Author's Note:

This is the chapter post for the week guys, just a heads up — I won't have time to post tomorrow.

Reviews and Comments: To alix33: Tahank you! I loved McGonagall telling Fudge to pull his head out of his arse as well! Seeing the shades of James and Lily definitely broke Sirius and Remus' hearts. Thank you! To DocBrok: I thought adding the foreign Ministers in was important and will be brought up again later on. Thank you! To Steelcode: Yes, Hermione and Harry are both going through a lot in on night. But Harry has his family there. Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you! To midnitewanderer: You didn't cry this time? I will strive to do better lol. Thank you. To scrappy8: Thank you! To minerdude: Harry and Hermione will definitely help each other through their grief. Ron is always great, but he definitely deserves credit here! To MystiquePriya: Thank you for saying ASC is amazing and that I always keep you on your toes! We'll see about two updates a week, but I don't think it will be happening again unless for a special occasion. Thank you! To Guest: I love Sirius in dad mode! Thank you!

To azphxbrd: No, Voldemort definitely isn't too pleased that his rebirth isn't a secret. There are Hit Wizards lol, but yes, taking out key personnel would be ideal. Aren't the Hit Wizards almost like contract killers to some extent — a high class Auror unit trained to do just that? I'm not sure though, I could be wrong. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Fudge is still pretty delusional and as to finding Bagman alive, it does seem unlikely. We shall see. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Sorry you're still upset over Krum dying. There will be more character death to come. To speedsONEandONLY: It is understandable that Sirius didn't think about Hermione, his son was broken and bloody in his arms. Harry definitely didn't register that Cedric and Viktor are dead. Misha did not get backup. Fudge isn't that smart, I'm afraid. Harry does still have Hedwig, yes, though he mostly sends her on long distances now to correspond with Colt and Flo, and Misha and Sorcha. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To HGRHfan35: Thank you very much! I hope I don't disappoint. To Guest: Thank you. Yes, I do plan to keep going. To darkpegasuzz: Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you!

To supersandman86: Funny you should mention the werewolves. I wanted to get more into the wolves and the packs and this is the start of this here. I haven't contemplated the origin too much, but that is something I may keep in mind, thanks. Yes, Harry does have a very powerful Patronus for his age. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To coloredwords: I agree, Fudge is ignorant and that sentence of "do you think we want it to be true?" really does say so much. That was always one of my biggest issues with the books — if you can view people's memories, why not use them to get facts straight? Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you for saying "sometimes there's just no words to describe how you feel about a story." Thanks for loving the song. I'm glad that everyone liked my song choice as well, it is one of my favourites and is used again in this chapter. Thank you very much! To yofina: Thank you very much! To iKingAnomalyII: Thank you! As to Snape's public confirmation, it was only in the small group of people in front of the maze: Fudge, Dumbledore, Tonks, McGonagall, Jameson, Oblansk, and Richelieu, none of whom will be telling Voldemort, at least in theory. In the book, Snape shows Fudge in the hospital wing which is still in front of Dumbledore, McGonagall, Harry, the Weasleys, Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey so in my head — it's about the same. Dumbledore also tells Fudge in Goblet of Fire that he can be a Minister remembered by all, I kept that part of his speech. There will be more political bits to come as well. Thank you very much!

To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To Inhaled Atoms: Thanks for liking my explanation of Harry coming through the wards. I wanted to explain that it was a one time thing and very few wizards or witches can do it in times of great panic or fear. Thanks for the second review! You think this is the beginning of the end for Harry and Mandy? We will see. Thank you! To LifeonEarth: Sorry to make you cry! Yes, Harry has a lot to deal with coming up! Thank you! To Jbrowne26: Thank you! It is sad about Bagman's ex-wife and his daughter. I love Ron and showing how great of a friend he is. Thank you for loving the camaraderie between the group. As to Harry's lips being sewn shut, Bella un-sewed them before Harry and Voldemort duelled, but the black silk thread was still threaded through his lips even though they were no longer sealed shut and yes, this would have transferred to his Animagus form. Thanks for saying the inclusion of Zee has given so many new directions. I really appreciate that. As to Abraxas Malfoy, he died of Dragon Pox in 1996, but I am only in 1995 so I didn't alter his timeline, and no, he will not be dying of Dragon Pox in this story as since I have made him rather evil, that would be much too nice for him I think. Thank you!

To Undead Gothic Princess: Thank you for saying you are eagerly awaiting an update each week. Harry is almost like a scared little first year again which I think says so much about the shock he is going through. Hermione definitely is in shock herself. Thank you! To wheezing-reader: People are really laying in on Fudge aren't they? Thank you! To Obscure-Reference-Girl: You weren't surprised that Krum was killed and yet I still hit you in the feels? You're welcome. Thank you! To sherryola: Thank you for saying you love how "Sirius is not an idiot with Lupin being the only sensible one which makes this a very special story." I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Zee and her family or Thea and her family. Thank you! To Matt9917: Thank you! To ReverseF: Thank you! Yes, Fudge definitely could turn it around on Harry. We'll have to see. To Saz: Thank you for saying it was heartbreaking and yet beautifully written. Much appreciated! To MystiquePriya: Thank you!

To Jmcglynn522: I am sorry you ran out of story again lol. Yes, being worried about Misha, Tonks, and Remus going off is always wise. No, Tonks killed the giant python in the maze that was part of the third task, NOT Nagini. Thank you! To Bosma18: Wow! Thank you so much! He needs the love and support from his family and friends to deal with the trauma that he just experienced. I wanted him to have that. And I agree, I don't want Harry to be a super human, but himself. Thanks for saying all of the support he has made you ant to cry! To hugh: Thank you very much! To Maz: Thank you very much! To Soveliss: Thanks for liking Harry having enough power to break through the Hogwarts wards, as I said, this is very rare and I doubt he could ever do it again if he tired. There will be some lighter chapters coming up, along with other things. Thank you! To LadyPhoenix: Thank you for saying that Harry's emotional reaction was both raw and tragic. It wasn't how we wanted Hermione's first love end, but I felt that Viktor's death was an important step. As to Fudge, we will see. Thank you!

Well, it's THE moment. With an important person being there for the moment.

Also — looking for some opinions here. Do people think that Colin Creevey is gay? I always believed him to have a massive man-crush on Harry, but I haven't decided otherwise. I think he is bisexual. Please send me your thoughts and explain why or why not. Thanks!

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on weekends.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINE:

The One Where Tonks Marks Remus

Draco didn't know what to think.

He had watched Potter appear seemingly out of thin air. Dumbledore cancelled the tournament and the entire school was herded away from the pitch and sent back up to the castle. It had been over forty-five minutes since Potter had reappeared and yet no one seemed to know where Potter had appeared from or why Diggory and Krum were missing. He had tried to linger, to figure out what was happening, but a prefect had caught him and ordered him back to the castle.

Blaise, the tallest of the three of them, had snuck a look back as they walked. "Fudge looks livid. What do you think happened? Potter appeared out of nowhere and he looked like he'd been through hell and back."

Draco nodded before he suddenly stopped and grabbed Blaise's arm as Theo walked into him from behind.

"Ow, fuck, Draco, give a bloke some warning!"

"Sorry, I just… he's back."

Theo's eyebrow shot up. "What?"

"Potter… appearing like that and looking like he'd… the Dark Lord must be back."

Theo paled. "Don't say shit like that, Draco."

"Think about it," he hissed under his breath. "What else could cause the tournament to be cancelled? Where did Potter come from? How did he appear out of thin air?"

"He learned to Apparate?" Blaise suggested.

Draco glared at him. "Don't be stupid. Everyone knows that you can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds!"

Theo grabbed Draco's arm as they headed into the Slytherin common room and urged his friends up into the dorm, closing the door behind him. "My father was in Croatia helping the Dark Lord and Draco, your grandfather was…"

"Looking to restore him to perfect health, yeah, I know," he said crossly.

Blaise looked troubled, moving to sit on his bed. "How do we find out?"

A house elf appeared in the middle of the dormitory startling the three boys.

"Binky! What are you doing here?" Draco asked, staring at his mother's personal house elf in surprise.

Binky handed Draco the letter in her hands. "Lady Cissa asked Binky to deliver this to Master Draco. Binky will wait here for your reply."

Draco accepted the letter, quickly breaking the seal as Blaise and Theo huddled around him to read it.

Draco,

Your father's Dark Mark has completely inked over and returned fully restored. Within moments of him seeing it, he was summoned by the Dark Lord. He has not returned. It is important that you know that your father had no choice but to go to him.

The coordinates of where he was summoned are 51.0577° N and 1.3081° W.

If anything is to happen, you must tell Sirius these coordinates.

Love,

Mum

Draco's eyes widened. "I mean, Potter's returned — should I still tell him?"

Theo nodded. "Any little thing has to help, right? Where are the coordinates to?"

Blaise muttered something under his breath and the globe at the other end of the room flew over and lit up. "Just outside of Hampshire. I wonder why there?"

Draco shook his head, clutching the letter tightly in his hand. "Binky, tell my mother that I've gone to inform Sirius."

Binky nodded and Disapparated with a loud crack.

"I'm coming with you," Theo insisted.

Draco nodded, turning to look at Blaise. "You coming or what?"

Blaise shrugged. "I suppose. Moral support and all that."

"Oh, piss off," Draco said in annoyance. "I don't have time for your little dramatics."

Blaise grinned as he followed his friend up the stairs to the common room. "You love it."

The three of them hurried through the castle, not entirely sure where to go. Draco headed for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. He knew that Lupin had to have a room somewhere near it. They had just turned the corner towards the classroom when he recognized his aunt up ahead. The last person that he expected to see in the hall was Andromeda Tonks.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, rushing over to them. "You've made my life easier!" She tugged him into the empty Defence classroom and closed the door. "I need to speak with your mother urgently."

Draco hesitated a moment before he handed her the note. "This is for Sirius, Mrs—Aunt Dromeda."

Andromeda opened the crumpled letter and her eyes widened in surprise. "Coordinates? This is where Lucius was summoned to?"

Draco nodded. "Is my father all right?"

"I'm afraid that I don't know anything about your father," she admitted. "But, I do know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned. You boys know what that means?"

Theo nodded, biting his bottom lip. "We know what that means."

Andromeda placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Can you get me a meeting with your mother? I don't want to alert your grandmother or Abraxas of my speaking with her."

Draco nodded. "Binky!"

It only took a moment for the house elf to return to him.

"Yes, Master Draco?"

"Aunt Dromeda, Binky will give my mother whatever you ask."

Andromeda smiled politely at the elf, quickly writing a note on a spare piece of parchment she had found on Remus' desk and wrote down a meeting place and a time and signed her name. "Please give this to my sister, Binky."

Binky nodded and Disapparated again with a loud crack.

"Thank you, Draco."

"It's really starting, isn't it? The war?" Theo asked, his eyes wide.

Andromeda gave him a sad smile. "In some regards, I don't think that it ever really ended, sweetie. It was simply a reprieve. You are Theo, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Call me Dromeda or Andy. Draco, my home is always open for you and your friends if you need it. Remember that." She stood on her toes and kissed Draco's cheek. "I'm off. You boys get back to your dormitory. I'll pass the message onto Sirius."

Draco nodded as he watched her hurry off and he turned back to Blaise and Theo. "Are you two still working on your Occlumency?"

Blaise shrugged. "My mind is a steel trap."

Theo rolled his eyes at Blaise. "I think mine is pretty steady. I build my walls up every morning and night. Do you think that I want my father to find out how much I like to suck cock? He'd Avada me on the spot. He's the only person in the world I don't want knowing how gay I am for my own safety!"

"Pretty much everyone in the school knows, Theo; especially after that stunt you pulled with Corner a few weeks ago," Blaise told him.

Theo shrugged. "The school is not my father. I can deny rumours to him, but proving facts are something else entirely."

Draco grinned. "Well, not the kind of secret that I was going for, but we have to keep our walls up and as strong as we can. The Dark Lord could look into any of our minds at any given time."

"Do you think he will?" Blaise asked, his eyebrows high on his forehead.

Draco closed his eyes as he spoke. "As my aunt said, Blaise, the war never really ended, it was merely a reprieve. I think that we need to be prepared for anything."

Theo only gulped. "We'll be ready."

~ ASC ~

Ginny followed her brother and Neville as they brought Mandy back to the Ravenclaw Tower.

"Is he really going to be okay?" Mandy asked, her eyes full of tears. "Is You Know Who really back?"

Ron nodded, patting Mandy's back awkwardly. "It looks like he is. Look, Mandy, we're going to see Harry after breakfast tomorrow and you can see him right after that. We just… we need to see him first, all right? But he's going to be okay, I promise."

Mandy sniffled and nodded. "Thanks. You guys have been really nice to me. I know that I'm panicking and crying like a little girl, but there was just so much blood and Merlin, I'm so worried about him!"

Ron shook his head. "We understand, trust us. We're worried about him, too. Get some rest tonight and tomorrow we'll all go and see Harry."

Mandy nodded and headed into her common room.

Ron turned to his sister. "We need to find Hermione."

Neville sighed and scratched his head. "Luna said that she was going to take her to the hospital wing after the Krums left."

The three of them hurried back up the stairs to the hospital wing and found Luna sitting next to a sleeping Hermione.

"Madam Pomfrey just left. She gave her a calming drought and then a sleeping potion. She was going back up to check on Harry," Luna said carefully. "Hermione couldn't stop crying."

Ron took a seat on the other side of his friend and took her hand in his. "We won't let her wake up alone."

"Ron, Pomfrey's going to kick you out when she comes back. You know how she feels about after hours visitors."

Ron only glared at Neville. "She will not wake up alone."

Ginny nodded as Neville put his arm around her. He cast a privacy charm around Hermione's hospital bed, so that they could talk privately.

"He's really back. Harry saw him," Neville said.

Luna nodded. "We always knew that he would return."

"Doesn't make it any easier to swallow," Neville said carefully. "I wish that we could figure out what that last one is or where it's hidden in the castle. It would bring us one more step closer to getting rid of that monster for good. Now that he's back… who knows what kind of untold damage he's going to cause. Viktor and Cedric were already killed and it's only the beginning."

"I think that I was onto something in the summer about the diadem," Luna said softly.

Neville arched an eyebrow and tapped his fingers on his leg as he looked over at her. "I thought that Ginny said that it's been lost for centuries."

"That's what Luna told me," Ginny said, her eyes on her brother.

Ron was holding Hermione's hand clutched against his cheek, resting his face against her palm. His eyes were closed, but Ginny knew at that moment that Ron was in love with the witch before him. She had thought that maybe it was a passing fancy and the jolt of it surprised her. She wondered if he knew it yet. She rather doubted it and found that interesting on its own.

"It was lost," Luna continued, her voice dreamy and bringing Ginny out of her own thoughts. "Helena told me that she hid it in a hollowed out tree in a forest in Albania when the Baron came looking for her."

"The Baron?" Neville asked.

"Oh, yes, the Bloody Baron," Luna said matter of factly. "Did you not know that they lived in the same time? Well, the Baron was in love with her and when Rowena Ravenclaw was dying, she asked him to find her daughter and to bring her home. Helena did not love him in return and hid the diadem, refusing to go home with him and he killed her in a murderous rage."

"So, the diadem was in a forest in Albania?" Ginny asked carefully before her eyes widened. "The very forest where Tom was hiding all of those years?"

Luna nodded. "Which is why I think that he found it."

"And returned it to Hogwarts," Neville said, his eyes darting between the two girls in shock. "Luna, you figured it out! We have to tell Sirius!"

Ginny nodded. "Knowing what it is will be a huge help, but we still have no idea where it could be hidden in the castle."

"Still knowing that it's a diadem will definitely aid us in finding it," Neville insisted.

Ginny only nodded, her eyes clouded. "I agree. I'll tell Sirius. You guys stay here with Hermione."

Neville looked like he wanted to protest, but Ginny was already hurrying off. She walked quickly through the castle and up the stairs to the third floor where Remus' suite was and she said the password, stepping through the door. Lady Godiva stood in the doorway of Remus' bedroom, her eyes stared at Ginny for a long moment before she turned and walked back into the room.

Ginny followed and Sirius looked up when she entered.

"Ginny?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Is he okay?"

Sirius smiled at her, his eyes softening. "He'll be okay. How's Hermione?"

"Sleeping. Madam Pomfrey gave her some potions. She's heartbroken and devastated. She was in love with Viktor."

Sirius nodded, his eyes sad. "I'm sorry for her."

Ginny nodded, her eyes on Harry. Sorcha was running her fingers through his hair lovingly. His right arm was wrapped from elbow to wrist tightly and his left leg was bandaged from the knee down. His torso was wrapped tight with white bandages. They had cleaned him up and dressed him in red and gold plaid pyjama pants, but he was still full of scratches and small cuts and bruising was starting to form on his arms, on his face, and across his chest and legs. She moved towards the bed and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently.

"I'm here when you wake up, Harry. We all are."

She felt his fingers squeeze back and she smiled before she turned to Sirius. "I have something to tell you. Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Sirius' eyes fell on Sorcha and she nodded.

"I'll go make myself a cup of tea," Sorcha said quietly, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead before she left the room.

The door closed behind her as Ginny sat on the end of Remus' bed, petting Marauder with her free hand as Harry held the other in his sleep.

"What's going on, Ginny?" Sirius asked, carefully.

"We think that we know what the final Horcrux is. Luna figured it out."

Sirius' eyes widened. "She — how?" he asked incredulously.

"Did Harry tell you that in the summer that we had discussed how the diadem of Ravenclaw would be something that Tom might have been interested in?"

"He did, but he also said that it had been lost for centuries."

"It was," Ginny said slowly, explaining what Luna had told her concerning the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron.

"Merlin," Sirius exclaimed in surprise. "I never knew why the Bloody Baron was covered in blood and from what I understood, everyone was too afraid to ask him. Wait, if he murdered the woman he loves in an Albanian forest, how did they end up at Hogwarts? Never mind. Not important. What makes you think the diadem — fuck!"

Ginny nodded, pleased that Sirius made the connection. "My thoughts exactly. It was where he spent his time, right? We think that he found it, Sirius. We think that he turned it into a Horcrux and returned it to the school to hide it."

Sirius nodded. "And he was known to be in Albania before he returned to the UK before the war… bloody hell. Great work, Ginny. Tell Luna thank you."

Ginny smiled, squeezing Harry's hand in hers. "Was he tortured tonight?"

Sirius sighed and reached out to squeeze her shoulder gently. "He's going to be okay, Ginny, I promise. He… he went through an ordeal tonight that no one should ever have to go through. I'm sure that he will tell you all about it. But for now, he needs his rest."

Ginny nodded and stood up, slipping her hand from Harry's.

Harry rolled away from Sirius. "Ginny…"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Harry, I'm here." She took his hand again, squeezing lightly and he seemed to settle back into sleep, relieving her a bit. "I'm not leaving him."

Sirius smiled, his eyes on her. "Of course, you can stay as long as you like."

Ginny settled herself more comfortably on the bed, holding Harry's hand in hers. He looked so beat up and yet so innocent lying there with his eyes closed. She couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been. If anyone knew what Tom was capable of, she did.

And now he was back.

Her breath hitched slightly and Marauder nudged his head under her arm, snuggling in and she smiled gratefully, dropping a kiss to the dog's head. "Thanks, boy."

Sirius carefully slid his arm out from underneath Harry and climbed off the bed. "Sorcha and I will be in the living room. If you need anything or if he wakes, call for me."

Ginny nodded as Sirius squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before he left. Harry shifted a bit in his sleep, his hand still holding hers and she sighed. She would be here for him when he woke up.

There was no where else that she wanted to be.

~ ASC ~

Remus and Tonks Apparated into the small town of Painswick and Remus held tightly to his mate's hand as they walked through the cobbled streets of the town to knock on the front door of a quaint little cottage. A beautiful woman in her early fifties opened the door. She had thick dark black hair that tumbled over her shoulders and big brown eyes that stared at them in surprise.

"Romulus!"

"Hello, Maia," Remus said. "May we come in? I'm afraid that it's rather urgent."

Her eyes looked over Tonks in interest before she nodded and let them inside. She led them over to the living room and urged them to take a seat as a tall man with dark hair and bright blue eyes came down the stairs.

"Romulus," he said, his blue eyes moving over Tonks. He took a step closer and Remus shifted to stand in front of her, making the man smile. "I can smell you on her, my friend. She is yours."

Remus relaxed a little, but still held tightly to her hand when he sat back down. "Adrian, this is my Dora; Dora, Adrian Roberts, and his mate Maia."

Maia nodded at them. "Adrian, where's Nikita?"

"She's asleep, hen." He smiled at Remus. "Our first grandbaby; it's the first night that Hawk has let us have her to ourselves."

"Hawk's a father now?" Remus asked in surprise.

Adrian smiled and nodded. "Aye. He is happily mated himself to a wolf from Echo's pack. Her name is Emily. But, I assume that you did not bring your mate here to me tonight to ask about my family."

Remus shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's back."

Adrian nodded, his blue eyes a flash of steel as Maia moved to sit on the arm of her husband's chair. "You are certain?"

Remus nodded. "I am. I know for a fact that Fenrir has already returned to him as well."

Maia's hands fisted at her sides. "If Fenrir chooses him, most of his pack will follow."

"Maia," Adrian said, kissing his mate's hand. "You are in my pack now; you aren't obligated to follow him."

"But my friends and family might," she said, her eyes dark.

Remus let out a slow breath. "I know the politics of the packs and I know that many of the wolves will choose to follow Fenrir and ultimately Voldemort, as he will offer them freedom that the Ministry of Magic still denies them. You and I both know how unwise that decision is, no matter how good it sounds. You were on my side the first time, Adrian. I urge you to please follow in my footsteps again and do not support Lord Voldemort."

Adrian stared at Tonks for a long moment. "You know that he is a wolf?"

"I do," Tonks said carefully.

"And you allowed him to mark you?"

"I did," she said defiantly. "He is mine."

Adrian smiled. "Romulus, you gave your heart to a wild one. She will be good for you." He brought his own mate's hand to his lips and kissed it once more. "I will talk to the pack. You know our rules, Romulus, our ways. I will not force them to follow me. I will not be that kind of leader. Echo usually agrees with my politics, but she will not force her will upon her pack either. Daimon and Rune will also give their packs a choice. However, Fenrir still has his claws into Cami and Ivory's backs. As long as he has power over them, their fathers will cave to his will."

"Are Conan and Volk's packs still the largest in Europe?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes. Volk's pack alone is twice the size of the four of ours combined."

Remus swallowed slowly. "How many young wolves do you have?"

"We have fifteen in this community," Maia said softly. "We protect our young."

"I know," Remus said. "I wasn't implying otherwise, Maia. You know Fenrir will sacrifice the young ones if necessary. He gave them to Voldemort the last time as a show of his support and loyalty."

Maia's eyes flashed in anger. "If you think that I will ever forget the moment my father took my pup from my arms and handed her to that monster so that he could slit her throat in front of me — you are a bigger fool than I thought, Romulus!"

Adrian wrapped an arm around his wife. "Maia, don't," he said, kissing his mate's cheek. "Romulus knows. He's on our side. He has always been on our side."

"Maia, I am on your side, both of you. I know what Voldemort is capable of more than most and I know what your father is capable of better than anyone. He was a young man when he inflicted me and he has never shown remorse for what did," Remus said angrily. "I want all of you to be safe in this upcoming war. I do not want to see any more innocent children slaughtered. How soon can you call the council together?"

Adrian scratched his forehead, his eyes on the darkening sky outside. "Give me twelve hours. You and your mate will attend the council?"

Tonks smiled warmly at the man. "We wouldn't miss it for anything."

Adrian smiled back at her. "I like your mate, Romulus. You are a lucky wolf."

Remus kissed Tonks' cheek. "I know." He turned back to Adrian, his eyes grave. "What do you need us to do?"

~ ASC ~

Harry woke up slowly.

His whole body was aching and burning and when he shifted, the pain in his ribs made him wince. He could feel a warm hand around his and it seemed to calm him. It told him that he was going to be okay and he curled his fingers tightly around the small hand. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the dimness of the room. Only a small lamp was on at the far end and he blinked again, surprised when Marauder licked his face.

"Marauder," he murmured, lifting one arm to hug the dog to him.

Marauder whined, snuggling himself into Harry's side and he blinked owlishly again. He had no memory of how his dog had come to be with him, but he was glad to feel him close by. He could see the red and gold ponytail high on her head before him and a small smile fluttered across his lips.

"Ginny," he murmured.

"I'm here, Harry," she said quietly, turning her hand in his.

A floral scent seemed to wash over him as she leaned forward and carefully pushed his glasses onto his face with her free hand and he was awarded with the sight of her bright smile and the splash of freckles across her cheeks.

"There, now you can see. How many fingers am I holding up, Mr Champion?"

He grinned and winced at the pain it shot across his cheekbone. "I'm not concussed."

Ginny tugged his hand up to her heart and clutched it there. "Yes, you were. You scared me. You scared all of us."

Harry nodded, his eyes on her warm brown ones. "Thanks for being here, Ginny."

Ginny smiled warmly at him, leaning down to gently kiss his non-injured cheek. "No where else I'd rather be. Harry… Luna figured it out. The Horcrux in the castle that is, it is the diadem."

"Horcrux," he murmured as his mind flashed to the evening before and his eyes widened. "Ginny! There's another one! Voldemort's snake!"

"What?"

"He has this giant snake, and I swear to you, there's a piece of his soul residing inside of her! I could feel it when she looked at me!" he exclaimed.

Ginny gently brushed his fringe away from his forehead. "Okay, we'll add it to the list. I'm going to go get Sirius and your grandmother now, all right? They're in the living room."

He nodded. "Where's Ron? Where's… everyone?"

"Ron's in the hospital wing with Hermione. She's fine," she said quickly when his eyes flashed in worry. "Madam Pomfrey just gave her a calming drought and a sleeping potion to help her and Ron didn't want to leave her alone. Viktor's dead, Harry, and so is Cedric."

"What?"

"Bagman… it looks like he killed both of them. I don't know the details. I'm sure that Sirius will fill you in. Neville and Luna went back to their rooms as did Mandy. Everyone will be here to see you after breakfast. Mandy was really worried about you," Ginny told him.

Harry nodded, his fingers twining with hers. "I'm okay, I hope you told her that I'm okay, but I'm really glad that you're here."

Ginny smiled at him, her chocolate eyes full of concerned relief and stood up as Marauder carefully lay next to his boy as if he knew where he was injured and how not to hurt him. "I'll go and get Sirius."

Harry watched her go, feeling calmer. She always seemed to know what he needed, he thought. Having her there when he woke was exactly what he needed. Sirius came hurrying into the room two seconds later and he smiled at him.

"Harry! Hey, Prongslet, how're you feeling?" he asked, placing a hand on his forehead.

"I was injured. I don't have a fever."

Sirius only rolled his eyes. "That smart mouth is back, you must be feeling better." He sat on the edge of the bed as Ginny hovered in the doorway. "I don't know how much you took in earlier, of your injuries that is, as you were pretty out of it."

He nodded, wincing slightly. "Everything hurts."

Sirius nodded, his grey eyes on his son. "Your ankle is broken in two places. Your left cheek is fractured, six fractured ribs, the cut on your arm is deep and infected, your nose is broken, which means that you have two black eyes — not to mention that you are full of cuts and scratches and bruises. I have another dose of bone healing potion for you which should finish mending your fractures, but you're going to be hurting for about a week."

"Where's the potion?"

Sirius smiled and stood up to grab the potion from the night table. "We watched your memory while you were sleeping."

Harry nodded, his eyes meeting Ginny's as she closed the bedroom door at her back. "Uncle Siri, Nagini — she's a Horcrux."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Come again?"

Harry swallowed slowly, wincing at the pain it caused in his face. "She's a Horcrux. The snake."

"How do you — are you sure?" he asked incredulously.

Harry nodded. "I just knew it when she looked at me. I could feel it, you know, like when we touched the other ones? She has a piece of his soul inside of her. I know it."

"But that means there's eight, not seven," Sirius said in surprise, muttering to himself.

Harry frowned. "Where does the eighth one come in?"

"Voldemort himself," Sirius said carefully.

"I don't understand," Harry said, his eyes moving to where Ginny was still standing by the closed door. "Ginny told me about the diadem, so that was the one that you meant we were going to destroy this summer, right? The one you said that you think you know where it is? Then the snake and then Voldemort himself, which is seven."

Sirius shook his head. "We'll talk about it after, Harry. I want you to drink this and get some rest. You have a lot of healing to do."

"No," Harry said, his eyes flashing as Ginny moved towards them. "What aren't you telling me?"

Ginny sat on the bed on the other side of Marauder, her eyes on Sirius. "What did Tom do, Sirius?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. The two of them were staring at him, eyes wide and concerned and he could feel the panic bubbling up inside of him. He wasn't going to be able to keep it a secret any longer.

"Harry, let's get you rested up and healed and then we'll talk about the Horcruxes and what our next move is going to be."

Harry stared at him and his green eyes flashed in annoyance. "You're lying to me."

"Harry, I'm not —"

"— You are lying to me," Harry said again, his voice rising. "Where's Uncle Rem? Where's Zee? Where's Tonks?"

"After we watched the memory, Harry, we realized that we had to take action as soon as possible to try to prevent Voldemort from gaining as much power as he had thirteen years ago," Sirius said carefully. "Andy took charge and we tried to send people out to make some decisions. Remus and Tonks went to try to recruit some of the werewolf packs before Voldemort does. Zee is reaching out to her contacts to do the same. Misha is trying to track down Bagman. He rabbited soon after you appeared. Harry, I'm afraid that he killed Viktor and Cedric before he disappeared."

Harry closed his eyes, blinking the tears back. Ginny had said that, but it was still a lot for him to take in. "Fleur?"

"She's okay. She sent up red sparks and came out of the maze only slightly injured from the obstacles."

Harry nodded. He could see the turmoil in his father's face and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he wasn't wrong. "What aren't you telling me, Uncle Siri?"

Sirius hesitated, his eyes darting to Ginny who was holding Harry's arm. "Harry, can we please talk about this after you're healed up?"

"No," Harry said sternly. "I want to know what is going on. I want to know why you're lying to me."

Sirius closed his eyes before he spoke. "Ginny… can I have a moment alone with my son?"

Harry tugged Ginny's hand closer to him, twining his fingers with hers. "No, I want her to stay, Uncle Siri."

Ginny looked at Harry in surprise, but squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Sirius swallowed and held the potion out to Harry. "Drink this, you're in pain. I won't tell you anything while you're sitting here in pain."

Harry took the potion and gulped it back, trying not to vomit at the taste of it. He handed the empty cup back to his father. "Tell me."

Sirius nodded at the potion cups sitting on the night table. "You still have a second bone-healing potion to drink and another blood replenisher."

"I'll drink them after — tell me."

Sirius stared at Harry for a long moment. "I was trying to protect you, Harry. I knew that you deserved to know the moment that I realized, but I fought against telling you. I didn't want it to be something for you to know until I knew how we could get to it and destroy it."

"Destroy what?" he asked, but a sinking feeling was starting to appear in the pit of his stomach. He let go of Ginny's hand as Marauder nudged his head under his good arm and he hugged the dog, his eyes on Sirius as Ginny stayed seated on the other side of Marauder.

"Harry… this past summer when you had that dream about Selwyn and Voldemort you asked me why you had dreamed it; why you had seen those moments and… that was my moment. I should have told you right then and there, but I froze… and… I lied."

Harry glared at him. "Number nine: We always tell each other the truth."

Sirius swallowed. "I don't know how to tell you this."

Harry stared at him, green on grey and the pit in his stomach deepened and he suddenly knew. "It's in me, isn't it?"

Ginny reached out and squeezed Harry's wrist gently. "The Horcrux?"

"It's why my scar hurts when I'm near the soul pieces; when he touched me it was like my head was on fire… that's why, isn't it? I'm… a Horcrux."

Sirius blinked back tears and he nodded. "Yes, but an accidental one. You were the Horcrux that he never meant to make, Harry."

Harry's green eyes only stared, unblinkingly. "How long have you known?"

"I suspected before we went back down into the Chamber of Secrets last year. I've known for sure since your dream last summer."

Harry stared at him, his anger bubbling up under the surface. Sirius had known the entire time. He had known when Harry had the dream in the summer about Voldemort; he had known exactly why he had been forced to dream it and he had denied knowing. Harry had spent many sleepless nights trying to think about what that dream had meant: Why he had dreamed it, and how it could be real — and to find out that the man he trusted most in the world had known the answer the whole time, felt like a knife to his gut.

"Get out."

"Harry," Sirius began.

"Get out!" Harry yelled, ignoring the pain that it caused in his cheek when he raised his voice. "I don't want you here!"

"Prongslet, let me explain —"

"— It's Harry, not Prongslet, and I don't want to hear you explain anything! You've had over a year to explain things to me and you've done nothing but lie to me! You knew! You knew how scared and bloody worried I was after I had that dream and you told me that you didn't know! You lied right to my face!"

"Harry," he said again softly. "I just wanted to protect you."

"Well, you did a piss poor job of it, didn't you? You told me that he wouldn't get to me! You told me that I just had to get through this damn tournament and that it would all be okay. IT WASN'T OKAY! IT'S NOT OKAY! I SENT YOU A MIRROR MESSAGE AND YOU DID NOTHING! NOTHING! I THOUGHT THAT I COULD TRUST YOU OF ALL PEOPLE! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

"Harry," Ginny said softly, squeezing his arm. "Harry, you don't mean that."

He glared at her. "He's been fucking lying to me over a year, Ginny! I don't want him here!"

Sirius looked like he wanted to protest, but he stood up and nodded. "I'll go, but Harry, when you're ready to listen —"

"— There is nothing that I want to hear from you!" Harry declared angrily. "Get out!"

Sirius nodded, his eyes full of emotion before he moved to the bedroom door as Lady Godiva hopped up onto the bed and spread out across the end, her eyes on him as if daring him to make her leave. When the bedroom door closed behind him, Harry turned to Ginny.

"Don't give me that look!"

Ginny reached out and gently brushed her fingertip over his scar and he froze. Her fingertip gently traced the shape of the lightning bolt, her chocolate brown eyes staring into his as she spoke. "I had a part of his soul inside of me once, too, Harry. It doesn't change who you are. It doesn't make you a bad person. You are Harry, and no matter how Tom is connected to you, you will never stop being the Harry that we know and love."

He stared at her, tears glistening in his eyes. "It's not the same, Ginny. You… he possessed you, but this… his soul it's… in me."

"It was in me, too," she said quietly, her fingertip still gently tracing his scar, trailing the jagged line from his hairline down through his eyebrow. "Sirius loves you more than anything in this world and we both know that he was trying his hardest to protect you from the pain of knowing that you're a Horcrux. You know that, Harry."

"What I know doesn't matter," he insisted stubbornly. "He lied to me, Ginny! I knew that something was wrong this summer! That dream I had, it was so real and my scar hurt so badly and I asked him and he… he looked me right in the eye and he fucking lied to my face!"

"Yes, he lied to you, but he has also been nothing but completely honest with you! He told you all about the Horcruxes, about the prophecy, and at that moment he told you that there was something else that he had to work out before he could explain it. He promised to tell you the moment that he did know and understand it. You told me so yourself. He told you again at the end of last year that there was something that he couldn't tell you just yet. And you yourself told us, that Sirius said that there was another one: Something that he couldn't explain yet, that he didn't want you to worry about until the tournament was over, but then you would deal with it — together."

"I get what you're saying," Harry said stubbornly. "But that doesn't justify the fact that he's been lying to me!"

Ginny glared at him, her brown eyes blazing. "I never said that it did. I said that he omitted something, but he told you that he omitted it. He told you that he would tell you when he could. That doesn't sound like a complete lie to me."

"Ginny," Harry said slowly. "He watched me freak out over my scar and over that dream and he said nothing! He just sat there and he did nothing!"

"And now he's telling you!" she declared, her eyes on him. "So, don't you dare sit here like a cantankerous child throwing a tantrum!"

Harry glared at her. "You can get out, too!"

Ginny only scoffed at him. "Kicking me out of this room isn't going to change anything. Don't you want to know what he meant when he told you at Easter that he knew how to get rid of another Horcrux? Don't you want to know what he meant by calling it an accidental Horcrux?"

Harry stubbornly stared down at his lap for a long moment. "It doesn't matter, Ginny; don't you see that? He didn't tell me because he knows that I have to die."

Ginny leaned forward and gripped both of his hands tightly in hers. "Sirius would never let that happen, Harry. He would die first."

Harry's green eyes met hers and the sparkle of tears in them had her gently brushing his hair back. "Neither can live while the other survives, remember?"

"Prophecies are fickle, Harry. They cannot be taken literally. Do you honestly think that Sirius or Professor Lupin are going to sit back and let you die just so the world will be rid of Voldemort?"

He stared at her and let out a slow breath. "No."

"Good."

"But it's stupid of them! My life isn't worth the cost of hundreds!"

Ginny glared at him. "And letting Voldemort kill you isn't the answer either, you brave git." She reached towards the night table and grabbed the last two cups of his potions sitting there. "Now, shut up and drink these."

He smirked slightly. "When did you get so bossy?"

"I've always been bossy when I'm confronted with a stubborn arse. Drink."

He rolled his eyes, but drank the potions that she handed him. Ginny placed the cups back on the table and stood up. "I'm going to get Sirius to come back in here and explain about the Horcrux."

"Ginny, I don't want to talk to him right now!"

Ginny only raised an eyebrow. "Tough and since you're confined to a bed, you don't have a choice."

She moved to the door and opened it. Sirius was sitting in the armchair his head in his hands.

"Sirius? Can you come back in here please?"

His head shot up immediately and he hurried into the room.

"Harry drank the rest of his potions. He's agreed to sit there — quietly — and listen to what you have to say."

"I agreed to no such thing," Harry muttered.

Ginny only glared at him. "I'll put a silencing charm on you."

Sirius smirked at her. "You're always were a little spitfire. Thank you."

Ginny simply crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Don't be charming. You lied to Harry. Tell him why."

Sirius only stared at her before he turned back to Harry. He took a seat in the rocking chair near the bed. "One of the reasons why I didn't tell you, Harry, is because I didn't know how to destroy it without hurting you."

"Neither can live while the other survives," he said softly.

Sirius reached out and clasped Harry's hand. "Yes and no." When Harry's eyes reached his, he smiled. "I think that we can remove it and trap it in an object. Once it's trapped in an object, we can use the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy it — like the others."

Harry stared at him. "Wait, you want… to remove it from me?"

Sirius nodded. "It's not going to be an easy task. In fact, it's incredibly dangerous. It's going to take a lot of magical skill and a lot of concentration to do it. Thea's husband, Xander, believes that he can remove it. He's a neuro-healer and I sent him scans of your brain. I didn't tell him what it was or who it was until he told me that he thought he could remove it safely. Remus and I brought Xander and Thea into FUVP in March and told him what exactly it was in your brain and he explained to us the risks of removing it. There's a seventy-five percent chance of removing it successfully with little to no complications. But it's that twenty-five percent that worries us."

"Complications?"

Sirius bit his bottom lip before he continued. He told Harry everything that Xander had told them about the dangers, the potential risks and side effects, the process that Xander wanted to use, and that he had already made time at the beginning of July to take care of it in Greece.

"Remus, Zee, Tonks, and I will be right there with you, Harry, for it all. But if it's too much, if you decide that you don't want to go through with it, we would never make you!"

Harry stared at him. "If you don't remove it, Voldemort can never truly die, right?"

Sirius let out a slow breath before he nodded. "That's true, but I don't care about that. I care about you. We've destroyed almost all of his soul pieces. If the one inside of your scar is the only one left, we can imprison him; keep him contained and captured for the rest of your life. We would find a way around it, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No… I don't want to live with a part of him in me. I want it gone."

Ginny moved back to the bed and sat on the end next to the panther. "Once it's in an object, it can be destroyed and it won't hurt Harry anymore?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. We're ninety-nine percent positive that it will work. It's the task itself that's dangerous. But, Harry, after this, we know what the last ones are. The diadem, the snake, and then it's just Voldemort himself."

Harry stared at his father for a long moment before his green eyes turned on Ginny's warm brown ones. "I think that I'd like to be alone now."

Sirius reached over to squeeze his hand gently and nodded. "Of course. Sorcha has been dying to come back in and mother you a bit. I'll tell her that you'd like some alone time."

Ginny smiled at him as she stood up to follow Sirius out. "Get some rest, Harry. I'll be back in the morning with everyone else."

Harry watched them leave, the door closing shut behind them and he turned to hug Marauder to him with his good arm. The moment his face touched the soft fur, the tears fell. He cried quietly, holding his dog close. He didn't want to die, he thought. He was only alone for a few minutes before Sorcha stepped inside.

"I know, Sirius told me that you want to be alone," she said moving to the bed. "I know that I'm not your father or Zee, but I'm here, mo ghaol." She saw his tears and simply sat on the edge of the bed, tugging him against her breast and stroking his hair.

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, the sobs escaped him. He couldn't stop them. It was like a tidal wave of emotion that he had been holding back just erupted and the tears fell like a waterfall. Sorcha hummed under her breath, rocking him gently back and forth in her arms as he cried. It was almost five minutes before he contained himself and he wiped at the tears with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry."

Sorcha cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "Never be sorry. We all need a good cry every now and again. You went through hell tonight. I couldn't imagine anyone being as brave as you are, mo ghaol." She kissed both of his cheeks tenderly. "I brought you some milk and a sandwich. Try to eat a bit before the potion knocks you out some more."

"You can stay, Grandmama," he said sleepily. "Please?"

Sorcha smiled and kissed him again. "Eat. I'll tell you a story."

"It's okay," he told her. "I'm not a child. I don't need a bedtime story."

Sorcha only raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You don't need a story, mo ghille làidir?"

He smiled at her and bit into the sandwich. "I don't know what that means." His brow wrinkled slightly. "I had a dream that you were singing to me in that language."

"Gaelic," she said with a smile. "I was. A song I used to sing to Zahira when she was sick or when she wanted a lullaby. It's the only Irish I know. Eat. I'll sing it again and you will get some sleep and rest."

He must have made a face of protest because she glared at him.

"Suidh agus ith, mo ghille làidir."

Harry grinned, but did as she asked. She sat on the edge of his bed and started to talk to him about a woman who had fallen in love with the handsome Silkie, taken his fur pelt and hid it so, that he was forced to stay with her. They had many children and grew old together, but one day he found his pelt, and disappeared back into the sea and the woman mourned him on the cliffs every night. On the last night of her life, he appeared and told her of his love for her, kissing her lips once more before vanishing back beneath the waves.

By the time that she was finished he had eaten all of the sandwich and drank the milk. The pain potion was kicking in and he was starting to feel sleepy again. On top of his crying bout, which had drained him.

"That's a sad story," he whispered.

Sorcha smiled and kissed his forehead. "Aye, love often is. Go to sleep, mo ghaol. We will be here when you wake."

Harry fell asleep almost immediately, the melodic sound of Sorcha singing softly to him, the words drifting over his sleeping frame, softly and beautifully like a warm blanket.

"O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo."

And then sleep overtook him and there was nothing.

~ ASC ~

Sirius sat in the living room as Ginny stood by the portrait hole for a long moment. He looked up at her as he spoke.

"Thank you for coming by tonight. He needed you."

She nodded. She had needed to be here for him just as much, she thought. "He's my friend. Of course I came." She hesitated a moment before she spoke. "I won't say anything to anyone else about him being a... do you really think that you can remove it?"

"Xander is positive," Sirius said calmly. "There is a risk though, and that's what scares me."

"If anyone can do it, Harry can."

Sirius smiled at her. "You're a wise witch, Ginny Weasley."

She smiled back and nodded. "I'll be back after breakfast with everyone else."

She turned and stepped out of the portrait hole, surprised to find Luna leaning against the wall inspecting her fingernails.

"And?"

"And what?" Ginny asked, her eyes on her friend. "How long have you been out here? How's Hermione?"

"Hermione's still out, Ron is with her. Neville went back to his dorm and I came here to find you."

Ginny nodded and then the sob tore through her, startling her. Luna pulled her friend into her arms.

"He's back, Luna. He's really back."

Luna ran her hands up and down Ginny's back soothingly as she hugged her. "I know. How's Harry? Was he awake?"

Ginny nodded, clinging to her friend as she cried. When she finally pulled away, she wiped at the tears hastily. "He's injured, but he's going to be okay. It's knowing that Tom is back that's the big problem. Luna…"

Luna kept her arm around her friend as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower. "It was a soul piece, Ginny. It wasn't actually Voldemort. And you fought it! You fought a piece of him, and now we know what the next piece is. And we're going to find it and destroy it."

Ginny smiled at her friend and leaned in to hug her tightly. "I love you, Luna."

Luna hugged her back. "Well, I am incredibly delightful, so that makes sense. Now, try to get some sleep. In the morning, we'll see Harry, Hermione will be awake, and maybe everything will look a little less dark."

Ginny nodded. "We can hope. Goodnight, Luna."

She watched her friend head off towards the Ravenclaw Tower and let out a slow breath. In the morning, they would take the next steps, for now she just needed to be strong, and to be there for Harry.

~ ASC ~

Remus settled himself into the guest room of Adrian's house later on that evening as Tonks sat on the side of the bed, unbuttoning her shirt.

"Do you think that you can convince them?"

Remus shrugged, pulling off his own shirt. "I honestly don't know. Adrian wants us there for support and to show evidence of our cause but..."

"But you want to be with Harry," she said softly.

He nodded. "What happened to him tonight, Tonks, it was... worse than I ever imagined. How was it Bagman? How did none of us see that he was working for fucking Voldemort?"

Tonks helped him take his jeans off as he sat next to her in his boxers. "You can't blame yourself for it, Rem. None of us saw it. From what I can see from the evidence, he didn't have much of a choice. At least in some of it."

"Two champions were killed. It would have been three…"

"But you told Harry about the wands connecting, and he was able to come up with a plan to escape."

Remus dragged a hand over the rough stubble on his face. "Misha taught him that he could do spells as an Animagus. But to have Apparated… his power is growing more and more."

"Like Dumbledore said, in times of great need our magic can surprise us. I once Apparated to my grandparents house when I was four because Mum told me that I couldn't have a sleepover. My grandmother just about doubled over when I appeared out of nowhere in her kitchen."

He nodded. "That's true. Maybe part of it is the Horcrux as well. It could be suppressing some of his power?"

"It could be."

He smiled and kissed her softly. "I'm glad that you're here with me."

She gave him a pointed look. "Remember that the next time you try to tell me I can't go."

Remus smiled. "Yes, dear."

She elbowed him lightly and he grinned. "Rem, can you explain some of the pack stuff to me? Maia... the way that she was saying Fenrir was her father..."

He nodded, nuzzling her neck as he held her close in the bed. "He is her father, biological that is. He's my... sire, for lack of a better word, but he is her actual father."

"I always got the impression that werewolves were made not born."

"Yes, and no," he said carefully. "They are born, but if a werewolf bites or scratches a witch or wizard they are infected with lycanthropy, and gain the ability to become werewolves during the full moon."

Tonks nodded and stood up at the soft knock on the door. "I'll get it." She pulled Remus' shirt over her shoulders since she had undressed to her knickers for bed and opened the door. She was surprised to see Maia there. "Maia?"

Maia smiled at her. "Dora, I was wondering if I could have a private word with you?"

"Um, sure," she said in surprise. "Just give me a moment."

Maia nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Tonks closed the door and moved to grab her jeans.

"Nymphadora —"

"— Remus," she said with a knowing smile. "I'll be fine." She zipped her jeans and buttoned his dress shirt before she bent down to kiss him softly. "I'll be back in a bit, get some sleep."

He gripped her hand tightly. "Be careful."

Tonks smiled at him. "I will be fine. They're trustworthy, you said so yourself."

Remus nodded. "Yes, but… you are mine, and they are wolves."

Tonks kissed him again. "I am yours and an Auror to boot, therefore I'm safe." She kissed him once more before she left, closing the door behind her and made her way downstairs.

Maia was sitting in the kitchen, brewing tea, and she smiled warmly at her when entered. "Dora, thank you for coming."

Tonks nodded, taking a seat at the table. "Please, call me Tonks. Everyone does."

Maia smiled. "Thank you, Tonks." She poured them each a cup of tea before she spoke again. "You love him very much."

"Yes, I do, but is that really any of your business?"

Maia chuckled softly. "No, not really. However, it is what I was hoping to discuss with you."

Tonks merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I don't know how much you know about wolves. We're not the monsters that the world makes us out to be. Like any race or culture, there are those who think differently and those who enjoy inflicting pain upon others, but it doesn't mean that we all think like that. As you can see, Adrian and I have been mated for many years. We have three sons, Hawk, Odin, and Rafe. Hawk found his mate in Emily when they were only sixteen. It was a surprise as they were both young, but when you find the other half of your soul, you cannot bear to be apart from them."

"She's a wolf, too?"

Maia nodded. "Yes. She's from a pack in France, who we met on a family vacation. They've been together almost ten years now."

"I don't understand the difference between your use of the term wolf as opposed to werewolf?"

"We are all werewolves, humans who can shift into the wolf. Some of us were born wolves, like my Adrian, and others like myself and like your mate, were made." She took a sip of her tea before she continued. "We do not see each other as different, the only difference is how we raise our children. When two wolves mate with each other, they have wolf children. Not actual wolves, I can see the look in your eye, but children with the ability to become a werewolf. You on the other hand, do not have that ability. You are simply a witch therefore if you were to have children, they would not be wolves."

Tonks nodded. "Yes."

"But he's marked you?"

"Yes."

"Have you marked him?"

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "Pardon?"

Maia smiled. "I thought not. Given that you are not a wolf nor familiar with our ways, I thought it might be my duty to educate you. You have no desire to become a wolf yourself?"

"Even if I did, Remus would never allow it. He's only just started to come around to the belief not to be ashamed of who he is. If he ever made me like him I don't think he would ever forgive himself," Tonks told her truthfully. "But no, I don't have a desire to be a wolf."

"My father raped my mother," Maia told her, her eyes on Tonks. "When she gave birth to me, he doted on me until my fifth birthday; then he bit me, and made me like him. I hated myself for a long time, too. I hated him. I hated the world. It wasn't until I met Adrian that I realized why I had come into the world. He made me see the beauty in myself. Being mated makes you feel loved and whole in ways that you can't understand until you experience it yourself."

"We are mated, as you say. He calls me his mate. He bit me. He marked me," Tonks said.

Maia smiled. "But you have not marked him. Tonks, when he bit you, when he marked you, was it not the most sensual experience you had ever had? You felt it, the feel of his release, the feel of his sex pulsing inside of you while you also felt your sex pulsing around him, like you were truly one — didn't you?"

She blushed. "Yes. But sex with him is always… mind blowing."

Maia grinned. "The wolf stamina is quite impressive, I know. They really can go all night and day if you'd let them."

"That I've noticed," she said with a smile. "What do you mean by marking him?"

"Wolves mate for life, Tonks," she said with a smile. "The moment a wolf decides to mark his mate, he is hers for life. He will never stray. The desire to leave will never be there. You are all he wants. But the female can always do what she wishes. He can never force her to do anything she does not want. If you mark him, he will worship you."

Tonks stared at her. "He already treats me like I'm a goddess, I don't need him to worship me."

Maia smiled. "Poor choice of words. To truly be mated with your man, to truly be his, you must mark him as well. It will make the mating equal on both sides."

"I'm to bite him?"

Maia nodded. "Not just bite him, mark him. Choose a place on his body that you love. I chose the back of Adrian's right knee. You kiss and suck the skin there, like you're giving him a particularly good hickey, and you keep him on sexual edge while you do it. Once he is writhing beneath you, begging you to take him, only then do you break the skin. He will orgasm, and at that moment — you need to take him inside of you. You will feel the same sensation as the last time, as if you are one in the same."

"Why is it important that I do so?"

Maia smiled at her. "It's not necessary, it's true, but it makes you truly equals, and I think that you're a woman who appreciates that."

Tonks stared at her. "I appreciate you telling me this, but what I do with my mate is my business and not yours. You don't know me."

Maia nodded. "Yes, it is. I don't know you, but I can see the way Romulus looks at you and I think that he deserves all of you. Mates should be equals. I wanted to tell you because you are coming to the Council of Elders with us, which means the wolves will see you with Romulus. He was much desired last time he was here. If you haven't marked him yourself — he will be open to them."

"But you just told me that he wouldn't stray."

Maia smiled. "He won't. I don't know you, Tonks, but I know that even if I knew my man would not touch another woman, I don't want to watch them throw themselves at him and flirt and touch him, even in the most innocent of ways. But that's just me. If you mark him, he will be bound to you the same way, and you to him. It's essentially a marriage bond, a soul bond if you will, and others will respect it. It's not necessary and whether you do it or not, will not for one minute affect your happiness. I just wanted you to be made aware of the possibility."

"If it doesn't affect my happiness — why bother with it?"

"Like I said, you will truly be bound; not to mention, it makes you safe from him."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "I am not in danger from him."

"I meant, if something were to happen and he was to lose control; to scratch or bite you when he is the wolf… you would not be turned because you had become equals, mates. Now, if he scratches or bites you when he is the wolf, you could still become a wolf yourself and you've said it would be something that he would never forgive himself for, nor is it something that you would want. I love being a wolf, I've embraced it, but I know how difficult it is to live in a society that fears us. We are treated differently because of our powers. He loves you for who and what you are. Neither of you want that to change. I respect that. Wolves mate for life."

"Thank you for telling me this," Tonks said softly. "You were right, I don't understand a lot of things about wolves. I only know Remus."

Maia smiled softly at the use of his real name. "Romulus is lucky to have you. Blessed be."

Tonks only nodded and said goodnight, making her way back upstairs to the guest room where she and Remus were staying. She knew that the woman had meant well, but she thought that it was a little strange to have taken a complete stranger aside and urged her to bite her mate. What would it do? Make you truly equals, she thought. Aren't we already? Remus had never treated her as anything other than an equal. He had always been nothing, but incredible to her. She stopped outside of the door, her mind racing. The thought that if she did so, he truly could never hurt her… he had never mentioned it. Why not? A marriage bond, a soul bond — those words echoed in her mind, and she realized suddenly why he hadn't.

He had marked her. He had made her his, but he had always left it open ended. She could leave him at any opportunity if she chose to, and she realized that he expected her to. He never wanted to force her to stay with him. If she marked him, they were truly bound and truly equal mates and she knew that she did want that.

She wanted it more than anything else in the world.

She slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She stripped down to her knickers and climbed into the bed with him.

"Well?" he asked, nuzzling her neck as she snuggled into his embrace. "What did Maia want?"

"Have you met with the Council of Elders before?"

Remus glanced at her in surprise, his whisky coloured eyes wide. "Yes. I came with Adrian years ago during the war."

"There were beautiful women there?"

He raised an eyebrow and kissed her nose. "Yes. There are beautiful women everywhere. Dora, you know that I had a past before I met you."

She turned in his arms, resting her chin on his chest. "I know. But… all this talk of packs and family and… why didn't you ever mate with another wolf?"

Remus let his hand slide sensually along her naked back. "Because you were who I didn't know I was waiting for. You were always waiting for me, the other half of my soul, and I think I knew it on some level, and maybe that's why I fought so hard against it." He reached between them to trace the mark under her left breast. "Maybe it's even why I fought so hard against marking you."

Tonks slid her hand between his legs to fondle him. He was already half-way hard and she stroked him firmly. "I'm the best thing that ever happened to you."

Remus groaned against her ear. "Fuck, I know it. I'm the luckiest man alive to have found you."

Her strokes became more consistent, harder and softer. Then she was kissing her way down his chest, sliding his boxers down and kissing his tip, his sac, and licking his thigh. She turned her head to lick his length, long sensuous licks that left him breathless.

"Nymphadora," he hissed.

She smiled at him before she slipped his boxers off completely and wrapped her mouth around him. He made a gasping sound that had her grinning widely. Maybe it was Maia's words echoing in her head, she knew that it was part of it. But at the moment, she wanted to make him hers in every way and the idea of marking him as he had her was truly the most erotic thing that she could imagine. His fingers clutched her short curls as his thumb grazed the short buzzed hairs on the side of her head and she popped him out of her mouth, kissing up his chest.

"I'm going to mark you as mine now."

Remus' eyes darkened in desire and surprise. "Nymphadora…"

Tonks slid her hand back down to fondle him as she kissed his chest, his ribs, his stomach. "Do you want me to mark you, Remus?"

He groaned as she kissed his length again, sucking on the sensitive skin of his right thigh as her thumb worked his tip and he cried out her name. "Fuck… Dora, if you… this isn't… you will be bound to me, if you do this: Forever."

Tonks' eyes met his as she wrapped her mouth around him fully, sucking him hard before she slid her lips off and kissed the tip of him. "I've never wanted anything else."

And then she used her hands on him.

The moment she felt him tighten before his release she bit his right inner thigh, his erection brushing her cheek.

It was the most incredible and erotic thing that she had ever done.

She'd broken the skin, but it was the sensations her bite caused to flow through her. She tugged her knickers aside and took him into her, riding out his orgasm as her own suddenly overtook her. She could feel everything. It was like they were one, riding out one long incredible orgasm that never seemed to end. She pressed her thumb to where she had bitten him and he came again and again, flipping her over and pressing her into the mattress as he rode her from behind.

When the tremors finally stopped, she brushed a hand over her sweaty hair and turned her head to grin back at him. "I bit you and I liked it."

Remus let out a strangled breath, leaning in to suck on her bottom lip. "Why did you do that?"

Tonks cupped his face in her hands. "I want the whole world to know that you are mine, Remus John Lupin. I wanted them to know that you are mine, that I am yours, and that nothing and no one is going to come between us. It's not just wolves that mate for life."

Remus stared at her for a long moment and then he bent his head and kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking hers so boldly that she squirmed beneath him as his fingers plunged into her. He drove her to peak so quickly that she gasped against him and as the last waves of her orgasm disappeared, he licked the back of her neck.

"Marry me."

Her eyes widened to saucers and her hand gripped his strong arm. "What?"

End Author's Notes:

(Gaelic) mo ghille làidir = my stubborn boy

(Gaelic) Suidh agus ith = sit and eat

(Gaelic) mo ghaol = my love

Thanks for reading and please review!