A/N: So, did you go see 'The Prestige'? Wasn't that the best frickin' movie?

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH...

Orin didn't make it five feet out of the room before he was besieged by a very irate red-head.

"That was your idea of helping him?!" Katlin snapped at the man, grabbing his arm and pulling him about to face her. "By sending him off on a mission as a glorified babysitter?"

"He's going as a good deal more than that, Katlin." Bale replied calmly.

"Like what?"

Bale returned a silent stare, which did not go over well with the redhead.

"Don't you pull that silent crap with me, Orin Bale." Katlin fumed at him, a threatening finger pointed directly in the man's face. "You think I won't find out? I'll walk right into your Ministry department and start interrogating everyone and anyone I can get my hands on until I find out what I want to know."

The man before her still said nothing.

Katlin got right up to the Unspeakable's face. "Don't you get this yet?" she stated in a quiet but deadly tone. "He is my husband. He is my whole life. If anything happens to him I would die right along with him. The only thought left in me would be to find whoever was responsible for taking him from me and make sure they paid. And I do not care if it were you, Treaks, or Voldemort himself. I would make sure they never saw another day in this life. Now," she said, taking a step back and composing herself into someone whose sole expression spoke of nothing more than a polite interest to the outside world, "what is so important to the Ministry that you feel the only person who can handle it is my husband?"

Bale stared back at her, his facial features a perfect mirror of her's. "I don't recall having any contract with you, Ms. Griss, that opened all Ministry business to your scrutiny. Least of all how I assign missions."

Katlin gave the corridor a cursory look up and down, then in the blink of an eye suddenly had the Unspeakable pinned to the wall behind him, her hand wrapped around his neck.

"Then draw one up and we'll sign it." She hissed at him. "Because my husband isn't going off on some half-cocked mission, thought up by you, just to give him something to do. Orion would see through something like that in less than a second. And it would leave him feeling less than useless. He feel like you were pity-dating him."

In answer Bale never said a word. In more than half of the encounters they had Katlin wasn't sure if Bale was serious or just baiting her for a reaction. But this one was too important to her to let go without an answer.

"Well?"

"You honestly expect me to talk to you when you have me pinned to a wall?" Bale ask calmly.

Katlin paused, then released her grip. "Fine. You're released, so talk."

Bale absently rubbed his throat. No doubt about it, the woman had a grip like steel and could likely have snapped his neck front to back if she had wanted to.

"Voldemort isn't the only one interested in this wizard, Katlin." Bale explained. "Nor is he the only one who has encountered problems in getting information on him. Now, suddenly, I find out, this wizard is operating under a spell and Harry Potter is his secretkeeper. Something not only has Voldemort found out, but has already exploited to his own benefit. That puts him two steps in front of my agents. Something I don't like. Voldemort running the show is bad enough. But having him hold all the cards is something we can't afford."

"So how does Orion fit into all this?"

"Several ways. Injured, Voldemort will be off guard with him. Concentrating on other things. That will give Orion a freer hand in dealing with the situation. Orion is also one of the best trained agents I have. And lastly, I need a pair of eyes and ears on this journey Voldemort is planning to take Harry on. I don't trust the man. I think anyone who does is delusional. He knows a lot more than he is telling us. And I believe whatever he is keeping to himself is crucial to the outcome of all this. I want someone there that I can trust implicitly to counter any plans Voldemort has set up on how he intends to deal with this wizard."

Katlin crossed her arms in front of her. "And the only person qualified for this is my husband?"

Bale frowned at her. "Weren't you the same woman pleading with me a short time ago to let her husband know that his Unspeakable days weren't behind him yet?"

"And what if he gets into something he can't get himself out of...because he's still injured?"

Bale gave her a placating smile. "Well then, my dear, I suppose it'll be up to you to get him out of that mess."

(Scene Change)

Arabella stood in the kitchen patiently working on the stew she was preparing for dinner. She had always held that that was one of the main ingredients of any good stew. Patience. Stews took time. Lots of it. And if you didn't give it to them, then you ended up with something less then you wanted.

Stews also gave her time to think. And right then Arabella thought that that was what she needed the most. Time alone to think.

She was happy to be back at the Black Estate. And it seemed to suit Orion's recovery better to be back in familiar surroundings. But the move had had a dual purpose. With the start of the school term looming ever closer, Dumbledore had made the suggestion that it might be better if she, Orion, Harry, and Voldemort move back to the house. Arabella made no complaint about the change of location, seeing the older wizard's motives for it. A castle full of students and one dark wizard was a recipe for nothing but disaster, she was sure. Although she would have preferred if Dumbledore had sent Voldemort packing back to his own lair until he decided it was time for he and Harry to go after the wizard in the north, she also understood the need to have him stay at the estate. The man needed watching. Still unsure if he was to be fully trusted, Arabella agreed that it was better if he was somewhere they could keep an eye on him rather than allowing him to sit in his own lair alone and think up any more ways to manipulate them all to his will.

But if she thought the extra space afforded by the large house would grant her any solitude, she couldn't have been more mistaken. If she tried to sit in the main room, lulling her mind in front of the fire, then inevitably someone would come in, usually wanting something. Either Harry, or Orion, or, heaven forbid the worst of them, Voldemort.

Arabella started chopping carrots as her mind settled on the top of the list of her problems. The man had gone in a few short weeks from being a feared dark wizard to being, in her book, something of a pest. He almost never seemed to leave her alone anymore. Half a dozen times a day he would seek her out for one of a list of a thousand frivolous reasons she was sure he was working from, since no one could come up with some of the mundane purposes he had just off the top of their head, she had decided. And it really wouldn't be so bad if the requests actually had some purpose. Most of them were things that even he should have been able to figured out. The man simply seemed bound and determined to drive her nuts.

"Arabella?"

Arabella slammed the chopping blade down with a snap onto the cutting board with the next slice as her nerves reacted to the sound of the voice.

Voldemort came into the kitchen looking his usual irritated self.

"What is it now?" She asked, trying her best to keep the irritation out of her own voice.

"I need to talk to your godson. Have you seen him?"

"First off," Arabella stated without turning to him, "my godson has a name. Secondly, you know perfectly well you are not to talk to Harry without Orion or I present. And third," she finally turned to him over her sholder with an annoyed expression, "what do you want to talk to him about?"

"I haven't seen him all day." Voldemort replied. "Don't you consider that a bit odd?"

Arabella found herself in no mood at the present to even pretend being pleasant. As far as the day went, she had just one nerve left. And as the old saying went, Voldemort had just gotten on it. "Seeing as Harry would most likely prefer dancing with Deatheaters to spending time with you, no, not really. And the boy is good at hiding when he wants to be."

The room became silent of voices as she went back to work. But instinctively; no, out of habit, she knew he was still there. This among all his other ever increasing list of strange traits was probably the most maddening to her. He wouldn't just leave a room when she felt they were done talking. Instead he would simply stand behind her and stare at her.

"One would think you would be a bit more interested in the boy's whereabouts." Voldemort said finally.

"And unlike you," Arabella replied, not turning to him, "I do not consider Harry a complete idiot who can't be out of my sight for more than a minute."

"One should wonder." Voldemort replied with a touch of heavy sarcasm. "The way you coddle that boy, it's a wonder he can do anything for himself."

"I was not aware I needed to answer to you for how I raise my godson."

Arabella could feel the smile in the answer. "I thought the boy had a name, Arabella."

Arabella rounded on him, pointing at him with the knife still held in her hand, "If you're so concerned about my godson's whereabouts, then by all means, go look for him. Heavens!" She stated sharply, turning back to her work. "It would at least give you something to do!"

"I have things to do, woman!" Voldemort stated, though in a slightly less sharp tone.

Arabella stopped chopping suddenly, her whole body reacting to the sound of the word. She hated him using that word with her. To her it was as though he was reducing her to...to one of his lowest ranking Deatheaters, not even entitled to a name.

"What," she stated in a low, dangerous tone, "have I told you about using that word with me?"

Saving dignity if nothing else, Voldemort gave a slight huff of irritation before turning and leaving.

Arabella checked the wall clock. One-thirty. That should give her about a good forty minutes of peace and quite before he came back needing something else.

"Arabella?"

Arabella spun around, the knife once again held out in her hand.

"What could you possibl..." But she stopped short at the stunned look on Orion's face as he stood in the doorway.

"Just needed parchment." He stated quickly in a mockingly frightened voice as he held his hands up in front of him.

Arabella sighed as she lowered the knife and turned back to her work. "In the hall closet." She said. "Heavens, Orion. It's your house. You should know where things are. Voldemort almost has a reason to pretend to be stupid. What's yours?"

Orion paused in the door for a minute, then slowly ventured into the kitchen.

"Problems with the great dark one?" He asked, coming over to her.

Arabella sighed again and shook her head. "Nothing I should be letting get to me like this." She replied. "I mean, really, he stopped being frightening ages ago. Now he's just irritating."

"How so?"

Arabella looked to the doorway for a moment. "Well, like a few moments ago, he came in here looking for Harry simply because he didn't know where he was. Yesterday he came asking if I had any Chennery."

"Chennery? That's a common potion ingredient." Orion looked more interested. "What did he want that for?"

"That's what I asked him. He said it was looking for something to feed his owl. It was hungry."

"Possible, I suppose." Orion said after a moments thought. "Rupert loves the stuff."

"The time before that it was..." Arabella paused for a second, but then continued with a slight smile, "...parchment."

Orion returned the smile. "So tell me, did he find any? I happen to be on the same quest."

"Go. Check. The closet." She stated with a touch of good-natured irritation in her voice.

But instead Orion stepped up behind her as she added the chopped carrots to the pot on the stove. He sniffed over her shoulder a few times.

"Hey good-lookin'," He said playfully, "whatcha' got cookin'?"

Arabella smiled slightly, then bumped him back with her elbow.

"Stew. And back off. It's not done yet."

"Smells done."

"Not for a few more hours."

Orion sniffed the air again. "Sirius always said nobody in the world could cook like you."

"Really?"

"I don't remember you ever cooking for me."

"I never cooked for Sirius while we were dating either."

"Then I don't feel nearly so left out." Orion replied as he reached around her for a spoon laying on the counter top.

Orion leaned around her a bit further as he dipped the spoon into the pot, wrapping an arm about her waist to balance himself as he did so. Carefully he brought the spoon to his lips, blew on it a few times, then tentatively tasted the contents, all the while never removing his arm from around her waist.

Arabella stood very still as Orion mulled over his decision, not wanting to risk offsetting his balance.

"Orion." She said finally.

"Give me a minute." He replied. "I'm thinking."

"Try thinking about this." She stated a bit sharply. 'You can either remove your arm, or I can remove it for you. Although I'm likely to start at the shoulder."

The arm quickly slipped back from around her waist. He laid the spoon back down on the counter as he stepped back.

"Your skills haven't diminished one bit, Arabella." He said with a brief smile as he turned and left the room.

Somehow she didn't think he was talking about her cooking.

From the opposite doorway another party watched the scene unfold with growing interest. A pair of eyes narrowed as they watched the arm tried to slip so innocently around Arabella's waist. One's that filled with a silent laughter at her response and then disappeared when Orion finally left the room.

Out in the back yard, Orion leaned casually over the fence, watching the sun set over the field in the back of the house past the garden. All in all it was a pleasant evening outside. The temperature was mild and there was only a slight breeze blowing. But Orion would have bet a hundred galleons he could feel the air around him start to chill as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He didn't move, however. Even when Voldemort joined him leaning over the fence.

Both men stood that way for what seemed like an impossibly long time. But it was finally Voldemort who broke the silence.

"Your presence here, Black, is becoming a distraction." He said quietly. "Perhaps it is time you thought about leaving."

"The sad part about that," Orion replied in the same tone as he turned slightly to the man next to him, "is that this is my house."

"It also belongs to your brother. And to your parents. Therefore you are not the house's sole owner. Nor are the things in it solely yours."

Orion pulled up from the fence and now turned to fully face the dark wizard.

"What is your point?" He asked.

"Your futile attempt did not go un-noticed."

"Attempt at what?"

Voldemort smiled slightly, though he still stared out over the field. "Seduction."

Orion started to say something but stopped himself in plenty of time to maintain a casual composure. Instead he simply stared at the other man.

Voldemort turned his head to him. "She doesn't want you. And your attentions are not welcome. Like the things in that house, the woman is not yours to arbitrarily lay claim to."

Orion stared blankly at Voldemort for a moment, then a genuine smile broke over his features.

"Are you warning me to stay away from Arabella?"

Voldemort now turned to fully face him. "I am telling you that you are an unwelcome distraction. I have need of the woman's skills. As well she controls the boy. Your attentions are shifting her focus. And I do not want that."

"Shifting her focus?" Orion almost snorted a brief laugh. "Shifting it from who? Harry...or you?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Well, she may not be mine, Voldemort," Orion pointed out, his smile never faltering, "but you keep one thing planted in that twisted little mind of yours. She isn't yours either."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, oh dark lord, that I've been watching you as of late. And I have watched a rather interesting scene beginning to develop."

"Really?" Voldemort answered with a mocking smile.

"My kind are trained to watch and observe. We can read volumes into the smallest action. And we're rarely wrong. What I am seeing is a man slowly being drawn in by the things around him. Things he's never had before. Things...he wants."

Voldemort's brow creased into a deep, straight line. "Things?"

"Care. Attention." Orion stated slowly. "His own twisted view of love."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes again as he studied the former Auror before him. "Are you sure you haven't been drinking? I think that 'all seeing vision' of yours is a bit blurred."

"Hardly." Orion smiled back. "You just remember something for me." He stated slowly. "You may have stolen my brother's body. But you will not steal his life as well. You think either of the people in that house would even accept you? Even as a friend? Let me refresh your memory. You murdered Harry's parents. You tried to kill him. You have tried over the past several years over and over to kill him. You tortured my brother. You tried to murder him. You stole his body. The man Arabella loves. The one she has chosen to marry. Somehow...just somehow..., I don't think you'd find your welcome quite as warm as you think it would be if you weren't in that body."

Voldemort smiled a bit wider. "Then perhaps I should just keep this body." He replied. "I would think that to be the rather simple answer. Supposing any of this idiocy of yours was true."

"You remember your promise to Harry, Voldemort." Orion stated, pointing a finger at the dark wizard. "You made him a promise, as a wizard. And your going to live up to it. You promised to return his godfather to him. The godfather he wants back." Orion told him pointed. "Not you. Sirius."

Voldemort stood for some time studying the man before him. Orion half expected the man to come back with some cutting remark. But Voldemort instead simply turned and walked silently back to the house.

But Orion didn't miss the door slammed behind him as he stepped back inside.

The Auror smiled quietly to himself.

First infatuation.

Now jealousy.

Things couldn't be working any better if he had simply requested them from a menu.

Orion checked his watch, then turned and walked around the gate.

"Bo!" He called.

Almost instantly a large black cloud flew out from one of the trees around him and wrapped itself about him before dissolving into the form of the man it hung around. Orion headed out past the anti-apparation fields around the house, then silently disapparated.

Q&A

FAMILY RELATIONS

Skahducky:

I imagine Harry, Voldemort, and Orion will be leaving in the next chapter? I wonder how Voldemort's going to react to finding out Orion's going too, although perhaps nobody will tell him. Harry will probably, know, though, right? Will Orion have recovered enough in a few days to go on such a mission? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Welllll..., sort of, but not quite. I would give it say another chapter...maybe two. But they are very close to leaving right now. I just need to lay out a few more points before that happens.

Will anyone tell Voldemort Orion is going? How could he not know? The man will be standing there. Aside from claiming he's just there for the send off, I think Voldemort will be slightly suspicious.

Now see, you're sort of hitting on the reason for the delay in leaving. No, he is not up-to-snuff enough to handle such a mission yet. But he has a backup plan already in the works to cover himself if the need arises.

MasterLupin:

Well the best defense is a strong offence. By using skirmishes one can determine the strength, weapons, and power of an opposing force. That said:
I think a chapter or several paragraphs with Harry learning the essentials of adulthood could be a fun and amusing read.
I also think Harry is not the tactical fool that everyone takes him for; he will no doubt realize that Voldermort will be after him next. I think that Harry will make his own plans, albeit they will be a little reckless. I think this for two reasons.
One, Harry has been looking for someone to tell him what to do, as most children do when confronted with a problem but, no one has given him a straight up answer.
Two, Harry is not a fool, he will know that Voldermort has a plan, and like any smart chess player, he will come up with his own.
The plan may be the worst plan in the world, but it is a plan nonetheless.
Now that I think about it I also think that Orion will take on the father roll as he is a father of five. This is will not be out of the goodness of his hart though, it will be because he will feel that he will be able to manipulate (bad choice of words but the meaning is there) Harry better this way.
Sorry to hear about your computer dieing on you.

First off, thank you for the kind words about my computer. It was a very traumatic three weeks.

Well, if Harry isn't making plans to cover himself, he definitely should be. He's not quite as taken in with the new Voldemort as everyone else seems to be. He very much remembers that this is the man who killed his parents. Who left him and orphan. And who basically altered his life to one that few people would want. However, he is also keeping in mind Sirius' words. 'Be nice to him'. So Harry is walking a fine line between tolerating the man and wishing he were definitely somewhere else. Preferably, anywhere a good hundred miles away from his godmother.

CelticHeiressFiona:

Awesome chapter! Update soon!

Thank you, Dear. I do try to keep the updates regular, barring dying computers and such.

DIAMOND

Bubbygirl:

Hi. I thought this story was wonderful! The way you depicted Snape and annalisa was pretty good too. I liked this story and will be telling my friends about it.

Thank you, Dear. Glad you enjoyed it. And I always appreciate the free advertising.

All reviews are as of 11/26/2006.

And remember;

It's not the gift, but the thought that counts. So save money and just tell people what you thought about giving them.