"Brumous"

"Chapter Two: The Breakup"

Ginny rolled her head against on the back of the sofa in the Gryffindor common room, laughter on the tip of her tongue as Gemma Eaton recounted her rather unfortunate snog session with Dominic Clarke that ended with Filch chasing them out of a cupboard with a broom. Demelza Robins sat next to Ginny, a wide grin flitting across her face.

"I mean, luckily we were fully clothed," Gemma continued, flickering her long and curly brown hair behind her shoulder. "We haven't gone that far yet, but honestly it's probably not long before we do."

"Merlin, Gemma, have you ever thought about placing locking charms on the cupboard doors?" Demelza asked. "Or do you like being caught during a hot and heavy snog session?"

Ginny rolled her head to the right to catch Demelza's eye, her lips twitching at her best friend's innocent grin. Demelza lived to take the mickey out of everyone and anyone. Ginny loved listening to her try to rattle someone. Fortunately for Gemma, she was used to Demelza's goading.

"Fuck off, Demelza," Gemma replied, her voice light and teasing. "At least I have a boyfriend."

Demelza snorted. "As though I care."

"Speaking of potential boyfriends, don't look, Ginny, but Harry Potter is looking over at you and awkwardly shifting like he doesn't know whether to interrupt or run," Gemma added.

Demelza looked over and gave him a little wave. "You did break up with Michael, right?"

Ginny's heart sped up as she slowly turned to see Harry was indeed standing awkwardly by the stairs and looking at them with the strap of his satchel gripped in his hands. His neck and cheeks looked flushed. He shot Ginny a lopsided grin when he caught her eye. Somehow, she got her lips to cooperate and shot him a reassuring smile.

"Not yet," Ginny whispered as she stood up, smoothing her skirt.

"Not yet?" Demelza hissed. "Why not?"

"Oh, Ginny," Gemma groaned. "You're going to miss your bloody chance with Harry Potter."

"Shh," Ginny shot in their direction before she made her way over towards Harry.

Relief spread across his face, his lips tugging up the closer she got. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she tried not to think about the fact that Demelza and Gemma were probably watching with bated breath at their interaction. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind as she stopped short of him, their eyes meeting.

Reaching out a hand, she touched his wrist. "Are you all right?"

Harry blinked at her for a second, his eyes snapping down to her fingers touching him. She pulled away, not wanting to upset him. She knew he didn't like to be touched, but sometimes she couldn't help herself ever since Easter. It was almost as though something had shifted between them, the air surrounding them light and airy. She rather liked it.

"Yeah, I, uh… Ron and Hermione are at a prefects meeting," he replied, his brows disappearing underneath his glasses as he looked back up at her.

Ginny nodded. "Is there… do you, uh, do you need help with something?"

Harry's tongue peeked out from between his lips. "I wanted to talk to… Snuffles. I was, uh, I was wondering if you'd be my lookout again."

"Yeah, of course, Harry," Ginny said without missing a beat. "Is anything wrong?"

Harry shifted. "No, so don't feel obligated to if you don't want to."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I'm not doing anything I don't want to do. You're fine. I'm happy to help you. You've helped me loads."

Harry blinked. "With what?"

Ginny's heart thudded in her chest. She was fairly certain he didn't want to hear about how he had quite literally saved her life when he was only twelve years old. Cocking her head to the side, the corners of her lips twitched.

"You helped me reach that book in the library the other week," Ginny replied as he let out a small chuckle. "You saved me from being suffocated by dust bunnies when we cleaned out the study last summer. Oh! You split the last piece of treacle tart with me over Christmas break when I really needed something sweet. You split your Easter egg with me after Quidditch practice when I was upset that Peakes nearly knocked me off my broom to what was almost my death. Two summers ago, at the Quidditch World Cup, you remember you gave me your jacket after the attack? Yeah, I never gave that back, by the way, and I never intend to."

A grin crossed Harry's face. "Ah, that jacket with the stripes down the sleeves? That was one of my good jackets. I was wondering where that went."

Ginny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was far too small for you anyway. It didn't even cover your wrists!"

Harry shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. "Embarrassingly enough, I think I got that jacket when I was nine. My aunt ordered it for my cousin and they shipped the wrong size and it fit me pretty decently."

Ginny felt her face fall, and Harry cleared his throat. He bit his bottom lip before shooting her a sheepish smile, his lip popping out from between his teeth in the process. Ginny wondered what it would be like to bite that lip herself. Stop it, she ordered herself.

"Well, good thing Sirius ordered you a new wardrobe last summer," Ginny replied, trying to lighten the mood. "Can't feel bad about it now that you have loads of clothes that fit."

"Sirius went overboard," Harry added. "Half the things I haven't even worn yet."

"You'll have to change that," Ginny encouraged. "I want a new outfit every single day until you run out of outfits."

Harry let out a bark-like laugh that sounded very reminiscent of Sirius. "You're as bad as him."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Shut it. Do you want to bicker or do you want to head out?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"You said you wanted to talk to Sirius," Ginny reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry," Harry replied, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "If you're sure you don't mind."

"Harry, stop," Ginny pressed, reaching out and pushing him gently. "I'd tell you if I didn't. Honest. Just let me grab my bag and tell my friends where I'm going."

Harry looked beyond Ginny. "Yeah, well, they're staring at us right now."

Ginny sucked in a breath. "Give me a minute, yeah?"

When Ginny turned around to her friends, she saw that Niamh Orlagh had joined Demelza and Gemma on the sofa. The three girls stared at the pair, wide and goofy grins plastered across their lips. Ginny scowled at them and mouthed for them to fuck off. That only caused Demelza and Niamh to laugh and Gemma to wink at her. Ginny didn't say anything to them as she grabbed her bag off the floor.

Demelza leaned forward. "This is what you get for not breaking up with Corner yet. Harry Potter is practically ogling at you and you have a bloody prick of a boyfriend."

"He is not ogling," Ginny snapped in a low voice as she shoved a few quills into her bag.

"He's not even dating Cho any longer," Demelza pointed out. "Funny how they break up and now he's spending a lot of time with you. I saw you two laughing in the library last week."

Niamh tossed her long blonde plait behind her shoulder. "I heard that he broke it off with her. Marietta told Morag that he was sort of a wanker about it too, which it's probably just Cho trying to save face to be the victim in it all because we all know Harry doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

Gemma glanced over at Niamh. "Morag is a fucking gossip and professional shit stirrer."

"Look, I'll distract Harry while you rush off to Ravenclaw tower and break it off with Corner," Demelza said as she grabbed Ginny's wrist. "Then you are free to snog him without rumors breaking out that you're a slag."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Harry and I aren't going off to snog."

Niamh's eyes grew wide. "Why not? I'd go off and snog him if I had the opportunity. He's really adorable with his nice smile and eyes. Ooooh, Ginny, his eyes!"

"Meh, he's not my type," Gemma announced, leaning back against the sofa cushions. "Too scrawny and he has that permanent scowl on his face."

"That's what makes his smile so amazing!" Niamh protested. "When he smiles, it changes his entire face."

"Would you all stop?" Ginny hissed.

"Break. It. Off. With. Corner. Before. I. Fucking. Murder. You," Demelza emphasized, her eyebrows raising to her hairline. "I told you not to date that fucker in the first place."

Ginny huffed and shrugged her shoulders. "He was nice."

"He's fake nice in order to shove his cock in you and then toss you aside," Demelza argued. "Which is exactly what he did to Hannah Abbott last year."

"Wait! Michael and Hannah had sex last year?" Niamh asked, her jaw literally nearly on the floor. "When? How? Where? Why?"

"How, really, Niamh?" Demelza asked, raising her eyebrow at her.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "More like where did you hear that from?"

"I'll be back later," Ginny announced with a sigh.

"We won't wait up," Niamh said with a wink.

"Oh, I will be waiting up," Demelza said, her arms crossing over her chest. "I want to hear all about what happened between you two."

Ginny shot her friends the two-finger salute before she turned and made her way back towards Harry. Upon seeing his anxious face, she shot him a smile and watched as he instantly relaxed. Without a word, they made their way out of the portrait hole. Their steps synced together, their arms brushing against each other as they walked. Ginny couldn't help but feel like it was the most natural thing in the world.

When she saw him disappear into the Room of Requirement, she leaned against the opposite wall and looked around at everyone passing by. Time went by slowly as she glanced at her watch multiple times. He was taking longer this time than last time, which was fine. Ginny was happy that Harry had someone to talk to that cared about him in a way that a parent should. She just wished she had brought a book or something to pass the time. Although, that would defeat the entire lookout thing.

Ginny suppressed a groan when she spotted Michael. She turned around to look at the window, trying to hide behind a pillar, but she wasn't successful. Michael stepped up next to her, his eyebrow arching into the air.

"Hey," Michael greeted. "We seem to be meeting here a lot lately."

Ginny pursed her lips as she turned around slowly, her eyes glancing around at everyone passing them so she wouldn't have to look at him. "It's a good people-watching corridor. It's always so busy now with people trying to figure out how to get into the hidden and mysterious D.A. room."

Michael frowned. "Is Potter up to something? He could get you expelled, you know. Or worse, arrested with the way the Ministry is trying to bring him down."

Ginny snapped her attention to Michael. "His name is Harry and he has nothing to do with this."

Michael let out a small chuckle, his head shaking. "I'm not a moron, Gin."

"Ginny," Ginny hissed through clenched teeth. "My name is Ginny."

Michael snapped his fingers and then pointed at her. "Right. Only Harry gets to call you that."

"What is your problem?" Ginny hissed, taking a step away from him. "Are you really jealous that I have a friend that's a bloke? I have lots of friends that are blokes. Would you like me to start listing them off for you?"

"If you think this has anything to do with you being friends with blokes then you really don't understand anything," Michael retorted.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "Then what is this about?"

"It's about how you're willing to risk everything for Harry Potter and how you find it perfectly acceptable that he has a nickname for you but I can't call you anything other than Ginny. No pet names for you or even nicknames. Just Ginny. It's so hard to get close to you," Michael argued, his neck turning red and his eyes flashing. "Everyone told me not to date you. Everyone said how you shoot lovesick puppy dog eyes in Potter's direction the moment he walks into a room despite the fact that he views you as nothing but his best mate's little sister. You're hung up on some bloke that doesn't even see you as attractive. I thought I could show you how a decent bloke treats a girl but you're still Potter's little shadow."

"Fuck off," Ginny hissed, her hands shooting out to give him a shove. "Harry is my friend and if you can't get past your jealousy then you can just fuck off. We're done, Michael."

Michael sneered. "Fine by me. I never should have started dating a little fangirl like you anyway."

Michael brushed past her, his shoulder knocking against hers. Anger boiled up her chest as her fingers reached for her wand. Whipping around, she trained the tip on his back. Her breaths came out in harsh huffs as she snapped her arm back and Michael howled. Bat bogeys flew out of his nose at an alarming rate as he fell to his knees. Lowering her wand to her side, her lips quirked up as she watched him.

Someone stepped up next to her, their sides pressing together. Ginny tore her eyes away from Michael and looked up to see Harry standing next to her with an odd expression on his face. She couldn't tell if he was amused or horrified by the sight in front of him since he seemed almost stoic. Not being able to speak, she turned back to Michael to see Professor Flitwick rushing through the corridor towards Michael with his wand out.

While Professor Flitwick ended the bat bogeys, she could hear him ask who the culprit was. Harry moved next to her, frantically pulling something out of his satchel. He threw a piece of fabric over their heads before he wrapped an arm around her, tucking her close to his side. She wrapped an arm around his waist as they awkwardly shuffled towards the wall.

"Ginny Weasley!" someone shouted. "She was right there!"

"Where did she go?" someone else asked.

Ginny was very acutely aware that she was pressed close to Harry's chest, his arm still secure around her. She reached out a hand and touched the shimmering material in front of her, feeling the fabric smooth against her fingertips. Ron had blabbered all about Harry's Invisibility Cloak that he had inherited from his dad but she had never seen it in person before.

"Nah, it couldn't have been her!" someone said with a huff. "Someone would have seen her running."

"She doesn't run either," someone else pointed out. "She always takes credit for her hexes."

Ginny looked up at Harry, her chin pressing against his chest. "It's true. I always take credit for my hexes," she whispered.

Harry chuckled and whispered back, "Maybe with Umbridge in charge you shouldn't take credit right now."

"Ahh, sew my mouth shut, right?" Ginny asked in a low voice.

"Or permanently scar you."

At Ginny's confused look, Harry held up his right hand for her to look at. In Harry's messy and small scrawl, she noticed the scars on the back of his hand that formed a sentence. She grabbed his hand in hers, her thumb brushing against the words I must not tell lies. Her chest expanded as an uncomfortable lump settled there.

"What the fuck is this?" Ginny hissed, her eyes snapping up to meet his.

Harry just blinked at her, his face emotionless. "Apparently, I must not tell lies about Voldemort returning."

Ginny huffed as she looked around the corridor. People had dispersed after her little tiff with Michael. It was the quietest the corridor had been in a while. Chewing on her bottom lip, she threw the Invisibility Cloak off and paced in front of the Room of Requirement three times to activate the room. She needed somewhere to talk to Harry in private because she was absolutely fuming. Nobody should be permanently scarred from a bloody detention, especially not someone as kind as Harry.

When the door appeared, she stepped inside and held the door open for Harry. A few moments later, she felt him walk past her. Once inside, he tossed the Invisibility Cloak off himself and draped it over his arm. Turning around, he looked at her with confusion clear on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" Ginny parroted, a small scoff escaping her lips. "Are you mental right now? You just told me Umbridge forced you to carve words into your hand. Have you told Sirius?"

Harry shook his head. "Are you mental right now? Of course, I haven't told Sirius anything. He'd be here in a split second to curse Umbridge and wind up soulless from a Dementor. Sirius is the last person I would tell."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "Who knows?"

"Ron and Hermione," Harry replied, his hands shoving into his trouser pockets. "They noticed it. Like I would ever tell them willingly. Ron's a mother hen and Hermione gets all anxious."

Ginny searched Harry's eyes. "But you told me?"

Harry shrugged. "I just watched you force bogeys from Corner's nose and you looked oddly pleased by it."

"He was an arse," Ginny protested, feeling the need to defend herself. "Nobody is a git to me and gets away with it."

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Harry replied, his voice light.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Like I'd hex you. How many times have you escaped death now?"

The corner of Harry's lip twitched. "Four or five times, but who's really counting at this point?"

Ginny grinned. "Oh, I don't know, just the entire wizarding world."

"Well, technically, everyone thinks I'm a liar so they'd discount the last time," Harry replied, his classic lopsided grin crossing his face and Ginny wanted to slap him because he was so adorable.

"Nah, I'd say only about fifty percent of people think you're a liar," Ginny assured him. "You're really gaining support lately."

Harry let out a chuckle, his green eyes sparkling as they looked down at her. "Maybe I can hit seventy-five percent by summer."

"We'll work on it," Ginny assured him, feeling her initial anger towards him disperse. "But you really should tell Sirius about the scarring. He knows not to do anything rash, but he's in contact with Dumbledore. It might help to force her out of the school."

Harry blinked down at her. "I worry he'll do something stupid."

"I know," Ginny whispered. "He tends to act before he thinks things through sometimes."

Harry reached out, grabbing her wrist and causing Ginny's heart to nearly jump out of her chest at the sudden contact. "I just don't want to lose him again."

His voice sounded so sad that Ginny's heart shattered in two. From what little she knew about the Dursleys, she knew they were abusive wankers who neglected Harry and made it very clear to him that he was not loved. Ginny hated that. She couldn't even stand the thought of it, because Harry truly was one of the kindest people she had ever met in her life.

Ginny did something she had never done before. She took a step closer to him and rose on her tiptoes. Her free arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him down more to her height. Harry was tense for the first few seconds before he seemed to melt against her. His fingers unwrapped from her wrist and both of his arms encircled around her.

In that moment, Ginny was very well aware of just how amazing Harry's hugs were. She felt so safe and comfortable in his arms. Her hand snaked up, her fingers brushing along the nap of his neck and feeling his amazingly soft hair. He shivered under her touch. Ginny pressed her face into his shoulder blade and wished the moment would never end.

Harry couldn't keep the soppy smile off his face, not since he had hugged Ginny in the Room of Requirement. He had always hated when Hermione would throw herself at him and wrap her arms so tightly around him that he felt like he was going to suffocate. Ron had given him a few quick pats on the back before they pulled away from one another with an awkwardness hanging between them. Even Sirius' side hugs, though nice and not uncomfortable at all, didn't hold a candle to the feeling of pure ecstasy he had felt when he was entangled in an embrace with Ginny.

She had fit nicely against him, his chin brushing against the top of her head. It was as though her body was crafted to fit against his, like he had found a missing puzzle piece. Cho had been tall, nearly as tall as he was. Ginny was small, petite, perfect. She was the perfect height to sling an arm around, to give a forehead kiss to, to cuddle with. Harry stilled, thinking that it probably wasn't a very good idea to think of Ginny in these terms. She had just broken up with her boyfriend. She was Ron's little sister. She was his friend. There were a million reasons not to think about Ginny in the way he was currently thinking about her.

Making his way into the Great Hall for breakfast on Saturday morning, Harry caught sight of Ginny already eating. Her long hair was pulled up into a ponytail high on her head. She was dressed in her Gryffindor Quidditch robes and ready for practice already which was better than Ron who had claimed he needed five more minutes of sleep when Harry attempted to wake him.

Harry started to make his way towards her when he noticed the girl sitting next to her. Harry had seen her with Ginny before. She was taller than Ginny with dark brown hair. For the life of him, Harry couldn't remember her name despite knowing for a fact he'd heard it before. She had been part of the D.A. and always hung around Ginny. She was nearly as wicked with her hexes as Ginny.

Harry stood frozen, unsure on where to sit. He supposed he could sit next to Neville who seemed to be staring at Hannah Abbott across the hall. Cringing, he realized he would rather sit alone than with Neville. Not that Neville wasn't nice and all. It's just that Harry didn't fancy talking about plants. It was all Neville seemed to want to talk about lately.

"Harry!"

He turned towards the direction his name was called to see Ginny waving at him with a wide grin on her face. Without hesitating any longer, he made his way around the table so he could sit across from Ginny and her friend. That would leave room for Ron to join him whenever he decided to get out of bed.

"Hey," he greeted them as he reached for the pumpkin juice to fill his goblet.

"Harry, you know Demelza, don't you?" Ginny asked, gesturing towards the brunette next to her.

"Uh… I've seen you around the common room," Harry replied in an awkward tone as his eyes snapped to the food for something to do.

"Same. I was in the D.A. too," Demelza supplied.

Harry nodded, priding himself in remembering that tidbit. He never paid much attention to people in general, having grown used to the whispers behind his back and choosing to ignore everyone. Except the D.A. had been different. He had actually learned some of his fellow classmates' names, which had been something Ron had teased him about incessantly.

But it was easy to remember Demelza. For one, Harry had actually known Ginny and Luna. Demelza had always been with them as well as a gaggle of nameless other girls in her year. Sometimes, Michael Corner and his friends hung around them as well.

"You had a wicked Furnunculus Curse," Harry added, remembering the boy a year ahead of him had burst out in severe acne with a lazy flick of Demelza's wand.

Demelza's lips twitched. "Dan Harris deserved it."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"No, you don't," Ginny assured, waving him off. "Demelza wants to be an Auror, too."

Harry glanced over at her, deciding that if all of her spell work was on the same level as her Furnunculus Curse, then she would do quite well as an Auror. A split second later, he couldn't help the stab of jealousy that pierced his gut. Demelza had prospects of actually becoming an Auror and his chance had been snatched away from him because of Umbridge and Snape.

"Are you, err, good at Potions?" Harry asked, wondering if it was just him that was inept in the class.

"Merlin, no," Demelza said with a small laugh. "I'm petrified of not getting into N.E.W.T. level Potions. Knowing Snape, he probably purposely tries to stop all Gryffindors from entering that class."

"Well, it's not up to Snape," Ginny interrupted in a very confident tone as she snagged a piece of bacon. "It's all about what you get on your O.W.L. and Snape has nothing to do with that. He has to take you if you get an Outstanding, whether he likes it or not."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Harry mumbled as he leaned back in his chair.

Ginny leaned forward, her arms resting on the table between them. "You're smarter than you think, Harry. You can get the Outstanding. I know you can."

Harry shrugged at the vote of confidence. "I've always been rubbish at Potions."

Ginny pursed her lips to the side. "I can help you. I'm decent. I've been helping Demelza."

"More like she's been carrying my sorry arse since first year," Demelza corrected as she leaned over to grab the pumpkin juice.

"When isn't Ginny carrying your sorry arse?" a girl with curly brown hair asked as she sat down next to Harry, the spot he had reserved for Ron.

He shifted away from her, because, well, Ginny was right across from him and the girl had sat extremely close to him for reasons he didn't understand. Another girl, a blonde this time, sat on the other side of Harry. She reached across him, her arm brushing his chest as she grabbed the platter of bacon. As she slowly returned to her seat, she winked at him.

"I carry her sorry arse in Transfiguration," Demelza protested, her fork pointing at the brown-haired girl. "She can't transfigure fucking shit, Gemma, and you know it."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Maybe I want my cutlery to have tails. Did you ever think about that?"

The blonde next to Harry wrinkled her nose. "Why would you want that?"

"She's being facetious, Niamh," Demelza supplied.

The girl named Niamh tossed her long blonde hair behind her shoulder and turned towards Harry. She smiled up at him, her elbow propping on the table and her chin resting on her closed fist.

"So, Harry, what are you good at?" Niamh asked. "You know, besides Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Err…" Harry trailed off, his eyes flickering over to Ginny but she only grinned at him. When she didn't help him, he grabbed his pumpkin juice to take a gulp and buy himself some time. Was she flirting with him?

Gemma snorted on the other side of Harry. "I heard he was good with his tongue."

Harry choked on his pumpkin juice. Gemma thumped him on the back. Slamming his cup onto the table, he couldn't stop the coughing fit. His watery eyes caught Ginny's gaze.

"Leave him be," Ginny said, her blazing brown eyes not leaving his.

Demelza leaned forward, her eyebrow arching. "She meant because you were a Parselmouth. Not because there's any rumors or anything. Don't worry."

Harry didn't reply even though he had finally stopped coughing. He had never wanted Ron more in his life than he did in that moment. Ginny's friends were definitely not shy. It was a stark contrast to Cho and her friends. They never even talked to Harry, which he had been completely fine with. Harry winced as he made yet another comparison between Ginny and Cho. What was wrong with him?

"Want to go for a walk?" Ginny suggested. "I could use the distraction before practice. Our game against Ravenclaw isn't that far away."

Harry nodded, more than happy to leave the table of gossiping girls. He snatched a bagel with cream cheese and salmon on it before he rose from the table. Taking a bite of his bagel, he gave a half-hearted wave at the girls before he made his way between the tables to meet Ginny at the end. When they met, he easily matched her stride as his shoulder rubbed against hers.

"Sorry," Ginny said in a rush. "They're all very nice but they love to meddle and, well, you know."

Harry nodded, although he didn't really know what encompassed you know. "It's fine."

"They like you," Ginny continued, tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. "Not in a like you like you way, but they think you're nice and they had a lot of fun in the D.A. They were all there. They believed you from the start. I don't think it was just because they knew I'd hex them into an oblivion if they said one terrible thing about you."

Harry chuckled. "You'd hex them into an oblivion for me?"

Ginny's lips twitched, her head turning just in time to watch him take another bite of his bagel. "Nobody gets to call you a liar in front of me and get away with it."

Harry's brow furrowed, his heart pounding in his chest. "So, err, your friends believed me then? Just because they thought I was nice?"

Ginny shrugged. "Demelza's dad died in the aftermath of the first war. Her mum's an Auror and thinks Fudge is a wanker. Demelza said her mum told her to keep her eyes and ears open, let her know if anything suspicious happens at school. Gemma's parents are very tuned into the political scene and the corruption of the Ministry during the first war. They wouldn't be shocked if it was all Fudge trying not to lose power. Niamh, well, she just likes you because you're kind. You once helped her pick up all of her books in our first year when her bag split open on the second day of class. Everyone else just walked right by her, rushing to get to class on time. You stopped and helped. She never had a bad thing to say about you after that."

Harry blinked. "I don't remember that."

"Of course, you wouldn't. You're just kind and do nice things all the time," Ginny replied, her jaw tight. "People just take you for granted or look for reasons to talk shit about you because they're wankers and can't comprehend that someone can be genuinely nice."

Harry took another bite of his bagel, not knowing what to say. So many people had been unkind to Harry growing up, from his so-called family to his teachers to his classmates. It was as though everyone had been nervous to get on the wrong side of the Dursleys that he had been treated horribly by everyone. Harry had felt so alone as a child. It was a reflex now to stop and help someone who looked like they needed it. To show them that there were still helpful and kind people in the world.

Ginny bumped her hip against him. "It's one of the things I like most about you. It's a rare quality."

"You're nice too," Harry replied as he held out his bagel for Ginny. "You hungry?"

Ginny's lips twitched as she accepted the bagel and took a bite before handing it back to him. She chewed thoughtfully for a few moments, her head nodding. "I think you're the only person who would call me nice."

Harry smiled. "You're nice to me. Not a lot of people are."

"I yelled at you over Christmas," Ginny replied. "I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to make you feel worse than you already did."

"I was a bit of a wanker," Harry admitted, his neck feeling suddenly hot. "It's not that what happened wasn't significant or, or impactful. I had a lot of nightmares about it the summer after it happened. It just… last year was hard. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, to just watch…"

Harry swallowed. He had never really talked about what had happened at the graveyard, outside of when he retold the tale to Dumbledore and Sirius. Hermione pushed hard for him to talk about it, but he had only kept her at arm's length. Ron looked at him with curious eyes but he never dared ask, which Harry was grateful for. Sirius had clapped him on the shoulder a fair number of times, asked him if he was all right, but they never even talked about it after that night in Dumbledore's office.

"I watched Cedric die, Ginny," Harry whispered, pausing in his stride as he stared hard at the stone floor. "I had to duel him and I was petrified. I thought I was going to die, because I knew I would never win against him. It all happened so fast and it was awful not knowing what was going on after being sent away to the Dursleys and nobody talked to me and even now nobody will tell me anything that's going on. It was just… it is a lot to deal with. I forgot about the Chamber because everything has only gotten worse since then."

Harry refused to look at her, his eyes burning a hole into the ground. Fingers brushed against his hand, warm and soft. She squeezed his palm, causing him to look up at her.

"I know," she whispered. "I can't imagine what that was like, because nothing seems like it could be any worse than what happened with the diary. But that's silly because, of course, it could get so, so much worse. It's already started."

Harry's chest constricted, his thumb brushing against the back of Ginny's hand. "I'm sorry I forgot. I'll never forget again. I promise."

Ginny smiled tightly up at him. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Potter. That's the least of your concerns right now."

The name Potter on her tongue caused a shiver to run down his spine. It was teasing, light. He quite liked it.

Harry bent down low so that their faces were closer together. "It's a very big concern of mine. You were so still and so pale and…" Harry tightened his grip on her hand. "I remember it like it happened yesterday. My mind was just wrapped up in other things over Christmas. I would… I mean, only if you want to, I wouldn't mind… talking to you about it all. I'd love to, to pick your brain about possession. Because I want to be prepared in case it ever happens to me. I read last fall that it's possible, especially if there's a deep connection between the two people. I don't think you can get much deeper than literally seeing what the other person is doing while you sleep."

Ginny grew paler the longer he talked. He felt bad for even asking as he kicked himself mentally for being such an insensitive git. Of course, she wouldn't want to talk about that time with him of all people. He licked his bottom lip, his grip loosening on her hand so that he could pull away. It was silly. The thought of him being so comfortable after she reminded him about the mirror Sirius gave him was completely bonkers. She was just being kind, like she had always been towards him. His feelings were out of bounds. She was Ron's sister, for Merlin's sake. Just as he made to pull away completely from her, she tightened her grip.

"All right," Ginny whispered so softly that he was unsure if he even heard her right.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Ginny visibly swallowed. "We can talk about it. I mean… I wanted to talk to you about it for ages but then we went to Egypt, so you didn't come over for the summer holidays. Then, you always seemed distracted with having a mass murderer after you, then by the summer when you came over for the World Cup, you seemed, well fine. More than fine. You seemed happy even."

"You can always talk to me," Harry pressed. "I'm sorry I was such a git and didn't come talk to you about it. I should have checked up on you. I almost did. Back when I was at the Dursleys the summer after it happened. I started to write you a letter but then Ron said you were headed off to see Bill, so I just threw it away."

He had written the letter at least five times, none of the versions accurately describing his emotions on everything that had happened. He had nightmares for months about Ginny dying because he arrived too late or the basilisk killed him or the diary wasn't destroyed properly. It wasn't until he had overheard the conversation in the Three Broomsticks about Sirius being his godfather and his parents' supposed Secret Keeper did the nightmares stop. Suddenly, he had something new to obsess over and dwell about.

"I have to get to practice," Ginny announced. "We'll talk later, yeah?"

Harry's mouth became dry. "Yeah, that sounds brilliant. Have a good practice."

Ginny smiled at him, her color not completely back in the slightest. Her hand slipped from his, causing his blood to run cold. She was like a ray of sunshine. He always felt so warm and content around her. Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, he watched as she rushed towards the doors that led outside. She paused, waving at Andrew Kirke. He smiled at her and he threw an arm around her shoulders, and Harry couldn't help the tinge of jealousy that shot through him.

Letting out a sigh, Harry glanced up at the ceiling. With Ginny and Ron at Quidditch practice, Harry didn't know what to do with himself. He knew Hermione would be at the library revising, since that was where she always was with the O.W.L.s so close. Harry didn't feel like joining her. He chewed on his bottom lip, wondering if he could risk calling Sirius without a lookout.

Sirius tossed two large files onto the kitchen table. Carding a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh. This was his life in the Order of the Phoenix. Sitting in the blasted house he swore he'd never step foot in again and making schedules for members to do actual real work. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his mirror and sat it down on the table. Harry hadn't called him yet, but he always made sure to check in at least once a day. Glancing up at the clock, Sirius figured he would probably call after he was done revising for the evening.

The door to the kitchen opened and in stepped Molly Weasley. A basket of biscuits and small cakes dangled from the crook of her elbow. She was all smiles as she made her way towards the kitchen table.

"Who's ready to make some schedules?" Molly asked, sitting the basket down on the table.

Sirius chortled as he grabbed two crystal glasses from the cupboard and a bottle of whisky. "Oh, this is the highlight of my fucking week, Molly."

Crossing the kitchen, Sirius sat the glasses down on the kitchen table. He poured them each a nice amount of alcohol before he plopped down in his chair. Pulling the big folders from the middle of the table close to him, he opened them up to see work schedules from all the Order of the Phoenix members. Molly sat down beside him, grabbing the calendar and a quill.

"All right, what do we have to schedule this week?" Molly asked with a sigh as she grabbed her whisky and took a sip. "Prophecy duty, as always. What Death Eaters are worth tailing this week?"

Kicking his feet up on the table, he plopped the folder onto his lap. "Definitely the Malfoys. I know they're hiding the Lestranges."

"All week?" Molly inquired with her quill poised over the calendar.

"I'd think," Sirius replied, shuffling through the parchment to find the list of Order members that had made their availability known for the week at the last meeting. "Narcissa and Bellatrix were always close. There's no way Bellatrix isn't hiding out with her."

Molly wrote Malfoy Duty neatly on every single day of the week, just like it had been for weeks upon weeks prior. "I just think we haven't seen anything and perhaps it's a waste. Maybe the Lestranges are somewhere else."

Sirius shook his head. "I know them. Bellatrix and Narcissa are together. They'll slip up because Bellatrix is impatient. She'll want to break free soon enough and start torturing people again. It was her specialty."

Molly pursed her lips to the right. "All right. Let's fill these two up first and see what we have left."

Sirius glanced through the names of Order members. "How about Emmeline and Doge Monday night for prophecy duty?"

Molly snorted. "Merlin, no! Emmeline can't stand him. Is Kingsley free that night?'

Sirius pulled Kingsley's schedule from the pile. "Nah, he's working late that night. He can do Wednesday, though."

Molly chewed on her bottom lip. "How about Ted? What days does he have night shift this week?"

Sirius sighed as he pulled Ted Tonks' hospital schedule out. "He's good for Monday."

Around and around they went. Molly was far more concerned on who was compatible with who. Sirius didn't care if two people got along or not. It was a job and they just had to be professional about it. Sirius wouldn't care who he was partnered with if it meant getting out of the damn house.

They scheduled for the entire week, munching on Molly's treats she brought as they drank nearly the entire bottle of whisky between them. Molly's cheeks were flushed and her handwriting became a little less neat. Sirius laughed a little easier as the two chatted between filling up the schedule.

"Dora is off this weekend," Sirius announced as he took a large gulp of his whisky. "Put her and Remus on Malfoy duty."

Molly nodded. "Remus has prophecy duty on Friday night, though. He's doing that alone. Would he be up for a long Saturday?"

Sirius snorted. "Trust me, a long Saturday with my cousin is what will get him through Friday night."

Molly giggled. "Oh, they make a wonderful couple, don't they? He smiles when she's around. He rarely smiles."

Sirius scratched his lip with his thumb nail, the glass in his hand. "I've known Remus a long time. He will never do anything more than shag her brains out. The word girlfriend makes him break out in hives."

Molly made an odd sound in the back of her throat as she wrote Remus and Dora on Saturday and then drew a little heart around their names like she was a schoolgirl. "He's a catch. Merlin, if I had never met Arthur, I would be enchanted!"

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Enchanted by Remus? You'd pick Remus of all people? What about me?"

Molly glanced over at him, her eyes unfocused. "You're very handsome, dear, don't get me wrong, but you're a bit… how do I put this? Well, rough around the edges."

Sirius kicked his legs off the table and propped his elbows on his knees. "Rough around the edges, eh? No girl has ever complained about that before."

Molly shrugged, taking a big drink of her whisky. "It's the tattoos, dear. The leather jackets. I can tell at one point you had your ear pierced. Remus dresses like a gentleman."

"Remus dresses like an old man," Sirius argued.

Molly reached out and patted him on the cheek. "You are very handsome. Maybe in my younger years I would have picked you. It doesn't even matter anyway! Arthur… oh, Merlin, Arthur. He's the dream."

Sirius leaned back in his chair, swirling the dregs of his whisky in the bottom of his glass. "What was it about Arthur?"

Molly smiled, her body melting. "Oh, he was so kind. Funny too. He always had these new Muggle contraptions his dad would send him and he'd be so excited to share them in Muggle Studies. His enthusiasm and sheer love of life just drew me to him. He was like the sun and I found myself just orbiting around him."

"That is the fuckingest cheesiest thing I have ever heard," Sirius replied, a smile tugging on his lips.

Molly laughed, her head nodding. She brought the glass to her lips and smiled as she took another sip. Sirius looked down at his own glass, knowing he would never find a love like Molly and Arthur had. He had lost his soul mate just like he had lost his entire bloody family. The only person he had left, the only person that even mattered anymore, was a fifteen-year-old boy marked for death.

"James was cheesy like that," Sirius whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse. "Would spew all this romantic shit to Lily. Fuck, I would laugh at some of the shit that came out of his mouth."

Molly sat her glass down on the table, her body turning to face him. "You don't talk about them often."

A large and jagged stone had settled on his chest, piercing his heart. "Would you want to talk about someone you loved after they died?"

"I make sure I do," Molly whispered, her eyes misty, as she grasped his hand in hers. "For Harry, you should as well."

Sirius nodded, his jaw clenching, his mind rocking like he was on a boat and his lips loose because of all the whisky. "I'm trying. He… he called me the other week. Snape had a Pensieve with a memory in it of James and I being right berks. He was upset over what he saw."

Molly's brows furrowed. "Why would he have a memory like that sitting out? Did he want Harry to see it? To hurt him?" Molly huffed. "I never liked him! Ron says he's absolutely dreadful to Harry!"

Sirius met Molly's gaze, holding it. "I didn't tell this to Harry, but… Snape was, well, he loved Lily. It was unrequited, of course. She saw him as nothing more than a friend which irked him quite a bit, I think. The memory, with James and I being right gits, well, he called Lily a Mudblood. Ruined their friendship. She stopped talking to him after that, completely devastated that he would call her something so horrid. It was a long time coming. Snape was up to his eyeballs in the Dark Arts. Rumor has it, he took the mark that summer."

Molly sucked in a breath. "So he put it in the Pensieve so Harry wouldn't know about his feelings for her?"

Sirius nodded. "I know for a fact that Snape found Harry in that memory before Snape and Lily's row. Merlin, they had a row. They shouted at each other for hours. It was all around the school. It was for the best. He was dragging Lily down with him, swallowing her whole with his darkness. She finally shined bright once she was out of his grasp."

"It might help Harry understand if you'd tell him this," Molly commented, her eyes soft.

Sirius chewed the inside of his cheek. "I told him I'd tell him everything this summer. Anything he wants to know."

Molly smiled at him. "That's a fantastic idea, Sirius. I'm so glad Harry has you in his corner."

Sirius nodded, a lump forming in his throat. He had been grateful for Molly in the time he'd known her, just shy of a year. There was something about her that made him want to talk, to let out the years of pent-up frustrations and emotions he kept so messily bottled inside. She was a fantastic listener with great advice. She wasn't afraid to call him out when he was being a wanker. If only Walburga could see what a close friendship he had developed with one of England's biggest blood traitors. They should go rub it in her portrait's face.

A buzzing noise knocked Sirius out of his thoughts. Glancing over at the mirror on the table, he saw Harry's tired face shining brightly in the glass. Sirius ran a hand down his face as he reached for the mirror with his free hand.

"It's Harry," Sirius said as he flipped the mirror for Molly to see. "I can finish up the Saturday schedule myself once I'm done with Harry. He can be quite chatty."

Molly nodded as she rose from her chair. "Night, dear. I'll just clean up quick."

"You don't have to do that. Just go home, Molly," Sirius told her before turning towards the mirror. "Harry Potter."

The mirrors connected, and Sirius smiled at his godson. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Molly cleaning up the crystal glasses with a flick of her wand before tossing the near-empty bottle of whisky in the rubbish.

"Sirius! Are you all right?" Harry asked, his voice on edge.

Furrowing his brows, Sirius nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Normally, you answer the mirror a lot quicker," Harry explained, his neck flushing a soft pink.

Sirius chuckled. "Nah, I'm fine. Molly and I were making some schedules for the Order. Say hi to Molly. She's cleaning up now before she leaves, because she forgets I have an ungrateful house-elf who is moderately capable of the task."

Sirius flipped the mirror towards Molly. She adjusted the basket on her arm when she turned towards the mirror. Her face lit up as she bent forward towards the mirror.

"Oh, hello, Harry, dear!" Molly greeted. "How's school?"

"It's, err, it's all right," Harry replied. "Ron and I were just revising in the library."

"I'm glad to hear it," Molly beamed. "How's Ginny?"

"Ginny?" Harry spluttered and Sirius couldn't help but furrow his brow at the way he said her name in a slightly squeaky voice.

Molly glanced up at Sirius for a fraction of a second. "Yes, Ginny. She wrote to say she broke up with her boyfriend. She put it in a postscript, so I'm assuming she doesn't care too much as it was clearly an afterthought, but you can never assume with Ginny. She can be very tight-lipped about things."

"She's, uh, she's great," Harry said in a rush. "She's been revising tons and she's always at the pitch practicing and she's been helping me lately with Potions which is brilliant because I'm rubbish at Potions and she's quite good at it and, uh, well, yeah, she's just great."

Sirius waved to gain Molly's attention. She looked at him over the mirror.

"I think he likes her," Sirius mouthed.

Molly's eyes lit up as she swayed back and forth doing a little dance. Sirius flipped the mirror around because he needed to see his godson's expressions. Harry carded a hand through his unruly hair, looking rather squirmy.

Sirius' lips twitched. "Glad to hear Ginny is doing great."

Molly waved in his direction. "I'm heading out but we can talk tomorrow about…" Molly pointed towards the mirror.

Sirius chuckled. "Night, Molly."

Molly exited the kitchen with a little skip to her step.

"What kind of schedules were you and Mrs Weasley creating?" Harry asked, obviously steering the conversation into a direction that didn't involve Ginny.

Sirius glanced back down at the mirror, kicking his long legs up on the table to get into a more comfortable position. "Well, tailing Death Eaters and things like that. Gathering information. It's about the only useful thing I can do, so Molly and I get together once a week to do it together. She always brings food. I supply riveting conversation."

"Are you scheduling people to protect something in the Ministry of Magic like Mr Weasley was doing over Christmas?" Harry added as though challenging Sirius to deny it.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, that too."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Harry said in a flat tone.

"No, I'm not going to tell you over a mirror while you're at school where anyone can overhear," Sirius replied with a sigh.

Harry frowned, but Sirius wasn't about to let the conversation sour.

"So, Ginny's helping you with Potions?" Sirius steered the conversation back around what he really wanted to talk about. "She's very clever. Shit at Transfiguration, though. I helped her over the summer with her homework, but she excelled in all her other subjects. Cheeky girl. I like her."

Harry nodded. "She's all right."

Sirius only grinned, more than convinced that Harry fancied Ginny even if he didn't quite understand the feelings swirling around inside yet. Deciding he tortured Harry enough for one evening, he shifted the conversation to hear all about Harry's day and how his revising for his O.W.L.s were coming along. Sirius couldn't help but savor the moments he and Harry had together, grateful that he had asked Andromeda and Ted to grab the mirrors for him from Godric's Hollow and his old cottage.

Remus shifted, trying his hardest not to look over at the pink-haired witch next to him. Except, she was leaning into his side as though she were seeking warmth even though it was a nice spring day. Somehow, they always wound up as partners together. Although, that really shouldn't surprise him since he knew Molly and Sirius were often in charge of making the schedules together. Remus sucked in a breath, hating that Sirius had to open his big fat mouth about the fact that he knew Remus was shagging her. That made the entire situation worse than it had been before. She was young, pretty, adventurous. She didn't seem like she was looking for a boyfriend but rather a bit of fun. Maybe Remus had been wrong as she leaned in close to him while they stared at the gates of Malfoy Manor early one morning.

"This is the worst," Nymphadora huffed. "I hate this at my real job too. Nothing ever happens."

Remus cleared his throat, trying not to think about how her fingers ghosted along his knuckles. "Until it does."

"They must know we're following them," Nymphadora continued, her hand slipping into his.

Remus swallowed. "I reckon they do. We did this the last time too. Followed them. It was more thrilling back then. Sometimes the stakeouts ended in duels. Sirius always had the more exciting stakeouts. You should ask him about it sometime."

Nymphadora turned towards him, her chin resting on his arm as she looked up at him. "What about you? Any thrilling duels?"

"Hmm, well, once I was tailing Macnair in Malefic Way and ran into Sirius and we started punching each other," Remus recalled the incident like it had happened just yesterday, the two screaming at each other and tossing around blame for Marlene's death. "That was fun."

Nymphadora laughed, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Do you always go around punching your best mate?"

Remus hummed. "Well, at the time, I hated his bloody guts. And he hated mine."

Nymphadora shot him an odd look, her pink eyebrows lowering close to her bright gray eyes. Remus cleared his throat, glancing back at Malfoy Manor to see a herd of peacocks stalking across the front garden.

"You two seem really close," Nymphadora replied in a causal tone. "I never would have guessed you hated each other. Why did you hate each other? I thought you were friends at Hogwarts."

"We were," Remus answered with a sigh. "It's complicated. I mean, the war had us all on edge. We knew there was a spy in the Order and we all just kind of… suspected each other."

Nymphadora didn't respond because the front door to the manor opened. Narcissa Malfoy stepped outside with a pocketbook and a cloak draped over her shoulders. If she knew they were there, she didn't make it known that she knew. She never even glanced anywhere in their direction.

"Do we follow her or wait for Malfoy?" Remus asked, his gaze snapping down to hers.

"Let's follow her," Nymphadora replied with a shrug. "Why not? Malfoy may not come out or he may have left through the fireplace or something."

They waited to see what direction Narcissa would go in. Once she turned left, Remus and Nymphadora took off the Invisibility Cloak they had borrowed from Alastor. Remus tucked it into his coat pocket and saw Nymphadora out of his peripheral vision as she changed her wild pink hair into a muted brown. Once settled, they linked arms and strolled behind Narcissa, keeping a good distance between them.

When they were in the Market Cross, Narcissa made her way towards the Butter Cross. She placed one foot onto the structure and stepped right through it. She disappeared a split second later. Remus and Nymphadora picked up their speed and followed her, stepping onto the Butter Cross and disappearing down a long set of cobblestone steps into the small wizarding village of Saffron Combe.

It was one of the smallest commercial wizarding villages in all of England. Remus had personally never been as all the shops were out of his price range. In fact, it seemed to be exclusively for pureblood witches and wizards as the prices were astronomical and out of range for most wizarding families. There was even a small wizarding hospital where only purebloods sought treatment. It was a luxury, for-profit hospital and nothing like St. Mungo's.

"I never knew this village even existed until about two months ago," Nymphadora whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "The last time we had Malfoy duty, Mum was in a right state. Started giving me a rundown of everything in the area and her sister's normal haunts. She said she's been here a handful of times but never bought anything. My darling aunt would buy out stores though."

Narcissa disappeared into a traditional robe shop. Remus and Nymphadora took coverage behind a large knotted tree. Her body was positioned towards him but her eyes were on the door of the shop. Remus leaned down so that his face was closer to hers. Not because he liked the close proximity to her, but rather because it was easier to whisper.

"I always forget that Narcissa and Andromeda are sisters," Remus said in a low voice. "Narcissa was a sixth year when I was a first year. Andromeda was long gone by the time I was at school."

Nymphadora shifted. "You know my mum though. Not just from Order meetings. You seemed very familiar with her when she joined."

Remus glanced down at her. "I met her a few times through Sirius. She was the only family he talked to after he ran away. Your parents gave him pocket money for Hogsmeade weekends and would sometimes even meet us all for lunch."

"Sounds like Mum and Dad," Nymphadora replied.

Remus nodded, glancing around the tiny village. He recognized a ton of purebloods walking about, a few of them known Death Eaters and many of them Voldemort sympathizers.

"I still can't get the mental image of you and Sirius fist-fighting with one another out of my head," Nymphadora added. "Who won?"

Remus shrugged. "Nobody. We both just laid on the floor and decided to call it quits."

Nymphadora's fingers skirted across his arm. "I bet you're just being modest and you won."

Remus chuckled, his eyes still scanning the village. It was a dangerous game he was playing with Nymphadora. She was young, vibrant, and funny. He found himself being drawn to her in ways he had never found himself drawn to anyone before. Not even Dorcas. He was able to separate his feelings from sex with Dorcas. With Nymphadora, he wanted to spend time with her outside of the bedroom.

Remus froze, his thoughts of the petite woman in front of him melting from his mind when he caught sight of a woman with long brown hair. She looked around, her hazel eyes soaking in her surroundings. Remus stumbled forward, his heart hammering in his chest because it couldn't be who he thought it was. A lump formed in his throat as a flash of seven neatly lined caskets flashed before his eyes in a memory tucked away in the darkest corners of his mind. The last casket had been empty except for a dark cherry wand.

"Remus…?" Nymphadora trailed off.

He only rushed past her, his legs leading him to catch up with the woman. It couldn't be her, Remus told himself as he picked up the pace.

"MARLENE!" he shouted, his voice on edge and hoarse.

The woman didn't stop walking. Remus collided with a well-dressed wizard, and he mumbled his apologies as he kept his gaze locked with the back of Marlene's bouncy curls. Remus' heart pounded in his ears. All that mattered was talking to her, to make sure it really was Marlene.

"MARLENE!" Remus shouted again.

Remus picked up the pace, not bothering to care how many people he ran into. Once he was within arms' reach, he grabbed her by the elbow, turning her around to face him. She looked just like he remembered her, except she wore a little more makeup than normal and there were faint crinkles stemming from the corner of her eyes. Her wide hazel eyes started up at him, her body trembling underneath his touch.

"Marlene," Remus breathed.

The fear on her face turned to confusion at the name, her head shaking. "I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else."

Remus stilled, his brow furrowing. "You're not Marlene McKinnon?"

She shook her head. "No, no, my name is Bella Riddle." Her eyes flickered down to his hand on her elbow, and Remus felt all the air leave his lungs at the name. "Please, let go of me."

Remus let go of her arm just as Nymphadora stepped up beside him, her eyes staring holes into him. Licking his lip, Remus had never been surer of anything in his life. Bella Riddle was not her name, but he didn't know how to even approach Marlene. Did she really believe she was Bella Riddle? What had the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort done to her?

"No, you're Marlene McKinnon," Remus whispered. "Don't you recognize me?"

Marlene shook her head, taking a step backwards. "I'm sorry, you really do have me mistaken for someone else."

Remus swallowed. "It's me. Remus. Remus Lupin. We went to Hogwarts together."

"Remus, I don't think she's who you think she is," Nymphadora interrupted, her voice hardened for reasons Remus didn't understand.

"No, it is her," Remus insisted. "Look, you have to remember Lily, Dorcas, Mary, James, Sirius-"

Marlene paled. "Sirius?"

The corners of Remus' lips twitched at the small victory. "You remember Sirius? Sirius Black?"

"How do you know Sirius Black?" Marlene whispered, fear evident in her tone.

Remus' smile dropped from his lips. "We were all friends at school."

"He's a monster," Marlene replied as she took another step away from him. "Please, I'm just trying to move on. I don't… please, don't tell him where I am."

Remus blinked. "Marlene-"

"Bella," Marlene insisted.

Remus took a step forward, and he felt Nymphadora wrap her fingers around his arm. "Tell me about Sirius Black."

"He…" Marlene gulped, her eyes filling with tears. "He hurt me. He abused me. I was relieved when he went to Azkaban. The moment he broke out, the moment I knew he was out there again lurking… I... please, I don't want him to find me."

There was a lot of ways to describe Sirius. He was hotheaded, rash, and unpredictable. Remus could remember clear as day when James had told him how he had watched Sirius kill a Death Eater with no remorse, no emotion. It hadn't even affected him. Sirius could be vicious and his words cutting to people he didn't like. Sirius could be downright cruel at times. Except Sirius was also the kindest person towards those he loved. Sirius loved deeply and fiercely, was loyal and protective, was kind and loving. Remus knew Sirius had loved Marlene and there was no way that Sirius would hurt her.

"Is that why you're going by a different name?" Remus pressed. "You're scared of Sirius?"

Marlene blinked, her head shaking. "No, my name is Bella Riddle. I'm sorry, but I need to be at work in five minutes."

Marlene turned and dashed away from him. Remus watched her go, his mind flying with possibilities. Nymphadora slumped next to him, her gaze burning into him.

"Who was that?" Nymphadora asked in a cool voice. "Your ex-girlfriend?"

Remus' jaw clenched. "No, Sirius' actually. We thought she was murdered with her entire family during the first war."

Nymphadora stilled, her gaze snapping in front of them. Marlene turned and walked up the cobblestone path, up a small hill towards Hyacinth Hospital. Remus knew that some digging into who Bella Riddle was and how she became to be was more than warranted. He needed to contact Dumbledore immediately and then think about how to even begin to approach the topic with Sirius. Remus could remember Sirius' demeanor after Marlene's supposed death like it was yesterday, the way he spiraled completely out of control. Lily had fretted, voicing her concerns to Remus through tears on the mirror.

Swallowing, Remus knew he and Nymphadora had work to do. "Fancy putting your investigation skills to work for the Order?"

Nymphadora chuckled, her arm looping with his. "It certainly beats tailing my insanely posh aunt. You're going to find out just how good of an Auror I actually am."

Remus looked down at her, a soft smiling gracing his face. "Where do we start in figuring out who the fuck Bella Riddle is?"

Nymphadora arched an eyebrow. "How do you feel about pretending to be a special liaison to the Auror Department?"

Remus blinked at her. "What kind of liaison?"

Nymphadora cocked her head to the side. "A very sexy, tall and mysterious liaison."

"I need a little more than that," Remus admitted, a hand running down his face.

"A Dark Arts specialist," Nymphadora said after a beat. "If you think this Marlene or Bella or whoever she is, is under some sort of Dark magic spell, then a specialist would be needed."

"What if we're caught?" Remus inquired.

Nymphadora shrugged. "Kingsley will have our back. Plus, I heard that Kingsley is bringing three more Aurors into the Order next meeting. We'll have more people on the inside on our side soon enough."

"All right, let's just… let's go," Remus said with a sigh. "Let's not say anything to Sirius until we know for sure what is going on. All right?"

Nymphadora nodded, pulling him to follow her through the narrow cobblestone lanes of the small village. Her hand slid down his arm until it reached his hand. He wrapped his fingers around her palm and he followed her back towards the exit. There was no doubt in Remus' mind. That had to have been Marlene McKinnon and she was scared out of her wits.

I just have to say that I want to cry because of the sheer amount of support and kind words that you guys have shown me so far. Most of you are all so amazing and kind and motivating. I updated a day early for all of you. For those of you who left less than kind reviews, no need to review again unless you have something nice to say. Fanfiction is free and something that is supposed to be fun. We're all amateur writers, so be kind. The x is in the corner if you don't like it. For the rest of you who are amazing, please, keep up the reviews! You by far drowned out the negative ones and made me so happy that I cannot put my appreciation accurately into words.

For the one anonymous reviewer who claimed this story was too fluffy. Gosh, you made me laugh. You must not have read me before. Hi, I'm Sam, and I really fucking love angst. I call this plot device the fluff before the storm. If you want to see the full berth of my angst abilities, please go read Backstabber. I've had some readers tell me it was too dark and angsty to finish. So, don't worry, the fluff doesn't last long and you'll be asking for it back soon enough. In fact, the tagline for this story should be "Summer is Coming…"

The Marlene storyline was started in Backstabber. If you want to know everything that happened right now with that, go read Backstabber. If you want a bit of mystery and to find out what happened with our favorite cabbage, artichoke, and aubergine, then keep reading and wait for the answers to your questions as the storyline unravels. I promise you, Backstabber is not necessary to read in order to understand this story, but it does divulge deeper into some background information.

Updates are every Sunday but, as you saw today, overwhelmingly kind support and reviews makes me update early.

Special thanks to Bell for being so awesome and editing for me.