There's another world inside of me that you may never see.
There's secrets in this life that I can't hide.
Somewhere in this darkness there's a life that I can't find.
Maybe it's too far away or maybe I'm just blind, maybe I'm just blind.
So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong
Hold me when I'm scared and love me when I'm gone.
Everything I am and everything in me
Wants to be the one you wanted me to be.
I'll never let you down, even if I could.
I'd give up everything if only for your good.
So hold me when I'm scared, right me when I'm wrong.
You can hold me when I'm scared but you won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone.
When I'm gone, by 3 Doors Down
Chapter Twelve
Darkness Rising
It was a very cold Sunday morning in Hogwarts. A thin mist covered the grounds, making only the treetops of the Dark Forest visible. The Great Hall held very few occupants, due to the early hour. Julie was seated at the Gryffindor table all by herself. Her messy ponytail was still the same, the sleeves of her oversized robes were rolled up and her eyes were still puffy from lack of sleep. Julie yawned and looked over the staff table. Professor Sprout was the only one having breakfast. She waved to her, earning a sweet smile back from the young girl. Julie turned her attention to her food as she heard some of her fellow students from other houses also shivering as they ate.
"What an awful weekend" she whispered to herself as she poured hot chocolate into her goblet. She did it very carefully not to spill anything. As she succeeded in her task, not a drop on the table, a figure caught her attention.
Julie looked over the door to the Great Hall and saw Megan Malfoy, one of her roommates, walking toward the table. The blond girl moved to sit by the end of the table, alone, as she usually did. Julie bit her lip as she thought. Being half-blood, the fear of asking a Malfoy into conversation took over her, but the memory of hearing Megan soft sobs during the night were too strong…she had to know what happened.
"Er…Megan?" Julie called. Megan's cold, gray eyes found Julie's "Er… care to come closer? It's too cold to sit all by myself"
For a few seconds, Megan didn't move. Her eyes traveled to the Slytherin table, where a few seventh years ate their breakfast without giving her any indication of noticing her. Her eyes traveled back to the staff table. Only Sprout there… Megan then looked over at Julie, who was adjusting her red and gold scarf around her neck. In slow steps, Megan got closer, sitting opposite Julie.
"I didn't get too much sleep either…too cold, you know?" Julie said.
"What makes you think I didn't sleep well?" Megan asked, her voice cold.
Julie looked at her and froze for a second. There was no way she was getting out of this one without a scratch. She blinked her big hazel eyes and cleaned her throat softly.
"Well…it's just that…I heard you crying…"
"I wasn't crying" Megan said, dryly.
Julie stared at her.
"Yes you were, Megan. I heard you. It's ok to be scared…I am too" Julie said apologetically.
"Scared? Why should I be scared?" Megan asked, her eyes too cold for her young age.
"Come on, Megan. You know what that meant. You-Know-Who is back. The whole castle is talking about it and…"
"And why should that frighten me?" Megan asked as she dropped her fork and stared at Julie "I might be in Gryffindor but I still am a Malfoy"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that nothing will happen to you, Megan" Julie's eyes were wide "You saw what happened to Harry, to the Professors, we are all…"
"There's no we, Owens" Megan stood up "Draco was right about all of you…mudbloods" and stormed out of the Hall.
Julie was left thunderstruck, eyes glittering.
"We are all on the same side, Megan" she whispered to herself, lips trembling.
Extremely dark green dress, black frock coat on top of it buttoned from her neck to her navel, hinting the curvy shape of her body underneath. High collar, long bell sleeves, black high heels leather boots, black hooded cloak, hair tide up in an elegant bun, dark lashes and cold eyes; wand up her sleeve.
Moira entered the medical wing slowly, her eyes searching the room, making sure no one was awake. Sirius was sleeping heavily, his back turned to her. Harry was also asleep, lying on his back, covers to his chest. In between the two beds, sleeping in a chair and in a very uncomfortable position was Remus. She slithered inside, making no sound as she walked, despite of her high heels. Madam Pomfrey looked up at her, frowning a bit.
"Child…you should be in bed…" she started.
Moira gestured for Poppy to keep her voice down.
"How are they?" she asked, her own voice dropped down to a whisper, still a bit hoarse.
"They'll be fine in no time" Poppy said sweetly "Harry woke up in the middle of the night and he and Sirius talked for hours. I let them for a while then I had to put them to sleep again" she gestured at a small vial on her desk "Remus fell asleep without it. Poor thing…the curse was too strong for him to handle" Poppy stopped her reasoning and looked over at Moira. The young witch stole a glance her way.
"It takes more than that to put me out, Poppy" Moira whispered, her eyes on Harry. Poppy nodded, clasping her hands. Moira turned to her, her eyes were so cold… "I'll live"
"Don't tell me not to worry" she said as she went back into her little office.
Moira looked once more at the three wizards asleep and moved toward the door.
"Moira?" a sleepy, hoarse voice called softly. Moira turned in time to see Lupin rubbing his eyes and sitting up straight. He turned to her, narrowing his eyes to focus them "What are you…where…how…"
"Shh…go back to sleep" Moira whispered as she approached him.
"Where are you going?" Lupin asked as Moira put a blanket over him.
"To the Ministry" she said.
"What? Why?"
"Will you be quiet?" Moira hissed, looking from Sirius to Harry, who stirred in bed "You'll wake them up"
Lupin sat up on his chair, his eyes searching hers. Something was different about them…there was a cold shadow behind them, a strong shadow.
"I have something to do" Moira said as she bent down, facing Lupin "Don't tell anyone" her eyes met Lupin's. Moira blinked as she saw worry in the depths of his clear eyes "And don't worry about me" she said as she stood up again.
"Are you in trouble?" Lupin asked as she turned. Moira stopped and turned on her heels.
"That's an interesting question" Moira sneered "I'm always in trouble, Remus" she turned and left the ward as silently as she had gone in "Go back to sleep" Remus heard the words in his head but swore Moira hadn't moved her lips to say them.
Moira pulled up her hood as she left the castle, walking toward the gates. As she got closer to the forest borders, a dark shadow moved toward her, coming from the woods. Moira stopped and waited, almost eaten away by the mist. Out from the curtain of white fog, came Mavros. If had been any student they were sure to die on the spot for the sight of Mavros, a tall and strong winged horse coming out of the mist was absolutely astonishing. He moved toward her, and as he reached her, pushed her with his head, the friendly gesture softening his appearance. Moira smiled weakly.
"Not today, Mavros" she said as she petted the horse's face "I can't take you where I'm going. But I promise we'll ride another time" the horse swished his long tail "Watch over the castle while I'm gone, ok?"
Moira turned and walked away from her horse, disappearing into the mist. As soon as she left the gates, she Apparated with a soft popping sound. The wind blew stronger on the grounds and the gates rattled in the silent early morning.
Her heavy lashes batted as she observed the movement around the phone booth that was the entry to the Ministry. If she was going into enemy ground she might as well do it right, no surprises. Moira put a spell on herself, making her appearance vanish just as if she was under an invisibility cloak. She walked cautiously from the alley she had Apparated on into the street, avoiding to run into any Muggle passing by her. As soon as she got into the phone booth, she lifted the spell. Picking up the receiver she dialed the code numbers. Moira waited patiently for the soothing voice ask her name and business. It wasn't a long time.
"Moira Crane Dumbledore, Aurors Headquarters" she said in a strong, clear voice.
Almost at once, her pass went through the little slot and the booth started to move down. Moira noticed that the usual 'thank you' and the 'Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day' weren't spoken nor was she asked to present her wand at the security desk. Moira raised her left eyebrow and grinned. They were probably too shocked to do anything.
As the lift fell into darkness, Moira's thoughts did the same and the very thing that came to her mind were not words but a feeling...the extraordinary feeling of Severus's lips on hers...a feeling she knew she would never experience again...a feeling she would have to forget. She felt her insides turn and her face get hot. Moira had told him pretty much everything...everything she had been hiding for the past fifteen years. It was a relief in a way, but in another was a risk... a risk she wished she hadn't taken.
Moira blinked a few times, shook her head and raised it, maintaining her royal posture, something her mother had taught her to do very well. In a matter of moments, the lift opened its doors to reveal the Ministry to her eyes. Before leaving, Moira noticed how the wizards and witches were looking into the lift, waiting to see if it was a prank, if Moira was really inside. She didn't want to keep them waiting, so she lowered the hood of her cloak and entered the Ministry with her head held high and cold eyes staring ahead of her. She walked slowly, her cloak framing her steps, hearing the whispering around her. Some of the Ministry workers actually ran as they got a glimpse of her. The usual loud room was now almost in complete silence as the only daughter of Albus Dumbledore waltzed her way through the far back of the Antrium. As Moira reached the security desk, she gestured to take her wand from her sleeve but froze as several security officers circled her.
"That won't be necessary, Miss Dumbledore" a tall officer said, his wand firmly in his hand.
"I'm a visitor, shouldn't you check my wand?" Moira asked in her velvet low voice.
"No need, Miss" the officer said, taking a step away from her as she turned to face him.
"Oh move over!" a female voice warned "She can take you all down with a blink of an eye, you imbeciles" Justine said as she got into the circle around Moira "And you fear her wand...come along and lose the visitor tag…you don't need it" she gestured for Moira to follow her.
Justine Lorcan was as tall as Moira and about the same age. Graduating from Hufflepuff, Justine was one of the only ones from her house to become an Auror. Pure blooded, the woman used to say the Sorting Hat was insane when he put her in Hufflepuff when her sister and her brother were both in Slytherin. Long black hair hanging straight to her waist, dressed up in gray pants, long sleeve shirt, and robes, Justine led Moira to the elevator.
"Did you have to tell them that?"
"Admit it, it was fun" they stopped at the end of the queue to take the elevator "Did you see their faces?"
Moira smiled at her friend but it soon turned into an almost evil grin; the whole queue was staring at them. As the elevator opened its doors, they all made way for them to pass in front of them. The two women did and got inside.
"Damn, girl... you have to visit more often" Justine jested. Moira clicked her tongue.
"Language..."
Sirius opened his eyes slowly, focusing at the ceiling. His head still hurt quite a bit and his body was sore. His eyes traveled up, looking at the out of focus strand of hair over his them. He pulled it forward, trying to take a better look: it had come back to its usual black. His eyes traveled to the palm of his hand as his fingers released the lock of hair. The cut that was made had left a small scar behind. He touched it as his thoughts traveled to the event at the Three Broomsticks. Snape, of all people, Snape had been there to help him and he hated him even more for that. Why he did what he did Sirius would never know and he would never ask. Now he was in debt with the man and that was not a good thing, not at all. Sirius blinked, trying not to think of it for now. He turned his head and found Lupin sitting straight up in the chair between him and Harry. Sirius moved, turning on his side, making Lupin look at him with big clear eyes.
"What's the matter?" Sirius asked as he pulled his body into a sitting position.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" Lupin replied a bit too fast.
"Come on, Moony, it's all over your face" Sirius stretched.
Lupin looked at Harry, still asleep and turned to Sirius. He couldn't hold this much longer.
"Moira has gone to the Ministry" Lupin spat.
Sirius dark eyes got very wide and his eyebrows shot up.
"WHAT!" he exclaimed, making Poppy come out of her office "When?"
"Not so while ago" Lupin said as he stood up "She told me not to tell anyone but; we have to tell Dumbledore"
"Now!" and Sirius got up at once.
"Where do you think you are going?" Poppy asked as she followed Sirius moves as he looked for his clothes.
"Poppy, where are my clothes?" he asked, walking around in pajamas.
"I'm not telling" Poppy said "You are not to leave here until you are all better"
"I am all better!" he yelled, making Harry wake up startled "Poppy, please…" he asked between clenched teeth. Poppy pursed her lips and with a wave of her hand Sirius' clothes appeared over his bed and the curtains around it closed "Thank you" he said from within and started to change.
"What's going on?" Harry asked as he put his glasses on, sitting up on his bed.
"Nothing for you to be worried about" Lupin said calmly.
But Harry didn't believe him. The both of them were in a hurry and something was indeed wrong for them to be so nervous.
"Tend to him, Poppy" Sirius said as he stepped out of the curtains and moved to the door, Remus at his heels "Stay here until we come and get you" Sirius told Harry before he and Remus disappeared behind the Ward's door.
Harry's eyes traveled from the door to Madam Pomfrey. She raised an angry eyebrow at him.
"Don't even think about it" she warned "Now, eat up and stay put!" she said as a breakfast tray appeared in front of him.
The two women entered Auror's Headquarters silently, trying not to cause too much panic, but to no avail. The whole room was in a riot, with Aurors going from one side to the other, memos flying everywhere; apparently the whole Ministry had already heard that Moira was in the building. Moira held herself with grace as she entered the room. She felt eyes following her every move; for the first time, she, the predator, was the prey. She could see the faces, the lips murmuring about her daring act, about everything she did or what they thought she did.
"Oh for Circe's sake!" Justine exclaimed from the middle of the room "Will you all get a grip! It is not like she is Harry Potter! Go back to work!" and she turned, leading Moira toward the far back of the cubicles filled room.
The Aurors didn't have to be told twice. As Justine was known for her temper, and she was also higher in rank, so they didn't have much choice than to abandon looking at Voldemort's ex-fiancée and go back to the matters at hand.
The room was crowded and every Auror inside it was going from one place to the other, carrying reports, charts and maps. Moira heard a few of them arguing about what had happened in Hogsmeade, complaining about the security breach, amongst other things. They were busy trying to find out what had happened, how it had happened and that relieved Moira in a certain way. At least they were one part of the Ministry that hadn't been bought by Malfoy money.
Moira stopped short as she saw a certain cubicle. Her lips parted as she saw several images of herself blinking at her, even some of her late mother. The walls of the cubicle were papered with them. There were Daily Prophet clippings, magazines articles, pictures taken, some drawings and even a whole genealogical tree showing the Cranes' and the Dumbledores' relationship. Moira's eyes traveled from one item to the other extremely fast.
"Ethan Leery" Justine said as she looked at the walls "He is, well, obsessed"
"But I was never accused of anything" Moira took a picture of her mother down the wall "She's been dead for almost fifteen years, for Merlin's sake" Moira breathed.
Justine nodded.
"I know …I've been trying to tell him that. He's the oldest one around Moira, he's fifty-three and that, for an Auror is a bloody long time to remain alive" Justine said. Moira didn't move "Ethan saw too much, been through too much..."
"That is no reason to do this" Moira whispered as she looked at the picture of her beautiful late mother "How can you people let him continue with this?"
"Because is the only thing he does" Justine said "He's harmless, hasn't been out on the field in years. If you haven't see this, you would never know"
Moira put back the picture of her mother on the wall. Right beside it was a very old Daily Prophet clipping. Moira narrowed her eyes to read the already yellowish paper.
"Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has become a father and on no other date than Halloween. Husband of Tsarina Crane, the couple are now parents of a baby girl they named Moira, which means "great" in the Celtic language. Apparently the parents are expecting great things from their young one. No one has seen the baby, yet, but sources from Saint Mungo's tell us she is a very healthy girl. Tsarina is doing well and should be back home in a couple of days"
Moira's lips parted. She didn't have to look too hard to see that everything about her was on the walls of Ethan Leery's office. The pictures and clippings showed her through out her life, at Hogsmeade, sitting inside the Three Broomsticks with Sirius, on Diagon Alley, beside her mother, getting her school supplies and even eating ice cream with Lily. The man followed her life and she never even knew it. That couldn't be good. She looked around for some indication of the outcome of the Halloween night, almost fifteen years ago, but it there was so much to see, her eyes couldn't focus until… Moira's heart skipped a beat. On a secluded place of the room, inside a beautiful silver frame, was a picture of Lily and James smiling and waving and Sirius holding the infant Harry in his arms. On the same frame, Moira was beside her mother, both with identical smiles. That didn't mean he knew anything besides that both families were close friends. Moira looked around and found another article, this time from a magazine. It went on and on about Tsarina, her heritage, her doings and another mention of her having Moira. Apparently the wizard world was already afraid of her, of her following her mother's steps into the Dark Arts.
"I can't believe it" a deep, hoarse voice came from behind the two women.
Ethan was not a very tall man. He was thin, had short gray hair and huge green eyes that were looking straight at Moira through round glasses. Unshaved and wearing robes that looked like they haven't been changed for days, Ethan had an almost crazy gleam to his eyes. He looked at Moira as if he was looking at a pot of gold. He was holding a folder under one arm and held a cane in the other. Although he was fifty-three, his appearance was much more tired than that, making Dumbledore look as if he was a teenager. Ethan took a step closer to Moira, going around her, looking at her as if he was examining a rare piece of art in a museum. Then, without warning, he launched his arms around Moira, pining her own to her sides, dropping the cane and the folder to the floor.
"You're safe!" he said, shutting his eyes tightly.
Moira was unable to move. She simply looked at Justine, who was wearing a big bright smile on her face, making the scar she had near her eye more visible.
"Told you he was harmless" she said.
Ethan let got of Moira but still held her arms. He looked at her face as if he was looking at his long lost daughter.
"Um...Mr. Leery" Moira started but stopped when a big smile reached his face.
"I knew it!" he yelled "You have your mother's voice. So long staring at papers and pictures, I never heard your voice...say something else" he asked, looking like Arthur Weasley when he saw something new about Muggles.
"Mr. Leery..."
"Call me Ethan, please" he asked, not even blinking.
"Ethan..."
"Oh...it sounds beautiful" the old man swooned.
"Well, my hands are losing circulation" Moira said softly "Do you think you could let them go for a second, please?"
Ethan looked down at their hands and let go of them immediately.
"Oh…sorry, sorry" he said, taking his cane and his folder from Justine "I heard what happened in Hogsmeade" he looked at Justine "Well, everyone did...I got so worried, but you did it! You fought them all!"
"Um...Ethan, Moira has some work to do" Justine said politely "Do you think you could excuse us for a moment?"
"Sure, sure...got carried away, that's all" Ethan said, taking a step back and sitting on a chair. He still gripped his cane and folder tightly.
"It was…nice meeting you…sir" Moira said sweetly, earning a big smile in return. Ethan nodded energetically and went back to work. Moira and Justine walked out of his cubicle "I didn't know it was that type of obsession.. He acted as if he was my father"
"He feels he is" Justine said as she showed Moira into her office "He admired your mother very much. It was the only one here that defended her from false accusations and things like that; and when she had you, he followed your steps as if you were his own"
"What about his own family?" Moira asked, taking off her cloak.
"Complications during labor. Both her and her child didn't survive" Justine said.
Moira nodded, feeling guilty about thinking ill of the man. Ethan had buried himself in work, in a life that wasn't his to forget about pain. She wondered if that is what her own father did when her mother had died and she had been cast away. She had never asked him. As her mind tried to focus on the matters at hand, Moira found herself thinking about Ethan's sweet smile and big green eyes. She felt as if she knew him…but that couldn't be true, since she never met the man…Moira shook off her head lightly, trying not to think about it any further.
Moira sat down on a chair in front of Justine's desk. The office had mismatched furniture and a low ceiling, making the atmosphere feel pretty close to claustrophobic. There was a window enchanted to look as if the office was located on a high floor and next to it stood an imposing cabinet with glass doors. Inside were swords and other fighting instruments, enchanted of course. Behind Justine's desk were several filing drawers and on the wall next to the door was a board with several dots indicating the movements of wizards they were spying on. Moira's eyes narrowed and she took in a relieved breath when she saw that her name and Sirius were no longer there, but there were a couple up there that she recognized.
"So...moving on" Justine said, making Moira look at her "What was it that you wanted to see me about?"
Moira raised her head, meeting her eyes.
"I want to tell you myself everything that went on in Hogsmeade and in Hogwarts" Moira said, her voice colder than before.
"Hogwarts?" Justine frowned "When?"
Moira unbuttoned the collar of her frock coat revealing the purple wounds around her neck. Justine's jaw dropped and her eyes met Moira's.
"Apparently my ex didn't like me interfering with his business" Moira said coldly as she buttoned her collar.
"Are you saying Voldemort did this? How?" Justine asked, standing up and moving to lean on the end of her desk, in front of Moira.
"Are you comfortable? Because I'm going to give you the long version" Moira said.
The observatory was empty on Sunday. No student was seen walking around the high ceiling room, between one telescope and another. Indeed, no student could be seen, but one could be heard. Megan's soft sobs echoed in the room. The girl was curled up on the floor, behind one of the telescopes, eaten away in the shadows. The picture of her parents was in her hands, and as she looked at her father's face, more tears streamed down her face.
"I don't want to be alone anymore" she whispered between sobs "Why did you leave me…"
Megan's gray eyes weren't cold as they usually were, but extremely sad. Her pale face was red and her thin lips trembled as she sobbed in the silent room. The war had started, she knew that, and she was scared beyond reason. Although she seemed much older, Megan was only eleven years old, and right now, after seeing the Boy-Who- Lived almost die in front of her very eyes, the youngest of the Malfoy realized how heavy her family name was and in how much trouble she was in just for having it. She was strong, she was a clever young witch but she had never faced dangers as Harry had. She was no match for the Dark Side as Harry was and that scared her. She didn't want to die but she didn't want to follow her mother's steps either. She was only 11 years old…
The door opened, making Megan start but she had to try to be quiet. Her hand traveled to the inside of her robes, putting the picture away safely. She listened carefully.
"Megan?" a voice called softly "I know you're in here; I saw you come inside"
"Go away Neville" Megan asked, more tears reaching her eyes.
She heard footsteps get closer, so Megan whipped her face on her sleeves quickly. Pretty soon, Neville was standing in front of her with the friendliest look on his face. That was definitely not going to help her get rid of him. He moved to sit in front of her, not saying a word. Megan tried to stop crying but there was something about his presence that enabled her to do so. It didn't take long for more tears escape her eyes.
"I'm scared too, Megan" Neville said softly "Even the teachers are"
"Why did he leave?" Megan whispered more to herself as she braced her knees, burying her face in them.
Neville observed Megan as she cried. He never thought a Malfoy was capable of such thing, but Megan was different than the rest of them. She lost something precious to her as he had.
"He didn't leave you Megan…your dad won't ever leave you" Neville said weakly. Megan looked up at him, her eyes red from crying.
"He's dead Neville…" she said as if every word took an enormous effort to come out.
"Yes, but you're not" Neville said, looking into her eyes "My grandma says that our parents live in us. My mom and dad were really good Aurors" Neville paused and looked at Megan with big and glittering hazel eyes. "They are in Saint Mungos"
"I'm...sorry Neville" Megan said quietly. Neville nodded.
"Well...I'm not much like them in that matter, but my mum and dad were really good in Herbology when she was in school. So I guess I picked that up from them"
Megan's eyes weren't flooding her pale face anymore. Instead, she had them hooked into Neville's hazel ones. His parents weren't dead but in Saint Mungos, their memory a mess...Megan had heard her uncle talk about them, but she wasn't going to tell Neville that...nor him nor anyone.
"Take Harry for example..." Neville said, turning on his seat so that he was facing Megan "He never knew his parents and he flies as his dad used to and it was his mother who protected him from You-Know-Who"
Megan nodded, crossing her legs underneath her.
"But what about me, Neville?"
"You're nice, Megan and I bet that is one of your father's traits" he said sweetly, making Megan smile and blush "Plus, told you he was very good in Potions, just as you are" Neville looked away "That is something I'll never be remotely good at"
Megan tilted her head as she looked at the chubby Gryffindor.
"You're still afraid of Professor Snape?" she asked quietly.
"Pathetic isn't it?" Neville replied, his eyes on the floor.
"I don't think you're the only one, Neville. Julie is terrified of him as well" Megan said.
As soon as she mentioned Julie she remembered how poorly she had treated the girl during breakfast.
"I should go talk to her" Megan said as she stood up, followed by Neville "I said some things that…well…weren't civilized"
"That is your Malfoy talking" Neville said and got a punch on his arm for it. He giggled.
Megan smiled at him and, standing on tiptoe, kissed him softly on his cheek before rushing out of the classroom. Neville stood back, smiling to himself as he watched Megan leave.
"I can't believe I was nice to a Malfoy" he said and left as well "Ron is going to kill me".
"Albus!" Sirius screamed as he barged into the Headmaster's office, Lupin at his heels.
The Headmaster was seated at his desk, putting some thoughts into his own pensieve. His eyes found the two young wizards in front of him.
"Sir, Moira has gone to Ministry" Sirius started but fell silent as Dumbledore raised his hand.
"I know where she went, Sirius" Dumbledore said calmly "She did the right thing"
"WHAT!" Sirius exclaimed as he approached Dumbledore's desk "She is acting as if she was guilty of something, and…"
"Sirius, Moira went to the Ministry to clear all of our names" Dumbledore said as he got up "I'm glad she took the civilized decision on her own, we all know what she is capable of when she loses her mind" Sirius paced the room, followed by Remus' eyes.
"You can say that again" said a picture of an old looking wizard in magenta robes, on the left of Dumbledore's desk. He was Phineas Nigellus, Sirius' great, great grandfather "That girl was not going to take quietly what happened to her in this very office. And I don't blame her. You should have been with her when it happened" he pointed down at Sirius "You, not him"
"You talk too much, Phineas" Dumbledore said with confidence, making the portrait stop talking. Remus and Sirius looked from the portrait to the Headmaster.
"What happened here, Albus?" Lupin asked "I know she was attacked but…"
"You know?" Sirius asked as he turned to Remus "Why the hell didn't you tell me? Attacked how? By whom?"
"Voldemort" Dumbledore said, making the two men shut up immediately "After fighting him off Harry in Hogsmeade, he came for revenge. Her defenses were lower so he took advantage"
Lupin fell seated on a chair, his lips parted. Sirius was too much in shock to move.
"And once again she fought him off" Dumbledore finished as he too sat down on his throne like chair.
"They think she had something to do with all of it, don't they?" Lupin asked and Dumbledore nodded "The connection between them is too strong, she told me she was in trouble."
"She's always in trouble" a far away feminine voice made the two men turn their heads. Floating a few feet from the ground was the silver form of the Gray Lady "That is why I told Albus what she was up to" the lady said as she floated toward the two young wizards "She is very fond of you, you know" she looked at them.
"So this is what happened…" said Dumbledore as he bid his farewell to the Gray Lady, who floated out of his window "We all knew this was going to happen" Dumbledore looked at Sirius and Remus "We all knew, as well as her, that Voldemort would come for her…it was only a matter of time" he lowered his head, looking extremely tired. "I'm calling a meeting out in the grounds tonight to strengthen the barriers around the castle. Before that time comes, I suggest the two of you enjoy the rest of your Sunday" The two wizards opened their mouths to protest when Dumbledore looked at them from the rim of his half-moon spectacles. Sirius and Remus fell silent, feeling as if they were students again "Although I hate to admit it, Moira is a grown woman. We can't protect her all the time, but we can make things difficult for intruders to get to her and to Harry. We'll deal with the problems as they come" The two wizards nodded and moved out of the office, looking like they had lost a battle. Dumbledore turned to Phineas "You talk way too much old chap…way too much" and heard Phineas snort at him.
"I'm fine Madam Pomfrey" Harry pleaded from his bed "Can I just please leave?"
"No!" the Healer exclaimed as she moved from her office to Harry's bed "Fine…everybody is always fine" she mumbled "I'll let you on a secret Mr. Potter" she leaned closer to Harry "There is nothing fine about what is going on; teachers as well as students being cursed, attacked, this is even worse than when the Chamber of Secrets was opened" the room fell silent. Madam Pomfrey's face changed from upset to extremely worried. She turned her blue eyes to Harry "I am not letting you out unless I am told to do so by the Headmaster" she spoke softly, her eyes on Harry.
Harry couldn't muster arguments to that. It was true; nothing was fine, nothing was safe, but he couldn't just sit there and wait for things to happen. He sat back on his bed, watching Madam Pomfrey go around the room, making sure every single supply was in place, in order. Harry's emerald green eyes traveled to the door as he heard footsteps get closer. Surely they belonged to Ron and Hermione or maybe they were from Sirius and Lupin, coming to get him, but as the figures appeared by the door, Harry's hopes diminished. Sophie and Abigail entered the room quietly. Dumbledore's niece held Henry in her arms. The child was wide awake and making funny noises as if trying to speak. The two of them talked briefly to Madam Pomfrey and then turned their heads toward Harry. Abigail smiled broadly, and Harry couldn't help but smile back, feeling his face get hot, she looked just like a princess.
"Feeling better, Harry?" Abigail smiled at him as she moved closer, her light blue dress flowing around her.
"Yes" Harry replied as he watched her sit down at the end of his bed, putting Henry on the covers.
"Do you mind if we bid you company?" Abigail asked and Harry shook his head at her "Thanks" she turned around "Come over here, Sophie" she called.
Harry had been so taken away by Abigail that he hadn't noticed that Sophie hadn't followed her. She was still standing by the door of Madam Pomfrey's office, watching him carefully. The woman wore black slack pants and a deep blue jumper. Sophie moved closer, her greenish eyes on Harry.
"Hello" she said as she reached the end of his bed.
"Hello" he replied, his eyes on her. He recognized the look on the woman's face. It was the very same look he got from wizards who knew who he was, what he had done.
"Guess what, Harry?" Abigail asked as she picked Henry up and sat him on her lap "Henry here is also a wizard"
Harry's eyes grew wide.
"That's great" he looked up at Abigail "Isn't it?"
Abigail smiled at him, her blue eyes flashing.
"Yes it is" she released Henry on the bed again, the child crawled up toward Harry, sitting up in front of him "The Dumbledore family has a new heir now" Abigail said.
"What's it like?" Sophie asked, sitting down on the chair Lupin had slept on "Being a wizard"
"Oh…" Harry felt his face burn "It's great" he looked up at her "I mean…I like it. It's no different than being a Muggle, but you get to do stuff other people can't"
"Like bursting a window with a cry" Abigail added with a laugh "Little Henry here has quite a temper"
Harry looked at the baby. He had his greenish eyes fixed on him. Then he crawled a little closer and sat back beside Harry, smiling at him.
"I did that once" Harry said looking from Henry to Abigail "I didn't break a window actually. It was more like making it disappear. My cousin Dudley and I were at the zoo. He fell in the snake's pit when the window vanished. The snake left and…" the words got stuck in his throat as his eyes were on Abby's. Surely, she had to know that her cousin was the snake he had set free that day.
"And it thanked you" Abigail finished and turned to Sophie "Harry speaks Parseltongue, Sophie. He can talk to snakes"
"Oh…that's…interesting" Sophie frowned "Can all wizards talk to snakes?"
"No. It is actually a very rare gift" Abigail said, her smile vanishing from her lips "My aunt had it, Moira has it and the Dark Lord has it"
Sophie looked from Abby to Harry and back at Abby.
"Is that a bad thing then?" she asked softly.
Harry looked at Abby, waiting for the answer.
"It's a Dark feature, but not that bad…no" Abigail said "Our Potter here is one hundred percent on our side" she smiled again.
Harry smiled at the witch but noted she didn't give the same certainty to her cousin or aunt. Clearly, something was wrong, and he needed to know what it was. He looked over at Sophie. The woman had her eyes following her son's movements. The baby was now crawling back toward Abby. He reached her, put his arms up and waited for the beautiful witch to pick him up. She did so and as soon as he was in her arms, his little hands went straight to her blond hair.
"Do you think Henry is a Parselmouth?" Sophie asked as she watched her son play with Abby's long hair.
"There is a remote chance since it runs in the family" Abby said "But I think he has better chances of being a Seer" she said as she widened her blue eyes at Henry, making him giggle.
"That runs in the family? I thought you were the only one" Sophie said.
"My grandmother was a Seer. It skipped my mom's generation and came straight to me. But he will have a connection" she looked at the two faces staring at her "All Dumbledores are connected, you know?"
Sophie and Harry frowned and almost on cue, turned to each other.
"It's nothing big but let me put it this way; when Nicholas asked you to marry him and you said yes, I couldn't stop smiling and I was on the other side of the country. I bet the rest of the family felt something of the sort as well"
Sophie smiled and blushed a little. Harry grinned as well. It was clear in her eyes that she loved her husband very much and that the affection was returned.
"I see, so, do you think that is why Henry broke that window?" Sophie asked "He might have felt something that was happening at the time" Sophie concluded, remembering that Moira had been attacked at the time Henry burst out crying.
"Might be" Henry made funny sounds and smiled at her "But it might just have been his temper. I'm glad to see he is better now" she looked from him to Harry "Both of you"
Harry smiled back at her.
"That was really scary; what happened in the tavern" Sophie said as she got up "I'm glad you are safe, Harry" she said honestly. Henry looked up at his mother and put his little hand to his stomach, mumbling the word "tummy". Abby could help but smile at the request "Well...let me get this one some lunch before he breaks another window" she took Henry in her arms and left the ward, Henry waving at Abby and Harry as he left.
"There's something wrong isn't there?" Harry asked. This was his chance of getting some answers and he took it. Abigail snapped her head back, her eyes on him "What happened to me in Hogsmeade, Miss? No one told me…why did I see…"
"I am not the one to tell you about these things, Harry...Remus..." the name died in her lips.
"Please, Miss Dumbledore...I have to know. I need to know what happened to me" Harry pleaded, moving to sit up on the bed.
"Voldemort took your soul, Harry" Abigail said fast, looking at him with the saddest blue eyes Harry had ever seen "Almost took it, actually" she added under her breath.
Harry didn't say anything. His whole body felt cold and numb. Abigail studied the boy. The poor thing had almost lost his soul and no one told him how or what had happened. The least she could do is answer him; after all she saw it happen.
"White Death is one of the strongest curses a wizard can cast" Abigail started, moving to sit closer to Harry "The soul, or spirit, or whatever you call it, is suspended, leaving the body behind, looking as if it's dead" her eyes traveled away from his face, lost in thought as if she was remembering something. "The body gets cold, pale. You can't even hear the heartbeat correctly, and depending on how the curse proceeds, your hair turns white" she looked at him "We got you back before you went too far"
"Where is the soul taken?" Harry asked without realizing it.
"To wherever the wizard who took it wants it to go" Abby turned to Harry "You see, Harry, White Death doesn't kill you right away. The body without the soul becomes fragile, and the longer it takes for the soul to be returned, the weaker are the chances of coming back from the curse" Abby sighed "If it takes too long, the soul is lost and the body dies"
"But how can it be returned?"
"By the wizard who took it; if he wishes to let it go, or by outside help to show its way back. That is what Ron and Hermione did yesterday"
"I heard them" Harry said, narrowing his eyes as the flashes from the day before came back to his mind "I heard them talking to me but I couldn't find them…I couldn't talk back"
Abby watched him very closely.
"Do you remember where you were taken?" Abby asked quietly.
"No…I saw a house and flashes of my parents but I don't remember…then I heard Sirius an then a woman"
"Moira" Abby whispered mindlessly.
"I heard her calling me…it hurt so much" Harry took his hand to his forehead "It felt as if…as if I was being taken apart from the inside" Abigail was looking straight at Harry, not even blinking.
"They battled for your soul, Harry" Abigail said, her voice shaking a bit "Gladly, Moira won"
Harry was speechless once more. He remembered hearing her words when she was attacked by Voldemort. He remembered being gambled between them. He remembered her denying to hand him over.
"She got weaker didn't she? From fighting him?" Harry asked "If she hadn't she wouldn't have been attacked and.."
"Don't say that, Harry!" Abby said and took his hand in hers "She did what she had to do and I can assure you she would do it again if she had to"
"But he got inside her mind. I saw it! He strangled her, he could have killed her!" Harry said. Guilt growing inside of him. "I don't want her to die!"
"She won't!" Abby rose her voice, her eyes glittering with tears "She won't die, Harry...not like that"
Harry observed Abigail carefully. Her eyes were incredibly sad and he knew she must have seen something she wished she hadn't.
"Miss...why did he do that? Why didn't he curse her instead?" he asked, half afraid of hurting her.
"Because magic wouldn't hurt her so much..." she whispered "They know each other too well for my liking...for her safety" Harry frowned "What I came here to say was that I want you to be careful, Harry. Whatever you feel or see, you have to tell someone, alright? Even if it means getting teachers involved"
"I'll be careful" he said.
Abby smiled briefly at him as she ran one of her hands through his hair.
"Now, get some rest" then she kissed his forehead softly and left the ward.
Harry watched her leave as a million questions filled his head. What did she mean by getting teachers involved? Was she suspecting her own cousin? What about White Death? How did Moira fight off Voldemort and how did he get to her if he was so far away? How could magic do less damage to her? As a headache was beginning to form, Harry's problems appeared to be solved when he saw Hermione and Ron by the ward's door.
"I have loads to tell you" he said as both of his friends rushed to his bedside, ignoring Poppy's warnings.
"How could he touch you, Moira? How…" Justine trailed off.
Moira took her time to tell the Auror about how vampires and a Mordred had attacked Hogwarts, about how Harry has been feeling the pain on his scar get worse and how he was almost taken into White Death. Moira also mentioned her mind had been invaded by Voldemort but conveniently left out what memories were brought back to her. She also didn't mention Snape…in any way.
Justine had moved to sit on a chair opposite Moira and was now looking at the floor, her eyes traveling through the wooden boards, thinking fast. Moira studied the Auror. It wouldn't take long for her to figure out that Moira's connection to Voldemort was stronger than they thought, but they could never guess she too carried a lightning bolt scar on her pale skin, and she would keep it that way. She was just waiting for Justine to mention Tsarina as well. She knew her condition and knew she was receiving her mother's powers for some time now. That was probably why the Ministry had cast a spell upon her as soon as she had entered its doors. It made impossible for her to harm anyone inside, and it made her fell extremely light headed. Of course she knew the counter curse for it, but it was better to let them think they had power over her…for now.
"What about you?" Justine asked as she sat back on her chair "How are you handling all of this?"
Moira blinked as she stared into Justine's eyes.
"I'll live" she said simply. Moira narrowed her eyes at her friend.
Justine looked at Moira, smiling a bit.
"Are you trying to get in here?" she tapped the tip of her finger to her temple.
Moira smiled, blinking again.
"Good blocking" Moira smiled as she got up from her seat "I bet they thought you that in Auror school, right?" Moira put her cloak over her shoulders.
Justine nodded, also standing up.
"Look…" she started, moving to face Moira "I trust you and I know if you thought you were putting other lives in danger you would do something about it, but I can't help but worry" Moira buttoned her cloak "What if come Halloween you lose control? What if…"
"I already have that worked out, Justine" Moira said in a cold tone of voice, making the room feel as if it had dropped a few degrees in temperature "Do worry, but not about me" she took one step closer to the Auror "Keep that half-blood out of my castle and away from my students and we won't have problems" she said in a dangerously low voice.
"If I didn't know you I would say you are threatening me" Justine called, crossing her arms over her chest. Moira laughed out loud, making shivers go down her spine.
"Oh please, Lorcan. If I were to threaten you would I come all the way inside the Ministry of Magic, in the core of Aurors Headquarters? I just told you in detail every single thing that happened so that you people" Moira looked around at the faces of the Aurors that had stopped to listen to their argument "don't get things mixed up" she took another step forward "I'm simply saying for you to do your job and I'll do mine. We should work together on this, not against each other"
"That is easy for you to say, Moira" Justine said between clenched teeth "Everyone in Hogwarts believes Voldemort has returned, over here, things are very different"
"Oh, yes, I had forgotten" Moira said, smiling "Voldemort is just a figment of my father's imagination" she turned to leave "Think about it, Justine. Voldemort is very real and I will spare no means to make him disappear…" she turned to Justine "Even if that means landing me a room in Azkaban" she turned again "I'm sure that you can find a way to work... around certain obstacles" and moved out of the office. Justine caught Moira by the door.
"If I follow you in this and you are wrong, I'm going to kill you" she hissed by Moira's ear.
"Get in line" Moira whispered back and left the office.
Justine watched Moira's dark figure walk away. She passed her hand through her long hair and sighed. Justine didn't move but felt someone stand beside her, on the door to her office.
"I can't believe she actually came down here" a feminine voice spoke.
"That's Moira for you. As daring as her mother was" Justine murmured and turned to the woman beside her "What do you say, Tonks? Shall we follow her lead and get ourselves into even more trouble?"
The young witch with bright pink hair beside her smiled.
"That's why we're Aurors, isn't it?"
Justine rolled her eyes and turned to get back into her office.
"I sometimes forget you are related to Black, therefore also have an uncontrollable urge to seek trouble" she said as she got into the room.
"That's not true, trouble usually finds us" Tonks said as she also got into the office. A loud breaking noise was heard "Sorry".
"I swear, woman, one of these days you're going to get us all killed" Justine complained.
Moira walked passed Ethan Leery' s cubicle and peeked inside; the old man was pouring himself over some files, his back turned from her.
"I can feel your eyes on my back, Miss Dumbledore" Ethan said without turning "Would you come in for a few moments?"
Moira couldn't help to smile as she entered the cubicle, not making a sound as she walked. She stood tall behind Ethan, waiting to hear what he had to say. The man turned around and looked at her, smiling as his eyes found hers.
"I got you this" he said as he handed her a small piece of paper. As Moira opened it and read the content, her lips parted.
"You registered me as an Animagus?" she asked, looking at the man's green eyes.
"I figured you wouldn't have the time and with everything that is going on, the Ministry would look for anything they could find to use against you" he said sweetly.
"Thank you" she whispered, smiling politely. She never acted this open around someone she didn't know, but there was something about him that made her feel safe…home.
"You are very welcome" he waved his hand and a chair appeared next to the young witch "Would you care to sit down?" Moira sat down, crossing her hands over her lap "You truly look remarkably like your mother. I bet people tell you that all the time"
"Yes, but they usually are running away as they say it" she replied quietly.
They stared at each other for a few moments. Neither couldn't part from the other's gaze. There was such familiarity between them, even if it was the very first time they had actually met. The silence in the room was not an uncomfortable one. There was much more to both of them than what they were letting show.
"Fudge won't believe you...you know that, right?" Ethan asked and Moira nodded "Then why did you come all the way down here? You know he will twist this and turn it into something against Albus. He is trying everything to discredit your father's image in front of the wizarding world"
"And having me back in the castle will help him a lot in accomplishing it" Moira said, sounding amused "Mr. Leery...Ethan...I know what Fudge is capable of but I also know what Tom is capable of and he is my biggest worry right now"
Ethan smiled at Moira, conjuring up two cups of tea.
"I love to hear that bastard been called by his first name" he handed Moira her tea "And I love to see you do it. I don't think he knew what he was getting into when he asked you to marry him"
"Am I supposed to feel flattered? Because I don't" Moira smiled, sipping her tea. Moira's big almond shaped eyes were on Ethan's green ones. The question she was about to make was already at the tip of her tongue and his eyes showed her he wanted to answer it "How do you know so much about me? Why do you care, really?"
Ethan's eyes changed, they focused on the thoughts hidden away in the back of his head. Slowly, he got up from his chair and moved to his fake window, the only place that wasn't covered with information about the two Crane women.
"Your mother was a dear friend of mine" he said hoarsely "She was a remarkable woman and an incredible witch. Too bad not many people knew her like I did" Ethan turned to a picture of Tsarina beside Chloe, both still teenagers. "Even after marrying your father, Tsarina wasn't seen as anything more than a threat. They were so wrong about her, so wrong"
"What happened?" Moira asked, putting her tea down.
"The same thing that will happen to you, eventually" Ethan turned to face Moira "When fifteen years of her mother's death - your grandmother - she got her share of her powers. Your grandmother wasn't as soft hearted, as your mother was, Moira. She believed in pureblooded marriages and keeping the Dark Arts tradition in the Crane line. No wonder she gave birth to two women." Ethan sat down again "Amazingly enough, her two daughters were quite different from each other. When Tsarina got the Dark in the Crane lineage, Chloe skipped it completely. She kept the Sight to be delivered onto your cousin, but Chloe herself wasn't all that powerful and that is the root of the problem"
Moira's heart was beating too fast for her liking. The sky on the outside of the fake window started to get dark and thunder was heard.
"On the day that your grandmother completed fifteen years of death, the remains of her powers were passed on to her daughters. Tsarina wasn't able to control it and ended up hurting Chloe" Moira opened her lips to speak but Ethan cut her "She didn't mean to, but the charge was too strong for her to handle. Chloe recovered fine but people talked, they talked about how she turned on her own family. Tsarina didn't care of course; she was too worried about protecting you"
Moira's lips were very pale and her hands were extremely cold. She didn't know what to say, what to think…
"You were really young when it happened" Ethan moved closer to Moira "Even though no one wanted to take this public, there were inquiries and your mother was one step away of being sent to Azkaban when one person intervened"
"You" she whispered and Ethan nodded.
"I took the responsibility of being her Watcher, making sure she wouldn't hurt anyone else, I knew she wouldn't anyway"
"A guard?" Moira asked dryly "What about my father?"
"He didn't object. Albus is a good friend and he knew the Ministry wouldn't listen to him, they still don't. So I became your mother's guard and when she had you." Ethan's voice broke "she made me your…"
"Godfather" Moira's lips parted, whispering the word.
Ethan looked around; making sure no one had heard her. Moira just sat there, thunderstruck. How could she not know about this? That explained it all; her trust in him.
"It was your mother's way of protecting you. She knew that if anything happened to her, they would try to take you away from your father, put you under surveillance, of course Albus would never let them." Ethan looked at Moira "Your father loves you more than he loves his own life" Moira wasn't blinking "And having me around would only make things easier for him. You are the first Dark witch to have your own Auror, Moira"
Moira smiled nervously, blinking several times. That explained the pictures on the walls. He had followed her from afar for her whole life, and she never knew of him. How could her father never tell her about Ethan?
Moira looked into Ethan's eyes and her eyes grew wide. She had seen in the back of his mind the very same vision she had nightmares about ever since her teen years. Her lips parted once more and Ethan knew she had seen his memory, he knew she has been seeing it for a very long time…
"That was a cover" he said, sadness in his voice "My wife didn't die during labor, she had the same fate as the Potters, only a few years before them" Ethan said, his eyes shining with tears "I was working out of the country at the time." his voice broke "My wife, Josephine, was your godmother, Moira" he moved closer, leaning forward in his chair, his hand touching her pale face "So this is why I care, child" his eyes on hers "Because you are everything I have left"
Moira couldn't bring herself to say or do anything. She simply let herself be embraced by Ethan, who sighed deeply.
"I am so sorry" Moira murmured, her heart feeling very small in her chest "I didn't know; no one ever told me who you were."
"I asked your father not to tell you" Ethan said, sitting back on his chair "It was safer this way, for both of us" she nodded "Josephine would have been very proud of you. She'd worried sick during the years you went, well, missing, but she'd be very proud"
Moira's hand found Ethan's.
"Do you know who did it?" Moira asked, praying to be wrong.
"Liam Laois" he whispered, his face wearing a hard expression. Moira sighed discreetly "He was still so young when it happened".
Moira closed her eyes briefly, letting all of this information wash over her. She had come in to help Justine, to clear her name and protect her father's and ended up finding out about her godparents; that was something she really wasn't planning on. Her mother was not able to cope with her powers, and Halloween was growing near, it was the fifteenth since Tsarina death, it was Moira's time to get the remains of her mother's powers and she was afraid. She knew that the lightning bolt scar on the back of her shoulder would only makes thing worse and the thought of hurting any of her friends or family got bigger.
"Come Halloween, I want you to be there" she raised her eyes to meet Ethan's; they were glittering. He smiled and nodded encouragingly.
"I'll be there" he said, his voice showing how happy he was that she had asked him. He understood her fear, he knew she had reasons to fear herself and after all these years, watching her from afar, wondering where she was for so long, he was finally going to be able to be beside her goddaughter. "But it is very important that you keep this a secret, Moira" Ethan whispered, "No one here knows about me being your godfather and we have to keep it that way"
Moira nodded and moved to stand up. Ethan followed her action with his eyes.
"I better be on my way then" Moira said softly "Or people will wonder what I've been doing here for so long"
"Oh…they'll simply think I kept you here" Ethan replied "I'm obsessed, remember?" he joked and moved to stand in front of her "If there's anything you ever need, you know where to find me" and he offered her his hand. Moira took it and found that inside of it there was a small object. She opened her hand to find a small rose quartz stone in her hand "I trust you know the spell that will activate the stone?" Moira nodded, lowering her eyes "Don't do this, Moira, don't blame yourself"
"She was pregnant, Ethan" Moira whispered, her eyes looking at Ethan's "She was pregnant and that bastard killed her"
"Jo knew what it meant to be your godmother" Ethan whispered calmly "She was honored to be such, so don't taint her choice"
"I won't" Moira said, raising her head at Ethan. The images of Liam came back to her; him telling her not to deny her nature, to give in to her impulses, him kissing her. Moira's hands turned into fists as she tried to control her temper, not wanting to break things in her godfather's office.
"He'll come to us, Moira…" Ethan said, his eyes cold for the first time "Laois is impulsive and sooner or later, he'll make a mistake and we'll catch him on it…and this time, there will be proof to send him away for good" Ethan took Moira's hand in his "It was very good talking to you Miss Dumbledore" he said in his hoarse voice, abandoning completely the controlled and elegant posture he had, and going back to look like the tired and obsessed old man everyone thought he was "Have a safe journey home"
"Thank you Mr. Leery" Moira replied in the same manner "It was nice meeting you. Have a good day" she turned and moved out of the office, her black robes billowing around her steps.
Ethan watched her leave. As her figure vanished from his sight, Ethan could hear the murmurs around the office, indicating she was leaving Headquarters. He sat back down on his chair and with a wave of his hand, the teacups vanished from sight; Ethan sighed. His face had a different glow to it, making him look much younger than he was. Ethan's long fingers opened a drawer on his desk and pulled another silver frame from it. The picture in it was not of Moira or Tsarina, but of Josephine. The woman had long ash blond hair and big green eyes. She was standing in front of a house that stood on the top of a mountain. The wind messed her hair and made her dress flow around her. She smiled at him. Ethan closed his eyes at the picture and smiled, as if feeling the wind against his face.
"I told her, Jo" he whispered to the smiling woman in the picture "No more hiding".
Ethan kissed the tip of his fingers and touched the picture with them, then putting it back in his drawer.
"Come Halloween, the Dark Lord will have competition" he said and moved back to work.
"You have to be kidding us!" Ron exclaimed as Harry finished telling them what Abby had happened "Your soul? I thought that was impossible"
"I had only read about that curse" Hermione said as they went past the portrait hole, into their common room "But I thought it was another ancient and forgotten spell"
"I remember it fine" said Harry as he walked inside, still feeling a bit sore.
Poppy had finally released him from the Hospital Wing when she had been told to do so by Minerva. The three wizards skipped lunch and moved directly to the common room, Harry avoiding the other students as much as he could. Whispering and murmuring were back in place as he moved around the school. They had stopped after he had come back. Watching Cedric die was one of his worst memories he was sure he would have and listening to people asking him about it wasn't helping. With Dumbledore's daughter in the castle, the gossip murmurs had moved to her, and although Harry didn't like those either he was glad he wasn't the focus of them anymore, up until now.
"HARRY!" Ginny exclaimed as she got into the common room, making everyone turn their heads toward her. The red head came running toward them, only stopping when her arms went around Harry's neck. She hugged him briefly and gave him a peck on his cheek "I'm so glad you're alright!" she said with an honest smile on her face.
"Er…thanks Ginny" Harry said, blushing a little.
"So…any news on what has been going on?" she asked as she sat down with them "I heard Professor Crane left for the Ministry this morning"
"What?" Hermione said "How did you…"
"Cho" Ginny said softly "She heard the Gray Lady tell Dumbledore when she was going to breakfast" she looked at Harry "She was really worried about you"
Harry blushed even more, looking away from Ginny. His eyes found Ron's, who shrugged at him.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all" said Hermione. Her eyes found the three curious pair of eyes looking at her "It's started. Voldemort is back, and even if nobody believes, he is coming for you, Harry" she said quietly "I hate to be the barer of bad news, but we have to talk to Dumbledore"
They nodded. Harry stood up and moved toward a window, looking down at the misty Hogwarts grounds. Voldemort was back; he had known about it since last year, but now, having almost lost his soul to him, he had felt it, there was no escape, he was strong and he was coming for him. Yes, they should talk to Dumbledore, but say what? Do what? They could be smart and know their way around magic, but in the end they were just kids, and Harry had a very unpleasant feeling that his luck was coming to an end. He wasn't so sure he could escape Voldemort once again, not after he had come back to power, not after what he did to Cedric. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing behind him.
"We'll be here, Harry" Hermione said.
"Don't worry, mate. You're not alone on this one" concluded Ron and Ginny smiled sympathetically at him.
Harry nodded, but it made him feel no different. His friends would support him, fight beside him, but in the end he knew it would make no difference. This war was between him and Voldemort and there were no guaranties about getting out alive.
"Attention" echoed Professor McGonagall's voice in the room "All students and teachers are required to attend a meeting in the Great Hall immediately"
Harry looked at his friends.
"It's started" he murmured before leading the way out of the common room, Granger and the two Weasleys following him.
"What are you going to tell them, Albus?" asked Chloe as she stood beside him by the staff table.
"The truth, Chloe, the truth" Dumbledore said as he looked at the students entering the Hall.
"Be careful Albus" Minerva said as she took her seat beside the Headmaster "You know the Ministry doesn't believe you"
Dumbledore nodded as he watched the teachers get into their seats. Indeed, the Ministry doesn't believe him but he had a responsibility to his school, to his students and staff. He had to let them know what was going on in order to be able to protect them, or try to. Dumbledore sighed heavily as he moved to stand in front of his throne-like chair. He looked around the room, at the young faces that were about to enter a war. This time, it was different...so very different, and Albus Dumbledore feared some of the curious faces around them, and their parents as well, weren't going to make it out alive.
The staff started to fill the room as well. Lupin entered the room through the door located on the back wall, behind the staff table. He sat down, worry on his face. Nicholas, with Henry in his arms, Sophie and Abigail entered the Great Hall through the same door, a few moments later and moved to sit at the end of the staff table. Dumbledore looked ahead and saw Harry move into the Hall with his inseparable friends. He moved to sit at the Gryffindor table and looked at Dumbledore for comfort; the old wizard nodded his head discreetly and blinked. From the front door came Sirius Black, his pitch black fringe handsomely falling in front of his eyes, he walked toward the staff table, his face and posture in place, as if he didn't have a care in the world. As he passed Harry, he stopped and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry" he whispered and continued his walk.
Severus Snape was the last one to come into the room, sitting down quietly, without glancing to anyone. The seat beside him usually occupied by Moira was vacant and he wasn't sure how he should feel about that. He looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to begin. Snape's face gave no indication whatsoever about what had happened the night before. His black eyes were cold and his expression blank. From the far end of the table, Abigail watched Snape very closely. Her eyes traveled through the table until they found Lupin's looking back at her. Abby dropped her gaze toward the floor.
"I know the events of this weekend might have scared all of you, but I assure you all students and teachers involved are perfectly well" Dumbledore said, his strong voice echoing in the Hall. Moira's absence wasn't helping. "Many have been wondering about what took place in Hogsmeade and in Hogwarts and I'm afraid the news is all that pleasant" murmurs flooded the room but soon died down as Dumbledore raised his hands "Voldemort has returned to his powers".
Every single teacher in the room was expecting the students to yell and protest but nothing came. Instead a deadly silence filled the room as the young faces were unmoving; staring at Dumbledore, waiting to find out what was going to happen next.
"The Professors and I will be reinforcing the barriers around the castle tonight so you don't need to worry. You will be safe in Hogwarts" a few students sighed relieved "But I do ask for extreme caution when walking the grounds by yourselves. Anything odd, anything at all, report to a teacher" Dumbledore looked around once more and smiled "As long as you are inside these walls, I guarantee you no harm will come your way" as soon as Dumbledore sat back down, the plates were filled with food.
"Where's Professor Crane?" asked Megan in a whisper.
"She should have been back by now" Hermione said
By the look on many students' faces, the question was on many minds. Harry closed his eyes tight, hoping that everything was all right with Moira. He opened them again as he heard the doors of the Great Hall creak open. The room held its breath as a cloaked and hooded figure walked inside. Harry noticed a few teachers move, and he was certain they had their wands at the ready. As the figure moved away from the closed doors, she took down the hood to reveal Moira underneath it. Teachers, along with Harry sighed in relief.
Moira walked directly to the staff table, fully aware of the stares she was getting. Her posture in place and a hard expression on her face, Dumbledore's daughter crossed the room as if she was completely alone in it, not turning her gaze to anyone, not even Harry. She took off her cloak as she walked, putting it over one of her arms. Her father's eyes watched her every move, as did the rest of her family. Moira noticed; her anger and her fear grew stronger inside her heart. They were all already starting to fear her. She got up and took her seat between Snape and her father.
"Sorry I'm late" she said casually but coldly "What did I miss?" she asked as she turned to Snape.
Snape turned to her still not believing she was talking to him. After what happened the night before, he was sure she would ignore him until the last of her days, but instead, she had her beautiful chocolate brown eyes pouring into his, waiting to hear the answer to her question. Snape looked at her and wasn't so happy to see the indifference in her eyes. She was acting as if nothing had happened between them and to his despair; he was bothered by her behavior.
"The Headmaster has just informed the school that the Dark Lord is back" Snape said in his coldest voice "We will be reinforcing the barriers around the school tonight"
"Oh...better late than never" Moira replied and turned to her plate.
"How was it at the Ministry?" asked Dumbledore.
Moira raised her head and turned to look at Remus, who mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to her.
"Lots of information" Moira replied not meeting her father's eyes "Some of which I have to talk to you in private"
Dumbledore watched his daughter with the corner of his eye before turning to his meal. He had an idea of what she found in the Ministry and both apprehension and relief washed over him. He turned his attention to the hall ahead of him; the students and teachers acted as if today was like any other regular Sunday but there was something in the air that told him otherwise. Threat was hanging above their heads, and they all felt it. Dumbledore's blue eyes found Harry at the Gryffindor table. He was also behaving normally, but even from afar, tension could be seen in him. The Headmaster didn't dare turn to his daughter again but he was sure she was the same.
"Excuse me" Moira whispered and left the Hall, her meal not even halfway eaten.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Remus said as he found Nicholas and Sirius with their faces against the door that connected Moira's and Remus' classrooms.
"Shhhhhhhh" Nicholas said, not taking his face from the door "She'll hear you"
"Hush" Sirius said, his eyes shut "Listen"
Nicholas and Sirius pressed their faces against the door, trying to listen to what was going on inside Moira's classroom. Remus walked inside slowly, his eyes on the door. Right after lunch, Dumbledore left after Moira, following her to her office. By the way things were going, they weren't having a friendly talk for every now and then Moira's voice would rise and after a short silence, the sound of breaking glass was heard. Remus walked toward them, and got a place with his ear against the door.
"What's going on?" Remus asked.
"Apparently, my uncle hid something from her and she is furious about it" Nicholas said, moving to kneel down on the floor "Damn it, where's Abby when we need her?"
"Shhh…be quiet" Sirius hissed and the three heard footsteps get closer.
"You have no idea what that felt like…I never knew who he was…how could you hide this from me?" Moira said in a dangerously strong voice. Then Dumbledore said something else, but he was standing too far for them to hear him. Moira spoke again "Protect me? Protect me from what? From what happened to her? You know the Ministry is going to hunt me down…you know that because you told me so when you sent me away fifteen years ago!"
The three wizards exchanged looks while they heard Moira's steps move away from the door. Something else broke.
"DO NOT TELL ME YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT ME!" they heard her yell "Do you really believe that last night's attack was the worst thing that ever happened to me, father?"
Silence filled the room as the three wizards held their breath. Nicholas' mind started to race as his heart got really small in his chest. Moira had never spoken like that to her father and if she was doing so it was because he had told her to. His raising was as strict as Moira's and if she was yelling at her father was because something was very, very wrong for her to lose her temper and respect like this.
Nothing else broke, no more footsteps, no more yelling.
"What happened in the Ministry?" Nicholas asked more to himself than to the others.
The door to Remus' classroom opened and Abby came inside. The three wizards looked at her, waiting to be reprimanded by her but she was silent. Her extraordinary blue eyes were filled with unshed tears and she moved toward them slowly.
"Why am I so sad?" she asked Nicholas and he gestured for the door.
"Moira's sad, dear" he said as he held his sister's hand in his "So very sad".
"It hurts so much…" Abby whispered as she sat down on the floor next to her brother. Abby leaned closer to the door, trying to hear something herself, her eyes not meeting Remus "She met someone" Abby said, her eyes closed "She is feeling…lost" Abby opened her eyes "So lost"
More footsteps were heard but they weren't as strong or as fast as Moira but slow and steady. The four young wizards leaned further against the door, trying to hear something else.
"I can only imagine what you've been through and what is still to come your way" Dumbledore's voice was quiet and steady "I am sorry I didn't tell you about your godparents but it was asked of me not to do so and I respected that request" Sirius' jaw fell on his face as did the others "I will always worry, I will always try to protect you not because of what that prophecy said but because you are my child, Moira. You can grow old, marry and have your own children but you will always be my only daughter. When Halloween comes, there is nothing you can do that will take me away from you" nothing was said for a few moments, then Dumbledore spoke again "I had to send you away in order to keep you alive and that was the hardest decision I made in my whole life"
Tears streamed down Abby's face and Nicholas whipped his face on the sleeves of his robes. Sirius and Remus were too much in shock to do anything.
"I know I can't protect you, Moira, but I have to try" they heard Dumbledore whisper. "I must keep trying…"
More silence. The four wizards stood up, leaning hard against the door, trying to hear something else. What they heard was their bodies falling on top of each other as Moira opened the door that connected both offices. With a loud 'clunk' and several complaining sounds, Nicholas, Abby, Remus and Sirius fell on top of each other into Moira's office. They turned their head up, looking into Moira's pale face.
"Call the Ministry" Dumbledore said from behind Moira, his blue eyes twinkling "We have spies"
"Sorry, sir" Remus said as he tried to get up, but his leg was under Sirius' and his robes were stuck in Abby's heels "We didn't mean to…"
"We were just…" Sirius said, trying to move, but Abby was flat on top of him, the hem of her dress stuck under her brother's body "helping Remus clean his office.
"Yes" Nicholas and Abby said in unison "But of course you won't believe us" Nicholas concluded.
Moira stood silent, her long and thin fingers around the doorknob, her cold chocolate brown eyes staring at the four bodies tangled on the floor. It all only got worse when behind all of the bodies, inside Remus' office, Snape appeared. As her eyes found Snape's, Moira moved away from the door, leaving the wizards trying to untangle themselves in order to get up.
"Ouch, my hair is stuck on your cufflinks" Abby said as she leaned closer to Nicholas.
"Sorry" Nicholas said as he tried to untangle his sister hair from his wrist.
Sirius and Remus got up from the floor, taking the dust away from their robes. Dumbledore watched all of this with an amused expression on his face. He turned his head to find his daughter inside her office, walking from side to side. He knew it was all too much to handle but she had to find a way because it would only get worse.
"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked as he saw Snape standing behind them.
"I do not believe that is any of your business" Snape said in barely more than a whisper as he elegantly walked pass them and entered Moira's classroom. He looked at the door to her office and found her figure inside, unbuttoning the frock coat on top of her dress. His eyes traveled to the Headmaster "About the barriers, sir. Will you be needing any potions?"
"Yes Severus" Dumbledore replied, turning his attention to the Potion Master "Can you brew a caldron with the flagare elixir? It would be very helpful to have it around the grounds"
Severus nodded and bowed slightly, turning to leave the way he came. He stopped short next to Remus.
"Oh, here" Remus walked inside his office and from the top of his desk, he took the silver goblet and handed to Snape "Thank you, Severus".
Snape simply sneered and left the classroom, Sirius and Abby watching him go.
"I still can't believe he's brewing wolfsbane for you" Sirius said as he turned to Remus "And you are actually drinking it"
"I trust him, Sirius" Remus said as he walked toward Abby.
"Right" she whispered as she watched Snape's robes disappear on the hall. She turned and found Remus' clear eyes staring inside her own.
"We have to talk" he whispered to her.
"We should go" Nicholas said as he gestured for Sirius to follow him.
Slowly, Nicholas and Sirius left Remus' classroom, leaving Abby and the young werewolf to discuss their matters. An incredible urge came over them to press their faces to the door again, and try to hear their conversation, but since Dumbledore was with them, they could not succumb to temptation. Albus and Nicholas left Moira's classroom, but Sirius stayed behind, moving toward the young witch's office. As he went inside, he saw Moira seated on the couch in front of her fireplace, her eyes closed. He stood by the door, studying the figure before him for a few moments. Magic radiated from her and Sirius could feel it, and yet he didn't fear her like so many did. He knew her very well, knew what she was capable of, and yet, even with the changes she was undergoing, Sirius couldn't find it in him to fear her. There was so much being said, arguments, threats and yet Moira was only a woman…just a woman.
"Gryffindors are going to lose a great deal of money" Moira said, her eyes still closed.
"You're not going to the ball, are you?" Sirius asked as he entered the room "You never had any intention of going"
Moira opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.
"I wish I could go and dance and have fun, just as you want me to" she turned her head toward Sirius, her eyes were cold "But I can't…I'm sorry I didn't tell you…I just couldn't"
Sirius sat down next to Moira on the couch, pulling her closer to him, her head resting on his chest. They stayed like that for a long time, in silence. Everything that went on in Hogsmeade was still on their minds. That was too close a call for them to forget about it, for them not to worry about it, and yet they knew that worrying wouldn't do them any good. All they could do was to protect the students, protect Harry and be ready for whatever might happen. On the outside, thunder rumbled and rain poured down.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Sirius asked, still holding on to Moira.
"I don't know" she whispered "He won't risk open war, not while there's no proof he has come back" Moira moved away from Sirius' embrace and stood up "That is my worry" she said as she moved toward the fireplace "He is much more deadly when he acts quietly" her hand reached her neck where a few purple marks were vanishing.
Sirius studied Moira's movements. She was clearly tired but was making an enormous effort not to let it show. By her tone of voice, he also knew she was terribly sad and a few things came to mind as to why that was so. Tom Riddle acted quietly when he slithered his way toward Moira. No one ever knew about it until it was too late, until people started to be murdered, until he was sent to Azkaban. Indeed, Riddle was much more dangerous when quiet.
Moira sighed heavily as she moved toward the window, closing it so that the rain that was starting to pour down didn't flood her office. Sirius watched her in silence, his own mind racing. He remembered their childhood together, remember the train ride to Hogwarts, remembered everything about their youth, especially how Moira used to smile more. He even caught her and Lily talking about marriage and having a family once. Looking at her now, Sirius' heart grew heavier for he knew that that talk would probably never come true for her. "The Ministry is going to hunt me down" she had said and he knew it was true. They feared what they didn't understand, he's been through that and wouldn't let Moira go through the same.
"Why did you go to the Ministry for?" Sirius asked quietly.
"Damage control" Moira said tiredly, turning to face him "I talked to Justine about what has been going on" She leaned against the closed window "I think we have the Aurors on our side, the more the better" Sirius nodded "Justine sent her regards to you, she was worried when she heard you had hurt yourself"
Sirius grinned as he passed his hand through his fringe, letting it fall handsomely over his eyes. Moira smiled discreetly, as she saw the old Sirius back in place. If she wasn't mistaken, that particular Auror had some effect over the man. Slowly, as the storm on the outside grew stronger, the silence in the room grew heavier and both faces lost their smiles. Moira was quiet, the shadows in the room growing darker around her as the evening approached.
"What happened there, Moira?" Sirius asked as he stood up and walked toward her "You know you can tell me anything"
"I don't want to talk about it, Sirius, please" Moira said dryly "Not about the Ministry, not about last night." Snape went to mind but she pushed him back inside her head.
"All right, all right" Sirius said, shaking his head "I won't ask anymore, just…"
"If I need to talk, I'll come to you" Moira said, looking into his dark eyes "You are sounding more and more like Remus" silence hit them again as their eyes refused to look away from each other. A slight frown took hold of Moira's face as her eyes left Sirius' and moved to the door that connected both classrooms.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Abby" Moira said as she turned back to Sirius "That is not going well"
Moira looked into Sirius' eyes and there was something in them that she hadn't seen in a long time. He was hiding something. Moira's eyes narrowed as she approached him.
"Please don't tell me Remus cheated on Abby" Moira said.
"No, of course not" Sirius said fast, "Believe me, if he had, you would know"
"What is that suppose to mean?" Moira asked, making Sirius realize what he had just said. The tall wizard fell quiet and a look of complete guilt took hold of his face. Moira's eyes grew wide and her lips parted "Oh, please tell me this is not true" Moira asked.
"I'm sorry" Sirius said "I wasn't supposed to tell you"
"Oh, no Sirius, no" Moira said as she walked from one side of the office to the other "This can't be happening"
Sirius followed Moira's movements, never guessing she would react like this.
"How could he? I never…did I" Moira asked as she finally sat down on the couch "He told me there was someone else but I never thought it was me"
"He was pretty confused until Abby got here. I don't know how she found out…"
"She is a Seer" Moira snapped "Remus must have dropped his defenses and she saw it" Moira buried her face in her hands "Oh, Merlin, she is going to hate me"
"She can't, I mean, you didn't know" Sirius said as he approached Moira. The young witch looked up; her chin on her palms "It is not your fault, Moira"
"I know, it's just, I don't want to ruin our friendship and…"
"That was what Remus said" Sirius said as he knelt down in front of Moira "He never meant for you to find out" Moira nodded, taking a deep breath. It was too much for her to handle in one single day.
"I never meant to lead him into thinking… I never thought… Oh, I'm an awful woman" Moira said as she paced the room again "Remus is an incredible man. He is the kind of man any woman would love to have beside her and he deserves the best woman beside him. That woman is Abby" Moira said, her eyes shinning "I love him very much, Sirius, but not in that way and even if I did, I would never come between them" Sirius couldn't think of anything to say to that. He found himself nodding to her words.
"He never wanted to hurt Abby and I'm sure she'll see that" Sirius said as Moira sat back down.
"Don't tell him I know" Moira said, her back turned to him.
"I won't" Sirius said.
He never thought she would have reacted that way. In fact Sirius never thought about how Moira would react to anything related to love, since he never saw her manifest any kind of interest or affection toward any wizard. He never noticed what was going on between her and Riddle until it was too late and now, seeing how worried she was that she had hurt Abby or Remus in any way, Sirius felt sorry for her. It was clear in her eyes how much she cared for them and how she felt guilty about the situation she had nothing to do with in the first place. Moira was not an awful woman as she claimed, but a loyal friend.
The door that connected both offices creaked open and Remus came inside. His head hanging low, hands in his pockets. Sirius exchanged looks with Moira, both remained silent as they left Moira's office and went into her classroom. Lupin raised his eyes to meet Moira's and Sirius' looking at him.
"Well" Lupin said "I think it is safe to say that I'm an idiot".
"Don't say that" Moira said before she could stop herself. Lupin's eyes found hers "Whatever happened between the two of you, I know she'll come around" she said, sounding innocent.
"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure" Lupin said as he sat down in one of the student chairs, burying his face in his hands.
"Come on mate, it can't be that bad" Sirius said as he sat on the desk beside Lupin, his feet on the seat. Moira clicked her tongue at him and he moved fast, sitting on the chair.
"It's worse" Lupin said without looking at them "She cried" Lupin lowered his head, closing his eyes "I made her cry"
"Abby is very emotional, Remus. I'd worry if she didn't cry" Moira said, leaning on the end of her desk, in front of the two wizards. Remus lowered his hands and his eyes met Moira's "I'm sure once she has calmed down, you'll patch things up"
"How can you know that? You don't know what happened" Lupin said, his eyes not blinking. Sirius looked from Lupin to Moira.
"I know my cousin and that is the way she works, Remus. Besides, there can't be anything so serious for her to break up with you. You told me yourself you didn't cheat on her"
"And I didn't"
"There you go" Moira said.
Lupin nodded and buried his face in his hands again, passing them through his hair. Sirius tapped him on his shoulder.
"Come to the kitchens with me. I'll get you a Butterbeer. It's going to do you some good after the wolfsbane" Sirius said as he gestured to Lupin to get up.
"That tastes horrible" Lupin muttered as he followed Sirius to the door to Moira's classroom "I'm still having headaches but it's probably just stress".
"We'll see" Moira said, walking behind them "After next week, if you still feel that way, you'll have to see Poppy"
Sirius looked at Remus. His facial expression was telling him not to argue Moira's point. The three wizards walked out of the office, Moira locking it behind her. Several students were coming and going in the hallways, enjoying the rest of their Sunday. It was raining hard now and the kids were scattered in their common rooms, Great Hall and Library, some of them grouped together talking in the corridor as the three wizards passed them.
When Moira, Sirius and Remus were passing the staircases, a feminine scream echoed in the corridors, making the students almost jump out of their skin. Moira put her hand to her temple as she closed her eyes briefly in pain. She opened them again and looked at Sirius and Lupin.
"It's Abby" she whispered as she started her way up the stairs, the two wizards at her heels.
More screams were heard and students moved out of the teachers' way as they ran toward the source. As they reached the stair that led to the Divination Classroom, they found Abby seated on the floor, tears flooding her face, as she continued to scream and sob. Chloe was with her, trying to calm her down but nothing she did, helped. McGonagall and a few more teachers were coming her way when Moira passed them all to reach Abby. As soon as Abby saw Moira, she flung her arms up, taking her cousin into them. Moira's arms went around Abby as well. Abby held on to Moira as if her life depended on it.
"Shhhh" Moira whispered as she hugged her cousin and stroked her long blond hair "What happened?"
"Oh, Moira…I saw it" Abby whispered between sobs, tears freely streaming down her face "I saw it…"
"What did you see?" Moira asked and Abby shook her head violently. Moira let go of her and held her face with both hands, her deep brown eyes staring at Abby's blues ones "What did you see, Abby?" Moira asked clearly but delicately.
Abby cried as she looked around her. Teachers were around her, worry in their eyes. Sinistra and Sprout were dispersing the crowd of students around them. Abby looked back at Moira, more tears streaming down her face. She hugged her cousin again.
"He's going to kill you" Abby sobbed as the whole crowd held their breath "Oh…he is going to kill you, Moira"
Moira took hold of Abby's face again but her tone was not as delicate as before.
"Who, Abby? Who is going to kill me?" the dark haired witch asked.
Abby's eyes looked behind Moira's shoulder.
"Him" Abby whispered as more tears streamed down her face.
Moira turned her head, looking for the man Abby was talking about, only to feel her blood freeze. Behind the crowd of teachers, against the cold and dark stonewall stood the dark figure of Severus Snape.
A/N: So...what do you think? It took me long enough but I did it! Things aren't looking up for Moira, huh? We'll see what happens in the next chapter...Don't forget to review...I can see you want to...hehehe
To Ruth: I'm sorry to hear about your loss. It is in times like this I wish I lived closer to you. I'm thinking of you always and praying that you and your family can overcome this...Thanks for always being here for me as well...you're my sister in spirit!
To Trisha: You are an amazing woman who I admire a lot! Not only as a writer but as a person...thanks for being there for this Brazilian brat! Love you!
To Flora: For teaching me how to write strong and emotional scenes. I'm still crawling in them, but I'll reach you...never fear.
To Rosekeet: You are writing a great piece! Keep it up and thanks for trusting me with your work.
To Janel: How's your story going? I want to read more about Ariana...
To RivanKnight: Thanks for keeping with me...this is another long chapter and I hope you like it.
To Epholge, Windflower and Mione: Thanks for reading this and taking the time to review...it means a lot.
To Audrey: Remus and Moira...you are a very odd shipper, you know that? Luuuunnnaaaaa...hehhe...Thanks for reading and reviewing! Você é SHOW!
To StayGold: The hair goes back to normal color once the curse is lifted. Moira survived Voldemort only because he was weaker, since he had already cursed Harry. I wish I could tell you more but it would ruin the plot. I promise more things are going to come out in the open.
To Lu: YOU ROCK! You are White Death's public relations! Even Viviane is reading (Hey Vivi...drop me a review, will you?). Thanks for being so enthusiastic about my work.
To Lea e Soft Raindrops: Thanks for dropping me a line! Let me know your opinions about the story!
To everyone else not listed here...sorry if I forgot someone, but I'm acting a bit like Neville today...just know I love you and that I'm grateful!
See you all in the next one!