so sorry, the chapters somehow got really messed up...I tried fixing them up but then ended up screwing it up further...so here's what I ended up doing..putting chapters 31 and 32 in one chapter...so sorry about that!
Chapter 31: Cut
a/n: well, this chapter was absolutely painful to write, on a number of levels, so whichever way u interpret that is probably correct. ;) It seems like I'm never going to get to those damn wedding bells, I just keep delaying it, don't I? Well, I'm now looking at maybe 2 chapters from here…that's my goal.. J and after that, we get to fast forward a few years, and get to my favorite part (watch me get writers block right at that point…) alrighty, here u go, chapter 31/32 (oh yea, to the readers on fanfiction, I'm sorry about the formatting..they really butchered my last chapter, and for some reason they even took out random words from the text..so weird..):
Cut
Dominique fell hard on the moist grass, shaking from the pain.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" the man said to her. "How about another go, eh?"
Dominique looked up at the man as he raised his wand. His face was covered by the black mask, save his eyes. They were gray and unfathomable. They looked so familiar…
"Crucio!!"
Dominique rolled across the ground, just in time to avoid getting hit again.
"You're a quick one…" he said quietly, as he advanced on her. "Let's end this quickly, shall we? I'd hate to see the look on your dear fiancé's face if he found out you died a slow and painful death…"
"Sirius…" Dominique said with a small gasp, as she stared into the man's eyes.
"Yes, that would be him…" the man replied as he raised his wand again.
"You're"—
"Your would-be-brother-in-law…" the man replied as he pulled off his mask, revealing a handsome face that graced elegant features. His hair was jet black, falling neatly over his forehead.
"You're…Regalus!" Dominique exclaimed.
"Very good! I see my dear brother has told you about me…" Regalus replied coolly. He even sounded a bit like Sirius…
Regalus glanced down at Dominique, who was feeling the ground for her wand. Just as she had spotted it, Regalus snatched it out of her reach, and broke it in two.
"You won't be needing that, love." He said as he tossed the broken wand back on the grass. "Aveda—Ooof!!"
Regalus fell hard onto the ground as Dominique kicked her leg out and tripped him. He glanced up just in time to see Dominique pulling herself off the ground, and reaching for Regalus's wand.
"Oh no you don't!" he shouted, grabbing Dominique's leg and pulling her down. She toppled over and landed on top of Regalus. Not losing a second, Dominique made a grab for his wand. But just as she grabbed a hold of it, Regalus pushed Dominique off himself, only to fall forward on top of Dominique, as she tried to pry the wand out of his hand.
"Sirius would not like this at all…" Regalus said with the hint of a smile, as he heaved himself against Dominique, trying to wrestle for his wand.
"You—pig—" Dominique said through clenched teeth as she pulled on the wand with all her might.
Just then, sparks shot out of the wand, which to Dominique's luck, was pointing at Regalus, thus causing the latter to fly back several feet. Dominique pulled herself up immediately and shouted "Stupify!!"
Unfortunately, Dominique missed Regalus by about an inch. She took aim again, but turned around quickly as she heard Moody shout her name.
"What—SHIT!" Dominique screamed as she ducked a jet of green light, narrowly missing it.
Dominique stood up quickly, only to come face to face with one of the death eaters that Moody had been dueling.
"Congratulations on the engagement dear," said an all too familiar female voice. Bellatrix Black Lestrange….
"Awfully hurt that I'm not invited to my dear cousin's wedding…"
"What is this, a Black family reunion??" Dominique asked as she backed away from the death eater.
"I suppose you could call it that…" the woman replied. "Now why did you all have to come here, trying to spoil our fun?"
"Well, I—HEY!!! LET ME GO!!" Dominique shouted as she felt someone grab her from behind.
While Dominique had been occupied with Bellatrix, Regalus had snuck up on her and grabbed her by the arms.
"Get my wand!" Regalus shouted at Bellatrix.
The latter rushed up to Dominique and snatched the wand out of her hand. Just as she did so, Regalus shoved Dominique away as he reclaimed his wand.
"Shall we?" he asked, turning to Bellatrix.
"Lets." Bellatrix replied. "At the hands of two noble Blacks…you don't deserve this honor, Fiore. And yet, you'll get it anyway"—
"Over my dead body she will…" came a cold voice from behind them.
The three wheeled around, only to encounter a tall man with short, black hair, and the same gray, impenetrable eyes as Regalus…
"Sirius!" Dominique exclaimed.
"Lord, this is a Black family reunion…" Regalus said as he ducked a curse from Sirius. "Brother! Fancy seeing you here"—
"You're no brother of mine!" Sirius shouted as he advanced on Regalus.
Dominique glanced nervously at the men that were facing off. Sirius was a bit taller than Regalus, had shorter hair, and had a prominent jaw, but otherwise they looked almost identical…
Dominique's gaze suddenly shifted towards the figure of Bellatrix Lestrange, which was bolting towards the house.
"No!" Dominique shouted, as she dashed after Bellatrix, leaving the two Black brothers to themselves.
"Please you have to believe me!" Kierra pleaded, "I'm not with them, I'm not on their side! I'm trying to save you from them!"
"How am I supposed to believe that?" said a tall man with light brown hair, who guarded his wife and son behind him.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any proof, just please, come on!!!" Kierra shouted. Just then, the door burst open and Bellatrix Lestrange emerged at the door.
"Stay where you are!" Kierra shouted, pointing her wand at the intruder.
Bellatrix in return, only chuckled.
"I don't recall you having nearly as much confidence when we were in school!" she sneered as she aimed her wand at the father. "Now, out of my way!"
"Now do you believe me?!" Kierra exclaimed at the muggle family. "GET OUT OF HERE!!"
Kierra shouted "protego!" just as Bellatrix shouted "crucio!" Kierra fell backwards from the force of the curse, but the worst of it had missed her due to her protection charm.
The muggle family began to back away towards the back door, when suddenly—
"Kelly!!" the woman shouted. "Kelly's sleeping upstairs!!"
Bellatrix smiled and ran upstairs.
"Go, go, I'll get her!!" Kierra shouted as she ran after her.
Just then, Dominique burst into the house, causing the muggle mother and her son to scream.
"No! I mean no harm!" Dominique explained quickly. "Where'd the masked woman go??"
The man pointed to the stairs. "And a brown haired girl went after her. My little daughter's up there sleeping!!" he exclaimed.
"Kierra's up there? Ok, she'll take care of it…come on, we need to get you guys out of here…" Dominique said as she marched up to the family.
"What?? Where?? Not without Kelly!" the mother exclaimed.
"What's going on?? Mum you said there's no such thing as magic!!" the small boy cried.
"Look we'll explain everything later, right now we need to get you to a safe place…come along the back, there's a few more guys out in the front and we can't let them get you…" Dominique said urgently as she urged the family forward.
"But my daughter"—
"Kierra will get her"—
"The brown haired girl?"
"Yes, that's her…and as soon as I have you all in a safe place, I'll go help her…" Dominique said as the stepped outside.
Suddenly there was a piercing cry coming from inside the house. It was the sound of a little girl…
"My baby!!" The woman shouted, as she made to run back inside the house.
"No!!" Dominique shouted, catching the woman by the arm. "I'll go…Look, just stay put"—Dominique glanced around frantically, searching for a good hiding place—"here, stay hidden in the woods…watch out for any of the masked people…er, wait…and that one black haired guy…well, there's two of them, and they look kind of alike…damn…ok, just stay hidden from everybody…and uh, don't be afraid of the guy with the funky eye, he's on our side…" Dominique said quickly as she rushed back towards the house.
As she ran up the stairs, it suddenly occurred to Dominique that she didn't even have a wand. Well, she had managed to escape Regalus without a wand…but then again, Sirius had shown up…
Suddenly, Dominique heard a scream from the outside. It was the mother….
Dominique turned around immediately and ran back outside.
'Oh God no…no…this can't be happening…' Dominique thought to herself as she ran back towards the woods, eyeing the figure of Regalus, standing over a small body that lay on the ground.
"John!!" the mother wailed as she dropped to her knees and sobbed. "Not John…"
"YOU"—Dominique ran towards the group, forgetting she was unarmed, and that Regalus was.
As Dominique charged at him, Regalus only grinned at her before putting on his mask, and disapparating.
Dominique stopped at the place where Regalus stood milliseconds before. She glanced down at the couple, who were kneeling by the body of their eight year old son.
"I'm so sorry…" Dominique whispered as she knelt down next to them. The parents did not look at her at first. But suddenly, the mother looked up urgently at Dominique.
"My daughter…"
Dominique stood up immediately. "Stay here…" she said. Just as Dominique was about to take off, a surge of green light filled one of the windows on the top floor of the house.
'Oh God…Please don't be dead Kierra…please don't be dead Kelly…' Dominique thought frantically as she bolted up the stairs. Halfway up, she stopped in her tracks. There standing triumphantly at the top of the stairs was Bellatrix, pointing her wand at Dominique.
"You're too late, Fiore." She said, grinning slyly. "And now, a little wedding gift I'd like to send your way…Aveda kedavra!!"
Just as the words left Bellatrix's mouth, Dominique tried backing away, only to topple down the stairs, feeling the heat of the green jet of light shoot narrowly past her shoulder as she went down. As she hit the ground, she heard a distinct popping sound, and looking up, Dominique saw that Bellatrix had disapparated, probably under the impression that she had killed Dominique.
Dominique pulled herself up, and rubbing her hip on which she landed, she listened closely. Absolute silence. Clutching her hip, Dominique slowly made her way up the stairs, fear rising in her with each painful step. Had Bellatrix managed to kill both of them? But with one curse…well...it was possible…
Dominique stopped short as she entered the bedroom. She had expected it…but still could not believe it. Three year old Kelly lay motionless on the floor. Kierra, who didn't acknowledge Dominique's presence, knelt by the girl, her gaze fixed on the lifeless body, her eyes glazed with tears.
"Kierra…" Dominique murmured as she limped over and knelt by her friend. Kierra still made no response.
"I'm so sorry Kierra…" Dominique said again, putting an arm around her.
"It's all my fault…" Kierra whispered, as she ran a finger along Kelly's tiny hand.
"No, don't say that…it's not"—
"She did it right in front of me too…I watched her go…I let her kill a baby…"
"Kierra…please, stop saying that…"
"You weren't there!!" Kierra shouted as she cried freely. "You don't know"—Kierra paused as a shadowy figure appeared at the doorway.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Kierra murmured again as Moody took a few steps inside the room.
"Come on guys…we need to go now…" Moody said quietly.
"Go where?" Kierra asked. "What about the family? Where is everyone?"
"We need to get to the ministry to report to Crouch…and the death eaters all got away…the boy got killed too…just the parents made it…" Moody replied dismally.
"Are they"—
"Some other ministry officials are here, along with muggle police…they're going to sort this out accordingly...but our work here is done…let's go…" Moody finished.
Fifteen minutes later, in a small isolated room in the ministry of magic, the trainees had gathered in wait of Mr. Crouch.
"Today was so weird…" Lily said quietly as she hugged herself. "It was all so surreal…"
James nodded. "I can't believe that git is with Voldemort now…I always knew he was rotten, but it still comes as a surprise…our own classmates…"
"Who did you guys see on your stakeout?" one of the other trainees named Jacob inquired.
"Snivellus" James and Sirius said together.
Lily only glanced at them shortly, but made none of her usual reprimands for name calling.
"Was everything o.k. with that muggle family that Moody, D and Kierra were supposed to watch?" Lily asked, turning to Sirius.
Sirius shook his head.
"The parents made it out ok, but the two kids got killed…" he said slowly.
Lily's mouth fell open slightly, her eyebrows raised in utter shock. She shook her head slowly.
"That's terrible…"
"I know…" Sirius replied.
"Did you see which death eaters came?" James asked.
Sirius nodded. "Cousin Bellatrix, her new husband Rudolphus, Lucius Malfoy, and Regalus…"
"Your brother??" Lily asked. Sirius threw a glare at her before shifting his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry…" she said quickly. "I didn't mean…"
Sirius shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, he's not my family. And what he did out there was unforgivable. He and Bellatrix were about to kill Dominique when I showed up…"
Just then, the door opened and Kierra and Dominique appeared.
"Hey guys"—Lily said as she ran to join them—"you guys ok?? D, why are you barefoot?"
"Took my shoes off..lost them somewhere in the woods I think…" Dominique replied listlessly.
Lily glanced at Kierra, who was frowning, but at no one in particular.
"Kierra, are you ok"—Lily stopped as Dominique shook her head vigorously—"right then…" Lily backed away and let them continue walking.
"I'm gonna go and…freshen up…" Kierra said slowly as her friends spotted them and began to walk towards them.
"Alright…go ahead…" Dominique replied. She watched Kierra retreat to the restroom, but quickly shifted her gaze to the person who had grabbed her arm.
"Sirius"—
"Are you alright?" Sirius asked urgently. "Did he do anything to you?"
"Er"—
"Just tell me and I'll pound him…no…I'll kill him, bring him back to life, and kill him some more!" Sirius said angrily.
"No, he didn't do anything," Dominique replied, "just broke my wand, but that's all…"
"Well, I'll break his neck the first chance I get…" Sirius replied.
Suddenly the door creaked open and the aurors, led by Mr. Crouch, walked in. Among the aurors was Frank Longbottom, who clutched the hand of a very pale-looking Alice Green. The last one in the procession of aurors was Mad Eye Moody, who shut the door when everyone had filed in.
The room fell silent immediately, and all of the trainees stood up straighter, anxiously awaiting Mr. Crouch's words.
"Very bad night…" Mr. Crouch began, shaking his head. "Of course we've had worse…but all the same…a night with innocent lives lost is always a bad night"—Crouch paused as he saw Kierra reenter the room. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were puffy—"and some of you will be reaping the consequences for your actions, or lack thereof…." He added curtly.
"First, I want to express my relief, and offer my compliments to our two new aurors, Alice and Frank; after their dealings with he-who-must-not-be-named"—there was a sharp intake of breath from several of the trainees.
"They saw him??" a short, blond trainee named Helen asked incredulously.
Mr. Crouch nodded. "And narrowly escaped him…quite a feat for a young witch and wizard."
Everyone's eyes fell on the couple. Frank had gone slightly pink at being singled out, while Alice was still looking pale, still quite shaken up from the encounter.
"Now…let's get on with the bad stuff first…as some of you might already know…we suffered a couple of muggle casualties tonight…two children were killed tonight…as the result of some negligence on the part of one of our trainees"—
Dominique cleared her throat. "Mr. Crouch"—
"Don't interrupt me, Fiore." Mr. Crouch said brusquely, "but now that you have…that puts me in mind"—Mr. Crouch reached inside his cloak and pulled out his wand. He waved it swiftly, and instantly a pair of dirt-stained Gucci stilettos materialized in his hands.
Mr. Crouch extended the shoes to Dominique, who nervously stepped up and collected them.
"From here on out, please observe the following dress code while on the job. Both males and females are to wear pants underneath their cloaks, and comfortable running shoes, at ALL times, in order to ensure swift and easy movement. Do I make myself clear?"
The trainees nodded at once.
"Do I make myself clear, Fiore?" Mr. Crouch asked her.
Dominique nodded, coloring slightly from the chastisement.
"Now, as I was saying, before I was interrupted…the deaths we suffered today were due to the carelessness of a trainee. This can never, ever, happen again. Do you all understand??" Mr. Crouch asked.
Again, all of the trainees nodded their heads vigorously.
"Now…" Mr. Crouch started again, walking up to Kierra and Dominique, "you two I believe, were assigned to Moody, am I right?"
The girls nodded.
"And they were with me til the end, Crouch…" Moody interjected.
"No denying that," Mr. Crouch replied, "and I believe I gave you respective assignments to each of these trainees. Am I right?"
"Yea…"
"I told you to have Dominique help you take care of the death eaters, and to have the kid get the family to safety. Did you follow through with my orders?"
"She's not a kid"—
"Did you follow through with my orders??" Crouch repeated.
Moody sighed. "Yea, I gave 'em those instructions…" Moody said irritably.
Crouch returned his attention to Kierra.
"And did you do as you were told?" Crouch asked.
"Yes"—
"Then why do we have two dead children?!" Crouch retorted. "When I said to protect the family, I meant the entire family!!"
"I tried"—Kierra protested, her eyes began to well up again with tears—"I really did! But they all going towards the front door, and there were four of them and only three of us, I had to help out!!"
"If I think Moody and Fiore are capable of taking on four death eaters, then they are!! You are not one to judge"—
"Crouch, if you don't mind," Moody interjected in the same irritable voice, "I told her to get one of them, because I KNEW that D and I couldn't take on four death eaters. And just so you know, Kierra petrified Malfoy"—
"Well, he got away though didn't he??"
"Yea, but that stalled him, didn't it? We had one less person to worry about for a while."
"Well let me congratulate you, Miss Kierra, on being able to perform elementary curses on a death eater" Crouch said sarcastically, "and after my group was done, I had sent Mr. Black to help you lot out…and clearly that wasn't enough??"
"Excuse me…sir?" Dominique interrupted, "I just wanted to say, it's not her fault, really…I mean, the boy…that was my fault…I had rushed them out of the house and told them to hide in the woods, and I went back in the house to help Kierra get the little girl…but right when I turned my back…Reg—Regalus came and killed him…"
"As noble as it is of you to take the blame, Fiore, getting the family to safety was NOT your task...and if anything, I wanted to commend you. Despite your blunders, I'm very impressed at how you handled yourself without a wand." "But anyway," he said quickly, "the task of saving the family…that responsibility lies with Kierra"—
"And I accept responsibility for it." Kierra finished. Everyone turned to look at her.
Dominique looked at her curiously while Crouch glared at her, while Moody's magical eye focused on Kierra's eyes.
"I didn't mean to…I tried my best…" Kierra said slowly, "I was trying to get the family to safety, but I was having a hard time of convincing them that I wasn't out to kill them"—
"Why didn't you just silence them?" Crouch asked.
"Oh…it didn't occur to me…I'm sorry, everything was going so fast and I hardly got time to think…I mean, Bellatrix just came bursting in…and she aimed a curse at the dad, but I deflected it…and when they were about to run out, the mum said her daughter was sleeping upstairs…Bellatrix obviously heard, so she ran up the stairs…and I went after her…"
"By the time I got to Kelly's room," Kierra continued, "Bellatrix was there, holding her, with her wand pointed at her. She threatened me that if I moved, she'd kill her."
"And so you moved??" Crouch asked.
"No! I didn't know what to do at first…I know Bellatrix well enough to know that she wouldn't hesitate to kill if I moved…but then I thought to disarm her…but she got to me first…she disarmed me…and then…she…she killed her…" Kierra said, choking on her last few words.
Crouch simply nodded slowly.
"And then she disapparated?" he asked finally.
Kierra shook her head through her tears. "She was about to kill me too…but then she heard someone running downstairs, so she knocked me over and ran to see who it was…and it was Dominique, she tried to kill her too…I heard her shout aveda kedavra, and then disapparate…but then I heard Dominique get up so I knew she had missed…"
Mr. Crouch glanced at Dominique, who nodded to confirm the story.
"Is that it?" he asked.
Kierra nodded. "I'm sorry!" she cried, "You have no idea how"—
"I've got plenty of ideas!" Crouch cut in, "I know all of the gruesome, bloody and graphic details! I've been in this business for years now, and I've seen it all, kid! And if you're going to turn into a human hosepipe after witnessing only one death, of a complete stranger"— Mr. Crouch stopped and observed Kierra. She was crying silently now; tears fell down her now very pale face…her eyes were incredibly puffy and red, her soft brown hair was disheveled and out of her normal ponytail. She looked like a naïve young child who'd had the nightmare of her life.
Mr. Crouch shook his head. "Listen…kid…" he said slowly, in a calmer voice, "I know it must have been really hard to deal with what you had today…I understand, and it's ok…but, see…if you want to be an auror, you need to have stronger nerves than that. What you saw today was nothing compared to stuff we've seen in the past…and nothing to what you lot might see later…we need people who are built tough, who can endure all the emotional trauma…"
Kierra looked Mr. Crouch in the eye timidly, but didn't say anything. Crouch in return frowned slightly, with the slightest indication of sympathy, before turning to Moody and nodding to him.
"If you don't mind, Alastor, please escort Miss Nakofsky"—
"Right." Moody cut him off quickly. "Er…come with me…" he said to Kierra.
He walked over to the door and held it open for her. Kierra, knowing very well where this was heading, let out a small sigh before heading towards the door. As she passed by her former colleagues, she could feel everyone's stares; and it made her face burn with shame and embarrassment. In front of all these people…in front of her friends…and what was worse…she knew she deserved it.
"Listen kid," Moody said as they walked down an empty corridor, "and I mean that in a nice sense," he added quickly, "Sorry your night on the job was horrible…and sorry Crouch was being an ass about it…he's usually like that…" he paused, but Kierra made no comment, so he continued, "but listen, don't take it personally…being an auror is a tough job…I bet half these kids are going to get cut too in a matter of weeks…just don't feel too bad about it, things weren't really in your control. Anyway you're still in the order, and no doubt Dumbledore is much more cool-headed and wiser than Crouch and the ministry combined. Just don't take Crouch's words to heart. Got it?"
Kierra shrugged.
Moody shifted his magical eye on Kierra as they reached the exit door of the Ministry. "Listen, it's not every day I go soft and sensitive for you kids, it's not something I'm particularly fond of…so you better take heed to what I'm telling you. Got it?" he asked again, a bit more gruffly.
Kierra looked him in the eyes and nodded. "Thanks" she said quietly.
"Alright, well…I need to get back to the meeting. You'll be ok from here, or do you need a guard…just to be safe"—
"I'll be ok…"
"Go ahead and disapparate right in front of me…just to be on the safe side." Moody said.
Kierra sighed quietly. Usually Moody's over-vigilance was a bit amusing, but now it just proved to be annoying. She wanted to wander around the streets for a while….
"Alright…" Kierra replied curtly. She stepped outside into the cold night and turned to face Moody. "Thanks for being nice to me, Moody…"
Moody only shrugged and return. "Well…you remind me of my younger sister…"
Kierra looked up at Moody, slightly startled. She had never even imagined him to have any relations. "You have a sister?" she asked.
"had…she was killed years ago…"
"oh"—
"Go on now…" Moody said tersely
Kierra nodded. "Night…"
And with that, Kierra disapparated.
Kierra apparated into her house. She pulled out her wand and muttered "lumos". Quickly, she lit a few lights around the living room. It was completely silent. Kierra shivered as she looked around. Her parents were still in Bulgaria…her parents…oh, how disappointed they'd be with her…They were so proud of her for qualifying to be an auror, and here she was, kicked out on the first day of real work…
Kierra looked at the clock. It was nearly 1:00 am. Dominique was staying with her, but she had no idea how long it would be before she'd get back….
Kierra sighed. She was tired out, but she didn't want to be alone…not tonight…
'Well,' she thought, 'only one place to go…' and with that, Kierra extinguished all of the house lights, wrote a quick note for Dominique, and walked over to the fireplace. Taking some floo powder, she stepped inside.
"Number Seventeen, Winterhaven Court!" she shouted as she dropped the powder.
Within seconds, Kierra landed hard on the ground. Struggling to breathe, and praying she didn't wake anyone up, Kierra pulled herself up and quickly cleaned up her mess from the fireplace.
When she had finished, she stood in the dark, empty living room, listening for noise. Good…she hadn't woken anyone up… Kierra wondered if turning on some lights would cause disturbance…she thought the better of it, and decided to feel her way up the stairs…it couldn't be that hard; after all, she had spent almost a week in this house, she knew her way around it…
Kierra slowly made her way up the steps and into the hall. 'very last door on the right…' she told herself as she tiptoed quietly down the hall. To her surprise, light was peaking from underneath the closed door…so, he was still awake…
Just then, the door swung open, and Kierra was standing face to face with none other than Remus Lupin, who was pointing his wand at her.
"Kierra!" he said all too loudly. His eyes widened in disbelief as he quickly covered his mouth.
"Kierra!" he said again in whispered tones. "What are doing here??"
Kierra stared at Remus, not knowing what to say exactly.
"How'd work go? Is everything ok??" he asked.
Kierra opened her mouth to say no, but before the words could come out, her throat tightened up and she began to cry.
"Shh…shhh…" Remus said half-soothingly, half-anxiously, pulling her into his room and shutting the door, putting an imperturbable charm on it as he did so. He sat her down on his bed and gently took her hands in his. "What happened?" he asked softly.
Kierra sighed heavily and began to recount the night's events to him.
"I mean…I've known people who've died…but I've never actually seen death before…" Kierra said as she tossed another crumbled up tissue on the floor. "It was horrible…Remus, she was so little…she didn't deserve it…"
"I know, I know she didn't," he murmured, "no one so innocent deserves a fate like that…"
"It's all because of me!" Kierra sobbed, "I should've disarmed her first"—
"Kierra, listen to me"—Remus put his arms around her, and drew her in closer to him—"right now, blaming yourself is the easiest thing to do…you can just feel guilty and pity yourself…but you know it's not your fault…ultimately, it's Bellatrix…she was the one who killed Kelly…she's the murderer…she should be punished for it, not you! You were just trying to save her, but it didn't work out…it's not your fault…"
Kierra shook her head. "It is!! It was my damn job! I was supposed to protect her! And now…I just can't get her out of my head…I just keep seeing her face…she was so small…and how she just screamed…and dropped…dead…it was so eerie…"
Remus continued to hold Kierra, gently rocking her back and forth in his arms, trying to soothe her. Her crying had now diminished to quiet sobs. She shook her head. "I deserved to get cut…I'm so worthless…but it was humiliating"—
"Hey, you're not worthless"—
"Yes I am! I can't do anything"—
"Kierra, just because you can't be an auror, doesn't make you worthless"—
"Yes it does"—
"Do you think I'm worthless?"
Kierra's heart seemed to have skipped a few beats. She turned to look Remus in the eyes.
"No, of course not…but your case is different…it's not your fault"—
"Well, it's not your fault either—and don't tell me that it is…"
Kierra shrugged. "Well it is…"
Remus sighed. "Listen Kierra, no one said being an auror is easy, it's tough work"—
"yea, Crouch already explained that to me…" Kierra said quietly.
"Ok, all asshole-ness aside, maybe he's got a point…" Remus said gently. "Maybe it just doesn't fit with your personality…you have the sweetest disposition…you're warm, and tender…and so good-natured…you don't exactly fit the rough and tough image of an auror, I suppose…and that's not a bad thing either…"
Kierra shrugged. "I guess…"
Remus watched Kierra blow her nose, crumpling up the last tissue and tossing it on the floor. He rubbed her gently on the back and sighed.
"Come on, you need some sleep. You've had a long night…"
Kierra looked at the floor, staring intently at the pile of Kleenexes by her feet. "I can't…I keep thinking about her…she's going to give me nightmares"—
"shh…" Remus held her once more, this time slowly pulling her down against his bed. He leaned over her and with one arm, pulled her legs onto the bed. "Go to sleep, Kierra…" he said as he pulled his comforter over her to tuck her in.
Kierra looked up at Remus. "Will you stay here with me?" she asked.
Remus smiled slightly. "Of course." And with that, Remus extinguished the lights in his room, and laid down next to her.
"Thank you…" Kierra murmured as she curled up against Remus and closed her eyes.
"No problem…" Remus whispered.
Several minutes later just as he had begun to drift off, Remus began to feel wetness against his chest. He glanced down at Kierra, who had rested her head against him, and saw that she was crying silently.
Words no longer seeming to be of any use, Remus ran his fingers through her hair, gently combing through it continually, until he was positive that Kierra had fallen asleep. Soon after, Remus had drifted to sleep as well…
Morning arrived all too quickly for Remus. He let out a small groan as he tried to shift his position in bed, but to no avail; something was in his way. He opened his eyes, only to be facing a sleeping Kierra, and the memories of the previous night came rushing back to him. Remus closed his eyes and sighed resignedly as he slouched back into his original position in order to ensure Kierra's comfort. He glanced down at her. She looked so peaceful when she slept, it was just amazing…Indeed he had had been intimate with Kierra on so many occasions, but until this morning, he had never woken up next to her, and frankly, he liked it a lot, even if it wasn't in the happiest of events…
Just then Remus's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Remus! It's almost noon! Wake up!!" he heard his mum from behind the door.
"I'm up…I'm up…" Remus replied groggily, "I'll be down in a few minutes, mum.."
However, just as Remus sat up in his bed, the door opened.
"You know Remus, it's really not like you to wake up so late, and OH MY GOD!" Mrs. Lupin bellowed.
"Mum!" Remus hissed. He put a finger to his mouth, begging her to hush, which she surprisingly did. And to his even greater surprise, Kierra hadn't so much as even stirred in her sleep from the noise.
"Nothing happened, mum," Remus said quickly, "I swear…she just slept here, that's all"—
Mrs. Lupin nodded. "I believe you…" she said as she observed the floor. A mountain of tissues was situated at the foot of the bed. She glanced up curiously at her son.
"Er…what happened? Was everything ok at the ministry?" she asked, remembering how Remus told her and Mr. Lupin last night about Kierra's work.
Remus sighed. "Saw a little girl get killed…and she got fired…" he said quietly as he stroked Kierra's head. "Bad night for her…"
Mrs. Lupin nodded sympathetically as she glanced at Kierra's face. She had dark circles under her eyes, and a red nose, undoubtedly from crying and sniffing, and her cheeks were still tear-stained.
"Everything alright in here?"
Remus looked up and saw his father in the doorway. He looked at Kierra, but then shifted his gaze to his son, looking at him questioningly.
"Oh…well"—
Mrs. Lupin took her husband by the arm and led him out of the room. "Why don't we stroll over to Diagon Alley, dear…lets leave them alone…" Remus could hear his mother say as they walked down the hall.
Remus sighed gratefully as he pulled himself out of bed, carefully as to not disturb Kierra. He glanced back at her and smiled slightly as he headed out of his room to go make breakfast for her.
a/n: I think this one is kinda short..but I just wanted to put something up b/c I felt bad for taking so long..lol sorry im not stuck w/ writers block, im just really busy and never have time to write...actually i still dont have time, im just neglecting my studies right now ;) hope u like...I was aiming for more angst..but i realized its not the best time..its gona fit somewhere else much better..ok nm u dont know what im talking about, u havent even read the chapter..lol
Chapter 33: Moving On
Kierra closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in the smell of the French toast that Remus was working on at the stove.
"I don't know, Remus…I was never a brilliant student…never took much of an interest in my studies…" Kierra said as she opened her eyes and picked up her quill from the table and began to doodle on the parchment Remus had given her.
"That's rubbish Kierra," he replied as he aimed his wand at the frying pan and forced the toast to flip over, "you were a very good student"—
Kierra dropped her quill and looked squarely at Remus. "But you didn't even like me until this year…you always thought I was a complete ditz"—
Remus glanced shortly at Kierra, slightly startled by her interjection, before turning back to preparing their brunch.
"Well, that was before I got to know you…" he said slowly, "I misjudged you, and I'm sorry for that. Anyway, if you were such an idiot, you wouldn't have graduated from Hogwarts, nor would you have been accepted as an auror in the first place"—
"But"—
"Nor would Dumbledore have invited you to join the order," Remus said firmly, "I'm afraid you're anything but ditzy, whether you like it or not."
Kierra raised an eyebrow at him. He in return only sighed resignedly.
"Oh alright, you have your moments…but you know, I like that about you. It makes you human…and likeable, and very cute." Remus said as he brought a plate of French toast to the kitchen table and took a seat across from Kierra.
Kierra smiled half-heartedly as she helped herself to toast.
"You know, you were really good in Ancient Runes…and you were awfully fond of the subject too…" Remus continued when Kierra wouldn't speak.
"Yea, I suppose…"
"And history of magic…"
"You said that was a useless, blow off class that people took to get an easy A…"
Remus looked at her curiously. "When did I say that?"
"The night before our first day of school last year…" Kierra replied.
"Oh…" Remus sighed exasperatedly. "Must you remember everything I say? I didn't really mean it"—
"Yes you did"—
"I didn't know you liked it"—
"Remus you don't have to change your mind just because of what others think, honestly. You can be so compliant sometimes…" Kierra snapped.
Remus, who looked taken aback for an instant, smiled a moment later. "You say that as if it's a bad thing…"
Kierra's expression softened at his reply. "It's not…but…you know, too much of anything is bad…"
"I suppose you're right about that", Remus replied, "but I'm not that compliant. I mean, I can stand my own ground"—Remus stopped and frowned as Kierra sniggered—"What? I can!!"
"Of course you can…" Kierra replied.
"Do I smell sarcasm?" Remus asked.
"Maybe…just a little…" Kierra said as she picked up her quill and began drawing again.
"I really can stand my own ground"—
"And I believe you." Kierra finished.
"No you don't…"
"Hey aren't we supposed to be talking about my pathetic life here?" Kierra interjected.
"Oh that's right…"
"Thanks a million, Remus."
"Anytime…"
Just then two popping noises sounded and Mr. and Mrs. Lupin apparated into the kitchen.
"Oh, hello kids!" Mrs. Lupin said as she and her husband set their shopping bags on the table. "How are you doing Kierra?"
"Oh! I'm well, thank you…" Kierra replied awkwardly. Why didn't they seem surprised to see her at their house? 'Oh God…' Kierra thought miserably as she realized that they might have seen her sleeping in Remus's bed…and Remus had to explain to them what happened to her while she was still asleep…
"Glad to hear it…" Mrs. Lupin replied.
Kierra shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Mr. and Mrs. Lupin bustled around the kitchen, putting groceries away. Every few moments one of them would glance back at her, looking somewhat sympathetic.
'Oh bloody hell…they know…' Kierra thought.
"Lovely drawing, dear" Mrs. Lupin said as she looked over Kierra's shoulder. On her parchment Kierra had begun to doodle, but later turned her doodles into a vase of flowers that almost perfectly mirrored the vase that sat in front of her on the kitchen table. "You've really got a knack for art, haven't you?" Mrs. Lupin continued. "Do you paint as well?"
"Oh, yes. I like it all, really. Drawing, painting, sculpting…It's what I do when I'm not busy…or when I'm supposed to be busy doing something else…" Kierra added with a grin, reminiscing of her school notebooks that always seemed to have had more doodles and drawings than they had lecture notes.
"Well, let's add that to your list of strong subjects then" Remus said.
"Art?" Kierra asked uncertainly.
"Yea…you could always become a professional artist, and get commissioned to make portraits or something…"
Kierra let out a hollow laugh. "More like a starving artist…it's not the most stable work out there…"
"That's true," Mr. Lupin commented as he picked up the Daily Prophet from the table and studied the front cover, "probably not the most practical career out there…"
Kierra sighed. "All of my favorite subjects are useless and impractical…I mean, what does one do with ancient runes and magical history?"
Mr. Lupin looked up from his paper and at Kierra. "You know, an old friend of mine, he passed on a few years ago, he was an expert on deciphering runes. He was actually a language expert as well…knew about twenty languages…Anyway, he worked as a curator at the British Museum of Magic. It's a small ways out of London…not too far away. Most wizards that I've known who are interested in magical history and whatnot usually work in places like museums or other big research institutes."
"Really? That actually sounds kind of interesting…" Kierra said.
"Yes, and once you gain enough experience and knowledge, you can always go on to teach somewhere if you wanted. I daresay that Runes professor at Hogwarts is getting pretty old. Perhaps in a few years he'll snuff it and"—
"David! What an impolitic thing to say!" Mrs. Lupin exclaimed, shooting a warning look at her husband, causing Remus, Kierra and Mr. Lupin to snigger. However, they were suddenly cut short when Mr. Lupin began to cough fitfully.
"Really, David, you ought to go see a healer!" Mrs. Lupin said with a frown as she pat her husband on the back.
"Nonsense"—he choked through his coughs—"I'm as fit as a fiddle; It's just a small cough"—
"It's anything but small, David. And it sounds quite unnatural if you ask me"—
"Well what do you know, I wasn't asking you…" Mr. Lupin replied with a hint of irritableness. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to catch up with. I'll be in my study, I'm not to be disturbed."
As Mr. Lupin left, Kierra glanced at Remus questioningly.
"Dad has too much pride to go see a healer...he doesn't like being helped with anything." Remus explained.
"Mmm…like father like son, I suppose." Kierra said teasingly as she got up.
"What?" Remus asked, getting up quickly from his seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kierra grinned. "It means I have to go now and I wanted to leave you some stuff to fume over."
"First I'm overly compliant, now I'm stubborn?"
"Exactly…now, if you don't mind, I'm going to head back to my place. I can just see Dominique flooing over to everyone's houses in search of me…Anyway I need to write my parents to tell them about…well, everything that's happened since yesterday…and I need to get some career advice…"
"Alright…I'll be seeing you later then. Take care of yourself." Remus said.
"I will. Oh, and uh...thanks for being there for me, and…well, thanks for everything…" Kierra said quietly to Remus as Mrs. Lupin had begun to busy herself in the pantry.
"No problem" Remus replied. He leaned closer to her and gave her a kiss before she smiled and disapparated out of the kitchen.
"Nice girl…" Mrs. Lupin commented as she came out of the pantry with a bottle of dark green liquid.
"Mum…were you eavesdropping?" Remus asked.
"Of course! And don't look at me like that, it's my job you know!" Mrs. Lupin retorted as she popped the top off the bottle she was holding.
"Er…mum, what is that?"
"Oh, just a little potion I'm going to slip into your father's afternoon tea...it's for his cough."
Remus rolled his eyes as he headed out of the kitchen.
"And you better not say a word to him, Remus!" Mrs. Lupin called after him.
"Don't worry about it, I won't!"
"Wormtail! Finally!" James exclaimed several days later as his friend apparated in front of him.
"Yes, it's about time, Wormy," Sirius said impatiently, "You're over an hour late. What took you so long?"
"Oh, sorry about that," Peter replied as he rested his briefcase on the floor of Sirius's flat, "but…uh…Crassus wouldn't let me leave until I finished the security charms on a bunch of vaults, and double check them to make sure they worked…"
"How very nice of him…" James commented.
Peter shrugged. "Goblins aren't particularly fond of wizards…"
"Bunch of nutters…" Sirius muttered.
"Sirius, that isn't very nice!" Lily retorted, casting a glare at him. Sirius ignored this chastisement and stared out the kitchen window looking quite bored. James, who spotted this, grinned at his friend.
"Tired of us already, Mr. Padfoot? Maybe Moody's right…we all spend way too much time here…" he said.
Sirius looked at James earnestly. "What? That's rubbish…you guys don't spend enough time here!"
"Padfoot, we come here almost every day!" Peter said with a laugh.
Sirius shrugged. "Yea…well…I guess it's just weird seeing you all only a few times a week, when I've been so used to seeing you 24/7".
"I know what you mean…" Lily replied, "I'm so used to having Kierra, Alice or Dominique, or all three of them at once, up in my face…and when I'm at home I'm used to fighting with Petunia…but now I have none of that…it's quite nice, actually…"
"Lily, you're too kind…" came a voice behind her. Lily turned around only to see Dominique coming out of the bathroom with a wry grin on her face.
"I still love you though!" Lily replied.
"I'm sure…" Dominique replied as she sat down next to her friend "Remus and Kierra aren't back yet?" she asked as she glanced around the room.
Sirius sighed. "I told them to just apparate outside the restaurant…but no…they have to take the long way and walk…"
"I thought you said the restaurant was down the street…" James said.
"It is! Maybe I should go down there and check on them…"
Sirius got up and went to the door. Just as he opened it, a look of slight revulsion overtook his face. There in the hallway was Kierra and Remus, looking quite occupied.
"Ewww…." James sneered. At hearing this, they immediately pulled away from each other.
"Oh hey guys!" Kierra said a little too perkily.
"you know, this is getting really old…walking in on you two whilst you're snogging…think of something more original!" Sirius said as he took the paper bags from Kierra.
"So sorry…we'll try better next time…" Remus said apologetically as he nodded at his friends upon entering Sirius's flat.
"Oh you know what would be absolutely wicked?" continued James, "if we were to walk in on them…while they're having…a conversation!"
Everyone in the room fell into laughter except Kierra and Remus.
"I mean, do you guys ever talk?" James continued.
Kierra rolled her eyes in response. "Of course we do!"
"Really…what do you guys talk about?"
"Er…."
"Stuff!" Remus said.
"Stuff?" Sirius asked innocently. "What kind of stuff?"
"Er…"
"Good answer, Moony" James said. "not as evasive as Kierra's reply…"
"We talk about...school...and stuff..." Kierra said.
"But we're done with school...how could you possibly want to talk about that?" Lily asked.
"Oh that's right..." Kierra mttered.
"Face it you two. You have nothing in common except your love for making out...now, let's get started on this dinner, I absolutely love Italian…" Sirius said as he opened the containers of food. "Er, you guys didn't do anything that might've contaminated"—
"No!" Remus and Kierra retorted at once.
"Ok, ok…just asking…"
"And that's not true at all..." Kierra added, glaring at Sirius.
"What's not true?"
"That we have nothing in common....anyway what about you and Dominique? What do you guys have in common?"
"Well, we're both extremely attractive..."
"and extremely egotistical..." Lily commented.
"and quite snotty..." James added.
"Hey!" Dominique and Sirius protested in unison.
"And they both seem oblivious to it all..." Peter added.
"Well, as our dear friends have pointed out Moony ol boy, Dominique and I are clearly made for each other. That's why we're getting married this Saturday, after all..." Sirius said. "Now as for you two...well...I don't know what you share..."
"besides spit..." James added.
"Oh very funny..." Kierra said as she smiled sarcastically at her friends and sat down to join them.
"Oh we're only teasing," Lily said as she pat Kierra on the back. "Hey, D and I were talking earlier while you were gone...please make sure you get to the wedding a little early, ok?"
"Of course I'll remember!" Kierra retorted, "You think I'll forget?"
"Yea..."
Kierra frowned. "I won't. Don't worry..."
"Can't believe our Padfoot's all grown up..." James said, turning to Remus and Peter. "I just hope your guests can find their way to the wedding...you picked such a remote place. If you wanted to have it outdoors, why couldn't you just have it at a park?"
"Ask Dominique..." Sirius replied, rolling his eyes.
"Parks are too public...I wanted it to be a private affair.." Dominique replied.
"So you have your wedding in the middle of nowhere?" James asked amusedly.
"It's not in the middle of nowhere! It's the perfect place...nice open country...lovely lake nearby..."
"Maybe you should have the wedding at Hogwarts..." Lily said with laugh.
"And the giant squid and all the merpeople could come.." Kierra giggled.
"Oh shut up you two..." Dominique snapped.
"Ooh...someone's touchy today..." Lily replied.
"Pass the linguine..." Dominique said tersely to Remus.
"prewedding stress..." Kierra commented. "My sister-in-law was an absolute bitch the week before her wedding...er"--Kierra smiled at Dominique as the latter glared at her--"not you of course...you're an absolute doll..."
Dominique only rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Remus. "So, do you think your dad will make it, Remus?"
Remus frowned slightly as he continued to eat without so much as looking at Dominique.
"Yes, he'll be coming...but he can't stay long. We made an appointment for him at St. Mungo's...so we'll be taking him shortly after the reception."
"Any ideas as to what he might have?" Kierra asked.
Remus shrugged. "No idea....it just started off with a lot of coughing, and now it's taken a turn for the worse...he's been feeling feverish and seems to be having some memory loss..."
"Memory loss?" Peter asked.
Remus nodded. "Though he won't admit it...it certainly seems as though he's suffering from it...the other day he got all mixed up in his study and couldn't remember where he put half his things...and usually he's very sharp about remembering everything..so...oh"--
Remus pointed towards the window, indicating at a tawny owl that pecking gently at the glass.
Sirius quickly got up and opened the window for the owl. Just as it flew in, the owl immediately fell onto the coffee table with its wings spread out.
"Aww...poor guy...must've flown a long distance..." Lily said as she got up and went to the sink to get the owl some water. She reached into the cupboard and picked out a small bowl and filled it to the rim. Careful not to spill, she walked across the room and placed it on the coffee table and began to gently coax the bird into getting up. "Who's the letter for?" she asked as Sirius had just taken the letter out of the owl's mouth.
"Kierra..." he said, holding it out to her.
"Me? Who's it from?" Kierra asked as she too got up and went over to Sirius.
"Doesn't say..."
Kierra took the envelope from Sirius and ripped it open.
"Well, what's it say?" James asked after several moments' silence.
Kierra was grinning from ear to ear when she began to read her letter aloud:
Dear Ms. Nakofsky,
After reviewing your application and credentials for the position of researching curator at SIMA, we are pleased to inform you that that there is an opening at our institute that we hope you will accept.
"What's a sima??" James asked.
Kierra ignored him and continued:
SIMA is a venerated institute ranked among the top research institutions in the magical world. SIMA fosters the intellectual and character development of over 4,000 young wizards and witches in Salem. Founded in 1834, it is the oldest wizarding research institute in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. Through teaching, research, and community service, the Salem Institute of Magical Arts is the place where knowledge touches lives. (a/n: I sorta stole and revamped this paragraph from the mission statement of SLU, where I used to go..lol u can see the original at if ur curious..)
As head researching curator, some of your amenities will include free on-site housing, which will feature a state-of-the-art fireplace, perfect for flooing, as well as an express owl, in order to ensure smooth, quick and easy communication for all your professional needs.
Some of your responsibilities will include administering the affairs of our museum, as well as our historic sites around the country. As the head curator you will direct the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections, including negotiating and authorizing the purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. You are also responsible for authenticating, evaluating, and categorizing the specimens in a collection. You will oversee and help conduct the institution's research projects and related educational programs. However, an increasing part of a curator's duties involves fundraising and promotion, which may include the writing and reviewing of grant proposals to and from the American Ministry of Magic, journal articles, and publicity materials, as well as attendance at meetings, conventions, and civic events.
Most curators specialize in a particular field, such as herbology, magical creatures, ancient runes, or magical history, and so should you accept this position, within a few months you will need to pick your specialization. Soon after this takes place, you will begin training in wizarding education so you can be qualified to teach should you choose that path later on in your career.
Enclosed, please find the acceptance/rejection form, which we request you to return ASAP via owl. On behalf of SIMAS, we hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
Vincent Emerson
SIMA Director of Affairs
"I got it!" Kierra said excitedly, "I got the job!!"
Dominique and Lily jumped on her at once.
"Way to go Kierra!!" Dominique squealed as she hugged her.
"Can you believe it?? Salem??" Kierra asked. " I mean, I know it's nothing to what they have here in Britain...but they're the best in the States..."
"And look at all the stuff they're giving you!" exclaimed James as he grabbed the letter and reread it. "You won't have to worry about rent! I don't get it...why would they want you?? Ow!" James rubbed his arm where Lily pinched him.
"They wanted her because she got excellent grades"--Lily replied.
"And because I went to Hogwarts...I heard the wizarding schools in the states aren't nearly as good as the European ones..and Hogwarts is like one of the best..." Kierra added with a grin. She looked around happily at all of her friends as they congratulated her...Well, all but one. Remus still sat in his seat at the table, staring disbelievingly at her. After a few moments, his silence became unbearable.
"Remus, er...aren't you happy for me?" Kierra asked with a frown.
"Huh? Oh...yea...of course I am..." he said, though not sounding too happy. "congratulations..."
"Thanks..." Kierra said warily, absolutely certain he didn't mean it. She continued to look at him. "You're not happy for me..." she finally said.
Remus looked at her and sighed, shaking his head. "How can I be? You're going to move now..."
a/n: tear oh nooooo....what have I done???? sorryyyy...its not my fault...well, ok it is..but i had to...im trying to keep this damn thing in sync w/ long lost love...sigh...n/m...that only reminds me of the dilemna of ending this story...i'll explain that in another a/n later..lol newhos click below and leave one!!