0_o life has been utterly INSANE here lately. College started and apparently my professors think it's absolutely hilarious to give us mountains of homework to be turned in the next day :P So, yeah, lol.
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For those of you who are also following Perfect Little Halfblood, I hope to have the new one up soon!
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The title and lyrics are from Christina Aguilera's song, "Fighter".
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"'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture
I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down'"
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"WHAT?"
Willow's voice echoed around the room, startling everyone.
"So, you pretty much saying the only reason you had me was to fulfill a fucking prophecy?" She exclaimed, looking to her mother.
Rowena was at a loss. She hadn't thought about like that. It made her look like a horrible mother. She bowed her head, not sure what to even say.
Willow glared, standing up and going over to the door.
"So I'm right? Figures. Voldemort only wanted me so I could be a soldier, Albus for Merlin only knows what, and now you, to fulfill a stupid prophecy that probably wasn't even about me! How could I take Albus down? I barely have enough power to not be a Squib, let alone take down one of the most powerful Wizards that ever lived!" She screamed, her voice cracking.
Rowena seemed to flare up, standing and walking over to her.
"No daughter of mine is powerless, do you understand me? You - !"
"I know my own powers, Rowena!" Willow screamed, her face twisting in rage.
"Maybe if you hadn't ran off and actually raised me you might know that!"
Rowena stepped back as if she had been slapped.
"Don't go telling me about things you know nothing about! I know my own powers! I'm not a fighter! The only thing I've ever cast as far as fighting was Crucio and you have to have the malice behind it to make it work, not the power!" Willow said, still glaring at her mother.
"Why would ever have to use -?" Rowena began, looking uncomfortable.
Willow sneered, stepping up in her face.
"Because, you left me to be taken by Albus, who sent me on my way, right into the hands of a sicko who raped me. It was the only defense I had against him." She whispered harshly. She turned to Snape, glaring.
"You once asked why I chose that spell. Well, there's your answer. I knew it was the only one that I would be able to accomplish." She said softly, shaking her head.
"None of you listened. None of you cared. All that mattered was that I tortured him, not that he had been torturing me for longer then that."
She turned and grabbed the door handle, but stopped when Alastair spoke her name.
"Willow, wait."
She glanced over to him, his dark eyes staring back intently.
"If ye go now, child, you will regret it. Wait and let us try to figure this out."
She stared at him a moment. Why should she listen? What had any of them done for her? Him and her mother had hid her whole life, not caring how she was treated, nor if she was alright.
"But they thought you were safe." A tiny voice in the back of her mind said, making her heart clench.
With a deep sigh, she let go of the knob, stepping away form the door, but not setting down.
"Fine. But I'll only stay for little while."
Alastair nodded, hiding a smile. She was more like Rowena then she even knew.
Rowena seemed afraid to say anything else to her, and there was an awkward silence for the next few moments, until Snape spoke.
"Willow, has your power always been like that?"
She shrugged, scuffing her shoe on the floor.
"I guess. I don't really remember it being any different.."
"No... R-Remember what Gran said? About when we were little?" Neville asked, blushing when all eyes turned his way.
Rowena furrowed her brow.
"What did she say, Neville?"
He blushed even more, standing to walk over to Willow, putting an arm around her waist.
"W-well, s-she said that w-when my m-mum and dad had us both there, t-that Willow was already showing signs of m-magic... Said she did it I-in front of the Headmaster once a-and after t-that he started trying to get my m-mum to g-give her to h-him.." He stammered, not wanting to make her mad again.
Rowena looked at Willow, her face full of pain.
"I'm so sorry, child.. If I had known he would do that, I wouldn't have left you...it defeated the whole reason I left." She whispered imploringly to her daughter, hoping for some sort of forgiveness.
Willow felt her heart twist. No matter how mad she was, she couldn't stand seeing her mother hurting. She moved away from Neville and into her mother's arms, closing her eyes.
"I'm not saying I'm not mad. But I've went my whole life without knowing you and I'll be damned if I'll lose you again." She said.
Rowena hugged her tightly as Alastair chuckled.
"Spoken like a true Prewett!" He roared, making them laugh. She let go of Willow and smiled at her.
"Aye, he's right. We're all hard-headed and hot-tempered, but we won't turn our backs on family." She whispered, earning a small smile in return.
There was a snort and they turned to where Ron sat, shaking his head. Next to him, Hermione had her hand raised again.
"Merlin's beard, Hermione! Just ask a question when you feel like it!" Willow said, laughing.
She blushed slightly, but spoke.
"How old were you when you went to the Longbottoms?"
"She was six months old." Rowena said.
Hermione seemed to contemplate that, thinking hard.
"Most children don't exhibit magic until a year old. If you were already showing signs, then your core has to be more powerful then you think." She finally said to Willow, who looked doubtful.
"There's a way to test it, Willow." Snape said, his brow cocked. In all honesty, he was hoping she could take out the old codger. He had been in power for too long and with Rowena's revelation, he needed to be stopped.
He stood and walked over to her, taking out his wand.
"There is a simple spell that shows your core level."
Tapping her lightly on the head, he said, "Potestatem Conspéctu!"
She felt a strange pulling sensation as a green light enveloped her. As the light disappeared, a piece of parchment appeared in the air in front of her and Snape grabbed it.
As he read, his brow furrowed.
"This can't be right.." He murmured, handing it over to Rowena. She scanned it and shook her head, looking angry.
"What does it say?" Willow asked, feeling slightly alarmed.
"Power is measured by number. An average witch or wizard usually lands somewhere between 50 to 70. Someone like Albus or Tom would be in the 100's. But yours... Well, most children register in the low 40's, and thats young children, but yours is barely 29.. This can't be right..." Rowena said, searching the paper again.
Hermione walked up beside her and scanned the paper as well. She looked at Willow, scrutinizing her.
"What if... What if she has a block on her?" She whispered.
Rowena's eyes widened, and she looked at Severus.
"It would be something Albus would do," he whispered, grimly.
Harry and Ron had joined the group at some point, and Harry stepped forward, looking anxious.
"C-could you check mine as well?"he whispered, looking to Snape.
The Potions master sneered at him, until Rowena touched his arm.
"Check him, Sev. God knows Albus probably did it to him as well."
With a curt nod, Snape rapped Harry over the head, muttering the spell once more. When his paper appeared, Snape read it, his brow furrowing once more. Without another word, he handed it over to Rowena.
"I'll check them both for blocks." He said softly, confirming that Harry's was low as well. He scanned Willow first, a grim look on his face as he finished.
"She has three blocks; two on her magic, and one on her ability to speak Parsletongue." He said, looking to Rowena.
"What's Parsletongue?" Willow asked softly, looking between the two adults, but it was Harry that answered.
"It lets you talk to snakes. I have it as well, where Voldemort attacked me." He said quietly. He smiled slightly, nudging her with his shoulder.
"Might not be too bad now, though. I'll have someone to use it with." He said, making her smile.
Snape checked him next, shaking his head again.
"Mr. Potter is the same. With the exception of Parsletongue, he has two on his magic as well." He said.
Rowena looked ready to kill, shaking her head.
"I swear, if I could, I would go up there and put an end to all of this shite!" She seethed. Turning back to Willow and Harry, she spoke more evenly, even if it was a bit forced.
"Tomorrow we will work on removing your blocks. It takes too long to do it tonight," she said when they started to protest," but seeing as how tomorrow is a Saturday, it should give us plenty of time to work." She said, smiling softly.
"Right now, I think it would be best if you all went to bed. It's getting very late and we don't need Albus looking for a reason to come after any of you." She said.
Willow nodded, stepping forward and hugging her tightly.
"We'll be down in the morning, then. Expect us early." She chuckled. Harry nodded feverently, making the older witch laugh.
"I think it would be best if I escorted them to their common room." Snape said, shocking Willow and the others to the core.
"Really? Sure you aren't just saying that so you can try and give us detention for being out so late?" Willow asked, smirking.
Neville paled, looking at Snape. He hadn't thought about that.
"Rest assured, Willow, if I find a reason to put you in detention, I'll do it." He sneered, but Willow just laughed. He rolled his eyes and went to the door.
"I'll be back later, Rowena. We have much to discuss." Snape said, looking back at the redhead. She nodded and said good night as each of the children left. Once Ron had closed the door, she walked over to one of the sofas and sat down, her head going to her hands.
"You know, I'd say Mum is looking down here and laughing her arse off at me right now. I swear, Willow is just like me when I was younger." She said, wearily. Alastair chuckled as he joined her, patting her back consolingly.
"Aye, ye reap what ye sow, Rowena. And yeah, she's just like you." He laughed, making Rowena give him a half glare before she joined.
"I can't believe that was the same baby I left with F-Frank." She said softly, stuttering on the word. She sighed heavily, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Their all gone, Al. Everyone of them. I never got to say I was sorry... " she whispered. Alastair looked at her sadly, but said nothing. He knew his sister would benefit more from his silence.
"I should have guessed, though. We were all on Tom's list... All of us. And now there's no one left..."
"Some of them might still be alive, Row. Talk to Sev when he gets back." He said softly, hoping to placate her. He was surprised she had made it through the night without having one of her spells.
It was one of the reasons he had stayed with her all these years. After Frank had left her, she changed. Started having spells where she didn't even know where she was or who she was. It scared him to the bone to see her like that and he had been worried she was going to have one tonight.
But, he supposed Willow changed that. With Rowena focusing on her daughter, it left no room for what might have been with Frank.
That is, until she was alone once more.
"Do you really think some of them are alright?" She asked softly, looking at him. He nodded, hoping for her sake that he was right.
...
"I expect you all to get some sleep. We need to start as early as possible with the block removal and it won't do for you all to sleep late." Snape said as they stood before the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
They all nodded solemnly.
"Alright then. I'll see you in the morning." He said, nodding to them slightly before heading back down the corridor.
After they went though the portrait, and went into the common room, they stood rather awkwardly for a moment, not really knowing what to say to one another.
"I'm sorry if we made you feel bad before, Willow." Ron said, shocking the others. "But you have to understand that we care. It might shock us at first, but we' ll get over it. Neville is right; you need to learn that we are here for you, no matter what." He said, giving her a look. She smiled slightly and nodded, reaching over and hugging him.
"I know. And I'm sorry as well. I'll try to keep it in mind, but some things are harder to talk about then others, so just give me some time, alright?"
Hermione was still staring at him in shock.
"We'll head on up to bed, then." Harry said, giving the others a pointed look. He pulled Ron along with him, who said, "Why is it anymore, whenever I speak, everyone looks confused?"
Harry shook his head and laughed, shoving him through the door.
Hermione shook herself and smiled at Willow.
"I think you finally made him grow up and think of someone other then himself, Willow." She whispered, grinning.
"Good night, you two."
She headed for the girls dorm, leaving them alone. Willow rarely slept in the dorm and she knew tonight wasn't going to change that.
Neville led her over to the sofa, pulling her down into his lap. He didn't say anything at first, just held her.
"I thought I had lost you, you know." He whispered finally.
She sighed deeply, leaning into him.
"I thought so to, honestly."
He looked up, pain written on his face, making her feel like crying.
"You have to understand something, Neville. I c-care about you.. A lot, actually.. And it scares me. I don't want you to have to deal with all my baggage. You shouldn't have to! I - I seriously was close to giving up tonight.. Before I knew it was my mother out in the forest, I - I was ready to just let them have me..." She said, her voice going lower with each word she said, ending in an almost inaudible whisper.
Neville glared at her. She hung her head and tried to stand, but he grabbed her, pulling her back down.
"No. I'm not letting you run away again." He said, shocking her into silence momentarily. After a moment, she glared right back, struggling to stand.
"Let me go! Now!" She exclaimed as she fought against him. Panic began to rise in her chest as she fought, but he wouldn't let go. She struggled to her feet, finally prying his arms from around her waist, only to have him grab her from behind.
In their struggle, they toppled over, landing on the floor, with Neville on top.
In a full panic attack by now, Willow struggled not to scream.
"Let me GO!"
Neville hovered above her, shaking his head.
"No. I'm tired of you just giving up, Will. If you want me let you go, fight me off."
She stopped struggling and stared at him in shock.
"What?"
"You heard me. I'm not moving unless you make me! I'm sick and tired of you giving up on everything so easily! Who cares if you have a bad past? I care about you and nothing you say or do will make me feel otherwise! Why can't you just see that? Or do you care so little for me that you would leave me like that?" He asked.
She lay there for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"Alright. I'll stop.. Now let me up."
"I meant what I said, Will. You want up, make me let you up."
She scowled, trying to push him off.
"I'm tired Neville. Just let me up so I can sleep!"
"No."
"You're starting to make me mad -"
"Good."
With a growl, she shoved him back, only to have him grab her hands and pin them back. She started to hyperventilate, whimpering softly as she watched with with wide eyes.
"Don't let him win, Willow. Fight. Back." Neville whispered, his eyes full of emotion.
Something snapped inside of her.
She saw Roger above her and, instead of crying and letting him win, she screamed like she was going into battle. She fought against him, pushing him back until she was out from underneath him. Her imagined Roger smirked at her and her blood boiled. She swung her fist and it connected with his jaw, making him drop.
"WILL!"
She turned at the voice, seeing Ron and Harry staring at her from the boys staircase. She looked back to "Roger", only to see Neville setting on the floor with a wide grin, rubbing his jaw.
She half sobbed, half laughed, falling to her knees. Hermione was next to her in a second, holding her.
"What the bloody hell happened?" Ron demanded, looking at Neville.
"N-Neville held me d-down..." Willow laughed through her crying, feeling exhilarated.
"What?"
Willow nodded, looking to her boyfriend, a wide grin on her face.
"Why would you do that Neville? Look at her! You made her cry!" Hermione said, jumping him.
"No, I made her fight back."
They all stared at him in confusion as he stood, walking over and holding out his hand to Willow, who took it gratefully.
"What do you mean, "made her fight"? What the hell did you do?" Harry asked.
Neville payed them no mind as he hugged Willow to him, kissing her on top of the head. She rubbed his jaw, seeing a bruise forming.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, " he said, stopping her apology. "That's what I wanted you to do."
"Somebody had better tell me what the bloody hell is going on here!" Ron demanded, glaring at Neville.
"Stop yelling, Ron. We started talking about earlier and well, I told him that when I was out in the forest tonight, I wanted to just give up. And truthfully, I tend to do that a lot. When I tried to get up, he held me. We struggled and ended up in the floor and he told me that if I wanted up I had to make him move." She explained.
Harry and Ron's eyes narrowed and they turned towards Neville.
"Do you know what he told me? "Don't let him win." That's what I've been doing all this time. I've been letting Roger win. When he said it, I snapped, seeing Roger instead of Neville above me." She whispered. Neville tried to speak, but she stopped him.
"No. Don't say it. I'm glad you did it, Neville. When I saw him, I lost it. I fought him off, and well, ended up punching Neville in the face." She sniggered.
Harry snorted.
"So don't you dare say anything, Ron. I know you care and it makes me happy that you do. But all he was doing was showing me not to give in. To fight back." She said softly, looking at the redhead.
Ron glared for a moment before his eyes softened.
"Alright. But only because you slugged him."
He turned to Neville as the others chuckled, narrowing his eyes.
"I still don't agree with the method, but if you got her to finally stand up for herself, then I can't say much."
With a few more assurances that they would be alright, the others finally headed back up the stairs, rather reluctantly.
"You know, maybe we need to do this more. Seems to bring out the best in both of us." Willow sniggered as they sat back down on the sofa.
Neville laughed, but shook his head.
"No thanks. You've got one heck of a punch. Don't know if I could handle another one." He said, smiling.
They snuggled in together, laying back and stretching out, Willow against the back of the sofa, halfway on his chest. After a few quiet moments, she whispered, "Thank you, Neville."
He lifted her face, kissing her softly.
"I want you to fight for yourself, for your freedom from that -that bastard." He whispered. "I l-love you.. And I want to be with you... But if you keep running away and not giving it a chance because of him, then you'll never find the kind of happiness that I want to g-give you." He whispered, blushing in spite of himself.
Willow gasped softly at his admission.
He loved her?
"I -I ..." She began, but he kissed her deeply, cutting her off. When they finally broke apart, he smiled gently, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Don't say anything. I know you, Will; you're not ready to say it yet. Doesn't hurt me or make me angry. It just means I have to work harder at making you feel that way." He whispered, kissing her once more before he laid back, holding her gently.
She smiled in the darkness as she snuggled closer to him.
"I think I already do, Mr. Longbottom. Even if I'm not ready to say the words yet." She thought as she drifted off to sleep, a smile on her lips.
...
"So you and Remus are all that's left of our old group?"
They had been talking now for over an hour and Rowena still couldn't wrap her mind around this news.
Severus nodded, surprisingly gentle as he told her once again. She seemed so frail to him, so close to her breaking point.
In truth, Severus Snape had only had two friends in his whole life; Lily Evans and Rowena Windkeeper. When he lost Lily, he had no one, until Rowena came along. She had lost Frank and they both took comfort in one another. They were the only two people in his life that he was ever gentle with, the only ones he had ever been kind to.
"Yes, Row. Other than Frank and Alice in St. Mungo's, there aren't any of the others left." He said gently.
She looked close to tears, and an old, forgotten feeling of pity rested in the pit of Snape's stomach.
"I can try to contact Lupin, if you wish..." He asked, hoping it would bring her some kind of happiness.
She nodded, sniffling loudly.
"Alright. I'll Floo him tomorrow and see if he can come visit."
"What about the Death Eaters, Sev? Are most of them still around?" Alastair asked.
That one was a shock to him. After all the terrorizing Alastair Windkeeper did, he left, turning his back on the dark,for his sister. The Dark Lord had once held great expectations for the man. He was brutal back then, bypassing some of the most deranged followers of the Dark Lord.
But the man that sat before him now was not the same mad man he had once been.
"For the most part, yes. Lucius is still loyal, as are the Lestranges. The Notts, Goyles, and Crabbes as well. All of the old members are there, with the exceptions of the ones that died in the last war."
Alastair nodded, his eyes glinting at the mention of the Lestranges.
"Bella still as unstable as she was back then?" He asked.
Snape snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Unstable isn't the word for what she is now. All those years in Azkaban made her lose it completely. She is the Dark Lords favorite now, willing to do any deed he commands, no matter how vile."
"You sound well informed on their activities, Sev." Alastair said, his eyes narrowing.
"As I should be, seeing as how Albus has had me spying once more."
They were silent as his words sunk in, until Rowena leaned over, hugging him.
He seemed shocked at first, finally returning it.
"I'm sorry Severus." She whispered, holding onto him. She couldn't say that to the others, but she could at least say it to him.
Snape held his mask in place, but inside he felt his heart clench. He suppressed a sigh. The longer he was around her, the harder it was going to be for him to keep up his mask.
...
Willow paced in front of the door. She had knocked twenty times already and still her mother hadn't answered.
She turned back, shaking her head.
"I don't know where she is.."
"Maybe she's just sleeping late... Snape said he was going to come back and speak with her, remember?" Harry pointed out.
Willow looked back at the door once more, but Neville took her hand.
"Come on, lets go get some breakfast and then we'll come straight back and try again, alright?"
She relented, letting him lead them down to the Great Hall.
As the passed the large oak doors, Neville nudged her side, pointing to the Gryffindor table.
"There she is. Just wanted to eat before she got started, is all." He chuckled, squeezing her hand.
Willow blushed slightly. She couldn't help it. She was half afraid that she had just dreamed last night up, that her mother really wasn't back..
But there she sat, at the end of the long table, next to her brother.
She gave them a wide smile when she saw them, patting the place next to her for Willow to sit.
"Was wondering when you all were going to come down." She laughed, filling Willow's plate.
"Mum.. You - you don't have to do that.." She said softly, her face burning, but Rowena paid no mind.
"Hush now. I never got a chance to mother you." Rowena said, smiling sadly, "Let me have a bit of my time back."
Willow sighed and tucked in, falling into her normal habit of eating like her and Ron were in competition. Rowena stared at her, her eyes wide, before she laughed loudly.
"Good Lord, child! Your just like your Grandad!" She said, wiping her eyes. She beamed at Ron, who had half a kipper hanging from his mouth.
"You as well, Ron. Has Molly ever told ye about him?"
Ron finished chewing before he spoke, which was a first.
"No. She doesn't talk about her brothers much.. Except to say Fred and George are worse then they ever were."
"Fred and George? Don't tell me she went and had a set of her own?" Rowena chuckled.
"Oh, she did. Fred and George are great, Mum! I met them this past summer, when I stayed with Molly." Willow supplied, pushing her now empty plate back.
"So... Are you about ready to start taking off those spells?" Willow asked, grinning slightly.
Rowena laughed once more, nodding.
"Yes, you impatient -"
"Rowena!?"
She was cut off as Minerva came into the Hall, followed by Albus.
Rowena's eyes widened as she took in the woman.
"Minerva? Is that you?"
The older woman gave a squeal, much to the shock of everyone in the room, and dashed across to the redhead, grabbing her in a bone crushing hug.
"Albus told me - ! I couldn't believe - !" She stammered, pulling out a tartan hanky, once she let the woman go, and dabbing her eyes.
Rowena glared in Albus's direction, but he merely smiled back.
"Aye. I came last night." Rowena said, still glaring at the old man. Minerva gave a knowing smirk, patting Rowena on the back.
"I expect you to come by my quarters later. There is so much we need to speak of." She said softly, giving her another look.
Rowena smiled back, just as smug.
"Aye, I'll be by tonight, then."
Albus narrowed his eyes, but continued to smile at them. He walked over closer, his attention going to Willow.
"How are you all this morning? I figured you would be outside, taking advantage of one of the last few warm days were are going to have?" He asked happily. Willow looked up at him and felt a strange sensation behind her eyes. Before she could even register it in her mind, however, Albus gave a loud shriek and went flying back, landing in a heap at the end of the Ravenclaw table.
Students and teachers alike raced to see if he was alright. Rowena gave Willow and the others a smirk and stood, walking over to where he lay.
"I told you not to mess with my daughter anymore, old man. Illegally trying to enter someone's mind is a Ministy offense. See that it doesn't happen again or I will be forced to contact the authorities."
At her words, the other teachers glared at him and many of the students backed away.
"How do we know he isn't doing that to the rest of us?" Someone whispered loudly, making everyone in the hall start to talk.
Albus stood, with no ones help, glaring at Rowena.
"How dare you attack me -!"
"I didn't! I just protected my daughter's mind from being trifled through!" Rowena yelled, cutting him off.
They both stopped when the doors opened once more, reveling Severus.
He stopped short and looked at them all strangely for a moment, before looking at Rowena and smirking.
"You have a visitor, Row." He said, moving aside to revel the shabby, but smiling, figure of Remus Lupin.
He looked between her and the headmaster, shaking his head and trying not to laugh.
"You never change, do you?"
Rowena stuck her tongue out at him, but moved away from Dumbledore, grabbing him in a hug.
Neither spoke. When she moved away, Rowena had tears pouring down her face and Remus looked close to following suite. Rowena looked back at the the others and motioned them to follow, leading Remus out of the Great Hall.
Willow and the others followed, watching with curiosity as the four adults before them laughed and whispered. Well, Severus smirked, but it could almost count as a smile. Ever now and again one of them would glance back, giving the teens a wide smile.
"I see Willow has adjusted nicely. I was worried about her, especially after what happened to Sirius..." Remus began, his hands clenching slightly at the thought of his friend.
Rowena smiled sadly, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder.
"Aye. I didn't know what to expect when I found her the other night."
"Did you know she was there? Severus explained a little, but not all of it." He said, nodding to the Potions Master.
Rowena chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"Actually, Alastair and I were just passing through the forest. I wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse of her, so we set up camp there. We heard someone enter the forest and set out to see who it was. I saw her first; she looked so much like Tom at first it actually took my breath away. But the closer I got to her, the more I saw myself in her face. She never noticed me as far as I know; she was crying and looked as if her entire world had ended. She ended up falling and just laid there, all the fight gone out of her. I crept closer and she just whispered for who ever it was to make it quick." Rowena whispered, a quiver to her voice.
Remus's eyes widened. "What happened?"
Rowena smiled, "I hit her with a Stinging Hex. I couldn't understand at the time why she didn't have any fight in her. But I do now." She added with conviction.
Remus looked curious, she shook her head.
"The walls have ears, my friend. Wait until we are protected." She whispered.
...
Albus sat at his desk, distraught. He had tried to contact the Pucey boy, but it seemed he could not be found. The owl that he had sent out had come back to him, the letter he had written still attached and undisturbed. He canceled the enchantments on it before pulling it off. To ensure the boy played along, he had attached a Portkey, along with several Compulsion Charms.
Turning to his familiar, he smiled benignly at the phoenix.
"Fawkes, my friend, I have a job for you." He said, reaching out to stroke the red plumage.
Fawkes squawked softly, nudging his hand.
"I need you to find the Pucey boy and bring him back here to me as soon as possible. Take him no matter what, Fawkes. All our plans depend on him." He whispered.
The bird's head bobbed in understanding, before he disappeared in a burst of flames.
- please review!