It's Sunday, May 12, and it has taken me almost 30 days to write this chapter. Wow. Not much to say besides read and review!

Victoire's POV

Vic,

Things are crazier with Uncle Harry than I had previously thought. I know you'd mentioned the possibility of Death Eaters to me, but to be honest, I hadn't believed you until now. I ran into Hermione at the Ministry of Magic about a week ago, and she explained everything to me. The most that I could understand in such a short amount of time was that Uncle Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny are all searching for something. I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but they're calling it a horcrux. I've been traveling with them for the past week now, and it's been rather chaotic. Right now we're stationed at Uncle Harry's godfather's old house. It's dark and smells a bit moldy, and there's a screaming portrait and a whole lot of stuffed heads of house elves on the walls, but other than tha,t I suppose it's okay. It does make me wonder what kind of people Uncle Harry's parents were friends with, though. We've been looking through all of this information that Ron took from the Minister's office. I'm not very good at sorting it due to my lack of experience, but I help where I can. The thing is, Vic…the information we've got is all about former Death Eaters. I'm worried that something is happening that's bigger than what either of us could have expected. I'm worried about the safety of my grandmother and your family. Until I have more information, Vic, stay safe. Don't go to Hogsmeade. I look forward to your reply letter and intend to write you again as soon as I am able.

Yours always,

Teddy

Vic folded Teddy's letter and shoved it to the bottom of her trunk. Hopefully no one would find it there. She'd made her way back to Gryffindor Tower to read it, and had been perched on the edge of her bed for what felt like hours. What was she supposed to do? There was so much running through her mind. What if Teddy was in danger? How could she help? Should she tell anyone else?

Her first thought was to tell James. After all, he'd been with her when she'd found Fred. She shook her head, realizing that she still had 5 more days to wait before she could see the ghost again.

Vic took a piece of parchment from a drawer in her bedside desk and began to configure her reply to Teddy.

Teddy,

I can't even begin to tell you how much I wish I was fighting alongside you now. I think that even though I'm not with you, I still may be able to help. You mentioned that Uncle Harry was looking for something. A horcrux. Let me start by saying that on Friday…I met someone. Don't be worried. He's a ghost. In fact, I think he's my uncle. He introduced himself as "Fred" and claimed that he was Aunt Ginny's brother. I've agreed to meet him again on Thursday for more information. James is coming with me. You already know that I'd heard Uncle Harry mention a horcrux this summer in that house full of Death Eaters. I asked Fred about it, and he explained that a horcrux basically makes someone immortal until it's destroyed. So that makes me wonder…if you're looking for a horcrux to destroy and Death Eaters are chasing you…does that mean that You-Know-Who is still alive? Teddy, you've got to be careful. Don't go getting yourself into something that you can't handle. Promise me you'll be safe. Write back as soon as you can. And…I think I'd like to fight whatever this is with you.

Love,

Victoire

Victoire sealed her letter shut and ran to the owlery.


Five days had passed, and tonight was the night that Vic and James would go to see Fred again. As breakfast passed and the day wore on, Vic began to worry. She hadn't received a letter from Teddy since she'd sent him information about horcruxes.

Finally, night fell, and James and Vic were left waiting for the common room to empty out. Finally, the coast was clear, and the duo slipped under James' invisibility cloak.

"James," Vic said when they'd made their way down the first set of stairs outside of the common room, "I'm not sure I remember exactly where we're going."

"Well," James said, "I'd say our best bet is to start where we did the last time. The library isn't that far off, and once we left the restricted section, we didn't take too many turns. And the hallway should be fairly recognizable. After all, it's newer than the rest of the castle."

Vic nodded, and the two made their way through the dark halls, accompanied only by the snores of portraits on the walls around them.


"You came," Fred sighed delightfully. "I really didn't think you'd come."

James nodded. "We came."

Fred hovered cross-legged on the ground as Vic folded up the invisibility cloak and handed it to James. The two cousins sat on the floor.

"So," said Vic, "the last time James and I were here, we left off on the matter of horcruxes. Horcruxes and…and Padfoots."

Fred snickered darkly. "Padfoot isn't plural, Victoire. Padfoot is a name. I'm surprised that after seventeen years in your family, you haven't heard it until now. Then again," Fred's mock smile dropped, "you'd never heard of me either, had you?"

Victoire was taken aback. "Never heard of you?" she managed to muster. "I, uh. Why would you think we hadn't heard of you, Uncle Fred?" Vic made sure to put an extra emphasis on the word "uncle." Maybe it would make him smile, she thought.

Fred did in fact smile, but his smile was false, almost mocking. "They hadn't told you about me," he muttered. "If they had, the shock on your faces wouldn't have been so obvious when you found me last week. Now what I'd like to know is why they didn't tell you who I was. Why didn't they tell you what I died for? Didn't they tell you that George and I were attached at the hip? How I was there for him in every moment? We were beaters together on the Quidditch team, George and I." A single tear streamed down the ghost's face.

"That was why we recognized you last week," James said softly. "After we'd left, we realized something. You look exactly like our Uncle George."

"Yeah," said Fred. "I do. I look exactly like him, all of me but one ear. That was the only way mum could tell us apart. Before that accident, she got us mixed up all the time." Fred grinned a genuinely happy grin. "I miss him," he said sadly.

"Were you his older brother?" Vic asked curiously, "Or his younger one?"

Fred grinned from ear to ear. "George and I were twins," he said. "The only ones in the family never to make it as prefects at school. We took pride in that. We were the greatest pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen. If the two of you could have seen it…" Fred traveled off inside his own mind, reliving a legendary prank, no doubt.

Vic cleared her throat, hoping to bring the ghost back to the present. "Fred," she said nearly inaudibly. The ghost's eyes snapped back to the present and locked with Vic's. "Could you tell us about a Padfoot?"

Fred grimaced. "It's a long story," he said. "I'm not sure if you'd really want to be bothered with—"

"Please," James blurted. "Please explain."

Fred sighed. "Have the two of you ever heard of the Marauder's Map?"

The cousins shook their heads.

"The Marauder's Map is a map of Hogwarts. It shows every room and every person who is in the school at the time."

"That's not possible," Vic said.

"Nothing's impossible, dear," Fred grinned. "The Map is the first place I saw the name Padfoot. When George and I first found it, we couldn't figure out how to open it. The charm on the Map presented us with insults from four blokes who called themselves Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." Fred stared at James.

"What is it?" James asked.

Fred's grin dropped. "I just thought that maybe…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred started again. "Prongs, James, was your grandfather. Of course, George and I didn't know that when we first found the map, but we found out in time. Your grandfather, James Sr., was an unregistered animagus. I'm not supposed to know this, and neither are the two of you. In fact, you aren't supposed to know any of what I'm telling you. Any of it. Do you understand?"

James and Vic nodded vigorously.

"James had three best friends. Their names were Remus, Peter, and Sirius. Remus was Moony, Peter was Wormtail, and Sirius…well, Sirius was Padfoot. They were named according to their animagus forms. Sirius' form was a black dog."

"Sirius," James said, his eyes wide. "But that's my middle name."

Fred laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"What happened to them all?" Vic asked.

Fred's laughter faltered. "They all died," he said. "Every single one of them."

"If they're all dead," Vic said, "then why was my father talking about Padfoot with my aunts and uncles?"

"I don't know," Fred said.

"You said that Sirius was a black dog?" James asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Fred nodded. "Huge."

"Almost wolf-like? Tangled fur?"

"Yes," Fred hesitated, "why do you ask?"

James gulped. "The night my mum took me to the Dursley's—" James spat the name—"I saw something in the brush on the side of the road. Mum saw it too, I know she did. I tried to explain what I'd seen, but I didn't have time before Dad…before he…" James was nearly crying now, and Vic put a comforting arm around him.

"I'm sure your father's fine," Vic said. "He was perfectly healthy at the platform when you last saw him, remember? And I'd bet that your mum's doing fabulous too. You don't have anything to worry about, okay?"

James nodded, swallowing back his tears. "What I saw…the thing I'd never gotten the chance to tell anyone about…I think I saw Sirius."