For Harry, it had been the first peaceful night he had slept since Dumbledore's funeral at the end of last year. As expected, the loss of his mentor hit him hard, much to his own dismay. He had faced the death of loved ones. His whole childhood had been shaped by the death of his parents. He should have been used to this sort of thing by now. Nonetheless, every night he woke up in the clutches of another nightmare.

It seemed to Harry an ill omen that everyone he was closest to died premature deaths, a morbid fact that made him secretly fearful for the safety of his best friends. Maybe that meant that he, too was marked for death in the final battle he knew he would face. The day that Sirius had died, Harry had discovered a prophecy that told of just such a confrontation—and in the process, either he or Voldemort would die. It went without saying that Harry fervently hoped it would be the latter.

With thoughts such as these running through his head, it was no small wonder that he collided with someone on the stairs on his way to breakfast.

It was Rainey.

"Oh," she blushed. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't mean—"

He cut her off. "It's fine." There was an awkward silence as each waited for the other to say something. Neither did.

"Well, then, bye." She said weakly. She turned and climbed lightly down the remaining stairs. Her footprints didn't even leave an imprint on the carpeted floor. Harry mentally kicked himself. From the very moment of arrival, Rainey had thrown herself into the life of the Order. He probably would not have the chance to confront her alone again.

Not that he would want to, he reminded himself. After all, he was still angry. It was only natural.

Breakfast was a rather unusual affair. The only people in the kitchen were himself, Bill (who was still recovering from his injuries following the attack of a certain Fenrir Greyback), Fleur, Rainey, and Tonks. Fleur and Tonks were staring at this new arrival with a mixture of dismay and dislike, and, in Tonks' case, envy. Bill was wearing a look of naked admiration. The two women had obviously come to a mutual agreement in light of the present situation, and were chewing their eggs almost companionably. Rainey was standing over the stove, oblivious to the discord her presence was causing. The pan she was holding must have contained something unusual—Harry could detect its strange scent. At once it seemed to him vaguely foreign and yet totally familiar.

"Oh dear." She muttered. The pan began to smoke. Now he knew what he had sniffed—it was the smell of burning food. Rainey's face became obscured by the haze. He heard her coughing and rushed over to help. From behind the smoke screen she looked at him sheepishly. "I-I suppose I forgot to tell everyone that I'm a terrible cook." Her expression was so baleful that Bill (amusedly) and Tonks (scornfully) laughed. Rainey set the ruined pan in the sink. "No breakfast for me today." She said, shrugging. Bill gladly offered her his.

"Take it" he said, causing his fiancée to sigh loudly. Fleur continued to glower at him for a moment but eventually swept majestically out of the room. Bill didn't look concerned.

"So," said Tonks, who was eyeing Rainey as she eagerly wolfed down Bill's toast. "What Remus told me about you is true."

Evidently, the remark didn't register or Rainey chose to ignore. The young auror didn't seem eager to let the subject drop. "I mean," she continued, with an overt glace in Bill's direction, "You really can—" she was stopped by the pointed stare of the very man she had mentioned.

"What have I told you?" Lupin said, frowning. He walked in brusquely. Though he was dressed and presentable, the werewolf didn't look his best. There were gray shadows under his eyes. Scratches covered his cheeks. The full moon had been on Tuesday, two days ago. It seems Lupin hadn't quite recovered.

"Remus," Tonks said. "Weren't you just telling me about your old friend's curious condition?" she placed a special emphasis on the last two words.

Lupin seemed unfazed. "I haven't said a word. You must have heard it from Alastor."

Tonks' flushed, her hair turning a flaming shade of red to match the blush in her cheeks. She touched it wincingly. Rainey looked confused. "Then why would you tell me Moony told—?" Understanding dawned in her eyes. Suddenly, she seemed furious. The room bristled with unseen tension. "Look," she said, dropping her toast on the floor. "I don't know what Alastor may have told you, but I assure you I am perfectly trustworthy." she spat. Her voice rose. "Remus has been, and always will be, one of my very best friends, and I assure you I have no interest in seducing him!" As she spoke, the table seemed to shake slightly.

"So that's what this is all about!" Harry's former professor looked astonished. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leaned closer to Harry's ear.

"You know," he said, "There was a time when I would have gladly given my life to have two beautiful women fighting over me." Harry sniggered. Lupin frowned again as his former companion and his girlfriend continued to square off. "But I think this is neither the time, nor the place for a brawl." Calmly, he walked to the middle of the kitchen floor, coming to rest in-between his girlfriend and his old friend. The two had taken their wands out, and were glaring daggers at each other.

"Er, sweetheart," he said, in a voice that Harry recognized. It was the tone he used whenever he was unwilling to discipline a student. "Just because Rainey is capable of ahm, seducing me doesn't mean she wants to." Harry saw Rainey stifle a giggle. Tonks looked furious.

"Oh, come off it!" she cried, directing a scathing glace at the other woman in the room. "You'd steal him just so I couldn't have him! Your kind do things like that all the time!" Tonks eyes were glassy, her expression bordering on hysterical.

"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!" Lupin yelled. Rainey stood behind him. Her face had become a startling shade of gray.

"It seems I really don't know what Alastor has told you," she said coldly. "But I certainly thought you of all people wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for that sort of prejudiced nonsense." Stalking around Lupin, his godmother swept angrily out of the room. As she left, her coffee mug tipped over, it contents leaking onto the floor.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting meal," Bill said as he stooped to retrieve the fallen toast. "Next thing you know, Fred and George are going to start a betting pool. They'll want to wager on which one of them will off the other first."