Author's Note: I'm doing this before starting the chapter to curtail what I know will be an inevitable swarm of flames and bitching. Things start down the road I've wanted them to go down since I started the R-Series in this chapter. Which means things begin to get dark.Dark and angsty. It won't last forever, of course. But I know some people will whine to high hell if there's even the tiniest bit of angst in their fic. To you I say - get out. Harry's going to hit a giant series of roadblocks, things aren't going to be good for him for a LONG while, and it's all going to end with a spectacular, white explosion on Azkaban come book 6. This chapter sets up the rest of the book and most of 6. Again: if you don't want to continue, that's fine. But if you do and don't like it, don't come whining to me. You lose that right to bitch when you pass the scene break and start the story itself.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was getting worse.

And Harry was powerless to stop it.

Things were falling apart around him and he could do nothing about it.

McGonagall had lost control of Hogwarts.

Umbridge was now in charge.

Harry's friends were coming to the Pit less and less as the rules became stricter.

And December was almost upon them.

Harry's moods had been fluxuating like the wind as of late, with everything seemingly going to pieces. Whatever Umbridge and Fudge were doing, it was bad. Hogwarts seemed to cry out the day Filch had started erecting new rules Umbridge had made up in the Entrance Hall. Harry wasn't sure if anyone else could hear the school, but he could. He knew Hogwarts. It had soaked up so much magic over the years that Harry was sure it was just shy of being completely sentient.

Hogwarts had been seized and he didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know how to get Umbridge out of Dumbledore's rightful place as headmaster. He had gone over numerous ideas in his head, none of which lead to pleasant endings. In fact, the more he thought about things, the worse they seemed to become. There wasn't a single thing that had gone right as of late.

Harry didn't like the lack of control and he planned to start from the bottom in regaining some semblance of it. On November 30, he requested that everyone meet in the Pit for dinner, as he had something to talk about. It couldn't wait.

Harry sat in the dining room for nearly an hour before anyone else entered. Boris was curled up around his neck, resting peacefully. Harry had his elbows on the table, his fingers locked together so he could rest his chin on them. He didn't speak to the miniature taipan, choosing to merely stare across the room at the closed door. He still wasn't sure this was the safest path to take, or even the sanest. But it had to be done. He needed more help. He needed more control. He had to start doing something before there was no chance left.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. Hermione entered, startled slightly as Harry's unblinking gaze rose to meet hers.

"Harry? Are... are you alright?" She asked.

"Whether or not I'm alright," Harry began, not moving his head, "Will depend on how tonight's events go. See anyone else on your way?"

"No, but all of us in Gryffindor decided to come down in waves to avoid attention as much as possible." Hermione said, crossing the room and sitting.

"Good plan." Harry murmured, his eyes moving from Hermione back to the now-open door.

Hermione watched Harry for awhile as they waited for more people to show up. It was clear to her that his Occlumency barriers were up. If Harry's mannerisms were anything to judge it by, she would have believed them to be stronger than ever before. Something seemed strange about Harry. His breathing was very slow, and he only blinked once every few minutes. He was almost perfectly motionless, as well.

She decided against saying anything. His voice had been very subdued, though there was a tremendous amount of emotion in it. Whatever he wanted everyone to gather for, it must have been really serious.

The stream of people sped up slightly after Hermione's arrival. Ginny came next, having much the same reaction as Hermione upon seeing Harry's expression. The twins followed a few minutes later. They seemed almost somber and merely nodded at Harry as they took their seats. Umbridge had all but put a stop to their pranking, and they had been left in an irritable state. It was clear that they were thinking of something to exact their revenge on Umbridge, though what that was was anyone's guess.

Luna, Solieyu, and Tonks arrived in a group almost ten minutes after the twins did. Tonks sat near the far end of the table and Harry refused to look at her. Hermione and Ginny both seemed to notice a tiny, quick moment where Harry's barriers faltered. Whatever was going on between the two, it must not have been good. With Umbridge's new rules coming into effect, the group had really lacked much time to sit around and talk. Luna seemed as quiet as ever, simply looking in odd fascination at the expression on Harry's face before she sat. Solieyu looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but the Pit.

The final arrival was Pansy. It took nearly half an hour before she showed up. But once she had, and once she shut the door behind her, Harry seemed to revive. He lifted his head and crossed his arms on the table, his gaze moving around the table, surveying everyone.

"Thank you all for coming. It's been awhile since we've had a chance like this. I'm sure most of you have an idea of why I've asked everyone to gather." Harry said. "Most of you are wrong."

"Wrong? So... this isn't about Umbridge?" Asked Ginny.

"To a degree. But no, not directly. I do plan to somehow remove her from power. But I need more help. I need to do something and I don't think any of you, excluding Pansy, will like what it is." Harry stated.

"Why excluding me?" Asked Pansy, cocking an eyebrow.

"Because you, my dear Parkinson," Harry began, gazing across the table, "Are going to go get who I really need to speak to."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the only one who can." Harry said, his voice growing quiet.

"...Harry? Who do you want to speak to?" Asked Hermione, glancing from Harry to Pansy.

Ignoring Hermione, Harry continued, "You know this has to happen. You know it does. We have to do this now. Tell me... how is he?"

A look of comprehension entered the girl's eyes. "...Nervous. Moody. Jumpy. The closer it gets, the worse he gets."

"Which is why we have to act." Harry said, slamming his hands on the table as he got to his feet. "Pansy, go back to the Slytherin common room, find Malfoy, and bring him back here."

There was an immediate uproar.

Harry closed his eyes and blew out a slow breath. And, as his eyes opened again, he roared, "QUIET! ALL OF YOU!"

"You can't be serious." Ginny said, looking at Harry as though he had grown another head. "Malfoy's... you can't be serious, Harry."

"Oh? Why?" Asked Harry, looking down at the redhead, who flinched and didn't offer a reply.

Harry walked around the table, where Pansy had stood as well. "Go. I'll deal with them while you're gone."

"You're taking a big risk, Potter." Pansy said, opening the door to the room before turning and stepping up to Harry. "Draco's been unpredictable lately. As much as I want to save him, how do you know he can be trusted?"

"I believe in him." Harry stated, offering the Slytherin a faint smile. "Go, Pansy. Get him and bring him to me. This ridiculous five year long fight between he and I ended before this school year even began. And I want to finally get that chance to talk he spoke of."

Giving Harry a strange look, Pansy nodded slowly, turning and quickly walking out of the Pit. When Levi's door had closed behind her, the din immediately began again. Harry brought a hand up, raising his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. He listened as arguments were thrown, accusations of him finally snapping were said, and questions as to why Harry wanted to abandon the Pit were brought up.

He waited, and he listened, and once everyone had quieted down, he turned to face them again. "Have I snapped? Maybe. If wanting to save a man who has been brainwashed by his Death Eater parents all of his life is considered snapping. If wanting to repay a debt to a man is considered snapping. Maybe I have lost my mind, kids, I'm not entirely sure. Been a lot going on lately, after all! We've been scattered back through the school with no real chance to sit around like we used to. We're slowly falling out of contact with one another. And if you don't wipe that god damned look off your face, Leon, I'm going to splatter your cursed blood all over these walls!"

Solieyu had been glaring openly at Harry through most of his speech. The vampire slowly stood up and advanced on him. "We may be scattered. But what of you? Holing yourself up in here. Never coming out save for classes. Why are you so scared to return to Ravenclaw Tower?"

"Scared?" Harry asked. "Oh, don't you talk to me about being scared, Reinhardt. Given that all of you have bent over and taken anything that frog has forced on you, you don't have the right to be calling anyone else scared. What's wrong, Leon? Scared she knows? Scared you'll be exposed?"

Solieyu grabbed the front of Harry's robes, pulling him in close and hissing, "You don't know what being scared IS, Potter. I've had to live my whole life with the fear that I might be found out! Just what do you think would happen to me if the school found out I was a vampire?!"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what being scared is? Did you fight Voldemort, Leon? Did you stand up and stare him down after he killed a friend of yours? Do you have nightmares where you can see what he's doing? Who he's murdering? How he's feeling? I do. And since you've stolen Tonks away from me, I don't have anyone there to comfort me when those nightmares wake me up!"

"Stolen Tonks away from you?!" Solieyu asked, his voice raising a pitch. "You have snapped! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Ohh? The vampire isn't even aware of his own powers anymore?" Sneered Harry. "Come now, Leon. I know you've talked to me about your vampiric charm. How it was surfacing. Do you think I haven't noticed the throngs of girls following you around? Or how you've actively stopped being in public places when it could be helped? And you talk about me holing myself up? You're nothing but a bloody hypocrite, Leon."

"I love that you're talking about me like I wasn't here." Tonks said, her voice very quiet.

"I love how you can't seem to acknowledge the fact that you've been hit by his stupid powers!" Harry said, focusing a glare on the blue-haired girl. "I love how Leon refuses to even accept that it's happening. Poor ickle vampire can't control his powers so he pretends they aren't there. How bleedin' adorable."

"Shut up." Solieyu growled, a wild look in his eyes.

"Or you'll do what?" Harry asked, bringing a hand up to knock Solieyu's away. Stepping back and adjusting his robes, Harry then drew both wands, aiming them both at Solieyu's head. "I've faced Voldemort more times than I'd care to remember, Leon. I was up against him and every Death Eater than dared to return to him. And I survived. I took down a full grown dragon by myself. Or did you forget? What do you think YOU can do to ME?!"

"Ask yourself if you really want to know the answer to that." Solieyu said, smiling grimly.

"And what of Luna?" Asked Harry suddenly.

Solieyu blinked, caught offguard slightly. "What do you mean?"

Harry's gazed shifted to the blonde girl. "How do you see what's going on with your boyfriend?"

"...I think Solieyu is trying to come to terms with things he never asked for." Luna said after being silent for almost a minute. "I've tried to tell him that I don't care what he is. But..."

"But he's probably worried you're just affected by the charm powers he claims not to have?" Harry offered.

"I wouldn't put it that way." Luna said, fixing Harry with a scolding look. "But... yes. He's brought the subject up now and again."

"So tell me, Leon," Harry began, looking back at the vampire and lowering his wands. "Why are you so afraid of admitting you love her? Why continue to do this to yourself and her? Why won't you man up and learn to control your powers so the girls in this school can return to normal?"

"She knows how I feel." Stated Solieyu, eyes narrowing. "And there's nothing to control."

"...I see. Very well, then. Then no. I haven't snapped. This is apparently the only thing I can do. Because, apparently, the two people I thought were my best friends have stopped being close to me at all." Harry said, turning and walking into the main room.

He leaned against the back of the couch, closing his eyes and whispering to Boris, "Why can't he accept what's happening? I want Tonks to stop fawning over him like all the other girls do."

"Fear is washing off of him in waves, Harry. Give him time. And believe in Tonks. He won't give up and neither will she." Boris replied.

"I need them both right now. And I have neither." Harry hissed softly. Switching to English, he let out a sigh and murmured, "What other choice do I have, then, but to depend most on two Slytherins?"

"Oh, that's nice." Came a voice from the doorway.

Harry groaned, opening his eyes and looking up. Pansy was standing there, Malfoy a few steps behind her. "You have awful timing. You know that, don't you?"

"You realize I'll want an explanation." Pansy said.

"Well, come on in. Don't stand there with the door open." Harry said, pushing himself away from the back of the couch. "Hullo, Malfoy."

"Potter." Said Malfoy, looking as though he hadn't slept in a month.

As Pansy tugged Malfoy the rest of the way into the room and closed the door behind them, Harry began, "I'm sure you're wondering why I'd ask to see you."

"No, I'm wondering how the hell you managed to score quarters like this. What does that idiot Dumbledore let you get away with?" Malfoy asked, looking around with a disgusted look on his face.

"I call it the Snake Pit. Fitting, I thought." Harry said, smiling crookedly.

"So you wanted to see me and I arrive to see you holding two wands. That's a nice way of greeting someone." Malfoy said, crossing his arms.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Right. Terribly sorry. I was about to hex one of my idiot ex-friends into the ground just before you showed up." Harry said, gesturing towards the dining room, where the rest of the group was staring to get up and filter into the main room.

"Oh? Trouble within your own ranks?" Malfoy asked, smirk finally showing itself.

"More or less. So. Let's cut the bullshit and get straight to the point, shall we?" Harry asked, tucking his wands away. "I think you have an idea of why you're here."

"To some degree, yes." Malfoy said.

"I appreciate what you did." Harry started.

"A momentary lapse in judgment." Replied the blonde.

"Was it?" Harry asked. "I don't think it was. I think you saw what Voldemort was really like, how he treated his followers, and wanted no part of it. You saw what servitude to him was like. Think of how you treat your house elves, Malfoy. That is how Voldemort treats his Death Eaters."

Malfoy shifted slightly, glancing off. "Why do this, Potter? You realize I could betray you at the drop of a hat."

"I know you won't, though."

Malfoy laughed, turning to look at Harry again. "You know I won't? How can you believe in me that much?! I don't even believe in myself that much."

"Then don't believe in yourself." Harry said. "Believe in me who believes in you."

Malfoy stared at Harry for a moment before looking off again. Pansy came up and put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away.

"Malfoy. Draco... I promise you that as long as I'm alive, you'll be safe. You can't honestly still be thinking of joining him. Not after what you've seen." Harry said.

Jerking his head up at Harry using his first name, Malfoy scowled. "It isn't my own life I'm worried about, Potter. My mother follows Lucius like a slave! She would walk behind him straight into hell without a single question. She's admitted as much to me. She's scared of him."

"She doesn't want to be a Death Eater, does she?" Harry asked.

"No. She's said that Lucius wasn't always like he is now." Malfoy said. "All she wants to do is live somewhere peaceful."

"I can make that happen." Harry whispered. "Because I have no intention of letting Voldemort win, Draco. And as long as you do the right thing, I can get your mother to safety. Somewhere that Voldemort can't reach her."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "...How?"

Harry simply smiled. Then, a moment later, he caused almost everyone in the Pit to jump by suddenly yelling, "DOBBY!"

With a loud CRACK, the eager house elf had appeared at Harry's side. Dobby looked up at Draco with an odd expression on his face before turning to look at Harry, who knelt next to him.

"Is Harry Potter sure?" Asked Dobby quietly.

"I'm sure, Dobby. Remember what we talked about last night." Harry said. "Whatever it takes."

Dobby bit his lower lip and wrung his hands for a few seconds, gaze darting between Harry and his former young master. "...If it is what Harry Potter wishes, then Dobby will be doing it, sir!"

"Good man." Harry said, grinning. "You said you knew where Dumbledore was, yeah?"

"Oh, yes, Harry Potter, sir. But Dobby is still not allowed to speak of the location!" Dobby said.

"That's fine, Dobby. Just so long as you can relay a message to him for me. Can you do that?" Harry asked.

Dobby have a hearty nod, so Harry continued, "Good! Now listen closely, Dobby. This is very important. Go to him. Tell him I've formally requested him to collect and hide Narcissa Malfoy. Take her somewhere safe. Take her to Headquarters. Sirius and Andromeda might be interested in seeing her if they know she's jumped ship, so to speak. Whatever he does, tell him to make sure that Voldemort cannot get to her. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Dobby said. And, without another word, the house elf vanished with another loud CRACK.

Harry stared at the spot Dobby had been standing for a moment before sanding back up and turning to look at Malfoy, who was trying his best to hide the shock he was feeling.

"How the hell is our old house elf here?" Malfoy finally sputtered.

"I freed him. I'm sure Lucius ranted about that." Harry said. "He works here now. As a free elf, even. Strangely loyal to me for freeing him. It comes in handy from time to time. Dobby can do things I can't."

"You're serious about all this." Malfoy said, sobering up quickly. "About wanting me to join 'your' side. About fighting him."

"Too many people have suffered and died by his hands and those of his slaves, Draco." Harry said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "There are bigger things playing out than our stupid rivalry. Umbridge is going to slip up eventually. And when she does, I'm going to use it to remove her from this school. Without Dumbledore around, it's vulnerable. There's nothing keeping Voldemort from attacking."

"Not even you?" Asked Malfoy, smirking slightly.

"Not even me. ...Not yet." Harry said, glancing off to one side briefly. "There is... something I think I've worked out. But I need Dumbledore back for it to happen. And most of all, I need time. And time just isn't a resource I have these days."

"What of them?" Asked Malfoy, looking at the crowd of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws still standing just outside the dining room doors.

"They can accept my decision or leave." Harry said, his voice hard.

Malfoy looked back at him in surprise. "You'd choose me over them?"

"It isn't a matter of them over you or the other way around. It's a matter of them being too stubborn to admit what's really happening and adapt to it. If I have to fight Voldemort on my own, I will. But I'd rather have people I trust there with me. People I know won't abandon me." Harry said.

"How can you protect them if they're fighting with you?" Asked Malfoy.

"I can't, really. Not until I know I'm strong enough. And like I said - I need time for that to happen." Harry said, his hand lowering. "Things have been falling apart around me ever since Umbridge took control of the school. My friends are cowarding before a frog's demands. My best friends won't admit that something's wrong. If I have to rebuild everything I've worked for, I need to do it now."

"Rebuild, huh? Not fix, but rebuild?" Malfoy asked.

"Leon is too pigheaded to accept he's the cause of the problem. And Tonks is too stubborn to admit she's being led on." Harry said, closing his eyes.

"In other words, the vampire can't get his stupid powers under control and your girlfriend won't accept the fact that she's under their influence." Malfoy stated.

Harry's eyes shot open.

"How did you--" Solieyu began.

"Know you were a vampire? Please. Do you think I'm stupid?" Malfoy asked. "The Von Eriksons, a family of vampires, are old friends of my mother. And they're all as tall as gaunt as you've become over the last few years. And do you think I've not noticed how the female population of the school seem to be following you like lost puppies? It would take an idiot not to notice what you are."

"Five points to Slytherin." Harry said, blandly.

"Trouble in paradise. Interesting. And the rest of them?"

"I don't know." Harry said, scanning the group. "But like I said... those who can't accept my decision can leave."

"I still don't understand why you're doing this." Ginny said. "Why offer him this chance?"

"Because he saved me." Harry said. "Malfoy wrote that letter. He's the one who warned me of the Dementors that would be coming for me. If it wasn't for him, my cousin wouldn't be the only one without a soul right now."

"I knew it." Tonks whispered, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"He's saved my life. I wanted a chance to issue the same offer to him." Harry said, looking back to Malfoy.

Malfoy was about to speak, but the loud CRACK Dobby made reappearing silenced him. Harry quickly knelt back down and asked, "How did it go?"

"Professor Dumbledore says he is happy to accept Harry's request. He is going to collect Mistress Malfoy soon. ...He is also saying that he sorry for not being here when Harry Potter is needing him the most..." Dobby said, his ears drooping slightly.

Harry smiled wearily. "Good. I'm glad to know he's alright. And I'm glad he's going to honor my request." Looking up to Malfoy, he asked, "I assume you'll want to wait to hear from her before you decide anything?"

"Optimally, yes." Malfoy said. "If she is taken to safety, she will contact me in some form. ...I suspect Lucius will then also contact me."

Standing, Harry walked over. "Fair enough. The password on the Pit's door will remain the same up through the end of the weekend. If Dumbledore doesn't act tonight, then he will tomorrow at the latest, I'd imagine. You'll know soon."

"If she is truly safe; if you've managed to tell me the truth, Potter... then I see no reason why I shouldn't choose to be on the winning side. I bow before no one." Malfoy said, raising his head and smirking.

Harry smirked in reply. "I'll wait on the handshake, then."

"Draco, we should get going. Being gone this long is going to be suspicious." Pansy said.

"Yeah. The less attention you draw to yourselves, the better." Harry said, hands sliding into his pockets.

"You're taking a huge risk, Potter." Malfoy said as he and Pansy headed back towards the door.

"Some things are worth the risk." Harry replied. "You're a smart person, Draco. You won't be on the losing side of this war. Both you and I know it."

"Very true." Malfoy said. "I'll stop by when and if I receive word from my mother."

"I'll be waiting." Harry said.

And with that, the two Slytherins left the Pit. Harry breathed out a sigh as the door closed, kneeling once more and smiling at Dobby. "Thank you. Really. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Harry Potter is a great wizard... it is an honor to be serving him!" Dobby said. "Even if it is to help my former masters."

"Did Draco ever treat you badly? Or Narcissa?"

"They was not kind to Dobby... but they is not as bad as Master Lucius was..." Dobby said, his voice going quiet.

"Right, best not think about him, then. Lucius will get what's coming to him, Dobby." Harry said. "Go on and rest. You've earned it."

Nodding, and giving Harry a smile to assure him that he was alright, the house elf vanished with a CRACK once more.

Harry stared at the spot where the house elf had vanished. A sigh escaped his lips. "This is what it's come to. Get out. All of you. I need time to think. So do all of you. I don't care how many of you come back or how many of you don't. All I ask if that the Pit remain hidden."

He stood, his tired eyes slowly scanning his people in front of him. They lingered on Tonks, who frowned at him. He then turned and faced Solieyu once more.

"Leon."

"What?"

"You're a special case."

"What do you mean?"

Sliding his hands back into his pockets, Harry offered the vampire a smile. "You don't get to come back."

"What?!"

"Your powers are out of control. Until you get a handle on them, or at least until you admit it's got you overwhelmed, you aren't welcome here. When Dumbledore gets back, I'm asking him to take you aside. I'm not sure what he can do to help, but I know he can. If you won't do it yourself, I guess I'll have to do it for you. One more thing on my mind. Thanks, Leon. I need my head as clear as it can be to try and fix this mess and you're just contributing to the problem. So leave. Now." Harry said.

"Make me." Solieyu growled, his eyes turning a transparent yellow color.

"...Don't say that." Harry whispered.

"MAKE. ME." Hissed the vampire. "Or are you afraid? I'm faster than you, Harry. You realize that, don't you?"

Harry opened his eyes to look at Solieyu. The vampire was slightly hunched over and breathing heavily. "...You're already having trouble standing. Do you want the rest of your curse to take hold? Is that it, Leon? What did you call it again? The Craving? Do you want that to take effect down here?"

"It won't." Solieyu said.

"You haven't had your potion in awhile. You're normally very hard to irritate. Is Madam Pomfrey fawning over you like Tonks is?" Harry asked, his voice taking a hard edge.

"I am not fawning over him!" Tonks cried, glaring at Harry.

"PROVE IT!" Harry yelled. "Stay here tonight, damn it! Stop going back to the damned Tower! Stop following him around!"

"With the way you're acting? Why should I stay here? So you can yell false accusations at me some more?" Tonks asked.

Harry brought a hand up to his scar, rubbing at it slowly. His barriers were falling. Fast. He wasn't sure he had the energy to put them back in place. He barely felt like he was holding his wild magic back as it was. "...Fine." He said eventually, turning his back on the group. "Fine. Don't stay. Stay with him all you'd like. I'll deal with things on my own again."

"Like how you dealt with them the night before I found you?" Tonks asked.

Harry faltered at that. After a moment's silence, he whispered, "Get out."

"Don't tell us what to do!" Solieyu growled.

Harry spun, digging the toe of his shoe into the floor to launch himself at the vampire, both wands being drawn even as he turned. Two quick flashes of light later and Solieyu found himself slung back and pinned to the wall with large, steaming spikes driven through the loose parts of his robes. Harry was pressed up against him, one wand jammed into the soft flesh under his chin, the other aimed at his heart.

Harry was visibly shaking now, his breath ragged. He had a distant, wild look in his eyes and, when he spoke, it was through clenched teeth. "I will tell you to do whatever the hell I want you to do, Reinhardt. I don't care how fast you are - I'll be faster. I don't care how strong you are - I'll be faster. I don't care what spells you use because I know worse! I'll cut you to pieces before anyone in this room can take a single step. I'll blow you apart like I was going to do to Moody! I'll rip your soul...!"

"HARRY!" Yelled Boris.

Harry clamped his mouth shut, forcing harsh breaths out through his nose. "...He deserves it." He hissed eventually. "He refuses to listen! SHE refuses to listen! I need her here! I need her to hold me! She's all that keeps me SANE anymore, Boris!"

"That is apparent." Whispered the snake. "Calm yourself, Harry. How can you expect to be a leader to others when you're acting like you belong in an asylum?"

"I can't calm myself! That's the point of this!" Harry roared. "If he would be a man and accept that he's out of control, if he worked out how to control his powers... I could have her back then... You've heard me at night, Boris. Do you want me to start explaining to you, in great detail, what I see him do?!"

"I can imagine." Boris said. "Necromancer's pet and all."

"He slays children." Harry said, not even noticing his switch back to English. "He defiles them in front of their parents. He cuts the parents open and makes the children watch as they lay there, screaming, trying to stuff their internal organs back in. He mutilates. He sends Dementors after them. He's collecting souls, Boris. And I see every second of it. Do you think any of these people would be able to take a single week of that, let alone the months I've had to? DO YOU?!"

"English, Harry." Said the snake.

"Shit. Point stands, though." Harry said, lowering his wands and pushing himself away from Solieyu. Dispelling the bolts, Harry turned and started towards the bedroom. "I have no energy. I have to sleep more and more. And that's what I see. I can't sleep because I have nightmares. I can't be awake because I'm living one, too. My closest friends may as well be on his side for all the good they're doing me. Draco Malfoy is closer to me right now than my own fiancée is. I wonder if any of you can imagine how terribly, horribly depressing that is."

Harry entered the bedroom and closed the door softly behind him. Once he was out of earshot, the group suddenly turned to Ginny, who had let out an odd noise.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, walking over to the redhead. "Why are you crying?!"

"You couldn't understand what he was saying. I could." Ginny said, her voice hitching as she spoke. Turning watery eyes on Tonks, she continued, "He said he needs you. Needs you to hold him. That you're all that keeps him sane... oh, you two are so stupid! Why can't you just admit something's not right?!"

Hermione tried to console the girl, but she broke away and walked towards the door out. Fred and George were quick to follow after her. Hermione watched them leave without another word, shaking her head slowly. "...You do need to get yourselves under control." She said quietly. "I can feel it too, Leon. Your powers. They radiate off of you. It's like an aura surrounding you. I could find the material you'd need to get it under control."

"I've already said..." Solieyu began.

"I see." Hermione said, cutting him off. "...Maybe Harry was right about you, then. I know he was right about the last thing he said. It would be terribly depressing to be closer to Malfoy than to the person you want to marry. I hope for his sake you two see the light.
Because you're dragging Harry further away from it with every passing day."

She left after that, leaving Tonks, Solieyu, and Luna alone in the main room. Solieyu was about to say something when Luna latched onto his left arm. He turned to look at her, but she was staring down at the ground.

"Luna?" He asked.

"Are you going to give up on me, too?" She asked, her voice barely audible.

"'Too'? Luna, I--"

"You have. You've given up on him. Didn't anyone else hear it in his voice? He was about to break down entirely in front of all of you. It's a very hard thing being alone in the world. I know that. You should, Solieyu. Above everyone else here, you should."

"Luna..."

"And you..." Luna said, lifting her head slightly to look at Tonks. "Do you not love him anymore?"

"Of course I do!" Tonks said.

"Maybe you should act like it, then." Luna murmured. "He's alone in the bedroom, probably crying himself to sleep because the girl he loves doesn't seem to love him anymore. He's probably gone to sleep like that since Solieyu's power made itself known. Didn't anyone find it strange that Harry, who spent a week of concentrated training to get good at Occlumency, was having his dreams invaded? If he were sleeping normally, even with all that's happened, surely he could have put up his mental barriers before drifting off. The only reason he should be seeing what Voldemort does if he falls asleep in a vulnerable state."

She let go of Solieyu's arm and brought a hand up to rub at her eyes, which had started to water as she spoke. "You two are so stubborn. But can't you get over it at least for a little while? He needs you. Both of you. And the lack of sleep and added stress of everything that's happened, both with Umbridge and with you two, nearly drove him to attack Solieyu. Doesn't any of that raise any flags or trigger any alarms in either of your heads?"

When the two other Ravenclaws remained silent, Luna slumped a little, turning for the door herself. "I'm coming back. And I'll sit and talk to him even if no one else will. Because he needs a friend right now. He needs a shoulder to cry on. He needs to get it out of his system before he explodes. And... Solieyu? Until... at least until you patch things up with Harry... please don't speak to me. I'm just... I don't know if I can be with you right now."

Solieyu watched the blonde rush out of the room after that. He closed his eyes and let his head lean back against the cold stone wall. "...Are things really that bad?" He whispered.

"I..." Tonks began. "...What's happening to us? Leon, maybe you..."

"Don't."

"But..."

Solieyu pushed himself away from the wall. "Nothing's wrong with me. That's all."

"Leon. Please..."

But Solieyu said nothing else, leaving the Pit before Tonks could finish what she was planning on saying. Tonks stood there, alone, in the main room of the Pit. The only noise was the sound of the fire crackling. She looked across the room at the closed door to the bedroom. She shut her eyes and shook her head quickly. She needed to get out of there. She needed to go out and get some fresh air. Something, anything, so long as she didn't have to remain where she was.

She turned and, casting one final glance back at the shut door, walked out of the Pit.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: A fair amount of time has taken place between 12 and 13. And, as you can see, it's not been good times for Harry, who's as emotionally unstable as he's ever been. Things are going to hell in a handbag quickly. He's overloaded with problems and, for the first time, can do nothing for any of them. Well. Most of them. Seems like he took care of the Malfoy thing efficiently enough, yeah?

I warned you it would get dark. I warned you things wouldn't be easy. And for awhle, they aren't going to be. Leon is pigheaded enough to think that nothing IS wrong. His powers are getting stronger and he doesn't want them to. Thus he's made himself believe they aren't.
Perhaps if Tonks got away from him for awhile, SHE'D start seeing clearly. Perhaps. We'll see. I've already broken the book guide again. I don't think I'm going to rely on it anymore. It sucks having to redo it every few chapters.

I'm going to fly blind for awhile. See what happens. I know what I still need to happen. And at least one more part is going to be dedicated to the recruiting Malfoy phase of things. Clever readers might be able to see what I have planned. I'm not being vague about it, really.

And with Harry in such an unstable state, what would happen if Voldemort were to, say, send him a nightmare where Sirius was in danger? Oh yes. It will happen.

Things only go downhill from here, kids. Let's enjoy Harry's somewhat brief descent into madness. Don't worry, haters of Unstable Emo Harry. It won't last forever. Just long enough for some crucial mistakes to be made. Clever readers might also foresee what THAT means if they read back enough. Until next time - sleep tight.