Safehouses and Awakenings

March 1997

"I had wondered," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "if anyone had reached out to you recently. I agree; at some point, they will. It's just a matter of time."

They were in the upstairs parlor of the Hog's Head again, their usual meeting place. Dumbledore had readily responded when Adrian reached out to ask if they could meet briefly so he could discuss his concerns regarding his classmates possibly contacting him, realizing he wasn't in society at present.

Dumbledore added, "How often do you venture into places like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade?"

"Not often. Maybe a two or three times a month. Mum occasionally sends me out to run errands, and I'm glad to get out of the house, but I make sure to keep my hood over my face so no one recognizes me. That's not foolproof, though."

"No, it's not. Do you ever go out for drinks? Socializing?"

Adrian laughed bitterly. "With who?"

Dumbledore gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I know this has been hard on you, Adrian. My hope is that one day, it won't be like this anymore." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he added, "Just, please be careful when you go out. And I think, when your former classmates eventually decide to contact you, telling them you're helping with family business is probably your safest bet. Most sons in your position are expected to help their fathers and brothers in family business interests. However, you were always a bit of a loner at school, so the fact that you haven't been attending parties may not be commented on much."

"Hopefully," Adrian replied, his voice grim.

Dumbledore waved his wand and the bottle of mead on the table poured out another glass for each of them. Adrian knew it was Madam Rosemerta's oak-matured mead and that Dumbledore always snuck it into the Hog's Head. He sometimes wondered what the barman downstairs would say if he knew.

Dumbledore changed the subject. "You did a marvelous job on breaking Harper's ciphers for the existing accounts once Bill was able to find the code list."

Adrian couldn't help rolling his eyes. "That wasn't hard. Harper isn't the brightest. And it doesn't do anyone much good if we can't stop Death Eaters from donating gold to St. Mungo's, the Ministry, the Wireless, and the Prophet."

"No, but it at least tells us where the money is going, and we can make educated guesses as to why. Your mother and Straun MacMillan are both keeping an eye on the St. Mungo's Board, and I have contacts at the Ministry. The Prophetand the Wireless will always do what the Ministry says, so there's no point in even bothering with them. I'll ask you and Kenneth to continue keeping an eye on the Gringotts' accounts, but Kenneth can manage most of that himself unless Harper changes the cipher or a new organization appears in the codes. However, I have a secondary assignment for you, if you're willing to accept it."

Adrian looked up expectantly. "Of course, sir. Unless you want to send me back out to society parties…"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, definitely not." He took a sip of mead before explaining, "I'd like you and Remus Lupin to scout possible safehouse locations around the country. We may need them at some point in the future, and it's best to have them mapped out, protected, and ready beforehand. Remus has been spying on the werewolves for me, but I know he is quite weary of that and would appreciate a short respite. You may have to do a bit of the legwork yourself, such as finding places… but he can help when the moon is new."

"What types of places do you need for safehouses?" Adrian asked.

"In case there is a fight, we need a place where the injured can go to be healed or recuperate. A vacant house would be ideal, but I wouldn't turn down any structure as long as it has a roof and can be protected by magic. We need to be able to keep supplies at such locations — food, blankets, potions, bandages — those sorts of thing. We may need to falsify muggle land records temporarily to ensure we do not break the Statute of Secrecy, but I have other contacts who can do that. I just need you to find some possible locations. Make sure they are scattered throughout the country. I don't want them bunched up together."

"What about safehouses in magical communities? Godric's Hollow, Rowenashire, Salisbury, or Little Helga?"

"Unfortunately, we must avoid those locations. The Death Eaters will target such places at some point, I fear. Look for mundane, vacant places that the Death Eaters would be more likely to ignore."

Adrian nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll start on that this month."

Dumbledore's expression was suddenly weary. "And Adrian? Please be careful. Do you have an invisibility cloak?"

"No, sir. But I can Disillusion myself pretty well."

"Make sure you do. Remus will contact you as soon as I speak to him. Don't send him a Patronus; it's too risky."

"I won't," Adrian agreed.

Adrian hadn't seen his old Defense professor in several years, and he couldn't help but notice that Remus Lupin looked far too old for his actual age, with more gray hair than Adrian remembered. He was tired, sullen, and downcast, and his clothes were distinctly shabbier, too. Adrian suspected living amongst other werewolves had put Remus Lupin in his current mood, and heknew from experience that it was hard to be cheerful when one was forced to spend time with those they didn't like.

When Remus had reached out to Adrian at Dumbledore's request, they decided to meet at a location near Pucey Villa — because Adrian had a feeling that if they met in a wizarding pub, someone might recognize Remus and kick him out based on his condition. Besides, they didn't need to be overheard, either. And a muggle pub was out of the question given the discussion they needed to have.

The place Adrian selected was actually the extensive country property of a wealthy muggle, built in the early nineteenth-century, and it had a few random follies on the grounds. The muggle in question was traveling, so the place was closed up, which meant they would be free to have a conversation without being discovered.

The folly Adrian had specifically chosen was a small round stone gazebo, the stone roof held up by stone columns, constructed solely for aesthetic pleasure. He felt there was a certain amount of irony in meeting at a muggle folly to discuss the wizarding war, and he didn't think that irony would be lost on his old professor.

Remus Apparated in front of the structure just moments after Adrian did that night.

"What score did you receive on my final test your fifth-year?" the former professor asked quietly, even as Adrian held his wand steady.

"One hundred and two percent," Adrian answered. "Which Slytherin student in my year did the worst on that exam?"

Remus chuckled. "Bletchley, wasn't it?"

Adrian lowered his wand and raked a hand through his hair as he looked across the dark lawns. "The great arse can cast any curse he sets his mind to," he said disparagingly, "but he couldn't take out a boggart."

Remus chuckled. "To be fair, most of my students are not as brilliant as you are."

Adrian smiled. "It's good to see you again, Professor."

"And you, Adrian. Remus is fine though," the older man said, waving a hand aside. "Not as if I'm a professor anymore, is it?" He turned and gazed across the dark landscape, too.

"You were the best Defense professor we had. At least you weren't a Death Eater like Crouch was, impersonating Moody."

"True. Though being a werewolf is hardly much better." Remus sighed and turned the conversation to more important matters. "Dumbledore briefed me on your involvement in the Order and what he has asked you to do next. I'm glad you're a member of the Order, Adrian. But sadly, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you much this month. April will be better for me. There's a solar eclipse in three days, and even though it's on the other side of the earth, it still affects werewolves to some extent. We lose our powers during a lunar eclipse, but during a solar eclipse, they are slightly heightened. It's imperative that I remain in Grayback's camp for the rest of the month to see what they do during this time. I recommend you stay at home for the next few days, just as a precaution." He sounded quite bitter.

"I understand. Professor Dumbledore told me to find a few locations and run them by you, so I'll spend the next month visiting different places to see if anything looks suitable for a safehouse or two."

"Good. And we can scout for a couple of hours tonight, before I have to go back, if you'd like."

"Did you use safehouses in the first war?"

"We did." Remus buried his hands in his pockets and frowned. "They were necessary back then. There were so many skirmishes and fights in the first war, and we were greatly outnumbered. Death Eaters were just picking us off, one by one, and I was about your age. It was hard. We were so young, and we were losing friends and family members constantly. I won't say this war is easier — it's not — but it is a little different than the first one. We are slightly better prepared, and that helps. I can show you an old safehouse, if you'd like, to give you an idea of what to look for. I think one or two are still standing."

"That would be helpful."

Remus held out his arm to Adrian. "Ready to jump?"

Adrian nodded and grasped his arm. A second later, Remus Apparated, and they were facing an old, rundown cottage in the woods.

Adrian said nothing as Remus cast a couple of spells to make sure they were alone; only once they were certain of that fact did Adrian speak — and even then, it was in a whisper.

"Where are we?"

"Eastern Ireland. This one was used occasionally, and I don't think it was ever compromised. Not much to look at it, is it?" Remus cast a lighting spell and moved forward, pushing the door open. It creaked ominously, but Adrian followed, keeping his wand raised and glancing behind him nervously, even though he knew they were alone.

The stone roof was still intact, but a heavy coating of dust covered everything inside. It only had three rooms — two bedrooms and a main sitting room. There wasn't even a bathroom. In the light of his wand, Remus looked satisfied, though.

"This one is actually in pretty decent shape," he said, though Adrian thought that was a gross overstatement for a place that felt like it was about to fall in. "We should put some protective charms around it to conceal it. The old charms appear to have disappeared, which probably means whoever cast them is likely dead. I'll show you the best ones to use. That way, you can place similar charms around other structures you find this month, since I can't help you until April."

Adrian nodded, and when they stepped outside, he paid far closer attention than he ever had in any class, to make sure he knew exactly what to do. He would come back later and clean this one, or maybe just ask Salsby to help.

In mid-March, Towler contacted Adrian through the two-way mirrors to let him know that one of the apothecaries had sent Kenneth an owl early that morning, letting him know that they had received a small shipment of Ashwinder eggs and his name was next on their list for purchase. But the price was beyond exorbitant. Even Adrian was horrified when Towler relayed it to him: fifty galleons for five eggs. He told Towler to give him a few minutes so he could let his father know, but Alexander merely looked resigned when Adrian told him the price, and he reached into his study's wall safe to get the necessary gold out.

Towler took his lunch hour to meet Adrian in Woolhope to exchange the funds, and the former Gryffindor Head Boy promised he would be careful in transporting the eggs. Thank Merlin Towler had taken Advanced Potions, too — he knew how dangerous Ashwinder eggs were, at least. If they weren't handled right, the bloody things would explode. Towler assured Adrian he was going to Apparate directly back to Diagon Alley, purchase the eggs immediately, take them straight back to his flat and put them in the icebox until he could get off work, and then he would Apparate to Pucey Villa at 5:30 to hand them over.

At 5:30 on the dot, Towler's Patronus materialized in front of Adrian and requested entry into the Pucey gates.

This time, Adrian's mother insisted he eat dinner with them.

"I won't hear of it otherwise!" Alania said emphatically, as soon as Towler was in the front door. "After you went to all this trouble to get those things! Our cook has made a delicious dinner, and you can take some back home to your girlfriend, as well. If it weren't for the fact that she can't know of Adrian's involvement in the Order, we would have invited her, too."

Towler tried to protest, but it was useless. "They're just Ashwinder eggs, Mrs. Pucey —"

Alania shook her head. "Alania, please! The apothecaries are paying very close attention to who is buying what. You know that. There was no way we could have gotten them. I've already sent Adrian out several times for ingredients, and I couldn't send him out for those without someone getting suspicious. Besides, they're horribly expensive and you said there they were on back order. I hope we didn't affect you in purchasing them, if you needed them for yourself at some point."

"Definitely not. I don't brew anymore, and Karen didn't take Advanced Potions."

"Well, we very much appreciate you buying them for us, and dinner is the least we can offer," Alania said again.

"Are these for Felix Felicis?" Towler asked Adrian, carefully handing over the box of cold eggs.

Adrian smiled. "Yes. Dad's going to help. He has a potioneer's license."

Alexander walked into the entry at that point. "Ah, excellent. I'll take those and get them down to the stillroom. They'll need to be kept cool until we use them. Mr. Towler, thank you very much for your willingness to purchase them on our behalf."

Towler nodded politely. "Of course, sir. I'm happy I could help."

"Well!" Adrian's mother smiled. "Let's go through to the dining room, shall we? I want to hear what you've been up to lately, Kenneth."

Adrian sighed. It was going to be a long evening, he could already tell.

Scouting for safehouses throughout the rest of the month at least gave Adrian something to do with his time besides lying on the sofa in his family's library and helping his father in the stillroom. He took precautions every time he went out of the house, making sure to Disillusion himself before Apparating. Within a couple of weeks, he felt he'd seen more of the country than he realized even existed. He looked at old warehouses, rundown homes, outdated barns, vacant buildings. He looked in the countryside, in cities, on the coast, up in the mountains, in fens and dales and everywhere else.

By the end of March, he felt he'd found at least four possible places that could work.

The first was an old, abandoned home in southern Lincolnshire, off the road and out in the country. It was quite spacious; it had four upstairs bedrooms, two old baths, a sitting room, a parlor, a dining room, and a kitchen. It was rundown, but Adrian knew it could be easily modified by magic, while at the same time maintaining the look of abandonment on the outside. It's main advantage was that it was large enough for several people to hide in case of a large skirmish with injuries.

The second place was an old, abandoned stone barn in north Yorkshire, and while it wasn't entirely ideal, it had a roof and the land was tied up in legalities according to what he'd heard from the locals at a nearby pub when he'd stopped to get a pint.

The third location was a small, empty warehouse in Liverpool, near the river. It wasn't Adrian's first choice, but it was out of the way on a deserted wharf. He Apparated there several times to see if anyone ever showed up, but he never saw anyone. Perhaps Dumbledore could get someone to check the ownership records.

The fourth spot was a small Victorian cottage in central Wales that had also been abandoned. It was rundown and empty, with only two bedrooms and a bath, a kitchen, and a parlor. It would be ideal for small skirmishes with injuries.

When April came around, Remus was true to his word and met Adrian back at the folly in the Lake District at the new moon. It was April 7th, and even though it was dark, it was at least a balmy evening and the weather was nice.

Adrian jumped them this time, first to the abandoned home in Lincolnshire. Remus approved of it as soon as they walked through it, and they set about casting more extensive wards and protective charms over it than Adrian had done initially, including muggle repelling charms and strong shields. They cleaned up a bit inside too, which went a lot faster with someone helping him than trying to do it by himself.

It was just past midnight before they finished, but Remus jumped with him again to the stone barn in Yorkshire and agreed that it would work in a pinch, so they set more elaborate charms around it, as well.

They waited until the next evening to visit the warehouse and the Victorian cottage. Remus decided against the warehouse, and Adrian also agreed it wasn't the best option. But his old professor liked the cottage in Wales, so they also went about protecting it, too. Remus made copies of all the addresses, and said he would have the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt — who was also a member of the Order, as well — look into each place.

"I think I'll go ahead and tell him about your involvement in the Order while I'm at it," Remus said quietly, as they stood in the small kitchen of the abandoned cottage in Wales. "Dumbledore hasn't told me to do so, but I think it would be a good idea."

"Any particular reason?" Adrian asked, his brow furrowing.

Remus shrugged. "Just as a precaution. I understand Dumbledore wanting to keep your involvement as secret as possible, because you were a Slytherin, and at some point, the Death Eaters will try to recruit you. But the more of our inner circle who know you're helping the Order, the better. If something were to happen, you would have more than one or two people to reach out to, and I wouldn't want other Order members to inadvertently attack you at any point."

Adrian almost laughed. "Who would attack me? I never see anyone."

Remus said thoughtfully, "Well, let's say a skirmish breaks out. I contact you and ask you to meet us at a safehouse, and you do. But when I arrive, I've got the infamous, notoriously hot-headed Weasley twins with me, because they were caught in the skirmish, and I need to hide them and treat their injuries." The older man gave him a slightly twisted smile. "What do you think would happen?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Those arseholes would start throwing hexes at me, I suspect, and I would start trying to curse them."

"Exactly. But now, let's say I'm not with them." Remus began to pace the floor. "I send you a Patronus to tell you to have the safehouse ready, but I have to stay behind to do some damage control at the skirmish site. Let's say Kingsley jumps them to safety. If he doesn't know of your involvement, what would happen then?"

Adrian suddenly felt cold. "He would probably start attacking me, too. And I doubt that I could hold off a full Aurorandthe Weasley twins."

Remus nodded grimly. "Exactly. Kinglsey is high in our ranks, and well respected. He won't betray you, I can promise you that. I'll run it by Dumbledore just as a precaution, but I really think it's best if Kingsley knows you're involved at this point. It's been nine months since you started helping the Order, after all."

"Very well," Adrian agreed. "Let me know if Kingsley wants to meet with me?"

Remus smiled. "I will. I suspect he'll want to meet with you at least once, just to put a face to a name. I think you'll like him, Adrian."

A few days later, Remus sent him a Patronus and asked Adrian to meet him and Kingsley at the abandoned house in Lincolnshire at nine o'clock in the evening.

Kinglsey was a tall, bald black man around Remus's age, with a deep, calming voice. Adrian liked him immediately. He had a presence about him that exuded leadership and control. It was easy to see why he was an Auror and why he was in the Order.

"Well met, Adrian Pucey. Remus and Albus tell me you have been helping the Order for the past nine months," Kingsley said, shaking his hand. "First spying on the elite and learning which of the younger set have become Death Eaters, then trying to find support for us in France, as well as helping to uncover money trails that were ciphered, and now scouting safehouses. I'm quite impressed."

Adrian flushed. "None of that was terribly difficult, sir," he admitted.

"Not even the ciphers?" Kingsley smiled as he stepped up on the porch of the house.

Adrian laughed softly. "Especially not the ciphers. Those were probably the easiest thing I did. Gerald Harper was using a Caesar Cipher and it was so pathetically simple to break, a child could have done it."

"Then may I ask, what do you believe was your hardest task so far?"

That was easy. "Reading the minds of fellow Slytherins and Death Eaters. That was a bit nerve-racking."

"Albus wouldn't have asked you to do it if he were not confident in your skills at Legilimency. I heard he trained you himself." Kingsley opened the door and stepped inside the front hall, glancing around in the gloom before casting Homenum Revelio to make sure no one was inside.

"Only a few lessons," Adrian replied.

"He also said you earned ten N.E.W.T.'s last year. What did you plan to do with those?"

At that, however, Adrian looked away. "It doesn't matter."

Kinglsey and Remus both paused and looked at him.

Remus said, "It does matter. What did you intend to do, Adrian?"

Adrian sighed. "I wanted to be an Auror. But I knew Robards wouldn't accept a Slytherin recruit in the middle of the war. I wouldn't if I were him."

Kingsley was silent for a moment, before he said, "My apologies, then. Let us hope this war does not last too long, shall we?"

Adrian nodded, and he followed them inside to show Kingsley around.

Alicia was in an afternoon clinical rotation when the news came.

She, Chrysanthe, and Courtney had just been assigned to shadow Healers Agnes McFarlene and Linus Woghereon the third floor of St. Mungo's, which treated potions and magical plant poisoning cases, for the month of April. They had already shadowed on the first and second floors during February and March, and would rotate to the fourth floor in May.

She was paying close attention to what Healer Woghere was saying about identifying poisons and the necessity of keeping up-to-date on antidotes. St. Mungo's employed several potioneers, but Wogheresuggested that all three girls consider obtaining a basic potioneer license in case of emergencies, which would grant them access to brew in St. Mungo's stillroomsif necessary.

Just what she needed, she thought. Something else to consider: getting her potioneer license.Alicia had made an Outstanding on her Potions N.E.W.T., but it had been months since she had brewed anything. She hoped she could still pull it off to get the license this summer.

And that was when the door opened and Healer Vivian Bampfylde stepped just inside. "Excuse me, Agnes, Linus — I'm afraid I need to borrow Trainee Spinnet for a moment, please."

Healer Woghere frowned. "Very well, but please hurry back, Miss Spinnet."

Alicia was just as baffled as anyone else; she shrugged when Chrysanthe looked at her, and she turned to hurry into the hall with Healer Bampfylde.

The older woman didn't give her a chance to ask questions, though. As soon as the door closed behind Alicia, she said in a rush, "I wanted to tell you right away! Your friend just woke up, dear!"

Alicia's breath caught.

Katie?

Katie was awake?

Questions burst from her without thought. "Oh my God!How is she? Can I see her? Do her parents know?"

She would have kept on, but Vivian laughed softly and shushed her.

"Her parents have been contacted and they're on their way. I can't let you go up just yet —we're still running some tests — but she seems to be fine. She says she doesn't remember anything, but that's normal after being Imperiused, and touching a powerfully cursed object to boot, and being unconscious for so long. You can see her as soon as you finish for the day, dear. Come straight up. I'll wait on you to make sure you can get into the ward. Go on back to your rotation now, before Linus gets annoyed. He's a stickler for rules."

Alicia gave her a tight hug and nearly sobbed. "Thank you. Thank you so much for telling me!"

Vivian patted her on the back, smiled, and hurried back to the stairs.

Before Alicia returned to the ward, she cast two Patronuses. She didn't even care that Angelina and Oliver were at practice or if their team captains got angry. They would want to know, damn it. They would absolutely want to know.

Alicia rushed upstairs as soon as her clinical rotation ended at five that afternoon, nearly tripping over her pistachio-colored trainee robes as she went. Chrysanthe was ecstatic when Alicia told her the good news, and said they would catch up at lunch the next day.

Vivian was waiting for Alicia at the door to the Janus Thickey Ward. "I've let the night Healer know you would be stopping by, so they're aware. Her parents are just inside, but her mother said you were welcome to come straight in."

Alicia nodded and slid through the door. Katie's bed had been surrounded by screens to offer some privacy, but she could hear voices behind the curtains, and her heart clenched happily. She took a deep breath and ducked around thehangings.

Katie's face lit up just like it always had in the past — her blue eyes widened, her cheerful smile blossomed, and her golden hair looked like sunlight. "Alicia!"

Alicia threw herself on Katie before she knew what she was doing, hugging her close and bursting into tears. It had been six months, six very longmonths, waiting to see if her friend would return to them, and she couldn't help sobbing with relief at finally seeing Katie awake and unharmed.

"Are you crying?" Katie sounded horrified. "Alicia, it's okay, I'm fine!"

"You were unconscious for six months," Alicia wailed. "You nearly died!We were so worried, damn it! I'll cry if I want to!"

At that, Katie laughed — that bright, cheerful laugh Alicia loved so much and had missed dreadfully — and hugged her back tightly. "Mum says you came up to check on me every day."

"She did," Mr. Bell said affectionately. "Every single day, even if she had classes or tests or rotations."

"Of course I did," Alicia sniffed, drawing back to sit on the edge of the bed and look at her friend.

"You look tired." Katie frowned.

At that, Alicia gave a watery giggle. "I'm exhausted, but it's alright. You'realright. That's all that matters."

Mrs. Bell hugged Alicia gently. "Angelina and Oliver stopped by all the time, too."

At that, Katie blushed. "Ollie stopped by?"

Alicia laughed outright. "Every single night, if he could."

Katie's mouth fell open. "Every night?"

Mr. Bell rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "That boy fancies you, Katie-bug. I guess I'm going to have to get used to him."

Katie's blush deepened. "They hadn't told me that yet," she muttered to Alicia.

Alicia smiled. "Well, I sent him and Ang each a Patronus, so they'll probably be here in about two minutes. As soon as Puddlemere and Holyhead let them out the door."

Katie's mouth fell open. "You…? They…?Merlin, Alicia! I'm not fit to be seen! My hair! I don't have any make-up on, and I'm wearing a hospital gown—!"

"A hospital gown that Oliver's seen you in for the past six months," Alicia reminded her.

"But I was unconscious then! I didn't knowhe was looking at me!" Katie frantically started looking around. "Oh, damn, at least find me a pair of jeans and a jumper, or something, and for God's sake, do my hair, 'Licia! Please!I can't look like this in front of Ollie!"

The Bells looked completely bemused. Mrs. Bell said, "Katie, dear, I highly doubt Oliver is going to notice your hair or whether you're wearing a jumper or a hospital gown. He's going to be happy you're awake, and that's the important thing."

"Oh, come here," Alicia said, standing up and moving slightly behind Katie. She started dragging her fingers through Katie's long blonde curls. "How do you want it?"

"I don't know!" Katie said desperately. "Can you make it look somewhattame?"

Alicia laughed, drew her wand, and cast a hair-cleaning charm first, which helped a lot, and she followed it with a volumizing charm. Katie's limp curls rose and fluffed slightly, before resettling around her shoulders, and Alicia turned to Mrs. Bell. "Do you have any bobby pins in your purse, by chance?"

Mrs. Bell thought for a second before opening her purse; she finally found a bobby pin and said, "Just the one, I'm afraid. And much good just one'll do." She eyed her daughter's slightly unruly curls and sighed.

But Alicia merely grinned and transfigured the bobby pin into a pretty, sparkly barrette, then drew Katie's hair back on one side and fastened it neatly out of her face.

"Oh!" Mrs. Bell looked delighted as she pulled out a small compact mirror. "I forgot you can do things like that! Change objects into other objects, I mean. Here, Katie-dear, see what you think."

Katie looked at her reflection from several angles and nodded, her blush creeping over her face. "Thank you, 'Licia, you're the best. No chance you could transfigure this hospital gown, though?"

But at that very moment, Oliver ducked around the curtain like a bull bursting into a china shop. He was still in his Puddlemere kit, still clutching his Firebolt, sweaty and smelly from practice with his hair plastered against his forehead, and breathless like he'd run up every flight of stairs in St. Mungo's. Alicia was positive hehadrun up the stairs, actually.

"Katie!"

Katie's fingers twisted nervously in her lap and she gave him a small, shy smile. "Hey, Ollie. Guess you got Alicia's Patronus, then?"

He sagged and nearly stumbled, gasping for breath. "Aye! Thanks, Alicia. Nearly fell off my broom when it appeared in front of me, but I didn't even care." He smiled; the first true smile Alicia had seen on his face in six months. "Merlin, Bell, I'm glad you're awake!"

A second later, Angelina came flying around the screen, still in her Holyhead kit and still holding her Firebolt. "Katie!"

Katie laughed. "Angelina!"

Angelina shoved Oliver aside unceremoniously and Alicia stepped back so the oldest Chaser could hug Katie, despite the fact that she was just as sweaty as Oliver was. "Godric," Angelina gasped. "I nearly tripped over my feet when Alicia's Patronus reached me! I was just about to go up in the air for afternoon practices! I'm so sorry, I should've showered first, but —"

Katie laughed and hugged her back tightly. "No, no, it's good! You smell like Quidditch! I love it."

Angelina laughed through her tears. "Cheers," she sputtered. "Merlin, I'm so glad you're awake!"

"We won't stay," Alicia quickly promised theBells. "We can come back tomorrow afternoon if that's better. We know she just woke up today and you want to spend time with her…"

But no sooner had the words left her mouth than the curtains moved again. Fred, George, and Lee tried to crowd in, and they all looked a bit sheepish.

"Er, sorry," Fred said, rubbing his neck. "Should we just… come back later, then?"

George smirked. "Didn't realize there would be a crowd. Should've guessed. Geez, Wood, couldn't bother taking a shower first? You smell like a bloody locker room."

Katie burst into laughter as Oliver flushed a dull pink, and she said, "Don't listen to them, Ollie! They're just sore because they aren't playing Quidditch. Anyone would rather be playing Quidditch!"

Oliver swallowed. "Aye, well, Alicia's right. We should come back tomorrow and let you spend time with your parents." He nodded politely to Mr. Bell. "I should get back to Puddlemere and… change. And shower."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Oliver," Mrs. Bell said kindly. "Thank you for stopping by tonight."

Oliver nodded, roughly shoved the twins aside, and left the room with the back of his neck burning.

Alicia bit her lip, turned to Katie, and said, "I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon after classes, okay?"

Katie nodded. "Thank you, 'Licia."

Angelina hugged her one last time and left with Alicia, giving the twins and Lee a chance to step forward to give Katie a bouquet of flowers and a box of sugar quills. They could hear her laughing over her gifts as they stepped out.

Once they were in the corridor,Angelina and Alicia hurried down the stairs, and just managed to catch Oliver before he stepped out of St. Mungo's.

"Oliver! Wait!" Alicia gasped.

Oliver hesitated. Thank Merlin he hadn't stepped outside yet; it was 5:30 in the afternoon, so there were plenty of muggles on the pavement, and to make matters worse, he, Alicia, and Angelina were all dressed very oddly. Never mind the bloody broomsticks.

Alicia shifted awkwardly. "Don't worry. Katie was so glad to see you. She really was. She fancies you, you know."

Oliver blushed again. "Aye. Did you do her hair?"

Alicia grinned. "Noticed, did you?"

His blush got deeper. "I did. It looked… really nice. Well." He coughed and nodded. "See you both tomorrow. Cheers."

As soon as he stepped out, he Disapparated before anyone could get a good look at him or his broomstick.

Angelina said, "I need to get back to Holyhead and shower, too. I'll see you in an hour?"

Alicia nodded, and they both stepped through the glass and immediately Disapparated. Alicia appeared on the landing outside their flat and let herself in, feeling giddier and happier than she had in a long time. Katie was awake. And she seemed perfectly fine, aside from the fact that she couldn't remember anything. Thank God.

Smiling happily, she spun on her toes, laughed, and cast her Patronus.

Katie just woke up! I'm so happy, you've no idea! She's okay, Adrian. She's okay.

She didn't have to wait long. The goshawk appeared in front of her just a minute later.

I'm really glad to hear that. I wish I could hug you right now.

Alicia hesitated. She could tell him her address, she thought. He could Apparate to the landing and then he couldhug her. She could invite him inside and they could get back together again. It had been so long since they had spent time together. They hadn't seen each other since that one night in early January.

But something stopped her— aniggling worry in the back of her mind. Adrian still hadn't explained why he had vanished for six months, or what he was up to these days, either. He had said he wanted to protect her, that things were too dangerous, but he was up to something and he was keeping it secret. She wasn't angry with him about that; she understood that some things had to be kept secret during a war. But all the same…

It'snot quite time yet, she thought.

She cast another Patronus. I wish you could, too. I'll talk to you tomorrow, after I see her again. Have a good night, Adrian.

Katie was cleared from St. Mungo's in mid-April, and she spent a couple of days at her parents' house before returning to Hogwarts. On the night before she returned to school, the Bells threw a small party and invited Angelina, Alicia, the twins, Lee, and Oliver to join them; to thank all of them for their support over the past six months. They had a grand time together, and it was lovely to be laughing and joking and not thinking aboutthe war.

Of course, Angelina and Alicia were tasked with something far more important: dragging the twins and Lee out to give Oliver a few moments alone with Katie at the end of the night, which proved just as difficult as they both expected — but, they managed.

"We allknow he wants to snog her," George protested, even as Angelina shoved him in the back, down the front porch steps at ten o'clock that night. "We don't care!"

"Enough," Angelina hissed furiously. "You don't have to shout it for the whole damn neighborhood to hear, George!"

"I think it's romantic," Lee chimed in, grinning at Alicia. "We could snog too, Al."

Angelina noticed Alicia roll her eyes, as the middle Chaser responded, "No, Lee."

"Are you ever going to forgive me for September?" he whinged.

"I didforgive you," Alicia replied coolly. "But that doesn't mean we're going to get together. We're just friends. That's it."

Lee grumbled under his breath. "Fine, fine. One day, you'll change your mind, Al, and I'll be waiting."

Not bloody likely, Angelina thought. Not that Lee wasn't a good bloke, but Angelina dreaded the day he and the twins realized Alicia fancied a Slytherin. A very fit, minted Slytherin they'd never liked. It would happen at some point, and she knew they would be apoplectic.

Of course, who knew when it would actually happen. Alicia and Pucey were communicating, but they hadn't met in person since that one night back in January. Part of it was because Alicia felt Pucey was hiding something and she wanted him to feel comfortable telling her what he was doing before they got back together, and Angelina could understand that. She hoped they would work it out soon.

Lee Disapparated behind the twins, leaving Angelina and Alicia alone on the pavement.

Alicia glanced back; Katie had stepped out onto the porch with Oliver, who was tucking her hair behind her ear. The youngest Chaser was smiling softly up at him. Well, at least those two were finally getting together. That was as much a relief as Katie waking up, really.

"Come on," Angelina said gently, tugging Alicia's arm. "She'll let us know how it goes."

Alicia smiled and nodded. "She will. I'm so glad something good is finally happening, you know?"

Angelina laughed. "I do."

Now if Pucey would just get his act together, Angelina thought, as they Disapparated back to their flat.

Author's Notes:

1. There was, in fact, a total solar eclipse on March 9, 1997, which was visible in Asia, Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. The comet Hale-Bopp was also visible during this eclipse. The only reason I learned this was because I was googling when the moon was full and new during March 1997, and when I realized there was an eclipse event, I decided to work it in. In addition, there was a partial lunar eclipse on March 23-24, 1997, a partial solar eclipse from September 1-2, 1997, and a total lunar eclipse from September 16-17, 1997.

2. Initially, Katie would have been taken to Level 1 (the ground floor) of St. Mungo's, which takes care of Artifacts Damage. I didn't quite realize that when I started writing SM2, but let's just say they moved her up to Level 4 at some point for long-term damage, due to her coma... /wince/