An Unlikely Meeting Between Two Unlikely Paths

by Gryffindor1045

Natalie Malkae, unknown daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, comes to Hogwarts for her 6th year. Little did she know that she would fall for Harry Potter and play a vital role in the fight against her birth mother and Lord Voldemort.

26. Circumstantial Magic

Chapter 26- Circumstantial Magic

A/N: Sorry for the long update between this chapter and the last one! Thanks to all the reviewers for the last chapter! And thanks to my sister for editing the 15 000 words for this chapter.

There will be action happening in a couple of chapters- I know the conversation can become slow- at this point in the story, I am trying to develop the relationships and friendships as well as cement the plot changes from canon (as you will see in this chapter).

I think this is my longest chapter so far so hopefully you will enjoy it.

Natalie glanced anxiously at her watch, letting out a frustrated sigh at the slow passing of time.

Harry smirked at her from his armchair in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common room. "You know that must be the third or fourth time you've stared at your watch in the past five minutes."

Natalie nodded, sitting in the armchair alongside him. "I know, but it's been about two months since I last saw Kalissa and I really want to talk her after her last letter."

"You said she wasn't herself in that last letter she wrote," said Harry thoughtfully.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," assured Hermione who was sitting on the settee across from Natalie and Harry.

"I do hope so," muttered Natalie unconvincingly. She looked at the book in Harry's hands. "What are you doing with that?" asked Natalie, trying to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"Oh you know, er, just looking at a couple of things the Prince wrote," replied Harry, looking slightly nervous.

Hermione stared reproachfully at Harry. "Harry, please tell me you're not deciding on using one of that person's spells," said Hermione, not bothering to keep the scorn out of her voice.

Natalie snatched the book out of the hands of the unaware Harry who had been frowning at Hermione.

She looked at the page margin Harry had been examining, seeing the phrase "Sectumsempra, for enemies." Though Natalie believed the Prince to be an ingenious potion maker whose adjustments to the textbook procedures enhanced her understanding of the factors involved in making a powerful and effective potion, all of the spells he had written in the book had a slightly malevolent and almost vindictive note to them. Natalie found that notion quite disconcerting and every time she saw a spell like "Sectumsempra", she was inclined to agree with Hermione that one of those spells would eventually lead to something very dangerous.

Natalie shook her head at Harry. "I really don't like how he says 'for enemies.' It seems like Dark Magic," said Natalie worriedly as she passed the book to a concerned Hermione.

Harry waved his hands dismissively at her. "None of his other spells have been harmful. They have all been quite useful."

"But Harry, you can't perform a spell when you have no idea what it does," countered Natalie.

Hermione nodded. She was looking at the Prince's words in utmost disdain. "I agree with Natalie, Harry. You had no idea what Muffliato would do."

"What is it with you two!" exclaimed Harry in exasperation. "Anyway, Natalie, I don't remember you being so skeptical of the Prince when he was helping you make perfect potions at the beginning of the year."

Natalie rolled her eyes. She had stopped using the Prince's book to help her make potions during class, partly because of Hermione's intense disapproval of the Prince, but also because Natalie's pride made her feel very uneasy and sheepish at taking advantage of the hard work and intelligence of someone else. She had decided to challenge herself to see if she could determine the adjustments to the conventional methods and then afterward, check the Prince's instructions to see how accurate she had been. Unfortunately, for all but a few potions, she had come woefully short in her ability to predict the proper changes required to maximize the effectiveness and utility of the potion.

"Harry, first of all, we don't know that the Prince is a 'he'," contended Natalie. "And secondly, just because the Prince is a brilliant potion maker, it doesn't mean that he or she is a nice person. For all we know, the Prince could have been obsessed with Dark Magic even though the textbook appears to be perfectly innocent."

"Harry, remember that Riddle's diary in second year also seemed perfectly normal and look what it did," added Hermione, staring disgustedly at the Prince's textbook.

Harry snorted. "You two are fussing over nothing! You're just both jealous that the Prince is better at Potions than either of you."

Natalie clicked her tongue. "No, we're not jealous. The Prince is brilliant, but you don't know who he or she was. Would you have known that Riddle's diary was written by the most malicious and powerful Dark wizard in history?" argued Natalie, starting to become irritated with his intractable position on the Prince.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I somehow find it hard to believe that the textbook is anything like Riddle's diary. I saw that diary and trust me this book is nothing like it."

"You can't say that for certain," said Natalie, maintaining her firm stance.

"Why don't you just look at it objectively?" proposed Hermione as she flipped through the pages of the book irritably.

Harry grabbed the book out of her grasp. "Okay then, I will," retorted Harry sharply.

He scratched his chin in mock thought. "So then let's see, first of all, this book is from Slughorn's cupboard of old potion textbooks – I'm pretty sure it has never been in the hands of Voldemort. Second of all, this person, as you two love to call him, calls himself the 'Half Blood Prince' – how many Death Eaters would make that title for themselves? And most importantly, all of the spells that I've learned from him so far have been perfectly harmless. Is that reason enough?"

"You're making it sound reasonable, but you're missing the point," said Natalie scornfully.

"What point?" cried Harry, raising his voice. Natalie saw out of the corner of her eyes that a few second years playing chess nearby were now staring at them fearfully.

"Harry, lower your voice," said Natalie, motioning her head to those second years. "The point is that you're blindly using spells designed by a person you don't know at all and more importantly, you have no idea what those spells will do."

Harry shook his head at her in disbelief. "Natalie, the Prince has helped me a lot this year and as I said before, his spells are not Dark Magic."

Natalie sighed. "Just because your father and his friends used one of his spells, it does not legitimize the Prince." She hoped that this approach would help him see that he was being irrational.

Harry gritted his teeth. "This has nothing to do with my father. And please don't bring him into one of our arguments."

Hermione cast Natalie a perplexed glance as if to wonder why she would make that comment. Natalie shrugged her shoulders, believing that honesty was the best option here.

"Harry," said Hermione gently, reaching across to touch Harry's arm. "You may have not liked what Natalie said, but she does –"

"No, Hermione," snapped Harry, retracting his arm from Hermione's reach. "We are not talking about this. And can the two of you please stop nagging me? I am not going to give up the Prince's book."

He lifted himself from his armchair. "I'm going to read this book in my dormitory seeing as I obviously cannot read it here without the two of you on my case." He then marched off to the boys' dormitories.

Natalie snapped her fingers in irritation. "He can be so bloody stubborn," hissed Natalie to Hermione who merely gave her a wry smile.

Looking over Hermione's head, Natalie saw Ron enter the common room, heading eagerly towards them. At supper, he had informed them rather glumly that Lavender had demanded that they study together. Natalie supposed that he finally managed to extract himself from the blonde haired girl's hold given the cheerful expression on his face.

"You look pretty happy," noted Natalie as Ron plopped himself on the settee next to Hermione. "Where's the giant squid?"

"Flitwick said he needed to talk to her about some Charms essay she did horrible on," answered Ron amiably.

Hermione snorted derisively. "So I suppose she actually did need that study help," muttered Hermione acidly.

Ron glanced uneasily at her. "I tried to get her to study but she seemed more interested in –"

"Snogging you senseless," finished Natalie, trying to refrain from smirking.

Ron frowned at her. "You didn't have to put it that way. But yeah, every time I try to avoid her, she seems to take it as some sort of signal that I need her to snog me."

"Then, you shouldn't just avoid her and tell her that you want to break up," said Hermione sharply, glaring at him.

Ron retracted from her blazing glare. "Hermione, I'm trying. It's not like I want her to throw herself at me."

"It didn't seem like that a few months ago," said Hermione witheringly.

Ron sighed. "I was being a right git then," said Ron quietly. "I didn't know what I wanted, but now I do."

Natalie's eyes widened at this powerful affirmation. She had half expected Ron to snap back at Hermione, starting a row. She remained rooted to her seat on the armchair, aware that the other two seemed to have forgotten that she could also hear their conversation.

"Oh," exclaimed Hermione, taken aback by Ron's admission. "Well, you were an idiot," muttered Hermione, her voice completely devoid of the biting contempt she had just expressed.

Ron looked slightly relieved that Hermione had relented in her attack on him. "And I know I've said it before, but I'm really sorry for hurting you," said Ron softly as he still stared into Hermione's surprised eyes.

Natalie had never heard Ron apologize to Hermione; the full bodied vitality of his sincerity both astonished and pleased her. Judging by the way Hermione's features had softened at the apology, Natalie supposed Ron's words aroused the same reaction in Hermione.

Hermione smiled at him. "I know, Ron. But it's difficult though for me to see you with her."

Natalie noticed with a slight startle that they had slid closer to one another on the settee. She was now positively convinced that both were utterly oblivious to their surroundings. Natalie tried to look at the fireplace, keeping her eyes off the two. She did not want to interrupt them with any startling movements, alerting them to her presence. Nevertheless, she could barely suppress her shock. Obviously, the two had progressed much further in her relationship than Hermione had told her or than she had perceived. From Hermione's comment, Natalie inferred that both were well aware of their feelings for one another.

Ron nodded. "I will try to be honest with her. It'll hurt her feelings, but I think she knows that I wasn't thinking straight when I decided to go out with her."

Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, stroking it soothingly. Ron's cheeks turned a bright red, but he seemed pleased at her touch. Hermione slowly pulled back her hand, smiling at Ron as she slid back to her original position on the couch.

Natalie smiled to herself. No romantic novel or film could have captured the tenderness of that moment. The two were clearly obsessed with one another. Her mind briefly considered placing a memory charm on Lavender so that Ron need not ignite the blonde girl's temper.

Natalie saw Hermione finally notice her and stare at her in alarm. Upon seeing the appalled look on Hermione's face, Ron too also looked at her. His face turned a bright red, matching the colour of Hermione's face.

"Er, Natalie," began Ron cautiously. "You weren't here all that time, were you?"

Natalie turned her head towards them. "I was actually," answered Natalie amusedly. Both of them simultaneously went rigid, avoiding her eyes. "But I only heard the first bit when you were arguing. I was watching the fire and covering my ears for the rest of your, er, encounter," lied Natalie, feeling that they possibly could not look more embarrassed.

"Oh," exclaimed Ron in relief. He now had a slightly sheepish, but pleased expression on his face. Hermione, whose face was still a beet red, narrowed her eyes at Natalie, evidently not believing her.

Avoiding Hermione's skeptical gaze, Natalie looked around the Common room, searching for another subject. She suddenly noticed Harry walking towards from the staircase leading to the boys' dormitories.

"Looks like Harry's back. I guess the Prince's book wasn't that interesting after all," announced Natalie, earning a puzzled glance from Ron and a small chuckle from Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes at Natalie, lowering himself into the chair besides her.

"What's up with you two?" asked Harry, seeing the flushed looks on Ron and Hermione's faces.

"They just had a slight spat about why Ron should pay more attention to his schoolwork," replied Natalie dismissively. Ron smiled in gratitude at her. Hermione, though not smiling, looked relieved that Natalie had not been honest with Harry.

"Oh," said Harry confusedly. "I thought that you two were trying to convince Ron to tell me to get rid of the Prince's book."

"Oh, that would have made a lot of sense," noted Natalie wryly.

"Why would you want to get rid of the Prince? He's been so much help," blurted Ron indignantly.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, her previous embarrassment quickly evaporating. "Honestly, Ron, please don't tell me that you will give us the same twisted justification Harry just gave us."

"Oh, now it's a twisted justification," said Harry darkly.

Before Hermione retort back, Natalie raised her voice, not wanting another argument. "Listen, Hermione and I don't like the Prince's book. Obviously, the two of you have no problem with him or her so we'll have to agree to disagree. But Harry, please try to be careful about the spells that are written in that book – remember you don't know what they can do."

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "Natalie, you know very well that they're not –"

"Hermione," said Natalie, trying to maintain a firm and authoritave tone. "We're going to have to trust them on this one."

Hermione, still appearing very irritated at being cut off, crossed her arms across her chest, obviously not fully agreeing with Natalie.

Harry shot her a grateful smile. "Thanks for that one."

Natalie rolled her eyes at him. "I still don't like the Prince. Anyhow, the only way the two of you will learn to be more careful if a spell in that book does backfire on one of you."

"We'll thank you for your warning when that does happen," said Ron sarcastically.

Before either Natalie or Hermione could reply, Harry said loudly, "Natalie, when are you supposed to meet Kalissa?"

Natalie realized with a startle that with what happened between Ron and Hermione, she had momentary forgotten about seeing Kalissa tonight. She shot Ron a disdainful look before saying, "I'm supposed to go to McGonagall's office at 8, so in about 20 minutes."

"Where's Kalissa staying?" asked Harry, determined to continue the conversation.

"At the Hog's Head. Kalissa prefers the place because Dumbledore's brother is the owner."

"Oh yeah, I remember him from last year," said Harry. "He was the man at the bar when we held our first meeting of the DA."

Natalie nodded. "Kalissa says that he's one of the older members of the Order. A bit cracked up, but trustworthy."

Glancing at Ron and Hermione, who she had expected to shooting heated glares at another, Natalie noticed with some surprise that Ron had a rather dumfounded and blank expression on his face. Hermione was staring at Natalie in alarm, her eyes shuttling from Ron to Natalie, trying to communicate something.

"Ron, you look pretty confused," said Harry, also puzzled by Ron's reaction. "I thought I told you guys that Dumbledore's brother runs the Hog's Head."

Ron fixed his gaze upon Natalie. "No, it's not that – I remember from last year who he is. It's just – Natalie, why did you call your mother by her first name?" posed Ron, confusion etched all over his face.

"Oh," said Natalie, her stomach dropping. She closed her eyes, berating herself for saying Kalissa's name in Ron's presence. She had no idea how to explain that idiotic error to Ron. Floundering for any type of reasonable explanation, Natalie could only return Ron's blank gaze.

"Natalie calls Kalissa by her name quite frequently, doesn't she, Hermione?" said Harry anxiously. "I'm surprised you've never heard her do that. It's one of their little quirks."

"Yes, though I have to admit I find it a bit disconcerting," said Hermione earnestly, a smile frozen on her face.

"Oh," replied Ron, most of the confusion leaving his face. He still looked slightly unconvinced. "That is a bit off, though. If I started calling my mother 'Molly', I'd be found dead within two minutes."

Harry and Hermione gave shaky laughs. Natalie continued to stare blankly at Ron.

"Er, Natalie, you alright? It was just a joke – no offense," said Ron, looking slightly unnerved under Natalie's dumbfounded gaze.

Suddenly realizing that Ron might be finding her behavior very suspicious, Natalie, with immense effort, managed to lift herself out her numb state. "No, I'm okay, Ron," said Natalie softly. With a surge of trepidation, she could not summon the energy to merely shake her head. "Er, I, um, just realized that I almost forgot that I needed a book for Kalissa. Took me by surprise, that's all."

Ron grinned at her. "That figures, you would get so worked up by a book."

Natalie exhaled in relief as Ron looked away from her to watch a nearby chess match between two second years. An uncomfortable and definitely uneasy silence stretched between her, Harry and Hermione. Though they were relieved that Ron had not become overly suspicious about Natalie's behavior, all three had their eyes focused away from Ron. His observation undoubtedly evoked the numbing realization that of the four of them, he remained the only one to not know of Natalie's past. The burning guilt of that realization entrenched itself in her chest, carving and cutting itself into her perceptions of Ron and herself, tarnishing every memory within the last few weeks of their interactions. If the guilt could blindside her so strongly, she could barely imagine the impact on Harry and Hermione who had known Ron for six years.

Ron turned back to face them, a goofy grin still spread across his face. Upon noticing the tension that had tautened dramatically between the other three, Ron said confusedly, "What's wrong with you three? Natalie, I didn't mean to offen –"

Natalie waved her hands to stop him. The innocence of his obliviousness was only tightening the tension in her chest. "Ron, you didn't offend me at all. I'm just a bit flustered. I'll j-just go now to get that book," stuttered Natalie, motioning her head to her dormitory.

She abruptly stood up, started to head for her dormitories before she tripped on the side of Harry's armchair. Harry quickly and gracefully caught her, staring at her worriedly. Natalie pulled herself away him, not meeting his eyes. She almost ran to the staircase leading to the dormitories, not caring if her panicked reaction drew any inquisitive stares from the rest of the Common room.

Before she reached the staircase, she heard Ron loudly say, "What in the bloody hell is wrong with her?"

Once Natalie reached her dormitory, she almost jumped onto her bed, looking around to make sure Parvati or Lavender were not in the dormitory. Letting out a huge breath, Natalie closed her eyes, her heart still pounding against her chest and her body locked in a rigid, erect state where any slight movement, a wandering of the eyes or a flick of the wrist, seemed to require tremendous energy. She could not rid of herself of the surreal sensation that she was watching herself rapidly implode from a faraway distance. She was quickly losing her sense of the moment, forgetting why she had come to the dormitory and why she felt suffocated under a blanket of numb shock.

Natalie opened her eyes, her gaze slowly falling upon the watch on her left wrist. She noticed, vaguely, she had 15 minutes till she had to go somewhere. She tried to focus, recollecting any sort of memory in her mind, pushing and throwing herself against a seemingly unbreakable wall that trapped her in an empty, vapid daze. Natalie punched her pillows furiously, irate that all she could feel was a scorching, biting fear. After one last punch, an image of a black haired woman with an irrepressible smile punctured through her mind. Kalissa. It was Kalissa she had to meet in 15 minutes. With that thought which induced waves of pleasure, all of Natalie's thoughts and memories flooded back into her mind, crumbling that wall and giving her a clear sense of reassurance.

She remembered Ron's observation. That scorching, biting fear, though it throttled her, did not hold the same note of urgency and despair she had always associated with any recollection of her mother. Thinking of her mother now only aroused a strong revulsion accompanied by a slight unease. Yet, she had never become instantaneously so confused and dazed in response to a small hint at her troubled past. As difficult as she found it to believe, something that resonated more powerfully with her own conscience than her mother had triggered that horrifying numbness.

As if a corner of her mind had finally opened, the discomfort and agitation on Harry and Hermione's faces disseminated through her mind. Her guilt about lying to Ron burned itself again into chest, but from that guilt, a deeper concern for her two friends seemed to spread in twisting and zigzagging tendrils around her body. The concern arrived with the painstaking realization that she had forced her two best friends to lie to a person they cared for deeply, inadvertently hurting themselves. The frantic and almost maniacal nature of such concern wrapped itself in layers around her, trapping her in that erect state.

Natalie smiled somberly. Her friendship with Hermione and relationship with Harry were the two entities that managed to penetrate her conscience at further depths than the knowledge of the identity of her mother. It was immensely uplifting to know that she had progressed so far emotionally since that moment Kalissa had left her in Hogwarts.

Yet, with a sharp and agitated lurch, Natalie remembered Ron. If her guilt blazed and seared through all memories of her and Ron, then she could barely fathom the sheer intensity of the feeling for Harry and Hermione. With another sharp lurch, Natalie realized that there was only way for all of them to be freed from that guilt.

Natalie closed her eyes this time in contemplation, laying her head against her pillow. With Harry, she had told him her secret because her friendship with him had built a foundation of trust. Though she had wrongly assumed that their relationship had settled to a point where it could absorb all the shock and anger of such information, Harry still trusted her enough to not tell anyone else. With Hermione, Natalie knew that much of her confession arose from a desperate desire for acceptance after Harry's outburst. But, Natalie also knew that she would have not confided in Hermione had they not shared the same strength of trust she established with Harry.

Ron, on the other hand, was a completely different case. She had only come to see him as a friend after his poisoning which had been a few weeks ago. Their friendship had yet to evolve to the point where she could decide to tell him about her mother solely on the basis of the trust and security established in that friendship. From that perspective, she concluded that telling Ron would be dangerous and irrational. She knew that upon hearing she was Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter, if he was at all similar to Harry, the immediate reaction would be absolute revulsion.

However, her life was different now. She could not merely look at her situation from the narrow tunnel of her own emotions and rational. Projecting herself into Harry and Hermione's perceptions, she realized that they had long established that strength of faith in Ron. If she could tell Harry and Hermione and if he trusted them, why should she expect him not to divulge her secret? She knew him well enough to know that he would never intentionally do anything to purposefully hurt his friends. Moreover, keeping such a secret would severely undermine Harry and Ron's friendship and even more terrifyingly, slowly deteriorate Hermione's romantic aspirations for Ron. She had an obligation to her friends to protect them from such devastating consequences. Though her mind could not help but cringe at Ron's eventual reaction to her, she had to tell Ron about her past. The inexorable bond between the three people she had come to call friends would hopefully absorb the feelings of shock and betrayal by her confession, but more importantly, she could not bear for either Harry or Hermione to lose Ron.

Natalie sighed. Telling Ron would definitely not be an enjoyable experience, but she would have to do it within the next few days especially since tonight, Ron's omission, which had weighed slightly over Natalie's mind for the past few weeks, had become glaringly obvious and dangerous.

Natalie looked at her watch, realizing with a startle that she only had ten minutes before she had to meet Minerva. Packing her wash kit and clothing for the evening and tomorrow morning into her schoolbag along with a few books, Natalie headed downstairs, fully aware that the other three would be waiting for her.

As she descended the staircase, Natalie saw Harry waiting for her. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry quickly pulled Natalie over to the side, behind the door that opened into the stairs so they were hidden from the rest of the Common room. To Natalie's annoyance, the eager whispers and murmurings in the common room seemed to increase as soon as Harry pulled her away.

"How are you doing?" whispered Harry to her, his worried gaze meeting her eyes.

Natalie smiled at him, touching his shoulder. "I'm fine now. Ron's comment gave me a real shock. I needed some time upstairs to really understand what happened."

Harry chuckled. "I know – I've never seen your face go so blank. You came up with a pretty good excuse though. Hermione wanted to go check on you, but I told her that you needed the time to just let things calm down."

Natalie squeezed his shoulder in gratitude. "Thanks." In a more solemn tone, she said, "About Ron –"

"You don't have to tell him, Natalie. Both Hermione and I can keep the secret," said Harry firmly. However, Natalie could see his eyes darken in evident distress.

Natalie shook her head. "No, Harry. The guilt is terrible for me and I've only known Ron for about 6 months. For you guys, it must be unbearable."

Harry gave her a tight smile. "I won't pretend and say that it's hard for me to not be honest with him. I imagine the same can be said for Hermione, if not worse for her with all they've been through. But it's your secret and it is some pretty big news. Ron is more like me than Hermione so you'd have to expect his reaction to be like mine."

Natalie nodded. "I thought it over and I'm pretty sure his reaction will be a bit like the way you behaved. But Ron trusts you and Hermione with his life and because of that trust, I'm pretty confident that he won't tell anyone else."

Harry looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, I never thought of it like that. If there's one thing about Ron that you can always count on, it's his loyalty."

"Yeah, I figured he would rather jump off a cliff than go against you two."

Harry pursed his lips. "Natalie, it's still a big step for you. You're indirectly trusting that his loyalty to us will hold out. It's a risk."

Natalie smiled. He had interpreted her decision in the exact same way she had. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. I think this risk is much less dangerous than the huge burden placed on your friendships with Ron had I asked you and Hermione to not tell him."

"You sure about wanting to tell him?" asked Harry.

Natalie rolled her eyes at his insistence. "Of course, Harry. Like I've said, I've thought it over and it seems like the right decision to me."

Harry blinked at her. "Thank you," said Harry softly, staring into her eyes.

"For what?" asked Natalie, slightly breathless under his intent gaze.

Harry lifted her chin so that their faces were inches apart. "For taking this risk and putting yourself out there for Hermione and I."

Natalie blushed. "I don't want to lose either of you, do I?" whispered Natalie.

"Don't worry. That will never happen," said Harry before he leaned in to give her a deep kiss.

After a few moments of this pure bliss, in which both their hands had decided to explore, Harry pulled back reluctantly, his eyes sparkling. "Don't you have to go now? I highly doubt McGonagall will be too pleased at what we've been up to."

Natalie laughed. "I'm just glad nobody decided to interrupt us."

"I'm sure Hermione took care of that."

Natalie smiled at the image of Hermione scolding some frightened second year. "Yes, I'm certain she did. Can you tell her that I'm alright? As much as I'd like to stay, I also want to see Kalissa and don't want to incur Minerva's wrath any further."

Harry nodded. "You may go Miss Malkae."

Natalie laughed, giving him one last lingering kiss on the lips before she stepped out from behind the door into the common room, inviting the curiosity of almost the entire Common room. She noticed in some amusement that most of the younger girls were shooting her looks of utmost loathing.

Natalie found Hermione's worried eyes by the fire. She smiled at Hermione, mouthing "I'm okay and we'll talk later." A relieved look crossed Hermione's face before she nodded and motioned to the portrait to indicate that she should go.

Natalie briskly walked across the common room and exited through the portrait. Looking at her watch, she barely had a minute to walk to Minerva's office. She rushed to Minerva's office which was thankfully only a staircase and one corridor away.

Before she could knock on Minerva's door, the door flew open, causing Natalie to stagger into her office, looking at a very bemused Minerva.

"Natalie, I see that Mr. Potter is starting to rub off on you the wrong way. You've arrived in the same manner he usually does for class," said Minerva reproachfully.

Natalie, who was still breathing heavily after her near sprint to Minerva's office, said, "You must have heard me coming."

"How could I not? I daresay most of the Gryffindor common room heard you running down the corridor!"

"Well I didn't want to be late," said Natalie defensively.

Minerva smiled. "And you weren't. But we do have to leave now, Natalie. Aberforth is waiting."

Natalie remembered the irritated expression on the man's face at their tardiness the previous time she met Kalissa. "Yes, we should go. I brought everything for the night."

Minerva nodded, waving her wand. A door suddenly appeared behind Minerva's desk. "We'll be heading through that door," said Minerva, motioning to the door that had just appeared.

"Where does that lead to?" asked Natalie, the surprise evident on her face as she made her way to the door. Minerva opened it, revealing a steep staircase.

"It's a shortcut to the Room of Requirement," They both began to climb the stairs.

"Why we didn't use we that last time?" asked Natalie, still bewildered.

"Albus created it after I explained that with the Aurors and Prefects patrolling the school, I didn't want to take the chance that we would be seen."

"He can do that?" said Natalie, still in awe.

Minerva raised her eyebrows at her. "He is the Headmaster of the School and therefore can control the magical boundaries within the school. As I am sure you have read in –"

"Hogwarts a History," finished Natalie. "It's still absolutely brilliant."

Natalie could perceive Minerva smiling next to her. They reached the last steps and entered through another door into the Room of Requirement. On the other side of the room, Natalie recognized the familiar tunnel that led to the Hog's Head.

Seeing the tunnel, the thought occurred to Natalie that the tunnel was a passageway that essentially could lead a person into the school completely undetected. "Er, Minerva, do the Aurors know about this tunnel?"

"No," answered Minerva. "Albus and Aberforth decided that the less people that know about this tunnel, the better it is for the safety of the school."

"But with the type of characters who enter Hog's Head, wouldn't it be better for at least a couple of Aurors to guard it?" pressed Natalie, beginning to feel slightly uneasy about the tunnel.

Minerva shot her an annoyed glance. "Must you always question Professor Dumbledore's judgment?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders. "I thought you can't too careful."

Minerva sighed. "I suppose you are right. I have tried to convince Albus that we should inform members of the Order about the tunnel but he believes it's better that only he and Aberforth know."

"And you trust his judgment," finished Natalie cheekily.

"When did you become so snotty? But yes and you should too as I've said before," said Minerva crossly.

"That wasn't snide – I was just trying to inject some humour into our conversation," said Natalie as she crawled into the tunnel.

"You're spending too much time with Ronald Weasley," muttered Minerva, shaking her head. "Natalie, we should hurry up a bit. We have only about 20 minutes. Aberforth has said that he will close the tunnel off and I trust you remember the length of this tunnel."

"Yes, I do want to see Kalissa," said Natalie, realizing with some anxiety that Aberforth did seem to be the type of person who would close off the tunnel.

"So less talking," said Minerva curtly. "And please move."

They walked at a brisk pace along the tunnel, only pausing to crawl through some of the more narrow parts before arriving in front of a wooden door that barely stood out from the tunnel walls. Minerva knocked three times on the door. The bartender quickly opened the door, urging them inside. Natalie again experienced a slight startle at seeing Dumbledore's rich and vivid blue eyes but without the warmth and sparkle associated with the headmaster.

Aberforth pushed them ahead up the stairs. "She's upstairs – same room as before. There's nobody else on that floor, but make sure nobody sees the girl," hissed Aberforth before he turned on his heel and descended the stairs back to the tavern.

As they walked up the stairs to the third floor where Kalissa was staying, a bubbling giddiness filled Natalie's stomach. She could not wait to find herself immersed in one of Kalissa's bone crushing hugs, hear the superfluous melodies that embellished her voice with a sense of indomitable enthusiasm and most importantly, be able to speak all her thoughts without inhibition.

"Can't wait, can we?" noted Minerva, seeing the dreamy look on Natalie's face.

"I do miss her so much, Minerva. I've spent 16 years of my life with her at my side and this last year, I've only seen her twice," stated Natalie somberly.

"I know Natalie. It's been very hard on her, too," acknowledged Minerva sadly.

Once they reached the third floor, Minerva pointed her wand at the broom closet at the end of the corridor. An elegantly polished oak door appeared as the broom closet vanished. "Let's go," said Minerva to Natalie, a sparkle appearing in her eyes too. Natalie presumed that Minerva must also be very excited to see her best friend.

"You will be staying to talk with us, won't you?" asked Natalie, gazing hopefully at Minerva.

Minerva smiled at her. "Wouldn't you two want to spend the evening alone with each other?"

Natalie shook her head. "Why? There's nothing we can say to each other that we can't say to you. And besides, you are our family."

Minerva turned her eyes from Natalie's fierce gaze. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed. "Thank you, Natalie." Natalie smiled. Despite Minerva's harsh and strict demeanor, she had one of the kindest and softest spirits Natalie had seen.

They arrived at the oak door. Natalie could picture Kalissa waiting impatiently on the other side, undoubtedly ready to throw herself at Natalie. Minerva had barely knocked three times before the door flew open and before Natalie knew what happened, she found herself inhaling the wonderfully familiar flowery scent of Kalissa's hair.

"Whoa, Kalissa. You do need to check it's us," spluttered Natalie through a mouthful of Kalissa's hair.

Kalissa pulled her head back to stare at Natalie. The absolute glow on Kalissa's face overjoyed Natalie. "Honestly, I don't need a secret question to know it's you," cried Kalissa jubilantly.

Kalissa then looked behind her, her smile, if possible, widening further. She kissed Natalie on the forehead before tearing herself from Natalie and leaping like a schoolgirl onto a startled, but very pleased Minerva. Natalie shook her head in astonishment at the women's energy.

"Kalissa, you should really check," reprimanded Minerva though she could barely seem to contain the adoration in her voice.

"Oh what nonsense Minerva!" breathed Kalissa. Seeing the stern look on Minerva' face, Kalissa rolled her eyes. "Oh Minerva, why do you have to spoil the fun? Anyway, alright, I'll make it a memorable question. Who was the first boy you ever kissed?"

Natalie gaped at Minerva. For some reason, she could not picture her austere friend snogging a boy.

Minerva's face had turned an uncharacteristic pink. "Marcus Hutchins in fifth year."

"May 5th, if I remember correctly," reminisced Kalissa, laughing.

"Very well then. You don't need to check Natalie if you know it's me," concluded Minerva, trying to regain her composure.

"Come on the two of you. We only have an evening to enjoy ourselves," urged Kalissa.

Minerva smiled at her. "I want to let the two of you talk alone first."

Natalie groaned. "Oh come on, Minerva. You do remember what I said."

Minerva eyed her cautiously. "I do Natalie, but there must be some things the two of you want to talk about."

Natalie raised her eyebrows. From the way Minerva emphasized "some", Natalie gathered that she too had inferred Kalissa's unstable range of emotions in the letters she had written to Kalissa.

The exchange between Natalie and Minerva had not gone unnoticed by Kalissa. She shot both of them curious glances.

Kalissa waved her hands frantically at the two of them. "Minerva, will you come later at the very least? You are happy to see me, aren't you?"

Minerva smiled at the worried undertone in Kalissa's words. "59 years of friendship and you think I don't want to see you?"

Natalie laughed at the sheepish expression on Kalissa's face.

"I will come later. It's not much of a walk for me anyway," said Minerva consolingly, patting her best friend on the back.

"Very well then," said Kalissa amicably. "All of the safety charms are in place and I also got Aberforth to reluctantly put some house elves on patrol by the staircase."

"House elves?" asked Minerva bemusedly.

"Well did you see them?" said Kalissa, her hands on her hips.

"No, we didn't," answered Natalie.

"Exactly my point. That's the best type of guard," noted Kalissa, smiling triumphantly at both of them.

Natalie and Minerva exchanged amused glances. Natalie wondered whether Minerva was also thinking of a certain bushy haired Gryffindor girl.

Kalissa waved her hands dramatically at them. "What's this new thing about communicating silently with each other?"

"I was just thinking of Hermione – you and her would be able to talk for days about house elves," said Natalie.

"Precisely what I was thinking, Natalie," agreed Minerva. "Well, all the protection charms are in place so I'll be back in about 2 hours."

Kalissa and Natalie nodded, both saying their good-byes. As soon as Minerva walked to the staircase, Kalissa pulled Natalie eagerly into her room. Natalie noticed that the room was slightly larger than last time, likely due to an expanding charm and that a settee and two armchairs had been added.

They sat down on the armchairs, facing one another.

"How are you, Natalie?" asked Kalissa, still beaming.

Natalie grinned at Kalissa's enthusiasm. She wondered how she could cope for months without being subject to that sparkling smile. "I'm doing well – at least better than last time. Harry and I have sorted things out and school is going well."

"Oh so, your schoolwork is an afterthought now?" asked Kalissa.

"No, of course not. I'm sure Minerva has told you that my marks haven't faltered," said Natalie indignantly.

Kalissa laughed. "Oh Natalie! I was merely joking. Minerva has informed me much to my pleasure that you are doing well and that particularly, she feels that having this Miss Granger as your friend is pushing both of you quite nicely."

"It's always nice to have a friend who's just as obsessed with the same subjects."

Kalissa nodded. "It was like that for Minerva and myself as well."

Kalissa, then in a more solemn tone, said, "I've also heard from Albus and Minerva about some of your adventures in the last week."

Natalie looked away as Kalissa's eyes scrutinized her. "Oh come on, Kalissa. It was no different than what happened at Christmas."

Kalissa crossed her arms across her chest, the radiant smile leaving her face. "How was it similar to Christmas besides the fact that you fought one of the Lestranges again? I was not there and neither was Minerva or even Albus." Kalissa's voice rose dramatically on the last words.

Natalie glared at Kalissa. "One of the members of the Order was in grave danger. If we'd not helped Remus, then she would have likely died or been taken to Voldemort."

"Nymphadora Tonks, I believe?" questioned Kalissa.

"Yes, Kalissa. An Auror who also works for the Order," muttered Natalie through gritted teeth.

"And who's also your cousin," said Kalissa, a grim smile tugging at her lips.

Natalie stared in disbelief at her. "Kalissa, the fact that she was my cousin had nothing to do with our decision to go after."

Seeing the unconvinced look on Kalissa's face, Natalie said more emphatically, "Kalissa, you know me. I wouldn't do something so dangerous just because of Bellatrix. Tonks needed our help."

Kalissa smiled at her. "I know it's not about Bellatrix. I just wanted to see your reaction after I mentioned your connection to Nymphadora."

Natalie was now the one furiously crossing her hands over her chest. "Kalissa!"

"It was the only way I could tell if knowing who Nymphadora was really affected your judgment," said Kalissa reasonably.

"Oh Kalissa, I'm sure there must have been other ways!"

Kalissa raised her hands to calm Natalie. "Listen to me. I understand why you and Hermione attacked those Death Eaters. I am very proud of you for having that courage and also for apprehending the Death Eaters. As I am sure others have told you already, it still was a dangerous decision. When I heard of what happened and specifically which Death Eaters fought, I almost fainted in shock at that moment."

Natalie groaned. "Harry said you would react like that."

Kalissa raised her eyebrows. "I'm glad he knows me so well seeing as how I've never met him."

Natalie laughed. "He also had a pretty, er, strong reaction to what we did."

"Of course he did. He is your boyfriend, isn't he?" said Kalissa amicably as Natalie blushed.

Kalissa continued in a more serious tone. "Natalie, I would have likely made the same decision had I been in your position but I want to know that you appreciate the consequences of making a decision like that. These are Death Eaters, people who would take great pleasure in seeing y-your d-death." Kalissa's voice quivered on the last two words.

Natalie met Kalissa's worried gaze, her eyes becoming slightly wet. She placed her hand on top of Kalissa's hand. "I know, Kalissa. Being your daughter, why would I expect anything less from the Death Eaters?" whispered Natalie.

Tears streamed down Kalissa's cheeks. She grabbed Natalie in a tight hug. "Natalie, this has been so hard – being away from you."

Natalie nodded, again reveling in the refreshing scent of Kalissa's hair. "We're getting through this alive, aren't we?"

"We are," breathed Kalissa, strengthening her hold on Natalie.

"I'm not making it easy, though, given that I'm dating Harry Potter?" said Natalie cheekily.

Kalissa laughed as she loosened her hold on Natalie and they both pulled out of the hug. "No, you aren't, but I've never seen you so happy and confident."

Natalie grinned at her. "I have to admit being with Harry has done wonders for me. It was hard for him to accept that I'm Bellatrix's daughter, but we've talked about it a lot and he's helped me quite a bit."

Kalissa brushed the strands of hair that had become loose from Natalie's ponytail. "I've noticed tonight. When I mentioned Nymphadora, you were pretty defiant about Bellatrix. And I've never heard you say her name so much."

"She doesn't dominate my thoughts as much. The shame or regret is not nearly as strong or powerful," explained Natalie happily.

"You should have never have felt any shame or regret in the first place," stated Kalissa quietly.

Natalie smiled at her. "So how are you Kalissa?"

"The new place is treating me very well and no problems so far," answered Kalissa, shifting her gaze from Natalie's face to a point just above Natalie's shoulder.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Kalissa, I know you as well as you know me. And judging by your last letter, something is indeed bothering you."

Kalissa sighed. "You are right."

"Is this Order related?" asked Natalie tentatively.

"Not necessary," replied Kalissa cryptically. "Though it may be in the future."

Natalie decided to press further. "Professor Dumbledore? About Harry?"

Kalissa appraised Natalie, evidently considering whether she should tell her. After a few moments of thoughtful silence in which Natalie impatiently clasped and unclasped her fingers, Kalissa nodded.

"Fine," said Kalissa softly. "Do you remember when you told me about the picture of Lily Evans and Severus Snape?"

"Yes," said Natalie, remembering the conversation. "Minerva and Professor Dumbledore were also there too."

"And do you remember what Albus said about Severus' feelings for her?" continued Kalissa.

Natalie closed her eyes, trying to picture that conversation. "I'm not sure, but he said something along the lines that he cared very much for her."

"More than a friend," added Kalissa.

Natalie nodded. From that picture, the young Snape appeared to be completely enthralled by Lily Evans.

And then it struck Natalie. Lily Evans was Harry's mother. Harry, who barely knew anything about his parents, had no idea his mother had become very close with the man who he absolutely loathed. And Natalie was aware of this alarming truth. Harry craved for any tidbit of information about his parents even if the information was unpleasant and shocking. He would be outraged if he ever found out that she had neglected to share this information would him.

"Natalie?" asked a confused Kalissa. Natalie heard her but could not respond.

The familiar stinging guilt cut itself into Natalie's chest. All of the jubilation and ecstacy at seeing Kalissa seemed to escape her instantly. She was not completely shocked, but deflated and exhausted at being so woefully ignorant that she had been hiding this secret for almost two months.

"Natalie!" cried Kalissa, frantically now shaking her.

Natalie shook her head, looking into Kalissa's distressed eyes.

She smiled at Kalissa, realizing that to Kalissa, the glazed look in her eyes may have given the very wrong impression that she become senile. "I'm okay Kalissa," said Natalie, releasing herself from Kalissa's death grip and smiling reassuredly at her guardian's ashen face.

Still seeing that the terror on Kalissa's face had not been appeased, Natalie explained calmly, "When you mentioned Snape's feelings for Lily Evans, I immediately thought about the picture I saw and how in that picture, there was no doubt that Snape had romantic feelings for Lily. And for some reason, just now, it hit me that Lily was Harry's mother and that shouldn't he at least deserve to know this about her?"

The colour slowly returned to Kalissa's cheeks as she stood up. "And you're feeling guilty about not telling him and worried that when he does find out, he won't be too happy with you."

Natalie nodded, lowering her face to her hands. "How did I not see this before? I really am an idiot, aren't I? And I still don't know what to do," moaned Natalie through her hands.

"You're not an idiot, Natalie, just obsessed with a boy," said Kalissa waspishly.

"Kalissa! This is very serious," said Natalie indignantly.

Kalissa laughed. "Oh Natalie, I am so glad that I never got involved in a serious relationship. But the decision to tell Harry is in your hands. I'm going to make us some tea, seeing as all this heavy chatter has made me quite thirsty."

"What about the subject that was worrying you?"

Kalissa stroked her chin contemplatively. "After this display, I think you may be, er, too fragile for that subject."

"Kalissa!" snapped Natalie. "You know I don't like it when you lead me on."

Kalissa gave her one last mischievous smile before gliding behind the door by the bed to the small makeshift kitchen.

Natalie clicked her tongue in annoyance at Kalissa's playfulness. Her mind returned back to Harry and Snape. She could still not believe that she had never appreciated the full gravity of concealing Lily and Snape's friendship from Harry, let alone Snape's feelings for her. Natalie sighed. Tonight certainly was becoming a night of revelations.

Looking back to when Snape had showed her the picture in his office, Natalie supposed that because she and Harry were not talking at the time, the guilt of hiding that information from Harry had not resonated strongly enough with her to force her to consider whether she should have abided by Snape's promise. Still, since their fight had ended, she and Harry did often talk about Snape and yet, that picture never crossed her mind during one of those conversations. She must have not emotionally made the significant connection between Snape and Lily's friendship and Harry.

However, Natalie conceded that at least now, the guilt had finally struck her. Unlike with Ron though, an uncertainty lingered; Natalie could not see a clear solution to this problem. She made the promise to Snape. As much as Harry was Lily's son, the picture belonged to Snape and Lily had been his friend. The decision to inform Harry should lie with the former Potions Master. Therefore, Natalie concluded, with a tinge of relief, that she had not been wholly wrong in not telling Harry.

Natalie knew that keeping this information from Harry would be a burden for her. But had not others also concealed the relationship? Natalie was almost certain that the friends of Harry's parents, such as Remus and Sirius Black, would have known about their friendship, yet, they obviously chose not to enlighten Harry. More importantly, Dumbledore definitely was aware of the friendship as well as Snape's feelings for Lily, but he had neglected to share this information with Harry, likely because of a promise to Snape. Natalie let out a breath of frustration. On the basis of being Lily's son, Harry deserved to know about Snape, but the secret was ultimately the man's secret to disclose or hold. She did not know what would be more difficult; revealing her mother's identity to Ron or preventing Harry from knowing something quite revealing and shocking about his mother.

After a few more moments of Natalie's brooding, Kalissa came back into the main room, two mugs of hot tea in her hands. She handed one mug to Natalie and sat down in the opposing armchair.

"So Natalie, have you had enough time to think about your absolutely dire predicament?" posed Kalissa melodramatically.

Natalie sipped her tea. "Can you stop being sarcastic? I think this is quite serious."

"Natalie, I can't help you here," said Kalissa more seriously, the mischievous glint leaving her eyes.

Natalie grimaced. "As much as I wish you could, I know it isn't your place to tell me what to do here."

"What's the plan?"

Natalie breathed slowly before answering Kalissa. "I want to tell Harry and I feel that he deserves to know at least something about his mother and Snape, but it's not my secret to tell. The only person who should be telling Harry about this is Snape himself."

Kalissa frowned. "The reasoning sounds pretty objective, but you will have to hide this information from Harry when you now realize how important it could be to him."

Natalie grimaced. "It's not going to be easy." Though Natalie believed she had made the most logical and morally agreeable decision, she could not shake off the corroding guilt that eroded at her enthusiasm. She felt like a punctured Muggle tire, slowly leaking out air.

"Natalie, you have matured quite a bit. If I'd known Hogwarts would have been so good for you, I would have sent you a long time ago," remarked Kalissa, undeniable pride lacing her voice.

Natalie laughed at her, the admiration in Kalissa's voice s lifting her spirits. "Getting back, what were you saying about Snape and Lily Evans that troubled you?"

The mischievous glint returned to Kalissa's eyes. "Natalie, I don't know if you'd be able to handle my own troubles when you have so much bothering you."

Natalie took a large sip of her tea, waving her other hand dismissively at Kalissa. "Don't think that I'm falling for your crafty little equivocation."

"Crafty equivocation? That's certainly a new phrase. I had no idea they were teaching the intricacies of the English language in Hogwarts now," said Kalissa dryly.

"Well, they aren't and can we please we get to the point? After reading your last letter, I was really worried about you, Kalissa," said Natalie, trying to sound as firm as possible.

"I wasn't that obvious in the letter, was I?" remarked Kalissa, her smile faltering.

"Let's see Kalissa. You talked about over-cooked roast beef in 4 paragraphs, repeated your questions regarding Harry about 5 times and forgot to ask me about my schoolwork which I don't think has ever happened in my entire life. You have never sounded so irrational and incongruent so yes, I was worried Kalissa."

"I have to remind myself to check those letters," said Kalissa, more to herself than Natalie.

"Kalissa!" exclaimed Natalie. "Something is bothering me and obviously, you can tell me."

Kalissa sighed. "Yes, it is bothering me and I think you need to know this as well."

"Well?" asked Natalie, looking eagerly at Kalissa as she placed her empty mug on the table in front of them.

Kalissa rolled her eyes at Natalie as she also placed her mug down. "Alright – about Severus and Lily Evans, I told you that Albus indicated that he knew about Severus' feelings for Lily?"

Natalie nodded, the guilt still tearing at her stomach.

"Albus had never mentioned this to me before even though I taught both of them. And afterwards, when we were discussing Order things and you were in the other room, I asked Albus about Severus and Lily. He merely avoided the subject, just saying that they were friends and that it was not the main reason Severus became a spy for the Order."

"But you didn't believe him," observed Natalie.

"Of course I didn't! Albus had already hinted that Severus had romantic feelings for her. Why wouldn't that be the motivation for Severus to join the Order, especially when Lily had been marked for death around the same time Severus became a spy?"

Natalie frowned. "Why would Professor Dumbledore not want to tell you?"

"I believe that Severus probably made Albus promise to not tell anyone about his reasons for joining the Order, but I have sufficient reason to believe those motivations are important to know."

"What do you mean 'they're important to know'?" asked Natalie though she sensed she already knew the answer.

"Since I went into hiding, I've been doing some research, looking at various books and my own Arithmancy notes, trying to find out exactly why Voldemort's curse rebounded on him the night he went after the Potters. And it's –"

"Based on circumstantial Arithmancy," completed Natalie, smiling triumphantly at Kalissa.

Kalissa gaped at her. "How do you know?"

"Kallisa, there are books on Hogwarts about how the Killing curse works," said Natalie airily.

"But how would you know that circumstantial Arithmancy may explain the rebounding of the curse?" asked Kalissa, her face still drenched in shock.

Natalie then proceeded to explain their investigation into the protection Lily cast on Harry and how they had arrived at the conclusion that circumstantial magic seemed to be the only type of magic that could change the structure of the Killing Curse in an alternative universe. Kalissa nodded along, assenting her agreement, but she still held this puzzled expression on her face.

"Kalissa, what's not making sense?" posed Natalie, noticing the confused expression.

"Why were the four of you trying to study Lily's protection anyway?" said Kalissa, her eyes narrowed.

Natalie paused, remembering that she promised Harry to ask Kalissa about the Horcruxes. "Well, Dumbledore gave this assignment to Harry to get information from Slughorn about –"

"Horcruxes?" interrupted Kalissa.

"Yes," said Natalie, a grin spreading across her face. "Do you know what they are?"

"I have an idea what Voldemort wants to do with them, but Albus told me that he'd like Harry to get those memories from Slughorn before he explains to Harry what Voldemort's doing with the Horcruxes."

"Oh, so you're not going to tell me," said a very dismayed Natalie.

"No, Natalie. I agree with Albus on this one – we need to know exactly what Slughorn told Riddle before we can disclose how he intends to use the Horcruxes."

"How do you know about these Horcruxes anyway?" asked Natalie suspiciously.

Kalissa raised her eyebrows at her. "Don't look so suspicious Natalie. Albus and I have mulled the idea for years, but for so long we had almost no concrete evidence besides a very crude memory from an extremely embarrassed man to prove that Voldemort is using Horcruxes."

"So evidence has come up?" said Natalie, seeing the slight opening in Kalissa's veiled in description.

Kalissa smiled at her. "Still as astute as ever. Yes, Natalie. Something important did occur that has led us to believe Voldemort knows about and is using Horcruxes."

"Oh, ok. You don't have to tell me exactly what they are, but Horcruxes help to make him immortal, don't they?" said Natalie innocently.

Kalissa laughed at her. "Don't think that I can't recognize that little sneaky attempt to seduce me into believing that you actually knew what Horcruxes were. I personally helped Albus remove all the books containing any mention of Horcruxes from the Hogwarts library when we first learned Riddle had been trying to find out about them."

"Am I at least close?" said Natalie pleadingly.

Kalissa sighed. "You are close with what you said." She shook her head at the triumphant grin on Natalie's face. "That's all I'm saying, though."

"So about circumstantial magic, you also think that the context surrounding Lily's death helped give that strength of protection," said Natalie.

"Yes, I'm thinking more about what happened to Lily in the time period between the moment Voldemort learned of the prophecy and the moment she died."

"And you believe Snape is an important part of this context," concluded Natalie.

Kalissa nodded. "If Snape had very powerful romantic feelings for her and if those feelings forced him to become a spy for the Order to help her, then according to circumstantial magic and circumstantial Arithmancy, those feelings will give quite a large amount of magical power to Lily's own love for her son."

"You've done the calculations, I suppose?"

Kalissa sighed. "I've tried to at the very least. Essentially, I've done calculations for the aspects of the context that I know would make Lily's situation unique – the prophecy of course, the fact that the person cast the Killing Curse was the darkest wizard in recent history, the probable use of Horcruxes by Voldemort, Lily's Muggle background, the Fidelius charm that briefly protected the Potters, the betrayal by Peter Pettigrew and lastly, the location of the murders which is Godric's Hollow, the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor."

"All of those things are unique?" asked Natalie, slightly perplexed that others targeted for death by Dark wizards had not decided to hide under the Fidelius charm or had never been betrayed.

"I know what you're thinking. The Fidelius charm was initially intended to keep information within small groups of people – you could call it as a magical way to swear people to secrecy. Only recently have we discovered that the charm can be modified to hide a location and therefore act as a protection charm. The Potters were one of the first few to hide under the Fidelius charm. As for the prophecy, many prophecies have been made historically, but rarely do prophecies predict that one person will 'vanquish' another which is why I think the prophecy was such a shock to Voldemort and caused him to act so carefully," explained Kalissa.

"About Peter Pettigrew, surely others have been betrayed?"

Kalissa grimaced. "But almost never by a close friend who they had entrusted with their lives."

"Oh," said Natalie, anger rising at the thought of Pettrigrew's horrible act. "So all of these unique things have equations, then I suppose."

"Ah," said Kalissa, her eyes sparkling. "In Hogwarts, they only teach you about systems in 7th year."

"Systems?" said Natalie, her interest piquing.

Kalissa smiled. "I'll give a basic background as the entire topic of systems is quite complex. A system is the Arithmancy technique we use to describe events. Effectively in a system, you have a set of variables but there's no fixed number of equations to allocate these variables. Consequently, there are many ways to sort those variables into different numbers of equations. For example, if we had ten variables, in that one system which consists of the ten variables, we may have anywhere from one equation to ten equations. In addition to those ten arrangements, there are many more arrangements depending on which variable is sorted into which equation and also on which operations we decide to use for the various equations. If we can decide upon a reasonable approximation of the variable, then for each equation, we can obtain a value by merely carrying out the mathematical equations involving the substituted values of the variables. And for each arrangement, there is a net value which is a sum of all the equation values. The net value effectively will tell you the amount of magical energy associated with whatever you're studying or in our case, a specific set of circumstances. Now, as you might expect, among the arrangements, depending on how the equations are formed and which operations are used with certain variables, the net value will be different for different arrangements. "

"Amazing," muttered Natalie. "So I'm supposing for each of those unique things, you have a variable, but all those variables are in one system."

"Precisely," stated Kalissa. "Approximating the values of the variables was not that difficult because I just used the basic guidelines of circumstantial Arithmancy. However, designing all the combinations of equations that could reasonably be used took some time – fortunately there are spells that will list the different combinations, but I still have to decide on the operations that can be considered. Anyway, when I finally managed to list all the net values of these arrangements, the highest net value did not translate into a magical energy that could change the Killing Curse."

"How would you know how much energy you need to change the Killing Curse?"

"I expected you to ask that," noted Kalissa amusedly. "Alright, this year, you must have learned about the type of equations that govern most magic?"

Natalie nodded. "Equations with only constants, those with one variable and many constants and those with multiple variables and constants," listed Natalie.

"Only one equation for a given spell, correct Natalie?" said Kalissa.

"Because a magical spell only has one type of magical energy."

"The Killing Curse has three equations, each with different variables," said Kalissa, eying Natalie for a reaction.

"What?" exclaimed Natalie. "That does not make sense. A spell cannot have more than one type of energy."

Kalissa laughed. "Arithmancy always has exceptions. In this case, the Killing Curse may be the only exception to the rule."

"But how does that work?"

"As you have found out Natalie, the Killing Curse is very unique. First of all, the magical power, taken from the pure hatred of the caster, has to fuse and coalesce in an alternative universe. As well, the curse creates a contract that the connection between the two people involved in the curse can occur only in that period of time and as a consequence of this contract, there is no physical remnant of the curse. Each of these features has a different magical energy – the first one, derived from the caster's ruthless hatred, is dark magic, the second one that creates the magical contract is the magic we associate with magical oaths or ancient magic."

"Then two equations are for dark magic and ancient magic," enumerated Natalie. "But you said there were three equations?"

"This is where it becomes interesting," said Kalissa excitedly. "The third equation effectively sets limits and conditions for the values of the variables of the other two equations. Therefore the Killing Curse theoretically may be modified by altering the limits described by the third equation."

"Then Lily's protection basically changed that third equation," concluded Natalie. Natalie could not help but feel that Kalissa was slowly arriving at a very important revelation.

"Yes. From what happened that night, I estimated an approximate amount of magical power that would be required to cause the curse to rebound back at Voldemort, effectively reversing the conditions of the first equation. As well, there is a mental and emotional connection between Voldemort and Harry that implies the limits of the second equation were extended rather dramatically."

"That must be a huge amount of energy," said Natalie in slight awe at how much power could be stored in a simple sacrifice.

"It is," confirmed Kalissa. "But, given the extreme rare circumstances surrounding Lily's death, I hypothesized that there might have been just enough magic to cause all those alterations to the Killing Curse."

"It wasn't though," said Natalie slowly, recognizing the disdainful way Kalissa had said 'hypothesized.' Kalissa did not take errors in her Arithmancy estimations very lightly.

"No, I was wrong," muttered Kalissa. "Just with the circumstances I'd mentioned, the magical energy seemed to be quite short of what was required. All my estimations and calculations about Lily's circumstances made sense and as you know, determining the amount of magical energy required a curse is far more exact so I wasn't too worried about the subjectivity of that calculation."

"But then you heard about Snape and Lily," stated Natalie, smiling in understanding at Kalissa.

Kalissa returned her smile. "Exactly. When Albus mentioned their friendship and hinted at his feelings the last time you were here, it immediately hit me that this dynamic between Severus and Lily could have the potential to add the necessary magical energy to Lily's protection. If Severus, due to his feelings for Lily, had any type of significant relevance in the surrounding context of Lily's death, then the romantic love would be very powerful in augmenting the magical power of Lily's love for Harry. Romantic love, in Arithmancy terms, adds variables with very high minimum boundaries so consequently, any substituted value of the variable will make a considerable difference in the net value of the system."

"That does make sense," said Natalie, barely containing her excitement. "But how do you define 'significant relevance'?"

"Ah, that was a bit vague, wasn't it? I suppose any act on his part that affected Lily's fate would be considered relevant. Specifically, I am thinking that he turned spy to help protect her. This large sacrifice on his part would be a very powerful way for the magical energy of the romantic love to be added to Lily's protection. But there's also another theory I have that if true, would show Severus' role in the protection absolutely essential."

"What?" Natalie asked sharply.

Kalissa nodded. "Did Harry tell you and the others the reason Lily's death could provide protection at all?"

Natalie frowned, considering the question before realizing Kalissa's line of thinking. "Because she was given a choice to live if she let Harry die but she chose death and the protection was in a way, 'allowed to exist.'"

"And why do you suppose she was given a choice?" asked Kalissa with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh," exclaimed Natalie. She slapped her hand against her forehead. The answer to her question a few weeks ago had been staring right at her.

"Do you see what I'm saying?" said Kalissa with a triumphant grin.

"Snape asked Voldemort to keep Lily alive?" said Natalie, gaping. "But t-then, that would mean he knew about the prophecy- would Voldemort trust him so much as to tell him?"

Kalissa sighed. "The openness, I admit, is a bit puzzling. The Voldemort I know, or Tom Riddle, would not divulge such a secret to anybody, but I believe Snape managed to ingratiate himself into the innermost Death Eater circles, perhaps through several notable connections like Lucius Malfoy or your mother. If I remember correctly, as a student, he was not widely popular among the Slytherins, but they all seemed to hold him in an unusually high regard given his poor, half blood heritage. And perhaps, Voldemort felt that if he told a few of his Death Eaters about the prophecy, they could provide him with expendable bodies to infiltrate the Order and seek the Potters."

"There seems to be no other reason as to why a Muggle born firmly set against Voldemort and the Death Eaters would be given a choice to live," said Natalie slowly.

"Yes. And if Snape indeed did ask for Voldemort to spare Lily's life, then Snape's feelings for Lily would add the energy of romantic love in the most powerful, optimum equation to the circumstances surrounding Lily's death and hence her protection."

"Ok, that does explain a lot," affirmed Natalie. "So you know or at least have a very probable idea of why Lily's protection was able to change the Killing Curse. The question then is –"

"How we use all this knowledge to defeat Voldemort?" posed Kalissa knowingly.

"Kalissa, you know me too well," said Natalie, laughing.

"I have known you for 16 years; one year does not make me a stranger. And plus, you think like me," said Kalissa, winking at her. "But yes, I've thought of that question. We can use this knowledge to eliminate the connection between Voldemort and Harry."

"How would you do that?" asked Natalie.

Kalissa sighed. "This is where it becomes very subjective, not that it already isn't. I believe we can reverse or change some of the unique circumstances surrounding Lily's death. In changing those circumstances, we basically reduce the magical energy associated with that context, returning the limits of the variables of the second equation to their original values."

"When you mean change certain circumstances, you're talking –"

"Well, the Horcruxes to start off – destroying them would render that part of the context irrelevant," said Kalissa calmly. "Capturing and bringing Peter Pettigrew to justice would be another one and perhaps, getting Severus to confront Voldemort about Lily- effectively a reverse of his plea to let her live."

Natalie nodded, thinking excitedly that all but the last one seemed possible. "You said that changing or reversing those parts of Lily's context would change the limits of the second equation – the one about the magical contract – but what about the first equation?"

Kalissa grinned at her. "That's where it becomes very convenient. The changes to the first equation cannot be modified simply because Lily's sacrifice cannot be reversed."

Natalie returned the grin, the gravity of that statement dawning on her. "And the protection associated with that sacrifice still stays with Harry."

"Precisely," asserted Kalissa. "If Voldemort tries to kill Harry, without a connection between the two of them, the Killing Curse should rebound on him."

Natalie frowned. Something did not click with Kalissa's statement. She paused, trying to find the contradiction or flaw in Kalissa's description that she sensed. Then it occurred to her. "Kalissa, there was no connection when Harry was a baby and the curse rebounded on Voldemort. So why wasn't he killed?"

"Albus and I presume that the Horcruxes helped Voldemort achieve something close to immortality so his soul was not completely stripped by the Killing Curse," responded Kalissa.

"Wouldn't that mean that the rebounded curse would not kill Voldemort if the Horcruxes are not destroyed?" asked Natalie, feeling again that she could not see a simple fact.

"Didn't I say that the Horcruxes will have to be destroyed to erase the connection?" said Kalissa, giving Natalie a wry smile.

"Oh," exclaimed Natalie, her face flushing. "How did I miss that?"

"It happens sometimes," said Kalissa airily, waggling her eyebrows playfully at Natalie. "Returning to what I was saying, successfully removing this link between Voldemort and Harry will in essence allow Harry to use his mother's protection to kill Voldemort when they do have their confrontation."

"So there's a lot to do before Harry can actually try to kill Voldemort," noted Natalie in dismay. She could not help but feel overwhelmed at all Kalissa had told her.

"Well, Natalie, you have to remember that all I've said are my theories and especially the part about Severus and Lily. But at least, we're have an idea as to how he can be killed," pointed Kalissa, smiling at her. "And at the very least, that's a strong start."

"Does Professor Dumbledore know all of the circumstantial Arithmancy behind Lily's protection?" said Natalie though she sensed the answer.

The dazzling and excited glimmer in Kalissa's eyes quickly disappeared. A distinct and uncharacteristic somberness clouded those eyes. The creases and wrinkles on Kalissa's forehead seemed to suddenly emerge, pushing away the happy, satisfied glow that constantly permeated her face, to reveal a wearisome concern and distress. For one of the few times in her life, Kalissa appeared to be 70 years old.

"I'm supposing that he does not know or does not want to know," stated Natalie quietly, trying to contain her own alarm at seeing this sudden agitation in Kalissa.

Kalissa nodded. "I've seen him a few times over the last few months. I've told him my theories and why I need to know about Severus' background with Lily. Albus seems to agree with my ideas about circumstantial magic making Lily's protection so powerful, but he refuses to tell me anything about Severus. Nor do I believe that he feels trying to reverse the circumstances is the most effective way to allow Harry to use Lily's protection. Having known Albus so long, I can almost always tell when he's avoiding the subject at hand or trying to equivocate."

Natalie looked at Kalissa in astonishment. Kalissa's hypothesis seemed perfectly plausible. Dumbledore clearly indicated that he knew of Severus' infatuation with Lily yet he chose not to take the circumstantial magic behind her sacrifice seriously. "Why?" said Natalie softly.

"Natalie, I have no actual no idea why he does not agree with me," whispered Kalissa, running a hand through her hair agitatedly. "My first inclination would be that the entire subjectivity of my approximations for the amount of energy conferred from all of the unique facets of Lily's situation put Albus off. But as I've said, circumstantial magic seems to be the only logical way in which that connection between Harry and Voldemort could have been established. And Albus has never been one to doubt an explanation merely because it was not objective. And moreover, Albus knows about Severus and that night you were here, he blatantly suggested he knew of Severus' feelings. To me, it seems my explanation should make perfect sense for him."

"But Albus has not been very forward recently," continued Kalissa, her tone more grave and solemn as she stared into space. "He's always a bit cryptic, but this year, it just seems that he's hiding something."

"What do you think he's hiding?" asked Natalie intently. She surmised from Harry that the Headmaster had always been quite clandestine.

Kalissa returned from her reverie to look contemplatively at Natalie. "There are so many things. First of all, his hand, though he has told me how he became injured, he has not told me how severe the injury is – you've noticed I'm sure that the condition of his hand has only become worse. And there's also this terrible ordeal with the attacks happening at the school – I believe one of the Weasleys, your friend, almost died from one of them."

Natalie gulped, remembering Ron's limp form on that hospital bed. "Yes, Minerva says that Dumbledore has control of the situation, but it just seems odd that two people nearly died and he has not caught the culprit."

"Albus always knows what's going on in the castle," stated Kalissa forcefully, her tone hardening. "If he could realize when I was at Hogwarts that Tom Riddle was behind the Chamber of Secrets attacks as well as all the other things Riddle concocted, then he can easily determine who is behind these attacks."

"If he knew then, why would he not have that person or people expelled and sent to Azkhaban?" cried Natalie, outraged.

"Exactly," stated Kalissa. "My hunch is that Albus knows who is behind these attacks, but he wants to keep the identity of the person hidden for some reason." She raised her hands to stop Natalie's protests. "I know Natalie, it's manipulative and wrong to do that, but Albus, if anything, will make sure that person does not try anything so reckless again even if he's trying to hide the person."

"It's still playing with other people's lives. He has no right to do that," said Natalie angrily. Upon hearing Kalissa, her immense respect for the Headmaster was diminishing slightly. To risk the death of others to further his own cause suggested a cold, unsympathetic arrogance that Natalie could hardly believe the Headmaster possessed.

Kalissa grimaced. "If that is indeed what he is doing, then I have to say it is wrong – that person does not deserve to be kept hidden."

Natalie wondered whether she should confess Harry's suspicions to Kalissa. "Er, Kalissa, you don't have any idea who might have been behind the two attacks, do you?"

Kalissa raised her eyebrows at her, clearly recognizing the leading edge to Natalie's question. "You have an idea? Or maybe Harry does?" said Kalissa, shooting Natalie a mischievous grin.

Natalie sighed. "Harry thinks that it may be Malfoy. At the beginning of the year, he heard Malfoy telling his friends that he had become a Death Eater and that he has some big task from Voldemort to carry out. It gets even stranger because in December, Harry and I heard Snape telling Malfoy that he made an Unbreakable vow in front of Malfoy's mother to protect Malfoy or something along those lines."

"But you don't believe it's Malfoy," stated Kalissa, noting the skepticism underlining Natalie's words.

Natalie shook her head. "It just does not seem to fit. Ok, maybe Malfoy became a Death Eater, but Voldemort would not be stupid enough to entrust him with an important task."

Kalissa stroked her chin, assessing Natalie's words. "I agree with you somewhat – the Voldemort I know would never rely on a 17 year old boy to carry out important deeds. Severus' Unbreakable vow is surprising but not shocking – protecting the boy would seem not to conflict with his obligation to Dumbledore, but it's a still dangerous move on Severus' part with what the vow entails. Still with the attacks, could Malfoy not be acting by himself, perhaps seeking revenge for his father's arrest?"

"Malfoy could be, but he doesn't seem like the type who has the spirit to try to kill someone. And anyway, wouldn't Voldemort be upset with him if he was acting by himself?"

"Yes, Voldemort would be upset," agreed Kalissa. "Though, Natalie, be careful to judge people by their reputation. Malfoy is clearly desperate – his father is in Azkhaban, destroying the family reputation and he is no doubt being pressured by Bellatrix to restore honour to the family name. Desperate people can do some horrible things."

"You don't honestly think Harry is right?" said Natalie apprehensively.

Kalissa looked at her carefully. After a few moments, Kalissa spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, "No, I don't think Harry's right. However, judging by how many Aurors are stationed at Hogwarts, both attacks would have required to be orchestrated by somebody the Aurors would overlook as a threat so then we cannot rule out Malfoy."

"But if it was Malfoy, Snape would know and so then would Professor Dumbledore," said Natalie, connecting the dots.

Kalissa's facial expression darkened. "Yes, but Albus will do anything to protect his students and if it is Malfoy, he will make sure the attacks are halted. But it still shows that Albus is –"

"Hiding too much," completed Natalie in frustration. "By the way, how did he injure his hand?

Kalissa looked away from her. "It has to do with the Horcruxes, but I've agreed with Albus not to tell you about the Horcruxes until Harry has extracted that memory from Slughorn."

"Kalissa, come on!" protested Natalie vehemently.

Kalissa, for the first time since they mentioned Dumbledore, gave a bright smile. "Well, then make sure Harry gets a move on and find a way to persuade Horace."

"I will," said Natalie determinedly, noting that Harry had been slightly too preoccupied with indicting Malfoy than figuring how to woo the memory out of Slughorn.

"Fine, so where were we before we started talking about Malfoy?" asked Kalissa, speaking more to herself than to Natalie.

"Talking about why Professor Dumbledore is not taking the circumstantial magic behind Lily's protection very seriously," replied Natalie.

"I think you may know my answer to that question after I've expressed my worries about Albus," said Kalissa surreptitiously.

Natalie looked at her momentarily in puzzlement before seeing the implication. "You think that he does not believe in using the circumstantial magic because he has another plan for defeating Voldermort that he does not want anybody to know of."

"Well, I don't think he's keeping it from everybody. I think Harry will eventually have to be told," noted Kalissa.

"So he also wants to destroy the Horcruxes," commented Natalie.

Kalissa nodded. "Yes, but I think he sees other ways to defeat Voldemort that also involve the Horcruxes. I still don't know why he finds it necessary to hide his plan from me."

Natalie reached over to squeeze Kalissa's hand. "I don't think it's that he doesn't trust you. Maybe he wants to keep you safe," said Natalie softly.

Kalissa smiled at her. "Thank you Natalie. But I'd rather know and not have him make decisions for me."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "It always has to be on your terms," commented Natalie dryly.

"Haven't I taught you well?" quipped Kalissa, grinning at her.

"Yes, you have," said Natalie, returning the sly grin. "Then, are there other ways of killing Voldemort?"

Kalissa frowned. "Remember, Harry is the only individual who has that protection so he has the greatest chance of defeating Voldemort. And knowing Albus, any plan of his would heavily involve Harry, but as I've suggested, the connection between Voldemort and Harry must first be broken. I believe then Albus sees another way of breaking that connection that he prefers to circumstantial magic, only I fail to see the way."

Natalie looked at Kalissa pensively. "The Horcruxes would still have to be destroyed," said Natalie slowly. "But capturing Pettigrew would be difficult and getting Snape to confront Voldemort would require extreme persuasion."

"Yes, reversing some of the context around Lily's death will not be easy, but I am almost certain the connection is built on circumstantial Arithmancy. Therefore in my estimation, reversing the context is still the most logical way," contended Kalissa fiercely.

Suddenly, Natalie remembered Harry telling her Dumbledore's explanation for the link between him and Voldemort. "Kalissa, are you certain that Professor Dumbledore believes the connection to be due to circumstantial Arithmancy? You said that he agreed with you that circumstantial magic played a role in Lily's protection, but not necessarily that it created the link."

Kalissa closed her eyes, breathing heavily. When she opened her eyes, a dreary uneasiness reappeared, quickly morphing itself into that wearisome anxiety Natalie found so disconcerting. "I never thought of that," said Kalissa. "You're right, Natalie – I don't think Albus actually believes me at all."

"Kalissa!" admonished Natalie, gazing sharply at her guardian. "How can you think of that? He trusts and respects you Kalissa – he's known you for 60 years. Maybe he has his own ideas and he's so stubborn about them that he's refusing to consider any other viewpoints."

Kalissa jerked her head to meet Natalie's firm gaze. "You know something?"

Natalie smiled coyly at her. "Natalie!" cried Kalissa, her eyes widening. "What did Harry tell you?"

Natalie chuckled. "Apparently, last year, when Harry started seeing Voldemort's thoughts and experiencing his emotions more often, Professor Dumbledore explained that the connection between the two of them had become much stronger because Voldemort had used Harry's blood to resurrect himself in the previous summer. But there is a slight hole in this explanation – before Voldemort took Harry's blood, Harry had a dream about Voldemort at Voldemort's father's house – the dream turned out to be the actual event."

Kalissa scratched her chin thoughtfully. "I heard about Voldemort taking Harry's blood from Albus just after it happened." Seeing Natalie's affronted look, Kalissa said indignantly, "Natalie, you know there are things that I'm obligated not to tell you – if you remember correctly, at the time, you were not Harry Potter's girlfriend."

Natalie blushed. "I suppose, but you were saying?"

Kalissa nodded. "The blood does contain some of the magical power associated with Lily's protection – the reason why Harry has had to live with his mother's relatives. Possessing the blood, Voldemort should be able to touch Harry, attack and injure Harry with any curse if Harry does not cast a spell at Voldemort at the same time. However, if they cast simultaneous spells at one another, then the part of Lily's protection that is not contained in blood will come to Harry's aid – without any connection between Voldemort and Harry, the curse should rebound back at Voldemort and could kill him if Voldemort cast the Killing Curse. However, with the connection, unpredictable magical events occur such as I believe the Priori Incantatem incident that occurred at the graveyard the night of Voldemort's resurrection."

"Alright, that does make sense," said Natalie pensively. "But you've implied that the blood does not cause the connection between them."

"Why would it?" asked Kalissa. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but you said yourself, Harry had that dream about Voldemort's house before Voldemort took his blood. The link was there – I'm sure Harry could sense Voldemort's presence if Voldemort was in a nearby vicinity. Having the same blood clearly augmented the connection, but the link between them was established the night Voldemort killed Lily and James, not the night he resurrected himself."

"Do you think the Headmaster believes that the sharing of the blood created the connection?" posed Natalie.

Kalissa snapped her fingers. "Albus would not be that blind though from what you said, he may be attributing too much importance to the fact that Voldemort has Harry's blood. And as you also indicated, I do not think he believes my theory about circumstantial magic bringing about that connection."

"Then that must mean he sees another reason for that connection," exclaimed Natalie, befuddled as to what other magic could create the connection.

"Yes," spat Kalissa in frustration. "And he's hiding this reason. While he has always been a bit clandestine, he has never been this secretive with either myself or Minerva about his plans."

"Maybe he plans to tell you later," suggested Natalie optimistically.

"The thought has crossed my mind," conceded Kalissa. "But then it becomes a question of why he would want to keep such important information to himself for so long."

Before Natalie could speak, Kalissa raised her hand to stop her. "I know what you're going to say – it may very well be for our protection, but I cannot think of any reason for that connection that would endanger other members of the Order."

"It is very confusing," acknowledged Natalie grudgingly.

"And distressing," added Kalissa morosely. She glanced at her watch. "It looks like we've talked for about two hours, Natalie. I think Minerva should be coming very soon. Now about Harry –"

"What about him?" interrupted Natalie, puzzled as to why Kalissa would mention Harry.

"Well, surely, you must want to tell him about his mother's protection," commented Kalissa, looking amusedly at Natalie.

"Oh of course, he deserves to know," stammered Natalie, flustered and ashamed that she had not considered how she would tell Harry about Lily's protection.

Kalissa raised her eyebrows at Natalie. "Yes, he does deserve to know though I'm assuming you'll leave out the part about Severus given what you decided earlier."

Natalie nodded, her spirits dropping at the thought of concealing Severus and Lily's friendship from Harry.

"He deserves to know the reason she was given a choice," said Natalie quietly. The familiar guilt burned into her chest, her mind swirling in confusion. She likely knew more about his mother's death than him. If she was in his position, she would want to know everything.

"Yes, he does," said Kalissa, watching Natalie carefully. "But this is only a possible reason- a hypothesis. And you have to remember that if our hypothesis is true, then the plea to Voldemort is not our secret-

"It is Snape's secret," said Natalie. She breathed heavily, the guilt blazing into her more fiercely.

Natalie exhaled loudly again. She wanted to tell Harry, but she realized she could not make that decision without feeling like she was intruding and thrusting herself into the bond Lily and Snape shared. The photograph of the two teenage friends burst in her mind followed by the memory of Snape saving her from the Death Eater. Despite his abusive methods as a teacher, he was evidently not a cruel person. Somehow, she believed he trusted her and that she had an obligation to him. Not telling Harry would be horribly insensitive, deceitful and even cruel, but betraying Snape's secrets seemed intrinsically wrong. If he indeed was the one responsible for much of Lily's protection, then the responsibility to tell Harry should lie withhim.

"Knowledge of that evening belongs to Harry, but everything about Lily and Snape's friendship belongs to Snape. And therefore, as does Lily's connection," concluded Natalie somberly. "I hate the logic and as much as I feel that Harry needs to know, I can't shake off the feeling that something terrible would happen if I intruded.'

Kalissa patted her back consolingly. "It will be very difficult for you to hide Severus and Lily's relationship from Harry. But I agree- we do not have any authority to disclose Severus' role in Lily's death and her protection. And seeing as Albus has not told Harry, I suspect he feels the same way."

"However, you are right in saying Harry deserves to know." continued Kalissa, gripping Natalie's hand and staring directly into her eyes. "I do believe he will eventually find out.

"And when he does, I'm certain he'll have a few choice words for me," mumbled Natalie. She remembered Harry's reaction the last and only time he discovered she had been keeping a very important secret.

Wanting to change the subject, Natalie also looked at her watch. "Minerva should be here in a few minutes," said Natalie, genuinely surprised. "How did we manage to talk non-stop for two hours?"

"There were some rather intriguing topics," stated Kalissa amicably.

"Intriguing is an understatement," said Natalie sarcastically.

Kalissa shrugged her shoulders. "We had some important things to talk about but now, let's try to move onto lighter topics for the evening. Goodness knows the last time that I actually had a proper conversation with Minerva."

Natalie smiled. "It will be nice for the three of us to spend some time together."

"Very good memories," noted Kalissa fondly, the sparking excitement and ebullience returning to her face. "Let's try to have a good time, shall we?"

"I'm all for that," said Natalie. "Though I am not looking forward to awakening you after a long night."

A/N: What do you think of my explanation for the circumstantial magic?