Title: Angelus Fortuna

Author: Crimson Rosary

Summary: After watching the near-death experience of his godfather, Harry finally decides that Dumbledore doesn't really have the power he claims to have. In order to protect himself, his family and his friends, Harry chooses to side with Voldemort. But what does the Dark Lord have to say to that?

Pairing: LVHP

Rating: M

Author's Note: This is my first ever LVHP story! Please don't hate! Enjoy! If you don't like Male x Male, please press the back button or the red box on the corner. Manipulative!Dumbledore, Ron/Hermione/Ginny/Certain Weasley Bashing! Alive!Sirius, Good!Voldemort, Characters will be a bit OOC.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter; all those belong to J.K. Rowling.

'Thoughts'

{Parseltongue}

[Telepathy]

Chapter 8

~ Padfoot and Moony ~

"How was it?" Hermione asked.

"How was what?" Harry said.

"Your date with V-Voldemort!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I didn't think you were the sort to gossip over this type of news."

Hermione smacked him on the arm, "I may not be Lavender or Parvati, but I enjoy hearing about my best friend's happiness. So spill! What happened?"

Harry goofily smiled as he remembered his date. "Well, he took us to La Délicatesse in Paris, France. We sat at a private booth on the balcony, directly across from the Eiffel Tower. The entire atmosphere was quite high classed, but very down to earth. The decorations were amazing and the cuisine was excellent. He told me that he took me there so I can start to sample different places around the world!"

Hermione aww'ed at that comment, seeing Harry blush embarrassingly, yet happily at the admission. "And then?" She prompted.

"And then, we had red wine and had two dishes for dinner." Harry grinned. "We had a sample of every dessert on the menu and Tom even ordered us every dessert just to bring home!"

Understanding dawned on Hermione, "So that's where it all came from. Sirius, Remus and I thought it was just a little something that the house elves made to fill your appetite for French sweets after yesterday's date."

Harry shook his head, "No, he thought that the three of you would enjoy them! Plus, he knew that Remus and I loved sweets a lot, well Remus loved chocolate a lot more, but anyway, he was so sweet the entire time." He sighed with a besotted look in his eyes, the goofy smile still plastered on his face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed our evening together," Tom said, standing at the doorway.

"Tom!" Harry gasped happily. He got up from his seat and ran towards his lover, easily wrapping his arms around Tom's waist as the Dark Lord did the same. "I haven't seen you at breakfast! Were you busy?"

"I had to finish some work last night before calling it a day. So I decided to take my breakfast in bed. I hope I didn't disappoint you."

Harry shook his head, but Hermione grinned evilly behind him.

"Oh, you should have seen the light in his eyes dim when he realized you weren't going to be at breakfast. He couldn't even eat a single bite!" She giggled, dashing away when Harry threw a glare in her direction. "I'll be in the library if you need me, Harry!"

"Your friend, Ms. Granger –"

"Hermione," Harry corrected.

"Very well." Tom acquiesced. "Your friend, Hermione, is quite… particular."

"Well, if you compare her to Luna, she's quite average. Luna's more eccentric, but that's because she's Luna – perfect as a Ravenclaw."

"I have yet to meet your other friends, Harry." Tom murmured.

"I thought you would be too busy," Harry mumbled into his robes.

Tom pulled back and held Harry at arms' length. "Is this about them accepting me? Accepting us?"

Harry frowned, "I like you Tom, but… I also like my friends."

"And you think that if they don't approve, we shouldn't or rather, couldn't be together?" Tom filled in the blanks.

Harry was silent for a moment before determination filled his eyes. "No. I won't let that happen. Luna's already told me that the twins, her and Neville would want to meet with us. I am not going to deny our feelings for each other even if they don't like our relationship."

"Harry…"

"No! I have gotten everything taken from me! Everything has been decided for me! And the one thing that I've wanted, the one thing that I've chosen all by myself, I'm not going to let anyone deny me this!" Harry shouted, shaking his head.

Tom wrapped his little lover in his arms, feeling him shudder with every breath that he took. "It's all right," Tom murmured. "I'll be with you."

…..

"It's not polite to eavesdrop," Hermione said, a few feet away from Sirius and Remus. The two godfathers were standing in front of the room that Hermione and Harry had gone to after breakfast, the door being the only barrier between family and lover.

Sirius and Remus started and flinched when they turned around, seeing the brunette's evil eye before Hermione dragged them away to the library.

"I-I didn't know that was how Harry felt…" Sirius said. He had taken a serious tone and such a serious and crushed expression that his term of endearment for his godson had not fallen through.

"Think about it," Hermione said patiently. "His friends were dictated. His school life was overshadowed. His entire life was planned. I think this is one thing that we should, at the minimum, allow for Harry to have. We don't have any rights to keep Harry from what he wants. We're not Dumbledore; we're Harry's family."

Remus bit his lip, "We really don't have a say in this. All for one and one for all, Sirius." He said, grinning as he clapped the man on the back.

"What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "It's a muggle expression. It just means that the entire group supports each of the individual members and the individual members support the group. It's really quite aptly said."

Sirius barked out in laughter, "Well all right then. We'll support Harry in this, and anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to us."

…..

Once Harry landed on his feet, he prompted fell towards the floor, quickly saved by Tom whom had had an arm around his waist as their small party of ten landed at Merlin's Castle. Same time as the first, their party of seven consisted of Tom, Harry, Severus, Lucius, Fenrir, Rabastan, Rodolphus and Augustus Rookwood. However, joining them were Sirius, Remus and Hermione whom had wanted to see Harry's newly initiated 'Werewolf Haven'.

"Can never manage to land, can you pup?" Sirius chuckled.

"It's not my fault!" Harry huffed. "There must be some sort of malfunctioning to this transportation. I'm always ending up on my arse."

"And what a delightful arse that is," Tom purred, withdrawing his arm and allowing his hand to rest lingeringly on Harry's buttocks for a few seconds.

Hermione stifled her giggles, but managed to smile, "It's all right Harry. I landed on my bottom as well. I guess it just takes practice."

Remus was looking around, "Where is the castle?"

Harry smirked, "It's under Fidelius. Currently, the three of you cannot see it; only the seven of us can. I have to set you to the wards as well, but come along."

Following the same procedure, Sirius, Remus and Hermione were soon standing in the large courtyard with large eyes and gaping mouths.

"I-I can't believe –" Remus stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Hermione was the same as well. Sirius on the other hand was imitating a goldfish.

"Welcome back, Master Harry." Woody greeted.

"We're back!" Harry reciprocated. "We just came to show our new guests around and to make sure everything was functioning properly. Were there any problems?"

Woody shook his head, "None at the moment, Master Harry. However, we's been having a shortage of potions for the incoming families. The greenhouses can be harvested for the potions, but there's be a deficit in certain ingredients that needs to be used for the required potions."

Tom did not look in Severus's direction, but Harry felt his cheeks flush, realizing that their insufficiency was probably due to the fact that he had ordered Severus to have a break off from brewing potions.

"I'll – " Severus began.

"I'll stock up on the remaining potions myself." Harry said, his tone booking no arguments. "Severus is still on his break, so I'll order some from the apothecaries. Is there anything else?"

"Domestic wolves have no fear of shortage of food…" Woody began tentatively.

Harry nodded his head, "We'll begin building farms then - to grow livestock. For now, would raw meat suffice for those families living in the wild?"

The wizards looked sickened at the idea, but the only people that were not nauseous were Fenrir, Remus, Tom and Harry.

"Yes, Master Harry." Woody bobbed his head. "For now, until we grow the livestock, we can supply them with food."

"Anything else?"

"None sir. Everything 'tis working properly." Woody announced.

Harry smiled, "Brilliant. You can return to what you were doing. Thank you for the updates."

"Of course, Master Harry." Woody exclaimed, disappearing with a pop.

"Remus, this is where you'll be working." Harry smiled, "With Fenrir, of course."

His honorary godfather stiffened at that fact, his eyes darting over to the Alpha werewolf before turning to Harry. "Can I speak with you for a moment, Harry?"

"Okay." Harry sent a look to both Tom and Fenrir and the two made sure to watch the others while Harry walked off with Remus.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, once they were in an alcove, spelled by Remus for privacy charms and silence wards.

"I… can't work here."

"Why not? You being a werewolf isn't an excuse anymore!" Harry said. "You are amongst others just like yourself. You can't harm anyone else. You'll be safe. Merlin's Castle is safe and unplottable. Its location is unknown to anyone; only to me, Tom, Fenrir, Severus and Lucius. But once you begin to work here, I'll key you into the wards."

"Harry… I can't –" Remus repeated.

Harry wouldn't stomp his feet. He just wouldn't.

"Is this because of Fenrir?" He asked quietly.

Remus winced, "Part of it… maybe… sort of." He finally relinquished his answer when Harry looked at him with concerned eyes.

"I think you need to have a talk with him," Harry said after a few moments. "After your talk, then you can decide. The families here – they're safe from any harm if they do not wish to join in the war. However, I cannot force you to work where you do not wish. All I ask is that you talk to Fenrir – get some closure. He has a good reason you know, and it's not because of what anyone else may have told you."

Harry turned and walked a few feet away before stopping. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled. "If you don't get the truth from a primary source, where else will you get it?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders.

With a flick of his finger, the wards used were torn down and Harry returned to their group.

"Harry! House elves?!" Hermione asked, jumping right at him.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Harry frowned at Hermione. "You should research house elves before throwing your concerns on where it is not needed."

Seeing Hermione step back as if he had physically hit her, Harry sighed. "Hermione, look. People say that you are the brightest witch of the century – other than my mother of course - but you don't seem like it if you believe that some things in the wizarding world are barbaric if you haven't actively done any research on it. You judge what you see based on what you hear from people and based on what little you've read from books that may have been written with a touch of prejudice. You are now living in the Wizarding World, in Tom's manor, where there are loads of traditional pureblood witches and wizards who come by to meet with Tom. While I'm sure they might sneer at you or ignore you because you are a muggleborn witch, you can ask Lucius or Sirius or even Tom about anything about the Wizarding World before you jump the gun and start ratting off the problems that the Wizarding World has."

Hermione took two steps back with wide eyes. Actually, everyone seemed to have done so during Harry's rant, all except for Tom whom had stepped closer to Harry during his tirade, placing a hand on the small of the Gryffindor's back to gently and subtly calm him.

Harry realized that he had forged forward in his diatribe before swiveling on his feet and facing Tom. "I'm sorry Hermione," He didn't really sound that apologetic. "But to understand why things in the Wizarding World are the way they are, you'll have to go straight to the source. Like I've told Remus, if you don't get the truth from a primary source, where else will you get it from?"

With a deep breath, Harry looked around at his stunned party. "Well, are we going to have a tour of the Castle? I have to get everything set up before the tutors arrive."

Tom graciously led his little lover away from the courtyard, and immediately following them were Fenrir, Severus and Lucius and then the Lestrange brothers. Rookwood came afterwards, which left Sirius, Remus and Hermione standing in the courtyard.

"If you need to find us, please call for a house elf." Harry cautioned. "While you might have been invited guests into Merlin's Castle, that doesn't mean that you have permission or the authority to wander into any room in the vicinity. Our current occupants will not like that."

With that, the trio were left alone.

…..

"Are you sure you wished to leave them alone like that?" Fenrir asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I am tired to having to reason my actions. If they cannot go along with what I am doing, I see no reason to waste any more time on them." Then he turned around and smiled, "On that note, shall we see to our guests' living arrangements?"

Allowing Fenrir to lead the way, the wizards walked through the castle, immediately greeted by the residents living there.

"Mr. Potter! I can't thank you enough for allowing us to reside in your lovely abode." One of the werewolves smiled, walking up to the wizard.

Harry smiled and thanked the man with a handshake, feeling Tom's hand squeeze threateningly on his waist. Ignoring his lover's jealous streak, Harry went around asking about the werewolves' well-being and if they required anything else. No longer were they wearing rags or ripped clothing, but every one of them donned richly made clothes, courtesy of Harry's resident designers and their assistants, female clothing: Tippy, Dappy, Poppy and Cookie, and male clothing: Hoppy, Heely, Nippy and Baxter.

"Mr. Potter, sir!" One of the children ran up to him. Harry smiled and kneeled down, looking at the child at eye level. He wanted the children to feel as if they were equals, even though the difference in age gap were at least a decade large.

"Yes? You don't need to call me Mr. Potter. Just Harry will do." The Gryffindor smiled. "Might I ask for your name?"

"My name is Phoebe," The little girl said. Turning around she waved at one of the other children and a boy shyly walked up to her. "This is my twin brother, Phoenix."

"Well, hello Phoebe, Phoenix. How old are you guys?"

Both of the twins held up a hand, "We're five years old!"

"Oh my! But you act so much like adults!" Harry gushed, smiling at them as they blushed at his compliment. "So, what is it you need?"

Phoebe jumped up and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Would you please, please, please, have a playground built? In the backyard perhaps? I'd really like one – OW!" She turned her head to glare at her twin who was looking at her with disappointment.

"I mean, we'd really like one. For every kid!" She corrected, turning back to Harry.

Harry smiled and petted their heads, "Well, I think that's a brilliant idea. And I think that Phoenix might like to have the playground built somewhere where there is a large tree for extra shading, just in case he wishes to rest and have a nice quiet place to read his book?"

Phoenix looked down shyly, but nodded his head nevertheless. His arms wrapped around a large tome, showing Harry that it was book of a compilation of all the Fairy Tales in the world.

"Excellent!" Harry smiled. "I'll do my best to see that it's done. It will take awhile to gather the necessary equipment to build the playground, but I hope that won't make you less excited for one."

"No, no!" Phoebe denied, "It won't."

Phoenix nodded his head too.

Waving goodbye, Harry continued through the rest of the residents before meeting up with Sirius, Remus and Hermione whom were still at the courtyard.

"We're leaving," He announced and with the password spoken, everyone was whisked back to Tom's manor.

…..

"Where are you going to get a playground for the children?" Rabastan asked.

"I figured I'd go to a muggle store and get some," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "If not, I'm sure some of you are brilliant at Transfiguration and Charms. If it comes to that, we'll just use magic to create one. It probably won't last very long, but it should last until we actually find the equipment to build one."

"But they aren't ours," Rodolphus said. Harry turned to look at him, but with met with a stare of curiosity and incomprehension.

Harry sighed, "Just because the child isn't yours doesn't mean you shouldn't treat them properly. Already they are rejected by society just because lycanthropy runs through their veins. Whether it is being born with it or being bitten and living with it, they have already lost their chance at a future. With how biased the Wizarding World is, they're leaving a good percentage of witches, wizards and children to their poverty and they're not doing a single thing to help them!"

They continued to listen even as Harry seemed to go on a rampage.

"It's bigoted fools like this that are running the Ministry and the Wizarding World to the ground. Ages ago, magical creatures were seen and worshipped as being such creatures. People killed to have a magical creature married into their family. Now, they're just seen as dirt and below us." Harry shook his head, "In fact, if we all did a blood test right now, there will be traces of magical creature blood in all of us. So we're not all exactly 100% pureblooded, so declaring oneself as such is just ironic and hypocritical when one is trying to fight for pureblood rights."

". . . Is that how you really feel, Harry?" Hermione asked, quietly.

Turning to face his friend, Harry looked her straight in the eyes and answered. "Yes. You have no clue what Tom is exactly fighting for. And neither did I until I took an active stance to learn about it."

Holding his hand up to forestall her, Harry continued on. "All that we've learned about Tom was from Dumbledore. All that we've heard about his campaign was spewed by arrogant purebloods whom thought they could do no wrong. All that I've ever known about Tom has been drilled into me by people who've either sided with Tom or have fought against him and lost many. It is not for others to decide who I should believe or hate or follow. It is my decision and my right. And what I've learned is that Tom is fighting for equality – for all people, for all creatures. It doesn't matter about blood, but about keeping our old traditions from dying out as muggleborns come in with their own. You think that purebloods are just old bigoted fools who do not wish for change, and maybe that's true. But you can't say that muggleborns or muggles haven't felt threatened by others who come in with their own lifestyle and customs. And while Tom may have gone about his business incorrectly, he is definitely changing his ways and I for one, will stand by him."

…..

"What do you think?" Remus asked. Sirius and Remus had taken to huddling in Sirius's assigned room, while Hermione had gone to her own room to think.

Sirius seemed to be deep in thought but had been pulled out of his musings at Remus's question. "Perhaps. . . we were following Albus too blindly."

"Sirius –"

"No, let me finish Moony." Sirius sighed. "V-Voldemort –"

"Tom," Remus interrupted with a sheepish smile.

"Tom was never a big thing back during our times. It was only because we believed Albus's every word about Tom that he grew into this prominent monster who would scare us from the shadows. You know, people didn't always call Tom, You-Know-Who. It was only believed from Albus that the name Voldemort would have done us in. Quite frankly, now that I think about it, because I was such an obvious choice to become the Secret Keeper for James' Fidelius Charm, I should have stayed as the Secret Keeper. It was only through Albus's persistent urgings that we changed the Secret Keeper to Peter. And besides, wasn't it Dumbledore who sent Harry to live with those Dursley's?"

"He said they were family." Remus said.

Sirius shook his head, "You might not have known it, but I've heard from James. Lily was never an Evans, but she was the Hathaway Heiress – the last Hathaway in the Wizarding World. I'm sure Dumbledore knew of this. After all, everyone in the Wizengamot knows that if the last of a family had fallen, the finances would be given and split between the Ministry and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot – to further the advancement of the Wizarding World. But have you seen any advancements? Merlin, you don't even have to count the Wizengamot members. Anyone who is from a pureblood family knows this!"

Seeing Remus's doubtful expression, Sirius continued.

"Remus, don't you see? All of Albus's words had been a lie! He calls for house unity, but gives us a slap-on-the-hand punishment for our pranks! Pranks that have landed Slytherins in the infirmary! Even the punishment for sending Sni-Severus to you had been dealt with and covered up! He wasn't trying to save you from Azkaban, nor was he trying to save us from the Ministry's hands! He was trying to save himself! If the Ministry ever caught wind of how he treated the students and had a preference of Gryffindor over any other house, he would be removed from his position as Headmaster – just for prejudice, biases and much more!"

"But Sirius, it was Albus who gave me a chance for an education! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have graduated! I wouldn't even have stepped foot into any school!"

Sirius snorted, "And you are now in debt to him." Grabbing a hold of the werewolf's shoulders, he shook him back and forth with a crazed look in his eyes. "Remus! Sending you to those werewolf camps are not a way to repay your debt! He is using you! Using us! Using Harry! Using everyone! He's pulled the wool over our eyes! All he cares about is winning this war – no matter who has lost whom and who has been killed! If he really were as powerful as people say he is, why would he let a prophecy get in the way of defeating Voldemort?!"

"But Albus says that Harry has the power to defeat Voldemort," Remus insisted.

Sirius scoffed, "Oh yeah. Love will fight all our wars. No – there is something more to this that he has let on! The Order of the Phoenix is just a way for him to recruit students loyal to his cause whom have just graduated from Hogwarts. The school is not a school for learning! It is a place for him to gather more followers! To have more people under his thumb! We have fallen for his tricks! And look what happened to James and Lily! If Dumbledore hadn't encouraged them to move to Godric Hallow, do you think they would have died? NO! Potter Manor is more warded and more protected than Godric Hallow! It was warded by the best wardmasters and the best goblin magick the Potters' money could ever buy! If Grindelwald couldn't storm their residence, why would Voldemort?"

"I-" Remus stumbled backwards, righting himself. "I need to think. . . I'll see you later Sirius."

"Remy –"

"No," Remus shook his head. "I know what you're saying may have some truth to it. Merlin, it may even be the truth itself. But. . ." The werewolf faltered. "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that even at eleven-years-old, no – maybe even younger, Albus has already seen everyone as a pawn. . . a disposable soldier to this war. I. . ." Remus looked at his last remaining friend with betrayed amber eyes, "I just can't."

Sirius watched as his best friend ran from their room, closing the door behind him. With a frustrated groan, Sirius flopped backwards onto their bed and threw an arm over his eyes, "Damn it!" He cursed.

…..

At dinner, Harry noticed a strange and tense atmosphere hovering over their three guests.

"Sirius, is something the matter?" He asked, placing his fork down.

His godfather seemed to jerk out of his seat, slowly turning to look at him. "Not at all," His laugh sounded really awkward and out of place.

"Just today's excitement seemed to really get to us. We're probably just a little tired from it all."

"O-Oh," Harry frowned and stared at the animagus. "I-If you're sure. . ."

"Yeah, I am." Sirius nodded.

Remus looked up then, "Would you mind if I excused myself?"

Tom placed his wine glass down and looked at the duo. "Yes, but only because you have yet to touch your food."

Remus grimaced and nodded his head, looking back down at his plate. He didn't seem to see the look that Sirius threw him, choosing to play with the food. "Please excuse me." He decided, pushing away from the table and walking out of the room.

"Rem –" Harry started, but he soon stopped when his godfather ran after him. Turning to their remaining guest, Harry asked, "Hermione, do you know what happened to them?"

"Not at all." And her curiosity was genuine. "Maybe they got into a fight?" Hermione looked back down at her plate and absentmindedly chewed on her food. After a few bites, she wiped her mouth with the napkin provided and excused herself, saying that she needed to catch up on her reading.

"Oh," Now Harry was worried, but more so for his godfather and honorary uncle. "I hope they make up."

"I'm sure they will," Tom assured him, placing a hand on Harry's in a show of silent support, even if that little gesture had sent surprised shock down his table. "They're adults. They can handle anything."

Harry snorted, "At least one of them is an adult. Sirius just acts like a child in an adult's body."

…..

"Remus! Remus John Lupin!" Sirius called out, banging on his best friend's door.

"Perhaps I can speak with him?"

Sirius swerved around, hand on his wand but paused when he realized it was Fenrir, though it did nothing to ease his nerves around the alpha werewolf. Looking at him through narrowed eyes, Sirius saw something that he recognized and had seen many times before in James' eyes and nodded his head.

Sirius only looked back once before entering his room.

Fenrir loosened the tension in his shoulders, rolling them back before rolling them forward. Cracking his neck and shaking the anxiety from his hands, he took in a deep breath and let it out.

Clearing his throat, Fenrir raised one hand to knock on the door and waited for his mate to answer.

Frowning, he knocked once again and was met with silence.

"Remus?" He asked worriedly.

There was a muffled sound, but Fenrir heard him clearly – just as sure as he was that Remus had heard him.

"Go away."

"Remus, I'm coming in."

"Go away!"

Fenrir opened the door, only to duck when a pillow flew towards him, smacking the closed door behind him. He traced the path back to the bed where there was now no pillows but a large blanket that seemed to create a dome over the mattress.

"Remus, are you all right?" Fenrir asked.

"All right?" Came the muffled answer. Remus flipped the blanket off of him and sat up, piercing Fenrir with angry amber eyes. "All right?! My entire life has been lied to! I thought that Albus had allowed me into Hogwarts out of the goodness of his heart! Out of benevolence and understanding! But now! Now I'm hearing and thinking that Albus just had this all planned out from the very beginning! Goodness of his heart? HAH! More like the darkest sludge in his deepest pit of tainted soul!"

Remus watched as Fenrir seemed to fidget on the spot. "Right, sorry. That was a stupid question." He snorted and watched his alpha squirm.

"Understatement of the year."

But he couldn't help it but smile when Fenrir cracked a small, tiny one in front of him.

"Are you feeling better now? Now that you've gotten it off your chest?" Fenrir asked. His eyes were looking around the room and Remus could tell that he felt out of place.

Sighing, Remus sat up straight on the bed and wrapped his arms and legs around the remaining pillow that he had. Absentmindedly, he patted a clear spot on the mattress for his alpha to sit, only realizing what he did when the added weight made his body fall over onto Fenrir.

"Sorry. . ." He muttered with a blush, inwardly scolding himself for acting like a little schoolgirl when Fenrir had gotten closer. Maybe it was the rugged look that his alpha sported. Maybe it was how handsome he looked instead of what he remembered Fenrir to look like.

Then his mind stopped and he backtracked his thoughts. 'Wait. . . my alpha? What in Merlin's name?'

"Remus?" Fenrir leaned over to peer at his mate. Catching his gaze, time seemed to stop like in one of those cliché moments he had heard from the muggleborns' movies or stories, but he supposed it was quite right. After all, all he saw was Remus and he was sure his mate saw him – really saw him, even through the glamour he wore.

'The eyes are the windows to one's soul.' A voice echoed inside his mind.

'Shut up.' He retorted. Pulling back, he heard Remus take a deep breath as if his lungs hadn't been breathing for awhile, inwardly smirking when his mate had thought he looked quite handsome with the glamour he would put up to scare others.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Fenrir suggested.

"No. . . not really." Remus muttered, eyes pinned to his pillow even as his cheeks were tinted pink. He pinched at the parts where the feathers had clumped together, but nevertheless, darted his eyes towards his –no, never his – alpha before returning to his pillow again.

"It helps if you talk it out."

Remus laughed, "What are you? My therapist?"

"Just. . . someone who will listen to you. I'm sure you've held back a lot more than you've let out." Fenrir said. "You seem like the person to do so. And it doesn't help that you've been infected by lycanthropy."

Remus snorted, "No thanks to you."

Fenrir winced, "How. . . how much did you know about why I bit you?"

Remus paused and looked at Fenrir warily. "My parents told me it was because you were looking to increase the size of your pack. . . that anyone would do – even a child. Even Albus confirmed that you had a. . . particular interest in children. To see how strong they were if they survived their first transformation at their first full moon."

Fenrir snorted, rolling his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking up at the ceiling, he tried to formulate his thoughts, knowing that his mate was waiting for his answer. Sighing, he turned to Remus and grabbed his hands, noting how Remus had flinched at the contact and was struggling to remove his limbs from Fenrir's grasp.

"Remus, what I am about to say is 100% true. I will even take an oath if you wish." Fenrir stated. He looked straight at Remus's eyes, and saw that his mate was searching for something before shaking his head.

"You don't have to. I believe you."

And Fenrir's wolf howled at the trust that his mate bestowed upon him. Remus actually looked amused when Fenrir puffed up in pride, only to deflate just a tad in embarrassment when his mate caught his smugness.

"Well," Fenrir cleared his throat. "I bit you because your parents asked me to."

Remus tugged his hands out with a vicious speed. "What?"

Reclaiming his mate's hands, Fenrir spoke. "You know how you have been a sickly child." At Remus's nod he continued, "There was a particular illness – one that your parents could do nothing to help. It was out of their hands. They had gone to several healers, in both St. Mungo's and even in the muggle world. The treatment had yet to be developed, and the disease was nothing like any healer had seen before."

"What was it?" Remus asked.

Fenrir shook his head, "I am uncertain. Your parents only called for me when they realized that you would die in a matter of months. I made a bargain with them – after all, you. . ."

"A bargain?"

Fenrir looked at Remus with sad eyes, which made him feel all choked up inside. "You. . . are my mate, Remus. As my mate, I could not let you die – never could I wish that upon you. Your parents were frantic to find a cure – something that was not possible during that time. But they had heard of Lycanthropy."

"It rids the host of any other diseases, but in turn, causes the host to shift into a werewolf every month on the night of the full moon." Remus murmured, his thoughts drifting to how big and how large Fenrir's hands were. How protective they felt around his, even as they were the only two people in the room, with no danger in sight.

Fenrir nodded his head, "Yes. My mate, my mate was dying. I did not want that to happen. And so, in return for saving your life, I was to return and meet you upon your coming of age – at 17."

Remus remembered that day. His parents had quite anxious and the tension was palpable and nerve wrecking the two weeks before his birthday happened. But he could also tell how tired they were. After all, they had dealt with his condition month after month, year after year – only to have a reprieve after he had gotten an invitation to Hogwarts.

His parents had warned him about Fenrir about a month after his "treatment" – a week after his first transformation. Remus had been so frightened. He couldn't understand what was going on!

But his parents had told him all about the 'attack' on his person. How Fenrir Greyback, a notorious werewolf who favored biting children to infect them with Lycanthropy, had attacked Remus when he was out of the house. In his moment of horror, Remus had yet to notice the amounts of loopholes within their fabricated story.

But now that Fenrir had spoken of everything, it seemed to make sense. After all, how had Albus found out about his condition if not for his parents sending an owl to the Headmaster? And besides, Fenrir didn't infect any other child with Lycanthropy. It was all because of his brother Edgar Greyback, whom had been kicked out of his pack and had gone on a fit of rampage. It didn't help that Edgar looked like a mirror image of Fenrir – or more like Fenrir looked a lot like his older brother – and so, many people had thought of Edgar's fetish as Fenrir's.

Then, a truly startling and frightening thought had surfaced.

"Did you only save me because I was your mate?"

Fenrir bit his lip. At first it had been like that, he admitted it to Remus. Watching Remus look conflicted was something Fenrir didn't know if he should be happy about or not. After all, his mate was feeling confused about how the man he trusted was actually a fraud. And now the man whom he had believed was his enemy – the reason for his condition – had actually saved him from a terminal illness?

"But – I try to save children as well! I am not adept at healing and I would never wish for children to go through the full moon every month. But if it will save them –"

"I-I need some time," Remus whispered, running his fingers over Fenrir's hands distractedly.

"I understand," Fenrir said, pulling away, but stopped when Remus had a tight hold on him.

"W-Would you take off your glamour?" Remus asked, shyly. He bit his lip, looking up at his alpha. Ah yes, his alpha – he had finally wrapped his mind around that aspect quite perfectly.

"Of course. Anything for my mate."

The glamour dropped and Remus was avidly took in all of Fenrir's physical appearance. His mate had soft silky brown hair and had bright brown eyes with laugh lines, displaying his dimples quite prominently when he smiled at his mate. His skin was smooth and wrinkle free, but slight crow's feet from his age. He was a little buffer than his glamour portrayed him to be, but Remus could see the added muscles in his arms, thick thighs and strong calves. Remus's eyes strayed a little towards Fenrir's large and prominent bulge, but quickly averted his eyes with a faint blush when he saw the bulge twitch.

"You like?" Fenrir asked with a smirk.

"Shut up," Remus said with a halfhearted anger in his words. "You can go now."

Fenrir grinned and decide to push his boundaries a little more. Leaning over to Remus's ear, he blew on it, watching his mate pull back, cupping his ear with both hands and a bright blush on his face.

"I'll see you later."

"Pervert!" Remus cried out and his last pillow slammed against the closed door behind his chuckling alpha.

…..

After Hermione had excused herself, she returned to her room and continued on with her research. Removing the books that she had already read from her bed, she moved towards her trunk that had been brought over by a house elf.

Hermione looked through her trunk, searching for any book that would help her understand what Harry was going through. She saw in her best friend's eyes that he was adamant that the Ministry with its current status was quite lacking in many ways.

She agreed with Harry on that aspect, but she couldn't believe that muggleborns were truly the cause of the pureblood's animosity towards them. After scouring her trunk and finding nothing that would help, she left her room and walked towards the Riddle Library.

Walking up to the podium, she flipped open the large tome sitting on top and wrote, "History of Wizarding Britain", "Politics and Laws", and "Traditions and Customs".

Stepping back, the tome glowed gold before the books with those required terms flew from the shelves and landed in several piles on the table beside her. With a flick of her wand, as Harry had told her that magic was allowed in the midst of those who had their traces removed, she levitated the books back to her room and settled down for a good long read.

…..

Sirius flicked his wand to and fro, watching the items within his room float around in circles above his head. Sighing, he placed his hands behind his head and rested his head on it. He wondered how the talk Fenrir had with Remus was going on.

Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed Fenrir to talk to Moony? After all, Remus hated the man with a passion – all because Fenrir was the one to make him like a werewolf. The loss of a stable job, an unfamiliar path to romance – no future family to call his own.

Sirius gnawed at his bottom lip, feeling blood soaking through his mouth. Sucking on the injury, he sat up and the items quickly dropped onto the mattress. With a burst of magic, the items were returned to their positions.

He stood to leave his room, but a knock interrupted his progress.

"Come in," Sirius said and the door opened to reveal Fenrir.

"Is Remus all right?"

"Well, he's better than before." Fenrir said, shrugging his shoulders.

Sirius pinned the werewolf with a suspicious glare before aiming his wand at the Fenrir.

"Black! What are you –"

"What do you want with Remus?"

"What do I want with Remus?" Fenrir echoed, narrowing his eyes when he heard Sirius's dubious tone and saw his chary gaze.

"Answer me!" The animagus prompted, his stance reminding Fenrir of all the Aurors he had faced in battle – alert and wary at their opponent.

"Nothing! I don't –"

"Liar!" Sirius roared. "Your eyes are deceiving you! Your breath just quickened – you licking your lips just proved that your mouth has dried up. You're caught in the act. Now state your business!"

Fenrir eyed Sirius and sidestepped slowly until he could see the door at the corner of his eyes. The animagus had his wand trained on the werewolf, and Fenrir had no doubt that the wizard had retained at least some of his skills back during his Auror days.

"I may have some. . . intentions toward Remus." Fenrir said vaguely.

"What intentions?"

"I intend to make him my mate. Remus is my mate." Fenrir said with unwavering certainty.

The alpha watched the ex-auror with attention to the slightest twitch in his muscles. And after three heartbeats, Fenrir lunged behind the settee across from the bed, catching his breath when he felt a series of spells flying over his head.

"It's true! Remus is my mate. I would never hurt him!" Fenrir tried, peeking his head out only to duck and roll towards the dresser, putting space between himself and the raging animagus.

"Hurt him?!" Sirius bellowed. "Too late! Agnus dei! You've hurt him when you took a bite out of him as a child! You've been hurting him ever since he's learned of your existence! Confringo!Your atrocities! Your crimes! You've cursed him into this existence!" The animagus ended his rant with an Entrail-Expelling Curse, eyes blazing with uncontained fury.

"I can explain!" Fenrir shouted, ducking when pieces of wood exploded behind him. "I've told Remus all about what happened! I even swore an oath – something he refused for me to do!"

"SHUT UP! He didn't want this! HE NEVER WANTED TO BE A WEREWOLF! Bombarda Maxima!" Sirius roared. The room shook from the blast, pieces of furniture chipping and flying all over the place.

Fenrir cursed when he had to jump from behind the dresser to the curtains by the window, only to leap from the spot when Sirius had cast, "Incendio!"

There were insistent knocks on the door then. But the two were too focused on each other – Sirius with attacking the werewolf, and Fenrir from dodging the Auror's ferocious attacks.

"Sirius?! SIRIUS?! Are you okay?!"

"Don't come in!" The two shouted. Well, at least they had the same thing in mind at that moment.

"Sirius! What's going on? I heard a loud explosion!"

"Go away Remus!" They yelled simultaneously. Sirius turned to glare at Fenrir, but Fenrir only matched his glare with a neutral gaze.

"Sirius! Sirius! I'm coming in!"

Remus opened the door and was met with a room that looked like it had gone through a war. "W-What's going on?" His amber eyes looked up and saw that there was a stalemate between his best mate and his. . . mate.

"Sirius?! Fenrir?! What's going on?! Why are the two of you fighting?!"

Sirius pointed a finger accusingly at Fenrir. "He says that you're his mate! Tell him he's wrong, Remus! Your can't possibly love a monster like him!"

Remus was caught between both sides. On one side, he wanted to agree with Sirius. After all, Fenrir did bite him and it did cause Remus to have his monthly affliction. But to even say anything bad about the alpha made Moony upset, snarling at the animagus before him.

"I. . . I can't." Remus said.

"What? What do you mean?" The look on Sirius's face could not even measure up to how flabbergasted he felt. "Just tell me that you. can't. love. him!"

Remus shook his head, walking over to where Fenrir was crouching behind the bed. Holding a hand up, Remus pulled his alpha up and stumbled into Fenrir when the werewolf's full weight pulled him towards him.

"He's really truly my mate Sirius. I might not like Fenrir yet, but Moony knows. Moony acknowledges Fenrir as my mate. And maybe, maybe, it will take awhile for me to get used to this situation, but Sirius," Remus said exasperatedly. "Did you even let Fenrir say his side before you started firing off spells? The room looks like a mess!"

The floor was littered all over with chipped wood from the dressers and the walls. The curtains were singed with fires that had immediately been taken out upon Remus's arrival and the bed was ripped up and shredded, the feathers from the pillows askew. The covers had haphazardly landed on the floor, all bunched up from Fenrir and Sirius running on top of it. Even the rug was a bit ruffled from the excess wear and tear.

Sirius grumbled and stowed his wand back in his wrist holster. Stomping towards the door, he opened it and turned back. "Come find me when you finally make sense, Remus." With that, he turned his head and slammed the door behind him.

Remus looked around and wiped a hand over his face. "I'm sorry about him," He said, facing Fenrir – only to have to look up and up at the alpha werewolf when Remus realized that they were only about a foot apart.

"You have no need to apologize for him. I should not have just, as the teenagers say, dropped the bomb. I should have just eased him into it." Fenrir said. He pulled his wand from his thigh holster and waved it about, repairing the room's interior before replacing it back into its holster.

"I know I don't." Remus smiled wearily. After all, it seems as if he'd been doing so for at least two decades or so – counting the seven years that he'd spent together with the Marauders as they pranked many, many students. "But, I feel like I should say it. Sirius is one of my oldest friends."

"So you feel like you have an obligation to him?"

"Something of that sort."

The silence after was neither uncomfortable nor pleasant – just there.

"Well, since you feel like it will take awhile for you to get used to this situation, would it be wrong of me to ask you out on a date?" Fenrir asked.

Remus chuckled, "So quick?"

"I don't want to seem pushy. If you don't want to, it's fine."

"No, no. It's all right. I'd love to go on a date with you. We'll get to know each other. I'm sure that would be a good thing to do on a first date."

"When are you free?"

"When aren't I free?"

Fenrir laughed, "Saturday?"

"8PM?"

"Of course. I'll pick you up."

"I'll. . . be here?"

Fenrir nodded his head and strode to the door with purpose, jerkily nodding his head once more to dismiss himself from Remus's presence. Remus followed after, seeing Fenrir turn the corner down the hall. Smiling at the surprisingly shy alpha, Remus swiveled on his feet to return to his room.

…..

"Harry, this is not something I wish to ask – but I really need a favor." Fenrir said, awkwardly standing before the teen whom was cuddling against his older lover, Tom Riddle.

"Yes?" Harry perked up, lifting his head from Tom's shoulder.

"I would never ask anything of you – nothing, but could you, if you please, please, please, reserve a place for Remus and I, for our date this Saturday at 8PM?"

Tom seemed to become interested as well, adjusting his sitting posture, enough to be deemed as attentive. "Old friend, are you truly going on a date?" Tom smirked, his lipless mouth looking more like scarred tissue stretching uncomfortably than an amused expression.

Fenrir growled, but he wasn't that angry. "I want to make a good first impression." Then he leered at the Dark Lord, "I heard your date was just as sappy and affectionate as well."

Tom huffed, "It was not sappy or affectionate."

Harry turned his head to place his undivided attention towards his lover. "Not sappy or affectionate?" He asked with an overly sweet smile.

Tom paled, his serpentine skin seeming to be more translucent than pasty gray. "Not at all Harry. You know I planned that date with you in mind."

"So I'm sappy and affectionate?"

"I care for you very much," Tom finally said.

Harry nodded his head with approval. "Now Fenrir, where would you like for me to reserve?"

"Where is Remus's favorite place? What's his favorite food?"

Harry laughed, "Remus's favorite food is chocolate. I guess you can either go to Belgium or Switzerland for them, but really, Remus is more partial to Italian."

"So Italy?"

Harry chuckled, "Fenrir, you worry too much! Remus will love wherever it is you take him! It doesn't have to be a fancy, expensive restaurant! Remus is more down to earth than you think!"

"But my mate deserves the best!" Fenrir protested.

Harry sighed, turning to look at Tom who returned his look with a tilt of the head. "Very well. Choose where you want to eat, I'll reserve a spot for you. What would you prefer?"

"A nice private booth."

"Ah, okay."

"I'll do some research then. I'll talk to you later!" Fenrir said, rushing off to find the best restaurant in Italy.

Nothing was too much for his mate – even if it would be an expensive meal. Hopefully Remus would like it.

…..

A few days passed and Sirius still continued to elude Remus. It was possible that his avoiding the werewolf was due to the fact that Remus didn't seem to take his side whenever he wanted to talk to the animagus.

It couldn't be helped. Remus knew how stubborn the man was and so, it was with a heavy heart that he went on his date with Fenrir.

At promptly 8PM, Fenrir and Remus stepped out of the floo and into Piatti Saporiti, Rome, Italy. The restaurant was gorgeous, approximately 40 meter squared in area. Its exteriors consisted of a red ochre imbrex and tegula roof that led to towering light umber Corinthian columns that held up the enormous establishment, with burnt sienna walls lined with large multi-window arches done in a staircase-like fashion. The stairs led up to a wide-open patio on either side of scenescape doors made with glass of a mural depicting Julius Ceasar's rise to power.

Inside the restaurant, the space was much larger – possibly due to the use of an expansion charm on the small area, turning a 40 meter squared area into a 100 meter squared area. The floor was made from black and white diamond marbled tiles; the limestone walls were decorated with paintings from Roman history and from the ceiling, at the very center of the floor above a large table for ten, hung a golden chandelier decorated by diamond chains, pearls making up the pendalogue and crystals as prisms, as pendant lights hung around in a concentric circle-like pattern over round tables for four. There was a large spacious area in the left hand corner of the room, for live music, but other than that, private booths for two lined the walls of each floor, as far as Remus could see when the maître d' led them up to the balcony. Remus surmised that the door at the far right would lead straight into the kitchens, which was no doubt filled with either house elves or witches and wizards who actually cooked for a living.

They were led to a private booth on the balcony overlooking the city, but most importantly, it had a perfect view of the Arco di Costantino (Arch of Constantine) and beside it, the Colosseum.

Fenrir did the most gentlemanly thing and pulled the chair out for Remus, puffing his chest out when his mate smiled shyly in response, thanking the alpha for such a sweet gesture.

"This is. . . really fancy," Remus said, looking around. Lit up by oil lamps, the balcony had natural stone flooring, rich terracotta concrete railings forming semicircles, potted hydrangeas, azaleas and rhododendrons.

"Thank you," Fenrir said. "Though, I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not."

"No, no. It really is quite ostentatious." Remus assured him. "But. . . I'm not really. . . comfortable in this kind of setting."

All the air seemed to rupture from Fenrir's chest. His mate hated – no, it wasn't that he hated the place, it was just uncomfortable for him. Remus felt uneasy, awkward and if Fenrir was reading his body language correctly, a bit troubled to be surrounded by the lavish decorations and atmosphere.

Even from the balcony, the one-way privacy and silence spells woven into their booth allowed them to hear the live music from downstairs, but did not permit the waiters, servers or the employed to hear their conversation. But that didn't prevent Remus's sharp werewolf hearing from catching bits and pieces of what the other fancily dressed customers were speaking about his somewhat shabby attire.

"We could go to another place!" Fenrir blurted, quickly standing. Remus winced as the metal chair scraped against the floor.

"No, no. It's fine. We're already here."

Fenrir groaned and covered his face with both hands. "I'm such an idiot."

"What? NO! Why would you think that?"

"Even though I have asked Harry about your favorite place, your favorite foods, I have only thought of myself and my values and ideals when it came to picking the location for our date tonight."

"You asked Harry about me?" Remus asked, touched by the amount of effort Fenrir exerted in order to plan the perfect date together.

"Yes," Fenrir admitted. "He's your godson you know – thinks of you like his godfather. And he's told me about you enjoying anywhere as long as it is where I have chosen. Yet, I ignored his words, choosing to believe that, as my mate, you deserve the best!"

Then, Fenrir paused and frowned. His shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh. "I have thought of nothing about your comfort nor have I even thought about what you wanted." Fenrir laughed deprecatingly. "I couldn't even reserve a spot here without Harry's help. After all, who would allow Fenrir Greyback, infector of children, monster werewolf to all, into their establishment? Without Harry's assistance, the best we could do was to eat dinner at a manor away from the rest of the residents living there."

"Fenrir. . ." Remus whispered, placing a hand on top of his alpha's. "Even if we had dinner behind a dumpster, I would still love it."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "The dumpster smells yes, but the fact of the matter is, is that no matter where we go, I just want to spend time with you, to get to know you. The location is not important. The food we eat is inconsequential. Only you, Fenrir, takes importance during the time we spend together."

"This," Remus waved a hand, motioning to their surroundings, "This is amazing, yes. But what makes this even more so is the fact that I'm here with you. Understand?"

Fenrir overturned his hand and grasped Remus's with a smile. "Yes."

"Good," Remus smiled, happy to know the two had finally reached a conclusion. He watched as Fenrir waved the server over, only to order an eight-course meal.

Within five minutes, the server returned and the apertivio was distributed, two flutes of Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, a type of red wine grape and an Italian wine made principally from the grape, and small dishes of olives, nuts and cubed cheese. And after the light appetizer, the antipasti was served – the starter consisting of a charcuterie platter made up of salame and mortadella, served with gorgonzola, provolone, and pecorino toscano, accompanied by breadsticks, pizza bianca and pane siciliano. Though the starter was slightly heavier than the appetizer, with it being close to the full moon, the two werewolves still had a rather empty stomach to stuff.

Remus's eyes lit up with pleasure. Sticking a hand towards Fenrir, he smiled. "Have you tried the salame with pecorino toscano on the pizza bianca? It's delicious! Here! Try some!"

Fenrir smiled, taking a bite out of the food offered and hummed. It was rather delicious as Remus had aptly put it, but he found more pleasure in seeing how relaxed Remus was – enough to actually feed him some food! Like they were an actual couple!

When their dishes were taken away, a different server returned with their primi, a pasta e fagioli for Remus and an Agrodolce for Fenrir. They quietly sipped their soup, enjoying the live music that had changed from a soft Italian opera to Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

"So tell me about yourself." Fenrir said.

"What do you want to know?" Remus asked.

"Anything. Everything."

"That's pretty. . . broad."

"Maybe so, but I want to know." Fenrir shrugged, and so, the two exchanged stories about each other.

Fenrir learned all about Remus's childhood and life after Hogwarts – though bleak, was fulfilling in a sense that his mate had tried his hand at every job he had applied to. Remus, on the other hand, learned about Fenrir's childhood has well. Being bitten when he was a child, after his father had found that he had not inherited the Lycanthropy gene. Then his antagonistic relationship with his older brother – who his father had passed over the position of pack leader to Fenrir instead; thus, leading to a revengeful and spiteful werewolf that went on a rampage, infecting everyone that crossed his path. Following his father's advice, Fenrir had to put down Edgar before he could tarnish the Greyback name even further than he already did.

Now, Fenrir had joined Volde – Tom, Remus's mind supplied – because he believed that it was time that the magical races returned to their rightful position – as being held as equals, if not higher, to witches and wizards of the Wizarding Community. No longer will they be feared, but held with reverence due to their quick reflexes, agility, super abilities and fast healing. Understanding where Fenrir was coming from, Remus had agreed, but had agreed to disagree on the tactics that the Dark – no, Tom! – had used in the past.

Their second course, secondi, coupled with the side dishes, contorni, and followed by insalata, a salad, and formaggi e frutta, a course full of cheeses from around the Rome region, and freshly picked fruits. The server had just removed those plates and were now serving dolce, desserts.

Remus thoroughly awaited his semifriddo dessert, an ice cream cake with the texture of frozen mousse, and a slice of torta caprese, an Italian chocolate and almond cake, with extra chocolate on both orders. Fenrir chose an order of panna cotta, an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded, aromatized with vanilla and a dash of chocolate drizzle.

Fenrir absentmindedly ate his dessert as he watched his mate humming with happiness as he chewed his delicious sweet treats. They fed each other, sure, but it was more enlightening to see the reactions on Remus's face whenever he was either being fed or eating the meal himself.

Their meal continued with silly, inane questions such as how tall Fenrir was, or what Remus really thought about Gryffindors as a child. Things like that that really didn't mean much, but was truly enlightening to hear, considering the little details were pretty significant to each other, even if it were unimportant to others. The live music had changed from Vivaldi's Four Seasons to avant-garde classical music conducted by Franco Donatoni and Luciano Berio. It soon turned to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major played by a small, but skillful orchestra.

Their meals ended with a cup of a strong espresso – no milk or sugar – and then followed by a grappa, which the servers informed them would help aid in their digestion of the ten-course meal.

Thanking the servers, they were soon left alone to their soft conversation, enjoying the last bits of music that were playing as the restaurant began to close up.

"Is it really 11PM already?" Remus gasped, "Time flew by so quickly!"

"It does when one is enjoying themselves." Fenrir said, hiding his nervousness behind his alcoholic drink.

Remus smiled in response. "I did enjoy tonight. Thank you very much." Putting his empty flute down, Remus wiped his mouth. "It was a delicious meal."

Fenrir mirrored his movements and waved for the server to handle their bill. "I would love to spend more time with you. Preferably in a less – extravagant environment?"

Remus laughed, dismissing the server whom had came back to retrieve Fenrir's signature and Vault number. "How about I cook next time? We can eat at my apartment, but I'm not positive that it's warded strongly."

"I have a place of my own, if you don't mind." Fenrir admitted.

"All right. If that's all right with you." Remus smiled.

"Great. Shall we?" Fenrir pulled the chair out for Remus and the two waved goodbye to the staff as they headed over to the floo to return to Tom's manor.

…..

Agnus dei: Bone Crushing Curse (Made up the incantation)

A/N: Understandably, I have written that Harry will meet up with Neville, Luna and the twins on the day of the Summer Solstice. After further research, which I should have done prior to writing and updating the chapter, I have found that the Summer Solstice is June 21st. Therefore, I have edited that chapter and have left it as is: "Luna and the others will meet Harry on the hottest day of the summer." BUT other than that, happy new years!