A very special thank you to the best friend in the entire world who helped me to edit this chapter and the last to make sure that they were not riddled with spelling mistakes and fancy words that were ill-placed! I'd be a major mess without her guidance! For those of you who have been waiting for this chapter (and I apologize at the ridiculous amount of time it took me to finish it) I hope that you find this one as interesting as the last few! Please leave me a review when you've finished reading to let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!

Chapter Five
Secrets and Suspicions

His eyes slowly fluttered open as he struggled to bring everything around him back into focus. The last thing he remembered was the chaos that had surrounded them in the mid-air battle – a cacophony of spells and flashes of light whizzing through the air in search of targets. His head was already throbbing; a feeling that only worsened when he tried to lift his head to look for the soft voices that he could hear from where he lay. Although he could barely make out the sounds of conversation, he had no idea who the quiet voices belonged to. A hand lifted on to touch the painful spot on his head as he moaned gently. Had he hit it on something when they had landed? He couldn't remember.

The landing…Voldemort…

All at once Harry bolted upright, his eyes wide and his chest heaving. The memories of the night flooded back with a crystalline quality that set his heart racing as though he were still in the middle of it all. All of a sudden he was aware of another person in the room – he looked over to find Destiny staring back at him, her eyes wide in a surprise that matched his own. The shock faded as she huffed a small sigh of relief.

"Don't ever do that to me again," she muttered, a flicker of anger in her words.

Harry didn't understand her anger and continued to blink at her for a moment before he turned his head and slowly began to take in his surroundings. Absolutely nothing about this room was familiar to his eyes; from the man who leaned heavily against the mantle of the fireplace to the tiny silver hairbrush that had been put on the table only a short distance away. It was foreign, all of it, save for Hagrid who had somehow managed to squeeze himself into the house and the girl who sat at his side as though to reassure herself that he was indeed still there. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and before he could even fully make out the figure approaching from the doorway he immediately grabbed for his wand.

But Destiny's quick fingers put an end to that. "It's alright! It's alright, this is Andromeda. She's Tonks's mum. And this is her father, Ted," she added, turning to look at the older man in the room. "They arranged to have the Portkey here for you and Hagrid to return to the Burrow, but we don't have much time before it leaves."

He watched as she pushed herself up off of the couch and moved around the table to stand before the Portkey, her gaze now locked on the magical object. She seemed so focused on what was about to happen, so in control of the situation and any feelings that she might have had about their near escape. Never once did she mention Voldemort, or why it was that she had left Mad-Eye's side in order to fly the distance and try to protect him. There were a great many things that he knew she wasn't telling him. Why else would she have worked so hard to keep her friend from saying anything? But as he continued to sit there contemplating the young woman across the table, Harry forgot any mention of the Portkey that had already started to glow and shake in preparation for its departure.

"HARRY!"

Realizing that she was reaching out for him Harry threw himself forward and wrapped his fingers around the handle of the brush just as the Portkey took off. It was a mode of transportation that wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as Apparation, where you felt like you were being sucked up a small tube at an accelerated speed, but it still wasn't his favourite way to travel. There was the familiar whoosh that began their journey, removing them from the Tonk's household as they started toward the Burrow. And within seconds they were there, each letting go of the Portkey as it took them to their destination. When they landed at the gate that marked the boundary of the Burrow however, both teenagers stumbled and fell to the ground, still reeling a bit from the journey. Destiny gave a dignified grumble,

"Damn, I hate Portkeys."

Rolling over onto his side, he quickly picked himself up off of the ground and reached out to offer Destiny a hand as well, which she took regain her feet as well. But the instant she saw the lights of the Burrow blazing in the distance she bolted through the gate and raced toward the kitchen door. Harry called to her only once before he raced along behind her, trying to make up the distance he had already lost. His legs were no match for her own however, and before Harry could reach out to stop her she had placed her hand against the knob of the kitchen door and pushed it open.

Inside was Mrs. Weasley. Her head spun from where she sat at the kitchen table as a complete stranger forced her way into the Weasley family home. Molly instantly rose to her feet with her wand in hand. Without a word ropes appeared from the end of Molly's wand and wrapped themselves tightly around Destiny until the girl was rendered completely immobile.

"Oww!" she cried, trying to turn her head away from the abrasive rubbing that she could feel pressing into her skin. She struggled for only a moment more before she turned her eyes toward Molly, glaring slightly in her direction. "Let me go! I'm not going to hurt you!"

The ropes had extended to her lips and wrapped themselves tightly around her face before she could say anything else, leaving her with no other option but to fight futilely against her bonds. Molly was in no hurry to release her. It was only when Harry stepped forward with arms defensively placed in front of him that her attention shifted, watching as he slowly positioned his body to protect her own.

"Wait!" he said, looking nervously at the older woman and a frightened look in her eye. "It's okay! She's with me! She helped us get away from...erm…the Deatheaters when they attacked. Her name is Destiny," Harry told her, casting a small sideways glance back at the immobile girl. "She's a friend…from school."

Destiny blinked at his lie. Though she knew that the two of them had never once set foot on the grounds of Hogwarts at the same time, she was astounded by the fact that he would mislead the maternal figure in his life for a girl who was still a relative stranger to him. Perhaps he was beginning to believe that she was there to help him even though she had not been forthcoming with her information on the future. It probably still sounded a little looney to him anyway…and yet there he was, shielding her from any potential harm that Molly Weasley could cause.

If only she knew…

"It's okay," he repeated slowly. "You can let her go."

The mistrust was still clear in the aging witch's eyes as she turned her head to look at Harry; the son that she had adopted into her already massive brood of children without a second thought all those years ago. So much had changed in these last seven years that Molly barely saw the young boy he had once been standing alone and unsure at the train station with no idea of how to get onto the platform. Now he was a young man hunted by the most evil force in their world. But he was a young man who moved out to meet this danger with none of that hesitation he had shown at King's Cross Station that day. In this instance perhaps she should trust his judgment of the girl who stood bound in her kitchen. For a moment more she debated her options. Then with a flick of her wrist the bonds were removed and the young woman stumbled free, flashing Harry a grateful smile as she rubbed at her face.

"Ginny! You remember Destiny, right? From school?"

Destiny's head snapped upward to look at the newest arrival in the kitchen, spotting the rather stunned look on the face of the red-head who just walked into the conversation. She blinked at them all in confusion at Harry's question and turned her gaze to stare at the girl. A moment of silence filled the kitchen as she looked back and forth between Harry and Destiny.

But then her mouth began to move. "Oh! Destiny, I didn't realize…what are you doing here?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Destiny told her quickly without skipping a beat. "When are the others supposed to get back?"

Again Ginny blinked at her, giving her head a small shake for a moment before she realized what was being asked of her. "W-well, Harry and Hagrid just made it back right?" she asked, consulting the watch on her wrist. "Everyone else missed their Portkey, but George and Remus should be next-"

"Kyra."

Harry turned his head just in time to catch sight of Destiny's retreating form as she bolted from the kitchen and hurried back across the lawns. He immediately moved to follow her, zooming past a rather confused Hagrid on the way as they dashed back toward the pond and the boundary beyond the magical barricades. There was no loud crack from the Apparation to let them know of their arrival, only a simple call for help as two figures walked forward, dragging a limp body between them. Fear tightened her throat as she continued to run forward, only to stop short upon seeing that the body did not belong to George, but to her best friend who now hung suspended between them both him and Lupin.

Panic coursed through her. Instinctively her legs made to take a step forward though she was quickly cut off when Harry hurried up to the group and helped to adjust the way in which they held onto Kyra, taking the weight of her legs. With his help they were able to make their way back to the Burrow and into the den, laying her broken body on the couch. As her mind struggled to catch up, Destiny's body seemed to operate on autopilot as she blinked again and found herself pressed close to the couch, looking anxiously down at Kyra.

They were quickly followed by both Molly and Ginny as they came to see what was going on, the former immediately moving toward the couch as she spotted the blood that had stained Kyra's shirt. Destiny's face began to pale as she was gently nudged aside, watching as her friend's face remained impassable, her eyes closed, and for all the world looking like she was no longer with them. If it weren't for the strained, heavy breathing, there would be no way of telling that the blonde wasn't already dead. Even George bore a look that did not hold out much hope for the outcome as he hovered behind the back of the couch and watched his mother work.

"She pushed me out of the way," he murmured to Destiny. "Took the curse herself…"

A bitter laugh escaped the young woman's lips. "I told her not to do anything stupid," she growled, her eyes locked on the motionless form of her friend. "She wasn't even supposed to be here, but she followed me anyway."

Her ears picked up the hushed, low voices in the kitchen, signalling the arrival of more people who had managed to make it back to the Burrow in one piece. First it was Kingsley and Hermione who wandered into the room, and Hermione immediately hurried over to Harry to grip his hand tightly in her own as she cast him a worried look. Then Arthur and Fred appeared, both of whom shifted more toward the couch to join in the silent vigil that the other twin had already begun. No one said a word, and hardly anyone dared to breathe while they watched Mrs. Weasley work. Even as Molly's magic knit the skin together, large scars wound their way along Kyra's side. The future, to her anyway, had already proven that anything hexed off by dark magic could not be replaced, and so she knew that Kyra would forever have to carry that mark around with her, something that was sure to bother the girl later on. She was by no means vain, Destiny knew, but this permanent disfigurement would do nothing to help Kyra's self-esteem, and would probably force her to change her entire wardrobe once they returned home.

Not that her father was likely to argue.

"Mum?" Ron asked, sliding into a vacant spot close to his friends as he and Tonks joined the ever growing mass of people who stood in the den of the Burrow. "Is she going to be alright?"

Molly Weasley shook her head for a moment, slowly rising to her feet as she once more pocketed her wand. "She will live. But I can only do so much," older witch confessed. "She'll likely carry these scars for the rest of her life."

Silence filled the room while Destiny slowly moved forward, gripping one of Kyra's small, cold hands in her own. She rubbed her friend's hand absently, partly trying to bring a little warmth back, and partly to convince herself she was really still there. She tried to focus on her breathing and not on what had just happened. She was too close to loosing it, and if she could keep her mind busy maybe she'd be able to hold it together until she was alone. She didn't want to share her worry and her grief with these people. Not yet. Most of the time she didn't even share things like that with her very best friends. With conscious effort, she forced her face into a cold, neutral look, caring little if the other judged her on her sudden aloofness. Either way, she didn't particularly care about what thoughts were running through their minds, not yet anyway. In time perhaps their opinions of her would hold some ground, when they came to know one another better. For now, however, she couldn't allow herself to focus on them.

"Mad-Eye is dead."

Destiny's head immediately snapped around to stare wide eyed at Bill Weasley as he pushed his way into the room, his fiancé held tightly in his arms. All at once the room seemed to erupt in fury as each person immediately started forward to speak to Bill, unsure that they had heard him correctly. But it wasn't possible, Destiny reminded herself. She had sent Mad-Eye flying off toward his Portkey so that she could fly across the distance and hurry to Harry's side. He'd even hollered at her to get back and stick to the plan…ignoring the fact that she had never actually been counted among their number when the plan had originally been pieced together. She had thought that her interference had been enough to spare the old man from the death she knew had been waiting for him.

"What happened?" Arthur demanded.

Bill gave his head a shake, looking around the room sternly. "You-Know-Who," he began with a dark growl. "After he lost track of Harry they went after him in a rage and tracked him down less than a mile from his Portkey. Between Him and the Deatheaters, Mad-Eye didn't stand a chance."

"I'll bet you anything he went down fighting," came a raspy voice.

Destiny nearly jumped out of her skin when she looked down to see Kyra's eyes fluttering open, her hand giving a reassuring squeeze to her best friend as she continued to kneel by her side. The blonde groaned in pain and shifted against the rough material of the couch, wincing a little at the throbbing that quickly flared in her side. Her free hand immediately moved to apply a little pressure but was removed rather swiftly when she felt it grow worse at her touch. But already she had felt the difference, knowing that the dips in her skin were now a permanent part of herself that she would have to deal with in time. It was only when she felt the movement of a stray lock of hair at her forehead that she forced herself to focus again, grey eyes coming to rest on the frightened look that Destiny still wore.

"If you ever scare me like that again I'm sending you straight home," chastised the brunette, unable to hide the hint of anger in her tone. "Do you understand me?"

A mischievous curve appeared in the corner of Kyra's lips. "Threaten all you want, but you're not getting rid of me that easily, hun."

The smile only died when she shifted her gaze and noticed Fred and George looming overhead. A small tilt of her head allowed her to better see the room, now full of people who looked at the pair with mixed feelings of anger and concern. And as she scanned through their faces, her eyes came to rest on someone whom she hadn't seen in a number of years. As her memories came flooding back to her she stiffened on the couch, a feeling that her best friend instantly picked up on. Destiny looked back and asked Molly if perhaps there was somewhere else for Kyra to lie down, knowing that the conversation to come would only stress her friend out further. George jumped in immediately, offering to take Kyra upstairs so that she could rest in the comfort of his own bedroom, a way of thanking her for the sacrifice she had made on his behalf. Fred nodded firmly in agreement and watched as his twin brother rounded the couch and gingerly took her fragile form into his arms. The silence continued for only a moment more as the sea of people parted to let George through the den and to the base of the stairs, which he mounted with ease despite the additional weight of Kyra's body.

The instant they had vanished from sight, however, the questioning began.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Remus angrily demanded.

"How is it you know of tonight's operations?" asked Kingsley.

Bill jumped in as well. "What happened when you left Mad-Eye?"

Standing herself upright again, Destiny took a slow breath and began to speak with a calmness that was otherwise absent from the room. "My name is Destiny," she said evenly. "And that's really all I can tell you about myself. I came here to prevent certain things from happening that would destroy the families that I know and love. I knew what was happening because, well…it's a part of the past."

She pressed on. "I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm sorry that Mad-Eye is dead. I thought he was safe when I left him, honestly. But where I'm from…he's considered a war hero."

Lupin blinked at her. "So what are you saying? That you're from the future?"

"Yes, I am," she said, boldly retaining her eye contact with the werewolf. "And against the wishes of many people from my time, including Hermione, I came back to find out who is messing with the time line and perhaps fix it myself. The only person who supported the decision of someone making the journey was Harry…though I have to wonder if perhaps he knew what I was planning all along. Hell," she added, throwing her arms up into the air. "I nearly managed to convince Draco Malfoy-"

She didn't get any further before the name caused an eruption of chaos, with more questions and demands behind thrown at her so quickly that she wasn't able to recover in time and answer any of them. The glares became harsher, and even Harry wrinkled his nose in distaste. The tension in the room mounted so suddenly that Destiny took a small step backward as her eyes darted about. Her heartbeat began to pick up as she became overwhelmed, watching as Arthur and Tonks joined the fray that Lupin, Bill and Kingsley had started. Her lips parted to speak, anxiously searching for the correct words that might help her to explain the whole mess.

"ENOUGH!"

But the voice was not her own, though it brought about such an abrupt silence that all eyes turned to the speaker who glowered darkly behind the couch. It was unusual to see anything but a grin upon his face, and yet here was Fred Weasley with his nails digging into the fabric of the couch as his hands quivered in anger.

"What are you lot playing at?" he demanded as he looked from one end of the room to the other. "I've been in the same room as her for the last ten minutes and I probably have a better clue of what's going on than the rest of you do! Her best friend nearly died saving my brother from a curse. She took out a number of Deatheaters who were trying to get at all of you to figure out which one was guarding the real Harry. And now you're standing here demanding that she justify the fact that she knew?"

Shaking his head in disgust, the lanky Weasley stepped out from around the back of the couch and crossed the distance of the den in a few steps. An arm wrapped itself protectively around Destiny's shoulders as he started to steer her out of the middle of the room, pausing for only a moment to turn around and look directly at the remaining members of his family.

"George is alive and well because of them," he reminded them quietly. "You shouldn't be anything but grateful."

He gave no room for argument before he lead Destiny toward the kitchen door, brushing his shoulder against Bill when he remained rooted to the spot and refused to move out of the way. Arthur called for his son to stop and return to the den, but Fred refused to listen. Instead he avoided further eye contact and opened the door that lead outside, taking them both in the direction of the garden that Molly Weasley took so much pride in. For her part Destiny, though surprised to see Fred become so protective of her, knew that it was wisest to remain silent and allow him to direct them for the time being. She wasn't anxious to return to the den anytime soon, but she was certain that Fred would have some of his own questions for her when he finally calmed himself down. All she would do now was hope that he didn't start asking any of the wrong questions.