Chapter Five

It was getting late. He was, at that moment, heading to number 12 Grimmuald place. He had hoped he would have found some answers but now all he had was more questions. No, he would have to find the answers elsewhere, and the only one who could answer them was the girl in question.
He focused, setting his mind for Sirius's house and turned, appearing the next moment behind closed doors. Not more than five seconds later Sirius and Remus almost jumped into the room and he knew he would not get a moments peace unless he told them everything he, so far, knew. So he summoned together all the order members, whom promptly arrived and they all squished into the tiny narrow dining room.

"As you all know I have been trying to track down information on the origins of this machine the muggles have built. Suffice to say we have made little progress on the matter. It would appear they have gone deeper into hiding and I doubt they will make contact with anyone they think has been compromised." Dumbledore explained.

"They knew we were on to them before we made our move." Kingsley said and everyone nodded.

"I do not believe they were informed by anyone, more that they have certain procedures in place, a strict security net in which we were detected." Dumbledore continued. "We do, at least, have several possible places they might have chosen as their refuge, which will all be checked thoroughly." He handed around sheets of parchment, his tiny pristine scrawl etched with different locations that were suspected.

"Do they know what happened to that wizard?" Molly asked from the far side of the room squashed behind her husband. "What did they do to him?"

Everyone fell silent and turned to Dumbledore for the answer. "His core energy was drained, ripped from him. He died from not just this, but also from the shock."

A range of looks crossed their faces, from outrage to horror to anger and even disbelief.

"So it works?" Sirius finally asked. "It drained his energy, but can they give it to a muggle?"
"That is the other matter I wished to discuss. It has to do with the young women, has she been able to answer any questions?" Dumbledore looked at the four in particular who had been staying in the house with her.

"We tried discussing it, but she said she didn't know anything. One minute she was in her home, the next she woke up here. She says she can't remember what happened." Arthur replied.

"Did she say from where she came?" Dumbledore narrowed on Arthur.

"Serenity, the Wesley children said she spoke of her home called Serenity. But they said she didn't make much sense. She said it was in the sky." Remus remembered the odd conversation he'd had with Ginny. "Also that there weren't any witches or wizards there and she had never heard of them until now."

Remus and Dumbledore shared a knowing look. A look which had, behind them, the unwilling suspicion that involved the young River Tam.

Snape was quick to see the look and instantly caught on. "You think she's a muggle made witch."

More silence as his words hit with all intended force. So it really was too late. The muggles HAD made this energy converter and it worked. The proof, it would seem, had been sleeping upstairs all along.

"She couldn't be. She knows about the wizard world, she knew Remus was a werewolf!" Molly tried to reason.

"Dose she?" Nymphadora Tonks spoke up for the first time that evening.

"She told me so, and I know no one mentioned it to her."

"What makes you think she is a muggle, everything else aside?" Moody huffed, his good eye trained on the old wizard.

"Records. On her there are none. No River Tam attended any wizard school, nor has there been any witch reported missing matching her description. I have also tried checking the muggle records but their way of storing information is most difficult to get to and always incomplete." He answered with a weary tone. "I believe it is time that I spoke to Miss. Tam in person. If you please, Mrs. Weasley, ask her to meet me in the library room."

It was getting late and River was more than ready to get some sleep, but she knew that at that moment, she was wanted elsewhere. The elusive Albus Dumbledore had finally shown up and he wanted to talk to her. In other words, he wanted the answers he had not been able to find.

River moved to the door as Molly stepped lightly up the stairs and River opened it before she did.

"Oh, your awake. Albus Dumbledore would like a word if that's alright." She smiled sweetly.

River nodded and Molly led her to the library and left as River turned the handle and entered.
Dumbledore stood, stooping over a small pile of magical creature's history tombs that River had already read and had planned to put back later. His long colourful cloak just a little longer then his white hair and his beard equally impressive. He was a lot older then she had thought him to be.

"Ah, my dear girl, it's good to see you looking well." He greeted her with all pleasantness as she stepped around the table that held the tombs, separating herself from his reach. "I hear you are getting along well, the Weasley's have a fondness for you."

River said nothing, waiting for him to get to the purpose of this 'meeting', though she already knew it.

"I am told you remember little about the events before you arrived here, can you tell me where you are from. I'm sure you have family that are worried for your safety." Dumbledore watched her closely.

It was then that she felt it, like a soft nudge in her mind. She snapped her head up from the books she had been looking at and stared into his deep eyes. "You cannot find them here because they are not here."

Dumbledore's smile flickered slightly, caught off guard by the mental wall she held erected in her mind effortlessly. "You are a mystery, Miss. Tam. I cannot find any record of you."

"And you will not. I do not belong here." River cut in again feeling his mental probe.

"Where do you belong?"

"On Serenity. I have to go back; my brother is waiting for me." River moved back towards the door. "I must find the energy converter, it needs to be undone. He can't go to where he's supposed to."

"Mr. Dervon? He was the wizard found dead in the building the muggles evacuated. Is that who you mean?" He couldn't help but step closer, trying to understand what she was getting at. He had assumed she was talking about the dead wizard, his magic was flowing from her pours.

"I need to find it, I don't have much time. I can't stay here."

"You're not a witch, are you?"

She continued to stare feeling the need to repeat herself again. She didn't like this man. Sure, he was the embodiment of good, pure power and wise decisions to boot but he had a one track mind. World wizard peace was defiantly something to boast about but you can never get there without sacrifices, and he had made plenty of those for other people. He kept a lot of secrets that she didn't like and it was time he got his priorities sorted. She knew just what buttons to press to get the point through.

"You didn't tell Harry the truth, did you?"

This time he visibly flinched and River paused before she answered his question.

"I'm not a witch. I have to leave. When I go back, the machine will be destroyed." With that she turned back around and was out the door and up the stairs before he could get another word in. She had told him what he needed to know and she wouldn't humour him a minute longer. The sooner he left the better.