A/N: I know I know it's been an unreasonably long amount of time. But I have an excuse. I've been working as a sort-of nanny for this 4 year old demon child, needless to say I never want to have children *insert dramatic shudder*. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please REVIEW.

Also, I received a review wondering whether this was a Sirius/OC or Remus/OC fic which left me wondering Do I want Brenna to end up with Remus, Sirius or maybe even Regulus? And guess what answer I came up with? I have no idea. So my solution is to pass the decision onto you, the readers. You can vote on my profile, send a review or PM, I'm not picky just please give me an answer. If you'd like to see Brenna with someone else, wheter a different OC or otherwise feel free to let me know. Thanks.

Chapter 15: Burn after Reading

James, Sirius, Peter and Remus sat huddled together on the floor of their dorm reading over the instructions for the final step in the lengthy process of becoming Animagi which they had began in second year to help their werewolf-friend, Remus. They had already figured out the animal form that they would take on once the transformation was completed before they left school the year before. That's where the nicknames came from, of course. Prongs (James) for a stag, Padfoot (Sirius) for a massive black dog, Wormtail (Peter) for a rat, and Moony (Remus) who wasn't an aspiring Animagus but a werewolf.

Unfortunately, due to the prohibition of underage magic, they were unable to complete the final step, which they had begun practicing in the last three months of school last year, during the summer. Sirius and James searched Potter Manor's library for any books that could make this last spell any easier for them and Remus looked at the books in Diagon Alley but to no avail. Of all the charms and potions and spells that they had to learn in the past few years this one was by far the hardest and the book they had been using (nicked from the Black Family library) offered the briefest and vaguest description.

Now they had resumed their attempts to practice this spell on their pillows, which they had done for each of the previous primer spells since they knew that performing this magic wrong could result in fatal consequences. The potions they had begun testing on plants even though the effects would not be quite the same as on a human. They had tested the first potion on Mrs Norris but quickly decided against that when she turned up hairless the next day and they got detention. Remus had reasoned with him that if the cat was to continue exhibiting side effects of an Animagus transformation potion one of the professors would surely catch on.

"Why does the hardest spell have the least amount of instruction? In what world does that make sense?" James exclaimed exasperatedly after yet another failed attempt at the spell during which his pillow emitted an odd blue puff of smoke.

"Maybe the point is to discourage 15 year olds from doing this since it's-what do they call it?-ILLEGAL!" Remus told them still trying to prevent them from being sent to Azkaban. Sure, it was really great to know that they'd do this for him but that didn't mean that he wanted them to go to bloody AZKABAN PRISON!

"Moony, we've been over this before," Sirius sang. "Shut up because we're doing this whether you like it or not." Remus sighed; he knew there was really no point in arguing with them, he had tried that back in second year when they concocted this plan.

"Right well let's read it again maybe we're missing something." Remus offered pulling the book toward him.

The rest of the night was filled fruitless attempts at the complicated spell and the four Marauders went to bed feeling abnormally melancholic at their repeated failure.

The next morning at breakfast, the Marauders decided that they'd sit next to the Gryffindor girls that they had become rather fond of over the years for their adamant refusal to be one of bimbo fan girls that could be found near the Marauders at pretty much any given time. James, of course, really wanted to ask Lily to Hogsmeade, again, and the others couldn't pass up the promise of amusement, even if it meant rejection for James. In Sirius' mind, James had to expect it by now. It's been what? Four years?

Lily, on the other hand, was not amused at all. As soon as she saw James making his way over, she groaned. Would it really be too much to ask for one day-or even just a morning-without the bloody Marauders?

"Why? Why can't we even eat in peace?" Alice complained as the boys neared their section of the table.

Judging from the look on her face Marlene had similar sentiments. Brenna, it seemed, was the only one of the four girls who couldn't really care less if the Marauders chose to sit beside them or not. Brenna was more concerned with when the morning post would arrive so she could get a letter from back home and maybe some news about the progression of the war even if it did have to come from the Daily Prophet, that and reading the chapter of Defence she forgot to last night.

"Hello ladies," James greeted as the boys each took a seat, Remus next to Marlene with Peter beside him and Lily next to her, and Sirius next to Brenna with James next to him and Alice next to her.

"Sod off, Potter." Lily, as was customary between the two, responded to his salutation.

"Oh come off it, Evans. We're just sitting to eat breakfast." Sirius said glancing at Brenna who had yet to acknowledge their existence.

"Well couldn't you sit to eat breakfast somewhere else? No offence Remus." Alice countered.

"Nah we rather like this area of the table."

"Yeah, it's not too far from the exit and not too far from the staff table either."

Marlene was about to say something else to the boys that surely would've continued the bickering but Remus cut her off with a good-natured question, hoping to bring some semblance of peace to breakfast.

"What're you reading, Brenna?" At the sound of her name, Brenna's head snapped up as though she hadn't realised anyone else had joined them.

"Oh the chapter of Defence I forgot to read last night. Ah screw it; it's nothing vitally important." She said closing her book and shoving it rather roughly into her bag.

"Great, fan girls, too? This morning just keeps getting even better!" Marlene said sarcasm dripping from her voice, as she eyed three girls walking in what they probably assumed was a seductive manner toward the Marauders, and who other than April Keaton was leading the gaggle. Oh yes, I did just refer to them as a group of geese.

At the comment, the girls all pulled disgusted and exasperated faces while the boys all looked interested and very slightly amused, particularly Sirius who glanced at Brenna to gage her reaction. Part of him-actually all of him- was hoping to see some jealousy, but of course there was only distaste for the approaching girls.

"Sirikins," April whined sitting on Sirius' lap, back toward Brenna, her friends taking seats a little farther down the table. "I heard you didn't have anyone to take to Hogsmeade this weekend. And that's just such a shame, so why don't we go together?" April twirled a strand of Sirius' hair around her finger obviously attempting to look seductive but, in Brenna's opinion, the entire situation was cliché and laughable.

The girls rolled their eyes more disgusted than ever before by the pathetic girl throwing herself at a guy's feet. And of course, as luck and fate and any other governing force, the girl that Sirius would want to be peeved and jealous is the one that is least disturbed by April, or at least so it would appear. Brenna merely moved over on the bench, hardly casting the two a glance.

In actuality it wasn't that Brenna didn't care, she did. She found it demeaning and insulting to have this girl show such little respect for herself. Add that to the fact that Brenna wasn't particularly fond of April Keaton already and that left you with a stoic Brenna, which-speaking from experience, here-was worse than her yelling.

"Actually April, this trip is Marauder only, sorry, love." April pouted at Sirius who once again checked Brenna's reaction only to find that she wasn't even paying attention to the conversation, instead she was looking at the ceiling where the owls were beginning to fly in delivering the morning post.

Sirius wasn't quite sure why he kept looking at her, why he cared so much about Brenna's reaction. He couldn't quite fathom how she could appear so oblivious and yet still gave off the feeling that she knew everything going on around her. Sirius supposed that perhaps she just genuinely didn't care. Maybe she had a boyfriend 'back home', where ever that was. Maybe she was in love even. And perhaps everyone else here just paled in comparison to whoever that bloke was.

Sirius found himself hating the idea of a bloke being so amazing that Brenna wouldn't even look at any other guy now that she was away from him. Sirius hoped that this guy-if there even was one-was being as loyal to Brenna as she was to him, that he wasn't cheating on her, that he was a good guy.

April got off of Sirius' lap, opting instead to sit between him and Brenna trying to keep his attention from Brenna whom she had noticed him watching.

"Oh look, post's here." Alice said trying to get conversation started again since it was clear that April wasn't leaving.

"Does anyone get the Daily Prophet?" Brenna asked speaking up finally.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" Lily asked keeping her attention purposefully from the Marauders.

"Just curious, I guess, about what's going on. I hate not knowing." Brenna answered, her eyes scanning the mass of owls overhead.

An owl swooped down, landing in front of Lily who put a few coins in the pouch attached to its leg before taking the newspaper from the table in front of her and unfolding it.

"Oh Merlin," Lily gasped a horrified look on her face as she read the headline on the paper.

"What does it say?" Marlene asked as everyone in their group turned toward Lily, all equally apprehensive about the news.

"There was another attack…" Lily swallowed hard before continuing, "In Hampshire."

Marlene took the Prophet from Lily and began reading, "'A Muggle neighbourhood in Hampshire, England was found abandoned two nights ago, Ministry officials reported. The Dark Mark was found hovering above the scene led to an investigation by unnamed persons and the discovery of five murdered Muggle families in their homes and an additional missing Wizarding family. Mark and Laura Laurite, both age 47, and their children Daniel, 7, and Michelle, 8, were reported missing after their Hampshire home on the borders of the attacked Muggle neighbourhood was found deserted. Ministry officials have not made any statements regarding the ongoing investigation, why they did not release news of this attack earlier nor have they announced who discovered the scene.'"

"This is the fifth attack in the last three weeks." Alice said grimly as Marlene put a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder, the only one of the group of girls to be Muggleborn.

"They'll be alright, Lils. Hampshire is miles from your house." Marlene said causing Lily's expression to slightly brighten optimistically.

"So…what are you thinking about doing for Hogsmeade?" Remus asked trying to lift the weighted atmosphere

Brenna simply took a drink of pumpkin juice, her eyes tracing the path of her falcon, Nirvana, as she made her way across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table where she had just delivered a letter to Cyrus.

April let out a loud yelp and leapt back against Sirius as Nirvana landed from a steep dive in front of her. "What is that THING?" She questioned pointing at the sharp beak and talons. Unfortunately, April's fingers appear to have gotten too close since Nirvana lashed at it with her free foot, causing yet another high-pitched squeal. "It's evil!"

"On the contrary, you were in her personal space and therefore allowed yourself to be seen as quarry. And this thing is called a Falcon. For future reference keep your finger away from her or deal with the consequences." Brenna responded with a bored voice as she took the small scroll from Nirvana's talons.

Unrolling the scroll Brenna was greeted with a complex jumble of letters which she easily deciphered as the update she had been waiting for.

BAR

Hampshire attack: Delta K,-1st RSPND-, reports 5 Muggle households,-DOA-, 6 Muggle Households,-UL-, 1 Wizarding Household,-UL-.

Northern Territory: Watcher/Unit MTNG 920-2200

Southern Territory: Increase, MTNG 921-0300

West/Eastern Territories: Maintain, MTNG 922-2100

Hogsmeade Detail: Atomos, non-descript 924

ATMS RPRT 925

Brenna scanned the information grateful for the new intelligence, familiar with the shorthand it was written in. Delta K-Order of the Dragon unit first to respond in Hampshire, the unnamed persons in the Prophet; DOA-dead on arrival, UL-unknown location; Territories-locations within Britain; MTNG-meeting; 920-2200: September 20 10pm; 922-2100: September 22 9pm; 921-0300: September 21 3am. And the most critical information for Brenna Hogsmeade Security Detail: Order of the Dragon unit-Atomos, non-descript meaning undercover, 924-September 24. ATMS-Atomos in shorthand-reports back 925-September 25.

Basically, the Order of the Dragon higher-ups would be briefing every unit stationed in England at the above specified dates. Brenna and Cyrus would receive their briefing in Hogsmeade from the other members of Atomos since the Hogsmeade trip was strategically after all the meetings, then Atomos (minus Brenna and Cyrus) would brief the higher-ups on Hogwarts' condition. Satisfied Brenna folded the letter and put it in a safe place in her bag until she could dispose of it properly-in Order of the Dragon speak: burn after reading or BAR, the shorthand instruction that headed all classified documents.

"Letter from home, Brenna?" Remus asked amicably.

"Something like that." She said with a smile. "I think I'm going to get going. I'll see you all in class."

"I'll walk with you….if that's okay?" Remus asked politely catching Sirius' attention.

"Sure, I could do with the company." Remus stood up and the two said good-bye and walked out of the Great Hall, Sirius' eyes watching them go with resentment something the apparently ever watchful James picked up on.

"Padfoot, Wormtail, what'd you say we get going, there's something I want to talk to about. Marauder business." James said, adding the last statement to make sure April didn't follow. He didn't particularly like April Keaton, whether it was because her voice was an unparalleled degree of annoying or because he thought-or rather knew-that Sirius fancied Brenna and April simply got in the way he didn't know but the fact remained, James did not like that girl.

"Yeah sure, Prongs. See you later, April."

"Lily, Prewitt, McKinnon." James acknowledged each of the other girls before walking with Sirius and Peter out of the Hall. Once they were into the corridor and could talk in relative privacy Sirius turned to James.

"What's up, Prongsie?"

"What're you doing with Keaton?"

"What d' you mean?"

"I mean, if you fancy Brenna, why are you bothering with Keaton?"

"Who said I fancy Brenna? I don't. She's not my type." Sirius answered a little too quickly.

"Quit lying, Sirius, I'm your best mate I can read you like a bloody book."

"I was under the impression you don't read books." Sirius muttered.

"Sirius if you want Brenna, don't screw it up. She's not like the other girls here, you know that. She won't play your game."

"Who the hell said I wanted Brenna? I don't! She's a FREAK! Why the hell would I want her?" And as they turned the corner, Sirius saw the absolute last person he would want to hear that.

:.:.:

Brenna and Remus walked along the corridors toward their Transfiguration classroom in a comfortable silence.

"Remus, can I ask you something?" Brenna said a contemplative expression on her face.

"You just did." He said with a smile. "Go ahead."

"Alright, well it's going to be an odd question, and probably really random, but…I'd just like your opinion if that's alright?" She paused taking in Remus' expression.

"With a lead in like that I can't possibly resist."

"I was reading a book on magical creatures, you see, and well, I was just thinking about it…what's your opinion on werewolves?" Remus visibly stiffened and blanched.

"Wh-What?" Remus asked sounding choked as he swallowed hard.

"I was wondering what your opinion was on werewolves. You see I was reading this book and it described them as horribly dark creatures, but the thing is, I don't agree." Once again Brenna glanced at Remus' face smiling inwardly at the expression of relief, shock and disbelief. "I know a werewolf-or rather knew-and he was a great man."

Remus had recovered enough from his initial horror and then surprise to listen intently to what Brenna was saying and his curiosity peaked at the mention of a werewolf. "Knew?" He asked before he could think better and remind himself that it was not his place to ask.

"Yeah, he died in the war actually, fighting the Death Eaters."

"Oh I'm sorry." Remus looked down ashamed that he had been callous enough to ask, feeling even guiltier when he caught sight of Brenna's eyes which were swirling with emotion.

"Don't be, he died fighting for what he believed in, that's noble, don't you think? I think he proved that not all werewolves can possibly be bad. That's like saying all Marauders are egotistical misogynists, which you're not. I was just asking because I was wondering why so many people hear werewolf and think evil monster."

"Well….I think people fear what they don't understand." Remus answered.

"Oh I'm sure they do, but when the textbooks say the exact same thing…It must be horrible for werewolves, you know. Trying to be good, to live noble lives and having to live in fear that someone will find out and throw a rock through their window.

"I remember Andros, that was the werewolf I knew, he always said told me that life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass it's about learning to dance in the rain. He said that he wasn't a good traditional dancer; something about two left feet, but that didn't matter because even the ballerinas and ballroom professionals were taking lessons from him about dancing in the rain. Andros used to say that his life had been a great storm so it's a good thing he got over his fear of thunder. If he were a cartoon he would have a smile on his face, a rain cloud above his head and he'd be dancing the Tarantellegra." Brenna said with a chuckle at the memory.

"Sounds like a great guy." Remus said with a faint smile.

"He was." Brenna said as they stopped just around a corner a few feet from the classroom door.

In the brief silence, the two Gryffindors heard voices a little further down the corridor they had just turned off of, voices that were distinctly familiar.

"Is that Sirius? And James?" Brenna asked tilting her head so she could hear what they were saying.

"Yeah…and from the sounds of it, something must've happened." Remus concurred also listening to the raised voice of Sirius and the decidedly lower one of James. Remus and Brenna couldn't hear what was being said until Sirius' disembodied voice exploded.

"Who the hell said I wanted Brenna? I don't! She's a FREAK! Why the hell would I want her?"

Remus' jaw dropped open, his eyes widening in a combination of surprise and outrage as he looked at Brenna whose face was a perfect mask, giving nothing away. A half second later Sirius, James and Peter rounded the corner coming face to face with the girl in question and Remus. For a moment everyone just stood frozen with expressions of surprise and, in Sirius' case, horror, except Brenna who remained stoic before her face seemed to melt before their eyes as her expression became diplomatic with the faint trace of a smile.

"Well this is sufficiently awkward. I'm just going to go. And Black, I did warn you that I wasn't normal now didn't I? I hate to say it, but I told you so." She said smirking at the stunned looks she received from the Marauders as she turned and walked toward the classroom door laughing inwardly as she thought about the last time someone had called her a freak, it had been back home and Atomos had a field day with those people.

They had shown just how freaky they could truly be and their act had told people to never, ever mess with any member of Atomos. The members of Atomos were freaks by "normal" standards because of the power and spells they could master at such young ages, that and their uncanny ability to laugh at insults meant to demean and talk about things with unprecedented ease. They were actors, the whole lot of them, able to mask their feelings behind believable attitudes and responses. Atomos had a flair for the dramatic and Merlin did they enjoy themselves.

The Marauders watched Brenna's retreating back still stunned, dazed by the unexpected response and the way she acted. Now, as Brenna entered the classroom out of view, the boys seemed to come back to themselves.

"What the hell was that?" Remus asked Sirius glaring with an intensity that the other Marauders had never really seen.

"I-I…" Sirius still stared blankly ahead, where moments ago Brenna had stood and heard everything.

"You know she's actually a nice girl, why the hell would you insult her like that? Do you know what she was saying to me on the way here? She was talking about werewolves!" Remus said in a harsh whisper. The three boys' eyes widened in horror, even Peter grasped the gravity of the statement…for once in his life.

"She was talking about werewolves and how she doesn't think they're bad, how she knew one that was actually fighting against the Death Eaters. She was saying how she actually like werewolves, thinks they're brave."

"So she doesn't know about your furry little problem?" James asked still worried about his mate.

"I don't know, I think she probably does but she didn't say anything. The point is, she might be a bit odd but she's actually a really nice, decent girl. And where the hell do you get off saying something like that?"

"I-I didn't mean…Prongs was-I mean…I didn't…She shouldn't have been there."

"Yeah, well, for your sake, mate, I hope you didn't actually fancy her." James said shaking his head.

Sirius bit his lip and stared at his feet. He hadn't meant what he said. Not at all. He just wanted James to get off his back. The thing was Sirius didn't know if he fancied Brenna, and if he did, he wasn't ready to do anything about it. Besides, he told himself, I think Moony fancies her, and maybe she fancies him too…Oh Merlin, I really screwed this up.

"Let's just get to class." He muttered the jovial demeanour he had begun this morning with was gone now leaving a forlorn and troubled air in its wake as the four Marauders walked the last few feet into their transfiguration classroom.

"Padfoot, if you want, there's always Hogsmeade, you can try talking to her there. Just give her some space now and figure out what you're going to say." James advised quietly before stepping over the threshold and walked to his usual seat at the back of the class, ruffling up his hair as he walked past Lily who was sitting near the front. He looked around for Brenna, since Lily was sitting with Marlene and Alice was with Frank, only to find that she was sitting beside a Slytherin, and not just any Slytherin either. No, Brenna was sitting beside none other than Regulus Black. I gotta admire her audacity, of all the Slytherins she could sit with; she chooses the one that'll piss Sirius off the most. Great. Now I'll get to listen to him ranting tonight about how she's a traitor and how Regulus is an evil prick. Joy.

Sirius walked in a moment after James, his eyes searching for Brenna in the classroom finally finding her in the second last row, in a seat that usually remained empty, and next to his brother. His face visibly hardened as he passed them, Regulus had leaned over to say something quietly in Brenna's ear as she unpacked her things, something that caused her to chuckle quietly shaking her head before she turned to him with a small smile and responded. Clenching his teeth Sirius took his seat next to James, angrily taking out parchment, quill and ink well, which he slammed unnecessarily hard on the desk, his eyes still trained on Brenna and Regulus.

James cast a wary look at Sirius wondering why he didn't make Peter sit with Sirius instead when he first saw that Brenna was sitting with Regulus. Why did she have to sit his brother? Couldn't she have just sat with some random person? Of course, James knew that it wasn't Brenna's fault any of this happened. It was Sirius' big mouth and pride. She didn't have anywhere else to sit; the extra desk that was normally in the classroom was mysteriously missing leaving only the one next to Regulus for her to take-other than the ones at the back that the Marauders sat in.

As McGonagall strode into the room and began the lesson, the class started taking notes, Brenna, Regulus and-surprisingly-all the Marauders included. Once again Regulus whispered something softly to Brenna who glanced at him out of the corner of her eye still writing notes; he continued whispering something to her which caused her to pause in her writing turning her face slightly towards him a curious expression on her face. And then it happened. Regulus slowly reached forward, toward Brenna, the motion seemingly in slow motion, as his hand extended and brushed aside a strand of her hair whispering something as he did so. Laughing quietly she turned her head back to the front looking away.

Beside him, James heard something snap. Turning his head, James saw Sirius shaking with rage his quill broken in half in his right hand as he looked at the exchange between Regulus and Brenna. James fished in his bag for another quill and slid it across the desk silently to Sirius, prying the broken pieces out of his hand.

Sirius, mate, you just found out what I've been going through the past four years. Thank Merlin I'm an only child. James thought as Sirius did his best to continue taking notes though his hand was still shaking slightly. Neither one said anything to each other they simply returned their attention to the lesson.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please don't forget to vote, review or PM. Options are Brenna/Regulus, Brenna/Sirius, Brenna/Remus, or Brenna/Other(Please Specify).