Chapter 19: Adjustments

Ariadne was so deeply absorbed in the volume of Advanced Rune Translation she was reading at dinner that she didn't even notice all three Marauders seating themselves around her until she heard a horrible chomping noise that sounded like a baby dragon tearing apart a small animal. She looked up to see James Potter snarfing down roasted chicken legs on her right, Lupin idly playing with a napkin on her left, and, of course, Sirius Black seated directly opposite her, gazing intently at her through his fringe of black hair.

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious for us to be meeting up in the Great Hall where everyone can see us? It'll attract attention," she said, closing her book.

"Good evening to you too, Morrigan," said Sirius.

Ariadne sighed. "Yesterday you were all about the 'utmost importance of secrecy' and 'protecting information.' But it's fine to meet and talk about the plan in public?"

Sirius leaned back and drummed his fingers on the table while answering. "One, you assume that we came her and interrupted your highly social dinner to talk about the plan, and not something else, and two, why would it be suspicious for us to be seen speaking with you in public?"

"One, if this isn't about our top-secret, highly confidential plan then I'm not interested, and two, it's suspicious because we don't exactly run in the same social circles, you and I."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I take issue with both of those premises. What's so suspect and intolerable about a chat with friends?"

"Don't mock me, Black."

"Is the idea that we could all be friends really so absurd?" he asked rhetorically.

" 'Friends' don't typically spend their evenings intent on trying to stun each other's brains out."

"But I don't believe you would have actually stunned me," said Sirius persuasively.

"Keep testing me and you'll find out. Besides, you know what I mean. We've already been sitting here together for too long. It's suspicious. It'll tip Yaxley off that something's up."

"And why is that?" he asked innocently.

Ariadne sighed in exasperation. Sirius knew exactly what she meant but was forcing her to spell it out. Why, she wasn't sure, but then, his motivations were usually hard to discern.

"Because I don't typically hang out with your little clique of arrogant, attention-seeking, reckless and juvenile Marauders," she hissed back.

"Ah, right, straight-laced, top student and prefect Ariadne Morrigan wouldn't be caught in the company of rogues like us. Except for the little party you helped us cover up. And the Quidditch practice…" (he avoided mentioning any further details, eyeing James, who was now stuffing his face with potatoes) "…and that little chat we had in Potions class the other day. Oh, and the two hours you and I spent together working on the Transfiguration project in the common room." He cocked his head as if surprised. "Well, it would seem that your recent record somewhat contradicts your belief that you don't 'run in the same social circles' as Marauders."

"But not everyone else knows about that. Hence, it looks suspicious for us to be hanging around together at dinner."

Sirius called in backup at this point, from a person whose opinion he knew Ariadne would respect. "Remus, what do you think? Are we endangering our plan with this risky and suspicious behavior?"

Remus looked up from the napkin he had been thoughtlessly playing with while gazing off into the distance. He looked very tired. "Well, most people, at least in Gryffindor House, are aware that McGonagall has paired you two up for the Transfiguration project. And everyone we've had classes with, which includes the Ravenclaws and Slytherins, has seen us sitting next to you in class." (Ariadne couldn't help but wonder which Marauder's idea that was, since Lupin seemed imply it wasn't his own.) "Moreover, since Priya and I have been…spending more time together, it would seem more natural for us to be friends, since everyone knows that Ariadne and Priya are close. And I can virtually guarantee that every single Hogwarts student either witnessed in person or has heard about your duel last night. So I don't think the three of us having dinner together would seem all that odd."

"Tha' was a damn good fight," interjected James in between mouthfuls of rice.

Ariadne wasn't happy to hear that news of their fight had spread so fast, though she hoped that her victory was an important detail in any distorted story passing around. "You mean, everyone witnessed or heard about us practically trying to kill each other. I don't see what about that scenario indicates 'friends who have dinner together.'"

"Well.." said Lupin, fiddling with his napkin again, "that's not exactly how it looked to most people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ariadne irritably. Sirius looked pleased.

Lupin merely smiled in his tired yet knowing way. "You know, for two very bright people, you can both be a little thick sometimes."

Ariadne and Sirius were both too busy trying to figure out the meaning of this unexpectedly tart comment from their normally kind and good-natured friend to respond. In the meantime, Lupin took advantage of the brief gap in their nonstop bickering to redirect them to the issue at hand.

"Ariadne, we came here to let you know that there's been an…adjustment to the plan."

"What happened?"

"Our second target has been kicked out of Death Eater camp," answered Sirius grimly.

"How do you know? Don't tell me you 'have your sources,'" she added as Sirius opened his mouth to respond. "I want to know exactly how you're getting this information and how you know it's reliable. Gryffindors are notoriously bad gossips."

James titled his head to acknowledge that she had a fair point. "There's been a rumor going around since yesterday that Ariadne is actually pregnant with Sirius' baby and that's why he took it easy on her during the duel."

Ariadne resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands at her fellow students' idiocy. She tried to stay focused. "The source?"

Sirius answered. "The target was expelled from Yaxley's group and came crying to that blockhead Persius Bolger, who told Boris Etheridge, another Slytherin in his year…"

"…whose cousin is Miralda Etheridge," finished Ariadne.

"Precisely. And as you know, Miss Etheridge has no sympathy for Yaxley's crew."

"Do you know why Yaxley booted him?"

"Not the exact details, but is sounded like Yaxley wanted him to do something that crossed the line, and he wouldn't or couldn't do it."

"Not surprising," said Ariadne, biting her lip. "They're getting more serious. They're forcing their initiates to prove their loyalty by doing horrible things. It's what real Death Eaters do."

"Anyway, the implications for us are that we don't have a second person to impersonate to infiltrate the second meeting. We just have the one. And it'll be too suspicious to try to impersonate the same person both times," concluded Sirius.

"Bit of a hitch," said James.

"No," said Ariadne slowly. "It's an opportunity."

Sirius gave her a deeply penetrating look. "Explain."

"This…person (since you still haven't told me who it is) has been on the inside of Yaxley's gang and knows plenty about it—who's in it, how it works, how deep it goes. And now he's feeling less-than-favorably towards it. We can turn him on our side and persuade him to tell us everything he knows rather than gathering things piecemeal through rumors. He's an indispensably valuable source of information," Ariadne explained.

"Easier said than done. Yaxley isn't stupid enough to turn someone loose without some kind of insurance that we won't turn informant. We don't know what that might be—it could just be threats against their safety or family if they squeak, or they could be magically bound to silence. Yaxley could have made them take an Unbreakable Vow," countered Sirius.

"Well, we won't know until we talk to him," said Ariadne.

"It's a her," corrected Sirius with a tiny, satisfied smirk