As in Foxes Fate, sorry for the delay. I lost a bit of momentum, and then Christmas hit, so...on the other hand, two updated stories in as many days. Woo. Success.
I am not the owner of Harry Potter. A real blow to my bank account.
Enjoy.
Theia didn't immediately follow up her statement, instead conjuring several sets of thin ropes that she tied around Orion. As a final touch, she conjured and added a cloth gag.
"Why not just use a Silencing charm?" Sarah asked, confused. Theia didn't look at her.
"Because Lament has skills that Orion doesn't, and I don't want to risk one of them being wandless magic. Lament can be quite…well. From what I understand, he's quite talkative, but not in a nice way."
"You mean you've never met him? I thought Lament was…like…Orion's split personality or something?"
Theia looked taken aback.
"Yes." She murmured. "I can see how we gave that impression. Sit down, Sarah- this isn't going to be easy to hear."
Theia pointed Sarah to a chair, and she sat without much hesitation, mind whirling as Theia woke Orion…Lament. She said some words that Sarah couldn't hear as Lament squirmed, then walked back to Sarah, who was starting to lose patience.
"Talk." She said, a little harshly. Theia gazed at her with troubled grey eyes, then nodded.
"I suppose I had better start from the beginning. Voldemort hitting Orion with the Killing Curse."
"You said that The Horcrux protected him from it." Sarah said flatly. Theia closed her eyes and nodded slightly.
"We did. But Horcruxes don't…they don't work like that. Orion should have died. Did die. But then…Voldemort had ruined things when he took Orions blood for his resurrection. Effectively, Voldemort made himself into a pseudo Horcrux, one that lasted long enough for Orion to return to life, since the Killing Curse doesn't damage the body. But…he didn't return alone."
"The spirit shard." Sarah whispered, feeling ill. It explained where the knowledge that Voldemort had held had come from. Theia nodded, and Sarah was surprised to see that her eyes shimmered slightly, as though with tears.
"It was…after he was hit by the spell, he lost his hand, and he Apparated away from me. I couldn't catch him in time…the next I knew he was on a rampage. And one of his eyes was red. It took me a while to realise it, but he acted more like Voldemort. The way he talked, the way he moved, the way he fought…still Orion, but with that edge to him."
"He was possessed?" Sarah asked, horrified at the thought. Theia slowly nodded her head.
"I…more or less. It's hard to tell without asking him, and he won't talk about it. But over time, he became less like Voldemort. More like himself again. And then he stopped killing people. Found me. Tried to…he was just…broken. And then, not three months later, he was arrested."
Sarah paused for a moment as she sorted through the questions she had, and eventually chose the most important one to her.
"What did you mean by more or less possessed?"
Theia carefully brushed a strand of hair away from her face, apparently considering how to best answer.
"Generally," she said slowly, "A full possession requires overwhelming the host both mentally and magically. The thing is that Voldemort himself couldn't overpower Orion mentally- you've demonstrated that by breaking his Imperius curse- and the tiny shard would have even less chance in both ways. However, what it could do was direct Orion when he was vulnerable. In pain, unstable sanity…essentially, from what I can tell, the shard tried to take over and failed. But instead it produced Lament. Lament is, in essence, Orion, but an Orion without conscience, indulging in his darkest desires. I can't really-"
Sarah held up a hand, wanting to refute what Theia said but unable. Had she not felt a thrill of dark delight, deep down, when the snake at the zoo had chased Dudley, long before she knew she was magical? Had she not felt a savage satisfaction at seeing Quirrel scream and flail at her touch? Had she not been tempted to try and wrest control of the Basilisk from Tom Riddle, to let Lupin and Sirius kill Pettigrew, even to leave Fleur to the mercies of an Imperiused Krum? She had resisted, but she knew that if she had been in Orion's state of mind, with the shard of the Dark Lord whispering seductively in her mind…Sarah shuddered. Theia nodded slowly.
"To be good is not to be empty of evil desires, but to have and to refuse them." She said, almost sounding like she was quoting something. Sarah ignored it in favour of looking over at Lament, who had gone rigid and seemed to be fighting with something.
"How did Orion get rid of Lament the first time?" she asked cautiously. Theia leaned against the back of her chair.
"He just…won, I suppose would be the way of saying it. He forced the Voldemort shard down inside himself, locked it away, and hoped he would never have to deal with it again. It wasn't enough to save Voldemort after all, so it was just a relic of a darker time."
"So when the snake disrupted his magic…"
"It must have let the shard escape. But Orion should be able to manage it. I hope he can." Theia said. She whispered the last part, and Sarah almost didn't hear her. Sarah herself devoted her mind to working out something else, but a flash of realisation interrupted her thoughts.
"He's trying to get himself killed." She said, in an utterly flat tone. This time, Theia did have tears in her eyes.
"He…yes. He was…When the verdict of execution was given, he just nodded. And he told me he was sorry for everything. I couldn't stop…I had to help him. It took convincing him that you could go the same way as him without help to get him here. I thought he was getting better, but…"
Sarah, despite every instinct she had that told her to avoid physical contact- any physical contact, really, she was a bit odd that way- gently leaned over and hugged the smaller girl. To her surprise, Theia simply leaned against her, actually crying now. She hadn't expected either of the sardonic, cheerfully confident dimension travellers to ever react like this, but the back of her mind- the smart bit, she acknowledged- pointed out that both of them probably needed a whole lot of therapy. Therapy that, unfortunately, the wizarding world seemingly hadn't realised existed yet. So, you do the best you can, Sarah thought grimly. She wasn't exactly qualified to deal with anything emotional, but…Theia leaned back, and Sarah wordlessly conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. Theia took it with a grateful nod, wiping her eyes.
"He isn't suicidal, though." Sarah mumbled, thinking. Theia sniffed slightly before replying.
"No. He isn't. He just doesn't care about his own life. He thinks that-"
"It's worth less than everyone else." Sarah finished quietly. Theia glanced over at Orion's form, lying still.
"I think he's convinced that everyone would be better off, that I would be better off, without him."
"He's an idiot." Sarah said, as reassuringly as she could. Theia turned a sad, slightly watery smile on her, and Sarah smiled gently back.
"But I know better than to think you don't have a plan. Wait…you said that Orion is basically being possessed…the exorcism!"
Theia nodded slowly.
"It has to be a powerful area exorcism. Orion hoped that it'll deal with him as well as you- after all, the spirit inside him is technically a part of Voldemort."
Sarah wanted to ask why the Exorcism wouldn't work with the spirit in Orion and the spirit in her, without Voldemort being involved, but her own mind supplied the answer: it had to be attracted to a vessel. Attempting it would only result in Orion or Sarah having a larger chunk of Voldemort in them- and that was if two such tiny fragments could work. Sarah knew that the Diadem Horcrux hadn't.
"If this works…wouldn't the spirit allow Voldemort to learn everything that Orion has done?" Sarah asked, leaning forward slightly in her seat.
"Yes. But it won't matter by then." Theia answered quietly. "We will have all the Horcruxes except Nagini, and knowledge will not save Voldemort. If the shard even knows anything of use. Orion would be the best person to ask."
Sarah glanced over at Orion, who seemed to have relaxed back.
"How do we know if he's himself again?"
Theia looked nervously at Orion.
"Well…the easiest way is to see if he's still different. Physically. Lament apparently doesn't have control over his Metamorphmagus abilities, or he has less control."
Sarah nodded, remembering how Orion's hair had lengthened and his eyes had become mis-matched. She carefully edged over to Orion, but his eyes were closed.
"No good. Anything else? He seems to be unconscious again."
Theia motioned with her free hand.
"Move away" she instructed quietly, before carefully levitating Orion.
"Revive him, would you?"
Sarah pointed her own wand.
"Enervate."
Sarah almost flinched as Orion's eyes snapped open, but they were an odd green-grey, not vivid green and glaring red. She frowned, realising that the colour was a mix of Theia's silvery and his own green. Odd, or perhaps not.
"I'm not going to assume that you're you again. I've no doubt that Lament is more capable than he ever showed. So, how do I check who you are, hmm?" Theia said, her voice carefully controlled. Orion blinked slowly, still unable to speak. Sarah carefully cleared her throat.
"What about his Patronus? Can Lament even cast one?"
Theia frowned lightly, pointing her wand at Orion.
"I don't know…but it would probably be different. So we can try, I suppose."
"Isn't it dangerous to give him a wand?"
Theia bit her lip lightly.
"Life is dangerous. Keep your wand on him." She replied, moving her arm so that Orion was fixed in a position with his right hand held out straight and away from his body, away from them. Theia walked closer and looked into his eyes.
"I'm going to put your wand into your hand. Cast the Patronus, nothing else. You understand?"
A nod, and Sarah marvelled at how composed Theia was now. She levelled her wand, and so did Theia, who had taken a few steps back. A twitch of Theia's wand, and the cloth over Orions mouth fell away.
"Expecto patronum." Came the soft incantation, and the shining silver Thestral blossomed into being. A wave of relief flowed over Sarah, barely ahead of the comforting feel from the Patronus. The bindings fell off Orion, and barely a second later Theia hit him like a human missile, arms hugging around his ribs in an embrace so tight that it must have hurt. Sarah swore she saw Orion nearly stagger, but he maintained his balance and wrapped his own arms around Theia, resting his head on hers.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, barely loud enough for Sarah to hear, and she turned away, feeling like she was witnessing something private. She heard a slight, muffled laugh from Theia, and a reply that she couldn't hear. It made her feel…it made her heart ache somehow, Sarah decided. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand touch her shoulder- harder than flesh. Metal. Orion.
"Are you alright?" she asked, turning to face him. He made no move towards any more physical contact. She appreciated that, in a sorrowful sort of way. Too many similarities.
"I have the feeling that I should be the one asking that." Orion replied slowly. Sarah cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh? I can't imagine why you would say that, after dragging me into an unexplored Chamber, triggering several traps, being utterly reckless and going Dark Lord. No, no apology needed."
Orion hung his head, and Sarah felt a stab of remorse. That was unnecessary.
"And I'm being honest. It wasn't that bad. But. I need the truth, Orion, not whatever Theia has surmised. Truth. From you."
Orion raised his head, motioned to the chair.
"If you insist. It might be a relief to tell it."
Theia sat herself in her chair, turning keen grey eyes onto Orion. Sarah did similar. Orion perched himself on the bench, running a hand through now unruly hair.
"Where to begin. Well. Voldemort, of course. Voldemort was…quite a man. Evil, sadistic, insane, but if there is something to admire about him, it's his determination. He should never have been able to make seven Horcruxes. As the soul is split it becomes…denser. Meaning that it takes more to split again. The pain involved must have been incredible. And the hardest one, of course, required the power of a Killing Curse."
"Nagini was the last Horcrux, wasn't she?" Sarah asked. Orion shook his head slowly.
"I can't be sure. By this point- the point he created the Nagini Horcrux- Voldemort barely has a soul. It might have been easy. Either that or he simply has a worryingly good connection with the beast. Or a horrendous pain threshold. But the point is…he is terrified of death. He clings to life with almost unmatched willpower. Why, do you think, he never became a true ghost?"
Sarah frowned at that question, reviewing what she knew of ghosts. It was…not a lot.
"What are ghosts, exactly?" she eventually asked. Theia answered.
"A ghost is an imprint of a person. They tend to be confined to one area, generally of high magic, but some move around. They retain the memories and personalities of their life." She recited, sounding oddly like Hermione. Orion clicked his tongue.
"Exactly. Ghosts are the imprints of those who were too tied to life to leave. So why didn't Voldemort leave one behind?"
Sarah simply stared at him.
"Stop trying to change the subject."
Orion sagged slightly.
"Well, if you insist. The truth is, the shard of Voldemort that caused Lament is not…not a Horcrux shard. It can't be."
Orion hesitated, and his words seemed to be dragged reluctantly from him.
"Shortly after taking control, when Lament was strongest, he went searching for something that he believed could bring back Voldemort. At that point the shard or whatever had more or less taken control, and believed himself to be the spirit of Voldemort, possessing me. He located Lucius Malfoy, dragged him to the graveyard in Little Hangleton and performed the ritual of resurrection, using my blood."
Sarah stared at Orion as he paused. His eyes had darkened in colour, now a blue that was almost black.
"It didn't work." She said quietly. Orion let out a short, harsh laugh.
"No. It didn't. And neither did a repeat using the blood of Cornelius Fudge, and nor did a repeat using the blood of Susan Bones. And then Lament crushed Malfoy's skull and went to find someone else, because he thought Malfoy must not have fulfilled the 'loyal servant' part of the criteria. The last one was…the last one was an attempt with Rookwood and the blood of Ron Weasley. That was the point when I managed to snap out of his control, more or less. Unfortunately, it was too late. The rampage was done. So many people dead…and I remember all of it. I had been gaining more and more control ever since I was first possessed, but… Well. I was thinking that I could still resurrect Voldemort and kill him immediately, get the whispering out of my mind. Obviously, it didn't work."
Orion still sounded grim, and there was a wealth of sadness in his voice, along with something unsaid. Sarah decided not to ask as he continued.
"So, I managed to regain control enough that I started having brief bouts of sanity, and in one of those bouts I managed to realise that I had to stop the whispering. So, in a highly dangerous bit of experimental magic, I forced my Occlumency inwards, essentially creating another barrier inside my mind, partitioning off Lament. Voldemort. Whoever. And that lasted until the damn snake trap disrupted it."
Sarah sat silently for a minute or so, then asked a quiet question.
"The ritual didn't fail because of disloyalty, did it?" she asked. Orion closed his eyes.
"I don't think so. I think that the Voldemort in me isn't a soul shard at all. I think it might just be an imprint of him, like a ghost. But that means that he wouldn't really be able to possess me. That means I wasn't really forced to do all those things. Lament isn't really possessed by Voldemort. Lament is just…me, without restraint."
Orion opened his eyes again, fixing Sarah with a dark gaze.
"It means that I have the capacity to be just as bad as Tom Riddle. He who fights monsters… you want to know why I don't consider myself as valuable as you, Sarah? Because my soul is stained with endless crimson. A sacrifice made for the rest of the world, and it all went wrong in the end."
After a short quiet, Orion clapped his hands together.
"Right!" he said, alarmingly brightly. "Enough angst and sorrow, we have laws to break!"
Sarah stared at him in flat shock. He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, I feel much better now that I've said all that. I'm not likely to return to being homicidal anytime soon, but I would quite like to be doing something other than thinking about my past."
"Like what?" Sarah questioned. Theia stood and stretched.
"I assume it has something to do with Umbridge?" she asked. Orion grinned sharply.
"Oh, yes. I have something very special in mind for her, and I had hoped that old Salazar would have given me the tools for it. Unfortunately it appears that all the ingredients stored in his secret laboratory have decayed over time, so I'll need some more. Good thing I can get Kreacher to help, I suppose."
Sarah looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering how much of it was an act and how much was insanity. She supposed that so long as he didn't snap it didn't really matter- she was no therapist. Besides, Orion seemed mostly sane.
"What exactly do you need potion ingredients for?" She asked instead. Orion began to walk around the nearest bench, sweeping his gloved hand across it to brush away the dust.
"Ah. Well, that would be another thing from Voldemort. You see, Tom Riddle didn't know what he was researching when he was on his way to becoming a Dark Lord- he simply looked up everything he could that was on the forbidden list. As such, he learned a lot that he wouldn't consider useful, but I find very handy- assuming I know it. Most of his memories are fragmented and vague. Point, is, I have a plan for Umbridge, using an old and obscure potion. You see, this potion allows the linking of two people who drink it, allowing them to experience feelings from each other. In this case, I would suggest we link me and Umbridge so that we feel each other's pain long enough for the detention."
Sarah waited while she scratched her nose, a delaying action while she sorted out her protests. Eventually she decided that she was just going to have to take it on the chin and be direct.
"This is illegal, isn't it?"
Orion tried and failed to look offended, then held his hand out flat and rocked it from side to side.
"Kind of."
"Kind of?" Sarah questioned dangerously. Orion swallowed.
"Vaguely?" he tried. Sarah stepped forward, a menacing look on her face. Orion backed away. Fortunately, Theia intervened.
"What Orion means is that the potion he is talking about, the blood potion, is in a rather grey area."
"A grey area? Is that even a thing in magic?" Sarah interrupted. Theia gave her a tolerant glance.
"A grey area legally. As in, if you get caught and successfully tried it's not Azkaban worthy, more like a fine. But yes, probably illegal."
"How does something end up in that situation?" wondered Sarah. Orion answered.
"Before the Cruciatus was invented torture was a little more risky, since you had to cause actual damage. With these potions you could torture someone who wasn't…valuable."
Sarah swallowed.
"Oh. Right. That sounds pretty nasty though…why wasn't it outlawed?"
Orion gave a brief, harsh laugh, a laugh filled with cynicism.
"Because banning it, as most things of that nature, is really the responsibility of the ICW. And the ICW is corrupt beyond belief. How do you think they were persuaded to sack Dumbledore?"
"Corrupt? In what way?" Sarah asked cautiously. Orion looked to Theia, who shrugged.
"The founding members were not all good. Many are recorded as Dark Wizards or even Dark Lords, and they were quite able to pull the wool over the eyes of their fellows. I suspect the involvement of Plimpies. Saltwater, maybe."
Sarah ignored the last mumbling, wondering why Theia continued to pretend to be eccentric. Or maybe she was eccentric. Maybe it was her way of coping. It didn't matter, really.
"So they didn't completely ban it in case they needed it? Why are the Unforgiveables banned, then?"
Orion sniffed.
"The Unforgiveable Curses were created by one man, a genius Dark Lord who called himself Mordigaunt. At that time the ICW was largely comprised of respectable Light wizards, who did the right thing, and were sensible enough to make the judgement impossible to repeal. Of course, that era didn't last long since Mordigaunt massacred a lot of them, but their legacy lasted after his death and theirs."
"Mordigaunt." Sarah said flatly. Orion shrugged.
"He chose the name, not me. Besides, being a Dark Lord who chooses their own name seems to require a bit of ridiculousness. Consider Voldemort."
Sarah had to admit that Orion had a point there. But still. Mordigaunt? Really? Where had that come from? Focus, Sarah, she reminded herself.
"Anyway…back to what I was saying. We can't do something illegal. Umbridge will have us dragged off and dosed to the gills with Veritaserum in no time."
Orion looked triumphant, and Sarah found her stomach sinking slightly.
"That's the thing! She can't! Veritaserum isn't admissible as court evidence, and she'd have to admit to wrongdoing herself!"
Sarah closed her eyes in exasperation, because she could already see holes in the plan. Orion clearly wasn't thinking straight- either he hadn't thought things through, or he was too happy at the thought of Umbridge getting a taste of her own medicine. Possibly both.
"What if she doesn't? What if she just hides the quill and tells the court that we're harming ourselves to hurt her? And even if she doesn't, I'm not sure our reputation can take the damage of performing Dark magic, even lesser Dark magic." She said flatly. Orion deflated, sudden knowledge in his eyes.
"Damn."
"Yeah. We need something different, something sneakier…wait. What about the papers? Her reputation is as vulnerable to tarnish as ours. A nice, scandalous news piece might do the trick…but how do we get it?"
Orion considered, then smiled slowly.
"Doesn't a certain sensational journalist owe you a rather large favour?"
Sarah started to grin herself as she realised what Orion was talking about.
"How corruptible is the editor of the Daily Prophet, do you think?"
Orion had a positively shark like expression now.
"Oh, very. And given that Xenophilius Lovegood owns the Quibbler…"
"I'll talk to Hermione." Sarah said immediately, struggling with her own grin. Time Rita Skeeter paid her back for those Triwizard articles.
"Should I ask what this is?" Sarah asked, looking dubiously at the potion Orion was offering her. Her alternate smiled.
"Ageing potion. Since we've arranged to meet Skeeter, I thought it better that we take this- it'll make us a lot harder to call out on being out in Hogsmeade on a…Wednesday. Of course, being able to change our features is useful, but we can't alter height or weight. This can."
Sarah reluctantly took the beaker, and sniffed at it. It smelled of… lilac, actually. Strange, but not unpleasant. At least the smell matched the colour.
"Should I drink it now?" she asked, curious. Orion considered.
"No. Leave it until we're almost in Hogsmeade- it'll only last about an hour."
Sarah sighed.
"We're going to miss dinner, aren't we?"
"Probably."
Sarah sighed, wincing slightly as she flexed her right hand. She had had her first detention with Umbridge yesterday- the woman had decided to space out the detentions the two of them had earned. Sarah suspected that it was because she only had one of the quills, and wanted to expose them both to it. Bitch. Sarah drifted into sour thoughts as she followed Orion through the corridors towards one of the secret tunnels towards Hogsmeade.
"How are we going to convince Rita?" she asked. Orion didn't look back.
"I've got a plan. We just need to appeal to her baser nature."
A pause.
"Not like that. She thrives on scandals, so we'll give her one."
Sarah let out a sigh of relief as they reached the end of the tunnel- the trapdoor into Honeydukes.
"So what are we going to look like?" she asked. Orion considered, then let his hair turn to pale blonde and his eyes turn pale green. Sarah shuddered as his skin paled as well.
"You look like Malfoy."
"That's the point- nobody would associate me with looking like this. You want to do similar or different?"
Sarah concentrated, closing her eyes and letting her features change. She opened her eyes again to see Orion smiling slightly.
"How do I look?" she asked. A mirror handed over, and she smiled. Dark blonde hair, deep blue eyes. Different enough to not look like Orion, but looking nothing like herself as her features narrowed slightly. That was the issue with being a limited Metamorphmagus, she reflected. She could alter plenty, but bone structure was out. Even Orion, with years of experience, could only achieve limited alterations. That was what the potion was for though, she supposed as she unsealed the vial.
"Bottoms up." She mumbled. Orion sighed and grabbed her wrist.
"I'd enlarge your clothes first, Sarah."
"Oh." Sarah muttered, flushing slightly. Orion grinned briefly, pale eyes twinkling.
"We all makes mistakes. I'll wait in the cellar- take my potion there."
Sarah sighed lightly as Orion left. That was close, she thought gloomily as she enlarged her robes- they were plain black, without the Hogwarts badge on. Not knowing what to expect, she downed the potion.
The sensation she felt was a tingling, almost an itching, she thought. It was quite unpleasant, but not nearly as bad as Skele-gro or Polyjuice potion. Probably because she wasn't changing too much from how she was. When the sensation ceased she stretched carefully, feeling off balance in a taller form. She was glad that she had enlarged her clothes at least. She checked herself in the mirror and grinned. Perfect- although it made her sad that she'd have to wait a few years to get here again. She slipped through the trapdoor to see Orion leaning against a wall, looking more at ease than she was with the taller form. Admittedly not that much taller, but a few inches told.
"How do you feel?" Orion asked. Sarah kept her grin.
"Even more fabulous than usual." She replied. Orion rolled his eyes.
"Come on, we've got a reporter to talk to."
Rita Skeeter was looking decidedly worse for wear, Sarah thought as she sat opposite the woman in a table at the side of the Three Broomsticks. Rita's nail polish was chipped, her eyes harder than before and her lips drawn in a thin line. Then again, Hermione had basically deprived Rita of her ability to work, and there didn't seem to be a form of dole in the wizarding community. For a moment Sarah suspected she should feel sorry for Rita, but somehow she couldn't find the emotion.
"Hello, Skeeter." Orion said, sitting easily next to Sarah. He was wearing gloves like usual, and hiding his limp with a numbing charm that let him walk more or less like normal. Sarah knew it would hurt him later, and it made her appreciate the lengths he went to even more.
"Who are you?" Skeeter demanded. Orion smiled gently.
"Names are not important, Miss Skeeter. What is important is that I am the representative of Sarah Potter."
There was a pause as Madam Rosmerta came to ask their drink orders- Sarah let Orion order, concentrating instead on Rita. Particularly, the wariness mixed with hope in her eyes.
"So, what do you want?" Skeeter asked once Rosmerta had walked away. Orion kept smiling, tapping his chin.
"I'd say this is more about what you want, Miss Skeeter."
Skeeter glared.
"What can you offer me?" she asked eventually, and Sarah knew that Orion had her. Orion himself gained a predatory edge to his smile.
"Oh, say…an exclusive interview with Sarah Potter on the Triwizard final task? After you build your credit back up of course."
Sarah kept her expression blank, despite the urge to hit Orion. He could have at least warned her, damnit! Didn't matter. She was trusting him. She watched with interest as a range of emotions crossed Skeeter's face. She idly wondered if she could get the woman into a poker game sometime.
"Build up my credit?" Skeeter asked suspiciously. Orion leaned back, still smiling.
"Mm. Miss Skeeter, I'm sure you're aware that you thrive upon controversy and scandal. It's your lifeblood. It's what your articles are full of. Well, if what I have been told is correct, there are some rather dubious things going on in the detentions given by Dolores Umbridge. Wouldn't that be an interesting thing to write about?"
Skeeter was utterly mercenary, Sarah saw. Last year she might have assumed that Skeeter would refuse, but now she saw that the only motivation Skeeter had was money and her own whim. The thought of stirring up a scandal around Umbridge and the Ministry visibly appealed to her, though she made a visible effort to appear uninterested.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked. Orion chuckled.
"Come now, Miss Skeeter. Do you really have anything else to do? And I know about your little secret, so I know you can get into the classroom unnoticed."
Skeeter gazed at him thoughtfully, taking a slow sip of her drink.
"Aren't you the little negotiator? If I do this, where am I going to get published?"
"I know some things about the editor of the Prophet. You don't have to worry about that." Orion said confidently. Skeeter raised an eyebrow.
"I won't ask. However…does this clear my debt with Potter, or will I be called in like a dog again?"
Orion actually laughed at that, a low chuckle.
"Clear your debt? Don't count on it, Skeeter. You're benefitting from this as well as Potter. Besides, you surely don't expect that information to ever become worthless. However…Miss Potter assures me that she has no interest in ruining your life and reputation."
"So long as I work for her. And she controls her friends? Hmm. Maybe the Prophet was right in some ways. Potter has become a lot harder since meeting Argent. I suppose I should be glad that she has someone helping her who is willing and able to play the game." Skeeter said, draining her drink and standing.
"I'll get you your article. Make sure you get me Prophet space."
Orion tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"Goodnight, Miss Skeeter."
He didn't get a response, but he didn't seem to care. The two of them headed back to Honeydukes, using the Invisibility Cloak to slip back to the tunnel.
"Well, that went well." Orion commented. Sarah glanced at him, and saw that his expression didn't quite match his words as his features changed to what she realised was his original look- black unruly hair and bright green eyes. She changed her own look again, raising an eyebrow at him and getting a nod to confirm that she was normal again.
"You don't sound like you think that." She noted. Orion looked slightly unhappy.
"I don't like manipulating people like that. It makes me feel too much like Voldemort…or Dumbledore."
The last was mumbled as they started walking, and Sarah gave him a sharp glance.
"What does Dumbledore have to do with it?" she asked. Orion kept walking, pretending to be innocent.
"Nothing. I didn't mention Dumbledore." He lied. Sarah stopped walking and glared at him.
"Orion. Don't lie to me."
Orion stopped walking, and sighed.
"You aren't going to let this go, are you?"
At her unflinching gaze he slumped slightly and leaned against a wall of the tunnel.
"Clearly not. I just…Dumbledore is no longer quite the idol I once thought he was."
Sarah narrowed her eyes, thinking. She had her own issues with the Headmaster, not least that he didn't seem to do very much to help her and he was far too concerned with keeping secretes that might well be important to her survival, but Orion's stance and eyes told of something deeper.
"Tell me." She said. Orion nodded slowly.
"I suppose that a lot of it comes from the Prophecy. The one that says I had to be the one to vanquish Voldemort. 'Vanquish'. We both know what that means with the Dark Lord, don't we?"
Sarah nodded silently.
"Kill." She said flatly.
"Yeah. I always wondered how Dumbledore managed to reconcile his 'Thou shalt not kill' policy with leaving a half trained sixteen year old to kill one of the mightiest Dark Lords of recent memory. But besides that…Dumbledore has done a lot of things that really don't fit with the persona he puts on. For instance…when he died he was killed by Snape. I spent the next year hating Snape with a passion, and I only found out that it was a mercy kill at Dumbledore's insistence from memories Snape gave me when he was dying. How much would it have taken for Dumbledore to just tell me some things?"
"Is that why you didn't want to go to Dumbledore after Umbridge gave us detention?" Sarah asked. Orion shrugged.
"I…mostly. I know he isn't the same Dumbledore, but every time I look at him I'm reminded of all that my Headmaster did that I despise. It's…from a logical viewpoint, I can see why he did some things, but some I just don't understand. Keeping me in the dark about the Prophecy. Letting Umbridge in- I mean, surely he could have found a Defence teacher? In my Sixth Year he was able to get Horace Slughorn to return from retirement to teach Potions and have Snape on Defence, so why didn't he do that this year? No, instead he bows to the Ministry. He doesn't trust himself so much he wouldn't even use his influence to protect me, you or himself from the media."
Sarah listened patiently to the rant from Orion, and she couldn't help but agree. The Headmaster had a lot of power and influence even after losing several of his seats, why hadn't he used it? Why hadn't he used it to keep his seat on the Wizengamot, for instance? It was nonsensical. There was a time and place to be the better man and this was not it. Not with Voldemort lurking in the shadows.
"Why did Snape agree to kill Dumbledore?" she asked. Orion closed his eyes tiredly.
"Ah, Snape. I pitied him after seeing his memories." He started, oddly. The green eyes opened again and fixed onto Sarah.
"Don't misunderstand, I don't like Snape. He's cruel, petty, childish and malicious, and nobody forced him to join the Death Eaters- if I had any children, I wouldn't be naming any after him. But that doesn't stop him from being brave and dedicated, and he certainly has reasons for his grievances. He deserved better than to have his love for Lily and his guilt over her death to be used against him by Dumbledore. Everybody deserves better than to be used like that."
"Careful, Orion. You're starting to sound like the Boy-Who-Lived again." Came the slightly misty voice of Theia. Orion and Sarah turned to see her walking down the tunnel with a smile. Slowly she walked up to Orion and gently touched his cheek.
"Ah…takes me back, seeing you this old."
"You really know how to make me feel loved." He deadpanned, and Theia gave a musical laugh. Sarah smiled.
"You know, you two never told me how you got together." She mentioned. Orion glanced at her, and raised a brow. She shrugged, and Theia broke in.
"Well, it all started when I was the only person Orion had left to ask to a Christmas party." She said. Sarah turned a disbelieving gaze on Orion, who looked guilty and a little ashamed.
"She's not wrong." He said softly. Theia continued.
"This was during his Sixth Year, of course, so he had that stalkerish obsession with Draco Malfoy, thinking he was up to nefarious deeds."
"Was he not?" Orion protested mildly. Theia ignored him.
"During the course of the party, Draco gate-crashed and was promptly dragged out by Professor Snape. Orion was all set to follow them, and of course I would have let him go."
Here Orion took up the tale.
"But I looked at Theia as I was about to leave, and I could see the sadness she didn't quite hide in her eyes. I couldn't leave like that, so I stayed. And I told myself I wouldn't let myself be the cause of that sadness again."
A brief, sad pause.
"I failed at that."
Theia tilted Orion's head down and briefly kissed his cheek.
"You try. That matters more to me than anything else."