Disclaimer – I don't own them, wish I did at times but hey a girl can dream. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowlings, anything you don't is mine.

Author's note –The different styles such as italics and the bold typing are to show that a hell hound is speaking, Italics means Cian, bold means his sister and both means their mother, if I have more hell hounds I will try to find a better way to show this. I am working on writing and typing more, but unfortunately since my AP Statistics grade is now at an all time low (D) I have to pay a bit of attention to that as math is my weak spot.   As always I love feedback either in the form of a review or in the form of an email, feel free to email me at web_chick_18@hotmail.com and Thanks again. =) Oh and I did mention that I am not very good at the romance stuff right?

Chapter 12

            Since Remus was already in the Isles Kalila took him on a tour of her home, after sending a note to Dumbledore outlining what had happened. She showed him the palace and council buildings and then took him on a horseback tour of the city and surrounding lands. They ended the tour by visiting the Hell Hounds and it amused and touched Remus deep inside as he watched her play with the puppies. For all that he cared greatly for her he was still struggling with himself over whether his feelings were right.

            "For all that you are a man there is a form like a wolf about you." At Remus' shocked look, Nadia continued, "We see far more than we ever let on, as does Kalila. If she did not place her trust in you, neither would we and you would be dead, but she does and so we follow her lead and you retain your life. The concern you feel for her reinforces the confidence we have in her judgment. You fight the beast within not wanting to give an inch in the fight to control your life. Beware of becoming all consumed in the fight, you might need the beast within's full abilities in this war."

            "Why are you telling me this? I would think that knowing what I am you would want me to stay as far from Kalila as possible."

            "It is for Kalila to choose whether to be around you or not. Just because you were bitten by one of the tainted does not mean you are a terrible person, nor does it make you one of the tainted. All those like you walk a fine line between the good and evil inside, if you'll excuse the cliché, and those who give in to the untamed beast and its evil become the tainted. You have fought this long and will continue to fight until himself comes for you. Kalila also walks a fine line, but between sanity and insanity, she has the ability to be one of the most powerful in magical history, but what she has seen scares her away from her potential."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Because she is an "Arcane Priestess" as they call her, her trail was the hardest seen since these people came to live upon the Isles. As she mentioned the trails "gift" those who endure them with the ability to see auras, the harder their initial trail the more they can see. Kalila sees more than anyone, even the oldest of my kind. She sees things that we cannot and sigh she sees what might come to be. It is seeing what might come to be that had nearly driven her mad, for rarely can anything she sees be changed."

            "She saw what would happen today didn't she?"

            "Most likely. It is hard to say what she sees. sigh She is so different from the person she used to be, there are traces but with this war they are few. We see the darkness everywhere so I can but imagine what she must see."

            "If she can see if someone has done something evil, surely she can tell who is a death eater and who is not."

            "It is hard to tell by just looking at someone's aura, there too many ways that they can be influenced."

            "But from what you were saying earlier…"

            "sigh It varied what we can do just as it varies how much your kind can do. Kalila is amazing in the amount of power she can harness but that power has left her alone and often doubting her sanity."           

            Laughing drew their attention back to Kalila and the pups, she had been over powered and had puppies piled upon her. Seeing her Remus and Nadia joined in the laughter. All to soon it was time for they to return to Hogworts. Instead of appearing inside the walls of Hogworts, as they would normally have, they chose to appear outside the gates to the grounds so that Remus would not have to endure another trip with Cian. They walked back to the doors of Hogworts in the coming darkness of twilight.

            "Kalila why do you choose to be around me knowing what I am?"

            "Because you are not as you see yourself. Besides why do you want to be around me when you feel something different about me, something that is oft' feels wrong?"

            "I don't know what you mean."

            "Maybe on the surface you don't but deep inside you do. Most beings that meet me feel it. My superiors at the Ministry were always on edge around me, most of my assignments came by special owl currier or by floo. I think that even Dumbledore feels uneasy around me at times."

            "I rather doubt that Kalila, Dumbledore never seems to feel unease. Besides perhaps it is as you said, you are not as you see yourself."

            "No, I see myself clearly and it is not the prettiest of sights. I am powerful, but I am weak; I am contradiction after contradiction. I am warned about what will come to be, but I can do nothing to prevent it from happening. I knew the events of today would happen and tried to prevent it, I strengthened the wards and added security. But just like before it didn't do any good."  

            "What do you mean, just like before? When else did this happen?"

            "It has happened many times but the only other time something of this magnitude happened was when my mother was killed. I knew what would happen on that beach; my mother would die and I would have to fight. I told her, but she didn't believe me and so everything unfolded just as I had foreseen it. Down to the number of Death Eaters."

            "What!"

            "What!"

            "No one believed me then as most don't today. Maybe people will believe if only partially soon, if they do, perhaps most of what I have seen won't come to pass. If it does come true then the war is going to take a horrible turn, the death toll will be high and the cost of winning great."

            "Have you told Dumbledore of what you see Kalila? He would be able to help."

            "No and I will not. I will not be though of as insane yet again. As kind and understanding as the Headmaster is I doubt he would believe a twenty year old woman about what is going to happen to the world."

            "You don't know that Kalila. For all you know, trusting Dumbledore could be what causes what you have seen not to come true."

            "I can't take that risk Cian."

            "Then what will you do Kalila, take on the dark lord by yourself? If you do you will die, if not by Voldemort's hand then by the collective hands of his followers!"

            "I realize that Cian, but you should also realize that I will do what I have to in regard to Voldemort. I made my vows and I will keep them."

            "What do you mean by that?"

            "During her trial she had to make a vow to protect the people of the world from people like Voldemort."

            "I made it and I will keep it, at the cost of my life if I must. Too many will die or have died no matter which path I choose."

            "growls It will not come to that."

            "Cian is right, it should never come to that."

            "Oh but it will. The dark days that lay ahead are very dark indeed and the forces of light are losing ground and may lose all ground if I wait too long to act."

            "Kalila what is going on? I have never heard so much about the future from you before."

            "Something is going to happen Cian, before the next full moon and what happens will be a deciding factor in the end of the war. I have never felt anything this strongly before and I can do nothing to stop myself from letting people know what I feel. sigh I have no choices left, my path had been laid before me and I see it clearly now and know the path that must be taken."

            "Kalila! Tell me what is going on, what do you see!"

            From the forbidden forest there rose a noise like a roar. It startled Remus and Cian but Kalila seemed to be oddly calmed by it. Then from the lake the Squid made its presence known and Kalila smiled and shock her head slightly. As the Squid quieted a large Phoenix landed in front of Kalila regarding her with intelligent eyes. No one spoke but something passed between the phoenix and Kalila for she soon offered it her arm for a perch. Still not speaking Kalila turned and started towards Dumbledore's office, taking care not to disturb the phoenix's hold upon her arm. Curious Remus and Cian followed behind her. When they reached Dumbledore's office he wasn't surprised to see them, but Fawks did let out a squawk of surprise upon spying Kalila's passenger.

            "I take it that things went well in the Isles?" At Kalila's unamused look Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "Well then, I suppose that there is something which you and Aidon would like to bring to my attention?"

            "Yes, there is. There is a very good chance that there will be a turning point in the war before the next full moon. There is also the possibility that this turning point will win the war for Voldemort. Headmaster the road ahead for the wizarding world is do darkly cloaked in shadows that I can only see hints of what may lay ahead, and I can only see hints of what may lay ahead for my people. But there are two things that I do know: the future of my people is closely tied to the fate of the wizarding world, if one falls so will the other; and I know that for both dark days lie ahead not matter which side wins the war."

            "looking disturbed What have you seen Kalila? What does the future hold for the world?"

            "Death and Destruction and Fear, no matter which side wins things will never be the same."

            "Kalila! What is going on, what has happened to you?!"

            "groan Nothing is or has happened to me Cian other that I am being bombarded by images of what may come to be and with my track record what I see will more than likely happen. Sigh I hope he tries for the Isles or Hogworts so I can go after him."

            "shocked Why would do you want to go after him? Why do you think you will be able to find him when even Harry has not been able to?"

            "I will be able to find him Remus because sooner or later someone in his circle will lead me to him. Finding him will be the easy, killing him will be hard."

            "What do you mean by that?"

            "My father or someone else will lead me to him but how do you kill someone who should by rights be dead?"

            "Rafael lead you to Voldemort?! Impossible! Why would he be in league with Voldemort? He was friends with Lily and James as well as and Auror!"

            "Because he will, and if you remember so was the one who betrayed them! Besides my path is set and I know it! You can only alter you destiny so much and I am at that limit, I was born to serve the world in these troubled times as I always have been."

            "That doesn't mean you have to be so accepting of what you think will come! You say that you were born to serve the world, well why are you so sure that certain death is the only way to do so?"

            "Because Mother and I both knew that one of us would have to face the threat at some point and since she is dead that leaves the task to me. I don't expect to die Cian; in fact I don't want to! But I cannot stand by and watch the world fall into darkness, if my life is all that stands to prevent that then so be it! sigh Cian can't you understand it is my duty to protect the world and I will if it means my life? I don't have to like it but that is how it is for me and how it has always been through out time."

            Grabbing her shoulders Remus turned Kalila to face him ignoring Aidon's squawk of protest.

            "Why are you so calm and accepting of this? I have known you for only two months and yet I want to kick and scream and rage on about how unfair this is; softly for I have found what I have been missing all these years and I cannot stand the thought of losing you. smile I think I love you Kalila and despite all my reasons for wanting to resist; the age difference, knowing your father as a friend, the war and what I am, I see that to resist would be to deny the most wonderful thing in my life. I can't just stand by and watch you throw your life away."

            After Aidon have moved to perch beside Fawks, Kalila reached up to place a hand on either side of Remus' face and looked into his eyes.

            "I am not going to throw my life away, I have to many reasons to live. You and I are tied together, no matter what we will always be to together, just as we always have. As for being calm, I am so terrified I can barely move, the only reason I have to look forward to tomorrow anymore is you."

            Searching his eyes Kalila brought Remus' head down to her, their lips meeting and the world around them vanishing, leaving them encompassed by a sea of feeling and warmth. All too soon they world once again made its presence known and they broke apart. Hugging Kalila close to his side Remus met Dumbledore's twinkling look with a smile.