And I'm back! To torture you by making you wait a few more months! I really am sorry about taking so long to update, but we're getting a ton of coursework at the moment, and revision for our mocks. But its almost xmas now, and as soon as i break up I should have time to update more. Really! This is a very angsty chappie and i don't really know if it works or not, so please let me know what you think so i can improve it! Next chappie will be happier though

DarkSaiph: Yes he is dead. Finite. No longer breathing. Mort. I can't think of any more words for it at the moment. Oh well. I didn't want to kill him…but he was hanging about, with nothing to do…it is crucial to the story, really! I just haven't got round to saying why yet.

Aknightofni: I like Gimli to! He is one of my fav characters! It was just necessary for the plot (wow, that sounded posh!) Thanks for the compliments, and they should meet in the next chappie.

Aislynn Crowdaughter: Wow, everyone just wants to ask me that! Just to repeat, in case anyone missed it the first couple of times – I DO like Gimli, I do NOT have a grudge against him, and it IS necessary for the plot. Sorry if I didn't make his death more clear though.

Celebwen Telcontar: See my answer for Aislynn Crowdaughter. Thanks for saying it was good at the end though!

To Artemisa, K'lara7, Hyperkitti, tina7610813, ae332003, TheWall, DarkJamAB (I think that's everyone) thank you so much for reviewing, and for everybody else out there who hasn't reviewed yet (you know who you are)

Hundreds of miles away, Harry Potter was sitting by his window, staring up at the moon. It was a cloudless night; cool, with a soft breeze sweeping past his face. 'It's a full moon tonight' he thought, almost automatically. 'I hope Professor Lupin is…' he turned away quickly, unable to think about anything connected to his late Godfather. In his mind he simply repeated the words he had been repeating to himself ever since the incident. 'Why did he have to die?'

Back at school it had been all right, with plenty of distractions and the words of Dumbledore still fresh in his mind. He had even managed to pretend to be cheerful. But now there was nothing to take his mind off of his thoughts, and take him out of his depression. Ever since his 'cheerful' farewell to everyone at the train station the Dursleys had left him alone, barely speaking to him at all. But that was fine with Harry. At least they'd stopped mentioning his Godfather, even if only saying 'Have you written to Him yet?'

Hedwig flew through the open window, dropping yet another letter onto the ever growing pile at the foot of his bed. If he had glanced at it, he would have seen the familiar scrawl of Hermione's handwriting saying 'Please read this Harry' in large letters. He had opened the first letter from Ron, full of 'sorry's and 'know just how you feel mate's, but he just didn't want to hear it anymore. Ron, Hermione, Professor Lupin, Mrs Weasley. What right did they have to think they could make him feel better? He was fed up with being controlled. Why couldn't everyone just let him leave him to make his own decisions for once? He hated them. Hated them all. Hated the whole world for taking his Godfather from him.

They had all written to him. And their carefully written letters all lay still on the floor.

Another person was looking at the moon that night. It was but a few hours after the end of the council, and it always left him feeling depressed. However this night there was something else on his mind. He was so caught up in his thoughts in fact, that he did not even hear as Thalion crept up on him.

"It is not like you to let me walk up on you like this," stated Thalion, watching Legolas jump with a smile on his face. "What is it that you are thinking of?"

Legolas did not move, apart from a slight flicker in his eyes towards a folded piece of parchment on his table.

"Ahh, you are of course thinking of our mysterious visitors earlier." Legolas still did not speak, seemed even not to have heard, and it was only when Thalion looked at him quizzically that he turned to his friend.

"I have not spoken to a single mortal in centuries. What in Middle Earth possessed me to help them fight?" he cried out suddenly.

"You speak to trees, do you not?" Thalion said with a smile on his face, trying to provoke his friend. "And the horses in your stables?"

"You know that which I speak of!" he snapped, and instantly regretted. "I am sorry my friend."

They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the breeze through the trees, Thalion replaying that short conversation in his mind. "And yet you say 'spoken'." He whispered. "Not 'seen'."

He could hear the crashes next door of Dudley playing on his video games, the rhythmical thumping whenever Dudley lost yet another game. Harry had actually been on it a couple of times recently, whenever the Dursleys went out, and sometimes when they hadn't. Dudley had been given strict instructions at the end of term not to do anything that might get on Harry's 'bad side', and so far he had managed to stick with that. He was much better than Dudley by now, but Dudley was far too scared to do anything about it. Harry was even getting quite into it. Anything to take his mind off school. His school things lay where they were dumped, in his previous home of the Cupboard Under The Stairs. His exam results were probably somewhere in the stack of letters. He just didn't care anymore.

There was an awkward silence, Thalion not sure if he had said the wrong thing, Legolas not sure how to answer.

"How do you know?"

"Do not worry," Thalion said hurriedly "no one in your court knows what you do. Only a few…select people."

"I asked how."

"Do you think that we let you go anywhere on your own?" Thalion teased, but seeing the look on Legolas' face continued hurriedly. "Well unless you have somebody hidden alongside the giant you are keeping in the forest, then I do not believe you have produced an heir yet. Therefore it is our solemn duty to keep you safe and, most of all, alive until you can find one." He said, doing a pompous bow, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Legolas returned his grin. "Your tracking skills have improved greatly if you can track me with such ease."

"Not just me. There is Fornelen. And Randin of course, but he gets everywhere." Thalion was watching Legolas' face with interest, trying to make out something…anything that would give away his true feelings. But nothing came.

"Then you will all know that I have ventured no further than the borders of the forest."

"Only because you have no need to." Thalion said, needing Legolas to admit this for himself. "I have seen the giant with which you communicate without words. And the other that has been placed into your care."

A pause. Longer this time. "He is no giant."

"No?" Thalion said with obvious surprise.

"He is just big boned."

Thalion snorted, picturing the large man in his head. "If he is 'just big boned', then I will eat Tinwen's stew." Even Legolas laughed at that, but Thalion could see that the main issue had still not been addressed fully. "You have made contact with others, yet you are still afraid to meet with them"

"If by contact you mean watching out for each other, contacting each other through the animals in the forest when something is in danger, then yes I have been in contact with them. But we have only seen each other once, when he beseeched me to watch out for his friend. And I am only doing what is in the interests of this forest." 'And for my own sake' was left unsaid, but hung in the air as if waiting to be mentioned.

"We are still going then?"

"I have already sent my reply." Legolas said decisively. "I just needed persuading that it is the right thing to do. I cannot leave them to their fate. Not when I can help." He was now much more confident, and Thalion smiled, knowing that Legolas had finally made his decision.

"You always were stubborn."

"And you cannot come."

"I know. I am still coming though."

"You are captain of the guard." Legolas said, "I need you to look after the forest for me. If I leave it to the council the Valar knows what would happen to it."

"I believe that almost as much as you do" Thalion said with a smirk on his face, "Maegwen can look after it for you. She is more than capable."

There was a pause, Thalion almost holding his breath, waiting for Legolas' next words. "I never did want to go without you."

Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite gone from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arc.

Falling. Falling. The ground dropped away. He felt hot, as if he were dropping towards the gates of hell. Hot. Burning. Beads of sweat dripping down. And then…

Harry woke up, drenched with sweat. Hedwig hooted in her cage, the door open. He was crumpled on the floor underneath the windowsill. It was just as he was remembering, and trying to forget, the events of his nightmare, that he heard a loud popping noise come from just outside his room. Then another. And another. Then he heard the not-so-quiet whisperings of: "Is he in there?" "That looks like a bit of a small room, doesn't it!" "Is he awake?" "Well he will be by now with all your grumbling." "No need to be so impatient, I was only saying!" "Can't we just go in? It's worse than bloody sardines back here." "Oh right. Sorry."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Harry? Are you decent? 'Cos if you're not, 'I'm coming in anyway." A voice called from behind the door, just before she banged it open with a crash to reveal a multicoloured Tonks. Harry quickly composed himself, and even managed to put on a fake smile, before getting up off the floor to greet her.

"Wotcha Harry." She said happily, ignoring the loud 'ouch' that came from the door slamming into somebody's nose.

"Hi Tonks." Harry said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

"Now cummon. Lets pack your stuff together, and we can get to headquarters before you know it." She said brightly, picking up the odd sock with her wand and chucking it into a case. "We were really worried, with you not contacting us and all. Bloody owl post's getting so unreliable; you can't send anything without it going through Antarctica! We even went to see Dumbles to check out what he thought, but he said you probably just needed some air. At least you're al…" She faded out as she saw the great pile of letters at her feet. Her eyes clouded over with misery as she stared down, carefully avoiding Harry's eyes. "Why don't you go out to Mad-Eye. I can finish up here and bring your case round in a minute. What with me apparating, I'll get there before you do! I'm sure he can get you to Headquarters without you exploding. Although with Moody you can never tell." She said, trying desperately, and failing miserably, to pick up the lighter tone she had been using earlier.

So Harry walked out of the room. And as the door closed behind him, Tonks finished packing.

"Who else will you pick?"

"I had thought to take only a few." They both looked thoughtful now, concentrating hard on whom to choose. "If others are needed, then they can be sent for with ease. The great forest is not as large as it once was."

"Melmir will have to come. And Randin, he is the best scout in Mirkwood." Thalion praised.

"And where Melmir goes, Tinwen will have to go also."

"She would follow him to the Halls of Mandos and back if needs be."

"I am not sure she would even stop there." Legolas said, only half jokingly. "But very well. That is five of our party accounted for. We still need at least one more. The forest is not safe for an uneven number, with not everyone being protected by somebody else."

"What about Fornelen. He is a formidable warrior."

"With a grudge." Legolas grimaced. "I do not know if I could cope with his petty quarrels on this journey."

"He is better now. I swear to you."

"Very well. But he had better not take all of his weapons."

At this Thalion's brow wrinkled. "Why is that?"

"Because," Legolas said seriously, "I would really like to make a good impression on our neighbours by not shooting them all strait away."

They both burst out laughing, Thalion walking back to the entrance of the room.

"I am glad you have finally made a decision, my lord." Thalion said, doing a grossly exaggerated bow.

"If you are going to keep doing all those stupid flamboyancies, then I will leave you at home!"

"As you wish." Thalion said, backing out, and picking up his bow that he had left on the table.

"Then let us prepare. I wish to leave at dawn."

12 Grimmaud Place. Harry looked up at the building looming above him. It was even more daunting now than in his dreams. This was Sirius' house. The place he had lived in. The place where Buckbeak was laying in the attic. How could he stay here for the last two weeks of the summer holidays? He walked up to the front door in a daze, and walked strait into the hall. The gloom that once was there had disappeared, to be replaced by a bright, cheerful room, and the only reminder of last term was the great curtain covering the painting. 'Maybe this place won't be so bad' Harry thought. Tonks had already arrived, and was speaking in hushed tones to Mad-Eye Moody in the corner. Professor Lupin was behind him, trying to gently nudge Harry into the dining room, and at that moment Harry realised that he couldn't go in. He muttered a poor excuse to the werewolf, and then ran upstairs with his case to his room. He sank down onto the floor, and for the first time in weeks, he relaxed. He could not believe that he had been so scared of coming here.

It was silent in his room, and although a great deal cleaner than it had been last year, it was already littered with what looked like the entire contents of Ron's room. Every now and then he could hear the odd word, a distant shriek. In a way he regretted distancing himself from them, and yet he was still extremely wary of meeting them. To distract himself from his thoughts, which only seemed to be leading him in circles, he decided to set about unpacking his case. Crossing his legs on a bare patch of floor, he undid his case, letting the first few letters fall to the ground. Slowly, as if making an almost impossible decision, he picked the first one off the floor, opened it, and started to cry.