The Love Of A Wizard

by Snapelover11

A seductive romance story with a muggle named Claudia and Severus Snape. Follows HP cannon from PoA to the end of the series.

Chapter 1
Encounters

Claudia grew up in the suburbs of America. Her life was as normal as anyone could expect. After high school, she attended college and met her husband. They married on the beaches of California and honeymooned on the Hawaiian islands. The greatest day of their lives was the day their daughter Emma was born. They had a perfect life together for more than 3 years.
The day the phone call came that her husband had been in a terrible car crash was the worst day of her life. He had been driving in the rain and another driver hit him head on. He was killed instantly. From the news of his death, Claudia's life was thrown into complete chaos. She moved back with her mother and tried to put the pieces of her life together.

After a few months of visiting with family and consoling her daughter, Claudia received another shock. Her husband had had a large life insurance policy. She and her daughter would never have to worry about money ever again.

But the pain was still very raw and Claudia decided to do something that would give them a fresh start. Six months after her husband's death, Claudia and Emma packed their belongings and moved across the Atlantic Ocean to the English country side. There she bought a house of 4 bedrooms and on miles of land. Here, they could let nature heal their wounds, away from the ever tearful family members who stopped by daily.

Claudia and Emma began to look after stray animals that wandered onto their property. Dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes were housed, fed and cared for in their home. A few times, people from nearby towns would come to visit in hopes of adopting an animal from her. She was known as the animal healer.

So it came to pass that one morning Claudia woke up and began her morning routine of feeding and watering the animals. She used an old golf cart to get around her property, the land was vast. Rolling hills and a small pond hidden behind a veil of trees. This was her paradise. No more does she dread visitors, she welcomed them and made many friends because of it. Stopping by the pond was one of her duties, to feed the ducks that had made a home of it. She was throwing bread to them as they swam in circles competing for the biggest piece when she heard a muffled sound.

This was a sound she had heard before, a dog that was injured made this sound. She stood very still and listened. The ducks were still quacking and making splashing noises, that it was hard for her to hear where it was coming from. She walked around the pond and looked into all of the bushes. Just as she was about to give up hopes, another sound from the dog reached her ears. She looked to her left and there under a broken tree lay a massive black dog.
He looked as if someone had tried to put him through a shredder. Pieces of skin and fur were hanging off of his neck, shoulders and back. Claudia ran to get the golf cart and backed it up next to the tree.

"Come on sweet boy." She whispered to him. "I'm going to help you." As if he understood, he allowed Claudia to pick him up and load him onto the back of the cart.
It took Claudia a bit longer to reach her house, due to trying to keep him from falling out. When she reached the house Emma met her on the porch with her little hands holding a baby kitten. She waved to her mother.

"Hi Mommy!"

Her eyes spotted the large dog and her eyes filled with tears. "Mommy! The doggie is hurt. Can you fix him?" She looked up at her other and waited. Emma was always fearful of death after her father's passing. A simple thing like a dead bird would fill her with such sadness that she would mourn for a week.

"Well honey..." Claudia started trying to sound cheerful. "he is hurt pretty bad, but if we hurry, I bet we can help him."

Claudia prayed with all her might that this dog would not die. Emma became attached to the animals they cared for, for sometimes she had no one else.

"Go and get me water and my medical kit. Bring it to the laundry room please."

With these words, Emma was off. Full of hopes for the big dog and eager to help in any way possible.

"Let's get you out of here, shall we?"

Claudia was speaking more to herself than the dog, but it got up and out of the golf cart as if he understood. She led him to the backroom where the laundry is done and made a bed of blankets and towels and began to inspect his wounds. For a better part of three hours, Claudia cleaned, medicated and dressed wounds all over the dog's body. He even required stitches on two different places on his neck and shoulder. The most amazing part of all of it was that the large black dog did not seem to be bothered by any of this. He lay on the floor following Claudia's movements with his eyes. Never once did he growl or bite her.

The next day she and Emma went into town to by some supplies. Her care for the big black dog took almost every bandage she had and he still needed antibiotics. While she was visiting with people from town, she asked about the big black dog. No one seemed to know where he came from and no one knew anyone who had been looking for one.

On the way back to the house, as the green rolling hills quietly slipped past, Emma asked her mother if they were going to keep the big black dog.

"Of course. If we can't find the owners, we have to take care of him. I just wish I knew what hurt him so badly."

They turned onto the rocky road that ran for almost a mile before it reached the house. As they made their way up the drive, Emma was pointing out pretty flowers in the fields.
"Mommy, who is that?" Claudia followed her gaze toward to house and saw a man walking ahead of them toward her house.

"I don't know." Her brows met in the middle and she sped up a little. Her mind was racing. Never had someone walked to her house before! It was so far from anywhere, where did this person come from? She slowed the car when she reached him and rolled the window down. The man turned and she saw a very handsome, yet scruffy man standing in torn pants, a beat up shirt and a cape? Well, this was England. She didn't know enough of fashion these days to know that this truly as odd. His hair was brown and long, falling in an untidy mess below his shoulders. There were flecks of gray in it that caught the sunlight. His eyes were captivating. He smiled and in the most softest voice she had ever heard asked her,

"Are you the woman who cares for animals?"

She couldn't speak at first. Her heart was pounding. Why was it pounding? She quickly recovered and smiled.

"Yes. Yes I am. Can I help you?"

"Yes please, I lost my dog and someone told me to check with you. I hear you have a talent for injured and lost animals."

There was a smile playing on his face. What a nice face it was.

"Yes, correct again. What does your dog look like?"

"He is a very large, somewhat ugly looking black dog" With this Emma smiled and squealed.
"Mommy!.." Claudia turned to her daughter and gave her a look that told her to be quiet.
" If you would like, you can come up to the house and we can talk there." With that she continued driving to the house. If this was his dog, which it probably was, would she really return it? He obviously allowed this animal to come to harm and she would have to get to the bottom of how the dog was injured before returning it to him.

She was unloading the supplies from the car when he arrived on her porch. He gave her another smile.

"I am sorry to just drop in on you. I have been very worried."

"Tell me, does your dog have a name?"

"Yes...his name is Sirius." His eyes met hers and he smiled, yet again.

"Sirius? That's an unusual name. Listen," She put her hands on her hips and looked sternly into his handsome face." Your dog, Sirius, has indeed been injured. He was attacked by something. Do you know how he got hurt?" His eyes dropped for a moment and then he smiled again.
"Sirius is a bit of an escape artist I must admit. He got away from me and took off. As to his injuries, I really do not know. Is it bad?" There was real concern in his eyes.

"He will recover. But he can't go anywhere yet. Another couple of days and he will be ready to go home. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Remus. Remus Lupin." He extended his hand to her and she took it.

"Claudia. Claudia Moore. Come in." She led him into the house and through to the back. She opened the door to the laundry room and stepped back allowing her guest to enter first. He walked through the door and went straight for the dog. He leaned over and whispered something into the sleeping dog's ear. The dog lifted his head and his tail wagged.
"Well, it looks as if he knows you."

"Yes, we are old friends, Sirius and I." His hand petted the dog on the head and he rose again.
"You said it will be a few days before he can leave? I didn't make arrangements to stay I'm afraid." His voice was thick and hoarse. His eyes met Claudia's and such warmth filled her she spoke without thinking.

"You are welcome to stay here of course. That way you can watch over Sirius and when he is ready you can head off together." WHY did she just say that? He stared at her and considered this for a moment. Another one of those smiles brightened his face again.

"Alright." Emma came into the room at the news and clapped her hands.

"Yeah! Visitors!" Claudia and Remus laughed and the big black dog, Sirius, let out a tremendous bark. This made everyone laugh all the harder.

Chapter 2
Realizations

By the next afternoon, Sirius was seeming to do much better. Having his master close at hand seemed to make him heal all the faster. Claudia noticed this, and couldn't help but feel unhappy by the thought that her visitor would be leaving soon.

They enjoyed eating meals and walking around the open land. Emma seemed to be much more interested in Sirius, now that he had a name. She would bring her toys to him and play with them in front of him. She would include him in on her imaginary games and talk to Sirius like an old friend.

While walking after diner with Remus on the second day, Claudia asked him of his life.

"So what do you do while you're not chasing your dog?" She asked him.

" I am a teacher." Remus answered.

"What do you teach?"

"I teach mostly…the basics. I just finished teaching a term in a private school here in England. But I think I will be taking some time off." His eyes never met hers as they walked. Claudia thought he may not want to talk much about this so she recommended that they go check on Sirius.

Sirius, who was now walking a bit on his own and eating well, was laying on the floor watching Emma play.

"Alright you, it's time for bed." Claudia said to Emma. Emma was not ready to go to bed, but stomped her feet as she made her way to her room. Claudia stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes.

"It will only get worse as she gets older." Remus told her with a little laugh.

"Yes. I know. I am not looking forward to that. I am going upstairs to read her a story and then it's off to bed with me. Have a good night and goodnight to you Sirius." She walked over to Sirius and scratched behind his ears. "Goodnight." Claudia went upstairs.

While she was tucking a very sleepy Emma into bed, she offered a story. But Emma could hardly keep her eyes open, so Claudia kissed her on the forehead , turned of the light and closed the door. While changing into her night clothes, a small t-shirt and sleeper pants, her mind was on the man downstairs. He is handsome, she thought. Pleasantly nice and articulate, but why does he look so…shabby? If he is in fact a teacher, one would think that he would pay more attention to his looks. At this thought she climbed into bed and grabbed her latest novel and settled in. Just as she was getting back into the book, the most annoying thing happened. She put the book down and stared at the wall. Something she forgot to do….but what? All of the doors are secured. The animals have all been fed. What was it? She climbed back out of bed and opened her door. She went to check on Emma first, who was already deeply asleep. She made her way down the darkened staircase and into the kitchen. She stood there and looked around. Then she saw it. The bottle of medication for Sirius, she had not given him his evening medications.

She grabbed the bottle and made her way quietly to the laundry room. Remus was staying in the downstairs guestroom, so she tried to be very quiet. When she reached the door, it was partially open and the light was on. That's odd. She thought. Why would Remus still be in there? But as she thought this, she heard his voice.

"…isn't right Sirius." His voice was hushed and he sounded upset. To her surprise he seemed to answer himself.

"But I feel it would help us. No one can say she hasn't been helpful."

Her heart was thumping in her chest. She had just let a madman into her home. And this madman was talking to himself about her.

"No…"

"Just do it for me I have no one right now. All I can do is sit and wait for something to happen. I feel like I am going mad!"

This last bit was more than she could bare. This man had to leave and leave NOW. She threw open the door and let out a mute scream. There sat Remus on the floor, next to another man! Sirius was nowhere to be seen, but this man was laying on his bed.

Remus rushed to her but she backed away shaking her head. Thoughts of her and her daughter's murdered bodies filled her head and she began to cry.

"Let me explain…Claudia!"

She took off up the stairs and ran to her daughter's room and closed the door. She stood there panting and crying all at the same time. She had to get out.
A quiet knock sounded on the door. She jumped back and stared at it. Remus' voice came from the other side.

"Please come out Claudia. I can only imagine what this seems to you. Would you let me explain?" His voice was soft an full of concern.

"Please leave Remus. Or whoever you are."

"I would Claudia, but Sirius won't let me." This was met with silence. His dog won't let him? What kind of crazy man is this?

"What? Are you….crazy?" This was met by a small laugh and once again her heart leapt at the thought of his smile. She kept reminding herself that he was crazy. Delusional. Very handsome….

"Please Claudia. I promise, you nor Emma will be harmed. We will explain this to you. Normally we wouldn't bother but you have been kind and generous to both of us."

"We..?" Her eyebrows raised as she said this.

"Claudia…Let me explain." He opened the door and stood silhouetted by the light in the hall. He extended his hand to her and in his most wonderful hoarse whisper said, "Please". She took his hand and he lead her down the stairs to the living room. She sat on the sofa and looked at him. He had a slightly guilty look on his face.

"Well?"

She asked him. But his eyes were on the laundry room door that just opened and the other man stepped out. He looked worse than Remus did. His black hair all knotted and dirty obviously hadn't been washed in a long time. He had a beard that was in just about as bad condition as his head. His clothes were torn and his feet were bare. But his face, on his face was a wonderful smile. His eyes danced and his lips created the most warmest of smiles. All she could do was let out a half laugh half sound of disbelief.

"Claudia Moore, I would like to introduce you to Sirius, Sirius Black." He gestured towards the other man and then sat down next to Claudia. Who in turn moved away from him, all the while not taking her eyes off of the other man.

"You expect me to believe….you think that….."

Her voice trailed off. She looked back and forth between the two men. Then Remus began to speak to her, his voice was thick and low. The whole time Sirius stared at her and smiled.

"Claudia. Sirius and I are Wizards, magic and what not. Well, Sirius here is called an Animagus, he can turn into the black dog whenever he wants. He was in the dog form when he was hurt, and found himself here."

He had his hands folded and was spending a lot of time looking at them. The man called Sirius was still annoyingly smiling at her with his hands behind his back.

"You are telling me you two are…wizards? Prove it."

Her voice was harder than she wanted it to be, but it got Remus's attention and he stood up to address Sirius.

"Sirius maybe we should just…"

"No Remus. Let me try."

He walked over to Claudia and crouched down in front of her. He took out of his back pocket a long stick.

"Emma told me once, that her mum loves flowers. Your favorite being Tulips. Pink Tulips."

With that he tapped his stick on her knee and out of the end of it grew one single pink Tulip. He plucked it and handed it to her with a bow.

Claudia's eyes were enormous and she held tightly to the flower he had given her. It was real. She stared at it for a moment and when she raised her eyes to meet theirs. They were standing shoulder to shoulder smiling at her. Remus was the one to speak first.

"Why don't you go to bed Claudia. We can discuss the this in more detail in the morning, alright?"

"Claudia?"

The man named Sirius spoke to her. She turned at the sound of her name. "Can I perhaps sleep in a bed tonight? Not that I mind the care you have given me at all. On the contrary, I am in your debt. But it has been awhile since I slept in a bed." She saw for the first time, exhaustion and sadness in this man's eyes. She looked at both of them and then nodded her head.

"There is another bedroom upstairs you may use. It has a shower as well. You might do well to use it." With those words she walked up stairs, half in a daze to Emma's room. She crawled into bed with her daughter and tried to fall asleep.

It was almost dawn before she found herself in strange dreams of dogs that turned into Tulips and flashes of the men's faces swirling around her head. She opened her eyes to the early morning sun rays flowing in through the window. She looked next to her and her daughter still lay sleeping in peace. She thought maybe it was all a dream, perhaps she dreamed all this and she came in here after her bad dream? But at this thought she heard a man's voce coming from downstairs.

"Breakfast everyone! Toast, bacon and eggs! It's a feast!"

She heard him chuckle to himself and begin to hum a song. She sat up and stared at the door.

"Well, here we go. Let see what kind of madness will happen today." Emma turned over in her sleep and Claudia decided to let her sleep as late as she wanted. She opened the bedroom door and headed downstairs.

A freshly showered Sirius Black stood in his pants and no shirt before a skillet of bacon. When she entered the kitchen he smiled a dazzling smile and said brightly, "Good Morning Claudia. Want bacon?" She shook her head no and headed for the coffee pot, which she noticed had not been turned on.

"Do you want coffee…Sirius?" She asked him.

"Yes!" He exclaimed brightly. "I do not know how to work muggle contraptions. Can you show me how?"

As he spoke he moved right behind her as she showed him where the coffee grinds went and where to put the water.

"Now, we wait." She said as the coffee pot began to gurgle and create a nice aroma within the kitchen. "Where is Remus?"

"Oh, he is writing a letter letting our friends know that I am alive and well. He should be back soon. Ah…here he is now. Morning Moony. Everything ok?" Remus entered the kitchen and nodded to Sirius. "Good morning Claudia. Sleep well?"

"No. You?" She was pulling coffee cups from the shelf and she thought she saw Sirius flash a smile in her direction. Sirius was loading all three plates with bacon, eggs and toast and putting them on the table. Remus sat down and waited for the other two to sit. Claudia began pouring coffee in mugs and brought them to the table along with sugar and milk. Sirius followed and sat down, as did Claudia.

Sirius spoke first, "Where is Emma? Still sleeping?" Claudia froze and eyed Sirius once more.

"Yes, she's sleeping. I'm just trying to figure out how I can tell her about you and not hurt her feelings that she no longer has a dog to look after." She went back to eating her food and sat with quiet triumph as the two men stared at each other. She didn't know why she was so angry about everything she had heard last night. Only that her once quiet life in the country was now quite chaotic.

"I never thought about it Claudia. I'm sorry. We will just have to tell her that Remus took him home or something."

"Oh no. You are going to turn back into the dog and give her proper goodbye. That's what you're going to do." She stated pointed her fork at him. "You can't just leave without saying goodbye to her. For some reason she has gotten quite attached to you…or the dog Sirius and it wouldn't be right to just leave like that. So get ready sparky, you better be a dog by the time she comes down. As a matter of fact, I would like to see this myself." She stopped talking and sipped her coffee. Quietly applauding herself for being so level headed this morning after the events of last night.

The two men exchanged glances and Sirius let out a laugh that sounded like a bark. "OK boss. The dog it is. But before I change, can you take a look at my wounds and tell me what you think. I feel so much better now."

The motherly side took over Claudia and she reached for Sirius's shoulder. His skin was pale and soft. Freshly scrubbed soft. Obviously he had taken her remark about the shower to heart. There wasn't a stitch of dirt on him.

"Looks good to me." She got up to refill her coffee and heard little footsteps upstairs. "She's up. She will be down here in a minute." No sooner had she said it that Sirius seemed to shrink and turned into the big black dog before her very eyes. If at any point she thought they could be lying, she now had no doubts But her exclamation of surprise had to wait. Emma came into the kitchen, hair all a mess and a blanket still tucked under her arm. She headed for her mother and received her daily ration of kisses and waved a little hand to Remus who beamed back at her. She spotted her beloved dog friend now sitting in the kitchenette and headed straight for him. Her tiny little hands scratched his head and she planted a small kiss on his nose. She then took her blanket and draped it around his neck.

"Is my doggie feeling better today?" She asked him. In response he licked her face and sent Emma into squeals of laughter.

"What would you like for breakfast Emma?" Claudia asked her. "We made eggs, toast, bacon…" Her voice trailed off and Emma just shrugged her shoulders. She climbed into a chair at the table and began jabbering away to Remus.

Claudia made her plate in silence and brought her food and juice. As she sat down with her fresh cup of coffee, Emma looked up at her mother and spoke.

"Mommy? Since Sirius is feeling better now, is he leaving?" Remus and Claudia looked at each other briefly and Remus spoke first.

"Yes darling. I must take Sirius home. But if it is alright with you ,and your mum of course, I will be back. I have a friend who I would like to introduce you to whom I think you will like." He leaned into Emma as if telling her a secret. "His name is Sirius too. I named my dog after him." Emma giggled and covered her mouth before her breakfast could paint the table.

"I think I will be gone a day, and if it is alright Claudia, I would like to come back tomorrow with my friend and we can have a proper sit down dinner and discuss matters." Claudia knew he was promising to come back to explain all of the strange happenings and she felt a rush of friendship for the man sitting at her table. If it were all true, he could very well disappear and never return. But as she looked at him, she knew he wouldn't do that to her or her daughter.
Claudia smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

CHAPTER 3
A New World

It was two whole, agonizing days before Claudia heard from Remus or Sirius. Those two days were filled with Emma plying her with questions about when her 'new friends' were coming back. Claudia tried to keep Emma busy with the animals, but found herself looking out of the window every opportunity searching for signs of their return. Maybe it was because they had been cooped up in the country for so long that now that people had come, she wanted them back.

The morning was bright and cheerful as a summer morning could be. Claudia awoke to make coffee and breakfast. As she was adding water to the pot, she saw something move on the porch. The doorbell jarred her from her thoughts. They had finally come back. Dressed once again in t-shirt and sleeper pants, Claudia hurried to the door, but paused before opening it. She ran a hand over her short brown hair and tried to make it lay flat. She opened the door and was welcomed by two of the most handsome faces she could ever have hoped for. Remus smiled and gave a little nod. Sirius however, opened his arms and hugged Claudia and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Morning! See…told you we would be back. Where's Emma?" He was full of life and excitement. It seemed to amuse Remus to see his friend smiling so.

"She's still asleep. Coffee?" Offering coffee was the only way she could think of to keep herself busy. So she poured two more cups of fresh coffee and sat down at the table. Remus sat opposite of her and Sirius stood in the kitchen, going through the cabinets. Giggling at all of the contraptions she had.

"Claudia, Thank you for being so wonderful about everything. I just want you to know it is so nice to meet such a caring person." His eyes never left hers as he spoke and she felt herself blush.

"Oh Remus. Flattery will get you everywhere. What are you buttering me up for?" This was met with laughter from Sirius. He had been intrigued by a bag of instant pop popcorn before his fit of laughter.

"No Claudia. We mean every word of it. You helped Sirius when he needed it and we wish to extend our thanks for that." He had reached out and patted Claudia's hand as he spoke.

"Well Claudia, it's like this," Sirius had sat down next to her and was drinking his coffee with loud slurps. "I need somewhere to hang my hat for a bit. I am kind of on the run, so to speak, and I need to rest up and get my head together. I was hoping I could rest up a bit here with you." His eyes were sunken in and his face was hollow and pale. But behind all of that, laughter was dancing in his eyes. This man needed much more than a relaxing holiday in the country.
"It would only be for a short time Claudia." Remus spoke as if trying to take back everything Sirius had just said.

"Until the summer is over, then we can find somewhere else…" His voice faded as he looked in Claudia's face. She was smiling at him and waving her hand .

"Oh stop it Remus." She was almost laughing now. "Of course you can stay here! You both are welcome and I could use some help around here. Don't look so worried! It's alright. Emma will be so happy about it too." With her words, Remus looked as if he finally relaxed and Sirius was smiling over his coffee cup.

"There is one other that needs to come…if it's ok?" Remus looked over at Sirius as he spoke, trying to get Sirius to speak.

"Yeah…" Sirius put his coffee cup down and began turning it in small circles on the table as he stared at it. "I have a … pet…that needs room to spread his wings. Seeing as though you are such the animal lover, I thought Buckbeak could come here too." His eyes never left the cup.
"What's a Buckbeak?" Claudia already knew this was going to be yet another fantastic tale. She looked back and forth between the men at her table. "Well? What the hell is a Buckbeak?"
"Perhaps we should show you, then you can make your decision." Claudia let out a laugh and realized they had brought the "pet" already and had hoped she wouldn't say no. Of course she wouldn't say no to an animal! That's what she does for goodness sake.

The two men took her out the front door and in her front yard. To the left of her house stood a horse… no …not a horse, a horse with wings and a bird's head. It was pawing the ground with it's clawed front feet.

"This is a Buckbeak?" Claudia's voice was shaking.

"No…this is a Hippogriff whose name is Buckbeak." Sirius smiled as he gave her a lesson on the magical creatures that were Hippogriffs.

"What do they eat?" Claudia asked, worried for all of her furry friends who had made their homes around her home.

"Oh don't worry. I will take care of Buckbeak, you won't have to do a thing." As he spoke, he bowed to the Hippogriff and received one in return. He motioned for Claudia to do the same but she shook her head.

"No thanks. I'll introduce myself later. Did you bring your things?" She addressed Sirius who in turn laughed at her.

"Claudia, sometime soon, you and I are going to have a long talk about what has brought me to this point in life. However, now is not the time." As he spoke he put his arm around her and lead her back to the house. "For now, I can safely tell you I have everything I need. Well…I could use some food." All three of them walked back to the house and were met with squeals of delight from Emma who had finally pulled herself from bed.

The day continued on as the five of them ate, talked and walked all around Claudia's expansive grounds. Sirius was so excited by the swimming pool that he jumped in much to Emma's delight. She then begged that they swim together everyday. Remus was much more reserved than Sirius and he would sit for long periods of time watching all the action around him.
Claudia and Emma were introduced to Buckbeak the next day. Sirius tried to get the girls to ride him but at this Claudia flatly refused. So he amused himself by showing off in front of the girls and making them duck as Buckbeak soared over head and swooped down low. All the while, Remus would disappear and reappear from the house. It was one of these periods of disappearance that Claudia asked Sirius what he was doing.

"Oh, Moony is keeping up on what Dumbledore is doing I suppose. See, there are things going on in our world that require our constant attention. Maybe it would do you some good to get caught up to speed." He and Claudia had just put Emma down for bed when Remus suddenly appeared on the front lawn again. He knocked on the door before coming in.

"Would you stop doing that!" Claudia exclaimed. "You live here for God's sake. When I told you to make yourself at home, I meant it. Do not knock again!" Remus knew she was joking, but he flushed a light pink even so.

"Remus, can you get us some wine? I think we could sit and have a chat with Claudia before you go." With Sirius's words, Claudia turned to look at Remus.

"You're leaving?" She didn't know why really, but her heart sank to the floor.

"Yes, just for awhile. A few days and I will be back. What did you want to chat with Claudia about Padfoot?" These nicknames were a source of delight to the two men who refused to explain why they called each other by these silly names. Claudia, tired of being joked with, stopped asking what they meant by it.

I think it is time we expanded out story to include some facts. You know, why it is I am on the run. Harry. Dementors. The Ministry of Magic." He had been counting these things off on his fingers. Sirius filled his wine goblet with wine and sat back and stared Remus squarely in the face. "She has a right to know Remus. She really does. Especially if we are to be staying here."

"Yes, I agree she should be filled in. However, we are not the ones to do that." Remus spoke in his usual quiet, hoarse voice. "Sirius, I just got a letter from Dumbledore. He will be here later tonight to introduce himself to Claudia here and fill her in. He says she could come in handy."

"Who is Dum…Dumbly...err…who?" Claudia was a little unnerved by the sudden turn in mood in the room. Sirius and Remus both were serious faced and thoughtful.

"Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore, is one of the most powerful wizards in our world. He is head of the wizarding school, Hogwarts. He…well…it's hard to explain without details. What you should know is that he is powerful. But also one of the kindest people I have ever known. He has done a lot for me, for all of us." Remus was standing now and pacing as he spoke. "He should be here soon."

They all sat silently, sipping wine, each lost in their own thoughts. Breaking the silence was a rapping at the door. Claudia jumped and sloshed wine on her chin. Sirius headed to the door and Remus handed Claudia a handkerchief.

Standing on Claudia's front doorstep was a tall, old man with long white hair and a beard to match. He wore a dark blue robe and small glasses perched on his nose. Sirius led him into the house and the man stood and looked around Claudia's living room. She stood and the man known as Albus Dumbledore extended his hand to her. As she took his hand, their eyes met and she was instantly filled with a warmth that she did not expect.

"Ms. Moore. I have heard wonderful things about you. Thank you for welcoming me to your home. My name is Albus Dumbledore. But you may call me Albus." His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke.

"Thank you. Albus. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. Would you like some wine?" She didn't know why, but her hands were shaking. This man standing before her radiated power and authority.

"Yes, thank you. Sirius, could you? Thank you, thank you." He sipped his wine and settled into an arm chair. Sirius and Remus took up post on either side of Claudia. "Do I understand correctly it is just you and your daughter living here?"

"Yes. Emma and I have lived here for awhile now. Before that, I lived in the States."

"Really! I have never known anyone from the States before." He took another sip from his wine and set it down on the table next to him. He folded his hands together and looked across at Claudia.

"My dear, it warms my heart that you cared for our mutual friend Sirius. He is indebted to you."

"Yeah I am." Sirius answered.

"Remus and I have spoken at length and have come to the conclusion that we would like to invite you into our world and entrust secrets to you. Remus tells me you are honorable and trustworthy and that putting a level of trust in you would not be ill-advised." Claudia could feel her face redden and chanced a glance over to Remus who sat with his head bowed over his wine.

"Well, I really don't know what to say. Thank you Remus. I really don't need to know everything. I understand some people have secrets and some need to stay that way. However, I ask that you tell me this, when I allowed these two" she gestured to the men beside her, "into my home, did I invite trouble as well?"

"Oh…I daresay you invited an element of trouble, yes. Does this bother you?"

She let out a slow breath. "A little. My only concern is for my daughter."

"Understandable." He nodded his head. "You have our protection, mine as well as these two." He gestured to Remus and Sirius. "They are powerful in their own right. Now, I feel I must fill you in on certain things. First, Sirius has a responsibility to his godson Harry. From time to time I am sure, they will correspond by letter and what not. Remus will be taking care of things for me, so he will be in and out, so to speak. Secondly, Sirius has escaped from the wizarding prison Azkaban," Claudia took a sharp intake of breath and looked at Sirius. "Please do not trouble yourself worrying about this. Sirius is an innocent man. Framed for a murder he did not commit some thirteen years ago. Our world went through terrible times then. All has been well until lately.." His voice trailed off.

"Sirius? Are you serious? You really are on the run? Oh my…well…is that all? Or are you going to tell me the bad news now?" Claudia could not help it but sarcasm was her only tool on hand. Dumbledore seemed to enjoy this and chuckled under his breathe.

"No…that is the worst of it…for now. Thank you Ms. Moore for allowing me to come into your home and for welcoming me so warmly. I do like muggle homes." He nodded to each of them and swept out the door.

"So that was the most powerful wizard in your world huh?" Claudia sat back down and sipped her wine.

"Oh, don't let him fool you. That man is good at what he does." Remus drained his glass and turned to Sirius. "Have you written Harry yet?"

"Yes, once. I suppose I should send him another letter. Let him know I am still alright. I can't stand him being left alone. I wish he could come here too."

"Why can't he? He is your godson, you know he can come here." Claudia reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"No, he can't. He has to stay where he is. I'll need an owl Remus."

"An owl?" Claudia thought she had a grasp on things so far, but this took her completely by surprise. Remus laughed.

"We use owls to write letters to other wizards. Smart birds owls. Don't know where we will find one around here though."

"Can you use just any bird? I mean, there are some truly fascinating birds here."

"Perhaps. We can look in on that tomorrow. I think I will turn in for the night. He filled his wine glass once more and carried it to his room and closed the door.

Claudia turned back to Sirius who sat stone faced , deep in thought. "Are you ok?"

He turned and looked at her and quickly dropped his eyes to his almost empty glass of wine. "Yes, I'm ok. My life for the past thirteen years has been…well…horrible. I escaped Azkaban to find vengeance for the death of my closest friend and wind up living here instead. I was framed for the murder of one slim ball, Peter Pettigrew. I didn't kill him , like Dumbledore said, I am innocent of that. He is, in fact, not dead. But Peter turned on us when Voldemort was still out there and got my best friend and his wife killed. Voldemort tried to kill their infant son, Harry, but something happened that night and it killed him instead. The wizard world can be a beautiful, magical place. But it can be horrible too. We have horrors in our world that we have to fight to keep contained, otherwise, it will spill over into your world. Then, there is nothing anyone can do. That's what Dumbledore does. And that's what I intend to do too."

Claudia sat and stared at Sirius's face. Any signs of laughter and fun had gone and now the years of pain and suffering were etched around his eyes. She fought the overwhelming urge to hug him and hold him like she would her daughter. Telling him everything would be alright. But she sat there and patted his shoulder once more.

"I'm going to bed Sirius. Thank you for telling me everything that you did. I…goodnight." She reached down a softly gave him a kiss on his forehead. He looked up at her and smiled an empty smile.

"Goodnight Claudia. See you in the morning."

CHAPTER 4
Day to Day

The next day Remus left on, what Claudia thought was, a job for Dumbledore. He left midmorning with goodbyes all around, and a hug for Emma. As the trio now sat outside by the pool, Claudia thought back to the previous night. How her life had changed, as if by magic, in a blink of an eye. Never before would she have ever believed it if someone were to tell her that this would happen to her. She even had a hard time believing in it now, even after all that she herself had witnessed. The man laying next to her in his beach chair could do real magic. He could even turn himself into a dog at will. Claudia hoped that none of this was a dream and if it was, she hoped she would never wake again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Emma calling to her from the pool.

"Mommy!"

"Sorry hun, what?"

"I'm hungry. It's lunch time!" Emma was hanging on a plastic floating toy as she spoke to her mother. Claudia had not realized that time has passed so quickly.

"Alright. I'll fire up the grill." Claudia rose from her chair and wrapped herself in a towel.

"You are firing up a what?" Sirius was roused from his own thoughts by the conversation.

"The grill. It is a muggle way of cooking outdoors." She emphasized the word muggle much to Sirius's amusement. "Want to help?"

"Sure. Just tell me what to do." He followed her into the house and she instructed him on the fine art of making hamburger patties. Claudia, in the mean time, lit the grill close to the pool and waited for Sirius to appear with the tray of meat.

Half an hour later the three of them, Emma dripping with water, all sat on the grass and enjoyed hamburgers, potato chips and soda.

"So this is called a what?" Sirius asked referring to the meal.

"This is a traditional American cookout meal. Reserved for summer days next to a swimming pool." They passed the time laughing and talking about Sirius's life before his prisoner days. He spoke at length about his school where he and his friends learned to fine tune their magical abilities. Also about his close relationship with Remus and a man named James. The mention of James brought on a sad aura around Sirius. Claudia noticed at once that this was a heavy burden Sirius carried and wondered if Remus too felt the weight of it.

After awhile, Emma decided to go inside and lay down for awhile while her stomach settled from all the food. Claudia returned to her beach chair and lay flat on her stomach. Sirius followed her and brought his chair right up close to hers, so that they were face to face, laying flat.

"I suppose this is quit a bit different than Azkaban prison."

"Oh…you have no idea. I feel like I haven't been in the sun for years. Well…I guess I really haven't have I?" Claudia and Sirius both laid and looked at each other.

"How did you do it Sirius? How did you escape?"

"Magic." And with that one word, they both laughed hysterically. Only after a few minutes had passed did Claudia mention Sirius's very red skin.

"Um…Sirius? I think you had better get out of the sun now. You are burning up!" She lifted herself on her elbows and looked over his back. He was covered in tattoos and his once pale, almost translucent skin was now a pale pink. "Here, you need to put this on you." She handed him a bottle of sunscreen. He opened the cap and took at big sniff of its contents.

"Agh…That smells terrible!" His face was twisted and he held the bottle back out for Claudia to take.

"No Sirius. You have to put it on you! It will keep the sun from burning you further. Should have put some on you before. But, I guess you could use a bit of coloring up. Here, I'll help you."

She sat up in her chair and took the bottle from Sirius's hand. She squeezed a small mound of it in her hands and began to rub his back, shoulders and arms with the sunscreen. After she had rubbed in most of the lotion fully, her mind running wild as she did it, did she see the smile on Sirius's face.

"What are you smiling for? I thought you didn't like the smell of it?"

"Oh…It still smells dreadful, but it is nice to have someone rub my back like that." His body moved with silent laughter and Claudia poo pooed him and returned to her own chair.

"I hope you burn." She jokingly said to him. "It's your turn now." She handed the bottle back to him and he took it at once. Two seconds later, half of the bottle was squeezed onto her back.

"Oh my God Sirius! You don't need that much." Still laughing he scooped most of the lotion from her back, back into the bottle. He began to massage her back and shoulders and Claudia relaxed at once. He was right. Having someone else do this is pure heaven. His hands were gentle and firm on her shoulders. It was when his hands started rubbing her lower back did she realize that she was in fact, enjoying this a bit too much.

"Alright. Thank you Sirius, I think I am all ok now." She turned over and smiled at Sirius, but her smile fell almost immediately. His face was intense and his eyes bored straight into hers. He was even breathing heavily, she could hear him exhale. They sat there like that for what seemed to be an hour. When Sirius finally realized that his hands were still on Claudia's back, he pulled them away rather quickly and returned to his chair. They sat in silence for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a few moments of silence, Sirius looked at Claudia and smiled. She returned the smile and nothing more was said between them for some time.

"You know, you should consider trimming your hair a bit. It looks shaggy." Claudia broke the silence with what she hoped was a nice suggestion.

"You know…I think I will. You'll help me, won't you?" Sirius stood and dipped his foot in the water. "I suppose I should wet it first…" With that he dove head first into the pool. Claudia smiled to herself as she watched him do laps around the pool.

After Sirius was done showing off his swimming abilities, he and Claudia headed into the house. Claudia went to fetch a pair of scissors and Sirius stood in front of the mirror, attempting to comb out the tangles in both his hair and beard.

"Give me that." Claudia took the comb from him and began to comb out tangles in his hair. Sirius knelt on the floor in front of the mirror and watched her work. When she had satisfactorily rid his head of knots, she grabbed the scissors and readied them.

"You ready?" She asked.

"By all means," He waved his hand. "cut away. But mind you, not too short."

Claudia began to cut his hair in large chunks first, then she tackled his beard. This proved to be very difficult, so in the end, he decided to shave it off.

An hour later, Sirius emerged from the bathroom clean shaven and sporting clean, neat, shoulder length black hair. Emma laughed at him, saying he didn't look right to her anymore. He chased her into her room threatening to tickle her to death.

"Nice." Claudia admired him from the kitchen as she was cleaning up. He stood in the kitchen doorway and flashed her a brilliant smile.

"Yes, I think so too. Before my unfortunate incarceration, I was quite handsome. Pity, My youth was wasted in that hole."

"Oh Sirius, you have some youth left in you." Claudia enjoyed nothing more that bantering back and forth with him. "And you are still handsome. If you like that sort of thing."

She smiled at him and handed him a towel to dry the dishes. He snatched the towel from her and took his position next to her in front of the sink. Claudia couldn't remember ever enjoying doing the dishes as much as she did that night. After the dishes were finished, the three of them sat around and watched television until Emma decided she wanted dinner.

They all three had left over hamburgers and sat and talked for what seemed hours. Emma bored of the talk easily, so she slipped away to play, leaving Claudia and Sirius to chat. He expanded his stories to tell her the history of this dark wizard that wanted to take over the wizard world and how he disappeared. Claudia sat speechless as he told her of all of the horrible things people suffered at his and his cronies hands. He told her of the people he lost, of what the members of the Order of the Phoenix did and the night he was taken to prison. It all was a fantastic tale of bravery and tragedy. Claudia wanted with all her heart to help these people as much as she possibly could. But for now, she was helping someone who needed her help. Sirius talked openly of his family and why he ran away at an early age. In turn, Claudia filled him in on her husband's death and her decision to move to her country paradise.

"But why did you leave your family?" he asked her.

"My family and I were never really as close as we hoped. I left home and moved to California and created a family of my friends. Then, I married one of them. When he died, I went home but I knew I didn't belong there. My friends are off doing their work all over the world. It is easier for me to see them here than at my mother's home. She didn't approve of them much. They were…the rough crowd. Military men that were, as she puts it, 'reckless and dangerous'. I don't know…I always had fun with them." They continued to talk into the late night hours before Claudia realized what time it was. Emma had fallen asleep on her bed, fully dressed. Claudia turned off the light and closed her door.

"I'm off to bed Sirius. See you in the morning." She waved hr hand and turned to go to her room.

"Wait!" Sirius rushed up behind her, turned her to face him and hugged her like a sister.

"Thank you. I don't think I have talked that much for years. I feel light as a feather." Claudia didn't trust herself to say anymore. She returned his hug and turned to her room. As she closed the door, she saw Sirius standing in the hallway, his back to her and his hands shoved in his pockets. She closed the door before he could turn. Claudia leaned against the door and let out a deep breath. She shook her head and proceeded to get ready for bed. All the while a nagging feeling was causing chaos in her insides.

Two days later Remus returned to the house looking horrible. His clothes were dirty and he even had cuts above his left eye, Claudia eyed his appearance warily and raised an eyebrow.

"Tough night at the office?" She asked him.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. Where is Sirius? I have something for him." He gestured to the front window and Claudia saw, perched on the porch railing, a large multicolored bird sitting there. The bird itself was enormous, with long plumage for a tail that swept elegantly behind it.

"Oh, it's beautiful! What is it for?"

"This is Sirius's messenger for the time being. A little flashy, I admit. But he is big and strong and it would take something quite ferocious to intercept his letters. As he said this Sirius walked in and exchanged greetings with Remus.

"Blimey! That is one huge bird!"

Sirius was obviously excited about having such a flashy letter carrier.

"It's almost as big as the last one."

Apparently, Sirius had taken an liking to exotic birds delivering his mail. Remus said Sirius enjoyed the idea of sending his post in such an obvious way, it made him feel as if he was defying the ministry right under their noses.

Sirius sat down straight away and conjured a feather quill and paper and began to write a letter. After he had finished, he tied the letter to the bird's leg and it swooped off the porch and into the sky.

"Was that to Harry?" Remus asked him.

"Yes. Just letting him know I am alright. I wonder what he thinks of the bird?" He smiled as he thought of the reaction his post carrier would bring and he settled in to go through clothes

Claudia had pulled out of the attic for him. Her husband's old clothes would fit him, and he went through the piles of pants and t-shirts holding them up to his body.

Things were reaching a state of normal in the country with the two wizards, Claudia and Emma. The summer carried on with intense heat and they spent their time swimming, walking, and helping Sirius get back to a healthier state and also keeping Buckbeak entertained. Sirius was nursing sun burns , he now wore sunscreen every time he ventured outdoors. The coexisted happily in the country together and waited for any news from the wizard world.

CHAPTER 5
Happenings

It was a week or so since Sirius had sent his enormous bird to his godson Harry, when one morning a message was sent back. Emma was playing with Sirius on the floor, Remus was writing yet another letter to Dumbledore and Claudia was enjoying a book. A beautiful owl was sitting on the window ledge pecking at the closed window.

"Look at that." Claudia pointed at the window and both Remus and Sirius went to fetch it. The snow white owl soared gracefully into the house and landed on the arm of one of the dining room chairs.

"It's for you Sirius."

Remus handed him the letter and scooped the owl on his arm and carried her to the kitchen window, where they had set up a perch and water for all visiting owls. Since Dumbledore's visit, owls seemed to come in and out daily. Some of these letters made Sirius and Remus sit and talk quietly for hours with looks of intensity on their faces. Claudia knew that something was going on that was giving the wizarding world something to worry about. But they never included Claudia on any of their discussions and she never asked. It was what made their coexistence so amiable.

"Remus!" Sirius was standing stock still reading the letter that was sent to him. "It's from Harry…Oh no…"

Remus read the letter over Sirius's shoulder and immediately grabbed another piece of paper and quill and wrote another letter.

"What's wrong?" Claudia asked in a small voice.

"It's Harry. I can't believe this is happening so soon. Remus…what should we do?" He looked up into his friend's eyes.

"I just wrote to Dumbledore now. I will send your bird to him. We can see what Dumbledore says about this new piece of information. I'm guessing, he didn't write Dumbledore and tell him?"

"I don't think so. Yes, send that off at once. Let's see what he says. Claudia, I am sorry about this. Harry could be in some trouble and we are worried. But don't worry, it will be ok." He patted her on the shoulder and stood behind Remus and read the letter he wrote to Dumbledore and then tied it to his large bird's leg. He then sat down and Remus followed him and they began to talk more animated than she had ever seen them. Claudia knew that they were not concerned about her at the moment, so she went to check on Emma.

Claudia and Emma went about their business the entire day, only catching glimpses of the two men writing letters, receiving letters and talking in hushed tones. It was well after dinner (Claudia brought them two plates and left them alone) that Remus came to her while she sat and read a book.

"Claudia, a word?" He gestured for her to come into the dinning room. When she sat down with them both she saw the table covered in no less than ten letters written in different handwriting. She assumed that this was what they were doing all evening.

"Listen, we need to impose on you a bit more Claudia. We wizard's travel by different methods. Sirius said you know about apparition, brooms and of course our wonderful friend Buckbeak. But we have another method. Floo powder. Every wizard family or home is connected to the floo network through the ministry. There has to be an of age wizard in the home in order for that home to be connected. If it is alright with you, I put this home as my temporary home in order to connect it to the floo network. That just means that our friends can pop in and out without being detected. It is way more useful than any other method, well, other than apperating. Your fireplace works?" This was all said very quickly, very unlike Remus 's normal behavior. Claudia could tell this was important, even though she didn't completely understand.

"Yeah. Actually there are three here. One in the family room and one in the downstairs guestroom and another…well two then." She watched their faces and saw urgency in them both. Sirius was twitchy and angry looking.

"Thank you Claudia. Dumbledore said that all it would take is for your blessing. He can get that connected and then we need to discuss the next few weeks. Sirius is leaving for awhile," Claudia's eyes quickly darted to Sirius's face and then went back to Remus. "But I will be in and out as will others who will come to put some spells on your house."

"Put what on my house? I told you no magic on us! How could you!" She was standing now and her voice was higher than normal.

"No Claudia, on the house itself. If something is happening, or about to happen, we want to be sure you will be protected. Just some simple sensory spells so we are alerted when someone comes here. Trust me, it will not harm anyone or anything here. It is just a safety measure."

Somewhat subdued, Claudia sat back down and listened as they told her of Sirius's plans to fly Buckbeak to be closer to Harry. "Harry is at the World Quidditch World Cup with Arthur, so I'm not worried about him now. But as soon as he is on the train to school, I am heading that way as well."

The next two days were a blur of Owls flying in and out of the house. Emma thought it was great fun and decided to leave treats out for all of them. Claudia watched as Remus and Sirius walked and talked all day and into the night. She stayed clear of them and wondered what would happen after Sirius had gone.

On the third night, Claudia received the shock of her life. She was sitting reading in her favorite chair when all of a sudden her fireplace sprung to life. A green flame burned where only moments before, no fire burned at all. Before she could react at all, a man was spinning in the fireplace and then stepped out from the flames. It was Dumbledore.

"Good evening Ms. Moore. A pleasure to see you again. I didn't frighten you did I?" He swept down into a bow before her and she laughed.

"Oh Dumbledore, nothing frightens me anymore. Are you looking for the dynamic duo? They are outside by the pool. Talking like they have been for days."

He swept passed her to the back door and she followed to watch in the window. Dumbledore approached Sirius and Remus as they sat and talked. They jumped to their feet when they saw him coming. They spoke for a few minutes and then all three headed back to the house. Claudia hurried back to her chair and pretended to read. They entered a moment later and found Claudia reading in her chair.

"Ms. Moore, a simple charm is being placed on your house tonight by myself, Remus and Sirius. In a day or two, I will send others to add their own flare to it. All this is done to protect you and to also make it where we can come and go undetected. The Ministry of Magic is only aware of Remus living here. I would very much like to keep it that way. I will just be a moment."

He went outside of the house, by way of the front door, and closed it behind him. Only a few moments later, he returned and clapped his hands together and smiled.

"I believe I have worked my magic." His eyes danced with laughter at his own joke. Claudia smiled at him and said her goodbyes to Dumbledore.

"It was good to see you again." She shook his hand and he stepped into the fire. With a flash, he was gone.

July was coming to a close and the heat was getting less intense. Sirius was preparing to leave and Emma was not the least happy about it. It was into the month of September that Sirius sent his reply to Harry that he was coming. Claudia watched as he and Buckbeak prepared for the flight. He said goodbye to Emma and gave her a hug. He shook hands with Remus and then turned to Claudia.

"I can't thank you enough Claudia. Without you…I'll be back. Please don't worry." With his last words whispered to her, he held her tightly and kissed her softly on the lips. She couldn't speak at all. Tears were threatening to pour from her eyes, so she stood and watched him mount Buckbeak, give one last wave and they were off. She watched him until he was a speck in the sky. Remus came and put his arm around her shoulders, like Sirius used to, and led her back to the house.

CHAPTER 6
The Other Wizards

An entire week went by before Claudia heard anything about the other wizards coming to the house to perform their spells. Remus had not left the house at all since Sirius left. She thought he was a wonderful friend for doing so. They enjoyed each others company and Claudia was able to discuss books and ideas much easier with Remus than with Sirius. Emma was happy once again playing with her many cats and still feeding the visiting owls. The owls were getting used to her and many were regulars to Claudia's house. Once they delivered their post, they waited patiently for Emma to come and give them bits of fruit and nuts. Once, an owl whom Emma named 'Birdy Pants', came to deliver a letter to Remus and wanted to see Emma. But since Emma was already in bed, the owl named 'Birdy Pants' swooped into her room and began softly nibbling on her ear in order to wake her. She came into the kitchen with the owl perched on her little shoulder and she gave him his treat. Afterwards, she put him gently on the perch and walked right back to bed. Remus and Claudia laughed for ages over this event saying 'like mother like daughter'.

On one of the many evenings after Emma had gone to bed, Remus sat in one chair and Claudia in another reading books. In the blink of an eye, the fireplace burst into green flame once again and spinning in it was a young woman, not much older than Claudia. She was slightly taller than Claudia and had very short, bright pink hair. Remus stood and welcomed the woman and turned to introduce her to Claudia.

"Tonks, this is Claudia Moore. Claudia, Tonks." The women shook hands and after a few moments of small talk Tonks began questioning Claudia about her house.

"So this is your house then? Lovely. And big too! Well, what I'm doing is a charm to the front of the house. It will alert this," she pulled out a small glass sphere, "by turning it red when someone apparrates into your yard. The charm is only good for a generally small area, so I can only do the front. Pretty cool, huh?" She seemed overly excited about this mission, so Claudia nodded and gave her thanks. Tonks and Remus set out to the front of the house to do the spell. Meanwhile, Claudia placed the glass ball on the fireplace mantel. All this magic stuff had her a bit confused. Dumbledore didn't even tell her what magic he performed on her door the night he came. Remus decided to go with magically locking the doors so that when they were sleeping or out of the house, no one could enter without knowing the counter spell.

Claudia spent the fall months picking up her running routine that she gave up over the summer due to the heat. Running three miles a day in that heat was not a good idea. But the mellow fall weather was perfect for her to start her workouts once again. In fact, Claudia was very much in shape. Not only did she run everyday, but she also practiced Yoga. She found it relaxed her like nothing else in the world.

As time went by, different people began showing up at Claudia's home. Her favorite of all thus far was Molly Weasley. Molly was the mother of seven children and the wife of one Arthur Weasley, whom Claudia learned, worked for the ministry of magic. The day Molly came was a cool fall afternoon in October and she burst from the fireplace and preceded to hug and shake hands with Remus and then she turned her attention on Claudia.

"Oh dear, you are a love! To open your home to everyone like this…it's just wonderful of you." She gushed over Emma when she met her. "What a doll! Oh I do wish we had more girls. Ginny is the only one. You are so lucky." She hurried around and showed Claudia what she brought for her.

"I didn't come to do any spells. Arthur will be here to do that. Mind you, he is infatuated with muggles, I came to bring some things that I think you will like."

From a large bag Molly pulled a tea kettle. "This is a tea kettle, of course you knew that already. I have charmed it to always provide hot tea. It doesn't matter where you put it, or how long you put it away. If you pour it, it will give you fresh, hot tea. Since you have so many people coming and going, I thought you could use this." Claudia was enjoying Molly's upbeat ways and before they knew it, they were talking and laughing like old friends. Molly also brought a few books, much to Claudia's delight, about the Wizarding World. Books about their history, dark wizards, a funny one about a man and a banshee and also a book about muggles.

"I know dear, you are a muggle. But I thought you might get a kick out of reading what we think about muggles. It will also help you when my husband comes around."

In all, Molly Weasley was a plump, red headed woman with whom Claudia didn't want to ever part with. She stayed for hours talking and insisting to Claudia that when she comes back, she will bring pictures of all of her children. Claudia begged her to return soon and saw her off at the fireplace with a wave and a huge smile.

When Arthur Weasley came to call, it was chaos from the start. He was supposed to be putting an anti-apparition jinx on the house but he kept looking at all of the "gadgets and gizmos" around Claudia's house. She knew he would never finish until she gave him a tour, so they started in the kitchen and worked their way through the living room (spending loads of time on the television and DVD player), and then to all four bedrooms. Stopping last to Claudia's office. Here she kept the computer and all her books. She positively could not pull him away from the computer once she showed him what it could do. He sat there for almost thirty minutes clicking on all of the icons on the desk top and then closing them. Amazed at the 'magic' of muggles. Finally, three hours later, Arthur finished the anti-apparition jinx on the house and left, reluctantly, through the fireplace. Claudia assured him he was welcome back at any time to learn more about her things. Claudia now understood what Molly meant when she said, "Arthur will be in Heaven here!".

Claudia found herself chuckling almost every night before she climbed into bed. These wizards weren't so bad. They were actually quite fun. She had had only one letter from Sirius since he left, telling her he was safe and not to worry. It arrived by owl and it was written in sloppy writing, but at least he thought enough of her to keep her appraised of his

CHAPTER 7
Something New

The months seemed to slip right by. October to November and November to December. The only truly interesting thing that happened during this time, other than Remus's mysterious disappearances about every month, was something Claudia learned about Harry. He was competing in a TriWizard Tournament at his school. Remus told her something was very wrong with this and explained the restrictions put on the tournament, but the problem was that Harry was entered anyway. This was another one of those things Claudia did not understand about what was going on. However, she was reading the books Molly brought to her. She was getting schooled on a number of things in the wizarding world, namely, the dark wizards. The wizards that went wrong somehow.

It was amazing that no matter where you went, there were always those who wish to bring chaos and pain to others. "The muggle world is no different", Claudia explained to Remus. "There are those out there that murder and destroy for no reason other than personal gain. Those people must be stopped at all costs. If they are allowed to run amuck around the world, life as we know it will cease. Thank God there are people willing to do the dirty work." Claudia spent the remaining evening telling Remus about certain notorious muggle tyrants who had caused devastation around the world.

Entering the month of December, a hail storm of owls flocked around Claudia's house. All bringing news to Remus from various people around. Mostly, they concerned the first task that Harry had to get through in the tournament. Dragons. Claudia honestly did not know what to make of the revelation that there were real dragons around. But, as Molly pointed out, how could she possibly not believe anything anymore.

A week before Christmas an owl came to deliver yet another letter. But this time it was not for Remus, but for Claudia. When the owl landed in the kitchen next to her as she prepared a chicken, she didn't know what to do. Remus came over and untied the letter from the bird's leg and seeing it had Claudia's name on it promptly handed it to her. She looked from the letter to Remus and wondered who it was from. For the writing was not Sirius's, it was written in elegant, swooping letters. She opened the think parchment and read:

My Dearest Ms. Moore,

I hope this letter finds you well. First, let me say that Sirius is doing well and I am in constant contact with him. Second, when our term is over and we break for the holidays, I will be sending a personal friend, who is also a professor here at Hogwarts, to you for more intensive protection to your home. I do hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

At your service,

Albus Dumbledore

So the week before Christmas came and Claudia was busy decorating the house with Emma. Remus helped by magically lighting the tree with little baubles from his wand. Of course, he did this after Emma was in bed. Emma had gotten into the spirit too. Every owl that came to deliver a letter, not only received treats from her, but also a piece of tinsel tied to it's leg.

After Emma had gone off to bed and Remus was drafting a letter to someone, Claudia sat by the fireplace and read. As always, before someone travels by Floo powder to her home, her fire turned green and a person was spinning in her fireplace. It was a man dressed in long flowing black robes. He had long, stringy black hair and he stopped spinning directly in front of where Claudia sat. He didn't utter a word at first, and neither did she. She sat with her legs curled under her and her mouth slightly apart.

She couldn't take her eyes from him.

"You must be Ms. Moore."

This was said in a low, deep voice. His face was expressionless and he stared into her eyes. She felt the hairs standing up on the back of her neck and her arms were covered with goose bumps. This was something new, she thought to herself. He was absolutely the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, in an artistic sort of way. He raised his eyebrows and she realized he was waiting for her to speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I'm Claudia Moore."

She reached her hand out to shake his, but he just looked at it. Claudia in turn raised her eyebrows. Really? He wants to come here with that attitude. Slowly, a pale, long fingered hand appeared from the folds of his robes and lightly grabbed hers for only a moment before he released it. "You are?"

"Severus Snape. I understand Headmaster Dumbledore told you of my coming tonight? I will need you to show me the boundaries of your property."

All of this was spoken in his hushed tones that once again sent shivers down her back. Yes, she thought, this is going to be interesting. At that, Remus appeared in the doorway.

"Severus! So Dumbledore sent you here too. Do you need some help with anything?"

It appeared to Claudia that Remus's presence made Severus Snape look even more intimidating. His eyes turned into slits and his lip curled just slightly. Remus looked, almost sad.

"No. I am perfectly capable of performing magic Lupin." Claudia was sure he snarled as he said 'Lupin'. "I only require Ms. Moore here to take me on a tour of her land."

"Claudia, do you want me to go with you?" Remus turned to Claudia as he spoke. His eyes were large and he was looking a little nervous.

"No Remus. Why?" She asked, confused by what was going on.

"Why indeed Lupin?" Severus was looking even worse with this question, so Claudia quickly put on her boots and coat.

"Let's go ahead and go, shall we?"

Claudia led Severus out the back door. She showed him the pool and then led him to the back. The vast land was sprinkled with clumps of woods that Claudia had left alone on purpose. It was a haven of sorts to have so much nature around. As they walked, in silence, Claudia thought of the man next to her. He was dark and lovely. He had an aura of mystery about him that she found tantalizing. If it weren't for his personality. She walked him in a circle around the main land. They stopped a little ways from a large area covered in trees.

"Well, that's about it really."

"Is it?" He turned to her and fixed his eyes to hers. She felt like her legs were turning into jelly right then and there. But no…he couldn't know. She wasn't going to tell these people everything.

"Yes. It is." Claudia felt like he was drilling holes into head with his stare. They stood that way for long seconds before she looked around and then down at her feet. A few seconds later, she forced herself to make eye contact again. She could not let this man intimidate her. "It's cold. Do you need me anymore?"

"No. I think I can find everything on my own now."

With those words, he strode off into the darkness leaving Claudia standing alone shaking. Not from the cold, but from what was going on inside her. As she turned towards the house she tried to get herself under control. Severus Snape was something to reckon with. For reasons only God knew, she couldn't shake the feeling she had when he looked at her. It felt as if he invaded every fiber of her being. By the time she made it into the house, rid herself of coat, gloves and boots, she was ready to be alone. However Remus met her in the hall.

"Claudia, oh Claudia I am so sorry! I should have known it was Severus Dumbledore was sending. I could have warned you."

"Warned me? Whatever for?"

"What for? Severus can be...well…he can be difficult." Remus was leaning on the wall as he spoke.

"Yes well, I figured that out all on my own. Don't worry about me. I can handle him. I've handled worse. Far worse, trust me." With that she waved her goodnight and closed her bedroom door.

As she dressed for bed, she couldn't help but wonder where Severus was. Was he still out there? She peeked out the window facing the back yard, but saw nothing but blackness. She settled herself in bed, and tried to invite sleep to come. But her mind was filed with thoughts of this new development in her life. The magical, dark, serpent tongued man named Severus Snape.

CHAPTER 8
Easter

Claudia did not see Severus Snape again for a long time. The winter months were in full force and the only news that came from the wizard world was that nothing was happening. Remus worried night and day about Harry and what he had to face in the tournament. He worried about what it meant that Harry was even competing in the tournament. In February, Remus told Claudia about the underwater adventure Harry and the other contestants had to face. Claudia thought this all sounded wonderful and very exciting.

Letters from Sirius continued to come for both her and for Remus. Always saying for her to not worry and that he was being careful and missed them all very much. Claudia felt a pang of guilt as she read his letters because she felt as if he had feelings for her that were more than friendship. She did think he was exciting and fun to be with. But he was no Severus Snape.

Remus had on a couple of occasions asked Claudia if she and Sirius were a couple.

"Of course not Remus! What makes you say that?" She almost shouted at him.

"Just that I know Sirius very well. He rarely let a woman turn his head. He was always playing with James and trying to get the biggest laugh from the crowd. But he does look at you though…" He smiled at her as he said this. He looked as if he would burst with laughter at any moment.

"Sirius is my friend. Like you are my friend. I don't see you out there turning your head at any women. Or perhaps…the woman you want to see keeps popping in and out of here all the time. Tell me, do you not notice that Tonks stares at you constantly?" Claudia knew this would shut him up. Remus never spoke about women and she knew he would be mortified by the thought. On cue, his face flushed a deep pink from his neck to his cheeks and he shook his head.

"You're wrong. Stop it." Claudia was laughing uncontrollably.

"If you can't take it, don't give it."

Claudia and Remus were wonderful friends. She thought he as indeed very handsome, but he was emotionally cut off from everyone. He disappeared every once in awhile and then showed up looking terrible. Whatever Dumbledore had him doing must be dangerous and scary. She really wanted to know what it was. When he was there, she thought of him as a brother and a friend. He alone knew the majority of her secrets about her life before. They spent many, many hours talking together. Not once, since they became such good friends, did she ever look at him in any way other than a friend. However, she got the impression, as she did when they first met, that he had secrets too.

The rest of winter and into spring was marked by Easter break. After sending out loads of owls, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Their son Bill Weasley, Tonks, Remus , Claudia and Emma sat down for an Easter feast. They dinned on roasted duck, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, vegetables and pie. It was the best evening Claudia had had in some time. They drank wine and swapped stories about their youth. And through it all, Claudia watched as Tonks eyed Remus from her seat. He really didn't notice a thing. He would talk mostly to Arthur, who in turn kept trying to get Claudia to teach him how to run the vacuum cleaner. By the end of the evening, all were fat and happy from the feast. Claudia was falling asleep in her chair, so Remus scooped her up and carried her to bed. Claudia watched them go with a smile. He was so good with Emma. He would make an excellent father one day. When she turned back to the table, she found herself staring directly into the very unfriendly eyes of Tonks. Her manner had changed completely. Her eyes were narrow, and her mouth was nothing more than a thin line. Claudia frowned, and Tonks looked away. Now that's strange, thought Claudia. Wonder what's up with her. The conversation at the table turned to the triwizard tournament at Hogwarts,

"I am sick with worry about him." Molly said with tears in her eyes.

"Dumbledore will never let anything happen to him." Arthur patted his wife's hand as he spoke.

"I just can't figure out who could have put his name in the Goblet of Fire to begin with…" Molly's voice trailed off.

"I'll tell you something," It was Bill who spoke next. "Severus Snape is still a dodgy character in my book." With those last words, Claudia's ears perked up.

"Severus Snape is a powerful wizard. Dumbledore trusts him and besides, he would never let Severus teach at Hogwarts if he were not trustworthy. We should all just trust in old Dumbledore to know, even if we don't." Arthur was cleaning his glasses as he spoke.

"Yeah Dad, but still…I mean I just don't get a good feeling about him."

Bill was pouring more wine for his mother and himself as he spoke. He offered Claudia's glass, but she knew she had had enough. She already felt a little light headed and drowsy. Remus came back from putting Emma to bed and he joined in.

"Talking about Severus?" He asked.

"Why do you all question Severus? I mean…Dumbledore told me he was coming here and said he was sending a friend. I think Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in your world, why would you not trust his judgment? Claudia was looking in all the faces of the people sitting at her table. Everyone either had downcast eyes or were so deep in thought that they were not focusing anywhere.

"Claudia, I think you can understand that some people are not what they seem." Remus looked at her as he spoke. He was right of course, but what did that mean?

"Yes. Some of us are not what we seem Lupin."

The voice from somewhere in the dark hallway made everyone jump and turn. Standing in the doorway was non other that Severus Snape. Claudia repressed a smile. Her excitement on laying eyes on him again was almost unbearable. She had a crazy vision of running up to him and throwing her arms around him. His eyes were on her and she actually blushed. How mortifying if he ever knew!

"Forgive us Severus." Arthur rushed to break the silence. Remus sat with his head bowed and Tonks was eyeing Severus with a nasty look. Molly had gone red and was busying herself clearing the dishes from the table. Bill sat and stared at Severus as he walked into the kitchen.

"Can we offer you some wine?"

"No. I need a word with Ms. Moore."

His voice was low and almost a whisper. All eyes moved to Claudia. She hesitated for a moment ,then flashed a wonderful smile in their direction. She looked at Severus standing a little ways from her and gave him her warmest smile.

"Of course Severus." Claudia actually had a hard time wiping the smile from her face. He turned from the room and Claudia arose from her chair. "I'm, fine." She assured Remus before meeting Severus in the hall.

"Why don't we go in here."

She gestured for them to go to her study. In her small, darkly lit study an office chair and a small couch. Claudia motioned for Severus to sit on the couch as she took up post in her chair. Her heart was beating wildly. No Severus, I'm not afraid of you. She thought as they sat down. She made it a point to look him dead in the eyes. You may be a handsome devil, devil you may be. Severus looked deep in his own thoughts for a moment, so Claudia seized the opportunity to break the silence first.

"So? What word would you have with me Severus?" She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She couldn't help her mind racing as she spoke to him about running and plopping right in his lap and kissing that frown away. She waited for his response. Was he actually flustered? His face registered a small amount of shock.

"Dumbledore sends a message to you. He wishes to come and see you during the summer break. Apparently, he says you will be useful to us. You and your friends?"

His eyes narrowed as he said it. Claudia's face fell as he said it. No. It couldn't be. How in God's name could Dumbledore know?

"He says he wishes to meet your friends sometime this summer if you can arrange it. He didn't want this message in writing because he knows you have not told anyone. Is he correct?" It was he who sat back now, legs crossed. It was Claudia, whose face registered shock.

"Do you know?" She asked him.

"Parts."

Claudia bit her lower lip. "Tell him I will do my best. It has been awhile." Severus nodded, but gave no signs he was ready to leave.

"Another one of Dumbledore's wishes is for you to accompany me on a short journey." Still no sign of any emotions now that he had the upper hand.

"A journey?" Claudia could not believe her ears. "Why me?" She had a wild thought that maybe Severus chose her instead, but she quickly realized he could not have. He obviously hated her. She saw no softening of his eyes. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe…

"He chose you because you are a muggle. We have intelligence that some rather unfriendly wizards are meeting together and we wish to know more about them. The meeting will be in a pub, a muggle pub, so we will have to go as muggles. What better way to look like one than to travel with one? I will send you an owl shortly when we have more information." He stood to go.

"And what if I decided not to go with you?" Claudia found herself ready to do battle. Who did this man think he is? Granted he was every bit as attractive and appealing to her as before, but he was pushing his luck. She stood and faced him.

"You wouldn't." He smirked at her.

"No?" She raised her eyebrows and stared at him with as much intensity as stared at her.

"Unless you would rather Lupin take you?" This was by far the nastiest look Claudia had seen in some time. She couldn't help herself, she smiled.

"No Severus. I would much rather torture myself in your company." Her smile grew wider at the look on his face. "I would much rather go with you." She really couldn't help it. He seemed to enjoy getting under people's skin. He miscalculated her abilities of doing the same.

"I will send word to you of our plans. No one is to know right now. Refrain from confiding in your bosom buddy Lupin everything I have told you tonight." Claudia kept on smiling. Clearly, this was how to annoy him the most. She nodded her consent and he swept from the room, closing the door with a snap.

A few moments later, a knock on the door told her the others were waiting to hear what had been said. Molly, Arthur, Remus and Bill filed into the office.

"What is going on?" Remus asked.

Claudia waved her hand and sat down again. "Dumbledore had some questions for me. But they are to remain between us. Really it's fine. I do enjoy it when Severus comes over. Everyone gets so feisty. Where's Tonks?" Claudia noticed that Tonks was no longer there.

"She said she had to go dear." Molly answered. But her face was filled with worry.

"What did Severus say?" It was Remus who spoke again.

"Remus, I already told you Dumbledore asked me to keep it quiet for now. Do I ask you what you are doing all the time? No! Please have the same courtesy for me."

"Of course Claudia, we understand. It's just that…well…Severus can be hard to handle sometimes. And…" Claudia cut Arthur off.

"Like I told Remus before - I can handle Severus Snape. I am capable of handling more than you can imagine. Please trust me when I say that I can handle it." She didn't mean for her voice to be so hard, but she was tired of being handled with kid gloves. If these people only knew…

"Of course, you're right." Arthur waved a hand in the air. "If we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?"

"I think it is time we go home Arthur. Bill, are you coming?" Molly turned to her eldest son.

"No Mum, I think I will stay for a bit longer."

"Well alright then, goodnight all." The elder Weasleys left Claudia's house, leaving Bill and Remus with her. She sat and looked at them both.

"No matter what you say, the conversation between Severus and myself is private."

"Yes, we understand Claudia. Just be careful with him."

Remus stood and he and Bill left the room. Claudia decided to go to bed after checking her e-mail and sending out some very interesting messages to her friends. As she went upstairs to bed, she waved at Bill and Remus playing a game of chess. She went to her bedroom and closed the door. This was, by far, the most interesting and scary day she had had yet . Obviously there is more to Dumbledore than she knows. How does he do it? Can he read minds? What a scary thought. He would know all about her. It would be worse, she told herself, if Severus could do it. With that thought racing around in her mind, she turned out the light and went to sleep.

CHAPTER 9
Dark Tidings

As Claudia expected, she did not hear from Severus again for awhile. She did however receive multiple letters from Sirius. His tone grew more dark and pessimistic as time went on. All she could offer were kind words to her friend so far away. The summer months were closing in on them again and the whole group was buzzing about Harry's last task at the TriWizard Tournament set to happen June twenty-fourth. Claudia wished she would be able to go, but knew a muggle like herself would never be allowed. So she contented herself by listening to everyone speculate about the last task, that Claudia learned would be a maze.

It was almost two weeks prior to the last task that Claudia received a letter by owl post. The owl swooped into the house and landed on her lap. She had gotten used to this method of post over the past months, so she quickly untied the letter from the lovely brown owl's leg. The owl decided to have some water before flying right out of the window and back to wherever it belonged. Claudia saw her name printed in small letters. Who could this be from? She opened the letter and read:

Ms. Moore,

I will be at your home July the 12th . Be ready promptly at 8:00pm so that we may leave on time.

S. Snape

Claudia smiled to herself. Oh, this is going to be fun. She could hardly contain her excitement for what was sure to be a very interesting evening.

The night of the tournament at Hogwarts, Molly and Bill traveled to watch Harry. Leaving Remus and Claudia at the house. Tonks rarely showed her face anymore, but when she did, she was short and curt with everyone. Mostly with Claudia. She could not figure it out, but she thought she had a pretty good idea why.

The evening started out like any other would. They ate dinner and talked and generally had a good time. Claudia had to force Emma to bed with the promise of two stories. One read by her and the other read by Remus. After the third story (Remus was a sucker for Emma's pleading) they sat together and waited for word from anyone with news on the nights events. Remus was a wreck after some hours of waiting.

"I wish someone would send word." He paced the living room while Claudia just watched. After what seemed an eternity someone burst through the front door. It was Sirius.
"Oh my God, Sirius!" Claudia jumped up and Remus ran to his friend. Sirius was out of breath and he was as pale as a ghost.

"Remus…he's…back." He was holding Remus's shoulders staring him in the face. Remus looked horrified.

"No…not…"

"Voldemort is back Remus, he came back tonight. Harry…"

"What! What happened to Harry?"

Remus made Sirius sit down. Claudia ran to get him something to drink. When she retuned she heard Sirius telling Remus about the nights events.

"-and the cup was turned into a portkey. Took him to Voldemort. Wormtail, he…"

'I can't believe it. So he has a body now? How?"

"Harry said Wormtail did a spell. Brought him back. They dueled and Harry got away. But Moony my friend, Voldemort killed one of the other students. Dumbledore is in a rage because Fudge won't alert everyone. He refuses to believe it."

Sirius turned to Claudia and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to him. She sat with her arm around his shoulders while Sirius told them what happened afterwards.

"So, Dumbledore wants me to alert everyone from the original Order. I have to go. I suspect Dumbledore will be contacting you shortly." He stood to go and shook Remus's hand. He kissed Claudia on the cheek and turned to go.

"Be careful!" Was all Claudia could think to say.. He turned around and smiled to her a very sad smile.

"I'll be back soon." With that, he left.

It was not even a day later that Claudia received a letter from Dumbledore requesting that he and others from the Order of the Phoenix come to her home to hold a meeting. She promptly wrote back saying, "Of course." and sent it back.

Almost an hour later, people began to show up on her doorstep. She remembered the tea kettle Molly gave her, so she placed it, and numerous mugs, on the table. The usual people came first. The Weasley's, Tonks, Sirius and Dumbledore all arrived the next afternoon, closely followed by a man with one wooden leg and a funny roaming eye. Remus said his name was Mad-Eye Moody. Next came a man Dumbledore introduced as Mundangus Fletcher. He walked around Claudia's house inspecting everything. A very large man squeezed his way into the house and had such a time trying to find a place to sit, that he was forced to stand. More people poured in and they were all friendly and Claudia would have enjoyed getting to know them under different circumstances. The last to come was Severus Snape. Claudia watched him walk in and stand in the corner. As she passed him, she caught his eye and smiled. He looked away and she chuckled to herself.

When everyone had gathered together in the living room, everyone looked at Claudia. She didn't know why, but she felt as if they didn't really want her there. She was in fact, correct.

"Claudia," It was Sirius. "Could you give us a few minutes?"

He looked embarrassed to ask her to excuse them in her own house. So Claudia smiled and waved goodbye, pulling Emma away from the large man named Hagrid.

"Come darling, we need to leave them to their work now." She took Emma outside to play while inside her home a group of wizards sat around and discussed plans for war.

About a half hour later, after Emma had helped Claudia feed all of the dogs, Sirius came out to get them.

"Hey there stranger." Claudia hugged him and Emma ran into his open arms.

"We're finished in there. Sorry about asking you to go." He was genuinely sorry about it Claudia cold see.

"Nah. I understand. How is everything?" She looked over Emma's head into Sirius's eyes. He was worried and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He shook his head and looked away. She knew this was not a good sign, if even he was at a loss for words.

"I missed you Sirius. Where have you been?" Emma asked him standing on tip toe. He looked down and smiled at her.

"I have been working. Did you really miss me?" He scooped her into her arms and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes. Mommy and Remus missed you too. We all worry about you. That's what mommy says." Sirius smiled at Claudia and winked.

"Do you think your mum missed me?" Emma seemed to ponder this question seriously. Then she nodded. They all three laughed together and headed for the house. When the house was in view, Sirius stopped walking abruptly. Standing on the back porch, next to the pool was Severus.

"What the hell does he want?"

Sirius's face looked nasty. Claudia knew from talking to Remus that these two hated each other with passion.

"He probably wants to talk to me."

Claudia said. Sirius looked at her and put Emma down on the ground.

"Why?"

"Severus and I are supposed to go and check something out for Dumbledore in a few weeks. I'm sure it has something to do with that."

She continued walking, as did Emma and Sirius, until they were in front of Severus. Emma said, "Hi!" and went inside. No doubt to find Hagrid again. Sirius and Severus just stared at each other. Claudia felt like an intruder. She just kept looking back and forth from one to the other until Sirius spoke first.

"What do you want Snape?"

He crossed his arms across his chest and spread his feet. Severus just stood still. Without taking his eyes from Sirius, Severus turned his head slightly to Claudia and said, "You received my letter?"

Claudia just said "Yes." She didn't know what else to say.

"Our plans have not changed. Some of us have work to do." With those words almost spat at Sirius, he turned and walked away into the house. Claudia looked at Sirius and knew she should not talk to him at the moment. She went inside and left him standing on the porch.

CHAPTER 10
Retro

July 12th started like any other day. Most of the Order members spent some time at Claudia's house over the past week and a half. But this day was different. Not only would she be actually doing something for the Order, she would be doing it with Severus.

She was so anxious through the day that two times Sirius asked her if she was OK. He had come back today, probably to keep an eye on Severus, and had been following her around all day. Remus was gone doing something for Dumbledore. Molly was coming over almost everyday helping Claudia with the household duties . She was also staying over to watch Emma while Claudia was gone.

After Claudia inhaled her dinner, she went upstairs to shower. She took her time getting dressed that evening. She looked at the clock. 7:12pm. She put on makeup and fixed her short brown hair. She appraised herself in the mirror. Not bad. She thought. So I haven't completely lost it. She wore a pair of blue jeans with a sassy red blouse that was breathtaking. It had a plunging neckline, in truth, it almost showed her navel. The back was low cut as well, so that the top of the blouse hooked around her neck and the back connected around her waist. There were strategically placed rhinestones that glittered as she twist and turned in front of the mirror. Last thing, she placed a pair of red, high healed sandals on her feet. If Severus doesn't die over this, at least I know Sirius will. She laughed and sprayed perfume on her neck and wrists. She looked at the clock again. 7:46pm. She sat on her bed and waited for about five minutes before going downstairs, She had no idea the reaction she would get when she showed up looking like this. It was hot for the muggle world, but probably obscene for the wizard one. She grabbed her handbag and closed her bedroom door. She peeked in on Emma who was just off to bed. She blew her a kiss and closed her door. Down the stairs she went, her heart pumping double time. Sirius was sitting on the couch reading when she entered the living room. He looked at her and his mouth fell open. She flashed him a smile and turned in a circle with her arms out.

"What do you think?"

She asked him. She laughed at his face that was frozen in a half smile half surprised look. "I promise, I look just how the others will."

"You're beautiful." He said it in almost a whisper.

"Why thank you."

She swooped down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Just as Molly walked in the room and gasped, Severus walked in the front door. Claudia was enjoying herself immensely. Molly kept trying to adjust her blouse so it wasn't showing off so much skin and Claudia kept laughing at Sirius's face. Severus just stood and stared.

She caught Severus's eye and said, "Shall we?" He nodded and out the door they went.

They walked to the yard and Claudia turned to him. "How are we getting there? Driving? Flying?" He turned to face he slowly.

"No. We are apparating there. Come here."

He held out his hand and she took it. "Hold on to me tightly and close your eyes."

She did, but not before she turned her head up towards his and saw his eyes. Beautiful black eyes they were too. She closed her eyes and had the worst sensation of her life. Her whole body was being plunged into a space too small for it. Her ears were popping and her eyes felt like they were going to come right out of her head. In just moments, they stopped and she clung tightly to Severus's arm.

"Can you manage?" he asked her.

Still having her eyes closed, she nodded her head. For the first time she realized he was no longer wearing his normal black robes. He was still wearing all black, but they were black pants and a black button up shirt. He looked almost normal.

They had landed in an alley way, and Claudia could hear the distance thump, thump of loud music near . They walked around the corner and the street jumped out at them. People were everywhere and the sidewalks were crammed with young and old people alike.

He led her down the street a little ways to a smaller club named 'Retro' in neon lights. They entered the club and Claudia noticed first how dimly lit the place was. They found a table far in the corner to sit. A waitress came along and placed napkins on the table. She was over weight and sloppy looking. Severus couldn't even look at her.

"What can I get ya love?" She asked, all the while smacking gum. Claudia looked at Severus and saw he was, for the first time, at a loss. Claudia decided it was time she took over.

"Oh, I will have Martini. My friend here will have…red wine." The waitress muttered something that sounded like have a good time and left. Claudia looked around the room and saw that it was not as packed as the other clubs were, but it had a fair few. Mostly men and a few women scattered through. The place was a bit dodgy, but it was a great place to have a meeting in secret if that is what they were doing.

"So…are you going to tell me who it is we're looking for?"

"No." Severus was eyeing the front door, not even looking at her.

"Really? So why am I here?" He finally did look at her this time. He took a deep breath and exhaled it.

"Apparently, some of the Dark Lord's followers are recruiting others to help them in their cause."

"So?"

"So, they are recruiting muggles." He drummed his fingers slowly on the table. The waitress placed the two drinks on the table and left. Claudia looked directly into Severus's eyes.
"They are recruiting them for what exactly?"

"Well, that is where you come in. Headmaster seems to think this is your area of expertise."

Then the reality of the situation hit her head on. No doubt Dumbledore knew about her life and now he was calling her out of retirement. She looked away and sipped her drink. Sour as they are, Martinis are excellent for calming nerves. They are not good however, if you end up having to fight your way out of a bar.

They sat in silence, each sipping their drinks for an hour or more. The waitress came by twice to see if they needed refills, but they said no. They now had not seen her in half an hour. As the bar saw people come and go, Severus watched the door.

It happened very quickly, that Claudia didn't have time to say much of anything. She saw Severus's eyes grow large and a flicker of fear crossed them. Claudia fought the urge to turn around. She instead stared at Severus. He leaned into her and whispered,

"I mustn't be seen."

Claudia's mind was racing. They could not get up and leave, that would take the right passed whomever it was standing at the door.

"They are walking around, they can not see me."

His voice was urgent. She wondered why he didn't disapparate right there, but realized there were too many people around. Someone would notice if a man up and disappeared. So Claudia did the only thing she could think of in the seconds before the unknown people reached their table. She slowly got up and moved to Severus's side of the table. She looked him dead in the eye and quietly, as she sat on his lap, she said,

"We stay this way until they pass. When they are going the other way we can get up and go. Do NOT move Severus. Trust me."

She was speaking directly to his ear. Her face was but a breath away from his. She could feel his quick, wine smelling breaths hitting her on the face.

For a moment, it felt as if everything had gone still. She was vaguely aware the there was a group of people approaching them from behind. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. Severus chanced a look over her shoulder and closed his eyes too. She wasn't sure if he was praying. Did wizards pray? She had to remember to ask him that when they got home. She felt Severus tense underneath her and she knew too that the unwelcome guests were stopping right next to them. So Claudia did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed Severus 's face between her hands and kissed him.

His lips were dry and still. She made a show of wrapping her arms around his neck, thoroughly covering his face. She pressed her lips to his and prayed that he wouldn't seek revenge for this later. Her ears perked up at the sound of a low, drawling voice near to them.

"Filthy muggles everywhere. Can't get away from them." Another voice chuckled and yet another made mention of how disgusting it was to watch them actually kissing.

"Let me curse them." One said. Another said "No." They stood there for a few seconds and the first voice said, "There they are."

They moved quickly away, from what Claudia could hear.

She pulled herself from Severus, but stayed very close to his face. She looked down into his face. He was staring right at her with an extremely intense look. They were both breathing very hard, partially because they had come so close to danger and partially because they had kissed for almost ten minutes.

"Where did they go?" She whispered to him.

"Towards the door. Lean a little…"

He glanced over her shoulder and cursed under his breath. "They are sitting right in the middle of the room." He looked back at Claudia. She looked back at him and thought how wonderful it was to finally kiss this beautiful man. She only wished it would have been under much different circumstances. He stared at her and then she felt his hand on her back. He was pulling her toward him, pulling her into another kiss. This kiss was different. There was still urgency, but this time he kissed her back. She felt his lips press against hers tightly. After a few more minutes, they separated again and he looked over her shoulder.

"There're leaving." His voice was hoarse and low.

"They all are?" She was hopeful that this would all end soon.

"No. The men they came to meet are still here. But there don't seem to be paying much attention."

"Should we go?"

She really didn't want to. She looked at Severus again and wished for more time with him. She felt his hands caress her face and he kissed her again. This time slowly and softly, for just a moment. Then he said, "We must go.".

She nodded and they got up to leave. She noticed how different everything was. He helped her to her feet and placed his arm around her waist as they walked out. As they hit the door, Claudia glanced back at the men at the table. Nothing could have prepared her for the utter shock she felt. She stopped dead in the doorway and Severus looked down at her.

"What?"

"No. Oh my God. Go Severus. Go!" They were almost at a run as they left towards the alleyway where they originally apparated. As they quickly walked, Severus asked her if she knew the men in the bar.

"Know them! Yes I know them. And if that Dark Lord of yours is getting them to work for him, then we are all in huge trouble." They reached the alley and looked around to make sure no one was looking.

"Remember to hold on tightly." Severus was looking at her the way she had once dreamed he would. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly. "Hold on." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. The whole while she felt her body once more being pressed through a small space. But she didn't care.

Moments later they stopped spinning and were once again in Claudia's front yard. But they stayed wrapped in each others arms. Every once in awhile pulling away to look at each other. A few moments passed and Severus was running his finger over her cheek. When from out of the darkness she heard,

'Stupefy!'.

Severus and Claudia were thrown away from each other with such force she felt like a truck had hit her. Severus was on his feet again pointing his wand at, Sirius?

"Claudia! Are you alright? I didn't mean to get you too. What the hell do you think your doing Snivellus." Severus aimed a curse at Sirius, but it looked as if he blocked it.

"Sirius! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Claudia got to her feet and began cursing Sirius as loudly as possible. He was walking quickly at Severus and Severus stood still waiting. Both had their wands drawn and pointing at the others face. Claudia realized what was about to happen and she jumped in between them facing Sirius.

"Stop it now." Her voice was low and threatening.

"Your joking Claudia. You mean you really want this slim ball touching you?" He was shaking with rage.

"It's none of your business Sirius."

"Yes Black, be a good dog and run home and hide." Severus spat at him.

"Shut up Severus." Claudia shot over her shoulder.

"Is there a problem?" A new voice was heard this time. All three heads turned up to the front door where Albus Dumbledore stood. He walked out to meet them and eyed both Sirius and Severus until they lowered their wands. "Sirius, could you go inside please." Sirius looked as if he would explode at any moment. He backed away, not taking his eyes from Severus or Claudia until he reached the door. He slammed the door shut.

"How did it go tonight Severus?"

"It was Malfoy and Goyle. They were meeting a group of men, muggles. Claudia recognized them." Severus said.

"Did you? Tell me, did they see you there tonight?" Claudia had to fight the impulse to laugh. Then she remembered Dumbledore's uncanny ability to extract thoughts from her head. She just looked down at her shoes.

"No, I was not seen. They only met briefly and then left. We left shortly afterwards."

Dumbledore turned his attention on Claudia. "Rumor has it Voldemort is recruiting some very questionable people to cause some trouble. People you know?"

"Yes. A long time ago. My friends and I had a run in with them some years ago. These men are brutal Dumbledore. We need to talk about this."

" I agree. But not tonight. I am leaving soon and I was hoping you, Severus, would accompany me." Severus nodded his head and Dumbledore turned back towards the house. Over his shoulder he called, "I have left something of importance to me inside. I should be about three minutes.."

"Severus, I am so sorry." Claudia grabbed the front of his shirt. He lovingly stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Black is nothing. Go inside."

"When will I see you again?" Claudia refused to let go of his shirt. He pulled hr hands away and kissed her finger tips.

"Soon."

Dumbledore appeared again and he and Severus walked a little ways and then they were gone. Claudia was alone and in the dark. She felt as if the entire night had been a dream. She was numb from too much happening too fast. She walked to the house and into the living room. Molly greeted her and Claudia told her she was very tired. She thanked her for staying and wished her a good night. She saw Sirius's light on in his room. She didn't dare knock on his door. She was too angry at him. She went to kiss Emma goodnight and then she went to bed. Her dreams were filled with one person. Severus Snape.

CHAPTER 11
Truth

Claudia didn't sleep very well. The whole night she was tossing and turning with every thought imaginable in her head. First she relived her moments with Severus. Then she would allow herself to get angry at Sirius for handling the situation all wrong. Her thoughts also stayed on the men she saw in the bar.

Before the sun came up that morning, Claudia put on her robe and went downstairs to the study. She flicked her computer on and waited for it to boot up. Heading into the kitchen to make coffee, she noticed that Molly had done all of the dishes. She smiled and thought how wonderful it was Molly was around. Claudia waited until the coffee pot produced enough liquid for her cup and she poured it in her mug and headed back to the study. She had two different emails. Both were form her friends whom she had sent messages to so long ago.

Moore-

Glad to here you're back in business. We've been busy lately. What is going on over there? Been hearing funny things…will be there when we get everyone together. Look for us. And have some tequila waiting for me too.

Rod

The next one was actually written in Russian to Claudia, copied to all of the friends. Claudia saw the list and realized everyone was still on it. Well that's good. She told herself. At least no one has left the good guys side.

Greetings,
I have news. Need face to face meeting immediately. I am in Russia now, will be leaving soon. Meet at Claud's house by the end of August. Oh…and no tequila please. Vodka.
Nickolai

Claudia couldn't help but laugh at these friends of hers. They started out together six years ago. They were even in the room when Emma was born. They held her hand the night her husband died. The were a family, and now, once again, they were to put those family ties to the test and see how strong they really were.

Claudia finished off her coffee and carried it into the kitchen. She was surprised to see Remus there making himself a cup. He saw her and gave a half smile. Was he mad too?

"Good morning." She said in her most cheerful voice.

"Morning. Have a good night?"

He turned around and gave her a smile that looked as it he would explode with laughter. She hit his arm.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Very interesting night." She paused as she poured coffee and asked him, "Have you seen Sirius?" He snorted and sat down at the table.

"Yes."

"Well? Is he still angry?"

"Should he be?"

"I don't know! All I know is that he went nuts last night. Before even trying to talk to me." Remus laughed again.

"I thought you knew him by now. He is very passionate about everything. These days he has been passionately seeking you. He passionately hates Sevrus. Then he saw what he did last night and he snapped. By the way, did you really kiss Severus?"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't make an issue of this. Yes, I kissed him. It was just…what I felt like doing at the time. Please don't mention this to anyone."

"I won't, but you need to talk to Sirius. You know we are leaving soon for his house in London. It's to be headquarters for the Order. Dumbledore thinks he should be there in case he needs him. Also, because the house belongs to Sirius. You should talk to him before we go. Who knows how long it will be before he comes back?"

"Yeah, I know." Claudia headed upstairs to shower and get dressed for the day. Emma was already up eating breakfast when she came down for more coffee. As Claudia poured her third cup of the day, the fireplace sprung to life and out stepped Severus. Claudia panicked. This really is not the time! She thought. What if Sirius come down? He headed in to the kitchen and motioned for Claudia. She followed him and they met in the living room. She wasn't sure why, but she felt nervous now.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. God, he was so beautiful, she thought.

"Do you remember, when we were outside the day we met? You said you showed me everything and I questioned you?" She nodded. "You were not completely honest with me that night." Claudia tried to cut in.

"Sev.." He waved his hand for her to stop.

"I am not angry. I just want you to think of what it was you were hiding from me. And meet me there tonight at midnight."

"Why?"

"You need to know more before…"

He stopped talking and she followed his gaze to see Sirius standing in the doorway. Sirius was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. When he saw they were looking at him, he began to walk toward them His eyes drilling into Severus as he came closer. Claudia saw that none of his anger had abated during the night.

"Sirius no. Stop right now. I understand you are angry, but you are not doing this right now."

"Who says I'm angry?"

His eyes were wide and he had an evil smile on his face. Claudia saw Severus reach for his wand and she moved in between them, not for the first time.

"This has to stop Sirius. You can't…NO!" She was holding Severus's arm that held his wand out pointed towards Sirius. Her yells brought Remus to the door as well.

"What's going on?" He asked. Even though it was very apparent that the two men in front of him wanted to murder each other right then and there.

"How did you do it Snivellus? Did you charm her? Love potion?"

"You would think that wouldn't you?" Severus's voice was almost a whisper.

"Yeah I would. Tell me, does she know about you? Does she know what you ARE!"

"What?" Claudia was looking back and forth between the two men at a loss for what they were talking about. Severus was as still as a statue.

"Claudia…this…this…ugly git is a Death Eater. Do you remember me telling you about them? What Remus told you?" Everything was silent. Claudia was now staring at a spot on the wall. Everything she knew and felt were clicking into place. Claudia's small voice broke the silence.

"It makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Sirius demanded. But Claudia didn't answer. No one, but someone capable of seeing into her mind the things she has done, would ever be able to understand her the right way. No one, unless they too had seen and done things of the same caliber. She looked at Severus.

"You and I will talk about it later." Sirius tried to interrupt her but she shot the most sinister of looks his way that he stopped. "You need to stop this adolescent behavior now Sirius!"
"YOU need to understand what this thing is!"

"THING!" It was Severus's voice ringing in her ears now. He was flushed pink with anger and he breathed heavily.

"You want to talk about things Black. Lupin, have you divulged your secrets to Claudia?"

It was the first time her had ever said her name. She looked at Lupin who looked as if he wanted to sink into the floor.

"Your friend here is a werewolf. A dangerous, man eating, filthy dog!" Claudia's eyes grew at the word 'werewolf'. There were real werewolfs too? Well, I guess if there are dragons…Sirius's voice shouting obscenities at Severus roused her from her thoughts. Lupin sat down with his head in his hands, Sirius was in Severus's face and Severus was on the verge of grabbing his throat.

"ENOUGH!"

Claudia shouted as loud as she could. They all stared at her. "Severus, go outside and wait or me. GO!" She pointed to the door and he walked away throwing a very nasty look over his shoulder before he slammed the door. "Remus, is that true? You're a…werewolf? I mean you turn into a big dog thing and eat people?" She was only kidding about the eating people part, this was such an off the wall thing that it was probably true.

"Yes." His voice sounded hollow and empty.

"Why didn't you tell me? You are my fiend Remus. I love you no matter what. Next time, be honest with me. That's all I ask." he looked so surprised by her comments she laughed. "Please, like I didn't suspect something was up. But…hey…should have known. I am a dog lover." She turned to Sirius. "And you…you have to stop this crazy behavior. You are out of control. For your information I like Severus. He and I are alike in ways you can not imagine. I love you Sirius, as my friend. Do not treat me as if I am a child. If you don't agree with it, fine. But do not storm around here like that again." He just looked at her and she watched his eyes harden.

"Of course. I will NEVER do that here again. For I will not be back here ever agian. Claudia, I am right about Severus. He is evil and you will see it for yourself before the end of this. Goodbye." And with that, he walked out the back door and disapparated. Claudia breathed loudly and sat down. Remus came and put his arm around her.

"It will be fine. He is just upset. He'll calm down. But I should go too. Dumbledore is expecting us. 'Bye." He patted her arm and left out of the front door. When a few moments had passed, Claudia went to find Severus. He was standing on the porch, staring out into the grass.

"Hey. Come in."

"No, I have to go. I should have told you…"

"Yes, you should have. But when? Everything happened so fast, you hadn't had time yet. Tonight then?" He nodded and turned to her. She thought he looked almost sad for a moment, then his faced was void of all feelings once more. He walked towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Tonight." He whispered and he disappeared.

CHAPTER 12
The Cottage

As the day went on, Claudia began to stew in her anger. Sirius was being a child. She knew he had a right to be angry with her. After all, she did kind of lead him on. However, he never once made any attempt to move their relationship further and even if he had, would she have still kissed Severus? Would she still be meeting him tonight?

She went through her day playing with Emma and mowing the grass. She realized, this was the first time no wizards had been in her house in a long time. Everyone as at the new headquarters in London. She felt isolated for the first time in years. This feeling was only adding to her intensifying bad mood.

While Emma was taking a nap late in the afternoon and Claudia was thinking about what to cook for dinner she heard her fireplace spring to life. It sounded like wind blowing down a tunnel and then footsteps.

"Hello?" A female voice called.

"Hi Tonks." Claudia said flatly. Tonks appeared in the kitchen looking very uncomfortable.

"I came to tell you that Dumbledore wants to speak with you. He asks when a good time is?"

Tonks's eyes never met Claudia's as she spoke. She was inspecting the counter top. Claudia's anger became too much for her.

"What is your problem Tonks?"

She looked up in surprise. "For the longest time you have been giving me the cold shoulder and whenever possible dirty looks. Did I do something to you? Did I offend you in some way?" Claudia now stood with her hands on her hips and rage on her face.

"I…you…it's just that…" Tonks's voice melted away and Claudia started to feel guilty about yelling.

"I think I know Tonks." She tried to control her voice an make it softer. "Is it Remus?" At the mention of his name Tonks looked as if she would cry. Claudia lost all will to squish Tonks and began to pity her.

"He…I…I just know he wants you." She looked down at her feet. Claudia stifled a laugh.

"No Tonks. He does NOT want me. We are friends and we talk a lot. But trust me it is not me he thinks about." Claudia was smiling. She was so happy to finally be getting to the bottom of this, she was giddy.

"Are you sure?" She had tears in her eyes. Claudia lost all resolve and went and put her arm around Tonks's shoulders.

"Listen Tonks. Can I confide a secret to you?" She nodded. "Last night, I realized who it is I fancy, and it is not Remus."

"Sirius? I heard he was mad at you…" Claudia shook her head and looked at Tonks with a knowing look. "No…not…" Claudia was smiling and nodding.

"Last night, we uh…sort of kissed. Sirius saw it and got very angry. Remus and I were laughing about it this morning. So you see…there is no way he is interested in me. Nor am I interested in him."

"So you and Severus?" She was smiling now.

"I honestly have no idea what is going on. Please keep this between us. Given Sirius's reaction to it last night, I can only imagine what the others will say."

"Claudia, I'm so sorry. It's just I really, really like Remus and he doesn't even know I am around."

"Not true. It is my opinion he actually perks up a bit when you are around." Tonks hugged Claudia.

"Thank you."

She turned to go and tripped over a pair of shoes laying on the floor.

"What about the message? Can you tell Dumbledore that we can talk in a few days. Anytime is fine with me." Tonks nodded and left the house much happier than when she had come.
Claudia and Emma had a wonderful, quiet day together.

After Claudia put her to bed, she went to go get cleaned up for her meeting with Severus. She had so many questions for him, that she didn't know where to start. The clock took its time getting close to midnight. When it finally read ten minutes till midnight, Claudia set off into her back yard. Past the pool and to the right of the pond stood a huge cluster of very old trees.
She entered the cluster of trees and found the well worn path that led her deeper. The trees made a canopy over her head and she followed every twist and turn until she saw it. A small, one room cottage hidden from view. It was very much her favorite place in the world. Inside here was her own world where she could escape everything and everyone. No one knew of this place but her and obviously Severus. She concluded that Severus had the same mind reading abilities as Dumbledore.

She reached the brown wooden door and opened it. Inside was a couch and a chair all overstuffed and plump. One wooden table sat in the corner with two chairs tucked neatly underneath. All along the walls sat rows and rows of books. A woven rug lay on the floor in front of a wonderful large fireplace. In front of the fire place stood Severus.

When she saw him there she felt a rush of emotions that she didn't know what to do with or how to describe. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and a sound like rushing water made a fire appear. Claudia slowly walked toward him and wondered what the right way to approach him would be. Of course, her first reaction was to throw her arms around him and kiss him. But she felt that this meeting tonight was not about that. She motioned for them to sit. They sat on the overstuffed couch and faced one another.

For a few moments, they sat in silence. Severus looked like he was wrestling with something inside of himself. Claudia decided to break the silence.

"So. Was Sirius telling the truth? You're a Death Eater?" She knew it was bold to make such a statement, but she could think of no better way to put it. So she decided to be as blunt as possible.

"I was, and am under the Dark Lord's command. However, I am also a member of the Order. Dumbledore has seen fit to task me with spying . I was a loyal member of the Death Eaters. They think I still am to this day."

"But you're not? You are a spy of the Order, right?" Severus sat back and crossed his ankle over his knee. His left hand traced his lips and his right still held his wand.

"What I am can not clearly be defined. Everyone, in essence, is a little of both sides. I am distinctly in the middle. I was branded," he raised the sleeve of his robes on his left arm and flashed a dull tattoo. It was a skull with a snake coming from it's mouth. "so that other Death Eaters know my allegiance. Those who belong to the Order do not have that luxury. Everyone is accepted on merit, not a mark burned into their skin. Dumbledore has different reasons for accepting everyone into the Order."

"What's your reason Severus?" He nodded as if expecting this question.

"I realized too late, that my loyalties were misplaced. No one will ever believe it, but that is in truth, the full of it. But I could not leave the Death Eaters ranks, for that, is a death sentence. So I stayed on as a professor at Hogwarts in hopes that one day, I will be able to redeem myself for my mistakes." Claudia said nothing. She was staring at a man whom she thought was handsome and mysterious. But now she realized that he was brave. Braver than anyone she had ever known. His yes met hers and he reached out and placed his hand on her hand.

"Is there anything else?" She asked.

"No. Not from me. I now ask you this one question: Is there anything I need to hear?"

"Seeing as though you know already.." His voice cut her off.

"I know pieces, not the whole of it. You have not asked my yet how it is that I came to know these things. As well as the existence of the cottage."

"I had guessed that you can, in some magical sort of way, steal thoughts from me. I wonder, did you do this every time we spoke?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"It is an obscure branch of magic called Occlumency. To magically penetrate the mind. And yes…almost every time."

Claudia nodded and looked into the fire. She knew he wanted her to tell him now about herself. But she found it hard to begin

. "Claudia, all I need or want to know is if you plan to use what resources you have to join this fight of ours." She turned to look at him.

"Yes Severus, Dumbledore wants me to and what's more I want to. Those men in the club are bad news. They are trained killers. Who they are to kill, we can find out and we can stop them. We may not be a match for wizards, but we can take them on. In fact, we have before. And beat them."

"You understand, that if you choose to do this, there may come a time where you and I are fighting on opposite sides. Because I can not leave my place with the Death Eaters. I am forced to fight along side them, even as I do Dumbledore's bidding and pass information to him, I can not leave."

"Then we will cross that road when we get there. But right now, we are here." He nodded his head and beckoned her to him with open arms. She fell into his embrace as if she had done it a hundred times. No more was said between them after that. The sun was rising in the sky before Claudia made her way back home.

CHAPTER 13
Birthday Parties

Claudia had a hard time calming herself as she sluggishly pulled herself into bed. The sun was rising, and she knew that Emma would be up soon. She just wanted a few minutes to herself to ponder the night's events. Severus kissing her. Severus touching her. The things he said as they worked their own magic together. Most of his words were inaudible, but she caught words like "Unbelievable" and "Need".

But she remembered most the look in his eyes. At first, he was almost charming and flirtatious. Then he became almost…desperate. His eyes clouded over and he looked more at peace than she ever thought possible for him. As they held each other, knowing the end of the night was upon them, he kissed her bare shoulder and asked her to come back to him soon. She vaguely remembered being the one who was asking to see him again not more than a day ago. As she turned to go, she looked back and saw him sitting in the chair, staring into the fire. His face was back to an empty mask, void of all feelings.

Claudia lay for more than an hour before she realized, she would get no sleep. Might as well get coffee. So she dutifully made a pot of coffee and went to check her email. No messages. She shrugged her shoulders and realized how sore her body was. This made her smile a satisfying smile.

Mid-morning, after Emma was already up and around, Tonks and Molly came to visit. Bursting forth from the fire place, bringing energy and warmth back into the house.

"Morning Claudia dear!"

Molly was already tightly embracing Emma as she spoke. Molly, became somewhat of a grandmother or aunt to Emma. She knew how to charm anyone, Claudia thought. I am in trouble in a few years.

"So Claudia…how is everything?" Tonks helped herself to coffee and stifled a smile. Claudia shook her head and smiled.

"Everything is just peachy. And you? How is everything with you?" She gave her most annoying, knowing look. Both woman laughed.

"What is so funny?" Molly had finished coddling Emma and joined the two sitting at the table.

"Oh…Tonks enjoys being nosey."

"Nosey? About what?" Molly asked.

"Nothing." Claudia shook her head to dismiss further questioning. "How's the new digs?"
"Oh that place! I have never seen such a wonderful place gone to utter rubbish! We have a lot of work to do before it is even really inhabitable."

"Yeah mate, it's disgusting." Tonks said in between sips of coffee. "Sirius really hates that place."

"Yeah, he told me about it once. His parents were into some pretty shady stuff apparently. He ran away when he was seventeen." Claudia's heart flopped in her chest at the mention of Sirius. She knew how he hated it there and how miserable he would be. Had she not got involved with Severus…No…she would not regret Severus. Not even for Sirius. "So what's happening on the war front?"

"Just trying to get people to actually believe You-Know-Who is back. The Daily Prophet is having a go at Dumbledore almost everyday. I tell you something," She leaned into the table. "I have never seen Dumbledore more upset than he is at Cornelius Fudge."

"That's the truth. If I was Fudge, I would be cowering behind my desk begging Dumbledore to help him. But no!"

Tonks was very animated and descriptive when describing what she thought this Fudge was. The three women sat and enjoyed a nice morning together, finishing their coffee and completely tearing poor Fudge to tiny pieces and eating him up.

Tonks and Molly left some time before lunch to meet with Dumbledore. Claudia was so sad to see them go. All she wanted was for things to go back the way they were before…NO she told herself again. Do not do that. It isn't Severus's fault. If anything, it was her fault. She knew she had to try and make amends with Sirius soon. But not right now. Right now, she wanted to float away into her memories of last night. And look forward to more. Sirius be damned.

Severus and Claudia met just about every night in their cottage in the woods. Claudia suggested more than once that they should consider meeting in her house, seeing as though no one was staying there now. But Severus was attached to their hideaway cottage. Claudia envisioned them entering a fantasy world every time they met there. He conjured wine out of mid air and poured them into wine glasses that were once Claudia's slippers. They had fallen into the habit of reading to each other by candle light. Severus's long thin body laid out on the floor made a wonderful pillow for Claudia's head. His voice was Claudia's magic. Smooth, low and deep. He read to her from random books they picked from the shelves. Oh, to hear him read Dante Alighieri's Inferno was heartbreaking. Sometimes, as he read, she would watch his eyes dart back and forth on the page. His lips barely moving and his brows slightly drawn together. She would absently play with his long black hair, curling it between her fingers. Greasy, stringy hair it was. But it was HIS.

Weeks went by, Claudia celebrated her twenty-seventh birthday with a small dinner party. All of the Weasley's (Fred and George being her all time favorite people), Tonks, Lupin, Minerva (Whom she didn't know very well, but liked all the same), Hagrid and Mundagus all were in attendance. But no Sirius. She had sent an owl to him asking him to come.

No response.

Severus did not come either, but this was prearranged. He said he would be by later to give her her gift. She would be surprised if he gave her one at all.

The night was full of laughter and food. Molly conjured all kinds of food to the table, including a wonderful drink called Butterbeer. But Claudia learned that she preferred the fire whiskey Mundagus passed to her in a flask better. There was dancing too, mostly from the Weasley Twins. They had to be the most jovial people Claudia had ever had the pleasure of dancing with. Claudia received an array of gifts from her new friends. Molly knitted her and Emma matching sweaters that brought tears to her eyes. Tonks gave her a book called Wizard Love by Mandel Stockington. It appeared to be a trashy wizard romance novel. Tonks and Claudia had a good laugh at that, much to everyone's bewilderment. Hagrid brought her flowers and Mundagus handed her his flask of Firewhisky with a wink and

"'appy Birthday."

The party was short lived However. The Order members were needed back in London. Some apparated and some left using Floo powder. Goodbyes all around and hugs and kisses from everyone. Including a very hairy one from Hagrid. Claudia decided the mess could wait until morning. She had another party to attend, and she was running late.

When she reached the cottage, Severus was there and sitting sipping wine from a goblet. He stood as she entered.

"You're late."

"No, I'm here right when I meant to be."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where is my present?" He fought a smile that was dancing on his thin lips.

"Patience is not a strong point for you I take it." He said as he gestured to a brown package on the small table. Claudia went to it and picked it up. It was small, about the size of a pocket book.

"Can I open it now?" She brought it in front of the fire and sat down. Severus stretched his cat like body on the floor.

"By all means."

She carefully opened the paper and revealed a small book. It was black, leather bound, and had no name on the spine. In fact, There was no writing on it anywhere. She looked at his face with a questioning look.

"The gift, is not the book. For in fact, that belongs to me. Your gift is what is in the book."

He gently took it from her and opened it to a page that had been dog eared. He turned it around for her to read. It looked like a recipe. Herkimer diamond dust, amethyst dust, dried violet leaves…these she understood. But there were things here she didn't understand. What's a lacewig? What's a mealerag? Claudia frowned and looked at Severus. He pointed to small writing at the bottom of the page.

"Read it."

He was so casual as he tipped his wine glass back and drained the glass. Claudia motioned for him to get her some. He obliged with a flick of his wand. Claudia read:

Coagmento Pectus,
Or the joining of souls through magically linking two or more people to each other. One of the most advanced protection and psychic shield potions known to date, it should be created under extreme caution. If one or both parties are not true in their love, the potion is rendered useless and possibly dangerous.

She didn't know what to think. She just stared at the page and kept reading the paragraph over and over. Severus eyed her from beneath lazy eyes and sat up to face her.

"Do you understand it?" She shot him terse look.

"Of course I understand it. It's a love potion or something." Severus shook his head and frowned.

"No. Love potions are for silly school girls. This my love, is something far more…intense. I will skip the details-"

"Please do." Severus pretended her didn't hear her.

"-but the basic idea is that through a potion, this potion, two people have a piece of the other's love. A piece of them that loves that person. That's why it is so dangerous. If you don't truly love that person you can take something different."

"What could you take?" He shrugged his shoulders quickly.

"I have never done this particular potion before. This is old magic. Mostly used in religious rituals long ago. But I know it is powerful. It has the ability to link one another together. One could say they would know of their loved ones well being at all times. Protection from evil and psychic intrusion."

"Severus…you want to do this? This is my birthday present?"

Claudia's eyes were already brimming with tears. Severus moved forward and held her face in his hands. They were kneeling now, in front of the fire and he looked deeply into her eyes.

"I see what has happened between us. I feel it. Every moment of everyday. That is both dangerous for me and liberating. "

Claudia choked back sobs. She wasn't sure why she was crying, only that she never expected this. Did she really love him? Yes. She knew she did. That animalistic, blindly follow you love. The kind of love that is understood without words. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Severus…are you trying to tell me that you love me?" She whispered.

"I could tell you everyday for years and there would still be a little doubt in you. Oh Claudia...yes…I know what you think sometimes. You forget, I can see in you. I have the advantage to do that. You do not."

He was trying to level the field. Nothing could have prepared her for this tonight. As much as she adored Severus, she always thought this moment was not possible. She didn't think it could be possible for her either. But here they were, knelling on the floor, making plans to magically declare their love for one another with a powerful potion she didn't completely understand. But she knew she wanted this more than anything in the world.

"Well…" He kissed her softly on her neck and waited for his answer. She closed her eyes and gave into every feeling she had. While tears of happiness still fell from her eyes, she whispered,

"Yes Severus."

CHAPTER 14
Friends

Claudia awoke with the phone ringing. Who's calling her? Her mother is really the only who calls and she spoke to her just a few days ago. Reaching across the bed, on the night stand, was the phone.

"'lo?" Her voice was scratchy.

"Good morning." The voice spoke in Russian. A smile stretched her face wide open.

"Oh, Nick! I'm so happy to hear from you."

"Are you up to visitors? Because there is a rowdy group of men here that need some home cooked meals."

"I think I can find room for them." She was laughing now. "When will you be here?"

"In a few hours. We landed in London and are packing our things into rental cars."

"Oh alright. I can't wait to see you. "

"Same here. See you soon." And the line was dead. She hadn't realized it at first, but her Russian hadn't suffered at all over time. She was so excited, she jumped from bed and showered. She would have to wake Emma up soon too. Emma was going to go crazy when she saw all her uncles here at once.

After she was spotlessly clean and sipping coffee, Claudia drafted a letter to Dumbledore. She told him her friends would be here today and when he was ready, he would be most welcome. The had spoken at great lengths about this gray area, and decided that Claudia should be the one who tells them about the magical world. But Dumbledore would be the one to prove it.
It was almost two hours later when Claudia saw two vehicles driving towards the house.

She rolled her eyes. Those 'boys' always rented the most awful vehicles. In the lead, was a beautiful, luxurious black car. Maybe it was a Cadillac or a Lexus, she wasn't sure. The next one was a white, 4 x 4 pickup truck on wheels much too big for it. Whomever was driving it was having fun bouncing down the driveway.

She waited outside as the cars pulled to a stop in front of her house. Well, one pulled to a stop, the other jerked itself into park. The doors of the pickup flew open first and a Hispanic man wearing a t-shirt and jeans hopped out of the driver's seat. Rodrigiez. The passenger door open slower and a very large black man jumped out, followed by a ultra Euro-trash looking Italian man. Bones and Antonio.

As these men were jumping from the truck, the doors of the black car were opening. All at once, three more men stepped from the car. The first was a tall, lean, blonde haired man with a permanent scowl on his face. Nickolai. An enormously tall and thin black man stepped gracefully out. He wore jeans and a traditional Kente, multi colored poncho type wrap. Zulu. The last to show his face was Chester. Small of frame, skinny, wearing glasses and flaunting his many nervous ticks. All six men stood in front of Claudia. She was overwhelmed looking at all of them. She opened her arms and they all took turns hugging, lifting, kissing and generally showing her they still loved her and she was still a part of them.

A loud scream was heard at the door and all seven adults turned and saw Emma standing with her arms open wide and a huge smile on her face.

"You came!"

She yelled. Zulu was closer than anyone and her scooped up and began passing her around for kisses. Claudia waved them inside and they began to drag their many bags and trunks into the house.

Hours later brought eight very happy people together to eat dinner. A dinner that Antonio made, all the while pouring wine down his throat. The thump, thump of base from a very annoying American Rap star played in the back ground. Rod and Bones bobbed their heads in time with the music. Nick sat back on the couch and sipped Vodka. Zulu sat at the table, preparing the salad. Chester was setting up shop in the study and Emma was running around overly excited by all that was going on. She was surrounded by people she knew and loved.
"Mommy has new friends. I like Sirius the best. Remus is good too. Oh…Uncle Bones, Remus has a dog named Sirius too!"

She was playing with Bones who , when Emma gave this information, eyed Claudia curiously. Rod got up and turned the music down.
"Emma, why don't you let me put you to bed?" Upon hearing this, Emma was actually excited to go to bed.

"Claud, who is Serious? Who is Remes?" Nick sat board straight and stared at Claudia. Man, she thought, they were so nosey. Were they always this nosey?

"That my dear, is something we need to discuss. All of us." So gadgets, music and wine forgotten, all seven of them sat around the table.

"Claudia, I have some news of my own. Would you mind me telling my news first? Business before pleasure." He smiled at her. The others chuckled. She wasn't sure why. But she had the distinct impression they thought she had man problems, not real live war problems.

"Go ahead." She and everyone else gave their psuedo-leader their attention

.
"If my sources are correct, it seems Hernandez in back in business these days. He has teamed up with the man we know as 'Azi', who knows his real name. There is one other involved too. I don't know anything about him other than that he is white and German by birth. We all remember what Hernandez was like a few years ago right? Well, now according to my sources, he has been employed by an unknown group to make a hit. A very high end hit here in England. No word yet on who it might be. I have my people here in England trying to figure out who the target might be. But until then, I want to tale Hernandez and see what he is up to these days."

"I know where he is." Claudia spoke up. Every head in the room turned to look at her. "I saw him the other night In a club in London. He was with Azi and another man. They were meeting others…"

She didn't know how to finish her sentence. She had not planned on this being what Nick was coming to tell her. So the wizards, known as Death Eaters, are employing Hernandez and Co. to assassinate someone? Someone here in England. Someone the Death Eaters and that Lord Voldywhosey wants dead. Where was Dumbledore?

"Are you telling me you saw him? Claud, what were you doing in a club in London?" Every eyebrow went up. They really are nosey. She laughed.

"You really need to hear the first part of the story, in order to understand that part."

"Wait!" It was Antonio. "Mi amore, I need more wine…really…I need more if I must sit here and listen to a story." Claudia rolled her eyes and waited until Antonio sat back down. She told them everything starting from finding the big black dog all the way to her birthday party. All the while making it a point to forget to mention the parts about Severus and her meeting in the cottage.

"You sayin' you believe this hoopla?" Bones was giving her a ridiculous look.

"Wow. They really are magic?" Chester was in awe.

"You're so full of crap Moore." Rod starting laughing thinking it was a joke.

"Caud, I am not joking and neither should you." Nick said.

"Oh I assure you she is not joking."

Every head turned around at the sound of a man's voice in the doorway. There stood Dumbledore, in full wizard's robes of the deepest green, smiling at all of them. "My, you are an impressive lot." He twiddled his thumbs and looked at Claudia. "I believe your friends are waiting for an introduction Ms. Moore."

He as still smiling, and Claudia was smiling with him. She rose from her seat and faced the table of her dearest and closest friends.

"Guys, this is Albus Dumbledore. The greatest wizard of modern times, or so I am told. Dumbledore, my teammates. Nickolai, Rod, Bones, Chester, Antonio and Zulu." She had to bite her lips closed. The looks on their faces were priceless.

"I also believe, that almost all of you," here he flashed Chester a smile, "need little more proof. Hmm…yes that should do it."

With that he flicked his wand and

"CRACK!"

the table was covered with bottles of wine and vodka. They scattered in so many directions Claudia didn't know where to look. She was laughing at them as Rod jumped back flat against the wall. Bones stood up so fast his chair fell back. Nick and Zulu calmly backed away and Chester just jumped straight from his seat to the floor. Antonio was under the table. Bones spoke first.

"Holy-"

"Christo." Antonio finished his sentence. Surprisingly, Zulu was the first to gain composure.

"You are strong magic old man. You put your magic on Claudia?" His eyes were sharp and menacing. Claudia put her hand on Zulu's arm.

"Calm down there Zulu. Dumbledore is a friend. And no, he didn't. But the magic is real. What he has to tell you is very real." Dumbledore waved his wand again and righted Bones's chair. Everyone sat down quietly. Dumbledore was still smiling.

"Ms. Moore told me you know the men in the club ? Well, they were there meeting men I know." He stopped pacing and looked them all in the eyes." They are called Death Eaters. Wizards that are following an evil wizard whose name is Lord Voldemort. They kill, without hesitation. They bring pain and suffering at all who stand in their way. Somehow, Lord Voldemort has discovered the use of people such as yourselves."

"We are not like them." Nick blurted out. "We have killed. Yes. But only in self defense or when it mattered. They kill for money. The last time we saw how Hernandez does business, he had kidnapped a thirteen year old daughter of a Diplomat. The Diplomat hired us to retrieve his daughter. When we received the ransom demand, we tracked him and found him. But he had already killed the girl days ago. He wanted the money, didn't care about her. He has no cause, no Lord and master. He is his own Lord and master."

"I am sorry my dear Nickolai. I meant to say, muggles with your talents."

"What's a…muggle?" Chester asked Dumbledore.

"Oh it's our word for people who are not wizards." He is such a charmer, Claudia thought.

"Dumbledore?" Claudia asked. He turned his gaze to her. "They are here because it appears Hernandez was hired to assassinate someone here in England. Nick here has his ear to the ground pretty good. When I saw Hernandez, he was meeting with that Malfoy person. Who would Lord Voldemort want to kill? And why would he use muggles to do it?" He turned his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed.

"Alas…I do not know for sure. But I have a hunch. Perhaps, it would be good to invite you all to London for a spell. The other Order members should be brought up to speed. And I think you are the one to do it Claudia."

"You want us to go to Headquarters?"

"For a meeting. Perhaps a little socializing too." He smiled a knowing smile at Claudia and she felt her cheeks burn. He knows. Oh yeah, Occlumency. "Well, I am off. I welcome you to London, shall we say in two days time? I wish to have one of the Order members travel muggle style with you. Dementors are out in full force now…"

"Dementors? Those things that suck all the happiness away and try and take your soul?"

"Yes…just the creatures. They attacked the young Harry Potter at his home in Surrey only two days ago. A big mess that was. You might want to bring your friends here a bit more up to speed on the darker side of our world."

With those words, Dumbledore waved a goodbye and returned to wherever it was he came from through the fireplace. All six men hurried over to watch him go through the fireplace and all of them turned and stared at Claudia.

"What the hell did you get us into woman?"

Bones asked. She really didn't know. All she knew was that they would be going to London and everyone would be shocked to know the Claudia they thought they knew was an imposter. Everyone but Severus. Her thoughts strayed to him and the other night as the seven friends sat to discuss the nights events. He said he would send word when he was ready with the potion. She knew she would run to him when he did. She knew she also had to consider sending Emma away for awhile. Maybe back to the states. It would be better than worrying all the time about her safety. There was the other problem of Sirius. How much more would he hate her now? She looked up and saw Zulu eyeing her intently. She gave him a wink and settled in to join the conversation.

CHAPTER 15
Grimmauld Place

Cars packed and house locked up, the gang of muggles readyed to leave for London. Claudia had paid a young man from the nearby town to come and check on the dogs for her. Emma was smooshed between Bones and Rod in the truck and Claudia stood on the porch waiting for their wizard guide. For they had no idea where in London they were going.

A loud "Crack!" sounded to her left and she saw Bill Weasley walking toward them.

"Hollo Claudia! Ready for a trip?" He smiled and Claudia nodded. Her and Bill piled into the car with Nick, Zulu and Chester. The latter couldn't stop asking questions the entire ride.

Finally, after a fit of laughter about 'Flobberworms', Bill announced that he knew how muggles must feel when they met his dad. That brought roars of laughter from them all. It was a merry trip, all the while keeping in contact with the truck by cell phone while they made their way to London.

The country landscape yielded to the hustle and bustle of Merry Ol' London. As they snaked their way through the streets, Bill was giving directions to Nick. They came to their hotel and checked in. Almost everyone had their own room, except Claudia who, of course had Emma, and Bones and Rod who indeed never did anything without the other. Never were there two people who were closer than these two.

After they were all unpacked and sitting together in Claudia's room, they waited. Bill had left to alert Dumbledore they had arrived. Within minutes of him leaving, Dumbledore knocked on the door, followed closely by Arthur and Molly. Greetings all around and then they were all talking with each other. Arthur was getting the grand tour by Chester. Molly was already playing with Emma, and Dumbledore was smiling and laughing at a story Bones and Rod were telling him. There was an aura of nervousness in the room. Soon the talking and laughter faded and everyone went quiet.

"Well, shall we? I believe everyone is waiting for us."

Dumbledore lead the entourage from the room and they all walked about five blocks when he stopped walking and turned to face them.

"The address we are looking for is Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Please repeat that in your head for the next few seconds. Everyone was deep in thought and didn't notice a building materialize in between two others. They walked up a set of stone steps and faced a door with pealed paint and a knocker in the shape of a snake. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped the door. After the locks sprung to life, it opened with creaks and squeaks. Before they moved to go inside, Dumbledore turned once more to them and spoke quietly.

"I must ask you to keep your voices down if you must speak. Follow me please."

With that, he swept across the doorway and was closely followed by everyone else. The hallway was dark and the whole house was quiet. He led them straight through into the kitchen. There, in varying degrees of sitting and standing were most of the members of the Order Of The Phoenix. Mundungus, Bill, Lupin, Sirius, Shakelbot, Tonks, Diggle and Severus. Most were surprised to see them there. Claudia's friends stayed huddled close together and Arthur and Molly went to join their ranks. Dumbledore closed the door and locked it magically.

"Welcome guests. I will save the introductions for you to do. Ms. Moore?" He gestured for Claudia to speak and she felt her throat dry up. What would she say? She turned towards Nick and he spoke to her in Russian.

"Will you be needing help? I see panic across your face. I know you don't like speaking in front of people, but it seams we have no choice." His voice was low and all eyes were on him filling with bewilderment.

"Yeah well...just jump in anytime you like. I hate this." Chuckles from the muggles and more confusion from the wizards. Oh yeah...they had been speaking in Russian and no one here knew it. That was good to know. Switching back to English, Claudia began.

"Hi. I really don't know where to start. My friends and I...we have been working together for the past nine years. Most of us went through boot camp together and on into Special Forces. If you don't know what I am talking about, this is muggle military. We are mostly from the United States, but a couple of us joined later. We are what is called..." Bones cut her off in Russian.

"Thugs." All of them laughed. The wizards just sat and stared.

"No...Mercenaries. We are highly trained military personnel who are hired to do...well...dirty work, so to speak. We have been everywhere and done just about everything. I guess, the best thing to do is to introduce everyone and let them tell you about what they specifically do within the group." Claudia's voice was shaking. It wasn't sharing the information with them, it was their reactions to it she worried about. Claudia motioned toward Nick.

"My name is Nickolai Ivanovich, I am from Russia and my specialty is hand to hand combat." He stood board straight and stared at the wall ahead of him. Claudia suppressed a snicker. He was laying it on thick, he was. Still, he is one large, impressive Russian. Rod stepped forward.

"Hey. Name's Rodrigiez. Ricky Rodrigeiz. Everyone calls me Rod. I'm from the great U. S of A. My specialty is weapons. Preferably the ones you shoot." Nervous laughter from their audience.

"My name's Bones. Yous folks can call me Bones." More laughter. "I specialize in war fare and co-op tactics." He held the peace sign up and Claudia rolled her eyes.

"My name is Antonio De Lorenzo. The ladies may call me whatever they wish." He winked at Tonks." I specialize, among other things, in Pyrotechnics. The flames of passion I say..." He was cut off by Nick elbowing him in the ribs.

"M...m...my name is Chester Blanks. I...uh...I am the techie. I handle all communications, GPS tracking and anything else they tell me to do. Mostly computer stuff." Chester looked like he would fall apart any minute.

"My name, you can not say. It is in a language too foreign to you. They call me Zulu, the name of my ancestors. It is fine with me. I also specialize in weapons. But I like the long shiny ones." No one laughed at his joke. They all looked too frightened to laugh. It was quiet for a moment and Claudia realized all eyes were on her.

"Claud. It is your turn, they are waiting." Hushed Russian in her ear told her to speak.

"You all know my name. Claudia Moore. American. I specialize in hand to hand combat."

Never had she heard such a silence before. Then almost everyone spoke at once.

"Oh dear me." Molly said into her hands. Emma was beaming up at her mom from Molly's lap.

"No way Claudia!" Tonks was flabbergasted.

Lupin sat back and was in deep thought. Sirius was sneering at everyone. Kingsly Shacklebot said, "Interesting.". Arthur was beaming at all of them and yelled "Magnificent!." Claudia allowed her eyes to wonder to Severus and saw a slight twitch around his lips, which usually means he was fighting a smile, and a glimmer of pride in his eyes. Yes. My Severus would be proud wouldn't he? Dumbledore brought them all back.

"Yes, yes. Very impressive. But I didn't call you all here to learn of muggle military. It seams, that beyond Lord Voldemort's normal pursuits, he has employed muggles, unlike our friends here, "he smiled at Nick. "but just as highly trained. From what we have gathered, to...how did you say it Nick? Put a hit out on someone? Yes, he is wanting someone dead, and is using muggles to do it. It so happens the muggles he hired are people Ms. Moore and her friends know already." Everyone's curiosity was raised at this statement.

"The man that we know, his name is Hernandez. He is from Cuba, trained in the Cuban army. This man committed atrocities I will not repeat here. But he did them none the less and was kicked out of Cuba. Let me assure you, that is hard to do. Get kicked from a country as that. He was a hired assassin for awhile after that. We caught up with him over six years ago when someone, Hernandez, kidnapped a diplomat's daughter. Sparing you details, he killed her. He is only after money and power this man. He has recently been seen with another undesirable character by the name of Azi. He, we know little about. Only that he is mean and vicious. He likes to work for parties with large bank accounts as well. Usually he sticks to religious idealists, but he has branched off now. Another one, we don't know his name. We do know he was seen meeting with these two. They were meeting...what were their names Claud?" Nick stopped speaking to the group and directed his question at Claudia.

"I think it was Malfoy? Right? She looked at Severus. Everyone followed her eyes and looked at him.

"Yes. Among others." Severus said. Dumbledore raised his hand for attention.

"So we all have learned more tonight than we thought we would. I ask you all abide by the rules of muggle relations and know that these people come here as our friends. No magic shall be used against them. I also remind you most of us have been guests in Claudia's home at one time or another. Now...I must be off. Goodnight to all." Everyone got up at the same time and began talking as Dumbledore swept from the room.

The kitchen door was all of a sudden filled with four red headed children. Molly beckoned them over to Claudia.

"Claudia dear, my babies." She was teary eyed and the boys rolled their eyes. Ginny smiled at Claudia and extended her hand.

"Ginny Weasley. I've heard loads about you." Claudia laughed. "This is Ron." A tall red head nodded his head and Claudia smiled at the red flushed cheeks.

"And we're Fred and George. At your service." They bowed low to the floor an Molly swatted them on their rear ends. The twins took off after Antonio who was standing alone. They quickly began laughing and talking. Claudia marveled at some people's ability to make friends so easily. She looked around and saw Arthur and Chester deep in conversation. Oh...what a perfect match those two are. I wonder if they ever answer any questions between the two of them. She saw, and groaned, Rod and Bones flirting shamelessly with Tonks at the table. They really could lay in on thick those two. Her eyes caught sight of Remus. He was staring at Bones and Rod with a not very friendly look in his eyes. Claudia had to turn around and laugh to herself. Oh...poor Remus. If he didn't make a move on Tonks soon, those two would be engaged to her by the end of the week.

Claudia noticed everyone was staying clear of Zulu and Nick. She made her way over to them and just as she was about to approach them, a set of black robes brushed against her.
"Excuse me." He said and looked into her eyes. Oh Severus, read my thoughts right now. I love you and miss you.

"No problem." Their eyes held for a split second more and he turned and left. She started towards Zulu and Nick when, agian, she was bumped from behind. This time, very forceful and no apologies. She saw the back of Sirius heading in the hallway. She shook her head. She finally reached her friends.

"What was that about?" Nick asked, as always when they spoke, in Russian. Claudia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Nothing."

"That, didn't look like nothing from here." He said. Zulu nodded in agreement.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"The tall man in black. Severus is it? When are you planning to fill us in about him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. But if I did, I would tell you to keep out of it." They laughed and clapped her on the back. "Ok Claud. Whenever you are ready, we are willing to listen. You have been alone long enough. We welcome the idea that you have moved on. We would never be angry at you for filling Joseph's shoes." Claudia stared at them. People were talking all around them, but she didn't hear them. Joe had been Claudia's husband for three years and Nick's partner for over seven. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she nodded her head. Oh, it was so good to have friends.

"I have something I have to do. I'll be back in a second." And she went in search of Sirius.
After going up the stairway, lined with small heads of ugly creatures, Claudia found doors. But she didn't know which one would lead her to Sirius.

"Looking for something?" It was the Weasley child Ron.

"Um...yeah. Looking for Sirius. Know where I can find him?"

He stepped forward and shyly pointed to a door at the end of the hall. Claudia said her thanks and walked to the door.

Do I knock? She thought. No, better to just walk in and not give him an excuse to run. She reached for the doorknob and turned. The door opened into a large bedroom where she came face to face with none other than Buckbeack. She smiled and bowed to him. He bowed back and made a loud bird-like noise. She looked past Buckbeak and saw Sirius standing, looking out the window.

"Hey Sirius."

No answer. She walked in and closed the door and slowly walked behind Sirius.

"Sirius, I thought you and I were better friends than this. We have gone through so much, and you are going to throw that away because...because why?" She didn't mean to, but she was yelling already. There was no response from Sirius still, he did however make a grunt or snorting noise.

Claudia put her hand on Sirius's shoulder and she felt him tense.

"Sirius please talk to me." She worked hard to keep her voice low and calm. When he didn't answer agian, she thought, well hell, might as well. She slammed him up against the window and turned him around. The look on his face was fury mixed with shock.

"There Sirius! Got your attention now I bet. Let me tell you something you-" He cut her off.

"Oh shut up Claudia!"

"What?"

"I said shut up. Ever since James died everything has fallen apart for me. Peter was a traitor. I was sent to Azkaban. Now that I'm out, I still can't walk free. I thought for one moment that I had found a small bit of happiness with you." He was yelling and Claudia was watching the veins in his forehead pound.

"You did Sirius! We are such wonderful friends that..."

"No! I wanted you as more than my friend Claudia. Didn't you know that? We shared more together in my time there than I had with anyone. I love you Claudia. I'm IN love with you" He was breathing hard and looking her in the eyes. She saw his pain and confusion there. Had it really gotten this bad? Has he done anything but sit here and brood over everything?

"Sirius, you think you're in love with me. But I am just the first person, well first woman you have had contact with for years! How could you possibly know?"

He moved so fast, she didn't know how to react. He grabbed her with one arm around her waist and the other wrapped in her hair and kissed her. It wasn't the passionate hard kisses she received nightly from Severus, but an angry kiss. She kicked and moved, but he wouldn't let go. Finally she got her hands on his face and pushed back. They were both panting and she slapped him, hard, across the face. He was stunned for a moment and looked down at the ground.

"Sorry. I just needed to know...I just thought that maybe..." His voice died.

"I need you to be my friend Sirius." Her voice was shaking. He looked up at her, the anger relit in his eyes.

"Still shagging him, huh? Snivellus? How is he? Looks greasy, it's no wonder you're not-" She cut him off with her own forced laughter. Now she was angry.

"Oh Severus, is that what this is all about? You don't really love me do you Sirius? You just can't stand the fact that it is Severus I want. Tell me, had it been Remus, would you be taking it like this? No...I don't think so. Pathetic Sirius. And since you asked...he is wonderful. Blows my mind." Claudia could have cried at the look in Sirius's eyes as she walked from the room. Her anger kept her from feeling anything at the moment. She walked down the stairs and motioned for Nick.

"Come on. We're leaving."

She spat. His eyebrows raised in question but he didn't. He knew her well enough to know when not to talk. He whistled and a few minutes later, they were all following Claudia out the door. She knew they were trying to figure out what was going on behind her back , but she gave them no information. She just walked to the cars and headed back to the hotel where she would spend a sleepless night

CHAPTER 16
Surveillance

"Bye mommy! I love you."

Emma waved to Claudia from the airplane door. An attendant took Emma's hand and lead her towards the plane. Claudia felt her heart breaking inside her chest. Her baby was going to stay with her mom for awhile, but that didn't make it any easier. They hadn't been separated since Joes's death, some years ago. Oh it hurt for her to be leaving. Tears stained her face as she waved to the plane and watched it take off. At least. Claudia thought, she wouldn't have to worry about Emma getting hurt for awhile.

Later that night, Claudia and gang sat with Dumbledore, Remus and Severus.

"I need you to find out where these men are. Who they are in contact with and whatever else you can gather about them. I would myself, but I am having problems with a teacher at my school."

Dumbledore was unusually harsh when talking about this teacher. In fact, it was not the first time she has heard him talk badly about this Umbridge woman.

"That won't be a problem." Nick said.

"Excellent. Now, I think it would be good to have an Order member go along, to help out..." His voice trailed off as he saw the people sitting in front of him shaking their heads.

"Sorry Dumbledore." Claudia spoke. "We work as a team, alone." Nods from the people around her.

"No offense sir. But we all have our jobs and someone else will just get in the way." Rod stated very matter of factly.

"I insist." Dumbledore said.
"So do we, Sir." Bones said. Claudia didn't really know what to make of this situation. She hadn't thought all this out. She knew her teammates would never take orders from anyone. Everything they did, they did as a group. No authority. Besides, they were not members of the Order, were they?

"Perhaps, it would be good for one of us to go along. Even if it is just to see how you do things." Oh Severus, you ARE good aren't you? Claudia smiled. Then she turned to Nick.

"Maybe, we should. I mean, we really have no idea if other wizards will be there. What if they are? We will need someone to cover us?" Every muggle eyebrow shot up skywards. A few flicked their eyes to Severus and back to Claudia.

"Fine. Whomever goes, stays out of the way and let's us work." Nick said.

"Wonderful. Remus, would you be so kind?" Remus nodded consent and the meeting was adjourned.

Claudia and gang were sitting in Nick's room that Friday night going over the plans for the nights events. Claudia had to laugh at herself. This would be the second time she had dressed herself up in sexy clothes and went undercover to spy for the Order. She looked down at the way-too-tight dress she wore. High heels and flashy jewelry and entirely too much makeup. She felt like a hooker. Probably looked like one too.

Nick continued speaking to them as they sat around the table. "I believe we are ready, dah?"

All heads nodded in agreement. All eyes turned at the sound of Remus entering the room. A chorus of "Hey" and "Evening Lupin" greeted him. He looked pleased with the welcome he got. Except for Antonio, who looked at the brooding, handsome man up and down with a scowl. Claudia knew Antonio was sizing him up as a potential teammate.

"Stop Tony." Claudia reprimanded him. "Trust me, Remus is something to be scared of, aren't you Remus?" She smiled and tried to convey to him that it was ok. He flushed a slight pink and busied himself with his fingernails.

"What'cha mean?" Bones asked. Claudia went to Remus's side and put her arm around him. He was so handsome and sweet.

"I mean, my dear darling Remus is a real and for-true werewolf." Howls from Bones and Rod, mixed with laughter.

"Whatever." Rod said. But everyone else stopped laughing when they saw the look on Claudia's face.

"Seriously?" Antonio asked. Claudia and Remus nodded.

"So you see, he is actually just as dangerous as we are. Huh Remus?"

She laughed and clapped him on the back. She figured that if she said it didn't bother her, it wouldn't bother them. She was right. All of a sudden he was surrounded by all of them asking questions and exclaiming how cool that was. The one who seemed the most impressed was Zulu. He couldn't stop staring at Remus.

After that was over, they headed out into the night air and Claudia was filled with excitement. Finally. She thought. I'm back.

The music was loud. Really loud. Antonio and Claudia remained undercover while dancing the night away. They were portraying a very retro looking couple who couldn't keep off of each other. They danced horrible actually. But that just added to the effect. Every once in awhile, she spotted Bones and Rod sitting at the bar in casual conversation. They just looked like two guys out for a drink. She never saw him, but she knew Nick was inside the bar too. Probably watching the exits, she thought. From the small piece of plastic stuck in her ear, she knew Chester was in the car manning their communications and Zulu and Lupin were told to await orders outside across the street.

They figured this was as good a guess as the next one, coming to this club. They knew Hernandez loved the night life and loved to flaunt money. This was one of the hottest places to be and they figured, what the hell? At least, they got a night out. Hours went by and Claudia was so tired of dancing. What she wasn't tired of was the running commentary Rod and Bones kept up in their ear pieces.

"Ohhhhh weee. Look at that hot mamma. I could sop her up with a piece of toast."

"Not your type bro. She looks smart." Laughter from all of them. But since they were so displaced from each other, no one could ever have known.

A little before 1:00 am They heard Nick speak into their ear pieces.

"We have a fox to hunt tonight my friends." Years of training kicked in and Claudia felt herself stiffen. He was here.

Antonio led her off the floor and to a table for some drinks. They maintained their cover as a couple out on a date, so they sat closely and spoke in whispers. From their ear pieces, they heard Nick pose a question to Zulu.

"Zulu, why didn't you alert us he was approaching?"

"Oh boss, you told me to wait with the wolf for orders. We didn't know that was our orders." Snickers and laughter could be heard. Nick colored him in curse words in Russian that made them laugh all the more.

Only a half hour of watching Hernandez flirt badly with women and he was out the door.

"Showtime" Claudia heard in her ear. "The fox is hailing a taxi, Zulu, you and the wolf are on it?" Chester asked.

"We are going. See you soon." Zulu said. Unseen by anyone, a tall black man and a scruffy looking wizard apparated using a locater spell. Claudia wondered what apparating would feel like to Zulu.

Claudia and Antonio walked arm in arm out of the club and hailed a taxi back to the hotel. Rod and Bones left moments later headed for the metro. Nick slipped out a back door to meet Chester in the car. Rendezvous point for all of them was the hotel.

It took over a half hour for everyone to make it back. Everyone except Zulu and Remus. They stood waiting, pacing the floors when they heard the familiar

"Crack!" and they materialized before them.

"That is just too cool." Chester said.

"Perhaps, next time you travel that way. For I think I never will agian." Zulu said.

"Well?" Nick asked them.

"They are renting a house right outside of London. Small, broken down thing. But there are at least six people there right now. Three muggles and three wizards. I need to report to Dumbledore. I'm sure he will be getting in touch with you later." Another "Crack!" and he was gone.

The rest of them decided to call it a night and everyone left for their rooms. Claudia was entering hers when she saw the outline of a man sitting in a chair. She smiled. It had been so long since she had seen him. She closed the door and switched on a light. Severus eyed her up and down.

"What? You don't like my dress?" She joked.

"If I didn't already have something planned for us tonight, I could think of a few things to do with it." His black eyes glimmered in the light. Claudia went to him and stroked his head. She ran her fingers through the long black hair and kissed his forehead.

"What do you have planned for us tonight?" She said between kisses. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. Oh, that. She thought. But he quickly released her.

"Perhaps, you can change clothes? We have to be somewhere soon." Claudia's eyes got bigger.

"Where?" She asked.

"More importantly, you should be asking me what we are doing."

"What are we doing Severus?" She asked him with a slightly irritated tone.

"It's ready. If you consent, we will do it tonight."

Understanding blazed in her mind. Coagmento Pectus, the potion he was brewing for them. Oh this night is about to get more interesting. She quickly dressed in blue jeans and a sweater. She tried to rub the makeup off as best she could. When she was ready, Severus opened his arms to her and she wrapped hers around him.

"Remember to hold on tight." He whispered.

"I always do." The tugging sensation and a dizzy feeling overcame her. Suddenly she realized where they were. They had arrived at the cottage.

CHAPTER 17
Coagmento Pectus

Claudia looked around her cottage. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than a very small cauldron simmering away on the table. It was very small, about the size of a mixing bowl. Blue flames were underneath it keeping it warm and bubbly. The potion inside of the cauldron was light blue in color and it released a light yellow mist.

Severus took Claudia's hand and brought her to the table. He took off his black robes, to reveal a black shirt and pants underneath. He didn't button the top button of his shirt and Claudia saw where his chest began, peeking out from the rough fabric of his shirt. It took all her will power to not attack him right there. She watched him work purposely, adding a powder substance to the potion that made it fizzle and turn an angry red. He had the black leather book laid out next to the cauldron and was reading it to himself, his lips moving a little as he did. God, he was magnificent.

"Are you ready?" She nodded. He stepped back and grabbed her hands. "You can say no Claudia." Yes, she could say no. But she didn't want to.

"I'm fine Severus. Please, go on."

She brushed his cheek with her hand and he kissed her palm. Shivers. Those wonderful shivers that started somewhere inside of her and spread to every fiber of her being.

"We each drink a portion of this, here."

He handed her a small glass and he served them both a small amount in their glasses using a ladle. She smelled it, it didn't have an odor. Well, here it goes. She tipped the glass back and swallowed. Severus finished his the same time as she did. It tasted like bad tea actually. A little gritty too.

Claudia felt a rush like no other before. Every feeling she had for Severus was amplified times ten as she stood there. She felt her love, lust, and adoration coursing through her veins. Looking at him, she saw he must be experiencing the same. They both were breathing heavily and were fighting desires much too big for them. He drew her to him and held both of her hands. His touch was electric. It was a moment before she realized he was chanting something. She couldn't make it out, but it had a rhythm. Their bodies swayed to the beat Severus's chanting created. The fire in the fireplace seemed to grow bright and the stars were clearer to her outside. What an odd feeling, she thought.

Time no longer existed to them. Claudia had no idea how long they stayed that way, but it was broken at one point by Severus releasing her hand and pulling out a knife. He locked eyes with her and she somehow understood he was doing everything right. This is how it's supposed to be, she thought. She extended her hand and he cut it, deeply.

Blood ran down her wrist, but it actually felt good to her. He did the same to himself and watched his blood run for a moment. Then, as if they were guided by an unseen force, they placed their open wounds together and allowed the blood to flow into the other. Some of Claudia's feelings dissipated, but were replaced with love for her. Severus's love. They were mixing their blood and with it, their love. Oh he does love me. She thought. How wonderful to be thought of this way. Claudia also knew that they could not break hands no matter what. She felt a need to speak to him, but the only words that came were,

"I love you Severus." He nodded.

"I love you Claudia." She nodded.

Yes. This was what was supposed to happen. Still not breaking hands, she knew what must happen next. Carefully, he laid her on the table and they consummated their love right there. Heat and passion won out and Claudia kept thinking, this was right. Oh it was so right.

When they were spent, Severus aimed his wand at their hands and blood began to drip anew from the wounds. They held their hands over the remaining potion and watched it as it was added. The potion turned a bright pink as the blood mixed with it.

It was then that Claudia knew it was alright for them the separate hands. He filled a vial, the size of a coin, full of the pink liquid. He fashioned it to a chain and placed it around Claudia's neck. She did the same for him.

As soon as they both were wearing the vials, the spell seemed to disappear. Claudia looked down at her beautiful amulet. It glowed bright pink, as did Severus's.

"I ask that you never take yours off Claudia. With this, I can always know where you are and if you are in danger. I added a locater spell to it, so we can find each other if necessary. The amulets will turn colors when we are in different situations. Pink, for content and love. Red, for anger. Blue for sadness. Gray for extreme danger. And black for death."

"Well, let's hope neither one of these ever turns black." Claudia said. Severus agreed. Claudia saw Sevrus looking at her strangely.

"What is it? Something wrong?" She asked.

"No. It seems I can no longer perform Occlumency on you. This protects you from that. My guess is it protects you better than we know. Very interesting."

Before they left the cottage, Severus healed their wounds on their hands magically. After the potion wore off, they began to just plain hurt.

Seconds later, they were inside Claudia's hotel room agian in London. For the first time, Severus stayed with her through the night. She fell asleep with the amulet in one hand and his in her other. Never was she more blissful.

CHAPTER 18
Christmas Tidings

Claudia and company returned to her house in the country to spend the holidays there. Severus was teaching at Hogwarts and she received many letters from him. Mostly they were short and to the point, I miss you, can we meet? She still hadn't told anyone, other than Tonks, any concrete facts about her and Severus. There was an element of thrill about sneaking that they both enjoyed.

A week before Christmas, Claudia received a letter from Dumbledore asking if he can come by that evening. Even though he knew he had an open invitation, he always asked anyways. Claudia wondered if it kept from having any awkward moments between her, Severus and himself. Her amulet was worn, as promised, all the time. It burned pink most of the time, however, she saw flashes of red throughout the day. It must be Harry, she thought. No one was able to tick Severus off more than that kid. She didn't understand it, but she felt that that was her lovers one flaw. To allow a child to get under his skin like that.

Dumbledore arrived, as promised, that evening just after dinner. He was greeting merrily with handshakes and Rod tried to give him a high five.

"Dumbledore, can I get you something to drink?" She asked.

"Wine, if you have it." He said as he settled down into a chair.

"If we have it? My dear man, I have with me the finest of Italian wines." Antonio said and he hurried off to the kitchen to fetch it. Everyone else waited for his return and he poured Dumbledore a glass. He waited until Dumbledore sipped it and Antonio put the tips of his fingers to his mouth and kissed. "Excellent, no?"

"Yes, wonderful thank you. I have some very distressing news that I received. It seems I have a very vague idea as to whom Voldemort wants dead. Among others, including myself, he is trying to kill our Minister of Magic. At first, I thought perhaps it was the muggle Prime Minister. But alas...I think it is poor Cornelius Fudge."

"You have a minister of magic?" Chester asked.

"Yes! Poor man, wouldn't know his head from a pumpkin if asked. However, I still find that many people would be quite lost if he were murdered."

"So you think Hernandez and Azi are going to kill...Fudge?" Claudia asked.

"I believe so. I guess we will not know for sure until we get more evidence."

"You want us to go after Hernandez soon, am I right sir?" Bones asked. Dumbledore held his glass and inspected his wine.

"I will ask you to do nothing. This is all very dangerous business, wizard wars. I do not claim to have any authority over you. All I ask is that you consider helping our cause until you decide that you can not."

Claudia thought that Dumbledore couldn't have said it better. Everyone was eager to show their support, none more so than Zulu. Ever since London, Zulu and Remus had been so close. It was nice to see Zulu actually enjoy someone's company other than Nicks.

"Dumbledore, we are with you, you know that. We all have emotions at stake now with you and your world. We will be there until the bitter end. Whatever that may be."

Claudia said. The guys nodded in agreement and Dumbledore, for the first time, looked at a loss for words. She did however see Dumbledore give the oddest look. She wondered if he realized that she had the amulet and that he could no longer use magical means to read her mind.

A few days before Christmas, the gang was trying to help Claudia relax. Claudia was having a terrible hard time with Emma being gone, so the guys tried to cheer her by singing holiday carols, but inserting naughty words in as needed. Severus came a few times, but she got the impression he didn't want to be around all of her friends just yet.

It was early morning when Claudia was awakened by a owl on her bed.

"Well hello." She said as she untied the letter. She read her name and opened it.

"Oh no..."

She scrambled from bed and went to rouse the others from sleep. The kitchen was full of sleepy eyed, tussle haired people waiting with angry faces to hear what the bit news was.

"You remember Arthur Weasley?" Everyone said yes. "He was attacked last night. Something about a snake biting him, attacking him more like it. The snake belongs to that Dark Lord person, Voldemort."

Livid

. That was the best way to describe the reactions at the table. Arthur had turned into a fast friend to all present, none more so than Chester. He took this bit of information badly.

"Will he be ok?" Chester asked. His voice was shaking.

"Yeah, I think so. But this is what we are up against guys. People who sick snakes on people. This is too crazy."

"This is terrible magic. We are truly not prepared for something like this." Zulu said. No one answered, because they knew. This business of Dementors and attacking snakes was getting overwhelming. Give them a bad guy with a bomb any day. But this?

Christmas day proved to be an excellent affair. Arthur was doing great and all was well. Claudia even received a letter from Severus saying he would be by the house for dinner. Wow, she thought. And he did come. He showed up at the door, much to Nick's surprise when he opened it. They sized each other up for a moment and then Claudia interrupted the macho show down.

"Merry Christmas Severus."

She said as she pulled him away from Nick. They shared wine and laughter over dinner. A spectacular feast prepared by Antonio and Claudia. Turkey, dressing, ham, potatoes, vegetables, bread and pumpkin pie. Severus seemed to love the food too. He complimented the chief, which immediately won Antonio over.

"So Severus, what do you do?" Rod asked him.

"I teach." He answered. Everyone had gone quiet and Claudia suspected they had planned this bit of sabotage from the beginning.

"What do you teach?" Rod asked. He was sitting straddling the chair and sipping wine.

"I teach potions." Severus answered meeting Rod's gaze.

"Potions? What, like love potions? Can you make me a potion to get more mojo?" They all fell over laughing at this little joke.

Claudia waved her hands and said, "that's enough boys."

Severus however seemed to see that it was all in fun and allowed himself a small smile. Nick sat with Zulu in the corner eyeing both Claudia and Severus. She was aware of them whispering to each other, and she would have given her right arm to know what they were saying.

As if he knew, Nick came over and whispered in Claudia's ear.

"We like him. He is good."

Claudia felt her face redden and Nick tussled her hair and walked away. She made herself busy buy collecting dishes and Severus was actually talking to Zulu. She didn't know what they were saying, but it seemed the conversation was going well.

When she finished clearing all of the dishes, she went over to Severus.

"Fancy a walk?" She asked. He nodded and downed his remaining wine. They slipped outside and when they were far enough away, she slipped her hand in his.

"Thank you for coming tonight. I'm happy you're here." He grunted an agreement and they walked in silence for a bit.

"Headmaster Dumbledore wishes me to teach the little prat Potter Occlumency this term. I fear I will be able to spend less time with you for awhile." He said.

"Oh? This have anything to do with the attack on Arthur?" He nodded. "I take it you are not looking forward to one on one time with Harry?" Claudia smiled.

"To say the least. Arrogant, cocky little-" She cut him off.

"Severus, do you have any idea how silly it is to hate a child? I mean, I know about you, Sirius and James and really honey, it is sad that you are taking it out on his kid." Severus just sneered and Claudia let out a little laugh. No matter his flaws, she loved him madly. She felt the amulet next to her skin, under her blouse and she pulled it out. It glowed pink. Severus saw her looking at it and stopped walking. The moonlight shone brightly above them as they stood underneath a tree. Claudia leaned back against it and smiled.

"I have missed you." She said.

"And I you."

He stepped closer to her and pulled his amulet from under his robes. His shone a bright pink as well. Slowly, Claudia pulled Severus close to her for a kiss. His kisses were magical. Wrapped tightly in his arms, she felt as if the whole world was nonexistent and it was just the two of them. She felt like they were two teenagers, sneaking kisses in the moonlight. They were interrupted by a voice coming from poolside.

"Oh Amore under the stars? Si, it is a good night for it." Antonio said. Claudia groaned and Severus actually smiled.

"Well, I guess it's up."

The walked arm in arm onto the porch just in time to hear Antonio making an announcement.

"My friends, apparently some of us are enjoying nature tonight. A little amore is in the air!" Hoots and cat calls sounded and Claudia was mortified.

She peaked a glance at Severus and saw him already looking at her. He shrugged his shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"Mi amore." He whispered.

Claudia laughed and they walked back into the house. Everyone was smiling and Rod and Bones applauded. What surprised Claudia the most was seeing Remus there sitting with Zulu. Remus had a sad smile on his face and Claudia had a pang of sorrow hit her at seeing him. She knew he was sad for his friend, and she was sure he knew about what happened between her and Sirius the night at Grimmauld Place.

All in all it was a Merry Christmas. When Claudia went to bed, she found a package for her on her pillow. It was small and wrapped neatly in blue paper. She sat on the bed and opened it to reveal a beautiful silver ring. It was ornately carved and held in it one pink diamond. There was a note that read:

Claudia-

I thought you could use something to match your amulet. Please take this ring with the promise that when all of this is over, we shall never have need of secrecy agian. My wish, is to be the man you think I am. I hope when I am finished, I am still worthy of you and your love.

Yours forever,
Severus Snape

She sat and waited until the tears stopped flowing. She slipped the ring onto her finger and felt it reshape itself to fit her hand. Oh, a magic ring too, she thought. It made her gift of a few books and a shirt seem silly. How could anything be bad in the world, when someone loves you so much?

CHAPTER 19
Training Day

Claudia was laughing out loud at Severus's latest letter. She thought she really had to meet Harry, because he was the only one who ever ticked Severus off so badly. Severus wrote an entire page on how incapable and idiotic he thought Harry was. Still laughing, Claudia put the letter away and sat down to draft a reply. Just when she was deciding on how to start this letter, she heard a familiar voice call from downstairs.

"Oui, Claudia! Are you home?" Tonks yelled.

"Yeah, come on up." Claudia decided to finish the letter later and tucked it away. Tonks came into the room and plopped herself on the bed. Claudia smiled, Tonks was so dramatic.

"What's up Tonks?" Claudia asked.

"Nothing." She said. Claudia rolled her eyes.

"Right. The can you start folding that laundry for me?" Claudia turned back to her letter but Tonks sat up.

"We kissed." Tonks said.

"We did?" Claudia joked. It was Tonks's turn to roll her eyes. Claudia laughed and moved over to sit with her on the bed. "OK, sorry, couldn't help it. Spill it."

"The other night, I had just gotten off work and Remus came to deliver a message from Dumbledore. We talked for a bit and he offered to see me home. So we decided to walk a ways and while we walked we talked about everything. Family, friends and the war. Well, anyways, when we got to my house I just couldn't help it. I asked him why he didn't have a girlfriend."

"You did? I bet he turned ten shades of red."

"Yes! He was so surprised and looked at me so sadly. I just decided to do it right then and there. I kissed him." Tonks put her hands over her face and squealed. "He smells so good Claudia. Well, after I kissed him he didn't scream and run away so I kissed him agian. And he kissed me back!" Tonks was bouncing up and down on the bed and Claudia laughed.

"He did kiss you back? Wow Tonks, that is a major step for him. Just be patient, ok?"

"Yeah, no kidding. What's that?" She pointed to Claudia's amulet around her neck.

"Oh, it's just a present I got for my birthday. Pretty huh?" Claudia tried to sound casual about it. Tonks eyed the amulet closely.

"It is pretty." Her thoughts were cut off by voices downstairs. The girls went down the stairs and saw Dumbledore and Mad-Eye talking with Nick, Antonio and Chester.

"Oh Ms. Moore, just the person I need. I have requested a meeting, if that is alright with you?" Claudia nodded.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the living room and listening to Dumbledore talk.

"I am sure now that Fudge is the intended target by the muggles Voldemort has employed. I believe he intends them to murder Cornelius and then turn on the muggles who did it in order to create discord between our two worlds. How else to gain support for his hate of muggles, than having muggle openly murder a prominent wizard?"

It made sense to Claudia. It appeared it did to everyone else too. So this Dark Lord wants wizards to turn on muggles by hiring muggles to kill a wizard. Madness.

Spring came and bloomed new life into the country side. Severus and Claudia were in full swing and enjoying every minute of it. She was surprised at how well suited they were for each other.

Of course, it helped he was gone a lot. He even began staying at the house on school breaks and had a few dinners with the guys. The guys in turn, really took to him and welcomed him into the fold. Claudia's heart soared every time she saw Severus smile. She knew, from what he told her, he didn't have much to smile about these days.

Remus would stop in every so often. Mostly to check on Claudia and to talk to Zulu. They had become strangely close over the past few months. Strange how some people can find a connection when on the outside, it would seem they didn't or couldn't have one at all. Well, Claudia thought, I suppose people will say that about me and Severus once it comes out.

Claudia was even able to pry some information from Remus one day about Tonks.
"So...anything interesting happening?" Claudia asked. She knew full well Remus and Tonks had been meeting in secret and had exchanged kisses and sweet words.

"No not really." He said.

"Oh no? Hmmm." Claudia watched his profile turn red and he busied himself with something on his shoe. So, I guess he is not ready to make anything official, Claudia thought to herself. That makes two of us.

Late spring brought even more changes for the group. In a meeting they had one evening, it was suggested they began training with wizards in order to know how to handle any possible confrontations. Since the sighting of Hernandez, they had been able to keep tabs on him and watch his every move. The also had word that he was not to move yet on his target. So all they could do was wait.

"I think trainin' is jus' what we need dog." Bones said.

"Hey Moore, you gone soft yet? You look like you could use a lil' training? Or has that tall drink of water been giving yous private lessons?" They all laughed at Rod's little joke.

"Ha ha ha. You're so funny. As a matter of fact. I think a training day is just what we need. How about this weekend we set aside a day to play a little war games?" Hi-fives all around and Claudia went to send a letter to Dumbledore requesting seven wizards come to the house to help train the group in wizard warfare.

Saturday arrived and with it came Remus, Tonks, Mundungus, Shackelbot, Arthur, Molly, Bill And Emmeline Vance.

"Morning!" Claudia yelled to the visitors. They formed a circle around Claudia and she immediately began the games.

"First, thank you for coming. I think this will help all of us in the long run. OK, I think it would be helpful for one or two of you, " she gestured towards the wizard side. "to cast a few harmless spells on some of us so we have an idea as to what you can do first."

Bill and Arthur stepped forward and in turn Nick and Antonio did too. Bill aimed his wand at Antonio and said,

"Stupefy".

Antonio was thrown back onto his rear end a few feet away. He got up rubbing it and cursing in Italian. Arthur aimed his wand at Nick and smiled.

"Forgive me please Nick my boy." Nick nodded and steadied himself. Arthur said,

"Impedimentia!".

Nick was thrown farther than Antonio was and landed flat on his back. He lay there for a few minutes and then got up. He returned to the group and everyone was waiting for his reaction.

'That hurt Arthur." Was all he said. Laughter.

"It is important to know they have such things called...unforgivables. Is that right?" The wizards nodded. "Those are the worst of the spells and can and will be used against you when fighting Death Eaters. So for the purposes of this exercise, wizards, if you find your opponent at your mercy, just say unforgivable. That way we can assume you have either killed or are controlling the person." Everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone seemed anxious to start.

"Wait, we have more to go over before you go. You wizards have to understand what you're up against too. The thing you need to know is that you need to keep us as far away from you as possible. If we can touch you, we can kill you. We are operating under the assumption that we are not carrying guns by the way so you can't shoot them." Here Rod had a few choice words to say in protest.

"So what will you say when you 'ave captured or killed one of us?" Mundungus asked.
"What makes you so sure we wish to capture at all? My desired enemy is a dead one." Nick said.

"Relax there killer. We will just say, 'You're dead'. Wizards, you will know you have been beaten if you hear that, ok?" Nods all around. "Well, let's get started. We will move into the woods now. You can all come in after five minutes and we will see who is left. If you are 'killed' please come and meet Molly. Questions?" No questions. "Off we go."

Claudia and company humped into the woods and spread out. Each finding their desired position hidden within trees, plants and underbrush. Claudia found a nice spot beneath a fallen tree. Actually, the same tree she first saw Sirius under. Don't think about that right now, she told herself. Focus. From her spot, she could see quite a bit all around her. The first sign someone was coming was cracking of twigs. It was Remus. Claudia saw Rod creeping alongside him in the underbrush. All of a sudden Remus turned to his left and fired a

"Stupefy!"

into the brush and Claudia saw Rod fall. But before he could go after him, Bones jumped from a tree and tackled Remus from behind. Holding a rubber knife to his throat he whispered,

"Yous dead sucka." He helped Remus to his feet and clapped him on the back as he headed back up to the house.

7-6 Muggles.

Bones helped Rod to his feet and they took off into the brush. Claudia sat back and waited. She caught sight of Zulu standing behind a tree now and he gave a slight nod. Somewhere in the woods they heard a cry out. It was Chester and she was sure he was gone too.

6-6 tied up game.

Claudia waited more and sure enough, Emmeline Vance was walking slowly with her wand pointed in front of her. Oh this is too easy, Claudia thought. Oh well, sorry lady. Claudia moved from her spot and crept up behind Emmeline. Emmeline was tense and looking straight ahead. Claudia could have reached out and touched her. She pulled a rubber knife from her waist and touched the tip to Emmeline's neck.

"You're dead."

She said. Emmeline turned around at these words and nearly cried out. Claudia clapped her hand over her mouth. "Shhhhh." Claudia pointed to the direction she had to go and she swiftly left.

6-5 muggles.

The remaining muggles practiced criss crossing positions in order to clear an area of wizards. It left searching for them an easy task if you can rule out a large portion. Claudia was pacing Zulu and every once in awhile she caught sight of Bones who was army crawling on the ground. On her left, Claudia saw Bill and Arthur together standing side by side. They had to be talking, because they didn't notice Antonio slipping up beside them. Antonio came slowly behind Bill and whispered something into his ear.

Bill laughed but Arthur turned and pointed his wand at Antonio and said "Unforgivable." Split second later he was saying it agian to Rod who had moved into his vision. Then Arthur pulled a major trick and disapparated.

4-4 tied up game.

Bones came up behind Claudia and said,

"Took out Tonks."

4-3 Muggles

Somewhere Claudia heard very loud yelling and she knew it was Nick. The she heard another man's voice and was sure it was Mundangus. She heard grunts and yells and saw sparks fly from somewhere to her right. Then all was quiet. Claudia back tracked to that area and ran into Nick on the way. His shirt was torn and he was fired up.

"Stupid man. Thought he could wrestle me!" He shook his head and ran off.

4-2 Muggles.

Claudia kept moving and caught sight of Shackelbot and Zulu in a fantastic fight. Shackelbot was already sporting a black eye for his efforts. But Zulu proved too slow this time and Shackelbot was able to aim his 'Unforgivable' at him. Bones came out of nowhere and jumped Shackelbot. Claudia was moving to help when she heard Shackelbot say once agian, 'Unforgiavable', while pointing his wand at Bones who held him in a head lock. Bones was crestfallen. But he left the game too.

2-2 tied up game.

Nick came around to Claudia and he motioned for her to follow him. He silently told her with his hands that he saw two wizards left. Claudia agreed and pointed towards the approaching figure of Shackelbot whom Claudia was now eagerly wanting to take out. This was going to take some finesse, she thought. Reading each others thoughts, Claudia and Nick moved together to flank Shackelbot. Nick picked up a rock and threw it. It landed directly in front of Shackelbot, in the bushes. He walked forward, all the while Claudia and Nick moved swiftly behind him and Claudia grabbed his wand arm and Nick held his rubber knife and moved in quick movements swiping and slicing at his body with the rubber blade. Shackelbot was quite afraid and looked relieved when they both said,

"You're dead.".

Shackelbot walked away and Claudia knew it was now 2-1 Muggles.

From what she could figure, it was Arthur they were looking for. The moved silently and swiftly under the trees. There came a clearing and they decided to wait. Sure enough Arthur arrived on the opposite side and stopped. They saw him thinking and muttering to himself. Claudia decided to show herself and make Arthur follow her.

So she did and he did follow, right into the trees on their right. Claudia ran a few yards and then stopped. She found a tree to hide behind as she heard him approaching, panting loudly. She heard him stop and listen for sounds. Arthur was pretty good at this, she thought. She also knew Nick was flanking Arthur and would wait to give Claudia room to fight if she chose. When Claudia heard Arthur creep way too close to the tree, she pivoted around it and was met with a wand in her face.

He yelled, "Stupefy!".

Red light flashed and Claudia thought it was weird that the light bounced off of her and hit the tree. Arthur stood stunned. He frowned but was pushed from behind by Nick. Arthur threw a spell over his shoulders that Nick was able to just dodge. Claudia stood watching but not believing how that spell bounced right off of her. But she thought she had an idea how it did.

Claudia focused back onto a magnificent battle going on in front of her. Nick was putting up a great fight dodging spells and staying out of Arthur's range. Arthur in turn was dodging blows and kicks Nick was sending his way. At one point, Nick was able to knock Arthur's wand from his hand and throw Arthur to the ground, but Arthur was really good. He jumped to his feet and moved far enough away he could call his wand back to him. It was a fantastic fight that climaxed to where both men, locked in battle, were yelling;

"UNFORGIVABLE!"

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Both at the same time. Claudia stepped in then and called a draw.

"That's it boys. Looks like we are a tie."

"No Claudia, I was unable to kill you." Arthur was panting, but looking her dead in the face.

Claudia approached him and helped him stand straight.

"No Arthur, you would have gotten me."

"But I didn't. How is it that-" Claudia waved her hand dismissing the question.

"Please don't ask me right now. Just know it was something given to me. I had no idea it could do this, block spells and all. Let's keep this between us, shall we?" Arthur nodded and they walked to the house trailing Nick, who was limping.

CHAPTER 20

Sad Goodbyes

As the weeks went on, the 'war games' continued. Different players came to join in on the fun. After many afternoons and nights of playing war, the wizards began to really catch on. Especially when they realized "Accio Knife" worked really well. So far, wizards were beating muggles 5-3.

Claudia spoke to Emma and her mother on the phone almost daily. Claudia felt terrible abandoning her daughter, but knew it was for the best. If these wizards who practice the dark arts are as bad as everyone says, she didn't want her daughter anywhere near here. Her mother was understanding and all together happy with the arrangement.

Severus came as often as he could for dinner and quality time with Claudia. She also noticed Severus and Nick spending time together as well. Nick seemed to understand Severus's quiet nature and they would sit by the fire and sip drinks while Claudia was doing things around the house. Claudia couldn't imagine a better way to spend her time, with the exception that Emma wasn't there to enjoy the company and constant pampering from her uncles.

The gang took turns keeping track of Hernandez and his crew. They were told by Dumbledore that any attempts on Fudge's life were not to happen anytime soon. So all they could do was bug his vehicles with GPS tracking and follow his every move. They were tipped off about a shipment of missing explosives and detonators that were enroute to one dodgy character, The Green Buddha. Green Buddha was the leader of a very unfavorable underground network of people who were famous for arms deals. Green Buddha, like Antonio, had a soft spot for pyrotechnics. He was large, 300 lbs large and looked every bit like his namesake. They had worked with him before and always counted on information he was privy to. Someone in the London area was preparing to blow something to the heavens.

"Will they be able to blow up the Ministry of Magic?" Claudia asked Dumbledore.

"I assume, if the Death Eaters are aiding them in their efforts, they will be able to accomplish anything." Dumbledore said sadly.

"Are you sure this Fudge is the target?" Nick asked. Dumbledore sat quietly for a moment and tugged on his long beard.

"I suppose, these days anything is possible. I have toyed with the idea that my information is incorrect and it is the muggle Prime Minister they wish to eliminate. However, I can find no substance to any such claims."

A bit later in the week, Claudia and friends were training outside when they saw Dumbledore standing on the porch. They waved and he waved back. Funny, Claudia thought. He is supposed to be at school. They went to meet him and Claudia knew at once that she had never seen this look in Dumbledore's eyes before. He was angry. He was putting up a great show trying to cover it, but she knew an angry person when she saw one.

"My dear Ms. Moore, would it be possible to intrude on you? I have found myself running from the law and unemployed. All in one day!" He tried his hand at a joke but they understood the severity of the situation.

"Sacked?" Claudia questioned.

"Sacked." Dumbledore nodded

"Sacked?" Zulu and Chester said together. Dumbledore nodded once more.

"Hey man, does that mean you're looking for a job? Cause we could use one more you know!" Rod joked. Claudia ushered them inside and was faced with the dilemma of where to put him. Everyone was already doubled up in every room and on the couch. Dumbledore seemed to understand her position.

"I have the uncanny ability to be most unobtrusive. This should be just fine." He pointed to the linen closet.

"Um Dumbledore…" He opened the door and flicked his wand. Claudia looked over his shoulder and saw her once messy linen closet now turned into a small bedchamber.

"Well, I guess that solves that problem." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he looked down at Claudia.

"Thank you Ms. Moore. I appreciate your hospitality once again."

"Dumbledore, if they sacked you, who's the new Headmaster?" Claudia asked.

Dumbledore beckoned her into his new room and conjured a chair for her to sit in. He conjured himself one and sat down.

"It seems Hogwarts is now under Dolores Umbridge's control. Which means it is under the ministry's control as well." He said as he conjured tea.

"Umbridge…yes I remember Severus mentioning her to me. No one seems very fond of her." Dumbledore eyed her over his cup of tea.

"Ms. Moore-" Claudia cut him off.

"Please, call me Claudia why don't you?" Dumbledore laughed and she noticed his mood seemed to be lifting.

"I am an old man and I hold dear simple things like manners and etiquette. Indulge an old man?" Claudia rolled her eyes. Never had she been able to think of Dumbledore as old really. She smiled and nodded. "Now, I have a question for you."

Uh oh, Claudia thought. Here it comes at last.

"I have been watching you and Severus for some time now. Is it safe to assume you and he are…an item?" Claudia blushed and immediately chastised herself for it. She couldn't meet his eyes, so she nodded to her shoes.

"We are. However, we decided to keep it quiet. You know, with everything going on." She said quietly.

"True, it does complicate matters. But, I think that there is always room for love and you can never go wrong with it. For I have often thought that when one is lost, only the ones that love us can help us find our way again." He sipped his tea and Claudia watched hers. For some reason, she didn't like the way this conversation went.

Since Dumbledore was staying at the house, many people seemed to drop in more than usual. One evening in particular, Claudia found that she had a full house. Not only did she have herself and muggle friends, but also Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody (whom she had come to adore) Kingsley, Remus and Tonks at her table. Her table that had to be magically enlarged to accommodate the horde of people.

It was during dessert that all of a sudden a white blur flew into the room and circled Dumbledore's head and then disappeared into nothing. Dumbledore sprung to life and began barking orders.

"Make your way immediately to the Ministry. Harry and a few of his fellow classmates are headed that way. Please make haste." Claudia felt a sickening feeling in he stomach. Mad-Eye stopped and asked Dumbledore a question.

"Where will you be?"

"I, need to go to Grimmauld Place." Claudia thought she couldn't breath. Why Grimmauld Place? Was Sirius in trouble?

"What can we do?" She asked. Dumbledore didn't look at her as he headed out the door, but spoke over his shoulder.

"Nothing. I will send word when I can." And he was gone.

They waited for hours. Claudia fell asleep on the couch and the others waited all over the house. Frustrated because they couldn't help and a feeling of helplessness was heavy around them. Night turned to early morning when the front door opened.

It was Remus, looking worse than Claudia cold have ever imagined. He looked tired, no…sad.

"Oh God Remus! What happened?" Everyone rushed to meet him in the doorway and Claudia saw his eyes were red and raw. He just stood there and they watched as silent tears fell from his eyes. Claudia's eyes began to water just at the sight of it. The guys, backed away and stood allowing Claudia to take Remus over to the couch.

"Remus what is it" She felt her heart beating madly in her chest. "Where is everyone?" Remus's voice came out hoarse and low.

"Shackelbot is alright. Mad-Eye was injured, but he'll be ok. Tonks…" here he took a deep breathe. "she was injured and taken to St. Mungo's." More tears slipped down his cheeks. A feeling of pity washed over Claudia as she realized the reason for his sadness. Her voice was soft and consoling as she spoke.

"Remus, you should be there with her. She loves you so…" She brushed aside hair from his face and saw his eyes close. He shook his head.

"I know. I do too. But Claudia…" His voice broke again and his head was in his hands. Claudia felt the very room start to spin. She didn't dare ask what she felt she must.

"Remus, where is Sirius?" But she knew the answer as sure as he was sitting there gasping for breath himself. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and she saw pain beyond mentioning reflected there. She shook her head and he reached out to hold her.

"He's gone Claudia." They cried freely together for what seemed an eternity. Claudia felt in a rage as she asked him what happened.

"He was fighting and…Bellatrix Lestrange was there…she and he fought and he was just too cocky! Finally it caught up with him. His recklessness, his arrogance, has finally killed him." He was as angry as Claudia felt. Angry at the world and helpless in what to do about it.

From across the room, the guys slowly made their way toward the pair on the couch. They too knew what it felt like to lose a partner and brother. Zulu placed his hand on Remus's shoulder and Remus attempted a smile. Claudia was the first to speak.

"Go to Tonks Remus. Be with her right now." He nodded and wiped his face on his sleeve. He was gone out the door without a word. Claudia sat back and allowed the tears to come anew. The last time she spoke to Sirius was in anger. She actually hit him for telling her he loved her. What kind of a person was she?

Later that night, Claudia received a message from Severus. Could he come and see her? She crumpled the letter in her hand and closed her eyes. No. She thought. Not tonight. Tonight I can't be with him.

Miles away, Severus sat watching his amulet flash from blue to red.

CHAPTER 21

Dementors

"Check it out! They're ready!" Chester called from the study where he had been holed up for days. The group filed in, still somewhat subdued from the past few days events. Chester held up a tiny, clear plastic device.

"The newest in communications. This piece goes into your ear. It's virtually invisible and light weight. Clear as a bell and can work up to 100 miles away. Just one tap to your ear and it's a microphone too. No more headsets." Chester was in his element. He loved gadgets with a passion rivaled only to Arthur Weasley.

It had been almost a week since Sirius's death. Claudia felt as if she was walking underwater and just went through the movements of being alive. She had received letters from Severus first asking to see her then demanding. She balled up each one.

On the fifth night, Claudia was in the shower when she heard someone banging on the bathroom door.

"Claudia, get out!."

It was Severus. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later, Claudia thought. She wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door.

He was standing there facing the door with a look of the utmost contempt on his face. His voice was low and angry.

"Why are you avoiding me?" His nostrils flared as he spoke. Claudia slipped past him and put on her robe, thinking the entire time.

"Severus, I am mourning the death of a friend. A friend whom you hated. Forgive me if I can't bare to hear how happy you are about it just yet." Her anger blazed through her eyes and she turned to meet his.

"My concern is for your welfare." He said simply.

"My welfare? Have you NO heart Severus? That boy who you hate so much, Harry, has lost now his parents and the next best thing to it. Not to mention he was MY FRIEND. If it weren't for him, you and I would never have met." Claudia felt days worth of anger and resentment bubbling just below the surface. Severus was cool and collected as he spoke.

"He was in love with you." Claudia couldn't believe her ears. How dare he?

"Yes. I know he was! But because of you and my feelings for you, I told him no." Claudia felt her eyes begin to sting. Her lip was trembling and she fought hard to keep from giving into her anguish once again.

"So you choose your pain and heartbreak over a man whom you do not love, over a man that you do?" His eyes flashed with anger as he spat these words to her.

"I choose nothing! Not that you know anything about pain and heartbreak. Your heart is probably shriveled and dried up! This," She pointed to her amulet. "is probably nothing more than a magic trick!" Claudia saw that her words hit right on target. Good. She thought. I hope that hurt.

"What do you know of magic?" They stood in silence as they stared each other down. His voice was calculated and cool when he spoke again. "Fine. Roll around in your pity and grief. Clearly, my concern for you is wasted." He swept from the room and slammed the door behind him.

With trembling hands, Claudia lifted her amulet and saw it flash red and stay that way.

Once again, the gang was doing surveillance on Hernandez and company. They had taken positions, split into three teams around the perimeter of the house. Team one was Bones and Rod. Team two was Zulu and Antonio. Team three was Claudia and Nick. Chester was Alpha command in the truck manning the communications.

Claudia and Nick were stationed on the left of the house with a clear view of the front driveway and door. They sat and watched through binoculars as the dark night wore on. The crickets were loud and the fog was thick. Actually, the fog was very thick. 1900 hours. Check time. In her earpiece, Claudia heard the incoming reports.

"This is Alpha, team one report, Over." Chester's voice rang in her ears.

"Alpha, this is Team one. All clear here. Over." Rod said.

"This is Alpha, Team two report. Over."

"Alpha, this is team two all clear. Over." Antonio's voice was crisp and clear. Must be close, Claudia thought.

"This is Alpha, Team Three report. Over." Claudia looked at Nick and he signaled he would answer.

"Alpha, this is Team three. All clear. Over."

In fact, nothing was going on. They had seen Hernandez inside a hour or so ago reading a book and then all the lights went out. He had gone to sleep unawares he had seven people outside wishing they could make it permanent.

The wind changed at that moment and it got colder. Much colder as a matter of fact. The night seemed to go blacker and Claudia felt an unusual tingle in her stomach. What made her blood run cold, was the voice inside her ear piece.

Crackle. "Oh God…Oh God…No….." Crackle.

Claudia and Nick exchanged looks of terror and turned to go. All of a sudden, Claudia was winded by the worst feeling in her entire life. She was bent double trying not to fall. She looked over and Saw Nick, already on the ground vomiting. She had never felt this bad before in her life, Every bad feeling she had had lately was churning in her head and she heard voices too. She started to sweat and shake.

"No…no…no….not this….please God no…." Her heart was racing and she tried to block out the voices in her head. She fell to the ground and tasted dirt in her mouth. She heard her ear piece crackle again and heard Chester's urgent voice in her ear.

"This is Alpha. What the hell is going on! Team one report. Over" Static. Then she heard Bones's voice.

"Team One on our way to Alpha. Over." She was still fighting the urge to vomit when she heard Chester call out a second time.

"This is Alpha, team two Report!" No answer. "This is Alpha, team three report!" Claudia knew Nick couldn't. He looked unconscious. She tried to move, but her hands were like lead. She just felt so bad. So sad…so helpless. Her mind clicked into overdrive and she knew. Oh God, Dementors! I have to cover my mouth. I have to tell the others. She pulled her hand over her mouth and the other taped her ear piece.

"Cover…your…mouth…Dementors…"

She wasn't even sure the words actually came out. She prayed that they heard her. Everything was going dark and she felt herself drifting away. All of a sudden, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and her head rested on a man's shoulder. She closed her eyes and behind her eyelids, she saw flashes of white light.

She opened her eyes and looked into the face of Severus Snape.

Claudia heard Nick coughing and cussing in Russian and thought, oh good, he's ok. She felt Severus carrying her and heard the voices of her friends. She heard and felt Severus's voice ask if everyone was alright. Someone, somewhere answered yes and Claudia felt herself losing the battle to stay awake. She felt a pair of lips graze her face and she felt nothing more except a strange sensation that the as being pulled through a place much too small for her.

CHAPTER 22

Release The Hounds

Blissful sleep. A she lay, comfortable and warm once again, Claudia tried to fight her way back from the fog. She had just relieved the worst day of her entire life. The day her husband Joe had died. She felt the emptiness and the physical pain just as she had the day he did died. There were moments, when she felt the loss of Sirius more acutely as well. The two were twisted with each other. The pain and the memories meshed in her mind.

Voices. Far away as if down a tunnel. Claudia struggled to listen to them as they came closer.

"What I don't understand is how you were able to be there Severus…" That was Molly's voice.

"They were lucky. Very quick on the uptake to cover their mouths like they did." A man's voice Claudia couldn't place.

"Do we have chocolate to give her when she wakes?" Mmm, chocolate. She really wanted some chocolate. "Ahh. She's coming to." Claudia felt a hand on her forehead. "Claudia, can you hear me?"

That was Dumbledore's voice. She moaned and fluttered her eyes.

"Severus…" Her voice was tight and hoarse.

"I'm here." Relief washed over her hearing his voice.

"Where…" She lifted her hand and reached out for him. A moment later, she felt his hand in hers and she pulled him closer. She felt his weight on the bed next to her. Claudia opened her eyes more and saw faces, lined against the wall. Molly, Arthur, Remus and Dumbledore. "Was it Dementors?" Claudia asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore answered. "You were lucky Severus was able to come to you when he did." Claudia nodded and nibbled on a piece of chocolate Severus handed to her. She saw Molly in the corner, tears falling from her eyes. Claudia attempted to smile at her, but failed. Dumbledore turned to the others and spoke to them.

"Perhaps, you would be so kind as to give us a few moments alone." Everyone nodded and turned to go. Severus got up but was stopped by Dumbledore. "I'll ask that you stay Severus." Severus sat back down and they waited until the door was shut.

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes trying hard not to look at one another. Dumbledore broke the silence.

"Well, I ask you to indulge me for a moment. I wish to know what the real reason is that you Severus, were able to come to Ms. Moore's aid in the moment she needed you the most." Claudia looked at Severus. He stood and spoke softly.

"Headmaster. I…we…" Claudia grabbed his hand and looked up into his face. For such a strong willed man, he really wasn't very good at confessions.

"I think," Claudia said. "that Dumbledore already knows. Don't you?" She gave Dumbledore a knowing look and he flashed a smile.

"Yes, I have a shrewd idea. Just, I can't put my finger on the connection you have forged between you two."

"Coagmento Pectus." Severus said. Dumbledore's eyes widened a fraction and he laced his fingers together.

"That is a most ancient potion. I assume there were no side effects?" Claudia shook her head and Severus said, "No.".

"May I see them?"

Dumbledore asked looking ever bit as curious as a child. Both Claudia and Severus produced matching necklaces with a vial attached. Each vial glowed bright pink. Dumbledore stared closely at them and hummed under his breath.

"Love is the best magic we have. I will leave you to your recovery." With that, he winked at them and left the room. Claudia turned to Severus and beckoned him to her.

"I'm so sorry." She said as he held her.

"I know. As am I. For everything." Those last words were spoken so quietly that Claudia knew that was truly how he felt. "I have to go Claudia. But we need to talk soon.." He kissed her and left.

A few days later, Claudia was admiring the room Dumbledore had vacated. Apparently, that Umbridge woman didn't last long at Hogwarts and Dumbledore was able to return to his post as headmaster. Well, now I have an extra room. Whatever will I do with it? Claudia thought. But her thoughts were disrupted by loud voices yelling. What now?

Claudia ran and stopped dead. There was Dumbledore being supported by Nick and Bones. He looked weak and pale. He couldn't stand, but he clutched one arm to his body.

"Severus…I need him…" His voice sounded as if an old man had invaded Dumbledore's body. It wasn't the Dumbledore she knew.

"He's not here. What can I do?" She ran to him.

"Must…get to…Severus…" His voice was strained and he looked as if he was in pain.

"How? I can't floo? I can't apparate. No one is here! I…" Claudia stopped talking when she realized Dumbledore was pointing his wand at her. What?

"I am sorry Ms. Moore. But I must…" He aimed a curse that landed not more than a foot away from Claudia and she jumped to the side. She was shaking with fear and confusion. What would Dumbledore try and hurt her? Bones and Nick immediately let go of him and produced an array of guns and knives. Dumbledore aimed his wand at her again.

'This time I will not miss." He aimed at her face and her heart fluttered in her chest. A moment later, the front door burst open to reveled Severus with his wand at the ready. He surveyed the room and walked purposely toward Dumbledore.

'Ah, Severus. Just the man. I think…I am in…need of your…help."

Dumbledore was still on the floor where Bones and Nick had dropped him. Severus pocketed his wand and helped Dumbledore to his feet. Claudia realized what was happening and helped him stand.

"I am sorry Ms. Moore, I needed Severus quickly." Claudia nodded her understanding and looked at Severus as she helped them outside. He looked overly concerned and his mouth was a thin line. He nodded to her and apparated with Dumbledore a moment later.

Claudia stood and thought. She had to send her daughter away because of increasing threats. Severus is forced to spy, almost it seemed, against his will. And what he told her, probably to his demise. Harry and others have no parents, or other family members due to these dark wizards. Sirius was dead. Now, Dumbledore arrives on her doorstep near death. Claudia felt her rage take over and she formulated a plan. No more deaths for the good guys. Not now anyways. Claudia turned back into the house, her face set and met seven pairs of eyes. Claudia's voice was hard as nails as she spoke.

"Get your gear on." She said.

"Yeah baby! It's time to release the hounds! 'Bout time too." Bones cried. His words were followed by "Arhoooos" and barks. Finally, months worth of anger and grief have erupted into an explosion even the best wizard in the world couldn't smother. It was their turn to cause a little mayhem.

CHAPTER 23

Fire

A little over an hour later there were seven very different adults packing bags and weapons in the living room. Strapped to every available body part were guns, knives and Chinese throwing blades. Zulu was sharpening his two and a half foot sword. All of them were dressed in black and a few of them were painting each others faces with paint. Every step was taken to ensure their safety and stealth. Claudia was checking her ammo when she heard the "Whoosh" of the fireplace and knew someone was coming. Spinning out of the fireplace was Molly. She stopped spinning and focused on the seven, apparently very scary people in front of her and let out a scream of fright.

"Claudia, what are you doing?" She sounded frightened and she had her hand on her chest.

"Nothing for you to worry about Molly." Claudia replied, rather curtly.

"Why are you all dressed that way?" She asked.

"Molly, now is not the time. Please…just go." Claudia turned back around and felt rather bad when she knew Molly had returned into the fireplace and disappeared. However, she didn't stay away long and she returned with reinforcements.

Molly, Arthur, Bill and Remus came out of the fireplace. Remus walked quickly forward and faced Claudia.

"What are you doing Claudia?" He asked sternly.

"Sorry guys. This one is a muggle operation." Claudia gave a sarcastic smile and went back to assembling her gun.

"Zulu, my friend, please don't do this. Whatever you are planning can't be good from the looks of it. I know you're upset. We all are! But you just can't go until you talk to Dumbledore and-" Claudia cut him off.

"First, if you haven't heard, Dumbledore is injured. Badly. Secondly, I don't work for Dumbledore. We are not in the Order Remus." Claudia hissed the last part and began packing her knap sack. It seemed, everyone took their clue from Claudia and would not answer any questions.

"Good! Severus" Everyone turned to look at Severus entering the house. He stopped just inside the door and tilted his head a little and studied what was before him. "Severus, talk some sense into your girlfriend, would you? They are taking off, to do who knows what!"

But Claudia was enjoying the reactions from the Weasley's upon hearing Claudia referred to as Severus's girlfriend.

"Severus, don't try and stop us." Claudia eyed him sternly.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Severus said.

Nick clapped Severus on the back and muttered, "Good man." and continued on.

"Someone, just go and tell Dumbledore and he will know what to do. At the very least, one of the Order should go with you." Molly cried.

"It seems you were not listening. Dumbledore is indeed grievously injured and is now at the present time resting. He can not do anything about the present…situation."

"How was he injured?" Arthur asked.

"Claudia, Headmaster wanted me to convey his apologies again to you for his rather rude actions. You understand?" Claudia nodded.

"Yeah. He needed you, so he scared me to get you here, right?' Severus nodded. His eyes gleamed that gleam he gets at other times Claudia and he were together. She knew that look. Why was she getting that look now? Oh Severus, you are trouble if this excites you.

Nick was pouring eight shot glasses full of vodka. All seven took a glass and held it up into the air. They then bent over and tapped the eighth glass sitting on the table and a chorus of "Salut", and "Cheers" filled the room. They drank their drinks, all the while the wizards were watching this ceremony with interest.

"Load up!" Nick called. Claudia had time enough to graze Severus's face with her hand before they swept out the door and left five wizards standing in her living room.

It was night and Chester was parked one mile from the house Hernandez and friends were calling home. All three teams were in position after a mile hump and checking in. Claudia and Nick sat and waited.

"This is Alpha, team one report. Over." Rang Chester's voice in their ears.

"Alpha this is Team one. We are in position in front of the house. Movement inside. I repeat. Movement inside. Over." Rods voice called.

"This is Alpha. Team three report. Over."

"Alpha, this is Team three. All clear. All three targets are inside. Unknown extras. No other vehicles. Over" Claudia reported.

"This is Alpha. Team two, report progress. Over."

"Alpha this is Team two. Estimated wait time is two minutes. Over." Antonio's voice oozed through the radio. Claudia and Nick exchanged glances and waited. One minute. Then one minute and thirty seconds. Then…

"Alpha, this is team two. We are a go. I repeat, we are a go. Over."

"This is Alpha. Boys and girls, we are a go. Your orders are to eliminate three marked targets. Repeat, only three marked targets. Everyone else inside is free to go. Over."

"BOOM!"

The earth shook and Claudia had to cover her face for an instant. The house was lit like a match and burning like old wood. Claudia heard in her ear piece Rod and Bones chanting. Before long, they all were chanting.

"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! We don't need no water let the mother fucker burn!"

Laughter and adrenaline pumped all through them. It felt so good. Claudia imagined the baby killer inside burning and didn't feel a bit of remorse. Burn Hernandez. Burn.

"CRASH!"

A window was blasted off of the frame of the house and Claudia and Nick fell on the ground, into position. Claudia trained her sights on the two figures falling from the window as Nick reported in. Through the scope of her rifle, Claudia saw both of them had something in their hands. Wands. Those were wizards coming from there.

"This is Team three. Hold your fire. I repeat. Hold your fire. We got two wizards escaping the house on the west side. Over."

Claudia heard some mutterings in her ear piece but didn't listen. She was too intent on the person on the left. It was a woman. She had long black hair and looked sickly pale. It can't be…but it was. Bellatrix Lestrange.

Fury grabbed hold of Claudia like a leech. Nick saw his partner tense and he readied himself. Claudia stood up slowly and knew with the flames as bright around the house, they would never see her.

"Hey Bellatrix!" Claudia called out in a sing song voice. The woman froze at the sound of her name and Claudia got a sense of excitement in placing fear in that woman's heart. "You and me, Bellatrix, we're not through."

Claudia watched as Sirius's killer turned in circles trying to find the source of her torture. Claudia aimed her rifle just to the left of Bellatrix's feet and fired. She watched with obscene pleasure as Bellatrix jumped and looked very frightened.

"Oopps. I missed! Next time I won't. I can blow your head from your shoulders if I felt like it." Claudia giggled to herself. Bellatrix grabbed the man's arm next to her and just at that moment, a secondary explosion erupted from the house that made Claudia fall backward. When she got up, The wizard and witch were gone.

"This is Alpha, move out. Over." Claudia and Nick humped back to the truck and only turned around to watch one of the walls fall into the house burning. It was pretty really. The night sky ablaze with light and knowing three, very dangerous people, were no longer a danger to anyone. They loaded up into the trucks and went home.

CHAPTER 24

Confessions

My Dearest Dumbledore,

I am writing to confess to you that last night we eliminated the threat of certain muggles to your Minister of Magic. Two wizards were there, one was Bellatrix Lestrange. It pains me that I was unable to eliminate that particular person. For I very well could have. I thought you ought to know, and alert Fudge he is no longer in danger from these people anymore. I hope you are well.

Yours truly,

Claudia Moore.

There, that would do nicely. Claudia tied the letter to an owl borrowed from Tonks and sent it out the window. Tonks was sitting on Claudia's bed, ears streaming down her cheeks. Claudia turned to her an spoke softly.

"Now that that is out of the way. Tonks, what is going on?" Claudia came and sat next to her.

"It's Lupin. He…he said we can't carry on together anymore." He voice was cracking and fresh tears flooded from her eyes. Claudia frowned.

"But why? Did he say?" Tonks gave a half laugh.

"He says it is too dangerous. He is going undercover with the other werewolves who work for You-Know-Who." Claudia's heart skipped a beat. Oh no…

"But…oh Tonks! I'm so sorry." She hugged her friend and sat in silence and let her cry. Tonks sniffed and tried to compose herself.

"Claudia, do you and Severus ever…you know…talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"His being a spy. How dangerous it is." She looked at Claudia pleading for some sort of resolution and Claudia could not give her one. If there were ever two people more different, it was Remus and Severus.

"Yes…sometimes. We try to not dwell on it. You see, Severus and I have to steal whatever time we have together. It would be a sorry way to spend that time if we sat around and talked about how scared we were."

"Are you? I mean, are you scared? For him?" She asked.

"Everyday. Sometimes I can't sleep at night because of it. But I try to help Severus find some sort of happiness here, with me, because he really doesn't have any. Not out in the real world anyway." Claudia felt her eyes stinging. She blinked hard and took a deep breath.

"Will you, when this is over, will you and Severus get married?" Claudia frowned. They had never talked about what would happen after this. Only once, in the note that came with her ring did he ever mention anything after the war. Claudia glanced down at the ring on her right hand. Tonks followed her gaze and nodded.

"I saw that and thought that maybe you were engaged." Tonks said.

"No. No this isn't an engagement ring. Just something he got for me. Come to think of it, marriage has never come up before. I really don't think that I, or Severus, are really marriage material. After all, I have already done that and he…well…he doesn't seem the traditional type." Claudia let out a little laugh and Tonks did too.

"No, I suppose there is nothing traditional about Snape, is there" Tonks asked. Claudia, still laughing, shook her head.

"In everyway you can imagine, he is not traditional. But…we are happy when we're together. That's something." Claudia looked at her friend and saw the rejection stamped on her face. She shook her head and tugged Tonks to her feet.

"Come on. I'll make you some tea. I think Molly is coming today." Tonks stopped short at the door.

"Claudia, one more thing." They faced each other.

"What about Sirius? Did you…I mean, I know he had feelings for you. Lupin told me. Did you, have feelings for him?" Claudia felt a wave of nausea grip her and she looked down. Did she? That is one question that had plagued her dreams at night. She looked back into Tonks's eyes.

"I think…yes. I did. I do actually. But it isn't what you think. I love Severus. He and I are a lot alike." Here Tonks snorted. "But Sirius, he reminded me of my late husband, Joe. Emma's dad. He was fun and vivacious. Devilishly handsome and far too cocky for his own good. I think, had things been different, Sirius and I could have been happy. But, Sirius was not happy either. He had so many things he had to do that he really didn't have time for romance."

"And Severus does?" Tonks eyed her with an eyebrow raised. Claudia shook her head.

"Again, Severus and I are in the same place in life. He and I are willing to take whatever happiness we can get, and not expect more tomorrow. I love him for that. Whatever happens, happens. Do I want to continue on with him? Of course. But I, like Severus, know that duty comes first."

"Don't you have a duty to be happy? Not just steal it when you can?" Tonks asked. Good question, Claudia thought.

"I am happy Tonks. That's what everyone is having a hard time understanding. I'm just sorry that…that Sirius never got a chance to understand that as well. He could have, among other things, been able to find a bit for himself. Someone whole and just as vivacious as he was." Claudia looked away.

"No, you're wrong. Sirius could and would have been happy with you." Claudia met her eyes and felt her tears boiling behind her eyes.

"I have made my decisions in life. I have to accept the way things are. Severus and I are right for one another. Sirius is gone. There is nothing any of us can do to change that." Claudia allowed tears to fall now. Tonks wrapped her arm around Claudia's shoulder and they walked downstairs together.

A few hours later, Claudia was making lunch and heard the fireplace spring to life.

"Incoming!" Someone yelled and Claudia laughed. She heard familiar voices in the room and she went to greet her guests.

Molly, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny were being greeted by everyone. When Molly saw Claudia she rushed to her hugged her.

"Oh Claudia dear! I was so worried about you." Claudia hugged her back and rolled her eyes. Something that did not go unnoticed by the twins. They flashed a smile at her.

"I know Molly. I'm alright. I'm sorry about…you know…the other day and all." Molly fussed over Claudia's hair and sniffed.

"I still don't understand you muggles. But, well…I suppose we have to accept our differences and move on. Where's Tonks?" Claudia lead Molly into the kitchen for tea.

"She was here, but she had to go. Listen…have you talked to Remus?" Molly nodded sadly.

"He refuses to see reason Claudia. I have tried, and I will keep trying. That man is a glutton for punishment if you ask me. All his friends gone. Finally, Remus is special in someone's eyes and he pushes them away."

"It sounds like he's afraid." Claudia said.

"Of course he is! We all are. Why do you think he was so adamant that you not go anywhere the other day?"

"Oh? He was the only one?" Claudia joked. Molly waved her hand in dismissal.

"Not the point. It's a shame really. He is such a nice, handsome man. He deserves a little happiness." Yeah, don't we all, Claudia thought.

"Um, Claudia dear? Something I wanted to ask you. Yesterday, when Remus was talking to Severus, he called you his girlfriend. Is it true?" She tried to sound casual, but Claudia knew she was bursting to ask this question. Claudia smiled.

"Yes Molly. Severus and I have been together for sometime now." Claudia smiled again at the look of utter astonishment on Molly's face.

"Oh! Well, I guess…I mean…" Molly was at a loss of words. Claudia laughed and poured more tea.

"I know. I know. It comes a great shock to everyone to know that Severus Snape actually has a soft side. But he does." She looked at Molly and whispered. "He's quite romantic actually." Molly's eyes grew two times larger.

"Really? I would never have thought it. I was so sure that…well, doesn't mater now does it?" Claudia felt Molly's remark was probably going to have something to do with Sirius. I guess her and Tonks have talked about more than I realized. Claudia thought.

"Oh! I almost forgot. My son Bill and his," Here she rolled her eyes. "fiancé are coming too."

"Oh my Molly! You don't like your future daughter-in-law?" Claudia asked.

"Let's just say we have our differences. You'll see when you meet her." Molly nodded to Claudia, a knowing nod, and Claudia laughed. She couldn't be that bad, could she?

Well, she was. When Bill and Fleur arrived, all males present went plain stupid.

"I 'ave never been inzide a muggle 'ome before. Are there alwayz zo many people living togezer?" She asked. Yeah Molly. I understand now.

Clearly, Molly and Claudia were not the only ones who disapproved of 'Fancy Fleur'. Ginny walked around with a permanent scowl on her face whenever she was around. Claudia had to turn around and laugh when Fleur was walking past and Ginny walked right behind her imitating her overly exaggerated feminine walk.

Of course, even the muggle men were not immune. Claudia thought Bones and Rod were going to pant themselves to death. Chester turned into a bumbling idiot. Antonio turned up his charm, much to Bill's dislike. Nick even followed Fleur with his eyes whenever she moved. Zulu, seemed the only one immune to her. He looked at her as if she was a cockroach come to dinner. Claudia was amused all the same as they sat and ate together. The whole time Ginny making Claudia laugh, at Fleur's expense.

After dinner, Claudia asked Ginny to help her in the kitchen.

"I vill 'elp too Claudia." Fleur stated.

"No thanks Fleur. You go ahead and enjoy yourself."

Ginny followed Claudia closely into the kitchen and they doubled over in silent laughter. Claudia thought Fleur's feminine ways were overly exaggerated and comical. Apparently, Ginny had the same idea. Molly walked into the kitchen with a stack of plates following her in the air. She looked reproachfully at the two laughing females and they turned to start doing the dishes. But Claudia saw Molly as she turned to go. She had the look of someone who didn't want anyone to see her secret smile.

Nick popped his head into the kitchen.

"Claudia, a moment." Claudia frowned. She left Ginny to the dishes and was passed by Fleur and Molly as they were heading into the kitchen. Claudia walked into the living room and saw everyone with grave looks on their faces.

"What's up?" She asked. Nick spoke first.

"Claudia, Bill here tells me that we have lost yet another friend."

"Who?" Claudia's hart was racing.

"Emmeline Vance." Bill said. "Someone was able to tell You-Know-Who where she was and they captured her. They killed her shortly after that." His voice was flat and void of emotion. The twins were sitting together and watching the proceedings.

"She's dead? Poor Emmeline…" Claudia bit her lip to force away her tears.

"What I don't understand is, why the hell isn't Dumbledore doin' anything to stop all this crap. I mean, ya'll are getting' picked off one by one, and before long, there won't be anyone left." Bones said. Claudia had to agree with him. So far, the Order was not doing a great job in being proactive.

"That's not all." One of the twins said. "We heard dad say that bridge that was busted up, wasn't an accident. It was them."

"What? The bridge on the news?" Claudia asked. They nodded together.

They sat and looked at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So let me get something clear." Nick spoke. "We take out the threat to Fudge, so he can stay on as Minister of Magic. You say, this Voldemorty killed those people when the bridge collapsed in order to blackmail him? And he still hasn't done anything about this?"

"Yes, but…it seems that Fudge was sacked. There is a new Minister being appointed as we speak." Bill said. Claudia groaned. More death. More destruction. What was Dumbledore doing?

CHAPTER 25

Fire Side Chat

Claudia was enjoying a night alone. The guys had taken off to cause a bit of trouble in neighborhood bars and left Claudia to her solitude. She showered and dressed in comfortable clothes. She grabbed her neglected book and a glass of wine and settled into a chair by the fire.

It was getting late and she felt herself dozing off in the chair. She really missed this quiet time she had been denied for a long time now. She closed her eyes and relaxed.

An hour later, Claudia felt a hand caressing her face., softly stroking her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and was greeted by Severus. He bent to kiss her and she welcomed him with a return kiss. He always smelled so good, she thought. She brushed side his stringy hair and held his face in her hands. He knelt on the floor in front of her.

"Hi stranger." She whispered. "I've missed you."

Claudia never failed to notice how surprised he was when she spoke this way to him. Severus was accustomed to frankness, rudeness and even hostility. But give him tenderness, and he was still flustered. He kissed her once again. A long passionate kiss she knew was the prelude to a sleepless night. However, Severus pulled her hands to the floor and hugged her close. This was so out of form for him, she frowned.

They sat that way for a few minutes and Claudia could stand it no longer. She looked into his face and saw pain there. The kind that is hidden away and covered up daily. But one tender moment can open the gates and allow it to flow. She kissed his hand and allowed herself to be snuggled back into his arms.

"Claudia, we have to talk." Uh oh. Claudia stiffened and turned to look at him.

"You haven't been talking to Remus lately, have you?" She asked, almost joking. He frowned and looked down on her.

"No."

"Oh, well…it's just that…never mind. What is it?"

She asked. Severus sat back with his back on the chair and his long legs stretched out in front of him. He conjured himself a glass of wine and sipped it. Claudia grabbed hers and he tapped the glass to magically fill it. They sat in more silence. Claudia had the feeling he was wrestling with something. Claudia broke the silence.

"How is Dumbledore doing?" She asked. Severus snorted and Claudia caught the smallest glimmer of anger.

"If you are referring to his injury, it is under control." He said, in classic Snape fashion. "The time is coming, very quickly, that certain…unfortunate events will make it so that I may not be able to return to you for some time." Claudia's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean by 'unfortunate events'?"

"That, I can not tell you." He said.

"Why not?"

"I made a promise."

"Then break it." She added sternly. Here Severus eyed her and gave an empty laugh.

"Oh, that I could. But you see, some promises can not be broken. Promises, sealed by magic." Claudia raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "I must ask you Claudia, what would it take…for you to no longer love me?" He was looking into the fire and Claudia felt a wave of love for him at the sight of his face. He was fighting feelings and not doing a very god job of hiding them.

"For me to not love you anymore? I don't know…nothing I suppose. I do love you, and have loved you for a long time. I don't think you could do anything to change that." Severus slowly nodded his head, but was still deep in his own thoughts.

"Tell me, when the war is over, were you looking to reclaim your life of quiet and solitude?" Claudia nodded her head. "And do you see us still…meeting like this, even then?" Claudia laughed herself a small, lifeless laugh.

"I would hope that, yes, we would be carrying on like this even then. Perhaps a bit more often. But I won't be greedy." Severus turned his eyes to face her.

"It would be fair of me then, to share with you a little of what is to come. First, let me say that if things were different, I would have already properly proposed to you as I should have. But given present times, formalities seem to clutter the reality of a situation. We are bonded, bonded by magic and I hope that is enough for you. Me however…I don't know how I will end. A very delicate house of cards has been built. Slowly, events are causing the ones on the bottom to fall. Soon…very soon…I will fall with it." He stopped speaking and sipped his wine. Claudia was breathless. She didn't dare speak right now, for she knew Severus, and knew he was trying very hard to make her understand something.

"It would be wise for you to consider the possibility that things will happen to make you not love me anymore. To despise me and ultimately want me dead. For I know you, and your quick temper, and your love of action. I wouldn't put it past you to be the one who did me in." Here he chuckled and polished off his wine.

"You're being dramatic Severus." Claudia said.

"Am I?" He tapped his wine glass again and filled it. Claudia watched him as he swirled the red wine around in a cup.

"Then I shall make a promise to you then. No matter what happens, I swear I will not be the one to hunt you down and kill you. Happy now?" Claudia tried to lighten his mood, but he just sat and swirled his wine. "There really is something bad going to happen, isn't there?" He nodded.

"I have something I wish to give you. A secret of my own I hope you will keep until the time is right." He pulls from his pocket a small, wooden box. He handed it to her and she felt something inside of it roll around. "Do not open it. It means nothing to you at the present. Just keep it, preferably in the cottage, until…" Here he swallowed more wine.

"Until what?" Claudia did not like this at all.

"You will know when." He said. He placed his empty wine glass on the floor and took hers from her hands and put it next to his. He pulled her to the floor and kissed her. All of her worry and fear melted as she was swept into her lover's arms.

Minutes past and Severus was fumbling with buttons when they heard the unmistakable "WHOOSH!" of the fireplace coming to life. Claudia berated herself for not thinking ahead and quickly they scrambled to their feet. They were met with the twinkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

"Excuse me. I am so sorry to call on you at such a late hour. I was depositing young Harry Potter at the Weasley's home and thought I might find you here Severus." Claudia glanced at Severus and saw a flicker of anger in his eyes. Something was going on between them that couldn't put her finger on.

"Well, you have found me." He said curtly.

"Indeed. Perhaps my timing isn't convenient. However, I have a matter I wish to discuss with you of the utmost importance." Dumbledore acted as if he didn't notice Severus's obvious distemper.

"Of course."

"Thank you Severus. Can we meet in my office in…ten minutes?" Severus nodded and Dumbledore turned to go. With a "WHOOSH!" he was gone.

Severus exhaled loudly and tuned to face Claudia.

"My apologies. Perhaps we can proceed later?" She smiled and reached out to kiss his face.

"I love you Severus Snape. Never forget or doubt that fact. I will always be here for you, even if you can't be. And if you need me to be there for you, just send word. You know I will come." He kissed her forehead and walked quickly into the fireplace. Then he was gone.

CHAPTER 26

School Days

Claudia was aware that all of the wizards were to be busy for awhile. Namely, the Hogwarts staff were going back to school and the others had Order business to tend to. So, Claudia's mom and Emma were coming to visit for a couple of weeks.

She had sent word that under no circumstances, were wizards to apparate, Floo or fly broom sticks to her house for two whole weeks. That also meant she wouldn't see Severus. Claudia couldn't risk her mother noticing anything odd while she was here. The guys, learning Claudia's mom was coming, decided to leave for Italy for vacation. Claudia wished dearly she could go, but she wanted to see Emma more. Her mother, still did not approve of her choice in friends, much less her former occupation. And her friends knew it. So they happily packed their belongings and took off for a fun filled vacation.

So the day Claudia went to pick up her mother and Emma was bitter sweet. She held her baby in her arms and cried tears of happiness. She missed her so it felt like an open wound. But she missed Severus as well. They spent two wonderful weeks playing in the English countryside and baking bread. Something her mother did often, and tried to get Claudia to do. It was the night before they were to leave and Claudia and her mother were walking outside after dinner.

Marilyn Sinclair was a sharp tongued woman. Claudia thought she looked just like her mother, only twenty-some-odd years younger. But more to the point, they were a lot a like in personality too. Marilyn Sinclair had an uncanny ability to read her daughter's mind at times.

"So…have you met anyone new yet?" Her mother asked.

"Um, sort of. But don't get your hopes up. He's rather shy." Claudia said.

"Ah. Is it Remus or Sirius? Oh…don't look at me like that! Emma told me about them. I just assumed you were playing the field a bit, that's all. Two men Claudia?" Her mother laughed. Claudia laughed with her.

"No mom. Neither one of those are him." Claudia fell into a sad silence. She just realized that her daughter had no idea that Sirius was gone. How would she tell her this sad news? Could she tell her?

"What's wrong honey?" Her mother was reading her face like a book. Claudia shook her head and dismissed the question.

"Well, tell me about the man that IS the one you're seeing."

"He's…a professor at a private school. He's intelligent, passionate and he and I get one another. You know?" Her mother nodded. "But we are not…well…marriage isn't an option for us."

"He's not married is he?"

"Oh mom! No, of course not! It's just that he is really busy and has a lot on his plate." Claudia said.

"Well, I just hope he treats you good and that you are happy. So is Emma staying here? Or am I taking her back with me?" Claudia thought hard about it and decided that Emma could stay. She couldn't send her baby away anymore. If it meant severing ties with the wizarding world, then she would, for her daughter.

Molly stopped in a day after the two week wizard ban was lifted. She looked paler and more disheveled than Claudia had ever seen her.

"It's just so stressful! My son Percy…he hasn't spoken to us in so long." Her voice cracked. "Remus is doing alright though." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and tried to look less heartbroken. Poor Molly. Claudia thought. The people she loves the most in the world are out there sticking there necks out under the copping block.

"Well, you know we had to vacate Sirius's house after he…passed on. We weren't sure who owned it. But apparently Harry does now, Sirius left a will. So we will be returning there for meetings."

"How is it, that no one else knows of the headquarters? What's keeping Vol-that wizard, from just going and doing you all in?" Claudia knew how some of the wizards hated to hear Voldemorte's name.

"Oh well, it's a charm. See, the Order has what's called a secret keeper. If the secret keeper does not tell someone where the house is, they can not find it. Very useful spell, might I add." Just then the front door opened and a very sloppy looking Tonks walked in. Her face was grim and she looked terrible.

"Tonks, good to see you…you look terrible." Was Claudia's greeting. Tonks plopped herself down on a chair and shrugged her shoulders. Her hair, once bright pink, was now dull, brown and stringy.

"Apparently, with everything going on, I have lost control over some of my powers. I can't change my appearance anymore." She said.

"Sorry to hear it Tonks. You want tea?" She shook her head.

"What I want is for you to tell that boyfriend of yours he needs to be a little more respectful of other Order members!" Tonks fired at her. Both Molly and Claudia jumped with alarm.

"What are you talking about?" Claudia asked her.

"The night I took Harry up to the school, he made fun of…my Patronus." Her voice was quiet and two big tears slid down her face.

"What's a Patronus?" Claudia asked.

"It's something used to send messages within the order, as well as fight of Dementors. Each wizard's Patronus takes a different shape. Usually being something meaningful to each person. Mine, is a hen." Molly said proudly.

"What is your Patronus Tonks?" Claudia was fascinated by this tidbit.

"It was a lizard. But…it changed when Remus and I…well, it changed to a werewolf." Claudia felt Tonks's pain as if it were her own. Her suffering was etched into her very being. "Molly, have you heard from Remus?"

"Well, not from him, but about him. Through Dumbledore. After Dumbledore got himself hurt so badly…I just worry for everyone now." Molly sniffled again.

"Speaking of that…how did his hand get so burned?" Claudia asked. Both women shrugged their shoulders.

"He won't say." Tonks said. "I suppose Snape is happy he is finally teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons now?" Tonks said with a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"Actually, I haven't spoken with him in some time. Weeks actually…" Her voice trailed off. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, there is a rumor that says that post is jinxed. No other teacher has stayed in it for more than one year. One teacher actually died." Molly said.

Claudia thought about this and wondered if it had anything to do with Severus's steadily declining attitude. He had been angry at Dumbledore and also a bit despondent the last time they were together. Whatever was going on, it didn't sound very good for Severus.

CHAPTER 27

Letters

Claudia was even more disturbed by Severus's latest letter. He wrote, not only sloppily, but with a harsh tone that could not be misunderstood. He wrote about the increasing threat level all around the wizarding world and "Are you wearing your amulet at all times?". He told her of a student who was harmed greatly by a mere necklace. He had more nasty things to say about Harry. Calling him a "cheeky git." among other things. Claudia wrote back to him asking him to come for Christmas. She thought he could do with a bit of relaxation and she cold do with some more answers.

Tonks stopped by again, still looking dreadful.

"Tonks, why don't you just talk to Remus?" Claudia said.

"I can't! He's off undercover somewhere. No letters. Dumbledore's orders." She mopped.

"Well…if it makes you feel better, Severus is in a terrible state these days too. He's so worked up over something. I think it has something to do with Dumbledore." Claudia mused out loud.

"What do you mean?'

"Well, you and Molly told me about the jinx on the Defense Against The Dark Arts professors. I think Severus is a little miffed about that. Dumbledore gave him a position that was jinxed." Claudia said.

"No. If anyone can shake off a jinx it's your man. Speaking of Dumbledore, do you see him lately" Tonks asked.

"Nope. Why?"

"Nothing. He's just gone a lot from Hogwarts. That's why we are doing double duties around there. Every time he leaves, we have to go and patrol the school." Claudia sat back and thoughtful.

"How are things between you two? Severus and you, I mean." Tonks asked knowingly. What things? Claudia asked. She hadn't seen him since the night Dumbledore came and whisked him way, not to mention, at a most inopportune time.

"He's just…busy. I haven't seen him. Why?" Tonks got up from the table and paced the kitchen.

"I just wondered if you guys have talked about things. I mean, Remus once told me he wanted to get married one day and have a family. He was so much more optimistic then. After Sirius died, he just feel apart. I don't know…I guess I keep asking you because you the only other one gong through something like this."

"Did you and Remus talk about getting married Tonks?" Claudia was floored. She would have expected Remus to, at least, have told her about that. Tonks shook her head.

"No. He just said it was something he wanted out of life."

"Oh. Severus told me the other night…well he said if things were different, he would have already proposed to me." Tonks turned and stared at Claudia. Her eyes were huge and her mouth was open.

"Seriously? What would you say?" Claudia shrugged her shoulders and concentrated on the floor. Would she marry Severus when this was all over?

"Don't really know. Probably. I'm not too sure. I love him, no doubt about that. But since he said that, he hasn't been back. It was almost like his goodbye or something. Sorry I didn't ask you…but I meant to. Take care!" Claudia mocked. Tonks came and poured Claudia tea. They sat in silence for a long time.

The next letter from Severus was short and abrupt. He wasn't coming for Christmas, he was too busy. Claudia walked around the house for days mourning this latest letter. The guys, recently returned from a wonderful vacation, couldn't understand what he was thinking either. Antonio tried helping Claudia by telling of his many female exploits in Italy.

None of this cheered her and she took to playing with Emma and avoiding all other people for awhile. Christmas came and went for Claudia. She put on a good show for everyone, but her closest friends knew she was grieving. She had overheard Nick berating Severus and wishing him horrible things for dumping Claudia in such a cowardly fashion. But what confused Claudia the most was that her amulet was still working. It glowed pink, usually at night. Other times during the day it would flash red.She was sure, even if the others were not, that Severus still loved her. She could only imagine what his amulet looked like lately. Blue. Blue. Blue.

It was well after Christmas that Claudia received a long awaited letter from Severus. She opened it up with trembling hands and read one sentence.

Claudia,

Meet me in the cottage at midnight.

Severus

Claudia didn't know what to think, but it had been so long since she had seen him. So, at midnight Claudia found herself sitting in the chair by the fire in the cottage. She had actually gotten there a whole hour early just in case. She told the guys she was going for a walk and not to expect her back for awhile. They, thinking she was still grieving, nodded and left her to her own thoughts.

Claudia sat biting her nails and staring into the empty fireplace. It was so dark, and the only light that shone was the moonlight outside and the faint pink glow from her amulet. She jumped when she heard the door open and saw Severus silhouetted in the doorway. He just stood there, with his hand on the door knob, and didn't say a word.

Claudia sat staring at him, her heart doing mad flips in her chest. Her breathing increased ten fold and she couldn't stop the choking sobs that were boiling up in her throat. Her eyes misted over, and she was unable to see him anymore. She blinked hard and tears flowed down her cheeks. She saw Severus close the door and walk to the fireplace. He rested his hand on the mantel and the other on his hip. His eyes were unfocused on the fireplace and they sat in silence for a long time.

Claudia could think of nothing to say, and apparently, neither could he. What could they say to each other? What could he say to her? Sorry I couldn't come to see you, I have been busy? He had already said that. Claudia's sniffles broke the heavy silence in the room and Severus turned to see the woman he loved, and who loved him, drowning in fear and pain. He walked over to her and held out his hand. She looked at it for just a moment and then rested her hand in his. He pulled her to him and held her in a full body hug. Claudia felt like she could fly. Having him here, touching her, breathing his scent, made her feel alive again.

Slowly, Severus pulled himself away from her and sat on the couch. She followed him and they sat in the darkness together. Arms laced around the other, staring into the night. Both fearful to let go of the one they loved next to them. Claudia nestled into Severus's neck and brushed her lips on his jaw. She felt him shudder with her touch and her body became electric. The power of Claudia and Severus had always been how much they needed each other. Every time they were alone, they fed off of one another's need and desires. There was no reason for them to speak right now. Their bodies were doing it for them. Claudia knew Severus loved her and needed her. He in turn, knew Claudia was always there for him. Her not yelling at him the moment he walked in the door, as he feared would happen, was just another reason to know she loved him. They didn't need magic to know that fact now. So much had happened, to test that absolute.

As they lay before the fire Severus conjured in the fireplace, Claudia traced the outline of Severus's chest. Still speechless, the both of them, they lay and watched the night sky through the window. Tonight, thoughts of war, treachery, Dumbledore, Voldemort or Harry Potter could not plague them here inside their small cottage world. Whatever happens tomorrow will happen. But for now, he was hers and she his.

CHAPTER 28

Peaceful Blackness

The spring in the English country side was as beautiful this year as past ones. But this year's spring didn't bring rebirth to Claudia's spirit. In fact, she felt that she grieved the winters passing more acutely. The world kept turning around her and she just stood and watched it.

Spring gave way to the beginning of summer and Claudia felt, at long last, some reprieve from her self induced solitude. With summer came more wizards in and out of the house. With summer, Severus would return to her and all that had been wrong for them this past few months would be made right. She would make it right for him.

So it came to pass that Arthur and Molly were coming for dinner. They came to have an early dinner and enjoy a few glasses of wine with their muggle friends. It was the first real happy occasion Claudia had been a part of for some time. Emma was there, on full spotlight mode for Molly. Emma followed Molly around everywhere and made sure everyone knew that Molly was her "Aunt Molly".

The guys were getting restless, Claudia knew. This was the longest they had ever stayed put anywhere. But tonight, they were carefree and having fun. Everyone was enjoying stories Bones and Rod were telling about their Italy trip. Arthur and Chester were playing on the computer and Molly had whisked Emma off to bed. Claudia walked around smiling at everyone and feeling a bit more alive than she had in the past few months. She had never told the guys about her last meeting with Severus. She thought it was alright, for the time being, to let them think they were separated. She saw no reason to try and defend him to them, when they had already made up their minds. So Claudia thought that later, perhaps over the summer, they could make things right. For Claudia felt as if she was lying to her dearest friends. No one, except Dumbledore, knew of the amulets. Claudia and Severus had made sure no one ever knew, and that made explaining to her friends rather difficult why it was she still trusted Severus.

It turned into a late night for all of them. Zulu had long since gone to bed. Nick was still sitting, sipping Vodka. Bones and Rod were bouncing their heads to music. Molly was sitting with Antonio talking about Italian food. Claudia went in search of Arthur and Chester . Everyone else was so busy, talking, dancing, typing or drinking, no one noticed the bright flash of white light come streaking into the house until it was right in front of Arthur. Claudia knew it to be a Patronus. They were very pretty. It circled his head and rushed to Molly and circled hers.

"Molly!" Arthur yelled. From the other room Claudia could hear Molly shriek with fear. Everyone came running and Arthur was trying to calm his wife.

"What! What's happening?" Claudia was frantic. Everyone stood still and watched as Arthur gathered his wife in his arms and walked her to the fireplace.

"Molly, go home to the Burrow and collect Fleur. Meet me at the school. Molly? Can you do that?" Arthur's voice was soft and calming.

Molly nodded and tossed sparkly powder into the fireplace. The fireplace sprung to life and projected green flames. Molly stepped into it and yelled,

"The Burrow!"

And she was gone. Arthur stood for a moment and collected himself. No one said a word. He started to shake and small sobs came from his throat. Claudia moved behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"What happened Arthur? Please tell me." Claudia begged. Arthur wiped a hand over his face and let out a raspy breath.

"An attack has occurred at the school. From what we gather, Bill was seriously injured. Dumbledore too." Claudia's face went whiter than a ghost. No not Bill…she thought. Poor Dumbledore was already injured once. Who could do such a thing? At a school no less? Her heart was beating wildly as she watched Arthur step out of the front door and disapparate.

The remaining six muggles stood in silence a few moments. Nick went to wake Zulu and Claudia went to make a drink. She had that sinking feeling in her stomach that she desperately wanted to ignore. The thought of Molly losing her son was too much for Claudia to fathom. She took two shots of Vodka before she was able to control the shaking hands that held the bottle. The guys assembled in the living room, speaking in hushed tones. Claudia decided to toss the shot glass into the sink and just carry the bottle.

"What the hell man….what the hell?" Was all Rod could say.

Chester was sitting in a chair fidgeting with his laptop computer. Claudia just took swig after swig of Vodka. Nick eyed her keenly for a moment, but decided to not try and wrestle the bottle from her just yet. He just went to get another and they sat together and silently prayed for Bill's and Dumbledore's safety. Inside, Claudia was begging God to save Severus, wherever he was tonight. Oh God, please let him be alright. She thought.

Almost two hours later, the gang heard footsteps on the porch. Claudia had drank her share of Vodka and had to sit down. The room had been swimming for awhile now and it got increasingly worse as the threat of bad news approached. The front door opened and in came Tonks and Remus. Both of them looked horrible. They both were dirty and disheveled. And both of them had been crying. But what Claudia noticed was that they were holding hands as they entered. She didn't know why, but that made it even worse.

Claudia stared at them and they stared at them back. She new those looks in their faces. Pity. Fear. Sorrow. She had received many such looks after Joe died. But why was Tonks looking at her that way?

"Death Eaters attacked the school tonight." Remus said first. Everyone groaned.

"Molly and Arthur left here a long time go. What's happening?" Chester asked. A silence filled the room and Tonks sniffled. Remus seemed to squeeze her hand as he spoke.

"Well…tonight…um…one of the Death Eaters attacked Bill. It was the werewolf Fenrir Gray back. Tore him up pretty bad." More groans and Chester sat with his face in his hands. Zulu put his hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. Claudia couldn't speak, even if she wanted to she couldn't. They looked like there was worse news.

"Is he…will he be ok?" Antonio asked. Remus nodded slowly.

"Since Grayback wasn't transformed at the time, the side effects are limited. But he will be scarred for life." Relief. Sweet relief washed over her. Claudia put the bottle to her lips again and took a drink.

"What about Dumbledore?" Chester said from behind his hands. More silence. Claudia felt the coldness seeping back into the pit of her stomach. No…

"Dumbledore…was killed tonight." Remus said quietly Claudia almost choked on the last swig of Vodka. Oh God! No! She thought. Still words wouldn't come out.

"No!" Chester cried even harder into his hands now. Zulu closed his eyes and Nick gripped Claudia's shoulder for support. Rod and Bones sat with their heads bowed and Antonio stared at Remus and Tonks, frowning.

"There is more, no?" Antonio said quietly. Remus nodded. What more can there be? Claudia thought. But then…then she caught Tonks's eye and Claudia felt the earth move under her. Tonks stepped forward toward Claudia and Claudia let out a cry. No…not Severus…it can't happen to me agian! God is not that cruel. Claudia's voice broke as she spoke.

"Severus…is he…" Tonks lowered her eyes. "He's not…is he?" Claudia's voice was barely audible.Remus gave a shake of his head.

"Claudia…Severus…he killed Dumbledore." The wind was knocked from Claudia's body. She dropped the bottle in her hands and fell to her knees on the floor. Nick melted next to her and kept her upright

"What? It is not possible. He is good man, I know!" Nick sounded almost like a child begging for a punishment to be lifted. Tonks tried to go to Claudia but Claudia pushed her away. No. No. No…

"I'm so sorry Claudia. But it's the truth. There were witnesses. He's left Hogwarts for Voldemort."

Those last words were more than Claudia could bare. The first thing that happened was that she vomited all over the floor. Bones and Rod went to gather cleaning supplies to clean it up, only to have it disappear with a flick of Remus's wand. Claudia was shaking uncontrollably and rocking back and forth.

"No…no…no…no…no…" Was all that would come out. Tears poured from her eyes and everything else seemed to melt away. She was slowly slipping away. The room began to spin and she felt Nicks arms catch her as she slumped against him. Then…peaceful blackness.

CHAPTER 29

Goodbye

Claudia awoke with a terrible headache. She rolled over in her bed and looked at the clock. It was already after noon. She looked down and realized she was still dressed in the clothes from last night and she was flooded by memories of the night before.

She laid back down on her pillows and felt the tremendous weight on her chest. Tears spilled from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks, How was it that Severus could do such a thing? He turned on the people that trusted him and loved him. For Claudia saw Severus's betrayal as a personal insult to her and the memory of their love. Love. Claudia fumbled around on her neck looking for the amulet. It was gone.

She pulled herself from bed and began tearing the bed apart looking for it. It wasn't in the bed with her. She looked on the floor, in the bathroom and in her pockets. Nothing. She had to sit down twice because the room was spinning, and she didn't feel like vomiting again.

So she pulled herself together and left her bedroom and headed down stairs. As she walked into the living room, she heard voices in the dinning room. She slowly walked outside and did something she had not done in a very long time. She lit a cigarette. She felt even worse after her first inhale of the smoke, it made her head swim even more. She stood on the porch looking out into her yard and thought about the past couple of years. Meeting Sirius and Remus. Dumbledore's first visit. Seeing Severus step from the fireplace the first time. Her birthday party. The making of the amulets. Sirius's death. It was all beginning to add up to a weight that was too heavy for her to bare. She made a mental note to ask Molly about something very important the next chance she got.

She put the cigarette out in the lawn and walked back inside. She toyed with the idea of going back upstairs. She could not stand to see her friends right now. Everyone looking at her with pity, pain, fear and anger. For she was, in fact, sleeping with the enemy for the past couple of years. Who is to say they weren't wondering if she wouldn't turn on them either? She made her way to the staircase but was stopped by Nick's voice.

"Claudia. You need to come."

It wasn't a request. Claudia felt her stomach do flips as she slowly dragged herself into the kitchen. She was met by her friends and also Molly, Arthur, Tonks, Remus, Mad-Eye, Minerva and Kingsley. They filled the table, that had been expanded by magic, and they all stared at her as she entered the room. Claudia looked at them all and felt the tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She looked away and into Nick's eyes. She spoke to him in Russian.

"Nick. I can't do this right now. I just can't…" Her voice broke as she tried to plead with him. But he shook his head.

"I am sorry Mishka. But you must." He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, still hanging her head. Minerva was the first to speak.

"Ms. Moore. Albus considered you a trusted friend. In fact, he considered all of the muggles here with us today friends." Claudia put her hands on her face and cried silently. Her shame was too much for her to bare quietly. She couldn't help the sobs that broke free. Unbeknownst to Claudia, the rest of the table was trying to hide tears of their own. No one was able to fight them off for long.

"Ms. Moore…" Kingsley spoke softly. "We were wondering if you could help us with something." Claudia tried to wipe her eyes on her sleeve and attempted to catch her breath.

"What?" Was her emotionless reply.

"This." Kingsley held out his hand an inside of it was Claudia's amulet. Glowing gray. "It has changed colors over the night and this morning. Tonks says this is yours. Someone gave it to you? Who?" His voice was still soft, but Claudia knew that now was the time for honesty. No more could she hide anything from them. Why would she anyway? Severus betrayed her and all of them. She had no more loyalties for him anymore.

"Severus gave it to me. We did…a spell. Almost two years ago. It was called…I don't remember what it was called actually. But we drank a potion and…well.. Blood was put in it, then we put it in vials and we wore them." Claudia said meekly.

"Are you telling me that Severus has one of these too?" Minerva asked. Claudia nodded.

"Claudia, is this how you were able to deflect my stunning spell in the woods?" Everyone looked at Arthur as he spoke and quickly back at Claudia. All of their curiosity piqued.

"Yes. When I wore it, Severus couldn't even do Occlumecy on me at all. Neither could Dumbledore." Claudia said.

"Did Dumbledore know about this?" Minerva asked. Claudia nodded. Everyone sat silently for awhile and Claudia realized what Kingsley had said to her.

"Kingsley? What colors did it change to?" She asked. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears. Maybe…

"Well. It was Gray most of the time. But this morning it went blue and red. Once or twice I think it was pink to." Claudia sat dumbfounded. She swung around to face Minerva.

"Minerva, I think that…well…the amulet…it changes colors with our moods and our well being. When I was attacked…when we were attacked by Dementors, Severus knew and was able to come to me. It has a locator thingy on it…"

"You saying Snape is wearing something that has a locator spell on it?" Mad-Eye asked. Claudia shrugged her shoulders.

"I think so. If it's changing colors, he has to be wearing it. You can find him with mine…" Claudia offered.

"What do the colors mean?" Remus asked. Claudia felt new tears falling from her eyes, but she kept talking.

"Blue means sadness. Red means anger. Gray means…fear of death. Black means death. And pink means…it means he loves me." The last part came out as a whisper. Claudia was looking at the table top and was unable to see the looks of revulsion, anger, sadness and confusion on the people around her.

"What's going to happen now?" Rod asked them.

"First, we wait to hear from Harry. The Order has decided that Harry should have a bigger say in the goings on of this group. He was with Dumbledore when he uh…well, when it happened. Dumbledore and he were doing something. Something top secret. We don't even know what it was. So if Dumbledore can trust him to be capable, then so can we." Arthur said.

"A kid? A freaking kid?" Bones declared. Claudia noticed, even a few of the wizards didn't look convinced either.

"Well, Potter should be at Grimmauld place in a week. He has gone to his Aunt's home and then he was going to Godric's Hollow. We will meet at Grimmauld Place. And…I am requesting all of our muggle friends do us the honor of joining us there." Minerva's voice was crisp and business like. Claudia reached for her amulet, that now lay on the table top, and contemplated smashing it to pieces. But she held it in her hands and remembered every good thing she could about the night her and Severus made the amulet. Every night they were together and the few nights they were sitting in this very room with friends. The she remembered, he was a murderer. She closed her eyes and closed her hand over the amulet. She couldn't wear it. It would be wrong to put it on right now. It would look as if she were aligning herself with the traitor. Nick rubbed her back with his hand and Claudia felt somewhat better. The wizards were leaving, all quietly talking amongst themselves. Only, Remus and Tonks stayed behind.

"Claudia? Are you alright?' Claudia looked up into her friend's face. Tonks looked better, considering the circumstances. Her hair was back to be short and pink and she had ditched the dark circles under her eyes. Claudia saw Remus standing right behind her. She also saw Molly slipping away and called out to her.

"Molly?"

Molly stopped and turned around. Claudia's heart broke at the look she received from her one time friend. Molly had no compassion in her eyes and her mouth was set in a thin line. She didn't answer her. She just continued to look at her and Arthur was standing behind his wife looking tired and worried.

"Molly…I didn't know. I didn't know he would...or even that he could…Molly? I'm so sorry."

Claudia broke down in tears and felt herself falling apart. Molly didn't say a word to her. She turned around and left out of the front door. Arthur stood awkwardly for a few moments and Nick and Chester saw him outside. She saw them talking briefly and then he disappeared. Claudia went outside and grabbed her cigarettes. Actually, they were Antonio's, but she took them as her own. Tonks stood watching her light her smoke and came up beside her.

"I know you didn't know. We all actually know that. Molly included. But Bill was seriously injured and everyone is blaming Snape for the whole nights events. You can't blame yourself too Claudia."

Claudia smoked on. She decided to ask the question she was going to ask Molly, to Remus and Tonks.

"Do you wizards have a spell for memories?" Claudia asked.

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked. Claudia was still looking out of the window as she replied.

"I mean, can you take someone's memories away? Like if I asked you to take away my memories from the past two years, could you?" She asked. The uproars that happened behind her was deafening.

"Don't be stupid Claud." Nick spat her.

"I'm not being stupid! And answer my question! Can you?" She raged. Tonks and Remus looked at each other and then back at Claudia.

"Yes Claudia, we can." Remus said patiently. "But-" She cut him off by marching up into his face and spitting words into his face.

"The I want it done to me. I don't want to know anymore about any of you. I am finished. Do you understand? Do the spell Remus."

Claudia folded her arms and stared straight into his face. Goodbye to all of her memories. Goodbye to Sirius. Goodbye to Severus. Goodbye to Dumbledore and Remus and Tonks. Goodbye to the pain. Goodbye…

CHAPTER 30

The Box

"I won't do it Claudia." Remus said. He backed away and stood erect. "I can not do it, it is too dangerous."

"Are you really that weak now Moore!" Nick fumed. "Get a grip on yourself! So…you made a bad decision about a man. We all trusted him. He knows us, this house and what we can do. But is this a reason to sit in your gloom and doom?" Claudia turned from Nick and lit another cigarette. Tonks sat down and put her head in her hands. Her voice was muffled when she spoke,.

"Claudia, I know what you must be feeling. No…I can only guess. I know how much you loved him. But you can not let him get away with this." Tonks raised her head to look at her friend's back. Claudia just stood there, puffing on her smoke.

"Moore, you have to knock this off." Came the reply from behind them all. They turned and saw Bones walking toward her, anger seeping from his every pore. Claudia gave him her back once again.

"Claudia, this is a war…in war, people are traitors. It is the game we play. You, above all people, should know this. Greater people than you have been fooled by a good roll in the bedroom. Give yourself some credit, we believed along side you he was a good man. But WE made the mistake. Now is the time to do something about it." Antonio said wisely.

"And what would you have me do?" Claudia asked. She had lost all desire to have this conversation. She turned to face the people who cared about her and realized, she missed him more now than she ever did.

"First," Nick scowled. "You need to shower, change clothes and tend to your daughter. Who, by the way, is in my room watching cartoons. You didn't even inquire as to where she was. Then we will get our things together and meet these good people in London. From there, I do not know. But you must grow a pair…and do it quickly! We have always thought you to be above such nonsense. Be a part of this team again. For awhile now, you have not been. Your mind has always been on your own affairs. We came here to help you and help we will. But now…no more of this. From now on, things must be different Claud."

Claudia felt tears sting her eyes and she nodded. He was right. She was being weak and useless. How could she have ever thought of giving up? "And another thing…put that damn cigarette out!" He yelled. Claudia nodded and tossed it into the yard.

Two days can do wonders for a person who needs to put their thoughts in order. The best way Claudia could figure, was that Severus, sometime in the past year, decided he was on the wrong side. He never said he was not loyal to Voldemort. He told her he was "in the middle." Had she not been wrapped up in her own thoughts and been so selfish, she could have noticed something wasn't right. She could have listened to Sirius too.

What she realized was that meeting Severus in secret for such a long time had become normal to her. In fact, it was anything but. She felt he was grooming her to be his little puppet and he played on every thought and desire Claudia had. Claudia thought back to the warnings Sirius gave her so long ago and she shuddered. She could have listened to him, had she been stronger. But Claudia still couldn't shake the other thoughts that came into her head. What if something happened that no one knew about? What if Dumbledore wasn't really dead after all? He was a great wizard. Claudia shook those thoughts from her head and named them nonsense. Her heart was taken for a ride, and there was not another explanation for it.

The day before they were to leave for London, Claudia slipped out into the back yard after dinner. Emma had known something was wrong with her mother for days now. After repeatedly asking what it was, Claudia finally told her she was sad. Emma seemed satisfied with this answer and attempted to be as good as possible. Claudia told her they were going to London for awhile and Emma was excited at the prospect. Claudia still hadn't found the time or the way to tell her Sirius was dead. She just couldn't do it to her. So she told her Sirius was gone and that she wasn't sure he was coming back anytime soon. Emma was not happy about it, but seemed cheered by the thought of spending time with Molly.

So Claudia went out into the darkness and found herself following the path that lead to the cottage. Her heart was in her throat as she walked to the door. All was black inside and she relived many memories of the time she spent inside of it with Severus. She walked in and turned on the light. It was just as they had left it the last time they were here. The throw blanket they used to cover themselves was draped over the arm of the chair. Ashes were in the fireplace.

Claudia sat down on the chair and covered herself with the blanket. It wasn't cold outside, in fact it was quite warm. But she was chilled anyway to see her own stupidity played out right in front of her. The tears came with a rush and she let them flow. She had been fighting them off for a few days now, in an attempt to show her strength. But sitting here, and seeing the place where they proclaimed their love for one another was too much. She sat and thought about everything and decided she was wrong and Sirius was right. She did find he was evil in the end. Isn't that what he said to her? She decided that this was the last time she would ever allow herself to cry over her mistake. She would get revenge for Sirius's death. For Dumbledore's death and for her own broken heart. But she would wait…until the time was right.

Until the time was right…

Claudia stood up and went over to the bookcase that she had, not long ago, hidden something Severus gave to her.

"Keep it until the time is right." He said. "You will know when." She remembered that night vividly. It was the last 'normal' night they shared together. She pulled out two books and behind them was a small wooden box. She held it in her hand and felt something roll around inside it. She sat down on the ground and opened the box.

Inside was a glass vial. It glowed bright white light. It looked light water…no…gas…no…it didn't look like anything. She held it up to the light and looked at it for the longest time. She had no idea what it was. But she decided their were no more secrets to be kept any longer. She pocketed the vial that was replaced in it's box and left the cottage. She swore to herself, when all this I over, she was tearing the cottage down and leveling the place where it stood. Tomorrow, she was going to London. She would bring this, whatever it was of Severus's , with her and show it to all that would see it.

CHAPTER 31

Back to London

So the gang of muggles traveled in two cars on their way to London again. Claudia had in her purse, her amulet and also the wooden box. She had told no one yet about the vial. She thought she should wait until everyone was there. That way, she only had to tell the story once.

They checked into their hotel later that afternoon after hours in the car. Emma was tired and fussy after being locked away in the car for so long. So Claudia took her for a walk around some shops and had an early dinner.

"Mommy, are you still sad?" Emma asked over her hot soup. Claudia felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She really had been neglecting her daughter for some time. She tried a smile and ruffled her daughter's hair.

"No baby. I'm not sad anymore. I'm with you! I am sorry sweetheart for being so busy lately." Emma shrugged and sipped at her soup. Claudia resigned herself to being a better mother from now on. What had she been thinking?

They returned to the hotel and were met by the guys and Remus.

"Claudia. You're looking good." He said. He should have said "Better', but Claudia knew what he meant. For in fact, she didn't look good at all. She looked in the mirror and was reminded of another young woman who was heartbroken and let herself go. Claudia thought she ought to try and actually look decent before setting off for Grimmauld Place.

"Remus says we are invited to Grimmauld Place this evening." Claudia nodded at Nick.

"And Molly asks that you bring Emma with you. She says Emma can play with the kids while we are meeting. Ginny will take great care of her." Claudia smiled as she remembered meeting Ginny. She also frowned as she remembered her last encounter with Molly.

"Remus, is Molly still…you know…hating me?" She asked him. Remus exhaled loudly and shook his head.

"Claudia, you have to remember that her son was badly injured. He is doing great now. He and Fleur are getting married in a few weeks too. So her spirits are getting better. We were all shocked at what has happened. But Molly is a good person. She knows it wasn't your fault.' His words made her feel a little better and she smiled.

Later that night, they all took off towards Grimmauld Place. Once again Claudia was wracked with guilt upon entering a building she had bad memories of. Her last encounter with Sirius was here, she thought as she walked up the steps to the house. Remus knocked on the door and they heard the familiar clicks of locks opening for them. The door opened and they waked quietly inside. The house was still dark and musky. They walked into the back and into the kitchen. Everyone was there waiting for them. When they arrived, every head turned to see them.

Claudia noted every wizard she had ever met was there. Including a few she didn't know. Her eyes rested for a few moments on Molly's son Ron who was standing very close to a pretty girl with bushy brown hair. She gave them a quick smile as they entered. Next to her was a tall, skinny young man wearing glasses. He really reminded her of Chester. He had messed up black hair and stunning green eyes. He also had a lightening shaped scar on his forehead. He, in fact, was not smiling at them. He looked, if it was possible, more angry then she had ever seen anyone. Her eyes dropped as she realized that everyone in this room already knew her role in all of this. They knew about her and Severus and she felt sick thinking about the questions that were sure to come.

They were ushered into the room and they closed the door. There was silence so thick, it was hard to breathe. Finally, a voice spoke.

"Harry, have you met Ms. Claudia Moore? These are her friends, Antonio, Nick, Zulu, Chester, Bones and Rod. They are muggles, as you know. And they are here on our request." Arthur said patiently. For Claudia was not the only person who saw how much Harry was glaring at her. The muggles waved their hellos quietly and once again the room was still.

"Why don't we just clear the air right away." Came Mad-Eye Moody's gruff voice. "Claudia didn't know Snape was going to do anything. All of us agree to that. However, there are some things she needs to explain, so I think we should all hear them and settle this once and for all." He nodded to himself in a matter of fact way. Others nodded too and the entire room turned to look at Claudia. She felt her throat tighten up and she looked around desperately at her friends. Nick held her hand under the table and she took a deep breath.

"Severus and I began…our relationship a long time ago. I suppose almost three years now. We kept it secret because that is what we were comfortable with. Many of you, I know, didn't like him even before we knew what he really was. But some of us believed Dumbledore. So we fell in love and carried on for a long time in secret. Remus knew, as did Tonks. My friends here knew too. Oh, and Sirius knew too…" her voice failed her.

"Claudia, can you tell us a little about the amulets?" Arthur asked. Claudia nodded and produced her amulet from her pocket. It was red.

"Severus and I created these with a potion he made. I don't remember what it was called…but -" Molly cut her off.

"It is called Coagmento Pectus. Advanced potions. It's a protective spell and very powerful You must be truly in love for it to work." Molly's eyes finally met Claudia's an she felt a wave of love for Molly. For Molly smiled a sad smile and her eyes filled with tears. Molly had understood, after she calmed down, the loss Claudia felt as well. Claudia felt stronger and she continued.

"Yes, that's what it was. Anyway, it protects me, and him, from magic. It also shows what we are feeling, in a vague way. Different colors with different moods. Like right now, he's angry." Every eye was on the amulet that now lay on the table. "The night the Dementors attacked us, he was able to know I was frightened and my life was in danger. The amulet has a locater spell in it as well. He apparated to me and saved us. "

"That is really powerful magic! I've never read about them before. You said it was an advanced potion Mrs. Weasley?" The bushy haired girl asked. Molly nodded.

"I also was given something else by him…awhile ago. One night he came to the house and he was in a terrible state. He gave this to me and he sounded so…I don't know. Sad I guess. Anyways, he gave this to me and told me to keep it until the time was right. Well, I really don't know if the time is right. But the time is now. So here you go. I have no use for it and don't even know what it is.' Claudia laid the box on the table. Minerva reached over and pulled the box forward. The three younger wizards stepped forward too and everyone was craning their necks to see inside.

"Oh Harry! Do you know what this is?" The bushy haired girl exclaimed. Harry picked up the vial and inspected it. Others gasped and nodded. Everyone else seemed to know just what it was.

"What is it?' Claudia asked meekly. She felt like she was an intruder and they were no longer needing her after they had gotten what they came for.

"That Claudia, is a memory." Said Mad-Eye.

"A Memory? Like one of his memories?" She asked. She became a little embarrassed at the thought of people being able to see some of Severus's memories.

"Yes indeed." Said Arthur. " We wizards can extract out memories and put them inside of, what is called a Pensieve. Then, we can either store them or review them as is necessary." Claudia frowned. What memory would Severus give to her he couldn't keep?

"Does anyone have a Pensieve?" Harry asked.

"At the school, I will go when the meeting is out and fetch it. Perhaps this will help us understand what he was…well…maybe it can help us at any rate." Said Minerva.

"Claudia, how long ago was it that Professor…I mean Snape gave this to you?" The bushy haired girl asked.

"At the beginning of your school year. In fact, the night Dumbledore went to get Harry and take him to the Burrow. I remember that much…" Claudia said. Harry's eyes narrowed at Claudia, but he still didn't say a word to her. Well, at least he didn't know about me and Sirius. Then he would have never let me step foot in this house again.

"Well, the next thing we need to do is let you all know that Minerva is the Order's new Secret Keeper." Everyone nodded at Arthur's statement. "Also, Harry…did you want to say something?" Harry looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath.

"The night Dumbledore was murdered, we were in search of something. But what we found was a fake. The real one was taken by someone with the initials R.A.B. Anyone have any idea who that is?" Everyone murmured a little running a list of names to each other. Claudia noticed no one asked what it was they were searching for. Perhaps they all already knew.

"Wait…R.A.B…Regulus Alphard Black." Remus said. Some murmurs and the bushy haired girl ran from the room. Everyone looked at the door and Ron laughed a little.

"There she goes…she probably will have it all worked out by the time she returns." Harry laughed with him.

"You mean Sirius's brother?" Molly asked. Remus nodded.

"He was a Death Eater, but they killed him when he tried to leave. Seems that if it is really him, maybe they killed him for other reasons." Mad-Eye said. Claudia thought back to something Severus told her one night. 'To leave the Dark Lord's service is a death sentence." Well, Claudia thought, I guess he was right about that.

A few seconds later, the bushy haired girl came back in looking triumphant.

"Well Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione? What kind of name was that? Claudia asked herself.

"Sirius did have a brother by that name, his initials were R.A.B. Harry, Ron, do you remember when we came here and helped clean the house? Kreacher was nicking things from the rubbish. Do you remember the locket we found that we couldn't open?" Everyone was looking at the younger wizards with interest.

"Yeah,… I remember that! It was in that music box that put us all to sleep. Sirius threw it out…" Ron said.

"Well, maybe. But I think Keacher got it. Harry, can you call Kreacher?" Harry nodded and he spoke into the air.

"Kreacher!" A cracking noise was heard and all of a sudden, a small, rat looking thing with no hair was standing in front of Harry. He had huge ears and wore a towel as clothes.

"Filthy…rotten…brat…not my master…oh no…" It muttered in a deep, harsh voice. Everyone was staring at the little thing.

"Kreacher…I am looking for something. I need you to tell me where it is. I am looking for a locket, it has a snake on it. It can't be opened and we found it cleaning one of the rooms here."

"Kreacher knows many things…oh yes he does…knows what you are up to. But Kreacher won't help you…no he won't.." Harry grabbed the little thing by his ears and screamed. Hermione yelled for Harry to stop, but he didn't listen.

"Alright you crazy elf! It was an order! Find it for me now!" And Harry threw the elf across the floor and the elf hurried to his feet. He bowed in a low bow and muttered on his way out the door.

"I finds it master…I will…not that it will do you any good the filthy half-blood…' And with those words, he rushed from the room. Everyone sat still and waited for Harry to speak.

"Harry dear…it might help if you told us what it is you're looking for." Came Molly's voice. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley. Can't do it. This is between me and Dumbledore. Since he's no longer with us," Here he shot Claudia a nasty glance. "it is up to me and me alone."

"But we can help you!" Came a voice Claudia didn't know.

"All I need from all of you is information. Where he is, what he's doing. Other than that, we," He motioned toward Ron and Hermione. "can handle the rest."

Mutterings all around. No one seemed happy with this situation, but Claudia was relieved to find she wasn't the only one caught off guard by everything the boy said. These people were here to help him. Why wouldn't he accept their help? She shook her head and realized people were standing to go.

Tonks and Remus came up to the muggles and started talking. Claudia let her eyes follow people as they left. Some gave her nasty looks, others ignored her completely. Hagrid, was one of the few who waved a greeting to her. Granted, from across the room. Mad-Eye came over to her and she was watching his roaming eyes as he spoke to them.

"You all have a place to stay for awhile?" They nodded yes and he grunted. Claudia made excuses to go and find Emma and Ginny, so she let herself out of the kitchen.

She walked up the stairs and realized the little house elf in the kitchen looked just like the heads of the animals on the walls. She then realized that in fact it was the heads on the walls that were house elves. Disgusting.

She rounded a corner and heard voices coming from a room to her left. She knocked.

"Come in!" A female voice bellowed. Claudia opened the door and saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Emma in the room.

"Mommy! Come look! Fred and George have the best toys! It's like magic!"

Claudia rolled her eyes as Emma dragged her over to show her a statue of a little man flying a broom stick. Claudia was also aware of all eyes on her as she looked at the toy. She felt her heart beat wildly in her chest and she seized Emma's arm.

"Come on sweetheart. It's time to go." Emma started throwing a fit about this and it was during Claudia's attempt to quiet her down that Harry spoke.

"Have you heard from him?" Claudia froze. Him being Severus she assumed. She turned to meet a pair of green, glaring eyes. She looked down at the floor and felt tears in her own eyes. Here it comes…

"No, I haven't." She said.

"And you had no clue that he was loyal to Voldemort? Or were you too busy snogging him to find out?" His voice roared. From behind Harry, another voice spoke.

"Harry, you shouldn't." It was Hermione's voice. Ginny spoke up to.

"Yeah Harry. It's not Claudia's fault she fell for him. Sometimes, we have no control over it." Harry turned around at Ginny's words and seemed to deflate.

"Harry…all of you…I did truly believe Severus was good. As did Dumbledore. I thought he knew pretty much everything about all of you. I never really considered that he would ever be wrong about anything. I never considered the possibility that Severus could ever…you know." her voice drifted off.

"Claudia, we know you had nothing to do with it. It's just that Snape really betrayed all of us, including you. We shouldn't blame her Harry." Claudia felt relief and gratitude toward Ginny. Harry stepped back and sat on the bed.

"I know you didn't know. Just by looking at you I know. But it still doesn't make what he did go away. I really want to see that memory…" He said. All of them nodded, including Claudia.

"Harry, don't you think…I mean, don't get mad, but since Snape trusted Claudia with this memory, shouldn't she see it too?" Hermione asked. Claudia frowned. Did she want to see it?

"I don't know. Can muggles even use a pensieve? Everytime I looked in one, I had to point my wand into it. Maybe…" He started pacing the room again.

"I really don't think I want to." Claudia said. Harry stopped.

"I thought you, of all of us, would want to know." Hermione said.

"I would if I were you Claudia. You will never rest until you have all the facts." Ginny said wisely. Claudia considered it for a moment. Yeah…she was right. Claudia nodded.

"When Mcgonagall brings the Pensieve, we will all go."

"Not us mates! We have to get back to work tomorrow. Got some shopping to do for the wedding and all. Count us out." Said one of the twins.

"Count me in." Claudia said.

"Me too." Said Hermione

"Yeah…I guess me too." Said Ron. Everyone turned to look at Ginny. She looked sheepish and Harry spoke to her.

"Ginny, if you want, we could use the help." Ginny's face brightened and she smiled.

"Of course, I'm in."

Claudia realized the moment was over and she led Emma from the room. She went downstairs and out the front door. Heading back to the hotel, she wondered what she would find out tomorrow when they viewed Severus's memory. She just hoped she had the stomach for it.

CHAPTER 33

Visitor

Claudia got back to the hotel and helped Emma take a bath. She was only halfway listening to the stories Emma told her about what she and Ginny did that day. Claudia was lost in her own thoughts. Thinking about Severus so much, and talking about him so much, made her heart ache. She kept telling herself not to get her hopes up about this memory.

Perhaps it is a memory about her and him together an she is sharing it with a bunch of kids? Maybe it is a memory about his painful childhood? Maybe it was a memory about why he decided to switch sides after all. No matter what it was, Claudia knew she was never going to be ready to face it. But she had to.

"Mommy…are you listening?" Came Emma's voice.

"Yes baby I am."

But Emma was a little offended with her mother and decided she didn't need help after all. So Claudia went to the other room to change clothes. What she saw there made her heart stop.

Severus.

Claudia put her hands to her mouth and tried not to scream. She could hear Emma splashing around in the tub so close, and it made her maternal instincts kick in. Claudia turned around swiftly, but not quick enough. She was trying to get back into the bathroom, but he had grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off of the floor. She started to scream, but he covered her mouth.

"No screaming." Severus's voice hissed in her ear. She was breathing heavily and he put her back on the ground, still covering her mouth.

"I will release my hand, and you will not scream. Do you understand?" Claudia shot daggers from her eyes to his. He sneered at her and spoke very close to her ear.

"You are not wearing the amulet my love. Perhaps you have gotten too accustomed to being protected from magic. Maybe I should remind you that I can perform magic on you right now." Claudia's heart beat faster. She was praying that he wouldn't harm her or Emma. His face twisted into a sneer.

"I won't hurt her if you stay quiet." Claudia's eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head. He released her mouth and walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Good. Now, things are happening a little too fast. You were not to show that secret I gave to you until later." He wagged his finger at her like a parent scolding a child.

"I didn't know. You said…when the time was right. How was I to know?" He waved his hand to quiet her.

"Yes, I did, didn't I? Well, I am here to tell you that the time is not right. You must wait. You were going to allow the brats to see it too?" His eyebrows raised. "My…you ran right into Potter's little circle, didn't you." Anger burst forth from her like an explosion.

"I didn't run anywhere Severus. I was asked to go…no ordered by my friends to show the Order everything you left behind. I have no need of any of them If I would have had my way I would have…" Claudia's voice gave out. She lost sight of Severus through her tears.

"You were going to ask them to Obliviate your memory?" He asked. Claudia's heart pumped faster in her chest. His voice…it was almost…normal. She nodded her head.

"Weak. I would have expected better from you."

His words cut her to the core. She blinked away the tears and looked at him. She was sure all of her pain, suffering and torment were easy for him to see. She was also listening to Emma playing in the bathtub, hoping she decided to stay in there longer.

"I didn't do it, did I? What do you care if I am weak or not?" Claudia spat at him. He tilted his head mocking her sadness.

"No…you're not weak. I do care Claudia. See?" He produced his amulet and it shined bright blue. "It has been this way ever since we parted my love."

He tucked it into his robes. He left the bed and went to stand behind Claudia. One hand traveled down her arm an to her hip. The other, wrapped around her chest and rested on her shoulders. He was so close to her she could breathe in his scent. Oh he smelled so good. His hand pressed firmly on her hip and traveled into her pockets. He grabbed both items he had given her. He handed the wooden box back and held up the amulet. It was pink. Then red. Then pink. Then red.

"You…need to wear this at all times." He wrapped it around her neck and kissed her forehead. Claudia felt his lips across her skin and shivered. "I must leave, before someone comes." He walked over to the door, but Claudia spoke to him and made him freeze.

"Why did you kill him?" Severus turned around and looked her in the eyes.

"It was my job." He said simply.

"Your job! And what about me? You and I were…were…" She stopped talking and looked at the floor. He didn't say a word. She saw her amulet flash blue. Then red again. "Never mind about me. That Harry Potter, he's coming after you, did you know?" She saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. Claudia seized her opportunity.

"Yes he is. Everyone is after you and intend to kill you for what you did. I made a promise to you once, do you remember that? I promised you that I wouldn't be the one to hunt you down and do you in. Remember? Well, it looks as if I can keep that promise. For the others will do it for me."

She hissed at him. He walked over to her and grabbed her hair. At that moment, she heard the bathtub draining. Severus had her hair twisted in his fist and he tilted her head back. He looked into her eyes and stared. Then, he kissed her. It hurt her lips as she tried to fight him, but he had such a good hold on her she couldn't get free. His other hand was happily exploring and she felt herself giving in. No…I can't. But this is how I want to spend my life….kissing this man. He released her and whispered in her ear.

"Remember…now is not the time." He kissed her cheek and apparrated that instant. Claudia was left shaking and mentally numb. Oh God…

"Mommy, who were you talking to?" Emma asked her coming from the bathroom in a towel. Claudia shook her head and said "Nothing." and told her to get dressed.

Left the room and headed for the door two doors down. As she knocked on it, she knew. She had made her decision and nothing and no one was going to stand in her way.

CHAPTER 33

Spy Games

She knocked loudly. She heard Nick moving behind the door and unlock the chain lock. He opened the door and smiled. But his smile disappeared the moment he saw the look in Claudia's eyes.

"What? What is it?" He asked in Russian.

"Please get everyone together and meet me in my room in half an hour. Make it quiet and make sure no one knows." She waited until he showed signs of understanding and she walked away.

She packed Emma a bag and took a very disgruntled Emma over to Grimmauld Place again. She rang the bell and heard a horrible screaming inside. The locks started opening and Remus's face came into view.

"Claudia! I didn't know you were coming back. What's wrong?' he asked narrowing his eyes. Claudia attempted to push her anxiety away and smiled.

"Nothing really. Is Molly here?" He nodded and backed away. That's when Claudia saw the source of the screaming. A painting of a horrible looking woman was screaming at them.

"HALF BREEDS…BLOOD TRAITORS!…FILTHY MUGGLES!…"

The woman had her head thrown back and was screaming at the top of her lungs. Remus fought with the curtains covering it, all the while Emma was staring at the painting with a horrified expression on her face. Claudia brought her into the kitchen and found Tonks and Molly having tea with Fleur and Ginny.

"Claudia! You're back, is everything alright?" Fear was on Molly's face. Claudia smiled.

"Everything is fine! I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Emma tonight. See, we decided to go out tonight, and I don't have a sitter." Claudia explained. Molly was immediately up for the job and rushed over to hug and kiss Emma's face.

"Zat iz a very pretty little girl Claudia. Vat iz 'er name?" Fleur asked.

"I'm Emma Moore." Emma said defiantly.

"Oh, Emma Moore. Zat iz a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Fleur crooned. Emma was instantly in love with the pretty lady paying her compliments. Tonks eyed Claudia for a moment. But it was Ginny who spoke.

"I thought you were going to go with us tonight Claudia?" Ginny said. Claudia smiled once again and spoke to all of them.

"I need a break. I have been so down in the dumps lately, I can't stand it anymore. So the guys are taking me out. We can do that thing another night, ok?" Ginny, nor Tonks said anything.

"Well, that's great dear. Have a wonderful time. We will see you in the morning then?" Molly asked. Claudia told her yes and left the house. But not before she noticed Tonks looking at her in a very strange way.

Claudia returned to her hotel room just as her watch said thirty minutes had passed. Everyone was in her room waiting for her.

"What's going on Claud?' Nick rushed her as she walked in. No one else said a word. They were all looking very nervous and doubtful.

"I had a visitor come to my room tonight when we returned from Grimmauld Place." Everyone was paying close attention now. "Severus was here." Claudia folded her arms across her chest as she spoke. She told them everything that happened from the time she saw him, to the time he left.

"You've got to be kidding me." Bones said.

"Nope. And I have a plan." Claudia said.

"Claudia, you love this man, no?" Antonio asked. Claudia stopped a moment and thought. Then she nodded. "And you are going to him, right?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She nodded again.

"And what do you want to do Claudia?" Chester asked. He actually looked a little frightened.

"I'll explain later. Get your gear on. I still have to work out one part of my plan." Everyone left looking a little confused. Good. Claudia thought. The less they know, the better.

"This is Alpha. Team One report positions. Over."

"This is Team One. We are a go. Over." Rod's voice said into the radio.

"This is Alpha. Team Two report positions. Over."

"This is team two. We are in position. Over." Antonio said.

"This is Alpha. Team Three report position. Over."

"This is team Three. We are in position. Stand by for Claudia. Over." Nick said in hushed tones.

"Alpha, this is Claudia. I see many wands down there. Looks like…twelve at my last count. Over." Claudia's heart was racing. She was dressed in her fatigues and her amulet was tucked neatly inside her clothes. All of their faces were covered by black ski masks. Tonight they were taking no chances.

It was hell working out how they were going to find this place. Claudia noticed that when she thought hard enough about Severus, she was directed by the amulet by a tug somewhere deep inside her. It took over three hours to locate their positions in a small village town called Little Hangleton. Right now, Chester was in the truck over five miles away. They had to hump their way to this run down manor house. Bones and Rod were the farthest from the house, other than Chester, positioned right and left of their escape route. Antonio and Zulu were on the hill right behind Claudia and Nick, who were less than five hundred yards from the house. Everyone took their time getting into places and kept checking in every ten minutes.

Claudia was watching the house through a pair of night vision goggles. She counted at least twelve people, wizards most likely, in and around the house. Once or twice, she thought she saw Severus cross a window, but that had to be her imagination working over time. One can not distinguish features in these goggles until you were right up on them.

"Alpha, this is team one. We are ready when you are. Over." Claudia was feeling light headed as she waited. Once phase one was set, there was no turning back for her. A few seconds later, from over her shoulder, a red flare was thrown into view of the house. She watched as the wizards scrambled to see what it was and look around for the culprit.

"Alpha…we have light. Looks like they are enjoying the pretty colors." Chuckles in her ear piece. Claudia studied the people wondering around and noticed one of them slip off the side of the house. If that person was watching where the flare came from. They would be coming up behind them in a few minutes.

"Team Two, this is team Three. Go ahead and move up. It looks like somebody is coming to tickle me from behind. Over." Claudia said.

"Roger that Team Three. We're moving. Over." Came Zulu's voice. Claudia was still watching the people down below gather around and try and make sense of what was in front of them. They had pointed a wand at it and put the light out.

"Thank you. Now I can see better." Claudia whispered to herself. She watched and waited for her moment. But she wouldn't do anything until she heard back from Zulu and Antonio. Having an extra running around behind them was not good business. Then her ear piece chirped in her ear. That was the silence code. They must be on him, she thought. Alright. My turn. She reached over and grabbed the megaphone she had and put it to her lips. She prayed everything went well for the rest of the night. Then she took a deep breath and yelled.

"Hello!" She smiled as everyone of them turned in her direction. But she was still too far away and well hidden for them to find her. "Excuse me…I'm looking for someone." In her ear piece, she heard all of them laughing. She wondered how Zulu and Antonio were making out.

The wizards down below were conversing with one another and whispering urgently. One of them stepped forward and called out to her.

"Show yourself." He yelled.

"No thank you." Claudia tried not to laugh. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. This was so much fun…

"Who are you?" The voice came again.

"Oh…just a friend." Claudia had to pull the megaphone from her mouth because she heard yelling and cussing from behind her. The wizard down at the house was talking to her, but she wasn't listening. She heard Zulu yell, loudly, and she heard a terrible growl-like yell. Nick moved back to check on them and Claudia returned to her megaphone.

"Sorry about that. Listen I want-" She was unable to talk when she saw a male figure imerge from the house. He was tall, thin, and his skin seemed to glow in the night. It was so white, it was luminescent. But it was his eyes that scared her. They were glowing red like little tail lights. Every wizard turned and bowed him forward and Claudia realized who it was she was looking at. Voldemort.

"We have a visitor? How wonderful. Please, allow me." He turned in Claudia's direction and spoke. His voice had to be amplified by magic, because she heard him just fine.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" It was a scratchy and high pitched voice. Laughter from the people below. Claudia heard in her ear piece Nick saying he was coming up behind her, and he had a present.

"I came for a word, sir. Would you indulge a lowly muggle?" She smirked at her own joke. At that moment, Nick came up behind her and thrust something into her hands. Gross. She looked down at it and cringed. They had dodged the bullet on that one.

"By all means. I desire to know who would be so foolish as to come here tonight." Claudia stood to go but heard a crackling in her ear piece.

"Claudia, what the hell are you doin'?" It was Bones. She stood and as she walked forward she spoke softly.

"Do not interfere. If this goes wrong, abort and collect Emma. Understand?"

"Negative Claudia. Return to your position." It was Chester's voice.

"No can do boys." She continued walking down the small hill and found herself not more than one hundred feet from twelve Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort himself.

"Your name please." Voldemort said. It was not a request, but a command. Claudia smiled behind her ski mask.

"My name is not important. But I know your name. And some of yours.' She gestured to the Death Eaters. One in particular stepped forward and aimed a curse at her. A jet of green light came toward her and bounced off to the left. Claudia smiled. I guess it works on Unforgivables too. Thank you Severus…

"What do you want?" Asked a female Death Eater, Claudia would bet money on was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Now, Now Bella. She is our guest. As you can see, you can not harm her. So let us see what she has to say."

Twelve Death Eaters shifted nervously in a half circle they had formed around Voldemort. Claudia's heart almost left her, but she hung on to the thing in her hands.

"Actually, I was hoping to have a word with someone. Nothing too formal, just a casual chat between friends." Claudia had to work hard to keep her voice steady.

"First, I would like to see with whom I am conversing. Please, remove your head covering. And where is Fenrir?"

Claudia chuckled and removed her ski mask.

She tossed it to the ground and then lobbed Fenrir Grayback's head to Lord Voldemort's feet. It hit the ground with a sickening thud and rolled to show his face twisted in pain from Zulu's famous long sword.

Hisses and yells were heard from all of the Death Eaters. Voldemort just stood and stared at Claudia.

"You have a very naughty puppy dog." She said.

"It seems I chose the wrong muggles to employ." Was all he said.

"Seems so." Was her reply.

"And who is it you have come all this way to speak to?" He asked in a mockingly docile tone.

"The Sexy Severus Snape." Claudia drew out the 'S's' so that she sounded like a snake. She laughed inward as everyone turned to a figure in the back. It must be Severus, she thought.

"Severus, my most loyal servant. Could you come here? There is someone here to see you."

Everyone stepped back and allowed Severus to step forward. Claudia's heart was doing flip flops in her chest. If she ever made it out of here alive, she was going home to stay. No more of this crap. I'm retired for crying out loud, she thought.

"Severus, do you know this muggle woman?" Voldemort asked him. Severus nodded slightly and Voldemort looked at him.

"Yes Master. I know her. She's…friends with members of the Order." Came Severus's voice. She saw his face, partially obscured by the darkness, but he looked livid. She would have paid money to look at the amulet just then.

"And why is it, that a member of the Order of the Phoenix is able to find you here?" Severus said nothing. He hung his head and looked quite pitiful to Claudia.

"Excuse me? Sorry to butt in Mr. Dark Lord Sir, but I can explain. See, Severus here had nothing to do with it. I was able to trace him the last time he came to Headquarters. Oh…it's a muggle thing I guess…you wouldn't understand it. Anyways, I was just here to give you a message Severus." Claudia's voice was shaking. A few of the Death Eaters were still looking at the severed head laying on the ground. Others were trying to get a better look at Claudia and Severus. The rest were watching their Master and wondering what was going to happen. Claudia reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Indeed. What is the message you have for Severus?" Voldemort asked. "I take it the Order is most unhappy that my most faithful servant was able to kill your leader?" Laughter from the Death Eaters.

"I'm not in the Order, so I wouldn't know. I'm here on personal business." Claudia said coolly. Silence from all around her.

"I decided not to keep my promise Severus." Claudia said.

"Apparently." He said.

"My Severus, you certainly are lucky with the opposite sex aren't you? First, the mud blood Lily Potter. You pleaded for her life. Now the muggle. I say, if you weren't my most faithful servant…"

Voldemort said.

Laughter from everyone. Claudia was taken a little off guard. Lily Potter? Harry's mother?

"My Lord, I apologize for-"

"What exactly are you apologizing for Severus?" Came Claudia's hiss. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at her. Her eyes were shooting daggers at Severus once again. He sneered at her and she sneered back.

"Is that all?" He asked her.

"No. I came to offer myself to you. And you too…" She gestured to Voldemort.

"There is nothing I want from you…anymore." Came Severus's silky voice.

"Now Severus, do not be too hasty. What is it you are offering?" Voldemort asked.

"My services. With your blessing my dear Dark Lord." Claudia tilted her head in a small bow of respect to him. She hated herself at the moment, but it was necessary.

"You have cost me a very useful werewolf tonight." Voldemort's voice rung in the darkness.

"Yes…sorry about that. You should have a little more control," she stressed the last word. "over your servants. Otherwise, they run amuck." The whole time she spoke she never took her eyes from Severus. "You should also know, that young Harry Potter is running the Order now." Laughter. High pitched maniacal laughter filled the darkness.

"Harry Potter filling Dumbledore's shoes? Wonderful! I feel as if I have already won." Voldemort said. Claudia eyed him and returned her gaze to Severus.

"Yes, I can spot a sinking ship. However, since your cover is blown now Sexy Severus, perhaps you and I could meet and exchange…information. With your master's blessing, of course." Claudia flashed a wonderful smile to them.

"What say you Severus? Do you dare tempt fate and gather information for your Lord and master once again?" Voldemort asked. Claudia had the impression he was making fun of Severus just then.

"I go where you wish me to go master." Severus said. Claudia realized she did not like this groveling Severus. She much preferred the other Severus to the one in front of her.

"Very well. And if your muggle friend here turns out to be a spy for the Order, I will break through that little charm she has around her and kill her."

"My only wish is that you allow me to watch my Lord." Said Severus. Claudia kept on smiling.

"I will not have any information for you for awhile. Not until…the time is right…" Claudia let her words sink in and she saw Severus's eyes flinch a fraction and her smile widened. "Good night Severus."

She winked at him and casually reached up to brush her hair from her face. What she was really doing was tapping the silence code on her ear piece to alert the guys of her return. Claudia puckered her lips and blew Severus a kiss. She smiled at the look of revulsion on everyone's face.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU FILTHY MUGGLE!" Bellatrix Lestrange was crazed looking. Claudia slowly turned to face her. Actually, Bellatrix was a great deal taller than Claudia's petite form. Bellatrix was looking wild eyed and had her wand pointed at Claudia's heart.

"Bella, I suggest you rethink cursing her at the moment. I of all people know what it is like to have a curse backfire. Most unpleasant." Nervous laughter from the wizards. Claudia allowed herself a laugh in Bellatrix's face as well.

Claudia narrowed her eyes and looked into the soulless eyes of Sirius's murderer. She flicked her cigarette over her shoulder in the direction of the other wizards.

"I have already told you once we aren't through Bellatrix." Claudia whispered. Bellatrix's eyes grew larger with understanding. "Good, you remember me. Did you like my fire Bellatrix? You must know that wasn't meant for you. Those men in there, I had a score to settle with them. You understand that don't you?" Claudia smiled at Bellatrix and turned to go.

"Master! Don't let her go!" Bellatrix yelled. Claudia's heart was racing. Uh oh… She tapped her ear piece three times. Plan B was about to take effect.

Bellatrix was coming after Claudia when from two different directions smoke bombs were set off. Right underneath the wizard's feet. Everyone was covered in smoke and it gave Claudia about fifteen seconds to run for it. She heard the wizards yelling

"Lumos!"

She ran until her heart was about to explode. This is why I quite smoking in the first place. I am so stupid. She huffed her way up the hill and was caught by Nick who tackled her to the ground.

" Stay down. They are already coming, but they do not know which way you ran. Quickly!" Nick whispered.

They ran, bent over for a long while until they met up with Antonio and Zulu. Claudia almost screamed at the sight of Zulu. He was a bloody mess.

"It is alright. It is not my blood." Zulu said. The four of them went running in the direction of Bones and Rod when Antonio stopped running and was looking into his night goggles.

"He has called them back. They are returning to the house. Looks like he likes you after all Claudia."

Claudia wasn't sure if she was really happy about that or not, but she continued on until they were packing the truck. Once at the truck, Claudia leaned over and vomited all over the ground. She had come face to face with the most evil person imaginable. And she lived through it, not to mention that she was now a spy for him as well.

CHAPTER 34

Wounds

They returned with the sunrise to the hotel. Claudia and her friends slipped into a side door and to their rooms. Claudia noted that no one spoke much to her on the ride home. Nor did they say anything other than goodnight. They had no idea of what she had said to the wizards, and she thought it best to leave it that way.

Once in her room, she went to shower and wash off the filth she felt all over her. Not just dirt and grime, but the evil she was subjected to tonight. She dressed for bed and decided to try and sleep for a few hours before going to collect Emma.

A few hours later, there was a knocking on her door. Claudia dragged herself out of bed and felt like she was still half asleep. She opened the door and saw Nick standing there dressed for the day.

"Good morning John Wayne. Remus came by and reminded us that the wedding is coming up. There is a party at Grimmauld Place tonight. Do you wish to go?" He asked.

"Yeah…just give me a few to change clothes." Her voice was hoarse and scratchy. Nick nodded and left her doorstep. Claudia found a pair of blue jeans and a nice shirt. While dressing she realized she needed to wear her amulet and couldn't wear it out of her clothes. So it took her awhile to arrange her blouse in just the right way in order to hide it.

An hour later they were walking to Grimmauld Place and everyone was in good spirits. Everyone except Nick.

"Claud, can we talk?" He asked. Claudia fell in step with him and gave him her attention. She couldn't understand why he looked so grim.

"What happened last night?" He asked. Oh…that…

"What happened was that I had to find something out for myself. And I did. I am sorry I did not tell you all of the plan, but I couldn't. I couldn't run the risk of anyone finding out. Not that you would tell, but the magical ways they have of getting secrets from people. I have no idea who can do that Occlumency thing and who can't. So…" She let her voice trail off.

"So, you take off into the hornet's nest with no backup, no warning and most of all running on emotions and not logic. Jesus Claudia, you could have died." He cursed her and shook his head. Claudia laughed a little and nodded.

"Yeah, I could have. But I didn't. It was important Nicky. Very important for me to know." She pleaded with him.

"And your answer…was it what you wanted to hear?" He asked.

"For the most part, yes. I guess we will have to see." She said.

"And this little excursion last night is still top secret I assume?" She nodded. "I miss the days when we trusted each other with everything. When you decide to trust us again, let me know."

This last part was spoken very quietly as they arrived at the door. Nick separated from her and she was left standing there feeling terrible and alone.

Emma was full of stories from the night she spent with the Weasley's. Everything was fun and exciting to her with Molly and the kids. Claudia was met, still, with mixed reactions. However, she noticed some of the wizards were making an attempt to welcome her back into the fold.

Molly was all flustered trying to prepare a feast worthy of so many visitors. Claudia noticed the three young wizards were no where to be seen.

"Claudia, did you have fun last night?" Molly asked her. Tonks seemed to lean into the conversation a little Claudia noticed.

"Yeah, I did. It was very relaxing." She lied. Molly went on humming to herself and Claudia turned to Tonks.

"Tonks…you look like you have something on your mind." Claudia said under her breathe to her friend. Tonks eyed her closely and continued folding napkins with her wand. That was in fact, the only thing Molly allowed her to do.

"I was just noticing you look pretty tired Claudia. Long night?" Claudia tried to smile and nodded. "Well…I do have a bit of news for you too." She leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Remus proposed to me last night." Claudia almost fell over. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Oh…my…God. I guess I don't have to ask what you said." Claudia said with a smile. Tonks blushed and smiled.

"I'm so happy Claudia! But we decided to wait…you know…until everything is over. That way, it will be doubly happy. And we are not telling everyone yet. Not until Bill and Fleur are married." Claudia hugged her friend and couldn't help but notice Tonks was still looking at her strangely.

"What?" She asked. "Why are you looking a me like that?" Claudia hissed. She as getting a little annoyed at Tonks.

"Oh, nothing. It's just not like you to drop Emma off here, of all places, so you can go out on the town. I have a funny feeling you did not go out, so to speak, last night. But you did do something." She reached over and grabbed her drink from the table. Tonks eyed Claudia over her glass and waited. Claudia didn't know what to say.

"Some things…are a secret for a reason Tonks. But trust me when I say that it is all for good. OK?" Tonks nodded, but didn't look convinced. She was saved by the missing young wizards entering the kitchen.

"Oh good you're he-" Molly stopped talking when she saw them. Tonks and Claudia looked and gasped. Hermione was dirty from head to toe and Ron was leaning a little on her. But what made them all shudder was seeing Harry. He looked like someone tried to strangle him. An angry red and purple line was around his neck and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Molly was fussing over them in an instant.

"What in the name of Merlin have you done now?" She screeched.

"Mrs. Weasley, we're fine. We just had to…do something. That's all. But we did it!" Hermione said triumphantly. Molly had Ron in her arms and he was feebly trying to get her away. Harry said something about going upstairs and Hermione followed him. Only after Molly was allowed to hug and kiss Ron all over the face did she release him from her clutches.

Claudia and Tonks looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. Apparently, she was not the only one who did something secret last night.

The party was a fantastic success. Once again, Fred and George entertained the masses by showing off their newest inventions.

"Weasley's Wedgies! A pair of these pants will automatically cause the wearer to have a constant wedgie! Here Bill, have a go!" One of them jeered at Bill, who flatly refused to put the pants on. Somehow, they talked a friend of Harry, Ron and Hermione's into a pair later in the evening. His name was Neville and he was about the most pathetic thing Claudia had ever seen. He pulled the pair of pants on and in an instant was tugging at his bum. The people around him roared with laughter.

A very odd looking girl with purple robes on and long dirty blonde hair made her way over to Claudia.

"You're a muggle." She said in a dreamy, vacant voice. Claudia was at a loss for what to say.

"Erm…yeah…I guess I am. But my name is Claudia." The girl nodded.

"Yes, I heard about you. You are the one who was seeing Professor Snape before he killed Dumbledore. You really were not paying attention at all were you?" Claudia was ready to pull the girl's hair out when Harry came up to Claudia and asked to speak with her. She watched the strange girl float away into the crowd.

"What was that?" Claudia hissed at him. She was further annoyed by him trying not to laugh. He hung his head and shook it.

"That's Luna Lovegood. She doesn't mean any harm. She just…well…she says whatever is in her head." He shrugged and Claudia calmed a little. She eyed his neck wound and saw he also had wounds on his hands.

"Rough night?" She asked. He nodded and looked away.

"When can you come back? I got the pensieve from McGonagall…" Claudia looked away herself. How was she going to tell him?

"I really don't know Harry. Maybe sometime soon…" He jerked his head back to her and stared at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Nothing! Just that…well…I'm scared." She said. It really wasn't a lie. He nodded and seemed to understand.

"I understand. But we need that memory soon. OK?"

She nodded and he headed off into the crowd. Emma was happily dancing on Hagrid's feet and she saw her friends scattered around the room all talking and having a wonderful time. Claudia cursed Severus for doing this to her. Cursed him for being what he was and cursed herself for allowing her once happy, quiet life to turn into this. Her closest friends were upset with her. She was jealous of Remus and Tonks's impending marriage. She loathed to go to Bill and Fleur's wedding. All she wanted to do was sit alone and think about what to do next. She looked over and saw the three young wizards with their heads together talking in animated whispers. Something big was happening with those guys too. When would all of this end?

CHAPTER 35

A Wedding

The afternoon of Bill and Fluer's wedding was a fantastic one with the sun was shining in the blue sky. The wedding was at the Burrow, outside at sunset, under that warm, end of summer sun. The Weasley's back yard was decorated in crimson and white flowers that were everywhere a person was not. Little fairies were mingled into the flower arrangements to give them light, much to Emma's amusement. When one leaned in close enough, they could hear the fairies humming a happy tune. Chairs were lined in rows facing away from the sunset facing an archway made of flowers, set on a platform of white wood. Everyone was in a wonderful mood and ready to enjoy a day for love and beauty.

Arriving at the wedding was pretty simple. They used a portkey Remus made for them and learned yet another way wizards travel. Zulu did not enjoy the ride at all. But everyone else thought it was great fun. By now, it was kind of hard to shield Emma from the fact that her friends had certain…abilities. Emma took it all in stride and acted as if she had been around magic all her life.

Claudia noticed that they were in fact the only muggles attending the wedding. However, there were all sorts of "people" who attended that Claudia had to have Tonks narrate what they were under her breath as they came in. The goblins with whom Bill worked with were there. Small, wrinkled little people with harsh voices, stalked in to backyard and brought small leather purses filled with diamonds. Hagrid brought a woman who was just as tall as he was. Tonks introduced her as Madame Maxine. All in all it was a pretty rag tag bunch that had all come in friendship to see two people they care about get married.

When they had taken their seats, Claudia next to Tonks and Emma on the other side, Tonks whispered into her ear.

"I don't want a large wedding like this. I think we'll just have a small one with my parents and a few friends. What do you think?" Claudia answered her yes, just as the music started playing from enchanted instruments behind the alter. Everyone turned to see Bill enter with Fred, George, Charlie, Ron and Arthur in his wake. Oddly, this was just like a muggle wedding, except when they walked down the aisle, everyone lifted their wands into the air and sparklers fizzed from the tips. The sun was setting and it was a beautiful sight.

The music changed into a slow, mournful tune and everyone turned to see a goddess walking toward them. Claudia couldn't deny that Fleur was indeed the most beautiful bride she had ever seen. Dressed in white satin, with a train at least six feet long, she seemed to glide down the aisle. A silver tiara topped her perfectly manicured hair. Emma was standing on her seat as Fleur passed her and she said 'oohh' and 'ahh', over and over again. Claudia had a moment of remembrance as she saw Bill take Fleur's hand and hold it as the squat little man at the podium began to talk. Claudia allowed herself to go back in time as she remembered her own wedding and how happy she was. She saw Bill, still scarred, but blissfully happy and had a pang of sadness for her late husband, dead too soon. Fleur was looking ravishing and Claudia was jealous of every minute they had together. She found herself counting the minutes until she could leave. Everyone was cuddled up to someone in the audience and it made Claudia's heart ache. She missed Severus. She would have given anything to have him here with her, holding his hand, snuggled under the newborn stars, making moon eyes at each other like Ron and Hermione were right in front of her.

As Fleur was magically bonded to Bill, everyone shot more electric sparklers from their wands into the air. But it was Fred and George who stole the moment. Up in the night sky, written in fireworks was:

CONGRATULATIONS BILL AND FLEURRRRRRRRRRRR

Everyone roared with laughter and the chairs were magically rearranged around the yard to make way for tables of food and drink. The enchanted musical instruments began to play a slow waltz that was meant for the newly weds. Soon, they were joined by many other couples on the dance floor, someone had magically put there. Emma was walking around sniffing flowers and pointing at the fairies with Fluer's younger sister Gabrielle. Claudia made a drink and sat down to watch, even her friends, out on the dance floor having a ball.

"Excuse me?" Said a ruff voice and Claudia turned to see Mad-Eye Moody standing over her with his hand extended. Claudia smiled and took his rough, scarred hand and he led her on the dance floor with the others. She actually had a pretty good time dancing with Mad-Eye, who insisted she call him Alastor, while slamming Firewhiskey faster than Nick could drink Vodka. Claudia scanned the crowd to keep her eye on Emma and saw Harry and Ginny heading, arm in arm, behind some trees. Someone was getting a little action tonight, she thought. It was a beautiful, sad night for Claudia and she was relieved when the night was over. Nick carried a sleeping Emma as they made their way home, painfully, by portkey.

It would be in the morning that Claudia would tell Emma that she had to leave for her grandmother's house in the states again. Claudia had thought about it and knew that things were getting worse, even before they get better, and she knew this time she had to let her stay there. So she tucked her baby girl into bed and kissed her soft cheeks. Claudia held her and snuggled up to the only person she was sure she was allowed to love in the entire world. The other one, she had to be content to loving him in secret. And she fell asleep crying softly into her pillow.

CHAPTER 36

Together

Claudia saw Emma off at the airport the next morning and headed back to the hotel. She spent the day playing cards with the guys and watching movies. She felt so much more relaxed after her day with her friends she decided to go to bed early.

As she lay in bed, trying to invite sleep, she thought that it was nice to have a day with no wizards in it. In truth, she felt her own world was being swallowed whole into their own and someday she would regret it. It was also nice that Nick, at least, acted as if he forgave her. They won a wonderful game of Spades against Rod and Bones, who were the worlds worst cheaters. All in all it was a fantastic day, and Claudia let herself drift off to dreams of happiness.

But her dreams switched sometime into the night. She saw shapes of people reaching out to her and she as trying to run from them, but her feet were like glue. Everything was in slow motion as she tried to get away. From a distance, she heard her name being called. "Claudia…Claudia…Claudia…"

"Claudia." Her eyes shot open. That voice was so real, it felt as if it was coming from right inside the room. She blinked again and her heart exploded at the silhouette of a man sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Severus?" She whispered. He was sitting with his elbows on the bed and his head in his hands.

"Why did you do it?" He whispered in urgent tones.

She couldn't see his face in the dark, but his voice was hoarse and deep. She reached out to him but he pulled away. She sat up and covered herself with the bedding and answered him.

"I had to know." He sat back in the chair and the moonlight shone on his face. He looked tired and a little older than she last saw him.

"What did you need to know?" He hissed.

"I had to know if you wanted me there." She said trying to control the shaking in her voice.

"You could have died! The Dark Lord is powerful and he could have hurt you if he wasn't so surprised at your being there in the first place. You must think!" The last part was delivered in a hoarse yell.

"Everyone keeps saying that I could have died. But I didn't, did I?" She flared back at him.

"Why are you so hell bent on proving you're so tough when everyone already knows it. You are acting stupid, and childish." Severus shot at her.

"Stupid? Childish? Seriously, do you really want to start pointing fingers at who acts childish?" She snapped back at him feeling her temper rise .

"You have aligned yourself with the Dark Lord!" He said softer, but still urgently.

"No…I aligned myself with you." Claudia whispered.

Severus sat stunned for a moment and then dropped his head onto his chest. Claudia reached out, once again, for his hand and this time he allowed her to take it. "I love you Severus. I told you I would always be where you are." She said with more love than even she realized. "I also believe you are on the side of good and it will come out…in the end."

"What makes you think that?" He hissed, snatching his hand away. Claudia was momentarily stunned by this and pulled herself off the bed and stood over him with her hands on her hips.

"Because I feel it. Because you still love me. Why else would you be here?" She hissed in a very Snape like fashion.

"And how…do you know I really love you? Tell me, didn't you once call this, " He grabbed her amulet. "a mere magic trick? Perhaps…you were right about it after all." He crooned. She snatched the amulet out of his hands and glared.

"What are you doing? Why do you keep trying to push me away? Why? Stop trying to save me Severus!" She didn't mean to but she started to cry again. Somehow, she had allowed him to get to her once again.

"Alas my love…I have failed to save anyone…" He said softly as he crossed one ankle over his knee and rubbed his temples with his hands. She stood over him and realized with a sudden jolt of shock that Severus was crying and a single tear dropped from his eye and rolled, mournfully, down his cheek.

"Tell me about Lily Potter." Claudia whispered. Somehow, she had something to do with Severus's need to protect her. He sighed and dropped his hands into his lap.

"I tried to save her the night that…The Dark Lord repaid my faithful service by awarding me one request. I requested he spare Lily Potter's life." He was speaking now from a far away place full of bad memories and pain.

"Why did you? Did you love her?" Claudia asked. It wasn't the idea that Severus had ever loved someone else. She knew that was something that was natural. But she had a problem with the idea that he STILL loved a woman who had been dead for over sixteen years.

"I…I thought she was strong. She was smart, top of her class, resourceful, talented. In all, everything you are. Something I could never have. I owed her for kindness given to me that I did not deserve…so long ago. I failed to save her. Rather, she could have lived, but she was strong until the last and died for her son."

"She chose to die for her child. That is the most honorable death a person could hope for. I wouldn't expect less from any mother." Claudia said. He nodded.

"What about Dumbledore, Severus?" Claudia asked cautiously. Perhaps, if he came here ready to tell her some truth, she could get the truth about this as well. She waited, holding her breath, for his reply.

"That…you will learn soon. Suffice it to say, Dumbledore was old and aware of his…frailties." He had that nasty glint in his eyes. It dawned on Claudia that Severus really did care about Dumbledore. And his anger showed more than he knew. It was his grief.

Claudia reached out and cupped his face in her hands. His eyes met hers. She pulled him onto the bed and he gave up all resistance.

"Tell me that you love me Severus…" She said in his ear as he gracefully disrobed. His mouth found hers and in between kisses, he whispered:

"You know that I do…" As his clothes were expertly peeled off, she saw his amulet glowing on his pale skin. She reached for hers still around her neck and saw, that for the first time in a long time, they both glowed pink.

CHAPTER 37

Good Morning

Claudia opened her eyes to a bright, sunny day outside. She thought back to the nights events, but her thoughts were broken by a rustling of a newspaper. She turned her head and astonishingly, there sat Severus at the breakfast nook reading a paper and drinking tea.

He was more beautiful in the day than in the night. His hair was slightly tussled and he wore no shirt and his black pants. His feet were bare and he looked so relaxed that Claudia just lay there and watched him for some time.

"Good morning. I have coffee and toast here for you." He said without looking up from the paper. She saw it was called 'The Daily Prophet'. It had to be a wizard paper because there was a man gesturing wildly on the front page, silently yelling about something.

"Well thank you."

She said as she wrapped the sheet around her exposed front. Severus eyed her as she walked over and sat down. She poured milk in her coffee and took a sip. She reached over and grabbed a piece of the paper that had a picture of Bill and Fleur's wedding announcement in it. There they were waving goodbye to all of them at the reception. They had left for three days in France to be with her family. Claudia flipped through the paper and looked up at Severus who was still reading something.

She felt so…weird sitting here in a hotel room having breakfast and coffee with Severus. She was living one of her dreams and it just felt out of place. After everything that had happened, this was the last place she thought she would be this morning. But she really wasn't going to complain. Claudia shifted her gaze, looked at their clothes strewn all over the room and noticed for the first time, a stone basin sitting on the desk. She frowned and looked at Severus.

"What's that?" She pointed and he flicked his eyes to it and back to Claudia.

"That…is a Pensieve." He said.

Realization hit her that she was going to see his memory in that stone bowl. Perhaps, it would be a good time to get cleaned up. She rose from the table and placed a kiss on his cheek as she passed.

As she showered, she thought it was almost as if they had been doing this all along. For in fact, this was the first time they had ever shared breakfast together. It made her glow with happiness and she could not wait to join him again as she wrapped the towel around her and headed out of the bathroom.

She was looking for something to wear as she spoke to him.

"Why can't we just run away and leave all this behind us Severus? That would be so nice…" Her voice trailed off and he lifted his head from the paper. His face was softer, more relaxed than it had been the night before. But he still looked tired and worn around the edges.

"That is not in my cards I am sorry to say. Very sorry indeed." He left the table and pulled Claudia to him, into a full body hug. He kissed her softly.

Severus slowly unwrapped the towel, exposing her in her full glory and wrapped his arms around her middle. He gently lifted her up and carried her to the bed where he proceeded to show her just how very sorry he was.

Afterwards, they lay together and laced their fingers tightly. Claudia picked up the conversation where they had left off.

"We could go back to my house and make it unplotable." She joked. He snorted.

"I have to stay Claudia…to try and make things right…" He looked so sad, she thought. How did the weight of this war get laid on is shoulders alone?

"Why can't you speak to someone in the Order? Someone is bound to listen if you can explain everything? I don't fully understand either for that matter.' She said more to herself than to him.

"There is no one left to trust."

"You really need to talk to Harry. He is the one ready to kill you the moment he sees you." She warned.

"Potter?" He hissed. "Why? He's a child with a grown man's responsibility. Someone has to keep the inevitable away from him as long as possible. Until he can handle it. Trust me…he can't handle anything yet.' Came his curse reply.

"I don't know," Claudia sat up and began to get dressed. Severus took her lead and followed suit. "he and the other two have been doing pretty well on their own."

"The only one who has the capacity to understand is Granger. She would have to spell it out for them anyway." He said rather slyly. Claudia realized he was attempting a joke and laughed.

"Hermione? Yeah…she's a smart one she is." Claudia agreed. "What about Remus? If anyone, you should be able to trust him."

He sneered at her. They had risen and partially dressed. Claudia was wearing shorts and a tank top and Severus donned his black pants and black buttoned shirt. That was not buttoned at all, revealing his wonderfully sculpted stomach that Claudia had to fight not to touch.

"Well, you need to do something…soon." She said that last part rather quietly.

"I can think of a few things I would rather be doing soon…" He said coyly.

She looked at him and smiled. He had never openly flirted with her and she realized, with a painful stab in her chest, how many things they had been deprived of.

"Animal." She joked and he curled his lip at her and pounced. She was once again wrapped in his arms and in the middle of trying to get him off of her when-

"BOOM!"

The door was blasted from it's hinges. Severus threw Claudia behind him and produced his wand, out of no where, pointing it at the door. Claudia watched as the dust settled and there, standing with wands pointed at them were Harry, Ron and Hermione.

CHAPTER 38

All together now

Claudia couldn't scream. She couldn't move. She felt her face flush red from embarrassment and rage.

"You!" Harry yelled.

Claudia wasn't sure who he was yelling at. Severus stood with his wand pointed at Harry and the three young wizards were standing close together, still pointing their wands at Severus and Claudia.

Severus gave a flick of his wand and the door repaired itself. No one moved or said another word. Claudia looked back and forth between the trio and Severus, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Haven't heard from him, huh?" Harry spat at Claudia. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She realized how bad this seemed and how the three young wizards must feel.

"Harry…you have to listen to me-" He cut her off.

"I don't have to listen to anyone! You….you…" He raged at her and she saw Hermione flick her eyes at Harry.

"Put your wand down Potter. You can't do anything to either of us." Severus crooned. Harry did not lower his wand. He was breathing so hard Claudia saw his nostrils flaring and sweat begin to form on his forehead. Claudia stepped out from behind Severus and spoke to Hermione.

"Hermione. Please…listen for just a moment to what I have to say. This can all be explained. I promise." Claudia pleaded.

"Don't talk to her!" Ron bellowed. Claudia was taken aback by the tone of his voice. He was always so mild mannered, like the other Weasleys.

"One of you has to listen-" She was cut off by Severus.

"They will not listen to anyone. They enjoy making a fool out of anyone who tries to help them. See Claudia, they think they know everything. When in truth, they know next to nothing." Severus said. Claudia was beginning to get angry, but they were all stirred from their thoughts by a pounding at the door. Boom, boom, boom!

Claudia walked to the door, knowing who was on the other side and opened it. There stood her friends, some with guns drawn, all of them with fierce anger on their faces.

"Put those away." She said in Russian to them.

"What is happening?" Nick asked, looking frightened. Claudia opened the door more and revealed Severus, still pointing his wand at the trio, who were still pointing their wands at him. Claudia rolled her eyes and ushered them all in.

So here she was with Severus, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Nick, Zulu, Bones, Rod, Chester and Antonio, all looking from one person to the next. Claudia could stand it no longer.

"Severus, put your wand down." She scolded him. He flinched for just a moment and lazily lowered his wand. Claudia turned towards the three wizards and addressed all of them.

"I ask that you all three do the same. Severus was telling the truth, you can't use any magic on us. Rather, any of your magic will not work." She lifted the amulet that shone an angry red and everyone eyed it.

"It still works?" Hermione asked. "I read that if you don't love the other wearer of the amulets, that they lose their powers. So you…" She was thinking fast and Claudia prayed she was thinking along the correct lines.

"Of course they still work." Snapped Severus. "I, unlike some of you here, am very accomplished when it comes to Potions." He said with his back turned to them. Claudia looked and realized with a snort, he was making more tea.

The young wizards must have gotten tired of holding their wands, because they lowered theirs too. Only Harry's wasn't all the way down. Claudia shook her head and faced Severus.

"Well? Here they are! Everyone is waiting for something and I can't tell everything. So you need to start talking to them." Claudia said, rather sternly to Severus's back.

"What can he say? He killed Dumbledore! He was the one who told Voldemort about the prophecy-"

"What prophecy?" Zulu cut in. everyone turned to look at him. It was most out of character for Zulu to say anything at all, much less in the presence of strangers.

"I'll explain later." Claudia said to him.

Severus sipped his tea and sat at the table again. Everyone was quiet and watching his every move. He flicked his wand sharply and nine chairs appeared out of no where.

"I guess this means we're supposed to sit, huh?" Bones said. A few laughs and titters and everyone sat. Almost everyone. Silence.

"Severus!" Claudia yelled. She gestured to everyone sitting, at attention, waiting for something to happen. She also realized, that Harry didn't sit.

"Harry…please sit and listen…" Claudia pleaded with Harry who ignored her and she threw Severus a pleading glance as he sipped his tea. These good for nothing childish men! She thought. Fine, it was up to her.

"Severus, if you won't. I will." She warned him. He reached out his hand and beckoned Claudia to him. She took his hand and sat at the table with him. She realized, his hand was sweaty and he was holding to hers tightly. She gave him a squeeze of solidarity and he took a deep breath.

"Where to begin…" He mused, almost to himself. Harry's voice broke out loudly.

"How about when you murdered Dumbledore! Try that! I was there! Did you know that? I saw you kill him. So don't try to deny it!" Harry was raging and Claudia could only imagine the anguish he felt.

'I have never denied that. But to start there, would be like reading a book from the last page to the first. No…I have to go father back. But I need to tell you that once I start, I insist I be allowed to finish with NO interruptions. Once I tell you all, since some of us" he sneered at Harry. "have not mastered Occlumency, I will be in danger once more."

"I don't care about you being in danger!" Harry screamed.

"Severus, stop playing around. Just talk." Claudia said curtly. He nodded with an amused look on his face.

"I see you are aware of certain…mistakes I have made. I-"

"Mistakes! You call getting my mum and dad murdered a mistake?"

"I said no interruptions Potter!" Severus screamed. Claudia had had enough.

"That's it. Harry shut the hell up! Severus you need to stop acting like a child. You have no reason to speak this way to Harry. He has EVERY reason to speak this way to you! Remember that! Start by telling him about his mother-"

"What about his mother?" Hermione asked. Harry was standing still and staring at Claudia.

"Severus?" Claudia said. He nodded.

"Your mother was a good person. A strong willed woman who was fierce in everything she did. She was talented at potions. Aided by me...and my mother." he flicked his eyes at Harry. "She tried to help make my life better during our years at Hogwarts and I was indebted to her. I admit it was I who informed the Dark Lord of the prophecy, but I was unaware as to when you were born. For I also did not hear that part of the prophecy…until much later. I had no idea it would lead to her death. Or your father's. The Dark Lord was so grateful for what I gave him, he allowed me to make a request. I requested that your mother's life be spared once I knew who it was he would destroy. When the Dark Lord said she needn't have died, it was because he was allowing her to live due to my request. However, due to her…choice to sacrifice herself for you…he did not keep that word." Severus's voice was the only sound to be heard. He sipped his tea and continued.

"At that time, another woman I knew was forced into doing something she did not want, at the Dark Lord's request. Claudia my love, I have kept this from you for no other reason but necessity. I beg your patience and forgiveness.' Claudia was feeling her heart race and beat loudly in her ears. She was barely able to nod. All eyes were on her and Severus as he spoke. For this time, he addressed her alone.

"I was in love…with a woman once before you. Her name, was Narcissa. We were very much in love and planned to be married. However…the Dark Lord thought it best I go to Hogwarts and teach, living the bachelor lifestyle and Narcissa should marry another. Lucius Malfoy. They soon had a son, Draco."

"Pro-whatever…Is Draco your son?" Hermione asked with wild eyes. Every head turned back to Severus and waited with baited breath.

"You may call me whatever you wish. And it is possible that Draco is my son." Claudia felt the room spinning. Severus looked into her eyes and Claudia squeezed his hand once more. It was alright. She tried to tell him.

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked. This time, his voice was slightly lower and more thoughtful. Severus nodded and stood to grab the Pensieve on the desk. He placed it on the table and leaned, with his arms crossed, on the wall.

"I am forced to show you the memory I hid with Claudia now. For I know you will not accept what I have to say without seeing it for yourself. You are all aware of how a Pensieve works? Then let us each grab hold of anyone not carrying a wand." Severus reached out for Claudia and also allowed Nick to come to him. Everyone was waiting and Severus looked at Claudia.

"The time my love…is right." And he poured the contents of the vial into the pensive. Claudia, as well as everyone else, watched it flow into the basin. He pointed his wand at the white fluid in the bowl and Claudia felt like she was falling. Then…she wasn't.

CHAPTER 39

Hogwarts

It was night, dark and lovely, as eleven people stood huddled together on the lawn over looking Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the most beautiful thing Claudia and her friends had ever seen. The castle sitting on the hill played on every fairytale Claudia had ever heard. They all turned in circles looking up at the brightly lit castle and the grounds surrounding it.

"Freaky." Rod said.

"Are we in somebody's brain?" Bones asked. "I don't wanna be in nobody's brains…"

"Shhh." Hermione frowned at him. Nervous laughter. Severus pointed to a figure standing just underneath a tree near a dark and foreboding forest.

"Over here." He lead them to the figure and Claudia realized with a jolt that she was looking at another Severus standing in the dark. His face was set like stone and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was dressed as Claudia remembered him from their first meeting. Long, flowing black robes, hiding any hint of what she knew was underneath.

"That's you!" Chester said, pointing to him. Severus eyed Chester and Claudia felt a rude comment coming on so she elbowed him in the rib as Hermione "Shhhed" them again.

Severus pointed his finger and they all followed his gaze at another form approaching them. It was Dumbledore. A few people made exclamations of surprise. Harry, Claudia noticed, stood directly in front and watched Dumbledore approach as if he expected him to turn around and speak to him.

"This would be a good time to listen." Severus said. And they all stood back and watched a frightful conversation between Severus and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore approached Severus in the dark and dimly lit his wand.

"You wanted to see me?" Severus asked in a bored voice. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"Yes Severus. I wish to know what you have learned. I wish to know what you think it is young Malfoy is doing?" Dumbledore eyed him intently.

"I do not know. He will not confide in me-" Dumbledore cut him off rather rudely.

"Then you are prepared for when the time comes? You have sworn to protect him. You made the unbreakable vow Severus." Dumbledore's eyes were harder than Claudia had ever seen them.

"You are aware that I will protect him. But you take too much for granted! Maybe I do not want to do this anymore. Potter needs you here. The Order needs you…not me." His voice became quieter. But Dumbledore raised his.

"Severus you have sworn it to me! Need I remind you?" He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. Everyone leaned in to hear him speak. "You agreed to protect him and the other students at any cost. And you will. You have sworn to me and also his mother." Dumbledore's voice was harsh and colder than anyone had ever heard it.

"And what will you do?" Severus said defiantly.

"That is not important. I am not what is important anymore. You and I both know that I sustained an injury that will take my life from me soon enough. I know I will be gone soon Severus. What is important, is that you make more investigations into your Slytherin house! You can not continue to hound on Draco Malfoy as if you suspect him. That is too dangerous for him! You must make other inquires, with other students, in order to gain his trust."

"You and I both know Potter is right that Draco is behind this. But he will not confide in me."

"Then you must find a way. For if you do not, I will hold you to the oaths you have taken. You will be forced to act." Dumbledore said quietly. "Do we understand each other Severus?" Severus nodded curtly and Dumbledore turned to go.

Everyone watched as Severus stared into the night and Dumbledore walked towards the castle. The present Severus spoke to them all.

"That is all. Let us go." He gripped Claudia's and Nick's arms and she felt like she was falling again. And then she wasn't.

CHAPTER 40

Moving mountains

They all emerged from the Pensieve, silently staring at each other. Harry and Hermione were staring at Severus. One with a blank look, and the other with a look of utter horror.

"He knew…he knew about the unbreakable vow you made with Draco's mother?" Hermione gasped. "Then…that means that…he knew that you would…" She covered her mouth with her hands and her eyes filled with tears. Ron put his arm around her and stood with a bewildered look on his face.

"What else did Dumbledore tell you?" Harry asked. Claudia noted that a little of his anger had abated, but he was still eyeing Severus with contempt.

"If you mean the Horcruxes, yes, he told me about those as well." Severus said.

"What's a Horocuxes…whatever…" Chester asked.

He shook his head. "Those do not concern us now. What does concern us is what Potter is going to do with the information he has learned today? For there is more, much more.' Severus said. "There is also the small…problem… of you Claudia." He looked at her and she bit her lip. She had forgotten what she agreed to do in order to get close to Severus again. She had to spy for Voldemort.

"Yeah…what should I do?" She asked. He laughed at her.

"My love, you have created this little quandary. Perhaps you can tell this one." He sat back down at the table and rested his feet on the other chair.

"The other night…when we went to that house…you talked to that man with the eyes. When Zulu killed the werewolf. What else happened Claudia?" Nick asked.

"What werewolf?" Ron asked. Claudia hesitated.

"Claudia? It is your turn now I believe. Turn about is fair play. It is time you tell your…friends what you have been up to as well." He folded his arms across his chest and had a smirk on his face. Claudia exhaled loudly and began her story to her audience.

"The night we…no…Harry, the night I saw you at Grimmauld Place, when we spoke about the memory Severus left me, Severus came to see me then. Of course, he wasn't in such a …good mood…as he is right now." Snickers and laughter. "He tried to scare me a little, so I decided to scare him back. I also needed to know what side he was truly on. So I followed him to where he was hiding out with other Death Eaters and I met Voldemort." Hermione gasped and Ron stood with his mouth open. Harry was looking at her very oddly.

"What do you mean you met Voldemort?' He said through clinched teeth.

"I went, with the intention of talking to Severus. I really didn't think it through that Voldemort would be there. Since I had the amulet, I knew they couldn't hurt me, so I walked down to where they were-"

"Claudia…you are leaving out one of my most favorite parts. You see…Zulu over there," he tipped his head to Zulu's direction. "he killed Fenrir Grayback with his very long, sharp sword. And my lovely…Claudia brought his head as a token to the Dark Lord. I must say, it was rather dramatic and quite useful actually. He thinks you will come in useful when the time comes. He favors ruthlessness above all things."

"I thought I was telling this story Severus?" Claudia said sharply to him over her shoulder. He shrugged and sipped tea. Claudia turned towards Harry.

"While I was there, somehow, I ended up offering my services to him in order for him to trust me. And also so he would allow Severus and I to meet. That is why Severus is here now. I assume…under orders." Claudia looked at Severus who nodded.

"He is aware of the nature of our relationship. He didn't expect me back. Though…now that I think about it…they will expect me soon."

"So what? Now we're spies?" Rod said.

"Oh shut up Rod. We have been spies for over eight years. That is what we do. This just happens to be a more…interesting situation, no?" Antonio said with a smile. Of all the people in the room, Antonio seemed to enjoy the goings on more than anyone else.

"Is that Dumbledore's Pensieve?" Harry asked. Severus nodded. "Can I borrow it?"

"Why?" Severus eyed him with a slight frown on his face. The two glared at each other for a moment and then Hermione rushed up.

"Profes- Snape…Severus…arghhhh!…We need that Pensieve. We have to see if he left a memory there. Something we need that he showed Harry already once before. Do you have his old memories?" She asked excitedly. Claudia stifled a laugh at Hermione's utter confusion at what to call Severus.

Severus sat for a moment and he slowly reached out and pushed the pensieve towards Harry. Claudia realized it was a small thing, but between Harry and Severus, it was moving mountains.

"Thank...erm…thanks." Hermione was flustered and looking as if she was going to explode with excitement. Harry snatched the Pensieve from the table and turned to go. Everyone watched him as he headed for the door with Ron and Hermione in his wake.

As the door closed with a snap, everyone exhaled as if they had been holding their breath.

"Well?" Claudia asked Severus. Everyone else was sitting or standing trying to make sense of the situation they were in.

"Well…it seems that the Dark Lord wishes to know what it is the Order, or Potter rather, is up to." Severus said.

"I really couldn't tell you. I have a feeling the three amigos are up to something. But at the last meeting I was present for, they were not allowing anyone in on their plans. So…" She clicked her tounge and looked around the room.

"So…perhaps it would be prudent to alert the Dark Lord that nothing is amiss at the present time?" He said lazily.

"I suppose so. Unless you have any other ideas." She said. He caught her eye and his lips twitched.

"I do indeed have ideas…but I do not think now is the time for them." He whispered this last part in her ear and his lips grazed her cheek. She shuddered as she felt his hot breath on her skin. She gave him a sly smile and he rose from the table.

"I must return…but I ask that you Claudia make yourself available this evening. I have someone I want you to meet." Claudia's eyebrows raised and she nodded slowly. And with a "CRACK!" he was gone.

"Are you prepared for this Claudia?" Nick asked her. She gave him a sad smile.

"It doesn't matter if I am ready or not. I have to see this through until the end now. For I was told once, that leaving the Dark Lord's service is a death sentence. That can not happen, can it?"

Everyone was either sitting or pacing the room, deep in their own thoughts. Claudia's mind was racing about her upcoming meeting with Severus and another mysterious person. Everyone agreed that they needed to eat and rest before Claudia took off. For even though she was leaving in Severus's care later that night, they were going to follow and keep constant vigil. One could never be too careful…

CHAPTER 41

An Agreement

Severus came to Claudia late in the evening. He let himself into the room, just as she was hanging up the phone with her mother.

"Hi. I'm almost ready." She said as she headed for the closet. Severus lazily sat in a chair and watched her change clothes. She felt his eyes on her and it started that familiar prickling sensation she had come so accustomed to She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and saw him sitting with his hands folded under his chin.

After she had pulled on a sweater she walked over to him. She placed a soft kiss on the base of his neck and breathed in the scent of musky spices he always smelled like. It was her favorite scent in the entire world.

He reached up, slowly, and held the back of her head and kissed her. She felt herself giving in and didn't even try and fight it. He pulled her to the bed and they spent a blissful hour there.

"I was ready to go…" Claudia joked with him. They dressed again and he lead her out the door and into the night. They walked around the corner of the hotel, into an alley way and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hold on." he said. She was reminded of the first time she apparated with him from her home in the country. All that seemed so long ago. The familiar squeezing sensation, she could forever do without, was over quickly. They were standing in another dark, and somewhat rundown, alley way.

"Where are we?" She asked. He walked quickly around a corner and showed her a street sign. She looked and read, 'Spinners End'.

"My home.' he said to her. Her heart beat a little faster and she felt a rush of excitement. She was going to his home. Claudia, unbeknownst to Severus, tapped the small piece of plastic in her ear. This would alert the guys that she was at her destination and they could follow. For she did not distrust Severus. She merely was taking the advice of Nick and not wondering into anymore situations without adequate backup. So they were ready and waiting in the truck, monitoring her moves with GPS tracking. That was the best that they could do.

They arrived on the doorstep of a decrepit house and she watched horrified as Severus tapped the door knob with his wand. This, was his house? She thought. He opened the door and she smiled. Yes, this would be what his house looks like. Books everywhere, one small table and a couch.

"Welcome." He said. Claudia lifted her eyebrows and starred at him.

"Geezz Severus. Could you have picked a more depressing place to live?" She said. He cut her an evil look and spoke rather harshly.

"I didn't pick it. My father did. This was my home when I was a child. I inherited it when my parents died. It is useful…" He said as he poured wine into goblets. Claudia immediately felt sorry for saying anything and realized how little tact she had.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." he ignored the last comment and emptied his goblet of wine in one drink. He motioned for her to sit and he pointed his wand at one of the bookshelves. To Claudia's surprise, it moved and opened up into a stairway. There, standing there was a short, pudgy man looking frightened and bewildered.

"Severus! I didn't know you had returned! I was just coming up to see what the noise was and-" He stopped talking when he saw Claudia sitting there. His small, beady little eyes scanned her up and down and she was reminded of a mouse when she saw his nose twitch. He turned to Severus and then back to Claudia.

"You! I know who you are! You're the muggle who killed Grayback!" He squeaked. Claudia gave Severus an annoyed look and Severus snorted.

"Wrong Wormtail. Someone else killed the werewolf that night. Claudia was just delivering, weren't you?" Claudia nodded her head slowly. She didn't feel right about being here all of a sudden. And who was this Wormtail? Wormtail…Wormtail…she had heard that name before. But where?

"Sit Wormtail." Severus commanded, much to Claudia's surprise. The man named Wormtail hesitated for a moment and only sat when he saw the look on Severus's face.

"Now, Claudia…this is Wormtail. Otherwise known as Peter Petigrew. He is an old friend of some friends of yours." Severus said as he poured more wine and sat down. She still couldn't place him and Severus seemed to read her bewildered face. "This rodent is the reason…no half of the reason the Potters are dead. He was James and Lily's secret keeper. A poor show of judgment on their part, might I add." Claudia jerked her head towards the fat little man. She remembered. Sirius spoke of him, the traitor, who gave Voldemort James and Lily.

"Why is he here Severus?" She said sharply. He sat back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. When he spoke, it was to the ceiling.

"Wormtail here gets very confused about whose side he is on. Don't you Wormtail? For awhile, he was listening at doors and running around, hiding all the time. Then I decided to watch him and realized what he was doing. He was spying." Severus said. The fat man, Wormtail stood up, knocking his chair over backwards.

"That is a lie Severus! I am not a spy. I am loyal to the Dark Lord. I brought him back didn't I? He gave me this!" He lifted the sleeve of his shirt and Claudia noticed for the first time, his hand was glowing silver. Severus laughed an empty, knowing laugh.

"Slimy little rat you are Wormtail. I know what you are doing. You forget…I have abilities you know not.' He said softly. Wormtail stood, breathing heavily and looked at a loss for words.

"My, my, my…we are not at a loss for spies, are we Severus?' Claudia joked. Severus eyed her from across the table and flashed a smile at her. She smiled back and they sat that way for a moment. For in that instant, she understood what he was doing.

"Sit down Wormtail. We have business to discuss tonight. Claudia, wine?" He asked and she nodded. She sat back and stifled a giggle when Wormtail looked offended he was not offered any. After sitting in silence for a few moments, Severus began to talk again..

"To whom were you planning on going to with the information you have gathered from the Dark Lord's servants Wormtail?" He asked in a threatening tone.

"It is a lie! I am not-" Severus bolted from his chair and held his wand at Wormtail's throat. Claudia watched, slightly horrified, as the tiny little man crumbled.

"OK…please! I…I…I haven't given anything to anyone. I swear it! I was just listening and trying to…to…" He looked as if he could cry.

"To what?" Severus hissed.

"I…just….just…wanted to know…" Wormtail was franticly looking around the room and Severus dug his wand in deeper.

"What reason can you give me to not kill you now?" Severus hissed in his ear. The little man squeaked and was sweating profusely.

"Nothing…nothing…I know I shouldn't have…but…but…" He stammered.

"But…you are a rat and will always be a rat. To whom were you going with this information?' Severus asked again.

"I..I..I..didn't know! I hadn't planned on-"

"Liar! You were going somewhere tonight Wormtail, weren't you?" Severus said. Claudia raised her eyebrows and watched intently as she saw Wormtail burst into tears.

"Lupin! I was going to see Remus! Please Severus…have pity…I didn't do it. I know it was wrong. I just…just…miss my friends." He said, Claudia noticed, rather smarmy.

"Does the truth ever fall past your lips?" Severus asked. "Claudia. Wormtail here was going to find Remus tonight and give him some information he thinks will be helpful to the Order. See…he is trying to repay a debt…a debt he has with Potter." Claudia nodded her head. She really didn't understand anything going on, but she thought it best to pretend.

"I have to! I must! I owe Harry…it was to be only once that I did it. Just enough to warn him…" he stopped talking.

"Warn him of what?" Severus asked.

"Of…of danger. Then…then I can repay my debt and serve the Dark Lord completely again." He continued to cry and squeak as Severus sat back down.

"What should I do with you Wormtail?" Severus asked him.

"It is not for us to decide Severus. It is none of our business. We could…pretend… to look the other way. For now…and Wormtail can repay his debt to Harry." Claudia said. Severus nodded and Wormtail got immediately excited.

"Yes! Yes! Then I can come back and no one will know! I beg of you Severus….' Severus gave a snort and looked at Claudia. He then took a long drink of his wine and nodded his head slowly.

"If I agree Wormtail to look the other way and allow you to continue this…folly. What is it that I get in return?" Severus asked. Here Claudia's ears perked up. Interesting…

"Whatever…you…you want Severus. But Please do not tell the Dark Lord!" He begged.

"Alright Wormtail. You have my silence. However…you need to hear what it is I want, before you agree." He said softly.

"Anything! Anything at all!" Wormtail said rather loudly. Severus placed his glass on the table and looked at Wormtail.

"I wish you to kill Nagini." Silence.

CHAPTER 42

A Light In Darkness

Claudia sat completely lost. Who the hell was Nagini, and why would Severus want he or she dead? Severus glared at Wormtail, who looked as if he would faint.

"Kill…Nagini? Severus…I…I…can't! No! The Dark Lord would…would…-"

"Yes. The Dark Lord will surely kill you for the task. However, what choice do you have?" He said harshly.

"I…could tell the Dark Lord! Then you-"

"Who do you think he would believe Wormtail? You or me? I can claim ignorance…you can not…" Claudia thought Severus would have made a fine spy, even in the muggle world. He was so calculating and scary…pretty hot too. She thought.

"But…" he stammered and looked like a fish out of water.

"If you survive…if…you may run to your former friends and tell them what you have done. Then, they may grant you the safety you desire."

"But why Severus? Why do you wa-" Severus waved his hand and cut him off.

"I have my reasons. Do we agree then?" Claudia waited, holding her breath. She exhaled as Wormtail nodded in agreement and hung his head. He was just backed into the most precarious corner a wizard could be in.

"Thank you…that is all Wormtail. You may go." And Severus vanished his chair out from underneath him. Wormtail fell to the floor with a howl and jumped to his feet shooting daggers at both Claudia and Severus who were laughing. Wormtail went out the front door, slamming it as he went.

"Now that business is out of the way." Severus said as he moved over to Claudia. She noticed he had had at least three glasses of wine in a very short time and realized, with a little giggle, that Severus was a little drunk.

"Professor…" Claudia said slyly as he fell to his knees in front of her. His hands slowly moved up her theighs as he pulled her close and kissed her urgently. Claudia felt the fire ignited once again. A timid knock at the door broke Severus away from Claudia. Both of them froze, in silence, listening for the sound to come again. It did, only louder this time.

Severus got to his feet and straightened his clothes. Claudia did the same, but he put his hand on her shoulder and asked her to stay back. She nodded. This couldn't be good. She thought. He opened the door a crack and stood there for a long moment looking at who had knocked. Then, releasing his breath loudly he stepped back and opened the door all the way.

Claudia saw first a woman enter. She was tall and had long white hair and a severe face. She wore black wizard robes and a few pieces of jewelry. One being a wedding band. The next person to enter was a young wizard boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years of age. He too had white hair and a very pointed face. She saw the third person enter, a very tall, pale man with long blonde hair. He looked terrible and Claudia wondered if he was sick. They stood just inside the door and waited for Severus to close it. He motioned for them to come further but they stopped when they saw Claudia.

At that moment, Claudia realized who it must be she was looking at. Narcissa. And her son, possibly Severus's son, Draco. The other man, she assumed was Narcissa'a husband. They looked at her as if she were a wart. Claudia sipped her wine and flicked her eyes to Severus.

"My dear…the Malfoys. Lucius, Narcissa and their son Draco." Severus said in bored tones. He walked over to Claudia and placed his hand on hers. "This is Ms. Claudia Moore." No one said a word. It had been a long, long time for Claudia, but she hadn't forgotten the sensation. The sensation of spiteful jealousy she felt for the beautiful, tall, long haired woman whom Severus had once loved. She felt her face flush and she gulped her wine. She half nodded in their direction and studied her glass.

"Lucius. I didn't know you were getting out. It is wonderful news." he said. Claudia wondered what 'getting out' meant.

"Yes…the Dark Lord is benevolent. The faithfulness my son showed bought me a place back in his good graces. He has spared me from sitting in Azkaban any longer." Came his hollow voice.

Claudia found herself glaring at Narcissa who was staring at Severus. Claudia imagined walking over to her and ripping her hair out of her head. She sighed heavily and Severus looked down at her and smiled.

"Lucius here has just finished a long stay in Azkaban. It seems the Dark Lord has allowed him his freedom once again." Claudia nodded and Severus motioned for everyone to sit. Draco remained standing and Claudia noticed he was giving her a searching look. She rolled her eyes at him and finished her glass of wine. Severus produced three more glasses of wine and handed them to his guests. He refilled Claudia's and his own and pulled his chair next to Claudia.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Severus began. Narcissa glanced at Claudia, who was still shooting nasty looks her way and then turned to Severus.

"I came to thank you Severus. For everything." She spoke in a hushed tone that Claudia heard with jealous ears.

"It was nothing. Actually…it was deserving. Draco…how have you been?" Draco nodded his head and said nothing.

"Forgive his rudeness Severus…Draco hasn't been the same since that night. I'm just so thankful…so thankful he's not…" Narcissa began to cry and Draco placed a hand on her shoulders.

"Come mother. I want to leave now." Draco spoke for the very first time. Claudia watched him help his mother to her feet and he placed an arm around her shoulders. Claudia glanced at Severus and saw him watching them go out the door. Lucius stayed behind.

"Severus…I am indebted to you." He said.

"No…Draco is. But…let us hope that I never have need to call on that debt." He and Lucius toasted each other and the Dark Lord and Lucius swept from the house. Claudia sat and stared at the closed door. Severus reached for Claudia.

"Come my love. It is time to get you back."

They walked out into the open air and Claudia tapped her ear piece for the second time that night. No fights. No murders. No real problems. Except…she was in a blind jealous rage at what she had witnessed. Severus walked around the corner and held out his hand. Claudia took it and for the first time, did not wish Severus to touch her. He stood for a moment and searched her face and she gave him her most blank expression.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and waited for the sensations to go away. They now stood in the alley way near the hotel and Claudia began to walk. Severus stood still and followed her a moment later. It wasn't until they were inside of Claudia's room did either one of them speak.

"It appears you are not happy with the nights events. I thought you would be grateful for what I did tonight. It eliminates a problem for Potter. Or perhaps…you were not happy about my second guest?" He asked. Claudia looked at him and he had an amused look on his face.

"What you did was wonderful tonight Severus. You put on a good show. I wonder…how much of that production was for me as well?" She asked nastily.

"I'm sure I do not know what you mean."

"Oh...ok. Then I will explain. Narcissa! You told me you were in love with her once. Yet she comes to your house to thank you for something? For everything. That's what she said. Seems you are quite the busy man Severus. Of course we never even talked ab-"

"Will you shut up!" He spat at her. "If you, even now, question where my heart lies, then I can not help you. Narcissa and I were over long ago. But yes…we are close. Because we must be. How dare you question me. I heard your thoughts when you thought I was guilty of treachery. The one you wished for wasn't me…was it Claudia? It was Black! I saw it in your eyes the night I came here. Black was right about me. That's what you thought! So don't you dare lecture me about past loves." His face was flushed red and he was breathing heavily. Claudia felt her stomach fill with ice.

"Severus…Firstly, Sirius was never a love, as you put it. But a friend. Secondly…I don't know what to think about Narcissa and the boy. I just wasn't prepared." She said as she slumped onto the bed. Severus stood still and Claudia heard the refrigerator click on. Neither one said a word. Claudia felt she was being childish. In fact, she knew she was being an utter brat. But still…she never imagined she would ever feel as if she had to compete for Severus's affections.

She reached out to him and he slowly obliged. Claudia snuggled up next to him and they lay there in silence. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear.

"You are my love. The only one who has loved me without restraint. Without you, I would be alone. Not caring what I did, or if I even made it through. But you're here with me. You walked into my darkness and brought me a light. I can only follow where you go now. You have my light and my heart. Without you, I will be lost to the darkness forever." Claudia felt warm tears on her cheeks and whispered to him.

"I love you Severus."

CHAPTER 43

What We Dread Most

For some time, Claudia and the gang stayed in London and did nothing. It was over a week before Tonks came to visit. She knocked on Claudia's door and Claudia opened it and smiled.

"What a surprise! Where have you been?" Claudia asked. Tonks walked in and looked at Claudia strangely.

"You look funny." Tonks said as she peered at Claudia, who laughed.

"Nice to see you too! What makes you say that?" She asked trying to clear a place on the chairs for her to sit. Tonks sat and conjured a cup of tea for her and a cup of coffee for Claudia.

"You look…happy." Claudia stopped rushing about and realized that she indeed was being entirely too happy. She had forgotten that no one else knew of her and Severus or the memory that proved his innocence. She turned to her friend and smiled.

"I have come to accept what is. I can't change it." Claudia said. Which was true, she thought. She can not change a single thing that did happen, was happening or going to happen.

"Molly is having everyone over tonight. You lot fancy a home cooked meal?" Tonks said, somewhat more relaxed.

'Oh yeah…sounds good. Say…how is Remus doing?" She asked.

"Really stressed out. Apparently, old Wormtail showed his face again. Claming to know of a plan to hurt Harry. I don't know. Most of the order won't listen to him and Remus still insists that it is possible he is telling the truth. That man…' Tonks said as she shook her head.

"That man is a good man Tonks. You're lucky to have him." Claudia said sadly. Tonks nodded and they sat and caught up with each others lives for the rest of the afternoon.

When the gang was at Molly and Arthur's house, they always expected great things. Claudia loved to see the different people come and go. Chester loved being surrounded by magic. The rest of them joined forces with Fred and George, trying to cause as much mayhem as possible.

At that particular moment, the guys were trapping garden gnomes in little boxes that looked like muggle rocket ships. They shoved them in two at a time and magically sealed the door. Then, Fred and George tied a firecracker to the box and they had lift off. There were over a dozen lift offs from the garden that were cheered on by almost everyone.

Claudia laughed as she and Molly chatted away in the kitchen. Tonks had disappeared, and they had a pretty good idea as to where she was. Remus had stopped by a few moments ago.

"Has she told you yet?" Molly asked her. Claudia smiled.

"Yes. She told me. I think it is wonderful. Two people so good deserve each other." Claudia said as she helped set the table.

"You deserve someone too Claudia." Molly said knowingly.

Claudia felt her guilt flush her face. She did have someone. It's just that they all thought he was a murderer. The only people who knew of his innocence could not tell the others about it. After all, he wasn't really innocent, was he? He admitted to killing Dumbledore. It was only that Dumbledore made him do it. Claudia shook her head.

"I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories." Molly said putting her arms around Claudia's shoulders. Claudia smiled and nodded her thanks.

They heard a commotion from outside and Molly went to the window to see what it was. Claudia followed behind her and she saw a red haired man she had never seen before walking to the door and by Molly's reaction, she assumed this to be the long lost Weasley son. Percy Weasley.

Molly was deaf to anything except the young man entering the house and she rushed to him with her arms wide. But Claudia was watching another commotion. An owl, brown and boring looking, was swooping the grounds and headed for the house with a letter in it's beak. Claudia tried to interrupt Molly to tell her, but Molly was fussing over her son.

"-so thin! Come and I will make you something to eat. Can you stay-" The boy shook his head. Claudia realized he looked stretched and thin. His hair was in perfect condition and his robes immaculate. But his eyes…they were deep set and sorrowful.

"No mother. I need to-" The brown owl came flying in through a window and settled itself in front of Molly. Molly looked as if she would faint. Claudia went over to her and put her arm around her, also knowing that this could not be good news. Where was Arthur? She thought. The guys all came into the house and stood staring at the scene. Molly was staring at an owl holding a letter. Her long estranged son standing stock still, void of emotion on his face and Claudia looking helpless.

"Molly…the letter. It has your name on it." Claudia nudged her. Molly stood, pale as a ghost and shook her head. Tears were already forming in her eyes and spilling onto her cheeks. Claudia reached for the letter as Percy began to speak.

"Mother, I am here to tell you what that letter says. I had hoped to beat it here, had I not been held up outside," he shot an arrogant look at his brothers. "I could have." Claudia felt the icy cold hand of dread touch her chest. She unfolded the letter and handed it to Molly, who pushed it away. Claudia knew what Molly was thinking. Unfortunately, she also knew that she was probably right.

"I can't." She whispered, swaying on her feet.

"Read it Claudia." One of the twins said to her. Claudia blinked back the knowing tears and pulled Molly into a chair. She began to read.

To Mr. And Mrs. Weasley.

Your son, Ronald Weasley was admitted today to St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He is under the care of Healer Bjorn, who states that the young Mr. Weasley's condition is precarious at best. Your presence is requested as soon as possible to discuss further treatment.

Yours,

H. Featherstone, St. Mungo's Admittance Dept.

Claudia actually swayed on her feet. Everyone was silent for a moment, but all of a sudden, loud, angry voices filled the house. It was the Weasley boys, Fred, George and Bill who were already in a shouting match with Percy, who was standing alone.

"Why you?"

"Where's dad?"

"I came to-"

"No one wants you here!"

"You don't know anything you-"

"You're lucky mum is here-"

"What can you do to me? I work for the Minister of magic himself!"

Everyone was watching this exchange as Claudia held onto Molly. Molly pulled on her arm and whispered.

"Make them stop…please. I need to find Arthur." Claudia nodded but was afraid to step in. For all of Fred and Georges antics, she knew they wouldn't think twice before hexing her. Just so they could finish what they had started with their brother. But Claudia was saved. Antonio, Bones and Rod restrained the three Weasley brothers and walked them outside. Trying all the while to calm them as they shouted obscenities to their brother.

Nick took hold of Percy's shoulders and lead him to the couch to sit. Percy seemed to crumple under the kindness Nick was showing him and he bowed his head in silent sobs. Tonks returned at that moment looking wild eyed and Remus was in her wake.

"What happened?" She asked.

She and Remus surveyed the scene and Tonks gasped.

"Not Arthur?" She said to Claudia with tears in her eyes. Claudia shook her head and handed Tonks and Remus the note. Remus read it very quickly and cursed. He walked outside and apparated immediately.

The next owl flew straight at Molly and landed in her lap. With shaking hands, she untied the letter and opened it. She nodded to the letter as if it were talking to her and she hugged it to her chest and bowed her head. Claudia held Tonks's hand and they supported each other. Everyone was silently crying and Molly stood.

"It's from Arthur. He's already there and I have to go too. He says I must hurry." Molly went to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of sparkly powder and through it in.

"Wait, I'm coming with you Molly." Tonks said. Molly shook her head.

"Percy dear? Could you come with me?" Molly pleaded to her son. He stood and nodded. Molly called into the fire, "St. Mungo's!" and vanished. Percy did the same. They were left in the Burrow with the other Weasley boys and Tonks. Nick went outside to the guys and Claudia and Tonks cried openly for they knew, or felt rather, that this was the moment they had all been dreading. They were both also thinking about Harry. They were sure that whatever injuries Ron had sustained, they were brought on by the adventures with Harry and Hermione. She prayed that Harry and Hermione were alright. Especially Harry.

CHAPTER 44

Orders

The next few days were utter chaos. The muggles traveled back and forth between their hotel and Grimmauld place for updates. Molly hadn't left her son's side since she left everyone at the Burrow. Arthur went to work, and then to the hospital to relieve Molly for a few hours. Ron, it seemed, had sustained an unknown injury during a battle with something called Inferi. But the updates the gang received daily were never good. More of the same. He was weak and unconscious and was unable to move.

Claudia caught glimpses of Harry and Hermione over the next few days. They looked worse than Claudia feared. Hermione was perpetually crying and Harry looked murderous. Claudia sent a letter to Severus, telling him what had happened and asking if there was anything to be done. She wasn't sure it was a good idea, but her and Nick discussed the fact that Severus knew way more than anyone else about dark magic, so there was a chance. In the end, Zulu helped them decide by saying that there was no one more powerful, in his opinion, than Severus. That settled it, so they sent the letter.

It so happened on the fifth day after Ron's injuries that Tonks and Remus came to the hotel to speak to Claudia and her friends. Neither one looked very good, in her opinion. Tonks and Remus came into Claudia's room and shook hands and hugged their muggle friends.

"Claudia, I came because, for once, we have good news.' Claudia was so excited she ushered everyone to sit and brought drinks.

"Last night, a new healer worked on Ron, and it seems he is doing better. Weirdly enough, the healer came in the middle of the night, when Molly had gone home to change clothes. We all inquired who it was but they are so busy over there that no one could tell us. Anyway, he's awake and can move around. But…he's still not all there. If you know what I mean." Remus said.

"No. I don't know what you mean. What happened?" She asked.

"You mean he got brain damage or somthin'?" Bones asked.

"It is possible. But we are leaning more towards shock. He is responsive to pain and to his mother. But other than that…" Remus shook his head.

"Claudia, have you heard from Harry?" Tonks asked. Claudia shook her head. "I didn't think so. He has been running around with his friends. Saying something about getting a cup. I wonder what it means?" She said to herself. Claudia shrugged.

"Maybe…they are now going to find the Holy Grail." Antonio joked. The muggles present laughed. The wizards looked confused.

"Nothing. Don't ask." Claudia said.

"Claudia…something else." Remus began. "Tonks said she told you about Wormtail coming to see me?" Claudia nodded, suddenly very nervous. She wasn't the only one either. "He said something to me before…I didn't realize what he meant at the time. But now…"

He looked at her and Claudia smiled at him. She remembered the first time she saw his handsome face walking up her long driveway. So long ago…

"What?" Claudia asked. She already knew what he might ask, and she prepared herself for it.

"He said Fenrir Grayback was dead. And that a muggle killed him." Silence.

Claudia didn't really know how to respond except by laughing. Everyone of the muggles began to laugh and the two wizards sat and exchanged looks. It was Zulu who found his voice first.

"Remus, I am the one who killed the big bad wolf. He lost his head!" Even more laughter from the muggles. Remus sat stunned and Tonks began to smile.

"But how?" Remus asked. The laughter faded away. Everyone turned to Claudia who was wiping her eyes on a napkin.

"Oh Remus. We all have our secrets. Just be happy he's gone. No more big bad wolf." Everyone laughed, even the two wizards. Claudia noticed that Remus's smile was the biggest she had ever seen. It had never occurred to her that the murder of another werewolf would make him so happy.

"Well…we came to share the news with you. We hope Ron can leave the hospital in a few weeks. I'll let you know." He said and the two wizards waved goodbye and left. Claudia looked down at her amulet . It was flashing red.

A few hours later, after dinner and drinks, the muggles were returning to the hotel. Claudia decided to turn in early, as did the rest of the group. Which meant, the boys would be partying in their rooms, instead of partying at the local bars.

Claudia walked into her room and was surprised, not for the first time, by Severus pacing the floor.

"I have been waiting for you." He said. Claudia saw his face and realized something was terribly wrong.

"Apparently. What's wrong?" She asked as she reached out for him. He pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss was passionate. So passionate in fact, it set off alarms in her head. She pulled away and stared at his face. Her eyes were questioning and his were empty.

"Severus?" She asked in a whisper.

"I think, you should collect your friends. We need to talk. And quickly." He said as he sat at the table. Claudia reached for the phone and dialed Nick's room number. He didn't answer. Of course…they were partying in someone's room.

"I'll be back!" She called over her shoulder and she caught a moments glimpse of Severus as she walked out. He was sitting with his head in his hands and paler than she had ever seen him. This really wasn't good.

She pounded on Rod's door. For she knew they were in there. The music filled the hallway from inside. Antonio opened the door and smiled.

"Moore. Come to join us?" He asked with his wine in one hand and a cigarette in another.

"No. Turn it off." She pointed to the music. He placed his cigarette in his mouth and shrugged. He walked over to the stereo and turned it off. A chorus of protests came from everyone. Claudia also saw that they had three girls in their room. Local girls no doubt. All of them dressed in dresses much too little for them and they were glaring at Claudia.

"You." She pointed to the girls. "Out." She said. The girls began to whine and look to their dates. Bones, Rod and Antonio immediately grabbed the girls' purses and ushered them out the door. Claudia heard them cussing them all the way down the hallway.

"Moore…why did we just send away the only action we have had in weeks?" Antonio asked.

"Severus is in my room. He's asking for you to come. I think it would be a good idea to grab your gear, as quickly as you can, and come over. It doesn't look good." She said.

A mad dash for suitcases and weapons. Glasses flew onto the table and rapid speech in Russian. Claudia allowed herself a moment to reflect on the situation. These men, they were her entire world. She calls and they run. Her eyes welled up with tears of gratitude. She left the room to get her own gear together and return to Severus. Her heart beating madly the entire time she wondered what could be so wrong that Severus had come asking for them and looking as if his entire world was falling apart. She took a deep breath and entered her room.

"Are they coming?" He asked looking up at her as she entered. She nodded yes and went to the closet to pull her suitcase from the shelf. Inside were her black clothes and gear. As she dressed. She was aware of Severus watching her. But it wasn't the usual lusting stare she got from him when she undressed. This was sad and longing, as if he felt like he couldn't go to her.

She dressed and went over to him. She placed a kiss on his cheek and he gripped her hand with such force and kissed it. Everything about his actions were urgent.

"How long?" He asked. Just as he did, the door swung open and the guys filed in.

"Sorry…couldn't find my shoes." Chester said. They met Severus's eyes and waited. Claudia turned with her friends and stood together with them. All eyes were on Severus as he spoke.

"The Dark Lord requests your presence tonight. He is aware of Potter's…current quest and he has set a trap for him. The horcruxes are destroyed, all except two. It is my hope that Wormtail comes through and that leaves only one left. Dumbledore was so sure of there being seven…but now…I am not so sure. I think…"

"You gonna tell us what the hell those…horcruxes are?" Rod asked. Severus took a deep breath and spoke to them.

"It doesn't mater what they are exactly. Only that Dumbledore and Potter had been searching for them in order to destroy them. By destroying them, we will be able to defeat the Dark Lord." He said quietly.

"So…let go destroy us some…Horocruxys then!" Bones said as he cocked his gun. Laughter and Severus put his hand up for silence.

"You're job, will be for the Dark Lord tonight. You are to wait outside of the Ministry of Magic and your orders are to eliminate anyone leaving the building. Only those loyal to the Dark Lord are free to leave. Those are your orders." Silence.

"Wait a minute man! I'm not killing no one that's in the Order. You've about lost your mind man. Crazy freakin' wizards. We don't kill our friends man!" Bones was in a fit. Severus looked at him as if he were bored. Claudia stepped back and faced Severus.

"Sorry Severus. We will not be killing any Order members. I don't care what your Dark Lord orders." She said defiantly.

"I thought you grasped the concept my love. However, I see you haven't. Your orders are to eliminate anyone not loyal to the Dark Lord leaving the Ministry. What you choose to do with those orders is upon your own head. However," He handed Nick a piece of paper with writing on it. "I have here, detailed instructions on how to enter the Ministry of Magic. Once inside, you are free to fight for whom ever you wish." Claudia nodded and realized that this was it. This was going to be the last fight of good versus evil in the wizarding world, and they had front row tickets.

"What will you be doing?" She asked him in hushed tones. Severus's eyes flickered strangely for a moment and then he spoke as he headed for the door.

"I have my own orders." He turned when he got to the door. "Good luck." Claudia rushed to him and threw her arms around him. He stood tense for a moment and then melted into her embrace. She was so frightened at the thought of him leaving this night, she couldn't catch her breath.

"I love you." She whispered. He kissed her softly and patted his chest where the amulet lay under his robes.

"I know." He said, and he left.

CHAPTER 46

The Ministry Of Magic

They had driven through town to a part of London where there were warehouses and rundown buildings. They were stationed near a wall, covered in graffiti, facing a broken phone booth. Before they had left they had decided, instead of splitting up in their usual teams, tonight they would stay together. All of them felt the tension in the air and they wondered what could possibly be going on inside of the Ministry of Magic.

No communications tonight anyway, Claudia thought. For Severus had told her long ago the muggle devices do not work inside of magical buildings and grounds. For that reason they decided to stay together.

"So…how are we going to know what we are going to do Moore? I mean, you're the only one with one of them there pretty necklaces." Bones said to her. Claudia had been thinking about it and decided to tell them.

"None of you are going in. When the time comes, I go. You stay here." She said. They all cast her dirty looks.

"Right. That's not happening this time Claudia. Where you are, we are. There is no debate or argument about it." Nick spat at her.

She rolled her eyes. I tried, she thought. And they waited.

"What's that?" Chester said and they all followed his gaze to a group of people approaching the telephone booth. The people crammed themselves in and picked up the phone. Then, the floor began to move down like an elevator and they disappeared.

"Holy Hell." Rod said to himself. They all nodded agreement. This was too weird.

Claudia was thinking about Severus and silently praying for his safety. As well as everyone else she knew was, at that moment, inside of the building. Once or twice, she and the guys exchanged looks of annoyance. They all, at different times, considered just going in anyway. But they waited. Perhaps if they charged in, they would put Severus in danger. Or perhaps Harry. So they waited. The night wore on and they just sat on. Some smoked, others hummed a song under their breath. No one relaxed.

"Hey Moore…what's that?" Rod asked her and they all looked at Claudia's amulet. It had turned gray. Her heart beat loudly in her ears and she jumped up.

"Severus, he's in trouble." She said feeling like vomiting again. For in fact, the whole world seemed to spin around her. She closed her eyes and steadied herself.

"Let's roll." Bones said in a matter of fact way and they sprinted from their hiding places and into the phone booth. Here they realized, they would not fit. Only two at a time could get in.

"Alright, Claudia and myself first. Then Bones and Rod, After that, Antonio and Zulu…Chester…my friend…what do you wish to do?" They glanced back at Chester who had always stayed in the safety of the transport. He was not a fighter, but he was one of them. He also had fell in love with the wizarding world faster than any of them.

"I'm going." He said

"Alright. Here…the instructions to get in. Just dial the number and it says here to say where you are going. Just tell them you are going on a tour, it says. Let's go!" So Claudia and Nick squeezed inside and picked up the phone. Claudia dialed two…four…four…two…And she heard a female voice on the other end.

"Welcome to the Ministry of magic. Please state your name and your business." Claudia was close to laughing if it weren't for Severus being in such peril.

"Claudia Moore and Nicholai Ivanovich. Here to…take a tour." She said.

"Thank you," said the female voice. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes. You are required to submit to a search and submit your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

While the lady was talking, they were slowly moving down, down, down under the city and the doors opened into an enormous room.

"The Ministry of magic wishes you a pleasant day."

The lift door closed and Claudia and Nick stood, guns drawn, circling each other. The room was huge. Hard wood floors and walls and, Claudia noticed, fireplaces lined all of the walls. No doubt, the Floo Network, she thought. Interesting. My house is connected here. She shook her head to get back to the game at hand and they heard the lift coming again. The doors opened and out stumbled Bones and Rod. Now there were four of them, and they spread out. From somewhere, deep in the bowels of this building, they heard noises. They could not decipher the source, but they were there. Claudia glanced back at her amulet and saw it still was shining gray. She looked back impatiently at the lift, waiting for the next group.

At that moment, one of the fires to their left sprung to life and emitted green flames. A figure stepped out. It was Shackelbot.

"Kingsley! Claudia said." He turned quickly and pointed his wand at her. But upon seeing who she was, he lowered it.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his usual deep therapeutic voice was troubled.

"Here to help. No time to explain. Can you help us get where everyone is? I can't waste any time trying to locate him…" her voice was drowned out by the lift returning for the third time carrying the three remaining team members.

"All here." Nick said as he joined her and Shackelbot with a nod.

"Follow me." He said and they took off down a hall, at another time, would have caused Claudia to pause and admire the architecture. However, they ran down a long hall, past an enormous fountain, that looked as if it had been broken and stopped at the desk. No one was there, so they passed it and walked through a set of golden gates.

Here they ran down a slightly smaller hall filled with elevators.

"Which one?" Chester cried as they all crashed into one another.

"Here. Everyone in. Quickly." Everyone piled into an elevator and Kingsley pushed the down button.

"How far down does this go?" Nick asked. Claudia was wondering the same thing. They had taken one elevator under the city itself. Now they were in another.

In but a moment, the elevator jolted to a stop and the door opened. There were no windows or doors. Just a long hallway, and at the end a large black door. Kingsley produced his wand and held a finger to his lips. They approached the door and he tapped it with his wand. It opened.

What they saw made Claudia's heart catch in her throat. Oh God…

CHAPTER 47

The Battle

What they saw caused all of them to pause for only a few seconds. But in those few seconds they saw much. Bill was furiously battling with a Death Eater and in one moment, the Death eater was face to face with non other than Fleur. Who seemed to grow more beautiful and glow a strange blue color around her. The Death Eater stopped battling Bill and stared at her, just long enough for Bill to aim a curse at him that blasted him into the wall, where he lay motionless.

"Thanks honey." They heard him say and they ran together through a door to the left. For there were many doors, all in a circle.

To the right of them, an elf, who wore at least five hats on his head, was standing with his hand raised in the air and a bolt of light was shooting from his palm. Following the light with their eyes, they saw a man, a Death Eater by his clothes, was being blasted through the ceiling. The elf seemed satisfied with this and nodded to himself. Then with a "POP" he disappeared.

Shackelbot was running before the elf actually disappeared and the muggles leapt into action. Claudia had a feeling none of their weapons were going to be any use tonight. But they carried them anyways. Through the same door Bill and Fleur went through they ran and the door closed behind them. The room was filled with clutter, but on one wall a tank filled with water and something inside of it.

"Don't touch anything.' Shackelbot said. And they ran through the room into another room that looked like a stadium. They were on the highest level, looking down at the magnificent battle below them.

Arthur was gallantly battling two Death Eaters at once. He was jumping and rolling and dodging everything that came his way. Claudia had a hard time seeing anything for all of the colorful curses shooting all around the room. She saw a Death eater pointing his wand at that strange little girl, the blonde that she met at the wedding. But in an instant the pudgy boy, Neville, jumped on his back and Claudia thought she saw him bite his ear. The man yelled and tried to throw Neville from his back, but Neville hung on. The blonde girl stood and stared at the two, completely unawares of the battle going on just feet from her.

She saw Remus and Tonks and her heart skipped a beat. Remus was holding Tonks's arm and dragging her backwards. She was covered in blood from a very deep head wound. From the opposite side, she saw Hagrid running with his arms outstretched clothes lining anyone in his way. She also saw that any curses flung his way, seemed to bounce right off of him.

Then she saw where he was going. Tucked in the farthest corner was Hermione. She lay motionless, but what was strange was that she was surrounded by at least three house elves. They had formed a blue barrier around her and everything was bouncing off of it and heading back the way it came. In fact, the muggle voyeurs were forced to duck more than once as colorful jets of light were flying in every direction.

Claudia grabbed Nick' arm and cringed as she saw Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy and Severus enter through another door. They hurried to join the foray and Nick held Claudia back.

"We have no business here Claudia. All we can do is watch and wait. Duck!" They fell to the floor just as a green jet of light was lobbed their direction. They looked back up and saw more people entering the stadium room. For the first time, Claudia saw in the middle of the room, stood an archway. It was covered by a black drape, and Claudia wondered what it was for.

People seemed to flood inside of the room. Once or twice, they looked behind them, worried someone was going to come through the door they did. So Bones and Rod sat stationed on either side of the door, ready to pounce if necessary.

Claudia saw Minerva flicking purple jets of light from her wand at a Death Eater who was trying to get close to Shackelbot, but Minerva kept blocking him.

"Hey…what's that?" Chester pointed to the far corner and Claudia was very surprised.

A group of at least five goblins were walking in a straight line toward the fight. When a Death Eater stepped in their way, they stopped walking and pointed their long, wrinkled fingers at them. A dark blue bolt of light shot from their finger tips and wrapped around their enemy's throat. They shrieked with pain and ran away. The Goblins continued to walk together, calmly, across the room.. Lights were shooting from either side of the room and people were screaming in pain and anger. Blood was on the floor and so were a few bodies. Claudia looked and saw, with great sadness, Mad-Eye Moody laying on the floor. Clearly dead.

She fought back the primal scream that was raging in her heart. She tapped Nick and Chester next to her and pointed. Nick hissed through his teeth and Chester closed his eyes.

She had to shake herself back to reality and she watched as the battle continued. From out of nowhere, firecrackers were set off in the room and Claudia let out a snort of disbelief. Fred and George had joined the show and were directing two identical dragons at nearby Death Eaters. When the Dragon got close, sparks flew from its mouth and burnt the robes of the wizard. So now there were little fires all over the room as Fred and George chased a very scary looking man with pock marks on his face.

The elf with the many hats popped into the room and went for Minerva. He spoke to her for a moment and then popped out again. Remus was doing a fantastic job fighting along side of Arthur, who had not suffered even a scratch yet. Claudia found herself, once again, impressed with this seemingly gentle man with the lion's heart.

The two remaining teenagers, Neville and weird girl, were helping Hermione to her feet. Hagrid was standing in front of them kicking people as they passed by. Apparently, indiscriminately. Claudia saw some of the wizards she knew were in the Order, but didn't know their names, fighting with everyone else. So many people were crammed in the room, it was hard after awhile to know where anyone was.

It was Antonio who poked her in the back and pointed to a door below them. It had opened and a man was standing in the doorway. It was Voldemort. He hesitated and then sent black sparks from his wand in the direction of Arthur and Remus. Both of them dodged the black flame and landed on opposite sides of the room. Voldemort stood and his remaining Death Eaters went to him. Behind the Death eaters, Claudia saw more Goblins. These were not the same ones she saw earlier. They looked meaner and wore black arm bands.

Claudia scanned the room and her eyes rested on Severus who stood unscathed. She breathed a sigh of relief and saw another door open across the room. It was Harry.

CHAPTER 48

Horcruxes Destroyed

All was quiet as all eyes followed Harry. For he was a terrible sight to behold. He was dirty and bruised, but more than that, he was injured. His hand was dripping blood profusely on the floor and on his back, she saw he carried a bag.

"Harry Potter." Came Voldemort's voice.

"Tom Riddle." Came Harry's sarcastic reply. The Death eaters cried out in fury and Voldemort raised his hand for silence.

"You have failed Potter. Just as your parents did before you." Harry was walking down the stone steps to the main floor below. He was met by Hermione, Neville and weird girl. All three had wands out, pointed at Death Eaters.

Laughter from the Death Eaters camp. The rest of the Order moved up behind Harry and pointed their wands. This included, Claudia counted, five house elves and six Goblins. No one spoke.

Harry pulled the bag from his back and reached inside.

"Brought something for you Tom. Here." He pulled out a locket and tossed it on the floor.

"Broken." Harry said as he reached into the bag. He produced a half a cup and tossed it on the floor. "Broken." And he reached in again with his bloody hand and produced, what looked like a feather quill. It was black and bent at an odd angle. "Broken." Harry tossed the bag aside and everyone stared silently at the broken Horcruxes on the floor.

"You surprise me Potter. I admit, I never thought you could have gotten even this far." Came Lord Voldemort's voice. "But you still failed. For there are more…"

"I know! The diary was destroyed long ago! The ring…Dumbledore destroyed that too!" Claudia watched this with increasing dread. The man called Lord Voldemort did not show emotion, only pointed his wand more keenly at Harry.

"You still lose Potter!" He screamed.

From the other side of the stadium, on level with the muggles, Nick pointed out another man trying to hide. He had something long in his hands. Claudia narrowed her eyes and very quickly, he tossed the long thing to the floor below. It was a snake. Well…what was left of it. For it's head was missing and there were wounds all over it.

The people below watched the snake's body fall and it hit the floor with a thud and a squish. Harry eyed it and looked up triumphantly at Voldemort.

"Looks like I haven't failed after all." He said. His breath was coming a little more rapidly and he was almost sneering Severus-like.

"Wormtail…how dare you defy me." Voldemort said lazily and flicked his wand in the direction of the man Claudia had met and hit him with a jet of black flame.

Wormtail screamed and threw his body from the topmost railing and landed with a sickening thud on the floor. Right next to the headless snake.

Claudia was scanning the Death eaters side and was surprised to see Draco standing in close proximity to Severus. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the next, he didn't look comfortable. Severus just stood and stared ahead of him and Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry.

"You will pay Potter." His voice sounded like a hhiss. He sent a green flame toward Harry who ducked out of the way and caused everyone to go flying in different directions.

It was something Claudia expected to see in a movie. The battle began once again, but this time with increased vigor. The Goblins were battling the other Goblins and the elves were trapping Death eaters in bubbles of light. Their own curses were bouncing around in the bubble with them. Harry was dodging curses flung by Voldemort and the battle began anew.

Below the muggles, Claudia saw Bellatrix Lestrange aim a curse at Remus. She was shouting something at him, but Claudia could not make out what it was. When from behind Bellatrix, Neville stepped out of no where and aimed a curse that brought her to her knees. Claudia did hear her scream then. She watched with deep satisfaction as Remus and Neville stood side by side and nodded to one another. The pointed their wands at her and two jets of green light hit her squarely in the chest. She was dead.

They immediately turned back to the fight and disappeared in the crowd. Claudia saw with surprise the little house elf, with all the hats, holding another Death Eater in the air. It looked like Lucius Malfoy. He was being twirled around and around in the air like a top. The elf looked as if he was enjoying himself.

Claudia scanned the room for Severus and found him battling with Remus in the far corner. Claudia almost screamed out. She stood and tried to watch, but couldn't see for all of the lights and smoke. Nick was trying to pull her down, but she ran. She ran down, down the nearest staircase as fast as she could.

"Claudia!" Someone yelled.

She was running so fast, she hardly noticed the lights bouncing off of her.

She tried to get across the room, but too much was happening She crept along the side wall and tried to get as far as she could.

She stepped over a few bodies, both Order members and Death Eaters and made her way around in the circle. Something to the left of her made her stop. Draco Malfoy was standing with his wand in his hand and he was staring at the fight in front of him with horror and fear. Claudia saw a flash of light from the corner of her eyes, headed right for him. Claudia jumped in front of him and the curse bounced off of her and back the way it came. She pulled Draco to the floor and looked into his gray eyes. Yes…there was Severus in there. She saw it as plain as day.

"You need to stay down Draco!" She said. He was looking at her in the oddest way and she patted him on the cheek and moved on.

From where she was, she could see the fight happening around the beautiful archway on the raised dais. It was as if the fighters were vying for the archways attention. For it stood grandly among them all.

Severus was standing over Remus when Claudia got to him and he was talking to him, while pointing his wand at him.

"-he knows Lupin. I have done what I can and that should be enough."

"You're a murderer. Always I have regretted treating you the way we did. I as a coward for not trying to stop it. But now-"

"Coward did you say? Yes…it was cowardly attacking someone four on one."

"Claudia!" Remus cried and Severus turned his head toward her and she saw anger on his face.

Claudia was faced with the worst position she could have possible imagined. Her lover, pointing a deadly weapon at one of her dearest friends. So Claudia did what she knew best. She kicked the wand out of Severus's hands and aimed yet another kick to his stomach. Which had the desired effects and he doubled over. Remus stood and nodded his thanks to Claudia. He pointed his wand at Severus and Claudia found her self back in the same position as before. Only reversed.

"No Remus." Claudia stood in front of Severus and looked at her friend. "I'm sorry. I can't let you. There are things you don't know…" She was begging him to understand. "Look out!" From behind Remus, another Death eater had come to apparently save Severus. Claudia pulled Remus out of the way and stood in front of them both. The Death Eater was a man, whom Claudia did not know, but he was pointing his wand at her.

"Knew it…Bella was right. You are a filthy, lying, treacherous muggle!"

He aimed a curse at Claudia and it bounced off. He looked momentarily surprised, but he decided to just attack her instead. Claudia felt relieved as he was running towards her. This…I can handle, she thought. But she didn't have to. Both Remus and Severus had aimed a curse at the Death Eater and he lay sprawled on the floor. The two men looked at each other for a moment and Remus was off to the battle again.

"Stay back." Severus said to her as he pulled her to him in a quick kiss. Then he took of, and Claudia watched him as he approached Harry and Voldemort in a fierce battle.

CHAPTER 49

The End Of Evil

Claudia watched as Severus stood directly behind Voldemort and pointed his wand at Harry. Who, upon seeing this, began screaming at Severus. But Claudia couldn't hear what he was saying. She tried to go to them, but was caught from behind by a pair of strong arms. She struggled to get free, but they would not let her go.

She watched as Severus stepped forward and lowered his head. Harry was looking as if he couldn't go on any more as it was and Claudia couldn't breath. But…in an instant, Severus turned and aimed his curse at Voldemort.

It was blocked and Severus and Voldemort began circling each other. Claudia stood and watched, mouth open, the man she loved play a nasty game of cat and mouse with the most evil wizard of all time.

Harry stood for a moment and didn't seem to understand what was going on. But another did. Ginny Weasley screamed out for him and he jerked his head in her direction. His face was sad and he gave her a half smile. Then he turned back to Voldemort and pointed his wand at him. Severus and Harry stood side by side exchanging words and curses with Voldemort. Half of the room was still fighting on, completely unawares of what was happening on this side.

One Death eater did notice and attempted to curse Severus as he faced off with Voldemort. But from a far corner of the room, the Death eater was stunned and Claudia saw the source. Draco Malfoy.

In one moment, Voldemort aimed a powerful curse of gold lightening at Severus and it blew him off of his feet. Claudia broke through the strong arms that were holding her and she ran. She ran over bodies to the steps of the archway. Severus lay, blinking his eyes and gave Claudia a sad smile.

"What are you doing?' She cried over him. Her tears spilled onto his robes.

"My orders. My vow rather, to protect them until death." Claudia felt her eyes burn and she reached out to touch Severus's face. It was then she realized he was holding the amulet in his hands. It was still around his neck, but the vial was broken.

With trembling hands, he took it off and placed it in her hands. He kissed her hands and whispered to her.

"I will always be grateful for you…my light." And he jumped up with one final burst of energy and joined Harry once more. Claudia was on the floor and saw everything in slow motion.

Voldemort aimed a curse at Harry. The green light hit him in the face and blew him backwards. Harry Potter was dead. Severus let out a frightful scream as he rounded on Voldemort.

Screams were coming from somewhere else in the room but Claudia saw only one thing happening.

Severus had flung himself at Lord Voldemort and was struggling with him.

"No!" Voldemort screamed and worked his wand towards Severus's chest. They were but steps from the archway and Claudia sat and watched transfixed as a green light burst from in between Voldemort's and Severus's bodies. In an instant, Claudia saw them both fall backward. With Severus's arms wrapped tightly around Voldemort's body, they fell through the archway and were gone.

Claudia heard a horrible cry and realized it was hers. She ran up the steps and was going towards the veil. She heard Remus behind her.

"Claudia no!" But she went anyway. She reached the archway and heard the strangest sounds. Voices. All whispering to her to come to them. She reached out her hand but was pulled back from the veil by Nick.

"Nyet Mishka. He is gone." Claudia couldn't see his face through her tears and she couldn't breath.

"Please Nicky…" She held out her hand and he hesitated a moment and then nodded.

"No!" Came voices from behind them. But they didn't listen. Nick held one of her hands and Claudia reached out with the other through the veil.

It was cold in there. But she felt nothing else. She reached further and tried to find something to hold onto. She was crying harder as she realized she had no hope of finding Severus. She kept whispering…

"Please…please…please…" Her hand was getting colder and she felt like it was falling asleep. But then…she felt a hand in hers. She looked back at Nick with surprise and then concentrated on getting a better hold of the hand on the other side. Once she did, she pulled.

CHAPTER 50

Picking Up The Pieces

Claudia lay on the ground still clutching the hand of a man. She rolled over and looked into the face of Sirius Black.

"Oh my God…" She said.

Shock spread through her body like cold water being thrown on her. Remus came running up behind them and stared down at them.

"Is he…" Nick had his head in his lap and looked up at Remus.

"He is alive." Nick motioned for the others to help him and they lifted Sirius up and carried him to the steps. Claudia sat and cried.

To her right, lay young Harry Potter, being cradled by his friends and other members of the Order. But Claudia wept alone. The remaining Death eaters were promptly gathered by the elves and put into more blue bubbles. The Goblins that were fighting with Voldemort had disappeared and all that was left now was their bitter sweet victory. For the darkness had fallen.

It was over a week before Sirius was able to talk to them. Claudia tended to him around the clock, for she didn't have anything else to do. When he lay sleeping in her bed, she sat weeping over the amulets Severus had left her. His amulet broken. Hers, shining a deep black. For Severus knew he would die that night, Claudia was sure of it. He gave her his amulet to say goodbye. No one had yet been able to figure out when exactly Claudia's amulet had stopped working. But it had protected her as she reached through the veil. Afterwards, it just glowed black and was not able to deflect spells any longer. Claudia believed that the amulet protected her because Severus died loving her. She believed he loved her still, somewhere in death. The only injury Claudia suffered was the arm that she had reached inside the veil. She never regained full feeling in that arm.

But finally, Sirius was able to talk and move about. He remembered nothing except waiting. He said he had the feeling as if he were waiting for something and then the next thing he knew, there was a hand. He was never as boisterous as he was before his fall into the veil, but with time, he became Sirius once again. Emma came back and was happily surprised to see her two friends Sirius and Remus returned to her. Remus and Tonks came by to visit often and they enjoyed quiet nights and peaceful days. Remus and Tonks told them the news of everyone else that had been a part of that fateful night.

Minerva returned to her post as Headmistress of Hogwarts. The Weasley's were spending time together at the Burrow. For they were lucky beyond reasoning. They lost no one in the war. Hagrid had married Madame Maxine almost directly after the war was over. It was rumored that Neville was engaged to the weird girl, Luna. Though no one knew for sure. He was teaching Herbology and Luna had taken up post with her father at his newspaper. Ron and Hermione were still together, though no talk about marriage from either of them. The remaining Death eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban with a life sentence. All except for Draco Malfoy.

And they had buried Harry Potter in a private ceremony at Hogwarts. Other funerals, including Alastor Moody's, happened very quickly with little recognition. For the Ministry of Magic wanted desperately to put the whole business behind them. Only a small paragraph about the downfall of Lord Voldemort appeared in the 'Daily Prophet'. However, rumor had it Luna was writing a spectacular account to be published in her newspaper within a month. For it was a matter of weeks before the truth finally came out in its entirety. Hermione and Ron filled everyone in on what really had been happening. They also were the ones who told others of Severus's innocence.

Draco, after many months, sent Claudia a letter explaining that his mother told him the truth about his father. And he asked if it were possible, after he returned from traveling abroad, could he come and see her? Claudia wrote him back and said yes.

The guys took off for more relaxing endeavors and they promised they would be back soon. For they had to come back for the wedding.

Claudia had allowed herself the luxury of falling in love with Sirius. He said he loved her, not despite the fact that she loved Severus Snape, but because of it. So the night he got down on one knee and produced a pink tulip from his wand and proposed to her, she accepted. She had learned to not take love for granted. Though she still saved a part of her heart for Severus, she loved Sirius deeply.

After much debate and discussion, Claudia consented to a double wedding. Remus and Tonks were married along side Claudia and Sirius. On a bright afternoon in September, Claudia became Sirius's wife in her backyard in the country. A mere three months after the fall of Lord Voldemort.

Claudia still brought the amulets out of her jewelry box every now and again. Especially lately. For her expanding waistline was keeping her indoors of late. She and Sirius had spoken at great lengths and they decided that they hoped it would be a boy. For his name would be James Severus Black. The growing child within her would one day know of his real father. They would tell him how he was brave, strong and a hero. And how he saved the world with the love of a wizard.