"Miss Coleman, good evening" said Dumbledore surprised when I entered his office. Penelope Talon followed me into the circular office. She looked around in awe, biting her bottom lip with a smile. Dumbledore's eyes fell on Penelope as she looked around. "Miss Coleman's friend…"

"Penelope Talon," she said stepping forward and holding her hand out in greeting. Dumbledore was looking between me and Penelope, obviously noticing the similarities we shared. Today, Penelope was dressed in faded blue jeans, black combat boots and a white tank top, similar to the first time I had seen her. I was wearing tight black pants, black heeled boots, and a black long sleeve peasant top. Despite our opposing taste in clothing, our faces were shaped the same, round with defined cheek bones. Her eyes were green, like mine, but up close I could see that they were lighter and bluer. Both of us had our hair down, in wavy curls; Penelope had natural blonde high lights in her brunette mess, where I did not.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Professor Dumbledore. I've heard many things about you," she said pleasantly.

"Hello," he said slowly. "You're the young woman who's been watching Gabriel's house."

"Yes," she nodded. "He worked with my Father and I wanted to find out who killed him."

"Your Father?" Dumbledore repeated. He motioned for us to sit down. I took a seat in front of the desk, but Penelope stayed standing. She was looking around the office at the photos of past Headmasters and Headmistresses.

"Thomas Nix," I said softly as I put my fingers to my lips. Dumbledore sat down behind his desk as he nodded his head in understanding. "Looking for me…"

"Why?" Dumbledore asked.

"Wanted to thank her," Penelope said. "For killing him."

Dumbledore smiled frankly. "Miss Talon, are you a Death Eater?"

"No," she shook her head. "But apparently neither side likes me very much. I hear you guys don't like me for following Gabriel and Cadence, and Crouch wants me in his office because I've killed four Death Eaters. Voldemort fancies me a hassle, so I've been hiding from some of his guys for the last couple of days."

"I brought her here because we thought you'd like to meet her. She's not interested in being a member of the Order, but I thought it was important that we know our allies," I said softly. "She seems to think that Justus and Crouch can't be trusted."

"They can't," said Penelope leaning against the empty chair in the office. "Crouch wants me brought in because I've killed four Death Eaters, just like Cadence, Gabriel and their partners do everyday. Justus is using the system because he knows I'll come after him next."

"Why would you go after him?" Dumbledore asked.

"He's a Death Eater," Penelope shrugged. She walked over to the gold perch that Fawks, the phoenix was resting on. She stroked the feathers on his belly smoothly as she continued to speak. "Ex boyfriend of mine, I found out he was a Death Eater when he entered the Ministry Auror program. Now he's using the system to further his position in the Ministry. He wants me brought into Crouch because he wants me to disappear. If Crouch makes me disappear he'll be doing Voldemort a favor."

"She stabbed Justus," I said quietly. "Ondrea took him to St. Mungo's."

"Ondrea Cane?" Penelope questioned. "That's the slinky blonde, Gabriel is screwing? Oh, Cadence I don't blame you for being upset about that one."

Dumbledore coughed lightly to remind us he was still in the room. I bit my bottom lip and rubbed my forehead awkwardly. Penelope had an odd gift for being blunt and very honest about her opinions. She didn't seem bothered by her bluntness, or my awkward flushed cheeks.

"If Ondrea Cane is working for the Ministry we have bigger issues then Justus wanting to make me disappear," she said quickly. "That bitch is responsible for half the of the Muggle deaths in London last year."

"Why should we trust what you're saying about Mr. Donovan and Ms. Cane?" asked Dumbledore.

"You don't have to," Penelope shrugged. "I'll kill them whether you want me to or not, and if they're working for the Ministry or not. But I have a feeling, Professor, there is a reason you haven't asked them to be members of the Order. I think you're content letting them help you clean up the streets as long as they don't do too much to help Voldemort, but what you don't see is that the longer they're in the Ministry the more hurt it does against us, you, me and the Order."

She stood up straight and looked at me suddenly. "How many Death Eaters have you and Justus caught?"

I blinked at her for a moment while I considered the question. "I don't know, ten maybe."

"That's not very many," she responded.

"No, it's not," I said with a shrug. "I caught more Death Eaters with Gabriel, but they were also easier to catch then."

Penelope nodded her head. "And Gabriel actually wanted to catch them. Do you or Justus take the bastards in? Who takes them to Crouch? Who files their arrest papers?"

"Justus," I whispered very slowly. I hadn't been very active with work recently because of the act on Gabriel, and then now with Sirius being upset with me. I was just coasting through allowing Justus to do everything. Until then though, I hadn't stopped to think about it. He always offered to do paper work, and take the Death Eater we had just caught into custody.

Dumbledore seemed troubled, but not surprised. He was pacing behind his desk, which made me nervous. Justus had been on Dumbledore's "watch-list" for sometime, according to Sirius, that's why he hadn't wanted me to work with him. When Gabriel got shot, he stopped pushing the issue because either I worked with Justus or I worked alone.

"Frankly, Justus isn't your biggest issue," Penelope continued when Dumbledore and I didn't speak. "Ondrea is a Death Eater. She's a crazy killing machine and worse then Bellatrix LeStrange in some ways. I bet you anything that Voldemort sent her to tail Gabriel because she's the best and Gabriel is damn good."

"But Ondrea wasn't originally assigned to Gabriel," I said. "He was my partner until we had a disagreement and he requested a new partner."

"Which just made it easier for Ondrea to get in bed with him," Penelope shrugged. "You guys don't discuss Order business at his house do you?"

I bit my lip and thought quickly. "No, I don't think so. Nothing too serious."

"Still," Penelope said. "You've got to get her out of Gabriel's bed."

"I don't think he'll believe us," I said seriously. "He trusts her more then you—"

"He should trust you more then her," Penelope said quickly. I looked to Dumbledore, what did he think? If Gabriel were to listen to anyone it would be Dumbledore. If I told him that Ondrea was a Death Eater he'd probably just tell me that I was jealous of her.

"What do you think?" I whispered.

Dumbledore peered at me over his half moon glasses. His light blue eyes didn't reveal anything about what he was thinking.

"Where is Gabriel now?" he asked.

"He went to the Ministry, to try and find Crouch and fill him in about Justus being stabbed," I said. "We don't think he'll see Crouch, but he went just in case Ondrea came back to the house. Our story is that Penelope escaped and I went after her."

"Then you don't plan on staying, Miss Talon?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," she shook her head. "As Cadence said, I have no interest in being a member of the Order."

"Where will you go?' he asked. Penelope smiled at him and finally took a seat in the open chair in the room.

"I can't tell you that, Professor," she said softly. "I will be in the country."

Dumbledore seemed to accept this answer. "You have people to take care of," he whispered. Penelope's smile spread into a wider grin.

"Yes," she said.

"Why don't you want to be part of the Order?" he asked. I sat up in my chair slightly; this was going to be good. If Penelope gave the same reason to Dumbledore as she had to me and Gabriel, I thought his reaction would be interesting.

"Because I have my own agenda that I wish to follow," she said. "I'm not interested in carrying out your agenda, no offense. I'm sure you have good intentions for this country, Professor, and that you want to stop Voldemort, but personally I want to stop a few more people before I join up."

"You would like to, eventually?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well I'll have nothing better to do, to be honest," she said. "It's not like I can go out and get a job at the Ministry, especially if Crouch has labeled me a Death Eater." She lifted her pale arms to show her bare skin. "See, I'm not. Promise." She flashed a charming smile at the Headmaster and he grinned, nodding his head slowly.

"Miss Talon," he said quietly. "Perhaps we can help each other. While I am not interested in killing people for our cause, perhaps if you tell me your agenda I can have Gabriel and Cadence help you."

Penelope stared at him intently, considering the offer. She inched forward to the edge of her chair and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees.

"No thanks," she whispered. "I'll contact you when I'm ready to Professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Alright," he nodded his head. "But if you need anything—"

"I know where to find you," she nodded. "And Gabriel for that matter."

Dumbledore stood up, and Penelope and I followed suit. He shook her hand and thanked me for coming up to Hogwarts.

"A pleasure, Miss Talon," he said. "Be safe out there."

"Thank you, Professor," she said politely.

"Good bye Professor," I said. "Thank you for seeing us unannounced."

"You're always welcome, Miss Coleman."

Penelope exited the office first and I followed, closing the door behind me. We rode down the rotating stairs in silence. Once in the corridor of the seventh floor, Penelope looked at me and asked if I had attended Hogwarts.

"Yes," I said with a nod. "For three years. I came here after my Mother's death."

"I never knew my Mother," Penelope said breathlessly. "I never knew my Father either. I had met him a few times when I was with Justus, but I didn't know who he was until after I left. It didn't matter that he was my Father. He was a Death Eater, just like Justus…just another lie, another stab in the back."

I looked at Penelope closely as we walked down the corridor. I had felt much of what she had just been saying. I had felt betrayed by my Mother and Father; for the longest time I was afraid that others would hurt me too. I had thought for a short time that Gabriel had betrayed me and then he actually did. He betrayed my trust and that is why we were caught in the awkward relationship we were in now. I, like Penelope, had been stabbed in the back and in the heart. I looked at the ground as we walked, wondering if I could take anymore stabs at my body and my mentality.

"I know what you mean," I whispered with a nod. Penelope looked at me with a calm smile.

"I'm sorry we aren't going to be spending more time together," she said. "I think it'd be fun to go hunting with you."

"I agree," I grinned. "We'll have to do it sometime."

When we reached the entrance of Hogwarts I walked Penelope down the gravel path to the gates. Upon entering Hogsmeade Penelope turned and extended her hand to me. I shook it and she smiled.

"It truly was a pleasure meeting you, Cadence," she said. "I hope we get the chance to work together."

"Someday," I said still smiling. "Be safe, and if you need anything please don't hesitate to call upon me."

"You also," Penelope said bowing her head. "If you can find me," she added with a wink. I stood in the middle of the road as she walked off towards the small village. I wasn't sure where she was going, or what she was going to do, but I hoped that someday in the near future I would see her again. As I watched her walk off I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That was really very touching," said a cool voice behind me. I turned sharply, horror filling me. The last time I stood at this gate Thomas Nix had kidnapped me; to hear someone's voice behind me—to know that someone had snuck up on me…it made my skin crawl that someone was sneaking up on me again.

I was surprised to see Ondrea Cane standing by the gates of Hogwarts, wearing black leather pants, high heeled boots with red bottoms, a black halter top and a black leather jacket. She had changed since I had seen her at Gabriel's house. She was standing tall and slender with her blonde and black hair billowing in the wind.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Long enough to know that I need to kill Penelope Talon," said Ondrea with a frank smile. "And I should probably kill you too."

I nodded my head slowly. "So it's true? You're for my Father?"

Ondrea lifted up her left arm and pulled the sleeve of her black on her jacket. I was not surprised when I saw the solid black tattoo of the Dark Mark staring back at me. She stood up straight and crossed her ankles, smirking at me, shrugging lightly like I should have known the moment we first met.

Her wand was not drawn, and from where I stood I could not see where she had hidden it. To my knowledge, Ondrea was not capable of conjuring things, but if Justus was trained by Nix I had to assume that Ondrea was also.

"I was trained by Nix," she said reading my mind. Gabriel would have been disappointed in me for letting her use Legilimency on me so easily. "And Gabriel would be disappointed in you, but he's used to it."

This comment stung me. I bit my bottom lip and concentrated on the ball of fury that was building up inside of me. I could destroy Ondrea with a snap of my fingers if I had wanted to, but I wanted to fight her. I wanted to beat her down with my fist and feel the way her jaw broke under my hand. Maybe, I was a little jealous of her relationship with Gabriel—but only a little; and that is why I was going to beat her to a pulp.

"You're not going to beat me to anything," Ondrea said pulling a dagger from her boot. She flipped it in her hand, back and forth, playing with it. "Cadence, you're young. You're reckless and you don't control the powers your Father gave you. You never took your training seriously and Gabriel has always come to rescue you when you were trapped in the clutches of a fight or death. You cannot and will not beat me in a fight."

She threw the dagger ruthlessly at me; as I dodged it, it caught my shoulder and sent me flying backwards onto the ground. I moaned in pain and yanked the dagger out of my shoulder as I lay in the dirt of the street in Hogsmeade. Ondrea marched up to me and stomped onto my shoulder, the heel of her boot digging into the wound. She bent down and grabbed the dagger from my hand, holding it back, she paused for a moment.

"Imagine what your Father will think of me when he finds that I have killed you," she cooed in her bittersweet voice with ruby red lips. "I have destroyed Kieran, daughter of Voldemort."

She pulled back and slammed the dagger into my stomach, making me scream bloody murder into the night.