Discoveries

"So what are we actually looking for?" asked Charlie in a whisper, as Sally unlocked the door to Theodore Nott's room and slowly pushed the door open.

"Preferably a map with a big X marked on it, saying 'DEATH EATERS HERE' on it," said Tonks.

"Or a letter, saying 'Dear Son, please forward all post to the following address, Love Dad," added Harry.

"It's funny," said Sally, searching through a drawer, "he didn't come across as particularly evil when I was talking to him, just a bit smarmy. I'm surprised that the Death Eaters are bothering with him."

"Well, they need as many people as they can get if they're trying to reform – I mean there are only six of them at the moment. It's not as if Voldemort is using his…more persuasive methods of recruitment anymore, so they would have to start with members of family."

"How do we know that they're trying to reform?"

"What else would they be doing?"

"I don't know, but…"

Tonks interrupted by making a disgusted noise and holding up a copy of Busty Witches.

"He may not be evil," she said, dropping the magazine, "but he's still a pervert."

Harry, Bill and Charlie immediately launched into an enthusiastic spiel about just how perverted such things were, emphasising the fact that they would never even think of looking at such smut.

As Sally started going through another drawer, her hand closed over a piece of parchment. She brought it out carefully, so as not to tear it, and looked it over.

"I think I've found something," she called out, getting the attention of the other four.

Printed on the paper was a sequence of letters.

TVWBSQ

"It's in code," said Tonks.

"Well Bill," said Charlie, "this is your area of expertise. Any ideas?"

"I'll need to write it down," replied Bill, taking the paper from Sally, "but yes, I can probably crack it."

"Brilliant," said Tonks. "Come on everyone, keep looking, we might find something else."

Remus sat at a desk in the study, sorting through papers, while Emily sat on the floor making bridges out of some large, leather-bound books. It had taken Remus by surprise when the little girl had begun to follow him around, but he had soon become used to it.

"The bridges keep falling down."

Remus looked up. "Try standing the books up the other way."

The werewolf chuckled, thinking of what Mrs Black's reaction would be to the way that her heirlooms were now being used. He looked back at Emily, who had given up on helping her dolls cross the imaginary Rubicon, and was now looking intently at a book that had fallen open.

"What are you reading?"

"Not reading," she said, without looking up. "Pictures. I think this is Harry."

Remus crossed the room and peered over her shoulder.

"I can't…is that what I think it is?" The werewolf snatched up the book and looked more closely at it. "I can't believe Sirius kept this…and in here of all places…"

Emily looked up at him, her expression a mixture of puzzlement and annoyance that he had taken her new plaything.

Remus sat beside her. "That isn't Harry," he said, pointing at a boy of about twelve who was waving and smiling in one of the photos. "It's his dad." He flipped forward a few pages. "And that's me."

The little girl looked at Remus and then back at the photo, in a way that was almost comic.

Surely I don't look that old, thought Remus. He pointed to another photo.

"That's all four of us, back in second year."

"All four of us?"

Remus laughed. "Sounds like the beginning of another story, doesn't it?"

Emily nodded eagerly.

"Alright. Once upon a time, there were four boys, called Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."

One dead, betrayed by the second. The third lost to the Department of Mysteries. And me.

Who would have thought.

Harry and Sally sat on a bed in the room that they had all rented for the night, while Bill sat at a table trying to work out the code. Thinking back over what had happened during the day, something occurred to Harry.

"Sal?"

"Mmmm?"

"When you asked me to do a glamour to hide your wedding ring, why didn't you just take it off?"

Sally turned to him. "Didn't we ever tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I can't take it off."

Harry winced, imagining some sort of industrial accident in which the ring had become welded to her skin.

"It's an ancient charm. I stumbled across it before we got married, and I thought it might be nice and romantic, since we couldn't have a full magical wedding ceremony. Basically, neither of us can take off our wedding rings until the other one dies."

Harry thought that it sounded a bit more macabre than romantic, but decided not to say so.

"Have you tried to take it off since….um…" he tried, realising too late that it probably would have been more tactful to make a disparaging comment about the rings.

"Since Ron disappeared?" finished Sally.

Harry nodded.

"A few times. It's staying on, so…" she left the rest of the sentence unfinished.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, both thinking about what had happened over the past few days. Harry found it hard to believe that, less than a week ago his biggest problem had been...Suddenly he remembered why he had gone to Ron and Sally's house that night in the first place.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," said Sally.

"What's the shortest amount of time you've been going out with someone before you've said 'I love you'?"

Sally thought about it. Then her eyes widened.

"Are you thinking of telling Alicia that you love her?"

Harry blushed. "Just answer the question."

"Three hours," she said, with a wry grin.

"Really?"

"I was six at the time."

Harry swatted her on the arm.

"How did…" he began, and then stopped.

"How did what?"

"How did Ron tell you he loved you for the first time?" said Harry, quietly and very quickly.

"Harry, you don't have to tiptoe around me. I'm not going to burst into hysterical sobs every time anyone mentions Ron."

"Sorry."

Sally laughed. "Don't look as though you've accidentally eaten a child – I know you were just being nice. Do you remember that costume party that Dean had, where you,me, Ron and Hermione went as the four founders of Hogwarts?"

Harry laughed. "Didn't Hermione make you read the whole of Hogwarts; A History, to get into character?"

"Only the first four chapters, which was bad enough – that thing makes War and Peace look like a pamphlet! Anyway, that was where Ron told me he loved me for the first time."

"Really?"

Sally nodded. "We'd been going out for about three months. We were dancing, and Ron suddenly said 'I love you, you know.' That was when we decided to tell everyone that we were a couple."

"That's really…"

Harry was interrupted by the sound of Bill jumping up from the table.

"I've got it!" he shouted, bringing the others running. "It was quite simple, really, I should have cracked it ages ago. It says 'pravus'."

"Pravus?" repeated Tonks, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It's Latin for wicked or evil," said Sally. The others turned to look at her. "What? I did it at A-Level."

Suddenly, Harry had an idea. "Let me try something," he said.

'Pravus,' he said, touching his wand to the piece of parchment.

Immediately, ink spidered across the paper, forming a map of what seemed to be a castle. Moving around the map were small dots, each labelled.

"It's the Marauders Map," said Harry, stunned. "It's exactly like the Marauders Map."

A/N: Another update, slightly more punctual this time I hope! I do love feedback, so please review. Talking of which, review replies are now on my bio page.