A/N- Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive! In all seriousness, I do apologize for the lengthy delay in posting any new chapters. I've been insanely busy these last few months. I also know I broke my promise to post the next chapter of Noctis Umbra before I posted another chapter here, but I hit a bit of writers block after that last chapter. Meaning I've restarted it twice now, and will likely do so again before it's all said and done. Don't lose hope though, NU fans, I am still working. Even if it is a slow process. I don't like giving myself deadlines, but lets tentatively say I'll have it done before Christmas.

I also think it would be safe to assume most chapters of this story, or at least any of the ones with fights in them, are going to bloody. Like really bloody. Consider yourselves warned.

Anyways, on with the new chapter!

This Horrible, Beautiful World

Chapter 3: Meetings

Severus Snape's long cloak billowed behind him as he walked the empty corridors. The castle was always so unnervingly quite in the summer, largely due to it being nearly empty for the two months between terms.

A genuine, and entirely uncharacteristic smile graced the potions master's lips as he basked in the silence. It was only these rare, blessed moments of peace in the quite halls that gave him anything even remotely resembling solace. Normally he only gleaned moments of peace in the dark of night when the students were in bed, but in the summer he was able to truly enjoy it. At least, he would've been able to, had Voldemort not risen again. Now he had precious few moments to spare, between his two masters ordering him here and there.

The smile vanished from his face. It was the cruelest fate he could think of, being forced to bend his knee to two of the most powerful wizards to ever live, all while walking the tightrope of loyalty and knowing full well he could be killed at any moment if he slipped. No better fate for a traitorous wretch, and it was the fate Severus Snape felt he wholeheartedly deserved.

Coming to the gargoyle, he spoke the password and quickly climbed the stairs. He didn't even have to knock, as the old wizards voice called out to him as he reached the top of the spiral.

"Come in, Severus." Albus called.

Severus took in the sight of the headmaster of the most prestigious school of magic in the world as he entered the room and couldn't help but pity the old man. Albus was seated behind his desk, his shoulders bowed under an unimaginable but invisible weight. His fingers were threaded together as he leaned forward on the wood, eyes cast down. He looked up at his most trusted servant when he entered, and Snape was surprised to see the usual twinkle in his blue eyes wasn't there. He looked every bit his age, and unnervingly fragile to him. He did smile at the potions master, but it was a tired one.

"Have you learned anything?" He asked him, unable to mask the slight desperation in his tone.

Severus considered lying to him but decided the truth would be best. He cast his eyes down.

"Nothing." He said somberly. "There hasn't been so much as a whisper about Potter's whereabouts among the Dark Lord's followers."

"So he is still unaware that Harry has vanished?"

"I believe so, yes."

Dumbledore seemed to deflate a bit as he sighed, some of the tension leaving him.

"Thank Merlin." He mumbled softly, looking away for a moment. Then his blue eyes snapped back up to the Potions Master. "It seems luck is on our side in that regard. I assume you performed your own search for him?"

Severus nodded tightly.

"I found nothing. I even checked our former headquarters again, just to be sure." Snape hesitated for a moment. "Do you have any theory as to what may have happened?"

Dumbledore regarded the man before him before answering.

"You are aware of my hypothesis regarding Tom Riddle's unnatural longevity, and the nature of the connection between himself and Mr. Potter." He began. Severus nodded again. "The only plausibly scenario that I can give weight to is that the fragment within young Harry somehow awakened. It's possible that Voldemort's attempt to possess Harry at the Ministry caused it, but however it happened I believe that the fragment attempted the same, and when Mr. Potter resisted there was some manner of backlash, which caused the resulting feedback that destroyed the Dursley's home and cut short their lives."

Snape stood rooted to the spot as he processed what the headmaster had just told him.

"Then, is it possible…" He began, but Dumbledore silence him with a wave or his knurled hands.

"It's extremely unlikely. Feedback of such a violent nature is more likely from a failed possession than a successful one. When the fragment failed to take over his core, it likely caused it to rapidly deteriorate. The results of which we saw."

"So in all likelihood, Potter is dead." Snape said, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper as what little color existed in his face drained. He felt dizzy.

"Not necessarily." Dumbledore said. Snape raised his eyebrows at the headmaster. "The goblins use powerful blood magic to, among many other things, ensure that succession of Ancient and Most Noble houses is carried out properly. As of now, neither the vassal houses of the Potter line, nor the next in line for the Black family title have been notified of their inheritance."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Sirius named Harry his heir, not two months before his passing." Dumbledore told him. "If Harry were truly dead, then the goblins would have notified young Draco of his accension to head of the Black family, as well as Arthur Weasley, as his family is a vassal house of the Potters, if but in name only."

"He's alive then?"

"As I said, not necessarily. The goblins are loath to share information with outsiders. Despite my more agreeable relationship with them, they've yet to confirm if there have been any changes, and I can't ask too directly lest I reveal our secret."

"It will come out eventually."

"By no later than the first of September, when he isn't on the train, but the longer we keep Harry's disappearance a secret, the better. Up until this point, Mr. Potter's very existence has kept Tom in check thanks to the prophesy, but I fear our time may be waning. The failed assassination attempt on our soon to be Minister is proof enough of that."

Snape grimaced. He'd not been made privy to the attack on Amelia Bones before it had been too late. By some miracle she escaped just as the attack began, managing to fight her way out before the Dark Lord arrived. It was almost as if she'd known the attack was coming, or at least had been warned somehow just before it began.

"Is it true the Wizengamot will officially make her the new Minister this week?"

"Within the next forty eight hours. Voldemort's sympathizers in the Wizengamot managed to delay it after Cornelius resigned, but they won't be able stall them any further. Augusta Longbottom demanded a referendum just this morning."

"Shall I report this to the Dark Lord?" Snape asked.

Dumbledore thought for a moment.

"Yes. We haven't leaked anything to him of substance in some time, so I'm sure he'll be expecting something from you soon. It will also serve the purpose of keeping him distracted from our current predicament."

"Is Potter really so vital?" Snape asked. He'd heard most of Dumbledore's reasoning on the matter, but he still felt some disbelief.

"If I'm correct, he could very well be the key to everything." He said gravely.

"What of the artifacts?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes flicked over to one of the tables to his left, before returning to Snape. Snape looked over as well, taking in the withered remains of a leather diary atop it, complete with a large hole in the center of the book as if it had been stabbed.

"I went to the first location, but I found nothing but traces of residual magic. I'm certain one was there at some point, but it's possible he may have moved it. It may be some time before I can discern the possible location of another."

"I am not aware of the Dark Lord leaving the Manor since the incident at the Ministry."

He may have moved it before." Dumbledore told him. The old man stood, walking over to the window and gazing out over the grounds of the castle. "What else can you report, Severus?"

Snape resisted the urge to snarl at the old man. Dumbledore always referred to him as a friend, but at the end of the day he was just another master for him to obey. He could always tell when the old goat was nearing the end of his patience for him. He began to speak to him like a servant, and not a faithful ally.

"The Dark Lord has not summoned me for several days, so nothing has changed since my last report. Though there are… rumors. He seems to be distracted." Snape said. Dumbledore turned back to face him. "As you are aware, there have been several notable failures of late, and his servants continue to either disappear or turn up dead."

"Are you referring to the Brockdale massacre?" Dumbledore asked. Snape nodded.

"That and others. The deaths of five Death Eaters that day alone…" Severus began, but Dumbledore interrupted him.

"Six."

Snape faltered, eyes widening as he looked at the headmaster.

"In addition to the five Death Eaters that were massacred on that rooftop in Brockdale, the other body has been identified as a Death Eater."

"Who?"

"Antonin Dolohov."

The potions master's eyes widened once more, his jaw hanging open in disbelief as he was stunned into a rare moment of silence.

"How is that possible? He was captured in the Ministry attack!"

Dumbledore sighed again, turning back to the window.

"As you're aware, Azkaban's longtime guards have abandoned their posts in favor of the Dark Lord, and ever since security at the prison has been challenging at best. The Aurors weren't even aware he was missing, but a test of the residual magic on the corpse has confirmed it. The mangled body they found was Dolohov. The strange part is that Dolohov was still in his prison clothes, and a wand wasn't located near the body."

"The cause of death was falling, was it not?"

"Yes. From a great height. It's like someone flew him up on a broom and dropped him."

"You're saying someone broke him out of the prison, just to kill him?" Snape asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Indeed, and I believe that very same person killed the Death Eaters that had been sent to destroy the Brockdale Bridge shortly thereafter." Dumbledore told him. There was a long pause before either wizard spoke again, filled only with the soft pattering of rain against the glass.

"There has been a rumor circulating among the Death Eaters." Snape began. "Whispers of a some kind of… man… with white hair and red eyes. They speak of him as if he were some kind of wraith."

"I've heard the same from within the ranks of the aurors courtesy of Kingsley. They're just whispers, but it seems Voldemort may have found himself another enemy." Dumbledore said gravely.

"Shall I investigate this as well?"

Dumbledore took a few moments to answer.

"I would like to know more…" He began, his fingers raking through his beard as they often did when he was pensive. Eventually, the ancient wizard shook his head. "No. I think it best if you continue to monitor Tom and his followers. If you hear anything about this lone wizard, report to me immediately, otherwise continue as we have. We shall let the enemy of our enemy be our friend. At least, for the time being."

Snape nodded curtly then turned to leave, but stopped and faced Albus Dumbledore again. He seemed to be struggling to find his words as Albus returned to his seat behind the desk.

"Headmaster…"

"Did you know that just a week ago, as July came to a close three more Death Eaters were found slaughtered in Oxford?"

Snape's eyes snapped up to the headmaster. "Oxford?"

"Less than three blocks from Hermione Granger's home."

"Do you think…" Severus said, thinking out loud.

"I do not know Severus." Dumbledore said softly, shaking his head wearily. "I do not know."

The sound of the busy streets below was almost a comfort to him. His green eyes were cast upwards, attempting in vain to get a glimpse of the stars despite the bright city lights. All he could see was a scattering of dark clouds high above, and what few strips of the night sky were visible to him looked blank, like inky black stripes against a gray backdrop. Scattered drops of rain fell here and there as the clouds passed over, but he paid them little attention. His dark hair floated lazily in the ever-present breeze.

He was currently leaned back into an alcove just below the roofline, reclining just out of sight in the shadows created by the building's architecture. He was well hidden, able to watch over the street below but unable to be observed, and had been there for some time now, patiently waiting.

A flash of brown eyes passed through his mind, and not for the first time in the past weeks. The last words she'd spoken to him passed through his mind, echoing over and over until his heart clenched painfully and the hollow emptiness in his chest made itself known.

She would probably never forgive him for leaving her behind, especially without any kind of explanation. He supposed she would get one eventually, as his plan made a reunion unavoidable, but he wasn't in any hurry to give her one. Even if keeping the truth from her was making him miserable.

If she knew the truth, it would only endanger her even more. She was already in more peril than she could possibly understand.

He had to make sure she was safe. Nothing else mattered to him.

A sudden spike of magic from below him roused him from his thoughts. Looking out over the ledge to the street below, he was mildy surprised to see a familiar witch tearing down the alley at full speed.

She'd burst out of a doorway across the street and was now being pursued by nearly half a dozen wizards, all wearing dark robes and masks.

"Time to go to work." He murmured aloud to himself.

With predatory grace he rose from his seated position, hands never leaving his pockets as he stepped off the rooftop and vanished without a sound.

Nymphadora Tonks was running for her life, her black boots slamming down hard against the cobbled street as she took great gasping breaths of air. Her heart hammered in her ears as she ran. She tripped on a loose stone and nearly fell, faltering just enough to break her stride. Doubling over, she pinwheeled her arms to regain her balance.

Luck seemed to be on her side though, as a jet of green light scorched by, passing above her just where her head had been a second before.

With a cry of anger and shock she threw a blasting hex to her right, sending a shower of stone, dust, and debris about in an attempt to make herself more difficult of a target, all without stopping.

It worked, disorienting her pursuers long enough for her to duck down an alley to her right.

Her only thought was of getting as far from that place as possible. If she could clear the anti-disapparition jinx, she would get out of this alive.

She had no clue how things had gone so badly so quickly. This was supposed to have been a simple observation mission. They'd been tipped off that the Carrow's were hiding in the area, having gone to ground after Crabbe senior had been found sans most of his skull next to a pub off Knockturn a few days prior. She'd been sent with her partner, another fairly young auror named Elis, to verify their presence so a team could be sent in to capture them.

They'd been watching the place for barely a day when Elis had seen them dragging some poor witch down the lower stairs, the poor girl screaming for help as they went. The fool had charged in without a second thought, and Tonks had been forced to follow him. They'd made it inside unscathed, but it was almost immediately clear that they'd walked into a trap the moment they cleared the entry hall.

If the Carrow's were there, they couldn't tell. A group of five fully dressed Death Eaters greeted them as they entered the large room. Without even glancing at each other both of them had tried to apparate out, but the jinx had stopped them. That delay was all it took for one of the Death Eaters to fire a curse, and being the closest, Elis took it to the chest before he even had a chance of defending himself. He was dead before he hit the ground, eyes still wide and his face frozen forever in an expression of shock and fear.

Tonks had done the only thing she could do. She took advantage of the brief distraction her partners death had created and blasted the ceiling above her attackers with everything she could muster, giving herself enough time to get back out the door and take off.

Now here she was, pounding down the alley with all her strength, body running fully on adrenaline and fear. Thank Merlin for Mad Eye's training, or she would've frozen back there and likely died just as quickly as Elis did.

She was broken from her reverie by the sound of footsteps behind her. She spun on her heals, a snarl ripping across her face as she fired off another blasting hex. It hit the wall of the alley just ahead of them. The blast sent two of the five slamming into the opposite wall, but she didn't watch to see if they stayed down, instead focusing her attention back ahead of herself.

The end of the alley was fast approaching, and she could see that it branched off to the left and right. Feigning right, she jumped back to the left just in time to dodge another curse, this one dark purple. She hit the ground and rolled, slamming into a cluster of trash bins that flew about before before springing back to her feet.

Tonks caught the first one to round the corner with a powerful stunner, sending him crashing into his comrades. This branch was tighter than the main alley was, so they were effectively knocked back into the wider portion. She took the reprieve to try and apparate again, but it still wouldn't work.

Cursing loudly, she turned to run again but froze instantly. The blood in her veins turned to ice.

Standing at the end of the thin alley, twirling his wand in his fingers, was none other than Corban Yaxley. Tonks immediately understood what it meant that he was there unmasked.

It meant that she wouldn't be leaving this alley alive.

Yaxley looked as well dressed and regal as ever as he advanced on her. His steps were smooth and confident, as if this were just a meeting with a ministry worker and he wasn't about to commit murder.

Tonks heard movement behind her, and she wasn't sure if it was the fear or the adrenaline clouding her judgment, but she turned her head to look behind herself before she realized how big of a mistake it had been.

Yaxley's disarming jinx was powerful enough to sweep her off her feet and send her flying. She passed the split in the alleys that she'd just come through, rolling in midair past the other Death Eaters before slamming to the ground harshly and rolling for a several meters down the other branch.

"That's enough from you girl." Yaxley drawled. He flicked his wand lazily, firing a body bind curse at her, but she'd rolled into a recessed doorway to her left just in time, the spell missing her by inches.

She sat there for a moment, gasping in pain as her should throbbed where it had impacted the ground and her ankle burned. She must've twisted it in the fall. Blood was trickling down her face and from her mouth, and there was a gash in her jeans at the right thigh that was oozing blood. She must've hit some debris when she rolled.

With a hiss of pain she reached out and tried the handle on the heavy door she was currently plastered against, but it held fast. No escape there. And now she was wandless.

She cursed loudly, banging her head against the stone behind her in frustration. This wasn't how she'd wanted to go out, trapped like a rat in some dark alley.

"Time to come out now." Yaxley called, his voice coming closer. She could hear his footsteps echoing in the alley. "Honestly, it's just bad luck you fell for our little show. We were baiting a much bigger fish tonight." He told her. "But, when in Rome. You may not have been our target, but how could I turn down culling a filthy muggle loving blood traitor?"

He was almost on top of her now. Tonks knew she didn't stand much of a chance. Yaxley was a powerful wizard and she had no wand. Still, she wouldn't make it easy for them. She pulled herself up, simultaneously reaching around her side and into her the folds of her coat. The long knife made a soft scratching sound as she drew it from the sheath belted to her hip. She gripped it tightly, forcing down her nerves and reading herself to strike.

Yaxley had just entered her peripheral vision, and she was about to throw herself at him when a scream from behind them made them both freeze.

The Death Eater captain turned back towards his comrades, trying to figure out what was happening, when Tonks struck. She didn't know what was happening but she'd been trained not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She lashed out quickly with a snarl, slashing at his left hand. Yaxley yelped in pain, dropping her wand to the ground. Knowing she didn't have time to grab it yet, Tonks planted her good foot and used it to leverage as much momentum as she could, stabbing at the Death Eater before her.

Her gambit worked. Yaxley had to stumble backwards to avoid her attack, tripping and falling over. It gave the injured Auror enough time to drop down and scramble for her wand. She rolled onto her back just as Yaxley regained his footing, managing to fire a strong knockback jinx at him before he had the chance to recover.

It worked, sending him flying back, though not as far as she had. He landed hard and a bit comically, slamming down on his backside with a howl of pain. He scrambled to his feet, squaring off with the now standing Auror before him with rage in his eyes.

They raised their wands at the same time, the tip of his glowing green, hers red. They were about to fire when something slammed into the space of the alley wall to her right with enough force to crack the bricks and shower them in bits of stone and mortar. The impact resounded with a sickening wet crunch, and the witch and wizard watched with wide eyes as a gout of red liquid sprayed from the shaped that had impacted the wall, covering the both of them.

With growing horror, Nymphadora realized that the shape that had slammed into the wall with such force had been the body of one of the Death Eaters that had been pursuing her, and the hot liquid she was now drenched in was their blood.

Time seemed to slow down as she watched the ruined remains slide down the wall slowly before falling into a ragged heap with a nauseating squelch. The was nothing left of the head, and the limbs stuck out at odd angles.

She felt lightheaded.

"NO! PLEASE NO!"

Yaxley and Tonks looked back towards where the body had come from, both still wide eyed, and Tonks's jaw fell open.

The alley behind them had been dim before, but now it was nearly pitch black. Even as they looked on, the light seemed to be fading in the alley, replaced with an inescapable blackness. Despite the growing shadows, Tonks could still just make out the shape of a man back down the alleyway. He was facing away from them, but his hair was unmistakable, shining in the darkness. It was white as snow.

He was holding one of the Death Eaters up by his neck, which should've been impossible given his slight frame. The Death Eater was babbling incoherently, begging and pleading with him. The man said nothing, and the next thing she heard was the poor bastards sobbing pleas dropping into a gurgling mess of sounds as he tried to speak over the hand so obviously crushing his throat. Then there was a noise that almost sounded like knuckles cracking, then a soft pop followed by a gush of liquid hitting the stones at their feet.

Tonks watched in horrified silence as blood pooled around their feet. Whoever this white haired stranger was, he'd crushed the man's throat and torn open his arteries with his bare hands.

Once the body stopped twitching he let go, letting it fall into a heap onto the blood soaked stones.

Yaxley himself had just realized that none of his other Death Eaters were standing. In terrified silence, Corban Yaxley took in the sight before him.

There were pieces of his men all about. An arm here. A leg there. One of them had been ripped clean in half, the only thing still connecting his torso to his legs the innards spilling out onto the street. There was blood everywhere, splashed onto the walls and dripping from the remains of his followers.

"Fucking hell… It's…" Yaxley began, his voice shaking. "It's you… You're real!"

The figure turned towards him. In the darkness of the alley, Yaxley could it's eyes were glowing blood red, shinning in the dark like jewels from hell.

Corban Yaxley, merciless Death Eater captain and skilled duelist, turned to run for his life.

To his horror, the figure was suddenly in front of him, just a handful of meters away.

He stood in the shadows so his face was still obscured, though his eyes still glowed malevolently.

Tonks, to her credit, hadn't thrown up at the gore she'd seen. Instead, she'd actually made to pursue Yaxley when he'd turned to run but stopped just as suddenly as he had when the figure appeared in his way.

Her eyes widened. There hadn't been so much as a sound. He'd simply been one place, then the other almost instantaneously. A quick prod with her magic told her the anti-disapparition jinx was still in effect.

She opened her mouth to speak, but faltered when she noticed the man was looking at her. She raised her wand, ready to try and defend herself but was suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion the likes of which she'd never felt before.

There was no way to explain it. She was suddenly slumping down, unable to fight the urge to sleep. Her wand clattered to the ground as she hit her knees, head drooping. She fought it as hard as she could, but she toppled over onto her side all the same.

"W-what do y-you want?" Yaxley managed to stammer out.

Her vision was fading, but she could still make out the silhouettes of the two men before her. Yaxley's voice sounded far away again, even though she knew he was close.

There was silence for a long moment, and then the man spoke. His voice chilled her to the bone.

"You're going to give me answers."

She heard Yaxley release an agonized scream, and then nothing. The silence was overwhelming as everything went black.

Yaxley had screamed in such horrifying agony because the figure had closed in on him in less than a second. The Death Eater had finally found the will to try and fight within himself, and had been about to cast a killing curse when the white haired monster had vanished again and reappeared right in front of him.

He'd grabbed Yaxley's wand hand so quickly Yaxley hadn't even noticed the movement until the bones in his wrist were snapping like twigs under the man's grip. But he didn't stop there. He kept increasing the pressure until his wrist was crushed so badly blood gushed out as the bones pierced the skin. Yaxley screamed again, crumpling to the ground. His wand clattered to the ground, his hand unable to grip it in its ruined state. Despite the agony he felt he reached for it with his good hand, clawing at it like a starving man reaching for hot food, but the figure before him simply raised his foot and brought it down hard. His wand snapped below its heel like a common twig. The sound echoed in the alley like a cannon.

A low keening sound, somewhere between a groan and a scream left the Death Eater as he finally looked up at his attacker. In that moment, all Corban Yaxley could do was hope it would be over quickly.

Dragging him closer by the ruin of his right arm, the figure leaned down. In that moment, Yaxley knew he must have gone insane, because he was now face to face with Harry Potter.

"Where. Is. GREYBACK?"

A/N- Well there we are. One more down. Hopefully I did well with Tonks in this chapter. I tried to show she was a talented Auror, if a bit clumsy and hasty. I absolutely think she could've taken Yaxley in a fair fight but alas, Death Eaters don't fight fair. Also, I apologize for the lack of Harmony content. We'll make up for it next time. We'll also be getting into the meat of the story soon, so answers to the obvious questions are coming!

As always, reviews are appreciated!

Next time: The reunion at the castle.