a/n: It's is getting a bit darker, poka! Thanks for continuing to read and review.

Prompt: Obsession

Chapter 19: Obsession

Remus didn't understand why Harry liked the forbidden forest so much. There were plenty of other places to establish their permanent headquarters. Hogsmeade for one. They could be close to Hogwarts to protect it and give the small village added security. Most order members were living at the Hog's Head, so maybe there already was a sort of headquarters there. Still, wandering into the forest at night was always a risk. Not many of the inhabitants were happy they were there, even if it meant a small measure safety for them. The wandcarriers were all interlopers regardless of the reason.

Harry had marked out a path that was left alone by the creatures and beings for some unexplained reason. Remus thought it best not to entirely understand. He thought that about a lot of things involving Harry Potter these days. After crossing the protective enchantments the full operations appeared. It had been more than two months since Hermione remained at Malfoy Manor. Ten days since she was killed. The transformation for the Order of the Phoenix from a pitiful resistance to a full blown operation was striking. Not even Albus Dumbledore had been able to marshal so many people and resources to the cause. And Remus had to hand it to Harry, the Order was a formidable opponent. No one dared attack the school thanks to their protections. Parts of Diagon Alley were restored, mostly for supplies and communications. Gringotts was a neutral location. The ministry was fractured. Voldemort still had control of the highest levels, but there were revolts and resistance at the lower levels. That was a different kind of battle. A political and psychological one. Not one Harry seemed to care too much about. He let Arthur and Kingsley run the planning on that front.

Harry didn't care about the ministry. It was a symbol not an actual advantage. Those were his words. Harry saw the value of the symbol and more to the point the resources owned by the bureaucracy, it wasn't his obsession. No. His obsession was finding the last of the horcrux. That was a small favor, ironically. Remus didn't think Harry would be so cautious about confronting Voldemort if the horcruxes weren't stopping them from a complete victory. Still, given the opportunity, Remus thought Harry would fight the dark wizard hand to hand.

Nodding at several Order members as he approached the heart of the camp, he took a moment to collect himself. It had been ten days since he lost Tonks too. He understood a desire to seek revenge. To make the other hurt worse than they hurt you. It was misguided. The only person Voldemort loved was himself. It wasn't possible to make him feel the pain he and Harry felt the night of the siege.

Inside the tent, Harry was bent over a map, placing marks on areas that had been searched. Remus was forced to admit that in a way, destroying a horcrux might actually be the closest they could come to killing something Voldemort loved. It just wasn't worth it to Remus to be so consumed by it. Teddy may have been the balm to that particular wound. The baby lost his mother. Before he was even really old enough to know her. Remus wanted him to know his dad. Harry had no such tie to reason.

"Harry," Remus spoke softly.

When Harry turned, his eyes flashed from black to green. Remus swallowed. He couldn't be sure if the flame flickering from the torches around the tent had played tricks on him or if he had actually seen such a physical shift. "He was in Orkney right after the siege," Harry said, motioning for Lupin to join him studying the islands to the north.

"How do you know that?" Remus asked, as he stepped up to the table.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to," Harry replied. "I don't think he'd hide it close to the muggle towns."

Remus understood what the it was that Harry was referring to. The cup. "He could have hidden one of the uninhabited islands. Hell, he could have even made his own island and it's not even on the map." Harry didn't react. It was clear he had already considered both options. "Talk about a needle in a haystack."

"I'll know when I'm close. I just need to get close," Harry said absently. He was so comfortable with his connection to the dark lord, he wasn't bothering to hide it. At least not from him. There was talk amongst the others. Everyone had theories. Some were closer to the truth than others.

"Harry," Remus started, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're still grieving. It's impossible to think straight in this state."

Harry brushed off the touch. "What should I be doing? Laying around thinking about all the things I did wrong? How is that going to solve anything?"

"It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was. It all was!" Harry shouted. The ground vibrated with enough force to cause items around the room to rock. "We were out there on our own because of me. She was there for me. She knew what I was and still stood by me. She should have left with her parents."

Unnerved by the unintentional display of power, Remus chose his next words carefully. "She was right where she wanted to be. Next to you, supporting you, fighting with you. She wouldn't want you to lose yourself."

Harry turned away, stared down at the map. "Lose myself. I lost her. You're under the impression I care what happens to me without her."

Remus stepped forward, not willing to give up on him. "Harry—"

"—if you're not here to help me work out a strategy to find this horcrux, you should go home to Teddy. He needs you more than I do anyway," Harry's words were meant to hurt.

They landed where they were intended. Remus swallowed back the hurt. He couldn't save James or Lily and it looked like he was about to fail their son. "You need us more than you think. All of us. Try not to forget that while you obsess over things that aren't in your control." Not wanting to make matters worse, Remus backed out of the tent. Several heads turned toward him in hope. The look on his face was the confirmation needed that their leader still wasn't entirely right. Most went back to their tasks, determined to be ready for whatever came next.