A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I'm glad that people have been enjoying it. And a special thanks to Bonnie and Mainsail for beta reading this and thus improving on the original. If you have questions or concerns about what's going on, feel free to include them in a review or a PM — I'll try to answer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.

Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "Reboot" by Kallanit. Normally in responses to reptilia28's challenge, it's Harry who is sent back in time to fix things. This time, however, it's Severus Snape who's offered the chance (Harry ends up returning as well, though much later). Well-written and an interesting perspective on this story idea.

Chapter 33 - (Don't Fear) the Reaper

Saturday, January 1, 1996, Morning.

What a difference a year makes, Dumbledore thought morosely as he sipped his tea and yawned. A year ago I spent the day as I have for decades past: I rose before dawn, enjoyed the quiet of the early morning, then headed out to Godric's Hollow. This year I got up several hours later than usual, and even that was a chore because I'm getting so much less rest these days. I still want to go to Godric's Hollow, but getting around is so much more difficult. I can probably make it, but I'll have to skip my visit to Aberforth and will end up in bed early, out of sheer exhaustion. And I still have to visit Miss Potter tomorrow!

For the first time in his life, Albus Dumbledore was truly feeling his years. It was something he had always known would come eventually, but he had expected that it would come on slowly as he grew older — not hit him in an explosion and incapacitate him.

Maybe I should ask someone to help me go to the cemetery? he wondered. It would make things easier, and I might even be able to visit Aberforth afterwards. At the very least I'd have enough strength to do some work when I get back, maybe prepare for my meeting tomorrow... or perhaps do a bit more research into possible horcrux locations. He looked over at the bedraggled-looking phoenix in the corner. Pity that Fawkes is so close to a burning day — he would probably help me if I asked.

Fawkes gazed back at his companion and trilled sadly. Dumbledore assumed that it was about the imminent burning day.

No, this is something I need to do alone, he concluded. As difficult as it is, it's my fault she's there, and so it's my duty to go see her — and not anyone else's to assist. The extra difficulty is, if anything, simply part of the penance I must pay for having allowed myself to be led astray in my youth. For allowing myself to resort so quickly to using violence as a solution to a personal disagreement.

He groaned as he pushed himself out of his chair. If I get going now, I should be able to make it back shortly after lunch. Then maybe a nap, and with any luck I can finish preparing for tomorrow during dinner.

Saturday, January 1, 1996, Afternoon.

Amelia Bones frowned as Rufus Scrimgeour and Moira O'Connor entered her office, both wearing grim expressions. "Calling me in for a meeting on New Year's Day is highly unusual, so this had better be good. Have you got some major leads on what happened to Arthur Weasley, perhaps?"

"I'm afraid not," Scrimgeour said regretfully. "We are working hard on it — we all liked Arthur, so everyone is anxious to find out who killed him and why. Unfortunately, no one will tell us why he was down in the Department of Mysteries, right outside the Prophecy Room. If we knew that, we might get somewhere."

Bones sighed. "I might be able to rattle a cage or two — let me see what comes of it. But if that's not what was important enough to drag me back into the office, what was?"

O'Connor cleared her throat. "It's a bit hard to explain. The earliest reports about this were made over a month ago, but they were so vague and trivial that no one paid any attention to them. More and more started coming in, however, and one of the clerks in the records department noticed a pattern. Once he put it together, he brought it to the attention of a Hit Witch he's dating, who brought it to me. I showed it to Rufus, and neither of us could figure it out. That's when we set up this meeting."

"I'm both intrigued and annoyed," Bones said flatly. "Get to the point."

"There's evidence of massive amounts of magic having been performed in at least two locations in Britain," O'Connor went on in a rush. "We can't pin down the exact places, but one is in Cornwall, and the other is in Cumbria. There may be a third in Scotland, but if so it's near Hogwarts, and it's difficult separating out all of the magic that's already in that area. Thousands of square kilometers have been affected in and around the other two areas, impacting both magical and non-magical plants and animals. Some of the changes are subtle, but there are definitely changes."

Bones' eyebrows went up slightly. "OK... a bit less annoyed now. How massive are we talking about?"

"We... can't tell," Scrimgeour answered. "We have no idea how long ago the magic was performed, but we made an educated guess of two months, just to be safe. We had someone in the department who's good in Arithmancy use that as well as the size of the areas affected, and... well, the equations normally used for such calculations couldn't handle it. The numbers were simply too large."

"Now you definitely have my attention," Bones said. "Is there anyone else you can go to?"

"We could try someone with a Mastery in Arithmancy," O'Connor suggested, "but not without your authorization."

Bones nodded. "You've got it. Just make sure they sign the standard non-disclosure contract. Who do we have who can investigate the scenes?"

"Most of our resources are tied up right now," Scrimgeour admitted, "and even if they weren't, I'm not sure who would be best qualified to look into something like this. What's more, I can't even say for certain that a crime has been committed. Sure, anything that can produce magic like this is something we need to know about, and it probably isn't something the Ministry would approve of, but taking investigators away from actual crimes — and especially from the covert fight against You-Know-Who — isn't appealing."

Bones sighed in frustration. "Those are all good points. But still, I'd like to see at least one person start working on this, even if it isn't their primary case."

Scrimgeour thought for a moment, then nodded. "I have a couple of ideas. I'll see who I can assign."

"Very well," Bones said as she stood. "If that's everything, I'd like to get back home so I can celebrate New Year's with my niece."

"It was a year ago that we first visited Gringotts," Jasmine said as they climbed the steps to the bank. "That meeting was informative, but not productive. Hopefully this time it will go better."

"At least this time we have a confirmed appointment," Hermione responded, noting how many of the goblins seemed to be giving both of them funny looks.

Once they were back in Knobshaft's office again, Jasmine said, "I'd like to start out by thanking you, Account Manager Knobshaft, for initiating the audit on my family's accounts and for ensuring that your correspondence about that matter remained private."

"You're welcome, Miss Potter," he said cordially. "What business do you have to conduct with us today?"

"First, I'd like to be sure that whatever we say here remains private," Jasmine said. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what Gringotts' policies are on that."

"It's quite simple, Miss Potter. Nothing you say here will be passed to any non-goblin. Anything that doesn't affect the goblin nation won't go beyond this office, save for those goblins required to perform tasks necessary to take care of your accounts or do any business that is contracted with us."

"What do you mean by 'affecting the goblin nation'?" Hermione asked.

"If you want to do something such as open a new vault, then only I and those responsible for vault assignments will know about it," Knobshaft explained. "However, if you decide to open a gold mine on property you own and contract with us for mining supplies, then information about the existence of the mine will eventually be passed along to those who monitor such businesses."

"Ah, because that might affect the price of gold, which affects the goblin nation," Hermione concluded.

"Exactly, Miss Granger. But that information will remain with the goblins. We would not, for example, inform your Ministry or the muggle government."

Jasmine and Hermione looked at each other briefly, then back at the Account Manager. "That's good to hear," Jasmine said as she and Hermione both held out their left hands, revealing their rings. "You already knew about these. My question to you is, what do they signify to the goblins and to Gringotts about our relationship?"

Knobshaft eyed the rings carefully, then looked up at the determined expressions of the two witches. "These are family pledge rings, used in a variety of ways, all of which bind a wizarding couple together to one degree or another. That you both can wear them means that the Potter family magic accepts you as a couple of some sort, even if wizarding society would not." He paused for a few moments, then continued, "The two of you are not officially engaged or betrothed, and I don't think your Ministry or society will ever accept you as married. However, if you request it, then for banking purposes I believe that Gringotts would be willing to treat you as a married couple. I will probably have to check with the Senior Branch Manager to confirm, but for now let's assume that he will approve."

Both Jasmine and Hermione smiled broadly at those words. "We were hoping you'd say something like that," Jasmine replied. "First, I'd like to assign Hermione Jean Granger access to the Potter vaults that is equal to mine." Knobshaft nodded as he wrote that down. "Second, I'd like to inquire about making wills. I've never dealt with legal issues in wizarding Britain except for one farce of a trial. Is that something Gringotts handles?"

"No, we don't do wills for wizards and witches — our treaties restrict us to banking. However, we have close relationships with magical barristers and solicitors for such occasions. I'll send you a list of those we can recommend for someone in your situation. I can think of a couple who have handled Potter family business in the past."

"Good," Jasmine said. "The spell that has been redirecting my mail has weakened, but not lifted. I'm getting some mail that I didn't before, but I don't think it's consistent. So if you could, at least for the time being, please send anything for me addressed to Fleur Delacour. She's teaching at Hogwarts and will be able to pass things along to me quickly."

"I'm glad to hear that," Knobshaft said as he took more notes. "This will make doing business with you much easier. Now, if that's all you had, let's talk about investments for the gold that's been sitting in your family vault. Once I get official recommendations from you, I will be released to make some investments on your behalf. For now, you may only make recommendations until you are of age, but I'm obligated to take them seriously and to make cautious investments on your behalf. And if I lose money, I have to replace it from my own personal funds."

Saturday, January 1, 1996, Evening.

Voldemort tapped one finger on the table as he read over the plans which Bellatrix had given him the night before. They couldn't get Potter or her mudblood friend, but that left seven targets: Patil, Lovegood, Bones, Abbot, Weasley, Greengrass, and Davis. The problem was that Bones would be a hard target to attack, and Greengrass would probably be nearly as difficult. Allocating enough resources to properly take care of them would not leave enough to deal with the others.

So Bellatrix had come up with a creative but complicated solution: attack the other five first, then once they were done send three teams against the Bones house and two against the Greengrass estate. It would require a lot more coordination than usual because ideally all five teams would have to attack at the same time, finish at the same time, then regroup and launch their second attacks in concert. It would be tricky, but doable.

The chances for success would be much better if he could participate directly, even with the problems he was having, but he needed to keep his return a secret for as long as possible. The question is, how much is it worth getting all seven on the same night? Do We pick a daring plan that will give Us all the targets, or do We pick a cautious plan that has a greater chance of success but will result in reduced rewards?

Despite being a Slytherin, a house that was supposed to be characterized by a cautious and careful approach to problems, Voldemort had rarely been satisfied with a cautious plan that got him half a loaf when he had a daring plan that could get him the whole thing.

We need to impress upon Bellatrix the importance of keeping information about this operation quiet, he concluded. We can't take the chance of anyone accidentally letting anything slip.

Sunday, January 2, 1996, Morning.

"Bloody hell," Jasmine whispered, and Hermione didn't bother to chastise her. Both sat with expressions of shock and disgust on their faces after having learned of what Tom Riddle had done in his quest to make himself immortal.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "that was much my reaction as well, and I'm far more knowledgeable about old and vile magics than I hope you ever will be."

"So he can't be killed?" Jasmine asked. "I don't have any chance at all?"

"The situation isn't quite so dire as that," Dumbledore assured her. "He cannot be killed so long as his horcruxes continue to anchor his soul to the land of the living. Once they are gone, however, he can be killed again."

"How long have you known?" Hermione asked. "How long have you known that Voldemort is immortal? Well, sort of immortal."

"Known?" Dumbledore said. "That's not as easy to answer as you might assume. It's not a fact that I read in a book. Even before Miss Potter defeated him in 1981, I knew he had been researching ways to extend his life, almost all of which are very, very dark magic. After the incident that Halloween, I strongly suspected that he wasn't completely gone and that he had successfully done something to keep him from passing on to true death, but of course I couldn't be sure what. I investigated several options, a process which was very unpleasant, but I was not able to come up with any hard evidence."

"The diary!" Jasmine blurted out. "I remember, the shade of young Tom Riddle said something about pouring his soul into Ginny."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a nod. "That was one of his horcruxes — his first, if I'm not mistaken. It was then that I was sure which method he'd used to prevent his own death. The only question then was whether he'd made more than one and, if so, how many. I suspected more, but again could not prove it. At least, not at the time."

"What's changed?" Hermione asked. "Have you found more?"

"After a fashion," answered Sirius, who had insisted on being part of this meeting. "What we've found are a couple of destroyed horcruxes. They are supposed to be loaded with enchantments to keep them from being easily destroyed, but somehow these were anyway. We don't know how, and we don't know why."

"But it proved that he made several," Dumbledore continued, "and we're reasonably sure that there are a couple more out there. I obtained evidence that suggested he would have made six, which with the soul remaining in his body would add up to seven pieces total. We know that four have been destroyed, and I am actively hunting what I hope are the last two."

"How does this relate to the prophecy?" Hermione asked. "Something as significant as this would surely be part of it, wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Dumbledore responded, "but I did promise that I'd tell you the rest of the prophecy today, and now seems as good a time as any. You already know that it starts: 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…' The rest states: 'and the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.' That's the entire prophecy, and it, like Voldemort's use of horcruxes, must be kept secret — no one can know."

"Excuse me, Professor," Hermione said, her expression troubled, "but is Voldemort even alive now?"

"What do you mean?"

"His body was destroyed by Jasmine," Hermione explained, speaking slowly as she worked through the logic. "By most definitions that would be death. The fact that his spirit didn't move on doesn't necessarily mean he was still alive, just like the presence of ghosts doesn't mean someone is still alive. Possessing Quirrell didn't make him alive. So... does inhabiting a magically-created body make him alive? And either way, what would count as killing him?"

"Those are good questions," Dumbledore said. "I'm not sure there are any easy answers, since no one has satisfactorily described a sharp dividing line between life and death. I tend to think that his current body qualifies him as living, but I will admit that your reasoning is sound. Perhaps he was, in a sense, killed in 1981, but the process never quite finished due to his horcruxes. Either way, I think the answer is that once his horcruxes are eliminated, then damaging his current body beyond the ability of magic to repair would effectively kill him — or at least complete the process of killing him which started so long ago."

"What did he use for horcruxes?" Jasmine asked as Hermione stared off into space, deep in thought. "I'm guessing he didn't do the smart thing and use a rock that he then tossed into the Black Lake. Or even the middle of the ocean."

Dumbledore looked at her blankly for a moment, then took off his spectacles and began rubbing his eyes. "My dear," he said, sounding pained, "you have no idea how much I hope that you will never go dark. We should all be glad that Voldemort does not possess the ruthless pragmatism that seems to come so easily to you. No, his preferences for horcrux vessels have been a bit more grandiose. Even egotistical. Can you not think of some good candidates?"

"Oh!" Jasmine said. "That's why you have been showing us those memories! He used those magical artifacts from the Founders!"

"Those were his primary choices, yes," Dumbledore replied. "That wasn't the only reason why I wanted you to see the memories — more generally, I wanted you to have a better understanding of how he thinks. Of what he would choose to make a horcrux out of and why. It was my original hope that once you understood this well enough, you would be able to help me track them down — possibly even take over the task entirely if something happened to me. However, events have overtaken my plans, and that may not be necessary."

"You're operating under the assumption that Jasmine will have to fight Voldemort directly, aren't you?" Hermione asked. "You expect that they will have to fight, and in that fight one will have to kill the other."

Dumbledore nodded. "I do not relish telling a young witch that she will have to kill, but I spent a lot of time studying the prophecy, and that's the most reasonable interpretation I've been able to come up with."

"But did you do that study before or after you learned about the horcruxes?" Hermione asked. When Dumbledore raised a questioning eyebrow, she continued, "What if Jasmine can fulfill the prophecy by destroying his horcruxes? Or at least, the rest of them... or maybe even just the last one? Doing that might arguably 'vanquish' him since it will make him mortal, at which point he's as killable as any human. I don't know if that would also qualify as him 'dying' by her hand, but the prophecy already uses the word 'die' metaphorically in the phrase 'seventh month dies,' so... why not?"

Both Dumbledore and Sirius looked at Hermione with great interest, and after a long moment Dumbledore said, "That is an intriguing interpretation, Miss Granger, and I commend you on it. I'd even give you house points for it, if I could. I admit that my study of the prophecy was indeed long before I concluded that Voldemort had made horcruxes, and it never occurred to me to go back and revisit the text in light of that discovery."

Hermione beamed at the praise and the expectation that she had found a way out for her girlfriend. However, that good mood was not to last.

"Unfortunately," Dumbledore went on, "there is one flaw in that interpretation. Well, not so much the interpretation — I think it's valid and would eagerly take it over mine. The flaw is in the fact that Voldemort believes that he must kill Miss Potter in order to safeguard his own existence. Regardless of how the prophecy might be fulfilled in the end, that much is at least true."

"And so long as he thinks he has to kill me, he'll keep coming after me," Jasmine said. "Which means that a fight will come — a fight in which I have to be ready to kill in order to survive."

"That is correct, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said. "It may turn out that the prophecy will be fulfilled as Miss Granger describes, with someone else ultimately striking the killing blow against Voldemort. It might even be someone you have sent to do something, thus making their act one that is metaphorically by your hand. But however much we may all prefer events to go that way, we cannot simply assume they will."

Hermione looked disappointed, but she wasn't ready to give up entirely. "No, I suppose you're right about that, but that doesn't mean that we can't arrange things so that the prophecy can be fulfilled that way."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well, the most obvious thing is to make sure Jasmine is available to destroy any horcruxes you find," Hermione said. "We should probably go with you when you find a likely location for one, just in case it needs to be destroyed on the spot."

Dumbledore thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That will open the door for the prophecy to be fulfilled without Miss Potter having to fight Voldemort to the death. It doesn't guarantee that she won't, but the possibility will exist. Very well, I will agree to that, at least provisionally. I will not be able to take you on every trip I make to investigate a new lead, but when I think I have found one of these objects, I will try to bring you along."

"What else can you tell us about horcruxes?" Hermione asked. "Are there any standard detection spells? Standard ways of destroying them? How do you—"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted, "but a horcrux is one of the most vile forms of magic I have ever come across, and I do not wish you to know any more about them than is absolutely necessary."

"It's only knowledge," Hermione insisted. "There's nothing wrong with knowing how something is done or made, especially if that knowledge will help you undo it."

"No, I'm sorry, but I must stand firm on this," Dumbledore said as he rose slowly from his seat. "I've told you all you need to know on the matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be getting back to the castle."

After Dumbledore had left, Sirius silenced and sealed the door to the sitting room again and turned to Hermione. "I know you weren't happy with how that ended, and while part of me agrees that this isn't the sort of magic you should know about, another part realizes that maybe you don't have much of a choice." Sirius sighed deeply and raked his fingers through his hair. "I hate being in this position. I don't want you to become corrupted by magic that's as dark and twisted as a horcrux, but I also want you to have all the tools you need in order to help Jasmine. I know that if anyone can pull apart such information in order to find something useful, it's probably you."

"So you know more about horcruxes?" Jasmine asked. "Or can get the knowledge?" Sirius nodded.

"Would it help if I made a promise or even an oath that I wouldn't do anything evil, like try to create my own horcrux?" Hermione asked.

Sirius stared hard at her for a long moment before saying, "Yes and no. I don't need a vow, but I would like your promise that you won't do anything without running it by me first. You can sit and think about these things and how to beat them all you want, but if you want to try any spells or cross-reference them with another subject, you need to talk to me. I'll need to know what you're doing and every step you're taking. That way I can put a stop to it if I see a trap or problem that you wouldn't recognize."

"OK, I can agree to that," Hermione said. "I can't imagine that there's a whole lot that I can do without having a horcrux to work on, and that's not likely to happen. The most I can do is study related subjects to get a better understanding of the underlying theory, and I have no problem promising you that I'll talk to you before starting with any particular book or subject."

"Good," Sirius said. "And the first place to start is with my mother's portrait. She knows all about horcruxes."

Hermione frowned. "How would she know so much about them?"

Sirius shrugged. "She was into the Dark Arts when she was alive. I doubt there was much Dark Magic that she wasn't at least familiar with. And it's a good thing, too, because it was her portrait who first realized that Voldemort must have made several horcruxes. She told me, and I told the Headmaster. He had already suspected it, but we were able to provide proof."

"How did she figure it out?" Jasmine asked.

"One of the horcruxes that was destroyed was in this house," Sirius said with a shiver. "It sat here for years, not doing anything, but one night it exploded. Took out most of this sitting room, in fact. She deduced that it was a horcrux which my brother Regulus had stolen from Voldemort and then gave to Kreacher to destroy. He couldn't figure out how to do it, so it sat here. We still have no idea how or why it blew up, but after my mother realized what it was, she also realized what that diary was. One thing led to another and... well, here we are."

Hermione's frown only deepened as she digested what Sirius had told her. "That's all interesting. I look forward to talking to her about it."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather you talk to her than start reading the books," Sirius said. "Those books are horrible, and I can insist that she take care in what she reveals — she should be able to tell you the basic facts without including anything truly dangerous."

"OK, Sirius," Hermione said, "I appreciate this. And I won't let you down." She looked at Jasmine and took her hand. "Either of you."

Sunday, January 2, 1996, Afternoon.

"So what's troubling you, dears?" Elladora asked once Jasmine and Hermione were seated. "Sirius said you wanted to talk to me and even went so far as to order me not to tell even him what you have to say unless you give permission."

"We've started telling the people closest to us some of our secrets," Jasmine replied, "and... and we're still not sure if we're doing the right thing."

"You're afraid that they will tell others?"

"No. Well, a little, but that's not the real issue," Hermione answered. "It's more the burden that we're placing on them. We're asking a lot of them just by telling them our secrets, never mind when they want to help with the tasks we have before us."

"Burden?" Elladora asked. "I'm not sure how much of a burden it can be knowing someone's secrets. It might be easier if you tell me a little about what you mean, though I'll understand if you'd rather not."

The girls traded a look, then turned their attention back to the portrait. "I guess it won't hurt," Jasmine said. "Sirius is one of the people we told. Even Walburga knows. But so long as it doesn't spread, it should be OK." The two witches proceeded to explain to the portrait about their romantic relationship, having a soul bond, being the subject of two prophecies and what those prophecies were about, the unprecedented magical rituals, and the creation of both S.P.E.W. and the DA.

By the end, the portrait's eyes had started to glaze over. "Any one of those things would be difficult to believe, but all of them? And all of them centered around a couple of underaged witches?" She shook her head. "I don't think I've ever been at such a complete loss for words before. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to have all of that in your lives, but I can see now why you're worried about burdening others by telling them these secrets."

She pondered the problem for a bit. "It's all so big and so hard to believe. It must be difficult for people to act normally around you as if nothing had changed. They can't ignore it — it's all too important to who you are and what you're doing — but how can they look at you the same way anymore?"

"That's it exactly," Hermione said. "We still feel like the same people. We want our friends and families to continue treating us the way they always did. But I'm not sure they'll be able to. I can already see it in the eyes of my parents and Sirius — it's like they don't quite know how to approach us or what to say to us. Would it have been better to not tell them?"

Elladora shook her head. "No — as hard as this is now, that would have been worse. Keeping important secrets always harms close relationships, and your particular secrets are far bigger and more important than most."

"So what do we do?" Jasmine asked.

"The easiest thing to do," Elladora answered, "is to help them focus on who you are and have always been outside of your recent disclosures. Make an effort to interact with them in ways that don't involve any of these revelations — ways that they are accustomed to and which will hopefully remind them about how they've interacted with you before. It will take some time, but hopefully they will come to see that while they've learned some new things about you, you're still the same people you were before you let them in on your secrets."

"I guess that makes sense," Hermione said. "They can't ignore these new revelations, but we can help them focus on other things while they come to terms with what they've learned."

Elladora nodded. "Despite how overwhelming it all is, I'm glad that you were finally able to tell people about your relationship. I know it's not easy, worrying about how loved ones will react — will they accept you, will they cast you out...?"

"Finally?" repeated Jasmine. "Wait, did you know?"

Elladora smiled. "I knew it within moments of when you first walked into this room to talk to me over the summer, my dears. It was obvious."

"How could it be..." Hermione started, then she stopped as her eyes narrowed. "You know it's not easy? Does that mean you are... or rather were, like us?"

Elladora sat up straight and replied, "I'm afraid that it would be against the professional code of Mind Healers for me to bring my own life into these discussions, or even talk to you about my personal life when I'm supposed to be helping you with yours." She paused for a moment, then leaned forward conspiratorially and continued, "That said, though, I want you two to know that you can always come to me with any questions or problems you may have with your relationship or how others are reacting to it. I promise you that I understand far, far more than most ever will."

In the silence that followed, Elladora went on more tentatively, "If that's all you needed to talk to me about, I do have one request before you go..."

"Uh, sure, if we can," Jasmine said.

The portrait got an eager look in her eyes. "Please, tell me about the rituals you performed. What were they, what was said, and what happened? And who are the veela you've been working with?"

"So how did it go?" Sirius asked when they returned to the sitting room later that evening.

"Great," Jasmine said. "She was a lot of help. More than we could have expected."

"It's good to be able to open up to someone who knows how to help and will keep your secrets," Sirius observed.

"Keep our secrets?" Hermione asked in surprise. "I'll be right back!" She turned and ran out of the room, heading up the steps.

"What was that all about?" Sirius asked.

Jasmine shrugged, unconcerned. "I learned a long time ago not to ask about that sort of thing. She'll tell me when she's ready."

"Well, while she's off doing... whatever, I wanted to talk to you about telling Moony about some of what's going on with you," Sirius said.

Jasmine frowned slightly. "I understand why you want to do that. I'm not as angry with him anymore, but... I have to say, I don't feel as close to him as I used to. Some things are hard to forget."

"It's not necessary to tell him everything, especially since it's such a huge amount to deal with at once," Sirius argued. "I'd only want to start small, to start getting him on board. He could be a lot of help — he's smart, and he's skilled magically."

Jasmine nodded slowly. "You have a good point, and he can't help nearly as much if he doesn't know what's going on. What did you have in mind?'

"Aside from the prophecy — the Voldemort prophecy, I mean — the easiest thing to tell him is about your relationship," Sirius answered. "I know it's the most personal, but just about everything else hangs off of that in some fashion."

"That's true. It's why we told you and the Grangers what we did and the way we did. I wouldn't get into the specifics of the prophecy, just the gist of it. But... I guess we can tell him about us. You have to make sure that he won't say anything to anyone, though."

"Oh, he won't, I can guarantee that," Sirius assured her. "Once we see how he reacts, we can consider how to proceed."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to do it, would you?" Jasmine asked.

"Me? why me?"

Jasmine sighed. "I've already had to go through telling you and the Grangers. We're going to tell Ron tomorrow, then he, Ginny, and Neville will learn most of our other secrets. There are only so many times I can go through this story — it's such an emotional wringer!"

"Sure, sure," Sirius said as he pulled his goddaughter into a hug. "How about this: I'll get him alone one evening and tell him about your relationship. I'd add in the soul bond as well if I could, since knowing that has made it a lot easier for me to accept things, but I can't reveal that — you'll have to do that yourself. But you sit in the next room so if he has questions or anything, you can come in to answer."

"That sounds fine, Sirius," she said as she leaned into the hug. "Thanks."

"Elladora?" Hermione asked as she re-entered Sirius' bedroom.

"Yes, dear — did you forget something?" the portrait asked in her usual, kindly manner.

"No, just a quick question: do you know much about soul bonds?"

"A little," Elladora answered. "There isn't much known about them generally."

"And have you ever known any soul-bonded couples?" Hermione asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Elladora answered with a sigh. "I wish I had, I think it would have been educational to learn how that type of relationship differs from other relationships, and how the soul bond differs from the traditional marriage bond. In fact, now that you bring it up, I wonder what effect a soul-bonded couple would have on magical rituals like the ones you've participated in. Why do you ask?"

"I was doing some research," Hermione said with a smile. "You've been very, very helpful. Thank you!"

"Oh, wait — Hermione?" Elladora called out. "I received a message right after you left: Walburga needs to talk to you and Jasmine sometime today. Privately."

Sunday, January 2, 1996, Evening.

"We're sorry that we couldn't get here any sooner," Jasmine said as she closed the door to the portrait room.

"That's fine," Walburga responded. "This won't take too long, but it is important that we get to it."

"What is it that's so important?" Hermione asked.

"That book," Walburga answered, pointing to a old, thin, black book sitting on the table. "It has some spells that I think are important for you two to learn. Unfortunately, Sirius would never bring them to you, so it's up to me to ensure that this part of your education isn't neglected any longer."

"Why wouldn't Sirius show these to us?" Jasmine asked, hesitating to touch the book.

"These spells aren't dark magic, are they?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Wizards might think so," Walburga said with a predatory glint in her eye, "but for witches, they are indispensable."

Jasmine heard several noises of fear and surprise and noticed that the male Black portraits had suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the female Black portraits that were present were looking quite pleased with themselves.

"This book is centuries old," Walburga continued as Jasmine slowly opened it. "Every witch in our family has learned from it, whether they were born a Black or simply married into the family. You should learn the spells, too, Hermione."

"Wow," Hermione said as she read over Jasmine's shoulder. "I had no idea there were spells to do that."

"I understand that you've both made progress with wandless and silent spellcasting?" Walburga asked. When they both nodded, she continued, "Good. Ideally, you need to be able to cast these wandlessly. Silently is also good, but not as critical. Fortunately, these spells were created to be easier to cast wandlessly, so even an average witch can learn how to do it."

Three hours later, Jasmine and Hermione entered the kitchen for a snack, whispering and giggling the entire time.

"I wonder what that was all about," Emma asked once they'd left.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Lindsey responded, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"It's... not what you think," Sirius said, looking even more uncomfortable. "Probably."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"My mother wanted to talk to them," Sirius explained. "I can remember my three cousins, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda, acting like those two after my mother and my aunt Druella had a talk with the girls. 'Witches' business,' they told me when I pestered them to learn what it was about." Sirius shifted awkwardly in his seat again before continuing, "I never did find out the details, but let's just say that soon thereafter, I vowed to never prank those three again. Ever."