Enemies

by P.A.R

A look at the history of the Unspeakable Orion Black.

55. Chapter FortyFive: Katlin At The Castle ...

A/N: Author comes out and sits in a chair strategically placed under a large lamp bulb.

"Ummmmmmmm..............., it's kind of like this, folks.

You see, we all make mistakes......."

(Hand goes up in the back.)

What happened to the last chapter? It went up one day and came down the next?

"I'm getting to that! Sit down!

You see, folks, sometimes we make mistakes. And actually, truth be told, I'm very surprised not ONE of you called me on this error. People, it was BLATANT!

OK. Let's review. Chapter Forty-Three. What happened there?"

(Everyone looks thoughtful as they try to remember back that far.)

"Katlin went down into Sier's study with Bo to wait until Charly left. And she found papers with Orion's name on them, figured out who he was and was going to subsequently kill him."

(Oh, yeah.)

"Good. Now, as you remember, Orion had Bo place a Memory Charm on Katlin to make her forget everything about Sier."

(Everyone starts to think.)

"However, when she was in the castle, and she got to Orion's (Sier's) room, when she illuminated her wand and pulled him over, she CLEARLY remembered who he was.

Folks, that should not have been possible."

(Hand goes up in the back.)

sigh "Yes?"

But....but you gave every indication the Memory Charm was failing.

"I also gave every indication right up until she actually saw him, she had no memory of Sier or Orion whatsoever. Sit down!"

Folk's, the point is, I made a huge mistake and this chapter is an attempt to get things back on track. If you read chapter Forty-Five originally (last Sunday), good for you. You have the rare treat of seeing just how fast I can tap dance around something. If you reviewed, first off, bless you. You're a good person and a decent human being. Next, yes, I will answer you at the end of the chapter.

If you didn't read that chapter yet. That's OK too. You won't be nearly as confused as everyone else then.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Officer, I've never seen these sheep before in my life. And that little black one in the back is a well-known liar.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: KATLIN AT THE CASTLE

The very next night Katlin set out for Hogwarts castle. Johnathan had assured her that he had learned a spell that would get her safely through the wards and had cast it just before she left. However, trusting him as she did, she approached the ward lines with a great deal of caution. It would be just like the man, she felt, to tell her it was safe for her to pass through the wards, only to have her walk into one and be killed.

Well, better to err on the side of caution, she told herself.

But to her surprise, Katlin couldn't even feel the wards as she approached where she remembered reports had said they began.

Perhaps they had moved them. That would be logical. Since the Deatheaters knew of them, it made no sense to leave them in the same place all the time.

As she continued her cautious trek, Katlin continued to get more and more suspicious of the apparent lack of any wards. Surely Johnathan's spell hadn't worked so well as to be able to remove all the wards around the castle. Or even to nullify them. The castle staff would have been alerted, surely, if the wards were down.

Katlin sighed quietly into the night air as she nervously fingered her pendent. The last thing she wanted tonight was surprises. She simply wanted this mission to go well. For her to find the Auror and the traitor and complete her mission. By dawn she hoped to be safely back at the lair, reporting to Voldemort that his enemies were dead. It would please him beyond words if she could give him that report. Hopefully returning to her some of his faith in her. Proving to him she was still useful to him.

Katlin stayed close to the tree line that circled the castle. Fortunately the moon wasn't even out that night and help conceal her that much better. After an hour of carefully plotted moves, she managed to make her way to the side of the castle and find a small, barely accessible window three stories up. That would be the least guarded, least suspected method of entry.

Katlin pulled a large grappling hook out of the bag slung around her shoulder. One of her trademarks was she never used magic to enter a building like Hogwarts castle. It was too easily detected by those inside. But muggle devices they were usually not alerted to. And stealth was her greatest weapon on such missions.

Within a few minutes Katlin was in the castle, her rope and hook safely tucked away in her shoulder bag again as she oriented herself as to where she was within the castle.

Once she had a clear idea of where she was, she carefully made her way down the corridor she was currently in. Thankfully there were no students there yet. But Johnathan had been absolutely sure that the Auror and the traitor she had been sent to kill were.

She carefully ran her fingers over the handle of the knife in her robes as she continued down the corridor, her wand precariously balanced on her palm. Long ago the Deatheaters had created a spell that allowed them to locate Aurors within a given range by placing the spell on their wands. It was much like a four-point spell, but much more specific. Without the spell Katlin was fairly certain she would never have been able to find her target within the large castle. But with the spell's help, she would find him, and then through him, she would find the traitor. Making the man tell her before she killed him.

As she passed a large wooden door, the wand on her palm suddenly turned and stopped, pointing directly at the door.

Katlin smiled as she quickly slipped the wand back into her robes. The spell never failed. And to her knowledge the ministry had yet to be able to counter it.

Checking the corridor, Katlin very slowly eased the door open. Surely the Auror wouldn't be on guard here. He would think himself safe within the castle. But she would have to take her own chances slipping into the room that he was asleep. She couldn't perform any magic within the castle, or the staff would be alerted. The spell on her wand had to be placed outside of the castle grounds, even though that far away she knew the spell would be ineffective. She had to be at least within a few hundred yards of an Auror for the spell to work.

Once the door was open enough, Katlin pulled a small hand mirror out of her bag and slipped into the room. It only gave her a small amount of information, but enough that she would know if there were any traps or not, being charmed to detect such things, as well as giving her a small look around the door before she entered the room.

With no warnings coming from the little mirror in her hand, Katlin carefully slipped her thin frame through the opening and shut the door partially behind her. An old habit, but one she couldn't seem to break. Not that it was all bad, but it wasted time.

As silently as a shadow she made her way through the large open area of the room to the bed where a single figure lay under the covers.

Her target.

Of that she was sure. The spell on her wand had never failed.

As she crept silently towards the bed, Katlin slipped the knife out of her robes and into her hand. She needed to get the man to tell her where the traitor was. And a knife at one's throat was usually a good incentive to talk. With her other hand she slipped her wand back out of her robes.

Katlin stood for a moment staring at the figure peacefully sleeping into he bed. Why did the Auror have to be on his side? She would have to roll him over now to face her.

Katlin checked the door behind her.

She should have closed it completely.

Well, too late now. Better to just get on with it and hope for the best.

She fingered her wand carefully. If things went badly, it wouldn't be the first time she had to fight her way out of something.

Steeling herself for the task, Katlin grabbed the man's shoulder and yanked him over onto his back as she firmly stated, "Lumos!"

(POV Change)

Being highly treasured among his least favorite ways to be woken up, Orion simply froze where he was. He was already at a disadvantage due to being partly blinded by the light. But his adversary, with a knife at his throat already, had chosen not to kill him. So he still had some negotiation room to work with.

But it was the voice that paralyzed him more than anything. One he knew all too well.

"Don't move!" Katlin hissed in a whisper. "Or I swear I will kill you here and now."

Orion froze under her, judging her sincerity by the tone of her voice. He watched as something in her expression shifted. Suddenly she was looking at him with a renewed interest. Like she was seeing him for the first time in her life. Or more frighteningly....the second.

He knew he had to distract her. And fast.

"All right." he stated in a calm, steady voice. "You didn't kill me right off. So you must want something."

"Answers.' Katlin hissed at him. "That is all I want from you."

"All right."

Whatever questions Katlin may have been planning to ask him, Orion watched them plainly get lost behind her curiosity. Something was going on behind her eyes. Something he didn't like.

"I know you." she stated, making it neither a question or a statement.

Orion paused, unsure of how to answer her.

The knife pressed a little tighter against his throat. "I was sent to kill an Auror and a traitor. Now, the only thing keeping you alive right now is your answering questions." she stated. "I suggest you get on with it. So again. I know you."

Orion paused, thinking over his answer carefully, then very slowly he nodded to her question.

"How?"

"We met before." Orion replied quietly.

The knife pressed further still. "You're stating the obvious. Where? When?"

"It was a very long time ago. I doubt you'd remember it."

Katlin could feel the lie and started to call him on it, but stopped herself. A new thought distracting her. "How did we know each other?"

"I'm an Auror. You're a Deatheater. Is it really that difficult to figure out?"

Katlin paused, staring down at the man beneath her. She knew already that something inside of her was never going to let her press the knife at the man's throat any further than it was. A feeling she was fighting furiously with. And losing.

"You're lying. I can feel it." she stated in a low tone. "Now tell me the truth. How do we know each other?"

Orion stared up at her. "I've already answered you."

A confusing wave of emotions swept through her as she met his gaze again, this time holding it for longer than a few seconds. There was something so familiar in those eyes she knew it would drive her mad if she didn't figure this puzzle out.

Katlin tried to find the phrasing for her next question. Her voice softened almost of its own accord even as she tried to keep it sounding as level as possible. "How well did we know each other?"

Now there was a question he did not want to answer with her practically sitting on top of him with a knife held to his throat.

Time to change tactics. And Orion quickly decided he had been on the defensive as long as he cared to be.

"I'm not answering any more questions with that blade to my throat." he stated in a sudden, firm tone. "Get rid of the knife and we'll talk. Until then, I have nothing more to say."

Katlin held her stance as a panicking wave of indecision coursed through her. He was her only source of information. The only one who could answer her questions. And now he was refusing to do so. She hadn't counted on that.

But what if she met his terms? What if she pulled the knife back? Would he keep to his word? Would he answer her questions anyway without any threats?

Katlin was still working over in her mind what to do when the world around her suddenly went black again.

Behind the stunned woman, Snape stood with his wand directed at her, a deep scowl on his face as he surveyed the scene before him.

"Why don't I find this even remotely disgusting?" He asked finally, tucking his wand back into his robes.

"What?" Orion asked as he lifted the unconscious woman off of him. "Finding someone in bed with a Deatheater? Probably because your so used to it."

"What I seem to be getting use to, Black," Snape sneered at his comment, "is finding you in bed with Deatheaters. One would think your department would start to wonder just a little bit."

"Well, while as that you're dedicating so much of your free time to pondering mine, might you be able to spare a bit of it and give me a hand here?"

Snape stepped over to the bed and lifted Katlin from it.

"Might I suggest a better watch is kept on her?" Snape commented, handing the woman back over to him once Orion was on his feet "She seems a bit single minded where you're concerned."

Orion gave the other man a pleasant smile.

"You needn't be so smug about this, Severus." Orion replied. "Since it's likely your own arse your saving here."

"Meaning?"

"Griss isn't here after one target. She said there were two. And where as I am one, I think it stands to reason very well you were the other."

"Me?"

"Griss said she was here to kill an Auror.....and a traitor. That role just seems to fit you so well as of late."

Snape scowled deeper at the comment.

"As I said," he stated sharply, "your gratitude is somewhat lacking."

"Thank you then." Orion replied, heading out the door of his room and off to the infirmary with the unconscious Deatheater in his arms.

(Scene Change)

Once Orion had Katlin settled back in the infirmary and had a guard on her this time, he went straight to Dumbledore.

"This isn't working." He stated, pacing before the Headmaster's desk. "Something is wrong with the memory charm. She fighting it....or it's failing. Something."

"The charm was worked proper, Orion." Dumbledore replied as he followed the younger man's progress back and forth. "And it isn't failing. But from what you've said, the problem seems to be her own curiosity. She stated she knew you. She felt certain of it. That was enough to set up a stumbling block for the charm. For someone like Ms. Griss, that is simply too much to pass off as coincidence. And she's suspicious by her very nature, Orion. She won't let go of something she feels isn't right anymore than you would be able to."

Orion paused in his pacing.

"Then redo the charm." He stated finally. "Place it on her again. Make her forget what she's learned....what she heard, and I'll be more careful next time. Make sure we never meet. That she never sees me."

But Dumbledore shook his head.

"These are much the same promises you made to me before, Orion." He stated sympathetically. "And you have seen how hard they are to keep by coincidence alone. Ms. Griss is a Deatheater. You are an Auror. You are bound to meet again. How will you handle that? The same way you did the last time? By not killing her. Making her suspicious all over again and thus just setting up the exact same circumstances?"

"I'll get a transfer then." Orion stated decisively. "I can be sent to the States. I would never run into her again then. She can live her life and I can live mine."

But Dumbledore simply shook his head again.

"Orion, my boy, it's time to face facts."

"Facts?"

"You made a mistake. A very bad one. It's time to correct it. Not continue to try and hide from it. You must face what you did."

"Face it?"
"Tell Katlin the truth."

Orion stepped over to the old man, slamming his hands down on the desk before him.

"You don't understand!" he stated sharply. "It nearly destroyed her. She couldn't accept it. She wouldn't. Whatever love she had for me died that day. It never came back. It never will."

"Are you so sure?" the old wizard asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The reason the memory charm started to 'fail', as you put it, was because from the first time she saw you again, Katlin felt she knew you. And it was something she just couldn't push off and forget."

"And you might well remember that not thirty minutes ago she was trying to kill me."

"She was doing what she was told to do."

"Told?"

"She told you she was on a mission. To kill the Auror and kill the traitor. For someone in Katlin's frame of mind, that must have been a very comforting thing."

"Comforting?"

"Doing what she knew how to do the best. Something to focus on. Take her mind off other less......solid realities."

"Killing me was just 'something to do'?"

"Something to occupy her mind away from other more troubling thoughts, Orion. But even when it came down to it, as you will kindly remember in her defense, she couldn't do it."

"She came awful close."

"But she didn't. Even Professor Snape says she was standing over you for a fairly long time when he came into the bedroom."

"Long time? Just how long was he planning on waiting?"

"He had to make sure he wasn't seen, Orion. He had to get behind her. And that in itself just adds to what I have been saying. Whatever was on her mind in those few moments, she was so distracted by it, she never even noticed Severus, although by his speculation, he was clearly in her view at one point. But she never took the slightest notice of him."

Orion paused as he thought over the information, but eventually just shook his head.

"I still say redo the memory charm. It is the best thing for everyone."

"Best, or easiest?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's best."

"Really?"

"You don't agree."

"Not at all. Orion, she already has one memory charm on her. And she's fighting it. Look at the state it has left her in. She's distracted worse than she can afford to be. What if we place another on her, and again something happens to make her question things."

"It won't." Orion stated firmly.

"You can't guarantee that. What if it does? And she begins to questions thing to the point of distraction she's at now? What of she's in that state when she's in a fight? Where will that leave her?"

Orion stood staring at the wall in front of him.

"I can't put her through that pain, and that confusion again. I just can't."

"I see no other option."

Orion turned back to the old wizard. "Then place a charm on me as well this time. So I don't remember her. There won't be any missteps that way. We won't know each other."

Dumbledore gave him a kind smile. "Orion, past anything in this world I doubt the two of you will ever forget each other. The spell should have left Katlin with no memory of you. And yet the first time she saw you again she started to question things. She felt what had been between you before. She still loved you. She still felt that. Given time, she would likely have fallen in love with you again."

Orion fell into the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, his face buried in his hands.

"She will never love me again." he stated in a heartrending tone. "That love was destroyed the day I tried to take her away from the one other man she loved. Because I couldn't accept that one part of her."

"But she was falling in love with you, Orion. Otherwise you would likely be dead by now."

Orion slowly pulled himself up again, wiping his hands over his face as he got to his feet. Finally he settled his gaze on the old wizard.

"What is it you want to do?" He asked.

"I want you to talk to her." Dumbledore replied kindly. "Just answer her questions and let her decide for herself what she wants. She deserves that much from you, don't you think?"

Orion thought for a moment, but then slowly nodded.

"All right. I'll talk to her."

(Scene Change)

Katlin awoke to find herself laying on her back, staring at a white ceiling. Her first thought was that she wasn't at the lair, because there the ceilings were all rock or gray. Working her mind quickly back, she finally managed to sort things out to remember that she had been at Hogwart's castle and was about to kill the Auror Black when.....something had happened. Katlin shook her head a little as she fought to clear her thoughts, then moaned softly from the movement only adding to her headache.

"How do you feel?" A familiar voice asked formally.

Katlin turned her head slowly to the sound of the voice. Standing next to her bed was Orion Black. Her target.

Katlin thought for a moment. "Like I was stunned." She answered finally.

"Well, the nurse will give you something for that. Help you get a little rest."

Almost on cue, a woman appeared around the curtain with a cup in her hand. "You'll need to leave." She addressed Orion formally. "I need to check on my patient."

Orion paused briefly, then exited back around the curtain.

As soon as the nurse was finished, Orion took his place once again, standing almost stiffly next to her bed.

"Everything was all right?" He asked.

Katlin gave a tired nod. "She gave me something....to make me sleep. Tasted like mint."

"She probably figured you'd like it."

Katlin focused her stare a little better at the man standing next to her. "I remember you from somewhere." She said in a slightly slurred voice.

Katlin waited for an answer, but none came. And the potion was fighting her efforts to stay awake, pulling her down into a tranquil, dreamless sleep.

"Why?" She slurred the question, trying to make herself heard still. "I was going to kill you. Why are you helping me?"

Orion watched as long black lashes slipped down over pale white skin as the potion began to take affect. He stood for several more minutes, making sure she was asleep as her body slowly relaxed and her breathing evened off. Finally he leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her forehead before standing back up and walking over to the curtain the nurse had drawn about her bed. Pausing for a moment, he turned back to her, watching her for a few more seconds as she lay peacefully in the bed.

"Because I love you." He whispered to her before stepping past the white curtain.

(POV Change)

As soon as the door to the infirmary closed, Katlin opened her eyes and sat up in the bed.

She stared transfixed at the place where the Auror had been standing.

He loved her? How could he have said such a thing to her?

But something here was different. The way he had said it was different. It wasn't the usual pleading, babbling, insincerity she was used to as someone tried to make her believe their words of devotion. The Auror had sounded.....confident. As though had she shown she was awake and alert, he would have fully expected her to reply in kind.

But there was also pain in his words. A hurt so deep it had reached right out and touched her own feelings. Somewhere, very deeply buried beneath that shell he wore so well, the man's soul was slowly being destroyed by that pain. One she was somehow connected to.

Katlin quickly shook off the thoughts. The potion the old nurse had given her was dulling her senses. So the Auror had said he loved her? That wasn't really so uncommon. She had men falling in love with her every day. He was just one more of the fools now as far as she was concerned .

Katlin closed her eyes again and continued fighting the effects of the potion. Thankfully it hadn't been a very strong one and she could still function, albeit a bit unstably. A fact that proved all to true as she slid her feet out from under the covers of the bed and sat up. The room spun about for a few minutes, but finally slowed down enough that she could get to her feet and walk. Making her way one step at a time to the

curtain, Katlin grabbed it to steady herself, then carefully peeked around it.

At the door, Katlin saw a man in his early twenties, standing as though he was bored out of his mind.

So they had left a guard behind to watch her.

Katlin smiled slightly as she pulled back behind the curtain. This wouldn't prove too hard of a problem to circumvent. The man, from his posture, apparently thought she

would be a sleep. And guarding a sleeping prisoner wasn't much of a challenge.

Katlin slowly made her way back to the bed. She slowly crawled back under the covers and listened intently as to what the man was doing. Which wasn't much.

'Give it some time.' She mentally coaxed herself.

An hour. That would be enough. By then the guard would be bored to distraction, and the potion would have been diluted enough not to slow her down too much.

Katlin mentally ticked off the minutes.

If she fell asleep, she was headed for Azkaban, she firmly told herself.

That was enough to keep her awake.

An hour past.

Katlin started to cough. A cough that quickly turned into a choking sound.

It took the guard nearly a full thirty seconds to venture around the curtain.

Katlin waved him over, trying not to alarm him too much. The last thing she wanted was for him to alert anyone else.

The guard slowly moved towards her.

"What is it?" he ask, cautiously staying out of her reach.

Katlin coughed harder.

"Do you need the nurse?"

Katlin shook her head, but continued to wave him over. When he didn't move, she pointed at a glass by her bed with a slurred movement, giving every indication she was still under the effects of the potion.

The act apparently was enough to convince him she was harmless. He approached the bed and reached for the glass. But as soon as he was close enough to her, Katlin suddenly pulled up and grabbed him by the shoulder. When one quick jerk she brought the man's head down against the side of the bed with enough force to knock him out.

Katlin paused as she listened to the sounds around her.

Nothing stirred in the ward.

That was good.

Katlin quickly pushed the man off of the bed and swung her legs over the side. They would likely expect her to sleep for a few more hours. So hopefully no one would

check. But as soon as the guard was discovered missing, that would be the end of things for her.

The room spun about for a few minutes, but finally slowed down enough that she could get to her feet and walk.

There was no use for her to take the guard's wand. Her mind was still too fuzzy for her to try and work with an alien wand. She needed to find something else.

Making her way one step at a time to the curtain, Katlin grabbed it to steady herself, then carefully peeked around it. There was no one in sight between her and the door to the infirmary.

This was her one chance. She had to complete her mission. That was all that mattered.

Katlin let go of the curtain and continued her unstable shuffle to the door. But just as she reached it, something else caught her eye.

A tray of instruments that had been left out.

And laying amid them was a small, straight edged knife.

Katlin snatched the instrument off the tray and quickly shuffled out the door.

As Katlin continued her way down the hallway, she slowly began to realize what a predicament she had gotten herself into.

She had no idea where she was.

She had no idea where the Auror was.

She had no idea where the traitor was.

She had no wand.

She stopped after a short while and leaned against a wall to rest. She had not thought the effort just to walk would wear on her so soon.

The potion was still working against her.

With a slight sigh she pushed herself away from the wall. If she allowed herself to rest, she risk falling asleep.

Azkaban.

The idea immediately fueled her weary senses. If she fell asleep, that was where she would wake up.

She pressed on, not seeming to notice or care how slow her shuffle had gotten. All that mattered to her was that she kept moving. Sooner or later, she told herself, she would have to cross paths with either the Auror or the traitor.

Hopefully, the Auror.

But a sudden voice caused her stop abruptly in her tracks.

"Should you really be out of bed, child?" A soft, gentle voice inquired behind her.

Katlin turned about to find herself facing an old man with long white hair and a beard to match.

He had to be the school's Headmaster. Katlin had heard stories of the eccentric old wizard that ran Hogwart's. Although Voldemort seemed to respect the man's power, he had no patience for him.

Katlin immediately produced the knife. "Stay out of my way, old man." She stated as fiercely as she could.

The old wizard held his hands up to her. "There is no need for that, Katlin." he told her. "As you can see, I am not armed myself."

Katlin pulled the knife back a bit. To her, it would be a horrible dishonor to kill the man now. He was an old man to begin with. But he had presented himself to her unarmed.

She wondered if he had done so on purpose.

Katlin waved the knife at him again just for good measure. "Step aside." she commanded.

The old wizard made no move other than to fold his hands in front of him, keeping them plainly in her sight.

"Where were you going, child?" he ask her in a genuinely curious tone.

Katlin sneered at the Headmaster. "I am going to complete my mission."

"Your mission?"

Her sneer deepened at the thought. "To kill that bastard Auror." she replied. The traitor seemed a secondary thing to her now. If she could just get the Auror, she would be happy with that. As she convinced herself would the dark lord be.

The old wizard gave her a small, whimsical smile. "Ah, yes. Our guest, Mr. Black. He does seem to have aroused a certain ire with you, hasn't he?"

Katlin pointed the knife at him again. "He lied to me!"

"About what?"

Katlin allowed herself a momentary rest against the wall next to her. Or at least that was her intention. Once she was leaning against it, her body didn't seem to want to leave the cool surface again.

"Everything he said was a lie." she stated, trying to distract her opponent from her disability. "I could feel it. And I don't take well to people lying to me. You would do well to remember that, old man."

The old wizard didn't seem aware yet of her growing lack of strength, but instead only smiled pleasantly at her. "I'll keep that in mind." he replied. "But, Katlin, did you not think that perhaps Mr. Black might have had a good reason for keeping the truth from you?"

Katlin's irritation with the old wizard grew higher. Why did the stupid fool not just leave!? Why was he standing there trying to carry on a conversation with her?

She again waved the knife at him. "Get out of my way, old wizard," she warned him, "or you will be just as dead."

The Headmaster shook his head. "I don't think so." he replied with a small smile. "Your own morals draw very firm lines between who you are and who you think you are, Katlin Griss. And one of those lines is that you will not kill an unarmed opponent. Especially one who means you no harm."

Katlin gave him a sinister smile. "You seem very sure of that, old one."

"Because I know you, Katlin."

"Everyone knows me, old fool. And if they are wise, they fear me as well."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Then I guess I am not very wise at all."

Katlin studied her opponent carefully, but never let the knife stray too far from its target.

"I don't fear you, Katlin." Dumbledore stated kindly. "I never have. Not now, and not the first time you came to me for help."

Katlin pointed the knife back up at him. "What are you talking about!?" she stated fiercely. "I would never come to you for help. Does everyone in this castle do nothing but lie?"

The old wizard's tone hardened slightly. "Quite the opposite, I assure you." he informed her. "And since the truth is so important to you, Katlin, I promise you, before you leave this castle, you will know the truth."

Katlin stared at him with something that bordered on amazement. "Leave?" she asked. "You would let me go?"

"I have no reason to hold you."

"I tried to kill an Auror."

Dumbledore smiled at her, then shook his head. "You would never have killed him, Katlin. We both know that." The old wizard put his hand up before she could protest his words. "A point I am not going to waste precious time arguing with you. Instead, I will give you some advice, and you may act on my words as you choose. You may leave then or stay. But the choice will be yours alone."

Katlin frowned at the old man. "What words?"

The old wizard sighed heavily. "Katlin, I promise you that you can search this castle, without resistance or opposition, from top to bottom, several times, take years if you wish, and you will never find Orion Black."

"You have hidden him!"

The old wizard shook his head. "The castle has hidden him from you."

"Stupid old fool." Katlin practically spat at him. "You think I do not have ways to find him?"

"Your wand's spell will not help you."

"Because I do not have it!"

The old man reached into his robes and pulled a thin sheath of wood out. Katlin immediately recognized her wand. And much to her surprise the headmaster handed it to her, handle first.

Katlin held back, waiting for the trap, but the old wizard nudged it towards her.

"Go on. Take it." he told her.

Katlin slowly reached out and took the wand from him.

He favored her with a smile as her took it, then gave her a slight wave of his hand. "Feel free."

Katlin stared at the odd little man for a moment, then placed the wand in her palm and spoke the spell. She waited for a few moments. But the wand refused to so much as move an inch on her raised palm. Katlin tried again, speaking the spell a bit louder this time. But again, the wand failed to respond. She tried once more, turning about in a circle as she spoke the spell. But the wand still refused to give her any direction.

Finally Katlin stopped, the wand still in her hand. Slowly she turned to face the headmaster, bringing the wand up slowly as she did so. "What have you done?" she ask in a dangerously low voice.

"Mr. Black is my guest, Katlin. And as such I can not allow you to do him any harm while he is within these walls."

Katlin sneered at him. "Then send him outside."

The Headmaster gave her a small smile. "I don't think he would agree."

Katlin paused as she considered the situation. The old wizard was playing games with her, and she was tiring of being his fool. She pulled back slightly, folding her arms over her chest.

"You said you had advice for me."

The old man seemed pleased at her action as he smiled at her. "Indeed. I do believe you and Mr. Black have some things you need to discuss."

"His epitaph?" Katlin ventured without a trace of humor.

The old man's smile didn't fade. "I believe he already has one written. Something about being tight and loose woman." The Headmaster frowned slightly. "Can't say I cared for it much myself."

Katlin gave him a mirthless smile. "Then perhaps I can come up with a new one for him."

Dumbledore waved off the suggestion. "No, no. He is quite fond of that one. However, should you agree, Katlin, solely if you agree," the old wizard added as he studied her, "I think you would benefit greatly from talking with Mr. Black."

Katlin paused in astonishment. "Talking?" she ask.

Dumbledore gave her a small nod.

Katlin gave a short laugh. "Old wizard, you must be the greatest fool I have ever met."

The Headmaster shrugged. "Possibly."

"Why should I want to talk with the man? I was sent here on a mission to kill him. One I am very keen on completing."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then you are satisfied with all the answers you have?"

"Answers?" Katlin questioned. "To what?"

"One would have thought for why you feel Mr. Black lied to you."

Katlin raised her wand again, irritated at the delay the old man was causing her. "I am sick of your semantics, old fool." she stated. "Get out of my way or I will get you out of it on my own."

"And on that route all you will get is to leave." Dumbledore informed her. "For you will not find either of your targets, I promise you. You will return to Lord Voldemort having failed in your mission utterly."

Katlin paused as the old wizard's words seemed to find their mark without any hesitation.

"It does not matter." she replied in a lower tone. "He can have no less faith in me than he does now. He likely even expects me to have failed."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort has not lost faith in you, Katlin. Nothing could make him do that."

"How would you know?" she ask, her voice dark and low.

The old wizard smiled at her. "Empathy, child."

"Empathy?" Katlin could hardly keep from laughing at the old man. "What empathy could you possibly have with the dark lord?"

"A great deal, actually." Dumbledore answered her soberly. "I understand the man better than you think."

Katlin folded her arms again. "He says you are a fool. And a misguided one at that."

Dumbledore laughed slightly. "I am sure he does."

Katlin sighed to herself. She seemed to be doing nothing more here than entertaining the old fool.

"You said you had advice, old man. Let me hear it, and then get out of my way!"

The old wizard fixed a very hard, serious stare on her. "Talk to Orion, Katlin. Hear what he has to say."

"Why should I?" she fired back. "Give me one good reason........and I will."

The old man didn't hesitate in answering her. "Because you need answers, and you have none."

"I have all I need."

"You say you are being lied to, Katlin. And you are right. But currently it is to yourself."

"More semantics."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I told you you were free to go at any time. I will even show you to the front doors. But that is all you will get from me."

Katlin pulled her wand up again and pointed it at the old man. "You will take me to the Auror, old man, or I will kill you where you stand."

"We've already discussed this, Katlin." Dumbledore stated. "And I am more than willing to put my words to the test if need be."

Katlin stood for a very long time with her wand pointed at the old man before her. She had backed off from killing him once because she believed him unarmed. But not five minutes later he had produced her wand.

Perhaps this time he was hiding another wand somewhere as well.

Or perhaps he wasn't.

Katlin fought furiously with her doubts. But in the end, the wand slowly lowered.

"You are not my target." she stated. The reason was pitious, but it was the only one she could come up with at the moment. "And Voldemort did not order me to kill you."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Then I am grateful I have not earned any more of his attention." he replied.

"However, know that on principle alone I should have killed you from the start."

The old wizard continued to smile at her. "Then I am equally grateful to have earned so much of your attention, that you chose not to."

Katlin sighed quietly to herself. The old man was either devilishly clever or a raving lunatic.

The problem was she wasn't sure which.

"What is it you want, old man?" she stated, pointing her wand back at him. "I have business to attend to."

"Finding your 'target'?"

"Yes."

"I have already told you, child. You will never find Mr. Black as long as the castle refuses to allow you to do so."

"Then I suggest you change its mind." Katlin stated, her wand again pointed menacingly at the old wizard.

But the old man only calmly shook his head. "I can't do that." he replied. "The castle has quite a mind of its own. And it has no intention of allowing Mr. Black to come to any harm."

"Really?" Katlin practically sneered at him. "And why is that? Was he its favorite student here or so?"

The old man shrugged. "Not particularly that I was aware. No. I think it has more to do with the fact that Mr. Black helped set up the wards about this school that keep it safe from intruders."

Katlin laughed. "Really? Then your castle should drop him out of the air before me as a matter of course. Because his wards are not doing as well of a job as it thinks."

The old man frowned. "Really? And how is that?"

Katlin quickly decided the old wizard was a raving lunatic. "Because, old fool," she stated, gesturing to herself. "I am here. A Deatheater. One of Voldemort's Elite, no less. And yet by a simple spell, the Deatheaters have managed to break through your castle's precious wards. Without alerting a soul inside." Katlin paused briefly, realizing she may have been a bit rash in revealing such a piece of information. But she had made her point, and that was what mattered to her at the moment. "So, oh great castle," she announced to the walls on either side of her, "your grand protector is not as great as you seem to think."

Katlin turned back to the old wizard. She expected him to look at the very least minorly alarmed at her pronouncement. But instead she met the same irritating smile as he again shook his head.

"What?" she stated.

"The castle's wards did not fail to protect it, Katlin." he replied. "In fact, they did just as they were suppose to."

"You regularly let Deatheaters in then?"

"Only one." he answered. "And I am sorry, but it is not by any spell a Deatheater cast."

"Not by a spell?"

"Not by one cast by a Deatheater, child. The spell that got you through the wards was cast by the wards' caster." The old man carefully pointed to the small pendent hidden under her robes. "Placed on your necklace, I believe."

Katlin's hand subconsciously went to her throat, feeling the small pendent under the material.

"My pendent? Why would I have such a spell on my pendent?"

The old man gave an amusingly exasperated look at the ceiling. "Ah, more questions." he stated, turning back to her. "But I suppose you have no desire to have those answered either. Well, come along, child. The corridors are too cold for me this time of the night. I will take you to the front doors and you may be on your way."

Katlin watched as the old wizard fearlessly turned his back on her and began to walk away.

"Just a moment!" Katlin tried to sound authoritative, but somehow missed entirely and ended with sounding very desperate. "Why would anyone place such a spell on my pendent? And how do I even know what you told me is true?"

The old man continued to walk. "I have no idea. And you don't." he replied, answering each question in turn.

As Katlin all but ran to catch up to him, the old man stopped abruptly and turned to her. "But I know who can answer your questions." he said with that small, maddening smile.

"The Auror." Katlin stated with disgust. The old man was just leading her about by the nose, and she was quite tired of it. "Well, he can keep his answers. I have no interest in them."

The old wizard shrugged, then turned about and continued on. "Very well. Come along then."

Katlin paused, then hurried after him. If nothing else, walking with him gave her what she needed. Time to sort of few things out. But keeping up with the old man proved a task in and of itself. The potion was still working against her mobility, and she found again all she could do was shuffle after him.

"Just a minute!" Katlin called to the retreating figure.

The blue robes in front of her halted, then came back to where she was.

"Is there a problem?"

"I..........," Katlin wasn't about to admit to any disadvantage. But she had to tell him something. "What if I agree to talk to the Auror?" she ask instead, since she could think of absolutely nothing else to say.

The old man smiled. "Then I will take you to him."

"That simple?"

The old wizard nodded. "That simple."

Katlin paused for a very long time. What if she agreed to hear him out? So what? He couldn't tell her anything she would believe anyway. He had lied before. He would likely be lying now. And it would at least give her one last attempt at her target...or at least one of them.

What could it hurt?

"Very well." she responded finally in a very regal tone. "I choose to stay then, and talk to your Auror."

The old man's smile lit his whole face. "Wonderful!" he stated. But his smile quickly faded. "Oh, but I am afraid you will have to do so without your wand, Katlin. I can't allow that, you understand."

Katlin hesitated.

"You may keep it until I take you to him."

The added offer shocked her slightly. But she quickly accepted it with a small nod. At least until then, she had some additional protection. Once she was face to face with the Auror she would deal with things from there.

The old wizard turned and headed off down the corridor. But he abruptly stopped again, nearly causing Katlin to run into him as she set her feet in motion and quickly shuffled off after him.

"Oh, and I do think you would benefit from a few hours rest first, child." he offered kindly. "Our Madam Pomfrey's potions have a way of sneaking up on you. Why, I remember her giving me one once, when I was a good deal younger, mind you, and then deciding that I wanted to go off for a walk down by the forest. Well, she had warned me about going off anywhere, suggesting strictly that I go to bed instead. But I was quite sure I would have no trouble, and so off I went for my walk. Well, just shortly after leaving the castle............."

(Scene Change)

Katlin never did remember what happened to the old wizard after he left the castle. All she knew next was that she woke up back in the infirmary, a very irritated guard looking down at her. A large bandage over one eye.

Katlin quickly pulled back in the bed. The first thing she registered was that her hand was wrapped tightly about a thin pole.

Her wand!

She quickly pulled it out and pointed it at the man.

"Right then." he stated without so much as moving a muscle at the threatened assault other than to turn his head over his shoulder. "She's up then, Professor." he called.

The curtain behind him pulled back and the old wizard peered about it.

"Ah, very good." he stated, stepping around it as the guard more or less stormed out of the small curtained room. "How are you feeling, Ms. Griss?"

Katlin slowly lowered her wand as the earlier events came back to her.

"Better." she stated slowly. Oddly enough, she did feel remarkably better than she last remembered. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours."

"What time is it?"

"Well past breakfast, I'm afraid. But I am sure the house elves wouldn't mind getting you something to eat. A bit of toast and bacon, perhaps?"

Katlin's stomach all but jumped at the offer. Perhaps a bit of food wasn't a bad idea. And she had her wand still. She could check it for any poisons or potions added to it.

She quickly nodded and the old wizard disappeared around the corner again.

A few moments later a small creature, just about only as high as her bed, appeared with a tray. It seemed so nervous it could hardly hold the tray still in its shaking hands. It managed to set it on the table next to her bed and then quickly scampered out of the room again.

Katlin watched it disappear around the curtain, then quickly turned her attention to the tray. A wonderful array of toast, rolls, biscuits, bacon, and eggs beaconed to her from the table. Along with a pitcher of orange juice and a glass. But Katlin held back as she pulled out her wand and performed a quick spell on it.

But no warnings appeared to alert her to any poisons.

But perhaps the old man had cast a spell on her wand? Made it unable to detect such things.

Katlin pulled back in the bed, still staring wistfully at the tray as her mouth watered.

"Here, aren't you going to eat?" a voice ask.

Katlin looked up to see the young guard standing at the curtain, watching her. She simply stared at him, then shook her head.

"Bloody Deatheaters." he stated with disgust. "Think the whole worlds out to poison the lot of you. Well, Professor Dumbledore said you was to be treated right good. Nothing funny." the man pointed to his bandage. "That's all that's keeping me from paying you back a right good one for this."

Katlin stared up at the young guard, saying nothing. She watched as he walked in and grabbed the tray table and swung it away from her, pulling up a chair for himself. "Well, as that I've gots to watch you, and I see no reason in letting good food go to waste," he added, holding a piece of toast up to her, "cheers, Love."

Katlin watched the young man heartily dig into the food. She carefully fingered her wand. Maybe the poison just didn't effect him?

If she could test her wand, she could prove if it was working or not. Katlin pulled it up slightly, but paused. The guard might think she was trying to attack him or so.

Katlin cast a slight glance at the young man. To her surprise, he was watching her with some interest.

"Go on." he stated past a mouthful of eggs and toast. "You can't hurt me with the thing. Professor saw to that. Do whatever you like."

Katlin paused, then quickly pointed her wand at a roll on the tray. It quickly lifted off the tray and flew into her waiting hand.

"Here, there's only one of those!" the young man complained.

Only one? Possibly they poisoned just the one and the guard knew not to take it.

Katlin quickly levitated it back to the tray.

The guard huffed at the act, then picked the roll up and broke it in two, offering half to her.

Katlin paused with wide eyes, then slowly reached out and took the offered roll from him. She practically stuffed it down, not realizing just how hungry she was.

"Here, that's what I like." he stated with the smallest touch of a smile. "A woman with a good appetite."

Katlin quickly finished the roll, but held back from taking anything more. But noting her stare, the guard broke a another roll in half and handed it to her, quickly biting into his own half.

And so the meal progressed. It wasn't long before Katlin stopped only taking what was offered to her and had the guard fix her a plate of what she wanted. It was only then that she noted that the tray indeed had had two plates set on it, as well as two glasses, one set inside the other.

Katlin didn't speak one word to her guard past what she told him to give her, but kept a careful watch on him as she ate. The man had already stated he was far to eager to pay her back for her earlier actions to suit her liking. But the young man seemed to pay her little mind as he took several additional helpings off the tray.

As for herself, Katlin only ate the one portion. That on top of three roll halves she felt was more than adequate to clear her senses.

But finally an hour or so later another house elf appeared, followed closely behind by the old wizard. But whereas the first elf had been small and thin, this one certainly did not look as though he lacked a healthy appetite.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast, Ms. Griss?" he asked. "I do hope the food was to your liking."

"She ate just fine once she had decided we wasn't trying to knock her off with no poison." the guard eagerly informed the Headmaster.

"Poison?" Dumbledore stated with a slight chuckle. "Oh no. That is the last thing you would have to worry about here, Ms Griss." he stated as the elf took the tray off the table. "The house elves take a great deal of pride in the food they prepare. If anyone were to try poisoning it, they would never let them hear the end of it. Would you, Dairs?"

The elf looked up at Dumbledore, then turned to Katlin. "Something is wrong with Daies' food?" he asked with all the subtly of someone having insulted the headwaiter at an upper-class restaurant.

"Ms. Griss was simply concerned her food might have been poisoned, Dairs." the old wizard answered.

The little elf's frown deepened into a scowl as he stared up at her. "Poison?" he asked. "Poison?"

Katlin was sure the poor little creature was about to explode right in front of her as his face got redder by the moment.

"Dairs food is not poison!" he stated. "Dairs has cooked for some of the highest ranking of the wizard world. None complains of poison!" The elf turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. "Poison indeed."

Dumbledore watched the stout little elf leave with a bemused smile before turning back to Katlin.

"He is so easily offended." he stated.

Katlin paused as she settled herself back down from the elf's tirade. "So, aside from checking on how I liked Dairs' food, what else brings you here?" she asked.

Dumbledore smiled back at her. "I am here to take you to see Mr. Black."

Q&A

(The first reviews are the old answers to my first posting of Chapter Forty-Five. New answers follow those.)

Silverfox:

Poor Johnathan is operating under the delusion he has it all under control. But in the next few chapters Katlin is going to show the man he has missed with the wrong Elite. And not happy enough with just the potential that that alone offered for trouble, he went ahead and dragged an Unspeakable into the mix. Some people just don't know when to stop. And Johnathan is one of them. Since he continued on in his quest and also involved Voldemort. If it ever hits the fan, he'll be lucky to get out alive.

Yes, it would take one Harry Potter to get rid of the top guy. Unfortunately, Harry is currently laying in his playpen, happily cuddling his blanky.

True. Treaks is up against some heavy fan club competition.

Genius boggart? Never heard Bo described that way before. And true, Orion discounts Bo's statements a bit too often. But Orion also has a very naive view of Bo. To him the boggart is mostly harmless. And that's not entirely wrong. I mean, Bo isn't suddenly going to turn evil or anything. I have no plans for that. At least not for no reason. But when the wheels start turning and you can practically smell the smoke standing next to him, the boggart is not a creature to be taken lightly. After all, Bo is, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a powerful force given a personality (and I use that word loosely). But he is basically non-corporeal. The only reason he has the robes about him is so you know where he is. With that in mind, note that he is no idiot. The only thing that makes him seem so is, one, he's not in his 'realm'. Go to Mexico without any prior information and knowing not so much as 'si', and see how well you do. And two, he may be a powerful force, but he's currently stuck in the mind of a three year old. Which he seems to actually be enjoying.

But in the end, dear, yes, Orion would do well to pay more attention to Bo.

Ohhhhhhh........., you have been thinking on this one. And I will say this to you. Remember how I always said, if you get something right, but it hasn't been in the story yet, I won't answer you? With that in mind, we move on to the next part.

First off, yes, the foreign power is Voldemort's.

Next, no, it is not the same thing as between Orion and Charly. Katlin is a true, full-blooded witch.

You lost me with the silver hand reasoning, Dear.

Next, all I'm saying is, 'what makes you so sure?'.

No, no memory spell. The story as Katlin told it to Orion is 100% accurate.

How does being a host shorten one's life but extends Bo's? Bo is not a human, Dear. He's a magical creature (for lack of a better term). Or at least, that is what the boggart part of him is. The 'Power' itself is a non-corporeal entity. It's not a person or a thing really. It's pure magical power......with a personality (see above disclaimer). So, how long do boggart's live? We were never told. But I'm assuming longer than humans or wizards. If I ever said specifically that being part of the 'Power' extended the boggart's lifespan, I apologize. That was wrong. I only meant to imply that boggarts seem to live longer than humans or wizards and witches.

What's more adorable than a kitty? The sight of someone else taking it home. (Get off of me, people! I've had more cats than you will ever dream of. Almost all strays.)

How does it help Dumbledore gain an ally by being nice to her? Dumbledore is thinking into the future, Dear. Nothing specific. Just 'better a friend than a enemy'.

Talon would not be dismally disappointed to see his son separated from his wand, no. Probably offer to buy him a new one if he thought Orion would accept. But is Talon the first person on that list? Not by a long shot.

OK. The next part. 'Being a channeler is not a big factor in one's life'. I had to go a re-read my answer last time to see how you came up with that one, Dear. And once I did re-read it I could see how. Bad wording on my part. Being a channeler for Bo is a very big part of Orion's life. As callously as he seems to treat the boggart at times, he is very devoted to his childhood friend. Bo is a tremendous influence on Orion's life. All in all it's a very big 'mutual-admiration society' they have going on, Dear. However, what I meant to imply, and got so very wrong, was that Bo was not a big factor in the circumstances that made Orion's second wand choose him. Hence 'Bo was not a big factor in Orion's life when he got his second wand'. Was that better, Dear?

Next, again, I never meant to imply Orion accepted the separation docilely. And when he told the story to Katlin, he was very plain that he didn't. He was very angry at his father. But he was also eleven years old and extremely confused about why his father was so angry and at the same time so afraid for him. He didn't see that he had done anything wrong. For months he had been playing with the boggart. And Bo had become a sort of mentor to him. A compassionate adult figure in his life. Basically, Bo had become a friend. Then suddenly, his father comes into the picture, tells him he's not to see his friend anymore and proceeds to tell him his friend is really out to hurt him and has been lying to him. That makes for a whole lot of anger and whole lot of confusion for an eleven year old. Plus, Orion now finds that he's a channeler for a potentially very powerful and very enigmatic force. That's a lot for an eleven year old to handle. (Granted, he didn't find out he could channel the 'Power' until later, but still..........).

Why would any of that effected my ability to post this chapter, Dear?

skahducky:

Bit short for you, Dear. But I understand finals and fried brain cells. Hope you do well on them.

Hey, 'best laid plans........', Dear. Indeed, something could go wrong no matter how well you plan it.

Yes, Katlin is starting to think things through. Problem is, she's REALLLLLLLLLLLLY thinking things through now. Something that can lead to problems.

Nessie:

I get several comments on the 'fatherly-Voldemort' thing. But as I pointed out last chapter to Sirius-ly disturbed, Voldemort has not had the encounter with baby Harry yet. In PAR's universe, one would imagine that facing a Killing Curse and surviving it could be a bit detrimental to one's mental state. But that hasn't happened yet. And Katlin has stayed with the man all these years, is totally devoted to him and his cause, and sees him as something of a father-figure in her life. She's also somewhat intelligent and would not likely hook up that closely to someone who was nuttier than pecan pie and abused and abased her all these years. Katlin is also not the proud possessor of an 'abused victim' personality, and had Voldemort been that way to her, the only believable reaction would have been her kicking his arse.....regularly. He couldn't have been a raving, homicidal maniac all that time and managed as well to have gained so much love and devotion from Katlin.

Wasn't The Godfather a book before it was a movie?

Stay good, Dear.

FAMILY RELATIONS

Someone:

A lot of my responses deal with Family Relations, Dear. Probably because, despite it has not yet come out, it is a very popular story. Go figure.

And I think the story you were referring to was Ode to Harry Potter Summaries, which was my one and currently only poem based story based on all the bad summaries I have read.

But in relation to these notes you are talking about, Dear, what exactly was in them you had a suggestion about?

Thank you for saying I have a talent for writing. that is very kind.

I am working on Family Relations, (the sequel to Family Life). And I do hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. Look for it around August or September of 2004.

Reviews are as of 06192004.

And remember;

If I don't write it down, I'll forget it. (Now where did I put my pen?)

(From 06192004)

Sirius-ly disturbed:

Not such a fun time? Depends on 'for who', doesn't it?

Oh, such questions!

OK, slowly, from the top.

One, Bo's Memory Charm, as well as Dumbledore's aren't really 'failing'. At least not on their own. They are being set against by another spell which was placed by Bo to make sure the Memory Charms had only a limited life-span, so to speak. As the effectiveness of the Memory Charms wore off, Katlin started to slowly regain her memory. The problem was, she did so in the form of dreams. And with no one there to tell her what her dreams actually were, she disregarded them. As the dreams continued to strengthen, so was her memory coming back more and more clearly. Left on her own, she would have eventually remembered everything in the space of a few months. The problem being, she would have considered it all just some dream and not real.

Why couldn't Voldemort sense the Memory Charms? Yes, Dear. Because of Bo. And even as powerful as he is, Voldemort's power is no where even close to that the boggart could yield. That, of course, is balanced out by the fact that Bo doesn't know just how powerful he is.

Treaks' wanted to marry Katlin? He does, Dear. Because she is nearly the last rung on the ladder of his climb to power. The last being Voldemort. And since he couldn't circumvent her, he decided to get control of her by marrying her. But wanting 'her'. No. Even Katlin pointed out how maddening it was to her that of all the men who wanted to marry her, the one she was marrying was the one who didn't love her at all.

Never say never, Dear. And I was a faithful BVS watcher right until Angel left the show. (Bummer.) Then I watched it only occasionally. I kind of could see Treaks as an earlier 'Spike', before the 'Buffy' writers gave him a soul and all that.

Voldemort indeed feels some affiliation with Katlin. She is a orphan, her family and her life destroyed by people she utterly trusted. People she had been raised to love and protect. But anything special about her? Even Katlin said it; "There's nothing special about me. I'm not even a very good witch." But what she is good at, Voldemort exploits to its limit. Katlin has within herself a burning hatred that never found an outlet. Voldemort provided one for her. He took her in early, before she could channel that energy anywhere else, and he taught her to hate. That is a very dangerous lesson to give to a very impressionable 15-year-old girl. And everything was going very nicely until someone interfered. (Guess who.) Now suddenly, Katlin is learning to trust someone else. Or at least she was. And that is, in part, what is messing her up so badly. The one other person in the world she ever felt she could possibly begin to trust, betrayed her. That has left her feeling more than ever that the only person worthy of her trust...is Voldemort.

Bo isn't that hard to understand, Dear. Really. Not at his basic points. Simply put, you have a massively powerful entity (not a person, a 'power'), which has been given a personality and a form with which to interact with us humans. Problem is, all of this is tied up in the mind of a three year old. Dangerous? You bet. Thankfully, Bo has Orion, who views the boggart as a friend and confidant, and acts as sort of a daycare worker for the boggart.

Poor Orion.

nessie:

You're understanding the story? Could you draw up an outline and e-mail it to me, Dear? Would help me out immensely.

Wait. You understand the story.................but you don't understand who Treaks is working for? Dear, that's the easiest part. Treaks is working for himself. And you'll notice that whenever he is appearing very loyal to Voldemort, one of two things is going on. Either Voldemort is in the room, or being nice is working to Treaks advantage at the moment. Bottom line, he's out for himself, Dear.

What is Snape doing in Orion's room? Let's go back a minute. If you remember, Katlin left the door to Orion's room open. Not all the way, but enough to attract attention. Which is exactly what it did with Snape. And Snape is a (former) Deatheater. Dear, he would know who Katlin is. As well as likely know her voice. And hearing it within the castle walls could not mean anything good. So he investigated. All very innocent, you see? So get your mind out of the gutter. Honestly!

You don't like my loving-Voldemort rendition? Come on. Give him a try. You're going to see a LOT more of him. Besides, I hold to the idea that this being pre-Harry Potter Encounter, he is still relatively sane and can speak in coherent sentences, some of which even fail to mention murdering muggles in any way, shape, or form.

Silverfox:

Sigh What is it with you guys and Snape being in Orion's bedroom? Go see nessie's answer above. I'm not writing that all out again.

Katlin most definitely is not forgetting Treaks. Voldemort, however, is a coin toss. Treaks is, after all, his third-in-command. A highly rated Deatheater and good at his job. He just needs to be watched a little more closely, as that he is sneaky and devious and highly homicidal.

It would be very hard to compare Bo to his own kind. I feel no need to emphasize 'why'.

You're very good, Dear. I'm giving you a gold star for that last piece of deductive reasoning (gold star that Fanfiction's new format keeps deleting for no apparent reason).

And that's my new and improved gold star, by the way. But yes, Bo's current state suits his circumstances very well. The problem is, he needs something of a caretaker. Enter Orion.

Offering to buy him a new wand is sort of the 'non-violent' way of separating him from his first one. And Talon is more inclined to go for that option, since Orion is, after all, his son. However, there are those about who would not hesitate to opt for the 'prying his cold fingers from around it' choice.

Cold and scary? Not really. Cold and stoic maybe. More of a 'loose cannon' than anything (Where do you think Orion gets it from?). But sadly, Orion and his father have not been close since he was about........oh........eleven? But up until then, Orion was daddy's pride and joy. Imagine how hard it had to be to go from being your father's center of attention to something he barely even acknowledged. And it wasn't out of hatred or disappointment on Talon's part. He simply didn't know what to do with his son anymore. The family had never had a simple 'channeler', only hosts. Now his son had access to this incredibly dangerous power, and Talon isn't sure just how much or how far Orion can tap into it. And the boy ain't talking because he figures doing so would endanger his friend. The only thing that really keeps them talking is Orion's mother, Adrianna. She is the lead rod in the nuclear reactor. And a vital role she plays. Consider what could happen if Orion and his father ever really got into a fight. Orion is the channeler and Talon is the host. Interesting.

Reviews are as of 06272004.

And remember;

May God grant you always,

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering Angel,

So nothing can harm you.