***
Rhia and Harry strolled along the lakeshore in the quiet that came just after sunset. Neither spoke. They had left the hall as soon as they were sure that the impending fight had been avoided. "I hope everyone is all right." Rhia said into the silence.
"Nothing could have happened in the middle of the Great Hall with the entire school and faculty present," Harry told her. "Dumbledore was watching very carefully."
"Still, I'm glad Draco got that brilliant idea about Quidditch before you all stormed over there." Rhia said.
Harry looked over at her. The moonlight turned her eyes to pools of liquid silver. "That was strange. I was thinking that Quidditch would be a good excuse, and then he said it," Harry said quietly.
"Really? That's interesting," Rhia said, looking at him. He smiled and took her hand. He pulled the handkerchief bandage off and looked at the jagged line in her palm. He touched it with a fingertip and there was a blue spark between them, like that of static electricity from walking around in your socks on carpeted floors. When he would have released her, she moved her hand to take hold of his, and they continued around the lake. Comfortable silence enveloped them again.
They walked slowly, content just to be there together. It occurred to Harry that this was probably a very odd way for a newly acquainted couple to act. It seemed right though. Like they didn't need to talk, because they already knew all they needed to about one another. Rhia, on the other hand was in a silent battle with herself. She wanted to tell him the truth about herself, but she didn't want him to hate her. There was also the possibility that if she did tell him, he would no longer let her do her job. Her job to protect him.
"Blessed hell! Harry don't move," Rhia whispered frantically. She let go of his hand and stepped away from him. With a flash of light, she was the large gray dog again. And she was growling into the trees. Somehow, they had gone all the way around the lake to the side that met the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was these trees she was growling at. Harry was so startled by Rhia's actions that he froze. But only for a second. By the time she was the Rhia-Grim, he had his wand out and aimed at the Forest. Rhia snarled as a giant black dog slipped out of the forest and came to them.
"Oh. Snuffles," Harry exclaimed. "It's all right Rhia, it's only Snuffles." The Rhia-Grim kept her eyes fastened on Snuffles. Snuffles looked from Harry to Rhia and back again. Then with another flash of light Rhia was herself again. "You're going to have to do something to hide that flash of light that happens when you change."
"Only Guardians can see it," Rhia said. "So who's this?" She waved a hand at Snuffles, who was now staring at her, his mouth hanging open, tongue lolling out.
"This is my… dog Snuffles." Harry said. She might not react well to Sirius being free and alive. Since he was technically still a criminal.
You've a dog that lives in the Forbidden Forest?" Rhia asked him, incredulous.
"Yes… and no. He only lives there sometimes," Harry said. He started scratching Snuffles behind the ears to get a more dog-like expression on his face.
"This is the dog Alaster surprised, isn't it? And the one Lavender saw during that Divination class. The one she thought was a Grim. Made her hysterical for two solid days." Rhia said.
"Unless there's another in there I don't know about, yes." Harry said.
"And that's why he's been on your mind lately. You were worried about him," Rhia said with a smile. "That's so cute." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, but even that made them both blink in shock. "I've got to head back to the castle. I've a meeting with my sisters. I'll see you in the morning." She patted Kali'na where the kit was perched on his shoulder and started to walk back to the school. She paused once to blow him a kiss, making him laugh and catch it. He heard her laughter until she was far away, then turned back to Snuffles.
Sirius stood there instead. "So that your new love interest?" he asked softly.
"Her name is Rhiannon Jameson and yes." Harry said.
"She's no regular Animagus. I know the change. What she did was different. Like she skipped some steps or something. That's dangerous." Sirius said.
"She's not a regular anything. She's a Guardian of the Shards of the Sunstone of Atlantis. As am I. Goodness that's a mouthful isn't it?' Harry muttered the remark.
"YOU"RE A WHAT?!?!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Hush! We may be far from the castle, but not that far. I'm a Guardian. So are thirteen other students. You know about the Shards?"
Of course I do, but Harry, if you are really a Guardian now, then that means that…" Sirius paused.
"What?"
"Oh for the love of all things pure! You've the damned heart stone. Which means your father had it, which means Voldemort knows, or he knew." Sirius started muttering under his breath and Harry couldn't understand a word. He was still reeling from the fact that his father had been a Guardian. Sirius looked back at him. "It must be a Gathering then." Harry nodded dazedly. "We've got to go to Dumbledore right away. Tell me the names of the others as we walk." He headed for the castle.
"Sirius you can't go looking like that." Harry said. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but if Sirius knew something important, then Dumbledore should know what it was. Sirius stopped and turned back into Snuffles. They started walking again. Snuffles looked at Harry expectantly. "Oh right. Me, Hermione, Ron, the twins and Ginny, Neville, Daniel, Regina and Carolynne Emmortal, Antar Tasner, Rosemonde and Rhiannon Jameson, Monica Reed and Draco Malfoy." The last name brought Snuffles up short to stare at Harry, who nodded. "That's right. He's actually one of the good guys this time. Now hush, we've got to get you in without anyone seeing you, all the way to Dumbledore's office." Snuffles stopped and became Sirius again, glaring at Harry.
"Didn't you bring your cloak?" Sirius asked.
"I don't make a habit of carrying it around school Sirius." Harry said sarcastically.
"But I told you to, in my note. Didn't you get it?" Sirius asked.
"Oh. I forgot." Harry said, looking at the ground.
"Then what were you doing out here? You were right on time. Granted I didn't expect you to have a girl with you." Sirius stopped. "You forgot about the meeting, not just the cloak." He said it as a statement, rather than a question. Harry nodded. "Bloody hell. Harry this is not the time to be getting distracted by a pretty face."
"She's more than a pretty face." Harry said. As he did, he realized it was true.
"Really?" Sirius asked, surprised. Harry said nothing. Sirius looked at him closely, then was suddenly Snuffles again. Harry started towards the castle, a hand on Snuffle's neck. They crept into the castle, past the now closed doors of the Great Hall and headed for the faculty wing. Strangely, considering it was Saturday night, they didn't meet anyone. Not a teacher, a student, not even Filch. They reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office and Harry searched his mind for the password.
***
After leaving Harry and the large black dog, Rhia went straight to the castle. Once she was inside the front doors she became a slim gray cat. She flitted from shadow to shadow, silent, nearly invisible. Easily avoiding chattering students, hissing once at nosy Mrs. Norris. She was joined shortly by a black cat, just as slim. The black took the lead. They went to the faculty wing, pausing briefly in front of the Griffin that marked the stairway to Dumbledore's office. It opened and they leapt gracefully inside.
"Took you long enough," Cora said crossly. "I've been waiting for ten minutes. We only have the back room for an hour, so let's get in there." She looked at the two cats. "Well?"
Rhia was abruptly herself again. In a slower, more normal change, the black cat became a lovely young woman, with nearly straight hair, so black that it was almost blue, a single streak of purest white at her left temple. Her blue eyes twinkled merrily. "Stop being such a teacher Cora. I called this meeting. It couldn't very well start without me. Besides, I had to fetch Rhia. She didn't know where the meeting was occurring."
"Yeah, where were you Rhia?" Cora asked as they stepped into Dumbledore's back room. The painting of Atlantis was still the centerpiece of the room, right now it was frozen at the height of the city's glory.
"She was with Harry, walking around the lake," Rose said from a chair in front of the painting. "How'd you get away? You two were quite close as you were leaving."
Rhia sat down primly. "I left him at the lake with his dog."
"You left Harry Potter alone, outside the school, at night?" Cora demanded.
"He wasn't alone. He had this enormous black dog with him. Apparently it lives in the Forest sometimes." Rhia said. "Harry was only a fraction slower than I at reacting to the dog's presence. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Was this dog called Snuffles, by any chance?" asked the dark-haired woman.
"How'd you know that Moira?" Rhia asked.
"That's no ordinary dog." Moira said positively.
"It looked pretty ordinary to me," Rhia said.
"You look like an ordinary cat most of the time." Rose quipped. They all smiled a bit at Rhia's disgruntled expression.
"Then who is the dog?" Cora asked, turning back to Moira.
"If I'm not mistaken, Sirius Black is an unregistered canine Animagi." Moira said softly.
"Black? But that's a good thing. Isn't it?" Rose asked. "Wasn't he a powerful ally of ours before the rat fooled the world into imprisoning him?" She gave Moira a hard look. "Of course how should I know? You never tell me anything."
"I made a mistake, and I'm sorry Rose. You can gripe at me about it later. We must move quickly now. Yes Black was an ally of ours. If he is truly back, then it is a very good thing… if he knows as much about our cause as Mother thought he did. If that dog really is him, then we may be getting that strength back. Strength that may turn the tide." Moira answered.
"Does the tide need turning already?" Rhia asked softly. She stared at Moira.
Moira looked serious. "It has begun. He searches for them. He is not yet aware that they are all here. Thus he searches frantically. And viciously." Moira said. "His Death Eaters tried for the Diggorys two nights ago, but they had already been moved."
"But he'd already killed Cedric, why go after his parents?" Rose asked.
"Because they still carry the blood of Dianor," Moira answered. " Though He needs no reason for cruelty."
"That explains why he destroyed all the Barak line, but for the Potters." Rhia said.
"Good thing too, as they were the ones that actually protected the Heartstone. Does Harry have it now?" Moira asked.
"You know he does." Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"I do. I was just seeing if you had figured it out yet. Since you have, we can move on to the newcomer," Moira started. "The one who knows so much about us."
Rhia stood up. "That's Alaster Raine, as you well know Moira. You know, for a Seer, you seem to be a bit blank on facts that are right in front of your face."
Moira raised one finely arched eyebrow at her sister. "For your information, I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about the woman Snape is feeding information to. What do you know about her?" She stared at Rhia, until the girl sat down again.
"Not much, unfortunately." Cora said, slipping into the quiet caused by Rhia's outburst with practiced ease. Since she'd been doing it all their lives, she'd had quite a bit of practice. "She's irritated with him at the moment because he keeps summoning her here, disregarding her other work, whatever that is. He calls her My Lady, as if she were noble, or a woman of considerable power, which makes sense, as she seems to get into the school and out of it with no trouble. A task which should be of enormous difficulty to most anyone. Especially now that Dumbledore's increased security."
"He's increased security?" Rose asked. "How do you know?"
"Faculty meetings Rose. It doesn't matter. What matters is this woman, and the fact that Snape is giving her information, and who she is giving that information to." Cora finished.
"At the moment she's giving it to me." Moira said with a bit of a smile.
"What?" Rhia exclaimed. "Why do you need information? You're one of us."
"She gives me his information, I… modify it a bit, then I give it back to her, to give to a certain rat." Moira's blue eyes glinted with anger, before she blinked to clear them. "Then I assume he gives it to the Serpent, thus throwing him off for a little longer." She watched them for a reaction, but all they could do was stare.
Rose snapped her fingers, "So that's where Shannon's been for the past eighteen months." She smiled at Moira, then frowned at her fingers, where a flame flickered. With a sigh, she blew out the flame. "I really need to get a handle on that."
"Yes that's where she's been and it would behoove you all not to blow her cover." Moira said firmly.
"Like we'd do anything to endanger our own sister," Rhia snapped, still a bit out of sorts.
"You might do it by accident. You especially, being distracted as you are by a certain green-eyed fellow." Cora suggested.
"I'm not [I] that[/I] distracted by him. I'm just doing my job." Rhia said with a sniff. "The one you assigned to me when I was eight years old."
"Yes, but now it has gone beyond that, hasn't it? You were walking with him by the lake at night. That's moving fast, isn't it?" Moira asked.
Rhia stared at her. "Oh that's right. I was to watch him, but not help him. Watch him, but not interact in any way. You have no idea how awful it was for him with those monsters who happen to be his relatives. The only time he wasn't being mistreated was when he was with me at Mrs. Figg's house. Even then, she couldn't be kind or the Dursleys wouldn't let him over. And I was just one of her many cats. Then you tell me to protect him. So finally, finally I'm able to do some things to help him, but even then they were small inconsequential things. There was no way to protect him from his family, or even the bullies at the muggle school. I could only protect him from magical things. And that happened very rarely. Until a year after that when he goes to Hogwarts and I go to Salem Academy. Then he gets in trouble. Four years in a row this happened. I keep an eye on him during the summer, then he goes to school and gets attacked, nearly killed. Of course the episode with the house elf, and the Knight Bus and all that I couldn't do anything about, because there wasn't anything to protect him from, not by your standards anyway. I can't believe you all. You keep judging my actions, and when I feel guilty about them, you just tell me it's my job. I bloody well know it is. It always has been. Moira you've got your Sight and you act all high and in charge all the time but you really don't know any more than the rest of us about any of this. Cora, you were able to just go to school and get your teaching license. You're normal, or as normal as a witch can be. Neither one of you have some secret prophecy in your head and heart that sings through your dreams." Rhia's voice broke and she started to cry.
"Rhia…" Moira started. Rose shook her head as she stood and went to her little sister.
Rose put an arm around Rhia. "Hey Sunshine, you forgot to rant about me," Rose whispered softly. "I can't believe you missed the opportunity. I'm the one who threw fireballs at you when we were little, remember?"
Rhia said tearfully, "You've got a temper on you. I didn't want my hair singed." This made them all smile, just a little.
"I'm so sorry Rhia, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just teasing you." Cora said. She went to her and hugged her from the other side. She was crying too.
Moira stared at them for a moment, her face stricken. "Oh Blessed Hell," Rhia exclaimed. She waved an arm at Moira. Then they were all hugging and crying in the back room of Dumbledore's office.