Ginny pretended to be asleep when Reyallia Parkinson came in to say goodnight to her daughter. Reyallia kissed her daughter goodnight and tucked her into bed before leaving the room.

Moments later, Peony asked, "You're not asleep, are you, Estella?"

"No," answered the older girl. "I'm going out tonight with the twins, and I don't want anyone following us."

"Where are you going?" Peony asked, sitting up and looking at her cousin.

"Hogwarts," Estella answered.

Peony was horrified. "What about the dementors?" she asked worriedly.

Ginny grinned. "We're not going in the typical way. Hopefully, the way we go, we won't meet any dementors. Okay." She hopped out of bed and grabbed her cloak and a couple other items. "I'll be back in a few hours." She grinned at Peony and left the room quietly.

Estella scurried through the house until she came to the door, finding the twins waiting in the shadows as they had said they would. Samantha looked scared, Brianna looked excited, and both of them were holding small bundles. "Ready?" Brianna whispered, a grin on her face.

With a nod, Estella stepped forward and opened the front door, guiding them out into the cold, snowy night. "Hands," she said, holding out her own with a shiver. They grasped her hands and she disapparated.

They arrived on the streets of Hogsmeade, shivering in the cold. "Where to?" Estella asked. "Hogwarts? I can apparate you directly into the Chamber."

"No," Brianna said, "although that'd be cool."

"Hurry," Samantha said, tracking quickly through the snow and leading Ginny. Brianna followed behind, covering up their tracks. Samantha finally stopped in front of the Shrieking Shack and waited for her twin. "Get inside," she said, wrenching the door open. "Stand right inside and wait for us."

"But—!" protested Ginny, knowing that it was supposed to be haunted.

"Go!" hissed Samantha, giving her a push as Brianna came up, walking backward and getting rid of the tracks.

The instant Brianna and Samantha stepped inside, Ginny felt a spell hit her in the back and felt her body change strangely. She shrank mysteriously, and found herself a foot from the floor. Looking around in shock, Ginny realized that her hands were paws. "Hckkkkk!" she hissed at the twins, realizing they must have somehow transfigured her.

Samantha grinned at her. "You're an adorable cat," she said, and Ginny hissed at her angrily, jumping forward to scratch her when she lost her balance and landed, sprawled on the floor.

The twins laughed softly together, then said, "Follow us once we've transformed." Brianna became a large black dog, and Samantha became a smaller, but not too small, grey wolf. Ginny meowed in fright, but both the dog and the wolf huffed at her, and she hurried after them, down the steps and through the passage.

In the small, dark room at the bottom, a huge black dog, slightly larger than Brianna, bounded out of the shadows and greeted the wolf and the dog by bowling them over. The wolf snapped at it irritably, but Brianna yipped excitedly and chased the other dog around for a few minutes of rough-and-tumble play.

Finally, Brianna transformed just as the dog jumped on her, laughing up into the dog's face as he had her pinned down. "Hey," she said to him. "Nice boy. Come off it now. Look; we brought a friend."

The dog jumped off of Brianna and bounded over to Ginny, who darted under one of the cots in terror. "Estella, come out!" sighed Brianna, getting down on her hands and knees beside the bed. "No, Si—puppy, get off!" She shoved the dog away when he tried to jump on her. She pulled out the cat, who clawed her arm, drawing blood. "Ow!" cried Brianna. "Estella, you bitch!"

Samantha transformed and took the terrified cat into her arms. "Oh, shhh," she hushed Ginny when she began to meow, indignant and terrified.

"This is Ron's sister, of a sort," Brianna said. "Kind of. Although she was adopted. Sort of. Anyway, we did confirm that the rat is an Animagus. And her serpent said the same thing—that the rat had magic and wasn't to be eaten."

The dog barked, and Ginny jumped, startled. "Put your claws in," Samantha told Ginny, who looked astonished at the command. "That hurts!"

"We told her that the real culprit was the rat, but she really didn't understand," Brianna said, tilting her head and looking at the dog. "But anyway, we brought you food. Warm food straight from our family's Christmas feast. It's excellent."

The dog nodded to Samantha and Ginny, and Brianna said, "Better keep a tight hold on her." Samantha made sure that Ginny was held firmly, and nodded with a grin.

The dog sat up, then began to transform, and Ginny stared in shock as a full grown man appeared before them. He was tall, dark-haired, and rather shabby-looking, and seemed to have been very handsome some time before the present.

Realisation set in, and Ginny yowled in horror, setting up a horrible racket.

"Oh, stop it," growled the man. "Where's that food, then?"

"Here," Brianna answered, leaving her twin to cope with the yowling ginger cat. She pulled out one of the bundles and opened it to reveal some of the wonderful dishes that they had feasted on in the Parkinson dining room.

The man did not speak, but began to eat without saying a word. The twins turned to the cat and finally transfigured it back into their cousin Ginny. She glared at them wordlessly, then glanced at the man in a worried curiousity.

Brianna seated herself on the cot beside the man, keeping away from the food. "This is the feared Sirius Black," she told Ginny with a shrug. "He's returned to bring justice to the real traitor."

Ginny was terribly confused and scared that the twins were going to be in huge trouble if they were found out. Samantha sighed. "Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper for Harry's parents. It was another mutual friend they had—no longer mutual, I'm afraid. But when Sirius tried to confront this other one about his betrayal, he framed Sirius for something he hadn't done, and got away scot-free."

"Peter?" said Ginny, speaking for the first time. "That's Ron's rat? He's had it for years! And Percy before him!"

"Ever since Sirius was incarcerated," Brianna answered. "Before that, no. Sirius believes Peter knew he would seek revenge."

"Who wouldn't?" Ginny asked. "But is that the whole story?"

"The jist," Brianna shrugged. "We'll tell you the whole in detail later. But really, Sirius is innocent, Ginny. Really, he is."

Ginny kept watching Sirius, who was ignoring her, and glanced at Samantha, who seemed very nervous. Brianna seemed to be thrilled with the fact that she was sitting next to the notorious escapee from Azkaban, grinning slightly. Finally, Brianna pulled out a blanket from the bundle and said, "I brought you a blanket so that it'll be warmer in here, and—" she bit her lip and pulled out a set of black robes. "I brought you some better robes, too."

"Those look like Death Eater robes," Ginny said without thinking, and the man looked up at her for the first time, momentarily forgetting the food.

"How would you know about that, girl?" he scoffed. "You're much too young to recall that. In fact, you were probably born after the war was over!"

Ginny nodded, her ears turning red. "But I've seen the robes—I don't remember where, though."

Samantha snorted. "Meretta wears them all the time," she said. "That's probably where."

"So you've met her?" Sirius asked with a slight sneer. "Did she shriek at you, too? I'd imagine her shrieking at her own daughter."

"Well, she's not the kindest person ever," Ginny sighed. "She's the most opinionated, bad-mouthed woman ever."

"If you'd met my mother," Sirius muttered, and the twins glanced at each other, "you wouldn't say that."

"I haven't met very many of your family," Ginny said. "Well, at least the ones you'd know the best. I did meet Nymphadora this year for the first time."

Sirius looked surprised. "Andromeda's daughter?" he asked. Ginny nodded, twisting her mouth in distaste. "Oh, stop," he snapped at her. "How is she doing? What is she up to now? How old is she? It's been so long—"

Brianna thought fast. "She was eight when you left, I think, and so she would be...about twenty years old, maybe close to twenty one."

"She's an Auror now," Ginny sighed. "I met her in Knockturn one night, and she knew I wasn't my mother, as the others had mistaken me to be. She's doing fine, I think."

"Does she remember me?" Sirius asked, seeming concerned.

"I don't know," Ginny answered, then pointed to the food. "That's going to get cold."

Sirius was well-distracted, and continued to eat as if half-starved. Brianna smiled and said, "We should get going, girls. Sirius, there's more food and another blanket in the other bundle. Merry Christmas, Sirius."

He snorted. "What's merry about it?"

Brianna shook her head and stood up. "You poor thing." Her shoulder brushed his as she stood. "I'll be back, at least. I can't say the same for these two. But if they turn, I'll obliviate them." She glared at the two fiercely.

The man looked at her, but said nothing, merely motioning for the three of them to leave. The twins filed past him, but Ginny stood and looked at him for a minute. "Why didn't anyone ever know?" she asked him.

"Because I didn't trust my friends enough to tell them what was going on with me," Sirius answered. "—and because I didn't get a trial."

Ginny bit her lip and followed the twins back out onto the snowy streets of Hogsmeade. She was silent as she took their hands and apparated back to the Parkinson home. The twins walked into the house with her, then hugged her tightly and headed to their room. Ginny sneaked into her and Peony's room, changed into pajamas, and crawled into bed. She lay there, wondering what on earth was going to happen to Sirius Black.

When the Christmas break was over, all the family gathered in front of the Floo with the girls and their trunks to see them off. Megan hugged her parents tightly and went through the Floo, and Cherea followed. The twins went next, and Estella hugged Anthony, Naridia, Ramea, and Peony tightly before walking into the flame and beginning to whirl through the Floo Network.

The opening to the Slytherin Common Room whirled ever closer, and Estella aimed for it, but seemed to collide with something before she and the object were forced through the opening into the Slytherin Common Room!

She landed on someone on the floor, and someone shouted. A boy laughed, and someone was struggling to get free from her. Estella looked down to see a blonde boy pinned to the floor. "Hi, Draco," she giggled in amusement.

"Get off!" he hissed at her. "I'll tell my father about this!"

"You will?" she giggled harder. "Oooh! Scary!"

He struggled, and she wrestled to keep him down. "I bet your parents shut the Floo right after you came through," Estella said through a huge grin as Draco got to his feet and dashed toward the fireplace. "Even if you tried to fire-call them, you'd only get a bloody nose."

Pritch, who was lounging near the fireplace with a notebook, sat up slightly. "Sorry, Malfoy. Meris has to come through, and then we're expecting others to come in. You can't fire-call right now." He glanced at Estella, who was still grinning. "You can curse her, though. I won't stop you."

Meris stepped out of the fireplace just as Draco drew his wand and turned on Estella. "Draco, what are you doing?" he said in surprise. "What's she done now?"

The twins hushed him, then moved him away from the fireplace and explained what was happening. Draco threw a curse at Estella, and she rolled away from it, getting to her feet. "Just don't destroy the Common Room," Pritch admonished Draco.

"I'm sorry I flattened you," Estella said, darting behind a chair and jumping in alarm when it burst into flame from Draco's wand. "I didn't mean to fall out of the Floo on top of you. But I think you should learn how to deal with your own problems without running to Daddy Malfoy—once upon a time, he's not going to be there for you, you know."

Estella darted from place to place, and Megan and Cherea put out the fires that Draco was starting on all the chairs. Finally, Draco managed to hit Estella with a Trip Jinx. She turned over and lay there, looking up at the business end of Draco's wand. "Any last words?" he sneered, then stared at her in astonishment when she burst out laughing.

"You are hilarious, Draco," she giggled, trying to catch her breath. "But let me warn you, I meant what I said about your father. Here." She reached into her left pocket and pulled out something that looked like candy. "Have a peace treat."

Draco glared at her for a moment, then reached down and took the treat, walking away from her. The twins, Megan, and Cherea gathered around the girl on the floor, Pansy having already gone up to her dorm. Estella got to her feet and began to walk toward the door out of the Common Room when an unusual sound came from behind the girls, and Samantha shrieked.

Estella turned around and saw a very angry kangaroo hopping toward them, intent on some sort of mischief. She shrieked with laughter and shouted, "Wheezes!" She made a beeline for the door, escaping at a run down the dungeon corridors. The angry kangaroo couldn't keep up.

When she entered the Gryffindor Common Room, she saw Harry sitting between Fred and George, the twins talking very fast. They looked up and grinned at her, motioning her over while whispering a few last things to Harry. "How was your Christmas?" they asked her when she sat down on the arm of one of their chairs.

"Wonderful," Ginny grinned at them happily. "Tested your Kanga Crunches."

"How did they work?" the twins demanded as one. "What happened?"

"Well, he was a rather large, bouncy kangaroo," Ginny said, and Harry began to laugh, "but he wasn't impressed, and he tried to kick me, like Percy. But I ran off before he could get me. He thought it was candy I gave him as a peace treaty—I'd just been teasing him about his father."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Ginny shrugged. "Some blonde Slytherin," she answered. "We collided in the Floo on the way back to school, and I landed on top of him when we fell through the grate. He tried to curse me and set a couch or two on fire."

The twins and Harry laughed, and George asked, "Do you have anymore of them left?"

"No," Ginny answered with a shrug, and the twins frowned at her.

"We gave you more than one," the boys said scoldingly. "What did you do with them?"

"I gave one to Mum," she said with a meaningfully wicked smile.

The twins were horrified. "You didn't!"

Ginny shrugged. "I did. Hopefully it won't get her hurt or anything."

"Ginny!" the two boys cried together. "She's gonna kill us!"

"She won't," Ginny grinned. "She'll just be mad at me—if she realises that it was I who put them in her pocket."

"Maybe it'll inspire her to become a kangaroo Animagus," Harry chuckled, and the three Weasleys laughed even harder, knowing that Harry was thinking of Molly Weasley instead of Meretta Parkington.

"She couldn't," Fred said.

"Never," agreed George. "Simply not in her. But we thought maybe we could help give people the feeling."

Harry grinned. "Right."

A door slammed and Ginny turned to see Ron come out of the boys' dorm. She whirled around and hurried to the girls' dorm, getting out of sight as fast as she could.

Estella went down to the Chamber a few nights later, slightly bored. She had decided to watch a couple scenes in the Security Room of the Chamber. She went to the middle of the room and said, "Great Hall."

The room grew larger, and instantly, it seemed to Ginny that she was standing in the Great Hall, surrounded by the House tables and the high table. Someone was standing near the Hufflepuff table, and Ginny ducked behind the nearest table, Gryffindor, before remembering that they couldn't see her. She then strode down through the House tables toward the person.

"It's Neville," she muttered to herself. "What on earth is he doing? He's a bit too scared of his own shadow to be out of bed at this hour."

Estella hopped up and sat down on the edge of the Hufflepuff table, watching the doors. Glancing over at the door the teachers usually entered from she saw Meris Lestrange was walking forward into the room! Estella gaped at the sight, staring as the younger boy slipped over toward Neville and hissed, "What are you doing in here?"

Neville jumped in shock, and Meris laughed in his face. Neville glared at the boy, and Meris shrugged. "Come on; let's go somewhere less conspicuous." The Lestrange led the older boy toward a panel in the wall, and the panel slid open, Estella staring at it in surprise.

Shaking her head, Estella said, "Meris Lestrange and Neville Longbottom: Lock."

Meris led Neville along til they came to a small room, and sat down in chairs, across from each other. "You wanted to see me?" Meris asked Neville calmly, and Estella blinked in surprise.

Neville gulped and nodded. "What—what do you know—about—about what happened—?"

"I wasn't there," said Meris coolly. "I wasn't even a year old. How should I know anything?"

"Your mum—did she—tell you anything?" Neville asked in a barely audible voice.

"Why do you want to know?" Meris asked him. "You know the story, Longbottom."

Neville drew his hand across his eyes, bowing his head. "I want you to tell it," he choked.

Estella shook her head. "Why would he do that? Why torture himself with the story of it?"

Meris sighed and sat back in the chair. "It was not because of Crucio alone that your parents were sent to St. Mungo's, Longbottom. Years ago, just after the Dark Lord had fallen, the Aurors were rounding up the known Death Eaters. Karkaroff had just betrayed a large number of Death Eaters, and two that he betrayed happened to be a husband and wife team."

The younger boy smirked at the look on Neville's face. "Oh, not Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Oh, no. They and Father were quite well-known; they had no need of betrayal. I am speaking of the Parkingtons."

Estella shrieked in horror as Meris went on. "These two were a young couple with a brand new baby—the Ministry decided to target them. The three Parkingtons were trapped in their house, but when a chance came, they fled and left the baby alone in the house, never returning. She was about four months old when they left, and she's a couple months older than me. But anyway, when the Aurors had broken into the house, they found the child crying in her crib."

"What's that got to do—?" Neville began angrily.

"Your parents," interrupted Meris forcefully, "were there. Your mother went to the child and picked it up to cuddle and quiet it without thinking. The child's mother, Meretta, had placed a dangerous Dark curse on the baby to protect it. That Curse was transferred to your parents, although they had no idea."

"What did it do?" Neville asked cautiously.

Meris looked at the older boy for a moment, then answered, "It was supposed to cause insanity at the moment of the seventh Crucio."

"What?!" gasped Estella and Neville at the same time.

"There is a ritual," Meris said, not looking at Neville, "that purebloods used to use a while ago. It is a Death ritual in which seven Crucios are used; and then the Killing Curse is used. This curse of insanity was to be used before the seven Curses so that they victim or victims would become insane instead of be killed."

Meris finally looked straight at Neville. "It was not random chance that they chose your parents to torture, Longbottom," he said coldly. "Bellatrix and Meretta were very close—well, as close as two Death Eaters can be. Meretta probably asked Bellatrix to take revenge on your family for stealing her daughter and taking her to the Ministry-run orphanage."

Estella sat down on the floor in the room. "It's my fault?" she whimpered. "It's my fault—what am I to do?"

"When your parents were attacked," Meris said to Neville, leaning forward, "the Death Eaters brought down the wards to the house first. The two Aurors came out, firing curses, but the Lestranges forced them back into the house and Barty Jr. followed. The torture began in the living room, and each of the Lestranges did two different versions of Crucio on them. The three of them sent the seventh Crucio together, causing your parents' insanity."

"Didn't Crouch help?" asked Neville in confusion. "And what do you mean, 'versions'?"

Meris' eyes darkened. "He was innocent of the crime. He was there, but he did not do a single Curse. And there are seven different versions of the Cruciatus Curse. Each of them was used on both your mother and father."

Neville couldn't seem to understand it. "But Crouch was sent to Azkaban too!" he said. "Why, if he was innocent—and he died there!"

"Innocence will get you killed," Meris said simply. "He should not have been there that night—the Aurors were already after the Lestranges, but after your parents' torture, the Aurors stopped at nothing to find the three Lestranges."

"He was sent to Azkaban, but he was innocent!" protested Neville.

Meris rolled his eyes. "Aren't you listening?" he demanded. "Look. Barty's father presided over the Lestranges' trial. Mother says that she's certain the only reason there was a trial was so that Crouch Sr. could publicly shame and disown his son before locking him away forever. Innocence did not matter to Crouch the Grouch. Junior had the Dark Mark, and his father was so embarrassed that he had the boy locked away for the rest of his life—all of one year!"

"He only lived one year in Azkaban?" she gasped. "He must have been really young when he died!"

"That's not right," Neville said indignantly. "He shouldn't have been punished like they were!"

"Perhaps not," Meris agreed, his voice icy. "But it is done."

"And that's everything?" Neville asked with a frown.

Meris shrugged. "Well, there's a few little things I left out," he said. "For example, Bellatrix and Junior had a screaming argument over whether you should be left alive or not. Obviously Bellatrix won." He grinned at Neville, who gaped at him in amazement. "Yes, Junior thought they should finish off the family. I don't know why Bellatrix was against it, but Mother said that Father said she was quite fierce about it, cursing Junior against the wall before they left the house."

Neville didn't comment, seeming speechless, and Meris continued, "My father came to my mum that night and told her that he was going to be going to prison. Mum didn't know how he knew, but when he told her the story, she cried and begged him to go into hiding. He wouldn't." Meris looked down at his hands on his lap. "He was arrested at that house days later. The Aurors already had Rodolphus and Bellatrix."

"And you were born after your father had been sent to prison, weren't you?" Neville asked.

"No, I was born in October and they were incarcerated in January," Meris replied. "Mum had a hard time, but she survived, and we've both made it, down through the years."

"Do you expect to ever see your father?" Neville asked the other boy.

Meris looked up at Neville, cautious. "If the Dark Lord returns, as Aunt Bellatrix said, then undoubtedly I shall."

Neville sighed, then got up out of his chair. "Th—thanks," he said quietly, then left the room, heading back down the passageway.

"Meris Lestrange: Lock," Estella said, and the room stayed on Meris Lestrange. "Neville Longbottom: Lock." Estella was in the Chamber once again, seeing the two boys from different perspectives. Neville was heading back toward Gryffindor, and Meris was heading for a passageway that would take him deep into the dungeons before it led into the corridor before the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

After a few twists and turns through the corridors, Neville ran straight into the prefect on patrol. "Longbottom?" came a surprised voice. Percy Weasley pushed Neville away from himself and frowned. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

Neville stammered and stuttered, but in essence, said nothing. Percy was just motioning Neville to follow him when someone appeared behind them. "Longbottom!" hissed the man. "Weasley!" It was Professor Snape.

Neville squeaked and jumped, but Percy merely turned and looked at the professor. "Yes, Professor Snape?" he asked respectfully.

"What are you doing with him?" Snape asked coldly.

"Taking him to Professor McGonagall," Percy answered, his expression never wavering.

"I will deal with Longbottom," Snape said curtly, dismissing Percy with a wave of his hand. Neville looked terrified, but Percy turned and left without a backward glance. "Detention," Snape told Neville, a cruel smirk on his face. "Tomorrow evening. Eight. My office. Now get to your dorm before I give you a week's detention!"

Neville was off like a shot, and Snape quickly disappeared from view. Meris was just entering the Slytherin Common room, and found Pansy and Draco in the Common Room, talking together. Draco whirled to face the door, and scowled at Meris. "If you—" he began, but Meris stopped him.

"I saw nothing," Meris said, holding his hands up and walking straight into the boys' dorm without glancing at them again. He began to get ready for bed, and Estella giggled, quickly putting an end to that viewing.