OMG I AM SO SORRY! It's completely inexcusable how long I made you lot wait for this chapter! Sorrry! I've just been really busy with college, with my new LotR story and I've had really bad writers block! Sorry, hope this chapter makes up for it, you probably all want to murder me...

Well, here we go...

To Control

Lara

".. My niece…? …pity how th… be…"

"… Were not… vow, I… do awa… disappointm…"

"… Gutted… I'd murder my… so far astray; I admire… persiste…"

"…blip – that... them who is boss… quickly learn… have her…"

"… son? I heard-"

"… be dealt with… separated now… darling wife made… perception…"

"Ah! How… ely littlest sister?…ny trouble?"

"She… away... admit that… weakness… underestimated… bitch"

"…ways was a bad… moral for her own good… sense of place... not blame you, Alexa… rotten… difficult to change…"

"…deed, we'll see…"

Voices broke into my unconsciousness and I heard the sharp sound of heels on stone travelling past my head. A door far to my right was opened then fell shut with a slight click. I groaned, my head splitting and darkness veiling my eyes. I was on the floor somewhere, though for the life of me I couldn't figure out why, and the chill of bare stone was biting and ominously familiar. I strained to open my eyes and soon became aware that my hands were trapped under my body, cramped and unmovable. They were bound.

As this fact became apparent I stilled, feeling the cold stone under me, my heart clenched and fear leaked into my flesh. My eyes were half open and through my lashes I saw above me an unfamiliar ceiling, richly patterned.

"Nice of you to join us Larissa," a voice said near me and, before I had a chance to tell them otherwise, my eyes snapped wide open and my neck craned to see the speaker.

He sat several meters from me in an armchair, ankles crossed casually and long fingers resting on the spine of a book that sat in his lap. It looked entirely wrong, this casual position and it did not go unnoticed that even his wand was out of sight.

Well shit.

My heart sank as my eyes travelled up the broad figure to meet with a pair of familiar eyes, but I felt oddly amused at the recognizable situation. Looks like I'd done it again, I officially had the worst luck ever.

"Hey daddy, what's up?" I said with a yawn.

It seemed pointless to be scared, I knew what was coming. I hardly even bothered to wonder how it was that I managed to get here again. Though, where here was I did not know. At least it was not that long cold hall again, who knew how my PCE would spike in that situation… again.

I saw his eyes flare up with anger at my blasé tone, unsurprising really. I think I'd be pissed off too if I was an evil maniac who wasted many hours and weeks trying to capture a runaway daughter only to find that she's still a bad mouthing teenager.

I allowed a chuckle, just a small one, to escape my lips.

"What? No hug? Not even a peck on the cheek?" It was occurring to me around about now that I was obviously bordering hysterical.

"Silence, you traitorous undeserving bitch, I have no time for your trivial remarks," he bit out coldly and I found myself rolling my eyes.

"I take it this is no typical social visit then? What will it be then? A prophesy to fulfil? Forcing me into service to your precious lord? Or mayb-"

"SILENCE-!"

"Oh! I know! It's an arranged marriage-"

"-HOW DARE YOU-!"

"Isn't it? Oh, the arrange marriage one is so last-"

"CRUCIO"

The pain came, waves of it, and it didn't matter how many times this had happened to me it still overwhelmed my senses. I tried to stop the screams that tried to burst through my throat, I bit down sharply and blood filled my mouth. The pain wretched through me, I jerked and thrashed. One piercing thought came to me and it was the only thing that served to sooth the pain – mentally that is – and that was that Alex wasn't here. My brother wasn't out there feeling this pain rush through his veins as it did through mine. He wasn't here to be turned to afterward, when I was spent. He wasn't… but Merlin did this hurt either way. Vision turned red and I sobbed uselessly as it continued.

Then it stopped and I lay panting on the floor.

"… Has an- anyone ever told you..." I croaked dryly "That… that you ne-need to work on your anger management?"

Was apparently a bad thing to say.

Remus

"So," I said through gritted teeth, "You basically have no idea where she is?"

They looked at one another, the two fools.

"Basically," the first said.

"Most old manor houses are unplottable and there isn't even a certainty she's be at a-"

"She'll be at a manor house. Father likes grandeur," Alex cut in behind me.

They exchanged glances, uncomfortably waves coming off them clearly.

"Look kids," the second said uneasily, "There are hundreds of people who have vanished, we can't do everything; we don't have enough people."

"Yeah our priority has to be You-Know-Wh-"

"So you're just giving up on her?" Sirius demanded angrily.

My whole body seemed to freeze as hopelessness and gut wrenching pain spread through my body. This couldn't be happening. Everything was meant to be okay after the last time, after Christmas. It was all meant to work. I was going to... we were...

I pushed down the sobs and turned away from the useless men as Sirius began shouting. Soon Andromeda would run into the room hearing the voices and start her own triad of shouts. Then the little girl, Dora, would rush in with her hair switching so fast between colours in looked like one blur. Then Ted. Then they would leave and that would be it.

That would be it.

My eyes met those of Alex and I had never seen him look so lost and confused. He sat on the sofa, the middle of the sofa with two large gaps either side of him, with arms crossed and a straight, tense back. Alex, who looked so much like his twin with his grey eyes, silver hair, long fingers and slender frame.

We'll have to do it ourselves. I projected to the other Grey and it occurred to me that I had never tried to communicate with my girlfriend's brother mentally. He seemed to notice it too because when his eyes zapped to mine they were widened with shock.

Then he nodded one sharp nod, and in his eyes I recognised Lara who I could always read and those eyes replied. Yes, there's no one left who will help us now.

Regulus

I threw everything into a bag. I ignored the precious family heirlooms, I could take them but why should I? I grabbed robes and books and various things from my childhood. There was a book of photos that I had hidden from mother, full of two laughing boys with black hair and aristocratic faces. I pulled out the diaries I hadn't used for years and the gifts my Uncle had given me. I submerged myself and didn't think about what I was doing.

Outside my window the sun was rising, I hadn't slept once all night. I hadn't been able to. I'd got home to the proud cries of my mother and the dignified figure of my father, they'd showered me with praise and, had the circumstances been different, I would have been overjoyed. Then, upstairs in my room, I hadn't been able to sleep.

"I thought you might be doing this." A drawling voice from my door said.

I span around and, seeing the person there, pulled out my wand with a sound that cut the air. The other flicked theirs lazily and I watched as my wand flew out of my hand. Anger began to build up in my veins, cold anger, potent and vicious.

"You," I growled.

"Me," he replied and his relaxed form did nothing for my rage. "Your house elf let me in, with your mother's permission."

"Get out."

"I came over to make sure you didn't get any further than this."

"Get our now."

"I knew you would let your emotions get the better of you, so I though I would sooth that burni-"

"Irvine I swear to Merlin that if you don't leave right now-!"

"What do you expect to do? Prance into the manor, grab her and prance out again?"

I snapped.

"THE DUNGEONS IRVINE! You didn't see her! You didn't hear her! They dragged her in there unconscious and bleeding! I've been in those dungeons! The have chains! DON'T YOU GET IT?" I screamed and I saw again her, that, those…

"I've heard it. I've seen it too." The other boy said quietly and looking up I saw eyes burning.

"Then why are you here?" I spat.

"I can't let you risk yourself in a foolish mission."

Foolish! The bastard! How dare he!

"Oh don't give me that look," he snorted and he marched up to me, "You know that it would never work."

"I have to try." Tears clogged my voice.

"I know. Me too."

Then something happened, as our eyes met across the small space.

Darien

"I have to try," he said and his voice sounded rough as I saw his eyes glimmer.

My own emotions boiled under the surface.

"I know. Me too."

Our eyes met, and I saw the exact same feelings in the boy less than a meter from me. Guilt, hate, desperation, pain, loss.

I didn't think about it, something in the air had snapped and energy inside me had escaped. Masks had fallen to the carpet of this ancient pure-blood house and I suddenly didn't care.

I yanked the idiot boy into my chest and crashed my lips down on his. He struggled and bit my lip and I retaliated with a bite of my own until I felt our blood mingle. Then it wasn't just me and I felt him grab me as well by my shirt and his own kiss was equally brutal and hate filled.

This wasn't love, or even liking, on his side it probably wasn't even attraction though I couldn't escape the fact I was mildly attracted to the mysterious brunette. This was just hate and bitterness and the same desire running through our veins. We were connected by our equal need for the Grey Twins, knowing that it was exactly the same for the other. We clashed and grabbed and tumbled to the floor in bruises and punches and desperate painful kisses.

It was guilt and passion and when I left, after telling him my plan, it had been nothing but an escape.

Cynthia

My daughter had been kidnapped twenty-nine hours ago. The sun had set and my husband had returned home from wherever he'd kept her, my daughter. Under the floorboards somebody, a young voice, male, was screaming, always someone screaming. The house elf was at my side. My house elf. She was nervous, tugging at her ears and shifting uneasily. I grasped her little hand when proffered and said nothing I felt what once was familiar.

Ten minutes later shadows stretched across a familiar room and I stood with the light of my mother, the moon, on my face.

I stood at the foot of my husband's bed, our bed. It had been our bed, once, but it wasn't the bed where we had been happy, been together, in, no that bed was inBerlin, growing cold. I was thankful of that now; it was so much easier to separate this Alexander from mine. The room was dark but the night sky outside the window lit the room into a grey palette. In my fingers I twirled my husband's wand, Spruce and dragon heart string, 13⅔ inches, while I watched the sleeping face before me.

It had been too easy, far too easy.

I smiled maliciously and decisively pointed the wand at his sleeping form. He made a grunt, a yelp, as the ropes fastened themselves to the upper corners of the bed, eyes snapping open in shock. The zing of ropes enveloping his wristed and pulling, stretching his arms from the safely of his body made me smile. I was far gone, I won't deny it.

His eyes snapped to me though the darkness and I thought perhaps I saw pure fear there.

"Cynthia," he said simply.

"Hi sweetie, did you miss me?" I said and even to my ears I sounded half mad, delirious and manic.

"How did you get out?" he asked, sweet with concealed fright.

"A rather irrelevant question don't you think love?"

Severus

I stared at the dark mark on my arm, feeling the still continuous sting, like a burn. It was a gift, I told myself, a great honour and it signified everything I had been waiting for. Years I had waited patiently for this moment. All those dark art books, all that practice and socialising. It all came to this. I stroked it and it twanged under my touch. It was disgusting.

Darien Irvine grabbed my arm and started pulling me up the stairs and a hurried pace.

"Come, the meeting is being delayed till tomorrow. You will stay here for the night" He said coldly and I winced as he pulled on my fresh tattoo.

"Here? Shouldn't I just-"

"First rule: don't argue,"Irvine snapped at me as we wended through the many corridors.

"Seemed to know you way well," I said coldly as we passed more rooms.

He gave me a cursory glare.

I began to get annoyed as he led me further and further into the house.

Finally we stopped outside a door and Darien, looking up and down the corridor first, raised his wand and began to mutter incantations under his breath. I felt magic in the air and wards around the door were removed, noticeable as being there only by being removed. I opened my mouth to exclaim over the amount of spells but the door clicked just as I was going to say anything.

It swung open and I saw a room filled with book shelves and couches dimly lit with oil lamps.

"What is going on?" I called in confusion as the ice prince stalked to a door in the far corner of the room and pushed it open. He peered in then, looking agitated, crossed the room to another door.

He placed his hand on the door knob but paused. He bit his lip and shut his eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Dari," Came a voice behind me and we both jumped up in alarm "You boy, don't dare move," she said to me and I felt my wand swish out of my pocket, just as I saw Darien fly past me.

I backed up against one of the sofas.

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the corridor and into the light of the room. I tensed up and stared in shock. Standing before me was a woman, richly dressed in a silk gown preferred by pure blood ladies. She had dark brown hair pulled into an elegant bun and dark, heavy lidded eyes. She held herself tall and her whole figure thrummed with danger. For a small moment I thought she was Bellatrix Lestrange, if it were not for the age, voice, straight hair and certain amount of dignified cleanliness and lady likeness that Bella never showed. Her eyes were fixed onDarienand her wand was pointed at his chest. I saw a flicker of madness though, under the coolness.

"Lady Grey a pleasure to see you again,"Irvine said as he turned from the door, I gapped slightly at the title, "You managed to escape your room I see, I must say-"

"Be quiet boy. I care not whether you were trying to be my knight in shining armour or not. I do not like you." Her voice was filled with contempt, "I just about tolerated your affair with my son," I twisted my head to see Irvine pale, "and I even let you get away with slandering him and breaking his heart, I'll even forget that you were the one spying on them but you, boy, have gone too far now."

"Y-You knew?" He choked out and Mrs. Grey gave a dark chuckle.

"Of course I knew you idiotic boy. You think I am as blind as my dear husband? It didn't take a genius to see through the looks," She said.

I continued to stare between the two in shock. What the hell was going on!Irvinehad an affair with Alex? Mrs Grey was being imprisoned in her own rooms?Irvinewas trying to rescue her? What the hell?

"Speaking of your husband I really think-"Darien started but the Lady broke in, again.

"Alexander has been dealt with," She smirked, "he will not raise his wand on my children ever again."

Darienspluttered and I don't think I had ever seen him less composed than these few minutes.

"You killed him?" He said in disbelieve.

"You sound surprised," She replied indifferently, regally tucking some hair behind her ear "Now where is my daughter?"

"... What is going on here?" I asked suddenly and they both turned to me.

Mrs. Grey glanced at Darien and he answered her unspoken question.

"Severus Snape: just recruited this morning. I had to persuade the Death Eaters that he should stay here the night so I could be allowed to come up here."

She nodded.

"To answer your question Mr. Snape, my daughter has recently been abducted my Death Eaters, courtesy of Mr. Irvine here and a Mr. Black. And I am... retaliating." She smirked.

I blinked in shock.

"You mean Lara?" I asked and despite my cold voice I knew some of my concern had leaked through.

They both stared at me and I shifted uneasily.

"What?" I asked as they kept staring.

"You called her Lara," Irvine said slowly.

"... So?"

Lady Grey bristled.

"So, only her friends call her that," She explained as if I were five.

It was my turn to bristle, mine indignantly.

"Hey! That's not my fault, your daughter keeps on ambushing me and won't leave me alone," I said angrily. No point saying I'd stopped resisting this a while back.

The two pure bloods exchanged glances.

"That sounds like her," they said in unison.

Dariensighed and crossed his arms.

"I don not know where Lara is and Regulus is under vow not to speak of it. Your Late Husband thought I would be the one most likely to be questioned by the light side," he said, "but I do know something…"

His voice trailed off as I stopped listening. Lara! Lara had been captured? Merlin. I didn't know what to feel or think. It was the Dark Lord's bidding; it was not my place to disagree. But it was Lara! I couldn't escape the fact the girl had become my friend, even if she hadn't spoken to me since… But it changed nothing. Then something came to me, something…

Voices, a quick exchange.

"I know where she is," I said suddenly and they both turned to me, "I know where Lara is."

Sirius

I pulled his body to mine, pulled him until is tears fell on my face and his arms reached out to wrap around my neck. His chest pressed against mine and his limbs jerked in the throws of a nightmare. My own tears began to fall and the darkness of the room was all around me.

It was about four in the morning.

Please. Please let this be the last one tonight. Please let his tears cease and oh Merlin help me.

He thrashed and whispers, whimpers, escaped him. My beautiful Alex.

It was a stab to see him like this. It hurt and I…

"It's okay love," I whispered again and again, "It's all going to work out…"

He moaned and I clung. He sobs and I clenched my teeth to hold my own in my chest. He was alone, and in his loneliness he had left me, and he knew it too. He clung to me physically as if he could erase the fact he was so lonely while I was right there. He hated it, hated knowing that I knew. Hated feeling my pain that I couldn't be the one to make him feel better. It was himself that he had lost and nobody can replace that.

Nobody but that girl who we still didn't know how to find.

"Lara..!" He shook and I pulled him so that there was no space left between our naked chests.

Merlin I loved this boy so much but it didn't matter because I couldn't really help him.

Suddenly his body sagged and relaxed and mine copied his movement in relief. He breathing slowed down dramatically and his face became completely relaxed and blank in the grey light. I felt a tingle and I watched in fascination, in awe, as a faint glimmer appeared on his skin and his hair seemed to rustle. I couldn't move, couldn't think of anything but…

I don't know how long it lasted; I couldn't take my eyes off the magically sparkling boy who I loved so much. It might have been minutes, or even hours. But it did end and it was his cry that punctuated the loss of light.

"No! Lara!" He called and his eyes snapped open.

He startled and was suddenly sitting up as I lay in shock under him, his eyes fell to meet mine and in the dark I saw them wide.

"We dreamt," he said and his voice was but a whisper, "She's alive, Lara is alive. My mother is free. My mother and Regulus and Darien, they're at Grey Manor. Father, she's going to kill him. Lara is alive."

Darien

We walked and I was in shock. Mrs. Grey took the lead and Severus Snape, Snape, followed by my side. I couldn't believe him, her - them! We stopped and we stood before the room of Mr. Grey, where I knew his body must lie. His body. This woman, who I had known since I was a child, turned to us. I tried to figure out what to say and I found my mask was completely useless.

"You know what to do," she said regally, eyeing us each in turn, "I have exactly ten hours, make sure he finds me before then."

"I will," I said solemnly, "And I'll go to her tomorrow. Severus will do the rest."

Snape nodded, still shocked at himself for the mad plan he'd got himself into on the same night he committed himself to the Dark Lord.

"I guess I will," he said.