A/n
thanks to everyone that reviewed!! This
chapter was really hard to write, but I hope to get the epilogue out fairly soonJ
Part
xvii
"My name is…Lanie Rogers."
The whole room remained silent. Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran down to where Liberty, Shelby, Snape, and Lupin where standing. They were all standing wide-eyed, not moving a muscle. Ginny thought they looked like they had an encounter with Medusa, and were now stone statues of themselves. Finally, Ginny heard Professor Lupin at a whisper.
"Lanie?"
"It…it can't be," Liberty answered. "Lanie's dead."
"Um, would you guys mind telling us who Lanie is," Harry asked.
"You mean was. That can't be Lanie," Liberty stated.
"Lanie was the most wonderful girl I have ever met," Lupin responded. "But, she disappeared the day your parents died," he said to Harry.
In the center of the room, Ginny saw the ministry members give the letter back to Mr. Walters. They whispered amongst each other for about a minute, when Mr. Walters readdressed Lanie.
"I would like to thank you Miss Rogers. You have just saved an innocent man's life. Would you care to read the letter aloud?"
Lanie's voice started out hesitantly as she read the wrinkled up letter. "Lanie, my master has come. He is going to kill James and Lily. I'm sorry Lanie. I can't resist his pull anymore. I have gone to join my master. I wish he didn't have to kill them, but that is how it must be." She stopped to hold back a sob before she looked back at the letter. "I'm sorry…do you want me to go on?" She looked at Mr. Walters with a pleading look in her eyes.
"No, I think you got the point across," he said with an encouraging smile. He then turned to Sirius. "Sirius Black, you are now a free man. As for Mr. Pettigrew, you will be taken to Azkaban at once. This trail is over. Seeing as Mr. Black was innocent, Professor Albus Dumbledore will also be released and returned to Hogwarts at once."
What happened after the trail seemed to go in a blur of events. Ginny rushed down, alongside of Harry to congratulate Sirius. Ginny rushed up to hug him, and stepped back to let the others have a turn. She then went to congratulate Lanie. However, Lanie was no longer standing there. All Ginny found was the wrinkled up letter that she picked up and stuck in her pocket. "Where did she go?"
"Lanie? Lanie, are you here," Remus called. "No, she couldn't have disappeared again. Not after all that."
"All what? Who is Lanie," Harry asked for the second time.
"Lanie was your mother's best friend," Shelby told him. "We haven't seen her since James and Lily were killed. For months, we searched for her, until we just gave up and assumed she was dead."
"She was living in the forest all this time…" Remus trailed off.
"There was nothing you could do about it," Sirius told his friend.
"But, I should've known. She lived there alone, all this time."
"And there is still nothing you could've done," Liberty stated. "Much as I hate to agree with Mr. ex-con here," she said, pointing to Sirius.
"But there is something we could do now. We know she's out there, somewhere," Remus said.
"And we'll do all we can to find her," Sirius finished for him. "I owe her my freedom. You know, the last time I saw her was that day, as I was heading towards Lily and James'. She was running in the opposite direction. I never forgot what she said to me. She said, 'my name isn't Lanie. I'm no one.' I thought it was the oddest thing I'd ever heard, but now I know. Damn that Peter Pettigrew; how many lives did he ruin in just that one day?"
"Sirius, that's it," Remus exclaimed. "That's why Lanie didn't show up on the map. She completely denied her identity!"
"But, she just revealed herself as Lanie to the entire ministry," Ginny said. "…Oh, Harry, the map!"
Ginny looked over Harry's shoulder as he pulled the map out of his pocket. They didn't find a dot marked 'Lanie Rogers', but they were surprised to find a dot marked 'Rubeus Hagrid' right outside the building. Harry rushed out the doors and up the steps as Ginny stayed right on his heels. She could hear the others following behind.
"'ello 'arry," Hagrid exclaimed when they got into view.
"Hagrid? I thought you ran away, or the death eaters got you!"
"Sorry, guess I 'ad to leave so fast, I forgot to leave a note."
"Where were you?"
"I was jest runnin' an errand fer Dumbledore."
"But, what about the coffee cakes? They were portkeys," he said absentmindedly.
"I don' know what yer talkin' 'bout 'Harry. I don' have no portkey."
"Guess I should explain about that Harry," Remus Lupin said, appearing behind Harry. "I planted the portkeys."
"But, why did you do that," Ginny asked.
"Dumbledore told me to. I talked to him before you guys returned and just before the ministry took him. He was the one that gave me the map, and the portkeys. He never explained to me the reasoning behind them. Dumbledore knows a lot more than anyone gives him credit. He probably knew Lanie was there from the very beginning."
"Well, now we got that all sorted out, we have to find the bus back to Hogsmeade," Liberty said.
"What about Lanie," Ginny asked.
"We'll find her. We have an advantage now that she gave away her identity. As long as she now knows in her heart she is Lanie Rogers, she will show up on the map. That is, if Harry will let me borrow the map," Remus added.
"Sure, but I want to go with you," Harry stated.
"No. You guys need to get back to school," he said glancing at Harry.
"He's right Harry," Hermione said. "I bet we'll have so much to catch up on already. I will have to practically live in the library for a week!"
"No change there," Ron teased. He received a light push by Hermione.
"I'll come with you Remus," Shelby said.
"Me too," Liberty added. "And I won't stop looking until we find her."
"I'm in too, but I'll have to take a rain check. Now that I'm a free man, I have a lot of stuff to do." Sirius stated. "Besides, I can't let these kids go back with Snape. He'll give them a detention for walking crooked." At this, Snape glared at him. Harry brought the map out of his pocket and handed it to Lupin.
"Thanks Harry. You guys can meet me at Lanie's cabin. We'll start the search there," he said to Liberty and Shelby before apperating away.
Shelby walked up and gave Sirius, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron each a hug. When she got to Snape, she pecked him on the cheek. Ginny thought she could see a slight tinge of red rise in his cheeks. "Take care," she said, apperating away.
"Well, guess that's my cue," Liberty said. She started to fade away, but instead of disappearing, she came back in full force. "Oh heck," she said, walking towards Sirius. Before anyone knew what was happening, she had him pulled into a kiss. She pulled away a few seconds later. As she apperated away, she said to him, "don't be so smug, I still think you are an arrogant prat." Sirius looked a little distracted for a moment, but he regained his wits when the bus stopped in front of them.
They were all still in pleasant moods as they approached Hogwarts. Except for Snape, who was never in a pleasant mood unless he was taking away points from Gryffindor. They did get a load of homework as soon as they returned to their common room, but Professor McGonagall insisted they take the rest of the day off to get some rest. They heard that Dumbledore had returned safely to Hogwarts that same evening, and that Hagrid was coming back soon. Ginny couldn't wait to see Kimberly the next morning so she could tell her everything that happened in the forest.
As soon as she got to the common room, Ginny picked up the letter she had stuck in her robe pocket. She read it with increasing interest.
Lanie,
My master has come. He is going to kill James and Lily.
I'm sorry Lanie. I can't resist his pull anymore. I have gone to
Join my master. I wish he didn't have to kill them, but that
is
How it must be. I'm sorry. I just want you to know that I love you.
I've always loved you, and you've
always loved Remus. Don't be
Surprised Lanie, I know. As you get this, James Lily and Harry
Will all be dead, and my master will
have risen above all. I'm sorry
Lanie.
All my love,
Peter.
She stuffed it back into her pocket, promising herself that she would get the lowdown as soon as Lanie was found.
As the night went on, they relaxed by playing games of chess and exploding snap. Harry even let Ginny use his arm as a pillow as she fell asleep on the couch. Right before she drifted to sleep, she heard Harry whisper, "I love you."
A/n I left this open on purpose so you guys can tell me if you want a sequel, or if you want a separate story with Lanie and Remus, or whatever. I don't have any ideas for a sequel yet, but I will if someone wants one. Don't expect it to come out too soon though because I am coming up on finals, and I have other fic ideas running around in my head.
