A/N: I would like to take the chance to thank one of my anonymous reviewers, Lisa S, who pointed out a few inconsistencies that even I noticed when I read back over everything. I am looking into correcting a few things, bar one that cannot be changed now. And to another anonymous reviewer, rune, thankyou you very much for understanding the reasoning behind one of my plot points!

Oh, and thankyou to everyone, in particular Gabriel Dragonheart and magickmaker17 (and yes, I do feel honoured!), who corrected me on my use of 'Schizophrenia' instead of 'Multiple Personality Disorder'. I was a little weird due to no sleep and way too much caffeine, so I didn't pick up on my misuse until the first review came through mentioning it.

Countdown to Ronald Bilius Weasley's Demise--Four Chapters

This chapter has very little Harry in it and is Mere-centric. Hope you enjoy it though as I need to explain a few things through the character my wonderful beta, Jess, helped influence. Onwards!

Chapter Twenty One-- The Order of The Phoenix

It wasn't as if Mere had never lied in her life, she'd perfected the art of twisting and disguising the truth at the tender age of seven, but her lies, and her ability to do so, now felt like more of a burden than ever before. She could make this all easier for Harry, help him exact the revenge they all wanted on Dumbledore. But it would be her who was facing danger every time she stepped near the foolish old coot.

Sitting there, in that office, trying to ignore the stares of past headmasters, she tried to focus on something else, something unrelated to all this. Her eyes landed on the empty portraits of the four Founders and the insane urge to smirk was suddenly clawing at her, because the Founders refused to stay put, even after they had forced Dumbledore to allow the Durmstrang students their own dorms. She pulled all of her childhood training forward, refusing to acknowledge the shiver at the memory of her parents.

Her childhood had been cold, with distant parents who cared more for their pureblood status than for the happiness of their only child. Not that they needed worry anymore; they had her younger brother, Adami, to mould. She felt sorry for the little four-year-old, not that she had ever met him, but she could fathom a guess at what he was experiencing right now. It still made her grimace when people reacted to her last name. Swiner. In France the Swiner family held a good deal of sway with politicians both muggle and Wizarding, not that they'd ever admit to even being near to worthless beings like muggles.

Honestly. Her parents were rather shallow in that way.

But despite any memories of an unloving childhood and obsessively pure-blooded parents, she was proud of her heritage. Not that she couldn't be a down right bitch if someone was to bad mouth anything to do with her family. Although, she'd been disowned, hadn't she?

"So," Dumbledore said as he steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them, peering over half moon glasses and twinkling his stupid blue eyes at her. "You claim to have information regarding the safety of a member of my Order?"

My, weren't we arrogant. Withholding the need to smirk once more, she answered him in a calm, yet clearly worried voice. "Yes, Dumbledore. I may not like you very much, but I'm not going to ignore the fact that I could save a life."

He watched her silently a moment. "What is this information?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "One of your Order members has been targeted by the Dark Lord. And I don't call him that for any reason other than the fact that I respect his power. I'm not Dark, so please, please believe me."

It looked as if the pleading tone, sincere eyes and the possibility of life saving information was working in her favour. When Dumbledore spoke again, his voice was kind, leaning towards grandfatherly. "My dear girl, I do trust you on your views to Voldemort; no one can deny he is powerful. But, we have dealt with him targeting and attacking members before, this shouldn't be too difficult to avoid. Now, tell me the name?"

She felt a vague brush of something along the shields of her mind and smirked behind them. He should know that every student who stepped into the winding maze-like walls of Durmstrang needed to have some skill in Occlumency and Legilimency, or they would go mad from the constant probing of the teachers. And it wasn't bad, not at all, because some witches and wizards naturally wanted to know everything about the so-called School of the Dark Arts, and so alumni were targeted wherever they went. It was handy to keep the secrets of the school from the general public.

Frowning, she replied, "But this isn't just Him doing it. He's contracted the best Assassin the Guild can spare at the moment!"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, fingers stroking along his long white beard. The witch before him was quite obviously distressed and she had come forward willingly. It would always be good to have someone so close to Harry. "And who might this Assassin be?"

It was crunch time. She could either back out and claim that she didn't have any information and that this was all a misguided prank, or she could put Harry in more danger. But he was risking himself protecting them, even if the Council was the reason they were even here. His shields wouldn't hold up much longer if he kept directing so much power into protecting them. Not that it mattered that they were no longer in the Hogwarts dorms. They were still in danger here.

She couldn't back out. So Mere chose the hardest choice. "Grey Shadow."

Dumbledore seemed shocked and maybe Mere got a little more satisfaction from that then she should have, considering the situation and everything, but the stupid bastard needed a good shock or two, preferably one that gave him a killer of a heart attack.

"One the Members of the Council? I was given the impression that he was not on the side of the Dark…"

"He's not," she said as quickly as she dared. "My cousin, Lonah, says that he accepts contracts from both sides of the war, but he'll only do it if there's a good enough reason."

He frowned at her. "You are getting this from the Werefolk representative?"

"Oui."

"And why is that she is telling you such things?"

So, yet again, Mere was going to have to do something she hated. Only this time it mainly had to do with her. "Lonah accidentally turned me when I was twelve. My parents are seriously against any mixing of creature blood, so I was kicked out." She shrugged. "I guess she feels bad, or something."

Dumbledore nodded. "Why is it you are telling me this, Miss Swiner?"

She frowned slightly, enough to give a confused expression, and besides, it helped alleviate the anger she was feeling at the moment. "Look, despite your obvious belief that we are all Dark and on His side, some of us just want to survive. I'm a wereleopard, and I freely tell you that," Not really, but it would help. "Because I have done nothing wrong and I'm not siding with the first person who claims to be able to free my own kind."

"Who is the member being targeted?"

"Some guy called McDougal. Apparently he found something important out about the Dark Lord. I'm guessing that if you don't know what that is, then he's yet to figure it out himself. Even I would put a contract out on him if he knew something about me and I was in His position."

Dumbledore nodded, still gazing at her over his glasses. His eyes were beginning to twinkle even more now, they had stopped for a brief moment when she'd mentioned Grey, and she was sorely tempted to just rip them out herself. The full moon was the very next day and she was in no mood to be dealing with him. She was doing all this for Harry though; he'd helped her out for the seven years they'd known each other.

Harry was, to the members of their odd little pack, a godsend. His ability to tap into the magical aura given off by their Were halves allowed him to keep at bay the more violent dispositions of the creatures. In fact, if he hadn't been doing that, they would all be suffering like Remus was. Even though Harry viewed his Godfather as if he was his true father, he was unable to keep control over the werewolf. Remus was a beta in his own pack, so Harry's wolf half refused to allow his Hecatamus half to involve itself in any way other than being a part of Remus' familial pack. It was confusing, because everything about Harry was divided in an oddly even way. His personality, for one, was mostly influenced by his Hecatamus half.

Unless, of course, one considered the way the alpha wolf had wanted so badly to attack Ron and his friends after the incident with the twins…

"Well, Miss Swiner, I must say that I am surprised that you have come to me with this information. I must thank you for it."

She nodded. "I don't want this war to continue any longer." She sighed and fidgeted nervously. Merde, she was good at this. "I just…well, the two sides…"

"Yes?"

"I don't believe His side can win," Even though she knew they would. "But the Light isn't going to accept people like me, are they? I'm a wereleopard, it makes me Dark by default."

She managed to make herself look glum; bringing forth the sadness she felt every time she caught a glimpse of Harry's shields. They were cracking, faster than Tom could help repair them. The sooner this whole thing ended, the sooner Harry would be able to take the time to fix them himself. During the time in which Harry had refused his bond to Tom, those cracks had turned into fissures, and they stretched over the shimmery magic, crisscrossing and making it look like some sort of muggle children's game. And it wasn't like they were going to stop. For the rest of Harry's life he would be dealing with them, always struggling to keep his chaotic Inner Magic from affecting the world around him.

"My dear girl, some can be different."

She looked up, pasting a curious look on her face while she inwardly cringed. "But…how can I do anything to convince people of that?"

And here was the big test. Harry needed instant access to the Order of the Phoenix. The Weasley Twins could get him more than he needed, but it took longer than he was willing to wait. If she could get into the Order, while Dumbledore thought of her as an inside spy to the Guild Council, than Harry would know the names and current locations of all the ones he could target and pick off. She just needed this old fool to be convinced.

"You can aid the Light, by joining the Order of the Phoenix."

And there it was. She quickly reigned in the need to gloat and blinked. "The Order? Aren't you guys the ones that fight against the Death Eaters? You know, saving people?" Not to mention killing or incapacitating those who refuse to think your way. "How could I possibly aid you?"

"If I was to induct you into the Order, Miss Swiner, you could use the information you gain from your cousin to help us in our fight. The Council constantly meets to share the information between the Guilds, which means that the Werefolk representatives would hear a great many things." He looked at her, peering into her amber eyes. "Are you willing to use your own family member to further the Light?"

No, but it wasn't as if she really was going to be doing anything to harm Lonah. "Yes. The quicker I'm free of this stigma, the quicker I can actually live life. But what do I do now?"

He gave her a smile, full of calculations and nothing warmer than a block of ice. "Tonight I will take you with me to a meeting, so that you may be inducted. You must be aware that we will have to test your integrity, so if you have any doubts…"

"I do not," she said it as quickly as she dared. "How could I?"

He nodded, his eyes twinkling even more and she really wanted to hex them out, or maybe even cut them out, very slowly. "Very good, my dear girl. Now, perhaps you should return to your classes?"

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Mere entered the DADA classroom and instantly felt the crackling of Harry's magic. Scowling at the smirk on said teens face, she walked over and slapped him on the back of the head. "What are you doing!"

Harry frowned up at her. "Amusing myself?"

"With your magic going haywire?"

He raised one finger and said, "Hogwarts' magic, Mere, not mine."

She batted the finger away and glared at him. "You shouldn't make it so obvious." She then turned to glare at Darren who shrank away from her. "And you should keep him from making himself a target!"

Darren blinked, gold and brown warring in his eyes. "Well, you see…"

She raised an eyebrow, amber eyes narrowed. "No, I don't see. What was so important that you forgot?"

Marci sighed and tugged her down beside her, pointing to a stiff and pale Ron Weasley. "He's busy terrifying Weasley. Apparently he really doesn't like spiders."

"Really?" She turned back and peered at the red head. She snorted when she saw the small black creatures scampering all over the desk. "Joy, let's set his bed up with a big one!"

Harry rolled his eyes, even as he kept his concentration on his current toy. "Wonderful, Mere, just give the damn castle another idea." He shivered, finally turning to look at her with a curious expression. "How'd it go?"

Snorting, she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "He's taking me to an Order meeting tonight, wants me inducted into it as quick as possible. But he said something about testing my integrity, which I know won't go down too well, what, with my anti-Light sentiments and all."

He shrugged. "Won't really matter. As far as Fred and George can tell, more than half the Order have Dark tendencies, they just prefer the Light side. You shouldn't have much of a problem, but I can still put a shield up in your mind if you want."

Mere peered at him, scrutinising the way his skin was a shade or two paler than usual, the dark circles under his eyes and the way his eyes held a slightly glassy look. She shook her head, "No, Harry. Whatever it is you've started to do, I won't add to it."

He blinked and sighed, biting his lip a little. "I failed every one, you know that?" He watched as she sat beside him and he rested his head on her shoulder, taking comfort in his beta. "Here I am, putting you all in danger, and I didn't even think to plan ahead, or even try to anticipate Dumbles' possible moves. I let people get hurt."

She sighed and picked one of his limp hands up, fingers tracing over a myriad of scars she remembered witnessing. "You're not a Spy Harry, or a Mage. You're not used to having to worry about others while you work, so it's okay. No one has been seriously hurt, beside yourself, and none of us are going to hold anything against you. Some of us wanted in on this war, and you have the means to give us a way."

He nodded, though she could feel slight tremors going through him. "No one else is going to get hurt, I promise you that. I'll get him back for what he's done to us, for making this happen, for putting all of our families in danger because of their own views. I promise he'll pay."

Mere tightened her hold on his hand. She knew Harry would do it. She knew that the guilt from not protecting them would claw at him. She could only hope what she was doing would help him in finishing this.

Harry wasn't going to last much longer if it couldn't.

HPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLVHPLV

Mere wrinkled her nose and wrenched her hand away from the grubby looking sock the minute the world stopped spinning and her feet were firmly on the ground. Throwing Dumbledore a look of utter disgust, she drew on all of her pure blooded pride and raised her chin a little, sniffing at her surroundings. The manor the Order was situated at was located within Scotland and if she had to hazard a guess, she'd say it was fairly close to Hogwarts. But she could feel the hum of magic all around her, even as she gazed up at the ancient building. Several muggles wandered passed, not one even glancing at them. So it was the Fidelius Charm.

How predictable.

She turned her eyes to Dumbledore and decided that playing some simpering witch, let alone a cowering feline, was not what she wanted to do more than once. "You people actually live in this hovel?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly and she could feel the leopard within her hiss in annoyance. Thanking whoever had given Harry the sense to focus on clamping down her Were half, particularly tonight, she mentally steeled herself and focused on what he was saying, instead of how badly she wanted to rip his eyes out.

"It looks quite nice on the inside, Miss Swiner. We care very little for outward appearances. This house cannot be viewed by any but those allowed within, and who have been given the key by the Secret Keeper."

Mere snorted. She had been shown a worn piece of parchment with 'the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Crystal Manor, Scotland', but she hardly considered this a worthy secret. "Didn't you ever hear that appearances are everything?"

He gave a loud laugh and she glared at him, following him up the path reluctantly. The old wizard was wearing purple robes with bright yellow ducks, or at least, they looked like ducks. She wasn't entirely sure of his sanity when it came to fashion. No, scratch that, she wasn't sure of his sanity at all. The large double doors, once ornately decorated, if what she remembered was correct, were pulled open by a dumpy looking witch with a shock of orange tinged red hair. Mere blanched as she was reminded strongly of Ron. Then again, the woman had warm brown eyes and if she focused more on the witch rather than that bastard, she actually reminded her of Ginny.

When she entered the foyer, she groaned loudly, "What have you guys done to this place?!"

Crystal Manor, from what she remembered during the drilling pureblood family education in her childhood, had belonged to the Arelas family. They had held a great deal of power and sway over the political climate in their hey day, but that had declined when they could no longer have children and began adopting orphaned kids. They hadn't stuck to purebloods and in the days where Muggleborns numbered in only the double digits that meant they were shunted and exiled from the political aspect of the Wizarding world. But this manor had once been richly decorated, gaining its name from the chips of pure crystal embedded about the place, making the light bounce off every surface and effectively lighting up any area.

Now, however, there was a feeling of gloom about the house. The walls were washed white with dancing images of phoenixes and the furniture was plain and ordinary. The crystal shards were nowhere to be seen and it broke her heart to know that they could destroy such an honourable home.

The red haired witch blinked at her and made a light clucking noise. "We merely cleaned it all up. Now, be a dear and make your way into the kitchen, I think the others could use some help while I speak to the Headmaster. Just through there, that's a dear."

Mere shrank from the woman's touch, glaring at her as she was shoved through a door, which slammed shut on her heel. Wincing, she lifted burning amber eyes to the people about the kitchen. She wasn't too surprised to see Daniel there, and her lips curled into a sneer when she caught sight of Ron, but there was a myriad of seventh year Hogwarts students.

And all of them had their wands pointed at her.

"Oh, for merde's sake!" She whipped her wand out and flicked it, a faint brown shield springing up against her as the first curses went flying. With a sigh she waited for several minutes until they paused, obviously trying to find a spell to penetrate her shield. Not that they would find one, since the shield she was using was one Remus had dug up from the library in Durmstrang and required particularly Dark curses to break it. "Put those damn wands away!"

Daniel blinked. "Why are you here?"

Rolling her eyes, she thought she might as well keep up the pretence of not liking the wizard. But when she thought about, she didn't like him much anyway. "I'm here, because Dumbledore brought me here."

A boy with a Hufflepuff crest on his robes blinked at her. "Why would Dumbledore bring you here?"

"She obviously didn't come quietly, no Death Eater would even step near the Order voluntarily."

"Funny," she wrinkled her nose, cancelling her shield. "I could have sworn Master Snape had the Dark Mark."

"He's a spy for us." Ron was puffing her chest out and she thought that maybe a pin would pop the desperate attempt to inflate his ego. "And he's not a 'Master' of anything. He's just a slimy git."

Raising an eyebrow, she shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "He's a Master of Potions you stupid idiot! By Morgana, anyone would think that your lack of actual brain cells was caused by your hair!"

"Hey!"

Mere turned to see Ginny glaring at her from near the sink. "Oh," she said with a slightly apologetic look, she did like the girl after all. "Sorry, Ginny. I don't include you in that same category."

The witch shook her head. "Well, alright then. Ron can be a git sometimes."

The door behind Mere opened and she was pushed forward by a dark skinned Auror who narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you?"

Mere blinked as he raised his wand and she stifled the need to scream. "Je m'appelle Mere Swiner, et vous?"

The wizard gripped his wand tighter. "Do not patronise me, girl."

She gave in to the need to roll her eyes and snorted, "Oh Merlin, don't tell me you people don't even speak a few words of French?"

"Answer the questions you are asked in the language they are asked."

"Oh no! You people are not taking away my heritage. You have French families here for fucks sake!"

She only just jerked out of the way of the faint purple spell he sent at her and her wand was whipped up and her own spell sailing towards him before anyone could do a thing. A flick of her wand and the brown shield surrounded her as a barrage of stupefy's were let loose. She watched in a detached fashion, and a little bit of morbid curiosity, as the dark wizard hunched over in obvious pain. Thinking back, she was able to identify the non-verbal spell he sent her way as a borderline Dark curse, one that was designed to make your eyes burn if you so much as looked at someone who bled Light magic.

She growled and the low sound echoed around the silent room. "Fucken Auror's. All of you lot are exactly the same! I was brought here by Dumbledore to help you lot! Not to get attacked by idiotic schoolkids and harebrained Auror's!"

Her Were half was clawing at the barriers Harry had placed in her mind, and she winced as the shield pulled strength from her own Core. That had been her own idea, so that Harry wasn't forced to siphon magic he could use for something else. Narrowing her eyes, she flicked her wand and the door slammed open, just missing the Auror, and she stormed out.

Her own aura was visible for all to see and it took a conscious effort to keep the darker aspects of her magic hidden. So it appeared to be a swirling mix of browns, golds and blacks. She glared at Dumbledore and the red haired witch, "So sorry to say this, but your Order is made up of delusional fuckwits."

The witch gasped, "Language, young lady!"

Mere rolled her eyes, the amber sparking in anger. "Oh pousser le, vous âgé sorcière."

Dumbledore frowned, the twinkle dying down in his eyes. "Miss Swiner, just what has occurred?"

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was as much for Harry as it was for her. She wanted in on the fight, and she could bring down this old coot faster if she went through with tonight. "First off, the kids you got in there? Idiots, the lot of them. I walk in and what do you know? They start firing spells off at me, weak spells by the way and I really think they should expand their repertoire, I doubt the Dark Lord and his cronies," Here's to hoping Tom would never hear that. "are going to stick to soft hexes. Oh! And that Auror who went in?"

"Auror Shacklebolt?"

"Mhmm, he needs to learn to respect other peoples countries. French isn't an insult. He asked for my name, he got my name. I'm so sorry that he's so thick headed that he can't comprehend the fact that French is my first language!"

The red haired witch blinked, her mouth open in a shocked 'o'. Dumbledore nodded, a grave look in his eyes. "I am afraid, Miss Swiner, that you may encounter this a fair bit. Not since the first war have we accepted an individual considered Dark by blood."

"I know. Remus told us about his time in the Order. But if anyone so much as looks at me wrong tonight, so help me, I may just rip their--."

"ENOUGH!!"

Mere blinked and turned to see a furious pair of red haired twins. A familiar set of twins. "Oh, not you two!"

Fred and George threw her a dark look, before they began to speak. "You know--."

"When we came tonight--."

"We weren't expecting to hear--."

"How a witch from Durmstrang--."

"Intended on mutilating our fellow members--."

"But then again--."

"We didn't expect them to be attacked either!"

Mere groaned, "oh sweet Merlin, I had enough of that at your stupid joke shop!"

Fred grinned widely at her, ignoring the way the red haired witch was suddenly looking rather fond of Mere. "Deary me, Mere, you sound like you really mean that!"

Her nostrils flared and her amber eyes narrowed just a little more. "I do, you nitwit!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Ahem, perhaps we should make our way into the meeting? I believe we have students who need to sleep tonight, else they not make their way through the day tomorrow!"

As she was led into the supposed meeting room, Mere couldn't help but feel a little more depressed at the apparent 'make over'. She knew that this room had once been the main ball room, and it should have been the most decorated, since it would have been seen more than the rest of the house, but it had been washed out in white as well. If these people didn't get over their fascination with white…

A large golden statue of a phoenix with its wings spread was the only decoration in the entire room. It towered over them all and small pieces of ruby had been set to create the image of glittering eyes. If she had to guess, she'd say that there was some sort of spell in them, probably designed to record any 'Dark' beings. But, she couldn't sense or pinpoint anything to do with obscure, subtle of hidden spells. She suddenly wished Harry was here to check things out for her.

The twins led her over to a seat, taking one on either side of her, which caused her to raise an eyebrow at the act. Fred leaned over and whispered into her ear, "We don't trust people here, best to stick with those you know."

She shivered, even as her nostrils flared and the odd scent that was pure Fred filled her senses; citrus and vanilla. It was an odd combination, but Harry said that Tom smelled like winter breezes and cinnamon to him and Harry loved winter itself and cinnamon donuts so it made sense. She loved mandarins, and adored the smell of vanilla anything. Merde, how was she meant to concentrate with her mate sitting so close to her?

Dumbledore smiled around at the group assembled, made up of both adults and seventh year students eager to fight. "This meeting was origionally called to discuss the possibility of enlisting the aid of one of the most prominent Assassins, and recent information has made this all the more important." He turned his gaze to a dirty blonde wizard who was watching him with slightly fanatic eyes. "McDougal, we believe that your life has been targeted due to some information you may possess."

The man blinked, before his eyes widened comically and Mere withheld the need to snort. "What?"

Dumbledore turned to Mere and nodded to her, obviously wanting her to explain. With a slight scowl, she sighed, wishing more than ever that she could be preparing for tomorrow with everyone else. "Apparently, the Dark Lord believes you have information regarding something which is important to him. He put a Contract out on you, specifically asking for Grey Shadow to be the one to complete it. My cousin, Lonah, said that the Assassin agreed and is more than likely planning your imminent demise as we speak."

Ron narrowed his eyes at her from across the table. "And why should we trust you?"

Mere opened her mouth to tell him where he could shove his trust because he wasn't even worthy of life, but Dumbledore cut her off. "Miss Swiner is to be inducted into the Order once this meeting is over. Her willingness to gather and use this information for the greater good will benefit the Light. She is trustworthy, Mister Weasley."

The rest of the hour long meeting was more than a bore for her. All they talked about was the movement of the Death Eaters, and where they thought Tom's headquarters could be. She almost laughed when they said he would never situate himself within the old Riddle manor, since he had abhorred everything to do with his muggle father. Maybe that was why he'd actually done it; no one outside of the Assassins Guild even knew, and that was only because Harry had gone on a merry Death Eater spree when he was fifteen.

At the end, Dumbledore once more brought up the subject of Grey. "I am going to request the Assassins Guild Master to allow us to have a meeting with Grey Shadow. If we can gain his help, perhaps we can stop him before he completes his current mission." Most of the adults nodded their heads and he looked pleased with himself. He then gestured to a door along the wall behind the phoenix statue. "If the older members and Miss Swiner could please make their way into the room behind me, we can complete the initiation. Everyone else, have a pleasant night."

Mere wrinkled her nose and stood, following along after Fred, who had apparently argued his way into the room. The room she was led into was a soft neutral grey colour, lit with flickering torches and floating candles. There was a dais in the middle of the room, where a golden perch sat to the side. On that perch, was a beautiful red and gold plumaged phoenix, whose burning eyes focused on her the moment she stepped through the door. It was unnerving, and she was reminded of the way Solisa would stare at her whenever she'd tried to nick something from Marci's trunk.

Dumbledore waved a hand towards the phoenix, who gave a disgruntled trill. "This is Fawkes, he is the only one who can determine whether or not a potential member should be allowed within our folds."

She stared at the wizard in disbelief. A fucken turkey was going to decide? Oh, how was she supposed to convince Dumbledore's familiar that she wasn't Dark?

Does it matter what you are, long as the intent is true?

She tried not to jerk as the soft, musical voice filled her mind. She blindly allowed herself to be led forward, to kneel on the dais beside the perch. But if the intent is different to those around? What of that?

It is the intent I judge, not the reason or the choice.

And if the intent is skewed?

Then the individual is refused.

Mere looked up at the phoenix, not believing that this creature could even understand. She was Dark, and it was an accepted fact. Then refuse me.

Your intent is not skewed.

It is different to that of your Master.

Dumbledore is not my Master. He is a means to an end.

And what end is that?

Not the one you think I want to come about. You are tied to a Hecatamus; his magic is tied around you.

And what of it?

The Hecatamae are Light creatures. They are pure in the efforts they give, and their intents are never skewed. They choose their clan members carefully, for they are the ones who give them the power to fight back.

Clan members?

You are his family.

But Remus and Lily--.

Are his mother and his godfather. Not his family.

I don't understand. How can they not be?

He does not protect them as fiercely as he does you. I have seen the others of his clan, and the magic is around them, but there are only a select few that are protected so greatly.

He expends magic on us? I told him not to, he needs all he can get.

It is not the magic you think it is. This is not External Magic. A Hecatamae can only control the chaotic nature of their Inner Magic when directed at their mates or clan members.

Mere blinked, her mind whirling as she tried to understand how Harry could even use his Inner magic without it harming him. But how?

I will show you.

The world suddenly tilted and her eyes fell closed as she saw herself, Marci, Darren and Harry. Harry seemed to be muted, the colours around him swirling in a sluggish fashion.

That is the effect of the drain this task has caused him.

The cracks.

Yes.

She looked at herself and saw the way her own aura was tied to Harry's by a single strand of magic, but that the myriad of colours that signalled Harry's magic seemed to swirl just above hers. A glance at Marci and Darren showed the same thing. Harry's magic wrapping around them, ready to deflect and defend.

Look closer.

She frowned, the feeling oddly detached, and peered at Harry. Her eyes widened and she gave a mental gasp, surprised at what she saw. The magic linking them to Harry was not coming from the muted aura around him, which signified his use of external magic, but from the rich colours that were crackling beneath it. Oh Merlin, you were right!

The image faded and she was left staring at the phoenix, who looked oddly smug. Of course. Your intent is to end this war as fast as possible, and to help aid Harry in his task?

Yes, of course. No one likes a war.

Then you are accepted. Fawkes spread his wings and trilled out a beautiful melody, which made Dumbledore smile down at her, along with twinkling eyes. Be wary of the one called Merrick. He is in Dumbledore's graces, and is likely to attack Harry out of spite.

I will.

Mere was gestured at and she stood, amber eyes glowing fiercely. Over an hour had passed in her conversation with Fawkes, and barely two hours remained until the clock struck midnight. Her and the pack would be struggling after that to contain their Were halves, and Harry would bear the brunt of the struggle. She didn't want to be expending any energy that was not required of her; she needed to help Harry in keeping the leopard within her contained.

She turned and fixed her sharp gaze on Dumbledore, the old wizards eyes twinkled even more and it took all her training not to snarl at him, before switching it to Fred. The Spy inclined his head slightly, though his bright eyes remained fixed on hers, steady, a plain refusal to back down. Her leopard purred within her, content in the knowledge that though her mate did not know of what he was to her, he would not refuse her. Amber eyes flicked back to Dumbledore and rage burned within her at the smug look on his face. He believed she would be a way of getting near to Harry, even as Grey. As long as he didn't realise that they were the exact same person, she had no problem in manipulating the old fool.

"May I leave now?"

Dumbledore gave her a grandfatherly smile. "Yes, of course Miss Swiner. Do you require a portkey?"

She glared at him, refusing to act subservient in any way. "No. I can Apparate back to Hogwarts on my own." Flicking her eyes back to Fred, she gave a small smile, "Au revoir."

Without even waiting for any of the members to point out where it was safe to Apparate from, she closed her eyes and pictured the Durmstrang common room before she vanished with a light 'pop'.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to Harry staring at her unblinkingly. In fact, she was pretty sure he wasn't even paying attention to her at all. "Harry?"

The emerald eyes flickered and turned ruby red, before they looked up at her. He stood, but the way he moved wasn't as graceful as usual, and his mannerisms had changed. "Miss Swiner."

Mere blinked. "Tom?"

He sighed and shook his head. "It is always curious when you call me by that name, I believe you and Harry may be the only ones."

She shrugged, "Marci and Darren do it as well. The rest of the pack prefer to respect your wishes."

"Indeed." He waved her down onto a seat opposite him where he sat before the fire. "Please, I need to question you about how you intend to make it to the Greyback territory without alerting Dumbledore. He is aware of your true nature now?"

"Yes. But I'll be going the same way as before." With a frown, she plucked a piece of fluff from her jeans, before glancing back up at him. "You know, it's unnerving to see Harry's face, but your eyes and mannerisms. Never mind the voice."

He gave a small smile. "Harry has retreated for the moment. When this conversation is over, I will ensure he is safely within his bed, before removing myself."

She nodded. "I don't think Dumbledore believes me to be a risk here. Maybe he's under the assumption that only werewolves are the most dangerous of the folk, or maybe he believes Harry will ensure student safety. Either way, it works for me."

"You are not concerned?"

Amber eyes flared in anger. "Of course I am concerned! That meddling old fool has done more damage to the entire fucking world than any Light Lord before him! He makes you look like a fluffy kitten!" Almost instantly her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. "Oh, merde."

A low chuckle echoed about the room. "Perhaps, Miss Swiner, it would be wise to retire?"

Mere swallowed and nodded emphatically. "Oui."

A/N: For anyone curious, Mere says 'oh shove it, you old hag' to Molly Weasley. I used an online translator so if it's wrong, not my fault!

And, oh my god, everyone look at the word count! Over 100,000 words for this story!