Better Than Cookies {COMPLETE}

A/N: I decided to add the next chapter a day early. I got bored and my little interlude section got the creative juices flowing...Voila, the chapter! *grin* Enjoy!

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“Dumbledore’s up to something. For the past three days he’s been in and out of the Order headquarters. Those Weasley twins, fools that they are, have finally managed to come up with something useful. Using the extendable ear contraption, I was able to catch bits and pieces of the most recent conversation. It’s Harry. Apparently, Dumbledore has fears that his “pet wonder” has gone dark. He wants him committed. Please don’t let it happen, Bella. I know you have your lord’s ear. If there is anything that can be done, I pray you will do it.”

Bella read the note once again to herself before refolding it and looking up at her lord. Voldemort frowned at her thoughtfully.

“Do you believe your contact has factual information?”

Bella nodded matter-of-factly. “They have never before brought faulty information.” Without conscious thought, her hand gently caressed the folded parchment.

Voldemort saw the action but remained silent until Bella halted the movement and looked up at him with wide eyes. He shook his head. “I have long been aware of your relations with the spy. You have no need to hide your affections from me.” He suddenly smirked as he felt her relief through the bond. “Not that you could.”

Bellatrix returned his smile. “No, My Lord.”

“Now,” his amusement faded instantly, “It is imperative we have Harry with us in the days to come. Severus informed me of a nasty after effect of the ritual. If Harry is not fully bonded with me, the alpha dominant, in three days time, he will fall ill.” Voldemort stopped speaking long enough to trace a whimper back to Bella. She stood tensely, her hands wrapped around each other tight enough to turn the knuckles white. Her dark eyes locked on his crimson ones.

“Ill, My Lord?”

He nodded. “It is, unfortunately, degenerative. Without a completed bond, in five days his soul will shatter into thousands of pieces, killing him instantly.” Voldemort cleared his throat awkwardly. “So says the journal.”

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Harry sat through his first Order of the Phoenix meeting without any of the excitement he had always thought he would feel. Instead of elation, his mind was racing around in circles. Random questions rose to the front of his mind only to be swept away again. He carefully studied the faces around him, knowing somewhere among friends was an enemy. In the hours since he had woken to find himself at headquarters, he had worked out a few things. The main thing being, it was impossible for him to have been taken from Remus’ house without their secret keeper being involved. His eyes slowly turned to the dark bat-like man who sat across the room from him. Snape.

“Lord Voldemort,” Dumbledore didn’t pause even when the majority of the room cringed, “has been even more active than usual recently. I think it is safe to say he has a plan of some kind. All his actions have been too coordinated to be random.”

Most of the people in the room nodded, Harry noted absently without taking his eyes off Snape. The dark man either didn’t realize he was being stared at or didn’t care. Harry grit his teeth and glared.

“I have managed to gain the support of a small band of rogue giants as well as a few werewolves.” Dumbledore turned to look at Remus who gave him a small nod. “I consider these to be all good things.” He swept the room with a smile bright enough to banish the concern from even the most cynical mind. “Our informant has told me a few disturbing facts,” he slanted Snape a look that was returned with a neutral one. “Harry.”

Harry tore his eyes away from Snape long enough to glance at the headmaster. “Sir?” Something like dread settled in his stomach. He saw Snape shift slightly.

“It has come to my attention that Voldemort has somehow managed to come by a personal belonging of yours. He used it to create a potion last night. I believe he means to use it to bind you to him.” Dumbledore’s voice dropped dramatically and he gave Harry a pitying look.

Harry raised his chin. “Not if I can help it, Sir.”

Something unnamed shone in the headmaster’s eyes for a few seconds before he blinked and it was gone. “I can’t tell you how proud I am.” He looked around at the others in the room. “How proud we all are, that you aren’t letting him get to you.”

Harry frowned in confusion, but nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He suddenly pitched forward in his seat as something seemed to slam against his skull from the inside. He let out a high pitched scream and clutched at his head. His fingers tangled in his hair, the pain small compared to the splitting of his skull. Some part of his mind was aware that someone knelt at his side muttering, the words meaningless through the agony. The pain vanished as quick as it had appeared. A single thought made its way to the front of his mind and out his mouth. “Voldemort.” Harry looked up to see the headmaster studying him.

“I believe his power over you is increasing. Did you see anything, Harry?”

Harry shook his head, fighting back a wave of dizziness. He looked over to see who knelt beside him and drew back in shock. Snape sneered and gave him the look of disgust he had learned to associate with the man.

“Do try not to waste anymore of my valuable time with your incompetence and staggering lack of even basic skills. One would think you would have mastered sitting in a chair after seventeen years. Apparently your ineptness is even more complete than I ever would have guessed.” With one last curl of his upper lip, he stalked across the room to whisper something in the headmaster’s ear. After a couple seconds of quiet communication, he swept from the room leaving Harry staring after him in a mix of anger and bewilderment.

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Remus watched Harry watch Severus with a growing feeling of darkness. Something unnamed curled in his stomach. After a few seconds, during which his eyes began to glow amber and a low, rumbling began in his chest, he identified the feeling as a powerful fury. Even as the logical part of his mind knew the emotions he felt were completely ungrounded, not to mention inappropriate, jealousy surged up inside him until a growl escaped his lips.

His eyes locked on Harry and Severus, Remus didn’t even acknowledge the strange looks he received from Tonks and Molly Weasley. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he gripped the arms of his chair hard enough to make them creak in protest. Every muscle in his body fought to break free of his self-inflicted control and lunge at the prim form of the Hogwarts potions professor. Suddenly, Snape glanced at him. Remus blinked twice in quick succession, unsure if he had truly seen fear flicker in the double agents eyes before the dark gaze fixed on Dumbledore.

“…as well as a few werewolves.”

Remus slowly raised his eyes to the wizard standing just to his left and nodded. The moment the headmaster looked away, he returned his heated gaze to Harry’s intense watching of Severus Snape. Another low growl rose in his throat, but he bit it back at the last minute. Why Harry’s behavior bothered him, he didn’t know, but his eyes on someone else rubbed the werewolf the wrong way. His mind instantly rebelled against the thought of Harry with someone other than him or…As if a plug had been pulled on his thought process, the answer to some unknown question slipped away. Remus mentally shook himself. A scream made his head jerk in Harry’s direction. He was up out of his chair before Harry’s knees hit the floor.

“Remus.” Dumbledore’s hand fell on his shoulder heavily. With muscles bunched to attack, Remus whirled around and bared his teeth. Dumbledore ignored the warning signs and steadily shoved down on his shoulder until he returned to his seat. Remus felt a tingle of magic and then all his muscles relaxed at once, leaving him slumped in the chair in a way that probably looked natural to everyone else in the room. He looked up at the headmaster’s seemingly concerned gaze and for the first time let his werewolf senses completely free. They all picked up the same thing. Danger. His eyes flashed in anger before he quickly schooled his expression into one of confusion and fear. Dumbledore gave him a patented look of patient understanding before turning to question Harry.

“Voldemort.” Harry’s voice held a trace of some emotion it was impossible to guess. His tone made Remus shiver in a way that was not wholly unpleasant.

“Did you see anything…” Albus, seemingly forgetting about Remus for the moment, turned his full attention on Remus’ godson.

Remus watched Harry shake his head and wince. He felt a surge of protectiveness and then anger when the boy’s emerald gaze settled on Severus Snape once again. Remus narrowed his eyes. The pale man’s face changed from concern to disgust in a matter of seconds. With a long speech about the complete idiocy of Remus’ godson, the snide bastard swept from the room. Remus shook with rage but quickly reigned himself in. If his senses were correct, and they always were, Dumbledore was up to something and he didn’t want to give the man any excuse to exclude him from Harry’s life. Something told him Harry’s well-being depended on his continued presence.

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“I think it would be best if Harry stayed here until tomorrow morning.” Albus settled his stony gaze on Arthur Weasley.

The acting Minister of Magic gave him a quick smirk before his mouth turned down into a stern expression. “You are quite right, Albus. Remus’ behavior at the meeting was out of character. In this dark time, any personality changes could be signs of dark influence.” He nodded somberly. “It would be best for Harry to stay at headquarters tonight and then board the train with Ron and Hermione.” He frowned, as if suddenly realizing something. “What of Remus? He was supposed to take the train to Hogwarts, correct?”

Albus nodded. “He was, but under the circumstances, I thought it best to have him come along early. I arranged for him to travel with our very own potions master.”

Arthur looked up sharply. “Do you think it is wise to trust Severus? I understand you know things about him the rest of us don’t…” His voice trailed off as the door to the kitchen moved slightly. His eyes met Dumbledore’s in a moment of instant agreement.

Albus’ wand flew from the folds of his robes to point at the door, sending the wood crashing into the wall behind it. There was a soft gasp and then Hermione stepped into the doorway. She stared at them with wide, innocent eyes.

“Professor?” Her voice was soft, shaking slightly. She met his eyes after a few beats. “I’m sorry to listen in but…” Her lower lip trembled “…do you really think Remus would hurt Harry?”

Albus’ mind quickly worked over the situation, producing and discarding responses until he finally landed on the perfect answer. He met her teary, brown eyes with a look of sadness. “I am afraid Remus is not the man I once knew.”

“I thought he was going to teach at Hogwarts this year, Professor.” The young woman interrupted.

Albus nodded, taking a moment to probe her mind. He let out a mental sigh of relief when he found only innocent concern and love for Harry. “That is was I had intended. However, with things as they are…” he trailed off dramatically, struggling not to smirk when the girl leaned forward eagerly. “Don’t worry, Ms. Granger. Now that I am aware of Remus’ questionable behavior, I will not allow him to be near Harry without a member of the Order present.” He glanced at Arthur who nodded.

Hermione looked back and forth between them and seemed to wilt as the tension left her. “Thank you, sir. Harry means a great deal to me.” She gave the two of them a tremulous smile before turning to leave. At the doorway, she turned back. “Professor?”

Dumbledore looked away from the silent conversation he had started with Arthur to fix his serene gaze on her. “Yes, Ms. Granger.”

“You won’t let anything happen to him, right?” She seemed to look into him for a brief moment.

“I will allow no dark wizard to harm him for as long as I have magic.” His eyes flared with power as the air crackled with the sound of an oath being taken.

Hermione smiled brightly and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Rest well. We will leave early in the morning for the station. You can talk with Harry on the train.” Albus smiled benignly until her back vanished out of sight. With a flick of his wrist the door swung shut and wards slammed down around the room. “Meddlesome little bint,” he growled under his breath, causing Arthur to smirk. “Is Ron still intent on having her?”

Arthur nodded. “Unfortunately, she seems more intent on the Hero of the wizarding world.” He rubbed his chin. “When Harry has fulfilled the prophesy and is securely tucked away in St. Mungos…” he tipped his head toward Dumbledore.

“Ms. Granger may find herself in the path of an unforgivable curse. Though a nicely brewed lust potion could work nicely along side a slave bonding.” Dumbledore tapped his chin thoughtfully before smirking over at Arthur.

“Very true, Albus, very true.”

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