A/N: Yes, I missed last week. And I'm afraid there's more where that came from. You see, folks, I'm afraid missed weeks are going to become more the rule than the exception for the next few weeks.

Why?
Well, because my life is crowding me right now, and I find myself with little time for my writing. Currently I have my job, but also a second job I have to work several nights a week and weekends, and school, and a few other tasks thrown in in case I get bored.

All this adds up to more hours needed than the days seem to have. So I fall behind on things.

I'll try to post every two weeks, but no promises.

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Not yours. Not mine. Rowling's.

CHAPTER THREE : TRUST

The next morning started out in more of a rush of activity than Harry expected. It was clear that Katlin was eager to get on their way as she roused him before the sun was even up and started off through the woods.

The days progression went smoothly enough until Katlin suddenly pulled up sharply as she laid a hand over her chest.

At first Harry thought no more of the gesture than that she was trying to catch her breath since they had been traveling up hill and only just reached the top a few minutes ago. But as he drew closer he could see she wasn't just holding her hand over her chest, but had it wrapped tightly abut something underneath. From the taunt outline he could just make out a necklace around her neck. What she was holding appeared to be whatever was on the chain.

"Magic!" he heard her say softly. "What now?"

"Katlin?" Harry asked cautiously. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Katlin appeared not to have been aware he was standing so close as she turned a little quicker than usual to face him.

"Goodness, you're a quiet child." she practically exclaimed, managing to keep her voice steady.

"That's what Arabella and Sirius are always saying." Harry agreed. "Is anything wrong?"

Katlin gave him a small smile. No, nothing's wrong." she replied through a forced smile. "But I have to go take care of something, all right? And it's safer if I don't try to apparate you with me. So I'm going to leave you here." She pointed a firm finger at the ground. "Now you stay right here, Harry. I won't be but a few minutes, all right?"

"Where are you going?" Harry asked with concern. "You're not going back to the lair?"

"No, Harry. This call didn't come from Voldemort."

"Then who?"

"Magic, child! You're full of questions. Just trust me, all right? I'll be back in a few minutes. Just stay here and you'll be safe. If anyone comes near you, I'll know and I'll come right back."

Before Harry could protest further, Katlin disappeared with a small pop.

Katlin approached the figure in the drive with determined steps. He had interrupted her mission. Something he knew better than to do.

'This had best be important." She stated heatedly. "Do you have any idea..."

"I have a very good idea!" Orion cut his wife off sharply. "What I can't understand is that you would actually do something like this."

Orion hadn't been surprised at all when Arabella, and not Sirius, had approached him, asking for his help. The Ministry already knew of the boy's disappearance, and were organizing efforts to locate him. But a frantic, nearly hysterical Arabella had come straight to him, begging him to do whatever he could to help find her Godson.

He had promised her he would see what he could find out. That he would try and get Harry back to them. But he hadn't had to go far to follow his suspicions. The act had all the earmarks of only one person he knew. The kidnapping had been bold as it was brazen. And only Voldemort would dare such an act in front of so many witnesses. These days he wasn't sure of the man was that sure of himself or that crazy.

But bold or reckless, there was only one person Voldemort would trust to watch over such a valuable prisoner.

"Voldemort took Harry. And I want him returned to his godparents immediately." Orion stated in a solid voice.

But Katlin met it with cool defiance. "You want?" She ask. "Since when do you demands of the Deatheaters?"

"Don't play games with me, Katlin."

"I'm not. You have no right to interfere..."

"To interfere? Is that what you're worried about?" Orion stated in disbelief. "That I am interfering in Voldemort's plans? Let me tell you what I have been doing for the past hour. My brother is practically beside himself. That boy's godmother is in near hysterics, sure her godson is dead."

A small smile crept over Katlin's lips. "Figg needs to get a grip."

"I want him returned to his godparents, Katlin."

"First of all, you do not order me in my assignments, Mr. Black. And secondly, you have yet to prove I even have access to him."

Orion grabbed her arm. "This isn't a game, Katlin!" He nearly shouted at her.

Katlin wrenched her arm free. "No. It's not. It's my work, Mr. Black. Business."

"Business?" Orion ask in disbelief. "That's all you see this as? Well let me inform you better, Mrs. Black. This isn't about the Deatheaters, or the Ministry, or Voldemort. This is about family. Your family. That boy is as good as your nephew. And you would stand there and turn him over to Voldemort, knowing what will happen to him?"

"Is that what you think I would do?" She ask with cool indifference. "Is that how much you trust me?"

Orion gazed back at her with a pleading stare. "He's just a little boy, Katlin. He's probably scared out of his mind. His godparents are worried sick. I told them..."

"Told them what?" Katlin asked when he stopped abruptly.

Orion sighed quietly. "I told them I would do whatever I could to help get him home safely."

"Fine." Katlin stated sharply. "And now you have. You can return to his loving godparents and inform them you have successfully completed your mission. You've met with the evil Deatheater and pleaded on their behalf for the life of their darling godson. Go back and tell them what a heartless witch I was to all of it. Figg will at least believe that."

"Katlin," Orion sighed again, "please..., this isn't a game. If the Ministry gets involved..."

"Then I'll deal with them." Katlin stated firmly. "Just as always. Because that's my job, Orion. And I do it very well. You go back to that boy's overly protective godparents and you tell them their little bundle of pride and joy is safe and sound. Protected by the best bodyguard he could have."

"For how long? Until Voldemort changes his mind?"

Katlin stared back at him in silence.

"At least tell me why Voldemort wants Harry." Orion ask in a quieter voice.

"I have already told you, that is business."

Orion stepped forward. "No!" he stated firmly. "This is personal. This is family."Orion watched the emotions play across her face as she tried to resolve the conflict in her mind. Her loyalty to the Deatheaters, or loyalty to an alien concept she had never known before outside of that group. A bond not formed by blood or idealisms or loyalty. But by love.

"Katlin,...please." he pleaded with her.

Katlin slowly turned her violet eyes back to her husband. "Voldemort doesn't..." she said quietly, "...he doesn't want the boy, Orion."

"Then what is this about?"

Katlin paused again for a very long time. He was pressing her, he knew. But it didn't make sense. If Voldemort didn't want Harry, then what was he after?

Katlin finally turned back to him again, her voice quieter than before, as though she feared someone besides the man before her might hear her betrayal. "He wants...he wants to know the way into the castle. The secret one. He suspects it exists. He wants proof." Her voice grew even quieter. "And Harry isn't in the lair. He's with me. And he is safe." Katlin gave him a beseeching look. "Orion, I have to do this. I have to bring Voldemort something. I swear to you, nothing will happen to Harry while he is with me. I will keep him safe...for you."

"And are you going to give Voldemort what he wants?" Orion ask with a stoic expression.

Katlin's expression hardened. "That is business." she stated resolutely. "I told you what you wanted to know. I told you where the boy is, and that he is safe. Past that," she said evenly but with a small, condescending smile, "I guess you'll just have to trust me." She then quickly disappeared.

Orion immediately jumped onto the spot she had last stood on and drew a quickly circle about himself on the ground with his wand. The ground glowed softly where he drew the circle, erupted into a flare of light, but then just as quickly burnt out, leaving him standing just where he was.

He gave the effort a string of quiet curses. She had blocked his being able to trace her. Within the several minutes it would take him to break the spell he knew all too well she could have apparated a dozen more times and used several portkeys to successfully throw him off track. In the end, he would have to go back to Sirius and Arabella and tell them they would all have to do exactly what Katlin had said.

Trust her.

In the meantime, Orion apparated himself back to the house where Sirius and Arabella were waiting. Arabella was the first person to accost him with questions.

"Did you find him?" she begged.

Orion met first Arabella's frightened stare, then the less visible, but none the less intense one of his younger brother.

Orion turned his attention back to the frightened woman in his arms. "I know where he is." he stated quietly.

Arabella pulled back instantly, a shining light of hope in her eyes as she stared up at him. "You found him?"

Orion quickly shook his head. "I said I know where he is, Arabella. And he's safe. I promise you that."

Sirius took a step forward. He was ever bit the Auror his brother was. And he didn't like the way the conversation was headed already. "Where is he?" he ask plainly.

Orion turned his attention to his brother. "I can't tell you that."

Sirius' expression clearly showed his feelings at the answer while Arabella grabbed Orion by the shirt.

"What do you mean?" she nearly yelled at him. "If you know where he is, why can't you tell us?"

Orion slowly peeled her hands off of his cloths, afraid that at the answer, she might well rip them off of him to get to flesh.

"Because telling you so could well put him in danger, Arabella."

He felt the hands in his grip tighten. "What?"

"Arabella, he's safe. And he'll stay that way if you let me handle this. I know what I'm doing."

"You?" Sirius asked, eyeing his brother with hardening expression. "Let 'you' handle it, or your Department?"

Orion met his stare. "The Unspeakables are not a pack of idiots, Sirius."

"Perhaps. Just overly eager to get their wands out in a fight. One that my godson might happen to be in the middle of."

"The boy is safe, Sirius. And he'll stay that way...if you don't interfere."

"Interfere?" Sirius stated a bit louder. "He is my godson. What do you expect me to do? Sit here and wait for your Department to tell me what has happened to him?"

Orion knew all too well what Sirius thought of the Department of Mysteries. And of Unspeakables in general. He had begged his older brother not to join them, stating they were simply vicious by nature, in his opinion. But Orion had joined them, and the rift between he and his brother had simply widened that much more.

"If you want him back alive," Orion stated in as neutral a voice as he could, "that is exactly what we expect you to do."

"He is my godson...!"

"I'm well aware of who he is, Sirius." Orion cut him off. "But getting angry isn't going to change anything. The Department will handle this. We know where he is. We know that he is safe. And as long as no one does anything foolish, he'll stay that way."

Arabella stepped up next to him. "Just tell me," she begged, "'how ' do you know he is safe?"

Orion paused for a moment. "Because I know where he is," he replied calmly, "and I know he is being watched carefully. He's perfectly safe where he is."

The hardest part for Orion was keeping what he knew from his Department. About one point he agreed with his brother. Sometimes the Unspeakables tended to draw their wands a little too quickly for his liking. The best thing he could do was exactly what Katlin had told him to do.

Trust her.

Q&A

Runaway

Silverfox:

Well, Silverfox, I applaud you. My only review for two weeks. Thank you, Dear.

And such a nice long one, too,

I'm glad you are interested in Hershal. I think he will live up to your expectations. Or, at least, I hope he will. I don't know how much of a 'treat' he'll be. But he is connected most definitely to Bo.

Treaks is more capable of murder than Charly? Don't bet on it. Charly Misser didn't get to be an Unspeakable because of his winning personality any more than his partner did. Pressed to the wall, Charly can be just as ruthless as any Deatheater. Maybe even more so. Remember that Charly had to prove himself to his fellow Unspeakables. And he feels he has to do so all over again every single day. He also has to face a good deal of prejudice of being the only muggle in the Department of Mysteries, with the added ammunition used against him by those who less than favor him with their friendship, that he got that position because he is Orion Black's best friend. He's in a tough position. One that tends to harden people.

That's an interesting question, Dear. Would she have actually married him without the threat of Treaks? Possibly. And I am sure it is a question that will come up between them.

Orion's family definitely has their own set of dynamics. And yes, you will get to meet them, so to speak.

Another one of those sticky points, Dear. Talon knows when Orion uses the 'Power' but not when Bo does things himself simply because Orion is a channeler, not a host. He is not part of the 'Power', he siphons off of it. That was never a question between the 'Power' and the host because they were one in the same. Also, yes, Bo can use his own magical ability without anyone knowing...when he wants to. (I told you he wasn't all innocent.)

The relationship between Bo and Talon Black is very complicated. And no, Bo doesn't understand all the reasons things are the way they are. I suppose, for Bo, it was very much like a child being pushed away by its mother when all it craves is affection. And Talon's reasons were not all self-serving. He wanted Bo to learn to live in the world he was forced to be in. To accept it. Something Bo was not forced to do while he had a host. He only lived vicariously through his host. Now the 'Power' has a body of its own that it can manipulate and use just as any of us do. Bo has had t evolve dramatically since his non-corporeal days.

Yup. Writing for real people limits you. And you definitely kiss that omniscient viewpoint 'goodbye'. But I think I will enjoy it. A new challenge.

You have to accept 'give and take' to its ultimate limits, Dear, respect each others point of view, and live 3000 miles apart.

As I said, the fact that I said no one knows what Katlin looks like, yet Charly clearly recognized her was an oversight. Had I been a bit more 'on the ball', I'd have dropped that premise. The actual concept was they know what she looks like, but she rarely goes out as herself.

Well, as that neither Katlin nor Orion are exactly waving their marriage license about for all to see, there's little chance anyone will see the names on it.

Orion is not particularly well-known to the adoption agency. In fact, they don't know him at all. Sorry to blow your theory, Dear.

Family Life

Shadowface:

Ummmm..., you might want to read the other 48 chapters first, Dear. Family Life is a 49 chapter story. Not just one.

Siriusly Bored

Shadowface:

Thank you, Dear. I am so very glad you enjoyed it.

Tried And Convicted

Dimensional Analysis:

Interesting name.

And thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

The Bonds That Tie:

Dimensional Analysis:

Thank you, Dear.

All reviews are as of 01/30/2005.

And remember;

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?

After a year, the dog is still excited to see you.