Adela woke up, unsure of where she was or what had happened. The one thing she was sure of, even with her eyes still closed, was that the room she was in was filled with a very bright light. Her head was pounding furiously, and her body ached. She finally opened her eyes and sat up slowly, and found herself in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. As soon as Madame Pomfrey spotted that Adela was awake, she ran out the door. A few minutes later the mediwitch returned, with Professor Dumbledore and Alastor Moody in tow. Professor Dumbledore smiled at Adela and said warmly, "Well, hello, Miss LeStrange. How nice to see you awake again. Tell me, what brings you here?"

Adela glanced nervously at the intimidating figure that was "Mad Eye" Moody. "I have a feeling, Professor, that if Moody is here, that means you already know what brought me here."

Professor Dumbledore sat down at the foot of the bed. "So you did grab onto Alastor as he was about to apparate in order to follow him and see where he and the other two members of the Order of the Phoenix would go?"

Adela suddenly felt very nervous, her body shaking like a leaf in the wind. This was a no-win situation for her; either she would go to Azkaban for her crimes, or she would most likely be killed by her family and friends, her fellow Death Eaters, her Dark Lord, as a blood traitor. She took a slow deep breath, then confessed, "Not to see where they went, but yes, I did grab onto him knowing that he would take me with him whenever he disapparated. I don't really know why, I just…" Adela sighed, unsure of how to say what she was feeling. "Nothing I'm doing feels right anymore, but following an auror that I and my family were fighting against, that I had been told to kill, for some reason felt right."

Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps, Miss LeStrange, you are beginning to learn that perhaps Voldemort and his followers are wrong in the things that they say and do. Maybe Muggles and Muggle-borns are not such terrible people after all?"

Adela shook her head. "If I agree with you, I'll never be able to go home. If I go home a blood traitor, not only will the Dark Lord not give me the Dark Mark, but the best I can expect is endless torture and a life spent under the Imperius Curse, or at worst my family will kill me."

Dumbledore watched Adela knowingly. "I see. So you realize then, that should we allow you to leave, you could still go home now and claim to have been taken prisoner by the Order of the Phoenix and return to your former life. What happens if we really do keep you here a prisoner, Miss LeStrange?"

Adela said calmly, "Moody's an auror. I don't have the Dark Mark yet, but I've been identified as one in a group of Death Eaters attacking a Muggle coffee shop in London. Moody will arrest me, the aurors will torture me to try to extract information about the Dark Lord and his forces, and when they're through with me, I'll be sent to Azkaban without a trial for being a Death Eater."

Moody growled, "We won't just be letting you walk out the front door of this castle, LeStrange. You best make your decision which side of this war you're on quick, or you'll find yourself face to face with about fifty dementors by the end of the night."

Adela shivered at the mention of the dementors. She stared deep into Dumbledore's blue eyes, searching for a scrap of hope to grab on to that she had a way out of the mess she had put herself in. "It started six days ago. There was a mudblood woman. I never heard her name. She was tortured for hours before she was finally killed. It's what earned me the Dark Mark. I was supposed to receive my mark tomorrow night — or maybe tonight? I don't even know what day it is for sure anymore. Anyway, that night I started having these nightmares about that woman. I don't know why, but ever since then I can't sleep, I can barely eat. I just feel so horrible, so guilty." Adela shook her head. "Look, I don't know what's right or wrong anymore, or who I agree with, I just know that the woman… She hadn't done anything to deserve what happened to her."

Dumbledore nodded. "Alastor, I believe Miss LeStrange has learned a valuable lesson. I don't think she will be of any use to the aurors, and I certainly don't believe that Azkaban will have any use for her." Moody huffed, then turned and walked out of the Infirmary. Turning back to Adela, Dumbledore offered, "However, you could be of great use to me. You see, it just so happens that I am the head of the Order of the Phoenix. In case you have not been informed already of this organization, it is a group of fighters who are trying to stop Voldemort from seizing power and murdering not only innocent, defenseless Muggles, but our friends, our families, and our loved ones. The Order is in desperate need of better information regarding Voldemort and his followers. Could you help us?"

Adela shook her head. "I'd be betraying my family and my friends if I did that."

"From what I hear, Miss LeStrange, it would seem that they have most likely abandoned you already. After all, you did run away during a battle with their enemies. I doubt you would be welcomed back with open arms." Dumbledore paused. "Just how did you get that nasty bruise on your eye and cheek, and the cut? They don't look as though they came from the battle at the Golden Egg."

Adela gingerly touched the barely healing cut just under her eye. Her brother's family crest ring had left that on her face after he had slapped her. "I said something I shouldn't have, nothing more."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see. Well, I certainly understand your hesitancy to betray your family." Dumbledore rose from the bed. "You will find your wand and other things in the drawer of the bedside stand. I have arranged for you to stay with two young members of the Order of the Phoenix for the next two weeks. That will give you plenty of time to mull over this momentous decision that you must make."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Adela interrupted. "But what members might that be?"

"Ah, that would be Mr. James Potter and Mr. Sirius Black. I'm sure you remember them; they were in your year here at Hogwarts. I'm sure you've taken several classes together. They share a flat in London, at least until Mr. Potter finally proposes to Miss Evans. I believe it would be the most appropriate place to send you. Mr. Black will be by any minute to take you back to the flat." Dumbledore started towards the door, then paused and turned back. "Oh, and in case you did not know, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black were the other two wizards fighting alongside Alastor back at the café. They are aware of your past allegiances and will take the necessary precautions to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of those they love." Adela nodded, and Dumbledore left her alone with her thoughts.

Adela sat on the front steps of the castle, staring down at the Death Eater mask in her hands.

"LeStrange?"

Adela sighed and looked up from her mask. Sirius Black stood in front of her, blocking the sun from getting in her eyes. Adela couldn't help but be reminded of the fiancé she had left behind as she looked at the man. Sirius had always been better looking than his brother, but Regulus was still her fiancé, as long as no one back home had found out that she had gone rougue yet.

Adela had known the Black brothers since birth practically. Since her two brothers were so much older than Adela, she had often been sent over to Grimmauld Place to spend time with the boy she was eventually expected to marry. Of course, that was before Sirius had shown his true colors as a Gryffindor and a blood traitor. Sirius had always been the kinder of the two brothers, even as a small child, but he always insisted that he would never marry Adela whenever she teased him about it. Sirius had said that he would never marry someone just because someone told him to, but because he loved whoever it was. Then Sirius would turn around and say that he would never fall in love, that he was going to be a famous Quidditch player and would never marry anyone. Just like any little boy, little six year old Sirius Black had thought girls were "icky."

Adela said quietly, "Hello, Sirius. I think this is the first time you've spoken to me since we were little kids."

Sirius shrugged. "Things weren't so complicated when we were little kids." He sat down beside her on the steps. "I hear you haven't taken the mark yet."

Adela shook her head. "Something just doesn't feel right about it anymore."

Sirius grinned. "Turning into a blood traitor on us at last, LeStrange?"

Adela smiled and shook her head. "I don't know, Black. I had a different experience with our families than you did growing up. It's not so easy for me to just walk away. I still love them; they still love me. I've not been burnt off the tapestries just yet," she laughed.

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose that does make things a little easier." He nudged her arm. "I didn't appreciate that Cruciatus Curse earlier, by the way."

Adela nodded. "Of course that was you. Well, I'm sorry about that."

Sirius shrugged. "Eh, no big deal. You aren't the first person from that family to hit me with that spell. I doubt you'll be the last." He hesitated. "How is Regulus?"

Adela shrugged. "Same as always, I suppose. Obsessed with blood purity. Circumventing the Trace thanks to that great uncle or whatever of yours in the Ministry." She paused. "He's supposed to accept the Dark Mark with me tonight."

The color seemed to drain from Sirius's face. "Already?" he exclaimed. "He's still sixteen; he hasn't even graduated yet."

Adela replied, "The Dark Lord already finds him exceptionally useful. He believes Regulus is already worthy of the mark. Although Regulus always says I don't show him enough respect and deference as my fiancé in front of the Dark Lord. The truth is, Regulus can handle the Cruciatus and Imperius curses all day long, but he has a weak stomach when it comes to death."

Sirius shook his head. "It's so wrong. You see that now, right? Everything the Death Eaters are doing, it's messed up."

"I don't know what to think anymore. I'm not even sure why I'm here. I just need some space to figure things out I guess, before I go and do anything big like taking the Dark Mark. I take that mark, and there's no going back. The Dark Lord will be able to track me, wherever I am. There won't be any escape."

Sirius stood up and offered a hand to Adela. "The very fact that you think you might need the ability to escape from the Dark Lord later tells me that the last thing you should do is ever go back to them."

Adela accepted his hand and let him help her up. "We'll see."

"Well, this is the place," Sirius declared, unlocking the door to a small flat in Soho. Adela peeked around Sirius nervously, knowing she had to face yet another auror in training once inside. "It's not much, but it's home."

As Sirius and Adela stepped inside the door, the two caught sight of a dark haired man and redheaded woman snogging on the couch. Sirius burst out laughing and said, "And this, LeStrange, is the ever-common sight of a stag and a doe about to mate."

The two on the couch jumped apart quickly, startled. The man, James Potter, threw a couch cushion at Sirius, who easily deflected it with a wave of his wand. "Padfoot, you prat," James protested indignantly, straightening his glasses.

Sirius continued, "Adela, I'm sure you remember the respectable Mr. James Potter from the Golden Egg. And this lovely young lady is Miss Lily Evans, James's girlfriend."

Adela offered a small smile to the couple and a quiet hello. Lily stood up quickly. "I still don't understand why Dumbledore is having you two watch her, and I especially don't understand why she's still being allowed to have a wand."

James sighed from where he sat behind Lily. "Lily, dear…"

Lily huffed. "No, James. She killed all those Muggles and used an Unforgiveable Curse on Sirius. I won't trust her until there's some evidence she actually deserves to be trusted."

Sirius said, "Can't you at least trust Dumbledore's judgment?"

Lily sighed. "I trust Dumbledore, but Dumbledore can be wrong about people. He has been before; he said so himself." She turned around to face James. "I'll see you later." With that, she quickly left the flat.

James sighed. "Sorry about that," he said quietly. He stood up and walked over into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets.

Sirius watched his best friend for a moment before turning back to Adela. "Anyway, Lily's right about one thing, and that's that we aren't going to be trusting you with your wand. You have already used an Unforgiveable on one of us. You'll have to forgive us for taking precautions until we're sure you're trustworthy. Hand it over." Adela hesitated, then slowly handed over her wand. "Thank you very much, I'll be hanging on to that for a while. Anyway, this is the sitting room, over there's the kitchen, as you can see. Down the hall, first door on the left, is the loo. Second door on the left is the wardrobe; the third is my bedroom, which is where you'll be sleeping so that I can keep an eye on you at night. The door on the right side of the hall is James's room; I'd suggest staying out of there if I were you. All right, well, make yourself at home."

The room was full of smoke. Adela could barely breathe, but as she stumbled around the seemingly endless room, she couldn't find her way out. She could hear screaming coming from all around her and the crackle of fire. Flickering orange light and smoke filled her vision, until the mudblood once again appeared in front of her. Adela tried to scream, but smoke filled her lungs. The nameless dead witch laughed. "You did this to yourself," the woman shouted. "When will you ever learn?"

Adela fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "Please, leave me alone." Adela could feel the heat of the flames licking at her skin, could feel the torturous pain of the fire eating away at her nerve endings. "I'll never do it again," Adela screamed. "Please, make it stop." Everything grew black as the pain continued to take over Adela's body.

Adela bolted upright in the bed, drenched in sweat. She felt a hand suddenly grab her arm and screamed, jumping out from under the covers and stumbling. She fell to the floor, feeling around for her wand, though it was no where to be found. Sirius quickly ran around the other side of the bed to her, kneeling on the floor beside her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sirius said soothingly. "It's just me. What the hell was all that?"

James darted into the room, wand at the ready. "What's going on in here?" he demanded.

Adela shook her head quickly, trembling. "I'm sorry," she croaked out, her voice hoarse.

Sirius gently brushed Adela's brown hair off her sweat covered forehead. "I think she just had a bad dream. Go on back to bed, Prongs."

James shook his head. "Fine, but next time I hear screams in this flat, I'm not coming running."

Sirius chuckled softly. "Fair enough, mate." James walked out and shut the door. Sirius turned back to Adela. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you before. Just checking if you were all right."

Adela nodded quickly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm fine. You just startled me. I forgot I wasn't at home, that's all."

Sirius watched her intently, then nodded. "Want to talk about it?" he asked. Adela shook her head. "Are you sure?"

Adela hesitated. " I tried to talk to Rabastan about it once. Didn't end well."

Sirius stared at her intently. "Is that where that bruise came from?" Adela nodded. Sirius sighed, sitting down and leaning back against the bed. "You know that no one here is going to hurt you, right?"

Adela answered, "I know that. But that doesn't make me feel much better about it."

Sirius gently nudged her shoulder. "Hey, I know what those people are like. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, no one will understand better than I will."

Adela fidgeted, then stood up and crawled back onto the bed. The blue cotton sheets felt so different from her silk sheets at home, so unfamiliar. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as Sirius walked around to climb onto the other side of the bed. Adela hesitated, then said quietly, "A week ago, Regulus and I tortured and killed a mudblood witch. Every night since then I've been dreaming about her. I feel so incredibly guilty for what I did to her. It's made me start questioning everything. Rabastan told me to never mention it to anyone again, or he wouldn't protect me from the consequences. I'm not sure whether or not I still believe in blood purity anymore, but the alternative means turning against my family, my friends, my fiancé. They'll all hate me every bit as much as any Muggle. I'm not sure I want that."

Sirius patted her knee. "I understand. Walking away from that life won't be easy, but it's not impossible. The Order will protect you. Voldemort and his Death Eaters will try to kill you, but we'll keep you safe. You can help us fight to protect the innocent, like that Muggle-born woman you and my brother killed. You can protect people like that woman, keep the Muggles safe. They can't protect themselves, you know. You can make amends for the people you've hurt by protecting the people they cared about."

Adela shook her head. "I hit you with a Cruciatus Curse. How can you act like the other Order members will forget that so easily?"

Sirius grinned. "I never said it would be easy, but it is simple. I forgive you for doing that. I'm still angry about it, but I do forgive you for it. Eventually the others will forgive you for your past too, once you prove to them that they can trust you."

Adela thought about that for a long moment. If she did what he asked and joined the Order of the Phoenix, she would become a target. She knew too much about the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters; the Dark Lord would order her death to be painful and immediate. Then she remembered the way that the mudblood woman had looked, pitiful and bleeding on the cement floor, reaching out to her for help, begging for mercy. Why had that woman reached out to her? Why Adela specifically? Adela shook her head. She would never know the answer to that question. For all she knew, Adela had simply been the closest person to reach to. It didn't matter. No one deserved to suffer such pain.

"All right, Sirius. I'm in. Tell Dumbledore that I'll tell him everything I know," Adela declared.