I know I said no author's notes, but I needed to make sure my readers understood the delay. I just had a baby! She came a bit early, so the fic just has to wait a while. This was the last chapter I managed to dish out before she was born.

Chapter 26 Friday, Nov. 6 – 3:47 pm

"You have to do this."

"No, I don't."

"You're the only one who can."

"And why's that?"

"Because you're the only one who's done it."

"That doesn't mean that I did it correctly."

"Remus, you were a Prefect!"

"A Prefect who didn't become Head Boy."

Sirius wasn't going to win this argument. Remus simply wasn't going to testify, no matter what Sirius said to try to convince him. Sirius slouched back in his seat and rumpled his hair in frustration. "Do you even care what happens to these kids? Surely you have some compassion for what they are going through."

"Certainly I have compassion for them. As you said, I'm the only one who's been through what they are going through. I'm the only one who can relate to their situation."

"Then why won't you help them?"

"Because Sirius, as I have tried to tell you, any statement from me could actually do more harm than good for them."

"And as I have said, I don't see it that way."

Remus sat forward on the edge of his seat and took a deep breath. "All right, Padfoot. I've been skirting the issue on the assumption that you are too intelligent a wizard to miss the facts, but apparently you have blinders on where this case is concerned. My time at Hogwarts was not without its problems, of which I'm sure the Board of Governors is well aware." He gave Sirius a very pointed look. "I'm not just referring to what happened when I was a student, but also when I was a teacher."

Sirius' jaw was firm, his lips pursed as he considered what Remus was saying. "But Remus..."

"No, Sirius. There is no 'but' to the argument. My carelessness endangered lives both times I was allowed to stay at the school. My testimony would only add fuel to the fire and prove why these children shouldn't be allowed to attend Hogwarts."

Sirius wasn't going to give up that easily. "Couldn't you comment on how, with the wolfsbane potion, the children will be virtually harmless? That's something you didn't have when you were a student."

"Yes, but I had it as a teacher and I still managed to endanger lives."

"I knew it," a haughty voice said from the corner. "I knew you would find a way to muck up this case."

"Jonathan," Sirius sighed, looking over at the ghost who had been listening to the entire conversation, "I'm trying to help these children."

"By bringing in testimony that could ban them from the public forever!' Jonathan screeched, heatedly. "I wouldn't be surprised if all werewolves end up behind bars when you finish with this case!"

"Forgive him, Remus. Mr. Sepuchri has a tendency to be overly dramatic."

The ghost strode purposefully through the conference table to stand directly in front of Sirius. "I'm not being overly dramatic! I'm simply considering the possible outcomes based on the facts and letting them draw out to their natural conclusions. If this man testifies," he pointed a transparent finger to Remus, "mark my words, those children will be banished!"

"Well, I think banished is too harsh of a word," Remus said, running a finger along his chin, "but I don't think I can be of much help to the Clarks."

Sirius sighed. "Remus, you're proof that a person with lycanthropy can lead a normal life."

"There are many of us who lead normal lives. If that's all you need, then I suggest you find someone who hasn't been in front of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures."

"Oh, God," Sirius grumbled and looked away. "Did you have to bring that up?"

"I only bring it up because you seem to have forgotten," Remus said, pointedly.

"For the record," Sirius met Remus' eyes with honesty, "I'll never forget that." There was a moment's pause as the two old friends just stared at one another.

"You see, Sirius," Remus started, "I really do have good intentions where the children are concerned. I know Roarke thinks I'm avoiding this case because I don't like being involved in anything overly political. However, I am keeping out of it so they will have a better chance at winning. And you can tell Roarke I said that. Or..." Remus looked over at the door to the office, "if she ever shows up I'll tell her that myself."

"I had her run an errand. She'll be back shortly," Sirius said with a defeated look on his face.

"Oh, don't be so glum about this. How would you win this case if you didn't know me?"

"But I do know you. And I know that these children deserve a chance – the same chance that you had."

Remus sighed, knowing Sirius was right about that point. The children did deserve the same chance. "All right, how about a compromise?" Sirius looked up in hope. "I will meet with the Clarks and answer any questions they might have. But know this, Sirius, I will be completely honest with them. If they ask about certain events, I will tell them what happened and what the consequences were."

Sirius searched Remus' face intently, then nodded slowly. "I understand."

There was a tension between them at even mentioning the infamous prank from all those years ago. It was a period in their history as friends that they avoided discussing as best they could. They had an unspoken agreement not to reopen old wounds, but Remus knew that he owed it to the Clarks to be truthful with them about what can happen...even between good friends. Fortunately, Sirius understood that, too.

"When will they be here?" Remus asked, shifting the focus of the conversation.

"Within the hour. I told them you had agreed to come in and talk to me today. They were hoping to meet with you, so I'm sure they will be pleased that you want to speak with them." A knock sounded at the door, interrupting the conversation. "Come in," Sirius called.

The door opened to reveal Roarke holding a dusty old book, and sporting two black eyes. "Took me forever, but I eventually found it." Her eyes traveled to Remus, who instantly became alarmed at her appearance. "Hi Dad. How's the meeting going?"

Remus was on his feet and at her side in no time. "What the devil happened to you?"

"Oh, my eyes?"

"And your head!" He took her chin in his hand and examined her face more closely. "Were you in a fight?"

"It's not what you think." Remus' brows went up in alarm. Roarke pulled away from him and handed the book she was carrying to Sirius. "Here you go. If you don't mind I'll just take dad out into the lounge and explain to him what's going on."

"But I'd love to hear this!" Sirius' tone was clearly one of interested curiosity, rather than concern.

"Precisely why I'm going to talk to him privately," Roarke tossed out over her shoulder.

The comments only concerned Remus further. What did Roarke get into? And why hadn't he been told of any trouble? Sirius obviously knew what was going on. Why would Roarke keep such an injury from me but not Sirius?

Alarmed, with a growing sense of paternal indignity, Remus followed Roarke out of Sirius' office, down the hall and into a small lounge. She closed the door behind them and turned to face him calmly. "I fell down," she said, simply.

"You... fell down?" Remus looked her over again. "That must have been one hell of a fall."

"It was. I slipped on that old bridge in the park by Malcolm's and banged up my head. That's what the cut is from. The black eyes came later. But trust me, I look a lot better now than I did a few days ago."

"Did this happen on Halloween?" Remus asked, crossing his arms.

Roarke nodded.

"And you didn't feel it necessary to let your mother and I know that you had been hurt?"

"There was a medi-witch at the party. She said I would be fine. Besides, I didn't want to spoil your anniversary."

"But that was days ago! You could have told us after the fact."

"Well..." Roarke shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I'm fine so I didn't see any sense in worrying you."

"Worry me?" Remus rubbed his eyes. "Roarke, someday you will be a parent and you will understand that parents like to know when their children have been hurt. Worry me, indeed!"

"Ok. I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"Were you drunk?"

Roarke rolled her eyes. "Dad, I am old enough to drink. Besides, I wasn't seriously injured so I didn't think it would be much of a big deal."

Remus shook his head.

"Come on," Roarke said in disbelief, "you knew we'd all get smashed."

"Wasn't Tarquin your escort that evening?"

Roarke's eyes went wide, a stunned look on her face. "Why?"

"I just wondered where he was while you were off running through the park in a drunken stupor."

"That's not what happened. I followed...someone...outside to talk where it was quiet. We went into the park, I slipped on the bridge, and then I spent the night in Malcolm's apartment."

"It still surprises me that even Tarquin didn't seek out help from someone more trusted. His grandmother would have been more than willing to tend you, I'm sure."

Roarke groaned. "Dad, like I said, there was a medi-witch there...and Malcolm was there and...trust me, I was well taken care of."

"Yes, I see that," Remus said sarcastically. "Tarquin should have taken you to his grandmother's. You probably wouldn't have ended up with dark circles under your eyes if he had."

Roarke frowned. "This isn't the first time I've been hit in the head and ended up with black eyes. Even Madam Pomfrey couldn't help me avoid them. And why are you so hung up on Tarquin?"

Remus didn't miss the irritation in his daughter's voice. "I'm not 'hung up' on him. I just know that you two have been seeing each other and that he was your escort at the party."

She turned away from him. "We're just friends, dad."

Remus smiled to himself. She was avoiding admitting something to him. "Yes, but friends sometimes can...well...become more than friends."

Roarke looked at him, her mouth open. "I'm not dating Tarquin." She shook her head and started for the door. "Why everyone assumes that I should be with him is beyond me."

"Firecracker," Remus stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "I just want you to be happy. You've been out of sorts lately, and Tarquin's a good fellow. Forgive me if I assume the wrong thing when my daughter is spending her evenings with an intelligent, good-looking young man." He meant it as a fatherly sort of tease, but the comment only seemed to upset Roarke further. She pulled the door open and left the room with another groan.

Remus followed her with a frown on his face. He didn't quite understand why she was so upset at his assumption. Tarquin was a good friend of the family, and from what Remus had been told, Roarke was spending quite a bit of time with him. It delighted Remus to know that Roarke's choice in men was changing for the better. Of course, anyone would be a better choice than her last boyfriend, in Remus' opinion. However, Roarke seemed rather upset at the very idea that she would even consider Tarquin in that way. Maybe Siruis knows something more. After all, he sees her nearly every day.

Remus knocked on the door to Sirius' office and was granted a "Come in" from its occupant. Sirius was flipping through the book Roarke had brought to him earlier. He glanced up at Remus with an intense expression on his face. "I would have thought that the original founders of Hogwarts would have said something about what types of beings or beasts would be allowed to attend. However, I can't find anything about it at all. Even Salazar Slytherin leaves it open for debate – well...somewhat. He doesn't exclude students on the basis of curses, only on bloodlines."

"Isn't that a good thing, then? If it's open for debate, can't you use that in your favor?"

"Yes, but later. I'll take it home and read through it." Sirius tossed the book aside. "So how did it go with Roarke? Did she...tell you what happened?"

"Yes," Remus said taking a seat, "but I don't feel good about the whole thing. Why did she wait so long to let me know what had happened?"

Sirius sat forward with his arms resting on the desk. "Maybe because she knew you would feel...badly," he explained tentatively. "You weren't exactly...positive...about it in the past."

"She's never really done this before, so I can't imagine what you mean. She used to come to me about everything, but this past year..." Remus exhaled slowly. "She's changed so much."

"She's been through a lot. Change is to be expected. She's not a little girl anymore, Remus."

"I just wish I wasn't the last one to find out things about her life. I get the sense that she's keeping secrets from me – even now."

"But she did tell you about the party?"

"Yes, but like I said, I'm still confused."

"I wasn't confused as much as I was surprised."

"Yes, exactly!" Remus agreed, for Roarke's reaction concerning Tarquin was quite a surprise considering their history.

"Consider it from my point of view. One moment he's telling me not to let anyone know he's even in the country, and then the next moment he's having lunch with her every afternoon! I had a feeling that he would eventually work things out with her, but I didn't expect it so soon. Not that I'm upset about it, just surprised. And you, Remus – I didn't expect you to take it so well."

Remus was utterly confused now. "Take what so well? What the devil are you talking about?"

"About the party."

"That my daughter was injured and didn't feel it necessary to inform me until nearly a week later?"

"Well...that too. But I mean about Liam."

Remus looked at Sirius in bewilderment. "Liam? What about him?" Sirius' expression froze, his lips pursed tightly. "Sirius, that man is in Australia!" Sirius didn't say a word. He just stared at Remus and swallowed hard. "What?" Remus asked after a minute of silence.

Sirius shook his head and looked away nervously. "Nothing." He fiddled with a few items on his desk. "Forget it. It's nothing."

Remus thought over what Sirius had said, piecing it all together. "He is in Australia, isn't he?" he asked slowly.

Again, Sirius said nothing.

Remus wet his lips. "You're telling me Liam was at Malcolm's Halloween party?" Roarke's voice sounded in Remus' head. I followed...someone...outside to talk where it was quiet. "And that he's had lunch with Roarke every day this week?" Trust me, I was well taken care of. "So they're...together?"

"I thought you just said she told you," Sirius said quietly.

With growing frustration, Remus said, "She didn't tell me this." Sirius slouched a bit in his chair. "How long have you known?" Remus asked. "You said he asked you not to tell anyone he was in the country. How long have you known he was here?"

With the look of a child that's been caught and sent to the headmaster's office, Sirius went into his explanation. "He's been here about a month. He took a job with Gringotts, and I let him stay in the basement flat of the house."

"He's living with you?" Remus said, astonished.

"He did. He found an apartment in the city last week and moved out. Now I don't know how he ended up at Malcolm's party, but I know that he was with Roarke when she fell and that since then they have been working out whatever problems they might have had."

"Oh, God," Remus said closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He took several deep breaths trying to stay calm. "And here I thought she was over him." He looked at Sirius sternly. "You should have told me he came back."

"He asked me not to."

"Of course he did! He wanted to weave his way back into Roarke's life – play with her emotions - encourage her to change her goals in life."

"I don't think that's what he intended."

"And yet that's exactly what has happened. When he was here the first time, Roarke kept secrets from us – from me! She used to confide in me about everything. Now that he's back, she's keeping secrets again!"

"Because she knows you will get angry!"

"No, because she knows it's wrong!'

Sirius placed his hands on his desk and pushed himself to a standing position. "I'm not going to fight with you about this, Remus. And I think that having you talk to the Clarks while you're in this sort of state is a bad idea. So why don't you go and take Roarke somewhere private and discuss it with her. Sirius walked to the door and opened it in an obvious gesture of asking Remus to leave.

Remus pursed his lips, stood up, and went to the door. "Who else knows?" he asked quietly, but with a hint of aggression. "I assume Malcolm and Liz know. Does Katie know?"

"I don't know if Roarke has spoken to her or not. You will need to ask Roarke."

Remus nodded tersely and headed to where Roarke was working, scribbling legal jargon on a parchment. "Roarke, might I have a word with you?"

She looked up at him showing signs of irritation. "Daddy, I really don't want to talk about Tarquin any more." She immediately went back to work on her notes.

"This isn't about Tarquin. It's about Liam." The announcement was sharp, making Roarke halt her work quite abruptly. Her eyes slowly rose to meet Remus'.

"Liam?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, Liam." Roarke opened her mouth to say something but Remus stopped her. "Please don't try to deny anything, Roarke. Sirius told me he was back and that you've been seeing him again." Roarke closed her mouth and just looked up at her father expectantly. "Now, is it possible for us to go somewhere more private so we can talk about this?"

She glanced back at her work as if dismissing Remus. "There isn't anything to say."

"Oh really? You don't want to explain to me why you felt it necessary to keep this bit of information private?"

"Dad, I'm not going to have this conversation now," she said sharply.

"I just want an explanation. I think I deserve one."

She looked up at him suddenly. "Why? Why would you deserve one?"

Remus was astonished. "I am your father!" His voice had risen slightly, along with his anger. Not wanting to draw attention to their disagreement, Remus lowered his voice to that of a harsh whisper. "There are certain things I feel I am entitled to know about your life."

"And now you know. I am dating Liam and I will continue to date Liam for as long as I want to."

"And you do this against my wishes? Against all the advice and council I have given you?"

"Your wishes?" she said rather loudly in total bewilderment, her mouth agape. She shook her head and stood up. Remus noticed several others looking over at them. Even the ghost was watching the scene. "All right Dad, I can see you will not let this go without an argument." With a nod of her head, she signaled Remus to follow her back into the lounge where they could talk more privately.

Once inside the room, with the door shut tight, Roarke nearly exploded. "This isn't your decision. When are you going to realize that I am an adult and I can make decisions on my own?"

Remus held up his hands and ignored her outburst. "I have told you time and again that it is unwise to get involved with him. He is reckless and out of control, and certainly not the type of man that I have ever envisioned you being with."

"That's the problem, isn't it? You just don't like Liam!"

"No, I don't!"

"Because he's a werewolf."

Remus paused, choosing his words carefully. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"But I did. And I'm not talking about a bump on my head. I missed him terribly when he was gone. It hurt me to not have him around to talk to - to be with. Now that he is back, I am thrilled – ecstatic! And I wanted to tell you and mum, but I knew you would just yell at me and tell me to call it off. I'm not going to do that, Daddy. I'm not!"

Remus pursed his lips in frustration. "This is not the right thing for you. I think you realize that. If you honestly thought Liam was the best choice for your future, you would have come and told us right away."

"I didn't want to fight with you."

"The only reason you kept your relationship with him a secret, both then and now, was that you knew it was wrong." Roarke shook her head in disagreement. "You knew that he was not the right person. You are playing with fire by just being with him."

"I love him."

The announcement pierced through Remus, stopping him cold. He stared at her for a long time, a mix of emotions and thoughts flooding through his mind. "One week. That's a bit sudden, don't you think?"

"No," she said quietly. "I was in love with him before he left."

Remus wet his lips. "This is an illusion, Roarke. An infatuation –"

"No it's not," she countered. "I love him."

"You're too young."

"I'm an adult!" she stressed again. "When you realize that and stop treating me like a child, then we can continue this conversation." She turned on her heal and left the room without so much as another word.

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Irritated by her comments and aggravated with the whole situation, he slumped against the wall just as the head of Jonathan Sepuchri popped through the door. "If that is how you typically handle argumentative situations, then I must say that I am very glad you will not be participating in the hearing for the Clarks."