A/N I don't know what demon wiggled its way into my Word program, but I swear I'm not seeing all these funky things in here that end up on the ffnet website. I have no idea what's causing it and hopefully re-uploading (plus the corrections Muffin is good enough to yell at me about) will solve the problem.

"You know who I need to talk to?" I ask rhetorically of a pajama-clad Pirhanis some four days later. He lifts an eyebrow and waits for me to spit it out. "I need to speak with Sirius Black."

Pirhanis' eyes crinkle in amusement. "I can see why you would want to, but why specifically?" He takes another bite of his cereal. We are in the Great Hall for breakfast. I've taken to sitting with my cousin as Snape wants nothing to do with me. Since we are no longer warping into each other's beds, I have gotten my own room and we are expertly ignoring one another.

"He's the only other person to spend an extended time in Azkaban and still be sane. And he almost had his soul sucked out." I sigh and Pirhanis looks downcast at the mention of my time in the prison.

"Well, that is true. He would be the one to talk to, I suppose." Pirhanis pokes at the cereal experimentally. "Which leaves getting there. I don't know that I can teleport; we haven't actually been there after all." Pirhanis chews reflectively. "I suppose we have to find an Order member to take us there."

I snort. "And with Dumbledore off at the Ministry again, the only one here is Snape. Of course."

"Of course." Pirhanis grins. "I think I will have some fun with this."

Snape resolutely ignores Pirhanis as the other professor slides up behind him. He continues to set the wards on the Potions Classroom so that he can leave back to his apartments and merrily drink the night away. The slyly grinning teen has other plans.

"Professor, if I might have a word?" Pirhanis asks the other. Snape ignores him. Pirhanis' eyes gleam. "As Dumbledore is gone, I was thinking you might help me with a little problem?"

Snape sneers at the shorter human, taking in the new goatee and not-quite-right summoned robes in a glance. "What makes you think that I will help you with anything?" He says coolly.

"Well, I need to see Sirius Black…"

"Why do you think I know where that convict is?" Snape snarls.

"Tisk tisk. He was cleared of all charges. However, I believe that he is still residing at the Headquarters. Am I correct?" Pirhanis asks lightly, glint in his eye.

"I don't know what you are speaking of." Snape hisses.

"Oh, well… I thought you were a member, perhaps you got kicked out?" Pirhanis grins. Snape glares. "I suppose I will have to find someone else from the Order of the Phoe…"

"Don't say another word." Snape emphasizes this with the point of his wand under Pirhanis' chin. "You don't know what you are talking about. I'm not taking you anywhere."

Pirhanis uses the end of one finger to move the wand away to harmlessly point over his shoulder. "Well, if you won't take me I guess I could get Harry to show me where it is. I could chance teleporting."

"Teleport where, you fool?" Snape growls.

"Why to number twelve grim…" A silencing hex hits him full in the face. Pirhanis looks vaguely irritated.

Snape looks furious. "How do you… never mind."

Pirhanis mouths, "So you'll take me then?" Looking disgusted, Snape nods and casts the counter-spell. "Alright then. Aimry, lets go." I walk from around the corner sheepishly, picking at my borrowed school robes. Snape simply ignores me, finishes locking the classroom and leads the way to the edge of the anti-apparation wards. Still without speaking he transports us to the doorstep of number 12, Grimwauld Place.

I open my mouth and get out "Than…" before he disApparates. "k you." I sigh. "Well, I guess that leaves getting inside." I mutter. I knock on the door and wait. The man who answers the door is not a walking skeleton nor walking sex. He is simply a man, one looking, at the moment, rather tired and suspicious.

"Who are you?" asks Sirius Black. I stand and stare at him uselessly.

"Pirhanis Valrac Mahosama, at your service." Pirhanis says with a smile and a short bow. "And this is my cousin Aimry." He gestures to me. "She wanted to speak about your… shared experiences."

Sirius still looks suspicious. "How did you get here?"

I speak softly. "Snape brought us here but he didn't stick around very long…"

"How do I know that you are who you say you are?" Sirius' eyes narrow.

"We're here for one." Says Pirhanis, irritated. "Not just anyone can see your door." Black is not convinced. Pirhanis rolls his eyes. "What can we do to convince you?" he asks.

"You two can shape-shift I hear. Let's see it." Pirhanis shrugs and, like a cloth drape falling off his features, is once again a dark elf. Sirius looks at me. "You too."

I fidget. "Since Azkaban I… can't," I mutter. "I don't really have any energy yet, even though it has been some days." I look up into Sirius' face then, looking straight into his eyes, something I had avoided since seeing him. I see the same deep hurt in there that I can feel in mine, that loss of something that only prolonged contact with a Dementor can give. Sirius steps inside. "Welcome to my humble abode." He smirks sarcastically. Immediately upon crossing the threshold the shrieks become audible.

"Betrayers! Ungratefull! Curse upon our house you are Sirius! Bringing the infidels…" The painting trails off uncertainly as she spies Pirhanis. "What manner of foul creature are you?" She asks the elf.

"I am a dark elf, madam." He bows ironically to the portrait.

She sniffs. "My nephew has some sense then. I can feel the dark power in your veins."

"Why thank you." Pirhanis smirks.

"But you!" she rounds on me. "Muggle filth!! Trash! Corruptor of the Pure!" I attempt to protest, but am drowned out. "Destruction upon you!" Sirius hurries us past the painting and slams a door on the shrieks.

"That was the quietest she's ever been with a visitor." Sirius says suspiciously. "What did she mean about the 'dark power?'"

Pirhanis changes back to his normal, human self. "That form is inherently Dark. She can sense that, apparently. I'm not really an evil creature. Well, not very evil anyway." Pirhanis smirks. "No more than any Slytherin I suppose."

"All Slytherins are, of course, good for nothing but evil." Black goads.

Pirhanis just smiles. "I'm going to have a look around your house, then. See if there are any Dark Creatures I can use for my class. You two have a nice chat." He exits through the door we came in, giving a burst of sound before it swings shut again.

Black and I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. I glance around and identify it as the kitchen. "Tea?" Black asks.

"Oh, no thanks." I answer. We stand, not looking at each other. After a long, awkward time, I finally burst out: "How can you sleep at night? I mean, the nightmares…" I trail off. Sirius turns to look me in the eye.

I think that he isn't going to answer, but finally he manages, "It is hard. Especially at first. Pensieves only help a little, it is the feeling that haunts you. You can't take that out of your mind." He sighs. "Let's sit down." Facing across from each other at the kitchen table, we exchange stories. "I would sit on the hard, cold stone… you know what it's like… the only thing that was in my mind was revenge. It was hard." Sirius rubs his eyes.

"I was only there for a month, but you must have heard that I'm immortal, as it were. They could… kiss me… as many times as they wanted, without me dying." We both shudder. We don't have to say more. Our experiences fill in the rest.

"You have a strong will to last through all that." He says finally.

"Well, I didn't, exactly. After a while it was too much. I sort of… shoved myself into Snape after the first week or so."

A twinkle enters Sirius' eyes. "Serves the greasy git right."

"How so?" I ask, amused.

"Just for being him. Always sticking that over-large nose of his into other people's business."

I try to defend him. "It's not that, exactly… I mean, that is part of it, but he just seems to attract trouble to him."

Sirius leans forward conspiringly. "What always drove me to pick on him is how he overreacts to everything. He's so…"

I laugh. "Prickly."

"Yes." Sirius smiles.

"That is exactly what I told him, the last thing I told him before we stopped talking, actually." I feel sad again. "I abuse that poor man so much…"

"Don't worry about him, he's a grown man."

I snort. "But he's so damn sensitive."

Sirius laughs at the ceiling, head thrown back. "That he is. But you didn't come here to talk about my old schoolmate."

"No. It's just hard talking about the… other." I sigh.

"I know." Sirius' brow furrows briefly. His eyes focus on me again. "I know a spell that you can use." I open my hands, displaying my lack of a wand. "That isn't a problem. I learned it from Dumbledore before I got my new wand. I'll teach it to you."

Pirhanis pokes into another closet. So far he hasn't encountered anything but a pair of doxies. He had been willing to leave them be except they had bitten him. The resulting explosion of doxie-bits was entirely their own fault. Pirhanis gives it up as a bad job. Apparently someone had been very thorough in getting all the interesting items removed from the house. He sits down on one of the beds and flops onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. He would leave, but he knows that I would have no way to get back if he did. He sighs and breaks out a book. "Spells Through the Ages" had been nicked from the school library earlier that week. And by nicked, of course, we do not mean 'checked out.'

"Thank you for showing me that spell, Sirius. I feel much better knowing it."

"Not a problem." Sirius smiles. "It was nice speaking with you. I also have need of someone with the shared… experience sometimes. Feel free to visit again." He offers his hand, and I shake it.

"I don't suppose you could show me your dog form?" I ask. Instead of replying, Sirius melts and reforms into a rather bedraggled black dog. He's slightly larger than Deritine and much more handsome with a shiny dark pelt. I reach out a hand, and when he doesn't move away, I stroke his head experimentally. The coat is soft, like a mix between a lab and a golden retriever. I absently start picking at a mat behind his ear. I've had dogs with long hair, if you don't catch the mats early there is nothing to do but shave it off. I sit on the ground and the dog climbs into my lap. I get the one I'm working on resolved and move to the other ear. With a great shuddering sigh the big black dog relaxes.

I have just about worked the other one out when Pirhanis enters the kitchen. He watches, amused for a second before clearing his throat. I turn around and look up at him. "Ready to go?" he asks.

"Just one second. I've almost got the mat out."

Pirhanis rolls his eyes. "You have an unhealthy obsession with that."

"Among other things." I grin back.

"Touche. But I think if you were to switch your other, this one might be less hard to manage." Pirhanis smirks.

"What?" I ask.

"If you were to give up on Snape and focus on Sirius, I mean."

I blink and remember that the dog whose nose is poking the underside of my knee is not, in fact, a dog. I blush faintly. "Oh." I finish with the knot and drop my hands. With a great sigh, the dog sits up and resumes his human form.

"Thank you for taking care of those, they've been bugging me for months. You would think that if I brushed my hair it would transfer over, but it doesn't." He yawns.

I pretend that I hadn't completely forgotten he was a man and nod. "No problem." I think my blush might be giving it away, though.

"We should get going. It's late." Pirhanis says.

Sirius' eyes twinkle. "You could spend the night."

Pirhanis smirks. "Well, I have class tomorrow, but you can stay, Aimry."

I feel a brief moment of panic. "That's alright. I'd rather go back. I have things I need to do." And I'm not certain I'm enjoying the looks Sirius is sending my way. Alright, who am I kidding, I'm definitely enjoying them, but don't really want to deal with them.

Sirius looks rather disappointed. "Well, come back if you can." He stands up and offers me a hand, which I accept. He pulls me to my feet. "It gets rather lonely in here."

I'm standing rather close to him and take a step back. "Isn't Lupin here?" I ask.

Sirius looks confused. "Why would he be here? He has a job in Ireland."

"Oh." I say, intelligently.

"Besides, he's not the kind of company that I was talking about." I flush.

Pirhanis crosses his arms impatiently. "If you're coming, let's go." I cough nervously and grab Pirhanis' hand. "Incoming TP." He mutters. Then we are back in Hogwarts. "I guess that guy doesn't see many people. Or at least, many women." He smirks at me. "I can't see any other reason for him hitting on you."

A spark of anger flashes behind my eyes. "I'll show you hitting in a minute!" I hiss, running after the retreating dark elf with fists raised. He laughs as I follow him down the hall.

Against my better judgment, I find myself explaining the whole visit to Deritine.

"And then we left." I finish lamely.

Deritine looks at me askance. "You left? That guy was practically begging for you to sleep with him."

I glare at my subconscious. "I don't know that for sure."

Deritine scoffs. "Of course you do. You should have taken him up on his offer."

I fidget. "I feel like I'm being disloyal."

"To who? Snape? That bastard that refuses to even acknowledge that you exist? You've never going to get any from him."

"Not everything revolves around getting laid." I say, annoyed.

"If you didn't want to be convinced it is, then you wouldn't be talking to me. You know what I'm like." He smirks at me. "If you're not going to take him up on his offer, then I might just have to."

I stare at him. "I don't think Sirius swings that way." I settle on at last.

He grins. "No worries. I learned how to change my sex. Look." With that the young man turns into… a young woman. Unfortunately, she does not change her clothing, leaving me to be flashed by very well-endowed breasts.

"Argh! Put those away!" I shield my eyes. "Point proven, please turn back."

"As you desire." Says a feminine voice. "Done." Says the male Deritine. I look over at him.

"When did you learn to do that?"

"Almost right after I ran out of new girls willing to partner with me."

"Oh gods, I've created a monster." I say into my hands.

"Technically, it was Voldemort. But I'm grateful all the same." Deritine smiles. "Well, at the very least, you should give the poor mutt a grooming. I know how I get if not brushed out every couple days and my hair isn't even that long. I have plenty of male and female groupies just dying to help me out, but I doubt that an ex-con, no matter how cleared his name is, is as lucky. Wait here for a second." I lie back against the wall of the tower where we have been talking. The cool stone feels nice against my back. It is always embarrassing talking to walking hormones, but at least they are not longer my walking hormones. Deritine comes back with a few things in his hand. "Here you go. One sheddy brush, one slicker, one rake and a mat-buster. And for a little extra fun…" He hands me dog shampoo. "I bet he's taken a shower since Azkaban, but his doggie self probably hasn't." He smirks. "Maybe if you can regain yours you can take turns."

I snatch the shampoo from his hand. I would like to just growl at him, but he really has done something nice. "Thank you."

Reling tastes the air along the corridor. Something is not right. His magical senses tell him that something is going to happen, and happen soon. But how soon? He has been alive a long time and his premonitions can be from anywhere in the next hour to the next month. But he gets the sense that it is sooner rather than later. Something is gathering… no, two somethings. And neither are very nice. One he recognizes and hisses at it impotently. The other is different and he cannot place it. Finishing up his midnight patrols he passes one of the ones that smells other… a female, he thinks. I sneak by him, not noticing him at all. Reling hisses to himself at the folly of humans… and things like humans. He courses from the Slytherin dungeons back up to the Griffindor rooms. He slithers under Harry's covers and curls up under his night shirt. Harry grumbles at the cold briefly before settling back to sleep. It seems that tonight he will not be having a nightmare after all. It seems that the Dark Lord's plans are too involved to leave time for him to torture anyone. Or try to send Harry a dream. Reling is glad, even though he knows it is another sign that his premonition is soon to be true. Screams in the night do not make for restful sleeping, and they will all need their strength soon.

I pass by the snake without noticing it and continue along to the Potions room. In the middle of the night it had hit me like the ground after a fall off the Tour Eiffel. Like Vanyl in the second book, I'm no longer physically tired, I'm magically tired. My body is regaining weight and strength, but my magical abilities are still starved. I haven't been feeding them. I push open the door to the classroom with ease. It seems the wards aren't keyed to me. I wonder at that briefly before shrugging. Without magic I can't light the room or the burners, but I find a magically charged flame set in one of the cabinets. Usually used for throw-away spells where precise heat doesn't matter, it works for my purposes. I gather ingredients and start to make a potent variation on a Pepper Up potion. Unlike my previous green goo, this relies more on the ingredients, as I have no magical energy to give it.

I finish three hours later with a reddish purple potion. I designed it not to give energy, per say, but more as a kick in the pants for my magical production. I take a sip of it and feel my magic stirring. Grinning, I gulp the mixture down. It tastes foul but the joy of my returning power drowns out the nasty rotten tomato taste. At the bottom of the cauldron my strength is nearly half full and continuing to grow. I refill the little burner and put it back. I clean the cauldron out, put all the ingredients back. I sneak back out and close the door behind me.

Harry stretches and looks over to the empty bed in the corner. Last night Draco had spent the night with his father. It had been a little strange since it was a school night, but it wasn't like Draco would be off school grounds.

"Good morning Harry. How did you sssleep?"

Harry blinks. "Really well, actually."

"That isss good." Harry wraps the snake around his shoulders and heads to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth and washes his face in silence. Ron stumbles in behind him, yawning.

"Goo' mor'nin." He mutters.

Harry grunts a reply. Neville and Dean aren't far behind. Scratching his chest, Harry walks back to the room and places the snake on the bed to put his robes on. He re-wraps the snake and waits for Ron so that they can go down to breakfast. Ron exits the bathroom and they go down to the Common Room. Hermione is waiting for them but frowns when she sees that Draco is not with them. "Where is Draco?" she asks.

"The elder ferret came and took him last night. I don't know why." Ron explains, earning a half-hearted punch from Harry.

"We'll probably see him at breakfast." Harry says. This proves true. Draco sits next to the three with no comment half-way through the meal.

"How was it last night with your father?" Hermione asks. She gets a non-committal grunt in response. "What's wrong Draco?"

"Nothing." He sighs. Harry and Hermione give each other a look while Ron unconcernedly shoves eggs in his mouth.

"Draco, what is it?" Harry asks.

Draco sighs, poking at a non-offensive muffin. "Not here. I'll tell you before the first class." The other two nod.

I skip out of bed in the morning, feeling wonderful and no longer like the wrung out rag that I have for the past week. I gather the combs and the shampoo and teleport to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. I startle a boxer-clad Sirius into dropping his cup of tea. "Oh, gods, I'm sorry. I just remember this part of the house best." I smile uncertainly and stretch my hand out to the shattered porcelain and tea. It flies back together and back into my hand.

"How did you get in here?" Black asks weakly. He takes the cup when I offer it to him.

"I figured out why my powers were on the fritz last night… I was near empty and exhausted and they weren't coming back." I look at him sheepishly. "I got them back."

"But… there are anti-Apparation wards…" he trails off, confused. Then alarm springs to life on his face. "The wards are down!"

I stop him with a hand on the chest… the bare chest. I hasten to reassure him. "Your wards aren't down. I just wasn't Apparating. I was… well, teleporting I guess is the right word for it." Sirius moves toward a window and runs his wand along it anyway.

"You are right. They are intact." He looks me over with appreciation. "Amazing."

I cough. "Yes, well… all you need to do is dream too well and piss off a couple gods and you're golden." Sirius shakes his head. "Um… You are probably wondering why I'm here." I hold up the shampoo and the brushes. "I thought both our alter-egos could use a good cleaning. Azkaban is not exactly nice…" I trail off with a shudder.

"Good idea." Sirius says hurriedly, fighting the shadows behind his own eyes. "We can take turns." He adds impishly. I laugh. He grins. "There is a fountain out back we finally got to run water instead of potions. Let's go out there. The same protections are on it as are on the house. It is small, but it should do."

"Sure thing." I smile.

"My dad still has connections in the… Death Eaters. They're planning… a major offensive… for… tonight." Draco looks like every word is sticking needles into his scalp and putting thorns into his mouth.

"Where?" Hermione gasps. Draco grunts for a bit then shakes his head. Hermione frowns. "Did your father put a Closed Mouth spell on you?" she asks angrily. Draco shrugs. "He did! That jerk! How he considers himself your father I have no idea…"

"Hermione." Draco says calmly. "It doesn't matter any more. I've told you."

"Not where." Harry says irritably.

Draco sighs. "I'm leaving Hogwarts today. We are going on a vacation." He says it mechanically, like someone is using him like a puppet. "Won't it be nice to go away for the weekend?"

"But you're not safe anywhere else, why would you leave?" Ron asks, looking at his three friend's faces. The light dawns at their grim expressions. "Oh."

"They are attacking Hogwarts tonight." Harry states what they are all thinking. Draco nods helplessly. "We have to tell Dumbledore." Harry says grimly.

"But Harry, he's out on Ministry business all week." Hermione says desperately.

"My dad says there has been trouble all over London with You-Know-Who and they have to investigate it…" Ron trails off and his eyes widen.

"A diversion." Harry states grimly. Draco looks despondent, but nods.

"Who should we tell then?" Ron asks. "McGonagall never believes us when we tell her things."

Harry sighs and looks at Draco sideways. "And we should tell someone in the thing… they probably have a way of contacting Dumbledore." Draco looks puzzled.

"What thing?" he asks.

The other three shift uncomfortably. They don't know if they should tell Draco. He did use to be an enemy after all. Hermione suddenly brightens. "Harry! Your Christmas present!"

Harry beams. "Of course!" A confused Draco follows the three to Harry's bed.

I run the slicker over Black's belly one last time. It had taken a lot of efforts and some use of scissors, but all the knots are out. He is stretched out on his back with legs sticking up in the air. I pat him on the side and tell him. "All done Sirius." He flops over onto his side and stretches, putting his head on my lap again. He turns back into a human and yawns. I look down at the head on my lap and grin. "My turn, brush hog." I stand quickly and dump him on the ground. I stretch out and measure the yard. It seems large enough. I transform into my dog form and the yard stretches to accommodate my horse-sized body. Of course, it is a wizarding yard after all.

Sirius stares up at me. "You are one big bitch, that's for sure." He says. He keeps a straight face until right before my paw connects with his torso. He laughs as he falls onto his rump. "Not fair! I'm not a quarter your size! You will take forever to brush." I give him a wolfish grin and lie down on my side.

"Sirius! Sirius!" Harry calls into the little hand mirror.

Draco peers at it. "What is supposed to happen? I get the feeling this isn't it."

Hermione frowns. "No, it isn't. Where could he be? He never gets any visitors anymore. He usually is still eating breakfast now."

"Well, he's not there. Now you need to find someone else in this 'thing' you won't tell me what it is." Draco says sarcastically.

"But there isn't anyone else." Ron says quietly.

"That's not exactly true, Ron." Hermione sighs.

"Who else is there?" Ron asks.

"Professor Snape." Hermione says grimly.

"Oh this is going to go well." Draco snorts.

I hadn't been hard to groom, though there had been a few particularly nasty knots by the base of my tail. Those had been… interesting to get out. Sirius had laughed when picking at it. "Oops, didn't mean to put my hand there!" and other such actions had earned him playful nips. Now he pours the soap into the fountain and jumps in, turning to a dog right before landing in the water. I follow and the fountain grows significantly. Or maybe I shrink. Either way, Sirius and I romp through the water, spraying shampoo everywhere and generally making a huge mess.

"Damn. Why can't we have Potions today?" Hermione growls.

Ron laughs. He stops at the glare from the other two. "What? Come on, she wants to have Potions."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Under any other circumstances that would be funny. Right now it isn't." The four sit in their last class of the day. They hadn't been able to catch Snape before the first class started. Harry and Ron had been willing to run off anyway, but both Draco and Hermione had pointed out that Snape would be in class, too and would hardly be in a mood to listen to them if they cut class to talk to him. In fact, he would be more likely to dock points from the lot of them and kick them out of his classroom than listen. So they had waited through all their classes. The final bell rings and the four bolt out of Greenhouse 3 and pelt down to the dungeons.

They skid to a halt inside the Potions classroom where Snape is still sitting at the desk, sorting papers. "Professor!" They all shout as one. Snape looks up in surprise at them.

He sneers. "I suppose you four aren't here to confess breaking in last night?" They stop, mouths open, puzzled. "No, I suppose it wasn't you. You wouldn't have cleaned up after yourself and recharged the supplies. Too considerate to do that." They are still staring at him uncomprehendingly. Snape gets impatient. "Well, spit it out. Why did you four miscreants burst in here looking like the Grim itself was right behind you?"

"Professor!"

"It's horrible!"

"Hogwarts!"

"Voldemort!" they say all together.

Snape waves his hand above his head in irritation. They stop. He points to Draco. "You. Tell me." Draco opens his mouth and tries to speak.

Sweat breaks out on his face and he pants in pain.

Snape glares at Hermione. She looks defensive. "I don't know the counter-spell and couldn't find it in any of the books I had on me." She says, looking back at him defiantly.

Snape shakes his head and does a complicated wand gesture. Suddenly Draco is babbling, all the backed up words rushing out. "Myfatherhascontactsinthedeatheatersandtheytoldhimthatheywillbeattacking" he gulps in air and continues, "HogwartstonightsincetheymadetheHeadmasterandalltheMinistry" another breath, "thinktheyareattackingLondonbecauseVoldemortwantsHarryandhes" panting, Draco finishes, "figuredouttheProphecywhateverthatmeans…" Draco stops, sucking in lungfulls of air.

Snape frowns for a second to sort out what Draco said. His eyes widen. "An attack, tonight?" He asks intently.

Draco coughs. "After school is all they said. I don't know when. Dad wanted to leave right after my last class. I wasn't supposed to know, but I overheard him talking…"

Snape cuts him off. "We must contact Dumbledore now…" An explosion rocks the castle.

I stretch out in the evening sunlight. "You know, I think you're the only person in this place that belongs here and doesn't hate me." I muse.

Sirius snorts. "I doubt Dumbledore hates you."

I laugh. "If Dumbledore hated me I'd be in real trouble. He doesn't even hate Voldemort."

"I certainly feel something that is far from hate." Sirius says silkily, wiggling a bit closer.

I look down at the long skinny form stretched out beside me. "Sirius, how many girls ever visit here?" I ask.

He snorts. "Besides the ones that are underage or married, none."

I sigh. "I see."

He looks at me. "That's not the reason."

I look back at him. "Then what is?"

He looks up at the sky and sighs. "You understand what it's like. Accused wrongly. Imprisoned in that place…" he shudders.

"Yes, I suppose I do. But… Snape!" I scream.

Snape runs out of the main doors with the other teachers, giving covering fire to the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as they dive past hexes and curses from the Death Eaters below. Six of the team make it through the doors, crash landing in the main Entryway. The Keeper was hit with a curse too far away to get to. Snape calls back the teachers and few students ready to race after him. He is lost. Everyone inside, they slam the doors closed. More explosions rock the door. It won't hold very long. The teachers cast protective spells on the doors frantically. Snape looks around briefly and finds himself flanked by Harry and Co. He snorts. Of course.

"Professor, we have to contact Dumbledore!" Harry shouts.

"No time! There is simply no time!" Snape growls back. The door splinters inward and they all scramble back. Not all in time. Bodies are left as the students and teachers retreat backward. Snape looks over the Death Eaters and the blood stops in his veins. Behind them the grounds are darkened by hordes of Dementors. "Good gods, if any of us survive this day it will be a miracle."

"What is it?" Sirius asks urgently. My eyes are focused a long distance away.

"Gods… no! The Death Eaters! The Dementors! They are at Hogwarts!" I shoot upright. Sirius grabs my arm.

"Wait, we must tell Dumbledore." Sirius runs inside and I follow. He uncovers a large mirror and yells into it frantically. The haggard face of Dumbledore appears in it. "Sir…" Sirius begins.

"Hogwarts! Now! The Death Eaters are attacking now! We are leaving! Oh, gods, they are dying!" I grab the stunned Sirius and teleport right into the middle of the mess.

Pirhanis mounted on a growling Meeb rains death on the Death Eaters and Dementors. Deritine runs between them in dog form, ripping out throats and pulling undead bones. Red Goat head butts those that get to close to the screaming and panicking students as they run to the closest dorm: Ravenclaw. The students not panicking and the remaining teachers cast spells and dodge and block as best they can. Despair runs through the crowd. Casting the Patronuses keeps most of the students busy, but they are weak and almost see-through due to their fear.

Into the middle of this I land with Sirius. He ducks immediately and the stun hits me instead. I feel myself grow in size, snapping my teeth at the Death Eater who dares to cast at me. Sirius scrambles back to the Hogwarts line. "What is the situation, Snape."

Snape glares at him. "Don't be an idiot, Black." He casts a Stun in the face of a Death Eater and backs another step. "We are loosing and pulling back to Ravenclaw." Sirius looks around, scared.

I charge though the Death Eaters back to the students. I see another young student fall. He looks like my little brother. I jump over the last Death Eater and howl. My head whips forward and flames shoot out past my teeth. The Death Eaters in front of me scatter. I pause, startled. I try it again and nothing happens. A Dementor latches on with its jaws and sucks energy out of my skin. I growl and throw my head forward again, flame engulfing it. Trick figured out I turn back to the attackers and belch fire in their faces. In a pause of combat I look and find Pirhanis frantically battling off ten attackers. I bite two in half and growl at him. "Use evac, what is wrong with you?"

"I don't have it memed, the attack came so soon, they are dying Aimry!" He shouts back, tears in the corner of his eyes. "I had the spell set from my duel with Snape out.. I don't even have my new nukes." He gulps.

"I'll guard you, mem it quick!" I snap at the approaching enemy, keeping them at bay while Pirhanis looks at the book frantically.

"Got it! Incoming Evacuate! Hold on everyone!" Pirhanis disappears with most of the fleeing students. I swat a Dementor back, casting the spell from Sirius on it for maximum damage. Pirhanis pops back behind me. "Oh gods, I can't take them all at once!"

"Then do it over and over until you have them all!" I growl frantically. Another student falls. "I'll hold this position. Hurry!" Pirhanis nods.

"Incoming Evacuate again! Hold on!" Another batch of student gone. Now only the defenders are left. Pirhanis pops back. "I don't know if I can do this too many more times." He pants.

"Don't worry about us, get everyone that isn't immortal." I growl around a mouthful of Death Eater.

"Incoming Evac." Pirhanis screams. Half the defenders disappear.

"To the giant wolf!" Snape screams. I look around at the scraggly defenders. I see Harry's green eyes looking up at me, tear-filled behind the glasses. I belch flames to scatter the Death Eaters. Everyone left standing is circling me, guarding my back and hiding under my belly. I growl and bite a Death Eater in two whose slicing hex has made blood flow from my already ripped muzzle into my eyes. I shake my head to clear it.

Pirhanis is back again, pale and panting. "Evac. I think this is the last one." He disappears with everyone but Deritine, Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick and a scared Slytherin seventh year.

"Deritine, take those three with you." I shout at him. Uncharacteristically grim, he touches the three with tail, nose and a paw and disappears. That leaves only Snape and I. An Avada Kadavra knocks my head back and I see stars… a figure leaping out of my head and pulling itself back in. I grunt. "Snape, get under me and don't lose contact." I hiss. I feel him roll under my belly and grab my bloody pelt. Just before I teleport, something stops me cold. Trembling, I look up into the face of It.

"Is everyone here?" Pirhanis gasps.

"Everyone who made it." McGonagall says grimly. They all fit in the Ravenclaw Common Room and dorm easily. Something that would not have been possible even two hours ago.

"Aimry and Snape aren't back yet." Deritine pants.

"I'll go get them." Pirhanis grimaces as he tries. "Damn, out of mana."

"I'll go see what's wrong." Deritine says and winks out.

"You left me. Now you have come back." It says, petting my ravaged face.

"No…" I whisper. "No no no…"

"Oh, yes." It hisses.

Voldemort walks up to It. "Why did you help us?" He asks fiercely.

"It suits our purpose to do so." It smiles horribly. Voldemort glares at it, dubious. It turns It's attention back to me and stokes into my wounds. I wince.

"No…" I say weakly. Snape is hissing at me from under my belly, trying not to attract the attention of anyone.

Deritine drops onto my back and snaps at It. "Aimry! Snap out of it!" He leaps on It and strikes out at Voldemort.

My attention refocuses. I need to go. Go somewhere safe. Where is safe? Where? I don't know. It turns toward me again and I panic. Hogwarts winks out of existence.

Deritine warps back to the Common Room. "Where are they? I'm going to kill Aimry for just sitting there." He grins.

People stare at him. "Aimry isn't here." Pirhanis says finally.

"What? Where the hell did she go?" Deritine looks around for confirmation. Moaning students and teachers there are many, but I and Snape are nowhere to be found. An explosion rocks the doorway of the portrait.

"Oh gods, they are here!" McGonagall cries. The students scream and whimper, a hopeless sound. The door rocks again.

"Prepare to meet it!" Deritine screams, back in human form so people can understand. "Anyone who can't guard get up to the dorms!" A line forms as the wall caves in.