A/N: Well, so we come to the end of another one. Some of you are disappointed, others are throwing a party.
Why?
Well, folks, you know what's coming after this.
Yes, indeed. The long awaited, much anticipated, nearly outdated, FAMILY RELATIONS.
Yup. After many promises, speculation, and more teasers than the 'Coming Attractions' clip in the theater, this story is finally going to hit the posting board of Fanfiction.
No, no. I swear! Really!
OK. You're right. You have plenty of reason to be skeptical, so go ahead. But for those of you who want to give it one more go with me, you can look for the postings to begin the first week in June.
Why June? Well, because I'm planning my hand surgery for June, and I'll have two of the longest, most boring weeks to kill you'll ever want to see.
Also, the story will run in it's entirety.
What does that mean? It means I will repost the first four chapters.
Should you read them? That's up to you. But you're being warned here, they have been rewritten to some degree. Some things added, some things taken out, some changes so subtle, you'll hardly notice them.
So, I'll see you guys hopefully back in June.
And as always,
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: You haven't been able to prove anything yet. What makes you think you'll start now?
CHAPTER NINE: ESCAPE
Orion pulled himself slowly out of the small two-seater sports car and silently surveyed the house before him as he listened to Sirius grunting as he extracted himself from the car.
"What is it with you and small cars?" he asked in a heated whisper as he joined his older brother before the stone steps leading to the front doors of the house.
"They're cozy." Orion answered blandly. Without a backward glance he started up the steps towards the front doors of the house.
"Like a blasted can of sardines are cozy." Sirus grumbled as he followed.
Standing before the doors, Orion lifted the ornamental solid brass knocker and let it fall. The resulting echoed could be heard reverberating through the house several times before it seemed to die away. But Orion knew better than to knock again. Doing so would only serve to irritate the home's owner, and he had no wish to jeopardize his chances any more than they already were. Besides, he well knew that the echo would continue until it found someone to answer it.
After standing for a few minutes, Sirius' frustration broke. "There's no one here, Orion." he stated. "Maybe we can find someone else who..."
Before he finished what he was going to say, the right door suddenly creaked and slowly opened.
"Find someone else who can what?" The voice was low and rumbled like the rolling wave of a thunderstorm in the distance. "Help you?" A black robed figure now almost completely eclipsed the doorway, turning its attention to Orion. "Assuming help is what you came for. But what else would bring you to my door, Orion Black? And if you bothered coming to me for help, the matter must be serious indeed." The voice added with enough contempt one could nearly cut it with a knife.
"And a good evening to you, Uncle Hershal." Orion replied in much the same tone, though he tried desperately to modify it to something more congenial. They needed his help to save Katlin. His pride would have to go by the wayside for now. "The matter is indeed serious." he added quickly. "And we do need your help."
The figure in the doorway didn't move. "What matter?" he ask.
"My...a friend," Orion quickly changed his wording with a slighted glance at his brother. But Sirius caught the stare and gave his brother a brief, quick shake of his head. Orion considered the implication, but then repeat the words he'd chosen. "A friend is being taken to Azkaban. We need to secure her release."
Sirius shrugged back. He understood Orion's need for caution, but he wished his brother would trust him more.
"She is not there yet." The figure clarified, drawing Orion's attention back to him.
"No. But she's on the train."
"How long?"
"An hour. Maybe a little more. The last report put them three hours to the docks."
The robed figure seemed to consider the information as it stared past the man before him. But finally he turned his attention once more to Orion.
"My help is not free." he said in the same low voice. "It comes at a price."
"I don't care about 'price'." Orion stated a bit more fiercely than he meant to. "Whatever you want, I'll pay."
The figure in the doorway stepped forward a few inches. Just enough that a shaft of moonlight illuminated the smile that crept over the otherwise darkened face. "And those words may well come back to haunt you one day." The figure replied.
Orion was sure that Hershal Bennett would do everything he could to make the prediction came true. But at that moment he didn't care. Time was running out for them.
Katlin's time.
(Scene Change)
The train moved through the thick fog with only the sound of its own engine to keep it company. There were no towns nearby on this route. No houses. No roads. No possibility of help.
Inside the train the single prisoner sat on the floor in the car, situated almost exactly in the middle of the cell she was in with eight Aurors stationed around her.
Katlin Griss smiled slightly to herself, wondering what exactly they thought she was going to do.
She had kept that smile there through most of the trip. She wanted to remember what it felt like to smile.
Once she reached Azkaban, she was sure she would soon forget.
A single tear found its way past the smile as she thought of her husband. She was sure they had told him of her capture by now. The Aurors would be painting it on the walls, lauding it over the Unspeakables that they had been the ones to capture her. The news would travel through the Ministry like a wildfire out of control.
Katlin Griss, the most infamous of Voldemort's Elite Deatheaters, captured by Ministry Aurors.
How proud they were of themselves.
None of the Aurors spoke to her. They didn't even really look at her for that matter. She guessed they were more concerned about the other two train cars passengers then they were about even her.
The prison authorities wanted to make sure she arrived. That there were not any mishaps on the way with their precious cargo. And so they had sent ten Dementors with the train. Five were stationed in the car that was in front of the one Katlin rode in, and five in the car that brought up the rear of the train.
But so far, a little over an hour into the trip, there hadn't been so much as a speck of dust falling out of place. Everything was running very much on schedule. In a few hours they would reach the coast, she guessed. Then the train would travel another fifteen minutes to the private docking area, where a boat waited to take her to Azkaban. That would be the most perilous part of the journey for her. The small boats were not often capable of adequately handling the sometimes higher than normal seas and boats were known on occasion to become swamped.
Katlin shivered at the thought. But even drowning might be preferable to what awaited her if she made it safely to Azkaban.
She had heard most people who went there went mad within a few weeks. Some held out for a few months. Orion's own brother had been a rarity. Twelve years he had lasted in the infamous prison. And Orion had stated he hadn't been eager to share how he had done it. Sirius, in fact, rarely talked about his experience at all according to Orion. If someone brought it up, he changed the subject. If they persisted, he simply stopped talking altogether.
Katlin sighed to herself as she turned to the window. It had been foggy and raining for the past half hour. And the cold around her was getting worse by the minute.
The guards all had wards about themselves to fend off the Dementors effects. The only protection she had was a ward placed on the cage itself. Another incentive not t try and leave it.
Katlin was caught up momentarily in studying the scenery outside the window when the train suddenly lurched forward slightly. All the guards instantly came to attention as they looked about, wondering what the possible problem was.
As she watched she noted that the train was slowing rapidly. Eventually, with a slight jerking forward, it came to a complete stop. Katlin could hear voices coming from the front of the train. She got up and went to the barred window to see if she could see anything.
The train had stopped just as it was taking a sharp turn, which allowed for her to see the front of the train.
What she saw astounded her.
The train's engineer had gotten out of the conductor's box and was walking towards the front of the train, yelling as he went. It was what he was yelling at that was so amazing.
Standing before the train, apparently unperturbed by the engineer's yelling, was a tall, thin, wraith-like figure dressed in black, billowing robes. It didn't move, or seem to even notice the man approaching it. It simply stood in the headlight of the train, as though mesmerized by it.
But as the engineer got closer, the figure finally turned towards him. The man's tirade stopped abruptly. He fell utterly silent for a few seconds, but then suddenly started backing away from the figure on the tracks, who aside from turning to look at the engineer, hadn't moved at all.
The engineer backed away as quickly as he could. Katlin could hear small whimpers coming from the man as he turned about and ran for the train again. But he never made it. He collapsed a few feet from the doorway to the conductor's box. He curled into a ball and, aside from shaking like a leaf, didn't move again.
The Aurors in the car with her watched the scene with uncertainty. But seeing the supposed attack on the engineer, they went into action to secure their prisoner. A long pole shoved its way between Katlin and the window, forcing her back just as she saw the figure on the tracks turn towards the car she was in.
"Move away from the sides." One of the Aurors ordered her as the other seven moved to more strategic positions in the car.
Katlin willingly did as she was told. She had no more of an idea who or what the creature on the tracks was than the Aurors did, although she was sure they would not believe her if they ask her and she denied it. But the Aurors seemed much more interested in setting up an adequate defense to guard their prisoner than in what she may or may not know about the creature.
Everything around her was now absolute silence, save the breathing of the eight guards in the car with her. Katlin wasn't sure what to expect, but she carefully fingered the small shaft of wood she had kept hidden in her robes, waiting for the right moment to try for freedom. Whatever came at them, she planned to be prepared.
Ominously she heard the car creak around her. Like the sound of an old wooden boat rocking on the waves in the ocean. But the sound quickly faded into silence again. Then slowly the large door to the car rattled, then groaned a little as it hitched slightly against the lock holding it in place on the inside. Katlin stared at the metal lock. A precaution at best, she wasn't sure exactly what protection it afforded her from the outside, but suspected it was more meant to slow down any attempt she might make at escape, if not serve to deter her even considering such action. But currently it was serving as a deterrent between her and whatever was outside as the lock shook against the attempts being made to open the door.
Past the large metal lock the door was secured with several spells, a few wards, and at least one locking charm. So getting past a metal lock was the least of anyone's problems.
Katlin watched the lock with wide eyes as the guards outside her cell stood four on either side of the door, wands drawn and pointed at the doorway. It shook again against the attempt to open the door, then fell silent once more. But almost an instant later a flare of light enveloped the door, spreading around the contours of it as it swept over the entire surface. The light then swept over the lock, which suddenly shattered as though hit by an invisible sledgehammer. As it flew apart in a thousand pieces the door was suddenly retched open as though it weighed little more than a few pounds, the force nearly taking it off the rollers as it slammed into the jams outside. Instantly the light leapt from the door and struck each of the guards, enveloping each one as it had the door. Unsure of what the spell was meant for, Katlin was sure it wasn't anything good.
The events that followed happened so quickly Katlin could barely follow them. Instantly eight black robed figures flew into the car and descended on the guards. Katlin quickly scrambled back to the far wall of her cell as the Dementors each claimed their victims. She curled up in a ball against the wooden planking, trying to brace herself for what she was sure would come.
The screaming was the first thing she registered. She was sure her own screams would soon join them.
But nothing happened. Even as the guards screams continued and evenly died down in the distance, Katlin felt nothing. No horrible visions filled her mind. No overwhelming feelings of despair.
Nothing.
But still she remained curled up against the wall, refusing to venture even the smallest look about her.
Then suddenly she heard something. Or better, felt it. A small, cold feeling that started at the back of her neck and slowly began to spread through her whole body. Cautiously she came out of her protective ball and turned slowly about, as though each movement was physically painful to her.
Standing in the doorway of the train car was the figure she had first seen standing on the tracks. Her eyes slowly took in the enclosed area of the train car. She was completely alone in the car now except for the figure standing in the doorway.
It appeared just as it had on the tracks before the train. A tall, wraith like thing covered head to foot in black robes. But the shape of it wasn't that of a Dementor. It was far more...human. The body the robes covered was tall and lean, with a thin waist and wide chest.
The slow chill continued to seep through her body. She pushed her back tightly against the wall behind her.
That coldness. It wasn't a feeling. Or a fear.
It was the figure before her.
She felt him.
"Mrs. Black?"
Katlin drew in a sharp breath at the sound of her name. The voice that spoke it was like none she had ever heard before. Low and resonant, the male voice cut through the coldness surrounding her, as though it were seeking her out. Offering her its warmth.
Katlin sat staring up at the figure, but her gaze slowly drifted to its hands.
She barely managed to stifled another, sudden gasp.
In its black gloved hand, the creature carried a wand.
This was a wizard!
Very slowly Katlin's eyes were drawn up as the hands reached up and carefully slid back the hood from around the wizard's head.
For the third time in as many minutes, Katlin all but failed to stifle a small gasp. But this one was laced with something far less innocent than it's twins. This one was the sound of pure lust.
The man now staring down at her wasn't just male, he was...Magic! He was a force of nature.
Dark eyes, the color of night, watched her intently as her gaze took a leisurely stroll down his body again. Knowing what was under that robe gave new definition to the outlines. Reaching the bottom, Katlin sighed in anticipation of the return trip.
This was the man mothers warned their daughters of. A sinfully decadent dessert, covered over in rich, silk chocolate. The kind that simply melted on your tongue, then continued to tease your taste buds long after you gotten a taste of it.
Reaching that face again, Katlin barely managed to contain a small, secret smile. Looking into that smooth, confident stare, Katlin doubted any woman could look at the man and not be effected. Long, dark eyelashes half hid those coal black eyes while a full mane of black hair with a slight curl to it covered his head, a few loose strands falling casually on his forehead. All of it framing a face that spoke of power and ageless strength.
"Mrs. Black?" the man inquired again in a voice as smooth as silk.
Katlin barely felt herself nod. Some un-named feeling was weighting her down until any movement was a concentrated effort.
But as she continued to stare at his face, a different feeling began to close over her. One that frantically waved warning flags at her emotions. Despite the look, despite the light that danced in his eyes with amusement, despite the warmth they conveyed, there was no warmth there at all. There was no light. No amusement. Why, looking at him from this new angle, she began to doubt there was any life in him at all. He was real, and his body, tall and lean and with a strength and beauty any man would envy, which moved with fluid grace and control, was most definitely alive.
Or more...animated, she decided was the word she was looking for. Because looking beneath it all, Katlin could swear she could feel nothing at all coming from the man. Not a single emotion to feed her intuition.
The man entered the car, moving slowly as he approached the cage she sat in. To him she thought she must very much look like a caged, frightened animal. And it was very much what she was starting to feel like again.
"What do you want?" Katlin heard herself ask, though it came out sounding very much like a terrified but whispered scream.
The wizard now stood before her cell, staring down at her. Katlin swore the man didn't seem to walk so much as did he appear instead to move gracefully and effortlessly over the floor. He made no sound at all as he moved. In fact, all sound around them seemed to stop in the wizard's presence.
"Mrs. Black," the wizard addressed her for the third time, "my name is Hershal Bennett. I've come to take you home."
Katlin stared up into the man's eyes. The closer he drew, the less she felt anything else. It was as though everything around her ceased to exist. Not just her surroundings, or the sounds of the night outside the train car, or the cold that had seemed to enter the car with him, but her emotions as well. Every feeling she had ever known, she could not seem to bring one to the forefront no matter how much of an effort she made to remember what just 'feeling' was like. The only awareness she seemed to have was of the man standing before her. And that wasn't so much a 'feeling' as it was simply an awareness of his presence.
Slowly the man reached out and wrapped his hand about the door of her cell. As Katlin watched his every move, she saw a flash of light erupt from under his hand and sweep over the cage. The ward quickly dissolved and she heard the lock of the door click under his fingers. With a slight pull, the man opened the door, but blocked the opening with his body as he stood staring down at her.
Katlin was sure she could easily get lost in the man's stare alone. And she wasn't even sure why. There was absolutely nothing in that stare except the same coldness that seemed to radiate around him constantly. It was like staring into a dark, moonless night. But she discovered it wasn't so much her getting lost in the stare as in it pulling her in. A long, dark, cold tunnel beaconing to her to follow it.
After what seemed to her to be hours, the man finally extended his hand towards her. "I've come to take you home." he repeated.
Katlin seized hold of what little reserves she felt she still had within her. With a great deal of effort she wretched her eyes away from the man's stare, and with a snarl on her lips she pulled her wand from beneath her robes. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" she hissed at the man.
The clear shot hit the man full in the chest, knocking him out of the way of the door opening.
Katlin didn't bother to see where he landed. She saw her opportunity and took it.
Lunging for the door, she bolted out of the cage and leapt through the door of the train car. She hit the ground running, cutting through the darkness with no thought as to where she was going, only with the idea to get as far from the train as she could.
Katlin felt her head clearing as she breathed in the cool night air. Each lungful she dragged into her body seemed to revitalize her and add strength to her flight. All she could think of was that she had to keep running. She had to get as far as possible from where she had been before she could allow herself the luxury of stopping and trying to sort out what to do next.
But as she ran, suddenly the ground beneath her disappeared and she pitched forward.
Unable to stop, Katlin tried to brace herself for the fall. But her hands met with only a watery resistance, her scream cut off as the dark liquid filled her mouth.
The cold water hit her with a striking force. Her already chilled body reacted in an instant spasm as the water soaked her robes and caressed every inch of her body. Katlin quickly twisted about, thrashing against the material that seemed to wrap itself about her limbs and pull her down even as she fought for the surface. But the water seemed to continue to soak into her clothing, causing it to cling ever tighter to her arms and legs. Every inch of skin that the icy water touched felt like another hand grabbing hold of her, pulling her ever further down into the cold, black depths. Soon the tendrils and leaves of the plants in the water seemed to join the hands, fighting against her weakening struggles to reach the surface.
Katlin gave one last frantic kick with her feet, trying to break free. But all her effort seemed to do was to wrap the plants stems tighter about her feet and legs. A cry of despair rose in her as she prayed that someone would find her in time. That she would feel the warmth of a gentle hand grabbing hold of her. Pulling her back into the blessed air.
But the hand that found the back of her robes, that rubbed against the nape of her neck as it grabbed hold of the material was neither gentle nor warm. She could feel the sheer strength in it before she felt the cold.
And cold it was. If the water had been fridged, the hand that grabbed her was a blast of Artic air on a summer night. And the feeling didn't stop at the back of her neck.
As soon as the skin touched her's, a bolt like frozen light shot through her body. Something deep within her reacted to the feeling that now seemed to surround her, and on instinct she cringed away. But the hand kept a firm grip on her robes and yanked her upwards with a solid pull.
Katlin gasp out loud as she broke the surface and took her first breath of air. But quickly after that she sputtered, coughed, and choked over a mouthful of water. The hand tried to set her on her feet, but she quickly collapsed to her hands and knees, remaining there as she felt she was going to be sick at any moment.
"Katlin!"
Katlin heard the sound of her name. Her husband's voice registered in her mind. But it sounded so far away. And she was so very tired suddenly.
"Katlin."
A second voice called her name. But this one was infinitely closer. It was warm and gentle and seemed to whisper right in her ear. Slowly Katlin turned her face towards it. Almost against the will of her exhausted limbs, Katlin felt herself being guided too her feet. Something she felt was impossible a few moments before now seemed utterly effortless. She smiled at the face now before her, that answered with a smile of its own.
With the gentlest of touches, so that she moved almost of her own will, Hershal turned her face towards him and tilted it slightly so that she was now staring up at him. Leaning down, he gently touched his lips to her's. Then slowly he folded the cloak about her as he pulled her shivering body against his. But the touch was always so light that with the slightest effort she could have pulled free.
But Katlin never resisted. From nowhere within her could she seem to find that one small effort to break free of the man. Her body instead followed his every instruction without resistance.
(Change POV)
Within seconds of the cloak enclosing her, Orion felt something deep within himself. A warning that called to him in a blind panic. He turned just as the arms closed around their victim.
"Katlin!"
The warning had no effect as the body behind the wall of black material did nothing to try and free itself.
"Hershal! Stop!"
Having left Sirius to deal with the few remaining guards from the train that the Dementors hadn't chased off, Orion had come sprinting across the field, heading straight at the two. But in that same instant, Hershal released the woman in his embrace.
Orion grabbed Katlin and pulled her about to face him. "Katlin!" He could barely hide the panic in his voice. "Katlin? Love, can you hear me?"
Not getting any response Orion turned an angry stare on the man before him. "What did you do to her!" he demanded.
Hershal gave the younger man a small smile. "Did you honestly think my actions altruistic? That my help was without cost?"
Orion's expression darkened. "What did you do to her?" he repeated.
"I'll show you." Hershal answered with the same smile.
Only moving his eyes to the woman standing next to Orion, Hershal softly said her name.
"Katlin."
Although the sound was little more than a breath on the air, and up until then Katlin had not made a move or acknowledged anyone around her, her head instantly came up at the sound of her name.
Hershal held out his hand. Katlin immediately stepped forward and laid her hand in his, a smile coming to her lips as she moved to stand before him.
As he gently brushed his hand over her cheek, Hershal turned his eyes to the man behind her, again giving him a small, condescending smile.
"She is mine now." he stated simply. "She will come when I call, and she will do whatever I ask of her."
Orion's expression shifted from the disbelief with which he had watched the proceedings to outright anger. "You had no right!" he shouted at the man. "I asked you here for your help, not..."
"And I told you my help came at a price." the man cut Orion off sharply. "One you agreed to pay."
"Of myself." Orion fired back. "Not from her! She agreed to nothing!"
Hershal stood staring down at him for some time, saying nothing.
Orion waited to see what Hershal would say, but after a few minutes, glancing about to see where his brother was, added in a whisper, "Please, Hershal. She is my wife. Let her go. Please."
"Would you rather she was facing her previous fate?" the older man ask. "Would this have changed your answer? She is alive, and I require only a little of her from time to time."
Orion slowly lowered his head. He couldn't argue the point with the man. He had agreed in his eagerness to enlist the man's help anything Hershal had wanted. But Katlin should not be made to pay the price for his error.
"If you want someone, you should take me. I was the one who ask for your help." Orion stated.
"You are not the one I want."
Orion was about to say something else when suddenly the air around them began to grow steadily colder. Hershal's attention quickly shifted behind the younger man.
"What is it?" he demanded.
A low, rattled breathing shifted in rhythms as the Dementor answered. Although Orion could not make out any recognizable words, Hershal listened to each sound, then waved the creature off.
As the Dementor left, Hershal turned his attention back to Orion. "One of the guards escaped and has alerted the ministry of the attack. Others are on their way. Leave now, or you will all share her previous fate."
Orion thought desperately for something else he could say. Some new argument he could use to get Hershal to release Katlin. But time was not on his side.
Taking Katlin's hand, Orion carefully directed her back over to him. "Come on, Love." he whispered to her. "We're going home."
Like someone waking from a trace, Katlin stirred, then shook her head. Looking about quickly her eyes fastened on her husband's face.
"Orion!" His name was practically a scream on her lips as she launched herself into his arms. Over and over she repeated his name as she hung onto him for dear life. Picking her up in his arms, Orion quickly hurried off towards where Sirius was waiting for them.
(Scene Change)
For the next several days Katlin stayed out of the ministry's radar by staying at the lair. Several times Orion was questioned about the events surrounding Katlin Griss' escape from train, but each time he was cleared. Thankfully Sirius was never questioned further than a few passing questions about Orion's whereabouts the night of the escape. But since Orion's cover story was that he was at home alone, there was very little they could question Sirius about.
The Daily Prophet didn't carry any news of her escape as that they had never even been told of her capture. The Ministry wanted to make sure she was safely at Azkaban before releasing any news to the press. Apparently a wise decision as it now saved them from a horrible embarrassment.
When she did finally come back to the house, Orion found her uncharacteristically quiet. Far more subdued than her usual, energetic self. She would jump at the slightest sound, and at night he doubted she hardly slept but a few hours each night.
Over a few more days the toll her new habits were taking on her became more and more evident. She would easily lose track of conversations he would have with her. Or he would come into a room to find her simply standing there, looking very lost and confused, eventually confessing she had no idea what she had come into the room for when he ask.
Finally one night, having found her once more staring aimlessly about one of the back rooms, he took her by the hand and led her to the sofa. Sitting down with her, he was determined not to let her leave until she told him exactly what was going on.
"Love, something is wrong." he replied as she firmly denied anything was. "You hardly sleep. You can barely follow a conversation that is more than five minutes long, and more and more you lose track of what you're doing. And you've become so skittish lately you make rabbits look positively placid. Something isn't right. Now please, tell me. What is going on?"
Katlin began to deny his assumption again, but Orion quickly laid a finger over her lips.
"If you tell me again there is nothing wrong we are straight off to St. Andrews right now. If you won't tell me, maybe you'll tell the old werewolf what's wrong. But you're going to tell someone. Me or him. You're choice."
Katlin sighed at the choice, which she didn't see as much of one. She could risk insulting her husband by choosing to go to see Aaron Richards, but then she stood to humiliate herself in front of her friend. Or she could try explaining things to Orion, and end up at St. Mungo's instead.
Some choice.
Katlin sighed as she shook her head. "You won't understand." she said finally.
"I'm your husband. Try me." Orion replied, his expression deadly serious.
Katlin quietly sighed again. "You'll think it's silly."
"Tell me what's wrong. Then I'll tell you how silly I think it is."
Katlin paused, then stared down at her hands as she folded them in her lap. "A few days ago," she began in a very soft, quiet voice, "almost right after you rescued me from the train, I started...having 'blackouts'."
Orion's worry immediately peaked. "Blackouts? What sort of blackouts?"
Katlin shook her head. "I don't know how to describe them." she replied. "I just...when I was at the lair I would be...in my room...or the hall...and suddenly, the next thing I knew I would be in a totally different room, and have no idea how I got there. Or I would suddenly find myself talking to someone, and have no recollection of how I got there or what we were discussing. All I know if that they never seem to last very long. No more than an hour or less.
After a few days I thought maybe it was just the excitement of the past few days. I needed some time off. A rest. So I told Voldemort I was going to check on a few things in London and I'd be back in a few days. Instead I came home."
"But things haven't improved." he ventured.
Katlin shook her head again. "They've gotten worse." she confirmed. "I still lose track of conversations, I forget what I'm doing a half dozen times a day, and now I can't even sleep.", Katlin lifted a tear stained face to him. "I feel like I'm loosing my mind." she said softly. "Maybe...maybe I should go see Aaron. Maybe he'll know what's wrong with me." She lowered her head again as she rested it in her hands. "Maybe I'm just finally ready for St. Mungo's. Maybe the Dementors effected me while I was on the train. Maybe one of them got to me and I just don't remember it."
Orion gently wrapped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him. She never knew just how right she was. A Dementor had gotten to her.
The worst of them.
Orion had at first thought it better not to mention anything to Katlin about what Hershal had done. He had hoped the man would simply forget her and leave her in peace.
But apparently he chose just the opposite. Not only had he not forgotten her, he had started using his control over her from nearly the first day after her escape.
So Hershal was already beginning to exercise his control over her. Possibly he was just seeing for now how compliant she was going to be. How hard he would have to work to control her.
For the present Orion wasn't nearly as concerned about her 'blackouts' as was he about what she was doing during them. Katlin had said she never seemed to lose more than an hour at a time, usually less. And she always 'woke up' up still at the lair. So Hershal was either not having her go very far, or wasn't having her leave the lair at all. Which worried him more. If he was having her stay at the lair, what was he having her do?
Well, Hershal Bennett's days of manipulating in the dark were about to come to an end. If he was determined to used his hold over her, he wasn't going to do it at the cost of her sanity.
"How do you feel now?" he ask. "Up t a short drive?"
Katlin looked up quickly. "Where are we going?" she ask a little apprehensively. "To the hospital?"
Orion shook his head as he led her out of the room to the garage. "No. We're going to see someone."
Katlin gave him a confused look. "Who?"
"The only one who can stop this." Orion replied. "And that's exactly what he's going to do."
(Scene Change)
An hour later Katlin found herself standing before a large oak door as she watched Orion lift the ornate knocker and let it fall.
She listened to the sound echo endlessly through the house as she looked about the alcove they stood in.
"Where are we?" she ask as Orion kept his attention fixed on the door.
Slowly he turned to her. "You don't know?" he ask.
Katlin quickly shook her head.
"This is Hershal Bennett's house." Orion explained.
"Hershal? Why are we coming to see Hershal?"
The door slowly opened at her words, and Hershal Bennett std before them.
"Why indeed?" he ask slowly as he looked over the two people on his doorstep. His gave Katlin a passing but amiable smile. But it vanished just as quickly as he turned to Orion. "So, what brings you back to my door so soon, Mr. Black?" Hershal ask. "Or don't you feel you've disturbed my peace enough for the year?"
Orion didn't back down one inch from the man's stare. "You're a fine one to be talking about disturbing anyone's peace, Hershal. And apparently you're even too much of a coward to do it out in the open. Instead you try to do it anonymously."
The man's eyes darkened along with his expression. "You would do well to watch what you say, Mr. Black. An unguarded tongue can be a dangerous thing around me."
"Really?" Orion huffed at the man. "And tell me, what exactly do I have to fear from a coward like you?"
"Orion!" Katlin snapped.
But Hershal waved off her concern. "Few people ever call me that and don't learn well from such a mistake." he said quietly. "Is there any reason I shouldn't teach you such a lesson?"
"Several." Orion replied. "The most presenting being you can't. But you're always welcome as ever to try."
Orion instantly caught the man's hand as he reached for his wand. "But first you have to prove me wrong." he stated in a slow, solid voice.
"Prove you wrong?"
"Prove you're no coward." Orion replied, gesturing to the woman next to him. "Tell Katlin what you've done to her."
Katlin looked at her husband suddenly, then just as quickly turned her gaze back to the man before her. "Done?" she ask in a sharp voice. "Done?"
Hershal smiled down at the man before him. But there wasn't one ounce of warmth in that smile. If anything, it was the coldest smile Katlin could ever remembered seeing.
"You play your words very well, Orion." he said in a low, dangerous tone as he pulled his hand free. "So, what do I do now? Do I do as you ask? Or prove myself a coward, deny your request, and lose my right to take some vengeance on you?"
"That is your choice." Orion replied calmly.
For a few brief moments Hershal made no move. But finally he stepped back and allowed them to enter.
"I am many things, Mr. Black, as you know." he stated as they walked past him, so much contempt in his voice Katlin practically cringed from it. "But one of them is not a coward."
Orion turned sharply back to the man. "Then tell her!" he stated fiercely. "Tell her what you've done to her. She has the right to know."
"Orion!" Katlin spoke up again in shock. "How can you speak to him like that? Hershal saved my life. Not once, but twice. I'd be in Azkaban or drown now if not for him. I have no idea what game you're playing here, but I swear I will not be a part of it. I'm leaving!"
Katlin fully expected Orion to try and stop her. What she was not prepared for was the hand that seized her arm being Hershal's.
"Katlin, wait." he said, his voice much softer now. "Your husband brought you here for a reason. He accuses me of being a coward. Don't you want to know why? Don't you want any answers?"
Katlin met his stare without the slightest fear. "What answers?" she ask.
Hershal directed her to a room down a large hallway. Like most of the house seemed to be, this one was decorated exclusively in dark colors. Browns and reds, with the occasional hint of dark green in the trim.
Hershal led her over to a large, plush sofa, where he directed her to sit down, all but ignoring the man following behind them. Orion sat next to her, protectively taking her hand as he stared up at the man before them.
"Tell her." Orion stated.
Katlin looked between them. "Tell me what?" she ask.
"That your husband chooses to leave me no peace in my life." Hershal replied in the same dangerously low tone he had used before when speaking to Orion. "That he feels his family still has claim over me. Over my life. My fate and my choices."
"Oh, do cut the melodramatics, Uncle Hershal." Orion spat at him. "You're not impressing anyone here with them.
But something in her husband's words caught Katlin's attention.
"Uncle?" she all but squeaked out. "Hershal Bennett is your uncle?"
"A term of respect." The words all but froze in the air before him as Hershal answered her question. "Thought there seems little of that left in the boy at this stage."
"Just get on with it." Orion stated. "Or I'll tell her myself."
Hershal paused as he studied the younger man, then slowly turned his attention to Katlin.
"You know I have power stronger than most average wizards." he stated. "You've felt it."
Katlin slowly nodded in response.
"What is it you feel from me?" he ask. "Right now."
Katlin didn't have to think long on the question. She had felt it moments before the Hershal had opened the door. The sudden, inexplicable cold that had surrounded her. Driven itself right into her bones. The question was how to answer Hershal without sounding insulting.
"Come, girl, it isn't that hard to answer." Hershal stated. Reaching out a hand, he seized her by the shoulder. "What do you feel?"
Katlin barely fought back a gasp of surprise. The hand was like ice. Just as she remembered it the night of her escape. A sudden surge of fear rose up in her and it was all she could do not to bolt out of the room.
"Your touch...," she replied softly, "...it's cold. Just like when I...I felt you...in the train. When you stood in front of my cell. Everything felt...so cold."
"And when did you last remember feeling that cold?" Hershal ask her, pulling his hand back.
Katlin thought for a moment. Where had she felt that same, undeniable cold settling about her? Slowly she started to remember, and the thought caused her to cautiously raise her eyes back to the man before her as a frightening idea took hold.
"I...felt that same coldness...," she began, "when the Dementors came into the car. When they attacked the guards."
"You are starting to understand now." he said, pulling back from her as he walked to the center of the room. There he turned back to her, holding his arms out. "You see before you, Katlin Griss, a Dementor. One that thinks, and feels, and lives as a normal man, but who isn't a man at all. Not anymore."
Katlin sat up on the sofa's edge. "That's not possible!" she stated. "Dementors...they aren't...you can't be a Dementor. They're not human."
"Perhaps not one in the conventional sense." Hershal replied. "But I encompass all of their power. That natural essence that makes them abhorrent to the rest of so called humanity. They are my family now. My brothers and sisters. My people." Hershal paused as he stared back at her. "But I also encompass one other aspect of them." he added quietly. "Their ability to possess a human's soul."
Katlin sat with her mouth literally hanging open. Hershal walked back over to her and slowly reached out as he pushed it shut for her.
"Are you starting to understand better now?" he ask. "Why your husband brought you here?"
Katlin nodded slowly. "That night...after you rescued me...I remember...you kissed me. You were holding me...and you kissed me." Katlin suddenly bolted back from the man with such force she all but overturned the sofa she was sitting on. "What have you done to me!" She nearly screamed at him.
"Much less than would have been done to you at Azkaban." Hershal replied.
A hand flew out and caught Hershal directly across the face with an angry slap.
"That is no answer!" Katlin replied, enough venom in her voice to cause most men to cringe in fear. Orion couldn't help but give a small smile of satisfaction to see the utter shock in Hershal's eyes. "Now answer me! What have you done to me?"
Hershal pulled back up to his full height, apparently eager to get himself out of striking range.
"You know what it is to be near me." Hershal replied. "It is the one thing I have only a small amount of control over. I can mask my effect on most people, but not on all, and not all of the time. Because of this, from time to time, I require to have those who can act on my behalf with others. I still have to function in the world. I still have a business to run. And for that I need people I can trust, and rely on. But it isn't possible for me to keep such people with me all of the time. The effect on them would be very...damaging." he added with a small smile. "So instead I have a chosen few who, for the most part, live their own lives, but who I have the need to call on occasionally."
"What does any of this have to do with what's been done to me?"
"By my nature, as it is now," Hershal answered, casting a hard glare at Orion before turning back to Katlin, "I do not trust people as I once did. I can see a bit farther past their faces now. And as such, I keep track of them by a small, unobtrusive bond."
"Is that what you call it now, Uncle?" Orion put in. "A small, unobtrusive bond?"
"It causes no harm..."
"You turn them into puppets." Orion replied. He turned quickly to Katlin. "Your blackouts," he explained, "have been the periods when Hershal took over your mind, your will, to make you do what he wanted of you."
Katlin turned quickly back to the man. "Is that true?" she ask.
Hershal stood for several moments matching her stare. "When I have need of you," he replied calmly, "it is necessary for me to have control of you. You've been perfectly safe. I have never allowed one person bonded to me to ever be harmed."
"And all you are asking is that I...function for you...out in the world."
"When I can not." Hershal replied. "When I can not mask myself from others. In large crowds, for instance. Or in close quarters, sometimes I lose control. I've always hated closed in spaces."
"And that is all you ask of me?" Katlin questioned.
"That is all."
"Then you're a fool." she stated firmly. "Both of you are." she added, turning to Orion. "You, for trying to protect me from something you had no business hiding from me. If you knew what was going on, you should have told me. And you," she turned back to the man standing just out of arms reach, "you didn't need some spell...some magical hold on me. If you needed or wanted my help, why didn't you just ask me?"
Hershal's brows came together. "Ask?"
Katlin met the man's stare with determination in her own. "You saved my life, Hershal. Twice. What you are asking is a very small return for that favor. If you have need of me, if you call me, I will come. And I will do whatever you ask of me. But I will do it of my own free will." Katlin instantly softened her tone. "I do not know that I can ever repay in full what you did for me, Mr. Bennett, but I welcome the opportunity to at least try."
"You would come...if I called you? If I ask?" Hershal questioned.
"I will always come if I can."
Orion turned to Katlin. "Love, think very carefully." he stated. "You have no idea..."
"I have every idea!" Katlin snapped back at him. "And it's long past time you allowed me to utilize them for myself."
Orion paused, then turned back to Hershal. "Will you free her now?"
Hershal's gaze remained on Katlin. "I can't." he answered after a few moments.
"Why?" Orion stated. "She's agreed to help you of her own free will." he reiterated. "Why continue to hold her?"
Hershal turned to him. "Because the bond can not be broken." he replied. He returned his gaze to Katlin. "But I swear to you, I will never use it. If I call you, you may come of your own free will. If you do not, you do not. The choice will be yours. And you need not fear I will take some action against you, whichever choice you make."
Katlin slowly got to her feet, still holding the man's stare. "When you call me, as long as I am able, I will come." she replied. "And I will never fear you."
Hershal slowly turned his eyes back to Orion. "You have a very unique woman as your wife. She is loyal as few are these days. And she honors her obligations, as so few do these days."
"I honor my obligations." Orion replied. "And my first obligation is my family. Katlin may agree to this, Hershal, but you see to it you do not abuse her loyalty."
"Orion!" Katlin snapped at him.
But Hershal put his hand up to stop her going any further. "If I call her, it is only because I seriously need her help. She will never be used as some...frivolous thing."
Orion directed Katlin towards the door with a hand in the small of her back.
"I don't recall that our business is done, Mr. Black." Hershal stated behind them.
Orion turned back to him. "We're done." he dismissed the statement casually.
The door before them swung shut with a blow that echoed through the house. Orion stopped short, then turned slowly back to the man behind him.
"What else is it you want?" he ask in a bred tone.
"There is the matter of your insult." Hershal replied with a mirthless smile. "I proved you wrong."
"Backed into a corner." Orion answered.
"I still demand my satisfaction." Hershal replied.
Orion was already turning back to face the man when an arm caught his.
"Apologize." came the soft request.
Orion turned sharply to his wife, ready to argue the request until he met her eyes.
"Apologize." she softly ask again.
It couldn't have been more of a request if she had said 'please' to him. And for some reason he could feel it was desperately important to her that he do what she ask.
Taking a slowly breath, Orin turned once more to the man behind him.
"Perhaps I was mistaken." he said slowly. "It would appear you were not a coward...today."
A low, deeply pleased laugh rumbled in the man's voice. "I suppose that is the best I will get out of you...today." he replied.
"Why do you hate him so much?" Katlin ask as Orion once they were outside as he ushered her towards the car.
"Because he is an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical man."
"And you have dealt with arrogant, self-centered, egotistical men before. But you've never hated them outright."
Orin leaned over the door for a moment as Katlin got in. "Love, just believe me. Be very careful with Hershal Bennett. He isn't anything that he appears. He is a very dangerous, very delusional man who can turn on you without a moment's notice."
Katlin stared back at the large house as Orion got in and started the engine. "He struck me as very lonely." she stated.
"Trust me, he's not." Orin answered, pulling away from the house. "He has every Dementor on earth waiting at his beck and call."
(Scene Change)
Several days following his return to the castle, Harry began to try to reconcile the events of the past days for himself.
He had had to relive the events of those days with Katlin over and over for the Ministry as they questioned him about it for what seemed like days on end. Thankfully, Sirius or Arabella insisted they be allowed to be in the room at all times. So he was never forced to be alone with the Ministry people.
Every action on Katlin's part someone seemed to have an ulterior motive ready to explain it away with.
Her rescuing him from the lair was just part of some overall elaborate scheme to gain his trust. The fight with the Deatheaters a staged encounter. The fall off the cliff a carefully orchestrated move to further her plans.
They had also tried to point out inconsistencies in Harry's story regarding Katlin's actions. Such as that Harry had said Katlin told him they were being followed by Deatheaters in Hogsmeade. But, despite that he didn't mention her locking the door to the tunnel once they entered it, no sign of Deatheaters following them was ever found.
Harry explained away nearly every one of their attempts to discredit Katlin well enough to suit himself. Except for the door to the tunnel. That Harry had had to ask Sirius about for an explanation, who had told him that the door sealed itself after a few minutes if its not sealed after it is opened. So Harry quickly reasoned that perhaps the Deatheaters got delayed just long enough for the door to lock itself.
Anything was possible.
Sirius had also explained to Harry how the Ministry had come to be in the castle at the exact location to capture Katlin. When Hedwig had returned without having delivered Sirius' last letter, he had reasoned they had made it into the tunnel already. From there he alerted the ministry, who had posted guards at the end of the tunnel, certain that they would soon show up. All of which had worked exactly as the Ministry predicted. The only bonus for them being that Katlin had lost her wand in the tunnel.
Harry tried so hard not to see Katlin in the light that everyone painted her. How could the same woman who had helped him escape Voldemort's lair, and taken care of him all those days and nights possibly be the heartless assassin they all tried to warn him about?
And where was she now?
Harry tried not to think too hard on that question. For one, he hated the feeling he got every time he remembered what he had done in the Ministry jail. It was the first time he had ever kept anything completely from his godparents, unsure as he was of how they would react if he told them what he had done.
But it had been the right thing to do, he kept consoling himself. No matter what they all said, he had done the right thing in giving Katlin back her wand.
But what had happened after that? He never saw anything in the papers about any capture or escape of a Deatheater. No reports of any rescues or fights.
Nothing.
What had happened to her?
And who could he ask without raising suspicion?
(Scene Change)
"Well, Harry," Dumbledore greeted him as he stepped into the old wizard's office, "this is a surprise. Please," He added, indicating the chair in front of his desk, "have a seat."
Harry sat numbly in the chair, staring at the floor.
"Well, something is on your mind." Dumbledore observed when Harry didn't say anything first. "And you must have wanted to talk about it."
Harry paused before meeting the Headmaster's stare. "I wondered..." he paused, assessing again if he really wanted an answer to his question. But not knowing was driving him slowly crazy, and he figured if anyone knew the truth, it was Dumbledore. "I was wondering," he began again, "if you ever heard what became of Katlin?"
"Katlin?" Dumbledore ask. "Now, why would you be interested in such a thing?"
Harry sighed to himself. How could he get an answer to his question without making the old wizard suspicious?
"You're worried about her?" Dumbledore ask as Harry tried to figure out what to say.
The teenager looked up suddenly, but remained silent.
"Well?"
Harry nodded in answer.
"Do you believe everything everyone has told you about Katlin Griss, Harry?"
Harry was still trying to figure out how Dumbledore had come to ask him about Katlin right off. Sometimes the Headmaster could change subjects so fast it was hard to know exactly what the topic was, or if you were even answering the right question.
"I don't know." Harry replied, sounding as miserable as he felt.
"Well, you must have some feelings on the subject."
Harry thought for a moment, feeling this was a question he'd do well to answer very carefully. "I suppose everyone has they're own opinion of her." he said at last.
"And what might yours be then?"
Harry thought again. "Katlin took care of me." he replied in a resolute tone. "All she ever did was protect me, just like she promised she would. But then we came back to the castle, and everyone said she was just like all the Deatheaters, and all she was doing was using me to get into the castle. And now they captured her and sent her to Azkaban, where she said they were going to let the Dementors have her."
"And I'm very sure they would have." Dumbledore replied mildly. "If she had ever arrived."
Harry's head snapped up. "She was never sent to Azkaban?"
"No, she was sent, Harry." Dumbledore corrected. "She simply never arrived. The night Katlin Griss was to go to Azkaban, she escaped. She hasn't been seen since."
"She escaped?" Harry ask in barely a whisper.
"Yes." Dumbledore replied with concern. "But if you're worried about if she'll try and come after you because of what happened at the castle..."
Harry lifted his head and looked across the desk at the Headmaster. "No, sir. I'm not worried about that."
"Then what is it? You sound a bit...apprehensive she escaped."
"It's not that, sir." Harry replied. "It's just..." he paused again, looking for the right words. "Do they know how she escaped?"
"The story is a bit unclear." Dumbledore confessed. "The guards say that the Dementors guarding the train turned on them. Attacked them and chased them off the train. By the time the Ministry arrived with help, Katlin was gone. One of the guards said he thought he saw her using a wand. But that's a bit suspect, I assume, since Katlin had lost her wand. And she had no way of getting hold of another, did she?" he said.
Harry sat for a very long time studying the floor in front of the Headmaster's desk, nearly jumping out of the chair when Dumbledore broke the silence. "Well, if there wasn't anything else, Harry..." he added, stepping around his large desk.
"She had her wand back." Harry suddenly replied in a flat tone of voice.
Dumbledore stopped and studied the boy before him carefully as he leaned against his desk. "How do you know that, Harry?" he ask.
"Because I gave it to her." He stated bluntly. "I'm the one who helped her escape."
Dumbledore stopped abruptly. "You helped her, Harry?" He questioned. "How?"
Harry took a breath. "She told the Ministry wizards at the castle she didn't have her wand. That she must have dropped it somewhere."
"Yes."
"Well, she was telling the truth. She did drop it. In the tunnel. And I picked it up."
Dumbledore gave Harry a puzzled look. "Why didn't you tell anyone this, Harry?"
Harry paused for a moment. "I don't know." He replied quietly. "I just kept it. I meant to give it to Sirius or Arabella."
"But you didn't."
Harry shook his head. "Sirius told me they were going to take Katlin to Azkaban. That they would let the Dementors give her the Kiss." Harry turned quickly back to his Headmaster. "Sirius and Arabella told me she was a horrible person. That she had done a lot of things that she had to pay for. But she never hurt me." He stated firmly. "Never once. And she placed herself in danger more than once to help me escape Voldemort. I couldn't just let them do that to her."
"All right, Harry." Dumbledore replied kindly, waving down the boy's growing anxiety. "I understand your reasoning. Now, what exactly did you do?"
"I asked to see her before they took her to Azkaban." Harry said. "And I took her wand in with me."
"How did you get a wand past the guards? Didn't they check?"
"They searched me." Harry confirmed. "But Katlin had taught me a spell while we were escaping from Voldemort on how to conceal things. I used that spell to hide her wand from the Ministry guards."
"All right. Go on."
"I told Katlin that I'd give her the wand if she promised not to kill anyone in trying to escape."
"Well, you'll be pleased to know that she kept her promise, Harry." Dumbledore replied with a small smile. "No one was seriously hurt in her escape. And the Ministry has no clear proof she had her wand back, since no one ever actually saw it."
Harry looked up at him.
"Apparently she wanted to make sure you wouldn't be questioned, since if they knew she had her wand, they would have also known someone had to have given it to her. So," Dumbledore added, resting his arms on his desk, "with that matter cleared up, Harry, I have to asked, why are you telling me this?"
Harry paused briefly again before beginning. "Katlin found out about the tunnel because of me." He said. "And there were only two ways to keep her from telling Voldemort. One was to let the Dementors...perform the Kiss." Harry paled slightly at the thought of what such a fate was like for a person.
"And the other?" Dumbledore prompted him to go on.
"The other was to get her to promise not to."
"And those are your only reasons?" The old wizard asked him.
Harry paused for a few moments, thinking over his answer carefully. When he finally did speak, his voice was nearly inflectionless. "The whole time I was with Katlin, from the moment I met her while sitting in the dungeon in Voldemort's lair, she treated me like...like she really cared what happened to me. When she helped me escape, when we were both running from Voldemort, she did everything she could for me. She was kind, concerned, even worried for me.
Then when I was taken back to Sirius and Arabella, they told me Katlin was a horrible person. That she was a Deatheater and that she's done a lot of really terrible things to people. That she...she was an Elite. One of Voldemort's best."
Dumbledore didn't say anything. Instead he sat back behind his desk and simply watched the teenager sitting before him trying to work out the inconsistencies on his own. But finally Harry seemed to give up and turned a confused expression to Dumbledore.
"I don't understand." He said quietly. "She acted like she cared about me. And yet Sirius and Arabella say she's a horrible person. Like any Deatheater. And I trust Sirius and Arabella. But...if Katlin's really like Sirius and Arabella say, why...why did she act so nice to me? Was that all just part of some act? Some part she was playing to get me to show her a way into the castle? I mean," Harry went on, searching for the right way to explain things, "are they all like that? The Deatheaters? Should I just not trust any of them? And if I can't, what about Katlin? She did what she promised. But if she was just playing some part...if she was lying to me, then she knows about one tunnel into the castle. And she can probably guess there are others. And I'll be the one who showed her the way. All because I trusted her. I believed her."
Dumbledore brought Harry's rambling to a stop as he raised his hand. A small smile on his face.
"That would be a lot for even me to puzzle over Harry. And I'm afraid I can't give you any solid answers to help solve the questions for you.
But I will tell you this. Katlin Griss is a Deatheater, that much is true. And your godparents have very good reasons to see her the way they do. And what they say is true, in part. Katlin has done some very terrible things. But keep in mind, your godparents only know Katlin, for the most part, as a Deatheater. They have seen first hand some of the terrible things she has done. And any representation of her they give is going to be a little biased at best.
But I also know Katlin Griss, Harry."
Harry looked up suddenly. "You know her?"
Dumbledore nodded. "And I have for a very long time. She has been in this castle. She's been in that very chair you're sitting in now. And I have had some very long, and interesting conversations with her. She is a very complicated, very intelligent, and very intriguing woman. But above everything she may be, past everything her life has made her, past the things she has done, and the things she has had to do for whatever reason, politics aside, I will tell you one thing I have always found to be true about her without fail. She is loyal."
"Loyal?" Harry asked, not seeing how that helped him much.
"Very. And in that, and in a very odd sort of way, she is one of the most trustworthy people I have ever met. If Katlin told you she would or would not do something, Harry, I, for one, would believe her."
Harry thought for a moment before turning a questioning stare back to the Headmaster. "So, you think I should trust her?" Harry ask.
Dumbledore sighed quietly, a small smile on his lips. "I'm not trying to tell you to do anything, Harry. And in this matter, no one should. I'm only offering you another point of view on the very enigmatic Katlin Griss. I might hesitate to count her among my friends. But I certainly would never count her among my enemies."
"But...if she's a Deatheater, why is she coming here...to Hogwarts...to talk to you?"
Dumbledore shrugged with a small smile. "She says she likes my tea."
Harry knew better than to continue to question the Headmaster any further on that subject. Enigmatic as the man could be, sometimes you just weren't going to get anything better than a vague answer to your question.
"Is she all right?" Harry ask instead.
"The last I heard from her." he replied with the same small smile. "She sent me an owl a few days ago. 'Rupert' I think she once told me his name was." Dumbledore frowned slightly at the memory. "Never met a more haughty bird than that one. But Katlin seems very fond of him."
"Does her husband know she's all right?" he ask without thinking.
Dumbledore looked at the boy over his glasses. "Her husband?"
Harry snapped his mouth shut, sure he had said far too much. But Dumbledore only gave him a smile.
"I suppose so." he replied. "She mentioned in her letter he was quite well."
Harry only answered the comment with a small smile as he slid off the chair and got to his feet. Thanking the Headmaster for his time, he bid the older man good night.
"And where are you off to now, Harry?" Dumbledore ask.
Harry turned back to the Headmaster for a moment. "Home." he replied. "Arabella promised stew for dinner." And with that he headed out the door and started for where Arabella and Sirius were waiting to take him home.
(Scene Change)
Several miles into London, a tall figure dressed in a black overcoat stood near an open alleyway, just out of sight. The coat reached nearly to the ground and hung on the person like it had been tailor made for them. Tight in all the right places to enhance all the best qualities of the person wearing it while remaining loose enough in other areas to still be functional.
The figure lifted it's wrist as it checked a large gold watch, then stuffed the hand back into the pocket with a certain amount of irritation.
"Three minutes past nine, in case you were wondering." Orion offered as he stepped up behind the figure.
The man never moved so much as a muscle in surprise. "I prefer to think of it as you're being three minutes late."
Orion met the hard stare of his superior as Orin Bale turned to face him.
"You're going to give yourself ulcers worrying about things like that, Orin."
"I don't need 'things like that' to give me ulcers. I have you and Misser for that."
"So good to know we fill a need for you."
Orin sighed in the chilled night air. A cloud of steam rose in front of his face. He'd put off this meeting until things settled down, and had spent his time for the last few days keeping things out of the papers and out of the hands of the media at large as far as Griss' capture had gone. He hadn't planned on things going as far off base as they had, and Katlin's capture had made the whole set up suddenly very unpredictable. Orion's plan to rescue her had been even more so. "Get on with it then." he scowled at his top agent. "What have you got?"
"Everything went just as I told you it would. Why don't you trust me?"
"Were you seen?"
"Not a soul."
"Anyone hurt?"
"I understand a few of the guards are still having nightmares. Serves them right if you ask me. Rubbing her capture in our noses like they did."
"Every Unspeakable would have done the same thing to them if it had been our lot that captured her and you know it."
Orion growled something under his breath.
"How is she?" Orin asked after a slight pause, fielding the words out as casually as he could.
"She's all right. Still a little shaken. But she's getting back to her old self. The kids help her stay focused on other things."
"And how are things on the other end?" Orin ask.
Orion's face darkened. He knew exactly what 'other end' his superior meant. "Things are as well as one can hope. We're keeping up a covert surveillance. He doesn't sneeze that we don't know it."
"Is he suspicious of anything going on?"
Orion shook his head. "Arabella's doing a good job for her part. She's out of the house a lot. Off on trips. Shopping in London overnight. Inviting her family to come stay the weekend when she can't cover her absences anymore without raising his suspicions. Everything so far is passing as simple wedding preparations. Arabella's Aunt Rose is in the house right now. He's never alone."
Orin nodded. "Good. The last thing we want is any suspicions raised." The man cast a long sideways glance at his agent. "When are you moving?"
"One week." Came the brisk reply.
Orin nodded, pulling his hands out of his pockets as he blew on them to warm them a little through the gloves he wore. "All right then," he said, gesturing with a slight nod towards the pub across the street. "I understand they make a very good toddy over there. Think I'll have one before heading home." Orin pulled up his collar against the cold as he nodded once more to his agent before starting off towards the bright lights illuminating the front walkway of the pub across the street. "Do give your wife my best, won't you?" he added as he stepped out into the street and hurried across.
"I'll do that." Orion answered in a quiet voice. He watched until Bale disappeared inside pub before turning back down the alleyway and apparating home.
Q&A
Runaway
ani:
Thank you, Dear. Always good to have your OC's liked. Especially in a story like this, where they make up at least half of the cast.
Skahducky:
True, they might suspect Harry, but proving anything is quite a different story. The guards checked him going in and coming out. To their knowledge, he was always wand-free. And who's going to run to the head of the line to accuse 'The Boy Who Lived' of helping a Deatheater escape? They would suspect some trick on the nefarious Katlin's part before they would suspect a sweet, innocent little Harry Potter.
Was anything that Katlin told Harry in the jail cell a lie? Not really. She saw no point in lying further. She was headed for Azkaban and likely her death. Why bother lying anymore?
Now, was anything Katlin told Harry a lie? Well, most of the trip was. And once they got into Hogsmeade I don't think she told one honest truth the whole time. But you had to look at her reasoning here. Katlin was in a very tight spot. She was under orders from Voldemort to find a secret passage into Hogwarts if one existed. However, she also knew the ramifications if she succeeded. Keep in mind poor Katlin is stretching her loyalties to the breaking point here. She likes Dumbledore. Bit of an odd duck, but generally an alright sort. But she is loyal to Voldemort...for the most part. She is also trying to keep her word to her husband that she would take care of Harry. Meanwhile, Harry is also nearly Sirius' son, which would make him her nephew, thus family. With the loyalty pie cut about everyway it could be, Katlin tried to do the best she could. And her plan was fairly good. To get Harry back to the castle safely, turn him over to Dumbledore, get escorted merrily to the front gates, and sent home with a story that the secret passage did not exist and giving instead a story of her barely making it out alive to enlist the sympathy vote.
Getting captured was not part of the plan.
Of course she likes him! Who wouldn't love that sweet little moppy-topped urchin?
Actually, Katlin does like Harry. She thinks he is for the most part an intelligent, likable teenager who she identifies with more than people realize. They are both orphans, and both are doing all they can to not only gain the respect and love of those around them, but each protect their own way of life.
No, Harry has not been adopted by Sirius and Arabella yet.
OK. Story line up here.
Enemies - About fifteen years before Family Life.
Family Life - Right after GoF.
Runaway - With about one week after Family Life ended.
Family Relations - Starts about three weeks after the end of Family Life.
Family Ties - Follows immediately after Family Relations.
Hope that helps, Dear.
Silverfox:
Bo would not do well at Azkaban, Dear. Full of Dementors, and Bo, while not effected by Dementors as wizards and witches are, still does not like them.
Bo always likes to see Katlin. He's actually very fond of her.
I hope you liked Hershal. He's nothing if not dramatic. However, this story did not touch on why Bo does not like him. It has only a little to do with Hershal's nature. It has almost everything to do with how he got that way. But that will be covered in greater depth in Family Relations.
Everyone likes Bo, Dear. He's just so darn...likable.
Nessie:
Actually, that was not planned as the story seen from Hedwig's POV, it just worked best that way. I needed an impartial character through who I could show people what was really going on.
As you know, Runaway ended with this chapter.
If she's caught that means no escaping or anything? Dear, this is Katlin Griss. If she doesn't want to stay caught, she won't. And even past that, Orion is not going to let his wife go to Azkaban.
And Katlin also had an unknown friend helping her in the background that was not mentioned until the end of this story, and that Orin Bale, Head of the Unspeakables.
And that whole end conversation was nothing less than the set up for Family Relations, which I start in June. Hope to see you back for it, Dear.
And that's all right, Dear. You made perfect sense.
Fever
Rankokunalpha:
I very glad you enjoyed it, Dear. Thank you. But I believe that story ended on Chapter 13. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. A good indicator is that I usually tell readers when it's the last chapter. Also if I haven't posted in over a year, chances are it's done.
All reviews are as of 05/11/2005.
And remember;
My IQ test came back negative.
