A/N: No, I am not going to do any April Fools thing on you guys. Though I seriously considered indicating this was the last chapter of this story and then putting a nice little 'April Fools' at the very end.

The only problem I had with that, is that everybody who reads the A/N's doesn't always read the end part.

Could have been messy.

But 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 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 FORTY-SEVEN: THE BINDING

Deep in the castle Orion led the remainder of the group carefully through a small conduit that barely afforded each person enough room to move along at a low crouch. They had gone through several such conduits recently, finding out from Orion's boggart that these seemed to be almost completely free of wards and allowed them a greater variety of movement through the castle. Whereas the corridors seemed to only take them where the wizard wanted them to go, the conduits ran through walls, ceilings and under floors. From what Orion had garnered from Bo, where as the corridors seemed to be laid out in strict rigidity, the conduit seemed more like they were designed by a child, with little attention to order. Bumping his head for the tenth time, Orion was seriously beginning to think that the short, narrow pipes were designed by a child, with a child's scale in mind.

After what his back told him was hours had passed in their current pipeline, Orion brought the group to a halt. The group had learned early on that one of the drawbacks of the conduits was that sound traveled extremely well through them, so silence was of the utmost importance. But like any good two-edged sword, it also allowed for sound to travel back to them as well.

Straining to listen, Orion could just pick up the faintest sound drifting down the pipeline from up ahead.

Waving to the rest of the group, they proceeded towards the sound as silently as they could.

Eventually the sound led them to a small grating, which showed that the conduit they were presently in was running through the ceilings of the castle, which now allowed them a clear view of the room they were currently going through.

Gathering around the grating, the group observed the strange scene below.

In the room below were thirteen witches and wizards, all standing in a perfect circle, gathered around a slightly raised dais. Standing on the platform was a figure the group was starting to know all too well.

Dressed in a plain gray robe, Becca seemed to take little notice of the group gathered around her as they chanted non-stop in unison.

Arabella scooted up closer to Orion.

"Sort of an odd religious service. And why would they be worshiping Becca?"

Orion gave the scene a deep frown as he listened to the rhythmic chanting. "Their not." He said after a few moments pause. "They're performing a spell."

Arabella turned to him in surprise. "A spell? What sort of spell?"

The Unspeakable's frown deepened. "They're performing a binding."

"A binding? But what for? And why set it up to look like some weird cult worship service?"

Orion continued to watch the scene below. The chanting had grown in volume as well as in the pace in which it was being repeated. "In answer to the last part of that question, I believe that is solely for Becca's benefit. I doubt she even realizes what's really going on. As to why their performing a binding spell, they've just confirmed my worst fears as to what's really going on here." Orion quickly turned to the others. "We need to find Harry and Voldemort and get out of here."

Lupin looked duly surprised at the man's sudden declaration. "Out? Without finding this wizard?"

Orion turned back to him with a quiet hissed reply. "Don't you get it? The wizard isn't the one we've been looking for. Voldemort had it nearly right all along. He was just missing one vital part of the puzzle." He added, pointing back to the grating. "And that part is what's going on down there. None of those people down there are the one we've been looking for. The one we needed to find, the one we needed to fear, was right in front of us all along."

Arabella stared at him for a moment with wide eyes before turning back to the scene below them. "Becca?" She finally asked in a whisper

Orion nodded. "Becca. And if I'm right about what's going on here, then we need to get out of here now."

But before he could move, Arabella grabbed his arm. "Orion! Wait!" She hissed at him. "Something's happening down there."

Orion turned back to the scene below. Indeed, as the chanting had increased, a thin mist begun to circle about Becca, although she herself seemed completely unaware of anything going on around her. Her eyes shut, she stood with her arms and face raised to the ceiling.

Abruptly, the chant stopped, and on the last, sharp cut word, the mist seemed to encase the figure in the center of the dais. then, with a loud cry from the woman, thirteen columns of light shot outwards from her, a single beam directed at each of the thirteen gathered around the dais. As the light struck each one, it seemed to gather itself around them and eventually fade from view.

Once the last of the light faded, the woman on the platform collapsed into an unconscious heap on the floor.

At first the thirteen seemed to take little to no notice of her as they each simply took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded to each other. But they each quickly focused their attention on one of their number, a tall, black-haired man, as he spoke up.

"Once again, our spell was successful." He stated. "But things have begun to deteriorate with this one."

"Deteriorate?" One of the witch's questioned. "In what manner? The spell worked as it always has. I noticed no difference."

The man approached the dais until he stood over the unconscious form of Becca. "She is becoming defiant. She does not listen to orders and is following her own guidance more and more. Heudros himself told me she defied him today. She allowed herself to be taken by the boy without protest, and later she returned without him."

Arabella drew up closer to the grating, trying to hear the man more clearly, but Orion took hold of her arm and gently pulled her back, quickly shaking his head to warn her to keep quiet.

"But that is so unlike Becca." The woman protested. "She's always been so compliant."

"I told you sending her as an emissary to talk to these fools was a bad idea." Another of the wizards spoke up. "That Auror, Black, has been speaking to her. Giving her ideas. Ones that aren't serving us at all."

Orion smiled at the man's statement. "You haven't seen the half of it yet." He murmured. "This definitely changes things though."

The group watched as the thirteen people below slowly began to file out of the room, still talking among themselves. Orion waited patiently until their voices faded before looking back over his shoulder.

"Bo."

Instantly the dark robed figure materialized next to him, hunched over as it squeezed its taller than average frame into the small space.

"I need to get down there." Orion stated, pointing to the area below them. "Can you do that?"

Without a single move on the boggart's part, the man next to him abruptly vanished, reappearing on the ground below while the others watched.

Orion looked about quickly, then immediately crouched by the collapsed figure on the platform.

"Becca?" He urged her, shaking her shoulder slightly. "Come on. I need you awake for this."

The woman gave a soft moan before pulling herself up. Lifting her head she paused for a moment as she fought to focus on the figure in front of her. But as her vision cleared, she suddenly pulled herself about and scooted back across the dais as far from him as she could get. The look on her face one of pure fear.

"What are you doing here?!" She stated, trying, Orion was sure, for all the world to sound authoritative, but failing miserably.

Orion quickly brought his hands up. "Becca, I'm not going to harm you, all right?" He assured her. "Right now, I know your vulnerable."

The woman quickly brought her hand up, palm open to the man in front of her.

Orion pulled back, bringing up a shield in front of him just as a flash of light erupted from Becca's palm and shot towards him.

"Now that wasn't very nice." Orion said, bringing the shield down again as he watched the woman nearly collapse again from the effort of the spell. "You're exhausting yourself, Becca. Wouldn't it be better to instead just listen to what I have to say?"

Becca brought her head back up, a sneer on her lips. "You are my masters enemy. I shall deal with you as you should be."

This time when Becca brought her hand up, Orion didn't so much as make a single move. But the spell was just as easily deflected, this time colliding with an invisible wall, where it simply was absorbed with little fanfare.

A tower of dark robes materialized next to Orion, a soft trill coming from under the hood as the hands executed several quick gestures.

"She's exhausted." Orion answered. "That's why it had no force."

"Your servant can't keep saving you." Becca stated sharply, the sneer never leaving her face.

Orion answered it with a slight smile. "Oh, I assure you, he can. And he can keep it up a lot longer than you, Becca, I promise."

Next to him, Bo immediately began making several quick gestures, the speed of which conveyed his growing excitement along with the fact he seemed to repeat the same gestures several times. All of which Orion didn't seem to take any notice of at all as he kept his eyes on the woman before him. But when the boggart stopped, Orion tilted his head slightly to him. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know for sure." Was all he said.

The woman's eyes darted back and forth between the two. Then suddenly she flung her hand out again, this time releasing a ball of light that collided directly with the boggart.

Bo jumped back with a slight squeak, folding his arms protectively in front of him as he stared down at the woman. For several moments the boggart simply stood, apparently frozen in place. Then finally, in apparent answer, the trilling came again. But there was a decidedly unfriendly tone to it this time, not entirely like the low growl of a dog.

Orion waved him down. "Bo, I told you, she frightened. She's only trying to protect herself."

The boggart didn't relax it's stance one bit, and the growl grew lower.

"Bo," Orion stated, never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him, "Go back to the others, please."

The growl stopped immediately, replaced by the usual soft trilling.

"I'll be fine." He stated. "I appreciate your helping before, but you're only frightening her more. Go back to the others, all right?"

The boggart remained where it was for several moments, not moving, but then just as abruptly as he arrived, vanished.

Becca watched the entire scene with wide, frightened eyes that she tried to mask behind a stone faced expression.

"You're boggart can't protect you forever." She stated empirically.

"I'm hoping he won't have to." Orion replied calmly. "All I want to do is talk to you, Becca? Will you listen to me?"

Orion fully expected another attack. But instead, after several silent moments, the woman surprised him by slowly nodding.

"Becca," he ask in a low, quiet tone, "do you want to leave your masters?"

"Leave?" Becca ask, as thought the word itself was foreign to her.

"Yes. Would you leave them if you could?" He explained. "Would you rather live your own life instead of being trapped here, forced to use your power to feed these leeches that are trying to control you?"

Becca stared back at him as though she didn't understand a word he said. But her expression quickly shifted back to the sneer she had directed at him earlier. "You will not speak of my masters this way. They are kind to me. They help me. Direct me. Keep me safe."

"They use you." Orion corrected. "They abuse you, abuse your power, and keep you prisoner. I'm offering you freedom from that."

Orion could feel the anger growing in the woman like a tidal wide. The instant before she unleashed it he vanished, the area where he had been crouched erupting into a blast of flying debris.

"Well, someone had a little something left over." Orion stated, once again back where he had been before in the pipeline above the room with the others.

Below he watched as Becca pulled herself to her feet even as she scrambled off the platform, heading off in the direction her masters had taken.

"Lets go." Orion advised. "My guess is she's off to tell the others where we are."

The group moved quickly but quietly further down the conduit. At the first opening, Orion changed their direction and took off down the other pipe, moving as fast as they could to get away from the chamber where the others had been gathered.

After Orion was sure they had put a decent amount of distance between themselves and the chamber, he allowed the pace to slow slightly, giving the others a much needed rest but kept them moving, albeit at a slower pace.

After several minutes, Katlin pulled up next to her husband. "What was going on back there?" She ask. "What makes that woman so dangerous all of the sudden?"

Orion tuned to her with a stoic stare. "You haven't figured that out?" He ask. "Even after what we just saw?"

"I saw a group of witches and wizards sucking the very power out of a poor child." Katlin replied, her voice hardened by the obvious contempt she felt for those involved.

"Oh, you don't need to feel sorry for Becca." Orion answered her, scanning the area ahead of them as they moved on. "I'm sure they didn't even get half of what she's got, and if I'm right, she's got plenty to spare."

Katlin stared up at him. "What is it you think you know, Orion?" She ask.

Orion stepped back, ushering the others by as they moved up the conduit past them. Lowering his voice, he turned back to his wife. "Don't you understand yet who she is?" He ask. "What she is?"

Katlin shook her head in confusion. "'What' she is? Orion, all I see is a scared, lonely woman who is being abused by those holding her."

"The spell they were chanting back there," Orion stated, pointing back to where the chamber was, "I've heard that spell before. Seen it used."

"You've heard it before? When?"

"When Bo taught it to me." Orion stated in a flat, emotionless voice. "It's the same spell he used to make me his channeler."

Q&A

CelticHeiressFiona:

Awesome chapter. Finally, Mr. E (Mystery, sorry couldn't help myself) has a name. So Roland's slightly explained. He's still a little annoying. Also, this side of Becca is interesting. Seeing this naive side of her makes me think. She's really not much more than a puppet. See you next chapter!

Very cute with the name, Dear. Gave PAR a smile.

And as this chapter showed, there isn't one, but thirteen people involved. And there's a reason for that, which comes up later.

Roland's explained? Not by a long shot, trust me. He still has his share of secrets.

I'm sorry he's coming off as annoying. If anything, his primary function was comic relief. Past that, he really does serve a vital function in this story.

Now, there's a lot here I could say in response to what you said about Becca, but as that she's a primary character just now coming into her own in the story, it would sort of spoil it if I said too much. However, based on this chapter alone, you should be able to make several very calculated guesses about Becca's true nature.

Naive? Ummmmm..., yes and no. Depends on the rest of the context in which you're making that statement. Becca is very naive about some things. But not all. She is actually a reasonably intelligent person. It's her circumstances that make her a little unsophisticated, if anything.

MasterLupin:

Well this was a good chapter, I was a little woried that you were plaing on turning Voldemort into someone he couldn't posibobly be, but in the end it wasn't even him. I didn't see that one coming, I like plot twitst like that. Can't wait for your next post.

Now, let's back up a moment. Make sure we're all on the same page as it were.

Voldemort did not 'exit' the story until Harry stepped through the doorway at the top of the stairs. Up until then, you had Voldemort through the whole of the story (such as he was). Just wanted to make sure we were clear on that.

Trying to make him into someone he couldn't possibly be? I though the explanation he laid out was pretty reasonable, minus a few glaring errors that even a fifteen year old could see...oh, wait. A fifteen year old did see them.

Never mind!

Well, thank heavens I managed to surprise you. Don't do that very often. Hope I caught you with the actual number of people involved as well.

And if you like the plot twists, I hope you enjoyed the one in this chapter.

Silverfox:

Heudros ... Wishes she'd had Ancient Greek now.
Ah, I was wondering about that school thing. More about Voldemort losing the wand he'd already handed to James to the ministry wizards, though and how he lost his body in this version of the tale.

Fox, solely...SOLELY because I like you, I'm going to save you a lot of trouble and let you in on a little secret about that name. Heudros is one of those names I came up with by closing my eyes, typing a bunch of letters on the keyboard, then making out of them the best thing I could that vaguely resembled a name you could actually pronounce.

Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, place, or Greek mythological character is unintentional and purely coincidental.

OK, I'll give you the wand thing being a bit vague, but the point there was I had to explain off how it was that it was Voldemort's wand that killed Harry's parents when he was claiming not to have done it.

Never went into the body thing in any real detail. But it was pretty much implied as being the same thing. Got hit by a rebounded killing curse.

Sorry about the name thing. Kinda a let down, huh?

Skahducky:

So is Voldemort (the real one) with the others or is he separated too? How come Roland didn't sense the ward that split them up in the first place? Is Becca under the Imperius Curse or something similar?
I suppose now that they have a name to give the Wizard in the North, they could potentially research some information about him.
Anyway, this is a great chapter! Please update soon!

Now why...why did no one else ask that? If this wasn't Voldemort, and he's not (according to this chapter) with the others, where is he?

Good question, Dear. Let me offer a suggestion to answer that. Did Roland not sense it...or did he already know it was there?

How Becca's masters are controlling her was shown in vague detail in this chapter. But that's not all there is to it. They actually have several leases on her. All of them short.

Actually, they only have the name of one of the wizards. There are, in fact, as this chapter showed, thirteen in all. And there is a reason for that.

All reviews are as of 04/01/2007.

And remember;

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.