Harry and Fionn hadn't even been home for two minutes when Ash breezed past them, giggling quietly to herself. Placing a violin on the side-table and then dropping a miniature bridge carelessly on the chair beside it, she finally seemed to notice they were standing there.

"Hello! I need to go get cleaned up, and then drop that off. After I'm done, we can catch up on what you two have been doing. Back in a bit!" Ash bounced off down the hall, leaving Harry and Fionn blinking in her wake.

They weren't sure what 'that' was, as her gesture was too vague, so it could have meant the violin, bridge, or both. Was she a secret musician? Ash didn't really strike Harry as the violin-playing type, but then again, he couldn't figure out how the bridge worked into the equation either. Picking up a book, Harry sat down on the sofa and Fionn quickly curled up next to him with his head in Harry's lap. Harry idly pet the Fae's hair while he read, ignoring the clingyness being displayed as he knew it was due to what had happened with Gideon. Ash hurried past them once again, now wearing a different set of clothes, and obviously fresh from a shower. She grabbed the violin, wrapped it in a large piece of black cloth, and was out the door again with only a quick wave over her shoulder to acknowledge them. Harry shook his head and laughed quietly, his new life was strange to say the least, but at least it was never boring with Ash around.

When Ash finally returned, Fionn was asleep and Harry had nearly finished the book he was reading. She flopped down on a chair across from them and beamed happily.

"So what have you two been up to while I was gone?"

"Not a whole lot, we went to the park a few times, and wandered around town, read and sat around the house. Nothing interesting really..." Harry wasn't about to tell her he'd seen a cage match, not after the way Herne and Gideon had behaved when they found out he had gone without Ash. Three lectures in one day? No thank you!

"If I'm not totally off, your Healer's appointment is in two days, right? Or is it tomorrow?"

"No, it's in two days. I hope Healer Tristan has been able to figure out how to remove the brand and the binding on my Demon abilities..." Harry frowned slightly, then decided he wasn't going to think about that right now. There was nothing he could do about it after all, though that did remind him that he should stop by the Gringotts branch in the Realm and see if there was any word on what was happening with his accounts. It had only been three mortal days or so, but he could hope that he'd get answers about everything soon. Speaking of answers, his eyes fell on the miniature bridge again.

"Ash... why is there a miniature bridge on the chair? And what's up with the violin? I didn't know you played an instrument?"

Ash fidgeted a bit and chewed her lip, obviously trying to decide about telling him something. "I suppose since you're living with me for who knows how long, I'm going to have to explain sooner or later... but I'm going to have to get your Oath that you won't tell anyone else what I'm going to tell you." She looked as serious as she had before she left, when she told him to stay out of trouble. Harry was curious about what she could have to tell him that could be so important she had to ask him to take an Oath on it. But he trusted her, she had not lied to him once since he met her, and she had done her best to take care of both him and Fionn... Pulling out his wand, he sat up straighter.

"I, Harry James Potter do swear on my magic that I will not tell anyone what Ash is about to tell me without her permission. So mote it be." A bright flash of light appeared briefly from his wand, encompassing him before it vanished again. So used to Fionn being around, he had almost forgotten the Fae was sleeping in his lap until he spoke in a soft voice.

"I swear by Oona and Finvarra not to reveal what Ash is about to tell us without her permission." A soft golden light surrounded Fionn and then winked out again.

Ash nodded, still looking quite unlike her normal bubbly self. "I thank you for your Oaths, and assure you they were needed. If anyone were to find out what I do, it could mean my life. I doubt you will have heard of me yet Harry, since you haven't lived among us for very long. But I am known as the Shadow of the Realm."

Fionn sat up straight with a soft gasp, his golden eyes wide. "You're the Shadow?"

Ash blushed faintly and inclined her head. "I am." Turning back to Harry she considered how to explain. "I am what you might say, one of the best and worst kept secrets in the Realm. Almost everyone has heard of me, but only a very few know who I am. Including the two of you, there are only four people who know my secret. One of them is Pepper."

"I don't understand. What do you mean, you're the Shadow of the Realm?"

"She's the best thief there is. No one's ever caught the Shadow, and she's never failed a job. Not that I've ever heard." Fionn answered Harry, his eyes never leaving Ash's face.

"So you stole a violin and a bridge for someone? But the bridge is still here, and how do you get jobs and paid, not to mention how do they get their stuff if no one knows you are the Shadow?" Harry was still a bit confused, and while he didn't agree with stealing, it wasn't really his place to lecture Ash about her life choices. Especially as she seemed to know exactly how dangerous her situation was.

Ash laughed and shrugged one shoulder. "Well... technically only the violin was requested. But it was too easy. I mean, anyone could have stolen that thing. I agreed because it's the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius Violin, it was made by one of the Fae in 1727 and later stolen by a mortal. I don't steal indiscriminately, I only agree to jobs that either test my skills, or bring back something that was stolen from one of us in the first place. But a lot of copy-cats are out there, and some of their jobs have been laid at my doorstep. Can't really disprove those without letting everyone know that I'm the Shadow. Hence needing your Oaths. As for how I get the jobs and how I get paid, Pepper and another friend have a... kind of a mail drop set up for me. If someone wants to hire me, they leave a message in the drop box, I pick it up and if it interests me and pays enough, I accept. I leave the item in the drop after they've left the money and no one finds out I'm the Shadow."

"That sounds risky for Pepper and the other person. What if someone goes after them? If they operate the drop, they'd have to know who you are." Harry frowned, he didn't think Ash would put her friends at risk, but it didn't sound safe for them at all either.

"It would be. But it's a magical drop box. Anything put into it gets transported to a drop box here in the house. So they can honestly say that they just rent out the space for the box. I have fail safes on the boxes, both here and in my friend's businesses. Nothing harmful or with any kind of tracker can enter the box."

"And the bridge?"

Ash squirmed a moment. "Well... the violin was too easy as I said. I expected it to be worth my time, but the owner was an old lady who was dying in a hospital in New York. No alarm system, magical or otherwise. It was boring! So I stopped by Russia on the way home and stole a bridge. It was much more fun and difficult than the violin! And can you just imagine the looks on the mortals faces when they arrive and the bridge is gone?" She burst out laughing and bounced a little in her chair, green eyes dancing with mischief.

Harry could only shake his head, yeah, that sounded exactly like the Ash he knew. She was the only person he could think of that would go from New York to Russia just to steal a bridge, and call it 'on the way home.'

Sobering after a few moments, Ash leaned forwards in her chair. "I don't expect anything to happen, but if anything ever does, and you haven't found a mate yet, go to Pepper. She'll know how to help me if I need it, and she can protect the two of you. She's actually quite high in the Succubus hierarchy, so no one will touch you if you have to go under her protection. But I've been doing this for hundreds of years, no one has caught me yet, so I doubt you'll have to worry."

AN:

So, the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius Violin is a real stolen artifact. It was stolen in 1995, from a sick woman in New York. Her family never told her as she died soon thereafter. It has never been found. Also in that year, three bridges were stolen in Russia. Also never found. It totally struck me as an Ash thing to steal because she was bored/frustrated. *snickers* This fic is taking place in Harry's 6th year, so 1996, but I liked the idea of the violin and bridge being stolen so am using them anyway. Oona and Finvarra are the Queen and King of the Fae, according to Irish Folklore. I have not yet decided if they will be in the fic as more than just a mention, but it fit to have Fionn swear by them. Next chapter will be the Healer's visit, not sure what else if anything. If there is something you would like to see happen, drop me a comment. I may use it if it fits in with my plans for the rest of the fic.