I would like to thank Spezlee, Ravensblack, blackdragonofslytherin, DARKMARK33LV, Klover P, HoshiHikari4ever, FallenPheonix721, whyshoulditellyou, Siren Duveil, and Chaser1 for reviewing.

Athenz: Yes, Sin is father-ish...I can see him as more, but I'd rather not go there because then I'd have to kill him.../trails off mumbling that I wanted to anyway/...moving on, Voldemort can't be icky looking, because—well, he just can't so he'll be "Tom Riddle" and LV just because I think you're wondering happens to stand for Lord Voldemort which is who Harry's going with...I hope that clears things up...I would have used Tom Riddle but that not who Voldemort is anymore, not that he ever was...

Sabby-chan Yoai Fan: LV stands for Lord Voldemort, not something you see usually because apparently TR is.../rolls eyes/ I don't feel like ranting, and I don't think you want to hear me rant...so I'll save us both the trouble and end rant before it starts...

Darkangelgep: Don't worry Ginny will become her usual hateful self soon enough...and those people who have Voldemort as a maniac have no imagination and are probably Ginny/Harry shippers who think sex is kissing! /Growls at Harry/Ginny shippers/

LadyRaebef: Voldemort doesn't know who Sin is because Sin is not a very popular member of the vampire council, he's hated by his own kind because of his power, and Voldemort's chief concern is keeping the light at bay. He's got a bit more on his hands than needing to find out who all's on the vampire council, so for that matter has the other powers...ask one member of the other powers, excluding the lost for names of other powers and you won't get a good answer.

A/N: let's see...hmm...first order of business, there is too much hate in the world and it needs to end. All of you need to love each other, not hate, and if you can't do that, at least try and tolerate other people. Second of all, I'm sure several of you will be happy to know that my writers block is gone. /Cheers/ that is all...thanks for sticking with me so far...and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Ten

Severus finally decided after few minutes that it was unusual that Dumbledore didn't recognize the boy; his hair was only just a little bit longer. There wasn't much different about him besides that, and sure, he looked like he'd grown and was much healthier, it didn't take much to recognize Harry Potter.

It was almost as though the man believed that Potter couldn't look any different...Severus raised his eyebrows and then swept out.

"I don't see why this is important," Harry mumbled picking up a silver knife inlaid with diamonds and raising an eyebrow in Sin's direction.

Sin gave Harry a light chastising look and placed his hand over Harry's guiding it to place the knife back on the table. "Etiquette, Harry, is very important."

Sin sat down at the table across from Harry and continued, "You know how to manipulate troops, how to win a battle, but you have no idea how to manipulate people. Etiquette is used in polite society around rich snobbish bastards to bend to your will...in which case," Sin continued with a smile, "the etiquette I'm referring to has nothing to do with eating habits, but rather with subtle manipulations. We begin now."

"So should I throw in with the vampires?" Remus asked Severus as he sorted through his card deck idly.

"Not just yet," Severus replied. "You forget that there is more to this Game than meets the eye," Severus took Remus' deck from his hands and began dealing them, "and more than one player."

"You're referring to Dumbledore?" Remus asked as he picked up his hand and looked through them, "What are we playing?"

"Poker," Severus replied, "and yes, of course I'm referring to him, the man is a wild card that can either throw you for a loop or make you win spectacularly."

"And you feel he's going to throw us for a loop?" Remus asked.

"I know he is," Severus replied.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Remus asked Severus playfully.

Severus just smirked and replied, "Something I hope will work."

"So what exactly am I manipulating again?" Harry asked slumping onto the table looking bored out of his mind.

"You are trying to get me to want to help you out of learning how to manipulate me," Sin replied, laughter in his eyes.

Harry looked heavenward whimpered. "I don't know what to do..."

"Maybe that's the problem," Sin suggested, "you're looking or a way to manipulate me when perhaps you already know how."

"I don't know how to manipulate anyone," Harry whined only a few seconds off banging his head on the table, when Harry saw the silver knife. He reached over and picked it up running his hands over the diamonds.

Sin raised an eyebrow in slight puzzlement.

Then Harry looked up, placed the knife on his wrist, and declared, "I'll kill myself if you don't let me go."

Sin beamed and exclaimed, "That was very good! But next time you should put it on your neck or upper arm. That will make the situation direr."

Harry didn't even blink just shifted the knife to his throat.

Sin laughed and added, "It would also be more effective if you weren't using a butter knife." Harry visibly slumped, "But as it were, you've done better than I expected so I'll let you go...until tomorrow anyway."

Harry beamed and jumped out of his chair.

"But first," Sin added smirking at Harry, "Why did you threatening to kill yourself work?"

Harry slumped back into the chair and groaned, "I don't know..."

"So you just up decided to see if killing yourself would work?" Sin asked an eyebrow raised.

"Well, no," Harry sighed, "I just—I don't know."

"You must have some idea," Sin edged.

Harry shrugged and weakly replied, "I wanted to leave."

Sin sighed and placed his head in his hand. "Think Harry, beyond what you normally do, beyond the thoughts that you were encouraged to have."

Harry whimpered and let his head fall to the table.

Sin frowned and listened to a grandfather clock tick somewhere off in the distance of the house...there was that rat he'd put poison out for. That damn thing just wouldn't eat the damn poison. Sin glanced at Harry, the boy wasn't even thinking about why he did it. He just did it because it seemed right.

Harry sighed loudly and squirmed around on the table trying to figure out what the right answer could be.

'This,' Sin decided, 'is going to take a while.'

Severus leaned back against the wall of Dumbledore's office and rubbed his temples. Why was it so hard to find the records Dumbledore had to have kept? Severus studied the desk that appeared to be undisturbed and decided to go through that one drawer once more before calling it a night.

Severus unlocked the drawer and looked through it...nothing. He scowled and put everything back the way he found it. He would look again tomorrow.

Dumbledore wasn't so effective at keeping things hidden, that he could keep it from a member of The Lost.

Severus would figure this out.

Remus frowned at the letter he'd received from Dumbledore, he couldn't figure out what the man was up to. Before he wasn't interested in looking for Harry and now he was formally asking for help from the werewolves so he could find him? Something was definitely up...

Remus frowned and tossed the letter aside returning his attention to the cards laid out in perfect solitaire formation...and violently threw his hand through them. Then he stood up and walked out of his house, the cards still settling back down on the floor in his wake.

Remus hoped his father, the leader of his pack, would have enough time to speak with him, he needed his help to figure this one out, because while Remus was introduced to the game, his father had been born into it and knew how to think like the enemy, because he was just like his enemies in goals and power...

Which brought Remus back to wondering what Severus was up to...Remus shook his head and continued on his way, Severus would wait to strike, but Dumbledore would snatch first chance he got.

Harry stared at Sin over his arms, which he had his head placed on, it was nearing 2 o' clock in the morning and yes, they were still sitting at the dining room table.

Sin was leaning back in his chair looking anything but uncomfortable, in fact he was trying not to fall asleep...of course you couldn't tell it from looking at him.

"Didn't you say," Harry asked, finally breaking the silence, "that every time you made someone your heir that you gave them a little piece of your soul?"

Sin blinked and then nodded slowly.

"Then that's why it worked," Harry declared, "because had I killed myself then I would have taken that piece of your soul with me."

Sin nodded, relieved, "Yes, that's exactly why it worked," Sin stood and stretched his cramped muscles. Sin glanced at Harry who was doing the same and added, "I think we need to work on your thinking skills before we do this again, don't you?"

"You're the adult here," Harry replied, all but skipping out of the dining room.

"So I am," Sin murmured. "So I am."