~*~*~*~*~*~11:00am~*~*~*~*~*~
"What time are you going?" Lupin asked. He was struggling to keep the conversation going, mainly because he just wanted to kiss her. He knew these feelings were wrong, but he thought that Lana was a dreaming too much. Sirius wasnt coming back. If they both realised that, maybe they could have a chance.
Looking at her watch, Lana thought. The Order was at 3. There was no guarantee that the person she wanted, needed to see would be there. It could take a few hours to haggle. Bribe. Any means necessary. She needed those files. She needed to get into the Department of Mysteries.
"In about half an hour." Lana replied. She was squirming inside, hoping that he didnt mention this morning. She was lonely, hurting...He was just convenient. But that was the problem - he wasnt. Moony was more than that to her and she knew it, which was why she pushed it away and denied it.
"Want me to come with you?", not sure of what he wanted her to say.
As she lowered her sunglasses and looked into Lupins clear blue eyes, she felt a flicker and almost remembered something, then didnt. "And why would you want to do that?" She knew that having Lupin with her would just knock her reputation down a little, him being a werewolf and all...But she wasnt bothered.
Lupin sighed. No wonder Sirius was so pissed off with her at times, he thought. So touchy and avoidy when it came to discussing her feelings. "Because I care."
Lana held his gaze for a few more moments, trying to look for any sign that he was lying. "Fine. You care. Big deal."
He studied her. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?" she snapped.
"Shut people out when they start getting close to you."
Lana looked away from him, staring at the pavement. Then she looked straight at him, through her sunglasses. "If this about this morning...
"Dont bother." Lupin said quickly. "I know what youre going to do."
Raising her eyebrows, she turned to him. "Really?"
He nodded. "Youre going to ignore me, act like it never happened."
"Id never ignore you Remus, youre my best friend. Always have been. Always will be." She hoped the fact that she called him Remus would get it across how serious she was.
"Thats all I am to you, isnt it? Just a friend to lean on when youre lonely, or upset, or you want something."
"I must have my definition of friend wrong then." Lana told him icily.
"You have a lot of things wrong." Lupin felt his temper rising.
"Fine. Fine." Lana grabbed her newspaper, swung her bag over her shoulder. "Fine." She started walking fast down the street.
Lupin stared after her, then got up and caught up with her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley.
"Get. Off. Me." Lana said, glaring at Lupin.
"No. Were going to have this conversation, whether you like it or not." he said, letting go of her but not letting her walk away.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, looking up at him.
"How about the truth? How about you tell me whats going on in here?" said Lupin, tapping Lanas head, then gently running his hand down her hair.
Lana closed her eyes for a moment, then slapped Lupins hand away. She took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to lie to him. She had felt something when he had been inside her; but it wasnt love. Yet it was more than friendship. If things were different...She shook her head.
Taking her sunglasses off, she looked Lupin in the eye. "Truth?"
He nodded.
"Fine. You were there. I was lonely. I was upset. I was tired and hurting. You..." she looked away for a brief second, then looked back at him. "You were just there. Youre...." she paused, seeing the look in Lupins eyes. "Convinient."
"Convinient." he echoed.
Placing her sunglasses back on, Lana nodded. "Now if youll excuse me."
Lana pushed past a shocked Lupin. He didnt know how she could be so...Nasty.
It killed her to be so callous towards her best friend, but it had to be done. She loved Sirius. And besides, she had noticed that a certain pink- haired Auror had a crush on Lupin...
~*~*~*~*~*~11:20am~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana was stood outside The Apothecary waiting for Mad Eye Moody. She wanted him to translate the writing that she and Lupin had found. Dont think about him, Lana thought. Put this morning to the back of your mind and bury it.
"Constant Vigilance" came a gruff voice on Lanas right.
She turned to see the same withered face as always. A chunk out of his nose, wrinkles, tough, leather like skin. Everybody said that Mad-Eye was just a paranoid old Auror. Thats probably why hes old, Lana told them. She owed this man her life. Shed defend him to her grave. She shouldnt be asking him for favours.
"Moody, Im sorry, you know what, forget it, I dont need you to - " Lana began.
"Oh shut up girl," he said, "You know Ill help if I can. Now what is it youve got for me?"
"I found something last night in my mothers old house." Lana said quietly.
"Youre mother was an Unspeakable, yes?" Moody asked.
Lana nodded. "Or rather, something found me."
Lana went on to describe what happened with the invisible claw-thing, with Moody nodding and making her repeat things about 7 times, as was his custom.
"And there was writing?" he asked for the 3rd time.
"Yes Moody. Ive got it here if you want to look at it."
He nodded, and Lana dug into her pockets and pulled the scrap of paper out.
"Moony told me off for reading the words out loud." Lana said sheepishly.
"Quite right too," Moody said. "This is an ancient form of Latin. Volatile stuff this is, when you read it out loud. CONSTANT VIGILANCE."
A few people stared and Lana smiled and waved at them.
"Can you translate it then?" she asked hopefully.
"I can. But I dont know if I will. You shouldnt be messing around with this kind of thing Lana, its volatile and dangerous."
"Yeah yeah yeah" Lana said, snatching the paper from him. "If youre not going to do it, Im sure theres someone on Knockturn Alley who'll do it for me...." she said slowly, knowing which buttons to press to get Moody to do it for her.
"I dont think so young lady," Moody snatched the parchment back. "Ill have it done by the time we have the Order meeting."
Lana smiled at him. "Thanks Moody. Anything you need? Anything I can do?"
He shook his head. "Constant Vigilance Lana, Constant Vigilance." Then he disapparated with a soft pop.
~*~*~*~*~*~THE MINISTRY~*~*~*~*~*~
There were two ways into the Ministry of Magic - and a few more that not everyone knew about. Lana was one of the few that knew about other entrances.
At the end of the alley way, was a wall like the one at Platform 9 and 3 quaters. If you ran straight at it, and had clearance, it would let you through. If not, you would fall into oblivion. Of course, if the head Auror found you and it was an accident, okay. If not...5 years in Azkaban.
Of course it helped that head of the Aurors was Amelia Bones, and that Lana had killed one of the Death Eaters who had attacked her family. Amelia knew Lanas mothers background, and Lana knew that her clearance would still be vaild.
Casually, Lana walked over to the wall. She stuck her arm through the wall and sighed. Her clearance was valid. She stepped through the wall and appeared in Amelia Bones' office.
Amelias back was to Lana. Taking her sunglasses of, Lana disapparated and then apparated in front of Amelia with a loud crack.
A jet of red light whizzed past Lanas face, singing her hair.
"Woah woah, Millia, calm down woman." Lana said, dodging another jet of red light.
"Ive asked you repeatedly to call me Amelia." she said dryly. She stared at Lana. "Hm, so it is true."
"So whats true?"
"The wanderer has returned." Amelia said, her hand still on her wand. "Youre not under the Imperius Curse are you?"
"Oh please, give me some credit." Lana said, rolling her eyes. She was a bit suprised that Amelia wasnt more shocked. "Why...Why arent you more suprised to see me?"
"There have been rumors going around that a young girl has made a miraculous recovery from a coma and hasnt aged. Youre the talk of the Three Broomsticks, although nobody actually knows who you are. I knew youd come here sooner or later. I dont suppose you want to come back to work do you?" Amelia said matter of factly.
Lana grinned. "Straight down to business then, ay Millia?" She walked around and sat down opposite her. "Cant blame you for wanting your most talented Auror back."
Amelia made a "hurumph" noise, like she seriously doubted Lana was her best Auror. "Actually, cant get Moody to come out of retirement. But...Well settle for his protegee."
Lana rolled her eyes again. "And I thought Id gotten myself out of that name - " she began, but then saw Amelias dark blue eyes were sparkling, and that she was winding her up.
"Of course I want you back. But I have a question to ask you first."
Lana nodded, having some idea of what she was going to say. "Shoot."
"Did you ever pass information to Voldemort?"
Thinking this over for a moment, Lana nodded. "False, misleading information. I took it upon myself to go undercover."
"You took it upon yourself?" Amelia was very unimpressed.
"I saw a window of opportunity. I took it. I got in. I got very close to someone in his inner circle. Very important information I got."
"And who did you pass this information onto?" Amelia asked, with her eyebrows raised.
Lana stared at her blankly. "To the people who Voldemort was planning to hit next."
Amelia nodded. "Fair enough. I dont want to know the details; It was 16 years ago. I want to ask you a few more things."
Again, Lana nodded.
"Sirius Black. You were married. Where is he?"
Lanas stomach jolted. She started shaking a little. She looked Amelia in the eyes. "I dont know."
"Dont lie to me Lana. If you know, tell me."
She had to lie, for the second time today. "He murdered Lily and James, and Peter." Her fists closed as she said Peter. "If I knew where he was...Id kill him myself."
Seemingly satisfied with the answera Lana was giving her, Amelia stood up. "I suppose you want your old job back then? Old position, top-ranking Auror with all the privelages like last time? Except the Unforgiveable Curses. Fudge, the idiot, wont give us permission to go all out yet. The earlier the better I say."
"I want my old position back. I want to work freelance, not have to come into the office everyday."
Amelias curly blonde hair bounced as she stood up. "Fine. You start now. Freelance. All privelages as before. Run your own Unit, your own operation. You can hand pick them. I want Death Eaters rounded up and killed or kissed. Use your old connections if you have to."
Lana grinned, "Nice doing business with you."
"Good luck. Now get to work." Amelia said, commanding Lana and pointing at the office door.
"What time are you going?" Lupin asked. He was struggling to keep the conversation going, mainly because he just wanted to kiss her. He knew these feelings were wrong, but he thought that Lana was a dreaming too much. Sirius wasnt coming back. If they both realised that, maybe they could have a chance.
Looking at her watch, Lana thought. The Order was at 3. There was no guarantee that the person she wanted, needed to see would be there. It could take a few hours to haggle. Bribe. Any means necessary. She needed those files. She needed to get into the Department of Mysteries.
"In about half an hour." Lana replied. She was squirming inside, hoping that he didnt mention this morning. She was lonely, hurting...He was just convenient. But that was the problem - he wasnt. Moony was more than that to her and she knew it, which was why she pushed it away and denied it.
"Want me to come with you?", not sure of what he wanted her to say.
As she lowered her sunglasses and looked into Lupins clear blue eyes, she felt a flicker and almost remembered something, then didnt. "And why would you want to do that?" She knew that having Lupin with her would just knock her reputation down a little, him being a werewolf and all...But she wasnt bothered.
Lupin sighed. No wonder Sirius was so pissed off with her at times, he thought. So touchy and avoidy when it came to discussing her feelings. "Because I care."
Lana held his gaze for a few more moments, trying to look for any sign that he was lying. "Fine. You care. Big deal."
He studied her. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?" she snapped.
"Shut people out when they start getting close to you."
Lana looked away from him, staring at the pavement. Then she looked straight at him, through her sunglasses. "If this about this morning...
"Dont bother." Lupin said quickly. "I know what youre going to do."
Raising her eyebrows, she turned to him. "Really?"
He nodded. "Youre going to ignore me, act like it never happened."
"Id never ignore you Remus, youre my best friend. Always have been. Always will be." She hoped the fact that she called him Remus would get it across how serious she was.
"Thats all I am to you, isnt it? Just a friend to lean on when youre lonely, or upset, or you want something."
"I must have my definition of friend wrong then." Lana told him icily.
"You have a lot of things wrong." Lupin felt his temper rising.
"Fine. Fine." Lana grabbed her newspaper, swung her bag over her shoulder. "Fine." She started walking fast down the street.
Lupin stared after her, then got up and caught up with her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley.
"Get. Off. Me." Lana said, glaring at Lupin.
"No. Were going to have this conversation, whether you like it or not." he said, letting go of her but not letting her walk away.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, looking up at him.
"How about the truth? How about you tell me whats going on in here?" said Lupin, tapping Lanas head, then gently running his hand down her hair.
Lana closed her eyes for a moment, then slapped Lupins hand away. She took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to lie to him. She had felt something when he had been inside her; but it wasnt love. Yet it was more than friendship. If things were different...She shook her head.
Taking her sunglasses off, she looked Lupin in the eye. "Truth?"
He nodded.
"Fine. You were there. I was lonely. I was upset. I was tired and hurting. You..." she looked away for a brief second, then looked back at him. "You were just there. Youre...." she paused, seeing the look in Lupins eyes. "Convinient."
"Convinient." he echoed.
Placing her sunglasses back on, Lana nodded. "Now if youll excuse me."
Lana pushed past a shocked Lupin. He didnt know how she could be so...Nasty.
It killed her to be so callous towards her best friend, but it had to be done. She loved Sirius. And besides, she had noticed that a certain pink- haired Auror had a crush on Lupin...
~*~*~*~*~*~11:20am~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana was stood outside The Apothecary waiting for Mad Eye Moody. She wanted him to translate the writing that she and Lupin had found. Dont think about him, Lana thought. Put this morning to the back of your mind and bury it.
"Constant Vigilance" came a gruff voice on Lanas right.
She turned to see the same withered face as always. A chunk out of his nose, wrinkles, tough, leather like skin. Everybody said that Mad-Eye was just a paranoid old Auror. Thats probably why hes old, Lana told them. She owed this man her life. Shed defend him to her grave. She shouldnt be asking him for favours.
"Moody, Im sorry, you know what, forget it, I dont need you to - " Lana began.
"Oh shut up girl," he said, "You know Ill help if I can. Now what is it youve got for me?"
"I found something last night in my mothers old house." Lana said quietly.
"Youre mother was an Unspeakable, yes?" Moody asked.
Lana nodded. "Or rather, something found me."
Lana went on to describe what happened with the invisible claw-thing, with Moody nodding and making her repeat things about 7 times, as was his custom.
"And there was writing?" he asked for the 3rd time.
"Yes Moody. Ive got it here if you want to look at it."
He nodded, and Lana dug into her pockets and pulled the scrap of paper out.
"Moony told me off for reading the words out loud." Lana said sheepishly.
"Quite right too," Moody said. "This is an ancient form of Latin. Volatile stuff this is, when you read it out loud. CONSTANT VIGILANCE."
A few people stared and Lana smiled and waved at them.
"Can you translate it then?" she asked hopefully.
"I can. But I dont know if I will. You shouldnt be messing around with this kind of thing Lana, its volatile and dangerous."
"Yeah yeah yeah" Lana said, snatching the paper from him. "If youre not going to do it, Im sure theres someone on Knockturn Alley who'll do it for me...." she said slowly, knowing which buttons to press to get Moody to do it for her.
"I dont think so young lady," Moody snatched the parchment back. "Ill have it done by the time we have the Order meeting."
Lana smiled at him. "Thanks Moody. Anything you need? Anything I can do?"
He shook his head. "Constant Vigilance Lana, Constant Vigilance." Then he disapparated with a soft pop.
~*~*~*~*~*~THE MINISTRY~*~*~*~*~*~
There were two ways into the Ministry of Magic - and a few more that not everyone knew about. Lana was one of the few that knew about other entrances.
At the end of the alley way, was a wall like the one at Platform 9 and 3 quaters. If you ran straight at it, and had clearance, it would let you through. If not, you would fall into oblivion. Of course, if the head Auror found you and it was an accident, okay. If not...5 years in Azkaban.
Of course it helped that head of the Aurors was Amelia Bones, and that Lana had killed one of the Death Eaters who had attacked her family. Amelia knew Lanas mothers background, and Lana knew that her clearance would still be vaild.
Casually, Lana walked over to the wall. She stuck her arm through the wall and sighed. Her clearance was valid. She stepped through the wall and appeared in Amelia Bones' office.
Amelias back was to Lana. Taking her sunglasses of, Lana disapparated and then apparated in front of Amelia with a loud crack.
A jet of red light whizzed past Lanas face, singing her hair.
"Woah woah, Millia, calm down woman." Lana said, dodging another jet of red light.
"Ive asked you repeatedly to call me Amelia." she said dryly. She stared at Lana. "Hm, so it is true."
"So whats true?"
"The wanderer has returned." Amelia said, her hand still on her wand. "Youre not under the Imperius Curse are you?"
"Oh please, give me some credit." Lana said, rolling her eyes. She was a bit suprised that Amelia wasnt more shocked. "Why...Why arent you more suprised to see me?"
"There have been rumors going around that a young girl has made a miraculous recovery from a coma and hasnt aged. Youre the talk of the Three Broomsticks, although nobody actually knows who you are. I knew youd come here sooner or later. I dont suppose you want to come back to work do you?" Amelia said matter of factly.
Lana grinned. "Straight down to business then, ay Millia?" She walked around and sat down opposite her. "Cant blame you for wanting your most talented Auror back."
Amelia made a "hurumph" noise, like she seriously doubted Lana was her best Auror. "Actually, cant get Moody to come out of retirement. But...Well settle for his protegee."
Lana rolled her eyes again. "And I thought Id gotten myself out of that name - " she began, but then saw Amelias dark blue eyes were sparkling, and that she was winding her up.
"Of course I want you back. But I have a question to ask you first."
Lana nodded, having some idea of what she was going to say. "Shoot."
"Did you ever pass information to Voldemort?"
Thinking this over for a moment, Lana nodded. "False, misleading information. I took it upon myself to go undercover."
"You took it upon yourself?" Amelia was very unimpressed.
"I saw a window of opportunity. I took it. I got in. I got very close to someone in his inner circle. Very important information I got."
"And who did you pass this information onto?" Amelia asked, with her eyebrows raised.
Lana stared at her blankly. "To the people who Voldemort was planning to hit next."
Amelia nodded. "Fair enough. I dont want to know the details; It was 16 years ago. I want to ask you a few more things."
Again, Lana nodded.
"Sirius Black. You were married. Where is he?"
Lanas stomach jolted. She started shaking a little. She looked Amelia in the eyes. "I dont know."
"Dont lie to me Lana. If you know, tell me."
She had to lie, for the second time today. "He murdered Lily and James, and Peter." Her fists closed as she said Peter. "If I knew where he was...Id kill him myself."
Seemingly satisfied with the answera Lana was giving her, Amelia stood up. "I suppose you want your old job back then? Old position, top-ranking Auror with all the privelages like last time? Except the Unforgiveable Curses. Fudge, the idiot, wont give us permission to go all out yet. The earlier the better I say."
"I want my old position back. I want to work freelance, not have to come into the office everyday."
Amelias curly blonde hair bounced as she stood up. "Fine. You start now. Freelance. All privelages as before. Run your own Unit, your own operation. You can hand pick them. I want Death Eaters rounded up and killed or kissed. Use your old connections if you have to."
Lana grinned, "Nice doing business with you."
"Good luck. Now get to work." Amelia said, commanding Lana and pointing at the office door.
