Marcus' Offer

The night of that Order meeting was not the only night that week that Claudia cried herself to sleep. But as the days passed, her determination to stand on her own two feet and to move on only increased.

On Friday, she finally popped into Gringotts to transfer Remus' rent payments to her account. Her errand meant she was a little late for work and missed the nine o'clock rush in the atrium. It meant that when she stepped into the lift, there was only one other person there, her brother Marcus.

"I was going to write to you today," he whispered the moment the door shut, and the lift started to move. "But maybe," he looked around and rubbed his arms as if he was cold, "maybe this is safer. That guy from father's division who died in St Mungo's… It was not an accident."

"How do you know that?" she whispered, trying to stay as calm as possible. Marcus seemed nervous enough and she did not want to spook him any further.

For a long time, Marcus just stared. Then, he looked at his feet and sighed. "Because father ordered me to go and kill him. To cover his tracks, presumably."

Claudia supressed a gasp. Not that she did not believe her brother was capable of murder, she knew he was. But she was not expecting him to confess, especially not to her. "You killed him?" she managed to utter.

"No." Marcus shook his head. "I'm sick of sticking my neck out for him. I made some excuse and he asked Wilkes instead."

"Did father buy your excuse?" she asked without thinking. "Or is he onto you?"

"I think I'm alright for now." Marcus scratched his head. "He once told me that he'd kill me if I turned out like you. And I'm still here, so…"

"He's such a stellar father," Claudia sighed and studied Marcus' face. He looked utterly broken. "Marcus-" she began, wanting to reassure him. But he interrupted.

"I can get you Wilkes." He paused and shifted a little. The lift was still moving. "I will also-" he whispered but trailed off before taking a deep breath. "I will also testify against father. I'm ready to help you put him away for good."

Before Claudia could respond, the lift came to a sudden holt and the door slid open. Half a dozen Ministry officials flooded in and squeezed themselves in between Claudia and her brother, making further conversation impossible.

Claudia's brain was racing. Was this really happening? Would Marcus really give their father up? He certainly looked like he was at the end of his tether. Before she could even look at him to see if his facial expression gave anything away, the lift came to a stop again and it was Marcus' turn to get out. Claudia followed him out of the lift with her eyes, but he did not even look at her. She did not blame him; he was right to do that. Any one of these officials could have been their father's spy.

Unsure of how she got to her office from the lifts, Claudia sat down at her desk. She absentmindedly brushed the papers that accumulated there to one side and found a report about the junior official's death that Marcus mentioned earlier. She flicked through it, looking at any sort of indication that he was murdered, that Marcus was right.

But it was nearly impossible for her to concentrate. And what if he was right? Was it a proof her father was behind Anderson's murder? That he used this official to do it? And if so, what then? Should she be trusting Marcus to deliver Wilkes, and genuinely testify against their father? Suddenly, it hit her. All of this could have been a trap, her father's scheme. But that thought got interrupted by the booming voice of Alastor Moody.

"Are they in the holding cells?"

"Who is?" she exclaimed, looking at her boss with an expression that must have been rather startled.

"I left a statement on your desk this morning, asking you to go and speak to the suspect first thing!" Moody thundered. "Don't tell me you didn't."

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't see it. What suspect?"

Moody leaned over her desk and pulled out a thin folder from the pile that Claudia pushed aside. "Sort it out," he barked. "Now!"

"Is it for the Anderson case?"

"No." Moody's face twisted with a new level of anger. So much so that Claudia instantly regretted asking him that question. "Crouch assigned us some new cases. Dullest cases I've ever seen. It's a punishment." Moody spoke without properly catching his breath. "We have no time to work on the Anderson case. And we have to deal with all this shit…" He picked up the case file again and started to wave it around. "This one is about some old hag with a cursed necklace. Allegedly, she tried to use it to kill her daughter-in-law. We are at war for fuck's sake. Who cares?"

Claudia did not know why but when she pictured this woman in her head, she looked remarkably like Frank's mother. "I'll be on my way," she said, supressing a chuckle.

"You better," Moody barked, dropped the file on her desk again and stormed into his office.

None of her colleagues were in to vent about Moody's latest mood, so Claudia decided to leave straight away to avoid further yelling. And by lunchtime, she found herself in the middle of Surrey, walking up a country lane to the address she found in the file. She had to take a muggle train, as there were no publicly accessible Floos for miles and she had no idea where to apparate to.

But she was glad for the long walk from the train station, as she had more time to think of all the possible reasons Marcus would have to rat out their father. She tried to remember if there were any signs at school that Marcus would be prepared to stand up for himself like this. But she came up short. The war must have really changed him.

Claudia barely noticed she was now standing by the front door of the cottage where the old woman lived.

With her mind still on Marcus, she knocked. Or maybe it was the baby, she suddenly remembered. Maybe Marcus did really want to do good by that-

Out of nowhere, Claudia was thrown off her feet.

She felt an impact and then her whole worlds disappeared into darkness.

The first thing she noticed was her eyelids fluttering. It was dark. She tried opening her eyes more to see what happened but to no avail. The world was still submerged in darkness. Was it possible that the night had fallen already?

"Ouch," she stifled a cry. The pain she just felt in her leg was overwhelming. There was also something rather large and heavy laying on her chest. Has she been captured? Tortured? On the verge of death?

Her eyes were heavy and began to close again, but the pain kept her awake. She forced her eyes open again and this time managed to look around. Everything was blurry, but she could just make out the cottage and now recognised the thing on top of her chest as the front door.

Claudia cursed and with all her strength pushed the door off her. She tried to stand up, but her body would not obey. She barely managed to lift herself a couple inches. When she looked down, she understood why. Her knee was on the side of her leg, horribly dislocated.

Her stomach turned at the sight, and a little vomit came into her mouth. The pain was becoming stronger and stronger with each second.

But then, a minor miracle.

She spotted her wand a few yards away. That was her ticket to safety. With all her strength, she pulled herself on the ground and gripped it.

St Mungo's, she thought and shut her eyes.

The next thing Claudia felt was agonising pain as she apparated. The moment she managed to compose herself, she hit the ground again and screamed out in pain. Her body was already bruised. Her insides contracted and the content of her stomach splattered on the floor. Right in the middle of the St Mungo's reception.

She spat in a useless attempt to get rid of the horrible taste of vomit in her mouth, before she even became aware of about half a dozen people, some of them in lime green robes, running towards her.

"Aid-" she choked on her own words. "Barraclough. Auror Office." She managed to mumble.

"Is he your next of kin?"

"Boss." Claudia's stomach turned and she threw up again. "Siri-" she stopped herself. "Remus Lupin is my next of kin," she just about whispered before everything went dark one more time.

When Claudia regained consciousness, she was in a bed and Barraclough's face was staring down at her.

"How long was I out?" she asked hoarsely and tried reaching for a glass of water on the bedside table. But her arm would not move. It turned out it was wrapped tightly against her body in a sling.

Barraclough took the water glass and supporting Claudia's head brought it to her lips. "Couple of hours," he whispered.

Claudia took a few sips and Barraclough put the glass down. Most of her pain seemed to have gone.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

Claudia blinked a few times. Everything seemed like a distant dream, and it took her a few moments to remember how she got to the hospital.

"I went to see this suspect, knocked on the door, and the next thing…" She paused and scrunched her eyebrows together as if that was going to help her remember. But it only brought on an excruciating headache. "All I really remember is waking up under a pile of rubble, and apparating here." She rubbed her temples.

"You just knocked?" Barraclough hissed. Even in her current state, she could tell Barraclough was finding it very hard not to yell.

"I know," she mumbled, knowing full well how stupid that sounded. She should have taken back up, or have checked the house first, put up some charms to protect herself.

"I know you've been distracted, but-" Barraclough paused, pulled up a chair and sat down. He reached for her hand. "You cannot let some guy get to you this much. You could've died, Claudia."

"Please. Don't…" she whispered, feeling rather stupid. "This isn't about Sirius."

"What is it then?"

Claudia hesitated. She did not know herself what to do about Marcus, and she was no way ready telling Barraclough about it. But maybe she had no choice… It was better than him thinking she lost her mind over a breakup. Mercifully, Remus' head emerged through the door and bought her more time.

"We'll talk about this later," Barraclough whispered. "I'm glad you're alright, but I'm not having you back in the field until you are hundred percent. Physically and mentally."

Claudia sheepishly stared at him until he left.

"He's right, you know," Remus mumbled and took the seat Barraclough vacated on the edge of Claudia's bed.

"Spare me the lecture, Remus."

"Do you need anything?"

"Just sleep." She paused and closed her eyes. "And don't tell any of the others."

"Not even-" Remus paused. "Not even Sirius?"

"Especially not him," she sighed. "I don't want him to feel sorry for me."

"Alright. Should I stay with you?"

"Please," she whispered with a yawn.

"Have a rest."

It did not take Claudia long to fall asleep. When she woke up, it was the middle of the night again and the hospital was eerily quiet. The silence was only interrupted by an occasional patient's scream. Or the occasional healer walking through the corridor. There was also a patrol officer outside of her door, who grunted and sighed, as he turned the pages of a newspaper. But Claudia did not want to talk to him. If she learned one thing from Oscar and Ewan, it was that most of the patrol officers were morons.

Claudia's eyes landed on the empty chair by the bed. Remus must have gone home. Even a month ago, it would have been unimaginable that Sirius would not be in the chair next to her bed. There was no way he would have obeyed the healers' instructions and went home like Remus did. Just like he ignored Madame Pomfrey when she tried to kick him out of the hospital wing. He stayed by Claudia's bedside for days, and they were not even together then.

Claudia could not help but imagine what Sirius might be up to right now… But it was too hard. She wiped her eyes with her uninjured hand, determined not to think about him.

Instead, she continued to wonder what to do about Marcus. If she could get landed in the hospital by some old woman, what would happen to her once she tried facing Death Eaters again? She could die.

She could die lone and miserable.

With that, her mind turned back to Sirius. She was left alone, laying in the hospital bed, while he was just a ten-minute walk away in their flat... She rung the bell for the nurse. He would come if she asked him to. One owl was all it would take.

The nurse emerged almost instantly. "What do you need, dear?"

"Could you please-" she whispered hurriedly but stopped mid-sentence, before sighing. "Could you please bring me some sleeping draught?"

By the time Claudia woke up the following day, she felt surprisingly fine. Her pain was gone, and so was her desperation to call Sirius. And by ten o'clock in the morning, she was released on the understanding that she used a cane for her knee, sling for her also dislocated shoulder, and that she did not apparate or do something equally stupid until she was healed.

Remus sat with her at home, but Claudia was so bored of him treating her like an invalid by the early evening that she hobbled to the nearest public Floo connection (wizarding pub about five minutes from Remus' flat) and went to the Ministry.

"The hero returns!" Ewan exclaimed the moment Claudia stepped through the door.

She was sure he was mocking her. But before she could mock him back, Oscar was squeezing her in his arms.

"Ribs…" she hissed in pain. "Bruised. Shoulder's fucked too."

"Sorry," Oscar whispered and let go off her. "So glad you're ok." He put his arm around her and flashed her a smile.

"We found your assailant!" Ewan resumed his taunting. "She was utterly terrifying. Hundred and two years old, five two. It needed six of us to overpower her."

"Fuck off," Claudia could not help but laugh. "It was not her that did this. It was her front door!"

"She did confess to trying to kill her daughter-in-law," Oscar said. "So it's going to go to trial. We charged her with your attempted murder too."

"Can't believe you'll need to testify at the trial," Ewan snorted. "For the rest of your career, you'll be known as the auror who got nearly killed by an old lady."

"You're having way too much fun!" Claudia hissed at him but could not help but raise a corner of her mouth. This is exactly what she needed.

"He's being all brave now," Oscar whispered in Claudia's ear. "But you should've seen him when you were in the hospital. Nervous wreck he was."

"Don't tell her that!" Ewan exclaimed. "I've got a reputation to maintain."

Claudia stayed for a while longer and chatted to them. Moody and Barraclough were out somewhere, so she did not have to worry about being sent home, or yelled at again.

When she eventually got to Remus', however, there was already a note from Barraclough waiting for her there.

"I am glad you are feeling better. But please do have a proper rest. I spoke to the healers, and you are not to come back to work till the Monday after next.

AB

PS. This is a direct order. If you come by the office again, I'm firing you."

"Snitches," Claudia whispered upon reading the last line but had to smile. She never would have thought that Barraclough, her cagey supervisor would become so important in her life. All the encouragement, his help with Sirius' problems. She only met him few years ago, but she did not trust the judgement of a single person more than she trusted Barraclough's.

Few days went by in a complete monotony. Claudia was feeling physically better by the day, even if her emotional scars (and her pride) were much slower to heal. Ewan was right, the mocking was going to stay with her for some time. Remus did the best to cheer her up with books and tea, but on the thirtieth of April, the full moon came, and Claudia was left alone with her thoughts.

She was desperately trying to keep her thoughts off Sirius by reading one of Remus' war novels, when someone banged on the door.

"Open up, Remus!" She heard Sirius' voice carry through the door.

She sighed, picked up her cane and hobbled towards the front door. "What do you want?" she shouted on her way.

"Is Remus here?"

"On a full moon, right…"

Sirius growled. Admitting a mistake was not his strong suit at the best of times. "Come on, open up. There's been a problem with Remus rent. My cheque bounced."

Claudia opened the door a little and stuck her head through the gap. "There's been no problem. I'm paying the rent."

Sirius took half a step back. "Why?" he hissed. "No one asked you to do that!"

"Really?" Claudia barked. "You've made it very clear you weren't going to pay for it if I lived here."

Sirius' face twisted in a nasty grimace. "So, you are sleeping with Remus?"

The door flew out of Claudia's hand as she gestured wildly. "I really don't have to answer to you!"

Sirius eyes were full of fire, until they travelled down and towards Claudia's hand. "Why do you have a cane?" He whispered and looked up again. "And what's that sling for?"

Suddenly very conscious the door was no longer concealing her injuries, Claudia pulled her cardigan tighter around her. "None of your business," she mumbled.

"What happened?" Sirius insisted.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Fine. Don't tell me," Sirius growled. "What about this rent though?" he added, in a slightly less angry tone.

"I don't need your charity. I'm more than-"

"You really could've told me about getting injured," he jumped in.

"Why?" she hissed, the matter of rent forgotten in an instant. "You are not my boyfriend, and we aren't friends either…" She bit her lip to stop herself from crying. "And you really should go," she added and slammed the door in his face.

The tears started to flow the moment she heard his steps going down the stairs. Part of her wanted him to run back up, hug her and never let go. Part of her never wanted to see his stupid face again.

Claudia used her time off work to revise for her second year auror exams. The St Mungo's healers allowed her to put her cane aside just before her Advanced Duelling test, which she managed to just scrape through. It was the same story with the Concealment and Disguise exam. With the tests over and out of excuses to bury her feelings under her revision, it was time to face reality again.

Well up to a point. The Order was having another of its regular meetings on the tenth of May, but Claudia could not bring herself to go and went to hide at Alice's instead. It was her twentieth birthday and the last thing she wanted to do was to sit across the table from Sirius and have the whole Order watch as they barked at each other again.

"I've made you cake," Alice said with a smile as they settled themselves on the sofa. Mrs Adler was under sleeping draught, Mrs Longbottom had mercifully moved back home, and Frank was at the meeting. And as a consequence, the two old friends found themselves alone with a glass of juice in their hands. It was not Claudia's usual choice of a birthday drink, but sadly it was all Alice had these days. She was now nearly seven months pregnant and was getting quite giant.

"I don't really feel like celebrating," Claudia sighed and sipped her juice.

"I didn't make it so you can celebrate. I made it so that you can eat your feelings."

Claudia wanted to laugh at Alice's joke but simply could not. "I'm sorry… I'm not going to be much fun tonight."

"I wasn't expecting you to be fun…" Alice replied with a gentle smile. "Why don't you tell me about work? I miss it. How did your exams go?"

"Alright. Nothing spectacular, but given the circumstances…"

"Frank said there was a rumour was going around that the examiners were not allowed to fail any of you because-" Alice stopped abruptly and looked away.

"Because of what?"

"Because they need all of you to fight."

"Sounds about right," Claudia said with a grimace. The auror office could not really afford to lose anyone right now, given the rate people kept dying in the line of duty. "On another note…" she tried to change the subject to something marginally less grim. "Marcus wants to defect," she hurled out desperate to talk this through with someone.

"Which Marcus?"

"My bro-"

"Are you kidding me?" Alice interrupted. "Your brother wants to defect? How do you know? What does Moody say?"

"I haven't told Moody yet that Marcus approached me. Or rather that we've been in touch a few times…"

"Claudia!" Alice exclaimed, wearing the same expression she wore a million times before. The expression that made it clear Claudia was not going to like the conversation that followed.

"I know, I know…" Claudia whispered. "I'll talk to Moody about it."

But that did not seem to have calmed Alice down. "What on Earth would've possessed you to talk to him in the first place? And not to tell anyone?"

"You sound just like Sirius…" Claudia sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"That was the final straw. He found out I'd been meeting with Marcus." She paused and sighed. It was still hard to talk about it. "And he was furious. Between that and the fact he still won't tell me what happened at that fucking mission, we were doomed."

Alice stayed silent. Just stared at Claudia with her mouth slightly ajar.

"What?" Claudia hissed. She wished Alice would just come out with the bollocking. The sooner it would come, the sooner it would be over.

"I just realised something…" Alice whispered. "All your fights have been over keeping some kind of secret."

"What?" Claudia gasped. "That can't be."

"Think back."

"I don't want to." But Claudia's mind wondered anyway. Sirius did not tell her why he freaked out after they first kissed. And then got mad himself when she did not tell him about Marcus being a murderer, or that it was Regulus rather than Snape who attacked her. It drove her mad when he was covering for Remus' condition. Claudia swallowed. Alice was right. It all fit. "There were few fights when he got mad because I wanted to use dark magic…" she tried to deflect.

Alice gave Claudia a fleeting smile. "Don't take this the wrong way. But I really thought you would've worked it out by now…"

Claudia could feel her eyes flood with tears. "You weren't there… It was just awful. And not just the breakup. It's been hell for months." She wiped her eyes. "I'm not sure we'll ever be able to get past it."

"Why didn't you tell me how awful it's gotten?"

Claudia shrugged. "I got so caught up trying to help him, pretending in front of everyone that he was fine so they'd give him space. I can't-" Claudia wiped her tears again, but it was pointless. "I just can't…"

"Have some cake," Alice mumbled and cut Claudia slice. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to." Claudia picked up the cake and shoved a big bite in her mouth. It was delicious and for a moment her woes had vanished. "There isn't really that much to talk about… I think it might actually be over, for real…"

Alice's eyes were now full of tears too. She took Claudia's cake away and pulled her into a hug.

"This is not how I imagined my twentieth going…" Claudia mumbled.

"Change of topic?" Alice asked and let go of her friend. "I have a favour to ask you."

"Good," Claudia said and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. "Anything. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Alice took a couple of breaths, while her eyes were overflowing with excitement.

"Please tell me you didn't set me up on a date," Claudia whispered.

Alice chuckled but soon, she was as composed as Claudia had ever seen her. "I want you to be the baby's godmother."

"What?" Claudia gasped. "Are you serious? Me? Why me?"

"Of course, I'm serious," Alice said and smiled broadly. "You've been my best friend for nearly a decade. Who else did you think we were going to ask?"

"But doesn't godmother," Claudia paused, trying to get her head around this. "Doesn't godmother mean I'd look after them if something happened to you and Frank?"

"Yes, it would…"

"You trust me to look after your baby?"

"Of course, I trust you!" Alice laughed. "And there is always Frank's mother to help out." She paused and dropped her voice into a whisper. "And hopefully mine… But in the long-term, Frank and I would want you to be his guardian if something happened to us."

"His guardian? It's a boy!?"

"Damn!" Alice shrieked. "I wasn't supposed to tell! Frank doesn't want to know. You cannot tell him!"

"Noted."

"So?" Alice asked after a while. A while that Claudia spend staring at her. "Will you do it?"

"Of course, I'll do it." Claudia whispered. "I'll do anything for you."

Alice wrapped her arms around her best friend again. "Promise me one thing…" she mumbled as they were still in an embrace. "You aren't going to make him play Quidditch against his will."

Claudia had to laugh. "I'll do my best.

Not long after, Frank came home from the Order meeting and Claudia got out of their hair. When she got to Remus', he was sitting on the sofa drinking tea.

"Happy Birthday!" he said as she sat down next to him. "How was Alice?"

Without even looking at him, Claudia let out a sigh. "Alice asked me to be their baby's godmother…"

"You?" Remus said with a slight chuckle.

"Don't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing…" Remus tried to defend himself, but his face betrayed him. He briefly squeezed Claudia's shoulder. "You'll be great. Maybe not at the touchy-feely stuff, but I pity anyone who ever tries to hurt them."

Claudia could not help but chuckle too. It was true. She could be a scary godmother. Maybe that was what the kid would need. "How was the meeting? Who's going to France in the end?" Seeing Remus' face freeze, she continued. "Come on, I'm going to find out anyway."

"Sirius and Marlene…"

"How's Benjy feeling about it?" Claudia smirked, desperately trying not to think about the pain she felt the moment those words left Remus' lips.

"I don't think it's that sort of relationship…"

Claudia ignored him. "What goes around comes around, I guess. He cheated with Benjy, now it's Marlene's turn…"

"Do you really think he cheated?"

Claudia shrugged. For weeks, she tried not to think about it. "Wouldn't be the first time. I was with Julius when he told me he loved me and kissed me remember?"

"That was different! He loves you!"

Claudia stared at the floor for a long time, then sighed. "Loved… He loved me. Some of the things he said, Remus." But she could not talk about it again. Not twice in one night. So, she stood up. "I need to go to bed."

She brushed her teeth and tucked herself under the duvet. It was now dark (Remus must have turned down the lights) and Claudia was staring at the ceiling. But she could not help but to think about Sirius, Benjy, Marlene… And just how much it hurt, physically hurt, her heart that he was with someone else. She could not keep it in anymore.

"Well, this is Marlene's chance," Claudia mumbled in a very bitter tone.

"I don't think she-"

"Oh please," Claudia scoffed. "She's had a crush on him since fifth year."

"Who didn't," Remus said with an awkward laugh. "I imagine she grew out of it. Just like me."

"I'm sorry…" Claudia mumbled. "I forgot, I completely forgot-"

"That's alright…" Claudia could not see Remus' face, but she would swear he was chuckling a little. "Nearly forgot myself."

"I appreciate you looking after me, rather than taking your chance on him, you know" she replied in an equally light-hearted tone.

Remus now laughed openly. "I don't think that would be a good idea… Besides, James and I made a deal – he's got him to look after, and I got you."

"Poor you," Claudia smirked.

"Oh stop, I definitely got the better side of that bargain."

Claudia relaxed into the pillow. "Has there been anyone else, since Mary?"

"Don't remind me of the Mary fiasco, please!"

"Come on. You can't stay single for the rest of your life."

There was a very long pause before Remus spoke again. "There is someone I like."

"Who?" Claudia asked excitedly. It was certainly making her feel better to dwell on Remus' love life rather than hers.

"Good night!"

"Remus!" Claudia protested. "It's my birthday!"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You're supposed to be nice to me! And do as I say!"

"Fine," Remus laughed. "You know Gideon from the Order, right?"

"Yes-" Claudia grimaced. "He's did call me stupid once. I won't forget that in a hurry…"

"Is he on some sort of a list now?" Remus chuckled.

"Everyone is on some sort of a list," she smirked. "He isn't bad looking though, I give you that."

"No, he's not," Remus whispered. "And he's smart and nice. We did a couple missions together. I don't really know what to do though. I never really dated anyone, not in a grown-up way."

"Don't look to me for advice," Claudia mumbled. "I've been in love with the same person since I was fifteen… I don't know how any of this stuff works."

"I know, right?!" Remus exclaimed. "Like am I supposed to ask him for a drink? Dinner? I don't even know for sure if he's into guys."

"At least you can go for a drink or dinner…" she sighed. "I can't even go anywhere outside of work and here."

"And an Order meeting…"

"Right," Claudia scoffed. "What a great dating pool."

"Is there really no one you'd be interested in?"

"I don't know…" she shrugged. "I know it sounds pathetic, but I haven't really thought about anyone other than Sirius in this way for a long, long time."

"Give it time."

"Yeah." Claudia sighed. Remus was right. But she was in no mood to think about it. Besides, she was exhausted. "Night," she said through a yawn.

"Night."

But no matter how tired she was, she could not sleep. She could not help but remember her previous Birthdays, Edinburgh in particular. The dinner they had at the top of the hill, the broken bed, the undiluted happiness of turning seventeen and finally having the freedom to be together. And now, she had to do all that moving on to try to find the same happiness without Sirius.

Claudia turned over and buried her face in the pillow to stifle her sobs. How will she ever be able to move on? But eventually, the tears stopped. There was more to life than romance. She had her job, and she was good at it. Her father still needed to pay. And what Alice asked her to do before gave her hope. Maybe there was some sort of future for her, where she could have a decent life. Even if that future did not have Sirius in it.

When Claudia entered her office the following morning, she was desperate for a distraction, and her wish was granted. The moment she sat down at her desk, she found a note from Marcus.

"Wilkes and I are going for a drink on Saturday, 6pm. The Feathers country pub near Maidenhead. You should join us."

Coded message? Claudia thought, ever so slightly impressed. Marcus was finally getting smart.

She stared at the note for a good minute, then took a deep breath and, still gripping the piece of parchment in her hand, knocked on Moody's door. She felt physically nauseous by the mere thought how Moody was going to react to what she had to say, and was a little relieved when she opened the door to see Barraclough was with him. Moody was unlikely to actually murder her if there were witnesses, and if there was one person that would stick up for her, it was Barraclough.

"I need to talk to you both," she mumbled and closed the door behind her.

"Yes?" Moody barked when she immediate did not offer up a reason for interrupting their meeting.

"My brother-" Claudia's throat had closed up. She cleared it and forced herself to continue. "My brother got in touch with me, and he wants to testify against my father."

"Bollocks," Moody mumbled. "Why would he? It's a trap."

"I don't know…" Claudia said, still somewhat sheepishly. "I've spoken to him a few times lately, and he seems genuine."

Both Moody and Barraclough were staring at her wearing the exact same expression; a mixture of disappointment and alarm. Claudia tried it not to bother her and continued to explain. She told them about how hard he had taken Mulciber's conviction and about the baby.

Barraclough was the first one to speak. "Do you really trust him?"

"If you asked me few months ago, not a chance," she said. "I don't know if Dumbledore told you, but he murdered someone in Hogsmeade and tried to get me killed too. But-" she continued (now with full confidence) when both Moody and Barraclough looked like they wanted to jump in. "But he seemed different lately. Like he regretted it. Also, I think he's scared."

"Scared people don't make reliable informants," Barraclough reminded her.

"He also says," Claudia waved the note, "that he can give us Wilkes, the Death Eater who killed that St Mungo's patient."

"Claudia," Moody finally spoke in a voice that was almost soft. "I know you want to see you father in Azkaban as much as anyone. And trust me, he deserves it. But this is too much of a risk."

"We can get reinforcements in case it's a trap. Between us and the Hit Wizards-"

But Moody interrupted her. "And let everyone here know your brother might be defecting? That we are after your father? Not a chance. It'd ruin everything."

"But-"

"Claudia," Moody cut her off. "Do you think your father would try to set a trap like this to kill you? To get us all off his scent?"

Claudia swallowed. "Yes, he would."

"Then, there is nothing more to discuss."

"But-"

"No."

Claudia sighed. Maybe Moody was right. Maybe this was all too good to be true. Maybe she was blinded by what happened to Regulus. He may have deserved a second chance, but that did not mean everyone else did too. She crumbled the parchment in her fist. "So do we just ignore this?" she whispered.

"It's not worth the risk…" Moody said.

"If you say so," she uttered and took a step or two towards the door.

"We will find a way to get him." Barraclough interjected before she got to the door. "Just don't do anything on your own bat, ok?"

Claudia turned and gave her mentor a faint smile. "Even I'm not that stupid."