The five friends spent a lovely evening together, and Kel and Lily spent a good deal of time catching up. They had, as Kel had said, rarely spoken to each other since they began their auror training, and spent a lovely two hours talking.
At about 9 o'clock, just as Sirius was starting to think he should go pick up Khyana, the phone rang. Sirius, Remus and Kelria all looked at each other oddly, and James gave an embarrassed shrug.
"Lily wanted to have one," he explained.
"Oh, we know," Kel answered. "I have your phone number…not that I'd know how to use it…" she added thoughtfully.
"Hello," Lily said, picking up the phone.
Her face suddenly changed, and she looked worried.
"What's up, Lil?" James asked, but she hushed him with a wave of his hand.
"Okay," she said into the receiver. "He's here, just a moment. Sirius," she said, covering the receiver with her hand, "It's Yana."
Sirius, having noticed Lily's face earlier, looked a little worried, but took the receiver from Lily bravely.
"Hello? Yeah…What?! Are you sure? Where are you? Don't move, I'll be right there."
Sirius hung up the phone, looking very white.
"What's happened?" Kelria asked.
"Khyana is…well, I've got to go get her, and when we come back, we'll explain. Oh I'm going to kill her!
Sirius disapparated before Kel could say "I don't think that's such a good idea, Sirius, killing your girlfriend."
"Did she say what was wrong, Lily?" Remus asked.
Lily shook her head. "All she said was that she was in trouble and she needed to speak to Sirius immediately."
"Ah well, I'm sure we'll find out whatever it was when they get back, like Sirius said," Remus replied lazily, sitting back on the couch."
"That's all you have to say, Remus?" Kelria asked, shocked. "Khyana could be dying!"
Remus gave his girlfriend an exasperated look. "I don't think she's dying, Kel. Even without her potion, Khyana Malfoy is not going to go down without a fight. And she wouldn't have been able to call if she was dying."
"Moony has a point," James agreed. "We'll just have to wait here until they get back."
Half an hour later, a red-faced Sirius returned to the house towing a flushed and happy Khyana behind him.
"What's happened?" James asked, as Lily and Kelria hurried to hug Khyana.
Sirius couldn't speak for anger, but Khyana laughed and looked out from between the heads of her two friends.
"I don't see what's so funny, Khyana," Sirius managed. "You could have been killed!"
"Oh, but I wasn't, Sirius!" she exclaimed happily. "And now I've got a lead on our assignment!"
"What?!" James, Lily and Kelria all said together.
Khyana nodded, looking excited.
"Alright, sit down right now young lady and tell me everything!" Kelria exclaimed.
Khyana happily sat down beside Sirius, who was fairly cool, placed her hand in his and began her tale.
Khyana left the university building in a bit of a daze. Lezley had been a bit odd lately, but to think of this…but no matter. They'd discuss it later. Right now, she needed to focus on getting home.
Despite the fact that she knew Sirius would be absolutely furious with her, she decided to walk to five kilometres to her house outside London. She hadn't taken her potion that morning, so she couldn't apparate, so walking was her only choice unless she wanted to take the bus, which she didn't. So she set out from the university happily, whistling and thinking about Lezley's news.
She hadn't gone more than a block when she became aware of a presence behind her. She turned around and saw a man in a black overcoat following her, not even taking pains to avoid being seen.
Sighing and glaring, Khyana continued on her way. She was not, of course, going to take the man right to her house, so she took a little side road she had never been down before (knowing full well she'd get an earful from Lily), and continued her journey.
Before she knew it, she was hopelessly lost, with no chance of finding her way again. She was a bit outside of the city, but it was the opposite side from her home. Deciding she would take her chances, she walked up to the nearest house and knocked on the door.
An elderly lady answered the door.
"Hello, dear, can I help you?"
Mentally berating herself, Khyana steeled herself and asked the question.
"Without making it too obvious that you're looking, could you possibly tell me if there is a man in a black overcoat somewhere on this street?"
The woman nodded. "He's across the street under the lamp. Why?"
Khyana swore under her breath. "May I borrow your phone?"
"Yes, certainly," the woman replied, looking concerned. "Please come in, Miss…?
"McCloy," Khyana replied, using the name she reserved for undercover Order business. "Sara McCloy."
Khyana followed the woman into the house, and the woman pointed out the phone to her. Starting to feel a bit nervous, Khyana approached. It would be bad if she had to ask how to use the phone…the woman would probably get suspicious. So, she picked up the receiver hesitantly and punched in the numbers Lily had given her. To her relief, there was a ringing from the phone and a moment later she heard Lily's voice.
"Hello?"
"Lily, it's Sara. Don't say anything, just listen. I'm being followed, I think it might be Rookwood. I can't lose him, and I can't disappear. I need you to get a hold of Sirius and tell him to come get me."
"Okay. He's here, just a minute. Sirius, it's Yana."
A moment later Sirius' voice came through the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Sirius, it's me. I'm being followed by Rookwood. I can't lose him and I can't disappear. I need you to come get me."
"What?! Are you sure?"
"That I'm being followed? Of course!"
" Where are you?"
"Windemere. 6 Windemere, in London."
"Don't move, I'll be right there."
Sirius hung up abruptly, and Khyana turned to the woman who owned the house.
"Thank you very much. I'll just wait outside for my boyfriend."
"Nonsense, dearie," the woman replied. "You can wait in here. Did you say it was Rookwood who was following you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, I know him. He's a good friend of my neighbours, over at number 4."
The hair on the back of Khyana's neck stood on end. Friends of Rookwood could only mean one thing…
"What is the name of your neighbours?" she asked cautiously.
"Rosier," the woman replied. "Mr and Mrs Evan Rosier."
Khyana paled even more than usual, then remembered something. The Rosiers were on the list for the assignment…
"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am," she said, rising suddenly, "But I'm afraid I can't stay any longer. I'll wait outside for my boyfriend."
The woman rose her voice to protest, but Khyana was already out the door. She had some snooping to do…
Khyana hurried across the small lawn to the neighbours' house. Waiting for Sirius had no appeal for her; she needed to find the Rosiers.
She approached the house quietly and carefully. One little slip up…but she didn't think about that. If she did, she would be too scared, and she knew the others would never forgive her if she backed out…or maybe it was just she who wouldn't forgive herself…
She had conveniently forgotten that she couldn't use magic. It was another thing she didn't allow herself to think about, along with the fact that Sirius was likely waiting…but he could wait a while longer. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she wouldn't--couldn't--miss it.
She made her way to a small window at the side of the house cautiously. She was experiencing a huge sense of déjà vu, but she continued on. Stopping to think would be a bad decision at this point.
The window looked in on a small living room, where Evan and his wife—'Kara, I think'--were sitting. They appeared to be arguing about something, but Khyana couldn't figure out what it was. Kara was not facing her, but she was blocking Evan from sight so Khyana could not read their lips.
Finally, Kara turned her back to her husband and looked directly at Khyana, though she did not see her.
"I do not like this, Evan," she said. "The Malfoy brat has disappeared. She is around somewhere, I know it. If she finds out our plans…"
Rosier snarled. "She will only discover our plans if you keep talking about them, woman. If you'd keep your mouth shut, then no one would ever discover them."
"I have not revealed anything important, Evan, although I may do if you continue to provoke me."
Rosier raised his hand to strike his wife, but she drew her wand. "Do not touch me, Evan."
Evan looked furious, and Khyana was pleased. There was dissention among the enemies…
"Evan, we are being watched," Kara said.
Khyana ducked and did not see Evan's response. Now was a good time to leave. She hurried back to number 6, where Sirius and the old woman were talking. Sirius looked furious.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Sirius looked ready to kill. He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his bike, driving away quickly.
"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.
"Working," she replied. "Just take me to Lily and James' and I'll explain everything."
"First, we're going to make a pit-stop," Sirius replied.
The bike lifted off the ground, and Khyana thought for the thousandth time that she much preferred a broom to Sirius' bike, but she didn't complain, not when Sirius was already ready to kill her.
"Where?"
"You'll see."
The bike touched down in front of a house Khyana knew very well.
"Go," Sirius said.
She climbed off the bike and hurried to the front door. She knocked loudly, hoping the occupant was home.
The door opened shortly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hello, Yana."
"Leanne, I can't stay for long, but I'm out of potion and it's very important that I get it right now!"
"Of course. Just one moment. I thought you'd be needing some soon, so I brewed some up yesterday."
Leanne disappeared into the house, and returned a few moments later with a large flask.
"Here you are."
"Thanks, Leanne, you're the greatest."
"I know," Leanne grinned. "Bye, Yana."
Khyana hurried back to the bike and climbed on.
"Go, Sirius, quickly."
Sirius took off, waving goodbye to Leanne and hurried back to Godric's Hollow.
"And so here we are," Khyana finished.
"Why'd you make Sirius hurry so quickly away from Leanne's?" Lily asked worriedly.
Khyana sighed and looked uncomfortable. "Oh that reminds me."
She stood and grabbed her flask, hurrying to the kitchen where she poured all the contents down the drain.
"Wha…?" Sirius was speechless.
"Lily, I'm going to need you to make me some more of that, please."
"You had a perfectly good batch right there!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Actually, I didn't," Khyana replied. "Leanne is under the Imperius curse. I couldn't take that in case the Death Eaters told her to put something else in it. Oh, and that lady who's house I was at, she's been Imperiused, too."
"Oh, poor Mary," Lily said sadly.
"You know her?" Kelria asked, surprised.
"Oh yeah. Remember, my family used to live at number 4 Windemere," Lily reminded them. "I suppose the Rosiers don't know that or they wouldn't live there now."
Khyana and Kelria exchanged a look. They had both completely forgotten about Lily living on Windemere, and Khyana suddenly felt sick.
"Well, we're all okay, right? And everything's going to be okay. I'm not dead, much to Sirius' disappointment, and we have at least a bit of a lead on our case. And now, if you don't mind, I'm going home to bed. Goodnight."
A/N: In response to my highly lovable but sadly incompetent best friend, no, that is not the point of a secret keeper. The point is so that the person they don't want to find them doesn't find them. Dumbledore is the secret keeper for the Order, but everyone in the Order knows where HQ is, ne? The Death Eaters and Ministry people don't know where it is though. Get it? But yes, the Potters were killed in Godric's Hollow. And I'm sorry about the long wait, I tried to get it up before I went away, but it just wasn't possible, and I just got back last night and I was dead tired, so I'm sorry, but here it is!
