Harry Potter and the Cult of Shadows

by chadsgirl824

AFTER HOGWARTS Harry now works at Hogwarts and has his hands full as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. But Voldemort's fate is still a mystery and dark forces are closer than anyone imagines. Written before OotP

8. Chapter 8

"Not as in…Oren Alcott?" Harry asked, suspiciously.

"Who?" his friends asked at once, in unison, but he didn't respond, keeping his gaze on the old man.

"Where did you hear that name?" the professor asked slowly, arching a quizzical eyebrow. "What do you know of Oren?"

"I know he was a friend of the Lestranges," Harry replied curtly, his green eyes never wavering from Alcott's dark brown ones, as he continued on in an accusing tone. "And from what Hermione has told us, you know a great deal about them…"

"That I do," the professor nodded, ignoring Harry's obvious distrust. "And you are correct, Oren was a friend of both Adrik and Lilith, and most certainly he still is…though, I am not him. My name is Caleb…Oren is my brother. He and I chose quite different paths, and I have not spoken to him for almost 20 years now…." he trailed off, his expression still curious as he continued on quietly. "If you know about Oren, then you must know about the Lestranges as well…and I wonder why you should need my help…"

"I only just found out a little about them last night," Harry said quickly, still not sure he could trust the professor.

"Where did you find your information?" Caleb asked. "From who?"

Harry hesitated a short moment, before replying.

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Ah yes," Caleb chuckled softly, "he would definitely be an accurate source, as he knows quite a bit about the Lestranges." Turning away, the professor shuffled quickly back across the room towards his desk, motioning for the others to take seats as he lowered himself into his own chair.

"Tell me," he began with a slight smirk, "what did Albus tell you of them?"

Glancing around him, Harry saw his friends all staring at him questioningly as well, waiting almost anxiously for him to answer. Remembering the conversation as best he could, Harry went over all that Dumbledore had told him the previous night, leaving nothing unsaid. When he was finished, his friends stared at him in stunned silence, while Caleb nodded faintly, a grim expression on his face.

"I see Albus has told you much, indeed," the professor mused quietly.

"Yes," Harry replied, "But not everything."

"I doubt you will find anyone that does know everything," Caleb said with a small chuckle. "But as I promised Miss Granger, if you have any questions for me, now is the time to ask. I will answer whatever I can."

Harry glanced towards Hermione who nodded faintly, urging him on. She obviously trusted Alcott enough, so Harry cleared his throat softly before beginning to speak.

"Professor Dumbledore told me a little about the powers Adrik and Lilith received the night before they went to Azkaban…"

"Their new vision, you mean?" Caleb interrupted, his eyes growing suddenly dark and narrow.

"Yes," Harry nodded, hesitantly. "I was wondering if you might be able to tell me a bit more about it."

"Indeed I can," the professor nodded grimly. "The double sight, as we called it, belonged to Oren and I. We were born with it…we are twins, you see, and this was something we shared. When he transferred some of our gift to the Lestranges…well it was the last straw, for me, in our already strained relationship…I haven't spoken to him since that day."

"Wait, if you and Oren share the sight…" Harry began, beginning to feel nervous.

"Can he see what you're seeing?" Ron finished for him, the anxiety he was feeling coming through in his voice.

"Only if I allow him to," Caleb replied, a look of understanding in his eyes. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter…I'm not giving away your location to any unwanted admirers of yours…" he trailed off, a small grin on his face.

Harry regarded the older man with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, giving a curt nod in response as the professor began speaking again.

"When we were younger, Oren and I would use our power to play harmless pranks on our instructors, our parents, and our friends…if we were in trouble, it was a silent call for help, if we were lost, it was our way home. It was our connection beyond that of normal twins…and it was ours alone," Caleb spoke softly, a nostalgic look in his eyes before a stony, cold anger seeped in, and he continued on.

"When Oren and I attended Hogwarts, he was sorted into Slytherin, and I into Hufflepuff. At first, while we were unhappy about being separated, it didn't affect our relationship…our friendship…not until he began spending time with Adrik, Lilith, Jared and Victoria. It wasn't often they allowed him into their circle, but he was one of the few they spoke with of all the other students, whom they considered to be inferior. As time passed, he became increasingly like them, uncaring, cruel…heartless. He hated me because of the house I'd been sorted into, because to be in any house besides Slytherin was a sign of weakness in their eyes…I was an embarrassment to Oren."

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly, as an awkward silence had settled over the room.

"Don't be," Caleb spoke up sharply. "I do not ask for nor do I want anyone's pity. Oren made his choice, and I stopped caring what happened to him a long time ago."

Harry simply nodded, agreeing with the professor, but more so to placate his temper…for Caleb's eyes clearly stated otherwise. The older man still harbored the hope…the need, no matter how deeply he'd buried it, that his brother would one day become his brother again.

"I apologize, I'm getting off-track," Caleb said suddenly. "By the time school had finished, Oren had become quite good friends with the four Slytherins he admired so well. Once Adrik and Lilith were expelled, Jared and Victoria let him tag along with them a great deal more than they had previously…and the five of them remained friends long after graduation. As for me, my own relationship with my brother never fully recovered, and even though things were better once we didn't have the separation of houses hanging over our heads, we could never return to the way things had been. Our double sight was all but forgotten, as we hadn't used it throughout our time at school, and once that was finished, we didn't care to use it much anyway."

"Did either of you ever try to use it again?" Mel spoke up softly.

"Only once," Caleb replied, grimly. "Over eighty years ago. Oren tried to use the power to spy, to gather information about certain ministry defenses at that time…I knew immediately, of course. We could always sense each other no matter what the circumstances…he knew this, yet he tried anyway. I suppose he believed his reasons to be worth the risk, but I did not appreciate his actions in the least. I closed him off forever on that day…I haven't used the sight since then…and I never will again."

For the second time, an awkward silence filled the office, and Harry could see how heavily talking about his past was weighing on the professor. Deciding to try to bring the discussion back to its original purpose, he asked a new question.

"You said Oren transferred some of his power to Adrik and Lilith that night in Nabakza…but what I don't understand is, why did Adrik have to lose his eyes?"

"Because it wasn't his power," Caleb replied, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "Adrik asked this favor of Oren, and my brother was all too willing to comply. He of course never asked me if I would mind…because my feelings played no part in this. All that mattered, were Adrik and Lilith…and my brother has never shown anything besides the strongest loyalty to them."

"Adrik didn't have a choice then?" Hermione asked. "There was no way to transfer the power without him having to lose his eyes?"

"No, there was no way," Caleb shook his head. "When a witch or wizard is born with a gift, an uncommon gift, they can choose, if they so desire, to share it with others. The receiving party must be willing, but in most occasions, they must make a sacrifice as well. Such was the case for Adrik, he had to sacrifice his eyes to gain the gift of double sight."

"What about Lilith though?" Harry asked. "She still has her eyes."

"Lilith did not receive the gift in the way that Adrik did. She is like a receptor for him; he sees everything that she does. The purpose of the entire experiment was so Adrik could keep watch on the outside world while he was in Azkaban. Oren offered his gift as a solution to the problem and Adrik accepted. Lilith was only brought into it in the event something happened to Oren during his travels, so Adrik would not be blind, but as it turned out, there was an interesting side effect that worked in Adrik's favor. He was only supposed to have been able to see through either Oren or Lilith's eyes…instead, he can see through the eyes of anyone he is near…or anyone he touches. I assume he must be able to control it with precise accuracy, or it would be an overload to his mind…"

"That's what Albus thought as well," Harry nodded silently.

"That comes as no surprise," Caleb said, chuckling softly. "Albus was always watching that group throughout school, and much after, I'd imagine. He especially disliked Jared though, after what happened with his friend."

Harry nodded somberly, clearly recalling the guilt that had shown through in the head minister's eyes when he spoke of Patrick.

"Do you know what happened to them?" Hermione spoke up. "Jared and Victoria, I mean. Why were they never brought to Azkaban?"

"And what about Oren?" Ron chimed in. "Why was he free to visit Adrik and Lilith while they were convicted and sent to prison?"

"Well for Oren, the reason is simply that no one knew much of him. Just as while they were in school, he wasn't seen as part of their circle, it appeared that way afterwards as well. No one really suspected Oren because no one knew the true level of his involvement. When the ministry began conducting the trials, making arrests, Oren's name was never mentioned due to the fact that a great many of the death eaters never knew he was a part of their ranks. The ones that did know were the ones that remained loyal to their master…and would turn none of their allies in."

"Lucky for him," Ron remarked sardonically.

"I would say so," Caleb nodded. "But for Jared and Victoria, the story ended quite differently. They both died, many, many years before the trials ever took place."

"How did they die?" Harry asked. Caleb seemed to consider for a moment, stroking the white-gray stubble on his chin thoughtfully, before replying.

"I do not know all the details as to Victoria's death. I know she died not long after giving birth to her second child, but I do not know the circumstances surrounding the incident. What I do know, is that she was murdered."

"Murdered?" Harry repeated, shocked. "And you have no idea who did it?"

"Not even an inkling," Caleb replied.

"What about Jared, wouldn't he have known?" Harry pressed. "Weren't they…?"

"In love? Yes, I believe they were, their idea of love, anyway," Caleb answered with a faint nod. "But I was not a friend of either Jared or Victoria, so I didn't have any opportunity to speak with him on the matter. Other than that, very little about the incident was printed in any paper after the initial shock had worn off. No known suspects…it was left as an unsolved mystery."

"Do you know what happened to Jared?" Harry asked after another moment. "Albus said he died as well…"

"Quite correct, and I'm sure Albus would know," Caleb replied evenly, but there was something else in his tone, and Harry didn't fail to miss it.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly. "Why would Albus know?"

Caleb smiled knowingly, his gaze locking with Harry's.

"He didn't tell you, I'm sure he has his reasons…"

"Tell me what?" Harry cut in. "What happened to Jared, was he murdered too?"

"He died before his time, yes…" the old man nodded as he spoke, "but not many would consider what happened to him murder."

"What did happen to him?" Harry asked, barely hiding the anxiety in his voice.

"Please tell us professor," Hermione spoke up. "How did Jared die? And when?"

Caleb let his eyes wander over the four eager faces in front of him, smirking softly, until his gaze came back to rest on Harry.

"I promised I would answer your questions, and I will…" he said slowly and firmly, "let this be the last one."

Harry nodded quickly, waiting anxiously to hear what the older man would tell them.

"Jared died fifty-four years ago," the professor began evenly, "in a fierce duel with another wizard, one who had opposed him for a great deal of his life. That wizard, is Albus Dumbledore."

"No, Dumbledore wouldn't…he wouldn't kill anyone…" Harry began at once, all the doubt he'd felt at the beginning of the discussion rushing back to him. Caleb stared solemnly at him from across the desk, his expression unreadable and unmoving, and Harry shook his head, getting ready to stand, when Hermione's voice cut in, a shocked whisper.

"Harry…wait…think about it…fifty-four years ago…" she murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Harry turned his questioning gaze on Hermione, trying to think of what could be so significant about that time. The realization hit him just seconds later, and he felt his jaw drop as Caleb's voice filled his ears once more.

"What Miss Granger is trying to tell you, I believe, is that Albus Dumbledore did indeed take Jared Graham's life fifty-four years ago…only at that time, he wasn't Jared Graham…he was known and feared by all, as the dark wizard Grindelwald."

Countless questions raced through Harry's mind, but he couldn't find the voice to ask even one as he sat, gaping at the older professor. It was only when Caleb pushed his chair back from his desk and reached for his cloak, that Harry was snapped back to the present.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Please…can you tell us anything else? There's so much we still don't know-"

"I've told you all I know," Caleb interrupted briskly, once again fastening the heavy cloak around his neck.

"But…Grindelwald…why?" Harry stammered, all of his thoughts a jumble in his head. "Why wouldn't Albus tell me that's who Jared was?"

"I'm not a mind reader, so I cannot answer your question," Caleb replied, a small grin on his lips. "Whatever the reasons for Albus' secrecy, they are his alone. Perhaps it is simply a memory he does not care to relive…and understandably so. The duel nearly claimed his life."

Harry closed his eyes, not wanting to imagine Dumbledore so close to death. He had always thought of the head minister as the strongest wizard alive, and no matter what came at him, whatever obstacles he was forced to cross, that one constant always remained true in his mind.

"I apologize for being so short," Caleb's voice cut through his thoughts, "but I've already stayed longer than I'd intended, and I must be on my way." He had already crossed the room, and was standing at the doorway, waiting for them to leave so he could lock up. Glancing around at his friends, Harry saw his own confusion and surprise mirrored in their expressions, but no one pressed the matter further. They thanked Caleb for his time, and one by one, exited the office.

Just as Harry was stepping through the door, however, he felt the old man take hold of his arm, and he paused, looking hopefully into the dark brown eyes.

"Be careful, Mr. Potter," he stated with utter sincerity. "Whatever Adrik and Lilith have planned for you, it will most certainly be unpleasant…never let your guard down."

Harry stared at the man for a long moment, before nodding faintly and heading out after his friends. He still had no idea what he thought of Caleb. The four friends walked together, Hermione leading the way back down the halls to the main lobby, and the grate they had arrived in. Moments later, they stepped out into the floo station in Hogsmeade.

"What do we do now?" Ron spoke up quietly as the four of them stepped out onto the well-lit street. It was early evening, so there were still plenty of people about, shopping and such.

"Should we talk to Dumbledore?" Mel suggested.

"And say what?" Harry asked with a defeated shrug. "When I talked with him last night he didn't want to talk about either Jared or Victoria's death…and obviously he never mentioned the name of Grindelwald. How would we bring it up? And do we even need to?"

"Well don't you think it's important?" Hermione asked quickly.

"Is it?" Harry asked. "Grindelwald is dead. I need to know about Voldemort."

"Maybe if we know more about how Dumbledore fought Grindelwald we'll have a better chance against Voldemort," Ron suggested.

"He used Lunis, remember?" Harry asked quietly. "Dumbledore told me he used Lunis against Grindelwald…you can only use it once…so he had to pass it on for someone to fight Voldemort, and he picked my father. But Voldemort took it from him…" Harry trailed off, feeling a twinge of anger in his gut for what had happened to his parents, but let it pass quickly.

"I'd still like to know more about all of this," Hermione said evenly. "And Dumbledore is probably the best person to ask."

"Well then we will ask him," Harry said quickly. "But not yet…let's try to find this on our own first. I know, just by having seen the look in his eyes, I know this is not something Albus wants to discuss. I think Caleb had to have been right about that at least, it's probably a very painful memory for him."

"Wonderful," Ron remarked sardonically. "So now we're out of school and no longer have to sneak around to get information…as a matter of fact we actually know who has the information, and yet we're still gonna do as much research as possible before talking to that person?"

"That's right," Harry replied curtly.

"Alright, alright," Ron sighed, "just tell me what exactly we're looking for. Anything on Grindelwald in general?"

"Well probably more about Jared and Victoria then Grindelwald," Hermione said quickly. "I want to know more about them…what happened to them after school, who are Victoria's children…and are they Jared's as well? I mean, if they are…the children of Grindelwald could be running around out there somewhere. Also, who murdered Victoria? And why? How come that person was never caught?"

"If they were never caught don't you think that'll be a bit hard to find in some book?" Ron asked.

"Of course that wouldn't be in a book!" Hermione exclaimed quietly, glancing around them to make sure no one was close by, but the crowd continued to pass, barely noticing them.

"If we can find a good amount of information though, we might be able to piece this together," Mel spoke up softly.

"Exactly," Hermione nodded. "Who knows what we'll find on Jared or Victoria…maybe they even worked for the ministry at some point, and they keep files on everything…we have no idea…"

"Right," Harry cut in. "That's it then, we look for information first, then we go to Dumbledore."

As the week began again, and classes were moving along as usual, Harry found it hard to find time to do any research. As the lessons grew more difficult with each passing week, he had to spend a good deal of time preparing, and making sure everything would be safe for the students. Added to that workload now, were the extra sessions for the Patronus Charm.

Every Monday and Tuesday after class, the students that had shown interest in continuing the lessons met for one hour with him in the dark arts room. The first through third-years were on Monday and fourth through seventh-years the following day. There were about a dozen students in each session, including Ginny and Su for the older group, and Hadley and Ariele for the younger. They were the only two first-years in the sessions.

Devon had decided not to continue with the lessons. His Patronus had never changed in the slightest from what he had been able to produce on his first attempt, and he didn't seem to care in the least. He was glad when the class lessons were finished and seemed almost relieved to be moving on.

Hadley, of course, couldn't have been more pleased about Devon's absence from the extra lessons, as she was easily the most advanced in her group. Her charm only improved each time she cast it, and the smug look on her face told everyone in the room that she knew it.

To be fair, however, Harry never gave her more praise than any of the other students when their charms improved as well, he didn't want to encourage her behavior, or make the others think their achievements weren't just as good.

"You all did a wonderful job today," he called out as he was dismissing the Monday group after their third lesson. "See you in a week."

It was now the second week in December. Everyone could feel the excitement in the air from the nearing holidays, and most were just eager to be going home for the break. Hadley, surprisingly, seemed as though she couldn't care less about the prospect of no classes for two weeks, and Harry wondered, not for the first time, what her home life was like, as he watched her gather her things while the other students left the room, chatting with one another excitedly.

"Thanks professor," Ariele said cheerfully as she passed by Harry on her way out.

"Good job, Ariele," he called out after her. He watched for a moment as she stepped through the door, before turning back to Hadley, who was quickly trying to reach the exit.

"Nice work today, Hadley," Harry called out as she sped past him.

"Thank you sir," she mumbled briskly, not even turning her head as she stepped out into the corridor.

Sighing inaudibly, Harry simply shrugged and turned to collect his things. The lesson had run a few minutes late, and surely the rest of the school would already be in the great hall for dinner. He checked over the room as he always did before leaving, and made sure to lock the door behind him as he stepped out into the hallway.

He started towards the great hall first, moving slowly through the deserted corridors, trying to decide if he should just have dinner in his office tonight in hopes of getting more research done, when he heard voices floating down the hall at him from just around the next bend.

Quickening his pace as he realized the voices sounded like they were arguing, Harry hurried to the end of the hall and turned the corner, to see Hadley and Ariele standing in the center of the corridor. Ariele's bag was on the floor, and much of its contents were splayed across the hard stones around them, but neither girl was concentrating on that, and Harry could see Hadley holding something, trying to keep it out of Ariele's reach.

"Give it back, Hadley!" Ariele spat angrily as she lunged for the Slytherin girl's right hand and missed.

"You should pick up your things, someone could trip," Hadley said tauntingly.

"I will when you give me my quill back!" Ariele said loudly.

"Your quill?" Hadley asked sweetly, admiring the elegant, sparkling bronze feather in her hand. "I found this, it's mine."

"My mum bought it for me in Diagon Alley, now give it here!" Ariele snapped, lunging again. Harry rolled his eyes upon hearing what the argument was over as he finally came up to the spot where the two girls stood. Hadley glanced up at him as she caught sight of his shadow, and it was just enough of a distraction for Ariele to reach again, this time catching Hadley by the wrist.

"That hurts!" Hadley cried at once, spinning her gaze back around.

"Then let go," Ariele retorted, trying to pry her quill loose. "You're going to break it!"

"That's because you're pulling!"

"Alright enough, both of you," Harry spoke up sternly, not wanting to hear any more yelling. Ariele stopped first, dropping her hands quickly and looking gratefully up at Harry. "Hadley, we both know that belongs to Ariele, please give it back to her," he continued, having seen the young Gryffindor using it in class many times.

Narrowing her eyes angrily, Hadley looked for a moment as if she were considering her options, before finally tossing the feather at Ariele with an arrogant sniff.

"I don't know why you care so much about it," the young Slytherin muttered darkly. "Your mother buys you lots of things, I'm sure…probably to make up for-" she stopped suddenly glancing sideways at Harry, seeming to realize what she was saying, and quickly reached down to retrieve her own bag. When she glanced back up, a faint smirk passed over her lips as she saw the shocked expression on Ariele's face, before she pushed past her and started again up the hall.

"Hadley," Harry called out after her, his voice calm. She turned around, obvious impatience in her eyes as she stared at him, expectantly. "I'm taking ten points from Slytherin for this. Don't try to steal from your classmates again, understood?"

The irritation in Hadley's gaze immediately became dark and angry. She nodded a stiff reply, before turning once more and stalking off down the hall.

Shaking his head in frustration, Harry turned back to see Ariele staring off down the corridor after Hadley, a hurt expression on her face.

"Don't pay any attention to her," Harry said gently as he knelt down and began to gather Ariele's things for her. "She has no idea what she's talking about." He'd heard Hadley begin what sounded like an insult against Ariele's mother, and knew she'd only stopped because he'd been standing right there.

"She does," Ariele said quietly after a long moment had passed.

"Does what?" Harry asked softly, sliding the last book into the sack and standing up.

"She does know what she's talking about…" Ariele said in a small voice, "either that, or it was a very good guess…"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, kneeling down again to see into the young girl's eyes. It was then he noticed Ariele was on the verge of tears, but she was holding them back.

"My mother…she buys me things all the time," Ariele said quietly. "Things I don't need…"

"I'm…I'm sure that's only because she loves you," Harry stammered, somewhat taken aback by the sudden seriousness and maturity in Ariele's statement.

"It's not," Ariele whispered, inhaling sharply and letting out a long, shaky breath.

"Ariele," Harry began gently, putting a gentle hand on the girl's arm. "Don't take what Hadley said to heart. She couldn't know about your mum…"

"Then how come she said that?" Ariele asked, looking directly back into Harry's eyes, searching them. Harry watched, a growing sense of confusion building within him as Ariele shook her head sadly and reached for her bag.

"My mother buys me things all the time," she stated again, her eyes on the floor now as she sniffled softly. "And she does it because she can't ever be there…my aunt takes me shopping, or out to eat, or to the playground…everywhere. Never my mum…she's too busy, always."

"Ariele," Harry spoke up gently. "I'm sorry you don't get to spend a lot of time with your mum, but please…don't let what Hadley said upset you."

"But she knew…"

"She guessed," Harry cut in quickly. "It was just a guess, and not a very nice one…"

Ariele just stared back at Harry, uncertainty in her eyes.

"I never told anyone here about my mum," she said softly. Harry looked at her carefully, wishing he had something more comforting to say to the young girl, but nothing came to him.

"C'mon," he said at last, standing up and holding out his hand. "Don't dwell on it…"

"Do you really think it was only a guess?" Ariele asked hopefully, a bit of the familiar skepticism she exhibited in class returning to her voice.

"I really think so," Harry nodded with a grin, but in all honesty, he wasn't so sure now. Hadley purposely stopped what she'd been saying so he wouldn't hear her, and when Ariele had seemed shocked, it was as though Hadley had been hoping for that to be the reaction.

"How about we go get some dinner before it's all gone?" he grinned down at her as she took his hand. She nodded back at him, letting a small smile cross her own face, as the two set off up the corridor.

After making sure Ariele was going to be alright and seeing her to the great hall, Harry decided to skip dinner for now, not having much of an appetite anyway, and headed straight for his office. Setting down all of his class paperwork, he picked up the books he'd taken from the library and crossed the room, lowering himself onto the couch before finding the page he'd left off on last.

He'd discovered quickly enough, that if he wanted information on Grindelwald, there was plenty to find, detailing a great many of the crimes against the wizarding world the evil sorcerer had committed. However, finding any mention of either Jared Graham or Victoria Weston, was an entirely different story.

Jared's father, being the head Minister of Magic was mentioned many times in several of the history books, but the information about the minister didn't help Harry in the least. Vincent Graham appeared to be exactly the type of person Dumbledore said he was, far more concerned with appearances than anything else.

"That must've been a prerequisite in order to be considered for head minister," Harry muttered sardonically to himself, thinking how glad he was to have Dumbledore in charge of the ministry.

The minutes ticked by as Harry continued to sort through the pages of the book, coming to its end just over an hour later and tossing it aside with a small sigh. He gently slid his glasses away from his eyes, massaging his temples and wondering if his friends were faring any better than he. It had been a week since he last heard from Hermione on her progress, and she seemed to be in much the same situation as him. A plethora of information available on Grindelwald in any history book she could find, and no mention of Jared Graham.

Setting his glasses back in place, Harry reached over to the table, plucking the next book in line from the pile, when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Coming," Harry called out, jumping up from his seat and crossing the room. He pulled the door open slowly, surprised at who he found on the opposite side.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, confused.

"Nice to see you too, mate," Ron joked stepping past his friend and into the office.

"Have you spoken with McGonagall yet?" Mel asked, entering just behind Ron, skipping any pleasantries and looking pointedly at Harry.

"No," Harry replied, continuing quickly. "But I haven't seen the Baron for weeks…"

"Well then you've probably been missing him, he was out in the hall just a moment ago," Mel said quietly.

"Outside my office door again?" Harry asked, shaking his head in mild exasperation, and wishing he had even the slightest idea of what was causing the Slytherin ghost's behavior.

"Just moving through the corridor, actually," Ron spoke up from beside his friend. "But he might have just realized we were coming and started to leave before we got there."

"Will you please speak with McGonagall now?" Mel asked, not sounding argumentative or demanding, simply hopeful as she met Harry's gaze.

"Alright," he nodded after a moment, "I'll ask her if there's anything we can do…first thing in the morning."

"Are you sure you want to wait that long?" Mel asked.

"Mel, I've been in here for over an hour, reading…" Harry said, smirking lightly, "no one's been in here except me until the both of you arrived…and speaking of which, I'm guessing you didn't come here just to see if the Baron was hanging about outside my door…" he trailed off, looking back and forth between his friends, questioningly.

"Actually, Ron and I had the same idea earlier tonight," Mel spoke up.

"And what idea was that?"

"Well," Ron began, "after I finished at practice today, I went over to the library in London. I haven't had much chance to do any research on Jared or Victoria, so I figured tonight would be a good night. It's Hermione's late night at school, so I wouldn't need to be back for anything anyway. I'd been looking through the books she'd been bringing home with her every so often, but really I never found anything useful, so when I got to the library tonight, I had an idea. We want to know about Victoria's kids as well, right? Well there had to be some sort of documentation on their birth…and the library has that whole records department in the basement…so I went down there…and found Mel, already looking for the same thing."

"Did you find anything?" Harry asked quickly, suddenly very eager.

"Not very much," Mel said, a note of disappointment in her tone. "Not that I really expected to…they don't give out personal information at the public library, after all. But I did find out that Victoria had a son, and a daughter. In 1877 she gave birth to a son, Leto Graham…and then ten years later, in 1887, she had a daughter, Jessica Graham."

"Leto and Jessica," Harry repeated quietly. "Anything else?"

"Well," Ron began, "we found out Victoria died only seven months after Jessica was born…but nothing specific besides that…"

"Was there anything else on either of the children?" Harry asked quickly. "Maybe they had kids of their own…"

"I checked," Mel interrupted quietly. "But if it weren't for the birth records, there would be nothing to say Leto or Jessica ever existed. It's like they disappeared…I mean, even for Victoria it was easy to find that she attended Hogwarts…it gave no information beyond that, but a record of her attending school does exist. For her children though, there's nothing…"

Harry nodded faintly, before turning away from his friends with an inaudible sigh.

"At least we know a bit more than we did before," he said quietly, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses.

"True, but I have this feeling…" Mel began, "it's going to be much harder to find anything on Leto or Jessica than it will be to find even the smallest bit of information on Jared or Victoria…" she paused, waiting till Harry's eyes met hers before continuing, "We've been at this for three weeks now…don't you think it's time we ask him?"

Harry didn't reply right away, as he had been wondering that very same thing. Dumbledore, he was almost certain, would know anything they could possibly want to know about Jared or Victoria…and perhaps about their children as well. But still, he couldn't forget the darkness and guilt he'd seen in the head minister's eyes that night…and did not want to put the former headmaster through the pain of having to relive that memory, especially as from what he currently knew, neither Jared nor Victoria would be a threat to him or his friends…how could they be? He knew what he had to about Adrik and Lilith, and that was the important thing…the rest could wait, for now.

"No, not yet," Harry said at last. "Let's give it a few more weeks at least…wait until the holidays are over. If by then we still can't find anything…we can go to Dumbledore, and see if he'll tell us what he knows."

The next morning, as promised, Harry made his way to the headmistress' office bright and early. He told her what had been happening with the Baron, beginning with the very first incident, where he and Ron had heard Peeves trying to enter the office, and quickly explained what had happened the next few times as well.

McGonagall was none too pleased that Harry had waited this long to mention anything to her, and told him she'd be looking into it at once.

"We will need to have a closer look at your office…when is your last class today?

"I have a full day today, then an extra session after my last class…I won't be free until after dinner."

"Then that is when we will do it," Minerva said briskly. Harry thanked her once, apologizing for disturbing her, before leaving the office and heading down to breakfast. While Tuesday was his busiest day of the week, the classes passed quickly enough, and soon enough he found himself on his way back upstairs, where he found Minerva and Snape waiting for him.

"Did you speak with the Baron?" Harry asked as the three entered the office together.

"Of course we did," Snape replied curtly, obviously wanting to be anywhere but Harry's office at that moment. "Stupid of you to ignore his warnings, I must say."

"What warnings?" Harry asked, feeling the familiar anger that always seemed to rise within him in response to one of the potion master's comments. "He never said anything, I tried to ask him why he was there and he wouldn't answer…"

"Of course he wouldn't talk to you…" Snape spat, disgustedly.

"If the two of you are quite finished," Minerva cut in sharply, looking from Harry to Snape fiercely, as if daring one of them to continue the argument. "Good," she said stiffly after another moment. "Harry, from what the Baron could tell us he could sense a presence coming from behind your office door, but was unable to enter no matter what time of the day or night he would try."

"So whatever it is…it's always here?" Harry asked. "Why can he sense it, when no one else has noticed a thing?"

"That's what we're hoping to find out," Minerva replied quickly. "We're going to place a rather strong revealing charm over your office for now…if anyone or anything tries to conceal their presence, they should be unable to do so…the ghosts should be able to enter your office once again as well."

Harry nodded, and opened his mouth to ask another question, when Minerva brought her wand up quickly.

"Praesentia acclaro relegare."

At once, the tip of her wand began glowing a bright violet and Snape lifted his own wand, touching it to hers and repeating the words. The violet glow grew brighter, and both Snape and McGonagall turned to look at Harry. It took him half a minute to realize they were waiting for him to join them in performing the charm, and he quickly fumbled in his pockets, bringing out his wand and touching it to theirs.

"Praesentia acclaro relegare," he said slowly, making sure not to mispronounce anything.

"Now, spread it around, leave nothing untouched," McGonagall said quietly as both she and Snape broke off and started moving about the room. Harry saw the violet light at the tip of his wand was drizzling out onto the floor ever so slowly, and he immediately moved to the far corner of the room, realizing what Minerva had meant. He covered every inch of floor and furniture he came near, sometimes doubling back just to be sure he'd touched on everything in that part of the office. Nearly forty-five minutes had passed when finally the three met back in the center of the room again.

"Now, we wait…and see how well it works,' McGonagall said quietly. It seemed, to Harry though, that there was the slightest hint of confusion in her voice, and he wondered if the charm hadn't worked the way she'd expected it to.

But as the days continued to pass, Harry had no doubt in his mind the charm had worked, as Peeves made his first visit to his office one morning, effectively creating utter chaos in mere seconds. Harry was late to his class that morning, after spending just over twenty minutes reorganizing his papers for the day's lessons and then racing through the halls.

Finally, the last week of classes came to an end, and the winter holidays began. There was another trip to Hogsmeade, of course, but Harry decided to stay at the school this time. He wanted to make sure he was all packed, as this would be the first time ever that he would be spending a Christmas at home, and he couldn't help but feel excited.

After dinner was finished that evening, Harry headed back upstairs, doing yet another check through his quarters to make sure he hadn't forgotten to pack something, before heading to his office. But his mind just wasn't into the research tonight, and he couldn't concentrate. He knew that the little bit of information his friends had managed to find would be the extent of it…he would have to ask Dumbledore, there was really no other way to find out anything about Jared or Victoria at this point. However, he was not going to ruin the head minister's holiday…Christmas was far too close, and then there was Sirius and Marzia's wedding just a week after.

"Just a couple more weeks," he told himself as he cast a last glance around his office, before shutting the door silently and locking it. He slowly began walking towards the Gryffindor tower, as he did every night around the time the students usually went to bed, thinking not of the Lestranges, the Grahams, Voldemort or Grindelwald, as was so often the thoughts that filled his head lately. Instead, he could only think of the holidays, spending time with his family…his family. It was something he'd wanted his whole life, and now, he would finally have it.

Just as these thoughts were circling in his mind, however, a soft clicking sound reached his ears only seconds before he turned into the hallway with the portrait of the fat lady. The first thing Harry noticed upon turning the corner was someone in a dark cloak, who was definitely much taller than any student he knew, walking quickly, moving to the opposite end of the corridor from where he stood, and Harry realized at once what the sound had been. This person had just shut the portrait hole…he'd been in the common room.

Without a second thought, Harry broke into a run; wanting to catch this person he didn't recognize, find out how he'd gotten into the Gryffindor tower and why he was there. But the man heard the approaching footsteps and without so much as a half glance behind him, he set off as well, reaching the end of the corridor before Harry closed the gap between them even halfway.

Barely skidding to a stop as he hit the corner, Harry had no chance to possibly start to run again, when he felt something collide with his middle, effectively knocking the air out of him as his back slammed into the wall behind him and he slumped to the floor, coughing roughly while attempting to catch his breath.

"Potter?" he heard an irritated voice ask at once, "What did you think you were doing?" But Harry couldn't respond right away. He looked up through the haze that was his vision, and could make out the shape of someone standing a few feet away in the flickering candlelight of the hall.

"Trying to be funny, was that it?" the person continued, the voice growing more annoyed. "I don't appreciate your stupid little pranks…"

"It w-wasn't…a prank…" Harry stammered, still breathing somewhat heavily. The spell that had hit him had been incredibly forceful, but he pushed the pain down and gritted his teeth, as he went on. "What were you doing in the Gryffindor Tower, Troy?"

The redheaded professor seemed taken aback for a moment, before regaining his composure and continuing.

"What are you going on about Potter? I was simply walking down the hall, when you decided to attack me…"

"I don't recall using any magic on you," Harry interrupted, forcing his voice to remain even.

"I didn't see you clearly," Troy explained in an offhanded manner. "You ran at me without a word…I was defending myself."

"Fine, I apologize for running at you," Harry said flatly. "Now tell me what business you had being in the Gryffindor Tower so late at night when all the students are in bed."

"I already told you, I wasn't in the tower…"

"I don't believe you…I heard the portrait hole shut and saw you walking away…"

"Did you see me actually coming out of the portrait hole?" Troy cut in demandingly.

Harry clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes, finally feeling strong enough to stand again as he pushed himself up.

"No, I didn't," he replied, but continued quickly as the triumphant expression spread across Troy's face. "But you were the only person in the hall…if it wasn't you, who was it?"

"A student, obviously," Troy replied, rolling his eyes. "On his way to bed, I assume…"

"A Gryffindor student out in the halls after bedtime and you didn't jump at the chance to take points away?" Harry asked sardonically.

Troy's eyes narrowed dangerously for a fleeting second, before his expression suddenly changed, and he smirked at Harry, shrugging casually.

"It's Christmastime, consider it my gift to him," he said with mock sweetness.

"I can't tell you how much I don't believe you," Harry replied cynically. "And if you won't tell me why you were in the tower, I'm going to have to bring this matter up with the headmistress."

"Minerva, yes, wonderful idea. She has such fantastic ideals, you know. A full-on supporter of innocent until proven guilty, and let's face it Potter, you have no proof to back up your claim. You heard a noise, which you believed to be the entrance to the tower closing, but you never saw me once touch the portrait itself. You have nothing to go on. Now if you don't mind, I have better things to do."

With an arrogant smirk, Troy turned on his heel and stalked off up the corridor, leaving Harry no chance to reply. Watching for a long moment as the young transfiguration professor walked away, Harry turned slowly and started back towards the tower. He had to move gradually, not believing how badly his ribs still hurt as he used the wall to steady himself, and wondered what exactly Troy had hit him with. When at last he reached the portrait of the fat lady, he entered the common room silently.

Ascending the stairway he remembered so well, Harry went through every dorm, stopping in each bedroom to make sure all the students were sound asleep. Not once did he see anything that made it seem as though something had been tampered with in any of the rooms, and after just a short while, Harry was on his way back downstairs.

He glanced around the common room once more before stepping through the portrait hole and letting it shut behind him. The clicking noise sounded once more, the same noise he had heard several times a day during each year he'd been a student in this school…the noise he knew he heard just a short while ago. Looking up suddenly, Harry turned to face the fat lady as an idea struck him.

"I'm…I'm sorry to bother you, so late," he began as the terribly tired woman stared groggily back at him, stifling a gentle yawn. "But I have to ask you…was Professor Troy Ryan inside the tower at all tonight?"

"Yes professor," the fat lady replied with a sleepy nod. "He gave the password not long ago, and I allowed him to enter."

"That's proof enough for me," Harry muttered under his breath before looking at the fat lady once more. "Thank you," he said pleasantly. "Sleep well."

"Good night sir," she mumbled as her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell into a soft sleep at once.

When Harry woke the next morning he tracked down McGonagall as quickly as possible. Whatever Troy had been doing in the Gryffindor Tower the previous night, Harry was definitely a bit nervous over the fact that the Transfiguration professor had lied to him about it, and felt the only choice he had was to tell the headmistress what had happened.

Minerva agreed that it was definitely strange behavior, and would speak with Troy about it as soon as possible…but wouldn't have the chance until after the holidays. Troy was going home for the break as well, and had left very early that morning, not to return for two full weeks.

Feeling much better about leaving while the redheaded professor would not be there, Harry agreed to waiting to discuss the matter with Troy again until after the holidays. He wished Minerva a merry Christmas, promising to return a couple days following the wedding to make sure things were ready for classes to resume again, and set off through the halls.

Stopping briefly in his office, Harry made sure to grab the invitation he'd received a month earlier for the wedding, even though he knew he wouldn't truly need it, before heading downstairs. He made his way down to the main entrance where the students that were going home for the holidays were gathering, ready to take the carriages to where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them. Hadley was standing with a group of Slytherins, Harry noticed and a short distance away he spotted Devon, standing slightly apart from a group of first-year Gryffindors which included Ariele. He was glad they all had families to go home to.

Catching sight of a mop of bright red hair in the crowd, Harry found his way through to where Ginny stood with her friends. He knew he'd be seeing her several times over the break, but wanted to wish her a safe journey anyway, and waited outside with her until it was time for the students to be on their way. Harry watched the full carriages start on their way, before heading back inside to the place he had first arrived at Hogwarts in summer.

Filch had once again opened the secret grate near the entrance to the school, and Harry found his trunks and other belongings already lined up neatly against the wall. Several other professors were there as well, all looking happy to be going home for the break. Harry waited his turn patiently, thinking about the holidays. Going home to Sirius and Marzia was good enough on its own, but what was even better, was Mel would be spending the holiday with them as well. She had seemed hesitant to agree to this at first, but in the end, with Marzia's help, Harry had been able to persuade her. It would be much better than sitting alone in an empty house…and she'd already made it quite clear she would not be spending the time with her parents.

When at last the other instructors had gone, it was Harry's turn to use the floo grate. He wished Filch a merry Christmas as he and the caretaker moved his belongings into the large hearth, before stepping in himself.

Seconds later, Harry was pushing his trunks out into the living room he'd left only four months ago, feeling very glad to be home. He looked around the downstairs, finding it empty, but knew he'd arrived earlier than he'd said he would, so Sirius and Marzia simply hadn't been expecting him yet. They were probably out shopping or picking up dinner…or something of the sort, so it would give him some time to get his things upstairs.

The thought had barely crossed his mind, however, when a loud pop sounded just behind him and Harry looked over, startled to see Hermione standing in his living room.

"Herm," he began happily. "How are you? I only just arrived…what's wrong?" he asked suddenly seeing the distress etched in her features.

"Harry, I'm glad you're here…" she said, her eyes focusing on his, a look of disbelief and fear in them, "I didn't think you would be…I thought I'd have to leave a note and try to…"

"Well I'm here, you've found me…" Harry cut in, putting a gentle hand on her own, wondering what could be making Hermione so upset. She didn't sound herself. "Please…tell me what's wrong," he said, trying not to sound as uneasy as he suddenly felt.

"I…I have some bad news…" she said quietly.

The anxiety Harry was feeling only worsened upon hearing Hermione's statement, and he could see she looked quite shaken.

"C'mon," he said gently, leading her towards the couch. "Sit down…take your time," he said, when in all honesty he wanted her to tell him what was wrong that instant. He lowered them both onto the smaller of the sofas and waited a moment before speaking again. "What happened Hermione?" he asked softly, masking the eagerness in his voice.

"Professor Alcott…" she began hesitantly. "He's…he's dead, Harry…"

"What?" Harry asked, his voice a shocked whisper. "How? What Happened?"

"They think he was murdered," Hermione said quietly. "He was found early this morning…in his office. It looked like he never left from the night before…" she trailed off.

"Who's they?" Harry asked.

"The ministry," Hermione replied softly. "They were at the university this morning…I was…I was supposed to be meeting Professor Alcott in his office…and when I got there, a small crowd of students was gathered near the door…I tried to get through, but several ministers were guarding the door…"

"And they told you he was…that he'd died?" Harry asked.

"Well, I only found out because Percy happened to be there…no one was supposed to know anything…but I convinced him it was important, and he made me promise not to tell…but…Harry…I had to tell you…" she said, looking suddenly scared as she met his gaze with her wide eyes.

"It's alright Hermione, calm down," Harry said gently. "Do they how Alcott died?"

"Percy said it looked very much like someone used the killing curse on him," she began quietly. "But there was something else…and I don't think Percy knew what it meant…"

"What was it?" Harry asked slowly, not sure he wanted to know.

"There was a mark on Alcott's wrist…his right wrist…just below his thumb…" she trailed off as realization shown through in Harry's eyes.

"The mark of the cult?" he asked, hoping fervently that she would say it wasn't, but Hermione nodded miserably.

"He said it was a circle…with seven smaller ones inside of it…" she spoke quietly.

"But why?" Harry asked, feeling both angry and confused. "What would the Shadow Walkers want with Alcott?"

"I don't know…" Hermione said sadly. "I should've left it alone…I never should've pressured him…" she whispered, on the verge of tears.

"Hermione, no don't…it's not your fault…" Harry began, pulling his friend into a warm embrace.

"He was going to tell me something Harry…I know he was…" Hermione said shakily. "I was going to his office for a reason…he was going to tell me more about Jared and Victoria…"

"I thought he said he told us everything he knew," Harry said quietly.

"He said that back when we all spoke to him, I know," Hermione nodded faintly. "But he would see me in the library looking for information all the time…he knew what I was looking for…and finally last night, he told me to come to his office this morning, that he would tell me what I needed to know."

"It still doesn't make this your fault," Harry said gently. "He was going to tell you about Jared and Victoria…what does that have to do with the Shadow Walkers?"

"Maybe it has a lot to do with them," Hermione shrugged in defeat. "How would we know?"

Harry shook his head softly, opening his mouth to argue when Hermione rushed on quickly.

"Harry don't you see how dangerous this could be for you? We were just speaking with Professor Alcott a few weeks ago…you were just speaking with him…and now suddenly he turns up dead, with the mark of the cult that seems to want to kill you on his wrist…how can you not be scared or at least worried?" she asked, clearly fearful enough for the both of them.

"Hermione, I am worried…I want to know why Professor Alcott was killed, and I want to know who did it…but from what you've told me we can't be sure of anything yet. I mean, I had a mark on my wrist too, Adrik put it there…how do we know he didn't do this to Alcott just to make us think…"

"Yours disappeared after a few minutes Harry…Alcott's was still there when the ministry arrived."

"It still doesn't fit…we need to know more," Harry said quietly. "I'm sure the ministry will be questioning everyone…maybe one of the students will have seen someone near his office last night…"

Hermione looked at Harry for a long moment before opening her mouth to say something, but stopped and looked up abruptly, as someone apparated into the room.

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed happily as he spotted his godson upon arriving, his smile immediately faltering, however, as he saw the expressions on both Harry and Hermione's faces. "What is it? What happened?" he asked quickly.

Harry could barely even begin his reply when another pop sounded in the air, and Marzia appeared just a few feet behind Sirius. She too smiled upon seeing Harry and Hermione, but noticed immediately that something was wrong.

"What now?" she asked apprehensively stepping up beside Sirius.

"One of Hermione's professors was found dead in his office this morning," Harry explained.

"Hermione I'm so sorry," Marzia said gently. "Would you like a cup of tea? I can just…"

"That's not why I'm upset," Hermione cut in quietly, realizing Marzia had thought Harry was comforting her over the loss of a friend. She looked sideways at Harry, meeting his gaze for a brief moment, before continuing. "I think the Cult of Shadows is getting closer…they might know where Harry is."

"What? How?" Sirius exclaimed immediately, his voice clearly showing how worried he was.

"We don't know that for sure," Harry spoke up quickly. "We don't really know anything yet…"

"The mark of the cult was found on Professor Alcott's wrist," Hermione cut in, refusing to let Harry shove the matter aside. "It was the same as the one Adrik gave to Harry."

"We have to tell Albus immediately," Sirius stated at once, looking from his godson to the hearth as if he were ready to go that moment, "Has the ministry already been on the scene? We need to know what they found, if there were any traces that could…"

"Sirius, wait…" Harry began.

"Harry no, I will not wait this out until it's too late," Sirius shot back sternly.

"Sirius, it's alright," Marzia said in a placating tone, "just calm down for a mo-"

"How can you ask me to be calm, Marzia?" Sirius asked, spinning around and staring at his fiancé in disbelief. "You know more about the Shadow Walkers than any of us here…you should know…"

"That's right I know more about them," Marzia interrupted briskly. "And from the one piece of information I've just heard, I already think the Cult of Shadows has nothing to do with this."

"Did you hear what Hermione just said?" Sirius asked irritably. "The mark was on that professor's wrist, just like Harry's."

"And the cult doesn't leave the mark on its victims," Marzia said sharply. "They don't leave any trace at all. You don't find the people they dispose of for a good long while."

"Then why would the mark be on the professor's wrist?" Sirius asked stiffly. "It makes no sense for it to be there if the Shadow Walkers didn't give it to him."

"Well normally it wouldn't make sense for Harry to have one either, would it?" Marzia asked. "But the fact is he does have one, and I think it's more than likely that the mark on the professor's wrist is just another forgery."

"What for?" Sirius asked quickly, pausing a moment and collecting his thoughts before continuing. "Alright…let's say it is a forgery…let's even say it was Adrik who put it there…why? What would be the purpose of putting the mark of the cult on someone he killed? I would think it more than likely that he knows at least as much as you do about the cult, right? Wouldn't he know the cult doesn't leave the mark on its victims? Why bother putting it on a dead man?"

"I don't know," Marzia replied quickly. "I'm still trying to figure out what the Lestranges would want with a college professor in the first place…" she trailed off, looking down at Harry and Hermione, who had remained silent throughout the argument.

Harry and Hermione exchanged brief glances before turning to look up at Marzia.

"We needed to find out…" Harry began.

"Professor Alcott knew…" Hermione started as well. They both stopped abruptly, nodding to the other that they could go first, when the doorbell rang softly.

"That's probably Mel," Harry said, glancing at the clock as he stood.

"I'll get it," Sirius spoke up pointedly, obviously not wanting to take any chances. He crossed to the door and opened it slowly, one hand in his pocket surely holding his wand in the event he needed it, but Harry had been right. Mel stood on the opposite side holding a small, leather carry bag.

"Hello Sirius," she said pleasantly as he stepped to one side, allowing her to enter.

"Good to see you again Mel," he replied with a smile as he helped her off with her cloak, but she could tell something was wrong.

"What happened?" she asked apprehensively, glancing around the room as Harry crossed to where she stood.

"Come sit down," he said gently, giving her a quick kiss and taking her bag.

"Tell me what's wrong," she insisted as she moved towards the large sofa, lowering herself down with Harry and looking intently into his eyes.

"Professor Alcott…someone killed him," Harry said quietly.

"Who?" Mel asked in shock, paling noticeably.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Hermione said. "I thought it was the Shadow Walkers, but Marzia said it couldn't be."

"Why would you think the Shadow Walkers did it?" Mel asked, looking worriedly to Harry.

"Because their mark was on his wrist," Harry replied, before explaining quickly to Mel all that they knew up to this point.

"I'm still waiting to hear how it is you all seem to know this professor," Marzia spoke up when he'd finished, now seated on the opposite couch beside Sirius. "I understand Hermione knowing him…" she trailed off as Harry glanced over at her again.

"We were looking for information about the Lestranges," Harry began explaining, telling Sirius and Marzia everything about the research he and his friends had been doing, including the discussions with both Albus and Caleb.

"Maybe Adrik and Lilith found out that the professor told you all about them," Marzia suggested when he finished.

"How though?" Harry asked.

"The letter," Mel spoke up. "Harry the letter Hermione sent you, someone read it, remember?"

"But that letter never said anything about the professor or the Lestranges," Harry said quickly. "It was only to let us know where and when to meet that day…"

"Yes but just the same, it proves someone was in your office without you knowing," Mel went on. "Maybe they were there when we were…they would have overheard us talking about meeting with Professor Alcott."

"Mel there were four of us there, I think we would have seen it if someone else was in the office."

"Unless they didn't want you to see them," Sirius cut in evenly. "Harry I think Mel is right…someone overheard you…we need to tell Minerva, have your office checked for…"

"I already told her," Harry cut in quickly. "She, Snape and I performed a revealing charm on the office…no one can hide there now, I'd see them…the ghosts have been able to get in as well."

"They couldn't before?" Marzia asked.

Harry shook his head, going briefly through the few times he'd see the Bloody Baron in the hall, lingering.

"Why is this the first we're hearing of this?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Harry you can't just ignore…"

"Sirius please, I'm not trying to ignore anything," Harry said sincerely. "I searched the office every time, the only time anything was even the slightest bit out of place was when the letter was read…I never found anyone or anything that shouldn't be there."

"Why wouldn't you tell McGonagall anyway?" Sirius asked quietly, his eyes locked with his godson's.

"I don't know," Harry replied half-heartedly. "I didn't think I needed to…" he trailed off, dropping his gaze. He couldn't tell Sirius the truth. He couldn't say he didn't want to be treated like a child…like a fragile, weak person who couldn't take care of themselves. It would hurt and insult his godfather, and Harry wanted to do neither of those things.

"At least we know it's been taken care of for the time being," Marzia spoke up gently, seeing what Harry was feeling just by the look in his eyes. "Let's concentrate on Professor Alcott for now, we need to know why he was killed and who did it."

"Well then we have to talk with Dumbledore," Sirius said immediately. "We can explain to him that we know this is somehow related to Harry and find out anything they know…"

"I agree, Dumbledore would be the best person to ask…but let's wait until morning at least," Marzia said quickly, continuing on before Sirius could argue with her. "The ministry will need time to examine the scene…there's no use in going to Albus for answers that he might not have yet."

"Fine," Sirius said, nodding stiffly. "First thing in the morning then."

"Just how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve," Harry remarked, sighing inaudibly. Sirius looked towards him at once, seeming ready to start in again, to stress the importance of the situation, but Hermione stood up quickly, cutting off the argument before it could begin.

"I should get going then…Ron will be home soon. Should I meet you here tomorrow morning?"

"That would be fine, Hermione," Marzia nodded gently, as they all stood up. They briefly discussed what time they would meet, before Hermione wished them all a good evening, and disapparated.

"C'mon," Harry said quickly, taking Mel gently by the arm and lifting her bag. "I'll show you your room." He walked quickly past Sirius and Marzia, not wanting to discuss Professor Alcott any further with either of them and started upstairs.

"Sorry about all of this," he said quietly as he and Mel reached the upper landing. "I didn't want this to be the way we started out the holidays…"

"It's not your fault, don't worry," Mel smiled gently. "I just want you to be safe…I hope Dumbledore can tell us more about this."

"Don't worry about me," Harry said softly, opening the door to the room just before his and letting Mel step in first. "No one knows about this house…Dumbledore and Sirius made sure of that before I was even allowed to move in."

"But you're only going to be here for a little over a week," Mel said quietly, turning to face him as he closed the door. "What happens when you…"

"Mel, I'm not going to hide on the chance that something might happen," Harry said firmly, a soft edge to his tone. "That's no way to live…"

"But it's a way to stay alive," Mel interjected half-heartedly, seeing the determination in his eyes.

"The school is the safest place to be other than here," Harry continued. "Even if they know I'm there it will be no easy task getting in."

"Yes but it's not proving to be hard to get you out," Mel said quietly. "Someone got to Hadley…and you followed her outside…into the dark forest, by yourself, at night, telling no one where you'd gone…and not only that but you ran into Adrik while you were out there…so now he knows you would do this. All they would have to do is lure you out…knowing you'd take the bait…"

"But you're forgetting one thing," Harry said, the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips.

"And what's that?"

"I made it back, alive…Hadley too. I can take care of myself Mel, I wish you would see that."

"I do see that Harry," Mel whispered. "I just know that the Lestranges aren't like the death eaters you've faced in the past…and I wonder if any of us are ready for them…for whatever it is they're planning."

"We'll have to be," Harry said evenly. "We don't have any other choice."

The next morning, just after Ron and Hermione arrived, the small group set off at once for the ministry building, which was nearly empty due to the holidays. Dumbledore was just finishing a meeting with several other ministers as they arrived, and he allowed them into his office at once, sending away a very curious Mr. Thurston who seemed hesitant to leave the room.

They spoke for a short while about Professor Alcott, and what the ministers had been able to find in his office. As of the moment, there were no suspects, but they were no longer so sure the killing curse was used on him. The mark on Caleb's wrist was indeed the mark of the cult, but Dumbledore was in complete agreement with Marzia's feelings in that the Shadow Walkers' victims are never found so easily, and the mark is never left on them.

Throughout the conversation, however, Harry had the definite impression that someone had already spoken to the head minister about all of this, as he seemed to already know many things Harry hadn't told him yet. As the discussion came to a close, Dumbledore assured them he would do everything in his power to find out what had truly happened to Professor Alcott, but as they were getting up to leave, he asked Harry if he would stay a short while longer. Telling the others he would meet them back at the house, Harry once again lowered himself into his seat across from the head minister, waiting curiously, for what he was going to tell him.

Dumbledore looked for a long moment at Harry, the faintest of grins on his lips before he began to speak gently.

"Sirius and I spoke last night, he told me what you've been up to…"

"I knew somebody must've said something," Harry cut in, shaking his head in mild exasperation.

"Do not be upset with your godfather," Dumbledore smiled, a warm look in his eyes. "He is only concerned for you…"

"I'm not upset," Harry said a bit too quickly, stopping as Dumbledore gave him a knowing look. "Alright, a little, maybe…" he paused, searching for the right words. "It's just…he thinks I need a chaperone no matter where I go…"

"And you think he is treating you like a child," Dumbledore finished for him…it was not a question.

"Sometimes…yes," Harry nodded slowly.

"I understand," Dumbledore said quietly. "But I can't say I entirely disagree with him. I do not know what the Lestranges are plotting, just as I can't say why the Shadow Walkers are suddenly after you…but I am certain neither group wants to keep you alive…not for very long, at least."

Despite the fact that Harry knew what Dumbledore said to already be true, he couldn't help but shudder at hearing the words coming from the head minister.

"I didn't ask you to stay, however, to scare you," Dumbledore continued. "Until we know more about either the Lestranges or the cult, there is little that can be done. What I did want to speak with you about, is your discussion with Professor Alcott. Sirius said you wanted to know more about Jared and Victoria…"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you first," Harry said immediately, feeling guilty now for not bringing it up to the head minister sooner. "It just seemed like you wanted nothing to do with anything concerning them…and I didn't want to ask you to…to relive anything…unpleasant…" he stammered lightly.

"Regardless of what you think I may feel, please do not let that stop you in the future, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "If you believe it is important for you to obtain information that I possess, I'd prefer you ask me about it."

"I will…thank you sir," Harry nodded faintly.

"Good," he grinned lightly, "now tell me…did Professor Alcott answer all of your questions?"

"He answered a lot of them," Harry replied quickly. "He couldn't tell us much about Victoria's death though…and we didn't have a chance to ask about her children, though we know she had two of them…"

"I see," Dumbledore nodded. "Here is what we will do then…I want you to go home…enjoy your holiday…while I try to sort out what exactly happened with Professor Alcott over the next few days. We can set a time, after the wedding, of course, to meet again and discuss things then…hopefully with a few more answers."

When Harry returned home, he found his friends still waiting for him, and quickly told them that Dumbledore had agreed to answer any questions about Jared, Victoria and their children…he only wanted to wait to find out more about Caleb before they spoke.

The day went on, and that evening Harry, Mel, Sirius and Marzia had a quiet dinner together, it was the first time in Harry's life he was spending Christmas Eve in a place he truly considered a home.

As the hours passed, Sirius and Marzia headed off to bed at last, instinctively reminding Harry and Mel not to stay up too late as they ascended the stairs, leaving the two alone for the night.

They made their way into the den, where Harry led Mel over to the smaller of the two couches. He lowered himself into the corner of it and gently pulled her down with him, letting her lean back against his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck. She smelled wonderful…she always did…and he couldn't imagine anything better than this at the moment as they sat in silence, enjoying one another's company by the warm, crackling fire.

"I'm glad you came," he whispered gently into the stillness.

"I'm glad you asked me to," Mel replied contentedly. "I didn't much feel like spending the holidays with my parents."

"Still haven't talked with them?" Harry asked.

"Not really, no," Mel replied with the faintest of sighs. "They don't even understand why I'm upset with them…and I don't think I'm ready to explain it…I'd just end up saying something I'll probably regret later…"

"Then I'm glad you're waiting," Harry said quietly. "And when you do finally tell them, I hope they realize…"

"I'm sure they won't," Mel interrupted with a hollow laugh. "I know they won't…I just have to forgive them for it…before I talk to them…"

"I'm sorry Mel," Harry said, helplessly.

"Don't be," she replied with a soft grin, glancing up at him half backwards from where she was resting. "I know what my parents are like…I'm still not used to it, but maybe one day…" she trailed off, a far off look in her eyes for a brief moment.

"Were they upset that you wouldn't be coming home for the holidays?" Harry asked gently.

"A little," Mel nodded. "They wanted to know why…I told them I had been invited to spend the time with my boyfriend…"

"And?" Harry pressed curiously, when she didn't continue right away.

"And they immediately asked roughly ten million questions about you," Mel grinned. "They wanted to meet you…but I told them not yet…that things are very busy for you right now."

"Do they know…um…do they know who…?"

"Who you are?" Mel finished, reading the uneasiness his voice. "No, I didn't tell them your full name…which only aggravated them more."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the obvious pleasure in Mel's tone, but at the same time, he truly hoped she reconciled with her parents. He didn't know a great deal about them, but believed they loved her…and that they had loved Jack as well, even if they were two different kinds of love.

"Hey," Mel whispered suddenly, a definite hint of excitement in her tone as she glanced up at him again.

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously, gently pushing a few stray hairs across her forehead as her gaze fell away from his, to something across the room. Suddenly the large clock in the den began to chime.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," Mel smiled.

"Happy Christmas Mel," Harry whispered in reply, leaning over and kissing her softly, lingering for a long moment before pulling back as she sat up further and turned towards him fully.

"You know…it's always been a tradition, in my family at least, to open at least one present at midnight on Christmas…" she trailed off, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Well, far be it for me to break such a tradition," Harry joked, slipping his leg out from behind her and helping her up from the couch. They crossed the room to the rather large Christmas tree, trimmed with glittering ornaments, which stood several feet from the hearth. The pine scent hung thickly in the air as they sat down on the red tree skirt; the floor around them littered with carefully wrapped objects of a variety of shapes and sizes.

Mel was already gently shoving aside several of the gifts she had placed there the night before, before slipping out a thin, rectangular box and handing it over.

"You first," she grinned happily as he took the present from her grasp.

"Thank you," Harry smiled, carefully turning the box over in his hands and beginning to pull the paper away slowly.

"Oh you're taking all the fun out of it," Mel teased. "I find it much more enjoyable to rip the paper right off…what else are you going to use it for, right?" she laughed as Harry shook his head in amusement.

"More fun, ey?" he asked, feigning skepticism. "Well, I suppose you'd be the expert…as this is your tradition."

"Yes, this is but one of the many things of which I am an expert," Mel said, managing to sound completely serious.

"Ah," Harry said, rolling his eyes and sighing. "Well, in that case…" he trailed off, rubbing his hands together in preparation, before suddenly lunging forward and shedding the paper right off the box in just seconds.

"Not bad," Mel said as if sizing him up…"I'd give it a six on a scale of one to ten."

"You're too kind…" Harry laughed as he slipped the lid off the box, pushing aside a layer of tissue paper and peering inside, a large smile spreading across his face.

"You always say how you prefer not to wear robes…" Mel shrugged gently. "And you really seemed to like some of the clothes I was getting for Jack that day…"

"No you're exactly right," Harry said quickly, wanting her to know she didn't have to explain. "I love it," he said sincerely, pulling a dark blue sweatshirt out of the box. He was about to look up, when he realized there was more. Reaching in again, he found several T-shirts, another sweatshirt, two pairs of jeans, and a pair of sneakers. The box had to have been enchanted; as there was no way these items could have normally fit inside of it.

"Thank you," he said happily, smiling genuinely across at Mel before leaning over and kissing her once.

"I was going to get you something else…I know how you love quidditch…but I thought…"

"No, no, no," Harry cut in quickly. "I'd much rather this…I love it, thank you so much."

Mel simply smiled back at him, a soft blush touching her cheeks.

"Alright, now it's your turn," Harry said at once, carefully setting aside the box in his lap and turning to look through the pile of presents behind him. There was one in the far back, against the wall, and he plucked it up quickly, turning and holding it out to her.

"Thank you," Mel said softly, reaching up and taking the quaffle-sized box, before slowly ripping the paper away.

"Not going to tear it all off?" Harry asked, jokingly.

"No, I just wanted to see if I could get you to do it…too easy, I must say," she teased, smiling innocently as Harry feigned shock.

"That's it, give it back," he said, making as if to grab for the box.

"Too late, it's mine now," Mel laughed, holding the half-opened package to her and rolling to one side to escape Harry's reach. She quickly continued pulling the paper away from the box, popping the lid open to find an oval shaped piece of plastic pointing up at her. She glanced up at Harry, one eyebrow arched quizzically, but he merely shrugged in reply, a faint smirk on his lips.

Smiling in amusement, Mel lowered her gaze to the package again, and took hold of the plastic, before pulling it upward. But it didn't come right away, and it was clear to her at once that Harry had done the same as she; charmed the box so it would hold much more than it appeared to. In the end, she finally had to stand up, place the box on the floor and bend over, pulling back on the object, which was a bit heavier than she'd expected, but she gasped in happiness as she realized what it was.

"I was hoping you might teach me how to use it," Harry said, silently overjoyed at how happy Mel looked.

"Definitely," Mel said excitedly, carefully placing the gift down before dropping to her knees and hugging him fiercely. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said quickly, "I love it…and you're gonna love it too…snowboarding is by far my favorite winter sport."

"I know," Harry said gently, smiling as Mel turned her gaze once more on the sleek, silver and blue board. She reached out, running her fingers along the edge smoothly, before picking it up and flipping it over in her experienced grasp.

"So, was that everything?" Harry asked after a minute.

"What do you mean?" Mel replied curiously.

"Your box…is it empty?" Harry prompted, hiding a smile as Mel's questioning gaze fell once more to the opened package. She reached over, plucking it from its spot on the floor, and lowered herself once again into Harry's lap as she slipped her hand inside. Seconds later, she brought out another package, this one about half the size of the original, and she began to unwrap it carefully.

"Oh," she sighed as the paper fell to the ground. "Harry that's…it's beautiful," she whispered. "I love music boxes."

"Open it," Harry grinned, keeping his voice casual.

Mel nodded, taking a moment to examine the deep mahogany box. There were no outward markings on it, simply a clasp to flip open before the cover would spring. As her fingers slowly lifted the lid, a familiar tune immediately filled the air, and Harry beamed inwardly as he saw her eyes light up. Two small figures appeared in the center of the box, in a spotlight created by a miniature moon hovering just above them, they spun around merrily in step with the music, and Mel tore her gaze away after a long moment, smiling fiercely.

"The song…the song we danced to," she said, half laughing as she kissed him quickly, then again, thanking him in between each one.

"I'm glad you like it," he said happily when she finally turned to look back at the figures, still dancing to the endless music.

"I love it!" she said quickly. "It's perfect…how did you find it? Did it play this song already?"

"No, it was a muggle music box, actually," Harry grinned. "I had some work to do after I got it."

"Well I love it…it's gorgeous…it's just…" she trailed off, a different sort of curiosity dawning in her eyes. "A muggle music box…" she began, "and the snowboard…which you'd have to get at a muggle shop as well…Harry, you didn't leave the wizarding region for this, did you? You didn't risk the cult finding you…you know they can find you quicker if…"

"Mel, it's alright, calm down," Harry said gently. "I didn't go anywhere near any muggle shops…"

Harry grinned, seeing Mel's expectant expression, waiting to hear his explanation.

"Fred and George did me a favor," he began. "They made a few trips for me…I chose the gifts, and they went to the shops to pick them up…I never went into the muggle world, see?" he laughed gently.

"Sorry," Mel said, ducking her head. "I didn't mean to sound so abrupt with you…I was just…"

"You don't have to explain," Harry said quietly, pausing half a moment before adding, "Thank you."

Mel smiled faintly, relaxing into his arms once more, and he pulled her closer, simply enjoying her presence as they rested against one another. The shimmering lights of the Christmas tree twinkled above them as the fire continued to burn, and they sat this way for a long while, savoring the time together.

Harry didn't know how much time had passed, only glancing up at the clock as he felt Mel yawn into his chest, to see they had been sitting under the tree for nearly two hours.

"Ready for bed?" he asked quietly, feeling her nod tiredly in response. Moving carefully so as not to startle her, Harry gently lifted Mel away from him just enough so he could get his feet under him, before helping her to get her own footing as she blinked up at him, her eyes glazed over. He wouldn't have been surprised if she fell asleep right where she stood.

"C'mere," he laughed as she began to stagger unevenly towards the stairs. He carefully slipped one arm under her knees and another around her back, before easily lifting her off her feet. He smiled as she leant her head gratefully against his shoulder, and slowly ascended the stairs. When he finally reached the door to her room, he nudged it open with his foot, before stepping into the dark room, heading straight for the bed.

"This is becoming a tradition as well," he laughed, remembering the last time she'd stayed there he'd had to bring her up to her bed as she'd nearly fallen asleep on the couch. But Mel didn't reply, and was already breathing deeply, sleeping peacefully with a faint smile on her lips. Harry felt a swell of joy filling him, a kind that only Mel could stir up within him. He leant down, kissing the smooth skin on her forehead gently, not wanting to leave her side. He could be content all night just watching her sleep, and for a moment, considered doing just that…but the thought of the teasing he would receive the next day if he was found asleep on the floor beside her bed, despite making him laugh, decided it for him. He pulled the covers up, tucking them in around her shoulders and back, before slipping quietly across the room to the door, closing it softly behind him as he stepped through, and headed for his own room.

The next day was absolutely wonderful, and one of the very best Christmases Harry could remember having. He, Mel, Sirius and Marzia had spent a pleasant, relaxing morning together, exchanging gifts after a very filling breakfast, before taking the floo network to the Burrow, where they had been invited to spend the day.

Ron and Hermione were there as well, and were in the process of passing around their own presents when Harry and the others arrived. Exchanging gifts with the Weasleys turned out to be a very long ordeal, with Molly wanting to take a picture of everyone's face as each present was opened, and everyone complaining right back to her that they'd be there till next Christmas at the rate they were going.

Fred and George, as Harry realized later he should have expected, were of course prepared to test out new products on their unsuspecting victims and family members. But he didn't think anything of it when George dropped a brightly wrapped package into his lap. He thanked him, looking in amusement at the paper covering the gift…the colors all clashed and meshed, swirling and melting into one another…and onto his hands. Harry gasped in shock as the bright colors drained from the package and ran up his arms quickly while the twins began laughing from where they stood just a few feet away.

Hermione, who had been about to accept the gift George was handing her drew back immediately, gaping in surprise at Harry, who was looking more and more like the present he'd been holding with each passing second, until his skin matched the package perfectly, from head to toe.

"How long until this wears off?" Harry cringed as the sound of laughter filled his ears. Only Molly wasn't joining in, and was busy reprimanding both Fred and George, who of course, were paying little attention.

"How long does that one last again George? Two days was it?" Fred asked with an innocent smirk.

"Two? I thought it was at least four," George replied, feigning confusion, keeping a perfectly straight face as Harry failed to hide the apprehension he was feeling. The rainbow of colors in his cheeks almost seemed to fade a bit, as he grew pale from what he was hearing.

"Fred, George, you set him right this instant!" Molly's voice cut through sharply, but the full affect was lost in the laughter of just about everyone else in the room. Ginny and Arthur, for their part were trying not to show their amusement, but Sirius, Marzia, Ron, Hermione and Mel were all seeming to enjoy Harry's predicament.

"You're your own Christmas present there mate," Ron joked, patting Harry on the shoulder as he laughed.

"Awww how sweet," Mel teased, nudging into Harry from where she sat on the floor beside him. "Thank you for the lovely gift Fred and George."

"I don't know, his hair just doesn't look right with all those bright colors," Hermione said with a perfectly straight face.

"Oh, write that down," Fred said quickly, turning to his twin. "We need the dye to spread up to the hair with the next one."

"Dye?" Harry asked weakly as George conjured up a tiny notepad.

"Of course," Fred shrugged, looking over his brother's shoulder. "How else would we get the color to stay?"

"The green really brings out his eyes too," Marzia spoke up, a bemused grin on her face as Sirius nodded in agreement before adding his own comments.

"Maybe instead of having the same colors spread to his hair, you could make it different, so it would resemble the bow on a gift…"

"Brilliant!" George cried, looking up from his notes. "Good one Mr. Black."

"Guys, come on…change him back," Ginny spoke up softly, looking hopefully at her brothers.

"Oh Ginny hush," Fred began.

"Unless you both want to eat cold leftovers in the attic for Christmas dinner I suggest you do just that!" Molly said darkly, glaring at her sons now.

"Mum it's just a joke," George started.

"Yeah, we had to test it…"

"Well you didn't need to test it on poor Harry!"

"It's alright…Mrs. Weasley…" Harry began, not feeling entirely sure it was. He knew the twins were never ones to pass up the chance for pranks and practical jokes, but he wasn't entirely comfortable about being a test subject. What if they hadn't perfected whatever it was they were working on? He didn't think he could go through even a day of looking as he did right now…let alone many days. Just the thought of Snape seeing him like this made him shudder.

"Don't worry," Fred laughed, seeing the worry building in Harry's eyes. "You're not the first person we tested it on…"

"But we couldn't pass up the opportunity, of course," George continued.

"To show off our latest product."

"So how do I get rid of it?" Harry asked quickly.

"Here," Fred said, pulling a small vile out of his pocket and tossing it. "Drink that."

Harry caught it one-handed, looking suspiciously at the twins as he pulled the small cork out with his painted fingers.

"I'm not joking this time…it really will make the color go away," Fred laughed as Harry cautiously brought up the tiny vile, eyeing the silvery liquid for a brief moment, before downing it in one gulp. An immediate shiver ran through his body, and with the movement went the color, gone in half a second.

"What a neat way to unwrap a gift," Mel commented teasingly as Harry examined his now regular colored hands, a faint look of relief on his face.

"Now," George said, clapping his hands together and smiling broadly as he stepped up to the pile of gifts between he and his brother. "Who wants theirs next?"

The rest of the day went by without any further pranks, as Molly refused to let either of the twins out of her sight. By the time evening came around, however, even Harry was laughing about the stunt, and agreed he would very much enjoy seeing it again…to someone else, of course.

After a fabulous dinner, dessert, and a wonderful evening, Harry and the others finally said their goodbyes, wishing everyone a happy Christmas before heading home.

As the week went on, Harry and Mel spent as much time together as possible. She began teaching him how to snowboard on the hills around the house, and he surprised himself by picking up on it rather quickly.

"Well you already have great balance from playing quidditch," Mel told him after his second successful run. "So it only makes sense you'd be good at this too."

Sirius and Marzia were around less and less as the days went by, preparing for the big day…but no matter how often Harry or Mel offered to help, they always politely declined.

"We don't want to take the time out of your holiday," Sirius told them about midway into the week.

"And besides that, we've done so much of it on our own that by now it would only take longer if we had to explain what we've already set up to anyone," Marzia added, as she rushed through the room holding tightly to a rather large box.

So Harry and Mel agreed to leave Sirius and Marzia to their preparations, and continued to enjoy their time together.

They stopped by the ministry one day, as Harry had made sure to pick up a gift for Travis. It was a miniature quidditch play set, complete with two full teams, two sets of goal hoops, a quaffle, a bludger and the snitch. Travis' smile couldn't have been any bigger as he sat on the floor of the office, watching the tiny figures going at it, playing the match. As Harry started to stand, Travis jumped up as well, hugging him fiercely and thanking him for the present.

A short while later, as he and Mel were getting ready to leave, Harry once again promised Travis he would take him to the next quidditch match, truly looking forward to it. Dumbledore thanked Harry for the gift as well, and told them he would see them at the wedding.

"I wasn't sure you'd be able to come," Harry said, very glad to hear his former headmaster would be attending.

"I cannot stay very long," Dumbledore replied with a nod, "but I could never miss this. I was at James and Lily's wedding, and I will be at Sirius and Marzia's as well."

On Friday, they met up with Ron and Hermione, having dinner at a small restaurant just outside of Hogsmeade, before strolling through the small village just after. The Christmas lights that so many families had decorated their houses with were just spectacular, and Harry couldn't help but admire them as the group made their way down the small street.

He'd hardly ever gotten the chance to see the decorations on other houses when he was younger, and while attending Hogwarts he only saw what was inside the school, but now he was finally seeing what Christmas in the wizarding world looked like.

The lights weren't just adorning the windows and doorways, but seemed to be a part of each house themselves. Entire walls were flashing in succession, windows were sparkling like crystal, and mailboxes would pop open, letting out a deep laughter, which could only be compared to Santa Claus'. Displays of sleighs and reindeer weren't just positioned on rooftops, but flying high above and continuously landing on them. It was like nothing Harry had ever seen before, and he loved it completely.

The end of the week arrived at last, however, and Harry and Mel were alone in the house the night before the wedding. Sirius and Marzia were spending the night near the location where the wedding was to be held, making sure last minute preparations were taken care of. Harry and Mel would be arriving at the same time as everyone else the next morning, by way of their invitation, which was set as a portkey, and would leave at 10:04 am precisely. All the invitations sent out had been set that way as well, all departing within one minute of each other.

"Are you excited?" Mel asked quietly as the two snuggled on the couch in front of a warm fire.

"About the wedding?"

"No, about how it's supposed to snow tomorrow," Mel replied wryly. "Yes about the wedding."

"Yes," Harry replied simply, a soft smile touching his lips. "Sirius deserves this…and I know how much he loves Marzia…I'm really happy for them…"

"They both deserve it," Mel agreed after a moment, nodding faintly against his chest. "And I just know it's going to be beautiful."

The next morning, Harry changed into a sweater and pair of pants quickly, before rushing around his room, and tossing whatever he thought he should bring into an overnight bag. Sirius had told him that all guests were invited to stay the night, and Harry of course was not going to pass this up. However, as Mel pointed out to him while she watched him rushing blankly around the room from the doorway, it would have been much easier to pack the night before.

"Harry, stop…they'll get all wrinkled if you don't fold them right," Mel said exasperatedly, crossing to the bed, which was littered with many articles of clothing.

"Then I'll straighten them when we get there, c'mon Mel, we have to go…"

"Says the person who hasn't finished packing," Mel commented dryly as she quickly and neatly began folding Harry's dress robes. "For once I'm the one on time…"

"It would have been fine if I hadn't missed the alarm," Harry shrugged, glancing nervously at his watch as the time to leave grew closer.

"Or if you had taken my advice and…"

"Packed last night…I know, I know," Harry sighed; smiling at her as she quickly tied his bag shut and held it out to him.

"Are we ready now?" she asked.

"Well, we have the gift, dress clothes, overnight clothes…and Sirius said we wouldn't need any money, but I have some just in case…so yes, I'd say we're set."

"Where's the invitation?"

"Downstairs," Harry replied, glancing again at the time and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Let's get going, we've only got a few minutes left," he continued, starting for the door. He paused for a moment, giving Hedwig a gentle scratch under her left wing, before he and Mel left the room. She had her things downstairs already, and waited in the den as Harry grabbed the invitation from the kitchen nook.

Three minutes later, after a journey filled with swirling colors, Harry and Mel felt their feet touch the ground, to see what appeared to be forest surrounding them.

"Harry Potter and Melanie Tristen?" a gentleman standing in the small clearing with them spoke up. He was an older man, wearing black dress robes; holding a roll of parchment in one hand, and a quill in the other.

"Yes…that's us," Harry nodded.

"Follow the path, that way," the man nodded, pointing at a thin opening through the snow covered trees.

Nodding again, Harry and Mel set off down what turned to be a very short trail, into a much larger clearing. To the left was a long building, resembling a log cabin, but with doors all along it every few feet. It was L shaped from what Harry could see, and he figured this would probably be where anyone who chose to stay would be spending the night.

On their right was an expansive lake, stretching out further than Harry could see, and perfectly frozen in the chilly winter air. The softest flurries were falling from the sky at the moment, and the tree branches were covered in the sprinkling of fine powder.

"Look…back there," Mel whispered curiously, and Harry followed her gaze to see a small patch of green among the snow covered trees, but his view was obstructed in part by the cabin, and he couldn't make out anything beyond that.

"I'm sure we'll find out what it is soon enough," Harry grinned. "C'mon, let's go find out where we're staying first…then we can find out what Sirius and Marzia want us to do…"

The woman at the main desk in the cabin already had their names, just as the man in the forest did, and she asked how many rooms they needed. Harry told her two, preferably close to one another, and the woman obliged, giving them two sets of keys, for rooms just beside one another.

"This reminds me of a muggle motel," Harry commented as he and Mel walked along the rows of doors, looking for their room numbers.

"That's because it used to be one," a voice spoke up from behind them.

"Sirius," Harry and Mel said in unison, smiling as he came towards them.

"So you were able to make her get ready on time?" Sirius joked, nodding towards Mel and winking at his godson.

"Hey!" Mel cried out in mock insult. "I'll have you know he was the late one today…not me…I finally had to cut in and fold his clothes or we'd still be back at the house right now, waiting for him…"

"Why bother?" Sirius shrugged casually. "It's easy enough to get them all straightened out again."

"That's not the point," Mel muttered while Harry completely agreed with his godfather.

"Well I'll leave you two to get settled in…"

"Where should we come after that? Harry asked quickly.

"Yes, how can we help?" Mel added.

"By enjoying yourselves…have a good time," Sirius replied with a large grin. "Don't worry, everything's set…but actually…I should get going…still have to get ready…er…right…see you both later!…" he trailed off, looking around absently for a moment before heading off in the direction he'd come.

"He doesn't appear to be thinking straight," Harry remarked, laughing slightly.

"Well he's probably nervous," Mel replied, a knowing smirk on her face. "I mean…he's getting married…he's probably excited, scared, anxious…everything all at once."

"That doesn't sound pleasant," Harry remarked, skeptically.

"I think it sounds wonderful," Mel replied quickly, a soft glimmer in her eyes. "It's so romantic, really…after all this time they're still in love with each other…"

"Here we are," Harry cut in absently. "I've got 24A, and you're in B, right?" he asked, nodding at the next doorway down.

"Right," Mel nodded, pulling the key out of her pocket. "See you in a bit," she grinned. Harry nodded, unlocking the door in front of him, and stepping into the room.

"So, what shall we do?" Mel asked after she and Harry met back out in front of the rooms.

"Let's have a look around," Harry suggested. "See if we can find Ron and Hermione."

"Maybe they're staying with Ron's family," Mel said as they began walking down the path alongside the lodge. "They'll need a much bigger room than we got."

"I like our rooms," Harry said. "We don't need anything big for just one night…"

"No I agree," Mel said quickly. "But I'd still like to see what the other ones might look like."

"There you guys are!" a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. Harry and Mel both looked up to see Ron coming towards them.

"We were just coming to look for you," Mel grinned as they met each other halfway.

"Where are your rooms?" Ron asked, looking down across the way to where Harry pointed.

"24A and B," Harry said quickly. "Where're you?"

"About as far from you as it gets," Ron said, laughing gently. "C'mon, everyone's back this way."

The three began walking across the snow-covered grass to the opposite side of the cabin. They came to another small path lining the edge of the lodge and followed it around the corner, finally coming to a stop in front of a door marked 109. Ron opened the door quickly, leading Harry and Mel into an enormous den area.

"You found them," Ginny said cheerfully as she saw her brother and two friends enter.

"Hey Ginny," Harry smiled.

"Hello Professor," Ginny replied, to which Harry rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me take points away from you," he threatened jokingly.

"You wouldn't," Ginny replied, sticking her tongue out at him quickly, before turning her attention away and greeting Mel.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, stepping away from the girls and taking another glance around the room. The ceiling was much higher than the one in his room, the couch was longer, and there was a staircase leading upstairs, whereas his room had but one floor, with everything squished into it.

"Upstairs getting her clothes set out," Ron replied. "Doesn't want to have to rush later, she says. Though I can't understand for the life of me how she can take so long to get ready…"

"I know the feeling," Harry laughed, glancing at Mel to make sure she hadn't heard him before continuing. "What about everyone else…who actually came?"

"Well mum and dad are around…dad loves that this place used to belong to muggles…wants to see everything…" Ron paused, rolling his eyes. "Um, Fred and George went for a walk, I think…and that's it…Percy didn't come, he's going to be working at the New Year's celebration tonight."

"Right, I think that's why Dumbledore can't stay too long tonight," Harry nodded, turning as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hello Harry, Mel," she nodded pleasantly at them as she reached the landing and started towards them.

"Hey Hermione," Harry grinned.

"Now that we're all here…where to?" Mel asked.

"Let's go find Sirius and Marzia…see what they need help with," Hermione suggested.

"We tried that already," Harry grinned. "Sirius told us to go have fun…so we have about three hours before we really have to start getting ready…"

"Let's just have a look around then," Ron shrugged.

With no one having any better ideas for the moment, the five agreed that was the best option. They left the large cabin room and started off down the path. There were many people around, Harry was noticing now. Some seemed to be working, preparing for the ceremony and such, and other looked to be guests, but no one he recognized.

"I wonder how many of these people Sirius actually knows," Harry commented as they passed a couple just arriving at their room, looking questioningly at the key before seeming to realize how, exactly it worked.

"Maybe they're Marzia's family…or just friends…who knows," Mel suggested.

As they continued their walk, Harry told them about the small clearing he'd seen when he and Mel had arrived, where the trees looked green, and the five friends set off to try and find it. But anytime they made it close, they couldn't get in.

"Yes, I think that's definitely where the wedding is going to be held," Harry said as they came upon yet another invisible barrier. He could see people in front of him, rushing about taking care of preparations, but they paid the small group little attention, continuing with their work. There were tents set up in the distance as well, blocking any view they might have been able to get.

Eventually the day grew later, however, and soon enough the five friends had to split up, heading back to their rooms to get ready.

Harry knew Mel wouldn't be finished until long after him, and as such decided not to rush. He pulled his black dress robes out of the closet, which Mel had made him hang them up in earlier, and set them flat on the bed, before taking off his sneakers. Just as he pushed them against the wall, however, there was a soft knock at his door.

Standing up and scuffing across the room in his socks, Harry opened the door to find his godfather on the opposite side.

"Sirius," he smiled. "Decided you needed help with something after all?"

"Not exactly," Sirius said as Harry stepped aside allowing him into the small room. "But I did mean to ask you something…and in all that I had to get done today I kept forgetting to do it…"

"Oh…well what is it then?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well…Marzia and I…we're not having a traditional ceremony in the sense of having bridesmaids and ushers and such…but I still needed someone to…to um…hold the rings…and I was hoping you might want to…"

"Sirius, thank you…I'd be honored," Harry smiled broadly, to which his godfather seemed to swell with relief and happiness.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, reaching a hand into his robes and pulling out a small box. He opened it carefully, and held it towards his godson. Harry gently lifted the two delicate gold bands out of the box, seeing immediately they had an intricate pattern weaved along their edges. The gold in the crevices seemed almost to be moving if you held it at just the right angle.

"Now I really have to go," Sirius said, turning abruptly and heading for the door. "I'll make sure they have you standing near the front and…"

"Are these all your friends?" Harry cut in quickly. "I've seen so many people I don't recognize…"

"Hmmm? Oh, well some of them are old friends, yes…but more of them are Marzia's then mine. I don't have quite so many after my…absence…" he trailed off, averting his eyes.

"Well, you have us," Harry said reassuringly, wishing he hadn't said anything. This was Sirius' day to be happy…he didn't need bad memories bringing him down. "Mel and I…and the Weasleys, Hermione…Dumbledore promised to come as well…"

"Yes, he did," Sirius nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Minerva will be here for a short while as well."

"See? Plenty of people here for you," Harry smiled, before adding, "You deserve this Sirius…you really do."

For a brief moment a comfortable silence settled over the room, and the two simply looked at one another, but Harry could see the gratefulness in his godfather's eyes, and opened his arms as the older man moved to embrace him. The two hugged tightly for a long moment, until Sirius slowly pulled back.

"I really do have to go now," he said with a small laugh. "Marzia will have my head if I'm late…"

"You know, I believe that," Harry laughed with him. "Go on, I'll see you in a bit."

Sirius nodded, emotion still filling his eyes, as he turned and quickly left the room, leaving Harry to finish getting ready.