Disclaimer: I don't own HP, I only own Evan and Iris (and Baby Black).

AN: *Hides face from the glares* I know, I know "Where the hell have you been, IWantColouredRain?" Okay, so here's what happened: first, I just needed a break from HP, especially because, as I may have mentioned, I hate OOTP and have been dreading trying to write it. Plus this chapter was fighting me. Then I had exams and had to focus on them, and then I went on hols and when I came back I was taken over by what I like to call 'Holiday Laze'. It's taken me ages to force myself to work on this again. But, here we are (admittedly with a bit of a filler chapter) and I pinky promise I'll be better now.

Thank the reviewer who kickstarted my guilty conscience by asking when I'd be updating.

Published 29-6-2024

Read, enjoy and review!

Chapter Four

The Badge

Aludra sighed in relief as the doors to Courtroom Ten slammed shut behind her. That had been close. Closer than Evan and Iris would hopefully ever realize, given the count. They'd had a majority for clearing him, but not a strong one. She didn't know what she would have done if the Wizengamot didn't allow for Pensieve memories. As it was, she had never been more grateful for her intensive training in both Wizengamot procedures and being cool under pressure, otherwise Evan would probably have been expelled. She hoped Uncle Frank and the other Order allies in the Court had memorized who voted for and against, because she'd been too busy counting the votes to look at who was voting which way.

These thoughts ran through her head as she began to lead the way back to the lifts. Just then, the elevator door clattered open and the Potters, Dumbledore, and Aludra's father came rushing out.

"Evan!" Lady Potter cried. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"It's fine Mum, don't worry," Evan assured her, his voice a bit softer than it had usually been towards her this summer. "Ally was brilliant," he added admiringly, giving her an amazed look. "She completely dominated the whole trial. I've been cleared of all charges, and they're going to investigate why the Dementors were in the area."

The Potter parents sighed in relief before looking tentatively at Aludra, who stiffened.

"Thank you, Aludra," Lady Potter told her softly.

"The House of Potter acknowledges a debt of gratitude to the House of Black," Lord Potter added nervously.

"The House of Black acknowledges the House of Potter's debt and denies it. Evan is family," Sirius answered curtly, before turning back to his daughter, leaving the Potter parents looking disheartened. Aludra ignored them, focusing on her father. "Ally, are you alright, little star?"

She gave him a strained smile. "I'm fine, Daddy," she assured him. At age fifteen, she was probably a bit old to still be saying 'Daddy', but she didn't really care, and Sirius didn't mind either. She turned to her grandfather, who was watching in patient silence, ignoring how his twinkle had dimmed a bit during the Blacks' terse 'interaction' with the Potters. "Granddad, I noticed something during the trial," she said softly.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow in invitation.

"The Dark faction wanted an investigation into the Dementors too," she informed him. "The vote was almost unanimous. I know we all assumed they had been sent by Voldemort but with this..."

She trailed off. Evan and Iris were frowning, evidently not having noticed that (not that she blamed them, not being a part of the Order), while the adults (save Dumbledore, who was simply nodding, a thoughtful expression on his face) exchanged troubled looks, even Sirius.

"I see," Dumbledore murmured, before turning to Aludra's father. "Sirius, do you think you will be able to get involved in the investigation?"

"I'll speak to Amelia," Sirius promised. "At the very least, I can probably get one of the team involved. Tonks, maybe." Aunt Amelia was a sympathizer, but not an official member of the Order, for several reasons, ranging from her family's deaths as part of the Order to the risk to her position as Director of the DMLE if she was discovered to be a member of a vigilante organization. Still, she turned a blind eye to the Black Team's activities and helpful information had 'accidentally' been slipped to Sirius, which in turn made its' way to the Order's meetings. Plus, the Ossuary was warded heavily enough that Aludra had been able to safely visit Susan, which was a huge relief.

She thanked the Goddess every day that Aquila Blaecus was smart enough to claim and ward Ravenshold back during the Claudian invasion of Britain. If she'd been stuck inside the Manor all summer, it was safe to say that Aludra would have gone totally insane.

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction, before turning to Aludra. "Excellent work, my dear girl," he congratulated her. "I couldn't have done better myself."

"Thank you, Granddad," Aludra smiled back tiredly. She looked at her father. "Can we go home now?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded, turning to the Potters. "Lily, James, could you take her home, please?" He requested stiffly. "I still have work to do."

"Of course, Sirius," Lord Potter nodded.

Aludra hugged her father and grandfather goodbye, then followed the Potters to the fireplaces, determinedly remaining silent save for when Evan or Iris addressed her. The last thing she wanted was to give an opening to the Potter parents.

Mrs. Weasley threw a party in the guest wing to celebrate Evan being cleared. Aludra wasn't against that, per se, but she was annoyed that the woman had decided to do so without asking for permission from her parents. The constant battle with the Weasley woman was giving her a worse headache than Voldemort's nightly assaults on her Occlumency shields.

During the party, Aludra found herself in a corner, sitting with George. They had some cake (Aludra would hand this to Mrs. Weasley - she was a good cook, though her food tended to be that bit too rich for Aludra's liking) on their plates, and George had an arm draped over Aludra's shoulders, drawing her in to lean against him.

"You okay?" he asked her softly.

"Tired," she answered honestly. "It's been a long day."

"We could sneak out, go to the beach?" he offered.

"It's raining," Aludra pointed out dryly. She shook her head. "No, don't worry. Uncle Moony said that I can take a Dreamless Sleep tonight, and I've got an appointment with my Mind Healer tomorrow. They'll both help. I just wish I could get a single night without Voldemort attacking my Occlumency shields."

"I wish I could do more to help you," George sighed, looking pained.

She smiled at him softly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "You do a lot for me," she argued. "You listen to me rant, hold me when I cry, you don't pressure me to tell you what's happening in the meetings and you stop Ron and Ginny when they try and get me to talk...you're always there for me. I can talk to you about stuff I can't talk about to anyone else, even my dad. Don't ever underestimate how much I appreciate that."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's go for a walk," he urged her. "Screw the rain. That's what impervious charms are for."

She gave in, setting her half-eaten Black Forest gateau aside and rising to her feet. Fred unleashed some fireworks, and in the resulting chaos nobody except Remus noticed the young couple sneaking away. He stayed silent despite his protective uncle instincts disliking his cub being alone with her boyfriend. He trusted Ally to be responsible, and Lady Magic knew that she desperately needed these little escapes from her ingrained need to be the perfect pureblood Lady.

Besides, Ravenshold was the safest place in the British Isles right now. It would take Voldemort's entire army to break through the centuries' worth of wards protecting the island.

The young couple made their way out to the formal gardens and the marble, neo-classical pavilion, where George enchanted the blooming flowers to sing for them while they waltzed, gazing into each other's eyes and exchanging soft, tender kisses.

It was one of the best evenings Aludra had had in a long time.

The next day, Aludra came down late to the main breakfast parlour, having indulged herself with a rare lie-in before a short swim in the private indoor pool. Despite the late hour, the Weasleys and Potters were there, to her surprise, but the puzzle was solved when she saw her grandmother.

Hogwarts letters had finally arrived, and it would be easier on Grandma Min to simply disperse them all at once to the incoming students.

"Good morning, Grandma," Aludra greeted the Transfiguration professor, going over to embrace her and kiss her cheek.

Professor McGonagall smiled warmly and kissed her forehead affectionately. "Good morning, dear," she replied. "I have your letters."

Aludra smiled and nodded. She waited patiently as her grandmother handed out the letters to their respective recipients in reverse alphabetical order. Hers was at the bottom of the pile, and her eyes widened hopefully, a smile starting to tug at her lips as she felt the heaviness of the envelope and the shape of the badge within.

Her grandmother's smile widened. "Go on, my dear," she urged. "Open it!"

Her father, uncle and stepmother came closer to her, also looking pleased, as Aludra broke the wax seal and took out the Prefect's badge.

"I'm Prefect!" She exclaimed in delight.

"It couldn't be anyone else," Grandma Min told her warmly. "You already help the younger years with finding their way around the castle, tutor for anyone who needs it, and you're top of the year grades-wise. I didn't need to even think about it."

"Ah, a Prefect," Sirius sighed dramatically, a wide grin on his face. "Such a good child. Where did I go wrong? You spent too much time with Moony as a little girl."

Remus rolled his eyes and hit Sirius with his copy of the Prophet, then went over and hugged Aludra. "Congratulations, my girl," he told her warmly. "We're so proud."

"All jokes aside, we really are," her father added, joining the embrace.

"Let me take a picture," Emma urged, pulling out a camera from her robe pocket. Following her stepmother's instructions, Aludra pinned the badge to her chest and smiled widely as Emma snapped several photos.

All the while, Aludra could feel Ron's bitterness radiating from him. Clearly (and unsurprisingly, given his lazy nature and low grades) he wouldn't be her male counterpart this year. She pointedly ignored him, however, focusing on being proud of herself for achieving her goal. She'd worked hard to prosper in Hogwarts, to prove herself, despite the turmoil of her school years, and this was the proof that her efforts had paid off.

"I dunno, Gred," Fred sighed mockingly. "Dating a Prefect...it could seriously ruin your reputation. Are you sure you want to stick with her?"

George grinned and winked at his brother. "To the bitter end," he answered, coming over to peck Aludra on the cheek. "Congrats, Lu," he told her sincerely. "You deserve this."

"Thanks George," she replied with a smile.

"Yeah, congratulations," Fred agreed.

Evan also congratulated her, but Aludra spotted a glimmer of disappointment in his hazel eyes as he did so. She didn't want to rub it in, so she put the badge in her pocket and waited until breakfast was over and she was walking her grandmother to the Floo to ask who her partner would be.

She was pleased to learn that Neville was the male 5th Year Gryffindor Prefect. Her best friend still struggled with low self-esteem, though it had vastly improved from when they were little. Besides, he was friendly and helpful towards the lower years, and maintained a steady E average with an O in Herbology. He deserved this reward and acknowledgement of his hard work.

"Well, I think the best thing to do is give me everyone's list, and I'll go to Diagon tomorrow to buy everything," Mrs. Weasley announced decisively when Aludra returned.

"Why do we have to stay behind?" Ron objected.

His mother gave him a scolding look. "Because, Ron, it's too dangerous," she replied sternly.

"You-Know-Who is hardly going to attack Diagon Alley!" Ron scoffed in disbelief.

"Diagon was attacked four times during the First War," Remus interrupted grimly, his expression and those of the previous War's veterans all haunted with dark memories. "In fact, it was an attack on Diagon that elevated his actions from terrorism to outright war. Not to mention there were multiple kidnappings, particularly of Heirs who were shopping for school supplies, to be held hostage for various reasons.

While I don't believe it's likely he'll make any moves this summer, given our information, I have to agree with your mother that it's too risky for any of you to go."

Mrs. Weasley looked startled at the unexpected support, given Remus and the Blacks had been arguing with her over every decision she made (most of which were not hers to make in Ravenshold), but she held her tongue for once and simply nodded.

"That being said, I think it's up to parents to buy their children's supplies, don't you agree Molly?" Emma added firmly. "Besides, a group of us will be safer than just one person going. I'll take a half-day tomorrow and go with you to get Ally's things. Ally, sweetheart, can you write out a list of what you need and any extras you want?"

"And I think it's only fair you get a reward for your hard work paying off," Sirius added fondly, smoothing down her braid. "Think about it today and tell us in the morning before Emma leaves what you want, okay?"

"Thanks, Daddy, Em," Aludra agreed. She was a bit disappointed that they weren't allowed to go to the Alley, but she had been expecting it, and understood.

It was a huge relief they had Ravenshold though. If she'd been trapped in the Manor for the entire summer, unable to do anything beyond walk around the garden, she'd have gone mad. Especially if the Weasleys and Potters had invaded the Manor too.

Lady Potter also agreed that she would be purchasing Evan and Iris' things without their presence, shutting down her children's half-hearted objections firmly with support from her husband.

"Alright, I'd best get moving," Sirius announced as the clock chimed twelve. "Love you." He kissed Aludra's forehead, exchanged a quick kiss with Emma, brushed his hand gently over her gently swelling stomach, then hurried off to make his way to the Ministry.

Aludra, meanwhile, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and turned to smile as normally as she could at Evan and Iris. "Fancy a broom race?" She asked.

It was the first time since their arrival that she'd extended an offer to spend time with them, a sharp contrast to their previous visits to Black property.

Their expressions lit up and they jumped to their feet. "Sounds like a plan," Evan agreed eagerly.

"We'll get our brooms," Iris added, beaming like she'd just won the Daily Prophet Draw.

"I-" Ron began to say, only to be cut off by George's elbow digging into his diaphragm. She'd told her boyfriend yesterday that she was going to spend some time with her siblings to try and repair some of the strain to their relationship.

They'd been friends long before the truth came out, and she wanted to get that connection back, even if she didn't feel ready to be siblings with them yet.

Remus and Emma smiled encouragingly at Aludra as she left the dining room on the Potter siblings' heels.

She pretended not to notice the heavy and familiar feeling of Lord and Lady Potter's gazes on her back as she walked away.

Her brother and sister were one thing. Their parents were entirely another.