Chapter 1
Slytherins Keep Secrets
Disclaimer- Tom Clancy owns Op-Center (I'm just borrowing), J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything connected to him and his famous scar, Taps isn't mine, but it's better than a phone using vibrator. Any bits of plot (grabs microscope) you find belong to me. I'm not making any money here, so please don't sue me, I can't pay you.
A very grumpy Liam Bell 'popped' into the family kitchen. Newsboys were playing softly on the radio. He set down his magically summoned coffee when he realized he was still clutching it. He looked around the cheerful kitchen but stopped at the island (a bunch of cupboards or drawers with linoleum covering them all alone in the middle of a kitchen).
All the children were huddled next to the island behind a dusty book. Chris was right in the thick of it, his dark head hovering over a page, reading something. What had he found now? The twins, bless their hearts, were trying to look disinterested while carefully re-reading what Chris had just read. Did having Slytherin as a house encourage then to hide positive feelings? Dean looked nervous? What had the head-strong (meaning skull, not brain) boy done now? And Katie... was sneaking glances at the mail? More puzzles. 'This day just keeps getting better...'
"Alright everybody, party's over, move out! I have to speak with your mother."Now all everyone looked disappointed to varying degrees. The music vanished, leaving a gap in the air. Fey walked into the kitchen, wand in hand. She wondered 'What could he be worried about now?'
Liam waited until the kitchen door was closed before checking and reinforcing the silencing charms on the doors. Once he was sure the spells worked, Liam slowly turned around to face his wife. He remembered listening under the door when his parents had important talks. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he didn't want the children to worry. Fear of the Dark Lord was bad enough. Did he really want them knowing they were on top of Sirius Black's hit list. Because friend or not, Liam was going after Black. He had a lot to answer for. 'To think. When I discovered my assignment, I wasn't sure if I could do it.' Liam what had taken him so long to put together the pieces? He was good with puzzles. If he hadn't figured out it until now, what about the other Aurors? Had they known, but not told him, because of his friendship with Sirius? He remembered the last time he saw Sirius.
"Liam?" Liam turned around quickly, only to see a black haired man beckoning him into an empty room. Liam smirked and followed him.
Once hidden in the empty room, Sirius shut the door. Liam's smirk broke into an all-out smile. Sirius looked off balance, and Liam knew he really shouldn't but...
"So. A *godfather* Siri? I didn't know you had it in you." ...He couldn't help it. Something must have rubbed Sirius the wrong way, because he went defensive.
"Really Liam. That was quite a while ago, so shut up about it already. There are more important things happening!" Liam's friend struggled not to rip Liam to shreds. Liam wasn't worried. After all, they had been friends since sometime in 1st year. Would Sirius really hurt him? Instead, he was interested. What could have Siri so nervous?
"So what is happening?" Liam questioned, peering up at his taller friend. Sirius took a deep breath, than let it out slowly.
"Okay. You know how James and Lily are, well." Sirius stumbled. Liam pushed his mouth back up. Sirius was stuttering? He quickly looked out the window. 'Well, if hell's frozen over, I can't see any evidence of it yet.' he thought. Sirius, busy with internal struggles, didn't notice. Then the dam broke.
"Yesterday Professor Dumbledore called me to his office and told me James had chosen me for his secret-keeper and I had no clue what was going on so I just said what and Lily laughed at me and then Dumbledore explained about the Fidels Charm and I felt like an idiot I mean after all I'm supposed to be training to be an Auror and I can't remember such an important charm and James was laughing and I have to hurry and find him real soon and Peter too 'cause we're gonna perform the Charm today and what if it doesn't work?" Sirius gasped for air. Liam checked the window again. 'Pigs. Where are the flying pigs?' Liam wondered. Sirius had mispronounced the Fidelius Charm.
"What about Remus?" Sirius went red in the face.
"And Remus too. Can't forget about Remy, he'd kill me-"
"S'okay Sirius. Calm down. Your the best Auror out there. Besides, you're James's *best friend*." Liam looked relived when Sirius smiled.
"Sides, there's plenty of room in your soul." Sirius shook his head.
"Yeah Liam. Too bad they can't use your brain." Liam and Sirius shared a smile. Now assured his friend wouldn't run away and hide, Liam opened the door.
"Get outa here. Your friends need you." Liam felt like a mother sending her son away. Sirius started to walk out the door, but turned around.
"Liam?" Liam waited.
"Good Luck with your girlfriend, Fey, right?" Liam nodded.
"I was thinking about... you know. Popping the question." Sirius snickered at his brown haired friend, currently turning a fascinating shade of magenta. He smile faded, and putting on a serious expression said,
"Don't wait forever, kay? And remember, your my best friend too." Liam bit his lip.
"Bye Sirius."
"Bye Liam."
'That was so long ago. Odd how clear some memories are.' Liam saw several puzzles waiting to be solved in his memory. But that could wait for another day. One when his loving wife wasn't looking quite so worried (much like the children had looked, had Liam taken the time to notice). And one day when his wife wasn't asking,
"Liam, honey? What's wrong?"
Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, woke up late again today. So he hurried through a brunch and headed to his office (poor man. He's got and office at his house). When he finally found his office behind the door that lead to the bathroom, he saw two owls waiting with mail. 'That's odd. Most owls arrive a breakfast.' He recognized one of the owls, it belonged to Remus Lupin. He started towards Remus's owl, but a smaller owl flew up to him first. The Lupin barn owl looked scandalized. Albus simply shrugged and reached to the letter. After all owls demanding their letter be opened first (owls are specially trained and prized for their manners) was nothing compare to offices that moved, not to mention the muggle inventions being used down the street. Flipping the envelop over, Dumbledore was amused by what he saw. Sirius was already breaking his word.
The seal showed the Grim, Sirius Black's seal. An inside joke, Dumbledore guessed, remembering the look on Remus's face when he learned of Sirius's seal. Sirius was *supposed* to be staying with Remus. Of course, with Sirius supposed usually translated to wasn't.
"So where is he now?" Albus wondered. There was only one way to find out. He broke the seal and removed Sirius's letter.
Dear Albus,
Remus and I decided to split up and cover more ground. Remy will be after the Non-Auror crew, I'm going to speak to Liam Bell. He's a good man, if I can win him over the rest of the Aurors should be easy. I have yet to get an opportunity to 'reveal' my identity. Anyone ever tell you Liam's got too many kids?
Snuffles
'Gruff and to the point. And disobeying orders. Couldn't be anyone but Sirius.' Dumbledore thought. Quite a bit was left unsaid, but Albus Dumbledore was not Order of Merlin, First Class for nothing. As his students knew, he had a knack for hearing the unspoken.
The fact that Sirius had sent a letter at all and he was going to speak to one of the most difficult people for him to approach (much like Remus had been, Albus mussed) was the closest Sirius would ever come to an apology. Sirius Black may not be a student anymore, but he wanted to keep Dumbledore's respect just as much as first years, maybe more. Besides, Albus was quite sure Remus would apologize more than enough for the both of them.
Picking up the remaining letter (the owl had flown out while he was reading) and slowly reading Remus's writing was a chore. Remus didn't disappoint. The werewolf's letter contained a detailed list of the crowd, who Remus had spoken to, how much they believed, possible traitors (only hints, Remus tried to see the best in everyone)the words 'I'm so terribly sorry' and 'Please forgive us' scattered every where. The letter also told who knew about Sirius. Or Snuffles, if you wanted his code name. Writing about Sirius Black would send every Ministry worker after you if it was intercepted. Snuffles had been Sirius's idea, and Dumbledore very much suspected Black was using that name as a Animagi and had told Harry to call him that. Why? Simply because Sirius wanted to see their faces when they heard each other talking about Snuffles. Dumbledore shuddered to think about all the different people he had gotten to call him Snuffles.
As far as telling people about Sirius, it was a delicate subject among his graduating class, to put it lightly. Remus was well aware if it and proceeded with caution. About the man, Dumbledore also suspected Sirius had bullied Remus into splitting up. That would explain part of Sirius's extensive apology.
It was good hearing two of his former pupils were safe and sound. Hopefully Sirius would stay at the Bell's house, children would do him some good. Being in Azkaban stripped him of joy, and who better to remind him of joy than children? Despite his 'gruff' ways, Sirius really liked kids.
"He would have made a good Godfather for Harry." Albus said softly to himself, looking down at Sirius's letter. 'So many lives ruined...I wonder what happened to Tom? What made him to Lord Voldemort? And what is he doing now?'
Dumbledore shook himself. It would do no good to stand here mopping, and if all went well, he would *know* what was going to happen. Then maybe, just maybe, he could put an end to broken lives.
'And the promise of tomorrow hung in the air.'
Hmmm. The promise of tomorrow. Maybe.
Now where had he heard that?
"Now how will I ever practice this spell?" Chris wailed. Lauren looked annoyed.
"You can practice it in any room, Thomas." She sneered.
"Besides, I want to know what's going on in there" Kate gestured towards the kitchen door. "Dad looked really worried." Kate expressed her own worries. Dean was way ahead of her, his ear pressed against the heavy wooden door. He shifted, listening for a thin spot. In desperation, he lowered his head to the floor and pushed his left ear next to the crack. Looking glum, he stood up again.
"Nothing, not even a mumble." Amy rolled her eyes.
"Duh. If whatever they're talking about so important, they cast silencing spells." Chris looked alarmed.
"What could be that important?" He asked. Lauren smirked, playing for that ever-present audience.
"I'll bet it has to do with Voldemort." Lauren said (score one for joint Detectives Amy & Lauren). Kate gasped.
"Wha-who do you think you are? Certainly not Dumbledore-"
"Professor Dumbledore, Kate. Be respectful." Chris interrupted. Kate sputtered. Dean looked shocked, but not enough to say anything.
"Aren't you even shocked at Lauren's use of... *that* name?!" She shouted. Dean almost nodded, but caught himself. He wanted to hide.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Chris turned all his attention to Kate.
"Really, Katherine, are you that shocked? Lauren and Amy have made it a habit of theirs to undermined authority, including the Dark Lord's (said girls smirked with a superior air) and they tend to speak when they should be quiet." (said girls smiles droop)
Dean, who had finally decided diving behind a table would be frowned upon, (he was also ashamed of his un-Gryffindor urges to be cowardly) added his piece. (Dean was aware of his disgrace and was trying to avoid confrontation. And he wanted to get on the twins good side, so why not agree with them?)
"Headmaster told me once fear of a name increases fear of the thing..." He said slowly. Kate bowed her head in defeat.
"Okay already! You win! You're right. I'll call ...Voldemort by his name. But we have more important things to be worried about. Like what Mom and Dad are saying!" Kate cried. Amy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Kate blinked.
"Ah... Lauren?" Lauren looked up, her arms now crossed as well.
"Yes?" She said it deliberately slow.
"Do...do you have something else to say?" Kate looked embarrassed. Amy nodded.
"Why thank you Kate. In fact, Lauren did have something else to say." Lauren looked up.
"We... that is to say..." Lauren looked hesitant. She looked at Amy, who nodded permission. Lauren's confidence returned.
"We know a place to listen in."
"It's dusty up here..." Kate whispered.
"Yeah, oddly enough, places you don't use, like an attic, can get dusty." Amy intoned, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Lauren shushed them.
"We're almost there." She informed the others.
"What is this miracle spy thing?" Dean asked.
Amy pointed to a small metal rectangle in the floor.
"That's it." She said proudly.
"What, under the slits?" Dean asked, looking confused. Lauren sighed. Dean had no idea what it was. Amy answered his question.
"This leads to the kitchen, so we can hear what Mother and Father say." Chris looked puzzled, but after a few moments of 'deep thinking', his eyes lit up.
"I've heard about those. That right there's called a ventilator, or vent and-" Chris's voice rose far above a whisper and Amy clamped her hand over his mouth. Chris pushed her hand away and finished his explanation, voice back to a whisper.
"I was just going to say I read about them in my book for Muggles Studies." Chris's voice was as dignified as possible. Lauren chuckled.
"Sure Chris." She muttered, smiling indulgently. Amy glared at him.
"Don't you know sound travels both ways through your vent? That's why we have to cast these." And then she cast a Silencing Charm around everyone upstairs and Lauren cast an Amplifying Spell on the noise that drifted up through the vent, not the speakers. This was very important, she explained. After all, everyone notices when they start shouting, and any plans of spying are ruined. (score two for Amy and Lauren, PIs) Dean looked around for a pad and pencil to take notes with. He started to mention how useful this would be for the Weasley twins, but stopped himself before the resident twins heard him. Omitting Dean's half-finished comment, the listeners stayed silent. The two magically amplified voices drifting up from the vent argued.
"No." Came a voice, belonging to the children's adoptive mother, Fey Bell.
"What do you mean, Fey?" Asked a lower-pitch, rougher voice. The children looked to each other. What where their parents talking about? Lauren gestured for them to stay silent, and Amy said softly,
" Just wait." As if they weren't using any spells at all, just plain out-fashioned espionage.
"I mean I won't let you put yourself in that kind of danger!" Fey Bell responded, her voice firm and unwavering as steel. Someone took several deep, calming breaths. They seemed to work, because Mr. Bell sounded much calmer, but the steel behind his voice remained unchanged.
"Fey dear, I'm an Auror. I'm constantly on danger." He said slowly, deliberately.
"Not from Sirius Black, you aren't!" She shouted. In the dim of the attic, surrounded by dust bunnies in every stage of development, the children all stared blankly at each other. They share almost identical facial expressions. Each one seemed to be asking the other if it was true, begging for denial. And when they couldn't deny what their ears had told them, they looked to another. 'Tell me it isn't true. Sirius Black?' Sirius Black, one of the most feared men in the wizarding world, the only person to escape Azkaban and the Demeanors, was after their dad?
"We're all going to die." Chris said softly, in a dead sort of voice. The other children flinched. Their ritual of death was interrupted by the voices downstairs.
"he's not after me yet Fey, I'm head of the case against him!" Liam tried not to lose his patience. It was his nerves getting to him. He wasn't scared. The children upstairs were once again shell-shocked. One of the twins murmured,
"But he never gets field assignments...what's going on?" Dean and Chris shrugged. Dean was too glad he wasn't going to die (yet) to care. Chris wasn't sure either. All the children had heard their father talk about work, and he had never mentioned actually working in the field. Paperwork, sure. But an actual case, that involved advanced Auror skills and was extremely dangerous? What was going on?
"Beats me." Kate replied. She wondered if anyone knew what was going on anymore. But their parents weren't done yet.
"Why is this so important to you?" Mrs. Bell asked. She sounded honestly curious. Liam Bell hesitated. The children leaned closer to the grate, on their hands and knees, crowded close together. One of Dean's arms ended up hooked with Kate's but they didn't say a word.
"Well..."
"Yes?" Fey sensed victory was close at hand and pressed her opinions. She wanted to know what was going on. Little did she know everyone else did, too. The children heard someone sigh.
"it all started with a bunch of us kids, fresh out of Hogwarts. Arabella, Mandy, James, Caleb, Sirius and quite a few more. From every house, it didn't matter to us."
"And you?" Several children and one wife held their breath.
"And me. Most of us were training to be Aurors, and like the foolhardy children we were, we took matters into our own hands." The children heard someone gasp. A very startled voice asked,
"What just do you...mean by that, Liam?" The children's adoptive father took a deep breath before answering,
"We formed a team of like-minded people to fight against the Death Eaters. I'm sure the Ministry knew about us, but they never questioned us. Naturally, Albus Dumbledore heard and became the official director. Merlin know what we would have done without his leadership. Anyway, we had everything. Spies, Diplomats, Psychologists, Ministry Workers, Search and Rescue, Experts in, well, anything we could think of..."
"Experts?" Fey Bell scoffed, almost amused. You have to give her credit for backbone, all the children had gone into severe shock, but she keeps asking questions.
"Well, they were self-appointed, but they were the best we could find with what we had. Even with limited resources, Dumbledore stubbornly refused anyone but the best with few exceptions."
"What in the Rowena's name do you mean by all that? You're being cryptic again." Fey sounded interested, so the comment lacked any real bite. Another deep breath followed.
"I'll give you an example. Mandy Lynch, muggles. She was muggle-born, one of the few to survive constant Death Eater attacks. Oddly enough, she took an interest in muggles things akin to Author Weasley. She read muggles books constantly. She read *anything* muggle she could get her hands on. She was forever trying to explain the mechanics of Elevator, Aeroplane, Telli-fome and even had muggle posters covering her walls. Did'cha know, she came up with a muggle name for us. Called us the Op-Center. Crazy that one." There was a stunned silence. Dean whistled.
"Can you imagine if they were all that obsessed?" Chris nodded.
"That would be scary." Kate, who had been about to say 'No kidding.' held back when Fey said something.
"Op...Center?"
"Yeah, strange, huh? Mind you, not everyone was quite that enthusiastic. I asked her about the Op-center once. Said it was in one of her books, by a man named...ah...Thomas...Nancy?" Liam's voice grew increasingly hesitant as she struggled deeper into old memories. Silence reigned as the fact that Liam was not joking sunk in. This was a lot of information for one person to absorb. A lot of things you never knew about to learn in a few minutes. The children upstairs stared at each other in wonder. Dad was *cool*.
Fey was having trouble adjusting to everything, which took away from her arguing skills. Still, she was the only one who remembered they had been having an argument.
"Dear... what does this have to do with Black?"
"It's a bit of everything. You see, I was a good friend of Sirius Black until about the end of third year, when he met Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. They all worked at Op-Center. Although Peter and Remus weren't Aurors in training, James insisted. Lupin turned out to be one heck of a diplomat. Peter, well, I hate to speak rudely of the dead, but he couldn't do much of anything in the Op-Center. He ended up carrying plans and letters."
"I remember the boys. Joined at the hip, all four." There was a brief pause in the talking downstairs while Fey and Liam Bell remembered days gone by. Fey believed her husband would continue when he felt ready. After all, the poor man had been forced to share several secrets with her already. She was feeling guilty. Oddly enough, she was able to except her husband's stories without too much disbelief. After all, Liam was serious when it mattered. Upstairs, on the other hand, was buzzing with talk.
"Dad knew-" Lauren sputtered.
"The Sirius Black." Amy interrupted.
"And they were friends with-" Dean asked.
"*James* Potter? As in the father of Harry Potter? And Peter Pettigrew?" Chris interrupted him.
"Whoa. That's just amazing! Who knew our dad kept such famous company?" Kate wondered. Silently she pondered what else he hadn't told them. She wasn't the only one.
"So Black killed two of his best friends." Chris said, always one to connect things.
"Cold-hearted bugger." Kate's response was heart-felt.
"Don't worry Kate, you can use strong language." Dean joked. Amy and Lauren smiled. Kate opened her mouth do just that, but weather it would be about Dean or Sirius Black we shall never know. As luck had it, Chris was already set to make another 'connection'.
"What about ...Remus Lupin? Didn't you mention a Professor Lupin once." Dean nodded, and Amy said.,
"Yeah. He was a werewolf, too."
"Just a year before you started at Hogwarts." Lauren added.
"So your Professor was a school friend of Sirius Black... the Year he escaped?" Chris prompted. Everyone looked startled at the implications.
"Do-do you think... Professor Lupin got kicked out because he was helping Black get into the school?" Kate said in a hushed voice. Chris prepared to respond, but he was cut short by Liam Bell. His voice took on a dead tone.
"Near the...end, must of us were being made Aurors, including myself, James and Lily went into hiding. There were several good reasons. As you know Voldemort had something against James. James never took me into his confidence, so I don't know what. Whatever it was, we never the Dark Lord wouldn't stop till all the Potters were dead." Amy muttered something about 'a bad book' and everyone (including Lauren) glared at her. Unaware, Liam continued his 'tale'.
"Young Harry himself was another reason. Lily's argument was one of the key things that got James to agree. One of the most important reasons was a traitor. Arabella, who had informers everywhere, even among the Dark Lord's ranks, told me we had a spy among us. I'm sad to say that's how we lost Matt and Joy Coon, Kyle Thomas, Mandy Lynch, and... so many others. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. The Potters went into hiding, and died for the light. Sirius betrayed them, remember? I can only think of one person he would have betrayed James and Lily Potter to." Fey gasped. This was way over her head. Chris gulped, and Dean's eyes hardened. Amy and Lauren looked mad, but Amy unable to resist, muttered,
"What an original story..." Lauren glared at her. Lauren privately remained her this was the story about exactly *who* had killed their parents. After all, how many Matt and Joy Coons could there be? At the same time, Liam continued.
"Yes. Voldemort. And if he was a Death Eater... think about it. There was a Death Eater among us. Sirius was also the spy in the Op-Center, so he...condemned so many to die. Coon, Lynch, Thomas..." Liam trailed off. Everyone upstairs could almost feel him being hugged. Liam seemed determined to finish.
"After, when I heard about what happened... I didn't realized he was the informer.. I was just.... His best friends! Remember when I came home?" Liam seemed to be struggling through tears, and the dead tone had vanished.
"I remember..." She said quietly. "I never knew why it hurt you so much."
"It was... indescribable. My best friend... and I never knew... I didn't even realize...until today. I never...a spy?" Liam's voice was so full of sorrow. 'I should have known, all those deaths' He thought. And he never stopped any of them. Not event he last. He couldn't speak anymore. It was just too hard. There wasn't anything left to say. except 'It's my fault...'
Upstairs, Amy leaned on Lauren's shoulder, trying not to look like she needed support. She was just tried, that was all. Not big deal. Father's soppy story wasn't making her cry, either. That was all this Merlin-forsaken dust. Dean hugged Chris, who was biting his lip. Kate drew everyone she could reach (namely Amy, Lauren and half of Dean and Chris) into a group hug.
"What was that for?" Amy hissed. Kate shrugged. She hadn't missed Amy's wet eyes. She also hadn't missed the mentioning of Dean and Chris's father and Amy and Lauren's parents. She hadn't missed the lack of mention of her own parents. With a forced smile, she said,
"I'm just glad we're a family." Dean nodded from his position above Chris. Amy lost it and everyone pretended not to hear the loud sniffing noises. Dean took note of his sister's expression. Amy made ruder comments when she was trying to hold back emotion, more likely pain. 'Don't we all?' Dean pondered. However, his somber expression was cut short when Amy stopped scrubbing her eyes and Lauren helped her to stand. Chris looked up from his nest in Dean's arms, unconcerned with Dean's blush at his place. They were brothers. He noted he wasn't the only one to be deeply effected by Liam's story. After all, Liam was well loved by all of them, and misery loves company. It was good to have family, especially when you needed a snuggle-err, emotional support. Dean sifted his weight and Chris stood up.
"I think we should leave now." He said softly.
They left.
The phone rang.
The electric rendition of Taps roused Jamie from a sound sleep where she had been dozing on the couch. Grumbling, she patted the couch for her cell. She may have been grumbling, but that was purely habit. Jamie never woke up without a few minutes of good grumbling about wackos with guns, the sun's bad timing, exactly where news reporters how said coffee was bad could shove it... world hunger, stuff like that. All and all, it was a relaxing habit. Helped her get out a little bit of frustration about the shoddy condition of the world around her. No, despite her grumbling, she was quite curious.
Who had the gall to call her at this time of night? Jamie Trillion's temper was a legend on the East Coast. Well, maybe not that bad, but close. Her employees had been told in a no-nonsense voice she didn't do mornings. She planned to buy the tee-shirt when she got a raise. And the time from the moment her head touched the pillow (about 1:30) to her first coffee (varies) qualified as a morning.
Jamie was so curious when she finally found her cell phone under one of the couch cushions she smiled. Her smiled grew wider when she read Caller ID. The words Caller Unknown confirmed her suspisions. This was a complete stranger.
"Talk." She asked, voice hoarse.
"Is this Jamie Trillin?" A vaguely familiar voice answered. Where had she heard that voice before?
"Speaking." She kept her answers to a word so it was more understandable.
"You mean you can hear me? Really hear me?" She could almost place the voice, who was it? And why were they being such an idiot?
"Yeah- wait? Carl?" Finally she remembered. The voice belonged to Carl, her employer and head of the laboratory she worked at. His phone must be acting up, because his voice was a little lower than when he normally talked to her. And he must be using his home phone, not being good friends with him she had never registered it.
"Yes. This is Carl Livingston, you employer. We've been bought by a company in Britain, and we move with all our material to London immediately."
Carl then proceeded to give her the details of the move, mispronouncing airplane (aero plane?).
Jamie was now fully awake and quite shocked. Wasn't this a little... sudden? And didn't a buy-out involve a little more paperwork. Hell, didn't it involve forewarning before something this serious? And why this lab? Jamie had left her television on, and I Love Lucy threw black-and-white shadows every which way.
'Why us?' she wondered, not even amazed she was thinking quite clearly without a sip of coffee. Something just didn't click. Why had Carl been so... formal? And why had he been uncertain I would hear him? Why where we moving to Britain? Why so fast? All the speed turned her head.
She couldn't figured out why this lab was being bought. What separated her workplace from so many others across the world? Then she remembered the test tube... they couldn't know about that... could she leave it? No, no She wasn't sure what would happen. It would have to come.
TBC
A/n- Thank you anyone and everyone for reading! Please, please review! I'll love you forever! Anything you'd like to say (even flame) would be nice right now. As for any questions you might have had about the changes in Kate Bell's name, Her father (Liam) commonly calls her Katie. It's pretty much his pet name for her. I mean, I'm sure he's got better ones, but give the man a break, he was under a little emotional stress in the last chapter. Katherine is her birth name, but people (such as Amy and Lauren) use it to annoy her, be specific (Chris, not that he knows many Katherine's) or when she's in trouble (adults). There is actually a difference between Silencing and Deafening Charms (I didn't create it though). Silencing Charms keep all sound originating inside the bubble (sound barrier) inside but allow sounds originating outside the bubble to come in. Deafening Charms work the opposite way, allowing no sound it but letting sound out. Op-Center is actually a book by Tom Clancy, who has written several other things like the Sum of All Fears (the movie's based on it), The Hunt For Red October and Rainbow Six (that was good). Anywho, if you *actually* read the entire author's note, I bow done to you, 'O dedicated reader. Your amazing. Thanks!
Dweia's Double (I'm sure you now my name, I just can't help it....)
Slytherins Keep Secrets
Disclaimer- Tom Clancy owns Op-Center (I'm just borrowing), J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything connected to him and his famous scar, Taps isn't mine, but it's better than a phone using vibrator. Any bits of plot (grabs microscope) you find belong to me. I'm not making any money here, so please don't sue me, I can't pay you.
A very grumpy Liam Bell 'popped' into the family kitchen. Newsboys were playing softly on the radio. He set down his magically summoned coffee when he realized he was still clutching it. He looked around the cheerful kitchen but stopped at the island (a bunch of cupboards or drawers with linoleum covering them all alone in the middle of a kitchen).
All the children were huddled next to the island behind a dusty book. Chris was right in the thick of it, his dark head hovering over a page, reading something. What had he found now? The twins, bless their hearts, were trying to look disinterested while carefully re-reading what Chris had just read. Did having Slytherin as a house encourage then to hide positive feelings? Dean looked nervous? What had the head-strong (meaning skull, not brain) boy done now? And Katie... was sneaking glances at the mail? More puzzles. 'This day just keeps getting better...'
"Alright everybody, party's over, move out! I have to speak with your mother."Now all everyone looked disappointed to varying degrees. The music vanished, leaving a gap in the air. Fey walked into the kitchen, wand in hand. She wondered 'What could he be worried about now?'
Liam waited until the kitchen door was closed before checking and reinforcing the silencing charms on the doors. Once he was sure the spells worked, Liam slowly turned around to face his wife. He remembered listening under the door when his parents had important talks. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he didn't want the children to worry. Fear of the Dark Lord was bad enough. Did he really want them knowing they were on top of Sirius Black's hit list. Because friend or not, Liam was going after Black. He had a lot to answer for. 'To think. When I discovered my assignment, I wasn't sure if I could do it.' Liam what had taken him so long to put together the pieces? He was good with puzzles. If he hadn't figured out it until now, what about the other Aurors? Had they known, but not told him, because of his friendship with Sirius? He remembered the last time he saw Sirius.
"Liam?" Liam turned around quickly, only to see a black haired man beckoning him into an empty room. Liam smirked and followed him.
Once hidden in the empty room, Sirius shut the door. Liam's smirk broke into an all-out smile. Sirius looked off balance, and Liam knew he really shouldn't but...
"So. A *godfather* Siri? I didn't know you had it in you." ...He couldn't help it. Something must have rubbed Sirius the wrong way, because he went defensive.
"Really Liam. That was quite a while ago, so shut up about it already. There are more important things happening!" Liam's friend struggled not to rip Liam to shreds. Liam wasn't worried. After all, they had been friends since sometime in 1st year. Would Sirius really hurt him? Instead, he was interested. What could have Siri so nervous?
"So what is happening?" Liam questioned, peering up at his taller friend. Sirius took a deep breath, than let it out slowly.
"Okay. You know how James and Lily are, well." Sirius stumbled. Liam pushed his mouth back up. Sirius was stuttering? He quickly looked out the window. 'Well, if hell's frozen over, I can't see any evidence of it yet.' he thought. Sirius, busy with internal struggles, didn't notice. Then the dam broke.
"Yesterday Professor Dumbledore called me to his office and told me James had chosen me for his secret-keeper and I had no clue what was going on so I just said what and Lily laughed at me and then Dumbledore explained about the Fidels Charm and I felt like an idiot I mean after all I'm supposed to be training to be an Auror and I can't remember such an important charm and James was laughing and I have to hurry and find him real soon and Peter too 'cause we're gonna perform the Charm today and what if it doesn't work?" Sirius gasped for air. Liam checked the window again. 'Pigs. Where are the flying pigs?' Liam wondered. Sirius had mispronounced the Fidelius Charm.
"What about Remus?" Sirius went red in the face.
"And Remus too. Can't forget about Remy, he'd kill me-"
"S'okay Sirius. Calm down. Your the best Auror out there. Besides, you're James's *best friend*." Liam looked relived when Sirius smiled.
"Sides, there's plenty of room in your soul." Sirius shook his head.
"Yeah Liam. Too bad they can't use your brain." Liam and Sirius shared a smile. Now assured his friend wouldn't run away and hide, Liam opened the door.
"Get outa here. Your friends need you." Liam felt like a mother sending her son away. Sirius started to walk out the door, but turned around.
"Liam?" Liam waited.
"Good Luck with your girlfriend, Fey, right?" Liam nodded.
"I was thinking about... you know. Popping the question." Sirius snickered at his brown haired friend, currently turning a fascinating shade of magenta. He smile faded, and putting on a serious expression said,
"Don't wait forever, kay? And remember, your my best friend too." Liam bit his lip.
"Bye Sirius."
"Bye Liam."
'That was so long ago. Odd how clear some memories are.' Liam saw several puzzles waiting to be solved in his memory. But that could wait for another day. One when his loving wife wasn't looking quite so worried (much like the children had looked, had Liam taken the time to notice). And one day when his wife wasn't asking,
"Liam, honey? What's wrong?"
Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, woke up late again today. So he hurried through a brunch and headed to his office (poor man. He's got and office at his house). When he finally found his office behind the door that lead to the bathroom, he saw two owls waiting with mail. 'That's odd. Most owls arrive a breakfast.' He recognized one of the owls, it belonged to Remus Lupin. He started towards Remus's owl, but a smaller owl flew up to him first. The Lupin barn owl looked scandalized. Albus simply shrugged and reached to the letter. After all owls demanding their letter be opened first (owls are specially trained and prized for their manners) was nothing compare to offices that moved, not to mention the muggle inventions being used down the street. Flipping the envelop over, Dumbledore was amused by what he saw. Sirius was already breaking his word.
The seal showed the Grim, Sirius Black's seal. An inside joke, Dumbledore guessed, remembering the look on Remus's face when he learned of Sirius's seal. Sirius was *supposed* to be staying with Remus. Of course, with Sirius supposed usually translated to wasn't.
"So where is he now?" Albus wondered. There was only one way to find out. He broke the seal and removed Sirius's letter.
Dear Albus,
Remus and I decided to split up and cover more ground. Remy will be after the Non-Auror crew, I'm going to speak to Liam Bell. He's a good man, if I can win him over the rest of the Aurors should be easy. I have yet to get an opportunity to 'reveal' my identity. Anyone ever tell you Liam's got too many kids?
Snuffles
'Gruff and to the point. And disobeying orders. Couldn't be anyone but Sirius.' Dumbledore thought. Quite a bit was left unsaid, but Albus Dumbledore was not Order of Merlin, First Class for nothing. As his students knew, he had a knack for hearing the unspoken.
The fact that Sirius had sent a letter at all and he was going to speak to one of the most difficult people for him to approach (much like Remus had been, Albus mussed) was the closest Sirius would ever come to an apology. Sirius Black may not be a student anymore, but he wanted to keep Dumbledore's respect just as much as first years, maybe more. Besides, Albus was quite sure Remus would apologize more than enough for the both of them.
Picking up the remaining letter (the owl had flown out while he was reading) and slowly reading Remus's writing was a chore. Remus didn't disappoint. The werewolf's letter contained a detailed list of the crowd, who Remus had spoken to, how much they believed, possible traitors (only hints, Remus tried to see the best in everyone)the words 'I'm so terribly sorry' and 'Please forgive us' scattered every where. The letter also told who knew about Sirius. Or Snuffles, if you wanted his code name. Writing about Sirius Black would send every Ministry worker after you if it was intercepted. Snuffles had been Sirius's idea, and Dumbledore very much suspected Black was using that name as a Animagi and had told Harry to call him that. Why? Simply because Sirius wanted to see their faces when they heard each other talking about Snuffles. Dumbledore shuddered to think about all the different people he had gotten to call him Snuffles.
As far as telling people about Sirius, it was a delicate subject among his graduating class, to put it lightly. Remus was well aware if it and proceeded with caution. About the man, Dumbledore also suspected Sirius had bullied Remus into splitting up. That would explain part of Sirius's extensive apology.
It was good hearing two of his former pupils were safe and sound. Hopefully Sirius would stay at the Bell's house, children would do him some good. Being in Azkaban stripped him of joy, and who better to remind him of joy than children? Despite his 'gruff' ways, Sirius really liked kids.
"He would have made a good Godfather for Harry." Albus said softly to himself, looking down at Sirius's letter. 'So many lives ruined...I wonder what happened to Tom? What made him to Lord Voldemort? And what is he doing now?'
Dumbledore shook himself. It would do no good to stand here mopping, and if all went well, he would *know* what was going to happen. Then maybe, just maybe, he could put an end to broken lives.
'And the promise of tomorrow hung in the air.'
Hmmm. The promise of tomorrow. Maybe.
Now where had he heard that?
"Now how will I ever practice this spell?" Chris wailed. Lauren looked annoyed.
"You can practice it in any room, Thomas." She sneered.
"Besides, I want to know what's going on in there" Kate gestured towards the kitchen door. "Dad looked really worried." Kate expressed her own worries. Dean was way ahead of her, his ear pressed against the heavy wooden door. He shifted, listening for a thin spot. In desperation, he lowered his head to the floor and pushed his left ear next to the crack. Looking glum, he stood up again.
"Nothing, not even a mumble." Amy rolled her eyes.
"Duh. If whatever they're talking about so important, they cast silencing spells." Chris looked alarmed.
"What could be that important?" He asked. Lauren smirked, playing for that ever-present audience.
"I'll bet it has to do with Voldemort." Lauren said (score one for joint Detectives Amy & Lauren). Kate gasped.
"Wha-who do you think you are? Certainly not Dumbledore-"
"Professor Dumbledore, Kate. Be respectful." Chris interrupted. Kate sputtered. Dean looked shocked, but not enough to say anything.
"Aren't you even shocked at Lauren's use of... *that* name?!" She shouted. Dean almost nodded, but caught himself. He wanted to hide.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Chris turned all his attention to Kate.
"Really, Katherine, are you that shocked? Lauren and Amy have made it a habit of theirs to undermined authority, including the Dark Lord's (said girls smirked with a superior air) and they tend to speak when they should be quiet." (said girls smiles droop)
Dean, who had finally decided diving behind a table would be frowned upon, (he was also ashamed of his un-Gryffindor urges to be cowardly) added his piece. (Dean was aware of his disgrace and was trying to avoid confrontation. And he wanted to get on the twins good side, so why not agree with them?)
"Headmaster told me once fear of a name increases fear of the thing..." He said slowly. Kate bowed her head in defeat.
"Okay already! You win! You're right. I'll call ...Voldemort by his name. But we have more important things to be worried about. Like what Mom and Dad are saying!" Kate cried. Amy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Kate blinked.
"Ah... Lauren?" Lauren looked up, her arms now crossed as well.
"Yes?" She said it deliberately slow.
"Do...do you have something else to say?" Kate looked embarrassed. Amy nodded.
"Why thank you Kate. In fact, Lauren did have something else to say." Lauren looked up.
"We... that is to say..." Lauren looked hesitant. She looked at Amy, who nodded permission. Lauren's confidence returned.
"We know a place to listen in."
"It's dusty up here..." Kate whispered.
"Yeah, oddly enough, places you don't use, like an attic, can get dusty." Amy intoned, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Lauren shushed them.
"We're almost there." She informed the others.
"What is this miracle spy thing?" Dean asked.
Amy pointed to a small metal rectangle in the floor.
"That's it." She said proudly.
"What, under the slits?" Dean asked, looking confused. Lauren sighed. Dean had no idea what it was. Amy answered his question.
"This leads to the kitchen, so we can hear what Mother and Father say." Chris looked puzzled, but after a few moments of 'deep thinking', his eyes lit up.
"I've heard about those. That right there's called a ventilator, or vent and-" Chris's voice rose far above a whisper and Amy clamped her hand over his mouth. Chris pushed her hand away and finished his explanation, voice back to a whisper.
"I was just going to say I read about them in my book for Muggles Studies." Chris's voice was as dignified as possible. Lauren chuckled.
"Sure Chris." She muttered, smiling indulgently. Amy glared at him.
"Don't you know sound travels both ways through your vent? That's why we have to cast these." And then she cast a Silencing Charm around everyone upstairs and Lauren cast an Amplifying Spell on the noise that drifted up through the vent, not the speakers. This was very important, she explained. After all, everyone notices when they start shouting, and any plans of spying are ruined. (score two for Amy and Lauren, PIs) Dean looked around for a pad and pencil to take notes with. He started to mention how useful this would be for the Weasley twins, but stopped himself before the resident twins heard him. Omitting Dean's half-finished comment, the listeners stayed silent. The two magically amplified voices drifting up from the vent argued.
"No." Came a voice, belonging to the children's adoptive mother, Fey Bell.
"What do you mean, Fey?" Asked a lower-pitch, rougher voice. The children looked to each other. What where their parents talking about? Lauren gestured for them to stay silent, and Amy said softly,
" Just wait." As if they weren't using any spells at all, just plain out-fashioned espionage.
"I mean I won't let you put yourself in that kind of danger!" Fey Bell responded, her voice firm and unwavering as steel. Someone took several deep, calming breaths. They seemed to work, because Mr. Bell sounded much calmer, but the steel behind his voice remained unchanged.
"Fey dear, I'm an Auror. I'm constantly on danger." He said slowly, deliberately.
"Not from Sirius Black, you aren't!" She shouted. In the dim of the attic, surrounded by dust bunnies in every stage of development, the children all stared blankly at each other. They share almost identical facial expressions. Each one seemed to be asking the other if it was true, begging for denial. And when they couldn't deny what their ears had told them, they looked to another. 'Tell me it isn't true. Sirius Black?' Sirius Black, one of the most feared men in the wizarding world, the only person to escape Azkaban and the Demeanors, was after their dad?
"We're all going to die." Chris said softly, in a dead sort of voice. The other children flinched. Their ritual of death was interrupted by the voices downstairs.
"he's not after me yet Fey, I'm head of the case against him!" Liam tried not to lose his patience. It was his nerves getting to him. He wasn't scared. The children upstairs were once again shell-shocked. One of the twins murmured,
"But he never gets field assignments...what's going on?" Dean and Chris shrugged. Dean was too glad he wasn't going to die (yet) to care. Chris wasn't sure either. All the children had heard their father talk about work, and he had never mentioned actually working in the field. Paperwork, sure. But an actual case, that involved advanced Auror skills and was extremely dangerous? What was going on?
"Beats me." Kate replied. She wondered if anyone knew what was going on anymore. But their parents weren't done yet.
"Why is this so important to you?" Mrs. Bell asked. She sounded honestly curious. Liam Bell hesitated. The children leaned closer to the grate, on their hands and knees, crowded close together. One of Dean's arms ended up hooked with Kate's but they didn't say a word.
"Well..."
"Yes?" Fey sensed victory was close at hand and pressed her opinions. She wanted to know what was going on. Little did she know everyone else did, too. The children heard someone sigh.
"it all started with a bunch of us kids, fresh out of Hogwarts. Arabella, Mandy, James, Caleb, Sirius and quite a few more. From every house, it didn't matter to us."
"And you?" Several children and one wife held their breath.
"And me. Most of us were training to be Aurors, and like the foolhardy children we were, we took matters into our own hands." The children heard someone gasp. A very startled voice asked,
"What just do you...mean by that, Liam?" The children's adoptive father took a deep breath before answering,
"We formed a team of like-minded people to fight against the Death Eaters. I'm sure the Ministry knew about us, but they never questioned us. Naturally, Albus Dumbledore heard and became the official director. Merlin know what we would have done without his leadership. Anyway, we had everything. Spies, Diplomats, Psychologists, Ministry Workers, Search and Rescue, Experts in, well, anything we could think of..."
"Experts?" Fey Bell scoffed, almost amused. You have to give her credit for backbone, all the children had gone into severe shock, but she keeps asking questions.
"Well, they were self-appointed, but they were the best we could find with what we had. Even with limited resources, Dumbledore stubbornly refused anyone but the best with few exceptions."
"What in the Rowena's name do you mean by all that? You're being cryptic again." Fey sounded interested, so the comment lacked any real bite. Another deep breath followed.
"I'll give you an example. Mandy Lynch, muggles. She was muggle-born, one of the few to survive constant Death Eater attacks. Oddly enough, she took an interest in muggles things akin to Author Weasley. She read muggles books constantly. She read *anything* muggle she could get her hands on. She was forever trying to explain the mechanics of Elevator, Aeroplane, Telli-fome and even had muggle posters covering her walls. Did'cha know, she came up with a muggle name for us. Called us the Op-Center. Crazy that one." There was a stunned silence. Dean whistled.
"Can you imagine if they were all that obsessed?" Chris nodded.
"That would be scary." Kate, who had been about to say 'No kidding.' held back when Fey said something.
"Op...Center?"
"Yeah, strange, huh? Mind you, not everyone was quite that enthusiastic. I asked her about the Op-center once. Said it was in one of her books, by a man named...ah...Thomas...Nancy?" Liam's voice grew increasingly hesitant as she struggled deeper into old memories. Silence reigned as the fact that Liam was not joking sunk in. This was a lot of information for one person to absorb. A lot of things you never knew about to learn in a few minutes. The children upstairs stared at each other in wonder. Dad was *cool*.
Fey was having trouble adjusting to everything, which took away from her arguing skills. Still, she was the only one who remembered they had been having an argument.
"Dear... what does this have to do with Black?"
"It's a bit of everything. You see, I was a good friend of Sirius Black until about the end of third year, when he met Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. They all worked at Op-Center. Although Peter and Remus weren't Aurors in training, James insisted. Lupin turned out to be one heck of a diplomat. Peter, well, I hate to speak rudely of the dead, but he couldn't do much of anything in the Op-Center. He ended up carrying plans and letters."
"I remember the boys. Joined at the hip, all four." There was a brief pause in the talking downstairs while Fey and Liam Bell remembered days gone by. Fey believed her husband would continue when he felt ready. After all, the poor man had been forced to share several secrets with her already. She was feeling guilty. Oddly enough, she was able to except her husband's stories without too much disbelief. After all, Liam was serious when it mattered. Upstairs, on the other hand, was buzzing with talk.
"Dad knew-" Lauren sputtered.
"The Sirius Black." Amy interrupted.
"And they were friends with-" Dean asked.
"*James* Potter? As in the father of Harry Potter? And Peter Pettigrew?" Chris interrupted him.
"Whoa. That's just amazing! Who knew our dad kept such famous company?" Kate wondered. Silently she pondered what else he hadn't told them. She wasn't the only one.
"So Black killed two of his best friends." Chris said, always one to connect things.
"Cold-hearted bugger." Kate's response was heart-felt.
"Don't worry Kate, you can use strong language." Dean joked. Amy and Lauren smiled. Kate opened her mouth do just that, but weather it would be about Dean or Sirius Black we shall never know. As luck had it, Chris was already set to make another 'connection'.
"What about ...Remus Lupin? Didn't you mention a Professor Lupin once." Dean nodded, and Amy said.,
"Yeah. He was a werewolf, too."
"Just a year before you started at Hogwarts." Lauren added.
"So your Professor was a school friend of Sirius Black... the Year he escaped?" Chris prompted. Everyone looked startled at the implications.
"Do-do you think... Professor Lupin got kicked out because he was helping Black get into the school?" Kate said in a hushed voice. Chris prepared to respond, but he was cut short by Liam Bell. His voice took on a dead tone.
"Near the...end, must of us were being made Aurors, including myself, James and Lily went into hiding. There were several good reasons. As you know Voldemort had something against James. James never took me into his confidence, so I don't know what. Whatever it was, we never the Dark Lord wouldn't stop till all the Potters were dead." Amy muttered something about 'a bad book' and everyone (including Lauren) glared at her. Unaware, Liam continued his 'tale'.
"Young Harry himself was another reason. Lily's argument was one of the key things that got James to agree. One of the most important reasons was a traitor. Arabella, who had informers everywhere, even among the Dark Lord's ranks, told me we had a spy among us. I'm sad to say that's how we lost Matt and Joy Coon, Kyle Thomas, Mandy Lynch, and... so many others. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. The Potters went into hiding, and died for the light. Sirius betrayed them, remember? I can only think of one person he would have betrayed James and Lily Potter to." Fey gasped. This was way over her head. Chris gulped, and Dean's eyes hardened. Amy and Lauren looked mad, but Amy unable to resist, muttered,
"What an original story..." Lauren glared at her. Lauren privately remained her this was the story about exactly *who* had killed their parents. After all, how many Matt and Joy Coons could there be? At the same time, Liam continued.
"Yes. Voldemort. And if he was a Death Eater... think about it. There was a Death Eater among us. Sirius was also the spy in the Op-Center, so he...condemned so many to die. Coon, Lynch, Thomas..." Liam trailed off. Everyone upstairs could almost feel him being hugged. Liam seemed determined to finish.
"After, when I heard about what happened... I didn't realized he was the informer.. I was just.... His best friends! Remember when I came home?" Liam seemed to be struggling through tears, and the dead tone had vanished.
"I remember..." She said quietly. "I never knew why it hurt you so much."
"It was... indescribable. My best friend... and I never knew... I didn't even realize...until today. I never...a spy?" Liam's voice was so full of sorrow. 'I should have known, all those deaths' He thought. And he never stopped any of them. Not event he last. He couldn't speak anymore. It was just too hard. There wasn't anything left to say. except 'It's my fault...'
Upstairs, Amy leaned on Lauren's shoulder, trying not to look like she needed support. She was just tried, that was all. Not big deal. Father's soppy story wasn't making her cry, either. That was all this Merlin-forsaken dust. Dean hugged Chris, who was biting his lip. Kate drew everyone she could reach (namely Amy, Lauren and half of Dean and Chris) into a group hug.
"What was that for?" Amy hissed. Kate shrugged. She hadn't missed Amy's wet eyes. She also hadn't missed the mentioning of Dean and Chris's father and Amy and Lauren's parents. She hadn't missed the lack of mention of her own parents. With a forced smile, she said,
"I'm just glad we're a family." Dean nodded from his position above Chris. Amy lost it and everyone pretended not to hear the loud sniffing noises. Dean took note of his sister's expression. Amy made ruder comments when she was trying to hold back emotion, more likely pain. 'Don't we all?' Dean pondered. However, his somber expression was cut short when Amy stopped scrubbing her eyes and Lauren helped her to stand. Chris looked up from his nest in Dean's arms, unconcerned with Dean's blush at his place. They were brothers. He noted he wasn't the only one to be deeply effected by Liam's story. After all, Liam was well loved by all of them, and misery loves company. It was good to have family, especially when you needed a snuggle-err, emotional support. Dean sifted his weight and Chris stood up.
"I think we should leave now." He said softly.
They left.
The phone rang.
The electric rendition of Taps roused Jamie from a sound sleep where she had been dozing on the couch. Grumbling, she patted the couch for her cell. She may have been grumbling, but that was purely habit. Jamie never woke up without a few minutes of good grumbling about wackos with guns, the sun's bad timing, exactly where news reporters how said coffee was bad could shove it... world hunger, stuff like that. All and all, it was a relaxing habit. Helped her get out a little bit of frustration about the shoddy condition of the world around her. No, despite her grumbling, she was quite curious.
Who had the gall to call her at this time of night? Jamie Trillion's temper was a legend on the East Coast. Well, maybe not that bad, but close. Her employees had been told in a no-nonsense voice she didn't do mornings. She planned to buy the tee-shirt when she got a raise. And the time from the moment her head touched the pillow (about 1:30) to her first coffee (varies) qualified as a morning.
Jamie was so curious when she finally found her cell phone under one of the couch cushions she smiled. Her smiled grew wider when she read Caller ID. The words Caller Unknown confirmed her suspisions. This was a complete stranger.
"Talk." She asked, voice hoarse.
"Is this Jamie Trillin?" A vaguely familiar voice answered. Where had she heard that voice before?
"Speaking." She kept her answers to a word so it was more understandable.
"You mean you can hear me? Really hear me?" She could almost place the voice, who was it? And why were they being such an idiot?
"Yeah- wait? Carl?" Finally she remembered. The voice belonged to Carl, her employer and head of the laboratory she worked at. His phone must be acting up, because his voice was a little lower than when he normally talked to her. And he must be using his home phone, not being good friends with him she had never registered it.
"Yes. This is Carl Livingston, you employer. We've been bought by a company in Britain, and we move with all our material to London immediately."
Carl then proceeded to give her the details of the move, mispronouncing airplane (aero plane?).
Jamie was now fully awake and quite shocked. Wasn't this a little... sudden? And didn't a buy-out involve a little more paperwork. Hell, didn't it involve forewarning before something this serious? And why this lab? Jamie had left her television on, and I Love Lucy threw black-and-white shadows every which way.
'Why us?' she wondered, not even amazed she was thinking quite clearly without a sip of coffee. Something just didn't click. Why had Carl been so... formal? And why had he been uncertain I would hear him? Why where we moving to Britain? Why so fast? All the speed turned her head.
She couldn't figured out why this lab was being bought. What separated her workplace from so many others across the world? Then she remembered the test tube... they couldn't know about that... could she leave it? No, no She wasn't sure what would happen. It would have to come.
TBC
A/n- Thank you anyone and everyone for reading! Please, please review! I'll love you forever! Anything you'd like to say (even flame) would be nice right now. As for any questions you might have had about the changes in Kate Bell's name, Her father (Liam) commonly calls her Katie. It's pretty much his pet name for her. I mean, I'm sure he's got better ones, but give the man a break, he was under a little emotional stress in the last chapter. Katherine is her birth name, but people (such as Amy and Lauren) use it to annoy her, be specific (Chris, not that he knows many Katherine's) or when she's in trouble (adults). There is actually a difference between Silencing and Deafening Charms (I didn't create it though). Silencing Charms keep all sound originating inside the bubble (sound barrier) inside but allow sounds originating outside the bubble to come in. Deafening Charms work the opposite way, allowing no sound it but letting sound out. Op-Center is actually a book by Tom Clancy, who has written several other things like the Sum of All Fears (the movie's based on it), The Hunt For Red October and Rainbow Six (that was good). Anywho, if you *actually* read the entire author's note, I bow done to you, 'O dedicated reader. Your amazing. Thanks!
Dweia's Double (I'm sure you now my name, I just can't help it....)