I didn't tell Sirius. Not for months. I couldn't. Every time I saw him after that night, my throat would constrict, choking on the weight of the truth of the words I wanted to speak. His little brother, only eleven, was practicing dark magic. Not just that: Unforgivable Curses.

None of the Slytherin boys ratted on me, because they knew as well as I did that by doing so, they'd incriminate themselves. So it was our secret. Though any time any of us crossed paths or made brief eye contact, it was clear that the incident was not going to be forgotten. Or forgiven.

Winter slowly melted into spring. The tops of the mountains remained white and majestic, but the slopes greened and birds returned to the budding trees. Students eventually began to spend more time outdoors as spring bloomed, the cold air and snows banished until next fall.

James spent almost every day working on his map. He would scrawl into it so much that even Sirius was starting to get annoyed. "Would you put that thing down?" He complained as I approached the four boys, sitting near the lakeshore one May afternoon.

"Someone's getting a little jealous." I drawled as I plopped down next to Remus. "Put it away, will you, Potter?"

"Sure thing, Harkstone." James said, annoyed. He tapped the parchment with the tip of his wand. "Mischief managed."

The black outlines and dots vanished.

"That's so cool, James!" Peter gushed. "How did you get it to be that way?"

"Simple charm." James said easily, adjusting his glasses. "Nothing, really. Anyone could do it."

"I can't." Peter said, sounding awed.

"Oh, please." I muttered, disgusted.

"Amber." Remus said gently.

I rolled my eyes. "What?"

"So moody this year." Sirius remarked, smirking. "What brings you here to the dark side, Harkstone? Lily banish you for hanging with our crowd?"

"Not yet." I replied, watching a small white bird dive into the lake and scoop up a tiny, wriggling red fish. "But it's just a matter of time."

"Grumpy, aren't you?" James teased.

"James." Remus interrupted.

"Sorry Mum," James retorted, mussing up his hair to make it look even more untidy than normal. A group of third year girls walked by, giggling and glancing at James, who seemed to swell with pride.

"What was that all about?" I said, repulsed.

"I'm playing in the Quidditch Final tomorrow." James said lazily. "I guess they're impressed with my three consecutive wins. There's a lot riding on my victory, Harkstone."

"She doesn't really understand Quidditch, mate." Sirius reasoned. "She's more interested in her books, like Moony."

"I could never forget that epic wipe-out during tryouts." James chuckled. "That was one for the books."

"I've been told I'm quite good with charms." I said casually as I drew out my wand, polishing it with the hem of my robes. "There's even a rumor out that I'm getting good at Potions. Who knows… I might just let my hand slip over your morning cups of pumpkin juice. And who knows… you two might be transformed into two little girls in an instant."

"You're bluffing." Sirius retorted instantly, narrowing his eyes. "You're terrible at Potions."

"Lily though… she's one to watch." James said. "I'll bet she'll be in the Slug Club by the time she's fourteen."

"Whatever." I said, shaking my head. Remus cleared his throat, nose-deep in a book.

"Will you put that away?" I snapped. "James already put his away. That's rude."

Remus narrowed his green eyes shiftily and closed his book. Hogwarts, A History, Grade II was printed on the front in brass letters.

"Doing homework, Moony?" James inquired.

"We do have some exams coming up in a few weeks." Remus pointed out. "We ought to be studying more. Especially you lot."

"We're smart enough." Sirius said easily. "Besides, brains don't get you anywhere in life. Not when you're got skills and looks like ours." He and James high-fived loudly, grinning and laughing.

I rolled my eyes. "Boys."

"Oh, come off it, Harkstone." James said. "Why'd you bother coming over here anyway?"

"Because." I said, taking a deep breath, rubbing the opal pendant around my neck, something I did under stress or nerves. "I need to tell you guys something."

Peter stared at me, round-eyed. Even quiet Remus looked curious. He pushed his closed book at little ways further. "What's on your mind?"

I had rehearsed it over in my mind for months. I still hadn't told the boys about my confrontation with the Slytherin boys. But now was the time. In just a few weeks, our second year at school would be finished, and we'd all be off for the summer. Lily had known something was wrong for the past few months. Severus – who had been knocked out cold during the brawl – had apparently not remembered the altercation whatsoever. But Lily was sharper than that. A month ago, she'd seen the expressions of the Slytherin group as we'd passed in the hall, moments so intense that I could feel lightning spark between us.

"What's happened to you?" Lily had finally asked one day as we sat down in Potions class. "Why do they always give you such dirty looks? Mulciber looks like he'd like nothing better than to kill you!"

"I know." I'd said ominously, remembering his ruthlessness. Lily had tried, and failed, to press the information out of me. Folsom hadn't bothered me as much, but still hung eerily around my desk whenever I would work on an assignment with Sirius and James, as if I was an interesting specimen he wanted to study. The kind of specimen that he would spear with a needle and keep on display on his wall.

"Amber?" Remus said gently, bringing me back to the present. "Are you alright?"

"Obviously she's not alright." James said loudly.

"She's barking." Sirius agreed.

I rolled my eyes. "For once, could you two please stop acting like you're the greatest things since sliced bread?"

"Just for a moment." James joked.

"I'm serious." I replied, narrowing my eyes. "Haven't you wondered about Folsom at all this past year and why he's been so… quiet?"

"Yeah." Sirius said, looking interested. "He's been a lot less… obtrusive."

"Maybe to you." I muttered. "He still watches me like I'm a dangerous bug he'd like to squish."

"Like an acromantula." Peter whispered, shuddering.

"No such thing." Sirius said airily. "Even though my mum says there's a colony of them living in the Dark Forest."

"Get out." I said dismissively. "Let's get real for a second. Please? It won't take long, and then you can go back to being your usual awful selves."

"Sounds good to me." James said lazily, mussing up his hair again.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow the accelerating pulse of my heart. Remus tilted his head curiously. "Amber?"

I swallowed hard, suddenly nervous. "It's about…" I glanced around nervously, making sure they we were alone.

"Hold on." James said, pulling out his wand and pointing it in the direction of the castle, where a few students milled about the grounds in the distance. "Muffliato."

"Go on." He said after a moment.

I took another deep breath. "Something happened right before Christmas."

"Did you get your period?" Sirius interrupted rudely. "My mum's always nutty with hers. Actually, that would explain your moodiness this year…"

I felt my face flame. "That is none of your business!" I half-shouted. "And that's definitely not what I wanted to talk to you about!"

"What's a period?" Peter wondered aloud.

"Shut up, Sirius." Remus growled. "Let her talk. Don't interrupt."

James shoved Sirius good-naturedly. Sirius grinned and quieted.

"As I was saying." I cleared my throat. "After our meeting before Christmas… before you all went home for holiday… I ran into some trouble on the way back to the Common Room."

Now the boys looked intrigued. James frowned slightly. "What kind of trouble?"

"Not the good kind." I wrung my wrists, my throat dry. "I still looked like Lily. The potion hadn't worn off yet. Peeves popped some balloons-"

"So that's what that noise was." Sirius exclaimed. "I thought I heard a lion's roar that night! But I figured it was just a first year messing around."

"Well, there was that." I said darkly. "I ran into Severus-"

"Snivellus-" James corrected.

"Severus," I hissed, "and a gang of Slytherins."

The spark of mischief went out of James' eyes. "Who?"

"Mulciber, Avery, Nott, and…" I looked at Sirius briefly. "And your brother."

"Regulus?" Sirius said, shaking his head. "No way. He wouldn't be caught dead running around with those blokes. They're… too old and too…"

"Cool? Don't you think Regulus would gravitate towards them? He's looking for older male attention, since you never gave him that growing up-"

"Don't talk about my family like you know us!" Sirius suddenly blurted, blotches of red appearing on his cheeks. "You don't know anything, Harkstone! He's a little git, but he's still my brother!"

I stared at him, feeling like a brick had just slid down my throat into my stomach, dragging heavily all the way. "Sirius…"

"Don't!" He barked. "Don't lie! He wouldn't be out of bed like that… He was always the good one. He's not a trouble maker."

"Like you." I said flatly, thinking of Virginia and what I'd give to be able to have my own little sister alive, even if it meant she was running around in the wee hours of the morning with a group of thuggish Slytherins. "Listen to me. I'm not lying, Sirius, and it gets worse."

"You are lying!" Sirius snarled. "Regulus wouldn't be out there like that."

"Shut up, Sirius!" James said harshly. "Let her finish."

Surprised at his support, I watched Sirius throw his best friend a mutinous glare and begin tearing grass from the ground.

"They cornered me." I went on, remembering the altercation like it was the night before, instead of almost six months prior. "And Mulciber was going to kill me. He sounded like he was ready to but Severus jumped in the way."

"Severus did what?" Remus said. "He took the blow?"

"Mulciber was going to punch me, but yeah, he took the hit. He got knocked out bad… and that's why I don't think he remembers of any of it. But then they started coming for me, and I managed to down that vial of Invisibility Potion I had on me. One of them tried to curse with the Cruciatus Curse."

Silence met my words. Sirius stopped pulling up the grass for a moment. "Who?" He said quietly.

I looked into his eyes – the same steel-gray eyes of his little brother, who was so young, too young, to be around that kind of evil and violence – and lied. "I don't know. It was probably Mulciber."

"Mulciber seems to be the kind of bloke to do that kind of thing." James muttered, staring at the ground. "Did anything else happen?"

"Yes. After I hid, they left. And I saw Folsom coming towards me. He wasn't with them, but I think he had something to do with why they were all out of bed at that hour. I think they were having a meeting of some sort."

"Or an initiation." Sirius said hollowly.

"A what?" I said, frowning.

"Initiation." He lifted his haunted eyes to ours, and I wondered what kinds of things he had seen in his life, what kinds of things had occurred at his house. "Like when we made the Vow."

"I never made a Vow." Peter interrupted, looking put out.

"We don't need you to, Peter." James said fondly. "We already know you'd never betray our trust."

Peter looked flushed with pleasure at the praise.

"Don't make me puke." I groaned. "Enough with the flattery. What kind of initiation, Sirius?"

Sirius had turned his body and was now looking out upon the gently rippling surface of the lake. Clouds reflected in white patches and spots on the water, and another little red fish leapt out of the water and splashed back down before a bird could snatch it. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know for sure. But I've heard my parents and their friends talking about some kind of mark. They support Voldemort. I don't know much about him, but if he was friends with Folsom… then it's more important than ever that we get to my house and find that file."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" James demanded. "Amber, this changes everything. We should have nicked that file months ago, right after all of this happened! Don't you get it? If Folsom was really doing some kind of initiation with those blokes, that file could be pointless now!"

"Don't you blame her!" Remus snapped, drawing surprised looks from all of us. Peter even looked frightened. It was close to Remus's time of the month, and I knew from experience that his wolfish nature was more likely to come out.

"I didn't attack her, Remus." James assuaged. "But she shouldn't have kept this to herself for so long."

"I didn't think it was that important!" I explained, but the words felt half-hearted. I knew I should have told them months ago, but a part of me wanted to pretend that it had never happened. Talking about it now made it real.

"This changes everything." James said into his hands. "I think we have to act. Today."

"Why today?" I said quickly, feeling the first flutters of panic. "What's so important about acting now?"

"Because," James said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "if Folsom knows that we're investigating him, he'll destroy the evidence incriminating him. And maybe he'll come after us."

"Or after me." I said quietly, remembering that awful moment when Folsom and I had been alone in his classroom when I had gone back to retrieve my bag. "He's threatened me before."

"How so?" Remus said, eyes narrowed.

"He just…" I closed my eyes, wishing I could forget the incident, every incident, involving Folsom. But he was branded into my mind like a scar. I couldn't get him out of my head. "He knows about me. He had information on my sister. The things he said… he's like Mulciber. I know he'd do something."

"Has he done anything yet?" James grilled. "Hurt you at all?"

I shook my head. "Just read my mind. He's a very skilled Legilimens."

"Or a vampire." Remus murmured. "Like you said. I've never seen him in the sunlight."

"Plus he seems like a bloodsucker." Sirius added. "We'll find out for sure."

"This can't wait until after exams?" I said, despairing over my grades. "I'm only second to Lily, and if-"

"Harkstone." James said seriously. "Listen to yourself. What's more important – grades or finding out the truth about Folsom?"

I paused, mulling this over briefly. "You're right."

"Someone record her saying that." James said, spreading his hands. "This will never happen again in our lifetimes."

Sirius let out a short laugh.

"I'm serious, though." I continued. "Sirius, your brother Regulus-"

"I don't want to hear it." Sirius interrupted, his smile vanishing. "If you're telling the truth, then we'll find out tonight."

"I wouldn't lie about this!" I exclaimed. "I wouldn't want my little sisters involved with those kinds of people either!"

"I said shut up!" Sirius erupted. Peter jumped. Sirius glared at me, his steel-gray as hard as stone. "Drop it. Until later. Got it?"

"Calm down." Remus snapped, staring at Sirius angrily. "Or I'll use a Shield Charm on both of you."

Sirius looked away, but his hands were balled into fists.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

Sirius looked just as peeved.

"Alright." James redirected, clearing his throat. "We've got to act. Sirius, Harkstone, can you two pull it together for tonight?"

"How are we supposed to get to Sirius's house?" I brought up. "The Hogwarts Express doesn't leave for London for another month, and there's loads of enchantments around here so that we can't Disapparate with an adult. We can't exactly just walk out of here."

"Harkstone, Harkstone." James chided. "There's always a loophole."

"When we went home for the holidays, we used the Floo Network in McGonagall's office." Remus said. "James will create some kind of diversion so that you and Sirius can use that. It'll take you right to Sirius's house. Sirius will take James' Invisibility Cloak and you'll both wear that until you get the house. Amber, you'll need to take a dose of Polyjuice Potion so you'll be disguised as Regulus."

James blinked. "You know the plan better than I do, Remus."

Remus smiled slightly. "I do listen, you know."

Sirius produced a small vial of muddy brown liquid from his robes. It glinted in the sunlight. "This has one of Regulus' hairs in it. Amber, take it right before we leave. It has an hour on it. One hour only."

"Can you two get it done in just an hour?" Peter murmured, looking positively sick with apprehension.

"Of course we can." I said, startling everyone, even myself. "We can do this. Whatever it takes to take down Folsom."

"Told you we'd rub off on her eventually." James swaggered, hazel eyes narrowed with pleasure. "Bad influences, aren't we, Harkstone?"

"Shut up." I snapped. "I still don't like that we'll be breaking rules like this."

"What's up with you and not breaking the rules anymore?" Sirius questioned. "You were fine with it last year."

Because last year when I bypassed the Whomping Willow, my sister died. But I held my tongue. James and Sirius knew that Virginia was dead, but they didn't know the real reason why. And that was how I wanted to keep it. Not even Remus knew, though I'd tried on more than one occasion to confess, to hint. But the truth was lodged inside of me like a cancer. Nothing I could do would ever fully purge it.

"She said she'll do it." Remus said, coming to my defense. "Leave it at that."

"Fine." James said, reaching over and plucking one of my long curling hairs. I yelped in pain and threw him a dirty look. "Was that really necessary?"
James added the long yellow hair to a vial. "Actually, yes. I'll be taking Polyjuice to disguise myself as you later. It's one thing if I go missing. It's a whole other ballgame if you do. Folsom will know something's up. You two have way more of a vendetta than him and I do."

"Right." I said glumly, worried about what kinds of things James Potter would do with my body. Would he parade into the girl's dormitories? Crash a Slug Club party? Infiltrate the Ravenclaw Common Room? The possibilities were endless, and I didn't want to add more to the already frightening list.

I took a deep breath to clear my swimming head. "Alright… when do we leave?"

James glanced up at the castle. "Midnight."

I frowned. "Why does it have to be midnight?"

"It's spookier." Sirius chuckled.

"Midnight's too late." James said, looking troubled. "We have to go. Now. Right now."

I jumped, startled. "Are you serious? It's hardly noon!"

"It's better to do these things in broad daylight." Sirius added, looking energized. "A lot less likely to draw attention."

"That's true." I conceded, frowning. I had read earlier that the majority of burglaries had happened during the daytime when the owners were at work.

Guilt stabbed me, cold and sick, in the pit of my stomach. I was going to burglarize a house today. With Sirius. Would anyone else die because of my rule-breaking?

This is different. I told myself, but I had a hard time believing my own words. It's not the Murder Tree. It's just Sirius's House.

"What's your address?" I asked Sirius, rising to my feet. Remus copied me.

"Twelve Grimmauld Place." Sirius responded. "Why?"

I shrugged. "London, right?"

Sirius looked suspicious. "Yes… why?"

"Nothing." I said, worrying my opal necklace again, staring at the huge outline of Hogwarts rising in the near distance. Here in the wilds of northern Scotland, we were isolated from Muggles and the Ministry of Magic. We were safe from people like Voldemort. But in London… we would be completely exposed. If Folsom found out and somehow followed us, we would have no protection. He wouldn't be under the watchful eye of other teachers or Dumbledore. Anything could happen in London.

I just hoped it wasn't worse than what had happened with the Whomping Willow, which swayed serenely in the early summer breeze just a few hundred feet away.

Twenty minutes later, we had left the lake behind and climbed up the winding staircase to the Transfiguration classroom. Wearing the Invisibility Cloak, I poked my head into the doorway. Professor McGonagall was standing at the podium of her classroom, waving her wand at a teacup, which instantly transformed into a tiny gray mouse. "Now you try it." She said, pointing to the blackboard where a list of instructions were scrawled in white chalk.

I was tugged back. "Well?" Sirius whispered.

"She's teaching. And I think it's a Doubles."

"Good." Sirius muttered. "Come on."

I followed him down the long stone hallway. Remus, James, and Peter had gone down to the Dungeons, where James would nick another vial of Polyjuice Potion from Professor Slughorn's supply. The older man always had a constant stash of various potions to use as examples for the class, and maybe to use in case of emergency.

"This way." Sirius said, a little louder since the hallway was deserted. Almost every student or teacher in the school was in class. The five of us were the only ones out of class.

"Won't it look suspicious that all five of us are missing?" I whispered fretfully to Sirius as we approached McGonagall's office, which was closed. "Someone will know something's up."

"You worry too much, Harkstone." Sirius mumbled back. "Have a little faith. The boys will make sure nothing happens while we're gone. Remember, we only have-"

"One hour." I finished. "I know."

Sirius nodded once. "Good." He drew his wand, tapping McGonagall's door. "It's locked."

I pulled out my own. "Alohamora." I whispered, aiming it right for the keyhole.

The door groaned quietly, but didn't budge.

"She must have known someone would try to sneak in." Sirius grumbled.

"Let me try something else." I said, raising my wand again. "Maybe it has a password."

"I don't think so." Sirius said, just as I said, "Felidae."

There was a clicking noise. Sirius's eyes were huge as he pushed open the door, which swung open silently.

"You're brilliant, you know." Sirius said, grinning. "How did you know?"

"You said I'm McGonagall Junior. I know her better than you do."

Sirius snorted, but he was smiling. He entered quietly, making a beeline for the fireplace. A few small flames licked at a stack of logs in the hearth. A jar of lime-green powder sat on the mantle. Floo Powder.

"Take the Polyjuice." Sirius reminded me. "Before we go. My parents will freak if I bring home a girl instead of Regulus."
Still feeling things were going far too easily, I obeyed. I unstopped the little cork on the vial and tipped it back. It tasted bitter, like almonds and dark chocolate, and I could feel my skin tingle and bubble. I could feel my hair receding into my scalp and my nose elongating. I tapped the blue Ravenclaw crest on my right lapel and murmured, "Chamelio." The crest immediately changed into a green and silver symbol with a snake. The change was complete.

"My shoes are too small now." I moaned, my toes pinched. "Hang on for an hour, Harkstone." Sirius shushed, grabbing a fistful of powder and pulling the cloak off of me and over himself. "12 Grimmauld Place. Got it?"

"Got it." I affirmed, my heart beginning to race. One hour. That was all we had. And if we needed more time, I could simply trade Sirius for the cloak while he paraded around as himself in front of his family. His family couldn't be that bad, could they?

Sirius flung his handful into the fire, which erupted into dancing green flames. "12 Grimmauld Place." He said clearly in a rush of green fire.

I swallowed hard as the embers flickered down to the logs. A part of wondered what on Earth I was doing here. If I was smart, if I had learned anything, if I was a real Ravenclaw, I would stop right now and wait for Sirius to come back. We'd abandon this whole plan and chalk it up to utter foolishness and try again another time with a better idea. We would think all of this through logically and take our time before we acted.

But I wasn't a true Ravenclaw. I was a Hatstall. I was just as much Gryffindor as I was Ravenclaw. And Gryffindors were brave.

I took another deep, steadying breath and stepped closer to McGonagall's hearth. This wouldn't be like last time. No one would die this time because of me. There was no curse on entering Sirius' house. This time, there wouldn't be a body count.

So why did I feel so hesitant? So… scared?

Hands trembling, I reached up and grasped a handful of the powder. Shaking, I tossed it into the low fire, which roared to life at once, waiting for me.

"12 Grimmauld Place," I whispered in Regulus's voice, and stepped into the flames.