Hi!

As you may recall, this chapter was still in my head as of my last posting. Well, it took some poking and prodding (don't ask) but at last, I present to you, part 2.

I hope it makes sense!

Disclaimer: I cannot afford to own anything as brilliant as Harry Potter. So I don't.

Chapter 10: A Tangled Web: Part 2

The daily ritual of breakfast over, the students of Beauxbatons streamed out of the palace on a warm, sunny Saturday morning, eager to spend their day out of doors and among the unsuspecting muggles in the village.

The scent of cherry blossoms wafted through the streets, carried in by a warm breeze from the south. Remus breathed in, trying to appreciate the wonder of nature for the first time that spring. Transformation had come and gone, and though he was still quite sore from the unusual amount of damage he had done to himself during the last full moon, nausea had subsided, allowing him the tiny pleasure. But, as usual, he couldn't focus; his mind was somewhere else.

For all appearances, he was just another teacher strolling contentedly through town. Inwardly, though, he was starting to panic. He had been looking for Kali for over an hour, after losing sight of her on the path to the village from the school grounds. Unable to speak to her since the staff meeting, he needed to warn her she was now being watched.

After spending time with her discussing great works of literature, he had gained some insight into the mysterious girl. Although she rarely spoke about anything personal (he was just her professor after all), he had gained some insight into her personality through the way she related to the books he assigned. Reading 'Pride and Prejudice', she had been annoyed by Charlotte, Lizzy Bennett's best friend, berating her for "betraying her in principle", and despising Jane just as much for trying to see the good in everyone. "Maybe some of us just don't have it," she had told him, her darkened eyes saying much more than her words.

At that moment, he had seen the real girl for her for the first time. Even though she didn't make friends easily (or more likely, because she only had two), she valued loyalty above all, and though he was reminded of Sirius when her eyes lit up self – doubt, he could now see Kali as her own person, not just an extension of her infamous parents.

It was an awareness of just how alike they really were, bogged down by shameful secrets, that led him to feel a certain camaraderie with her, not only as a fellow outsider trying in vain not to stand out, but as someone who really didn't know how to – and in her case, perhaps didn't really want to – fit in.

Unfortunately, it seemed Kali, like her father, was doomed to stick out from her peers.

Hogwarts, 1976.

"Sirius Black!"

Heads turned just outside Gryffindor Tower as a tall, blonde boy with a thuggish build bellowed down the corridor. Sirius, almost as tall but sinewy, stepped out from among the crowd, wand in hand.

"What's the problem, mate?" he asked in mock innocence, twirling his wand casually between his fingers.

Remus rolled his eyes. Not again, he thought as he pushed through the crowd. Sirius had been depressed over problems with his family and he did what he always did when feeling down – he looked for trouble. The latest was in the form of a very pretty seventh year, who happened to have a boyfriend.

"You think you're some hot fucking shite, don't you Black!" the pale boy yelled, his face reddening.

Remus watched with growing anxiety as Sirius merely smiled.

"She's my girl, you bastard! Stay the fuck away from her!"

"If she's your girl," he said mockingly, "then what's she doing meeting me in the bloody broom closet?" as he tossed his shoulder – length mane in haughty defiance.

Bloody wanker, thought Remus, as he and James moved to flank Sirius. He watched with horrified fascination as the veins on the boy's thick neck throbbed menacingly, knowing instinctively, as did James, what would happen next.

Sirius' grey eyes flashed with anger as the other boy moved his wand without warning and flung a spell at him. He ducked just in time, throwing back Levicorpus silently at his foe. The boy was upended suddenly as cries of laughter filled the corridor. Remus, his wand pointed instinctively towards the boy, watched in horror as the boy continued to soar towards the rafters and hit the ceiling with a loud thud. He looked to his right, startled at the sight of Sirius and James standing stock still with open mouths and pointed wands.

"Look what you did!" cried Peter between fits of giggles, as they realized each one of them had cast the same spell at the same time. The boy hung limply from the rafters, a strangled cry emitting from his beet – red face.

The crowd that had gathered in the corridor, mostly Gryffindors, buzzed excitedly as the boy's friends tried in vain to get him down. A few misfired spells hit him in the buttocks causing him yelp in pain. Sirius and James, both shaking off the initial shock, burst into raucous laughter as Remus looked on incredulously.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of the chortling boys. The crowd became suddenly silent.

"Oh," she said, oblivious to the boy suspended above her, "I should have expected it was you lot," she said casting a glance at Remus, Sirius and James huddled together, wands still in hand.

Several girls in the crowd giggled, their eyes on Sirius. McGonagall pursed her lips tightly, clearly unamused. Just then, a strangled cry caused her to jump.

"What in Merlin's beard was that!" she exclaimed as several students snickered.

Peter, ever helpful, pointed upwards as he shook with laughter. McGonagall followed his gaze and gasped.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, then yelled to the nearest student, "Get Professor Slughorn. Quick!"

Staring up at the boy concernedly, she asked, "What happened?" to which the boy's friends echoed in unison, "Sirius Black!" She glared at him for a moment as he tried in vain to suppress a smile. Remus, still beside him, heard James whisper under his breath, "don't make it worse, mate."

But Sirius, who never listened to the voice of reason (or any voice but the naughty one inside his head), ignored him. "Just defending my honour, professor," he said cheekily.

McGonagall glared at him. "I doubt that, Mr. Black," she said ruefully.

"Why's that, ma'am?" he asked, his smile subsiding as his grey eyes flashed coolly in challenge.

"Well," she said, softening a little, "you must possess honour in order to defend it."

Sirius feigned shock, masking the hurt of what Remus was sure were cutting words. "I'm offended, professor," he gasped, grabbing at his chest for emphasis and causing the crowd to laugh.

McGonagall, looking severe, cast the crowd a nasty look that silenced them once more.

Professor Slughorn, the head of Slytherin, came waddling down the corridor, wand at the ready, his eyes fixed on the boy hovering above the crowd like a stray party balloon. As he passed McGonagall exclaimed, "You'll have time enough to recover with a month's detention, Mr. Black," as she led Sirius by the shoulder through the thickening crowd.

"A more fitting punishment would be to ban him from his adoring fans," commented Slughorn as he passed a throng of besotted girls.

"He's probably right," James hissed under his breath, so that only Remus could hear him.

McGonagall sighed, exasperated, and as she led him back to her office she commented loudly, "You do know how to attract a crowd, don't you?" to which Sirius answered with what his mates were sure was a grin on his face, "Can't help it, professor, I was born this way."

"Perhaps you should let me handle this."

"Fine."

Lucius Malfoy looked at Kali a little suspiciously for a brief moment then entered the tiny back room of the antique shop. The look of disgust on his face when they had arrived at the back door in the alley behind a row of muggle shops in Marseilles told her he hadn't been there before.

Meeting her in the village only minutes ago, they had Apparated to the city, Olivier close behind them. He was tracking them stealthily, though Kali doubted Lucius didn't know. His stealth was a particular skill the other Death Eaters had envied during the war, but Olivier needed to feel useful, so she allowed him to follow and kept that fact to herself.

"Excusez-moi," he said to a short, balding man hunched over a worn wooden desk, "Etes - vous Monsieur Dalon?"

The man looked up, revealing a leathery face. "Monsieur Malfoy?" he asked in a rough manner.

"Oui."

"Then I am Dalon," he said straightening up as he smiled obsequiously, revealing a row of gold teeth.

Kali looked around the room, taking in the bleak surroundings and the various pieces scattered on rows of shelves along the walls, as Malfoy and Dalon entered into conversation. She barely listened as she examined the odd man's treasures. She noticed various dark objects placed haphazardly here and there throughout the room, many that she recognized as being illegal. As she moved around the room, she felt the antique dealer's eyes flicker towards her.

"Don't touch," he snarled, then continued his conversation with Malfoy.

"I cannot recall…"

Kali wasn't interested in any information Malfoy extracted from the man; she was sure Dalon wouldn't tell them anything willingly. Instead, she waited for a large enough distraction to do what she did best – rummage through his mind.

"I can compel you to tell me who bought the piece," she heard Malfoy sneer menacingly after a steady rise in volume by both men, "but I guarantee, you won't enjoy it."

The bald man became silent. Kali turned her attention to them just as Lucius raised his wand.

"Don't," she said calmly as she rushed to his side and placed a hand gently on his forearm. He looked at her menacingly but it quickly shifted. "Let me," she answered simply, as he looked at her with skepticism. He backed away reluctantly, his eyes still firmly fixed on Monsieur Dalon.

Kali turned to face the man, whose pudgy face was beaded with sweat. "Listen," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "You need to tell us who bought the necklace." His face seemed to relax but he didn't speak.

"I was the girl it was intended for," she continued, ignoring the look of amusement on his round face as she said this, "And as far as I'm concerned, you'll do."

"For what?" he scoffed with a haughty French air.

"For this."

A tiny trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. Kali could feel Lucius Malfoy's eyes dart towards her, no doubt shocked by what happened next.

"What 'ze…"

Dalon wiped away the blood, looking down at his thumb crossly, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, his tongue began to swell to a menacing size. Kali watched with detached interest as he began to choke on the results of two elementary jinxes, each one alone nothing more than a nuisance, but together, a deadly combination.

"How is he supposed to answer the question now?" Malfoy asked aporetically as he stood behind her.

An eerie gurgling sound emitted from the balding man as he lashed about the room, trying to dislodge his tongue from inside his mouth. Blood pooled around his neck, staining his white linen shirt crimson as he choked.

"Do you have a name for us?" she asked calmly as the man slumped into a chair.

The gurgling noise stopped as his tongue slowly receded to its normal size and the soft flow of crimson ceased.

"Henri," he whispered through gasps for air, " de – la – Fa – laise."

"What!" she cried, taken aback.

The bald man whimpered, cowering at the force of the single word. She looked into his fearful eyes and suddenly, feeling sick at the sight of what she had done, unintentionally began to read his thoughts.

The image of her grandmother's 'friend', happy and leering, leapt across her mind's eye, while Lucius Malfoy's voice became distant as he pried details from Dalon.

She saw the necklace changing hands, a neat pile of galleons on the table beside it. She heard the words of a man intent on her harm ringing inside her head with glee at his "special find". She felt the muscles in her stomach tense as she saw Dalon warn him of the dangers. "She'll go mad," she heard him say, to which Henri responded, "as long as I get what I want." But Kali didn't wait to hear what it was he had wanted; she ran out the back door to the narrow alley, a convulsive feeling ripping through her abdomen and pushing the air out of her lungs.

"Kali, what's wrong?"

Olivier, who stood in a dark corner waiting patiently, rushed to her side. Her insides burning with an unfamiliar feeling, she retched at his feet without warning. She fought back the tears welling in her eyes as the full meaning of the words hit her. She felt Olivier hovering over her, rubbing small circles into her back. The caring gesture brought her slowly out of the anxiety that had seized her. She forced herself to clear her mind and by the time she heard Lucius Malfoy's familiar drawl, Olivier had cleaned her up with a flick of his wand and she had calmed down considerably.

"Are you alright?" Lucius asked with what passed as concern.

"Yes," she answered, willing herself not to show any emotion.

"Dalon has informed me about this de la Falaise fellow," he said, casting a weary glance at Olivier. "Would you like me to take care of it?"

She knew exactly what he meant.

She considered it for a moment. There were so many questions she needed answered, so many doubts and suspicions clouding her mind. But she knew. She knew it was wrong to take life so casually, to end a man with a few words in dank alley. Besides, she needed to know why, if Celestia was involved, and she knew that if it came to that, she didn't need anyone to do it for her.

She straightened up, struggling for poise and looked the Death Eater straight in his cold, grey eyes.

"I will take care of it myself."

I know there are still some unanswered questions...I hope to answer them in the next few chapters, though I see this story going on and on (to OoTP and beyond).

BTW: Thanks for your reviews. They mean alot.

Constructive criticism, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Just push the purple button!

Coming Soon: Chapter 11: (tentatively titled) Unravelled - where, as the title suggests, lives and lies start to come undone.