Where I Belong: Part III

by bowtruckle90

Third installment of the Where I Belong series. How do Marian and Sirius fare when a new war rears its head and threatens to part them again? Been a long time coming, so I hope it's good. Rated M for adult content. Please R&R.

CALLING OUT

The house had been empty for a good decade since Mrs. Black died in her bed at the apex of the third story. Marian had been back right after that, once. She was still in school, it was in her fourth year at the tail end and after classes were over, Dumbledore escorted her there. She had something that was safe to leave there again.

It had been a quick trip, and nothing much had changed in those four years since Sirius tried to leave her there to go after Peter alone, still dark and dusty but basically livable. Now when Marian crept inside after Sirius, following another decade of being left alone, the house was more than just depressing. It was unimaginably filthy, and she could hear things alive. In the drapes. In the walls it seemed.

"It wasn't like this the last time I was here."

"Well," Sirius answered as they walked slowly through the hall, down the stairs through a doorway, making their way through to the kitchen that took up the downstairs, "you were basically in and out last time."

"True but I was back once before. After your mother died." They had reached the kitchen, which was dusty, but basically in good condition. "Probably start in here first."

"You were back?" Sirius sat at the long bench at the table and sighed from the long night.

"I came to bring your wand back. It was as safe a place as I could think of. People always went through my things at school so as soon as I could I brought it back here for safekeeping." Marian sat down and drew her wand, looking around them. "Well I can't exactly redo the tiles or the furnishings, but we can dust." She swished her wand over her head and the dust and cobwebs siphoned off the various surfaces into the tip with none too few spiders in the mix.

It actually didn't look half bad, but they wouldn't be able to get everything done alone. No, there were seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, a drawing room, a formal dining room, many closets and all the hallways in between to worry about. Everything could be infested with anything. Doxies, boggarts, and a hundred other, viler things. They would mostly have to wait for the cavalry.

Of which, Marian added to herself, there were not very many. They were able to speak to whoever was left from the old days: Dedalus Diggle, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher was a problem but he could be found eventually if you knew where to look, Elphias Dodge, and Emmaline Vance. Sirius and Marian got to Remus' house just before dawn and slept until early afternoon before getting to Sirius' childhood home. The one Marian had thought to offer Dumbledore as headquarters for the new Order of the Phoenix. Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

They would have to think of some names to float by Albus when he stopped by as promised. But when that would be it was hard to say. He still had his duties about the school after all. Particularly in dealing with the death of Cedric Diggory at the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. There was a memorial going on.

"Well we certainly can't do everything we'd like to get done just the two of us, but I'm sure Molly will lend a hand. Albus said she was good at this kind of thing."

Marian smirked. "Seven children, she should be."

"We can certainly handle the guest rooms, not much in them to begin with really, and one of the toilets will have to be cleaned out."

Marian shivered. "And the fireplaces need to be working." It had been cold in the house the other times she had visited as well. Though it was June, there was an inexplicable draft through the air that could only be described as the breath of death.

Sirius stood and stretched before offering his hand to Marian. "Shall we check on my old bat's room then?" Sirius was of course referring to his mother. He had insisted on their way over that the two of them sleep in her old room. When Marian asked why, Sirius said that it would be better to lay in the beds of those who had made him miserable than to lie in the bed wherein he was miserable. Whatever the difference, since the house itself held and endless fountain of bad memories for him, that was apparently where he was intendant on leading her now. "If we can clear it out perhaps we can have a place to think about some names to give Dumbledore when he gets here."

Marian took his offered hand and stood. They went back upstairs and stepped back into the dank hall and Sirius flicked his stolen wand toward the lanterns in the hall to light them. They flickered to life, just enough for them to see their way and while they walked, they continued to talk. Well, really, Sirius decided to talk, Marian just didn't like the subject.

"I don't suppose after the horrible night last night that you will now finally tell me what that was at the school."

They had to keep their voices down, so as to ensure they wouldn't wake anything in the house. But Marian wasn't so sure she could keep a lid on it if he insisted on pressing the issue. "What what was?"

"With Snivellus before we left." Sirius practically spat Severus' nickname.

Marian sighed. "Sirius it was nothing."

"He hugged you Marian. It wasn't just a typical acquaintance hug. And don't think it escaped my attention while we were wrapping up story time in Dumbledore's office that you were with him when Harry came back out of the maze so will you kindly tell me what you were doing with that snake?"

Their levels were steadily escalating. If she couldn't get Sirius to calm down while they climbed the stairs to the second floor they were going to be caught up by something ghastly.

"He's a friend, Sirius. That's all. And if you're so insistent that we're somehow more than that then perhaps I should have divorced you when I came of age." Marian pushed past Sirius in the stairs, knowing she had just said precisely the wrong thing and a volcano was about to erupt, but as soon as she did he shouted after her, "Perhaps you should have!"

Instantly, there was all manner of shrieking and swearing going on. Sirius whipped his head around and rushed back down the stairs. Marian followed and found Sirius in the hallway, pulling at some curtains on either side of a large portrait of a very old woman who was slinging all kinds of insults at him. She called him useless, disappointment, she said he was dead to her. Hilariously, it was the woman who was actually dead. Marian drew closer and saw the plaque beneath the picture said it was Walburga Black. "Help me!" Sirius called.

Marian went to grab the curtain opposite Sirius and together they pulled them shut, upon which the yelling stopped. Sirius breathed sharply, in and out several times. "Well," he said quietly again. "Now you can say you've met my mother." He gestured back toward the stairs. "We should continue this upstairs."

They climbed together in silence this time and upon reaching the upstairs room, where they planned on keeping Buckbeak when they retrieved him from the cave where they left him with a barrier spell and plenty of food, they sat on the bed and talked. The room was rather bright by comparison because of the skylight over the bed framed in rod iron. Like the other rooms, it was dusty as sin, but otherwise clean. Marian dusted it quickly and she and Sirius sat down on the bed.

"Listen," Marian said evenly. "After the war Severus became a teacher, and I started school, but at a term behind I needed to be caught up so Severus tutored me every day after classes. We bonded. His childhood and mine are comparably horrible. We found common ground and I would sometimes seek advice from him on how to deal with my peers. Believe me they weren't always good suggestions." Marian had been looking at her clasped hands, but now she used them to take Sirius' and met his slate colored eyes with her own matching pair. "Like everyone else who knew me, we lost touch after I was out of school. I shut myself away the first chance I got and never let anyone in again. After returning to Hogwarts I only learned he still cared when he warned me about who Karkaroff was. He was concerned about me because someone had to be and I was alone. Now I have my friends back around me, my husband. He has no one. I'm worried about him, and I'm looking after him because someone has to."

Sirius nodded and lifted one of their joined hands, kissing her small fingers peeking out from his grasp. Marian could feel herself blush, though from embarrassment or from attraction, she didn't know. A little of both maybe.

"I didn't mean it you know," Marian said. "When I said I should have divorced you. Albus seemed to think it would be better if I did, but… knowing that I was connected to someone who though I would likely never see again I knew still loved me in some way, well, you made it easier for me to grow up. I didn't want to lose you."

Sirius moved closer to Marian and pressed his lips against hers. He brushed his hands lightly against her cheek, her collar bone, her breast. He led her to lie down on the bed where they were sitting and rested his body gently over her, kissing her lips, her forehead, everywhere he could as the fingers of one of his hands lost themselves in her dark curls. Sirius pulled at Marian's skirts and tentatively rubbed between her legs, eliciting a soft moan from Marian into his lips. She reached up to her bodice and started undoing the buttons down her bosom as Sirius trailed kisses and light nips from Marian's earlobe, down her neck, and finally resting at a nipple, sucking and rolling it around his tongue. Sirius moved his hands beneath her panties and felt her wetness. He could only do so a moment before he answered the urge to slide the offending garments down her legs and undo the button and zipper of his own trousers. But before he took her, Sirius paused. "Are you sure?"

Marian nodded, and Sirius slowly delved into her, feeling her tightness and warmth with a groan of pleasure. His thrusting was gentle and caring, more like a caress than a frenzy, and when Sirius came inside her with a moan he could have sworn he saw stars. Sirius dismounted and laid beside Marian pulling her into his chest.

"I'm sorry my love," he panted. "It's been a long time…years. I'll last longer next time."

"It's all right," Marian said quietly, almost at a whisper. "I actually don't have much experience. Actually…I really have none."

Sirius propped himself up on an elbow. "What?"

Marian would not meet his eye, but she didn't sound troubled. "Well, I fooled around with Myron in our sixth year, but I never slept with him. It felt wrong to me, so I just never went all the way. With anyone."

Sirius flopped back and rubbed his forehead. "So that was your first time. Damn, now I feel as though I've downplayed something that should be one of the best most beautiful moments of your life."

Marian rolled over now and hovered over Sirius with a shy smile. "Well, we can try for beautiful. Want to go again?"

…

Severus hours later, Sirius and Marian were lying naked and tired covered in the sheets of the master bedroom's canopy bed. In between sessions of love making they discussed the house, the future, the people they thought could help the cause. And now as they lay quiet, huddled close and just about to fall asleep, there was a bang downstairs.

Marian snapped her head to look at their door, which was closed. Sirius looked up and they waited. There was another bang.

"What is that?" Marian whispered shakily.

"Stay here." Sirius slid out from under the covers and grabbed his trousers from the floor. He stepped into them and grabbed his wand from the nightstand where he had left it. He walked quietly to the door, opened it and slipped out before closing it again.

Sirius lit the tip of the wand and descended the stairs. Bloody hell, he thought, the lights must have run out. It was dark as a tomb in the stairwell. Down the second set the gloom grew worse and until he heard whispers, Sirius was about to discount the noises they had heard from upstairs as the various creatures in the house moving around in the walls. As he reached the top of the steps leading to the ground floor, there were two more lit wand tips the flashed in his face.

Sirius shielded his eyes for a moment and when he looked again it was Albus and Remus standing there, with Buckbeak circling behind them in the foyer. "I could have killed you both!" Sirius gasped. "You should have forewarned me you were coming."

"If I thought you would not be sitting discussing things that needed doing to get this place livable again," Dumbledore said quietly with a glimmer in his eye, "I would have. But then I suppose it is the first time you and your wife have not been on the run or separated since you came together again."

Remus grimaced and while he and Dumbledore led themselves into the kitchen, Sirius went upstairs to fetch Marian. And when they were all together in the kitchen they talked.

"There are seven bedrooms in this house, but how many people are going to be staying here, Albus?" Sirius asked.

The old man thought for a moment and started counting on his fingers. "Well, you and Marian of course, Remus lives too far away to travel much so he will be here, the Weasleys will be here over the summer-"

"And they take up a lot of room," Marian observed.

"And Harry and Hermione of course."

"When will he be brought back here," Sirius jumped to. "After what's happened, he needs to be here, with people who know what's been going on and can answer his questions."

Albus raised her hands to calm Sirius. "All in good time Sirius. He needs to be brought secretly, and safely. That will take some time to arrange, particularly when we don't have much help at the moment."

"Then let's see if we can't change that. We've got some ideas for you."

Marian suggested a few people she knew would not be blinded by anything the Ministry or the Prophet would likely say about Harry and Albus: Kingsley Shaklebolt, who was an auror, was definitely one. Not to mention he could possibly gather others from the department, young people who didn't have any bias over their belief that it had all been over thirteen years ago. Albus offered to speak with him personally. She mentioned that she and Sirius had not been able to track down Mundungus Fletcher, but the professor didn't seem too concerned about him. When Marian suggested her boss at the Department of Mysteries, Broderick Bode, he could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"Broderick is very much an individual," Albus said thoughtfully. "In fact, he once told me the only reason he worked for the Ministry was that he couldn't do the research he wanted to do anywhere else. But I sense you're uneasy, my dear."

Marian sighed. "I just don't know who I can trust there. Broderick certainly, but the others? We don't work together. And there's another problem. Rookwood still works there." This certainly was a problem, and one that put all three men on the defensive. "He worked my job before I did and when he didn't yield the right results Broderick hired me. I know what Rookwood is, and I just don't think it would be safe to get anyone else in the department involved in this. If he heard one iota of anything we discussed, which can happen in a suite where almost literally anything can happen, we would be compromised before we've even begun."

"I'm afraid I have to agree," Dumbledore said, adjusting his half-moon spectacles. "But I would like Broderick to be available for occasional favors for this organization, on a situational basis of course."

Marian nodded. "I'll visit him at home and discuss it. It'll be safer that way."

Determining that there was enough to be getting on with, Albus left Marian, Remus, and Sirius alone with Buckbeak, who was in the formal dining room upstairs for the moment.

"He really didn't have to bring him, I would have gone back for him," Marian said. "I'll lead him upstairs. The master bedroom is more than big enough for Sirius and I to share it with him."

When she had gone, Remus added to the to do list. "Well, all the rooms will need dusting, the bathrooms will need to be exterminated of whatever is living in the walls, something we'll need the three of us for, and the dining room looks like quite the undertaking."

"More than dusting needed in there," Sirius mumbled. "Doxies in the drapes I think, and those cabinets built into the wall are filled with items that for lack of a better word are just horrible. Gonna need to have everyone here before we try and tackle it."

"Well, Arthur and Molly will have a room, and Molly's sent a note to me per Albus' request that her oldest sons are not going to come here on a permanent basis; Charlie is in Rumania still of course, but Bill I imagine just isn't interested in living in another full to bursting house. We can put the twins and Percy in a room together, Ron and Harry together, the girls together…we don't have enough rooms, Sirius."

Sirius thought for a moment before responding. "Of course we do. The twins and Percy, Harry and Ron, the girls, Arthur and Molly, me and Marian, and you."

"You and Marian?"

"Of course. Why not?"

Remus rubbed the back of his neck. "You can't tell me you're sleeping with her, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged. "She's my wife. And not that I wanted this to be our home, but since it is for the time being, we intend to treat it as such."

Remus groaned and stood up to pace. "Sirius…she was a child when this arrangement was made, and it was made for the purpose of well-being and support. You cannot seriously tell me that you think this is appropriate. The psychological ramifications must be-"

"Our marriage was to protect her, yes…but somewhere along the way we both fell in love with the person we each knew the other was and would be. So, yes, I am sleeping with my wife. My adult wife. And just between us, she led me to it." Sirius stood now. "And it might be nice if you could kindly keep your nose out of our business."

He started to leave, and Remus called after him. "Aren't we going to start on the house?!"

"Shh," Sirius quieted him. "There's a portrait of my mother in the hall and if you speak too loudly, you'll wake her and she won't give us a moment of peace until we can quiet her. There's no point in starting on the house tonight, it's almost midnight and we're all tired. And there is a woman lying naked in my bed right at this moment in need of attention. Good night Moony. You can have the room on the third floor, middle door. Used to be my father's bedroom. Plenty of space."

A HOUSE FULL OF SURPRISES

The next morning, Sirius, Marian and Remus woke up bright and early to start clearing out the house. The dining room was off limits until they had more hands, of course, but the other bedrooms were the first things to get working on. Marian knew only four of the seven were used regularly. From what Sirius had told her about his family, Walburga stayed in the master suite, which took up about half the third floor space, and beside it was where Sirius' father Orion slept. The second floor had four bedrooms, one of which was Sirius', and the other three were guest rooms. Marian started on those.

As expected, there wasn't much. The rooms all needed a quick dusting, the mirrors were shined and the bed linens freshened. By the time she was done cleaning and checking all the dressers and closets for anything living or otherwise that could be harmful, the men were done getting the fireplaces in the kitchen and the master bedroom and Remus' room cleared out and the boiler in a cubby near in the kitchen fixed.

Remus decided to go out and scrounge up something for lunch from a muggle cantina since there wasn't any food in the house, while Marian stayed behind with Sirius. Once Remus had gone, she said, "I didn't find anything too terrible. There was a boggart in one of the drawers, but it was nearly dead by the time I got to it. I had to take care of some chizpurfles in one of the dressers but I believe I got them all, though the dresser might be a bit scorched. Seems your family kept the really awful stuff in that cabinet downstairs."

Sirius chucked a bit. "I'm sure you're right. Did you bag up any unnecessary things you found in the drawers?"

"A few, but there wasn't much there. The bag is at the drop staircase to the attic. We can put them up after lunch." Marian sighed. "There's one more room. You should help me." Marian rushed down the third floor hallway toward the final room.

"Marian, dear, wait."

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone in there."

"Why not?"

Sirius caught up to her and drew her away, saying quietly, "No one should have to sleep in the same room where a Death Eater once lived."

Marian knew Sirius had a brother once. Regulus. She also knew he had died in the last war, but she didn't know he had been a Death Eater. As terribly supportive the Black family was of Voldemort, Sirius had never mentioned that anyone aside from his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange and her Husband and her sister's husband Lucious Malfoy were members of that horrid club surrounding the dark wizard.

It occurred to Marian as she stood thinking that she had been in that room before. When Sirius brought her to the house for safekeeping while going after Peter.

"You put me in there."

"That was different. I needed to put you somewhere safe and I didn't want you in my old room."

"Why?"

"I…it doesn't matter."

Sirius, after sealing the room shut and obviously not up for discussion of his family, walked with Marian down the stairs past the second floor bathroom. "We got lucky with my mother's master bath; hardly anything wrong aside from dust and some mildew. Been in this one yet?"

Marian nodded. "This morning. There are horklumps growing from underneath the tiles and those are going to need a pesticide. We're going to have to pry the tiles first and then reattached them afterward. Otherwise, it's not too bad, the sink and tub could use a cleaning, but the mushroom infestation is going to be the biggie."

"I found mokes scurrying around the bathroom on the ground floor. Annoying little things, first they're there and then they shrink and you can't see them at all."

"Something else we'll need poison for, then."

Sirius and Marian walked down to the kitchen to wait for Remus to return with some food for lunch, but when they got there, something behind the door to the boiler was ratting. Thinking the boiler was about to die, Sirius groaned and opened the door. What they found was unlike anything they thought possible.

A sooty, grimy house elf tumbled out. Apparent from his tiny hand and footprints, he had been attempting to scale the boiler, to peer through a wide crack in the door no doubt. Marian shrieked a little before she realized what she was looking at.

"Kreacher?"

The elf stood up and grumbled something incoherent. Sirius stepped closer and looked close. "Bloody hell, it is Kreacher."

With this, the little elf exploded. "You, the brat who broke poor mistress' heart and dampened her soul! Leading her to her untimely demise!"

"Untimely perhaps, but no the worse for anyone else who knew her," Sirius retorted. "I thought you said this toe rag was gone," Sirius directed at Marian.

"I thought he was. I didn't see him when I was here last. I figured he'd died somewhere in the house or passed to Bellatrix since you were disowned."

"Even if he had he couldn't have obeyed her. Public knowledge or not, you were my wife long before then. Where were you hiding Kreacher? When Marian was here last where were you?"

Begrugedly the elf answered, "The attic, master."

Seemed Sirius really had passed to own the house elf, Marian thought. But the mumbling, she had never seen a house elf do that before. Strange.

"Get back in there, Kreacher and don't let me catch you out of there again until we've decided what to do with you."

Kreacher, though he leered at Sirius in a terrible way, obeyed and shut the door behind him.

"What do you mean what we're going to do with him?" Marian asked. "How does his being here change things?"

"He desperately wants to go to Bellatrix, I'm sure. Always hated me, so there's no telling how well he will listen to what I order him to do and after me she's the next of kin."

"After me you mean."

"Right. I'm just not so sure he'll obey either of us very well. Remember that house elf Harry told us about? The one the Malfoys used to own?"

She did indeed. But even then Dobby had to punish himself severely for disobeying an order; it would probably be quite noticeable should Kreacher who was elderly have to do the same thing to himself. It was true, Kreacher was going to have to listen to Marian as well as Sirius, and that would help put a damper on Kreacher's ideas of leaving. But there was another issue that made the point that Kreacher clearly did not want to listen to either of them concerning.

"We're going to have to be very careful," Sirius said. "I should draw up a will, make sure that in the event we're both gone we leave him to Harry; he'll do right by the little crud muncher and it keeps him away from Bellatrix. We should also devise a set of commands to give him to keep him from any kind of scenario in which he could out anything he knows or overhears from the order to Bellatrix or Narcissa."

It sounded like a plan. Marian couldn't think of anything wrong with it in the moment, except that house elf servitude was not absolute. If they wanted to, really wanted to, they could dispbey. Marian recalled Harry telling her about Dobby the Malfoys' old house elf warning Harry about the goings on at Hogwarts in his second year against the orders he had been given to never leave the Malfoys' home. How deep was Kreacher's desire? There was no way to know. Marian sighed. She would have to think on it. "We'll work on it later," she said. "Did you go through your old room?"

"Yeah. Apparently my mother tore everything out after she disowned me so it's pretty clear. Harry and Ron can sleep in there, there's room to duplicate the bed."

Sirius' room... Why hadn't he put her there thirteen years ago? Why wouldn't he let her help him clean it earlier that day? She had already seen it bringing his wand for safekeeping, he must know that surely. So why the cloak and dagger routine? Was that because he didn't want her to see the pain it caused him to see how hated he had been in his own family? The way she used to disown family members Walburga had certainly trashed the room after Sirius left home to live with James and his family. If her portrait was any indication Walburga may have gone on a full-fledged rampage. Marian had never thought on it before, but Sirius must have been a little embarrassed. But not wanting to belabor a point that was sure to cause a riff, she changed the subject. "Did you find your wand?"

Sirius had forgotten. He had been using a stolen once since he was in Hogsmeade. It worked, but Sirius had confessed before that it was nothing like his own. "Come to think of it, I didn't. Where had you put it?"

"Just in a dresser drawer. Did you check?"

Sirius nodded. They both thought for a moment before turning to stare at the door behind which Kreacher was sure to be listening intently. Sirius sighed and stepped to open it again. "Kreacher, you are going to come out of there and you are going to show us where you took the wand you got out of my old dresser." When the elf did not move at once, Sirius, barked, "Now!"

It turned out he had brought it to the attic. On the way up, Marian levitated the bags of junk they had been planning on taking up there and let them rest among the hordes of other items and bric-a-brac. There was old furniture pressed up against the walls, trunks laid out here and there, several sitting open and spilling out clothes. There was a long dressing mirror of a very old fashion and a bookcase whereupon sat some very peculiar looking items, some of which looked as though they had been alive at some point and were pickled in jars.

Kreacher shuffled toward the nearest trunk and riffled through old pants and shirts that could have belonged to Sirius' father before producing a long wand with curling designs swirling from the handle to the tip.

"Give it here," Sirius commanded, and swiped it from the elf as he slowly extended it to him. Sirius sighed the moment it was in his grasp. "Hawthorne with dragon heartstring. Always felt like the right wand to me after I got rid of my dad's old one. Horrid thing never listened to me anyway."

They descended the stairs in just enough time to greet Remus at the door and help him with the groceries. Since both men pled uselessness in the kitchen, Marian set about making sandwiches for the three of them. And while they ate, Marian was thinking. Her powers to infer emotions and determine feelings had dissipated completely in the past few days. It was a relief really, but she knew that she had to gain greater knowledge of her works with gemstones and their uses in magic to gain any real sort of useful power back. She didn't know how to be an average witch; it was uncomfortable. It would be best to have a new wand made.

When she voiced this idea, Sirius scoffed. "If your wand is misbehaving now, then just go get another one."

"I can't, any other wand is going to be the same. They work just fine, but they don't reveal the true measure of my capabilities either. I'll go to Ollivander tomorrow. See what we can come up with."

"You're going to design something?"

Marian shrugged. "It might be the only way. Otherwise mixing stone usage in the future could have me wearing a different ring on each hand every time I work. I'm not paying my jeweler for that much work, it'll ruin me."

Remus quirked his head and leaned in toward Sirius from across the table. "She has a jeweler?" he whispered.

"Apparently," Sirius whispered back.

Marian ignored them both and resolved to do some research in the coming weeks. The house was almost as good as it could be without Molly around, so that left plenty of time for her to decide how she should go about designing and wand made for an Elemental such as herself.

"Tomorrow I'll go to Diagon Alley, get some pesticide and poisons for our bathroom infestations, and see Ollivander about a new wand." Marian dabbed her mouth with her sleeve, as they had no napkins to speak of. "And since I did the cooking, you boys and clear while I start searching through the books in the drawing room for some useful information."

MASTERPIECE

"I must say, Miss Knightly," Ollivander said in a warning tone, "I am still very hesitant about anyone using this piece of fine work you've commissioned from me."

Marian locked the shop door behind her, even though it was late and no one was on the streets of Diagon Alley at this hour. "Well, I needed something that was going to enhance my newly found niche and my old wand certainly wasn't doing it."

"It was working just as well as it always has." Ollivander had not been comfortable with creating this wand from the beginning. He wasn't wrong really, Marian's old wand was fine. But since losing her powers of perception Marian had been feeling more ordinary, which oddly enough made her feel out of place. She had always been special and now it seemed she had no idea how else to be.

"Dangerous times are afoot, don't pretend you haven't noticed. And I need something that enhances my specific powers instead of leaving them to rot from lack of use. Particularly in a dangerous situation."

Ollivander shrugged and unlocked a drawer behind the counter. From it, he lifted a long leather box and set it down, closer to him than Marian. He held out his hand toward her. "One at a time if you please; no need to cause any catastrophes. You should have just picked one gem. Choosing six, as I've said, is irresponsible."

Marian slipped her arms out of the wand holster she had taken up wearing in order to reach her wand easier. "And yet you agreed to make it." She handed the wand and holster to Ollivander and in return he opened the leather box before him and lifted out his and Marian's masterpiece.

Elder wood for those with strong morals and a connection to the earth (obviously, Marian did), 15 inches however very slender, a core of amber, heated to melting and poured into the hollow and left to harden again. Amber was known to have properties to protect against negative influence and improve clarity of mind. Along the length of the wand were gem inlays. Marian had chosen four: garnet for energy during spell casting, hematite for focus of the mind, moonstone to balance the body, and jadeite for enlightenment of the soul. In the tip and at the end of the hilt, perhaps the most expensive part of the wand, was a diamond each. They acted as resilience against the wand being overloaded and breaking, and to strengthen the other elements in the wand. There were tiny, carved runes leading toward the tip in between the thin inlays of gems. They were ancient spells used by earth Elementals to promote mind, body, and soul. That had been a challenge to find.

The overall effect was stunning, unique, and the minute Ollivander laid it in Marian's hand, there was a tangible energy in the room. Almost an electricity. She could feel it coursing through her blood, running through her skin. Oh yes, she thought, this was going to be a very powerful wand indeed. She could probably make something levitate with only the slightest of thoughts.

"Well, it seems you're capable of controlling it. That's a relief."

Ollivander was looking toward a vase sitting on a small table in the corner. It was floating about a foot above it actually. Marian created a thought and set it down.

"Seems like the combination makes it very easy for me to accomplish magic. I'll probably never have to speak a spell again."

"Probably not," Ollivander agreed. "In any case, I would highly recommend you not use it for everyday tasks. It should be reserved for times of actual danger."

"Why?"

Ollivander sighed. "It would seem that this creation of ours is a little too powerful. This wand likely does not even adhere to the laws of Merlin. Anything can be accomplished wither you know an incantation for it or not. Its actions can be fueled by your imagination alone. My advice?"

"Hm?"

"Practice." Ollivander sighed and ran his hands along Marian's old wand, reminiscing. "Cherry wood for a strong intuition, 13 inches, slender, unicorn tail core reserved for those who are pure of heart. I worked so hard to find the right combination for you. Please make sure it does not go without an owner."

"It won't," Marian promised. "But can I ask one more thing of you?"

"I suppose," the wand maker responded, leaning on the counter. "I've already done something I never thought I would."

"Can I leave my old wand with you for a while?"

"Why?"

"I think…perhaps this wand is going to be unnecessary when this new war is over. There is a lot of power behind it and I would like to use my old one when this is all finished. It's going to need some work to perform more reliably for me, but we can worry about that another time. Would you mind?"

Ollivander opened the drawer again and lifted out an empty box. After placing Marian's old wand in the box and holding it close to his chest, he said quietly, "I would love to. I knew you were a practical person. That thing should be locked up when He Who Must Not Be Named is truly dead."

"That I think will be the plan. Thank you. I have to get back before my new housemate arrives."

"It sounds like a boarding house you're running."

"I suppose in a way it is. Thanks again."

Marian shrugged back into her holster and fastened her new wand in. She lifted the hood of her cloak and departed the wand shop, feeling invincible.

Q&A

Marian had definitely taken too long with Ollivander. She was supposed to just pick up her wand quickly and go, but all the talk with the old wand maker had made her very late getting home. When she arrived at Grimmauld Place, checked that the coast was clear, and entered number 12, there was definitely an uproar going on in the kitchen which could be heard even upstairs in the foyer.

"I don't give a damn about my safety, she was supposed to be back an hour ago, I'm going to find her!"

Marian swept her cloak off and hung it on the coatrack and picked up her niffler Schorl who was sitting before the entryway waiting for her before walking through the door on the left and down the stairs toward the kitchen. Inside, the Order meeting had clearly come to a close, and it appeared that Sirius was trying to leave the house, only to be physically held back by Remus and Arthur Weasley.

"You're not going anywhere, Sirius," Remus grunted out while holding one of his arms. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

From the corner of the room, a voice said, "Of course she can. Normally I wouldn't be agreeing with you Lupin, but it would certainly seem she knows how to do just fine on her own, Black, considering you've spent your entire marriage in jail.

Marian couldn't see him from the final handful of steps before the doorway, but she knew Severus' voice when she heard it. Marian wasn't sure why, but she stayed just around the corner, listening to the exchange a little longer. Perhaps she wanted to know if Sirius could let the nasty commentary go without a fight, or maybe she was feeling a little impish. Either way, she pressed herself against the wall and muzzled Schorl to listen.

"Diagon Alley is not that far from here, you big nosed git! She left when the meeting was winding down at seven, and said she'd be back by eight! It's after nine o clock now! Remus let me go and find my wife!"

"Someone can go," Arthur said. "If it makes you feel better I'll pop round and see if I can find her, but you're staying here."

"Don't bother," Marian called out and rushed to enter the kitchen. "I'm fine, I'm here."

Seemed many of the members had already left, but Mundungus had stayed. Arthur, Molly, and Remus were living in the house by now of course. What she couldn't figure was why Severus was still there. If the meeting was over she knew from experience by now that he hated to stick around because he hated being around Sirius and Remus.

"Well, now that you're back we can get the rest of the crew down here for dinner," Molly said warmly. As she passed Marian while heading for the door, the motherly woman patted her shoulder, saying, "We're glad you're all right dear."

Molly went up the stairs and Marian, setting Schorl on the tabletop, sat beside Sirius, who had taken a very heavy seat at the table. "I'm sorry darling. I really thought it would go faster than that but I had to talk to Ollivander about how to use this thing first."

Sirius flashed a nervous smile. "The important thing is you're back and you're all right." He kissed her lips. "You are aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Well now that we're all satisfied that Marian is not dead, I'll be going now." Severus, who had been brooding in a chair in the corner stood and started for the door. Marian stood up herself and followed, saying, "I'll see you out."

They stepped out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs into the foyer to the entryway before the door and once they were out of sight of the kitchen, before Marian could say anything, Severus reached for her and pulled her into an embrace. Into her ear he said lowly, "I was worried about you."

"Thanks," Marian said sincerely, letting go and taking a step back. "I didn't mean to make anyone worry about me. I'm fine. And with my new wand, I don't think anyone is going to need to worry about me ever again."

"Maybe someone should have gone with you. I'll think of it next time."

"Really it's fine."

Severus nodded, but reached for her cheek and stroked it for a moment. "It's not. I couldn't bear it if I lost you."

"Ahem!"

Severus and Marian both looked toward the entrance to the foyer, where Sirius was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. "Shouldn't you be going now, Snivellus?"

Without another word, Severus swept on his cloak and fled through the front door. Marian made sure it was shut behind him and turned to her husband.

"I made him nervous, Sirius. Just like I made you nervous."

"That's my problem," Sirius said, stepping closer to her. "You're my wife, I should have been concerned. He is a random git, and should therefore not be as concerned as me."

"It's not a contest Sirius."

"Well it bloody well feels like one."

The door opened behind Marian and Tonks, stepped inside. "Sorry," she whispered. "I was just seeing Moody off through the park. Glad to see you're okay."

Tonks stepped around Marian, but tripped over the troll leg umbrella stand in the foyer next to the coatrack beside the door and toppled it and herself over, at which point, the portrait of Walburga Black started screaming.

Molly had just been leading Harry and her children to the kitchen quietly and at this juncture she started trying to close the curtain over the portrait while Tonks apologized profusely and right the umbrella stand again. Sirius rolled his eyes and gave himself a breath before rushing to help.

"Shut up you horrible old hag! Shut up!"

Not only was Walburga screaming, but the family members on the wall down the hallway were also taking their cues from her now. Walburg had certainly learned to recognize certain people in the past month. Her insults to almost anyone were cringe worthy, but her words against Sirius were particularly harsh. "Yoooou! Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

Sirius managed to silence her. And Marian, who had been leaning against the wall in the entryway righted herself and walked back into the foyer to say hello to her godson. "Harry."

The boy turned and walked into Marian's open embrace. She held him tight for a moment and then let go to examine her godson. "You've grown again. You're taller than me now." Marian sighed. "I see you met Sirius' mother."

"Sirius'-?"

"My dear old mum, yeah. We should go downstairs before they all wake up again."

Harry asked Sirius, "Why would a portrait of your mother be here?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? This is my parents' house, but I'm the last Black left so it's mine now."

"Not the last," Marian corrected. "This is the house I offered to Dumbledore as headquarters."

"Yeah about the only useful thing I've been able to do," Sirius commented sourly as they entered the full to bursting kitchen. While everyone was still finding a seat and greeting Harry, Sirius pulled Marian aside near the pantry door. "Listen, his attachment to you is troubling to me in more ways than one. I suppose he's on our side, but I'm not completely convinced and I don't need anyone trying to cause you harm because they got too close to you. Voldemort knows you're alive this time around…this war is dangerous for you. What if he's not with us? What if he just runs off with you one night and delivers you to-"

Marian had clasped her hands behind her neck and dropped her hand back. "Sirius…we have been over this. Severus and I have a bond. We're very much from the same situation and in some ways we're the same person."

Sirius took her shoulder in one hand. "You're nothing like him darling." Marian lolled her head to one side and rested it on the wall she was leaning on. This rivalry was exhausting. "So how do we fix this, Sirius?"

Aware that their discussion was causing none too few sideways glances, Sirius shook his head barely enough to be seen. "We'll talk about this later. Upstairs."

"Fine."

They parted and Sirius started talking to Harry. Marian sat herself across from them and listened to Harry talk about his dementor attack earlier that month, about the silver the table was set with (15th century goblin made with the family crest in the handle), and the twins try and set the table with their wands, causing a set of plates to go crashing across the table and onto the floor, not to mention a steak knife almost stabbing Sirius in his hand and a serving fork that would have skewered Schorl if Marian hadn't scooped him up. While she laid out food, Molly discussed plans to continue cleaning while berating Marian having set Schorl on the table, and with Sirius barely listening stated that she wanted to do doxycide with the curtains the following day.

Marian was exhausted, and barely said two words during dinner. She didn't even say much during the argument in which Molly lost the idea that Harry should be left in the dark. Actually she lost her argument for almost all her children; the twins were of age, Ron and Hermione were best friends with Harry, and so only Ginny was forced to her bedroom while the rest of the group sat with Arthur and Molly, Remus, Bill Weasley, Sirius, and Marian, discussing the state of the world.

Once Sirius had almost gone too far with his intelligence and Molly cut the meeting to a close, Sirius and Marian watched as everyone made their way to their bedrooms, staying behind.

When they were alone, Marian said quietly, "So, shall we talk here, or shall we go on upstairs?"

Sirius sat down and sighed. "It's been a bad day, Marian. I feel so useless, you know. Molly has taken over the house, you're going off and not taking people with you, Snivellus is trying to move in on my wife and she doesn't seem to mind, Molly thinks I'm a deadbeat-"

"Molly doesn't think that," Marian insisted. "She knows you were falsely imprisoned, but remember, she just got to hear the story a month ago. She's still getting used to the idea of you as the wronged man. And she's very protective of Harry."

"I don't appreciate being reminded that I couldn't get myself out of that mess. I left Harry alone, I left you alone…"

"And we're both fine." She reached for his hands. "You were set up, Sirius. The important thing is you got out and you have been there for us ever since." Sirius didn't seem to be believing her, so Marian continued. "You know, we're not done working on the house; Molly can't handle those cabinets in the dining room; you know best what might be in them. And if it makes you feel better I'll stop going out alone."

"And Snivellus?"

Marian sighed. "He's my friend, Sirius. I care about him, and he has spent the last near fourteen years looking out for me, mentoring me, lending an ear when I was worried about being judged. I can't just turn my back on a dear confidant because you have a poor history."

Sirius still looked dejected. Marian stood up and leaned across the table to take Sirius' chin and make him look at her. "I'll talk to him. Set some ground rules if you want. I love you. No one has a prayer of stealing me away from you. I'd die first."

Sirius pulled Marian close, which lifted her feet off the ground and kissed her passionately. When they broke several moments later for air, Sirius asked, "Promise?"

"Promise."

Sirius pulled on Marian's robes harder and dragged her to sit on the table. With fabulous grace he leaped onto the table with her and reconnected their lips with insistence. Sirius laid her back and laid atop of her, leaving just enough room between them for Marian to undo his trousers. Supporting his weight on one hand, Sirius worked up Marian's robes with the other and pulled her panties aside so the moment he was free of his underwear they connected with a collective groan. Sirius only thrust into Marian a dozen times before he spilled his seed and lay beside her with a sigh of contentment.

"Short again," he panted. "I'm so sorry dear."

"You'll want another go the minute we're upstairs anyway," Marian said quietly, adjusting her robes around herself. Sirius fixed his trousers, but neither of them moved from where they were. They simply stayed there, holding one another and enjoying the quiet.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Sirius, we eat here!" Marian and Sirius sat up and looked behind them toward the door. It was Remus. "I was going to wish you both a good night but—well, did you solve your issues?"

"What issues?" Sirius asked.

"Oh don't give me that." Remus shoved his hands in his pockets as Sirius got off the table and offered a hand to Marian, who took it and followed. "It wasn't difficult to see you two have been at odds all night."

"We're not at odds," Marian contorted. "We disagree about a thing or two, but we're fine. Maybe you should spend more time worrying about your own personal life."

Remus pulled a face.

"Apparently you were too busy keeping an eye on our marriage that you didn't notice that Tonks could hardly keep her eyes to herself. She's staying over tonight in the spare bed in your room isn't she?"

Sirius started leading Marian out of the kitchen, but as she went by Remus he caught her hand and said, "Can I have a word with you?"

Marian nodded and waved Sirius on, telling him she would be right up. When he had gone, Marian barely opened her mouth before Remus started rambling.

"What has she said to you? Does she really fancy me or something? Nothing's happened I swear."

Marian went to sit back down at the table and smiled. "No, she didn't say anything. But she looks at you much the same way Sirius describes how I look at him. She likes you."

Remus groaned and joined Marian, sitting down and setting his head in his hands. "I…I don't know what's come over me. Lately everything she does is just completely endearing. She is so smart and so talented. And so young." He looked up. "Why would she want me?"

"The same reason we all want someone. Love, companionship and someone who understands us." Marian took one of his hands. "Listen, you're falling in love with someone much younger than you, someone who is not a werewolf. Now how is it you can judge my marriage when your own desires run decidedly strange by your own morals?"

"I just think it's ill-advised when the purpose of your union was never for the purpose of love or companionship. You were a child when he last saw you and somehow you get to meet again, you're an adult now, and you're in love?"

Marian shrugged. "All I can say is when you know, you know. I wasn't sure how I felt about Sirius before we were physically together again. I wasn't even sure while we were on the run. But I did feel something thirteen years ago and that never went away. I felt I owed it to both of us to figure it out. It turned out much better than we thought." She smiled at Remus. "And maybe this for you will turn out better than you think."

She patted his arm and stood from the bench again. "Tell you what, if you let life start happening to you, I can promise Sirius and I will stop having sex on the kitchen table."

Remus was not really amused, but her tone had struck him as funny, therefore Remus snickered. "Deal."

Marian nodded a good night in his direction and started climbing the many stairs to her bedroom with Sirius. Along the way, tiptoeing around the second floor doors, she paused to set an ear against the door to the room where Harry and Ron were staying. There was talking going on; actually Fred and George had snuck down. Shaking her head in knowing amusement, Marian purposefully walked louder to scare them back to bed.

When she reached the bedroom, Sirius was already shirtless in bed, laying back and waiting and Schorl was curled up on the edge of their bed while Buckbeak was on the floor in the corner in his nest of sheets and towels. Marian closed the door behind her and started undressing herself, laying the wand holster on her bedside table before slipping out of her robes.

"More about our improper relationship?"

Marian nodded. "Yes, but his fascination with your second cousin isn't all in my head. I think I made a few points that will keep him from commentary from now on."

Sirius rolled onto one side and propped his head in his hand, watching Marian discard her robes, her bra and underwear and her socks before slipping into bed. "Did you get your new toy?"

"I did." After she was settled Marian reached for her new wand and showed it to Sirius. She wouldn't let him hold it though. When she explained why, Sirius' face took on a note of worry. "It's only for the war," she assured him before setting the wand safely aside and letting Sirius dim the lights with his own, which was stowed under his pillow at night.

As they cuddled together, finally exhausted from the events of the night, Marian couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right choice in having that wand made. Would it be too powerful after all? Only time would tell she supposed.

NEWS

The morning of August 12th was an early one. Sirius had barely slept the night before for fear over Harry's impending hearing over the dementor incident. He was up at five in the morning, and not wanting to wait until her usual time when Marian would go into the Department of Mysteries that morning to report her new findings, she dressed and followed.

As she looked through her notations once again with Tonks having just arrived at the house and the Weasley parents awake as well as Remus, it was far from an empty morning in the Black house and Marian was finding herself feeling anxious. Maybe it was the general discussions about the Ministry employees Tonks and Kingsley knew that seemed a little nosy lately, but more than likely it was the fact that Marian had taken up dropping off her notices to Broderick during the day. In the past he would allow her to come in the evenings after the Ministry departments closed, but Sirius was still feeling uncomfortable with the idea that Marian was going out so much at night alone still. She had taken to using the formal dining room at the house for her general research and experiments, but she still had to work in the chamber at least once every week and make her reports to Bode, so in order to try and assuage Sirius' concern, she agreed to start making her meetings during the day.

She would be going with Arthur and Harry that morning, and as she set her papers aside, Sirius rested a hand at her back. "Feeling all right? You seem agitated."

"I just feel like it's going to be a bad day. I don't like going there during normal work hours if I don't have to."

Harry entered into the kitchen around half past the hour and Molly busied herself to make him breakfast. After requesting toast and sitting down the side conversation continued and Marian tried to pay attention.

"What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" Remus asked.

"Oh…yeah.." Tonks answered, "well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions…and I'll have to tell Dumbledore I can't do night duty tomorrow, I'm just t - t - too tired." Tonks was yawning left and right. She had been on watch the night before outside the Department of Mysteries keeping an eye out for someone trying to steal the prophesy about Harry inside.

"I'll cover for you," Marian answered quietly. "It's all right, I've got some work to do tomorrow night anyway."

"I thought Dumbledore told you not to get involved with this stuff."

"I happen to think he's wrong. No point in knocking you all off your asses all the time if I can do it once a week."

Remus chimed in softly though he did cast a sideways glance at Harry, as though he were trying to guage how much of what they were saying was making any sense to the boy; not that it could, of course.

"It's not about raw ability, Marian it's about your work. If something happened to you while you were working and watching at the same time it would leave no one there." Remus was referring to her episode nearly a year before where Marian accidentally put herself into a coma in the chamber and wasn't found until Broderick went looking several days later.

"Nothing's going to happen, it was a onetime thing."

"It's not just that love. I lobbied for you the last time he was here, but he seems to think you being there at the same time, alone, it might offer…" he thought for a moment before selecting a word: "opportunity. One that's a little difficult to ignore."

"I'll cover," Arthur said. "I'm okay, I have a report to finish anyway."

Marian knew how Sirius felt about his inability to help the cause. Often times she felt the same way. Being the last descendant of a line that could trace themselves back to Salazar Slytherine, as well as Voldemort could trace his, was dangerous. Especially since he would know by now that she was not in fact dead in the Knightly house fire in 1981 like everyone thought. Her death certificate wasn't reversed until it was all over. Because of this, Marian was allowed to do her work, clean the house, and look after Sirius. She was about as bored as he was, even if she didn't let on.

But the day wouldn't stay boring.

After eating, Arthur, Marian and Harry set out for the Ministry. Taking muggle transportation was quite long as boring, and by the time they got there, it was almost 8 in the morning. Because she didn't have her meeting until nine, Marian decided to walk along with Arthur and Harry. They got off at the level in which the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was housed. While passing the Auror's office, Kingsley stopped them with a phony request of a report on flying muggle vehicles, under the guise that Sirius as still using his old motorcycle. What he really wanted was to hand off a magazine. Under his breath while handing it to Marian he said, "Give it to him, he might find it interesting." He finished his 'request' of Arthur before letting them go, but pulled Marian gently aside into his cubicle while the boys went off.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sirius wants me to make my reports during the day now, so I'm not walking about alone at night anymore."

Kingsley sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I can understand his concern, but really with that character Rookwood about in your department during daytime hours it's safer to have you here at night you know."

"Meetings are only once a month and Broderick made me a deal. After my original contract is up in January he's going to promote me to Assistant Department Head so it really doesn't matter. First thing I'll do is find a reason to fire Rookwood."

"Be careful of your actions. You're already in danger just for being alive, no need to invite more animosity than you already face."

Marian could see the wisdom in that, and after thanking him for the advice she slipped out of the cubicle again to catch Harry and Arthur up in Arthur's office. But the moment she arrived a man rushed by her and in through the door. Harry's hearing had been moved up to eight o clock in the old courtrooms instead of at ten in Amelia Bones' office. The time was presently 8:05.

There was a mad rush to get Harry down to the old courtrooms on the tenth floor. They had to walk through Marian's corridor on floor nine to reach the stairs to the rooms, and all the while Arthur was panicking.

"Those courtrooms haven't been used in years…Why they're doing it in there I…"

Marian knew what he was thinking but thought it wise not to say anything. If they were wrong, it would only serve to make Harry extremely nervous and if they were right he would find out soon enough. Once at courtroom ten, Marian straightened Harry's shirt. "Go on, get in there."

"Can't you come with me?"

With a sympathetic smile, Marian gave Harry a gentle shove through the door Arthur held open. "I'm not allowed, dear. Good luck."

The door closed behind her godson, and Marian sighed.

"Did it look like the whole Wizengamot?" Arthur asked.

"Hard to say, but I would wager most of them at least."

Arthur sat on a nearby bench and grumbled, "I just don't understand it."

Marian joined him. "Sadly, I think I do."

Arthur nodded. While they waited, Marian flipped through the magazine she still held in her hand. Actually, Sirius was going to find the article extremely interesting. The author had apparently done some digging and determined that Sirius was actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the Hob Goblins, a terrible group if there ever was one. She almost laughed out loud at the notion. They looked precisely nothing alike. At least not from up close. She would have to pass the article along to Myron Wagtail when she had the chance, he would think it utterly hilarious.

Unfortunately, Marian had to make her meeting before the hearing was over, so she had to climb the stairs back to her floor and meet Broderick. When she was done however, and returned to floor ten, Harry had just been released and cleared of all charges. Seeing the stream of purple robes retreat, Marian approached saying, "Looks like you were tried by the whole court."

"I think so," Harry said in a low voice.

Before they could move on to get Harry home with Marian however, they ran into an unfamiliar face and the Minister himself on the floor above, just outside the Department of Mysteries.

"Well, well, well," Lucious hissed. "Patronus Potter. The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape. Quite astonishing the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes…snakelike, in fact."

"Yeah," said Harry, "yeah, I'm good at escaping."

Marian set her hand on Harry's shoulder. "No one asked your opinion, Malfoy, in fact it is none of your business being on this floor at all. It's not for civilians to just stroll about in. What are you doing here?"

"I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours."

Fudge led Lucious away and once they were out of sight, Marian waved Arthur off in one of the elevators, which was overcrowded, while she and Harry waited for the next one.

"Why wasn't he waiting outside Fudge's office if they've got business to do together?" Harry asked. "What were they doing down here?"

"Trying to get the drop on your hearing I expect," Marian answered. "I must say it makes me very uncomfortable to find him down here." Another elevator came and Marian and Harry stepped inside, alone. "When I'm the neck of this operation, no one but authorized personnel are going to be allowed down here. It's far too dangerous anyway."

"Don't you mean the head?"

"No, the neck. Broderick is the head, but with every man as a head, there is a woman who is the neck and the neck turns the head any way she wants."

"So, what kind of business do you think they were discussing?"

"Gold probably. The Malfoys are generous where it serves them; gets them rubbing elbows with people who can further their agendas, whatever those may be. Still, it's not good he was down here at all. I should drop Dumbledore a line this afternoon about it. I missed him when he left your hearing."

"You knew he was coming?"

Sheepishly, Marian nodded. "He left a note for me when I left the meeting the night you came to us. He figured your hearing might go this way, thought he would need to lend a hand, but asked me not to tell you. I'm sorry dear."

Harry cut back to the problem at hand after a moment of silence. "If Fudge is meeting Death Eaters like Malfoy, if he's seeing them alone, how do we know they haven't put the Imperius Curse on him?"

Marian sighed as the doors opened and they found themselves on the main floor, which was much busier than when they arrived. "The truth is we don't know, but if he were cursed, he would be making much more useful decisions like changing laws and ordering arrests. It could come to that, but so far he's been focusing on discrediting Dumbledore and you which is all very emotional and erratic. We'll panic when we're sure he's not just being an ass. But we'll talk more at home."

The elevator had opened onto the main floor. They stopped at the visitor's desk to return Harry's pass into the Ministry, but before they could depart, someone came rushing up to Harry and Marian with the morning Prophet in his hand.

"Marian did you see this?"

"Morning, Richard," she said brightly before taking it from him. "No, what is it?"

"Page two above the fold," he said slightly out of breath from running. "It's about you."

With a confused look, Marian opened the paper and rested her eyes on what Richard was talking about. With an annoyed groan she closed it again and said, "Richard you'd better go before you're late again, Broderick will kill you."

"Is it true?"

"Just go, would you?"

He did with a small nod to Harry. Once he was gone and they were walking back to the elevator to take them to the street, Harry asked, "Who was that?"

"Richard Polk, he works in my department. Different project but he often works at night like I do so we cross paths from time to time."

"What was the article about?"

Marian leaned close to Harry's ear and said in a low voice, "Seems someone has caught on that I'm married to your godfather."

Marian brought Harry home and while there was much celebration going on, Sirius' reaction was completely lukewarm. Marian didn't condone it, but she understood. They were more like friends than a guardian and a godson. Sirius was halfheartedly hoping that Harry would remain expelled and stay at the house with them. After the news was told and Marian jotted a note for Dumbledore and sent it, she retired upstairs for a nap after her early awakening. Sirius joined her to sulk.

"He belongs in school Sirius. I know you're upset that it's all coming to an end, but he'll be back. It's not forever." She crawled across the bed to him and slung one arm over his should and the other around his chest, clasping her hands together over his heart. She kissed his neck and said softly, "And you still have me."

Sirius said nothing, but he reached and rested one of his hands over her joined ones.

LONESOME

A few days after the hearing, Marian went in search of Sirius to try and pull him out of his funk. She found him continuing to work on cleaning the cupboards in the formal dining room, bagging up more and more items for the attic. If she wasn't careful he was liable to seal it shut permanently when they were finally done.

"It looks good," she said, stepping past the table where her texts and experimental stones were laid out. "Almost done."

"This is the last bit," Sirius answered. Funny. He seemed a little brighter than he had in days. Marian couldn't figure why. When she crouched down beside where Sirius was sitting, he turned to her, kneeling and sitting on his heels, saying, "I think I found something you might think was interesting if nothing else."

He reached into his pocket and stayed there a moment. "It used to be my uncle Alphard's."

"The one who gave you your inheritance?"

"Yes. He never found a wife, but he kept this just in case. Something his uncle Marius gave him I expect. Merlin only knows what it's doing here, but since I would have no money without him and therefore wouldn't have had the means to marry you to keep you from being a ward of the government…" he extracted his hand. In it was a beautiful ring with a huge cushion cut blue violet stone sitting in what looked like platinum. Marian plucked it from Sirius' hand gingerly and examined it.

"It could use a cleaning for sure, and I have no idea what the stone is. Never did. But since you never had a ring, I thought you might like to have it."

Marian smiled and thrust herself into Sirius' arms. "Thank you," she breathed in his ear before pulled back and kissing him long and lovingly. "It's tanzanite," she said. "It's known for many things one of which is for sharing one's introspective impressions of the heart." She slipped the ring on over her finger, which it actually fit rather well. "It's perfect."

…

A week or so later, Mrs. Wesley took everyone to get their books for school, so the house was relatively empty. Remus was gone on some errand leaving Sirius and Marian alone, though she was working in the dining room, and everyone else was either at work or busy. They were not expecting someone to make a visit. The door opened and shut and Marian looked up to see who would be walking by.

As a matter of fact it was Dumbledore.

He strode into the foyer and faced the dining room. "Hard at work I see," he said evenly. "I don't suppose my interruption would be catastrophic?"

Marian shook her head and rested the opal she was examining down. "Of course not. Come in."

Dumbledore did, but not before saying. "I wonder if you might call upon your husband as well." From behind his back, he produced the Prophet copy from a couple weeks earlier. "We three must have a little chat."

Once Sirius was fetched, they adjourned to the kitchen down the stairs.

"I cannot say I am surprised it came out. I will say I am surprised by the fact you didn't tell me yourself."

"What came out?" Sirius asked, reaching for the paper. "You never told me either."

"It's nothing," Marian insisted. "So many people know now it was bound to come out eventually." She was of course referring to the article outing her marriage to Sirius.

"Lots of people have been whispering about you, Broderick says," Dumbledore pressed.

"Of course they will," Marian shrugged. "Now they see me as addled and they think Sirius is a predator. The very things people already consider us to be. Either this is true and they talk or it is false and they talk anyway. Nothing I've ever said in almost fourteen years has had any merit when it comes to truth telling I don't expect anything to change now."

Sirius tossed the paper aside. "I'd like to know who the leak was."

"My point precisely," the headmaster said, nodding in Sirius direction. "If it was the Minister that's hardly surprising, but if it was someone within these walls I need to know. Find out will you? And for goodness sake be discreet."

Dumbledore made to leave, standing and heading for the doorway, but Marian stopped him with a word. "It might not come off well, me asking questions trying to figure it out. I don't suppose this could be one of those odd favors of Broderick for us?"

"Meaning?"

"Just let him try and get the Minister to confess. More than likely Fudge leaked it to make me look bad or more untrustworthy, like I'm more addled than the public thought. But I certainly can't go digging, so why not let Broderick?"

Albus wasn't keen on the idea, but he consented to the wisdom of it and Marian promised to visit Broderick at home before the week was out.

Displeased at the professor mistrusting her judgment despite letting her do it her way, Marian worked the rest of the day, long after the school going clan returned with their things. But after some time, when it was getting dark, there was another visitor following a light knock on the door. Marian looked up and Harry was standing there. She waved him and he entered, merely to sit at the table and say, "Do you think Sirius will be all right once I've gone?"

Marian set her text down and took up the chair beside Harry. "What makes you ask that dear?"

"He's been spending all his time in your room with Buckbeak…he's not talking anymore…he's depressed I didn't get expelled, isn't he?"

Marian pursed her lips to think for a moment, after which she licked her bottom lip bit it slightly and chose her words very carefully.

"Harry dear, he knows you belong in school, but you must understand. He lost your father when the two of them were quite young. Your dad was like the brother Sirius always wanted. And then he lost you and he lost me. He's been trying to make up for lost time and he's going to miss you. That and—"

"What?"

"Well…he feels trapped. Again. Being back here and not allowed to leave, not allowed to help makes him feel like he never left Azkaban. Having you around helps take his mind off things and when you're gone what's left is a big empty house filled with bad memories. In fact I would wager his ill feelings while he was in prison were born from his memories that live inside these walls. To Sirius this house is worse than prison. Here it's not some distant memory. He can reach out and touch it."

Harry was silent for a moment before saying lowly, full of guilt, "You'll look after him won't you?"

"Of course." Marian took Harry's hands and pulled him into a hug. "I'll keep him busy. And you just keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Promise?"

They let go and with a wry smile, Harry promised back.

SOMETHING TO DO

Bringing Harry and the others back to school was a bitter day for Sirius when he awoke, but Marian made it better by whispering into his ear and no more than ten minutes later they were down in the foyer meeting up with the lot and Sirius was wagging his tail in excitement.

Molly however, was not pleased. "…oh for heaven's sake Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"

"Molly, he needs to get out of here. I'm coming with you all, don't worry. Nothing's going to happen." Marian's plea met with Molly pointing out it was on their own heads. As a matter of fact, Dumbledore had said no when Sirius asked to escort Harry a couple of days before. The reasons for refusing him were not clear to Marian. No one outside the order and the kids knew about Sirius being an animagus; he would never be recognized. Nonetheless, Albus thought it was unsafe. But it was full of Order members, this outing, and it was secure. Sirius needed to be able to see Harry off. It would help. And so Marian made the executive decision to allow Sirius to come along.

Besides, their plans later on that evening were going to be much more dangerous.

Sirius had a hard time behaving like a real dog on the platform. He raised himself on his hind legs and rested his forepaws on Harry's chest when they said good bye, which Marian had to admit warranted a bit of a scolding from Molly and she fully obliged. Marian took her turn hugging her godson and said in his ear before letting go, "You make sure you keep yourself in check this year, all right? Never mind what anyone says, just worry about yourself."

With the children gone, the house was quieter that day. Later on, when Arthur and Molly were asleep, Remus was sitting in him room reading, and no one else was around for the night, Sirius asked Marian as she dressed for work, "What did you say to him?"

"I told him to keep his nose clean, despite what he may hear from anyone."

She finished shrugging into her wand holster and setting her new wand in it and turned away from the mirror to face him as he sat on the bed. Sirius was looking at her strangely. "Is there a reason you told him that? Something maybe you're not telling me?"

With a sigh, Marian crossed to the door and rested her hand on the knob. "There are rumors that the new defense teacher is going to be the senior undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge. Ready?"

She didn't give him a chance to respond because she didn't want to talk about the implications surrounded by the fact that that horrible woman was going to be Harry's teacher, and probably the most useless one he ever had. She was racist and horrible, and it meant that the Ministry was sticking its hands in school business. Considering how strained the Ministry's relationship with Dumbledore had become lately, this was terrible news. But she didn't need to tell Sirius all that; he could guess for himself. So off they went to the Ministry, Marian to work and Sirius to watch her work.

Getting him in the Ministry was easy enough when he transformed. They met no one on their way down to the ninth floor and into the Department of Mysteries. Marian had no intentions of meeting anyone inside after the door closed. She was the only person to work in the department late, and the only person running the death chamber project. Sometimes Broderick Bode would be in, working late to prepare department papers for the Minister's office, but tonight it was just Marian, Sirius, and the spirits.

Once inside the chamber, Marian opened her messenger bag and lifted out Sirius' clothes. He changed, dressed, and looked around at the stone walls, the dais, the arch and the veil. "Slightly macabre."

"Yes well, it's not all bad," Marian said, removing her cloak and setting it on the floor beside her bag, brushing the skirt of her black robes free of some of the dust kicked up from the floor and lifting her wand carefully from its holster. Without raising it, the lanterns around the room lit, creating a somewhat displaced looking warm glow about them. "The veil is actually quite beautiful."

Sirius considered it, climbed the steps and made to reach out.

"Ah ah," Marian stopped him. "You don't want to go in there."

Sirius stepped away. "Haven't you?"

"No. It's too dangerous. I have no idea what's on the other side. I don't know if anyone has ever gone in body and soul and come back again." She waved Sirius over to her and added, "You sit wherever you like, just not close to me. And no matter what happens, don't touch my body. Don't move me. And if you happen to see something come out of the veil, change back and run."

"But—"

"No," Marian cut him off. "This was our deal, if you're going to come here to protect me from something coming in and harming me, you are to do what I say in regards to anything coming out of this room."

Sirius nodded and sat against the far wall, while Marian dragged a stool close to the steps and sat down, wand clasped in her hands, silent.

Marian's experience in the chamber had varied widely since she started working on the project. She had seen things in her mind, heard voices speak without being able to understand what they said, and apparently a spirit had tried to kill her once. Or something. No one really knew anything more than she had been inside the chamber for a week, kept alive by her pendant made of iolite. She still wore this necklace, even though her wand was made with all the gemstone power she could possible need. For one, it had already saved her life before, for another she had leant a portion of it to Severus so she would know if something were to happen to him.

Even though her eyes were closed Marian knew she was distracted. It wasn't Sirius' presence, something about that was soothing. No it was something about her lack of concentration. Her mind was wandering everywhere but where she wanted it to go. Why couldn't she concentrate?

Something was making it through, though. It was slight but it was becoming clearer. It sounded like…scuffling, something else was metal against metal. What was that?

Marian willed her eyes to open. What she was hearing wasn't from the veil, it was in the living world, Sirius, as a dog had moved from his spot and when Marian got to her feet and walked around the dais she saw he had changed and was standing at the door to the chamber.

She pet the great dog's back gently and when he looked her way, she raised a finger to her lips, wand in her other hand. She opened the door and walked out into the round robin entry hall. Sirius followed, still as a dog. The sounds were louder here. After the doors shuffled themselves Marian noticed something was off. There was a door slightly ajar. The door to the Hall of Prophesies. "Oh no…" she whispered. Sturgis was supposed to be on watch tonight. If someone had gotten through, something terrible must have happened to Sturgis. Marian bent to Sirius' canine ear and whispered, "Go outside and find Eric Munch, he's the watchwizard on duty; I think you'll find him securing the floor just above us."

She opened the door to the corridor and off Sirius, went. Before the door closed, she saw that there was no one in the hall. Not Sturgis, not anyone.

Turning back to the prophesy door, Marian opened it quietly, wand at the ready. She stepped inside the dim room, lit only by the glow of the many, many prophesies sitting in glass orbs on shelves reaching up to the cathedral, cavernous ceilings and as far as the eye could see. But Marian knew where she had to get to. She made her quiet way through the various rows looking for the right one. And when she did, Sturgis was there. Reaching toward one of the many orbs on one of the many shelves and Marian had no choice but to point her wand in his direction and think a spell to knock him to the floor.

It might have been a little overzealous a thought, since it seemed to basically render Sturgis unconscious. And a trip jinx, what she had tried to think of, shouldn't do that. She rushed to him and fell to her knees beside him. "Oh no…I'm so sorry, Sturgis! Ennervate!"

He awoke easily enough, so Marian supposed there was no real damage done. But when he opened his eyes she noticed that they were clearing up from being slightly milky. He had been under the Imperious curse.

Sturgis sighed and grasped Marian's shoulder with a desperate hand. "Thank you Marian! I've been in such a fog the past two weeks."

They would have to speak fast, since Sirius was on his way with Munch who was going to arrest Sturgis when he arrived. "Who did this to you?"

"Don't know. It started August 12th, I think."

"You were here?"

"I was. Do you know any Death Eaters who were?"

Actually Marian did. That was the day of Harry's hearing. And they had a run in with one Death Eater in particular. "Did you run into Malfoy that day?"

"No."

"Were you on duty that night?"

Sturgis nodded. It had to have been Rookwood then. Marian could deal with that later. For now they had to decide what to do with Sturgis himself. Marian helped him up and together they walked toward the door.

"You know I have to let Munch arrest you for B and E, right?"

"I know."

"If your sentence is light, you'll get a couple months in Azkaban. But since it's the Department of Mysteries, probably longer."

"I know Marian. I know the consequences of this incident, and I know enough to keep my mouth shut about being bewitched during questioning. You all have bigger problems."

They had reached the corridor at this point and as they stepped out into the hall for the general public. Marian shut the door to the department behind them and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I had Alastor's spare invisibility cloak tonight," Sturgis said lowly as footsteps started clacking on flagstones down the hall. "The problem is it's lost somewhere in there. I have no memory of where it was left. Out here perhaps, in there more than likely. The damn thing doesn't work right lately. Goes invisible whenever it pleases."

"We'll find it," Marian reassured him. Sturgis seemed so ashamed. Frankly it was just as well, since Sirius began trotting up to them with Munch in tow. Didn't seem he had a choice, Sirius was holding fast to the bottom of the watchwizard's robes in his teeth. They came to a halt, and Munch said, yanking his cloak back, "Working with animals now, are we Marian?"

"Trying a new project. Found this one having broken into the department."

"Huh, well well, Sturgis Podmore. I know this chap."

"Well then you can become better acquainted while you process him in the system, Munch. B and E into this department is an automatic time served; you know that."

Munch nodded and grasped Sturgis roughly by the arm and started to lead him away. Marian watched with an ache in her heart. She had sounded so cold. Granted it was necessary, but she hated the fact that it was. Merlin, what an awful night…

"Begging your pardon Miss Knightly, or should I say Mrs. Black now?"

Marian was familiar with the voice in the painting beside her. She sighed and turned to the old man in the frame. She smiled tiredly and said, "Yes Evard, what is it?"

"Dumbledore would like to see you. And your dog. He was very specific that the dog be included for some reason. Strange request, even for him. Wants to see you both right away."

"Now?"

Evard shrugged. "Sorry, says it's urgent. So is it Black or Knightly?"

"Knightly," Marian said. "I never took his name."

With a nod that seemed to say 'fair enough' Evard was gone. Marian collected her things from the chamber and together she and Sirius made their way out of the Ministry. Once on the street again, Marian thrust her hand out and a great purple bus made its way at a frightening speed toward them, stopped at their feet.

"Bit late Miss Knightly. Or should I say early? We usually pick you up about four or five in the morning. Nice dog."

Stanley Shunpike was certainly the epitome of youthful social graces. He lacked any at all. Marian always found his verbal regurgitation somewhat amusing but tonight being slightly concerned over how Dumbledore even knew she would be in the department with Sirius in tow bothered her enough to simply bid the boy a short "Good evening, Stan. Hogwarts please," before taking a seat.

The road to the school was longer than to most other places the Knight Bus could reach. And during this time, Marian had plenty of time to ponder precisely how much trouble she and Sirius would be in when they arrived at the school while Sirius rested his great black fur covered head on her knees.

They made their sleepy way towards the headmaster's office through the cool, dimly lit corridors. Once arrived at the headmaster's office, Dumbledore opened his door to them and without a word, waved them inside and closed the door motioning for Marian to sit down, after which she promptly handed the newly human Sirius his clothes from her bag.

While the man dressed quickly so as to expose himself as little as possible, Dumbledore began with an impending form of pacing in his night robe and sleeping cap, hands clasped behind his back. "You both are children. At least one would think you are from your behavior tonight."

"Sir if I could just-" Sirius started in while zipping his fly, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Marian does not know any better. She has a soft spot for you and your opinions. But I turned it down for a reason Sirius. I cannot afford to endanger you should something akin to last years' accident should reoccur."

Sirius was dressed now and sitting in a chair beside Marian while Dumbledore continued pacing the floor behind them. Marian's cheeked were flushed, she could feel it, but Sirius seemed to feel more justified about going behind the headmaster's back. "Honestly sir, I would not have gone against your order if I had thought of it as sound judgment. Frankly sir, Marian's my wife and that worm Rookwood still works in her department. What's more he used to work on her project and has access to her at night, while she is there alone. I would rather not have her killed while in a trance or whatever it is she does."

Dumbledore stopped pacing now and returned to his seat on the other side of the desk. He sighed as he sat and clasped his hands together.

"Sir?" Marian asked. "May I speak?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Sir, I asked Sirius to ignore yourimplore to have him stay put because I am concerned about being alone in the department at night. There are guards at the front door, but should something happen to one of them I would be alone. There are a number of people who know I work at night, including Rookwood, and my incident last year is not completely unknown. It would not be difficult to mastermind killing two birds with one stone, stealing the prophesy and kidnapping me or worse. Tonight has done nothing to inspire my confidence. Nor has the fact that you have been having Evard spy on me when I go into work."

Dumbledore nodded. "You've caught me. Yes I asked Evard to look out for you because I was concerned that you would certainly go against my wishes. And I was right, but on the back of tonight's fiasco, I should also say you were not entirely wrong, for that matter. I should have listened to you." The headmaster took a pause before continuing. "However, I stand by what I said, I do not want Sirius going with you to work. I know work during the day is too dangerous for many reasons, and after tonight, I don't think we can risk it. Perhaps you can work with Broderick on another plan, come up with a guard inside the chamber with you, someone from the department you can trust. But Sirius is not to go with you again."

"Because I have so much to do at the house?" Sirius asked with not less than a mouthful of spite.

"No," Dumbledore answered. "Because should something happen to one of you, Harry will need the remainder. I can't lose you both in one night, and neither can he. No off you go before it's light out."

INFORMAL EDUCATION

"Marian darling, come into the kitchen for a moment?"

Sirius had entered without knocking since Marian was only reading today. She had been visiting the chamber less and less over the last couple months since Sturgis' arrest. She and Broderick had batted some ideas around but none were quite enough to make Marian feel confident while working. The truth was she didn't know anyone in the department well but the man himself, and his watching her was not possible since given his age he was likely to be killed by accident in the chamber, and Rookwood, which was clearly out of the question. With no one to guard her and the apparent danger mounting with the Sturgis affair, Marian resigned herself to working on theories at the house and doing longer nights in the chamber half as often to test more than one theory at a time.

Marian marked her place and set her text aside on the end table next to the sofa in the drawing room. It was early evening, but Molly hadn't returned from her trip to the market yet so dinner wasn't yet underway. Remus was home, but up in his room, and Arthur and anyone else who might be coming over for the evening would not be home for another half hour. "What's Kreacher done now?"

Sirius shook his head as Marian approached, scooping Schorl up from his bed on the floor as she went. "What is it then?" she asked in a curious tone.

"Dung has something he wants to tell us."

Mundungus was rarely in the house this early. Usually he was selling stolen goods until late at night and even then he rarely came over since Molly couldn't stand him.

Once inside the kitchen Dung stood and nodded to Marian. "Evenin' Marian," he said.

"All right," Sirius sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door jamb while Marian sat. "You got us down here. What can I do for you this evening Dung?"

"Well, Sirius, I was at the Hog's Head earlier for a pint, disguised o' course, saw something I think you might want to know about. Your boy, Harry, he was meetin' there with a bunch o' school kids. They were talkin' 'bout orgaizin' some kinda defense against the dark arts club. Maybe 'bout twenty kids involved, including Molly and Arthur's kids. Totally secret since that old Ministry bag is around. I gather she's not teachin' them much. Anyway, they want to learn from Harry since he made it out of that scrape last year with You-Know-Who. That an' everythin' else he's done."

Marian hardly knew what to say, and since nothing was being said from behind her she gathered Sirius must have been thinking about all this as well. "Well," Dung said. "I'll be going now, lots left to do today. Enjoy your evenin'."

Dung saw himself out and Marian sighed, placing Schorl on the table. He flopped over and let her rub his belly while Marian rested her chin in her other hand and tilted her head toward Sirius. "Well…what are we going to do about this?"

"I think the boy is brilliant." Sirius took a seat with a grin that exuded nothing but pride. He clasped his hands behind his head and set his feet on the table, leaning his chair back on two legs.

"I know you think he's brilliant," Marian said with a smirk, smacking his feet off the table sending the chair slamming back to four legs. "It's something you would have done in school. It reminds you of times that were not quite so concerning and scary. The thing is times aren't safe and Harry's walking a thin line with that bitch Umbridge. However unpleasant she is, she does hold some real power at the school now and I don't want to see him expelled twice in the same year."

Sirius sighed, looking as though he were pouting like a petulant child. "So you think we should just let them continue taking cues from Umbridge?"

Marian sniffed, "No, of course. I think they're jumping into something without thinking about it first. They need to do the learning themselves, that much is sure, but they need some sound direction from those who know better. And the fewer people who know from here on out the better. Who knows who else was in the Hog's Head today and happens to be under Umbridge's belt."

"I suppose you're right. I can give them advice, I'd know better than anyone."

Marian perked her eyebrows and cocked her head. He had a point. He would certainly know better than anyone else alive at the moment and it kept anyone else from knowing about the club.

"Where do we start?"

Sirius shrugged and stood up. "First," he said, offering his hand. Marian took it and Schorl from the table. "We take a nap before dinner since you've been working all day long."

As they were walking out of the kitchen Marian finally let herself fell how heavy her eyelids had become over the course of the afternoon. "And then?"

"Well we'll have to tell Molly and Arthur, but someone should talk to them. One of us, I mean."

Marian snickered. "Should be you. Easier to give them your words of wisdom. Question is when a good time will be. Tomorrow's Sunday."

"Monday night you think?" They were in the foyer and beginning to climb the stairs now.

Marian shrugged. They could send an owl with a one liner ahead. Nothing too complex. The kids were already probably on thin ice since they met somewhere so quiet and easy to snoop on another person's conversation. "No need to make it worse with intercepted owls."

"Of course, but Molly will need to get whatever horrendously cowardly message she can think of to her son. Her usual methods, if history serves, is sending howlers."

"Out of the question. She knows any kind of letter is prone to interception. Perhaps I can arrange to meet them by floo network again. That's a simple enough message. Hard to decipher much from four little words."

"You read my mind."

"Going somewhere?"

Molly had come in and Arthur and Tonks were right behind her.

Sirius and Marian stopped on the same stair about halfway up and turned about. This was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation…

IMPRACTICAL MAGIC: PART I

The defense group went on as planned from what Marian could gather. And since there was no whisper of Harry or anyone else getting caught the advice Sirius had offered appeared to be working. Apparently they were using the Room of Requirement, something Marian would have suggested right away. A custom made room filled immediately with everything they needed. It was a dream.

Things seemed to be going the right way. No one in the Order had been hurt yet, the kids were still doing all right in school, and information was being gathered by the day. Molly and Sirius seemed to be getting along better even. Things couldn't be going any better.

Marian strode through the corridor of the Ministry leading to the Department of Mysteries feeling confident over her report for November's experiments. She would only have one more of these meetings with Broderick in January before she would accept her promotion to Assistant Head of the department and find someone else to risk their lives in the Death Chamber. And find a reason to fire Rookwood. Just one more month.

Marian entered the department and stopped in the foyer while the various doors spun around her until they met a stop. Marian chose the door that would lead her to the space room. No one would be working in there so early in the morning. She passed by replicas of the planets and the moon and went on through another door. This one was teeming with other Unspeakables, getting on their practicum robes and filing into their respective passageways. Most ignored her as she passed, a few, like Richard Polk, smiled and nodded.

Through yet another door at the end of the corridor were the private offices. Of these there were only three: the secretary's office, the department head's, and the assistant's head, which now stood empty. It had for some time. Marian supposed Broderick had been waiting to make her the offer for a long time. Since Eleonor Krank retired which was several years ago. Poor Broderick, Marian though while knocking and opening the head's door at a request to enter. Broderick was an old man. Too old to be doing this kind of work anymore.

"Morning sir," Marian greeted brightly, closing the door behind her.

"Morning, Marian. Let's get on with it, quickly this morning, my dear. I have a lot of work to do today. Probably be here all night."

Marian sat and removed her notes from the messenger bag she carried. "Something the matter sir?"

The old man on the other side of the desk shrugged. "Something feels amiss today. Can you not sense it?"

Marian shrugged and opened her first file. "I always feel uneasy when I'm here during the day sir. Things always feel amiss to me when other people are around."

When they were done, Marian packed up and was on her way into the corridor when someone called her from the doorway to the department. It was not a welcome voice. She turned and made an attempt to smile at Rookwood.

"Miss Knightly," he said, voice dripping like venom as he closed the door. "Experiments going well I gather? After all you're still running the project."

Without consciously intending to, Marian's grip around her bag strap tightened, as though she had need to protect her findings. "You know full well it's only me working in the chamber now. What can I do for you Rookwood?"

"Oh I was just wondering how you were. Rumor is your tour in the chamber is almost over. What's the matter? Have you not made any insight either?"

Marian knew well that Rookwood was forced to resign from the project after having no success. Given how badly he took his dismissal from it, Marian was fervently glad she was the only other person with a key to the department. It rested on a chain along with the key to her tower at Hogwarts and hung below the necklace of iolite she wore. There were copies of all these things in the hands of others, which made her uneasy and yet it was important for her to have them out there, out of her control. It taught her how to trust.

But that was neither here nor there in this discussion. "I've made more progress in discovering the mysteries of reaching the dead than your have," Marian shot back coldly. "Make no mistake, no one else will be working in there when I'm the assistant head of this department unless I deem them able. That room almost killed me once. It was sheer dumb luck I lived. Pity the spirits never saw fit enough to attempt to kill you in order to speak with you. Perhaps they thought you weren't worth the effort."

Marian attempted to walk away, but Rookwood came at her like a shot from behind and grasped her arm, hard. He spun her to face him and hissed low and sinister, "Pity the Minister saw fit to reveal what he knew about your marriage. Tell me, did that spineless worm Black force you to be his child bride because he likes little girls? Or do you simply pine for the father who abandoned you? Funny he would be interested in such a dark witch like yourself, righteous as he imagines himself to be."

"My family was dark. I am not. Sirius Black protected me the best way he knew how in the twisted world you created with your master."

She matched his tone, his seriousness, thinking it would make him think he was making a mistake in threatening her this way. Instead it made him more confident. More intent on scaring her, she thought. He pushed her against the corridor wall and pinned her wand hand down by her side.

"The day is coming Miss Knightly," he breathed in her ear, "when there will be nowhere for you to hide. The Dark Lord doesn't like competition, light or dark. You share ancestral blood, do you really think he is going to let you live through this new world order? This world's days are numbered until a new world emerges. And consequently…so are yours."

"Something the matter here?"

The voice caused Rookwood to jump back from his place and when Marian looked up she saw it was Kingsley, assistant head of the aurors branch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Someone Rookwood would not like to commit assault in front of, wither he knew Marian's connection with him or not.

"No," he said innocently enough. "Nothing wrong. Miss Knightly I fear isn't well. Almost fell over. Just trying to help a co-worker. Seems plucky enough now. Still, probably some rest would do her good. Evening, Miss, Shacklebolt."

He slithered behind the department door again and Kingsley approached. "I know that wasn't the truth. Did he threaten you?"

"In so many words," Marian answered quietly. "How is it you're down here?"

"Your friend Richard heard Rookwood steaming over you this morning while you were meeting with Broderick. Slipped out to let me know. Said you told him to come to me if he ever heard a threat against you."

Marian nodded. She had, about six months ago when Voldemort returned and it had been decided Broderick and anyone else from the department were too much of a liability to join the Order.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

They started walking together. Kingsley offered an arm but Marian waved it away. "I'm fine. It's all hot air; nothing he can do in a few weeks anyway."

"Still," the auror said cautiously. "Perhaps you should forego work tonight. Sirius told me you were supposed to be here overnight again."

Marian shook her head and raked her fingers through her loose mahogany curls. "I'm in no danger, trust me."

They reached the elevators and Marian pressed the button. As the elevator door opened, Kingsley had some words of wisdom for her. "Don't be arrogant in thinking you are talented enough to avoid harm. That wand of yours," he nodded to the sparkling, gem encrusted creation in her holster, "doesn't make you invulnerable. Remember that."

Marian nodded and let the door close behind her. He was right of course. But then knowing she had such a wand that would break even the rules of Merlin if her mind only willed it…it was hard to believe anything could bring her serious harm.

When she got home it was quiet. Mostly everyone was working. Remus had found a short stint of work even, and Sirius was skulking upstairs being miserable. Marian settled in in the drawing room and sat down to read through a few things in order to prepare for another night of trying to communicate with the dead and ask them about the mysteries of 'after the end'.

Hours later there was a knock at the drawing room door. Marian looked up and smiled at Sirius as he entered and came to sit beside her on the sofa. Marian set her book aside on the end table and let Sirius rest in her arms. He had been so tired, so depressed lately.

"I learned something interesting today," Marian offered as she stroked his brow.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Apparently I was right, Fudge did out our marriage to the Prophet."

Sirius sat up and looked confused. "How did you hear that?"

"Rookwood was trying to scare me, swapping insults and the like. He let it slip. I would guess he heard from Umbridge. She would have known about it, she's so deep in the Minister's pocket. Either that or she started digging up files in the Hall of Records and found something about it. I'm sure there's something. Either way it doesn't matter. The leak's not from us."

Sirius' expression moved from confused to concerned. "Rookwood cornered you?"

"After my meeting," Marian admitted trying not to sound at all concerned. "He's just steaming over my progress compared to his lack thereof. It'll blow over."

Sirius leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, hanging his head low. Marian knew better than to interrupt Sirius while he was thinking and so she sat silent, knowing what he was going to say long before he lifted his head and said quietly, "I don't want you going tonight."

"Why not? It told you it was nothing."

"Don't argue. You're not going. Rookwood hardly ever bothers you and today he sees fit to insult you up close and personal. Does he know you're working tonight?"

Marian thought for a moment, replaying his words in her head to see if he had mentioned knowing anything. "No, I don't think he does. Don't worry, it's safe."

Sirius stood and started pacing. "No, I'm not comfortable with this. Something doesn't feel right."

Marian stood and moaned, stopping Sirius in his tracks. "Come on Sirius," she pled, reaching up around his neck and clasping her hands at his nape. "Nothing is going to happen to me. This is my last night in there before I can just do the office stuff and visit certain experiments when necessary. One more night and this whole thing can be over. I want to put it behind me before the holidays so I can relax."

Sirius wouldn't meet her eye, but he appeared to soften a little. He sighed and nodded. "All right." He removed her hands from his neck and kissed each one in his hands before meeting his eyes to hers, matching slate grey like his own. "All right, but only if you're going to let me break our word to Dumbledore and take me with you."

Well, considering Broderick had said he felt something was off earlier, and Sirius now felt uneasy, Marian was wondering if she should ignore her own feelings of unease. She nodded her head in agreement. She didn't like defying Albus Dumbledore when he gave her a direct request, but it was only for one more night.

Marian and Sirius made sure they left the house unseen at about ten. Everyone else had retired early to their respective rooms, and there were no extra guests for the night. Easy to slip out. They walked the number of blocks it took to get to the Ministry. It always took a long time; even though she and Sirius were fast walkers it took them about a half hour of walking to get there. Once they did Marian led them into the phone booth elevator like last time and they both watched as they disappeared below the ground.

They made their way to the correct floor and department. Arthur would not be on watch until a little later when more Ministry owls who never rested for working were gone, and so they let themselves in unseen and went through the appropriate door into the Death Chamber. Sirius dressed himself in the clothes Marian had brought for him in her bag and made himself comfortable in the corner while Marian set herself on the stool and extracted her wand as she sat. "Remember," she said over her shoulder.

"I know, only act in the direst of need," Sirius finished.

Marian nodded, clasped her hands lightly around the handle of her wand, and closed her eyes, ready for another long night of trying to communicate with the dead…

IMPRACTICAL MAGIC: PART II

Sirius, for his part, did not like the feeling he had tonight. They were in the chamber, the department door was locked, and Marian was quietly at work. Nothing could possibly go wrong and yet he felt something surely would.

They had been there for no more than half an hour before Sirius thought he could hear some stirring beyond the door to the chamber. It quieted and Sirius thought it was a onetime thing. But a moment later he heard it again. It sounded like foot fall. Sirius changed himself back into a dog and trotted up to Marian to nuzzle at her elbow. She didn't respond. And whatever was on the other side of the door was coming closer. Sirius had no choice but to protect Marian as best he could as a dog and hope whatever was about to come through that door snapped Marian to.

The handle turned with a rusty creak. Sirius growled, unsure if a bark was going to be too loud and cause some kind of upset. The door opened slowly and someone was coming in. Sirius stood his ground beside Marian who was still completely oblivious. Whoever it was must have been wearing black because he could only make out movement on the other side of the arch, climbing the steps.

A shadow crept around the side of the great support for the mysterious veil and Sirius barked. It was a man, hooded and cloaked, face obscured completely in darkness. Sirius barked again as it drew a wand. As the echoes of his snarl died away, Sirius heard the voice beneath the hood smirk, "Stupid dog."

A red flash of light raced toward him and caught him in the chest. He was knocked to his belly and could feel the stunner plunge him into darkness. As it did, there was a flash of green and Marian crumpled from her seat, red skirts splaying out around her. Their faces were close, and Sirius saw the light retreat from her stunned gaze before his world became black.

"Ennervate."

It felt like no more than a second later. Really it must have been several minutes at least. Sirius opened his eyes and blinked. Broderick Bode was standing kneeling over him and covering him with Marian's earlier discarded cloak. Broderick smiled wryly, saying, "Welcome back."

He helped Sirius sit himself upright and Sirius looked around, expecting to see Marian lying dead on the floor. What did meet his eye shocked him.

She lay out on the floor amid her skirts as he had seen before, but her hair had turned from the darkest of mahogany to snowy white. This was far beyond blonde, her hair was white enough to almost glow in the light from the veil.

"What on earth happened here Broderick?"

"I will need some time to piece that together myself. This wand," the old wizard panted, holding Marian's creation out to Sirius, who took it gingerly. "Who made this for her?"

"She commissioned Ollivander months ago. They designed it together."

Sirius hadn't noticed before, but the old man was not well. He was injured in some way. Sirius made to stand and offer his support, but Broderick waved him away. "Too late for that, Black. Be more concerned about your wife. Take her and get her home, quickly. Don't take her to St. Mungos, she'll be fine with some rest and quiet."

"She's alive?" Sirius was shocked. She certainly looked dead enough. But now he took a moment to notice, there was a gentle rising and falling one could see if they looked at the exposed skin just above her bosom. The heavy weight Sirius had awoken with seemed to lift a little as he relaxed.

"Of course she's alive. I've practically killed myself fighting Rookwood off, but the spirits beyond the veil did this. She'll be weak for several days, but they sent her soul back." He pointed a shaky finger toward the arch. "Go on now, get her home."

Sirius dressed himself quickly and packed Marian's things, her wand safely in his jacket's breast pocket. "And you sir?" he asked as he lifted his wife in his arms.

"I'll tell Evard outside in the portrait to alert someone. He has plenty of portraits, it's time he used them for something. Healers will arrive in minutes to take a very old man into St. Mungos. Now go."

Sirius obliged but was seriously concerned about the old man. He seemed very frail following this incident, but who was he to argue. Sirius made his way out of the Ministry and headed home. Uncaring wither or not his Apparating might cause some undue attention, he brought them both along straight to Grimmauld place, hastened up the front steps and let himself in. Upon closing the door, he found Remus descending the grand staircase with a book in his hand. When he realized who was in Sirius' arms, he stopped short and his face took on a concerned look.

"Sirius, what the bloody hell happened?"

CAT AND MOUSE

When Marian opened her eyes, the room was dark. It was have been night still. As dark as the house was even in daylight, the sun always brought some sense of brightness inside.

The house? When had she gone back home? The last thing she remembered she was at work. Then…nothing.

"Marian, you're awake."

Sirius had come into her line of sight. She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't cooperate. All she could do was turned her head in his direction as he sat on her bed and took up her hand on his own.

"It's been a terrible night," he said softly.

"What happened?" Out of the corner of her eye, Marian could see something white. It…it was her hair? "Sirius…what happened to me?"

Sirius replayed what he could to her about the events in the chamber. When he reached the end he said, "Broderick said it was Rookwood and he ran off."

"Rookwood," Marian repeated, ready to slip deep in thought. But before he could let her do so, Sirius had one more story to tell.

"There's something else that happened tonight, about the same time as your attack. Arthur's in the hospital. He was attacked by Voldemort's snake while Rookwood was trying to kill you."

"You think Voldemort was trying to kill two birds with one stone tonight, the prophesy and me?"

"I couldn't say."

"You said it happened at the same time how do you know it wasn't earlier?"

"Because…" Sirius hesitated, but knew he couldn't hide this from her. "Harry saw it…in a dream."

Marian thought for a moment before insisting she be allowed to speak to him. Sirius rested a cool hand on her forehead, saying, "I already have, but right now he's downstairs with everyone waiting to find out if Arthur is going to be all right. Talking about it right this moment isn't helping anyone and he shouldn't see you so weak. It'll upset him. I know it upsets me. I couldn't protect you."

Marian sighed. She didn't like it but Sirius was right. No need to worry him any more than he doubtlessly already was. With as much a nod as she could muster, Marian said quietly, "I would like to see Broderick. Tomorrow."

"He's in the hospital, my dear, and you're in no shape to—"

"Figure it out. It's important. If anyone knows what went on last night, knows what happened to me, he does. I shouldn't be alive right now and from the sound of it, he knows why. Or at least thinks he does, which is more than I can come up with."

There was certainly wisdom in that. Sirius nodded and passed his hand over her eyes, gently. "Sleep love. Broderick says you need rest and quiet to get better."

Marian let her head loll off to one side and did as she was told, far too tired to have the last word tonight. Sirius lifted his candlestick from the night stand and called softly over to Buckbeak in the corner. "Keep an eye on her." He shifted his eyes to Schorl, sidling up to Marian's thigh on her opposite side. "Both of you."

Sirius closed the door behind himself, softly, and returned downstairs to sit in silence with the Wealeys and contemplate the strange night that had just occurred, and the separate but equally concerning events Harry and Marian had each suffered through tonight.

Marian slept for a long time. She missed breakfast and wasn't hungry for lunch. Sirius tried to get her to let him take something up to her, but she refused. She had a faraway look about her. She was thinking. Probably wondering what on earth happened the night before, why she was alive.

After serving lunch downstairs, Molly volunteered to help Marian into a bath. Marian was still too weak to move entirely on her own. After drawing a the bathwater and helping Marian from the bed to the bathroom tub, Molly stayed to keep watch. And while Marian soaked the women talked.

"I suppose Sirius told you what Harry saw?"

"He said Harry saw what happened to Arthur, that he was attacked by a large snake. Must have been Voldemort's doing." Molly flinched a little, still not entirely used to hearing the name. "Sorry."

"Sirius was rather tight lipped about what happened to you. Harry's been asking questions."

Marian let her head loll from her gaze toward the tiles on the floor to the ones on the wall beside her head. "He's not entirely sure what happened. Neither am I. We don't have any answers for him. Hopefully I will later, after I've spoken to Broderick at the hospital. If anyone has any idea, he will."

Molly sighed. "We're all going to see Arthur at the hospital after the kids are done lunch. You're welcome to come if you can manage it. Moody will be there, the kids, I think Tonks said she would come, and Remus."

Marian shifted a little, careful not to let the water come up in waves and spill over the edge. "Well I'd like to hear what Arthur has to say, but I'm sure you can fill me and Remus in while he takes me to see my boss?"

Molly nodded. "Of course."

After her bath, Marian dressed herself as best she could, in a long sleeved tee shirt and linen pants. Something comfortable. She was just finishing when Sirius opened the bedroom door and rolled in an ancient looking chair set upon wheels. "Found this in the attic," he said, walking it inside. "I don't like you going without me, wish you'd wait a few days until you get some strength back at least. But I know you need to try and understand what happened." He approached the bed and stooped to scoop and cradle Marian in his arms. He kissed her nose and set her down in the chair. "Besides, Remus has promised he will take very good care of you."

They arrived at St. Mungos hospitals for magical maladies and injuries, the Weasley children, Moody, Tonks, Molly and Remus, pushing Marian along with him and Harry walking to one side and Hermione on her other. Judging from the boy's expression he had never been to the hospital before, since he seemed so shocked at Tonks telling the dummy in the window of the closed store why they were there and the subsequent disappearance of various members of their party through the window pane afterwards.

It was busy inside that day. Early Christmas presents gone awry, bad jokes from visiting family members. Not surprising. Anyone from the Department of Mysteries gone to the hospital wing this time of year was usually out of commission for a month simply because of the case load every healer had.

As they waited in line to check in with the welcome witch at her desk, Marian overheard one of the visitors in front of her say he was there for Broderick. She tried to see over the heads towering above her but all she could do was listen to the witch say it would do the man no good since Bode still thought he was a teapot. Peculiar, Marian thought. What on earth was going on?

She glanced up at Remus with a concerned look. He bent down close to her ear and said quietly, "Best not look concerned. Come see Arthur with us first and we'll see if Broderick is alone afterward."

Marian nodded and tried to think who on earth would want to visit Broderick. He had only been admitted the night before. Who else knew he was even here? The Minister probably, but she would have recognized that coward's voice. She didn't recognize this one.

Once reaching Arthur's room, the family and Harry and Hermione entered for a few minutes to talk, and afterwards, the parties waiting outside switched and Marian, Remus, Arthur and Tonks stepped inside while the children waited for them to finish talking.

Once the door was close and the curtain drawn, Arthur smiled in Marian's direction. "Merlin, Marian, they told me you were attacked last night too, but my god. What on earth happened to you? Your hair…"

"I'll let you know as soon as Broderick tells me his theory."

Arthur nodded. "Heard he was brought in last night as well, spell damage they say. I hear he thinks he's a teapot."

"Just acting it I'm sure. Came here to explain the ruckus in the department last night. Rookwood tried to kill me. Actually in all technicalities I hear from Sirius that he did kill me. Broderick fought him off while Sirius was stunned."

"Sirius was with you?"

"He had a bad feeling about last night. I don't like going against Dumbledore's orders but I have to admit everyone was telling me they had a bad feeling yesterday and I ignored their words."

"Still," Moody was putting his two cents in now. "Trying to kill you on a night of something very important planned for You Know Who, he must have been acting on his own." His eye rested on Marian for a moment. "What did you do?"

"He threatened me as I was leaving yesterday morning, but I didn't think it warranted any real concern, just ask Kingsley. And he didn't try to kill me, he did kill me."

"I will ask Kingsley about it. But you mean to tell us you were dead and now you're not?

"Later," Marian waved away his questions. "Now Arthur, about this snake."

"Dirty great thing that was," Arthur said. "Three times the length of a man I'd say. Maybe more."

"Sounds like Nagini," Marian put in while the rest of the group looked her way with curiosity. "What?" she asked. "You think my father didn't know everything about Voldemort when I was growing up? We're distant cousins, from the same bloodline somewhere down the road. My dad used to think we'd all be sitting on thrones ruling the wizarding world together until Voldemort made certain he was aware he never intended on sharing anything with anyone."

"Anyway," Tonks shifted the conversation back. "The magical law enforcement has been at it all day. They've searched the whole area but they haven't found the snake. Seems it disappeared after it attacked you. You Know Who can't have expected a snake to get in can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout,' growled Moody, arms crossed and face stoic, "cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had a lot more time to look around."

"Still, I don't think attacking someone was the snake's mandate. It has caused a lot of attention where Voldemort doesn't want it," Marian added. "I think the snake was supposed to get a better idea of the surroundings, but for what reason it's hard to say. Could be he's casing out my department trying to figure out how he's going to get at his prize. Nagini is a quiet way to go about that unless she doesn't behave and try and kill someone of her own volition like last night."

"So Potter says he saw the whole thing?" Moody asked to clarify.

"Yes," said Molly, voice a little wavering. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this."

"Yeah, well," Moody retorted, "there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that."

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning." Molly was dropping her voice even lower now, so everyone had to lean closer to one another to hear properly.

"Course he's worried," growled Moody. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You Know Who's possessing him, we have a real problem on our hands."

"No one is possessing anyone," Marian said earnestly, not bothering to speak as secretively as the others. "Harry's not possessed. If he were he would have found himself in odd places with chunks of memory gone and having done Vodemort's bidding. A window into Nagini's mind does nothing to accomplish his goals. I think this is some kind of connection, probably hand in hand with Harry's scar pain. It's a connection to Voldemort himself. And if there hasn't been any vision that caused Harry to take some kind of action, then whatever this is I don't think Voldemort realized it exists. Yet." No one spoke up, so Marian thought fit to add one more theory. "Voldemort having possessed Nagini, if even very lightly since it seems she went off on her own agenda attacking Arthur like that, in order to look around the department makes more sense. If his mind was with the snake when Harry inadvertently made a connection, he would have ended up wherever Voldemort was. That boy's scar created an unwanted connection when he received it, and now he's getting older, smarter, more powerful, so is the connection."

"Is there anything we can do?" Molly asked, sounding desperately concerned.

"The boy needs Occlumency lessons. But not from me, I'm out of practice and clearly in no condition. Dumbledore could but with this window into one another's minds being shared he's unlikely to want to open himself up to that kind of vulnerability."

"Anyone else you know?" Remus asked.

There was someone, in fact. But Sirius would not be pleased at having Severus teaching Harry in private. On the other hand, Severus was the only other person they knew who could offer Harry the kind of training he needed. "I'll talk to Dumbledore tomorrow," Marian said. "I've got an idea."

They were done for the moment, but as the non-family members waited for the children to say their goodbyes, Remus and Marian made their own way to the elevators. "We'll be along in another hour or so," Remus promised as they waved the rest of their party off.

Remus pressed the button for the fourth floor. Spell damage ward. They asked a young healer in training for the room number for Broderick Bode. He pointed them to a private room halfway down the corridor. Private because they were still running tests, he explained. When they exhausted their immediate efforts he would be moved to a shared room.

Remus opened the door and wheeled Marian inside. Broderick was sitting up in bed, looking out the window. He turned his head and smiled.

"Well, it does me good to see you've recovered. Come in."

"Would you like me to leave?" Remus asked.

"Nonsense," Bode said, shifting himself to become more comfortable. "You're an order member and a very dear friend of Marian's I hear. You're welcome to any information that might help you look after this one."

Remus wheeled Marian closer and took up an empty seat beside the bed.

"They told me you're spell damaged in the head," Marian said amusedly. "Tell me it's an act."

"Of course it is," Broderick scoffed. "It was either that or run to get the vial of Dragon Pox in my desk, but Dragon Pox at my age, ugh! Most uncomfortable." He chuckled. He seemed himself, which put Marian at ease. From Sirius' description of the events he made it sound like her boss was in a bad way. "I'll just continue to sit here and spout nonsense for another few weeks and then become perfectly coherent and be released," he finished.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life," Marian said quietly. "I heard fighting Rookwood off took its toll."

"I didn't do anything extraordinary. He got what he wanted; you were dead. The souls beyond the veil sent you back."

Marian furrowed her brow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You were technically dead. I'm sure Sirius told you that. Well after you were gone and Rookwood had fled, before I could revive your husband, I saw a bit of white matter. Something like a memory when it's drawn from the temple, come out of the veil. It was a long string of it, and it drifted over to you and entered your mouth, filling you up. As it went in your hair turned white and you started to breath. It was your soul returning to your body after the veil had already taken it. The souls on the other side sent it back." He leaned forward and in a mysterious voice asked, "Do you remember anything?"

Marian closed her eyes and thought hard. "I thought I remembered…somewhere white. A great vast nothingness. There were people around, all kinds. And they wandered about for as far as they eye could see. I thought I spoke to one…but I can't remember what it said. Next thing I know I was home in my bed. I thought it was all a dream."

"I think you made it to the other side and lived to tell the tale, my dear."

Broderick patted her hand and smiled again. Something about him seemed…oh Marian didn't know. There was an ease about his breath and a brightness to his face. She said as much and Broderick pursed his dry and ancient lips and nodded.

"I fear I've been quite literally not myself of late. I was Imperioused about a week ago. Yesterday, after our morning meeting, I was in the Hall of Prophesy, fighting as usual to keep the curse form controlling me…and I failed miserably. Whoever it was made me touch the prophesy you all are trying to keep safe, Trelawny's prophesy. The effects of the defensive spells on it cast off the curse, but I was certainly feeling a little weak myself. Let the healers take me in last night, made them think it was all an accident in the workplace as usual. Now about you."

"So my hair turned white because I was the dead coming back to life," Marian reasoned.

"Yes, but only because of the method. They created a spiritual tether to send back your soul and this for an unknown reason turns the hair white. We may never know why the souls sent yours back, but whatever the reason I'm glad they did. But this is not the reason I was so eager to talk to you after this whole mess. Death and spirits and the veil, you know that better than most, you can puzzle it out. No I wanted to talk to you about your wand."

"My wand?"

"Yeah, that jewel encrusted creation. Why did you have Ollivander make that thing for you?"

"My old powers started fading earlier this year. I felt helpless. Then with Voldemort's return and my new found specialty still unhoned…I felt nervous that I would not be able to protect myself."

"And do you find anything about your capabilities with this tool different from the old one?"

"Of course. I can merely think something while holding it and my imagination becomes reality."

"Have you tried to defy a law of Merlin with it?"

Marian was unsure of how to answer this. The laws of Merlin were clear and absolute since the final days of the man himself: transfiguring food from inanimate objects, clothing by the same token, shelter conjured from nothing was another. They were not simply difficult spells, Merlin had made them impossible to accomplish no matter your skill. He thought that if magic folk could conjure everything they ever wanted or needed form nothing it would put them on an uneven keel with muggles who had to scrape for everything they had. Back in his day, they all lived together harmoniously and Merlin desired to keep those relationships intact.

No, she hadn't tried any of these feats with her wand, but she had to admit the prospect was enticing. Her wand was built on ancient magical theories, older than Merlin and his laws. It was entirely plausible that this was the only person-wand combination in the world who could skirt them.

"No I haven't tried anything like that. I only really use it when I have to. It's far too powerful for everyday things."

"That's good," Broderick blurted out roughly. "I wish you had come to me before doing this, my dear. Elementals are an ancient race of magic folk. Something like this, boosting your abilities to the level it sounds as though it already has…makes me nervous."

"Why?"

Broderick grasped for her hand. "Many centuries ago when your kind was plentiful, they had tools like these from time to time. Special tools to add a little spark to their everyday powers. That's how you got your famous Elementals in the history books. But they all paid a terrible price. Their tools, as useful as they were, ended up killing them. Eventually, you've used them for such grand gestures, feats that should never have been possible to perform, the power of the object grows stronger. And the person it is connected with, grows more powerful. Eventually, if used enough, that wand will become unnecessary. You will be able to make things happen with just a thought and a wave of your empty hand. Amazing things. Terrible things. And all this power has to go somewhere. It fills every ounce of you, every pore. And eventually there is too much of it. It will kill you like a very slow poison."

"If she stops using the wand?" Remus asked. It was the first thing he had said since sitting down.

"I would recommend it."

"But I need it," Marian retorted. She thought she sounded a bit childish, but it was the truth. "My true niche powers are not yet fully realized; might not be for years. Meanwhile my old wand doesn't work as well for me and Voldemort is out for my blood as much as my godson's."

Broderick lowered his head to think. It seemed he understood the dilemma. After a few moments he sniffed and said, "Wither you want my advice or not, I'm giving it to you. Use the wand sparingly. When this is over, lock it up somewhere safe. Keep wearing that iolite pendant of yours, day and night. It saved your life once it might well help keep this all at bay a little longer, buy you time. And brush up on your Occlumency with that old professor of yours, what was his name? The one who taught the technique to you in school?"

"Severus Snape."

"Him. Have him help you brush up to try and keep the power in that weapon from weeding its way into your mind. That's where it's going to live when it gets a hold of you."

Marian was speechless. Remus was not. He was coolheaded as ever. "And if she does everything you say. Will she survive?"

"If she gets to the point where she no longer needs that gem strewn stick…the power will take hold and grow on its own. I don't know that there's any other ending to that story but death."

At this Marian looked up, trying not to shed a tear. She didn't want to show fear, but felt this man already knew what she was feeling anyway. A single drop leaked from her eye and down her cheek. "I've already died and come back once. Can I ever even experience death again?"

Broderick shrugged. He didn't know.

"You have to wrap your head around this precarious situation," Broderick sighed. "And I have to continue to spout lunacy for a few weeks. After I'm back to work you will report to my office and we'll discuss the terms of your new position as my right hand."

"And Rookwood?"

"Do as you like with him, fire him if you like, turn him in to the aurors for attempted murder with some version of how you were attacked. Just leave me and your husband out of it. Whatever you prefer. Just get him out of my department."

They were on their way out when Marian remembered one more thing she meant to ask Broderick. She held fast to one of the wheels on the chair to stop Remus at the door. "Your visitor earlier. Who was he?"

Broderick cocked his head. "I had no visitor earlier. There was a bloke who poked his head in here, said he had the wrong room but I've been alone all day."

Marian turned it over this way and that in her mind over the train ride home, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Why would someone come to see Bode and not actually see him? Whoever it was she was certain was no friend of his. Another item on her mental checklist of things to discuss with Dumbledore when next she saw him. Harry's experience, her incident, Occlumency, now Broderick's visitor. The next time he visited the house, Albus was going to be in for a very long chat.

CONVERSATIONS

Marian was recovering rather well. Something about the holidays always seemed to make things better. And having her family all together was a definite boost. But still, there was something rather wrong with everything. The things that Broderick had told her were constantly at the forefront of her mind. Marian couldn't begin to do any work, and barely sought out anyone during the day. Their happy voices drifted through the house and she could hear them, but Marian simply wasn't ready to talk about what had happened to her. She hadn't even spoken to Harry yet.

In the evenings, when everyone was gone, Marian would come out and wander the house, eat something and get a change of scenery. On Christmas Eve Marian was just closing the front door behind Sirius so he could chase some cars and blow off steam when she turned around and saw Harry coming down the stairs.

"What are you doing up?"

The boy shrugged. "I can't sleep. That's been happening a lot since…well you know."

Marian nodded. "Me too. Come on, I'll make some tea."

They walked down to the kitchen and while the tea boiled on the stove, Marian listened to Harry's version of the events of the night Arthur and Marian had been injured. When he was finished, he asked her, "I know Ginny says it's nothing like when she was possessed, and I guess it's not, but I wanted to know what you think."

Marian thought for a moment. She had to handle this delicately. Her theory was sound, probably correct, but there was no need to alarm him. "Did you scar hurt when you woke up?"

"Yeah."

"I think you saw it because of the connection between the two of you, through the scar you have. If he was possessing the snake then he was particularly vulnerable to invasion of the mind, which was in the snake at the time. You inadvertently entered his mind. It's not possession, it's more like seeing."

"Like Divination?"

"You may have a penchant for it. All I'm saying is that scar connects you two, and it seems the connection is getting stronger as you get older. I'm also saying try not to worry about it too much."

The teapot whistled and Marian poured tea for them both. They sat at the table together and as Harry sipped, Marian described her conversation with Broderick Bode.

"It seems that Rookwood killed me that night. At work. You shouldn't tell anyone I told you, but I work with the concept of death. There were spirits nearby and they saw fit to return my soul to me after my boss fought Rookwood off. That's why my hair—"

"Turned white?"

"Yes. We don't know why, but it happens when those on the other side send a soul back to the vessel through a spiritual tether. It's kind of like a white thread containing what was once inside of you. A ribbon threading itself back into its body."

Harry thought for a moment, and then ventured, "But…you were gone for a long time at the hospital. You and Lupin came back more than an hour after us. That can't be all you talked about."

He was smart, that was for sure. "He was asking me about my wand. The new one. Apparently there are a few things I should have researched better before I asked Ollivander to make it for me."

"Like what?"

"Apparently being an Elemental, my power is being boosted by using the elements the wand is made up of; the gemstones. The more I use it and the larger spells I do with it, well eventually, I won't need the wand anymore to conduct the most complicated of spells. But this excess power never stops growing. It feeds on my life force. Eventually it won't be able to sustain itself anymore and it will implode."

Harry was listening intently. And scratched his head full of mussed hair from tossing and turning and said slowly, "If it feeds on life force…does that mean this thing, this power, it could kill you when it blinks out?"

"We don't know." Marian was trying to sound as matter of fact as possible to hide any fear in her voice. "I've already died once and came back, we don't know if I'll ever be able to die again. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Let's hope we get to find out the long way."

When Harry was finished with his tea, Marian sent him back to bed and stayed in the kitchen to pour herself another cup. Just as she was halfway done, there was the sound of a door closing a footsteps upstairs. Marian got herself up and stalked upstairs. when she got there, she saw Albus walking quietly into the entrance hall.

"Professor?"

"Good evening, Marian my dear. I was hoping you would be awake. Where is your husband?"

Marian groaned. "Chasing cars, I'm afraid. I know you don't like it, but it helps him think."

Albus nodded and clasped his hands. "Then I suppose it's just you and me. Shall we?"

They sat together in the kitchen and Marian relayed her opinions about the snake incident and Broderick's thoughts on her wand. At this Albus had something to say at long last. "I suppose he recommended not using it."

"He did, but I need to use it. My old one hasn't been working for me since I started using stones in the Death Chamber and Ollivander promised to work on it, but it's very difficult to get what I asked right. the phrases being carved into the wood must be absolutely flawless or I could end up with a backfiring wand, or worse. I need the new one for now."

"There is a certain logic in this, but I think some maintenance measures should be taken. Have you considered taking Occlumency lessons from Severus again?"

"Broderick mentioned it, but I don't think Sirius would take it well."

"Well he'll have to learn how to take it like a man, because this is important."

Marian promised to talk to Severus about it, but Albus had answer about that too. "It's already done, he's going to be teaching Harry as well. Harry's connection with Voldemort needs to be suppressed before Voldemort knows it's there and starts to use it to his advantage." Albus stood. "He'll be calling on the house later this week to talk to the boy about it. I hope you can handle prepping your husband so there won't be an ensuing fight?"

Marian nodded and stood as the professor left.

Marian stayed in the kitchen longer, not really doing much, just thinking. Thinking about the awful position her godson was in. Thinking about the possibility she might be dead before she saw this war through. Thinking about what would happen to Sirius without her. It took him twelve years to reunite with her. After prison, being on the run, being locked up in this house…she very much doubted that man could suffer another significant blow.

When she was finally tired, Marian cleaned the tea cups off the table and made her way upstairs. Sirius would likely wait until an Order member came by in the day to drop off Christmas gifts to come back in, so she simply made her way up the stairs. Upon turning the first corner Marian caught sight of herself in one of the gilded mirrors on the wall. She stopped walking and backed up to see herself properly.

Her once rich chocolate curls were as white as fresh snow. Her skin had always been pale, but now with her hair white as a sheet the overall effect made her look as ghostly as the Grey Lady at Hogwarts. She was running her fingers through her hair when she heard the door close again. Now what?

Going back to the first landing, Marian saw Sirius sneaking into the foyer, holding his previously discarded pants over his hips.

"Nice run?"

Sirius jumped a foot high and looked up to her, an easy smile eventually sweeping across his features and he relaxed enough to step into his pants. "Bloody hell you scared me. What are you still doing up?"

"First talking to our godson."

"At long last."

"Then talking to Albus."

Sirius zipped himself up and made his way toward the steps. "Oh yeah? What did he have to say?"

"He thinks Harry and I should start working in Occlumency."

They walked together and Sirius said quietly, "Both of you? What does he imagine you'll gain from it?"

"The same thing Harry does," Marian said with a shrug. "It steels the mind, perhaps I can keep this wand's power from taking me over."

She hesitated a little at the mirror again.

"What's the matter love?"

"It's ugly…"

Sirius snaked his arms around her mid-section and rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes meeting hers in their reflection. "You could never be ugly love."

MORE THAN BARGAINED FOR

Marian woke up on Christmas morning feeling only slightly better about the circumstances it seemed she had found herself in. But she couldn't blame herself for her lack of insight on her decision for a new wand; after all, Elementals were technically a thing of the past, they didn't exist anymore. And yet, Broderick could have told her it was dangerous.

She was up early, even before the children. Sirius wasn't in bed, but that wasn't unusual. He often stayed up all night when he had a lot on his mind. And there was frequently a lot on his mind these days. All days really.

There was a clock in the foyer chiming five in the morning when she made her way through to the drawing room where she had locked up her work so the Weasleys could erect a tree and decorate the previous week. Marian thought she would grab some time alone before the chaos erupted, but instead, before she even walked in, she could hear music. Upon entering the room, Sirius was in his robe with a mug on his hand, admiring the tree. He looked more peaceful than Marian had ever seen him. When he heard her footsteps on the creaking board just beyond the door jamb he looked up and smiled at her. Raising his mug a little, he said, "Merry Christmas, Marian."

Marian pulled her robe tighter around herself and approached him. "Why so early?"

"I have something for you." He nodded toward a package beneath the tree wrapped in silver paper with a white ribbon around it. "I wanted you to open it before everyone else got up."

Marian knelt down beside the tree and lifted the box into her lap. It wasn't overly large, and it wasn't very heavy. Marian untied the ribbon while Sirius spoke. "I had Remus looking everywhere for this this week, after the incident. After what you told me Broderick said to you about this wand and its power. I figured there must be some old text sitting in the back of Flouruish and Blotts somewhere about all this. Remus found this. Flourish and Blotts told him it details some of the more odd conditions of magic folk in history. Something about Elementals should be in here. It's in another language though."

The wrapping fell away to reveal a very old text, bound in fading leather with a symbol on the front she didn't recognize and delicate looking parchment pages. Marian opened it carefully. Sirius was right, it was in another language. "Can you read it?" Sirius asked anxiously.

Marian shook her head and sighed, "It looks like this is written in Greek."

"You can't read Greek?"

"Nope."

"Then how-?"

Marian shrugged and set the book carefully aside before standing. "I'll find a way. Thank you." She turned to Sirius and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair.

"What did you tell Harry about all this?"

Marian led Sirius with her toward the sofa. "The truth."

"A bright version of the truth I hope."

Marian snickered and nodded as they sat. "I suppose I did. I don't want him to worry that I'm going to die. At least not until we know I can or not."

Sirius snaked his fingers through Marian's and leaned in for a kiss. But before their lips could touch they heard the front door open and shut. After a moment, Severus in his customary black robes marched in, cloak sweeping behind him.

"Sorry for the timing, Marian," he said, not acknowledging Sirius was even there. "Something's happened."

Marian stood and met Severus halfway across the room. "What's going on?"

"Broderick Bode. He died this morning."

The words hit Marian like a bolt of lightning. Her hands went numb and her knees gave out. Severus caught her and together he and Sirius got her to the couch again. When she caught her breath, Marian asked, "What happened?"

Severus sat to one side, Sirius the other. "There was a plant brought in by a visitor about a week ago. Turned out to be a sprig of Devil's Snare. It choked him to death this morning."

"About a week ago? Wait…this doesn't make sense." Marian didn't look at either man, instead her gaze was trained on the floor and she was puzzling. "Broderick would know Devil's Snare if he saw it, no one could have hidden it from him as a window plant. He would have told Albus the man was there and had the thing placed as far from him as possible. That means the visitor slipped in and out without him knowing and put it somewhere it wasn't easily examinable."

"There's something else," Severus said quietly, as if afraid that making too much noise would cause Marian to lose track of her processing. He extracted something from his cloak and handed it to her. It was an envelope. "It's all unofficial, his will is expected to be found at his residence later, it's well known he made one. Albus notarized it himself as a member of the Wizengamot, he says the most recent amended copy mentioned papers you signed left in the top drawer of his desk. Obviously you haven't signed them yet, he sent me to get them, get you to sign them, and return them before Magical Law Enforcement starts digging around."

Marian nodded and opened the envelope, expecting to find the papers she would have signed after the new year making her the Assistant Head of the Department of Mysteries. Just as they had planned. Instead she found a contract to make her the department head. Why would he have done that? Bowed out without letting Marian know. Knowing Broderick there was only one answer. He was done. He wanted to retire and get the hell out of dodge before the war really broke out. Smart, underhanded, and not the first time he had tricked Marian into agreeing to something.

For the moment, she hated him for it.

Marian sighed before standing and walking to her work table, which had been moved to the far wall, picking up a quill and setting down the papers, signing them with a strange mix of disgust, regret, sadness, and shame for all three.

She walked the papers back over and handed them to Severus. "Get them back before they're missed."

Severus nodded. "Happy Christmas Marian. Sorry for your loss."

"Happy Christmas Severus."

When the potions master had left, Sirius stretched and sighed. "What were those papers?"

"Broderick never wanted to make me the assistant head of the department. He wanted me to run it."

Sirius opened his mouth to ask more questions, but before he could the sound of excited voices and overtired yawns came into earshot. Marian sat down and while everyone else opened gifts with gusto, she thought about how her life was about to get dangerous. Much more dangerous. As if that were possible.

ARGUMENTS FOR THE RIGHT THING

Sirius was less than happy. Severus had showed up at the house with his letter from Dumbledore asking him to teach Occlumency to Harry and Marian. Marian had known Severus would come with the fore mentioned letter, but had failed to mention it to Sirius.

"You're not spending time alone in a room with either one of them. This is my family Snivellus."

"This has nothing to do with you," Severus shot back coolly. "Albus has requested it for the boy and Marian was told by her boss before his death that brushing up might help to slow down the dangerous process coursing through her veins."

"And she can't do this herself?"

"She needs someone to practice with her."

"Then I will."

"You are not an accomplished Occlumens, Black. Perhaps you don't care if she dies, but I do."

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

"Ahem." Marian noticed that Harry had finally come down from his and Ron's room upstairs. He came cautiously into the kitchen and Severus ordered him to sit.

"I think I'd prefer if you didn't give orders here, Snape," Sirius snarked. "It's my house you see."

Severus ignored Sirius and continued. "I was supposed to see you alone with your godmother, Potter, but Black-"

"I'm his godfather."

"I'm here on Dumbledore's orders, but by all means stay, Black. I know how you like to feel…involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Merely that I am sure you must feel-ah-frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful for the Order."

For the most part, Marian had long since decided to stop attempting to mediate between the two men. But in front of her godson, she felt the need to say something. "I was supposed to warn him and I didn't Severus, it's my fault. Just get this done with and you can go."

Severus would have continued poking the bear, she was sure, but since Marian has asked…

"The headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term."

"Study what?"

"Occlumency," Marian explained. "It's a magical defense of the mind against external penetration. I'll be studying as well. I used to be quite good. Perhaps if I can get used to closing my mind off again, I can keep this power within me from killing me. Magic is in the mind. If I can partition everything I might stand a chance to live."

"Why do I have to study Occlu- thing?"

Of course Marian and Severus knew why, so did Sirius, but none of them were supposed to tell Harry. And for good reason. Marian tripped up, unable to come up with something quickly. Severus on the other hand:

"Because the headmaster thinks it's a good idea. You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will tell no one what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"

"Yes," the boy answered tentatively. "Who's going to be teaching me?"

"I am."

Sirius cued in, asking why it had to be Severus, to which the potions master stated the headmaster was too busy and assured both Sirius and Harry that he took no joy in the project, following up by requesting Harry be at his office 6 o' clock Monday evening.

"But if Marian used to be good, why can't she teach me when she's ready?"

"It's important, Harry," Marian said softly. "Important more for you than for me. We're trying to keep you safe, trying to keep these dreams you have at bay."

"And we're also trying to save your life, why am I more important?"

Marian sighed. "Harry this thing in me, it won't get me for a long time. We need to protect you right now. Professor Snape is the best there is."

Severus was on his way out the door when Sirius called out, back going rigid as he sat straighter. "Wait a moment."

"I'm rather in a hurry Black…unlike you, I don't have unlimited leisure time…"

"Severus," Marian scolded. "You promised, I've been lenient, now knock it off."

"I'll make it quick then," Sirius said, standing up. "if I hear, or Marian hears, that you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."

"How touching," Severus sneered. "But surely you've noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

"Yes I have."

"Then you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him."

That was it, suddenly there were insults flying in every direction and getting nastier by the second. There was no way Marian would be able to stop it now. Wands were drawn. Harry got to Sirius and Marian tried to push Severus toward the door. Fortunately the Weasley family came in with a cured Arthur to break the fight up with an announcement of a cure for Mr. Weasley.

Severus and Sirius both lowered their wands. "6 o' clock Monday evening Potter," Severus said again before sweeping out of the room. Sirius' eyes met Marian's, but she couldn't hold his gaze. "We'll talk when I get back," she said before tearing off after Severus.

Outside Severus was making excellent headway in leaving the house behind. He was almost a block away and Marian had to run to catch up. When she could speak without shouting and calling attention, Marian started her argument. "You didn't have to be like that. All you had to do was come in, tell Harry about his lessons, and go without insulting anyone and you couldn't even do that." She grabbed his arm to get him to stop walking. "If you have to make someone miserable when you're around I would rather it be me. He already is."

Severus finally turned to look at her. His eyes moved up and down her delicate frame and noted her underdress for the chilly weather. Severus opened his cloak and beckoned Marian to step closer out of the cold. After he wrapped her inside, Severus rested his chin on top of her head and sighed.

"I could never be unkind to you. I never will."

"What makes me so different from the rest of the world, Severus?" Marian asked, pulling away enough to see his face.

He seemed to wrestle with the answer for a moment, trying to find the right words. When he did, Severus said, quietly, "Because you've suffered enough. And he…not nearly enough."

Marian smiled sadly. "In some ways, maybe many ways, you're right. But it doesn't mean either of you are handling your encounters well. Albus asked you both six months ago if you could set aside your differences, if only for my sake. He asked because either of you going at the other's throat doesn't just hurt the direct target. It hurts me. Please stop this?"

Severus nodded once. "You should get back. It's freezing out here."

Marian stepped out of his cloak and ran back toward the house. When she got inside, everyone else was eating, but Marian wasn't hungry. Instead she went up to bed early, choosing to lay awake and contemplate the two men in her life while stroking Schorl's fur with one hand as he rested in her lap and Buckbeak's head as he laid his head on the bed beside her, nuzzling her hand from his resting place on the floor.

After some time, the door opened and Sirius walked in. He undressed and slid into bed. "You missed dinner." His tone was flat and cold. "Molly says you need to keep your strength up." He was upset, and he had every right. Marian was still formulating a response when he turned on his side and added, "You went after him. Instead of staying and making me feel better."

"I asked him to stop this. He has no regard for Albus' requests, and none for hurting you, but if he knows how much the fighting affects me…he will stop."

"You could have asked me."

Marian turned her head to see Sirius. "I was trying to avoid another fight. You think I care about him too much, and maybe in a certain light you're right. But we've been over this many times."

"You're not just protecting him. You don't just like him. You love him."

Now Marian was frustrated. She sat up, causing her niffler to jump to the floor and Buckbeak to retreat to his corner. "You should be thanking him," she insisted. "After the war was over…ugh, you know the story. He was there when no one else would be. Yeah, he's an ass, he hates you. He might even love me in some way. But the truth is without him, I wouldn't have been there when you got out of Azkaban. And if I were, I would not have been the same. You love me because of the way I am, and I am the way I am largely because of the war…and his help afterwards. You don't have to actually thank him, just…keep it in mind the next time you draw your wand on him."

Sirius grabbed Marian around the waist and pulled her into his arms. "I love you. I don't want to share."

"You don't have to. I'm all yours."

She tilted her head up and kissed Sirius' lips. She started slow at first, letting the moment gain its heat. She slipped her hand down his chest and over his stomach toward his man parts. She massaged slowly, feeling him grow hard as Sirius toyed with her breasts through her tank top, eventually breaking the kiss to pull the neckline down, expose her, and dip his head and roll each nipple lightly between his teeth in turn.

Their bodies moved closer together and Sirius mounted Marian, as he pulled her underwear to the side without removing them and arranged himself through his shorts. They came together with a collective groan and moved together. Sirius took both Marian's wrists in one of his hands and lifted them above her head. She writhed in bliss until she came, Sirius following her a moment later.

They fell asleep in one another's arms, each wondering what the New Year was going to bring them.

In the morning, Marian dressed herself, did her makeup and her hair. Sirius awoke just as she was finishing. He yawned and sighed, watching her from where he lay. "Don't do anything stupid today," he said quietly. "You were in danger the minute Voldemort came back, you might be dying. There's no need to speed anything up just because you're the Department of Mysteries head."

Marian promised and raced downstairs, catching Tonks before she left for the Ministry herself from spending the night at the headquarters. In whose room, she had no idea, but she had spent the night apparently.

The girls parted one inside the Ministry and Marian made her way to her new office, passing through corridors with only three things in mind: who she was going to hire, who she was going to fire, and what was going to happen with the Death Chamber.

As she was walking into the corridor that lead to her old boss' office, Marian heard a familiar voice following her. "Figured he would make you the new head. You've produced more possible answers than anyone in years."

Marian turned around and smiled at the sight of her only friend in the department, Richard Polk. "No comments about my hair?"

"Heard about it through the St. Mungos grape vine, Platt saw you while he was there getting a finger reattached after the brain tank incident."

"Didn't know there was one."

"Well I didn't know you were in line to be the department head."

"Not quite the papers I thought I would be signing," she said as brightly as she could. She turned around and opened the door she was standing at. The one that already bore her name. Damn, Broderick moved fast. It had to be him since the Ministry only discovered her inheritance the week before and it took them months to get anything small done.

Apparently Richard thought so too; he commented as he followed her inside and shut the door behind them. He also mentioned how strange it was that the papers were mentioned in the will but they weren't the papers Marian had been told they were.

"Well, headmanship of the department has been notoriously loose on who inherits from the person who dies or retires. New heads have been named on deathbeds, in wills, sometimes decided mere days into the prospect's employment. Broderick probably had me earmarked ever since he got my curriculum record and application. It's not any more unusual than anything else."

"I suppose, still…you're going to do something drastic today I can feel it."

Marian put her bag down on the desktop in the blander than bland office and sat down, Richard sitting in the chair on the other side. "Well aside from getting something on the walls in here…" She was about to lie to Richard, but when he gave her a look that could only mean 'don't lie to me', she changed tactics. "I'm going to fire Rookwood."

"That could go badly."

"And make you my assistant head."

"Have you actually thought about the effect these actions will have on you? Never mind me, but on you."

Marian leaned back and sighed, putting her feet up. "I need him out of here. For more reasons than I care to admit or even could if I wanted to. As for you, you're about the only person I can trust in here, and I'm going to need someone I can trust. Someone who can take over for me when I'm gone."

Richard nodded and readjusted the thick black framed glasses on the bridge of his nose. "You're already planning you departure?"

"I'm making the necessary arrangements for my possible early demise. Something you should know, the episode that caused this," she touched a white lock hanging by her face. "It technically killed me. I was brought back by the souls beyond the veil. The trouble is that this wand I had made is tapping into a power within me that should have been left well enough alone. Normally after so much use it kills the host. Since I've already died once, we're not sure if I can die again. But I don't want to take any chances. Just in case."

Richard was silent for a moment, but instead of asking for more information, he shrugged and asked, "So what do we do first?"

Marian sighed. "Well, there's no point in stalling. It's still early, hopefully we can catch Rookwood before he comes in."

INTO THE PAST

"Come on Marian, you used to be so much better at this."

"Ten years of disuse causes atrophy in anything."

Marian sat and rested in the empty classroom she was practicing with Severus in at the school. Considering how many people were at headquarters regularly it was too risky to practice there. Severus cleared out a dungeon classroom for it. But it didn't matter how clear the room was, Marian's mind was fuzzy as ever. She just couldn't clear it. An hour in and she took a break, Severus sitting down beside her on the floor.

Severus sighed and rested his head against the wall. "How did Rookwood take it?"

"Not well. But at least he didn't try and kill me this time."

Severus sniffed and said, "Well, just watch out for yourself. I doubt he'll let it go."

"I'm more concerned about Voldemort. He'll know I'm alive by now, and until I die I'll be in danger, which might be for a very long time."

Severus shrugged. "Maybe." It got quiet for a moment. Severus had something on his mind, but it seemed like he was trying to find the words. "These memories I've seen inside your head …do you, well, think about your school years often?"

"Lately, yes."

"And me?"

Marian turned her head and looked at Severus. "You were always good to me. Protected me when I needed it. Now I feel like I need to be the one protecting you, and I can't. I feel like you're going out on a limb again and even though there are other reasons I am partly the cause you agreed to it, and I'm scared for you." Severus clucked her under the chin with an index finger. "Don't be." He stood and brushed off his robes. "Come on, let's get this all under control."

After a few lessons with Severus, Marian was certainly feeling like she had everything under control. Of course, it was still a tossup wither or not it would protect the Elemental power in her from eating her alive. She decided to find out. One afternoon while Sirius was out chasing cars and Remus was taking a nap after his February moon, she closed herself in the drawing room where her work had been kept before she moved everything to her office in the Ministry, and opened the book Sirius had given her for Christmas.

It was written in Greek which she could not read, and there was no spell that could change it to English under the laws of Merlin, but maybe now that she had some control over this power, she could use it without taking too much of a toll. Besides, it was a simple enough off-the-books charm to try it with. And she simply had to know if it would work.

Marian opened the book and took a breath, sitting on the couch and hovering her hand over it pages. She closed her eyes and drew a picture in her mind. She saw the letters shifting, rearranging, becoming something identifiable.

But as she did this, Marian could feel something else happening. Her mind was clear as a bell, but her body felt like it was going foggy. Like it was fading. It was not painful, but it was very uncomfortable. And when it got to be too much she let go.

Taking a few deep breaths, Marian let her eyes open slowly and gazed into her lap. Well, the book was in English now, but Marian for all her control and effort, felt as though she had lost a piece of herself back there. Damn.

Occlumency wasn't going to help her situation any it would seem. Still, maybe there were some answers in this book after all. She flipped to the table of contents, and then somewhere in the middle two hundreds. And she began to read.

Elementals are the earliest known form of magic folk. In this day and age they are rare; a dying breed. While it is impossible to understand the precise ways in which this condition works, in the more modern world Elementals also possess powers typical of witches and wizards separate of the power of their particular element.

As such an ancient form of magic, it is outside the laws of Merlin. The host may cast any spell of any kind as long as they can envision it.

While this is a large grey area of understanding, there are rules that have been found to be consistent and absolute. Scriptures of the Elemental Condition.

The Mirror Effect: Only the Elemental power that cast a spell, traditional or created, can then undo by the proper means. A spell to turn a bird into a water goblet may only be undone by the witch or wizard who cast the charm.

Life and Death: Use of the Elemental power within results in death. If the host only uses it for traditional magic it is impossible to say when the power will consume the host and cause death. However, as most Elementals also possess traditional magical capabilities, the power is often only used to break the laws of Merlin, such as Apparating against a charm to hinder such, conjuring food, etc. In these cases, seven deviations will cause the death of the host, no more no less.

Wandlessness: Eventually the power of the Elemental using their respective element will grow to a point where a wand is no longer necessary it perform any task, great or small, within the laws or not. It is also not necessary to speak any spell; merely a thought will be enough.

This information struck Marian hard. She was hoping for clarity, but nothing quite like this had been anywhere near her estimation. The mirror effect was an interesting tidbit, something to keep in mind. It was really the second scripture. Use of the power will result in death. She knew it would eventually, she didn't know there were known limitations. She had only used the inner power this one time, to change the text of the book she was reading. That was her first use. If Marian continued to use it only for spells against the laws of Merlin, she had another six in her before she had to worry about dying.

And then there was the answer she had been desperately looking for, and it remained still: could she die?

There was more about the Elemental condition but nothing Marian hadn't read before. She had a thought, and turned to the back of the book to read through the index, looking for a section on Necromancy. She found one. After turning into the four hundreds, she read the small section dedicated to Necromanced individuals of the magical sort.

While it is a widely known fact that muggles who have been brought back from the dead are prone to suffering death again at some point through means other than aging, magic folk who are the subjects of this practice do not suffer from the mortal condition. After resurrection, they live on throughout the ages. Thus far, there is no known cure for the immortal condition in these beings. There are not many cases.

While it used to be considered simply a difficult practice to perform it has now been determined that only those who have died and moved on can send a soul back into its body. The conditions on a case by case basis that make the completion of this action hit or miss are unknown.

Only one method exists in which a spirit from the other side can send a soul back to its body. If the soul has already flown it must be fed back into the body through a tether, after which the subject's hair typically turns white. The reasoning for this is unknown and will likely never be solved as the practice was outlawed in the year 1024 along with other major practices that disagreed with the vision Merlin had for the wizarding world; it was the pioneer action of several bannings to come that would eventually create the complete list of taboo spells and practices.

So her condition was immortal as it stood, but there was no indication of wither or not her Elemental power could supersede her immortality. After searching through the book some more, there were no more answers it could afford her. It was a shame really, she was in some ways hoping that she could die at some point in her life. Watching eternity go by couldn't be entertaining forever could it?

"What are you doing?"

Sirius had come in very quietly, or perhaps Marian simply hadn't noticed, and wrapped himself in the dressing robe he left by the door for his return.

Marian smiled and closed the book.

"Just going over the book you gave me. Nothing much in there I'm afraid. Doesn't answer the question of wither or not I can actually die from my Elemental condition."

"Frankly my dear," Sirius said, tying his robe and sitting beside her, "you look like you already have. You're pale, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Marian insisted. "But I suppose I am a little tired. Perhaps I'll take a nap."

On her way upstairs Marian stopped at the gilded mirror and noticed that Sirius was right. She was very pale, and the more steps she climbed the more exhausted she felt. Using her inner power really had taken its toll for something so very simple.

Definitely something to keep in mind for when she used her next six miracles. Marian had a feeling that her next acts of wonder were going to be of somewhat larger design.

NOT SO SECRET

Marian had been having a generally pleasant time managing the department. Broderick had prepared for her ascension with all precision, everything arranged and in its place. All Marian had to do was follow his instruction and make sure everything was running smoothly. Although, she had taken to wearing a scarf to hide her hair when she was out and about, preferring to keep her newfound condition as much out of common knowledge as possible. Truth be told there were few bumps in the road before Friday, February 13.

The morning had been average enough, until Richard showed up with some very important and expected paperwork in hand. It had the official seal of the Minister on the envelope.

"It's about time," Marian said. "How long can it take Fudge to create a new Department Head portfolio after all?"

"Well, there were some complications," Richard said, closing the door behind him and gingerly handing over the papers as he sat in one of the chairs near Marian's desk. Marian screwed her face in conversation and rifled through the pages. Everything seemed normal: birthdate, description of appearance, maiden name, married name, spouse (not desired information for a public record, but hardly surprising Fudge would not neglect to leave it blank for her sake). It wasn't until the final page in which any alternate forms are listed in which Marian discovered the problem.

"Richard why is there a record of my animagus form in here?"

"Before you get upset-"

It was too late, she was already upset. "Richard I told you about that in strictest confidence in case of emergencies, not to give to the Minister while creating my record!"

"I know! I didn't tell him, he already knew. Just asked for confirmation is all. Fortunately it would seem that he doesn't know about your immortal condition so you still have that."

Marian sat down in her chair and whipped off her scarf to scratch her head, and thought hard. Who knew about her animagus form? Sirius of course, Harry knew. Dumbledore knew though he didn't like it. Remus was aware. Severus had helped her so he knew about it. But none of them would have ratted her out. Who else could have known? Who would want to tank her new position that badly?

Then it hit her. "Rita Skeeter that horrible woman. She was skulking around that school for months gathering stories on people, but the only time I changed when all that was going on was to go get Sirius that night when things had gone wrong. I didn't think much to consider the consequences of changing in the foyer, I just needed to get my task done quickly."

Richard shook his head. "But why would she have told that story to Fudge instead of just writing the article for the Prophet?"

"Because Hermione captured her when she was using her illegal animagus. She turns into a beetle, Hermione caught her in a jar and threatened to keep her in there unless she stopped writing awful stories. But if she was sitting on my information already then she could have handed it off to Fudge for a pardon on her own illegal actions."

"Why would she want that when she could just continue to refuse to tell anyone?"

"Because she's been trying to put the screws on me since the war." Richard opened his mouth to apologize but Marian stopped him. "Don't, it's not your fault. It's that old hag's."

"Well it's in there, so what do we do now?"

Marian sighed and shrugged. "Stop using it immediately, and think of something else."

"You could use your power and make another form," Richard suggested.

"No, I won't waste my magic on something trivial. If I ever need to change form for a short time I'll have someone turn me instead. I can use it again when the war is over and I'm no longer under a microscope."

"And Skeeter?"

"Leave her to me."

"Marian darling it's Valentine's, can't you go put the screws to that woman some other time?"

Marian swept her cloak on and started heading for the door. "Sorry darling, but it's a Hogsmeade weekend and I know she'll be there trying to get some information on Harry. I find our godson, I find her."

"Just don't do anything illegal. And hurry back."

Marian nodded and slipped out of the house, making her way across the street to the park and apparating to a point just outside Hogsmeade.

The village was abuzz with students. It was a weekend out for the school which was good because it made it easier for Marian to blend in. Now if she knew Rita Skeeter, the woman would be looking for Harry, and knowing Harry, he would be getting a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. So that was where she headed.

As she approached the door, however, Rita Skeeter was on her way out, storing her quill in her bag and looking rather pleased with herself. Marian could not explain her sudden rush of emotion in the moment, but before she could blink she was on the woman, grabbing her by the arm and walking her around the corner of the tavern before shoving her against the side of the pub between buildings outside the eye of the passersby and speaking very close to her face so only she could hear.

"At it again Skeeter? Harassing my family. Turning me in to the Minister. Making everyone's life hell by writing more horrible stories."

Rita didn't seem all that shocked by this sudden show of muggle styled force. Apparently this had happened before, because Rita was entirely composed in her answer. "I haven't written a single published story since that little friend of your godson's threatened to turn me into the authorities. And yes I ratted you out to Fudge, but I was invited here to write down what your darling boy says about Voldemort. By little Miss Priss, if you can believe it."

"If you ousted me why would you continue to ignore the Prophet? There's so much dirt out there these days, you could make a fortune."

"Because the Minister promised he would keep my confidence, but would turn me in himself if I wrote for the government supported papers again. Said I was a loose cannon if you can believe it. But in exchange for not chucking me in Azkaban for a month, he insisted I give him dirt on you. He knows about you now. Happy?"

"No. Neither of us is on the registry still. He has his reasons and if you're smart you'll be wary of him. You said Hermione Granger asked you here to write about Harry?"

Rita nodded vigorously. Marian let go and Rita coughed. "They're still inside if you want to talk to them, but I'm running the story."

"Where?"

"The Quibbler, of all things. It's dreadful."

Marian thought about it a moment. "Get out of here," she finally said in a flat tone. No one needed to tell Rita twice, she made herself scarce in seconds. Marian gazed a little to the left and stepped closer to the dirty window. She saw her own reflection and tucked a stray white curl back inside her scarf. Then she looked closer and peered inside and found Hermione and Harry sitting together at a table deep in discussion. They seemed all right. Hermione had a determined look on her face. Seemed Rita was telling the truth about being invited. Marian wanted to intervene with all her being, she did, but somehow it seemed wrong. The Quibbler was a small problem. Something that could be dealt with once it was out there in print. Marian had bigger problems. Let the teens be, for the moment.

PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Marian had been going through paperwork. That's what she did more and more these days in her office. Things were getting worse everywhere. Dolores Umbridge was making life miserable at the school, awful news articles were still being written, and Dumbledore was continuing to lose privileges at the Ministry and support from the general population. Teachers were being watched at the school, some were being suspended, others fired (poor Sybill, she thought). With all this in mind, Marian decided she should have a plan in place for the eventual public return of Voldemort. There were two things she wanted to accomplish when that happened: secure the dangerous experiments in her department by whatever means necessary, and get those she loved out of the country. Those she could anyway. That number was relatively small, and so this project would be much easier to see through. The first was trickier. And so she found herself delving through everything she could find about the department, from its inception, about the conditions of its existence.

There was a knock on her door in the middle of the afternoon. Marian was on the floor of her office, files spread all around her in various degrees of organization. She called out for the visitor to enter and looked up as the door opened. It was Richard, of course. But the look on his face said there was something seriously wrong. "Something's happened at the school."

"What?"

"Minerva McGonagall wouldn't say, just asked me to tell you she needs you at the school."

And so Marian found herself on the Knight Bus to the castle, wondering just what had happened. Upon her arrival, she walked the long way up the hill toward the school as quickly as she could. Once she reached the door, instead of being opened by Filch as usual when there was a visitor approaching, it was Minerva. She hurried Marian inside and closed the door. They started walking quickly up the grand staircase and Minerva was talking quickly and quietly.

"Thank goodness you came so fast."

"What's going on? Where's Harry?"

"He's all right dear, but there's been a little trouble."

They rounded another corridor corner and continued to walk quickly, making their way toward Minerva's rooms. "What kind of trouble."

Minerva rushed Marian inside her private chambers, which sat behind a door next to her classroom and office, and closed and locked the door beside them both.

"Albus is gone."

Marian's blood ran cold. "What?"

"Your godson was running a secret club in the Room of Requirement to teach them defensive spells in lieu of Professor Umbridge doing so. They have been caught by that old toad's squad of students who have been given license to investigate their peers. Dolores paraded Harry and the girl who finally snitched on the rest of the group into Albus' office and brought a few aurors and the Minister with her to arrest the headmaster. He covered for the children, saying it was his idea and he organized it, and then he and Fawkes took off."

"Took off where?"

Minerva, now having told the story, sat in the nearest chair and sighed quietly. "I don't know." Minerva hid her eyes behind her hand and was clearly trying to hold it together. Marian knelt beside her and took the older woman's free hand. "He's all right. I'm sure of it. there's only so many places he knows is safe. Grimmault palce, maybe."

"I checked, he's not there."

"I'm sure he'll let us know when he's sure he's safe."

Marian stayed for a long time, made some tea and sat with Minerva, waiting for some sign from the headmaster. After several hours, when the rest of the school should have been well into dinner, there was a strong breeze which opened one of the windows from outside. Marian stood and Minerva sat straighter. A silver patronus wafted in, a phoenix. It fluttered and Marian extended her arm out for it to rest on. When it did, it opened its mouth and spoke.

"I'm sorry to have left the way I did. I'm at Marian's home in the country. I'm sorry to barge in, but I needed somewhere secure. More secure than headquarters. I'll be in touch soon."

With that the patronus was gone, dissolving into the air. So he was at her house. Not that Marian minded, but she had until now forgotten that she had told him where she lived years ago just in case. "There, see?" Marian forced a smile and returned to the sofa where she took Minerva's hands and squeezed. "He's all right."

Minerva nodded and a tear fell onto her cheek in relief. "I suppose there was no need to worry so much. I'm sorry I pulled you away from your work. Especially when it seemed whatever you were doing was important. What was it anyway?"

Marian shook her head and smiled again. "Just preparing for the worst."

THINGS LEFT UNSAID

It had been a very late night for everyone in the Department of Mysteries. The brain tank had sprung a leak, then the prophesy hall seemed to have another issue, something about missing globes which really turned out to be a missing record of retrieval. Either way, things were running oddly that night and all Marian wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a thousand years. Which thanks to the spirits beyond the veil, she now had and then some.

It turned out she wasn't going to get any sleep at all. When Marian returned home, Remus was waiting in the foyer biting his nails and seeming nervous. Marian closed the door behind her and Remus was instantly alert and speaking quickly. "Thank Merlin you're home. Severus swooped in here a couple of hours ago fuming about something before storming down to the kitchen. He roars at anyone who comes close to it."

"Well whatever it is it's going to have to wait, I'm exhausted. I'll call round the school tomorrow sometime." Marian pulled at her scarf a little and let it fall behind her like a hood.

"He's refusing to leave."

"Why?" she asked, shaking her hair out.

A new voice in the conversation answered form the stairs. "Because he will only talk to you." Sirius had materialized on the stairs with a tumbler in his hand. Whatever was in there it clearly wasn't his first drink and it was clearly working overtime. Sirius had an air of displeasure about him that Marian found wholly unappealing. Remus grasped her elbow and pulled her close. "Get rid of him as quick as you can."

Marian set her bags down and made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Sirius was pouring himself a firewhiskey from the bottle Molly had been keeping on a shelf in the pantry. "Bad night?"

Severus didn't turn, didn't speak, just sipped from his tumbler. Marian sighed and walked to sit beside him. Severus' hair was hanging in his face so there was no way of knowing what expression was on his features. Marian sat down and sighed. "Severus it's been a really long day and I just want to get to sleep. Please tell me what's going on."

Without looking in her direction, Severus said in a low even tone, "I can't teach your godson anymore."

Marian was able to coax out of Severus the things he saw when Harry shot a stunner at him at the same time as Severus performed another Ligilimens spell at him. Instead of seeing into Harry's mind, Severus was thrust into his own and relived one of the most humiliating moments of his school years, caused by Harry's father, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. It bothered Severus so much he threw Harry out of the class and told him never to come back.

Marian sighed. It seemed her night was far from over. After seeing Severus to the front door, Marian went upstairs to find Sirius and Remus. She found Sirius passed out in bed, but Remus was up in his room, reading it seemed, since the light was on. She knocked and opened the door enough to poke her head in.

"I'm taking Severus home. He's too drunk to Apparate, he'll splinch himself if he tries."

"He'll splinch if you try to side along and he doesn't cooperate."

"Well he can't stay here, Sirius will kill him when he wakes up in the morning. I'll take him home on the Knight Bus. Sirius is out so I think it's best if I go now."

Remus nodded once, but closed his book and stood up, walking over to her. "You think this is the best thing? Why not just get Stan Shunpike from the Knight Bus to get him home? He'll look after him."

"Because Severus might speak to him, and he might say something less than wise in his condition. About the Order, about me, about Harry. I can't risk it. He needs a chaperone."

"Let me ask you something, in full confidence, of course." Marian nodded small but vigorously. She was in a hurry. "Do you have feelings for Severus that move beyond the friendship you share? True, Sirius saved your life, but after the fact he was gone, and Severus was there for you for six years, day in day out. He taught you, advised you, comforted you and cared for you. It wouldn't be unusual for there to be something there between you."

"He's a friend Remus, nothing more."

Remus shrugged and returned to his book and Marian closed his door. As she and Severus headed outside and she stuck her arm out for the Knight Bus, Marian couldn't help but think about what Remus had said. She loved Sirius, she always had, but there was no ignoring the fact that he wasn't there for her when she needed him. It wasn't his fault of course, he was wrongly imprisoned. But there was a certain thread between herself and Severus and this war was only making them closer. She was walking a knife's edge here and had no idea how to effectively facilitate this friendship without slipping into something more.

The bus rolled up and Stan opened the door, inviting them in. "Evening, Miss Knightly. Out for a nightcap?"

"Just helping a friend who was. Spinner's End in Cokesworth please."

"Where's that?"

"Just let us on and start toward the Midlands and I'll direct you when we're close to Nottingham."

"Quite a ways Miss Marian."

Marian reached in her cloak pocket, extracted one of her small purses of coin, and shoved a pouch of galleons in his hand. That done, they climbed aboard and took seats near the front. Severus hadn't said a word the whole time. But it seemed Stan was unable to stop talking.

"You're that potions bloke from Hogwarts right? Never went to much classes myself, slept through most of potions. Just goes to show, you don't need any of that to get anywhere in life eh?"

"I suppose not."

"Why not take him to the school then?"

Marian smiled and quietly answered, "Stan, he's got a rather large headache, do you mind?"

The boy shrugged and opened his paper and read in silence. Truthfully, bringing him back to school would have been much easier, but she didn't want anyone to see Severus like this. Besides, it was the weekend.

The ride was a long one. Severus' house was a long ways away from London. Marian only spoke when giving directions to Stan when asked. Once they got there, Marian asked Stan if he could get the driver to wait for her, but he refused. "We've got calls backed up because of coming out here, Miss, sorry."

Slung Severus' arm over her shoulders and started helping him up his short walkway, unsure of how she was going to get back home. It was too long a way to do just one apparation, but she was unfamiliar with enough places in between to get there by chaining…

She opened the door and reached for her wand. With a swish she lit the lamps the home was fixed with and noted the considerable amount of dust on the wall of bookshelves and furniture. Shaking her head and clucking her tongue, Marian closed the door behind her and Severus, stumbling their way down the hall toward his bedroom. Marian let Severus lay down and he was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

After making Severus comfortable on his side with pillows bunched up behind him to keep him from rolling onto his back in case he vomited, Marian headed back out to the main part of the small house. First she got rid of the dust. Then she examined the bookshelves for something to read. Marian could not think of enough places between here and London to get home so she was going to have to catch the Knight Bus early in the morning, hopefully before Sirius woke up. In the meantime she would have to do something to keep her mind busy in case Severus needed help in the night.

Marian stared and stared at the shelves for a long time but did not pick a book. She was thinking. Thinking about the last time she was in this house. After Dumbledore had sprung her from St. Mungos fourteen years ago the Ministry was still rounding up Death Eaters and the world was still an unsafe place for a long time. And even after the Ministry was done arresting everyone they could make a case for, Dumbledore needed to be sure those remaining in the community continued to think she was dead. To do that he needed to hide her. He brought her to Spinner's End and she stayed with Severus. She was there for seven months, though the winter and the spring, learning what she should have been learning in school from Severus.

When the trials were over and the school's year had completed, Dumbledore moved her to Hogwarts where she resided year round until she graduated from school. Occasionally in the summer time when some of the more unsavory supporters of the school or the governors would visit the school on business (as Lucious Malfoy was a governor, of course), Dumbledore would send her to Spinner's End for a day or two to be looked after by Severus. But Hogwarts really was her home, and when she had finished her studies, Dumbledore had all but insisted she stay and be a teacher. Marian refused. Staying in Hogwarts as a teacher would make her a permanent resident of the castle, always nervous about setting foot outside and avoiding certain parties that walked through the doors until the day she died. She couldn't live like that. Instead she found a plot of land with dozens of acres between herself and the nearest muggle village, tiny in size, and put all manner of protective spells around a home she built alone with her own magic. She didn't tell anyone but the headmaster where she was, not even Severus, resulting in their parting of ways for six years. She had never told Sirius about these details of their friendship. It would have sent him into a rage, surely. It seemed no matter how she explained, Sirius would never understand exactly how important Severus' role in her growing up was. it was best he never knew just how involved he has been.

The sounds of gagging from the back of the house brought Marian out of her thoughts and she rushed down the hall to the bedroom. Severus was leaning over the side of the bed and dry heaving. Unfortunately, it seemed the excess booze had already come up before Marian could reach him, as there was a puddle on the floor.

Marian sat beside Severus on the bed and laid a gentle hand on his back. "It's all right, you're fine."

Once Severus stopped coughing, he laid back down and groaned. "Firewhiskey…horrible drink."

Marian arranged Severus' legs in a comfortable position and started untying his shoes.

"You could have had some of the wine in the pantry you know."

"Wouldn't have done the job fast enough in the moment."

Severus was rubbing his face as Marian dropped his shoes to the side of the bed and stood up to grab the throw blanket she was sitting on. She unfolded it and covered Severus, saying, "I understand your feelings on the subject, but I don't suppose you could give it some time and then start the lessons again?"

"No."

"You know how important it is, Severus."

"Even if I wanted to," he sighed, "Harry is refusing to do any of the work seriously. He does not respect me or listen to me and therefore this whole idea is a disaster."

"Respect goes both ways. Severus please, reconsider."

"I can't."

Marian nodded curtly, though she knew he could not see through his hands over his face. "All right, then I'll teach him."

Severus sat bolt upright and the moonlight caught the look of panic on his features. He fumbled for her hands, speaking quickly and urgently. "You cannot teach him. You cannot be left open to an attack from Voldemort. That I will not permit."

"Severus," Marian chuckled, "what on earth could he possibly do to me? Kill me? I can't die remember? Not by another wizard's hand, anyway."

"He could come for you, find when and where you're vulnerable and take you. He could hide you somewhere you can never escape from and no one will ever find you. Promise you will not teach Harry in my stead." He squeezed her hands hard.

"Only if you will continue to teach him. This is important, Severus."

Severus dropped her hands and laid back down. "You know I'd do anything for you, Marian, but this…it's too much."

It seemed no amount of begging was going to change Severus' mind, so Man sighed and relented. "All right. I won't teach him, and neither will you. Dumbledore is just going to have to understand. Harry is a teenager, and one with a bad history to boot. It's not surprising that he has trouble with the practice. Even if he was doing what you asked and working on it outside your lessons, chances are the mastery will always elude him. He feels his emotions, his pains and fears. I boxed mine up and put them away; shutting my emotions off was an easy task for me, it's how I learned to survive long before you were teaching me. As long as we're vigilant and he ignores whatever he sees in his dreams, he should be all right."

"Will you explain it to Dumbledore? I don't know I could face him. I'm weak."

"You're not weak, Severus. You've had your share of bad experiences too. A person can only endure so much memory of the bad times before he breaks."

Severus sat up again, slower this time, and met Marian's eye. He reached up and stroked her cheek softly. "You'll never break."

Their faces were close. Dangerously close. Marian smiled a little and kissed his cheek quickly before standing up, saying, "Get some rest. We'll get you back to school in the morning and you can rest more there."

After exiting the room and making her way to the sofa to catch a few hours of sleep, Marian dimmed the lights and tried not to think about the deep seated feeling of guilt in her stomach. It was only a peck on the cheek, for a hurting friend. She had done that before, with Remus, with Myron. So why did this one seem like so much more than just a friendly display of comfort?

BLAME

Marian was reading in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place when there was a great crash in the foyer. She stood up and set her book on the side table, rushing to the hall to see what was happening. As a matter of fact it was Severus. "Anyone here?!"

"Severus what is it?"

"Where's Sirius?"

Severus grasped Marian's arm and steered her toward the stairwell. "He's chasing cars, Severus, what's going on?"

He gave her a little push toward the stairs, saying hurriedly, "Get Remus down here, we need to find Sirius. Harry's had a vision and he thinks Voldemort has Black at the Ministry in your department."

"And he believes what he saw?"

"He does and if I know him he's going to find a way to get to the Ministry. Get Remus to find Black, I'll stay and alert as many Order members as I can get a hold of, you get the headmaster and get to the Department of Mysteries."

Marian hurried upstairs and told Remus what happened, then she swept on her own cloak and made to head for her home in the country. It was a long ways away, but she knew some points between London and there to be able to apparate quickly enough. On her way out the door, Severus stopped her by taking her elbow and staring into her eyes before saying lowly, "Don't let him get to you."

Marian nodded and then she was gone, stepping out into the night and apparating on the spot. She came out in an alleyway near Diagon Alley on the other side of the city. The next trip brought her to the suburbs in the middle of a street. The next brought her to a field, and so on. Many fields actually. Until she finally reached her house. Once there, she rushed to the front door and opened it to let herself in. she found the headmaster sitting at her kitchen table, sipping tea and reading one of the novels from her shelves in the living room.

"Well good evening Marian," he said brightly as though expecting her. "Care for a cup?"

"Sir?"

"Chamomile tea. Helps with sleep. I find it rather quiet here as compared to the castle. By the way I never realized that your home was designed so similarly to Severus' house in Cokesworth. Was that intentional?"

"Sir, something's happened. We need to get to my department at the Ministry."

Her tone was serious, and so the headmaster stood and said, "Come, you can explain on the way."

Marian had never traveled the way they did that night, but as they flew through the air (flying was the closest simile she could use to describe it), she described what Severus had said back in the house. Dumbledore didn't say too much about any of it, and once they were at the Ministry entrance at the phone booth, they stepped inside and Dumbledore gave his instructions, talking over the recording of the welcome witch.

You need to get Sirius out of here and back home, and Harry too if you can. I'll handle whoever is in here, but this is a trap and there's no way of knowing who is present. Death Eaters, surely, but…he may make an appearance and I can't have you there when he does."

They stepped out of the elevator and ran to the end of the large corridor and towards the stairs that would lead to the lower levels, including the Department of Mysteries.

It was like a dream, surreal and foggy. There was a lot of spell damage around her as Marian rushed through the department. Doors, walls, everything was broken and dust was settling in the air. The doors weren't moving when they entered the main doorway, so something had disrupted the charm that caused the doors to spin and confuse those who were not familiar with the department. There was one door that was open and seemed to have some kind of commotion coming from it. The Death Chamber.

Marian's blood ran cold and she raced down the stairs after the headmaster. Simply seeing him approach cause most of the Death Eaters to stop. One actually tried to escape, but thanks to Dumbledore he didn't get far. Marian stopped when she reached Harry who was supporting a beaten and bruised Neville Longbottom.

"Harry are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he answered.

"Come on, Dumbledore says I need to get you out of here. Where's Sirius?" But the question answered itself a moment later. She followed Harry's gaze to a point near the center of the room. He was fighting with his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange even after everyone else had stopped. He goaded her on, laughing as he did, enjoying every moment of the duel. But then a bolt of green light caught him in the chest and Sirius began to fall sideways into the veil. The veil enveloped him and drew him in and then he was gone.

Marian's heart stopped working. It was being torn from her chest. The world slowed down. Harry left her side and rushed for the veil, where Remus caught him and held him where he stood. Marian's legs gave out and she fell on the stairs, bruising her knees through her black floor length robes and scraping her hands on the stone steps.

She was not aware of the Death Eaters disappearing as fast as they could, she did not notice when Harry rushed back past her out of the room, all she could see was the gently fluttering veil in the archway and wait for Sirius to come back. He always came back.

Time seemed to be moving very slowly, but the reality was she must have been there for hours. Eventually, everyone else had gone, and only herself and Remus were left in the room. Marian didn't know how long she had been sitting there staring, but she felt it was a long time. Remus stepped close and he spoke softly, crouching down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Voldemort made an appearance upstairs, but he's gone now. Dumbledore took care of it. But he was seen by Ministry officials before getting away. The aurors are interested in coming down here to investigate, but it's your call as the department head. Kingsley is holding them off while the crowd disperses. He needs a decision."

"No aurors," she said flatly.

"All right. Well it's just about clear out there. In a couple of minutes we should be able to get you out of here without any ado."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Remus sat down on the step beside her. "Marian…he's not coming back. You know better than anyone…he's gone."

"He went in there intact, body and soul. If I hurry I could go in there and get him."

"Marian," Remus answered sternly, "you don't know you could. You don't know you'd come back alive. Come back at all."

"I already died, Remus. Nothing can hurt me now. But I might need some help getting back." She turned her head and pleaded with her eyes. "Will you help me?"

"This is dangerous. I don't know that I can…"

"Help me or I'm not moving."

Remus glanced at her wand hand, which was clasped around her jewel encrusted wand and saw that her grip was tightening. He sighed, stood up, and claimed he would be right back before climbing the stairs and exiting the door. Just outside in the busted up entrance circle stood Alastor Moody right where Remus had left him with Kingsley Shacklebolt. He turned to Kignsley, saying, "She says no investigation." The tall dark wizard nodded and took off to disperse the magical law enforcement waiting up in the lobby. But as he exited a new member of the Order appeared. Severus Snape. He approached the other two men.

"Dumbledore hasn't heard from Marian yet and he wants her at the school, sent me to check that she wasn't still here. Judging from the fact that you're here, Lupin, I'd say she still is?"

Remus nodded. "Sirius fell through the veil and she insisting I help her retrieve him or she won't move. She's got that wand of hers in her holster and I'm a little afraid of what she might do if I force her. She could do anything if I understand her condition right." Severus huffed once and walked through the door and down the stairs, Remus and Alastor following close behind.

"Marian?"

Marian turned and looked Severus up and down before returning to her vigil on the veil. "I'm not leaving without him."

"I know."

Severus drew his wand and conjured a rope on the step beside Marian, who gave it a sideways glance with a confused look on her face. When the rope solidified into existence, Severus offered his hand to her and Marian accepted it to stand up. Once she had he quickly tied one end of the rope around her waist before tossing the coiled remainder to Remus who was standing behind him. "Take that…"

"You can't be serious."

"…and hold on tight."

"This is insane."

"Maybe, but she has to do this." He turned his attention back toward Marian. "Go on."

Marian rushed down the stairs and up the dais to the archway and stepped through without so much as a backwards glance. Remus watched her go through while breaking into a cold sweat. "What if we run out of rope?"

"We won't." Severus sounded so sure. The fact was he wasn't completely confident they would be able to get her back. What he did know was that she needed to do this and would never forgive anyone who stopped her from at least trying to save him.

"But if we do?"

"We pull her out."

On the other end, Marian was having a very strange experience. There was nothing on the other side of the veil but a foggy, grey tundra of nothingness. There were other people in the distance it seemed, but as she called out Marian noticed none of them seemed to be able to hear her. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be moving away from her, except one. A woman was walking toward her, dressed in flowing white garments with a pale appearance, black hair and a quiet smile. When she reached Marian, her smile widened, but upon stopping she didn't speak. She merely folded her hands in front of her.

"Where am I right now?" Marian asked.

"You're in the Hereafter. This is where people come once they've moved on. Or rather a version of it." Her voice was calming, smooth, and airy.

"It's cold looking. And grim."

"It only looks that way to you. You're not dead and therefore cannot experience the joy and peace of death."

"What does it normally look like?"

"Like nothing you could possibly imagine. But that is not why you're here." The woman was right; Marian was so astonished by what she found, she had forgotten why she was there. "You're looking for you friend."

"He's my husband. Is he here?"

The woman pointed over Marian's shoulder. Marian turned and saw Sirius laying out on the ground. He seemed unconscious. Actually, the more she looked, he seemed dead. "Is he all right?"

The woman was at her shoulder now. "He's fine, just asleep. This experience can be overwhelming eventually those who find themselves here will simply fade into a neverending slumber until they're returned to their world."

"The fact that he's here with me and not over there with the others means he's alive?" Marian asked, not taking her eyes from Sirius.

"He is."

"Can I take him home?"

"If you can get out of here. Which I happen to know you can." When Marian turned with a confused look on her face, the woman continued. "I sent your soul back this past winter. In the short time I spent with your immortal self, I learned you are a practicing Elemental. You will have no trouble leaving and taking him with you." Marian continued to say nothing, surprised to be speaking to the spirit who had saved her life. The spirit seemed to know what direction to steer the conversation, however, even if Marian didn't. "You have a question, and you've been trying to discover the answer. The answer that will determine wither or not you can die."

"Can I?" Marian asked desperately.

"Hmm," the woman started before sitting on the ground and patting the earth in front of her. Marian sat as well as the woman started to explain. "Your elemental power normally kills its users. You on the other hand have already died and a body and soul that has already once been separated cannot be separated again. Therefore you will not die when your power has run out. Instead you will be left with nothing. You will remain immortal as you are now, but you will also be left without your original magical capabilities."

"No power? None at all. Like a muggle?"

"Correct."

Marian was starting to feel sleepy. Her time was wearing thin. If she fell asleep she would never be able to get Sirius home. But she had one more question to ask.

"He's been here, but with body and soul intact. Does that mean when we return he will still be mortal?"

The woman met Marian's dark eyes with her placid blue ones and smiled again, sadly this time. "I'm afraid if you were envisioning a life living through the ages together you will be disappointed. He will continue to be as mortal as he was before he entered the veil's portal to our realm." The woman stood and reached out to help Marian stand. "Your time is short, you must go."

"What if I ever have more questions? What if I need something from you?" Marian could not fathom in the moment what that might entail exactly, but it seemed important.

"Call out with the intention for me to hear it and I will."

It was vague but Marian's eyes were drooping. She turned her back and crossed to Sirius, knelt and grasped his arm tightly before drawing her wand and concentrating very hard on moving them both from their current location back to the Death Chamber. There was an immense pressure building all over her body and they were both doused in light that grew in intensity before it blinked out and Marian felt herself slam into something hard.

When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Marian saw she was back in the chamber, and lying beside her was Sirius. There were footsteps pounding nearby and Marian felt a hand on her back. "Are you all right?" asked Severus' voice.

He helped her sit, and Remus helped Sirius once he started coughing and opening his eyes. Once sitting up, he asked, "I'm all right? I'm alive?"

"Thanks to Marian," Severus said coldly while untying Marian from the rope.

"Well if I'm alive, Bellatrix soon won't be," he grunted, standing up. "I'm going after her."

Marian followed suit and caught up to him. It seemed being beyond the veil didn't cause as much disorientation as it had Sirius. She clung to his arm and forced him to turn around just as he was about to start climbing the staircase leading out of the chamber. "Sirius, I can't let you go. Everyone outside of this room thinks you're dead. If you go out on a vendetta, not only will every Death Eater and Voldemort be out for your blood, but I can't protect you as well as I can right now."

"How?"

"I can hide you. With everyone thinking you're dead no one will bother looking. We can put you up in my house. There's supplies there to last two years if necessary. And I can create a barrier to keep you safe from anyone and anything until this war is over."

"Marian I can't just hide from the world. I've been hiding. No more hiding. I can't take it!"

"Sirius listen to me," Marian took his cheek. "I don't want to be separated from you, but a short time now while the world gets sorted out would be a whole lot worse than to be separated forever because I let you run wild. Sirius please," she pleaded. "Do this. For me."

"We don't have time for this, Marian," Severus said. "Dawn is in a few hours and we need to get you out of the Ministry before then. You know Fudge is going to be down here asking questions."

"Sirius please," she said again, ignoring Severus' implore.

"We need a decision quickly, Sirius," Remus said, stepping closer and putting forth his best calm voice. "No time for a debate."

Sirius searched her face, looking for some sign she would cave. Upon not finding one he bit his lower lip and bowed his head. "All right."

Alastor rushed off to inform Dumbledore that Marian was all right and would be with him at the school as soon as she was able. Remus and Severus waited for Sirius to change form, collected his clothes and ensured Marian's figure was adequately covered by her cloak before they exited the chamber and made their way through the Ministry and outside where they linked together and Severus performed the same spell Dumbledore had done earlier when Marian flew with him without a broom (she made a mental note to ask either of them how they did that).

For the second time that night, Marian stood outside her home. Only this time she was here to leave someone, not to reunite. Standing outside in the pale morning air Marian couldn't help but start to feel guilty about what she was about to do. And doubt about wither or not she could even perform another miracle. She was already so tired from getting them out of the veil. They stood shoulder to shoulder, her and Sirius. On his other side was Remus and on hers was Severus. They both had their eyes on her, waiting for her to conjure the spell. Sirius, though, he stood with his head bowed and his hands in his pockets.

Trying not to think about how trapped he must feel, Marian drew her wand and raised it into the sky. Closing her eyes she imagined with every fiber of her being a barrier that would be undetectable by magic or muggle, that would hide her house and Sirius, that could not be broken or infiltrated or even stumbled upon accidentally. Opening her eyes again, Marian watched as a sparkling, silvery stream of magic flew into the air and many feet above their heads burst like the top of a fountain spurt and started streaming and trickling creating a dome. It was apparent from the size this would be a rather spacious barrier, lots of room to run. At least a few acres. And it would take some time for the barrier to reach the ground and seal itself. Marian had time. Maybe an hour to say goodbye.

Severus and Remus were sent out into the nearby forest. The barrier wasn't going to reach quite that far, and it gave Marian and Sirius some time alone. They sat on the lawn, watching the sun come up and talking. Reminiscing about the fun times they had had when they were abroad, traveling with Buckbeak. When the barrier's glittering light started reaching closer to the horizon, they began walking out toward the woods.

"No one will be able to find out where you are. No spell could reveal the barrier, the house, or you. no sound can transfer through. No object will pass through, and anything you see will only be an empty imitation of what is outside, minus the animals. And no one can break the barrier except for me. Not you, not Voldemort. Only me."

When they reached where the barrier would seal, they stopped, and Sirius took her hand.

"You said you'd never let me go."

"I'm not letting you go, Sirius. I'm just making sure that you'll see through this war. And you and I both know you're prone to reckless and ill thought out behavior."

Sirius snickered, but it was through the haze of bitter tears. "I can do some good out there."

"Not while everyone on the right side and the wrong is out for your blood. Better let me handle it."

"Because you can't die?"

"That, yes. And because you can. I am just making sure I have something to come back to when this is over."

Sirius lifted his face to the sky and sighed forcefully. He sniffed and pulled Marian into an embrace. He said quietly into her hair, "Stay with me."

Marian shook her head without letting go. "Someone has to look after Harry."

"Well then promise me something." Beyond them, Remus and Severus were standing at the tree line, watching. Sirius released Marian and nodded toward them. "You let that greasy haired git take care of you."

"What?" Marian was confused. He was encouraging her to spend time with Severus, let him look after her.

"I don't trust him, I never will. I'm not even truly convinced he's on our side really. But I'll tell you what I do know: he won't let anything happen to you. He cares about you too much to let you wind up in the wrong hands."

The barrier was about to seal. It was only about ten feet from the ground and closing fast. "I love you Sirius Black." She leaned in and kissed Sirius insistently, pouring as much passion into her lips as she could. It might be years before they met again.

When they parted, Marian turned her back and rushed out of the barrier's way. She turned around in just enough time for Sirius to seem to disappear. Him, the house, they were both gone and all anyone could see was an open field and nothingness.

A hand crept up on her shoulder. "You're saving his life," Remus said quietly.

"I know," Marian answered with a tear rolling down her cheek. "But he won't see it that way."