Between Quidditch and homework and spending time with my friends, time passed quickly. Winter melted away into spring. The snows evaporated into humid clouds of condensation. Spots of flowers blossomed along the slopes of the castle and the mountains. Warmer air blew in, bringing with it the tantalizing first hints of coming summer. Remus and Angelina remained a couple, but James and Sirius made it clear she wasn't welcome in our Marauder outings. Remus, to my surprise, hadn't protested, but seemed grateful for the chance to get away from her. Angelina was clingy and had the tendency to overwhelm, an unwelcome presence in our crowd of hard exteriors and practical jokes.

Even though Remus was dating Angelina, I felt lighter than I had all year. After my talk with Lily in the girl's lavatories and my confession to Professor Smith, my heart was freed from the heavy bondage of false guilt. Virginia had died because of her illness, not because of me. I didn't have to punish myself simply for living while she had died, because it wasn't my doing. Thanks to Professor Smith and her confidentiality, I wasn't bound to my sister's death any longer. I was still friends with Remus, though I had noticed a chasm that hadn't been fully bridged form between us. I wasn't sure when we would ever span that distance again.

But best of all, I could do magic again.

It was as if my wand had been in hibernation. It wasn't dead like I had originally suspected. Like Professor Smith said, it had merely been sleeping, dormant, waiting for me to cleanse my soul by releasing the supposed truth from inside of me.

The wand chooses the wizard, I had read in one of my many books, and I believed it fully now. The ash wand that Ollivander had procured for me had produced a corporeal Patronus for me. The first spell after months of nothing, and it was an advanced Charm that few ever mastered.

With my guilt gone and my jealousy towards Angelina banished (though not without frequent struggle), I quickly ascended back to the top ranks of students in our year, second only to Lily and slightly ahead of Remus. My grades had rankled somewhat when my wand hadn't worked, but now I was contending with Lily for valedictorian of our third year class.

Hogwarts was still honoring Helga Hufflepuff's 1000th birthday. Predictably, Hufflepuff's hourglass was filled nearly to the top with yellow diamonds. Next was Ravenclaw's, a few inches lower, and then Gryffindor, whose glass was almost as low as Slytherin's, thanks to the many antics of James and Sirius. May was already halfway through, and in just a few more weeks, final exams would take place, and then the summer holiday would commence.

But the teachers didn't slow down their paces. In fact, they increased the amount of homework and crammed in more material during lectures. I found all of it intriguing and enjoyed the extra reading assignments, but my appetite for learning was little shared among the other third year students. Only Lily seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.

In one of our last chapters of the year for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Smith decided to cover material more thoroughly studied in our fourth year. When we arrived in the classroom, she had written three names on the chalkboard in her elegant white calligraphy: Imperio, Crucio, and Avada Kedavra.

Unease filled me as I took my seat at the front of the room. I hadn't told anyone about what had transpired between Mulciber and I in January. Only Professor Smith and Professor Dumbledore knew.

Seeing the word Crucio made me shiver. I would never forget the all-consuming agony I'd felt that day, as if I was burning on a pyre, every fiber of my being burning up with relentless fire. I watched as Remus sat down beside me. He had chosen a seat near the aisle, so that only I could sit beside him.

Angelina bounced over with Zoey MacDonald. Both girls were giggling and gossiping as they approached, but when they saw that Remus wasn't sitting in a free row of three, they stopped. Angelina glared down at me and put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me," she said airily, raising a thin brow.

I looked back in mock surprise. "You're excused."

Remus' mouth twitched as he fought to keep from laughing. Angelina rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb backwards.

"Up. You're sitting next to my boyfriend. That's where I sit."

"Not today." I said lazily, twirling my wand in the air, before pointing it straight at her too-perfect face. "Not unless… you'd like to trade my seat for a pig's nose?"

Angelina flushed red. "You wouldn't."

I grinned and gave the wand a casual flick. Angelina clapped her hands over her face as her nose began to change.

"Alright, alright!" She snapped. "Change it back! But this isn't going to a regular thing, you know."

"Sure it's not." I said indifferently as she and Zoey moved to the only available seats left, in the back row. Smug, I pointed the wand at Remus and waited for him to notice.

"Hey guys." Lily said brightly as she sat down beside me. She glanced over at Remus. "Wow, nice tail."

"I beg your pardon?" Remus glanced over his chair and inhaled sharply. "Amber!"

Laughing, I reached over and brushed his brand-new wolf's tail. "Don't you like it? It really personifies the beast within."

Remus looked half-annoyed, half-amused. "Come on. Get rid of it, please."

"Okay, but it'll be back within a few weeks." I tapped my wand and muttered the countercurse. The tail disappeared.

Remus shook his head. "You're impossible."

"Kind of like you."

Remus smiled and pulled out his quill and a fresh roll of parchment. His smile disappeared. "Aren't those…?"

"The Unforgivable Curses." Professor Smith said clearly, finishing his sentence for him. The buzzing classroom instantly quieted. Lessons with Professor Smith were never dull, and this one promised to deliver.

"Can anyone tell me why these curses are called 'unforgivable'?" She asked. Instantly, Lily's hand shot up first.

"They're called unforgivable because using any of them will put you in Azkaban for life."

"And is one permitted a trial?" Professor Smith asked. Lily faltered.

"The answer is 'yes'," Professor Smith said. "In our government, the accused are allowed due process. If everyone went around claiming that they saw so and so performing an unforgivable curse, Azkaban wouldn't have enough cells to fit the accused inside. Can anyone tell me what the names of these curses are, aside from their incantations?"

Again, Lily was first to answer. "The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse."

"Very good, take ten points for Gryffindor." Professor Smith said, frowning at the row behind ours. "And take away five for misconduct, thank you very much Mr. Potter and Mr. Black."

Lily and I turned and glared at the two of them. They were each holding a mirror in their hands, and quickly stowed them away at our attention. Rolling my eyes, I turned and faced the front of the classroom again.

"The law states that anyone using one of these curses on a Muggle or magical person will spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban prison, if proven guilty." Professor Smith continued. "These three curses are the most powerful and sinister of all dark spells. It is my job to teach you how to protect yourself from the Dark Arts. You will want to take notes on the next few things I say."

There was a mad scrabbling for parchment and quills; Professor Smith waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"The first curse, the Imperius Curse, places the victim under total control of the caster. A person with exceptional strength of will can overpower the curse and render it harmless, but when I say exceptional, I mean it. If you suspect someone or yourself is under the Imperius Curse, check for a few telltale symptoms. They will feel as if they are under a trance, free of responsibility, and will take any order from the caster. Physically, their eyes will have cataract-like cloudiness in their retinas. This can vary in noticeable depending on the strength of the spell. If you suspect someone is under the Imperius Curse, they can only be freed by the caster, or if they overcome the spell themselves.

"The Cruciatus Curse is the torture curse. Its name implies everything you can imagine. It was invented in the Dark Ages and was once very popular, and, yes, legal. Does anyone know when they were outlawed and named Unforgivable?"

Lily answered. "1717."

"Five points for Gryffindor, excellent Lily. The Cruciatus Curse will inflict illusionary but very powerful feelings of excruciating pain. If done too much or for too long, one can go insane, or die."

Her words hung in the air. I could feel my heart racing, pounding against my ribcage. I could feel Mulciber's stare boring into me as threatened me, could feel the imaginary flames licking at my flesh and bones. I shut my eyes and tapped my hand against my thigh, trying to focus on the rhythm instead of Professor Smith's lesson.

"Hey," Remus said quietly, "you okay?"

I shook my head tightly. Professor Smith went on, but I wasn't listening. Only when she said, "any questions about the Killing Curse?" did I finally look up, sweat beading on my brow, my stomach churning.

"Amber," Remus said again, dropping his voice even lower, "should I take you to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No." I replied in a small voice. All Madam Pomfrey would do would be to drug me up on mandragora and have me sleep off the bad memories. But I wanted to be alert and awake, never again caught off-guard from such a vicious attack.

Remus looked worried, but I didn't cave to his pleadings. Instead I raised my hand and watched Professor Smith's expression flicker slightly.

"Yes, Miss Harkstone."

"Professor," I said evenly, "how do we defend ourselves? Are we allowed to use extreme force?"

Professor Smith digested my question. "You are authorized, under normal circumstances, to use equal force against an attack."

"But what about Unforgivable Curses?" I asked. "If someone is using the Cruciatus Curse on us, or trying to, can we use it against them without penalty?"

I could feel the eyes of every student on me. From my peripheral vision, I could feel Lily's eyes bugging out at me. Faint heat rose to my cheeks, but I wanted to know if I was allowed to give Mulciber a taste of his own medicine, if I ever saw the sleazebag again.

Professor Smith, at last, nodded once. "Yes. Under dire life-or-death circumstances, you are legally allowed to use extreme force against an attacker. But let it be known to you, children, that taking a life isn't as easy as the innocent believe it is."

I wondered if she was thinking about her younger years. With a jolt, I debated the possibility that she herself had taken the life or lives of others while following the Dark Arts.

I pushed the disturbing thought away, instead bolstering my relief in knowing that if I ever faced Folsom or Mulciber again, I would be able to defend myself, even if it meant they lost their lives.

A few more classmates piped up with questions about the three curses, but I wasn't listening. Instead I dropped my voice low enough so that only Remus could hear it. "I think we should meet later, with the others."

His brows lifted. "Alright. I'll tell them."

"After dinner, in the Shack."

"Done."

"Professor," Angelina asked loudly from the back of the room, "what does it feel like to be under the Curses?"

I turned to look back at Angelina. She was twirling a lock of shiny black hair around one finger, looking more interested in her hair than the actual answers. Professor Smith crossed her wrists in front of her, looking grim.

"As said before, Miss Azadian," Professor Smith said pointedly, "the Imperius Curse puts one under a dreamlike trance, a wonderful, responsibility-free state. The Cruciatus Curse inflicts extreme illusionary pain that can render the victim incapacitated or insane."

"And the last one?" Angelina said. I rolled my eyes, astounded at how thick she could be.

Professor Smith frowned. "If you were hit with the Killing Curse, Miss Azadian, I doubt you would feel anything after that, because you'd be dead."

The Shrieking Shack creaked and groaned as we ascended the steps. Sirius plodded after us, in his black dog form, leaving pawprints behind in the dust. So far, he was the only one who had been able to become an Animagus. Peter still hadn't been able to produce a corporeal Patronus.

"Bloody hell, your girlfriend's annoying, Moony." James grumbled as he pulled out a stack of cards. "Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

I took a seat at the old table, tapping the surface. "Scourgify."

Layers of thick dust vanished. Remus grimaced as he conjured little blue balls of bright flame and dropped them in Mason jars, placing them on the table to give some illumination.

"I wish you'd just break up with her, mate." Sirius complained. "She's so annoying. And what was with that question today? How does the Killing Curse feel? Really?"

"She's pretty, though." Peter put in, drawing a card from the pile.

I remained silent. If I said how I really felt about her, it would only end badly between Remus and I. Instead I produced a small basket full of muffins I'd taken from the kitchens and let the boys devour them.

"So, Lionheart," James said casually as he drew a card, "why'd you call a meeting? Feeling social or do you have something to tell us?"

I took a small breath before deciding it was time to tell them. "I know why Mulciber was expelled."

The boys all looked surprised. Sirius took a huge bite from a muffin and swallowed hard. "I thought he got too many infractions on his record. He's a lowlife creep. Probably wrote graffiti in the bathrooms or something."

"Probably." James agreed.

Remus was watching me intently. "What is it, Amber?"

I took a card from the stack and avoided their faces. "He used the Cruciatus Curse on me in January."

Sirius had dropped his muffin. James' mouth was hanging open. Peter covered his mouth. Remus looked murderous.

"It was only for a few seconds." I said, picking at a muffin. "Professor Smith intervened and brought him to Dumbledore. He was expelled right away."

"How…" James trailed off, lost for words for once.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Remus demanded.

I met his gaze now. "I didn't think you needed to know."

I was surprised to see how hurt Remus looked. Folding his deck down, he jumped to his feet and paced around the room. "Bloody hell, Amber."

Disconcerted, I tangled my fingers together. "And then after I spoke privately with Professor Smith, I bumped into you lot and showed you my Patronus."

"A griffin, who knew." James said.

"It fits." Sirius said. "You were a Hatstall, right? Half-Ravenclaw, half-Gryffindor. Half-eagle, half-lion. A griffin. It fits."

I nodded. "I guess so."

"He tortured you." Remus said in a ragged voice from the shadows. His back was turned to us, but I could see tremors shaking his body.

"I'm fine, though." I reassured him. "Now I've got protection against Folsom, and I can use the curse against him if I have to. Mulciber and Folsom."

"Why was he using it on you in the first place?" James asked curiously. "I know he's a thug, but that's extreme for just a little fun."

"Oh." I had forgotten to mention their secret meeting. I explained what I had overhead, bringing up the incident a year prior when I had tried to sneak back to Ravenclaw Common Room after taking Polyjuice Potion to look like Lily.

"I think they were planning something." I finished, taking a card from the pile. "I almost wonder if they had something to do with the attack on Platform 9 ¾ this fall."

Peter had gone very white. Remus was pacing around the room, looking agitated. James and Sirius looked contemplative.

"I mean, it fits, doesn't it?" I argued. "They were gloating about Jericho Fleet's death. And they were all close with Folsom, right? Maybe he's still controlling them. He's Voldemort's right-hand man."

"Maybe." Sirius allowed. "But Amber-"

"Sirius."

"Sorry, Harkstone. What if they're just talking big? I mean, they're jerks and they're scary, but they're just kids like us. They couldn't pull off something that big."

"One of them used an Unforgivable Curse on me." I reminded me. "And your brother tried, last year."

Sirius closed his mouth, looking like he wanted to say more, but wasn't willing to expose any more darkness about his brother. James cleared his throat.

"So, what do you think we should do?" He said. "Report to Dumbledore?"

"He's already watching them, I know it." I insisted. "I think… maybe we should train ourselves. You know, instead of focusing on become Animagus."

"We're doing that for Remus." James shot back. "Sirius has already got it down. I'm close, I can feel it. Maybe another year at most. Peter's got two years, right, Pete?"

Peter nodded. He looked sick with apprehension.

"I just think maybe it's a good idea to be proactive." I explained. "If they can attack Platform ¾, think about it. What's stopping them from attacking Hogwarts?"

James waved me off. "Oh, Harkstone. We've got Dumbledore here. And Professor Smith and McGonagall. We've got a whole staff to keep us safe."

I shook my head, fighting off the rising frustration. "I don't care, James. If those Slytherin boys can skulk around at night like we can, without detection, and plot and actually carry out a plan at a public place like King's Cross, then it's only a matter of time before it happens at school. Professor Smith said the Death Eaters were active in her time at school. That wasn't that long ago."

"She's like fifty!" Sirius retorted.

I drew my chin up. "She's forty-seven. And what do we know about history?"

"Those who don't learn from it are doomed to repeat it." Remus recited quietly from the shadows.

"Right." I spread my hands out, emboldened by his words. "Guys, Dumbledore isn't always at Hogwarts. Call it women's intuition or common sense, but I can feel it. Something's not right. Those boys are planning something again, and they're going to try something."

"When?" Sirius challenged. Maybe he was defensive because his little brother was part of the sinister group.

"When Dumbledore's not around." I theorized. "They'll look and wait for a weak spot. Isn't that how the strongest enemies strike? And I'm sure I saw a Dark Mark on Mulciber. I think they're Death Eaters."

James snorted. I felt indignant fury rising. I fought to keep it from overpowering me.

"I think you're overthinking this a bit." James said calmly, adding another card to his hand. "Yes, those guys are bad news, and yes, they overstep the boundaries, but I don't know if they're capable of murder."

"I'm with James." Sirius said readily. I clenched my fists at my sides.

"This isn't something I've thought of lightly!" I snapped. "This is serious! I know you'd rather pretend that there's no danger because you want to be comfortable. But ignorance isn't a luxury we can afford anymore."

"I'm sorry, Harkstone, but it's just not logical." James said, frowning. "I mean, they know Dumbledore's watching now. And even though Death Eaters were blamed for the attack on Platform 9 ¾, they're just too young to be Death Eaters."

"All of them are over sixteen, except for Severus and Regulus." I said coldly.

Sirius snorted. "Oh, come on. Snivellus, a Death Eater?"

I had had enough. I drew a final card, which promptly exploded.

"Game over." I laid down my remaining cards and pushed my chair back. "I hope you dunderheads realize I'm serious before it's too late."

"Just calm down!" James called after me. "You worry too much."

Remus followed me down the stairs. I shook my head as he jammed his hands into his pockets.

"I think you've got a point." Remus said quietly. "I can feel something's off."

I shrugged. "Thanks, Remus."

The silence hung between us as we walked in tandem down the earthen tunnel that would lead to the Whomping Willow. I couldn't believe that at one point, I had given so much power to the tree. I still felt bewilderment at times that I could have been so foolish.

"Amber," Remus said roughly in the dim gloom of the tunnel, "I'm really sorry about what happened between us. With the Ball and everything."

I hadn't thought of it in awhile. His words brought the memories fresh back into my mind. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to banish them back to oblivion.

"I never meant to hurt you." Remus went on. "I mean, I thought… I thought you and I…"

"Remus." I said shortly. "Do me a favor and stop talking."

Remus didn't speak again until we reached the castle. Then he turned and faced me, looking upset.

"You're my best friend." He said, green eyes iridescent in the light of the waxing moon. "You know that, right?"

I searched his face, trying to see how anyone who could be so close to me could hurt me so much and still want to be friends. I wondered how I could have read the stars between us wrong. Had I imagined all of the hand-holdings, the embraces, the long periods of togetherness when we had just been?

But regardless of my confusing, betraying emotions, I knew instinctively that Remus was exactly what he proclaimed to be. Even more than Lily, he had a bigger part of my heart, a deeper level of understanding than anyone I'd ever met.

"I know." I said simply. I leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek, before turning and beginning the long lonely trek back to the Ravenclaw Tower.

Three weeks passed, and nothing happened. No explosions, no bodies turning up, no horrible things. In part, I was relieved, but a bigger part warned me that the danger was not over.

At breakfast in the early days of June, Angelina marched up to me, arms folded across her chest, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"I hope you enjoy my leftovers, Harkstone." She spat in a quavering voice.

I frowned at her over my plate of eggs and toast. "No thanks, I'm not on the South Bitch diet."

Angelina let out a little scream of fury and snatched up a glass of water. She threw it in my face and stalked down the aisle toward the entrance of the Great Hall, bawling. Zoey MacDonald hurried after her. "Angelina, wait!" She cried, brushing past me.

Lily, who was sitting next to me, clapped her hand over her mouth. Pursing my lips, flicked my hand, sending droplets of water everywhere. Lily handed me a napkin, but I waved her off.

"Just use a Hot-Air Charm." I muttered, aware that many students were staring at me, most of them pointing and laughing.

"What a drama queen." Lily growled as she pointed her wand at me. "Siccumus."

A blast of hot air made my hair fly back and my robes ripple. A minute later, I was dry, my hair a frizzy mane of honey-colored tresses.

"Oh, dear," Lily fussed, drawing her wand again. "Let me fix that."

Professor Smith had come over from the staff table. She raised a brow. "I'm sorry, Miss Harkstone, but your hair is much too tall. It's a danger to all low-flying aircraft."

"I thought electricity didn't work around Hogwarts." I grunted as Lily smoothed out the wild snarls of hair. "Too much magic in the air."

Professor Smith chuckled. "Five points for Ravenclaw, for wit. Actually, Miss Harkstone, I need to have a word with you."

I glanced over at the Gryffindor table. Remus had been looking at me, but averted his gaze when I made eye contact.

"Is everything alright?" I asked uneasily.

Professor Smith's smile disappeared. Tension knotted my insides.

"Please, come with me to my office. We need to go right away."

"Can I come?" Lily asked. "I mean, is that allowed?"

Professor Smith sighed. "I'm afraid not, Miss Evans. Miss Harkstone will be the only one needed."

Lily quickly finished my hair. "Whatever it is, don't believe it. I think Angelina Azadian's trying to get her in trouble."

Professor Smith made a noise. "Thank you, Miss Evans, but Miss Azadian has made no accusations against Miss Harkstone. Come along."

I rose slowly and followed Professor Smith out of the Hall. The first scents of heavy summer air drifted in through the windows, enticing me. I was already planning on venturing down to the lake after class to study with Lily and some of her female Gryffindor friends underneath the sprawling beech tree. I hoped whatever Professor Smith had to say wouldn't take long.

Professor Smith opened the door to her office. To my astonishment, two wizards in formal robes were sitting in the red chairs before her desk. Professor Smith gave me a meaningful look through intense green eyes before speaking in a light, careful tone.

"Amber, this is Augustus Rookwood and Barty Crouch. They're officials from the Ministry of Magic."

She sounded casual, but I detected a credence of warning in her tone. Carefully schooling my face blank, I nodded to each of the men.

"Hello." I said calmly.

Augustus Rookwood smiled. "You must be Walter's eldest daughter."

He sounded fatherly, kind, but his placement came off as strange. "I am."

Barty Crouch rose and extended a hand to shake. He couldn't have been older than Professor Smith, but his temples were already white-gray and his face was lined with age. "Barty Crouch, Head of Department of Magical Law."

I took his hand and shook it. Mr. Crouch made a noise in his throat.

"Good firm grip." He said shortly. He waved his wand and produced another chair, a stiff wooden chair with no cushion and gestured for me to sit down. I did, crossing my legs nervously.

"Amber, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Rookwood have some questions for you." Professor Smith said, pouring four cups of tea at her desk.

"Questions about what?" I asked, trying to sound calm, but my voice shook a little.

"A few days ago, we received a letter giving explicit details concerning the attack on Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st, 1972." Mr. Crouch said. "And in addition to those details, we were also warned that another attack was imminent in the near future. This time, at Hogwarts."

I looked between the two men. "Why are you telling me this?"

Mr. Rookwood blinked in surprise. "Because, my dear," he said, "the letter was addressed from you."