Grim Convictions, Book 1: Relics of the Founders

by HarlanSpindlewheel

Elsbeth Ledoux is the perfect example of a pureblood princess. Well, at least on the outside. Feeling troubled by her family's beliefs and their growing involvement with a powerful dark wizard, Elsbeth begins to question her reality and is faced with an impossible decision. Blood is thicker than water - will she let it sink her? [Marauders Era] [OCxSiriusB.]

8. Chapter 8: The Skirmish in the Bathroom

OOF - this one took a SEC to edit... So I hope you like it! Please follow, fav, and review if you do. :)

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- THE SKIRMISH IN THE BATHROOM -

"Is it true that your father was there?" The boy beside me asked animatedly, practically running to keep up with me as I tried to speed down the corridor. Despite only being a year behind me, he acted like a little child. "And Lucius', too?"

Beyond the general not being a perfect pureblood thing, I had no idea what I had done to make Salazar Slytherin angry enough to have me paired with Lars Flint for Prefect duties. It had already been a long Thursday, with Professor Kettleburn giving us a surprise test in Care of Magical Creatures that I wasn't prepared for. I had been using a significant portion of my study hours reading through my great aunt's journal, trying to figure out where to even start with this whole 'mystery' thing. Apparently, I had actually been putting off too much of my school work. So, when I rechecked the Prefect schedule it had just been the cherry on top.

"Did they bring word from," he looked around to make sure we were alone and then leaned over to whisper. "The Dark Lord? It's been days and I haven't heard much beyond hearsay."

I was actually quite surprised to hear that apparently most who attended the meeting at the Hog's Head were keeping good on their agreement to not say a word or spread any plans yet. The takeaway had been to stay on our toes but wait to hear for further instruction. It was clear to me that Abraxas and my father had already gotten specifics from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named but they were keeping it close to the chest for now. Nevertheless, even if we wouldn't be hearing about big plans soon, there would no doubt be shenanigans in the meantime. But moving forward, I was determined to stay out of it.

"I mean, you see him all the time, but it still must have been so exciting. To see him under those circumstances," the boy continued. He was practically bouncing up and down now. "I mean, during such a joyous celebration on the heels of victory and everything. And then also to bring news from the Dark Lord? Must have been -"

"Yes, it was quite wonderful," I said shortly but with as much fake cheer as I could muster.

It seemed to do the trick as he remained quiet for the rest of our walk up to the Main Hall. It wasn't like he was a bad kid, necessarily. Not a very bright student, that's for sure, but not overtly dangerous compared to some of the others. He was just so enthusiastically and blindly devoted to the cause, 'our' cause, and it had been beyond annoying during every interaction I had had with him. This is the first year we had really been confined to conversation with one another and I wasn't sure if he was always this animated or if it had something to with the fact that I was marrying into new world 'royalty' as Regulus had said.

We finally reached the doors to the Great Hall, where the Prefects from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had gathered. As per usual, our entrance silenced any casual chatter amongst the group and we settled into an uncomfortable silence. Usually, we were the last to arrive, so it wasn't that noticeable. As soon as we got there, we would just discuss assignments and depart, usually leaving me to wallow in misery alongside whichever housemate I was cursed to spend patrol with. The, now unfortunately rare, nights I was paired with Remus or Lily were the only times I actually enjoyed Prefect duties.

"Where are the others?" I asked with an awkward cough.

"Not sure," one of the Hufflepuff Prefects said.

It was Morgaine Abbot, I realized now. I found myself sizing her up, my eyes unwillingly scanning her body. She was petite and pretty, with long blonde hair and annoyingly smooth and porcelain-like skin. At surface level, she didn't seem much like a Hufflepuff really. They tend to be meeker but she seemed overconfident and popular. The exact kind of girl I could see sneaking off with Sirius to snog in some corner of the castle. I don't know how my mind wandered to the picture of that but I hated it.

"Hmm," I replied noncommittally.

Just then, the Prefects in question arrived with a huff. It was Remus and Lily and I had to admit it was a happy sight to see them. Remus seemed back to his usual composure, even sending me a small smile as they entered the circle.

"Sorry for the delay," Lily said. "We were caught up studying for Slughorn's mid-year exams."

"Already?" The other Hufflepuff Prefect said. I had never caught his name before. "Is that something everyone should be doing?"

"Can never be too prepared," Remus said with a shrug and a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Morgaine said with an eye roll. Merlin, maybe she was perfect for Sirius. "Can we just get to assignments? Who's head tonight?"

"Me!" Lily raised a hand enthusiastically. "And I was actually thinking it was a great night to switch things up. I'm tired of roaming the corridors with this guy."

She pointed a playful thumb at Remus, at which he just rolled his eyes. Flint let out a huge scoff. I knew it was because he didn't want to spend the night with any 'filth.'

"Why would we do that?" He said, crossing his arm with a huff.

"Just for something different, Flint," Lily bit out as she pulled a piece of parchment from her robes. "When you're head you can do whatever you want. But you're not tonight, so we do as I say. Now I've already set out the pairs randomly. Abbot, you're with Hunt and you all are going to take the dungeons and the perimeter of the castle…"

And she went on dealing out the pairs. She had mixed us all up so that nobody was with their housemate. While there were some eye rolls, everyone scattered around to meet up with their new partners. There was an awkwardness amongst the group as everyone settled in. When Lily paired Flint up with one of the Ravenclaw Prefects, he stood at least three feet away and his face twisted up into disgust. I hid the smile that formed on my face from thinking about how horrible of a night he would have.

"And finally," Lily finished. "Lupin, you're with Ledoux. Top three floors. Alright everyone, off you go!"

"Hi," I said quietly as I walked up beside Remus, stealthily slipping off my ring per habit now that I wasn't being paired with another pureblood. As usual, a wonderful weight was lifted off my finger as I threw it in the pocket of my robes.

We began the slow trudge up the stairs, hanging onto the railings so that they wouldn't move suddenly underneath us. Lily and the other Hufflepuff Prefect waved goodbye to us on the 4th floor, starting there to make their way down. We traversed up another flight before stopping on the landing.

"Want to start at the top or the bottom?" Remus said with a huff.

"Why not give ourselves a break and start on this one?" I replied, also trying to catch my breath. Patrolling the top three floors was my least favorite shift specifically for the hike up. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to outsmart the staircases, they would move and contort to make sure I took the longest and most tedious path.

"I'm on board with that plan."

We started down an empty and dark corridor, the torch lights barely lighting our path. The portraits around us, usually rambunctious and chatty, were now conversing in hushed whispers as they got ready to settle in for the night. Soon, our entire walk would be drowned in silence save for our voices as the entire castle fell into slumber. Or at least that was the idea. We had to patrol for a reason, after all, as there would always be a few miscreant students either pulling pranks or getting in a late snog. And god forbid we run into Peeves. He was the antithesis of 'peace and quiet.'

"How've you been?" He broke the silence as we reached about halfway down the corridor. He had pulled out some chocolate from his robe pocket, offering me some. I took a chunk with a smile.

"Oh, you know. As good as I can be," I replied through a bite. "I wanted to say I'm sorry by the way. I didn't mean to make you guys uncomfortable in the greenhouse the other day."

"Oh, rubbish," he waved me off with a chocolate-filled hand. "If anything, we should be apologizing to you. We're not very good at handling awkward situations. Well, at least that's my excuse. I think James was dying to ask but knew it was impolite and so he took to just staring."

"You all are quite the assembly," I giggled. "Poor Peter, though. Looked like he would have agreed to stay a rat forever if it meant he could leave."

"That's quaking Pete for you."

"Oh, don't pick on him. You didn't exactly seem like you wanted to stay either."

"You caught me," he chuckled at my playful tone. We dropped into a moment of silence, his face eventually contorting into sadness as he turned to watch me while we walked.

"Now you're the one staring," I said, keeping my head forward to avoid his gaze much like I had avoided his friends'.

"Are you really okay?" He asked sincerely. "And I'm not asking just because you've been kind enough to help me out."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I waved him off dismissively. And I really was. The bruise was well on its way to being fully healed, with probably only a few more days of full coverage makeup to be safe. "Did, um, Sirius say anything about it?"

"Surprisingly, no. Said it wasn't his place. Which is odd because, usually, we don't keep anything from one another amongst the Marauders," he stuck a final piece of chocolate in his mouth before pocketing the rest of it. The portraits were all pretty much asleep by the time we rounded the corner. "Not that that's to push you into saying anything. Just an observation."

A blush unwillingly spread across my cheeks. I guess I hadn't really thought about whether or not Sirius would tell his friends what we talked about that night but it was kind of nice to hear that he hadn't. The thought of us having our own secrets made me more excited than I had imagined it would and I once again found myself hating the feeling. We'd barely spent any time together yet these emotions were bubbling to the surface. Maybe I should start avoiding him.

"Oh that's… nice of him," I said meekly. "Don't worry, though. You're not missing much of a story."

With a shrug, we continued walking. Our loafers echoed around the corridor, even warranting a grunt of annoyance from a nearby portrait of what looked to be some sort of medieval astronomer.

The moon shined brightly through the windows. It was sad to think that in just a few short weeks, Remus would fall victim to it once more. It felt like just yesterday that he had gone through it all. From a distance, having to turn into a beast once a month didn't seem all that horrible. But having an up-close look at it through Remus had really changed my perspective. It was an endless cycle with no breaks. By the time he was back on his feet, the affliction was there to tear him down.

"Um," I started hesitantly, looking at Remus. He looked at me expectantly. "I met him. Or at least I think it was him."

"Sorry, who?" He asked while playing with the end of his tie. He really hadn't done it up well, the front being far too long, but I was surprised he was wearing one at all considering he and the boys just usually went around without them.

"Right," I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. I lowered my voice so as to not be overheard by the portraits. "Fenrir Greyback."

"Oh," his face instantly paled at the name.

I assumed he would swell with anger at the mention of the name. At least I would have if I were in his situation. I couldn't imagine there was an individual he hated more than Greyback, given the circumstances. But to my surprise, he seemed to be overcome with overwhelming sadness. His pace slowed while his head noticeably slumped.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, turning to twiddle with my fingers. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Where?" He raised his head slightly.

"In Hogsmeade this past weekend."

"What?" He asked incredulously, raising his head to look at me. "Why was he there?"

With a pained stare, I looked at him with a loss for words. I had resigned to a side that day in the Hog's Head and, while I was willing to bend in some regards, this couldn't be one of them. They were not allowed any more insight into what was happening, as much as it pained me.

"Don't know," I said flatly.

"Right," he narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't know or just can't say?"

"We should just drop it," I grumbled, cheeks flaring for a different reason.

An eerie silence washed over us. He was clearly deep in thought, no doubt working out the possibilities of why such a horrendous beast had been lurking so near. I wondered if they had crossed paths since Greyback had turned him. Though couldn't imagine when given the vastly different social circles they ran in.

"I was seven," he said quietly, finally pulling himself out of his thoughts. With a sigh, he drifted over to a bench in front of a window where the partial moon was in full view. I sat down beside him. "When he turned me."

"That's so young…" I said sadly. "Lucius did mention he liked children."

"Unfortunately, it wasn't because of my age that he attacked me."

"What?" I looked towards him but his eyes remained fixated on the moon, like his inner beast was already being summoned by it.

"My father worked for the Ministry to regulate what we call 'dark' creatures. Unfortunately, this still means those of us inflicted with lycanthropy. My father made one very terrible and very public comment about the condition and… Well, I was Greyback's retaliation."

"Merlin," I breathed. "That's a horrendous trade-off."

"Well," he sighed, finally looking at me. "Words have consequences. I don't think many of us realize that."

"Hmm," was the only response I could think of. How do you comfort someone in such a situation when you can't even begin to imagine what they're going through?

"But I've learned to live with it, being afflicted so long," he sighed, slumping even further. "Plus, it really helps that I have such great mates… It's not everyday you find a group of lads that are willing to undergo becoming animals just to hang out with you when you're a bloodthirsty monster."

"Yeah, illegal ones at that," I giggled along with him but part of me was also a sick kind of bitter. The closest thing I had to a friend here was River, as sad as that sounds. I think Andromeda and I were on our way but I couldn't tell yet if that was just because of the circumstances we were under. When she ran away with Ted, would we ever even see each other again? "Must be nice to have a group of friends you can rely on. You guys seem like brothers."

"It is," he nodded, a look of happiness wonderfully overshadowing the previous anguish. He turned to me. "I'm sure you can relate in some regard."

"I can't actually," I said wistfully, souring the mood. "I don't think I really have any friends here or anywhere else. Used to have one in my brother but I don't really think I do anymore."

Maybe it was because I knew something so personal about him but I didn't feel any hesitation in telling him something like this. He just had that aura of being trustworthy. I wish it had been about something pleasant but the atmosphere of our conversation once again turned grim. To emphasize this, he frowned as he continued.

"That sounds awfully lonely."

"It is sometimes," I shrugged. "But honestly, I'm just focused on surviving at this point. I'll find some sort of happiness later."

"Are you sure about that? Sorry to be so blunt about it but… It seems like either way this war goes, your future isn't very hopeful. If you all win, you're stuck at the top of a dictator-run society. If we win, you're seen as a sympathizer of the losing side and who knows what consequences that might have."

"Did Sirius put you up to this?" I couldn't help but smirk, despite the subject matter at hand.

"He might have suggested mentioning it every now and then," he shot me a small smile. "But to be honest, it's how I feel as well. I usually wouldn't care but it's clear that you're… Well, tortured. Both emotionally and now physically. We hate to see it."

"We?"

"All of us," he said seriously. "Me, Sirius, Lily… Even James and Peter have begun to bring it up. It might be shocking, but we're sympathetic to you. Sirius' situation might have biased us but we hate to see you in this position."

"Right," I said, gazing out the window once he was done speaking. It was almost painful to look directly at the brightness of the moon. "I don't think sympathy can help me, unfortunately. There's only one path I can take here, Remus. And I may not like it but it's my reality."

He didn't respond right away, also looking back to the moon. I enjoyed the silence, it allowed my thoughts to calm themselves and let me think rationally. Because for a very brief moment, I imagined what it would be like to just let go and give in to what I wanted. What would it be like if I conceded to my own personal feelings and switched sides to back a cause I truly believed in?

But then I began to think about my family and how that would jeopardize their post and even their lives. I knew I couldn't leave them like that. They were already derailing, becoming people I didn't know. If staying meant I could somehow rebuild them, nurture them back into the loved ones I knew previously, I was willing to endure through the suffering. At the very least, I would not let my brother be swallowed by the darkness. We were the future of our household and I was not willing to standby and have violence be our legacy, despite the institution we had decided to align ourselves with.

"I do appreciate it, though," I said softly, turning back to him. "You all are sweeter than I thought. Not the playboy power group I used to see you as."

"Well that's progress," he laughed. "We're always happy to surprise."

"And that you do."

"You know," he suddenly became more serious. "I hope you can still consider us as friends. Despite the circumstances. Lily raves about you. James finds you interesting. Peter is… Peter. But he's talked about you, which is something. I absolutely appreciate you, of course. And Sirius… Well, he practically can't stop talking about you. Brings you up in almost every conversation."

Overwhelmed, I felt tears prickle at my eyes. I had no idea I was even a priority in their mind past our minimal interactions. Of course, I knew they had me on their radar given my knowledge of Remus' condition but I thought it stopped there. Lily 'raving' about me honestly filled me with joy. She was always so kind whenever we patrolled together or spent nights in the library studying.

The most surprising though was Sirius. I knew he was trying to push the whole 'change sides' thing but I didn't realize I had become such a pivotal part of his day-to-day life.

"Why?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he had to pull himself from the moon. "Why what?"

"Why does he care so much? Sirius."

"Honest opinion?" He continued when I simply nodded. "I think he might fancy you."

I rolled my eyes dramatically. That was a laugh and I couldn't tell if he was being serious based on the comical look on his face.

"That's ridiculous," I replied with a scoff. However, my emotions betrayed me by causing my face to flush.

"No really, I think he might!" He continued with a smile. "He's never talked about a girl so much. And about something serious. It's usually just a recap about a snog and then he never talks about the girl again."

"I think he just thinks he can 'save me' or some rubbish," I grumbled. "He's clearly jaded by his own past and has latched onto a cause he thinks he can have control over."

"That was my other theory," he nodded. "But it's more fun to think that he fancies you. Would be nice, too. We always talk about how he needs to settle down and find a lass that can keep him in line. I think you might be able to do that, to be honest."

"Okay," I said, flushing but keeping my tone sarcastic. "I'm not going to even entertain the idea of this."

And with that, I stood to emphasize my point. I couldn't deny that I had been feeling something during my recent interactions with the boy but I was working so hard to throw them away. Destroy them. Avada Kedavra them out of existence. These types of feelings were not allowed, Sirius or not, because I already had a husband in place. There was no room for feelings beyond the very small possibility that I would acquire some for Lucius.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, standing as well. "I'll drop it… for now."

With a wink, he walked past me. There was no doubt I'd be hearing about it often moving forward. That would not be favorable for keeping my emotions in line.

"You'll drop it completely," I said playfully as I caught up with him. "I have leverage in this situation, you know."

"Oh, dear Elsbeth," he said, matching my tone. "I've spent a decade with this condition already. I'm used to not having any assistance. You unfortunately don't have any leverage."

"Dammit," I mumbled, caught in a corner. "Well then just proceed with the understanding that I will ignore everything you say about the matter."

"That's fine. I'm persistent. Eventually, I will break through. I've decided to make it my personal mission to do so."

"I'm going to hate this," I giggled.

We continued on our patrol, walking around various corridors before proceeding up to the next floor. We talked about everything. From books we've recently read for fun and not for school, holiday plans, our favorite treat that we were looking forward to at the Halloween Feast in a couple of days, and even Quidditch. The consensus was that neither of us really cared about the sport but we watched it anyway, me to 'root' for my house and him to 'cheer' for his friends who were on the team. It was really quite nice to get to know him.

We were about halfway done with our patrol on the sixth floor when a quiet 'Shht!' stopped me in my tracks. Remus had clearly heard it too as he sent me a raised eyebrow before looking down the corridor.

"I got this one," I said quietly so as to not spook the students that were about to be assigned detention.

With light steps I made my way back down the corridor, carefully analyzing any of the hideaways that we had passed over. With a flick of my wrist, I lit the tip of my wand. I held a finger up to my lip quickly and directed it towards the painting of a woman dressed in Renaissance-era clothing who was clearly about to tell me off about the light. It illuminated my way but didn't reveal any guilty parties. I had almost reached the end of the corridor, about to give up and count our losses, when I finally noticed something out of place. The door to the Arithmancy classroom was definitely open when we had passed earlier but had now found itself closed.

With careful footsteps, I walked up to it. Placing an ear to it, I tried to listen to see if I could hear anything but the heavy woodwork made everything behind it appear silent. Nevertheless, I stepped back and heaved it open with a sigh. At first, the room appeared empty, even with my wand lighting up the darkness. I moved around, dodging desks as I made my way to the front where the door to the professor's office was. I jiggled the doorknob and it didn't budge. I tried using an unlocking spell and still came up with nothing, so either they were smart enough to use some advanced magic or the professor had locked it. I was betting on the latter.

I made my way along the outside perimeter, starting with the right side of the room. I search nooks and crannies, even opening cabinets. Having been a Prefect for almost a year and a half now had taught me that you could never be too wary when it came to the lengths students would go to hide from us.

"Achoo!" My head snapped up from where I was looking into a coat cabinet. It was a sneeze that seemed oddly familiar.

I walked across the room to stand in front of a curtain that I thought was the source of the noise. It was made up of a thick, red velvet material with silver fringe that sparkled in the moonlight coming through the window beside it. The perfect place to gather dust, as it looked like it hadn't been moved in centuries. It fell from the top of the high ceiling all the way down to the floor. Well, almost. With a small sigh, I ripped the curtain back.

"I told you to find longer curtains, Tonks," I said flatly but stopped short.

It was Ted Tonks once more, as I had thought when I saw his loafers peeking out from underneath the heavy fabric. But this time he wasn't alone. Standing behind him was Andromeda.

"Oh, thank Salazar," she breathed, coming out from behind him. "It's just Elsbeth."

"Yeah, you better be thanking him," I said but then couldn't help the small smile that formed on my face. "You make quite the cute couple, I have to admit. Now that I see you together"

Andromeda blushed while Ted just gazed back at her with happiness. She lightly slapped him on the arm for the look.

"But back to it," I said, gathering their attention. "You guys really need to be more careful. That's twice this year I've caught you guys. I know you're in love and all but can't you find some closet somewhere?"

"You were right," Ted said to Andromeda. "She is quite alright."

"I told you we were fine with her knowing," she said, hooking her arm with him. It looked so much easier, more natural with him than it did when she was with my brother. This was what actual, through and through love looked like. "She won't tell anyone, right?"

The question was directed at me but she had a tough time breaking her eyes away from her beau.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I smiled at them. "But there's not much I can do if you guys get caught. And speaking of that I need to get back before it's suspicious."

"Are you with Flint tonight?" She asked, her head finally snapping in my direction as fear filled her eyes.

"No, Lily 'switched it up.' I'm with Remus."

"Oh, that's fine then," Ted said, actually moving towards the door. She looked like she was going to follow suit.

"Wait," I said, holding up an arm to stop them. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, he knows," he had said it like it was the most casual piece of information. He must have seen my gobsmacked expression because he quickly continued. "We're both involved in things if you know what I mean."

"Ah," I said, the facts clicking together. But it raised even more questions. Had this war really infiltrated the school now? I was hoping that Hogwarts was the one place where I had plenty of outlets to distract myself from everything going on beyond the grounds. Recent events had definitely shaken that line of thinking but I still held on to some semblance of hope. "How many kids at this school are involved with everything?"

"Really not that many, actually," he seemed upset about it. "We think it's best to keep numbers low right now. We're not like your end, recruiting left and right like Andromeda has told us -"

She slapped his arm, hard. Any sign of the action being playful lost as a grimace spread across her face. Clearly, she was full of secrets.

"You've been telling them things?" I violently whispered at her, dropping my voice as if worried someone was suddenly listening.

"Oh, just a few things," she stood her ground, more annoyed than anything that her secret got out. "I wasn't planning on it but then Teddy got involved. I couldn't standby knowing what I knew and what part he played in it."

"So I take it you're the reason he wasn't at the duel?" I already knew the answer but watched her confirm with a nod.

It made sense now. Lucius and I had gone around Hogsmeade after the meeting, during which he talked at length about the events of that night. He was over the moon about it all, feeling so proud of himself while also confirming that he did little more than just watch. The only action he saw was moving Craggy in front of him to take a hit. He didn't make any indication that he knew what had happened between my father and me but as the day went on it was revealed that it was not only the Marauders who were targets. Ted Tonks has been on the hit list as well, along with a few of his housemates.

"Does everyone on, you know, 'their side' know about you two?" I asked.

"Merlin, no!" Andromeda explained. "Just the higher ranks. They wanted to know why they thought I was so credible as a source."

"Andromeda," I sighed sadly, leaning on the table. "That's a lot of people. It just takes one to slip up… If my dad did that to me, imagine what they'd do to you if they found out about everything. I mean another member of the Black -"

"Wait, what did your dad do to you?" Ted asked.

"Wait, does that mean you're spilling things too?" Andromeda asked at practically the same time.

"Um," I paused, not sure who to answer and how. I decided I didn't know Ted well enough to unpack my family troubles with him right now. "Yeah, kind of."

"To who?" She asked immediately, taking a step forward. She was so small yet seemed to tower over me in that moment.

"Merlin," Ted breathed. "I think I know."

"What?" Andromeda asked, turning a puzzled gaze toward him. "Who? How?"

"I was off to tell them myself when they said they already knew. Wouldn't give me a source but said it was someone from the inside," I didn't know there was a way someone could look so smug and so horrifically perplexed at the same time. "You've been helping out the Marauders?"

Andromeda gasped and turned back to me, mouth agape in shock. It went silent, both clearly waiting for me to respond but I found myself speechless. My breath had caught in my throat and I wasn't sure it would remove itself anytime soon. This was very, very bad.

"You can not tell anyone," I sent him a glare. "And it was just one time."

"Oh, man!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms casually. This was a level of comfort I wasn't expecting to reach with him. "Who would have thought? Elsbeth Ledoux helping out the Marauders. Can't wait to pick on James, I knew -"

"Teddy, stop," Andromeda said very seriously. "You're not saying anything to anyone."

"Why? They know already…" He hunched at the tone of her voice.

"Well, no one knows you know. And it's going to stay that way. Nothing leaves this room, do you understand?"

With a meek nod from him, we all seemed to be in agreement. She sent me a sad look while I shot her a small smile in thanks. I knew this was because of what my father did to me. She was there in the immediate aftermath when it was fresh and everything had truly flipped upside down. I was grateful she understood that our actions had real consequences now. That this knowledge Teddy now possessed was actually dangerous.

"Right," I stood, straightening out my robes. "I'm going to get back. One of you should leave now and the other should wait fifteen minutes and then leave as well."

"I'll head out first, yeah?" Ted said softly. "My dorm is closer."

"Okay," Andromeda said with a sad smile. I could only imagine how awful this must really be for them. This time they spent together, just themselves, was so precious since there was so little of it. It made my heart sink to think about it as I turned away so they could kiss each other goodnight in peace. "I'll see you later."

"I love you," he said quietly as he began to walk behind me out the door.

"Love you, too," she replied from behind me. My pace quickened as the tears once again threatened my eyes. I didn't know if I was more sad or jealous about it all.

We reached the door, throwing Andromeda a wave as she went to hide behind the curtain again. I closed the door, a heavy thud ringing throughout the corridor. Remus didn't bother to get up from his perched position on the wall at the other end. However, he did throw up a hand to wave, which Ted sent back.

"Alright, on with you," I waved him off. "We've got to stop meeting like this, yeah?"

"I'll be on the lookout for longer curtains," he chuckled. "I, uh, am sorry actually. I shouldn't have even entertained the idea of talking with someone about… you know."

"Don't trouble yourself over it," I sent him a small smile. "You can make it up to me by getting her out of this mess."

"Oh, I plan to," he said, a loving look washing over his face as he peered at the door. It almost seemed like he was trying to look through it and see her one last time before the night was over. He kept his stare for a long moment before turning back to me, a somber smile on his face. "Take care, yeah?"

"Goodnight, Ted," I replied simply.

And with that we parted ways, him heading towards the Ravenclaw dorms while I went back towards Remus. He finally roused from his position against the wall, stretching his arms a little.

"What took you so long?" He asked through a yawn.

"Oh, just putting the kids of this castle in their place," I shrugged, catching his fit of yawning.

"Was that Ted Tonks?" He asked lightly, clearly not covering up how nervous he was at the thought. He didn't even give a breath to let me answer before continuing. "What was he doing in there?"

"Please," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. "Like you don't already know."

"Oh, thank Merlin," he sighed with relief as we began to walk again. Some of the paintings sent us disapproving looks as we woke them from their slumber. "So you know now?"

"Oh, I already knew. But I didn't know you guys knew. Or that he was, you know," I dropped my voice to a mumble. "A part of things."

"Oh," he said surprised. "Lots of secrets exchanged tonight, eh?"

"A few."

Albeit I found out most of these secrets under abnormal circumstances, it felt nice to be part of a small group of individuals that all knew the same thing and were bonded by it. I didn't realize that the sense of trust we all seemed to have in one another because of our secrets was something I was craving before now. It made me feel empowered and in control, but also guilty at the same time. Because they had trusted me with some of their biggest vulnerabilities but I still seemed hesitant with sharing mine. Maybe I was energized by this current train of thought but I decided that it was time to change that.

"It was my father," I said with finality.

"What about him?" He said lazily, though I caught the sneer on his face in my peripheral.

"That hit me and gave me that bruise. He did it because I told you lot about the duel."

"He what?" Remus abruptly stopped walking but I continued on for a few more paces. I only followed suit when it seemed like he wasn't planning on continuing until I acknowledged him.

"Do you want me to reenact it or something?" He didn't look pleased by the joke. "Listen, it happened. It's hardly visible anymore so I'm just trying to move on."

"Yes but," he stopped short, hurt crossing his face. "It happened because of us. I'm so sorry, Beth, I -"

"Oh, get off it. I wouldn't change anything. Well, except the my father knowing part," he finally smiled back at my casual tone, catching up to me so we could continue on down the corridor. "And feel free to tell James and Peter if they ask again. But just don't let it get out beyond that."

"Yeah, we'll see," he said with a chuckle. "Got to make those idiots work for it sometimes."

"Maybe go a little easier on Peter. But James definitely deserves that."

"True that," he stuck his hands in his pockets as we started climbing the stairs to the seventh floor. "But thank you for telling me. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Now we both know things about one another that we'd rather keep to ourselves. We're even."

"Well, I don't know if they exactly equate," he said sarcastically and I shoved him lightly. "All in good fun. I imagine telling me that was your equivalent of me exposing you to my affliction."

"Well, when you say it like that, it -"

"POP!" Came a loud voice accompanied by a flash of cold air that chilled me to the bone. I couldn't help the small scream that escaped my lips as I jumped to hide behind Remus. He on the other hand had remained still like he'd been accosted like this many times before.

"Now, Peeves," he said playfully. "That's no way to treat a lady."

"But it's a lady snakey!" The poltergeist replied as he did cartwheels in the air.

Any semblance of a calm night had immediately vanished at his arrival. But while Remus casually conversed with him, I was still reeling from the sudden noise. And I wasn't the only one. The portraits were a mess around us. They were all wide awake, screaming at him for ruining their beauty sleep. Poor things, I imagined this happened quite often and there was nothing much they could do about it.

"Ah, but she's a good one," Remus replied.

"No such thing," Peeves stuck out a tongue at me as I emerged back into view. I shot him a glare.

"Come now, you can trust me, eh? Elsbeth here is our friend."

"Fine. But lady snakey must pass a test."

They both looked at me expectantly.

"Um," I said hesitantly, still a little off-put by him. "Sure… What's the test?"

"I just found two snakes down the corridor. They were mighty close. He kept kissing her more and more and -"

"Yeah, we've got it," Remus said gently. "And?"

"If lady snakey gives them detention, I will accept her allegiance!"

"What, that's it?" I practically scoffed. "Easy. Let's go, Remus."

As we walked down the hallway, I heard Peeves laugh wickedly. When I turned to look back, he shot me a wink and an enthusiastic wave before disappearing into the floor. He seemed excited, but there was an undercurrent of something malicious in his gaze as he departed. An uneasy sensation began to boil in my stomach, growing with each step we took.

"Is this usually his initiation process?" I asked Remus, shooting wary glances into all the hiding nooks. For some reason, I no longer wanted to go through with this.

"No, we had to pull off pranks. He's not usually in favor of school policies like detention," he shrugged. "But it's probably because they're Slytherins. Wants to see if it'll shake up anything."

"Hmm," I replied noncommittally but he seemed to sense my hesitancy.

"Really, I wouldn't worry about it," he said as we rounded a corner down one of the more out-of-the-way corridors. "And if you don't want to do it, we - Oh, Godric."

He had stopped short once more, eyes and mouth agape in utter shock. A couple of times, he looked like he might say something but it seemed to get caught in his throat. Finally, he was able to pivot his head to shoot me a sympathetic look before swiveling back to glare at what was in front of him. No longer distracted by his odd disposition, I finally followed his gaze. Unwillingly, I let out a huge gasp, alerting the two students of our presence and tearing them apart. My mind bounced through many emotions but betrayal and anger rose to the top.

Now I knew why Peeves had been so excited. It was because he had led us straight to where Lucius had been snogging Narcissa.

---

"Ah!" Remus exclaimed with relief as he rounded the corner. I sighed in exasperation at the sight of him but shouldn't have been surprised that he found me. "There you are. Should have known to check here first."

It had been almost forty-five minutes since I had abruptly left the tiny corridor where we had found my fiance and his… Girlfriend? Hookup? I wasn't sure what to call her. She at least had the decency to be embarrassed but Lucius had just looked smug about the situation. Like he was almost annoyed at the fact that we had found him. Rather than make a scene, despite my entire being begging me to, I decided to walk away without a word.

I had wandered aimlessly for a couple of minutes before finally deciding to plant myself in the nook on the seventh floor that I knew so well. Hugging my legs tightly to my chest as I hunched in the very corner, I couldn't help the tears that ran down my face. They weren't really because I was sad, though I had thought I was beginning to crack the ice and nurture Lucius to become at least tolerable. So in that regard, there was a sense of betrayal that I did find upsetting. However, the majority of these feelings were brought on by pure rage and embarrassment. He had been out the open, able for anyone to stumble upon. And he didn't even seem to care.

So I let the tears flow freely as I watched the smoke emit from Hagrid's hut. His lights were still on, despite the late hour, so it seemed like he was still up to something. Whatever it was, I hoped his night was going better than mine. I imagined him sitting on his giant sofa, sipping a cup of tea while reading about fantastical creatures. Or maybe learning about dogs. He did say he was hoping to get one soon.

"That was really unbelievable," Remus said with a huff as he sat down next to me. "Merlin, Elsbeth are you crying? Over that disgusting sod?"

"I'm not crying because I'm sad," I said, wiping the traitorous tears away violently. "Well, I am but… I'm mostly just embarrassed. And so angry. Anyone could have found him! I mean, I'm supposed to be perfect so people will believe that this whole mess is real. I've been scolded, degraded, you name it because I haven't shown enough 'initiative' into making sure this engagement looks legit. I'm the one that's always at fault. Meanwhile, he's stalking around the castle in plain view, snogging that bitch. Sirius and I were talking about it the other night… We just knew there was a 'thing' going on but I didn't expect them to be acting on it."

He didn't respond right away, giving me a moment to catch my breath after I ended my rant. I took a couple of deep ones to calm my shaking hands and dry my tears. Great, now I was both being embarrassed and embarrassing myself. I had learned too much information and felt way too many feelings tonight. Maybe I would disappear into the Forbidden Forest for a couple of days just to get some headspace.

"Come with me," he finally said quietly. He stood once more, extending two hands out for me to take.

"What?" I asked, voice hoarse from my state of being. "Where?"

"I think you need some friends right now."

"Ha," I said without humor. "We went over this. Haven't got many of those around."

"Well," he reached down and grabbed my hands, heaving me up. "You do now. Follow me."

He led me down a couple of narrow corridors, making so many turns that my head began to spin. Eventually, we had ventured in so many different directions that I wasn't even sure I would know how to get back to the main staircase. Merlin. And I thought my hiding place was good. It clearly had nothing on wherever he was taking me.

We remained silent for the entire walk. When I had stood, he had wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable like you'd expect it to be since we really didn't know each other all that well. Instead, it felt kind of homey, like walking with an old pal that I had known for ages. It was so nice that I was nearly distraught when it ended. We had reached a wall with a high ceiling, tucked away in some distant corner of the castle. With a firm squeeze on the shoulders, he grounded me to the spot while he walked alongside the wall a length, paused, and then turned back around to walk back towards me.

"What are you -" I began to ask but he held up a hand just as he reached me, pausing again but then turning back around to repeat his motions.

"Shh," he said with his back turned. "I have to concentrate."

"On what?" He had returned and reached me once more.

"Shhhhh," he drug out the noise as he completed another lap, finally stopping in front of me. I was about to open my mouth when on the wall a door suddenly began to morph out of the brick. It was made of dark wood and aged, like a picture straight out of a history textbook. He chuckled at my gawking. "On that."

As I stepped up to it, I was able to actually marvel at the detail of it. Along its woodwork was the etchings of trees and plants of all sorts, dusted lightly with some sort of gold embellishment. It's the type of flashiness you wouldn't notice until you got right up to it. The archway was just as magnificent, with similar plants being etched into the stone. Funnily, they all led upward towards a motif of a stag, a dog, a wolf, and a rat.

"What?" I reached up to try to etch the carvings of the animals but found I couldn't reach. "What is this?"

Remus smirked, stepping forward and giving it a good push, putting his full force behind it. As expected, it crept in slowly and with a deep creaking sound. To my surprise, I heard the distant chimes of laughter as it opened wider. The opening led to a sort of narrow walkway, at the end of which I could make out the dancing shadows emitted by some sort of fire. From here, I couldn't tell who was at the end of the hallway but I could make a pretty good guess. Remus stepped to the side, somehow holding the door open with one hand.

"Ladies first," he gave a nod down the hall.

With great hesitation, I stepped into the passageway, the heat from the fire on the other end already hitting me. Remus stepped in behind me, closing the door with a thunk, and I watched in awe as it once again disappeared. Like it had melted into the stone somehow. I continued on, practically tripping a couple of times on some flagstone that jutted out at awkward angles. This floor seemed much older than the rest around the castle.

"You'll get used to where all the kinks in the floor are," he said as if he already knew I would visit often. "We're also working on getting some light in the pathway but no one can quite think it up right…"

I couldn't even ponder what he meant as we reached the end of the passage. It had led to a giant room that one could only describe as a premium study or lounge. It had luxurious desks and bookshelves filled to the brim. All around was an assortment of seating options from chairs to chaises, all surrounding a centerpiece of two giant sofas in the middle of the room. The only light source came from a magnificent roaring fire in the center of the wall exactly opposite.

My original inclination had been right because posted around the main sofas in various positions were the rest of the Marauders. However, they weren't alone. Off to one of the tables sat who I believed to be Frank Longbottom and Alice Fortescue. And then, smugly perched on an armchair near the fire was Ted.

"Oi, Moony," James said, not looking in our direction as he threw a Pepper Imp at Peter. "You're here early. We weren't expecting you for -"

Sirius and Peter had already stopped in their tracks, shocked gazes directly facing towards us. Well, me. The bespectacled boy followed their stares, mouth hanging wide when he saw that I had entered. Ted avoided my gaze with a wince, knowing he had been caught. Frank actually smiled while Alice's head bobbed between all of us, wondering if it was okay that I was there. A blush creeping over my face, I couldn't help but step back and hope that I would disappear like the door had.

"Alright, Ledoux?" Sirius broke the silence, standing as he spoke. "As you were, you lot. It's not nice to stare."

Chatter slowly began to rebuild around us, though the air remained awkward. I could tell Alice still wasn't fully on board, casting me nervous glances every other second but Frank was able to distract her with whatever homework they were working on.

"See Remus has decided to show you headquarters," he clapped a hand on said boy's shoulder as he planted himself in front of us. He took a proud look around the room. "How do you like it?"

"Um," I said, not knowing where to begin. I looked around at the regal tapestries and giant pillows. It was comfy, someplace I definitely wouldn't mind spending my time. "It's nice."

"Nice?" He scoffed playfully. "You wound me, sweetheart. This place is a palace!"

"Alright, Padfoot," Remus chuckled, moving out from under his grasp. "Go easy on her. She's, um, had a bit of a rough night."

He sent Sirius a knowing look before turning to walk away. As he strode towards the couches, he discarded his robe and wool sweater, flinging them over a nearby chair. Couldn't blame him either, the heat of the fire was a little intense. Plopping himself down, he joined James in throwing bits of candy towards Peter.

"What's he mean by that?" Sirius brought my attention back to his piercing grey eyes. He was trying to come off as playful but was failing.

"Oh, nothing," I brushed him off, trying to loosen up my tie but not seeming to get a good grip. However his stare was relentless and finally, with a huff, I gave in. "I'll tell you about it later."

"That's more like it," he smiled. He suddenly shot a hand up to my neck and I flinched as his fingertips tickled my neck. "I've found with these sweaters it's best to unbutton the top if you want to take these bloody nooses off."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow but let him work anyway. I was dying from heat at this point so I didn't care how the tie came off. "Seems like you have a lot of practice with it. If the rumors are true."

"Well, rumors are called rumors for a reason," he smirked, finally freeing me from the piece of fabric tied around my neck. I felt like I could breathe for the first time since setting foot in here. "But in my case, they should probably just be called truths."

"Merlin," I rolled my eyes at his smug smirk.

"Here, I'll grab your robe, too," he said kindly. "Because some of us know where to actually hang up their things!"

He shot a glare at Remus who just shrugged in indifference, clearly not caring where his robes were abandoned. With a huff, he turned back to me and held out a hand as he waited for my robes. Who knew Sirius Black was such a stickler for tidiness? I giggled as I handed it and my sweater over. He walked over to a wardrobe containing a row of nicely put away robes. It was clear who ran the cleaning schedule around here.

"Shit," he rang out as a clinking noise rang throughout the room. "Sorry, looks like I dropped your ring -"

He picked up my ring that had apparently fallen out of my robe pockets as he was hanging it up but stopped short. He was looking at it intently, turning it in various directions to get a better look. Maybe it had been damaged in the fall. I started to hope so. Because that would mean I wouldn't have to wear the thing anymore. Maybe I wouldn't wear it anyway, given Lucius' clear stance on the invalidity of this engagement and marriage.

"What is it?" I asked, gathering his attention.

"Um, nothing," he shrugged, shoving it back in the pocket and hanging up the robe. "Thought I saw something but I think it was just the light from the fire."

He was still deep in thought based on the look on his face. When he noticed my stare on him, he wiped it away, replacing it with a smile.

"Come, sit!" He indicated towards the sofas as he jumped over the top of one to land harshly beside Peter. The plump boy groaned in pain as one of Sirius' knees collided with his own. "Ted was just telling us that you caught him today."

"Yeah, I seem to be a pro at that this year," I said as I sat down next to Remus. My gaze turned to the boy in question, eyes narrowing. "Speaking of which, I thought I told you to go back to your dorm?"

"Eh," Ted simply shrugged from his position in the chair. "Decided to take a detour… And as long as it's just you, I'm fine with that."

"Well, you got lucky these past few times… I'm usually paired with someone from my house."

"Alright," he popped a Pepper Imp in his mouth, immediately recoiling from the heat of it. "We'll keep a lower profile."

"You can just tell me where you plan to nest and I'll steer us clear of you," I smiled, leaning back onto the sofa.

It was soft and cozy, the perfect kind of couch. Combined with the heat of the room, I was admittedly struggling to keep my eyes open after a few minutes. Slapping my face slightly, I straightened up in an attempt to stay awake. Nevertheless, I couldn't help a couple of yawns that escaped my lips as I casually listened to the boys talk about Quidditch like they always did. It would be nice if the Wizarding World had created some other major sport so conversation could vary at least a little bit.

"So what is this place?" I asked when there was an opening.

"Ah, right," Remus said. "Kind of just left you hanging there. This is the Room of Requirement. Or at least our version of it."

"No way," I gasped, mentally slapping myself for not connecting the dots sooner. "We read about this place in Hogwarts, A History but I thought it was just a myth."

"Nope," James said, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table in between us. "Peter actually found it fourth year. We naturally had to take advantage of it."

"Wicked," I now took a closer look around the room, pivoting my head to get a better view of things. "Who did all the designing? And why is it so hot?"

"We took turns, really," James continued. "A real collaboration, eh boys? The fire was Peter's mistake. Made it too hot and now we don't know how to fix it."

As he said it, he threw more Imps at the boy in question. Peter was always on the receiving end of their wrath, wasn't he?

"I'm not surprised you don't have the collective brainpower to think of making it cooler," I poked fun at them. "It's not that bad if you're not too close, really."

"Hmm," he just said in response, throwing the last of the Imps. Sirius looked at him, annoyed. No doubt more so about the fallen candy than the attack on the boy next to him.

"So," Ted looked around, placing an expectant gaze on me. "What's all this going on with your father? I have a feeling I won't be able to get Andromeda to spill the beans so might as well go directly to the source."

"Tonks," Sirius groaned. "We were just saying not to poke -"

"Shht, shht," he said with a wave in his direction. This guy was much less timid than I had originally perceived him to be. "Let her tell me to 'sod off' if she wants."

"Well," I said as they all placed expectant looks on me. Even Alice and Frank had stopped talking in order to listen in. Remus and Sirius' looked worried, knowing that the explanation behind everything was not the most pleasant and pretty personal. "Consider this me telling you to do just that."

He let out a groan while the rest let out a chuckle. Those with the backstory looked slightly relieved that this topic was going to be postponed. Ted tucked into his chair even further, a grimace crossing his features. Alice and Frank stood, packing up their bags. She lightly gave his hand a squeeze after he passed her a textbook. Must be an item of some sort, then. They did seem rather comfy from the get.

"Well," she said as she slung her rucksack over her shoulder and headed towards the wardrobe. She pulled out one and handed it to Frank with a smile before pulling out another and draping it over her arm. "That's really the laugh we needed for the night. Always a pleasure to see Ted get shot down."

"Yeah, yeah," Ted grumbled as he too got up. "Might as well do what else she told me to do and head back."

Alice giggled, pulling out another robe and meeting him halfway. The Marauders remained in their positions, clearly not about to leave. Given Remus and I would have to check-in together with the Prefects later, I decided to stay put too. The rest of them headed towards the passageway, turning back to us briefly to say their goodnights before they left. After a moment, we heard the large door close, sending the room into silence beyond the crackling of the fire.

"How many more students are a part of this?" I turned back to the Marauders. They all exchanged weary glances. Right, I was the enemy. "Oh yeah, um. Nevermind."

"No it's fine," James finally spoke up. "It's really just us and a few more right now. Besides Tonks, all of the other Ravenclaws are either in St. Mungos or dropped out after the dueling debacle. We have a few more interested Gryffindors… And naturally, the Hufflepuffs don't want to get involved, really."

"Right," I said, thinking it through and wondering who else in Gryffindor it might be. I already knew about Lily and now Alice and Frank. The Marauders generally only traveled with themselves but they were known to sit amongst fellow housemates at meals and Quidditch matches. Of course, I wasn't planning on using this information against them. If anything, I would make sure that Lucius and my brother steer in the opposite direction.

"Your turn," James said, raising his eyebrows. His glasses twitched as he did so.

"For what?" His question pulled me out of my calculations of who was who.

"Fair trade. We told you, you tell us."

"Is that how this is going to work?" I gave out a small smile but he remained stoic. With a sigh at his resilience, I continued. "Practically every Slytherin in fifth year or above is aware of what's going on. Those who aren't actively involved, which is very few, tend to be so because they're useless beyond being pureblooded. Take my dormmates as perfect examples."

"We really are outnumbered then," he mumbled. Their faces fell between a range of fear and defeat. Well, Peter being the only one that really fell on the side of the former. He was practically shaking like a leaf as he looked around to the others. James straightened, suddenly serious as he perched on his knees to look at me. "And it's Byron and Lucius at the very top… But who else is up there with him?"

"Um," I hesitated. It was in part because I wasn't sure if that was too much information to give away or if because one of the individuals in question was Sirius' brother. He seemed to already know what I was about to say because he looked away. I guess there was no harm, then. I could trust them not to say anything, after all. Right? "Well, Craggy and Mulciber are the main… henchmen, you could call them. But Snape and, um, Regulus head their years."

Leaning back into the couch, I fiddled with my fingers. It felt awful, confronting Sirius with what I'm sure was his biggest fear confirmed. Two brothers directly facing each other on opposite sides of a war. Already divided, this was sure to tear them straight apart. So much for trying to get them to talk to one another.

"It's to be expected," Sirius spoke up, finally responding to the worried stares we all sent to him.

"If it's any consolation," I said quickly, trying to ratify the situation. "Byron and Lucius are the ones that get the direct orders from our father and Abraxas… Then he kind of just helps them out."

"Is he recruiting?" He fiddled with his fingers as he spoke. The room was heavy, feeling extra hot.

"Can't be sure," I said truthfully. "But he's got to at least be facilitating it if he's in that position."

"Who planned the ambush?" James asked, fists clenched as his eyes filled with anger.

"It was a coordinated effort," I sighed. "They met on it practically daily while Lucius was in the Hospital Wing."

"And what comes next?"

I hesitated once more. This definitely seemed like too much information. But with their eyes intensely on me, it felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As I landed on Sirius, we locked eyes. There was something pained in them and I felt myself wanting to fix the emotions I had just landed on him. How could I do that without revealing too much?

"They're aiming for the head," I used Abraxas' own words, hoping it was vague enough that they wouldn't catch on. Based on the shocked looks on their faces, I had still been too obvious.

"Shit," James breathed. The rest remained in awkward yet sad silence. He clapped a hand on Sirius' knee. "I'm sorry, mate. But we have to tell him."

"What? Who?" I said immediately before anyone could even get a word in. "And I thought we were in agreement that all this would stay between us."

"I don't recall shaking on it," James said pompously, not even gracing me with his gaze.

"Unbelievable," I got to stand up. "Is that why I'm here then? So you can siphon information out of me?"

"Well, can't hurt," he shrugged like it was no big deal. "You're here in our headquarters, after all."

"Prongs," Remus said in disbelief.

Without saying another word, I stormed over to the wardrobe and ripped out my robe. A couple of tears had slipped loose, so I quickly wiped them away before facing the room at large to storm towards the passageway. The boys were murmuring but I couldn't hear them through the enraged heartbeat that had settled in my ears. But I could see that James had slumped back into the couch while Remus and Sirius hovered near him. Unlike the others, I didn't stop to say goodbye but rushed out, the door appearing before me as I neared the wall.

I pulled my robes over me as I walked as fast as I could away from the door. After trying a couple of times, I frustratingly abandoned the tie and just left it to hang around my neck. Turning multiple corners, I figured it was fine to take a small break to calm my breathing. Picking a wall across from a statue of a troll, I leaned against the cold stone and tried taking some calculated breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and repeat. But I quickly found that it didn't help, given how quickly the tears returned.

And to think, I thought I might have actually found some sort of semblance of friends. Even if we would never be able to hang out outside of late-night meetups in the greenhouse or study sessions confined to the back of the library, it had been nice to find individuals I could talk to about things other than the war. Where I could just be myself rather than a cold and calculated version of what people thought I should be.

But clearly no longer. If I was going to be friendless and used by either side, I was going to stick with the one I knew best.

Wiping my tears as they fell with my sleeve, I considered what I should do. Part of me just wanted to head back to the dorms and bury myself in my bed for the rest of the year. I'm sure Remus could come up with some excuse as to why I disappeared. And at this point, I really didn't care if he couldn't. I straightened just in time to hear footsteps turn the corner.

"Is that what 'needing friends' looks like -" Expecting it to be the Remus trying to catch up and avoid the said situation, I was surprised to see Sirius.

"Oh, thank Godric," he breathed, clearly having run around to try and find me. They really had found the most out of the way hiding spot. "I was worried you'd gone back downstairs already."

"I was just about to, so if you'll excuse me."

He had planted himself in front of me, now jumping to step in my way as I tried to move past him.

"Get off it, Black," I bit out after a minute of the back and forth.

"Please," he was pleading. "You have to ignore Prongs. He's just scared is all."

"Scared?" I met his eyes, tears hot on my cheeks. "I told you how I got that bruise! Or are you too daft to remember anything I ever say?"

I was seething, face hot as emotions coursed through me. In my heart of hearts, I understood. We were scared, all of us. But to be misleading and so open about it was next level. It wasn't being scared, it was being malicious. And I wasn't planning on being on the receiving end of it any longer. I kicked at nothing on the floor in an effort to regain any sense so that I wouldn't hex him right here out of pure spite.

"He isn't the one that should be scared," I grumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything. Who knows what's going to happen if my father finds out."

"Hey," he said softly, not a hint of annoyance or anger to be found in his voice. I felt his hands on my face, simultaneously lifting my head up and wiping away my tears. "Crying too much before bed gives you headaches. And I know this isn't the first time you've done it tonight."

"Yeah, what do you know?" I scoffed.

"I know that something happened on patrol," he stepped back to give me some space, confident
I would no longer make a run for it. "Your eyes were puffy when you came in… And in Marauder's speak, Remus was being pretty obvious. What happened?"

"Like I'm telling you anything anymore," I grumbled, leaning once more on the wall.

He sighed and took a bigger step back. The troll came back into view and I observed it as a means of forcing myself not to look at him. It was complex, the troll ensnared in vines and leaves. At its base were the intricate lines of runes. Sirius had continued talking, rambling some sort of apology I suppose but I tuned him out as I focused on them. They looked shockingly familiar.

"Is that a forest troll?" I asked, interrupting him talking about the 'power of trust in dark times' or something.

"Huh, what?" He looked behind him to where I was pointing. "Uh, yeah I guess. Is that really so important? I was kind of making an epic speech there."

"Too bad it's one I don't care about," I finally took my eyes off the writing on the stone to turn a glare on him. "Whatever this was, it's over. Say I'm overreacting if you'd like but I'm not going to stand for being used by people I barely know."

"We're not using you!" He was more exasperated than anything. "After you all attacked us, we realized how incredibly useless we were. James is just worried. He doesn't want to see any more of his friends suffer, even if it means putting his foot in his mouth to get information. I'm not saying what he did was right but… he's just lost and feels a little hopeless."

His desperate and distraught tone was working to make me feel sympathetic. However, it wasn't lost on me that his choice of words were 'you all.' He still included me in that majority.

"Well," I said simply, kicking those emotions to the side. "You guys have got Andromeda. I'm not that desperate for companionship that I'm willing to trade fake friends for information."

"Elsbeth," his tone was borderline devastated. "That's not what -"

"Ah, finally!" Remus rounded the corner, out of breath much like Sirius had been. He slowed, face contorting when he gauged the atmosphere. "Everything okay?"

"No," we both said in unison. Sirius had backed up so far that he was now leaning on the wall at the other side of the corridor. His eyes were downtrodden, not even raising them to look at his friend.

"Oh, that's a shame," Remus said, trying to come off as playfully sarcastic but failing. "Padfoot's charm usually works on any girl."

Both Sirius and I looked at him with exasperated disbelief. Understanding that his joke fell flat, he resigned to placing his fidgeting hands in his pockets as he suddenly found interest in the portrait of a couple of cows out in a pasture. I went back to staring at the troll statue but it wasn't lost on me that Remus sent suggestive nods in my direction to Sirius as our silence began to drag. The latter boy just kept shaking his head.

"We should get back," I finally said to Remus. "I'd rather not be late so I can just get this night over with."

"Right," he shot a nervous glance at Sirius. "See you in the common room?"

He simply nodded in reply but looked to me as if he hoped I would say something. I wasn't planning on indulging, making my way down the corridor before anyone said anything else.

"It's fine," I heard Sirius mumble. "Just go."

The pitter-patter of Remus' loafers got louder as he caught up with me. While I hated myself for it, I couldn't help but take a peek back down the corridor as we turned the corner. Sirius was still there, leaning on the wall with his eyes turned downwards. However, at the last second, he must have sensed it, for he looked up to meet my gaze. My stomach dropped at the look on his face, clearly desperately defeated, but then he was gone in an instant as we moved out of view.

Remus and I didn't say a word to one another as we continued on our way, all traces of fun conversation gone. More than once, he turned slightly and opened his mouth as if to speak but the stoic look on my face must have shot him down. The only noise to be made was the snoring of nearby portraits and our feet on the flagstone. I kept my eyes straight ahead and just focused on just putting one foot in front of the other.

"Listen," Remus stopped me as we reached the landing of the fifth floor. "This was never my intention. What happened with Lucius was bloody awful and I just wanted you to know that there were people in your corner… I didn't realize Prongs would take advantage of the situation."

"It's fine," I said flatly, looking past him at nothing in particular.

"No," he said sternly. "It's not. I hope that Padfoot explained that that's not a representation of our motives here."

"And what are your motives?"

"To be your friend. Someone you can rely on because you don't seem to have that… No offense."

Unwillingly, I let out a hollow chuckle. He wasn't wrong but I found it so funny why they cared so much. What made me so special to the Marauders? If it wasn't for my information, what else could it be? I wasn't exceptional in any way beyond happening to be born into one of the now 'most important' pureblood families. Yet, they still seemed to be trying so hard. Maybe there was some truth behind what Remus was saying but I wasn't sure I was willing to bet on it.

I had chosen my official side that day in the Hog's Head, might as well stick to it. There was no reason why I shouldn't. Playing 'friends' with the Marauders had been fun but it was time to put it to bed before things spiraled out of control.

"Can you just do one thing for me?" I asked Remus, forgoing any emotion. He simply nodded. "Just don't tell anyone about what happened. And then I'll stay out of your hair."

He sighed sadly, understanding that this conversation was over for tonight. However, I felt that it wasn't the complete end of it.

"Would never dream of it," he smiled sadly.

With a simple nod, he led the way down the flight of stairs to the fourth floor. Now well past curfew, it was hard to tell that this was even a school given how still everything had become. The lights that had once lit our path had dimmed significantly, casting our trek into unforgiving darkness. Even the stairs had stopped moving, falling into a slumber of their own. It was hard to believe that calm like this could exist after the events of the night.

"What did you do?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. He raised an eyebrow. "To Lucius and Narcissa."

"Oh," he replied with a soft chuckle. "Detention, of course. Gave them the Ledoux special."

"What's that?"

"Cleaning the owlery with Filch. Should have seen the look on Lucius' face," he smiled widely as he spoke and I couldn't help but reluctantly follow suit.

"Peeves is going to be absolutely elated."

---

I groaned as I entered my dorm, seeing the huge stack of wrapped presents at the foot of my bed. At breakfast, I had been able to immediately send some back, not even looking to see who they were from. It was bad enough that it was my birthday but Transfiguration had also just kicked my arse. So I was exhausted and the horrid sight of the presents just demolished my mood completely.

"Oh, exciting!" Celeste jumped over to them, followed quickly by Vanessa and Greta. They had yet to even wish me a happy birthday but they had no hesitation in picking up and shaking some of the packages. "This one's from the Zabinis! They always send the most luxurious things."

"You can have it," I mumbled, tiptoeing past the stack so I could plop down on my bed. The girls continued to rattle each of the boxes, trying to figure out what treasures lie beneath the wrapping. "In fact, you can have them all if you'd like."

"Nonsense!" Vanessa said, clearly not trying to convince me as she continued to eye which presents she might want to open. "I mean… You have to at least give them a peek."

With an excited expression, she pulled a royal red rectangular box from the stack that was topped with a velvet bow. She gently pulled at the edge of the wrapping to see if she could identify what was underneath. Must have been something good, too, since her face filled with glee at the sight of it. She stuck it under her arm to save for later as she went on to pick up another one.

"No, please do," I said flatly as they continued to pick through them anyway.

"If you insist…" Celeste said in a way that made it clear she would have continued to do so even if I didn't urge them.

The gifts were stereotypical of the individuals that sent them. Some perfume, makeup, a silk scarf. All things I didn't care about and were happy to bestow upon the basic blood righteous girls that I, unfortunately, had to share a room with and converse with on the daily. Nevertheless, so long as they got these presents off my hands, I wouldn't complain. After about thirty minutes of rummaging, they had split most of the items amongst themselves, with boxes scattered around the room.

"Last one!" Greta said, holding up a square box wrapped in simple black paper. "Looks like it's from Walburga Black."

My head popped up from my Potions textbook, having used the time that they spent foraging through my presents to try to catch up on some homework. Regulus had said to expect something from her but I didn't realize he meant it. Given her proclivity for wanting to keep up appearances over actually making personal connections, I doubt it would be something well thought out. Nevertheless, I had to admit that I was intrigued about what the wicked woman would have gotten me.

"Wait," I said, stopping her before she viciously ripped off the paper. "Actually, give that one to me."

With a grimace, looking practically annoyed, she handed it over. I placed it on my side table, moving back to my Potions book. With a heave, they all stood from their positions on the floor. Moving back to their beds, they began organizing their new trinkets and apparel with glee. However, Greta shot me some miffed looks as she opened her wardrobe to hang up a new wool sweater.

"You're not even going to open it?" She said snarkily, pointing a nod at the box next to me. I looked up from my textbook, forcing myself to contain the irked sigh I wanted to release.

"I'll do it in a bit," I sent her a fake smile. She returned one just as bogus. "Really have to get through this reading."

"No fun, even on your birthday!" She said playfully, though it was undermined with a bit of bitterness. "Put the books away and let's celebrate!"

"I'm fine," I said dismissively. And with a hmmph, she seemed to drop it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Vanessa jumped off her bed and went to open it, revealing a casually dressed Byron. I couldn't help but groan, him being the last person I wanted to see right now. With a yip, Celeste jumped up, making her way quickly over to the door. She practically pushed Vanessa out of the way in order to stand right in front of my brother. Ugh, he should really just let her down easily. I don't know how much more I could take of her incessant flirtation whenever he was around.

"Byron!" She squealed, practically bursting my eardrums from across the room. She leaned on the doorframe in what I imagined was her attempt at some sort of sexy pose. "What brings you here?"

"Hi, Celeste," he said with a polite smile before pushing past her so he was just inside the room but putting her behind him. "Just here to gather the birthday girl."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the fakely sweet tone of his voice. He knew I didn't like my birthday and in the past had followed my wishes to not make a big deal about it. There was no way this was just going to be about celebrating my aging. As Celeste moved back in front of him, trying to get his attention, he just looked at me expectantly. With a sigh, I closed my textbook with a thunk and got up.

"Any chance you'll be able to meet up later?" Celeste batted her eyelashes. "I'm having an awful time with this Transfiguration assignment and I hear you're a pro."

"Unfortunately," he said, smiling once more at the annoying girl. Though, his eyes now lacked any emotion, fake or otherwise. "I'm busy."

"I'll be out in a second," I said, reprieving him from his interaction with her. "I just need to change out of my robes."

"I'll meet you in the common room then," he nodded, completely ignoring Celeste on the way out. She pouted after him.

"Ugh," she huffed, jumping back on the bed. Vanessa rolled her eyes at Greta and they shared a giggle. Were they actually even friends? "Andromeda is the worst thing that happened to me. I swear, he was in my pocket before she ruined everything."

Now I rolled my eyes because I knew that that was the opposite of the truth. Sure, she had been a good snog for Byron before his engagement, only made easier by her intense infatuation with him, but he was happy to give that up once he got engaged to Andromeda. In fact, he welcomed it. She had gotten a bit too clingy for him in the end and the engagement was a welcome excuse to call the whole thing off. When Andromeda ran off with Ted, I wondered if she would be the first pick for his next engagement.

"Yep," I simply replied. Going over to my wardrobe, I quickly changed into some jeans and a sweater. "It eats him up inside that he can no longer be with you. Trust me."

I sat down on my bed to fasten my boots, the black box on my nightstand coming into view as I leaned up once more. With a sigh, I decided there was no better time than the present to just get it over with. Pulling it onto my lap, the paper ripped easily, revealing a just as simple black velvet box underneath. With a satisfying click it opened upwards, unveiling the treasure within.

Placed perfectly inside was an elegant necklace made up of a silver chain, on which dangled a single elegant teardrop pearl. It was understated, yet beautiful, and I found myself shocked that Walburga happened to pick out something that I actually liked. Looking around, I checked to see that none of the other girls had seen it, for they surely would have tried to fight me for it. Thankful that they seemed to be preoccupied with Celeste's moaning, I quickly unclasped it and placed it around my neck.

"Oh, that poor thing," she said, distraught, as she laid back down on her bed. I had hoped that my voice had leaned more sarcastic but it was clear that she was so oblivious that she couldn't even understand social cues. "How will he go on? Maybe we can still see each other… You know, on the side?"

As I turned, it became clear that the question was directed towards me, with all of the girls watching and waiting for a response. Vanessa and Greta knew that it was never going to happen but held smirks on their faces as they waited to see what I would say. Meanwhile, Celeste looked absolutely seriously, eyes glistening with hope at the mere thought of it. If only she knew what something like that would entail now. What kind of life she would be signing up for.

"I'll see if I can put in a good word," Greta coughed to cover up her laugh at my response. Celeste sent me a large smile, looking like she was about to speak more on the subject but I stopped her. "I'll see you all later, yeah?"

Ending the conversation, much to the chagrin of Celeste, I made my way out of the room to go meet Byron. He was seated in a chair off to the side of the common room, head propped up on his hand as he watched something off in the distance. He was in deep thought and looking distressed about it. The frown on his face was all the confirmation I needed to know that this was indeed not going to be about today being my birthday.

"What?" I said sternly.

In truth, Byron and I hadn't talked beyond pleasantries since that day at the Hog's Head. In fact, I had been actively avoiding him. The events that took place both in that room and the twenty-four hours leading up to it had created a significant rift in our relationship. One I wasn't sure we would be able to fix. Being a part of all this in theory had been bearable but to know he did what he did, seriously injuring others and then seeming to be okay with my father's punishment? I didn't think it was something I was ever going to be able to get over.

"Not here," he said plainly before leading us over to our usual chatting spot near the glass dividing us from the Black Lake. We leaned on it like always, facing each other as I crossed my arms. "Well firstly, happy birthday."

"Just get on with it," I sighed, not wanting to spend more time than necessary talking with him. He grimaced at my dismissal.

"Fine," he said flatly. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Last night."

"Are you going to keep on being vague in order to drag this out or?"

His jaw set as he glared down at me. However, I had a sinking feeling that I knew where he was going with this. He seemed to always know my every move, meaning he probably knew I had been with the Marauders last night. But it seemed so secure in the Room of Requirement… Maybe he just knew I was with them and not necessarily what we talked about. However, with recent developments with that gaggle of boys, maybe I could leave him assured that it would never happen again. For real this time.

"With Lucius," he bit out, surprising me. "He keeps telling me to check on you but won't tell me why. He's also trying to get me to get him out of detention but I told him I would have to check the facts first… Assumed the two issues were related."

Well, that was unexpected. To be honest, I thought he already knew about it all. It was something I stayed up all night considering. I mean, they were practically tied to the hip in this mess so there was no way he couldn't know, right? Turns out, I was wrong.

"Dear Salazar," I breathed. "That's what this is about?"

"And what is 'that'?" He really did look confused. Annoyed nonetheless, don't get me wrong, but genuinely perplexed.

"You're telling me," I started with a dry chuckle. "That you don't know that Lucius is lurking around the castle at night snogging Narcissa Black?"

"He's what?" If he looked angry before, he was beyond livid now.

"Yeah," I said smugly, happy to finally have some information that he didn't. "You might want to tell him to be a little more discreet about it, too. Literally anyone could have stumbled upon him."

In olden times, when things were a little more 'normal,' this might have been where I broke down. Through tears, I would be telling him how embarrassed and angry and sad I was. But this wasn't the old days, wasn't the Bryon I could lean on. He was no longer allowed to know the inner workings of my mind.

"You're lying, right?" He asked, annoyed. "Trying to start some sort of trouble?"

"No, I'm leaving that to the pros from now on," I sneered. "You guys are much better at it than I am."

"Elsbeth, be serious," he said in earnest. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"On Salazar himself, dear brother."

"That," he fumed, actually having to clench and unclench his fists a couple of times to cool down. "Complete bastard."

"First thing we've agreed on in months," I said simply.

"Who else was with you?" He turned his attention back on me.

"Remus Lupin. We were on patrol and he was lucky it was us. He wasn't exactly hiding where Prefects avoid when doing rounds."

"Shit," he groaned. "It being Lupin is still not good. What did you do?"

"Why do you think he has detention?" He turned on me with a shocked expression at my response. Although, I could have sworn that I saw the faintest of smirks. "And technically, even as Head Boy, you can't pardon him because he was participating in 'lewd acts.'"

"Oh, trust me he wasn't going to get out of it anyway, knowing what I know now," he said with a small smile. "But now I have a valid reason as to why."

"Well, you're welcome," I said with the roll of the eyes, trying not to fall into any semblance of a pleasant conversation. "We done here?"

"Wait," he grabbed my elbow and pulled me back as I started to walk away. "What are you going to do about it?"

"About what?" I scoffed, ripping my arm from his grasp.

"To fix this," he sighed. "You two haven't said a word to each other all day, which is suspect given the date… And you're not wearing your ring."

Ugh. That thing again. I had ripped it out of my robe pockets as soon as I got home last night and placed it back in its box. Last I saw, it was sitting somewhere at the bottom of my trunk. They'd be lucky if they ever saw it on me again before the wedding.

"Why has this always got to be on me? I'm not the one-off snogging someone else out in the open. I'm tired of being used, only to get embarrassed or otherwise disrespected in the process," I bit out. "He clearly doesn't see the need to try so neither will I."

"Elsbeth, you can't just -"

"Hi, Elsbeth!" He was interrupted by a voice as it walked up to us. It was Finn Bulstrode, a Seventh year who I had talked to maybe once in all my years here at Hogwarts. He was a nasty-looking thing, with overgrown teeth and shabby hair. "Happy birthday!"

"Uh, thanks?" I said, slightly confused as to why he was talking to me. He stood there, looking happy but making it awkward as he didn't say anything more. Byron and I shared a wary glance. "Sorry, did you need something?"

"Oh, right. Sorry!" He said as if it had taken me speaking again to prompt his brain to process why he was there. "Lucius wants you to meet him in the Prefect's bathroom."

"Brilliant," I said sarcastically, shooting an annoyed look at my brother.

"Looks like he does want to try after all," he said with a satisfied smirk.

"Well," I grimaced. "Wouldn't want to keep him waiting then."

Pushing past the both of them, I quickly made my way across the common room so I could avoid anyone else I barely talked to stopping me to wish me well. The air in the castle was cool and crisp, and I thanked myself for donning a sweater. Everything had already been decorated for the Halloween Feast tomorrow night so instead of the usual torches, floating jack-o'-lanterns lit my way. Fake bats flitted and weaved in between the orange streamers strewn all across the corridors. The portraits scurried about dressed up as all sorts of silly ghouls and monsters as they prepped for their own painted parties.

"Well, if it isn't the woman of the hour," I heard a call come from behind me as I made my way up the stairs to the fourth floor. Regulus' voice was now no stranger to me and I had to admit he was probably the one person in this entire castle that I actually didn't mind running into right now.

"Don't say that," I said with a smile as he came to meet me on the landing. "You know today has been torture, Reggie."

He scowled. Ever since Sirius had told me about that, I had said it every chance I got. I wasn't sure how he felt about me using his brother's nickname but if he was truly bothered, he didn't say anything. However, using it tonight made my heart twinge a bit. It had been nice using it the past week or so since I'd learned about it, as it seemed to create a sort of line between the two of them. But now that one side of that had been cut, it didn't feel as special.

"See you like it, then?" He pointed at the necklace stationed just around my collarbone.

"Oh yeah," I smiled down at it. "Give your mother my thanks. She actually sent along quite a lovely piece."

"That's because I picked it out," he said pompously, running a hand through his long hair. Another unwelcome reminder of his brother. "And I have excellent taste."

"You picked it out?" I eyed him suspiciously. With everything going on, I couldn't handle any more surprises so I proceeded to ask the main question that popped into my head. "Regulus, can you be honest with me?"

"What's that?" He asked, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

"You don't fancy me, right? Because I really can't have any more romantic complications in my life. And I really need your help with my great aunt's journal, so I don't want things to become weird -"

"Merlin, Elsbeth," he said with a laugh, clutching a hand to his chest in an effort to contain the action. "Just stop right there. That's not what's going on."

"Oh, thank Salazar," I sighed with relief.

"The reason I picked it out," he finally continued after calming down. "Is because I wanted you to get something for your birthday that you didn't hate. That's all. I can't even imagine the monstrously grandiose things everyone else got you."

"Well, they've all been pawned off to the girls," I shrugged. My hand subconsciously went up to clasp the necklace in question. It was smooth and cool to the touch. "But thank you. I really do like it."

"Of course," he smiled. "That's what friends are for, after all."

"Are we friends?"

"Might as well be… Who else do we have, really?"

"Hmm," I hummed in response.

Look at us, a bunch of lonely fools in the middle of a war. It would have been natural, or at least easy, if we did have feelings for one another and decided to pursue a relationship. He was from a prominent family. Sure, the same one Byron was supposedly marrying into, but it wouldn't have been an uncommon scenario in our community. I would have been able to end things with Lucius, his desires clearly residing elsewhere, and move on with someone who actually understood me.

As I dug in my heart of hearts, I admitted I did care for Regulus. Just not in that way. He was indeed becoming an ally of sorts. Though 'friend' would not be the word I would use to describe our current situation. At least not yet. There were still a great many things I had to figure out about him before I would consider him anywhere near that. Though, those things were coming to light much faster than expected.

"Where are you off to?" He asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Oh," I blinked a couple times as if that would pull me back into focus. "Lucius asked me to meet him in the Prefect bathroom."

"Lucius?"

"Yeah… Your hearing alright?" I asked playfully but was greeted with a puzzled look by him.

"I thought I just saw him…" He was thinking out loud. "Nevermind. What are you meeting him for?"

"I'll tell you about it later," I waved him off with the same excuse I had told his brother.

"Right," he returned to smirking. "Well! I'll leave you to it then."

"Yeah," I smiled, beginning to ascend the steps once more. "I'll see you around, Reggie."

"For that," he said. "I would like to wish you the happiest of birthdays!"

He said the last part loudly enough that students on different staircases turned their heads. I simply rolled my eyes at him and continued to walk away. As I reached the fifth floor, I rounded a couple of corners and saw the statue of Boris the Bewildered come into view. He was a funny looking man, with a large mustache and collar. I always got a giggle out of it when I visited this bathroom. However, not a chuckle was to be found tonight as I thought about what awaited me just beyond the door.

When I entered, the room was indeed occupied but not by someone I was expecting.

"Andromeda?" I asked, perplexed. The girl turned around, the ponytail tying up her long, light brown hair swishing at the movement. She was also dressed casually, in a well-made cardigan and jeans.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, staying in place in front of the large sinks as I approached her.

"Meeting Lucius… What are you doing here?"

Something felt off. Why would Lucius want to meet with both of us? No answer came to mind. Lucius barely conversed with Andromeda under regular circumstances, despite the fact that they were soon to be related by marriage. However, maybe it had something to do with the events of last night. This might be some sort of intervention to keep what happened between my fiancee and Andromeda's sister between us. It would make more sense that he would use this time to threaten us rather than express remorse for his actions.

"I was told Byron wanted to meet with me," she answered.

"Byron?" I was so confused now. "I was just with him and he didn't say anything about meeting you… And he was there when I was told Lucius wanted to meet me."

The facts weren't adding up. Byron would have definitely said something, probably would have even walked with me, if he was set to meet up with all of us. I looked around the bathroom, suddenly getting the uneasy feeling that we were being watched. The dripping of the drains nearby now made me anxious, like they were tapping out some sort of warning. I pulled out my wand and grabbed Andromeda's hand as I began to look around for any information that might clue us in as to what was going on.

"What's all this?" She whispered, clearly just as nervous as me.

"I have no clue…" I said just as quietly.

As if on cue, I heard the door to the bathroom open behind me. Andromeda's eyes filled with fear and I turned to see who had joined us. In walked three boys, wands already at the ready, swinging them as they smirked smugly. At least two of them were Ravenclaws in my year, as I recognized them from class. They approached us menacingly and I began to panic as they closed in on us.

With a tug on Andromeda's hand, I whipped around in an effort to put some space between us. This bathroom was huge, I'm sure there was a place to hide out in order to divert their attention so we could sneak out. However, as I turned, we were confronted with two other students. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, practically choking me as it cut off my breath. Andromeda squeezed my hand and we looked at one another, both of us shaking as we collectively thought about what we should do.

"Well," One of the students now in front of us began, his voice menacing. Like the others, he was swinging his wand in his hands. The casual act of it was juxtaposed by the malicious look in his eyes. "Fancy meeting you two here."

"What's all this?" I asked, clutching my wand so hard that my knuckles had turned white.

"Just want you two to send a little message for us," one of the students behind us said, making my head swivel quickly. I felt like they were doing this intentionally, drawing our focus back and forth. The students behind us were now more spread out, trying to cut off as many outlets as they could.

"See," back to the same student in front of us. "We don't appreciate what happened last Friday. We have friends that paid the price… Sent to St. Mungo's with no clear answer on when or if they'll be okay."

"And as you can imagine," I didn't turn my head back this time, instead keeping focus on the threat in front of me. I wasn't going to play their games. If they wanted me distracted, they would have to try a little harder. "That doesn't really make us happy."

"So," back to the boy I was staring at, clearly unamused by my unwillingness to bend to their tricks. "We'd like you to pass along a little reminder to your beloveds. If you don't mind, of course."

"Get on with it," I said harshly, cutting to chase. "What do you want?"

He eyed us up for a second, a sneer washing over his features. I decided it was a safe time to take a small glance around and I was glad I did. The three students behind us had completely dispersed, aimed to attack us from all angles. Andromeda gave me a tug and I looked at her. Her mouth had set in a straight line as she, like me, had caught on to what was about to happen. While fear still filled her eyes, she also exuded a level of determination. With a subtle nod, I confirmed with her that we would make it out of here. She made slight movements to remove her wand from her pocket.

"See," he continued, all fake pleasantries gone. "You lot think you're in control around here. Think you can just waltz around the school with some sort of abnormal sense of power."

In my peripheral, I saw that we were losing ground. With every word he said, the rest seemed to be moving closer. We had to act soon.

"It's bad enough that your mums and dads think the same out there," he pointed in the general direction of a window. "And while we might not be able to help them right now, we can make sure we do our part. And that means protecting our own in here. What happened to us last week can't stand. When you attack ours, we'll attack yours. And we need to make sure your partners understand this… Nothing personal to you two. I'm sure you're lovely. But this seems like the only way to convey our point to those pricks -"

"Stupefy!" I didn't let him finish as a red light burst from the tip of my wand, hitting him right in the stomach.

All sorts of lights bounced off the walls as I pulled on Andromeda's hand and ran deep into the bathroom. Footsteps were fast to follow and we found ourselves turning every second to counter with a shield at their well-aimed hexes. We turned a corner and came up fast on the enormous bath, with the elegant stained glass mermaid looking down on us in disapproval.

"Let's split up," she said and there was no time to argue.

I ran down to the left while she was able to dodge a hex and move right. As I moved along a row of doors, one practically exploded in a flash of light, forcing me to slow momentarily as the shards scraped at the exposed skin on my face and neck. Turning back quickly, I aimed and landed another stinging jinx at one of the boys I didn't recognize. He went down momentarily while his friend continued on after me. They both moved out of sight as I turned down another corner. Not immediately being followed, I was able to sneak into an alcove to catch my breath.

"Where are those bitches?!" I heard the voice of the boy who had been speaking earlier ring throughout the rooms and halls of the large bathroom. He yelled louder, seeming to want us to hear. "I was going to be nice! But clearly, you're just as rotten as those boys you're going to marry. Don't worry! I'll make sure they visit you in St. Mungo's!

He had gathered himself quicker than I would have liked and I gave a groan, alerting someone of my whereabouts as the stone next to me burst much like the door had. With a small scream, I was forced into the open, confronted by the boy I hadn't cursed. We exchanged fire for a moment. Well, more like he attacked me and I did my best to keep up with blocking him. However, I hesitated for half a second too long and felt a jinx hit me square on the left hip. Properly pissed, I went on the offensive as well, eventually catching him off guard and landing one of my own that allowed me to escape.

But not for long. The pain forced me to limp around another corner where I came face to face with the other boy that had been pursuing me. His wand dropped in the sudden collision but he was able to overpower me and push me up against a wall. The taste of blood overcame me and I knew I must have busted a lip when we ran into one another. I thrived in his grasp, scratching at every surface I could find that would give me leverage while he pinned my wand hand above me. Using my heel, I slammed down hard on his foot, giving me just a moment of distraction on his part to push him away and run.

He was grabbing his wand when I looked back, allowing me ample time to send him flying down the walkway. Wiping away the tears from the pain in my upper leg, I limped as fast as I could. Merlin, how big was this place? I was just about to reach another walkway when I was pulled off to the side. Writhing already, I tried to place as many hits on the assailant as I raised my wand.

"It's me! It's me!" Andromeda whisper screamed. With a relieved sigh, I lowered my wand, taking the time to catch my breath once more. "Tough time on this side too, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I heaved, wiping the sweat from my face. "This has been one of the best birthdays I've had in a bit."

She responded with a dry chuckle. Looking just as bad as I thought I did, she leaned back on the wall to also catch her breath. Her clothes were filthy like she had crawled to get here, and a giant gash had ripped her forehead in half. We were severely outnumbered and it was only going to get worse. We had to get out of here now before any real damage was done.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" She asked, probably thinking the same thing as me.

"I think," I replied hesitantly. In truth, I had been in this bathroom maybe five times in my one and a half years as Prefect. It was just too far away from the dorms so it was more out of the way than anything. I tried to conjure a map in my head to process escape routes. In the end, I could only think of one. "I'm pretty sure the only way out is through the main walkway near the bath."

"Brilliant," she groaned, rubbing her forehead from sweat but immediately regretting it. "So we'll be out in the open."

"Yeah," I sighed. "But if we can make it to the main room, we can close the door and lock them in."

She nodded silently to herself for a moment before straightening up.

"Let's get on with it then," she said with a small smile. "Also, if I could, I would break up with Byron immediately after this."

"I think I still might break up with Lucius, consequences be damned."

Silently, we strode around walkways, peeping around corners to make sure the coast was clear before proceeding. The efforts of battle lay all around us as we passed chipped flagstone and shredded wood. Making our way down one of the long corridors, I realized it was quiet. Way too quiet. So much so that I stopped us for a moment just to see if I could hear anything at all but there was not a peep. However, there was no way we had defeated our assailants, for we passed by spots where we had left a couple of them and there were no unconscious bodies to be found.

I sighed with relief when I saw that no one was near the baths when I peeked. Very slowly, we stepped out into the open, staying close as we made our way towards the other side of the room. With our wands held high, we quickened our pace. Unfortunately, I could only push myself to go so fast, with Andromeda grasping onto my arm to assist with my limp. I was feeling semi-confident as we neared the middle of the room but, naturally, that could only last so long. Stepping out from the wings came three of the boys, the other two quickly following suit. They blocked our path completely and I felt all hope begin to fade.

"Nice try. Really, a valiant effort," the seeming leader of the pack spoke again. It looked like he had a nice black eye forming and I mentally thanked Andromeda for at least getting one hit in on this guy. "Well! This has all been quite fun but I think it's time to wrap up."

He gave a nod and the other, more beaten members of his crew began to fan out once more. Our current option was cut off and I, though I hated to tear my eyes away from them, turned to look at Andromeda. She shot me an exasperated sigh as we both seemed to come to the conclusion about what to do next at the same time. We would have to make our way back, split up once more, and keep fighting. It was the only way if we had any hope of making it out of here. With that, we began tiptoeing back as I began mentally preparing myself to work through the pain.

I felt our calves hit the base of the bath. I had to hold on tight to my balance in order not to topple over and into it. In my peripheral, I glanced at the hallways we once occupied. They now seemed a mile away and I wondered if I could really do this. But, as I watched them decrease the distance between us once more, I realized I didn't have a choice. Andromeda squeezed my hand comfortingly as if she sensed my worry.

"Now," the ringleader said as he raised his wand along with the other boys. "We'll be a little more merciful than your male counterparts… It'll be quick."

"Wouldn't do that if I were you, Frost," a voice came from behind them and they turned abruptly. "Didn't your mum teach you not to pick on girls?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as James spoke, Remus and Peter stepping up beside him. All three had their wands raised, though the last boy didn't look as confident.

"Ah, Potter," the other boy responded. "Who would have thought you would have come to those bitches' rescue?"

"Well," the bespectacled boy shrugged, voice laced with sarcasm. "I am going for Head Boy next year… Got to make sure everyone stays in line."

"Hilarious. Well, we'll be out of your hair in just a moment, don't you worry. And then we can all just pretend like none of this happened, yeah?"

In an almost coordinated move, two of the boys broke off from the group and turned back to advancing on us. They moved quickly this time, like they knew they had no time to spare. They were halfway there when I felt a few presences surround us.

"What did he say?" Regulus bit from beside me and they stopped, no longer so assured that they had the advantage.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, breathing a sigh of relief as I finally felt it was safe to put the weight of my wand down.

"I had just been talking with Lucius and he didn't mention anything about you," he replied, eyes piercing through the boys in front of us. "Wouldn't have been that suspicious, really… Except Andromeda had walked by us and mentioned Byron had asked to see her. So when I saw them both in the common room, I knew something was off."

"Right," I nodded. "What about them, then?"

I indicated at the Marauders but he was interrupted before he could say anything.

"Alright, Ledoux?" I whipped my head to see Andromeda joined by Sirius. He was followed closely by my brother. Like the rest of them, their eyes were trained on the threat in front of us. "And cousin?"

"They," Regulus answered, ignoring him completely. "Seemed to already be on their way here when we ran into them. Thought we were safer in numbers."

"I don't assume Lucius is going to pop out of the woodwork?" I sneered.

"You assume correctly."

"What a prince. Really, how did I get so lucky?"

Despite circumstances, he couldn't help the smirk that grew on his face. But it quickly washed away when the boys in front of us refused to yield. While they now stood still, they continued to stare us down, taking turns at whom they pointed their wands. They were soon joined by the boy I now knew as Frost.

"Seems like the odds are against us now boys," he clapped one of them on the shoulders as if indicating it was time to concede. However, his dark eyes turned back on us. "Nevertheless, we'll make due."

In half a second, his wand was up and firing some sort of curse. I think it was meant for Regulus but swerved and hit me directly in the shoulder, destroying my balance and knocking me into the waters behind.

At its deepest, the Prefect bath was nearly seven feet in depth, making it more of a small pool than anything. But being in this position, sinking to the bottom of it, it felt like it was neverending. Not having a chance to take a breath before plummeting, I struggled to find my way to the top. But the waters were murky, with my only indication of direction being the reflection of lights flashing in all directions just above the surface.

For some reason, despite how much I paddled, I wasn't able to get close to the surface. If anything, I felt like I was sinking further. My vision began to fade in and out as I felt myself running out of breath completely. From somewhere above, I watched as two bodies disturbed the water, their features shrouded in shadow both from the murkiness and my failing attempts to remain conscious. My feet had finally hit the bottom of the bath as hands wrapped around both my arms and I finally began to move upward.

The open air hit me as I gasped and coughed, swatting once more to stay alive.

"Easy, Beth," my brother said calmly from next to me in the water.

He pulled me along by one arm as he nodded towards Sirius to do the same on my other side. At the edge, Regulus and Andromeda were there to help me up and hold my weight. Byron got out of the bath first before sticking a hand out to Sirius. It was odd to see them act cordially but nice nonetheless. In front of me, it looks like they had made quick work of the opposition. Three of the five boys, including Frost, were knocked out on the ground. The other two held their hands up in contempt as James held all five of their wands while keeping his own positioned on them.

"Are you alright, Beth?" Remus said full of worry as he approached us. "Good Godric, you're shaking."

"Are there any towels around here?" Sirius asked as he stepped up, not looking nearly as affected.

"Here," Regulus indicated to his brother to momentarily grab onto me while he took off his outer layer. He draped his jacket over my shoulders before taking Andromeda's place, now leaving me between the two brothers. "This is a start."

They exchanged a look, seemingly talking without speaking. Under normal circumstances, I would be intrigued but couldn't focus on that now. For with each minute, I felt my strength slowly leave me. Black spots filled my vision as I once again struggled to hold on.

"Merlin's beard!" Came an exclamation from the doorway. We all turned our heads to see Slughorn, accompanied by Flitwick and River. The latter looked at me worriedly but I just shot her the best reassuring smile I could muster. "What's going on here?"

"Just a playful scuffle gotten out of hand, sir," my brother stepped up.

"Gotten out of hand is right!" The round professor proclaimed, his face going a little red. "Professor Dumbledore is going to want answers for this!"

Looking around the room, I didn't know how we were going to spin this one. It looked like a warzone, with stone cracked and even a couple windows broken. The mermaid behind us was fuming as she peeked out from behind her rock. It looked very bad for us. And that was before we even got to the boys on the floor.

"Indeed he will," the Headmaster stepped into view, taking a calculated look around. He stopped on us one by one, seeming to look into our souls to find the information he needed. And perhaps he was actually doing so, being skilled in the arts of Legilimency and all. He cast us in silence for several minutes as he observed us and the surrounding destruction before finally continuing on. "But that will have to wait for now. It looks like we've got a few students that need to head down to the Hospital Wing."

With nods in Flitwick and River's directions, they began to put the room back together. Meanwhile, he went over and whispered something urgent in Slughorn's ear, something extremely shocking based on the expression on the Professor's face as he listened.

"Mr. Ledoux," the Headmaster called out across the room. "If you and Miss Black would be so kind as to gather your sister and follow Professor Slughorn to see Madame Pomfrey."

Then he stepped up to James, pulling him aside to get interrogations underway. My brother stepped up in front of me, grabbing me by the waist as I wrapped my uninjured arm over his shoulder.

"Thanks, lads," he said genuinely to the two brothers before moving us towards the door.

Slughorn led us out into the corridor where night clearly had descended upon the castle. Not a student was out to see us, thankfully for me, and the pumpkins seemed to have doubled in order to appropriately light our surroundings. But I couldn't focus on anything as my vision kept blurring, holding steady somewhere just above consciousness. Nevertheless, I still noticed that the professor in front of us had his wand out, looking this way and that frantically as we made our descent.

"Do make haste!" He turned to us when I wasn't climbing down a set of stairs fast enough for his liking. I tried to pick up the pace but with each movement, the pain increased and my mind moved one step closer to falling to the darkness.

"Is everything alright, Professor?" Byron asked, apparently noticing how odd he was acting as well.

"We mustn't be out and about right now," he whispered as he stepped close to us, eyes still flitting around the corridors.

"Why's that?" Andromeda asked.

"I shouldn't be telling you this… But there's just been an attempted attack on the Headmaster. By Slytherins, at that!"

And with that, I felt myself fall to the ground as I gave in and the entire world around me turned black.