A/N: I think it's safe to say I have been absent for more than just 'a while'. More like a few years! You underestimate the time you have, you always think - heh, I got this, I'll update next month. Turns out the next month turns into many more weeks, job, family, friends, life in general takes over and that chapter update becomes much harder to start back. Years have flown by, and you realize time got the better of you. Writing has always been therapeutic to me and I do intend to get back on the wagon. So keep an eye out ! I am also a little rusty, so I apologize for any grammar mistake and any other magical details that may have slipped my mind. I'm getting old...

Also, thank you thank you thank you to my reviewers! I love to hear your thoughts on my story. I promise this will have a proper ending.

Disclaimer: No owning, no suing.

''You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?'' - Albus Dumbledore

o.O.o

We had walked a few miles in silence, always keeping a watch on our surroundings, carefully scanning open areas before strutting across.

I was not too familiar with the area - I knew where the park was that my grannie had brought me over with Oliver when we would visit. It was about 3 blocks away from her old house - it was the only visual cue I could rely on. I sighed in relief as I saw the empty swings as we turned a corner. The village was quiet, but not ghost-like. I felt the presence of the residents, hiding behind their covered windows, praying their house wouldn't be the next target.

Charlie and I were far from inconspicuous - we were dressed in our robes, wands at the ready. At this point, I didn't care much for blending in. Neither did Charlie, for that matter.

''Know which house it is?'' he whispered as we walked down the street.

''I'd spot it better if the lamp-posts weren't all out. Seems they blew the electricity wires...''

I heard a faint snort coming from him - the kind of snort that he would reserve only when I began acting like a 'Muggle', in other words, being a smart-arse.

''Oh shut up, I'm just as much a witch than a Muggle, get over yourself,'' I muttered as I squinted across the street to the closest house. We both knew better than to try and lit up the street. That was an easy way to become targets. ''A torch would come in handy right about now,'' I continued nevertheless, knowing Charlie was already rolling his eyes skywards.

''Yes, because wearing dark robes and waving about pointy sticks is our subtle way of announcing our arrival in a most-likely Death Eater infested village,'' he counter-whispered, pushing me under the shadows of a tree.

''I'd like to see you attempt a wardrobe change whilst running for your life,'' I spat darkly, elbowing him neatly in the ribs.

I heard a faint grunt, which satisfied me. I looked up to the houses on the opposite street, trying to find that one little...

''Ah-ha!'' I whispered victoriously, pointing at four houses down to the right. ''There, with the high round window on the third floor.''

Charlie looked to where I was pointing, clearly not seeing what I was seeing.

''Third floor?'' He squinted his eyes, in the hope of seeing clearer. ''It's a tiny cottage, are you sure?''

I shook my head, sighing in defeat. ''No faith... and you call yourself a wizard...'' I muttered fumbling into my robes in search of my scribbled notes.

My grannie was renowned for not only for overly protecting her house, but she had the annoying tendency to put a password up every few weeks. Every time I visited, I was met with a new riddle at the third knock. And every time I had got it right, I would scribble down the riddle and the answer, just in case she would fancy a bit of repetitiveness.

Consequently, why I was sorted into Ravenclaw, for my cleverness. Dear old grannie had prepared me well. Once I had explained this to Charlie, he seemed motivated by the idea.

''And you think she'll have left you a riddle of some sort?''

I nodded, a certain trepidation at the pit of my stomach.

''I've never failed, except once, when Oliver decided he was tired of waiting and blew up the door with something from Zonkos...'' I said, my voice trailing off. I felt Charlie's hand on my shoulder, squeezing in a reassuring gesture.

''Let's go find out,'' he said, taking my hand firmly in his and walking steadily across the street in a flutter of cloaks.

Even in the darkness of the street, we were still at the mercy of moonlight. We hurried across the lawn of my grandmother's house, walked up the entrance steps, and after a deep breath, knocked three times.

Silence.

''Now, when you spoke of riddles earlier, did you mean you heard them verbally or - '' Charlie began, but I hushed him quickly as words carved themselves in silver letters unto the wooden door.

Weight in my belly,
Trees on my back,
Nails in my ribs,
Feet I do lack.

I drummed my fingers, knowing it was a tricky one, but also knowing I didn't have to think far to figure it out.

''I have weight in my belly and trees on my back, thus I carry things... Bulldozer?'' I shook my head to myself, just as Charlie was about to ask what a bulldozer was. ''It cannot be heavy machinery, can it? Nails on my back? What kind of nails? Fingernails?'' I drummed my fingers on my lips once more. ''Dragon? No, feet I do lack, so no feet, can't be a creature... unless there's one that exist without feet? A snake perhaps? No, snake can't carry trees...''

I turned to Charlie for feedback. He was looking at the letters intently. They were started to fade, very slowly.

"Is there a time limit on these riddles?'' he asked, knowing the disappearing letters were already answering his question.

"A few minutes. We'll have to knock again."

Charlie stared intently at the fading letters, then right at me.

"And is there some kind of consequence if you don't have an answer?'' he retorted, taking a small step back in precaution, seemingly not underestimating my grandmother in the least.

I drummed my fingers on my lips, deep in thought.

"Some spell, nothing major,'' I replied, waving my hand in dismissal. "Trees on my back… can it be something made of trees? Made of wood? And carrying heavy weight… Not a train, obviously… but nails in my ribs? That throws you off the trail…''

Charlie clearly did not have the patience to figure out the riddle.

"Any way to break down the door, without making a fuss?"

I sighed, exasperated. "My grannie would not be such a fool as to leave herself unprotected, considering the current environment. There is more than one spell bound to this house, trust me. And besides; she always said she liked the sound of fireworks… I wouldn't put it past her to make it loud."

His expression grew uneasy. "Julia, we cannot risk to be heard –"

I raised my hand to hush him. "Nails in my ribs… feet I do lack… drags heavy things… but no feet? What in this world can move without feet or wheels?" I whispered to myself, as Charlie drummed his fingers uneasily to his sides. And then, my mind clicked. "A ship!" I muttered victoriously at the door, just as I would always do in my younger years. There was a long pause, and then the door unlocked, leaving a small space ajar.

I looked up to Charlie triumphantly. "Good thing your girlfriend is talented and clever," I boasted proudly, pushing the door open. I heard him utter a distinctive snort as we entered.

"We would have figured out another way in…" he assured me and he closed the door silently.

I took in the sight before me. Every single item had not been moved for decades – not even her favorite armchair was misplaced. It clearly had been months since someone has dusted off the living room – I would assume this extended to the rest of the house. I walked slowly around, observing for any sign of struggle.

"I think she's been gone a while, Jules," Charlie uttered, skimming around as well for anything oddly placed. "Nothing has been moved in months, I'd say."

I mumbled in approval under my breath, my mind vividly searching for clues. I knew if she had gone, she had left something behind for us to contact her.

"See if you can find any particular, oddly shaped drawings anywhere… She studied Runes at the Ministry for thirty years, before retiring. That's why she loves riddles so much. She can have a play with words and symbols."

Charlie turned to me in surprise. "Runes, really? My brother Percy would have a field day if he heard this…"

I nodded absentmindedly. "If she knew that I would come here at one point – it would obviously be something from my childhood…" My fingers drummed on the cabinet I was standing by. "She might have turned something into a Portkey?"

"Would she take the chance to have a Death Eater find it by accident and directly lead them to her? I doubt it."

I sighed, not knowing where to start. "Yes, you are right, but in that case, it might be something invisible to the naked eye? Ergo, only a family member would be able to make it appear?"

"And if said family member were to be taken hostage and brought here to find said secret object potentially-turned-into-a-portkey, then what?"

I frowned at him in annoyance. "You don't have to destroy my ideas every thirty seconds, you know."

Charlie waved his wand impatiently. "Julia, we are short on time here. Death Eaters could be following us, or even listening just outside the bloody door!" he uttered in an angered whisper. "We don't have time for a dozen more riddles. If your grannie left you a specific clue, you need to think fast and not doubt your instincts."

I stared at him in visible defeat. "Right. Well, give me space, I need to think efficiently." I muttered, exiting into the dining room. I pulled out a chair and sat down.

Think, Julia, think… What could she possibly hide that only you would be able to find?

"We were the only ones in the family to be sorted into Ravenclaw…" I thought, seeing her teapot set all neatly piled in the center of the table, bearing the older version of the Hogwarts crest. "It can't be another riddle, though…"

I dug my nails into my forehead, racking my brain, just as I heard a faint pop! followed by a wail of horrified surprise coming from Charlie.

I jumped out of my chair and returned into the living room, to find my grannie standing there, laughing to tears as Charlie had fallen to the floor, in apparent distress.

"Poor wee lad probably though he was hallucinating time!" she said with a throaty laugh. "I couldn't help listening to you trying to figure it all out, I hardly get any visitors these days…"

Charlie got back to his feet, finding this far from hilarious.

"Did you know she could transform herself into a grandfather clock?" he uttered in accusatory tones, as my grannie hiccuped a few more laughs.

I shook my head, unable to process this without a smile.

"I knew she had been trying, but it was never confirmed she had mastered it," I said, looking to her with immense pride. "I can't believe you stayed behind!"

She blinked with a satisfactory smile. "Oh honeypot, it has been dreadfully morose and quiet, but I can't say I haven't had this much fun in years!"

We both looked at her with sudden interest.

"Gran, what did you do?"

She motioned us to sit down as she waved her wand briskly to have teacups flying in into our hands.

"As your father predicted, I have been watched for quite some time now. A few old colleagues of mine warned me as well, some suggesting I leave the country for a while, keep a low profile, as they say. And I thought to myself, what nonsense! I have lived in this house for 43 years – I am certainly not going to leave it because of a blundering bunch of rotten wizards!"

A large teapot flew into the living room, fresh steam overflowing, a soft mist of peppermint filling the air.

Charlie raised his hand, unable to find a better way to interrupt.

"What would Death Eaters be after you for?" he asked, giving me a sharp look of incredulity.

She smiled at him, as tea was poured into our cups.

"Oh, I hardly look like a great nuisance, do I?" she said with a dry laugh. "My dear boy, I hold many Runes secrets locked away into the Department of Mysteries, some which I presume the Dark Lord would be more than happy to know about."

Charlie looked at us with significant disbelief. I could hardly blame him – I had never mentioned this part of my family story; mostly because we were forbidden to talk about it.

"But how in the world would they know how to find you?" he asked.

"Well, at the height of my career, an assistant of mine made a mistake that unveiled important information within the Department of Mysteries – and since I was to take the blame for it, the Ministry of Magic made sure I took an early retirement... That did not take away the media frenzy that ensued following my departure. My name must have popped up in quite a few papers."

I sipped my tea quietly, knowing the story was not over. Charlie was drumming his fingers, clearly analyzing all this new bit of information.

"When I was forced into retirement, I believe I must have taken with me a few spells and passwords that may or may not have complicated matters further. Considering they could hardly accuse me of anything, as I was holder of these secrets, all they could do is sit back and wait for me to tell the world."

She took a deliberate long pause for added drama. She sighed deeply.

"I certainly was not intending to give out anything to anyone. My entire career was about deciphering symbols and keeping their meanings secret. Nothing in the world would make me divulge them to Death Eaters or any other kind of dark magic."

She shook her head, losing some of her energy.

"I have had dangerous encounters in my life – most of which were caused by being holder of these secrets. I am intending to take them to my grave, as they would only benefit tainted souls. No good comes from evil spirits and wizards." She turned to me, a small smile appearing on her lips, although her eyes were clearly strained and tired.

"If ever you were to decide to take over these secrets – I can transfer them to you. But only if you wish to take on this burden. It is not for the weak-minded, dearie. Your parents never wanted me to show you my line of work because of the dangers it had, but you are grown now and a woman of wit – I believe if you were to make a choice, you will know at the right time."

I nodded meekly, not knowing what to say in return. She then turned to Charlie, her lips turning into a hard line.

"I trust that you will keep my granddaughter safe for the coming war?"

Charlie blinked in surprise, but nodded nonetheless.

"With everything in my power, I will," he vowed solemnly.

My gran smiled with satisfaction, before rising from her chair.

"Good! Now, as much as I love to have you here, I have an unpleasant group headed this way. I'll create a diversion. You better hurry out."

The cups ad teapots flew out into the kitchen, as we gathered our things. She led us at the back of the house quietly, before letting us out through the garden door.

"Be careful, my dear," she whispered as we hugged goodbye. "Always remember, you are a Ravenclaw!" she whispered proudly, before letting me go – just as Charlie grabbed my hand for an exit sprint.

If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind.