The next day the weather was just as horrible; cold, rainy and windy; not weather for a Quidditch game. But not even the weather could stop the entire population of Hogwarts to gather in the Quidditch stadium to watch the game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. I was happy that I was at least in the staff booth, which was covered from the rain. The students stood in the lower parts of the stands, unprotected from the icy rain.

Gabriel was sitting a few rows behind me, speaking to Dumbledore quickly about something. I didn't care very much to hear what he was talking about. I was focusing my attention on the game, specifically Harry, as he raced around the pitch on his Nimbus 2000. He was an excellent rider, much like his Father. I frowned as I remembered James.

"He flies like James," said a voice next to me. I turned and smiled at Remus Lupin who was sitting down next to me.

"I'm surprised to see you," I said squeezing his arm. "I thought you'd be resting."

"I've had enough rest," he said with a force smile as he patted my hand, but I could see it in his eyes that he was exhausted. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly in mine.

"It's okay to take some days off," I said in a low whisper.

"No," Remus shook his head. "I don't want the students to catch on."

I nodded my head slowly. "I'm sure some of them know."

"Of course," he said in agreement. "I know Carrigan noticed right away."

I smiled and looked at my lap.

"She is a smart girl, Cadence," he said.

"Did you expect me to produce dumb children?"

Remus laughed as I smiled and he shook his head. "No, of course not. She's the best student in her class, which is promising considering her age. It's not surprising considering you and Sirius."

"No," I whispered with a small frown at the mention of Sirius. "It's not surprising."

"She's going to be a magnificent witch."

"She already is," I said. "She's more powerful then I am. She's already mastered Legilimency, it's just a matter of time before she figures out how to conjure things on her own…she's going to be a wonderful Auror."

"Do you think she has a larger purpose?" Remus asked. Neither of us were paying much attention to the Quidditch game at this point, but Gryffindor was winning.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

Remus frowned and looked around him. "You don't really believe your Father is gone, do you?"

"No," I said.

"Do you think Carrigan may play an important role in defeating him?"

"I don't know," I said. "I think that Harry is meant to defeat my Father—he's defeated him once already."

"So have you," Remus said.

"No, I've just escaped him," I said with a shake of my head. "Harry destroyed my Father's physical being. There's a difference."

"I think if Carrigan is more powerful then you, she may be very important to your Father's destruction."

I frowned. "I haven't thought about it. I'm more worried about Carrigan's destiny as it merges with Gabriel's."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked with raised eyebrows.

I sighed. "Gabriel is my Guardian," I whispered softly. Remus nodded his head, understanding what I meant. "He and I fell in love, which is forbidden. His daughter died because of it and now he is to remain my Guardian until I die. I will always need him and he will always need me. I'm afraid that Carrigan is meant to be Gabriel's next student, but they would also have an unnatural relationship because he is her Godfather and they love each other. I'm afraid the consequences of that could be horrendous."

Remus nodded his head very slowly. "That is interesting."

"Yes," I said. "It makes for wonderful dinner conversation."

"So you and Gabriel…" Remus said very slowly.

I gave him a small glare. "We have loved each other for too long."

Remus smiled. "You're together?"

"No," I shook my head. "Contrary to popular belief we have never been together."

"Why not?" I looked at Remus with tired eyes as I pulled my cloak more tightly around me. "Oh," he said with a nod. "Couldn't give Sirius the satisfaction."

"I never cheated on him," I whispered. "But when he attacked Gabriel a month ago he thought Carrigan was Gabriel's child."

"He just wants the satisfaction of being right," Remus shrugged. "It will make him feel better after all of these years."

"I'm afraid that false assumption is putting my daughter's life at risk," I said.

"No," Remus shook his head. "Just yours and Gabriel's."

He smiled at me and I couldn't help but return the grin. I knew that he was right. If Sirius wanted revenge for Gabriel's and my relationship he would take it out on us. I had no idea how he'd ever learn the truth. Sirius had never been good at listening. He only heard the parts of the story that he wanted to. It didn't matter what I told him, in his head Gabriel and I were together; and there was probably no changing that.

"So, even now," Remus said. "You're letting Sirius dictate what you do and who you're with?"

I frowned. "It's more complicated then that."

"How complicated could it be?" Remus asked glancing back at Gabriel who was still talking to Dumbledore. "If you both love each other it's not complicated."

"Fine," I sighed. "I'm making it complicated."

Remus nodded. "That doesn't surprise me."

We both smiled at each other again. Remus let out a low sigh as he closed his eyes and rubbed his head. I touched his shoulder, squeezing it to make sure he was okay. I knew he really shouldn't be out in the bad weather. He needed all of his rest so he could keep up with his teaching responsibilities. Before I could say anything to Remus about minding his health a horrible cold came over the air—colder then the blustery wind that had been blowing all day. I looked out into the stadium as screams erupted from the student body below us. I jumped to my feet as I saw Harry Potter fall off his broom, his body plummeting to the ground below us.

Dark shadows were swooping down onto the stadium from all directions; screams of panic echoed against the trees of the Forbidden Forest not too far away from the stadium; and pandemonium broke out around the pitch.

Dumbledore was on his feet and to the front of our booth in the stands before I even noticed him passing us. His wand fully extended, pointing towards Harry who was still plummeting to the ground. I jumped to my feet and bounded forward over the seats in the booth. I hesitated for a moment at the front as I stood next to Dumbledore and looked across the field to the opposite side. In the booth, directly across from me I saw a large black dog bounding out of the stands. I frowned deeply, knowing full well that it was Sirius Black running from the stands. I looked down to see where he might exit, hoping this time I could head him off. As I searched I realized though it didn't matter. There was no way for me to get down to the ground fast enough to catch him. I looked down to spot where Harry was in the air, and my eyes caught sight of a red and gold banner swaying below me in the chilling wind.

The banner bearing the Gryffindor lion hung from the booth I stood in to the next one, at least a quarter of the pitch away. I glanced at Dumbledore and Gabriel who had come to stand right next to me. Without a second thought, I lifted myself over the edge of the booth, grabbed onto the side of the banner and let my weight and gravity pull me down. I swore I heard Gabriel scream my name as I jumped, holding the end of the banner in my hands like a rope, a life line. Screams could be heard from all directions because I just jumped over the edge of a booth in the Quidditch stadium; and because Dementors were setting into the stands.

I sailed through the air, plummeting towards the muddy pitch below. I prayed as I fell that the banner would catch and hold my weight and not rip on the other side, otherwise I would free fall into the earth. Within moments there was sharp tug on the banner, I jerked to a halt in the air, about a story above the ground. Before I could release the banner, I dropped steadily lower. I looked up to see the banner ripping. My arms were growing tired from holding onto the banner, and with out hesitation I released it and fell to the ground. I collapsed in the mud from the fall, but jumped up instantly. I raced to the center of the pitch, where Harry's body had landed innocently in the grass.

I brandished my wand, screaming the Patronus Charm to rid the pitch of the Dementors, but there were too many of them. The beaming bright white dove that sailed from my wand hovered over Harry and me as I collapsed to my knees next to him. As I leaned over him, gasping for breath because my lungs were being filled with icy air, something caught my eye. I looked out across the pitch to see the black dog running along the stands, heading for the entrance of the stadium. My stomach flipped with excitement, despite the happy emotions that were being sucked from me by the ghostly Dementors. I sprang to my feet and dashed off across the pitch, heading for the entrance, hoping to cut Sirius Black off.

I didn't make it. He slipped out of the stadium without anyone noticing. I cursed under my breath and pushed my body to run harder as the rain pleated down on me. Past the entrance of the stadium it was near impossible to see anything across the grounds. I looked towards the forest, thinking that is where Sirius would most likely be hiding. Sure enough, as I squinted, I saw the silhouette of the black dog weaving in and out of trees on the edge of the forest. I quickly directed myself across the slippery grass to the edge of the forest, where I ran between trees to catch up with Sirius. I ran almost completely across the grounds until I lost sight of him. I skidded to a stop at the edge of the forest at the top of a hill that lead down to the Black Lake. The Quidditch pitch stood far in the distances, and Hogwarts Castle was closer now then it had been before. I looked around bewildered, how had Sirius lost me?

The wind was knocked out of me as something heavy flew down, tackling me. I lost my footing as the heavy mass knocked me over and together the stranger and I fell down the slippery hill towards the lake. As my body hit the frozen lake, I skidded to a stop about thirty feet from the shore. I looked next to me to see Sirius Black lying near by in his human form. He sat up, shaking his head, and looked directly at me with a vicious glare. I sat up, putting my weight on my hands to crawl towards him, but I froze almost instantly as the sound of creaking ice echoed around us.

The rain was pounding down on the frozen lake. It wasn't cold enough outside to freeze the water, but the Dementors gliding by on their way to the Quidditch pitch would have been cold enough. The ice was creaking underneath Sirius and my weight, ready at any moment to break. I looked down and could see straight through the thinning ice. I didn't dare move, I didn't breathe. I glanced up Sirius who was motionless.

"Just don't move," he whispered.

"That's not going to do me any good," I snipped quietly. "It's melting too fast, I'm going to fall right through—"

As if on cue, the ice cracked underneath me. My lower half fell into the water as a sucking force pulled me in. I gasped as the cold water attacked my system, feeling like a thousand needles were being shoved into my lower half. Sirius lunged forward and grabbed onto my arms, holding me up against the ice. His movements caused more cracks to form.

"Let go of me," I snapped.

"Are you crazy!"

"If you don't you'll fall in," I hissed. "I'll get out—"

"Don't be stupid," Sirius said as he pulled on my arms which were slipping from his grasp. The force of the water was pulling me down, and the ice was cracking under Sirius's weight. Within moments his arms were in the water with me.

There were yells from somewhere in the distance, but I could barely hear them. I saw Sirius look towards the shore and a fearful look entered his eyes. People were coming—Gabriel was probably leading the way; he was going to try and save me. Sirius looked directly at me and his midnight blue eyes looked torn. My life may be the cost of his freedom. I bit my bottom lip and squeezed his arms as I clung to him. It was ironic to me that just last night I had laid in bed thinking that it was time to let Sirius Black go; to get over him; and now here we were and he wouldn't let go of me.

"Let me go," I said. "Let me go!"

Sirius looked at me with torn eyes. He nodded his head and squeezed my arms one last time. I took a long breath and he released me. The moment our hands released each other I sunk down into the Black Lake. The water was colder then anything I had ever felt before. Pins and needles attacked my body, making me want to scream and open my mouth. I had to fight the desire. I had to keep my mouth shut or I would lose my last breath of air. I opened my eyes and swam up for the surface, banging against the wall of ice that blocked me from oxygen. I hoped that the ice was thin enough that I could shatter it, but I was having no such luck. The cold prevented me from thinking straight—I could have destroyed the ice with a blink of my eyes—but I couldn't focus on anything. I began to panic when the ice would not shatter as I beat against it.

Suddenly the ice shattered—scattering through the water with deadly speed. I covered my face and pulled my knees to my chest. A few pieces hit me, cutting open my body as they whizzed by. There was a splashing sound, and I turned to see Gabriel's body sailing through the water. He had just dived in and was swimming for me. I reached for him as my body shook and blood began to mix with the water around me. Within moments his hands were on me, grabbing me and pulling me against him.

When we broke the surface I gasped for air as I clung to Gabriel. We were both coughing as we reached the shore, where Remus, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were waiting for us. I was violently shaking against Gabriel's chest, and when I looked at my hands I could see that they were turning blue. I didn't know if it was possible, but it felt colder now on the shore then it had under the water. The rain was still pouring and wind roaring. Remus wrapped a blanket around me as Gabriel continued to cradle me in his arms. I closed my eyes as I leaned against him, thankful, once again that Gabriel was there to get me out of trouble. I truly was dependent on him.

Hours later I woke up in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. I was surprised to find myself there, not really sure how I had arrived in the white tidy bed. But as I laid there staring at the ceiling what had happened earlier in the day returned to me. I looked to my right and saw Harry Potter laying a few beds away from me. I sat up slowly, feeling stiff, and brushed my messy brown hair out of my face. Harry turned his head to look at me as I yawned, which caught me by surprise.

"I didn't know you were up," I said softly. My throat was dry, making me cough after I spoke. Harry sat up and poured some water from a pitcher on his bed. He sat up and held it out to me as I approached him. "Thank you," I whispered. I sipped the water slowly as I sat down on the bed opposite Harry.

"You stopped the Dementors?" he questioned.

"Yes," I nodded my head very slowly.

"Why didn't you stay though?" he asked with wise eyes. "Everyone said you just ran off—did you see him?" I stared at Harry's green eyes for a few moments. I assumed he was asking me about Sirius Black, which was a little unnerving. Harry was a very curious teenager, or he was much smarter then people gave him credit for.

"Yes," I whispered.

Harry's green eyes flashed with fear for a moment. I frowned as he sat back in the hospital bed and pulled his knees to his chest.

"So he is after me?"

"Some people think he's here to finish what Voldemort could not."

"What do you think?"

"I think that Sirius Black is an unpredictable, dangerous man. No one is safe as long as he is here."

I could see it in Harry's eyes that he knew I was skimming around his question. He looked away, seeming to except that I was going to be like most adults and not answer him directly. I didn't like not being honest or direct, it wasn't usually in my character, but I really had no idea what Sirius Black was up to at Hogwarts; yes, the most logical target was Harry, but close behind him was Carrigan. Frankly, it didn't matter who Black was after; the only thing that mattered was catching him.

Harry looked at me suddenly. "I've heard rumors….about you and Carrigan."

"What kind of rumors?" I asked prepared that Harry was about to question my loyalties again. He no doubt had questions concerning my Father, and maybe even Carrigan's Father.

"When we were at Diagon Alley, you said you were Voldemort's daughter?"

I waited for a moment, not sure if Harry's comment was a statement or a question.

"It's true," I said calmly. "Is that what the rumors were about?"

"No," he whispered shaking his head and looking me square in the eye. "The rumors that have been going around school are that Carrigan's Father is Sirius Black, which means you were involved with him."

"I was," I nodded honestly. I didn't see a point of hiding anything from Harry. I bit my bottom lip not sure how much I should tell him. It wasn't really my place to tell him that Sirius was his Godfather, and that he was responsible for the Potters death. But whose place was it?

Harry nodded his head slowly. He seemed unsure what to do with this new information. He sat back on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Does Carrigan know?"

"Yes," I said. "She's not afraid of who she is, nor is she ashamed. I tried to convince her to change her name before coming to school, but she refused. She is not proud of her heritage, but she will not hide from it either."

"Is it hard?" Harry asked sincerely. "Knowing what he is now?"

"Yes," I said as I rubbed my thighs and thought about how to answer Harry's questions. "It is. He betrayed me, and I don't think I'm over that, even now. He's a reminder that I have to be very careful about who I trust though. Something that I had forgotten."

"That's depressing," whispered Harry. "How can you trust anyone if you can't trust the person you love?" He frowned slightly. "I'm assuming you loved each other, otherwise you wouldn't have had Carrigan."

"She was an accident," I said shaking my head. "I wasn't supposed to be able to have children. I took a lot of beatings when I was in my last years of Hogwarts and at the start of my career."

Harry nodded his head awkwardly and silence fell between us.

"Cadence," he said suddenly, breaking the silence. I looked at him with smiling eyes.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you take me?" he asked. I looked at him confused. "When my parents died, if you're my Godmother, why didn't you take me?"

I frowned slightly. There was not a simple answer to this question. Lily Potter had asked me to be Harry's Godmother so that he wouldn't end up with her awful Muggle sister, which he did. Dumbledore had thought that it'd be better for Harry to grow up in a non-magical world, to protect him from his fame. So much had been going on when the Potters died, I didn't fight Dumbledore's decision.

"You were safer with your Aunt and Uncle," I said after a moment of thought. "When your parents were killed, I was accused of turning them over to my Father. I fled the country with Dumbledore's help."

"Why were you accused of turning them over?"

"I was very close with your parents," I said. "And people seemed to think that just because of whom my Father was that made me related to their death. It was easy to blame me."

Harry accepted the answer and nodded his head slowly. "Is there anything else on your mind?" I asked.

"No," he said not looking at me. I studied him for a few moments and sighed. It wouldn't be right to invade his mind, if he wanted to tell me something he would.

"Alright," I said softly as I stood up. "I think I'm going to get going. If you need anything Harry, don't hesitate to ask. I am your Godmother after all."

Harry forced a smile as he looked at me. "Right," he said slowly with weary eyes.

"You should get some rest," I said as he laid down. "It's been a long day."

Once Harry seemed comfortable, I left the hospital wing. I held my stomach as I made my way down to the entrance of the castle because I felt very weak and hungry. I had only been sleeping for a couple of hours; it appeared to be the middle of the night as I roamed the empty halls of the castle. When I reached the entrance hall I heard hushed voices speaking quickly with harsh tones. As I descended the stairs and the hall came into view I was surprised to see Gabriel, dragging Carrigan by her arm towards the staircase.

"Your Mother would not appreciate you running around late a night," Gabriel said.

"I wish you'd stop acting like my Father—news flash Gabriel, you're not—"

"Why are you two arguing?" I asked injecting into their conversation. Both stopped dead in their tracks before the staircase, where I stood leaning against the banister. I felt dizzy as I tried to catch my breath.

"Mom, what are you doing awake," Carrigan said coming to me. She wrapped her arm around my side and held my weight against her small body. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I'm fine," I sighed standing up straight. I looked down at Gabriel who looked concerned. He mounted the steps and met my eyes, taking in my tired look immediately. "What are you doing down here, isn't it past curfew?"

Carrigan's cheeks flushed pink and she glanced at Gabriel who gave her a stern look. Carrigan sighed as she looked up at me.

"I was out on the grounds," she said. Gabriel coughed, which caused me to glance at him. "With Neal," Carrigan added. I smiled slightly and nodded as my stomach tied in knots.

"I see," I whispered. "Where is Neal now? Surely, Gabriel didn't kill him?"

"No," Gabriel said innocently.

"He almost did," Carrigan said. "I'm going to be lucky if Neal will even speak to me after what happened outside."

"And what was that?"

"Gabriel lit a tree on fire!" Carrigan stammered. "He intimidated Neal to the point that he ran off! I'm never going to have a boyfriend now."

"I'm sure you'll manage," said Gabriel. "Come on, get to bed. Your Mother needs to get to bed too."

Carrigan turned to face Gabriel, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not forgiving you."

Gabriel smiled a charming half cocked grin. It was an all knowing smile that I had seen him wear many times. It was a look he gave me when I did the same thing Carrigan was doing now. I would act angry at him, cross even, or hate him, and somehow Gabriel always knew that I didn't mean it. He knew that I loved him, just like he knew Carrigan loved him, even if she was mad at him for a little while.

"That's fine," he said with a bow of his head. "I don't ask your forgiveness."

Carrigan sighed with annoyance and turned to me, looking at me with midnight pleading eyes. I smiled slightly and pinched her cheek.

"He means well," I whispered. "And he is right. I don't appreciate you running around the grounds unsupervised because earlier today I fought with your Father."

Carrigan frowned and nodded her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Will you apologize to Gabriel?"

"For what?" she asked scandalized. "For ruining my future dating life?"

I laughed slightly and glanced down at Gabriel who had turned and walked away to give us some privacy. "No, for snapping at him when he's just doing his best to protect you."

"I'm not his to protect Mom," Carrigan retorted. I looked at her with soft eyes and her aggressive expression relaxed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just don't like it when he's over bearing."

I nodded my head. "I understand. I feel the same way sometimes. But you have to realize Carrigan that Gabriel loves us, we're all he has and he doesn't want anything to happen to us."

She looked at the ground with a frown. I touched her chin lightly and lifted it so she could look me in the eye. "He means well. But you can't hate him for protecting you like a Father, because sometimes you are more then happy for him to fill the role. You don't get to pick and choose when he gets to play the part. It's all or nothing."

Carrigan nodded her head and turned, heading back down the stairs. I watched as she approached Gabriel and called his name. He turned to her with a calm smile and she stopped, speaking quickly. Gabriel nodded his head and said something, then both of them hugged. I smiled and let a relaxing breath escape me.

Carrigan walked back to me and stepped up the stairs. When she reached me she squeezed my arm and kissed my cheek. "Good night, Mom," she said. "I'm happy that you're alright."

"Thank you," I said hugging her with one arm. "Good night, Carrigan. Sweet dreams."

Gabriel and I stood in silence, watching as Carrigan made her way upstairs. Once she was out of ear shot I turned to him quickly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You lit a tree on fire?" I questioned.

"She's over exaggerating," Gabriel said with a roll of his eyes. "It was just the branches of the tree…and I did it to light where they were hiding as they kissed."

I sighed as I walked down the steps slowly, still holding my stomach. Gabriel reached out and took my arm, ushering me down the steps. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"I'm just not feeling well," I responded. I leaned against the banister of the stairs and took another slow breath.

"Cadence?"

Gabriel's voice seemed far away as I leaned against the banister. I turned to look at him and blinked. "What?"

"You're not okay," he said stopping me at the base of the steps and holding my shoulders.

"I'm just tired," I whispered. "Let's go back to the hotel, please?"

Gabriel studied me for a few moments before he nodded his head. He turned and ushered me out of Hogwarts castle. The weather was still horrible, and as soon as we passed the gates to the grounds Gabriel held me tight and Apparated us back to the hotel room. Apparation had not been the best option. The moment my feet hit the ground in the hotel room, I bent over, grabbing my knees and threw up on the floor. Gabriel sighed and stood next to me, holding my hair back. When I was done throwing up the contents of my stomach he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. I closed my eyes with sleepiness and sighed as he turned away to clean up my sick. Gabriel tapped my thigh to stir me, and when I opened my eyes he placed some dry clothing on the bed next to me. I sat up lazily and pulled off my wet clothes and shoes. I stood up and changed then immediately fell back into bed. My dirty clothes sat in a wet pile on the floor. I closed my eyes and began to fall asleep again. I felt Gabriel crawl into bed next to me; he gently pulled my hair back and touched my bare shoulder.

"What happened after I ran from the Quidditch game?" I asked quietly.

"Dumbledore was furious with the Dementors," Gabriel whispered as he stroked my arm. "He had Harry taken to the Hospital Wing and demanded that the Dementors stay off the grounds. I saw you run from the stadium. What were you thinking jumping off the stands like that?"

"I was thinking they were going to kiss Harry, or that Sirius was there," I said. "I couldn't let him get away."

"What happened on the ice?"

"What do you mean? I fell through," I said.

"I saw Sirius holding onto you," he whispered. "He tried to save you."

"Yes," I whispered. "So what?"

Gabriel grew quiet and let silence surround us. His arm wrapped around me and I felt him pull me closer to him. I sighed slightly and brought his hand to my mouth, kissing his flesh softly. He squeezed my hand and kissed the back of my neck, sending shivers through my entire body. I took a long breath and closed my eyes, praying he wouldn't ask question or invade my mind.

I didn't want Gabriel to know that I had thought it was impressive that Sirius tried to save me. The look in his eyes as he debated between releasing me or holding onto tore me to pieces. There was a sinking felling in my stomach as I held onto him in the ice cold water. Something much deeper then betrayal and revenge had made Sirius slide across the ice to grab onto me. Something had made him save me. Was it possible that he still loved me? Was it possible that love could triumph over evil? Betrayal?

I bit my lip and sighed, then rolled over and buried my head into Gabriel's chest. He held me tight and brushed my hair with his fingers gently. I felt like I was young and stupid again. Gabriel was there to protect and comfort me, like he was when Sirius left me; when he betrayed the Potters; when I was pregnant. Somehow, no matter my feelings for Gabriel, I always had feelings for Sirius—even now, after everything that had changed; even when I hated him with all my being. Gabriel was a good man; the man who loved me and knew me best. Why couldn't I let him in? Why couldn't I give myself to him? Why couldn't I let myself love him?

"Because you're a stubborn idiot," Gabriel whispered in my ear. I looked up at him with sad eyes. His dark grey eyes smiled down at me as his fingers traced my jaw line. "But I probably wouldn't love you if you weren't."