The day everyone left for Christmas break, Harry was a little worse for wear. For much of their time at Hogwarts, Harry and Ron had stayed behind at Hogwarts during the holidays so Harry would not need to go back to the Dursleys', but this year Ron had convinced him to go home with him to Burrow. Ginny, of course, would be going home too, and Hermione had plans to spend the holidays with her parents as well. Sharlen didn't have time to consider how lonely the chilly castle was going to become with all the students gone on holiday because she was so concerned about the vision regarding the Burrow; she never knew when her visions would take place, but the uncertainty was beginning to unhinge her-and with Harry so reserved, she was on high alert.

"Aren't you looking forward to seeing the Weasley's?" she asked at breakfast before the Hogwarts Express would take them all to London Ron was finishing his last-minute packing and Hermione was grabbing a book from the library. She put a hand on his forearm. "You'll be seeing Lupin too, surely?"

"Of course," he said, feigning a small smile for her benefit. "I do feel badly leaving you here, though. Maybe I should stay."

He had mentioned this several times, and she had selfishly wanted to ask him to do so, but she couldn't bring herself to make him stay. He would be safe with members of the Order, she told herself. She couldn't be selfish. He needed these people. "They're like family to you, you should be with them."

"But even Stacey won't be here to keep you company, right?" Sharlen looked over to Slytherin table and gave the girl a small wave, which she returned enthusiastically. Stacey had opted to stay at the castle, saying she'd never seen it at Christmas and her parents would be working, anyway, but they had surprised her by taking holiday time off and she'd decided last minute to head home. "Your first Christmas," Harry whined, "Snape should let you leave with us."

Sharlen shrugged, looking around the Great Hall with a faint smile. It was already very pretty; Hagrid had brought up giant firs from the Forbidden Forest (thoroughly checked for any pesky creatures before crossing the threshold of the castle) and the teachers had begun to decorate them with frost and ornaments. "He should but I'll be okay. I'll be here when you return." Harry nodded and fell silent again, staring into his pumpkin juice. Sharlen searched his aura and found him deep in reverie, very solemn and regretful. She pulled him to face her again. "Tell me about Sirius," she said suddenly.

Harry looked taken aback. "What about Sirius?" he said, and she could hear the emotion in his voice, barely covered by surprise.

"I know you're missing him," she said softly, reassuringly. "I know how much he meant to you. I'm sorry you can't be with him now."

Harry shrugged. "This time last year is when Mr. Weasley was attacked in the Department of Mysteries. Ginny had to convince me I wasn't being possessed by Voldemort. I got to spend last Christmas with him, at Grimm-at the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. I'm just… holding onto that."

"I know you need him," Sharlen whispered, giving his hands a light squeeze reassuringly. "I'm sorry."

Harry waited a few moments, thinking, then a grin broke out onto his face. "Did I ever tell you about the time he came to visit in Hogsmeade during the Triwizard Tournament?" Sharlen grinned and shook her head, leaning closer as he retold how he, Ron, and Hermione had scaled a rockface outside of town for half an hour, bringing him a loaf of bread and chicken wings. "We kept sending him packages of food because he was only eating rats as a dog," he continued with a laugh. "Sometimes it would take three owls to get the packages to him."

"Oh yeah, that's not conspicuous at all," Sharlen said sarcastically. "Your godfather on the run and owls carrying large parcels up a mountain where no one supposedly lives, that's a great plan."

"Hey, it was better than us sneaking up there ourselves," Harry said defensively. He was still smiling, though, as he told her more stories of Sirius. Then, suddenly, "So you know about the Order from Snape, right?"

Sharlen cleared her throat nervously. "Yes, he has told me a little about it. I don't really know much of anything, he keeps very quiet around me."

Harry frowned and considered her for what felt like a long time. "Sharlen, why were you suddenly allowed to come to Hogwarts this year? Why not before?" He watched as she shrank slightly; she was not prepared to talk to him about this yet.

"My… my Master-" She stopped herself, shaking her head as though angry that had slipped out again. "Snape was not allowed to let me come until this year. It was too risky before."

"Why risky?"

"Not a lot of people know I exist," she said, stuttering a little. "No one was really ready for me to exist, I think. I was also adamant."

"What do you mean-" he began, but she just looked at him with a sad smile.

"I wanted to see you," she said honestly. "I knew you needed help. So here I am."

The two looked up as Dumbledore strode into the Great Hall, past Gryffindor table on his way to the top table. He stopped beside them and peered down over his half-moon glasses, a small smile curling one side of his mouth. Sharlen blushed, becoming aware that her legs were draped over one of Harry's. "Professor Snape tells me you'll be enjoying the holidays here at the castle, Miss Down," the headmaster mused quietly.

"Yes, sir," was all she could manage. Dumbledore had not engaged her since their first meeting in his office and she had so many questions. In addition, she was naturally nervous around him; she felt like she ought to be standing, better prepared.

"Wonderful," he said with a full smile. "I think you'll find the castle is quite delightful this time of year. Harry can attest, I'm sure, to quite a few positive Christmas cracker surprises in this very hall."

Sharlen, mildly stuck on how informal Dumbledore was with Harry, turned to see him grinning. "I think the best year was my second year when there were so few of us and we didn't use the house tables," Harry said.

"Ahh yes, I do remember. Splendid things can happen when barriers are broken down completely." Sharlen looked between the two of them, fascinated. After a minute Dumbledore excused himself and went up to the top table, the two of them watching him go.

"You two are very close," Sharlen mused, eyes on Harry.

"He is… helping me with something," Harry admitted, avoiding her eyes.

"Anything I can help with?" Sharlen asked carefully, testing the waters.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure anyone can really help me with this." He gave her a reassuring smile. "But if you can help, I'll let you know."

When they were done, Sharlen stayed close to his side as he went back up to Gryffindor Tower to gather his things with Ron and Hermione. She walked them down to the Hogwarts Express and held Harry's hand the whole way. She found Stacey along the platform and drew her into a careful hug, sure to avoid what little skin of theirs was revealed despite the cold, and assured her she was not mad that Stacey decided to go home.

"I've already told Harry, I don't know what I'm missing so how can I miss it?" she exclaimed, a grin on her face as she tried to combat Stacey's pout. "Please don't feel guilty. I want you home with your parents. It's great they could take time off."

Stacey absentmindedly placed stickers along Sharlen's collar, ones that did the can-can every second or so. They were mildly disorienting. "You'll be lonely, I know you will," she whined.

Sharlen frowned at her. "Enough of this. Enjoy yourself or I'll hex you upon return." Stacey gave her roommate one last hug and boarded the train with her Ravenclaw friends.

While the trio found a compartment and stowed away their small bags, and in Hermione's case Crookshanks (Hedwig and Pigwedgeon were out delivering letters), Sharlen was marveling at the scarlet train and carefully following behind them. She pet Crookshanks absentmindedly and ran her other hand along the sliding door of the compartment.

Harry led her back outside before they left and gave her a tight hug. She held onto him a little longer than she meant to, trying to appear that nothing was wrong. Harry laughed a little and she reluctantly pulled back. "Am I doing something wrong?" she asked sincerely.

He cuffed her lightly on the chin. "Of course not. I'm glad you're seeing us off."

"Of course."

"I'll miss you," he told her, his voice quieting. "You promise to still be here when we get back for next term?"

"If you promise to be safe," she told him honestly, squeezing his hands reassuringly.

"Of course I will be," he said with a smile. "I'll be back before you know it."

She reached up to hold his face in her hands, eyes slightly wider in earnest. "Please be safe," she whispered. "Come back to me."

"I will," he promised. He wished her a good holiday, gave her one last quick kiss, and boarded the train to rejoin Ron and Hermione. The three of them waved to her as it pulled away from the station soon after and she stood alone on the platform until she couldn't see it any longer.

"Miss Down," Dumbledore called from the ground, causing her to whip around, startled. His hands were clasped in front of him and he stood very still. How long had he been standing there?

"Y-yes professor?" she stuttered, trying to regather her breath.

"Is there something you wish to tell me?" he asked, more serious than he'd been with her before.

Sharlen jumped down from the platform and kept her eyes on his. "I had a vision about the Burrow," she said quickly. "I didn't want to worry Harry and I never know when the visions will come to fruition, but I'm afraid someone will try to attack them." Dumbledore listened quietly as she told him what she'd seen. "I have no proof it will happen during this break, or this year, or this lifetime," she continued hurriedly, realizing this sounded suspicious. "And I didn't want to worry anyone needlessly…"

"I'll let Professor Lupin know what you've seen and ask him to help Arthur and Molly Weasley to redouble their protections on the Burrow as a precaution. I'm sure you know he'll be staying with them for the holidays."

Sharlen nodded once to show she understood and hoped this would suffice. She looked back up at Dumbledore and said, "Do you think I was right to keep this from Harry? I feel like I should have-"

Dumbledore halted her with a hand and asked her not to talk about it any further here. Sharlen followed the Headmaster up to the castle and through the halls to his office, remaining silent. She wondered what steps he would take to warn them… and what more he needed from her.

"Does Harry know about the horcruxes yet?" she asked immediately as the door shut behind her. Dumbledore had hurried to a nearby portrait, muttered a few words, and the portrait vacated. Now he turned back to her and shook his head.

"He does not. He's becoming closer to Professor Sughorn in hopes we can complete a memory from him."

"That's ridiculous," Sharlen muttered, thoroughly riddled. "I've confirmed for you that they exist. Why wouldn't you have told Harry so we can start destroying them?"

"Because Harry must find out for himself and I need to be sure before I plant this in his mind," he said calmly. "I've told Harry everything I know for sure and he understand that we are operating under suspicions from here on, delving into the memories of others to try and glean a clearer image of your father when he was young. I don't expect your father to have divulged his deepest secret to you considering your close proximity to Harry, so I need to be sure my hunch is correct. This is very delicate and Harry's been through a lot. Surely you can understand."

Sharlen stared at him. "Of course he's been through a lot," she said obviously, as if that had been an extremely stupid thing to say. "Doesn't that mean he should be included in the entire process? Why shouldn't he know what you're considering or why it's so important to get that memory from Slughorn? What's the benefit of keeping him in the dark?"

"There's still a possibility," Dumbledore said, fully turning to face her, "that he won't need to do this alone, or at all. I want to spare him whatever I can."

"Of course he won't be alone! Why do you think I'm back in the picture?"

"Sharlen, I don't want you sacrificing yourself for this. You're in a very dangerous position. The less involved in what Harry has ahead of him, the better."

"Why are you acting like this?" Sharlen shouted at him, frustrated. "Why don't you want me to help? You don't trust me?"

"I do trust you, Sharlen," Dumbledore assured her, walking around his desk to face her. "But contrary to popular belief and the opinions of the editorial staff at the Daily Prophet, I know what I'm doing."

"So you have some grand plan here that you can't let anyone else in on?" she threw at him, crossing her arms. "Everything has to happen a certain way, in a certain order? Can't adapt too quickly? Are you forgetting that Harry may be attacked on this break?"

"Mostly yes," he said, pondering. "And mostly no." Sharlen's jaw nearly hit the floor; how did people deal with this man? "All you need to understand, Sharlen, is that there are people I need to protect. One of them is you."

"You don't understand, then," Sharlen said, taking a step forward. "I don't plan on surviving this. There is no scenario where Harry and I fly off into the sunset on Buckbeak the Hippogriff. I'm not an idiot." Dumbledore watched her carefully, waiting. "In order to help Harry, my father will realize quickly that I've betrayed him. That won't bode well for a long lifespan and besides, I'm not destined to have one, anyway."

"Ahh yes, you're referring to Merope," Dumbledore mused. "But we'll get to that later." Sharlen didn't question how he knew about the ghost anchored inside her. He strode over to the Pensieve and looked inside it, hands clasped behind his back. "There's more at risk in your outright defiance of your father than just your own life, Sharlen. And I wouldn't be so quick to sign off on your early death, either."

Sharlen's face was pinched with confusion. "What are you talking about? Isn't that what war is? Outright defiance?"

"War is espionage," said Dumbledore, "and the careful tactics that hopefully result in the least amount of lives lost in the interest of peace or power. Sharlen, if you defy your father outright, you'll put Severus in danger as well." Sharlen gawked at him openly. "And he is very dear to me."

"So you really do think he's on your side?" she half-laughed, completely dumfounded. "I grew up with him. I've seen what he's done, and I beg to differ. He's a Death Eater through and through."

"He has not been the kindest caretaker you could have been given, yes," Dumbledore agreed, "but you've kept him on his toes all these years and he's played his part well. You should know he cares a great deal about you."

"As people keep telling me…" Sharlen muttered, eyes rolling. "So you're saying it would benefit your cause more for me to appear on the side of the Death Eaters than to out myself as a rebel, yes?"

"Quite, as Professor Snape does."

"I don't understand," she admitted, shoulders falling. She dropped the argument about Snape; it disappointed her to think Dumbledore trusted him.

"Keep your friends close," the old man mused, "and your enemies closer." He turned to meet her gaze. "Harry is not ready to know of your origin, that's for sure. And when he does find out there's no guarantee that he won't hate you. You've said you're prepared to die for this war, so I assume you're prepared for that likely scenario. But when the time comes, Harry is going to need his friends, as I've told you, and having a friend on the inside is often the difference between losing the war and winning. You have the opportunity to aid him magnificently, or to put yourself and Severus in grave danger. And while you can be cavalier about your own life, I fear Harry would be very distracted if you died prematurely trying to help him. He struggles with that, you see."

Sharlen felt like a stone was secured in her stomach with the acknowledgment that Harry could very well hate her for her creator. She had always known it was possible, but to hear it from Dumbledore made dread course hard and fast through her veins. And she didn't want Harry to suffer for her fate, either. "I understand," was all she managed.

"I want to show you, if you'll allow me, one of the memories I've secured and shown Harry," Dumbledore said, changing the subject and gesturing her to join him at the Pensieve. "If I were you, I'd maybe not let him know the name of the ghost inside you, because he knows who she is."

Sharlen blanched violently. "He does? How?"

"This is a memory of her."

Excitement and dread swelled up competitively inside Sharlen, her stomach squirming cold and hot at the same time. She felt her hands start to shake. "How…?"

"A wizard named Bob Ogden," Dumbledore said clearly, his eyes bright. "He was generous enough to share his memory of when he last went to the House of Gaunt." Dumbledore gestured her over to the cabinet that concealed the Pensieve.

On unsteady feet, Sharlen made her way over with Dumbledore. She was beginning to quickly lose the feeling in her fingers and brought out her flask and took three long gulps of the potion, staring at the swirling memories in the glowing Pensieve. "Is she… who was she?" she asked timidly.

"You're about to see," Dumbledore assured her, inviting her to enter. She tentatively pressed her face to the surface of the memories, the headmaster not far behind her.

Thoroughly disoriented when her feet hit the ground, Sharlen stayed partially behind Dumbledore as they watched the scene unfold. The wizard, Ogden, approached a rundown cottage wearing Ministry robes. A young wizard speaking in Parseltongue appeared and jinxed Ogden, when an older wizard comes, addressing the attacker as Morfin. Ogden told the man, named Mr. Gaunt, he was there on business involving Morfin, and was invited inside. Lips slightly parted, Sharlen steadily forced herself to follow Dumbledore inside, not believing that less that an hour before she'd been saying goodbye to Harry on the Hogwarts Expres platform.

What did all this mean to Harry when he saw…? she thought, but then she held her breath at the sight of a plain, teenaged girl in the kitchen of the cottage and everything seemed to slow down. The wizards remained speaking around them and Sharlen just stared at the girl, who was introduced as Merope, and her eyes that didn't point in the same direction. She walked closer to the girl and reached out as if to touch her shoulder-but she was just a memory. She looked frightened and confused, trying to make herself smaller and unnoticed as the other spoke. Dumbledore was watching Sharlen, who only looked away when Merope suddenly dropped a pot.

"What, I…" she muttered, coming to her senses. There was a faint humming inside her and she cleared her throat. "Professor, I wasn't paying attention…"

"Her brother Morfin jinxed a muggle," he said quietly. "Ogden is here to summon him to Azkaban."

Sharlen watched this unfolding, eyes widening as Gaunt pointed out that he had the Peverell family ring (she recognized it as the Horcrux her father had made) and pointed out the locket around Merope's neck as Salazaar Slytherin's (which caused Sharlen to audibly gasp and turn back to the girl she stood beside, both hands over her mouth). How had she not recognized it before? She'd been too busy memorizing Merope's face, the fear in her slight body, how purely unremarkable she was. The locket was there, plain as day.

Ogden told the Gaunts that their family lineage did not absolve Morfin from punishment for jinxing a Muggle, and horse hoofbeats could be heard nearby outside. Morfin teased his sister Merope, saying that was the muggle he'd jinxed and that she fancied him. Gaunt rounded on his daughter, who shrank visibly and said nothing when asked if this was true. A fight broke out immediately, Gaunt trying to attack his daughter and Ogden quickly defending her, only to be attacked in turn by Morfin.

Before she knew it, Sharlen was being swept away out of the Pensieve and back into Dumbledore's office.

Breathing hard, Sharlen turned to find Dumbledore but said nothing. Merope's shocked face as her father went to attack her was secured in her mind. "What…?" she managed.

Dumbledore obliged her, explaining that Ogden returned with Ministry reinforcements and placed Morfin and his father in Azkaban. "He didn't say it there, but his name is Marvolo Gaunt."

Sharlen's overcharged nerves gave a jolt. "You're kidding me."

"That was your father's grandfather," Dumbledore said quietly, "and Merope was his mother."

To show she understood him again, Sharlen nodded, feeling numb. Perhaps sensing that she was feeling light on her feet, Dumbledore waved his wand and summoned a chintz chair behind her, not unlike the ones in Trelawney's classroom. She fell into it gratefully, brow furrowed, thinking hard. "How did she die?" she asked finally.

"I believe your father was created under the influence of a love potion," Dumbledore said, returning to his desk. "The muggle Morfin had attacked in that memory was Tom Riddle, and it is my belief that once Merope became pregnant she stopped giving him the love potion thinking he surely loved her at this point, but he immediately left her. She died in childbirth after naming your father and he grew up in an orphanage, which is where I first met him."

"And she haunted my father ever since," she muttered, staring at the floor.

"Which is why he finally imprisoned her ghost inside of you," Dumbledore said conclusively. He watched her silently for a minute or so but she didn't seem to have anything else to ask. "I felt it important for you to know that the only person Merope means to harm is your father," he continued, and she glanced up, "least of all you or Harry Potter." Sharlen's head shot back up to meet his gaze and Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle good-naturedly. "Professor Lupin came to speak to me not too long ago, you see."

"Thank you for showing me," she said honestly. "It does ease my mind a little bit."

"I hoped it might. Just be sure not to let Harry know her name, or he will surely connect the dots about your parentage."

Sharlen stood without another word and left his office in a stupor, Merope's frightened face at the forefront on her mind.