Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR, anything you don't is mine.

A/N: I deleted the previous Author's Note, so if you didn't read it, I'm extremely sorry for the wait!

Chapter 10

"It's Nicole."

Shocked silence. That was all that was heard around the table. But it was the loudest silence I had ever heard.

Those that already knew, like Regulus and Draco and Severus and the four twins, all found it awkward, I could tell by the looks on their faces. Everybody else was shocked. Lily's face was red with anger, James actually looked afraid, and I could have sworn Harry's mouth had dropped to the floor in surprise.

"You?" Ron finally chocked out, breaking the silence. "B-b-but – how – ?"

"It makes perfect sense," Remus said quietly, cutting him off completely. "Remember how Albus said that only one other spy would be named tonight? And how that spy was supposed to be put under that potion, but they're just going to pretend to be? That's Nicki, the one that's going to pretend to be forced to – "

"No!" Lily yelled suddenly, standing up so fast her chair toppled over behind her. "I will not hear of it! She's only sixteen, she's too young to be a spy!"

"Might I remind you that I was one when I was only fifteen? And that I was still fifteen when I killed Voldemort the first time?" I pointed out, already getting annoyed. I was basically of age, I should be allowed to make my own decisions and not have them made for me, even about things like this. I had done so before, and it sucked that I couldn't now.

"Yes, but we couldn't tell you no then," James said, his voice kind of shaky. "We didn't know you were our daughter. And it's not like we don't think it's fantastic that you're standing up for what you believe in and trying to make the world a better place, but we're afraid that you'll get hurt. When you get older and you're ready and you have the experience to deal with this kind of thing, then we'll be glad to let you fight them."

"But I already have the experience to deal with it," I replied stubbornly. "I have even more than almost everybody here, except maybe Dumbledore. And I've been hurt plenty of times by them,I know it's a possibility, but I don't care, and if you haven't noticed, despite all of those times that I was hurt, I'm alright now."

"But what if you're not so lucky this time around?" Sirius asked. James had calmed down now, and had sat Lily's chair back up for her, which she had sat back down in grumpily.

"It's a risk, I know, but it's a risk I'm willing to take," I said.

"You're the one who put her up to this," Lily said suddenly and sternly. When I turned to face her I saw that she was staring angrily at Dumbledore, who nodded slowly and solemnly.

"I have to be honest – I did put her up to this," he replied after a moment, bowing his head. "Even she wasn't up for it at the time, but – "

"Then why are you making her do it?" Alice asked, raising her voice. "If she doesn't want to do it, then – !"

"But she now understands exactly why she has to do it, and she has agreed," Dumbledore interrupted.

"That is your divine plan for getting rid of Voldemort again? Sending children among the Death Eaters?" Lily yelled. "Don't think that Draco isn't a child – he's only 17, barely old enough to make his own decisions!"

"Well we better be glad that I do make my own decisions, or Nicole would really be put under that potion," Draco replied coldly. "You wouldn't want that now, would you?" Lily opened her mouth to say something, but Draco kept talking.

"You don't know how much having her be a spy could help you guys. Considering Voldemort will think that she is completely under their control, he will tell her things he won't even tell his most trusted servants. That could be the most valuable thing you could ever have to get rid of him. And you want to throw that away, because you want to baby your daughter? She's been through more than you'll ever go through – she'll be alright. She knows how to take care of herself."

"He's right, Lily," Dumbledore said calmly as I set a hand on Draco's back to calm him down, as he had seemed really pissed off. "It's probably safer for Nicole to go undercover than for even me. She knows how their minds work better than anybody, even better than themselves."

"Unfortunately, that's true," I muttered, more to Draco and Regulus and myself than to anybody else, but I think everybody heard me.

"But – " Lily said quietly, now sounding desperate to keep me from going undercover. She searched the faces of nearly everybody at the table. Some were looking at their hands, not willing to look her in the eyes, some met her gaze easily, others were still staring at me in shock. Finally, she turned her eyes on me. They were pleading me not to do it.

"Nicki," she nearly whispered. "Please don't do this. I'm just worried about your safety. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't – "

"You can't be sure of that," James agreed. "I know that you think it's what's right – actually, I know it is what's right, standing up for what you believe in – and I know that you could possibly save lives, but the chances of getting yourself terminally injured or even killed are higher than the chances that you will survive to save those lives."

"They're not going to kill me," I said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know that?" James asked kindly. "You can't be sure."

"Did you not just hear Dumbledore?" I asked him, pointing to Dumbledore. "I know their minds better than they do. I know that they probably plan to kill me as of now, but once they have me, Voldemort either won't let them because they'll think that I can spy for them, tell them everything I know or just want me around because he'll think being stuck there will be more torture to me than being killed would be."

"You." Suddenly, Lily had rounded on Regulus, who looked shocked and confused. "You're just going to let this happen? She's your fiancé! You're supposed to love her and your just going to let her walk right to her death?"

"You don't think I tried to stop her?" Regulus said angrily. "Believe me, I tried. Just as hard as you. I know more about what it was like for her last time than even you and James do and believe me, I do not want her going back through that." He paused.

"But...she's right. It could save lives. It could end the war before it even begins. I know it could also kill her, but I can't convince her not to do it. I can't control her, just like you guys can't, but at least I admit it. She's old enough to make her own decisions, no matter how much you think she isn't, no matter how much you want your little girl back. And if she doesn't do it, it'll give Draco away, and that could have detrimental effects for all of us." He shook his head, looking down at his hands. "I want her to not do it even more than you guys do. But there's nothing I can do to stop her." Lily sighed, defeated, and banged her elbows on the table, burying her face in her hands.

"We just want you to be safe," James said quietly to me, resting his hand on Lily's back and rubbing it lightly. "Both you and Harry are our top priority in this war. We don't want to loose you – either of you."

"We'll be fine, Father," Harry said calmly, smiling reassuringly at him.

"You're still at school, you're not joining the Order until you graduate," James said sternly. Harry rolled his eyes and shrugged. I knew what he was thinking; "Yeah, but that's only in a few months. Besides, I'm of age and you can't control me." He didn't say anything, though.

"I agree with Alice; they'ree both children," Lily said to Dumbledore, taking her face out of her hands and glaring a death glare at him.

"Seventeen isn't a child anymore," Harry said angrily. I couldn't help but wonder why he was defending Draco when he hated him. "Plus, he should be almost eighteen. And I hardly consider somebody who is sixteen too be a child."

"Harry, please," James said, trying to get him to stop. He turned to me. "Nicole, I beg of you to rethink this – " Harry cut him off.

"Oh, leave her alone," he snapped. "She knows what she's getting into. She's obviously willing to take the risk. It's her choice to make, not yours."

"Harry," Lily said suddenly. "Please stay out of this."

"How can I when I am also a – ?" he cut off, hesitated, his eyes wide, and then finished with " – a part of this family?"

What was that about? Nobody else seemed to notice it, or else they were too absorbed in our fight to realize it. But ever since the last war, when I had made stupid mistakes due to the fact that I didn't observe, I noticed it. Why would he pause like that?

He wouldn't.

Unless...

Unless he was going to say something else.

But what else would he say? When he is also a what? I tried thinking back to everything he'd said to me, or to somebody else that I had overheard, recently, but couldn't come up with anything.

But wait...a few weeks ago, he had asked me how I had handled being out on my own in the world for the first time during a war. And being a spy on top of it all.

"Oh my God," I whispered to myself, feeling my eyes widen.

Harry was the third spy.

Of course! It would be so easy for him to convince them he was on their side! Voldemort could play the, "Don't you hate your sister? Everybody cares about her, but they all ignore you. You're nothing to them, but join me and you will no longer be ignored. You will be valued," card, and Harry could easily pretend to fall into his hands. I was just worried that he actually would fall into his hands. He had already been mad at me before...

I looked around. How did nobody else realize that all the facts pointed to Harry being the third spy? Or else they didn't know all the facts like I did.

James and Lily said something, Harry retaliated, but I was too busy watching him to hear what. He was red in the face, probably from anger. That's why he had defended Draco – he hadn't actually been defending Draco but defending himself. That's why he had wondered how I had handled being a spy, and he had yelled at James for trying to get me to change my mind.

After a moment, when Dumbledore was talking to Lily, trying to get her to calm down again, Harry's eyes met mine. I knew they were still wide, and I knew that my mouth was slightly open. He furrowed his eyebrows, confused, for a moment before he realized what was going on and his eyes widened. He bit his bottom lip and quickly turned away from me.

Without thinking, I said,

"Harry, you're the third spy, aren't you?" He jerked his head back up to me as I realized what I had said. I didn't want to say it in front of everybody, but it just slipped out. His eyes were still wide as everybody turned to him. He didn't say anything for a moment, and when he took in Lily and James' horrified faces, he quickly asked, pretending to sound confused,

"What?"

"You're the third spy," I repeated, knowing I was unable to take it back. "It all makes sense now!"

"No, it doesn't," he said quickly, his eyebrows now furrowed. "I don't know where you get that idea. It's crazy!"

"Stop lying," I said, my voice rising. "I'm not stupid!"

"Obviously you are, because I'm not the third spy!"

"Yes you are!" I was now yelling. I was pissed at Harry – he was so obviously the third spy, why did he even bother denying it? He was making me look like a nut-case in front of everybody else who didn't know. "Don't lie, Harry!"

"But I'm not!" Harry yelled back. "Tell her! Tell her I'm not the third spy!" He was turned on Dumbledore, who was standing and bowed his head but said nothing. That gave it away even more – Dumbledore wouldn't lie, and if Harry really wasn't the spy, he would just say it.

When he said nothing, Harry shook his head and turned back to me. "I don't know why you think I'm a spy, but I'm not. I can assure you that." He actually sounded truthful, and I was now confused. Surely he was the spy, though? The evidence all pointed to him, nobody else.

"But when you came to my office just earlier today – " Was it still the same day? Wow, it had been a long day. " – you asked me how I had handled being alone in the world for the first time and be a spy on top of that!"

"So?" he asked snobbishly.

"Why would you add that last part? And, just now, you defended not only me, but Draco as well. No offense, Draco," I quickly added before I continued, "but you hate him! But you weren't defending him, you were defending yourself!"

"I was defending you!"

"And then," I said loudly over his voice, "you almost said you couldn't stay out of the conversation because you're also a spy, but you covered it up by saying you're also a part of this family!" Harry glared at me.

"I didn't almost say that!"

"Harry, please don't lie," Lily said suddenly. "Are you or are you not the spy?" Harry rounded on her, his eyes blazing.

"I'm not lying!" he screamed, standing up. "Why won't anybody believe me?"

"Because you are lying!" I yelled back. He glared at me again before he quickly turned on his heels and stomped out of the room to the Hogwarts corridor, slamming the door behind him and leaving the entire room confused. Especially me – I don't know if I had ever been this confused.