A/N: Okay, so I realize I didn't leave an author's note on the last chapter... oops. Oh well, all I want to say is that I haven't written anything past this point yet, but I will most certainly get to it... And I will certainly get to it a lot faster if I get some reviews ;) haha. Not saying I won't update again or anything because I don't demand them in exchange for updates - I find that kind of silly - however I'm much more motivated to work on something when I know others want me to ;)

Anyway, besides all of that, I really want feedback after this chapter because I'm not entirely sure if it is up to par. That might just be me thinking that though. So be honest and tell me if you don't like something... But be nice about it. I tend to ignore people who aren't nice about it.

I mean, I can't be THAT terrible!

Okay, I'll shut up now, here's chapter four... :)

Chapter 4: Number Twelve

Heat of the Morning Sun finally stopped when we arrived between numbers eleven and thirteen of Grimmauld Place, and reached into her pocket before revealing her wand. Albus recognized it as Lily's wand, even though she only had it out just long enough to mutter a quick spell under her breath before returning it to her pocket. Al felt a surge of anger, then, which led me to ask, what is your problem? This is what you wanted, wasn't it – to follow her?

That's Lily's wand, he seethed.

I was too surprised to see Number Twelve appear as a sliver between numbers eleven and thirteen before pushing them out of the way, the entire structure shaking as if an earthquake were rattling them, to pay attention to whatever else Albus spat as we stood there. Yet, as I looked, I realized with astonishment that none of the Souls inhabiting numbers eleven and thirteen seemed to notice. In fact, they continued on with what they were doing as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

I saw Heat of the Morning Sun looking at me curiously out of the corner of my eye, but as I turned to look at her I saw her seem to shake her head. A smile spreading across her face, she said, "Come on, let's go in and I'll get lunch started," gesturing with her hand for me to enter first.

Albus still muttering angrily, I managed to ignore him and made my way past her and into the house… If you could call such a dreary place a house. Once we were inside, he managed to direct me to the kitchen, but once we were both standing there he fell silent again.

"So, how long have you been here, Blaze?" she asked as I sat down instinctively at the table.

Shrugging, I said, "About a month."

As she rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something to throw together for lunch, she nodded with her back to me, "Only a month, huh? Well, do you like it here so far?"

"Erm," I put a hand to the back of my neck, "I guess. I'm still getting used to it though. This whole magic thing has me a bit put-off."

She very nearly dropped something then, but managed to catch it before giving a short laugh, "Put-off? Why so?"

"It's just not what I expected," I answered, "I mean, I don't know how many of the other worlds you've been to, but none of them have anything like this. It's absurd."

She stopped what she was doing for a moment and turned around to face me, "This is my first planet, actually. And do you think that you would know if the others had magic? I mean, it is kept secret here."

I realized then that Albus had grown silent in my head, but that he was listening intently to the conversation. I started to open my mouth to say something, but paused to ask him, why are you so quiet?

I'll tell you later, now keep talking or she'll notice something's up.

"Al – I mean, Blaze – what is it?" she asked when I didn't speak quickly enough.

"It's nothing," I said, shaking my head, "I just forgot what I was going to say for a moment there. Anyway, I guess I can see how that could be a possibility – magic on the other worlds – but I highly doubt that's the case."

Heat of the Morning Sun looked intrigued, "What makes you say that?"

"Because," I started, thinking the answer was obvious, "why would we keep something like this a secret? I mean, I understand why the humans did – they never trusted what they didn't understand – but why would we keep it secret? Certainly there wouldn't be any danger in it."

She fell silent then, and stared at the surface of the table between us as she thought. Then she looked up at me again and with a one-armed shrug said, "I don't know, I guess it doesn't make sense. But they – I mean, we, have kept it a secret since we've been here. Why do you think that is?"

I was surprised by how quickly the answer came to mind, and I answered, "Maybe out of habit."

"Habit?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Well," I said, "We are inhabiting the bodies of people who have been going to certain lengths to keep this world within a world, if you will, a secret from the Muggles for their entire lives. Maybe we keep it a secret out of habit, then."

Straightening her head, she replied, "Maybe." Then she turned back around to continue preparing lunch. In the silence that fell between us, Al stirred in my head.

Ask her what happened to Lily.

No.

Please, Blaze, I have to know what happened to her.

Frowning, I shook my head slightly and repeated firmly, no.

Why not?

Because, I said stubbornly, glad that Heat of the Morning Sun had her back to me so she could not see the internal struggle being reflected on my face.

I don't know what planet you're from, Blaze, but on Earth 'because' is usually followed by an explanation; it is not an answer in itself.

Merlin's beard, you are such a smartarse.

…did you really just say 'Merlin's beard'?

My eyes widened in surprise, and I almost laughed out loud, That's funny… I guess I did.

But, seriously, Blaze, please ask her what happened to Lily. She's my sister – I have to know.

"So what happened to Albus?" Heat of the Morning Sun suddenly asked, breaking the silence, "The last time Lily saw him was maybe a year ago. Where did he go – what did he do – how was he captured?"

It was a good thing she still had her back to me, considering my mouth dropped open for a moment before I had the sense to close it. Albus still had not revealed what he had gone through since the invasion to me, so I did not know how to answer.

But, I think Albus' reaction may have been what caused my mouth to drop, seeing as he was stunned into silence.

Albus? I asked when he didn't say anything.

When I did not provide any kind of answer, Heat of the Morning Sun turned around to face me, looking at me expectantly. "Blaze?" she asked slowly, "How was Albus captured?"

This I knew the answer to, for the most part, so I took a deep breath and explained, "He was looking for you – er, Lily, actually. He had seen her while on a mission to get supplies a week earlier."

As I explained, images began to flash through my mind, as though Al's memories were coming through against his will as I spoke.

"He didn't think that she was a host yet, which is why he decided to try and find her and bring her back with him," I said, suddenly finding a block when I couldn't figure out where Al was going to take Lily if he had found her. It was annoying, knowing that piece of information was there, but not being able to access it, but I didn't press too hard as I continued to speak. "So he went to find her with James…"

When I trailed off, a feeling of shock washing over me, she asked, "James? Albus was with James?"

Shit, Albus said quietly, his voice growing louder and louder in my head as he continued to spout curses.

I fought to block out his shouting as I came back to the room and nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."

When I looked at her then, she was looking at me with her mouth half-opened, her brown eyes wide. Then she shut her mouth and approached the table, leaning over it so that she was eye-level with me as she said, "You only just found that out, didn't you?"

I stared at her, and even Albus quit his cursing long enough to pay attention. So we both stared at her in surprise, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Didn't you?" she repeated, looking us in the eyes very intently, as if she would be able to see Albus trapped inside my head if she looked hard enough. "Blaze," she said quietly, backing up only a few inches, "it's not just you in there, is it?"

She knows, Albus said then, Blaze, she knows.

I'm aware.

But she knows, he repeated, she knows I'm still here. How did she figure it out so quickly, though?

I don't know, let me ask and maybe we'll find out.

No, Albus said stubbornly, no, you can't confirm that I'm here. It's too dangerous, Blaze, you can't let her know.

Too dangerous for you, maybe.

Surprisingly, Albus felt betrayed, and I found myself actually pitying him as he pleaded, Blaze, please don't. Please, Blaze.

Ignoring him, I asked, "What gave it away?"

Then, to both my surprise and Al's, Heat of the Morning Sun's mouth dropped open. For a few moments she just stared at me like that, but then she slowly straightened her back and moved away from the table, backing into the counter. I just stared back at her, my face blank as I watched her rest against it, looking back at me strangely.

"You don't have his wand, do you?" she asked, still watching me intently.

I shook my head, averting my eyes from her face to the door on the far side of the room, "No, it was destroyed long before he was captured. But what does that have to do with –"

I started when I looked back to Heat of the Morning Sun and saw her pointing her wand at me from where she stood by the counter. "Get up from the table," she said, her hand shaking, "slowly."

Reflexively, I threw my hands into the air, "Whoa – it's okay. He's not in control, I still am. There isn't any danger."

Then she took a step toward me and repeated, "Get up now, Blaze, and don't make me say it again."

"But –"

"Just do it!" she exclaimed suddenly.

At what was probably the most inconvenient time ever, Al spoke in my head, I guess you were wrong; maybe it was dangerous for both of us, and not just me.

Oh shut up, I'm trying to think.

Maybe instead of thinking you should just do what she says, she's the one that's armed.

Maybe I could run fast enough to -

Al seemed to laugh, no, even if you ran quick enough she'd find us. They would find us. Not to mention, if you run she'll think that I've taken over.

Albus, I said slowly, just as I began to slowly rise from the table where I had been sitting, I don't think she's who she says she is.

What do you mean? He asked just as she began to direct me through the house with her wand at my back.

I mean, if she really were a Soul she wouldn't have immediately jumped to the conclusion that she was in danger.

Wait, Al said suddenly, and I halted in mid-step when he did, unsure if it was me or him that had caused my body to freeze. Then, I realized with a biting fear that it was him when I felt my body turn to face Heat of the Morning Sun again. Before she could react, I felt my lips moving even though I knew it wasn't me moving them, "Lily?"

Her entire body seemed to freeze in shock, and I assumed that she would have dropped her wand if she hadn't had such a firm grip on it. After a second, she snapped out of it. And, just a moment before I was about to say something, she quickly snapped, "Incarcerous!"

Ropes suddenly appeared from the end of her wand and wrapped themselves around me before I had any chance to react. I fell to the ground as they writhed around me tightly, bonding my arms to my torso. I only bothered to stop struggling against them when I realized that she – whoever she really was – was pulling me along by the ends of the ropes.

"Who are you?" I tried to shout when she had pulled me to a small family room, though it was difficult seeing as the ropes did not allow my lungs to expand completely.

Without answering me, she dropped the ropes and stepped back out of the room for a few minutes. I tried calling after her again, but decided after maybe a minute to try loosening the ropes binding me. Maybe if I could loosen them I could just wriggle my way out of them.

It's not going to work, Al chimed in the back of my head.

I just ignored him and tried to move my arms anyway, but when I did the ropes stirred again. When they made their way up my chest toward my throat I stopped struggling, learning that if I continued they would choke me.

Well, I don't see you coming up with any brighter ideas, I spat as I caught my breath.

He made a chortling sound just before giving his reply, and why should I?

I… I paused, and I heard her returning footsteps making their way toward us from somewhere in the great place. I guess you have a point, but what if she kills us?

If she's really my sister, like I'm fairly certain she is, then she won't. She will, however, try to take you out.

My eyes doubled in size then, just as I saw her return to the room, the door swinging shut behind her. Then I watched, dumbstruck, as she opened the small bag she had returned with and began to withdraw what appeared to be medical blades from its depths.

I told you, Al said cheerfully.

"But you're a – you're a Soul, aren't you? Why are you doing this?"

She set the tools down carefully, then stepped over and pulled me into a sitting position by the ropes that were still holding me still. Once I was sitting there, my back resting again an old, dusty couch, she sat down in front of me and withdrew her wand. I flinched reflexively, but, instead of hexing me, she muttered, "Lumos," and a beam of light issued from its tip. A moment later, she aimed the beam of light into her eyes maybe a foot from my face. Flabbergasted, I looked from one brown eye to the next, searching for the ring of light I had seen earlier. But I saw nothing; there was no hint of it there. I realized then that it must have been some kind of magic, and I found myself wondering if she was the only one pretending to be a host.

"I am Lily Luna Potter," she said, "and my brother Albus is your host."

Then the light went out, and I blinked. Lily got up once again and went back to the small table where she had set down the things she had returned with.

"You can't do this," I said quietly.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," she retorted as I heard her pouring something. It was probably what she was going to use to render me unconscious.

"No, I mean you can't remove me," I turned my head to face her, overextending it to do so. "You'll just kill us both if you try to."

I watched as she seemed to freeze in the middle of picking something up, though I couldn't see what it was through her back. At the same time, Al seemed to have frozen too. I wasn't sure if I had the effect I wanted on Lily, but I knew I did on Al as I felt his apprehension flood through me. Then, suddenly, flashes from a few of his memories flooded my mind. Momentarily, I was absorbed by scenes of previous failed attempts to remove Souls from other humans.

While the humans had bothered to cover up the ruined bodies of the dead humans, the shattered pieces of the Souls they had destroyed littered the floor and silver blood remained on the walls with the red stains they had yet to clean. I don't know how many different scenes of this I saw, there was at least a dozen, but they were all the same. They were all just as bloody as the ones before.

Coming back to the room, I realized it was hot and I was sweating. Again, I tried to fight against the binds holding me, and as they writhed around me once more, squeezing me tighter, my stomach lurched. Before I could understand what was happening, I was sick all over the carpet. It lasted for at least a minute before I realized that Lily was beside me, one arm around me and the opposite hand against my forehead.

What was it? Al asked, actually sounding concerned. What happened?

Go away, I said weakly, but still angry.

Blaze, I -

Just go away, I repeated stubbornly.

Surprisingly, he fell silent. Lily, however, repeated his question, "What happened?"

The taste of bile unbearable in my mouth, I said hoarsely, "You'll kill us both – me and your brother – if you try it. It'll just be a big bloody mess, just like every time before," I finished, having turned my head to look her in the eyes again.

Lily fell silent then, but held my gaze for a long time as she thought over what I had said. Finally, she sighed and said, "All right, fine. But what am I supposed to do, I can't just keep you tied up here, now can I?"

I shook my head, grimacing when I realized it hurt to do so. "No, they'd come looking for me."

I felt Al stir then, unsure if he was really hearing what he thought he was hearing.

She actually laughed shortly, "They would, and the one inhabiting my father would probably be the one to lead the hunt."

What I said next tumbled out of my mouth, and I realized afterward that it was Al speaking again, "You've seen him?"

She nodded once. "For the first time a couple weeks ago, actually. I would say he's doing well, but given the circumstances I don't think that's quite right."

"You mean he's gone?" Al continued to speak without my consent, "Really gone?"

Again, Lily nodded sadly, "Yes, he is."