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I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been moving and changing jobs, well lets just say my life has been crazy!

Chapter 4

Silence reigned once again with the only sound coming from the squeals and giggles of the two toddlers. The adults all looked shell shocked even Lily who thought she knew everything about Runa. Finally the adults were brought out of their silence with a rather loud squeal from both Harry and Neville. When they looked back to them they noticed the wolf had stood and both boys were now riding him like a pony.

Each toddler had a fist full of fur and was clinging on for dear life, but they seemed to be having fun. The creature padded over to the adults stopping first at Alice who Neville reached out to and finally Lily who had to pry Harry's hands from the animal's fur. Relieved of his burden he plopped at Lily's feet lying across them almost as if to offer comfort and assurance. Lily's small but sweet smile brought the attitude of the room back to a comfortable level.

"Is it really a prophecy?" Remus asked looking at the couples. They looked at each other then nodded at him. On a sigh both he and Sirius sat back.

"You all know prophecies are full of it, right?" Sirius supplied.

"That's not the issue," James started to explain. "We know prophecies are bogus, majority of the time, but You-Know… Riddle is apparently superstitious, so he believes it to be truth. So it doesn't matter what we see it as." The others nodded in understanding.

"On to other information and questions," Sirius said leaning forward. "Who the hell was that?"

"She told you…" Sirius just stared incredulously at Lily making her falter.

"That, Black, was The Lady Landvik," Frank supplied. Sirius sat back, eyes wide blinking at Frank.

"What?" he whispered. "How in the bloody hell do you know the Landvik heiress?" Sirius turned eyes towards Lily.

"I've known her since I was five. We were pen-pals…"

"What are… pen-pals?" Alice asked, confused by the unfamiliar term.

"Its a muggle term, it means that we would write back-and-forth…"

"How did you become a 'pen-pal' with the heiress of one of the most powerful Ancient and Most Noble houses when you're a muggle-born? I mean no offense but you have to admit it's a little strange." Lily stared at Sirius a little confused with his hostility toward Runa and the Landvik name.

"None taken," she started, "and it only happened because her father saw me use magic accidentally when I was a child."

"You're lucky they didn't just kidnap you and obliviate your family," Sirius whispered harshly. Everyone was taken aback but Lily most of all. There's something there… she thought.

"What's your damage Black?" Lily asked.

"I don't trust that family."

"Why?"

"My grandfather, is, was, the head's godfather and that can't be good."

"He was Connell and Eric's godfather because of his friendship with their father, the former Lord Cromwell," Lily supplied.

"That doesn't make it better," Sirius shouted as he stood up and started pacing. "The Ancient and Most Noble House of Cromwell is a notorious grey family leaning far more to the dark than the light, and…" Sirius paused looking at Lily confused, "wait how did you know the reason my grandfather was their godfather?"

"After I got my Hogwarts letter I spent two to three weeks every summer with them and the entire summer between sixth and seventh after my parents died. They gave me a home. And aren't you being a little hypocritical about her? You come from a dark family, presumably one of the darkest, and we don't judge you because of it."

Lily's last comment struck a nerve with Remus, because recently he had been doing just that and even Peter seemed to be as well. Sirius hates his family and what they stand for and he's never wavered in his belief that they were wrong, Remus thought having turned away from the two people arguing.

"You've been blinded by your long-term friendship, they've been using you…"

"Sirius!" Lily yelled interrupting his rant before he could get started. "You don't know them, let alone Runa or Uncle Connell. The man you are so against, implying he's like your family, died protecting us!"

"Wh…What?" Sirius sputtered. The others were looking at her shocked. "When did that happen?" Lily turned away from them and walked toward the window and just stared out. She still held Harry who patted her face trying to get her to look at him. She gave him a small smile then hugged him to her.

"Lils?" James asked as he laid his hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and he brought his hand up to her cheek she looked up at him and just sighed.

"You remember the massacre at that party before we got married, the one we barely got away from?"

"Yes," both James and Sirius drawled.

"He was there." Lily started bouncing Harry on her hip as if to distract herself from what she was about to say. "He's the only reason we got away. He defended us long enough but he ended up overwhelmed. We don't know who cast the curse that killed him but he died that night." Sirius sat down with a soft thud and just stared at her.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" he asked.

"I couldn't…" she started only to be stopped the sound of the floo flaring. When Runa came through the fire everyone cringed. Her face was a mask of cold burning rage but when Lily took a step toward her she just held up a hand stopping her.

"I need fresh air," she said stiltedly as she turned on her heels and left. The wolf having watched the entire thing stood, stretching then followed his mistress out.

"What was that about?" Frank asked.

"I've never seen her that angry," Lily responded. "So my question is the same as yours." The two couples started talking about what it could have been and didn't notice when Sirius silently slipped out, Remus following behind him.

"There's more to you not trusting her than your Grandfather isn't there?" Sirius heard the question and paused to allow Remus to catch up to him. A part of Sirius still wanted to trust his old friend but he'd been so distant lately and wouldn't tell any of them why.

"It's none of your business Remus."

"If it concerns James and Lily then yes it is my business." Remus pulled Sirius to a stop at the front doors. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Remus this is the first time in two months since we've even seen you…"

"This isn't Hogwarts anymore we don't have to see each other everyday," Remus tried to reason. Sirius just snorted and opened the door brushing past the werewolf.

"Really? I had no idea." Remus could hear the sarcasm dripping out of his tone. Remus didn't understand Sirius' animosity.

"What's your problem?"

"It's not just the fact that we haven't seen you we haven't heard from you either and every time we would try to see you, you were never home."

"I was doing…" Remus stopped himself.

"See right there, right there is the problem. You don't trust us…"

"What about you?" Remus interrupted. "You've barely been to any Order meetings recently. I know you're grieving but still I would have thought you would have, I don't know, become more involved to make sure the ones who killed her paid."

"You'd think so but," Sirius stopped his face twisted making Remus feel bad that he had brought Marlene into this. "But losing her… losing her showed me what was important. Do I want Snake-face and his merry band of Death Munchers stopped? You bloody bet I do but I don't want it to cost me any more people I care about. I can't lose them. I just can't."

Remus was shocked. He had never seen Sirius well so serious. However…

"Then even more reason for you to be at the meetings…"

"I can't put Dumbledore's orders before James, Lily and Harry. I just can't Remus. So no I'm doing what I think is best to keep the only real family I have left alive."

"And what's that?" he asked incredulously.

"Putting them first." Sirius' answer caught Remus off guard. "I'm putting their safety before anything else. I don't care if that makes me selfish, but I can't go though what happened with Marlene again. I just can't."

Sirius turned away from him to try and find some semblance of order in his hectic mind, that's when he saw her. He could see the air crackling around her as her anger had yet to abate. Now he could see for himself that the legends of the Landvik's were not exaggerated. Magic moved and weaved around her as if obeying her will or was it trying to get her to calm so she didn't cause any damage.

"What is she?" He heard Remus ask.

"No idea." Sirius whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "But I'm going to find out." Sirius stomped off in the strange woman's direction. Remus had a foreboding feeling this was not going to end well but followed slower after him.

Runa was fuming. Why that no good sodding bastard! She thought to herself. When she had left Potter Manor it had been to go to the Department of Mysteries, someone owed her a favor and she was calling on it.

~Flashback~

Runa flooed into the Ministry and immediately made her way to the Department of Mysteries. Once there she went on a hunt for the man who owed her. She finally found him.

"Croaker!" her call startled the man as he whipped around. He stopped and allowed the woman to catch up to him.

"You know better than to call…"

"You're a senior member of the Department, people actually know you're here so don't get huffy with me." Croaker just looked at her and let out a silent sigh. He knew that it was pointless to argue with her ever since she had lectured him when they first met. He had been looking into things that were not his business and it had almost gotten him killed, had Runa not saved his life that is. He owed her and he knew it.

"I need a favor." And there were the words he had been dreading.

"What kind of favor?"

"Nothing too terrible, I just need to look at a prophecy." Croaker contemplated her request and honestly he couldn't find fault.

"Fine." He turned around and made his way deeper into the DOM.

"Perfect, and just so you know after this, we're even." He just stopped and stared at her statement. "What?"

"There is no way this is enough for a Life Debt."

"And I kept telling you that there was no Life Debt," she reminded him as she rolled her eyes. "I knew what I was doing and I knew no harm would come to me. Doesn't mean you still don't owe me." She followed the hooded man when he turned and there was an inconspicuous door. Croaker gestured to the door and she followed the silent suggestion. Once she stepped trough the door she was met with rows and rows of tall shelves filled with small glowing orbs, each one was a prophecy. Her blood boiled at the sight.

How many of these were told hundreds of years ago, and are still unfulfilled, Runa thought. I wonder how many lives they've destroyed. After a heart beat another thought followed. Gods I hate prophesies.

"Which one?"

"The one about a 'Dark Lord'," she rolled her eyes at the fake title, "and an unidentified child." Croaker just nodded and took her through the rows. After a while they came to a stop and he picked up a small orb handing it over. The tag attached had 'Lord Voldemort and (?)' and 'Spoken by S.T. to A.W.P.B.D.' written on it. Runa just looked incredulously at Croaker and he just shrugged his shoulders. She took out her wand and tapped the glowing globe, and it started playing.

At first it was just cloudy mist then it cleared and showed a strange looking woman with giant glasses that overtook her face and crazy hair, then she started speaking.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

When the vision blanked out Runa's mind was raging and in her anger she crushed the orb into dust. Croaker was witness to it all but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that anger so he wisely stayed quiet. He didn't take much stalk in prophecies himself, the room they were in spoke to why, but as a senior member of the British Department of Mysteries he couldn't very well ignore it either. However he wasn't going to be too upset that a woman with as much political clout as the Lady Landvik had just destroyed an unfulfilled prophecy, no he was much too smart for that besides he owed her. He was also able to see something that not many did. He could see her magic leaking out; it was a rare thing to see, that someone had enough magic making it visible without the use of a spell.

This is part of what made the legends of the Landvik's so terrifying; all the females of the main line were like that. Some said that they weren't entirely human and Croaker wouldn't be surprised if that were true, but what was the other part? A mystery for another day, Croaker thought, he had far too many problems being caused by the Death Eaters to go looking into fairy tales.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked.

"Not even remotely but it will have to do." The anger in her eyes had yet to abate. "Thank you. You won't get into any trouble about this will you?"

"Not likely," he snorted. "I doubt anyone will even notice it's gone but this also saves us problems."

"How so?"

"If he wanted to know the whole thing-"

"Wait, Riddle doesn't know the entire prophecy?"

"Riddle?"

"His real name is Tom Riddle," her tone and look brokered that she wasn't going to explain more than that. I don't need more, he thought, she just gave us an advantage that we didn't have ten minutes ago. "Either way he doesn't know the whole thing?"

"From the information we were given, no he doesn't."

"What does he know?"

"Just the first two lines, I belie-CRACK-," A large fracture had appeared in the floor at his feet and he could see her magic even more and her entire face had become a mask of cold burning rage. Croaker took a hasty step back fearing her wrath but she just turned on her heel and stalked out of the Hall of Prophecies quickly leaving the Ministry all together.

~End Flashback~

He doesn't even know the entire bloody thing and he's targeting infants! She fumed. Runa knew her magic was a little out of control but at that moment she didn't care. That psychopathic bastard was targeting her family and she'd be damned if she let him so much as touch them, not while she had breath in her body. She felt Fen leaning up against her, most likely trying to calm her down. His presence usually did the trick but not this time, so when she heard someone moving towards her she immediately drew her wand and aimed.

Sirius stopped at wand in his face. I didn't even see her move, he thought as he brought his hands up in a placating gesture. Her bright eyes still clouded in anger finally registered who he was as she lowed her wand. She took a deep breath and Sirius could see her magic slowly seeping back into her.

"What are you?" His question made her look at him, a heartbeat later she smirked.

"We haven't known each other long so I don't believe that constitutes me sharing some of my deepest darkest secrets, now do you? Unless of course you're willing to reciprocate?" She raised her brow at him in challenge; if James, Lily and Harry's lives hadn't been at stake he might have risen to her thrown gauntlet.

"It is if it concerns James, Lily and Harry's safety." Her answer was a look that spoke, 'You have got to be kidding me.'

"Much like you Mr. Black, I would die before hurting or betraying Lily, Harry and James."

"Sirius."

"Pardon?"

"Call me Sirius. I hate being called Mr. Black."

"Why?" After a few seconds of silence her face took on an 'aha' look. "You hate your name because it's an unchangeable connection to the family you hate."

"Those bloody purists aren't my family!"

"And you'd be right."

"Wha-what?"

"Family aren't just the people who you share blood with. Blood alone does not dictate who your family is; I would have thought you of all people would understand that." She cocked her head and raised her brow at him while he just silently sputtered. Remus had come up behind him and was looking at her contemplatively.

"And what about you Mr. Lupin, where does the Potter's safety rank on your list?"

"First." He didn't even hesitate and Sirius just looked at him. Runa looked at them curiously but shook her head.

"Okay there's one thing we have in common our love for the Potter's as well as their safety is first priority." Again both men were looking at each other suspiciously finally Runa just crossed her arms and just looked back and forth between them. "Okay what's going on?"

"Nothing." Both answered far too quickly, making her suspicions rise.

"Fine if you don't want to tell me I'll just ask Lily," with that said she tossed her hair back, it slapped both as she passed them, returning inside. Sirius just stood there for a heartbeat just staring open mouthed at her retreating back.

"I don't like that woman." Sirius finally said making Remus snort before he was clutching his sides laughing. "What's so funny Moony?"

"You don't like her because she threw a battle axe at you and she seems impervious to the Sirius Charm that you're so proud of. To top that off she was a secret that was kept from you and surprisingly you don't like secrets, considering how many you keep."

"Secrets I keep? Well what about you? You still haven't told me why you've been checked out." Remus just opened his mouth to respond when Runa yelled at them.

"Are you idiots coming or not?" Both men just glared at each other before making their way back into the manor.

Sorry for the long break but I was trying to get ahead, so be expecting more chapters in the following days