story. But it takes a little deductive reasoning to figure it out. In other words, I gave you the pieces. It's up to you to put them together.
What would Orion do? Look at what happened the last time he lost control. Voldemort needed a new lair.
Ummmmmmmmm........., why would being a host effect your life span, Dear? And I guess, in a way, it does. It shortens it.
Even if Katlin does get sent to the castle as part of a mission, she will not remember Dumbledore or anything else connected with him. But I think Dumbledore is looking a bit further into the future than that. You are talking a potentially VERY useful ally here. Past that, let's just face it. Dumbledore would bring home stray kittens.
No. Bo has no connection to Orion's second wand at all. How is that possible? Well, because you have a few facts wrong, Dear, that's how. Bo was hardly a part of Orion's life at all when he got his second wand. Talon had separated the 'Power' from his son and locked it back in the cellar. The only connection Bo had with Orion at that point was an innate connection based on Orion now being a Channeler for the 'Power'. So, he was a factor in Orion's life when he got the wand. But a 'big' factor? No.
And keep in mind Orion still has his first wand. That wand is VERY much connected to Bo. Remember that Orion released Bo by spells the boggart taught him. So, what do you think? The boy was standing there performing spells without a wand? Think about it.
Also note that there are those in the world who would very much like to see Mr. Black permanently parted from that wand.
I do so love answering questions!
Keep settin' 'em up, Dear. I'll keep knockin' 'em down.
Skahducky:
Go with the paragraph that starts with, "Really? Then I know nothing about your coming to see her at her apartment." Every word in that paragraph I have only one thing to say to. How did Treaks know any of that? And that's not as easy a question as it looks. Because the ramifications of it will reach long past this story. Don't look at it 'How did he know?' 'Because Katlin told him.' You know that's a lie. Work on it from there and I think you will understand why Treaks made the most fatal error of his life simply by talking too much. As I said before, Orion ain't the fastest horse on the track, but he's the most persistent. You can add to that that he has a VERY long memory.
And in regards to Treaks' little speech, you can add that fact he mentioned what happened at Olivers party. Which is probably the most damaging thing he said. Think about it. And you need to work that one out about four steps to see it's full potential for damage.
And granted, a lot of what Treaks was saying was indeed to just bait Orion. The problem was, he had WAY too much bait on his hook.
Which real story, Dear? I have about three subplots running within this story.
This story indeed ends with Voldemort's downfall. What happens to Katlin is a large part of the sequel to Enemies, In The Family Way, based on the choices she has to make at that time and how she views those choices later on.
Which story is true is (at least I thought), pretty obvious. As a matter of fact, Charly said it pretty plainly.
In Family Relations Orion is married. 'Who to' you'll just have to wait and see.
Runaway has nothing to do with Family Relations. It is a sub-plotted story from Family Life. What the heck does that mean? It means it takes place during Family Life, not Family Relations.
What causes Orion great concern for Harry's well-being happened in Family Life.
Am I going to add in how Sirius' imprisonment affected him? Dear, did you read Family Life? Specifically chapters 29-33?
How having Katlin assassinate Snape and Orion will help Treaks is laid out in this chapter. If you missed it; 1, it will most likely end with Katlin herself being killed or at least, sent to Azkaban, because Treaks has no doubt she'll fail, and 2, he is making sure Voldemort sees the idea as his own, and by which, will take the blame himself for getting his favorite Elite killed. A devastating blow for the man.
Indeed, you pointed out a vital plot error. Snape is indeed in Family Life, so he survived the attempt. I'm not saying anything more on that subject.
You hope Orion stays alive? Me too, Dear, because killing main characters is a rotten plot device. (DO YA' HEAR ME, ROWLING!?)
Where did you get the idea Treaks wants Orion to see Katlin one more time? Because he wants her to go to the castle while he's there? Dear, he's trying to send her there to ASSASSINATE him. Not on a blind date. Goodness! We certainly ran off the tracks with that one, Dear!
Family Life
nana-hedwig: Give yourself a great deal of time, Dear. It's fairly long.
Gentle Persuasion
Von: Now, Dear, settle down. Poor Arabella only did what she had to do.
She stated quite clearly in the story she does use her talent as just some parlor game. She takes it very seriously. She would never use it just to manipulate someone into doing something she wanted for no reason other than her own personal gain.
Could she lose her job for doing it for non-Ministry work and coercing a civilian minor into signing a legal document? Well, on the first part, absolutely. But who ever said what she did wasn't Ministry work? On the second part, I don't know what the 'civilian' part has to do with it, but again, who said what she did wasn't Ministry work?
You brought up valid points, Dear. Especially about Harry not wanting to lose his family name. But he didn't really. His name was changed to Potter-Black. And perhaps asking would have just raised a bunch of very hard to answer questions.
I must say, though, I'm pleased to see someone who might be in favor of poor Orion's actions for a change. The man is next in line for the 'most hated character without any solid prove to say why we should' award since Aaron Richards.
All reviews are as of 06062004.
And remember;
My computer may beat me at chess, but I beat it at kick-boxing.