A/N: HEY HEY HEY! I said you'd get another chapter if you gave me three reviews and I got eight! So here's your chapter. Do enjoy...

"When something is lost the very best thing to do is stop looking for it. When you stop looking it shows up right under your nose..." - Danielle Juarez

Chapter Thirty Four

Calla Lily

Albus Potter, Auror extraordinaire, had just lost sight of the dark wizard he was tracking. He had been chasing Howard Marconi for three blocks and the stupid blitter finally got the bright idea to Apparate. Marconi was wanted for selling dangerous, magical items to Muggles. The arrest warrant in Albus' pocket was for selling attacking jewelry. No explanation needed. They hoped to find more evidence once they had him in custody and that was where Albus came in.

But that seemed a bit hard at the moment.

Albus leaned against the stone wall in front of him. He looked up and distracted himself from his failure by examining the building. It was a dance studio, called Happy Feet. A poster on the door informed him that it was specifically for teaching young children how to dance. Albus noticed with interested how the building seemed to be emptying. Parents were hurrying their children out of the front door and employees were close behind.

They were all muttering loudly about some madman with a stick.

Albus fought his way past the throngs of people trying to get out and hurried into the building. Howard Marconi had a Muggle woman by the hair. He was pointing his wand threateningly at her throat. He looked frantic and irritated. The woman in his arms was thrashing against him, trying to free herself.

"Let her go, Marconi!" Albus yelled, his wand held high. Marconi panicked, he pulled his struggling captive into one of the dance studios in an effort to get away from Albus. "Bugger." Albus followed.

Howard Marconi was not a very gifted dark wizard, Albus realized as he entered the room. He had his back to Albus as he tried to subdue the woman in his arms. She kept hitting him and screaming wordlessly. He was apparently smart enough to cast a Silencing Spell on her. Albus pointed his wand at Marconi's back, separated him from the Muggle and with a flick of his wrist, ropes sprang from the tip of Albus' wand and wrapped around the other wizard.

Albus turned to the Muggle woman who was trying to sneak out of the room while he was preoccupied with Marconi. He had no intention of letting her do that, but there was no reason for him to rush things. He hated to Obliviate Muggles, it felt like he was invading their minds and he didn't think he had any right to do that. As he watched her creep over to the door, he took her in for the first time.

She was very pretty. Long light red hair that ended in the middle of her back. Her long body was thin but not overly so. Her abundant chest and wide hips offset her barely there waist and pencil thin legs. Her dancing clothes fit like a second skin and revealed that she was flawless. Every inch of her was trim and shaped perfectly.

Albus flicked his wand to close and lock the door, just as she reached it. She turned back to him and pulled a nervous smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She closed her eyes and gave a noiseless sigh. 'Bloody hell,' she mouthed. Albus walked closer to her, her lips were plump, yet thin in width, and Albus wanted to lick them. He lifted his wand and muttered the counter curse.

"Can I talk now?" she asked, then blushed.

"Don't worry," Albus said. "I took care of it."

"And he's…" She pointed at the unconscious Dark Wizard in the corner.

"Out of the picture. Are you all right?" he asked.

"Fine, now that I can talk. What just happened here?" Albus hesitated over how to answer, for some reason he didn't want to lie to her as he had lied to countless Muggles before. She was different, Albus just didn't know why. Before he could think of what to say to her, her amber eyes widened as realization sat in. "You're a wizard and so is he."

"Now, don't be silly. Wizards don't exist," Albus said, stumbling over his lie. It was part of the job and no matter how much he liked looking at the pretty woman in front of him he really did have to wipe her memory. She squinted at him.

"Do I look stupid to you?" she asked.

"No, actually you look rather intelligent, which is why your wizard comment seems so funny." Albus smiled at her and she blushed again.

"I know wizards are real, thank you very much. When I was eleven I saw a man, in robes just like yours, vanish behind a store in York. And then when I was fifteen I saw another man, also in robes, pull out a stick, like the one you're holding, and make green sparks fly out of the tip and out of nowhere a massive purple bus appeared. I know wizards are real, this just proves it," she said.

Albus stared at her for a moment. Those wizards had been careless and Albus thought back over all of the times he had been just as thoughtless. His job was best done in secrecy. This woman had seen too much and come to the right conclusion.

"What's your name?" Albus asked stalling for time. He needed to think before he did anything he would regret.

"Calla," she said, pausing a moment before finishing, "Calla Lilly Cambray. My mum liked calla lilies."

"Right," Albus said. He knew he should Obliviate her, but for some reason he wanted to draw out their time together. And it didn't help that Hugo would be arriving any minute to drag Marconi off to the Ministry.

"And your name, Mister Wizard?" Calla asked, smiling. Albus found himself smiling back. She had a very pretty smile.

"Albus Potter. I'm named after my father's mentor." He was offering up information. He knew better than to do that, but couldn't seem to help himself. Albus heard Hugo at the door. Quickly he pulled out his father's Invisibility Cloak and threw it over her. "Stay quiet and my partner won't know you're here."

Calla grabbed the back of Albus' robes, but did what she was told. He could feel her tremble when Hugo Appearated into the dance studio. Albus regarded his cousin with suspicion. Hugo wouldn't hesitate to Obliviate Calla and for some reason that Albus was not comfortable thinking on, he didn't want her to forget him.

"Hey, mate," Hugo said. "So, you got him then."

"Yeah," Albus said. Hugo pulled Marconi's limp body under his arm and turned to Albus.

"You coming to interrogate him?" Hugo asked.

"No, you take of it. I'm going to help the Oblivators with the Muggles that saw him. A few got out before I subdues him." Albus felt Calla pull hard on his robes.

"You're right, can't be too sure. I'll see you at the office, yeah?" Hugo asked.

"In a bit." Hugo held up his wand and vanished with a Pop!

"I'm invisible!" Calla exclaimed letting go off his robes. "This is so cool! I feel like I can do anything. Go anywhere I want, do anything I want, this is amazing!"

"Take off the cloak, Calla, and maybe I'll take you flying," Albus said, grinning. The cloak tumbled to the ground and Calla appeared right in front of the mirrored wall.

"You can fly?" she asked, in awe.

"On a broom, yes."

"Don't witches do that?"

Albus shrugged. "And wizards."

"Dear Lord," she put her hand over her heart, "there's a whole world out there that I don't know anything about. You'll tell me about it, won't you?"

Albus sighed. "I really shouldn't."

"But you're going to, aren't you?" she asked. Calla picked up the cloak and walked towards Albus. "I've been waiting my whole life for something exciting to happen. This is just what I've always wanted for myself. A chance to see the world for what it really is not what everyone thinks it is. To take control and do what I want, not what's expected of me… Please."

Albus stared at her, again. She was so pretty and everything she just said made him want her all the more. He desperately wanted to make her dreams come true and it didn't help that he could do it so easily. All he had to do was open his mouth and tell her. He wanted so badly to tell her, but he knew that he shouldn't.

Albus stepped back from her. He'd let this go too far. He'd been trained better than to let something like this happen. If he knew what was good for him he would raise his wand and Obliviate her. Once he finally got feeling back in his arm, he did indeed raise it. He pointed his wand directly at her.

Calla's eyes got wide. As Albus began the spell she threw the cloak over herself and disappeared.

"Oh, bugger it all to Hades woman!" Albus yelled, lowering his wand. "You're not supposed to know about our world. No Muggle is!"

"What's a Muggle?" she asked. Albus turned in the direction of her voice. She was moving, so that she would be harder to target.

"Someone like you, someone without magic," he said, turning around trying to figure out where she was. Just for safety he locked the windows and sealed the glass, so that she could not use that as a means of escape.

"Bugger," she muttered. "I'm your little invisible prisoner, am I?"

"For the time being, yes," Albus snapped. She was too smart for her own good. "Muggles aren't readily accepted in the Wizarding World. You don't want anything to do with it, trust me."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it and I'll make up my own damn mind," she muttered.

"Woman!"

"Stop calling me that, my name is Calla." She was by the door, Albus raised his wand in that direction. "Are you trying to kill me, or just give me a heart attack?"

"I'm trying to wipe your memory!" Albus said, frustrated. She gasped and tried to force the door open. Albus rushed over and pulled the cloak off of her. Calla tried to run away from him, but he grabbed hold of her slim waist and held tight.

"Please, don't!" she begged, trying to fight him off. "I like my memory the way it is! I won't tell anyone, I swear it!"

"Listen to me, Calla," Albus said, trying to sound in control. But having her tiny slender body snug against him was affecting him in a very hard way. "I don't want to wipe your memory." She gasped again and stopped struggling when she felt just how hard it was for him.

"Oh, I know what you want to do," she snapped. "Wizards aren't supposed to get boners." Albus could not help but smile into her hair.

"Says who?" he taunted.

"Bah! Are you going to wipe my memory or not? This cat and mouse game is getting old and so is your poking," Calla said.

"Oh, I thought you liked my poking."

Bugger it, Albus thought, as Calla stuttered over a reply. He had her right where he needed her to perform the spell, but couldn't seem to force himself to do it. He released her. She stumbled for a moment before Albus righted her. "I'm not going to wipe your memory."

She turned on him, suddenly. "You're not?"

"No."

"Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but why?" she asked. Albus looked at his shoes and shuffled from one foot to the other.

"I don't want you to forget me," he admitted.

"Good, that makes two of us." His eyebrows shot up. She visually gulped. "Only because you'd be taking more than your due, is all. Not… I didn't mean that in a romantic sort of way, just a general, please don't take away my memories sort of way."

Albus stared at her, yet again. He had already committed her beauty to memory, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. She was a delight to behold. In the few minutes that he had spent in her presence he had learned so much about her just by the way she carried herself. She was nothing like the girls he'd been with before. Calla was strong and quick on her feet. She was direct, wanted what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.

"So," Albus said. "You want to know about my world, do you?" Her eyes brightened and she nodded. "Well, come on. I'll take you back to my place." He opened his arms to her. She didn't move closer to him. "You'll have to get closer if you want to come with me."

"You're not trying to trick me, are you?" she asked, suspicious. "If I go with you, you won't take away my memories while I'm distracted, will you?"

"I'm sorry I ever pointed my wand at you, Calla. Unless I'm trying to save your life I'll never do that again. That's a promise. If you want me to tell you about my world I need you to trust me." He held out his hand to her again. She reached out and grabbed his hand.

He Apparated Grimmauld Place. When the world righted itself, Calla fell into his arms trembling and gasping for breath. "Sorry, should have warned about the squeezing sensation." She looked up at him with wide, bewildered eyes.

"We-" she gasped. "We're in a totally different place. We-we-we teleported!"

"We call it Apparating," Albus said.

"That was amazing!" She pulled out of his arms and looked around the hall. The walls were lined with moving pictures and she gaped at them. "Look, Albus! Look, they're moving. Is that your family? Those two look like you." She pointed at the pictures waving at her from the frames on the wall.

"Yeah, that's my Dad and my brother." Albus indicated who was who. "That's my Mum, my sister and her boyfriend and my brother's fiancé."

"This is unbelievable. It's a picture. I can see that it's a picture, not a video and it's moving. That's just mental!" She looked up at him with bright eyes and a giant grin. "What else? Show me something else!" she demanded.

Albus laughed. "Well, you've already seen the Invisibility Cloak, the moving pictures and you've seen the Knight Bus."

"That's what the purple bus I saw is called?" Albus nodded. "Something else. Please!"

Albus racked his brain for something else to show her to avoid thinking about how stupid he was being. Calla had already seen some of the most interesting things the Wizarding world had to offer and he couldn't exactly take her flying in the middle of the day. He was well aware of how dangerous what he was doing was. If he got caught it would mean losing his job, the respect and trust of his peers, not to speak of how his father would react. A thought struck him. This wasn't really his fault, if he explained it to his father, maybe fudged the truth a bit he could keep her. More to the point if he fudged the truth in the right way he could keep her around him.

"We've got to go to the Ministry, Calla," he said, then shook his head. He was thinking too far ahead. They wouldn't be able to go to the Ministry for months.

"The Ministry? Is that like your government? Are you trying to take my memories again? You promised you wouldn't!" she exclaimed backing away from him.

"There's only one way for this to work, Calla," he explained, finally on track. "And that is if we are as honest as possible with one little lie we can draw this out for as long as possible. If it doesn't work out, though, or if you aren't willing… you have to understand I won't have any other choice. The Obliviators are already hard at work on everyone that was in that dance studio. They won't remember a thing, only you will. And if it comes to it I'll be the one to modify your memory. I'll only take today and… me. You can keep your childhood memories."

Calla looked up at him with her light blue eyes brimming with confusion and fear. "What do I have to do to keep today?" she asked, seeming to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"It's simple really; you have to marry me."

Her eyes bugged out of her head. "What? Have you lost your mind?"

"Very flattering, Calla," Albus said, dryly.

"I just met you today and you're asking me to marry you!" She shook her head. "No, no, there's got to be another way."

"The only way I would be legally allowed to tell you that I'm a wizard would be if we're getting married. They've instituted a law that if a magical person is marrying a Muggle they have to tell them about the Wizarding world before the wedding. That way if the Muggle freaks out and doesn't want to be married to a witch or wizard there isn't the added issue of divorce before memory modification. We'll just say we're engaged. That way you can experience the Wizarding world to its fullest.

"But I think the best way to go about this is if we actually date for a few months. You know, just keep it a secret. More a lie of omission than a flat out lie about how long we've been together. Unfortunately that means you'll have to wait a few months until you can actually experience the Wizarding world firsthand. And once you can, we'll just be engaged for as long as possible."

"What if I have a boyfriend?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, but-"

"Well then what's the problem? I think this is a brilliant plan and honestly it's the only option we've got."

"This plan is a remarkably short sighted, Albus! What happens when people realize that we're never romantic or physical with one another?"

Albus closed the distance between the two of them and kissed her. She was stiff for a moment before melting into his arms. Her hands crept up his chest before cupping his chin and playing with the light stubble he hadn't bothered to shave off that morning. He gripped the back of her head and angled it to deepen the kiss. His other arm moved around her trim waist to support her weight when her knees gave out. He broke the kiss and gazed into her lust clouded eyes.

She licked her lips. "What-what will you do if it doesn't work out?" she asked still clasped in his embrace.

"A terrible way to enter into a relationship, Calla," Albus said. "Thinking that it will end. Who's to say this isn't fate?"

"What will your family say? They've never met me and we're getting married?"

Albus smiled, he liked how that sounded a little too much. "My cousin Hugo, the wizard who popped in at the studio, has a Muggle wife. He kept her a secret for years while they were dating. When my aunt and uncle found out they freaked. I'll just say I wanted to get to know you in peace without all the family drama about me dating a Muggle. We fell in love and I asked you to marry me… I decided it was time to introduce you to this world and my family as the law requires before we got married."

Calla rested her cheek against Albus' shoulder and was quiet for a few minutes. She looked up at him. "I've wanted passion and excitement all my life. I've wanted my life to mean more than marriage and sons… maybe this is fate, Albus. Or maybe I'm just mental. One thing I do know is that if we're going to do this we have to have our story solid before I meet your family."

A grin split Albus' face. He swooped down and kissed her again.