---

Authors Note/Disclaimer: Except for Aunt Athena, the Rigbys and Mairwen and Colin Tremayne, who belong to me, and the Coopers, who belong to Mr. Peretti and whoever his publishers are, pretty much everybody else mentioned belongs to Ms. Rowling and Scholastic. This is one of those pieces that started out as something totally different from what it turned into... don't know that I  particularly like it, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Dedicated to Bekah, who gave me the idea in the first place. (She's the one to blame! :)

---

Those Whom the Gods Disfavour

WHEN THE ROCK BEGINS TO CRUMBLE
THE STAG MAY DIE TO SAVE A FLOWER
WHO MAY STILL WITHER, BUT NOT WITHOUT CAUSE-
SHE WILL PASS DOWN THE LEGACY OF THE LIGHT
IN THE VERY SHAPE THAT WAS HER DOWNFALL
BUT IT IS SAID THAT THOSE WHOM THE GODS FAVOUR DIE YOUNG-
BEWARE TO THOSE LEFT OF THE FELLOWSHIP
FOR WHEN HE AGAIN RETURNS
WITH RENENWED INTENSITY
HOLDING ALL THE POWER OF THE SKY
IT WILL BE LIGHTENING AGAINST LIGHTENING
AND THE FELLOWSHIP WILL ONCE AGAIN BE WHOLE
THE FINAL DEFEAT OR VICTORY WRITTEN IN SACRIFICIAL BLOOD
ACROSS THE ANCESTRAL HALLS OF STONE

- Professor Trelawny's First Prophecy

Chapter 1
The Stage is Set ~ Enter Lila ~ Enter Aunt Athena
     Lila Cooper nervously found her seat on the train, feeling rather grown-up and very scared at the same time. It was her first trip without her father or Jay by her side, and even the knowledge that Aunt Athena would be waiting for her at the station did not relieve her feelings of either tension or of pride.
     She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes so she could not see Jay waving her off from platform nine at Kings Cross Station. Her heart lurched as she felt the train start to pull out, and she finally found enough courage to open her eyes. Jay was still easy to spot and she gave him a small wave, though she doubted he could see her. And with that, she was off to Cornwall and Aunt Athena.
     'Aunt' Athena Black was not truly her aunt, but had been a close family friend since the days when Lila's mother was still alive and her father had just begun to gain notoriety in his work as an archaeologist. Through the years they had kept close contact, but they had not seen each other for quite awhile.
     That's why it had been a bit of a surprise when she called them up in Jerusalem, where they had been passing the season, and asked if Lila might want to come and stay with her over the summer. She was very old by now and was expecting young company- her youngest brother's son's godson, or something equally vague- and feared it would be boring for him without another young person in the house. Lila, who was very fond of her 'aunt,' was immediately wild to go, and after some careful consideration, her father had finally agreed.
     But now that she was really on her way, Lila felt inclined to wish her father had not been so quick to give his approval. She fingered the small silver cross she always wore on the thin chain around her neck and sighed. While still in Jerusalem, she could scarcely wait to leave, but now she found herself beginning to miss her father, the dig, the warm weather, and her brother, not necessarily in that order.
Oh God, she prayed silently, scrunching her eyes closed, This is hardly the worst thing I've ever had to do. Please give me courage!
     When she opened her eyes again, she found she was no longer the only inhabitant of the cabin. A man had sat himself across from her, studiously absorbed in a newspaper. She brought her knees up to her chest and studied him interestedly. She couldn't begin to guess at his age, he looked rather young and strangely old and the same time. His black hair was cut short and his eyes were- darn, she couldn't see his eyes. Oh, well. Next time he looked up.
     If he looked up. He did seem very absorbed in that newspaper.
    She sighed and looked out at the passing countryside. England was nothing like she imagined it. She had only arrived in London yesterday, and since then, everything had been so very wet. She found herself pining for the warm, dry climates she had become so accustomed to living in over the past few seasons.
     After awhile, there was a rustle from newspaper man and she unconsciously jumped.
     "Scared you, did I?" he asked in a low voice, grey eyes twinkling mischievously over the newspaper.
     "Uh... maybe just a little," she admitted, giving him a rueful grin, "This is my first trip without the rest of my family and I'm rather nervous."
     "Your doing fine so far..."
     "Lila. Lila Cooper."
     "Pleased to meet you, Lila."
     "I'm glad to meet you, too," and to Lila's surprise she found she genuinely was.
     "So what's a lovely but so obviously American mug- girl doing on a train in Britain all alone?"
     "I'm visiting an aunt in Cornwall for the summer. Is that where your headed, too?"
     "Perhaps," his manner grew suddenly cold and a look came into his eye that almost scared her. But just as suddenly as it had come, it was gone, and he looked at her with a merry smile, "You liking Britain so far?"
     Lila looked helplessly out the window, "It's certainly very different from Jerusalem, where we were living. I haven't seen enough to compare it to America."
     The man laughed, "It'll grow on you."
     "I hope so, sir."
     He laughed again and held up his paper to resume reading. Lila sighed and pulled out one of the books she had brought, and for the short remainder of the trip they sat in silence. Despite this, Lila was strangely comfortable; for once not feeling compelled to speak, but to enjoy the sounds of silence.
     Still, when they reached the station, Lila was anxious to get off. She smiled sweetly at the man as he bid her good-bye.
     "Perhaps I'll see you around?" she asked.
     The man grinned ruefully, "Perhaps the day will come. Until then, Lila."
     "Until then," she returned, puzzling over the almost sad accent to his eyes. She turned around to grab her backpack, and when she turned around, he was gone, "Weird. I never even caught his name."
     Lila stepped cautiously out on the platform, glad for a chance to stretch her legs. Only a few people had disembarked from the train, and she was able to easily spot Aunt Athena, tall and frail. Her thin face was finely lined; her snowy white hair was tied up into a tight bun. When she spotted Lila, her whole face broke into a bright smile, making her look like a little child, and oddly like the man on the train. Now that she got a closer look, the resemblance was almost startling.
     "Lila, dear, I'm so glad you could come," she said, who, despite her wispy frame, had enveloped Lila in a huge hug, "It's been a long time."
     "It has," Lila agreed, shouldering her backpack more comfortably, "Thank-you very much for having me."
     "It is my pleasure," smiled Aunt Athena, leading her towards the car, ushering her into the back seat, and crawling in beside her,  "Fletcher will get your bags off the train, so just you relax about that."
     "Fletcher?"
     "My chauffeur. By the time cars came into fashion I was already too old to bother. And Fletcher rather likes it." She gave Fletcher, a pleasant looking young man who had just crawled into the driver's seat, a cocky wink. He smiled back and started the car without a word.
     "My house isn't very far," continued Aunt Athena, "Just far enough to make me feel nice and secluded, which can be a very nice thing. There is nothing wrong with the desire to be alone once in awhile. Still, this summer shall be very pleasant, despite everything, with both you and Harry to keep me company. How old are you now?"
     "Sixteen."
     "Only a year younger than Harry. You'll be good for him. Get his mind off... certain other things this summer might bring. As if the child needed anymore sorrow in his life."
     Lila nodded rather helplessly, not sure if the last statement had been directed at her or if Aunt Athena was talking to herself. But Aunt Athena didn't say anything else and the rest of the ride was in silence. Unlike the silence on the train, Lila was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable.
     She was very relieved when they finally got to the house, a sprawling old-fashioned place on top of a hill that looked as if it had come directly out of a storybook.
     "You like it?" Aunt Athena said, looking like a pleased child showing off her favourite toy, "Just wait until you get inside. You like exploring? There are parts of that house I doubt I have ever even seen. Or if I have, forgotten, which is much more likely."
     "It's wonderful," said Lila, absently grabbing her backpack as she stared up at the house, "You live there all by yourself?"
     Aunt Athena laughed, "Not often. There's always Fletcher and Deirde and Patrick. And it used to be that there was always somebody dropping in... I detest those who live the present entirely in the past, but Lila, those were the days. So many of them are gone now... so many..." her eyes grew sad and she looked into the car window as if it were a scrying glass that could show her times long gone. Lila was beginning to grow scared at her silence when she firmly shook herself and turned to the thickset, middle-aged man who was coming down to meet them, "Patrick, meet Lila Cooper. Lila, this is Patrick, my butler and friend."
     "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Cooper," he said in a formal manner, a stark contrast to his jovial face and voice.
     "Call me Lila, please," she said.
     "As you wish," he gave her a grin and turned to Aunt Athena, "Fortunate you came in just now. Master Harry arrived only ten minutes ago."
     "We timed it well, then. He is well, I trust? That type of travel never did agree with him..."
     "He is fine. I showed him to his rooms and he should be down shortly."
     "Good. Come on, Lila. I'll show you the house. Don't bother with that, Fletcher will bring your bags up."
     They started slowly up to the house, Aunt Athena letting Lila going a little bit ahead.
     "Have we any word from Sirius?" she heard her aunt mutter to Patrick.
     "No. He'll make himself known only when he needs to be. And until then you can tell the truth when the Ministry asks you where he is. Two owls this morning only. They grow desperate."
     "Malfoy is a very desperate man. And Fudge very stupid. It's a dangerous combination."
     Patrick gave a low laugh, "So some have said before."
     Aunt Athena gave a rueful sigh, "Sirius knows how to take care of himself. Any more mail?"
     "One owl from Master Remus. I sent the owl back on its way but the letter is waiting for you in the parlour."
     "I hope the dear boy is all right. Full moon tonight, you know. Are you finding the scenery pleasing, Lila dear?"
     The last sentence she spoke loudly enough that Lila could hear without straining. Blushing a little, she turned towards the view of the sea, "It's very nice."
     Aunt Athena grinned, "Can't say I had anything to do with it, but it is, isn't it? Now come in into the house, and get settled. We're going to have a capital time, my dear."

Chapter 2
Enter Harry ~ The Stranger is Named
     The house, if possible, was even more splendid on the inside. Lila had the distinct impression as soon as she walked into the door that she had somehow got transported back to the past, it very much reminded her of something she would have seen had she lived in the Victorian Ages. But it also had a very home-y feel to it, and despite the strange conversation she had overheard outside, she felt herself relax almost immediately.
     On Aunt Athena's orders, Fletcher let her up to where she would be staying, a quaint little room on the third floor that overlooked the sea.
     "I'm under strict orders to make sure everything is satisfactory. Anything unpleasant and I'm to have you switch rooms immediately," Fletcher told her with a shy grin. He was much more reserved than his father, but when he spoke of his slightly eccentric mistress, the gentle humour in his voice and admiration in his eyes made them look very much the same.
     Lila returned his grin, "I think it is very satisfactory. The view alone would make up for everything, even if the room were not already perfect."
     "I'll be sure to pass along your sentiments. Athena requests you be down in the parlour as soon as you are able. D’you wish me to wait and show you where it is?"
     "I'm feeling adventurous. It was the first room we passed through on the way up?"
     "Yes. See that you don't get lost. Ms. Black would not take to kindly to me 'misplacing' you on your very first day here."
     "I'll try not to," Lila grinned, closing the door softly behind him as he left. Then she turned around to face the room with a deep breath. She hadn't been lying when she said it was perfect- it was almost something out of a dream.
     She sat down on the bed with a shaky sigh and began rummaging around in her bag for her hairbrush. Aunt Athena and Patrick and Fletcher were all perfectly lovely. Aunt Athena had always been a little strange, but on the whole, harmless. Nothing to worry about. So why was she?
     Allowing herself another small sigh, she got up and opened the old wooden door slowly, so it wouldn't squeak. The hall was clear and perfectly clean, pleasant enough in it's own way. Well-worn rugs lined the wooden floor and portraits lined the walls, like you'd expect in any old manor house. Pretty young women, bitter-looking old matrons, the stout lords themselves...
     She turned around hastily to face one portrait, that of a young man that reminded her strangely of the man at the train station. But that had not been what had caught her attention... she could of sworn she had seen him wink at her just now as she made her way slowly and appreciatively down the hall. But that was impossible, right? Most likely just her nerves, which she had to admit were rather jumpy.
     Giving it one last wary look, she started cautiously down the hall, trying to concentrate on finding her way back to the parlour, wishing she had let Fletcher wait for her. She took a staircase that looked slightly familiar, and would at least lead her to the first floor, if nothing else.
     Gosh, this place was big. She crept along the halls, trying to find the right doorway. No, that was another spare bedroom. That looked like a study. She stuck her head into one doorway to find an enormous library, filled with many curious looking dusty old books as well as some obviously newer.  She'd have to remember the way back here...
     She had just about given up hope of ever finding Aunt Athena again, when, quite by accident she found herself looking into another spare bedroom. How many spare rooms did one house need? She turned around to leave, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught something crawling in from one of the windows... it looked like a man, but wasn't Patrick or Fletcher... the gardener, perhaps? Aunt Athena hadn't mentioned a gardener...
     He was in now, and turned so Lila could see his face, to which she gave an inadvertent little gasp. It was the man from the train station. He spotted her and put his finger up to his mouth to tell her to keep quiet. For a minute he crouched under the window, listening intently for any sound outside, before he stood up and came towards her.
     "Hello again. You didn't mention Athena was this aunt of yours."
     "In name only," she hesitated, then asked bluntly, "What are you doing here?"
     He gave her an amused smile, "Well right now, I have just finished crawling through the window. Next I was considering seeking out my Aunt in the parlour, where she is taking tea, I trust?"
     Lila nodded her head dazedly as she prepared to ask him one of the many questions floating through her head. Aunt Athena is your Aunt? Then why are you crawling in a window? What the heck is going on here? But all that came out was: "You mean you know where the parlour is?"
     He gave a queer sort of cough that might of been suppressed laughter, "So that's what your doing wandering about in such out-of-way corners. I think I can find it, if you'll kindly follow me."
     "Lead on," she motioned for him to step out in front of her.
     He began walking quickly through the corridors, as if he knew them very well, "She doesn't have any other visitors other than yourself, I hope?"
     "She kept talking about some other boy that was to also stay the summer."
     "Harry. But he hardly counts, I arranged that myself. What I mean is, anyone she'd rather not see? A short idiot of a man who goes by the name of Fudge, perhaps?"
     Lila shook her head dazedly. Aunt Athena had mentioned a Fudge but it was hardly in the context of a social call, "Not since I arrived. But what with all the time I spent wandering, that could have been ages ago."
     The man gave a small smile and motioned towards a door, "Right in that way. I'd rather you go in first, make sure there's no unwelcome visitors. I'll follow shortly as soon as I've determined it's safe."
     Safe? From what? She glanced at the man apprehensively, but wisely decided to keep her questions to herself. For now at least.
     The parlour was a very comfortable looking room, quite unlike the stiff formal room she had been expecting, and she took an immediate liking to it. Although summer, a fire was already blazing merrily, which Aunt Athena and her companion were sitting comfortably around. Her companion, a thin boy with a mess of black hair, stood up hastily as she entered, looking very startled. Aunt Athena merely sat in her chair and gave a low chuckle.
     "We hadn't quite got to that place in our conversation, had we, Harry? This is Lila Cooper. Her mother was a very dear friend of mine before she passed away. Lila, this is Harry Potter, my nephew's godson. Will you sit down? That means you also, Harry."
     Harry sat down and awkwardly motioned for Lila to take the seat next to him, which she did, with a cautious look at the door.
     "Were you expecting anyone else?" she asked warily.
     Aunt Athena gave her a sly grin, "No. But it is always nice to be surprised, isn't it? Are you expecting anyone?"
     "Er... no," she looked shyly down into the cup of tea one of the servants, a quite friendly looking girl of no more than twenty five, had placed in her hands.
     "I couldn't help noticing your accent. You live in America?" Harry asked her reticently.
     She nodded, "Most of the year."
     "What kind of school d’you go to? Is it much different?"
     Lila looked at him curiously, "Just your regular public school. Not very different, I expect."
     Harry looked disappointed, "Oh."
     Lila flushed. What did he expect? Harvard? She had never been one to particularly mind whether people liked her, and it was a new sensation to feel upset that he may not, that he was somehow disappointed in her. He was probably a horrible snob anyhow...
     Her thoughts were interrupted by a girlish squeal from Aunt Athena as she caught sight of the man in the doorway.
     "Sirius!" she yelped, rushing towards him and giving him a hug, "What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack? Come on in, come on in, boy."
     She seated him on the couch and gave him a firm looking over, "Fudge know your here?"
     "No. But even if he did, you think he could do anything about it?"
     "You know very well that Malfoy holds his leash, and Malfoy is a very dangerous man. If I weren't so glad to see you I would strangle you for your apparent lack of thought. Shall we go to dinner?"
     "You don't know how very much I was hoping you'd ask that. I'm starved."
     Aunt Athena gave him another disapproving look, but allowed him to take her arm, "No one's fault but your own. Come along, Harry, Lila."
     Lila and Harry fell awkwardly in behind them, "So- uh- you never told me where you went to school," said Lila, feeling like a total idiot.
     "I just graduated from- er- Eton," he said, thinking of Justin Finch-Fletchley.
     "Oh," Lila said, who wouldn't have known the slightest bit of difference in whatever he had answered. But just then she felt very opposed to silence, "Did you like it?"
     "Very much," he grinned, green eyes twinkling mischievously as he held the door to the dining room open for her, "It was very- interesting, to say the least."
     "Sit down, children," said Aunt Athena, waving her arm around the table and looking as excited as a little girl asking her friends over for tea, "You wouldn't want it to get cold. Although it wouldn't matter much to the taste. Deirde is the best cook this side of the Thames- any old spell I could whip up could hardly compare."
     She motioned towards the girl from the parlour, who was holding a small child and standing in the doorway and smiling satisfactorily, "Since you have guests we'll eat in the kitchen. But right now I have to put Ned to bed- poor darling. If you need anything call Fletcher."
     Sirius grinned as she left, "Things just don't change around here, do they? She's still the same as ever."
     "Everything changes," said Aunt Athena, "It is foolish to say they don't, and even Deirde has changed since the last time you were out here- which has been a ridiculously long time. Sixteen years, has it?"
     "I've been a bit tied up in the intervening time, Auntie."
     Aunt Athena ignored him beautifully, "Harry was only a baby- I remember Lily was absurdly proud of him. To see the way she doted over you- you would have thought that a baby being born was not an everyday occurrence. Ridiculous." But there was a soft glint in her eye and a betraying twitch in her lips that kept either Lila or Harry from taking her words too seriously.
     "Deirde knew my parents also?"
     "Everybody knew your parents, boy," said Aunt Athena dreamily, stirring enough sugar into her tea to keep an army up for nights.
     "Everyone but me," he muttered darkly into his food.
     Aunt Athena ignored this, too, "By the way, Sirius, I got a letter from your old friend Remus today. Writes me often, the dear boy, although up here even less than you are. But he thinks he might drop in tomorrow, as he's in the area. Would be foolhardy of him not to, as he’ll be weak from the full moon tonight."
     "Professor Lupin?" asked Harry, looking up from his dinner.
     "None other," Sirius grinned, then cutting off all further questions, turned to Lila, "Try some of the spinach. It's really rather good."

It was late by the time Lila back up to her room, and she was scarcely able to keep her eyes open after the long day. Exhaustedly, she changed clothes and crawled into bed, muttering through her nightly prayers, nearly asleep before her head hit the pillow.
     It was not ten minutes before she awoke again, and she could not figure out what had awoken her so suddenly. An impulse, a fear, a hope- her head was still too muddled with sleep to sort it out clearly. She lay in the big four poster bed, sleepless, listening to the pleasant sounds of night coming through the open window: the wind blowing, small insects buzzing lazily, and in the distance, a muffled howl-
     She sat up straight in her bed. There were no wolves in Britain, were there? It must have been her imagination, or a dog- she had seen lots of dogs in her time here. She sat back uneasily into her pillow, not fully convinced that the feral howl could have belonged to any of the pampered dogs she had seen-
     There it was again. She got out of bed and peered out the window anxiously, but could find nothing amiss. It was merely jumpy nerves and an overactive imagination- with all that cryptic talk about full moons over the dinner table she was surprised she wasn't seeing monsters jump out at every dark corner.  Aunt Athena's dinner conversations certainly never promised to be dull, but perhaps next time she should try to stick to the weather. You could never go wrong with the-
     A quiet knock on one of the doors, almost so small she could not hear it. She looked around, startled. There hadn't been much time to explore this room, and of course the door she didn't know where it lead was the one where the knocking was coming from now. She counted off the doors foolishly. That one was the closet, that one the bathroom, that one led out to the hall, it must be the last one. Was she brave enough to face what might be behind it?
     She decided she must. No use acting like a wimp now, when one of the reasons she had wanted to come on this trip so badly in the first place was to prove her independence.
     "Hello?" she asked softly, unfastening the latch and cautiously pushing the heavy wooden door a crack open, "Who is it?"
     "It's Harry. I come in peace," she pushed the door open a little wider, and it was indeed him.
     "What do you want?" she asked sternly, overcome with relief that it was only Harry and not some monster out to kill her. Although why a monster would knock first before eating her she wasn't quite sure.
     He stepped inside her room and looked warily around, and catching her open window went over to hurriedly shut it, "Just wanted to see everything was all right with you before I went to bed. I'm right next door if you need anything. But do me a favour and keep that window closed, okay?"
     "Why?" she asked sceptically, "Boogie Monsters? Or what is it here in England? Banshees?"
     Harry gave her an apologetic grin, "That's Ireland. But... you can never be too careful. This is a new land for you, Lila. Things, especially here, are different than you’re used to. You'd best be a little wary."
     "Better safe than sorry?" grinned Lila sarcastically.
     "Exactly. You'll be okay?"
     "Splendid," she intoned, trying out her English accent.
     Harry laughed, "Very nice. We'll make a Brit of you yet."
     "Oh, I hope not," she smiled, opening the door wide for him to pass back through. Another howl echoed through the air and she automatically stiffened, "Did you hear that?"
     "Probably just another dog," said Harry, turning back to the window to make sure it was fastened down properly.
     She walked over and knelt beside him on the seat under the large window, "Your concern is touching, but I am on the third floor, Harry. I doubt any dog can climb that high."
     He grinned at her sheepishly, "Of course. Sorry."
     She allowed herself a small smile, absently twisting her hair around her finger. It was quiet for a few moments before Lila got the courage to speak again, "Harry?"
     "Yes'm?"
     "Mr. Black- Sirius- what's he running from?"
     Harry sighed wearily, looking up pensively at the full moon, "His past, mostly."
     "He has a past?"
     "We all do," Harry, laughed, the tension evident in his voice.
     "You know that's not what I mean. What I mean is- is he- did he-"
     "No. He didn't. I've never trusted anyone more than Sirius in my life, Lila. I know my parents felt the same way. His only mistake was trusting someone he shouldn't have. And he's more than paid for that."
     Lila was silent for moment, "I trust him, too. Don't know why, but I do. I trust all of them. Even you."
     He laughed again, trying out a southern drawl, "Thank-you. Prettiest complement I reckon I've ever received."
     "Ain't no way we'll ever make a Yank of you."
     "Thank-you for the reassurance."
     She gave him a small grin, trying to remind herself she really should be going to bed.
     Which is when he kissed her.
     "Good-night, Lila," he whispered, pulling breathlessly away and reluctantly making his way towards the door, "I'll see you tomorrow."
     "Tomorrow," she agreed softly, watching the door close, suddenly tired. She crawled back into bed and within moments was in the midst of a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 3
Enter Remus ~ Enter Mairwen ~ Everyone wants to be a... er... Philosopher!
     Lila awoke early the next morning, and for a moment she could not place where she was. Then it all came back to her in a flash. The man at the train station. Aunt Athena and her queer but pleasant ways. Harry.
     She pulled herself groggily out of bed and looked out the window. It had rained during the night and the ground was soggy, but otherwise she was very pleased with this view. The sun was just rising and she felt drawn into the quiet beauty of the land, the majestic splendour of the sea as it crashed mightily into the rocks at the shoreline in the early morning fog.
     It was nearly two hours later before she went down to breakfast, dressed and anxious for the day to start. She found her way to the dining room, with considerable less trouble this time, although she could have still sworn some of the eyes in the portraits seemed to be following her.
     Deirde appeared to be the only one up, cheerfully setting places out for breakfast. She gave Lila a broad smile as she entered the room, motioning for her to take a seat in one of the high backed chairs that surrounded the table.
     "Are you sure you don't need any help?"
     Deirde waved a dismissive hand around the table, "I'm almost done. Doesn't take much to set a table properly, though you wouldn't think it to see some people's kitchens. Breakfast'll be out in a minute, and Athena'll be down five minute later- can set your clock by that women. "
     In five minutes not only Aunt Athena but also the rest of her guests had appeared downstairs, and they sat casually around the table, even Sirius basking in the laziness of a warm summer morning.
     "Any plans for today, Harry?" he asked Sirius, leaning back in his chair with a cup of coffee.
     Harry grinned at Lila, "Well, I was thinking since its Lila's first time in England, we could do something interesting. Of terrible historical importance, of course."
     Aunt Athena either didn't catch or chose to ignore the gentle sarcasm in his last comment as she clapped her hands together excitedly, "Splendid idea, Harry. There is an old castle not too far from here- it would be a magnificent way to spend the morning. What d’you say, Sirius?"
     "Sounds fine to me. I'm going to lie low around here- last thing we need is someone spotting and reporting me now. And I'd really rather be here when Remus decides to wake up."
     "Go pack a day bag," Aunt Athena told Lila, "I'll see if Patrick is up to it- heaven knows Ned will be."
     Lila excused herself up to her room to pack her bag, rather dizzy at the speed that decisions seemed to be made around here. A half hour later, she, Harry, Aunt Athena, Patrick, Deirde and Ned had headed out on foot towards the old ruins.
Aunt Athena kept a surprisingly quick pace and by the time they reached the building, Lila was glad for a chance to rest. She sat down on a cold, moss covered stone and looked over at the castle that Aunt Athena, Patrick and Harry had already gone inside. Even now surrounded by a small forest, it looked rather imposing and Lila shuddered to think how it must have looked in its prime.
     "Does anyone live there now?" she asked Deirde, taking Ned from the older girls arms and into her own lap. He looked up at her with big, sea green eyes, sucking his thumb shyly, as if he quite didn't know whether to trust her yet. Then he obviously decided she was okay and snuggled into closer to go to sleep, and despite the warm day Lila felt very comfortable.
     Deirde laughed, "Of course not. Been empty for ages. Forgot who it was originally supposed to belong to- most likely Arthur. You'll find that's most everything's claim to fame here. But for several centuries, the Pettigrew’s owned it, a very old family, bless their souls to heaven, they've all but died out by now. At least that's what we hope."
     "What d’you mean by that?" asked Lila, but before Deirde got a chance to answer, Harry's voice rang out from the big doorway of the castle.
     "You guys coming in or what? It's not that scary, I swear."
     Lila jumped of the rock, set Ned down gently on the ground and took his small hand, leading him over to where Harry was standing. "It does look rather frightening," she grinned, "You'll warrant to protect us, good knight, perchance something vile and hairy jumps out from behind these walls of stone?"
     He made a playful bow and kissed her hand jauntily, "By my word, sweet lady."
     "I suppose that will have to do for now."
     Harry laughed and took Ned's other hand, so the little boy was walking in between them, "So what's your particular phobia? I won't laugh, just so I know what to look out for."
     She grinned sheepishly, "It's rather silly..."
     "Nonsense. No such thing as a silly phobia, as long as it’s very real to someone. My best friend Ron, for instance, is terrified of spiders. Bravest guy in the world when it comes to anything else, but when it comes to those arachnids..."
     "Rats. I'm scared to death of rats."
     Harry, true to his word, didn't laugh, but instead looked her quite seriously in the eye, "So am I," he said quietly, "More than you will ever know."

Remus Lupin awoke with a start, rather confused for a moment as to where exactly he was. The sun was already high in the sky, sinking lower with every passing minute. He had been out of it for a rather long time, it seemed.
     He remembered crawling in early this morning- what is even this morning? Or yesterday morning? Sometime last week? - somehow he found his way up to this room- he looked around wryly. It had to be this room didn't it? He hadn't seen it in nearly sixteen years, but the memories it held were still as poignant as it had been yesterday. James and Lily and Sirius- he could've sworn it was Sirius who helped him this morning. But even Sirius wouldn't be that foolish, would he?
     There was a sharp knock on the door and Remus groaned. He would be. It was Sirius he was talking about. Back in the old days, he would have found having a price on his head considerable fun. Why should he change any now?
     "Come in," he called in a hoarse voice.
     The door opened and Sirius stuck his head in, "Hey. You okay?"
     He stood up out of bed, testing his legs, steadying himself against the bedpost, "Yea. But what the hell are you doing here? Your aware that Malfoy has half the country searching for you?"
     "Quite. But have they found me yet?"
     "Not yet. So of course, the first thing you do is rush off to Athena's, so you can give them a chance, as well as the chance to endanger your Aunt and godson, not to mention yourself?"
     "Never knew you cared, Remus," said Sirius, before turning serious, "Actually, I have thought this through. Malfoy would never have the guts to stand up to Athena, and even if he did, I'd rather be here to give him a piece of my mind..."
     Remus shook his head dryly, "Harry arrived yet?"
     "Yesterday. Athena has a rather full house, but we'll talk about that aspect of this summer later. You hungry?"
     "Starved," he admitted.
     Sirius grinned, "Let's go down to the kitchen. We have a lot to talk about."

Aunt Athena didn't lead them back to the house until late, after the picnic lunch Deirde had packed had been completely devoured and they had taken a brief swim in the ocean, and the sun was already low on the western horizon.
     "'East, West, Home's the best'," quoted Aunt Athena contentedly as they climbed the steps to the kitchen door, the only one of them who didn't seem a bit fatigued by the afternoon's activities, "One of the nicest things about going away, if only for a short while, is always coming back home again."
     "I'll agree with that," Deirde sighed, as she led the nearly asleep Ned up the back stairs, "There's nothing quite like the familiarity of your own home."
     "Shall we adjourn to the parlour?" Aunt Athena asked pleasantly, "I fear I hear voices- those boys never did know what was good for them. Remus should be in bed and it wouldn't hurt Sirius any either."
     Harry shrugged and gave Lila a small grin as they followed Aunt Athena, who hadn't even waited see if they were following.
     The voices were indeed coming from the parlour, where Lila was greeted by the sight of Sirius and another man who she figured must be the much allusioned to Professor Lupin. For all the talk about him, she was rather disappointed. He had the same ageless quality as Sirius, as a young man who has aged very much in a very short time. His brown hair was streaked with grey and looked as if he had been rather ill recently.
     "Hullo, Harry," said the aforementioned Professor amicably, "Aunt Athena."
     Aunt Athena rolled her eyes affectionately, "Bless my soul, I'm surrounded by them. Very nice to see you awake, Remus. You found your room to your liking?"
     For a moment a shadow crossed over his face, gone before Lila had half a chance to analyse it, "Of course."
     "Very nice. Why don't we all sit down and be sociable? This is Lila Cooper, Remus. In from America for the summer."
     "Pleased to meet you, sir," she said, taking a seat next to Harry on a small couch.
     He gave her a pleasant smile, "Sirius was just telling me about you. I met your father once when I was in his area- rather wise man. But you look very much like your mother."
     "You knew my mother too?"
     "Met her once or twice, very briefly, I'm afraid."
     "Oh," said Lila.
     "What have you guys been up to all day?" asked Sirius.
     Harry grinned, "Stuff."
     "We were down at the old Pettigrew place," said Aunt Athena, watching his face intently, "The ancestral stone, I think I remember a very dear friend once calling it."
     Sirius exchanged looks with Professor Lupin but kept his voice calm, "I seem to recall something of that name. No Pettigrews live there anymore, I assume?"
     "Not unless they were hiding in the woodwork," she said seriously, "And I feel that would be most unlikely. There did not seem to be much of anything living there anymore- not even a rat."
     "Are you suggesting your dear friend may have been mistaken?" asked Remus.
     "Quite the contrary. I am only suggesting that perhaps certain fears are ungrounded."
     "I hope so," said Harry suddenly, shivering as one is supposed to when someone walks over the spot that is to someday be their grave. Lila was beginning to feel rather out of it, as if everyone else were speaking a language she did not understand.
     "Don't waste your wishes," Sirius said, looking disgusted, "Some people aren't worth it."
      "And some people are," said Aunt Athena cheerfully, not bothering to explain herself as she stood up from her chair, "Now just where has Patrick got to? Excuse me while I go try to find him."
     With that, she swept out of the room, leaving four rather bewildered houseguests, some more than others. She wasn't sure if it had just been the afternoon's heat, but Lila found herself quite dazed.
     Sirius grinned at her, "You enjoy the ruins?"
     "Pretty well," she answered, "Maybe it's just me, but some place that's been deserted for so long kind of gives me the creeps. Same thing when I go out with dad to the sites. And it didn't help much when Harry got us lost- some of those hallways seemed to go on forever."
     "And there were times I could of sworn we had gone underground- once I even thought I heard the ocean," added Harry.
     "It may of been," said Professor Lupin thoughtfully, "The last owners of the house never fully understood where they lived- I’ve been told their are plenty of hidden passages. Even found a few ourselves."
     "Which would mean you had stumbled onto the one passage we spent whole summers looking for," said Sirius gloomily, "Quite unfair, if you think about it."
     "Life is unfair."
     "Don’t I know that!"
     Professor Lupin sighed thoughtfully, "Then I suppose the point of life is not only to acknowledge the unfairness, because you are never going to be completely happy if you live in a bubble, but to take it and live your life to the fullest anyway. To triumph against it. A never-ending battle that few ever truly win."
     "Whatever are you talking about, Remus?" Sirius asked impatiently.
     But Remus' attention had been drawn to a door on the far side of the room that had just burst open, revealing a rather pretty woman, thin cheeks pink from running, long blonde hair streaming behind her. She had started to call out a cheerful greeting, but at the sight of Remus, stopped short. Professor Lupin stood silently up, shakily supporting himself on a high table. All was quiet in the room for a few moments.
     "Who's that?" Lila whispered in Harry's ear, as he had seemed to know most everyone so far.
     He shrugged, "Beats me."
     "Remus..." the lady finally said, "I... they... told me it was... Sirius... who had come..."
     "I did," said Sirius, standing up to his full height and grinning as if something amused him immensely, "So much for trying to keep my whereabouts a secret. Who told you?"
     "Deirde," she answered rather breathlessly, not taking her eyes off of Remus.
     "Hullo, Mairwen," Professor Lupin said softly.
     "Her name is Mairwen," whispered Harry helpfully. Lila gave him a small kick in the foot to quiet him, greatly interested in the scene unfolding in front of her.
     "Hullo, Remus," Mairwen answered lightly, "I didn't expect to see you here. You are well, I hope?"
     He nodded, "As well as one may expect. You?"
     "Splendid," her face regained some of its colour and she turned to Sirius, "There you are. I rushed right over as soon as I heard. Why didn't you tell me yourself?"
     Sirius rolled his eyes, "It was supposed to be a secret. But seeing as those are nearly impossible to keep around this place... I was going to tell you sooner or later."
     "Perhaps later?" grinned Mairwen.
     "Perhaps," answered Sirius airily, "There are certain people I do not wish to draw the attentions of."
     Mairwen made a face, "That Malfoy-"
     "There will be enough time for that later," Sirius interrupted, nodding subtly in Lila's direction, "As I get the distinct impression you and Remus have met, allow me to introduce Lila Cooper and Harry Potter. This is Mairwen Tremayne. She went to school with your parents and Remus and me, Harry.
     Harry rose to shake her hand, "It's very nice to meet you."
     Mairwen gave him a grin, "Very nice to see you again, Harry. Although last time I saw you, you were only a baby- you've grown quite a bit since then. I have to admit that when I first entered, I thought it was James sitting there. Gave me quite a shock."
     "Of course," Sirius smirked, "It's been quite awhile, Mairwen. You still live around here?"
     She nodded, "Colin and I still live in our parents house just up the road."
     "Pass our congratulations onto Colin, Deirde told us he was getting married. No such plans yourself?" Sirius asked and Lila couldn't shake the feeling he was gently teasing her.
     "No such plans," she said shortly, busying herself with the letter in her hand, "I was bringing this up to Aunt Athena. Is she in?"
     "Will be shortly," Sirius motioned for her to take a seat, "Sit, love. You too, Remus. You scarcely look strong enough to be out of bed."
     "It was a full moon last night," Mairwen remarked, looking at Professor Lupin for the first time since her entrance. Lila felt a stirring of her old impatience. What was up with these people and the moon?
     "Aye," he agreed softly.
     Sirius turned towards Mairwen and grinned, "Lila and I were just having an interesting debate about the existence of magic in today's world. She's of the impression it can not exist."
     Mairwen raised an eyebrow and gave Lila a small grin, "It all depends on what you call magic, doesn't it?"
     "What d’you call magic?" asked Lila, trying successfully to choke back her surprise.
     "I believe there's many different kinds. A mere sunrise can hold more magic than any book of spells. A baby’s first breath, that's a type of magic too. And love- perhaps love is the most powerful magic of them all."
     Lila gave her a wide smile, "I agree with that. Great love can move mountains."
     "Great love can do many things. It is what makes life possible, and in it's true form is very powerful indeed. Once found, it is to be prized, held onto with open hands. And to be mourned as more than a death when lost."
     "Can it ever be truly lost?" Professor Lupin asked, leaning back in his chair with an odd expression in his face, "It is not easy to gain and cannot be killed easily once it has."
     "You’ll find it starves to death quite easily," she said simply.
     It was silent for a few moments before Sirius broke into it with a short cough into his fist, "Your turn, Harry."
     "What?"
     "Don’t you want your turn to play Philosopher? Seems to be the general premise of our conversations today. Gets quite old, if you ask me."
     "No one did," said Mairwen.
     Sirius only grinned at her, "It’s certainly nice to have you back. My life was getting all together too pleasant."
     "Always glad to be of service. It’s been a long time."
     "It certainly has. Certainly has."

Chapter 4
Enter Ron ~ Enter Hermione ~ Shooting the Messenger
     It was nearly three weeks before Harry was able to work up the nerve to ask Deirde anything about his parents. It wasn't that he was afraid she wouldn't tell him anything- quite the contrary, he knew. But for the first time in his life, he was thoroughly enjoying this summer and somehow the thought of what he might learn scared him.
     But Lila had asked him to find out something from her- and as Sirius observed one evening last week he was becoming dreadfully whipped. Somehow he didn't quite mind it- she was certainly a whole lot prettier than Uncle Vernon and she always said 'please' too.
     Harry found Deirde in the kitchen, cheerfully but tunelessly humming to herself as she rolled out dough for the night's meal. Ned sat happily at the table playing with his puppy, with a solemnity rare for a three-year-old boy.
     "What can I do for you, Harry?" she asked.
     Harry leaned pensively against the kitchen counter. It was now or never, "Did you know my parents?"
     If Deirde was surprised at this question, she didn't show it, "I did, actually. I was only Lila's age when they was killed- two of the nicest people I had ever met."
     "They were up here often, then?"
     "All the time. Never had this house been more alive than those seven years they went to Hogwarts. Lily would stay with Mairwen nearly all summer and they'd come over here early and stay late- 'twas the merriest group I had ever seen. If you could last five minutes around them without smiling, then there was no hope for you at all."
     Harry found himself grinning, too, "My parents- what were they like?"
     "Your mother was the prettiest, sweetest thing- but tougher than she looked. Could hold a grudge for ages- both she and your father were rather good at that. Hated each other until their seventh year. Then all of a sudden the universe shifted- at least that's the way Lily used to put it- and you never saw two people more in love."
     "What about Mairwen? If she was such a good friend of my mothers why have I never heard of her before?"
     Deirde smiled shrewdly, "And how long was it that you had never heard of Sirius or Remus? Small wonder they never mentioned her before now. Though quite understandable when you think about it..."
     "She and Sirius...?"
     Deirde laughed merrily, "Heavens, no. If Sirius ever had eyes for anyone but your mother I certainly never heard about it. And if Mairwen ever had eyes for anyone but your young professor I'd be as equally surprised. But the fates conspire against us, or certainly did them. After your parents death he was awful tore up, and with his condition in the first place..."
     "Oh," said Harry faintly as Ned decided he had spent too long being quiet and let out a blood-curdling scream, "Thank-you, Deirde."
     "Any time you'd like, Harry," grinned Deirde distractedly as she rushed towards her shrieking son.

Lila was reading in her room when she heard her door slam open melodramatically. She didn't look up but allowed herself a small grin, "So what's the story, Harry?"
     He flung himself next to her on the bed and propped his head up on his elbows, "You were right."
     She smiled smugly, "I knew it. Deirde give you any details?"
     "Not anything particular."
     "Why d’you think she broke it off?" Lila wondered, "Both of them are still obviously... I mean, d’you see the way he looks at her when he thinks no one is paying attention?"
     "From what I gathered, he's the one who broke it off."
     Lila frowned and sat up, "But that doesn't make any sense. Why?"
     "I don't really see how that is any of your business, " Harry said, also sitting up,  "Circumstances you can't fully appreciate right now, perhaps. But in any case it’s really between Professor Lupin and Mairwen."
     "I guess," Lila sighed and paused, "Professor Lupin, eh? You know I've never got around to asking what exactly he teaches?"
     Harry hesitated, "Er... History."
     "History? That's probably why he knows my dad. What area does he specialise in?"
     "He...  English history, of course."
     "Of course," mimicked Lila in a high falsetto accent, "You British think you’re so much better than everybody else, don't you?"
     "Of course," he grinned, leaning in close to kiss her.
     Lila let him pull her back down, enjoying the closeness of him. She smiled and gently pushed his hair back from where it fell over his eyes, for the first time noticing a long, jagged scar on his forehead, "Where'd you get that, Harry?"
     He put his hand up over her hers, where she was softly tracing it, "A very long time ago...  in a... car crash. The one that killed my parents."
     "I'm sorry."
     "There's nothing you could have done about it."
     "I know, but I'm sorry just the same. When my mother died... does it hurt much?"
     "Sometimes. Are we playing twenty questions?"
     She sighed again, giving him a small smile, "I don't really know you, Harry. And I want to. More than anything."
     "Do you?" he muttered, staring past her, out the open window, "You might decide you don't."
     "What d’you mean by that?" she demanded.
     "D’you trust me, Lila?"
     The question caught her by surprise, "I don't really see why I should. But I do."
     "Then you'll have to trust me now," he said softly, urgently, "There are things I... can't particularly tell you right now. Not because I don't want to. But this summer is to be marked forever in blood, Lila, and I don't want it to be yours."
     "I don't understand. Someday..." she started, softly tracing his scar again.
     Harry grinned in a mixture of relief and sorrow, "Someday..."
     There was a sharp knock on the door and they both jumped up to get it.
     "Hello, Fletcher," said Lila, smoothing down her hair.
     "Ms. Lila," he nodded, giving her one of his shy smiles before turning to Harry, "Master Sirius told me I'd find you here. There are guests for you down in the parlour. A certain Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger?"
     Harry frowned thoughtfully, "I thought they were in Romania..."
     "Evidently not. You gonna go down or not?" asked Lila. Harry grabbed her hand and they rushed down the hall. She could tell he was rather worried about the recent developments and they reached the parlour in record speed.
     Two people were sitting on a couch, arguing quietly but heatedly, trying not to disturb Professor Lupin who was reading a book near the back wall. The boy was quite tall with dark red hair, the girl with frizzy brown hair and a rather pretty face. Lila felt an unexplainable rush of jealousy at the look of relief on Harry's face as she jumped up off the couch and gave him a quick hug, "Harry! We were so worried!"
     The other boy rolled his eyes and stood up off the couch, "Only because you never listen to me when I tell you that everything is completely okay."
     Harry grinned, "Hey, Hermione. Hey, Ron. I thought ya'll were visiting Charlie in Romania this summer."
     "Fred and George took Ginny as soon as term ended, and Mum left yesterday. But dad had to stay here, so I decided this would be better than watching dumb old Charlie gloat over his dragons."
     "He's been worried about you too, Harry," said Hermione, and for the first time Lila noticed the dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn't slept in weeks.
     "There's no reason to be," he assured her.
     "But Sirius- and You-Know-Who-"
     "Who's You-Know-You?" asked Lila, slightly amused at the name.
     Hermione and Ron looked at her as if they were seeing her for the first time, unreadable expressions on their faces.
     "You-Know-You?" repeated Harry, looking desperately around the room, "Oh, that's just our pet name for... er... Prince Charles. It's an English thing. You can't call members of the royal family by their... er... real names."
     He faltered and Lila looked at him cautiously, "I have come to the conclusion that you British are very odd."
     "You ever been to New York City?" asked Harry, "Talk about strange Americans."
     "I didn't think we were," she grinned.
     He smiled back before turning back to his friends, "This is Lila Cooper. She's in from America for the summer. Lila, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, my two best friends from school."
     "Eton?"
     Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry, "Sure."
     "Wanna show us around the house, Harry?" asked Hermione, "We only just got here."
     "Still dizzy," muttered Ron.
     Harry looked questionably at Lila, "That okay?"
     "I don't care."
     "Good. It'll only be a quick tour."
     "I'm dying to see the library," added Hermione.
     "Fine," Lila said, seating herself down across from Remus, who was still absorbed in his book, "See ya."
     Ron turned back to her with an almost suspicious look in his eye, and was about to open his mouth to say something when Hermione came over, "Come on, Ron."
     He followed her to the door Harry was holding open, allowing his hand to brush over the small of her back. Lila watched until they were out of sight and the door shut closed before treating herself to another sigh.
     Professor Lupin looked up from his book and gave her a small smile, "It's going to be a long summer and they have things to discuss. Don't take it too personally."
     She sighed again, "I'll try not to. What are you reading?"
     "Astronomy."
     "Oh. Rather odd choice for a History Professor."
     "A what?" Professor Lupin looked startled for a moment before a hint of a smile, "Oh- Harry?"
     She nodded warily, "Yessir."
     "What exactly is odd about my choice of reading? Isn't everything somehow relevant to everything else, Astronomy and History, Philosophy and Geography? They all interconnect somehow."
     "That's a pretty thought. Anything interesting in your book?"
     "Plenty. The ancient Egyptians, who regarded it as a token of a good harvest, revered the Dog Star, Sirius, as the brightest star in the heavens. Their temples were constructed in a way so that it's light reached even the inner chambers. Is that enough history for you?"
     Lila nodded thoughtfully, "Is that what your friend Sirius Black is named after?"
     "Probably. I've never thought to ask."
     "You've known him a long time, though?"
     "He's one of my oldest friends. We went to school together."
     "That must be nice," sighed Lila, "To keep being friends with a person for so many years. You've known Mairwen all that time, too?"
     Professor Lupin frowned and looked down at his book, "Did you know the hottest part of the summer coincides with the helical rising of Sirius, which is how it acquired the name of 'dog days'?"
     Lila grinned, "I love being right."

Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were sitting around a few dusty tomes in the library.
     Hermione was leaning over the biggest of the books, excitedly flipping through, "This is really cool, Harry. Look, here's a Veritas per Malus spell. These are books even Hogwarts doesn't have."
     "Don't you mean Eton, Hermione?" grinned Ron, gently pushing back some of the hair that had fallen over her eyes, "That is where we go, isn't it?"
     Harry grinned, "Shut up. I don't reckon Lila would take too kindly to learning she's sharing this house with a bunch of wizards and witches."
     "What's she doing here, then?" wondered Ron, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table, which Hermione pushed off too make room for another book, "This has to be one of the most wizard-y and witch-y houses in the whole of Britain. Your Aunt Athena is very powerful, Harry. Almost equals Dumbledore."
     "She's Sirius' aunt, not mine," Harry said, "And so far she hasn't given the impression that she's as powerful as you say. Just a rather batty old woman."
     "And batty isn't a word you could use to describe Dumbledore?" asked Hermione matter-of-factly. She closed the book in front of her and looked up with a thoughtful frown, "But at least with Ms. Black, you'll be safe."
     Harry sighed and put his elbows on the table, "Why aren't you in Romania, Ron? And don't give me that stuff about how you didn't really want to go. For the whole last term, it was all you talked about."
     "Things are happening, Harry. You know that, better than anyone. And we know that You-Know-" he caught Harry's severe glance and spat out, "Voldemort- has it out for you. With all those threats you were getting at the end of term last year..."
     "That's why Sirius sent me here."
     "We know," said Hermione, "But Sirius is part of the problem. Lucius Malfoy is putting a whole lot of pressure of the Ministry to get him found. It's almost an obsession. And as you and Professor Lupin are probably the closest to him..."
     "It's coming from all sides," Ron said simply.
     "I know. Don't you think I know? Don't you think Aunt Athena and Dumbledore are doing everything they can?"
     Ron hesitated, "I trust Dumbledore. And we all know that Athena Black would never do anything intentionally to harm anyone, especially you or Sirius. But are you certain you can trust everyone..."
     Harry glared at him, "Everyone here. Aunt Athena and Sirius and Lupin for sure, and although I've only known them for a short time, Mairwen and Colin would never turn to the dark side. And Aunt Athena would trust Patrick with her life. Who else does it leave? Everyone here is for us."
     "You know who it leaves, Harry," said Hermione quietly, "How much d’you really know about her?"
     Harry thought back grimly to their last conversation, "Not much... but enough to know she isn't in league with Voldemort. She thinks You-Know-Who is Prince Charles, for Christ’s sake..."
     "Harry-" Hermione started.
     "She's just an ordinary Muggle. Keep her out of your Ministry's McCarthyism, okay?"
     "We're not accusing-"
     "Sure your not. The Ministry suspects everyone, and Fudge is too much of a damn fool to do anything about it. Never thought I'd see the day when you became a pawn of a Malfoy, Ron."
     Ron flushed bright red, "I'm not a pawn. Sorry if I was actually concerned about you."
     Hermione put a gentle hand on his arm to keep him from flying at Harry, "Ron, don't"
     Ron sat back grudgingly, "Just keep an eye out for her, okay Harry?"
     "You'd better," said Hermione, "If she's not evil, she's an innocent. And the innocents are always the first to suffer."

Later that night, in the parlour, Sirius sighed contentedly, propping his feet up on a nearby table and opening up a copy of The Daily Prophet. His good mood, however, didn't last for long,  "Damn that fool Fudge!" he stormed after only a few minutes, bringing a rather hard fist down on the arm of his chair.
     "What's he doing now?" asked Remus, looking up from his book, trying to hide the corners of his mouth that would twitch up no matter how hard he tried to keep in mind the gravity of the situation.
     Sirius sighed, exasperated, "The better question would be what isn't he doing? "
     "To which the answer would be?"
     "Anything intelligent. Playing right into Malfoy's hands, the imbecile. He'll kill us all one day, Remus, if Voldemort doesn't take advantage of his stupidity and wipe us all out first."
     "Glad to see your taking a bright view of the future," he answered dryly.
     "Any time, Moony. Any time."

Chapter 5
Exit Fudge and your little Ministry, too ~ A lass and alas for Ron
     Meanwhile, in Hermione's room, she and Ron were having a much different conversation.
     "D’you think he loves her?" asked Hermione, crawling sleepily into bed.
     "Love might still be a strong word," Ron answered, stretching out lazily beside her, "But yea. He will."
     Hermione sighed, propping her head up on one elbow as she turned so she was facing him, "Lila seems like a sweet enough kid. I don't know, Ron. What if we've just become paranoid?"
     "I'd say, 'What else is new?’ I don't reckon I've ever known you when you haven't been paranoid, Hermione."
     She glared at him, "I'm serious here, Ron. I'm scared. I know it's terrible, but I'm not as scared for Harry and Sirius and Professor Lupin and the fate of the free world as I am for myself. Am I turning into one to someone who doesn't know how to trust anybody at all? Because I don't. Not even Harry completely anymore."
     "You trust me," he grinned, trying to make her smile.
     "Most of the time," she answered, biting her lip down in effort not to cry, "But sometimes not even you. Everything is falling apart, Ron. One more month and You-Know-Who will have got Harry- there's only so much we can do- and once he's gone- Ron, he was the boy who lived-"
     "And he's still alive. Don't borrow trouble- Dumbledore-"
     "Couldn't do anything that last time, could he? Harry's parents still died. Hundreds of wizards and witches still died-"
     He put his arms around her and held her close, unable to think of anything comforting to say. He couldn't deny it, or pretend that they'd wake up tomorrow and it would have all gone away. So he merely held her, letting her tears fall onto his shoulder, crying herself to sleep, letting her know he would be there for her through the tears, and after she was done.

It had been early morning by the time Harry's mind finally relaxed enough to let him get to sleep, but he was up and fully dressed before the time the eastern sky began to lighten. His indecision haunted him- he could simply not believe Lila was working for Voldemort and he felt a fresh stab of anger towards Ron for suggesting it. But he had had a point, and Harry knew he had hurt him with his accusations of Ron as Malfoy's pawn. After all, he was only concerned about him. But it was no excuse, Harry thought angrily as he checked on Lila, still peacefully asleep in the next room.
     Maybe Ron was as confused as he was. Harry doubted anyone, except perhaps Voldemort or Dumbledore, saw anything that was happening this summer with any sort of clarity. There were the threats at the end of last term. And the rumours that Voldemort had fully regained power and was after him. And then there was Malfoy's growing obsession with catching Sirius. And where did Lila fit into all this? Why had Aunt Athena made sure she was here, at this place, this summer, an ordinary muggle girl? Where did Aunt Athena herself fit in? Mairwen? Remus? Colin? Himself? There were too many loose strands, tangled knots... he could not for the life of him guess what could the overall pattern of the tapestry be.
     Harry sighed and rubbed his temples wearily. It was starting to give him a headache.
     He headed across the hall to Ron's room, thinking that he, at least, could try to patch things up with him. Ron, however, wasn't there and Harry felt a trifle annoyed. Here was, taking the first step, ready to apologise, and the apologee wasn't even around.
But how many places could he be at five 'o clock in the morning? Not the library or the stables or the dining room- Harry collapsed down into a chair in the parlour nearly an hour later, hardly able to remember why he had been so anxious to find him in the first place.
     He glanced at the big Grandfather Clock that stood in the parlour. Six-thirty. Hermione would be up by now, and might know where Ron had disappeared too, and anyway, there were some things he wanted to discuss with her too.
     A few minutes later he was panting at her threshold, pushing the door open gently as she answered to his knock.
     She was still in her nightgown and Harry felt himself blush a little, "Good morning. You know where Ron is?"
     "You try his room?" she asked absently, fishing around in a drawer for what looked like a pair of jeans.
     "Yea. Wasn't there."
     "You might try again. If he's not there this time, I don't know. He said something last night about talking to you before breakfast."
     "Thanks."
     "No problem," she finally must have found the jeans she was looking for and she pulled them out, "Listen, Harry? Don't be too hard on him. We're all awful stressed and he's taking it the hardest of anybody."
     "Lila is still innocent," he said stubbornly.
     "No one ever said she wasn't. We only said you need to be on guard."
     "Do you believe she's innocent, Hermione?"
     Hermione frowned down at the jeans she held in her hand, "I want to, Harry. I really do. She doesn't seem like a servant of You-Know-Who, but neither did Pettigrew..."
     "Pettigrew's gone. Dead, most likely."
     "But You-Know-Who isn't..."
     "Voldemort," came a hard voice from the doorway that separated Hermione and Ron's rooms, never the less flinching a little as he said it, "From now on we call him by his true name."
     "What's the matter, Ron?" asked Hermione anxiously.
     He thrust a piece of paper in her hands, "When I got back to my room this morning the owl was already waiting for me with that in its talons."
     Hermione skimmed it quickly, turning white as she read, "Oh, no-" she whispered faintly.
     "What is it?" Harry asked.
     "It's from Dumbledore," Ron answered dully, "It seems early this morning Fudge called an emergency meeting for all the members of the Ministry. So they were all there when the building was destroyed. No one-" for the first time his voice faltered "-no one survived. Not even Malfoy."

It seemed the same wind had brought owls to all of them, for when Harry, Ron, and Hermione went downstairs not five minutes later, Aunt Athena, Patrick and Lupin were already in the parlour, listening to an outraged Sirius yell curses out to everyone he could think of that might be slightly responsible.
     "Damn Voldemort. Damn the bloody fool Fudge. Playing right into his fingers when he called that meeting- what the hell could the bastard have been thinking? Damn Pettigrew-"
     "Sirius," injected Aunt Athena calmly, "What good is this doing besides raising your blood pressure a few good notches? As for damning Peter, it seems a trifle unfair once you take into consideration he's probably been dead for at least two years-"
     "Just honouring his memory," Sirius said acidly before the effort of holding his anger for a minute caught up with him and he let out a loud, "Damn them all!"
     "I see you have heard the news," came a tired voice from the doorway, which Harry recognised as Mairwen, "We came right over as soon as we heard."
     Aunt Athena got up and enfolded, first her, and then Colin, in a comforting embrace, then let them over to the couch, "Just sit down next to Remus, dear. It'll be okay."
     Mairwen uncomfortably took the seat, trying to make room for Aunt Athena to sit on her other side without actually having any physical contact with him. It turned out to be near impossible, which might have been Aunt Athena's intention, and she gave up and turned her attention towards Harry and his friends, "I'm very sorry, Ron."
     "Reckon I shall have to write to Mum in Romania," Ron answered in the same dull voice he had been using ever since he got the news.
     "I'm sure Dumbledore will have already taken care of that, Ron," said Lupin kindly.
     "Of course," he answered, sitting absently on a small side-table.
     Hermione glanced worriedly at him than back to Aunt Athena, "What can we do about it?"
     The elderly woman sighed, "I fear not much- what’s done is done and there is nothing left to do but learn from our mistakes- although I suppose I shall have to drop in on the scene- Albus is a delightful young man but not particularly endowed for this type of business- takes it entirely too personally."
     "It wasn’t personal?" asked Sirius bitingly, "What was it then?"
     "I’m not quite sure," she admitted, "But it won’t do us very much good to jump right back into the frying pan, will it?"
     "What d’you mean?" asked Colin.
     Aunt Athena sat up off the couch and brushed invisible crumbs from her lap, "I think it would be best for us to stay here today. Later I shall go to Diagon Alley, but I fear we will have many visitors today. People are dreadfully shaken… and Albus will find it quite humorous to send them here for comfort. I would suggest you find something for Lila to do that will keep her away from here?"
     "Tell her we have to go into town for something boring," suggested Hermione, "I’m sure Deirde wouldn’t mind taking her to the beach or something."
     Harry looked dubious but answered slowly, "I guess if we have to."
     "I’d make it quick," suggested Sirius as they heard Patrick’s deep voice outside the door with two higher pitched voices.
     He made a quick exit as two tearful witches entered the room, whom Aunt Athena immediately took into an immense hug, "There, there… We know…"
     It was going to be a very long day.

Chapter 6
Enter Pettigrew ~ What a tangled web we weave ~ Lila’s choice
     An hour later, Lila was down at the beach, accompanied by Deirde, Ned, and a rather large picnic lunch. She sat on the edge of the of the water, thoughtfully chewing a tomato sandwich, watching Ned try to build a sand castle, idling listening to Deirde's chatter.
     "And I says to him, I says, "Master Colin, I wouldn't believe a word of it if I were you." I could scarcely believe even he could. Now, you know I'm not one to talk about someone behind their back but Master Colin is hardly the brightest in the pack. To believe such a thing about one's own fiancé! He's very book-smart, though, all the Tremaynes were. Back when I was a little girl, they were one of our eldest and most established families. Now it's only Colin and Mairwen- good thing Colins marrying or the line would die out completely. Mairwen's real nice but the essential shrew..."
     "Deirde," interrupted Lila, "Your hardly fifteen years older than I am. What could have caused the family line to die out so quickly?"
     For one Deirde hesitated before she spoke, obviously torn by the desire to share her knowledge and what must have been an oath not to, "Well, there was strange happenings, Ms. Lila, sad happenings. Can't say no more, but 'twas a dark time in our history."
     "Oh," said Lila, frustrated at how tight-lipped even Deirde was being.
     "You collect shells?" Deirde asked suddenly, training her eyes on Ned, who was running happily in the surf.
     "I haven't."
     "Your Aunt Athena does. And I'd bet she’d be right pleased if you brought her some. She uses them to line her flower bed and it's one of the prettiest things I've seen. I reckon there'd be a few over that dune over there, if you want to go gather some."
     Lila sighed and stood up, brushing the sand off her legs and heading over towards the dune Deirde had pointed out to. She had certainly been right when she had said there were shells here- Lila pulled off her sweater to use as a sort of basket to carry the prettiest shells, trying not to shiver in her bathing suit top as the wind began to pick up a little.
     "Need a little help?" came an oily voice from behind her, and she whirled around to face a short, thin man with a gaunt face and a nearly bald head that never-the-less looked as if it hadn't been washed in a while.
     "Who- who are you?" Lila asked, trying to peer around him to see if Deirde was still there.
     The man smiled slightly nervously, "She can't see us, Lila. The name's Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew."
     "How d’you know my name?" demanded Lila.
     "My master makes it his business to know," the man said, taking her sweater from her and motioning for her to walk with him. Lila shuddered as she saw he was missing a finger. He caught her glance and smiled, "Ah, yes. My finger. An injury imposed upon me by a close friend of yours, I believe. A Mr. Sirius Black?"
     Lila stopped cold, "What do you know about Sirius?"
     "A great deal more than you do, my dear. Perhaps the better question would be what do you know about Black? Or your Aunt Athena? Or even your very own Harry Potter, for that matter?"
     "Enough."
     He laughed again, but it wasn't pleasant like her father's or Harry's, and Lila could detect an almost scared twinge in it, "Your faith in them is touching, Ms. Cooper, however unfounded. It seems to me that they don't even trust you enough to tell you where they were going this afternoon."
     Lila stepped back as if slapped, consciously realising for the first time that they hadn't ever told her exactly where they were going, they never really had. They were always secretive, and Harry hadn’t even bothered to tell her this morning when he disappeared off with Hermione...
     "Ah, yes. Ms. Granger," smiled Pettigrew, as if he could read her thoughts, "Quite fetching, is she not? And he hasn't spent as much time with you since she's been here. Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out he had only been amusing himself with you until she-"
     "I don't believe you," Lila glared, trying to grab her sweater back. He held it easily out of reach.
     "He told you he loved you, didn't he? He told you he would never do anything to hurt you, didn't he? You'll find the promises his sort makes are seldom to be trusted, Lila. I know that from sad experience."
     "His sort?"
     Pettigrew laughed, this time more bitter and wild than scared, "He hasn't told you, has he? This boy whom you have given your heart to doesn't care enough for you to even give you the truth."
     "And just what the truth?" asked Lila desperately, trying not to show how scared she was.
     "You'll find there are varying degrees. But for the truth in this matter, Lila, what would you say if I told you your charming boyfriend, the daring Misters Black and Lupin, and not to mention your aunt- that they all engage in a practice your dear religion holds morally offensive- the practice of witchcraft, perhaps?"
     Lila stared at him dumbly, "If- If you’re trying to make me mad, you'll have to do better than that."
     He put on a pitying face, though scarcely able to hide the joy in his eyes, "I hate to be the one who breaks it to you, Lila. But believe me when I say I'm not lying."
     Lila felt her head spinning, "But- but- Aunt Athena and Harry and Remus-"
     "Oh, Lupin is the very worst of them all," whispered Pettigrew gleefully, "What would the esteemed Dr. Cooper say if he knew for the past month, his daughter had been sharing a house with a werewolf?"
     "Werewolves don't exist," Lila whispered hoarsely.
     "Oh don't they? The full moon is in a week, and then we'll see whose right. But until then-" he pulled out a mess of green plants out of his shabby robe- "Wolfsbane. Just try to get the dear Professor Lupin to touch it."
     He wrapped it in with her shells and handed the sweater back to her.
     "Why- why are you telling me this?"
     Pettigrew chuckled in what might have been sympathy, "My master has been watching you, Lila. I won't lie to you, he has magical abilities also, but he tries to use them for the very best, ridding the world of evil, like Black. He killed twelve people, you know. Or didn't they tell you?" he paused, peering anxiously at Lila, "You could be very valuable to us, my dear. Oh, we would put you in no danger- my master truly cares about all his servants- he would welcome you with open arms-"
     "I-" stuttered Lila, torn between her resentful, betrayed mind which told her acceptance of Pettigrew's offer would he the only way to get back at them, and her dazed, hurt heart, which for some reason still screamed at her to run far away from this man, back up to the house, back to Harry- "How do I know your telling the truth?"
     "You know," he said, "Even now, through your hurt, you see, you see that you knew all along, only refused to see the signs- and if you still need more proof, you have the wolfsbane. See what comes of it. My master is patient. We shall meet again, Lila."
     With that, he simply disappeared and Lila collapsed onto the soft sand on the beach, crying into the shells and wolfsbane until she felt she could cry no more. She didn't know how long she sat there, but it must have been a long time because when she heard Deirde's voice again it was bordering on frantic.
     "I'm right here," called Lila, voice hoarse.
     Deirde rushed over to her, Ned in her arms, eyes shining excitedly, "There you are! We were starting to get worried. Good, you got a lot of shells. Shall we start back up? I really need to talk to Ms. Black about Ned!"
     Lila looked at him curiously as she gathered up her sweater, careful to keep the shells inside and the wolfsbane out of sight, "Is he okay?"
     "More than okay," said Deirde, looking as if she were about to burst with excitement, "I do hope Ms. Black will be home. Did Master Harry not tell you where they were going?"
     "No," Lila said shortly as they reached the house, both glad to see it and dreading it with every inch of her heart. She prayed they would not be home yet. She prayed that they would be, that they would have nice full grocery bags or something equally common, that she could tell Harry about Pettigrew and he would put his arms around her and help her laugh it off, as one would a bad dream. But it wasn't a bad dream. Like Pettigrew had said- she knew. Had her father when he agreed to let her come here?
     They entered quietly through the kitchen and could hear their voices in the dining room. Lila wished she could slip away, but Deirde let her into them. They were all sitting there, as well as Mairwen and Colin, who explained they had just dropped in on their way back from shopping in the village. It reminded Lila a little of a council of war.
     "You had a nice time at the beach, Lila?" asked Aunt Athena pleasantly.
     "Yes'm," she lied, trying to avoid Harry's eyes, "It was fun."
     Aunt Athena beamed approvingly at the both of them, "Ned looks very tired, doesn't he?"
     "He's had a busy day," explained Deirde, "Do you need anything, or may I have a word with you?"
     "Certainly. Excuse me," Aunt Athena nodded towards the other as she got daintily up her chair and let Deirde out of the room, "I shall be back shortly."
     Harry grinned at Lila and pulled out a chair for her, which she hesitantly sat down in, "D'you want some coffee? Although Sirius made it, so you drink it at your own risk."
     "It'd like a little, thank-you. Just black, please."
     Professor Lupin gave her a small grin as he passed down her cup, "You don't look as if the seashore had agreed with you."
     "It was very nice," she answered dully, "I gathered some rather nice shells for Aunt Athena. Deirde told me she collected them."
     "Puts them in her flower bed," said Mairwen, "Is that what you have in your sweater? May I see them?"
     Lila nodded and pushed the bundle towards her, "I didn't know exactly what kind she uses, so I just picked the prettiest ones."
     "They'll work very nicely. Give Harry and Ron something to do for the rest of the summer," Mairwen grinned, to which Lila gave a small chuckle, since it was obvious she was trying to lighten the mood. Mairwen raised her eyebrows slightly at Harry and turned back to the parcel, pulling out the shells and setting them gently on the table. Suddenly she came to something that seemed to catch her off guard, "Where did you gather these shells, Lila?"
     "Just the beach," she answered, not really listening. Her attention had drifted towards Hermione, who was busy scratching something down in her notebook. She was very pretty, despite those rather large front teeth. Could Pettigrew have been right when he implied that she and Harry...
     "What is it?" asked Sirius, lazily reaching across the table to get a look.
     Mairwen looked up and frowned, "Nothing."
     Sirius rolled his eyes, "I did go to school with you for seven years, Mairwen, I know when something is nothing and something is not. Remus, see what she has there."
     "No!" said Mairwen, pulling it away from him and trying to regain composure, "I doubt Remus would be interested."
     "But I am," insisted Sirius, grabbing it and opening it with a triumphant look on his face, which lasted all of two seconds once he looked inside. He turned to Lila severely, "You only went to the beach?"
     "What is it?" asked Ron curiously, one of the first signs of life he had shown all day.
     "She seems to have picked up a great deal of trash," Sirius said loudly, "Sad what people will throw on our beaches."
     "I'll throw it out for you, if you like," offered Professor Lupin.
     "No!" both Sirius and Mairwen jumped up. Professor Lupin only raised a slight eyebrow but let it drop.
     Lila excused herself to go to bed.

It was nearly daylight by the time Peter Pettigrew reached the shelter of his master. He entered warily through the low entrance to the cave and knelt down before the makeshift throne of ancient, moss-covered rock, trying not to show how much he was trembling, "I-I ha-ha-have sp-spoken with the g-girl, m-ma-master."
     "Has she agreed?" he asked in almost bored voice, staring indifferently out at the sea that surrounded them, "Not that it particularly matters, but it would make things so much easier."
     Pettigrew wrapped his cloak closer around him in an attempt to shut out the biting chill of the cave, "A-Almost."
     He sighed, sounding annoyed, "How many times must I explain to you that 'almost' is not good enough? Is she for us or is she against us?"
     "Sh-She'll be f-for us b-by s-su-sunrise, m-master."
     "You gave her the wolfsbane?"
     Pettigrew nodded, "The w-werewolf w-will have been t-trapped into a-ad-admitting himself b-by n-now, m-master, and sh-she will s-see them for w-what th-they are."
     "She will be dreadfully disappointed," his master answered in delight, "So do make sure you are they to 'comfort' her. Bring her to me, making sure those fools see you doing so."
     "I-It sh-shall be as y-you s-say."
     "You have much to risk if it is not. You are sure young Potter will follow?"
     "I-I'm s-sure, m-ma-master."
     His master sighed contentedly, "It shall be very nice to have the Potter line gone for good. Pity I can't kill him until I get my hands on Black. Malfoy has paid for his incompetence, I trust?"
     "Y-yes, m-ma-master. T-took out the w-whole min-ministry a-along w-w-with him."
     "Splendid. The sun rises, Pettigrew. Go fetch me the charming Ms. Cooper."
     "Y-yes, m-master," Pettigrew gulped, hurriedly standing up and heading towards to exit of the cave.
     "And Pettigrew?"
     "M-Master?"
     "Fail me again and you will find Malfoy's fate kind, for I shall kill you myself. But I needn't warn you?"
     "N-no, m-master."
     Pettigrew turned and ran towards the outside, his master's laughter still echoing in his ears.

Lila went up to her room shortly after dinner. She told Aunt Athena she had a headache and would probably go to bed early, which she tried to do.
     But for the first time since her first night here, sleep would not come. She tossed and turned all night, not able to relax. Whenever she felt herself getting comfortable, Pettigrew’s face would appear in front of her, the sniveling delight apparent in her face as he told her what was apparently common knowledge. But if it was, why hadn’t they told her themselves?
     As the dawn broke over the sea, she pulled on a pair of jeans and went downstairs, relinquishing all hopes of ever being able to get back to sleep. She could hear noises from the various rooms as the other inhabitants of the house began their morning rounds, but she made effort to avoid them. She needed to be alone.
     Who was to say it was even true? Why should she take so seriously the words of some most likely drunken bum at the beach?
Because you know it’s true, the little nagging voice at the back of her mind kept telling her.
    "Oh, shut up," she said crossly to no one in particular.
    "Did you hear something?" came a lilting, tired voice from around the inside of a nearby door. Mairwen.
    Lila held her breath. Stupid for not hearing their voices beforehand, but perhaps they wouldn’t think much of it. She crossed her fingers and leaned flat against the wall, as if that could keep her from being seen.
    "No," came Sirius’ voice, sounding preoccupied, and Lila let out a long breath, "Colin made sure she made it to Diagon Alley safely?"
    "He just got home, which is why I came to tell you. She didn’t listen when you tried to convince her to stay?"
    Sirius made a low sound that could have been a tense chuckle, "I’d like to see anyone try to convince Athena Black not to do anything she had determined to do. And she was determined to get down there. Don’t ask me what she thought she could do."
    "You’d be surprised," said Mairwen thoughtfully, "I’ve seen her reduce grown wizards to little children. Without any magic, mind you."
    "Takes a real woman to do that."
    "Shut up," she said good-naturedly, "Do you know where Harry is?"
    "I’m keeping an eye on him, trust me. I have no idea what that bastard Voldemort has up his sleeve. Literally speaking, of course."
    "Lila?"
    Sirius sighed, "I’m keeping an eye on her, too. Though I don’t understand why Athena brought her all into this. A muggle girl, it doesn’t make any sense…"
    "Athena knows what she’s doing," Mairwen said reassuringly, "What about Hermione and Ron? From what you’ve told me about those three… God knows what they might try."
    "I just left them in the kitchen. Not a bad idea. I’m starved. Do you want to eat here?"
    "Sure," she said, pausing for a moment, "And Remus?"
    "So that’s the sudden interest in the whereabouts of everyone in the house. He was still in his room last time I talked to him. Perhaps we should we go up and gather him before we go into breakfast?"
     "If we must," she said, and Lila caught a glance of the two heading the other way and disappearing into a small side door. She leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. So it was true. All of it. She had known, but still…
     "Hey, Lila! There you are," she looked up to Harry coming towards her. Although he did look genuinely pleased to see her, she could tell the smile on his face was most definantly forced.
    "When were you going to tell me, Harry?" she whispered hoarsely, the question slipping out before she had too much of a chance to think about it.
     He looked bewildered and a little bit frightened, "Tell you what?"
     "I'm not stupid, Harry. Did you think I'd never find out? That I was just some naïve little girl, some ignorant little muggle..." his eyes widened, and she laughed mirthlessly, "I'm neither blind nor deaf. Stop treating me as if I was."
     "Lila- I-" he started, reaching out a hand to her which she slapped contemptuously away.
     "I might have understood. Did that never occur to you? I don't like liars, Harry."
     "I never lied to you-"
     "You just never told me the truth," her voice rose as she felt herself beginning to anger, "Just go away. Go away and never come back."
     "Not until you listen to me-"
     "Not until you feed the ignorant little muggle some more lies, you mean? Good-bye, Harry."
     "Lila-" he started, obviously pained, "Stay here and talk to me-"
     "We have nothing to talk about," she said coldly, turning away from him walking away.
     He slumped up against the wall, the sound of the front door slamming echoing through the corridors and in his ears. He felt rather numb- after all the events of yesterday, this was just too much. He should have told her- just the fact that she didn’t know would not make the danger any less. He felt inclined to go after her, but knew if he did, he risked the chance that she would never talk to him again. Damned if he did, damned if he didn’t…
     Rubbing his arms against the sudden chill, he made his way to the dining room. Hopefully Ron or Hermione would be there… he was lucky. They both were.
     He took a seat near the end of the table, where he could see Lila sulking underneath a tree in the front yard.
     "Hey, Harry," said Hermione, passing him a plate of bacon, "You don’t look as if you slept very well."
     "Neither do you."
     She gave him a wane smile, "Did anyone? More eggs, Ron?"
     "No."
     Hermione frowned, "You’ve hardly eaten anything."
     "And you’re hardly my mother."
     "I’m just concerned about you."
     "Go show your concern someplace else and leave me in peace," he grumbled.
     Hermione frowned again and turned to Harry, "Where’s Lila?"
     "Outside," he said, glancing out the window before doing a double take. He jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the window.
     "Harry! Whatever is the matter?" said Hermione, looking very startled as she joined him at the window, looking out into the now empty yard.
     His face was pale, "She was just there a minute ago. Then she left-"
     "So?" Hermione asked impatiently, "Maybe she’s coming in for breakfast."
     "She was leaving. The property. With Pettigrew."

Lila sat under the oak tree in the front lawn, head buried in her arms. She already felt bad for walking out on Harry- but she just couldn’t bring herself to forgive him. She wasn’t used to being lied to and she didn’t appreciate it all.
     They were all deliberately lying to her, Sirius and Aunt Athena and Deirde and Remus- all of them-
     "It is always sad when our heroes show their colours as mortal men," said an oily voice beside her.
    "Pettigrew," she said blandly, looking up to see him sitting beside her.
    He nodded, "I have much experience with that, I’m afraid. Black and Potter- they took me down much the same road. Treated me a naïve child, who could not understand their superior ways. Throughout our school days, they were always looking down on me, oppressing me- afraid that if I ever showed my true potential it would overshadow them, I suppose."
    "What does that have to do with me?" she managed to choke out.
    "I think you know. In time, I found my way to my master, who appreciates me. Appreciates what I can do, would never treat you as… deaf and dumb… because of how you happened to be born. He can even give you power, Lila. Power to rival anything Harry or his kind might try to oppress you with."
    Lila nervously traced the cross on her necklace over and over again, "I don’t need- his kind- of power."
    "They’ve told you he’s evil, haven’t they?" said Pettigrew, putting on a sympathetic face, "And you still believe them? Even with all the lies they have fed you?"
    She didn’t answer and he continued with a smug smile, "It seems to me that they are truly the evil ones. I know my master would never dream of lying to you. I think you have seen how Black and Lupin stand on that subject, keeping you in the dark to your true calling, just as they did me, all those years ago…"
    Quiet tears began to roll down her cheeks, a final release from all the emotion of the past day.
     Pettigrew wrapped his arms around her and she resisted the urge to pull away, "Don't cry, my darling girl. My master knows your sorrow and will make things so much better for you, if you only come."
     Against her better judgement, Lila went.

Chapter 7
Betrayed and Confused ~ Enter Draco
     Not a few minutes later, Harry burst out into the front yard, Hermione and Ron on his heels.
     "She's- she's not here," he gasped, leaning against an ancient tree for support, "But- but I saw Pettigrew-"
     "Are you sure? You did see him from a long ways away," Hermione soothed, "She probably went to the beach. It's a good place to collect your thoughts and that's what she needs desperately right now. We could check, if it would make you feel any better."
     "You and Ron go," he answered dully, "I doubt she'll be there. I've got to go talk to Sirius."

"Do you think she'll be all-right?" asked Remus anxiously, peering out the window in his room, towards the lawn where they had last seen her.
     "She'll be fine," Mairwen said coldly, "Voldemort will make sure nothing happens to his faithful servant."
     "We don't know..."
     "Oh don't we?" said Sirius, pacing angrily up and down the room, "Then why, not five minutes ago, did she leave with the rat? Why did she just happen to have that wolfsbane last night? She was all too glad for this chance to show her true colours!"
     "Of all people, I never thought I'd hear Sirius Black, the same Sirius Black falsely accused of mass murder and treason, utter those words," said Remus, "You are aware that people are still saying much the same things about you, old friend?"
     "You're too sympathetic," said Mairwen, angrily hitting a pillow on the bed where she was sitting, "Last night? That was an attack aimed at you, and you still can defend her?"
     "She's only a little girl."
     "And Pettigrew was only a little boy. Who will have to die this time before you realise? The whole Ministry is gone, Remus. All of them. Ron's father and brother. That damn fool Fudge. Even Malfoy, for Christ's sake. Who will be next? Harry? Athena? Mairwen? How will you feel about the 'little girl' once she has killed Mairwen, Remus?"
     His faced turned white but he kept his voice calm, "Perhaps Voldemort knows that we know about her."
     "Of course he doesn't," Sirius nearly screamed, "She'd be no use to him then-"
     "What use is she to him now?" interrupted Remus, "What possible reason could Voldemort have to enlist the help of a sixteen year old muggle girl? A muggle, Sirius."
     "Harry," answered Mairwen promptly, "She's the key to Harry. And that's who he wants."
     "Of course," said Sirius, looking out the window impatiently, "Which means we have to..."
     There was a sharp knock on the door and Sirius looked exasperated. Mairwen sighed as she got up and opened it to see a very worried looking Hermione and Ron.
     "Harry here?" she asked.
     Mairwen frowned and raised an eyebrow at her friends in the room, "No. He's not with you?"
     "He told us he had to talk to Sirius," said Ron.
     "Damn it!" growled Sirius, "He has too much of James in him for his own good. What d’you want to bet he's gone off after her himself?"
     Hermione turned white and grabbed Ron's arm tightly, "What are we going to do?"
     Sirius cursed again and resumed his pacing, "The fool. The little fool. Didn't he ever stop to think? To do something so incredibly stupid and-"
     "Exactly what you would have done in his place," Remus interrupted.
     "Possibly. Dammit, Most possibly."
     "But what are we going to do about it?" pressed Hermione.
     "Find him before he gets himself killed," Sirius stopped pacing and looked determinedly out the window, "Remus and Mairwen, you take the beach. I'll take inland. Hermione, get yourself to Diagon Alley to find any trace of Athena. Take Ron- no, Ron, you'd better come with me. Take Patrick with you, Hermione. Go now."
     "And may the Force be with you," Hermione muttered sarcastically as he held his hand out as in benediction. Turning to leave, she gave Ron what she hoped was an encouraging smile and hurried out to find Patrick.

Hermione had never grown completely used to Floo Powder and was feeling rather sick as she and Patrick appeared in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron ten minutes later. The small pub was at the busiest she had ever seen it, and their entrance only drew a few hurried glances.
     No one seemed to be ordering much, but the air was filled with subdued, strained voices, who in the face of such monstrosity had rushed to find comfort in the familiar, to hear the voices of those who were still alive as they each tried to make their version of the last mornings events heard.
     Hermione grabbed Patrick's hand, afraid of getting separated from him amongst the crowd of people. He grinned at her apologetically and leaned down to whisper, "We'll be out of here in a second. Until then, hold tight."
     She closed her eyes and let Patrick lead her out, wishing she could somehow cut off her ears, too. She felt herself drowning in the voices around her, the snatches of conversation crashing into her like waves crash into rocks at the beach...
     "...yes, the building was totally destroyed..."
     "...Billy was so proud when he got into the Ministry. If only we could have seen…"
     "...I could of told them this would happen. I always said it was all too easy the first time, no way Potter could have completely destroyed him. He'll be back with a vengeance, now..."
     "...I refuse to believe anyone could be that incompetent. Wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Fudge was a spy for You-Know-Who all along..."
     "...worst loss for the Light in a century..."
     Suddenly, she felt air on her face and despite herself, broke out into a wane smile. But when she opened her eyes she realised that there were even more people milling the street, and she found herself a little scared on the feelings of hopelessness and chaos they projected.
     "I'm frightened, Patrick," she whispered, clutching the older man's hand tightly for support.
     "We all are, love. Our foundations have been shaken and our world turned upside down- where thought we had won we find ourselves failing more bitterly than before."
     "We? Our? You're a wizard, too?"
     He gave her a sad grin, "Of a sort. My parents were both from long lines of wizarding families- I suppose they were dreadfully disappointed that their only son was born a squib. I lived as a muggle, but once my wife died, I found my way to Athena, quite by accident. So in a manner of speaking, yes, I feel your pain as greatly as if it were my own."
     "Fletcher?" asked Hermione.
     "Refuses to believe any of it, even though the truth stands quite clearly in front of him. Deirde is a muggle, but has enough faith for the both of them. Ned- well time shall see. We have excellent reason to believe he is perhaps of your kind."
      "That's what Deirde was so excited about yesterday evening? He did something magical while they were at the beach?"
     Patrick nodded, but didn't say anything as they had reached the site of the former Ministry of Magic building. Something about the ruins demanded respect, even the nervous pedestrians lowered their voices as they walked by.
     Debris littered up and down the street. The only part of the large building left standing was the wide stone foundation, which was irreplaceably cracked in some places. Wizards and witches were working grimly and silently to clear the rubble, and several times Hermione had to duck to avoid the large pieces of rubble they were sending flying through the air.
     "I guess this is as good as place as any to start," whispered Patrick, "Look for Dumbledore- he'll certainly be here and Athena will certainly be nearby. Do you feel okay about splitting up?"
     She nodded blindly and let go of his hand, suddenly aware of the deep marks her fingernails had unwittingly made. If he had felt the pain, he ignored it, and only gave her a hint of a smile before he rushed to what was once the back of the building.
     Hermione started around the other way, slowly, cold in spite of the warm day. It was so much worse than any of them had imagined. Despite how much she wanted him near her right now, she felt suddenly thankful that Ron had not come. The wreckage was almost too much for her, and she could not imagine how it must feel to know its claws held the life of someone you loved...
     She stopped suddenly and frowned, straining her ears for the small sound she had just heard but couldn't quite place. There it was again- almost like a sob- it was coming from a dark corner of an old building that had been tattered but not destroyed by the same force that destroyed the Ministry.
     Seeing nothing, she was about to turn away when she caught a glimpse of what looked like spun gold hiding amongst the deepest of the shadows. She took a step forward, "Draco?"
     He stood up quickly, wiping his eyes hastily with the back of his hand and turning rather red, "What are you doing here, Mudblood?"
     She took another step forward, "Are you okay?"
     "I'm fine," he snapped, "I only thought I'd left something back here. And then some of the dust from the blasted Ministry got in my eye-"
     "Your dad died in the force, too," she said quietly.
     "Too, Mudblood?" he asked sarcastically, "You don't even know what your talking about. Right now, your daddy's nice and safe back home, where all good little muggles should be."
     "Ron's dad was in the Ministry. Percy, too. Maybe I don't know exactly how the two of you feel, no. But I know what it feels like to grieve, all the same."
     Draco only looked at her and she felt quite glad for the darkness- in the open sun she doubted he would even be as receptive as he was now.
     "My father-" he finally whispered, "My father didn't really ever even know me. Don't think he even really cared beyond the family line continuing. Why should I grieve for him? Damn it, why do I cry? He was my father- my father, Hermione- and now he's gone. Forever."
     He broke down again, sinking slowly to his knees on the ground. Hermione reached out an empathetic hand and he took it for a moment before slapping it away, "I don't need your pity, Mudblood. Go back home to your little friends and enjoy whatever time you have left."
     "Have left?" she repeated hoarsely.
     He looked up at her and for the first time a shadow of a grin played across his lips, "He killed my father, Mudblood. Do you really think he'll make any allowances for you?"

By the time Pettigrew led Lila down to the beach, she was aware that she had made a terrible mistake. Her anger at Harry had begun to ebb away, leaving her with only her fear and doubt… she shouldn’t have come with him. She knew better- she should have listened to herself…
     "Where are you taking me?" she whispered tensely, struggling to free herself from his surprisingly strong grip.
     The mixture of pride and fear on his face was almost to much for her to bear, "To my m-master," he snarled, "You cannot escape- y-you agreed to come yourself."
     "I’ve changed my mind," said Lila, flinching away as he took something from his cloak, pointed it to her and muttered something in what sounded like Latin, although she wasn’t quite sure. A moment later thick cords shot out of the end and she found her hands tied very securely together.
     "Too bad," he said, looking very relieved at his success as he led her into a dark cave, "My master doesn’t t-take to kindly to people w-who don’t bother to meet their appointments."
     She stopped struggling, as it was useless and she felt she should best save her strength for whatever came next- no doubt she'd need it, "Can you at least tell me where you’re taking me?"
     "Don’t speak again, girl," he hissed, his small frame suddenly gone very tense, "Do you hear something?"
     "Perhaps. But I couldn’t tell you since you have forbade me to speak-" she started much more bravely than she felt, unable to hear anything herself.
     A vein in his neck was twitching wildly and he again pulled the stick out of his cloak, "S-show yourself."
     There was not a sound in the cave, save that of water dripping from some hidden leak, the waves becoming rougher outside against the rocks. Lila was beginning to fear that perhaps he was mad- which would have been a very convincing argument had it not been for the ropes that still inexplicably bound her wrists.
     "There’s no one there," she said.
     He turned to her, "I s-said s-shut up!"
     "If you really want me to, you should stop speaking to me-"
     He slapped her across the cheek before she got a chance to finish her sentence, "I h-have powerful allies. So when I tell you to s-shut up, listen. Next time I’ll k-kill you."
     Moving slowly and deliberately, he crawled over a big throne-shaped rock to peer over the edge the cave. Lila was beginning to feel rather panicked. There was no way she could possibly get herself out of this. She always carried a small pocket-knife, but it was in the back pocket of her jeans and there was no way she could possibly reach it…
Oh, God, get me out of this, she prayed silently, trying to reach the pocket with her tied hands.
     "Stay still and pretend I’m not here," whispered a tense voice from behind her.
     "Harry!" she whispered, relief flooding through her, and she strained to see behind her, "But- where are you?"
     "Being a wizard has its benefits," he hissed, "I’m currently invisible- now stop fidgeting or we’ll never get out of this. I’m grabbing your hands, don’t be scared."
     "My knife is in my back pocket," she managed before she was cut off by a fierce curse from Pettigrew.
     "What is it?" she asked innocently, thankful to feel the ropes begin to slacken a little.
     He only glared at her, "Come on. We’ve got to get out of here now."
     "Are they coming for me, then?"
     He grabbed her arm without comment and dragged her deeper into the cave, seemingly unaware that there were now three pairs of footsteps instead of two. Even Lila, who knew Harry was there, was having a hard time placing his location, and had no idea what he was doing until Pettigrew gave a sharp cry and turned towards her.
     "What w-was that?"
     "I don’t know," she answered truthfully.
     "There is someone else here."
     "I haven’t seen anyone," she answered coolly, but it was at this moment that Harry appeared, very startled look on his face.
     "Great timing," she muttered.
     Harry looked around bewilderedly, "The Cloak- got caught- on a snag."
     Pettigrew’s face contorted into an evil looking grin, "Potter."
     "Pettigrew," he grimaced, as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth.
     "You’ve met?" asked Lila, beginning to feel a shadow of her old confusion.
     "Once or twice," snarled Pettigrew, again taking out his wand.
     Harry reached for something in his cloak, and after a few moments of futile search his face drained a pasty white, "Oh, damn. Of all the days…"
     Pettigrew cackled as again the ropes appeared, "As you see, young Potter, I make sure never to leave home without my wand."
     He turned around, barely containing the smug smile that had appeared on his face, and Lila felt herself found herself following him deeper into the cave, into a damp, dark tunnel.
     "What now?" she whispered hoarsely to Harry, "Don’t you have some magic or something up your sleeve that can get us out of this?"
     "Without my wand?" Harry answered blandly, "Dumbledore is the only wizard I know who can do magic that way. We can only hope Sirius somehow finds it…"
     "But what to we do until then?" she asked desperately.
     Harry’s face was drawn, "Hope and pray."
     Lila did.

"There's a storm coming this way," Mairwen remarked, staring out at the sea and the darkening sky.
     Remus glanced up at the sky, which was turning a sickly shade of green, "Rather appropriate."
     She didn't answer and they were silent as they made their way down to the coast.
     "There's hundreds of tiny caves all along the beach," announced Mairwen, breaking into the rather uncomfortable silence, "Voldemort could be hiding in any one of them, but it will take us forever to search them all."
     "Then we'd best get started," Remus said calmly, but she knew him well enough to hear the tinge of desperation in his voice.
     "Let's start over there," she said, motioning to a rocky cliff. They clamoured down to it and began the monotonous work of checking each cave, some hardly indention’s into the rock and some that extended for feet.
     It was almost evening by the time they finally stopped to rest for a few minutes.
     "This isn’t working," said Mairwen, pulling her hair up away from her neck and into a loose bun. The rain had not yet started and it was getting rather humid.
     "It is beginning to seem rather pointless," Remus agreed, trying to keep the note of frustration out of is voice, "I doubt that if lord Voldemort were actually here we’d’ve gone on for so long without even a hint of something."
     Mairwen stood up and brushed the sand off her jeans, "A whole lot of good we did here. Lets hope Sirius is having better luck then we are. Wherever he is."
     "He has to be. I don't see how it could be possible to have any worse luck than we're having right now. And every minute we waste..."
     He let his statement fade off, and Mairwen swallowed her pride and took his hand, "I have enough faith in Harry to believe he won't do anything stupid. More stupid than he has already done, I mean. For all we know, he's as lost to her trail as we are."
     "I still can't fully believe that she is working for Voldemort," he frowned stubbornly.
     "There's a lot of things I don't want to believe about my life, Remus," she said softly, "But that doesn't make them any less true."
     "If only it did."
     "If only."
     For a moment the only sounds were the waves crashing up against the shore and the wind as it blew across the sand, whistling as it rushed through tiny crevices of the rock. The rain began to fall lightly, but neither noticed, it was only them, two and one and all, the wild music of the earth running through their joined palms, separate but together, full of mourning for what has past but filled with the joy of the heavens at the renewed spring.
     "It's started to rain," said Mairwen presently.
     "So it has," Remus observed.
     "We probably should try to find Sirius."
     "Would be the best."
     They began walking down the beach, slowly and cautiously at first, watching for slippery sand; faster as the rain began to pour down harder and the wind became more violent. Lightening cracked across the sky, thunder rolled as if the sky itself was being torn in two by unseen hands.
     "In here," Remus yelled motioning to a large cave, soaking wet, after it became clear that it was beginning to get rather dangerous, "We can't stay here long because it'll start flooding. But long enough to think of what to do."
     Mairwen collapsed into the surprisingly deep cave, onto a high, moss-covered rock that reminded her slightly of a throne, "You still know how to show a girl a good time," she said, shaking a little and pulling out her wand, "I could conjure up a boat."
     Remus raised an eyebrow and she put her hands on her hips, "Well, I don't see you coming up with any spectacular suggestions over there."
     "I'm trying to think," he said, as there was another flash of lightening, making the cave for a second look as bright as day.
     He half expected her to come back with some jocular comment, but instead he found her staring into the depths of the cave behind him, "What is it?"
     "I don't know," she frowned, slipping off the rock and approaching the dark area, "But when the lightening flashed I thought I saw something-" lightening flashed again and she suppressed a gasp as she saw it clearly, reaching forward and unlatching it from the sharp crag on which it was stuck, "-James' Invisibility Cloak. How it the world did it get here, of all places?"
     Remus took the silky garment from her, frowned and strained to see into the blackness of the rest of the cave, "This was one of the only of his possessions that somehow found it's way to the rightful owner. It's Harry's now."
     "Then where is he?" yelled Mairwen over an especially loud clap of thunder.
     "How far back does this cave go?"
      "I don't know. Pretty far back, it looks like. You don't think-"
     "He never would have left the cloak on purpose. Or unless he was in some type of trouble."
     Mairwen sighed and looked down at the water that was quickly rising above her feet, "You think we'll both still be able to fit under there?"
     "We’d better," he said grimly, face taunt with worry as he pulled Harry’s wand out from the tangles of the cloth, "Come on, let’s go. We don’t have much time left."

Chapter 9
In Ancestral Stone ~ The Sacrifice
    "D’you have any idea where to begin looking?" Ron asked Sirius as they watched Mairwen and Remus head the opposite direction.
     Sirius sighed and turned inland, motioning for Ron to walk beside him, "How are you at History?"
     He grimaced, "Binns is rather dry. But with Hermione around- it gets drilled into me sooner or later. Why?"
     "What d’you know about the internal history of this area?"
     "Not much," Ron admitted.
     "As in every small town, there are, or were, the old, established families that lived around here, all intermarrying and feuding and living their lives in the ordinary fashion: my Aunt, of course, the Blacks, the Tremaynes, the Penhallows, and the Pettigrews, All wizard folk, all mostly dead now."
     Ron looked uncomfortable at the very word, "Oh."
     Sirius gave him a small grin, "There's a point to this, I promise. You are familiar with Professor Trelawny, I trust?"
     "Unfortunately."
     "My sentiments exactly. But the point is, once our beloved Trelawny actually stumbled upon making a true prediction."
     "Twice," said Ron, and although Sirius looked curious, he didn’t pursue it, "What did it say?"
     Sirius closed his eyes and sighed deeply, "I’ve never forgotten it… though I bloody well wish I could… When the Rock begins to crumble, the Stag may die to save a Flower…"
     Ron nodded seriously, "But that’s already happened, hasn’t it? Harry’s mum and dad are dead and Pettigrew crumbled a long time ago…"
     "To crumble first you need a foundation," muttered Sirius, face hard set into the old lines of hatred, "That’s not all of it, however. I think it is the last part my Aunt particularly wanted to draw my attention to… It goes something like… But it is said that those whom the gods favour die young- Beware to those left of the Fellowship, for when he again returns, with renewed intensity, holding all the power of the sky, it will be Lightening against Lightening and the Fellowship will once again be whole, the final defeat or victory written in sacrificial blood across the ancestral halls of stone…"
     Despite himself, Ron shuddered, "But… what does it mean?"
     "If we knew that, d’you think we’d’ve let things progress this badly?"
     Ron considered this, "Your Aunt Athena doesn’t see things exactly like other people do."
     "That’s for certain," said Sirius, "But she is convinced that the place the prophecy spoke of- the ancestral halls of stone where the so called battle is supposed to take place- is the old Pettigrew manor house."
     "Pettigrew?" asked Ron suspiciously as the stone castle came into view.
     "None other," Sirius said through gritted teeth, "I truly doubt that Professor Trelawny- but I’ve been proven wrong before. And I don’t know where else to start looking. Do you want to go in first or second?"
     "In there?" asked Ron, eyeing the building cautiously, "Are you sure?"
     "It’s the best I’ve got to go on," Sirius said irritably, "You have your wand?"
     "Of course. What kind of idiot would forget their wand?"
     Sirius raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he pulled on the big wooden door, which creaked eerily into the dense fog building outside, the fat raindrops beginning to fall on their heads, "I’ll go in first. You fall behind."
     Ron shuddered but was all too glad to comply with the order- no way was he going first. The inside of the castle was deathly silent, not even the sounds of the building storm outside penetrating through the thick stone walls. He made motion as to light his wand, but it was not necessary, for the walls themselves seemed to radiate a dull green glow. It made him very nervous.
     Sirius, although obviously tense, seemed comfortable enough with the passageways, leading him expertly through the mazes of halls and corridors, big wooden doors and small portals hidden in stone that would have hopelessly confused anyone else.
     "In here," he finally hissed, motioning for the younger man to enter through the tiny trapdoor he was holding open. Ron was wary of the small passage they had to crawl through but thankful enough that small sounds again began to fill the air- he could have sworn he heard the low murmur of the sea. But it was the sounds of voices that grew the strongest as the two men edged silently further.
     "I ha-have brought them t-to you, m-ma-master."
     There was a low laugh, and Ron could feel the walls shaking around him, held by its terrible power, "So. I have the mighty Potter at last. This time, I assure you, one of us will die. And it will not be me."
     "We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?" came Harry’s voice, weak but resolute.
     "Yes we shall. Bring the girl to me, Pettigrew."
     "Let go of me!" he heard Lila’s voice screech, and judging from the sounds of the struggle, she was giving him a pretty fair fight. But Pettigrew must have won, for Voldemort began laughing again, louder and more terrible than before.
     "If you do anything to harm her-" Harry started.
     "You cannot do anything about it," Voldemort mocked, "And yes, I think for you, I shall kill her. I grow impatient for the sacrifice, but can hardly kill you until your beloved Mr. Black rises to the bait."
     Sirius gave a low whistle, "So that’s his game. I should have realised…"
     "Why?" blurted Ron.
     Sirius said nothing, but began inching forward to the jagged opening at the end of the tunnel that Ron assumed let to the room where Voldemort was holding them.
     "What are we going to do?" Ron asked, wincing as he heard Lila’s screams pierce through the musty air.
     "She was innocent all along…" muttered Sirius, as if he didn’t hear him, "Another death by my hand…"
     "He’s not going to kill her…?"
     "I don’t very well suppose he was merely inviting her over for tea," Sirius said irritably, "Go back home."
     "What…?"
     "Run back to the house as fast as your legs can take you," he ordered, "Find reinforcements- with any luck Hermione should be back with Aunt Athena- but if worst comes to worst- anyone- Fletcher, the milkman, Ned, I don’t care. Just get them here quickly."
     "But what are you going to do?" Ron asked helplessly.
     "If I knew, I’d tell you," Sirius hissed, as he crawled over the rock and deeper into Voldemort’s lair.

Harry saw Ron’s bright mess of hair first. It took him a moment more to spot Sirius sneaking through the shadows towards Voldemort’s make-shift throne.
No, he groaned inwardly. He hadn’t been able to ascertain why, but for some reason this whole thing resolved around Sirius. So of course Sirius showed up in the very last place h should be…
     Harry glanced around the rest of the cave, looking for hidden allies, trying to ignore Lila’s screams. His heart ached to help her but there was no way… he simply had to trust that Sirius knew what he was doing. He had to have some sort of plan…
     There. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something a glint of light- the Invisibility Cloak slipping off, revealing Lupin and Mairwen. They had caught sight of Sirius, too.
     Harry felt himself begin to panic. Where was Aunt Athena? If anyone could stop Voldemort, it would be her. Just what the hell did Sirius think he was doing?
     "Are you watching, Potter?" said Voldemort in low, silky tones that were somehow worse than a shout, "It would take so much from the experience if you were sleeping through it. Or do you truly care about her that little?"
     He tried to ignore the searing flash of pain that crossed through his scar as Voldemort spoke to him, the sight of Lila limp in Pettigrews arms… the next curse from his wand would kill her. And Sirius was almost to his back… he needed to stall. Everything depended on him.
     "I care about her more than you are capable of," he said, desperate for something- anything to say, "I doubt you care about anyone other than yourself."
     "You will find," Voldemort said almost carelessly, "That ‘caring’, as you so quaintly put it, will get you no where in life. I should think that you, of all people, would know that. Who could ever truly care for the wretched Harry Potter?"
     "Lots of people care about me," answered Harry, much more bravely than he felt.
     "Do they?" Voldemort’s eyes narrowed towards him, until Harry was hardly aware of anything but his hot breath that seemed to breathe down his neck and the burning pain on his forehead, "Or do they only care for your accomplishments? Harry Potter- the boy who lived, Harry Potter- the Quidditch captain, Harry Potter- Head Boy… They care for you, boy, because you hold power. Without power, you are nothing. I am nothing. We are very much the same, young Potter."
     "NO!"
     At the cry, Harry snapped as if out of a chance, dazed for a moment as to his surroundings. He heard the pitiful cries of Pettigrew  before his eyes had chance to adjust back to the dim light of the cave. Sirius had thrown himself on his former friend and the two were now struggling to gain control of Lila, whom Pettigrew still clutched in his arms.
     It was hardly a match, after only a few minutes Sirius had pulled her away from his grasp. Eyes blazing and breathing heavily, he laid her gently off to the side of the cave and prepared to go for Pettigrew again.
     "I swear- I’ll kill you- this time-" he growled.
     "Go right ahead and try, dear chap," Voldemort laughed, an almost gleeful light in his eye, as he pulled out his wand and froze Sirius in place, "So I finally have the elusive Sirius Black in my hands- a worthy adversary- and much more trouble than your worth. It shall be fun killing you. I think I would do it even if would not gain me a win."
     He flickered his eyes towards Harry as if daring him to ask what he meant by this.
     "Don’t ask," whispered a rough voice behind him, "It’s what he wants you to do- keep some of the power on your side."
     "Professor Lupin!" Harry hissed, thankful to feel the ropes that bound him beginning to slacken.
     "Shhh. Don’t draw anymore attention over here than you need too. It’s our only hope- pretend as if you don’t know I am here."
     Harry gave an almost unforeseeable nod and turned his attention back to Voldemort, who was still mocking the frozen Sirius.
     "There is an ancient prophecy," he was saying, "Much older than anyone here. Yet it describes with remarkable accuracy the scene here today: On Midsummer Day, the Star shall be lifted up in Lightning’s hand as a sacrifice to the heavens. The rain shall fall as blood and the Dark will triumph over the land. Charming piece of work, isn’t it?"
     "Quite," spoke Sirius through frozen lips.
     "It’s not much, I admit. But it’s promise has kept me alive- I shall kill you and my power will be complete- you don’t know how very much it means to me. But die knowing you have aided a great cause?"
     "Over my dead body," he growled, and Harry could see him straining to mobilise himself again.
     Voldemort laughed and lowered his wand towards him, "So you have grasped the general idea."
     With the first flash of lightening from his wand, Harry tore himself from what remained from his ropes, "No! You can’t kill him!"
     "Harry! No!" Lupin shouted and he rushed towards them.
     Voldemort merely smiled at him as if he were an ignorant little boy and lowered his wand again, "I could kill you all at once, but this will make it all the more painful. And nothing builds character like pain, Sirius."
     "No!" Harry shouted again, flinging himself towards Sirius, heedless that he did not have his wand. Pettigrew held him back quite easily.
     "Stay back, boy," he hissed.
     "You can’t do this," Harry shouted helplessly, surprised at the strength of the mans arms as he flailed to get away, "You just can’t sit here and watch that bastard kill him-"
     A terrible look of fear crossed his face but he remained calm, "I think I can."
     Lupin flung himself at Pettigrew’s back, trying to pry away the smaller man’s grasp. But as Pettigrew had no qualms about hurting Harry, he had him at an advantage and he threw him down upon the cave floor, the sickening crack of his body flung across stone echoing through the chamber.
     Harry twisted around in his grasp, hardly able to see for the tears that were running down his face, "You- you- I saved your life, do you remember that? I thought I’d give you a chance, that you could change- I was wrong- You aren’t worth life- how can you sit here and watch him die?!?"
     "He deserves it," Pettigrew said, face clenching with rage as Voldemort brought down another bolt on Sirius.
     "For what? Ever trusting you?" spat Harry vehemently, "Your the one who deserves to die. I hope you die, Pettigrew. I hope- I hope you die with- tenfold the pain you caused everyone who knew you. Because that would- would still be to good for you."
     "He… deserves… it…" he said, face spasming with pain and anger, tears beginning to roll down stormily.
     "He was your friend. He would- would have died for you," Harry shouted, almost unable to speak he was shaking so badly, "He- he loved you as a brother- and this is how you repay him-"
     Voldemort’s laugh cut through his screams as he lowered his wand for the final curse, "I must thank-you very much for your help. Die knowing that Harry and the werewolf will soon follow- perhaps even your dear traitor, as I have no use for him anymore. Good-bye, Sirius Black."
     He lowered the wand and Harry found himself suddenly released from Pettigrew’s grasp.
     "He… doesn’t… deserve… it…" was the last thing Harry heard before Pettigrew jumped out in front of his old friend and Lightening flashed. There was an ear-splitting crack and a loud, long scream, and his world went black…

Chapter 10
Ends and Beginnings
     "Come on, Sirius. Wake up," he heard her plead, her gentle voice cutting through the haziness that seemed to fill his head. He recognised that voice- but who was it? He knew it almost as well as his own-
     "Lily?" he croaked, throat so swollen that he could scarcely make out the world.
     She laughed and leaned in towards him, gentle hand mopping his feverish brow with something cold and soft, "Sirius."
     But Lily was dead… was he? Was she here to welcome him into some sort of heaven? Bu he had never believed in heaven, had he? How very much he wanted to believe now, to believe it was truly Lily in front of him… that he would not wake up and find himself back in that damned cave, Voldemort laughing over him, Harry and Remus and Ron and Mairwen all depending on him… but they did. They all depended on him…
     "I can’t stay, Lily," he muttered, "They need me…"
     She smiled and stooped down low to kiss his cheek, "It’s okay. We’ll wait."
     He saw James behind her, with his infuriatingly good-natured grin, and behind him, Peter…
     "Take care of them, Padfoot," James said, hand raised as in benediction, and he felt the greyness creeping up on him once more…
     "Please, Sirius. Don’t do this to us," he heard her plead again. At least he was able to tell who it was this time. Mairwen, voice choked in what must have been tears…
     "Don’t cry on my account," he managed, with great effort opening his eyes to discover himself back in his own room, Mairwen and Remus and Aunt Athena standing anxiously around his bedside, "You know I’ll never let you live it down…"
     "Sirius!" she cried out, joyfully flinging her arms around Remus’ neck.
     "I’m the one who nearly died," he grumbled, trying to ignore his throbbing head as he sat up, "I should think I would be the one who got the welcome back kiss."
     Remus held her tightly, "Er… its quite nice to have you back, Sirius."
     "I can imagine. What happened?"
     Mairwen let go of Remus and looked uncomfortably towards Aunt Athena, who took his hand  as she sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, "We’re not entirely sure. By the time I arrived it was nearly too late. Only Peter and Harry fully know what happened back there, and that is how it shall remain. But you would have died, had it not been for Peter. When he took the full brunt of the curse, he not only saved you, but killed lord Voldemort and won the battle for the Light."
     "So that rat turned out to be a hero after all," he whispered softly.
     "And the Fellowship was made whole," said Aunt Athena, "I’m not condoning his actions of seventeen years ago, but sometimes Fate takes round-about ways of achieving its means."
     "But all those people who died… Mr. Weasley… James and Lily…" whispered Mairwen.
     "It seems cruel, I know. But rest assured that the world does not rest on our own understanding. We don’t need to understand. Only to believe."
     "Much easier said than done," Remus said dryly.
     "I know. But there lies the challenge in life," she squeezed Sirius’ hand encouragingly and stood up, "I’d think we’d all do with some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day. And the day after, too… rebuilding will take much work. And I’d much rather do it with a full nights sleep and a little food in my stomach."
     She pulled out her wand and conjured up what looked like a small feast, "Take care not to get crumbs in the bed-sheets."
     Sirius watched silently as she left the room and his friends began attacking the bread and meat as if they hadn’t seen food in days. Mightn’t have he reminded himself. He wasn’t sure for how long he had been out.
     He found himself suddenly faced with a horrible empty feeling that had nothing to do with hunger. A thirst for revenge had been all that had kept him alive for the past sixteen years, the terrible blindness to any other emotion besides hate and fury. Now he found the slate quite suddenly wiped clean, the shackles lifted… he didn’t know exactly what to do with his freedom. Where to even start trying to rebuild the shambles…
     "Hey, Remus. Pass me a ham sandwich."
     It was going to be a long road. And he couldn’t very well set out on an empty stomach.

Lila entered the dining room later that evening hoping to find Harry. Aunt Athena had confined him to his bed for the day, and she hadn’t had a chance to properly talk with him since yesterday. But he hadn’t been in his room, nor Ron’s, and she was beginning to feel slightly discouraged. She was going home tomorrow- did he hate her for her weakness so much that he would not even give her a chance to say good-bye?
     A quick glance over the dining room assured her that he was not here, either. It was empty besides Ron and Hermione, who were sitting at the far end of the table eating ice-cream, engrossed in a quiet conversation.
     Not wanting to disturb them, she left quietly and headed out towards the front lawn. If Harry did not want to talk to her at least she could say her own private good-bye to the grounds.
     She headed first towards the big oak tree- besides from the unpleasant memories of the day before, it was still her favourite place on the property.
     She was startled when she discovered someone sitting underneath it- for a dreadful moment she had thought it was Pettigrew- but Pettigrew was dead. Of the happenings of the day before, this was the one thing she completely understood. It was Harry.
     He scrambled up quickly to his feet as he saw her approach, still noticeably favouring his left foot, "Hullo, Lila."
     "It’s pretty out here, isn’t it?" she remarked, pulling her jacket closer around her and leaning beside him on the tree, "I’ve always been particularly partial to sunsets."
     "It’s beautiful," said Harry quietly, and for a long moment there was silence between them as they watched the sun sink lower into the horizon, casting pinks and oranges across the sky in farewell, "Lila, I-"
     She held a finger up to his mouth, "I’m really not looking for any explanations, Harry. Aunt Athena will take me down to the station tomorrow and perform some kind of forgetful charm on me anyway, so save your breath."
     He gave a low laugh, "Do you want to forget?"
     Lila hesitated, carefully studying the light of the sun reflecting over the ocean, "No. Not really."
     "Then I promise Aunt Athena won’t cast any ‘forgetful charms’ on you. If you want to remember, you will."
     "Merci."
     "No problem. Anything for you."
     They were quiet for a few more moments, until Harry broke into the silence, "I don’t reckon I’ll see you again."
     "No. I don’t reckon you will," she said softly, "But- send me an owl every now and again?"
     He grinned and held out his hand, "If you promise to return it."
     "Consider it a promise," said Lila, as she took his outstretched hand, and in the twilight, they danced.

End

Back to Harry Potter

Home