"This was a bad idea," Severus muttered under his breath as he and Lupin stood at the entrance to Diagon Alley. "A very bad idea."

Remus nodded mutely beside him. "Do you really need me to accompany you?" he asked softly. "I can just wait in the Leaky Cauldron and..."Severus stepped neatly behind the wall, watching until a cloaked figure was gone. "Who was that?" Lupin asked, frowning.

"Ludo Bagman," Severus replied softly.

"And why are you hiding from him?"

Snape grimaced inwardly. Remus didn't know that he suspected Bagman and was keeping an extraordinarily close watch on him, which was as it had to be, though it made explanations more difficult and pricked unpleasantly at his conscience as the lie rolled easily off his tongue. "Because I don't trust him to not open his big, gossiping mouth to everyone in the Ministry about who he saw where and with whom," he replied succinctly. "And there are those in the Ministry who would find it suspicious to hear that you and I were strolling through Diagon Alley together. Alone." It was one thing to allow Voldemort to hear of his being seen with Dumbledore, but something else entirely to be seen with a known werewolf. He cursed softly as Walden Macnair walked briskly past, his eyes landing on Lupin with a sneer. Snape put his back to Macnair and hissed at Lupin, "Smile and nod like we're just talking. And do not look at him."

Lupin smiled and nodded. "What the hell is going on?" he asked, his smile never wavering.

"I'm attempting to not be tortured at the next summons, which is precisely what will happen if word gets back to the Dark Lord that I was seen fraternizing with a werewolf who is known to be on Dumbledore's side," Snape replied in another hissed whisper.

"We have to get out of here. Why are we here again?"

Snape scowled. "I was going to buy a bottle of cognac," he muttered. "As a gift for our hostess."

"Can't we do that in London?"

"Do you know where to buy cognac in London?"

"No."

"Neither do I." Severus stepped back into the shadows and beckoned Lupin to come closer. "Go to Middilunkles," he murmured, reaching into his pocket. "Tell Amalie that you want a bottle of Courvosier X.O.," he said softly, placing a stack of galleons in Lupin's hand. "And if you have more than one of these left over, don't buy it, because it isn't the right one. Courvosier X.O. Repeat it."

"Courvosier X.O. Don't you think you should be the one..."

"I'm going to find out what is going on," Severus murmured. "There are too many Death Eaters here for it to be a coincidence." He peered down the street, then frowned. "Courvosier," he repeated once more. "Don't forget that. And then wait in the Leaky Cauldron for me. After I walk through, I'll meet you at a bus stop two blocks east down the street."

Remus nodded, looking like he would rather take on the Death Eaters than try to buy cognac, but there was little room for argument. "Be careful," he whispered, and when Snape looked at him, Remus forced a grin. "Dumbledore'll have my hide if anything happens to you."

"Just go," Snape muttered, giving him a little shove. "Courvosier XO!"

He watched as Remus disappeared into the crowd, momentarily cursing himself for sending such a cretin to buy cognac, but he put the thought from his mind quickly; he hadn't the time for worrying over trifles. I should have told him to pick up a box of truffles as well, he thought distantly as he ordered his mind. Slowly, he emerged into the alley, pulling the ash-covered hood of his travelling cloak up over his head, making sure his face was well hidden and once again cursing his nose. Why couldn't his distinguishing characteristic be something less prominent on his face? Why couldn't it be something easier to conceal?

He stepped into the street, his heart pounding, blood racing. All his senses were excited, and everything he saw or heard he filed into the back of his memory, hoping he would be able to find a few quiet moments to think on it all before it flitted away from him. That was always a challenge in these information gathering missions, impromptu or otherwise—it was a race between his rational mind which sought to remember and his emotional mind which sought to forget.

Winding a path through the crowds, he made his way to Knockturn Alley, two dozen steps behind a figure that he was certain belonged to Lucius Malfoy. He watched as they gathered, three, then four, then another two, all crowding in a tight knot in a side alley. Snape interested himself across the street, at a safe distance, and kept his eyes on the startlingly blue eyes of a young man who was facing him.

"Legilimens," he murmured, and reached carefully into that mind, sifting through memories. Malfoy was praising him for a job well done; Macnair was murmuring that they could use more sharp minds on a project they were working on; Rookwood was casually entertaining a conversation about the admissions standards of Hogwarts. A name, Severus thought blindly, I need a name. It came to him suddenly. Zachariah Dilinson. He filed the name away quickly, and set to seeing and hearing through the young man's eyes and ears.

"...ridiculous tasks. What game is he playing at?"

"Hush, Malfoy, there is too much at stake. We cannot fight him now, but our number is growing. It isn't to be war, this time, but a coup d'etat, and for that we need support, not fear. And we won't accomplish anything by seeing ourselves killed. What about Crabbe and Goyle?"

Lucius shook his head disgustedly. "Thugs are useful, but their loyalty will be to whomever can strike fear into their thick heads. And that, at the moment, is the Dark Lord. They will be useful later on, though."

"But for now they are enemies," Macnair said firmly. "It will be good if we preserve them, but they are expendable, when it comes down to it."

"What of the Lestranges?"

"Certainly not. Faithful servants of the Dark Lord. They're more insane than anything, and utterly useless in any real bids for power. As is that miserable little toad, Pettigrew."

"And Snape?"

Snape's breath caught in his throat, and he felt his eyes skimming the gathering. Dillinson's eyes scanning the gathering. Everyone was looking in the same direction, so Dilinson did too. To Malfoy.

"He would certainly be an asset to us," Malfoy said softly. "But I am not sure how to gain his loyalty."

"Do you think he is loyal only to the Dark Lord?"

Malfoy snorted. "I think he is loyal to himself, and he will be on whichever side he stands to gain the most from."

A fair assessment, if he'd ever heard one, though Snape doubted that Malfoy understood what he gained from Dumbledore and the Order. His mind drifted momentarily back to the bottle of cognac he hoped Lupin had purchased by now.

"Then you think his loyalty can be bought?" Macnair asked.

"Not with money," Malfoy replied, shaking his head. "Nor with power, I think. There is something else that drives him, though I haven't quite worked out what it is. It looks like power at first, and perhaps there is a thirst for power there, but there is something more important to him, and if we can tap into that..."

Snape shuddered involuntarily and made a mental note to not reveal anything to Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy, though thoroughly evil, was a seductively powerful man, and he held it within his power to offer someone anything they wanted, and to give it to them. Malfoy's objectives were clear—he wanted power, and he knew that power came in three forms: loyalty, money and reputation. Snape had been lured into the Dark Lord's camp by those whispered promises, and he knew that he was, in all honesty, no less susceptible to that lure now than he was twenty years ago. But, armed with knowledge, perhaps he could avoid being put in that situation.

"And Percy?"

Snape's mind honed in on the name, and he found his eyes on Malfoy again. Malfoy was smiling. "We don't have him yet," Lucius said softly, "but I am confident that we will. He merely needs to see the benefits of playing nicely with us, and he will convince himself. Percy Weasley wants the power and distinction that his father never had, and I think he will be open to improving himself."

There was a twitch in Dillinson's mind, a faint hiccup of sorts, but it was enough to make Snape realize that his presence in the young wizard's mind was not entirely unnoticed by the host. He retreated hastily, though carefully, and spent a moment more pretending to browse, then bought the first thing he put his hand on, not even paying attention to what it was. Clutching his new acquisition in one hand, he slipped back out of Knockturn Alley, tucking the package into his pocket, and wound his way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Lupin was sitting at one of the tables with a butterbeer, and a brown package. I sure as hell hope you got the right one, he thought sourly as he passed quickly through the tavern.

"Ah, Professor Snape, wouldn't you care for a drink?"

"Not today, Tom," he replied softly, his cloak billowing behind him as he stepped into the street. A clock was chiming a quarter till six, which meant that he and Lupin had to hurry if they were to arrive at Autumn's by six. He ducked into another side alley, quickly shedding himself of his robe and cloak, and shrinking them so they would fit in his pocket, then set a brisk pace to the bus stop. He was leaning against the shelter when Lupin came strolling along, a spring in his step, the package clutched in one hand.

"Well?" Severus asked as the other man drew near.

"Well what?"

"Open the bag! I don't trust you enough to believe you got... ah. You did." A slow smile curved over Severus' lips. "Excellent." He slipped the bottle back into the bag.

"You do realize that that bottle cost more than I've paid in rent at some places."

Severus snorted softly. "Then you must have lived in some true rat holes, Remus. Come on. We're a bit behind schedule." He drew his way through the streets, and finally, led Lupin to the building that housed Autumn's flat. Unconsciously straightening his clothes, Severus reached up and knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened, revealing the petite woman, who was once again barefoot, this time clad in a black skirt that brushed the tops of her knees and a red blouse that was unbuttoned almost low enough to be indecent.

"Severus!" she laughed, standing on her toes to throw her arms around his neck. "I was starting to worry! You're almost late." She winked at him, and then stepped back. "And this is your friend?" she asked, offering her hand to Lupin.

He took her hand and bent over it. "Remus Lupin," he introduced himself, lifting her hand to his lips. "A pleasure, Miss...?"

"Autumn," she said, and once again, Severus was left to wonder if she had a last name. Autumn ushered them inside, and Remus was shaking his head, which led Severus to wonder if he was taking his turn at marveling over the way such a small woman so thoroughly commanded them.

"We brought something for after dinner," Severus offered, then grimaced. "And I just remembered that I should have had you pick up some glasses as well," he said to Remus. "Do you have glasses suitable for cognac?" he asked Autumn.

She paused for a moment, frowning. "Brandy sniffers?" she asked.

"That will do," Severus replied. Not perfect, but they'd do.

"Did you bring cognac?"

With a slight smile, he produced the package, offering it to her, and she opened it, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Courvosier," she murmured, her finger sliding down the label. She whistled softly. "You have excellent taste," she said, her eyes sparkling, and Severus' heart leapt into his throat.

"Autumn, are you ready for me to add this... Oh! Hello."

Autumn turned around and her smile broadened. "Ah, yes. Severus, Remus, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Willow. Willow, this is Severus; he's the one I was telling you about, and his friend Remus."

Severus offered a hand to Willow, taking in her appearance slowly. It was... unusual, to say the least. Willow was tall and... well... willowy, with a certain grace about her that was mesmerizing. Her hair, which hung down her back like a curtain of silk, was red, which Severus was certain was her natural color, something which struck him as immediately odd, given that every other woman he'd met who was a friend of Aislinn's seemed to have chosen her own hair color. Willow's eyes were green, but a very natural shade of green, none of the too-brilliant emerald hues that spoke of cosmetic enhancements. Her eyes were the color of ferns in a shadowy forest. She had milky skin, and a faint smattering of freckles that were hardly noticeable, and high cheekbones. As she placed her hand in his, she arched a slender, delicately arched brow. "Yes, Autumn," she murmured, "I can see what you mean." The way she looked at him, her eyes on his, was almost enough to make him squirm, and, instinctively, he shut his mind off to her, even though logic told him that she would never know the difference.

There was a faint flicker across her face that whispered that she might. Severus lifted her fingers to his lips. "Enchanted," he whispered softly, and the stray thought that the assertion might be true flitted across his mind.

Slowly, she placed her fingers under his chin, and he found his face turned, so she could study his profile. "Intriguing," she murmured, then shook her head firmly, turning away. "But, no, I don't believe you were right. I sense no psychic aura." She turned to Lupin and reached for his hand, and, watching her from the side as he was, Severus could see her flicker of hesitation more clearly. There was definitely something about her. She was no witch, and yet... he would almost swear that she was. If a witch could have no magical abilities. Very intriguing indeed.

As suddenly as the feeling had descended, though, it evaporated, and Willow was turning to Autumn again. "Do you want me to add the water yet?"

Autumn nodded. "Please, and then I'll finish up." Willow stepped gracefully from the room, and Severus' eyes lingered on the kitchen door for a moment before turning to look sheepishly at Autumn.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't know what's come over me."

Autumn merely laughed. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" she asked, winking conspiratorially. "Come on, both of you. Have a seat in here in the living room... dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

Severus watched as Autumn disappeared into the kitchen again, still musing over what had just happened, when Remus spoke. "They're Muggle witches, aren't they?"

For a moment, Severus could only stare. "Muggle witches?" he asked in a whisper. "What did you drink while you were waiting for me?"

Remus laughed softly. "You never studied the Muggles at all, did you?"

Severus shook his head. "Never saw the need."

"Well, some of them dabble in a type of magic. Dumbledore says it's powerful in its own right, though not as conscious as ours. Herbs and stones and the energies of the earth. Very natural."

Severus shook his head slightly, as though trying to dislodge an image. "What are you talking about?"

"Only that I think Willow is more than a mere Muggle."

"I think you're right," Severus agreed. "And I wonder if that's her real name."

"If what is whose real name?" The woman in question appeared so suddenly that Severus would have sworn she'd Apparated.

Severus grimaced slightly. "Yours," he replied. "It seems like everyone I've met so far has,,,"

"Chosen a new name for herself?" Willow finished for him. "Yes, many do. Willow is my 'real' name, though. The one my mother chose for me when I was born. She was a woman of unusual clarity of sight."

Severus carefully avoided looking at Remus. That was one bit of rot that he'd always think was rot—that a name could be 'imprisoning', as Aislinn had put it. "Very fortunate."

"Regardless, dinner is ready. Come." Severus found himself standing without another word from Willow, which led him to wonder if there was any end to the odd compulsion to do what these women said. He'd thought Aislinn was persuasive, but Autumn had taught him differently. And Willow made Autumn seem a veritable doormat. Surely there was no one more 'persuasive' than she; if there was, Severus didn't think he wanted to meet her.

Dinner, it turned out, was an intimate affair, with the four of them seated around a small round table. Autumn had made a pasta dish that was absolutely wonderful, and Severus could find no reason to complain about the wine selection: crisp, but light Sauvignon Blanc. It was refreshing to find someone who shared his taste and love for a good wine. They made small talk, mostly, full of miniature conversations; the general things people talk about when they don't know what to say.

"So, do you teach at the same school Severus does?" Autumn asked Remus, and Severus found a sudden interest in a broccoli floret on his plate, silently begging Lupin not to go too deeply into that subject.

"I did briefly," Remus replied, and if his voice was a bit tight, it was unlikely that either of the women heard it, "but not for a couple of years. And what do you do?"

Good question! Severus thought blandly, suddenly looking up. He'd never live it down if Remus found out he hadn't bothered to ask that himself.

"Right now I work at a coffee shop," Autumn replied, and that was enough to make Severus blink. She'd said she had a university degree, so what was she doing at a coffee shop?

Willow suddenly chuckled, a low, melodious sound that filled the room, and once again, Severus had the distinct impression that she wasn't amused at anything that was being spoken aloud. It was unsettling, and he once again closed off memories and thoughts.

An hour later, Autumn shooed them all into the living room again, gathering plates as they left the table, and a few moments later, joined them with four brandy sniffers and the bottle of cognac. Opening the bottle, she splashed a measure into each of the glasses, handing them to the others. Severus let his glass settle in his palm.

"And what is this?" Willow asked suddenly.

"Cognac," Autumn replied, seating herself on the arm of the oversized chair Severus was sitting in. He moved over and hooked an arm around her waist, and she obligingly sank into the chair beside him. She had a spicy smell to her, like a baker's kitchen, and it was all he could do not to bury his face in her hair and inhale her scent. And she didn't help matters one bit by snuggling into his arm.

Willow lifted the glass to the light, studying the contents carefully. "And what precisely is cognac?" she asked.

Autumn glanced up at Severus and smiled. "She isn't a wine connoisseur."

"I noticed. She's in good company, though. Remus isn't either."

"Hey!" Remus was grinning, despite his indignant outburst, and, with a charm that Severus could barely even comprehend, the werewolf draped an arm around Willow and leaned to whisper something conspiratorially in her ear. Something that made her laugh again, and made Severus squirm slightly.

"What rot is he telling you?" Severus asked Willow, and her green eyes glittered like a dew-covered knoll.

"The amusing kind," she replied evasively. "So, what is cognac?"

"It's a beverage!" Autumn replied, exasperated. "What do you mean, what is it?"

"Is it a wine? Is it like whiskey? How does one drink it?"

It was Severus' turn to chuckle softly, but he was more amused at her genuine inquisitiveness than the actual questions. Disentangling himself from Autumn, he leaned forward and placed his glass on the table, then reached for Willow's hand. "First," he said softly, "you must hold it right. May I?" She submitted to his instruction, and he removed the glass from her hand which had been clutching the stem, then turned her hand over, palm up, and replaced the sniffer. "Keep your palm in contact with the bowl of the glass," he instructed, picking up his own glass and noting that Remus had also corrected the way he was holding it. "Cognac is a distinctive, very fine brandy," he told Willow as he settled back into the chair again, Autumn once more snuggling against him. "And a brandy is a twice-distilled type of wine. So, you drink it more or less like wine, but more slowly, because there are more flavors to savor in a cognac than there are in wine."

"And why does it matter how I hold a glass? Is this like the teacup?" The last question was directed more sharply at Autumn, who giggled and looked up at Severus.

"I've been trying to civilize her for the last three years, and all to no avail."

Severus chuckled warmly, and, without thinking, bent to kiss the top of Autumn's head. "All brandy, not just cognac, is best enjoyed if it is slightly warm. And the heat from your hand will warm it just enough to begin releasing its aromas. That's also why it is important to have the correct glasses; the shape is designed to capture and release the aromas."

Remus shook his head slightly. "I knew there was a reason I drink beer. Beverages shouldn't be complicated."

"I think you and I might have something in common, Remus," Willow said, looking at her cognac, then looking at Lupin. "If I didn't know better, I would swear you were reading my mind."

Severus jumped on that opportunity. "And just how do you know better, Willow?" he asked.

"Pardon me?"

"How do you know Remus is not reading your mind?"

A slow smile curved her lips. "Because I know people, and he hasn't the ability for it as you do," she replied, as neatly as though she were comparing Severus' black hair to Remus' light brown.

"Really," Autumn said suddenly, straightening and craning her neck to look at Severus. "You didn't tell me you were an empath."

"A what?" he asked, frowning.

"An empath. That you can read others' thoughts."

Severus took a sip of his cognac, calming a bit as it washed over his tongue. "Are you not one as well?" he asked, trying to divert the conversation away from him and what he was or wasn't. Too many questions he couldn't answer.

Willow laughed. "No, Autumn is not. Though not from any lack of effort on her part. She finds it horrifying that she cannot learn it, don't you?" Willow took a sip of her cognac too, and then looked at the liquid, holding it up to the light again. "I believe I could get used to this," she commented softly, sipping again.

"How can you tell if someone is an... an empath?" Remus asked, also taking a sip. Severus nearly chuckled at the plainly surprised look on the werewolf's face.

"Ah," Willow said softly, leaning back. "A true empath—one who was born with the ability—can find other true empaths because they share a kinship. It is as easy as telling the color of one's eyes. Now, those who learn are more difficult to place, but..." she shrugged. "It can be done."

Severus sighed softly, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Autumn asked, looking up at him.

"He doesn't believe it," Willow murmured. "And yet he does it. How very interesting."

"I do not... do it, whatever 'it' is supposed to be," Severus retorted, though he knew it for a lie and had a feeling that Willow knew it for a lie as well, however carefully he closed off his thoughts to her.

"So, was Aislinn an empath as well?" Lupin was bloody obvious about the diversion, but obvious or not, Severus was grateful for it.

Autumn snorted. "Aislinn had no ability whatsoever. She was brilliant, mind you, but no innate ability."

"Really?" Severus asked mildly, smiling into his cognac.

"Really," Autumn replied adamantly. "She had a cunning mind and an analytical ability that could fool you into thinking she could read your mind, but..."

Willow was laughing again, and Autumn glared at her. Something passed between the two of them, though Severus wasn't sure what.

"I have told you, dear, that Aislinn was more complex than you could even fathom," Willow said authoritatively. "She had abilities that would have made your toenails curl. She didn't use them, but she was certainly in possession of them."

Autumn snorted. "Bullshit. She was perceptive and she saw things that no one else noticed, but there was nothing..."

"I won't deny that. And she had that uncanny ability with astrology. I've never seen anyone who could pick apart a chart as quickly as she could, and that was entirely her intellect, the product of a mind that could make connections faster than most people can read what is plainly written. And she excelled at that, but do not underestimate what she could have done but didn't."

"You've lost me," Remus said suddenly. "What...?"

"Aislinn. Did you know her at all?" Willow asked.

Remus shook his head.

"Pity. She was fascinating. She just absorbed everything she could learn, and she did love those star charts. And it was so easy to dismiss her and say it was just a sharp mind."

"But that was all it was! She never did anything to indicate that she could..."

Willow shrugged gracefully. "Have it your way, Autumn, but I know better. As does Severus, don't you?"

"Er..." he wished they would leave him out of it. He'd been listening with interest, trying to reconcile what was being said with what he knew, and reaching some very interesting conclusions about it all.

"She was one of your students, wasn't she?" Autumn said suddenly. "Was her ability exceptional?"

"She had an exceptional ability to spill things and dip her hair in mixtures," Severus replied wryly. "And to set things on fire. I can't say I had much time to worry about any other abilities she had. She was a walking disaster."

Willow laughed suddenly. "That she was."

A silence descended among them, and stretched on almost interminably as they sat and sipped at their brandy and each lost themselves in their own thoughts. After a moment, Remus broke the silence with a frown. "Is that clock stopped?" he asked.

Severus glanced at the clock in question; it read a quarter past seven.

"Oh!" Autumn suddenly wriggled away from him. "Yes, it is. I meant to start it again." She glanced at a bracelet on her wrist, then moved the hands until it said five past eight, and then started the pendulum swinging.

"Shit!" Remus was on his feet suddenly. "We have to go, Severus. That meeting started five minutes ago!"

Severus cursed under his breath and polished off the last bit of his brandy. "I truly am sorry," he apologized to Autumn, "but we..."

"You can't go until I give you this... just hold on. Two minutes!" Before he could protest, she was bounding out of the room, and he was staring after her. Two minutes passed, then two more, and Lupin shot him an impatient look as Willow disappeared.

"I know," Severus muttered. "But..."

Willow suddenly reappeared, and leaned forward to kiss Remus' cheek, then Severus'. "Just go," she whispered. "I'll smooth it over with Autumn. Can you return tomorrow? For the sole purpose of retrieving your gift?"

Chuckling softly, Severus nodded. "Of course," he replied. "Though if I didn't know better, I'd swear this was a ploy to keep me coming back here."

Willow laughed softly and ushered them to the door. "Go on," she urged gently. "Autumn will understand. Severus," he paused and turned to her. "Be safe. The night is dangerous," she murmured, and he frowned. "Go."