A/N: Yes, yes. I'm late. Missed last week. And the next. But it was a bit of a hectic holiday season.

I started it with having to attend the funeral of a woman I worked with. A sweeter soul the world never knew. If anyone ever defined the phrase 'perpetually happy to the point we are a little suspicious of her', it was Nina, who would probably be equally amused by the description.

Nina Fralic died December 13th, 2004 in a tragic car accident, where the car she was in was hit by a truck. Many will miss you, Nina. And I am one of them.

After that I had my usual Saturday rush of making it to church at 4:30 and then I went home to bed with a migraine.

Sunday I was back to church, then off to my nephew's Christening, back home, and then off to the celebration of his first birthday.

Then was Christmas, where, as we sat opening presents, we got word my aunt over in Holland had died the night before.

There were several other things I will no bore you with here. Suffice to say, I am glad to see January 2nd.

So you see, it wasn't the best holiday season for me.

Back to the story. As mentioned, this is just one of my typical little jaunts. Nothing overly serious until the end. And it actually ends in two parts. This story is the first part. The second part was added because I didn't want to leave you hanging with no conclusion to the last chapter. You'll see what I mean when you get there. The second part will also be your first glimpse of Hershal Beckett. I know I told you he first appeared in Family Relations. You can chalk that up to evolving storylines. Hershal was not originally any part of Runaway. But later I found his character to be just what I needed to bring the story to the end I wanted.

This story will also give you a slightly different view of Katlin. Runaway encompasses Katlin in all of her Deatheater glory. Showing her for all she can be. Beautiful as well as deadly. But she also has a very sharp, very cunning, and sometimes very dangerous mind. The only vague spot in Runaway would be which game is she really playing. The role she assumes or the actual part. Good luck with that one.

And also, so where does this take place? You can comfortably slip it in right after the last chapter of Family Life. That will work fairly well I think.

One last thing. I had two choices here, folks. 'Post' or 'Proof read'. I chose 'Post, so you get to 'Proof read' and forgive the errors. And in reference to that, I should like to remind you of two things.

1. My caps key is a little funny about working.

2. My 'O' key is downright unemployed.

But, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, or Happy Holidays, whichever suits.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nothing has really changed since Enemies, folks. So just go back and read those disclaimers if you're that unsure.

: Nothing has really changed since , folks. So just go back and read those disclaimers if you're that unsure.

Chapter One: How Did The Day Go So Wrong

Harry sat on the stone floor, staring at a small stream of water that ran inbetween the stones towards the door of the cell he currently sat in.

How could a day that started out so normally have gone so wrong so fast?

He had woken up that morning and, looking outside at the clear blue sky, had decided it would be a good day to meet Ron and Hermione in Diagon Alley for a bit of pre-school shopping. In truth, he had no intention of even looking at anything that even remotely resembled a book. But it was a good excuse to convince Hermione to come if she thought she could get a jump on her new year reading.

And so with a hundred promises to Arabella and Sirius to be careful, be alert, and be home before dark, Harry got permission to meet his friends in Diagon Alley without his guardians tagging along for once. Harry had promised a very nervous looking Arabella over and over he would be careful right up to throwing floo powder into the fireplace. And with a happy call for Diagon Alley, Harry was off for a day of shop browsing with his friends.

When he thought back on things. Harry guessed that that was where things had started to go wrong. In the middle of being transported to Diagon Alley, he had felt a slight pull. Like he was almost shifted off in a different direction. But the feeling past quickly and he thought no more of it. When he landed in Diagon Alley, he quickly set off to find Ron and Hermione. They had planned to meet at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry thought that would be a fairly good place to start their day. But as he hurried through the crowd, he failed to notice a tall, thin man fall into step behind him. A few feet more and another joined him. By the time Harry realized he was being followed it was far too late to even call for help. Harry tried to loose himself in the crowd to get away from the two men. But as soon as they realized they had been spotted, the two descended on the teenage boy, each grabbing an arm, and suddenly disappeared before Harry even thought to scream for help.

Harry recognized the feeling of being apparated under someone else's control. As soon as he felt himself land, the world slipped into darkness around him. He thought he had heard someone speak a stunning spell, but he wasn't sure. When he woke up, he was in the cell he was in now.

Harry could only imagine the two men to have been Deatheaters, and that he had to be in the Deatheater lair, with no idea how long he had been there.

Harry couldn't even begin to imagine what his godparents and his friends were going through. He didn't even want to try.

As he continued to stare at the grey stone floor before him, the sound of footsteps approaching caused him to look up.

As the woman came into view, Harry found himself staring at her despite his best efforts not to. The woman was a stunning collection of perfection. Even in her Deatheater robes, Harry could tell she was every model's dream of perfect measurements. A cascade of light, auburn tinted hair framed a sculpted face and a row of pearl white teeth formed a disarmingly friendly smile. In her small, slender hands, she held a dark mahogany wand.

As she approached the cell, Harry couldn't fight off the feeling of how out of place that smile seemed for some reason. He doubted a man in the world would have turned it down. But for some reason it made him feel very uncomfortable.

"So," the woman said in a soft, solicitous voice as she crouched in front of the cell bars, her hands resting in her lap. "You're Harry."

Harry couldn't have imagined any other voice that he would have matched to her. It had a soft, musical quality to it that could have you listening to it for hours and never grow tired of hearing it. But just the same he managed to give the woman a very sour look.

"So," he replied curtly, "you're a Deatheater?"

The woman's smile only faltered slightly. "I suppose you have reason to be hostile and mistrusting." She said gently.

Harry looked around his cell, then back at the woman at he bars. "Suppose?"

The smile softened. "We're not all torture-happy, rabid fiends, you know, Harry."

Harry stared back at the woman. More than anything, she was making him extremely nervous, and all he wanted was for her to go away.

As Harry studied her, the woman seemed to be searching desperately for something to say. "So," she began again, "would you like anything?"

"My freedom?"

The woman looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "I can imagine you would." she replied in the same soft voice, now barely above a whisper. "I can't imagine I would like being in a cage very much myself."

"So let me go."

The woman bit her bottom lip as she stared back at him through the bars of the cage. "Harry, what if....." But she stopped abruptly and got to her feet so quickly it took Harry a second to register the change. The woman was instantly the picture of other Deatheaters who had come to his cell since he had arrived.

Standing straight backed with her hands behind her, she looked down at him past emotionless eyes.

"The dark lord will not stand for your behavior forever, Harry Potter." She stated as though she were reading each word from a well rehearsed script. "You will tell him what he wants to know."

Harry sat in stunned silence. He didn't know what to say in the face of the sudden change. But nor did he have long to ponder the question when another voice echoed from the darkness.

"And he is growing impatient."

Another Deatheater joined the woman. This one a man. From Harry's viewpoint the woman seemed intimidated by him as she cast her eyes down at his approach and didn't look up again.

"What has the boy said?" The man demanded.

The woman paused before she answered him. "He's still in shock." She answered in a low voice. "He hasn't said much of anything."

"Shock?" The man stated in disbelief. "The boy is no more in shock than I am. And the dark lord is awaiting some report of what we have learned from him. It will go very badly if I have to return to him empty handed."

Harry noted the man never said 'who' it would go bad for. Himself or the woman.

"I have barely had time to question him." The woman protested, but with no real force behind her words. "It takes time to get the information our lord wants."

"Then get on with it!" The man state sharply, causing the woman to cringe slightly back from him. "I'll return in an hour. I expect something by then."

Harry watched the woman stare after the man as he left. A look somewhere between contempt and disgust on her face. "It's people like you that give Deatheaters a bad name." She sneered after him when he was out of earshot.

Almost instantly the woman turned back to Harry as a door slammed shut further down the corridor.

"Well then," she said, reverting back to her bright, smiling persona as she crouched back in front of the bars, "where were we?"

"Torture happy rabid fiends?" Harry offered.

The woman's smile grew. "So, you still have some sense of humor then." She said.

"Oh, yeah. I'm laughing myself silly here."

The woman cocked her head slightly to the side with a puzzled look. "Sorry. Missing that, Harry."

Harry remained silent.

"Well, lets start with some basics then, shall we?"

"Basics?"

The woman stuck her hand inbetween the bars as she reached into the cage. "I'm Katlin Griss. Formerly known as 'the Deatheater'."

Harry pulled back from the offered hand.

Katlin pulled back slightly, her face echoing her disappointment at his reaction. "Oh. I see." She said as the smile faded from her face. She pulled back and rested her hands in her lap again. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know, Harry." She said quietly.

Harry remained silent as he stared back at her.

"You don't believe me?"

Harry still said nothing.

"Well?"

"Then what was all that before?" Harry asked. "About getting information out of me for Voldemort?"

The woman gave a short, snorting laugh that was as out of place under the circumstance in Harry's view as if she'd suddenly jumped up and started dancing.

"Oh. That." She replied. "Pretty good, huh?" She stood back up and again assumed her authoritative pose. "You will tell the dark lord what he wants to know, Harry Potter. We have ways to make you talk." The woman stared down at him past a very menacing stare.

"Tell you what?" Harry asked sincerely.

The woman snorted again as she crouched back in front of his cell door. "How the heck should I know? You're the one with the information, Harry."

"But I don't know what you want."

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Then this is going to take a lot longer than we thought, would be my guess."

Harry scooted further back in the cell.

Katlin's expression soften as she watched him. "You're trying very hard to be brave." She said in a quiet voice. "But I wouldn't blame you a bit for being scared. I would be. Grabbed off the street where you thought you were safe. Taken from your home, from the people who love you. No one knows where you are, and no one can help you. Completely at the dark lord's mercy, and you know he hasn't got any. I would be scared out of my mind."

Harry did his best to look a little less scared. The last thing he wanted was for the woman to know he was.

Katlin was still staring at him from outside the bars, the solicitous smile once again dominating her features.

"I meant what I said, Harry." She said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. And I don't want to see you get hurt."

"So why don't I just talk and get it over with?" Harry asked, putting as much defiance in his voice as he could.

Katlin shook her head. "You're not getting it, Harry." She said. "All I want is to help you if you'll let me."

"Help me? How?"

"How would you like to go home?"

"Home?"

"Yes. Would you like that?"

"How?"

Katlin stood up and pulled out her wand. She spoke a quick spell and tapped the lock on the cell door.

Harry could hear the bolts sliding out of the lock and the door suddenly swung open a few inches. Katlin reached out and pulled it open the rest of the way until it was standing wide open before Harry.

"How is this for starters?"

Despite the urge to run for the open door, Harry stayed exactly where he was, making no move at all.

"We don't have all day, Harry." Katlin warned, holding her hand out to him.

Harry slowly got to his feet and took one step towards freedom, but never took the proffered hand. But quite suddenly she reached in and grabbed one of his and yanked him out, closing the door after him. Harry quickly noted that with that one gesture she had effectively cut off his options as to what to do. He had little choice now but to follow her or wander about on his own until he might accidentally find his way out, but more likely run across another Deatheater.

"Now stay with me." she ordered in a low whisper. "And don't make so much as a sound."

Harry involuntarily pulled against her hold, but gave up almost immediately as he felt the fingers tighten around his wrist until the grip was almost painful. Following the Deatheater wasn't coming with many options. And she didn't seem to mean him any harm. At least not yet.

Harry decided he had best stick close to the woman or risk getting lost in the lair. And so he stayed up with her as best he could. Several times he felt her grip slip free of his hand. But instead of trying to run in some other direction, Harry inexplicitly found himself seized by a sudden fear and tightened his own grip on her hand. As they continued, Katlin started letting go of his hand for short periods of time when she would tell him to stay put and she would go ahead a short distance to check a side corridor. But now when she reached for his hand again, Harry willingly laid it back in her's. An act that brought the smallest smile to her lips as she would then lead them on.

After what seemed like the better part of a half hour, Harry felt the cool night air suddenly wash over him as they stepped outside. But he had little time to enjoy it as Katlin quickly led him into the forest, never slowing their pace as they rushed off into the brush.

But after only a few minutes Katlin stopped without warning and looked about.

"What is it?" Harry ask, having nearly collided with her back.

"Oh no." she whispered. "It's far to soon."

Harry abruptly found himself pulled to the ground.

"Stay down!" Katlin stated in an urgent whisper. "And stay silent!"

"But what......?"

"Silent!" Katlin reiterated in a firmer voice.

Harry lay prone on the ground. As he listened to his own breathing, anther sound caught his attention. It was like a rush of wind headed towards them through the trees.

A hand forced his head back down as Harry tried to look up to see the source of the noise.

"No!" Katlin cried, raising her voice over the sound of the approaching wind. "Keep your head down!"

Seconds after Harry dropped his head back down, he felt a violent rush of wind blast past him, no more than a few inches, he guessed, above him. He could feel small branches, twigs, and other debris drop over his back, arms, and legs as the wind rushed past.

And suddenly as it had come, the wind dissipated. And as quickly as she had thrown him to the ground, Katlin pulled Harry back to his feet.

"Voldemort knows you've escaped. " Katlin informed him."We're going to have to move quicker now. "

"Quicker?"

"Can you apparate, Harry?"

Harry shook as head.

Katlin bit her lower lip again as she said stood staring at him, as though running ideas over in her mind. Moments later she seemed to settle on one as she positioned herself behind him and wrapped her arms about him.

"Sorry for the lack of explanation, Harry. " she whispered as Harry felt himself being pulled away from the place that has he had been standing

Harry knew the feeling of having someone else help you apparate. Sirius had done the same thing with him several times. But the feeling change as something seem to abruptly grab hold of him and gave a sharp pull. Thinking maybe they had reached wherever Katlin was taking them, Harry opened his eyes only to find himself staring at darkness. A sharp yank from around his waist caused him to close his eyes again as he felt the air forced out of his lungs. The pulling increased in strength as Harry felt and equal force attempting to move him in the opposite direction.

Remembering the Katlin had been behind him, Harry lent all of his aid to the grip about his waist, trying as hard as he could to pull free of the other force.

With one more firm yank, Harry felt the force in front of him let go, and he fell backwards with a solid thud.

Opening his eyes, Harry found himself at first staring up the sky. But he was yank yet again to his feet to be met by Katlin's anxious stare as she looked him over quickly.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

"Yeah. What was that? I felt like I was being pulled into different directions."

"Well, you were. Voldemort found us just as I tried to apparate out with you and tried to bring us back into the lair. I only just managed to get us away from him with your help."

"Are we safe?"

Katlin shook her head. "He knows you gone. And he knows. . . " Katlin stopped suddenly has she let out a piercing scream of pain, her left hand wrapping itself about her lower right arm.

"Katlin!?" Harry rushed towards her as she collapsed to her knees, biting back any further cries of pain.

"Katlin, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Voldemort. " Katlin gasp as she kneeled on the ground. But she managed to pull herslef up enough to grab Harry by the arm and shoved him away from her. "Harry, go. " She told him in the voice full of pain. "Just go. Run as fast as you can from this place. "

"But what about you?"

katlin shook her head in silent resignation. "Voldemort knows I help you escaped." She held out her right arm to him and pulled up the sleeve of her robe. Underneath the sleeve a scar in the shape of the Dark Mark glowed like a fire beneath her skin.

Harry could see the sweat on Katlin face, and even in the dim light shining through the trees from the near full moon, could read the pain in her eyes. Whenever Voldemort was doing to her, she was in agony from it.

"Harry! Go!" She demanded again, pointing a shaking finger in the direction she wanted him to take.

Harry stayed where he was. "But what about you?" he ask quickly. "He'll come for you, won't he? He'll find you."

"I accomplished what I set out to do." Katlin told him. "Now please dn't make it for nothing. Go back to Hogwart's . It's just. . . . "

But she never got to finish as another wave of pain shot through her body and she collapsed to the ground with a scream of agony.

"But can't we do something?" Harry asked, carefully helping her to sit up slightly. "Make it so he can't hurt you?"

Katlin looked up at him, searching his face for a moment as the pain lessened its hold on her. "You would do that?" She as quickly. "Help the Deatheater?"

"I'd help someone who wanted to be free of Voldemort. " Harry answered resolutely.

Katlin studied him for a moment longer, then reached out and took his left hand. Carefully shaped placed it over the mark on her arm, which had died down in color to dull amber.

"Place your hand there," she instructed in a weak voice, "and don't let go until I say so. Alright?"

Harry nodded, trying to mask the uncertainty in his eyes. He listened to Katlin recite a brief spell. A bright light seeped out from under Harry's hand. As he watched, the pattern of the Dark Mark began to etch itself on his lower left arm in clear, black lines. When the mark was finished, it flashed a bright red, sending a wave of pain through Harry's arm and right into his brain. But despite the pain, Harry refuse to let go of Katlin arm.

When the pain subsided, Harry look down at his arm. Every trace of the Dark Mark was gone. But to his amazement, the mark was gone from Katlin's arm as well.

Katlin grabbed him in a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear. "Oh, thank you, Harry. You have no idea what it means to me to be free of that mark."

"You're welcome." Harry replied blankly, staring at his own mark.

"It won't come back." she said, following his stare.

Harry turned to her. "What did you do?"

"The spell transfer the mark from me to you. " Katlin's voice faltered for second. "I....I took a chance, Harry. I'm sorry to say I didn't know if it would work, but I was sure I could reverse the spells if it didn't. You weren't in any danger. But your own innate magic was enough to destroy the Dark Mark. " She gave him a pleased smile. "We're both free of it now." she added, slowly, almost painfully pulling herself to her feet. "Can you move?"

Harry pulled himself up with almost the same slowness. But after a few seconds to check his balance and his stance, he nodded to her.

"Good. We have to move quickly. But I don't recommend we try to apparate again. Voldemort seems to be able to tap into that too easily. And we'll be a lot harder to find on the ground."

"Where are we going?" Harry ask as he started after Katlin.

"The only place we'll be safe." she replied, turning around to face him. "Hogwart's. After that we'll get you back to your godparents. I'm sure they're practically out of their minds with worry by now."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the thought of being back with Sirius and Arabella. And he was certain Katlin's appraisal of their state wasn't far off the mark either.

How far is it to Hogwart's?"

Katlin's smile faded slightly. "It's a very long way, I'm afraid, Harry. At best it'll take us a few days to get there."

"But couldn't we just take the Night Bus or something like that?"

Katlin shook her head. "Everything that you can think of that could speed things up, I promise you, Voldemort thought of five minutes ago. And he likely already has someone watching every avenue of transportation we could try. My attempt to apparate proved that all too clearly." Katlin gave him a slightly waning smile. "We have to be very careful, Harry. Voldemort will do anything at this pint to get you back and capture me. Including outright abduction in front of muggles. He wouldn't care who saw what. He doesn't like to lose his prizes........and he doesn't tolerate traitors."

Harry stared up at her. Her last statement slowly sinking in. "What will Voldemort do if he catches you?" he ask quietly.

Katlin stared down at him in silence for a few seconds. But finally she reached out and gently caressed a hand over the side of his head, lightly stroking her fingers under his chin. "Far worse than you're thinking right now." she replied softly as she let her hand fall back to her side. "Far worse."

"Why did you help me then?" he ask. "I mean, it doesn't seem to me you're getting anything out of this but trouble."

Katlin's expression softened even more. "Because I know what he would do to you if I hadn't intervened. And for all I may have done in my life, Harry, I do not condone anyone torturing a child."

"I'm not a child." Harry stated quietly.

"Maybe you don't see yourself that way, Harry. And I am sure a lot of other people don't either. Dumbledore for one. And your godparents. Some of the things they have ask you to do, or things they have put you through, or expected of you, I think sometimes they forget that you are just a child. But all I saw when I looked into that cage, Harry, was a very frightened little boy. And who was trying very hard to be very brave. One I was not going to let Voldemort kill just for some stupid power he thinks you have."

"Sirius and Arabella would never hurt me." Harry replied, his voice rising slightly as he came to his godparents defense. "Nor would Professor Dumbledore."

Katlin held her hands up. "I'm not saying they would do it intentionally, Harry. I'm saying.......sometimes, maybe they don't see the danger. Or realize how great it is." She gave him a small smile. "Or maybe I'm just over-protective. I never had anyone before that I had to take care of. And now, suddenly, I have you."

"I don't need to be 'taken care of'." Harry muttered.

"Then just humor me for the next few days, O.K.? Because I think we'll both enjoy my 'taking care' of you a whole lot more than my 'interrogating you'. So," she added, changing the subject with a warming smile, "feel up to a trip?"

Harry paused for a moment, then returned her smile as he nodded and followed her off through the trees.

Q&A

ENEMIES

Nessie:

I hope you are enjoying Runaway so far, Dear. I was always told if you don't hook 'em with the first chapter, you're pretty much just wasting time after that.

I will certainly look at the story on your recommendation. However, I have to warn you that I am very biased towards the Sirius/Arabella relationship (for some reason).

Silverfox:

Actually, no. The wizard in the north did not kill the currier in Austria.

Sorry, but Orion and Katlin will have to keep their marriage a secret to all but those who need to know. At least for now. And indeed, I was looking forward to writing the chapter about Katlin inviting Treaks to the parade she held down Main Street, standing on the main float, waving a framed copy of her wedding license for all to see while she sang 'I'm his missus'. Oh well.

I'm afraid poor Katlin, if she thinks her life is stabilized at all, is in for an unpleasant surprise as time goes on. Some of it good, some of it....not so good. But she has a lot to face, and a lot of hard decisions to make.

What happened? Well, first off, Katlin had a lot to deal with in her personal life, so she was a bit distracted. That benefited Treaks, who, with his own followers within the Deatheaters, quickly manipulated that situation to his advantage. Through them, and with Katlin absent a good deal of the time, he managed to gain control of a good number of the Deatheaters. But not all. So, with Voldemort's downfall, you had a division of loyalties already. Those who followed Katlin and those who followed Treaks. And that, my Dear, is the recipe for disorganization if ever I heard it.

Second, Katlin was not in contact with Voldemort. Whatever gave you the idea she was? Katlin was as surprised at Voldemort's attack on the Potter's as anyone. So she obviously had no idea of his plans, or any immediate contact with him.

The effect the destruction of the lair had on Katlin and Orion's relationship is really secondary to the price Orion will have to pay for that act. Not the least of which being his father. As the host to the 'Power', do you think he wasn't aware of what happened? And actually, that confrontation was one of the parts I left out of Enemies and decided to possibly put it in somewhere else later, likely as a one shot story. But keep in mind what the ultimate cost of using the 'Power' is on the host.

Yup! There's a whole bunch of Deatheaters out there somewhere who owe their continued existence to miscommunication. Bo simply assumed Orion wanted only 'the lair' destroyed, not the people in it. And that was pure luck for the Deatheaters, and not benevolence on Bo's part. Remember that Bo does not understand the concept of 'death' as we do. He has some idea it is not a good thing, but not the real concept. So to tell him to 'kill' someone would not be something he would have any attack of conscience about. He would simply do it, then turn around like a little dog, wagging it's tail and expecting a treat for doing such a good job of it. It was just 'something to do' to him. This is one of the things that makes the concept of Bo in the wrong hands so dangerous. A nearly unlimited force, without a hint of moral conscience. At least where killing is concerned. Interesting that a creature that would not think to hurt his friend, could wipe out a whole city without a thought.

The Black family, having brought the 'Power' into being, likely have the best understanding of what Bo is. However, please keep in mind that Bo wasn't Bo before Orion's father, Talon Black. So naturally, every Black before that had a different view of the 'Power'. In fact, it was radically different. Before Talon, the 'Power' was a part of the host. It resided with him something like a symbiotic life form. But Talon put an end to that by giving the 'Power' of body of its own to deal with. Now the 'Power' had a physical form the family could relate to. However, Bo is also not an idiot. He is a sentient life form. He thinks and feels. But mostly, he thinks for himself. Which is sort of dangerous. So to say anyone knows 'all about Bo' is incorrect. What I meant by saying the Black's understand what Bo is, I meant only that, as the host family, they naturally know more about Bo than anyone else. How could they not? Especially when most people don't even know he exists.

That's very sweet of you, Dear. Compliments are always appreciated. And Family Relations will be out shortly after this story, although postings will be sparatic because I am working on a new writing project right now for which I am being paid. So that must take precedence. Working on my Fanfiction stories is what I do when I get bored with that.

Thank you so much for the kind words.

The rest of your answer in in the section below.

Skahducky:

I'm not sure I'll have the surgery, Dear. Someone in my office just had it done and, after hearing all about it, I am not that keen on it. I mean, think about not being able to use one hand for two weeks, or get it wet. And the surgery itself, while nt major, involves needles. PAR does NOT like needles, Dear. So we will see. I will need to do something though. The tests were fun. They literally shock you down your fingers and arm to test nerve response. Most of the areas were a pain. But the one on the muscle at the end of the thumb felt so good, they promised to leave the tester on a few extra minutes if I was god for the rest of the test areas. That tester, if you're wondering, was little more than a mini tazzer. Just like the police use.

Back to that, are we? Didn't someone, somewhere, recognize Katlin's name or that Orion was marrying a Deatheater? Somewhere I failed to present this properly. Dear, why would they? First ff, no one knows for sure what Katlin Griss looks like. I mean, they know she is a very beautiful, attractive, drop-dead gorgeous, sexy woman. But so are a lot of woman in the world. Granted, they are not all witches, but still.........! Second, Orion did not marry Katlin Griss, He married Katlin Hekren. No one knows her by that name but Orion, Voldemort, Charly, and Treaks. Oh, and the wizard in the north. (Think about it, folks.)

Yes, a lot was solved by Orion coming to terms with a few things. Mostly, he had to let Katlin be who she was. He either had to accept what she was, or be miserable the rest f his life trying to change her. He also had to face that sometimes Katlin would need him, and sometimes she would need her husband. The trick was knowing 'which' and 'when'.

Did Katlin ever find Voldemort? Yes.

So does this story follow canon? Yes.

How is that possible? With a lot of imagination, Dear. True, canon states none of Voldemort's Deatheaters apparently came to help him. Well, I find that a bit of a stretch. He'd likely be dead if no one helped him. Why Katlin did not say anything herself about those days and why Voldemort doesn't mention her as being there is covered in In The Family Way, which covers some of Orion and Katlin's years during the time little Harry is growing up.

Do Orion and Katlin have any children? Sort of. Orion has five. And Katlin is not the mother. Think about that one for a while.

Actually, Family Relations will come up after Runaway. But I am working on it even now, since once my hand is operated on, if ever, I will not be able to do the amount of typing I usually do for about two to three months. But the story is halfway typed as it is. So I do not have too much more to do on it. And the outline was completed a very long time ago.

The rest of your answer is below.

Sweets:

I know all about the hurricanes and keeping ne busy, Dear, living in Polk Cuonty and hit by all three hurricanes. As well as Ivan, Jr..

Hope the math grade was good.

I'm glad I kept the story interesting for you, Sweets. But explain to me 'No wonder Orion is like he is'. I'm just curious because I can take that a lot of ways.

Well......, I Will Always Love You is sort f a sad song in context. I like to think of Orion and Katlin as more of a Love Is A Battlefield (Actually, that was more Katlin's theme than anything). Their relationship, if nothing else, will never be dull.

Did not get the e-mail, Dear. Did you send it t my work or to my parents? If you sent it to work at the doh.state.fl.us addy, it was deleted if not properly IDed. We are getting a rash of virus e-mails and anything we can't id, we delete. Sorry. if you sent it to the addy, I properly thought it was for my father and will have to look again. But if you read the A/N's, I kept a pretty god update with those about the hurricanes. And we actually came out so good, we are not even getting FEMA money.

Don't worry about the GC visit, Dear, if you have already come and gone. I look at it every day, and these days, its a sad sight to me.

FAMILY LIFE

Sk8er Girl:

Now, Dear, why would I kill him off? ESPECIALLY SINCE ROWLING ALREADY DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad, bad, bad JK! Bad!

SIRIUSLY BORED

Illucia:

Thank you, Dear.

Yes, indeed, it was so incredibly cute people kept walking up to it and tickling it under the chin.

If you liked Siriusly Bored, you would likely like my other one shots. One chapter stories are rarely serious with me, and mostly for fun.

FAMILY RELATIONS-CHAPTER FOUR

Silverfox:

Valid point to you, Dear. Yes, Orion should have known such a thing as the age at which one could apparate. But being 'Harry Potter' Orion likely attributed to him a few extra skills he didn't bother to find out if Harry actually had or not. Like 'can you apparate'? Past that, maybe he thought Sirius would have taught him over the summer. Other than that, it's a dreaded case of Author Oversight.

As you have seen in the above chapter, Harry bristles at being referred to as a 'child', small or otherwise.

Skahducky:

You got the person right, Dear. But will she take him back to Orion? That sort of kills the story if I answer that, doesn't it?

Family Relations takes place years after Enemies, Dear. However, the two stories are linked in that a lot of what was not answered in Enemies will be answered in Family Relations. Plus there are numerous returning characters.

takes place years after , Dear. However, the two stories are linked in that a lot of what was not answered in will be answered in . Plus there are numerous returning characters.

Sorry, Dear. The only person who has had a hold on Harry in that whole end of the chapter was the one you mentioned first. Not Sirius or Arabella.

Bella Monte:

How dare I? Hey! I made you a bunch of new friends, didn't I? :) You were, after all, the reason I posted this chapter, and I said so too. People must love you and want your autograph. Very rarely can someone beg me into a posting.

What do you mean 'what he going to do with Harry'? He hasn't done anything yet. Well, almost nothing. And for what he has done he has (all together now) a good reason for what he did.

A tight bond? Phffft. Harry is a teenager. Orion is an adult male very attached to his freedom. So guess again.

OK, true, Orion wasn't thinking. And as was pointed out by Silverfox, he should have known Harry wasn't old enough to apparate. But he is, after all, 'Harry Potter'. And he has been living with Orion's younger brother. Orion likely expected this to be a great game Sirius would have taught Harry by now. Other than that, call it Author Oversight.

Harry will not develop a crush on his aunt, have no fear. But as with most men, Katlin does tend to unsettle him whenever she's around. But Harry's relationship with Katlin will be spelled out in Runaway, which is why that story had to go up first. I would love to comment on it here, because it is such an interesting relationship. But that would sort of kill the other story, wouldn't it?

I am glad you liked the last line. It is one of my favorites.

FEVER

Shiba-.-Sempia:

Interesting name.

I am very glad you enjoyed the story, Dear. It was one of my favorites to write.

Illucia:

I did change that particular format a bit, Dear. My Q&A moved to the bottom, but the Author's Notes will have to stay where they are. And yes, I know they tend to run a bit long, sometimes. But you always have the option to skip them. You may miss something important, which is why I put them first. But that is the chance you take.

Still writing? Dear, I have been writing for over thirty years. Most of those professionally.

Sami1010220:

Actually, Dear, you have a wonderful opportunity to find out what Orion is like. Try the story Enemies. He is also briefly in this story, Runaway, and figures as a major character in Family Relations.

All reviews are as of 01/02/2005.

And remember;

The next person who says "It's all good", gets a good slap.