Raul groaned as he replayed his conversation with Cash, this week just was NOT going well; not by any stretch of the imagination. And exactly why ‘had’ Daedelus come after him, he hadn’t done anything to harm Angel, on the contrary, he had been going out of his way to protect her, both from Daithi and from the Slytherin.

He leaned against the wall for a few moments, trying to think through the problem, but he was severely handicapped due to his lack of information. Suddenly it dawned on him, if one needed information, who better to go to than the clan who dealt in information. “Mohrg” Raul whispered; he would know - not only did the Nosferatu have eyes and ears everywhere, but it had been his own clan brother who had attacked him.

Within moments, Raul found himself outside of Mohrg’s haven, he paused, listening carefully to make sure Mohrg was alone, or more precisely that Cash and Daedelus were not with him. Knocking softly, Raul entered the room, bowing politely to the Nosferatu, “Greetings Mohrg of Nosferatu, I trust I am not disturbing you.”

“Welcome, Raul of Gangrel, please, be seated.” Mohrg replied his voice as even and calm as always. “To what do I owe this visit? Has there been another breach of security?”

“Not precisely, although we do have a visitor, your clan brother, Daedelus.” As Raul expected, Mohrg did not seem surprised by the news. “He made it a point to introduce himself to me…” once again, Mohrg’s façade never changed. “Would it be pointless to ask you why?”

“My brother has always been polite, it would stand to reason he would make his presence known to all the primogen.” Mohrg replied, “I am certain Desiree will also make his acquaintance.”

“Then let us hope he is gentler with her than he was with me.” Raul snipped.

“He has no reason not to be gentle to her,” the Nosferatu replied calmly, ignoring the tone in Raul’s voice. “she and her Caitiff are attached to Clan MacLeod, as are the rest of the Gangrels. If my brother was less than gentle with you, I can only assume it was due to your allegiance to Prince Daithi.”

Raul glared at Mohrg, “I do NOT share Prince Daithi’s views on Angel.” He snarled, “I have gone far above and beyond my duties to keep her safe, far more so than you and the others have. Apparently I am the only one who remembers her brush with death the night we arrived here. The Slytherin did that, he and his wretched clan. Yet you all seem overlook that, coddling him as if he were one of our own.”

“That is enough, Raul” Mohrg said softly, “I admit, I was opposed to Professor Snape at first, but after speaking with him at length, my opinions towards him have soften considerably.” He felt his body stiffen as Raul narrowed his eyes and glared at him. “Mind yourself, childer, I do not take kindly to threats whether spoken or implied.”

“So, you think the Slytherin is a suitable husband for her? I thought Rick was the only one with that delusion. Even Cash has stated he still backs Sirius for the role of husband and father.”

“The role of father may have already been decided, and in any event, it is not my concern one way or the other. I am neither a grandmother nor a matchmaker, I am fond of her, but I do not think to make her decisions for her. She holds sway over vast power, both political and magical, she is capable of making her own decisions.” Mohrg rose from his seat to put away his book. “I believe the Jews have a word for people like you, Raul. Yenta. It’s Yiddish, you may want to research its meaning.”

“I am fully aware of its meaning, and I am not some nosy old woman.” He insisted, raising his voice as he did so. “I simply do not want to see her harmed, and that Slytherin ‘will’ harm her. Look at what happened the night his brat nearly killed her, he didn’t even come to her aid, he left her there. He was more concerned in protecting those vicious little beasts of his.”

“They are his responsibility to protect, are they not?” Mohrg asked, “Would you not protect your Gangrels from others? Punishments are to be dealt with within each clan just as the traditions dictates, not administered by angry mobs.”

“Would you have protected a Nosferatu who had tried to kill her?” Raul shot back.

“Yes. I would have stopped you and anyone else from harming my own. Then he would have been brought before the tribunal to be judged and questioned to determine the reasons for his actions. It is very rare that such an action would be attempted without encouragement and perhaps incentive.”

“You think the boy was not acting on his own? You think his actions were instigated by another?” Raul growled, wondering if perhaps Daithi had more control here than he thought.

“If the boys had been slaughtered, how would we ever know? Without their primo… - excuse me, head of house – alive and well to question them, to insist that answers be given, how would we ever know?” Mohrg felt a wave of satisfaction as the Gangrel primogen sat silently, sulking in the chair as the wheels of his mind whirled.

After several moments of silence, Raul grumbled “I still find it hard to believe she hasn’t hardened her heart towards him, and those letters of hers, one would think she actually loved the man.”

“And what makes you so certain that she does not?” Mohrg asked, truly curious as to what Raul was thinking.

“I’ve seen within her heart, ‘I’ know who she holds within it and it is NOT the Slytherin. Either she is being dishonest and ‘stringing’ him along, or she is trying to ease the pain he will feel when she leaves him behind for good. It would be better if he simply accepted she is not his and never will be.”

“So you stole her letters and replaced them with forgeries to break his heart?” Mohrg guessed. The longer the primogen spoke the more he came to realize that Cobryn was not the only spy that Daithi had sent, something his brother appeared to be keenly aware of. “I must confess to being curious as to how you managed that. Forging her handwriting…”

Raul sighed deeply he might as well confess now before even more people accused him of trying to harm Angel. “Prince Daithi sent me here with several objects, one of which read and then rewrote the letters. But my actions placed her in no harm,” he insisted, “I just wanted to prevent him from getting his hands on her.”

“By him, do you mean Professor Snape, or Prince Daithi?”……

Duncan shook his head and laughed as he heard the girls singing an old ‘drinking’ song with Murchadha as the ship neared them. “Oiy, Siobhan will skin me alive if she hears her little girl singing something like that.”

“I don’t blame her in the slightest.” Athena agreed, “I’d skin you both and then tan her hide.” She added, smirking as Duncan stared at her.

“Wow, and I though Siobhan was strict, Aunt Minnie must have ruled with an iron fist.” Duncan commented, waiting for Athena’s reaction before deciding whether to run or laugh.

“Really? I was just thinking yours should have been a bit more strict.” Athena winked.

“Now, now, Duncan, mind your tongue.” Mickey teased, shaking his finger playfully at him, “I’ll brook no talk against my dear wife. Unless of course you want to settle this on the field of honour?” he hinted, a hopeful tone in his voice.

“Duncan, sit down!” Athena scolded, “And Father, what have we told you about fighting? No swords, no pistols, no fists! You are NOT a young man anymore, last time you rough housed with the boys you ended up with a broken…”

“Nag, nag, nag…” Mickey sighed, “Duncan, when you finally get around to marrying and starting a family, have all boys, the women grow up to be just like their mothers.”

“Thank heavens for that” Athena smirked, “the world can barely handle one of you as it is. And Duncan, I mean it, no rough housing with him, no matter what he tries.”

“Fine, I promise” Duncan agreed, holding his arms up as if surrendering, only to laugh as he heard Mickey mumbling something about being whipped under his breath. “Athena, maybe we should let Mickey be for a few minutes. I’d like to talk to you before the children come back.” Slipping his arm around her waist, he quickly guided her off before Mickey could argue with them.

“Athena, I need you to do something for me. I’m really worried about Kitty and Sirius. Can you have some of your friends check in on her homes? I know she has ones in Greece, France, Spain..”

“I know where they all are, Duncan.” Athena cooed, “And of course I will. But do you really think someone is waiting for her in one of them?”

“Waiting or setting traps” he sighed, “Hopefully I’m just being paranoid, but considering what Orpha has planned, I’d rather be overly cautious now than keening later.”…………

“I still think you should have given him the option of backing out.” Minerva insisted, “He has his entire family to think about, and you and I both know that we cannot guarantee their safety, not even within the school.”

“This is true, however Kitty can and will. We both know her, Minerva, if things become that dangerous she will insist the children be sheltered at Fernglennis.”

“Yes, but in case you hadn’t heard, Albus, Fernglennis is not the safe haven it once was. Both Mr. Black and Bruid were attacked; practically on our own doorstep.”

“Yet both are alive and well” Albus reminded her.

The alive part I will give you, but as for the well….” Professor McGonagall sighed deeply, “According to the others, Sirius Black is far from well, he may yet die.”

“Nonsense.” Albus insisted, “You underestimate her. If she stopped him from crossing over she will see to it that he stays here with us.” He lowered his head so that he peered at her over his half moon glasses. “Our Kitty is capable of much, much more than any of us would ever expect, just as her mother was.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in their own thoughts and concerns. Only to be harshly brought back to reality by the sound of Fawkes and Wafa flying back through the window. “Ahh, perhaps this is the answer to our questions. Orpha and I have agreed that the only safe way to send letters is through Fawkes and Wafa, or through Cash.”

His eyes darted from one end of the letter to the other, growing larger as he continued reading. He could feel the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he folded Orpha’s letter and placed it inside of his robes. “Minerva, Orpha has asked me to give you a message. When Kitty comes back, she wants you to see to it that she does nothing strenuous and to make sure she gets plenty of rest.” He paused, swallowing loudly as he adjusted his glasses, “And it also seems I owe you money. Orpha is all but convinced Kitty is with child, although she does state it is too soon to be certain and asks that we do not share this information with anyone.”……

Aeranna silently walked through Cat’s suite, becoming nervous as she visited the first two bedrooms and found no one there. “Two down, two to go” she whispered as her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword. Once again, the third bedroom proved to be devoid of Kitty or her family. “Last chance” she sighed as she slowly opened the door to the largest of the bedrooms.

A wave of relief crashed over her as she saw three figures sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms. Moving silently to the bed, she smiled tenderly as she watched Kitty and Sirius sleep, Harry snuggled between them wrapped protectively in their arms.

“Well isn’t this a sight to melt a heart of stone.” She smirked, “I should take a photo and nail it to Deo’s forehead.”

“Or you could be quiet and let them sleep.” Leumadair hissed from the balcony. He rolled his eyes as Aeranna spun to face him, a look of anger and violence in her eyes, at least until she realized who had spoken.

“Leumadair?” she whispered, her lips quickly curling into a seductive smile, “You left so suddenly the last time, what was so important it couldn’t wait?”

“My father, now get out here before she wakes up, she needs her rest.”

Aeranna raised one perfectly arched eyebrow as she walked to Leumadair. “My, my but aren’t you suddenly protective of her. Usually you’re the one egging her into trouble. What’s suddenly changed?” she asked suspiciously.

“More than I could ever possibly explain.” He sighed, “And please keep your voice down, none of them know I’m still here, they think I left hours ago.”

“So why didn’t you?” she asked, hoping she was the reason for him lingering.

Leumadair took a step backwards, he had seen that look before, and he had barely escaped with his unmentionables intact. “Calm down, Aeranna. I have been sent here by my father to protect Kitty and this would-be husband of hers. Father will be joining us in a few days time and I am to be his…advanced guard. ...as it were.”

“Is that the ONLY reason you’re here?” she asked, her lips puckered into a pout as she gazed up at him.

“The only one I’m fool enough to admit to.” Leuma said as he edged further away from her. “Aeranna, behave yourself, I don’t have time to fight you off and watch over them.”

“So don’t fight me off” she suggested as she moved closer and closer to him….

“Cash? Is Raul alright? He looked a bit…well, odd, when he left earlier?” Fallon asked as she offered Cash a seat.

“He’ll be fine, he just needs to watch his step. One of the other clans is a bit ticked at him.” Cash explained, “Which brings me to the real reason for my rather late visit. I need to find out what you know about us, vampyres I mean, not clan MacLeod.”

Fallon shrugged her shoulders, “Not much, I know that we can trust you, that you are all very strong and contrary to what I have always been told, several of you seem to have no problem walking about during the day.” She added, giving Cash a rather piercing gaze.

“That comes with age, Dimitri is far too young to try anything like that.” He explained quickly. “But you’ve already answered one of my concerns. You do realize that not all vampyres can be trusted, that there are those of us that see you and yours as nothing but food.” He cringed as he saw the look of concern and fright in her eyes. Closing his own eyes, he concentrated on her and heard the thoughts echoing through her mind.

“No, symbols of Christianity do NOT work against us, same goes for Judaism, Buddhist, Zen, Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastianism, Juche, Shinto or any other religious or esoteric symbolism.” He explained, answering her question before she could answer it. “My clan and those that are here with me will protect and defend you as we do all who make their home within these walls. However, a new vampyre has recently wandered into the school; he is ancient, older than even myself, and extremely powerful. I’ve recently spoken with him and I’ve tried to convince him that you and the others are NOT food, but I’m not sure if he sees it my way.” He sighed.

“Isn’t there anything we can do to protect ourselves?”

“The best thing you can do is to stay with one of us. I’m going to talk to Hamish and Angus, they are the oldest of my childer and best able to bear the daylight. Between the three of us I think we can keep you safe until Kitty returns to speak to him directly.”

‘Kitty?” Fallon repeated.

Cash laughed, “Yeh, Kitty, Angel, Cat, Catri, my little girl has so many nicknames. But you know her as Rion or Bean Uasal.”

“Sirius’s wife” Fallon grinned.

“Yep, Sirius’s wife.” Cash nodded, his smile growing wider and wider. “I take it he left a good impression on your people. I’ll have to make sure to tell her father about that.” He paused as he heard a soft knock at the door followed by Dimitri's voice. “Come in, Dimitri, it’s only me.” Cash laughed, winking playfully at Fallon. <>P “Cash?” Dimitri grinned as he saw his friend, “I am relieved to see you safe, between Raul and this new Nosferatu I was becoming concerned.” <>P “Pft, as if,” Cash smirked, “come on, have a seat, you might as well be in on this too, it affects you as much as any of the Roma and students.”

“He would harm the children?” Fallon gasped.

Cash shook his head, “I doubt he would harm the younger ones, its just not his nature, however the older students are another matter entirely. I’ve gotten him to promise to stay away from the Gryffindors, basically because her son is in that house. As for the others..” Cash raised his hands showing his helplessness to promise anything.

“What can we do?” Dimitri asked, “There must be a way to keep them all safe.”

Cash nodded, “He’s a reasonable sort of fellow. If there is something else for him to feed on, a deatheater being idea, he won’t go after the students, I know him well enough to be sure of that. He’s not cruel, just practical.”

“But why is he here at all?” Fallon asked, reaching out for Dimitri’s hand as he walked to her side. She watched as Cash ran a hand through his now messy blonde hair and sighed, as if reluctant to explain the reasons to her. “Cash, I need to protect my people, just as you need to protect yours. I cannot rely on you and your children being there at every moment.”

“I know, I know” he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he tried to decide how much to tell the Roma leader. At this point the less specific the better seemed the safest choice. “He feels Kitty.. the Rion, is in mortal danger, and he has sworn to keep her safe no matter what the cost.”

“Is there anything we can do to keep them safe until she returns?” Dimitri asked softly, “Is there any sign or insignia that would ward him off, a mark that the Rion uses specifically?”

“No, we sense each other by blood and soul, not by any particular artefact. And Kitty isn’t expected back for at least another week or two, depending on how quickly Sirius heals.”

“Sirius heals? What happened?” Fallon gasped.

“It’s too much to go into right now, Fallon” Cash replied, shaking his head sadly, “Suffice it to say, Sirius is in need of mending. For now, I want you and your clan to cloister yourselves within these rooms from sundown to sunrise. Yes, he CAN walk during the day, but he prefers not to. Keep the windows as open as you dare, save in the room Dimitri sleeps in, of course. And Dimitri, I know you are no match for Daedelus, but I’m hoping you will be willing to act as guardian to the Roma. You’ve seen them halfway across Europe, they both trust and know you.” Cash smiled softly as the young Ventrue’s eyes lit up.

“You would trust me to watch over them? But what about Angus and Hamish?”

“They’ll be here to back you up, relieve you so you can stretch your legs, get some fresh air…..What do you say, are you up to it?” Cash chuckled as Dimitri all but crushed him in a large heart-felt hug, it obviously meant a great deal to Dimitri that Cash trusted him with this responsibility. And, to be honest, he was more than fond of the kinder, in fact, if his own boys took a liking to Dimitri he may well petition Prince Julian to foster the boy as one of his own……

“Well, now I know why Siri had to ‘re-explain’ the facts of life to my son.” Cat smirked as she stood in the doorway, watching the one sided gropefest on the balcony. “Leumadair, whatever would your father say.” She smirked as she grabbed his wrist, rescuing him from the toreador’s prying hands. She held in a laugh as he quickly darted behind her, using her as a living shield to keep the amorous vampyre at arm’s length.

“I thought you were sleeping” Aeranna groused, “you have your man, let me to mine.”

“Yours?!” Cat gasped, only to feel Leuma’s hand squeeze her shoulder tightly. “Apparently this is far from official, as Maharet still insists that Leuma and ‘I’ are to wed.”

“She what” Aeranna growled, her eyes narrowing in anger.

“Yep” Cat replied, trying very hard not to laugh as she heard Leuma whispering his thanks in her ear. “It seems she thinks he and I would produce strong and healthy children. He and I disagree, we aren’t at all comfortable with the thought of being husband and wife, but you know Maharet.”

“She’s going down” Aeranna spat. “I’m fed up with her toying with the lives of others.”

“YOU’RE tired of it? How do you think ‘I’ feel? I nearly lost my husband and son…..” Cat hung her head as she heard Leuma chuckling at her, “Shaddap, Leuma..”

“I knew it, you DO consider him your husband, don’t you?” He grinned; hugging her tightly as he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me, or your son.” he teased as he waltzed her around the balcony ……

“Hey, Billy boy, you up?”

“Yeh, yeh, I’m up…what’s going on? It’s not even dawn yet.” Bill Weasley grouched as he ran his hand over his face.

“Yeh, I know…sorry” Timothy Billowich sighed, “but I though you might want to see these. The head goblin was keeping them hidden until you broke the curse… but..well…you should know.”

Bill was wide awake now, and feeling suddenly nauseous as he stared at the Daily Prophets in his friend’s hand.

“Is he back? Did he hurt my family?” Bill whispered.

“No, but he probably will after this. Either that or he’ll send my family to do it.” He groaned as he flopped down on Bill’s bed, handing him the papers as he did so. “Go on, read them. I know you’ll call me a liar if I tell you what they say. Don’t bother paging through them, its on the first page.”

“This is a joke” Bill stated, his voice lacking its usual tenor. “Da would ‘never’ do this.”

Tim nodded his head, “I was kind of thinking the same thing, and if you read closer you’ll notice he’s not quoted at all. Its all Dumbledore this and Dumbledore that and who is this Sidhe they’re talking about?”

“Don’t know anything about a Sidhe,” Bill stated as his quickly read the articles, “Why is he involved in this too?”

“She…and they say she’s teaching at the school, along with a werewolf and a ghost. What sort of school does that guy run?”

“A very good one actually,” Bill replied, “three of the boys and Ginny still go there. They might even have her for some of their classes, does it say what she teaches?”

“Divination, I think, and if the picture does her justice, she’s not hard on the eyes.” Tim laughed, elbowing Bill.

“I can’t believe they finally got rid of that old bat Trelawny,” he grinned as he continued to read the ‘perspectives of the candidates”, “Oh bloody hell.. MALFOY?!! He’s challenging Malfoy? I’ve got to get home, Da has got to realize this makes all of them walking targets.”

“Whoa, hold on, Bill! You’ll catch three kinds of trouble if you bug out now. Besides, wouldn’t it make a ‘little’ more sense to find out what’s really going on first? You yourself said it had to be a joke, that your father would ‘never’ do this.” Seeing Bill wasn’t convinced, Tim shook his head “Alright, how about getting a hold of one of your brothers and asking them? They would have to know what’s really going on, wouldn’t they?”

“True,…can you find out anything from your family, you know, in case you-know-who did tell them to do anything.” He asked meekly. He hated to ask Tim to do this, his family already hated him for not falling in line and becoming a death eater, following the steps of his father, uncles, and brothers, but this was his family and he had to do everything in his power to make sure they all stayed safe.………

“How many times must I tell you to keep your hands off of her?” Sirius asked as he and Harry appeared at one of the many doors that led to the balcony. “As if holding her hands and kissing her cheek wasn’t bad enough, I wake up to find you dancing with her.”

“This is true, I suppose you’ll want to fight me for her now?” Leuma asked, smiling as Cat shook her head.

“Maybe tomorrow, right now I would like to take my clannad and get back to sleep.” Sirius smirked, realizing Aeranna was getting as upset with Leuma as he himself was. “And I’m fairly certain your girlfriend over there would agree with me. Wouldn‘t you, Aeranna.”

“Without a doubt.” Aeranna agreed, her eyes narrowing in on Leuma as he quickly spun Cat around, avoiding their glares.

“It seems I’m in trouble yet again.” Leuma sighed, “Care to cover me while I make my daring escape?”

“Over the balcony is it?” Cat asked knowingly

“Hey, I go with my strengths, and besides, she’s not likely to jump in after me, is she?”

“For your sake, I hope not.” Cat laughed only to be quickly spun right into Sirius’s waiting arms as Leuma dashed up and over the railing, his body arching into a perfect dive as he sailed through the air and quickly slipped under the raging waves below.

“Happy now, Mr. Black? Chasing off my cousin like that?”

“Ecstatic,” he grinned, “can we get back to sleep now or is this just intermission?”

“Brat”

“Temptress” he replied, kissing her quickly before she could respond.

“Oh brother, maybe I should just pick another room and get some sleep” Harry dead-panned as he yawned.

“Alright, alright, lets go, everyone back to bed.” Cat agreed, winking at Aeranna who was leaning against the railings staring at her. “And no, I doubt he’s coming back tonight, and don’t you dare blame me for this. ‘I’ was sleeping quite nicely until you two started up…”

“Yeh, yeh, yeh…go to sleep. You’re so cranky when you get woken up.” Aeranna teased back. “Hey, you ‘were’ just joking about that whole Maharet thing, right?”

Aeranna watched with shock as Sirius turned to face she and Cat, “You mean about that crone wanting my Cat to marry him? THAT Maharet thing?”

“Ahh, right, not a joke.” Aeranna said softly, lowering her eyes as she artfully avoided the wizard’s gaze. The last thing she wanted was to hear a jealous tirade from the mouth of a half asleep man. “I’ll see you all tomorrow evening. Lady Emma and Lady Tara will be here to show you around in the morning. And Kitty, if he shows up again, I want to know, understand?”

“Gotcha” Cat winked, smirking as Sirius quickly placed a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her close as he manoeuvred her towards the bedroom. “Men…..” she laughed as Aeranna rolled her eyes………..

Harry awoke early the next morning, smiling as he found himself sandwiched between Cat and Sirius yet again. He snuggled down for a few more minutes, enjoying the sound of the sea as it crashed against the cliffs below them and the warmth of his ‘parents’ as their arms held him in a protective cocoon. He found himself wondering what his life would have been like if he could have grown up with them, if Cat hadn’t been banished, if Sirius hadn’t been sent to Azkaban. If he hadn’t have had to grow up with people who despised the fact that he existed.

Harry felt his eyes tear up as he thought about his new family, all of his cousins, uncles, aunts and ‘grandmothers’ who had made him feel so welcome. It was everything he had hoped for, even Sara and Mea’s constant bickering and one-upmanship was a welcome change from the long, lonely hours he used to spend locked in a cupboard or scrubbing floors.

Sighing deeply, he wondered what Cat’s father, his grandfather, would be like. Would he be like Uncle Luke or Uncle Duncan? Would he be more like Mac Lir? Would he be proud of him or would he think he was too small, too weak to amount to anything. Would his magical ability mean anything to him, or did he only care about what he could do with a sword?

Harry cringed as he recalled his attempts at sword fighting thus far. Sara teased him unmercifully about his lack of grace, but at least Uncle Duncan thought he was doing well; in fact, he made it a point to tell Harry how much he was improving everyday. ‘You need to relax more, stop trying so hard’ that seemed to be Uncle Duncan’s mantra. Maybe he was right, maybe he was trying too hard, but he didn’t want to disappoint anyone, he needed them to be proud of him.

“That is an awful lot of sighing for this time of the morning,” Cat whispered, “something you want to talk about?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Harry whispered, smiling as he felt her hand rubbing his back in small circular motions as she kissed the crown of his head.

“You didn’t, sweetie, but I think we should get out of bed before we wake up Sirius, he needs all the rest he can get.” They left the room silently, not bothering to speak until Cat had slid the pocket doors shut behind them. “You hungry?”

“Am I ever.” Harry grinned, “Does this mean I actually get to see you cook? I mean, usually Aunt Siobhan is the one in the kitchen.”

“Yes, smarty pants, you get to see me cook.” She teased, sticking out her tongue as Harry laughed. “So, what would you like? Pancakes, french toast, eggs, bangers….” She paused as she saw the huge grin on his face. “Wait, let me guess, all of the above?”

“Do you mind?”

“Not if you’re actually going to eat it all.” She winked, “And you are going to need all the energy you can muster. Lady Emma has a habit of putting people through the hoops on their first day or two so she can see what they’re really made off.” Seeing the look on Harry’s face, she added. “I promise you, Harry, you won’t be hurt, ‘no one’ would dare hurt you as long as I live. And if I’m too slow, I have a feeling Sirius and Leuma will be right beside you.”

“I don’t know,” Harry said nervously as he turned to look at the closed bedroom door. “Sirius doesn’t seem to like Leuma very much, especially after last night.”

“Well, Siri will just have to learn to deal with that. Besides, Leuma is purposefully trying to make him jealous,” she added, rolling her eyes. “I think he wants to see how far he can push him. NOT a very smart move, at least not if your godfather is anything like he was in school.” She smirked.

“Really? Care to tell me about that side of him?” Harry grinned, watching as Cat waved her hands, causing pans and bowls to float through the small kitchen and line up neatly on the counter. “And won’t the others be upset we aren’t eating breakfast with them?”

“I doubt it, they tend to not be as ‘clan oriented’ as we are. Which means no big family sit downs, and smaller families.” Cat explained as she quickly made breakfast…..

Sirius awoke to the wonderful smell of food and the sounds of laughter. It took him several moments to remember where he was, and when he did, he felt a content smile settle on his lips. He took a deep breath as he stretched, allowing the scent of the sea to fill his lungs. Lounging in bed for several more minutes, he stared at the sunlight filtering through the curtains as he tried to convince himself to get up and move around.

He grunted as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, wincing as he felt the stiffness of his joints and muscles. Cat had warned him he would feel worse before he felt better, but he never expected to feel like he was one hundred and twenty years old. Reaching for the cane, Sirius finally managed to pull himself to his feet and slowly make his way about the room. Instead of heading for Cat and Harry, he instead went to the balcony, hoping to loosen his aching body before either of them realized how much pain he was in.

He winced when the bright morning sun greeted his eyes, but the warmth of it felt wonderful, as did the refreshing ocean breeze. He leaned on the railing of the balcony allowing the wind to play with his hair as his body soaked up the sun’s warming rays. It felt wonderful to be alive.

“I thought I heard someone out here.”

Sirius smiled, he had forgotten how sensitive Cat’s sense of hearing was. His smile grew wider as he felt her arms slip around his waist, her head resting against his back as she hugged him. “So, is it just the three of us, or did your cousin come back after his little dip?” he asked, a smirk on his face as he felt Cat pinch his side playfully. “Gra, I can think of better places for you to be pinching…”

“Well, I see you’re in a mood and a half.” Cat grinned, relieved to see him up and about, and obviously in a playful mood. “And after your little talk with Harry yesterday do you ‘really’ want me to …”

“’nuff said” Sirius grinned, lifting his arm around her so she could snuggle against him. They stood there for a few minutes in comfortable silence, watching the sun as it rose higher in the sky. Then it suddenly dawned on him, “Hey, how did you know about our talk?”

“I almost walked in on it.” She explained, “I’m so glad you were there for him to talk to. I know I wouldn’t have handled it very well, you were right, I just don’t see him as an adult, he’s my little boy.” She sighed as Sirius pulled her tightly against him, kissing the crown of her head while encouraging her to nuzzle against him. The moment she did, she felt his head resting on hers as his hand moved to her abdomen, rubbing it gently.

She thought about teasing him about the supposed baby, but something inside of her warned her not to. After all, he may well be correct, there was every chance she was with child, and as long as Sirius was willing to accept it as his own; to be it’s father without question or hesitation, who was she to say differently.

“How are you feeling this morning, Siri?”

“A little sore….very sore.” He admitted, “But I’m sure it will pass, to be honest, just standing here makes me feel better, although I’m pretty sure that’s due to the company.”

“Actually it’s probably because of the sun, I told you the warmth would help. In fact, after I get Harry settled I intend to take you to the hot springs. I’m willing to bet a long soak and a good massage will make a new man of you.” Cat explained.

“You giving the massage?” Sirius asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He felt Cat pull away from him, just far enough so she could look him in his eyes.

“Yes, that was the general idea.” She laughed. “Sirius, I don’t like that look in your eyes. Didn’t we just discuss this?”

“Yes, but you said you were going to get Harry settled first, so he won’t be there to witness the ‘horrible’ things I intend to do to you.” He chuckled.

“Horrible things, huh? Mr. Black, do you honestly think you’re up to it? Cat teased.

“Up to what? Are you feeling better, Sirius?” Harry asked innocently as he joined them on the balcony, only to see Sirius’s face turn red. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Only your godfather’s strange sense of humour.” Cat teased, “So, Harry, are you full or do I need to make more?”

“Better question is; did he leave any for me?” Sirius interjected, “Gheez, Harry, you’re almost as tall as I am. When did that happen?” he asked as he stood next to his godson and realized there was only six inches between them, instead of the usual ten.

“Apparently when we weren’t looking” Cat sighed, “looks like I’m back to being the shortest….again.”…….

Raul slumped against a tree as he looked back up at the school. He had no idea what he was going to do, it was obvious he wasn’t wanted there, but he had a duty. Or, more correctly, he seemed to have two, and that was the real problem. He slowly slid down to the ground, not even caring that the ground was cold and wet, he needed to think, he needed to decide where his true loyalties lay.

Did they belong with Prince Daithi, the man who had trusted him to be primogen, the one who had elevated him to his current status. Or did his loyalties lay with Angel and her MacLeods. Raul scowled as he recalled the conversation he and Cash had just had. As much as he found himself drawn to Angel and her family, his ego simply would not allow himself to cow to Cash and the others.

“A grave mistake, my friend.” An unfamiliar yet friendly voice advised. “And shouldn’t you be in your…tomb?”

Raul jumped to his feet and stared at the man who was speaking. He was more substantial than a ghost, but most assuredly not alive, not solid. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” the primogen growled.

“Who I am is of little concern to you. But my reasons for being here are of the gravest concern to you.” The man explained as he lowered the hood of his cloak revealing curling brown hair and all too familiar blue eyes.

“Sirius?” Raul whispered as he stared into the man’s eyes.

“I am an ancestor of Sirius, and I am very concerned for his safety and the well-being of his family.” Merlin explained as he took a few steps closer to Raul. “I came to speak with you directly as your actions may well determine if my children live or die.”

“Sirius is my friend, I would not harm him…”

“I know you would never purposefully harm him, or Kitty, however the decisions you make right now will have lasting effects on both of their lives.” Merlin stated. “I ‘heard’ what you were thinking, about Cash and Kitty, or Angel, as your kind tend to name her. You are wrong about Cash, he does not want you to be subservient to him in any way, he appreciates those who can think for themselves, who have convictions in their beliefs.”

“Then why is he behaving like this? Why does he turn them against me?” Raul growled.

Shaking his head slowly, Merlin placed an ethereal hand on Raul’s shoulder. “They haven’t turned against you, not in the slightest. They are confused by your behaviour towards ‘them’, they are used to a clan binding together during times of stress and mistrust; they cling to one another, discussing any and all aspects of the situation. They are not comfortable with secrets being kept from them.” He held up his hand as he saw Raul about to argue with him, “Do not tell me you are not keeping secrets, primogen, I KNOW it and Cash FEELS it. And as I’m sure you know, Cash is only one of your problems.”

Merlin’s eyes filled with sympathy as he saw Raul turn his head, the shimmer of crimson tears in his eyes. “I know you do not want things to be this way. As a Gangrel I know how much clan means to you, it physically hurts you not to be with them, to be treated as if you were a Caitiff…”

Raul snorted at the man’s last comment. “Caitiff? The Caitiffs here are treated with more camaraderie than I am. Their primogen is looked up to by her clan, they are accepted without question. Even the hunter is accepted into their folds…”

“Don’t be so sure.” Merlin warned. “I have a feeling there is a great deal you are either overlooking or are completely unaware of. I take it your prince is less than forthcoming with you?” he asked knowingly. A slight smirk played on Merlin’s face as he saw the look Raul shot at him. “You don’t trust him anymore than you trust…. Who do you trust, Raul? Besides yourself, I mean.”

Raul hesitated, who did he trust, he had always thought he could trust his clan, his prince, but that no longer seemed sure to him. “I don’t know” he whispered, “none of the rules seem to apply anymore.”

“True, these are frightening and uncertain times we are living in. Everything we ‘thought’ we knew seems to be a mistake. Even I have had my world turned on its ear. I thought I could trust someone, we worked together for centuries, working towards what I thought was a common goal. Only to find out she betrayed me to my enemies, trapping my body and killing off my family. I have Sirius and one other son left, although I am confident that Sirius and Kitty will greatly increase those numbers.” He added smiling broadly.

“They love each other very much, don’t they?” Raul asked softly. “Are things going well for them? I’ve hardly heard from them since they left. In fact I’ve only seen Angel once.” he hoped the answer would be yes, he needed to hear good new, he needed to know there was at least some hope left.

Merlin smiled and nodded, “Aside from the attempt on Sirius’s life, thing are going very well. She’s taken he and their son to the South, somewhere warm where he can recover in peace.”

“Recover? Attempt on his life? What happened?” Raul gasped, only to feel a shiver run up his spine as the man smiled brightly at him. “I was told Angel had healed him, a woman from your clan came to tell us he had survived, if anything happens to him…”

“Primogen, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you ask such questions.” Seeing the look on Raul’s face, he explained, “It means you had no knowledge of what was happening in Fernglennis. And judging by the look in your eyes you would have been very upset to lose Sirius.”

Raul turned his head from the man, he didn’t want him to see the pain in his eyes. “He and I have had our moments, but Angel loves him more than any other man, I’ve seen him inside her heart. And he loves her with every fibre of his being, if he…if something happens to him, she will be forced to wed the Slytherin. I know what Cash and Mohrg have said about him, but I don’t care, he isn’t right for her. Even Cash and I agree on that.”

Merlin laughed, “Yes, yes, Cash and Hamish have made their views on the matter quite well known. And I will tell you right now that Severus Snape will have a hard time impressing the clan as much as Sirius has. They have already accepted him into the fold, Orpha and Siobhan have practically adopted him.” Merlin leaned back against the tree trunk, happy to see the news had at least given the vampyre some amount of joy. “But we aren’t here to discuss him, we’re here to discuss you and your current situation.”

“Which would be?”

“A crisis of faith, I believe.” Merlin winked. “Now, I could tell you everything you need to know and what you should do, but I have the feeling you’re the sort that needs to work through things himself.”

“True, but some direction would be nice. Or better yet, some information, I can’t help but think I’m walking in the dark.” Raul sighed.

“That you are, my friend, that you are.” Merlin agreed, “First and foremost. Do NOT turn your back on your clan. MacLeod or not, they are still Gangrels and still your responsibility, if you abandon them now, they will not be there or trust you when you need them most. I know it is hard but you need to put this pain, pride and anger behind you. And I will tell Cash the same thing. Secondly, listen to what people are telling you. I know for a fact that Rick has tried to explain things to you on more than one occasion, yet you refuse to even ‘hear‘ his counsel, much less consider it.”

“And Lastly; As for Prince Daithi…well, you know him better than I do, I only have Cash’s experiences to base my judgement on. But he strikes me as a man who has no true friends, everyone is simply a tool to him, much like Caesar.” Merlin smirked. “In either case, you need to think things through; what has he asked of you, what are you willing to do, what are you willing to risk and to lose?”

“I feel as if I’ve lost everything already.” Raul sighed.

“No, my friend, not even close. Things are damaged, but they can still be repaired, all it takes is a little bit of kindness and understanding from everyone involved.”

“And what about this Daedelus? I don’t imagine he’s the sort who believes in kindness and understanding.” Raul smirked.

“True, he’s not, especially when he feels so much is threatened. But he does know and trust Cash, if you can convince your clan that you are not a threat, that you are still there for them, Daedelus will not harm you.”

“And if I can’t convince them that I am not a threat?” …

“Hurry up and get your things together, Harry, Kalliope is on her way to get you.” Cat called out as she placed a platter of food in front of a grinning Sirius.

“Look at this, Harry, she must think all men eat like you do.” He teased as he saw the pile of food in front of him. “Where do you expect me to put all of this, gra?”

“In your mouth might be a good start,” she smirked, “when that’s full I’ll offer another suggestion.”

“Ouch. Better watch out, Sirius, it sounds like she’s ready to take you down.” Harry laughed as he pulled a shirt over his head. He heard Sirius mumble something unintelligible under his breath, however Cat must have understood it, as she had thrown an oven mitt at him and shook a warning finger in his direction.

Shaking his head, Harry walked away, laughing softly as he heard Cat and Sirius carrying on like two children. It was nice to hear them laughing and teasing each other he hoped that it meant Sirius would be well soon

Harry smirked as he went back into the ‘bird room’ as they were now calling it. He had missed a lot of things about it in the dim light of last evening, including the birds stencilled onto the ceiling and carved into the door frames. “Mum, do you mind if I pick out my own room? This one is just a little too…girly…”

He shook his head as he heard Sirius yelling a few comments back at him, only to be followed by a yelp and then Cat’s voice telling him to pick whichever one he wanted. He had the feeling Sirius was going to have an interesting day if he kept up his current behaviour.

Looking into the room next to Cat’s, Harry had the distinct impression that this one would be best if any of the girls came to visit. The gauzy curtains and pastels colours only reinforced his original decision.

The next bedroom was a little better, it was done in maroon and deep green, much more masculine than the last bedroom, but still not Harry’s taste. In fact, it seemed more along Sirius’s tastes, once again, Harry felt a turning in his stomach as he wondered exactly where Sirius would end up sleeping while they were here. In an attempt to distract himself from such thoughts, he roamed around the room a little more, investigating the interesting objects that decorated it. Harry smirked as he saw several familiar objects; quick quote quills on the writing desk, an astronomical model like he had seen Trelawney use in Divination, and a larger version of Dumbledore’s pocket watch, complete with all twelve hands and the circle of planets on its outer edge.

Crossing his fingers, Harry moved to the last bedroom hoping to find something a little more to his taste. Slowly pushing the door open, he felt a relieved grin on his face as he saw the room. It was perfect for him. The walls were painted a dappled blue, the furniture was light coloured wood, and the lines were simple making the small room appear much larger.

His grin grew wider as he took a closer look at the decorations; brown and blue plaid rugs and pillows, wooden replicas of ships and animals, along with a few animal skin rugs on the stone floor. Harry almost laughed out loud when he saw the toy dragon that lay on the bed. It looked similar to the larger dragons he had spied through the telescope while on the ship, its scales were iridescent and he had the feeling if the wings opened up, they too would shimmer. He secretly wondered whose idea it had been to leave it here, Aeranna’s or his Mum’s, as they both had encouraged the idea of him training with Lady Emma and her dragons.

Harry made a mental note to give the toy to Edana when they got back home, he was sure she would adore it. He shook his head as he realized he missed his cousins already, he had become so used to having them there, he half expected one of them to burst into the room insisting he join them in a game or some sort of debate. It felt nice to have some privacy and to not have to share Sirius and Cat, but it was also very lonely.

Walking towards the balcony, Harry saw one of the doors was slightly ajar. He peeked out, half expecting to see Leumadair waiting for him, but the balcony was empty. “This is ridiculous,” he sighed, “I’ve been alone for most of my life, and now I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m left alone for a couple of minutes. I’m getting as bad as Sirius.”

Harry’s head immediately bobbed up as he heard Sirius’s laughter echoing through the suite, it was obvious that Aunt Orpha was right, Dia was the best place for Sirius right now.

Walking back to his room, Harry jumped as he walked over a wolfskin rug that was near the bed.

“Mind where you’re stepping, clumsy.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide, he was positive he recognized that voice, he had heard it before, at home in Fernglennis. “Wolfgang? Is that you?”

“Hey, Harry, is that you? How’s it hanging? And just call me Wolfy, only my Mum called me Wolfgang”

“What…..what happened to you? I just saw you a few weeks ago, you and Uncle Fr….” he asked, only to be interrupted by the Lupos.

“Yeah, well….things happen. I got off easy, and I get to have Tara walk all over me to boot. Though I admit, it took some convincing to get Emma to have me tanned. Stubborn that woman is.”

“You WANTED to be skinned?”

“Sure, it’s better than suffering the way I was. That’s the one major drawback to being immortal, you get hit with a couple of spells like that and ‘BOOM’ - an eternity of pain and suffering.” Wolf groused, “I’d love to find the idiot that invented that smegging Avada curse and beat him senseless.”

“Who did it, Wolf? Who attacked you?” Harry asked as he dropped to his knees next to the rug. “Was it Voldemort?”

“Him and a few others, the worst part of it was some of our own kind are working with him now. Your Mum better get her bum in gear and organize the others or we’re done for. Say, were is she anyway?”

“She and Sirius are eating breakfast, but what do you mean ‘some of our own kind’ are working with him? Who are they? Please tell me its not anyone in my clan.”

“I think I should talk to Kitty first,” Wolf stated, “she needs to know what she’s up against. She needs to figure out how to get everyone to cooperate and put an end to this. And the sooner the better.”

“Do you want me to get her now?”

“She is already here.” A strange voice stated. Looking up, Harry saw a young, olive skinned woman standing in his doorway directly in front of his mother. “I knew I forgot something,” the curvy young woman sighed as she brushed a strand of wavy brown hair off of her face. “forgive me Rion, I’ll remove him immediately.”

Cat nodded her understanding to the girl’s implied question. “I’ll find him later, I need to know what happened to him and my brother.” She whispered as she headed towards Harry. “Harry, sweetie, this is Kalliope. She’s here to help us with anything that we need. That includes answering any questions you may have about Dia and the dragons.

“But, Mum, Wolf said he needs to” he fell quiet as Cat place a finger over his lips.

“I know sweetie, but here and now is not the time.” She whispered as she slipped her arm around him and walked towards the balcony. “Any sign of your wayward cousin? I have a few things I’d like to discuss with him.” She smirked, only to leave out a little yelp as a large purple eye stared at her though the gauze curtains. “Gheez oh whiz” Cat gasped as her hand went over her heart.

Harry couldn’t agree more.

He felt his blood run cold as he stared into the eye of a large dragon, apparently the model for the toy that was sitting on his bed. The beast couldn’t have been more than a few yards away from them, close enough to turn its head and gobble them up without much effort at all, which is why he couldn’t believe his eyes when Cat threw the door open and started yelling at it.

“MUM?! What are you doing!!” Harry yelled, causing Sirius to quickly scramble into his room along with two other women whom he had apparently been talking to. But Harry barely paid attention to them, his eyes were transfixed on Cat who was now on the balcony, mere feet from the dragon, trying to shoo it off as if it were a stray cat.

“For the love of Circe.” Sirius growled as he pushed past the others, heading straight for Cat. “Catrianna Marzia MacLeod, what in blue blazes do you think you’re doing?!”

“Shoo… you heard me you great beastie, shoo. Off with you now, shoo. You can play later.” Cat yelled as she grabbed a tablecloth off one of the small tables that littered the balcony, using it to wave off the dragon. “You heard me, go on…go back with the others.” She insisted, trying in vain to keep her hair out of her face as the dragon’s large wings beat the air around it. Not deterred in the slightest, Cat took a few step closer to it, waving the tablecloth at it until it finally dove down and flew away.

Turning around, she laughed out loud as she saw the looks on Sirius and Harry’s faces. “For heaven’s sake, she was just curious to see who we are and what we’re up to. You two look like you were expecting her to take a bite out of me or something.”

“Or something” Sirius sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “You do realize how big that thing was, and how far down you would have fallen. Remember its not just you anymore.” He insisted discreetly placing his hand over her abdomen.

“Oh, Sirius, not this again. Don’t you think I’d know first?”

“Obviously not.” He responded, grinning widely as he passed her to Harry, “You try talking sense to her, she won’t listen to me.” He quipped, causing his godson to snort sarcastically.

“Yeh, sure, like she’ll listen to me anymore than she listens to you. And just think, you and Moony thought ‘I’ was a handful.” He laughed as he felt her swatting him playfully.

“Oh the abuse” Cat sighed, “Tara, Emma, would you like to meet my son? I promise, he’s not usually this…uhm…”

“Panicked” Harry finished for her, smiling brightly as he offered his hand to the darker of the two women.

“I’m very happy to finally meet you,” Emma smiled, “I apologize for Opall, she’s been acting oddly since her children…well, they didn’t make it very long.”

“Her children?” Harry questioned, only to feel Cat’s hands on his shoulders as she spoke.

“Emma? Its very odd for any Kossori to lose her eggs, much less one of Opall’s age. Did something happen?”

“Yes, it seems she…uh…mated with a different species, most of the eggs never hatched at all, and of the three that did, two of them died within the first day. There was one that seemed to be holding its own, but we haven’t seen him for over a day and a half now.” Emma explained sadly.

“A different species?” Sirius questioned.

“Yes, a beagseud” seeing the look on Cat’s face, Emma nodded, “yes, a size difference to say the least.”

“Size difference?” Sirius repeated.

“Think Mastiff and Chihuahua” Cat grimaced, “I can’t even picture that one, the logistics alone are frightening.”

“Yet he still comes around” Tara chimed in, “nuzzling her, singing to her.”

“Dragons sing?” Harry gasped “you’re joking, right?”

“Not at all, they love music and many of them…well, perhaps singing isn’t the most appropriate term, but they do hum constantly.” Emma explained, “In fact, when your mother is rested and ready, you’ll be able to hear her sing to them. The albino is at it again, and we could use her help calming him down.”

“That didn’t last very long this time, only three years or so.” Cat frowned, “Did something happen to stir him up? Or is he becoming more dangerous?”

“I don’t honestly know, everything seemed to be fine one day, then the next he’s pluming and growling, by the end of the week he was pounding with his tail, he knocked down a good portion of the citadel this time; to say the least, father is NOT pleased.”

“You sing to him to calm him down?” Sirius grinned, “I’ve heard of music soothing the savage beast but this is a bit over the top.”

“No it isn’t” Harry contradicted, “I’ve heard her do the same thing with the drakes. Hagrid asks her to sing to them when they get out of hand, it works as well as any charm I’ve ever seen.”

Sticking out her tongue at Sirius, Cat gave Harry a warm hug “Well, at least my son has faith in me. I’m sure I’ll be able to do something with him tonight, Emma, I just need to get Harry ready and then start Sirius’s treatment.”

“We are ready to begin anytime your son is, Rion.” Kalliope assured her as she returned from storing Wolfgang, carrying a white and scarlet robe over her arm. “Do you have his insignia ready?” she asked as she walked to Harry, holding open the robe for him to slip into.

“Wait a moment, Kalliope, I think he might want to wear something a bit cooler under that.” Placing her hands back on his shoulders, Cat closed her eyes as a glimmering shower passed over Harry. “There, that’s much better.” She stated as she stood back to check over her handy work.

Harry smirked as he looked down at what she had done. “Where did you get this from?” he asked as he ran his fingers over the soft cotton.

“Shinto priests, I swear it has got to be one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I’ve ever worn. You’ll love it, it will keep you nice and cool even with the robe on top of it. And moving in it is a breeze, literally” she winked as she moved her hands upward, causing Harry to float several inches above the floor as a small cloud formed underneath his feet.

“Why don’t you try practicing with this for a little bit, Sirius and I will come back with the others when its time for you to start your lessons with Emma. And you’ll be given an insignia to wear around your neck, usually you’d be expected to wear a sword, but that tends to make some of the dragons a bit nervous.” Cat explained, “Keep it on you at all times, it signifies to people who you are, and to the dragons too.” She added, winking playfully at him.

“As if the dragons would care.” Harry dead-panned.

“Of course they care, it isn’t often that they get to see one of you’ much less the Rion and her young Tiarna” Kalliope corrected him as she helped him on with his robes. “Knowing them, the Kossori will be fighting each other to get to see who gets to be your steed.”

“STEED?” Harry gasped, his eyes wide, “I’m going to ride one of them?”