Chapter Twenty-Two: Don't Say a Word

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The underlined portions are taken directly from the novel; I do not own those parts. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: This fanfiction is going to be different from my other stories. This picks up where "The Heart of Everything" and "The Heart of Everything: Shallow Bay" left off. The time in the books also changes. So, pay attention the time, so you don't get confused. Some of the chapters are other Marcus Flint/Katie Bell stories, just with more changes and deleted scenes added.

Time: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship

Rating: PG-13

"Marcus," Kingsley snapped at him.

Marcus jerked his head up. He had been spending the last hour or so trying to figure out how to get out torturing Muggles. He didn't want to say anything to Kingsley in case Kingsley thought that Marcus wasn't capable of going through with it. "What?'

"Have you been paying one bit of attention to one word I've said?'

Marcus looked at Kingsley. "Yeah, sure."

Kinsley gave Marcus a hard look. "I want you and Tonks to go to the north. The rest of us will cover everything else. All you have to do is make sure that no one escapes that way."

Tonks gave Marcus a small smile. Marcus wondered why he was always paired with Tonks. He wondered if it had something to do with Tonks causing so many accidents.

"Katie, you will lead the team here. We need someone with brains in charge," Kinsley went on.

North, Marcus just had to remember north.

The Order was going after Death Eaters. They were getting ready to attack a place that was believed to be a hiding place. They had questioned Marcus for hours about this place. The only problem was that Marcus really wasn't sure about this supposed hiding place. The Death Eaters had been oddly quiet around him for a few weeks.

Remus looked at the map on table. "We really shouldn't be doing this. There is just too much that we don't know."

Brad nodded. "But think about all that we do know."

Katie reached over and took Marcus's hand into hers.

"You said the attack's not going to happen for a couple of weeks right?" Jasmine asked.

Kingsley nodded. "We still need to be ready."

"I know, but we still have time to gather more facts."

"Yes."

Jasmine looked around the room. "So, if no one outside this room says a word. In other words, what was discussed here today doesn't get talked about outside this room, including amongst ourselves and other Order members. I think if we just sit back and watch, the answers will come to us." She looked directly at Marcus.

Everyone in the room nodded.

Mentally Marcus swore. Why did he always get stuck doing the dirty work? The Order always put him on these jobs, but then yelled at him if he didn't get enough information. If the Order wanted more information, Marcus thought that they could go get it themselves.

"That settles that," Jasmine said.

"It still doesn't really solve our problem," Remus pointed out. "The Dark Side still is rounding up Muggles."

"The Muggles are below the Ministry," Marcus said.

Remus nodded. "We know that, but how do we get them out?"

Jasmine studied the map. "We could always attack the hiding location and the Ministry at the same time. It would divide their forces."

"But how do we know that?" Brad asked.

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. "How do we know anything? How did we know that sending Haley away was the best thing for her?"
Brad didn't answer.

"We just have to be willing to take a chance. It's a big risk, but the payoff is even bigger."

Marcus slid his gloves over his hands. He didn't know why he was wearing gloves in the first place. Maybe it was the idea of having barrier between him and the Muggles made him feel better. It made it seem like the blood literally wasn't on his hands.

He supposed that he could always get lucky and not have to do this.

Adrian was waiting for him in the room. "You know, I've been thinking."

Marcus looked over at his long time friend. "That's a scary thought."

Adrian snorted. "After this is all over, I think I'm going to move to an island and live by the ocean."

"Great Britain is an island," Marcus pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

Marcus looked at the list that Yaxley had left for them. Nothing overly unpleasant wasn't jumping out at him. It looked more like guard duty than anything, which he could live with.

Adrian took the list from Marcus. "I don't think he trusts us."

"Who?" Marcus asked.

Adrian looked around the room. "Yaxley and some of the others," he said in low voice. "They seem to think that we're up to something."

Marcus felt his Adam's apple bob. "Like what?"

"I don't know, but I'm just getting the feeling that they do. They seen to shut up whenever I step into the room and I've noticed Yaxley looking at you whenever you talk."
"Nobody trusts anyone anymore."
"Yeah, but this is strange. Six months ago, everything was fine and now this is happening."

Marcus took the list from Adrian and pretended to be rereading it. Did the Death Eaters suspect that something was up? Marcus really hadn't had any new information for the Order for a couple of weeks, but that didn't mean anything. The Death Eaters always seemed to know if something was up.

Adrian sighed. "Don't you think it's odd?"
Marcus shrugged. "I don't know what to think."

"I guess something went down in Knockturn Alley a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what it was, but it sounded like a big deal." Adrian paused. "Did you hear anything about that?"
Marcus shook his head, figuring it was better than saying a word.

"They mentioned your parents."
Marcus's head darted up. "What about them?" His voice came out harsher than intended. He really needed to learn to control that.

If Adrian noticed the change in Marcus's voice, he didn't comment on it. "Just that they thought your parents were tied into it somehow."

Marcus picked up a knife and ran if along his thumb. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to ask if the Death Eaters just mentioned his parents or if he was involved somehow. Adrian was pretty good at reading between the lines.

"Do you really talk to your parents anymore? You moved right after Hogwarts. I know they were at your wedding and all, but when was the last time you actually talked them?" Adrian asked.

Marcus looked slowly up at Adrian. He knew that Adrian was asking these questions for a reason. "No."

Adrian nodded. "That's what I thought, but Draco seemed to think otherwise. He said you were with your dad and mum coming out of Diagon Alley a few weeks ago."

Marcus briefly froze. He didn't remember seeing Draco around, maybe he needed to look a little better. "Why are you listening to Draco anyway?"

Adrian shrugged. "I'm not really."

"Well, you shouldn't be."

Adrian eyed Marcus. "By the way, whose the other blond you've been hanging out with? I heard through the grapvine that you have another woman in your life. Married and you still got it." He was looking at the various devices of torture on the table in front of him.

Marcus frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone said that they saw you a couple of times with someone who wasn't Katie," Adrian said off handily.

Marcus thought about it. Did Adrian mean Tonks? Just how many were watching him? "I haven't been with anyone else."

Adrian pointed a knife at Marcus. "That's what I thought."

"Could you put the knife down?"

"Sorry." Adrian sat the knife back down on the table. "No offence, but a lot of people look like you."
Marcus just nodded. One thing he knew for certain now was he needed to be careful. People were always watching and they would not hesitant to give him away.

"Well, we'd better make a round before Yaxley has our heads." Adrian started toward the door.

Marcus watched his friend step out. Could he really trust someone who had been his friend for most of his life?

Adrian turned and looked at Marcus. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah." Marcus walked out of the room.

Marcus looked at the Muggles, who like always weren't saying a word. They just looked him; their eyes proud and their expressions empty. He knew that none of them would talk easily and he was not looking forward to getting the answers out of them. Really, Marcus didn't think the Muggles had any information of value for the Death Eaters and believed that the Death Eaters just wanted to torture someone.

Adrian gave a few cocky looking Muggles a dirty look, but nothing happened.

Marcus and Adrian stood in the doorway.

"We can't let them get to us," Adrian said as he looked at the cages. "They have to learn that we are in charge."

Marcus just nodded and wondered what happened to Adrian not wanting to do this. Did people really change that quickly?
Adrian had his arms crossed over his chest. "We are the face of the new world and we must do whatever possible to achieve that world, no matter what."

Marcus didn't answer.

Adrian uncrossed his arms and hit Marcus on the back. "Well, enough of that. We'd better make it look like we are actually something instead of randomly standing here."

Marcus watched Adrian disappear into the back room. It never ceased to amaze him how people could change so quickly. It was as if morals didn't even matter anymore and that people were just trying to get by. It was probably true for most cases.

As Marcus disappeared into the back room, he thought he heard someone whisper his name, but when he turned around, everything was calm and the same as before.

The lone figure stood on top of the hill. He looked down at the small town that stood at the bottom of the hill. The lights looked light tiny fireflies. The Muggles were safely in bed, clueless. They didn't know about battles of the future or what was to come.

"You just wait," the figure said. "There's a battle coming and you won't be ready for it. It's time to go back, back to where it all began."

The figure looked down at the town. Catching a spy was a difficult task, but he would not fail his master. Sometimes the best way to find out what someone was really up to was simply not saying a word and watching. The spy would give themselves away at some point. You just had to be patient.

And the lone figure disappeared.

Once again, kind of a shorter chapter. This one was more of a set up chapter for what is to come. I know the last couple of chapters have been a little boring and dull, but I promise lots of action is to come, but it does take time to reach that point.