Disclaimer: You know.

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fabulous time and drank lots of champagne. Unless you're underage in which case I hope you had a fabulous time and drank lots of something non-alcoholic.

Chapter 16- Trust, or Lack Thereof.

They all sat silently in the hospital wing. Although the only sleep they'd had in days was a result of a curse or a blow to the head, no one rested yet. Madam Pomfrey was bending over Morgan, but without any of her usual clucking and chiding. Finally she straightened up and looked to Dumbledore, she did not make eye contact with anyone else. Sirius willed her to turn to them and begin scolding them all for taking stupid risks, that would mean everything was normal. But she just shook her head sadly.

"There's nothing more we can do."

He stood, and didn't even feel James grab his shoulder. "There's always something you can do." He looked to Dumbledore, who he'd always assumed could do anything. The old man looked annoyingly unruffled, while Sirius felt panic. It was true that ninety percent of the time he thought of his cousin as an annoyance to be tolerated, he could not imagine life without her. She was lying more still than he would have thought possible for her, but she did not look dead, so he didn't believe it.

Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Yes, there is always something you can do. Poppy, if you would go down to where the potions ingredients are kept and bring me hemlock, powdered dragon horn, and mandrake juice." He began opening cupboards and assembling things briskly, setting up a small cauldron. The others assembled exchanged glances. "If the spell was not finished-" He glanced at Frank for confirmation, and he nodded vigorously. "-there is a potion that sometimes works. It depends on the power behind the curse, the health of the victim...a million other factors. But it is a chance. It's also illegal to use outside of St. Mungo's." He said the last bit with a stern look at all of them. "There are those who would consider it dark magic, but I think that often depends on the intent."

******

James sat miserably in Dumbledore's office, only marginally comforted when Lily squeezed his hand. After sleeping twelve hours straight, his mind was clearer and he felt physically almost completely normal, but he was still swamped by emotions, the most identifiable of which was guilt. Guilt that it had been his abysmally stupid idea to go charging into the Department of Mysteries without telling anyone of their plans. He saw now how foolish that had been, it had been only by luck that they had been rescued. Luck that Sirius had the presence of mind to ask Andromeda, luck that she had been willing and able to help, and luck that Dumbledore had known how to find them. Without that luck they would all be dead now. Dumbledore had not scolded them for taking foolish chances, but James wished he would, they deserved it. Then there was the guilt that he had not put his foot down when Morgan wanted to come. She was obviously too young and too inexperienced, and if he had stuck to that, she would not be in the hospital wing, hovering somewhere between life and death. He had been unofficially in charge, and she would have eventually backed down if he had insisted.

Dumbledore entered, looking very old and as though he had not slept in days. James expected that now that they had slept and recovered he would let them have it for how stupid they had been, but there was no tone of anger or remonstration in his voice as he asked how they were feeling. Lily said "Fine, thank you" and James nodded in half-hearted agreement. He sat at his desk, facing them.

"I need you to tell me everything you remember. Everything Voldemort said to you. He thought you would not leave there alive and it may be he was careless enough to let something slip, something that may have seemed unimportant then, but that could help us."

Lily began. "Well, after I woke up, someone- I'm not sure who, he was masked- took me to a big room. Huge, with high ceilings." She closed her eyes, trying to remember more specifically. "The only other person in there was Voldemort, and he was acting really strangely. He said that we had a lot in common, because his father was a muggle as well." She glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded gravely, implying that this was not news to him. James was shocked however. How did Voldemort have such a pureblood mania when he was not pure blood himself? Lily continued. "And then, he said something about how we were both ambitious…and…I think he was trying to get me to join him. He was still speaking really softly, standing right near me, and he said something about how I was powerful, and he could give me more power." She shook her head, as if to clear it. "And then I said something, I think I said I was nothing like him. And he didn't even really get mad, he just said I would still have a use, and then he called for James and he petrified me."

She stopped there, apparently to let James continue it from his point of view. He cleared his throat and took up the story. "Right, well, as Lil says she was petrified. And he said something about my being your favorite, and he didn't really say how he knew we would be in the Department of Mysteries, but he said something to the effect of there was no where his power didn't reach." He stopped and looked questioningly at Dumbledore.

"Yes, I have known for awhile he has a spy in Auror headquarters. I do not know who it is. Continue."

"Well, he said Claremont was not important. He called him….a liability I think. And then he started talking about you, asking what your plans were. I said I didn't know, and he didn't believe me. He said you'd plagued him since school." He trailed off again. Again, Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, Voldemort was once a student at Hogwart's, though not many would recognize him."

"Well, he took the spell off Lily, and he was going to torture her, to make me tell him." He took a deep breath and continued. "But then there was an explosion, and he left to see what it was."

Lily spoke up. "It seemed like he knew a lot about us. I mean, he knew about Petunia and how we didn't get along…"

"I would not be surprised to find he know a great deal about both of you."

"But why us?"

"Exactly James. That's what I'd like to know as well."

"Sir, there is something else…" James was going to tell him about how Lily had done magic without her wand, but suddenly she put her foot over his and ground down. He stopped, wondering why she didn't want him to tell, but Dumbledore was looking at him expectantly. He grasped for something to say. "Has there been any change in Morgan?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not yet, but that is good, as it means she is no worse. It will take time."

******

Sirius had a vague idea that he ought to apologize for leaving dinner so abruptly the other night, so he showed up at her door. As he knocked, he wondered vaguely what time it was, he had lost track, maybe she was asleep.

Juliet opened the door, blinking at him in confusion. She obviously had been sleeping, as her hair was mussed and she was wearing a robe, loosely tied over some kind of silk and lace….

He abruptly and reluctantly dragged his eyes up to her face, trying to focus on what she was saying.

"Sirius what are you doing here?"

"Uh…" What was he doing there?

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Sirius, have you been drinking?"

"A little." He mumbled.

"A lot of a little I think." She replied, taking his arm. "Come in for Merlin's sake, you can't go home, you're completely pissed."

"Tom had just got a shipment of firewhiskey." He slurred in explanation. "And you have to get a taste of it to really appreciate it."

"Uh-huh, and how much of it did you appreciate?"

"Don't know, I lost count."

"Here, sit down." He slumped onto the couch, and she seemed to sense that besides too much alcohol, there was something else wrong. "Is something wrong? Besides enough firewhiskey to intoxicate a small country?"

"Morgan." He muttered, distractedly.

"No, I'm Juliet." She said patiently.

"I know. I mean, Morgan is dead."

She stared at him. "What? Morgan McCarrick? But…how…what?"

"Well, not really dead." He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Sirius you're not making sense. You can't have degrees of dead, either you are or aren't."

He sighed. The official story was that Morgan had been in an "accident". People would assume a misfired spell or something, but Sirius was too drunk to remember that. "A Death Eater got her. Dolohov, Frank said. With a killing curse. She was dead. But then Dumbledore made a potion that helped, and now she's breathing and stuff, but she might not wake up."

She frowned. "Dumbledore knows a potion that can raise dead people?"

"Well, sort of. It had something to do with the curse not being finished. He said it was illegal."

"Did you see what was in it?"

"I don't know." Juliet was wavering in front of him. "Does it matter?"

"No, of course not." She said quickly, she gripped his shoulders. "I'm sorry Sirius, I hope she'll be okay. I know she will, if anyone can help it's Dumbledore."

He didn't answer, he had passed out. Sighing, she went to get a blanket.

******

"So, your name is Pettigrew, is it?"

Peter was sure he had never been quite this nervous before. As if he didn't have enough on his mind with James missing (He was worried about the others too, but James was his good friend, the others were peripheral), Abby had insisted he had to meet her father. He would have preferred another time when he had less going on, but she was insistent, and he had begun to notice she always got her way. Conall Buchanan had offered him a seat, and then remained standing, clearly in a dominating position. He was a huge man anyway. Peter wondered how a man who so closely resembled a gorilla could have a daughter who was as pretty as Abby. Her Mum must be a knockout. Buchanan had his little eyes focused on him now, so he realized what he had assumed was a rhetorical question was a real one.

"Yes Sir."

"Pettigrew? Hm, I've never heard of that family. Your parents aren't muggles, are they?"

"Oh no Sir, of course not."

"Hm, well, good. And what do you do?"

"I…ahh…well…" He had been dreading that. The Buchanans were obviously very rich, their house was very big and showy.

"Well Daddy." Abby broke in. "Peter's job doesn't have much…room for growth. I was thinking maybe you could help him. Most of his friends are Aurors." The man raised his eyebrows. "But I wouldn't want him doing anything that dangerous."

"I see. Well Darling, if that's what you want, I do believe I could find something."

******

Sirius awoke with a splitting headache. He pried open one eye and saw Juliet, sitting primly in a chair, sipping tea. She smiled sweetly at him. "Good Morning."

"That's a matter of opinion." He growled.

"Yes, I thought you might be feeling a little under the weather today."

He was glad to find he was fully clothed and on the couch, so he hadn't done anything too stupid. He struggled to sit up, ignoring what was apparently a jackhammer in his skull. "Listen, I'm really sorry Juliet. I never should have come by after too much to drink, it was really rude, and….I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's okay. It's not like I've never overdone it with firewhiskey." She stood. "I have to get to work, but make yourself at home. I think maybe…some coffee and a shower would do you a world of good."

"Thanks. And Juliet?" She paused, her hand on the doorknob. "I told you some things last night…I probably shouldn't have. I…I mean, if you could…not tell anyone?"

Her face hardened. "Sirius, after what they did to Rob, I want to bring them down more than anyone. Don't worry. You can trust me."

"I do."

******

James rubbed his cheek with the same hand he was holding his quill in, leaving a smear of ink. "All right, well, we all saw Malfoy."

Dumbledore had asked they make a list of all the Death Eaters they had actually seen unmasked while in Voldemort's compound. Not people they suspected or voices they thought they recognized, but only people whose faces they had seen. They were sitting around the table in James and Lily's kitchen. Except Morgan, who they all agreed would give her input when she woke up. Still nobody was daring to suggest she wouldn't wake up, though it had been a week.

"Well, Alice and I saw Dolohov and Lestrange. Rodolphus, that is." Frank said.

"We saw MacNair, and I saw Crabbe leering at me around a corner just briefly." Lily volunteered.

"We caught a glimpse of Snape, but he didn't see us." Alice added.

"Snape." Growled James, writing it down. "I can't believe Dumbledore trusts him."

"Oh come off it James. Just because you didn't like him in school...grow up!" Alice surprised them all by snapping. She was not one to speak sharply or get easily irritated.

James glared back. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."

"Leave her alone, she's right, you know."

"What do you think-"

"EVERYONE STOP IT!" It was Lily who yelled, and since she was the least likely to raise her voice, they all stopped talking and stared at her. She didn't even pause, but pressed on. "If nobody else will, then I'll say what we're all thinking. The only people who knew we were going to the Department of Mysteries are the four of us and Morgan. They knew we would be there. Someone, either accidentally or not, told."

She was right, they were arguing to cover the fact that they were all wondering if they could trust each other. Now that she had said it, they all eyed each other suspiciously. Nobody bothered to say "it wasn't me". What was the use, who would believe you.

"I'd put my galleons on Morgan." Frank finally said.

"Just because she's not here to defend herself." Replied Lily. "She's careless perhaps, but not stupid and not a traitor."

"So someone at this table is?"

"No." Said James slowly. "Lil, do you remember what Dumbledore mentioned, that he knows there is a spy in Auror headquarters?"

"Yes." She agreed slowly.

"So, someone could have seen us going down there and alerted the Death Eaters. Or someone could have even read over our shoulders what we were writing. I mean, those cubes aren't exactly private." He sounded relieved. It didn't have to be one of them. Frank still looked skeptical, but like he wanted to believe them. Finally he nodded.

"This is probably what Voldemort wants. To divide us. Dumbledore would know if we were lying Well, I guess our next move is to try to uncover the spy."

******

Her Master was pleased, and she was glowing with his approval as she got ready to leave. She met Lucius Malfoy in the hallway and could not resist taunting him a little. He was in disgrace, Lord Voldemort had, as Bella had phrased it, expressed his displeasure quite effectively. She knew that meant he had been hit with every painful and vicious curse that the Dark Lord could think of. She almost felt sorry for the man.

"I handed them to you Lucius. I did everything but bloody well gift wrap them, and yet again you let them slip through your fingers."

He narrowed his eyes. "It was not my fault. Dumbledore came for them. Besides, they did not get away unharmed. McCarrick was dead."

"She's not. Dumbledore managed to save her. She's at Hogwart's, and alive."

"How do you know that?"

"I have well placed friends." She replied smugly.

"Hmm. And just how friendly are you?"

"As friendly as I need to be to do my job."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just remember where your loyalties lie."

******

Sirius lay in bed, tense, unable to sleep. In the last few weeks it felt like life had just become too much. Morgan was no better, James and Lily had retreated into themselves after their last brush with Voldemort, Peter was.....well, he wasn't sure what was wrong with Peter, but something was. The only bright spot was Juliet. She was warming up, now when she saw him there was pleasure in her face, rather than indifference. He found himself confiding in her more and more.

He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, trying to sleep, trying to let his thoughts drift to her instead of death and war. He could no longer keep up the charade that he only wanted to be friends, they had crossed that line a few nights ago when he'd finally given into instinct and kissed her. She'd had every right to protest, say something about Rob, or that it was too soon. Hell, she had every right to slap him, but she hadn't. But he had done the chivalrous thing and not taken it any farther than that. He wondered why now, as he tossed and turned. After all, he had seen his own desire mirrored in her face.

He flopped back over, and sighed. He was not going to sleep. Making his decision in an instant, he tossed back the covers and got up.

Twenty minutes later, he was knocking on her door again, knowing full well this time she would be asleep. She opened the door, regarded him without much expression, and then raised an eyebrow.

"Are you drunk again?"

He shook his head. "Completely sober. Would you like me to walk a straight line?"

She shook her head in turn, smiling faintly. "I'll take your word for it. What do you want?"

"This." He stepped into the doorway, and kissed her.

"Oh!" She said softly, when he released her. Then, wordlessly, she stepped back inside, and he followed her, letting the door swing shut behind him.

____________________________

No, it's not a cliffhanger. Yes, I am stopping it there. Imagination is a beautiful thing, my darlings. You know what happens next (and if you don't, you're too young to be reading.)

I know, I know, I am dragging out the Morgan thing. The truth is, even I have not decided yet if she will make it. I have plans for her, and yet I think a death of a major character now would add a certain "je ne se pas"(sp?). We'll see. Opinions are welcomed.