"Merlin…" she hissed through clenched teeth as a splinter of wood was extracted from her arm by a fiercely concentrating Fleur Delacour.

"You big baby…" Sirius chided, all the same covering her hand, the hand which was clutching the table top with all its might as she rode through the pain, with his own.

She said nothing, merely shot him a venomous glare and looked past him to where Draco sat. She was upon the table top, so that Fleur could get a better look at her injuries, whilst Sirius stood at her side. Draco was sat by the fire, a silent Bill Weasley seated opposite, glaring into the flames with an expression she couldn't quite fathom. Something between shock and brooding despair was the closest she could get to naming it.

"So what have I missed?" Ana asked; in order to break the silence and simultaneously distract herself from her pain.

"Missed?" asked Bill, perking up from his vacant staring, "You mean…?"

"I mean who is dead? Who isn't…and where do we go from here?"

It wasn't a verbal thing. It was barely a thing at all and yet all the same all eyes in the room sought out Draco Malfoy at the talk of deaths. The Death Eater connotation was obviously gnawing at them all. Draco for himself didn't even look up at her words. He was somewhere else.

"Maybe first we can talk about why there's a Malfoy in my house?" Bill asked, sounding none too pleased, throwing the boy a disgusted glance.

For a moment Ana said nothing, knowing she had to tread carefully. There were two options; wheedle and persuade or steam rail through to get her way.

"There's a boy in your house who needs help," she said in a politely insistent tone; deciding insistence was the best path, "He needs our help…"

"He's a…"

"A Malfoy, yes I…" she paused, gritting her teeth at another small burst of pain. "Yes I know. He's a Malfoy and for some mad reason that matters. Surely we should be more concerned about our actions, his actions...any actions rather than a name? Would you turn a Hufflepuff boy away - or a Ravenclaw? Merlin forbid you turn a Gryffindor from your…"

"Ana…" Sirius murmured, squeezing her hand as he interrupted.

"No, Sirius. No. We've been through this so many times…what is the point in fighting this war if we act in the same way as He does? If we allow prejudice and blood to dictate our…" she sighed and shook her head, clearing it. "If you don't want the boy here Bill then I'll respect that. But if Malfoy goes then so do I. I made a promise to help him and I will follow through. It's as simple as that."

There was a pause where everyone went silent; Fleur even stopping in her ministrations to see what would happen next. Ana kept her expression neutral although her heart was drumming a steady rhythm against her ribcage. Bill's expression was set.

"And if I say you go…?" asked Bill with more steel than she'd ever seen in him before.

"Then I go – I'm not one to overstay my welcome."

Draco was looking up now, really looking, and he was focused entirely on her. His eyes were wide, disbelieving, and she did her best to instil all her belief in him into one look which she directed at him completely. Ana had absolutely no idea whether it worked or not but it was something, she supposed; though her gut told her helping Draco Malfoy become the man he could be was going to be a long term project.

"You take responsibility for him," Bill said quietly, finality in his tone, "I suspect he's in touch with anyone following You Know Who, suspect he's planning to do anyone harm - and he's out."

"That sounds fair," she answered, her tone soft, "Thank you, Bill."

"Well…we're all looking for a second chance, aren't we – a chance to get things right?" Bill replied, looking to his wife with a tender glance; which was fully returned.

Ana smiled as she watched the exchange; the act quickly turning into a wince as Fleur took up her task of de-splintering yet again. A hand brushing aside a strand of dirty hair caused her to look up to meet Sirius' gaze.

"That was stupid," he said quietly, albeit with a gentle smile, "He could have told you…"

"He could have," she answered, "And I would have gone. But he didn't."

"No," Sirius murmured softly, "He didn't."

She returned his smile and allowed his fingers to twine through hers.

"There was a sighting, perhaps…three days ago? In Muggle London. Since then there's been nothing. No sign of Harry, Ron or Hermione; none at all."

Ana nodded slowly, her mind searching through the possibilities as her fingers cradled her cup of steaming tea and gratefully absorbed the soothing warmth.

"I think, and Sirius agrees," Bill added, "That it's something to do with that will, Dumbledore's will, you remember…?"

"It goes further than that. I think…" Ana paused, collecting her thoughts, "…I think Dumbledore knew he was on the out. He knew sooner or later, probably sooner, he was a goner. The Dark Lord would never fully gain power whilst Albus lived…and so Dumbledore laid down a back-up plan. Harry."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Sirius asked, "Why not…?"

"Because he knew we'd find it hard enough to stay alive as it is," Ana replied definitively, "He knew our best chance was for him to get on with it. You know what that boy's like, Sirius. He's like you. So bloody selfless it's almost infuriating."

Sirius offered up a half smile at her words. Despite their being reunited and the tension between them over her revelation easing he was still not himself. He missed Harry, he was scared for Harry, and although she wouldn't admit it Ana felt the same fear. He was, for all his extraordinary feats, just a boy.

"So Ron and Hermione…?" Fleur asked quietly, her gently accented English breaking the silence which had settled over the room.

"Wherever they are they're together," Ana answered firmly. "I'm sure of it. Harry is a smart boy and Hermione is way beyond smart. Ron's brave and true and…I think for them, for whatever it is they're planning, this is the best chance – together they're powerful. So we just have to try and help them."

"How do we do that?" asked Bill, taking a sip from his tea and placing the cup back onto the kitchen table they were all sat around with a resounding thunk. "We don't even know what they're doing and even if we can get past that, find a way around it, what can we do to stop Him without drawing attention to Harry and the others or getting ourselves killed?"

There was a moment's silence where everyone fell into thought. Then, after a few short moments, a voice from the other side of the room piped up in an unsure, wavering tone,

"I think…maybe I can help?" said Draco Malfoy.

Ana had never heard anyone spill so much information in such a small space of time as Draco Malfoy had that evening. He'd talked about plans he'd overheard, missions, people, names…he was like a bloody walking encyclopaedia of the bad and badder of the Wizarding World. Sirius still eyed the boy with more than a little distrust and Bill was edgy but Fleur seemed to have taken to the boy – his quiet fear of them all turning on him at any moment seemed to have brought out the mother in her. She fussed and hovered and questioned at every spare moment and Ana could almost smile at the incredulous look on Draco's face at the kindness he was receiving from the woman. A Weasley woman at that, she thought dryly. Although Ana knew, in her very bones she knew, that Draco was only being forthcoming as a form of self-preservation his information if proved good would be beyond useful. His words could change the war.

For her part Ana had wondered outside and was sitting on a sandy bank looking out to the twilight bathed sea scape. She had sought a moment's quiet after hearing of the death of a Professor at Hogwarts, Charity Burbage her name had been, an unassuming and peaceable middle aged woman who had the great misfortune of being captured and killed…by Severus Snape. When Draco had related that information she had schooled her face into impassivity, ignoring the glance Sirius had sent her way, and pushed for more. Draco had witnessed the act and said Snape had shown no remorse. He's just done it, Draco had said, just done it and not even blinked.

Ana remembered the days when Snape been stone like – more so than he was in this time. When he'd barely been able to look at her sometimes, his own daughter, because of the things he'd done in order to protect her, to protect them all. She'd never been close to him emotionally, in truth she didn't think she could be, but she loved him all the same. She pretended she didn't so the pain was less…but lies only went so far. Especially lies about the heart.

"There you are…" Sirius' voice floated over to her and she looked up from the ribbon which was sitting against her fingers in time to see him take a seat on the sand at her side.

"The well of knowledge dry up yet?" she asked quietly and without preamble.

"It's still dripping," he answered lightly, "The boy's turned out to be useful…providing of course he is telling the truth…"

"I could brew Veritaserum, begin a batch tomorrow," Ana offered blandly, "We might as well be sure. No harm in being sure."

Silence stretched out between them again and Ana worried the ribbon further, running her fingertips over the now all too familiar bumps in the slick surface.

"Is this about the Burbage woman?" Sirius asked suddenly, "About Snape killing her?"

For a long while she said nothing, keeping her eyes on the ever darkening horizon and formulating an honest response in her mind.

"Not really," she answered finally, "In the old time he used to have to do terrible things. We all did…to survive. I can bear him killing a good woman because it's needs to be done. I don't like it but I can bear it."

"So what is it?" he pressed, "Ana…look at me, please."

She turned her head and met his grey eyes with her own dark ones.

"It's this," she raised the ribbon, dangled it between them, "A form of contact from my old life; a line of connection between Order members. It was sent to me before the wedding."

Sirius reached out his hand and she trailed the ribbon into his palm, allowing him to trace over the details and examine it in the little remaining light.

"What does it mean?" he asked slowly.

"It's a code we set up, years ago, based on the Muggle version of writing for the blind – braille. It says I know. Respond when able. SD."

"SD?" asked Sirius.

"Silver Doe. We used our Patronus' as codenames. So obvious no one would think of it…mine was Scarlet Eagle, yours was Black Hound."

"So Silver Doe is…?" Sirius prompted.

"My father," she replied in a breath," Who is assuredly and completely dead…"

"Meaning it has to be the Snape from this time…but how?" Sirius asked carefully.

"He's one of the greatest Legilimens of our time. I'm good, Sirius, but I'm not him. He must have caught something, found a way in…I trusted him too much sometimes. Forgot this is a different man…" she paused and sighed, knowing it was time to stop fighting the inevitable, "It's time I told you everything…that is - if you want me to." she added seriously. "If you want to know everything…how all the things that have happened since I came here are nowhere near what they seem, then say now. Because once you know…it's going to change things. For you. For us."

He paused for a moment, watching her seriously. Her stomach was twisting and turning and she couldn't stop wringing her hands as his eyes searched hers for Merlin knows what. Eventually, slowly, he answered,

"Nothing you say will stop me loving you. So go on. Tell me."

So she did.

It had gone completely dark long ago. Sirius had summoned up some light with his borrowed wand, Ana had discarded hers as soon as she humanly could due to the darkness which she felt pouring off it in waves, and now they sat in silence as her revelations settled.

Dumbledore had been dying. Snape had been ordered by the man himself to use the death to the advantage of all…all except him. Snape had been Dumbledore's man for years – longer than any truly suspected. Snape had been in love with Lily Potter all his life.

"I remember…" Sirius finally murmured, his tone soft, "Years ago when Lily and Snape where friends…he was always mooning after her. James and I, we…" Sirius stopped and she felt as much as saw him look to her.

"I know – you bullied him from almost the moment you clapped eyes on him." she smiled wryly and added, "You were children, Sirius. You and James were children – two handsome, clever and popular boys who thought they could do anything and everything and meet no consequences as a result. It's not a new story. It's not an uncommon one."

"Snape was a git," Sirius insisted, "But…so were we, really."

"Yeah," she murmured, "You were."

"All those years Snape hated Harry, hated him for being James' son…and all the time he was protecting him. All the time he was doing what I couldn't…" Sirius trailed off, his tone morose.

"Don't put him on a pedestal just yet," Ana interceded, "He was foul to Harry, to all of the children – and adults for that matter. Every moment he was saving them he also hated them. He didn't do it to save Harry, you know."

Sirius frowned and she tilted her head as the moonlight played across his face. He was an intelligent man, she thought, but at times he could be painfully dense.

"Oh Sirius…he did it to save a piece of Lily – the last piece. If the woman you loved was gone, completely gone from this world, except for one incredible pair of green eyes found in another man's child…what would you do to save that memory of her? What would you do to ensure that she lived on, at least in part, in that child? To see those eyes – even though every time you did they tore you apart inside…for him…for my father the answer was anything. He would have done anything for Lily – in life and death. And you know… to this day I can't tell whether it was an insane obsession or the purest most beautiful thing I've ever known. Maybe it's both."

Sirius was silent for a long while before finally murmuring,

"He told you this? All of it?"

"Eventually. After Potter died and the Dark Lord ruled he married. It was arranged, forced…however you wish to call it. It gave him something to lose you see. He didn't much care for my mother. She was…she loved me. From what I remember she did love me. Yet she wasn't a good woman; proud, headstrong, at times cruel…rather like father really. She died, from a cursed jewel given to my father by the Dark Lord and passed on to her. It was punishment for something…I don't remember what. She could die because I lived. He wasn't…" she stopped, her voice catching before she pulled together her courage and continued in a thick voice, "…he wasn't caring in the obvious way. He trained me, talked about duelling and fighting and living and dying…but he wasn't kind or gentle or…he was very much like he is now. But he hid me away when I was ten; at Grimmauld Place with you. He bloody hated you but he knew your Gryffindor sensibilities. He knew you'd take care of me – you and Remus and the Order. You did, you know, you took care of me better than anyone ever could. And my father visited sometimes but we were never close. One day he came to visit and he was distraught – he was broken. I didn't know why he had tears in his eyes. But he sat me down and he told me everything. About Lily and Harry and you and James Potter…he told me it all. A few days later Dumbledore told me I was being given a mission…a mission that would change everything. And I knew then why my father was crying. Because after all he'd done to save me I was still going to be thrown into all the danger and the pain and the hardship he fought to spare me from. I was going to have to bear a burden just like he did. I was going to suffer – and he was the only one that saw it."

She stopped and closed her eyes, taking in a deep steadying breath. After a few empty moments she felt his hand ghost against the skin of her temple, tucking back a stray few hairs and gently skimming to her cheekbone. His hand trailed back, to the back of her neck, where his thumb came to sit and create a gentle, circular motion as he comforted her in the only way he could. Finally she opened her eyes on his wordless support, waiting for whatever his response would be,

"You want to see him?" Sirius asked slowly when her eyes were open.

"Yes." she answered plainly, seeing no point in speaking anything but the truth.

"Alright," he answered equally simply, "Alright."

She turned then, her eyes seeking out his in the faint light of the night, and she felt so much love rise up at the sympathy and understanding waiting there she could hardly feel anything else. Inching forward she rested her body against his, curled up in the circle of his arms as the steady beat of his heart lulled her back into a state of peace which she had been lacking. A small voice in the back of her head told her to enjoy it whilst it lasted.

"I have a plan." she murmured against his chest.

She felt the rumbling of his laugh against her cheek and couldn't help but smile.

A New Year's gift from me to you x