Lisa
"Good grief! It's a penguin!"
"Where?" I looked to where Andy pointed. "All right, now it's gotten ridiculous. I admit, these birds that have been everywhere the past month have been interesting, but penguins do not live in the UK. And certainly not at Hogwarts." I looked around. "Hey -here comes Noxi."
"You stay and talk to her," Andy said. "Phil and I have plans." And, laughing mischievously, he ran off.
"Hello," Kathryn smiled at me as she got near.
"Hi," I said. "Why is there a penguin here?"
"A penguin?" She blinked, then looked around. "Oh, there is," she said, laughing. "Let's see. She squatted down by it and engaged in a low conversation. Then she smiled, straightened, and turned to me. "He's in charge of provisions for the Great Bird Convention tomorrow. They're holding it here."
"The Great Bird Convention?"
"They have them every ten years or so. All different birds come, and during the convention nobody is allowed to eat anybody else."
"So, why are they holding it here?"
"Because they're here already."
"Why?" I asked. "I mean, you can talk to them. Why are all these birds here?" She looked at me and frowned seriously.
"They're concerned about you four. Apparently, they know about you somehow. It's hard to know exactly, but it's possible that they have some prophecy concerning you. They'll do whatever it takes to protect you, and to keep an eye out for the spy."
"What if some of the birds are working for Voldemort?"
"It's possible, but if so, they won't be at this convention. From what I understand, if other birds found out, they'd rip the offender apart, convention or not."
"I see." I looked up at Fiona, who had perched on Kathryn's shoulder. "Will Fiona be at the convention?"
"Yes. She'll be representing the Hogwarts birds -the owls ganged up on her and elected her."
"That's funny. Does anyone else know about the birds?"
"Well, anyone with eyes in his head can see that something strange is going on," she said dryly, "but I haven't told anyone, if that's what you're asking."
"No one?"
"I mentioned it to Kev, I think, but no one else."
"All right," I said. "I'd better go now. We've got a test in Potions tomorrow."
"I am just sure that Gray is the spy," Andy said, pacing back and forth. "He's got to be!"
"Look, your record on identifying spies isn't that great," Phil remarked. "You thought I was the spy the first time around, remember, Padfoot?"
"I admit I was wrong there," he said, "but you've got to admit, there are some suspicious things about him. I say we should keep an eye on him."
"Fine," Jason said. "Now, we were talking about the plans for tonight. Phil, you're out. That cough of yours might give us away."
"Fine," Phil grumbled. "I'll do my best to look surprised when they drag you in with detentions." We were going outside tonight, to practice a difficult spell the Manes had taught us. If we did it right, it would give us valuable information about Voldemort. It might even reveal who the spy was.
At a quarter to midnight, I slipped down to the Common Room. Andy and Jason were already there. We covered ourselves in the Cloak and left Gryffindor Tower.
Halfway to the door, we had to stop and press ourselves against the wall. Professor Snape was gliding through the corridors like a manta across the ocean floor. She looked angry and in a hurry. We waited five minutes before going the rest of the way to the door and out into the night.
It was a very dark night; the moon was almost full but there were many clouds. Once we were a long way from the castle, Jason pulled out his wand. He was about to light it when
"There!" I hissed. "Someone's creeping toward the Forbidden Forest! Look!" A shadowy figure, tall and robed, was headed for the forest.
"Should we follow?" Andy asked.
"Definitely," Jason declared. "That might be the spy!" We headed after the figure. Suddenly, a dark shape swooped overhead.
"It's one of those blasted birds," Andy muttered. I watched it fly off and settle down on a perch. Except it wasn't a perch, for the shape moved. I knew then who this second person must be.
"That was Fiona!" I said. "Noxi's back there! Freeze!" We stood perfectly still as she passed.
"That was close," Andy said once we dared to breathe. "Honestly, it's ridiculous! How many people are sneaking around tonight, anyway?" We continued in the path that the two people ahead of us had trod.
Well, we thought we did, but it was so dark. Finally, as we stood in a large clearing, we knew we were lost.
"Lumos," Jason muttered, and Andy and I followed suit. "Great. We've got to find a way back -what was that?" A noise had started. It sounded like something large, moving closer to us. We stared around, trying to see what it was. I felt very frightened. Suddenly-
"Look out!" Andy screamed. A seven-foot troll had burst into the clearing. My mind was telling me that it wasn't large, for a troll, while another part said that it was quite large enough, thank you. A third part of me wanted to run, but I was too terrified. I stood there, frozen, as it came closer. Jason tugged at my arm, but I couldn't move.
"How can we get rid of a troll?" Andy was saying frantically. "We're gonna die, Voldemort isn't even here and we're going to die." Something in me snapped at those words. I raised my wand and shouted something. A jet of light flew out and hit the troll. He doubled up with pain.
"What was that?" I muttered to myself. "Ah. Thanks, Lily." I ran toward the edge of the clearing. But now the troll was coming toward us again. Trolls are much faster than you'd think. I ran, but I looked back at the troll and my foot was caught between two roots. I twisted my ankle, and fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Instantly, Jason and Andy were there. They looked at the troll, coming very close.
"Go!" I yelled. "Go on!"
"No!" Jason launched himself at the troll, Andy seconds behind. I had a perfect view. In mid-air, they seemed to shimmer, to change. And suddenly, it wasn't two boys who were attacking the troll any more. It was a huge black dog and a great stag.
So Padfoot and Prongs are back, Lily said from inside me. They couldn't have picked a better time, I replied. The attack drove the troll back. He turned and ran. The boys chased him a bit, then returned to the clearing. They shimmered again, and Andy and Jason stood in the clearing. They bent down and picked up their dropped wands.
"Well," Andy said after a minute. "That was weird."
"Could you do it again?" I asked, curious.
"You bet," Jason said. "I know exactly how to do it." He walked over and helped me get to my feet. I winced in pain.
"I can't walk."
"I'll carry you."
"You'll never make it. I'm too heavy."
"No, you aren't," he said, and suddenly the stag stood again in the clearing. Andy helped me mount. It wasn't at all like riding a horse; I had to cling to his neck to hold on. Andy stood back.
"I'm going to keep an eye out for dangers." He became the great dog and trotted ahead.
It was slow going, but we made the castle just as the first light of false dawn began to shine. Then we stopped and pulled the Cloak on. Jason and Andy supported me and we carefully made our way back to the common room. We collapsed into armchairs, exhausted.
Thirty seconds later, the door to the girls' dorm burst open.
"Up already? Wow, that's early." A bunch of second years came pouring into the room. "Want to play cards before breakfast?"
It took all my willpower not to blast them there.
Kathryn
I watched Lisa run off to find her friends, and then turned back to the penguin.
"Have you noticed anything strange going on?"
How so, Madame?
"Spies, dark magic, strange creatures. Anything, really."
I am afraid not. However, if I do, I shall most assuredly tell you.
"Thanks. Do you have a name?"
I am called Asking-topral, but I prefer Mario.
"What?"
The name of one of the greatest penguins of all time.
"Fine, I'll call you Mario." I turned back toward the castle. "If you can't reach me, tell Fiona, and I'll be sure to hear it."
I shall do so. I headed back inside.
That night, I was preparing for bed, when Fiona flew in the open window.
"Good evening," I said pleasantly. She perched herself and looked at me.
Someone goes to the forest, she said.
"Who?" I stared out the window, but could not see anyone.
You must follow.
"I don't know why you won't tell me, but..." I picked up my cloak and hurried from the room, down the many flights of stairs, and outside. Fiona flew on ahead and swooped back to rest on my shoulder.
This way, she said. I hurried through the forest, following whoever it was. Finally, I reached a clearing. The figure was standing in the middle of it, staring at the sky. I pulled my wand out, and stepped forward.
"Lumos," I said, and raised my wand. Kevin stood in the clearing. He blinked as the light hit him.
"Kath? What are you doing here?"
"I might ask the same of you," I said evenly. He stared around himself.
"I don't know," he said.
"You don't know?" I repeated flatly.
"I don't." He looked at me and began to speak wildly. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but believe me! I don't know why I'm here, I don't remember getting here - I don't remember anything after I finished grading papers." I stared at him. If he was telling the truth, the spy had to be powerful enough to do something like that to him. If he was lying, then either he had a reason for being out here that he couldn't tell me, or he was the spy. I shivered. He couldn't be the spy, he just couldn't.
"I think we'd best go back now," I said. He nodded and we walked back together.
Later, alone in my room, I thought about things. Surely, he couldn't be the spy? Why? Because you love him? Bad reason, Kath. He could be the spy. He did have connections with the V League, and he did know a lot about dark magic. But I had known him since I was a kid. And I loved him. I didn't want him to be the spy.
"Fiona, you and I are going to find out who the spy really is," I said. "And no matter who he -or she - is, we'll tell whoever we can. Even if it's Kevin." And how horrible that would be for me if it were true. In love with a spy for Voldemort. Fates don't get much worse than that.
Interlude
"So, do you think she believes what you wish her to?"
"I do not know, my lord. Noxi is a very clever woman. It is difficult to deceive her. Her bird spies for her, too."
"Troublesome thing. Well, you must continue to follow my instructions."
"I will. May I kill the bird?"
"No. That will not help."
"Yes, my lord."
"Soon, the whole world will be mine." The dark figure began to laugh, high and cold and cruel. He sounded quite insane.
Lisa
In January it got very cold. In fact, it was the coldest winter anyone could remember. The lake froze over. Mario the penguin brought some of his brothers, and during the day you could see them playing weird penguin games on the ice. Most of the birds left; it was just too cold for them. Nobody went outside unless it was an emergency; the Hogsmeade weekends were canceled until the weather changed. Quidditch practices and matches were off, too. Almost everyone was in the common room by eight o'clock, these days, and most didn't go to bed until after midnight. So between the cold and the crowd, it was impossible for us to get outside to try the spell again.
Phil had been very surprised when we told him what had happened. "I just hope I don't turn into a werewolf," he said anxiously. But the full moon passed and he had been fine.
The boys were now doubly suspicious of Noxi. They were convinced that she and Gray were working together, spying for Voldemort. I didn't really know what to think. I was sure that Kathryn was innocent, but of Gray I was not sure. He seemed to love her, but that might be a clever act. Surely, a spy for Voldemort could act well, right? But we studied them and waited for an opportunity to learn more to present itself.
Our chance came in March. The weather finally warmed up a little, and outside classes were resumed. To make up for lost time, the classes were made longer, so they shoved two or more houses together. That's why we were in Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. We were working together, learning how to care for pegasi, when we overheard Malfoy talking to Zabini.
"...Sure there's a spy. Dad says that ...." His voice was almost inaudible, but we all heard that one bit. That was enough.
"He must know something," Andy declared that evening. "We'll have to find out what."
"How?" I asked prosaically.
"A spell, a potion, something."
"Wait a minute," said Phil, staring off into space. "A potion. I think I can remember how you're supposed to make the Truthsayer potion."
"That's illegal," Jason said. "It has been for the past fifty years." And with good reason. The Truthsayer potion causes the person who drinks it to tell the person who fed it to him anything that person wants to know, for the period of one hour. And then, the potion wipes the memory of the victim, so he doesn't know he's said it. It was a bit like the Imperius curse, except that it wore off quickly and the victim had no memory of it being used. And it did not carry a life sentence in Azkaban, but I could just see the questions we'd be asked if we were caught using such a thing.
"I know it's illegal," Phil said irritably, "But I saw the recipe a few times when I was looking through old potion books, to try to brew the Wolfsbane potion. Of course, I never succeeded, but I know the recipe for the Truthsayer potion." He grabbed a piece of parchment and dashed off a list. I looked at it.
"Unicorn hair, snakeskin, typical stuff - wait a minute! Powdered essence of keracil? Thiotimoline? Hens' teeth? Where are we supposed to get this stuff?"
"We'll have to find it somehow," Jason said. "Because this is our best hope."
"Why don't we ask Kathryn to get it for us?" Andy asked reasonably. "I mean, if she isn't the spy, she'll think we need it because of something the Manes said. And if she is the spy, well, she won't know what's going on, and we won't tell her."
"Great idea," Phil said.
"It's worth a try," Jason commented.
"You're all nuts," I said. "But I haven't got any better idea. Let's go."
It was late May before the potion was ready. Well, we thought it was ready. We still didn't know if it would work properly, and had decided to test it out before using it on Malfoy. I had volunteered to take the potion. I sat down in the empty room we'd been using, picked up the glass, and began to raise it to my face.
blink
I looked around. I was lying down now, and the glass stood empty by my feet. The boys grinned at me.
"Do you remember anything?"
"No, I don't even remember drinking it," I said.
"Great! It works perfectly. Let's go try it on Ari." I looked at the potion. There seemed to be about two doses left.
"Wait," I said. They looked at me. "I think I've got a better idea."
Twenty minutes later, we stood in Noxi's office. She looked up.
"What is it?"
"Please, just drink this," I said, handing her the cup. She took it, looked at us, shrugged, and drank. Her eyes rolled up in their sockets and she went a bit limp.
"Are you the spy?" Jason asked. "Are you working for Voldemort?"
"No," she said. Her voice sounded far off and distant. We looked at each other excitedly. This was paying off just as we had hoped. We knew we'd be able to trust her.
"Do you know who the spy is?" Andy asked.
"No."
"Do you have any suspicions?" I asked.
"I think it might be - Kev," she said. The words seemed to have to be dragged from her. "I hope not."
"Why?" Jason asked curiously. The potion, of course, made her answer.
"Because I love him, and could not stand to be in love with someone who is working for Voldemort." We fell silent then. After a while, she looked up.
"What happened?"
"Come with us, please," Jason said. He led the way, holding the other cup, down to Gray's office. No one spoke. The procession had an air of a funeral march. We pushed the door open. He sat, alone, at his desk. As we came in, he looked up.
"What is it?" he smiled. Jason held out the cup.
"Drink this," he said. Gray looked at us, then at Kathryn. He took the cup and drank, going through a copy of what Kathryn had done before him.
"Can you hear me?" Jason asked.
"Yes."
"Then tell me. Are you spying for Voldemort?" We all held our breath, waiting for an answer.
Kathryn
"Are you spying for Voldemort?" Jason had asked. The moment between the question and answer was the longest of my life. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Part of me realized that whatever potion the kids had, it must be a truth drug. I had taken it, not knowing what it was, because I trusted them implicitly. Kev had taken it -why? Because he trusted them? Because he didn't know what it was? He opened his mouth, and all other thoughts fell from my mind.
"No," he said. A small noise escaped me. I was so relieved, so happy to know finally that he was not a spy. At the same time, I was ashamed for even suspecting him. Andy looked a bit crestfallen.
"I was so sure," he said.
"I wasn't really," Phil said. "But things were a bit suspicious."
"So, why were you in the Forbidden Forest that time?" I asked.
"Was that you guys that we almost ran into?" Lisa asked. "I knew you were there, Kath, because I saw Fiona. But I didn't know he was there."
"You were there too?" I asked, distracted. "Where?"
"Oh, we were under the cloak. We came back after a run-in with a troll."
"A troll? I'll have to hear the whole story soon. Hold it, why were you there?" I turned back to Kev.
"I don't know," he said. "Someone must have enchanted me."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Whoever it was was the spy," Andy declared.
"Fine, look, go on now. I'll come and talk to you in a little bit," I said. "When will this wear off?"
"About half an hour," Jason said, checking his watch. "We'll be around." They left. I stared at Kev. There were so many thought in my mind. For so reason, I kept remembering one particular night, long ago, when I had been only eleven years old and unaware of magic...
It was late that spring night that I heard the doorbell ring. Actually, I had been on my way to bed, but I opened the door now to see who was there.
"Kev!" I said, surprised. He wore a somber expression.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"Now really isn't a good time," I began. "How about tomorrow?"
"No, I have to talk to you now." I hesitated.
"All right." I slipped out the door into the front garden. "What is it?"
"Kath, I came here to tell you that we -my family and I - we're moving. Tonight. We're leaving and not coming back."
"Why?" was all I could manage.
"Dad's job, mum wants to be closer to her family, they want me to go to their old school..." his voice trailed off. "I don't have long. I didn't know until an hour ago. I'm sorry that we have to go."
"You aren't coming back?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Oh, Kev, you're the best friend I have. You're the only friend I have. I'm going to miss you so much."
"And I'm going to miss you," he said slowly. "Look up a minute." I looked to where he was pointing. "See that bright star? That's Vega. When you look at that star, think of me. I'll do the same thing. It'll shine the same in England as it does here. It can be a connection between us."
"England? That's where you're going?"
"Yes."
"Will we meet again, someday?"
"I hope so. I promise you, though, I'll never forget you, not for all my days."
"I never will be able to forget you either." He took my hand, and we stood silently for a time.
"I have to go," he said.
"So soon?"
"Yes." Quickly, he kissed me. Then he turned and walked off. I watched him go. Just as he got to the corner, he turned.
"Goodbye," I whispered, knowing he'd not hear me. He turned the corner and vanished. "Goodbye," I whispered again. I stood there for a while longer before going back inside, to spend the first of many nights where I would wake with tears in my eyes.
I looked at Kevin now. "How lucky I am," I said to myself. I walked over, bent down, and kissed him. He blinked.
"Kath? What's going on?"
"That's a long story," I laughed. "First, though, I need to apologize."
"For what?"
"For even suspecting that you could be the spy. I should have known better. I love you, Kev."
"I love you, too," he said, his brow knit in confusion. "But what was that about the spy?" I laughed and began to explain.
Lisa
"Well, we know that we can trust them," Jason said. "I'd say that's good, even if we don't know who the spy is."
"There's no time to make more potion," Andy said. "Finals are coming up, and then it's summer break."
"I hope it's not like last year," I muttered. "Once of that is quite enough."
"If you think you can relax, forget it," Andy advised. "Your brother or sister will be coming soon, right? New babies take a lot of work. Your mom will be exhausted, and your dad will be crabby, and the diapers - seventeen a day, at least." He grinned. "But it's worth it. Maybe it'll be twins."
"Are you excited, Jason?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "I've always wanted a brother."
"What if it's a girl?"
"Oh, that'll be fine."
"That -the way you said that," I gasped through paroxysms of laughter. "You really think that the baby's going to be a boy?"
"Yes, I do," he said. "But if it's not, that's fine."
"Well, I hope it's a boy, too," I said. "I've had little sisters, and I think a brother would be fun."
"We'll teach him to fly, and play wizard chess, and everything," Jason said excitedly.
"Whoa, hold on, buddy," Andy said. "Do you realize how long it takes babies to grow up?"
"No time at all," I said quietly, to myself. "One day, they're just born and red in your arms, and the next, they're walking and babbling and -" I found tears in my eyes.
"What is it, Lisa?"
"That was just a stray memory. Lily - you know, she really regrets having to leave her son, not getting to see him grow up all the way."
"I know," Jason said. "I understand." He thought a minute. "You look a lot like Lily, you know," he said. "Except you have brown eyes, not green. Your hair - if you did it differently, you'd look just like her."
"How?" I asked.
"Like this," he said, and waved his wand. "Oh, wait, no, like this." I looked in a mirror. I really did look different. More adult, more refined. My hair was piled into a tall braided bun, with a few strands hanging down.
"I've seen her like this," I said. "Where?"
"The wedding," Andy said. "I know I don't look much like Sirius, but I was there. Or he was, whatever. That's the way you wore it at the wedding, with three white lilies in it."
"That's right," Phil said. "You did. How did you remember that James- uh, Jason? I haven't thought of that - well, at all, I guess."
"Just a stray memory," Jason said. His eyes were locked on mine. I could see myself in them. For an instant, something beyond words seemed to pass between us.
"Well," I said, breaking the moment, "I'd best be off to bed before somebody comes to find us."
"Yeah," Jason said. He shook his head a moment, then we all headed for our dorms.
Kathryn
"Fiona, I despair of teaching these children anything," I said, waving my hand at the stack of exams I was supposed to grade. "Look at this? Flanahan's written that Muggles use electricity for heating, cooking, and building parking meters. Sanson says that if you ask a policeman for help, he'll make you pay ten percent of whatever money you've got on you, and Curran thinks that metros are another term for breeding cows! Why do they even bother to come to class?"
You are angry?
"Not angry, Fiona. Just exasperated. I never get angry."
That is wise. My clan knows a story of a woman like you, who had a fire in her barely under control.
"Really? How does it go?"
We say that she was a worker of wonders, like you, but that one day, a man wronged her. In revenge, she set her powers upon him. He and his army, for he was a powerful warlord, were entirely destroyed.
"By one woman?"
Yes. But the story says that after that, she lost all ability to do any type of magic.
"I know. That's why I am so careful."
And surely you would never choose to loose your fire.
"It's not voluntary."
Perhaps I am confused, but the story does say that she decided to set her powers upon him in that way, even knowing that she would lose them.
"She must have really hated him." I shuddered. "Maybe these tests aren't so bad after all." I glanced at my watch. " I've got to get these done. Last day of term is tomorrow." Just then, there came a knock at the door. "Come in." I looked around. "Oh, hi, Kev."
"I wanted to ask you about your plans for the summer."
"Haven't got any. I thought I might bum around Europe, act like a Muggle, that sort of stuff."
"I was going to suggest that we do that together."
"That might be fun."
"As a honeymoon." I stared at him.
"Are you suggesting that we get married now?"
"Yes, Kath, I am. I know," he said, holding up a hand to forestall my comments, "We've discussed this before, and we didn't want to because of Voldemort. But, don't you see, by allowing him to dictate our lives, we're letting him win? So we don't know when he's coming back. So what? We make the best of the time we've got."
"It's a bit sudden."
"I know, but we've been engaged for almost a year, and I know that you're the only one I want to marry."
"But -the arrangements, the wedding..."
"Who would you want there?" I thought for a minute.
"The kids, the Blacks -that's about it. You know I don't have many friends. Maybe a few of the teachers." I looked at him. "Tell you what. I don't really want a big wedding at all. You set everything up, and I'll be there."
"You will?"
"Yes, Kev. You're absolutely right, and I'm not going to let Voldemort push me around any more. So just let McGonagall know, get a license, and locate some Ministry official who can preside."
"I was really hoping you'd say that. What do you want to do for a honeymoon?"
"The Alps, Germany, hike through Scotland... I don't care, as long as we're together."
"I'll arrange something then. We'll go up to London on the train, and get married the next day. Then we'll have the whole holidays together. Is there anyone you want there?"
"You."
"Well, besides me."
"Not really. I'd invite the Blacks, but they'll be having a baby right around then, and it's a bit short notice. We don't need anyone, right?"
"Right. I'll let Fiona be bridesmaid, then." I laughed at his joke.
"Well, I'd love to talk more, but I need to grade these tests. You can tell my victims to be grateful to you; I'm in a much better mood now. I just might pass half the class."
"Ah, going easy on the little buggers, are you?"
"I may love teaching, but seeing how little impact I have made is disconcerting."
"I'll leave it to you, then," he said.
Interlude
"What have you done?" the dark lord demanded.
"Sire, I thought it was best. It may distract Gray and Noxi, and that will be good."
"Your foolish scheming has endangered my plan. With them married, I may loose a great weapon," Voldemort said. He pointed at the shadowy figure. It spasmed in pain and fell to the floor.
"Please, my lord, no more! Please!"
"You must not fail me again," he said.
"Never, my lord."
"Good. Over the summer, you will make the arrangements I have specified."
"Yes, my lord. Dare I hope that this means that the day of your return is soon?"
"Very. I suppose you wish to know when?"
"If I might be allowed to, my lord."
"I tell you this; in less than six months, my enemies will lie crushed and dead at my feet."
"Oh, my lord, I cannot wait for that day!"
"You must. But your patience will be well rewarded on that day."
"Thank you, my lord."
"You may go now." The figure bowed and walked from the room. Once out, it sagged against the wall in relief. These sessions take a lot out of me. Slowly, raising a hand to her hood, Headmaster Emily McGonagall allowed herself a small smile. Soon, all my waiting will pay off. Soon, I will be the great lord's underlieutenant and the most powerful woman in the world.
Lisa
"Hi, Dad!"
"Hi guys!"
"Where's Mum?" Jason looked around confusedly.
"She's at home. With your new brother."
"A brother! He came already?"
"What's he named? What's he look like?"
"Hold on, hold on. Come on, let's go to the car." We followed him out of the station to the waiting car.
"So, what's he like?" I asked, unable to contain myself. "What's his name?"
"His name is William, after your father, Jason. He was born late last night, which is why you didn't know until now. We figured that it would be best just to wait and tell you in person."
"Is he cute?" I asked.
"Well, I think so, but you'll have to decide for yourself. He's very red right now, with black hair. Blue eyes, of course, but no telling what they'll settle on." We plagued him with questions all the way, except for a short time where he asked us about the Manes and how we were doing with that. We explained as best we could, but an awkward silence fell for a moment or two.
When we finally arrived, Dad let us run in without even bothering with our trunks. He said that Aunt Ellie was up in their room with baby Will.
"Hi, Mum!" Jason said as we burst in. "Can we see him?"
"He's over here," she said, laughing at the way we ran to see. I do admit, I felt as if I was about six instead of fourteen, but I'd never had a baby brother before, so I had an excuse.
"He's adorable!" I exclaimed. He really was; small and red, with his eyes all scrunched up. "Can I hold him?"
"When he wakes up," she said. "Jason, what do you think?"
"He's so small." Jason wore a little grin. "But he'll get big fast, right?"
"Yes, he will. Why don't you two go and get your trunks put away?"
"Sure, Mum," I said. I froze for a minute. I'd called her mum! It was true, I did think of her like a mother, but how would she take it?" I looked at her. There were a few tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Lisa," she said. "You don't know how much it means to me for you to have said that."
"Well -Mum, I do think of you as my mother sometimes. You know that my own mother isn't really on good terms with me."
"I know, and that's a shame. And I do think of you as a daughter, Lisa." Dad came in then, and as I looked around the room at the other four people, I felt like I really had a great family. I didn't want anything to ruin that.
Kathryn
I woke up slowly, stretching myself in the sunlight. I climbed out of bed and opened the window. Letting the mountain air flow in, I yawned and blinked rapidly.
"I've got coffee on," said a voice, and I felt an arm go around my shoulder. I smiled and leaned back.
"I think I'm going to really like being married to you, Kev," I said.
"How long will it take you to decide that?"
"About thirty seconds. Actually, I decided that thirty seconds after I married you."
"That long?"
"Well, I'm not sure..."
"Come on, let's go have breakfast," he said, kissing me.
"That sounds like a good idea," I said. "Maybe I should put more on."
"Oh, you're fine," he assured me. "Nobody's anywhere near. They assured me that this was the only cabin around for about ten miles. I hope you like hiking."
"I love to walk," I said. "I think too many wizards rely to much on Apparation and forget about other ways of getting places."
"Now, I don't mind walking," Kev said, "but a broom is the only way to travel."
"You miss a lot that way," I said, "but I will allow that there are a great many things good about broom travel. For one thing, even a magical dunce like me can use a broom."
"Hey, you're no dunce," he said firmly, "but you're right. Even Squibs can use some brooms, the highly enchanted models. I suppose that even Muggles could use them."
"Then why doesn't the Ministry have laws about keeping them out of Muggles' hands?" I wondered.
"Hey, look. We may not always want Granny Smith's teapot, but nobody gets rid of a broom. You can make more money selling it to wizards, even if it's a Comet Ten or an ancient model like that."
"Like a Nimbus?"
"The Nimbus line has historical value," Kev said. "But here we are, on our honeymoon, talking about Muggles and brooms. Can't we think of anything else to discuss?"
"I can think of one or two things," I laughed.
"Yeah," he said, "So can I. Let's go have breakfast." He grinned at the look I gave him. "Then we'll see. I think that the weather this week is supposed to be perfect. We can hike, take a picnic, sleep out under the stars..."
"Sounds very nice and rustic," I said. "Did you order the weather?"
"Of course," he said. "Only the very best for my beautiful bride."
"You're making me blush," I said.
"You're twice as beautiful when you blush," he said. "Which is interesting."
"Why?"
"Because I never knew that perfect could be doubled."
"Oh, Kev. That's so sweet."
"It's true. I didn't marry you because you were beautiful, but it was a nice bonus."
"So why did you marry me?"
"Because I love you," he said simply. "And because I want to spend my life with you."
"I love you, too," I said. "I always have. I always will." Just then, a sound burst in on our reverie.
"Oh, the coffee's boiling over!" Kev exclaimed, and we ran to clean it up.
Lisa
Baby Will was so much fun to take care of. He was sweet, happy, and cute. Jason and I had a ball with him that summer. Even though he didn't actually do a whole lot yet, we thought it was a great thing to have a little brother.
We also spent a lot of time outside flying. It was an unusually nice summer; I don't know that it rained more than four times the whole season. Dad said we might have a drought, but we didn't really care. It was just nice to be able to go flying whenever we wanted to.
And the Manes stayed silent all summer. It seemed that we were just going to be able to relax and have fun, like normal children. The last three weeks of August, Andy and Phil stayed with us.
"Don't you have any girl friends at school?" Dad had asked me.
"No. I like these guys. And Aunt Kath is there, too. She's nice. But I am not quite like the other girls."
"I can see how that would be," Aunt Ellie said. "I'm just glad that you seem to be having a nice time there."
"Oh, it's wonderful, Mum," I assured her. "I'm really happy. Even if we do have to worry about Voldemort sometimes, we still have fun."
"Do you know when he'll be coming?" Dad asked.
"No," Jason said. "We've haven't got a clue. We'll know when he attacks, not before. Although I think it will be soon, personally."
"Me too," I said. " That's the feeling I get from Lily."
"How soon?" Dad asked.
"I can't tell," Jason said. "None of us can."
"If there's anything that you need me to do..." Dad said.
"Have you told Minister Wood?"
"A dozen times. He thinks that I'm crazy. There's really not anything I can do now about him."
"Too bad," Jason said. "But we talk about things constantly, trying to think up a plan of defense."
"What have you come up with?"
"Nothing," I said. "We're going to be playing it by ear. We do know his weaknesses, and we'll try to exploit them, but we don't know how it will go. Except that we plan to come out alive and Voldemort dead."
The summer seemed to fly past, and in seemingly no time at all, we were heading back to Hogwarts. For some reason, I felt very apprehensive the whole trip. But I shook it off fast enough during the feast, and by the time it was time for bed, I felt much better. Maybe, we'd have a normal year this year. And maybe not.
Kathryn
"What a gorgeous sunset," I said, watching the sun sink low behind a nearby mountain. Kevin and I were seated atop a mountain not far from our cabin. We'd hiked up, but our brooms lay beside us. We'd be going down the fast way.
"I can hardly believe it's time to go back to England," Kev said.
"It has been an incredible summer, hasn't it?" I said. "Maybe we can come back next summer."
"Maybe," he said. "I'd enjoy that, myself." He stretched and sighed. "We'd better get back. We'll want an early start tomorrow."
Interlude
Invisible, they flitted in like great bats, flying low and hovering over the ground. In dozens they came, malevolent, cruel, and impatient. They were drawn to Hogwarts like moths to a flame. Evil reeked from them, and a shadow seemed to emanate from them.
Brightly, they came to Hogwarts. Like golden shadows, like visual song, they came, dancing on the wind. They came in dozens too, beneficent, merciful, and determined. They were drawn like metal to a magnet, like trout returning home. Where they went, joy went, and people who were near their path sang for joy.
Two kinds of spirits and fey began to descend on Hogwarts, one bright and lovely, one foul and dark. They came and arrayed themselves into two great armies, waiting only for their commanders to begin the struggle that they had been awaiting for so many years.
Only one army would win, and only one army survive. The battle would determine which that was. There would be no quarter.
Beneath them, the world was peacefully oblivious.
Lisa
"It is coming."
The force of that thought nearly blinded me for a second. Avril Nelson, who was partnering me in Charms, stared at me as I put a hand to my head.
"Are you all right?" she asked, worried.
"Fine," I said, smiling bravely. "My head just hurt there for a minute."
"Lily? What is coming? Lily?" But she had gone. I noticed that Jason, Andy and Phil looked distracted as well.
Late that night, as I was about to drift off to sleep, another sending came to me. "Voldemort is coming, very soon."
"How soon?" I asked back.
"I don't know. Less than a year, more than a week."
I hurried down to the common room. The boys were already there.
"Did she tell you that Voldemort was coming, too?" Andy asked. I nodded.
"D'you think we should tell Gray and -er, well, both of them?" I stumbled, forgetting for a minute that, being married, they were both now named Gray. Phil laughed briefly.
"Tomorrow, I think. We've got Defense anyway, we'll let him know then."
By this time, we were so paranoid that every student seemed likely to be a spy - even someone as ridiculous as 'Bo' Creevey. He was still wandering around, jabbering on about Harry Potter and other famous dead people, but we couldn't rule him out as a spy.
"It could be really, really good cover," Andy had suggested.
"Look, Padfoot, you are totally discredited when it comes to finding spies," Jason had laughed. "But you're right, he could still be it." So we were very surreptitious about arranging for a meeting with the Professors Gray. I included a note in with my homework - Important, must speak with you as soon as possible. They made me use mine because I had the longest essay.
"How do you do it?" Jason had asked, holding up his three parchment sheets. "You've got five there. We all researched the same stuff, how'd you get so much more?"
"Girls are just naturally better writers," I said, my nose in the air. Then I burst down laughing at the looks on the boys' faces.
Anyway, we were walking back to the castle after Care of Magical Creatures when Fiona flew up to us.
"Hey, she's back!" Phil exclaimed. The bird had apparently been gone since June; Kath didn't know where, but was sure she'd take care of herself. Fiona held a note in her beak.
"Wow. She must know that it's important," I said as I took the note from the bird. "From what I understand, falcons can be very touchy when asked to do owls' work."
"That reminds me!" Andy clapped a hand to his forehead. "I've got to send a letter to Mum and Dad, let them know how I'm doing. They worry when I don't," he said, looking wryly at us.
"And they got you that nice owl for your birthday," Jason reminded him. "Although I don't understand the name."
"Wol? It's kind of a joke," Andy said. "From a Muggle book Mum read to me when I was younger."
"Okay," Phil said. He didn't much care for Muggle stuff. "What does the note say?"
"Come and have tea with us after your classes are over," I read from the page. "Well, we're done, so we'd better go now."
Kathryn and Kevin had been given a nice suite somewhere near the top of the castle by the headmistress. It wasn't very large, but it was big enough to have us in for tea. We'd never have found it without the Marauders' Map, though. That piece of parchment was so useful... I can remember how shocked Lily was when she found out about that, and all the other things her friends had been up to.
"So, what important news do you have for us?" Kevin asked as Kathryn poured tea. "I assume it has something to do with the Manes?"
"Yes," Jason said, having adopted his role as speaker for us. "Voldemort is coming, and soon."
"How soon?" Kath asked, her knuckles going white as she increased her grip on the teapot.
"We don't know. Between a week and a year. I think sooner rather than later."
"If we use some logic, we might be able to narrow things down a bit," Kevin said. "When would he be more likely to come back?" We stared at each other.
"He'll want it to be remembered, when he takes over the world," I said finally. "There'll be a reason why he picks whatever day he does. We just have to figure out what kind of logic the guy uses."
"He's vindictive," Phil said. "We know that, right? So he might pick a day when he feels that he revenges himself simply by being there."
"A day when he is strong," Andy said. "Some times are more favorable than others. I wouldn't expect him on Christmas, because days like that have their own kind of magic, and it's not a kind that he'd like."
"There are days of the other sort," I said.
"Halloween," Jason said suddenly. "Day of his greatest defeat, and traditionally the day when the barrier between this world and the next is thinnest."
"Of course," I whispered. "I'll wager that it will be on Halloween."
"That's a month away," Kathryn said. "Does that give us time to prepare for anything?"
"Yes," Jason said. "Get our parents -no, not Mum. She's got to take care of Will. Get Dad up here. Get anyone else who believes you. We'll need all the help we can get."
"I've got a few favors I can pull in," Kevin said. "And one or two old friends who I might be able to persuade to come for a weekend - Halloween is on a Saturday. We'll get backup for you."
"And we'll help in anything we can," Kath said. "Just tell us what."
Kathryn
I had been very nervous, thinking about Voldemort's return, but after we thought that we had a date settled on, I wasn't quite so afraid. Maybe it was because I had so many other things to worry about that I didn't have time. Maybe I was just more ready to face reality now that it was truly upon me. Whatever the reason, I didn't worry much at all for the next few weeks.
Then suddenly, it was the night before. The mood at the school seemed to have grown very tense over the last few weeks, but that might have been my imagination. I couldn't sleep that night, and paced up and down our parlor. Fiona rapped on the window, and I went to let her in.
You should not be awake so late, she said, fixing me with her glare. You need to sleep, especially at this time.
"I don't need you to mother me," I said. "I've been sleeping plenty- and eating enough, before you start in on that."
Have you told your mate?
"No, you know I've told you why. Look, Fiona, you should go. It could get dangerous here. I don't want you risking your life."
It is my choice, and I choose to stay here. Those Who Command the Winds may have need of me.
"True, and I'm glad that you stay." She seemed about to reply, when a cold wind shrieked in. I slammed the window shut.
"My goodness, that was cold!" I looked at the clock. Midnight.
Then the howling started. It was soft at first, but it got louder and louder. Something seemed to be flying around the castle and screaming. I looked out the window. Suddenly, an awful face appeared, and I screamed, stumbling back in fear. "Kev!"
"I'm right here. That howling woke me up." I turned to see him in a dressing gown.
"I think it's started," I managed calmly.
"Go and get the kids. I'll join you in the Great Hall." He went to put on his robes. I, having never removed mine, headed straight for Gryffindor Tower.
Lisa
"Now!" a voice screamed from inside my head. "Oh, no! Not him!" I awoke suddenly. A furious screaming was outside my window. The other girls in my dorm stared out the window.
"What do you think it is?" Avril asked, quaveringly.
"An attack," I said grimly, pulling on my robes and grabbing my wand. "You might as well come. I don't think anyone will get any more sleep tonight."
The common room was full when I got there.
"Lisa!" Jason called from across the room.
"I'm fine! Is it starting, you think?"
"Definitely. We're all sure." He emphasized all considerably to let me know that he meant the Manes, too.
"We'd best get going, then," I said.
"Where?" Andy asked. They'd pushed their way to my side now.
"What's going on?" We saw Bo standing in the center of the room, his wand at his side. "Can I help?" I looked at the boys. Andy and Phil were looking at each other, but Jason seemed lost in thought; he was, I was sure, talking to James. Suddenly, he jumped up on a table.
"You want to know what's going on?" he asked, waving his wand. "I'll tell you. Something evil is attacking this castle. Something bad, that everyone thought was long gone. He's going to try to win everything tonight, right here. He's very powerful, and very evil. He might win, but I'm going to try to stop him. Does anyone here care to help?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"I'm with you," I said, stepping forward. Of course, he knew that, but I knew that to the frightened students around me, such an act might inspire bravery in them.
"Me too," Phil said.
"And me!" Andy added.
"Count me in!" Bo squeaked, voice breaking with excitement. And then every voice in the room added itself to the throng.
"Follow me!" Jason yelled, leaping off the table and heading for the portrait hole. Andy, Phil and I were right after him. Just as we reached it, it swung open. Kath was standing there, wand at the ready. She looked slightly bemused, but waved to us to follow.
We followed her all the way to the Great Hall, which was now filling with students and teachers.
"There's no way Voldemort will attack here," Jason said, looking around. "Too many people." Then the door burst open, and my dad and other men stood in it. Kathryn went to explain to them. I looked around, trying to see if everyone was there.
"A few of the older students are missing," I said. "Mostly Slytherin, but there are some from every House gone. And the Headmistress isn't here."
"Where are they?" Andy asked.
"I've got the Map," Phil said, producing it and starting it up. "They are in the dungeons," he said happily, pointing to them.
"Is Voldemort on the Map?" I asked.
"No," Phil said. "He might not register on it, or he might not be here yet."
"Come on," Jason said. "We'd best check out what's going on."
Kathryn
From across the room, I saw the four kids walk out. Where are they going? I asked myself. I looked back at the men I had been speaking to.
"I've got to go, now. Patrick, you'd better come."
"It's the kids, isn't it?" Patrick Black said as we jogged off in the direction I had seen them leave.
"I don't know where they're going, but they might need help," I said. We rushed into the entrance hall. It was empty, except for Kev. He was hurtling down the stairs.
"Did you see which way they went?" I asked.
"To the dungeons. I called for them to stop, but they either didn't hear or didn't listen." The three of us rushed off together.
When we caught up to the kids, they were huddled around an open door into the Potions dungeon.
"What's going on?" Patrick asked, striding forward.
"Dad!" Lisa exclaimed. "Oh, I'm glad you guys are here. Take a look."
The room was full of a sickly green light. I could make out various shapes, moving and chanting something that did not quite reach my ear.
"It's sealed," Jason said, as Kev tried to go through the door.
"What are they doing?" I wondered aloud.
"Summoning Voldemort," Jason said grimly. "They're all working for him."
"Of course -it was McGonagall who was the spy!" I hadn't even suspected her. "Can we stop them?"
"If we were in there," Kev began. I turned to the kids, about to ask them to stand back while we tried to blast the door open.
"What's wrong with them?" I shrieked. They were all sitting against the floor, eyes unseeing, staring ahead.
"They're alive," Patrick said quickly. He took Lisa's wrist. "Pulse is steady, they're all breathing."
"There was no curse laid on them," Kev said. "It must have something to do with the Manes."
"Lisa said to me, once, that the Manes would take on Voldemort in the spirit world, while we battled him here. They must have gone there."
"Then we'd best get this door open," Patrick said. "There's nothing we can do to help them here. We've got to help them fight." As one, we leveled our wands and blasted the door. It stood firm. Again we blasted, and this time, the enchantment crumbled. The chanting stopped, and the followers of Voldemort looked up at us. McGonagall raised her wand at us.
"Expelliarmus!" Patrick bellowed, and her wand flew across the room, leaving her looking startled. Kev was muttering something under his breath. Suddenly, all the students froze. McGonagall dived for her wand.
"Great, she knows how to block that one," Kev muttered. "Let's see how she takes this!" He raised his wand to do something, but she had reached hers and blocked it.
Suddenly I noticed a great crystal in the center of the room. It seemed to be the source of all the green light, and it pulsed and flowed with a life of its own. I realized what it was: a Summoning Stone. That's how they were calling Voldemort. I looked around. A few of the students had regain mobility, ad Patrick was taking them on. Kev was still engaged in a duel with the headmistress.
Taking a deep breath, I crossed to where the Stone sat. It felt evil, even from this distance. I reached out and touched it.
The world seemed to freeze. I saw Patrick, who had been turning from one opponent to the next, standing like a statue. Kev was blocking a spell that hung frozen in the air above him. McGonagall's face was contorted into a dreadful, frozen mask.
And then I became aware of things I had not seen before. We humans were not the only creatures in the dungeons. There were - beings made of light, darting about the room while all else was frozen. And great shadows, or places of anti-light, struggling in some terrible way with the light-creatures. Then I could hear the battle, too; not like any battle anyone has ever heard. It was music. Great chords and phrases of rapturously beautiful sound flowed around me, and the opposition was like discord, striving to destroy the beautiful sounds. And I became aware of four distinct musical themes running through, and as I became aware of the, I could see the spirits to which they belonged. The Manes had joined the battle, and my friends were surely with them. For a moment, it seemed that they would triumph, and the music swelled. But then came the greatest discord of all, and the room seemed to go black. At once, I knew what it was.
Voldemort had arrived.
Lisa
As I was standing at the door, I felt funny, suddenly. I was about to call out when I was no longer standing in the dungeons.
I stood in a vast, bare room. Three others were there; as I looked, their faces flashed between those of my friends and those of the Manes, I was sure something similar was happening to me.
"The hour has come at last," Andy -or was it Sirius? said.
"Are we ready for battle?" I asked, and suddenly I could feel Lily there. But this was different from the other times. All those times, I felt as if there were two people in my head. This time, we were one. There was no difference between Lisa and Lily at all.
"Ready or not, we must join the battle," Jason said.
Suddenly, the scene shifted again. I could see the dungeon. My father was busy fighting several students; Gray was taking on the Headmaster. Kath had touched an object I knew must be the Summoning Stone -the device that would bring Voldemort here. All the other figures were cloudy, but she was clear. There were spirits, too; good and evil joined in battle. I cannot describe how we thought; unless you had done such a thing, you would be unable to understand, and if you have had such a battle, not description is necessary. But we fought, and for a time -a second? A year? It was all very much the same in that place - we seemed to win.
And then Voldemort arrived. I could see him, not as a human, but as a great blackness, a void, an evil. At once we turned from his minions to him, fighting as hard as we could.
I truly wish that I could describe what we went through, but I cannot find the words. We teetered on the edge of eternity, now winning, now losing. Time had stopped, or was flowing fast around us. We struggled against him for a long time. But finally, it seemed that he would win. He was the stronger.
Of course, we did not give up. We were determined, I know, to fight to the death, for even if we couldn't win we wanted to damage him as much as we could. I was growing weaker. He sensed it, and turned to me.
I offered once to let you live if you would not stand up to me. I offer you the same chance.
Do you think I'm a fool, Voldemort? Is a promise from you worth anything? And even if it were not, I'd never stop fighting you. Life is not too high a price to pay to stop you.
Then again will you die, foolish girl, and this time nothing of you will survive.
He turned to strike at me. I knew I was about to die, and poured out my every effort to hurt him. I could feel my friends doing the same, but it just wasn't enough.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.
But it never came.
Kathryn
I could see they were in desperate trouble. "What can I do?" I asked myself. "How can I help them?"
How high a price will you pay? A small voice asked me.
"Anything! Anything! Just -I've got to help stop him!"
You already know the answer, Kathryn. Everything you need is inside you. I knew, in that instant, exactly what was meant. I knew what an awful choice I faced. But - "So be it." And I did the unthinkable.
Lisa
Suddenly, a great wash of light passed over me. I could not see, but I could hear. A great rush of the most beautiful music ever played accompanied the light. I heard a scream, as of death, and a great weight seemed to be lifted from me. I opened my eyes.
I was sitting outside the dungeons. Jason, Andy and Phil were looking about too. We jumped up and rushed in.
Dad and Gray were looking around, puzzled. All of Voldemort's supporters were down, dead or unconscious.
"You did it!" Gray said.
"No," Jason denied. "It wasn't us. Not at the last." We turned, to look for Kath.
She stood, huddled, over a pile of shards. They must have come from the Stone. She looked up.
"You did that?" Gray asked. "How?" Then I noticed the tears running down her face.
"They're gone!" she cried. "All my powers are gone!" And she ran from the room, sobbing.
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Psalm 30:5
Lisa
We four were alone in the common room. Everyone else was still in the Great Hall or the dungeons, settling things down. Now the four of us were alone. Fitting that it should end the way it had begun.
I was still both Lisa and Lily, but I could feel the parts becoming more distinct. And I knew that Lily's time was almost gone, and I knew that she-or I -wanted to say goodbye properly.
"Well, it's been fun while it lasted." Andy might be speaking, but I knew that the words were from Sirius.
"Oh, Padfoot, old friend." James embraced him, and then Remus. We all had a few tears in our eyes.
"Time to leave this world for the ones it belongs to," Remus said gruffly. "We've been here long enough."
Lily, how will I do without you?
Just fine, Lisa. You never really needed me. Just do your best. And do what you can for poor Kathryn. She'll need your help, I think. Good luck.
Thank you.
Thank you, dear Lisa. Keep an eye on the boys. They'll need your help -I know.
I will.
James took Lily in his arms.
"I love you," they said together, and then laughed.
"What now?" Lily asked.
"I don't know. Maybe oblivion, maybe not. Are you scared?"
"No. Even oblivion sounds fine if we're together. We will be, won't we?"
"Forever, my dearest."
"Then I'm not afraid." She shivered. "Is it time?"
"Yes." He spoke very quietly. She took tight hold of his hands. Remus and Sirius each put a hand on their shoulders.
"Shall we go together then?"
"I think so."
It seemed as if half of me died in that instant. The tearing sensation, the feeling of loss, was so great that I almost cried out.
But suddenly I didn't feel it so much. And I realized that I had both sets of memories; I could remember my own childhood, and also Lily's. She hadn't gone completely; she would be with me forever, in a sense. She left a sense of calm, and I realized just how tired she had been.
Goodbye, Lily, and thank you. We four looked at each other, and I saw in their eyes the same thankfulness that I felt.
"Well, they're gone," I said slowly.
"Lisa -your eyes!" Jason exclaimed.
"What?" I asked, for I could feel nothing wrong. Andy turned me around and made me look in a mirror. My eyes, once dark brown, now shone emerald green.
"How could that happen?" Phil asked.
"I'm not sure. But I think it was partly to ensure I'll never forget. Which I never will."
Kathryn
I sat in my room like a child, crying. What was the point of going on? I'd lost my magic. I wasn't a witch anymore, I was a Muggle, pure and simple. I couldn't teach, I knew that. And I couldn't live among wizards, not like this.
It wasn't fair. I'd had to give up my magic. I would never fly again, never cast a spell or speak to a bird or do anything again. I wished that I was dead.
Kev came in.
"Kath," he said, and looked at me. I turned away.
"Kath, I know that it's an awful thing that's happened to you. I can't imagine what it would be like. But Kath, I still love you. I told you before that I'd have loved you even if you were a Muggle. I love you, I always will."
"I can't do anything," I said. "I can't even levitate that feather. Any first year can do that, but I can't. I'll never do magic again."
"It's too soon to say that," he said, trying to offer me hope.
"No, it's not. I know the truth. Never again will I do any magic. Go away. I never want to see you or any wizard again."
I locked the door and didn't come out for I don't know how long. Food appeared a few times and I ate, but mostly I slept and cried.
After a long, long time I heard a tapping on the window. I opened it and Fiona soared in. She perched on her bar and looked at me.
"You'd best find a new mistress," I muttered, knowing that she would no longer understand me. But:
I like you just fine, she said quite plainly. I stared. I don't care what you can't do, you're still my flight-sister. How could it be? I snatched up my wand and tried to move the feather, but couldn't. The tiny spark of hope in me died. So I had been spared my Eyrespeech, but nothing else. I was still unfit to live among wizards. I would pack my bags, take Fiona, and go. I'd leave completely. Kev could get on with his life, I'd go and hide somewhere, pretend that wizards were make-believe and Voldemort never existed.
"No," I said. "I'll not make you stay with me. Go, fly free." She just sat there. "Don't you understand me? Go!"
No, she said, quite firmly. I stay with you.
"All right then, you stupid bird," I said. "You can come." I carried my bags down to the hall. No one seemed to see me. But just as I was about to leave:
"Kath!" Kevin strode toward me. "Where are you going?"
"I have to leave," I said. "I can't stay here any more. I'm a Muggle now, remember?"
"You can't leave," he said. "I won't let you."
"Kev, you don't need a Muggle wife. What good would I be to you?"
"If you go now, I'll never be happy, my whole life," he said simply. "I love you." He took my bags from me. "And you can't leave. You have a job here, remember?"
"How can I teach? I've lost my powers."
"Don't be stupid. You don't need magic to teach Muggle Studies. And you can't think that we'd let you go like this, can you?"
"We?"
"Me and a few others."
"Don't go, Aunt Kath." I turned to see Lisa there, looking pale but sure.
"Don't go," the three boys seconded. I looked around. The hall seemed to have filled with people. There were most of the students at Hogwarts, and a few that I had taught but had graduated. Every teacher stood in the hall, even Snape. Patrick and Ellen Black stood arm in arm not far away, their young son cradled in her arms. Even Minister Wood was there. He stepped forward.
"All of you who participated in stopping You -oh, well, Voldemort - have been granted the Order of Merlin."
"But I'm not a witch," I said in bewilderment.
"You think we'll take that as an excuse to let you turn your back on your friends and responsibilities?" Kevin looked shocked. "And besides, I need your help in other things too."
"Like what?"
"Well, I've been made the Headmaster of this school, and I am not going to accept the post unless you stay." I looked around at all the faces. Yes, I could leave them. Leave and go back to a dreary world of no magic. And, after all, how much magic did I need? I'd still be able to fly on a broom, maybe, and I still had Fiona. And I still had Kevin. Yes, I still had him...
"One question," I said to Kev.
"Yes?"
"If you're Headmaster, and our child breaks a rule, will you give him detention?"
"Well, I -wait, that -was that a hypothetical question or were you saying - "
"Our child, Kev. I found out a few days before the attack, I didn't want you to have anything else to worry about." I found myself crying. "We're going to have a baby."
"Then you'll stay here?"
"Yes." I heard a cheer from the crowd. Kev put his arms around me and kissed me.
Maybe things won't be so bad after all. I always had hope.
Epilogue
The two women sat across from each other nervously in the coffeeshop. You'd never have guessed that they were related, but they were.
"So, Grace," the younger said finally, "Are you well?"
"I am. And you, Kath? It's been a long time since I've seen you."
"More than fifteen years."
"I think, perhaps, that I was wrong about some of the things I said the last time we met."
"Some?"
"All right, all."
"Well, I'm all right. I'm a witch no longer. I lost my powers a few years ago."
"How?"
"A battle. That was the price of winning."
"How are you doing?"
"Just fine. I still teach, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. And another on the way." She smiled. "At least they'll be wizards, and normal ones."
"How is -my daughter?"
"She's doing very well. You should be proud of her. She's Head Girl this year, and one of the youngest people ever granted the Order of Merlin. Very smart, and very friendly. She's one of the most popular girls in the school."
"Has she got any plans?"
"I rather think she'll be getting married in not too long. He -Jason Potter -is Head Boy, and they make quite a nice couple."
"Potter? Like Ellen, my ex-husband's old girlfriend?"
"Her son. She and Patrick married, and have a son together."
"I see. But Lisa is happy?"
"Very. There was some business back a few years ago, but that's over. She -she wrote you a letter. Asked me to give it to you. I think she feels badly over some of the things she said when you last met."
"We both do."
"She was very young, you know, and felt betrayed. You might think about trying to reconcile."
"I will. I guess not all wizards are bad."
"No more than all Muggles are."
"Well, it's nice to see you, Kath."
"Very nice to see you, Grace."
"Do you remember that time we went to DC?"
"And you got us lost in the subway?"
"I thought that was your fault."
"Maybe so." Kath laughed suddenly as she turned her head toward someone who wasn't there. "I keep forgetting that Fiona isn't here. My falcon, you know. She's off raising a nest this summer, and I keep missing her."
"Oh -that's my husband. I have to go."
"Write to me." Kath pressed her sister's hand for a moment. "There's a lot we should tell each other."
"I will," the other promised.
END
This is, quite simply, a story that grew in the telling. I had in mind when I wrote it a short story about a girl who finds out she's a wizard. Because I rarely, especially at that time, wrote stories with Harry in them, I decided to put her in the future.
Unfortunately about three days into the project I became aware that there were several other writers doing very similar things. Not being someone who likes doing what everyone else is, I decided to complicate things up a bit. Thus, the Manes appeared, though they didn't have a name until Blaise suggested mane – Latin for spirit. They're entirely my creation and I'm rather proud of them.
And Kath, Kev and Fiona? Fiona at least was in a very lousy story I wrote once, my first fanfic that I wrote before PoA came out and had the wisdom to never post. It had only two redeeming things; Fiona, and a magical map that showed where everything was in Hogwarts. It wasn't as complicated as the Marauder's Map, but I did think of it on my own. Kath and Kev – well, they're real in a way that most of my characters are not. The real Kevin is a lot more like Sirius Black than the one in my story, and the real Kath has many of the same views as the one in my story. The names were changed some, just because I thought it was a good idea.
Thanks a lot for reading my story. I'm glad to have had a chance to make a few changes, clear up some loose ends and misspellings that have been plaguing me.
J K Rowling is the author of Harry Potter. Anything that does not come from her books is my creation. Please ask before taking.