Disclaimer: Still not mine

Updated: Friday 19th August 2005

Beta'd by 3-Legged Dog :-)

Chapter 02: Harder Than it Looks

Estella refused to leave her room for the next two days, preferring instead to mope around in her bed with her hot water bottle (that Sirius had charmed to stay hot) and read her mother's diary. Sirius and Harry, in turn, had been content to leave the delicate girl to her own devices. Both had experienced the wrath of the Ravenclaw's temper when she was of rational mind and had no intentions of stepping a foot wrong whilst she was feeling particularly on edge. Little did they realise that their perceived inaction fuelled the growing dissent in the young child's mind, having an unintended, adverse affect on the girl.

'Oh look, someone remembers I exist.' Estella drawled inwardly to herself as her keen ears picked up the cessation of shuffling footsteps behind her door. When the anticipated knock on her door did not follow, however, Estella's eyes narrowed. Someone was outside her door, and yet…

"What are you doing?" A voice Estella readily recognised as her father's hissed to the unidentified presence behind her door; the sound of his footsteps rushing down the hallway to intercept her hesitant guest.

"I just what to look in on her!" Her godfather's voice whined exasperatedly from the other side of the wood. "It's been over a week since I saw her last!"

'Moony!' Estella's mood lifted slightly, but then quickly turned to panic as she took in the neglected state of her room. Snorting dismissively at her own vanity, her nose couldn't help but wrinkle in disgust as she caught a whiff of her own scent. Looking at the door, then down at herself hopelessly, she flushed crimson at what her guardians would think if they found her still wearing the pyjamas Hermione had leant her, lying in stale bed sheets with hair that would make even her uncle want to have a shower.

Ignoring the protestation of her sedentary muscles as she leapt out of her bed, she bound directly for the bathroom. After drawing herself a bath, Estella left the water to run and lingered in the doorway to listen as the voices from out in the hall continued to filter through.

"She's fine!" Sirius' voice sounded strained and defensive. "It was all a misunderstanding-"

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me!" Remus' voice was gruff and tinged with regret. "What if she had really gone missing? When would you have-"

"I'm sorry, all right? How many times do I have to say it?" Estella could hear her father pleading over the steady stream of water filling the tub behind her. "I wasn't thinking straight! I could barely get the words out to tell Dumbledore, the thought of having to tell you she was gone-"

"It's all right, Sirius." Estella could barely make out her godfather's quietly spoken words. "I do understand. I just want to see her, is all."

Upon hearing the light knock on her bedroom door, Estella started from her reverie and slid into the bathroom, out of sight. Toeing off her bed socks and peeling off the pyjamas that had become like a second skin, Estella continued to ignore the increasing insistent knocking on her door and readied for her bath.

"Where is she?" The voices were louder now, closer. The men had evidently let themselves into her room when she had not answered their calls.

"She obviously doesn't want to see anyone." Her father's dejected voice loitered from outside the bathroom door. "We shouldn't have come-"

"I thought you said she was just lying in?" Remus' voice peaked with concern. Estella could picture him looking around her room, piecing the events of the past few days together for himself. "Sirius, don't tell me she's been up here since it happened-"

"Fine I won't tell you."

"Has she even come down to eat?" Remus' voice was laced with worry, and Estella felt herself twinge with guilt.

"I… I…" Her father stuttered sheepishly. "I figured she'd come down when she was hungry. I-"

"Sirius-"

"No, Remus, let me finish." Sirius cut him off gravely, and Estella could hear the tell-tale sound of a weight falling heavily on her chaise. "I don't know what I'm doing-"

Estella couldn't hear what was said next, but the tone in her father's voice was enough to cause her stomach to drop and roll over. Reflecting on the past two days and how she had yelled and banished her father away whenever he so much as knocked on her door, Estella was overwhelmed with guilt. Ever since the events of that night, she came to realise that her father had not been as sure of himself when it came to her. Never before had the man backed down from a challenge or kept himself away from her at her request. Sinking her head below the surface of the water, Estella held her breath for as long as she could, exhaling under the soapy depths and imagining that the ascending rush of bubbles were the anxieties fleeing her mind.

Keeping just her nose above the surface, Estella allowed her mind to drift, the water blocking her ears distorting her sense of both hearing and balance; giving her an almost other-worldly experience. Abstractly, she was reminded of the Tournament's second task, where, in her charmed sleep, she had been able to witness the underwater world around her through the distorted perspective of her pendant. So absorbed was she in her musings, that she had not heard the knocking on the bathroom door. It was not until the muffled sounds of a door cracking on its hinges and a man yelling reached her ears that Estella was aware of the intrusion. She shot her head out from under the water just as frantic hands grabbed at her shoulders. In her panic, she gasped and snorted in a lungful of the disrupted bathwater. The strong hands fumbled at her flailing arms, struggling to maintain a grip on the slippery limbs as she coughed and caught her breath.

"Estella! Are you all right?" Her godfather's concerned voice shook her back to the present, and she resisted his efforts to pull her out of the bubble-filled tub.

"OUT!" she screeched, her face heating up as she sought to preserve her modesty. When were they going to realise that she wasn't a little girl anymore? "GET OUT!"

Remus reeled back in shock, taken aback by the violated look on his goddaughter's face. His ears turning pink, the chastised werewolf backed out of the room stammering an apology, closing the door behind him.

"Told you." Sirius' voice rang out morosely. "Not as easy as it looks, eh?"

Remus muttered something unintelligible, and Estella sank her head back under the water, satisfied that no one would be bothering her for a while. She was halfway through rinsing the conditioner from her hair a few minutes later when she realised that there was still a murmur of voices outside the door. Cocking her head to the side and tapping the water out of each ear in turn, she crawled out of the tepid water and wrapped herself up in a giant fluffy bath sheet, sitting on the porcelain edge to listen.

"You're right." Remus sounded defeated. "We don't know what we're doing."

"I wish Selina were here," said Sirius with a tone of despondency in his voice. Upon hearing the pain in her father's voice, Estella sighed sadly. It was disheartening that those she looked up to didn't know what to do any better than she did; and the thought that she was inadvertently causing her loved ones distress grated at her. Not for the first time, she wondered if having a mother around would make things easier. When she cast her mind back to the time she had spent in the past, however, she found she was unable to reconcile the studious teenaged form of her mother with the adult examples she had glimpsed by observing her friend's mothers. It just wasn't the same.

"Wishing for the impossible won't solve anything," said Remus tiredly, and Estella found she couldn't disagree. "And this… this isn't-"

"I know it isn't, Moony." An indignant Sirius snapped back. "Last summer, why can't things be like they were last summer? This is too hard to do alone. We're all going a little stir crazy in this house, damn it."

"The Muggle media still hasn't-" Remus' voice trailed off. "I'll try to get back more often. Harry's birthday is coming up. I will see about getting the rest of the summer off."

There was a brief silence that followed, and Estella wondered if her father was nodding. "I was thinking of throwing Harry a party. I don't think he's had once since… well, for a very long time."

"What does Estella think of that?" Estella could hear her godfather ask her father diplomatically. Using what she jokingly dubbed his 'Professor' voice, she could tell the man was keeping something back.

"What do you mean?" Sirius' voice echoed off the tiles as it drifted into the room. "It's his birthday. Why would she be against the idea-"

"You have been spending a lot of time with him lately, Sirius."

"What would you know, Remus, you're never here!"

Estella cringed at their testy tones. Voldemort had only been back for a matter of weeks, and already he was turning their lives upside down. Pulling on her bathrobe and wrapping a towel around her wet hair, she was about to remind the men of her presence when what her father said next caused her to halt with her hand on the door knob.

"I think Estella should go away for a few days," he said resignedly, "just until the party. She's feeling it more than Harry or I. You know how she feels about being couped up-"

"What are you talking about Sirius, this is her home!" Remus' voice was sharp and full of warning. "No matter your intent she won't take to the idea lightly. Not without you-"

"I can't leave here, Remus!" Sirius snapped. "My face is too known… in both worlds. I'll only draw attention. Harry too."

"What do you hope to do then, Padfoot? The full moon is coming up, so I can't very well take her-"

"Severus could," her father said quietly, causing Estella to bristle with rejection. The implication that her father would simply palm her off to her uncle at the first sign of difficulty unnerved her. "A little birdie let fly that he's at Hogwarts restocking the infirmary for the next week-"

"She's going to think you're getting rid of her, you know that, don't you?" said Remus knowingly, and Estella could only nod in agreement, relieved that at least someone could see things her way. "Come, let us discuss this downstairs and let Estella come out and get dressed."

Estella jerked red-handedly, stubbing her toe on the doorframe. Biting back a curse, she butted her head against the door lightly when she heard the men leave. She had no doubt that her godfather was fully aware of her eavesdropping and had purposefully steered their conversation elsewhere. Storming out into her room to find the curtains drawn and bed made, her mood lightened slightly at the gesture, and she foraged through her drawers for some clothes. Even though the idea of her father wanting her moody and antisocial self out of the way so he could plan Harry's birthday party chafed at her, she couldn't deny that she felt considerably better now she was up and about. Perhaps then, if she made an effort to be more like her usual self, he wouldn't want to send her away.

No sooner was she dressed and twisting the last twist of the braid in her hair – a style she found cooler on her neck and face in the warmer weather – was there a knock on her door.

It was Tonks.

"Wotcher, baby cousin." The unmistakable guise of her second cousin was unnaturally cheery in the quiet room. Estella, however, was more focused on the food tray in the young woman's hands.

"Hi Tonks," Estella said airily. It was seemingly impossible to remain in a dark mood around the carefree Metamorphagus. Trying to keep her tone casual, she eyed the tray hungrily. A ready supply of Honeyduke's finest could only sustain a girl so much. "What you got there?"

"Ah, thought you might be hungry." Tonks winked knowingly and set the tray down at Estella's desk. "Hurry up and eat, I'm taking you out for a girl's day out."

"A what?" asked Estella through a mouthful of cold chicken. "Not allowed to go."

"You, me, Muggle London…" Tonks said wistfully, before giving the younger girl a careful look. "It's quite safe, I assure you."

"Really?" Estella's face lit up. Her father was right about one thing – she had been couped up far too long. "I'm allowed? Just you and me? Just us girls?"

"Just us girls."


"My aunt… on my Dad's side… she introduced me to this." Tonks explained as they sat side by side in the day spa, careful not to say anything too revealing in front of their attendants. "Takes so much longer than the, er, way my Mum prefers to, er, do things, but it's nice to feel pampered, isn't it?"

Estella nodded distractedly, finding it difficult to keep a straight face at the Metamorphagi's mud-caked face and cucumber eyes. So far that day they had gone clothes shopping, had lunch, and been given a full body massage. Once they were done with their facials and seaweed wraps, it was downstairs to the parlour for manicures and hair cuts; then more shopping. Personally, Estella couldn't quite understand why a person capable of changing their appearance at a whim was so keen to have their hair styled, but she couldn't deny that all the 'girly' things they'd done to date were just what she needed. Later, as the hair stylist was massaging a moisturiser through her scalp, she even found herself forgetting all about Voldemort and Harry and all the other trivial matters clouding her hormone-driven mind.

"Feel better?" Tonks looked at her knowingly as they traipsed up the street of her home; the few bags they carried deceptively full of shrunken goods.

"Much." Estella smiled. "It was just what I needed. Thank you."

"No need," said Tonks, holding back so that Estella could be first through the front door. "We should do it again some time."

"I'd like that," replied Estella, turning around in her tracks when she sensed the older girl holding back. "Aren't you going to come in? You could stay for tea – I am sure Remus cooked enough for a whole army of Aurors."

"No, but thanks anyway." Tonks shook her head indecisively. Hugging the girl briefly, she then stood back and looked at Estella seriously. "You have to get used to being the only woman in the house."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Estella rolled her eyes, her mind replaying their conversation from earlier in the day. "One day we'll all laugh about it and poke fun at their male stupidity."

"What's this about male stupidity?" Sirius' booming voice caused both girls to giggle as his figure loomed in the open doorway. "Dear Nymphadora, you had better not have been filling my daughter's head with rot!"

"I'm sorry, did you hear something Estella?" Tonks said indignantly, refusing to answer to her first name.

"Hi Dad," said Estella, smiling shyly. "I'm back."

"Yes," said Sirius reverently, pulling her into a hug. "Yes you are."

Bidding their farewells to Tonks, Sirius took the bags from both girls and ushered his daughter into the house.

"Thanks, Dad!" Estella wrapped her arms around her father enthusiastically. "That credit card is wicked! You just 'charge' everything!"

"Great, I can't wait to see all these 'charges' on my Gringotts statement." Sirius grimaced, though his eyes could not hide his joy. Having to spend a great deal of his working life living in the Muggle world, Remus was really quite helpful when it came to bridging the gap between the two worlds. He'd never have known otherwise that the Goblins of Gringotts had contacts within the major Muggle banks, enabling account holders to facilitate credit transfers for amenities such as a Muggle Credit Card.

"You… you'll get a statement?" Estella's eyes went wide. By lunch time, she and Tonks had given up on keeping a tally on all that they were spending.

Sirius nodded slowly.

"Well I'll willingly consider my next birthday… and Christmas… presents… for, uh, the next… five years… forfeit." Estella admitted sheepishly, suddenly finding her finely manicured, neon pink nails, very interesting. Absently, she wondered what possessed her to pick a colour that complimented Tonks' hair.

Her father, meanwhile, was laughing heartily. "Don't worry about it!" he said happily. "I daresay my account hasn't seen much action over the past decade – consider it an exercise in making up for lost time."

"Thank you." Estella smiled in relief and hugged her father again. She was not overly familiar with what the exchange rate between the Galleon and Pound were these days, but there was no denying that a seriously large sum of money had parted ways that day. Normally she would have been much more reserved and considerate of what she was doing – her uncle had not been very frivolous when it came to her needs - but with Tonks to guide (or should that be, misguide) her and introduce her firsthand to the therapeutic benefits of 'retail therapy' it was hard to maintain perspective.

"I only wish I could have been there with you." Sirius kissed the top of his daughter's head, noting with a smile that if he had, she probably would have come home with even more. "It's worth any expense to see you looking this happy."

"Well I'll ask you to keep that in mind when you get your Gringotts statement." Estella smirked, wondering just how enthusiastic her father would have been accompanying her into the lingerie store Tonks had practically dragged her into, only to have to drag her out of an hour later. Who'd have thought there was more to underwear than the uninspired necessities the female prefects in sixth and seventh year would regularly transfigure for the younger students?

"Hey, cub." Remus came down the stairs and smiled at Estella uncertainly, their volatile meeting earlier that day replaying in his mind. "Have a nice day?"

"The best," Estella smirked at her godfather. "Tonks took me to all these shops you'd never taken me to. I felt like I was discovering Muggle London all over again!"

"Oh really?" Sirius gave his only child an assessing look before starting to rummage through the bags. "What did you get?"

"Oi!" Estella lunged for the bags and snatched them from her father's hands. Realising by how easy that task was that he had not really intended to rifle through them, she shook her head and shoved him playfully. "Dad!"

"Estella!" Sirius shot back just as exasperatedly. "What, I'm not allowed to see what my hard earned money paid for anymore?"

"Oh, yes, well…" Estella huffed good-naturedly, sorting out a bright blue bag from the pile and handing it to him. "Here are the things you asked Tonks to get for you. It took us most the day, mind you. I think I'll have you deduct a finder's fee from my tab when you get that statement."

"For the last time, Estella," said Sirius in mock consternation. "You could have wiped out my Gringotts account today and I wouldn't mind, truly."

"Yeah, heaven forbid your father might actually have to work for a living." Remus smirked

Sirius waved him off distractedly, taking the proffered bag from his daughter and peering at its dimensions quizzically. "That's all of it?"

"We took, er, frequent trips to the loos to shrink our stuff, silly!" Estella shook her head in amusement. At her father's narrow look, she clarified. "Well, Tonks did. Duh.! What, you think we would have been able to carry all that stuff you asked for? You need a pair of hands just for the-"

Clamping a hand over his daughter's mouth, Sirius cast a wary glance a Remus before shaking his head at his child. "Shhh… he might hear you!"

"Who, Harry?" Estella shrugged, her voice muffled from where it was still cut off by her father's hand. Seeing that he was still obstructing his daughter's ability to speak, he removed his hand. "Where is he, anyway? I haven't seen him for days."

"He's upstairs, where he always is." Sirius gestured his head, his eyes coveting the mysterious pile of bags at his daughter's feet curiously. "We'll call him down and then you can show us all what you-"

"I don't think so," Estella said decisively, scooping up her bags and making for the stairs.

"Why not?" Sirius pouted and looked to Remus, who nodded mischievously, the lighter-haired Marauder moving to block the escaping child's path.

"Come on!" Remus pleaded with her. "Did you get any CDs? What did you get?"

Halting in her tracks and glancing back between the two men closing in on her on either side, Estella knew she was trapped, unless…

"I can't show you," she said, taking all her resolve to hide the triumphant tone in her voice. Casting her mind back to the empowering chat she and Tonks had had over lunch, Estella decided to play her trump card. "Secret women's business." Her tone was flippant and casual as she edged towards her godfather, and the stairs. "You know how it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to take my bags upstairs."

Just as Tonks had predicted, those seemingly innocent three words worked a miracle – both men darted back as though burned and let her pass without hesitation. Biting back the smirk that threatened to reveal itself on her lips, Estella blinked in astonishment at how easy that just was and ran up the stairs before either men could snap out of their trances and realise they'd just been had.

Throwing the bag of her more personal items in her closet and exchanging her Muggle jeans and skinny tee for a more practical pair of corded sweats and an old Muggle t-shirt of her father's she grabbed the bag of goods she wanted to give Harry and headed up to the attic.

"Hey, stranger, you alive?" Estella burst up through the trapdoor to find the room empty. Throwing in the bags ahead of her so that she had both hands free to climb into the room, she closed the trapdoor firmly behind her and made a bee-line for Harry's room.

"Harry, you in there?" she knocked on the door gently, and could hear a rustling on the other side of the door as though someone were getting up to answer her.

Sure enough, the light patter of footsteps led to the door being opened, and an unmistakable, shaggy mop of hair peeking out of the room through a crack in the door.

"I'll be right out." Harry said gruffly, his voice hoarse as though he'd hardly spoken all day.

Shrugging in acknowledgement, Estella turned on her heel and grabbed her shopping bag before sitting on an ottoman and sorting through her purchases. She was still setting out the treasure trove of goods, watching with continued awe as each item appeared out of the bag that, save for the handy spells Tonks had charmed it with, was otherwise too small to hold much of anything.

"I see you were busy today." Harry said dejectedly, eying the growing pile of CDs and other paraphernalia that Estella had laid out in front of her as he trudged across the room to replace the Quidditch magazine he'd been reading.

Seeing the rings around his eyes and the tightness of his jaw, she gave him a sharp look. "What's with you? Why'd you read that in your room? You never-"

"I didn't want to get in your way anymore than I already am," Harry said tersely, pivoting on his heel and making to head back into this room. "I'll leave you to your unpacking."

"Harry! Sit down!" Estella leant out and grabbed his wrist firmly, preventing him from running off. "I came up here to see you, you big lout!"

"Come to gloat, then, have you?" Harry said snidely, his bright green eyes suddenly taking on a darker shade as his mind reconciled the sight before him with the memories of his cousin coming home from similar, all out shopping expeditions.

"Harry James Potter!" Estella shrieked, her mouth gaping open at the implication that Harry would think such a thing. "Why would I gloat when I couldn't even go five minutes today without thinking of you and Dad stuck at home! This stuff is for you, you foolish, presumptuous Gryffindork!"

"Oh." Harry said quietly. "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'" Estella rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."

"No, I mean, thank you." Harry's eyes went wide as he reassessed the pile of things in front of Estella, seeing now how she could have picked them with him in mind. "It's not even my birthday. No one's ever-"

"That's the point then, isn't it?" Estella said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, I'm sure someone spoiled you once upon a time… OK maybe not recently; but if how my father just reacted to the volume of things I bought home, I'd wager that he would have found excuses to see you and give you stuff when you were a baby." she paused as she was swept up by a memory. "In fact, between him and James, Lily would not have had a chance of raising you without a swollen head."

Harry looked from the pile of gifts, to Estella's face, and back to the pile again; his mind working furiously to try and conceive what it would be like to be bestowed with such endowments on a daily basis. His cousin, Dudley, immediately came to mind and he shuddered; but then he remembered how much of a balanced and decisive woman his mother was said to have been and he breathed a slight sigh of relief before his breath caught and brow furrowed at the realisation that this was again, one of the things he'd never get to know.

"Yeah, well, I tried to think of what you'd pick if you were there…" Estella continued, waving her hand over the small pile. "As you can see, I couldn't make up my mind… so I decided to play it safe and, er, get it all."

"What… what did Sirius say?" Harry was flabbergasted, his hands idly fumbling through the CDs; recognising some of the artists from the little transistor radio he'd fixed in his old bedroom.

Estella shrugged. "The point of the day was for Tonks and I to do girly stuff, but then I remembered Dad tell Remus that you didn't have much stuff other than school things and how he suspected that would change come your birthday," she deliberately let the sentence hang before adding. "I decided to get a jump start."

At the prospect of having his birthday acknowledged by a houseful of people, Harry looked almost fearful.

"What is Sirius going to do?"

"Don't know." Estella answered honestly, a flat tone in her voice. "He's never had the chance to acknowledge my birthday before. He threw a lot of parties for me last summer, but only he and Moony were there since he was still in hiding and stuff."

Harry nodded in understanding, a strange idea forming in his mind.

"What did your godfather and uncle do for your birthday?"

"You mean did my uncle ever throw me a party?" Estella snorted in amusement. "Merlin, could you imagine?"

The pair sat in appreciable silence, various images flying through their respective minds, causing them to laugh.

"Have to plant that image in Neville's head next time he faces a Boggart." Harry chortled, clutching his sides. "Sorry, I don't mean to laugh at your uncle, but the thought of him coordinating party games is too bizarre."

"For some reason I can't get the image of Gene Wilder leading the children through the Chocolate Factory with his purple suit and cane out of my head." Estella giggled. "Don't ask me why, but I always saw a bit of my uncle in him whenever he'd boss the children around."

"Who, or what, are you talking about?" Harry was puzzled.

"Willy Wonka, you know, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? A Muggle book they made into a musical?"

"You mean this Willy Wilder or whatever his name was sings as well?" Harry was hardly able to control his laughter. "And you say he reminds you… good Merlin!"

"Just wait until you see the Oompa Loompas." Estella smirked. "You'll never be able to look at the House Elves the same way again without expecting them to turn orange and break out into song."

"Wha-… You know, if it wasn't a Muggle movie, I'd have serious misgivings about the state of the Wizarding World." Harry shook his head, trying to reconcile the images in his mind.

"Who said Roald Dahl was a Muggle?" Estella raised a brow.

"Who-"

"Forget it," Estella shook her head, laughing. "Both the book and movie are lying around the house somewhere if you're interested. Now, what was it we were talking about to get us started on that?"

"Your birthday." Harry recalled.

"Ah, yes, well…" Estella sighed. "Never as eventful as all that."

"How did your uncle celebrate?" Harry was curious.

"Well in the morning he'd get me up early and teach me to prepare a Potions ingredient I hadn't been allowed to handle before," Estella began. "Then after breakfast in our quarters if I didn't have school I'd usually do Potions stuff with him…"

"You had to brew potions on your birthday?" Harry's mouth was agape, memories of past detentions with the man coming to mind as he looked upon the man's niece in sympathy.

"It wasn't all horrid." Estella corrected him. "I am a Ravenclaw, after all."

"So what, you had lessons all day?"

"No, silly!" Estella rolled her eyes. "We'd most always meet Moony in Hogsmeade for lunch, and then while Uncle Sev went to the Apothecary and stuff, Moony would take me to Zonko's and Honeyduke's; and then he and I would have afternoon tea with Hagrid. Lost my first tooth in one of his rock cakes on my fifth birthday, actually. Poor Hagrid was so terrified of my uncle's reaction… took us ten minutes to convince Hagrid that my tooth had been loose for week and had to come out eventually."

"Then what, you went to the Halloween Feast?" Harry asked her curiously.

Estella nodded. "I wish I could celebrate my birthday on a different day, though." she said wistfully. "I can understand why my uncle never really felt like celebrating."

"Why?" Harry asked dumbly.

"Think about it Harry," Estella urged him. "My Mum died giving birth, Harry. The Dark Lord may well have been banished, but for us anyway, everything went to hell."

"Oh." Harry cut her off. "I'm sorry about before."

"Huh?" Estella was caught unawares by this sudden change of subject. "What are you sorry about?"

"How I acted when you came up here." Harry explained. "I was just reminded of my cousin and how he would always show off his stuff and tell me I wasn't welcome."

"Why on earth would I remind you of that?" Estella frowned, but then it dawned on her. "Is this about what I said the other night?… Merlin Harry what time yesterday were you born exactly? It was like, what, 3am in the morning and I was having the most embarrassing night of my entire existence… you seriously can't consider taking anything I said with a grain of salt!"

Harry regarded her with a bewildered look. "You mean you don't mind me being here?" he asked. "I'm not taking Sirius away from you?"

"Oh, you stupid Gryffindor!" Estella exclaimed, pouncing on the taller boy and knocking him to the floor in a fierce embrace. "You couldn't take him away from me anymore than I could take him away from you. He'll always be my Dad, just like he'll always be your godfather-"

"But don't you hate having to share-" Harry interrupted, but was cut off once again by Estella.

"Look, I won't deny that it hasn't taken some getting used to," she admitted grudgingly, resting her elbows on his chest, effectively pinning him down. "But I really wouldn't wish things any other way. Even if the Dursleys were the poster perfect Muggles and you wanted to stay with them, I'd want you here. It's kind of neat having a brother-type around, 'cause it can get pretty boring being the only child."

"So what you said the other night-"

"Was just my frustration at not being able to go out and stuff because Voldemort's back." Estella assured him. "It's not you… and before you even think it, Voldemort coming back was not your fault."

"Yes, it was." Harry sighed.

Estella rolled off him and swatted him with a floor cushion. "Was NOT!"

Taken aback by the face-full of cushion, Harry spluttered indignantly and grabbed a cushion to defend himself with.

"Was too!" he said childishly, inwardly riddled with guilt, but eager for the distraction.

"Not-" Estella whacked the side of his face with her cushion, sending his glasses flying.

"Was!" Harry hit Estella in the arm so hard that she stumbled back onto the couch, giving him the chance to retrieve his glasses from the floor and resume a defensive position.

"Was not!" Estella continued to bait him, now throwing things at him from where she lay sprawled on the lounge.

Forgoing his cushion, which he had started to use as a shield against the projectiles aimed at him, Harry settled for throwing his weight atop of the lithe girl and tickling her mercilessly.

"Harry! Stop!" she shrieked, gasping for breath as his nimble fingers solicited uncontrollable giggles from her. "Harry! NO!"

"Admit that you're wrong, and I'll stop." Harry said levelly, his eyes piercing into hers sadly.

Suddenly impervious to the fingers lightly dancing around her ribs, Estella's face turned serious and she regarded Harry intensely. "A thousand Crucios would never make me admit that, Harry."

Harry's hands stilled on her hips and he looked at her carefully, a myriad of emotions crossing over his eyes before he finally settled on relief. "You really think so?" he said meekly, inhaling sharply.

"I really know so." Estella assured him, reaching up with one hand to cup his cheek affectionately. "Stop being such a stupid Gryffindor."

"You know," said Harry, pulling away slightly. "You live with three Gryffindors, you might want to reconsider how you regard that house."

"Why? It's an established fact that Gryffindors are blinded by their courage and sickening sense of chivalry that they are habitually landing themselves in strife." Estella smirked, reminding Harry instantly of the girl's Snape heritage.

"Merlin, you sound just like Snape when you do that," Harry shuddered, but then smirked suddenly when he realised the compromising position they were in. "Speaking of your uncle, could you imagine what he'd do if he found us like this?"

"I'd be more concerned with what her father would do." A distinctly male voice growled a few inches from his head, and Harry's eyes flew over the head of the sofa that, to his horror, revealed his godfather looking down at them strangely.

Eyes widening in shock, Harry scrambled to place as much distance between himself and Estella (and incidentally, her father) as possible. So caught up in his actions was he that he overlooked the barely suppressed grin on the dog Animagus' face. When Estella's peels of girlish giggles were matched by the deep baritone of her father's hearty laughter, Harry could only stop and stare at the two Blacks in confusion.

"You should have seen your face!" Estella managed between breaths, clambering into a sitting position. "I hope you were wearing brown knickers!"

"We weren't, we weren't doing anything Sirius, I swear!" Harry continued to look at the man whose image had given half the Wizarding world nightmares for the past two years since his escape. He wouldn't put it past the protective father to be laughing at the thought of castrating a certain Gryffindor Seeker.

"Relax, Harry." Sirius waved off his apology. "You've got nothing to worry about unless there was something going on…" he looked at his daughter and blanched, as though he had just realised that she was approaching the age where she would start taking an interest in boys. The sight of her wearing one of his old, over-sized shirts reminded him specifically of his wife; the distant memory of his wife curled up on that very couch, wearing that same shirt whilst sitting with a heavily pregnant Lily and watching him and James duel causing a thick lump to form in his throat. Their kids were growing up, and he was the only one there to see it.

"Estella-" his scratchy voice regarded his daughter sternly. It wasn't that he would not approve of the situation, he just didn't want it to let go of the image of the little girl in his mind.

"Don't worry, old man, Harry is like a brother for crying out loud." she protested, looking to Harry for confirmation. He nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well…" Sirius looked between the two teens sceptically, his mind replaying the extremely close position he'd found them in. "Just make sure that's all there is to it. I don't want to have to commission a guard to stand sentinel outside my daughter's room at night."

Estella snorted derisively. "Great, so I may as well kiss goodbye to all chances of having circulation in my legs at night." she smirked, referring to the weight of her father's Animagus form as it had encumbered her legs back when he wasn't able to sleep in his human form. Smiling innocently at her father's look of indignation, she continued. "Besides, I don't recall anyone complaining when Harry and I shared the infirmary bed last month!"

"That was different," her father huffed. "I was there."

"I would have thought you'd be rapt with the idea of having Harry as a son-in-law." Estella teased, sticking out her bottom lip for good measure.

"Well, I won't deny that it was something James and I talked about… at length." said Sirius wistfully, a playful glint in his eye. It amazed him to no end how his daughter – just like her mother – was seemingly able to read him like a book.

"You hearing this, Harry?" Estella shook her head in mock disgust. Though she knew her father was just playing along with her, the admission still surprised her, and she was filled with the loss of never knowing how things would have turned out had their families not been torn apart. Her darkening thoughts, were, however, drawn out of their depths by a flippant remark from Harry.

"Yes," he said, exchanging a look with her father that she couldn't quite interpret. "Apparently they all had me trained pretty well… had me calling you 'my baby'. Could you imagine?"

Immediately thinking of that last picture of her mother – the one with the Potters that was taken at Godric's Hollow a week before that fateful Halloween of her birth – Estella smiled. "Coming from a fifteen month old, I'd consider that cute and adorable; but if I ever hear it coming from a fifteen year old without my express consent, then they'd want to keep an awfully close eye on their drinks at the dinner table."

"Estella-" Sirius began to reprimand his daughter lightly on the implied threat. Though he still considered himself a Marauder, he knew from his own past mistakes that it was only ever fun on all sides if you pranked your opponent using skills the other could match. Anything to do with potions, therefore, and his daughter was at an unacceptable advantage.

"Wait…" she cut him off. "Since when does everyone talk about me behind their back?"

Harry and Sirius exchanged a guilty look, each finding respective cracks in the wall a priority. Suddenly reminded of the reason he'd come up to the attic in the first place, however, Sirius' face lit up with recognition.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said. "Speaking of people talking behind your back, your uncle's been downstairs for the past fifteen minutes."

Leaping from her seat to spin and stare at her father, Sirius was surprised to see his daughter's face glare at him incredulously.

"No." She said firmly, backing away slightly.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Sirius frowned, he'd been certain she'd be happy to see her uncle. "I thought-"

"Yeah well, you thought wrong." Estella shook her head. "I can't believe you want to get rid of me!"

"Estella…" Sirius began before his mind did a double take at her words. "Wait, what are you talking about? Why would I want to-"

"Don't pretend, Dad, I heard you and Moony this morning." Estella informed him tersely.

"…and you thought I…" Sirius' voice trailed off and he rubbed a hand over his face in what the teenagers had quickly come to associate as a nervous gesture. "Merlin Estella, whatever you heard… whatever you think you heard… I assure you that I don't want to 'get rid of you'." He cast his eyes over Harry. "Either of you."

"But why is Uncle Severus here then?"

"Estella…" Sirius rounded the couch he'd been standing towards and pulled his misguided daughter to sit beside him. "Just because I may not like being apart from you, it doesn't mean that I would keep you away from your uncle."

"So, he can visit-"

"We all know how that worked out." Sirius looked between the two teenagers. "If you'd rather stay here, I'm not about to force you to do anything… but know that your uncle will be at the school for the next week where it is safe for you to visit with him and he's asked to see you."

"I doubt that." Estella fiddled with an errant bit of hair. Far be it for her uncle to ever ask anything of her father, his former nemesis. "Like he said, I see him all year at school; and I know from experience that he hardly appreciates having me underfoot while he is busy restocking the infirmary and working on his lesson plans."

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. "I don't know what happened when you were younger, kiddo," he said carefully. "But I get the impression that your uncle won't take advantage of your presence if you were to go with him now."

"Why would he change?" Estella narrowed her eyes at her father suspiciously. "And since when did you become such an expert on my uncle? You're hardly bosom buddies."

"Nor will we ever be." Sirius admitted. "But that doesn't mean that he and I haven't a mutual understanding when it comes to you." He cleared his throat compulsively. "Let's just say if I were in his shoes I'd be wanting to take advantage of any opportunity I had to see you safely."

"If that was the case then he'd have no problem visiting here then, would he?" said Estella snidely, catching him out.

Sirius scrubbed at his face harder. "Fine," he said shortly. "Don't go. If I only had to think about myself, I'd prefer you didn't anyway… but if you decide not to go, you can tell your uncle why. If he hears it coming from me he'll only think I am turning you against him or some rot and making you stay."

Realisation flooded over Estella like a torrent. "You… you're doing this for him, aren't you?" she screwed her face up in disbelief. "You're not trying to palm me off to him because I've been difficult or annoying?"

"Of course not!" Sirius snapped, pulling his daughter into a fierce hug. "You could be the most obnoxious creature on this planet and I'd still love you to death!"

"Of course you would," Estella smirked into her father's chest, her body instinctively relaxing at the feel of his steady heartbeat. "I'd be just like you if I were like that."

Across from them, Harry snorted in agreement, and Sirius feigned a glare. "Watch it, you." he chuckled, one arm tightening his hold on her so that she couldn't get away as he tickled her with the other. "C'mon, let's get downstairs before that uncle of yours comes looking for us and finds a reason to hex Harry."

Harry blanched. "You… you won't… you won't tell him, will you, Sirius?" Harry stammered, unconsciously edging towards the safety of his room lest his feared Potions Master suddenly materialise in front of him.

"Tell him what, Harry?" Sirius asked him innocently, though the wink gave him away.

"Dang," Estella cursed as she unfolded herself from her father's embrace and stood, headed towards the trapdoor. "I sure hope Uncle Sev doesn't plan on testing me on my Occlumency. It's been ages since I last practiced." She shot Harry a mischievous grin before disappearing through the trapdoor, intent on throwing a robe on over her 'slouchy' clothes before seeing her uncle.

Upon seeing the mortified look on his godson's face, Sirius cast him a sympathetic look and ruffled his hair before following in his daughter's stead, chuckling to himself.

"I… I think I'll stay up here." Harry informed the empty room quietly, before turning on his heels and darting into his room.


"Good evening, Estella." her uncle stood rigidly in the centre of the living room and addressed her formally as she entered, his eyes casting over her appraisingly as though trying to discover something different about her appearance.

Narrowing her eyes into slits, Estella looked from her uncle, to her godfather seated comfortably in his favourite chair, and to her father, who had entered the room behind her and had to stop himself short, safe colliding with his daughter.

"You told!" she accused him scathingly, turning to face him heatedly.

"Of course I did." Sirius flinched at the objectionable look on his daughter's face. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy for you to say." Estella muttered, before turning back around to face her bemused uncle. "Hi, Uncle Sev."

Severus nodded at Estella in acknowledgement, but his eyes were on the man behind her. "I trust you informed Estella of the situation?" he said levelly.

"Uh, not all of it." Sirius rubbed the back of his neck nervously and avoided his brother-in-law's gaze. "I thought it was something we best explained together."

In front of him, Estella stiffened in betrayal, and was about to turn around and object when she felt her father's hands guide her into a nearby chair. After seating himself on the arm of the chair, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively, his hands absently rubbing at her upper arm as though to give comfort. Estella wasn't sure if it was her he was trying to placate, or if he himself needed the reassurance that she was there.

Before Severus could open his mouth to speak, Sirius held up his hand and leant in close to his daughter so as to whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered. "But remember, everything I said to you up stairs still stands, OK? No matter what."

"Oh… okay." said Estella quietly, apprehension settling in as she saw the tense looks on the faces of the men around her.

Severus looked from his niece's godfather and father, silently seeking their permission to begin his preamble. Taking a seat rather heavily, he took a deep breath and began.

"In light of… recent events… I have requested your presence at Hogwarts." Severus' voice was uncharacteristically coarse and unsure of itself. "Should you not wish to accompany me at this time, I am sure other arrangements could be made to carry out the necessary tests-"

"Tests?" Estella's eyebrows shot above her hairline and she visibly tensed in her chair. "You mean you want to… you want to test my magic?"

It was a long standing ritual amongst the more… traditional… magical families to subject their offspring to rigorous and thorough testing once their child had reached magical maturity. For boys, this came either in the wake of their first sexual experience, or at the age of seventeen – whichever came first – whilst for girls, as in Estella's case, the process began at the onset of their first menstrual cycle.

Once upon a time it was widely acceptable, and thus legally mandated, that all children have their magical abilities tested and made a matter of public record. But as the years went on and there emerged a greater instance of magical heritage amongst Muggle blood, the greater Wizarding Society began to take a much more conservative view towards such primitive and degrading methods, and the ritual was no longer enforceable by the Ministry. The days of coercing a barely pubescent boy into magical maturity by instigating his sexual awakening – usually with an equally unwilling female relative – were no longer tolerated, though an archaic by-law placing restrictions on the key ingredients for the potion needed by all magical women to control their magic and alleviate other symptoms during their cycle remained in place; though its purpose of alerting the Ministry of when a young girl came of age was no longer relevant.

Being of old Wizarding stock, both her father and uncle had been subjected to the heinous testing. Lord Voldemort, as her uncle had explained to her in passing once, used the test results as a tool to rank his followers. Given that it was compulsory for the Death Eaters to submit themselves to such assessment, it was understood that her uncle had subjected himself to the testing. The circumstances of her father's testing, however, she was a little more vague about. All she knew was that her grandparents had taken 'extreme measures' and then heralded their firstborn with a celebratory party afterwards so as to gloat amongst their peers about their son's potential. Her father had been deliberately cagey about the details, except to say it was the defining moment that convinced him to run away.

Without even knowing what the tests entailed, simply hearing the words 'testing' and 'recent events' coming out of her uncle's mouth both shocked and terrified her. She wasn't even aware that she'd effectively zoned out until she felt her father shaking her shoulders rigorously and felt her uncle probing at her mind from where his beady eyes levelled with hers from his place kneeling at her feet. In her peripheral vision, her godfather had risen from his chair also, and was making his way over to her; all three men calling her name urgently.

"Estella!" Her father said in relief upon seeing the slight recognition spark in his daughter's eyes. His hands, however, stilled when he felt the flighty child flinch and begin to tremble. "Estella…" he continued soothingly, moving his hands to stroke at her hair in a less threatening gesture.

"You didn't let me finish." said Severus quietly, a pained expression flashing in his eyes ever so briefly.

"Whatever made you think…" Remus sighed sadly, leaning on the other arm of the chair and stilling the small hand he found picking at the threading there. Having caught the scent of her fear from all the way across the room, Remus' voice trailed off as he physically felt her tremble. Noting the glazed look returning to his goddaughter's eyes, he addressed the other two men in the room in a low tone. "Perhaps we should have approached this in a different manner. She's positively terrified."

"What did you say to her upstairs, Black?" Severus snapped at his former nemesis without thinking.

"What did I say?" Sirius was immediately on the defensive, his judgement addled by the all-consuming worry that was clouding his brain at that moment. "What have you done to her in the past that would make her think you'd-"

"I don't know." Severus bit back, though if one were looking closely they have seen a flash of self-doubt reveal in his eyes before slipping back behind the mask.

"Stop it, the pair of you." Remus growled at them in what the Marauders had once dubbed his 'alpha' voice. Upon gesturing to the child between them in emphasis, the two men went obediently quiet. "Now," he continued, casting each man a stern look in turn. "Irrespective of what Sirius did or did not say upstairs, I get the impression that whatever was said did not prepare her for this eventuality. Sirius?"

"You were supposed to prepare her, Black-"

"I was going to!" Sirius scowled and wrapped his arm around his unresponsive daughter possessively. "But I had to change tactics… she thought I wanted to 'palm her off to you' because she thought I didn't want her around-"

"Oh really?" Severus cut in, regarding his brother-in-law with a smug gleam in his eyes as he mirrored the man's earlier words. "What have you done to her in the past that would make her think you'd want to get rid of her?"

Sirius flinched violently and would have physically pounced on the goading Slytherin before him if it weren't for the matter of his daughter and a piece of furniture in his way.

"Severus, Sirius, please!" Remus could hardly keep a hold of his anger. Though the child before them was lost in her thoughts, he was not unaware of the scent of distress radiating off her body. Feeling overly protective towards the child he practically raised, it was a scent that was always guaranteed to solicit a retaliative response from him; and from where he was standing, it was the two men before him who had caused his cub this emotional pain.

"She wouldn't even come down until I assured her that I didn't simply want to get rid of her." Sirius gritted between clenched teeth, a nerve in his jaw twitching. "What was I supposed to do?"

Before either men could answer the father's desperate plea, Estella inhaled sharply and went as still as stone.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not even here." she said lowly, her eyes resembling cool glaciers as she regarded each man in turn. "Someone better start telling me what the hell is going on here."

Seeing that the other two men were too busy trying to quell their respective emotions and push aside their past animosity – something that was still prone to habitually reveal itself no matter their intentions – Remus took charge.

"Your uncle was referring to the, uh, events in June." he said softly, his hand seemingly doing miraculous wonders in calming the child as he brushed away the hair in her face. "We're all a little worried that it may have left lasting effects."

"You think I'm crazy, is that it?" Estella accused him quietly, the hurt tone in her voice stabbing at his heart. "Has it really been that long since you've seen a girl with PMT?"

Remus laughed in spite of himself, his amused eyes avoiding the withering look his goddaughter shot him in response. Leaning back, he motioned for someone else to continue; and having the most authority on the matter, Severus cleared his throat.

"Those potions Lucius gave you-" Severus began vaguely, though no one present needed to ask him to clarify.

"What about them?" Estella's voice was short and impatient, but her eyes revealed unbidden curiosity.

"I…" Severus swallowed audibly and tore his eyes away guiltily. "I created them."

"So?"

"I know what they did to you…" he paused. "I know what they should have done."

"Yeah, but Fawkes-" Estella reminded them all.

"What Fawkes did was a miracle." Sirius' voice was shaky as he squeezed his daughter's shoulders in reassurance.

Beginning to relax under her father's ministrations, Estella began to realise just how clingy the man had been since he had gone up stairs to fetch her. What was it that her uncle had told him that made him so reluctant to let her out of his sight? He had been trying to reassure himself that she was all right ever since she walked into the room, and now his voice was beginning to waver. Even Remus was absently petting her hand as though she might disappear without the contact.

What on earth was going on?

"You don't think Fawkes helped?" Estella sought clarification.

"For all intensive purposes, Fawkes ensured you a full recovery." Severus assured her, though Estella could tell he was holding something back.

"But you think it's too good to be true." Estella stated knowingly.

"Those potions… they were designed to destroy the body's ability to heal itself." Severus grimaced slightly at the memory of when he'd presented the concoction to a very pleased Dark Lord. "It would have rendered you immune-deficient, and you would have succumbed to the slightest infection."

"But it didn't, and it hasn't." Estella informed him slowly, drawing out each word as though her audience had trouble understanding her. Upon seeing the looks on their faces, her eyes widened. "Does this have anything to do why you haven't let me out of the house until today? Dad?"

"Not directly." Sirius admitted dismissively, though he wasn't about to explain further for his attention was too taken by what Severus had yet to say. "Severus…"

"It was recommended by several people that you be kept under close observation." Severus admitted. "Phoenix tears are not given freely, and so this situation is quite unique."

"What your uncle is trying to say is that no one was sure if the healing effects of the Phoenix tears would last." Remus continued to pat at her hand, and she batted him away irritably.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Estella whispered. "I had a right to know."

"We didn't want to worry you unnecessarily." Sirius told her. "We were advised that stress could trigger a relapse."

"And yet here we are…" Estella cocked a brow.

"You misunderstand." Severus shook his head impatiently and rose to his feet to pace the room. "You are no longer at any conceivable risk. I simply wish to run an analysis of your immune system to see if the Phoenix tears left any antibodies that could help develop a treatment for the effects of the potions."

"You mean to say you developed a potion like that without developing a antidote?" Estella was incredulous, inwardly shuddering at the memory.

Severus looked uncomfortable. "I… well I wasn't in the Headmaster's employ at that time." he said rather pointedly. "It is one of my… many regrets."

"So you're basically asking me to help you make up for it, then?" Estella raised her brows expectedly.

"Well I wouldn't put it that way." said Severus gruffly.

"I would-" Sirius muttered under his breath, earning a glare from two members in the room.

Ignoring his brother-in-law's slip, Severus continued. "I think of it more as making the most of a uniquely advantageous situation."

"Now that's a Slytherin response if I ever heard one." Estella smirked.

"Would you expect anything less?" Sirius snorted, kissing the top of his daughter's head in relief.

Nodding acceptingly, Estella took stock of the situation. If it was true that the men in her life had only wanted her to undergo testing to assist in the development of a antidote, then it would not explain her father's earlier clinginess and reluctance to impart information. On the other hand, she wouldn't put it past her uncle either to exaggerate the situation to her father – leading him to believe, for instance, that she was still prone to the potion's effects – to spur him to action. It was entirely possible that in reassuring her of her health, her uncle was informing her father of that fact for the first time. Then again, if that were the case, then her father surely would not have let her uncle's apparent deception go unchecked.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Estella asked them cautiously. They shook their heads, but Estella knew better.

"Malfoy doesn't know I recovered, does he?" she asked quietly, the pieces falling together in her mind.

The men looked at each other uncomfortably, and Remus subconsciously resumed his petting of her hand. This time, she didn't brush him off.

"He is still of the impression that you have developed a dependency to the potion." Severus confirmed. "Had Fawkes not assisted you, your body would not have been able to fight infections without it."

"Yet it still wouldn't have healed me of my injuries either." Estella concluded for herself, shivering outwardly at her uncle's former malevolence.

The simple idea that a single potion could both suppress a person's immune system and render all other restorative and rehabilitative potions useless was enough to make her skin crawl. Her uncle's frantic words as he bypassed the infirmary in favour of Dumbledore's office that fateful night came to mind.

"You, you suspected Fawkes would be able to-"

"I had my suspicions…" Severus gestured with his hand. "…my hopes." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But-"

"Fawkes doesn't give his tears freely, right?" Estella completed, for the first time realising how lucky she was that the Phoenix had chosen to help her. She made a mental note to familiarise herself with the magical creature's properties once she got back to the school.

"What your uncle is saying, Estella," Sirius cleared his throat nervously. "Is that Malfoy has become rather suspicious-"

Estella's eyes widened in alarm. Had her uncle been exposed as a spy? Catching the worry in her eyes, Severus moved to set her straight.

"He is not suspicious, Black. Don't put words in my mouth." He said curtly, before looking at his niece. "He has concluded that I am feeding your new potions habit and is quite displeased that you have not become dependent on him as was his plan. Very few people within the Dark Lord's circle know how to brew the Potion, and all those outside it are not aware of its existence."

"What does that mean for you?" Estella's voice ghosted above a whisper.

"Nothing. Lucius Malfoy is but a spoiled child who is sulking because something didn't go his way." said Severus dismissively, and Estella had to bite back a grin at the imagery of a grown man having a child's temper tantrum.

"What… what about your-"

"My position is not compromised." Severus assured her. "The Dark Lord appreciates that no matter our recent estrangement, it would appear suspicious if I were to desist displaying a vested interest in your welfare… particularly since I must appear to be in allegiance with the Headmaster."

"So will I have to do anything during the term to appear as though-"

"I doubt so." Severus said darkly. "As far as I am aware, all those subjected to the potion are deprived of the potion and left to die after a week."

Estella gasped, and Remus stopped petting at her hand in favour of gripping it tightly in her own. She looked at him in question.

"What your uncle is trying to say is that there has been no precedent set for people who have developed a long term dependence on the potion." Remus informed her. "So they don't really have any way of knowing what sort of quality of life the potion would inevitably afford you."

"Thank you very much, Lupin; but I am quite capable of talking for myself." Severus intoned somewhat congenially. "Now I don't mean to impose, Estella, but I would like an answer."

"An answer? What was the question?" Estella furrowed her brow in confusion, her mind mentally going over the conversation.

"Do you wish to spend the week at Hogwarts, and can I expect your cooperation in my research?" Severus asked of her slowly, an almost patronising tone to his voice.

Glaring at him slightly, Estella could see that he was growing impatient. If she didn't know any better, she'd suspect that he was concerned with running into Harry the longer he stayed … almost as though the thought of seeing Harry in his leisure time was the worst thing imaginable.

"I thought you didn't mind being apart from me for a few weeks over summer when you see me during the year?" Estella echoed her uncle's words from the previous week, her arms crossing over her chest in classic Snape fashion. "That I would only be underfoot?"

"I do not wish to get into this now, Estella." Severus said shortly, eying the other two men warily and crossing his own arms across his chest defensively. "Either you will come or you will not. If you have not an insight into my intentions by now then I have truly underestimated you."

At that comment, Sirius was glaring so much at the man, that he faced the risk of going cross-eyed. As though feeling his icy grey gaze on her uncle, Estella looked over her shoulder at her father and rolled her eyes in an effort to ground him. Seeing her reaction to her uncle's stiff rhetoric, Sirius exhaled slowly and patted her shoulder reassuringly, a small smile on his lips. Though they had parted ways at the beginning of summer on good terms, it was all too easy for either man to respectively lapse into old habits.

Reading the unspoken message of support, Estella looked from her father to her uncle and nodded slightly. "When do we leave?"

END CHAPTER

Next Chapter: Secrets

Due: Any time on or after 2nd September (wish it could be sooner, but unless someone out there is willing to do two 3,500 word case studies on public sector reform (blech) andvolatile climate of the publishing industry ('nicer' topic, but hardly encouraging) my limbs are tied.)