The Keeper

Chapter 51

"We have to get that sword," declared Ginny. Carmona, Lovegood, Weasley, and Longbottom were huddled in a corner near the back of the library. "Dumbledore left it for Harry," the red head continued to argue. "It should be with him, not that greasy git!"

The sword of Gryffindor was assigned to Harry in Dumbledore's will. Yet the minister, who is now dead at the hands of Death Eaters, claimed it was not Dumbledore's to give. Consequently, it remained in the headmaster's office here at Hogwarts, where it continued to reside to that day.

"But after we steal it, how do we give it to him?" Yulisa inquired. To their great disappointment, none of them knew where Harry Potter was at the moment; nor did they have any means of contacting him.

"We can figure that out later," Ginny mentioned, "as long as it's out of the Death Eaters' hands."

The group nodded in agreement. "Alright," began Yulisa, "we can continue this conversation later. In the meantime I'll try to think of an aversion to get us in there." Considering the surge in detentions she was getting, the task didn't seem particularly difficult. Speaking of which, the four students rose to part ways, the dark haired senior leaving to report to one of her reprimandations.

According to the girl, her detention had started normal enough. The Carrow woman, Alecto, scowled as the Gryffindor enter the classroom motioning for her sit at the desk buried in old newspaper clippings. Her task was to sort through all the muggle crimes and arrange them in chronological order. No doubt this would be used for Alecto's anti-muggle propaganda. No doubt most, if not all, the reports fake.

As the girl sat drudging through all the cut outs, Headmaster Snape stopped by the classroom, requesting to speak to Professor Carrow in private.

"We have a meeting Friday evening," Snape reported in low voice as the two stood in the hallway. From behind the cracked door Yulisa paused, straining to hear. "Seven o'clock. Both you and your brother are to be there," he commanded.

"Of course," the second Death Eater mentioned. "But the girl," she whispered, motioning her head toward the door, "she has detention again. Should we pass her to one of the others?" Yulisa assumed she was referring to the other teachers.

"No," answered Snape simply. "The others are too lenient," he explained. "Lock her in a closet. Regarding her past involvements, I would want that one slipping out."

"Don't you see?" Yulisa exclaimed when she concluded recounting the night's events. "All three of them are going to be busy elsewhere, and the headmaster's office-"

"- will be unguarded," Neville finished. "Brilliant!" The three D.A. members were up late, discussing plans in the Gryffindor common room.

"So this Friday, after you've gone, Luna and we will make our move," devised Ginny.

"Agreed," nodded Yulisa.

Despite the confidence in their plans, however, as the scheduled evening drew nearer, the oldest seemed restless. "I just don't like sending you in alone," mentioned Yulisa. The four grouped together in a corridor along the seventh floor.

"We're not alone," mused Luna, her eyes wide and optimistic. "We have each other."

Carmona smiled in response to her team spirit. "Right," she said in self-reassurance. "Just stick together, and no matter what happens," she warned, looking from Ginny to Neville, "don't do anything foolish."

"It's going to be fine," Neville concluded.

She nodded, showing the most encouragement she knew how. Unfortunately it was already time for her go, and after the seventh year turned headed toward the staircase, her eyes closed in self-restraint before taking the first step.

As directed, the trio waited for Yulisa to reach her detention. Thirty minutes later they were sneaking behind the Gargoyle, ascending toward the headmaster's office. The heavy door cracked slowly open as Neville, wand drawn, peered inside. The office was empty, as promised. Leading the way, the Gryffindor hurried in, the two girls close behind him.

"What do you think you're doing here," one of the portraits inquired, causing the three to jump.

"Shh!" Neville and Ginny shushed in unison. Luna hung back as the other two rushed toward the case.

"Why I say!" the portrait exclaimed, apparently being offended by the students' gesture. The remaining portraits watched, in what mostly seemed like amusement, as Neville and Ginny tried to break the guarding enchantments.

"Do forgive us, headmaster," Luna began, quickly being drawn toward the talking picture. "We're just trying to help Harry Potter," she explained. "You won't tell Professor Snape, will you?"

"Luna?" Each of the three paused at the sound of their late headmaster's voice.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Luna chimed, quickly moving to a painting a few frames down. "How nice to see you."

"Professor?" Ginny mentioned, her wand dropping in frustration. "Could you tell us how to unlock the door, please?"

The old man simply smiled behind his moon shaped spectacles. "Try recendo," he replied before turning his attention back to the blond. "Luna, did I hear you were helping Harry?" He seemed rather interested in the subject. The others finally opened the glass encasement and started to hoist the sword down, meanwhile, the Ravenclaw student took a step closer.

"Yes, sir," the girl replied. "We wish to give him the sword you left him. You wouldn't also know how to find him, would you?"

"Put it down, Ms. Weasley," a cold voice spilled out. All three of them whipped violently around as the room went suddenly still. "Ah, ah," touted Snape, a wordless gesture sending the two Gryffindors' wands out their grips. "Now let's not do anything reckless." Both Alecto and Amycus Carrow stood, wand ready, at his side.

In somewhat of a stand-off, the red headed girl - furious, but seemingly without a choice - slowly placed the sword upon the ground. The three Death Eaters remained by the entrance, their expressions victorious.

"Aside," Snape instructed them. The two moved slowly to join Luna by the portraits, both their faces holding equal venom. "You see," their headmaster began to gloat, walking toward the sword. "I knew you brats were up to something… and I knew, if I fed false information," he paused retrieving the sword and placing back within its frame, "you wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity."

"We should interrogate them!" cried Amycus, his eyes delirious at their trap having succeeded.

"I have already interrogated every student at this school," mentioned Snape calmly. "Besides, as we've just heard they don't know where the boy is." His dark eyes travelled up to the portrait of Dumbledore that had been conversing with them. The old man's normally kind eyes glaring disapprovingly at him. Ignoring it he dropped his attention back to the foolish students standing in his office.

"Tell me, what was your plan after stealing it?" he asked coolly. "To hide it under your bed thinking I wouldn't notice it had gone missing?" With a raised eyebrow he started back toward the Carrows. "I must say, a real testament to your forward thinking."

The twins huffed in amusement at his insult. "You," he said, capturing their attention. "I believe we have another student warranting your supervision." Obviously he was referring to Yulisa.

"But the culprits," Amycus started to argue. His sister beside him, too, looking unhappy.

"My office, my punishment," declared Snape. His black eyes stared coldly down at them, silently asserting his authority.

"Fine," Alecto grumbled, grabbing her brother by the arm. Somewhat reluctantly they proceeded toward the staircase, letting themselves out.

Retaining his look of icy dominance, he turned and faced the aspired robbers. Their angry yet slightly worried expressions stared back, not exactly relieved at being alone with him. "As much as I would enjoy personally designing each of your punishments," he resumed, returning toward his desk, "unfortunately, I simply don't have the time." His face had fallen to one of utmost boredom. "A week with Hagrid in the forest should keep you preoccupied," he decided. "I trust this is the end of such foolishness." His black eyes burrowed suddenly into each of them. "Another incident, and I will surely find the time."

Only silence was the response to his warning. The three not swayed by his apparent leniency.

"Grab your wands and get out," he issued, taking his seat. The students didn't hesitate to leave.

"Guys I'm so sorry," began Yulisa. The four were huddled in the back of the library again, their voices dropped and seeking privacy behind the defensive walls of books. "I should have known it was a trap! If only I had listened to my gut…" The dark haired Gryffindor was obviously upset by their failed attempt.

"I guess we could always try again," suggested Luna, her dreamy voice holding its usual optimism.

"No," contradicted Ginny. "I heard it's being moved to the Lestrange Vault now." The sixth year sighed in frustration. "Maybe if we had gone faster!"

"No," added Neville, "they were probably watching us the entire time."

The four sat, faces down. Each student sharing in equal disappointment.

"Well at least we tried," mused Luna, the three others sharing a meek smile as they looked up to each other.

The group's failure at retrieving the Sword of Gryffindor left a sort of "bad-taste" in the group's mouth. Still, as they reluctantly admitted, there was little more they could have done; most of the evening events seemingly out of their hands. Regardless though, Yulisa seemed to take a slight personal offense at being used. Alongside Neville, she jinxed up Amycus during his Dark Arts lecture. The two tag teamed under their desks until one of the professor's own demonstrations back fired. Ginny and Luna similarly pulled pranks on Alecto's anti-muggle lectures.

Yulisa's footsteps thudded up toward the girl's dormitories in Gryffindor tower. She had yet another detention and wished to drop off her books. As the seventh year entered the large room, upon her bed lied a small parcel with a note. Looking around the room was empty, so cautiously she approached.

The note was a simple piece of parchment, folded, and then tied with a ribbon. Turning it in her hands she stopped, her eyes catching glimpse of a familiar symbol. An O, drawn where the stroke looped into a six near the top. It was a symbol found in the book on opes' but to her knowledge she had seen it nowhere else. Curiosity encapturing her she began to untie it, reading the cursive words:

Dearest Yulisa,

I know that you do not know me, but in a way I know you. I hope that you will find my gift satisfactory, and I also hope someday soon we should meet face to face. Until then, know there are allies for you to turn. In such times we stand united.

Until then,

Knowledge.

Confused the girl read it again and again. If the O was for the opes, then was this letter from the keeper of the stone of knowledge? How could they know her - and more importantly where to find her - if they had never met? But then again, one would assume the knowledge opes would give you just that. Uncertain, she peaked into the box and saw a new quill. Its feather was brilliant! Like spun fire, the threads were wisps of scarlet and gold, all shimmering down to its golden tip. Though she didn't remove it from the box she couldn't resist not petting the feather. As the soft tufts laid warm to her touch, her eyes widened as she recognized the material: phoenix tail.

In a drawer she left the quill and its note, deciding to ask Victoria about it later. Down past the Great Hall, the young girl approached the stone gargoyle. The beast leapt from her path and up the spiral staircase she reported for her detention.

"What about your sewing? That always makes you feel better?" a fourth year girl mentioned to her friend.

"It's so hard to relax when you know what's out there," the other one replied. "How could I possibly concentrate?"

A few places down near the crackling fire, a group of second years spoke. "Did you hear about what that Carrow woman did?" – "What this time?" – "She got in a row with a Hufflepuff and actually slapped the girl!" – *Sighs* - "How long do you think this will last?" "I want to go home…"

Yulisa listened to the various conversations floating about the Gryffindor common room. Alone she sat by the window, her eyes fixated on the soft flurries drifting from the grey sky; the first snow had begun to fall. While outside laid nothing but what appeared like cold darkness, behind the tall stone walls at least a glimmer of warmth weakly flickered. Taking a second to scan the room, her necklace began to change color under her robes. Some looked to the fire as the room gradually began to feel warm and she watched as signs of distress seemed to melt from various faces. Under her blanket of calm, at least for that evening, Gryffindor house slept peacefully.

Turmoil burned in the girl's eyes as she sat at home with Victoria. Christmas break had arrived and the young girl had wished all her friends a good break; she and Luna Lovegood exchanging hugs in Hogsmeade. Victoria had met Yulisa in the small town, the two of them apparating home. Luna meanwhile boarded the Hogwarts Express, a train ride home she wouldn't complete. As word spread throughout the wizarding community, the Ravenclaw's friend couldn't help but wonder what if she had been there? According to the accounts the train was halted along its way to King Cross Station. In response to The Quibblers pro-Potter publications, dementors boarded the train and took his daughter with them. It was rumored the poor was girl was taken to Azkaban, and Yulisa hoped with all her might it was not true. Of the three friends she had that year, Luna was definitely her closest.

"Still worried about Luna?" The older keeper approached her charge holding two cups of steaming cocoa. As always, her grey eyes were welcoming and free of fear. Yulisa said nothing, simply giving a weak smile as she gladly accepted the beverage. "I know it's difficult," began Victoria, "but I think I know something that will make you feel better."

The young girl looked over to her, her attention caught. "What?"

Victoria smiled. "How would you like to go to a Christmas party?"

The girl was surprised that was for sure. "Someone's hosting a Christmas party? Now?" She would have thought after the disruption of the Weasley wedding, no one would take the risk again.

"Well, with things the way they are, now is exactly the time for a party," Victoria argued. Yulisa shrugged in agreement. She guessed she had a point.

"When is it?" she asked.

"Tuesday evening," her guardian informed her. "Since we have a few days until then, I thought maybe we could go dress shopping? Have a sort of girl's day out?"

It wasn't really something either of them were greatly into, but it sounded like fun. And Victoria had a point, it was exactly these times during which they needed to try and enjoy themselves. Their events out, however, would go about rather strange.

They started at the dress shop. As usual Diagon Alley was almost deserted. Even during the last year people were afraid to shop alone and the place had become dark and dirty looking. After Dumbledore's death, it was even worse. When the two witches arrived Yulisa hardly recognized the place. Like so many other places, a location that was once warm and full of smiling faces had gone desolate and foreboding. The sight of it saddened her instantly. Though as it would appear, Victoria had been planning on just that.

Yulisa sighed, stepping out into the wreckage. Many of the shops were boarded up with just a few of the mains one open for holiday business. Despite the season the streets were still empty.

"Disappointing, isn't it?" Victoria asked, stepping out to join her charge.

"I wish I could fix it," Yulisa suddenly mentioned, and though her words seemed pointless to her, in her heart she instantly felt she wanted nothing more.

"Look down," Victoria whispered.

Confused the girl obeyed, her eyes quite unsure of what she was seeing. Around her in a small circle, the ground beneath her feet seemed almost illuminated. It wasn't glowing or any different from the surrounding cobblestone, yet it was cleaner and brighter. In fact if she didn't know any better she would say the clouds above had somehow parted, and just among the circle the sun was shining.

"What do you say?" Victoria asked, her voice still low. Yulisa only looked up at her still not understanding what was happening. Yet, the elder keeper's grey eyes sparkled in way that almost reminded her of Dumbledore. "Let's put it back for them?" she asked.

Beginning to think she knew what Victoria was eluding to, Yulisa looked back down toward her feet and watched the circle grow. It was easy, really. She knew she wanted to restore Diagon Alley, to heal the place she once loved. Now all she needed was to simply let it happen. As the two stepped along the cobblestone, the street around them illuminated. Broken display wagons reassembled, muddy grime simply faded away, and what laid abandoned suddenly looked cared for and maintained. With the path behind them unrecognizable from how it was, they entered Madam Milkin's.

Madam Milkin seemed happy to see them, the middle-aged witch eager to assist them. While Yulisa tried on a few dress robes, she heard the shop owner telling Victoria business had slowed, many of her customers frightened off by the Death Eaters that walked shamelessly in the open. As if on cue, right as Yulisa returned with the dress robe she had chosen, Bellatrix Lestrange, accompanied by her sister, appeared outside the door. The woman's expression fell to one of desperate helplessness as she looked to Victoria, the bell of her door ringing, certain they would now be taking their leave.

Much to Madam Milkin's surprise, however, Victoria didn't appear bothered. "Go ahead," she told the shop keeper. "We'll wait." Though the witch's disbelief seemed to slowly turn to uncertainty she didn't hesitate, quickly heading for the door to greet her new guests. "Let's see this dress robe," Victoria mentioned turning toward Yulisa. Nodding, the girl led the way back toward the dressing room.

In the back of the shop as Yulisa changed to show Victoria her choice, she wondered if she should feel weird. Just mere feet from her were known Death Eaters, yet Victoria seemed to give little pause. Strangely, whether it was Victoria's own calmness or her Gryffindor roots, she, too, didn't feel the need to run. If anything she was glad. Just as her guardian had said so many times before, they couldn't let them stop them from living their lives. Still, as the Gryffindor finished adjusting the dress robe around her, she checked the mirror to ensure her opes was securely hidden.

"What do you think?" Yulisa asked, stepping out from behind the curtain.

"Beautiful!" Victoria said in awe. The robe would need to be hemmed to fit perfectly but the color suited her well. The fabric was warm but light, and intricate stitching gave the robe a detailed, but still sophisticated look. As the older witch helped Yulisa toward the hemming pedestal, she noticed the power stone continued to lay proudly upon Victoria's robes.

"What a lovely choice," Madam Milkin commented as she returned. Bellatrix and Narcissa were browsing about the store, following their own agenda. Madam Milkin quickly began her work. Still trying to ignore that slight awkwardness, Yulisa couldn't help but notice when Bellatrix looked in their direction and appeared to recognize something. The young girl's heart quickened as the dark haired, heavy lidded witch headed toward them.

"Victoria Adair," Bellatrix announced, her expression both surprised and suspicious.

"Bellatrix," Victoria replied, her guardian's tone much calmer, if not indifferent. Yulisa's head could have spun.

While Lestrange's dark eyes looked Victoria up and down in strange indecipherable manner, the meeting seemed to draw Mrs. Malfoy's attention, the tall blonde coming over to join them. "Cissy, you remember the Adair family?" Bellatrix mentioned.

Narcissa seemed distracted and her face tired, no doubt the war's toll on her. "Yes," she mentioned quickly Victoria a weak smile. "I didn't realize they had returned to London," she continued in what seemed an effort to be polite.

"Been back long?" Bellatrix inquired, her social graces not as preserved as her sisters.

"A couple of years now," Victoria answered, not going into further detail. Both women turned their attention toward Yulisa.

"I see you have another addition, congratulations," Mrs. Malfoy commented, neither of them appearing to recognize Yulisa. The young girl just looked at her feet, not wanting to be openly rude, but still incapable of smiling sweetly at the woman who had tortured poor Neville's parents.

"Well, it's good to see old blood returning," concluded Bellatrix, her attention returning toward Victoria.

"I only wish I could say the same," Victoria mentioned, an unfamiliar touch of coldness in her voice. Without another word, the two sisters continued about their way. Thankfully Madam Milkin finished quickly.

"You know Bellatrix Lestrange," Yulisa asked as they headed out of the dress shop.

"Blood as old as the Blacks and the Adairs are bound to have crossed paths," Victoria explained simply. Yulisa hesitated, thinking about that fact. "We're not friends, if that's what you're thinking," Victoria added a little playfully. Unable to avoid it, Yulisa laughed in slight amusement. That part she could have guessed for herself.

In the late morning Diagon Alley sparkled, the whole area having seemingly responded to the girl's presence. Above, some of the clouds had parted, and even a few shoppers had turned out. The place slowly starting to look alive again.

"Do they know?" Yulisa inquired, unable to stop herself. She had noted, after all, that Victoria hadn't bothered to hide her necklace. Though it was such a rare occasion that she would chose to do so.

"About us?" Victoria clarified. "No," she answered simply. "The Blacks might have been old, but they were ignorant," she looked over to Yulisa, "in many ways." Both of them smiled to each other as they entered Madam Pimpernelle's.

Though they had succeeded in getting Yulisa a new dress robe for the party, their girls' day out quickly turned into a books day out. Not long into their shopping spree had they stopped at Flourish and Blotts, taking a quick interlude at Sugarplum's Sweet Shop, and then continuing toward Whizz Hard Books. After emerging from another 3 hour round of book hunting the two would have proceeded to Obscurus Books, but alas, everything was already closing.

"We can always do this again," Victoria mentioned as the two headed home. Yulisa did have two weeks of vacation.

A few days later - the night of Christmas Eve - Yulisa found herself wearing her new dress robes accompanying Victoria to a house she had never seen. The pair had slide apparated to the location, and Yulisa's face fell into awe the moment they had arrived.

The outside made little statement. The house was large, impressively so, but seemingly flat, with tall walls of stone and not displaying any remarkable architecture. That isn't to say there weren't any points of interest however. In two different locations stood triple stacked chimneys and grand windows pierced the boring walls. The entrance actually appeared to be a two story wall of framed glass. The warm twinkling of Christmas decorations alighting the snow covered courtyard filled with the guest who were arriving.

Inside the house, though, was where the real beauty lied. The tall, overarching ceilings, the wide, expanding spaces, and the detail! In every direction that Yulisa looked, there was so much detail.

"Who lives here?" Yulisa asked, never being told who their host was.

"This is an Estate owned by the Larion family," Victoria answered, though it said little to Yulisa. She had never heard the name.

Amidst the crowd of wizards and witches Victoria engaged in small talk while Yulisa looked around, not seeing anyone she recognized. Throughout the murmur of the various conversations, she was certain she caught wind of foreign tongues, Yulisa eventually wondering if they were even still in the British Isles.

"Yulisa," the young girl turned at the sound of Victoria's voice, her eyes instantly catching glimpse of the girl who had joined her guardian. Most strikingly, her attention drawn the blindfold tied around her face. "Yulisa, I would like to introduce you to Miss. Larion," Victoria continued. Yulisa continued to stare at the pupil that very well could have been one her classmates.

"What a pleasure to meet you," she said quickly, not wanting to be rude. For a split second she almost offered her hand in greeting but then quickly withdrew it, wondering if the girl was blind.

"I believe the true pleasure is mine," Miss. Larion replied, appearing strangely excited.

It was then that Yulisa saw it, her attention finally dropping from the black cloth.

"I also hope I'm not too early in giving this to you," the girl continued. Her extended arm holding a small box took Yulisa's eyes from the opes hanging around her neck. "I guess tradition would have us wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you," Yulisa mentioned, taking the early gift and feeling a lot of information was coming at her all at once. Uncertain what to do she lifted the box open, peering inside. Two bottles of ink sat undisturbed.

"I assume it would be hard to write with a quill without any ink," Miss. Larion commented.

Suddenly Yulisa looked up to her, her eyes wide. "You're the keeper of the opes of knowledge." Though it was intended as a question, inadvertently it came out more like a declaration.

"Yes," she confirmed with a smile.

Victoria looked from one girl to the other. "Have you two met?"

Yulisa looked to her guardian, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. "No," she admitted looking back to the blindfolded teenager. "She sent me a quill, but I was unsure of who had sent and I was going to ask you," her head turning back toward Victoria, "but then I… forgot." The phoenix tail quill had never left its box, the entire package still sitting in her drawer at Hogwarts.

"You have had a lot on your mind," Miss. Larion defended her, though no one was angry. Yulisa just looked at her, unsure what exactly she was talking about. "Preparing for your N.E.W.T.s and all," she clarified.

"Right," concurred Yulisa. As she looked at the slender, dark haired girl she still couldn't believe she was meeting another keeper. Victoria had been a family friend she had known since childhood, but none of the other had really been mentioned.

"Miss. Larion," Victoria interrupted her thoughts, "might we have a word?"

The girl simply nodded, turning for the others to follow her to a more private setting. Hanging back a few feet Yulisa accompanied Victoria, the previous whispering to the elder as they walked.

"Why is she wearing a blindfold?" Yulisa asked eagerly.

Victoria smiled as they passed through another parlor, apparently enjoying her intense interest. "She's still in training," she answered, though Yulisa was hardly satisfied.

Into a red sitting room, the keeper led them. Just as all the previous rooms, it was loud with detail. Upon the walls sat moving portraits, whom Yulisa assumed were Larions past. Along the base boards and crown moldings were wooden inlays, and the Victorian style fabrics covered any chair or divan. The busyness of the room was muted by the single white fireplace. A similar, but much larger one, anchored the main hall.

"There's something particular you wish to ask?" the girl inquired, the two wooden doors closing on their own.

"Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy are aware that I am back," explained Victoria. Facing the fireplace the girl untied the bow incorporated into her hair and slowly removed the blindfold.

"Your presence has little effect on them," the girl declared. "There's no need for concern." As she turned Yulisa saw that her face soft and her eyes round. Deep, large brown eyes that were warm and yet never ending. Looking at her, Yulisa almost felt she could fall in them.

"Are you a seer?" Yulisa asked suddenly, her mind quickly snapping from its previous entrapment.

The girl smiled as she shook her head. "I do not see the future, if that is what you mean." How the number of questions just kept growing that night! "I can see all that there is, and all that there was," the girl explained, "but all that there will be… well, that's a bit more complicated."

Excitement flooded every vein in Yulisa's body as she tried to wrap her mind around what was just told to her. "Wait," her heart stopped, "so you know where Harry Potter is?" Yulisa's mind spun several miles per second, the possibilities unraveling at the power of –

"No," the girl said, stopping Yulisa's thoughts in their tracks. "Just as all the stones have their limitations, I can only know what I can see."

Yulisa has to pause for second, trying to decipher what that meant. "Can you look for Hermione Granger or Ron -" Yulisa suggested.

"You misunderstand," Miss. Larion stopped her again. "It's not because of Harry's Invisibility Cloak, I cannot know about him because I cannot physical see him."

"The opes only shows her what her eyes look upon," Victoria jumped in to help explain. "For instance, she cannot know what is written in a book she has never seen, or know the life of a person she has never met." Yulisa thought carefully about these limitations.

"If you've never met Harry, then how did you know about his invisibility cloak?" she asked.

Miss. Larion smiled widely. "Because you know about his cloak."

Finally, it clicked. Those huge swallowing eyes, and how it the whole room seemed sink into them. She could see every thought and every memory, but she only saw Yulisa and Victoria. No one else stood in this room. The Gryffindor fell back as she sat on the couch.

"Can you remember? All that you see?" Yulisa's head cocked to the side as she became curious once again.

The new keeper took a seat in the chair across from her, not seeming to mind all of Yulisa's questions. "My memory is perfect," she declared.

"And Occlumency?"

"Useless."

Her ears were in absolute awe. Surprisingly though, her expression dropped, her mind coming to another realization. "You knew about Victoria and Bellatrix…" Yulisa looked to her guardian. She knew how Bellatrix felt…

When she turned back to the girl, she was just sitting, waiting patiently.

"You see the Death Eaters?" Yulisa concluded, though she wasn't sure what to make of this deduction.

"Yes," the girl admitted, "how do you think I learned of you?"

Yulisa's blood ran cold as everything around her seemed to slow to an almost complete stop. Severus…

The room, indeed, became very still. The noise of the party just on the other side of the door suddenly quiet and distant. Though whether it was real or just Yulisa's own mind, she wasn't sure.

"Victoria, could we have a moment?" Miss. Larion asked, everything suddenly springing back into motion. Standing across the room Victoria appeared as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened.

"Certainly," the oldest keeper mentioned, the woman stepping out into the party which roared on just like before.

'Did Victoria already know?' Yulisa wondered. How was what Miss. Larion had just said not suspicious?

"She trusts you," the girl answered Yulisa's question. "And she knows you and Severus were once close, it hardly seems strange you would be in his memories."

Yulisa didn't know what to say, her mind still processing.

She had seen Severus's memories; his thoughts… She would know his true intentions…

From across from her, Miss. Larion watched with a bemused expression. Supposedly she had found some amusement from the process ongoing within her companions mind.

"Could you tell me anything I wanted to know?" Yulisa finally spoke, wondering with great interest what she might have seen.

"Anything up to the last time I saw him," the keeper replied.

There was silence. One girl shifting through the masses of thoughts that had suddenly besieged her, the other simply watching the turmoil unfold.

"Is there something you wish to know?" Miss. Larion asked. Yet as Yulisa sat there, her mind battling, her answer was startling simple.

"No," she decided. She might not have the ability to look into his mind and see his every thought, but she knew enough. More importantly she knew how much he prized his privacy. Any violation of it, even in a form so obscure, felt wrong. Thus, her choice was made.

The other teenager sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the rug smiled, a somewhat approving expression appearing upon her fair face.

So where did that leave them?

If she really had seen all of Severus's memories, and now all of hers, then it meant she knew everything.

"Are you going to tell someone?" Yulisa asked, knowing somewhat hopelessly, no matter the answer, she couldn't stop her.

"No," the third keeper replied sincerely. "We all have our part, Yulisa. Mine is to know, not to tell."