A/N: Well, this certainly took forever to get out. Ever since I started working full time I've sort of hit a huge wall creativity wise and I hope this chapter doesn't reflect too much on that. As for the next chapter, I have no expected release date on it...sorry

Chapter 19 - The Interlude Before Adversity

Though Harry wished the moment to linger forever, nothing like that ever worked in his favor. The pressing issue of what needed to be told was upon him and he could no longer delay in its conveyance. Brooklyn was tracing the bruising that was around his wrists with her fingertips, looking at him occasionally to see if he was ready to explain. Part of him didn't want to tell her about what had happened or what had to happen next.

He wasn't about to do the same thing he did last time when it had been Ginny. He wasn't about to let her go, especially after what had transpired. Shielding her from the imminent danger she was now in due to their recent declarations was now the forefront issue. How to keep her safe would be something they would need to decide on together, and it could only be tackled if he told her everything.

She listened attentively as he told her about the entire ordeal. Getting lost, meeting Ron, procrastinating on their departure, the arrival at the graveyard, the ropes that were still there, the Snape and Malfoy fake ambush, and how he never had to go there in the first place.

He was actually surprised when she didn't recoil away from him when he told her that the Dark Mark was now real and instead did the opposite, helping erase what doubt that might have been left in his mind about if she really meant what she said to him…

He continued on with Ron being taken away by Malfoy, how the Death Eaters were probably having a grand time torturing a captured Weasley, and Snape telling him that he now had to return to The Department of Mysteries and somehow find a way in to harness the power behind the locked door. He concluded with Snape drugging and leaving him at The Burrow, but decided to leave out what occurred with Ginny and in the morning since it was already enough information as it was to absorb.

Brooklyn stared at him with a hint of amazement. "I don't know how you handle it all, Harry."
"It's not like I really have a choice in the matter." He said a little dejectedly. "I've been through the angry stage, the pretend nothing happened stage and I'm finally out of the depressed stage…I just don't know what's next."
"I think you've moved into the bitter and cynical phase."
He groaned. "What charming qualities to possess."
"I'm just happy you made it through the depressed stage. Y-you had me worried." She admitted.
He was taken back by this. "There was really nothing to worry about."
"Well, your body language was telling a different story. Ron and H-hermione were worried too."
"I…I had no idea."

The thought of having his best friends worrying over his brooding made him feel terrible. He should've been more open with them, especially Hermione. Though the words had been said out of anger, Ron was right, he had to live with the fact that he had treated Hermione quite poorly during the last few months she was alive.

Brooklyn placed a hand on his arm reassuringly. "She was never mad at you. She just wished she knew how to help you."
"She told you that?" He asked, a sad sense of hopefulness in his voice.
"Well, let's just say I overheard a lot of things."
"Anything I should know?"
"Not really. Unless you want to know how hopelessly in love they were. The romanticism was on the verge of sickening when they weren't arguing."

Harry couldn't help but smile. Tragic as it may have been, at least they had gotten some time together before her abrupt end. She wrapped her arms around his torso, somewhat reminiscent of how Ginny had the night prior. The difference was that he didn't want to peel her off of him.

"Thank you for coming back." She whispered. "I don't know how much longer I could've distracted myself from everything."
"I know…the first holidays are always the hardest. It gets easier, I promise." He said reassuringly. "Come on, we can talk about it in the kitchen, I'm starving…I haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

The long overdue talk that she needed to have, the one that he had deprived her of when they first met and instead shoved her away, was finally had. He wished he had not denied her when she first approached him, for she clearly had been struggling with coping, though she had not let it show until now. She was never one to reveal her weaknesses, to let her pain show and never once did she complain, for she was just appreciative for what she had. He had finally earned the privilege of knowing and he wasn't about to do anything but listen attentively.

Holding her hands in his as she spoke, she confessed her lingering grief that only seemed to get complicated by her avoidance of coping with it. This led to a form of self-hatred for seemingly dismissing the most important figure in her life, leading to regrettable modes of displacing the anger and frustration. He could only apologize for turning her away before, but it would not relinquish the pain in her voice. Tears would brim her eyes on occasion as she tried hard to maintain her composure. He told her it was okay to cry, but she dismissed his comment. It wasn't until the end of the conversation that she finally allowed herself to, albeit short lived.

They sat for quite some time in a relaxed silence on the living room couch, watching the ceaseless snowfall. Despite all that was going wrong, all that could possibly go awry…this one thing was flawless to him, even with all of the apparent imperfections.

Brooklyn broke the silence first, her voice timid as she spoke. "Listen Harry, about the Department of Mysteries…"
He closed his eyes and sighed, wishing that the matter could've just been forgotten for a little while longer. "I don't know how I'm even going to go about getting in. It's not like I can just apparate in there…and then there's the whole wand check. I know I'll be stopped as soon as my wand registers, they'll probably want me for questioning about Ron."
"I've broken into many places before. I've never been caught." She admitted, lowering her head. "I can help you get into the Ministry."
"Is this what you were referring to about things you weren't proud of?"
"Dad never wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He made me promise." She closed her eyes, clearly straining to not lose composure again. "I was just so ill and couldn't afford to go to St. Mungo's, but I knew exactly what I needed. I just waited for the shipment to be delivered…it was so easy."
"I doubt your dad would be upset ove-"
"I kept doing it." She cut him off. "I even managed to lift a key from an employee one day. It was quick money when I really needed it."

Obviously Brooklyn had been involved in stealing and selling pharmaceuticals. He didn't care though, none of it mattered. It was something he made sure to mention in the letter even though he could only venture a guess about what she could've done that she thought was so horribly wrong.

She sighed heavily. "There's a reason why it's so easy though…"
"Wha-" But he stopped himself.

Brooklyn's appearance was changing. Literally. He watched mesmerized as her hair quickly darkened, shortening in length, her body frame altering until his shirt she was still wearing fit her perfectly, an infamous scar forming on her forehead…

He was now staring at a replica of himself, minus the glasses. His carbon copy looked away. This was one thing he had definitely not expected and his silence was testament to it. The look on the duplicate's face grew quite dismal and he had an understanding of why people always ask him if he's doing okay. Before he could even speak, she began to transform back into herself, though her hair now stopped just passed her shoulders – a good three inches shorter than it had been before.

"I needed a haircut…" She said, acknowledging the change.
Harry continued to stare at her awestruck. He had always been fascinated by Tonks' abilities, but his captivation now resided with her. "Metamorphagus…" He murmured dumbly.
She nodded resignedly. "I stopped morphing all together after dad died. I would mostly just change my appearance to steal and I just feel too guilty doing it now."
"You know Tonks is-"
"I know," She cut him off. "She's the only one that knew. I asked her not to tell anyone."
He nodded in response, still surveying her appearance to see if she changed anything else besides the length of her hair.
"Come on, I'm pretty sure I have something to heal that bruising." She said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Once in the extra room, she opened one of her bags. Inside appeared to be a fair amount of medicine, which he assumed was from her last thieve at St. Mungo's. She carefully took out the glass bottles, lining them up as though she was categorizing them. She then pulled out a book from the same bag and started reading it. After reading for a short time, she left the room and returned with a mixing bowl and cup.

As soon as she put the ingredients in she turned to him. "There's sleeping potion here if you ever need it. I would've offered sooner, but you know…"
"Ever considered becoming a mediwitch?" He asked, hoping she would start to grasp the concept that he really couldn't care less that she hadn't told him about this sooner.
A sad smile formed on her face. "I would do it if I could afford the training. And before you even open your mouth, I will not accept anything from you."
He smirked. "But you're my wife."
"Fake wife."
He shrugged. "It was worth a try."
She suddenly appeared ashamed, the reluctance present in her voice. "I don't think you're going to want to stay with someone like me."
"I think otherwise, but why would you say that?"
"Because you deserve to be with someone who is honest with you from the start and isn't just another lowlife blagger who's been with more people than they care to count and regrets every single one."

He looked at her uncertainly, doubts starting to creep back into his mind regarding her feelings toward him. Surely she couldn't be trying to get rid of him already. If she was, it would probably be a new world record for the shortest relationship ever.

"You're not a lowlife blagger." He said firmly. She didn't answer him, but was staring pointedly at the potion she was mixing. He then addressed the latter part of her statement apprehensively. "You regret me?"
"Yes." She stopped mixing the potion and looked to him. "It was all for the same wrong and empty reasons as the rest. I knew it needed to stop when you had perceived it quite differently. It worked for awhile, but then it happened again and you were looking for something I didn't know how to give. I just couldn't seem to stop and I started hating myself for it…it's just one of the reasons I left."
"If I had any idea I was making you feel like that, I would've stopped." He said, somewhat ashamed.
"I know that now." She went back to mixing the potion. "You're also the only one I don't regret, but I think you figured that out by now."

A sense of relief washed over him as the doubts again vanished. The girl was surely going to drive him mad one of these days, she was confusing as hell. She had finally started giving him the pieces to let him figure her out though, so there was still hope for his sanity.

"I understand if your opinion of me has changed and if you want to take back anything you've said to me. I should've been upfront with you about everything. I'm sorry." She said dejectedly while handing him the ready potion she had poured into the cup. "I'm bad news, Harry. Get out of this while you still can."
"No, you're stuck with me now." He swallowed the potion, shuddering at its sour taste.
"Is that a promise?"
"It's a fact."

As Brooklyn was packing up all of the miscellaneous medical products back into her bag, he started to notice that the soreness in his wrists was beginning to subside. Sure enough, the potion was fast acting and the bruising was slowly starting to diminish. One thing was for sure, she definitely had a knack for potions, an ability he certainly did not possess.

Something started to nag at him, something that he had decided to leave out in his relay of information of events to her prior. She had been open to him, despite her concerns of him regarding her in a different manner and possibly leaving. He decided to bestow the same courtesy.

"Since we're being honest with each other, I should probably tell you what happened at the Weasley's…" He trailed off.
"This is about your ex, isn't it?" She asked apprehensively.
He nodded, hesitating momentarily before speaking quickly. "She sort of took advantage of my drugged state last night. I don't know what she was thinking, but after she gave me the sleeping potion she got in bed with me and was…I don't know, getting way too comfortable. Don't get me wrong, she could've done a whole lot worse, but she still shouldn't have, especially since she was under the impression I was married and even took off the ring before doing so. I gave her hell for it when I woke up."
"You know," She started, her eyebrow raised. "I thought you smelled at bit girly when you got back."
"I guess she must have been wearing perfume. Quite frankly, I was way too out of it to notice."
"Good." Her tone clearly letting him know that if he noticed there would've been consequences.
"Was that a tinge of jealousy there?"
"No…" She said quite unconvincingly, crossing her arms.
"Are you sure?" He said with a smirk. "That certainly sounded like jealousy."
"You're pressing your luck…"
"That sounds like admittance to me."
"You're lucky you already drank that potion, otherwise I wouldn't have given it to you."
"Oh, and the rest of the Weasley's think we're married. I was too angry with them at the moment to correct them in the matter."
"They think what…?" A shock expression appeared on her face.
"And Mrs. Weasley definitely doesn't like you because she thinks that I was off getting married while Ron was getting captured."
Somehow her eyes widened a bit more. "What…?"
"The rest of them are just annoyed that they didn't get invited to the ceremony."
"Please tell me you're joking…" She said miserably, a hand covering her face.
"I'm not. I told them to never speak poorly of you again and then I just walked out because I was tired of listening to it. But don't worry, I'm sure Ginny has set them all straight by now since I yelled at her that we weren't actually married after she was telling me to get a divorce."
Her face turned into one of dislike. "So marrying me was a mistake now?"
"According to her, but it's not like we'r-"
"How dare her! She doesn't know me! It's not like I'm sitting here telling you that I thought she was a total head case when I informally met her at that wedding! She better not have said anything else about me or so help me…"

Harry swallowed hard. While Ginny might not be on his good side right now, he rather her not end up dead or injured. His hesitation was too long though, for Brooklyn now had her wand out, pointing right at him.

"What else has she said about me?" Brooklyn demanded.
"Well, it was more uncomplimentary to me, rather than you…"
"Out with it! My patience is limited on matters like this!"
His mind traced back to the reception where Ginny had bluntly called her a whore since she assumed he was hooking up with her afterward. "Okay, maybe it was uncomplimentary to you…" He took a deep breath and told her what Ginny had said about both of them.
She lowered her wand. "Make sure we never properly meet."

Harry nodded, for he had no intention of formally introducing them after that conversation. He could kick himself for thinking, let alone actually acting on the idea of dating his best friend's sister, who is apart of what he considers his secondary family. If he could beat himself to oblivion for it, he would, but Brooklyn would probably do it first. Better yet, he would give Ron the honor of doing it. He deserved it for breaking that unspoken cardinal law between friends.

Speaking of Ron, it was time to work on getting him back….

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Son of a bit-"
"This looks bad." Brooklyn cut Harry off. He threw her a sideways glare. "Okay, maybe bad is an understatement." She corrected.

The following day they made the executive decision to go against the Order and head back to London to scope out the Department of Mysteries. They decided to stop by Diagon Alley first, which turned out to be a rather terrible decision. They quickly found refuge in a darkened alleyway after seeing the first flyer with Harry's picture on it. It turned out that he was now wanted for questioning in the disappearance of Ronald Weasley. However, if you read between the lines of The Daily Prophet and the flyers posted, it was more than obvious that he was the prime suspect in Ron's assumed death. Harry wondered if he could summon his invisibility cloak – which he had unfortunately left behind – from such a distance, but more importantly how long it would take to arrive if he could.

"Have you used the Disillusionment Charm before?" He asked Brooklyn. "I've never tried to perform it, but I will if you don't know it."
She pointed her wand and he felt the odd sensation run through him. "Let's just say I've done this for my dad a fair amount." She said, vague hints of contempt present in her voice.
He nodded in response, quickly realizing she probably didn't see it. "Point taken. Let's get out of here."

Brooklyn wasted no time in leaving the alleyway, Harry holding onto her wrist in an attempt to stay close and not make her stand out in anyway. They were fast approaching the exit when Harry saw someone out of the corner of his eye that he was hoping wouldn't recognize Brooklyn.

Neville Longbottom was standing with his grandmother and looking as if he would jump at any opportunity presented out of the conversation. Though Neville had never seen her in person, he would've surely seen the photographs in The Daily Prophet months ago. But would he remember her was the question. A question Harry already answered considering his run of luck on these matters. Sure enough, Neville took leave of his grandmother at first glance of Brooklyn.

"Neville's approaching from the left." Harry hissed lowly as his gripped her wrist tighter. "He's a friend of mine, he'll be asking questions."
"Hey!" Neville's voiced sounded. Brooklyn sighed heavily and quickened her pace. "Hey! Wait!" Neville caught up, almost running into Harry as he stepped in front of Brooklyn. "Sorry to bother you." Neville said, pausing to catch his breath. "You're Harry's girlfriend, right?"
Brooklyn was staring at Neville like a deer in headlights, while conveniently placing her hand over the one with the ring that she still had on.
Neville was observably becoming more awkward as her silence persisted. "I, umm, or not?"
Brooklyn continued to say nothing and stared at the ground.
"I just want to know how he's doing is all." Neville said dejectedly. "Nobody's heard from him and I just…everyone's thinking the worst and I figured maybe you would know something, anything. I-I'm sorry to have bothered you." He hung his head and turned away.
After Neville took a few steps, Brooklyn went and caught his arm. "Don't think the worst."
Neville stared blankly before her vague statement seemed to register and he smiled in response. "Thank you."

Brooklyn turned back around and was biting the corner of her lip. Harry said nothing and took hold of her wrist again. He was actually smiling at her obvious worry about what she had just said to Neville. Quite frankly he could care less. He planned on making an appearance in the very near future.

Turning himself in to the man designated to interrogate him at the Ministry was certain to make headlines…

Missing from that headline would be the fact that his interrogator would be a Metamorphagus.