Chapter 2

Hermione was supposedly the brightest witch of her age. At least that's what everyone around her said.

That's what Harry used to say at least. And Ron to some degree.

Did she believe she could be? Perhaps. If she put more effort into it.

Did she deserve to carry that kind of a moniker? No.

She suspected, they'd talked about it…the reason why he'd been forced to compete in this tournament. She never thought he submitted his name willingly. Well, no…she'd be lying to herself if she declared the thought never crossed her mind: that her best friend had put his name in, in a bid of arrogance.

But she'd seen through it hadn't she? She'd looked past it and realized that he wouldn't do that. When Ron refused to believe him she'd stood by his side. When the whole school stood against him she'd been one of the few who'd chosen to stay with him.

He always said he'd never have survived the tournament this far without her. That he'd only get through everything else if she was by his side.

Why then, hadn't she been able to do anything to help him when he needed her the most? If she was so smart, why hadn't she been able to do anything to prevent what happened?

"Hermione?" She uttered an incomprehensible noise in acknowledgement, not looking up from the stash of papers strewn about on her desk.

"Hermione. It's almost time for dinner."

"I'll be there." She snapped. It annoyed her to no end. She wasn't at the Weasley family house, she was at Grimmauld Place, Sirius's place. She and the rest of the Weasleys were nothing more than guests and yet it seemed, everything had to function the same way it did back in Molly's home.

A sigh followed by the sound of a chair being dragged made her lips purse downwards. Honestly, why couldn't anyone take a hint?

"Look…"

"Ron. I told you." She repeated, gritting her teeth. "I will be there"

He said nothing. But to her irritation, nor did he leave. He simply sat beside her in silence.

Deciding to ignore him completely she forced her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

She wasn't allowed to get too far.

"Are you planning on going on like this even when we're back at Hogwarts?" She heard him sigh audibly. "It's been three months. You've been at this bloody thing since…well…you know."

"Well, excuse me for actually trying to dosomething." She snapped, knocking over her ink bottle as she rounded on him. "I'm not like you Ronald. I can't just sit around playing chess while hoping things would change."

"The bloody hell do you want me to do?!"

"Oh I don't know, act like you give a dam?"

"If Dumbledore and the rest of the Order can't find him I don't know who will alright? Even the Aurors are!"

"Oh sure…just because they're doing something means you can just sit on your arse all day and acting like nothing's wrong?" She asked incredulously. "You look like you haven't a care in the world."

"Hermione, it's been three months." He repeated slowly. "I don't know what you want me to do, act like I can't move on?"

She didn't know what it was, the matter of fact tone he used or what he said, or the stupid expression on his face as if he were explaining something to her.

Whichever one of those things it was, right now, all she wanted to do was curse his face off.

"So you've given up." Her voice came out surprisingly calm in contrast with the amount of anger she was feeling. "Must've been pretty easy."

"I'm being realistic."

"Are you sure?" She asked with as much menace she could muster. "Or are you just hoping for it?"

"The hell are you talking about?" His voice was suddenly louder. He was on his feet now.

He would've been threatening if she didn't know that she could stop him within seconds if he dared to make a move.

"Oh I don't know, the fact that you think this is your year to not be something other than a third wheel?" She smirked when she saw his ears turning red, the most obvious sign that she'd gotten to him.

It gave her immense satisfaction. Goading him was proving rather therapeutic.

"Get out of my room Ronald. But remember this, try not to let your attitude show to some of the people you're living with. Some of them liked Harry a lot more than they did you."

Dumbledore was puzzled.

Puzzled. A word that he himself hadn't used in a while, but it was extremely fitting for the current predicament.

"What do you mean the Death Eaters withdrew?"

"They didn't attack." Kingsley spoke up. "We were waiting for the ambush. Severus's information was on point. There were a dozen of them walking through Knockturn Alley. We tailed them for a while but before we could get into position they suddenly scattered."

"Severus?" He turned to the man expectantly.

"It seems the dark lord called them back. To his side." Severus elaborated at his look. "I was not allowed to assist."

A feeling of dread settled in. "Do you think…"

"It's something to do with the boy? I-"

"Harry?!" Sirius, who'd been quiet for the most part spoke up, cutting Severus off. "What-"

"Sirius." He said warningly, getting the distraught man to fall silent. "I need you to tell me everything." This he directed at Severus who narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not hiding anything Dumbledore. You know as well as I do that the dark lord has actively kept me out of anything concerning the boy." Severus said icily, his eyes fixed upon his. "Use legilimency on me if you wish."

"That's not necessary." The dark lord had indeed kept Severus in the dark about Harry causing him to be as in the dark about his whereabouts as the rest of them. The only source of comfort they had was that if Harry was killed, the news would have circulated among the Death Eaters immediately and Severus would know.

A minor comfort but one that was necessary to keep him going.

"Why would Voldemort need the manpower for the boy?" Kingsley asked doubtfully. "I don't mean any disrespect but it seems a little far fetched that he'd recall all of them. It's not like he's short of the manpower either."

"I agree." Severus said. "I highly doubt Potter was the cause but it's not wise to dismiss it either. Something has happened. I have not been able to get in contact with the dark lord, Malfoy or Lestrange and those three are the ones directly associated with the boy as well."

"So you still believe the Malfoy home is where he could be held?" He asked contemplatively. He shared in Severus's suspicions ever since they'd gone over it.

"I do."

"Wait." Sirius spoke again. "So you might know where he is?"

"Unless I've been speaking in a different language Mr. Black, I believe that's what I just said." Severus said smoothly. "But again, it's not certain."

"And you?" Sirius growled, looking right at him. "You knew too didn't you?! Why haven't we done anything!"

"Sirius…" He began tiredly.

"We've been sitting here getting nowhere over the past couple of months while you two may have had a clue?!"

"Calm yourself Black." Severus spat. "Okay, so we may know where he could be. What do you propose we do? Storm the place?"

"Rather that than sit here!" Sirius yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"Sirius…" Remus who hadn't said anything the whole time leaned forward, placing an arm on his shoulder. "Listen to yourself."

"I agree with your sentiments Sirius." He said quietly. "I do. I want to get him back as much as you do but we cannot mount an offensive with little to no resources. If he really is there, then chances are that Voldemort is there as well…along with his lieutenants."

"Lestrange was assigned to the boy permanently." Severus added, distaste coloring his voice. "I haven't seen her at all over the past few months. If she's there with him as well as the dark lord we have no chance of breaching the place without the help of the ministry."

Sirius got up without a word, kicking his chair back in rage before he stormed off. He caught Remus's eye who nodded, understanding that he needed to go stop him before he decided to do anything rash.

The rest of the occupants in the room cleared out in silence as well, following in Remus's wake. They knew the meeting had come to an end.

Only when Severus left did he get up before locking the door. He was just as frustrated as everyone but he couldn't let it show. He needed to be the infallible leader.

The thing was, they knew where Harry. Without a doubt.

They'd known for a few weeks now…Severus had succeeded in extracting a memory from Pettigrew discreetly. It had been risky, but it was enough to reassure him that Harry wasn't dead. Seeing the boy in such a pathetic state was overwhelmingly painful but it gave him the strength to fight on.

But…he was in no position to do anything about it. Even armed with the Elder Wand he couldn't singlehandedly take on Voldemort and the rest of his Death Eaters. He needed an army to match the dark lord…the Order is anything but that.

Fudge was getting to be more and more of a headache as well. He didn't seem to want to work together with the Order, preferring to use the Ministry's resources in a self-proclaimed battle against the Death Eaters.

It was a desperate bid to make himself popular in the public eye as well as a complete waste of the Aurors' time. It was only through the information the Order provided Kingsley that the Ministry had carried out a few successful raids.

As Dumbledore reasoned with himself, he wasn't trying to win a contest on who is the better leader for Britain. If Fudge wanted the illusion that he was single-handedly attacking the Death Eaters then he was going to let him believe so. But at the moment he was proving to do more harm than good and it was quickly proving to be a detriment.

Add the fact that he'd already written the boy who lived off as deceased and is using him as a martyr to rally support, it seemed like Fudge was actively looking the other way if any news about Harry being alive reached him so it wouldn't be reasonable to expect support from him, and by extension, the ministry if it meant a bid to save the boy's life.

He stopped his pacing, coming to the startling realization that he'd been actively channeling his anger at the floor where there was once a carpet that was now a pile of ash.

He needed to do something.

Glancing at the copy of the Daily Prophet on the table with Fudge's face in the front page he made his decision almost instantaneously when he saw the smiling face of the minister.

He may not be able to do anything for Harry yet…but he could do something about the fool who was dragging everything down in these desperate times.

"How is everything?"

"Not that great." Fleur sighed heavily, sitting cross legged in front of the fire as she stared at her mother's face. "We're getting nowhere. Every time I feel like we've struck a blow against them they just come back with more."

"Then come back. Please…" She winced when she heard the note of desperation. "Come back home…you'll be safe."

"You mean I won't be outside." She muttered. "You mean I won't be fighting."

"Fleur…I know-"

"You don't." She said shortly. "I saw him that night, we all did. If it wasn't for 'Arry I wouldn't even be talking to you right now. That man will eventually come for us all…if I can do anything to keep you and Gabrielle safe, if I can help stop him then I don't care what happens to me."

"But you don't have to!" Her mother cried. "We can hide! You, me and Gabrielle, we can all go to one of the settlements!"

"Do you really think we'd be safe from these people if we hide? Mother, I've seen for myself what kind of monsters they are. I won't feel safe for us knowing that we'll be in danger sooner or later." She shook her head. "Besides…I cannot return without having done all that I could to find 'Arry."

"What if you die." Her mother shot back angrily. "He kept you alive didn't he? Do you really wish to repay him by making what he did worthless?"

"He didn't have to do it."

"Exactly! You don't owe him anything! You have no reason to fight!"

She smiled sadly. "That's what you still fail to see mother…I know I don't owe him anything, but even if he didn't get taken I'd still be here. I'd still want to be here. I cannot in good conscience go on about my life knowing that we will all be facing the terror soon enough."

Her mother was silent for a long time after that, her eyes fixed upon hers. She desperately wanted to be with her…with her and Gabrielle but she needed to make sure that they were safe first.

That and…she could not go on knowing that she was only here because of another's sacrifice.

"I don't fail to see it you know…" Her mother said quietly. "I do. I know why you're doing what you're doing. I just don't want to lose you as well." She bowed her head, trying to ignore the tightening of her chest.

"Your father would've been so proud of you." She smiled at the fond look her mother gave her. "You are his daughter through and through."

"You won't lose me."

"You sound so sure of yourself." Her mother said sadly. "I want you back Fleur."

"I will come back. I promise. Tell Gabrielle I love her."

Her mother simply stared at her before nodding and without another word she was gone, the flames dying out.

It was only then that she allowed her tears to fall.

"You okay?" Bill asked softly as she took her seat beside him.

"Yes?" She asked questioningly.

"Nothing." He said hurriedly. "I was just checking in."

"Thank you." She said stiffly. He looked like he was going to say something but decided against it, concentrating on the food. Sighing audibly, she accepted her plate from Molly, paying no attention to the look the woman was giving him.

She really did hate this. Dinner time with everyone. She wasn't exactly too good with any of them. The Weasley matriarch had made it abundantly clear that she didn't like her for whatever reason…which was fair she mused, considering the fact that the feeling is mutual. Plus…she is a woman after all and women generally did not like her.

Not that the opposite sex is any better. They tended to like her a bit too much. Bill for example, was one of them.

What's worse was he probably was the reason why Molly Weasley didn't like her in the first place. It was a difficult problem to solve as well…she wasn't interested in him in any way but…the fact that she wasn't interested seemed to still serve in infuriating her as well.

There was just no middle ground. At least Bill wasn't being as difficult to manage and was tolerable for the most part, she just had to keep him at arm's length just like she'd done with everyone else for the past few years.

She stayed quiet throughout the meal, answering only when spoken to which didn't say much since out of the few people who spoke to her and could in turn stand to have a conversation with, the only one present at the moment was Hermione.

She was rather amicable with the girl and it helped that she knew some French. But she couldn't help feeling sorry for her or keeping the guilt at bay whenever she saw the state the girl was in. Out of everyone apart from Sirius and Remus, Harry's capture had affected her the most.

Hermione would only come out during meal times and more often than not she had been the one to go and remind the girl to eat. From what she could gather. The girl was working on something to help in finding Harry…but to be honest, it looked like it was more of her way of dealing with it than anything. She knew the girl was brilliant, but she didn't know how she could help where they had all failed.

Apart from Hermione, she didn't know what to make of the rest of them.

The youngest Weasley, Ginevra was no different from her mother and seemed to bear a grudge against her. Ronald…she just saw him around the house sometimes and he mostly kept to his room, the twins: Fred and George seemed to follow suit although they were the noisiest. It was not uncommon to hear muffled explosions from their room.

And lastly there was Charlie. She'd seen him during the final of the tournament and she knew he was a dragon handler. But apart from that she knew nothing more.

He was also the only Order member apart from herself present at the table. She hadn't seen Sirius, Remus or Tonks the whole day.

She finished her food fairly quickly even if she wasn't participating in most of the conversations that were taking place and vacated the room as soon as she could, breathing a sigh of relief when she was outside.

Perhaps her mother was right. Despite her being an official member of the Order she was mostly just stuck going over plans and/or trying to make them better. Her education as a healer or her accomplishments as a dueler were not being put to any use at all and she was having to endure being with these people day in and day out.

Maybe she should just go back. She wanted to.

But only after Harry was back safe and sound. She knew her mother believed him to be dead as did most of the other people she was living her with. But Dumbledore firmly believed he was still alive and that was enough for her.

She couldn't go back with a clear conscience knowing the one who saved her was still out there under that monster's clutches.

Sometimes though…she found herself wishing that he really had met an end. More for his sake than hers. She didn't want to think about what he could be going through in captivity.

Fleur felt like she'd only just managed to fall asleep when she was shaken awake by the last person she expected, her anger replaced by curiosity when she was able to register who it was.

"Mr. Dumbledore?" She asked quietly, sitting up straighter, suddenly glad that she'd fallen asleep without undressing. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Miss Delacour, I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you at this time but I need your help." It was then she caught on to the urgent tone in his voice, something which worked wonders in letting her drowsiness disappear.

"What is it?" She asked, hastily getting to her feet, picking her wand up off the bedside table.

"It will be easier to show you." He said grimly. "We need to get to Hogwarts. Are you up for the trip?"

"'Ogwarts? Now?" She asked, puzzled as she walked towards the elderly wizard who was standing respectfully by the doorway, holding it open for her.

"Yes." With that he set off down the staircase leaving her to follow in his wake. It couldn't be that urgent since it didn't seem like the others were awake which was a relief. She did not want to wake up to an attack.

Downstairs she saw an ashen faced Remus talking with Moody in hushed tones. Neither of who acknowledged her as she walked past. Growing increasingly uneasy she fell to a step behind Dumbledore, deciding to hold her questions for now.

Dumbledore lead her outside, expertly stepping over the troll leg on the way out as she followed suit and soon they were outside, the brisk night air making her shiver.

"Fawkes will take us." He muttered, a flash of fire following his words as the beautiful phoenix materialized right in front of him leaving her staring, slightly awestruck. "Miss Delacour?" He asked expectantly, his hand now holding on to the phoenix's tail feathers.

"S-sorry." She stammered, stepping closer with the phoenix watching her in amusement. "Do I just hold on?"

"Go ahead." He said with a brief smile. She nodded before closing her hand around the soft feathers, being as gentle as she could. The immediate warmth that followed putting her at ease almost immediately before there was a sudden jerk and a sensation similar to apparition engulfed her for a brief moment.

"Sorry about that." He said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder to hold her steady as she lost balance. "I find it easier to show and tell rather than do it the other way around."

Biting back her sarcasm she forced herself to smile. He was already walking away, the phoenix on his shoulder leaving her once again trailing in his wake, taking note that of the fact that they were now inside a familiar looking corridor overlooking a giant lake outside.

"We need you to assist our nurse." He said quietly as they walked up the stairs. "I fear his life would be in more danger than it already is if we don't keep this information to ourselves."

"Who?" She asked in hushed tones, even as they came to a stop right outside the door she recognized lead into the hospital wing.

He didn't answer, choosing instead to open the door and allow her through. On the first bed she saw Madam Promphey who was barking out orders to a frantic looking woman she'd never seen before and on the bed was...

"'Arry!"

AN: This was a pretty boring chapter to write, probably why it took longer than I expected. Either way, things should pick up by the next one.

By the way for those asking, this won't be a Dresden files crossover. While the whole 'fallen' thing was admittedly inspired from it, it's not exactly a novel idea. It's just something I'm putting together with a combination of things I've seen from the likes of Constantine, Sleepy Hollow etc.

Another question I was asked was whether I'll be bashing characters...this should be my answer. And no, rest assured I'm not writing a harem story. The major characters are all labelled on the summary and they will pretty much take up 98% of the story.

For those who're asking about my Witcher story, that will be the next update from me. I never really wanted to put that on hiatus, I just got more busy over the holidays than I anticipated.

A late 'happy new year' to you all! Got any new year resolutions? I already failed mine.