Sirius Black's POV

Seeing the ruins of Crouch's living room bothered both Remus and me, but for very different reasons. For Remus, it reminded him of what the Shrieking Shack used to look like after his transformations, back before the Wolfsbane Potion was invented. For me, it reminded me of what my family's drawing room in Grimmauld Place looked like after my father was done with me on that fateful night where I had stood up for Andromeda marrying Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born.

Don't think about it, I told myself. But it was too late. I remembered everything: how fiercely my parents had argued with me, how my father had cursed me to within an inch of my life, how I'd packed like a complete maniac and flew off on my broomstick to James' house, and how I'd left with Regulus still standing in my bedroom doorway, pleading hoarsely for me to stay.

As a teenager, every time I fought with my parents, Regulus tried to calm the waters between us. He would go and plead with my parents to not be so hard on me. Afterwards, he'd dutifully trot over to me and try to talk to me.

"They're our parents," he'd say, and he'd look at me with pitiful, if not reproachful, eyes.

I would glare at him, still furious, and reply hotly, "They're mad, is what they are! Pureblood as equal to royalty? Don't make me fucking laugh! The only people who care about being purebloods are purebloods, and that's because they have nothing else to brag about."

"So what, just because they're mad, you're going to pretend like they're not your parents? Family means something, Sirius!"

I snorted. "Not to me."

"Not to me."

Those words, and the way Regulus' eyes dimmed after hearing them, still haunted me to this day.


However, in my own way, I tried. For Regulus' sake. When my mother gave me that ridiculous heirloom of a music box on my sixteenth birthday, I gruffly said thanks before I passed it down to Regulus. When my father savagely made fun of me, for the hundredth time, about how I had been Sorted into Gryffindor, I gritted my teeth and tried to make it through dinner without throwing my knife and fork at him. But when Andromeda married Ted, a Muggle-born, and I stuck up for Andromeda, that was it for my parents. My father got stirred up into such a frenzy that he nearly killed me. Regulus didn't see that terrifying incident because my mother kept him away from the drawing room, where my father was casting all sorts of curses on me.

To this day, I don't know how I restrained myself from cursing my father back. My temper grew to such an insistent point that I was shaking with pent-up energy and I knew, I swear to Merlin, I knew that I could kill my own father. All I had to do was lift my wand… Strangely, though, all I could hear in my head was Regulus' voice, begging me not to hurt our father, because family means something. However, as my father's boot came down on my head, I couldn't help but think savagely, Does it, though?


That night, Regulus snuck up to my room. I was in a delirious fever. My hands were bleeding, but I ignored that fact as I blindly and crazily threw my stuff into my trunk. My ankle was definitely broken, but I ignored that fact, too, as I swung my leg over my broomstick. The entire time, Regulus watched me with anxious eyes from the doorway.

Finally, when I opened the window to leave, I muttered a short, "Take care, Reg. You keep being a good little pureblood prince, now."

Regulus stared at me with pained eyes. Then, he whispered, "Don't go, Si."

I paused. He hadn't called me that since we were quite young, when he'd followed me around everywhere, tugging at my shirttail and pleading with me not to get into trouble, as I was apt to do.

"I've got to get out of here," I told him, avoiding his gaze. "I can't stay in this fucking madhouse anymore,"

"Si, don't go," he repeated softly.

"I can't stay here," I replied shortly. "Father nearly killed me, and I'll be damned if I just stand aside and let myself die at the hands of a lunatic."

As I kicked off from my window, I forced myself not to look back at Regulus.

I wish now that I had. And in hindsight, I wished I had killed my father on the spot. My mother, too. Then, I would have taken Regulus away with me, taken him to the Potters with me. Maybe then, he wouldn't be dead now.

My hands curled up into tight fists, tight enough that my nails dug into my palms and my knuckles turned white. It wasn't just grief that I felt, but the kind-of grief that unlocks every other negative emotion: guilt, anger, even hatred. Because at the same time that Regulus could never forgive me, I also could never forgive him. That stupid fool, trying to save everyone, when he couldn't even save himself.

Just then, Remus walked into the room from the bathroom, where he had been getting dressed for work. I quickly stood up and wiped my face blank of any emotion. It was ironic, how much of a fuss I'd kicked up to escape my lunatic family, only to inherit this gift of putting on a mask so well I might as well had never left at all. Bellatrix's disgusting voice slithered into my ear, whispering, as she had once whispered in my ear when I was much, much younger, "Such a shame. You would've made for such a good Death Eater. You're a natural, Sirius. A natural-born killer, and a natural-born liar. Every good thing you've ever touched turns to ash. You've inherited all the aspects of a Black that we could've hoped for you, the first-born Black son."


Remus Lupin's POV

I tried not to think too much about Crouch's house, obviously destroyed by Dark Magic, and about Crouch's death, which was still an unexplained event that happened on Hogwarts grounds, only feet away from where Harry had been standing in the forest. The whole incident made my mind spin, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Instead, to keep my mind away from these dark and haunting thoughts, I focused on finding out all of the information I could about "Gaunt." I knew it was silly. Raylynx had probably forgotten that she'd asked me about it by now. But Sirius had given me some good starting points, and I thought it would be good to start again with my newfound information. What was more, the mission of searching for "Gaunt" kept my mind occupied, and it was the type of research that was perfectly suited for Flourish and Blotts. I liked researching things, and I liked to understand how things came together. I always had. Using my mind made me feel human again.

I was in the Secret Collections room. It was five thirty in the morning. I'd just finished sending out orders and organizing incoming shipments for the day. With the book "Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy" open in one hand, I carefully propped a piece of parchment on my knee and then scrawled down notes from the book as I read down the "Gaunt" section.

As Sirius had told me when I first mentioned Gaunt, the House of Gaunt was a pureblood family, one of the so-called "Sacred Twenty-Eight" (meaning they were the original twenty-eight Wizarding families who had kept their bloodlines "pure" up until recent generations). Sirius had conveyed to me that the Gaunts were famously obsessed with keeping their bloodline pure, to the point where they continuously married their cousins. Though this was less likely to be formally documented anywhere, Sirius remembered that they were also famous for their lavish spending, often throwing wild parties for all kinds of famous celebrities back in the day. However, by the 1900s, the Gaunt family had whiled away its fortune and relocated to a small village in northern England called Little Hangleton. That was all I could find out about them.

Having meticulously written all of these details down, I folded up the parchment of notes and tucked it away into my newly sewn-in pocket inside my jacket. I'd doubly fortified the stitching on the pocket and narrowed the pocket opening slightly. I felt so terrifically guilty about losing Regulus' death certificate that I'd spent the next evening making this new pocket. Sirius kept telling me not to worry about it, but I could tell it bothered him to have lost it. I wondered, for the hundredth time, where it could have gone.


Jasper Riley's POV

I sat in my office, staring at the document in my hand – Regulus Black's death certificate.

My office had been completely cleared of any intel on Sirius Black, except for this death certificate. The Aurors didn't seem to think it important at all in their hunt for Sirius. Everyone seemed to agree with Shacklebolt's reasoning – that because Sirius Black had never openly cared about Regulus Black, there was no reason that this information would sway him to move one way or another. Logically, that made sense.

However, as the one member of the Aurors who came from a pureblood family who aligned themselves with the Death Eaters, I knew, deep down, in ways that I both couldn't explain, that family was such a complicated and hurting thing – siblings, especially so. Parents, well, they were adults. Yes, you undeniably felt grief over arguing with them or leaving them, but ultimately, they had made their own decisions and you felt no responsibility to him except to make your decisions in an equally independent measure. But with siblings, particularly younger siblings, the weight of responsibility was a completely different story.

One might think that my refusing to report or even tip off the Aurors as to my sister Roslyn's deep involvement in the black market for information was some kind-of altruistic behavior. But it wasn't. It came from sorrow and most of all – from guilt. Because I knew full well that if I had remained with my family and adopted (or at least pretended to adopt my parents' views), I would have been the Head of the Bureau of Information, and my sister would have never been sucked into the black market to that extent. No, she would have been much more free to live her own life.

So, even though I hardly spoke to her and even though I had taken on an alias so that people didn't even know that we were related, if I knew that she was in danger, I would race over at once and I would fight tooth and nail to have her safe. Now, imagine if I had discovered that she had died and that her death certificate had no report whatsoever of the details of her death. All I knew was that Bartemius Crouch had signed off on the death certificate without requiring an investigation, much less a confirmation of how my sibling had died. I knew exactly what I would do – I would go after Crouch. So, why wouldn't Sirius Black?

And there was another factor that made me believe that Sirius was the one who went after Crouch, and that was proximity. Though the other Aurors were skeptical of the fact that Raylynx Kingsley had even given shelter to Sirius Black, I would bet my life that she had.

I still remembered the last conversation that Raylynx and I had had as a couple. I had gone all the way to Hogwarts to propose to her, and she had broken up with me instead. I had meant to propose, but I'd never gotten the chance to ask her. Instead, when she broke up with me, I had asked instead, "Is this because of Sirius Black?"

Raylynx hadn't said anything out loud, but her expression, collapsing quickly into the type of pain that came from utter honesty, could not hide the truth.

I remember saying to her, as I left, "I suppose that's the difference between us. I never truly had you."

That's right, I thought now. Her heart was always with Sirius Black. The Aurors don't know that. But I do. I continued to stare at the piece of paper in my hand. I do.


Raylynx Kingsley's POV

"My goodness, Hagrid, what are those?" Professor Sprout said nervously, as Hagrid released a fair number of what could only be described as fire-breathing, deformed lobsters.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts!" Hagrid said cheerfully, dragging them out one by one from a massive crate.

McGonagall looked at the creatures warily. Flitwick clicked his tongue, muttering, "I don't envy the student who has to go up against one of those beasts."

"Well, Filius," McGonagall said, "shall we crack on?"

Flitwick nodded sagely. "Let's." The two of them stepped into the maze, with Sprout and Moody following close behind.

We had all gathered to help prepare the Maze for the Third TriWizard Task. Hagrid supplied the challenges comprised of defeating or avoiding magical beasts, of which I saw the Blast-Ended Skrewts and acromantulas. McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick worked together so that one could not stand in the maze for very long, else the hedge walls of the maze began to cave in on the contestant, or vines would appear from the ground and try to capture the contestant. Moody brought along a large trunk, from which he released a boggart somewhere. Dumbledore, for his part, had already produced an odd golden mist which turned things upside-down as a part of the maze.

Finally, when everyone else had already gone in, I turned around. Lifting my wand, I murmured, "Revelio."

The air shimmered for a moment. Then, the golden cage appeared and within it, the sphynx was pacing. She sensed a new landscape nearby, and she was eager to explore it and claim it.

"All right now," I said, lifting my wand and opening the door. "Follow me, please."

As I led her through the maze to her designated area, she murmured from behind me, "How oddly you walk. It must be strange to live without a tail or wings."

"Well," I replied humbly, "I suppose we make do."


Harry Potter's POV

"You know, I really appreciate all the help you're both giving me, but shouldn't you be preparing for exams?" I asked Ron and Hermione, as we headed down to the Great Hall to grab some lunch before heading up directly to Professor Kingsley's office. We went to her office during lunch break and during the evening almost every day now, and she subtly helped me to prepare for the Third Task. She wouldn't say exactly what the Third Task entailed of, of course, but she seemed very excited for me to practice certain spells. She also liked to play the "riddle game" with me, which often consisted of me staring at her until Hermione piped in with the answer.

As we made our way up to Professor Kingsley's office, Hermione assured me, "Don't worry about it. At least we'll get top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd never have found out about all these hexes in class."

"Good training for when we're all Aurors," Ron said excitedly, and he shot me a pleased grin as we entered Professor Kingsley's office.


Jasper Riley's POV

That Friday, when I met up with Emmeline Vance again at the bar, instead of sitting right at the bar, as we normally did, I led her to a table in the far corner.

To her credit, she didn't ask any questions or indicate that anything was out of the normal. However, when we sat down together, she looked at me expectantly, as if to say "Well?"

"Emmeline," I said very quietly, "when I asked you why you risked leaving your shift to come to Raylynx Kingsley's house, you mentioned that she was an old friend of yours."

"Well, that was one of two reasons," Emmeline replied. "But yes, that's true."

Emmeline looked directly at me, giving me a somewhat hard gaze, as she asked, "Why do you mention that?"

I hesitated. "Were you close friends with her at Hogwarts, then?"

Emmeline crossed her arms. "I won't tell you anything unless you tell me why you need to know."

I studied Emmeline for a moment. Finally, I said, "I don't want to drag you into anything…"

Emmeline brushed aside my concern for her with a wave of her hand. Then, she asked astutely, "Is this about Sirius Black?"

I blinked, surprised.

Seeing my startled look, Emmeline grinned. "You didn't think I was that slow, did you?" she remarked teasingly. Without waiting for an answer, she leaned back in her chair casually as she told me, "I wasn't that close with Raylynx at Hogwarts. I knew her, certainly, and I thought she was nice, but we didn't become real friends until we fought in the war together against… Voldemort. But we had different social circles, mainly. Raylynx was always closer with Lily, Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene. I reckon she became close with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, then, too."

"Do you think she would hide Sirius from the Ministry?" I asked, doing my best to keep my voice appear neutral.

This time, Emmeline didn't seem to sense the tension in my voice, for she shrugged, and replied, "No. I think Raylynx is too close to Dumbledore to be hiding anyone. If someone was to hide Sirius Black, well, then, I'd wager it was Remus Lupin."

At this, I kept my expression quite inscrutable as I repeated quietly, "Remus Lupin." I remembered him. Raylynx had introduced me to him. I'd heard of his father, too, of course – Lyall Lupin, the once renowned expert of certain types of magical creatures. Of course, Lyall Lupin had quietly disappeared from the public eye a number of years again. I suspected it was to hide Remus' lycanthropy…

I weighed my options for a long moment. Then, I suddenly stood up.

Emmeline's eyes snapped up to me. "Where are you going?"

"I'm off to find Remus Lupin," I told her succinctly. "I've a few questions to ask him."

At this, Emmeline stood up, too. "I'll go with you."

I paused. Then, I admitted, "Emmeline, listen. I've actually been pulled off of this mission by Shacklebolt."

"What?" Emmeline said, stunned. "Why?"

I didn't answer her question, but I warned her, "You know what that means, don't you? I'm acting in an unauthorized manner. If you come with me, and you get caught with me, you could be in major trouble. I don't want to put you in that situation."

"I want to help you," Emmeline responded stoutly, gazing into my eyes. "I'm not afraid of discipline. Merlin knows I've had my job as a prison guard for long enough. I could do with a new job, to be frank."

At this, I couldn't help but crack a smile at her.

Emmeline smiled back, but her smile dimmed down quickly. Her eyes slid off of my face as she murmured quietly, "Besides, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking – that Sirius Black is in London and that Remus Lupin is hiding him, then there's a personal stake in all of this for me."

I furrowed my brow as I considered what she had just said. "Personal stake? What do you mean?"

Emmeline stared down at her hands as she spoke. "I said that Raylynx and I traveled in different social circles when we fought in the war. Well, Fabian and Gideon Prewitt were like my older brothers. They were mentor figures to me, and my best friends. They both died because of a lost communication among our group. I've always been told that it was Sirius who messed up, who didn't show up in time to save the Prewitt twins…"

"If Sirius did that on purpose, and he was really responsible for everything else – for Lily and James' deaths… Then, I have to know. I went through so much… I lost so much… during my years in the war. If Sirius was behind all of those losses, then I want to confront him for myself. I used to appease myself in knowing that he was in Azkaban. But he's not anymore, is he? When he first escaped, I nearly lost my job, then, too. See, I was the guard who was on duty…

Her eyes finally flickered back to me, full of a strange, yet lovely, dancing flame. She stated firmly, "I'm coming with you."

Finally, I nodded. I held out my arm and said, "Very well. Then, let's be on our way."

The moodiness in her eyes cleared as she took my arm, and the two of us walked out together – to seek out Remus Lupin.


Sirius Black's POV

I suddenly sat up, jolting awake from sleep. Remus was still sleeping soundly in his bed, snoring lightly. I hesitated. Did I wake up because of my dream or…?

I paused, focusing on the stillness and silence of the dark room – only to realize that it was not silent. Someone was coming up the stairs.

I quickly leapt to my feet. I hurriedly shook Remus awake.

Remus' eyes flashed open. He looked confused, but when I jerked my head at the door, I knew that he immediately heard it too – the footsteps becoming increasingly louder. He sprang out of bed and grasped his wand.

Meanwhile, I headed over to the window and forced it open. As the sound of the old, rickety window sliding open sounded out, the footsteps now just on the other side of the door paused. I began to throw on my Demiguise Cloak, when three loud knocks sounded out on Remus' door. Knock, knock, knock.

Remus shook his head furiously and whispered, "No time. Get out. Go, go, go." Shoving hard at my shoulder, Remus all but pushed me out the window. It was the right call. Remus, coming out behind me, had barely squeezed himself through when the door was magically forced open.

Remus and I hurriedly pressed ourselves against either side of the window, tucking ourselves away and out of sight from the intruders in Remus' room.

Voices rang out in Remus' room, flowing in through the open window.

"They're not here. They knew."

"How?"

"I don't know. But - "

"Wait, Jasper."

My eyes tightened when I heard Jasper's name. So, it's him who's after me again. He found me down in the Bureau of Information's cellars, too. Damn him. Who is he, and how is he so good at tracking me down? None of the other Aurors even come close. He's like a bloodhound, the way he stays on my tail. Trust Raylynx to pick up the smartest bloke, I sighed in my head.

"What is it?"

"The window… It's open."

Both Remus and I moved at the same time. We quickly dropped off the sides of the roof. It was quite a long and dangerous drop, but I was able to pitch forward and catch myself against the side of the building next to Flourish and Blott's.

Remus wasn't nearly as lucky. He ended up falling on a bunch of flattened-out cardboard boxes, making it impossible for him to pitch off the impact of the fall. Ironically, they were the very cardboard boxes that Remus had just spent hours unfolding and stacking neatly.

After wrapping the Demiguise Cloak around myself, I hurried over to him.

Remus limped out of the wreckage, murmuring as quietly as he could, "Ow, ow, ow."

"You all right, Moony?"

"Doesn't matter. Just move!"

I grasped his shoulder and helped him limp forward.

From above us, Jasper Riley and Emmeline Vance spotted Remus hobbling away quickly under the dim streetlights.

Jasper's eyes narrowed with intense focus.

Emmeline looked over at him and nodded. Without requiring any further communication, the two of them raced back down the stairs, wands gripped in their outstretched hands.


Remus was not doing well.

"Damn it," I cursed. I hurriedly scanned the alleyway up and down, looking for a place to hide. But it was the dead of night, and all of the shops were closed. I knew we could try to hide behind a shadow in an alleyway, but I was afraid that Remus' harsh panting would give us away.

Besides that, he needed medical attention. I hesitated. Wait. Without me, Remus is free. Even if he gets caught, there's nothing to fear.

I started to push him away, but Remus, reading my thoughts at once, reached out and gripped my shoulder tightly. "Don't you dare, Padfoot," he growled at me.

"There's no other way," I hissed back at him, frustrated. "Let me go!"

"No!"

Remus and I grappled with each other on the street, though it was bit of a pathetic fight, what with Remus not actually being able to see me, and I being terrified that I'd accidentally make his injury worth.

Suddenly, a door behind us opened. Remus and I froze.

"Quick!" a voice hissed behind us. "In here!"

Remus' eyes grew wide as someone yanked him backwards sharply. Remus was still holding onto me, and I tripped forward with him.

We fell over a threshold and landed on the floor in an unceremonious lump.

"Ow!" Remus groaned. "Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks - !"

"Shush. Hide yourselves."

I quickly got off the floor and hoisted Remus up. I dragged Remus over to the nearest shelf and hid behind it. We stood deathly still and listened hard, as a familiar voice rang out.

"Mr. Ollivander."

"Ah. Mr. Jasper Riley – and…?"

"Emmeline Vance, sir."

"Ms. Vance, of course. Ten and a half inches, hawthorn, and unicorn hair. Durable. Loyal, yet temperamental all the same. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander."

"And may I ask what the two of you are doing out so early in this fine morning?"

"I might ask the same of you, sir."

"Me? I always open my shop around this time. You should know that by now. You've spent many mornings in here when you were on your Auror watch for Sirius Black."

There was a pause. Then, Jasper said, in a less searching and more respectful voice, "Did you happen to see anyone pass by?"

"Many people. Diagon Alley is chock full of merchants who begin their work early, you know."

"Really?" Emmeline quipped dryly. "The street looks dead empty to me, sir."

"Ah, well, stick around a bit longer then," Ollivander said airily. "Good day to you."

With that, he shut the door.

Instead of coming over to us, Ollivander headed straight for his front desk. Presumably, Jasper and Emmeline were still watching him.

But I let out a sigh of relief, and my head dropped back against the shelf behind me, a shelf filled with wand boxes. Besides me, Remus slowly slid to the floor, though he was careful to keep out of sight.

Ollivander disappeared into the back chambers for a moment before coming out, now holding an envelope. He went out his front door and whistled. An owl, who had been perched on the roof of his wand shop, came fluttering down. Ollivander tied this envelope to the owl's leg and the owl took off.

My eyes narrowed. I drew my wand and pointed it at Ollivander as he stepped back inside the shop.

Ollivander's eyebrows lifted when he saw my wand in the air, pointing straight at his face. But he merely said, "Now, put that away. There's no need for that here."

Remus had pulled himself up again, and he murmured behind me, "Sirius? What's wrong?"

"That owl. Who did you send it to?" I asked, still laser-focused on Ollivander.

"I sent it to Albus."

"Oh…" Realizing that Ollivander was communicating with Dumbledore, I slowly lowered my wand.

Ollivander shook his head at me. "My dear boy. Tone down the cynicism. I know you come from the House of Black, but at this rate, you'll turn away all of your allies."

"Sorry," I said gruffly. "I've had one too many head-hunters turning me lately, I guess."

"What more do you expect? You're a fugitive, my boy." Ollivander then lifted his own wand, a thin, yet extremely elegant build with a sharp point. The blinds came down on the windows. Ollivander beckoned to me and Remus. "Come with me now."


We followed Ollivander to the back of the shop.

It turned out that the back of the shop was a crafts workshop of sorts – that is, where Ollivander crafted all of his wands. Ollivander pulled a sheet off of an engraving machine. Spreading it out on the floor, Ollivander made a makeshift bed for Remus.

"I would go out to fetch a a proper Healer, but I'm certain those Aurors are still watching me," Ollivander said.

"'Course," Remus bleated feebly. He grimaced as he slowly extended his leg out.

"Sorry, Remus," I said regretfully.

Remus shook his head. "It's not your fault, Sirius."

"'Course it is."

"Let him sleep. He must have only managed to sleep for an hour or so," Ollivander said, nodding at Remus. "You work those early shifts at Flourish and Blott's, don't you?"

Remus lifted his head and looked at Ollivander, surprised. "How did you know?"

"I'm usually up at those hours, too," Ollivander said softly. "Now, rest your eyes."

Then, Ollivander stood up and motioned for me to come with him. I threw one last worried look at Remus over my shoulder. But Ollivander must have been right, for Remus had already closed his eyes. I followed Ollivander out of the room.

Ollivander closed the door of the workshop behind me. Then, he led me behind the back shelves to hide us from view from anyone trying to peek through the blinds.

"Sirius Black," Ollivander recited my name quite sternly. "You've caused quite a lot of trouble for one young man."

"Believe me," I returned, "it's more than I bargained for myself."

Ollivander's sharp silver eyes did not soften at my words. Rather, they narrowed, studying my face. I shifted a little, uncomfortable under such a piercing gaze. Raylynx always seemed to adore him, but he's rather creepy, if you ask me.

Ollivander's gaze fell onto the wand I was still holding in my hand. He nodded down at it. "I'm pleased to see that you've managed to hold onto the wand of yours. It would've been a shame for you to lose it again."

Unsure of what to say, I merely settled for, "Yes, sir."

"But what are these etchings?" In an uncannily quick motion, Ollivander reached down and grasped my wrist. He held my hand up and examined my wand. His eyes traced over the Runes etched towards the bottom of the wand…

"They're Runic markings, sir," I explained quietly, hoping very much that he would not be offended by the work done on his wand.

"Indeed," Ollivander replied, turning my hand in the light to further examine the Runes, though the bottom of my hand covered most of the Runes. However, Ollivander didn't seem interested by the particulars of the writing.

Instead, he asked, "Who were they done by?"

"Raylynx Kingsley."

Ollivander's eyes widened for a moment.

"Sir? Is everything all right?"

After a brief pause, Ollivander nodded, and he let my hand go. "I suppose she did it to re-establish your link with your wand. Your experiences must have changed you, and the wand was no longer responding. You couldn't go out to find another wand, so she tried to draw on the commonalities that you still shared with the wand. She tried to speak to that primal, unchanging essence that is within each other us, reflected in the spirits of our magic and in the cores of our wands… "

Not being versed in wandlore or Ancient Runes myself, I was entirely unable to follow what Ollivander was saying. I replied uncertainly, "I'm sorry, sir."

"It's nothing for you to be sorry about," Ollivander responded at once.

I blinked, for although he was saying that I had nothing to apologize for, his voice, far from being accepting, was sharper than the crack of a whip.

Ollivander turned his face away from me, and I frowned, truly unable to make heads or tails of this difficult man.

However, I heard him say softly, "I wish she had stayed. She would have made a great wandmaker, if only she had not gone and fallen in love…"

Ollivander slipped away, disappearing into the shadows between the shelves and leaving me alone to my very confused thoughts.


Raylynx Kingsley's POV

Afternoon was fading into evening, a parallel to how spring was chasing summer as May faded into June.

I was in the maze, pacing beyond the Sphynx at her newest riddle: "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What is it?"

The Sphynx smiled amusedly at me as I scratched my head at this seemingly simple riddle.

"If you don't answer, I'll pounce," she told me, in a singsong-y voice. "It's been a while since I've had a chance to stretch my haunches."

"Well, just wait a second now," I said hastily, putting out both my hands.

"Three, two, one - !"

"Ah! Footsteps, footsteps!" I yelped out, while throwing myself sideways into the hedges of the maze at the same time.

The sphynx let out a bell-like laugh before she nodded. "Very well. Safe this time."

I had to fight my way back out of the hedge, and I stumbled out a few moments later with my shirt torn.

Meanwhile, the sphynx gracefully folded her paws atop each other. "Another game?"

"All right," I said, "but before that, may I ask you something?"

The sphynx paused. Then, she bowed her great head. "Certainly. I think it's all right if the roles are momentarily reversed."

I slowly sat before the sphynx, sinking onto the grass beneath us. I stared up at her wise face for a moment before I questioned, "I've recently taken to etching Ancient Runes onto the floor in a circular manner, and then stepping into them. The effect has been - "

"I know nothing of your Runic language," the sphynx said, already bored. Her ears twitched impatiently. "I already told you, my magic is different from yours."

"I know, I know," I replied hastily. "My question is – Well, I've been having strange dreams when I'm in those Circles. So, I was wondering, what do you perceive dreams to be?"

At this, the sphynx perked up. "What do I perceive dreams to be?"

"Yes. Do you consider them reality or just a passing fanciful thought or…?"

The sphynx smiled mysteriously. Her tailed swished in happiness as she told me, in a slow and purposeful voice, "It's been a long time since a human asked me such a thing. Well, child, I will tell you how I feel: Dreams - true dreams, not the ones manufactured by subconscious and pitiful human desires – but true, open dreams are a way of remembering."

"Remembering…?"

"Yes." The sphynx nodded solemnly. "Remembering all of the things you cannot hold onto in this world."

As she spoke, a breeze blew through the maze, and I found myself shivering.

The sphynx blinked down at me. "You're such a fragile little thing. Too fragile to be asking such questions, I think. You should stop, young one, while you can. Else your mind will break."

For some unknown reason, tears filled my eyes, and I confessed to her in a low, scared whisper, "I'm scared it already has."

The sphynx paused, watching a tear roll down my cheek. She had no emotional response, for she was wired a different way altogether, but she asked me simply, "What do you mean?"

"Lately, I feel like…" I struggled to explain myself, but I tried my best, stumbling through my words, "… I feel like my mind's not entirely my own, and sometimes, it feels like there's this thin line of distinction of what I remember and what I'm supposed to remember…" My voice trailed off and I stared at the grass between the Sphynx and myself. "I'm not making any sense, am I?" I asked, disappointed.

But the Sphynx hummed contentedly. She spoke so very freely and easily, as she confirmed, "I understand everything you just said, young one. In fact, I've been feeling it ever since I was re-introduced to you again. Your mind is not whole. I thought you knew. It was obvious to me."

My jaw dropped open. I scrambled up to her, forgetting how terrified I was of her. "You – You know?" I whispered fervently. "You know what I mean?"

"Yes, child." The sphynx smiled wistfully at me. "Your young mind is not impossible entangled, the way you feel it is. You're only human, after all. But there is a very small crack running just along the gates of your memory. It was never there before. You'll want to get that fixed."

"But how?" I unintentionally reached out to her, my own, small hand, coming quite close to touching her paws.

The sphynx laughed brightly. "What a question. It's like asking – how does one breathe? Isn't it obvious?"

She swatted me with her paw, as I'd come too close to her.

"Oof." My back hit the grass as I fell back.

Before I could gather my bearings, the sphynx brought one of her heavy, magnificent paws down lightly on my chest.

Dizzily, I stared up at her.

"Dream more," she hummed softly. "That's how you remember. That's how you come home to yourself."


Jasper Riley's POV

Emmeline and I were keeping a close watch on Ollivander's Wand Shop. We'd rented out a hotel room just across from Ollivander's Wand Shop. Currently, we were both sitting at the table in her room.

Emmeline had gone to fetch food. When she returned, she came b ack with not only food, but also a bottle of champagne. Lifting it up in the air, she asked me cheerily, "Want a drink?"

"What for, exactly?" I said, confused.

Emmeline laughed lightly, and she swung one leg over the other as she dipped her head back to take a drink. Then, straightening up again, she wiped her mouth delicately before she replied, "Seeing as neither of us are going into work anymore, I suppose we're celebrating getting fired."

"Oh. I see."

She grinned and she passed the bottle to me. "I have to say, it feels wonderful to declare myself free. I've been at that job for way too long."

At hearing her words, I paused with the bottle just at my lips. I slowly lowered the bottle without having taken a sip.

Sensing my low mood, Emmeline's smile slowly slid off her face. "What is it?"

I leaned forward in my chair, lightly balancing my elbows on my knees, while still holding the champagne bottle in my hand. "I don't mean to burst your bubble," I remarked softly, "but I feel a bit differently about my job."

Emmeline watched me curiously.

"A lot of people put themselves on the line for me to become an Auror," I explained. As I spoke, the faces of my mentors, such as Gregory and Godfrey, ran through my mind. "I didn't mean to disappoint them like this. I intended to be an Auror, and a damn good one, for the rest of my life. I can't believe I'm throwing it all away like this."

Emmeline frowned. Her leg slowly slipped off her other leg, and she unconsciously mirrored my pose, leaning forward to look at my expression. When she saw how somber I was, she asked gently, "Well, why are you throwing it all away? Why are you here?"

When I didn't respond, she pushed softly, saying, "I told you my reasons for why I'm going after Sirius Black. What are yours?"

I merely offered her the champagne bottle again.

She accepted it, but after she took another drink, she set it down on the table between us. "Was it personal for you, too?" she asked me.

I thought of Raylynx again, and how she had betrayed me the entire time. To be fair, she'd warned me, way back since our very first date, that she wasn't over Sirius and that she didn't want to date me because she thought I deserved someone whole, someone who wasn't caught up on an old partner. However, I had thought, I had let myself believe, that when we had re-united in Albania, we had both met each other on a true middle ground, where she actually wanted me, and I her. But then, to suddenly realize that this entire time, she had been hiding Sirius under my very nose, I felt furious and humiliated at the realization.

"Jasper." Emmeline reached out and gently pushed my face up with both of her hands. "You're hurting. I can see it."

I slowly, shamefully lifted my eyes up to meet Emmeline's.

"Whatever Sirius Black did to you, I swear we'll get him back," Emmeline told me, and then, she suddenly pressed her lips fiercely against mine.

Taken aback, my hands came up and grasped her waist. I think I intended to pull her away and to tell her the truth – that it wasn't so much about Sirius as it was about Raylynx, but Emmeline was kissing me so fervently, and something about her waist in my hands felt so unexpectedly and startlingly right, that before I knew it, I was kissing her back.

There was a moment, however, where I gently pushed her back, and I asked her, a bit breathlessly, "What makes you so sure we can catch Black?"

Emmeline smirked at me, and she whispered, "Because I'm with you," before pressing her lips against mine again.

This time, I gently hoisted her on top of the flimsy wooden hotel table. The bottle of champagne was pushed aside. It slipped off and bounced off the floor (thankfully, without shattering). Neither of us cared, though, as we were already too lost in each other to notice much else…


The next morning, I woke up to Emmeline hurriedly tapping my shoulder.

"Jasper," she spoke urgently, "look, it's Dumbledore. Dumbledore's at Ollivander's!"

"What?" I leapt out of bed and ran to the window. Sure enough, I caught the tall shadow of a Albus Dumbledore slipping into Ollivander's store.

"We must have been wrong about Ollivander," Emmeline said, sighing in disappointment. "If he's allowing Dumbledore in, then there's no chance that he's hiding Sirius Black in there."

"I'm inclined to agree with you, but…" I frowned slightly as I murmured, "Something doesn't add up here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we were so certain that Black and Lupin went into Ollivander's shop."

"Yes?" Emmeline said, not quite catching on.

I shook my head. "Never mind."

Emmeline paused. Then, she remarked, "Anyways, I'll keep watch over Ollivander's shop."

"I can help," I offered quickly.

"Sure," she replied, "but you might want to get dressed first."

At this, I suddenly looked down. I blushed, and then I hurriedly went to fetch my briefs and pants off the floor.

Emmeline shot me a smirk before she took her place besides the window, to keep watch over Ollivander's shop.


As I dressed, I found myself wondering why it felt so strange that Dumbledore should visit Ollivander. But then, I realized that actually, it was strange for Dumbledore to visit Ollivander. In all of the days that I had spent at Ollivander's during my initial watch for Sirius Black, I had never seen Dumbledore come in.

So, why is Dumbledore visiting Ollivander today, of all days? The very morning after Emmeline and I thought we'd chased down Black to Ollivander's.

A suspicion slowly began to grow in my mind as I buttoned on my shirt before making my way back to Emmeline.

"Dumbledore hasn't come out yet," Emmeline informed me, as I rejoined her, fully dressed.

"I don't expect Dumbledore will come out for a little while," I said quietly.

Emmeline looked over her shoulder at me. "What do you mean?"

When I didn't respond right away, Emmeline spoke again. "Jasper, what's weighing on your mind? You've been thinking to yourself ever since I told you Dumbledore was visiting Ollivander. Why? "

I sat in the chair besides her. "Em," I said slowly, "do you think that maybe Dumbledore is helping to hide Sirius Black?"

A look of surprise flitted across Emmeline's sharp features. "No, why would he? Dumbledore was the one who testified as to Sirius Black's guilt."

"Yes," I agreed, "but there's a Professor at Hogwarts who's very adamant that Sirius Black is innocent."

Emmeline seemed more confused than ever.

"I'm speaking of Raylynx Kingsley," I said, still speaking very quietly.

"But Dumbledore isn't going to be swayed by her," Emmeline responded knowingly. "I mean, it's been years since she started teaching at Hogwarts, hasn't it? And Dumbledore has never advocated for Sirius' release."

"No, not publicly," I agreed. "But…"

"But what?"

"Raylynx Kingsley can be very persuasive," I admitted. "It's not immediate. It's clumsy, but after a while…" I sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she finally persuaded Dumbledore to help Sirius Black."

Emmeline stared up at me with a furrowed brow for a long moment. But when she spoke, it was only to say, "Well, all we can do for now is watch for Dumbledore."

I nodded, and we fell silent, both of us lost in our thoughts as we stared out of the hotel window at Ollivander's wand shop, which still had its blinds drawn all the way down.


a/n: Happy Holidays, everyone!

to CLK (KSpaz92): I'm so glad to hear that this story has managed to offer you a bit of enchantment and adventure, and I'm truly thankful that you've stuck with the story. It will always be here whenever you need a place to just reset your mind (at least, that's what it is for me, so I hope that I can share that with you). Your comment hits home for me in so many ways, because the same things that you commented on - the Marauders' festive dynamics, Raylynx's slow, painful growing-up, and Sirius' tragic development are at the heart of what inspired me to start this project. I know that my chapters have been few and far between lately. I'm now out of school and trying to catch up with the real world of jobs and bills and all that, and it's been difficult to find consistent time to write, and honestly, sometimes I get so disappointed in my own stagnancy. But then, I see your kind, thoughtful comments, and it means the absolute world to me, and it reminds me to just write and enjoy the process and enjoy sharing my story with anybody who might still be reading. Truly, I cannot express you how much your support means to me, but please know that I treasure your encouragement very dearly. Have a lovely holidays season, and please stay safe and warm and festive in this crazy time that we're all currently going through!