Disclaimer: J.K Rowling... to her what is due. The rest is mine.

A Seal Still Remembered

A smile played across her face as she looked at the sleeping form of Remus. It was almost time, she knew, but she would enjoy the last few peace filled days until. Naria shock her head at the thought.

Naria mentally prepared herself for this every time but that really did not make it that much easier. When it was over she knew he would be worse for wear, potion or not. He may be rational, but the potion had as many side effects as the Wolf itself. Remus, however, chooses to bear them. It was the only to way for him to be safe in the transformed form of the Wolf. Lycanthropy was a serious ailment and she knew that he could pose a threat if he didn't take the Wolfsbane potion.

At the same moment she was aware that he could be a threat, she was also aware of the fact that he would never hurt any one intentionally. She knew he had come close to doing that on accident once or twice and had almost tried to kill Peter, but that was different. Peter had done horrible things, aided horrible people and planned murders of the innocent. If Sirius and Remus had killed Peter, it would have been little skin of her back. Peter disserved what ever he got.

Distantly, she remembered the little boy who one day became one of Voldemort's supporters and would be the reason he was able to return to the form of man, stronger than ever. He had been a dumpy little boy who clearly enjoyed his food. Not to brilliant and nearly a squib. He also had a tendency to ally himself with the biggest fish in the sea, no matter their beliefs as long as they offered him protection from all the other little fish.

She really had not thought that he would turn to the dark side, but then when she had found out that Sirius had supposedly done the same, the same thoughts had crossed her mind. To Sirius's credit, he had not done that what he had been accused of.

She was surprised that she could remember the marauders in such detail. She had been in the same house, true, but she had been in the next grade up. She was still the same age because she had been accepted to Hogwarts a year early. Distinctly she could remember some of they're antics, especially the trick they had tried to play on her. She had gotten the impression even as a kid that Sirius had been taken with her in her seventh year, but she had ignored his advances and in the process he had ended up making a fool of himself in front of his friends after the rejections, much to her delight.

She may have not been as out going with her mischievous nature as they were, but she definitely had one. That was not to be denied. She, however, was better at not getting caught. Silently, she had known that most of the time they had been caught, James, Remus, and Sirius that is, was because their other supposed friend had never been in the same league, a bit of daftish git, if she remembered properly.

Yawning she pulled herself out of memory and back into the real world. As was her daily ritual, she pulled out that days robes, silky cream with a silver swirled pattern that was reminiscent of the Celtic tradition. They also had a mandarin color and knot buttons and draping princess style sleeves. At the same time, she also placed her wand with her things. It was a fourteen inch ebony wand with a phoenix feather as it core, beautifully crafted by one of the best wand makers in Diagon Alley, Mr. Oliviander. Soon she would find herself at work and would be in desperate need of that wand, if today were like any other normal day at the office.

Removing what little she had been wearing from last night she took a quick shower and dressed.

"Remus," she said in her voice that was barely above a whisper and prodded him gently. He was still soundly asleep even though it was already eight twenty in the morning. She knew that the pull of the moons would already be affecting him by now, but that did not mean he could sleep all day. Plus, she was not completely certain she wanted him to be horrible awake in the middle of the night, that is if she wanted to get to work on time in the morning. As it was now, she was still exceedingly tired. "Remus," she called quietly again.

He opened his eyes groggily. The day before he had taken his first dose of the potion and she knew that he would not be feeling well today. She silently wished there was away to make that foul smelling and worse tasting potion better, but she knew that sugar made it completely useless if not poisonous. He gave her a rueful smile. "Dressed and every thing," he said with his usual mirth. "Pity."

"Remus," she said with a bit of an edge in her voice. This was not his usual demeanor. No on the contrary he was generally a quiet man and rather serious for his age and dare she say gender. But just as he did not act his age, he also did not look it. The lycanthropy had taken a lot out of him, including what would have been his youthful appearance. Already, not yet in even in his forties, he had a mass of brown hair filled with gray.

"Kidding, kidding," he said holding up his hands as she sat next to him on the bed thry shared. "Once a Marauder."

She silently was thankful of the fact that he could talk about his friends like this even with all that had happened. She knew how much he missed James, and how shocked he was about Peter. ".Always a Marauder," she said finishing the statement. A smile once again crossed her face at the thought of how much she enjoyed this man's company.

He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss.

-=(^)=-

Remus could taste Naria on his lips even after they had finished their kiss. Finally a plus side to this whole werewolf business. With stronger senses than normal he would not be surprised if he could smell her on his clothing all day.

Just as there were plus sides there were also downs to that particular trait of the Wolf. It made Wolfsbane at least twice as worse if not more.

"Right. So when do you have to be off for work?" he asked her as he lifted himself of their four-poster.

"I'll use the Floo system, so not 'till five before nine," she answered.

She was an Auror. Dangerous business Remus thought, but was wiser than to say so to her. It was her job to hunt done those who make it a practice of using dark magic and even though she was young, she was good at her job with the Ministry. He knew that if they were ever to decide to start a family he would have to press the issue of her job. She had so many prospects that it really was not much of problem if she ever chose to change careers. She had graduated top of class at Hogwarts and had been Head Girl in her final year. Not only was her school performance rather good and been seeker before an accident which lead to Potter becoming the Gryfindor seeker, but at the Ministry she had a good reputation and had foiled many wizards and witches bent on trouble and mayhem, especially during the first rise of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Along with James and others, like Dumbledore, she had also been rather prominent in the Order of the Phoenix. There was no denying that she could do any thing she wanted to. but would she?

Silently, he feared the answer to that question might be a no. She did have a special affinity for chasing down those who colluded with evil . He wondered if it provided an adrenaline rush she had not been able to find any other way.

"Reme's," she called out to him again. It was the name that only she ever called him, a name that had a special place in his heart. "Going to get up or am I going to have to drag you out off bed."

"You could try. That threat's not much of a prompter you know. Not exactly a reason to get out of bed," a smile crossed his face. He was happy here. It had been a long time since he had actually been able to say that. He enjoyed, just as he had when he was a boy at school, joking a bit. Even with all that had happened in his life he remained true to his playful and boyish spirit on occasion.

For a second she took on the look that he imagined she wore as an Auror and suddenly felt a little sorry for those who crossed her. It was almost.Snape- ish. Then another smile spread across her face. "Come now, up. I won't have you making me late."

"Oh alright. If you insist," he said, getting up from the bed.

"Tea?" she asked with a light and airy voice as she hurried out of the bedroom and gave him a chance to ready himself for the day ahead.

"That would be wonderful, thank you," he called, answering her question. He pulled open the wardrobe she had earlier and picked the clothing he would darn today. Because of his time at Hogwarts he had finally been able to get a few new robes. Nothing like those the other teachers often darned, but then Lupin always preferred to be understated, preferred to not draw attention to himself. Years of experience had taught him that when dealing with most people it was not wise to bring attention to oneself if you were a werewolf.

Naria had not rejected him, unlike so many who had. On the contrary, she had more than accepted him. She had made a place in her heart for him that no other could or would fill.

He felt the same way. When he first met her he had been oddly drawn to her. She was quite beautiful, but that had nothing to do with his attraction to her, or at least not a lot to do with it. He thought it was a bit of her enigmatic nature that made him attracted to her. But truth be told, the beauty of love and what we love in those we love are those qualities we can't quantify, those things that are a mystery to us. Silently, he wondered if the reason people stopped loving each other was because they finally discovered those things that had originally caused the attraction.

"Don't forget.you still have to take your potion," she called from the kitchen over a whistling teapot.

A quick grimace had crossed his face. The smell of the potion immediately came to mind. Naria said the stuff smelled disgusting, she had no idea. With the heighten senses of a werewolf he had downed that disgusting elixir more times than he cared to remember. One credit to the brewer was that it certainly tasted better when she brewed it.

He finished pulling on his robes after a quick shower and walked out into the small kitchen that was in the house they had been sharing just outside a small village on the Cornwall coast. Through the window by the small dining table, he could see the flower garden that was nearly in full bloom. Almost from a fairy-tale, he thought with an odd smile crossing his face, bringing light to his tired eyes. Voldemort will never touch this place, nor this moment Remus thought as he looked over the garden with it's lovely iris in full flower. He knew that they bloomed nearly year around because of the gardening charms Naria used on them, and indeed they had a garden no muggle family's could rival, mainly because of the magic that was imbued in it, magic that was not only the sort a witch or wizard used.

He also looked at his fiancé. Her golden hair cascading down her back in gentle wavy curls that reached just bellow her knee. Her eyes a brilliant shade of cerulean blue, like that of the waters in the Caribbean. Her office clothing clung in all the right place high-lighting her figure and she looked positively a glow this morning. In the darkened bedroom he had not noticed, but he had to admit she looked exceptionally beautiful. As he entered, a smile spread across her face as she noticed him staring for what seemed like an oddly long period of time.

"See something interesting?"

"Oh, just the prettiest woman I've seen along time," replied a jovial Lupin.

"Ha ha.that's an interesting line," she said with a wide grin that reflected some of her playful nature.

"I thought so." Lupin was happy here. He was genuinely happy here and for a heartbeat he wished she would never have to leave, the heart beat before logic set in. He knew she would have to leave for work, but that didn't keep him from hoping.

But as that heartbeat was suspended and logic did set in his thoughts were also pulled to his friends. So many people were in danger now. Voldemort was on the rise, even if the Ministry of Magic was too daft to believe it. Every one in the Ministry of Magical Law Enforcement was reading the signs. All the old Aurors were even more on guard then they had been before. Their worse fears had come to life and now everyone had to deal with that. Making their job worse was the fact they were dealing with an Administration that was too afraid to read the signs, signs such as disappearances, signs that had been prelude to the first time Voldemort rose to power.

The levity of the earlier moments was soon lost, he hoped he would regain it, but these were dangerous times. Remus J. Lupin had only two fears, two nearly over powering fears. The first was that Naria would die in the execution of her duties, that some Death Eater would level his wand at her and she would be unable to dodge. He would utter the words of the most unforgivable of the unforgivable curses and she would fall to the ground, first to her knees and then completely collapsing as she was enveloped in a shower of green light, sickly green light. Considering her career this very well could be her fate. Aurors chose a line of work that put them in the line of fire. Their job was literally hunting down the worst of the worst. Naria had been on the front line and she was lucky to be in one piece, if not alive. Especially lucky considering she had once been caught by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. No other Auror could say that. All that had meet the Dark Lord in person had not lived to tell the tale. In fact, the only none supporter that Lupin knew to have meet the Dark Lord and survived was Harry Potter. This put Naria in a very small group. Whether this was something to consider a distinction, Lupin was highly skeptical.

-=(^)=-

Breakfast was the same exceptional fare of high tea that she usually made. The scones, as sweet as normal. And the company. just as great.

With her wand she magicked away the dishes and the leftovers. And got ready to use the Floo network to get to her next destination, her office at the Ministry of Magic. His tutorage would be arriving in an hour and until then he had scant to do.

It was a beautiful August day and a letter arrived by owl post as soon as she had left. The snowy owl, much like Harry's Hedwig, nipped affectionately at his hand as he untied the letter fastened to its leg and flew off as soon as the letter was removed. He recognized the green lettering and the seal on the letter with out even reading the words. This was a Hogwarts letter.

Professor R. Lupin

The Cozy Cottage with the Garden of Irises

Somewhere Outside St. Ives

He looked at the letters with a little curiosity. He had told them he would not be returning.

Soon after the first letter arrived a second owl dropped one on the table. The same green lettering was flourished across its front this one however addressed.addressed to his fiancé. On its front was also the prefix professor. How curious, he thought to himself.

Professor N. Sojair

The Cozy Cottage with the Garden of Irises

Somewhere Outside St. Ives

He opened the letter addressed to him and read:

Dear Professor Lupin,

A position has once again opened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and your name has come up as one who could possiblely fill our need for a Defense Against the Dark Arts.

We are aware that you may have certain reservations. certain fears about taking the position. The headmaster would like to reiterate the point that in this position you can have what you have always sought. He states that students already respect you and the parents will not question the headmaster's decision. Dumbledore also wanted me to tell you that the best way you can combat the rise of evil is to teach a future generation to fight against it.

A reply at your earliest conveniences would be appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

With in the letter was a second parchment. He recognized the lettering almost immediately, Professor Dumbledore's. It had been scribed in the Professors usual scrawl.

Dear Remus,

I hate to call a favor but in this case I really need one. We are once again short a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, seeing to the story of jinxes that surround the position and the rise of Voldemort. I was wondering if you could take the position this year. Also I ask you for one other reason. With Voldemort's most recent accomplishments I fear for young Potter and his friends. It would be good this year for them to have a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts and for Potter to have a trusting adult confident. As for the concerns that are running through your mind at this moment: Yes, you maybe a werewolf but I have utmost confidence in you and with the position that you are of no harm to any one. It would not be fit for you turn down the position based on the incident on the last full moon you were here. Also, the students like you, knowledge or no and the parents have never been ones to question my decisions on mass. I may not have universal approval, but I always have approval You are a good teacher and Hogwarts would certainly be better with you in the position. Please consider my offer.

Yours Truly,

Albus

Remus read the letter to himself one more time. He had left Hogwarts because he realized that he could really be a danger to others. But now he wasn't so certain that he really should have left, especially after the fiasco with Harry's last teacher to fill that position. It was because of that previous teacher that Voldemort had nearly killed him. He thought to himself for a good long moment that he might seriously consider the offer.

He had certainly enjoyed teaching. He had enjoyed working with students and watching them learn and the watching the epiphanies that came with learning certain thing through hands on experience and watching students grow, not only with knowledge but with wisdom. Hopefully, he thought ruefully.

Then his thoughts drifted to the boy that was in so many ways like his father, his mind drifted to the boy whose father he had once been best friends with. His mind drifted to the boy who he had found one of his best students in his short time at Hogwarts. His mind drifted to the boy that lived.

One day, he thought, he'd like to have a son or daughter like Harry. Harry was a good boy who had gone through so much that certainly wasn't fair, but then that was life.

-=(^)=-

Her desk, as usual, was covered with all sorts of reports. Ever since the Tri-wizard Championship it had been so. With Voldemort having returned to human form and his power rising, reports of the Dark Mark across the nation, her job was anything but peaceful. She silently was thankful for one fact, as of yet the rash of murders had not started.

She could remember the murders from the first rise. She could remember them. The first year she had started the job as an Auror they had started. She remembered the first time that symbol of evil had been sent up. She had been the first to be sent out there to put a cap on the situation. She had remembered that symbol in wispy green that looked like a scull and a snake. She had entered the house barely twenty minutes after it happened.

The house was unnaturally cold. A great evil had happened here. Mark or not she knew just from the feeling of the air. It was like some one had screamed and been silenced in a second and that silence was what filled the small house. It was an unnatural silence. The moment of death had stuck to this place.

As she walked past the entrance she saw the first one. A muggle. He had been silenced in a second by. by an unforgivable curse. Avanda Kedavra had silenced him. The worst of the curses had done this and it been preformed by one of the worst wizards. The poor man had a look of complete terror across his face. He had known the moment of death and life in one and had known what was going to happen upon looking into the eyes of his killer. He had died in terror, in the realization of what would await his family and what he would be unable to protect them from. He had been the first to go and he had died with the knowledge of what was to happen after his death.

She silently walked into the next room to find a young woman. She had not simply died, but rather had the curse of control placed upon her, had been forced to murder two of her children. She recognized the tell tale signs of the curse. The blood was everywhere. And in it was scribed a message upon one of the walls.

THOUGHT I'D MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER, AUROR SOJAIR. MURDER SUCIDE FROM THE MUGGLES POINT OF VIEW. NEXT TIME, YOU WON'T BE SO LUCKY.

As she progressed to one more room she found the last of the family. Two twin brothers, with streaks of blond hair, barely ten. They had blood under their fingernails. These two had tied to put up a defense, but to no avail. For their efforts, they had probably died the worst possible way. Tortured to death by the last of three unforgivable curses.

What had happened in this place was sickening and a girl of barely eighteen should never have seen such things. Just as this family should have never been subjected to such things. Just as these boys.just as these boys shouldn't have suffered a prolonged death. a prolonged and horrible death as they had. And from this scene she vowed that she would fight this evil that had caused this and that was the day that she would lead to her induction into the Order of the Phoenix.

At that time, she had worked with one of the greatest Aurors of their time, "Mad Eye" Moody. He had comforted her after what had happened, but had assured her that this was certainly not going to be the last of such cases and had asked if she was really prepared to deal with this again and again. and unfortunately again. She had been so shaken up, what a way that had been to start your first day. Her name scrawled on the wall put her even more on edge.

Voldemort knew more about her than she thought was possible, had known she would be the one arrive and had even known what her reaction would be. The seen had been staged to upset her. To make herself unconfident in her abilities. He had set her as a mark on his list of those that would be dealt away with, but he wasn't going to do that before he had tortured her.

Mad Eye Moody had kept a sharp eye on her for a few days after. Supposedly other Aurors had had similar experiences and some of them had.had ended it shortly afterwards.

She knew it was only a wait until deaths started if something wasn't done and with Fudge refusing to take action she had a feeling that was what was going to happen. The Ministry of Magic refused to see the truth. Refused to see that Voldemort had indeed risen from his previous state, had indeed acquired a new body, and was indeed on the road to reclaiming his former glory and then some. Naria was disgusted by Fudges blindness, by his incompetence. He could very well be then end of them all if the truth wasn't revealed to the public and if the government didn't start taking aggressive action.

As far as she knew only one man had been able to see the truth and that was Albus Dumbledore. The man of course had always been able to see the truth, had always been able to look into the hearts of men and see what was true what was right. He had always had that ability to take one square look at you and know exactly what you were thinking. Albus had also been watching over the boy that was at the center of this whole thing, Harry Potter.

She had been called; the Order of the Phoenix was going to make a move to prevent Voldemort an easy rise to power even if Fudge was to blind to see the truth. The giants were being called as allies, to prevent them going over to the Death Eaters. And moves were being made to keep the Dementors from going back to their natural allies. Others all over the continent and beyond were being drawn into the fray against Voldemort, but all of this was done quietly to keep Fudge from doing something stupid and putting an end to it. Fudge had taken the position that anything not done explicitly on his orders was a person a front. It was a dangerous view to take, but Cornelius Fudge had never been known as being brilliant.

-=(^)=-

She looked around the aftermath of the seen, the second Dark Mark in as many days. To her hearts relief no deaths, not yet, but she knew that it wasn't going to be long. The Death Eaters were growing in power and in boldness. Soon the killing of Muggles would start and then it would enter the wizarding world.

She was dressed in her Muggle outfit for fieldwork and she had a detective's badge that was authentic. This was what allowed her to work in the Muggle world and talk to victims without suspicion.

The poor Muggle family was terrified. Clearly the Cruciatus Curse had been used. The husband was in no state to talk to anyone and he would probably remain that way for the rest of his life. The wife however, shaken and shocked was in a far better condition to speak.

"Ma'am, my name is Olivia Berra. Can you tell me what happened here," she asked quietly as Muggle policy began doing preliminary work up of the seen. She was going to have to wipe their memory she knew. She hated that aspect of the job, but she understood the reasons why it was necessary. If the Muggles panicked. well she didn't even want to think about what would happen. Needless to say Voldemort would probably be even more egged on.

"They.They.They came barging in here. All of them. They were wearing strangest clothes. Black robes, capes and the like. They were also carrying.carrying wands," the woman said in a shaky and shocked voice.

"Wands," Naria repeated. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, yes. They pointed them at my husband first and said some word that starts with a C."

"Crucio?"

"Yes. Yes, that's it. They pointed they're wands at him and said that word and he began shaking horrible, a look of extreme pain crossed his face and I knew what ever was happening to him. Well it was the worst thing I've ever seen. He fell to the ground and kept shaking and screaming.

"Then they rounded on me. The leader. a tall man with a slippery voice. he pointed his wand at me and said the incantation again. I began shaking and the worst pain I ever felt crossed over me. The tall man called this quivering shorter man Wormtail and told him to apparate to their master. And. and then he stopped. A shorter, dumpier man who was balding had placed his hand on the other wizards and whispered something in his ear. The curse stopped. I begged he stop it on my husband as well but all they did was. was laugh.

"When they finally left the effects stopped, but all that was left was that," she said indicating her husband.

Naria looked at the woman. The feeling of great sorrow spread across her at what had happened to her and for what she was going to do her.

"Officers come here," Naria said and the policy officers there gathered around her. She pulled out a wand and spoke, "Obliviate."

Then she turned on the woman and spoke the charm again. Wiping her memory. An Implantation and Crime Scene Clean-Up Team was going to be needed. With in minutes they would be swooping in to repair the damage, or at least all they could repair.

-=(^)=-

"Wormtail?" Remus asked quietly that night. They had spent most of dinner in quiet. Not speaking about her day.

He had seen the look on her face when she had returned from work and had known not to ask, but then she spoke, some thing Naria rarely did when it came to her work. She had told him why she had worn that look and she had told him something else.

She had told him about the first murder. He had had no idea that she had been there and he had no idea that was what she had first met after school. He had had no idea. And that was probably what hurt him most. The things she could not tell him. He knew it wasn't that she didn't trust him; it was that she didn't want to relive them. He knew this unequivocally because she had trouble even vocalizing those events.

"Yes," she said with a cold detachment. Her eyes were slightly swollen from crying and this cold detachment was all that allowed her to survive. She wouldn't meet his gaze; rather she sat there staring at her plate.

"Naria, there is nothing you could of done for those people. It isn't your fault," he said trying to make her feel better, trying to comfort her.

"I've never been able to do anything for them. That's the problem," she said setting her fork down on her plate with a slight clank of metal on ceramic. "He's rising again and Fudge is too blind to see."

"We still have men like Dumbledore," he reminded her calmly.

"I am well aware," she said slightly more shortly than she had intended to. "I am also aware that they are far to few. If people don't open their eyes." She closed hers and clenched her fists tightly.

"Speaking of Dumbledore, we both received letters from the school," he said quietly to her, ignoring her earlier tone. She was upset and it wouldn't do to provoke her into a fight. He lifted himself from the table and retrieved both his and hers.

Handing hers to her she looked at it.

-=(^)=-

Professor. how interesting. She slid a fingernail under the seal and opened it. Dumbledore had written it. She too knew the mans handwriting.

Dear Auror Sojair,

A position has opened up at Hogwarts that needs filling. Your experience with Spells and the Dark Arts has brought your name to my attention yet again.

Naria, we need a spells teacher and we need one who knows the Dark Arts when they see one. Harry Potter is in more danger than ever before and he is the key Voldemort has been looking for. I need some one who can protect him. Even though our worst fears have come to pass, Harry still is both in grave danger, but also Voldemort wants to kill him for another reason, a reason not fully known to him, but instinctual none the less.

The recent rash of Muggle tortures is only going to get worse and you know that. It will begin escalating to murder and if Voldemort gets his hands on Harry we will be lost.

Please consider my offer, Naria. And remember as a member of the O of P. you have agreed to do all you can to stem evil and this will give you that opportunity.

Sincerely Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

-=(^)=-

Naria read it over one more time. "What did yours say?"

"They asked if I would rejoin the staff as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he answered her quietly. "And yours?"

"The same. They want me to teach Spells. Are you going to take Dumbledore up on his offer?"

"That depends," he thought about how to phrase the next part of what he was going to say. "That is it depends upon what you think."

"I'm not going to make the decision for you."

"And I'm not going to make it without you," he said quietly. "This decision affects both of us. I want a life with you and it won't do to make unilateral decisions that effect both of us."

She stared at him for a second. He was rarely so frank. "I. I think you should take the position."

"Will you?" he said quietly. He took her hand; gently he lifted her eyes to his by lifting her chin up.

Her eyes met his, her breath coming slightly ragged, but still quiet. "I.I don't.I don't know, but I'm going to consider his offer. It may be my only way to stem Voldemort before he reaches full power," she answered a little shakily. Aurors were not a dime a dozen, but if Dumbledore was right this was probably a better use of her energy and skills.

-=(^)=-

Tonight was the last night before the full moon and already Remus was beginning to get restless. He sat in the bed they shared, waiting for her to come join him. The Wolf always made it hard for him to sleep. Made it hard for him not to prowl, but he had learned to ignore it rather effectively.

She stepped out of the bathroom wearing her little nightie. Her long locks cascading down to where they naturally hung. Her eyes, however, reflected a sadness that he felt she should never have to feel. She crawled on to her side of the bed and laid there looking up at the ceiling. He was about to say something, but she got there first, "I think I will take the offer. Will you?"

"I think Harry is in grave danger and as his father's friend I think I have to," he answered looking down upon her from his seated position.

She sat up and looked into his eyes. He did not flinch from her gaze even though it was penetrating and deep. It felt like she was looking into his soul. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.