Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Twelve

Not a Hero

--

It takes years to build up trust,
and only seconds to destroy it.

--

We all collected our luggage and brought it to McGonagall's Office. We were going to be transported by Portkey. Our pile of baggage was astronomical. I was glad Dumbledore was going to send it to us instead of having to lug it everywhere. Fred helped me carry my trunk to the others from the others. Well, by carry I mean levitate. I could see the worry in his eyes for his dad's wellbeing. I could hardly blame him. Being woken in the middle of the night just to be told your dad had been attacked by a giant serpent didn't exactly cause a pleasant state.

"He's going to be alright, Fred." I assured him.

He smiled weakly and pulled me close against him for a moment. We separated to pile the last of our things together. Dumbledore had created the Portkey for us and we all gathered around, preparing to depart. I hated Portkeys. I never landed very gracefully, and I always felt nauseas all the way through.

My mind was so cluttered and numb, my face appeared blank. Small bits of memories from the past twenty four hours floated through my brain, grasping wildly to catch my attention. Then one of the countless thoughts took hold of my mind. Grigor. I didn't talk to Voldemort about my brother. I had become so consumed with Mr. Weasley I had completely forgotten to mention him. Damn it. I silently cursed myself all the while knowing that I could do the same thing over again if given the chance. I felt Fred take my hand in his as we prepared to leave.

"On the count of three." McGonagall said as our hands drew nearer. "One…two…thee-"

We were suddenly engulfed with a sea of rainbow. My desire to vomit returned as we tumbled down into a spiral array of psychedelic colors. My hand still laced with Fred as plummeted to an unseen destination. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we arrived inside Number Twelve Grimmauld. None of us landed gracefully. I landed atop Fred with a loud THUD, and everyone else was either on the floor or stumbling about, struggling to keep their balance. Fred groaned as I climbed off of him, helping him up.

"Alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He replied.

I looked around at the Ancient House of Black. It was exactly as Fred described it. The tattered wallpaper, dust ridden floor and countertops, and prehistoric decorations were almost familiar. We were alone in the dining room, but I could hear the faint sounds of footsteps drawing nearer. We were in the midst of dusting off our jeans when the first members of the Order appeared. It was a middle-aged man with some scarring on his pale face followed by a very retro looking younger woman with pink hair and finally a man I had been raised to fear Alastor Moody. They looked frantic yet relieved to see everyone. I gripped Fred's hand, feeling a bit awkward to be here. The two members exchanged hugs with everyone and handed George a letter from Mrs. Weasley. It read that she was at St. Mungos with Mr. Weasley and that he was going to be fine after a while recovery. A sigh of relief could be heard from everyone in the room.

"This must be the young lady Dumbledore told us would be joining you." The scarred man started looking at me like he'd just noticed me. "He didn't tell us your name…"

"This is my Er- Briney." Fred blushed.

I smirked at his awkward introduction and extended my hand.

"Briney Dolohov." I smiled, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you…?"

The three member's faces were suddenly blank, their mouths slightly ajar. After a moment or two he released my hand and shook his head, bringing him back to reality.

"Oh, Remus Lupin, nice to meet you." He said uncomfortably. "And this is Nymphadora Tonks-"

"Tonks." She interrupted, shaking my hand. "Just call me Tonks."

"Er- yeah, and this is Alastor Moody." He nodded towards Mad-Eye.

Mad-Eye Moody approached me, limping quite a lot on his stick for a cane. He looked curiously down at me, examining me like something he had never seen before. His fake eye surveyed my face for any hint of evil.

"Dolohov, Eh?" He snorted. "Antonin's daughter, I'm guessing."

"Yes." I replied curtly.

He sloppily rubbed his chin, processing me.

"Huh." He said, still deciding if I was a threat to the Order. "What are you doing here?"

"She was the one who tipped off Dumbledore about the attack." Fred interjected before anyone else could open their mouths to defend me. "Her brother told her about the snake before Harry had his dream about it. She saved our Dad."

"Very interesting." Moody smirked. "Was this some sort of plan to infiltrate our headquarters, Miss Dolohov? Trick everyone into thinking you're a hero-"

"I'm not a spy, if that's what you're implying." I snapped rudely. "My parents don't even know I'm here. They think I'm staying at Hogwarts. They'd be furious if they found out I was here. And I, Sir, do not consider myself a hero by any means."

"You know, Miss Dolohov, I have known many Death Eaters in all my years as an Auror." Moody said, drawing closer to my face and seemingly ignoring my previous statement. "I can honestly say that your father is one of the most callous and evil individuals I have ever had the displeasure of coming in contact with. I would like nothing more than to see him spend the rest of his days rotting away in Azkaban."

I took a step forward, not allowing him to intimidate me.

"Yeah?" I spat. "Well, so would I."

Moody raised a curious brow and smirked at my statement.

"I'll have my eye on you, Miss Dolohov." He sneered, pointing to his bewitched eye.

"Come on, Mad-Eye, lay off her." Remus interrupted. "Dumbledore obviously wouldn't have sent her here if he didn't trust her. If we started crucifying people based on their parents associations then Padfoot would have been tossed out on his back years ago."

"Why don't you all go up and change. Your things should have arrived in your rooms by now." Tonks suggested, trying to break the tension. "Then we'll take you to St. Mungos to see Arthur."

We all headed up the stairs to change. Moody still wouldn't stop glaring at me. I made an amazing first impression, not. I was frustrated that I was continually prejudged by my last name. It was infuriating. I didn't know who Padfoot was, but I already liked him for getting me off the hook. I wonder who his family was. Maybe it was worse than mine. Doubtful. I was sharing a room with Ginny and Hermione of course. It was quaint and cozy, and I liked my roommates. I wanted to look dressed up to meet Fred's parents. I put on my red, white, and evergreen pleated plaid skirt along with my red button down sweater with my white camisole underneath.

"We'll meet you downstairs, Briney." Ginny spoke for she and Hermione both.

"Alright, I'll be quick." I replied.

I pulled up my knee high stockings, buckled my Mary Jane's, and adjusted an evergreen headband in my hair. I pinched my cheeks a couple times to draw color to my face and headed for the door. I only took a couple steps outside before I ran into another Order member. We collided, almost toppling over in response.

"Er- sorry." The man mumbled, fixing his long dark robes.

"It was my fault." I said, combing my hair with my fingers. "I wasn't paying attention."

The man finally looked up to meet my gaze. His face instantly became stone. His eyes looked like dark saucers and his jaw dropped. He looked like he had seen a ghost. I bit my lower lip uncomfortably as he continued to stare at me in silence. He reached his hand out slowly and brushed my cheek with his fingers as if to check if I was a hallucination. I backed away cautiously.

"I- Ivana?" He stammered.

"Er- no." I said uneasily. "I'm her daughter, Briney."

"Ivana Hinova is your Mum?" He inquired whimsically.

"Well, she's Ivana Dolohov now." I replied. "But that's her. How do you two know each other?"

He seemed so familiar once I took a good look at his face. I recognized his dark eyes and shaggy black hair from somewhere, a long time ago. A picture. Yes, that was it. I couldn't believe I still remembered. I saw him from a picture I found of him and my Mum. I was playing in her jewelry box when I was still a toddler. I was putting on all her long necklaces and bracelets when I accidentally popped the inner roof of the box. A picture was hidden behind the black silk lining. It was my Mum and this nameless man. They were smiling and waving at the camera happily, she nuzzled the top of her head under his chin while he held her close. I remember my Dad found me staring at it and went mad with rage. He hit her roughly across her cheek with the back of his hand. While she crumbled in pain on the ground, my Father tore her picture to shred and through the remaining pieces into the fireplace. That was one of the many wonderful childhood memories I had of my always compassionate father. I had always wondered who the man in the photo was, and now I was staring at him face-to-face.

"We dated a million years ago. When were around your age. God, I haven't seen Ivana for…over 18 years now." He explained. "Not since…Oh, sorry, I'm Sirius Black by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Sirius." I said, extending my hand. "How did the two of you meet exactly?"

He kissed the top of my hand sweetly.

"Well, her best friend was Lily Evans of course-" He explained. "I mean Lily Potter, Harry's mum. They became mates when Ivana moved to England from Bulgaria. They lived on the same street, you see. She didn't know anyone in England, and Lily befriended her. I met her one summer through Lily when James and I went to visit her. I loved her since the moment I saw her. We both hated Snivellus. It was an instant bond."

Sirius laughed slightly at the thought of memories past.

"I never knew…" I said, drifting off. "She never told me…"

My Mom made it seem like she was lonely destitute during her youth. She left out the bit about being madly in love with a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She also never cared to mention that her best friend was Harry Potter's mother. It was like I had never met my own Mother. She didn't really lie to me, but she certainly didn't tell me the truth. The question that continued to haunt my mind was why exactly did she choose to throw away her friendships for my Father. It just didn't make since.

"We were inseparable for years, the four of us." Sirius continued. "I wanted to marry her."

"What happened?" I asked, hanging on his every word.

"Well, obviously she met your dad, Antonin Dolohov." Sirius said sadly. "Once she met him, it was all over. He showed her a life of power and wealth none of us could ever dream of. He smothered her with gifts and compliments and eventually stole her away. She sacked the three of us and substituted us with a batch of Death Eaters."

My eyes darted around the room wildly as I opened and closed my mouth a few times. I had no idea. It was like an entire new history had been written before my eyes. My Mum used to be good. Well, she's never exactly been that bad but the fact still remained that she wasn't always a manipulated Death Eater. This day had been so overwhelming I feared that one more surprise would cause me to just keel over.

"I can't believe Ivana never told you about us…" He sighed. "Well, actually I suppose I can."

"Yeah-" I said dumbly.

"Dumbledore didn't tell us the name of the girl Fred was bringing home." Sirius explained. "I would have never guessed it would be Ivana's daughter-"

"Briney, you coming?" Fred shouted from downstairs.

"Yeah, one second." I yelled back over my shoulder.

"I'll let you get back to your friends-" Sirius said.

"Yeah, I should go." I nodded kindly. "See you."

I started back towards the stairs, but I was stopped by Sirius.

"Briney?" He interrupted me.

"Yeah?" I replied

"Your Mum," He started, scratching the back of his head. "Is she…is she happy?"

"Not in the slightest." I said honestly.

I then ran down the stairs to meet up with the others. The trio and Ginny were putting on their coats while Fred and George didn't bother. It was clear the three of us would be apparating to St. Mungos instead of the primitive way like the others. Everyone but Fred, George, and I left out into the snow. Fred and George looked me up and down with smirks across their faces, both crossing their arms.

"Who are we impressing?" Fred laughed.

"Your mum and dad." I replied sincerely.

Fred and George chuckled in unison.

"Don't worry." Fred smiled, pulling me against his side. "They're going to love you."

"Besides, if they don't like you that'll just make Fred like you more." George joked, nudging me playfully. "You can't lose."

I rolled my eyes and lightly slapped his arm.

"Let's just get a move on." I said. "We don't want the others to beat us on foot."

"You were the late one!" George argued comically.

"Yeah, what took you so long?" Fred asked.

"Er- I ran into Sirius Black." I explained.

"Ah, so you've met 'ole Padfoot." Fred smirked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I met Padfoot..."

--

The three of us arrived in the lobby at St. Mungos shortly after I explained what Sirius had told me. Fred and George were genuinely surprised at the news as well. Neither of them had heard Sirius talk about my Mum before, or any other member of the Order for that matter. This honestly didn't surprise me. It seemed like a subject that Sirius tried not to think about much. I couldn't blame him. If something like that had happened to me I would want to be closed off to ever talking about it ever again. Poor, Padfoot. It just made me genuinely dislike my Father even more. When it came to my Mum, I was angry she had never divulged the truth about her past to me. I thought my Mum always tried to be honest with me (well, most of the time), but hearing Sirius's story I didn't know what to think.

Fred and George told me about his past. How he was Harry's godfather. They told me about how he lost his mind after Lily and James were murdered. He went to confront Peter Pettigrew (whom I already despised before this information was revealed to me) and ended up being framed for a load of murders he didn't commit. They told me about his stint and escape from Azkaban, about what happened in the Shrieking Shack a couple years back, and about why he was so miserable in his family's home. I instantly felt even worse for Sirius. He lived such a solemn existence. It seemed like everything that could go wrong in his life, did go wrong. Now, he was trapped inside his very own virtual prison. It was just awful. I couldn't help but think how different things would be for him if my Mum had stayed with him.

Maybe she would have consoled him after Harry's mum and dad were murdered. Instead of going on a psychotic rampage, he would have released his emotions in a much more conservative manner like crying with my Mum. Maybe they would have captured Wormtail. Maybe he would have married my Mum and had a load of kids, including adopting Harry. Then Harry wouldn't have lived such a miserable existence with his aunt and uncle. Things could have been so different for Sirius, and for my Mum. Better.

The three of us entered the elevator that would take us to Mr. Weasley's floor. I had spent so much time thinking about my conversation with Sirius I had forgotten to worry about my first meeting with Fred's parents. My butterflies instantly swarmed my stomach once again once we reached their dad's floor. Fred laced his fingers in mine to reassure me that he was still by my side. George had barely knocked once on Mr. Weasley's room before Molly came barreling into the hall, shoving the three of us inside. She hugged the twins both at once, sporting a relieved smile. She kept saying "Oh, my boys! My boys!" Tears were forming in her eyes when she, to my surprise, pulled me into tight a bear hug. She grabbed my head, shoving my cheeks together and sloppily kissing either side of my face repeatedly before hugging me once more.

"Oh, dear child, you saved my Arthur!" She cried happily. "God bless you!"

Fred and George smirked at my lipstick marks on either one of my cheeks.

"Mum, this is Briney." Fred laughed, walking forward and wrapping his hand around my waist. "My girlfriend."

Girlfriend? I beamed once he said it. I was Fred Weasley's girlfriend. It was official. I was Fred Weasley's girlfriend and Lord Voldemort's fiancé. You know, if it wasn't all happening to me I would think the situation was almost funny…in a twisted way. Mrs. Weasley clasped her hands together as more tears swelled up behind her eyes. She led us to Arthur's bedside, still quite emotional. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief once I knew Mrs. Weasley didn't want to shove me out into the cold. Fred and George looked distraught at the sight of their father, dressed up in a thousand bandages. You could barely tell he was human. He was sound asleep, most likely from a potion. I stood between Fred and George, wrapping an arm around Fred's waist and leaning against him. I also gripped George's hand in mine. I felt a bit out of place after a few moments. I wanted to give them a moment alone with their dad, no matter if he was conscious or not. Mrs. Weasley followed my out into the waiting area.

"Darling, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for my Arthur." She beamed. "It is clear my Fred has good taste in women."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." I whispered. "I was so scared that because of what my Father d-"

"Dear, what your Father did was unforgivable." She said, taking my hands in hers kindly. "But the only thing you are guilty of is being his daughter."

I nodded my agreement..

"You have done nothing wrong." She smiled feebly. "Besides I haven't seen my son this happy…ever. I am so pleased that you will be spending the holiday with us. Arthur and I have been so anxious to get to know the lovely young lady that has captured our son's heart."

I suddenly hugged Mrs. Weasley tightly. She hugged me back and patted my back sweetly. I was so happy that she liked me. I had wanted her to so badly. But now that I knew Mrs. Weasley didn't hate me it would make things even harder to tell Fred the truth about me. That thought also haunted my brain. I didn't have much time before my time was up. I would have to tell Fred my secret. That was the deal. I was just waiting for the perfect time to break the news.

The others arrived as the three of us were preparing to leave. We left them alone to be with Mr. Weasley like we had just been. Molly burst into tears and thanked Harry like she thanked me earlier. We said our goodbyes and promised to see each other in a bit. Molly made me swear that I would return with Fred when Arthur was awake to meet me. I swore that I would. Then the three of us apparated back to Grimmauld Place. We figured Sirius and Remus were both asleep when we returned home because of the immense silence, George headed upstairs to bed and to give Fred and I some alone time. I hadn't noticed before, but a letter with my name on the envelope was placed on the kitchen table. I snatched up the message and headed for the living room to read it silently. Fred wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

Miss Dolohov,

I have heard word back from your mother (which undoubtedly means your father). He has complied with my request to keep you at Hogwarts over the holidays, stating it was an honor. However, he insisted that you attend their Christmas Eve festivities. I agreed to his request on your behalf. From this time on I will be forwarding your mail to your current location. Professor Snape will willingly be going along with the facade. If you have any concerns simply notify me.

Sincerely Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

Damn. I still had to spend Christmas Eve with those wretched creatures. I suppose I couldn't complain that much. Things could be a lot worse. I could be spending my entire break around a bunch of Death Eaters against my will. I felt like I could manage one day. Hopefully. I then came back to a statement in Dumbledore's letter. Professor Snape will willingly be going along with the facade. Who's side was he on? I didn't understand. Dumbledore knew who to trust, and so did Voldemort. How could have managed to trick one of the two most powerful wizards alive that he was trustworthy.

"Where does Snape's allegiance lie?" I asked randomly, still examining the letter again.

"He's a member of the Order." Fred concluded.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that is where his allegiance lies." I replied, handing Fred my letter to read.

"You've got yourself one smart girl, Fred." Sirius interrupted, leaning in through the doorway. "Severus Snape is sniveling coward who chooses his alliances based on the score."

"Well, he's supposed to be a spy for the Order, but some members question his motives." Fred explained, scanning the letter. "Dumbledore has assured us that he is completely trustworthy though. We just have to ignore his personality traits-"

"Or lack there of." Sirius smirked.

I thought back to all of my encounters with Snape. I guess it made sense. Snape just sort of blended in amongst the background. I mean, he was certainly a recognized member of Voldemort's followers. He had the scar to prove it, but I couldn't remember a single ghastly crime he had committed. Yet, something made me distrust him. Maybe Sirius was right after all.

A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, again! Love you guys SO much! I will probably have a couple survey questions about what you'd like to see happen further on in the story. I'm lost on a couple subjects, and I would love your input.

Coming Soon: Sirius and Briney grow closer. Briney goes to Malfoy Manor for Christmas Eve. Fred and Briney exchange gifts. Someone is right about Snape. Fred finds out Briney's secret in a much more public manner. Something completely awful happens that could alter Briney's life forever.

PS: Okay, I am extremely excited for the upcoming chapter or two. I wrote the scenes a LONG time ago because I was so pumped to write it. It will probably be the longest chapter(s) so be ready for that! I thought this chapter was okay. I didn't love or hate it, but I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope the Sirius thing wasn't lame. I planned the Ivana/Sirius thing not too long ago because I wanted to make the two of them more involved in the storyline. Oh, if anyone was a bit confused to what Dumbledore informed the Order about Briney…He told them that Fred's girlfriend came across information about the attack and told him (Dumbledore) about it. Dumbledore gave Molly a more detailed account, however.

I also have a couple questions for you all because I am lost for what to do….

1. Do you think I should break this story into a trilogy (a different story for each book), a sequel (combing the 6th & 7th book for the second story), or would you prefer just one long story?

I'm scared no one would read it if I broke it into different parts, but I also don't want some super enormously long fic that seems to never end. Also, the other books may not serve to make my next fic near as long as this one.

2. How do you want Fred & Briney to end up?

Examples…Do you want Fred to still die like in the book or have an alternate universe ending? If Fred still dies should Briney end up with someone else (George, Draco, Lee, or a random that I could work in like Oliver Wood or Charlie Weasley etc…)?

I am just asking this in general, and I am not promising to choose the most popular response either. I'd like to stick to the book, but it would be difficult to split them up. I just want to get some feedback because I haven't come up with an ending yet…..though I am leaning in one direction a bit…

Thanks!

Review, please.