Prosapia Aenigmatis - The Family Riddle

Chapter 15

Aislinn sat staring at the clock on the wall with her chin resting on her arms. She had honestly tried to pay attention to Professor Binns today, but her mind wouldn't stop roaming. She knew the Goblin Rebellions would be on her final, but the impossible monotone voice of her only ghost Professor never failed to settle the entire class into a zombie like state. Aislinn supposed that Quinn was one of the only students who could actually stay awake and alert in History of Magic. Aislinn had always loved to learn, but Quinn's thirst for knowledge seemed insatiable at times.

It wasn't merely the boring lecture that was causing her attention to drift today. Aislinn had been thinking about her detention with Snape and Draco this evening. Snape had been fairly angry, and Aislinn was afraid of what he might make them do as punishment. Surely she wouldn't get off as easily as she had last time.

Twenty minutes of class left; Aislinn sighed and glanced around the room. Much to the displeasure of the Slytherins, they had been paired up with the Hufflepuffs for nearly every class. History of Magic was her only period with the Gryffindors. Aislinn looked over at Ginny Weasley who was doodling in her notebook with a dreamy look on her face. Aislinn was almost positive that if she had looked at Ginny's notebook, she'd see little hearts, and the name Harry Potter written all over it. Ginny looked up and saw Aislinn looking at her. She smiled weakly and covered her notebook before looking over at Binns.

"In the year 1749, Borster the Bold led an army of four hundred of the nastiest Goblins of the age to the gates of Cantoria, on the outskirts of Fochabers..."

Aislinn's attention was lost again. Nathanial and Marianne were next to her, passing what was probably a very sappy love note back and forth to each other, giggling quietly. She looked at the clock again, three minutes. Thank Merlin. Aislinn began gathering her things as Binns concluded the lecture and assigned a two-foot essay on Goblin Rebellions of the Eighteenth century. Great, thought Aislinn sarcastically, and she wondered if Quinn would let her borrow her notes.

The bell rang and Aislinn left the class quickly, hoping to find Quinn before she left Transfiguration. Aislinn was amazed that Quinn had come so far with the Animagus training. She had never heard of a student becoming an Animagus, let alone a fourth year. Quinn had always been incredibly talented in Transfiguration though. In their third year the Slytherins and Ravenclaws had Transfiguration together and Quinn constantly had to help her. Potions had always been Aislinn's favorite subject, hands down.

Aislinn made her way to the McGonagall's class and peeked in the door. McGonagall was sitting at her desk, but the room was otherwise empty. Aislinn then decided that Quinn might be in the library. She walked in and looked around. Quinn was nowhere in sight. Aislinn saw that Marcus was sitting in the corner, concentrating on a monstrous stack of books and parchment. Best not to disturb him she thought. The Gryffindor trio was a few tables away from Marcus. None of them were talking; they were just staring at each other. Granger looked concerned, Weasley looked frightened and Potter had a look of determination on his face. They all looked down at a huge book in front of Potter simultaneously, looking exasperated. Gryffindors were an odd bunch. Aislinn left the library quietly and went down to the common room to await her doom.

It was seven thirty and Aislinn had been staring at her History of Magic text for nearly an hour, accomplishing nothing. The text was just as boring as Binns himself. Someone desperately needed to rewrite it and add a bit of excitement. Aislinn ran a hand through her hair and slumped back into the cushy leather chair. Marcus came over and slumped in the chair across from her. He glanced at her text and sighed, letting his own History of Magic book bang on the table. His was much larger than her book was.

"So this is the book I have to look forward to in my seventh year?" Aislinn groaned, looking at the book. Marcus smiled weakly.

"You would think after three years of hearing the same lectures I would get this stuff. Well, I don't," Marcus sighed. "I don't see why Dumbledore doesn't just sack Binns and get someone interesting in there."

"I agree on that one, but Binns probably teaches for little or no pay. I don't imagine a ghost would have a strong need for money," Aislinn said. "Marcus, you didn't happen to have Potions today did you?"

"Nope," he replied. "Why?"

"I have detention at eight. Just wondering about Snape's mood is all," Aislinn said, playing with the end of her hair.

Marcus grinned. "Detention? What did you do?"

"Got caught out of the dorm after hours," Aislinn said with a scowl.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "What were you doing out after hours? Taking a trip to the Astronomy Tower?" He winked playfully.

"Hardly," Aislinn replied, shooting him a look that clearly said the matter was not open for discussion.

"Err, anyway there was a huge food fight after you left the Great Hall, you know. I think it had been the Weasleys who started it. They enchanted the Gryffindor puddings to chase after people. Justin Finch-Fletchley got pelted with éclairs. Oh, and Blaise was hit over the head with a bowl of mashed potatoes. You should have seen it, Fred Weasley danced the tango by himself for nearly ten minutes before anyone would take the hex off him, and you know how he dances. No one would go near him. They were too afraid of getting hurt. There was pudding splattered all over the wall. I got out of there before I got attacked. It was disgusting," Marcus said with a grin.

"I hope you know that this is all your fault, Macnair," a bitter drawling voice said from across the room. Aislinn rolled her eyes and turned to see Draco striding across the common room.

"My fault, Malfoy? It was your idea to use that room. We could have stayed in here," Aislinn snapped back.

Marcus looked at Draco with narrowed eyes and stood up. He was taller than Draco by at least four inches. "What did you do, Malfoy?"

"We were practicing charms," Aislinn said quickly as she stood up. "Come on Malfoy, I certainly don't want to be late."

Marcus gave Draco a menacing look and Draco smirked. The two boys stood there staring at one another. Although there was no reason for either to be upset with the other, Aislinn knew that neither would back down, they were both full of pride, especially Draco. A fight between those two would likely end in either several broken bones, or an unimaginable amount of curses. She wasn't going to stick around to find out which would be the result.

"Suit yourself," Aislinn said and left the common room. She made the short journey to the Potions classroom and sat down by the door. She still had ten minutes before the start of detention. Aislinn wondered what was happening in the common room. Marcus was far and away the larger and stronger of the two, but Aislinn knew that if Draco could dodge quickly and draw his wand before Marcus, that Draco would win, no contest. Despite the fact that he was impossibly vain and evil, Draco really was a brilliant wizard. He was a prefect and Aislinn wouldn't have been surprised if he were named head boy in a few years.

At three minutes 'til eight, Draco came strolling up to the class, completely unscathed with a huge smirk on his face. Marcus! Aislinn wondered what Draco did to him.

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about Marcus?" Aislinn asked him cautiously.

"I didn't do anything. Your precious Flint is still in one piece," he said with a sneer.

Aislinn scowled, but before she could respond, Snape appeared in the doorway. She stood up quickly, walking past Draco and Snape into the class and sat at the table closest to Snape's desk. Draco sat next to her moments later as Snape strode to the front of the class and stared at them, his black eyes glinting.

"I expected better behavior out of you two. Mr. Malfoy, you are a Slytherin prefect; you are setting an example for the school. Sneaking out of the dorm at night does not reflect well on your house. I am very disappointed. Has being in Slytherin taught you nothing? If you insist on breaking the rules, then perhaps you should learn to do so without getting caught."

"Yes sir," Draco grumbled.

"Miss Macnair, I also expected more appropriate behavior out of you. I am not taking any house points but be assured, had anyone else caught the two of you, the penalty would have been much greater than merely detention. You both know how Slytherin House is perceived. That is why I expect you to regard the rules. Gryffindors may be able to get away with murder in this place, but Slytherins are not," Snape sneered.

Aislinn looked at the floor; momentarily hoping it would open up and swallow her whole. She hated when she got in trouble with her head of house, something that seemed to be happening a great deal lately. She looked back up at him and nodded, "Yes, sir." Aislinn wished she could explain to him what they had been doing.

"Your detention this evening will be to hand wash the floor, tables and walls in the Great Hall. Without magic," Snape said, looking at Draco as if he were daring him to complain.

"There are two buckets and scrub brushes waiting for you in the Great Hall. Do not leave until all the mess is clean. I will be personally inspecting your work with a food locating charm, and I will be testing your scrub brushes for spell remnants," Snape smirked.

Draco grumbled and huffed all the way to the Hall. When they arrived to survey the mess, Aislinn's jaw dropped. It looked as if Christmas dinner exploded and covered the walls, table and floor in cranberry sauce and all the trimmings.

"Ugh, why do we have to clean up the Gryffindor's mess? I wasn't even in here to witness the fight," Aislinn said with a heavy sigh.

Draco didn't reply. He just stood there wide-eyed with disbelief. Aislinn resigned herself to complete the disgusting task as quickly as possible and walked over to the Slytherin table where the buckets and brushes were sitting. She grabbed one of each and began cleaning her own house table. Draco was still standing in the doorway, slack jawed and wide-eyed. His expression slowly turned to one of disgust and then rage as he stomped over to the table and grabbed a brush.

"Damned Gryffindors. They get away with bloody everything," Draco grumbled as he began scrubbing the table next to Aislinn. Aislinn cursed her long hair repeatedly, as it would fall over her shoulders and land in various unsavory blobs of food. Draco seemed to notice her struggling with it and conjured a hair band, threw it at her without saying a word, and went back to cleaning.

They worked in silence for almost two hours and it looked as if they had done nothing. Draco threw his brush across the room.

"Sod this. I am not doing any more," Draco growled and sat down on a clean spot of floor.

"Accio brush," Aislinn said holding out her wand. It flew quickly to her hand and she thrust it at Draco. He stared at it and then up at her. "I am not going to lose any house points just because you consider yourself too good to do actual work. We are a hundred points behind Gryffindor as it is," Aislinn said plainly.

"You don't find this ridiculous? Imagine, me, Draco Malfoy, cleaning floors like a common slave." Draco snatched the brush out of her hand and stood up. He dunked his brush violently in the water, causing it to splash all over Aislinn's robes.

"Watch it Malfoy!" Aislinn shrieked, jumping back away from the bucket. She jumped back a little too far and fell backwards over the Ravenclaw bench and landed on her head underneath the table. "Ow." Aislinn rubbed the back of her head.

Draco didn't even try not to laugh. He doubled over and howled with mirth while Aislinn carefully climbed out from underneath the table.

"Think that was funny, do you?" she sneered and all sense of decorum left her. "Tell me if it is so funny now," Aislinn said as she proceeded to dump the bucket of water over his blonde head. Draco stopped laughing at once and stared at her as if she had lost her mind.

"That's it Macnair," he said as he grabbed the second bucket. Aislinn froze for a second and then tried to run, but he was faster. Draco caught the back of her robes and pulled her back to a halt, emptying the contents over her head. Aislinn wiped the food-laden water out of her eyes.

"Disgusting," she said as she pulled a piece of soggy bread out of her hair. Draco looked triumphant despite the fact that there was a rather large chunk of pasta stuck to his eyebrow. Aislinn began to snicker and soon they were both laughing.

"Fifty points from Slytherin!" Snape bellowed from the Great Hall entryway. Aislinn froze in panic and she noticed that Draco looked remarkably calm. The room looked exactly as it had when they arrived, and now they were both soaking wet, with food stuck to their bodies. Snape quickly walked over to them. "I don't know what in the Hell you two think you are doing in here, but I will not tolerate this sort of disobedience. Get back to the common room, NOW!" he shouted.

Aislinn didn't need to be told twice. She put her brush down on the table and left as quickly as she could. She knew that Draco was not far behind her because she could hear the squish of his saturated shoes hitting the floor. He walked faster than she did and soon they were walking side by side in the hall.

"I can't believe Snape would take points from us," Draco grumbled as he ran his fingers through his damp hair, wincing at the food that he drew back in his hand. "After all, he is a friend of our father's. I wonder if he realizes that by springtime, you and I will be very involved in their plans."

Aislinn almost tripped over her own feet. "What do you mean, 'you and I will be involved'?"

Draco smirked at her. "You'll find out when the time comes."

Why couldn't he just answer a question like a damned normal person? Aislinn wondered. Why did he have to be so cryptic? They continued toward the common room, and once inside, Aislinn went straight to the shower. She felt disgustingly sticky. Aislinn showered quickly, put on her nightgown and fell into bed; a new sense of dread flooding her mind.

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Quinn walked into the library hoping to meet Aislinn to study. She was startled to see Seamus Finnigan sitting at her usual table, looking quite absorbed in his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

Quinn stood there a moment, unsure whether she should say something or not. She bit her lip nervously. Seamus was far from intimidating; he was in fact rather goofy from what she could tell. The intimidating factor was all of her own father's words replaying inside Quinn's head. She remembered his speech all too well. She could even picture the manic look he wore whenever he recited it.

"The Finnigans have always been a proud pureblood family. Our bloodlines are clean and there has never even been a squib born among us. Mum wanted to keep it that way; keep our family respectable." This was the point of the speech when her father's neck would turn red as he held down a measure of long suppressed anger.

"She lay sickly and dying, distraught over the future of the family. The Finnigan name meant something to her. Perhaps her daughter didn't care about mum's wishes, but I do. I always will. Now, that...half blood child is walking around with our name! Mum would be furious." The speech usually continued for a while after this but Quinn tried not to think of all that. She looked over at Seamus, still absorbed in his text. New words began to play in Quinn's mind; words that made her skin crawl with anger.

"Life is so much easier Quinn, when we become what we're expected to." Quinn could feel stubborn determination begin to overthrow the fear in her mind. She took a deep breath, walked over to the table, and sat down. Seamus looked up with a rather stupid expression and Quinn almost laughed.

"Hi," she said brightly, which seemed only to compound his confusion.

"Hello," Seamus replied with a slow look around, perhaps reassuring himself that Quinn was in fact addressing him. Quinn bit her lip again, wondering what to say. Why didn't she ever come up with a plan before she undertook these missions? The silence was deafening as they sat there, staring at one another.

"I was going to-" Quinn started to speak.

"I wanted to talk to you-"Seamus said at the exact same moment. The two smiled with slight unease and there was another horridly awkward silence. Quinn decided to jump in before it was too late.

"Did you see that food fight the other evening after dinner?" Quinn asked, hoping to start a comfortable conversation. It worked. Seamus got a gleam in his eye and a bright smile.

"It was brilliant," he chuckled loudly, almost unable to continue speaking. "When that Slytherin girl got hit with the mashed potatoes, I thought my heart stopped. And then," Seamus continued laughing until he snorted several times, gasping for air. Quinn stared at him, thoroughly amused. "Fred doing the tango...and Dennis Creevey sat on a big plate of hash browns. Professor Figg came running over, shrieking about wasting good potatoes. She's batty. I'm telling ya." Quinn started laughing at that, remembering Professor Figg's strange fixation. She and Seamus shared a good laugh for a few minutes before another awkward silence occurred.

"How is Dean doing?" she asked quickly. Seamus sighed and Quinn realized a second too late that perhaps this wasn't a happy subject to discuss.

"He's going to be fine, but I...," Seamus paused, a slight tinge appearing on his cheeks. "I still feel horrible. It was so stupid of me to bring that amulet in without really knowing what it was." Quinn wasn't sure quite what to say to this, so she tried her best to simply look reassuring. "Now mum is facing an inquiry with the ministry. She's so embarrassed. She says that it's not my fault because it's her amulet, but I still feel responsible. She didn't even know what it was for, just kept it as a family heirloom because she liked the color. Now we had to give it up to Dumbledore and we might get fined hundreds of galleons; all because I wanted to show it off to Neville and Dean." Seamus shook his head, obviously angry with himself.

"On top of that, things are really strange with the Weasleys and I; Ron especially. He's been quite on edge since Christmas. Not that I blame him," Seamus said hurriedly. "I think he feels guilty for not being there during the attack. He's convinced someone in the school knows who the Death Eaters that attacked George were. He talks about it all the time lately," Seamus sighed once again, fidgeting with the sleeves of his robes. "Now he thinks my family is associated with the Dark Arts, I'm certain he suspects me." Quinn was surprised to hear this. Seamus didn't look capable of hurting anything, let alone being involved in fiendish Death Eater plots. She also felt a horrible pang of guilt, for the hundredth time, for not turning in Mr. Macnair.

"I'm sure he'll get over it. Fred and Ginny are already starting to put the attack behind them, and even George is getting much better," Quinn said confidently. "It was bad at the time but everyone was fine in the long run. Ron will get over it," she smiled reassuringly. Seamus avoided her eyes a bit, looking around at the books nearest them.

"My parents were really worried. We saw you at the Christmas party, and the next thing we heard was about a Death Eater attack. I've never seen my mom so upset." Quinn leaned back in shock. Aunt Brenna had been worried about her. Quinn doubted her father would display any worry if Seamus were in danger.

"I was never in any real danger," Quinn said nervously, squirming in her seat. "Really, she shouldn't worry."

"No real danger?" Seamus said incredulously. "You were taken hostage by Death Eaters who later put someone under the Cruciatus curse. How could you consider that safe?" Quinn shifted in her seat again. She certainly couldn't explain about Mr. Macnair to Seamus. She probably shouldn't have said anything at all. Quinn was trying to think of something to say when Seamus looked past her to the door of the library. Quinn followed his gaze and saw Ron Weasley and Harry Potter enter the room.

Ron saw the two of them immediately and a cold look of recognition crossed his face. Quinn was puzzled but Seamus looked down at his hands, guilt written all over his face. Ron and Harry began to walk over, though Harry looked rather confused. Quinn looked up at them and saw that Ron's face was now full of malice.

"Since when do the two of you socialize?" Ron asked with a glare. Quinn was taken aback; she was tempted to tell Ron that Mrs. Weasley would never approve of him acting this way. She glanced over at Seamus whose face was mixed between confusion and guilt.

"Well Seamus is my cousin," Quinn said, with a bit of warning in her tone.

"I know what's going on here, I'm not stupid," Ron said spitefully. Everyone looked surprised at this statement, even Harry. He glanced between Quinn and Ron's faces, obviously uncomfortable with the tension. Quinn had no idea why Ron was so angry but she felt her own temper start to flare up.

"What exactly do you think is going on here?" she said sarcastically. Ron huffed out his chest slightly, his ears turning a bit pink. Harry seemed to be preparing to drag him away if necessary.

"It's not hard to figure out. You two are cousins, Seamus is caught with Dark Arts objects in mine and Harry's own room, you're at my house when Death Eaters attack, and you're friends with that girl." Quinn felt her eyes widen as Aislinn was mentioned. "Harry knows about her family." Now Quinn felt her breath catch in her throat as she locked eyes with Harry. He couldn't know. Quinn held her breath, waiting for Ron or Harry to keep talking. She looked into Harry's green eyes and felt a surge of panic.

"Her dad is a Death Eater. Didn't think we knew that, did you?" Ron said with a contemptuous smile. Quinn felt her breath escape as relief surged through her body. They didn't really know about Aislinn's 'family.'

"Ron I was a guest in your home, I'm dating your brother, and I'm friends with your sister. If I had ever wanted to harm any of the Weasleys, I could have done it by now. I would never hurt any of you!" Quinn said with a mix of sincerity and anger. Ron didn't look convinced. Harry was carefully looking at Quinn and she returned his gaze for a moment. She refused to blink. Eventually Harry looked back to Ron and motioned that they should leave. Ron shot one last glare at Seamus and Quinn before following Harry to the far side of the library.

"See, I have to live with that," Seamus said with a frown. Quinn wasn't sure what to say; she was too caught up in her own thoughts about Aislinn and the Weasleys. She hated that Ron did not trust her, and wondered if Fred felt the same way on any level. She decided that he wouldn't have asked her out if he had ever suspected her of wrongdoing. Fred may have been silly but Quinn was more amazed each day with how smart he was.

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Several weeks later Aislinn found herself sitting in the middle of Transfiguration class, completely frustrated. Aislinn sighed as she tried for the fifth time to transfigure her hedgehog into something remotely resembling a pincushion. It wasn't happening, the closest Aislinn could even come was to give the poor animal a pillow for a back. Marianne snickered a bit as she effortlessly completed the transfiguration.

"You're not concentrating, Miss Macnair," Professor McGonagall said as she crossed the room to examine Aislinn's progress. "Ericius Cessio," McGonagall said, and the hedgehog transformed into a perfect pincushion. Aislinn sighed again. "Try a little harder, Miss Macnair."

Aislinn pointed her wand at the animal and repeated the incantation; still nothing. "This is ridiculous, why can't I do it?"

Marianne shrugged. "Not sure, maybe you aren't trying hard enough. It really is quite simple."

Aislinn glared at her friend and placed her wand down on the table. Aislinn loved her wand, it was 9 inches, containing a single hair from a unicorn tail, and made of yew. She watched grumpily as Marianne continued to transfigure and then undo the charm on her hedgehog. She had done it so many times that the hedgehog was now trying desperately to get away in fear of being transformed again. A large red bird flew through the window, distracting Aislinn's attention away from Marianne's frantic animal, and landed on McGonagall's desk. Odd, Aislinn thought. She had never seen a teacher get mail during class before, and she had also never seen a bird quite like this one.

McGonagall took the letter from the bird's beak and it nodded its head and flew back out the window. The Professor looked at the note and then stood up from her desk, walking toward the class. She was curious as to what must be so important that a student would get a letter in the middle of class. Aislinn gulped as McGonagall handed the letter to her and retreated to her desk. Aislinn looked at the loopy handwriting on the front and turned it over, revealing the Hogwarts crest in the wax. Marianne was trying to look at the letter and not be obvious, so Aislinn asked McGonagall if she could go to the bathroom.

Aislinn walked out into the hall, still clutching the note and stopped to open it. She took the letter out and began reading:

Miss Macnair,

It would please me greatly if you would join me for a walk around the school grounds this evening at 6 p.m., after your last lesson. I will be waiting for you under the great oak tree just outside the entrance to the school. There is something of great importance I wish to discuss with you.

Albus Dumbledore

A course of panic flooded her body. What did he need to talk to her about that was of great importance? Maybe he found out about the detention, or worse, her family. Aislinn thought about what Draco had said about how they would be more involved soon. Did Dumbledore know about this? Was he going to expel her? Aislinn didn't want to go back to class. She looked at her watch, only 5 minutes left; she could hide in the bathroom and then gather her things when everyone else had gone. She waited for the bell to sound, and went back to collect her book bag. Marianne was waiting for her.

"Is everything ok Aislinn? You never came back, I was worried about you," Marianne said, still trying to get a look at the note that was folded in Aislinn's hand.

"Oh, I'm fine, everything is fine. I just have to meet with Dumbledore about the classes I chose to take next year. It seems that two of them are at the same times, so I have to reselect. No big deal." Aislinn waved the letter in the air and shrugged, trying to look as believable as possible. She knew Marianne would believe her; Aislinn could convince anyone of anything, anyone except Quinn that is.

"All right then," Marianne said, waiting for Aislinn to gather her books. "You have Arithmancy next don't you?"

"Yeah," Aislinn groaned. "You know Marianne, you're lucky you don't have Vector. I swear that woman has it in for me. I know she hates Slytherins, but she really despises me for some reason."

Marianne gave her a sympathetic look and said goodbye as she headed off to Double Care of Magical Creatures. That was one class Aislinn would never sign up for. She had no desire to spend hours of her time being burned or bitten by Hagrid's horrible creatures.

Aislinn made her way to Arithmancy and took a seat in the back of class. Her mind was still on the letter and Aislinn didn't want to get in trouble for daydreaming. Vector seemed to look for reasons to take points away from Slytherin, and Aislinn was always her favorite target.

After being yelled at twice for not paying attention and losing 10 house points, the bell rang. Aislinn gathered her things and walked out of the room, the nervousness coming back to her. It was time to see Dumbledore. Aislinn walked as slowly as she possibly could through the halls. She felt as if she were going to meet her executioner. Aislinn came to the main doors to the school and stopped. She could see Dumbledore sitting underneath the large tree, seemingly picking flowers. Aislinn took in a deep breath and walked out of the school; down to where the Headmaster was waiting.

Dumbledore looked up from the ground and smiled kindly at her. This calmed Aislinn instantly. His blue eyes were twinkling as he gestured to the flowers. "Spring is my favorite season. New life all around, it has always filled me with hope Miss Macnair." He tapped the ground next to him and Aislinn sat down, crushing the lush grass underneath her. It was still rather chilly out, being the end of March, and this year it seemed to be unusually cold. Aislinn was surprised there were even flowers blooming at all.

Professor Dumbledore looked up at the huge oak tree that stretched out above them. "I always thought it fascinating that a person standing under an oak tree is 16 more times liable to be hit by lightning than if he had taken refuge beneath a beech tree. The oak tree has vertical roots which provide a more direct route to ground water. A lightning strike would be terribly painful I would imagine, yet for the tree, quite beneficial," he said, still gazing up at the tree.

"Er, yes sir." Aislinn replied. She knew Dumbledore was eccentric, but did he really call her out here to talk about trees?

"Lightning keeps plants alive, Miss Macnair. The intense heat of lightning forces nitrogen in the air to mix with oxygen, forming nitrogen oxides that are soluble in water and fall to the ground in rain. Plants need nitrates to survive, so without lightning, plants could not live. It is a never-ending cycle that we live in, all of us. Trees, plants, animals, humans," Dumbledore continued, looking quite serious.

"I suppose so," Aislinn said weakly. She had no idea what he was on about.

"A lightning bolt heats the air around it to three times the temperature of the sun's surface. Did you know that, Miss Macnair?" Dumbledore asked.

Aislinn wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not. Was she supposed to know this? Had it been taught in some class and she hadn't remembered? "Erm, no sir, I didn't know that," she said finally, deciding she shouldn't lie.

"Ah, well now you do. Let us walk around the lake for a bit, it is so nice today," he said, eyes twinkling playfully. Dumbledore stood up gracefully and relatively quickly for a man of his age. Aislinn had once heard that he was over 150 years old, but she hardly believed it. No one that old could be so active and youthful. He held his hand out to help her up, and she accepted it, thinking how odd it was that a man his age was offering to help her up. They walked slowly and silently to the lake. The weather was gorgeous outside, the sun shining brightly; it's reflection dancing merrily off the still surface of the lake. Several small fish were jumping in and out of the water, yet causing no wake. Aislinn had often wondered what sort of creatures actually lived in the bottom of the Hogwarts Lake. She had heard of a few in DADA, but had never seen them, save the Mermaid during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. They stood side by side; gazing into the water for a moment before Dumbledore spoke again. "You are an only child, are you not Miss Macnair?"

"Yes, sir. My mother had difficulties during my birth. They didn't think it wise to have anymore," Aislinn said. She had often longed for a sibling when she was younger, but then she would realize that she would have to share her things with someone else. Awful selfish of her, yes, but there it was, and she was now glad for her only child status.

"I have a brother, Aberforth is his name. I don't see him often, which isn't so bad actually. My brother is rather like the black sheep of our family. Every family has one, yes, but my brother is a rather odd fellow. He spends his days, wandering around in his garden, talking to his animals and shouting at the bugs who dare to feed on his vegetables," he said. "I have tried several times to get him to allow me to cast a pest controlling charm on the garden, but he refuses. I sometimes think he has forgotten completely that he is a wizard. He got in a spot of trouble several years back, and has all but given up magic since. The Ministry was hard on him, and he vowed revenge by assuming the life of a Muggle. I suppose he thought this would bother the Ministry. My brother isn't very bright either, now that I think of it." Dumbledore smiled and continued.

"My grandmother was a Muggle, Miss Macnair. My grandfather was a wizard, obviously, and a very powerful one, too. I'm afraid he wasn't the best of characters. He dallied in the Dark Arts a bit. My grandmother loved him wholly, never questioned his judgment. She knew what he did was wrong, and yet she stood by him, covering his actions to those who became suspect. He worked for the Ministry in fact; he was third in line for the head position. He was found out in the end, and pushed down to the Centaur Liaison Office." He looked at her with a knowing smile, and Aislinn grinned in spite of the fact that she knew where this conversation was heading.

"I often wonder how other people would react in a similar situation. If it was someone they loved more than life, would they protect them?" Dumbledore said, studying Aislinn's face. "I imagine you are wondering why I asked you to speak to me."

"Well, yes sir. Although, I am a little nervous as to what this could be about," Aislinn admitted. She could not lie to this man for some reason.

"Do not be nervous, child. I have asked to speak to you in hopes that I may ease your mind about a few things. First and most importantly, I know about your family. I have known since your father was a student here. In fact, I knew before he did, although there was nothing I could do. People make their own choices, no matter how much others try to influence them. My brother is sound proof of that. Your father was a wonderful student, Aislinn. I tried very hard to gently lead him in the right direction, but in the end it wasn't enough. He chose his path long before I intervened. Long before he met his father even," he said calmly, looking almost sad.

Aislinn nodded. She still felt uncomfortable talking about her father. Aislinn hadn't spoken to him since the holiday, and had hardly spoken of him to anyone.

"The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is something rather serious. I have talked to Professor Snape at length. I will tell you that we are currently devising a plan. I want to tell you that whatever you may be forced to do, Aislinn, do it without worry. We will try and stop him." Dumbledore said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Now, if you will walk with me, I will tell you a bit about what we mean to do." He gestured to a path that wound around the lake. Aislinn stepped onto the gravel path and they walked together, Aislinn listening intently to everything he said.

The next few weeks went by fairly uneventful. Marianne and Nathanial had another huge fight about Alyssa, Aislinn thankfully had gotten no more detentions, and the weather was finally warming up.

The beginning of April had brought out the pranksters of the school, and the Weasley twins had pulled so many capers that the entire school looked warily around corners and refused food from anyone for nearly a week after April fools day.

Aislinn was sitting in the far corner of the common room writing an essay for Astronomy. It had been assigned a week ago and was due the first of May, this gave her three days to finish it. Aislinn scanned her text for information on the difference between Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies. She came across a chapter on Spiral Galaxies and read:

A spiral galaxy is the type of galaxy that the Earth, Sun, and all of the planets that are around us are apart of. It is proudly called the Milky Way Galaxy and it contains over 200 billion stars in it!

Aislinn closed the book and sighed, whoever wrote this had too much time on their hands. They were obviously excited by stars and such; Aislinn was not. She stared at her parchment for a moment and then put it back into her notebook. Aislinn looked around the common room, wondering what she could do to kill time. Quinn was studying with Alyssa right now, so she wouldn't be in the library. Marianne and Nathanial were snuggling on the couch, nauseating everyone with their corny argument over whose pet name was the cutest. Aislinn was about to get up and go to her dorm when Draco came striding into the room and headed right for her table. Aislinn sighed to herself and stayed seated. He looked excited, almost beaming, which was rare for Draco. He was usually giving murderous glares or smirks so smug you wanted to slap them right off his face. Draco sat down in his classic graceful manner and brandished an envelope from his pocket. He grinned, his hair falling slightly into his eyes. He raked it back absently and opened the envelope.

"I've just had a letter from my father," he began. Aislinn groaned silently. She had learned that those words usually preceded some form of evil announcement. "I have just been apprised of our first official duty." Draco said quietly, looking around the room to make sure no one was listening. His eyes paused briefly on something and he sneered before looking back at Aislinn. Curiosity got the best of her and she glanced over in the direction he had been looking previously. Pansy was sitting across the room, glaring daggers at Aislinn.

"Honestly, hasn't that girl got anything better to do than spy on everyone?" Aislinn asked.

"Not everyone, just me." Draco smirked. "Now back to the letter, Father told me that very soon, you and I will have a chance to prove ourselves. Do you remember when I told you of our involvement in the spring?"

Aislinn narrowed her eyes in thought, and it quickly came to her. It had been just after detention, after Snape had terribly deducted fifty points from them. Aislinn nodded her head and Draco continued.

"Well, father has just told me what that involvement will be. Sounds to be rather interesting," Draco said with a raised eyebrow. He sat back in the chair and began looking casually around the room. Aislinn waited patiently to hear what the 'involvement' would be, but he didn't say another word.

"Did you come over here just to tell me that your dad wrote you a letter, or were you planning on telling me what I will be doing?" Aislinn said. She didn't even try to hide her annoyance. Draco looked back at her and smirked.

"I wanted you to ask me," he said with a slight grin.

"Whatever, Malfoy. Will you please tell me what your father wrote?" Aislinn asked, trying to keep as much disdain out of her voice as possible.

"I guess I could. You would find out soon anyhow," he said, leaning in to the center of the table, as if he were about to expose some great and terrible secret. Aislinn stopped her thought when she realized that was exactly what he was about to do.

************************************************************************

Quinn walked into the Transfiguration classroom, early as usual. She was distracted today and could barely hold one thought in her head. Ever since her conversation with Seamus, and the resulting tension with Ron, Quinn had thought of little else. She couldn't take the idea that any of the Weasleys thought she would hurt them. Quinn had been in the midst of telling herself that she would never harm a hair on a Weasley head when it had hit her. She was just as guilty for not turning in Mr. Macnair, as Mr. Macnair was himself. Maybe Quinn wouldn't hurt the Weasleys but she was letting someone else get away with doing just that.

Quinn collapsed into the front chair of the classroom and pulled out her wand. She wanted to go crawl in bed but Quinn knew Professor McGonagall would not tolerate any excuses. She had made it quite clear to Quinn that if any of her Animagus training sessions were missed, the training would be over. Once when Quinn had been 6 minutes late, Professor McGonagall had lectured her for nearly an hour about the dedication it took and the limited time frame she had to become an Animagus. Quinn hadn't the courage to point out that an hour of lecturing wasted far more time than 6 minutes of tardiness.

Quinn fidgeted with her wand until Professor McGonagall came striding through the door, looking more severe than usual. Quinn sat up straight and attempted to feign interest and comprehension as Professor McGonagall lectured a bit.

After 20 minutes of lecturing, Professor McGonagall sighed heavily and turned to face Quinn.

"I am in no mood to lecture and I don't think you're in any mood to listen, so why don't we just move onto the practice alright?" Quinn nodded and got up quickly, proceeding to the front of the class. Professor McGonagall took a seat and Quinn could feel her watching. She took deep breaths and tried to center herself. It took a few moments for her mind to calm down a bit, but soon Quinn was able to concentrate and focus on changing her form. She saw herself becoming smaller and smaller in her mind, and felt the coinciding change in her body. During each session Quinn was able to see clearer and clearer the form she would take. It was a bird; she could see it now, clearer than she had before.

Quinn tried to ignore the shooting pains in her skeleton as she felt her form get smaller and lighter. With her eyes still tightly shut, Quinn concentrated on the picture in her mind. It was an eagle, soft brown with a white tail. Quinn felt the pain subside as her body held the form for the first time. She opened her eyes and glanced around. She was seeing the world through an eagle's eyes. Everything was clear and sharp. Quinn looked over at Professor McGonagall who was watching with interest and perhaps amusement.

Quinn stretched her form a bit and looked in surprise at the massive wings, which stretched beside her. They were huge but surprisingly light. Quinn wanted to try them out but the pain was becoming too much and she would hate to lose her form somewhere soaring above the school. Instead she took a deep breath and pictured her human form. The transfiguration happened immediately, and for once, Quinn wasn't left in a heap on the floor. She stood grinning broadly at Professor McGonagall, who wore a genuine smile.

"Very well done, Ms. Finnigan. You've progressed far quicker than I imagined." Quinn flushed with pride at this statement. "Perhaps this day isn't a total loss after all," Professor McGonagall said with a slight sigh.

"What's wrong Professor?" Quinn asked immediately. Although Professor McGonagall could be standoffish Quinn felt especially connected with her right now.

"Oh, nothing really Ms. Finnigan. Professor Dumbledore has just given the staff some...worrying news. Nothing you need to be concerned with however." Quinn watched Professor McGonagall's face as worry flickered across it. The smile disappeared and she looked quite severe again. Quinn bit her lip. "Steps are being taken to ensure no one is in danger, so I don't want you to fret. Now I have things to accomplish today, so why don't you be on your way? You should continue practicing and hopefully we'll be able to register you with the ministry soon." Professor McGonagall got a very stern look on her face. "Make sure you don't tell anyone Miss Finnigan." Quinn nodded and tried to look sincere. She had every intention of telling Aislinn right after dinner, but Professor McGonagall never had to know that.

As Quinn left the classroom and looked out at the bright blue sky she had a fabulous idea. She made sure no one was watching and headed out to the edge of the forbidden forest. Quinn stopped just inside the tree line and closed her eyes. The transformation happened much swifter this time. Quinn felt herself take eagle form in merely a moment or two. She ruffled her feathers and tried to stretch out, get used to the feeling of the wings. They were massive wings, very long and covered with thin feathers. Quinn tried to be confident, but looking at the thin expanse of feathers, she was sure they would never support her.

Quinn took a few hopping steps, flapping her wings a bit. They were difficult to manage, being so long. She felt thoroughly silly. Quinn stopped and looked around again, verifying that no one was around.

Quinn took some more running steps, flapping her wings clumsily. She couldn't seem to get up in the air. She was lifted a few feet off the ground but would keel back downward. Her stomach gave a jolt each time the land was no longer beneath her feet.

Quinn jerkily glided up to a nearby tree branch, hoping to get a better takeoff spot. She perched on the tree and took a deep breath. Quinn took a leap off the branch and angled her wings, trying to catch the wind. She started to fall toward earth, struggling to flap her wings. A few feet from the ground she managed to catch an upward draft of air, which brought her higher, up to tree level.

Quinn flapped excitedly, trying to get higher, though she felt slightly nervous as the ground got farther away. Quinn went higher and higher, flying toward the south end of the school. Once she was above the trees Quinn was able to glide easily on the wind. She floated on the air, looking down upon the grounds from high above.

Quinn swooped low over the lake, amazed that she could spot the fish swimming below the surface. Quinn wondered if she would be able to catch one.

She banked left and sailed up again, toward the castle this time. This was amazing! She climbed higher into the velvety blue sky.

Quinn could see so well from up here! She saw students retreating back to the castle as the darkness set in. Quinn could even see small animals hiding in the bushes bordering the school.

She soared over the school and practiced maneuvering around the turrets and between the towers. Several times she dangerously veered in the wrong direction, having momentarily lost control. Twice she nearly impaled herself on a stone gargoyle.

After the sky turned black, Quinn started to realize how tired she was. She swooped lower and circled the Astronomy tower, which was thankfully free of snogging couples.

Quinn circled several times before making a jerky landing on the ledge of the tower. She popped back out of her form and felt her body shudder angrily. She might have overdone it.

Quinn caught her breath slowly, sitting and looking out at the view. Finally she got up, her muscles aching painfully. She realized dinner had been over for nearly an hour.

Quinn headed to the library, still anxious to see Aislinn and tell her the good news. She walked into the familiar room and searched the sea of faces for her friend. Quinn was about to turn and leave when she saw Fred in the corner. He was engrossed in a large book and was chewing on the end of his quill. Quinn decided she could always find Aislinn later on, or the next day. She headed over to him.

"Hey," Quinn said shyly. It was amazing how he could remove the majority of her vocabulary with one happy grin. Fred set down his book and snaked his long arms around her.

"Why weren't you at dinner?" he asked.

"I went for a walk," Quinn said, looking into his eyes. He looked sleepy. "Are you studying?"

"Uh, not really," Fred admitted, grinning wider. "I was, but I'm happy to stop." Quinn smiled. Before she realized it, Fred had scooted closer and pressed his lips against hers.

She wrapped her arms lazily around his neck as the kiss deepened. Quinn felt him momentarily abandon her lips as he began to kiss her neck. She felt dizzy with emotion as he sucked lightly on the soft skin. Quinn jerked her head up, seeing someone approaching. She disentangled herself from Fred as Ron walked over with an angry look.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Ron said angrily. "I told you about her." He jerked his head toward Quinn. She felt her own temper start to rise, but tried to stay calm. She glanced at Fred, awaiting his reaction.

"Oh Ron, go away," Fred said with a sigh. "You're being paranoid, not to mention rude." Ron clenched his fists angrily and his ears turned pink.

"Don't you remember what happened to George?" he asked in a fury. "She had something to do with it, she and that friend of hers." Quinn was about to stand when Fred rounded on Ron, pulling him slightly away. Quinn was slightly surprised at the angry look the two exchanged.

"Just because you and Harry aren't getting along, don't take it out on me." Quinn was startled to hear this. Fred continued in a low voice, "Don't ever talk to me about what happened to George. You weren't there and you're not his twin. I will never forget any moment of that attack," Fred paused and let out what was almost a growl. "And don't talk about my girlfriend ever again."

The two of them exchanged a tense glare. Quinn had never seen Fred angry before. She felt guilty that she would be the cause of this growing rift between Fred and Ron.

Ron turned and stalked away. Fred ran his fingers through his hair and sat back down, glancing at her.

"Maybe now isn't the best time to ask you to come and stay for the summer," he said with a sheepish grin.

"What?" Quinn asked in shock. Fred answered by pulling her close to him once more. He whispered to her, each breath warm against her skin.

"I want you to come and stay with us. I won't be here next year, so I want to spend the summer together," he explained. Quinn blushed furiously as he waited for her answer by kissing her neck again.

"But Ron," Quinn started to say, but trailed off as Fred's left hand found its way under her robes. His fingertips caressed her stomach and hips, moving in lazy circles. Quinn felt weak.

She stopped thinking of Ron as Fred's lips returned to her own. She happily returned the kiss, though she felt dizzy from the feeling of him so close, of his hands igniting her soft skin.

Fred's hand started to move slowly upward, teasing Quinn's flesh with soft caresses and reaching toward-

Someone cleared their throat loudly; both Fred and Quinn jumped. Madam Pince stood a few feet away, arms crossed, glaring at them. Quinn felt her whole face go red and she looked awkwardly away. Fred smiled and stood up, approaching Madam Pince.

"Now Irma," Fred began with a grin, "You know you will always be my number one." He looked very sincere, but Madam Pince didn't seem to find this amusing in the least bit.

"Mr. Weasley, I am sure you find yourself very funny. However, you should know that it is inappropriate to address a teacher by their first name. You will serve detention Friday evening at 8 p.m. Please do not be late Mr. Weasley. And as for you Miss Finnigan, I expect students to respect the time spent in the library. Do not use it to fulfill your hormonal impulses," said Mme. Pince as she stalked back to her desk leaving a smirking Fred looking down at a humiliated Quinn.

"That went well," Fred said with a smirk and held out his hand to help her up. Quinn momentarily forgot that she'd just been yelled at by a teacher. She looked at Fred and smiled again.

"I better get back to Ravenclaw tower," she said slowly, not wanting to leave at all. "I promised Alyssa I would help her with Ancient Runes." Fred looked furtively around for Madam Pince and, seeing that they were alone, planted a short sweet kiss on Quinn's lips, leaving her desperate to stay. Frustrated, she turned around and headed back for her dorm.