And so begins the 'rush' of chapters. Ok, it won't really be a rush, more like a somewhat steady flow.

Thank you for the one review I received last chapter, I adore you and you receive a cookie :. hands reviewer a chocolate chip cookie, smiling broadly.: Does anybody else want a cookie?

Also, what should I re-name this story. 'The Moon Wolf' is just to boring, you know? Not catchy. Booorrrrriiiiiinnnnnnngggg! I might just change it now, to a title that is temporary. Eh, who knows?

So, you're getting bored of my incessant rambling, hmm? No Luna in this chapter, sorry. All Remus, Sirius, Micaro, and Snape. We learn a bit more about Micaro's secret... like, all of it.

Chapter Eight: A Revelation

A soft whoosh of robes from down the hall signaled Severus's entrance into the Micaro's office. His glittering dark eyes scanned over the room quickly, taking in everything. Deciding that no one was there, he walked towards Micaro's desk.

Pulling out the key that Miss Lupin had seen, he unlocked the drawer and began rifling through her papers.

Nothing, nothing, some string, some silver... well, that's interesting at least. A few unmarked papers, a document... a document? Well, well, well Miss Micaro, let us see what you have here, Severus thought to himself. He pulled the manila folder from the desk and removed the bits of parchment from inside it. A small sneer crossed his face as he read it, and he finally broke into a grin.

"Damn the woman. Not telling the staff," he muttered. A soft clearing of the voice behind him showed that someone else was there, and he whipped around.

Meghan Micaro stood there, her brown hair in her eyes. Her red nails gripped the doorway tightly and she entered the room slowly. Crossing her arms, Micaro glared at him.

"Severus. What are you doing in my office at this time of night. You know I don't sleep in here," she hissed. Snape scowled at her, his eyes dark.

"Merely researching a few things, Meghan. Does Minerva know? Or did you keep it from her as well?" he asked evilly. Meghan brushed past him, her head held high. She sat down at her desk and her eyes peered at him in the darkness.

"I kept no secrets. I was instated before Professor Dumbledore died," she said coldly. Snape glared at her.

"Meghan, the staff deserves to know. The werewolf never kept any secrets from the staff, why should you?" he asked angrily. Meghan merely looked at him. Her eyes matched his, glittering and angry. Neither person would budge from there spot. She leaned back in her chair, smiling.

"They never asked. Professor Dumbledore knew. The requirement for me becoming a teacher was that I tell the current headmaster," came the response. Snape stared at her, and then slammed his hand down on the desk.

"You found a loophole! Meghan, that isn't right! Tell Minerva, she has enough on her hands anyway!" he yelled. Meghan smiled gently, taking his hand in his.

"Severus... she'll find out in good time. And the rest of the staff would have known if Dumbledore hadn't died," she said simply.

Turning around quickly, Snape stared at the blank wall. Sneering, he turned slowly, ready to confront the irritating monster again.

"Do any of the students know that Dumbledore was killed? Do they know he didn't die of natural causes?" he asked her. Snape rarely paid enough attention to his students to even know if they could use a wand, so it was doubtful that he would know something as trivial as that.

"No, I don't believe so. At least, nobody's asked."

"Is that so very important to you? People have to ask before you give them information?"

"Yes."

"You and the werewolf would make a good couple."

"His name is Remus."

"He doesn't deserve a name."

"You don't deserve a name."

"I deserve a name more than you, the werewolf, or Black does."

"And you call Remus and Sirius inhuman?"

"They are."

"No, they aren't. Try getting to know them sometime. You'd be surprised."

"The day I get to know a werewolf and a convict is the day Voldemort takes over."

"Well then, you'd better get to know them quickly."

Snape scowled at her, his expression showing more than words ever could. Meghan simply raised an eyebrow, her lips twisted oddly.

"Severus, Voldemort might get suspicious since you didn't help with the attack," she said, quite suddenly. Snape looked at her oddly.

"Are you worried?" he asked angrily. "Because if so, then you are more of a fool than one could have given you credit for. I know how to take care of myself."

"I never said you didn't. I asked because we don't need our only spy being killed," she snapped back.

'Infuriating woman.' "It's been taken care of."

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"- please don't use any of your new curses on anybody!" Remus shouted over the students who were leaving. He shook his head and sat down at his desk, tired and frustrated.

"Where in Merlin's name is Sirius? We were supposed to show them how the spells work so I didn't have to cast them on myself," Remus thought angrily. As though he was reading his thoughts, Sirius came in, grinning happily.

"Reduced to begging Remus? I thought dogs begged?" Sirius teased. Remus glared at him.

"Yes, they do. And you'd better start begging for mercy. Where the heck were you?" he snapped. Sirius raised an eyebrow, concerned about his friend.

"Sorry Moony."

"Sorry isn't enough. I wouldn't have to beg the seventh years if my co-teacher had showed up. And maybe I wouldn't have to cast spells on myself. And you didn't answer my question. Where were you?" Remus asked in rapid succession. He knew he was being a bit harsh, but it was a side effect of casting spells on one's self. Sirius sighed.

"I was with McGonagall and Micaro, setting up new wards. Should have owled you, sorry," Sirius said sheepishly. Sighing, Remus put his head on his arms.

"It's all right. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Forgive me?" he asked, his voice muffled by his robes. Sirius grinned.

"And how could I not forgive my best friend?" he asked. Remus winced internally, and then looked at Sirius.

"Will the new wards keep Voldemort out for good? Or are they just reinforcements?" Remus asked, curious. Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know. Micaro said that whoever cast the spell that undid the wards was very powerful, and it would be hard to stop them," he replied. Remus frowned at his old friend.

"Voldemort wouldn't take down the wards himself, he's much too lazy for that. And Peter... he's too weak. All the Death Eaters with him weren't even up to our level, and we hardly know how to cast wards. So who could have let them down?" he asked, thoroughly confused. The man standing across from him shrugged.

"I repeat- I don't know. Can we change the subject? I don't like talking about that rat," Sirius said harshly. Remus nodded.

"Certainly. But what should we talk about?" he asked in turn. Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know. How's that burn?" asked Sirius, gesturing towards the hand-shaped burn mark on Remus's face. He sighed and touched it ruefully.

"It'll be fine. It just needs time to heal. The next time the full moon comes around it'll be gone altogether."

"If you're sure about that..."

"I am."

"Well, that's good."

Remus sighed and placed his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful. "What about you? You got pretty close to those Dementors...."

Sirius blanched, but looked steadily at his friend. "Yes, I did."

"Sirius, what do you see when you get near those things?" Remus asked suddenly. He could have slapped himself for asking as he watched his friend go pale.

"Accio chair!" Remus yelled. A chair came floating up behind Sirius, and he dropped into it thankfully.

"What I see? I see everything I ever did wrong. Being the Secret Keeper, sending Snape to get killed that one night, all the pranks gone wrong, getting you and James into detentions you didn't deserve, putting slime in Lily's hair, turning everyone's hair lime green except my own, making everyone's eyes purple, breaking all the rules ever made to be broken, Azkaban...." Sirius trailed off. His eyes had smiled a bit when talking about the pranks he had pulled on his friends, but had dulled instantly when he said Azkaban. Remus conjured a glass of water and handed it to Sirius. He looked gratefully at Remus before drinking it all.

"What about you? What do you see?" asked Sirius in return. Remus smiled weakly at Sirius and then leaned back in his chair.

"The full moons. Every single one. What I did to you guys when I was out of control. The times when I hurt your feelings. When I thought you were the traitor. I see when I was bit," he finished. Sirius nodded, but didn't say anything. "I see you all being killed and tortured. I don't know why, but I do. I see Harry getting killed. I see you being given the Kiss. I see you, James, and Peter becoming Animagi to help me."

"Well, don't we make a lovely pair?" asked Sirius dryly. Remus nodded grimly, when he heard a thud. His eyes snapped open to look at Sirius, who had shoved the chair out of the way and was holding two silver flowers in his hand. Remus frowned and then squinted at the beautiful plants. They were silver roses. It took a minute, but Remus realized what they were.

"It's the waning moon tonight, Moony..." Sirius said mischievously. Remus felt the blood drain out of his cheeks, and he shook his head.

"The Friendship Spell is meant for older, more experienced wizards, Sirius," he said doubtfully. Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, but it's also meant for friends. Do you even know what it does?" asked Sirius. Remus scowled.

"The Friendship Spell and the Protection Spell? They both bind the casters together," he snapped. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"What else? How do they bind them together?"

"Why do I feel like I'm in class again?"

"Hey, we only heard about these. We never actually got them. Now answer the question!"

"The binding between this flower is very helpful. It allows the two casters to always find each other. It allows a person to feel overwhelming trust between the other caster and themselves. If it is broken, both people will die. It acts as though the friendship has been shredded. The binding for a Protection spell is a bit different. In a protection spell it has all the above, but the if one of the casters is mortally wounded, then the opposite caster may place the rose on the injured person's heart, say a simple spell, and then a transfer of energy will commence. It drains half of the person's life essence and gives it to the injured. The life essence will come back over a time period of one month, unless both people are interrupted," recited Remus. Sirius nodded.

"A point to Gryffindor. So, let's go do the Protection spell then!" Sirius exclaimed. Remus sighed.

"Sirius, it's too difficult. We shouldn't risk it."

"But Moony, we're best friends. I know the incantation, it's just an add on to the Friendship spell. Please?" Sirius gave puppy dog eyes and pouted. Remus closed his eyes and sighed again.

"Fine. But if you die, it's not my fault, old friend."

"Well, if we die, then we'll blame it one the flowers, all right?"

The two stood up and walked outside quickly, feeling the dim moonlight on their skin. Sirius tossed Remus one of the Moonroses, which seemed to glow even more under the waning moon. Sirius thought a moment, and then nodded.

"Ok, first we place the flowers over each other's hearts. Yours on mine and so forth." They did so. "Now we say the incantation. Got it memorized?"

"Of course."

"Ok. On the count of three. One. Two. Three."

And together, they began to recite the spell.

"By this rose I bind to you

Eternal friendship, through and through.

If broken, I will die

Never to see the night sky.

If kept, eternity will reign.

From heaven's eyes

Glory will not feign.

Never in any day

Shall I betray

The promise given here.

By this rose I bind to you

Eternal friendship, through and through.

Protection almighty, come to me.

Through this person that I see."

The roses had continually grown brighter and brighter through each line of the spell. A brilliant flash of silver erupted from each of the petals by the end. They looked like small fairies, almost, and they twisted around both Remus and Sirius. Finally, only two were left, and they spun magnificently over their heads. Then they began to drift downwards and hit both of them in the heart. A sudden feeling of burning cold, followed by an unusual warmth hit them, causing them to stagger away from each other.

Remus raised his eyes slowly, to see Sirius staring in amazement, looking at an ancient text.

"Wow, the book certainly didn't say anything about that," he mumbled. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"You're extremely lucky nothing went wrong. Do you even understand that poem? The first part is easy enough. You know, binding friendship through the rose, if the spell is broken then the person will die. But what was that part with heaven's eyes and glory will not feign?" Remus asked, feeling very curious to know what he had just gotten himself into. Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know. I think that it means if you keep the promise, something good will happen. But otherwise, I have no idea. But at least it worked! You're stuck with me, Moony!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "It's beginning to look that way. Come on, let's go inside. It's getting cold out," he said tightly.

As they walked back, they spoke very little, mostly just contemplating over the spell. Had it really worked? Was it supposed to flare up around them? Would he always sense where Sirius was? And-

"Moony! What's that?" Sirius hissed in his ear. Remus turned quickly, looking in the direction that Sirius was pointing. A dark figure was running swiftly across the grounds, toward the area that was still under construction, near the Transfiguration corridor. Remus frowned.

"I don't know, Padfoot. Should we follow it?" he whispered back. He felt Sirius nod next to him, and they set off across the grounds, moving swiftly and silently.

As they approached the damaged area, Remus felt an odd tingling. He had felt it more than once since he had begun teaching, but now it felt a bit more sinister and evil. He shuddered and stepped inside the rubble.

Sirius followed, dimming his wand so it only lit a very small part of the ground ahead of them. Remus kept his keen eyes peering into the darkness that was ahead of them, when he felt someone grab him.

"Sirius!" he yelped out before being slammed into the wall. Sirius turned quickly and the same thing happened to him. He was thrown into the wall, and he yelled a bit too. The creature pinned them to the wall, it's eyes glowing in the darkness. Sirius and Remus gasped.

"Vampire!"

The figure dropped them, turning it's head away. Remus let out another gasp as he saw the hunched figure before him.

"Meghan?" Sirius looked at Remus oddly, and then turned the figure to look at them. Meghan's black eyes stared up at him, filled with tears and sorrow.

"Hello Remus, Sirius," she whispered. Remus rubbed his shoulder gently, and then touched hers.

"Are you all right, Meghan?" he asked softly. She glared at him, a bit of red filling her eyes.

"Do I LOOK all right to you, Remus?" she snapped. Remus shrank back, startled, and instant regret entered her eyes, dispelling the red. Sirius snarled at her and lunged.

"Vampire!" he yelled in anger. Remus grabbed him and held him back.

"Stop, Sirius! If she was so bent on killing us, wouldn't she have done so by now?" he hissed, trying to get some sense into his friends head. Sirius scowled, but Meghan cleared her throat.

"Excuse me? I prefer vampyre. With a 'y'. And an accent on second syllable. And Sirius, Remus is right. I'm a good vampyre. The bloodlust gets to me sometimes, just as it does with every other creature of dark," she said quietly. Sirius stopped and nodded glumly, and Remus winced. He was still a bit unsure of whether to trust her. She had kept the secret from them, after all. And obviously from the entire staff, if he and Sirius hadn't been told.

"I apologize for hurting you, by the way. You startled me. I meant you no harm," she said. Then, lowering her voice, she continued. "I suspect there are Death Eaters down here. I want to get them by the element of surprise. I can only sense one, though, so it should be fairly easy. If you wish to accompany me, you may."

Sirius looked at Remus, and then they nodded. Micaro insisted they get rid of the light coming from their wands, so they quickly extinguished it and began to walk over mountains of rubble towards the Transfiguration corridor.

It was all too obvious that the area had been under attack. The once beautiful cobblestone was now destroyed, leaving dust and charred rock in it's place. The magnificent ceiling had crumbled to the ground, and bits of the sky poked through. In some areas, moonlight would light your path. In others, it was pitch black. You couldn't walk three feet without running into square blocks that had come from either the ceiling, the wall, or even the floor. Suits of armor were broken, the arms thrown across the room, as if some large creature had attacked it. Portraits that had hung from the wall now lay on the floor, their canvas ripped. The people who had once moved inside of them were trapped, and you could hear small moans come from them. In one area, a small stream of purple liquid came pouring down from the wall. Meghan had gone to look at it, only to find it was a cabinet of potions that had found their way to that particular corridor. A few dead bodies littered the floor, most Death Eaters, but one was of a student. Their body was twisted and black, their face unrecognizable. A curse gone wrong.

It was a disgusting sight, all together. To see a school in such wreckage was always horrible. The group continued on their way, trying not to fall over the rocks. It was another hour of gloom before they reached the Transfiguration corridor.

A barricade of the strongest stone blocked their way to enter it. A puddle lay at their feet, and all around them was inky darkness.

"What do we do?" asked Sirius quietly. He could faintly make out the figure of Micaro shrugging.

"I do not know. What kind of stone is this?" she whispered to no one in particular. Remus leaned forward and ran his hands along it, trying to remember the infractions and grooves of the individual stone.

"I believe it's granite, Meghan. Very, very strong," he whispered back to her. She nodded, or so he assumed.

"Will it take a Prosterno spell?" she asked him. Remus nodded, even though she couldn't see him.

"The Knocking spell? Yes."

Micaro pulled out her wand and pointed it at the wall, and then paused.

"My wand does not work for this kind of magic," she murmured. Sirius looked at where her voice was coming from.

"What do you mean, it doesn't work for this kind of magic? It's a Knocking spell, it's simple," he hissed at her. He saw her very pointy teeth flash at him, and he gulped. How had he mistaken her for human?

"Sirius, a vampyre is restricted in their spells. They are given special wands. It does not matter if I'm good or bad, my wand won't allow me to knock down something," she snapped. Sirius winced and pulled out his own wand.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Allow me."

With a showman's flare, he walked forward and tapped his wand against the granite.

"Proterno," he whispered. The rock began to crumble and shatter, but it didn't move. Dust and rock began cluttering around them, and Remus coughed softly.

"Together, Padfoot," he murmured into his friend's ear. Then he tapped his wand on the rock at the same time as Sirius.

"Prosterno," they muttered in perfect unison. The rock gave way, but only a bit near the top. A hole large enough to fit a thin man appeared, and Sirius grinned.

"Excellent. Ladies first!" he said, pushing Micaro ahead of him.

"Oh no, I insist that humans go first," she hissed back, pushing him and Remus forward. Remus stopped and smiled.

"Au contraire, Meghan. I am not a human. But humans should go first," he teased. Micaro smiled as a light gleamed off her teeth again. Remus froze and looked up at the hole. Light was shining through it, an unnatural light. A wands light.

Forgetting their manners, they clambered up the somewhat smooth granite as fast as they could. Only a few small niches provided handholds, and they nearly tumbled to their death several times. The cool stone against their hands numbed every inch of their bodies, and Remus was for once thankful that Sirius and him had done the spell earlier.

Sirius reached the top first and stuck his head out first. A foolish thing to do, but nothing attacked him. He pulled his slim body through the rest of the way and ended up standing on an edge, where the crumbled ceiling hadn't been able to form a perfect wall. He pulled Micaro through, noticing how cold she was to the touch. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, noticing a small thankful look in her eyes. Even though she was a vampyre, she still got cold like a human.

"Where is that light coming from?" Remus whispered as he pulled himself through the hole. Sirius helped him to his feet and from there they looked around.

The Transfiguration corridor had changed quite a bit from when it had last been seen. Before it had been a cheery, if very strict, looking place. More pictures had hung on the walls than in some areas, and the stone had always been very clean. It was a punishment Sirius had been involved in far too many times: cleaning the Transfiguration walls. And the Transfiguration room, which was only ten feet away from where they stood, looked horrible just from the outside. The oak door had been blasted open by something, and it hung by one hinge.

Now the portraits were shredded, the people in them gone for good. No pitiful moans escaped them. The clean walls which had made McGonagall proud now where stained with blood and grime. Water dripped from a hole in the ceiling, and the floor was covered with tons of stones. You could barely see the floor through it all.

Sirius and Remus began to walk cautiously towards the broken door, careful not to step on anything that would alert their presence. Their wands drawn, they looked inside.

The desks were destroyed, the wood mostly gone. Books and bags that had been left there accidentally by the students were ripped to shreds, the pages and fabric littering the floor. In the middle of the room was a manmade fire pit, the wood from the desks thrown in the center and rocks from the corridor surrounding it. Sirius nearly laughed. The picture of a wizard actually keeping a fire in a fire pit? It was a ridiculous picture. But Sirius didn't laugh, mostly because of what was around the fire pit.

Ten, possibly fifteen Death Eaters were sitting near it, huddled together and shaking. He felt Remus tense beside him, and even Sirius's breath caught in his throat. Micaro had said one. And yet, by Sirius's count, their were fourteen altogether. That would mean... he did the math quickly. Two people would have to take on five Death Eaters, and one person would have to take on four. Three was the average a person could take. But five? It was nearly impossible.

He felt Micaro standing behind him, surveying the situation. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her coal black eyes shifting quickly from one Death Eater to the next. She pulled out her wand again, and then nodded.

"We can do this. My wand is permitting," she whispered. Sirius barely heard her, but Remus caught all of it. He nodded and held his wand tighter in his hand. Reaching over, he picked up a rock and tossed it into the room. It hit the floor with a deafening clunk! and one Death Eater looked over. Remus stepped in clear view of them, obscuring any glances they might get of Sirius and Micaro.

"Intruder!" the Death Eater yelled. Remus glared at him.

"I'm sorry, correct me if I'm wrong, aren't you intruder to our school?" he asked in a no-nonsense tone that vaguely resembled McGonagall's. The Death Eaters jumped to their feet and smiled.

"It's fourteen to one, wizard. What do you think your odds are?" he asked cruelly. Remus smiled politely and stepped aside to reveal Micaro and Sirius.

"Fourteen to three, I think that's a bit better, don't you?" he asked. Then he pointed his wand at the Death Eater.

"Obliviate," he said lazily. The Death Eater fell to the floor, not moving. The Death Eaters looked at their companion for a second, and then charged.

The battle wasn't very long, actually. Even though Sirius, Remus, and Micaro were horribly outnumbered, they managed to take a few of the Death Eaters down. But there were just to many.

"Anxieto Extremus!" yelled one of the Death Eaters. It missed, much to Remus's relief (it had been at him), but the next Death Eater seemed much more experienced. He pointed his wand in the air.

"Anxieto Extremus Collectivus!" he yelled in turn. Remus felt a wave of dread. It was like being surrounded by boggarts and Dementors. He grabbed onto a broken desk for support, but felt as though he could hold on no longer. He pointed his wand at the Death Eater and paid him back for an earlier spell.

"Menimenous," he whispered faintly. The Death Eater yelled, and Remus raised his wand to the ceiling.

"Prosterno," was his final word, and then he collapsed. Before he completely blacked out, he saw the ceiling fall around the remaining Death Eaters, blocking them from his friends. He saw Micaro wobble and collapse, and Sirius was already passed out. Closing his eyes, Remus succumbed to the anxiety he felt inside.

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Sirius felt lightheaded and sick as he drew himself up unsteadily. Micaro and Remus still lay at his feet, knocked flat by the Anxieto curse. He rubbed his eyes and looked for the Death Eaters.

A huge wall of marble had knocked out another one of the walls. It led into the Charms corridor, which Sirius knew wasn't blocked off.

"Oh... shit," he muttered. They had Death Eaters loose in a castle that never ended. Groaning, he felt his stomach lurch and he turned quickly and vomited on the dying fire. Clutching his stomach, he sat up again and moved over to Remus.

"Remus. Moony. Remus J. Lupin! Lupin, come on, wake up. Remus?" he repeated over and over again, shaking his friend gently. Finally, Remus's gray eyes sparked open and then dulled.

"You ok, Moony?" Sirius asked quietly. Remus didn't answer, just turned and threw up under a desk. Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I did. Except I had enough courtesy to get it on the fire," teased Sirius. Remus rose shakily to his feet and grabbed Sirius's arm to keep from falling over.

"What is going on?" he asked in a frank tone of voice. Sirius sighed.

"That last spell of yours worked, it surrounded them. But they blasted out of it through the wall behind it. Charms corridor. An area that isn't blocked off. We have Death Eaters in the school, Remus," said Sirius gently. Remus stared in disbelief and then groaned.

"We have a bit of a problem, then. Come on, help me wake up Meghan. We have to get to Minerva, she needs to know about this."

Remus approached Meghan carefully, not quite sure how you were supposed to wake up a sleeping vampyre. Was there some sort of rule? Or a joke that says the one way you should never wake up a vampyre was...? Throwing caution to the wind, he bent over her prostrate body and shook her shoulder.

"Meghan? Meghan, come on. We need you to get up," he said in her ear. Her eyes flashed and gleamed as she sat up, and then she vomited near a desk. Sirius laughed suddenly.

"Am I the only one with enough manners to barf in the fire pit?" he asked, still quaking with laughter. Remus looked at him dryly.

"Obviously not. Someone with manners wouldn't use the word 'barf'. Projectile vomiting, yes. Just vomiting, yes. Throwing up, yes. Barf, no," he said calmly. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. We have to go, come on," he said in a rush. Remus explained to Meghan what was going on.

"... so now the Death Eaters are in the school and are a potential danger to the students," he finished, while tripping over a stone. Micaro caught his arm and he smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"Any time."

"Hey, if you two lovebirds are quite done back there, I'd like some help. Have we been through this part of the castle before?" asked Sirius from ahead of them, his voice confused. Remus looked around.

It looked vaguely familiar, but something was off. They had come into a large room with two large doors on either side. Blue curtains hung from the window, showing the black sky outside. In the distance you could see that the sun was rising. A mahogany desk sat in the front of the room, with large tablets sitting on it. In front of it was a bookshelf and a storage closet. Remus glanced at the titles and was surprised to see them all about Runes and Charms. He unlocked the cabinet and saw more large tablets, a few extra wands, some gags, a few games, more books, and some potion ingredients. Frowning, he turned to Sirius.

"It looks like a teachers office, but whose? Not Trelawny's, she would have cards."

"Not Snape's, he's got really gross stuff in his."

"Nice Sirius. Certainly not yours, Meghan. Not Flitwick's either."

"Not Sinistra, not Sprout."

"Not Vector, not Hagrid."

"Not Pince, not Pomfrey."

"Not Filch, we'd certainly recognize it, not McGonagall's."

"Well, that leaves the Ancient Runes professor and the Muggle Studies professor. Have we even met them?"

Sirius looked at Meghan, who was smiling.

"Well, do you know?"

"Try Rawlins," said a different voice from behind them. Sirius and Remus turned around quickly to see a blond, tall woman standing in front of them. Sirius was struck at how much she looked like Snape, except with blond and non-greasy hair.

The woman had light green eyes and dark blond hair. She was extraordinarily tall for a woman, approaching six foot three. Her nose was hooked and curved, just like Snape's. She had skin like his too, but hers seemed a bit nicer. Her hands were large and clumsy looking, but a hint of grace remained when she moved them. She also was smiling, something Snape would never do.

"Aria Rawlins, Ancient Runes. You must be the Dueling instructors. Meghan talks a bit about you," she said. Her voice was deeper as well, but the female tones remained. She stuck out a broad hand, smiling. Remus took it.

"I'm Remus Lupin, and this is Sirius Black. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rawlins."

"Please, call me Aria. And may I ask what you're doing in my lonely corner of the castle at seven in the morning?" she asked kindly. Sirius started.

"Seven in the morning? Oh my gosh! Aria, do you think you could take us to Professor McGonagall's office? It's an emergency!"

Aria nodded.

"Sure, but there is an easier way. Spell door, new thing that Flitwick and I created a while ago. Watch."

She waved her hand at a patch of empty air and snapped her fingers. A thin door appeared in the middle of the room, it's markings distinctly Nordic. She pointed at it, and the door swung open. Inside of it you could see McGonagall sitting and writing something. Aria pushed the three through the door and closed it behind her.

"Aria? Meghan? Remus? Sirius? What are you all doing here?" McGonagall asked, highly confused. Aria shrugged and opened her door again.

"I don't know. Talk to them. Will you guys come and see me later?" she asked. After they had agreed, she disappeared.

"Now then, what is going on?" McGonagall asked again.

Sitting down, the troupe recreated the scene for her, telling her every minor detail, not even leaving out emotions and fears. Finally, after two hours, they finished their tale. McGonagall stared at them, her eyes wide.

"We have Death Eaters in the school? Oh my, I must contact the Aurors immediately. If you'll excuse me.... Meghan, thank you for telling me of your little situation. And now I must insist that you take yourselves down to the Hospital Wing for a well deserved rest. Shoo! Go on now!" pressed McGonagall. Rising obediently to their feet, the group made there way down the halls towards the Hospital Wing.

"Well," Sirius said suddenly, "That was an interesting night."