Harry Potter and the Tearing of the Veil Chapter 5, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: Accio Rights. ACCIO RIGHTS! Darn, didn't work, JK Rowling still owns them… though we're beginning to think she shouldn't with her recent confirmation that a lot of people will be mad at her over book 7 and all the rumors about Harry (or Ron and Hermione) dying (Stephen King and some else asked her not to kill Harry, which I personally got a total kick out of). There are original characters in this story (among them Lavinia Malfoy, Devian Lorren, Michaela Archer and Asta Malfoy), however, and they belong to us!

Authors' Note:Italics signify thought or emphasis. This story has been updated to better fit the HP timeline, which we did a bit more research on lately, the chapter with the most changes is the one previous to this. Again, remember that HBP is ignored for the content of this story.

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This section written by LadyV… apologies on the delay, RL sucks like you wouldn't believe.

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"Remus, my boy," Albus Dumbledore greeted with a smile when the lycanthropic former professor gained entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Albus," Remus returned the older wizard's smile a bit tiredly. "Madame Pomfrey told me you wanted to see me before I leave tonight."

"Yes. Can I pour you some tea?" Dumbledore lifted the pot from which he had just poured a cup of tea for himself. When Remus nodded, Dumbledore tipped a generous amount into a cup and passed it to the younger man, along with the honey pot. "I assume you know by now that Lavinia Malfoy was one of the Returnees? You remember that she was a class behind you when you and the others were in attendance here?"

Stirring half a teaspoon of honey into his beverage, Remus nodded slowly. "Yes, it was… quite a shock to see her again. When she disappeared the same night her mother died, well, I didn't think she had survived."

"A good shock or a bad shock?" Dumbledore asked with a guarded expression.

"Oh, definitely a good one," Remus hurried to assure. "I'm not entirely sure why you're keeping her here, though. I assume it has something to do with her mother's killer, who must be the same person who sent Nia through the Veil. Could she still be in danger after sixteen years?"

"I assure you she is," Dumbledore sighed.

Remus frowned worriedly. "Then Hogwarts is the safest place." His expression eased as he sipped quietly at his tea. "It will be interesting to see how she and Harry get on."

Dumbledore nodded. "Fascinating to think that had she not been on the run at the time she probably would have been one of the first to hold him."

A sadness came to Remus' eyes. "Lily told me back then that she didn't choose a godmother for Harry because she so wanted Nia to have that honor."

"Does Sirius know that?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Remus shook his head. "I doubt Lily and James ever told him. James would have wanted Sirius to feel that he was most important to both he and Lily instead of just telling Sirius that Lily's choice was unavailable. And Sirius didn't know Nia in school. She was Slytherin, not all that popular and kept mainly to herself, three things that would have disqualified her from being one of Sirius' conquests. And aside from them and Lily once she and James were an item, Sirius didn't have much time or use for girls when we were in school." Remus shrugged and muttered, "Or during the relatively short time after that before he went to Azkaban."

The elder wizard nodded, a twinkle coming to his eyes as he obviously remembered the Marauders in their school days and Sirius' former devil-may-care attitude.

"On the subject of being part of the school," Dumbledore steered the conversation, "is there any chance you can stay now instead of coming back later? The Ministry is breathing down my neck about one of the classes not starting yet, and I will feel better when Defense Against the Dark Arts is once again being taught."

Remus shook his head, "I still have one last project for the Order that I have to tie up. And I can't come until a couple days after this weekend in any case, the moon will be full the first night of the three night cycle on Saturday. Tonks is still involved in several things, so she won't be able to take over as we decided until next month."

Now that Voldemort was known and acknowledged by the entire wizarding world to be back, the Ministry of Magic had agreed that having an excellent teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts was of paramount importance for Hogwarts students. And because Remus Lupin had been the only professor that had "survived" teaching the course and the students had gotten the best scores and tested much better on the O.W.L.S. when he had been teaching them, Dumbledore had been able to pull strings and get him the job back.

There were, of course, stipulations. Remus could not be at the school during the days each month that were part of the full moon phase, and someone would have to be available to teach the classes he would miss. Tonks had been chosen as a fill in. Dumbledore would have preferred a more experienced member of the Order, perhaps even let Moody really teach the class as opposed to someone posing as him, but the entire Order of the Phoenix was very busy with important missions. They were barely able to spare Remus as it was.

"Actually, I wanted to ask what you thought of asking Sirius to be your fill in instead of Tonks." A look of shock settled on Remus' face, but Dumbledore continued, "It would give Sirius something to do as well as keeping him safe here at Hogwarts. It's only a matter of time before word gets back to Voldemort and the Death Eaters that Sirius is alive; they'll want him permanently gone this time."

"And this will give him more of a sense of purpose and allow him to stay close to Harry," Remus added.

"As well as the other Returnees," Dumbledore pointed out.

Remus frowned. "I already told you Sirius didn't know Nia. Did he know one of the other two?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, but having gone through something like that tends to bond people together, and Lavinia believes that they may eventually remember more about where they were and what happened to them there. It would be best if they all had each other to lean on when that happens."

Remus nodded slowly in understanding.

Dumbledore's face took on an even more serious expression. "Remus, you should know that Lavinia has told me about the times you helped her and her mother. And there's something you may not want to know that happened the first time."

Remus' brows drew together in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I believe due to an unforeseen but unavoidable delay on their end Asta and Lavinia arrived at the rendezvous a few days late and that they spent a few days… and nights… with you. Nights that may have fallen at a certain time of the month. "

"Oh, Merlin," Remus swore softly as what little color he had faded from his face. "Tell me I didn't… the wolfsbane potion had not been developed yet back then, I would never have known…"

Dumbledore reached forward to pat Remus' hand consolingly. "You'll have to talk to Lavinia about it when you come back. Right now we should go ask Sirius if he's interested in the job so you can tell Tonks she's off the hook… if that is, indeed, the case… when you see her at headquarters."

Remus got up and followed when Dumbledore left his office, but his movements were automatic; the werewolf's mind was on what Dumbledore had hinted at. Had he hurt Lavinia all those years ago? Was she a werewolf? As much as he was afraid it might be true, logic told him she wasn't. How could she possibly have greeted him with such enthusiasm and affection if he had cursed her? Why would she and her mother ever have considered coming to him for help the second time if he had attacked Lavinia the first time?

But it was possible that it had been Asta he had attacked and not Lavinia. Perhaps it hadn't been Asta's husband who had killed her as Remus had always assumed. Although it was illegal, there were still those who hunted werewolves while they were in human form; it was possible one had found her. But that would have given Lavinia a reason to hate him as well. It didn't make sense either way, but if it weren't true, why would Dumbledore have brought it up in the first place?

A sudden thought struck him… it didn't make sense unless Remus had come across Asta and Lavinia after the transformation and not during it and they had never known it was him who had attacked them. Remus felt sick at the thought of telling Lavinia that whatever had happened had been because of him, but she deserved to know the truth and she needed to hear it from him. He could only hope she would someday be able to forgive him.

While Remus had been lost in his own morbid thoughts, he and Dumbledore had reached the hospital wing and Sirius' bedside. Sirius shot Remus a questioning look in response to his distracted air, but Dumbledore jumped right into explaining the teaching situation and asking Sirius if he would like the job Tonks would otherwise have. Sirius got a surprised look on his face that very closely resembled the one Remus had first made at the thought.

"You want me to be a teacher?" he finally asked, doubt clear in his tone.

A fond smile appeared beneath Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. "I think if you applied yourself, you could do anything, Sirius. I'll give you a crash course in teaching and you can sit in on Remus' classes to see how he handles things. All you'll really have to do is follow the class syllabus a few days a month. And it will enable you to stay here at the school."

Sirius perked up at that last comment. To be able to stay where Remus, Harry and his friends, and two of the other Returnees would all be for the next several months was overwhelming. He wouldn't have to say goodbye to any of them for some time. He wouldn't have to be alone. "I'll do it."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good. Now, Remus, you can go and let Tonks know and we'll see you sometime around the middle of next week."

After saying goodbye to both Dumbledore and Sirius, Remus was gone.

"I'll try my best not to let you down, Dumbledore," Sirius said as he leaned back against his pillows.

"You won't," the older wizard replied vaguely.

As the headmaster turned to leave, Sirius couldn't help but ask the question that had been plaguing him since Devian's visit a few hours ago. "Why is Lavinia in Slytherin?"

Dumbledore studied him for a long, silent minute before answering flatly, "Because that's where the Sorting Hat put her."

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Friday, the Sixth Years taking Advanced Potions (there were only a few from each House taking it so they were all lumped together in one class) had Double Potions in the morning. This was to be followed by a free afternoon due to the fact that Defense Against the Dark Arts was not yet being held. But first they had to get through Potions and the Professor widely acknowledged as the most unforgivingly exacting in the whole school.

Snape made a production out of the addition of Lavinia Malfoy to their class, verbally pondering how he was supposed to re-split the class, which had been sorted into even pairs the first day more than a week ago, so that Lavinia would have a partner. Though she gave the dark-haired and -eyed man a withering glare when he began his rant, Lavinia did not naysay him or speak on her own behalf. When he had run out of ways to make his predicament Lavinia's fault, Snape asked the class at large if any of the pairs would take on a third.

Snape looked pointedly at Draco, his long-acknowledged favorite, but the blonde boy's derisive sneer in Lavinia's direction made it clear no help would be coming from that corner. Already the tale of the showdown between the two Malfoys in the Slytherin common room the evening before had begun to make the rounds in Hogwarts' three other Houses, some of the tellings quite clearly too dramatic to be believed.

Hermione raised her hand without consulting Harry first, but he had no objections. Perhaps Lavinia could provide a balance between Hermione's strive for perfection and his own less than stellar Potions skills. It would also aid their quest of keeping an eye on her; there would be occasional larger homework assignments they would have to confer on outside of class.

Snape made another big deal out of the fact that if their potions came out wrong, two Houses would lose points instead of one. But considering there was already a pairing of a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw, both Houses having an uneven number of students taking Advanced Potions, that argument held very little merit and died a much quicker death, and Lavinia Malfoy officially became partnered with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter for the duration of Advanced Potions.

It was only later, when it had become clear that while Lavinia was capable and patient when it came to potions-making she had no great love for the subject, that Harry wondered why Ron, partnered with Seamus and easily the most eager among the Trio to distrust Lavinia's intentions, had not offered to let her join he and Seamus, not known for his skill at Potions unless one was talking about blowing them up. Glancing over at the redhead, currently scowling with Seamus into their discolored concoction, Harry had the feeling Ron was going to later regret the decision.

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"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Hermione asked Lavinia as she, Harry and Ron walked up to the young woman.

It was Saturday, the day of Quidditch tryouts for the year's House teams. Gryffindor didn't have possession of the field for another half hour, but the Golden Trio had decided to take advantage of the nice weather and relax outside for a little while. For once, happening upon Lavinia was a coincidence.

The raven-haired Slytherin was sitting under a tree, her legs crossed at the ankle. Her robe nowhere to be seen, she was wearing a dark purple polo shirt with short sleeves and black casual trousers, black boots encasing her feet. The dark colors made the paleness of her skin all that much more obvious, but it didn't wash her out. She looked healthy and content, even if Harry wouldn't have qualified her expression as a happy one.

Lavinia looked up at them, not getting up from her spot seated under the tree, and gestured toward the Quidditch field, "Devian's trying out for the Hufflepuff team. He wanted me to watch, but they wouldn't let a Slytherin in the stadium seating, said it was spying."

Hermione frowned at the way the silver-eyed witch said the name of her House, plopping down into the grass facing her. Harry and Ron followed suit, Ron with obvious reluctance. Harry figured they might as well stay here until Hufflepuff tryouts were over. Gryffindor students wouldn't be any more welcome there than Slytherin, and Lavinia had picked a good spot. He glanced again at Lavinia, just then noticing that she was weaving flowers together in a chain by partially splitting the stems of each to slide the next one into while her kitten stalked a slow moving insect in a patch of sun a few feet away.

Lavinia almost absently tied the chain off into a loop when it got to a certain length, setting the completed circlet on top of her own head, the light colored flowers standing out dramatically against her pitch black hair. Evidently she noticed Hermione watching her, because she asked the younger witch, "Would you like one?"

"Please," Hermione said quickly and happily, and Harry smiled with her unconsciously.

Lavinia smiled as well and began weaving flowers together again, Hermione plucking some more for her to use before settling on her stomach near Lavinia's feet and opening the book she'd brought with her. Ron began absently tugging grass from the ground and letting the decimated blades fall from his fingers, most likely obsessing over the tryout and practice he would shortly be running as Gryffindor's team captain. Harry flopped backwards to stare up at the tree branches over their heads, absently noting the few wispy clouds that played hide and seek in the gaps between leaves.

"What are you lot up to?" a male voice suddenly asked.

"Sirius!" Harry sprang up from his lazy position to hug his godfather, who looked better than he had the last Harry had seen him, which had been earlier that morning. "What are you doing out here?"

"Fresh air works wonders," he said airily, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Madame Pomfrey prescribed fresh air instead of some bloody awful potion?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded for his language. Harry was sure she had felt an obligation, as the one of the group who still at least tried to follow the rules as often as possible, to remind the redhead, "Some of those bloody awful potions have saved our lives."

Sirius laughed at Hermione's frowning face and answered Ron, "Actually, I've been officially released. The fresh air was definitely my idea."

Lavinia and Hermione both offered Sirius congratulations on no longer being stuck in the hospital wing, but Harry felt his heart fall. He didn't want to have to wait until the winter holidays, or worse yet, summer break, to spend more time with his returned-from-the-dead godfather.

His thoughts must have been showing in his face, because Sirius told him, "I'm not leaving Hogwarts, Harry. Dumbledore found a way to let me stay."

"Good," Harry managed to get out despite the multitude of other words clogging his throat; he was too overcome with happiness to ask how or why right then.

Sirius grinned and moved closer to the group so he could sit down where Harry had been, but slightly closer to Lavinia. Ron shuffled over in his spot so Harry would have room next to Sirius.

"So?" Sirius asked when he had settled himself.

The Golden Trio stared at him blankly, but Lavinia answered softly as if his earlier question hadn't been pushed aside by a whole separate conversation. "I'm watching Devian try out from afar, and I assume Gryffindor has the field after Hufflepuff and these three are waiting here until then."

"Not going to have a go yourself?" Sirius asked.

Lavinia looked startled at the idea for a second before she responded. "No, I'm not overly fond of brooms."

Ron gasped, "How can you not like brooms? Flying is so…"

"Freeing," Harry supplied the first word that came to mind when Ron couldn't seem to come up with one.

Lavinia smiled. "I never said I didn't like flying, just brooms." Before Harry could ponder the oddness of that statement, she continued. "Anyway, if I did try out, it would have to be for Slytherin."

The reminder of what House she was in put a damper on that direction of conversation, and silence reigned for a few minutes. Lavinia put the finishing touches on Hermione's flower chain before handing it to the other girl. With a soft sigh, the dark-haired witch leaned back against the tree trunk, her silver eyes tracking her kitten as Claws scrambled over Lavinia's legs on her way to Sirius' lap. Harry watched too, remembering that in his guise as the "Grim" back in Third Year, Sirius had befriended Hermione's cat Crookshanks.

A crooked smile tilted his godfather's mouth when the kitten sat on one thigh and mewed at him. Sirius lifted his hand from where it had been resting on the grass and began rubbing behind the kitten's ears, the small animal making a rather loud purring noise as it hunched down and began kneading his leg through his trousers. Sirius winced slightly at the first contact of needle-sharp nails and flesh, but otherwise showed no concern over Claws' action.

Lavinia broke the relative silence to tell the man sitting beside her, "I can take her from you if she's being a bother."

"No need," he answered easily. "What's her name?"

"Claws," Lavinia answered, humor at the irony making her silver eyes sparkle.

Sirius laughed lightly, and a full, genuine smile lit Lavinia's face in response. Harry sucked in a breath. With her black hair, pale skin and silver eyes, Lavinia was very pretty, but when she smiled like that… she was beautiful. It reminded Harry of the way Hermione's features would come even more alive when she was particularly excited about something. Glancing at the female half of his two best friends, Harry blushed at the direction his thoughts had gone the second 'beauty' had entered his mind. He had to think about something else. Luckily before he had too much time to dwell on it, his godfather got everyone's attention… not with his deceptively calm tone, but with his choice of words.

"You'd think being able to turn into a dog would make cats less likely to befriend you, but it's never been the case for me."

Harry was surprised that his godfather had admitted his ability to turn into "Snuffles" aloud, but Sirius was just watching Lavinia as if they were having a simple conversation about the weather. From the corner of his eye, Harry saw that Ron and Hermione, now crowned with flowers like the older witch, were also both paying close attention to the pair almost to the point of holding their breath.

Lavinia nodded toward her pet, who appeared to be in feline heaven as Sirius continued his ministrations to her head, "Obviously." There was a pause before she added quietly, "You became an Animagus because of Remus, didn't you? You and James. Though how you did it without that other boy who was always hanging around knowing is beyond me."

"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius supplied the traitor's name with something close to a snarl before composing himself a bit at the startled look on Lavinia's face. But his voice was still a bit harsh as he spoke, making it clear the dog comment had been a test of what she knew, "He did know, he became one too. But how could you know about James and I without knowing about Pettigrew? Unless Harry told you more than he should have and left out Pettigrew because of his treachery."

Harry had already told Sirius what he and Hermione had shared with Devian and Lavinia when the other two Returnees had woken, but the Marauders' abilities as Animagi had never been part of it.

"Harry wouldn't do that to you, Sirius," Lavinia defended before Harry could do so himself. "I went to Hogwarts at the same time, but I was a year behind you and your friends and Lily. I was in the same class as Regulus."

"That still doesn't explain how you knew," Sirius said with icy calm, ignoring the reference to his younger brother.

Lavinia's eyes darted to each of them, evidently just noticing that they were all waiting for her explanation. Her eyes grew shiny with moisture for a moment before she blinked away tears she refused to shed. Harry had the sudden insight that Lavinia was not comfortable in the least being the center of attention when that attention was even a little negative. How very… unMalfoy of her; Draco didn't care what kind of attention he was getting as long as he was getting it and by the way Harry had always seen Lucius bait the Weasleys and others, he knew the same could be said of not only the son, but the father as well. Yet another example of how different she was from her git of a cousin and his parent.

"You weren't the only ones who snuck out of your dormitories at night," she said quietly. "I used to go up to one of the empty towers to…watch the stars, and I would occasionally see a wolf-like creature, a large dog and a stag running along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't until I found out about Remus being a werewolf that I realized those nights coincided with the nights of the full moon, and that the dog and stag had to be you and James. I never saw another animal with you."

"Pettigrew was a rat," Ron supplied. "Probably too small to see from where you were."

"That makes sense," Lavinia murmured, her eyes never leaving Sirius.

It really seemed to matter to her that Sirius stop being angry with her. For some reason it reminded Harry of the scenes he'd witnessed from Snape's memory where all the girls, with the exception of his own mother and perhaps a couple of her friends, had been interested in Sirius. Had Lavinia been one of the ones interested?

The anger slowly faded from Sirius' face as he stared at Lavinia, and Harry barely heard it when he softly asked, "How is it that I don't remember you?"

"I wasn't one of your gaggle of followers," Lavinia answered with a lightness Harry knew meant she was trying to change the mood of the conversation. "And I was too quiet and not popular enough for you to have bothered. I never was one for a meaningless snog in an empty classroom or broom cupboard anyway."

"I guess you were too young, as well," Sirius said thoughtfully, "if you left Hogwarts before Sixth Year."

Lavinia's eyes widened and she nodded her head shakily, "Of-of course."

Harry frowned and turned to look at Hermione, who had just turned to him with a puzzled expression of her own. Something about Lavinia's story wasn't adding up. But before either of them could think of a way to figure out exactly what it was and how to question Lavinia about it, a new voice marked the arrival of the Hufflepuff Returnee.

"I made it on the team!" he told Lavinia as he sat down on the side of her opposite from Sirius.

"That's great," Lavinia's smile was once again genuine. "What position?"

"Beater," the brown-haired youth answered proudly. "You better watch out when Hufflepuff plays Gryffindor, Harry!"

Harry smiled at the slightly younger boy's mostly-mock threat. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm going to write a letter to my guardians and ask for a new broom," Devian said excitedly, his speech mostly directed at Lavinia. "The school brooms are rubbish, and I'm sure they'll be happy I made the team."

Lavinia smiled at his exuberant joy. "What kind of broom are you going to ask for?"

"I don't know," Devian answered thoughtfully, his excitement dieing slightly. "I don't want to ask for a really expensive broom and have them get angry about it, but it's gotta be one that's at least a little better than the school ones."

Knowing what it was like to be foisted off on relatives that would rather not have you… his stomach did an excited little flip when he remembered once again that Sirius being back and cleared meant he could live with his godfather if Sirius wanted him to… and hoping Devian's were a thousand times better to him than the Dursleys were to Harry, Harry suggested, "You could mention the type of broom the school has available and how you need one a bit more modern to really be able to help out your team. They'd probably get the hint that way."

"That's a brilliant idea. Thanks, Harry," Devian popped back onto his feet, tugging on Lavinia's arm. "Come on, 'Vinia, I'll tell you all about my trial on the way up to the castle. These lot need to get down to the pitch for their own tryouts."

Ron, too, scrambled to his feet and Harry followed, knowing Devian was right, if Hufflepuff was done it was Gryffindor's turn on the field. Harry noticed that though Sirius turned and walked with them down to the field to watch and yell encouragement from the stands with Hermione, he first watched with a thoughtful expression as Lavinia walked away.

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Sirius was ambling through the halls that evening just as dusk was falling when he saw Lavinia heading for the front door. She was dressed in a full-length hooded cloak, though the hood was not currently draped over her head but resting on her back, half obscured by the dark fall of her hair. There was a haste to her steps that had Sirius frowning in curiosity. He had just taken a step in her direction when he was distracted.

"Ah, Sirius my boy, there you are," Dumbledore's voice rang behind him.

Turning his head to greet the Headmaster, Sirius wondered if whatever Dumbledore wanted him for would go by quickly enough that he could catch up with Lavinia. For a split second Sirius saw a hint of worry in the older wizard's eyes, but it was banished so quickly by the customary twinkle that he wasn't sure whether he had imagined it or not. Dumbledore urged him closer with a wave, and Sirius found himself being walked down the hall, away from Lavinia and the door she had undoubtedly already slipped out of.

"I think now would be as good a time as any to begin training you for your new position," Dumbledore was saying. "Unless you were planning on turning in early?"

"No," Sirius answered automatically. "But Dumbledore, shouldn't someone find out if Lavinia needed something? I thought the students had a curfew that required them to be inside after dark."

"Miss Malfoy is fine, my boy. She's just keeping a promise she made to me. And as for the curfew, Lavinia isn't a typical student, she's a grown woman, the curfew doesn't apply to her."

Sirius frowned but didn't say anything. As much as he wanted to ask what it was Lavinia was doing, he had a strong feeling from Dumbledore's vague answers so far that he wouldn't get an answer. And though he knew Hogwarts and it's grounds were much safer than most other places, he couldn't help worrying that she could be in danger out there alone in dark, especially if she went anywhere near the Dark Forest.

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Sunday afternoon the Returnees had a check up appointment with Madame Pomfrey. All four of them met in the hospital room where they'd woken not so long ago, Michaela having been escorted back from Hogsmeade by Hagrid. Michaela was markedly friendlier than the last time they had seen her, greeting them all with a charming smile in place, her blonde hair seeming almost alive, swinging freely with each move she made. She paid particular attention to Lavinia, engaging the younger woman in small talk until Madame Pomfrey called her to the other end of the room to have her check up behind a privacy curtain. Devian, on the other hand, was not his usual self, sitting in a dejected fashion on a bed across the room from where Lavinia and Sirius were awaiting their turn with the school's nurse.

"What's wrong with Devian?" Sirius quietly asked Lavinia when Michaela and Madame Pomfrey were out of hearing range.

The raven-haired witch glanced at the boy in question for a moment before turning back to Sirius. It was only then that Sirius realized the Lavinia looked like she hadn't slept at all the night before. What had Dumbledore had her doing and how long had it taken her?

"He got a letter from his guardians this morning," Lavinia answered in a voice barely above a whisper. "They refused his request for a broom. Told him to just use the school's. And to add insult to injury, they warned him not to let Quidditch get in the way of his studies or they would make sure he was taken off the team."

Sirius nodded his understanding and hesitated briefly before asking, "And you? Are you okay?"

A slight smile curved Lavinia's lips, and she nodded. "I'm just a bit tired and have a slight headache. I think I may need to rest before dinner."

Frowning in concern, Sirius moved closer to her, sitting so that his left thigh brushed her right. "Do you think it has something to do with the Veil?"

Though he'd actually meant the question to try to get her to reveal what she'd been up to the night before, the second the words were out of his mouth the fear that it could be true hit him hard, making him even more eager to hear her answer.

Lavinia shook her head slowly. "No. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night, and it's been so long since I had to deal with school hours that I think I'm still adjusting."

Before he could think of another way to ask her what she had been up to the night before without sounding too pushy and possibly driving her away from him… he didn't want to think right now about why that was absolutely the last thing he wanted to happen… Madame Pomfrey and Michaela came back out and Madame Pomfrey asked Lavinia to join her behind the curtain next. Sirius had his turn just after, and when he came back out, Lavinia was no longer there.

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Monday morning breakfast in the Great Hall ended up being a bit of an event. Four large barn owls flew in with the morning mail rush, carrying a rather obviously shaped package. The broom was dropped on the Hufflepuff table, right in front of new Quidditch player Devian Lorren. He stared at it silently for a moment before his neighbor elbowed him excitedly.

Devian looked at the label on his package, but from the boy's frown, Harry thought there was a good chance that whoever had gotten it for him had not put their name on the shipping label. With a shrug, the young Hufflepuff tore the brown paper that wrapped the broom to reveal a shiny new Firebolt. The excited yell that issued from the Hufflepuff table reminded Harry of when he had received his own Firebolt. He still loved that broom; it was one of his most precious possessions.

A sudden suspicion had Harry turning his head toward the Slytherin table, where Lavinia was sitting somewhat isolated at the very end of one of the bench seats. A soft, warm smile was on her face as she witnessed Devian's joy at his new broom. Harry nudged Ron and Hermione on either side of him and after brief glares at him for poking them, they followed his gaze.

"She got it for him," Hermione confirmed Harry's thoughts aloud.

Ron frowned and asked, "But why would she do that, those brooms are expensive and it isn't as if she's bought one for herself."

"She cares about Devian," Harry answered. "We've all seen it."

"Must be bribing him to join her side," Ron remarked, his tone showing clearly what side he thought that was.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione muttered disappointedly before leaving the two boys to finish their breakfasts, her own plate already cleared.

Ron blinked owlishly at Harry, "What did I say?"

Harry ignored Ron's falsely innocent question and instead pointed out, "If she was bribing him or something like that, she would have let him know it was her who got it for him."

Ron grunted and went back to shoveling his food into his mouth. He surprised Harry a few moments later by remarking, "You know, she looks really tired. I hope she's not sick."

"Who?" Harry asked, unable to believe he wouldn't have noticed if Hermione had shown any signs of not feeling well.

"Lavinia," Ron answered, waving with his fork toward the Slytherin table, a small bit of potato flying off the end and barely missing the ear of the First Year sitting across from him.

Harry stared at Ron like he'd grown another head or said he was now best friends with Draco.

"What?" Ron demanded. "Just because I think we should be careful about trusting her until we can find out who the 'bad guy' is doesn't mean I wish her ill until then."

Unable to think of anything to say to that, though he was thinking that Ron had grown as a person in the past couple years to be able to feel that way, Harry returned his attention to Lavinia. She was pushing food around her plate with her fork, a listless expression on her face. There were slight circles under her light eyes and though she wasn't frowning, the corners of her mouth dropped a bit. She looked worn out, like she hadn't slept in a week or more. Harry wondered if she was being plagued by nightmares of whatever had happened in the sixteen years she'd been on the other side of the Veil, or even, perhaps, what had come before that. Lavinia was the only one, after all, of the Returnees that he did not at least have some idea how she had ended up going through the Veil in the first place.

To be continued…