Tears of the Ages

Aurelia's hat was tilted over her eyes so she saw only the black threads that held together the seams. Her vision being impaired, her other senses were heightened significantly. Hearing was all she really needed. Her arms were folded nonchalantly across her chest as she leaned poised against the rough brick wall.

Two pairs of footsteps pierced the silence and whispering voices, both male, sounded urgent.

One was course, but far from gruff. "The Dark Lord has his target. He's tasked Avery and Snape to take out Donavon, whose been aiding the Order. He trusts that his project is underway and that there have been no inconveniences."

"Of course not," a smooth voice replied. "The Dark Lord need not worry. I'm nearly finished. However"--his voice lowered two octaves and came out barely audible--"I require something which I'm not able to acquire on my own. The design is flawless, so I doubt he will have any objections to providing me with this."

"That won't be a problem. What do you need?"

"It's fragile, alluring," answered the smooth-voiced male. "More of a trinket than a necessity."

"So it is payment you require. What do you covet that the Dark Lord can provide?"

The smooth voice lowered once more. "Aurelia Colton."

At this, Lia grabbed her hat off her head and flung it across the alley at the smooth-voiced man. Once the speckles of white faded from her vision, she gazed at Remus and Sirius, who was holding her hat in one hand and twirling it around his finger. Both were grinning.

"It's called preparation for a reason!" she said, maintaining a cross tone. "When you prepare yourself for the real thing!"

"You never know, Lia," said Remus. "What if that really was a Death Eater's response? Would you take off your disguise and throw it at him as well?"

"No, I'd say this one took over his body," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at the latter of the two. "And stop looking at my like that Sirius!"

He straightened up but the grin did not disappear so quickly. He looked to Remus and said, "At least we know she can hear well enough."

"Of course I'll be invisible with James' cloak so I won't even have to worry about the disguise."

"Doesn't help to be optimistic, Lia," Remus said. "You learn that after a while."

"I'll be fine," she said, snatching her hat out of Sirius' hands. "I can do this. It'll be easy."

"Anything can go wrong," Sirius said, his tone making the hairs on Lia's head rise. "You're alone out there, luv. If you need help, you'll only have yourself"--that seemed oddly familiar to her--"Are you sure you don't want anyone to come with you? Remus and I have nothing to...Aurelia?"

She was looked past them, through them, without knowing, watching helpless as the nightmare came back to her. Standing in front of her was Dumbledore saying those exact words, and now Silvia was bent over her, wand in hand--

When she felt herself being shaken, she was knocked back to consciousness and reeled around. Her eyes slowly slid back into focus.

"You all right?" Sirius asked, his face showing concern.

"Fine," she lied. She shook her head. "I'll be fine...alone. Promise."

She let go of Sirius' hand after suddenly realizing she had been holding onto it quite firmly, walked out of the room--which had been disguised as a London alleyway--and down the hall to escape headquarters.

- - - - -

A constant pecking was being administered to the glass pane by a snowy barn owl. A navy head burrowed deeper into the warmth beside her, hoping the noise would cease. Unfortunately it didn't, and it forced a grey eye to open and spy the intrusion. Muttering to herself, Silvia pulled the sheet around her frame before standing up. She hobbled over towards the window, opening it and letting a cool breeze fill the room. She shivered slightly but accepted the package that was on the owl's outstretched leg.

The owl promptly flew off before the frustrated recipient could do anything against the messenger.

Scowling, Silvia set the package down and untangled the parchment note that was attached while still clutching the sheet with one hand. Her eyes were narrowed as she read the note.

Silvia,

I thought you might like a little treat. It's quiet at the manor without Lucius home all the time. But I know that cannot be helped. Evan and you should come along some time. Maybe Bella and Rodolphus will join us, too. Enjoy the snack anyhow!

Love, Narcissa

Silvia's eyes traveled over towards the package as she pondered its contents. Her curiosity won out and she undid the wrappings around it. The plain brown paper fell away to reveal a plate of her favorite dark spice treats, Cauldron Cakes. Annoyance framed the lines of her face. Cissa gave her some sort of sweet every few weeks, usually while she was at work and most often it was the same. This time she'd decided on early morning to for the delivery.

Her eyes spied the paper and set it alight to alleviate some of her frustration. She laughed as the fire danced before her eyes. Across the room Evan sat up in bed and looking at the woman who held a sheet to her chest.

"Via, put that out," he grumbled before falling back to the pillows.

She made a noise while rolling her eyes.

"Aguamenti."

Silvia turned back to the bed and crawled underneath the covers once again, leaving the package and note on the table.

Evan wrapped his arm around her waist. "What was that?"

"Cissa. She sent me a package."

"Of...?"

"Cauldron Cakes," Silvia replied, riled from being woken prematurely from her sleep.

"Figures they'd be from her. It's too early for a sane person to be awake," he muttered as his tanned face was met with the softness of the pillow underneath it.

Grey eyes refused to open. "So you think you're insane too?"

"Do I look like a Black to you?"

"Yes," Silvia replied, her head still nestled within the softness.

"And how do you figure that?" Evan asked, curious of the girl's logic.

Silvia smirked. "It's quite simple. Druella Rosier married Cygnus Black and pop comes three daughters. Therefore you are related through distant cousins and removals and so forth."

Evan's amused smile looked down at her while he was propped up on one elbow. "Have you been stalking me, Ms. Colton?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, luv," she said, opening her eyes to look up with a heavy gaze. "You would never catch me...if I was."

"That's where you're wrong." Evan proceeded to release small puffs of air over her ear. "I could smell your perfume a mile away."

Silvia laughed and pushed away from Evan, running away from him to the shower to prepare to the day. She had a feeling it would be a rather long and tedious one.

- - - - -

Try and stay focused, Lia. You'll run yourself into a wall.

Aurelia was walking slowly down Askin Street and interrupting her own thoughts by telling herself to remain on task, which she soon realized was paradoxical.

She had stored the invisibility cloak in her purse and her wand was tucked safely on the inside of her trench coat. Her heart was thumping and her eyes were sprinting back and forth as if paranoia had utterly consumed her rational judgment. Knowing no one was following her, she did not bother to turn around. It was nerves and she had reminded herself of this continuously.

She crossed the street after quick glances to each side and strolled casually until coming upon a bent lamppost. As she acknowledged the post with weary enthuse and turned down a dark alleyway, a hand tapped her shoulder. Aurelia spun around to see a business man who had been, only a second before, trailing down the sidewalk ahead of her.

"Are you looking for something, miss?" he asked with a slight frown.

"No, no. I'm fine, thank you."

But he was not convinced as he peered down the alley. "Nothing down that way except thieves. You look like a respectable girl."

"I'm not doing any--" Aurelia began, but was unable to finish without making the statement sound any less appealing than he had thought to begin with. So she sighed and told him she had to visit her brother living in the trashy part of the city. It seemed to sway his opinion enough because he left her alone.

Walking down the alley made her feel uneasy, but she discarded her emotions and put on her game face. She unbuttoned her purse and pulled out the invisibility cloak. Draping it over her head and hugging the edges, she sank back into a shadowed corner and waited.

Lia heard, ringing in her ears, the sound of a new and absolute silence she had never experienced. She watched and waited behind the folds of the cloak and adjusted to the fact that she needed to reflect the silence she was listening to. Regulating her breath in soft wisps, she leaned against the wall like she had done only a few short hours ago during training.

This was the real thing. No games. No mistakes. No interruptions. She was alone.

The Death Eaters were coming. She could feel, if nothing else, their feet tapping the ground softly from both ends of the alley. They would meet right in front of her, just as she had planned.

She was having trouble opening her eyes, afraid that the lids would make some ear-piercing sound when she did so. Since her conscience pestered her about it, she kept them closed and listened as the footsteps came nearer.

"What is it now, Rosier? I'm sick of the trouble you keep bringing about and quite frankly the Dark Lord is, too."

That was a voice unfamiliar saying a name quite familiar. She risked cracking an eyelid to find Evan Rosier and Walden Macnair standing but three feet in front of her. Before she could release the gasp that was intended, her hand shot up to her mouth and clasped firmly over it.

"He's in a bit of a rut, though, I should say," Evan replied. "With all this talk of dominating Britain yet he can't find the things he needs to follow through. Sounds like a broken promise to me."

"Do not speak ill of the Dark Lord, smartass."

"I don't insult him, pansy. I kindly offer information to His Mercifulness if he should decide to assign me a task. I haven't received payment either, now that I think about it."

"Tell me what you know."

"Nothing, unless I get a task."

"You will deny the Dark Lord your intelligence?" Macnair snarled. "It wasn't much to begin with, I admit, but he will certainly be hearing from me."

"I do hope so." There was not the slightest sense of fear in the man's voice, which was undoubtedly the reason for Macnair's hesitation.

"He will graciously grant you a task, if you would not mind a bit of dirty work."

Aurelia was disgusted at the authentic smirk displayed on Evan's face. "Splendid. My favorite kind."

Macnair sniffed indignantly. "You'll be assigned at the next meeting."

"Glad we had this little chat, Macnair. Be seeing you."

"In due time, Rosier."

She waited five minutes in the same stone-still position to make sure they had left until she tore off the clock and stuffed it in her purse. Closing her eyes tight, she apparated outside of headquarters and as soon as she was there, she headed for the front door.

They would have told her. If they had known, they would have told her Evan was a Death Eater. At the same time she could not stop thinking about Silvia and worrying that if she didn't know who her boyfriend really was, Lia would have no choice but to tell her. Silvia would go insane by being fooled like this. By then she had even contemplated the possibility of Via knowing Evan was who he was. Silvia had always hung around troublesome people and bad boys were her favorite to play with.

She was inside headquarters, rushing past a few members whom she did not recognize and came to the study, inside of which a couple was talking to Dumbledore in hushed, panicked whispers. All three looked up as the door flung open and Lia let out an exasperated gasp for air.

"Evan Rosier is a Death Eater?"

- - - - -

Silvia sat at the quaint round table in the commonly overlooked cafe. She had received a memo from her boss directing her to meet a person of substantial fortune. Supposedly the benefactor had given sizable amounts several times. To keep the donations flowing, the donor had requested to meet someone from the Ministry, specifically the Trackers. Silvia, being the flamboyant that she was had been chosen to entertain. This didn't go over so well with the woman in question. She could say with certainty that several dead rodents would arrive at her Department Head's doorstep within the next few days.

At the present, she was waiting at the requested spot for the mysterious person. She even brought a yellow rose, for laughter's sake. The setting felt so much like she was meeting some blind date a friend had set her up for. Narcissa would be the likely suspect; her intentions were always good like that. But the setting would have been influenced by her sister, knowing full and well that Silvia would hate it once inside. The rose had been too much temptation to resist.

The door jingled as a passerby walked into the shop. Their booted feet made a clicking noise against the hardwood floor, but they and the noise stopped right before Silvia's table. When they sat down, Silvia looked up into the mischievous eyes of her friend, Bellatrix.

"You whore."

"Nice to see you, too," Bella replied while settling in her seat.

Silvia crossed her arms and fixed the other woman with a cold stare.

"You should be thanking me." She shifted her dark hair to fall over her shoulder while her cloak still fell in such a way that she found exasperating.

"For?"

"Improving your day, considerably."

Bella seemed to think this explained enough for her friend.

"You wish, luv," Silvia scoffed and then paused to think over the suggestion Bellatrix had just uttered. "Actually, I suppose you did. I half expected this to be a meeting between me and some soddin' bag."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the term her friend often used to refer to those with more in their bank accounts. "Not that you're much better..."

Bella's beautiful features were contorted into a rather unattractive face. She ignored the comment about if 'that was the face she showed her husband' and stayed silent for a few seconds longer. Suddenly she stood up and looked down at Silvia. "And I was even going to invite you in on some fun."

"What? Why didn't you say so?" Silvia collected her things with a wave of her wand and then twirled her cloak to fit snuggly around her shoulders. She gathered her navy tresses from her face and to the top of her head.

Bellatrix laughed as she walked out of the cafe while explaining the activity.

- - - - -

A knock resounded through the apartment. It was enough to make anyone irritated, especially someone who had previously been enjoying a particularly good dream. Grudgingly she opened the door with a scowl fixed on her face. The scowl melted to a half smile when she saw her cousin before her.

"Well, what brings--"

Silvia never received the chance to finish the sentence because Aurelia pushed straight past her. Her jaw was set, her face stern while worry was causing slight lines across her otherwise flawless face.

"Lia, what are you doing here?"

"You seem grumpy. Did I wake you up or something?" Aurelia immediately began to look around the foyer. She crouched down to look under the table. When she found nothing of interest she stood at her full height once again.

Silvia watched, amused and confused at her cousin's antics.

"Napping, actually."

"Sorry about that," Lia said distractedly and continued to inspect under every crevice and crack. Once satisfied, she moved towards the main room, stopping in the hallway to look back at her cousin. "Is Evan here by any chance?"

"You think we live together?" Aurelia admitted a disbelieving snort. "All right, you caught me!"

If Silvia had been confused before, she was positively lost by now.

Her cousin charged into the next room and surveyed beneath any and every surface in her vicinity. Lia even chanced to look behind one of the paintings Silvia had put over a charred spot on the wall. When Aurelia moved towards another room, Silvia decided that she had had enough. She wanted answers, not more questions.

Grabbing her cousin's wrists, she pulled her towards the kitchen and pointed at a stool until Aurelia assented and seated herself. Silvia let out a sigh before reaching for two mugs of coffee.

"Lia, what the hell is going on?"

"Hmm..." Aurelia was sipping absentmindedly from her mug while observing the kitchen. She avoided looking at her cousin. "What, that? I'm just paranoid."

"Bull shit."

Aurelia made a face. "Vulgar, Via."

"You love me anyway. And don't change the subject! Why are you checking my apartment like I stole your favorite shoes? ...They're in the closet, by the way."

Expecting some sort of acknowledgement of the jest, suffice it to say she was disappointed when none came.

Silvia drank her coffee as she watched her cousin visibly fidget. It was almost as if she was fighting with herself about whether to offer Via the information or to leave her in the dark. She hoped that she would choose the former.

"There is no easy way for me to--your boyfriend's a bloody Death Eater!"

Aurelia's hands flung over her mouth. Silvia guessed that she had designed a very carefully worded speech, all planned to drizzle the unbelievable truth down on her cousin until she was finally drowned. She acted shocked and confused, a combination she had long since been prepared for. The thing was, the shock part wasn't an act. There were only two explanations Lia had to knowing about Evan.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out like this, Via," Aurelia whispered through her fingers.

"How do you know that?" she said cruelly, playing it up.

Silvia couldn't help herself. She might have overdone the realistic surprise factor when she yelled at Aurelia, demanding how she knew who Evan was and accusing her of never liking him in the first place. By the end of the farce, tears were streaking down both girls' faces, but they were silent.

"I'm sorry..."

Silvia watched as her traitorous cousin walked out of her apartment, cursing at herself violently for not realizing her true allegiance before. And as she watched the door shut tight she couldn't help but utter a watery, "I'm sorry, too."

- - - - -

It felt uncommonly cold in the dank rooms where Voldemort's followers gathered. Often times a Death Eater would not notice, having lost so much of their humanity already as to be beyond caring. But Silvia had never lost her humanity--she had indeed embraced it. It was a fundamental of human nature: to love, to kill, to feel emotions. This day, however, she felt a hollow inside of her and it was a hollow caused by her errant cousin.

The fact that her cousin had somehow found out that her lover, Evan, was a Death Eater meant that either Aurelia had been fed that material by her own lover or that she was a member of that damned order. The Order of the Phoenix was against everything that Silvia stood for. They were wizards, but those her comrades named 'blood traitors'. The Order allied with and protected Muggles, the filthy scum that would do no one any good. Look at what happened in North America! One gifted individual had been careless with her wand and masses of their kind started genocide against all witches and wizards. It didn't matter that they could defend themselves against burnings; Muggles had evolved with new toys. They had to be stopped before they realized the truth and took to exterminating the magical community.

Others did not understand that simple fact, though. Silvia doubted that they ever would.

She stood against the stone, her back pressed firmly to the cold, letting it cool her head. Her mind had been in a constant turmoil since she had learned of Evan's apparent wrongdoings from her cousin. Little did Aurelia know that she partook in the same activities.

The two heavy wooden doors burst open and everyone in the antechamber immediately sank to a knee with their head bowed. A figure walked through their ranks, his black robes billowing behind him. He sat down in the throne-like chair at the head of the chamber and a haughty voice commanded, "As you were."

All in the hall rose and took a position to look at their leader. Most looked around him and not directly into his eyes, but a select few choose to gaze boldly into those bloody depths. One such was Colton, a navy-haired woman against one of the walls. Briskly, the lord in his throne waved a hand, signaling someone to step forward. In response, a dark-skinned and even darker-haired man stepped forth. Satisfied, the red-eyed man once again spoke.

"I believe you have something to share, d you not, Rosier?"

"That I do, my lord," he replied, his dark eyes staring into the crimson ones before bowing. Then he turned to address the others in the room. "Recently, I was informed that the Order had recruited a new member. It turned out to be of little surprise, as Dumbledore likes to stick with his favorites. He chose Aurelia Colton."

Silvia forbade herself any movement to display her emotions. Her expression was as cold and as hard as ever and her posture solid. She stared directly at Evan as he said those words. She blinked once before turning her gaze to her lord. She ignored the curious glances and almost-silent whispers. The Dark Lord's unforgiving eyes stared into hers. He gave a small nod before turning back to the general assembly.

"Very good, Rosier. It is always better to have an advantage against our adversary."

Voldemort allowed Evan to return to the background and the next person stepped up to announce information they had gathered that was relevant to the cause.

If it was minutes or hours that passed by, Silvia was not sure. Her mind was in a constant state of uproar. Yes, she had known Aurelia was in the Order. But she had somehow perceived that she could avoid anything happening directly to her cousin. Maybe ensure she was locked up at her uncle's house or make Aurelia an impromptu visit to her brother's. Whatever the solution, she would have thought of it. Now that it had been publicized, her safety was hopeless. Again, she felt the hollow.

Her thoughts were finally broken by the sound of her name. She strode from her spot to kneel before the Dark Lord. She heard someone do the same on her right. Under her navy fringe she saw a body she could not mistake. Silvia's eyes looked forward again, waiting for instructions. Instead she felt cool fingers slip underneath her chin and force her grey eyes to meet that of her master's.

"I have often wondered what made your eyes so cold," he said, his voice was no more than a whisper. It could be described as a low hiss made by a snake. There were moments such as this where Voldemort's humanity would shine through his exterior. They were rare in form.

Beside her, Evan's hand clenched in a barely noticeable action.

The moment passed without incident as Silvia did not respond. The Dark Lord simply rose to his full height once more and looked over his followers with a patented stare. "I would like the two of you to dispose of Caradoc Dearborn. He has long since been a thorn in our side."

"Yes, my lord," they both answered in unison.

He nodded and then called others up to receive their own assignments. Silvia left the room and walked down the halls, knowing well that Evan would catch up with her soon enough. Her heels clicked throughout the stones that made up the flooring. The walking was soothing to her nerves.

That was until a hand grasped her shoulder with an austerely voice to go with it.

"Silvia, it's so nice to know that your dear cousin will finally find her place. In the ground."

Silvia's eyes snapped together to glare at the greasy head of Severus Snape. "I doubt anyone cares for your opinion, Severus." She grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back, before, is under pressing him against the wall. She moved so that she could whisper into his ear, "Where you belong is under my foot. Don't. Try. My. Patience."

She released him and stalked down the rest of the hallway. She felt another hand on her elbow and she spun around, her wand at the ready. "I thought I told you to--"

"Told me to what?" Evan asked curiously. His grip was still firm on her elbow, keeping her in place. Silvia had yet to lower her wand.

"Never mind."

Seeming to accept this answer Evan nodded. "Then we should probably leave."

"Let's go."

- - - - -

Men fear death as a child fears darkness. For the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. It is the reason why some steal themselves against truths such as wisdom and honor. They cannot bear the outcome brought on by them. But darkness strikes fear in hearts for the reason that it is the time that numerous individuals decide to complete an unsatisfactory task.

Death Eaters were no different. In fact they seemed to revel from the fear darkness and its presence inspired in a victim. It was intoxicating, addicting and utterly sating. Silvia loved the vastness brought on by darkness. It was her hideaway and her solitude, her element. And she held no qualms about being one who preformed discouraging deeds in that blackness. In fact for her, it was almost better that way.

Such was the case that night when they were set to silence one Mister Dearborn. She was crouched outside of the man's residence, waiting for him to approach. It was a nice area. The cliffs near his house were an excellent vantage point for any romantic evenings he could have planned.

"You're angry with me," a low voice murmured near her ear, the breath playing games across her cartilage.

"And why's that?" her voice was cold even to her own ears.

Evan rolled his eyes, although she wouldn't have noticed it in the darkness. Nor was she looking at him. Her eyes were trained on the house. "Aurelia."

Silence stretched between the couple. Silvia tried in vain to calm her emotions from doing anything rash.

"You're damn right I'm angry."

She chanced a look at the man beside her. Her eyes were already narrowed to slits, leaving little of her grey irises exposed.

"Are you going to elaborate on that fact?"

"No." Silvia noticed a light in one of the bedrooms. She stood up and went towards the house. Her steps were sure but quiet as she stalked towards the rear of the house. Behind her there was a barely audible groan before Evan was following her. Her hand clasped the handle of the back and it gave beneath her touch. "Sloppy," she muttered to no one in particular.

Continuing into the house she approached the stairs. Her feet were just ascending them when she felt something on her elbow. Her head turned.

"What?" she hissed.

"You can't keep avoiding the issue, Via," Evan said quietly.

"Watch me."

She pulled her arm from his hold before completing her journey of the stairs. She stalked down the hallway, briefly letting her hand touch a handle or two before moving on. She reached one in the middle and stopped. She waited for Evan before bowing and motioning towards the door.

This time she could see his eyes roll before he tested the brass knob. His fingers wrung it and the wood opened. He walked inside and she followed.

"What's the meaning of this?" a voice demanded from inside the room.

"You are Mister Dearborn, are you not?" Evan asked cordially. By his manner it did not seem that he had snuck into the man's house uninvited and unwanted. It was more like he was attending some sort of social event and wanted to thank the host for his hospitality.

"I am, and I would like you get out of my house."

A smirk slid across the dark-skinned man's features. It was like a cat looking down at a trapped mouse. "I am afraid, Mister Dearborn, that that will not be possible."

Silvia walked out from behind Evan, having been forgotten in the exchange. She drew her hand from her robes and produced a sharpened knife. With a practiced ease, she drew it over the man's throat, feeling the warm and sticky lifeblood flow from his arteries and onto her fingers. His body collapsed upon itself and lay gurgling on the floor. Cold eyes stared down at him waiting until his eyes died out.

"He would have found out eventually," Evan voiced while he went to check the man's vitals to ensure that he was no longer with the living.

Wiping the blade on the man's jacket, she let out a frustrated breath. "Drop it, will you?"

"I'm not deterred that easily."

"Would be nice if you were," Silvia moved to position herself at the man's feet while her partner moved to his shoulders. They both picked up the respective parts with the same heave and began moving the man out of the room and down the hall.

"He didn't have to know."

"Of course he did. He would have found out from someone else sooner or later. No matter what those stiffs are trying to teach your cousin, stealth is not her most favorable attribute."

His dark eyes were hardly discernable in the darkness.

"I would have found a way," she ground out from between her clenched teeth. They had already made it down the stairs and out of the house. "Besides, stealth isn't your best attribute either."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What does it sound like to you?" Silvia challenged.

"A load of shit," Evan pointed out bluntly. "We release on three." He noticed Silvia nod in turn. They swung the body back and forth and on the third swing released it to plummet to the watery depths beneath.

Silvia brushed her hands on her robes. "So long," she said, blowing a kiss in the general direction of the plummeting corpse. "Aurelia knows you're a Death Eater."

"How?"

"Does it really matter? She's in the Order, she would have found out eventually." Silvia sounded disgusted whenever she so much as mentioned the organization. "And you know what? By giving everyone that little tip-off, they might just ruin any chance I had of using her for information! Do you know how we could benefit from learning more about them?"

Evan caught her hand that was currently poking him repeatedly in the chest. He pulled her closer to him and used his height to look down on her. "And what if she was thinking the same thing? Won't she find it odd that you don't up and leave me upon that enlightening news?"

"What makes you think I haven't?" Silvia tugged upon her hand. When that proved unsuccessful she tried to push him away from her with her other hand. "She left in such a state that made it clear I do not believe her accusations against you."

In response, Evan merely captured her other wrist. "And what happens when others of the Order reveal that you are a Death Eater? We already know that Black knows. What's to keep him from telling her in one of those sickeningly sweet moments they have together? What happens then, Silvia?"

"I kill him."

"That's not a solution and you know it," Evan chastised lightly, knowing just how much Silvia really would enjoy inflicting pain upon her cousin's sweetheart.

"Aurelia would not believe him. She would come to me and I would be able to talk her around," Silvia knowledgably pointed out.

"That doesn't solve the problem of what her Order friends will end up doing with or without her," he said, his voice holding no emotion while his eyes bore down upon her. "Or what will happen afterwards. Something will have to be done about her, Silvia. She's best mates with Dumbledore's chosen ones. It was bound to happen and she'll face the same thing as her friends."

She met them with contempt.

"Don't tell me what to do, Rosier." She finally broke free of his hold on her although it had been lessened considerably. "She's like a sister to me. I would have found a way," she repeated softly but with enough malice in her voice to not be taken lightly.

Then Silvia simply walked off and disappeared with a small noise. Dejected, Evan let out a long exhale of irritation. Silvia really was too stubborn for her own good, especially when it came to Aurelia. Her cousin was the only family that she really felt any attachment to. And that would be a difficulty for her, now more than ever. Her cousin's affiliation with Dumbledore had...complicated matters. He just hoped that it would not hinder her in any way when the time came.

He disappeared, leaving only the darkness and the waves crashing down far below to disturb the night. Somewhere in those waves the man who had once been Caradoc Dearborn was slowly sinking towards the sandy depths.