Her stay in the hospital wing lasted only until the next day when she eagerly left and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. But not before another interview with Dumbledore.
She had just climbed the Marble Staircase when she found herself face to face with Dumbledore, who then asked her to follow him to his study to talk about what had happened. When she entered the circular room she saw that Lupin was sat waiting for them. As they entered he rose and turned towards them.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her.
"Fine thank you professor," she replied with a small smile, "yourself?"
"Oh, not bad."
Dumbledore walked round his desk to sit in his chair, he gestured for the other two to take the seats that stood in front of his desk.
"Now, I understand that you have no recollection of walking out into the grounds," he began, his normally twinkling eyes fixed upon her.
"Yes," she agreed.
"Do you have any other memories during that time, perhaps in the form of dreams?"
"Sort of," what was he getting at? She had no idea.
"If you don't find it too intrusive I would like you to tell me about them. In order to understand what happened to you I need to know."
"Ok," it hadn't been that personal a dream really, nothing embarrassing, "well I was dreaming about my mother. She was standing in the middle of a field calling to me," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt, "and then I went to her and she hugged me but she disappeared." She stopped and sighed heavily.
Lupin placed a hand on her arm comfortingly. Only the fact that she had frequently come to talk to him and confide things gave him the reassurance that this was not inappropriate in any way. She was as dear to him as she ever had been as a small child.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Professor Lupin here enlightened me as to what happened about a month ago and that you are Black's daughter. He informed me that you wouldn't speak of this to anyone, have you stuck to this? You won't be in trouble, I just need to know if you've told anyone."
She shook her head, "I've told no-one, even though I've really wanted to at times."
"Despite the fact you vehemently believe in his innocence?"
"Yes, I know that no-one else believes me, but he wouldn't- couldn't ever do a thing like that. But I've spoken to Professor Lupin about it and I won't say anything. I need to protect Harry and I wouldn't do anything that could potentially put his life at risk."
"Need?" Lupin asked, this was the first time he had spoken.
"I made a promise a long time ago." She replied quietly gazing into the fire that burned brightly in the grate.
"Have you made any attempt to get into contact with Black?" Dumbledore asked interrupting her thoughts.
"No," she looked up in surprise. Maybe she should but she didn't know where he was or anything.
"And will you promise me not to ever try?" he asked her coming round to sit on the table in front of her, his piercing stare fixed on her face.
"I'm not sure," she replied slowly, "I can't promise that one day I might. I know that you don't believe that he's innocent but he's my father, if I don't believe in him who will? I can't, I won't ever give up on him."
Lupin shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Do you know what the Fidelus Charm is?" Dumbledore asked her gently after a brief pause.
She nodded, "when a secret is hidden within an individual known as a Secret Keeper and unless that person chooses to divulge it then it remains a secret."
"Yes," agreed Dumbledore, "well shortly before the attack on the Potters the Fidelus Charm was performed. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. I tried to dissuade James and Lily, but James was adamant and would use no-one else, I even offered myself. And so, don't you see, the only way that Voldemort could have found their home that night was for Black to have divulged the information to him."
Tanwen frowned, thinking hard. The others waited patiently. She hadn't known that but did it make a difference?
"No," she had made her decision, "There's nothing and no-one that will ever make me doubt him. Until the day I hear it from his own mouth I will believe in his innocence."
"Tanwen, your loyalty is understandable and highly commendable but think of the facts," Lupin said, "I didn't want to believe it either, Sirius was one of my best friends at Hogwarts, but the evidence is irrefutable."
"No, there must have been a mistake-"
"There's no other way Voldemort could have known," repeated Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry," she told them, "there's nothing you can do to change my mind. I won't say anything to anyone nor do anything that could put anyone-especially Harry- into danger, but I can't promise anything else. There's nothing you can say to change my mind. I know I must seem irrational, but if I don't believe in him then who would?"
"Very well," Dumbledore resigned himself to her stubbornness. This had wandered a long way from the events of a few nights ago but he hadn't realised just how obstinate she would be about Black. But he believed that she was telling the truth about not having spoken to anyone or having contacted Black and so all the evidence pointed to the fact that she had just been sleepwalking that night. Despite all this he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it, something magical.
He walked back round to his chair and as he sat he told her, "As for what happened a few nights ago, the simplest solution is that you must have been sleepwalking. Will said that you weren't wearing slippers, showing that it wasn't planned, and there were no other prints around you so you must have been alone. Do you have a habit of sleepwalking?"
"No, not that I know of,"
"Well then we shall just have to trust that this was a one time occurrence," he stopped and fixed her with another of his penetrating stares, "I would ask you to think about what we talked about today, and if you ever want to talk about it or have anything else to say of importance concerning Black then know that myself or Professor Lupin will always be willing to discuss it with you."
"Thank you," she replied.
"Very well, thank you for you time. No doubt you've people eagerly awaiting your return in Gryffindor Tower so I'll let you go." He smiled at her warmly.
She stood and bid them both goodbye before leaving and continuing on her way to the common room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On entering the common room and was immediately swept up by Jon.
"I'm so glad you're back! It hasn't been nearly so fun without my verbal sparring partner," he told her before putting her back on the ground.
"It's nice to see you again too," she replied smiling.
Most of the boys came to give her a hug too, except Chris who was too embarrassed. So Tanwen went and gave him a hug. Alicia and Clem nodded to her from where they were sat on the other side of the room; it seemed that neither of them had forgiven her yet.
Once the rest of her friends from other years had greeted her she sank down into a small sofa next to Lou who was sat on Dom's lap, a little tired from her exuberant welcome.
"Well? What have I missed?" she asked them and was promptly informed of all the minute details of gossip by Dom, to which Lou added the things she had missed out on in lessons. When they had done the others came to join them.
"Budge up," Jon said as he and Mark joined her on the sofa.
"I'm squashed!" complained Mark, fidgeting.
"Then sit on the floor," Cassie told him from where she sat with Marcia and Dom on the other, slightly bigger, sofa opposite. Chris and Leo had begun a game of chess over in the corner.
"I don't want to sit on the floor," he replied petulantly. "Only slaves sit on the floor. Can't you sit on one of our laps?" he asked Tanwen.
"I guess," replied Tanwen standing while the other two shuffled along, then sat back down on Jon's lap. "Wouldn't want to make you a slave now would I?"
"Do you have a deathwish?" Dave asked Jon, "If Diggory finds out he'll skin you alive."
"-No he wouldn't-"
"-You don't think I can handle myself against Diggory?"
"Nope," Cassie replied to Jon's outburst, "I'd put my money on Cedric any day." She grinned at him then asked Tanwen, "Do you really think he wouldn't mind?"
"No, of course not, do you think I'd do it if he had a problem with it?" she shook her head, "anyway, it's not like me and Jon fancy each other or anything."
Jon glanced at Mark with a warning look then turned back to Cassie, "how about me and Mark then?"
"What?"
"Who'd win in a fight?"
"Hmmm," she said considering, "Mark."
"No way!"
"What about Jon and Dave?"
"Dave."
"Hey, I'm right here!"
"Dom and Mark?" Tanwen asked.
"Dom," said Lou immediately. Her boyfriend hugged her before kissing her lightly.
"Your opinion doesn't count in this," Marcia told her. "Mark."
Mark looked pleased with himself and grinned smugly.
"Ok," said Cassie getting into the spirit of things, "Mark and…." she glanced around, "Fred."
"I'd still say Mark," said Marcia.
"Me too," agreed Tanwen.
"That's because I'm so manly," Mark said.
All the girls looked at him until he coloured.
"Right, ok then Leo and Chris," asked Dave.
"Leo," decided Cassie.
"Yeah but Chris'd still beat Jon," Tanwen said grinning. "Ouch!" she yelled squirming as he pinched her.
"But you're offending my manhood!" he told her.
"Oh," said Tanwen, remembering, "speaking of your manhood- Accio photograph." She drew out her wand and summoned the picture she'd taken of him the night before Halloween, "I can't believe I forgot about this."
"Oh is that the-" Tanwen nodded interrupting Marcia. Marcia grinned evilly and turned to Cassie, "I seem to remember someone was rather eager to see this."
Half a minute later a photo came soaring down through the open corridor to the girls' dorms. As Tanwen reached out to take it Jon grabbed her round the waist trapping both arms,
"Hey!" she exclaimed as the photo floated down into Mark's lap. He instantly burst out laughing before passing the photo over to those on the sofa opposite. Who had the same reaction,
"Nice boxers," Marcia laughed.
Jon grinned as he held on tightly to the squirming Tanwen. Emma Tennant, a tall seventh year paused behind them and glanced down at the photo. Then she looked up and grinned at Jon,
"You know you look like you're posing for Playgirl," she told him.
Cassie turned a bright shade of pink and Mark and Dave laughed even harder at Jon, who looked blankly at them.
"For what?" he asked bemusedly.
"Playgirl is a muggle magazine," Mark told him smirking, "One where men pose for photos-"
"What's so funny about that?" he interrupted.
"Naked," Dave added, "they pose in the buff."
Jon had the grace to blush. Tanwen had long since stopped squirming to join in the laughter, "Don't worry," she said, "this won't get around to many people." She looked meaningfully at Marcia who grinned as if suddenly realising what she meant and leant to whisper in Cassie's ear.
"What are you saying?" Jon asked suspiciously.
Cassie grinned broadly as she took out her wand and pointed it at the photo, "Multiplarus." The photo flew up, out of Dave's grasp, and exploded in a large bang into hundreds of copies which flew around the room. As they found their way into the hands of unsuspecting people round the room, the noise level rose as more and more people collapsed into fits of laughter.
Jon groaned and rested his head on Tanwen's shoulder to hide his face.
"You do specialise in embarrassing photos don't you Contay?" George shouted over to them.
"No Tanwen in it this time?" Fred added, grinning, "when do we see one of you in your underwear?"
She gave him a scathing look.
"Alright, alright, only joking, I don't want to detract from anything that's for Diggory's eyes only." He winked at her.
Tanwen rolled her eyes, "I just can't win can I?"
After about half an hour or so the noise level in the common room dropped as the younger members of the house made their way to bed. The conversation had turned to the upcoming Hogsmeade visit. Tanwen yawned and leant backwards to lean on Jon's chest.
"Tired?" Mark asked her, concerned, "I guess you're still pretty worn out after-" he paused, "you know we don't really know what happened to you, you know?"
"Dumbledore says I was sleepwalking," she told them.
"Oh so that's why he wanted to know if you were wearing slippers," Dom said, "I would never have thought to ask that."
"Well that's why he's known as just about the most powerful wizard of our age and you're not," replied Lou tweaking his nose playfully.
He grimaced at Lou before saying to Tanwen, "well just don't do that again. I've never known Griffiths to be that serious, he was really worried about you- we all were."
She smiled, "well I think I'll take your advice on that," she said, "I've been to the hospital wing one too many times this year already."
By now the background noise had died away to a quiet murmur, it was practically empty apart from them. Tanwen let the conversation pass her by and closed her eyes, she was really tired but she didn't want to go to bed, she just enjoyed being with her friends.
It wasn't long before she fell asleep. Dave smiled and nodded towards her, the others turned to look.
"Bless," said Lou.
"She looks so sweet when she's sleeping," said Dave
"Almost innocent," added Mark with a grin.
"How are we going to get her upstairs, I don't want to wake her," said Marcia.
"I'll carry her," said Jon, "she doesn't look that heavy." He shifted Tanwen a little to slide one of his arms under her knees while using the other to support her back. Then he held her close to his chest as he stood.
"Don't drop her," warned Lou.
"Are you sure you can manage it?" asked Mark grinning, "you don't want the more manly of us to take her?"
"Nope, I can manage,"
Cassie stood to follow him, "I'll come to open the doors." Saying this she went and opened the door to the girls' dorms. Jon carried Tanwen up the stairs behind Cassie, his eyes continually flicking to the sleeping girl in his arms. As they reached the door Cassie said, "You're not allowed in the girls' dorms!"
He raised an eyebrow, "I think we can wave that rule just this once."
"Right," she said, "that was a stupid thing to say." She opened the door before stepping back to let him through. "That's Tanwen's bed," she told him pointing. Then she ran back down the stairs to the common room.
Jon carried Tanwen over to her bed and lowered her slowly. Gently he removed her shoes and pushed the covers down underneath her. Once they reached her feet he pulled them up over the top of her. She stirred and murmured something, "Shhh," he told her.
He straightened and looked down at her peaceful form. Then looked around him at the girls' room this was probably the only time he was going to get in here. 'Marcia's really messy,' he thought to himself.
"Oi Contay, what are you up to?" Mark called from downstairs. Jon ran back down the stairs to the common room, closing the door behind him quietly.
A/N:
Keronshara: here's the update, hope it wasn't too long for you to wait! So nice to see someone else interested in this. I always wonder why so many more people like 'The Moonlit Ones' I much prefer writing this. Ah well, *shrug* also this is turning into a bit of an epic ^__^ I'm sure you won't mind. Also, I'm glad you like Cedric, I hate the way he's always portrayed as a flat character in other fics, as if all he has to contribute is good looks! I mean, how many people is this true of? Ah well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, it certainly made me grin a lot!
Athene Saile, thanks for the review.
Sarai-Ice Elf, indeed- they are very lucky fictional females!!!!! ^__^
