Authors Note: Hello! Please note that this chapter starts at the end of chapter 11 and is in the same time zone as chapter 12. Anyway, I hope it's not too confusing.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Cordelia ran out of McGonagall's office. It had been exactly two hours since James had left her in the common room and she had just seen something that made her blood boil.

Kieran Karkner.

The person she had never despised more. The person who had made her best friend hurt. The person who had stood in front of the Wizengamot and proclaimed that he had no idea how Rory Ivers had perished.

He got away with murder.

And, merlin, Cordelia had never been more afraid of someone. The look in his eyes as he was labelled innocent was not one of relief, it was a look of triumph. It was evil.

Cordelia smashed into a corner as she was running and stopped, gasping with the pain ricocheting up her arm. It was definitely broken.

In the absence of her footsteps, she could hear another pair of feet behind her. Loud and fast, coming right towards where she was standing. Her heart sped up and she tried to keep running.

The man shouted something and she fell forwards, legs bound by rope. She rolled onto her back and faced her attacker, "What do you want?"

Kieran Karkner sneered, "You thought you could outrun me?"

"I thought I'd give it a go," replied Cordelia.

"Okay, while you're there I'm going to outline a few things," he looked at her to see if she was moving. "What are you doing?"

Cordelia put on an innocent face.

"Answer my question."

Cordelia smiled, "Alright, you got me, I was visualising the act of squashing your head like a grape."

Karkner only looked faintly disturbed at this and he continued, "First, I am an auror now and I am only here to finish my training-"

"So you're not an auror yet," interrupted Cordelia, smirking.

Kieran scowled, "You'd shut your mouth if you knew what was good for you. Second, I do not care about the problems of spoilt little brats. Third, well, I think I've made my point."

"What? You're not even going to try and help me?" said Cordelia. "Even though that's your job."

"I couldn't care less about this job when you're the person who nearly made me lose it," spat Karkner.

"I pity you," Cordelia said, shaking her head. "You are so tragically blinded by revenge that you can't make yourself a better person. You disgust me."

The wizards' eyes flashed with rage and he grabbed hold of Cordelia's collar, lifting her from the ground. Cordelia inhaled sharply as her back hit the wall, jolting her already tender arm. "Don't speak to me like that you filthy mudblood," he spat. "You thought you were so noble walking up in that stand, daring to speak out against me. I should own you. You are nothing."

Cordelia heard her pitiful whimper as he put his face less than a centimetre away from hers. She couldn't help it. This man was a killer, full of revenge and hatred and he was now directing that at her, anyone would crumble.

She was saved by the sound of voices nearby. Someone seemed to be hurrying away from the corridor. Kieran dropped her hastily to the floor and removed the ropes.

"Your interview will start at seven-thirty in the morning. Don't be late."

Cordelia was left alone with a broken arm and a beating heart.

She had gone to the aurors' for help. She could never receive it now.

"You are Cordelia Anne Bode of number five Daisy Lane, Fulham, London, correct?"

"Yes."

"Daughter of Christopher and Julie Bode, sister of William Bode?"

"Yes."

"You are the person who sent the head of the auror department a letter in regards to your personal safety?"

"Yes."

"Do you have evidence of a threat?"

"Yes- No, no I don't."

"Why should we believe you have a valid claim if there is no evidence?" Karkner looked up, frustrated, from his note-taking.

"Trust and kindness. Is that going to be hard?" replied Cordelia in kind.

Kieran leant over the desk. "Are you going to work with me on this or are you going to continue your trend of being a bratty know-it-all."

"You have ink on your shirt."

"Shut your mouth!" said Kieran slamming a hand on the wood and Cordelia jumped. It probably was a bit stupid to wind him up, but what else was she supposed to do? "So you're telling me that one night you got a little scared of something under the bed and you sent a letter to the auror department."

Cordelia sighed, "I wouldn't phrase it exactly like that."

Karkner started scribbling furiously on his parchment and Cordelia took the opportunity to close her eyes. She hadn't slept much that evening and she couldn't believe that it had only been one night since she last saw James. It seemed tragically insignificant in comparison to this.

"Bode, now is the time to tell me the nature of your peril," said Kieran, bringing Cordelia out of her head.

She sat up straighter and replied, well-rehearsed, "I was patrolling the corridors one night and suddenly I passed out." She waited for him to respond but he simply nodded and Cordelia took that as affirmation. "I was suddenly transported out of Hogwarts and I have been receiving threatening letters."

Kieran smirked, "Could you have been dreaming?"

"Quite right. But do I really look like the type of person to go running at a dream?" said Cordelia in a challenging voice.

Karkner cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. "These threatening letters. Do you have them?"

Cordelia stuttered, she had completely forgotten she had those as evidence. But they showed the time-turner's part in this, and Cordelia couldn't tell someone like Kieran about such a powerful object.

"I- I … I burnt them," she invented.

"Well that's a great help," sneered Kieran. "Interview terminated at eight-twenty-three in the morning." He said this last part to his parchment which filled in some boxes at the bottom.

"That's it?" said Cordelia incredulously.

Karkner didn't look up from his bag, "You have no evidence, no solid story and nothing else to add. Yes, we're done."

However, at that moment, an owl came through the window and settled itself on the desk in between them. They looked at each other, then simultaneously dived for the letter. Cordelia was fastest and she snatched it before Kieran could pull it off her. Her eyes travelled quickly down the page, a smile growing at each line. Someone out there actually cared.

Kieran Karkner (Auror-in-training),

As the person in charge of questioning Miss Cordelia Bode of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we thought you would like to be informed that new evidence has come to light about this case in its earliest stages. Two auror's have taken a special interest in this situation and have been following up on a number of random faults in the school's magical boundaries. These faults could mean that someone is getting in beyond the school's walls or someone is getting out. Please ensure that you continue your questioning until we have acquired the origin of these strange developments.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Ernie Macmillan.

Head of Training Division

Auror Department and Magical Law Enforcement.

"Give that back," said Kieran angrily but Cordelia held it out of his reach.

"So I guess we're not so 'done' after all. I have things to say and you're going to listen," said Cordelia, eyes flashing.

Karkner grabbed the letter and read it through carefully as though waiting for the page to cry 'April Fools!'

"You'd better hope you don't get too ahead of yourself, Bode. That's how it started with Ivers."

Cordelia sat there, eyes widened because she had forgotten. She was sitting across from a murderer.

Cordelia exited the small room after the bell, signalling the end of period four. She was so glad to get out of there. The whole time she had just been envisioning Hazel's big brother, sprawled across the floor. This imaginary horror story was enough to make anyone feel jittery.

Speaking of, Hazel was marching down the corridor towards her. She looked very determined.

The girl stopped directly in front of Cordelia and they stood, face to face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" started Hazel angrily.

"Me!" said Cordelia, very surprised. "What have I done?"

Hazel shook her head incredulously, "What have you done. That's rich."

"Yes. Generally, people can't read minds," replied a visibly irritated Cordelia.

"Oh that's very funny," said Hazel in a deathly whisper. "What is Kieran Karkner doing here?"

Understanding washed across Cordelia's face. "Hazel, I had nothing to do with it-"

"Really? Because I swear I overheard McGonagall saying that you asked for him!"

"What?" said an astounded Cordelia. "Why in the name of Merlins' fat belly would I do that?"

Hazel's face had hundreds of emotions washing across it like she was trying to suppress one. "Because you always like to make everything more dramatic."

Cordelia felt something jump inside of her. So everyone was thinking she was an attention-seeking liar? She would not allow them to talk to her that way.

"Yes, it certainly looks that way, doesn't it? If you think that I would be capable of doing such a thing, do what you must."

And Cordelia had thought, for that one moment, that Hazel would listen to sense.

Ha.

Cordelia left the corridor a few seconds after Hazel had. Everything she had was falling apart. What was next to go? Her parents? Her brother?

But she could handle the loneliness as long as she knew that she was right. But that wasn't a nice way to feel either.

And the last thing Cordelia saw before she crumbled into herself was James and a very pretty girl standing alone on the dimly lit dungeon steps.

Three weeks later

The great hall was packed as Cordelia sat down to eat. She had just finished another session with Kieran, clenching her fists so she wouldn't react to his comments on her blood status or friends. It had been three weeks and he still hadn't relented.

She piled a lot of chips onto her plate, not thinking about her figure; who really cared about that? What she desperately needed was someone to talk to. Someone to take her anger because at some point she could not take it anymore.

And that was it, just the sight of the boy walking through the doors. He who had made her look like such a fool. A flirty little girl. Something snapped inside of her and she got up, fury written in every line of her stature.

He smirked.

Cordelia moved forward, with every intention of confronting him, but was quickly distracted by movement in the great hall. People with black robes spilling in through the front doors.

"Hey," she tapped the closest person on the shoulder, a strong looking middle-aged woman. "What's going on here?"

The woman looked down on her sternly. "This is none of your concern. Go and enjoy your lunch."

"Is this about the girl who's being questioned?" asked Cordelia slyly.

"No"

"Of course," replied Cordelia. She looked around the hall, there were about ten aurors, all just standing around, they seemed to be waiting for someone.

They all stiffened when a new man joined them. Kieran Karkner was descending the steps and looked quite shocked at his waiting party.

"Er … What's happened?" he asked uncertainly.

The presumed leader, a tall man with black hair stepped forward. "Hello Karkner."

"Sir." Kieran bowed his head respectfully.

Harry Potter looked down on the young man in front of him with a distasteful expression on his face and continued firmly, "Why haven't you reported any of your findings back to the office?"

Kieran blanched and peered around the room wildly. He clasped and unclasped his hands.

"In your position you have been given, we would have expected a fully report on the nature of this tip by now. You have been here for three weeks," said his senior auror.

"I know sir," said Kieran, standing up straighter. "But the girl, she's very difficult. There is nothing to go on. But I assure you I am trying with … with all of my strength to end this case. I believe this girl is unrelated to your findings and is simply trying to get my attention."

Mr Potter adopted a thoughtful expression. "And these conclusions are completely un-biased? Because you should know-"

Unfortunately, Cordelia had just wrapped her head around Kieran's words.

"YOUR WHAT?"

Every head turned to Cordelia as she marched across the entrance hall, passing auror and student alike until she reached Karkner. "You filthy SNAKE! You know you have only been using these weeks to torture me! He's a murderer," she said the last bit to everyone in the vicinity. "I know what he did … and no- … no amount of lacking evidence is going to change my mind!"

Silence.

Cordelia gasped as someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth. Her heart jumped into her throat and she started to gasp for air, she struggled with all her might until they gave way.

She turned around to see a wand pointed right at her heart.

"Do it," she said with the utmost contempt. "I dare you."

They stood facing each other. Cordelia with bold eyes and Kieran with vengeful eyes.

"Are you too scared?" said Cordelia calmly. "At some point you have to stop running, Kieran. You must be tired … and afraid."

Kieran's hand shook and he looked completely terrified. "I didn't kill anyone!"

Cordelia swiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Yes. Yes, you did. And if you just admitted that, the family could be released from their hellish prison of injustice!"

His hand shook.

"This," said Karkner, stepping very close to her and lowering his voice to a whisper, "is so much bigger than Rory Ivers."

The young girl narrowed her eyes, thinking furiously. It felt like a puzzle, a giant puzzle that Cordelia was unknowingly a part of. If she could only figure it out.

"Then what do I have to do with it?" asked Cordelia. She was aware of shouting voices and hurried activity behind her but she didn't care. She needed answers.

"You have everything to do with it," said Kieran. With no warning he reached out his hand and touched Cordelia on the chest; before she could push him away he was gone. Somehow he had managed to avoid the anti-apparating wards around the school.

"You all right?"

Cordelia turned around to see James standing there with a worried expression. "I- … I don't know."

'You are perfectly fine.'

All of a sudden, everything changed; Cordelia felt entirely light. It was as though every thought, every anxiety had been wiped from her mind.

I like this, thought Cordelia. If only that annoying noise would stop.

'Walk forward,' said a voice in her head. 'Raise your wand.' And she did.

Everything outside of her body was muffled, as though reality had been diluted with water. This was the happiest she had been in a long time. But the irritating sound was still present, drawing her back to the world.

Cordelia didn't want to go.

'Kill him!'

Suddenly her vision and mind cleared.

Cordelia stood there, the whole school watching her. There was nothing else to be done. She raised her wand and pointed it at James, convinced she could actually do it.

But could she?

Really?

Never had she felt so separated from herself before now.

How desperate was she to gain revenge?

"Cordelia, stop!"

She could easily say those words and he'd be sorry. James would regret any amount of hurt he had bestowed on her. Her conscious had been changed.

It was that feeling that you are standing on a rock in the middle of an ocean. Nothing else mattered. Her lightness had been substituted with hatred and revenge.

But I don't want to kill him.

A pain shot through her chest as she realised what she had been about to do. What was she becoming? Was she her own worst enemy?

Cordelia fell to the floor and tried to breath. She had never been so scared in her life.

"Are you all right?" asked James, kneeling to face her at eye level. "It was like you'd been possessed."

Of course, thought Cordelia, Kieran must have done something when he touched me.

But could all that hatred have been fabricated?

"Funny bloke to snog, don't you think?" Cordelia looked up, caught off guard at the cold tone. Where had that come from? "Yeah. I know."

"James, there's nothing to know."

"Don't defend yourself. If you liked someone else, you could have just told me. I never knew you were such a selfish person."

Cordelia's mouth dropped open. "Me? You want to call me selfish? If you had one single clue-. No. I won't defend myself because honestly? I don't give a shit about what you think of me."

"Good, I don't want to hear it."

And with that, James left Cordelia on the marble floor.

Cordelia stood up and balled her fists to keep them from shaking. She turned to the aurors and said, "I think I'll just pop up to the hospital wing."

"Can I go now?" ask Cordelia.

"Definitely not," replied Madam Eliot severely. She glanced down at her patient irritably, "I think you've been in here more than anyone else, it's getting ridiculous."

Cordelia snorted. "Oh, but I'm sure you love my company."

Madam Eliot gave a haughty sniff and continued on her rounds of the beds. The young witch thought sadly upon the fact that every time she had been here, less people had bothered to visit.

She really would have taken anyone.

"Hiya!" said a cheerful voice from the doorway. Merlin had been listening!

Cordelia smiled at Lily Potter who walked into the room, bright red hair spilling over her shoulder. She was followed by Hugo, who was followed by Roxanne.

"What have I done to deserve such bright, young faces?" asked Cordelia happily.

Lily sat down on Cordelia's bed and waved her cousins over who took a seat either side. She turned and looked with an appraising eye on the older girl who, as well as being pleased at the visit, was confused at the fact that Lily would visit her; they weren't that close.

Roxanne looked at Lily who shrugged. Roxanne sighed, "Lily thinks you're lonely."

Cordelia blinked. "Well aren't you the smart ones."

"So you are?" said Lily, sounding very pleased at the answer.

"I'm not lonely, I just don't have many friends at the moment," said Cordelia.

"That sounds pretty lonely," said Hugo, chuckling.

Lily shushed him and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, er … he's a bit obtuse. Of course you're not lonely, but you have definitely made a bit of a mess with your life."

"Wow, thanks," said Cordelia dryly.

"No, we don't mean that, they're both a bit obtuse, the number of times we've gotten into detention … Anyway, all we want is: you to stop being sad, to know what's going on with the aurors, and Lily really wants you and James to make up," said Roxanne matter-of-factly.

Cordelia raised her hand, "I'm counting three lost causes, anyone else?" Hugo raised his hand with her and this made Cordelia smile.

"Stop moping, both of you," said Lily sternly, but she quickly brightened and continued, "We have a plan."

"Oh, really?" asked Cordelia sceptically. She did like a good plan but anyone would be suspicious when it came from the daughter of a notoriously fiery witch, the son of the smartest person in the ministry, and the daughter of the scourge of Hogwarts. Combined, that could be deadly.

"Yes really!"

"Great." Cordelia looked at Lily's eager face and couldn't resist saying what she did, "Let's hear it then."

Lily sat up straighter and crossed her legs underneath her and she started her plan, excited as ever, "Okay, so first, we need you to stop being sad but I'll come back to that. Let's go to item number two. That's easy, I'll just persuade my dad to tell me in the strictest confidence what he's doing at the school. Problem three, we need you and my stupid big brother to get back together and snog each other senseless! I'm thinking-"

"Lily, as much as I admire your enthusiasm, James and I haven't been talking for a reason. It's a lost cause," interrupted Cordelia.

"I agree, totally," said Hugo seriously. "James is an idiot."

"Oy, that's my brother you're talking about! He's really not that bad."

"No … he has done awful things to our friend, Cordelia."

"But it was all through the messed-up eyes of love!"

"Oh for the love of merlin, shut up!" yelled Roxanne. When Hugo and Lily stopped their bickering she continued, sounding exasperated, "I believe Cordelia can make a choice on her own without you two trying to sway her either way. You wouldn't care this much if you didn't have the bet."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows at this. "What bet?" Lily and Hugo looked at the ground, cheeks flushed and sheepish expressions. Cordelia watched them and let out a laugh, "Are you telling me you have a bet on whether James and I will get back togeth- I mean, be friends again?"

"Yes," both of them muttered in return.

"That's brilliant," cried Cordelia, throwing her hands in the air jokingly. "I am being noticed for something that wasn't even real!"

Cordelia stopped laughing when she saw Lily look up, her eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, honey, I'm not angry at you, I'm just angry at the whole mess I've gotten myself into."

Lily sniffed, "But I just hate seeing James like this. He really, really likes you, Cordelia. He has done ever since he first saw you."

"Yes but just because someone likes another person doesn't mean they're always going to, or are perfectly suited for one another," said Cordelia consolingly.

"Cordelia, I know you, even if we're not that close," replied Lily. "You always believe that for something to be perfect it needs to be comfortable and logical, but the thing you don't realise is 'perfect' doesn't have to be perfect."

The older witch sighed, "You're not making any sense."

"Yes I am," said Lily, moving closer. "Nothing is ever perfect. There will always be parts of your life that you hate. You don't have to be absolutely certain about everything to be happy … Hell-, my parents were in love when they lost everything but they were still happy, maybe not with the world but they were happy with each other. I just want you to be happy about something."

Cordelia closed her eyes, she really wished it was that simple but it wasn't. James had betrayed her. James was working with the people who had nearly killed her. James hated her. She couldn't do anything because she didn't know whether she could trust him.

Roxanne sat on the bed across from Lily and took Cordelia's hand. "You don't have to do anything; we just want you to know that you're not alone."

Lily gave Cordelia a hug and the three of them left the hospital wing.

As the door closed behind them, Cordelia looked around cautiously to see whether Madam Eliot was in her office, she was. Trying to be as silent as possible, she slipped out from under the covers and placed her feet on the ground, it took about a minute to get all her belongings in order and she crept out of the room. Once in the corridor, Cordelia broke into a sprint, determined to catch the aurors.

"Mr Potter!" cried Cordelia as she round the hallway on the first floor. The man in question was exiting McGonagall's office with a grim expression. "Sir!"

Cordelia skidded to a halt in front of the tall auror and tried to control her breathing. She looked up and noticed that the man seemed a bit taken aback.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"Sorry," said Cordelia, trying to regain her composure. "I'm Cordelia Bode, you might recognise me from-"

"My son. Yes, I remember you from the platform, I have to congratulate you for having impressed my family which is not an easy feat. Well done," said Mr Potter.

"Thanks," said Cordelia, trying not to give anything away in her features about the events three weeks ago. "Anyway, I was just wondering if the reason you're here has anything to do with me."

Mr Potter nodded and to Cordelia's surprise, wasn't wary about sharing with a teenager. "Yes, it does. I don't know how the threats and the breaches in the school are related but I assure you, we are looking into it." He peered down through his glasses. "I'm very sorry for not checking up on Karkner, we should have made sure his history wouldn't affect his work."

"It's okay, I think he would have done something, with or without a free pass," said Cordelia sadly.

"Yes, revenge can be an awful thing to live with. But, moving on from that, I must say, your control over that imperius curse was quite remarkable, it reminds me of when I did it in my fourth year, but yours was more impressive," said Mr Potter with a smile.

Cordelia's eyes widened and she replied breathlessly, "So I'm as skilled as you when you were young?"

"Yes, as much as I was of average intelligence, I did nurse a talent for Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Wow … I knew I was pretty awesome, but now …"

Mr Potter chuckled, "And suddenly you and James don't seem so far-fetched."

"Oh," said Cordelia, returning to ground level. "Sir, me and James aren't … anything."

"Ah," said Mr Potter knowingly. "My son can be quite difficult."

Cordelia tugged on her ribbon thoughtfully. "No it's not that, it's just … different. It had to be done for-, for everyone."

Once again, the man gave a knowing nod.

"Yes, I used to feel that all the time, a sense of righteousness and responsibility for everyone else… but can I tell you a secret?" he lowered his voice to a whisper and Cordelia leant in, "Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them. And if I know my son, he needs a strong girl like you."

Cordelia gave a small smile, "Where did you hear that one, sir?"

"Don't you think I'm intelligent enough to be that wise?" said Mr Potter.

"No, but I don't think you made that one up."

Mr Potter grinned, "You're right, that one was told to me by Professor Dumbledore."

"Really!" exclaimed Cordelia. "He had a good grasp on the world then, if he said that."

"Yes, he wasn't perfect, people rarely are, but he was the wisest person I ever knew," said Mr Potter, a shadow of melancholy in his smile.

"Not perfect? Do you mean his childhood? The things with his mother and sister, I mean." asked Cordelia curiously

Mr Potter was confused but then seemed to understand, "No, no, I just meant he was a bit mad."

"Mad?"

"Yes, mad. The words I remember most vividly were when I first saw him, he was welcoming us to Hogwarts, and he said: 'Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak.' And that was his speech."

Cordelia gaped, "What on earth does that mean?"

"To this day, I have no idea. I believe he was just off his rocker, but … aren't we all?"

"Hmm, I guess we are."

Mr Potter smiled down at her, "Fill me in when you understand, I'd like to know. Anyway, I have got to get going, I can only imagine the amount of mail I've received while I've been here."

"Have a nice day," said Cordelia with a wave.

Mr Potter nodded and walked towards the top of the marble staircase. Cordelia watched him go and thought about his words. She couldn't believe that was the man from the history books, she had hardly registered it. Harry Potter was just a normal person.

Cordelia walked up to the common room and gave the password. When she entered she was faced with silence and many faces. She stopped dead in her tracks, of course everyone would know. She gathered up her remaining strength and walked through the room, head held high.

"Small things amuse small minds," said Cordelia shrewdly as she turned to walk up the girl's staircases. There was a lot to think about.

Authors Note: The next chapter is half written and I'm on holidays so it should be up soon. I will have more James/Cordelia interaction; this chapter was sadly lacking.