Hogsmeade, September 28, 1995

Ella looked around the Shrieking Shack. It truly was a mess. But it was the safest way for her to get to Hogsmeade without being noticed. It was Saturday, and she was using the whole day as Lady Mora. It was early in the morning, but St. Mungo's would be open, so that was her first stop. She transformed quickly, her black hair turning red. Without pausing, she turned and apparated on the spot.

She quickly walked up to the doors as soon as she landed. She could waste no time today. Luckily, the receptionist gave her no trouble. In fact, the pretty little blonde was delighted someone had come to visit the Longbottom's. Ella smiled at her joy, and was quickly on her way.

She made her way to the fourth floor, mentally calming herself. She hadn't healed in years, but she was certain she could do this. Without any further delay, she walked into the Longbottom's room. It was sparsely furnished, and both man and woman lay on their beds, unmoving.

If anyone had been passing by, they would have seen a richly dressed witch raise her hands, lower them, then walk out of the room. But appearances can be deceiving.

Ella did raise her hands, and time stopped around her and the two prone figures on the bed. Carefully, she approached Alice first. Gently, she laid a hand on the woman's forehead and on her pulse. Instantly, the woman's eyes opened wide, in panic. Before she could do much else, Ella had dived into her mind.

It was a mess. Memories faded in and out in less than a second, disjointed, unclear. Random thoughts spurted across, only to be replaced by blackness. Over and over, this cycle continued. Ella nearly got sucked in before she remembered her task. She grabbed onto a flashing memory and held on tight. Then she reached for another, then another. Slowly, painstakingly, Ella began to weave the memories together again. Often, she would follow one connection only to realize there was no connection, and had to start a different route. After what was really many hours, she had finally completed that task. Now, for the next. The random thoughts had become semi organized, but now she had to make them make sense. Alice was a very task oriented person, so Ella kept that in mind as she began to teach Alice's brain how to think again. That also took several hours. Ella was glad she had the power to do this, but she was going to be rather tired for the next few days.

Next was the woman's body. The nerves had nearly exploded from the constant strain of the Cruciatus. Ella came out of the woman's head, and rested a moment. Alice was breathing evenly, for the first time in many years enjoying a true sleep. If she happened to wake up now, her mind would work perfectly, but her body would not. That was why Ella kept her asleep.

Ella started running her hands down every part of Alice's body she could reach. She searched with her magic, feeling how extensive the damage was. Slowly, nerve by nerve, she put back together what the curse had destroyed. That alone took her nearly an entire day.

Finally, Alice was done. Not even Merlin himself had the knowledge or the power to do what Ella just did. Ella knew that, in the back of her mind. But it wasn't enough. She still had one more patient. St. Mungo would be proud of her, just as he was when he taught her how to heal body, soul, and mind. Luckily, she only had to heal two out of the three today.

Ella drank some water she had conjured, and looked at her next patient. It never even occurred to her to try another day, that she might not have that much power left. Completely without hesitation and without regard to her own health, she started working on Frank.

He was far more difficult than his wife had been. Ella suspected Frank bore much of the torture because he was an old pureblood turned blood traitor, and he was trying to protect his wife and son. His mind was stubborn, fighting her at every turn. It liked what it had become, and it saw no reason to change. But Ella was practically a force of nature herself, and with much struggle, she healed Frank's mind. As she wiped away the sweat from her eyes, Ella realized he had taken over three times longer than his wife had. She had been in this Time Stop for nearly three days, and she still wasn't done.

With a sigh, she began restoring Frank's nerves as well. His were worse than his wife's again, so that took her another two days of constant work. It was really only through sheer stubbornness that Ella had the strength to finish. Finally she was done. She looked at her completed work with tired pride. Their son would have parents again, and another part of the Plan was complete.

Slowly, she lowered her arms and Time passed again. Slowly, for she had used nearly everything, Ella made her way out of St. Mungo's. The Welcome Witch eyed her oddly, but let her pass. But Ella's foray into the hospital did not go unnoticed. Peter Pettigrew, hidden in rat form, had been spying for his Master. He was to see if one of their victims was to survive. But Peter recognized this witch, and was nearly startled out of rat form. She was back? It made the man curious enough to follow her.

Ella headed straight for her townhouse, tired enough to not see a rat try to come in with her and be rejected forcefully by her wards. She went to her bedroom, ignoring Mimsy's soft cry at how awful she looked. Ella had never drained her magic this badly. And only sleep was going to mend her. So she dredged up some of the last of her power to slow time around her, and fell into a deep sleep.

She slept for over a week, and woke up rather refreshed. She felt her power rumbling in her veins, and grinned.

"Well, that was a bit of a close one." She told herself in a mirror. She winked at her reflection and cast some refreshing charms on her and her clothes. After she looked as good as she felt, she lowered the time restriction around her bedroom and stepped out. Mimsy was standing right there, glaring at her. In accompaniment was Circe and Percy. They all had fierce glares, but only Circe didn't settle for just a glare. She leaped up at her foolish human, intending to teach the stupid one a lesson. But Ella caught the kitten and laughed.

"Silly Circe. What has all of you riled up?" Mimsy just kept glaring while Percy spoke up.

"You somehow nearly drained all your magic. It was so bad, I could feel it trying to draw on mine to keep you alive. I would think someone as powerful as you wouldn't be so… so…" Percy paused, clearly unwilling to insult his employer. But he soon overcame that with a resounding, "Stupid?!"

Ella paused in her walk to the kitchen. "I was really that bad?" Her question was sincere.

Percy nodded solemnly. Ella bit her lip. "I'm sorry, my friends. I didn't mean to make you worry. In fact, what I meant to do was fix a great wrong in this world. And I did. It was one of many major accomplishments we will do in this war."

Percy merely raised his eyebrows. He couldn't believe anything was worth his Boss Lady (as he thought of her privately) nearly dying.

"Don't give me that look, Percy Weasley." He snapped his face into his neutral political one immediately. Jeesh, she sounded like his mum. "My life is not worth nearly as much as you think."

Ella quietly got a glass of water for herself. Mimsy had hopped up on the counter, Circe was twined around Ella's neck, and Percy had sat himself at the bar.

His eyes narrowed at the woman in front of him. He hated it when she used Legilimency on him. And he was pretty sure her life was worth far more than she thought it was.

"I have had to be rather cold and heartless many times. Always more than I'd like." She murmured softly. Percy pretended not to hear her.

"Well?" he asked pointedly. Ella sighed and took another sip.

"Well, what?" She mocked him over her glass.

He grit his teeth. Though she was quite a few years older than him, sometimes he felt like she was younger.

"Well, why did you nearly kill yourself?" He replied.

"How long was I asleep?" Ella nearly laughed at the look on Percy's face when she answered with a question. He looked like he had eaten a lemon.

"A few hours. It's ten in the morning, now." Percy finally answered, after counting to ten.

Ella nonchalantly shrugged. "I healed the Longbottoms."

There was a dead silence for nearly a minute. Percy cracked first.

"You- you're serious!" He spluttered. Ella nodded.

After nearly ten more minutes of fielding questions, she finally got Percy settled down enough to start going over her day with her. Mimsy was satisfied that her mistress had risked her life to save others. It was realms above what her old mistress would have done. The pretty little house elf hummed as she got breakfast together for her Mistress. The Mistress would be hungry after all that.

"First, you have brunch with several of the pureblood Ladies. I managed to get a good mix of Voldmort sympathizers, indifferent, and very against Voldemort. As you asked. Next is several visits to some of the older pureblood houses. They have been forewarned of your coming, as protocol dictates. Then tea with all of your 'friends'." Percy smirked, knowing the eclectic group his Boss lady called friends. This would be the first time they would all meet each other face to face. Well, nearly all of them.

"Thank you, Percy. As always, have your link open to mine so you can takes notes throughout the day." She looked at Percy rather fondly. He really was the best person for the job. No other sane person's eyes would be shining at the chance to take notes all day. Except maybe Granger. But Ella had different plans for that certain witch.

"You do rather well, I must say." Percy's cheeks began to redden, as they always did when she paid him a compliment. "I'm glad the Minister gives you weekends off." Percy nodded and mumbled his thanks.

"Now!" She clapped her hands, rather enthusiastic about this day. "Places, everyone!"

oooOooo

Many hours later, she was rather the opposite of enthusiastic. She could feel Percy's growing mirth at her irritation. Blasted old school mindless sheep. Can't any of them think beyond what they've been spoonfed?

She was sitting at yet another rich spread as her hosts simpered at her. This one was the Greengrass table. While she rather liked the daughters, the parents left much to be desired. Lady Greengrass had no opinions of her own, and Lord Greengrass only had the opinions of others. But that was what most of the gentry was like.

Though she felt like she had gotten nowhere today, she was actually leaps and bounds ahead of where she had been. The wizarding community just didn't make up their mind very quickly about anything, and were very apprehensive of change.

Lunch and the house visits were all successes, Ella admitted, though it left her with a rather nasty headache. She had persuaded a few more seats of the Wizengamot to agree with her on several issues. Percy had been working on secretly gathering more support of the poorer seats with a rather large amount of her galleons.

She had about an hour before tea, and she was going to use it to go rat catching. She had noticed the furry little rodent following her about town, and had decided to do something about it. This wasn't in the Plan, but Ella was used to making swift decisions to add to it. So far, she hadn't gone even a bit wrong.

So she lured the rat into an empty building and immediately warded it. No one could get in or out. The rat felt the wards go up, and immediately scurried to get away. He found out the hard way that Ella's wards always had a bit of a bite. It was enough to shock him out of Animagus form.

"Peter, Peter, Peter. I'm shocked. Really, I am." Peter doubted that, if only by her tone of voice.

"How did you know it was me?" He managed to squeak out, sneakily going for his wand. But not hardly enough. Peter watched helplessly as his wand soared into the red-haired witch's hand.

"Easy." Ella intoned. "I looked for a traitor with one finger missing. You are fairly obvious, Peter." She watched as he squirmed. He wasn't used to people using his first name anymore. It was always Wormtail now.

"You- you won't get away with this!" He squeaked. "The Dark Lord will come after you!" He scrambled away from her on his hands and feet. Ella finally felt a trickle of sympathy for the creature in front of her.

"Peter, do you really believe that?" She asked softly. Her tone of voice confused him.

"Of c-course!" He tried to shout, but the lie caught in his throat. He hadn't believed that for a while now.

"The Dark Lord does not care whether you die or not. He only cares that you might give away important information." Ella still spoke softly, like trying to calm a wild animal.

She might as well have been. Peter's eyes shifted constantly, looking for a way out. They were nearly feral, after spending so much time in his Animagus form.

"You're lying!" He shouted as he lunged at her. She merely blinked, and he was suspended in midair. His eyes roved frantically, trying to figure out how he ended up in that situation.

"No, I'm not." She approached him slowly, still speaking softly. "And you know it." She gently lowered him to the ground, and knelt in front of him. He still couldn't do anything but speak.

She conjured a bowl, some water, soap, and a cloth. "I know why you joined him, Peter." Ella began to carefully wash Peter's face. He tried biting her, but she merely raised an eyebrow. For some reason, Peter immediately felt shame and let her clean him. He hadn't washed properly in years. The life of a rat was hard.

"You wanted acceptance, true acceptance. You never felt like James and Sirius really saw you as a friend, and you're right." A tear rolled down his much cleaner face. "And Remus was too worried about his own life to care much for yours." Another tear. "I know, Peter. I saw it. But nothing I could have said or done would have changed that. But I never treated you badly."

Peter knew she was right. While the Ella he had known had never hung out alone with him, or showed a special interest, she had treated him the same as she had treated the other three. And while to others that might not have meant much, to him that meant she thought he was equal to the other three.

"I want to give you a way out." With those words, hope flooded Peter's life again. He had been wanting to get out long before this, but never could. The Dark Lord had a permanent leash on him, and could inflict a lot of pain if he left.

"It will be hard." She warned, but it was too late. He had a taste of freedom, and he was never letting go.

"Peter, listen to me!" She snapped. He quickly paid attention to her again. "You will be my spy, relaying all you can about the Dark Lord's plans. I will mark you, give you protection. In the Final Battle, you will turn and fight with me. I will not give you amnesty for the crimes you have already committed." She could already see the hope fading from his eyes. Would he be too much the coward again? Even if it would save him?

"But-" Again, hope lit him light a Christmas tree. She rolled her eyes. Of course he had been a Gryffindor. He wore his heart on his sleeve. "After the war ends, I will try to change how the wizarding world does punishment. I cannot give any promises, but I already have some support in the Wizengamot. It will not be nearly as bad as Azkaban. If you refuse, I will Obliviate you and hand you over to the authorities." That was the most she could give him. For a few long minutes, she thought it wouldn't be enough. But really, he would receive the Kiss if she handed him over now. At least with her, he had a possibility of a better future. Rather naturally, his cunning side won over his cowardice and he nodded. He would agree to her terms.

She smiled at him. "Good. Now for the mark. Mimsy, Percy!" She called, ignoring the panic on Peter's face. His only experience with mark taking was very painful. Her elf popped in immediately with Percy in tow and bowed.

"Percy will oversee the Vow. Are you ready?" At Peter's nod, she released him. Thankfully, he did not try to get away. Instead, he trembled his way over to where she stood. "Good. Now this will only hurt a little."

oooOooo

Peter made his way back to his former Master. He liked Bella, though he would call her Lady Mora from now on. That was far more than what he could say for the red-eyed man waiting for him. Bella had given him some information to give to the Dark Lord so he wouldn't be punished when he got back. He stared at the now faded clock on his right arm. She had assured him for nearly fifteen minutes that even the Dark Lord wouldn't be able to see the mark. Only others who had one.

It hadn't hurt as much as he thought it would. But the Vow- He shuddered. The Vow was completely and utterly binding. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't betray Lady Mora. He would literally die first. But he was certain he would be safe, at least until the Final Battle. The Dark Lord thought him loyal to the end, mostly because he thought Peter was daft. Peter shook his head. He wasn't stupid! He wasn't! And Lady Mora already knew that! She knew each of his greatest strengths, and she wanted him to use them! It was more than he could have hoped for. Sure, there were risks, but not as much as his future had held before.

He would provide Lady Mora with information, in exchange for eventual freedom. It was more than his former Master would promise.

oooOooo

Ella smiled at the group of people around her. They were all looking at each other curiously. They did not realize they all had the same friend and ally.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both present. They had brought their two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie, with them. Kingsley Shackelbolt and Amelia Bones sat next to each other, warily looking around the room. Rita Skeeter, to everyone's surprise, was also there. The only way Ella let her in was after Rita swore a magical oath to her that she wouldn't write about anything Ella didn't want her to. Fortunately for Rita, there was far more Ella wanted to come out than otherwise.

Lady Longbottom was also there, as well several other widowed ladies. Tonks was also present, she had brought along a few of her younger Auror friends, all dedicated to the cause. All in all, Ella was happy with the turnout.

"Thank you for coming." Lady Mora stood up, a kind smile on her face. All the chatter died down. "All of you have lost someone, one way or another, to a Dark Lord. And all of you are willing to risk your life to make sure we lose no more."

Nods came from all around the room. No one was shouting agreement, but the fire in their eyes was enough for Lady Mora.

"All of you have equally important roles to play in the next few years. All of you will be involved in recruiting, in persuading people that doing nothing will result in their downfall eventually. Some of you are in positions of leadership, where you will begin to quietly start passing new laws. They will not do much on their own, but together, they will pave the way for peace and prosperity. Others of you are in law enforcement."

She glanced at all the young Aurors. There were five, all together. "Be careful in what laws you strictly enforce. Things like Underage Magic may not matter so much to us now. Others of you have seats on the Wizengamot, or have grandsons that will eventually fill their seats. Raise them to think for themselves, instead of blindly following the crowd. For when things get hard, as they always do, other's opinions don't matter anymore. Fill the other seat holders with whispers. Make people wonder if Voldemort is really back." She stared at each face before her.

"Let us prove to the rest of the world that Great Britain will not back down from a madman and his lackeys. Let us show our neighbors that ordinary people doing ordinary acts of bravery will win us this war. We are far stronger than Voldemort and his followers, and we far outnumber them. They reign with terror, but we fight back with bravery, intelligence, loyalty, and cunning. All are valued, and all are needed. Each of you is necessary, but more than that, you are all my friends. I would hate to lose any of you. So be careful. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Choose our allies carefully. We will all meet once a month, but I may meet with some of you more than that. Please, feel free to mingle and get to know each other better. I will speak to some of you separately. And please, enjoy!" With that, Lady Mora smiled and sat back down.

As she turned to Lady Longbottom, she heard Percy whisper through the link. "Inspiring speech, Boss Lady." And then he was silent. She smiled to herself as she chatted about Neville and his love of herbology. Percy was going to make a great Minister of Magic someday, but for now he was hers. She had decided to keep him under the radar for now. There was no need to alert the Minister that his assistant had more loyalties than just to the Ministry.

"I agree with you, Augusta. Neville would make a fine professor some day. And I believe that with the right kind of encouragement, he will be more than everyone thought possible." Lady Mora spoke the words with conviction, and the older woman was pleased. She also got a glint in her eyes.

"Yes, Lady Mora. With the right kind of instruction, my Neville would do rather well. In fact, most of his year would flourish under the right guidance. Many of them are very bright and powerful." By now, most of the company was listening to the older woman. Especially the Weasleys.

"I only wish that there was some way to train them, if their guardians wished it. We all know a war is coming, and Dumbledore lacks the conviction to train them in the right way for war. None of us were particularly prepared, either." Heads were nodding everywhere.

Tonks chimed in. "Yeah! A lot of what we learned in the beginning of training should be available to everyone. It's just common sense." Her fellow Aurors were nodding also.

Augusta spoke again, her eyes gleaming. "If only we knew someone who had various connections to people that would get our children trained properly? Even if it is only for the holidays." Many eyes turned to Lady Mora at this point. She had seen where Lady Longbottom was going when she first started speaking, and had made no move to stop her. It was a good idea, and she had thought of it. But she hadn't been sure of the parent's reactions. Now she was sure, and she was already drawing up plans.

"Your cunning and intelligence are beneficial to all, it would seem." Lady Mora said dryly to the older woman. Augusta smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Very well. I will help. But I do not believe it will come in the way you are expecting. Now, I do not have much time, and I will need help. If you would like to offer your services, stay behind afterwards."

Her acquiescence led to cheers. If there was one thing all could agree on, it was the protection and the safety of children. She smiled with them, but this would mean many hours locked away in her trunk. She had to get everything right.

Afterward, most of the group stayed behind. Amelia Bones, Kingsley, the Weasleys, Tonks, and Lady Longbottom all stayed behind. Though, it seemed Amelia could only stay for a few minutes.

"As the Head of the DMLE, I don't have much time to spare, Lady Mora. But I will loosen Shackelbolt's time up so he can help. Please, count that as my effort." Madame Bones bowed slightly, and hurried off.

Lady Mora looked at the rest of the small group before her. Ideas were forming as she thought.

"Very good." She murmured. They stood silent before her, trusting her judgement. "Charlie, Kingsley, and Tonks. You three will be in charge of battle training. Coordinate with each other to come up with the best method. I may be adding my input here and there. I will inform you of where and when you are needed. Your efforts will make up most of the training." All three stood taller, proud that their talent and training could be used.

"Molly, you will also be coordinating a bit with them, but I have something a bit different in mind for you." Molly Weasley just raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. "I've seen you fight before. Your brothers taught you well. You are unpredictable and powerful. All your enemies underestimate you, and by design, I believe. You use spells long forgotten, spells that will do our young well. Teach the children how to be underestimated, how to be unpredictable. A large part of this is a branch of Occulmency you have learned. I wish you to teach that as well. You will begin by yourself, eventually teaching with the Battle Trainers. Show them how to incorporate your methods in a battle." Molly nodded, smiling grimly. Ella had no doubt she would teach the younger ones well.

"Bill, you have much talent for curse breaking and warding. You are also in good relations with the goblins. Teach your talents to those who have an aptitude, and teach the ways of the warrior goblins to all. You will also begin teaching by yourself, eventually merging with the other Battle Trainers." Bill nodded solemnly.

"Arthur, you have a good background with Muggles. You need to learn more. You will not begin teaching right away, because you will be learning yourself. Voldemort and most Death Eaters do not even begin to understand Muggles and their inventions. Knowledge of their way of life will be useful for all children, if they have to hide among them or find a way to outsmart the Death Eaters. You will also be teaching them the ways of the Ministry, the real ways. Knowledge is power, and they need all the power they can get." Arthur Weasley put an arm around his wife and nodded.

"And finally, Lady Longbottom-" Ella was cut off by the Lady herself.

"I know, I know. Teach them the old ways, and about Wizengamot seats. Let them make their own decisions. Excellent, Lady Mora. I knew we could trust you." Lady Longbottom huffed as she stood up from her chair. "Now, if you excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

Ella watched the older woman leave, bemused. That seemed to be the signal for everyone to leave. One by one, they silently filed out. Finally, it was just Ella sitting in her tea room. Percy wandered in a couple minutes after his parents had left. He was whistling.

"I think that went rather well, don't you?" He said jauntily, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Ella sighed, and sipped her long cold tea. "Yes, I suppose. But the children will grow up far too fast for my liking." Her eyes hardened. "But unlike Albus Dumbledore, that is a price I am willing to pay. Many of them are already old beyond their years, anyway."

Ella looked at Percy. He was looking at the places his family had sat. "I'm sorry Percy. It is not my wish that you remain apart from them."

He looked at her, and tried to smile. "No, I understand. Really. Secrecy is more important. Besides, that time will come soon enough." This time he really did smile.

"Yes." She answered his smile with one of her own. "Yes it will."

oooOooo

Later that night, she sat next to Tracy and Astoria at dinner. They were arguing about something or other, Ella wasn't really paying attention. Her concentration was focused on the Gryffindor table, though none of her tablemates would have been able to tell. Soon, her concentration paid off.

A single brown owl flew into the Great Hall, landing right in front of Neville. Ella watched as the boy's eyes widened, as his hand shook when he opened the letter. She glanced away with a secret smile. She knew what was in that letter.

oooOooo

Harry wasn't an idiot. He knew that Sinclair girl was watching his table. He wasn't as convinced as Hermione of her offer of friendship. He had never known a Slytherin to offer friendship without a reason, usually one that benefitted them. He was just waiting to see what reason Ella Sinclair had for befriending him.

Before long, a brown owl swooped in front of Neville. Harry frowned. Owls at dinner were a rare sight. It usually only happened in emergencies. Neville clearly realized that as his hands started shaking. The rest of the Hall realized it too. Everyone had fallen silent, waiting to see what bad news awaited Neville Longbottom.

The only person not paying attention was Ella. Harry narrowed his eyes. Just moments before, she had been practically piercing their table with her gaze, and now she wasn't interested? Harry caught a glimpse of a smile and doubted it.

It was a short missive, but Neville read it through three times, just to make sure. He looked up at Harry, his entire face pale.

"My parents are healed." Neville whispered. The letter slipped from his hands from shock. Harry grabbed it before anyone else could. He scanned it quickly. It was from Neville's grandmother.

Neville,

Your parents are healed. I will be coming for you in an hour so you can see them. Pack enough for a week, I'm taking you out of classes.

Love,

Your Grandmother

"My parents are healed." Neville said, just a bit louder. Tears began to streak down the boy's face. Harry looked around. Only the Gryffindors had heard what Neville said, and were beginning to whisper among themselves. Harry had to get Neville out of here.

Quickly, he motioned to Hermione and Ron. They got the message, and began to argue. Loudly. Soon, most everyone's attention was on them, and not on Harry and Neville as they slipped out.

Well, not everyone. Two pairs of eyes followed the boys out. Ella couldn't be happier for Neville, and was glad she could do something.

Albus was frustrated. How could the Longbottoms be healed? He was told their condition was not curable. Alice was Harry's godmother, she could claim guardianship if she wanted to. And Dumbledore definitely did not want that.