Disclaimer: I do not know J.K. Rawling, I have no ownership of any of her characters, storylines or ideas. I admire her world from afar and find myself walking through the dreamscapes of Harry Potter's adventures. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: If you've come this far, I thank you. I realize the plot is a bit subtle but it will become clear as we go along.

There was no improvement to that day. From the anteroom I went to my lab, intent to continue my preparations for the conference and to begin the next round of Gubbio for Remus. It was likely I would be making that potion, or its next generation, every month for the rest of our lives. The thought weighed on me as I walked along Hogwarts' corridors. The wolf would always be part of our lives.

For a moment, I understood my mother's concern. We were mated, though. There was comfort in knowing my grandmother, wherever she was and I had been, approved of him. Surely she knew of this and gave whatever support she could from the other side. Grandmother was a healer and had said I was one, too.

The hallways are unheated and cold in February. I stopped at one of the empty window frames and looked out on the snow covered courtyard. Grandmother had been a student here, a Ravenclaw. Grandfather had been a Gryffindor. I wondered how students of those two houses had produced a Hufflepuff, one that was so easily swayed by my mother? I understood why Severus wrote to my mother; he cannot surprise me very much. Mom is also a Slytherin. She would do whatever it took to meet her own ends and desires.

Staring out at the frozen ground, I wondered what house I would have been sorted into, had we not left for the United States. I was a child of all four houses. Bear Lodge is the North at Lake Placid. Strength is valued in that lodge, along with courage and the protective instinct. The Wolf Clan draws members from all four lodges, though. We are people of cunning and secret, knowledge of the woods. We are the people who walk between worlds.

Under my robes, I wore a small wolf head, carved from bone. Each of us received one when we joined the clan. It represented the Spirit of the Wolf, who guided each of us on the moonlight path. Remus had fingered it delicately when I first showed it to him.

I left the window and continued to my lab, touching the smooth black cord that held the charm. Brother Wolf, I thought. It was the emblem of the family that had adopted me in.

The door to my lab was open a crack. I frowned as I walked toward it, trying to remember if I had closed the door properly. Hermione might have gone in to do some work, but it would be unusual for her to during the weekend. I drew my wand and stood to one side to push the door open. There was no sound from within, so I slipped around the edge of the doorframe.

Not a piece of furniture remained in place. Parchments, torn books and scattered notes littered the floor. Samples had been smashed and framed taken from the walls. The lab had been completely ransacked.

Every turn I saw destruction. Only the computer seemed to be unharmed; I had disconnected the laptop and stored it before leaving. I hoped the vandals hadn't recognized it and thrown a hex to wipe the hard drive.

It was freezing inside and layer of snow lined the floor under the open window. A gust brushed past the casement and stirred some pages on the floor like a miniatures dust devil.

I ran to my private stores, where I kept the active herbs I used on a regular basis, especially the Wolfsbane. It was a complete mess, with herbs scattered through shards of glass.

This was a researcher's worst nightmare. Someone had attempted to destroy my lab and my work. I left the room, closing the door with a password and ran through the halls to Remus' classroom.

The students were busy copying notes while Remus lectured when I open the door. Remus stopped lecturing and the students turned toward me.

"I have a problem," I said, my voice sounding crisp in my ears. Remus nodded and turned to the class.

"Crandle," he said to a prefect, "you have the class. Dr. Shaw, my office?"

Spinning on the ball of my foot, I raced up the small staircase that led to Remus' office. He was a foot behind me, closing and sealing the door with one motion. He rested his hands on my upper arms.

"Remus," I gasped and sank against him. "Oh, my gods, Remus." I caught my breath and straightened up. "Someone broke into my lab. It's decimated. The herbs have been corrupted. It's a mess. It's, just, oh, Remus!"

I started to cry. Somehow I had been personally violated with the wreckage of my lab. Remus pulled his handkerchief from his robes and wiped my eyes. I forced myself to calm. There were lines at the corners of his eyes and a hard set to his jaw. He steered me into the chair behind his desk and called Albus through the fireplace.

The headmaster listened while I described to him what I had found and said he would meet us at the door to my lab. Remus assigned the class homework before dismissing them early. While he finished with his students, I took a minute in the loo to wash my face and compose myself.

Dumbledore and Severus were waiting at the door when we arrived. Severus stood with his wand drawn, a deadly frown on face. Dumbledore stroked his bread with no trace of his usual amusement.

"Dr. Shaw," he greeted. "You are unharmed?"

"Yes, sir," I told him, "but I don't know how much of my work suffered." I put my hand on the door and whispered "Clara." The door opened of its own, reveling the overturned lab room. Remus bristled at the sight while Dumbledore proceeded into the room. Severus followed, his wand making sweeps of the mess. Remus brushed past me and waved his wand to right the table and close the window.

I stood in the doorframe while the men surveyed the lab. It no longer felt like my space; the lab had become foreign ground.

"Whoever did this was smart enough not to use magick," Severus said at last. "There is no signature to recognize."

I took that in and nodded. We wouldn't know who had done this the easy way, then.

"Your computer?" Dumbledore asked. "Is it workable?"

"I don't know," I told him. While they watched, I crossed to its storage place and pulled it out. Opening the top, I powered it up, noting the charging center was still working. After a minute the start-up chimed. Remus and Albus each peered over a shoulder while I ran the diagnostic program.

Relief forced another lump in my throat. "It works. It's fine. All my notes and research are still here."

"Then this was done by someone wizard-born and not muggle-born," Severus said from behind me.

"How do you figure?" Remus asked him, half turning to see his old classmate.

Severus snorted. "A muggle-born would be familiar with a laptop computer and know to destroy that also. A wizard-born wouldn't comprehend its usefulness."

I thought about that. "I've been in D.C. too long," I said. "That makes sense."

"Caitlin, do you know what they might have been searching for?" Dumbledore said. "I'm not entirely convinced this is strictly vandalism."

"I don't know," I said. "But my stores have been destroyed. Could they have been stealing something and tried to cover it up?"

"It's possible," he said. Dumbledore glanced at broken moon clock I kept in the lab. "When do you begin the Gubbio potion again?"

"Today," I told him. "I need Poppy to take some more blood for me. Those samples are gone." With worry, I shot a glare at the clock, also. "I'll need to go to Hogsmead for more apothecary supplies."

Severus stepped toward me. His face was neutral, which often meant he was concerned. "Use my lab and stores. There isn't time to order anything the apothecary might be lacking."

An invisible weight released itself from my chest. "Thank you, Severus," I said. With a few more clicks, I powered down the computer and packed it in the carrying case.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, rubbing his hands absently. "How much do you want the house elves to repair and how much would you rather oversee?"

Hermione and Ron took that moment to tumble into the lab. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth in shock while Ron's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room.

"Dr. Shaw," she squeaked. "What happened here?"

I laid my hand on her arm, drawing myself into a strong point for my assistant. Hermione had devoted as much of herself to that lab as I had. "We've been vandalized." To Dumbledore, I said, "Have the elves come after classes to repair the table and window. Hermione, will you start cleaning and sorting? Find all the papers and notes and put them together, we can sort them later. Ron, will you help her?"

Ron nodded, his mouth set in a firm line. His eyes flicker over Severus, who glared had him. "Of course, doctor."

"Good," I said. I hefted my computer. "I'll be working in Professor Snape's lab for a few days. Look for me there when you're done or if you need me before hand." I licked my lips. "Hermione," I said, making a decision. "The password is Clara. Make sure the door is sealed when you leave. Look for any clue about who might have done this, but tell no one what happened here. Including Harry. Understand?"

Hermione glanced at Ron and nodded solemnly. "Yes, doctor," she said.

Dumbledore offered the students a reassuring smile. "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley," he said kindly, "it is very important this be kept quiet."

The students responded with more head bobbing and a chorused, "Yes, professor." As we were leaving, I saw Hermione pull out her wand and beginning repairing broken bottles. Dumbledore asked if I needed anything further and I asked him to send Poppy to the dungeons to take some of my blood for the potion. He went toward the hospital wing and I found myself walking between my mate and my ex-husband. Neither man said a word, but walked in formal lock-step, each staring straight ahead or looking around whatever corner we passed, with their wands visible. Together, they made me feel safe.

Severus showed me into his private lab, but Remus paused at the door, waiting with his hands in his pockets. With a flick of his wand, he opened the cabinets to his stores. Another flick, and he lit the cold fireplace.

"I will be in classes for the rest of the day," Severus told me. "You may interrupt me at any point if you have need of anything else."

Setting the computer down on the worktable, I offered him a quick hug. Even when we were married, Severus had never invited me into his lab. A few hours earlier and I was ready to cause him harm for writing to my mother without my permission; now he had offered me his lab without hesitation. Severus frowned, but squeezed me in return before sweeping past Remus. The men simply looked at one another, the first time I had known them to actually interact without malice.

"Will you be alright here?" Remus asked, finally entering the lab and slipping his arms around my waist. I leaned back against him.

"As long as I don't break anything," I joked darkly. Severus' lab was immaculate and filled with very delicate looking equipment. "I might be running back to the States sooner if I do."

"I've always wanted to visit the Colonies," Remus purred in my ear. "And now I have the perfect tour guide." He leaned over my shoulder to kiss me. The taste of his mouth on my lips spread warmth through my body and I turned to better drink him in.

A woman's fake cough demanded our attention. Poppy stood in the doorway, shaking her head. She carried her healer's kit.

"If you are quite finished," she scolded. Poppy set the kit on the table, turning her back to us just long enough to steal another kiss, and opened it to reveal the needle and vials to draw blood. "Really. Snogging like Seventh Years behind the greenhouses. And in Professor Snape's lab, at that."

I grinned sheepishly. "Oh, we should be doing this behind the greenhouses? I was never a student here, Poppy. Now I know where we need to go."

The healer huffed but her eyes twinkled. She proceeded to assemble the needle. I hopped on the table and rolled up the left sleeve of my blouse.

"Okay, lovey," I said to Remus. "You can watch or you can go back to class. Not many people are good when blood is drawn."

"And fewer wizards," Poppy grumbled, taking out a swab and a small bottle of alcohol.

Remus laced his fingers through mine. "You do this every month?" he asked. I nodded. "Then I'll stay here. You're doing this for me; the least I can do is be with you."

Poppy held up the needle. Remus paled and gripped my hand a little tighter than before. I nodded to Poppy and looked away from her. The expression of discomfort on Remus' face was comical enough that I started to giggle and was quickly scolded again by Poppy.