Visitor chapter 55

Hello my lovely readers. Hope your'e all doing well. A long chapter again for you this time, because I'm starting a new job tomorrow and it might take a while before I can bring another chap out. To keep updates more regular though, I might start posting shorter chapters so you don't have to wait so long. Thoughts on that?

Enjoy!


While Harry and Ron were busy waiting for their friend, Shay scouted the castle to gather up the spies in Hogwarts. She had to admit that the Dark Lord had been thorough: managing to sneak in four spies in the one building you wanted to take over most of all was no small feat. From what she had heard, Snape had been there since the last war, and was a good spy, a brilliant Occlumens and potion master. He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and had wavered back and forth between allegiances before having to settle on the Dark for reasons unknown to her.

Sameer Atiyeh had also worked for Voldemort for a long time, and Shay had heaps of information on the man. He was a Death Eater who had always remained in the Second Circle to not pull too much attention towards himself. That did not in the slightest mean that he was less powerful than those who had climbed their way up to the first: Sameer was a fighter who had escaped from the Assassin's Guild and travelled with Voldemort when still a child, proven himself time and time again on the battlefield, and wormed his way into the Ministry. He had been in Fudge's team of trusted Elite Fighters, all the while spying for the Dark Lord. Only recently, after the fall of Fudge, he had infiltrated Hogwarts as Defense of the Dark Arts teacher. It certainly was handy that they needed a new teacher every year, so the staff of Hogwarts could not afford to be very picky.

And speaking of needing teachers, there was also the new Herbology teacher Caladium Ambrosius, as the war had claimed the last one who had held that job. This man was one that she knew less about, as he was not an official Death Eater and had only recently entered the scene. He was a sympathizer who had been neutral in the last war, and leaned more and more towards the Dark after. He had offered his services to the Dark Lord after he'd become a teacher at Hogwarts a few months ago. He was not an official spy, not even an official follower, but Voldemort expected reports from him nonetheless now.

And lastly, she needed to find Eyolf, the one she looked forward to speaking to the least: grown up in the assassin's guild like she had, but on top of the food chain instead of the bottom as he'd had magic. She detested every single assassin of the Guild who had grown up with the luxury of being seen as valuable. Shay had heard from Harry that Eyolf had spoken of how he loathed he guild and thought the training had been hard. She gritted her teeth to not growl in her seething hatred.

She had come to Hogwarts once before to speak to him at New year's eve, which had not gone down well: a brief talk had quickly turned into a discussion about the Muggle hunts the Guild used as training, and had been a painful reminder for both of them as in her own last Muggle hunt she'd fought Eyolf, losing a finger but giving him a scar as well. She was honestly surprised that of all people, he'd recommended her to Voldemort. Maybe he had just wanted to get her killed.

Deciding that it was better to get the worst part over with first, and also because Eyolf was the only one of four who wasn't a teacher and thus had no chance of being in a class right now, she went to find the other assassin. It was a shame that Harry hadn't given her the map, but she had at least seen his name on it before, in an office next to the entrance hall of the castle. She snuck quietly through long, stone corridors, testing every step. Last time she had been here, she'd gotten stuck in a stair and it had taken a long time for her to figure out a way to free herself. She'd been trained with magicians, but still did not hold that much knowledge about spells and jinxes and all those things. It had not occurred to her that a school building would be full of magical traps of all things.

She made it down far quicker now that she halfway knew the layout already, both from the last time she'd been here and from the map. Very few students were in the corridors right now, and even when she came across small groups of them, the spells cast upon her, combined with the many hiding places and shadows, it was child's play to go unnoticed. The main hindrance was the large, wide-open marble staircase that connected the entrance hall to the first floor. There might have been stairs or such elsewhere that connected to the ground floor, but she didn't have the time to explore the entire castle right now, and then she would have needed to find her way to the entry from there.

Instead of going down the stairs though, she checked alongside the balustrade to see if there was another way down that would not leave her so out in the open, and finally found one. In one of the corners, in the shadow of the stairs, hung one of the many banners that adorned the walls. It ended above an old-looking wooden door, leaving a jump of about two yards, or even less if she kept holding onto the banner till the last moment with arms stretched above her head. The stairs next to it would make it impossible for anyone to see her who entered either from the first floor, entrance door or the massive oak doors that she assumed led to the dining hall.

The woman bent down over the railing to grab the uppermost part of the banner and tested the strength of the fabric and it's holdings. Figuring it was her best chance, Shay checked her surroundings once more before swinging her legs over the balustrade and grabbing onto the banner, first with legs, then hands as well, slowly sliding down and praying it would hold. She only released her breath when she landed on the stone floor with a dull thud and instantly hid in the shadows under the stairs. According to the map, Eyolf's office would be on her side of the wall, second door to the right. She sincerely hoped she had memorized it correctly and would not end up in the staff meeting room, which was supposedly one door further down.

She wondered if she should announce her presence or not. Her preference was to sneak into a room without doing so, but she didn't think Eyolf would appreciate it, and his reflexes might cost her dear. Knocking it was then, to be on the safe side. It would be very odd for other people to be in the office with him anyways, as he was only the caretaker here. As soon as she raised her hand to knock however, the door already opened and the grim, wary face of Arve Greyhunter, better known as Eyolf, appeared. Shay really would have loved to call him by his given name just to irk the man, but decided it would not be the wisest move, and she liked her neck where it was. There were many negative points about being a Muggle, and one was that you couldn't just treat wizards and witches how you would like to.

''Shade,'' he grumbled. ''What in the devil's name are you doing here?''

The woman, a bit sour by that she had been noticed even before knocking on the outer part of the door, walked into the office. Well, she had not expected to go unnoticed by him. She had been one of the Guild's best members, considering she was a Muggle, but Eyolf was still leagues above her and had the help of spells and devices that Shay couldn't even dream of.

''How did you see me that quickly?'' she asked, still wanting to know so she could avoid it next time.

''Detection wards. Anything that has a name and comes within a few yards of this door gets registered. When I'm inside the wards, I can also feel it as I was the one to set them up. It's clear that you don't have to deal with stalking wizards that often.''

Shay scowled. ''Well, all jobs for wizards get taken away from me by dozens of other people before I have a chance of getting them,'' she snapped. ''Also a reason I'm constantly broke because the Guild isn't well-known outside of the magical community.''

''Don't blame me, I got you a job didn't I? For the Dark Lord no less... you should be able to live off that salary for years. Also, did you just come here to argue with me again or do you actually have something to say?''

Eyolf did have a point, the woman reluctantly admitted, but he just irked her to such an incredible amount... It was hard not to get lost in arguments. ''As a matter of fact, I am here because the Dark Lord found your reports lacking,'' she bit back. ''It's understandable that they would be vague with heightened security here, but still.''

''They were lacking because there is literally nothing to report!'' Eyolf said, obviously frustrated. ''I sit here all day observing students and staff go about their daily business. McGonagall is not the manipulating scheming type that Dumbledore was: she actually concentrates on her students, lesson plans, staff communication and all that. She's running a school, not an arms factory. There has been no official Order activity, no regrouping, no new recruitments. The only devoted members that were left are still busy with their careers. The few that aren't teaching at Hogwarts were either imprisoned, fled, or lying low. How much do you think I can send the Dark Lord with matters being as they are?''

''Than tell him that, not scarce letters full of: 'no current activity, will remain observant.' and then weeks of nothing. He spoke to me briefly before we left for Hogwarts and he honestly thinks that Hogwarts is full of people who are doing their utmost best to plan assassination attempts on him or are building international ties and that you don't care enough anymore to research that properly.''

'What do you mean we? Who else is here?''

''Inconsequential for you to know. You will probably not see them. Anyways, from what I hear now, you did analyse the staff well and know exactly why they are doing nothing of the sort, but Voldemort does not!''

Eyolf made a strange movement at the end of her sentence: it was no more than a jerking of his hands and a slight grimace, but it piqued Shay's interest. ''Really?'' she asked, hardly believing what she saw. ''You, oh fearsome star assassin, can't hear the Dark Lord's name without shivering?''

Eyolf threw her a dirty look. ''You've seen the man,'' he replied sharply. ''But I can't expect you to fully understand... You can't feel his magic after all. How his magic is a black wave that engulfs everything in his vicinity, chilling to the bone and eager to lash out in violence to any who oppose him. He may put up a polite mask when doing business, but even you should be able to see the sadistic, manipulative creature he is. Before I came in his near-constant employment, I've also worked for the other side, in the first Wizarding war he started. Most of my clients feared for their lives and sanity, and for good reasons. If I would have directly crossed his path back then, I too would have been ripped to shreds.''

''I've seen him in battle and must admit that I was impressed by his power and bloodlust, but I really don't see why you should still be that afraid of him. You're protected by him right now. Also, even back then, didn't you like the challenge? The adrenaline of never knowing when you would live another day?''

''I wouldn't mind dying, that's part of the job. But I wouldn't like to be caught and killed by him, because I've seen him torture people for fun in ways you couldn't imagine. But well, you have only known him since he's been with Harry,'' Eyolf sighed. ''I do think that changed him. Before he didn't care for anything in the world but power and control. Doesn't mean his cruel side is gone though. I've seen how he taught Harry a few torture spells.''

''Harry? Are you sure?'' Shay grew concerned with that information. She'd always idolized Harry Potter from the moment she heard of him and his deeds, and had been overjoyed when finding out it was him she had to protect. Whenever she'd seen the boy, he'd been a bit reckless and likely to head into danger, and also a good fighter on the battlefield, but she would never have thought he enjoyed torture.''

''Don't worry about him,'' Eyolf said. ''When I saw it, I also thought there was more to Potter, but he really was lost in the moment, pulled by the Dark Lord's poisonous magic. I very much doubt that he could do anything for cruelty alone if he's not high on powerful magic. He cares too much, about everything.''

Shay released a relieved sigh. She didn't want her image of Harry to be tainted, certainly not by this man. ''To get back on topic though,'' she said. ''Because I don't have all day, the summary of my message is that you have to be more thorough in writing about what is going on, and if you don't find anything, tell him why you didn't.''

''Any reason you can't just tell him what I said so I don't have t risk putting that all in a letter?''

''I'm not your lackey, that's why.'' Though Shay knew just as much as he did that it was the best option. ''Fine,'' she grumbled. ''I'll tell him for you. Anything else?''

''I wish to request to be moved to a different place. Nothing of interest is happening here, and nothing will happen. There have been some squabbles between teachers, even Order members, about the best course to proceed. Some are actually for the new government, and they will not be able to sort out their differences before the Dark Lord wishes to take over Hogwarts. I'd say to leave them stewing in it. I'm only wasting my time and potential here.''

''What if he doesn't grant your request? You said before that he's paranoid, and I tend to agree with you on that.''

''I'll have to see,'' the man answered. Shay knew that could only mean one thing: Eyolf already had a backup plan and knew exactly what course he would take if the Dark Lord didn't allow him to do something more exciting somewhere else. Shay could understand: guarding Harry had been fun at the start, where she was actually needed with battles to be fought and enemies to face. Now, she mainly hung around in her room and now and then chatted with Harry. This 'mission' had been a welcome change, but the only reasons why she didn't take another job was because she liked Harry, and she couldn't afford to piss off the first powerful magical employer she'd had. Both of those didn't apply to the man in front of her. He probably already had another job in mind. Maybe the Guild had contacted him about something new.

''I hope for you that whatever you may do doesn't put you in the direct path of Voldemort,'' Shay said in a warning tone. ''As long as you don't want to endure the painful death you described before.''

''Anything is better than sitting between those walls for another day, listening to pathetic excuses of students, the dull chats between Flitwick and Sinistra and the inability to cast magic.'' Eyolf replied coolly. ''Now, you have what you came for an I bid you to leave. You also might want to get those disillusionment spells checked again. Goodbye.''

''No chance you will renew them? If I get caught I could say you hindered my mission by refusing aid...''

''Tattling to the Dark Lord? How typical. But as much as I'd love to, I can't help you with this. To avoid suspicion, I keep my wand somewhere else in the castle. It would be faster for you to search out someone else than for me to retrieve it.''

''Shame. Hey, since you're the caretaker and all, would you happen to know the schedule of the other teachers?''

''I just won't get rid of you will I?'' Eyolf muttered, but was already walking to his desk and rummaging around in it. He took out several pieces of parchment and pressed it into her hands. ''Here, everything you'll need.''

Shay flipped through the papers, seeing they were the individual schedules of every teacher in Hogwarts. She didn't need all of them, but they might come in handy at another point in time. Snape and Sameer both had a class right now, but Ambrosius was free. Details of classroom numbers and his office were also present. Very good. ''I'll be going then, and I'll make sure to give the Dark Lord a report and your request when I go back.''

Eyolf held the door open for her. ''Good luck,'' he muttered, surprising her before he slammed the door close. She instantly rolled into the shadows of the stairs again, cursing that he'd been so loud. On a second thought, his wards would have alerted him if anyone had been close, so he'd probably known no-one was near. Bastard. Shay studied her hands, seeing that the spell was waning: patches of her skin were returning to their original colour and structure. She looked at Ambrosius' schedule, and tried to make something of the classroom and office numbers.

It was a rather confusing system as some had numbers and letters, like 3C, others only numbers, often going into the hundreds, and then there were some of which only a description was given, such as 'Restricted Greenhouse', or, on another schedule belonging to professor Aurora Sinistra: 'Astronomy Tower'. As none of them started with numbers above 7, she figured that the first number, whether in combination with other numbers or letters, represented the floor. She hoped that at least on the floors themselves the classrooms had been numbered with a bit of sense, such as counting down or counting up, but she couldn't be sure with this school.

It was slightly harder to find her way this time: the office was at the first floor and turned out to be near the centre. Not far, but she had to climb up where she came from, and couldn't exactly reach the banner she'd slid down from. It took ages of careful watching, listening and scouting to ensure no-one was looking from either this floor or the one above. Shay finally took her chance and sprinted up the stairs, slowing down when she came at the end of it, turning around and walking backwards to be able to spot anyone standing in the hall of the first floor.

A couple of students were loitering about, but all with their backs to her. A couple of yards away was a large stone statue again which she gladly used for cover. It was going to be a lot harder to get to her destination with people in her way. The only positive point was that these were students: they were not very magically advanced yet and couldn't sense a person's presence like Eyolf could, or the Dark Lord. On top of that, they were all in their teens, which meant that most didn't care about anything but their own business. And of course, this was a safe environment for them: they didn't expect people to just be able to sneak in and out of the fortified castle and certainly weren't on the lookout for anyone.

A few minutes, some distractions and a lot of searching later, she was finally standing in a small corridor in front of the door leading to Ambrosius' office. She studied the door, suspicious about several tiny holes that were spread all over the surface. She thought she could see something move in them, something green. Were there insect eating the wood away? Or was this some sort of spell? To be certain, Shay took out one of her smallest daggers and threw it into the wood from a small distance. As soon as it touched the door, green tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves around the dagger, with some stinging the blade and handle like wasps. Shay raised her eyebrows at yet another level of security. It didn't seem to do any damage, but there was certainly something amiss with these plants.

The dull thud that had been emitted when she'd thrown the knife in, seemed to have functioned as knocking however, as the door opened and a man in his forties with pastry skin stuck his head through the opening. ''Why hello,'' he said, looking rather surprised. ''And here I thought those kids were at it again and got poisoned. Might I ask who you are?''

''Not here. There's a reason I'm disillusioned,'' Shay hissed. ''Can I come in?''

The man, Caladium Ambrosius, Shay saw, opened the door further and gestured for her to come in. When she did, it seemed more like entering a garden than a room, with plants covering every possible surface apart from an old desk. A second man, large, dark and with elegant clothes sat in front of it, a cup of coffee in his hands.

''I'd prefer to speak without- wait a minute,'' Shay said, frowning. ''You must be Sameer Atiyeh. You had a different hair-cut and less scars on the picture I saw. Aren't you supposed to be teaching right now?''

''Should be. Had more important things to do here and am thus officially ill today. Another teacher has taken over for today, the potions master.''

''Snape?'' Shay said, annoyed. ''Then these schedules are useless. I need to find him too. Anyways, at least I caught you both at once. Is this room secure?''

''Yes,'' Ambrosius said slowly. ''Secure enough that no-one would notice if a random person would disappear here.'' Shay saw how his hand disappeared in his cloak and the muscles in his arm tightened as he gripped his wand that was hidden under it.

''Point taken,'' she simply said. ''Good, just to get some formalities out of the way: Caladium Ambrosius, what is the book you mentioned during your very first conversation with the Dark Lord? And Atiyeh Sameer, what was the name of the road you were found by the Dark Lord?''

''Aquatic flora magi,'' Ambrosius replied.

''It didn't have an official name, it was a sandy road of no real importance.'' Sameer said in his turn.

''Brilliant, then I can come right to the point. I have been sent by the Dark Lord to see how everything is going right now. I already spoke to Eyolf and heard that reports are lacking due to lack of new information... Anything to add to that?''

The men exchanged glances. ''You are a servant of the Dark Lord?'' Sameer asked. ''Forgive me for not instantly believing you... do you have any proof?''

Shay nodded and took the small piece of parchment Voldemort had given her before leaving. It didn't show much, only his signature. She handed it to the men in front of her, and both of them studied it. Ambrosius seemed confused, but the other man nodded. ''That's from him alright. Well then, you basically gave a correct summary yes,'' Sameer spoke. ''But lacking a few details. Nothing large is going on no, but things are stirring. I suppose that Eyolf is not around enough during official teacher meetings to notice. There is a lot of disagreement between teachers, about the next policy the school should have, about the government, about what to do with the students and the censorship...''

''He actually did mention that, but dismissed it as unimportant. You might know that the Dark Lord is planning on taking over the school at one point, most likely within the next few months. Eyolf is of the opinion that this conflict will not be solved quickly enough for them to do something concrete.''

''Perhaps,'' Ambrosius said pensively. ''And perhaps not. Those who aren't members of the Order still are friendly with those who are, and to a certain point agree with the ideals of the old order. Dumbledore did not hire people who did not agree with his general ideas. We only got these jobs because we were good at infiltrating and putting on a mask. We went through an extensive interview as well, in which he tried to reveal what we thought of using dark magic, about several laws and loyalty to the general staff. Should some old members decide to do something sudden and radical, the other members of the staff will turn a blind eye even if they don't agree, for the sake of friendship.''

''And there have not been any reports about these possibilities... why?'' Shay asked. ''The Dark Lord is getting impatient.''

Sameer sighed heavily. ''Simple. There have been no indications of radical plans as of yet. It would be unwise to risk getting caught sending letters to the Dark lord if there is nothing of interest to report. Well, if any, I'd be more worried about Eyolf.''

''You noticed it too?'' So it hadn't just been her to whom he'd shown signs of wanting to leave... ''He's getting bored here, he told me so himself.''

''Yes, both of us noticed and are worried about it. That was one of the reasons why I came here today, to plan for what to do if Eyolf turns on us. He is not one of the Dark Lord's followers after all, but an assassin who has been bought and only works for us in exchange for money. Hired loyalty is worth nothing if you ask me.'' Those words ensured Shay that she shouldn't reveal that she was also one whose loyalty was hired. She wasn't exactly surprised about Sameer's dislike of assassins though. She'd heard stories about him being one of the very few who had been taken into the Guild and escaped. She didn't know the full story, but also didn't care that much. He'd been somewhat of a celebrity among magical recruits of the Guild, but Shay and the rest of the Muggles had had more dire things to worry about.

''Indeed,'' she instead said, shaking her head and not showing her true feelings. ''He can never be completely trusted.''

''I really am not sure why the Dark Lord even turns to assassins. He has many followers who would die for him to get such a mission...'' Sameer muttered darkly.

''Perhaps because he can be certain of their skill?'' Shay suggested. ''The assassins are trained and have been proven to survive. Eyolf is supposed to be the best... or one of the best at least. While devoted, many followers of the Dark Lord lack the finesse or abilities that come with these tasks.''

''You may have a point. Still, I don't like it.''

''So, what plans have you made until now then?'' she inquired.

''We're still discussing... It would really depend on where he will go next and who he would work for. We're developing ways to keep track of him that he can't detect, but it's hard. He is good at his job and quite powerful. If he goes to work for someone else on our side, there is no problem of course, and I'm sure the Dark Lord can handle that easily himself. A neutral party would also not really interest us, but if he finds an employer who is on the light side, steps need to be taken. It's not so much that I would hold it against him -he would only be doing his job,- but he's far too important a player to fall into the hands of our enemy. It's best to ensure he won't.''

''Sounds good, but there's a problem,'' Shay threw in. ''The only way to keep an eye on that man without him noticing, is to get someone with equal skill. You'd either have to hire someone else or get help from the Dark Lord by making him order a suitable Death Eater to do the job.''

''Hmm, we had wanted to keep the Dark Lord out of this as he probably has more important things on his mind,'' Sameer spoke. ''I've always been used to get a lot of leeway from him and make my own plans. But you might be onto something. I don't have the funds to pay an even better assassin even if I'd want to, and while I do know some people who could take this job, all of those are followers of the Dark Lord and thus busy with their own missions.''

''Well, I can give him the message if you'd like.''

''What do you do exactly? You've been sent here to infiltrate Hogwarts so I assume you are good at that. Any chance you could take this yourself?''

Shay smiled wryly. ''No, sorry. I'm not so good that I can outsmart Eyolf. Besides, I actually have a bodyguard function right now and wouldn't like to quit that... mission.'' She'd almost said 'job' but didn't want any questions that could lead to them gaining knowledge of her actual profession. Which posed another problem of her not being able to reveal she was a Muggle, and thus also not being able to ask for them to renew the spells on her that were losing their potency by the minute. She'd either need to ask Snape or return to Harry without being spotted before. ''So, apart from Eyolf, any other news from Hogwarts?''

''Not exactly,'' Ambrosius replied. ''Which is the main reason why there were no reports. McGonagall is going about business as usual, teaching and trying to run the school. She didn't even move into Dumbledore's old office. No time for it or something like that. Hogwarts has been cut off from the outside world completely: there have been no attempts to gain any allies whatsoever, which sounds strange, but is understandable since the Order lost their leader, officially disbanded, and all its former members are busy.

I'm Not exactly sure with whom they could even ally. Not with any large parties in Britain, that is for sure. Dumbledore had thrown a lot of hope on several creatures such as centaurs, mermen, veela etcetera by promising them golden mountains. Now the new government has been established however, all those creatures see that the Dark Lord also gives them more freedom and rights, and many do not wish to fight against a regime that is improving their life. They can be lucky that the Dark Lord didn't hold it against them that they fought with Dumbledore before. They also of course don't want to fight for the losing side again. ''

''So they would have to get international? That will be hard with the current restrictions.''

''Exactly. They'd have to create illegal ways to get out of the country and meet up with politicians, press, covert groups and such, not exactly their style. Also, while Dumbledore tried to gain allies in the mainland, he didn't succeed very well, resulting in that the Order was always a very national organisation too and focused on that later on. That comes back to bite them now. But of course, they do have possibilities. Many countries were against what the Dark Lord did when he revealed magic to the Muggles. As one of the last magical factions against the new regime that has a foot in this country, I wouldn't be surprised if they get contacted one day.''

''But we can't say when hm?'' Shay murmured. ''I can see how that is a problem. ''If McGonagall is waiting for that, then obviously you're not going to see any steps she is taking, because she isn't doing anything. I suppose I can bring this back to the Dark Lord for you so he knows why you're not sending anything. It does make sense.''

''Thank you, much appreciated. Well, if you would excuse us, we'd like to continue thinking of other spells or devices we can use to keep an eye on Eyolf. We will await your answer from the Dark Lord about it too.''

Shay nodded and got up. One person was left, and it was getting rather late now. ''Would you know where Severus Snape is at this moment?'' she asked.

Sameer furrowed his brow. ''Hmm, let's see... well, it's not dinner yet... and the lessons that he's taken over from me today are also over by now. So I assume you'll find him in the dungeons. I have to admit that I don't know what the bat is doing with his own lessons.''

''The bat?'' the woman asked, raising her eyebrows. She had to admit that she didn't know incredibly much about Snape apart from his profession, talents and traitorous habits. She'd tried to ask Harry a few times, but got the idea that he didn't think much of the potions master, as he didn't want to go in on the topic, and she hadn't had much time to speak about it with the Dark Lord either.

Unlike with her other jobs, it was much harder to gain information around her now, as most wizards and witches, like the Death Eaters who regularly visited the house, deemed her beneath them and didn't speak to her. What she did know, she'd gathered from intercepting post, listening at doors, and the occasional visit where she had to play bodyguard for Harry during which she was actually around magicians. That didn't happen often: more than half of the time she only guarded the teen when Muggles were visiting the manor. The Dark Lord didn't trust her abilities enough to keep Harry safe in hostile magical environments. And he would be right: she really wasn't equipped to handle that, not alone at least.

''He's a bit of a dungeon bat,'' Ambrosius answered her question about the nickname. ''Always holed up in his damp caves, dressed in black, scaring people and being gloomy. No-one sees him much. Dumbledore held great trust in Snape, but the rest of the staff doesn't anymore without Dumbledore to protect him. He especially doesn't get along with McGonagall, who is the head of Gryffindor. I think the only reason that she isn't firing him, is that he's very good at making potions, and supplying the infirmary with them. It certainly isn't due to his teaching skills. Also, here she can keep an eye on him. Not that he's been doing much for the Dark either, other than make and send potions the Dark Lord requested.

''Well, I'll see. Goodbye, gentlemen.''


At six, Harry had gotten decidedly bored of games and tired of waiting for Shay to finally arrive. On the map he had seen that she was still in the dungeons, in Snape's office, talking to the man. He was quite miffed that she had missed her deadline, and decided that he might as well go to her. Maybe he would even catch some of what she and Snape were talking about. Also, he reasoned, the Slytherin's common rooms were also near there, so then he could get rid of most letters. Thus, Harry was sneaking through the winding corridors and halls now, covered by his cloak, having wand and map in his hands. He had also taken out the list of names for whom he all had letters so he could check later if he'd had everyone. At the moment, most people were in the Great Hall to have dinner, so hopefully he could take Shay's report before everyone returned to their common rooms.

Not that he was looking forward to seeing Snape again. He should probably keep his cloak on... thankfully he knew that the git couldn't see through it. As long as he was silent, he'd be able to avoid having to speak even a single word to Snape. That the spy was on their side didn't make Harry feel any better about him: he knew that the only reason that Snape hadn't completely betrayed them, was because he literally couldn't due to the Unbreakable Vow...

Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks, his stomach turning to ice. The Vow... the Vow that Snape had made to Dumbledore, a man that had been very dead for months. How did that work? Did it even work still? Were vows like that still active if any of the parties died?

Marvolo, he said, the panic in his voice slicing easily through the barrier.

Harry? I thought you wouldn't contact me so soon again.

Snape... I just realised... isn't he only on our side because he made a vow to protect me? But Dumbledore is dead. Doesn't that mean that Snape is free of those bindings?

Calm down dear, Marvolo spoke. You're completely safe. It's true: Snape's Vow was broken the moment that Dumbledore died, but that's no reason to worry. As soon as Dumbledore did die, Snape had no-one to fall back upon for exactly that reason. None of the Light side trust him, and I rule this country now. His sense of self-preservation is much too strong to betray me now. He doesn't have to protect you anymore, but that certainly is no ground for him to take a leap in the unknown and try to go another way. He's doing what he likes, brewing potions and bullying students, and has little to do with me. I can't imagine why he'd want things to change. You made quite clear to him that he shouldn't hold onto the past so much, didn't you?

Well, yes, but... I don't know if I got through to him. In some weird vengeance on my mum he could still turn his back on you now.

If it makes you feel any better, I am letting him be shadowed as well by Eyolf, and I'm not telling Snape any important information he could use against us.

Alright, that... that does relieve me a bit. I'll still keep an eye out for Snape too while I'm here. Shay is talking with him now. Did you give her any of this info?

No. I didn't think it was necessary: she also didn't know about the Vow in the first place. Her only job is to find out why I haven't been receiving many reports, and if there is something wrong in Hogwarts. Most other things are irrelevant, as I will be taking the school soon. It's already May, after all, and at the end of June Hogwarts will be empty of students. I am thinking of maybe taking it over slightly before the end of year though, right after the exams. I don't want the teachers to get odd ideas and try to keep the children there as hostages or, if not, do anything rash when there are no students and they have the castle to themselves.

Probably better, Harry agreed. Well, thanks for easing my worries, I'll be on my way now. Good luck love, with... whatever you are doing.

You too dear.

With a smile, Harry closed the link again and went on his way to the dungeons. Using shortcuts such as a long sliding pipe that led from the fifth floor straight down to the dungeons, he was there in no time at all. Shay was still in Snape's office, he saw. Harry wondered if he should wait for her to finish, but was too curious about what they were talking about to simply wait. He snuck through the cold, stone corridors, the greenish light showing oddly moving shadows on the wall. Harry looked around, wondering what was throwing the shadow, because he was still wearing his invisibility cloak. Strangely, he couldn't see anything else moving. Feeling at unease, he hurried along until he saw the door to Snape's office.

''Alohomora,'' he whispered, pointing his wand at the lock. Thankfully Snape didn't find it necessary to guard his office as well as his potion supply room. But seeing as Hermione had been able to break into that as well in their second year, and Barty Crouch again in his fourth, it still couldn't be warded that well. Maybe it was illegal for teachers to do so, in case there were emergencies and students needed to be able to enter? Or did Snape hope that students tried to break in so he could punish them when caught?

Carefully, Harry pushed open the door and stuck his head through, seeing Shay lean against the side of a dark green sofa. Huh, Harry hadn't expected Snape to have any kind of comfortable furniture. That certainly hadn't been there last time he'd been in Snape's office. The man in question himself sat out of Harry's sight, maybe blocked by Shay. His voice was cold and sliced through the room as always. Harry wondered why he hadn't heard it before opening the door. Was there a sound barrier on it? He slipped into the office, trying to move the door as little as possible, and closed it slowly. He didn't want anyone outside to pick up sensitive information.

''I certainly don't think I need to justify my actions towards a mere Muggle,'' Snape sneered. ''Oh, don't look surprised, what self-respecting witch would resort to knives of all things? Well, maybe a few mudbloods I know would when they forget that they have magic, but even those wouldn't carry Muggle weapons around like that. So, what exactly do you think you can threaten me with?''

''I am not trying to threaten you,'' Shay answered, sounding bored. ''As I tried explaining before. You are being incredibly difficult, do you know that?''

''A slip of paper with a scribbled name could be of anyone, and falsified by anyone. You don't really think I'm going to tell you a single word, do you?''

The woman released an sigh that Harry could understand very well. Snape just oozed out an irritable aura. He realised now why she'd taken so long. It had probably taken an hour or so only to get Snape to halfway listen.. Harry inwardly groaned. If he wanted to get Shay's other reports anytime soon, he should probably butt in. Oh well, at least this was a nice opportunity to finally prank the slimy git. Harry wasn't in Hogwarts anymore, so the man had absolutely no authority over him.

Smirking, the teen walked past Shay, seeing Snape sitting behind his desk with a nasty scowl. Taking a deep breath, Harry stood right in front of him, pulled off the cloak, and screamed like a banshee. The effect was incredibly satisfying: The man screamed, jumped up, threw his chair to the ground and then stumbled over it. A moment of bliss later, Harry thoroughly regretted his decision. Snape's usually pallid skin turned red with rage, and his wand was pressed against Harry's throat a second later. It didn't help that his conversation with Marvolo suddenly flashed through his mind, of Snape not being bound to protect him anymore.

''Potter,'' Snape hissed through his yellowed teeth.

''Severus,'' Harry replied, head held high, the wan pressing into his skin with more force. before the man could give a reply, he quickly continued: ''Why are you hindering a servant whom your Lord sent from doing her job?''

Reluctantly, Snape withdrew his wand, perhaps realising just exactly how much higher Harry stood and what the Dark Lord would do to him if he found out that Snape had been threatening his fiancé. Or well, lover. Harry didn't think that Snape would have heard the news about the official engagement. Not that it was news that he would share with Snape anyways. His personal life was absolutely not the business of this man. A man that was also still on Harry's hate list somewhere, though not as high since he couldn't touch the teen anymore.

''So she really comes from him?'' Snape said with disbelief. ''I thought the Order wanted to trick me into revealing my allegiance. Since when does the Dark Lord hire Muggles?''

''As you may or may not have noticed, Britain is now an openly magical society where magicians and Muggles mingle in everyday life. Why wouldn't they also enter our ranks?'' Harry asked. ''Sure, Magical people are on the top of society, but Muggles can still work for us. It would be impractical to keep them away from everything wouldn't it?''

''I can remember a time where the Dark Lord would have happily eradicated every single Muggle.''

''Don't be ridiculous Snape,'' Harry snapped. ''Of course he never had that in mind. He doesn't like Muggles, but he's not an unrealistic idiot. Even a hundred Dark Lords could never eradicate all Muggles. And who would be left to rule over anyways? Yes, loads of people were killed during both wars, but the ultimate goal was always to make sure magic could be practised openly. When was Marvolo not clear about that?''

''Oh, I don't know, when he was busy torturing his followers instead of giving information?'' Snape hissed. Harry suddenly realised that Snape hadn't been at any of the truly informative meetings, either because he wasn't trusted, or because he was at Hogwarts. Snape had also been relatively young even at the very last part of the first war, and might not have climbed up as high as Harry had always assumed. That he had been friends with Lucius and some other Death Eaters -or then Death Eater kids- would have been his only claim on power. When Marvolo had been reborn he'd instantly mentioned Snape, so Harry had thought that the man was missing from the Inner Circle, but perhaps Snape only entered it then because he had valuable information about Hogwarts and Dumbledore? He was marked, but so were many other people who didn't belong in there and also hadn't been expected to appear that night.

''Well, you know now then,'' Harry replied. ''And you should maybe catch up with the facts. We rule this country, but it's not being burned to ashes, it's improving by having magic incorporated into every pore of its being. Muggles are still here and will always be, because we can't have a country with a couple of thousand people. The cities would go to waste, the economy would collapse, and we also shouldn't forget that Muggles have a chance of getting magical children. The old pureblood families can't intermingle much further before going batshit crazy from incest or extinct altogether.''

''I haven't seen a single hint of craziness in the Malfoy family,'' Snape said stiffly.

''And you probably don't want to know how many have been burnt off the Malfoy family tree because they actually got kids with Muggles. But when looking at other families... You can't tell me that Crabbe and Goyle are more intelligent than a brick wall. And look at many of the Blacks... Bellatrix for example, or Sirius' mum.''

''Or the mutt himself,'' Snape growled.

''Seeing as he is ruling a country now,'' Harry reacted coolly, ''I think the insanity may have skipped a generation regarding Sirius.'' Though to be honest, he wasn't completely certain. Sirius often jumped to strange conclusions, found it hard to recognise people for who they were, Harry included, and had a distinct hang towards the past and reckless situations. Harry had first thought it was because of Azkaban, but it seemed he'd always been like that. Still, his godfather was certainly intelligent, so his strange quirks didn't bother Harry too much.

''I wouldn't be so certain,'' Snape sneered. ''So, what are you here for? Shouldn't you be playing the heroic star by getting beat up in the air? I bet you chose the worst team in the league to make yourself look better hm?''

''Not that it is your concern,'' Harry bit back, as Snape had hit a sore spot, ''I chose the Cannons because they are Ron's favourite team.'' No-one touched either his best friend or his team... ''And we're here because you have been rather sparse with information. Shay, if you would?''

''Thanks Harry,'' the woman spoke. ''I actually got most info from the others already: not much going down in Hogwarts. The staff is divided, the headmistress is waiting to hear from other parties who could possibly support them, and Eyolf is bored and will probably try to bail in the near future. Sending reports is risky so as long as nothing is happening, no-one likes sending anything at the moment. Correct?''

''Correct,'' Snape reluctantly admitted.

''Good. Anything to add to it?''

''Yes. Draco Malfoy came to me yesterday again with information regarding the students' loyalties. He's been reporting to me regularly. Draco has selected quite a few people who would want to join the Dark Lord directly when they graduate. Most students are not really active one way or the other, and then there's small group of students that keeps resisting. It's not regulated by any teacher as far as I know, and the group consists mainly of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. They believe the tales of Minerva about the country going down and Muggleborns being in incredible danger.''

''Not too surprising considering even you believed it,'' Shay said with raised eyebrows. Snape glowered at her with all his might. ''Any reason why you haven't reported this?''

''It's a couple of students giving trouble at school, it's hardly something the Dark Lord should concern himself with. If he takes over this school soon, those students will be put in their place quickly enough. I just thought ou should know now, because Potter tends to trust his little Gryffindor friends more than he should. They're your enemies now.''

''Noted,'' harry said, frowning with worry. He wondered who exactly was in that group. Seamus probably, considering his hostility towards Harry in the past year, but he wouldn't know of anyone else. Maybe Dean? And some people of other years?

''I've heard the name 'United Hogwarts' fall a couple of times. It's either a code word or the name of their ridiculous little rebellion.'' Snape said, composing himself. ''Other than that, not much news, no. I am brewing the potions the Dark Lord asked me to and sending them on schedule. I can't imagine he has too many complaints about that.''

Shay gave Snape a critical look. ''No... but you know what, maybe you should just meet up with the others every now and then and get one of you to write a report for all. Then it's sure to be complete and you can brainstorm a bit together.''

''I don't work with other people,'' the man replied sourly.

''Suit yourself, do more work then and send something even if you don't know what to write. I'll suggest it to the others though, they seem to be much more amicable people. If you don't have any other news, goodbye. Harry, meet you upstairs?''

''Oh no, no, I'm coming with you,'' Harry said, horrified at the thought of being alone with Snape. ''Need to drop off some letters though. Want to help?''

''If you renew that spell on me. As you can see, it's all melted away.''

''Ah,'' Harry replied, slightly disappointed that his disillusionment charm hadn't held up. ''Of course.'' Without saying another word to Snape, they both walked out. The man could choke on his own potions for all Harry cared.


It had been the second tiresome daywithout Harry being there now, and Marvolo was already growing increasingly frustrated about that fact. It wasn't that he couldn't handle being alone -he'd been alone most of his life and relished in it- but that didn't mean that he wanted it now. He'd always been a man who took what he wished for, as soon as he could, and He knew he could technically just visit Harry or force him to come back, but that didn't make it any better because then his love would be angry at him... either for not coming with in the first place, or for abandoning tasks that were more important right now, such as the war that was brooding on the horizon.

Because that was what he felt was about to come: war, again. The war in Britain may have been won, but building up his Empire wasn't going to be that easy. Oh, he controlled the government, they were changing the laws, the banking system, the healthcare, education and piercing through the fundaments of everyone's lives here, but there lay the problem. With the way he had revealed Magic to the world, it indeed had an impact on the entire world now that Muggles couldn't simply ignore them anymore, not even with the most skilled Obliviation teams going around. It had been too quickly-spread, a revelation too powerful to quell, and every country dealt with it differently.

Most didn't like it at all. the Statute of Secrecy had been international, and right before Black had won the elections for Minister of Magic, the alliance of magical nations, consisting of a large number of European countries, had declared war. It had been about four months now, and while the countries involved had been dealing with their own internal problems that the revelation of Magic had brought, it wouldn't be long before they would be able to organise themselves and attack. The streams of magical refugees that went to Britain were a foreboding of that.

Marvolo had to admit though, that there was also a positive point about so many countries persecuting magic now. First of all, it had proven his point of that Muggles needed to be controlled, lest they formed a danger to magic. Secondly, all the refugees meant more magical blood in Britain. Considering just how small the magical population was in the first place, the people didn't take up much space, especially because many more Muggles were leaving the country. And the more witches and wizards in Britain, the firmer their grasp on the Muggle population would be. It was rather brilliant really.

Of course, Britain wasn't the only country that people fled to: Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries were also popular destinations. Most other countries that allied with Britain though, were harder to reach: Iceland was quite far away and too cold for many people fleeing from southern Europe, Portugal had the disadvantage of bordering to Spain and France and being quite cut off because of that, and Ireland was behind Britain, so most people didn't go through the trouble of moving there once they had reached the English border. As a result, Britain still received most refugees, also because it had all started there. Marvolo really wondered why people actually flocked to a country in which it was pretty obvious that a war would break out again soon. General stupidity or idealism, most likely, but handy for him.

He was broken out of his musings regarding the war when a house-elf popped in. He recognised the elf as Tabby, the one that usually took care of his fiancé when he was home. The small creature bowed low and stuck out a letter. ''This came for Master Potter, my Lord,'' the elf squeaked in a high tone. ''An owl brought it to the mailbox a few minutes ago.''

Wordlessly, Marvolo took the letter an then dismissed the elf, flipping over the envelope to see who the sender was. It was a rather uncommon envelope, made of paper instead of the usual parchment. ''Dursley?'' he muttered. He had been aware of that Harry and Dudley had stayed in contact after their first meeting, but he'd thought that Dursley returning to his parents had been the end of it. He opened the link between Harry and him. Flashes of emotions reached him first: happiness, curiousity... It appeared Harry was talking to his friends. Next came surface thoughts his fiancé had, thoughts about Ron and Hermione, thoughts of Skeeter, and slightly darker thoughts that were tinged with worry about Eyolf.

Harry? he asked, cutting through the teen's other thoughts.

Marvolo? Finally! I have been trying to contact you for ages!''

''I know dear, I apologise. I had quite a lot to do. How is everything going at Hogwarts?''

''Depends on who you want to know about'' Harry replied. ''My friends are doing great. Hermione and Ron are basically a couple now, can you believe that? Well, not officially, they were both a bit awkward, but they kissed, so I'm sure it'll work out. They have a 'talk' tomorrow, so we'll see what comes out of that. Draco is also okay now that he received his mother's letter. Other than that, your spies are a bit divided. Sameer and Ambrosius are still awaiting any orders and keeping on their normal routine while doing so. Shay will give you a full report by letter. They became friends as far as I know. Snape is the same as usual, not much to say there. Very uncooperative too, but I expected as much. Eyolf is a bit... odd. Restless, more snappy than usual, and Shay expressed concern to me that she, Sameer and Ambrosius know that Eyolf has plans to leave if he doesn't get something more challenging to do, once the contract allows it. Which isn't very far away.

Marvolo thought about that for awhile. It had come up before, but he thought he'd had a tight enough grasp on the assassin. While he did of course kill for the highest bidder, that highest bidder had always been him, without exception. He wasn't sure what other person could possibly hire him and pay more, with the exception of the Ministry, which was also under his command.

Have Sameer keep a closer eye on him. I don't think he'd really pull anything but I can't be certain.

Shay said they are trying to think of ways to do so, but it's hard because he's so good at hiding. It would probably be solved if you just gave him something more interesting to do once his contract runs out... Otherwise you can't stop him from leaving.

I don't have much else for him to do though. Spying on the staff at Hogwarts is still a job that has more priority over any other spy- or assassination work he could do right now. Sameer and Ambrosius may be there, but the other staff will be much more careful around them as they are known wizards. If Eyolf leaves I will have to put someone else in his place, because the other two can't take that position over. But other than watching the staff, there is nothing more interesting to do there currently. Marvolo sighed inwardly, aware that the man really could grow into a problem if he was left unattended.

I'm mostly worried that he wants to see blood. He's been trained to kill people and you have him holed up in a Hogwarts for around eight months, first teaching me and then just watching over the castle. I can imagine him getting cranky.

I don't have an instant solution for it Harry. I'll take it into consideration, but I also have a hundred other things to take care of that are more important than a bored assassin who is unhappy with his job. I suppose I'll have to prepare for that he will leave and try to keep track of what he is doing further to ensure it's nothing that goes against us.

Not certain if that's enough. Just to be sure, is there anyone you can miss that would be able to follow Eyolf should he run?

Not many of my followers would be able to keep up. They'd either need to be an Animagus or very good at hiding... hold on, I do have someone: that metamorphmagus Auror that defected from the Order.

Tonks?

That's her. I found that she is a bit... clumsy, so I'd rather not send her on many missions. She's been working at the Ministry as an Auror again, but as she is technically one of my followers, I could send her. She certainly has experience tracking people, and is brilliant at hiding, if she doesn't stumble over things.

Sounds good. I always liked Tonks... I'll tell the others and get back to you on it. Anyways, was there some particular reason you opened the link?

To tell you how adorable you are of course, Marvolo said, amused when a flood of sudden embarrassment came from Harry's side. Though well, not only that. A letter came from you, from your cousin Dudley. I didn't know if you'd appreciate me opening our post so I thought I'd ask.

That's...thoughtful. You're right, I dislike others reading my post first. I suppose that came from always having to hear news about myself from others who had read the newspapers first. You can open it now though, I'd like to hear what he has to say. I honestly hadn't expected him to contact me again.

Marvolo turned over the envelope again in his hands and opened it. A single piece of paper fell out, looking like it had been torn out of a school notebook. The handwriting was surprisingly good: from what he'd heard from Harry Dudley didn't care much about anything that was related to academics. It still looked like it had been written in a bit of a hurry though, as the lines were shaky at points.

Hey Harry, the letter began. ''Not one for much formality is he?'' Marvolo muttered. After reading further, he grimaced at the atrocious spelling mistakes and simple language.

I found somethin that I thought yu'd liek to know. A friend of my parents let slip that she's part of some group that hates magic. I askeded more and found that they got a hit list, liek in the movies. Yur name is on it, and Voldemore to. Also Sirius Black, Fenir Grayback, Geralda Hakket, Lucius Malfoi, Saltair Jaxley, Gred and Forge Weaseley, Christon Crow, Alrixi Roseby, and Severus Snape. Yu know any of them poeple? - and seriusly, what is up with those names anyways. Why aren't they all called Harry or Ron?

Marvolo frowned at the content of the letter. While short and horribly written, the core message was of quite some importance. He had of course realised that magic-fearing Muggles would flock together and throw up some rebellion, but this was at a larger scale than he'd thought. It wasn't even so much that he was surprised by that some people planned to overthrow or kill magicians in positions of power, but some of the names that were written were cause for concern.

It was obvious how they would have gotten the names of himself, Black and Greyback, and even Harry, Fred and George, through the press. Especially the Weasley Twins had gained quite a reputation as press-lovers, never missing an opportunity to advertise their products and flaunt their charms. Lucius and Yaxley also weren't much of a stretch as they were politically quite active and often in the new Ministry building.

However, it looked like this group had someone on the inside as well. Hackett was the new head of the department of Mysteries, and Roseby and Crow both worked in the Department of magical transportation. Both departments had remained behind in the old building of the Ministry of Magic instead of moving to the surface. And then there was Snape, who was at Hogwarts, assumedly lying low-key and brewing potions. Why would an anti-magic organisation go for him and how did they even know of his existence? It wasn't even very well known that Snape was working for him in the first place.

Well, at least that ruled out that the Order was behind this, as the remaining members still trusted Snape as one of them. His Death Eaters, at least the inner circle, could also certainly be trusted: they wouldn't try to sell out their comrades to Muggles after Voldemort had won the war over Britain, that just didn't make sense. He had also been more careful this time to not aggravate any of them so much that they would turn on him like in the first war.

That left neutral parties: former Ministry members who might have been replaced; members of blood-traitor families who didn't agree with the new way of things; people who just didn't care and wanted to add some chaos... There could be dozens of reasons for people to aid a criminal organisation such as this one. It would have been handy if Dudley would have put the name of the group in the letter.

Marvolo wasn't stupid though, and instantly saw through the whole guise of 'a friend of my parents.' Even if some friend of the Dursleys was part of something like this, there was absolutely no possibility of Petunia and Vernon not joining as well. That would also explain why the group put Harry on the list, despite him mainly being in the news right now for Quidditch.

So, what do you think about this? Marvolo finally asked. You've been awfully silent, but I can feel your brooding anger.

How dare they Harry hissed. How fucking dare they! Starving and beating wasn't enough for them? They want me killed now too? I'll show them, I'll rip them apart with my own hands!

Slightly taken aback, Marvolo tried to calm his fiancé down. I thought you wanted to torture them by living in this world? Weren't you trying to forget them and leave them to their fate?

I believe that my exact words last time were that I feel freer to hate them now. And with this... they went too far, way too far. I would have left them alone and let them rot, yes, but not when they are personally threatening my life. An anti-magic group that some friend of my Uncle and Aunt happened to talk to Dudley about? Ha, it wouldn't surprise me if Vernon went and wrote my name down on that list personally.

Marvolo hummed at that, pleased at Harry's reaction. The only reason why he had held back from killing the Dursleys a long time ago was Harry's hesitation. He wasn't about to remind his love that while it was true that the teen had said that he felt more justified and free in his hatred for the Dursleys, he had also said in the same few minutes that their deaths would bring nothing and it would be far more damaging for them to live on as they had to now.

I still heard that. Harry said, making Marvolo grimace. I remember saying that too, but the situation has changed a bit. I hadn't thought that they would actually actively do anything. They've always hated to stand out or go against the rules. It goes to show just how much they hate magic if they are willing to put their reputation of upright citizens at stake here. How much they hate me. This group needs to be smoked out and burned, every last member of it. If that includes the Dursleys, then I won't weep for them.

Good to have cleared that up, Marvolo answered. But we don't have enough information about them, and sadly the only person who can readily give it is your cousin. I think I'll pay him a visit... the later we deal with this, the worse it might get, so I can't wait till you're back.

Oh dear... Dudley will be so overjoyed to have the Dark Lord on his doorstep. Or maybe he actually will be, who knows. While he likes to bully those under him, I don't think he's against kissing the ass of anyone who can bring him further. As the leader of this country, you certainly count as one of those people.

That will be fun. I'll be breaking off contact now then, and visit him tomorrow. It's already too late today. It might take some time to get in unseen. Unlike with you last time, I don't really feel like sneaking into his bedroom at night now to have a chat. I don't want it to end up the same way.

Ha ha, His fiancé replied. I doubt you will find him as attractive as me. Well, goodnight then. I love you.

Love you too Harry.

He shut down the link again and folded the letter up. He'd better make a plan for tomorrow.


Hope you liked it ^^ And it seems my muse is back, because I've got the outline planned already for at least three more chapters now... More if you do want me to post shorter chaps more frequently instead of long ones.

Read and Review!
xx Gemerope