Tinuvial had no way of knowing it, but her window was being watched that evening as she floated, lost, in a reverie of happier times.  The large black dog she had often seen hanging around outside, the one that did not, apparently, belong to Hagrid, stood guard in the forest, his black eyes fixed firmly on where her room was.


He did not move a muscle until he saw the tall witch pass by the window.  He leaned forward, as though that small movement could garner him a better look.  She looked, to his keen eyes, pensive and, ultimately, sad and lonely. As the shadows grew deeper, the shaggy black dog changed into a tall, dark-haired man, sitting alone in the trees.


Sirius Black had not a clue how long he had lurked around the edges of Hogwarts, always shadowing Tinuvial, standing guard over any bit of threat to her.  Even after all these years, especially the ones in Azkaban, the sight of her was still as enthralling to him as it was when they were younger.

For years he had toiled in his misplaced guilt, blaming himself for James and Lily's deaths and agonizing over whether Tinuvial, too, hated him as much as he hated himself.  The thought was torturous, yet (in his mind) a fitting punishment for what he did in allowing Wormtail to take charge of their secret.


And when he thought she was dead… the memory of that moment of news made him shudder.  The dementors nearly overtook him that night.  The only thing that kept him sane for those days was the thought that now she was dead, she knew the truth.  Did she know now, then?  Surely Dumbledore told her.

The sound of footsteps in the distant made him start suddenly and change back into the innocuous black dog.  He knew he had to be more careful now that the students were back.  Harry and his friends would surely recognize him right away…the thought of his godson put a wolfish smile on the dog's face.  So like Prongs it was almost frightening.

The grin turned a little evil when he considered Snape.  The greasy git was so disturbed by the little "presents" and reminders Sirius had been leaving him, although it irritated him to no end when Snape accused Tinuvial of it.  Of course she didn't do it!  Sirius, however, was not as forgiving and just didn't like the man.  Actually, it ran a little deeper than it.  It was closer to the truth to say that he detested Snape.  Especially the way he seemed to move a little closer to her everyday.  Why did she trust him?  She had no reason.  Severus Snape and their "friendship" had caused her nothing but grief as far as he knew.


It was time to leave.  He had been gone for a while now, he was sure.  As much as he wanted to see her, the thought of a warm bed was inviting.  He would leave Hogwarts, then Disapparate to Remus's home. He gave her window one final, longing look and ran away.

***

Remus Lupin watched mildly as Sirius ate madly about three hours later.  "You're going to get caught on the grounds eventually," he said in a neutral tone.  

"No I won't," Sirius said, absolutely ravenous.  He tended to not eat when traveling as a dog.  Rats were not that tasty and it was hard to cook with four paws.

"Dumbledore probably already knows you're there."

"Probably."

Remus sighed.  He could understand why Sirius sneaked onto Hogwarts.  He, too, missed Tinuvial horribly- she had been so warm and kind when they were younger and when he thought she was dead, he was absolutely devastated.  However, it was trickier for him.  It was easy to lose control during the full moon.  He also wanted to see Harry and the rest of the students, too.  He didn't realize how attached he had become to all of them, even some of the Slytherins. But only some.

Sirius put down his plate.  "You should see her now," he said softly, his eyes going distant.  "There's something different about her… she still looks the same, but older, now, and wiser."

"She had a rough time," Remus said dryly.  "I wonder why she'd look a little older." He glanced ruefully in the mirror at his graying brown hair.  Rough times…he understood entirely.  He was worried, though, about Sirius.  He was still obviously thinking that Tinuvial would be the same as she was when she was seventeen and eighteen.  He knew that she and Sirius had been going together then.  He hadn't been entirely happy (he felt she was much too young then…she always brought out the protective older brother in him, especially after Tobias died), but knew that Sirius would never hurt her.

But she had to have changed since then.  He saw her once after the funeral of James and Lily and was shocked by the transformation.  Her features had been bleak and sharp, her eyes dead.  Nothing would stand in her way, she was quite nearly as feared as Mad-Eye Moody before she disappeared.  Deep down, Remus knew that there was no possible way for her to have not changed.

"Is everything else alright at Hogwarts?" he asked Sirius.

He nodded.  "It seems to be.  Harry is in good health, and so are Ron and Hermione.  I'm tempted to meet them at Hogsmeade again at their next visit."

Remus sighed again.  "It's the waiting that's driving me mad.  On one hand, I want to know what's going to happen, because you know that something will happen this year.  I can feel it."  The other man nodded, his face darkening.

"I can't help but feel that we're going to be completely blind again when it happens," Sirius said slowly.  "Last term, what happened then…" he winced as if a sudden pain had cut through him.  "I should have known that something like that would happen."  It was obvious that he blamed himself.  "It was right in front of us the entire time.  Barty Crouch, just planning away under our noses.  It's amazing how lucky we were, though."

Remus nodded, saddened.  "I knew Cedric Diggory fairly well.  I couldn't believe it, but…"  the horrible, cold, cruel words they were both thinking stayed unspoken.

…at least it wasn't Harry.


Sirius looked away, suddenly fascinated by a hanging on the wall, and Remus looked to the fire.  The threat- the always-present malevolence of Voldemort was hanging over their heads once again.  And those they cared about were probably right in the middle of the danger once more.

***

Defense Against the Dark Arts was definitely a popular class for all the students.   They found Professor Elarith to be as warm and understanding as Professor Lupin and she knew what she was talking about.  Only Draco Malfoy and the Slytherins had negative things to say about her.

"A woman!" he had said scornfully one day, leaving the class.  "Why should I listen to anything she has to say?"  It was a weak complaint and he knew it.

"Because I control your marks for this class, Mr. Malfoy," a voice said pleasantly from behind him.  "I would advise that you do listen to what I say (and listen well).  Your parents wouldn't be pleased if you failed the class, now would they?"  The threat was hidden in a layer of kind words.  She smiled sweetly at him, one eyebrow cocked as if ready for battle.  He glowered at her (Crabbe and Goyle followed suit) and stalked from the room. 


But apart from Malfoy and his gang, everyone liked the young witch, especially the Gryffindors, due to the fact that she had been one.  Yet Harry was still bothered by her.  Why did she look so bloody familiar? 

"Maybe you've seen her picture somewhere before," Hermione suggested. 


"Or at Hogsmeade," Ron added.  "Who knows, you get all types there."

Harry merely shrugged.  "I'm almost positive I've seen her before."

"You could ask Dumbledore," Hermione said.  "Maybe he could help."

Harry agreed, but knew that he would feel foolish asking the Headmaster something like that.  It was such a small thing and it was just a feeling he had. So, one day, he stayed after class, telling Ron and Hermione that he just had to ask her a few questions about the assignment.  For some reason, he didn't want anyone else to know that he was this curious about who she was.

When the classroom was emptied, he approached her desk with some trepidation.  "Er…Professor Elarith?"  She looked up and smiled.

"Hello, Harry.  Something I can help you with?"

He stared at her.  Something had just occurred to him.  "Never mind," he said quickly.  "Sorry to bother you."  He gathered his books and ran quickly from the classroom, leaving her to stare after him.

His blood pounded in his ears as he darted up the stone steps to Gryffindor.  He knew where he'd seen her before…her smile, he remembered seeing that before. 


"Lemon drops!" he gasped to the Fat Lady, whose portrait swung open.  Ignoring everyone else in the common room, he ran to his dorm. 

Luckily, it was empty. He threw his bag and books down on the floor and reached under his bed, pulling out one of his most treasured items:  the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his First Year.


He flipped through the pages; for once, ignoring all the ones that showed only his parents.  Then, he stopped suddenly and stared intently.

It was his parent's wedding picture.  There they stood in the center of the happy people, laughing and smiling at each other.  He saw Sirius standing beside his father.  And beside his mother…

He studied the woman standing beside her.  She was very young, perhaps only a few years older than Harry himself was now, and she was laughing and smiling along with the rest of them.  Her face was not so pale, nor so weary, but it was unmistakably Professor Elarith.

His heart thudded.   She had known his parents and, apparently, very well.  Had been in their wedding… without thinking, he scooped up the book and ran from the tower.


Praying he didn't run into Filch or Snape and get in trouble for running, he darted through the halls and to her classroom.  The door was still open and she still sat at her desk.  She heard him approach and looked up, startled.


"Harry?  Is something wrong?" she asked in concerned.

He shook his head, rather winded.  He carried the book to the desk and handed it to her.  Frowning slightly, she took it.  He heard her catch her breath slightly.


An amazing transformation had taken place on her features.  She had a tender look on her face when she saw the picture.  "Where did you get this?" she asked quietly.

"Hagrid.  Years ago."

She ran a finger just over the moving picture, a pensive look on her face.  When she looked up, Harry was not very surprised to see she had tears in her eyes.

"How well did you know them?" Harry asked softly, suddenly nervous.


She smiled…tried to smile. "Very well.  Your mother was like a sister to me…your father was as protective as my…as a brother would be."  She let out a shaky breath.  "I was her maid of honor.  She helped me through a very difficult time in my life.  Her and your father…and Sirius and Remus…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, unable to believe that he had found yet another link to his parents.

"What would I say, Harry?" she asked in a reasonable tone. "That I knew them?"

"That you were friends with them!"

She hesitated and glanced out the window.  "Some things," she said slowly, "are harder to say than you think.  You may think words are just words that can do no harm, but to say something like that aloud…Harry, it's very hard.  When I remember them, I remember wonderful times, but I also remember when they died and what happened to us all."  She looked at him.  Harry had always thought her eyes were a gray-ish blue, but now they were a luminous violet.  "But maybe I should have told you.  Or is it better this way?  You've known me now for nearly two months and, I hope, you like me.  What would have happened if I told you right away that I was a close friend to your parents?  That I'm your…" she choked up suddenly.

"You're my what?" he asked, leaning forward.

She let out a shaky breath.  "Harry, I'm your godmother."

He simply stared at her.  "You're my…my godmother?"  She didn't reply, but he looked deeply into her wise eyes.  And he realized what she had just said. 

He had known for a few years that Sirius had been his godfather, but it never occurred to him that he, perhaps, had a godmother as well.   It would only make sense and he realized that he should have thought of it.  He looked at her in a new light now.  The professor-like exterior was stripped away and he saw only the friend of his parents…his godmother.  Without thinking, he threw his arms around her.


She started slightly when he hugged her, but after a split-second, she was returning it as fiercely as he gave it.  Great Morgan le Fay… so this is what it's like, she thought deliriously.   It felt so right, so natural that she be embracing the son of some of her greatest friends.  A hole that she had not even been aware of inside filled up.  And Harry, too, felt the same way.


Neither knew how long they stood like that.  Luckily, no one walked by the classroom.   Then, awkwardly, they parted.

"Where were you for so long?" he asked.  "Were you sick like you told us, or was something else wrong?"

Her eyes went bleak.  "Both."  She looked at the door and murmured a word, closing it effectively.  "What I'm about to tell you goes no further," she said intently.  "You can tell Ron and Hermione that I'm your godmother, if you wish, but only them and only that."  The intensity in her tone startled him.

She sighed and looked down.  "I'm not entirely human, Harry.  My mother was part Fairy…not the little pixies and piskies you can see in the forest, but real, High Fairy.  I'm slightly more than a third.  It's hard to tell on me, but my eyes, for example.  My height and…" she brushed her hair back off her face and turned her head.  Harry was somewhat surprised to see that her ears were slightly elongated on top and pointed.  It wasn't especially noticeable, but it gave her a strangely exotic look. 

"My parents were both Aurors.  In fact, Alaster Moody was practically an uncle to me, as much as I saw him.  Voldemort killed them when I was in my early years of Hogwarts.  You see, there's this old, impossible legend about Fairy blood…that's it's especially powerful…" her tone was scornful.  "All nonsense, of course, but Voldemort believed anything that could give him more power."

"I had a brother.  Tobias.  Voldemort killed him and tried to turn me to his side." Her voice went flat and her eyes steely.  "I saw him die.  I could not do anything.  I was very bitter and vengeful…still am.  Your parents helped me through all of that.  Then when they died…" she looked at him.  "Harry, I know you've been filled with anger before…it would be impossible for you to have not been.  But the depth of my hate and fury, it terrified me.  So I became an Auror."

"After a year or two, I found myself cornered by three Dark Wizards and they, together, put the Cruciatus Curse on me.  Something about their combined spells and Voldemort's influence perverted the curse even more."  She began to shake slightly just at the thought. "The only way for it to have been removed was for all three of the wizards to die.  The last one was Barty Crouch, Jr.  He died a month after the Dementor's Kiss."

"The only reason I lived was because I'm part Fairy and was taken to my mother's people.  That's the only reason I'm here now."


They held an intense eye contact for several moments before Harry broke it.  He remembered when Voldemort had put the Cruciatus on him last year…it couldn't have been more than ten seconds… but he would honestly rather die than feel that terrible pain again. 

She stood up abruptly.  "Please don't tell anyone about what I just told you," she said.  "There's almost as big a stigma to Faeries as there are to werewolves, even though I'm not full-blooded.  They aren't always nice, you see."  She smiled wryly.  "Maybe that's why I can be so violent."  She glanced at Harry. 

"There's something else, too, that I think I can tell you."  She moved a little closer to him.  "I know you don't like Sev…Professor Snape much, but he's not what you think he is.  He was there when Tobias died…in fact, he held me back from running in front of Tobias before Voldemort killed him.  And he helped me before…" her eyes clouded over, reflecting the grayness of the sky.  "I'd rather not say what happened, but he saved me then, from something terrible.  He was my friend, Harry.  And he still is.   Sirius and the others, but especially Sirius, never understood it.  They thought he was just a nasty, bitter person. Let's be honest, he isn't the warmest of people and can be nasty and is, in fact, very bitter, but not for why most people think.  Life wasn't kind to him, either."  She looked at him.  "So please, just keep that in mind.  I know he doesn't make it easy…believe me, my patience is often stretched with him.  But evil he's not."

"But do you trust him?" Harry asked impulsively.  It was very important to him.


"Yes," she said without hesitation.  "I trust Severus Snape as much as I can trust anyone."