Chapter 4

Reunions in Diagon Alley

It was the last weekend of August when Judy woke with a start from a nightmare she couldn't remember. She remained in bed for a few moments, in an effort to get rid of the unsettling feeling in her stomach. When the attempt turned out in vain, she took a quick shower to wash the cold sweat off her skin and silently descended the stairs. Lupin often had trouble getting to sleep and she didn't wish to wake him so early in the morning.

Duncan walked up to her as she entered the living room. He tried to rub his back against her legs as Judy carefully made her way to the kitchen so she wouldn't step on him. Judy took a pack of milk from the refrigerator and filled Duncan's saucer. The black cat immediately started drinking it as she put the saucer down on the kitchen floor.

Judy cast back the kitchen curtains and allowed the first sun rays to illuminate the small room. The clock on the wall beside her chimed once and Judy noticed that it was less early than she had thought. It was seven-thirty and since Lupin was bound to wake in the next half hour Judy decided to get started on breakfast.

Her mind seemed to be in a different place than her body as she started on a pot of tea and took out eggs and bacon and a frying pan. The events of the past summer ran through her head as if she were watching a movie. She played Quidditch in an orchard with two of her best friends and their brother, Tonks walked up to her and Lupin with open arms, Sirius escaped from Azkaban, she herself woke up from a nightmare she seemed to have every single night since her father's escape...

Judy looked up as she heard a tapping on the window. Again a barn owl stared at her, bearing a letter from Hogwarts. Judy opened the window and took the envelope from the owl's paw. It hooted thankfully, turned, and flew toward the sun, which now shone above the horizon. Judy quickly scanned the name on the letter, noticing somewhat surprised that it was addressed to her.

As she looked at the clock again, she put the letter down on the counter. She broke a couple of eggs and put a few pieces of bacon in the now hot frying pan. The sizzling noise cut through the silence that hung in the kitchen. Judy was grateful for the sound, having hated silence for as long as she could remember.

She took out two plates, divided the bacon and eggs and poured the now hot water in a tea pot. When she turned to the kitchen table she caught Lupin looking at her from the doorway.

'Are you sure you don't use magic to get your timing so accurate?' He smiled at her.

'Only years of experience, Remus,' said Judy, walking to the table and putting down the plates.

'Your booklist, I suppose?' asked Lupin, gesturing at the envelope on the counter. 'It is rather late this year, isn't it?'

'It's not my booklist. I got that on the morning of my Birthday. Didn't I tell you?'

'I suppose that letter from Fred and George distracted you too much,' offered Lupin with a smile. Judy chose to ignore his comment, though she couldn't help her lips from curling up in a smile.

'I guess I must have forgotten about it,' said Judy, walking to the table with the teapot in one hand and balancing two cups in the other. 'But we can go get my books today, can't we?'

'I suppose we don't have a choice, since you have to be on the train to school tomorrow...' Lupin looked at her sternly, making Judy feel a bit ashamed how she had forgotten all about her books. Then again with the events of the past summer, she wasn't sure he could really blame her. 'But,' Lupin continued, 'if you already got your booklist, why are you getting another letter from school?'

'I have no idea,' answered Judy. She took the letter, walked over to Lupin and sat down opposite him. She quickly opened the envelope.

Lupin started eating his breakfast, like he hadn't eaten in days. Judy felt glad to see he had a good appetite for a change. She looked at the piece of paper in her hands after she had unfolded it.

Dear Ms Byrne,

By means of this letter I am requesting your presence in my office on the eve of the 1st of September. Professor Flitwick will be waiting for you at the entrance to the Great Hall to escort you. You are to go nowhere else in the castle before our appointment. I trust you to keep our meeting a secret, safe from your uncle of course.

Until the 1st of September.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

Headmaster

'Oh…' said Judy at a loss for words.

'What is it?' asked Lupin, looking somewhat concerned.

'Dumbledore wants to see me at the start of the school year.' Her voice sounded anxious. Duncan leapt onto her lap and settled there, as if he were aware of her fear and was trying to give her comfort.

'Does it say what he wants to see you for?' asked Lupin softly.

'No,' she scanned the letter again, 'but…well, it can't be much else than Sirius breaking out, can it? He knows I don't believe Sirius is guilty.'

'You should not boast about it like that, Judy.' Lupin warned her. 'People may get suspicious and put two and two together…'

'I'm not boasting,' retorted Judy. 'I'm just saying he knows and that's probably why he wrote to me. I'll be careful, Remus. I always have been.'

'I know.' Lupin cast her a small smile, though his concern still showed in his eyes. 'Now, I think it's best if you start packing your trunk after breakfast. Then you at least won't have to turn your room upside down till late in the evening…' Judy smiled before taking a bite of her bacon. It wouldn't be the first time she had left her room in a mess, just before being off to school. 'We'll go to Diagon Alley as soon as you're done.'

'I'll start packing right after breakfast,' promised Judy, as she caressed Duncan's dark fur.

'Then I'll do the dishes,' said Lupin with a smile as he already took out his wand from his pocket and laid it on the table.

They left for Diagon Alley in the afternoon using the Floo Network. Judy was the first to travel to Flourish and Blotts, but as Lupin emerged from the hearth as well, Judy was still coughing frantically.

'You really should learn to hold your breath…' Lupin remarked, as he shook the soot of his coat. Judy coughed again.

'It'll be over in a minute.' She said hopefully.

Judy looked around the bookstore, still coughing now and then. The smell of new books penetrated her nostrils, making her take a long, deep breath. She had loved that smell for as long as she could remember.

Stacks of books lay around the store, some neatly lain on top of each other, others making such huge bends that Judy was amazed they hadn't toppled over. Every piece of wall was covered by a bookcase so high that you had to use a two meter long ladder to reach the top most shelve. The dark wood of which the bookcases were made, gave the store a very warm feeling. That warm feeling had always made Flourish and Blotts Judy's favourite store.

As Lupin and Judy made their way through the maze of books and side tables, they noticed the store was very crowded, even for this time of day. It didn't take long for them to find the source of the attraction.

On one of the larger side tables in the middle of the bookstore, lay a stack of books which seemed to disappear so rapidly as if it were done by magic. Judy just managed to read one of the bindings of the last book as an elderly witch grabbed it from under her nose.

'It's Gilderoy Lockhart's,' said Judy in disbelief. 'How can people still be buying his books after what happened last year? The man is a fraud!'

'Not everybody knows what happens at Hogwarts,' offered Lupin. 'And even though he can't do much magic himself, the spells he's written down do work. Besides,-'

'Oy, Byrne!' Both Judy and Lupin turned on their heel as they heard the familiar voice. 'Now Jude, don't tell me you're smitten with Lockhart…' Fred Weasley said faking disappointment.

'How can I, when I'm totally smitten with you?' she smiled back at him. Judy realised too late that Lupin was standing beside them and what her comment must have sounded like. 'So, you're back from holiday then?' She said in an effort to change the subject.

'Yes, we are,' said George, walking up to them.

'It's good to see you again,' said Judy, now smiling at the both of them. With all the events of late, it indeed felt good to be reunited with her old friends.

'Listen,' Lupin interrupted. 'I'm going to make a quick stop at Gringotts. I'll be back in a minute, all right?'

'Sure.' Judy knew he was going to withdraw money from the vault her father had left her. Lupin had gotten the key to it when he took her in when she was four. She always wondered whether it had been a coincidence that Sirius had planned that much ahead. He was more a man that acted on impulse…her mother probably persuaded him to plan ahead.

'We'll keep an eye on her, sir,' said Fred in a serious tone. Lupin cast the twins a small smile as he left the store.

'I'm not sure you keeping an eye on me will reassure him.' Judy smiled at the twins. 'I got your presents by the way. I really liked them.'

'We know,' said Fred with a smile, 'you like anything you can use for school.'

Judy arched a brow at him, though she couldn't help her lips from curling up in a small smile. 'So tell me, how was Egypt?'

'Awesome. You won't believe what enchantments those Egyptian wizards put on those pyramids,' said Fred enthusiastically. 'I think Percy almost wet his pants in that last pyramid we visited.'

'Yeah, mummies, blood…it was pretty gruesome,' said George in the same enthusiastic tone.

'Sounds really interesting…' said Judy. 'You two here alone?'

'Mum's over at Olivander's for a new wand for Ron. The little git wrecked it last year when he flew our Dad's car into the Whomping Willow.'

'Well, that's nice. Calling your brother a git…' remarked Judy sarcastically.

'Oh lighten up, Byrne.' Fred smiled at her. 'School's about to start again...bet you can't wait to pore over your new books.'

'Oh, you're one to talk.' She smiled back at them. 'I can't wait to see you guys revising in the library for your OWLs.'

'Yes, unfortunately the tables have turned to your advantage this year.' George said darkly. Judy laughed, thinking back on how they had teased her about her OWLs last year.

'Jude!' Willow walked up to them wearing a light blue summer dress, her long red hair flowing behind her. 'Why didn't you tell me you'd be here today as well?!'

'Sorry, I forgot,' said Judy. With Sirius' escape she had indeed forgotten all about telling her best friend she'd be getting her books today. She and Willow had always bought their books together.

'Yeah well, don't worry about it,' said Willow in a guilty tone. 'I forgot telling you too.'

'And nobody told us…' said Fred in a dramatic tone.

'Oh shut up,' said Willow with a smile. 'Saw you two in the Daily Prophet, must have been some holiday.'

'Oh it was,' said George, 'would have brought you back a souvenir, but most of the stuff is cursed…figured I'd better play it safe.'

Willow cast him a smile. 'That's OK. Oh and thanks for the letter.'

'Oh ehm…you're welcome,' said George uncomfortably. He clearly hadn't counted on Willow bringing up his letter in the presence of Judy and his twin.

'Oh,' said Fred, 'so that's where you sent the other owl to!' George's ears went red at this comment. Judy assumed that even twins didn't always tell each other everything.

'Come on,' Judy took Fred's hand. 'Let's have a look at the new DADA books.' She quickly pulled Fred along, ignoring his protests that the DADA books stood on the other side of the store, as she waded through the crowd.

Fred sighed as they stopped behind one of the smaller bookcases, blocking Willow and George from their view. 'You know, I really would have liked to see that.'

'I know, that's why I pulled you away from there,' said Judy.

'You know that doesn't make any sense,' offered Fred as he leaned to the side to look around the bookcase.

'Fred!' Judy scolded, pulling him back. 'Come on, give them some privacy. They'll never get together if we're around them all the time.'

'Privacy?' Fred asked amused. 'I suppose you haven't noticed the place is too crowded to even turn around?' He scowled as two wizards squeezed past them, pushing both Fred and Judy with their noses against the books before them.

'I meant that they,' Judy paused as she stepped back again, 'need some time alone from us…or can you stand another year watching them dance around each other all the time and not making a single move?'

'I don't know…I mean, you have to admit it's sort of funny to watch,' said Fred, grinning at her.

'Fred, you're awful…' said Judy, arching a brow at him. She yelped as she was pushed forward by a young witch, reaching for a book just beside Judy. Fred caught her as she nearly fell. Their noses were only an inch apart as he smiled at her.

'You just can't resist me, can you?'

Judy laughed at his remark, but quickly stopped as she looked over his shoulder and saw Lupin looking at them from only a short distance away. To say he looked displeased at the sight before him was more than an understatement.

'Remus,' Judy stepped back and hastily straightened her blouse.

'It's Fred actually,' said Fred amused.

'Your brother told me I would find you here,' said Lupin, making Fred turn on his heel.

'Remus, please…we weren't doing anything,' said Judy in an effort to reduce the tension between them.

'Yes, I saw that…' said Lupin sceptically, looking at Fred.

'Fred!' Mrs. Weasley popped her head around the corner of the bookcase. 'Ah there you are…oh, hello Judy.' She smiled at her. 'How have you been?'

'Fine, thank you Mrs. Weasley.' said Judy, thankful for the interruption.

'Well, that's good to hear,' said Mrs. Weasley, 'I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have to get back to the Leaky Cauldron.'

'Right behind you, mum.' Fred said, no doubt thankful to escape from Lupin's stern gaze. 'Save a seat for me on the train?' asked Fred, casting a quick glance back at Judy.

'Always,' smiled Judy. 'Bye Fred.' Judy watched after him till the bookcase obscured him from view. 'You really didn't have to look at him like that.' Lupin arched a brow at her. 'A woman knocked me over and Fred caught me before I fell…that's all you saw,' she said, looking him in the eye.

Lupin eyed her for a moment before he nodded. 'Then I was wrong. I'm sorry.'

'Well…no need to apologize,' Judy locked her arm with his. 'You're just looking out for me,' she said as they walked toward the other side of the room where the books for Hogwarts' students were displayed.

A knock on the shopping window to their left drew Judy's attention and she saw Willow looking at her from outside.

'See you on the train,' Willow mouthed, adding a little wave which Judy returned. Willow cast her a smile before walking out of view.

As Judy and Lupin reached one of the larger bookcases, Judy took her booklist from her bag. She handed it to Lupin, who read the titles aloud as Judy kept walking up and down the ladder to take the books from the bookcase and hand them to Lupin.

By the time they were done a half an hour had past and Lupin was almost completely obscured from view by the books he held before him.

'Are you sure you're not taking too many courses?' asked Lupin as Judy took half of the stack from him.

'I'm sure,' Judy smiled at him.

They had to wait in line for another ten minutes to pay for the books. Judy held up a large yellow backpack she had gotten from Willow for her Birthday last year and put most of her books in it with Lupin's help. The young witch crammed the last few books in a bright red shoulder bag. As she put the last book in the bag, Judy looked up and noticed suddenly how pale and tired Lupin looked.

'Come on,' she locked her arm with his again and led him from the shop. 'Some fresh air should do you good.' Lupin cast her a small smile as they reached the street; it fortunately wasn't as crowded as Flourish and Blotts had been.

As they walked down Diagon Alley, it didn't take long for Judy's back to ache with the weight of her books. She tried to readjust the straps of her backpack, but that didn't lessen her pain.

Just as Judy had convinced herself that having new schoolbooks was more than worth a little back ache, Lupin relieved her from her pain with a hover charm, making her backpack and shoulder bag feel a lot lighter than they had before. Judy cast him a thankful smile and noticed that the warm sunrays did Lupin good; his pale features seemed to gain a little colour from just being out in the fresh air.

They halted at Madam Malkin's where a crowd of children had gathered, pointing at the boy and girl mannequins dressed in a Hogwarts uniform. Several words which sounded all too familiar to Judy stood out against the cries of eagerness to be wearing such a uniform one day.

'I'm going to be in Gryffindor!' said a little blond boy, who couldn't have been over 7 years old.

'You?!' asked a dark haired girl beside him. 'You're scared of mice! Only the brave get into Gryffindor!'

'Well, where do you think you're going then?' asked the boy offended.

'Me?' asked the girl. 'My parents are both purebloods, so I'll be in Slytherin!' she stated haughtily.

Judy's mind wandered back to a time when she had heard a similar phrase. Abigail MacDonald, a short curvy girl with long red curly hair had said the same thing to her on the evening that they were sorted into their houses. For some reason, however, the Sorting Hat had cried out Ravenclaw after barely touching Abigail's head. Judy now shared her dorm with Abigail, who never seemed to stop prizing the Slytherins. A habit which had led to more than one argument between her and Judy in the past.

Judy had never understood why Abigail was sorted into a house she didn't want to be in, because the Sorting Hat put Judy herself in the house of her own choice. She remembered all too clearly how she was the only one in her year who gave the Sorting Hat so much trouble with picking a house. Gryffindor had definitely been the preferred choice, but Judy wished to be placed in any house but Gryffindor so badly that in the end the Hat had picked Ravenclaw for her. It was the same house as her mother's.

Gryffindor, however, had always taken up a special place in her heart, for it was impossible to ignore her ties to that house. Remus, James and Lily had all been in Gryffindor and so had her father. He was the reason why she had pleaded the Sorting Hat to place her somewhere else. She had always avoided anything that could tie her to her father. Judy was brought up to be cautious about everything she said and did and so she applied that caution to everything she had come across in her life.

'I'm definitely going to be in Hufflepuff!' Judy was drawn back to reality by the young girl's statement. She looked at the short strawberry blond hair, till Remus pulled her along.

They strolled past most of the other shopping windows, but Judy couldn't help but stop to look at the new Firebolt which was on display at Quality Quidditch Supplies.

For a moment she saw Fred and George flying through the Hogwarts' Quidditch stadium on the broom before her, beating their Bludgers at every Slytherin player who got in their way. Judy smiled. Then her mind wandered to another Quidditch player. He flew the broom with more skill than she had ever seen before, his red hair ruffling in the wind…

'Come on,' said Lupin as he pulled her along again. 'You can watch enough Quidditch when you're in school.' Judy smiled as they continued their way, doing her best to hide the disappointment caused by the disturbance of her daydream. They weren't all that far along as Lupin suddenly froze.

'What's wrong?' Judy quickly looked around.

'It's Harry,' said Lupin hoarsely. Judy looked at him and then followed his gaze to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Harry Potter sat at one of the small tables on the terrace, flanked by his two best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.

'Yes, that's Harry,' said Judy softly, quickly looking away as her eyes crossed Harry's. Dumbledore had warned her in her first year to keep her distance from Harry; he was another link to her past which she had to stay away from. Judy wasn't about to break her promise when the headmaster had already requested her presence in his office at the start of term.

'He looks exactly like James,' said Lupin gently.

'Yes…yes he does,' said Judy absently, for her eyes had been caught by something else. A few meters away from them, fixed to a lantern pole by a sticking charm, hung a crisp new wanted poster.

'Except his eyes…' said Lupin, as Judy's eyes were now fixed on the wanted poster.

Sirius Black was screaming at her, trying to escape from the hands holding him in the frame. Judy had to do her utmost to resist the feeling of wanting to reach out to him, as she remembered how she had reached out to him the night her mother had been murdered. The only difference was that this time she was the one who felt the need to give comfort.

'….they're Lily's.'

'Yes, yes they are…' Judy looked past the poster to find a young boy, holding up copies of the Daily Prophet. The front page wore the same picture as the wanted poster.

'Sirius Black still at large! Come read all about it!' called the young boy as he sold a copy to an elderly couple. 'Mass murderer still roaming the streets!'

'Remus…' said Judy in a whisper. Her throat constricted with emotion, making her feel like she was about to choke.

'I can't believe how much he's grown…' said Lupin, still looking at Harry.

'Remus…' repeated Judy, her voice now breaking as her eyes went back and forth between the poster and the newspaper stand.

Her heart was beating fast, her head was throbbing and her vision went blurry for a few seconds as she saw a flash of green light in a darkened room. She grabbed Lupin's arm as her legs threatened to give way.

'What's wrong, sweetheart?' asked Lupin concerned. He followed her gaze, looking at the poster for a few moments in silence. 'Come on,' he put an arm around her, 'let's go home and have a nice cup of tea.'

Judy quickly wiped away a tear from her cheek as she allowed Lupin to lead her back to Flourish and Blotts. The flashes of her past had gone as soon as they came, but the feeling of fear still made her heart ache. She tightened her hold on Lupin's arm as they entered the bookstore, holding onto to the secure feeling of having him near her and not being alone. But despite his presence, Judy still felt the same loneliness as the night her mother was murdered, while she had hidden under the bed in the dead silent bedroom, fourteen years ago.

&

Darkness. Judy was surrounded by darkness as she stood in what she knew was the smallest room in the house. She watched at the small bundle, sleeping in the oak crib only a few paces away from her. Judy took a few steps forward to look at the little girl. Her breath caught in her throat as the small blue eyes flew open and stared at the ceiling. Judy knew what was coming as the little girl took hold of the small wooden bars and pulled herself up.

As the door burst open, Judy turned on her heel and let out a small cry as she saw her mother. Surrounded by the hallway light, Briana Byrne rushed over to her young daughter and lifted her to her chest. Judy stood frozen to the ground as her mother rushed back into the hallway.

'Mother!' The call echoed in Judy's head.

'What is it?' The young witch put her hands over her ears, but failed to drown out the sentences that followed.

'They're here. You and father must hide.'

'I'll get him.' A blast indicated the door was blown open.

'Avada Kedavra!'

'No!' Judy's legs moved without her knowledge as she followed her mother to her bedroom. She slipped in, just as Briana turned to close the door.

Judy leaned against the wall, trying to still her breathing as she watched her mother push the little girl under the bed. She barely registered the whispered words that her mother spoke. Briana aimed her wand at her daughter and silenced her with a wordless spell.

Judy felt how tears spilled over her cheeks as her mother turned to face the door and apologized to her father.

'Alohamora!' The door swung open and the Death Eater entered the room, his wand aimed at Briana's heart.

'No,' Judy whispered as she watched helplessly.

'I knew they would send you,' said Briana, looking into the man's eyes.

'No, do something,' Judy's voice was hoarser than ever due to the emotions raging through her.

'Then you also know you are going to die,' he said in a cold voice. 'Avada Kedavra!'

Judy awoke with a scream. As she instinctively scanned the room, she realised her cheeks were covered with tears and brushed them away with her hands. She leaned over to light the candle on her bed stand as the door of her room flew open, making her scream once more.

'What's happened? What's wrong?!' Lupin looked at her from the doorway. He looked slightly insane with his hair unkempt and his widened eyes.

'I'm fine,' said Judy softly. She pushed herself up as Lupin walked over to her.

'You don't look fine,' retorted Lupin, concerned.

'I dreamt about my mother,' she held her duvet firmly as the images of her dream flashed before her eyes. 'About the night she was killed.'

'I see,' Lupin sat down at the edge of her bed. He brushed a strand of her long dark hair from her damp forehead. 'Well, I expected you to have nightmares again.'

'What do you mean? Again?' asked Judy confused.

'When you first came to live here you used to have a lot of bad dreams,' said Lupin. 'You of course had had them after your mother died, but they returned when Sirius was captured. I'd find you hiding under the bed, huddled among a mass of teddy bears to protect you. It lasted for a few months, but they stopped after a while.'

'You never told me about that.'

'You didn't seem to remember having those dreams after a while, I thought you'd be better off not knowing. I didn't want to cause you any more pain,' explained Lupin.

'Why would they come back now?' asked Judy, confused.

'Because you're worried for your father,' said Lupin gently. 'And I understand you are, but…Judy you need to be careful.'

'I've been careful my entire life,' said Judy. 'Why would that change now?'

'Because you haven't seen him in such a long time and he might…he might ask you to help him.'

'Remus,' Judy sighed as she leaned back against her pillow. 'I'm not stupid…I may believe he is innocent, but I won't be stupid enough to help him. I know he's a convicted felon.'

'Just promise me that if anything happens or he tries to contact you, you let me know straight away.' 'Lupin looked into her eyes.

'I'll send you the fastest owl,' said Judy with a small smile. 'All right?'

'Actually, you won't have to send me an owl,' said Lupin softly.

'What do you mean?' asked Judy confused, as she didn't take her eyes of him.

'I'm going to Hogwarts with you,' said Lupin carefully.

'You're what?!' exclaimed Judy in disbelief. 'Remus, I don't need a bodyguard to protect me from my father(!)'

'No, it's not like that!' Lupin laughed at her confused expression. 'Do you remember that letter I got from Hogwarts a few weeks ago?'

'The one you didn't want to talk about.'

'Yes, that one. It was a letter from Professor Dumbledore if I wanted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.' Judy's eyes lit up as she saw the smile playing across Lupin's face.

'You are going to be the new DADA teacher?!' A broad grin played across Judy's face. 'That's great! I'll definitely pass my NEWT next year if you teach me!'

'Judy, if there's one course you don't need my help in…' Lupin looked at her. She had always been good at Defence against the Dark Arts. It was the subject she was most eager to learn about, beside Potions. It wasn't so hard to be motivated to learn how to protect herself against what had killed her mother…

'Oh all right. But I'm still glad you've accepted. You're going to make a great teacher, Remus,' said Judy excitedly.

'Are you sure you want to be taught by me, then?' Lupin asked seriously.

'Of course I am!' Judy looked at him with wide eyes, surprised that he would think otherwise. 'I've always told you you should teach.'

'So you don't mind me being around at school all year?'

'Hang on, is that why you didn't tell me till now? Because you thought I didn't want you to teach me?' Judy looked at him.

'I wasn't sure,' said Lupin apologetically.

'Well then, now you are,' said Judy with a smile, making Lupin's lips curl up as well. He looked at her in silence for a while. As Judy was about to ask him why he was looking at her like that, he bend over and kissed her forehead.

'Try and get some more sleep,' said Lupin softly.

'I'll try,' Judy smiled at him as he got up from the bed and walked to the landing. Duncan slipped into the room as Lupin closed the door behind him. The black cat leapt onto Judy's bed and lay down beside her pillow. She looked into the yellow eyes as the floorboards on the landing screeched while Lupin walked back to his own bedroom. The sound stirred something in Judy's memory…the floorboards on the landing of her parent's house had made the same screeching sound. The memory took her back to the dream she awoke from half an hour ago…

She pulled up her duvet to chase away the cold shivers running down her spine, making Duncan leap off the bed again as he meowed in protest. It was not the dream in itself which drove her to pull the duvet even further up and over her head, but the emotions and feelings of foreboding which formed a cold knot in her stomach. Something she hadn't felt in fourteen years and which she had wished she would never feel again. She knew that the return of that feeling was because something had changed in the past few weeks. After years of not wanting to know anything of what might happen, she now found herself in a position where she was eager to know more about her father's situation. That change seemed to have opened a gate she had closed off a long time ago. A gate which she hoped she could close up again before it would change her life any further.