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Chapter 3

Sirius' head was swimming as he came to. He couldn't remember when he fell asleep. And why are there so many voices? Sirius thought groggily. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he jackknifed into a sitting position. He looked around wildly when his eyes were caught by teal ones that were burning in a cold fire. She was sitting across from him on another couch with the ginormous wolf laid out at her feet, but when their eyes met she arched her brow as if to dare him to say anything. Sirius felt a fire start burning in his soul, taking her glare as a challenge. However before he could open his mouth James wrecked his chance.

"Padfoot!" he said with barely concealed mirth mixed with concern. "You doing okay there, mate?" Sirius just glared at his best friend and retorted sarcastically.

"Of course I'm okay, Prongs. Why?" He looked up at the others in the room finally noticing that neither Lily nor Alice was in the room any longer. Then he noticed that Frank looked like he was trying not to laugh and when he looked to Remus he was doing the same. "Why do you all look like you're about to bust a gut?" Finally they lost it. Both Remus and Frank were doubled over laughing, James' shoulders were shaking as he laid a hand on Sirius' shoulder and even the unknown woman had a small smile on her face. Sirius just playfully glared at James silently willing him to explain.

"Mate, you fainted."

"No I didn't," Sirius retorted. " I did not faint. I…" He was interrupted by a snort from Remus, who he could tell, that for some odd reason was doing better than he had when they had first come.

"You absolutely fainted, Sirius. Eyes rolled back and blood drained and all of that just from seeing a wolf, albeit a big one, but a wolf none the less." Sirius just mock glared at Remus.

"That is not a wolf," Sirius started. "That is a monster wolf…" He trialed off as he heard a low growl escape the beast that was laid out on the floor and he swore the thing cut its eyes at him. When he looked up into the beast's mistress' eyes he saw a fierce fire that he felt he had seen before.

"Shutting up," Sirius said quickly.

"Smart choice," the woman commented. He was still receiving the stink eye from the wolf on the floor but was finally released from the gaze when the door creaked open. When he looked up he saw Lily and Alice come in carrying their boys. Sirius started to rise until he heard a squeal of joy come from Harry before he started chanting.

"'una, 'una, 'una!" Harry cried while stretching his arms out toward the woman, but then his eyes fell on the wolf. He let out another squeal and changed his attentions, chanting, "Fen, Fen, Fen!" The large beast stood and strolled over toward Lily who was having a hard time keeping a hold of the squirming child. When the beast reached them it seemed as if the majority of the people in the room were holding their breath waiting for the attack but it never came. The wolf just sat then nosed the little boy's feet, which were kicking and sock free, making the little boy laugh and reach out for the animal again. Lily just smiled, laughing, and lowered her son to his feet so he could stand and hold onto the animal's fur. When the beast lowered to the ground and summarily allowed him to be climbed all over by an exuberant Harry, everyone who held their breath finally exhaled. That's when the others noticed that little Neville had been staring at the beast with wide eyes but then seeing his friend climb all over the animal he wanted in on it too and started to reach out for the animal as well.

"Um…" Alice said looking between her wiggling son and a happily playing Harry with a worried look, earning herself a hearty laugh from the woman on the couch.

"Don't worry Lady Longbottom," the woman said as she rose. "Fen's great with little munchkins. He helped raise me and I know I was a little terror so your sweet boy will be just fine. He's also played with Harry plenty of times." Alice just nodded and lowered her son down next to the wolf that just opened one eye and then closed them again allowing both boys to use him as a climbing gym. When Alice looked back up she took in the new woman's clothes. She had changed into muggle clothing of black shorts and an off the shoulder dark teal crop top. She also noticed the multiply ear piercings. Her hair was in two Dutch braids but was so long that the tails of the braids brushed her thighs as she stood.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" Her question startled Alice out of her thoughts. "It must be important if you needed Fen to come and get me." She sat back down on one of the chairs leaving the couches to the couples. She sent a glare at Sirius that made him immediately stand up, which was surprising to Alice because Sirius didn't usually follow silent instruction well. It made her wonder what happened before Sirius had fainted. The couples sat down in the vacated couches while Remus and Sirius sat in the chairs opposite the newcomer.

"How about introductions first?" Sirius said leaning back in the chair indicating with a wave of his hand the one person in the room he didn't know. He raised his brow trying to intimidate the woman but she just gave him a smile that said 'you sad poor pitiful soul'.

"Oh, but why would need to reintroduce ourselves, Mr. Black? We've already met," she said in a sickly sweet voice that did not fit her at all.

"The thing in the bathroom didn't count," Sirius said fighting the blush that was trying to creep into his cheeks.

"I wasn't talking about that, but thanks for reminding me," Sirius just looked at her as if she had gone daft and Remus was looking at her in the same way. "Not you too Mr. Lupin. Surely you remember James and Lily's wedding."

"Of course I do," Remus said indigently and Sirius just looked at her confused.

"Then how can you not remember Lily's own Maid of Honor?" Both men's jaws dropped. Remus looked horrified that nothing about her struck a cord in his memory, not her looks nor her scent, and the scent is what was worrying him. Sirius on the other was just shaking his head.

"No, nope. I remember her and she's not you…" Sirius' words trailed off as before his eyes the woman transformed into the cold blonde from the wedding. The green in her eyes bleed away and even the blue became almost colorless. Her long black hair shortened and curled stopping around her shoulders. Both men then recognized her expressionless eyes and cold demeanor. "So you're a Metamorphmagus?"

"No," she said as she shook her head reverting to her natural look. "I just happen to be very skilled in non-verbal and wandless magic." Everyone, save Lily, was duly impressed. "So no introductions needed…"

"I still don't know your name," Sirius said quickly.

"It's Runa," she said as she rolled her eyes and turned back to the couples. "So what's going on that you reached out?"

At her question the two couples slightly wilted and silence descended. The only sound was the giggles and delighted squeals from the little boys who were climbing and tugging on the large wolf who raised his head when the silence descended. Runa cut her eyes to the animal that looked concerned then she looked to the others. When she caught Sirius and Remus' eyes they looked just as confused. What could have made their friends so downtrodden? When suddenly there was a very excited squeal that came from the boys the adults looked to the odd little group. Harry had gotten ahold of one of the wolf's ears and was chewing on it, while Neville was trying to catch the wolf's moving tail, smacking his hands on the floor every time he missed, but he had a determined look on his face. It was when Runa looked into their parents' eyes that she saw the look of heart breaking sorrow.

"Is something wrong with the boys?" Runa asked quietly. All six heads whipped toward her, then the couples bowed their heads drawing both Remus and Sirius' attention to them. Both men paled looking back over to the happy yet strange scene anew. What could be so wrong that they look like they are about to cry? Sirius and Remus thought. The couples stayed silent and in the silence Runa stood and crouched in front of Lily. She placed her hands on Lily's knees and Lily's emerald eyes finally met hers, they were full of tears, but she gave a humorless laugh.

"You're not going to like it," Runa just continued to look at Lily waiting for an explanation. "Dumbledore called us to his office in Hogwarts because of some disturbing news that he just received…" Runa just raised her brow telling Lily to just get on with it. "He said there was a way to bring about the down fall of You-Know-Who…"

"Riddle," Runa said interrupting her.

"What?" Lily responded.

"His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle." At those words it was like a bomb had gone off and everyone was in shock. They were all just staring at her gaping. She looked around at the astonished expressions. "Oh come on. Do you really think his name is Vold*muph*" Lily quickly put her hands over Runa's mouth stopping her from saying that cursed name. Then Lily let out a horrified squeak pulling her hands away from her friend's mouth.

"Did you serio… really just lick me?" Lily said as she wiped her hands on her clothes stealing a quick look at Sirius, who gave her a mutinous look because she didn't let him play with the pun that was his name. "And you know that name is cursed." Runa just looked at her and stood striding back to her seat.

"Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself," she said as she sat down. "But continue."

"Not until you tell us how you figured out his real name," Frank demanded.

"It wasn't too hard. He claims to be a descendent of Slytherin so you just go to the closest relative to Slytherin and that leads you to the Gaunt's, crazies that they were, and you look through their line for someone the right age. Marvolo Gaunt only had two children Morfin and Merope Gaunt. Morfin is still rotting in Azkaban, I think or he's dead, either way he had no children so that leaves Merope. So I just had someone do a little digging around Little Hangleton, where the Gaunt's last known home was. Turns out Merope Gaunt married a muggle by the name of… Tom Riddle. I still have some people trying to figure some things out but it was only after a couple months that he supposedly left her and she never returned to Little Hangleton. Actually the only other mention of her is on a birth and death certificate. Her own death certificate and the birth certificate of one Tom Marvolo Riddle, named for his father and grandfather."

"What?" everyone exclaimed lurching out of their seats. "He's a half-blood?" They were all gapping at her. She just gave them a small smirk. Silence reined after their outburst until Sirius started laughing maniacally. He fell back into his chair from laughing so hard, the others just looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"This is rich!" Sirius exclaimed as he caught his breath. "All those pureblooded bigoted bastards are kissing the feet of the son of a muggle." Then his face took on a more serious note. "But this information does nothing." The other's looked like he'd gone mad.

"But…" Alice started, Sirius just his head.

"His followers would never believe us and they'd probably just get angrier saying we were slandering their Lord's 'good name'," Sirius said grimly.

"He's not wrong," Runa added. "But what we could do is start spreading this information around to those that are on the fence. The pureblood families that haven't sided with either side or are just money sometimes. If they have their 'pureblood pride' they will stop their support of him. I know some ears that will listen and spread the word from there."

Sirius raised his eyebrow dually impressed but also wondering who her contacts were and who she was, her name didn't give him anything. I'll just wait to ask Lils when she's gone, Sirius decided. Silence reigned once again but in this silence the Runa was looking at Lily as if she was trying to use Legilimency on her, but then a small smile spread across her lips, she shook her head, standing. Her movement brought everyone's eyes to her.

"Where are you going?" James demanded as he stood and blocked her path. Sirius didn't know why but when James did that he suddenly very much feared for his friend. She just cocked her eyebrow at him.

"Stand down, Potter," she ordered, for which James immediately complied, surprising not only James but the others as well because they knew the Marauder's didn't take orders well. "If Lily's trying to edge her way around telling me what's caused your anxiety then I can only come to one conclusion as to what's behind it."

"And what's that?" Sirius insisted.

"There's only one thing that would tick me off enough for Lily to dance around like this and that's a prophecy." Her declaration made everyone's eyes widen. James and the Longbottoms in awe that she figured it out, Sirius and Remus in shock that some prophecy had caused the look in their friends' eyes, and Lily that she was found out so quickly.

"Why do prophecies anger you so much?" Remus inquired. She stopped at Remus' question and when she looked back at them Remus wished he hadn't asked. The thinly veiled anger darkened her eyes to the color of a raging sea regardless she answered the question.

"Someone I care about greatly was royally screwed over because of a prophecy and he was betrayed in the worst sort of way by people he trusted." She turned back around and headed toward the floo. "Not to mention most prophecies are self fulfilling. Luckily for me," she said as she grabbed a handful of floo powder, she muttered her location and threw the powder in. "I know how to negate self fulfilling prophecies." With those parting words she was gone.

This chapter is done sorry for the long wait. Please REVIEW! I love reviews!