Raylynx's POV

December came in a burst of chilly drafts.

I moved Quincy's cage closer to my bed and slept quite warmly – the warmth of Quincy's bright, flame-filled cage was second only to the warmth of sleeping in Sirius' arms.

One morning, I woke up to Quincy squeaking at me and thudding his front four feet frantically against the glass.

I tiredly peeked one eye open. "What? Hungry again?" I mumbled at him.

Quincy shook his head frantically. Then, lifting his top left foot, he pointed at the clock besides his cage.

I gasped.

I was late for the faculty meeting that Dumbledore had called today. Grabbing my cloak and wand, I hastily shoved on my shoes and then sprinted down to the faculty meeting.

I managed to enter silently enough, though Snape, who was standing at the back of the crowd of professors, shot me a dirty look.

I stood uncomfortably besides him, but I stayed put, not wanting to address any more attention to my lateness.

"Therefore," Dumbledore was saying, "the Heads of Houses will kindly show their respective Houses the basics of ballroom dancing, to ensure a festive time at the formality itself."

McGonagall frowned, but her mild disparagement was nothing compared to Snape's completely horrified expression as he realized that he would have to introduce his students to ballroom dancing.

A bright peal of laughter burst out of my mouth before I could help myself.

Heads turned back towards me.

"Ah, saw fit to join us, did you, youngin'?" Sprout called to me, shaking her head.

"Professor Kingsley, you must be on time for future staff meetings," McGonagall said to me rather severely, frowning at me through her glasses.

In a far more good-natured mood than I would otherwise have been predisposed to, I replied back happily," Yes, Professor! Sorry, Professor!"

McGonagall gave me a confused look. Dumbledore shrewdly glanced over from my beaming face to Snape's disgusted one, and he chortled to himself.

"Well, that is all. Thank you, dear friends, for coming in," Dumbledore announced. He hummed merrily as he dismissed us.

Before I left, however, McGonagall managed to come all the way over to me and tap me on the shoulder. "Professor Kingsley," she said sharply, "a word, please."

Thinking that I was in trouble, I turned around to her with the smile quickly sliding right off of my face. Guiltily, I asked, "Yes?"

McGonagall, seeing my expression, was suddenly reminded of when I was her student. She nearly smiled, but instead, shaking her head, she merely continued, "As Potter's guardian, I suppose that you have plans to take him home for winter break?"

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Well," McGonagall reminded me, "You do realize that as Hogwarts Champion, Mr. Potter is required to open the Yule Ball and thus, must be on the castle on Christmas Day?"

"Oh…" I hesitated. I didn't think about that. Damn, I know that Sirius was secretly waiting for Christmas break to be able to see Harry again. What can I do?

"How about for just a few days, then, since Champions are exempt from exams? It'll be a whole week before Christmas, then. I promise I'll escort Harry back myself," I said, trying to compromise with McGonagall.

McGonagall seemed to start to refuse me, but seeing my face, she sighed and gave in. "Oh, all right. But you had better be at the Ball, too. We'll need the extra supervision."

"Extra supervision?" I repeated.

"Yes." McGonagall sighed, "The students tend to get a bit rambunctious, that's all – like a pack of pesky penguins, formal on the outside, but wild within."

As McGonagall left the room in front of me, I grinned and quietly mouthed behind her, "a pack of a pesky penguins," thoroughly impressed by McGonagall's alliterative skills.


That afternoon, after my fourth year class, nearly everyone slumped out with tired expressions, as it was getting to that time in the semester where the prospects of midterms exams was weighing down on everyone. However, Hermione still bounded up to me with fresh enthusiasm as she showed me her notes and asked me questions about the theory behind ancient Egyptian runes.

I was beginning to answer her questions when a most unexpected guest arrived at my classroom.

"Oh." Viktor Krum, seeing Hermione at my desk, paused. "Sorry." He ducked out of the classroom at once, in his usual flat-footed walk.

"Oh, you can come in!" Hermione called to Viktor. "I'm just asking a few questions. I'm nearly finished."

At her invitation, Krum awkwardly shuffled in. He sat at one of the desks, waiting for Hermione to finish.

Let me tell you – Hermione was not nearly finished. She had endless questions, which, quite frankly, I loved about her, but poor Viktor was subject to another ten minutes of Hermione's exuberant voice asking this and that.

Although, I noticed that Viktor didn't seem to mind it very much. His eyes stayed on the back of her bushy hair, and he smiled slightly whenever Hermione emphatically shook her head or nodded, causing her bushy hair to sway.

Finally, Hermione squeaked, "Oh! I'm going to be late for Charms! Bye, Professor!"

With that, she grabbed her book bag and raced out of the classroom. She did turn around and say to Viktor, "Sorry for making you wait!"

Then, she disappeared down the staircase.

"Mr. Krum," I greeted him. "I'm surprised to see you here, but nevertheless, you are very welcome. How may I help you?"

"That girl… She is Harry Potter's friend, no?" Viktor asked me, still looking out of my classroom at the stairwell that Hermione had just disappeared down. "I have seen her around once or twice."

"Yes," I said, a bit amused at he was clearly very taken with her. "Her name is Hermione."

"Herm-oh-ninny," was what came out of Viktor's mouth when he attempted to say her name.

"Something like that," I told him, waving my hand vaguely in the air. "Anyways, was there something you wished to speak to me about?"

"Oh, yes… Well." Viktor got to his feet, shifting a bit uncomfortably. "My Headmaster, Karkaroff, he mentioned – er, that you had once been in the Tournament yourself. He wondered if you could give me – give me some advice. I told him that you would not want to be bothered, but he insisted, so..."

"Oh." I paused, taken aback by the request. "Well, I'm not supposed to help anyone…"

"I mean, general advice," Viktor clarified.

"Oh, um, make friends?" I said, sounding like a two-year-old.

"What?" Viktor said, his brow furrowing.

I tried to speak more slowly. "Make friends with the other Champions. It'll be awkward at first, but it will be most helpful. Beyond that, having general spells down is always useful, I suppose…"

Truth be told, I was really struggling. I was firmly on Harry's team, and I didn't want to help Viktor. Besides, Viktor had Karkaroff – the slimy git – and I knew Karkaroff would do everything in his power to help Viktor as is.

At the same time, it was as I had said before – the goal was to get Harry safely through the Tournament. That was all, and if that was the goal, the more allies he had, the better, particularly within the Tournament. What was more – Viktor Krum was not Karkaroff. So, I tried to treat him the way I would if Cedric or Fleur had come to me for advice. But again, I was struggling.

However, Viktor was more gracious than I expected (not that I knew what to expect). He simply nodded and said, "Okay. Thank you, Professor."

With that, he left a bit abruptly. I paused, both surprised and strangely touched by the boy's simplicity. He seems a decent bloke as well, I thought to myself, and then I realized that all young folk are meant to be decent, and it was us adults who were forever getting in the way of their growing up to be decent people…


Remus Lupin's POV

Keeping my hood low on my face, I knocked on Raylynx's front door.

"Padfoot," I whispered through the door. "It's me. Let me in."

The door opened just a crack.

"Oi, Moony. Long time, no see." Sirius smirked at me as he let me inside of Raylynx's house.

As we walked into the kitchen, I held up Raylynx's letter. "You've forgotten how to be a proper Marauder."

Sirius' smile dropped off immediately. Astonished, he said, "What?"

I sighed and threw the letter onto the kitchen table. "You're not as sly as you used to be about sneaking out. Raylynx is worried about you again."

"Oh." Sirius let out a short sigh as he picked up and read the letter. "Merlin, Moony, I thought you were serious for a second, that I really did something to make you lose faith in me."

"Everything you do makes me lose faith in you," I told him. To be honest, I was taking out some of my frustration on him, as I was getting quite tired of living in the tiny room above Flourish and Blott's and yet I could not seem to find another job to afford any decent living space.

Knowing that I was taking my anger out on him, Sirius poked fun at me, saying, "Oh, come off it. You really can be so dramatic, Moons."

I glared at him. "You don't get to say that to me, Sirius. I've put up with too much of your shit to hear that from you now. And you're still getting in trouble. Do you ever learn?"

Sirius' grin came back in full force. "Don't lie. You wanted to come and see me. This was just an excuse for you. You love seeing me. I brighten your day. How can I not?"

"Stop flirting with me, Sirius," I said, irked. "I'm not Raylynx."

"Actually, now that I think about it, I've never flirted with her," Sirius replied honestly, rubbing his chin with his hand. "But I've always flirted with you. Since first year at Hogwarts, really. Shouldn't you be used to it by now? Or – don't tell me – you secretly enjoy it, don't you? You find me rather charming, don't you, Moons -?"

"Anyways," I said shortly, cutting across his nonsense, "what's this about you seeming unwell? Have you been going out on foolish, secret escapades again?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nope," he said lightly, looking away from me.

I immediately knew he was lying. However, I also knew that when Sirius didn't feel like telling me something, he truly did not let anything slip.

Giving up for the moment, I asked, "How's the bunker holding up? Is Raylynx's magic standing strong?"

"Yeah, and it'll last," Sirius replied. "From what I understand, Runic Magic is supposed to last longer and be more stable than wand enchantments, since the Runes are etched separately and become an independent source of magic, as opposed to wand magic, which relies more on the wielder's presence."

I raised my eyebrow at him, impressed. "Look who's finally decided to learn Ancient Runes."

Sirius shrugged carefully, as though he was restraining himself from moving too much. But his voice was nonchalant as he remarked, "I can't let Lynx get too far ahead of me."

I got up from my seat and went to the living room. I felt the floor for a moment before my fingers came across the indents between the floorboards, which I knew marked the hidden entrance.

"Er, wait, Moons -" Sirius began, but I had already thrown open the door. I trooped down into the bunker.

Immediately, I saw that the floor besides the bed was littered with empty Healing potions bottles.

Sirius had just come down behind me. "Moony -" he started.

Turning around, I grabbed the front of his shirt and I pushed him quite hard against the wall, pinning him against it. "What the hell have you been up to?" I questioned him, annoyed.

Sirius winced. "Built up some strong biceps from moving all those books, eh, Moony?"

I paused. Sirius had instinctively put his hand up to his ribs. He must have gotten hurt on his side, I realized.

"All right," I said knowingly. "Show me your wound."

"I'm fine now, Moony," Sirius told me brusquely. He shoved my hand off of his shirt.

"Yes," I snorted, unimpressed. "You're fine after downing twenty bottles of Healing Potion. Wonderful. Prime state of health. Spanking brand new like a baby, eh?"

Crossing my arms, I said tersely, "Come on, Sirius. Fess up."

Sirius kept silent. Finally, I reached out and tried to tug his shirt up, but Sirius' arm kept his shirt anchored firmly in place.

I grew more irritated, as Sirius was hardly even trying to fight back against me. Why's he still so bloody strong? I wondered in my head. God damn it, of the two of us, I'm the werewolf!

Finally, with a slight growl, I gave an unfriendly yank, and Sirius' shirt tore. The fabric below his chest simply ripped off, hanging limply by a few threads at his side.

When I saw Sirius' side, now fully revealed to me, my mouth fell open. It was horribly bruised, all purplish-blue. The nasty-looking bruise ran down his entire side.

"It's fine, it's fine," Sirius said, covering his side with both hands as best as he could. But even with both hands, he couldn't quite cover the expanse of the wound, for it was quite extensive.

"Sirius, that's not fine!" I said, shocked.

"I don't know why it won't heal," Sirius murmured, his brow furrowed. "All of my other wounds have long since healed. It's just this one that wouldn't mend itself together. I've tried different spells, but I'm shit at Healing, as you know…"

"Yeah, of course that's not going to heal from a simple Potion – or even twenty Potions! That's a broken rib, you dimwit," I told him, recognizing the deep coloring of the bruise from my own internal injuries that I'd gotten from my werewolf transformations. "Merlin, Sirius, how long have you been living in this state?"

"Not – Not long…" Sirius replied quickly. Then, with a grimace, he faltered and admitted, "Couple months, maybe."

"Why, in Merlin's name, didn't you go out and get yourself proper help?" I groaned. "You have a Demiguise Cloak."

"It's not that I can't get there, it's that there's no one I can go to," Sirius clarified.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Everyone underground has been on the hunt for me," Sirius confessed. "Ever since that bastard Krawley put my name out there and Malfoy promised my dead body for sale, it's been rampant madness. I'm pretty sure the Ministry's picked up that I'm supposed to be in London now, too, so I can hardly go flouncing about, can I? Even with a Demiguise Cloak… The second I reveal myself to anyone, there would be a mad dash to report me, or better yet, to cut my head off. From what I understand, they don't care if my body's in pieces or not, as long as it can be verified."

"What?" I said, aghast. "Malfoy promised your dead body for sale on the underground market? Sirius, what have you been up to?"

"It's not my fault all the rogues are greedy bastards," Sirius muttered bitterly. "The Ministry's no better, either."

"Well, then, you should have gone to Dumbledore. Have Poppy help you," I told him.

"No." Sirius shook his head firmly. "Everyone at Hogwarts needs to focus on getting Harry through that blasted Tournament."

I paused. "That's why you haven't told Raylynx…" I realized. "You want her to focus on helping Harry."

Sirius didn't say anything, but his expression confirmed what I'd just said.

I breathed out long and low. Finally, I said, "All right. Let me do what I can to heal you."

"You?" Sirius shot me a skeptical look. "You're terrible with Healing Magic, too, Moony."

"You think I don't know that? Unfortunately for both of us, you're not in much of a position to be picky, Pads," I replied irately. "Lie down on the bed."


Jasper Riley's POV

My eyes narrowed when I saw a hooded figure knocking on Raylynx's front door.

This is a Muggle neighborhood, so that must be a fellow wizard or witch. But who…?

The front door opened and the person entered. I tried to catch a glimpse of the face of whoever had opened the door, but the person moved too fast for me to see his or her face.

Could Raylynx be home? I wondered. No, that's unlikely, as Hogwarts is still in session…

Who is that, then? I wonder if Raylynx's siblings are using this house. But I know her siblings - well, everyone does. They're quite famous. Her brother, Jamie, is a Quidditch player. He's supposed to be in Ireland for a match tomorrow. Savage was talking about it just the other day, as he's gambled on that match. And her sister, Sola Kingsley, she's on the Wizengamot, isn't she? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm pretty certain she lives quite close to the Ministry. I've worked with Chris before too, who is Sola's husband and the lead person for Hit Wizards. He definitely lives close to the Ministry, since he's technically always on call. So, they wouldn't live out here, in the middle of this Muggle neighborhood…

I slipped back behind the neighbor's house, pressing my back to the wall to ensure that I wouldn't be seen, as I thought hard about how I could narrow down that any possible occupant of Raylynx's house to Sirius Black.

Ordinarily, I would be much more aggressive in my approach. However, not only did the Ministry not know that I was conducting this entirely unauthorized spying, but some part of me also desperately wanted to avoid finding out who was in Raylynx's house. Because if it was true that Raylynx was and had been sheltering Sirius Black, then I had to accept the reality that Raylynx had never, ever loved me and that she had, in fact, been hiding Sirius from me this entire time. It was one thing to know that she had never wanted to marry me. It was another thing altogether to have to contend with the possibility that even when we were together, she might have been hiding the very person I had been hunting the entire time...


Raylynx's POV

The next morning, I received a letter from Remus. It said:

Raylynx,

Thanks for your letter. Sorry for the delayed response – I've been a bit caught up with job applications again. Anyhow, please send my belated congratulations to Harry for doing so magnificently on his First Task.

As for Snuffles, don't worry about him. His prime disease is stupidity, and we all know that that can't be cured out of him. However, as idiot dogs go, he can be restrained and soothed, so I will do my best on that front. Don't worry about us. Take care of Harry.

Best,

Remus


Later that evening, I asked Harry to come and see me in my office.

"Harry," I said, warmly putting my hand on his shoulder, "you did brilliantly with your First Task. Remus sends along his congratulations, too."

Harry beamed. "It was more fun than I thought it would be," he told me, allowing himself to brag a little.

"And have you made any progress with your egg?" I asked him.

All at once, his grin slipped off of his face and he fumbled with his reply a little. "Er – not quite."

"That's all right," I said. "We have time."

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you – since Champions are exempt from exams, how would you feel about visiting Snuffles then? You'd have to be back for the Yule Ball dance and all, but -"

Harry groaned. "I'd rather not go to the Ball, Professor."

I grinned, remembering how I had felt exactly the same. "There, there," I said, not hiding my amusement as I pretended to soothe him. "It'll be all right."

"After all," I quipped, "you've made it past a dragon. What's a ball after that?"

"I think I'd rather take the dragon again," Harry said miserably.

Then, realizing he hadn't answered my question, Harry added quickly, "Oh, yeah, I'd love to visit Snuffles. D'you think it's safe, Professor?"

"Yes," I replied, "I go home for the holidays, so it shouldn't look anything out of the ordinary for us to go."

"Besides," I said quietly, "I'm worried about Snuffles. He's been cooped up for quite a long time, don't you think? We should go and see him."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we should."

He made to leave, but he stopped at the doorway. Looking back at me, his glasses glinting in the lamplight and his messy hair still all spiked up in the back, he asked me, "Are you sure I can't stay at your house over Christmas, too? I really won't mind missing the Ball."

"I know you won't," I told him. "But I'm afraid Professor McGonagall has made me swear to bring you back in time."

Harry sighed. In a glum little voice, he gave in, "Fine, Professor."

"Atta boy, Harry," I said, laughing. "That's the spirit I like to see!"

Shaking his head, Harry left my office to return to Gryffindor Tower.


Slowly, Christmas decorations began to spring up here and there around the castle, and it seemed that this year, the decorations were even more grand than normal to welcome (and impress) our guests. Even Mrs. Norris was sporting a red ribbon around her neck. Thinking of the time that Jamie had unintentionally captured Mrs. Norris and released her with a pink bow on her head, much to Filch's chagrin, I smiled when I saw her. Mrs. Norris yowled in surprise when she saw me smiling at her. Possibly, she had never seen a smile before.

Traipsing the hallway down to the staff room to get a cup of tea, I wondered vaguely that if Mrs. Norris, McGonagall, and I were to get into a catfight, who would win. The only thing I had going for me was my size, but size mattered a lot in the animal kingdom. Still, Mrs. Norris' claws and complete willingness to scratch your face off were nothing to scoff off, and McGonagall's shrewdness and beady-eyed stare was an offensive attack all on its own…

Thoughtlessly, I wandered down the hall, when I heard a most unpleasant voice wafting through one of the classroom doorways.

"I said to lift your feet, Mr. Goyle. You're shuffling again."

The student mumbled something back, along the lines of "if you demonstrated," to which the leering voice replied snidely, "No, I will not demonstrate for you. My instructions are perfectly clear. It is a testament to your pea-sized brain that you cannot do as I say. I simply cannot be clearer."

"But Professor, it's hard to know what you mean -"

"Enough. Sit down. Mr. Goyle, you are a rare breed of student who tempts me to take points from my own House."

There was a long, thin silence in the room.

Then, the greasy voice barked out, "Malfoy, up!"

"Yes, sir."

"I am sure that you will not disappoint me. Now, take your place, at once. Let us get this pointless demonstration over with within the hour!"


I was still grinning broadly when I entered the staffroom.

"Professor Kingsley?" Sinistra was standing over at the counter, toasting a croissant as a snack. "What's got you into such a good mood?"

"Oh, nothing. Just…" I looked around the staffroom. There were a couple of other professors inside the room, but they were sitting at the tables a few feet away.

I sidled up to Sinistra and murmured gleefully, "I just overheard Snape trying to teach the Slytherins how to dance - without getting up from his chair. It was brilliant. The poor students didn't know what to do."

Sinistra laughed brightly. "You know, I just overheard McGonagall myself, teaching the Gryffindors."

"Did you?"

Sinistra nodded. "She was accusing them of besmirching Gryffindor's name by behaving like a 'babbling, bumbling band of baboons.'"

Sinistra and I looked at each other. Then, we both collapsed in not-so-silent fits of laughter, leaning over the counter and each other as we wiped tears from our eyes.

"If ever there was a meaning behind 'Christmas Cheer,'" I remarked to Sinistra, as we parted ways at the staffroom door.

Still laughing, she replied, "Yes, Raylynx. Merry Christmas to you, too."


A week later, Harry and I returned home.

When I opened the door, Snuffles came bounding out excitedly, tail wagging a hundred miles per hour.

Snuffles leapt up onto Harry at once, putting his hands on Harry's shoulder. Harry keeled over. I had to grab the back of his jacket and tug upwards to keep him upright.

"Snuffles!" I said beratingly. "Don't kill him all at once, now! Merlin!"

As I was holding a suitcase in one hand and holding up Harry in the other, I had to use my foot to shut the door behind us.

Snuffles barked, and then – he transformed, so that Sirius was standing before us in his human form.

"Dragon didn't get you then?" Sirius greeted Harry, reaching over to give Harry's already messy hair a loving, if not gruff, scruff-up.

"Sirius!" Grinning, Harry hugged Sirius at once. "The dragon would have got me if it weren't for the Firebolt you gave me last year!"

Sirius laughed, and gave Harry a rather exuberant bear hug, though I couldn't help but notice a slight grimace pass over his face when Harry squeeze Sirius back.

Looking over Harry's messy hair, Sirius said to me softly, "Hello, love. Welcome home."

I felt my heart open up in my chest. I tried very hard to hide it and scowl at him because I never wanted to be that girl who fell for his ridiculous flirting, but oh Merlin, if my heart's not pounding in my chest…

Quincy, who was in my cloak's chest pocket, could feel my heart thumping along. He pushed his head out of the pocket to blink up at me curiously.

Stop that, I told myself, thankful for Quincy's interference. For Merlin's sake, Raylynx, you're in your thirties now.

"Fine," I said quietly. But I couldn't hide the warmth and worry I felt for Sirius in my voice as I asked him, "And you?"

Sirius gave me a nod. Then, he released Harry.

"Moony said he'd be along tonight too," Sirius informed us.

Harry's face split into a broad smile. "Good," he said, "it's been too long since I saw Lupin."

"How's old Mad-Eye as a DADA substitute?" Sirius asked Harry.

"He's great," Harry replied. "But he really lives up to his name. The way he talks, you think we'd be cursed any second in class. He has that motto – er – what is it?"

"Constant vigilance." The words instinctively fell from my lips before I even realized I was speaking.

Harry looked up at me, wide-eyed. "Er, yeah. How did you know that?"

"Oh," I said dismissively, waving my hand in the air, "he used to shout it at me all the time…"


Sure enough, Remus was able to join us that evening.

It was indescribably lovely to have the four of us together again.

Sirius saw my eyes light up when Remus gave Harry a brief, but loving one-armed hug. They immediately got to talking about the dragon, and it was impossible not to catch the pride on Remus' face when he heard Harry's story. Harry, I wagered, rather liked telling his story, now that the anxiety of it had finally passed.

Sirius came over and stood behind me, seeing what I was seeing - Remus looking fondly at Harry as Harry told him about how vicious the dragon had been, and how he'd had to use his head to coax her up and away from her eggs.

When Harry described how the crowd had roared for him, Sirius and I both laughed lightly. The movement made our hands brush, as we were already standing quite close together.

Sirius' fingertips caught mine, and he intertwined his fingers with mine just for a moment.

Then, when Harry finally finished his story and started to turn around to beam at us, we let go of each other's fingers. Sirius moved from standing behind me, stepping forward to give his godson another warm hug to cement welcoming him home.

Yeah, I reckon this is home for me, I thought, and my heart was full of incredible happiness and sorrow all at once.


After dinner, we were all sitting at the table together.

Remus asked, "How long will you be here for, Harry? Until end of holidays?"

"Oh, no," Harry said, a bit grimly. "I have to go back before that. I mean, I've got to be back in time for Christmas because of – of the Yule Ball."

"What is it?" I asked Harry, picking up on his discomfort. "Not fancying dancing in front of everyone? I know I sure didn't."

"Well, that too, but actually..." Harry mumbled, "well, never mind."

Sirius lifted an eyebrow at Harry, while Remus waited patiently.

Cracking under the pressure of all three of us gazing at him, Harry blushed and admitted, "Er – well, I haven't been able to find a date for the Ball."

"Oh," Sirius said, relieved. He sat back and said flippantly, "Harry, just ask her out."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Or him. Whoever you fancy," Sirius said.

"Who?" Harry asked again, starting to sound like an owl.

"Anyone!"

"You don't have to, Harry," I reassured him. "If you don't have anyone you fancy, you don't have to force yourself to ask someone."

"Yes," Sirius pushed back, "you do."

Looking over at me, Sirius smirked as he continued, "Or you'll end up like your godmother."

Harry paused. "What do you mean?"

"She came out looking like a fool."

"Ex- Excuse me?" I sputtered. I'd forgotten exactly how irritated Sirius could make me – quite a bit faster than anyone else could.

"Er – what?" Harry began, not quite getting it.

"I'll tell you what: I had to save her," Sirius said succinctly, his smirk growing broader by the second.

"You did no such thing," I retorted, shooting him a furtive, but furious glare. "In fact, I'd say you were stepping on my moment."

"Your moment…? Of what? Shame?" Sirius snorted.

I opened my mouth at once to retort, but Remus cut in, "All right. All right. This isn't helpful to Harry anymore."

Not quite understanding what was going on, Harry was sitting there, open-mouthed, his head turning back and forth slightly as he watched Sirius and I bickering.

"Anyways," Sirius said airily, looking away from me with a stupid, victorious grin plastered on his face. "Just ask anyone, Harry. They're bound to say yes. You're Champion, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ask someone you like who likes you for you who are," I advised, directly countering Sirius' advice. "Not someone who just wants to go with you because you happen to be a Champion."

"For Merlin's sake, this is a simple dance," Sirius retorted, rolling his eyes. "Not a marriage."

"I don't care what it's for," I said hotly. "I don't want Harry to go with someone who's just using him to make themself look good. Whatever the circumstance, and however brief, Harry deserves better."

Harry continued to turn his head side-to-side as he followed our back-and-forth like a tennis match.

Remus sighed heavily and sitting back in his chair, he shrugged at Harry in a bemused, if not exasperated, manner.

"Lupin?" Harry said quietly, saying Remus' name as a question.

"Just take whoever," Remus said wearily.

I glowered at Remus, and Sirius gave Remus an appreciative pat on the shoulder for taking his side.

"Boys," I muttered under my breath.

"It's not a 'boy' thing," Sirius replied. "It's just the sensible thing to do here. Not all of us have the balls of steel to -"

Sirius meant to say "to walk out alone," but his words were lost as Harry spit out a good portion of his potatoes.

"Enough!" Remus snapped. Leaning over to thump Harry's back, he said, "You're going to kill your godson, Pads!"

"If I die, may I be excused from the Ball?" Harry asked, catching his glasses as Remus' thumping pushed them down his face.

I pondered his question. Then, I said, "Honestly, with McGonagall, the answer is probably still - no."


That night, after Harry had gone to bed, I checked the Runic Magic that was hiding the bunker. Sirius reassured me that it was working well, but I still wanted to check it and reinforce it.

Afterwards, as I sat on the couch, examining the room from that viewpoint and making sure nothing gave away the magic, I slowly began to realize that Runic Magic could operate at different levels and through different mediums.

Now, this might sound obvious, but break it down and there are wells of different possibilities from this simple observation: For example, the Runic Magic that hid the bunker by layering the room on top of itself was based on spatial runes (literally like building a room inside a room, but the Runic Magic that I had used to create Harry's illusion of standing on a faraway mountain so that he could practice the Summoning Charm over "distance" was based on mental runes. It was the difference between altering the reality that everyone perceived, and altering the perception of the one who was perceiving.

I paused. Twirling my wand in my fingers, I suddenly realized that I'd been taking that distinction in Runic Magic for granted all this time. I never genuinely considered the possibility of mental runes… I never questioned whether I was affecting reality or the mental perception of reality. I've been using physical Runes and mental Runes almost interchangeably or writing mental effects indirectly into physical Runes. I wonder, then, if I wanted to calm someone down, say, I could do as I have been doing and drawing a Runic Circle where one feels sunshine and a spring breeze, or if I could just write the Rune for "Peace" and leave it up to the experiencer to translate that into whatever that means for them. Would the effect be the same?

Still lost in thought, I absent-mindedly headed to the kitchen to fetch myself a glass of water. I wouldn't mind something stronger, either, I mused.

But as I made my way down the hallway towards the kitchen, it occurred to me that there was an awful lot of whispering going on in the kitchen.

"Sirius, I have to apply the medicine now -"

"She might come in here! Let's wait until she's finished with the bunker -"

"If we wait, all of the progress we've made so far will be reset, and we can't afford -"

"What's going on?" I stepped into the kitchen and folded my arms across my chest, as I happened upon Remus silently but furiously trying to get Sirius' shirt off of him.

"If you prefer, Harry and I can leave the house," I said dryly, as Sirius, spotting me over Remus' shoulder, quickly shoved Remus away from him.

"No – er," Remus began, flustered and quickly pocketing something. "It's not that – um…" He shot Sirius an abashed look, clearly at a loss as to what to say.

"So, what, Moony likes to run his hands over my abs from time to time, what can I say?" Sirius said casually, totally unaffected. "Can you blame him?"

I rolled my eyes and walking forward, I shouldered Sirius aside to get water from the fridge.

Sirius winced slightly, but I missed it as the refrigerator door came in-between us, blocking Sirius from my view. Remus, however, gave Sirius a sympathetic look as I jostled Sirius aside.


Now with my glass of water, I returned to my room. I paused, staring at the floor for a long while.

Then, I very carefully etched the Rune for "Peace" over and over again in a linked chain shaped in a circle. I pushed the Runes into the ground and watched it disappear.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously stepped into the middle of the circle.

It happened very slowly, but gradually, I thought I could feel a sense of relaxation hovering all around me, like mist, almost.

I shut my eyes and began to focus on the feeling…

Peaceful. What is peaceful to me...?


"Lynx?"

I opened my eyes to find that I was lying on the floor.

"I hate to bother you, but you missed your bed, love," Sirius told me, coming into my room. He was holding Quincy in one hand.

Quincy had managed to slip out of his tank here. Happy with himself and wanting to show off, he had scampered over to me, only to find me in a very deep sleep. Quincy intended to run up to me, but he, being a magical creature, sensed the boundaries of the Runic Circle I was in, even he didn't understand what it meant. More than a bit startled, he'd raced over and found Sirius in his room. Quincy raced up his leg and arm and then he put his front feet against Sirius' cheek, burning him slightly to get his attention.

"Ow," Sirius said, glaring at Quincy. "Bruises and broken bones are plenty. I don't need burns, too, thank you."

Quincy squeaked and jerked his head towards my room. Sirius, immediately getting the message, scooped up Quincy and went over to my bedroom. He found me lying on my floor, clearly asleep. Sirius paused. He'd never seen such a peaceful and restful expression on my face before. But Quincy bit gently at Sirius' ear, and Sirius moved forward to wake me.

I now sat up, blinking slowly. I don't remember falling asleep. And on the floor, too. What happened?

"Wait," I said suddenly.

Sirius, who had been about to kneel down at my side, stopped. He looked down at me curiously. "What?"

My fingers felt around me and then I felt it – the presence of Runic Magic.

Oh, right, I remembered. I'd etched a Peace Circle onto the floor.

Finding my wand, I raised it and the Circle dissipated.

Sirius frowned a little. "What was all that about?"

"Nothing. Just an… experiment," I told him, shrugging a little.

Sirius reached out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me up.

"What time is it?" I wondered, a bit dazed.

"A little past midnight," Sirius replied, watching my face carefully. "Lynx, are you sure you're okay?"

Quincy blinked up at me worriedly, too, from Sirius' shoulder.

"Yes," I reassured him. Reaching out, I gently stroked Quincy's back to let him know I was fine.

Quincy relaxed under my touch.

Looking back up at Sirius, I asked, "Is Remus staying over?"

Sirius shook his head. "He had a shift tonight. He said he'll be back tomorrow evening, though."

"Oh," I said, feeling guilty for not seeing him off.

Knowing what I was thinking, Sirius shook his head and said, "He didn't want to be seen off. Don't worry."

"Still," I murmured. "Did he seem a bit peaky to you?'

Sirius hesitated, not wanting to hurt Remus' pride when Remus was doing all he could to take care of Sirius without having to alert me. But after a moment, Sirius murmured, "Yeah, a little bit. I reckon the late nights are getting to him."

"I wish he'd find another job like being a Hogwarts Professor," I said quietly. "He was such a good Professor. It suited him well."

"I bet it did," Sirius replied.

I gazed up at Sirius, studying his face. He looked healthier than ever, but there was something about his face that worried me – just a little bit of weariness around his eyes.

"Sirius?"

"Hm?"

I reached up and touched his face gently. "Are you all right? You're looking a bit peaky too, truth be told."

He nodded. "Of course. Healthy as a horse."

"Okay," I said softly.

He smiled wryly at me, knowing I didn't quite believe him.

But trying to direct the conversation to easier waters, Sirius made a show of perching himself atop my bed. He patted the covers beside him as he said, "I've been practicing for you."

I paused. "That sounds… potentially bad, Sirius."

"Hm?"

Shaking my head and laughing a little, I said, "What have you been practicing?"

"Sleeping in a bed," Sirius replied. "So I could stay with you at night."

"Oh!" I leapt up happily onto my bed besides him.

Sirius chuckled softly at my enthusiasm.

He held his arms out to receive me, catching me as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Missed you, Lynx," he said to me, almost whispering.

"Missed you too," I replied softly. I started to lean into him, to kiss him, when suddenly, I was distracted by a little flaming salamander that had popped up in my peripheral vision.

Quincy, who had dropped off of Sirius' shoulder when Sirius and I were talking, had scurried up the bedpost and up Sirius' leg and onto his shoulder, arriving into our conversation at that precise moment.

Seeing me leaning in, Quincy cocked his head at me curiously.

I stopped and drew back from Sirius.

"What?" Sirius said, seeing me pause.

I nodded at his shoulder. "We're about to traumatize him again," I said, laughing a little as I remembered when Sirius and I had been kissing each other in the phone booth, and Quincy had turned a flaming pink and put his paw out to ask us to stop.

Sirius turned his head and seeing Quincy, he groaned.

"Here," I said, "let me take him back."

"No, I can do it," Sirius grumbled.

Getting up, Sirius took Quincy back to his tank of flames in the living room.

"You little bastard. You have the worst timing," Sirius muttered at Quincy under his breath. "Couldn't you see she was about to kiss me?"

Quincy blinked slowly. Then, with a loud slurp, he licked Sirius' palm, leaving a little burn down his skin.

"Ow! Merlin's beard," Sirius cursed through gritted teeth.

Quincy immediately slunk down apologetically.

Sirius put him back in the tank and said, "Now, stay there."

Then, he came back to my bedroom, re-joining me on the bed. Only, we had now switched places so that I was half-leaning up against the wall and Sirius was close to the edge of the bed.

"You know, this bed really is quite small," Sirius commented, trying very hard to fit his shoulders in while still making room for me.

I smiled. "Well, it wasn't ever meant for two adults."

"No, certainly not," Sirius murmured.

"And we can't deprive Buckbeak of the master bedroom now," I said, smiling a little.

We lay side by side, crammed onto the bed, both of us more content than we would admit.

Then, Sirius said, "Before, when I said I'd practiced for you, what did you think I was referring to?"

"Oh, that… It was a joke," I replied, a bit embarrassed.

"You think I was practicing my best sex moves while you were away?" Sirius asked me, completely straightforward.

I snorted with laughter. "Maybe."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And you still think I'm the immature one?"

"Well," I said teasingly, turning my head to look up at him, "Perhaps the tables have flipped, now. Perhaps the apprentice has become the master."

"But you know," I remarked, "I don't think you could handle me if I was the immature one."

"Oh, really?" Sirius lifted an eyebrow at me.

Pressing my face into his shoulder, I laughed lightly as I nodded. "I would run circles around you. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself. It'd be like a dog chasing it's own tail, literally."

"I think your head's getting a bit too big, Lynx. Maybe I'm getting too soft with you, always letting you win - you think you're actually at my level now, hm?" Sirius replied, but he smiled warmly at me, happy to see me so happy. And I was. To have Harry away from Hogwarts and the bloody Tournament, to have him and Sirius safe in my house, to have Sirius safe here, and to have Remus visiting us… I felt very happy.

And of course, there was a tinge of sadness, as there always was, at the missing pieces of the puzzle, the chess pieces that had fallen in our battle up to this point, but still, there was so much love in our makeshift family of four that I felt like I was overflowing with it.

Sirius shifted onto his side so that he could tuck me in against his chest, and true to his word, he stayed with me for the right of the night, falling asleep with me, with both of us curled up all cozy - maybe too cozy, on this tiny bed that was definitely not meant for two.