Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


Chapter 3

On Monday morning, Orion left his bag in the empty dormitory and calmly left Gryffindor Tower to have breakfast in the Great Hall. He walked along the hallways, outwardly serene, though his mind was swirling with countless thoughts.

He had felt calm ever since leaving the Necromancers Guild, knowing he had done the right thing. Grindelwald always told him to leave several doors open, to always trace out several routes aiming towards the same goal, allowing him later to have the flexibility to use and manipulate them for his own benefit.

And that was exactly what he had done; he had opened the possibility of undergoing the trials to become a Necromancer, only committing to the training, nothing more. That granted him freedom of choice in his future decisions, just like Grindelwald always advised him to do.

Thus, he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with the Guild. Furthermore, he was intrigued by the Guild's plan regarding the Dementors, he was fascinated with the idea that they could succeed in becoming the new guardians of the Balance between the planes, and he yearned to hold the knowledge they did.

But those thoughts weren't the ones which were dominating his mind, since he knew that he could deal with the consequences of his pact with the Guild. If something negative came out of it –because he didn't fool himself, something unexpected and negative always arose even in the best laid plans- he would deal with it; just like he had always dealt with everything else in his life.

No, the Guild wasn't occupying his thoughts; what did was the realization of one of his motives for accepting the deal he had struck with them. At the time, when he realized it, he had accepted it nonchalantly, still infused in the detached calmness of his Necromantic abilities. Later, recalling it, he had been surprised.

He had accepted the deal for himself, to become more powerful, to become invincible. That realization had struck him hard, since he had never before coveted power; it had never been an aim in itself.

It was then when he knew that he was changing, or better said, that he had changed already.

There was a tiny seed of an idea, deep inside, that whispered about fame, recognition, and absolute power.

It had always been there, he supposed, but it had grown exponentially, undoubtedly spurred by the pull of his dark magic; pull he was already following. It was an idea which grew fiercer after each lesson with Grindelwald, after each time he allowed his wild dark magic to take hold of him.

He had no way of describing it rather than admitting that he had become 'darker'.

Surely, he had dark blood coursing in his veins, but never before had his thoughts and wishes unconsciously yearned to wield more power just for the sake of power. It painfully reminded him of the way Voldemort thought, though it shouldn't have surprised him that he would feel the same way one day; it was the fate of all powerful dark wizards.

Nevertheless, he knew he could control such ambitions, much better than Voldemort could, at least. That didn't trouble him much; what did was the realization that having become 'darker', by the increasing use of his dark magic, also had other consequences.

For instance, it had been quite some time since he had learned how to summon the spirits of deceased relatives during Necromancy class with Vagnarov, yet, not even once, had he summoned his mother or James Potter.

Before, he would have given anything to speak to his mother once more, but now he didn't feel the need. Now, he didn't want to, even when he could get some answers from her. He rather leave the past undisturbed. Furthermore, he didn't yearn to see her either.

She had become a ghost who held no ties on him. Sometimes he felt a bit guilty about it, but he had to recognize that he preferred to remember the idea of her, perfect in the abstract, rather than discover the reality of whom she had really been, of how much she had known or been aware of.

He didn't know if it meant that he had matured, but he no longer yearned for her; she had stopped representing a mother figure to him long ago. Narcissa felt more of a mother to him than Lily Evans ever had, and now that Narcissa wasn't a constant fixture in his life, he felt he didn't need anyone to occupy that place.

And he admitted that the same applied to his father. Surely, he would resurrect his father no matter what, but he knew that his father wouldn't understand many of the choices he had made; he knew his father would prove to be difficult.

Moreover, he wasn't resurrecting him because he needed him, but because he loved the man and because he couldn't allow his soul to be consumed. But the point was that Sirius Black had stopped occupying the place of his father figure, even if the wizard truly was his father. Lucius had occupied it for a while, and later Severus, both giving him what he had yearned for, in their own way. Though now, he didn't feel the need for it any longer.

In short, the ties he had felt towards others had been slowly snapping, one by one; and now he didn't feel the needy yearning any longer.

It got him wondering if it would keep happening until he felt no ties towards anyone. He knew he still felt them towards Calypso, Draco, Lezander, and Voldemort, and recently, towards Grindelwald.

But would those ties snap as well? Was that what Grindelwald meant when saying that the VA had no mate, no equal, no love, that his path was one of darkness, pain, and solitude?

It worried him, he had to admit it, because he didn't want to lose those people, but he recognized it was a possibility; even for more reason now that he had committed himself to undergo the Guild's training, which would inevitably make him colder and more detached, but which was necessary for his aims nonetheless.

Orion sighed and carded his fingers through his hair as he entered the animated Great Hall, automatically seating down in his usual place at the Gryffindor table, his mind still focused in his thoughts.

He decided to not worry about it, because there was always a way and he would find one in which he could become a Necromancer and then the VA without losing part of himself. Because even if he realized that he yearned for power - finally starting to understand what Grindelwald had meant by saying that becoming the VA was worth it, 'for the immense power, the glory, and the strength to ravage the world and rebuild it as it should be' - he knew himself well enough to recognize that power alone wouldn't be enough for him if he didn't have those he loved around him.

That 'caring' nature in him still hadn't been snuffed out, as much as Grindelwald attempted to during their lessons, telling him that caring for others was a weakness his enemies would exploit and that it complicated matters for him.

He understood that Grindelwald was right, but he refused to allow it to happen to him, regardless. It was something about himself he didn't want to change. He rather deal with the consequences than become someone with muted and frozen emotions.

His impulsiveness was some of the other things that Grindelwald was trying to squash from him. And he knew that that aspect of himself had gotten him in trouble in the past, just like his temper.

But those were things he didn't want to lose either because he knew that he had inherited his impulsiveness from his father and his impassionate temper from his mother –according to the way his father and Remus had described her to him.

Even if he didn't feel the needy yearning for a father or a mother, it still filled him with contentment knowing that he resembled them, and he wanted to hold unto those aspects of himself no matter what, knowing that they were part of his humanity – which would be threatened repeatedly given his decision to become a Necromancer and the VA.

A heavy frown lined his features as he settled down at the Gryffindor table. Yes, as Calypso had told him a while ago, he had to find a way to become the VA he wanted, not the detached and ruthless being of his dreams-

"You backstabbing, lousy scumbag!"

Abruptly jostled out of his thoughts, perplexed, Orion blinked at the freckled face swelling in anger that was in front of him.

Ron had pounded his fists on the table, standing up, his face turning into an ugly beet-red shade as the Great Hall erupted into smothered laughter and sniggers.

Disconcerted, Orion glanced around the Great Hall. The Gryffindors were animated, boisterously laughing while a few others were glancing at him disapprovingly, as if he had somehow betrayed his own house. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs also seemed amused, as well as some of the teachers; Snape's lips were quirked into a smirk of vicious enjoyment. And he finally saw the Slytherins who were sniggering and jeering while Draco was playing out some scene or other in a high pitched voice which stuttered about undying love, all of their gazes focused on Ron.

And finally, it clicked and Orion remembered what had happened on Saturday morning. The truth was that he had completely forgotten about it.

"I can't believe I considered you my friend," said Ron through clenched teeth, his face filled with anger and contempt. "I gave you a chance, even knowing that you're a Black. But the papers got it right the first time, didn't they? Even if you're the Boy-Who-Lived, you're nothing more than the son of a Death Eater who got what he deserved, you're no better than the slimy snakes of Slyth-"

"What's the matter, Weaselbee?" jeered Draco from across the Hall, his silvery eyes alight with snide amusement while his lips curved into a wide, malicious smirk. "Aren't you going to entertain us once more by breaking into sonnets? Vane there would like an encore, I'm sure."

The students broke into loud guffaws of laughter, some tittering in their seats, and Ron's face swelled in a deep red, his ears a bright pink.

"You stay away from me!" spat Ron, his fists clenching as he glared at Orion, before he stomped out of the Great Hall as the students' laughter and sniggers became increasingly louder.

Orion had been about to say something to the boy, but he merely shrugged his shoulders, just as he caught sight of Draco surreptitiously shooting him a small smile and an appreciative nod of the head.

"You should have helped him, Orion," said Hermione, looking at him with a disapproving expression on her face. "I'm sure you realized what had happened, I told you about the Chocolate Cauldrons-"

"Yeah, well, it didn't seem important," interrupted Orion dismissively, glancing at her as he poked his eggs around with his fork.

Hermione's expression turned stern. "He is your friend, you should have helped him. Poor Ron, you have no idea how-"

"Yeah, poor Ronniekins," said Seamus in between chuckles, as he patted Orion on the back. "You should have seen him, it was priceless! I'll remember it until the day I die!"

Hermione shot the boy an annoyed glance before she rounded on Orion again. "You must apologize to him-"

"Apologize to him after what he said about me and my father?" snapped Orion, dropping his fork as he glared at her. "And why are you defending him? You've been mad at him since forever!"

"Well, I'm not mad at him any longer," said Hermione, bristling. "I was the one who had to drag him out of the Great Hall before he kept making a fool of himself. I was the one who had to take him to Madame Pomfrey so that she could nullify the effects of the love potion-"

"So you're his friend once more, that's great," interjected Orion, piercing her with a hard glint in his eyes. "But that doesn't mean that I should apologize for anything. It was harmless - a prank! You'd be chuckling if it had happened to someone else, and so would he."

"A love potion isn't harmless," she said briskly, before she narrowed her eyes and brought her face closer to his, whispering sharply, "and he told me that you casted a dark spell on him, Orion. How could you-"

"I'm not hungry anymore," said Orion shortly, standing up from the table in no mood to endure a scolding.

He swiftly made his way out of the Great Hall, but as soon as he had crossed the threshold he felt someone grabbing his arm and turning him around, and he was confronted with a miffed and angry Hermione.

"Ron told the Headmaster about the spell," she said stiffly, "and I'm sure the Headmaster will want to discuss it with you. How could you do that to Ron-"

"It was nothing," snapped Orion with irritation, "I didn't mean any harm to him and I healed him."

Hermione released him and crossed her arms over her chest, her expression unforgiving. "But you let him run around with the effects of a love potion, and you used dark magic-"

"So what?" interrupted Orion sharply. "I'm a Black, want it or not I have dark magic in me. I told you this on our fourth year-"

"You're also a Gryffindor," said Hermione angrily, "and you allowed your friend to run around making a complete idiot of himself-"

"For Merlin's sake, Mione," snapped Orion briskly, inching his face closer to hers, "how can you possibly give it any importance given the times we're living in? Do you really think that I should be worrying about it when there're so many things going on outside these walls?"

Hermione frowned at him. "You mean the war-"

"Of course I mean the war," said Orion impatiently, "I have too much on my mind to be concerned about something as harmless as Ron making a spectacle out of himself."

"And what do you have on your mind?" said Hermione, sharply piercing him with her eyes. "You refuse to talk about the war with me, you refuse to discuss what you do with Dumbledore during your lessons, and you've been pulling away from Ron and me this whole time. You only spend time with Luna Lovegood and you brush your friends away."

"As I said, I have many things on my mind and I need to be alone sometimes."

"But we – I want to help you," persisted Hermione sternly. "I'm your friend and I want to help you, but you won't let me."

Orion measured her up and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want to help me with?"

"With what you'll have to do in the war," said Hermione quietly, her gaze intently inspecting him. "I want to help you fulfill the prophecy, the prophecy you've told the newspapers about but which you don't want to discuss with me. I want to help you since you're helping the Light, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," said Orion calmly. "I'm siding with Dumbledore, I've told you this already."

"Yes," interjected Hermione crisply, "and thus, you can't go around casting dark spells-"

"Will you let it go?" said Orion with irritation. "For that I'm sorry, I did it unintentionally, as a reflex when Ron attacked me, that's all. Nevertheless, I don't need you scolding me as if you were my mother; you aren't, and I don't appreciate it when you behave like an annoying mother hen."

Hermione drew in an angry breath, unwittingly passing a hand over her hair, which made it spring up like the quills of an offended, ruffled peacock.

"Fine," she said briskly, "but my point is that even though you're a Black, you're also the Boy-Who-Lived and you want to help the Light. Therefore, you can't behave like a dark wizard and attack your own friends; you are a dark wizard turned good-"

Orion snorted and brought his face close to hers, as he whispered sharply, "Turned 'good'? Where do you get these black and white notions from? Dark wizards aren't 'bad' and dark wizards helping the Light, like my father was or like I am, aren't 'good'. It's a simple matter of political views, Hermione, not good against evil."

"Yes, so you've told me before," she said sternly, piercing him with her eyes. "But in this war the dark wizards are the ones who want to kill all muggles and muggleborns-"

"So we're told by light wizards," countered Orion casually.

Her eyes narrowed into a shrewd, demanding gaze. "You want the Light to win, don't you?"

"Of course I do," said Orion sharply. "I agree with their ideals and I have Voldemort out for my blood, remember? That doesn't mean, however, that I consider the Light to be a bunch of noble, irreproachable group of witches and wizards. I view them in their reality; they're as flawed as anyone else."

"That might be so," said Hermione stiffly, "but they are the only ones protecting muggleborns and muggles, and they aren't out there killing innocent people."

Orion held in a roll of his eyes and merely nodded dismissively. Hermione was about to round on him again when a hoot interrupted her and Orion saw Ares flying out of the Great Hall towards him.

He held out his arm as Ares settled on it, before he quickly untied a rolled, small letter from the owl's leg.

Must see you as soon as possible. Use the bracelet.

S.V.

Orion frowned before he crumbled the letter in his hand and absentmindedly petted Ares on the head. He was rewarded with an annoyed peck on his fingers, before his owl flew away, surely miffed that he hadn't been compensated for his delivery with any treats.

Spoiled, demanding little blighter – thought Orion fondly as he watched his owl fly back into the Great Hall.

Swiftly, he flicked his wrist, catching his shooting wand in his hand, before he quickly tapped the letter with his wand's tip, turning the parchment into dust.

"What was that?"

Orion snapped his eyes to her, and said shortly, "Nothing important."

"You're still going to keep to yourself," said Hermione with a heavy, disgruntled sigh. "I'm your friend and-"

"Are you truly?" said Orion sharply, piercing her with his eyes.

Hermione drew up and said curtly, yet sincerely, "Of course I am, you know that."

"Yes, I do," interjected Orion quietly. "But I don't know if you'll stick by my side no matter what."

"What do you mean by 'no matter what'?" said Hermione, intently gazing at him.

"What I mean is," said Orion in a low voice, "that if I do things that you don't like but which I have reasons for, reasons you might not agree with, will you still show support for me? Will you be willing to understand me and remain my friend?"

"I will as long as you don't betray the Light," she replied sternly, piercing him with her eyes.

Orion mutely nodded; he had not expected anything else, but he did feel a frisson of grim disappointment. He truly considered her a friend and, when the time came, he wouldn't enjoy having her as an enemy, since he would never wish to harm her.

"What are you planning on doing?" said Hermione, deeply frowning at him.

Orion shot her a small smile. "I'm planning on doing my best so that the Light wins."

"Then why did you ask-"

"Because you might not approve of my methods," said Orion dismissively.

"What might those be?" pressed on Hermione, watching him closely.

Orion smirked at her. "Similar to Dumbledore's and I would bet anything that you wouldn't approve of his way of doing things either."

"You could tell me-"

"No, I can't," interrupted Orion curtly. "Dumbledore doesn't want me to tell anyone what we do during our lessons."

"Alright," she said with resigned exasperation, before she pierced him with her eyes, her voice turning sharp. "You have to fix things with Ron-"

"No, I don't," said Orion crisply. "If he has nothing better to do but throw a tantrum because of something as insignificant as what happened to him, then let him. I have much more important stuff to worry about than his overboard anger at me. And let's be honest, the only reason why he wanted to be my 'friend' was because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived –"

"That's not true," snapped Hermione, offended in Ron's behalf. "Ron's not like that-"

Orion snorted. "Believe whatever you want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take care of something."

He turned on his heels and swiftly made his way to the entrance of the school, before giving her a chance of resuming their discussion and her scolding.


He was making his way along the spindly path down the hill, reaching the owlerly, since he wanted to write back to Sebastien Valois, both surprised and intrigued with the wizard's request to see him, when he caught sight of someone about to climb the stairs of the small tower.

Orion stopped short in his tracks and gazed at the wizard in surprise. He hadn't seen him since fourth year, though they had corresponded briefly some time ago.

The young wizard was even taller than before and was now a man; he looked strong and leanly muscled, his handsome face still openly friendly, with an air of noble goodness that only a Hufflepuff could manage. Yet Orion noticed some differences; the wizard's sandy hair was now cropped short, his gray eyes held a gravity they didn't have before, and his way of moving denoted efficiency and a strict training, which was instantly explained by robes he was wearing - the dark red robes of a full-fledged Auror.

"I'm glad to see you, Cedric," he said warmly, offering his hand in greeting, "it's been a long time."

Cedric shot him a smile and clasped his hand, shaking it with strength. "Orion, it's good to see you too." His gaze inspected him and he chuckled under his breath. "My, you've changed. You were a short little runt last time I saw you. Mind you, you're still short, but you've grown, and I've heard that you have a flock of girls trailing after you." He broadly grinned at him. "And you have a girlfriend as well. You've become quite the heartthrob."

Orion grimaced, and muttered, "I'm not that short, and I don't have a girlfriend, regardless of what she's telling others."

"Yes, I thought that was the case," said Cedric with a laugh, before he cut it short and eyed him carefully. "I remember that you were very attached to a boy of your school during your fourth year, but later I read that he had died during the Death Eater break into the Department of Mysteries-"

"Yes, he died," said Orion quietly, since very few knew that Lezander had truly come out alive when he had pulled him out of the Veil. He arched an eyebrow, and asked with curiosity, "What are you doing here?"

"My shift just ended and I'm meeting Cho in the owlerly before her first class," replied Cedric, broadly grinning at him.

"Ah, you're still dating her?"

He had to admit that he hadn't paid much attention to Cho Chang, and he only saw her briefly in the Great Hall or in the corridors, but she always acted strangely shy around him and they had barely crossed a few words.

"Yes," said Cedric, a beaming smile spreading over his handsome features. "And I plan to ask her to marry me as soon as she graduates this year."

Orion stared at him in surprise, and he said with heartfelt sincerity, "Well, congratulations are in order, then."

"Thanks," said Cedric brightly, before his voice lowered to a whisper, "but don't tell anyone, it's a surprise."

"I won't," said Orion, shooting him a small smile. Abruptly, his smile faded and he frowned. "What do you mean that your shift just ended?"

Cedric proudly grinned, tapping his wand's tip to the crest on his Auror's robes. "I finished Auror training a few months back and this has been my first assignment. It's been pretty boring so far, but I get the chance of surreptitiously meeting Cho once in a while-"

"Aurors - patrolling the school?" interrupted Orion, his eyes briefly widening.

Though he had never seen them, he should have suspected it. Of course there would be some Aurors protecting the school, since the incident in the Department of Mysteries had revealed to the wizarding public that Voldemort was indeed back. And of course that Dumbledore had pulled some strings to accomplish it, and that Scriumgeour had complied in order to seem to be doing something useful.

Ever since he had shown his public support for Scriumgeour, the Minister had been more active, and this was just a consequence of it; a very unfavorable one given Voldemort's plan of breaching Hogwarts. Though he was certain that Voldemort already knew about the Aurors; nothing escaped that man and he had spies everywhere inside the Ministry.

"Yes, Aurors have been guarding Hogwarts since the start of the school year," said Cedric calmly. He shot him a troubled frown, and added, "Students aren't supposed to know, since we don't want to alarm them, and we are supposed to remain out of sight. I only removed my disillusionment charm because I was about to enter the owlerly to meet Cho. You won't say that you saw me, right?"

"Don't worry," said Orion reassuringly, "I won't."

"Thanks, man," said Cedric, smiling as he patted Orion on the back. "I must take off, she must be waiting for me inside. We should get some drinks one of these days to catch up; send me a note by owl when you're free."

Orion smirked at him. "Sure thing, now go and enjoy her sweet ministrations."

"I will," said Cedric, shooting him a mischievous and deeply content grin, before he quickly climbed the steps of the owlerly.

Orion sighed and warily rubbed his forehead, turning around to get back to Hogwarts since he couldn't disrupt the couple; he would write to Sebastien later. Right now, since he had a few minutes before his first class, he was going to his dorm and use the two-way mirror to alert Draco about the presence of Aurors. He was sure that Voldemort knew but he was also certain that Draco wasn't aware of it; and his friend needed to know, so that he would be prepared when the day of the breach came.

He swore under his breath as he made his way back. Aurors were a complication he hadn't foreseen, and he could only hope that the attack wouldn't happen during one of Cedric's shifts.

He liked the young wizard very much; Cedric had never eyed him suspiciously or treated him wrongly just because he was a Black. And when the newspapers had disclosed that he was Harry Potter, Cedric had written to him a friendly letter, with no intentions of getting anything from him or fishing for more information, but just greeting him with warm camaraderie.

In his opinion, Cedric was just what a light wizard ought to be; friendly, open-minded, noble, a fair player, tolerant of others' differences of opinion and nature, brave, sincere, well-mannered, and kind. Not to mention that the wizard was able and powerful in his own right, and he always respected that.

During his fourth year at Hogwarts, Cedric and Fleur were the only light individuals with whom he had gladly formed a friendship; recognizing in both of them an unprejudiced acceptance of dark wizards. Nowadays, there were few light wizards or witches who didn't instantly consider any dark wizard to be an evil wrongdoer who deserved to be carted off to Azkaban, and Cedric and Fleur were one of the few.

But he sincerely doubted that they would remain so when the true war broke, given that Cedric was now an Auror and that Fleur was –according to her last letter- engaged to Bill Weasley, whom he knew to be part of the Order of the Phoenix.

Orion swore again as he entered Hogwarts, scaring a small first year girl who 'eeped' and disappeared from his sight when he shot her an annoyed glance.


He hurried down through the deserted corridors; the whole school was still in the Quidditch stadium, watching the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. He had skipped it in order to continue his zealous study of Cadmus' journal; he was very close to finish all of it, and he knew that very soon he would be prepared to transfer Voldemort's piece of soul out of the Resurrection Stone.

That whole week, after his meeting with the Guild, he had plunged into his study with renewed fervor, wanting to attempt to rescue his father's soul as soon as possible. He was certain that he would be prepared in a few months, since he had learned a lot from the journal's previously hidden passages. He was so excited by his progress that it had started to consume his every thought, and he delved deeper into the journal every second he could spare.

He wasn't worried about anyone suspecting where he disappeared to, since with the use of the time-turner there was always his other self present among the other students. For instance, right now, his other self was watching the game, but he knew that in a few minutes the match would end, and he had to get into the forest as soon as possible, to be there the instant his other self used the time-turner to go back in time.

He rushed through the grounds and entered the Forbidden Forest just when students started to leave the Quidditch pitch, and he hid behind a tree, waiting for his other self to arrive.

In the meanwhile, he couldn't help chuckling under his breath as he remembered the Quidditch game. Who knew what had possessed her to do it, but Professor McGonagall had appointed Luna as the commentator for the match, and he had never enjoyed himself so much.

During the whole match, Luna had appeared singularly uninterested in such mundane things as the score, and had kept attempting to draw the crowd's attention to such things as interestingly shaped clouds and the possibility that Zacharias Smith, who had failed to maintain possession of the Quaffle for longer than a minute, was suffering from something called 'Loser's Lurgy'. And all the while, McGonagall had been barking into the megaphone the scores, her stern brow further furrowing at Luna with each passing second.

He stopped quietly chuckling when he saw himself arriving in the forest and quickly spinning the time-turner three times; knowing that his other self was about to go to Slytherin's chambers to study Cadmus' journal, just as he had already done.

As soon as his other self disappeared, he stepped from behind the tree and glanced around patiently. He had told her to meet him there, as they usually did when they agreed to spend some quiet time together.

And then he saw her; her misty, prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly as she made a beeline straight for him, her orange radishes earrings jostling.

"Hello," she said in her vague and dreamy voice, as soon as she reached him.

Orion warmly smiled at her. "Hi, Luna. Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said with a beaming smile, before they started to make way towards the clearing where they would find the thestrals.

It had become a custom for them to feed the creatures; Luna always brought the meat for them, and after they feed them, they sat in quiet companionship. For him, it had become a calm and relaxed tradition, where he could plunge into his wonderings and meditations while observing the fascinating creatures, while feeling the comfort of her presence by his side.

"Oh, by the way," said Orion with a grin, as they entered the clearing, "nice commentary during the match."

Luna blinked at him. "You're making fun of me, aren't you? Everyone has just told me that I was dreadful."

"I would never make fun of you," said Orion warmly. "I meant it. I've never enjoyed a commentary so much."

"Well, thanks," she said, brightly smiling at him.

They halted near the small family of threstrals, and Luna rummaged her bag, taking out a juicy slab of meat and handing it to Orion, before she took out another and approached one of the adult threstrals.

Orion carefully threw the meat at the baby thestral's hoofs, a small smile spreading on his face when the small creature excitedly attacked it, hungrily gnawing it.

"Ah, I went looking for you before the match," said Luna, cleaning her hands with a handkerchief before she started to rummage in her bag again. "Hold this for me..."

She thrust what appeared to be a green onion, a large spotted toadstool, and a considerable amount of what looked like cat litter into his hands, finally pulling out a rather grubby scroll of parchment.

"I've been told to give you this," she said smiling vaguely, as she took back the green onion, the toadstool, and the cat litter.

Orion accepted the scroll of parchment she held out for him, and sighed heavily when he unrolled and read it.

"I have a lesson with Dumbledore tonight," he muttered, as he sat down on the ground, pocketing the scroll.

"Oh," she said quietly, sitting by his side as she glanced at him with large, misty eyes. "Does it bother you that he's singling you out in this way?"

Orion shrugged his shoulders. "I've expected it ever since everyone found out I was Harry Potter."

"It's because of the prophecy the papers keep mentioning, isn't it?" she said calmly. "That's why the Headmaster is so interested in you."

"Yeah, that's why," he said, gazing contemplatively at the threstrals.

"Is it true that the prophecy foretells that you're the one who's going to kill You-Know-Who?"

Orion's eyes snapped back to her, not feeling intruded upon but at ease, as he always felt with her. "Not quite; it mentions that I'm able to do it."

"But you don't want to," she said serenely, peering at him with her large, misty eyes.

Orion shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to get into this with Luna. How could he tell her the truth when she had been brought up as a light witch, and furthermore, when she was still under Dumbledore's domain?

"If you don't want to, then don't do it," she said simply.

Orion glanced at her with a small frown on his face. "Aren't you going to tell me that it's my duty as the Boy-Who-Lived?"

"No," she said with a small chuckle, her voice dreamy. "I think you should do what you wish, no matter what others expect or demand of you."

"Thanks," said Orion, mystified as he looked at her.

"No thanks is needed," she said with a vague shrug of her shoulders, before she bore her misty eyes into his. "You're my friend; my only one."

Orion nodded awkwardly, accepting it.

"Sometimes I wish you could be more open with me," she said, gazing afar with a dreamy expression on her face. "You're changing and there's much troubling you."

"What do you mean?" he said, his eyes snapping to her.

"There's something in you growing," she said quietly, her large eyes peering at him, "that same thing I've always felt around you, and I think you know what it is."

Orion glanced at the threstrals with a small frown on his face, as she continued in her dreamy voice.

"I've always been different. They call me Loony, because I'm weird and say strange things. But the day I met you on the train, you knew at once that I 'sensed things'. And you said you sensed things as well, though you didn't say what."

"I perceive magic, as a tingling on my skin," said Orion calmly, glancing back at her. "I perceive it more than most, perhaps."

"That's not all you can do." She stared at him with her large, misty eyes, and added quietly, "Sometimes, I can touch ghosts. Can you?"

Orion glanced around and flicked his wand to cast silencing and anti-spying spells around them, before he sunk his eyes into hers. "I've never tried with ghosts. But once, I touched my mother's spirit."

Luna beamed at him. "I touched my mother once as well. It was in a dream, but it was real."

"Your mother died, right?" said Orion quietly. "You mentioned it once."

"Yes," she said serenely. "She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment, and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine, and I witnessed it."

"I'm sorry."

"Yes, it was rather horrible," said Luna conversationally. "I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"

Orion pierced her with his eyes. "Isn't it?"

She blinked at him. "I thought you already knew. They just lurk out of sight, that's all. I hear my mother in my dreams sometimes. And I know she's with me. I'm certain that there is a way to contact her. Everything is possible." She showed him her radishes earrings, and added, "See these, they enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary. They're very useful, perhaps you want a pair? My dad cultivates them, so I have plenty. I was also thinking about giving one pair to Hermione, she could use them."

"Tell me," said Orion quietly, sinking his eyes into hers, "this thing you feel growing inside me, does it scare you?"

Luna gazed at him, and said placidly, "No. It feels… dark, but not wrong. It doesn't feel wrong in you. It feels as if it's part of you; something which is taking an increasing hold on you, but also completing you."

"Luna," he said quietly, after accepting her statement, "how do you feel about the war?"

She blinked at him and then gazed dreamily into space. "I will have some pudding."

Orion stared at her, a small smile tugging his lips; he had become quite adept in unraveling the meaning of her words.

"You mean that you're not planning on getting involved."

"As I said, I'll have some pudding," she said, glancing at him with her misty eyes, "and wait for it to fix itself. It always does in the end; always a new balance is reached."

"A balance in the forces of Magic?" said Orion, intently gazing at her.

Luna beamed at him. "Oh, you know about Ravenclaw's theories! My father taught them to me, ever since I was a little girl. Did someone teach them to you?"

"Not exactly," murmured Orion, obviously not telling her about the spirits or the brief mentioning of Ravenclaw's theories in Slytherin's journals; he could only regret that none of Ravenclaw's diaries had survived the pass of time, but he knew that the Founder's general idea was that the forces of Magic had to be left alone so that they found a balance on their own.

"So, in short, you'll remain neutral in the war?"

"You're my friend," she said as a reply.

Orion stared at her, disconcerted. "Yeah, but I don't see how that has anything to do with-"

"You're dark," interrupted Luna tranquilly, peering at him. "And you would never go against your own kind, not with what you have inside you. You can't ignore it; it's what makes you you, it's what makes you dark."

He almost gaped at her. "Er, you know this and you don't care that I'm really supporting-"

"I've always known," said Luna calmly, "since the first time I met you. That's why it surprised me that you accepted to have lessons with Dumbledore. Though I guess it's part of your plan. I don't mind whom you chose to support in the war; it's your right to make your own decision. And I understand it." She gazed at him, and simply repeated, "You're my friend."

Orion warmly smiled at her. "I get it, you're my friend as well and I wouldn't go against you either if you had taken a side in the war."

"I won't take one," she said serenely, "but I will help you if you need me."

"Thanks," said Orion with heartfelt gratefulness. He grabbed her hands, and said quietly, "And you're right, there's a way to see your mother."

"You know? How?" said Luna, her misty eyes boring into his.

"I can't tell you much," he said in a low voice, "because I'm bounded in secrecy, but I can tell you that there's a place where you can learn how to develop certain abilities, abilities you share with me, because I feel it in you. If you develop them enough, you'll be able to interact with your mother and others who have died, but it comes at a high price. The more you learn there, the more it changes you-"

"Necromancy," said Luna, her eyes bright. "Yes, I've read about it. There wasn't much I could discover, it was only briefly mentioned, but I've always thought that perhaps I could-"

"Yes, you could," interrupted Orion sternly, "but it comes at a high price and I wouldn't want you to get into it without fully considering the consequences."

"Then give me the choice," said Luna in her dreamy voice. "I've always felt that this-" she gestured around them "-wasn't for me. That I was missing something; that I was meant to be… somewhere else." She sunk her misty eyes into his, and added, "Give me the choice to decide if what you're talking about is what I want."

"Very well," said Orion, nodding at her, "I think I could take you there, but later." He pierced her with his eyes, and added sternly, "After you graduate, Luna. After you're able to understand what you would be giving up."

"Alright," she said, beaming at him. "Thanks-"

"Don't thank me yet," interjected Orion, "you might not like what becoming a Necromancer involves, what it will turn you into."

Luna sunk her eyes into his, and said with serene and eerie assuredness, "I will."

Orion gazed at her for a long while, and finally said quietly, "Yes, I think you just might."


After spending some more minutes in silence, each involved in their own thoughts, Orion brought down the spells around them before they made their back to school.

Luna seemed entranced in her own mind, dreamily gazing at space, as they entered Hogwarts, but they halted shortly when Orion saw Lavander standing at the foot of the marble staircase, looking thunderous.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had spare time? And why is she with you?!"

Orion inwardly groaned; his patience with her and her demands was running short. During the week, she had repeatedly accosted him to discuss their relationship –where she got the idea they were a couple, he didn't know, since he had already told her once that he didn't want to date anyone. Nevertheless, she persisted, as if deciding to forgive him for that mental lapse, and she insisted on having lots of in-depth chats about his feelings.

"Luna's my friend," he said shortly, "and I wanted to spend some time with her."

Lavander looked at him incredulously, her anger apparently rising. "You rather spend time with Loony Lovegood than with me? What, you like having your ears filled with ridiculous notions about such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack? Everyone knows she's raving mad!"

Luna gave her a withering look and flounced away, radishes swinging madly.

"Luna, wait!" yelled Orion, but she didn't turn back, and he spun around to face Lavander when she let out a derisive hoot of laughter.

"That was completely uncalled for," he snapped angrily, grabbing her arm forcefully, probably more than required since she yelped.

Lavander gazed at him with a pout and a soft expression on her face. "I just wanted to discuss with you-"

"I don't want to discuss anything," he interrupted sharply, not fooled by her attitude since it wasn't the first time she had pulled it over him. "I told you already that I don't want a girlfriend-"

"But you asked me out to Slughorn's Christmas party," she said, her pout more prominent. "And then you said we could date-"

"Yes, I said that at the time," interjected Orion, with ill-concealed short-temperedness, "but I didn't ask you out afterwards; I thought you would understand that I'm not interested in dating anyone. And I tried to make it clear a few days ago; I don't want a girlfriend."

"You led me on-"

"Perhaps I did," said Orion curtly, "and for that I'm sorry. But my point is that I'm not interested in you."

All pretense of niceness left her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, biting out snidely, "Then the rumors are true? You like boys - you're a pouf?"

Orion clenched his jaw, and gritted out angrily, "That's none of your business."

"Well," snapped Lavander, "you're clearly one if you're rejecting me."

"Think what you will."

Lavander drew up, flicking her blonde hair away from her shoulders, and said sharply, "You can forget about any of the other girls showing any interest in you after this. I'll tell them that-"

"Tell them whatever you like," said Orion crisply, "just leave me the hell alone."

"You bet I will!" she yelled angrily, her face flushing, before she turned on her heels and haughtily climbed the stairs.

Relaxing his clenched jaw, Orion didn't spare her a second thought and he trotted off to Dumbledore's office.

The gargoyle leapt aside at the mention of toffee éclairs, and he took the spiral staircase two steps at a time, knocking on the door just as a clock within chimed eight.

"Enter," called Dumbledore, but as Orion put out a hand to push the door, it was wrenched open from inside.

There stood Professor Trelawney.

Abruptly, he blanched, suddenly remembering the time he had seen her shuffling her tarot cards, her prediction now inexplicably ringing in his ears like a long lost, eerie voice. And now, he didn't cast them away as the nonsensical mumblings of a ridiculous witch.

Now, the words made sense, and he paled further.