The kitchen was bustling with life when Lyssa entered in search of something edible, first she was bombarded with questions about George's welfare which she answered, careful to cut out the parts that held too much information about her teenage activities and just basically replacing that whole section with "Yeah, he's fine ! Not stopped going on about his ... Appetite." She decided on that because it wasn't totally a lie, she just hoped that he wouldn't say too much to Hermione but it wouldn't matter if she stopped him now, her little sister would just wait and get her answers later, she had a way of squeezing them out of you and leaving you unaware that you've just released a huge secret until it was too late, the information was out. Lyssa felt more deceitful because of Hermione's talent, she avoided pretty mush all personal subjects and that was just sad, Hermione didn't even know why her mum bothered to track them down and agreed to leave her daughter with practical strangers, not that the old snake cared much for her half-blood child, the others came first, hermione didn't even know about them, better late than never, Lys had no option but to disclose all and soon before her ugly past reared its head to introduce itself prematurely scarpering her plans and ruining her only decent friendships.

"Fancy that drink ?" Tonks interrupted her train of thought.

"Oh Gods yes !" She smiled and was settled at a table watching the tumbler infront of her fill up with 1,2,3,4 ... She couldn't actually discern how many fingers, she looked at her childhood accomplice, "Dora ... never thought I'd be the one telling you to slow down rainbow." She smirked as her friend shot her a glare.

"Will you ever stop calling me that ?" She elbowed her friend slightly, Lys just shook her head. " There's only one useable glass left so unless you wanna drink out of the bottle, we'll have to share the glass, no matter as long as we're drunk enough to reminisce without dying of shame."

"We need more alcohol stat !" Lyssa announced a little more loudly than necessary, lots of eyes were drawn towards them, Nymphadora Tonks as always went red, everywhere, cheeks blushed and hair crimson. "You seem a little flustered, want me to open a window ?"

"Stop it !" She whispered harshly before they exploded into a fit of giggles. "Right drink up !" And Lyssa really did, eventually the two were drinking out of the bottle and leaning on each other for support, soon it was like old times again, spread out around immobile George the whole group consisted of Tonks and Lyssa, Remus, Fred and Bill the only people missing were Charlie, some frenemies that they'd ditch eventually anyways and their dearly departed friends who they could never drink with again, Lys had more of those than the rest. The groups new additions were Hermione, Ginny the Weasley girl, Ron and Harry, they seemed to fit in rather well, it was an odd group from the get go

"... No no no no ! No, the very bestest part of dat year woz when Lyssa kicked Malfettes ass ! That woz legendreary !" Fred, who had appeared to be passed out announced, unmoving.

"Lergendary." Hermione corrected Fred who was all but gone into his very own world, even his words were falling from his mouth like drunks from a bar.

"Yeah ..." He trailed off falling asleep.

"Always was a lightweight." Tonks declared, her ability to still be drinking surprised Hermione profusely and the fact that Lyssa still looked great irked her to no end. "Or was that the other one ? Fred or George ? George or Fred ?" She asked moving her hands up and down as if evaluating her options.

"Both." The elder members chorused before breaking into peels of laughter. Then Tonks seemed to sober up for a second,

"It was pretty amazing though, what you did." Tonks leant into Lyssa and gave her a one armed hug.

"Who's de Malfette ?" Harry asked the question on Hermione's lips.

"You know Draco Malfoy ?" Lyssa asked, they nodded so she continued, "Well his cousin or something, she's from a lower branch of the family not even from money but still a huge bitch and a pain in my ass, and she hated me so eventually I snapped, she was horrible to a little Hufflepuff ..." Tonk's laughed at that, "and I can't stand bullies so I ... Shut her up."

"Why'd she hate you? House rivalry ?"

"No, they're cousins, they were both in the same house, we were all pretty much Gryffindor, cept Dora but Lyssa was Slytherin's smartest student, the Pureblood bitches hated that she was better and let's be honest here, more Slytherin than most when you wanna be !" How was it that no matter what one of the twins would always be conscious enough to ruin Alyssa's life ? Hermione stayed calm, she had no right to be angry Lyssa would explain soon she knew.

"So what was so amazing about it ?" Hermione decided to ask, smiling to ease the tension she could see in Lyssa's shoulders.

"I think this is Tonks' favourite story so I'll let her tell it." Was all Lyssa said, humour lacing her words.

"Yes !" Tonks jumped up into a sitting position knocking Lyssa onto her back sprawled across the floor. "Well it all started in my first year when Narcissa decided that she'd Calvario hex me, that makes all of your hair fall out, because she didn't like me, she's my auntie you know." She looked around to make sure that everybody was still listening to her, "Then as it was about to hit me this shielding charm comes out of nowhere !" She raised her arms to emphasise, 'Then Cissa started to scream wildly like. She went to storm off because somebody had Colloshoo'd her to the spot you know the stick fast hex." Tonks once again broke down into uncontrollable laugher, "She was stuck there fore hours..." She managed to add in between laughter. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the thought, her sister wasn't like the Slytherin's that she was used to at least. Bill was about to take over for her then but Hermione interrupted,

"So you were all at school together then ?" Lyssa too the initiative this time,

"I was in the year under Charlie, There's two years between Charl and you right ?" She nudged Bill with her foot, he nodded, she continued, "Tonks was in my year and theres 8 years between the twins and Bill so they were only just there for a year with Charlie, I on the other hand had to deal with and take care of them for three."

"And Percy ?" It was Ron who asked, every older member of the group once again in unison groaned. "Oh." Ron supplied.

"Anyway ! On with the story !" Tonks was up again, "I was shocked looking about not really knowing that I'd almost lost my hair, it came out of nowhere when I saw this girl walk calmly from one shadowy corner." She quietened so everyone leaned in to hear, "She walked slowly up to the balling girl and accidentally stood on the end of her wand as she went past, it splintered all the way down and she just kept on walking not even looking down... then bam !" She shouted everybody jumped, enraged the girl on the floor picked up her wand and manoeuvred herself round sending a spell at her, I didn't even recognise it but the girl just reflected it back and Malfette hit the ground ! Stone cold passed out !" She enthusiastically nodded. So Lyssa could do wandless magic ? Hermione was more curious now, Lys was watching her closely and knew she had questions so she carried on the story.

"That night we were sorted into houses, sadly I was put into Slytherin with Malfette and the rest of her ... friends, some of whom were family but they were never going to get on with me anyways, Slytherins don't like halfblooded bastards. I watched the girl I'd helped get put into Hufflepuff and decided after listening to Malfette's plans that I would just have to befriend her and make sure that none of the plotting went ahead so I did later that week, I then got into a huge row with a boy that used to be a good friend because apparently I should have been trying to make it up to the people in my house if I wanted to keep my head but I ignored him, Bill was one that battered the kid for trying to make me do as he said." Everybody looked to Bill who added,

"Manhandling women is't acceptable, anyway it was worth it." He smiled to Lys and his girlfriend looked livid, he hadn't noticed, luckily Lys had.

"You were always one of the good ones." She winked at him, Fleur looked as if she was close to aneurism, "But I think we all know that I preferred somebody else much preferred actually." She smiled wider and Bill smirked,

"You spoke to him lately ?" She shook her head.

"No, not in a few years, he moved country to avoid me for gods sake." She looked happy and joking but her eyes held a little remorse, "Anyway, Bill and me got talking after that about how he thought I was more Gryffindor after what I did for the Hufflepuff who at that moment decided to show herself to apologise and thank me, the three of us ended up sitting and having dinner together, all we were missing was a Ravenclaw, safe to say we got some pretty strange looks.

Tonks was up again, "Yeah but it worked !" She projected loudly falling back into Lyssa, "Then we met Charlie when he came to speak to Bill and Lyssa got all gooey and smitten." A hard thing to picture. Remus then started to speak,

"Just like you over me sweetie !"

"Nope !" She retorted, "Charlie and Lyssa were different, you should have seen them kick ass together !" Remus looked a little wounded and Lyssa took the opportunity to tell him that he should get Tonks off to bed, immediately, he agreed but Tonk's didn't. "Sorry I'll be good." She said to both of them, "Why do you always treat me like a baby ? Lyssa's the same age." She pouted.

"Yeah but I can handle my liquor better babe." Lys joked.

"You couldnt always !" Tonks replied gleefully "Wanna her about that story Hermione ?" Lyssa clamped a hand over her friends mouth and shot Bill a warning glance, he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"We made a pact and we shall stick to it !" She declared to them. George didn't even stir before he began,

"I didn't, Lyssa got so drunk once that she made out with the new teacher who was ..." He was cut off by three hands. "Sorry." He murmured but then Fred started,

"That wasn't Lys it was Tonks dumbass."

"What ?" It was Lupin who spoke.

"I can't say, they'll hit me."

"Sweetheart ? Care to explain ?'

"No."

"Sweetie, how can I blame you for a childhood mistake ?" The three had moved away from George giving him ample opportunity to say,

"If you can call sexually assaulting Severus Snape a childhood mistake." The room was silent for a while before everybody began to laugh including Lupin who pulled Tonks into his lap.

"Wow, now I know why you didn't tell me." Hermione couldn't breathe she was laughing that hard.

"Well whatever Lyssa did couldn't have been that bad ?" She managed to say.

"Oh trust me sis, I have done some stupid shit but I dont think its possible to do worse than that." She laughed again, Tonks was once again completely beetroot.

"Well there was that one time ..."

"George !" the group called in unison.

"I have enough stories about you to so shut it !" Bill warned giggling like a child.

Later the next morning after most people had meandered off to bed it was just Hermione, Lys and Bill left downstairs with sleeping George they'd moved outside under the stars so not to disturb anybody, Hermione asked if they wanted her to leave so they could speak alone and they agreed it would be best, Hermione just told Lys that she was in Charlie's room, she already knew where that was embarrassingly for the younger sibling,

"Ive got her Hermione." Bill promised, she didn't really know this brother, only spoke to him on a couple of occasions, in fact tonight was the only time they had ever spent so long together, but hermione knew Charlie even less, they'd only met briefly when Arthur was bedridden and they hadn't spoken, it wasn't the time. She just nodded and went up to her room. Once she was gone Bill and Lyssa sat down on the dusty porch taking in the heavenly sound of silence.

"Sooo..." She began giving him the affirmative.

"Has it really been years ?"

"Since I saw him ?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Christ..." She laughed at that, it was short and her heart wasn't in it, "It's obvious in everything you do, even your bloody laugh."

"Care to explain what ?"

"You miss him Lys, he misses you." She shook her head slightly.

"It wouldn't matter, he could never forgive me."

"Forgive you ? I dont see much to forgive."

"I put my job first, I should have followed him to Romania but I stayed and I risked my life to find information, he would have blamed himself if anything had happened and I can't forgive myself for putting him through that." He pulled her so she was leant on his shoulder, she didn't let herself cry like she wanted to.

"You two know its just your damn stubbornness though dont you ? The real problem."

"Yeah." She all but whispered, the rest of the conversation was Order business and the work the Lys had managed to do, unpleasant business before Bill took Lyssa up to Charlie's room, and offered to swap if she didn't want to stay in there.

"Your joking right ? I already have enough enemies I don't need your girl to hate me any more than she does, moody Frenchman !" She smirked, "You really like this one Bill ?" She asked more seriously, he nodded,

"I love her as much as you loved Charlie." She sighed,

"We might not have long left to do the things we want Bill, You should marry that girl while you have the chance, then you have her no matter what." She hugged him and put her hand on the doorknob, before she opened it she looked back over her shoulder, "You have no idea how much I wish I had done that, you know, what you said before about how I used to feel ? Well you never stop feeling that way babe, don't lose her." Then she disappeared into the dark room and closed the door leaving him to his thoughts. Lyssa was surprised to feel a large solid body barreling into her from the dark, she poised her wand ready to strike, it was hermione that used a lumps charm to reveal Ron.

"Sorry." He mumbled on his way out.

"Everything okay ?" Lyssa noticed that Hermione looked quite upset.

"Not really... I never told him that I had a sister, or that she was in Slytherin never mind a suspected death eater. Oh wait, I didn't know that either." She shot Lyssa an angry look then slumped back into the bed, as Lyssa laid down next to her, she stretched and turned. "You took a while, anything you wanna talk about ?"

"Not really, you learnt enough about me today... you wanna ask anything?"

"Not really, I learnt enough about you today." Hermione teased and Lyssa looked at her casting a Lumos charm, "It's a lot to digest."

Lyssa changed the subject with a yawn, "The last time I was tipsy in this room was a hell of a lot more fun."

"Too much information." Lyssa grinned.

"Go on I know you must wanna know a couple of things and im gonna have a killer headache tomorrow, after that you know that I'll have to be off, I only planned to stay a few minutes but... You grew up so much H." With a sad smile she added, "I cant believe I missed you getting so beautiful baby girl, I ..." She trailed off and Hermione reached out to grasp her free hand.

"Where've you been Lys ?"

"Everywhere."

"Will you fill me in one day ?"

"Maybe, all you really need to know right now is that I've been spying since my last year at Hogwarts, I've had enough family connections to not get killed in the pureblood society but believe me when I say that it won't be long until I have to pull out, then I'll be able to tell you, then you can't follow me."

"It's really dangerous isn't it ? Thats why you have to pull out ?"

"I'm not getting that mark on my arm Hermione, thats why I've got to pull out, it's miracle they havent forced it on me yet, they sure as hell dont trust me. Well most of them anyway there are a couple of good guys left in this world."

"Good death eaters ?" Hermione looked doubtful,

"They call themselves defectors, they aren't believers in the regime but they all have their resins for staying, some have the mark, they have no choice, a couple stay for love or family, I guess they have no choice either."

"Spies ? Like you ?"

"No, children that were born of the wrong parents mostly, hell I guess they are kinda like me."

"So do they know you ?"

"A couple, mostly I know them. One is very much aware that I have been watching the lot of them, he knows about me and I trust that he wouldn't hand me over to spare his own neck."

"Oh, I wondering, but I never wanted to ask, I didn't know how ..."

"My mum ?"

"Well yeah, what happened to her, where is she now I mean ?"

"She was killed a 2 years after I met you, I never knew about that until recently, we were never close she let the servants bring me up, never even bothered with a nanny, I was the bastard child that ruined her reputation."

"Shit, this is all so complicated." Lyssa laughed and then reprimanded her for swearing claiming she was too sweet to be saying such things, then Hermione laughed, "You don't know me as well as you used to..."

"Dont you dare say that H ! I've been watching you every step of the way and I know that you won't let that change you if you have half the brain that you claim to."

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"Do you love Charlie ?"

"Why is everybody asking me that today ?"

"Why is that the only one of my questions you completely refuse to answer ?" She crossed her arms taking her hand from Lyssa and staring into her eyes challengingly, "There's nothing stopping you answering that question."

"Wrong, my heads telling me not to answer that question.'

"What's your heart saying ?"

"You know you don't look as threatening as your trying to in that pose while lay down, your hairs all about you and you look just like you used to right now, I can't take you seriously I just want to hug you. Also that was the cheesiest line ever which I will not dignify with a response."

"Lyssa come on."

"You know, you never even knew us together, have you even met the infuriating bastard ?"

"Lyssa..." She tapped her fingers waiting for an answer.

"I'm going to sleep."

"And I'm waiting ."

"I wonder what for."

"Just say it, you'll feel better."

"You should know that I will never say it to you, I never said it to him and it wouldn't be right ti say it now, I'm not even positive myself for gods sake why does everybody think that they know me more than I do ?"

"You never said it... oh... in that case you better not, you've been waiting long enough to say it to the right guy."

"It's not like that..."

"Really."

"Goodnight Hermione," She slumped back and twisted her hair out of the way with her wand, "I love you..." She cooed leaning over her and leaving a wet kiss on the end of her nose.

"One more question ?"

"That counts." Lyssa did sound tired.

"Do you put your hair up with your wand so its always closer to hand ? Its a different idea ..." She was cut off

"No, I do it cause I dont have a bobble." She said lamely

"Night sis, love ya." Hermione yawned and lay down within touching distance of her sibling.

"Night sis, love ya more.

Lame ending I know but I didn't know how else to express the sisterly love, thats also an awful choice of words but its late and I'm tired, any comments or reviews are well appreciated I promise I read them all good or bad, thanks again for reading next chapter should be up next week, same time as this one, I am attempting regular updates but I'm impatient and also a slow writer so I messed up my timings a bit sorry xx