Lisa
"I'll ask Mum if you guys can come stay!"
"Be sure to write!"
"See you in the fall!" Ah, yes all the sounds of Platform Nine and Three- Quarters on the first day of the summer holidays. I saw Dad and Aunt Ellie standing at one end of the platform with carts for Jason's and my trunks. They were smiling at us as we ran over.
"Hey, Dad!"
"Hi guys!"
"Did you have a nice term?"
"Yeah, everything was great." I looked at the carts. They already had a couple of bags on them. "What are those?"
"Those are ours," Aunt Ellie smiled. "We're going on a trip."
"Really?"
"Where?"
"Hold on! We've got to get a train to the airport. We're going on a plane."
"To where?"
"America." I stared at Dad.
"Why on earth are we going there? You said we might go to France in August, you didn't say anything about America."
"I have some business there, so we thought we'd make it a family trip."
"Great! I've never been to America. Where are we going?" Jason was excited and eager.
"Florida, for a while." Aunt Ellie smiled at Jason again. "Then, maybe, someplace else, depending." I saw her give Dad a quick glance. I looked at Jason, and he at me. I could tell that he was thinking what I was: something was up.
Planes are fine, really, especially if you're a kid. But I really prefer brooms for flying. On a broom, you can feel the wind in your hair, it seems like you're moving faster than anything else. On a plane, you're in a closed compartment. You might as well be sitting at home in a closet. And a Trans-Atlantic plane flight takes a long, long time. Magic is definitely superior to Muggle technology in some areas.
Anyway, I'm not sure how long the trip took, but it was late night when we got there. Dad had booked us rooms at a wizard inn for the next two days, and then we were going to a Muggle hotel, not fifty feet from the beach.
The Muggle hotel was really incredible, but I liked the beach most. When we got there, it was high tide, and no one was allowed to go in the water, but pretty soon it got better. Dad said not to go out too far, because of the undertow, but there was a sandbar about a hundred feet offshore. If you swam just a short distance, you could stand in knee-high water and look at the fish swimming by. And the waves were big enough that in chest-deep water, they'd lift me off my feet for a minute. I thought that was great fun.
I know, I was thirteen, but for a couple of days, I felt like a six year old. Jason and I did all sorts of things, like building a sand model of Hogwarts, and burying Dad up to his neck in sand, and searching for the best seashells. They were a bit hard to find, because the surf was so rough that most were damaged before reaching shore. But that meant that the sand was very fine and soft.
It was great fun, but Dad seemed very preoccupied. Sometimes Aunt Ellie took Jason and me to do things, and Dad would say he wanted to stay in the hotel. But once, we got out early, and he wasn't at the hotel. I thought he looked as if he hadn't been getting enough sleep, too.
"This must have something to do with the V League," I said to Jason one night.
"You'd think he could tell us," Jason said in disgust. "I mean, he knows about the whole Mane thing - that stuff still freaks me out whenever I think about it too hard, you know."
"Well, he's an adult," I said. "They're all the same. They don't think that anyone who isn't twenty-five can have anything valuable to add."
"Tough luck," he said. "I mean, it sure looks like we're going to have to help save the world." I couldn't help it, I just started laughing. I rolled around on my bed, howling. Jason threw a pillow at me, so I jumped up and grabbed one too. In ten seconds, a royal pillow fight was taking place.
"I give up, I give up!" I yelled as I fell backward after one particularly hard blow.
"Eh, are you sure you're the same girl who gave Malfoy a black eye two years ago?"
"Yes." I grinned up at him. "Except I don't beat people up any more."
"Too bad. I know a few you could try." Just then, the door opened.
"What is this?" Aunt Ellie stared at the mess with surprise. "Where did all these feathers come from? What a mess!" We looked around. She was right. Feathers still drifted down to the floor, the beds were completely unmade, and a bucket of seashells were spread all over the floor. Then we looked at each other. Jason had feathers in his unruly black hair, and his glasses were askew. I was sure I looked equally funny. We started laughing again.
"It isn't funny, you two!" She began, but she broke down laughing too. "All right, clean this up. We're going to be moving on in the morning."
"Where?" Jason asked sharply.
"Wait and see. It's a surprise."
Kathryn
"This is fruitless," I said after two days of sorting through old boxes and papers. "If there's something in here, we'll never find it. This stuff is useless to us." Kev was pacing up and down.
"Well, I didn't spend all this time and effort to get us in here to give up so easily. There has to be something useful here."
"Yes, but to who?" I shut the box I was working on with a snap. A nearby envelope fell over and spilled its contents. "Great." I started shoving the papers back in. "Look, it's a photograph," I said. "Oh, look - it must be the Potters."
"Which ones?"
"James and Lily, of course. I can see the resemblance between James and Jason."
"Hold on," Kevin said slowly.
"What, Kev?"
"You said that this stuff wasn't useful to us, right?"
"Yes, I did. It's not."
"Not to us." He emphasized the last word and looked at me. "Who might it be useful to?"
"Someone who knows more about Voldemort," I said. "But who? Nobody alive knows anything about him. We're the closest thing to experts."
"No one alive," he said, again emphasizing the last word. "But we don't have to limit ourselves to live people."
"You mean the Manes?"
"Yes, I do."
"Kev, that's -that's crazy! The only people who can talk to them are a bunch of kids! Thirteen year old kids!"
"So? Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort three times before he was thirteen."
"But - but he was Harry Potter. You know that."
"Kath, it may be crazy, but it's also the best plan we've got."
"It's the only plan we've got," I muttered, tacitly giving in.
"Good. I'll write to Patrick tonight. But for now, we're leaving these moldering documents and going to see some sights."
"You know, DC is exactly the way I'd remembered it from when I was a kid." I looked around at all the sights.
"You came here?" Kevin seemed surprised.
"Yes, the summer I was ten."
"That's right, I'd forgotten."
"That was the last year before I found out I was a witch. My sister and I were still friends. She took me all over the city to see things. We climbed the stairs to the top of the Washington Monument, can you believe that?"
"It's beautiful here, but so crowded."
"If you think it's crowded here on the Mall, we shouldn't go to any of the Smithsonian. I was thinking of going to look at the dragons."
"They have dragons?"
"Yeah, they call them dinosaurs. Just bones, you know, mostly what's left after a dragon-hunter gets through with them. They put them together wrong, too, but they have fun."
"Hmm. Anything outdoors we can do?"
"Well, we could go up to the Chesapeake and sail."
"It's going to rain by late afternoon. We haven't got time."
"Oh. How about Arlington National Cemetery?"
"A graveyard?"
"Come on, you'll see."
We stared at the rows of graves, next and orderly.
"They all killed each other," Kevin said. "And why? What nonsense, anyway? They called it a Civil War. At least the English Civil War didn't kill this many people."
"Sure, but Charles' head got cut off. They didn't kill Jefferson Davis."
"They killed Lincoln."
"That wasn't war, that was assassination. It's a shame that they put this here, though. Poor guy couldn't use his house any more, not with all these dead guys buried here."
"Who lived here?"
"Lee, the Confederate General. If he'd had more men, he might have won." I smiled. "Sometimes, in books, he reminds me of how Albus Dumbledore must have been. Brilliant strategist, and he was in control during the whole war. Not like the North; they went through generals like you go through socks."
"They did win."
"Yes, but it might have gone differently, especially if our kind had gotten involved. But we were too smart." I led him through the trees to a particular grave. "This was one of my ancestors. He was killed in the Civil War. Family tradition says that he and his twin shot each other; they were on opposite sides. Things like that did happen, you know."
"That's awful."
"Come on, let's go down there." I pointed to a place where we could see the Potomac River in the distance. We sat down on the grass. I realized it must be late; the sun was setting. I almost thought I could see the first stars. A small breeze blew through the trees. I gave a shiver.
"Should we go?" Kev asked, looking at me.
"No," I said. "It's so pretty here. The stars are coming out. I don't get to see them enough at Hogwarts, it's always so cloudy."
"I know." He pointed up at one. "That's Mars, I think. It's so bright out tonight that I can't quite tell."
"It's not flickering," I said. "That means it must be Mars or Venus. Real stars twinkle." I looked up and sighed. "I never wished on the same star twice in a row. Kind of a superstition with me. I always thought that someday I'd hit the right one, and I'd have any wish I wanted."
"I don't know that it ever worked for me," he said, staring up, "But I'd try and try, every night, until I was too old to believe that sort of stuff."
"But really, in a magical world like ours, how do we know what's ridiculous and what isn't?" I spoke slowly.
"Maybe that's true," he said. He put his arm around me. "If so, I know what I'd wish for."
"And I don't think you'd need a star to make it come true." I looked at him and smiled. I could just make out the smile on his face through the darkness.
"You said before you needed some time to decide. Has it been long enough?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then, Kathryn Whatever-Last-Name-You-Want, will you marry me?"
"Yes," I said again. "And Kathryn Gray sounds like a good name to me, don't you think?"
"Beautiful," he said with a grin. Then he kissed me.
"Hey! What are you doing there? We're closing!" We looked up. A guard was yelling at us. Kev grinned sheepishly.
"We'd best be going." We walked away, back toward the city.
"We should get some dinner," I said. "I am hungry."
"All right." He felt in his pocket. "I don't have much Muggle money, just a few dollars. What about you?"
"Same here."
"Well, I guess we'll go there." He pointed to a big McDonalds across the road. "Fries?" I laughed.
We sat and ate hamburgers, watching the Muggles come and go.
"They look so flustered," Kevin commented. "It's as if they never relax."
"They don't, most of them." I looked after a mother and her two boys. "I've done a lot of observing of them. I -oh, do you mind? I have a tendency to talk about my specialty for ages until everyone's bored to tears."
"Go ahead. I won't cry."
"Well, most of them are stressed out," I said. "And -well, the Ministry's propaganda says that they won't believe anything about us, but that really isn't universally true. A lot of them, I think, know subconsciously about us. Look at that," I gestured at a kid sitting and reading a book. "See? She's reading a book about magic. Not like our kind, but some Muggles do seem to want to believe in magic. And of course, almost every child believes. They have to be taught not to. That's where the public education system comes in."
"Really?"
"Yes. Oh, I don't have proof, but I think that's one of the places our kind has fooled around in over the years. They usually aren't taught to think for themselves, you know, but to accept what 'everyone knows' as true. Very convenient for us."
"Anything else we've done to them?"
"The whole nuclear power thing, I'm sure. I think that there are probably records that show that we caused the hysteria about a nuclear war back in the 1960s or whenever. They're still getting over that. It's held them back for years. You know, their science will catch up to us someday. Then we'll be able to show ourselves. I think the Ministry should encourage that, but, well, I'm not Minister."
"No, that moron Wood is."
"I know that he called us crazy when we tried to talk to him about Voldemort, but, Kev, the story is a bit improbable."
"Yeah. Right."
"It is, you know that." I changed the subject. "Are you going to send the owl to Patrick tonight?"
"Yes. We should head back before it gets too late."
"Fine with me." We walked out and back to our hotel.
Lisa
"Will you tell us where we're going now?"
"No."
"We've been in this dumb car for hours! When will we get there?"
"Later. Read or go to sleep or something. I have to concentrate on driving. Why can't these Americans drive on the correct side of the road?" Jason and I pulled out a map.
"What big cities are near here?" I asked.
"Um, well, up there is New York, that's a big one."
"Wait, where are you looking?"
"Isn't this where we are?"
"No, silly, that's Pittsburgh there. We're down here in South Carolina. Sheesh."
"Well, Lisa, you're the one who used to live here. I don't even understand the language."
"What are you talking about? It's English."
"No, it's American Muggle, and I speak Wizard English. All the words seem to mean something else."
"Well, the first time you said you used a torch to read in bed, I had a vision of you holding a flaming brand under the covers."
"Well, 'flashlight' isn't any better."
"I think it is. And you call food by different names -next time we're in a restaurant, it'll help if you order a cookie if what you want is what you call a biscuit."
"I thought it was weird that they gave me a scone instead."
"That's 'biscuit' in American. They didn't just declare independence from the king back in 1776, they declared independence from the King's English too."
"I see that. You probably know a lot about that, having lived here as a Muggle for so long."
"Sure. I can name all the signers of the Declaration of Independence in order of signing. I can name the places where the great battles were fought, list the presidents in order, and sing the National Anthem -without breaking."
"I am so impressed."
"All right, fine, go to sleep or something."
"What about English history?"
"Um, I don't know much. I mean, they don't teach that at Hogwarts. In America, we learned that King Arthur defeated the Romans -or maybe Napoleon, I'm not sure - and built Stonehenge and had seven or eight wives, which he beheaded. And then George III took over and we left. Oh, and the Pilgrims came over, and then America went and helped England out in the World Wars. And somewhere in there, Ivanhoe drove out the Normans, but he was a Saxon and they were bad guys until the Normans came in and -oh, gee, it's confusing. I was more interested in the War of the Roses and Guy Fawkes. At least that was bloody and stuff. A bunch of witches got burnt - of course, they weren't really witches. Americans think themselves more civilized because they hanged their witches, didn't burn them at the stake. We learned all of English history in about three days, and then had to move on to China."
"I see. So don't be surprised when I tell you that my knowledge of American history -well, I think that Ben Franklin created the stove and invented the light bulb, then George Washington came along on a horse and the three of them - Franklin, Washington, and the horse - somehow beat the British. And Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and then Lincoln started the Civil War and got killed. Then they tried to fool around in Europe and they had a Depression, until Hitler and Grindelwald came along and caused another world war. And then they sent someone to the Moon."
"That was pathetic."
"Yeah, well, I'm not interested in Muggle American history."
"I see." I looked up front. "Hey, Dad! Are we almost there?"
"Ellie, punch them for me."
"Yes dear." She didn't turn around. Jason and I laughed.
"Hey!" I said. "I'll bet we're going to DC!"
"Where?"
"Washington DC. It's called DC, or Inside the Beltway, or other things like that. The capital city!"
"Oh. Have you been there?"
"No, and I hear it's got some great things to do. The subways, and the museums, and there's a bunch of old dudes running things worse than the Ministry of Magic."
"That's impossible."
"No, merely difficult. Anyway, politicians never care that something is impossible, they try to do it anyway. Look, we're only twenty miles away from it."
"Great. I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when something's happening." He put his head back. I pulled out a book and tried to read, but my mind wasn't on it.
I had had a dream last night, a Mane dream, and Jason hadn't. I hadn't mentioned that I'd had one, since he hadn't had one. This was the first time that I'd had one alone. I thought back to Lily.
The moon shone on the rock where Lily sat. I could see her face, glowing in the moonlight. She looked very peaceful.
"Hello, Lily," I said, crossing to her stone.
"You're growing fast." She looked me over. "You'll be ready to face Voldemort any time now."
"But, Lily, I don't know enough! I cannot face him! I'm -I'm too scared," I said, finally voicing my deepest fears.
"Lisa," she said kindly, looking at me, "Do you really think that I was brave in facing him?"
"Yes, of course," I said.
"No, I wasn't. It was something that had to be done, and I had to do it. This is something that has to be done."
"It may kill me too."
"It may," she said calmly. "You are surprised that I do not try to soothe away your fears? What would be the point? You know that it is dangerous. You also know that you will do it."
"Because of the boys," I said. "I can't let them go into that kind of situation alone."
"If that is the excuse you need, so be it," she said softly. "But Lisa. You are brave, far braver than you think. Remember that. Also, remember that there are many kinds of bravery. It takes one kind to stand up to Voldemort. It takes another to live day by day."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Not yet. But you will, Lisa. You will." She sighed. "I wish that you did not have to do this, but you must. There is no one else to do it. Take courage, Lisa. You will do well. You will."
An hour later, we pulled up in front of a hotel in Washington. Dad helped carry all the bags in, then he went off somewhere.
"Well, where'd he go?" Jason asked.
"I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and find out." We didn't have long to wait. Ten minutes later, we saw him come back.
"Who's that with him?" Jason wondered.
"Hey -that's Gray and Noxi!"
"I wonder what they're doing here?" We didn't have long to wait. Aunt Ellie brought us over to the room where the adults were conversing. They stopped when we came in. Dad looked at us.
"Sit down," he said. "We've got some things we need to tell you." We sat. "The reason I'm here, and they are here -in America, that is - is to try to find information about Voldemort that we can use against him, or to convince the Ministry that he really is alive. We haven't been able to find anything, and we've been looking through a lot of old records."
"So what does this have to do with us?" Jason asked, his voice steady. Noxi -she might be my aunt, but I always thought of her as Noxi - spoke quietly.
"It occurred to us that we might very well have uncovered something important but not know it," she said. "So we decided we'd better ask you."
"Ask us?" I was shocked. Since when did any adult think that kids might be able to see something they couldn't? Even if it was true.
"You do speak to the Manes," Gray said.
"Yes," Jason admitted. "Oh, I see. You want us to ask them about it."
"Exactly."
"Um, you do remember that we have no control over it, right? We haven't spoken with them in months." I wriggled a little as he spoke. That wasn't quite true.
"I know that they're still there," I said slowly. "Somehow, I think we'll know when they go."
"Anyway, you two are going to go tomorrow to start looking at the records," Dad said.
"Thrilling," I said.
"I know it's not a very good vacation," Noxi began, "But-"
"Oh, I understand," I said. "I understand perfectly well-" But I started to cry and ran from the room. I flung myself face down on the bed in the next room, and just cried. A minute later, I heard the door open and shut softly. I looked up, expecting to see Dad or Aunt Ellie. But it wasn't. It was Noxi. She crossed to the bed and sat down beside me. I tried to wipe my eyes, but I just started crying harder.
"There, there," she said, speaking soothingly to me. "I do understand, you know."
"How can you?" I looked at her. "How can you understand what this is like? I'm thirteen years old! And yet I have to help save the world."
"I know," she said. "And instead of worrying about your hair or clothes or even grades, you're worried about Voldemort. I've watched you -you don't have any girl friends at Hogwarts, do you?"
"I'm always afraid I'll let something slip," I said. "What would happen if I did?"
"What indeed? So you lock yourself up. The boys don't understand, do they? Maybe they're a little worried, but they're sure that everything will come out fine. You're not so sure."
"It's not me I'm worried about."
"No, it's them, isn't it? And your father and stepmother. You're worried about what will happen to them if you fail. And you're wondering why you have such a burden."
"Exactly. How can you understand?"
"Because I went through something similar. Oh, nowhere near as hard or important as what you want, but...
"You see, I'm not a very good witch. There are lots of things I can't do. But sometimes when I get angry, things happen without my wanting them to."
"Most kids have that."
"Yes, but most kids grow out of it. As a girl, I learned that I wouldn't grow out of it. So I have to be careful, to not get too excited or mad or scared. That's hard. And I was afraid to get close to people, so I was lonely. Your mother, she only knew about magic from what she saw of me, so she thought we were all like I am, unable to control things, dangerous. Once when I was twelve and home for the summer, she'd stolen my diary. I got so angry that I couldn't do anything. She broke out in warts. They faded after a week, but she never forgot that. That's why she hates magic, and me, and maybe, a little bit, you. And also, if I get too mad, and the magic gets away from me, it could cause me to -burn out. So that I'd never be able to do magic again."
"It must be awful to have something like that."
"You can't control your fate, I can't control my magic. We have things in common."
"But what do I have that makes Lily able to talk to me? She was a heroine, a brave and noble and beautiful woman."
"Lisa, you are brave. Yes, you are! Look at what you've done already! As for beautiful, well, in a year or two, every boy at Hogwarts will be asking you out on dates." I laughed. "Don't worry. You'll be incredible. And twenty years from now, Binns will be boring new students by talking about you and your friends."
"I hope you're right."
"I am." She turned and left the room. I lay there a bit longer. After a while, I got up, washed my face, and walked into the other room. Everyone looked at me.
"You said we start tomorrow?"
They all grinned at me.
There must have been a hundred boxes full of old, musty photographs and documents, letters, relics, books and files. The adults tried to help out by sorting out what didn't seem important, but there was still a lot to read. Too much to read, actually; we kept forgetting facts that we'd read an hour before. Finally, we arranged for Aunt Ellie to duplicate anything that we thought might be important so we could read it later. Still, going through all that stuff made me feel very inadequate.
"I mean, look at it," I said to Jason late one evening when we were alone. "They had this whole organization, lots of fully trained witches and wizards, including some of the best of their time! And even so they didn't defeat Voldemort. What makes us think we can?"
"We have to try," he said. "What choice do we have?"
"None, I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better," I mumbled. "And here we are, in a very attractive city full of interesting things to do, and we spend our time reading old reports about things Voldemort might have been doing hundreds of years ago!"
"Yes, but somewhere in here there may be a clue to defeating Voldemort. We have to try."
"Have you heard from Phil or Andy?" I asked suddenly.
"Yes, I got a letter a couple days ago. They're having fun -they're at Phil's house now, and they wish we were there."
"So do I," I said. I picked up the next letter and started to read.
"Hold it," Jason said suddenly. "This is interesting."
"What?" I asked, peering at the document he held.
"It's a report on Voldemort."
"So's practically every other paper we've read," I said. "So what?"
"So this one is about Voldemort - I mean, what his weaknesses might be."
"Really? What's it say?"
"It's too badly damaged, I can't read most of it. We'd best find out if Gray or Noxi has any talent at restoring documents." He stood and, carrying the document, left the room. I followed.
The adults were waiting outside. We'd asked them to leave for a while. It was very hard to concentrate with them staring at us. Jason succinctly explained the situation.
"I can probably restore it," Noxi said. "But I'll need you to brew a potion for me, Kev."
"Of course," he said with a smile.
"While you work on that, the kids and I will go and get something to eat," Aunt Ellie said. "What about some ice cream?"
"Great!"
"I like that idea," I added. We followed her up three sets of stairs, out of the museum, and two blocks down the street to a Dairy Queen where we got huge cones. After we finished them, we went back. Dad met us with a smile.
"We've got almost all of the document here. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us, but maybe..."
Jason and I looked at the paper.
"The Achilles Project," Jason read from the top.
"They were part of the League Against Voldemort! That was the name assigned to the project to find his weaknesses. This must be one of their reports."
"You're right. But these are odd weaknesses..."
"Love," I read. "Of course, he didn't understand that. How could that be a weapon, though?"
"Hope," Jason said. "That's a tool for us, all right. And it's one that we can always use. Because he causes fear, and wherever there is fear, there is also a bit of hope."
"Friendship." I looked up. "Someone who's never had a friend wouldn't understand what a powerful bond there is among friends. We'll remember that."
"Voldemort never understood friendship, Lily," Jason said. I nodded, and then started.
"What did you say?"
"I said that Voldemort didn't understand friendship."
"No, you called me Lily."
"What? I -I can't remember -why would I say that?"
"I don't know," I said. "But the weirdest thing was, I almost thought it was right for me to be called Lily. I don't understand this." I looked around me at the adults that I had almost forgotten were still in the room. Aunt Ellie was pale. Noxi looked curious. Gray stood lost in thought, and Dad had concern in his eyes.
"We'd best finish the list," Jason said.
"Yes," I agreed, turning back to it. "Let's see. Selflessness, devotion, courage, pity, and trust. All powerful emotions, all good, things that Voldemort never has and never will understand." That's why he failed, something in me whispered. He never put anyone in front of himself. He never expected anyone to do so. That's why he couldn't kill Harry, because I sacrificed myself. No! Something else shouted. That wasn't me, I never faced Voldemort. That isn't my voice! "What's happening?" I whispered to myself. " I can hear her," I said aloud. "In my head, I heard her just then, talking to me." Seeing the blank looks on their faces, I added, "Lily. She was there, just a minute ago." Are you there? I added silently to myself. But there was no answer.
"I am getting very freaked out here," Jason said.
"You can say that again," I agreed, looking at him. "Um, this is all fascinating, but if you don't mind, I'm going to bed now." They nodded their assent. Jason followed me from the room.
In bed, I wondered silently to myself. What does this mean? What will happen to me? Am I going crazy? But before I went to sleep there came a silent feeling to me: one of peace, reassurance. I won't hurt you I heard in my head. And I fell asleep.
Kathryn
The kids weren't the only ones 'freaked out' as they put it, by their odd behavior. After they left, I hurried over to the International Wizarding Library. It was fortunate for me that one of these was here in this city. It was also the second largest wizard library in the world. I started right in on research, using huge, archaic volumes and texts. What I found both worried and fascinated me.
"What on earth have you been doing?" I looked up and saw Kev standing there.
"Research," I said, showing him the notes I'd taken.
"All night?"
"What?" I looked at the nearest window. Sure enough, it was daylight. "That's the problem with these twenty-four-hour libraries, I guess." Kev laughed.
"Come on, we've got to get breakfast."
"Alone?" I asked concernedly.
"Whatever you want."
"Alone, then. I've found put some information that I don't know if the kids should know." He looked puzzled but resisted questioning me until we'd gotten to a restaurant, sat down, and ordered.
"All right, girl, spill it. What did you find that's so horrible?"
"To put it briefly, they may go crazy." I looked at him.
"Let's here the expanded version," he said quietly.
"Well, I found some very rare texts on Manes. Apparently contact such as the kids have with them is not unheard of. Unfortunately, it ends in insanity for the participants about fifty percent of the time."
"I don't like those odds."
"Neither do I, especially as one of the first signs of insanity approaching is that the person can no longer distinguish between himself and the Mane."
"This doesn't sound good."
"I don't know why, or whether anything can be done to prevent it. I'm pretty sure it can't, actually."
"So what do we do?"
"Nothing. We just hope that they don't go mad. Or at least not until after they've saved the world."
"That sounds very callous, Kath."
"I'm feeling despondent. I like these guys; I don't want them to go mad. But that's because they're my friends, now. The fact is, they are going to have to stand between us and Voldemort one of these days. I'd rather they were sane whilst doing so." I bit into my eggs. They tasted like sawdust to me. "Question is, do we tell them?"
"How can we not?"
"What would happen if someone told you you had a fifty percent chance of going insane?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But it's their right to know. We have to tell them."
"But they're just kids."
"Kids, yes. But they are also to some extent people who died a hundred fifty years ago. You weren't the only one to do research last night," he said. "I didn't come across information about insanity, but what there was did seem to indicate that the Manes their -well, hosts is the best word I can think of- are to some small extent the same person. It wasn't very clear, but if they are the same people..."
"All right. We'll tell them."
They took it rather well, I thought. Kev and I told them what I'd found.
"One in two chance?" Jason asked when we were done.
"Yes," I said. I wondered, looking at Lisa, if she might start to cry again, but she didn't. I rather thought that she'd grown up a lot in the last few days.
"We'll beat those odds," she said. "They're better than living though one of Voldemort's attacks, after all. Anyway, we never did care for odds - I mean, they didn't." I was a bit alarmed at this response. The strangeness seemed to be getting worse. It was so hard to find words to explain the concepts I was trying to think of. She smiled weakly at us. I looked at her.
"Can I talk to you privately?" I asked her. She nodded and led the way from the room. Once we were alone, she turned to me.
"What do you want?" The words were rude, but her tone was not. She was just curious.
"How much can you remember of Lily's life?" I asked her.
"Not much," she said, staring at me. "Sometimes I get flashes of memory, or I'll say things that I know must be from her. But as for memory -well, I had a dream last night of holding an infant, and it looked like Harry from the old pictures I've seen. But that could have been my imagination."
"And did this just start yesterday?"
"That's what I thought at first, but then I remembered the way so many of the documents I read had seemed familiar. I had thought it was just déjà vu, but now I wonder." I nodded. "We wrote to Andy and Phil last night, and got their letter this morning. They said they hadn't noticed anything like this, but would tell us if they did."
"It's possible that all these old documents are stirring things up that would normally take longer," I said. "You seem to be taking this well, Lisa."
"I don't know that it's really sunk in yet," she said slowly. "But I do know that every time I've spoken with or felt Lily, I have felt that she wouldn't hurt me. It's very gentle, you see, very soft. Sometimes she worries about me, I think. In a way, she almost thinks of me as her daughter." She spoke with wonder in her voice. "I don't think I have anything to fear from Lily."
"Good," I said. "I don't know what's going to happen, Lisa, but if you need me, you know where I am."
"Thanks," she said with a smile, and walked off.
Lisa
I was a bit shocked about the news, but after a week went by with no further weird incidents or conversations with Lily, I began to relax. Finally, we finished what we were doing in DC.
"We'll go home tomorrow," Dad said.
"Can Phil and Andy come to stay?" Jason asked.
"If their parents allow, sure." Noxi and Gray were going to stay with us too. I think Dad wanted them to help keep an eye on us, to make sure we didn't go crazy without him noticing.
Speaking of noticing, Jason and I had discovered that the professors were obviously in love with each other.
"It's sweet," I said.
"It's crazy," he said. "Look, we know that Voldemort's going to be coming back any time, but here they are planning to get married?"
"Well, if we made life stop just because of Voldemort, he's already won."
"Yes, well, if they get married they won't be able to teach any more."
"That might not be true. Anyway, it's not our worry."
"Just because she's your aunt..."
Even though I still hated the plane trip, I was glad to see home again. It'd been such a long time. First thing, Jason and I grabbed our brooms and played a game of tag. It felt great. Then we helped Dad unload the boxes of papers we'd brought home. But it felt great to relax and be a kid again. I'd had to be an adult a lot in the past few weeks.
Andy and Phil got there three days later. Right off, Jason and I explained to them about what had been happening to us. They still didn't think that anything like that had happened to them, but they were a little nervous.
It was the middle of August when the next weird thing happened. The four of us were out on our brooms playing a game of Quidditch, when Phil looked up. The moon was bright in the evening sky.
"Almost full," he said. "I hate it." We stared at him.
"Phil, are you all right?" Andy asked with concern. But I realized what it was.
"Remus was a werewolf," I said. Phil looked up.
"Oh, my -you mean that that wasn't really me? Or it was, but it was a me that isn't the me I was a few years ago, but was many years ago?"
"Phil, you're just confusing us," Jason said. "That was probably a thought of Remus Lupin's, yes. But I don't think we need to worry too much."
"Yeah? Well, I don't like the idea," Phil said.
"Look, do you think that any of them would hurt us, even to get rid of Voldemort permanently? Of course not. I think that we're safer with them around than any other way."
"I agree," I said. "They were loyal to each other, at any cost. They'll do the same for us." I looked at Jason, and froze. For a minute, he appeared different, not like the boy I'd know for three years, but like the long dead James Potter. I blinked, and everything was normal. I didn't mention it to the others, either, because something in me held back.
That night, as I looked in the mirror, I had another visual hallucination. I stood there, but it wasn't the me I usually saw. Instead, I was a woman, probably twenty-some years old, with flaming red hair and emerald green eyes. I held a baby in my arms; a baby with black hair and green eyes like mine. Behind me stood a man whose untidy black hair stood at right angles from his head. His arm was around my shoulders, and we were both smiling at the baby, who gurgled and cooed.
I shuddered and blinked. The mirror now showed my own face. Had it been the mirror, I wondered, or my mind playing tricks on me?
Kathryn
I had hoped that one or more of the kids would be in my class where I could keep an eye on them, but that was not the case. I tried to look out for them anyway. Personally, I didn't notice any strange things happening to them, but I was still afraid for them.
"No, I haven't noticed anything I can put a finger on either," Kevin said one evening after dinner. "But they all seem to know too much. If they were any other kid, I'd have thought that they were getting help from another student, that or were really studious. But with them, I can't help thinking this knowledge might not be from the Manes."
"They've been pretty good this year, don't you think?"
"Either well behaved or they've gotten better about not being caught," he said with a laugh. "By the way, would you join me for dinner tomorrow might in Hogsmeade?"
"Certainly," I said, smiling.
The next night he arrived at the Three Broomsticks carrying a cloth-swathed bundle.
"What's that?"
"Take a look." I pulled the cloth off a silver cage. Inside was a magnificent falcon.
"Oh, Kev..."
"I didn't forget your birthday, you know."
"She's beautiful. Thank you." I looked at the gorgeous bird.
Eyrespeech is a very difficult language to learn. Mostly, you're either born with the gift, like I was, or you can't talk to birds. Part of the problem is that all birds speak in slightly different ways. A songbird uses sounds a great deal, while a raptor like a falcon uses mostly body language. The way the feathers are lifted, the tilt of the head, even the gleam of the golden eyes communicates something.
"My, you are a beautiful one," I murmured. "What should I call you?" A direct translation of the bird's reply is impossible, but the gist was:
My name has not been granted me yet. Call me what you wish. Some birds, like the falcon, are granted names to show something about their deeds. Mine had not yet accomplished anything noteworthy enough, it appeared.
"I'll call you Fiona then. Seems like it fits you." Fiona tilted her head.
I approve. I laughed.
"Good." I smiled at Kevin. "She's a perfect gift. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." He pulled something out of his pocket.
"Another gift?"
"Sort of. I meant to get you one before, but..." he let his words trail off. I opened the small box. Inside was a glittering diamond ring.
"It's beautiful."
"You are beautiful," he said. I could feel myself blushing. He took it from me and put it on my finger. "I know we haven't set a wedding date yet, but I still want everyone to know that we are engaged."
"Don't worry about that. Snape has already spread the news to everyone in the castle. She's trying to get us fired, I think."
"She won't. But when do you want the wedding?" I sighed.
"If I had a choice, I'd say today. But we both know that that's impossible. With Voldemort coming back, we both need to be able to do whatever it takes to defeat him."
"I know. And if we're married, at least one of us will probably have to give up teaching."
"I already said I was willing."
"I know you are willing, Kath, it's just that I think that Voldemort will strike here first. If we're both here, we might be able to stop him."
"Why do you say that he'll come here?"
"Traditionally, almost all of his defeats took place here. I think he'll come here, hoping to erase that by winning a great victory. Also, this is one of the most magical places in the world. If he can win here, it will send a powerful message to people. But most of all, I think that the Manes will bring him. From what I can tell, they seem to know that they are fated to fight him. Perhaps he is equally sure. So I do think he will attack here first."
"Which means we've got to defeat him right off -or we're dead."
"Yes."
I sighed. "Too bad that we can't get rid of the V League. Why can't you convince the Minister of the necessity?" I really knew the answer, but somehow I needed to hear him say it.
"Wood thinks that I'm paranoid about them. They captured me in Africa, you know, a few years back while I was trying to track them down. It was not a pleasant experience. So the Minister thinks that either I'm more afraid of them than I should be or that I want revenge."
"Don't you ever wish that you were a Muggle and didn't have to worry about this stuff?"
"It might be relaxing, but I wouldn't trade this life for anything in the world. Anyway, who'd want to be a Muggle?" I laughed at him.
"No one, of course, which is why they like to pretend that we don't exist."
"Oh, so they're jealous?"
"Right. I couldn't stand to be a Muggle and know, you know. That would be awful. Almost as bad as being a Squib." I shuddered at the thought of knowing about magic and never being able to do it. Maybe that's one reason why Grace was always so bitter, I thought suddenly.
"Well, it's getting late. We'd best get back to the castle."
Lisa
It came to me one day while I was sitting in Charms; a feeling of dread so overpowering that I screamed. The room seemed to whirl.
"It is coming, Lisa!" Lily's voice screamed in my ears. Everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes I was in the hospital wing. Dr. Sarisal was there, and she looked up as I came round.
"Good," she said. "You'll be fine, dear."
"What happened?"
"You fainted. I hope nobody tried to play a nasty trick on you?" No? Well, it may just have been a passing thing, but I'm keeping you here overnight."
"I'm fine."
"Sure you are, deary. No, lie still." She walked over to the door and opened it.
"Ten minutes, no more, you hear?" Andy, Phil and Jason came bounding into the room.
"Are you all right?" Jason asked with concern.
"I'm fine now." I shot a glance at Sarisal, who was out of earshot. I told them, in a whisper, what had happened.
"It must be about Voldemort," Phil said. "What else could it be?"
"I don't know. Any of you have anything like this happen to you?" They all said no. Then Sarisal hustled over and made them leave.
The nest day, she let me out around noon.
"It's no use looking for your friends," she told me. "They went to the village already." I wandered around, feeling despondent. Hogsmeade trips were rare enough that missing one was a big disappointment. Somehow, I wandered up to the teachers' quarters.
"Lisa?" It was Noxi. "Come in here a minute." She sat me down and gave me a cup of tea. Then she fixed me with a glare sharper than that of her falcon.
"I was told that you screamed and fainted yesterday. Does it have anything to do with Lily?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm not worried, though. She was just warning me. None of the boys have had anything like this happen."
"Are they sure?"
"Trust me, they're sure. It's hard not to be."
"All right then. Do you sense Lily, ever?"
"Yes." I looked at her. "I can feel her, definitely. She's part of me, and I'm part of her. I'm not sure what I'll do when she is gone."
"Gone?"
"They'll go after Voldemort is dead."
"You seem very certain that he'll die. What if it's you who dies?"
"I'm not very afraid, not really. I've been through it once, you know." I looked at her shocked face. "Oh, that was Lily, wasn't it? Usually I'm -we're- better at not doing that sort of thing, but I'm relaxed here and wasn't paying attention. It just sort of slipped out."
"If I wanted to talk to the Lily part of you, could I?"
"Certainly. Do you want to?"
"Yes, I think so."
"I'm here." She looked at me.
"Lily," she said slowly, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Don't believe everything you hear."
"I don't. I don't believe, though, that you'd want to hurt Lisa."
"Of course not. That would be hurting me too."
"But there is a chance that she might be harmed?"
"A chance, though it's slim. We both know it. There's more danger from Voldemort."
"Can you speak to anyone else in the wherever you are?"
"No, it's only through Lisa that I can see or hear anything at all, now. It used to be that I could see your world vaguely, but now it's brighter. It's almost like being alive again."
"What of when you have to go?" A musical peal of laughter came from my throat, but it wasn't mine.
"It will be a relief. It's been a long time, this half-life. I'll be glad to go." A sigh followed her words. "I know that I will go, one way or the other, within the next five years."
"One way or the other?"
"Either Voldemort's death will release me, or I will finally perish because -he won."
"I see. You know this for sure?"
"Some things, I can see in the future, as if through a thick veil. That's one thing I have seen."
"Anything else?"
"Not much. There is pain and sorrow ahead along many paths, but on others joy and happiness follow."
"I see. You see many futures?"
"Until one is the present, all are possible. Maybe all of them happen."
"Let's not got there. I know that stuff isn't fun to think about."
"As you wish." Suddenly, she was gone. "Um, it's me again. I don't know where she went."
"I see. You could hear that?"
"Sure. I was here, I just wasn't in control."
"Not in control of your own body." Noxi shivered. "That's a strange thought."
Interlude
The Dark Lord's face was veiled. His servant could not tell his thoughts.
"You are certain of what you say?"
"Positive."
"So my old foes are dead, but not gone." He turned to the spy. "Keep a close eye on them."
"I already am."
"Do not fail me."
"Never, my lord."
"No one suspects me?"
"No one." The hooded figure smiled. "Who would? They are sure that I am on their side."
"Be wary around these -children." Voldemort spat the last word in disgust. "They are insignificant fools alone, but with the help of these spirits, they could be dangerous."
"I will insinuate myself further into your enemies' confidences. Already, I know most of their plans. I will prove my usefulness to you."
"If you succeed, I shall be most generous. But if you fail, the pain you suffered before will seem but a pleasant memory."
The hooded figure shivered and bowed.
"I will not fail you."
"Good. Now, as to my plan. These enemies of mine may be in part old opponents, but they are also children, and children are easily frightened. You will frighten them."
"How, my lord?"
"By trying to kill them. You will not succeed, of course, but that will make them nervous."
"But surely they will realize that there is a spy in their midst?"
"Have a suspect ready to drag before them. You are clever, or so you say. You will think of something."
"As you command, my lord."
Lisa
It was a bright, sunny October morning, and Phil, Andy, Jason and I were strolling through Hogsmeade. This was the second Hogsmeade weekend of the term, and the first that I had been able to go on. I had wanted to see everything, and so we'd run about for an hour, looking at all the sites. Now we approached the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
It seemed that every students and teacher who could make it was here. I saw Noxi and Gray strolling together, arm in arm. Snape and the Headmistress were having an animated discussion. McGonagall turned and walked away as we approached. Snape sniffed and went about her business. Ari Malfoy glowered at us from the door of Honeydukes. We ignored him and entered the inn.
It was dark inside, and crowded. I looked about as my eyes grew accustomed to the dim light and saw-
"Dad!" There they were, Dad and Aunt Ellie. They were seated together and appeared to be waiting for us. They even had four mugs of butterbeer waiting.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Jason was just as puzzled as I.
"We had business, dear, and then as it was a Hogsmeade weekend for you, we decided to wait here for you to show up." She smiled. "We knew you'd come here sooner or later." I was looking at her closely. There was something a bit peculiar about her, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Mum, are you okay?" Jason looked at her. "You look tired."
"Oh, I'm fine. It's just that," she glanced at Dad. He nodded and she turned back to us. "I'm pregnant. You two are going to have a brother or sister." I looked at Jason. I guess he looked as astonished as I felt.
"Oh, that's great," I managed finally. "When will it be?"
"June," Dad said. "Probably just before school gets out."
"Ah," I said. "Well, Jason, I have some experience with younger siblings. I'll tell you what you need to know."
"Actually, I will," Andy said. "I've got six, you know, and more on the way all the time. You've got lots to learn, bud." We sat down at the table.
"So, how is everything?" Dad asked. He seemed nonchalant, but we all knew what he was really asking. Jason looked around before answering.
"Fine for now. It doesn't seem like he'll be arriving soon, if that's what you mean."
"I really wanted to know how all of you are handling," Dad said.
"We're fine, Dad, really," I assured him. "I promise, we're not -well, we're fine." Saying that you aren't going insane in a tavern is not the smartest thing to do. "Anyway, Gray and Noxi are keeping tabs on us. They'll let you know if anything odd happens." Dad was about to say something when loud noises began outside. We jumped from our chairs and ran to look. Aunt Ellie and Dad were at the door almost before we were. I noticed that both of them had their wands already drawn.
Bright balls of light were flying up and down the street. People were running and screaming in terror. Others were huddled in doorways. In that brief, confused minute, I saw Snape, McGonagall, Gray and Noxi, all with drawn wands, huddled into four separate doorways. I didn't have a chance to look at them too long, though, because the balls were not only getting wilder, but also heading straight for us.
"Run!" Andy yelled, and we all took his advice. I saw Dad pulling Aunt Ellie back inside and the two of them ducking behind the bar as I pelted off down the street. I glanced back. One of the balls was following me. I ran faster. It was gaining. I tried to think of something to do, but couldn't. It was getting closer, and closer. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.
It didn't come. Instead, I felt myself being pulled by my arm. My feet left the ground, and I opened my eyes. Jason was holding my arm with one hand. The other he was using to steer a broom. I managed to get astride it, ahead of him.
"Where'd you get this?" I gasped.
"The Chasers were trying some fancy moves down the street. Emerald had just dismounted, and so I grabbed this and took off. Had to get away from the one that was after me, and then I saw that you were in trouble.
"Thanks," I said. "I didn't know you could fly that well."
"I can't," he said. "But James was an excellent Quidditch player. He sort of took over and did what had to be done."
"Well, thanks to you both," I said. "What about Phil and Andy?"
"They were fine when I grabbed you, and just after I did all the balls vanished. It's probably safe to go down now." I looked at the village a hundred feet below. There were no balls of wild light any more.
"You saved my life," I said.
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do," I said. I kissed him, briefly. "Thank you. We'd best get down before they get worried."
"Um, yeah," he said, and thirty seconds later we were on the ground. It was a scene of confusion. No one seemed to have been hurt, though.
"The balls," Andy said as he and Phil joined us. "They were chasing us."
"You're paranoid," Jason said.
"No, I'm not."
"He's right," came a voice. "What I want to know is, why?" The headmistress approached. What are we going to say? I thought. Then, the answer came to me.
"I wouldn't like to say, professor, but it might possibly have been a prank that got kind of out of hand." The boys nodded vigorously.
"Would you have any idea who pulled this prank?" she asked. We all shook our heads no, but each of us let our eyes dart briefly to where Ari Malfoy stood.
"I see," she said. "Well, if you're all right." She strode off.
"Good thinking," Phil said. "I wasn't sure how we'd explain that."
"That was no childish prank," a cold voice said. "That was highly advanced Dark Magic." Professor Miranda Snape stood glaring at us.
"Dark magic? Who on earth would be using dark magic here?" Professor Gray had joined the party.
"That's your job to know, Gray," she spat. "Sounds like we have a problem for you, don't you think?" And then she, too, strode away.
"She's right, though," Gray said, staring after her. "That was Dark Magic. Somebody must know about you four, and is trying to kill you. Someone here is a spy." He wore a curious expression. I wasn't sure what it meant, but it just didn't seem like the right expression for the time. Suddenly, I remembered how he had looked when I had glimpsed him in the attack. He'd had a similar expression. Instead of fear, or terror, he had looked -how? Intrigued? Curious? Puzzled? Or -could it be -amused?
Later, back at the castle, I told the boys what I thought I had seen.
"Ridiculous," Andy scoffed. "He's on our side, there's no way he's a spy. I'm betting that it's Snape."
"No, I don't think that it's her," Phil said slowly. "If she were, I think she'd do a better job of disguising her hate for us. It might be Noxi."
"I don't think so," I said scornfully. "I trust her. Lily trusts her. Besides, she looked terrified during the attack."
"Maybe she's a good actor," Andy put in.
"Who else might it have been?" Jason wondered aloud.
"Anyone in Hogsmeade," I said. "Most of the teachers were there, and most of the students."
"Look, I wouldn't put it past Malfoy to be spying, but I don't think any of the students here have the ability to do something like that," Phil said.
"Dark Magic that Voldemort himself taught them," Andy suggested. "It's possible."
"Look, let's be paranoid here, and say that everyone except the four of us is a suspect," Jason said.
"Including your parents?" Andy looked at us. "They were there."
"And they both had their wands out," Phil put in. "Were any of you looking at them just as the noise started?"
"The moment that it started, I had just turned toward Dad," I said. "Before that, we were looking at each other, mostly." I frowned. "But it couldn't be them. It just couldn't be!"
"Everyone is a suspect," Jason said firmly. "Now we need evidence. Until we know who to trust, don't tell anyone anything."
"Right," I said.
The next afternoon, I got a note from Noxi, asking me to have tea with her, alone. I sent back that I'd be glad to. I'd been wanting to talk to her, because no matter what the boys said, I didn't think that she could be the spy. That wasn't the only thing I wanted to talk to her about, though.
"Kev tells me that you guys seem to think that the attack was aimed at you," she said as we drank tea together.
"Yeah, we do. I guess someone here must be working for Voldemort."
"Do you know who it might be?"
"No. We're not ruling anyone out. Everyone except the four of us is a suspect."
"Even Kev and me, I suppose?"
"Yes. They don't want to make the same mistake again."
"What mistake?"
"That someone isn't a spy who really is. They didn't suspect Pettigrew, you know." She shivered a little. I think she had a problem still reconciling the idea that we were kids but were also long-dead heroes. Frankly, I had trouble with that idea. "I don't think you're the spy, personally."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said. "I suppose you won't tell me anything else, though."
"No, I can't. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, though," I said. I hesitated.
"What is it?"
"Well," I began, trying to find words, "How -how do you know if you're in love?" She looked at me for a moment, and then looked away.
"There are many different ways, dear. Everyone is right about something. It is wonderful, you know -it's the grandest feeling in the world, to love someone and have him love you. But it can hurt, sometimes, too. If the person you love doesn't love you, or if you can't be with him, that's hard. It's often confusing - you don't know how you feel; one minute you're queen of the universe, the next you feel like dying." I nodded. "Are you in love with someone?"
"I don't know," I said, looking at the floor. "I'm a little young, don't you think?"
"You're more than thirteen. Love doesn't require a minimum age, you know. I don't know if you're too young or not. I don't think that I was, at your age."
"It's not just that," I forced myself to say. "I think I love someone, but I can't be sure that it's really me who loves him."
"And not Lily?" she asked gently. "Are you - do you think you are in love with Jason?"
"I don't know," I said. "Maybe I am, but maybe that's Lily. She loves James very much, even now, and if Jason is James in some way, her emotions could be influencing my own."
"Love is never a very rational thing," Kathryn said musingly. "People fall in love for strange reasons. You may not be too young to fall in love, Lisa, but you are too young to deal with it the way adults do. You know that even if you do love him, you'll have to wait years."
"I know," I said. "Anyway, that's not really important, is it? We have to fight Voldemort soon, and we might not even survive. So the whole question would be moot, right?"
"Maybe," she answered. "But I have a feeling we'll all survive."
"You don't have to face him," I said.
"I do," she replied. "I will face him, because I'd rather die than give in to him. And I'm not going to let children face him alone, even if you are heroes in disguise." I laughed.
"Thanks for talking to me," I said.
"Anytime, Lisa," she said. Just then, there was a rapping on the window. "Oh, Fiona wants to come in."
"I'll get it," I said. "I haven't met her yet."
"She's a bit shy," Kathryn warned as I opened the window and the falcon fell in. She perched herself on Kathryn's shoulder and preened happily.
"This is Lisa," Kathryn said, turning so the bird could see me. She blinked slowly with her great golden eyes. "She likes you."
"Really?"
"Yes. That's what she tells me. Falcons don't lie, although blue jays are awful that way, and you should hear sparrows' gossip! Falcons and other raptors are a bit more refined, though, and extremely loyal."
"She is gorgeous," I said.
"Almost every living thing is, in its own way."
"I have to go now," I said regretfully, for dusk was falling outside and I knew that the boys would be wondering what was taking me so long.
"I'll see you soon," she said, and let me out.
Kathryn
After Lisa had gone, I turned back to Fiona.
Who was that that you treat like your own fledgling? She asked.
"Lisa is my shell-sister's fledgling," I said. In falcon terms, shell-brother or sister means what we would call a sibling, while flight-sister would be a close friend. "You returned early today."
I had a reason, flight-sister.
"What reason, my friend?"
Your mate asks for you.
"He isn't my mate yet," I said. "And how could he ask you?"
You know I know some human-speech, she said. And I do not at all understand how your customs work. You and he fly like the winds will never die, yet I cannot understand you. Sometimes you act as if you were already mates, sometimes just like flight-brothers.
"That's the human way," I said.
Indeed. He was very polite in asking me.
"Come with me, then," I said. "You can fly more after I see him."
Where did your sister-fledgling go? Fiona asked.
"To join her flight-brothers. They are worried."
Why? Are they not Those Who Command the Winds?
"What did you call them?"
Do you not know of them? I thought that surely a human like you would know.
"Is that how you call wizards?"
You mean Fire-Bearers? No. Those Who Command the Winds are a legend that we know is true, that once, a evil Fire-Bearer tried to kill them, but did not succeed, so their spirits soar upon the winds until he is grounded forever.
"It seems I have much to learn of your people," I said. How could a bird, even such a wise bird as Fiona, know such things? I was determined to get to the bottom of this sooner or later. "Anyway, they're worried about a -how would you say it? A spy, um, One Who Would Betray a Shell-Brother's Nest."
Such a one is here? There was rage in her eyes now.
"We think so. I don't know who."
I will ask the sky-brothers to help watch over your shell-fledgling and her flight-brothers. It would not do to have Those Who Command the Winds destroyed before their time.
"Thank you, flight-sister," I said. I would have said more, but we had just entered the entrance hall and it was full of people. There were some glances at Fiona, but most of the students and teachers knew about her by now. I strode out of the door.
He is near the Quidditch pitch, Fiona threw in helpfully.
"How is it, girl, that you can say 'Quidditch' but not 'wizard'? Oh, no, I don't want an answer."
"Kath! I'm glad to see that Fiona understood me."
"She understood your message and said you were 'very polite'."
"High praise from such a noble bird," he said, and bowed his head a bit in her direction. She stared at him solemnly. "What did she say?"
I laughed. "She says that you are polite too, and called you 'flight-brother'. That's very high praise. She likes you." I looked at him. "Have I thanked you for getting her for me?"
"A thousand times," he said with a laugh. "I am glad you like her."
"So, why did you want to see me?" I asked.
"Many reasons," he said, and I laughed at the grin on his face, "but chiefly because I spoke to our young friends. They're rather suspicious of me."
"They suspect everyone. Lisa said so."
"I do think that they're a bit more suspicious of me. It does make sense; after all, I am supposed to know a lot about dark magic. There aren't many steps from knowing about it to knowing it."
"Oh, darling, they don't know you as well as I do, or they'd never suspect you," I said, throwing my arms around his neck. "By the way, Fiona is most confused by our behavior. Apparently falcons would view it as unnecessarily complicated."
"That's one good reason why I'm not a falcon," he said. "Another is that no matter how beautiful Fiona may be, her owner is a thousand times more lovely."
"Do you love me?"
"You know I do, Kath."
"I just want to hear you say it again."
"Kath, I love you as much as I possibly can. I love you more than I love life itself, and I'll die on your grave if you die first." He affected a melodramatic voice.
"You'll do no such thing," I said. "If for some reason I should die first, I expect you to live out your days and do no such stupid thing. If you don't I'll haunt you."
"How can you haunt me if I'm dead?"
"I'll find a way."
"I believe you, so I hope that we die together after a long and happy life."
"And are turned into a pair of trees for all eternity?"
"There are worse things to become."
"True..." Just then, Fiona landed on my shoulder. She'd apparently eaten a few moments before, and her talons still had blood on them.
"Fiona dear, I love you, but you really are a messy eater," I said.
I am a falcon. I'm supposed to eat like this.
"Hmmph." I said with a chuckle, and carried her back inside.
Interlude
"The children are frightened, my lord, but they are suspicious."
"I knew that they would be. Do they suspect you?"
"I do not know. I believe that they suspect everyone."
"Wise of them. Perhaps more of my old enemies linger in them than I thought."
"My lord, they are but children. If I tried, I could kill them."
"Do not be so sure of that. Children are not as helpless as they seem sometimes." The evil one almost seemed to shutter, but surely such a one as he would never give in to such weakness. "And even if you did kill them, it might not stop them. I shall deal with them as soon as I regain my powers. And that will be very soon."
"I pray that it is so, my lord."
"Do you tire of your role?"
"I must say that it is wearisome. Such pretending I must do, and such things I must say! I do not much care for children, my lord."
"And yet I make you surround yourself with hundreds of them. What a pity. We must all suffer some things if we do not wish to suffer worse."
"Yes, my lord."
"Remember that."
"I will, my lord."
"And you will do nothing without my command. Tell me, what do you know of rumors that many birds have come to Hogwarts?"
"They are true, my lord. I believe it is the fault of the woman, Noxi."
"Yes, she is an Eyre-Speaker, is she not?"
"Yes, my lord."
"A foolish gift, conversing with birds. Reptiles, now... But you think she commands this legion?"
"Her falcon, perhaps."
"Another foolish gift."
"It distracts her, my lord. Perhaps I should kill her?"
"You are very violent tonight. No, leave her alive for now. She could be dangerous. But never fear, I shall deal with her in time."
"I look forward to the day when all your plans are fulfilled, my lord."