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.

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Chapter 6

Orion wiped his mouth clean with his ragged, soiled sleeve, and he forced himself to clear his mind from rushed conclusions in order to act efficiently and calmly.

Drawing in a hitched breath of hopefulness, he gazed back at the savaged body before him and he whipped out his wand, quickly casting a diagnostic charm.

Grindelwald's body glowed in a faint, weak red light, and Orion let out a long breath, before he snapped his fingers and called frantically, "Daisy!"

The chief house-elf of Potter Manor, a tiny little thing clothed in a pink dress, popped right before him, her large blue eyes taking in the destruction of the grounds around them, fretfully clasping her hands and rocking on her feet.

Though, Orion knew that she was used to see such havoc being wrecked on the Potter estate, since after every single lesson with Grindelwald an army of house-elves had to bustle around the estate, frenziedly snapping fingers in order to arrange everything to what it had been.

Then, her eyes landed on him, and she pelted forwards with a horrified expression on her face, her large ears bobbing frantically, as she cried, "Master is injured! Master Potter must come inside, sir. I is taking Master inside to be healed-"

"My guest is more important," interrupted Orion quickly, his voice anxious. "He's very weak, Daisy, and I need your help and that of three other house-elves. We need to heal him right away or he'll die in a few minutes. And I must have your help, if I work alone I won't save him on time. Do you understand?"

Her eyes widened in alarm, and she repeatedly nodded, rushing out, "Yes, Master Potter, sir. I is helping you heal him. I is, and other house-elves too."

"Good," said Orion hastily, "then take us to his suite, if I apparate him he'll be jostled too much. And call the others to us. Make them bring all the potions they can from the storeroom. Blood Replenishing, Magical Wounds Healing, Muscle Relaxing, Pain Numbing, Dark Curse Inhibitor, and Strengthening potions, along with Burn Healing Salve and Strong Sleeping Draught. Understood?"

Daisy quickly nodded her head, and without further ado, she snapped her fingers, and Orion felt as if he was floating in a limbo, right before his feet landed on cold, marble floors.

He glanced around and saw that they were in the suite he had assigned to Grindelwald, in Potter Manor's family wing, a luxurious yet warmly comfortable bedroom done in cobalt blues and silver hues.

Orion saw Grindelwald being levitated on top of the plush, dark blue covers of the four-poster bed, and he rushed to his side as Daisy popped out from the room.

He started to quickly trace his wand in intricate patterns over the wizard's body, while he murmured a long string of healing spells, his forehead scrunched in deep, urgent concentration.

He heard other house-elves popping into the room, worriedly bustling around, and then the clink of potion vials being set on the nightstand, but his gaze never left the wizard lying before him and he kept muttering spell after healing spell to fortify the old wizard's body, as thick beads of sweat formed on his forehead, his arms trembling from exhaustion and his body shaking and aching. But he continued, knowing that if he stopped for even one second, Grindelwald's life would slip away from him.

"Daisy," he said hastily, "vanish his clothes and force the Magical Wound Healing potion down his throat, be gentle. The rest of you, use your magic to infuse him with some strength."

With Grindelwald now naked, though only recognizable as a large lump of torn flesh, Orion continued casting layer upon layer of healing spells to close deep gashes, mend broken bones, and repair shredded muscles and tendons, while the house-elves obeyed his orders.

He didn't know how many hours passed by, but as he ordered the house-elves to feed the old wizard potion after potion, and after Grindelwald's wounds started to heal, the skin knitting back together, he quickly ordered, "Daisy, apply the Burn Healing Salve over his skin. Be careful of not letting it touch any open wound."

Soon, a pungent odor spread throughout the room as Grindelwald's body became covered by a thick, yellowish ointment, Daisy's small fingers working quickly and gently to spread it.

Suddenly, Orion's vision fogged and he started swaying. Shaking his head, he quickly snatched a Strengthening potion vial and gulped it in one shot, summarily getting back to casting more healing spells.

"Master need healing!"

Orion side-glanced at the angry female house-elf, who was leveling him with a hard glint in her eyes, her arms crossed over her small chest.

"I'll heal after he's out of danger, and I don't want to hear another word about it, Daisy," said Orion curtly, and then he snapped when she was about to retort, "That's an order. Now, please feed him another Blood Replenishing potion."

He heard a dissatisfied huff, but she soon complied, while the other three house-elves were hovering around Grindelwald, casting their own elvish magic on the old wizard as he had ordered. Though Orion knew that wizarding magic was more efficient and powerful to heal humans than elvish magic, but he would take whatever he could work with, since he couldn't possibly move Grindelwald to any wizarding hospital, or ask Severus to floo from Hogwarts to Potter Manor – no one knew that he had access to the Manor since no one knew that he had Potter blood, and he had no intention of giving Dumbledore reasons to find out about anything.

It was hours later when Orion finally cast a spell to induce Grindelwald into a magical healing coma, knowing that the wizard would awake when strong enough. He also casted on the old man an alarm charm which would go off if the wizard's condition didn't steadily improve, and he tiredly took a step back, barely able to move a finger due to the exhaustion, which seemed to seep into his very bones.

Finally, it seemed that Daisy couldn't hold her worry any longer, and she said rushed to him, tugging his ragged sleeve, "Master must heal."

"I'm fine," mumbled Orion, grabbing an armchair and pulling it besides Grindelwald's bed. "I just need to sit down while I watch over him. Someone must be awake in case he relapses."

Daisy scowled at him and snapped her fingers, and he soon found himself glowing in a pale yellow light, and the house-elf chided angrily, "You is no fine, Master Potter, sir. You need healing too. Bones broken, bleeding inside, and dark curses on you. You will be healed! I is good chief house-elf. I no let Master refuse healing!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, alright," muttered Orion, plopping unto the armchair, "you win, Daisy."

She nodded with satisfaction and lurched towards the nightstand, grabbing several vials and gently handing them to him.

Sighing, Orion gulped down some of the potions which would help him recover, before he vanished his robes and shirt, leaving him only with his black trousers, and he started to wave his wand over him, casting the healing spells required to mend his fractured or broken bones and to knit back his skin and heal the gashes, later casting bandages over his ankle, hand and torso.

It was soon after, with Daisy concernedly hovering by his side, refusing to leave him alone, that he fell asleep, utterly drained and exhausted, his mind swirling with the visions he had seen, most of them haunting him.

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Sunlight was pouring through the velvet cobalt blue curtains of the bedroom, whilst Orion was deep asleep on a plush sofa by Grindelwald's bedside, his bandaged body limply sprawled out, his head precariously hanging to a side.

Abruptly, he let out a startled yelp when he felt a singing wave of pain, as if struck by an electric shock, and his eyes snapped open, glancing around wildly while he instinctively whipped out his wand.

He heard a crow of laughter and his eyes quickly looked around for the source. Grindelwald was lying on his bed, head raised on a fluffy pillow, his body heavily bandaged and partly covered by a duvet. The old wizard looked pale and battered, but his face was no longer burned beyond recognition, his skin was no longer flayed, all the wounds seem to have healed, and his locks of blond hair with gray streaks were no longer scorched. Moreover, the old man was toothily grinning at him, the Phoenix wand clutched in his bandaged hand.

"What the hell was that for, you sadistic old bugger?!" snapped Orion, groaning in pain as he gently rubbed his bandaged chest, his body still aching and throbbing.

Grindelwald shot him a broad, crooked smirk. "Revenge."

"Oh," muttered Orion quietly, eyeing him carefully. "I guess I deserve much worse. It wasn't my intention to hurt you so badly and much less to kill you. I'm sorry for what happened-"

"Nonsense, mein junge," said Grindelwald, toothily smiling at him, "I'm proud of you. That was the breakthrough I've been waiting for. You know what it means, don't you?"

"Um, yeah," said Orion distractedly, as he accommodated himself into a more comfortable position on the sofa. "Hang on, I was on an armchair-"

"Your chief house-elf transfigured it into a sofa," interrupted Grindelwald dismissively, "It couldn't go against your wish to remain here, but it could at least make you be more comfortable."

"She," said Orion, shooting him an annoyed glance. "Don't call her 'it'."

Grindelwald snorted. "For any pureblood and dark wizard worth his salt, house-elves are 'it'."

"Well, not for this dark wizard," said Orion crisply. "I like Daisy, and I like house-elves in general, and so should you, since you'd be dead right now if they hadn't helped me to heal you."

"And who's to blame for my precarious state of health?" interjected Grindelwald, arching an elegant eyebrow. "Eh, mein junge?"

Orion gazed at him guiltily. "Merlin, I'm sorry for that, Gellert. You must know that it wasn't intentional-"

"Of course it was," interrupted Grindelwald, his lips quirking into a triumphant smirk, "your raw dark magic was obeying your desires." He arched an eyebrow with interested curiosity. "What were you thinking about when you made your dark magic attack me?"

"Er, well, I wanted the duel to end, I was quite fed up and tired," replied Orion, a bit sheepishly, "so I wanted you to be in enough pain to make you pass out."

Grindelwald let out an amused crow of laughter. "Well, you certainly did that, mein junge. I think I've never felt that level of pain before. You exceed my expectations."

"I thought I had killed you," muttered Orion grimly.

"Did you want me dead?" said Grindelwald, arching an eyebrow. When Orion shook his head, he continued smugly, "Precisely. You just wanted to put me out of commission so that the duel would end, and your magic did just that. Don't you see, mein junge, that it obeyed your wishes to the last word? I've been waiting for this for a long time. This was the final breakthrough for your magic, mein junge. From now on, you'll be able to do with it whatever you want. It will be increasingly easy for you to do so. At last, we've fulfilled the objective of our lessons-"

"But I still want to keep having them," interrupted Orion hastily. "There's plenty of other things I need to learn, and I still need to practice more-"

"You can do all that on your own," said Grindelwald dismissively. "I don't have much else to teach you."

"Yes, you do," insisted Orion sternly. "I don't want our lessons to end, yet."

Grindelwald scrutinized him, hawkeyed, and his lips quirked. "You're just postponing your duty to me. You know that our deal is that I give you lessons and that when these are over, you must kill me in return. I'm glad to have survived to see you fully master your dark magic, but now, you have to keep your end of the bargain. Now, you must kill me."

Orion stood up and crossed his arms over his bandaged chest, glaring down at him. "I won't kill you-"

"You must-"

"I won't kill you – yet," said Orion sharply. "Mastering my dark magic isn't enough, I still need to learn plenty of other things, and I need you for that."

Grindelwald gazed at him skeptically. "Things like what?"

"Um, er," said Orion uncertainly, before he pierced the old man with his eyes and drew up to his full height. "Many things. I still need to keep practicing my dueling skills and I would like you to teach me battle tactics, for example. But most importantly, I will need you to tell me about Dumbledore. After each of our lessons, when we sit down to heal ourselves, we've always spent time talking, but you've always made me talk about my life. I've told you everything about myself, but you've refused to tell me about yourself and about Dumbledore. I need to know more about him. The more I know of him, the easier it will be for me to exploit his weaknesses. That's what you can do for me."

When Grindelwald eyed him unconvinced that he wasn't just trying to evade the task of killing him –which was partly true- Orion gently placed a hand on the old wizard's bandaged shoulder, and he said quietly, "I still need you, Gellert. I promise that I'll kill you, but I'll do it after I've killed Dumbledore and obtained the Elder Wand. I think that's the best moment to do it. Just agree, please? You're the only one who knows everything about me. I don't want to lose that yet. I have too many secrets and I can only openly talk with you. Grant me that, for a few more months."

After a long silence, Grindelwald nodded, while he said sharply, "Alright, mein junge, as long as you keep your word and kill me afterwards."

"I will," said Orion quietly, sitting back down on the sofa. He pulled closer to the old wizard and gazed at him intently. "You're right, I didn't want to kill you and I should have known that my magic would obey me without going overboard, since it was going to happen sooner or later given that you've been training me for months, always pushing me to develop my dark magic and to learn how to control it when I unleash it in its raw form. But I thought I had killed you because something very strange happened, Gellert."

Grindelwald frowned at him. "What happened, mein junge?"

"Remember that I told you about the voice that I hear in my dreams?" said Orion quietly. The old wizard nodded, and he continued, "Well, when I made my raw magic pour out to attack you, at first it was pleasant and exhilarating but then I felt pain… lots of pain… it was strange but now I know what it was. I was my dark magic bursting from me, more unrestrained than I have ever allowed it to be; it was as if my magic was ramming inside me, wanting to break free to be no longer contained. It was what Sebastien Valois told me about. Remember, that I told you what he said? Well, I think that's why I felt pain, because my dark magic broke free and now I can no longer contain it. But that's not all, in the middle of it, before I called it back, I had my dreams – my visions. But I've never had them when I was awake; this has been the first time, and in this instance I saw much more than before. New visions… and I felt every single emotion that came with them. Furthermore, the voice also spoke to me. She said that I had to make it mine. She was referring to my raw dark magic, but when I saw you lying motionless, apparently dead, I thought that she had also referred to your magic-"

"It could have been if you had killed me," interjected Grindelwald impassively. "I'm fairly certain that the voice is waiting for you to kill me soon, so that you can obtain my dark magic as well-"

"Yes," interrupted Orion sharply, "but you don't know what I saw – what I heard. The voice – it's her. It's the Kraljica Mati, I'm almost sure. I saw an old woman with glowing black eyes… the same eyes I saw in Zraven Citadel when I found out that Lezander was alive. And I saw the vampire old woman tasting my blood, telling me that she had been waiting for me. And the voice always tells me that it's waiting for me-"

"You think that this Kraljica Mati is the one giving you the visions?" said Grindelwald, raising a skeptic eyebrow. "Mein junge, I've told you that no one can breach our minds, our dark magic protects us from that."

Orion carded his fingers through his hair, and snapped with exasperation, "But there are exceptions, aren't they? Voldemort can breach my mind because I'm his horcrux, but Merlin knows what the Kraljica Mati's powers are!"

He rose to his feet and started to pace the room, anxiously. "She's the Queen Mother of the Sdravkuls, the Founder of that vampire bloodline. Who knows how powerful such an ancient being is! Not to mention that Lezander's mother is her descendant. Mireilla is a Sdravkul as well, and she supports the Kraljica Mati. Razvan and Mireilla argued about the spirits and the Kraljica Mati, saying that both parties had the same aims though different methods. Mireilla wanted to tell me that Lezander was alive because the Kraljica Mati wanted me to know, while the spirits didn't, and Razvan ended up obeying the spirits – not that he was happy about it, the vampire seemed positively tired of being between the spirits and the Kraljica Mati."

He spun around to gaze at Grindelwald, and added sharply, "Furthermore, she has something to do with the vampire legend they refused to tell me about –Sanguini told me that- and she had something to do with the partial bond Lezander formed with me-"

"I thought that you said that the vampire boy was unaware that he was being manipulated by the Kraljica Mati," interjected Grindelwald, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, that might be so," said Orion, biting on his lower lip, "but the fact is that Lezander and I almost completed the bond to become mates - we shared blood, he took mine and I drank his. Now, it's incomplete, but I saw…" He gazed at Grindelwald, troubled, his voice breathless while he remembered. "I saw Lezander and myself, we… I think we were about to complete the bond."

He heavily sighed and dropped on the sofa again, muttering, "Not only that. I saw myself with Draco…" He swallowed thickly. "I desired him. I wanted him… I felt the need…it was consuming…" He groaned and fiercely rubbed his forehead. "I think I was about to shag him, or he about to shag me."

Grindelwald's eyebrows shot to his hairline, before he let out a crow of amused laughter. "Well, mein junge, I see nothing wrong in that! You should enjoy yourself as much as you can."

Orion fulminated him with a dour glance. "Enjoy myself? What – fucking two other people when I already have a spouse?"

"Why not?" said Grindelwald, smirking at him. "It's very common in pureblood circles, both Light and Dark, for spouses to have discrete affairs with lovers. And indeed, for dark wizards, it's vastly accepted, as long as you don't flaunt your affairs so that your spouse doesn't lose face."

He inched his face close to Orion's, briefly grimacing due to the linger pain in his body, and added with a toothy, crooked smile, "And you forget what you told me about the so called vampire legend. Didn't the Zravens say something about 'thrice bonded'? It can mean, as you suspected, that you'll have three types of bond with the same person, or that you'll be bonded with three different people. At present, you're bonded with Voldemort by a magical bonding ceremony and also because you carry a piece of his soul, and you have a blood bond with the vampire because you shared blood with him. Therefore, it seems to me, that perhaps you'll bond with the Malfoy Heir as well. And then, you'll have your 'thrice bonded' part fulfilled."

Orion gaped at him, his eyes wide. "I hadn't thought about that… but… but…" He shook his head, before he pierced the old man with his eyes, saying sharply, "But the Vindico has no love. According to everyone, if I become the Vindico I will not be able to -"

"The Head of Valois House," interrupted Grindelwald pointedly, "told you the truth about this matter. The spirits believe that the one who undergoes and survives the Vindico test will be changed, not necessarily physically, but he will not be entirely human. I suspect that the configuration of his mind and powers are what changes. As I told you before, I have reason to believe that even though the Vindico will not be able to feel deep attachments, he will surely be able to have any number of lovers he desires. And you, since you still have time before trying to become the Vindico, should be enjoying that aspect of your life."

He comfortably stretched on the bed, and added with a rogue smirk, "For instance, I'm a Dark Lord, and my priority has always been to give back glory and power to the Dark, but I've always enjoyed carnal pleasures, mein junge. I admit no love and no equal, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy fucking whomever I fancy." His smirk widened. "I've always been a randy wizard."

Orion choked, his eyes wide and watery, before he burst into a fit of laughter. "You're incorrigible, old man."

"Ja, I am," said Grindelwald, crookedly smirking at him.

Orion chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, before his expression turned grave and serious again when his mind got back in track.

He gazed at the old wizard, the only person alive with whom he could truly share his thoughts and bear out his feelings –just as he could once do with Calypso- since the man knew him very well after all the conversations they had held.

He sucked in a breath before he said quietly, "I saw Draco being tortured. It's what I always see in my dream, but this time it was clearer… I think he was dying."

With difficulty, Grindewald propped himself on his elbows to pierce him with his eyes, and he said sternly, "You must prevent it from happening; the Malfoy Heir cannot be lost."

"Yes, I will," said Orion grimly, "but that's not all." He stared at the old man, his eyes perturbed, his throat constricting. "I saw a baby girl. I think… I think she's my daughter. I felt this unconditional love towards her… she is precious to me…"

"A daughter?" asked Grindelwald with startled surprise. "With whom?"

Orion shook his head. "I don't know; with Voldemort, I suppose. It should be with him. But I wasn't the Vindico yet, or a Necromancer; my eyes were still green. So how can I have a daughter if I'm planning on becoming the Vindico in a year? And Voldemort knows that I want to wait until after the war-"

"He could have already tricked you into bearing a child for him," pointed out Grindelwald.

"How?" scoffed Orion. "The potion which rearranges a wizard's insides to allow him to carry a baby causes great amounts of pain. I think I would know if I had taken it, Gellert."

Grindelwald frowned pensively, but remained silent, and Orion jerkily carded his fingers through his hair, his eyes unseeing, as he said quietly, "Something terrible will happen… I was cradling the baby, feeling intense love towards her but I also felt sadness… such sorrow as I've never felt before, even more wrecking than when I saw my father soulless or when I thought that Lezander had died… What could it be? I don't know, but it's something terrible, Gellert… And the voice said I couldn't change anything… but I don't want to believe that..."

"What else did you see?" whispered Grindelwald, his face lined with worry.

"I saw myself with Necromancer's eyes, leading others into battle as they call my name, they call me 'Vindico'… I always see that in my dreams," said Orion, before he swallowed thickly. "And I saw myself confronting Voldemort… I was different, I think I was already a Necromancer, I had no mercy… he did something and I couldn't forgive… I kill him and I know exactly how; with Necromancy, with one of the spells I've learned from Cadmus's journal, one of the spells I've practiced till perfection…"

He stared at Grindelwald, his eyes pained, his voice a muttered whisper. "I destroyed Voldemort. I didn't send his soul to the spiritual plane; I obliterated it, completely. What could possibly make me do such thing? I would never do that, not even to my worst enemy. But I said 'There's nothing left of you now'." He gazed at the old wizard frantically. "Do you know what that means, Gellert? That I had destroyed all his other horcruxes as well! I gave him no chance of coming back, I truly killed him, Gellert!"

Grindelwald heavily sighed, leaning back on his fluffy pillow. "What do you want me to say, mein junge? That these things will not happen? That you can change them?"

"Yes."

"I can't," said Grindelwald, shooting him a commiserating glance. "I don't know who's sending you the visions. Perhaps it's the Kraljica Mati as you suspect, but since I've never met her or taken much interest in vampires, I can offer you no viable answers. From all what you've told me, I can only hope that you didn't see the Malfoy Heir being killed, just tortured, and therefore, I hope that you'll be able to help the boy." He pierced his hazel eyes into his. "He cannot be lost, he has powerful blood in him."

"He cannot be lost," said Orion sharply, "because he's my friend, not because the spirits will lose one of the offspring they wanted to create. Not because of his blood, but because I love him as a friend. But you're missing the point, Gellert. From all what I saw, I can accept Draco being tortured because I'll do whatever it takes to stop it when it happens. I can also accept that I'll be with Draco and Lezander, because that's nothing in comparison to the rest. What concerns me is the baby and the sorrow I felt! What concerns me is that I destroyed all of his horcruxes and then killed Voldemort and his last piece of soul. Don't you realize that it means that the horcrux in me was already destroyed by then?"

Grindelwald frowned at him. "But that can't-"

"Exactly, that can't be done by me," said Orion, nodding at him. "I'm a stable human-horcrux; his piece of soul completely merged with mine. There's no way of killing one without killing the other. Furthermore, the only one who can destroy the horcrux in me is Voldemort himself, and for that-"

"He has to kill you," muttered Grindelwald, his frown deepening. "Ja, he has to kill you but you saw yourself killing him, so you survived."

"How?" said Orion, deeply perturbed. "If he kills me, he destroys the piece of soul inside me and he destroys me, there's no way I can survive, and there's no way that I can destroy the horcrux in me myself."

"We don't know if you can't survive death," interjected Grindelwald, piercing him with his eyes. "You're the first stable human-horcrux of existence, mein junge. We don't know what would happen if he killed you. Perhaps by killing you he would be killing the piece of soul inside you, but maybe you survive thanks to your Necromantic abilities."

"Yes, who knows, it's all speculation," muttered Orion grimly, "but the crux of the matter is that, presumably, he'll try to kill me. Why would he do that? Furthermore, why would I utterly destroy him? All the pieces of his soul… so ruthlessly… so unforgiving… that's not me… unless he did something terrible-"

"I think you should accept that it might come to happen," interrupted Grindelwald sternly. "I've always told you that killing him is one of the few alternatives you have if you want to become the Vindico. If what you saw is real, if the voice told you that you couldn't change anything-"

"She said 'no alteration, no change', that I had to accept what I was seeing," interjected Orion bitterly, his voice dejected, before he pierced the old wizard with his eyes and snapped fiercely, "But I can't accept that I'll destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes and then ruthlessly kill him! Don't you understand, Gellert? Everything I'm doing is for him, to save him!"

"Ja, I know," said Grindelwald quietly. "But that doesn't mean that you'll succeed without being forced to kill him."

"Why shouldn't I succeed?" snapped Orion angrily. "I'm doing things my own way, just as you suggested. I'll kill you and I'll become a Necromancer to have the power necessary to survive the Vindico test. So why would I kill Voldemort, telling him that it was the way it would always end? If I told him that, it means that I killed him to become the Vindico, but everything I'm doing right now is in order to circumvent that. So why shouldn't it work?!"

"I don't know, mein junge," said Grindelwald with a weary sigh, "but I think it would be wise of you to accept it as a possibility."

"No, never," bit out Orion. "All these visions could be a manipulation just for that very same purpose, to make me believe that I'll end up doing all those things-"

"Ah, but other visions have come true, haven't they?" interjected Grindelwald, piercing him with his eyes. "Even if the Kraljica Mati is the one sending you the visions, the crux of the matter is that she's been right in several occasions. You had a vision about your father's soul before truly seeing him inside the Dementor and you had a vision about Voldemort killing you before it happened in the illusion the Manticore spun in your mind. Everything points towards the visions being accurate. I dare say that you should work with the assumption that the visions you saw yesterday will, in truth, come to happen. You should prepare yourself for it, mein junge, to be ready to act accordingly."

The old man pierced him with his eyes, and added sharply, "For instance, you must be ready to protect the Malfoy Heir. You can't allow him to be killed. Furthermore, as Valois suggested, you should gather the horcruxes, since it's possible that you'll end up deciding –for whatever reason- that Voldemort must be killed."

"That's your advice to me?" said Orion crisply. "Just to accept it?"

"My advice is that you should accept what you can't change," said Grindelwald sternly, "and change what can be prevented – those occurrences which weren't conclusive in your visions, like the Malfoy boy's death." He tiredly sighed, adding quietly, "That's the best advice I can give you, mein junge. You should seek your answers with the Kraljica Mati if you believe that she's the one giving you the visions."

"Yes, I know," muttered Orion grimly, "and I will do it. I'm fairly certain that she already knows that I'll go to Zraven Citadel during the summer, and I bet that she'll see me then. During a Christmas party at Hogwarts, Sanguini Sdravkul told me that she would want to see me soon - remember that I told you about it? During the summer, I'll seek her out. I won't change all my plans just because she's sending me these damned visions. I won't give her that satisfaction."

"Ja, I agree," said Grindelwald curtly, "you should go on with your plans, but keep the visions in mind. Gather the horcruxes and protect the Malfoy Heir."

Orion nodded dismissively, his mind swirling with troubled thoughts. That was until he heard a gleeful bark of laughter and saw Grindewald observing him with a satisfied and proud smirk on his face.

"What is it, old man?" said Orion, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm very proud of you, mein junge, you've become powerful indeed!" said Grindelwald, chortling joyfully. "Look at you now, with your dark magic vibrating around you!"

Orion looked down at himself, and surely, there it was, a soft black veil of pulsing magic; his dark magic now languidly and pleasantly thrumming around him.

"Why the long face, junge?" said Grindelwald, arching an eyebrow. "You should be ecstatic! Now, you'll intimidate them. Now, they'll fear you when they see you coming!"

"Yeah, that's fantastic," muttered Orion sarcastically, "but you forget that I still attend Hogwarts. How on Earth can I go around like this, with my dark magic uncontained? Dumbledore will instantly know that I've been putting up a farce all this time!"

"Then leave Hogwarts," offered Grindelwald simply.

Orion shot him an annoyed glance. "I can't leave Hogwarts, Gellert. I have to help Draco with his task and I still want to find out what Dumbledore's plans are. Not to mention that I have to kill the old coot and it's not likely that I'll get a better chance of doing it. I have to do it when Voldemort launches the attack on the school. I have to be there for Draco, because of the Unbreakable Vow I took. Due to the Vow, I must first allow Draco to attempt to kill Dumbledore, and then, I have to kill the old man myself. That way, the Vow will be fulfilled and I'll gain the Elder Wand. If I'm not at Hogwarts, I won't be able to do either of those things, and the Vow would kill me."

"Ja, you're right," said Grindelwald, frowning pensively while Orion tiredly rubbed his forehead, dejectedly slumping on the sofa.

Suddenly, the old wizard's hazel eyes lit up and he slowly shifted closer towards Orion, saying quietly, "There's a way to contain your dark magic inside you so that no one will sense it. It's dangerous and exhausting, but it's the only solution I can think of, if you're willing to bear the consequences."

Orion arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"A potion," said Grindelwald, his eyes now holding a glint of troubled reminiscence. "It's a very simple potion, easy to brew with common ingredients. Long ago, one of my followers came up with it. She was a brilliant Potion Mistress and I had charged her with the task of creating a potion to mute my dark magic, suppressing the pull of my dark magic but also allowing me to use all my powers. At that time, I was already perceiving that my mind was weakening, that I was slowly losing my sanity, since I wasn't going forth with the pull of my dark magic because I already realized that I wouldn't survive the Vindico test. Therefore, I ordered her to find a potion which would help me with my problem-"

"But it didn't work, did it?" interjected Orion, frowning at him. "It couldn't have worked since in the end you resorted to allow Dumbledore to defeat you, so that you would be imprisoned in Nurmengard, under the wards that Dumbledore casted; wards which suppressed your dark magic and, therefore, muted the pull, allowing you to remain sane."

"Ja, that's true," said Grindelwald impassively, "the potion wasn't a solution for me because it helps in the short-run but not in the long-run. You see, it's basically poison. You have to take the potion every day at the same time, so that your dark magic is contained inside you without anyone sensing it. It will mute the pull yet it will not weaken your magic or powers, but it will increasingly weaken your body. Furthermore, you can only take the potion for six months. If you take it for a longer period of time, it will kill you. Moreover, since it's basically a poison, when you withdraw from it, you'll undergo several days of great pain, as your body expels it from your system." The old wizard grimaced. "Believe me, mein junge, it's not pleasant and you'll suffer much."

Orion happily grinned at him, and said eagerly, "But then, I can use it, right? It was useless to you since you wanted a permanent solution, but I only need a short-run solution, and six months is plenty of time! It's perfect-"

"Ja," interrupted Grindelwald sternly, piercing him with his eyes, "but if I were you I would stop taking it as soon as I possible. And always remember to take it every day at the same time. If you miss one day, you'll instantly go into withdrawal and you'll be incapacitated for several days, suffering severe fevers and horrible bouts of pain. You'll have to go through that regardless, because you must stop taking the potion before the six months are over, or the potion will kill you otherwise. That's clear to you, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes," said Orion excitedly, "and I'm all up for it, Gellert. I don't mind going through a withdrawal, I had to go through one when I became addicted to the Invigorating Draught during my fourth year, remember?"

"Ja, you told me about it," said Grindelwald curtly, "but that was nothing in comparison to what you will suffer during the withdrawal of this potion."

Orion waved a hand dismissively. "I'll bear it. Can you teach me how to brew it today? I have to make a large batch of vials right away."

"Ja, we'll do that, but don't you have to get back to Hogwarts soon?" interjected Grindelwald, arching an eyebrow.

Orion's eyes widened as he glanced around and finally saw, through the parted curtains, that the sun was already setting. "It's Monday evening already… we slept through the whole night and day… and using the time-turner won't be enough…" He heavily sighed. "Oh, bother, I'll just say that I took a tumble down a stair and that I had to stay in Durmstrang's infirmary, healing from a cracked skull or something. Missing one day of class at Hogwarts can't be that suspicious."

"Very well," said Grindelwald relaxedly, before he pulled the duvet away from him and used his hands to extend the only part of his body which wasn't bandaged; his blackened, deadened leg. He pierced Orion with his eyes, and said crisply, "Now, mein junge, if you don't mind, are you going to heal this?"

Orion smirked at him, standing up. "That's what you get for pissing off someone with Necromantic abilities. But there's no reason to raise your hackles at me, old man. I couldn't heal it until you were stronger."

Grindelwald let out a short-tempered harrumph but allowed Orion to work quietly as he closed his eyes and called forth his Necromantic powers, to be encompassed by them as he gently placed his hands around the old wizard's decomposed flesh, slowly starting to bring it back to life while he muttered the counter-curse.

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Early Tuesday morning, Orion finally apparated to Bornholm Island, outside Durmstrang's wards, in order to reach the school and use Vagnarov's floo connection to reach Hogwarts.

Before leaving Potter Manor in the wee hours of the morning, he had taken the potion that Grindelwald had taught him to brew the previous evening, and he had checked on the old wizard, finding him deeply asleep.

He knew that the week of rest would be positive for Grindelwald after being so badly injured, and it would also give the wizard time to plan what to teach him during their subsequent lessons.

Curiously enough, when he had reached Vagnarov's office, the old wizard hadn't questioned him about his presence at Durmstrang during a weekday, nor had the Headmaster asked him about his whereabouts. The old wizard had simply greeted him with a broad, deeply satisfied smirk on his face, before continuing reading several parchments stacked on his desk, dismissing his presence entirely.

Therefore, Orion was fairly certain that Grindelwald had, at some point, allowed the spirits to contact him through his mind; surely to let them know about the 'breakthrough', as they now called it.

But it didn't worry Orion, since he knew that whatever Grindelwald did was always for his benefit, and not the spirits'. Let the spirits know that he was now powerful enough for others to sense his aura of dark magic, and let the spirits wonder what his next independent steps would be.

As usual, he had flooed into Dumbledore's office from Vagnarov's, ready to lie smoothly about the reason for his absence, though he found himself with no need to do so, since Dumbledore hadn't been there.

He soon found the reason why when he climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room. There had been a small group of seventh years clustered together around a girl; it was Katie Bell, looking completely healthy and surrounded by her jubilant friends. She had been let out of St. Mungo's and Dumbledore had brought her back to the school.

Orion blessed the event, since during the next few days the Gryffindors were boisterously animated and happy to have the girl back and none had asked him why he had been absent on Monday; none, except Hermione, but she seemed to have believed his lie.

Furthermore, now that Katie Bell was back, interest in the imminent Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game was running extremely high throughout the school, since the match would decide the Championship and the Gryffindor team now had their star chaser back. And that allowed Orion to pass unnoticed.

Nevertheless, as promised by Grindelwald, the potion he was taking daily worked superbly well. Not even he could sense his dark magic; he didn't have it thrumming and vibrating around him any longer, though he knew that he could use it, as Grindelwald had said.

Orion had to admit that he did feel strangely empty without it, but it was a necessary measure, and with some luck, he wouldn't start feeling the negative effects –like tiredness and physical exhaustion- for some time.

It was finally that Friday when he decided to do what he had planned on doing on Monday.

He had everything set and ready in Slytherin's private study, with Cadmus' journal open on the page detailing the spell he was going to use and with the Resurrection Stone lying on the middle of the desk, ready to be subjected to the Necromantic spell which would release it from Voldemort's piece of soul.

But first, Orion grabbed the thick tome he had been working on for so many months. With great satisfaction, he was going to finally hand it to Severus.

Summarily, he apparated from Slytherin's private study to a bathroom stall of his dormitory, and casting the parsel-invisibility spell on himself, he merrily left Gryffindor Tower, eagerly excited about what he was going to accomplish that evening; bringing back the Resurrection Stone to its former state, with its magic unblocked from Voldemort's piece of soul.

With a happy gait in his steps, he finally reached the dungeons and softly knocked on the door of Snape's office.

"Enter," came the surly response, and Orion did so, quickly cancelling his invisibility and strolling inside with a smirk plastered on his face.

Not surprisingly, Snape was behind his desk, with orderly stacks of paper arranged on one side, and several shelves lined with potion instruments and vials, systematically labeled and ordered.

Snape glanced up at him, his expression dark and dour, and gestured at the hard wooden chair on the other side of the desk, for Orion to take a seat.

"What do you want, Black?"

Orion arched an eyebrow; his guardian was certainly in a sour mood if he was reversing back to calling him Black.

Eyeing with distaste the uncomfortable chair proffered, he sauntered to the desk, leaning on it and thus forcing Snape to crane his neck back to scowl at him.

He shot the snarky wizard a toothy, impish grin –which seemed to irk the man, to Orion's delight.

"Well, what is it?" snapped Snape impatiently. "I don't have all night to entertain you, annoying brat."

"Ah, as always, your words warm my heart, Severus," said Orion, cheekily smiling at him, which only made the wizard scowl more darkly at him.

Quickly, he cast silencing and anti-spying spells around them, and said cheerfully, "I came here to finally give you your long overdue Christmas present."

He carefully brought out from his pocket the thick tome and set it on the desk, in front of Snape. It was a handsome journal, really; the pages rimmed with silver, the covers of a soft black leather, and with a silver clasp and key-lock.

Orion tapped a finger on the cover, and flashed a smile to Snape. "Read the first page and weep with joy."

Snape shot him a dour scowl before his long, dexterous fingers carefully opened the book. Instantly, his eyes imperceptively widened as he read aloud, "Compendium of Salazar Slytherin's Research Journals on Blood, translated and transcribed by Orion Sirius Black."

The wizard's fingers jerkily clasped around the book and he looked up at Orion. "This is…" He cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at him. "Is it truly Slytherin's research? A compendium of his journals?"

"It is," said Orion, happily grinning at him. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" snapped Snape incredulously, before he eyed the book, his eyes softening as if caressing it. "Do you know what you have given me, boy?"

Orion scoffed. "Of course I do. It took me ages to translate all seven of Slytherin's journals, I'll tell you that. By now, I know them by heart."

"Why would you give me this treasure?" said Snape, looking up at him. His eyes narrowed, and he said crisply, "What do you want in exchange?"

Orion rolled his eyes, and said exasperately, "Nothing, it's a gift for Merlin's sake. I know that you will appreciate it. It's filled with detailed brewing instructions for countless potions. Potions created by Slytherin, you know. I bet you're itching to try them. Not to mention the dark spells Slytherin invented. All of it is riveting, you'll see."

"Why?" said Snape, his voice slightly hitched.

Orion warmly smiled at him, tapping his finger on the end of the first page. "You forgot to read this."

Snape gazed down, and read aloud, "For my esteemed friend and trusted ally, Severus Prince." His eyes snapped to Orion's, and he said flatly, "I'm not a Prince."

"You are," said Orion, grinning at him. "And I think it's proper to address you as such; a wizarding surname should always have precedence over a muggle one. Really, I don't know why you won't go to the Ministry and demand to have the right to use the Prince name. Your old grandfather might have banished your mother from the line, but you still are the only Prince Heir left; you could claim the inheritance, you have the right. And you would have much more influence if you went around using the name."

Snape cleared his throat noncommittally, leaning back on his high-armchair, intently scrutinizing him. And at last, he muttered with great effort, "Thank you. I'll always cherish it."

"I'm sure you will, and I'm glad that you value it as it should be," said Orion, broadly smiling at him. "Now, do you have the small silver key I gave you for Christmas?" Snape curtly nodded, and he added, "Good, you'll need to cast a blood spell on the book and on the key, so that only you can open and read it. I don't want anyone finding out about it."

"Dumbledore knows you're a parselmouth, Orion," interjected Snape sternly. "If he found out about this book, he wouldn't be surprised that you had found Slytherin's journals and translated them." He pierced him with his deep, black eyes. "Where did you find Slytherin's journals?"

Orion waved a hand dismissively. "That's not important." He intently gazed at the wizard, and added crisply, "Yes, Dumbledore knows that I'm a parselmouth because the traitorous rat Pettigrew blabbed about it, but the old coot has never talked to me about my parseltongue ability." He heavily sighed. "I know that he knows, and he knows that I know, but he has never addressed the matter; as with so many other things… We're like two chess opponents, each with their secret tactics, wondering what the other will do and what the other knows or suspects, but never openly discussing it, just trying to outsmart the other."

Snape snorted, smirking at him. "Yes, that's how Dumbledore plays. That's how the Dark Lord plays with Dumbledore, as well."

"Hmpf," grumbled Orion, "but at least Voldemort gets to attempt to kill the old coot whenever they see each other. On the other hand, I see Dumbledore constantly and I have to behave like a good little boy."

He shook his head and straightened away from the desk, before he intently gazed at Snape. "Keep it secret, keep it safe, and blood-spell it." The older wizard curtly nodded, and Orion stepped closer to him, saying quietly, "There's one more thing. When you finish reading it, I want you to replicate Slytherin's experiments with modern techniques and potions. I need you to prove his conclusions; all of them, in detail. They'll be useful, later."

Snape's eyebrow shot to his hairline. "You realize, don't you, that it will take me years, perhaps decades? And what would you do with my research? Do you mean for me to publish-"

"Yes, eventually," interrupted Orion curtly. "And it won't necessarily take you years. Once we win the war, you can get your own group of researchers to help you with it."

Snape shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, and he said impassively, "Orion, I will, most probably, not survive the war."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Orion, frowning at him. "Of course you'll survive."

Snape smirked at him. "I'm a triple spy, boy. I spy for Dumbledore, I spy for Voldemort and I spy for you. Eventually, either of them will consider me a traitor, given that my true allegiance is to you. Or, eventually, I won't be of any more use to them, which will signify my imprisonment or death. Furthermore, this task that you're appointing to me will be useless unless the Dark wins, and what makes you believe that it will?"

"It's very simple, Severus," said Orion nonchalantly, "I cannot affirm that the Dark will win but I know that many of us will not rest until it does, many of us will die trying. Therefore, I want you to replicate Slytherin's research in case the Dark wins, and if we lose, it won't matter to me, since I would be dead."

He clasped his guardian's shoulder, and added firmly, "Regardless, by the oath we gave to each other, you know that I'll do anything to protect you as long as I live. You will survive the war, Severus, even if everything blows up in our face and you're discovered. You know that as my ally you'll always count with me, don't you?"

Snape pierced him with a measuring, scrutinizing gaze, and finally curtly nodded.

"Good," said Orion, with a small, satisfied smile. "I'll leave you now, so that you can enjoy your present."

He had not taken two steps towards the door when he heard Snape's voice behind him.

"What about Draco? Are you helping him?"

Orion turned around to face him, and said quietly, "Not yet. The stubborn prat refuses my help, so far."

Snape wearily pinched the bridge of his nose, before he stood up and went around his desk, reaching Orion. He pierced him with his dark, obsidian eyes, and said gravely, "Force him to accept your help. I can see that he's having trouble with his task, though he refuses to tell me anything-"

"Of course he won't tell you anything," interjected Orion, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do you know what he told me when I confronted him outside 'Slughorn's' Christmas party? He told me that you would rat on him to Voldemort. He doesn't trust you, Severus. And can you blame him when you're his godfather but you've never taken a personal interest in him during his whole life?"

Snape glowered at him. "I will not have you-"

"Have me what?" snapped Orion crisply. "Tell you the truth, as he sees it? I remember when we were ten-year-old kids. How Draco always wanted me and our friends in common to visit him at Malfoy Manor. I remember how happy he was when we once stayed to have a Quidditch match. Then, I remember how lonely Draco always seemed, with Lucius doing business and always busy with the Ministry, and Narcissa, bless her, trying to spend time with Draco, but also occupied in promoting the Malfoy House in the social circles. And you, his godfather… well, what can I say? You were never there. I never saw you with Draco."

Snape drew up to his full height, and glared down at Orion over his hooked nose, snarling angrily, "I was busy as well, brat. Do I need to remind you all the spying I've been doing during all these years? Nonetheless, I care for my godson-"

"I know you do," interrupted Orion calmly. "I was just pointing out why he won't trust you. It's up to you to remedy the situation when you can."

"Quite," said Snape, his lips a tight line while he narrowed his eyes at him. "Nevertheless, at present, it's you who must help him; it's you who's bounded by the Unbreakable Vow you stupidly took. Thus, I'm asking you to make him accept your help."

Orion heavily sighed. "Alright I will. I was planning on doing it at some point. I might as well talk face-to-face with him today."

"Good, do it," said Snape sharply.

Orion nodded and took a turn to leave, but suddenly, he remembered, and he glanced at his guardian over his shoulder. "Oh, one more thing. Can you come to Black Manor this Saturday at ten in the evening? I'll leave the floo connection open for you and I'll have the wards admit you in."

Snape arched an eyebrow. "For what do you need me?"

"You'll see," said Orion, flashing him with a broad smile. "Just bring your potions with you, and come rested. I'll need your help for many long hours."

"What hare-brained scheme do you have now?" demanded Snape, narrowing his eyes at him. "I won't have you putting your life in jeopardy again. I had enough with saving you from a Manticore's lethal poison."

"You won't be saving anyone, I will," said Orion nonchalantly. "But I'll need your skills in potions, and more importantly, in Legilimency."

Snape darkly scowled at him. "I demand to know what you are planning-"

"You'll understand on Saturday," interrupted Orion, with a small, secretive smile. "I'll see you then, Severus. Enjoy your present."

And with that, he quickly left the room before Snape had a chance to launch a full-scale interrogation session – he didn't put it pass the wizard to try to forcibly dose him with Veritaserum.

He rather have Snape willingly go to Black Manor before knowing that the one whom they'd be helping was none other than his father; hopefully, no longer soulless.

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As soon as he left Snape's office, Orion took out the Marauder's Map, which he always carried with him since he had to constantly check where everyone was when he used the time-turner.

Snape had a valid point, he needed to have a chat with Draco, and he could postpone his task with the Resurrection Stone for a few minutes.

Making sure that no one was around, he tapped his wand on the folded parchment, and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He scanned it carefully. As it was late in the evening, nearly all the students were inside their various common rooms, the Gryffindors in one tower, the Ravenclaws in another, the Slytherins in the dungeons, and the Hufflepuffs in the basement near the kitchens. Here and there a stray person meandered around the library or up a corridor. And then, he saw a dot with the label 'Draco Malfoy', and it wasn't moving.

He kept observing it for a while, and wondered what his friend was doing there for so long, and with such an unlikely company; surely by now, Draco would have left.

Orion sighed and quickly tapped the map to clear it, before he pocketed it. He swiftly cast the parsel-invisibility spell on himself, and dashed up marble staircases and several corridors until he reached the sixth floor.

There, he cancelled his invisibility and reached the boy's bathroom, quietly pushing the door open.

Draco was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his platinum-blond head bowed.

"Don't," crooned Moaning Myrtle's voice from one of the cubicles. "Don't... tell me what's wrong... I can help you…"

"No one can help me," said Draco, his whole body shaking. "I can't do it... I can't... It won't work... and unless I do it soon... he says he'll kill me..."

And Orion realized, with a shock so huge it rooted him to the spot, that Draco was crying -he had never seen his friend crying- tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin.

Draco gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into a cracked mirror and saw Orion staring at him.

Suddenly, he wheeled around, drawing his wand, and instinctively, Orion pulled out his own.

"No! Stop it!" squealed Moaning Myrtle, her voice echoing loudly around the tiled room. "Don't attack him!"

But her cries were unnecessary, neither of them did anything, and Orion just observed him with wide eyes.

Draco looked pale, with dark shadows under his eyes, his skin had a grayish tinge, probably because he so rarely saw daylight these days, and there was no air of his usual smugness, excitement, or superiority - and that was simply wrong, in Orion's opinion.

"Are you going to curse me, Draco?" said Orion softly, glancing at the wand aimed at him, "Because I'm seeing you like this?"

Draco straightened and angrily wiped his tearful face with his robes' sleeve, instantly pulling a closed off expression over his features. He glowered at Orion, and bit out sharply, "Leave. I want to be alone. You have no business here."

"You fool, you are my business, you're my friend," said Orion quietly, eyeing him carefully. "Why didn't you tell me that the situation was so serious? That you were having so much trouble-"

"I'm fine!" spat Draco, heatedly glaring at him. "I don't need your help. I can manage on my own."

Orion scoffed. "Yeah, I can see that-"

"Don't you dare mention this," snarled Draco, pointing his wand to Orion's face. "I am not weak, whatever you and others might believe! I can do it!"

Orion lowered his wand and pocketed it, sadly gazing at Draco as he said quietly, "I don't think you are weak, Draco. I only think you're stupidly stubborn. I told you that I took the V-"

He clamped his mouth shut, and glanced at the ghost protectively hovering by Draco's side, her watery eyes narrowed menacingly at Orion.

Orion stared at her, and said in a steely tone of voice, "Leave. I want to talk to him alone."

"I'm not leaving him!" said Moaning Myrtle in a high pitch. "He needs me and you'll attack him!"

"Needs you?" snorted Orion snidely. "What can a ghost like you do for him? Nothing at all except wail, sob, and splash water around."

Myrtle puffed herself up, and shrieked, "That's right, let's make fun of poor, mopping, moaning Myrtle! Because she does nothing but sob and wail! Why don't you go on and throw something at me, just to see if I can feel it! Ten points if you get it through my head!"

She looked positively deranged and angrily swooped towards Orion, apparently about to stick her ethereal fist through his head, but his patience quickly vanished, and in an instant, he allowed himself to be suffused with his Necromantic powers.

Orion swiftly seized her throat, piercing her with his all-black eyes, and said in a low, grave voice, "I can touch you, ghost. I can hurt you. Now, leave us or suffer the consequences."

Myrtle's eyes widened in horror as she stared into his glowing all-black eyes, and Orion released her. She let out a terrified wail, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into a toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, leaving a tense silence behind her.

"Your eyes," murmured Draco, staring at him, his eyes wide. "Why are they like this? What did you do?"

"Nothing that matters," said Orion dismissively, swiftly making his Necromantic powers lie quietly inside him, knowing that his eyes got back to normal.

He gazed at Draco, and swiftly cast silencing and anti-spying spells around them, before he said quietly, "I told you about the Unbreakable Vow I took, Draco. Why didn't you tell me that your situation was so desperate as to make you come in here to cry-"

"Don't say it!" hissed out Draco angrily, his wand still aimed at Orion. "This means nothing; I am not useless, I am not weak-"

Orion had enough, and he quickly took some steps and tightly hugged Draco, who stiffened in his arms.

"You idiot," he murmured against Draco's ear, "do you believe that I think that you're weak just because I saw you crying? What you feel is just stress, because of your task. Merlin knows that I've shed my share of tears due to pressure as well. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Draco relaxed in the embrace, and said quietly, "Malfoys don't cry."

"Blacks don't cry either," said Orion, shooting him a broad grin while he loosened his arms. "Yet, here we are."

Draco broke away from the hug, and angrily kicked the door of a bathroom stall. "This is so messed up. I didn't want you to see me like this. My father would sneer at me with contempt if he knew, and I would agree-"

"Nonsense," interjected Orion, grabbing one of Draco's arms, turning him around to face him, "Lucius loves you; he would try to help you, he would understand. Voldemort should have never appointed this task to you. None of the responsibilities we carry should burden our shoulders, Draco. We are just teenagers who are being forced to grow up and shoulder an adult's responsibilities. It's not our fault; it's theirs."

Draco angrily wiped clean his face again, and stiffly nodded.

"Voldemort threatened to kill you," asked Orion, his voice laced with anger, "if you didn't finish fixing the cabinet soon?"

"Call him the Dark Lord, for Merlin's sake!" snapped Draco with a shudder, before he replied worriedly, "And yes, he summoned me yesterday and said he would kill me if I don't accomplish it before the school year ends." He gazed at Orion, and added with deep distress, "He said that he wouldn't break out my father either; that he would let him rot in Azkaban."

"That's an empty threat, Draco," said Orion sternly. "The Dark Lord-" he emphasized the words with annoyance, since it was simply awkward for him to call his spouse by that title "-will need to break out the Death Eaters in Azkaban soon. He'll need them when the war truly erupts, and your father is one of his most skilled Inner Circle Death Eaters. You shouldn't worry about that; Lucius will be freed."

"I realize that," said Draco quietly, "but that doesn't mean that the Dark Lord won't kill me if I fail." He shuddered and clasped his arms around himself. "I think he will do it. Even if the Dark Lord releases my father, I think he'll kill me; to punish me and to punish my father for allowing the group of Death Eaters he was leading to be captured in the Department of Mysteries." He briefly glanced at Orion, and added quietly, "And for having made the marriage contract between us. I think the Dark Lord is still mad because of that, even if he destroyed the contract."

"Yes, you're right," said Orion straightforwardly, since it was better for Draco to be aware of his situation.

Draco glanced away from him, his posture rigid, and he murmured, "So what can I do, Orion? I don't know how to fix the cabinet. I have tried everything and the repairing instructions Borgin sent me are way beyond my comprehension." He shuddered slightly. "I don't understand them. I don't know how to cast the spells to fix the cabinet."

"Then let me help you," said Orion, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder, briefly squeezing. "Take me to see the cabinet and show me the instructions. Together, we'll figure it out."

Draco wanly smiled at him. "You won't understand the instructions either. Everything is written in complicated equations in arithmancy and ancient runes. And I'm much better in those subjects than you are."

"That's not true, my friend," said Orion, grinning at him. "We are excellent in both, and you might be better in Arithmancy but I surpass you in Ancient Runes. Come on, let's take a look, we lose nothing by trying."

Draco drew himself up, and smirked at him. "Alright, let's go. Just because I'll enjoy seeing you scratching that mop you call hair."

"My hair is as fine as yours," scoffed Orion. "And it's even better since it's black, and not the pouf-like platinum of yours."

"You're calling me a pouf?" snorted Draco, arching an eyebrow. "Look who's talking."

"Oh, I admit it proudly," said Orion, broadly smirking at him. "Now, let's get going. You told me you were keeping the cabinet in the Room of Requirements, right?"

"Yeah, if you persist on calling it that," replied Draco, walking towards the exit of the bathroom, "to me it's the Room of Hidden Things, because I had to think about a place in which to conceal the cabinet."

"Alright," said Orion, following him, "but before we step out, I think we should disillusion ourselves. It's better if no one sees us wandering together. Do you know how to cast the Disillusionment Charm?"

"No," said Draco, staring at him, "it's beyond NEWT level."

Orion nodded. The disillusionment charm was, admittedly, a very tough spell to master; he had spent many long hours during several sessions with his Elite to teach them the charm before the break in to Nurmengard.

He wondered if he should offer Draco the Invisibility Cloak, so that his friend could move around the castle undetected. But he soon cast away the idea, since he didn't want to jeopardize a Hallow.

"Okay," said Orion, "I'll cast it on you this time, but make sure to learn it on your own. It's very useful."

"When did you learn how to cast it?" said Draco, arching an eyebrow.

"A while ago," replied Orion, tapping his wand on the platinum-blond head, "out of need, of course. Besides, it shouldn't surprise you; I used it when we took a room in the Leaky Cauldron, when you were angry at me after learning that I was Harry Potter."

"Oh, yeah, you're right."

In a few seconds, he saw Draco disappearing from his sight, and a hand grabbed his.

"Disillusion yourself," said Draco's voice, "and don't release my hand. I don't want to lose you along the way."

"I do know how to get there, you know?" scoffed Orion, but Draco didn't loosen the hold, so he simply rolled his eyes before casting the charm on himself.

-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-

With their hands still clasped together, they finally made it to the seventh floor corridor, and they reached the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do ballet.

Orion was pretty excited about the whole thing. His father had often told him about the Room of Requirements but he never had a reason to use it, so this would be his first time, and he was eager to see it.

Draco dragged him to walk three times up and down along the stretch of wall, while muttering, "I need the place where everything is hidden… I need the place where everything is hidden… I need the place where everything is hidden..."

And suddenly, before Orion's eyes, he saw a great door materializing on their third run past.

They quickly went inside and Orion swiftly cancelled their disillusionments. When he glanced around, he gasped, overawed by what he was looking at.

They was standing in a room the size of a large cathedral, whose high windows were sending shafts of light down upon what looked like a city with towering walls, built of what Orion knew must be objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants.

There were alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture, stowed away, perhaps, to hide the evidence of mishandled magic, or else hidden by castle-proud house-elves. There were thousands and thousands of books, no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen. There were winged catapults and Fanged Frisbees, some still with enough life in them to hover halfheartedly over the mountains of other forbidden items; there were chipped bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, cloaks; there were what looked like dragon eggshells, corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly, several rusting swords, and a heavy, bloodstained axe.

Draco smugly smirked at his awed expression and grabbed his hand once again to pull him forwards into one of the many alleyways between all this hidden treasure. They turned right past an enormous stuffed troll, walked on a short way, and finally took a left to stand before a broken cabinet, beside a large cupboard that seemed to have had acid thrown at its blistered surface.

Orion gazed at the cabinet while Draco started talking about it, but he listened half-heartedly; there was something distracting, something tingling on his skin, something with very powerful dark magic nearby.

Puzzled, he glanced around; Draco –now focused on inspecting the cabinet with frustrated scowl on his face- not noticing when he took some steps following the pull of the magic he was sensing.

Orion shivered as he got closer to the source, and he had to stifle a gasp when he recognized the sensation; what he always felt around a horcrux. His eyes widened in shock due to such accidental discovery.

As if in a trance, only feeling the dark magic being emitted, he reached a crate which had on top of it a chipped bust of an ugly old warlock, a dusty old wig and a tarnished tiara.

Slowly, he stretched out a hand towards the objects and then he felt it more strongly, more enticing, something inside him fluttering upwards as if wanting to make a connection; Voldemort's piece of soul inside him recognizing the match.

And his fingers grabbed the tarnished tiara, and there he saw the engraving: 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'

Orion held in a gasp. How many times had he heard Luna saying the famous phrase of Rowena Ravenclaw? This was the diadem Slytherin's portrait had told him about; Ravenclaw's Diadem of Wisdom. The only horcrux he speculated about, since locket Tom and Voldemort had never wanted to tell him what was the last horcrux he hadn't figured out for certain.

Suddenly, everything clicked, like pieces of a puzzle. Tom Riddle had wheedled the location of the lost diadem out of the Gray Lady – Helena Ravenclaw. And Orion knew, thanks to Slytherin's portrait, that Helena had been found by the Bloody Baron in an Albanian forest. Therefore, Tom must have traveled to that far-flung Albanian forest, and retrieved the diadem from its hiding place, perhaps as soon as he left Hogwarts, before he even started work at Borgin and Burkes.

And wouldn't those secluded Albanian woods have seemed an excellent refuge when, so much later, Voldemort's master soul needed a place to lie low, undisturbed, for ten long years? Voldemort himself had told him that he had been in Albania, though, obviously, not disclosing the particulars.

Then, the diadem, once it became Voldemort's precious horcrux, had not been left in the lowly tree Helena had hidden it in... No, the diadem had been returned secretly to its true home, Hogwarts, and Voldemort must have put it there-

"-the night he asked for a job," whispered Orion to himself.

Voldemort hid the diadem in the castle, the night he asked Dumbledore to let him teach. He must have hidden the diadem on his way up to, or down from, Dumbledore's office. But it was well worth trying to get the job, since then he might have gotten the chance to steal Gryffindor's sword as well.

Clever, Voldemort, very clever, as always; what better place to hide it than right under Dumbledore's nose, among heaps of junk.

But what to do with it now?

Orion's fingers jerkily clutched the diadem tighter, as he remember that he had spent all week waking up screaming from his nightly dreams filled with visions. Screaming at the last part, when he saw himself ruthlessly killing Voldemort, saying to his corpse that there was nothing left of him; implying that he had destroyed all the horcruxes already.

He clearly remembered the penetrating emptiness, coldness and detachment of that future self who killed Voldemort; a being which he didn't want to become. Partly, he woke himself up screaming because of those curdling sensations. That future self was, in part, inhuman, with frozen, muted emotions. Already a full-fledged Necromancer, perhaps? Or already too deeply involved in becoming the Vindico at all costs?

Orion fiercely shook his head. Sebastien and the Aux be damned, he wouldn't gather the horcruxes now, not when Voldemort had given him no reason to want to destroy them. He would give the wizard a chance, no matter what the visions showed him.

And he would become the Vindico he wanted to be; devastatingly powerful, cold-hearted and ruthless with his enemies, but still with attachments towards those he cared for.

Since what was the purpose of being powerful to help the Dark and others if he couldn't grasp some modicum of happiness for himself?

He placed the dusty old wig on top of the ugly old warlock statue's head, and then placed the diadem firmly on the wig, to be able to find it later, in case he ever needed to destroy it.

Here, in the Room of Hidden Things, the horcrux will be save from Dumbledore, the Aux, and-

"From myself," whispered Orion, "because I won't act against Voldemort until he gives me reason to."

"What are you doing?" came Draco's voice.

"Nothing," instantly said Orion, glancing at the Diadem of Wisdom one last time before he sharply turned around and reached his friend.