Mr. Sweet wrung his handkerchief in his hands. The other staff members all stood in his office. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"It may not be infallible, but it's the best one we have." answered Ms. Andrews.

"But it's preposterous! We don't even know if this is legal!"

"In this case it is," supplied Victor. "These are extenuating circumstances. And we have the Auror contingent to prove it."

"But you two are the only ones who've even heard of these people! And you claim to be some kind of...of..."

"Wizards, yes! Honestly, Eric, we've been over this. We proved that we have magic, and soon-"

"A group of trained wizards are going to appear and bring us to a magical school in a hidden castle, I know, Daphne. I just find it hard to believe!"

"It's not that difficult to believe." retorted Victor. "Wizards are not that different from Muggles. Magic is the only thing that separates us. Apart from that, we're essentially the same."

"He's right. The last great wizarding war was fought over so-called blood purity. The last thing we need is any prejudice from our students."

"But how are they going to take it?"

"I'd imagine most of them would be quite excited. After all, to them Hogwarts has been a place they wanted to go to, but never could."

"Because it isn't real, Daphne!"

A knock at the door disrupted the argument. A tall, dark-skinned man entered, his dark red clothes catching slightly on the door handle. "Are all of your students ready?" he inquired.

"They are all in their boarding houses," Victor replied smoothly.

"Excellent. But there is one thing I have to ask of you all, some more than others."

"And that is?" asked Mr Sweet.

The newcomer looked directly at Victor. "You must ignore any...prejudice you may have against my colleagues, at least until we are all safe at Hogwarts."

"Very well."

"Then we should begin moving the students. If you would follow me?" They all proceeded into the hall, where Victor stopped dead at the sight of the other Aurors. Specifically, at the sight of the pretty blonde woman who was, at that moment, conversing animatedly with a man a few inches taller than she was, and who had long auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail. Both wore red suits, though the woman's was edged with black, and held their wands in their hands.

"Vera?" The conversation stopped abruptly, and the woman turned to face Victor, at the same time exposing a clean white bandage wrapped around her left hand.

"Victor," she murmured, rubbing absently at the back of her injured hand.

"You two can have your cosy little catch-up later! We're on a tight schedule here."

"Alright, keep your hair on, Mad-Eye." the wizard with the ponytail muttered, causing Vera to smirk and earning himself a glare from the darker wizard.

"Move it, Blake!"

"Yes, sir!" Blake saluted his colleagues and turned smartly, marching around the corner.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Vera called after him.

"Haven't the foggiest!" he shouted back cheerfully. Vera laughed and shook her head, following Blake around the corner.

"Remind me again why I brought them?" the dark wizard asked, casting his gaze upwards.

"Because they were going to Hogwarts anyway, they're the best Aurors currently on the force and Vera knows this place better than any of you," listed a tall woman, appearing seemingly from nowhere. "Want me to continue?"

"Where'd you come from?" the wizard demanded.

"Thought you could use some backup," the woman shrugged. "Did you even introduce yourselves yet?"

"Slipped my mind."

"Thought it might," she sighed, turning toward the teachers. "Well, I'm Felicity Shacklebolt and this gentleman, which term I use loosely, is my husband, Kingsley. Vera Devenish you already know, and her idiot friend is Patrick Blake." Felicity raised her voice at that last part.

"I am not an idiot!" Patrick shouted back.

"Who bit me on the neck when his brothers convinced him he was a vampire?" Vera asked, rounding the corner again. Patrick followed suit, blushing furiously.

"We were five!"

"Fascinating as this conversation is, it's getting us nowhere. Any suggestions as to where we should start?" This, Felicity addressed to the teachers.

"I'd suggest not bringing me to Anubis House," Vera muttered.

"Why not?" Kingsley asked.

Vera turned to look at him. "Did you even read that last report?"

"That's not my job."

"Yes it is!" all three shouted at him.

"Alright! Vera, if you won't go to Anubis House, then you and Pat take the houses on the other side of the lane. We'll deal with the others and all meet up at Hogwarts later. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Seems fair."

"Sounds like a plan."

Vera stepped neatly out of one of the fireplaces in the Hogwarts Kitchens, followed by Patrick, who didn't so much step out as fall out.

"I am so glad that's over," he sighed dramatically, flopping into the nearest chair.

"On the contrary, it's only just begun." Vera replied coolly, pulling out a chair for herself.

"I meant our jobs! Free as a bird, baby, free as a bird."

"Oh, that. Yes, I don't think I've ever seen so much paperwork! I thought I joined forensics to get away from the red tape."

"It's the Ministry, honey, there's always going to be red tape."

"Yes, but I thought there'd be less of it in the lab. Why they'd give us all the paperwork, I just don't know."

"A going away present?"

"If that's the case, I'd almost prefer Kingsley's little parting gift."

Patrick burst out laughing. "Oh, that was hilarious!"

"You wouldn't think it so funny if I let a Cornish pixie loose in your office!" Vera retorted, cheeks reddening. A shy noise at her elbow drew their attention to the small house-elf standing there.

"Professor Dumbledore is asking Mitsy to tell Master and Mistress that the Muggle students is being in their new dorms," piped the little creature. "And Mitsy is also to tell Master that his new office and classroom is being on the second floor, and Mistress' is on the fourth floor."

"Thank you, Mitsy," Vera answered, rising out of her seat and nudging Patrick out of his with her foot. "Come on, you, I need to decide whether to get a grand piano or an upright."

"Yeah, and I need to figure out how much space I'll have for easels." The two friends strolled casually out of the kitchen and up the Grand Staircase, discussing the various pieces of equipment they would need for classes, exchanging ideas and good-natured insults alike.

After all, what are friends for?

o~O~o

Patricia flopped into a sofa in the new common room. "Alright, does anyone else think this place is really weird?"

Eddie wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "It's not that weird. I mean, at least here we know there's going to be ghosts and moving staircases and talking pictures."

Fabian and the other Sibunas exchanged looks. "Eddie, we never had moving stairs or talking pictures."

"We had a talking house."

"Fair enough. And on the upside, Rufus is dead and Vera is who-knows-where, so that's one less thing for us to worry about this year."

"Yep. And all the magical people get here tomorrow, so that could be fun," added Nina.

"I think all of the teachers are here already. I saw the art teacher earlier."

"Really, Joy? I didn't think a magical school would have art classes," Amber frowned.

"Yeah! He was asking someone how many paintbrushes he'd need."

"Hey." Jerome and Mara had come in while they were talking, and now stood behind the sofas.

"Hey Jerry, Mara, what's up?" asked Eddie

"You know how we were wondering who was going to be our housemother this year?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Trudy's the housemother-" Mara was cut off by several cheers. "and Vera's the music teacher." The cheers stopped immediately.

"What?" Fabian voiced the question on everyone's minds.

"We were walking past the music room, and Victor and Vera were in there, shouting at each other."

"Shouting?"

"Yeah. It was kind of scary, actually. I think they're still in there."

"Should we go see?" Alfie asked.

"What'll we do if they catch us?" asked Amber critically. "I mean, it's not like we know our way around this place."

"So? We can say we were exploring, getting a feel for the castle."

"That's...not a bad idea," Fabian answered, looking thoughtful. "Jerome, where's the music room?"

"Down the hall and around the corner."

"Then let's go." As one, they all stood up and filed out of the room.

"Victor, please!"

"How can you just expect me to believe you, Vera!"

"I don't! I just hoped you'd listen to me!"

"Why? You lied to me last year, how can I be sure you're not lying again?!"

"I didn't mean to hurt you! I couldn't tell you about the mission without breaking the law!" A white light flared around the edges of the closed door.

"Spare me," Victor snapped, wrenching open the door and storming across the hall, before slamming his own door. All was silent for a moment, until a nerve-jangling mix of notes split the air. The Sibunas risked peeking around the door. Vera was sitting at a grand piano, one arm resting on the keys. A silver-white dog raced around the room, and she started crying, awful heart-wrenching sobs that seemed like they would never stop. The students withdrew, hiding around the corner. Joy was the first to break the silence.

"Wow."

"No kidding. That was intense," added Patricia. "What was that white light, anyway?"

"Must have been a spell," Fabian answered. "It's probably what made that dog appear."

"Guys, Vera's really upset. Maybe we should do something," suggested Nina.

"Why? She's evil, remember?" Amber pointed out.

"It's mean to leave her on her own to cry, though. And the Headmaster of this place didn't seem like he'd hire someone who'd hurt the students."

"Still, I don't think we should intrude. We don't even know her that well."

Eddie glanced around the corner, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. "Maybe we don't have to intrude."

Mara looked at him. "Okay, I don't understand some of what you've all said, but if we don't do something, who will?"

"Victor." And before anyone could stop him, Eddie slipped back around the corner and pushed open Victor's door slightly, then sprinted back to the others.

"Why would you do that?" Patricia hissed. "What if Vera saw you?"

"She's got her head in her hands, she couldn't see me. And Victor will hear her crying and go see if she's alright."

"Small problem, they only just finished screaming at each other. He's not going to talk to her."

"Eddie's got a point. Victor and Vera were basically together all last year, that's not going to go away easily." Amber pointed out.

"What did Vera mean by breaking the law, though? It's not against the law to talk," frowned Mara.

"It might be. Maybe we could go to the library and check."

"That's your answer for everything, isn't it Fabian?" Joy asked jokingly.

"It is not! I just meant that if Vera's a witch, it might have been against the law for her to talk to Victor about magic!"

"But Victor's a wizard, we just saw him put away a wand."

"Amber, Vera might not have known that," Jerome pointed out patronisingly. "But while we're on the subject of not knowing things, what did she mean by 'the mission'?"

"Oh,that's easy," a voice beside them answered. Everyone jumped and turned to see who it was. A portrait of a dark-haired witch with startlingly blue eyes smiled at them. "Vera used to be an Auror, that is, a policewoman. Bringing you all here was her last mission."

"Who are you?" everyone asked almost in unison.

"Oh, forgive me, I don't know where my manners are. My name is Riona McGonagall, I'm Vera's grandmother."

"Her grandmother?"

"Don't look so shocked, of course she has a grandmother. Or are you shocked about my being able to talk?"

"The Headmaster told us we could ask the portraits for directions if we were lost," Mara answered.

"Very well. Now, what mission of Vera's were you talking about?"

"One she might have been on when she was at Anubis House."

"Oh, that one. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I don't know how much you all know about what went on at that house."

Everyone exchanged glances. "I think Mara knows the least about it,"Jerome answered.

"About what? What went on last year?" Mara looked very confused.

The Sibunas started whispering among themselves. "We'll give you the details later, Mara," answered Nina. "Apart from that, I think we're all up to speed." She addressed that last part to Riona.

"So you know about Rufus Zeno, then?"

"Yes, but how do you?"

"There's another portrait of me at Vera's home. She told me all about that particular mission. You all know that Rufus was searching for the Mask of Anubis, don't you?" Everyone except for Mara nodded. "Well, what you don't know is that Rufus was a wizard. And a criminal as well. He was becoming too dangerous. Vera was sent to track him down."

"But she was working for him!"

"She was playing him for a fool. And it worked, for the most part."

"What part didn't work?" Fabian asked.

"The part where she wasn't supposed to get attached to anyone in the house."

"Who did she get attached to?" Eddie asked, although everyone had a suspicion as to who.

"I don't know if I should tell you..."

"Was it Victor?" Mara asked quietly.

Riona sighed. "Yes. Vera fell in love with Victor. And from what you said earlier, he fell for her too."

"What happened, though? I mean, that was a pretty big fight they had a few minutes ago." Patricia wondered aloud.

"He discovered that she was in contact with Rufus, and she was bound by law not to tell him the truth."

"Why?"

"There is a law, the Statute of Secrecy, which forbids a witch or wizard from telling a Muggle about magic."

"Muggle?" several people asked.

"A person without magic. You were right earlier, when you said that Vera didn't know Victor was a wizard."

"Okay, let me get this straight. Vera was a policewoman, and she was supposed to arrest Rufus. She fell in love with Victor and he caught her out. She couldn't tell him the truth because she didn't know he was a wizard, and he kicked her out. Is that it?" Alfie summarised.

"In a nutshell, yes."

"So Vera's not evil."

"Not in the slightest. It's one of the reasons she quit the Auror Office, the fact that she had to lie most of the time."

"And she...misses...Victor." Amber stated.

"More than I think she would care to admit."

"So why don't we get them together?" Amber suggested.

"Why not indeed? Now, you all should get going before Vera recovers and heads down for dinner. The Great Hall is on the ground floor, just follow the stairs down."

The students called out various thanks and goodbyes, and started down the hall. It was dinner time, after all.

Victor sat in his new office, feeling rather confused. Twice now Vera had shown to be something other than she appeared, and twice he had argued with her about it. Part of him insisted that she should have told him the whole truth, while another part insisted that she had done right, that she couldn't have known about his being magical.

So what if she didn't know? the first part whispered. She should have told you. If she really cared, she would have.

And risk going to Azkaban? the other part countered. You know what the dementors are like, can you blame her for not wanting to end up among them?

She betrayed you! the first part shouted.

She loved you, the second murmured.

Again the memory he had used to create the Patronus flashed across his mind: an afternoon first spent in his office, then in a quiet attic; a brief moment of triumph as he found what he had been looking for; a beautiful woman tilting her head invitingly, desire and duty warring in his mind as he pulled her closer. More memories flitted through his mind: hours spent in his office, poring over an ancient text; small compliments given in passing moments; shock and fear as he rushed to save her life; unadulterated joy as he saw her alive and well; holding her as she cried.

Part of that was not memory, he realised. His office door was ajar, and someone at the other side was crying bitterly, as though they would never stop. Victor rose from the chair and made his way out to the hall. Once there, he saw the source of the crying immediately. Vera was slumped over the piano in her classroom across the hall, crying her heart out. Briefly, he debated going over to comfort her, but, recalling their argument, decided against it. Instead, he pulled out his wand and conjured a snowdrop, levitating it over to the piano. After a moment's thought, he conjured a hibiscus as well, placing it beside the snowdrop, before returning to his office. She would find them when she got up to leave the music room and, he hoped, understand what he was trying to tell her.

He hoped.

Aloha! If we haven't met, I'm IrishBookworm3 and this is my attempt at a crossover.

Victor cast that Patronus in the music room. It's a dog instead of a raven because...well, you'll see later.

Snowdrops mean consolation, and hibiscus means a rare beauty.