Having thrown himself into the heat of the battle again, despite Sirius' warning, Harry danced around shields and curses, trying to look everywhere at once. The telltale, loud sound of one of the Twins' inventions, a Decoy Detonar, was heard, and the teen used the moment of confusion to burn Kingsley's side with a burst of boiling water. The man screamed out in pain, but Harry didn't have time to wait and see what he would do as two people Harry had never seen before in the Order tried to attack him with thorn-covered ropes that shot from their wands. Only a hastily thrown slowing charm gave him the extra second he needed to escape from them.

He ran into the direction of the sound of the Decoy Detonator, hoping that there would be enough people to fight that his attackers wouldn't pursue him and switch to someone else. It briefly came to mind that that was a horrible thought, hoping someone else was attacked, and he finally really understood what Eyolf had meant when warning him for that he would be on his own, and that he could not count on his comrades to help him. They were too busy to try and stay alive themselves.

A knife slashed down in front of his face, and only his quick Quidditch reflexes made sure that it didn't hit him. However, when he looked up at his attacker, he saw the same woman Marvolo had constantly kept under his shields. Just as he prepared to jam his wand up her throat, he heard a groan from somewhere below him, and he watched, dumb-struck, as the blonde drew back a bloodied knife, which had hit the wand-arm of a man Harry hadn't noticed. If the other hadn't interrupted, he would probably have stunned or worse.

"Thanks," he rasped, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Because of his own carelessness, he had nearly fallen victim to the Order… She nodded curtly and turned her back on him in favour of drawing several throwing knives, which hit the enemy with precision. Harry was impressed by her skill, but was still very suspicious about why there was an obvious Muggle battling with their side. He really needed to speak with Marvolo about this…

Harry scolded himself yet again for what had just happened, and went his own way, trying not to think of it again and pay more attention to his surroundings. He ducked his head and ran away when spotting Sirius, who was being oddly lenient towards the ones he was dueling. Harry wondered if it was because of the face-to-face conversation they'd had earlier, and if his godfather did not want to harm the ones who were on Harry's side in case he was right in choosing his side.

Deciding not to take any more risks, he went towards the heart of the fight, right in the middle of Grimmauld Place. Marvolo's dark magic was swirling around violently. He was careful to stay out of the man's way, as he did not want to distract him from the deadly battle he was currently engaged in, but it made him feel more at ease that his lover was within view.

Harry ducked behind a mass of splintered wood and started working on transfiguring it into glass so he could explode it into his enemies' faces should he need to. His eyes widened when suddenly, he saw a flash of red at the other side of the square. Rage rose in him when seeing both Moody and a woman with curly brown hair, attack his best friend. Seething, he pointed his want at Moody's real leg and sent a curse Rodolphus had taught him, Sectumsempra, flying towards Moody. He wasn't sure if it would hit, and sure enough, Moody twirled around, both his eyes fixed on Harry as he jumped out of the way.

However, Ron made good use of the confusion to duck under Moody's arm and run towards Harry, turning around quickly when reaching him and throwing up a shield so he wouldn't be hit by a curse from behind.

"Potter." Moody growled, his face twisted into a murderous expression. "Whatever that was, you will pay for it, and wish you would have stayed in the dungeons Voldemort brainwashed you in."

Harry sneered at the man and adjusted his mask, wondering how the Auror had recognised him so quickly. "I finally escaped Dumbledore's strings!" he exclaimed. "I'm not about to be controlled by anyone else. But wouldn't you know all about that? You are the one the old man trusted with the information of his manipulations first and foremost, aren't you?"

"What is he talking about?" the woman frowned.

"All lies Tonks. You know better than to listen to the enemy." Moody barked.

"Tonks?" Harry mumbled, looking at the woman again, now with more interest. She had changed her appearance a great deal since he had last seen her.

"I am not your student anymore Alastor." He heard her hiss. "And lately, I don't exactly agree with your actions and suggestions anymore either!"

"Not now Tonks!" he roughly answered, pointing his wand at Harry and Ron again, who were still behind their shields. Harry had taken the opportunity of the quarrel to prepare himself and to scan their surroundings too, and apart from Marvolo and the ones the man was fighting, everyone else seemed to steer clear of the square. Ron, on his side, was jumping from one leg on another nervously, clearly not quite sure whether he should interrupt by attacking, and looked to Harry for directions he didn't get. Only when Harry finally raised an eyebrow at his friend, did Ron's face split into a wide grin.

"Now?"

"Now!" Harry nodded.

The next seconds went by in a flash. Harry threw a 'Bombarda' at the wall above their enemies while Ron tried to stun Mad-eye. Both attacks failed to do a lot of damage to the man, but at least it separated him from Tonks. As they prepared to attack again, however, several things happened at once.

Both of them were pulled back harshly from behind, something he completely hadn't expected due to their shields, a man stormed past and sent a green flash at Moody, who could only dodge it by putting a large piece of rock in between him and the Killing curse, Tonks suddenly seemed to disappear, on a second look having masked her skin with a brick-like pattern, and Harry's head exploded with concern and rage that burst through the link.

He only noticed now that it had been opened again, he hadn't realised before due to Marvolo's magic being everywhere around him already. Even through the pain and confusion though, he somehow managed to turn around in the grip of the one who held him, poking his wand threateningly in a narrow chest.

"Harry!" he heard a distressed voice say, right before he wanted to blast the person apart, and when he looked up, he saw the concerned face of one of the Twins. He though it was Fred, but to avoid ridicule, he wasn't going to take his chances by uttering a name. He took a step back as he was released and hastily threw a look over his shoulder, noticing that Tonks had disappeared for real, and that the Death Eater who had ran past was still battling Moody. He turned back to the Twins, whose concerned expressions didn't suit their blood-splattered faces.

"What are you doing-"
"fighting Mad-eye?"
"We know you've trained,"
"but he's far out of your league!"

Harry grumbled, knowing that they were right, but it wasn't as if he could have left Ron on his own either… "Thanks, I noticed," he said, sulking. He eyed the Twins suspiciously, and especially the transparent bands they both wore over their foreheads. "What's that?" he asked, and both of them grinned, putting the translucent material over their eyes.

"360 degrees vision!" one of them proudly stated
"See whatever is around you,"
"Whenever you want, wherever you want!"
"X-ray version also available!"
"Or it will be when we finally can get this one to work perfectly."
"Still a bit buggy,"
"But we're working on it!"

"You're testing products on the battlefield?" harry exclaimed. "Are you insane?"

"No better place than where it's going to be used when finished!" one of the Twins said. "And speaking of irresponsible behaviour on the battlefield..."
"We weren't the ones who nearly got killed."
"Multiple times."

Harry tensed up, trying to think of something in his defense, but found none, and thus merely stuttered: "You... You saw?"

Both pointed at the bands that were still covering their eyes. "Faulty doesn't mean that it doesn't work."
"Just not all the time."
"And they still have some blind spots."
"Come now, we mustn't get in dear Rosier's way as he blasts Moody to hell."

So it had been Rosier… it made sense, the man had more reason to hate the ex-Auror than anyone else. Ron took his arm and dragged him over to the same pile of wood he'd used to take cover before. Harry somehow felt… happy. It was odd, they were still in the middle of a fight, but he couldn't feel anything but that feel of happiness blooming in his chest. Eyolf had been wrong, he could rely on others in battle, for his best friends would always be here, fighting alongside him.

"So, what are we going to do now?"Ron nervously said, absentmindedly trying to rub some of the smudge off his wand and failing, as his hands were covered in splashes of mud.

"Get moving, of course." Harry shrugged, readjusting his mask again. While it fit his face perfectly it still felt odd and constricting against his skin. The other nodded in agreement, and they left their shelter, slipping into one of the near alleys.

It felt so strange, to walk through the battling people with his best friends at his side… In the span of minutes, he'd gone from being a target for every single one of his enemies, to a member of a tight group of four. They could walk wherever they wanted, The Order members were spread throughout the alleys and thought better than to attack four people at once. A highly risky, deadly situation had suddenly turned into a near-secure one. People fled their path instead of attacking them.

"So, Harry… You're the boss," one of the twins joked. –And seriously, they needed to start wearing their mother's hand-knitted sweaters so he would finally be able to tell them apart.

"Well, I'd say we pick someone to fight with… both that is probably not dramatic enough for you hmm? Fred, George… You don't happen to have some fireworks with you? The Death Eater's new trademark sparks haven't seen the sky for quite a long time… "

He was faced with two identical, excited grins. "Yes Sir!"they shouted, and started to dig in the pockets of their robes, pulling large packages out of them. Harry suspected that they had put the same spell on them as their Father had done on the tent during the Quidditch World Cup. At Harry's raised eyebrow, they merely smirked.

"Always be prepared!"

"You're sounding far too much like Moody for my liking."Ron said, but he grinned as well as one of his brothers dumped a loaf of fireworks in his arms.

"Go set this up Ronniekins. And make sure it's good." Ron saluted and sprinted away. Harry watched him with concern, wondering if he didn't need someone to guard his back. The twins, however, took his arm and steered him away. "Don't worry Harry."
"Ron can look after himself."
"We've trained him from birth,"
"After all."

They ducked behind a low wall, but just when the first sparks shot up in the air, Harry's mind seemed to get a harsh blow. He grabbed his head and groaned, clenching his eyes shut. It felt as if his brain was swimming, and he gasped. He wasn't aware of the four eyes that regarded him with concern as he took a few wobbly steps forward and gripped his wand tightly. A sharp pain shot through him again, but he knew it wasn't his.

"Marvolo!" he wheezed out, realisation suddenly making him forget the pain. It took all his strength, but he pulled himself together and spurted away, ignoring the twin's cries behind him, calling him back. His heart pounded in his ears as cold fear made his stomach turn. They had slowly drifted away from the square, and now he ran and pushed his way back until he reached it. Later, he couldn't recall how he had survived the many stray spells, although the scared, Muggle onlookers would have nightmares for months after about the fearsome, masked teen rushing past, Emerald eyes shining with madness, darkness crackling around him, serving as a shield, sending everything that hit it, flying back.

He finally reached the square again and nearly doubled over by the sight he was met with. He still looked every bit the powerful Dark lord he was, but nonetheless, it was clear that he was wounded. The blood that soaked Marvolo's black robes was, for once, not solely of his enemies. A quick glance at the rest of the muddy square told Harry that he'd probably fought half the Order at once. He was surprised by the sheer numbers of corpses. He had not expected the Order to grow this fast. He had met nearly all members during summer, but now he only recognised one out of ten faces. The only ones he saw among the deceased he recognised were, Dedalus Diggle and, surprisingly, Trelawney.

There was still a large group that was trying to take the leader of their enemies out, and they seems to have finally pushed him against a wall. It was strange to see, one man against about fifteen of which half was looking as if they were pissing their pants. Rage suddenly bloomed in his chest, and he ran towards them, pointing his wand at the nearest wizard. "Crucio!" he yelled, watching as the red beam slammed into his victim's side. A few people made the mistake of taking their eyes off Marvolo and instantly fell, whips of fire wrapped around their necks.

"Incendio, Sectumsempra, Lacrima!" he shouted, firing curse after curse, creating panic. Marvolo wasted no time by looking at Harry, and instead pressed both his hands against the wall behind him, which seemed to come alive, forming a giant stone golem. It heaved a large fist and smacked the people in front of it down, after which it proceeded to hammer on them. Harry grimaced. While he was now pretty used to violence, he didn't exactly enjoy seeing someone's head burst open.

Finally, silence fell over them, and Harry rushed to his love's side, who sank to his knees, panting heavily, arms trembling.

"Are you alright?" The teen muttered, taking in the gashes with concern.

"I'll live." Marvolo grunted, cracking his neck. Harry thought it was ridiculous how arousing every one of the man's movements was, even in the current situation. "Thank you for coming." he stated, and Harry blinked in surprise, not having expected it. He'd thought Marvolo's pride wouldn't have allowed for sentiments.

"You're welcome," he answered, smiling, laying his hand on the man's face. "Should I go search for someone who can heal you?"

"No, I'll do it myself," the other said, shaking his head. "Besides, I think it is time to finish this. I doubt many members of the order are alive now, and we do need some to tell dear Albus what happened." He pointed his wand at himself, the tip glowing green as he started to heal his wounds. Harry looked around to check their surroundings, but no more enemies were to be seen. He suspected that all members who dared to cross the Dark Lord had already done so, their blood now mixing with the puddles of rain.

"Where do you think all of them came from?" Harry said, worried, gesturing at the corpses. "I know it's still holidays, but they couldn't have had a hundred of Order members stationed in the headquarters… The anti-apparition and anti-portkey fields are flawless… And yet, there seemed to come more and more into the fight."

"I suspect they may have a fireplace connected to the Floo network." Marvolo ground out, obviously displeased. As it is within the Fidelius charm, the anti-travel fields don't cover it, even though it is within it. A blind spot if there ever was one. I had hoped Dumbledore wouldn't have dared to connect it to the Floo network… If the Ministry were to ever discover it, he'd be in deep trouble."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Well, there is another point we have against him then."

"Indeed…" the man grinned. "Now, I'm finished… And was it just me or did I see fireworks earlier?"

"Fred and George." Harry nodded. '" Well... plus Ron and I," he added in afterthought.

"Why am I not surprised," Marvolo sighed.

Harry ignored it, and instead asked: "How will you put a halt to the fighting?"

"Simple." the man said, revealing his left arm and pressing the fingers of his right hand to the skin. It shimmered and black ink seemed to seep from under his finger pads, curling over his arm.

"Is that…" Harry asked, shocked.

"It was the easiest way. I can't always keep a servant around just so I have a mark to call my followers with." Marvolo said, removing his fingers, after which he took his wand and pressed the tip of it against the now revealed mark. "I marked myself shortly after resurrecting myself. I don't usually use it though."

"I didn't even know you had one…" Harry muttered, staring at it in fascination. The contrast of the black ink against the ivory skin made for a perfect artwork. It glowed up slightly as he called his followers, and immediately covered it up again as the first Death Eaters came running towards them, some pushing their victims in front of them or holding them in place with spells. Not many looked to have made it. Of the roughly hundred enemies, Harry counted only six survivors, Sirius thankfully one of them. He felt his godfather's eyes on him, but refused to look him in the eyes as he stood proudly next to his fiancé.

Don't worry about him Harry. If you really think there is a chance to talk sense into that man, I am willing to let you try once more… However, if you fail this time, I will waste no time in putting him back in Azkaban once this war is over, if he even makes it that far.

You ordered your followers to not kill him?

Once I opened our link again, I saw your memories of your conversation with him. Also, I am proud of you that you took responsibility and went back to fighting again.

Harry tired not to beam at that, or do something stupid like hug the man. He didn't think it would currently be appreciated, although he would love to see Lucius' face if he did that. He let his gaze travel over the captured Order members. He wondered who had managed to escape and who was dead…

He froze when his eyes landed on two red-haired people wrapped in ropes. His eyes shot to Ron and the Twins, who had appeared again as well, and saw their eyes were fixed on their parents. He truly felt for them… he had no idea how they managed to hold back from trying to free them. He knew that they were dedicated to the Dark now, but they had always been a very tight family, and he could only imagine how hard it must be to end up on different sides of the battlefield.

Marvolo… what will you do with the survivors?

I only need one to inform Dumbledore, if he hasn't already been notified through the Floo. I already promised to let Black go free.

But…

Harry, this is war. I can't save every one of my enemies because their family are among my members. You should know that. the man reprimanded him, even his thoughts sounding cold. Believe me, if there was any chance of getting to the Dark… but do you honestly think there is hope for that? They have followed Dumbledore even since the first war.

Their children could be convinced… Can't you… I don't know... imprison them? Try to get information while maybe the Twins try to talk sense into them…

Marvolo sighed, closing his eyes and breathing in slowly through his nose to retain his patience.

This time, Harry, and only these two. You have two weeks.

Harry nearly gaped at him. Honestly?

Is it not enough? Marvolo grumbled.

No... I mean… thank you. Really.

Anyone other enemies you want to save? The man sarcastically bit, and Harry tried not to wince at the venom in those words. He felt slightly guilty and looked away from his lover's burning red, slitted eyes.

"That was it." He murmured. He looked at the other captured people, meeting the eyes of professor Sprout and a women he thought might be Emmeline Vance. it was ridiculous that his hero-complex came to the surface at this moment…

"My followers!" Marvolo shouted, instantly having everyone's attention. "Today, we triumphed… again. We have given them warnings, we have tried to change their views, but they still stubbornly hold on to the 'safety' secrecy and restrictions bring them. Not anymore… if they will not listen to our words, they shall perish! Lucius!"

"Yes, my Lord?" the man asked, stepping forward and removing his mask, blond hair now dirty and tangled.

"Execute the remaining survivors. However, I need some for information and one to tell the old fool what has happened here and... stress our points. Mr and Mrs Weasley are to be brought to my dungeons for interrogation… And Black… let the dog run." he concluded. "I shall return to my home. Rabastan, McNair, Greengrass… You shall enter the headquarters of the Order to see if there are valuable dark artifacts, and close the possible floo connection. There are still about forty minutes before the shields will collapse."

The three Death Eaters bowed slightly and hurried to the wide-open door of Grimmauld place twelve, which half hung out of its hinges. Marvolo made a hand gesture to the remaining Death Eaters, who retreated, most likely to find one of the weak spots in the wards they had guarded before to ensure none of the Order's reinforcements had been able to escape.

They too, started moving towards the ward. Harry frowned his brows and looked over his shoulder when he felt something, but shrugged it off as he was pulled through the ward by Marvolo, after which they disapparated instantly, neither noticing the movement near Harry's robes.


Stretching his back, he looked out over his herd with concern. They were moving slowly. Far too slowly. It had been only days since he had received a letter of his mother, which had brought to his attention the current state of the Wizarding world. War had already broken out. Even before her letter had arrived though, he had been on the move already, travelling slowly but steadily to Britain. He extremely relieved that his mother had not used Errol, for the old owl would have never been able to find him.

He calculated the distance they had left behind them the past weeks and groaned. The start had been fast, but ever since the family of Steambellies had joined them, their progress had slowed considerably. They were fast when flying, but their walking seemed more like crawling. And yet, flying was hardly an option, not since they had left the wilderness. The herd was simply too large to go unnoticed by Muggles. There were still mountains, but the valleys in between were numerous Muggle villages.

They moved about eighteen hours a day, hunting along the way, and even so, they were going far too slow. Exactly fourteen days had passed since they had decided to move, but they should have been at their current point two days ago…

A surge of air hit his back, and he had to fight to remain his balance. "Xaphia." he murmured, and the familiar, dark blue snout came to rest at his shoulder. "What should I do? We're not fast enough… With this pace the war will be over when we arrive. it'll take another month to reach Hogwarts like this. And I still don't know how we will ever pass the channel unnoticed. We move like a group of Muggle hikers…" Xaphia snorted loudly, clearly disdained. "That you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't true." Charlie said, amused. The dragon whined and put his strong paws around the man, pulling Charlie against the plated chest that resembled polished onyx. "Yes, yes, I know, I should sleep." Charlie sighed. "Have to get up again early tomorrow…"

he turned his back on the dragons, who were resting in the valley below, and snuggled up to Xaphia's warm body as the dragon lay down. Charlie used his own hair to protect his face from the rough scales, but unlike the other days, he had trouble catching sleep. Worries were flying through his mind, along with possible solutions for them, most of which were disregarded instantly. He tried not to move, even though he was restless, to not keep Xaphia from his sleep, but it was hard. his brain just didn't let him get any rest.

He pressed his eyes close tightly in a futile attempt to sleep, which obviously had no other effect than to make his eyes itch. Just when he was about to give up on sleeping and get up again though, a memory drifted to the surface of his mind. A memory of his father, working on his Ford Anglia, trying to get it to fly, trying to enchant it to make it…

Invisible.

The idea was a mixture of brilliance and idiocy, and he honestly had no idea whether to feel jubilant or depressed. On one hand, it would solve all his problems, but on the other.. his chance to succeed in doing it were minimal. Invisibility fields were very hard to maintain, and it had been one of the things his father had excelled in. And even so, Arthur had never cast it over more than one object, and even that one had, apparently, failed a few years after it had been set up. Charlie did not need it to hold for years… but he did need it to hold over either an impossible large area, or about eighty individual small ones. The last held more merit, as it would, he thought, be easier to maintain, but that would render the dragons invisible to his own eyes as well.

It seemed he would need to create a piece of magic that had probably never been done before. A giant, moving invisibility ward keyed to himself.


"You seriously should have an apparation spot within the house." Harry grumbled, looking at the iron gates in front of them and the long path behind it that led to the manor. They swung open as Marvolo placed his hands against the bars, the metal lighting up slightly. "How come your death eaters can apparate into the house?"

"They can't. Travelling through the Mark is another way of travelling altogether. It's like a forced Portkey, although they can use it themselves as well. It's not apparation, and it's keyed to me, not the house. They can't come here if I'm not here either. Protective measures… Although, as you know, the anti-apparition wards are also not absolute in our home. We can apparate to outside of the wards once we're in them and I could also apparated us inside as soon as we step through this gate."

"No, leave it... I can walk a few more yards." Harry sighed. His head throbbed a bit, most likely because of a combination of blood loss and exhaustion. Something else seemed to be amiss as well, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. They finally reached the door and quickly crossed the hall, which was, to his dismay, filling with Death Eaters as soon as they arrived. Why didn't they just go home like they'd been told to do…? He took Marvolo's hand and squeezed it before letting go again. "I'll go upstairs to take a shower," he said, and turned around after his lover nodded and turned away.

Not wanting to attract attention of one of the Death Eaters, he decided to take the next flight of stairs, which ended nearer to their room anyways. But after a minutes he changed his mind , deciding some more fresh air might be nice. It had finally stopped raining, and the night sky was clear. He turned left, towards an open corridor.

But then, Harry instantly stopped in the middle of the corridor, shivers running down his spine. The same feeling he'd felt from just before they had apparated away and afterwards in the garden had become stronger. It was not magic, he was sure of that, but rather, it was the exact same feeling he had had years ago when he had been sitting in the front garden on a summer's day, the same day he'd seen Dobby's green eyes for the first time, staring at him from inside of the hedge. It was the feeling of someone's intense gaze at him that currently made the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and it didn't help that he did not hear or see anything except his own breath, which formed small puffs in the cold air.

He turned around abruptly, his wand at the ready, but he did not see anyone or anything that could be giving him this uncomfortable feeling. Narrowing his eyes, he casted a Lumos, but even that didn't show him anything. Deciding there was no way that he was just going to turn around and continue on his merry way, he wracked his brain for the correct spell, a small sigh of relief escaping him when he recalled it.

"Homunum Revelio!" he shouted, and he instantly became aware of a person, not two yards away from him, who cursed and tried to sprint away. His Quidditch reflexes kicked in however, and not a second later, ropes wrapped around the person's ankles and made them trip. "Tabby!"he called out, and instantly, the elf appeared, bowing low.

"Master Harry?" Harry blinked, having forgotten again that, ever since he got engaged with Marvolo, the elves had gained a new-found respect for him, and addressed him with 'Master'. Harry had told Marvolo that he didn't want to be called that, on which the man had replied that he had not ordered it, but that the elves had changed Harry's title themselves. The teen supposed he would just have to get used to it.

"Tabby, go get… your Master." He'd wanted to say 'Marvolo', but thought better of it at the last moment, not wanting to let whoever it was that he'd caught, more than necessary. When the elf had popped away again, Harry carefully approached the person, who appeared to be a woman. Her breath was surprisingly calm, and she wasn't struggling in her bonds, which showed Harry that she had some training, and had enough sense to know that trying to escape was currently impossible.

Harry bowed over the figure and first removed the wand, which had thankfully rolled on the floor, behind the woman's back, instead of near her hands, and then turned her face around, frowning when he did not recognise her. "What is your name?" he harshly asked, prodding his wand against her neck. She gulped, but didn't open her mouth, and merely glared at him. "I am not against using less than nice means to loosen your tongue, and the Dark Lord is also on his way." He growled, pissed that she showed no reaction. After a few seconds of silence however, her mouth finally cracked into a grin.

"You really think that Voldemort will care about me following you, Harry? Since when does he pay attention to what happens to his minions?"

"Since his elves address me with 'master'" Harry hissed at her. "And so do his 'minions'. And as I'm sure you've noticed, I was the only one who arrived her with him. That should tell you something."

He shivered when he heard a low whooshing sound behind him, and suddenly felt Marvolo's presence a lot closer. He always admired the man's near-silent apparition, a sign that clearly showed his power. "Tabby told me that you caught an intruder?" he growled in a deep voice that sent shivers down Harry's spine. Damn it, why did his love have to be so damn distractive all the time with everything he did?

He mentally groaned when the man threw him an amused look. With the many times their link had been closed over the past days he'd nearly forgotten that it was wide open now. Which did make him wonder why Marvolo hadn't come here on his own, before the elf had told him.

I was in the middle of a conversation. I could hardly leave without a reason.

Since when do you need a reason for anything?

Since the conversation was not with one of my followers, but an important figure in the Wizengamot who could very possibly be swayed to our side. Also, it would not be very beneficial if the one you captured would guess that we can speak mentally. In the small chance that she manages to escape.. it would be disastrous if it reached the old fool's hairy ears.

Harry hummed, although he did wonder what a Wizengamot member was doing here at this hour… and how he arrived, as they'd only been back for minutes. Once more he looked at his enemy who was lying still on the floor. Marvolo crouched down next to her and tightly gripped her hair, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Well, I won't waste my time pulling answers out of you… Legilimens."

The woman screamed the instant he dived into her mind, and through their link, Harry got strange flashes. Different scenes, different people, and it seemed that the woman herself was not in them once… how strange.

Marvolo released her suddenly, and she only barely managed to cover her head with her arms so it didn't slam against the floor.

Harry, go take your shower, I need to do something. After, come to the small living room opposite of my study.

Not even hoping to get more information, Harry just nodded and turned, not even casting a last glance at the women. The only thing he desired now more than anything was a good scrub to get the blood off of him.


Trying his hardest to keep silent, Harry gnashed his teeth together when the first sight he saw when entering the room was a blond, short woman who casually leaned against the wall. It was the first time he actually had time to study her, but he refused to pay more attention to her than necessary. He knew it was probably a tad ungrateful, seeing as she had saved his life, but why did Muggle women seem to flock around his fiancé?

Said man swooped dramatically into the room, giving Harry the urge to roll his eyes. He suddenly noticed movement, and watched in shock as the couch seemed to come alive. On closer inspection, he saw it was the woman he'd captured earlier, whose skin had the same colour as the couch she had been curled up on. His mind flashed back to the fight, when something similar had happened.

"Tonks," he muttered, and eyes that turned to a pale blue fixed on him.

"Took you long to figure out." She replied.

"I hadn't thought an Auror would be stupid enough to try and sneak into the Dark Lord's home." He airily answered her, and he gave her a sarcastic smile. "Especially not after a raid we completely won, leaving those who remain of the Order, to pick up the pieces."

"Not even a third of the Order was there," she said. "This headquarters has only sparsely been used since it's clear that you went over to the Dark side. There were only six people there today to guard it, the rest was backup they called from one of the new locations, but not even all of them."

"They?" Harry sharply asked, emerald eyes piercing hers, while at the same time trying to process that the Order had apparently grown exponentially over the course of... what, weeks? As they'd now killed about a hundred, that left two hundred, but who knew how fast people would join again and strengthen Dumbledore's forces.

"Harry, I believe that I need to update you on a few things. "First of all, Ms Tonks has had doubts about the Order ever since she saw my speech. Also, Dumbledore had appointed her as the key figure in his feeble plan to regain your trust, by using her Metamorphmagus skills as the tool he needed, seeing as how Polyjuice potion is useless with me. I do not grow hair or shed skin like normal humans, and my nails are... fairly hard to retrieve without being killed."

"You said before that you didn't often agree with Moody anymore…" Harry hesitantly said.

"True, he and Dumbledore schemed a lot of things that I did not think were much alike what they told the rest. I was only clued in because Moody hoped that I would help him, as I have been his apprentice during my Auror training and always got along well with him. But going behind everyone's backs to manipulate the Ministry by using Order members to infiltrate it and secretly change laws? Fudge disappeared recently, but because Dumbledore does not have a suitable candidate, other than maybe Kingsley, who would get a significantly less amount of votes than other candidates who are likely to try, he is trying to pull so much power to himself so he can cancel the election altogether under the guise of 'the chance of unfair elections'."

Harry tried not to choke in his own laughter at that. Light witch indeed. The first thing Lucius had taught him about politics that it was a game, one filled with manipulations, and the only hope for winning was through having the right connections, not the right intentions. Marvolo and he had actually not discussed the upcoming elections yet, but Harry thought that it was high likely that the Dark Lord would put Lucius forwards. The man would jump the chance to try and redeem himself in the eyes of his Lord, and climb up the ranks again. While he had made a lot of mistakes recently, Harry knew that Draco's father was one of the most slippery and influential men among their ranks. Even though the Dark Lord had put him back in place, many younger Death Eaters looked up to the once-right-hand-man of their Lord for guidance.

"Well, we can't have that." Marvolo smoothly said, his poker-face not betraying the wild laughter Harry heard echoing through their link.

"Also... I feel used." Tonks continued. "No matter how many times we hold meetings, it always ends up with only Dumbledore's opinion really counting. I did not want to trick Harry back to the Light. If our Side was honestly good, he would come back himself in time. I also told Dumbledore this, but he left me no choice."

"So you created your own choice." The other woman spoke up suddenly, a calculating look on her face. "Admirable."

Irritation flooded through him, and surprisingly, it was not solely his own.

"I hired you to watch, not to speak."

Hired? Harry asked. For what? Isn't she a Muggle?

I'll tell you later love. There are more pressing matters at hand.

Harry accepted it reluctantly, shifting his attention to Tonks again. "So you followed me after the fight… What are you hoping to accomplish now?"

"I don't know… I… I know that staying Neutral is never an option. The regular witches and wizards have not yet noticed much change since the war started, but I know better, this night's raid only proves my point. I've had doubt about the Order for a long time now, and also about the Ministry… I suppose I thought it was time to push my upbringing aside and see what you had to offer. If even your once worst enemies are loyal to death to you now, it certainly has to be a lot better than during the first war… If what you promised in your speech before is true… then I agree to many of your points."

"It is." Harry proudly stated. "Every word he said was true." Then, he turned to face his lover with an amused smile. "You know, at the rate we're gaining people, in a month or two you might not have to fight anyone but Dumbledore and Moody."

"Only Dumbledore then…" Marvolo answered with dark amusement. "Rosier finally got his revenge."

"Moody is dead?"Both Harry and Tonks asked in shock, briefly looking at each other before looking back again.

"Yes. I had the proof handed to me."

While he didn't go more into that, Harry did receive an image of a Bloody, wildly spinning eye that was held in between two thin, white fingers. Harry inclined his head.

"You only ever expressed your doubt towards Moody." Marvolo abruptly stated. "Are you aware of whether or not he shared that information with Dumbledore?"

Tonks shook his head. "I don't, but I am inclined to believe that he kept it to himself. While he sucked up every drop of information Dumbledore gave him, he himself has always been much more secretive. He might have first wanted to verify what side I really approve of, perhaps trying to put me in place, before word ever reached Dumbledore."

"Good. Very good , but I will get rid of some disillusions you might have this instant. While tasks are… discussed individually with me, you don't have any more say over what I want you to do than you had in the Order. How you will reach your set goal, however, is up to you, as long as it is reached. I trust that you are capable of making your own plans rather than handing you a precise road to follow."

Tonks nodded. "That precise road was exactly why I despised Dumbledore's plans… He could have given me the task of trying to get Harry to trust in the Light again… I could have tried multiple things without tricking him into it, but the Headmaster didn't want to hear of it."

"Not that any of your plans would have succeeded in that."

"You never know," Tonks smirked.

"If this is your attempt to get in my good graces," Marvolo icily bit out, "then it's not working. I will allow for nothing to come in between Harry and I, and be assured of that nothing you would have tried would have succeeded." The woman froze, startled by the violent reaction to her jest, and Harry's stomach filled with a warm, fluttering feeling at the clear possessiveness. "Do you understand?"

Tonks nodded mutely.

"Very well then. Remain in the Order, try to not let him notice a thing. I will not Mark you like my other followers… Spies are uncovered far too quickly with a Mark burned on their arm, no matter how many benefits it brings for me. Instead, I will give you a one-way Portkey through which I can call you if I need to. You can deactivate the call in case the timing is very bad for you, but it will be painful, so you shall think twice before doing so without reason."

Harry was surprised by the order, wondering if Tonks had in any way said that she already wanted to start working for them, but when he played the conversation over in his head, he found that it would have come down to this anyways, whether Marvolo had spent another hour discussing this or not, and he figured his lover had other places to be, so shortly after the raid. It worried him, really. Marvolo didn't show any signs of it, but he was bound to be exhausted, having been up for nearly twenty hours.

Don't worry so much. He heard a grumpy voice, and he pressed his lips together tightly.

You need sleep.

So do you, and you don't see me sending you to bed. I have business to finish and will not rest till it is done.

Sighing because of the man's sheer unmanageability, Harry gave up, knowing that nothing he'd do would decrease Marvolo's stubbornness.

Tonks didn't really show any outward signs of surprise either, and instead got up, her face weary, before she slowly sank to her knees in front of her new Lord. Harry thought was being a tad dramatic about it, looking as if she had just sold her soul to the devil.

Judging by the wicked grin that spread on Marvolo's face while Tonks' head was bowed though, maybe she had.


Harry had, in the end, gone to bed rather quickly after Tonks had been sent on her way back to the Order. He'd been incredibly tired, but only noticed it as his back hit the soft mattress and the adrenaline left his limbs, leaving them nearly impossible to lift again. He instantly fell asleep, so exhausted that he didn't even dream, and neither did he wake up when his lover finally came to bed, nearly half a night later, robes and skin alike smeared with blood.

When he woke up, the stench of blood was still what dominated the room, but even so, Harry couldn't find it within him to move… Saturday… it was a blissful Saturday, and his schedule was empty for once.

A hand suddenly grabbed his neck and he yelped as he was pulled into a rough kiss.

Well, maybe not so empty after all.


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xx GeMerope