Listening to: The Polar Express Theme Song (Polar Express Soundtrack)

Okay, one more week till Christmas Eve! Whoo-hoo! I drew the short straw this year and am working the closing shift at my job (it's time and a half-so it's worth it). I'm also back up and running after a series of colds and stomach bugs have put me out of commission for almost a week (I missed two days of work, so I'm upset about that). But, I'm back now, with one more exam to go on Monday-an easy one where I'll be out in like, an hour.

Congratulations to all us college/university students who have survived another semester, I'm sure we all did well.

Okay, for this chapter-we see December 1980 in a flashback and Lily Evans also wants some answers from Severus in 1976. Hmmm. Interesting? Definitely.

Chapter 11

We do not take lightly the crimes of which they are accused. Treason is punishable with death by hanging in Avalon, Mr. Crouch, as you would do well to remember. Unfortunately, the council is agreed that we would prefer the details of what happened on 3 December 1979 than for those foul Death Eaters to keep those last secrets with them.

-letter from Avalon Court member Thomas Campion to Bartemious Crouch, Sr. November, 1981

It wasn't the first time this year when this happened. It was like she was seeing double. Often, she'd find herself looking at something ordinary and see something that wasn't there. Just last night, she'd come down to see the entire Slytherin house sitting in the common room, glaring alternatively at the entrance, Pansy Parkinson, and each other.

Then, she blinked and it was gone. The common room was empty as it always was at two in the morning.

It was as if she was afraid of what she would see when she closed her eyes. She could see a nonexistent fire spread through a room she had no reason to locate, someone scream as they fell into the blaze. It was easy to see Death Eaters spread like a plague destroying everything in sight.

She didn't know what to make of it. And that's what scared her.

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"Heard last night that the DMLE's looking to Avalon for support staff," Ron said, tiredly playing with his eggs, one arm supporting his head. "Fred seemed excited about that,"

"Let me guess," Ginny said, turning a page in her Potions text. "A girl?"

Ron nodded. So far, the Weasleys were the only two Avis to make their way to breakfast so far this morning. Well, Draco had walked in, seen Professor Snape and done an about face and stammered something about needing something from the library. Ron vaguely wondered what had happened that he was now afraid to be in the same room as the Defense Teacher and decided he didn't want to know. What he-and he was sure the others did notice was that Neville seemed to have relocated to the Ravenclaw table for the better part of the week with Luna. Abigail and Draco seemed to be avoiding the Slytherins in general except for class or when it was otherwise unavoidable.

Hermione sat down next to Ron, slamming her copy of The Daily Prophet onto the table. "They're at it again," she said irritably, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Who's doing what?" Ron asked as Ginny groaned, taking the paper. "Abigail and Draco are having a fight," she said, looking over the headlines. "Happens all the time these days."

"But this time, Abigail's trying to get him to come with her," Hermione said, starting on her eggs. "I talked to her last night and she was kind of upset." she leaned in. "She didn't go back to their common room."

"Well, where did she sleep then?" Ginny asked. "The Shrieking Shack?" Hermione shrugged, without an answer for once.

"Maybe it's her time of the month or something," Ron suggested, seeing from the back page that the Weird Sisters were announcing their first tour to the United States. Hermione cuffed him upside the head. "What?" He asked, looking at her, "It's a reasonable explanation."

"Wait-" Ginny put down the paper and lowered her voice. "She's not-" "She thinks she could be," Hermione replied. "Has she told Draco?" Hermione shook her head. "She won't till she's certain."

"So," Ron said, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the awkward conversation. "When's this defense group going to meet?"

{PAGEBREAK}

Draco saw the other students shooting him suspicious looks. They were in the Room of Requirement, preparing for their first meeting of the "Defense Study Group" that wasn't exactly teacher-approved.

"All right," Harry called from the front of the room. The students' conversations hushed and they focused on the chalkboard that had appeared in front of the room. The students were currently sitting on benches similar to those from Avalon Academy.

"Now, before we start any real dueling, you have to first know who you're up against," Harry said, using Muggle cellotape to affix photographs of a young Tom Riddle on the board. "This is Tom Marvolo Riddle, born December thirty-first, 1927. Slytherin Prefect at Hogwarts, Head Boy, and…" he paused for dramatic effect. "the Heir of Slytherin that opened the Chamber of Secrets-more of that later.

"His parents were Tom Riddle Senior- a Muggle -and Merope Gnaut. His dad never acknowledged him and his mum died when he was born. He started Hogwarts in 1938, and was immediately sorted into Slytherin. After Hogwarts, he became known as Lord Voldemort."

Harry pointed at various other photographs. "His first victim was Myrtle Evanson. His second, third, and fourth were his father and grandparents. His fifth, sixth and seventh were Arthur Keeney, Brice Howell, and their unborn child. Even if he wasn't the one to cast the spell, he did it by proxy out of jealousy. After that, we lose track because of the sheer number of people he killed."

"Wait-" Justin Finch-Fletchly said. "You-Know-Who-" "Tom Riddle," Harry corrected. "Tom Riddle," Justin continued, "Is a half-blood?" The crowd roared, laughing. Harry nodded. "And he's got the hots or something-" "Rephrase that, if you value certain bits," Abigail interjected. "So, he's obsessed-" he glanced at Abigail for approval. Though she was fingering her wand, she nodded. "With the Keeneys?"

"Yes," Abigail said. "Let's say my grandmum pissed him off and he still thinks he's relatively attractive."

"So," Harry said, taking charge again. "now that we've got some history on Riddle, let's get to work. We're going to start with Disarming. The incantation is relatively simple, but the power behind the spell is what really counts."

[PAGEBREAK}

The next morning, Draco leaned up against the wall in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Why are we doing this?" He asked, checking his watch. It was barely five-thirty in the morning and the sun was barely poking over the horizon.

"Because you had problems keeping it to yourself and Dad'll kill you if he even finds out I have one of these." Abigail reprimanded, coming out holding a stick. "We just have to wait three minutes." She set the stick on the counter.

Three minutes later, Draco opened his eyes. "Negative." Abigail said, throwing the stick in the trash. Draco felt his legs fall from under him and he sat down up against the wall. The only thing he could hear was a roaring wind and his heart. False alarm. Although, Professor Snape was likely to kill him if he found out they'd even reached this point.

"Well," he said. "Dodged a bullet there-" he broke off at her expression. "So if it had been 'positive' you would've thrown a fit?" she asked.

"Well, no, but, I kind of value my life." he said, "And Professor Snape, your uncle, and Remus would kill me if…er…that didn't come out right." He let his head fall back. "We just can't take risks like that, Abi. Riddle already wants to kill you, if he finds you're pregnant, then…." he trailed off.

"Well if that's the way you feel about it, fine!" she snapped, stalking out the door.

"Wait-Abigail!" Draco shot up, but Abigail was gone.

"Damn it," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

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December 1980

Avalon

Aster put one hand over her belly as she walked along the edge of the Lake that separated Avalon from Brittania. She felt restless, trapped here, where she could do nothing but wait for news and pretend she wasn't terrified. A grimace crossed her features as the baby kicked restlessly. It gave her a glimmer of hope, despite the discomfort. Her little girl was strong, "Soon, little one," she soothed, hoping to calm the child down. "Soon you'll be running without anyone holding you back." It was her dearest wish that her baby would be able to choose for herself without others choosing for her.

She saw a boat coming towards the docks. Making her way over, she held her breath. Please, please, let it be him, she prayed. Please. Waiting at the edge, she saw a familiar face. She waved, smiling as he waved back. "You came," she said, throwing himself into his arms as he stood on the docks. Inhaling the familiar scent, she wrapped her arms around him. "Of course I did," he said, strong arms, holding her protectively. "I'd never miss a day with you," They kissed.

"How's the baby?" Severus asked as they made their way back towards Mercy Hall. "Fine," she replied, leaning into him, glad that they were finally together again. He placed one hand on her belly and felt the child kick. "She's strong," he said, as they walked up the snow-covered path, "just like her mother." They kissed again. "How long did you tell Riddle you'd be out of the country?" she asked, as they went up a back staircase, as to avoid the crowd of people in making their way in and out of the various offices.

"Early February," he said, as they reached the second floor sitting room. Finally removing their cloaks, they sat on a sofa, and she put her feet up on the tea table, dropping her shoes on the floor. "I'll be here when the baby comes."

"I like the sound of that," she said, as he stroked her hair. She leaned back, relaxing for the first time in what seemed like months. She closed her eyes and relaxed to his touch.

Things were finally going the way they should.

{PAGEBREAK}

12 July 1976

Spinner's End

Lily considered the house. By all appearances, it was just the same as each and every house on the street. She bit her lip and slipped the letter under the door. Not giving herself time to think, she ran back down the street.

"Omph." She stopped short and the person she'd knocked over helped herself up. "Sorry," Lily said, taking in the details about the person simultaneously. The girl was about her own age, hair that looked as though it would be as unruly as Potter's if she left it out of the bun (and even the bobble she was using looked like it was putting up a feeble fight) she wore, and gold eyes. "That's all right." Lily couldn't place the accent with which the girl spoke the words, but it sounded as though she'd heard it once or twice before. "This is Spinner's End, right?" the girl asked, studying an obviously hand-drawn map.

"Yes," Lily said. "Er, if you don't mind my asking, why are you here?"

"The usual," the girl said, taking a hold on her trunk and rolling it along. Lily noted it was of the same style Severus had used every year since they were eleven. "My mum's trying to set me up with a person I'd rather avoid, and what's worse is everyone is commenting on how I haven't been pregnant in about three years."

"Why do they want you to be pregnant?" Lily asked. "You're still in school."

"Where I come from, most every woman in my family has had a child before they turned fourteen. I'm sixteen and have yet to be pregnant more than once." The girl's voice changed as her throat tightened. "Baby died before he could live."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lily said, unable to fathom how a mother could deal with that kind of loss.

"He didn't die on his own," the girl continued, blinking back tears. "Murder'd, just before he was old enough to live on 'is own. And my mum blames me, saying I could have prevented it." the girl let out a dry laugh. "Magic can only do so much, but I knew even before it happened that I wouldn' meet him 'cept in death." she focused on Lily. "You, a Muggleborn," she said, and Lily had to wonder how she knew. "You still think the power of magic is infinite. All things have an end." she said, as they approached the house Lily had just left. "Everything begins, and as such, everything must end. We may go in circles before we find out the truth, but eventually, the circle ends in a spiral, however imperceptible." The girl pulled a key from her pocket.

"Give him another chance," she said "You may think that all is lost in the night, but you still have yet to see morning to find it," the girl opened the door and went in, closing the door behind her.

Lily walked home, still pondering the girl's words. We may go in circles before we can find out the truth. If she was going to that house, than Sev must know her. But from where? She certainly hadn't attended the primary school in the area, but Sev hadn't either.

Then that's where they must have met.

Later that night, she saw Severus coming home from his job at the grocer's. She was waiting on the front stoop, the girl having already gone to bed.

"Tell me everything," she demanded, crossing her arms.

"What do you want to know?" Sev asked, seeming to have expected this response.

"Every last detail."

Okay, to those of us in New England, where in hell is our snow? My friend up at Okemo says that there's snow there, so down nearer to the equator, where is it?

I'm going to pout until we get at least enough to cover all the green, people. It's too green for December. I should be out building snowmen on my time off, not wasting brain cells on reruns of documentaries on the History Channel.

Oh well, more time for me to read a book.

Happy week-before-Christmas and Hanukah to those that celebrate such holidays!

I'll see you next week, on Christmas Eve (or Festivus-the 23rd, whichever I choose…hmm I should probably do a double header. Yes, no, mabe?)

Respectfully,

Sparky

R2-D2106

Mischief Managed!