Disclaimer: Again, Iown nobody but Cecilia, yadda yadda yadda...
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been hitting severe writer's block with Chapter 7, but as soon as I'm done with that chapter, it will be on here, I swear!
As usual, read and review!
Cecilia woke up the next evening around 8 o'clock, when the light outside was almost done fading from the sky. Remus had found her an unused room early that morning that he was fairly certain was not inhabited by any doxies or boggarts. She could tell he was very tired, having carried her bags into this room at about 5 o'clock in the morning, and she told him several times he needn't have stayed up the entire night just to make sure she was all right. She sighed deeply, rolling over onto her side on the dusty bed. She was NOT looking forward to spending the day avoiding Sirius. She so desperately wanted to talk to him, to tell him how sorry she was about everything that had happened, but she had the feeling he didn't want to listen to her at the moment. One of Sirius's more unfortunate characteristics was the fact that he could hold a grudge longer than anyone she had ever known.
She got out of the bed and scanned the walls quickly, searching for a mirror. Having found one in the corner opposite her, she walked over to find thatthe black clothes she had slept in that night were almost brown with dust. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to one of the bags Remus had put at the foot of the bed and changed into a short-sleeved red blouse, a knee-length black skirt, and flat red shoes. Tentatively opening the door, she peeked her head into the hallway and surveyed it. Now she realized why this house seemed so familiar- she had been here long ago. Sirius had invited her here for Christmas, she believed, the last year he had lived here, which was perhaps in theirthird year in Hogwarts?She didn't remember anymore. She tiptoed down the hall and heard voices as she got closer to the stairs. Descending them, she saw that the door to the kitchen was slightly open, and, looking through the crack, saw about ten people gathered for a late dinner, among them Arthur, Albus, Remus and...Sirius. She wanted desperately to go in and join them, but she knew that she would probably end up sitting around uncomfortably while the rest gorged themselves on mortal foods. Besides, she didn't want to be around Sirius at the moment. She grimaced. Time to hunt.
She silently opened the large door to the outside, briefly wondering how she was supposed to get back in. She shut it behind her and walked quickly down the street, glancing behind her to find that the house had disappeared. Great, she thought sarcastically. Cecilia found a dark alleyway only a few blocks away and looked around, her eyes darting from corner to corner, easily able to see in the dim light, until they rested on a black stray cat playing with a dirty paper cup about five yards from her. It's fur was matted withgrime and it looked like it hadn't had a decent meal in a month, but it would have to do. She was on thin ice enough as it was, walking around alone outside at night unprotected (although it was necessary), and easily connected to the Order if found by a Death Eater. Killing a human or wizard would be unwise at this point. She wove in between the shadows, so stealthily that the cat could neither see nor hear her, and, finding the right moment, pounced. She grabbed the cat and sunk her elongated canine teeth into its neck, not even giving it a chance to make a sound. Within seconds it had stopped struggling and lay limp; dead. Cecilia drained it completely and tossed it to the side, wiping her mouth. It was enough to satiate her hunger till tomorrow night. She brushed the fur off her shirt and proceeded back up the street to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
Luckily, the house seemed to have remembered her and reappeared when she came near. She entered and closed the door behind her. Turning around, she took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen.
As she opened the door, all eyes turned to her and a heavy silence fell. Albus smiled at her encouragingly and Remus patted an empty seat next to him, motioning for her to sit down.
"Where were you?" Remus asked. "I saw you leave."
"Oh, I was-" she lowered her voice, "I was out hunting."
"All right," Remus replied. "From now on, just let someone know when you're leaving. You're still far from being safe."
Cecilia nodded and turned again towards the table. Some talking had started up again. She looked at Sirius out of the corner of her eye to find that he was completely ignoring her, conversing with Hermione and Ron, who were also at the table. Hermione noticed Cecilia gazing at him and looked at her questioningly, but Cecilia quickly turned her head. She didn't know what to do, so she tried to strike up a conversation with Remus.
"So we're going to get the rest of my bags today?" she asked.
"Yes. You can still get in the hotel, right?"
"Of course. You seem to have forgotten, but once I'm invited into a place, I can get in anytime afterwards without being invited," Cecilia chided.
"That's right. My goodness, it's definitely been-" Remus was interrupted when an owl soared into the room, dropped a letter into the lap of Arthur Weasley, and promptly vanished.
"How the hell did that bloody bird get in here?" Cecilia questioned Remus. But Remus,seemingly unconcerned as to how an owl got into an unplottable house,was not paying attention,staring intently at the letter.
"That's from the Ministry of Magic, Arthur," he said, leaning across the table and reading the seal. "Open it."
Arthur did, hesitantly, muttering, "Why would they want me now?" under his breath. He pulled a letter out of the envelope and began reading. Suddenly, his face paled and his eyes widened. "Oh, dear God," he whispered.
Albus was starting to look concerned. "What is it?"
Arthur looked up at them all, his breathing heavy. "The Ministry says that Harry-" he paused to collect his breath again, "Harry is being expelled from Hogwarts and they're taking his wand away because he performed magic, his second offense, they add, outside of school."
There was a collective gasp around the room as Albus stood up. "What!" he said, seemingly not daring to believe the contents of the letter. Cecilia looked at Sirius, who was staring wide-eyed at Arthur.
"They said," Arthur stated, setting down the letter. "They said he performed a...a Patronus charm, which means-"
"Dementors," Remus whispered, staring straight ahead. Cecilia gasped.
"Harry had to face Dementors? On Privet Drive?" she asked incredulously.
"It would seem so," Remus said quietly. Sirius was pale as a ghost. Meanwhile, Albus was shaking, absolutely enraged.
"Where the hell was Mundungus?" he shouted, anger flaring in his eyes.
Cecilia's head snapped around to look at Albus. She had seen him angrybefore, but NEVER had she heard him curse. EVER. Apparently, neither had anyone else, because the room became deadly silent.
"Nobody knows, Albus," said Arthur timidly. "I suppose he wasn't there."
"THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!" Albus bellowed, and Cecilia shrank back slightly in her chair. "WHAT IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO HIM? EVERYTHING WOULD BE LOST!" Albus's hair practically crackled with electricity, and Cecilia swore she could see steam emanating from his ears.
"I'm leaving now to go to the Ministry," Arthur ventured. "It would be most helpful if you were to come with me, as they're requesting he attend a disciplinary hearing in ten days."
Albus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "This is absolutely absurd. But what frightens me even more is that there were Dementors there in the first place. This cannot be a good sign of things to come," he whispered. He and Arthur immediately left the table and swept out the door.
Cecilia could feel tears welling in her eyes. Remus and Sirius' faces were still white with shock. Cecilia buried her face in Remus's shoulder, warranting curious glances from several people at the table.
"Remus," Cecilia whispered. "What if something happened to him? I wouldn't be able to bear it. I've just come here now to see him, and what if he was taken away from me? You won't let that happen, will you?" she asked, tears flowing down her face.
Remus took her chin in his hand. "I will not allow anything to happen to him. I care for him, too. As long as there is a breath left in my body, I will be protecting that boy."
"As will I," Cecilia whispered, resting her head on Remus's shoulder, an action that probably seemed almost intimate to everyone at the table, but to Cecilia, was simply comforting, because, for the first time in almost fifteen years, she HAD a friend to lay her head on. She could see Sirius in the corner of her eye. His eyes were narrowed, watching them, and he looked almost...angry. Why would he be the very least angry? Cecilia thought. She tried to ignore him and turned her head.
The next night, Cecilia had just returned from hunting to find that Remus was standing in the front hallway, waiting for her.
"Cecilia, thank God you're back," he said hurriedly. "There is a meeting just about to start, and as a member of the Order, it's important that you attend. Come quickly."
He led her into the kitchen, finding two seats for them. Most of the witches and wizards who were not normally at Headquarters stared at her, but, by now, Cecilia was used to that. Albus cleared his throat and the room fell silent.
"As we all know, Harry was, just last night, expelled indefinitely from Hogwarts. However," Cecilia held her breath, "I have gone to the Ministry, and they have decided to withdraw their statement until he attends a hearing on August twelfth." Cecilia let out her breath with a whoosh. "But I was VERY concerned about the reason for Harry's expulsion. It seems that there WERE Dementors on Privet Drive, but, as of now, the Ministy is unwilling to accept that. So," Albus sighed, "at this point, we are the only ones who believe Harry's story, and, consequently, are the only ones who can keep him safe from any further harm, something which Mundungus here seems to have trouble with." Albus shot a pointed glare at a short, drunken-looking wizard, who, wisely, decided not to say anything. He looked around, and, seeing Cecilia giving him the same glare, immediately turned his gaze backto the table.
"Many of us here," Albus continued, "have decided that the best thing for Harry is to be here, out of harm's way. I am going to assemble a team, who, tomorrow night, will bring Harry here, where he will stay for the rest of the summer."
Cecilia smiled broadly and turned to Sirius, who looked the happiest she had seen him during her stay here.
"Cecilia and Sirius," Albus addressed both of them. "I know how much you want to help, but, giving your present situations, I'm afraid that retrieving Harry would only jeopardize your safeties. I'm sorry," Albus said, looking genuinely sad. He returned his gaze back to the rest. "If you are interested in helping, then see either myself or Remus. We appreciate all help we can get. Thank you all," he said, standing up, signaling that the meeting was over. Cecilia stayed seated, still dejected. Remus took her hand and helped her up.
"It is for the best, you know," he said.
"Yes, I'm know," she replied bitterly. As she turned to leave, Severus Snape walked past and pointedly bumped into her.
"Oh, hello Cecilia," he said nastily. "I didn't see you there. Fancy you being back after all this time." Cecilia glared. The only thing she and Sirius had in common now was that Severus had always hated them both. "You have a little bit of blood right here," he said, indicating where by pointing his finger to a spot on his mouth.
Cecilia, knowing full well she had nothing there, forced a smile. "It's nice to see you too, Severus. Still torturing little children?" she asked.
"Severus," Remus stepped in. "Before you respond, remember that it's more dangerthan your life's worth to start trouble with a vampire."
Severus, ignoring Remus, looked at Sirius. "So, Cecilia, whatever did happen with you and Sirius over there?"
"None of your business," she said coolly, her eyes flaring red for a second.
"Pity, because you two were such wonderful partners in crime," Severus said, his eyes narrowed. "The two of you could find nothing better to do than to go out in the woods killing animals for your own amusement at night, hm?"
Cecilia, having had enough, bared her fangs and hissed. "DO NOT BRING SIRIUS INTO THIS!" she screamed, forgetting for the moment that Sirius was still in the room. All eyes turned towards her. Severus took a step back, fear in his eyes.
Remus hurriedly grabbed her arm. "He's not worth it, Cecilia. Let's get out of here." He led her through the doorway and out of the house.
They walked down the street aimlessly, neither of them speaking for the longest time.
"I hate Severus," Cecilia said.
"I know," Remus answered.
"He doesn't understand anything that doesn't involve potions," she said.
"I know. But he's worth nothing. You need to control your temper, Cecilia. Did you see everyone in that room when you started screaming? Even Severus was afraid, and that's saying something. If you lose control again when Harry is here, he'll be afraid of you too."
"But, Remus, you don't understand-"
"I can never expect to," he said. "I have no idea what you were thinking about for fourteen years while you were in the United States. I don't know what was going through your or Sirius's heads when you left. But I do know that you have another chance to make things right with him. And you have another chance to see Harry." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "I think that it would be in your best interests to talk to Sirius."
"That's out of the question, Remus. He doesn't even want to look at me, much less talk to me. I can't, and that's final." She turned around and began walking back towards Number 12. Remus followed her.
"You will change your mind soon," he said.
"I-I don't think so," she replied, a tone of finality in her voice. They remained silent as they entered the house again, and Cecilia, not willing to face anyone else tonight, simply went to bed.