A/N: Sorry to miss last week. Had family in for the whole week. And it was birthdays, so I was sort of forced into attendance. It's not that I don't like my family, I just hate large groups of people squashed around a table.

You were also lucky to get anything this week. I caught a cold this week, and whereas I don't get sick often, when I do I'm an absolute two year old about it. I don't want to work. I don't want to get up in the morning, and I sure as heck don't feel like being very creative. But I felt bad about missing last week, and guilt is a great motivator.

Anyway,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Look here, folks. It's long. It takes up room. And if you haven't read it the other twenty-four times I've posted it, you aren't likely to start now, now are you?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: PILLOW TALK

It had already been a long day when Arabella finally got back to her room in the castle. Like most days, she had spent the majority of it in the library taking over Orion's research until he was able to resume it himself.

Even in her school days she had never imagined there were so many books and so many more spells that all covered one particular area. It may all start out as one simple area to research, but it quickly branched out, and before you knew it, your small twig had become a very large tree.

Arabella sighed as she closed the door to her bedroom and leaned against the door, looking forward to a long, hopefully peaceful night.

"And its about time!" An irritated voice slammed the door on her hopes of a peaceful night.

Arabella's eyes shot open.

Laying comfortably on her bed, with a book balanced on his chest, was Voldemort.

"What in the...GET OUT!" Arabella all but yelled at him. This was not what she needed after the day she had had.

Voldemort looked up, totally unaffected by her tone. "What?"

"Get! Out!"

"Why?" he ask mildly.

"Why? WHY?" Arabella could feel herself rapidly approaching a stage where the man's life was truly in danger.

"I'm not suppose to be seen in your room? Who would be suspicious? You and Black are engaged to be married. Black did propose, right?"

"We are. He has. You're not. Get out."

"Not until we've had a little talk." Voldemort stated, laying the book to one side as he pulled himself up off the bed.

"About what?" Arabella asked in the same low, dangerous tone.

Voldemort indicated the sofa set against one wall. "Take a seat, dispel some of the anger, and I'll tell you."

"I'll keep my anger if it's all the same to you."

"Fine. At least sit down then."

"Voldemort, I am tired. Its been a long day. I don't have time for your...talks right now."

"So, nothing concerning your godson would interest you then?"

Arabella's attention immediately refocused on the man. "Harry? Has something happened?"

"That boy is getting ready to embark on a very dangerous journey, Arabella."

Arabella narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't been under a rock for the past two weeks, Voldemort." she snapped back. "I do know what's going on here."

"Do you?" the man all but smiled at her. But there was enough of a smirk in his tone to irritate her. "Do you honestly have any idea what your precious godson is going to be up against?"

"Up against? You said all he needed to do was lead you to this wizard. That you would deal with the man. What are you talking about now 'what Harry's going to be up against'?"

"What did you think?" Voldemort ask, pacing the room now as he answered her. "Did you think this would be some walk in a park? This wizard is likely going to do everything in his power to stop us. And he has a great deal of it to draw on. And should anything happen to me, that power he is going to be directing could very well find itself aimed right at your little godson."

Arabella didn't like the way things were sounding suddenly. "Why should something happen to you?" she ask. "I thought you had a plan? A way to defeat this wizard."

"And unforeseen things happen." he replied with a mirthless smile.

Arabella fell down onto the sofa. "What things?"

"Are you willing to listen to me now?"

Arabella paused for a moment, a hundred different things running through her mind of what could possibly be wrong. All of them coming back to something having happened to Sirius. Slowly she nodded, steeling herself up to hear the worst.

"There have been some problems I haven't anticipated."

"What problems?"

"Things that may prevent me from being able to adequately protect the boy."

"Stop talking in circles and get to the point!"

Voldemort stopped his pacing and turned to face her. "I think...something may have gone wrong with the spell."

All of her worst fears crowed into the forefront of her brain. "Sirius?" she whispered. "Has something happened to Sirius?"

Voldemort frowned. "Black is the least of my worries right now."

What little sympathy she was starting to feel for the man vanished. "Well he is at the forefront of mine!" She stated. "If he has been hurt..."

"Black is fine." Voldemort waved her off. "I promise you." he added in a tone that caught her attention. He hadn't responded to her anger by meeting it with his own. He had instead, seemed to understand her concern for someone she loved and given her the assurance she seemed to need that everything was all right in that regard at least.

"All right, then," she replied in a good deal calmer voice. "If it isn't Sirius, then what's wrong?"

Voldemort took back to his pacing. "For the past several days, I've noticed...changes...in my abilities."

"Abilities?" she ask. "You mean in your magic?"

Voldemort paused in his pacing long enough to give her a curt nod, then resumed again. Arabella watched him for a few moments in silence. She remembered the look on Sirius' face when he had lost his ability to use magic. It was the same look on the man's face now.

"How bad is it?" she ask in the same low whisper.

The man stopped again in front of her. "For me? Very bad."

"But you still can do magic." she replied hopefully.

"Yes. But it's weaker. I can feel it. I've noticed it mostly in my lessons with Harry over the past few days. It's almost like...like I'm losing control of it. I try to summon something, it doesn't respond. I try to ward off a spell, and instead I take a direct hit. And it's not doing the boy any good. Harry thinks his skills are improving at a suddenly astronomical rate, when the truth is he's not up against the same power he was when we first started."

Arabella went right to the most logical solution to her. "Have you spoken to Dumbledore?"

Voldemort frowned at the suggestion. "I haven't decided that the old man deserves this much of a laugh yet."

"Laugh?" Arabella cried in astonishment. "You think he would find this funny?"

"Eminently."

"Then you don't know the man at all. He just might surprise you."

"Very little surprises me anymore."

"Then I'll make a bet with you."

A smile curved up on the man's lips. "A bet?"

"Yes. You go and see Dumbledore tomorrow, and I'll bet you the man finds nothing at all humorous about the situation."

"That's a very intriguing offer." Voldemort replied, the smile growing ever so slightly across his lips. "And what do I get if I win this bet?"

"Anything you want...," she stated quickly, but then just as quickly amended, "...within reason."

Voldemort shook a finger in front of her. "No. That puts too many restrictions on it."

"All right. What do you want?"

"Anything I want..." he repeated half of her original offer, "...that involves only you."

Arabella paused this time to think the offer over. "That could cover an awful lot of territory." she replied.

"Nothing indecent, my dear Arabella, I promise. Just whatever I ask for, will involve something only you can give me."

Arabella thought for a moment again, then nodded. "All right. Agreed. But only because I am sure I will not have to pay up."

"You're so sure?"

"Positive." Arabella replied firmly, raising her chin so her eyes met his.

Voldemort met her stare. "Then I will see you in the morning." he agreed with a slight nod.

Hearing the door to Arabella's room next to his open and close, Harry quietly opened his own door and poked his head out.

He watched in utter surprise as Voldemort walked off down the corridor.

What was Voldemort doing on this side of the castle this late at night? And more importantly, why had he been in Arabella's room?

Grabbing his robe, Harry hurried to the door down the corridor and banged on it.

It almost immediately opened. "Oh for the love of...oh!" Arabella stopped abruptly. "Harry? What is it, dear? Is everything all right?"

"I was about to ask you that." Harry replied quickly. "Can I come in?"

Arabella stepped aside and Harry hurried past her, closing the door behind him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Arabella ask.

"I just saw Voldemort leaving your room." Harry stated. "What was he doing here?"

Arabella smiled at his tone. "Harry, you sound like my mother. And for your information, not that it is any of your business, 'young man of the house', Voldemort had something he wanted to ask me. Sort of a...problem he isn't sure how to handle."

"Problem? What sort of problem?"

"The kind I am not discussing with you at this hour of the night." she replied cryptically as she ushered him back to the door. "Now, stop listening in keyholes and go to bed."

"Maybe I should stay here tonight." Harry replied. "In case he comes back."

Arabella continued more or less shoving him towards her door. "Voldemort is off to bed, Harry. As am I. As should you be. Now off you go."

Harry paused outside Arabella's door for several minutes before finally heading down to his own. He considered raising a ward in the corridor to alert him to any movement. But Arabella would likely detect it and would be less than happy even if he had only done it for her own good. But he did leave the door to his own room open behind him. If Voldemort did come back, he was going to be sure he heard him.

Q&A

Family Relations

Skahducky:

You haven't read the fifth and sixth books in their entirety? Is that why you set up the Black family the way you did?

I forgot in my last review that Sirius has some influence on Voldemort's personality, so I guess you really are showing what type of teacher Voldemort would have been if Dumbledore hired him all those years ago, even though you're doing it unknowingly.

Why did you decide not to read the latter two books? I know you prefer Harry slightly innocent, but you must realize much of Harry's personality in the fifth book was a result of struggling to deal with what he went through in Goblet of Fire along with frustration at being cut off from those who give him support and guidance. Even when Harry was at Grimmauld Place, Sirius wasn't allowed to tell him any more than he told Harry the first night he was there. Also, Sirius was so preoccupied at being forced to not leave a house that held so many bad memories for him that he didn't realize how much Harry needed him. At school, Dumbledore was avoding him and all Harry's contact with Sirius was effectively cut off. It's no wonder he became so bad tempered and reckless.

The sixth book is much different in that aspect. Of course, at at sixteen, Harry is more mature than he was previously. However, the adults around him realize that Harry needs to at least be kept aware of some of what's going on around him, and he does much better for it. I highly recommend you read the sixth book, if only for all the background story it sheds light on.

Anyway, this is a great chapter. I loved Harry and Lupin's conversation. Please update soon!

So sue me.

No, I haven't read Book V cover to cover, (I skimmed it, got to the 'bad part', and quit.) and I haven't even cracked Book VI. My favorite character is gone and I just can't rally much enthusiasm anymore.

I don't know that my 'lack of inside knowledge' resulted in how I set up Sirius' family, it is simply the way I would have done it had I come up with the series idea. One of the nice things about fanfiction writing is it enables people to lay out different possibilities for the characters.

When I started Family Relations, I always had planned to lay a large part of the story out to show what sort of person Voldemort could have been had he not chosen to be 'evil', so to speak. And in that vein, I also am trying to incorporate...or better, maintain his themes. The man honestly believes what he is doing is right. That is the theme I am trying so hard to maintain here. And I said a long time ago that Family Relations was very adequately named. It isn't about anything so much as the relationships between the characters.

Why did I stop reading? Explained that above. Lost my favorite character, lost interest. Maybe I'll go back and read it depending on how Rowling finishes up. But whereas two other authors are trying to form a group to peer pressure her into not killing Harry (so they say), I don't see much hope on that.

Glad you liked the chapter, Dear.

CelticHeiressFiona:

Awesome awesome awesome chapter! Please update as soon as you can. So that is why Sirius and Orion are the way they are.

Yup, that pretty much summed it up. Orion pressured Sirius into making a choice...and he did.

Eskaybe:

Thank you for reading, Dear. I also appreciate the reviews.

MasterLupin:

Well with this heat that is all over the US, I wouldn't be suprised if Florida got hit by Andrew like Hurricans. And I was having a bad time posting the last comment, my wireless keyboard was freeking out and it took for ever to type what I did. It's good to see that your back up and running. My I say that this chapter seemed a little short for you? I usaly don't comment on chapter size as I have some rather short ones myself but I was supprised with this one.
Any way on with my predictions. While Voldermort may not use Harry as WMD, I think Harry is equivalent to a Bishop in a game of chess, he is important in the out come of any battle that occurs. This new infromation about Orion and Sirius' relationship leads me to belive that they just love to hate eachother, it happens all the time in brother/brother relations that I know of with my friends, they would just as soon fight eachother as they would fight for eachother. The information that Sirius father is of the darkside when it comes to non-humans in the magical world, leeds me to think that Harry will devlop pre-concived notions of his grandfather that will only worsen over time as he collects new information about him and peices it together to fit a negitive image of his grandfather. Which could result in a very bad first time meeting with which Harry practicaly accuses his grandfather of being with Voldermort, or acts very timidly around him, expecting him to attack him at anymoment for Voldermort. I know this one is a rather long post, so I will leave it at that until the next chapter; which may help focuse some of my other thoughts.

No hurricanes so far. But then Andrew didn't strike until the 23rd of August (22? Something like that.).Mind you, I'm leaving for two weeks in Ireland soon. I would hate to have a hurricane hit while I'm away from my parents. And who the heck is going to take care of my two cats?

Short? Man, you must REALLY have something to say about this one, coming in at only a little over 1000 words. But I've been busy...and sick. Be kind.

You know, I honestly am starting to feel like I'm trying to match wits with you. Not that it isn't interesting, but I feel like I'm losing ground sometimes.

Now I don't know how important Harry will be to the outcome of everything. I think that's a matter of opinion. But he's absolutely vital to things moving forward. Without his consensual help, no one could ever find the wizard in the north. This also explains why none of Voldemort's spies could never even get close to the man. A fact that led to Voldemort researching if the man hadn't initiated a Fedelis Charm.

That's an interesting take on the Black brothers relationship. However, I don't know that they would just as soon 'fight each other as fight for each other'. Orion truly had his little brother's best interests at heart when he gave him the ultimatum that he did. He just went about things the totally wrong way.

Ummmm..., Dear, where did you get that next piece of information? I don't remember ever saying that Talon Black had anything against non-magical people. Granted, I never see Harry ever forming a cuddly close relationship with his grandfather, but that's just the way Talon is. He is not a hugs and kisses kind of guy. But nor would a smart person ever threaten a member of his family. Talon may be a quiet sort of guy, but he has a great deal of power backing him. Keep in mind that, whereas Orion may be the channeler for the 'Power', Talon is the Host. He is the one who, ultimately, would control Bo.

I love long reviews, Dear. Keep 'em coming. Gives me something to read for a change.

Family Life

Heksie:

Thank you, Dear. I'm glad you like it.

I also hope you found the sequel to this story, which is Family Relations.

And going on in my reviews, I see you did. Or at least Chapter One. But the story goes on, Dear. It is now in it's twenty-fifth chapter. If you go to my author page, you can pull it up there under Family Relations1. A slight chaptering problem caused the story to be split and I am trying to get it corrected.

All reviews are as of 08/13/2006.

And remember;

For all those of us in Florida, Happy(?) Charly Day. Two years ago today Hurricane Charly cut through Central Florida, followed by Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan. May this year be much less memorable.