I forgot the usual disclaimer, so here goes: Harry Potter and all the other characters and scenery found in any Harry Potter book aren't mine. I borrowed them :) Thalia, and the plot, are mine though. This applies to all past and future chapters. This one is one of my favorites. And, as usual, please review :)

Message #2: UAdding to my recent discovery of thrust vs. trust, is starring vs. staring. Working on it.

Harry was sitting on the bare stones that composed the great staircase of the common room, Hermione and Ron by his side. Before his eyes was, ironically, the image of serenity. Though, with no doubt, a fierce battle was ragging outside the walls, the students were at ease with the situation. All were divided into little groups, some reading, some doing homework, others simply chatting in an near silence. The room was quiet, quieter than it had ever been during any regular school night. Harry sighed slightly. Even Fred and George were respecting this newly created haven. He turned to Hermione, who was frowning deeply, Sirius' letter in her hands. "That's the thing," she told Harry, tilting her head upwards, "we don't know who to trust. We never knew who to trust," she added.

"Well, we know we can't trust the Death Eaters," Ron pointed out.

"Of course we can't, but Harry knows better than running outside the castle walls to face them! He doesn't need any warning relative to that. Why not add that He-who-must-not-be-named is also evil, in case we had forgotten," Hermione sarcastically spat out, frustration shooting into her veins. She had been analyzing the letter for a good half-hour, and now Harry guessed she saw the situation as a personal battle between her and the piece of paper. "No, it's something about these two," she continued, gesturing very evidently towards the two teachers, situated very near them. Harry rapidly grabbed Hermione's arm, and pulled it towards the ground, eying her meaningfully. "Oh yeah, forgot," she said, realizing the two in question could very easily understand they were talking about them. Hermione's eyed suddenly widened.

"That's it! We have to ask them what the letter means!" Both Harry and Ron jumped in surprise. "No, we don't," Ron indicated, ripping the letter out of her hands. It was too late. "Miss Beauregard!" loudly cried Hermione. Within seconds, the woman was by her side. "Yes my dear?"

"Could you please tell us what this is supposed to mean?" she asked, gesturing towards the letter Ron was pathetically trying to hide.

"Of course, what is it?" she asked, as she furiously attempted to grab it, Ron opposing a desperate resistance to her grip.

Hermione gave the boy a grave look and he finally let go of the letter, a thin smile drawing itself on his lips. Hermione stared at him, surprised, then turned her attention to her teacher. "It's a letter, and… to be honest we don't really understand it's meaning." Thalia was not listening to her anymore. She was focused on the numerous lines of unequal writing. Harry took the opportunity to shout at Hermione, well, mutter very angrily through his teeth in order to subscribe himself to the woman's attention. "You are ridiculous, why are you doing this?!"

"To help you, of course," she whispered back.

"No! What if the letter warned us to stay away from HER!" he hissed.

"Alright, alright. I want to understand this, that's it!" she finally conceded.

Harry rolled his eyes, and Hermione started justifying herself. "It's like a riddle, and you know I need to solve riddles. It has helped you many times, you know, like with the basilisc, I had understood what it was, or even in the Chamber of Secrets, I was the one to find which potion you had to drink, and also…"

Thalia coughed slightly, and Harry and Hermione realized they were inches away from each other, furiously whispering, anger spread all over their features. They backed away, and Hermione asked eagerly: "So?".

"Well," Thalia started, "I think he is right." She seemed uneasy, as if waiting for their approval. Puzzled, they waited. She finally burst. "You really want me to explain the content of this letter?"

"Well not explain, just, you know… Give us your opinion!"

"Alright…" she started, still staring at them with curious eyes, "I believe he is wrong on one point. The Russian team will never beat Canada. They have always won and will always win. Also…"

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Sirius says the Russian team is unbeatable, which is ridiculous, they loose all their good players to Canada, and the Americans also, but the Canadians really dominate this game."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hockey!" Thalia answered, staring at them as if they were complete idiots, unable to grasp the obvious.

Harry was about ask for explanations when he saw Ron's wide eyes trying to get his attention. His hands were hidden behind his back, but for a second Harry caught a glimpse of the small piece of paper they held. He focused his attention on the letter Thalia held. It was only covered in blue writing. At its bottom, Harry could guess the paper had been ripped, but so well that it seemed intact. He smiled back at Ron. "Thank you, Mrs. Beauregard, we weren't too sure about it, we don't really follow hockey, and, er, his letter had confused us."

Harry was about to take back the piece of parchment when Thalia pulled it towards her, sighing. "Of course. Where's the rest of the letter?" she asked, staring intently at Harry.

"What… what rest of letter?"

"You don't have to show it to me, just, don't try to make me believe you wanted me to comment on hockey."

Hermione jerked forwards and fetched the letter in Rons' back. As she gave it to Thalia, Harry took it back, and, too make sure he would keep it, sat on it. Thalia sighed once again, and said: "It's Harry's letter, right?" They all nodded in agreement. "Then he will decide if I read it or not." They all turned to face him, and Harry had to make a decision within seconds. He took the letter in his hands, protected by their teacher's authority, and read it once again.

Snape has warned me. Be carefull, you know who you can trust, stick to them. Don't take any personal initiatives. I don't like this at all. Protect your good old body – but also your mind.

So unclear. Maybe Sirius was warning him to stay away from Thalia, but even if such was the case, he would have to stay with her anyways. Whatever the letter meant, he couldn't change anything to his situation. He handed the letter to Thalia, who simply nodded. She read it, very quickly this time. When she looked up, she seemed annoyed. "I don't understand why he bothers saying this. Be careful, follow Dumbledore, don't go running out to save the world yourself."

"What about the part about the mind?" he asked, to intrigued to consider his teacher's feelings.

"I think he believes I'm trying to brainwash you into taking my side."

"Joining a Death Eater? That's ridiculous…"

"EX-Death Eater, EX!" Thalia shouted. "Why can't you understand the notion of quitting?! Anyways no, he believes I want you to become, well, neutral, that I'm encouraging you to turn back on your father and friends so I can have the Chosen One in my camp…"

There was a silence, and then Ron added: "Okay, that's ridiculous."

Thalia laughed. "I know. Even I found it impossible when he said it. He only did it once, actually, probably drunk. Probably doesn't mean it …"

Her mind drifted away, and she stared blankly for a while, simply nodding her head. She turned to Snape, and by seconds he was by her side. "When did you tell Sirius about the invasion of Hogwarts?" she asked without any form of greeting.

"I don't really remember, last weekend I would think, why?"

"At that point we were still… happy, together, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"So did you tell him we would probably guard a House together?"

"If I say yes, could you please tell me what this is all about?" he asked, getting impatient.

"I think this is for me," she said, no emotion in her voice, handing the parchment to Snape.

He read it in silence, taking an awful lot of time, and finally expressed himself. "What, you think this is provocation?" the man asked. Harry found Thalia's theory a little, well, impossible, and Snape seemed to share his opinion. Why would Sirius send him a letter to protect Thalia knowing he probably avoided her at all costs. He also hated the idea of being the simple messenger, and was glad of seeing that Snape too seemed to worry for Thalia's mental balance. "You haven't slept in a while you know," he gently told her. "Neither have you," she replied defensively, "unless I have been spending my nights with an impostor. Can't you see it's addressed to me?"

"I know you're the only one here who likes hockey but I don't think it means anything…" Snape started. Thalia sighed. "Other letter," she mumbled, as Snape took the other piece of parchment and read it quickly, probably trying to earn forgiveness for diminishing Thalia. "Oh. Wow. It does seem as something he would tell you."

Thalia gave him a slightly superior look, that seemed to be squealing a sarcastic little "Oh really?!" to the teacher.

"How come?" Ron asked.

"He doesn't want me to go out there. He tells me to stay with who I can trust… It's like he wants to protect me from… some sort of new enemy. That would be sweet," she added distantly.

"And that's why it would be very improbable," Snape pointed out.

Thalia seemed to make sense of Snape's words and handed the letter back to Harry, with an apologetic smile. "I guess you can't always be the center of the universe," she told him. Harry guessed a small accusation under the autoderision contained in the words, and simply folded the letter to place it in his pocket, deciding that he would simply ask Sirius himself what it ment next time he would see him. Which was in exactly two days. He turned to face his friends. "What can I get you for Christmas?" he asked, hoping they would not realise this question came only 48 hours before the celebration in question.

Thalia stood up on the top of the shrieking shack, with a hockey puck in her twitching hands. "CANADA!" she shouted to Harry, who was sitting on the street facing the ramshackle house. Suddenly, Sirius appeared by his side. "RUSSIA!" he shouted back, waving a pair of ice skates in her direction. The sun was setting, and the sky was a blazing orange. "CANADA!" she shouted once again, and Sirius muttered to Harry: "She doesn't understand the code…" Suddenly, the woman violently threw the hockey puck towards Harry who duked in time not to receive it straight in the forehead. "She's panicking," stated Sirius. "Help me save her Harry!" Sirius walked away, placing the ice skates in Harry's hands. Thalia was now shaking wildly, approaching a fatal fall. Harry did not know what to do, and so he strated screaming in her direction. "SWITZERLAND! FRANCE! IRELAND!" Harry knew he had failed when Thalia jumped down the roof, taking an awfull lot of time falling down. The boy ran to save her, his arms extended forward, but only as she catched her, her head hit the ice skates and split open.

Harry woke up with a gasp. The first thing his hand found was Sirius' letter. Harry groaned deeply. Stupid letter. The more help he sought, the more complicated the puzzle became. He grabbed the piece of parchment and turned it into a compact ball he held tightly in his fist. From the corner of the eye he could see a fire burning. He opened his eyes wider. He was in the common room, fully clothed. He had fallen asleep on a cheap mattress, probably conjured by the two teachers. He scanned the room with a quick glance. All students were fast asleep, each of them resting on the same type of mattress, protected by a thin but extraordinarily warm sheet. He set his eyes back on the fire. He was going to burn the letter, and hopefully have dreamless night. It was ridiculous. The castle was under the attack of Death Eaters, and hockey was what was troubling his sleep. Stupid muggles with their stupid games.

He got up, and walked towards the fire. All the sofas had been stacked up by the staircase in order to leave room for the matresses. None of the students had accepted to go and sleep in their respective rooms. All wanted to lend a hand if ever the common room was threatened. Hermione thought they did so because they felt guilty of putting the younger ones in a situation of possible danger by not accepting to lock themselves in. Only one couch remained, and it was covered with extra sheets. Harry carefully circled the couch and crouched before the roaring flammes. He read the letter once again, and threw it in the hearth of the chimney. He already knew it by heart anyways. The paper started consuming itself immediately, and Harry sat down, watching it, gaining some sort of therapeutic joy from seeing the object of his torment being burned away. When the last piece of the letter dissapeared from his sight, he sighed and let his head fall back, resting his sore neck on the couch. Only, his nape did not reach the soft fabric. Instead, it painfully hit a big lump, and a low voice let out an annoyed: "Ow." It was followed by an inexhaustible, high-pitched laughter. Harry jumped away from the couch as if it had been the devil itself, and watched with horror as the pile of sheets started moving. Thalia erupted from the shapeless mass, and smiled. "Can't find sleep?"

"No, I keep dreaming I kill you with a pair of ice skates."

Harry suddenly realised the sentence he had uttered souded absolutely terrible, but he did not have time to reformulate it, before another voice emerged from the couch. "I'm not sure that's very flattering for your mental health." Thalia affectionately patted the huge lump that probably constitued Snape's body, and explained: "It was his turn to sleep."

"Yes, and now you're ruining it. Not in a fun way."

"It's my turn in about five minutes anyways, so prepare yourself mentally."

"You had to ruin these last fives minutes, did you?"

Thalia kissed the lump, and pulled herself out of the sheets.

She walked away from the couch, and Harry followed her. Once they were far from Snape, she faced Harry.

"I think it's time you go to sleep now."

"Yeah, me too."

He did not intend on arguing with his teacher. Now the letter was gone, he was more than happy to return to a blissfull state of sleepiness. He lifted his thumb up with a smile, and without a word he returned to his matress, conveniently placed between Ron and Hermione. He tucked himself in the still warm hole that had kept his shape and shut his eyes. Only, sleep did not come. Though his eyes were blurred with fatigue, his brain was now seething with activity. He nevertheless lied still, hoping to enhance his chances of finding sleep. These chances were totally destroyed when he heard footsteps approaching his direction. A very audible whipser hit his ears. "So?" asked Snape's voice.

"So it's all clear. I think by tomorrow morning it'll be all over. They're still in here though. Tough guys."

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silence, and Harry was tempted open his eyes and peek, but he resigned himself. It was safer to keep them shut. What could he see anyways? Legs?

"Go back to sleep," Thalia offered. "I'll take a double-shift. Can't sleep anyways."

"After twenty or so years you think I'll believe that?"

Harry guessed Thalia had addressed Snape with one of her unique sad smiles.

"He's here, isn't he?" the man continued.

"Yeah," she replied with a sob.

"Don't go."

"I have to."

"No you don't."

"Are you joking? Of course I have to! I haven't seen him in so long, it would be cruel to keep him away from me any longer. I'm surprised you don't want to go see him yourself."

"No, Thalia…"

Harry heard a few steps, and he guessed Snape had shifted sideways to comfort Thalia and wrap his long arms around her small body.

"Listen, all I mean is..." he started, "I think this is what that dog was warning you about."

"Wh-what?"

"Don't take any initiatives, protect your mind? You have to admit you – we, we both change when we see him. I think he wanted to warn you. Don't go."

"Severus, that's ridiculous, how would he even know!" Thalia cried in such a high pitched tone that Harry was surprised nobody else had been awoken.

"I have no clue. But that's what he ment, I'm positive."

"I… I have to go. It's nature's way of doing things."

Another silence. Harry realised they were kissing. Ugh. Why did he have to realise that. Sound came back, Thalia exhaled deeply. "I love you," she whispered right before a regular sound – shoes hitting the ground – overwhelmed everything else. They slowly vibrated in the ground, sending a tingling sensation in Harry's body. Thalia was leaving. Not to see Malfoy, or Snape would have opposed to it. Voldemort? He wasn't supposed to be in Hogwarts that night. Harry was struggling to focus on his suppositions, but sleep had finally arrived, and his thoughs were drifting away. It wasn't Bellatrix, since it was a he. A he. Nature was pushing her towards that he. Probably some more green witch crap. Green witch, with green stuff. Just like Slytherin. Ha. It was in Thalia's blood to be a Slytherin. No, she was a Gryffondor, officially anyways. Right. Gryffondor. Red. Gryffondor. Oh yeah, and gold. Gold and red. Red and gold. Red and ghouls. Nasty ghouls.