A/N: I always hated transition chapters. You know, those nasty little things that take you from one story arc to another?

That is what we have here. After this chapter I defy anyone to say the story moves too slowly. If anything, it takes off at breakneck speed. And with good reason. You have the five starting off on their journey and the wizard in the north doing everything in his power to stop them. There isn't a lot of time for thoughtful moments.

So, buckle-up, hold on,

and as always,

Enjoy.

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 the one before the one before 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-EIGHT: OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS

Orion frowned at the suggestion. "Not the person we're looking for?"

"It's only a suggestion, Mr. Black." Voldemort replied. "But consider; no one has ever seen this wizard except for one person that I know of. And the person he saw couldn't in all likely-hood be who we're looking for. What would that suggest to you?"

Orion's frown grew deeper. "So you think this wizard is just the front man for someone else?"

Voldemort shook his head. "No. I think he's the front man for several someone's."

"Several?"

"Think about it." Voldemort said, looking about them. "How much power do you think it took to construct this conduit? Even I would have struggled to build such a thing, not to even mention hold it together." Voldemort stopped and turned to the man next to him. "Do you honestly believe one person is responsible for this?

And then there's the question of you and your boggart. I have no doubt of your power, Black. The magical abilities of your family are legendary, to say the least. And I won't even speculate on the abilities of your friend."

Orion remained silent when Voldemort paused in his assessment, giving him ample time to respond. But the man was putting things together far too well for Orion's liking, and he wasn't about to freely hand him any more pieces to fit into place.

Voldemort seemed to shrug off Orion's silence. "And yet this wizard's followers went up against you and your boggart and the rest of us without the slightest hint of fear or caution. One person against all six of us would have cause to back down. But several, joining their powers, would be more of an obstacle."

"That's all still just speculation."

"Then consider another point." Voldemort replied. "No one has ever seen this 'wizard', supposedly, except one person. Now, how can you possibly have as many spies as this 'wizard' seems to have and never be seen yourself except on rare occasions? And how can you be as well versed in what is going on in the world as he seems to be without ever experiencing things for yourself. Also, supposedly this man has never been seen because no one has ever detected his power. Surely a wizard of such strength would be easy to trace. He should stand out like a beacon in the darkness. But what if the reason he has never been detected is because there's really nothing extraordinary about him for someone to pick up on? And what if he has been seen? Numerous times? What if people have stood next to him in the street and never even noticed him? What if he could be his own spies because he can move about so freely and never be detected?"

"Because he's more than one person." Orion finished for him. "A witch or wizard of average power, able to move about freely because they're only one of a part that makes up the whole."

"Exactly."

"So this man we're trying to find is just a figurehead." Orion speculated.

Voldemort held up a finger as he turned to the ground. "You're getting ahead of me, Mr. Black." He stated. "No. I do not think the wizard we are trying to find is just a figurehead. What I do believe is that he is one of the group controlling all of this. The way he's kept himself hidden bares that out. And I also believe this group is centralizing their power."

Orion frowned again. "Centralizing it? You 're suggesting some sort of focal point?"

"Precisely."

"Then all we need should need to do is find their focal point and destroy it. That should handicap them a bit."

Voldemort turned to him again, this time with a small smile on his lips. "But I believe we have already found it, Mr. Black." He stated. "In fact, I think we've seen it several times."

"Really?"

"It's clever of them really. They've placed all that power in the hands of the last person you would suspect."

Orion thought for a moment about what the man was saying, then turned suddenly back to Voldemort. "Becca?"

The man's smile grew. "Exactly."

Orion spent the next hour that they walked thinking over Voldemort's suggestions. It all made a certain amount of sense...if you let it. And it would simplify things a great deal for him if all he had to do to stop this 'wizard' was to disrupt his power base by destroying the focal point, and then attack them before they had the time to centralize their power again. But he didn't like the idea of having to harm someone who could, for all intense and purposes, be an innocent bystander.

He couldn't help but relate this situation back to the focal point of his family's own power. What if someone were to discover the underlying basis of it, and then turn their greed for it against the one person they felt had control over it? Bo, was, as much as anyone could be, an innocent bystander in the situation. He was nothing more than a housing for the 'Power'. And not of his own choosing at that. Perhaps Becca's situation, if Voldemort was right, was the same? What if she had had no choice in her role?

Orion frowned at the possibility. But slowly a new thought started to form.

If Becca had had no choice over her role, maybe she wasn't all that happy with it? Maybe she had no idea what the people she shielded were really up to? And what would she do if she found out? She hadn't responded as he had expected her to to Harry's direct declaration to her that the wizard killed people. She had, in fact, all but ignored the statement. She had focused instead solely on persuading them to turn back.

What if she didn't know? What if she could be persuaded to switch sides? To help them defeat the 'wizard'.

Lost in his thoughts, Orion almost didn't notice as the rest of the group slowed to a stop. Looking up, he found they were standing before a large covered bridge that spanned a river they had come to.

Orion stood staring at the structure for a very long time. Behind him Harry watched, waiting for the Unspeakable to say something. For the life of him he couldn't understand what Orion was looking for, or at, for that matter. The bridge certainly didn't, in his opinion, warrant this much attention. It was really little more than a standard covered bridge, standing about six feet over a river that showed a fairly good current. It looked to be just a little over a hundred feet long, a good ten feet wide, and about eight feet high. And from what Harry could tell it look like every inch of it was made out of wood.

As Harry stood waiting, Voldemort stepped up next to Orion.

"Well?" He ask impatiently.

Orion stood for a few moments more, a hard set expression on his face. "I don't like it." He said finally in a voice that matched his expression. "There something not right about it."

"Well, it's either the bridge or the river, Black."

"At this point I'd almost take the river."

"I don't suppose those instincts of yours are bothering to tell you exactly what is wrong with taking the bridge?"

"Something." Orion answered plainly.

Voldemort sighed and turned to Harry. "Harry, which way do we need to go?"

Harry paused as he stared up into the man's face. "Across the river." He stated quietly. "I don't think it matters how we get there."

"The river is going to take time." Voldemort pointed out to Orion. "This wizard already knows we're coming. The faster we get there the less time he has to plan for our arrival."

Orion still stood staring fixedly at the bridge. "I agree." He said finally. "But we'll take it slowly. Watching and feeling for traps."

The group proceeded towards the wooden structure. Orion led the way with Voldemort following close behind. Next came Harry, who stayed close to Arabella, with Lupin bringing up the rear. As they started across, Harry could barely bring himself to take each step. One thing he trusted were Orion's instincts. If the man sensed a trap, it was likely a sure bet.

By the mid-way point, Harry couldn't help but feel a certain urgency to hurry and get to the other side. Nor could he deny the hope that this time Orion had been wrong. They were halfway, and nothing had happened. Harry began to breath a sigh of relief.

But just as the group passed the middle, the light that had followed them into the covered bridge disappeared. The group turned about abruptly to find themselves now facing a solid wall of wood where the entrance to the bridge had been.

No one even needed to make the suggestion as all five took off at a run for the other opening. But even as they turned towards it, they found themselves facing a second wall of wood.

"Well," Voldemort stated in a solemn tone, "spot on again, Mr. Black."

But Orion didn't appear to be paying much attention to him. Instead he was glancing about them as though he could hear something, but not see it.

"What is it now?" Voldemort ask.

"This is just the cage." Orion replied with a certain intenseness to his voice. "What's the consequence for stepping into it?"

"Maybe he's planning to try and suffocate us again?"

Orion sniffed at the space around them. "No. There's air getting in. A great deal of it as a matter of fact."

"It's getting hot." Harry pointed out.

Orion looked about them. "He's right. It's getting hotter in here."

Voldemort reached out and touched a hand to the wall closest to them. But he immediately snatched it back. "The walls are hot. And look at the ceiling."

All five directed their attention to the canopy of the bridge. Already the rippling currents of the rising heat could be seen gathering in the rafters of the bridge.

Abruptly Orion grabbed Harry and Arabella and dragged them to the floor of the bridge.

"Down!" He yelled at the others.

Everyone hit the floor just as the roof of the bridge suddenly burst into flames, followed quickly by the walls and spots around them on the floor.

"So," Voldemort stated, "he going to try and burn us alive this time."

"Not if we can use it against him." Orion yelled about the growing roar of the fire that now surrounded them.

"How?"

"He's letting air in to feed the fire. To keep it burning hot enough that we can't get out. We can redirect the air to form a barrier. A type of cyclone, around us."

"But that will draw the fire to us faster." Voldemort pointed out.

"It's bound to be hot." Orion agreed. "The wind will keep the fire circling around us in a tight space, focusing the majority of the hot air inward. It'll build up heat, no doubt. But if we can withstand the heat, the fire won't be able to be in any one place long enough to burn us. And eventually it'll weaken the floor of the bridge and it'll collapse into the river."

Voldemort stared hard at the man next to him. "That's your plan?"

"You have something better?"

Voldemort looked about them. "Not at the moment."

"All right then." Orion stated. "We need to do this together."

Voldemort quickly pulled out his wand and nodded to Orion. The two spoke the spell in unison, and almost immediately, a strong wind began building around them. Harry watched as the fire reacted to the shifting currents. As the wind picked up speed, the fire began bending towards them. Tongues off of the flames were snatched into the circular wind flow and whisk about the five figures in the middle of the chamber. Harry watched as more and more of the fire was pulled into the spinning circle of the cyclone-like wind. He began to feel he now knew what it felt like to be in an oven. The temperature began to rise rapidly, until when he looked around them, all he could see was a bright red wall of flames circling around them.

Just when he felt he couldn't take anymore of the heat and was ready to willing face the wall of fire to the concentrated heat they were trapped in the center of, Harry heard a slight creaking underneath him. He barely had time to register what the noise meant when the floor beneath him gave way.

In an instant the heat of the fire gave way to the cool refreshing feel of the water below as they fell into the river. Harry quickly paddled his way to shore and hauled himself up unto the grassy shore. A hand reached down, grabbed him by the arm and carefully pulled him the rest of the way to his feet.

"Are you all right?"

Harry turned around to find Voldemort standing next to him, looking just as drenched, but unquestionably concerned.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, quickly turning his attention to something other than the man standing next to him. "Where are the others?"

"Harry!" A thankfully familiar voice called out to his left.

Harry turned to see his godmother hurrying towards him. In her wake were Orion and Lupin.

"Are you all right?" Arabella ask, quickly checking him for any cuts.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, getting as quickly to his feet as he could to show her he wasn't hurt. Turning to his right, he caught site of the bridge just as it gave one last creaking groan before collapsing into the river amid a flare up of sparks and hissing as it hit the water.

"Come on." Orion stated as he directed the group away from the riverbank. "Let's keep moving."

Q&A

Silverfox:

Oh, I love the new chapter! Bo is so cute! And you thought this was going to make me worry LESS?(Waldi, keep your hands off the bogart, you hear!)
As for why Waldi would care about the strings attached to Bo's powers: Voldemort: What do you mean we have to obey Talon's call? I'm busy here!
Actually that second one is what I meant by the strings attached: If Voldemort thought he'd control the power, by posessing the bogart, then found himself actually sharing a body with the power which was still under Talon's control ... well, there's your limit right there.
Okay, maybe I should have explained more about the story after all. It's about Draco trying to cope with the fact that he was raped while he's also slowly falling in love with Neville. (Can one fall into something slowly? Even if it is love?) Hence not the kind of rape you'd expect with that pairing. If there are more of those around, please point. I've only ever seen the one. In fact, thanks to NC-17 bann the pairing part of the fic never had time to actually unfold so what really was there was a close look at Draco struggling with the rape and his loyalties, Crabbe and Goyle as distinctive characters and actual friends to Draco, Neville struggling with his self worth and new responsibilities ... Yes, really, if you've seen anything like that around, please point. Doesn't have to have the slash part either to make me happy.

Since I missed you last time, Dear, I felt it was only fair to start with you.

I'm glad you like Bo. He is something of a reader favorite and happily, will be prominent in this story. And keep in mind, it wasn't for nothing that Hershel recommended that Orion take Bo with him on this journey. Hershel knows something, but as that he isn't big into sharing, he didn't tell Orion the whole story. In fact, Hershel is miles ahead of everyone else here. He actually does know what's going on. The wizard's people attacking him was without a doubt the last thing they should have done. And I did state that what little information Hershel did pass on to Orion was just chocked full of little goodies. The down-side, as I said, was that Hershel isn't big into sharing things. And he also saw using what he knew as nothing more than a tool to try and repay a debt.

Indeed, you have a point. Even were Voldemort to somehow get control of Bo, he could never be host for two reasons. One, there can only be one host, which is currently Talon, and two, you have to be a member of the Black family to assume the role of host. And even if Voldemort could make himself a channeler of the 'Power', Bo would still be bound by the parameters of the original spell to answer to Talon first.

Nice theory, but it would never happen. Voldemort could never possess the boggart's body along with the 'Power'. Keep in mind the 'Power' is NOT a physical being. It isn't corporeal, but it is sentient. And currently it has it's nice little happy home in the boggart's body and it likes it there. For the first time in it's very long captivity in our 'realm', it has it's own body. Now, were Voldemort to come along and try and possess that body as he did Sirius', I would think he would be in for one really nasty surprise. He would be trying to overpower something that for all intense and purposes, has no limits. Plus, he would be irritating it.

Consider, he would be trying to take away from the 'Power' the one sole thing in this world that it feels truly belongs to it.

Trust me, in the end, it wouldn't be pretty, folks.

But for right now, Voldemort is still trying to figure out exactly what Bo is.

All I can say, Dear, is go check out THE RESTRICTED SECTION website. I'm sure they'll have something up your alley.

MasterLupin:

Hmm... This new information about the Wizard in the north just threw me far off in my speculation of him. I was thinking someone on Voldemort's age level to be as experienced as he seems to be. But it could be apart of his battle plan, Sun-Tzu says that you must deceive your enemy as to your true strength, to keep him unsure of how to attack you. I think that there are three people who compose the wizard, a figure head, a mage, and someone yet to be determined. I think three only because the tirade has huge literary significance involved with it and is most often found in litterateur. post again soon.

Actually, a lot of readers assumed the wizard in the north to be someone of Voldemort or Dumbledore's age. But no, he's not.

Trust me, the wizard has his copy of Sun-Tzu's Art of War out in front of him and he is studying it hard, as the next chapter will show.

Well, I'm happy to say I was one step ahead of you this time. And you have the right idea, you just have your numbers wrong. This is by no means a power triangle. And even if it didn't suit the story line, I would not have gone that route. Too much like the set up in Hamilton's novels. To which I would add, whatever happened there? What started out as a great series took a side trip into 'Sex in the City' and never quite found it's way out again. The woman seems bound and determined to see just how much kinky junk she can squeeze between the pages of each novel, and tries to outdo herself with each book. I stopped reading the series after about the first five books when it just got too danged bizarre for my tastes.

But I digress.

I do feel the need to reiterate to you, Dear (since you are just so dang good at putting things together, and you almost got me this time,) I will always tell you if you are wrong. I will never tell you if you are right.

In other words, if I don't answer a question, directly address a statement you make or guess you take, you're right!

CelticHeiressFiona:

So glad you enjoyed it, Dear. And stay tuned. There are plenty of twists and turns ahead.

All reviews are as of 01/28/2007.

And remember;

A real friend is the one who walks in when everyone else walks out.